Chapter Thirteen
Declan
In order to stay true to his word and give Lily time to work through her feelings over what happened between them, Declan focused on the work he was doing for the Black Water Pard. Every night he slipped into Baton Rouge and silently recorded the ever-growing group of jaguars congregating in one area on the outskirts of the city. Knowing that trouble was brewing, he’d put in a few calls to some of his old buddies—shifters he’d worked with in Special Ops. They were people who, like him, had finally had enough of killing for the government and retired, but he knew if he needed them, they’d come, just as he’d be there for any of them if he was needed. In two days’ time his old team would arrive in New Orleans to help him, and he would put a plan in motion to stop an attack on the leopard’s territory before it began, or barring that, help the leopards fight them off.
“You still stewin’ over what that little bitch said at the mall the other day?”
The question caught Declan’s attention and he moved on silent feet to close the distance. His scent was covered so none of the jaguars would know he was there. Something about the remark got his hackles up. He’d been with Remy when the leopard had gotten the text from Lily about her and her friends being followed by some jaguars while in Baton Rouge.
“I might have to go put the little bitch in her place. She talked big out in the open; I’ll bet if I got her alone, she’d change her tune.”
“We know where she works; we should stop in for a visit.”
“Not tonight. You know the Alpha’s waiting. We got business to take care of, and visiting that little bitch will be all pleasure,” he said with a dark chuckle as they made their way to where the Alpha and a large number of their Clan were gathered.
Declan’s eyes narrowed. He would have to send a warning to Lily, just in case she was the woman they were talking about. True, they didn’t mention the woman being with friends, but he’d feel better knowing she was forewarned. When they moved away to join a larger group he followed, keeping to the shadows.
“We’ve been putting pressure on the leopards; we need to keep it up. Our Clan is larger and we have more fighters than they do. They’ve kept control of New Orleans long enough—benefited from being in a city that sees a high volume of tourists every year. It’s time for the territory to change hands. Our plans are coming together. Several of our people have slipped into the city and taken up land in integral areas right under the nose of that arrogant fucking leopard. Soon we’ll put our plan into full motion.”
“How soon? I’m sick of the scraps we get in Lafayette,” one of the jaguars called out to his Alpha.
“Another few days and everything will be in place,” Lucas Cormier, Alpha of the Red Moon Clan, replied.
Declan slipped away, and once he was headed back to New Orleans, he sent Lily a text.
I know I said I’d let you be the one to contact me first, but this is important. Keep an eye out for jaguars tomorrow night. Can’t go into details, but I’m helping Caine with his problem and I overheard something that leads me to believe they may be paying you a visit. Do NOT go anywhere alone tomorrow.’
He just hoped she listened.
Lily
When her phone alerted her that she had a text, she was curled up with a glass of wine, talking with Emelise. They’d gotten together for dinner once Lily’s work day was over, and now they were reminiscing about her brief stay in Phoenix. She read the text and frowned.
“Let me guess, Declan just texted you? I thought he was giving you time to work through things on your own?”
“Yeah, it’s from him, but it’s not what you think. It seems he’s helping the Pard with their jaguar problem, and he somehow overheard a conversation that he thinks has to do with me. He warned me that I might be getting a visit from those dickheads I went off on and told me not to go anywhere alone tomorrow.”
Emelise sat up at that. “Lily, that’s not something to brush off. If they’re causing trouble for the Pard, don’t take his warning lightly. If something happened to you, I think that wolf would flip his shit.”
“I’m not going to take it lightly but I’m not going to let myself get freaked out either. If they show up, I’ll deal with it.” She shrugged and changed the subject.”Have you found a place to live yet?”
“I think so. I’m going to check out an apartment tomorrow over on Henriette Delille Street. It’s eight hundred a month, which I know isn’t bad considering some of the other rental prices I saw while looking. From the photos I saw of it, it’s really cute, and it’s only three blocks from the French Quarter, and it’s not too terribly far from the club so I can walk there most days if I want to. Granted, it’s unfurnished so I’ll either have to rent furniture or make a mad run to Phoenix to get all my shit out of storage, but I can’t pass up such a good deal, you know?”
