Joss streamed into The Roost with the rest of the Black Claw clan. She couldn’t stop smiling. Her cheeks hurt from her constant grin.

She reached down and squeezed Hunter’s hand. He turned to her with a wink, then went back to talking smack with Lorne and Jesse.

“You let a human drink you under the table. That’s shameful. You should be ashamed.”

Jesse glared. “We were already ahead of the game. It wasn’t fair.”

“No, I think that’s what made it fair. And you lost.”

“We forfeited a win,” Lorne grumbled.

It’d taken the rest of the night and most of the next day to clear out the last of the guests and set the ranch to rights. Ethan grumbled the loudest about lost time and tending cows, but he’d also been the one to suggest a group outing once they were able to take a step without tripping over extra bodies. That brought its own minor disaster, with three different locations suggested, an argument over who had the best food in town, and the start of a brawl that ended with Ethan growling that he’d leave everyone behind, whoever didn’t make it to the bar was no longer welcome on his ranch, and he didn’t want to be alpha to a bunch of whiny babies anyways, fuck you very much.

They were an utter mess of a clan, and Joss loved them for it. She’d never felt so alive as she did during her time on the ranch.

Even her badger rode easier inside her. There wasn’t a need to fight for acknowledgment when Joss no longer tried to keep her locked down. Tension seemed to drip away the longer she could be herself.

And who was that person? Bearden was about letting in some of the magic and figuring out her place in the world. She was still awkward a lot of the time, a damn good chef, and ninety-percent confused by her inner animal’s demands. But she’d also found a group more messed up than she could imagine and felt at home around them. They were her type of people. As much hurt she’d endured to push her into finding a different path, she was glad she’d endured.

Now she needed to thrive.

The group crowded around a low table, the quickest ones snapping up the chairs and leaving the others to stand. That didn’t bother any of them as much as the slow filling and passing of shot glasses.

Tansey elbowed Alex when he tried to throw back his drink. He growled, then she growled back. They locked eyes for a moment. The air thickened around them and Joss’s badger went quiet. Tansey had a monster inside of her that demanded obedience.

Alex’s jaw worked, then he looked away.

Tansey tilted her head graciously and lifted her shot. “Here’s to the first wedding in Black Claw history that didn’t end in a brawl.”

“Not for a lack of desire. Ordering Lorne and Alex apart is probably the only thing that saved us,” Jesse added.

“And to our payment.” Tansey lifted her glass. “I’d like to thank Joss, in particular. Great food, extra hands, and just the right amount of drama to keep things interesting. Hopefully, we can convince her to stay for many more events.”

“Thank you.” Joss swallowed back the liquid fire and hid her cough behind her hand. She still wasn’t used to the burning throat that came with their preferred whiskey. Give her a girly beer any day.

“Oh fuck, we’re doing this again?” Alex sputtered.

“I don’t know. Do you like money?” Ethan punched his arm.

Alex rubbed at his arm. “Love money. Hate people. You included.”

Tansey utterly ignored the exchange and jabbed a finger at each of them in turn. “Another round? Another round? Another round? Good. Ethan, you’re up. I need those extra hands.”

“Keep your kinks to yourself,” Hunter teased. Wide grins and middle fingers were shot his way.

Just ahead of them, Joyce slid up to the bar alone. Joss flashed her a polite smile and received a glare in return. Okay, then. That smashed any hopes that the woman had finally realized chasing after Hunter wouldn’t get her anywhere. Joss wasn’t about to poke the situation with a stick, though, and turned her attention back to her cowboy.

Hers. The word echoed through her head with the utmost clarity.

He lifted his chin. Gold eyes devoured her where she stood. He crooked a finger and drawled an order. “Come here.”

Butterflies taking off in her stomach, Joss skipped around the table. Strong arms wrapped around her middle and spilled her across his lap. She squeaked with the sudden movement and threw her arms around his neck for balance.

She needn’t have worried. Hunter held her steady and rocked her into place. Rough stubble scratched at her cheek with the press of his face to hers. “You sticking around for the rest of the season?”

She could drown in his scent and die happy. “Maybe longer. Depends if I’m wanted.”

His low growl vibrated through her. “Don’t believe for a second you’re not.”

Joss sucked in a breath when his lips slanted over hers. Her heart seemed to expand in her chest, and her pulse raced. The rest of the bar melted away when Hunter slid his tongue between her lips and deepened the kiss.

He had a past, sure. One she wasn’t entirely comfortable with because it touched too close on her own darkest fears. But that just made him more interesting. He was a strong, sometimes prickly man with a heart of gold and gooey center at his core. He wanted to make a future with her. Each twisting tangle of his tongue convinced her to take another step with him.

