Page 22 of Hellcat

Ian laughed. "You know at least some of them. Vampires."

About thirtyfive years ago, the regulars had been entirely ignorant of the existence of any supernatural creatures, until the vampires had decided to come out, without warning anyone or asking for their opinion.Regulars freaked and tried to exterminate them, so the vampires had taken over the world, just like that, overthrowing governments practically overnight. They did eventually give the reins of the world back to regulars, saying that, as the most populous species in the world, they had the right to govern themselves, but warning them that actions against supernaturals would bring the vampires back to the surface.

At first, the shifters had stayed away from the limelight, but witches revealed themselves, and it didn't seem to matter anymore. The shifter council voted and ended up revealing itself.

"It takes about three average shifters to kill an average vampire," he said. "I'm talking, run-of-the-mill, hundred-year-old bloodsucker and shifters picked at random from a crowd. Rye would make short work of a couple of vampires without breaking a sweat. Ace might take on an ancient by herself."

Tania's smile felt a little more real this time. "And you?" she asked him.

Ian shrugged. He wasn't the strongest male of the pack, not even after Rye. That was Daunte. Luke could potentially take him. Jas could definitely take him. He wasn't the smartest one either; that particular role was filled by Coveney, who sometimes hid that he was a genius. Ian's superpower was an above-average understanding of computers and a knack with money.

"I'd have a chance against a normal vamp. An ancient would wipe the floor with my face." He pointed north, toward the lake. "Go that way for about a mile, and that's my cabin, right in front of the lake."

On that note, he led her in the opposite direction. Half an hour of small talk later, they'd reached Ace's first house in the area. Other than a fresh coat of paint, they hadn't done much to the exterior of the handsome antebellum home.

Watching as Tania gasped, he remembered the first time he'd seen the place himself. They'd been running for about two years, changing locations so often, nowhere had felt safe for a long time. The beautiful house had seemed like the stuff of a dream. It had changed their lives. They'd met their alpha female, a woman who'd fought and bled for them at every turn until they had a place to call home.

"You know, I would have protested far less if you'd shown me the place first."

He chuckled. "Come on in."

Chapter 14

Her car was in the driveway, right in front of the house, and the firstthing she saw when Ian pushed the door open was her little cat meowing demandingly, like she hadn't been fed in centuries.

Ace had been true to her word and brought her in.

Cats were territorial and had a tendency to detest change of environment, so Tania expected her baby to be pissy, but the pet seemed relaxed.

"I'd better set up a litter box; hang on, I have to grab the stuff from my car."

"Don't worry about it. Plenty of litter boxes in the house. Ace's rescues occasionally come and go, so our cleaner keeps them clean."

"I should at least grab her food."

"Cat food in the kitchen. Let me show you."

After leading the way to the large modern kitchen and showing her the cat food, Ian gave her the grand tour of the immense plantation home.

Most of the bedrooms on the ground floor were dark and shut up, but when they reached the master bedroom on the second floor, it had been lit up, and there was a change of clothes at the foot of the bed.

"Ah, looks like Ace set you up in her old bedroom. Good. There'll be stuff in the bathroom. You're working tomorrow?"

Tania nodded, feeling incredibly self-conscious. When had strangers been quite so accommodating? Hell, she wouldn't have expected this from her closest friends.

"Yeah, until twelve."

He nodded. "Leaving you to it, then. We have three enforcers patrolling tonight, so you sleep tight. No one's getting to you."

Before she could thank him again, he was out the door.

She headed to the bathroom and, as promised, found it well stocked with bubble bath, moisturizers, even some makeup. She indulged in a long, calming bath before wrapping herself in thick, luxurious bedding and tried to sleep.

Operative word: tried.

The elegant lake house was too large, too unfamiliar, too quiet, and too noisy, all at once. Knowing that a trio of shifters she had yet to meet were watching it, from somewhere in the shadows, helped a bit, but there was little chance of her getting any rest in these conditions. God, what had she gotten herself into?

There werebags under her eyes and the woman looked so worried when she stepped out the door. Ian did enjoy the change in her expression when she saw him though.

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