Sitting on the front porch of Piper’s home with his back up against the wall, Anson realized what he was doing was not according to KSI protocol. He’d spent the last few nights on the porch or in his truck since he couldn’t sleep knowing that her home was unprotected. It wasn’t what she hired them for, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d tried to stay away the first night, but his thoughts would stray back to Piper and the knowledge that she was home alone. There were too many opportunities for someone to get to her. She felt safe in her home with her little alarm system and locked windows. He knew it wasn’t enough. There were always ways to get to someone.

Anson had arranged for a meeting with Piper’s exes. He originally wanted to interview them both separately but then he thought peer pressure might hasten their honesty. Both had easily agreed to meet. He gave them enough of an explanation to let them know that it was serious and it seemed like they wanted to help. Anson decided to wait to pass judgment on the two men. He’d be able to tell if they were lying in an instant anyway. Until then it was up to him to keep her safe. Even if that meant sitting on her porch and grumbling at the cool air.

He was comfortable enough to doze off, knowing his animal instincts would awaken him if needed. When he did drift into sleep, he dreamed about Piper. It was easy to pretend he had no feelings for her when he was around others. This wasn’t a unique job by any means, but there was something about Piper that nagged at him. She was attractive, although he never thought he would like a woman with short hair, but hers intrigued him. It didn’t make her look small, it made her look fierce. Maybe that was the appeal.

His mind liked to replay small moments they’d shared. Seeing her look up into the rearview mirror with annoyance or shock. She was beautiful just as she was, but in those moments, she dazzled him. He loved that fire; her bravery, her fearlessness. Anyone that tolerated her circumstances as long as she did was a fighter. A true lioness. Maybe that’s why he dreamed about her. He liked the very idea of her.

Anson was half asleep when he heard the unearthly sound coming from inside Piper’s house. It wasn’t a scream. It was the sound of pain, horrible, gut-wrenching pain. He was up and kicking in the door, busting it almost off the hinges. He raced towards the sound, his heart pounding, and the urge to shift was high. Using his two feet to get him to the sound, he turned the corner at the top of the stairs to find Piper lying on the floor of her studio.

Her body was jerking with the sobs that were pouring out of her. Anson didn’t smell anyone else in the room and quickly assessed that there was no outside threat. Skidding to his knees, he scooped her into his arms, her frame feeling small against him.

“Piper... Ssshh.”

The woman in his arms jerked, her eyes coming up to his. He could see her process the recognition and it didn’t calm her. In fact, she cried harder, burying her face in his chest.

“Sweetheart, you’re okay. There’s no one here.”

“Of course there isn’t!” she wailed.

Anson wasn’t sure what that meant. “Piper, there’s no one here to hurt you,” he tried to explain.

That made Piper cry louder, if that was possible. Anson settled down onto the floor, laying her across his lap. He didn’t have a lot of experience with people in the midst of a meltdown. So he awkwardly rubbed her back and made soothing noises. Anson glanced around the room to see what could have set her off. There was a canvas on the easel that still had wet paint on it. It was dark, sad, and to his untrained eye, chaotic. His eyes settled on the darker figure in the top of the painting. To him it looked like a bear hunched against a strong wind. He wondered what had made her paint that.

“Piper, what happened? Can you tell me?”

She was still crying and hiccupping in his lap. Thankfully, the wailing had died down somewhat. He waited while she settled on her own. He didn’t mind holding her. She fit in his arms better than he would have thought. Her soft ass and thighs snuggled up against his cock. He used all his physical focus to keep that situation under control. She didn’t need that right now. She needed something much softer than that.

“Piper, you’re safe. I have you here. I’ll keep you safe.”

“No one can help me,” she cried.

“Of course they can. I can help you. We’re all trying to help you.”

“You can’t stop someone who has been following me for years. Even if he goes away, I’ll still always be alone. I’m cursed, bad luck, fundamentally unlovable.”

Her crying had stopped and now her voice was laced with inner pain and sadness. Anson would have rather had her sobbing. That was at least a level of energy being released. This… this was someone that had levels of pain that no human should have to absorb.

“You’re not unlovable. You’ve had a string of… unfortunate circumstances.”

“Bad luck. Two men told me they loved me and then left me. They embarrassed me, literally left me holding the flowers. I had to take all the pity, all the embarrassment. Both of them were gone! They broke my heart then left me alone to deal with the fallout. It was cruel. If they really loved me they would never have done that!”

Anson had to agree. He knew that mated couples would never leave one another. Kindred mates would kill for each other. Hurting each other only hurt themselves. Humans had that option, though, their matings were about choice. They had to choose to be with one another. If one of them changed their minds the other was left holding the bag.

“I don’t know why they did what they did. I have to believe it was because of something that they felt that had to do. I can’t see them leaving you for no reason.”

“But they did. Twice I thought I had found my forever, and twice it was taken away from me!”

Anson wasn’t sure if he should tell her he was meeting with them next week. She needed to have stability in her life at the moment. If she knew he was going to meet with them it might make her feel more vulnerable.

“Maybe someday you’ll find out and it won’t be as bad as you think.”

“And that will change how I’ve felt all these years? The pain will just go away?”

Anson knew that wasn’t what would happen. Pain didn’t disappear. You had to feel it. Take it in and, if you were lucky, let it go.

“No, the pain won’t go away. Sometimes though, knowing there was a reason for it makes it easier to bear.”

“I don’t think that’s true. I think sometimes people just want to hurt you. They want you to feel the pain.”

“You know that your exes loved you. You went to those weddings with no doubt in your mind. That was real. You weren’t making that up. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“Then what?” Piper looked up at him and he got lost in her brown eyes for a moment, noticing the glints of green in them.

