Chapter Thirteen
Ethan arrived at Billy’s place a little after one in the morning to find Billy pacing the drive.
“What the hell is going on?” Ethan demanded, exiting his vehicle.
Billy met him halfway up the drive. “The dead shifter has been taken care of, as was another one, thanks to your pack. But there was one more in the woods that night. And according to the pack, he got away.”
Ethan felt his eyes began to burn, sure that Billy could see the wolf shining from their depths. “That means Foster knows about Piper.”
Billy ran a hand through his hair. “Most likely.”
Though Billy wasn’t a shifter, Ethan trusted him with his life, which meant that his pack did also.
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t allow Piper to return home. Not now. If Foster suspects my feelings for her go beyond a date or two, the risk of him harming her would be too great.”
Billy raised an eyebrow. “Your feelings for her, boss?”
Annoyed that he’d let that bit of information slip, Ethan stalked back toward his car. “Have the pack meet here at seven a.m. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Ethan jumped back behind the wheel of his car and turned toward home. Piper was in danger. Of that, he had no doubt.
It was a little past two in the morning when Ethan arrived back at his penthouse, and his temper hadn’t cooled one bit.
He tossed his car keys to the valet and hurried to the elevators when the scent of a shifter hit him full in the face.
Ethan stilled, his eyes heating up on instinct as he quickly scanned the lobby for signs of the supernatural.
A tall dark-haired man wearing a grey trench coat stepped from the shadows, holding a folded-up newspaper in his hands. “You killed two of our pack members, Seaborn. Foster can’t be expected to let that go.”
“They were in my territory,” Ethan growled, taking a threatening step forward.
The dark-haired shifter glanced up at one of the cameras in the corner of the lobby. “You plan on attacking me for all the world to see?”
Ethan forced himself to stop before he threw caution to the wind and shifted in front of the cameras. “What do you want?”
“I have a message from your grandfather.”
He’s not my grandfather,” Ethan snarled, fighting to keep his claws from descending.
The shifter shrugged. “It matters not to me what you think. I’m only here at the request of Foster.”
“What’s the message?”
The tall dark-haired shifter moved toward the door. “An eye for an eye.”
Ethan watched the other shifter stride across the room and exit through the automatic doors.
He knew there would be no point in going after the unknown shifter. Not with the valets standing out front as well as the cameras resting on every eave the building possessed.
Turning toward the elevators, Ethan climbed on board and pressed the correct number to his penthouse.
The ride to the top seemed like an eternity.
He glanced at his reflection in the mirrored walls, noticing the subtle red glow shining from his eyes.
He’d nearly shifted in the lobby, so great was his rage.
How dare a Kenwood enter his place of residence.
Well, if Foster wanted a war, Ethan would damn sure give him one.
The elevator doors slid open, and Ethan stepped into his penthouse. He immediately took the stairs to the guest room to check on Piper.
Her soft, even breathing was a balm to his soul.
He crept deeper into the room, noticing the covers had worked their way up to her hips.
She lay on her back, one leg bent at the knee to reveal her soft, shapely thighs.
Her panties were white, he noticed. A stark contrast against her tanned legs. The small scrap of material barely covered her woman’s center.
Ethan’s cock twitched in interest, further angering him. How could he think about sex at a time like this?
She sighed and shifted positions, damn near taking him to the floor with her sweet, erotic scent.
Ethan bit back a growl and left the room before he peeled off those skimpy panties she wore and buried his face in her inviting heat.
He stalked to his bedroom and shut the door, toeing off his shoes as he went. The jeans and boxer briefs came off next as did his shirt.
His entire body was on fire with the need to shift. Fury, revenge, and arousal all melded together to prove nearly impossible to stop.
The intense craving he had for Piper was becoming an overwhelming urge inside him.
His mother’s words suddenly drifted through his mind. “You will recognize your mate immediately, my son. You will know her by her scent, her strength, and the power she possesses to tempt your beast.”
Ethan staggered forward and dropped his weight onto the side of his bed. Piper Hollister was his mate. He knew it as surely as he knew she would never be safe as long as the Fosters yet lived.
Reaching over to switch on his lamp, Ethan noticed the drawer on his bedside table was slightly ajar.
He leaned in and closed his eyes, drawing in the surrounding smells. But no others besides Piper Hollister’s could be detected.
What had she been doing in his room?
He rose and sauntered over to his closet. Her scent was strongest in there. So, she’d been snooping while he’d been out.
His lips twitched.