“You’d better stop tasting like perfection,” he murmured in a gravelly voice. “I might have to take you to a dark spot outside.”

“And face Tansey’s wrath for skipping out on the party? You’re either very brave or very dumb.” Joss clicked her tongue in teasing disappointment.

Sneaking away threaded excitement through her. The daring and the risk involved weren’t what old, boring Joss would have done.

Hunter nipped her earlobe. “It’s dumb. Absolutely dumb. You picked this idiot, so what does that say about you?”

“That I’m a sucker.” Joss propped her chin on his shoulder and let go of a contented sigh. She didn’t want to let go for even a second.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw Joyce quickly turn away and type something into her phone. A moment later, Andre slipped through the door and took a seat next to her.

Joss snuggled closer to Hunter. At least the noise of the bar gave them cover from any eavesdroppers. “We have company.”

Hunter twisted to follow her look. A simmering smile graced his lips when he turned back.

“Marking your territory?” he murmured in her ear.

“Maybe.” His hand on her thigh tightened and spread warmth through her veins.

Joyce wasn’t a threat. Very upset, very angry, but not someone to fear, especially when Hunter made it abundantly clear how much he wanted her. They’d picked each other and the ghosts of relationships past wouldn’t haunt their decisions.

Still, those two with their heads stuck together didn’t make a lick of sense. She tried to put them out of her mind. Hunter was a good man. He didn’t deserve either Andre or Joyce stirring up trouble.

Tansey and Ethan’s boisterous return with more shots and other drinks put the potential annoyances at the bar fully out of her mind. Joss slipped into the banter of the clan that had come to feel like her own.

An hour, maybe more, certainly about three more shots later, she excused herself to the bathroom. The buzz of music and conversation were muted by the walls, but did nothing to hide the pleasantness of the night simmering in her blood. She could hardly wipe the smile off her face.

Washing her hands, Joss glanced up in the mirror and jumped. Joyce stood not even a foot behind her. “Where did you come from?”

Too close. Much too close. In her head, her badger went nuts. The little beast wanted out—now. Something was wrong, and they needed to get away!

Joss stilled. The urge to move made her fingers tap against her legs. The sly look on Joyce’s face, however, kept her planted. Danger poured off the woman in waves.

“You stuck your nose where it didn’t belong,” Joyce said between clenched teeth. “You made me look like a fool.”

Whoo, boy. There wasn’t so much to pick apart in those statements as there was a need to drop the crazy like a hot potato. One sentence was full of jealousy, while the other was a personal grievance. Joss didn’t know which was more pressing.

She raised her hands, palms up in a plea for calm, rational discussion. “Look, if this is about Hunter, I don’t know what to tell you. The way I hear it, he put the brakes on you two long before I even dreamed of coming to this town. If you want to be mad at someone, go talk to the newspaper editor who jacked up our names.”

Joss inched to the side. Joyce still blocked the door. The last thing she wanted was another hair-pulling, sudden-shifting, drag-out fight. The bathroom stalls wouldn’t survive, and she didn’t want structural damage on her conscience.

“You just don’t get it, do you?” Joyce shook her head. “I could have dealt with Hunter in my own time. But you just had to step in my way. I always get what I want, and I want you gone.”

Apprehension trickled down Joss’s spine. Her badger didn’t like being trapped. The first signs of a change were poking sharp nails into her jeans. Her muscles knotted up and tensed in preparation.

She needed out and away from Joyce.

“I’m not talking about this with you. You’re not going to scare me off. Deal with what you lost in your own way, but leave us out of it.” She shot around Joyce and reached to pull open the door. Joyce slammed her hand against it to keep it closed.

Joss felt a sharp prick on the back of her neck. When she slapped her hand there, a tiny streak of blood came away.

“What did you do?” she growled. Or tried to. Her words slurred and badger disappeared from her mind.

Joss stumbled in her whirl around to face Joyce. The room spun kept on spinning and turned her stomach. She didn’t trust herself to take the five steps into the nearest stall to empty her stomach and prayed she didn’t mess down the front of her shirt.

“I told you. You shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

Darkness closed off her vision down to tiny pinpricks of light. Her knees hurt from her sharp fall to the ground. She struggled to stand and couldn’t make her limbs work. Even her thoughts spun slower together.

“It’s done. Get your people here now.” Something clicked nearby. A rustle of warm air preceded fingers dug into her hair to crane her head back.

“And once you’re out of the picture, well, let’s just say I’m not the only one wanting revenge. Andre wants a word with your man.”

What. No. No!

Joss tried to make her voice work. Not even a squeaked protest made it past her lips.

Hunter. She needed to warn Hunter.

The last pinpricks of light closed off and left her unconscious.