Josh nodded. “Just her nightmares. This time she woke up hysterically crying for me. She said the bad lion was going to get me if I didn’t come home.”
“Bad lion?” the stranger at her back asked.
“Yeah.” Josh crossed his arms over his chest. “She’s got an active imagination.”
Jazz grasped Josh’s wrist. “Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. I—”
“Whatever it is, talk to me about it in the morning.” Josh cupped her cheek and bent to give her a kiss on the forehead. “Okay, love. Megan needs me.”
“Of course. Call me. Day or night. About anything. I understand more than you know, and I can help you with her.” She swallowed hard. These next words would hurt. She never thought she’d be saying them tonight. “Oh…and Josh?”
He raised a brow.
“I’m sorry about Tony. He was a good man and a wonderful father.”
Josh dipped his head in acknowledgement, then slipped out the door. She wanted to go after him. Comfort him somehow. She didn’t have the right. Because of the secret life she’d had to live, she’d cut him out of it. She’d cut everyone out of it.
But she made her bed. Now she had to lie in it. Alone.
She didn’t want to be alone. It was time to start making amends and rebuilding the friendships she’d ignored. She knew how. In the morning, she’d sit Josh down and tell him everything she’d learned about shifters. If that went well, she’d share the story of how she’d ended up a mother. Once her tale was revealed, maybe, just maybe she wouldn’t feel so guilty about raising kids that weren’t hers.
Or leaving their mother in the hands of monsters.
A lump landed hard in her gut. No. Nothing would erase that particular sin.
Chapter 3
All three predators slammed into Rafe’s chest in an effort to be set free. They wanted Josh’s blood spilling over their tongue, a brutal response, but one Rafe was accustomed to. The laws of the animal world didn’t always mesh with the human one. He was left as the liaison, ensuring both were met when possible. Tonight he couldn’t give his animals what they wanted.
Josh had done nothing to deserve death. Stubbornness didn’t count. Neither did crudeness. Although Rafe hadn’t come right out and told him the truth, he’d hinted at the fact that Megan wasn’t quite normal. Josh had gone on to deliver a string of curses involving his foot and Rafe’s ass. Amusing, but not the most productive conversation he’d ever had.
Josh had agreed to meet him later, though. That was the best Rafe would get unless he was willing to swoop in and take Megan by force. For Megan’s sake, that was a last resort. Rafe didn’t want to make her reintroduction to shifter life any more traumatic than it would already be. For the time being, Josh had to stay in the picture.
Rafe’s lion growled, not approving of Rafe’s thoughts. It had labeled Josh as competition for Jasmine, the female his cats had taken an interest in. They wouldn’t share her with another male.
It didn’t seem to matter to the big cat that Jasmine was the feline scent-marked female Rafe had detected at the scene of the fire. His lion liked how she smelled. It wanted to get closer to her. Rafe ignored the animal, and its primitive response. He didn’t know the woman. He wasn’t about to fight over her.
Another snarl echoed within him—his jaguar expressing its disagreement—and a swipe of his tiger’s claws raked along his insides. He swallowed a groan. Although he was immortal, being torn apart from the inside wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
He snapped his teeth together and pushed against their forceful wills. One by one the animals abated, but he got the impression it wouldn’t take much to stir them.
Ensured of his cats’ obedience, he slipped an arm around Jasmine’s waist, locking her to him. She leaned into his embrace, head tipped back to rest against his chest, as if she’d done so for a lifetime.
The easy way she accepted him pushed Rafe to take more. With a palm on her hip, he tugged her closer, letting her feel how she affected him. She stiffened, then spun, her blonde hair whipping with the move.
Beautiful. She was absolutely gorgeous. Gray eyes, a few freckles on the tip of a slightly crooked nose, and a mouth made for kissing. Her rounded face with its finely sloped forehead lent her an angelic quality. The desire stamped on her expression ensured she’d be the wicked kind of angel, given the proper encouragement.
He had every confidence in his ability to bring out the vixen hidden behind her sweet exterior. A grin spread over Rafe’s face. Unveiling her inner temptress would be fun. He shouldn’t even be considering doing so. Not only wasn’t she his to touch, Jasmine might very well be a threat to Megan. The reminder dimmed his enthusiasm, but didn’t kill it. It only made him feel guilty for the lust.
Jasmine shoved at his chest. He loosened his grip but didn’t release her. He couldn’t bring himself to do so. “Let go, buddy. We’re done.”
“But you didn’t answer me.”
“What did you ask?”
“Am I hot enough for you?”
Her jaw dropped, but the evidence of her desire hung heavy in the air around them. Her scent drew him. Tempted him.
“Good.” He grinned. “I’m glad I fit your needs.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.” He took her hand, linking their fingers, and led her away from her friend and the other humans’ appreciative glances. He wanted to talk to her alone. The sooner he learned her story, the better. She felt good in his arms. Right. He wanted to uncover the reason why.
She hesitated at the entrance to the employee hallway. “What a sec, buddy. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“The name’s Rafe. Rafe Alexander. Not buddy.”
She licked her lips. “Rafe.”
His name sounded good in her breathless voice.
“Jasmine.” He tried hers out. It rolled nicely on his tongue. “Walk with me.”
She shook
