“Where the fuck is she, Jameson?” Alex roared, dropping into a crouch.

  Quinn shook his head and chuffed in answer. He wasn’t shifting to have another chat. If Alex wanted a fight, they were going to do it in animal form.

  To Quinn’s surprise, the other man suddenly rose and let out a strangled howling sound. When the sound broke off, he glared across the room. “This isn’t over. I’ll get her back, if I have to kill you to do it.”

  With that, Alex leaped through the glass window into the night. The scent of fresh blood filled Quinn’s nose, and he shifted into his human skin to rush to the window. Glass shards and blood drops dotted the ground below, and he could see paw prints leading away from the house. For some reason, Alex had decided against fighting him tonight, but Quinn had no doubt in his mind the tiger would come back.

  He glanced at the bookshelf and then headed off to secure the property before opening the safe room. He needed to make sure the entire lion pack was off his land before he went to Aubrey, and then they needed to get the hell out of Colorado.

  6

  Aubrey had never been so scared in her life. She’d watched in horror as Alex’s betas attacked Quinn, one after the other. Each time he bested one of them, she sent up a silent prayer of thanks, only to fight back nausea as another one leaped into the fight. When he and Alex both disappeared from the camera’s view, she went into full-on panic mode and shut herself in the tiny bathroom. Not that the little pocket door would protect her from Alex if he made it into the safe room, but for some reason the smaller space made her feel more secure.

  She heard the conversation between Alex and Quinn in the office, heard the window break, and then nothing. Terrible, horrible silence filled the air, and for nearly twenty minutes, she paced the safe room. When she finally gave in to her fears and keyed the password for the door into the panel, it swung open to an icy cold room and the scent of blood. Her heart lurched into her throat, and she rushed forward, sure she was going to find Quinn dead just outside the window. Instead, she found Alex’s blood in the snow and no sign of her polar bear hero.

  She’d have called his name if she could have gotten her voice to work, but fear left her voice box incapacitated. Snatching up a long piece of glass, she clutched it in her hand, ignoring the sting of pain when it sliced her palm. She wasn’t going down without a fight. If anyone but Quinn came into view, she was going to protect herself.

  Creeping down the hallway, she listened for any sign of life. To her relief, there was nothing but silence. She could hear the grandfather clock in the family room ticking away as if unimpressed by the events of the evening. Farther out, she could hear a coyote howl. Just as she reached the family room, where the scent of Alex and Quinn together first started, she heard the sound of movement behind her. A sliding door opened somewhere, and she sank to her knees behind the big massage chair she’d enjoyed just a few hours earlier. It hid most of her, and she just had to hope it was Quinn coming through that door.

  The relief she felt when his blond head appeared in the doorway was nothing compared to the desire that coursed through her body when she got a look at his naked form. He was magnificent. Both in his animal fur and his human skin.

  “I told you to stay in the safe room,” he barked at her, his chest still heaving with the adrenaline from the evening’s events. “What are you doing in here?”

  “I was scared you needed help. I heard you and Alex fighting, and then the window broke. I thought you’d open the door if you were okay and when you didn’t—” Her voice cracked, and she rushed toward him, seeking his comforting embrace. “Thank God, you’re okay. I was so scared. I saw them jump you from the security monitors.”

  “Shh... hush now. I’m fine, angel. Perfect, in fact. They’re all gone; they even collected the body of their dead comrade from below the deck.”

  His arms held her tight to his chest, and she looped hers around his lean waist. Pressing her face into the bare skin of his chest, she kissed his pecs. “I’m so sorry I brought you into all of this, Quinn.”

  His hand came up to cradle her face, tipping her head so that he could look into her eyes, “I’m glad you did, Aubrey.”

  She wanted to question him about the meaning in his words, but she hesitated. It was more than likely her hormones were leading her astray. Quinn might have kissed her, but that didn’t mean he was interested in starting a relationship with a pregnant woman. Besides, she was the size of a cow right now. Definitely not sexy.