“Then you get to start over,” he said gruffly.

“What if I don’t want to try anymore?”

“Piper, I may not know you that well, but you’ve come this far. You’ve fought this long. I don’t think you’re ready to give up. You wouldn’t have hired me if you didn’t have hope.”

“I hired KSI,” she said softly.

“Same thing,” he grunted.

There was a moment between them that passed where Anson could almost feel her relax into his arms.

“What are you doing here?” she finally asked, her wet eyes confused.

Anson didn’t feel like letting her go yet so he answered. “I was nearby. I heard you.”

“Heard me? How close were you?”

“The front porch.”

Piper pushed away from him. “You were on my porch? Were you stopping by for some reason? It’s the middle of the night.”

“I… I’ve been watching over you.”

“Watching over me? But I’m safe here.”

“No, Piper, you’re not. You’re not safe anywhere.”

“Then what the hell? I’m paying KSI to drive me around, that’s it. Is this a way to tack on extra charges?”

Anson glared at her. “You think that’s something we would do?” Piper didn’t answer so he continued, “I didn’t feel that you were safe here alone, so I took it upon myself to watch your front door. I wouldn’t have let anything get to you.”

She tried to push out of his arms and he tightened them.

“I’m not your responsibility. I haven’t even seen you in days. Now you say you’ve been sleeping on my porch?”

“What can I say, I provide excellent service.”

“Anson, cut the crap. You shouldn’t even be here.”

“I know. I just can’t seem to help myself,” Anson admitted. He didn’t know why, but keeping her alive was more important than just earning his paycheck. His instincts were telling him that she was special. Why she was he didn’t know. But his instincts had never led him wrong. It had also kept him alive many a time.

“Why not? Luca and the other guys have been taking good care of me. Luca actually told me off today.”

“Why the fuck did he do that?”

“Because I needed it. I wasn’t being smart. He reminded me that I have to help myself too. I can’t just assume that the world is going give me a break.”

“He still shouldn’t yell at you.”

“Stop getting off the topic. Why were you on my porch?”

“Because if go home, I can’t sleep. I lie awake worrying about you.”

Piper frowned at him. “Do you always put this much effort into your jobs?”

Anson sighed before answering, “No, I don’t. That’s why this isn’t how things are supposed to go. I’m supposed to drop you off and then not worry about you again. But I can’t seem to do that. My desire to know that you’re safe is overwhelming.”

“Desire?”

Anson didn’t know how to explain his feelings for her. He knew he shouldn’t be having them in the first place. He also didn’t know if she would even care that he was struggling.

“Have you ever wanted something and knew it might not be good for you?”

“Am I the thing that’s not good for you? Are you talking about me?”

Anson wasn’t sure if he should tell her. It could compromise his ability to protect her. If she told him or King that she didn’t want him around anymore it would drive him insane.

“I’m concerned about your safety. I don’t want you to think that I’m distracted and not doing my job because of it.”

“So, I’m different? You know I’ve already come to that conclusion. My only hopes for the future are to not be looking over my shoulder anymore. I don’t think that I’ll ever try to be with anyone again. It’s too painful when they walk away. I almost didn’t put myself back together after the last time. I know that I won’t be able to survive it again.”

“Damn it, Piper, you deserve to be loved.”

“What I deserve doesn’t really matter. I’ve been rejected and dumped. Horribly so. I just want to live out the rest of my life quietly. My job gives me satisfaction, my family gives me love. It’s going to have to be enough for me.”

“That’s fucking sad. You should be taken care of, loved, adored. You’re funny and sexy. You’re smart and brave.”

Piper starting laughing, her tears drying on her cheeks. “I think you’re the only person that thinks that.”

Anson had to wonder if that was true. Whatever he was feeling for her meant something. But pushing a connection out of the desire for a mate usually didn’t work. The universe had a plan. Anson always believed that. He spent too much time outside in nature to not feel a connection with the entire universe. But his feelings towards Piper might just be a need he wasn’t fulfilling in his life. Maybe he needed a vacation. Or his world had been too tame. A good bout of danger usually helped settle his need for something different and reset his focus. Not feeling like he should share with her feelings that he wasn’t even sure of, he avoided answering her.

“Let’s get you to bed.”

“Excuse me?”

“You—bed. I’ll stay here. If you don’t mind, I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re upset and I won’t be able to sleep if I leave. Let’s give both of our brains a break and get some sleep. I’ll take four hours of solid sleep right now.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she admitted.

“I know, you sleep on the couch. The television is blaring all night. It’s amazing you can stand up in the morning.”

Piper pushed herself off his lap. “I’m too tired to fight with you.”

“It’s easier if you don’t.”

“Bossy.”

“Get used to it. You seem to need someone to help you out for your own good right now.”

“I’ll argue with you in the morning.”

“I’ll be here to do that. Come on, you’re sleeping in that ridiculous princess bed in the other room.”

“It’s not a princess bed… it’s supposed to be romantic.”

“It looks like something you could drown in.”

“Exactly,” she sniffed.

Anson stood and pulled her up from the floor. Her head barely reached his shoulder when she tilted her head up to him. “Is this considered pro bono work?”

“Tonight it is. I’ll also be taking you to your parents’ house tomorrow. I already got the text from Luca.”

“Oh great, you’ll be easy to explain.”

“I’ll help you. You don’t need to do all of this on your own, Piper.”

The look she gave him didn’t show any confidence from her. He hated that she was so alone. Her parents hopefully will help ease her burden. She might not know it, but Anson wasn’t going to let her continue shouldering her burden alone.