BOOK ONE

Lion-shifters Kanon Reyes and Tegan Sharpe aren’t sure what Kanon’s done to earn himself a frame-up for murder, but they’re determined to keep him from a silver bullet and a shallow grave. To do that, though, they’ll have to rely on the sexy Hound sent to arrest him.

As a Hound for Shifter Town Enforcement, Lennox Donnelly is one of the best. But when one of her arrest warrants turns out to be for an innocent man, she’s determined to get to the truth. What she finds are dead witnesses and an untraceable magick–with a killer far more powerful than her. Now, to survive, Lennox will have to learn to rely on more than just herself if she’s to make it back to the men she’s come to love.

Genre: Paranormal Romantic Suspense || Length: Novel || Heat Level: HOT!

Digital Editions: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

CHAPTER ONE

The muscles in her thighs quivered as Lennox Donnelly crouched behind a yellow bush in the middle of the desert. She’d crawled the quarter mile from the bulletin board she’d stuffed her car behind to the wooden fence she eased under now. A soft groan slipped from her as her belly scraped the rough grass and then she was under, safely in the Bayrock Pridelands.

Well, about as safe as a Hound from Shifter Town Enforcement could get.

The lion-shifters here would hardly welcome the shifter equivalent of a cop on their lands, especially when she’d come to tag and bag one of their resident pride males. If anything that tended to get their tails in a twist. Her lips twisted in a wry grin as she lay there, breathing in the thick scent of dirt and dried grass. He shouldn’t have attacked a dog if he hadn’t wanted to get caught.

Hounds didn’t take kindly to one of their own getting clawed up by a kitty cat. Lennox slowly righted herself into another crouch, her hands stained with the desert-red dirt all around her. A quick scan of the area revealed barren, yellowed rock that stretched out for miles. Broken only by tufts of weed and the occasional boulder. Well that, and small cluster of ranch houses sitting several hundred yards to the south.

With the sun still clinging to its perch in the sky, more than a few of the pride members still lolled about outside and Lennox licked her dirt chapped lips, waiting. Having to hunt a pride male in his own territory wasn’t her favorite way to spend the evening. She wouldn’t exactly be able to march in there without drawing the attention of the whole pride, and Enforcement liked its takedowns cut and dry. No fuss, minimal mess.

Meaning her boss would shit sticks if she botched the takedown and he had to send the rest of the pack out to save her ass. The media always loved it when STE had to come out and pump a whole community with silver like they were nothing more than animals. Then again, lion-shifters weren’t much better than their kitty cat brethren. They were violent, edgy, and always riding that fine line between aggression and brutality.

Visitors more often than not equated to snacks.

Keeping low, Lennox crept closer to the small ranch. Six houses in total. It wasn’t the biggest pride around and once everyone settled in for the night she could make her move. A car rattled up the road and Lennox froze. The only cars that would be heading up this drive would be other pride members. She blended in easily to red dirt ground and the wiry brush that dotted the landscape. She’d dressed for a romp along a country dirt road, her khaki camos dusted thoroughly with prairie dirt and her tan tank top was nearly skin color. To a car racing down the road, she’d be invisible.

The car drove on past, exhaust billowing out in dark, angry plumes and Lennox waited, breath held. Watching. Taillights flashed in the dim evening light as the car pulled to a stop in front of a two-story house with a wraparound porch. She watched the towering form of a man get out, black hair flipped back in the wind. Had to be her man. The Bayrock Pride only had two coalition males, and one of her pack mates was supposed to have eyes on Tegan Sharpe, to make sure he didn’t make it home in time to come running to his partner’s aid.

One pissed male lion-shifter was going to be bad enough. She licked the dirt off her teeth and stretched out, crawling over the dry, cracked grass. All this would have been easier if she’d just shifted into her dog-half and trotted the distance in a low crouch, but she kept the Rhodesian ridgeback clamped down. The trip to the ranch would have been easier, but it was a waste of energy and magick that only a stupid Hound would make.

