“I have to watch my weight.”

Liam remembered how Kim had looked in her wisp of a nightie—lovely br**sts, sweet waist, and thighs he wanted to lick. “I don’t mind watching it for you, love. There’s nothing wrong with your body.”

She went a deep shade of red, and Liam slammed the freezer door. “I can’t cook you up my famous mile-high pancakes with this crap. Come on. I’ll take you out for some real food.”

“I can’t go anywhere. My back door is broken.”

Two small panes had been smashed, the lock ripped out. “I’ll take care of that.”

Liam unhooked his cell phone and made some calls. Voices on the other end promised to come and replace the glass and fix the lock in half an hour. “Does the human woman have any beer?”

“Bring your own,” Liam growled and clicked off the phone.

Kim had a stunned look on her face. “What are you doing?”

“I keep telling you, sweetheart, it’s my fault the bastard attacked you. I have friends who will take care of things, as a favor to me.”

“Shifter friends.”

“What other kind? Come on, we’ll leave them to it.”

Liam somehow convinced her to walk out of the house and open the garage, but he took the car keys from Kim’s shaking hands and drove her back to Shiftertown himself.

Sean was right, Liam was effing crazy, but he had to do this. Kim needed protecting, but then, so did the Shifters. Liam would have to combine the two needs. Dylan would be livid, but Liam also had the feeling that Dylan would understand. Fergus, now…Well, Liam would deal with Fergus when he had to.

“This is where you work,” Kim said, as Liam parked behind the bar in the tiny space reserved for him.

“Well spotted, love. They do a mean chicken-fried steak.”

Kim’s eyes flared with sudden hunger. Did she starve herself, the little sweetheart? She had a man, she’d said. Why didn’t the idiot take care of her?

The bar was full when they walked in. Shifters predominated the crowd, with a handful of humans who’d either become friends with Shifters, had come in to gawk, or were Shifter groupies. Most patrons hovered at the long wraparound bar, but Liam guided Kim to an empty booth and sat her down.

Liam’s heart was thumping, his adrenaline still high. He’d have to endure the agony sooner or later, but he hoped it held off long enough for him to enjoy his meal.

“Two chicken-fried steaks, Annie, and a mess of chips.”

The tall, svelte Shifter woman who’d come to wait on them rolled her eyes. “We call them french fries over here, Liam. I tell you all the time. Not chips.”

“I don’t see anyone French in this bar,” Liam said, continuing the usual banter between himself and Annie.

“The new cook is Cajun. Close enough.”

“And we’ll need something to drink,” Liam said. “What will you have, Kim?”

“White wine?”

White wine. She was precious. “You don’t want to drink the wine here. Bring me a pint of plain, Annie.”

“Guinness,” Annie said, noting it on her pad. “For you, miss?”

“A Tecate,” Kim said. She glared at Liam. “With a lime, please.”

“You got it.” Annie whisked away, her tight barmaid shorts clinging to her trim behind. Every male in the bar turned to watch her pass, but once she’d gone their gazes swiveled back to Kim.

“Why is everyone staring at me?” Kim whispered. “I’m not the only human here.”

But she was the only one scent-marked. Every Shifter, male and female, had caught what Liam had done. Nostrils widened, eyes flickered in acknowledgment. Kim belonged to Liam, and anyone who bothered her would answer to Liam. Message sent and received.

“I’m looking after you, and they know it.”

“Why did you want to come here? We passed two IHOPs on the way.”

“It’s safer.”

Kim glanced around. “For you or for me?”

“For both of us.”

He quieted as Annie set down one sweating bottle of Guinness and one of Tecate, lime firmly wedged into the opening.

“Are you going to explain why you didn’t call the police on that Shifter?” Kim shoved her lime entirely into the liquid and lifted the bottle to drink. Her tongue came out and touched the bottle’s opening before her lips closed around it.

Goddess help me, it’s hot in here.

Liam clenched his beer bottle, but the cold bite on his palm did nothing to calm him. “What do you think would happen if your human police found out he was on the loose?” he asked. “Shifters would be hunted, and the hunters not too worried about whether they brought down a Collared Shifter or a feral. Just so long as they got one.”

“All right, I can see that. With one Shifter already on trial, people would freak if another one went crazy.” Kim leaned forward, letting Liam see that this blouse didn’t stay fastened any better than the last one had. “Do you think he killed the girl Brian is supposed to have murdered?”

“I wish it could be that easy. We weren’t aware of him until a few nights ago, when he killed the Shifter woman. He wasn’t around before that. Brian’s girlfriend died months ago.”

“How do you know he wasn’t here?” She wrinkled her nose. “Of course, you’d have remembered smelling him.”

Liam acknowledged that with a laugh.