“Girl, we could so take a road trip, get your stuff out of storage, and get you moved in if you get the apartment.”
Emelise laughed. “You know it’s a twenty-hour drive, one way, right?”
Lily gave her a look. “And your point? Emile would give me the time off; I work my ass off for him.”
“Do you really think Declan would want you driving there with me? He’d be afraid you weren’t coming back.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “That’s his problem. Seriously, if you get the apartment, we can take a road trip, load your stuff up in a U-Haul, and bring it back here.”
“Fine, I’ll let you know if I get the place. I should probably head back to the hotel; it’s getting late.” Emelise stifled a yawn behind her hand.
“Just crash here tonight, Eme. The sofa pulls out into a bed, and I have plenty of extra pillows and blankets.”
Emelise debated a moment before she shrugged. “Why not? I really don’t feel like going back to the hotel tonight anyway.”
“You can use one of my big sleep shirts to sleep in,” Lily told her. They soon had the sofa bed pulled out and set up for Emelise to sleep on. When Lily went to bed a little later on, she couldn’t help thinking about Declan. The man had gotten under her skin, and she couldn’t get the feel of his hands on her body, or the feel of him inside her, out of her mind. She ached to be with him again, but was it her, or was it just the mate connection causing it?
Declan
Declan was sure his behavior would count as stalking but he couldn’t stay away from Lily. He stood outside her apartment until the lights went out and he was sure she was in bed. He imagined what it would feel like to fall asleep with her in his arms and stifled a growl of frustration. He sure as fuck hoped she worked her shit out soon because being away from her was slowly driving him insane. He’d sent a text to Caine letting him know he had some information for him about the jaguars and was waiting for Caine to respond. Caine’s response was:
Meet Remy at the docks tomorrow night at eight and he’ll bring you out to the compound. I’m in business meetings all day tomorrow or I’d meet with you sooner.
Will do. See you then.
With that out of the way, he made his way back to his hotel. He really needed to look into renting a place; it would probably be cheaper than staying in a hotel in the long run, especially since he wasn’t planning on leaving New Orleans. If his mate was calling The Big Easy home, so was he.
Lily
All day long, every time she went out, Lily was on edge. She was beginning to feel paranoid and realized she was driving herself crazy worrying about whether or not the jaguars they’d run into in Baton Rouge were stalking her. Realizing she needed to calm her frazzled nerves, she took several deep breaths and held them for a moment before letting the air flow out of her. She imagined the tension flowing from her along with it. If they showed up, she would deal with it. Feeling better, she went about the rest of her afternoon errands without constantly looking over her shoulder, got her grocery shopping done, and then headed into work.
Carla, one of the other women who worked at the shop, was behind the counter when Lily stepped inside. “Thank God you’re finally here. Emile had to leave. Marie was in a car accident. I think she’s okay but you know how Emile is: he was in a panic over it. I’m supposed to be picking my little boy up in fifteen minutes.”
“Oh wow, I hope she’s okay. I don’t blame Emile for rushing out.” She could just imagine how frantic Emile felt when he got the news. “So it’s just me tonight, what fun. Go on, Carla, I’m good. I can handle it. Have a good night.”
“Thanks. I’m really sorry. I’d stay if Andy wasn’t working tonight, because he could just pick Toby up from daycare.” Carla removed her apron and grabbed her purse so she could leave.
“Don’t worry about it. I got this.” Lily waved her off. It was bound to be a rough night, but at least it wasn’t the middle of tourist season. Otherwise, she might have had to resort to calling Shelli in on her day off.