She needed hands to put cuffs on Kanon Reyes when she got to him. Hands to slip a gag in his mouth if she needed one. Hands to tranq him enough to make him cooperative. Human logic won out and Lennox crawled over the ground. Lean muscles bunched as she hung low, scanning the road for any other cars heading this way. Her shoulder holster chafed against the back of her arm as she rolled to get a good view.

All clear.

Lennox gave a toothy grin. About damn time. She loved a good hunt.

Dirty work as it was, Lennox worked her way closer to the ranch, flinching as a roar filled the slowly darkening sky. A tremor ran down her back, raising gooseflesh down her arms in a rush. It sounded again, deeper this time. Throatier. The roar had a physical punch to it, loud enough it rattled through her lungs, grabbed hold of her bones and shook her out like a ragdoll.

With nothing more than sound, Kanon Reyes left her frozen on the dirt a quarter mile outside of his ranch, staring as the pride scurried into their homes. A lion cub pounced on a human sibling before darting in a front door; an impatient woman tapped her foot against the white-washed porch step before she too disappeared inside. Kanon stood on the tan steps of the two-story house in the center, his face tilted back against the dying sun.

Gold ember light highlighted the rich tan of his skin, drawing out the profile of his face in sharp contrast to the shadow of his jaw. It made him look hard, fierce. His tongue darted out over pale, pink lips and then his mouth opened again. A shudder stole up his spine and his whole body swayed with the force of the sound ripping out of him. Another roar thundered across the savannah sky leaving Lennox to sway under the force of it, grubby fingertips curling into dirt.

Mine, it screamed. Mine.

A stark claim settled on the land and with a final glance across the now silent string of houses, Kanon let out a snort and turned on his heels, disappearing inside. Lennox watched him go, strength coiled in every step. Like most lion-shifters, Kanon Reyes was built like a tank—sheer power and brutality stamped across every inch of his skin. He’d hurt one of her Hounds, left the poor man hospitalized. He’d pay for that. Her jaw tightened.

She was going to take the violent bastard down.

Hard.

***

Kanon stretched out across the leather sofa, a bowl of popcorn balanced on his stomach as he flicked through the channels. There was nothing on. A few hundred channels and he’d have thought he could find one decent thing to watch. Frustrated, he settled on a rerun of Halloween. Maybe watching Michael Meyers kill people would make him feel more at ease.

The night felt…off and it bugged the hell out of him.

The house was too damn quiet.

One finger slipped over the volume button until the sound rattled through the walls. Nights without Tegan home were long, dull affairs that put his teeth on edge. But it had been a night home with the pride without Tegan or a night negotiating territory with the Idaho Basin Pride’s coalition.

He’d passed on the latter.

Kanon didn’t have the temperament for it. They’d trespassed. In Kanon’s book it was simple: A quick slice of claws and they wouldn’t be an issue anymore. Tegan had more patience, more finesse. And then, when all else failed, Tegan would kick their asses as cleanly as Kanon would have.

The new shifter laws demanded that all shifters belong in easily catalogued groups, and for lions that meant being classified as part of a pride. There was still the occasional rogue, but they had to report a permanent address and suffer the random check-ins. After Kanon had almost ate the last Hound to show up on make-out night, they’d opted to give pride life a shot.

The woman on screen screamed as the man in the mask jumped out at her and Kanon tossed another kernel of popcorn in his mouth. Stupid woman. They were all too stupid to live in movies like this. Didn’t anyone know when to look behind them?

A soft creak sounded from the porch and Kanon gave an irritated huff. He couldn’t even watch a movie in peace. He waited for the tentative knock of one of the pride females. Needy little things they were. No doubt wondering if he was lonely. He wasn’t.

The floorboard creaked again, the soft whisper of it almost lost completely under the wail of the dying woman on screen. But it’d moved around the wraparound porch to the side of the house. Someone sneaking in then. It wouldn’t be the first time one of the pride females had snuck in. Lionesses in heat didn’t tend to think much beyond their current cycle.

