Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
We didn’t get the chance to wrap up the conversation, though, because the magical world came crashing into the Dick coffee shop.
SEVEN
Austin
Austin gripped Jess’s shoulder as the three shifters walked in the door, their gazes and bearing leaving no doubt as to why they were here.
“Stay here,” he told Jess quietly, pushing back from the table and standing.
“Why, what’s—” She caught on, and a pulse of magic pumped through the space. People looked around, their brows furrowed. A few clutched the edge of the tabletops and looked down at the ground, apparently wondering if there had been an earthquake. “I’ll go with you.”
“No.” He partially stepped in front of her chair, blocking off her view of the newcomers. They stood just inside the door, staring at him. They didn’t show any interest in her, and his current posture would alert them to her status as his mate. It would advertise how ruthless he would become if she were jeopardized in any way. “You stay here and finish your coffee. I’ll be right back.”
“But—”
He put his hand on her shoulder again. “They aren’t here for trouble, Jess. And they aren’t here for you. Let me handle it, okay? You’ll feel it through our bond if something goes wrong. Then, by all means, raise hell.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?” Diana asked Jess with alarm.
He waited for Jess to hesitantly nod her acceptance at him before he wove through the patrons of the café, many of them sending furtive glances at the wall of lethal muscle by the door.
“No, no, don’t mind this,” Jess said, clearly trying to hide her nervousness. “Sorry, I should’ve told you. He’s a huge nerd. We play this killer tag thing where—”
He shut out her voice and focused on the situation.
Unlike a lot of the Dicks in this coffee shop, these shifters hadn’t cultivated their muscle in a gym. Nor did it look like they led a mostly sedentary lifestyle, like Kingsley’s shifters, with a little padding layered over their hard-earned strength. No, these guys, in their late twenties or early thirties, seemed hungry to prove themselves. At a guess, they were in the process of defining a territory, enforcing new rules.
All three of them put together wouldn’t be able to take him.
He stopped in front of them before making a show of glancing around.
“Shall we step outside?” he asked.
The guy on the end, a blond with tousled curls and sun-kissed skin, about Austin’s height but slimmer through the chest, took a small step back and half turned. After you.
The others watched him warily.
Austin inclined his head, an exercise in trust. Don’t give me a reason to turn this violent.
Outside and down the street a ways, Austin stepped into a break between buildings and turned, putting his hands in his pockets. I’m not looking for trouble.
The three fanned out just a little and stood in front of him, blocking off the street and exits. He’d already put his back to the little alcove for garbage cans. If this kicks off, we’ve got you outnumbered.
Austin inclined his head again, with a tiny twitch of the corner of his lip. Sure you do.
Their nervousness showed in their shoulders. These guys weren’t used to dealing with alphas of Austin’s caliber. Not outside of their own pack, at least. That suggested they were part of a new pack, one that wasn’t listed in the detailed directory Kingsley had shared with him of prominent, known packs and territories. That directory was currently a Google document shared between some of the larger packs across the nation. It really should’ve been open to all and updated formally. If they ever hoped to unify, they’d need to know where other packs and leaders resided. Until now, he’d thought this area was devoid of organized packs.
“What can I do for you?” Austin asked, his bearing relaxed, confident in his dominance.
“We represent the Agoura Pack,” the blond guy said, “and you are currently in our territory. As I’m sure you know, it’s customary for a visiting alpha to announce himself to the residing pack alpha and state his intentions, typically within twenty-four hours of entry. Are you rogue?”
The term rogue was generally applied to an alpha, or an otherwise powerful shifter, who didn’t have a pack. They were the shifters no one wanted around. The fear was that the rogues would make trouble or rip a pack out from under a weaker alpha.
Austin had been a rogue for years, starting the moment he left Kingsley’s pack and ending when he officially created a pack in O’Briens. Brochan, too, would’ve been considered a rogue during his travels. In fact, all of the shifters Austin had brought with them on this trip would likely make these guys nervous.
“No,” he said, not offering any more information. “I wasn’t aware there was an established pack in this area.”