The night flew by, and Lily was glad her regulars understood when she got a little behind on orders. She’d only had a couple of disgruntled customers, which she fixed by giving them their order for free and covered it out of her own pocket, and by the time it was nearing closing time, she was worn out. She rubbed her tired eyes, and was sending Emelise a text to see how the cleanup at the club was going, when the front door opened. “Welcome to Gathering Grounds,” Lily said from behind the counter as she glanced toward the door. When she saw who had just walked in she froze. Fuck fuck fuck. She recognized the three men who entered the shop—the jaguars she’d mouthed off to.
“Oh, now she’s changing her tune. A few days ago we were dickheads; now you’re being all nice and shit.”
“What are you doing here? I doubt you came all the way to New Orleans to get a cup of coffee, especially since you’re way outside of jaguar territory.” She lowered her hands so her phone couldn’t be seen by them and opened up a text to Declan. Hopefully he wasn’t off doing Goddess knew what for the Pard because she didn’t have time to text Remy too. S.O.S. Jaguars in shop. All alone.
“Doesn’t look like there are any leopards around; maybe they’re not too worried about protecting their territory,” the one who’d spoken before said. He leaned against the counter and stared at her. “What do you say we lock the door, turn the closed sign around, and have us some fun.”
“I don’t think so. You need to leave. You’re not welcome here, and it has nothing to do with the fact you’re a jaguar. You’re an asshole; you’re clearly into intimidating women, which is pathetic and suggests to me you can’t get any action otherwise, so even if you were attractive, which you’re not, I still wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole.”
Anger flashed in his eyes; and he started to move around the counter when the door opened and several people walked in. He settled back on the stool and stared at her.
Lily tried to ignore him as she took care of the customers who’d just walked in. She was glad they’d shown up because she’d let her mouth get the better of her. Please let Declan get here before they leave me alone with these assholes.
Declan
Declan and Remy were on the boat, on their way to the compound, when his phone vibrated. One glance at the text and he nearly lost it. “Fuck! Turn this thing around; we’ve got to get to Lily’s work, right fucking now. Those fuckers I told you about, the ones I heard talking about some ‘bitch’ at the mall, they’re at the coffee shop with Lily.”
“Hold on,” Remy said and whipped the wheel around. The boat tipped almost sideways because he turned it so fast and then he opened up the motor.
Declan held onto the side of the boat and fought to keep his wolf under control. If any of them put a hand on Lily, they were dead. He would cut them up and feed them to the fucking gators. No one touched his mate and lived.
Lily
Lily was getting nervous. The small group was finishing up their drinks, and she knew that soon they would be leaving. Once they were gone, she would be alone with the jaguars, and by the looks on their faces, things were going to get…testy. Did they really think they could hurt her though and there wouldn’t be any repercussions for it? Maybe they did since she was technically a lone wolf there in Pard territory. Maybe she needed to disabuse them of that notion. “If you think you can get away with whatever you’re plotting, you should know the Pard thinks of me as one of them,” she said, low enough that the humans wouldn’t hear her.
“All the more reason then. They’re weak; it’s time to show them just how weak. They can’t even protect their own; what makes you think they’ll protect you?” He smirked at her.
Lily blinked. What in the hell was he talking about? Before she could give it any further thought, the group got up, placed their cups on the counter for her to wash them up, and headed for the door.
“Good, they’re gone. Make sure the door’s closed,” the one who was obviously the ring leader said. He moved around the counter and approached her. “You talk a big game when you think there’s someone around to save you, or you’re in public. What’s the matter, is all that bravado just talk?” He leered at her. “I’ve never had me a wolf; are you just as wild as a cat?” His hand snaked out to grab her arm so she couldn’t get away from him.
Declan
As soon as they reached the docks, Declan hopped in his car while Remy climbed into the passenger seat. He tore through the streets on his way to Gathering Grounds. He didn’t give a fuck about speed limits, stop signs, or red lights. As long as he didn’t cause a wreck, he would pay whatever tickets he got out of it. He needed to get to Lily. That was the only thought in his head. He pulled up just as a group of people were leaving the shop. He saw, through the window, one guy push the door closed while another stalked around the counter toward Lily. He fought down a growl and barged into the shop just as he was reaching for Lily’s arm. “You fucking touch her and I’ll rip your goddamn arm off.”
