Chapter Four
Annabelle stared at the men below her. Three humans and three shifters. Mac was in his bear form while Trent stood under the branch she hid in. It was Logan, though, who she couldn’t take her gaze from. He looked good in a pair of tan pants and a blue button-down shirt. Her sharp eyesight helped her see his handsome face as he looked back at her. There was concern in his gaze, as though Logan worried for her.
What’s he doing here? Has he come with the humans? No, that didn’t make sense. He had to have been with Mac or Trent. Maybe he’d been inside the bar?
All the questions were giving her a headache and that was on top of the throbbing pain in her leg. Annabelle placed her chin over the edge of the trunk.
“Are you okay?”
It was Logan who asked the question, but she scented the fear from Trent and Mac as well. She trilled softly in response. She would be fine as long as they didn’t expect her to move anytime soon. She ached and just wanted to sleep now that the danger was over.
“What…why…are you talking to the cat?” the teenager asked. “Does it understand you?”
“She,” Logan said.
Annabelle wanted to smile when Logan corrected the boy. It was a small thing, but she hated being called an it.
“She,” the teen repeated.
“The reason hunting is illegal here is because the shifters run in this forest. You almost killed a person,” Logan explained. It sounded as though this wasn’t the first time he’d had to explain.
The boy began to shake, but his father snorted. “Filthy animals. That’s all they are.”
Annabelle wanted to leap down and bite the stupid human dad.
The teenager turned to his father. “But you said when they turned into animals they weren’t human anymore. They spoke to that cat and she responded.”
“It’s a trick,” Baldy replied. “You can’t trust these men. They might look like us, but they’re not.”
Damn. Annabelle’s stomach rolled. This wasn’t just a couple of men out for some fun. This man had known there was a chance that he’d be hunting a shifter. They’d really tried to kill her.
“We need the sheriff here now.” Logan looked at Mac as he spoke.
Mac nodded then peered up at Annabelle. She blinked her eyes and nodded. He could go. She was safe in her tree. He left with one last look at Trent. Words weren’t needed. Not even when it was a bear staring at them. The humanity in Mac’s gaze was noticeable and he was putting Trent in charge of her.
She wiggled around a little to get a better view of what was happening behind her. Logan gathered those big rifles that had been pointed at her.
“Will you come down?” Trent asked her.
She shook her head. That didn’t sound like a good idea at all.
Trent sighed. “You know I can’t climb up there to get you.”
Annabelle did. Trent didn’t like heights and when he shifted to his hyena he couldn’t climb at all. There was nothing to worry about, though. She’d come down when she was ready.
“Can you help me move this guy?” Logan called to Trent.
Trent grinned up at her before turning to the agent. Annabelle watched them work together. Trent picked up the young red-haired man while Logan covered the other two. The humans remained quiet, but Annabelle easily saw that the teenager was still upset. Good. Maybe this would be a lesson for him.
The bald man was silent, but she could still pick up on his hatred. Trent lowered the young man between his father and brother and the shifters backed off. It was smart of Logan not to turn his back on him. The man was angry and it would be easy for him to act out. Especially with the sheriff coming.
“Will you let the sheriff handle this?” Trent whispered.
Annabelle heard, but she doubted that the humans would.
“I’m going to have him take them in for the night. This is a federally protected land so it does fall under my jurisdiction. The federal charges will be stiffer, so I’ll for sure charge the dad with those.”
“Good,” Trent said. He glanced at her. “They might’ve killed Annabelle.”
She hated the fear in Trent’s voice. It wasn’t fair. All she’d wanted to do was spend some time in her tree. The run earlier hadn’t been needed, but she enjoyed the forest.
“I’ll make sure they never do anything like this again,” Logan said. “How often do you have to deal with illegal hunting?”
Trent chuckled before sitting on a log across from the humans. “Not a lot. Once word got around about shifters, we had several hate groups stalking all the wooded areas in the state, but it’s died down. At least I think it has. Normally the hunters don’t come out this far.”
“That’s good.”
“Yeah, we keep guards around the property and if we shift as a group we always have sentries ready, but with a town full of shifters, it can be dangerous. It’s not like we can have set times when someone wants to transform. Annabelle’s species is nocturnal, so she prefers to change at night.”
“Is she an ocelot?” Logan asked.
Annabelle yowled in response.
Both shifters laughed.
“Guess not,” Logan said.
“She’s a margay,” Trent said. He stared up at her with a smirk.
Annabelle didn’t know what that look was about, but she felt it had something to do with Logan.
