traveling light. Kiele tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. Why would a shifter travel with so
much? They were predators, people who usually took only what was needed and used their natural
weapons.
She bent down and sniffed the ground, straightened and dipped again to get another whiff. What the
hell? Deer? There was no such thing as a deer shifter, and if there ever was, the poor bastards probably
got eaten before they could flourish. She smirked at the idea of a herd of men running while female
shifters chased them down and wrinkled her nose. Running down a lesser male wouldn’t be very much
fun. She slinked away from the print, disappearing into the bushes. Humans would sometimes use deer
hormones to cover their scent while hunting. But who the hell would send a human into a den of
shifters? Heinrich was bat shit crazy but not stupid. She followed the trail to a levee.
The land bridge would lead to the other side of the inlet and right to the sunken side of the
houseboat. She stopped on top of the knoll and crouched low, using the shrubbery for cover. A faint
crack alerted her that she was no longer alone, and his scent told her exactly who was sneaking up
behind her. Pretending she’d heard nothing, she continued to stare ahead.
A light air current tickled her neck. Kiele leaned forward and swiveled around with her leg
extended. The person behind her fell back with a thud . She pulled her limbs under her, yanked two
knives from her belt and rose up.
“It’s been a long time, Le. You still look good for a dead woman.” Loubel gazed up at her with a
curious smirk on his lips.
“Dammit Loubel, I could have killed you,” Kiele whispered. She couldn’t resist returning his smile
with a bright grin of her own. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“You’re not either, bebe . So tell me why you’re on the back end of my territory.” He stood and
dusted off his legs. “Still love those clove cigs. I caught your sent miles away…when you first came
to town.”
“Loubel.”
He crossed his arms. “You make my name sound like a prayer. Talk to me, Le. Why is it whenever
you’re close I have to chase you down, hmm? I thought we had an understanding.”
“If daddy knew I was here and you knew, he would kill you.” She sighed.
“That’s my risk to take. That old bastard already knocked down all our houses when he thought I
was the reason you’d gone missing.”
“Yeah. Daddy does kinda lose his mind when he goes into one of his rages.”
“ Kinda ? We’re mated Le. Percel can’t change that. Your fucking family will get over it. That is, if
we ever tell them.” His annoyance rolled off him in waves.
She rubbed the tattoo covered scar on her neck. “I had to leave and you know it. You know why.
Stop trying to make me feel guilty.” She didn’t hide the submissive tone in her voice. Loubel was the
only man she was willing to beg for.
“Is it working? You’re killing me, Le. I’ve done what you asked, watched over Marree, kept an eye
out for your family. It’s been five years. Come home.” He stepped in close and grazed his fingertips
over the coiled snake tattoo on the hollow under her ear.
“I need to tie up a few loose ends. I swear we’ll be together soon.” She caught his hand and brushed
her lips against his knuckles.
He closed his eyes and exhaled. “I should have never let you go.”
“You didn’t have a choice.” She moved against his body, enfolding her arms around his waist. “Not
much longer, baby.” Kiele pushed her nose into the crook of his neck and inhaled, holding his fresh
water smell in her lungs. “Loved the little altercation between you and Jamison, by the way.”
Loubel chuckled against her temple. “Jamison is a self-righteous prick but he does care about
shifters, and I believe he loves Marree. I enjoy making him work to prove it. It’s the little things, ya
know?”
“Bullshit, you just like to cause trouble.
much? They were predators, people who usually took only what was needed and used their natural
weapons.
She bent down and sniffed the ground, straightened and dipped again to get another whiff. What the
hell? Deer? There was no such thing as a deer shifter, and if there ever was, the poor bastards probably
got eaten before they could flourish. She smirked at the idea of a herd of men running while female
shifters chased them down and wrinkled her nose. Running down a lesser male wouldn’t be very much
fun. She slinked away from the print, disappearing into the bushes. Humans would sometimes use deer
hormones to cover their scent while hunting. But who the hell would send a human into a den of
shifters? Heinrich was bat shit crazy but not stupid. She followed the trail to a levee.
The land bridge would lead to the other side of the inlet and right to the sunken side of the
houseboat. She stopped on top of the knoll and crouched low, using the shrubbery for cover. A faint
crack alerted her that she was no longer alone, and his scent told her exactly who was sneaking up
behind her. Pretending she’d heard nothing, she continued to stare ahead.
A light air current tickled her neck. Kiele leaned forward and swiveled around with her leg
extended. The person behind her fell back with a thud . She pulled her limbs under her, yanked two
knives from her belt and rose up.
“It’s been a long time, Le. You still look good for a dead woman.” Loubel gazed up at her with a
curious smirk on his lips.
“Dammit Loubel, I could have killed you,” Kiele whispered. She couldn’t resist returning his smile
with a bright grin of her own. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“You’re not either, bebe . So tell me why you’re on the back end of my territory.” He stood and
dusted off his legs. “Still love those clove cigs. I caught your sent miles away…when you first came
to town.”
“Loubel.”
He crossed his arms. “You make my name sound like a prayer. Talk to me, Le. Why is it whenever
you’re close I have to chase you down, hmm? I thought we had an understanding.”
“If daddy knew I was here and you knew, he would kill you.” She sighed.
“That’s my risk to take. That old bastard already knocked down all our houses when he thought I
was the reason you’d gone missing.”
“Yeah. Daddy does kinda lose his mind when he goes into one of his rages.”
“ Kinda ? We’re mated Le. Percel can’t change that. Your fucking family will get over it. That is, if
we ever tell them.” His annoyance rolled off him in waves.
She rubbed the tattoo covered scar on her neck. “I had to leave and you know it. You know why.
Stop trying to make me feel guilty.” She didn’t hide the submissive tone in her voice. Loubel was the
only man she was willing to beg for.
“Is it working? You’re killing me, Le. I’ve done what you asked, watched over Marree, kept an eye
out for your family. It’s been five years. Come home.” He stepped in close and grazed his fingertips
over the coiled snake tattoo on the hollow under her ear.
“I need to tie up a few loose ends. I swear we’ll be together soon.” She caught his hand and brushed
her lips against his knuckles.
He closed his eyes and exhaled. “I should have never let you go.”
“You didn’t have a choice.” She moved against his body, enfolding her arms around his waist. “Not
much longer, baby.” Kiele pushed her nose into the crook of his neck and inhaled, holding his fresh
water smell in her lungs. “Loved the little altercation between you and Jamison, by the way.”
Loubel chuckled against her temple. “Jamison is a self-righteous prick but he does care about
shifters, and I believe he loves Marree. I enjoy making him work to prove it. It’s the little things, ya
know?”
“Bullshit, you just like to cause trouble.
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