  “Come on, I want to find us both some clothes to wear, and then we’re getting out of here. The next time Alex comes calling, I want to have backup.” Quinn reached for her hand and then froze. “You’re bleeding.”

  “It’s nothing,” she hurried to assure him. “I had a piece of the window for protection—”

  Her words broke off when his tongue slid over her palm. The rasp of his bear’s tongue on her injured skin was the most alluring thing she’d experienced. After several licks, his eyes lifted, and he gave her a small smile.

  “I can’t decide if you’re an angel or a warrior.”

  “I-I—” she stuttered, “I’m just a woman.”

  Their gazes remained locked for several breaths before he turned away and pulled her along and into his bedroom. She stood silently as he walked across the room into a closet. Her eyes slid over his bedroom, taking in all the details. Rumpled sheets, where he’d been sleeping just a little while ago, on a massive bed big enough for more than two. She could imagine sleeping there with him, wrapped in his arms…

  “I know the shorts didn’t work, but try these. They have a drawstring on the front so you might be able to make them fit.” Quinn reappeared fully clothed and handed her a pair of sweatpants. “I have a coat you can wear, but no shoes. We’ll have to make due with several pairs of my socks to keep your feet warm. We’ll get you better stuff when we get to the den.”

  “The den?” she questioned, stepping into the sweats, tugging them up under the long hem of the t-shirt. They were huge on her, but she was able to at least tie the drawstring around her belly to hold them up. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much she could do about the extra five inches of fabric covering her feet. She could barely see her own toes, much less reach them.

  “I’m taking you to the only place I know safer than my home,” he said, turning her and nudging her to sit on the bench at the foot of the bed. He lowered himself to his knees and quickly cuffed the hem of each pant leg. “We’re going to my family’s den in Wyoming.”

  “Are you sure?” Aubrey’s mouth gaped open at him. “I mean, you just met me tonight, and you’ve already had to fight off lions to keep me safe. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to anyone in your pack—”

  “If Alex is stupid enough to take on a polar bear pack,” Quinn laughed, “he deserves what he gets. And it doesn’t matter when we met, Aubrey. You’re mine… to protect. I’ll do everything I can to protect you and Peanut.” His hand came up to rub her belly and the baby kicked him. Quinn smiled, his eyes lighting up as he stared at the place where he held her.

  “Peanut seems to agree with that plan of action,” Aubrey giggled.

  “Good, he must have gotten his smarts from his mother.” Quinn stood and held his hand out to her. Together they headed out of his mansion and into the Colorado cold. She’d never felt safer than she did on that drive into the night. She knew in her heart, Quinn was important to her and her child’s life in more ways than one, but now was not the time to discuss it. So instead, she let the gentle motion of the car rock her to sleep, and let the man holding her hand protect her from the world.

  “Aubrey? Angel, we’re almost to the den, so you might want to wake up.” Quinn stroked his fingers over the pale skin of her arm, wondering at the softness of it. She was so delicate and fragile, and yet, he’d seen her hidden strength. She’d do whatever it took to protect herself and her child. He admired that about her, and it reminded him of the women in his own clan.

  “What time is it?” she murmured with a yawn, stretching and scratching her nails over her rounded tummy.

  “Almost nine. I called ahead when we stopped for gas, and Mama said she’d have a hot breakfast ready.”

  “Your mother is cooking for us?” Aubrey sat up straight in her seat, her mouth falling open. “Why?”

  He laughed at the shock on her face. “Uh, because I’m her son, and she’s a mama-bear. It’s what they do.”

  She relaxed slightly. “I’ve never met a polar bear shifter before you. What’s your family like?”

  Quinn thought for a moment about his clan before answering, “Have you ever seen one of those movies with the big Italian family sitting around a table eating and drinking until they’re sick and laughing together? That’s the Jameson clan. My parents only have two children, me and my sister, but most of the other families are really large. My Uncle Frederick and his wife, Lisa, have eleven, at last count.”