Soft footfalls and the quiet groan of the aging floorboards let Kanon track her progress to the window he’d left open in the dining room to let in the breeze. Smart. Kanon munched on a handful of popcorn and pondered the movie.

Kanon knew the moment the soft sole of a shoe touched the hardwood floor in his dining room. Whoever it was, she was soft and easy on her feet, like a huntress stalking a zebra. Definitely female. No male lion moved that lightly on his feet.

The steps paused, just a brief hesitation creeping closer in his direction but she didn’t rush. She was clever enough not to risk that he might not be watching the movie. A small smile twisted his lips. This was almost fun.

She paused, close to the room, if not in it, and Kanon had to force himself not to turn his head. Instead, he inhaled a quiet breath, keeping it slow and easy as he tried to catch her scent. Definitely female, but beyond that, he wasn’t sure. There was no wind to go in his favor and Tegan’s stupid air freshener let out a blast of cinnamon so strong it burned his nose. Another victim fell dead on the TV in front of him.

“You know I’m here,” the woman said.

“Honey, I knew you were there the moment you stepped on my porch. Just figured I’d wait and see what you were gonna do.” He didn’t look, though damn he wanted to. Instead he waited for her to decide; let her figure out her next move. She sounded sultry. Like the kind of woman that could lure a man to his grave just by the sound of her voice. Like a siren in the middle of the damned ocean.

She’d made it this far. What was she going to do now? Bail and run or keep on coming? A wave of want flooded through him at that last thought. Please keep on coming. Maybe he was a little lonely tonight after all.

“Kanon Reyes?”

Tension eased into a knot between his shoulders. “That depends doesn’t it?”

Carefully, he set the bowl on the carpet and slid to a sit, turning to get a good look at the woman in his living room. Damn. She had dirt caked over her pants up to her knees, and her skin-toned tank top clung to every curve of her body. Her combat boots looked worn and comfortable, wrapped lovingly around strong legs. She also had the reddest hair he’d ever seen.

But she wasn’t a lioness.

Kanon’s gaze drifted to the gun holster and the ugly butt of gun he’d bet was packing silver.

His nostrils flared as he sucked her scent down deep.

Canine. Kanon cringed. Hound. Fuck.

“Who are you?”

“Lennox Donnelly.” He saw the glint of silver cuffs jutting out from her back pocket as she took a step forward, confirming his suspicions. Shifter Town Enforcement. If they’d sent a dog after him, it’d be a ridgeback.

Probably a whole damned pack.

“Kanon Reyes…”

“Save it.”

There was a creak on the front porch again, faint. Heavier. Male this time. Damn.

So they had sent a pack.

She reached a hand around and tugged out her badge.

The steps headed straight for them. Confident, quick. Her attention flicked to the door, her body going tense as she reached to pull her gun. Not a Hound then. He was on his feet before he heard the key slip into the lock, moving to block her shot. He reached out towards her with one hand, the word coming on a low growl, “Don’t.”

Her gaze locked with his. She didn’t give a rat’s ass what he wanted and Kanon stepped towards her, violence entrenching itself deep in his gut. Her eyes turned hard as she leveled the gun on him, but at least it wasn’t at Tegan.

The door swung open and his partner stepped in, black hair shaggy around his face. Tegan froze. His growl was instantaneous as he glanced from one to the other, before turning to face off squarely with the woman pointing a gun at Kanon. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Lennox Donnelly,” Kanon said before she could spit it out. “And she was just about to explain what she thinks she’s arresting me for.”

But he knew. He just wanted to hear it from her. Hear one of Shifter Town Enforcement’s many little lies. She stiffened, shoulders tensing, and he could almost picture her hackles rising all the way down her spine. Kanon swallowed.

Hellfire. She was something different all right. Not exactly beautiful, but more of a drop dead gorgeous appeal. The gun, the rough and rugged edge to her, the fierce blaze of confidence in her eyes as she flicked her attention between them—calculating the risks. Drop dead was stamped all over her pretty little face, right along with the dust smears and the rust hair, a few loose strands hanging around her face, bringing out the green in her eyes. Green that wouldn’t carry true to her dog.

