Page 37 of Handcuffs & Honey

Wyatt flipped Cannon off. “Preternatural can’t get sick.”

“Then what are you bitching about?” Cannon asked as he walked away. “Take your balls out of your purse.”

When Wyatt snarled and went for Cannon, Dominic grabbed him and shoved him back. “You two stop acting like you’re in kindergarten. No more schoolyard taunts.”

That was the problem dealing with dominant males. They were always snapping and snarling at each other. Cannon and Wyatt were good friends, but sometimes their testosterone got in the way.

Not that Dominic hadn’t been guilty of that a time or two, but now wasn’t the time for a dick-measuring contest.

Deputy Morgan Savani hadn’t been any help. He just stood there smirking, as if waiting to see if the two would attack each other.

Just as Dominic started to make his way back to his truck, his phone rang. It was Roman. “Is everything okay?”

“Far from okay,” Roman snarled. “You better get here, and fast.”

Dominic heard screams and what sounded like something crashing. “Roman, what’s going on?”

But the snow leopard didn’t answer him.

* * * *

If Julian had to scrape one more plate he was going to scream. The food looked good going out but not so much coming back into the kitchen. Not when all the dishes had been placed in a plastic tub, and in that bin was a mixture of food and drinks. Everything came together to look like a gloppy mess.

Not only was he scraping dishes but he was also washing them, chopping veggies, wiping things down, and moping. He so wasn’t getting paid enough for this. Some things in the tub looked as if they would come alive and attack him.

Julian picked up a spoon and grimaced as sticky syrup dripped from it, and in that syrup were pieces of scrambled eggs.

Roman seriously needed to hire kitchen help, and fast. Ezekiel also needed to be dealt with so Julian could go back to being a server.

He dropped the spoon into the soapy water then went back for a cup, but the plastic cup hit the floor and rolled. With a grunt, Julian went after it. He bent down to retrieve it then saw a pair of boots in his line of vision.

Julian looked up slowly and gasped when he saw Ezekiel standing there.

“They should have hidden your scent, too.” Ezekiel grabbed Julian by the throat and threw him. Julian flew then hit the chrome counter before he bounced off of it. “I warned Robert that you were bad news, but he didn’t listen to me. For reasons I can’t understand, he was obsessed with you. A human.” Ezekiel scoffed.

Julian tried to get up, but Ezekiel crossed the room and kicked him in the gut. Julian cried out, clutching his midsection as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Because of you my son is dead,” Ezekiel snarled. “I’m going to enjoy piercing your brain with my claws.”

The kitchen door slammed open. Roman snarled as he entered. Ezekiel narrowed his eyes. “This has nothing to do with you, leopard.”

“It has everything to do with me when you sneak in the back way and assault one of my employees, who happens to be a friend, too.”

Julian never knew Roman thought of him as a friend. He hoped his boss kicked Ezekiel’s ass.

Roman bared his canines and snarled as he shifted into his snow leopard form. Julian watched in awe as the massive cat stalked toward Ezekiel, ready to defend him. The leopard was white and tan with black spots, had blue eyes, just like Roman, and his fur looked so soft and fluffy that Julian had an urge to reach out and pet him.

Ezekiel shifted as well, his fur bristling as he prepared to attack. In Julian’s opinion, he wasn’t as majestic as Roman’s cat.

Oh fuck! Julian needed to get out of the way. He struggled to his feet, clutching his stomach as he tried to catch his breath. This was like being in the woods all over again when Ezekiel had fought Dominic. At least this time Julian found a weapon.

He grabbed the cleaver on the table and gripped the handle tightly as he watched the fierce predators face off.

Roman lunged at Ezekiel, but the wolf shifter was fast. He dodged the attack and tackled Roman to the ground. The two rolled around on the greasy kitchen floor, exchanging clawed swipes at each other while Roman tried to clamp down on Ezekiel’s throat.

The pain in Julian’s gut was too much, and he collapsed to his knees. He could only watch as the fight between Roman and Ezekiel escalated.

The two banged into shelves and knocked over supplies, as well as pots and pans. The noise was loud enough to draw attention. Elijah hurried into the kitchen, stopped, and then his jaw dropped.

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