  “Eleven children? Are they nuts?”

  “You wouldn’t be the first to question that,” Quinn said through his laughter.

  “I thought polar bears were solitary creatures. Like tigers, don’t they tend to stay in a pack?”

  “I guess we just like to do things our own way,” Quinn shrugged, turning off the main highway onto the road that curved back to his childhood home. “Most of the adult children tend to leave the den and make their own way, but the core of the Jameson clan stays put.”

  “You moved away,” the words were a statement, not a question, but Quinn responded anyway.

  “Yes, but initially it was just because I wanted to become a doctor. Later, it was because I found a sense of peace in my solitude. When the only person you have to be accountable to is yourself, there’s a lot less pressure to be perfect.”

  The house came into view, and Aubrey didn’t respond as people began to spill out the front door. Quinn met his mother with a huge hug before hurrying around to retrieve Aubrey. When he opened the door, she was still sitting in the passenger seat of his SUV, looking slightly green around the gills

  “Come on, they won’t bite.”

  “I was just wondering if bears get along with cats,” she muttered.

  “This bear happens to prefer cats as of recently,” he whispered back, helping her out of the car and introducing her to his family.

  Aubrey was at once embraced and welcomed with hugs and laughter as they were herded into the house, and Quinn felt the tension which had been riding high in his chest since they’d left his home, release. Alex could come at them with both barrels loaded now and still not make it past the front gates. Aubrey and Peanut were as safe as they could possibly be. In his head, Quinn felt his bear calm and rest for the first time in twenty-four hours.

  7

  Breakfast was exactly as Quinn had described, a dozen family members around a large wooden table, eating, drinking, and laughing. Aubrey had never felt so comfortable in her life amidst a crowd of strangers. Quinn’s mother, Ruth, was the complete opposite of her husband and son, who could have been a before and after picture. Ruth had long chestnut-brown hair and cocoa-colored eyes which were warm and enthusiastic as she asked Aubrey all about her pregnancy.

  “When I was nine months pregnant with Quinn, I suddenly had this crazy craving for tacos—”

  “At four in the morning,” her husband August grumbled good-naturedly.

  “Anyway, I asked August to go out and find me some, but it was too early for anything to be open. So, he went to the all-night convenience store and found some taco shells and a wilted head of lettuce and came home determined to make them for me.” Ruth reached under the table to pat her husband’s thigh as she smiled up at him. “He spent almost an hour thawing out hamburger to make the taco meat and setting up this great taco buffet for me, and just before we sat down to eat—”

  “Her water broke,” August grumbled.

  “Oh, no!” Aubrey joined in the laughter as she imagined how the young, soon-to-be father had felt in that moment. “So much for a good meal before delivery.”

  “Are you kidding?” Ruth laughed. “I told August to call the midwife, and I sat down and ate tacos before my labor pains grew too uncomfortable. I wouldn’t recommend it though. The heartburn during labor was wicked.”

  “What a great story!” Aubrey gushed, glancing at Quinn who was listening with an amused smirk on his face. “I hope I’ll have a good story to tell my little guy when he gets here.”

  “It’s a boy?” Ruth’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that’s wonderful! Do you know what you’re going to name him yet?”

  “No,” Aubrey shook her head, “I just found out yesterday what the sex was. I haven’t had much time to think about it with everything that’s happened.”

  “Oh, poo.” The anger on the older woman’s face surprised Aubrey. “I want to bash that lion’s face in, just for putting a pregnant woman through this kind of trauma.”

  “Take a number. I get first dibs,” Quinn responded, reaching for Aubrey’s hand. “I’ve already assured Aubrey she and Peanut will be perfectly safe with the Jameson clan. We’re going to stay put and let Alex make the next move.”

  “He’ll probably lose interest once he realizes he’ll have to go through forty polar bears to reach her,” August said. “I can’t imagine anyone stupid enough to tangle with all of us.”

