Outfoxed (3 page)

Monty’s smile faded. “How many cats are you talking about?”

Miles rubbed his jaw. “Maybe a little over a hundred?”

Burke whistled. “That’s a lot of cats. I didn’t know you’d reached those numbers. ’Course, it’s been a while since I talked to Michael.”

Grady stared at Burke. “I didn’t know you knew Michael Gates.”

“All the pride leaders keep in touch. Internet mostly. Michael was a good guy. Kept to himself. I never realized he’d had any kids.”

Stacey explained, “Neither did he. Apparently, the females he encountered were more like their animals than human.”

Gabby looked confused, and Burke explained, “Use ’em and lose ’em. Female cougars tend to spread themselves around. Once they get what they want out of their males, they leave.”

Rachel raised a brow. “Oh? Is that my cue to clear out?”

Burke had the grace to flush. “Hell no. I was talking about actual animals and you know it.”

“Many Ac-taw are like the ones in Miami,” Monty said quietly. “There are a lot of places with Shifters more animal than man.”

Grady considered his friend. Monty, Burke, Ty and Joel had been best friends growing up. But something had happened, and Monty had disappeared. He’d returned a year and a half ago, but he’d never told anyone where he’d been. Comments like these made Grady wonder just what the gray wolf had been through.

Miles continued, “Lex and Ronnie are Mike’s, but they come from different mothers. And they’re both very, very unstable. One of them attacked Stacey. I took care of him. Then Joy and Stacey stepped in and made a mess of things.” He frowned.

Joy piped up, “What Miles means is we tore the hides off a few of Ronnie and Lex’s thugs. After that, we kind of had to leave.”

Ty turned to Burke, sounding very much like the sheriff he was. “You need to report this to the town council.”

Burke nodded. “I know. But this can hold until tomorrow. We’ll settle all of you in the cabins. We also have a spare room or two in the house. Then tomorrow, Miles, you, me and Ty will head into town, okay?”

“Really?” Rachel had that look in her eyes. “And what if Stacey or Amy wants to go too? Why is it you assume the big, bad menfolk have to take care of this? Did you even ask them?”

Burke took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Grady knew that expression. He’d watched his older brother wear it throughout his and Dean’s high school years. “Honey, I’m just trying to make this as painless as possible.” He turned to the Bermin sisters. “If any of you would like to go into town and tell the council your version of events, I’d be happy to take you with us.”

Stacey tilted her chin as if considering it. The others said no, and she finally agreed to stay home.

Miles nodded. Conversation returned to who did what around town, who’d gotten married or moved away since the Bermins’ last visit four years ago, and who had odds to give birth first, Rachel or Julia.

“I’m betting on my sister.” Gabby smiled. “No offense, Rachel, but foxes can be sly when there’s money involved. No doubt that kit in there is already planning on beating your kitten to the punch.”

The group laughed. Grady felt his insides twist when Gabby looked at her sister with such affection. Hell, everything the woman did made him want to touch her. Just watching her pick up a spoon made him hard. How the hell could he make her see him?

Trust Miles to ruin the mood. The pussy smiled at her. “At least there are two good things to come out of this mess—the outstanding meal I just had, and all the pretty women at this fine table.”

“Here we go,” Dean muttered.

“I’m not exactly seeing anything good about your mess.” Grady emphasized the
your
. “The pride usually takes a vote on things. But I don’t recall anyone inviting you to stay.” The tension around the table thickened. “Not you ladies,” he hurried to ease the females. “You’re more than welcome. I’m talking about Miles.”

The Bermins smiled, familiar with Miles’ and Grady’s enmity. Monty sighed, Joel and Maggie shook their heads. Dean added a “hear, hear” while the foxes look confused. Gabby frowned at him, but too damn bad.

Miles raised a brow in that arrogant way that set Grady’s teeth on edge. “What’s wrong, Grady? Afraid of the competition?”

Gabby turned to him with narrowed eyes, the first negative response she’d shown the conceited cat all night.

Good. Show the woman how egotistical you really are
, he silently encouraged.