Even with her pointing a gun at him, he wanted her. His tongue made a wet line across his lower lip. He was every bit as stupid as the idiots in the movie screaming behind him. Worse probably, the ladies in the film never got the hots for Michael Myers when he came after them with an axe.

“You attacked a Hound.”

No he hadn’t. The son of a bitch had sucker punched him. Kanon had just made damn sure he’d finished the fight. If the Hound hadn’t wanted to play with a lion, he shouldn’t have started it.

“That was your dog’s fault, not Kanon’s.”

Tegan took a step closer and Lennox stiffened, her gaze slipping between them. She couldn’t shoot them both. With a slight baring of teeth, she holstered her weapon, briefly lifting both hands in a no-harm gesture. Confidence clung to her, as she braced herself to stare them both down. She never once looked away. Never once backed down.

“Look, I’m not here to argue or negotiate. I have a warrant for your partner’s arrest. That’s it. If you have an issue with it…”

“I have an issue with it, sweetheart,” Kanon drawled.

The look she shot him was every bit as fiery as her copper red hair.

“Then take it up with the courts.”

“No. I’m taking it up with you. We both know in a court case between a Hound and a lion, I don’t have a chance. You all are supposed to do whatever you’re bid…”

“And you don’t have an obedient bone in your body.”

Kanon closed the distance between them in a single stride. She radiated heat, warmth, but he could see now the slightest tremor in her hands. Scared. But a cornered dog fought back. Women were like that too. She wouldn’t go down without a fight.

“I didn’t start that fight and the moment you lock me up, I’m a dead man.”

He’d had issues with Hounds in the past and a lion with a troubled history only met with one end. The muscle in his jaw ticked as his teeth ground together. He wouldn’t get a jail cell; he’d get a holding cell before his execution. Better dead than alive was Shifter Town Enforcement’s motto.

Tegan grabbed his shoulder and squeezed, the tension zinging between them. Wild, restless. One look at Lennox, the calm professionalism stamped over her face, and certainty settled in his gut.

They were going to have to kill a Hound. Her.

Spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders for something Kanon hadn’t even started. Goddamn it. He should have killed that stupid dog when he’d had the chance.

“Then you shouldn’t have assaulted a Hound.”

She reached for her cuffs when Tegan caught her wrist. “You are not taking my partner. Not for something he didn’t do.”

The threat hung in the air.

Lennox stiffened. “I could have you charged for obstructing justice. You’re not helping yourself, Mr. Sharpe.”

“Tegan,” he said, and Kanon watched as Tegan gently took the cuffs from her hand, wincing at the touch of silver against his fingertips before he tossed them aside. They hit the hardwood with a soft clunk, but she didn’t move to follow them.

The pulse in her neck jumped.

Her lips thinned. Kanon watched as a subtle readiness settled in her muscles. Here came that fight.

“Lennox,” Tegan said, imploring, but she bared her teeth at the sound of her name coming from him.

Tegan gave her a grim smile.

“Lennox,” he repeated, drawing it out, “Kanon did not attack your Hound. I have witnesses who could prove it. Your man swung first.”

“So, what, you punched him back?”

Kanon gave a quiet huff. The edge of a smile curling his lips. “Yeah. I did. Then he kept on hitting and I thought, Fine, we’ll play.”

He watched her lips thin, the corners lifting in a slight grimace.

“I don’t start fights with Hounds. Tends to get me a bullet right here.” He poked his forehead. “Be kind of stupid don’t you think?”

“Lions don’t tend to think.” There was a sour note to her voice as she glanced away, staring back towards the dining room and the open window she’d climbed through. Kanon waited, watching as she ran down her options. She had to know. Sexy as she was to him right now, Kanon wasn’t going peacefully. Maybe if a cop had asked him to go downtown, sure. But a Hound? Downtown for them meant: Hey, come see the electric chair. He’d pass.