  “You haven’t met Alex.” Aubrey’s heart ached with a combination of warm affection for this wonderful family and guilt over bringing danger to their door. “He’s been trying to breed a liger shifter for years, and this is the first time he’s successfully impregnated a female tiger. If I had only known before…”

  “Shhh.” Quinn wrapped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her into his warmth and offering her comfort. “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. We just have to make him see the error of his ways now.”

  “When should we expect this lion’s pride to darken our doorstep?” Ruth asked, her tone taking on a sharpness Aubrey hadn’t heard before.

  “The tracker should have had time to get our location back to his Alpha by now. My guess, they’ll attempt something after dark,” Quinn replied calmly. Aubrey jerked in his grip, but he didn’t release her.

  “Tracker? We were being followed?”

  “Yep,” Quinn nodded, “but that’s okay. I wanted him to know where we were. Maybe it will make him think twice before he does anything stupid.”

  “I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I couldn’t forgive myself if—”

  Ruth reached out and cupped Aubrey’s hand between her own. “Aubrey, dear, if this dunghead does something to threaten a member of our clan, it will be on him, not you. And as far as I’m concerned, you and your son are family.”

  Aubrey noticed Ruth’s eyes lift to meet Quinn’s over her head. “Thank you, Ruth. I don’t know what to say.”

  “Nothing more to say,” Quinn interjected. “In fact, I think the time for talking is over. You’ve barely gotten any sleep in the last day and Peanut needs you healthy. Let’s find you a place to take a nap.”

  Without a word of argument, Aubrey thanked Ruth for the meal, again, and bid everyone goodbye as Quinn led her out of the kitchen and upstairs.

  Quinn led Aubrey up the stairs and down the short hallway to his childhood bedroom. He could have taken her to the guest room—and he probably should have—but he just couldn’t stand to let her out of his sight.

  “If you want to freshen up in the bathroom or take a shower, I’ll go get those clothes for you that Aunt Lisa brought over,” he said, gesturing to the connecting bathroom.

  “Thank you, but I’m too tired to do anything, but sleep at this point. Do you mind if I keep the shirt to sleep in?” She tugged at the t-shirt she was wearing, drawing his attention down to her chest where her nipples were jutting out against the thin fabric. Quinn’s mouth went dry, and he floundered for a response.

  “No, uh, that’s fine. It’s yours. I’ll grab those clothes and be right back.”

  He nearly flew out of the room and down the stairs to the front hallway where his mother had said she left the bag of maternity clothes. Finding it, he turned to head back up to Aubrey, only to come face to face with his father.

  “Dad?”

  “Son? Want to tell me exactly what we’re facing here?” August Jameson was identical in almost all ways to Quinn. They were both the same height, weight, build, coloring, and even shared the same overly serious temperament.

  “He’s determined to have her, but he wants to use her as a breeding horse to create an army of liger shifters. His betas attacked me when I refused to turn her over. I managed to fight them off and corner him, but the crazy son of a bitch jumped out the window rather than fight me.”

  “I see,” August nodded slowly, “and where was Aubrey during all of this?”

  “Safe room. I couldn’t risk being distracted, so I put her in there until it was over,” Quinn said with a guilty grin.

  “I can’t imagine your mother ever letting me keep her safe. Hell, she’s more likely to start a fight just to have a chance to land a punch,” August said, laughing.

  “I think Aubrey is stronger than she realizes. Right now, her first priority is her child, and in her position, the safest thing she can do is stay out of Alex’s reach,” Quinn explained.

  “She looks like she’s about to pop. When’s the baby due?”

  “Any minute,” Quinn said with a grimace. “That’s another reason I brought her here. I’ve delivered four hundred and eighty-nine babies in my career, but the idea of delivering hers has me scared shitless.”

  “Exactly how I felt when your mama was carrying you,” August nodded, his lips curving up in a wide grin. “Better get back to her. We’ve set up a watch, but I doubt they come until nightfall. I’ll make sure you’re awake in plenty of time.”

 

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