Mate's Appeal

Eve Hartlow stared at the top of her beer bottle, frustration filling her at how she felt. She was tired of being helpless, of feeling like everyone in the world could take care of themselves except her. Even worse, she felt like she couldn’t help defend her friends, which was obvious when everyone went after Bane Kastner when he abducted Adira a few days ago. Everyone, that is, except her. The others could shift, transforming into their animals, and race off to kick the coyote’s ass, while Eve was stuck at Adira’s cabin watching them all run off to Adira’s rescue. Eve took a giant swallow from her beer, trying to drown out her helplessness.

“Not used to seeing you in here without your all-female posse,” Noel Hastings said as she set a fresh beer in front of Eve. “Of course, I haven’t seen you in here this early, either. You doing all right?” Noel leaned on the bistro table, her hands clasped together as she stared at Eve, ready to be a shoulder if needed. Eve wasn’t sure when Noel arrived in Bull Creek, but the woman fit right into their little community and gave Eve another human to share the paranormal world with her. While Bull Creek was made up of a diversity of people, from human to shifter to vampire and now a witch, thanks to the arrival of Adira Brennan, the human population was far outnumbered. The day Eve finally met Noel was a blessing, even though both ladies fit in well with everyone else.

Eve nodded, brushing a strand of her sandy-blond hair out of her eyes as she thanked Noel for the fresh beer. “Was just thinking how useless I was when everyone went to rescue Adira a couple of days back. There wasn’t much I could do against the coyote pack.” She glanced down at the brown bottle in her hand. “All I could do was stand on the front porch and watch as everyone else shifted and raced off to rescue Adira.” She sighed. “I’ve always been that helpless, and I hate it.”

Noel leaned to the side of the table, making a point of staring at the knife Eve always kept strapped to her waist. “You seem pretty prepared to me.”

Eve glanced to where the curvaceous blond looked, noticing the wooden handle of the knife she wore. The blade was a symbol more than a weapon, although Eve practiced throwing it every day. Shrugging, she turned back to Noel. “I got tired of being the only one in Bull Creek without fangs, even more so after Bane and his thugs tried to run us all out of town.”

Noel nodded, giving Eve a weak smile. “I can understand, trust me.” Eve watched Noel glance at the bar toward Wes, the owner of Everglades. “It’s exciting being around shifters and other paranormals, but it also holds its own dangers as well.” She turned back to Eve, her grin growing. “I think it’s worth it, though.” She winked before tapping the top of the table and walking back to the bar.

Eve watched as the other woman walked away, saw Wes turn to Noel and smile as she approached where he stood, wrapping an arm around her when she reached him and giving her a kiss on the forehead. Eve smiled around the top of the beer bottle as she took a sip, thinking how wonderful it was that Noel had found someone who made her happy. However, Wes and Noel never went further in their relationship, just like Josh and Alanna. Why they held off from taking the next step Eve had no idea, but she knew holding back had to be driving both of them crazy. The animal of a shifter drove them to mate once they scented their fated partner. To refuse usually sent the human portion half-mad with distractions. Eve took a long swallow of her beer. She was quite content not having any distraction at the moment. The last one had been…

A movement off to the side caught her attention, and she jerked her gaze to the front door just as someone with short, dark hair slipped outside. A shiver ran through her as a horrible memory flashed through her mind, but she shook it off. Nightmares were real, she knew, but she had shaken hers before. She doubted that particular nightmare would return. There was no way anyone could find her in Bull Creek.

Eve took another sip of her beer, the uneasy feeling that filled her still churning her stomach as she forced herself to look away from the front door. However, the feeling still nagged at her. Tossing some bills down on the table, she shoved her beer to the side and stood. She glanced back to the bar to wave at Noel, but the woman was still wrapped up in Wes and not paying any attention to anything else. Good thing I didn’t need another drink. Eve shook her head and started for the front door. Perhaps some fresh air would help calm her nerves.

Dusk was just beginning to blanket the area when Eve stepped out of Everglades and into the evening. Standing outside the rustic wooden door, she took a deep breath of air, filling her lungs in the hopes that it would clear her head. Life had been going well for her ever since she moved to Bull Creek, even though occasionally the nightmares of her past returned to give her the creeps. She was safe here, among these people, her new friends. Safer than she had ever been back home. She knew this, even though on occasion she had bouts of the jitters, which made her fearful. Those feelings came with running away, even if running away meant saving your life.

