Page 98 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Instead of flinching, the asshole’s grin spread into a smile. “Big words for a creature like you. I’m protected; you can’t touch me. I’m a teacher in town. People know me, and my students like me. If I vanished without a trace, there’d be a lot of questions.” He flicked at my shirt like he was brushing away lint. “We’ve taken steps to ensure our safety. If you do succumb to your baser instincts, and do something stupid, like, I don’t know, rip my throat out? My team has plans in place to ensure my death leads right back to your door. To you and your little gang of predators.”

I growled at him, clenching and unclenching my hands to keep from grabbing his arms and ripping them from the sockets.

His eyes flicked behind me to the bar and he held his hands up, backing away. “I’m going to enjoy my time in Lilly Valley, I think. Not only do I get to hunt youthings,but there might be more exciting things to bide my time with.” He nodded, and I glanced over my shoulder to see April watching us.

Before I could say anything, she walked down the steps and came up beside us. “Is everything okay here?”

The hunter moved toward her, getting closer than I liked. My bear tried to release a growl, but I swallowed it back even though it took everything I had not to let the challenging roar escape my lips.

Before I could speak, the hunter put a hand on her lower back and said, “Everything’s fine. No worries.”

My gaze locked on his hand. Him touching her was almost more than I could stand. A fiercely possessive need to protect her washed over me, and I was sure I looked nearly crazy as I fought against my instincts.

April eyed me warily. “Are you sure?”

She was more concerned for this guy than for me. The way she looked at me like I was some dangerous animal hurt so bad I couldn’t even describe it. I had to remind myself that I’d ripped her heart out. Of course she wouldn’t trust me. Plus, I was standing here, ready to kill the guy who, apparently, had become her new friend. What would I have thought if the tables were reversed?

The hunter nodded. “Yeah, all good. Simply a little misunderstanding. I need to head out. Give me a call sometime this week?”

April nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

The guy turned to leave, but not before giving me another of those cocky winks. I took several deep breaths as I watched him walk away. April was right there, and I had to try to keep my cool. This night was not going as planned.

“How do you know that guy?” I asked when he’d driven away.

“Are you serious right now? Really? You think you have the right to ask meanything? Much less who I get to associate myself with?”

My mind was still processing the anger and surprise from seeing a hunter here. I shook my head. “I’m just saying, you should, like, I don’t know, use better judgment with the men you choose.”

“Wow. You know, you’re right.” She gestured toward me. “You are a prime example of how bad I am at choosing men. Wouldn’t want someone to hurt me. Oh, wait, too late.”

The words cut me like a razor blade. It was the first thing she’d said to me about the breakup, and I deserved it. I probablydeserved worse. A heavy breath exploded out of my mouth, as if she’d landed a physical blow. Before I could respond or apologize, she’d already turned and was walking back to the bar. Staring at her back, I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Besides, what could I say? The door closed behind her, and I was left standing in the parking lot alone.

I looked around at the darkness. “Well, fuck me, I guess.”

With nothing more to be gained at the bar, I walked back to my truck, my head held low like a little boy who’d been scolded by his mom. One thing I did need to do was tell the guys what had happened. They needed to know the hunters were still active in Lilly Valley. Especially Tate—he had Harley and their son Tory to worry about at home.

I dialed Tate’s number as I drove home. He’d need to know first, then we’d fill the others in.

“Steff?” Tate answered. “What’s wrong?”

I smiled despite my awful mood. Tate had fantastic instincts. He already knew something was wrong without me saying anything.

“Not good news, man. I just ran into a hunter.”

“What?” I pulled the phone away from my ear as Tate’s voice nearly exploded out of the microphone.

“Yeah. Saw them at Knight’s place. The bar. It gets worse. He was flirting with April, the girl I told you guys about. Moving in real close, looked like. Tate, he’s the guy we saw out in the woods. He’s the one who tried to shoot Harley.”

Tate cursed under his breath. “That fucker is back?”

“Yup. I’ve definitely got the curse. The way I reacted when I saw him with April? I’ve never been so angry in my life. My bear was, like, frothing at the mouth. Nothing that powerful has ever happened to me before.”

“Okay, we need to keep our distance for now. At least until we can figure out who their boss is. They’re hoping one of uswill snap and attack. If we do that, we’ll expose ourselves, which might be their entire plan. Get us to reveal ourselves and use it to show the world we exist. We need to be careful,” Tate said.

“Why don’t they just do it now? What’s with all this waiting around and cloak-and-dagger shit?”

Tate sighed. “I think it has to do with their leader. This person has an agenda and a plan. It looks like nothing will make him deviate from it. The hunters won’t move until this guy says so. We’ve got to keep our heads on a swivel.”

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