“Margay?” Logan repeated. “I haven’t heard of that species before. Which I guess isn’t really surprising. There are hundreds of different feline types.”
That’s an understatement, Annabelle wanted to say. It hadn’t been easy to find out where she’d come from. With no family or anyone who knew about her, Annabelle had always felt as if she missed something important about herself.
“Lion, right?” Trent asked. “I thought at first you might be a panther, but now I’m pretty sure your scent is lion.”
“Yes,” Logan confirmed.
Annabelle had known from the start was type of shifter Logan was. She closed her eyes again as the two men quietly discussed the different species that Logan worked with. She liked Logan’s deep, soft voice. His caring tone washed over her, helping to remove the last bits of fear.
She wondered again what he was doing there. After looking through his file earlier, Annabelle had wanted to get him out of her head. He was by the book. Dedicated to his mission. There was no way that he’d fit in with their ragtag group. Logan didn’t belong in the middle of nowhere with them as they spent their days in the shadows of an underground world. He had to enjoy the spotlight. Annabelle couldn’t see why a shifter would join the Coalition if they weren’t interested in recognition.
The Shifter Coalition might have been founded with the purpose of helping the shifter communities in the push to get equal rights and stop discrimination, but Annabelle hadn’t seen a whole lot of that. Instead, going by the news she’d seen on television and articles online, it appeared to her that the Coalition policed the shifters more than helped. It was a betrayal, to her.
If Samantha had had the option of fighting against her troop leader, then her life would have been so different. She might not have lost her first baby.
But the Coalition didn’t help the low pack members against the evil leaders. Instead the organization was all about the law. She needed to keep reminding herself of that fact. Logan wasn’t there for any other reason than to work his investigation. Annabelle and her family were nothing more than suspects to him.
“Coming in!” Mac called out and Annabelle lifted her head while Trent stood.
Mac, Carter and Sheriff Magnus stepped into view. Logan strode toward the sheriff.
“Agent Coldwell.” Logan held out his hand to the sheriff. “Thanks for coming.”
Sheriff Magnus was a big guy, at least six foot three and over two hundred and fifty pounds. He was a tiger shifter and intimated the hell out of Annabelle. Although he had always been kind to her, Annabelle couldn’t get past the dominance that radiated from him.
“Glad I was able to be of service,” Magnus said gruffly. “What have we got?”
“Seems our friend here,” Logan waved at the bald dad, “decided it didn’t matter that hunting is illegal here or that they’d be firing at a shifter.”
“They knew?” Magnus asked. He glared at the bald man. “You sure?”
“Oh yeah,” Logan answered. “I have no doubt.”
“How do you want me to handle it?” Magnus crouched next to the guy who was still passed out.
“If you’ll take them to your station, I’ll come down and make recommendations,” Logan said. “I’ll be filing federal charges on the dad here.”
“You can’t do that!” Baldy yelled. He turned his gaze to Magnus. “You’re the sheriff and I want to make a compliant.” Baldy pointed at Trent. “He attacked us.”
“Is that true?” Magnus asked Trent.
“Since they’d been shooting at Annabelle and were seconds away from firing again? Yes, I stopped them,” Trent said.
Magnus shook his head before addressing the human. “You got lucky. He might have killed you.”
“Fuck,” Baldy spat. “You’re one of them.”
Magnus grinned and yanked Baldy up. “Yeah, and now you’re coming with me.”
“What about my son?”
Trent leaned down and easily hefted the red-haired man onto his shoulder. Annabelle was really starting to worry about how long he’d been out. Wait! No, she didn’t care. He had tried to kill her.
Damn, I can’t actually be that cold.
“Cuffs?” Logan asked.
Magnus tossed him a package with zip-tie restraints. Logan caught them then helped the teenager to his feet. Logan was a lot gentler with the kid than Magnus was with the dad.
“Where’s Annabelle?” Magnus asked.
She ducked her head out of the way.
“Up the tree,” Trent said. “She hasn’t come down yet.”
“We’ll need to talk to her,” Magnus stated.
“I’ll take care of it,” Logan said. “Let’s get these guys out of here first. She might feel more comfortable then.”
Annabelle wasn’t hiding because of the humans. She just didn’t want to deal with everything. It wasn’t her fault the idiots had been shooting at her. Plus, she was going to have to talk to Magnus and Logan.
If she didn’t find a way to overcome her attraction to the lion shifter, Annabelle would make a fool of herself. He was an agent who would be more than happy to put Calvin or Duffy in jail. Hell, he’d probably want to take her and Mac in as well if he found out they’d lied to him.