“What, you’re the competition? Please.” He snorted. “Find a pair of big boy pants and we’ll talk.”

“I’ve been wearing big boy pants since you were still wetting yours.”

Grady laughed. “Right.
I’m
not the one who wet himself after a date gone sour the summer you visited after your grand graduation from reform school.”

“It was not a reformatory,” Miles said through gritted teeth. “It was Highlakes Academy Preparatory, and I was class valedictorian.”

“So you’d have been eighteen, then. Kind of old for accidents at that age. I’ll bet Renee Duquet could tell a few stories.”

Miles scowled. “There was nothing accidental about you punching me in the face and throwing me in the river. My pants were wet because you tried to drown me, asshole. But every time you tell that story, you make it sound worse.”

“Oh right. I remember that. Nice one.” Dean grinned and shoved a hunk of meat into his mouth.

Monty didn’t even try to hide a smile.

Burke chuckled. “I’d forgotten how much fun you can be, Miles. Imagine someone more annoying than Grady and Dean. Boggles the mind.” He glanced at Monty. “Make that, someone more annoying than my brothers and Monty.”

“Hey. Let’s not gang up on the wolf.” Monty shot a sly glance at Gabby. “Besides, it’s not Miles that Grady has a problem with, it’s—”

“One more word from you and you’re cat food, canine.” Grady ignored the others and refused to meet Gabby’s gaze. He hoped his ears weren’t turning as red as his face probably was. “Great meal, ladies. Thanks.”

He took his dish from the table before he said or did something foolish. He knew better than to react to Miles. God, it was like summer camp all over again. He could only hope the asshole did nothing to screw up his chances with Gabby. Because if he did… The need to mark something, preferably Miles’s forehead, surged hard, stirring his cat. He left the house in need of a good fight. And maybe a drink or two, since he wouldn’t be tasting Gabby any time soon.

Gabby stared after Grady in astonishment. She’d never seen him so angry before, not since he’d helped her and her sisters deal with Hunters several months back. The bane of Ac-taw existence, humans who knew about Shifters and hunted them down were always a threat to the town’s way of life. The mystical totem Rachel protected, an ancient magic courtesy of their Ac-taw forefathers, kept them safe. When in the town, it made Cougar Falls invisible to anyone not connected to the Ac-taw. Which wouldn’t protect them from cougars like this Lex or Ronnie.

She turned to Miles. “Do you think your pride will follow you here?”

The handsome Shifter shook his head. “We’re not that important in the grand scheme of things.” But the gaze he settled on Stacey said otherwise. Engaged with her sisters and Julia, she missed his worry.

“Good to know,” Gabby murmured and turned back to her plate.

Once they’d finished and cleared the table, Rachel put on coffee. They all sat around the table, taking the time after a meal to relax together. Contrary to what she’d expected when she’d first joined the pride, the cats liked to connect. Burke kept them close, informed of decisions and treated like family. No wonder they were the tightest-knit clan in town. They actually enjoyed being with one another.

She gave Grady’s chair a surreptitious glance, missing his laughter and teasing. He always made her feel right, as if she belonged here, which made little sense. No one had ever told her to leave. Hell, she’d been invited to join the pride. But he, for some reason, made life brighter. Weird.

She caught Ty telling Miles about some stir he’d recently calmed down in the raptor clan. Then the foxy sheriff mentioned how the bears and wolves were currently not getting along. He gave Monty a few knowing looks, to which the wolf shrugged and put on that innocent face that made her want to laugh. He was like a wolfish version of Grady, just not as handsome.

Stop it, girl. Quit thinking about Grady. Good Lord, he went for a walk. Give him some space!

“And Gabby? How did you and your family come to be part of the pride?” Miles asked her. “Burke mentioned you were cat and…fox?”

Before she could answer, Ty did. He’d been doing that a lot lately. Answering for her, protecting her, making sure everyone played nice around her. Though she appreciated his concern, he’d become aggravating in the extreme.

