Chapter Six
Leaving Ana's warmth and scent behind in the bed the next morning was pure torture, but Joseph knew he had to leave before she woke up. Not only did he need to get away from her parents' house quickly, before she could argue to come with him–or worse, actually convince him to take her along–but he didn't want her to wake up with his erection stabbing into her back. That would be too awkward to explain away.
It had been a restless night for him, her body so near, his desire building with every second as her scent became more and more powerful in the darkness. It had taken all his strength to keep his Bear from taking over and tearing off Ana's clothes. Several times he startled from erotic dreams, fearing he had done just that, but she was sleeping peacefully in his arms every time.
She needed her sleep. It was the only thing that kept him from waking her and trying his luck with a kiss… He thought she would be receptive, but…
But it didn't bear thinking about. It was against police rules to sleep together plus it was overall bad taste. After everything she had been through, it would be wrong of him to take advantage of her.
The night was over, anyway, and he needed to seek out a shifter support group that might have information on the anti-shifter group that mostly likely took Seth. He still thought the senator was dead, but he had to expose this group if he was going to expose the dirty cops in the precinct. If Buck was here—
He's not.
Joseph jumped when he opened the front door to find Ana standing right in front of him.
"Did you really think you could sneak out without me knowing?"
He stared at her. "How did you—"
"I climbed out the window. Sophie used to try to sneak out all the time. I got quite adept at making it to her getaways before she did. I had to stop her from breaking Mama's heart by going to wild parties." Ana lifted her chin, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "And if you think you are going to leave without me, you have another thing coming. Either I come with you or I go to your precinct and tell them everything I know."
Was she threatening to expose him?
I like her, his Bear chuckled. She'll make a good mate.
Yes, she will.
Joseph jumped. Where had that thought come from? Not our mate.
"Well? Which is it?" Ana put her hands on her hips.
The detective hesitated a moment but nodded. "You can come with me. I'm not going anywhere dangerous right away."
"Good," Ana smiled. "Now we have to say goodbye to my parents before we leave, or they'll never let me forget it."
***
Apparently 'saying goodbye' meant 'staying for breakfast', but Joseph had to admit he had never had a more delicious meal in his life. He had been too nervous the previous night to eat, afraid that they would be tracked, but with the hearty pancakes and sausages that Ana's mother made for them before they left, he felt much better prepared to face the day.
He found Tracey, the wolf shifter in charge of a shifter support group he attended, at the café she ran. It was a well-known place where shifters went for a safe haven against the prejudices in the city. The entrance also went to several other boutiques, so people on the street couldn’t see who was going into the café. It made shifters feel safer inside the quaint, cozy place.
Today it was completely empty and Tracey actually jumped when they entered. Seeing the normally calm Wolf so jumpy made him frown. He led Ana over to her and took a seat at the counter.
"Ana, Tracey, Tracey, Ana," he introduced. "What's going on here? The café is usually full to the brim."
"I was hoping to see you," Tracey said. "I phoned you at the station, but they said that you weren't available."
Joseph nodded. So there wasn't an arrest warrant out for him. Good. It meant that either the captain was hoping to handle this quietly or he was giving Joseph time to do what he needed to do. "What happened?"
"I came in today and found this on my door." Tracey unfolded a piece of paper and passed it to him. "It's about that kidnapped senator, Seth Fischer. They say that if I don't publicly announce a need for a shifter registry, they'll kill him and burn down the café."
Tracey was one of the best-known shifters in the city. For her to say they needed a registry would be a severe blow to shifter rights. Joseph scanned the note. Nothing jumped out at him. No hint or clue he could use. Once he was done reading the note, Ana took it.
"They'll kill him no matter what you do," he told the Wolf.
She gave him a dirty look. "I know that. But I have a mate and two little ones. What if they go after them next?"
"Why wouldn't they have done it already?" Ana looked up at them, her brow furrowed. "Why threaten the senator and your café, rather than the people closest to you?"
It was a good question. Joseph resisted to urge to smile at Ana for thinking like a detective. Instead, he grunted and inched a little further away from her. "Our best bet is to find the people who took Fischer. I'm going to show you some pictures, Tracey. I want you to tell me if you recognize any of them.
She didn't, nor could she tell them anything new about the anti-shifter group that the dirty cop had been a part of. Joseph left the café feeling worse than when he arrived. He continued to go around the city, asking all of his contacts if they knew anything. Other than the rumor that Seth was alive, he learned nothing.
That evening, he checked himself and Ana into a hotel. It was too risky to go back to her parents' place. He paced around the room, feeling his frustration build with every passing second. He didn't know where to go from here and had never felt so utterly useless before. He teased his hair to its ends, desperately trying to come up with another lead for the investigation.
Eventually, he knew that he had to stop himself from worrying about this or he'd never be able to think. Ana was at the window, peering out through the blinds, and he went to her, gently tugging her away. Just being near her helped him calm down.
"So how did you end up working for Seth, anyway?" he asked. "What got you interested in shifter rights?"
Ana looked a little startled at the question. "Umm… well, as far as Seth goes, we've known each other since we were kids. He's basically my older brother. I knew I wanted to get a job in politics and when he offered me the position as his PA, I took it."
"Simple as that, huh?"
"Pretty much. My family isn't really political. My father is a kindergarten teacher and my mother an insurance broker. But I was always taught to be thankful for what we have, stand up for what we deserve, and give freely to those who are worse off than us. It was never a pity thing. And like I said, Seth is basically my brother. When I started to see how poorly shifters are treated… it makes me angry."
That surprised Joseph. He was used to non-shifters expressing sympathy for their cause, but never anger. Even other shifters were usually too afraid of harming their tentative position in society to be angry about the way they were treated.
"Why?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"Why not?"
"You're not a shifter. Discrimination against people like me wouldn't hurt you if you hadn't gotten involved."
"Discrimination hurts everybody, whether they're willing to admit it or not. What if God gave us the cure to cancer, but the teenager He gave it to committed suicide because they felt they could never be accepted?"
"You make a good point. I wish more people could see it that way." Joseph found himself stroking her hair again and moved his hand away. Physical boundaries were necessary. "I'm glad that we have you on our side, Ana."
She ducked her head. "So… Seth told me that shifting isn't always hereditary. Did you always know if you were a shifter?"
"Pretty much. I was able to distinguish my thoughts from my Bear's at a young age. But my parents never tried to suppress that part of me. I know a lot of shifters aren't that lucky. People whose parents heard that they were brutes for so long that they started thinking it of themselves, and then passed on that mentality to their children."
His gaze flickered to her lips. He wanted to taste them so badly he forgot what he was saying.
"And that makes them more susceptible to mental illness." Ana's voice was pitched. She was leaning forward, her gaze on his lips as well. He could see her pulse beating in her throat.
I can't, Joseph thought. I'm meant to protect her, I'm on a case… I haven't even told her she's...
Our mate, his Bear said firmly.
What about Buck?
He'd say go for it.
It was true. All resistance crumbled as their lips brushed together.