“I’ll stay and keep her company,” Carter offered.
Annabelle made a sound of protest. She didn’t need anyone to stay with her.
“He’ll stay,” Mac called up to her. “When you’re ready, come back. We need to look you over.”
Oh yeah, she was bleeding from her leg. She waved her front paw at him.
“I think she’s flipping you off,” Magnus joked.
“Don’t make me come up there,” Mac threatened.
She knew he wouldn’t, though. As big as he was, Mac couldn’t reach her. But he might have Carter climb. In human form, the smaller shifter was a pretty good climber, although he didn’t enjoy it like she did.
“We’re just going to leave her here?” Logan asked.
“She’ll be fine,” Mac assured him.
Annabelle had the urge to look over the branch to see his face but decided that would only give Mac more ammunition to force her down.
It took several minutes, but finally everyone else was trekking through the forest, leaving her alone with Carter.
“I really wish you’d come down so I can look at you,” Carter said. “We don’t have to go back yet.”
She huffed but started to climb out of the hole she’d found. Annabelle was going to have to mark this tree as her own. It had saved her life, so she should return. Her back leg shot pain angrily up to her spine and she whimpered.
“Shit! Annabelle?”
Annabelle clamped her teeth together so she wouldn’t worry Carter any further. It was a lot harder to balance on three legs than all four. Every time she tried to put her full weight on her leg, it hurt, so she limped from branch to branch until she was on the lowest.
Carter stood at the bottom of the tree, looking up at her. “I’ll catch you.”
He was small but held shifter strength. Annabelle debated. Just climbing from her spot had been tiring and she didn’t want to attempt going down the trunk with only three good paws.
She nodded.
“On three,” he said. “One…two…three.”
Annabelle pushed off and leaped into his open arms. He closed his strong limbs around her, warming her up and comforting her all at the same time.
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “You’re okay.” Carter carried her to the same log that Trent had sat on. He dropped down before moving to cradle her between his legs. “Let’s take a look.”
His hands were gentle, but she still hissed when he tugged at her back leg.
“Sorry” he murmured. “It doesn’t look like you were hit by a bullet. I think it’s only a graze.”
Which meant that she wouldn’t be in pain for long. While shifters didn’t heal instantly like they did in movies or books, they did have a better healing rate than humans. Something to do with the transforming back and forth helped to speed up nature. The DNA that allowed them to shift also took care of injuries.
“It might scar, but you’ll look like a badass,” Carter warned her.
Annabelle swiped at his face but kept her claws in. He was just teasing her, but if she didn’t put up some sort of fight, he’d think something was wrong.
All she really wanted was to be cuddled.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, Carter lifted her until her head was under his chin. Annabelle purred as he began to knead the nape of her neck. His hands felt good, his scent familiar and just what she needed.
Family.
That was what Carter was to her. In his embrace, she didn’t have to worry about what was going to happen next. Mac would probably lecture her, Trent would feel guilty and she was going to have to talk to Logan or Magnus.
Maybe she’d just stay as her feline for the rest of the night.
She pawed at Carter’s head.
“I know you want to stay, but we really should head to the bar,” Carter said then rose.
Damn it. She wished she was a bird shifter, where she’d just fly away. Carter tightened his hold, although his hands remained gentle.
“Don’t even think of taking off,” he said. “Your leg has to get looked at.”
Annabelle relaxed her muscles, letting Carter take her full weight. She was lucky to be small enough to carry. If it had been Trent, Carter or Mac who needed help, there was no way that any of them could carry one another like they did Annabelle.
As often as she’d wished she was bigger and more powerful, times like this really made her appreciate her species. She might be larger than a regular house cat, but Annabelle had picked up some of their habits since her family enjoyed playing with her in this form.
Carter dug his finger into the spot right above her shoulder blades and it felt like magic. Annabelle purred and just enjoyed the ride.
* * * *
Logan paced in front of the back door. The sheriff had taken the three suspects down to the station once the redhead had woken up. Now all he had to do was wait until Annabelle returned. He’d wanted to go back after her, but Mac had nixed that idea, saying she’d need a few minutes to get herself down.
He was more worried about what injuries she might have than anything else. Yes, he needed to speak to her and get her side of what had happened, but he’d smelled her blood, which was much more important.
“You need to be calm when she gets back,” Mac said as he stepped outside to join Logan on the lawn.
“I’m calm,” Logan responded.
