“I mate-claim her. Under the light of the Father God and in front of witnesses, I claim Myka Thompson as my mate.”

*** *** ***

“What?” Myka scuttled forward, her cowboy boots catching on clumps of drying grass. “What did you just say?”

Both Liam and Sean swung to her, the brothers inhaling sharply at the same time.

They might be human-shaped, but the gesture reminded Myka sharply that Liam and Sean were predators. Like the horses that had recognized the danger in Spike, Myka shivered with the instinctive fear of prey.

She knew that Liam and Sean smelled Spike on her, and their lovemaking, in spite of the long and somewhat involved shower she and Spike had shared.

“He’s claimed you as mate, lass,” Liam said after a silence. “I had the feeling he would.”

“What does that mean exactly?” Myka asked, her heart beating hard.

Spike didn’t look at her, keeping all his attention on Liam. “It means I want to bond with you, Myka, under sun and moon, to make you my mate for life.”

“Oh.”

For life. Forever.

Liam shot her a look of sympathy. “It’s a lot to take in, lass. You can refuse the claim if you want.”

Spike’s snarl filled the air, and Liam snapped his gaze back to him. Myka saw other Shifters coming out of houses, sensing, hearing, smelling the confrontation. She’d witnessed violence in the fighting ring, but she knew that if violence erupted here between Liam and Spike, it would make those fights look like tussles in a kiddie pool. This would be a true fight, and it would end in blood.

“Spike’s right,” Myka said to Liam. “You do treat him like he’s stupid as a brick.”

Liam blinked. So did Sean. Spike didn’t, keeping his focus on Liam.

Myka plowed on, pretending that Liam’s white-blue gaze didn’t make her want to run like the full-of-herself mare had run from Spike.

“He puts his ass on the line for you any time you demand it. Then when he goes home to take care of his son instead of salaaming to you, you act like you can’t trust him. And then, you can’t let him figure out on his own whether I’m dangerous to Shifters. Isn’t part of his job as a tracker to do stuff like that?”

“Not when it’s personal,” Liam said.

“It wasn’t personal at first. I was just some woman who told him, Guess what? You’re a dad. But no, you figured he was too stupid to check out whether or not I was harmless by himself.”

Sean spoke up for the first time, his rich Irish voice quiet. “She has a point, Liam.”

“Of course I do.” Myka bathed them both in her best glare, pretending she wasn’t shaking all over. “This mate thing is between me and Spike. No one else. If you want to know who I am and all about me, come over for a beer, and I’ll tell you. I’m a simple person with nothing to hide. Now if you’ll excuse us, Jordan’s probably wondering where his dad is.”

No one said a word. Myka made herself turn her back on the double blue stare of the Morrissey brothers and walk away.

She passed Spike, who didn’t look at her, and strode all the way to her pickup, not letting herself gasp for breath until she’d jumped inside and slammed the door.

*** *** ***

Spike’s rage lightened and lightened until he was ready to run down the street laughing and turning handsprings. Wouldn’t that freak out all of Shiftertown?

Liam watched in astonishment as Myka walked away from him, his alpha fury having taken one in the kisser. Sean leaned back against a porch post, hands in his pockets, and started to grin.

“Is she reminding you of anyone, Liam?” Sean asked.

“That she is,” Liam said. His eyes softened from Shifter to human blue again. “I think she likes you, son,” he said to Spike.

“I’m not your son.” Myka’s declaration might have made Spike’s heart soar, but she’d been right, and Liam wasn’t getting away with his shit. “Stay the hell away from Myka. I mate-claimed her. She’s off limits now.”

Liam raised his hands, but the gesture was anything but surrendering. “I follow the rules. I concede her to you. She’s your responsibility.”

That meant that if Myka did anything considered harmful to Shifters—betraying their secrets, leading an insurrection, whatever—then Spike would pay with his life.

“So be it,” Spike said, using the ritual words.

Liam released him. The alpha clan leader calmed back down into his laid-back persona and called out to his nephew. “It’s all right, Connor. Bring back my daughter now. The bad time’s over.”

Spike didn’t wait for good-byes, apologies, or forgiving Shifter embraces. He walked away, toward the pickup where Myka waited, the tether of the new bond between him and her pulling him all the way.

*** *** ***

Ellison and Dylan were still at the house when they reached it. Dylan, of all people, had Jordan sitting on his knee in the living room, telling him a story about Shifters of long ago.

Dylan, Liam’s father, looked much like his sons, except his hair was going gray at his temples, and he had a few more lines on his face than did Liam or Sean. Other than that, no one would know he was already nearing the end of his second century.

Dylan had a stare that could tear the flesh off a disobedient Shifter. He’d been one of the first Shiftertown leaders, having to figure out how to keep three species of Shifters who’d been thrown together into close quarters from killing each other. The Austin Shifters had not only survived with his help, but thrived.