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  Nicia kept pace with him and in a few minutes, they were walking up the steps into a Victorian home with the sign out front.

  A blue woman who smelled of magic and nothing else opened the door with a smile. “Nicia Mooring. So nice to see you. Teal sent your icon along. Apparently, something about you flustered her and that is not easy to do.”

  Braxton passed her and continued up the stairs.

  Nicia took the charm and tied it on her wrist. “Thank you.”

  “My name is Teebie. I am your host, and yes, I am a djinn.”

  Nicia cocked her head. “I am still behind on my reading. You are made of magic, right?”

  Teebie laughed, “Basically. So, you have met Braxton?”

  Nicia nodded. “He was very kind to offer me escort here.”

  Teebie looked at her and tilted her head. “I am beginning to see what threw Teal off. You are very much the predator, are you not?”

  “I am. It was what I was forced to do, so I have not bothered breaking the habit.” She shrugged.

  “Understandable. Would you like to see your room?”

  “Please. I think I need to dress for the evening. From the research I have done, this is not appropriate attire to snag a male with.”

  Teebie nodded. “That is probably correct. Hunting camo is not a standard clothing choice for seduction.”

  Nicia looked down and then up again. The djinn might have a point. If she was going hunting for a husband, she was going to have to use different bait.

  Chapter Three

  Wearing a cocktail dress and some heels that Helena had taught her to walk in, she brushed her hair down in a long curtain and then slowly coiled it up and pinned it on her head with jewelled spikes.

  She wasn’t hiding the shiny scars on her neck. They were part of her, and she wore them as a mark of survival. Nicia slipped in two earrings and turned her head from side to side. If one ignored her neck, she looked quite striking.

  The dress was golden lace over a black slip. It showed skin around neck and shoulders, and the lace hem was three inches longer than the black, which would lead the eyes up her legs.

  Seduction was a manoeuvring business, but like any trap, you just had to have the right bait.

  She checked out her butt and nodded when she confirmed that she hadn’t tucked her skirt into anything. With nothing left to do, she headed out to find herself some dinner, and then, she would return to the bar.

  Teebie was working at an antique desk in the entryway when Nicia came down.

  She looked up and her eyes widened. “Oh my. That is certainly a change.”

  Suddenly insecure, Nicia ran her hands down her thighs. “Is it all right?”

  “It is gorgeous. You are gorgeous. I am sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you to turn into something with such grace.”

  Nicia felt a smile fight to the surface again. “Thank you. It takes some getting used to, but I pride myself by not just changing into an animal but another kind of human.”

  “You have done very well. Where are you off to for dinner?”

  “I believe that the café would suit me. My grandparents are footing the bill for this, so I don’t want to tax them.”

  Teebie’s face sobered. “I understand. Well, have fun this evening, and if you run into trouble, don’t be afraid to call for help.”

  “Thank you for your offer of assistance. It is really appreciated though my features may not show it.”

  “I am beginning to understand that. Well, have fun and enjoy yourself. Don’t put pressure on to meet someone right away.”

  “I won’t. Thank you again.”

  Nicia headed out to the café, and she acknowledged that she was drawing attention. She kept her senses on alert and entered the café. She found an empty seat and slid into the narrow booth.

  A form appeared next to her, and she smiled at Braxton. “Hello, again.”

  He blinked, and his mouth opened and closed. “Nicia. I had no idea that you…I mean you look…I mean. Good evening.”

  She laughed again and enjoyed the relaxed feeling it gave her. “Have you eaten?”

  He nodded. “I have, but I would love to join you and keep you company while you eat.”

  “Please.” She gestured for him to sit. Nicia hadn’t heard of that one before; she asked, “Is that common?”

  He sat straight. “I don’t know. I have never before had the urge to wrap a woman in a sheet to keep other eyes from her.”

  She blinked as she realized that he was referring to her. “Why would you want to do that?”

  “Because you look good enough to eat.”

  She stifled another laugh. The idea of being prey was hilarious. “Thank you.”

  She ordered a cheeseburger and salad with a lemonade. He ordered pie and coffee.

  While they waited, she worked on her small talk. “So, Braxton, what do you do in the outside world?”

  “I am a bounty hunter.”

  She perked up. “A what?”

  “I track people who have skipped out on their bond. They promised to attend court and then they didn’t.”

  Nicia rifled through the television shows in her mind and found a movie with that subject matter. “Oh. Do you like it?”

  He wrinkled his nose. “Sometimes more than others.”

  “How hard do you have to train? Is there school involved?” She leaned forward, fascinated. Hunting people was something she was born to do.

  He smiled. “You have to know how to work computers to learn how to track the jumpers. Aside from that, you can just follow leads and use tracking techniques to find them. Being what I am, I have an advantage over human hunters.”

  “Could you teach me how to do it?”

  Braxton blinked. “You want to track humans? You are such a little thing.”

  She wanted to growl at him, really wanted it, but there was nothing in her throat. Aggression made her silent and far more dangerous. “I may be smaller than you, but my senses are keener.”