Stepping out into the dirt parking lot—everything was dirt and not pavement in Bull Creek—she took another deep breath and shook the agitation that had crept up on her inside the bar. The night was balmy with the Florida heat, and crickets could be heard off in the distance chirping their song. At least, Eve hoped it was crickets making that noise. Living in a paranormal community, one just never knew. Eve then giggled to herself as she shoved her hands in her pockets and continued walking, wondering if there were such a thing as bug shifters. So far, she had seen bears, panthers, coyotes, and wolves, had even heard of a vampire living at the edge of Bull Creek, and now a witch resided there as well. Still, that was about it as far as the supernatural. That didn’t mean, however, that there weren’t others out there she had no clue about. The one thing Eve had learned when moving to Bull Creek was that not everything was as it appeared all the time. Monsters were real, but not all monsters were evil.

Something moved off to her right, darting in the woods, rustling the lower brush. She tried to ignore it, hoping it was a natural creature scavenging in the woods for its nightly meal. Of course, it could be a shifter in animal form as well. Just a few days ago, Dimitri and Josh did patrols in their panther forms, guarding Bull Creek against the coyotes who wanted to drive out or slaughter the human population. However, things had quieted down since Bane and his goons were driven out or killed, so she doubted the rustling in the shrubs was anything with wicked intentions.

Even with Florida’s humidity, the night wasn’t as bad as usual. A slight breeze whispered through the trees, brushing against Eve’s sandy-blond hair as she walked the dirt road. She probably should have driven, but she didn’t live far, and walking always gave her a chance to clear her head and enjoy the quietness of the woods. Bull Creek was a safe haven, but even more, the small town, made up of cabins and supernatural creatures, was a quiet sanctuary far enough from the city that darkness could actually cover the area. Streetlights and the neon signs of businesses didn’t keep the night air lit up, making sure everyone knew the city was still open for business. Eve needed the quiet peacefulness of the small community and the residents who dwelt there. She looked forward to the weekly bonfires that Dimitri held to bring everyone together, the ladies night out at Everglades, and the camaraderie that she felt with those who made up the small town. This was her home, and furthermore, it felt like her home, more so than where she had lived before. She couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now that she had found this place.

More rustling off to the side forced her to stop and this time pay attention to the bushes that were being rustled, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. She stared, peering with squinted eyes into the palm fronds and shrubs, but nothing appeared. You’re just imaging things, Eve ol’ girl. Yet, the feeling refused to leave her. The rustling stopped almost as soon as she did, and Eve worried that whatever she was staring at in the bushes stared right back at her. Okay, so I still get the creeps, even in this quiet town. Sometimes, quietness was just too…quiet.

A car rumbled down the street toward her, and Eve stepped off the road, but made sure to move in the direction opposite the rustling bushes. She waited for the car to pass, not wanting to risk walking on the edge of the woods and tripping over a fallen branch or into a hole and injuring herself. However, the car slowed as it neared her.

“Eve?” Alanna Bradbury said from the open window. “What in the world are you doing in the middle of the road?”

Eve glanced at the bushes one more time and then turned her gaze to Alanna. “I just left Everglades, and thought it a nice night for a walk.”

“Well, I’m heading home now. Want me to give you a lift the rest of the way?”

Eve would have said no under normal circumstances, but unable to shake the feeling that crept up her spine, she eagerly accepted Alanna’s offer. As she moved around the car, however, she kept her gaze on the section of the bushes where the noise had come from, not taking her eyes off the overgrown area until she was in the car and her door was locked.

“You okay?” Alanna asked, her brows pinched in concern.

“Yeah. I’m fine.” Eve fastened her seatbelt, her attention still out the window. “Just a night for weird noises is all.”

Alanna laughed. “Honey, this is Bull Creek. It’s full of weird noises as well as loud moans and groans and cries of ecstasy.” She laughed harder as she continued down the road. “I thought you’d be used to all that by now.”

Eve nodded. “I am, for the most part.” Then she shrugged as she turned back around and settled in her seat. “Some nights, though, it’s hard to keep the nightmares from creeping in.” Eve didn’t want to deal with the nightmares anymore. She took a deep breath. Living it had been bad enough.