A sigh slid out of her, a sharp blast of breath as she took one last look at freedom and turned back to them with a nod. “And you got witnesses to prove this?”

“Yeah,” Kanon said.

“Then let’s hear what happened.”

***

Tegan closed his eyes in relief. Yes. He didn’t know what he’d do if…

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“Don’t thank me. Just open that handsome little mouth of yours and start talking.”

Tegan grinned. Handsome? One glance at Kanon, and Tegan could see his partner was half smitten with the Hound already. Not that Tegan blamed him. She was big and she was bad, but Lennox Donnelly also had a heart. A fair streak and he was going to run with that for all it was worth.

“Anyone in that bar that night would vouch for Kanon. We’re regulars, never had an issue there before. Hell, the owners will vouch for that.” He didn’t add that Tristan and Carolyn Hale were also friends of theirs. Still, every bar regular and wait staff in that bar knew the two of them by sight, and they’d never once given anyone an issue there that hadn’t deserved it.

The Hound had deserved it, but he didn’t say that part either. Not when she was beginning to sway. And sway she was, those sharp eyes considering his words and Tegan pounced on that weakness. “I’ll take you there myself. Kanon doesn’t start fights.”

Normally. Lennox’s raised eyebrow told him she expected there was a ‘but’ to that, but she didn’t insist. “Fine, but I’m driving.”

That was a bit too neat for Tegan’s taste. He shook his head, but outmanned as she was, Lennox wasn’t about to back down. “I’m not going to have Kanon bailing. You can drive separately, he can’t.”

“You’re not exactly in a position to be bargaining,” Kanon said but Tegan waved him off.

“Fine. Your word though, you’ll see this through. You’ll give us a shot to prove Kanon’s clear.”

It was her eyes that gave her away. Soft, and they glanced down at the question, almost submissive, but Tegan wasn’t foolish enough to think this Hound had a submissive bone in her body.

“Hounds don’t bargain with lions,” she whispered, only to drag her bottom lip between her teeth as she stared up at him. Her chin dipped in the faintest nod. “Fine. I swear to you, I’ll give you the chance to prove to me your partner is innocent. I’ll go to the bar; I’ll meet your witnesses.

“But I make the final call. If I don’t deem their statements accurate or if what they say contradicts you, I’ll tote both of your asses off to Enforcement. Got it?”

A smile touched his lips. “Got it.”

“Then where are we going?”

Tegan couldn’t help it then. He let his gaze drift down over her dirt layered pants, the tank top that was damn near the color of her skin. She wasn’t thin. At least not the wiry lean he was used to seeing in Hound females, where they could probably wear a bikini beautifully, but a sharp eye wouldn’t miss the jut of a hip bone beneath the skin.

No, she was thicker. Still slender, but with muscle and weight to her. A solidity he was more used to seeing in lionesses. Dirt smeared her cheeks, and her hair was a tousled mess, strands of the reddest rust he’d ever seen. Several strands had fallen loose from the tight knot she kept it in, and they dangled just out of reach. He itched to reach out and touch it, to test the silk of it against his fingertips.

Shit. Now, he was every bit as smitten with her as Kanon.

She’d agreed to let them prove it and now he was thinking about running his hand through that long, long hair. Yeah. She’d just as soon break his hand than let him do that.

Tegan caught Kanon’s eye, his partner giving him an impish grin and Tegan couldn’t help but smile back. At least they liked to share and sharing Lennox would be something neither of them would forget for a long time.

Probably because she’d kill them.

Lennox’s eyes narrowed.

Tegan covered his smile with a small cough. One handed, he gestured towards her dirt stained outfit. “You can’t wear that where we’re going.”

“Bullshit I can’t.”

The muscle in her jaw flexed, tense and he could see the warpath opening up between them. Damn, the woman would do battle with just about anything if a man riled her right. Kanon snatched a strand of that hair and Tegan’s eyes jumped to his, knowing instantly the texture of her hair by the hooded expression on his partner’s face.

Hell, Metro would let just about anyone in, as long as they were wearing clothes, but Tegan ached to see her without the dirt and with all that hair loosely draped over her shoulders.

