out, thumbed it open, and opened my contacts. I hit my favorites and was ready to call Janelle. “Yes, he is. Where is he?”
“Hey now, easy.” Sam held up his hands, palms out. “He stepped outside with two friends of mine and—”
“Shit.” I hit the little green phone emblem and called Janelle.
Sam gulped. “Oh man. Please, we don’t need any trouble.”
I held the cell tightly, scowling at him. I dropped my voice so I wouldn’t be overheard. “Should’ve thought of that before you and your friends—”
Janelle’s voice whipped out of my cell. “Hello? Hello? Lawson? Is that you? Lawson? Hello? Dammit, answer me.”
“Get to that restaurant we went to eat at. Now!”
“On my way.”
Sam blew out a breath as I hung up with Janelle. “Aw, jeez, was that really necessary?”
“Yes.” I gritted my teeth. “Where. Is. Marshell?” I slowly pronounced each word. I’d about had enough.
“Goddess, this is really getting out of hand. Please, I’m going to tell you, just keep calm. Heller apparently grabbed Marshell’s wrist and they exchanged words. Dolf suggested they step outside and cool off. Heller, the dumbass, swung at your friend, but—”
The blood drained out of my head and everything went blurry. I slapped my hand on the table to ground me. “Did you say Heller?”
“Yes. Why?”
It couldn’t be. But seriously how many Hellers were there running around? The name was odd. Then I remembered Marshall said he’d smelled cat in here. Shit, shit, shit. Janelle said my mate was a cat shifter. What are the odds it’s the same guy? With my luck, pretty good. And he ran from me once. What have I walked into? Does this Sam know what Heller is? Is he a paranormal too? Dare I ask? Shit, being human sometimes sucks.
“I need to see Marshell. Will you take me to where he is?”
“Sure.” Sam stood. “Then could you maybe call whoever that was and tell them things are cool?”
I stood too and grabbed my jacket. “As soon as I see Marshell.”
I didn’t bother to tell him it wouldn’t make any difference. Janelle would still show up ready to rock and roll if needed. We cut through the kitchens and stepped out onto a small patio. The back was a retaining wall made of concrete. At the top of the wall were several bushes. There was a streetlight, but it was down a little way from us, so the area was cast in shadows. The patio had been fenced off. There were clothes strewn around, and it appeared we’d stepped off into a full-blown argument too. Of a sort.
A nice-looking man with collar-length black hair and the oddest blue eyes I’d ever seen was trying to talk to Marshell, who, it appeared, didn’t like what was being said since his eyes had changed and his fangs were showing. Lord, he looked ready to pounce on the other guy.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
“Dammit, what are you doing out here?” Marshell hissed at me.
“Looking for your ass, what else? Man, you pulled a Houdini on me.”
“Are you Lawson?” The man with black hair interrupted us. He wasn’t having a major freak-out, so that told me he was more than likely a paranormal too. “I’m Dolf.”
“Yeah, I’m Lawson. Why?” I asked.
“Your mate decided he wanted a word with me,” Marshell said, then looked off to the side.
Mate? That was when I noticed the large longhaired cat. Wow, those were some bright blue eyes glaring down at all of us. Going by what Marshell just said, that was Heller. If that was, then holy moly, he was fucking huge… and breathtaking.
If that was him in his shifted form, he was oddly regal. I glanced around but didn’t see Heller, so that had to be him. I also saw Sam wasn’t reacting to Marshell either. Jesus, was I the only human there?
“I take it that’s Heller?” I nodded at the cat on the retaining wall.
“Oh yeah,” Marshell snipped.
Ahhhh. Now I understood why they were the only two having a discussion. It was hard to have an argument when one of
“Hey now, easy.” Sam held up his hands, palms out. “He stepped outside with two friends of mine and—”
“Shit.” I hit the little green phone emblem and called Janelle.
Sam gulped. “Oh man. Please, we don’t need any trouble.”
I held the cell tightly, scowling at him. I dropped my voice so I wouldn’t be overheard. “Should’ve thought of that before you and your friends—”
Janelle’s voice whipped out of my cell. “Hello? Hello? Lawson? Is that you? Lawson? Hello? Dammit, answer me.”
“Get to that restaurant we went to eat at. Now!”
“On my way.”
Sam blew out a breath as I hung up with Janelle. “Aw, jeez, was that really necessary?”
“Yes.” I gritted my teeth. “Where. Is. Marshell?” I slowly pronounced each word. I’d about had enough.
“Goddess, this is really getting out of hand. Please, I’m going to tell you, just keep calm. Heller apparently grabbed Marshell’s wrist and they exchanged words. Dolf suggested they step outside and cool off. Heller, the dumbass, swung at your friend, but—”
The blood drained out of my head and everything went blurry. I slapped my hand on the table to ground me. “Did you say Heller?”
“Yes. Why?”
It couldn’t be. But seriously how many Hellers were there running around? The name was odd. Then I remembered Marshall said he’d smelled cat in here. Shit, shit, shit. Janelle said my mate was a cat shifter. What are the odds it’s the same guy? With my luck, pretty good. And he ran from me once. What have I walked into? Does this Sam know what Heller is? Is he a paranormal too? Dare I ask? Shit, being human sometimes sucks.
“I need to see Marshell. Will you take me to where he is?”
“Sure.” Sam stood. “Then could you maybe call whoever that was and tell them things are cool?”
I stood too and grabbed my jacket. “As soon as I see Marshell.”
I didn’t bother to tell him it wouldn’t make any difference. Janelle would still show up ready to rock and roll if needed. We cut through the kitchens and stepped out onto a small patio. The back was a retaining wall made of concrete. At the top of the wall were several bushes. There was a streetlight, but it was down a little way from us, so the area was cast in shadows. The patio had been fenced off. There were clothes strewn around, and it appeared we’d stepped off into a full-blown argument too. Of a sort.
A nice-looking man with collar-length black hair and the oddest blue eyes I’d ever seen was trying to talk to Marshell, who, it appeared, didn’t like what was being said since his eyes had changed and his fangs were showing. Lord, he looked ready to pounce on the other guy.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked.
“Dammit, what are you doing out here?” Marshell hissed at me.
“Looking for your ass, what else? Man, you pulled a Houdini on me.”
“Are you Lawson?” The man with black hair interrupted us. He wasn’t having a major freak-out, so that told me he was more than likely a paranormal too. “I’m Dolf.”
“Yeah, I’m Lawson. Why?” I asked.
“Your mate decided he wanted a word with me,” Marshell said, then looked off to the side.
Mate? That was when I noticed the large longhaired cat. Wow, those were some bright blue eyes glaring down at all of us. Going by what Marshell just said, that was Heller. If that was, then holy moly, he was fucking huge… and breathtaking.
If that was him in his shifted form, he was oddly regal. I glanced around but didn’t see Heller, so that had to be him. I also saw Sam wasn’t reacting to Marshell either. Jesus, was I the only human there?
“I take it that’s Heller?” I nodded at the cat on the retaining wall.
“Oh yeah,” Marshell snipped.
Ahhhh. Now I understood why they were the only two having a discussion. It was hard to have an argument when one of
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