Page 13 of Hers to Love
Chapter Eight
“And you can hold this for about ten minutes?”
Ataahua nodded at Taika’s question and laughed out loud at the comical way his gaze flicked between her and hertarua. “But when I speak it sounds like I am talking in stereo, as it comes from both of us.”
Taika nodded as he heard it from both sides of him. She had worried when he asked her to show him her ability that he would find it strange, maybe even freak him the hell out to the point where he changed his mind about her. She needn’t have worried. As soon as she had sent hertaruaout from her, Taika had whooped with joy and run from it to her, touching to see how corporeal she was in each form.
“It’s amazing,” Taika breathed as he came to stand beside her, looking back at her other self. “Truly amazing. I guess Zac Cooper can see you being an asset in all sorts of situations.”
“He’s probably imagining me unlocking bank vaults from the inside, and handing out the loot to him and his men.” Ata had thought of many such scenarios that would benefit Cooper.
“Loot?” Taika repeated dryly. “Do people even say that anymore?”
Ata sniffed haughtily as she drew hertaruaback into herself, and felt everything settle back into place. “Of course they do. I just did, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you do,” Taika wrapped her in his arms and pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “And that just makes you unique and cute as fuck.” He leaned down to speak directly in her ear. “I still haven’t given up on the threesome idea you know.”
Ata laughed out loud and smacked him in the arm. “So not gonna happen, you perv. If—”
“Taika!” Ataahua turned at the sound of Remy’s shout, watching as the large man sprinted so fast in their direction he looked blurry. “I’ve found Cooper.”
Shocked, she looked up at Taika. “You were looking for him?”
Taika gave her a pointed look. “Of course I was. I told you we were going to deal with him, but we need to know where he is first.”
Ataahua would have called him on that and argued it was too dangerous, but at his use of the word “we”, not once but twice in that sentence, he charmed that right out of her. She and Taika were a package, and they would deal with any danger that came at them.
“He’s here, Taika,” Remy said as he skidded to a halt beside them. “That prick has been in Yellow River for a couple of weeks, and from the images I just got from the traffic cameras in town, that prick will be here any minute with about fifteen men, his son, and all of them are loaded for bear.”
Fear slammed into her at the thought of any of Taika’s family being hurt or worse by Cooper and his thugs. “Maybe we should—”
“Don’t you finish that fucking sentence, Ataahua,” Taika growled as he glared at her. “Don’t you fucking dare.” He waited until she nodded, having heard his intent to keep her near him clearly in his tone. “Remy, shift, send two of the family out on each side, and leave Deana in the house with her little one.”
Ataahua swallowed at the reminder that it wasn’t just the eight male gorilla shifters in this family group who were in danger, but Deana and baby Reno, too.
“Ataahua and me will go out to meet them,” Taika said with confidence. “It’ll surprise the hell out of them, but there will be others moving to take the house and flank us. Stop them, then come to us as soon as it is safe, but leave four here.”
Remy nodded, shot a look at Ataahua, grinned and winked at her. “This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into, Lucy.”
Ata laughed at his bad Ricky Ricardo accent, no doubt just as he had meant her to, as he ran back to do as Taika asked.
“I’m gonna shift, and we’ll get a little closer. Once we know where they are, I want you to do your thing. I want their entire focus on you and me standing there in front of them, and not on looking for your real self. Okay?”
Ataahua nodded and moved with him through the forest. They had only traveled for about ten minutes when Taika signaled her to stop.
“He’s come in a lot faster than I thought he would, and he’s kept six of his men with him,” Taika whispered. “I had hoped for more.”
Ata frowned. “What the hell do you mean more?” she whisper-screamed.
Taika grinned, and it was more than a little bloodthirsty. “Six won’t take me long to get through. My gorilla had hoped for a little more time to impress you with his fighting skills. You were unconscious the last time he had the opportunity to show off.”
Ataahua rolled her eyes, amazed that she could actually feel humor when she was about to go into a fight. “You just go in and get the job done, you hear me?” Taika’s eyes had gone completely black, and she knew she was looking at his gorilla. “You are just as much mine as Taika is. I want you both back and in one piece or I will not be a happy woman. You got me?”
Taika was silent for a moment then grinned. “He said he got you, and you’re his, too, and he’s going to make the bad man hurt. You know, for a big ass hairy gorilla, he is quite an eloquent speaker.”
Taika pressed a kiss to her mouth, one filled with promise and intent, and then he shifted into his gorilla. Their lips were still pressed together when he did it, so she felt the magical spark against her as the shift took hold, and she found herself pressing her lips to the largest damn gorilla she had ever seen in her life. When she grinned up at him, damned if he didn’t just grin back at her. Then he was off, moving through the forest faster than something of his size should be able to do.
Taking out her Glock, she took a deep breath, drawing into herself, then throwing herself outwards, moving until she stood beside Taika at the point where he confronted Cooper and three of his men, one of whom was Mason.