Mac snorted. “I can feel your lion at the surface.”
True, but Logan was in no danger of losing control. He didn’t lose control. “I can handle myself.”
“I bet.” Mac waved a hand toward a bench that Logan hadn’t even noticed. “We’ll have some time to talk while we wait.”
Logan followed him and sat beside Mac.
“I didn’t expect you back so soon,” Mac said.
“Didn’t you?” Logan challenged. “I know you’re hiding something. I’m not certain if it has to do with my missing woman or not, but something is going on here.”
Mac shook his head. “We’re just a small town that takes care of ourselves.”
“And don’t trust the Coalition?”
“Not just the Coalition,” Mac corrected. “Any law enforcement. A lot of the people here have a good reason why they don’t, too.”
“I’m not here to cause trouble,” Logan assured him. And he wasn’t. He was merely doing his job. If they kept freezing him out, though, he’d be forced to look into all the people Mac said didn’t trust him. It would be their fault, because he wasn’t going to just let this case go.
“Then why’d you come here and spend all day questioning the residents?” Mac asked.
“I’m trying to find a missing woman.”
“Have you considered that she’s missing for a reason? That maybe she had a reason to disappear?” Mac asked.
“Yes,” Logan acknowledged. “From the intelligence that we’re gathering, it is a distinct possibility. But so is something bad happening to her, and someone filed a missing person report to cover their ass.”
Mac nodded. “Good point. Still, you’re wasting your time here. That woman is not here.”
“I believe you,” Logan said. “But I still believe that someone here knows more than they’re admitting.” He was sure of it, in fact. Logan had been trained by the best. It was obvious that Mac and his little group were up to something. If he was honest with himself, his greatest concern was for Annabelle. What if she wasn’t aware that her friends had secrets? She’d end up in real trouble.
“Perhaps,” Mac conceded.
“So are you going to tell me what’s going on around here?”
“I did,” Mac said. “We live a quiet life. Except for a few instances like today.”
“Fine,” Logan said. “I’ll figure it out.” The vow was more to himself than a warning to Mac.
“Besides, if I told you,” Mac said, “you wouldn’t have a reason to keep turning up. Then what would you do?”
“Meaning?” Logan asked, although he had a suspicion he knew what Mac spoke about.
“Meaning you couldn’t use your case as an excuse to see Annabelle.”
Logan grinned. “Since you warned me away from her, I’d think that you’d want to tell me, so I wouldn’t come back.”
Mac chuckled as he stretched his long legs out in front of him while slouching down the bench. “I didn’t warn you away. If you remember correctly, I told you I wouldn’t have to.”
That was true. Still, Logan couldn’t decide if Mac wanted him chasing after Annabelle or not. The bear shifter was hard to read, which confused Logan, since he was pretty damn good at figuring people out.
“It’s up to you whether you put in the time to get past Annabelle’s defenses or not,” Mac said. “Some have tried, but in the end they never stick around long enough.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Logan said before he thought better of it. It was true that his attraction to Annabelle was strong, but he barely knew the woman. Hell, he’d just learned what species she was and knew nothing about what she needed.
“We’ll see,” Mac said, the disbelief heavy in his tone.
Yes, they would. He shouldn’t be making promises that he wasn’t sure he could keep. Eventually the case that had brought him to Brookside would be completed and he’d move on to his next investigation. Even if Annabelle felt a small amount of the attraction he did they’d still live an hour away from each other. Plus, there was always the chance of him getting called away.
Logan didn’t respond out loud, though, because he’d picked up the faint sound of footsteps headed their way. From the forest. He and Mac both stood as Carter came out of the woods, holding Annabelle, still in feline form. The urge to shift was strong. In his lion form, she would naturally defer to him.
Instead, he clenched his jaw to remain in control. He hadn’t been lying earlier when he’d told Mac he was calm. Logan was known to be cool under any circumstance. But there was a tendril of jealously that coursed through him when he noted how relaxed Annabelle was in Carter’s arms.
Logan had scented the young man earlier and knew he wasn’t a threat. The prey odor that came from Carter didn’t even stir his lion. No—Carter was not a danger to him. Or Annabelle.
“She okay?” Mac called out over Annabelle’s loud purring.
“She has a gash from what I suspect is the bullet grazing her, but she’ll be fine,” Carter stated.
The bullet grazed her? Logan vowed that he’d charge the damn hunter with every broken law he could think of. How dare he try to kill her?
“After she shifts back and takes a long shower, she’ll be good as new,” Carter said.
