We’d proceeded from there. Seth was worried about how close this asshole was to our house, but more importantly, to Becca’s. This rogue had been around for months. His scent was all over Becca’s garage, it was old. Something had set him off. Us? Or Becca being back at the house? It could be a coincidence, but I doubted it.
After I’d gotten back to the house, Jasper was put in charge of getting ahold of Becca, we didn’t want to bombard her with messages. Cody was sent to watch over her until we could bring her here. He’d run out of the house faster than I’d ever seen him move. He seemed to really like Becca. They all did. I felt fondness for her. I was protective of her, too. But that was just because she was Felicity’s best friend.
“FUCK!” Jasper had thrown the remote on the floor as I’d come out of the bathroom.
“Jasp? What’s up?”
He had the news on. The scene from the woods was splashed across the screen. “What the hell?” How did someone get those pictures? We’d sent an anonymous call to the cops where to find the body, but that had only been an hour ago.
That’s when it hit me. “The fucker took the pictures himself.”
Jasper turned toward the tv as he rubbed his chin. “You think? That would mean he can’t be a rabid rogue. This is too intelligent for that.”
I wrapped my arms over his shoulders to pull him into my chest. We both needed the touch. My bear even calmed down as he felt our pack member. I really liked Felicity. It just hurt that I had to step back from the others while I pursued her. They understood, but it still sucked. We craved touch. I knew that Cody missed me and my bear especially. He’d been the most hurt when I’d told them I wanted Felicity. He’d understood, but that didn’t stop the hurt I caused him because of it.
Jasper sunk into my arms. His fox purred loudly as he tipped his neck to the side for me. My bear wanted to bite him. I nuzzled his neck, rubbing my scruff roughly along it. It was the only thing I could do. Any thoughts of sex, or touches that led to it, always made me feel guilty.
It’d hurt Felicity if I did. She’d be introduced eventually to the pack. I wanted her to accept all of us as hers, but she was human. That’s why I was taking so long courting her. I wasn’t about to spook her until there was enough trust between us.
Plus, there was Becca now. Having her thrown in could make Felicity’s acceptance harder.
Jasper whimpered softly. My heart broke a little. My arms tightened around him.
“I’m sorry, Jasp,” I whispered softly against his neck.
He sighed. “It’s ok. I know why. I understand, too. I just miss you.” His voice was just as soft as mine. My bear raged inside of me, angry that I’d hurt our pack again. He didn’t like Felicity, didn’t understand that when I was around her, I was deliriously happy. I didn’t understand it myself, either. It was just a pull I felt that compelled me to her.
My bear demanded I do something to comfort our fox since I started this. It wouldn’t ease my guilt, but if it gave him what he needed, albeit small, from me, I’d do it. I pressed a kiss to his neck, making a slow but long lick up it to his ear. Jasper’s body responded beautifully, but I had to pull back before going further. I pressed a small kiss to his forehead as I went to pick up the thrown remote.
“So, we’re dealing with a rogue, but he’s not rabid. Why would he draw attention to himself this way? It only takes two of this kind of report to find its way into the Venandi’s hands before they swarm this area. He’s put himself, and us, in danger.” Jasper had turned his back to look out toward the deck. “It just doesn’t make sense. If he was rabid, he wouldn’t care about bringing the Venandi here.”
My bear pushed against my skin.
“Maybe that’s his goal. He wants our territory? Bring the Venandis here to find any shifters in the vicinity and kill them while he hides somewhere.”
Something about that logic still didn’t sit right with us.
“We won’t know until we capture this shitface. Jasper, call Becca again. Get her here,” Seth announced as he walked up the stairs to join us.
That conversation with her is how we all ended up moving in temporarily to her place. My bear had enjoyed himself when we’d carried her over our shoulder for a bit. We’d even secretly enjoyed her fierce little act when she’d smacked our ass. Even thoughts of Felicity couldn’t make me feel bad about it. Becca was a little firecracker once she got over her anxiety around us.
Her body image needed work. She was stunning in her own way. Her personality just made her even more so. Sure, to humans she might be considered over the average weight, but I didn’t think she was. She was plump, soft, and I knew the other three enjoyed touching her, as well as holding her. Shifter women were like the men, no softness to them at all. It was something I knew we all enjoyed about the human women we’d slept with together in the past.
She’d somehow managed to make the day seem a little brighter as she messed with Cody. When he’d casually mentioned kissing me, it’d shocked Becca but she hadn’t said anything about it. My fists had clenched because those of us that were pack had felt the pain Cody hid behind his silly actions after speaking about kissing. My bear was restless again. I’d have to do something about this situation with Felicity soon. I couldn’t take hurting my family much longer. Just the brief taste of Jasper earlier had left me wanting with a raging hard on that I’d had to beat off in the shower right before we’d left for Becca’s. No one had mentioned I’d taken one just a little earlier.
A cell phone went off as we cleaned up breakfast. Becca pulled hers from her jeans. She offered us an apologetic smile as she answered.
“Hey, Gary.”
We all went back to cleaning up. We could easily hear the conversation.
“Hey, kid. You got my email instructions? Is it a good time to walk you through activating the voice activation on the system?”
My bear hunched at the voice on the other line. He’d started to prowl angrily. He didn’t do well with other men that were unknown to us.
“Yeah, sorry I’m a little late. The guys got here. We just finished breakfast.”
Becca’s voice softened as she spoke with Gary. It was obvious she loved her stepfather.