  She was also bigger and stronger, but she didn’t want to play that hand yet. “Tell me more about how you catch someone. I need an occupation in the human world.”

  She listened to the details about becoming a skip tracer while she ate her meal. He didn’t touch his pie as she ate and the scent teased her nostrils.

  Her mind made frantic notes on how to follow his instructions while she smiled and nodded, the smiles coming easier now that she was getting information in return.

  He finally asked, “If I can ask, what is that scar on your neck?”

  She lifted her head. “There is more than one. It is the mark my father made the night he tried to strangle me. He knocked me out with this pressure, and when I woke, I was chained to the front yard and designated the official guard animal. The collar remained in place, and I fought it every chance I got and injured myself. These scars are the result, as is my voice.”

  His astonishment was apparent. “Your parent tried to kill you? Where was your mother?”

  “He had already mauled her nearly to death. I kept him from killing her and fought him off while she ran for her life. I heard later that she died from her wounds, but at least her family was with her.”

  Braxton’s mouth was open in surprise. It was a funny look for a predator.

  She blinked at him. “I am guessing that is not the response you were looking for.”

  “Uh, no. I was not expecting that. You were…chained?”

  “I was. I am sorry if that upsets you.” She frowned and finished the last bite of her salad.

  He blinked rapidly. “No. I just don’t see you as the kind to give in to chains.”

  She smiled and was sure she showed some fang. “I didn’t, which is why I am here today. I didn’t give in to the chain. I waited.”

  Braxton cocked his head. “What was your education level?”

  “I was homeschooled through high school and have my diploma
issued by the state. That was achieved when I was fourteen.”

  “Good. What have you thought you wanted to do?”

  She smiled. “That is the problem. My grandfather rescued me, and he and my grandmother have offered me time to heal and recover. I concentrated on healing my voice, but it still isn’t quite right.”

  His look said he knew what kind of damage a collar could do. “So, you are intrigued by the idea of becoming a skip tracer?”

  Nicia smiled, and it was not a friendly smile. “Hunting is something I know how to do.”

  Braxton started eating his pie, and she ordered a slice for herself. Over the next two hours, he gave her a complete breakdown of legalities, procedures and methods of dealing with the weapons that several of the targets would be carrying.

  She soaked it all in, finding herself interested in the details of the procedures involved. When he got into the equipment needed, she paid extra-close attention. Cuffs, zip ties and Tasers were his preferred accessories. His particular speciality was pulling in his targets without using guns. It meant he could easily work in several of the states that restricted weapons.

  “Wait, you are a wolf. Where is your pack?”

  “You know what I am?”

  She blushed, “You smell like wolf.”

  He blinked, “When did you know?”

  “When you came up next to me in the bar.”

  “Wow. You do have exceptionally keen senses.”

  She remained hot pink. “Yes, I actually do.”

  He leaned forward and asked, “What is your animal?”

  Nicia laughed. “I was wondering when you would ask. I am a lion.”

  Braxton blinked and exhaled. “That would explain it. There is something about you that says you are ready to slash or pounce.”

  She rested her chin on her open palms and batted her lashes at him. “I save the slashing and pouncing for special occasions.”

  He grinned. “So, would you care to go dancing at the bar?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know how to dance.”

  “I can show you. I promise, nothing funny.”

  She got to her feet and reached for the bill.

  He slipped it out of her fingers with a quick move.

  Nicia blinked. “Why are you doing that?”

  “We have spent three hours chatting, that makes it a date and that makes it my pleasure to treat you.”

  Nicia cocked her head. “Thank you?”

  “You are welcome. Now, let’s go instruct you in the fine art of dancing.”

  She found a fluttering in her stomach that spurred a slight smile. The anticipation of fun was so long forgotten it had been hard to recognize it.

  Chapter Four

  Every other word out of her mouth became, “Sorry.”

  Braxton grinned and kept moving her around the dance floor. “If you keep apologising, I will begin to suspect you are Canadian.”

  She laughed. “I am just so frustrated that I keep bumping into everyone.”

  He leaned in and kissed her.

  She froze in place as his lips coasted across hers, sending small trips of sensation through her.

  When he lifted his head, he smiled. “What, no apology for colliding with my face?”

  To her surprise, she was moving with him, dancing easily through the crowd.

  “I believe that that one was your fault.”

  His arms were around her, but his body wasn’t pressed to her in an offensive way. Instead, there was an inch of space between them, rapidly heating up.

  A few other males had tried to cut in, but she had snarled at them and they had left.

  “Did you know that you show fang when you snarl?” Braxton had seemed rather pleased.

  She shrugged. “I suspected as much. I had spent over a year in my other form when the raid occurred. It took a while for me to stop opening parcels with my claws.”

  He laughed out loud, and the noise made her smile again. They were coming faster and each time, something inside her loosened a little. Who knew that something as small as a smile and sense of humour would be so important to feeling like she belonged?