Logan wished he could reach over, pet Annabelle and feel her soft fur beneath his fingers.
It was Mac who took Annabelle, to cuddle her close. “Go ahead,” he said to Logan. “She loves to be petted.”
“Sure,” Logan said. He was thankful his hand was steady as he carefully and slowly stroked the top of her head.
Annabelle responded with a long, deep moan. Mac chuckled as Logan pulled his hand away in surprise. He’d never heard a feline make that sound before.
“It’s okay,” Mac informed him. “That means she’s really happy.”
Taking the bear shifter at his word, Logan returned his fingers to Annabelle’s chin and scratched.
She allowed this for a few moments then slipped onto her back, still in Mac’s arms, and batted at his hand. Logan stopped moving his fingers. She wrapped her paw around his wrist and pulled with strength until she had her teeth around the pad of one of his digits.
“Ouch,” he complained when a sharp tooth dug in.
“Yeah.” Mac tapped Annabelle’s nose. “Sometimes I think she’s more domesticated than she likes to admit.”
With that comment, Annabelle swatted Mac’s chin, drawing a laugh from Logan.
“I guess she really is okay,” Logan said.
“Yes,” Mac agreed. He handed her to Carter. “Take her to her room so she can shift back and clean up.”
“Okay.” Carter kissed the top of her head before turning to meander toward the rear entrance.
“Come,” Mac said. “We’ll have a beer while we wait on her.”
Logan glanced at his watch. It had been a long day and he still had to make the drive home.
“We have a spare room you can use,” Mac told him. “You’ll have to turn around and be here in the morning to take care of the hunters.”
“Later this morning,” Mac corrected. It was after three already.
“Right,” Mac said. “We’re used to bar hours here.”
“I think I’ll take you up on your offer,” Logan said. “It’ll save me time.”
“You have a bag in your truck?”
“Yes.” Logan pulled his keys put of his pocket. “I’ll get it and meet you in the bar.”
Mac nodded and followed Carter through the back door. Logan decided to stay outside and strode off in the direction he’d come. It seemed like days had passed since he’d gotten out of his truck with the intention of questioning the bar patrons about Duffy and Calvin. Instead, mere hours had gone by and he was exhausted. It was really nice of Mac to put him up for the night.
Before he’d left his apartment, Logan had tried to find lodging in town. Brookside didn’t have a hotel or even a bed and breakfast. Instead, the closest place he’d been able to find was forty minutes away. Which was a waste, since his drive was an hour long. He wouldn’t throw away the money to save only twenty minutes’ drive time.
However, he had packed up a bag, his laptop and files in case he found something once he got to town. Maybe they just didn’t advertise. Logan hadn’t been so lucky, though. It appeared that Brookside really did its best to keep strangers away.
Now, knowing they’d had trouble with hunters, Logan understood the need, although he still thought something more was going on.
Maybe he’d be able to get some information from the sheriff. Magnus had seemed like a good law enforcement ally. Logan hadn’t wanted to involve the local police until he knew what was happening in the town, but he was past that now. Hopefully Magnus would be more forthcoming than Mac and the residents had been.
Logan reached his truck and pushed the Unlock button on the key fob before opening the back door. He’d had a safe installed in the rear floorboard to keep his weapon and other work-related items when he needed them. It was a trick he’d learned early in his career. He couldn’t always take his work in with him but needed to keep it secure. Logan opened the safe and removed his laptop then closed the lid. He’d leave his files inside. He didn’t need them at the moment.
He shoved the computer under his arm and grabbed his duffel off the seat. That should be enough for now.
After he slammed the door closed, he turned and almost ran into Trent.
“Fuck, man,” Logan exclaimed. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
Trent laughed. “I wasn’t actually trying to. You seemed deep in thought.”
Logan chuckled. “I think I’m more tired than I realized.”
“Well, come on then,” Trent said. “You can have a beer while we get a room ready for you.”
He nodded and followed Trent toward the bar’s front door. There weren’t any other vehicles in the parking lot. “Is my truck safe here?”
“Yeah, no worries. We have security cameras and they’re always monitored.”
“Great,” Logan said. He really did like his truck and didn’t want it messed with. Since most of the residents had already seen him driving it around, they’d know who the vehicle belonged to.
“I’ll take your bag,” Trent said as they reached the entrance. “I think Mac’s putting you in Calvin’s old room.”
“Old room?” Mac asked. “I thought Calvin lived here.”
Trent chuckled as he pulled open the door. “He does, but he shares with Duffy now. They’ve been together for several years.”