She caught Kanon’s hand, so ready to fight when Tegan gave a low chuckle, stepping closer. Trapping her, between them and the dining room. She could run, but she’d have to back down for that. Lennox Donnelly looked like she’d rather shoot them both first.

But she was still trying to be the nice girl. “I thought you wanted help.”

Tegan let her see the lazy draw of his eyes as he looked her up and down from head to toe. “You’re filthy. Your hair is a mess…”

“You have dirt smudged on your cheeks.” Kanon licked a finger and reached out to swab a spot when she jerked back, a laugh floating from her.

“Is that your game? Seduce the Hound meant to drag you in?”

“No, Tegan actually intends to take you to the bar.”

Her gaze flitted back to Kanon. “And you?”

Kanon lifted his shoulders in a shrug, his grin growing wider. “We can go to the bar.”

“We are going to the bar. Unless your witnesses are fake, then we’re all going down to Enforcement.”

Tegan snatched a piece of her hair, giving it a small tug. “Then you should probably clean up. I can show you to the bathroom.”

Her death glare would have been enough to make most men cower. It only turned Tegan on more. “I’m going as is.”

“Might as well roll you in a few mud puddles first.”

Kanon snorted. “Or dump her down a manhole along the way.”

“She does stink a little.”

“Like wet dog.” Kanon edged closer, his hand finding the back of her neck just as she flattened her palm against his chest. Her jaw went tight with warning, but she caved.

“All right. Where’s the bathroom?”

That was something Tegan had no problem showing her. They scooted her up the stairs and into the guest bathroom, even letting her shut the door and lock them out. He didn’t think for one second she’d run. She wasn’t the tuck-tail-and-bolt kind of girl.

Tegan shook his head at the sound of the lock turning over. Relief poured through him and he closed his eyes, tilting his head back. He knew Tristan and the Metro staff would clear Kanon’s name, he just hoped it’d be enough for her. He’d come too damn close to losing Kanon tonight, and the thought left him hollow. Exhausted. Kanon slipped up behind him, wrapped his arms around Tegan’s waist, holding him tight.

“We got lucky,” Tegan murmured over his shoulder, knowing damn well Lennox would hear them.

“Maybe.”

Kanon pressed a kiss to the crook of his neck, then trailed several more across his collarbone, nipping over his pulse.

“Kanon,” Tegan whispered, his voice drying up in his throat as Kanon rocked into him from behind. The tap water in the bathroom stopped.

“I figure if she reneges on our deal and turns me in, I might as well get you one last time.”

“It’s not going to happen.”

“Having you, or her breaking the deal?”

“She won’t break her word.” Tegan twisted his head around to press a kiss to the corner of Kanon’s lips. “And you always have me.”

Kanon gave a satisfied groan, and cuddled closer.

“You are not screwing each other outside that door.”

Tegan smiled.

Kanon pressed another kiss to his pulse and then called out, teasing, “Not yet, honey, care to join?”

“I would rather jump out the window. Put your pants on so I can come out.”

“Damn,” Kanon whispered against his ear. “Reckon we should take them off first?”

The bathroom door jerked open and Lennox stumbled straight into Tegan, catching herself on his shoulders. He shuddered at the press of her against him. She was softer than he’d thought, all that muscle yielding perfectly to such soft, sweet femininity. Kanon leaned into him from behind and Tegan groaned.

Lennox gave a small growl, stepping back, startled. “You all have no sense of…”

Her voice died in her throat and she turned away, lips pursed. “The bar, boys.”

Lennox stepped past them both and headed for the stairs. “I’ll meet you at my car. It’s by the billboard for that new grocery store in town. Behind a few bushes.”

Her sultry tone turned dark, as she glanced between them, and then met Tegan’s gaze. She’d heard everything. “I hope you’re right and you can clear your partner’s name.”

A shadow slipped over her face as she headed down the stairs.

Tegan’s gut twisted.

She hadn’t looked so sure.

***

Available: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords