mate’s scent.” Then I blanched, going limp in Dolf’s arms. “Did you say they feed on humans?” Gasping, I looked at the other paranormal. What if…. The thought of my mate hurt made me want to heave. “Did you hurt my mate? Feed off him? Let me go, Dolf! Oh fuck, did you… did you…. Where is he? We have to—”
“Lawson’s fine. He’s in the restaurant.”
That put the brakes on my budding panic attack. Both Dolf and I paused. “How did you know who I was talking about?” I asked.
“Because Lawson told me about you earlier. My name is Marshell Foles, and Lawson is perfectly safe with me. I’ve known him for ten years, so calm your ass down. I’d never hurt him. He, my sister Janelle, and I all live together, which is why I’m saturated with Lawson’s scent. We three also own the auto detail business you met Lawson at.” Marshell crossed his arms. “The point is I’m around him a lot.”
Dolf let go of me. “I’m Dolfoon Hoyer, heir apparent to the West Falls clowder.”
I drew a deep breath. Lawson was fine. Maybe if I kept repeating that, I’d calm down. “Okay, okay. I smelled him on you, and I guess I just reacted. I’m Heller Wirth, a beta to West Falls clowder.” I turned back toward the restaurant. “He’s here, you said? Funny, I didn’t smell him.”
“There are a lot of people here tonight,” Dolf said.
“We’re seated on the other side of the restaurant too.” Marshell looked at the two of us, then focused on Heller. “Huh. Interesting.”
I ran a hand through my hair. I really wanted to go in and find Lawson. “What do you mean, ‘interesting’?”
Marshell pinned me with a glare. “Well, according to Lawson, you couldn’t get away from him fast enough a week ago, but here you are ready to take me down over him. You rejected him. So what gives? Better yet why should I let you within a mile of him?”
What? Marshell’s attitude set my teeth on edge. Just who the hell did he think he was, anyhow? “This is none of your business. You have no say in what my mate does, so fuck off.”
Glaring, Marshell pointed his finger at me. “Want to bet? I’ve known him ten years. You’ve know him… what? A week.”
With a hissing scream, I shifted.
Chapter Five
Lawson
FIVE MINUTES passed, then ten. After fifteen minutes passed, I began to worry. Had Marshell fallen in or what? Giving up, I went to the restroom. Finding the place completely empty sent me into a tailspin. My first thought was hunters had found him, but that made no sense.
They wouldn’t attack in a crowded restaurant, and we hadn’t seen or heard of any hunters in over five years. Hunters didn’t want humans to know about paranormals any more than the paranormals did.
It was another reason he and Janelle always stayed in touch if they weren’t together. They were also protective of me since I was the only human in the bunch. Marshell wouldn’t just up and leave no with no message or phone call.
Hurrying out of the bathroom, I caught our waitress and asked her if she’d seen Marshell. When she said no, I asked for the manager. Something was seriously wrong. I returned to our table and dragged out my cell.
I’d give it two more minutes, and then I was calling Janelle. I was well on the way to working myself into a grand panic when a gentleman stopped by the table. He was a little shorter than me, with messy dark-brown hair. The strange man standing at my table wore a nice red button-up shirt with the restaurant’s name on it.
“Excuse me, sir. I’m Sam Ross, and I’m the owner of Arches.” Sam sat at my table and immediately I noticed how he lowered his voice. “Your friend? Is he a large black man with long braids? Gray shirt and black slacks? Really muscular?”
Well, he certainly had my attention. He’d described Marshell perfectly. I didn’t know if I should be scared to death or relieved. Frankly I was creeping over to the scared side of things.
I yanked my cell
“Lawson’s fine. He’s in the restaurant.”
That put the brakes on my budding panic attack. Both Dolf and I paused. “How did you know who I was talking about?” I asked.
“Because Lawson told me about you earlier. My name is Marshell Foles, and Lawson is perfectly safe with me. I’ve known him for ten years, so calm your ass down. I’d never hurt him. He, my sister Janelle, and I all live together, which is why I’m saturated with Lawson’s scent. We three also own the auto detail business you met Lawson at.” Marshell crossed his arms. “The point is I’m around him a lot.”
Dolf let go of me. “I’m Dolfoon Hoyer, heir apparent to the West Falls clowder.”
I drew a deep breath. Lawson was fine. Maybe if I kept repeating that, I’d calm down. “Okay, okay. I smelled him on you, and I guess I just reacted. I’m Heller Wirth, a beta to West Falls clowder.” I turned back toward the restaurant. “He’s here, you said? Funny, I didn’t smell him.”
“There are a lot of people here tonight,” Dolf said.
“We’re seated on the other side of the restaurant too.” Marshell looked at the two of us, then focused on Heller. “Huh. Interesting.”
I ran a hand through my hair. I really wanted to go in and find Lawson. “What do you mean, ‘interesting’?”
Marshell pinned me with a glare. “Well, according to Lawson, you couldn’t get away from him fast enough a week ago, but here you are ready to take me down over him. You rejected him. So what gives? Better yet why should I let you within a mile of him?”
What? Marshell’s attitude set my teeth on edge. Just who the hell did he think he was, anyhow? “This is none of your business. You have no say in what my mate does, so fuck off.”
Glaring, Marshell pointed his finger at me. “Want to bet? I’ve known him ten years. You’ve know him… what? A week.”
With a hissing scream, I shifted.
Chapter Five
Lawson
FIVE MINUTES passed, then ten. After fifteen minutes passed, I began to worry. Had Marshell fallen in or what? Giving up, I went to the restroom. Finding the place completely empty sent me into a tailspin. My first thought was hunters had found him, but that made no sense.
They wouldn’t attack in a crowded restaurant, and we hadn’t seen or heard of any hunters in over five years. Hunters didn’t want humans to know about paranormals any more than the paranormals did.
It was another reason he and Janelle always stayed in touch if they weren’t together. They were also protective of me since I was the only human in the bunch. Marshell wouldn’t just up and leave no with no message or phone call.
Hurrying out of the bathroom, I caught our waitress and asked her if she’d seen Marshell. When she said no, I asked for the manager. Something was seriously wrong. I returned to our table and dragged out my cell.
I’d give it two more minutes, and then I was calling Janelle. I was well on the way to working myself into a grand panic when a gentleman stopped by the table. He was a little shorter than me, with messy dark-brown hair. The strange man standing at my table wore a nice red button-up shirt with the restaurant’s name on it.
“Excuse me, sir. I’m Sam Ross, and I’m the owner of Arches.” Sam sat at my table and immediately I noticed how he lowered his voice. “Your friend? Is he a large black man with long braids? Gray shirt and black slacks? Really muscular?”
Well, he certainly had my attention. He’d described Marshell perfectly. I didn’t know if I should be scared to death or relieved. Frankly I was creeping over to the scared side of things.
I yanked my cell
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