Page 27 of Seduced By Two Alphas

I stripped by the back door and shifted into my bear, lumbering around the side of the house. Our truck was still parked in the dirt driveway, along with Casey’s sedan, which he hadn't driven in weeks because he was now going to and from work in our truck. Rides I’d thoroughly enjoyed since Casey had always been snuggled into my side the entire ride.

I scented the air, and I must’ve gotten used to the scent of the bayou because now those smells seemed normal to me. Not really a bad odor, but very distinctive. Also, as a bear shifter, those smells were more powerful, and on some days, when the heat index was too high, it did kind of stink.

But again, I’d grown used to them.

My paws sank into moss, grass, and over twigs and rocks as I made my way around the perimeter of the house. That was when I saw it, a red car parked a few yards down, the driver nowhere in sight. Still keeping in my bear form, I lumbered over to the car and sniffed.

I knew that smell, but I couldn’t place it. Where did I know it from? Better question, where was the driver? The houses along this road were spread pretty far apart, and no one should have been parked there.

There was no telling who it was because I couldn’t recall where I’d smelled the scent before, so I hurried back toward the house, determined to find out who was lurking on the property near our pregnant mate.

Chapter Nine

Casey

I knew something was off as soon as I entered my bedroom and saw Jack standing stiffly at the window. His broad back was ramrod straight, claws showing on one hand. The way his eyes were searching, you would think an escaped convict was somewhere out there.

“Jack, what is it?”

“I’m not sure,” he said without turning to look at me. “Ken is out there checking things out. Get dressed.”

After everything I’d been through, I wasn’t going to question Jack. What if Albert had returned, or worse, Nezat? What if he’d “convinced” someone else to do his bidding? This was not the morning to deal with this when I was already going through some stuff.

Some stuff? Really? Was that how I was thinking of my predicament? I couldn’t deal with that right now. At the moment, I was more worried about what was going on outside.

After I yanked on fresh clothes I snatched from my drawers, I slipped my sneakers on and tied them. “Okay, I’m dressed and ready. Do you know what’s going on out there?”

My heart was going crazy in my chest. I felt a bit lightheaded but stayed steady on my feet. If something bad was happening, I wasn’t going to pass out. I would do whatever Jack and Ken told me to do.

“Keep right next to me,” Jack said as we left my bedroom. He hadn't told me to hide because it would do no good. Nezat would still be able to get to me. If he could vanish, that meant he might be able to appear out of thin air, too.

We’d made it to the living room door, but Jack didn’t open it. He stayed there as if waiting for something. “Are we leaving?”

Jack placed a finger over his lips. Now was not the time to think of how plush those lips were, how they’d felt on mine. Or how broad his shoulders were, how sexy he looked with those tattoos, or how much I wanted him to hold me and tell me everything would be all right.

And now, because there was a potential crisis beyond my door, I wanted both of them to tell me things were going to work out, that we were in this together. Intellectually, I knew that, but I really needed to hear those words.

I wrapped my hand around Jack’s wrist, needing the contact desperately. He slipped an arm around me and pulled me close, embracing me, giving me what I needed in that moment. Jack even kissed my temple, letting his lips linger there.

“I know you’re scared, but Ken and I won’t let anything happen to you, Casey.”

“A team,” I muttered against his chest.

“Got that right, babe.”

I smiled despite the possibility of a threat. I smiled because Jack had known what I’d needed and given it to me. Maybe this whole threesome thing would work. Maybe I could set my fears aside and be the father our child needed me to be.

There was a whole lot of needing going on in my life right now.

I spun and nearly shouted when a shadow fell behind me. It happened in just two seconds, but I realized it was Ken.

“We have a visitor,” Ken said. “Spotted him walking around the property.”

“Albert?” Jack asked.

“Nezat?” I chimed in. Would the demon really walk around the property? I didn’t think so, but what in the hell did I know about demons? Zilch.

“Fred.” Ken sighed as he scratched at his beard, the same beard that had tickled me as Ken had sucked me off. God, why was I thinking about that shit right now?

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