All three jaguars turned at the voice. “You’re not one of the leopards,” the one closest to Lily said.
“No, he’s not, but I am,” Remy said as he followed Declan in. He flipped the closed sign and locked the door. “What’s dis look like to you, Declan, cuz it looks to me like dese boys are lookin’ for trouble.” He had a wicked grin on his face.
“They found it.” Declan’s voice was more a growl than anything as his wolf pushed for control. “Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. My. Mate.” He bit out each word.
The jaguars shared a look before they shifted right there in the shop and went on the offense. As he shifted, Declan kept his eyes on Lily. He couldn’t help but notice how quickly she jumped into action, running to the door where the light switch was so she could kill the lights and drop the blinds to block out the shop from passersby. One of the jaguars came at him, and Declan lowered the front of his body closer to the ground as the cat reached him. The position allowed him to get under the cat, and he used his hind legs to lift the jaguar and throw him into a table, which shattered beneath the jaguar’s weight.
With one jaguar down, Declan faced off with another. He growled low in his throat as he and the cat circled each other. In his periphery he could see Remy holding his own with the jaguar he’d taken on so Declan focused on his opponent. Claws slashed out and Declan hissed. He would be feeling that for a while. He ignored the pain in his side and charged the cat. The sound of breaking dishes assaulted his ears, but he didn’t have time to see if it was Remy who’d crashed into the coffee cups or the jaguar. He caught the slight tension in the jaguar’s haunches and knew the cat was about to pounce. He was ready for it. When the jaguar came at him, he used the cat’s own momentum to throw him into the side of the counter where a chunk of wood broke off to land on the floor. As soon as he was sure the jaguar wasn’t getting back up right away, he looked to Remy. The leopard was bleeding from his shoulder but he was otherwise unscathed. By the time the fight was over, several tables, along with their chairs, were broken, there was a chunk of wood missing from the front of the counter, and at least half of the porcelain coffee cups were shattered. Of course, once they all returned to human form, none of them had a thing to wear because shifting had ruined their clothes.
“I’ll call Gage. He’ll bring a cleanup crew and bring us some clothes,” Remy said as he snagged a tablecloth and wrapped it around his waist before he found his phone to make the call.
Declan didn’t bother with hiding anything. He ripped a tablecloth into strips, and once the jaguars shifted back to human form, he bound the trio so they could be taken somewhere and questioned before they were dealt with.
“Emile is going to fire me. And then kill me. He can’t afford the repair cost to replace everything that got broken.” Lily looked like she was in a bit of a panic as she gazed at the damage that the fight had caused. “At least the cappuccino machine wasn’t damaged.”
Declan went to her and took her face in his hands. Her eyes were wide, her pupils were dilated, and her breathing had become erratic. “Just breathe, doll. It’s over, and don’t worry about the damages. Whatever the Pard can’t replace, I’ll pay for. He won’t lose any business by having to be closed a day or two; I’ll see to it.”
Lily blinked at him before her gaze took in the fact that he was completely naked. The fact she hadn’t noticed it right away spoke to how shaken up she was. “You need to cover up before anyone gets here.”
Declan smirked at her. ‘“Took you long enough to notice. Alright, doll, I’ll wear a fashionable tablecloth skirt just to make you feel better.”
Lily smiled, just a little. “I didn’t know if you were even in town or if you were off doing something for the Pard or if you’d get here before…before anything happened.” Her voice was just barely above a whisper. “All I could think, when they walked in though, was that I needed you here.”
Declan pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay. They won’t ever try to touch you again, doll.” He wanted to rip them to shreds for putting that fear in her eyes. He held her and for once there was nothing sexual about it. This was just about comfort.