“We left the Silver Fox Clan when Julia and I mated. Her father was cat. Her mother fox. Lot of prejudice over with the foxes. Prejudice Burke and our pride don’t tolerate.” The warning couldn’t have been more obvious.

Miles smiled. Though annoyed with his line of questioning, Gabby was woman enough to appreciate his beauty. Dark blond hair cut short and neat. Light green eyes that looked savage in his civilized face. For all that the man wore sophisticated like a second skin, something about him screamed danger. Had Gabby not been in an off-men phase of her life, she might have given in to the many smiles and subtle glances aimed her way over dinner. Instead, she found him pretty to look at but nothing more.

Unlike Grady, whom she’d had to forcefully ignore so as not to stare at him through the meal. She’d never been taken in by his charm and good ol’ boy mannerisms. Gabby had seen him at his most lethal, and she couldn’t—wouldn’t—forget it. So sexy, and so incredibly wild.

Miles shrugged. “I couldn’t care less about pedigrees. Despite what Grady thinks, I’m all about family. It’s easy to see that this is a good one.” His gaze included everyone at the table. Then it settled on Burke. “I want to protect my sisters, but I’m not about to put you and yours in jeopardy. This is a nice breather while we decide where we’ll settle. Like I said before, we have a few distant relatives in Oregon, which is where we’re still headed.”

Burke nodded. “If that’s what you really want. But why don’t we at least give you some time to relax and think about it? We’ll talk to the council tomorrow, and maybe they can help you feel out some ideas about how to handle the situation.”

“Sounds good. But let me ask you, what would you have done?”

Burked scratched his chin. “Me? In your place, I’d probably have done the same. You don’t seem too attached to Miami, and I hate friggin’ cities. Not enough space to roam. And it’s too goddamn hot down South.” He grinned and winked at Rachel. “Besides, my mate would never let me hang out around all those bikini-clad women. She’s jealous like that.”

“Please.” Rachel rolled her eyes. “As if anyone else would have you.”

The others laughed. Gabby watched the interplay with a strange yearning. She coveted the affection, the warm way Burke treated his mate. Like the loving tenderness Ty gave Julia while still respecting her enough to share decisions.

Gabby hated to admit it, but trying to cut men out of her life hadn’t been helping. She wanted to find someone special. A mate. A male who would make her scream in bed yet cuddle her when she needed it. He’d sit with her through a chick flick and suffer, knowing she’d indulge him during football season.

Every fantasy in her head put her on a couch next to a cat, not a fox, and she had a bad feeling she knew why.

She glanced at Grady’s chair again. When she looked away, she saw Dean watching her with an odd expression.

She tilted her head, waiting for him to say something.

He just smiled and turned to Burke. “You know, all this talk about running and rogue Ac-taw is making me hungry.”

Burke snorted. “Dean, everything makes you hungry.”

“Which is my cue.” Maggie stood and left the table, returning with a tray of dessert. “Now who wants the first piece of my famous cherry pie?”

Dean’s eyes sparkled. Before he could answer, Miles did. “My favorite. I can’t wait to taste it, Maggie.”

Maggie blushed. “I hope you like it.”

“Well, I hope he doesn’t,” her husband said. “Then there’s more for me.”

“I made four of them. One just for you, Joel. My bear has an appetite,” Maggie teased.

“But I always get the first piece of pie,” Dean whined. “I’m the youngest cub here, Rachel. Please?”

Rachel grinned. “Good try. But you look older than Joy and Melissa.”

“Nope. They’re old, just real, real pretty.”

The women shook their heads.

“But I’m a guest,” Miles argued, mischief in his gaze. “Right, Gabby?”

She nodded. “Guests do come before family. It’s only polite.”

She swore she heard Dean mutter, “Vermin,” as he narrowed his eyes at Miles. He caught her looking at him and shot her a bright, overly innocent smile.

“Oh relax, Dean.” She rolled her eyes. “You can have my pie if you’re that hungry.”

“You’re the best, Gabby.” He blew her a kiss.

To her bemusement, Miles glanced between her and Dean with speculation.