Shades bustled with customers as people sought to get rid of the workweek and embrace the weekend. Arlin Landry stood by the front door, making sure the younger residents of Draven Falls didn’t try to slip past through the front doors and trick a busy bartender for drinks. The North Carolina night was cool, in drastic contrast with the sweaty atmosphere of the inside of the bar, with just enough breeze to keep it comfortable without making it too cold. Overhead, the leaves rustled in the wind as the moon continued to climb into the night sky. Outside was peaceful while inside was anything but, especially in the back of Shades where a small group was making enough of a ruckus to drown out the DJ stationed in the middle of the bar. The noise was enough to make Arlin grateful he was positioned at the front door with the door wide open.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath as another scream came from the back of the bar. Arlin understood the need to blow off steam, of having fun and getting a little out of control. However, the group that came in earlier seemed to be taking it all to the next level. The noise was enough to give Arlin a headache.

“Here, Dad said you could probably use a drink.”

Arlin turned and saw Drey Hawkins standing there, a bottle of water in his hand that he held out to Arlin. “Thanks,” Arlin said as he took the bottle. He gestured back inside Shades with his chin. “A little crazy in there tonight, isn’t it? That group in the back seems a little out of control.”

Drey ran a strong hand through his dark red hair as he turned his attention back inside the bar, nodding. “Parker Evans and his group. They rarely come to town, which makes the residents of Draven Falls quite content as well as the Paranormal Council. Hyenas,” Drey said with a sneer. “Nothing ever good comes from hyenas.”

Arlin nodded. “Almost as bad as coyotes.” He glanced back into Shades where the group of hyena shifters hollered, playing grab ass with any female who walked by and making a general nuisance of themselves. He could feel his tiger wrestling inside to deal with the annoying group. “I wish your father would let me toss them out on their ass. I’m not sure why they’re even here. They usually stick to the woods closer to the mountains.”

Drey gave a snort of derision. “Someone must have gotten paid.” He slapped Arlin on the back and then turned to walk back inside. Arlin watched the other man leave, knowing the panther shifter drew the eyes of most of the females in the bar, and probably even a few of the guys. Arlin couldn’t say he blamed them. The other man may work the bar at night, but his day job dealing with lumber kept him in strong physical form.

Arlin turned to look at his reflection in the glass of the front door, noticing his own muscular build and dark hair. He smirked as he shook his head. The two of them were built the same, and both received the same amount of attention from the ladies who came into Shades, but Drey wasn’t interested in any of them. He was quite content with the triad relationship he was in with Gavin Covington and Caitlin Carver. That left all the female attention in Arlin’s capable hands. He considered it one of the perks of being a bouncer in a bar.

Another burst of cheers went up in the back of the bar, and Arlin watched as one of the bulkier of the hyenas grabbed a girl and twirled her around, pulling her into his lap, causing her to shriek. Arlin growled as he started to make his way toward the commotion. Now, he had a reason to toss the group out on their asses.

Drey left the bar, crossing the floor to join him, as Arlin passed the DJ and drew closer to the group of hyenas who apparently saw nothing wrong with their behavior. Scavengers, the pack of hyenas disgusted Arlin. They possessed no dignity, no respect for others. They were vermin on society’s ladder.

Arlin stepped closer to the table where the overbearing drunk held the woman, squeezing her to him and grinding her on his lap. She screamed, fighting to get off Parker’s lap, but all he did was rub his dark beard against her cheek in an attempt to steal a kiss from her. She beat at him, and Arlin worried he wouldn’t reach the man quick enough to stop anything bad from happening.

The man, thick of body as well as skull, gripped the woman’s chin and attempted to turn her mouth toward his. Arlin saw the woman open her mouth, only she didn’t scream. Instead, she bit down on the man’s hand, driving her teeth deep into his flesh. He cried out, shoving her away from him and onto the floor. The woman hit the floor, screaming, and then the goon reached down and gripped her by her shirt and jerked her to her feet, backhanding her as soon as she was within reach. “You, bitch!” he roared as he raised his hand to hit her again.

However, Arlin reached the man first, grabbing his arm and spinning him around. The tiger within Arlin struggled to break free, the orange and black striped fur oozing from his flesh as he tossed the man away from the woman.

Drey reached the woman as Arlin reached out and gripped Parker, shoving him toward the entrance. “Time for you to go,” Arlin growled. He struggled to control his anger. Men didn’t attack women. Period. He had watched his father beat his mother too many times when he was a kid to ever allow it to happen in his presence again.

