Page 29 of Into the Lion's Den (Secrets of the Northland Shifters)

“No. Who said that?”

“Oh.” He swallowed hard, as if the cherry had suddenly turned into a walnut. “I don’t know if I heard the actual source. It was just a general conversation in town. I stopped at the café for lunch before coming up the hill, mentioned where I was headed, and—”

I stepped in closer, not to be threatening, only to make my point. “Well, whoever’s spreading rumors, you can tell them you heard something different, and you heard it straight from me.”

Jeff’s eyes went wide. “I will.” Then he smiled and let out a breath. “I’m glad to hear it.Relieved, actually.”

Jeff called out to his buddies, eager to share the good news.

“I told you it couldn’t be true.” Gene Johnson raised his whiskey glass in a toast. “A place doesn’t make drinks this good if it’s sliding out of business on the cheap. And I noticed you’ve classed up the place even more.” He glanced toward Sarah, and I followed his gaze.

Roger Whitley had left the trio, but Charlie Horn remained talking to Sarah, standing closer to her than was necessary, despite the room’s uptick in volume.

Sarah looked uncomfortable, which raised the small hairs at the back of my neck. When she took a step backward and Charlie followed, closing the gap, I instinctively crossed the room to get a better read on the situation.

“Everything all right?” I asked.

By the relieved look in her eyes, I knew I’d judged correctly.

“I was just getting to know your new party planner,” Charlie drawled.

“Sarah,” I said. “It looks like everyone who’s coming is here. Hostess duties are over. You can be off the clock, if you’d like.”

She gave me a nod, told Charlie it was nice to meet him, then turned to go.

But Charlie took a step to his left and blocked her path. “Oh, come on, Reese. Y’all shouldn’t let a dress like that go to waste. Let her stay and join the party.”

Sarah glanced back at me, a question in her eyes.

Despite my better judgment, I heard myself saying, “Of course you can stay. If you’d like.”But stay close to me,I thought, and I cupped her elbow in my hand.

I swore she leaned into it, if only a little, and said, “All right.”

Charlie slurred, “Thatta girl” and slapped Sarah’s ass.

Sarah’s whole body went rigid. My animal snarled, sensing the flicker of rage in Sarah’s bloodstream while feeling its own possessive and territorial nature.

The latter was a reaction I hadn’t expected. It was one thing to feel protective of an employee, quite another to feel possessive of a woman. But the primal urge to both protect and possess rose up in me like the burning swell of a volcano.

What happened next, happened in a blur.

Without thinking, my arm cocked back and my fist shot forward. It met Charlie’s nose with a sickening crunch but a satisfying spray of red.

Charlie dropped like a stone.

“Fuck!” Sam yelled from across the room. “Reese! What the hell?”

All the guests, including my brothers, raced across the dining room and gathered around.

Charlie struggled to get back on his feet while putting pressure on the bridge of his nose.

“Get him out of here,” I ordered.

“What happened?” Toby asked.

One of the other guests took Charlie’s arm to help him up, but Charlie shrugged him off angrily.

“Nothing happened,” Sarah said, though her face was bright red and she looked like she wanted to cry. “It was no big deal.”

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