Remy’s phone went off a little while later, making them all jump. He glanced at the incoming call. “It’s Gage,” he told Lily and Declan before he answered it.”Where y’all at?” He listened for a moment before he responded. “On my way dere,” he said and hung up. “Dey’re at da back door. Don’t worry, cher, dis place will be all cleaned up before mornin’.” He worked his way to the door at the back of the shop to let his brother and the cleanup crew in.
“Looks like I missed all da fun.” Gage took in the three bound jaguars, the broken table, and the tablecloths Remy and Declan were wearing. “Nice skirts.” His chuckled comment made both Declan and Remy growl at him.
Lily laughed softly. “They do look quite fetching, don’t they?” Before either man could react, she snapped a picture of them with her phone. “Blackmail material.” She grinned at them both.
“I’m surprised you didn’t tink about dat before now.” Gage glanced over at Lily. “Dey didn’t hurt you, did dey?”
“No, thank Goddess. Declan and Remy got here before they could.”
“Makes sense. Dey’d probably be dead right now if dey had.” He held the bag of clothes out he’d brought for Remy and Declan to change into and motioned for the cleanup crew to get started.
The jaguars were hustled out back and into the waiting van before it pulled away.
Declan got dressed before he moved to Lily’s side. “Let’s get you home. Remy can lock up the coffee shop for you when they’re done cleaning up the mess we made.”
Lily reluctantly agreed, and after giving Remy the code for the alarm, so he could set it once they were done, she let Declan escort her out to his car.
“You don’t like to drive unless you have to, do you?” He knew she walked to work.
“Not really. Why drive when it’s a relatively short walk and the exercise is good for me?”
“Fair enough.” He helped her into the passenger seat before he went around and got in. Minutes later he was escorting her up to her apartment.
When they got to her door, Lily stood there for a moment before she turned to look at him. “Will you stay? I don’t want to be alone tonight. I’m not...I don’t… I just need to be held, okay? That’s all.”
“Whatever you need, doll; all you have to do is ask.” Declan took her keys from her and opened the door, then ushered her inside. Sure he would love to be there to question the jaguars, but Lily needed him and that took precedence over his need to get answers.
“Thank you.” She went straight to the kitchen and poured herself a drink. Her hand started to shake when the glass was half empty and she set it down. “Gods-damn it, why am I still so shaken? Nothing happened; I should be fine.”
Declan moved to her and wrapped his arms around her. “There’s no deadline on how long it takes to get over a close encounter like that, Lily. You’re allowed to still be shaken up, if that’s how you’re feeling. Come on, let’s get you into something you can sleep in and I’ll hold you. I promise to not let my hands wander. At least not tonight.” He might have a raging hard-on all night as a result of breathing in her scent, but he’d suffer through it to give her what she needed, which was comfort, not sex.
Lily shook her head at him but she didn’t argue. She went into her bedroom to change.
Declan removed his boots, socks, belt, and finally his shirt, while he waited for Lily to get ready for bed. Jeans weren’t the most comfortable for sleeping but he’d make do for her sake. When she opened the door, he couldn’t help but stare at her. Even dressed in simple lounge pants and a T-shirt, she was beautiful. He moved to her and reached out to caress her cheek. “You’re beautiful without even trying, doll.”
Lily blushed, just a little, at the compliment. “Thank you. Come to bed.” She stepped back so he could follow her into the room. Her bed took up most of the space. It was a king-size bed with a thick pillow top that made sleeping a luxurious thing.
Declan followed her, and once she crawled into bed, he slid in beside her. When she curled up next to him, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. He felt her shaking, just a little, and caressed her side. He pressed gentle kisses into her hair and growled softly—a low rumble meant to soothe her. “Good night, Declan.”
“Good night, Lily.” He felt her relax as sleep finally claimed her, but he remained awake for a while, just watching her. She was such a contradiction. She was strong, independent, stubborn, but she was also soft and needy when she let her guard down and let someone in. She was quickly stealing his heart without knowing it. Finally he let his eyes close and he drifted off to sleep with her.