Parker spun, thrusting his thick chest out at Arlin. “Keep your grubby hands off me, you circus act. Don’t think I don’t know what you are.” The man spat on the floor. “You think you’re so superior, but all you are is a doorkeeper.” Then he laughed. “And a doorkeeper for panthers at that, smaller animals.”

Arlin felt his animal growl, but he kept the tiger tamped down. They’re just words of a drunk. Calm down. He gestured to the door again. “As I said, it’s time for you to go.”

Parker looked past Arlin to the woman, a leer twisting his lips. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll be around to finish what we started.” He gave her a wink.

Arlin’s tiger refused to hold back any longer, and as Arlin swung to punch the man, his hand transformed into a tiger’s paw, fingers shifting to claws as he sliced into the man’s face, a growl ripping from him. Parker’s head snapped to the left, his body turning with the force of the blow as Arlin reached out and gripped him by the shirt, lifting him into the air and tossing him toward the back wall. Parker was hurled through the air, arms flailing as he landed hard on a table covered in bottles. Glass shattered, splintering in all directions as the man slid across the table and rolled onto the floor. Arlin didn’t slow down, ignoring the cries of those around him telling him to stop. He heard Drey’s voice, and Jed’s, but nothing would temper his anger at that point. No one—NO ONE—made comments like this hyena just did to a woman. Not in Arlin’s presence. There were lines, and the man on the floor crossed them.

As Arlin reached down to yank the drunk to his feet for another toss across the room, Drey reached him, yanking his arms away from Parker, who was on his hands and knees, panting for breath, cuts across his arms. “Stop! Arlin, enough,” Drey said as he pulled Arlin around and away from the man on the floor. “I think you made your point.” Drey shoved Arlin toward the bar as another of the bouncers approached to haul the hyena out of Shades. A couple of the serving girls surrounded the woman who had been the object of the brute’s unwanted attention.

Arlin allowed himself to be steered away from the scene he had caused, his shoulders rising and falling with his heavy breaths, his muscles still taut with his anger. He knew he shouldn’t have done what he did, should have just kept shoving the man toward the door. Parker was just running off at the mouth and probably would have forgotten what he said once he sobered up. However, Arlin had lived with a man like him before and refused to allow any other woman have to deal with the chauvinistic jackasses of the world if he could help it. Tonight, he could help it.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Drey snapped once they were in the backroom and away from the customers. “You don’t attack people in Shades. You just toss them out on their asses.” Drey shook his head, his red hair swishing across his forehead.

Arlin blew out a breath of frustration, hoping to calm his nerves. “Sorry. I can’t handle men like him who think women are their property.” He shook his head. “Watching him just brought back memories I thought I had dealt with already. I guess I was wrong.”

“You think?” Drey shook his head. Then with a deep breath, he said, “Take the rest of the night off. I’m sure Dad will call you tomorrow, but I doubt anything will come of this. Everyone knows Parker’s an ass. I doubt he’ll get much sympathy from anyone around Draven Falls. Just lay low tonight, and let it blow over.”

Arlin nodded, taking deep breaths, his nerves still raw from the encounter. “Tell your dad I’m sorry.”

“Will do. Now, go get some rest. Tomorrow’s a new day, and I’m sure he’s not going to give you two days off in a row.” Drey chuckled, doing his best to make light of the situation, Arlin knew. However, with tensions between the paranormal factions of Draven Falls and the humans who dwelt there, Arlin knew Jed wouldn’t be able to ignore what happened entirely. Arlin didn’t know what the consequences would be, but he was sure there would be some sort of fallout. Parker was ass enough to try and press his point somehow and stir up more shit just to make Arlin’s life miserable.

“Call me tomorrow,” Arlin said as he turned to the door. “And make sure to apologize to Jed for me.”

“I will. Promise.”

Arlin stepped out of Shades and into the night air of Draven Falls. The atmosphere that seemed so peaceful just a short while ago now seemed heavy with his screw up. He knew people would be talking about it if they haven’t texted all their friends already. News like this spread faster than a wildfire in dry woods. He ran a hand through his dark hair as he stood on the sidewalk staring at the gazebo across the way in Circle Park. Draven Falls had been a home to him when nowhere else felt safe, and he suddenly feared that he had screwed it up. Where else could he feel this safe? There was no other sanctuary for people like him. He was stuck now and may have just cost himself the only place he ever felt like he could be himself.

He took a deep breath. Well, nothing for it but to sit tight and see where the chips fall. He started toward his car, his fate now in Jed’s hands for better or worse.