  They danced for hours, until her feet ached. When she was exhausted, she whispered, “I think I need to go back to the Open Heart now.”

  He smiled brightly. “May I escort you?”

  She smiled back. “Please. I have enjoyed this evening.”

  “Me too.” He offered her his arm and they walked out of the bar and through the streets of the Crossroads.

  At the namesake of the Crossroads, he stopped to kiss her again.

  The vulnerable feeling of being kissed with her back exposed caused her to stiffen up. She remained tense until he stroked her back and ran his hand up to cup the back of her neck. The small bit of protection was what she needed. She leaned up on her toes and returned his kiss with enthusiasm, learning as she went.

  She heard him growl low, and his arm tightened around her. She could feel every ridge and muscle of his torso as well as the thick bulge of his erection.

  Nicia held onto his shoulders for balance, but she didn’t need to. He wasn’t letting her go anywhere.

  The moment he bit her lip, she snarled and pushed him back, using her strength to topple him over. She was still in his arms, so she went with him, but instead of letting her go, he held her tight and started laughing.

  Scowling, she pushed free of him. “Why did you do that?” Scrambling to her feet in heels was difficult. So was being covered with his scent.

  “If I said I was testing you, would you kill me? I wanted to see what you would passively put up with.”

  She wrapped her arms around her belly. “Why?”

  “I wanted to make sure you weren’t going with me because you were afraid to say no.”

  She snorted and started stalking away. “Saying no has never been a problem. The one time I try to say yes, I am bitten by a damned dog.”

  “Nicia!” He called to her but she kept walking.

  When he grabbed her arm, she extended her claws and swiped across his chest.

  Braxton took the hint and grunted at the impact.

  Nicia stalked back to the Open Heart, greeted Teebie politely and licked the blood from her claws as she headed up the stairs. He didn’t taste half bad.

  * * * *

  Braxton touched the wounds left by the claws of the woman he thought could be his mate. “Damn it.”

  He headed to the first aid station and rang the bell.

  Four minutes later, Lee appeared, and she winced when she saw his bloody chest. “Damn, Brax. I thought she would go for you.”

  He sighed. “She did. I fucked it up by trying to play with her a little.”

  “Her sense of humour is still developing.” Lee opened the door and waved him inside.

  “What can you tell me about her?”

  “Specifically? We were part of the same community, but we weren’t allowed to socialize much. I visited her once she was trapped, but there wasn’t anything I could do.” Lee sighed.

  “Take off your shirt, Brax.”

  He hopped up on the exam table and removed his shirt. It was trashed. She had really done a good job with the fabric.

  “Why was she chained up?”

  Lee got her kit and gauze and started to clean the claw marks. “From what I heard, her mother tried to escape and her father was going to make an example out of her. He shifted and mauled her. Nicia got in between them and fought him off, allowing her mother to run for it. She was never seen again, but the lion guild had records of her being in a hospital.”

  “She has a scar around her neck.”

  “The collars that were used had spikes on the inside to keep the females from roaring. They were charged with defending their family homes, but I don’t know anyone who was chained up as long as Nicia was. It is amazing that she is still sane, let alone looking for a mate. She had more reasons th
an not to distrust men.”

  Brax winced as she cleaned off the blood but more from the information he was getting. He had used precisely the wrong tactic with her. Of course. He could track and capture any target, but his luck with women sucked. He could always get their interest, but he could never keep it.

  “She was asking me questions about being a skip tracer. Do you know why?”

  Lee kept working. “Nissy was always our best hunter. Her family was allowed to shift to chase off coyotes. She knows how to hunt. With only a high school education, there are not a lot of options for her.”

  “So, if I offered to make her my partner…”

  Lee leaned back and looked up into his face with an amused grin. “That would be better than any roses or present you could give her. She needs to anchor herself in the modern world. The fundamental lion community was a twisted version of reality. She needs something she can depend on. Guaranteed cause and effect.”

  He nodded. “So, even after this, you think I still have a chance?”

  Lee laughed. “Look at the cuts. She went long but she went shallow. This was a swipe to teach you a lesson. You will be healed in two days if you don’t shift.”

  Brax looked down and blinked in shock. The lines stung and crossed from his heart to his hip, but they were indeed very shallow.

  Lee put her cotton and cleansing liquid away. “If she had wanted to, she could have broken your ribs and caved in your chest. She likes you, despite her irritation.”

  The medic handed him a spare shirt. With shifters, it was probably safer to keep them in stock.

  “So, how should I approach her?”

  “Start off with breakfast and offer to take her for a run in the meadow.” Lee winked. “It worked for me.”

  Brax sighed, “Can I ask you more questions if they come up?”

  “Sure, or you can ask Jim. He came at it from the outside as well, and aside from being a pain in the hairballs, he has helped me adapt.” Lee grinned.

  Brax nodded. “Thank you. I will take you up on that. This sounds like a messed-up situation.”

  Lee patted him on the arm. “Oh, hon, you have only touched the edge of the crazy that occurred in her life before last year.”