“Good, then.” Maybe Calvin had left some things in his old residence that would give Logan a look at the other man. He was still Logan’s main suspect in the disappearance of Samantha.
“He still keeps some stuff in the room, but you’ll have plenty of space.”
They stepped inside the bar. The lights were dim in the main room, but he spotted Mac sitting on a stool at the bar. He was alone, so Logan passed Trent his bag before walking to join the bear shifter.
“Poured you a beer,” Mac said without turning around. The mirror behind the bar let him see Logan, although Mac had probably heard him approach just fine. His shoes creaked over the old wooden floor.
“I appreciate it,” Logan said, sitting down beside him.
“I checked on Annabelle. She’s in the shower and will join us shortly. Then I suspect that you’ll want to turn in.”
Logan ran his hands roughly over his face. “Yeah.”
Mac chuckled. “I don’t envy you your job.”
“It’s usually not so exciting,” Logan confessed. “A lot of arrests of shifters and humans breaking the law. Paperwork—fuck, the paperwork is a bitch. And appearing in court. We’re actually pretty lucky up here. We haven’t had the same hate groups form around here.”
“I’ve read about some in Arizona, Texas and Colorado,” Mac said. “It makes me glad I settled here.”
“What made you decide on Brookside?” Logan questioned. He was honestly curious.
“Is it Agent Coldwell asking or Logan?”
“It’s just me,” Logan said. “A man having a beer.”
Mac picked up his cold pilsner and seemed to steady it. Logan was about to change the subject, expecting Mac not to answer, when the bear shifter chuckled. “It was an accident.”
“Accident?” he pressed.
“I’d just gotten out of the service and gained custody of Duffy. I’d been stationed in San Diego and planned on taking Duffy to Oregon or Washington State. I didn’t want Duffy anywhere close to where his mom—my sister—died.”
“I’m sorry,” Logan said sincerely. “I read about her murder.”
Mac dipped his head. “Thanks. So here I was, traveling through the state with Duffy, and my bike broke down. Ten miles from here.”
“That sucks.”
“Yeah,” Mac said. “Luckily a passing jeep stopped to check on us. Alexander Santos, he owns the Italian restaurant in town. A master chef.”
“I met him today,” Logan confessed.
“He told me,” Mac said. “He’s still one of my best friends. Anyway, Alexander picked me and Duffy up and took us to his restaurant. He fed us and called a mechanic friend of his. It took three days to get my bike fixed. But when we were ready to get on the road, neither one of us wanted to leave.”
“That’s…surprising,” Logan stated. “Not knowing anyone here.”
“It was so different here,” Mac said. “Every person I met was a shifter. We didn’t have to hide who we were. It’s freeing.”
“I bet.” Logan heard his own wistfulness.
“I had some money put aside from my time in the service and opened this place.”
Logan peered around at the bar, which was quickly growing on him. It wasn’t the kind of place where he’d usually stop to have a pint or relax. Now he regretted not giving establishments like this a chance. He was beginning to understand that it was the people who made the Den so remarkable.
A shuffling of feet came from behind him and he turned on his stool.
Annabelle stood in the doorway between the main bar floor and the kitchen. She was dressed simply in a pair of faded gray slacks and a white v-neck T-shirt. Her feet were bare and her toes were painted a pretty pink. With her long black hair cascading down in soft wet curls, she was a vision.
“Well.” Mac rose. “I’ll leave you two to talk, and call it a night.”
Logan turned and nodded to him. “Thank you.”
Mac walked quietly across the room. His big combat boots didn’t even make the boards creak. Logan grinned. The bear shifter was still showing off, but Logan didn’t mind.
He watched while Mac bent his head to speak softly to Annabelle before kissing her on the cheek and leaving them alone.
“Do you want a drink?” he offered.
“Isn’t that my line?” she replied, taking the first steps forward.
“Yeah,” Logan said and chuckled. “I guess it is.”
She stopped beside him and he looked her over. She didn’t appear to be injured—she just seemed tired, but it was the protectiveness on the surface he was having a hard time dealing with. His hands shook with the need to check every inch of her.
“How’s your leg?”
Annabelle smiled at him. “It’s fine. I put some ointment and a bandage over the gash and probably won’t even know it was ever there by morning.”
“You still could have been killed,” Logan pointed out. “I need to talk to you about that.”
“I don’t really know anything about the men in the forest.”
“I just need you to tell me what happened,” Logan said.
“Okay.” She climbed onto the stool that Mac had vacated. “I can do that.”