Atticus by R.E. Butler
Chapter Twelve
Atticus’s gorilla was one hundred percent disgruntled with where he was—driving Lori to work the morning after they’d made love and semi-declared themselves together. For him, she was his soulmate and that was it, end of story. But since she didn’t know the truth of what he was, she couldn’t be truly his until she knew. If only he could fucking tell her.
He stifled an unhappy growl that wanted to roll up his throat. Barely.
Her hand was on the back of his neck, and she was rubbing her fingers lightly against the short hair, humming a tune he didn’t recognize.
I want you to quit. I want you to stay with me. Let me show you I’m a gorilla.
But he didn’t say any of the things that were on his mind. He had no right to make any demands of her right now, even though it was killing him.
Trying to draw his focus from leaving her at work for the next six hours, he cleared his throat and said, “Do you want to have dinner tonight?”
“Sure. I can cook for us.”
His gorilla liked that she wanted to take care of him, but he also wanted to take care of her. “Do you like cooking?”
“Yeah. When we were moving around so much, cooking and baking was something I could do with Novi that kept us home and away from the public.”
“I’d love for you to cook for us tonight, but only if you let me help.”
He glanced at her and saw she was smiling, her eyes lit up like he’d given her a gift.
“That would be awesome. What do you like to eat?”
You.
He mentally kicked himself in the ass. “I’m a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but I’d be happy with anything you make.”
“Oh shoot,” she said, her fingers stilling on his neck and taking away the delicious friction that made his blood sing.
“What?”
“I don’t have my car so I can’t go shopping for ingredients.”
“When I pick you up, we can make a grocery trip, or I can pick up whatever you need before I get you.”
“I’d like to go with you. That sounds really fun.”
He gave her another glance with a raised eyebrow. “Grocery shopping sounds fun?”
Her face scrunched as she smiled. “I’ve never gone grocery shopping with a guy before.”
Okay, that was definitely awesome. “Then let’s do it.”
“I’ll make a list.”
As he pulled into the parking lot, his bad mood resurfaced. He parked and left the engine idling, getting out and coming around to her side to open the door.
“You’re so chivalrous, you’re like one of those heroes from Novi’s romance novels.”
He gave her an exaggerated bow. “You deserve to be treated like a queen.”
She took his offered hand and stepped out. She smiled up at him. “You make me feel like one.”
“Good. You’re important to me. I want you to be happy.”
Her head tilted slightly and she hummed. “I think I’m the happiest I can ever remember. At least in a romantic way. Novi and I have had some pretty amazing days, but being with you is...well, I feel young again. Like you’ve given me a do-over.” She cupped his face and went onto her toes. “I cherish you. Truly. And not just ‘cause you rocked my world last night.”
He banded an arm around her waist and hauled her close. “And this morning.”
“You know it.”
“You rocked mine too.”
“Think of me today?” she whispered before brushing her lips across his.
“Every second.”
They kissed and he had a hard time not taking the kiss further, not slipping a hand up her shirt to touch her soft skin, or down the front of her leggings to see if she was wet for him. Instead of doing either of those things, he eased from the kiss and told her to have a good day.
“It’ll be hard without you around.”
“Maybe that’ll change soon and you can work at the park.”
“I’d love that.”
“Be careful today,” he cautioned as he released his hold on her. “Call me immediately if you even have the inkling that something isn’t right.”
“I will, I promise. You be careful too.”
With a final kiss, she left him and headed into the store.
It was a small building with a bright orange sign at the road. The square lot was bordered at the back with woods and on both sides by a medical office and an auto shop. He waited until the door closed behind her and then he shut the SUV door and got behind the wheel. Alone in the SUV, he let out a deep, unhappy grumble. If he was in his shift, he’d be pounding his chest at the loss.
He sent a quick text to the two park vehicles that were nearby to say he’d dropped her off and was heading back to the park, then he backed away from the store and left. Which was the very last thing he wanted to do.
* * *
Keir Montague watched a white SUV park in front of the discount store. Inside was the human female Lori and a male he hadn’t seen her with in the past. She’d been getting driven to work by a white SUV for the last few weeks. The SUV was never alone—there was always at least one other vehicle riding with them, acting as security most likely.
He let out a low growl as the male opened her door and Lori got out, the two embracing. They were clearly together, which meant she was moving on.
Unacceptable!
She was not allowed to have a shred of happiness.
That one night—that one fucking night with her—had altered his future in ways he’d never imagined. He could kick his own ass for going home with a human, but at the time it had been a good alternative to finding a polar bear female to fuck. Bears didn’t fuck without thinking about a potential mating, so taking one to bed was making a declaration about intentions. At the time—twenty-four years ago—he’d just wanted to fuck and release some pent-up frustration. He’d met her at a human bar, he’d been mildly attracted to her, and she’d been a decent lay. One and done was what he’d planned.
Then he’d discovered the condom failed and she was pregnant. He’d tried to kill the baby in the hospital. She’d gone into hiding. He’d found them a little later at a relative’s house and tried to kill them again but was thwarted. Then she’d gone on the run with the little girl. His alpha had declared him trapped in his current state with no hope of rank promotion or mating until he killed the two humans. For over two decades he’d chased Lori and the spawn across the country and back. She was good at staying hidden. Seemed to have a sixth sense about him and danger.
He had three males with him—his brothers Donovan and Dorian, and Brandon, a male he trusted. If it weren’t for their support, he would’ve gone off the rails years ago. They kept him grounded, kept his eye on the prize. Once he killed the two females, he could have everything he’d ever wanted—a mate, a family, and higher ranks.
He sat back from the ledge of the rooftop and said, “Is that vehicle tagged?”
“Yep,” Donovan said. “So are the other two.”
“Good.”
“What’s the plan?” Dorian asked.
A few weeks ago, he’d found the humans’ home and waited to capture one or both, but the girl had moved out already and Lori never came inside, instead running away and hiding. Again! A few hours later, some males arrived and packed up some things.
They’d tagged their vehicles and followed as they left, the journey ending at some sort of animal park. It hadn’t taken long for them to figure out that many of the people in the park were shifters. Lori never did go back to the house, but instead moved into an apartment complex at the back of the park along with her daughter.
The shifters complicated things. He’d scented several different ones: lions, gorillas, bears, wolves, and elephants. That they all lived in the same place was surprising as most groups kept to themselves. The park had a huge iron gate at the front and was surrounded by tall stone walls covered with security cameras and motion detectors, making it impossible for them to get into the park without being discovered.
“I have an idea,” Brandon said.
“Yeah?” Keir asked.
“Let’s just leave. She’s clearly under the protection of the shifters in that park and we’re never going to get to her. She doesn’t leave the store when she’s working either. If you can’t have the life you want with our people, then leave and start your own group. I’m sure Donovan and Dorian would join you, and I would too. Then you could be alpha and mate whoever you wanted.”
Keir stared at the male who was only a little younger than him. “You used to be on board with my plans.”
“Well, we’ve been away from home for weeks. I’m tired and I’m ready to walk away.”
Instead of saying anything, Keir punched him square in the face. Brandon grunted and took a step back, pressing his hand to his bleeding nose. “What the fuck was that for?”
“You don’t get to question me. You’re for me or against me, and if you’re against me then I’m going to snuff you out as surely as I will those two females. So which is it?”
Brandon’s eyes narrowed, the icy blue of his polar bear shining in his eyes. “I’m with you.”
“Good. Then we won’t be talking anymore about starting a new group or going home, not until those two females are dead, their blood on my hands.”
“Do you have a plan?” Dorian asked.
“I do. And I think it’s going to work very, very well.”
