Kenzie almost bit down on her spoon. Bowman was hurt, and here she was, getting horny simply looking at him, lying there so lazily, his gray eyes holding fire.
She hastily ate more soup. Cade and Jamie would pick up on her mating frenzy if she weren’t careful, and tease the life out of her.
“We take it as real,” Bowman said. “I want every tracker in Shiftertown in that woods and in the bar, getting its scent—”
“Won’t be hard,” Jamie broke in. “The thing stunk like the shit of something that’s been dead twenty years.”
“Not what you smelled, catbrain,” Bowman said. “Its actual scent, not the one it threw out to distract you.”
Jamie growled, ready to snap a comeback, but something in Bowman’s face made him swallow it.
“We’re on it,” Cade said seriously. “We know what you mean.”
“Kenzie, go with them.”
Bowman was looking straight at her, holding her gaze as he did when he wanted no argument.
Kenzie wanted to protest. No, I need to stay with you, make sure you’re all right . . .
Bowman must have sensed what was in her head, because he said, “I need someone there to keep an eye on everyone. I’m down, Kenz. I need you.”
He did. If a Shifter wasn’t strong enough to fight, his mate needed to fight for him. Otherwise, those next in power would sense an opening and try to fill it. In the old days, such a thing happened often, and whoever pushed out or killed the leader would steal his mate and offspring. Hardly ever occurred these days, but this Shiftertown was still divisive, and there were those who liked to challenge Bowman’s power. Kenzie knew exactly who Bowman was worried about, and exactly why she needed to keep up a strong front.
She gave him a nod, as though leaving him while he was hurt was no big deal. “You mean keep these buttholes in line?” she asked, meeting Bowman’s gaze. “I can do that.”
Jamie pretended to look offended, but Cade grinned. He knew what was going on.
Speaking of offspring, Bowman’s and Kenzie’s decided at that moment to walk in.
CHAPTER FIVE
Bowman’s protective instincts went off whenever his cub was near, no matter how much he trusted the other Shifters in the room. It made him cranky, which Kenzie would be quick to point out.
Bowman scented twelve-year-old Ryan’s fear, his worry. His extraordinary love for the boy rose up and made him soften his question to only a faint snarl.
“Why the hell aren’t you still with your great-grandma?”
“I couldn’t stay,” Ryan said. His hair was dark, like Kenzie’s—in fact, he looked a lot like Kenzie in the shape of his face, and in his eyes, which were golden like hers. He’d also inherited Kenzie’s back-talking sass. “Had to come make sure you hadn’t been knocked off, because then I’d have to take over Shiftertown. But it looks like you ran fast enough this time, Dad.”
Kenzie should have said, Ryan, don’t be a smartass, but she only gave her son a look of sparkling good humor. “I made sure the monster didn’t catch him.”
“Yeah, your mom kicked some good ass,” Jamie said. “Your dad was down in the first five minutes.”
“The other guy looked worse,” Cade said. “But not because of your dad. Kenzie was fighting like crazy. You should have seen her. She didn’t even get hurt.”
“Didn’t get hurt much,” Kenzie said. She’d been bruised and winded, but she’d recovered quickly. “But, sure, I did pretty good.” She huffed on her curled fingertips and rubbed them against her shirt. “Think I should go a few rounds at the fight club?”
“Girls can’t fight in the fight club,” Ryan said, but he sounded uncertain. “It’s the rules.”
Cade broke in. “Because they’d all win, and make us big, lumbering males look bad.”
Ryan’s smile came through. “Actually, I’d like to see that. I bet my mom could beat the both of you.”
They all laughed, including Jamie, who prided himself on being the top fighter in Shiftertown.
Bowman shot his son a smile, though his pain was still intense. Ryan’s fear had climbed down, and Bowman silently thanked Kenzie and the others for that.
Ryan still needed reassurance, though. He needed touch, a hug, the close confines of family. Ryan was trying to hold it together in the presence of Cade and Jamie. One day, Ryan would become a tracker—those Shifters who guarded the leader and helped him keep an eye on everything in and around Shiftertown.
“So, why are you all still sitting here?” Bowman asked them. “Get out there and start hunting.”
“Got it.” Cade levered himself to his feet. He was a head taller than Jamie, who was long and lanky, but Cade was just big. Bears grew that way. “The sooner we find and get rid of it, the sooner I can start fixing my truck.” He threw Bowman a pointed look.
“I want to help track it too,” Ryan said. “I’m old enough—”