Huntsman - Morgan Brice Page 0,9

happened, from the dispatch call to the ride back to town, including the sandwich incident and walking Liam to his new home.

“You are so screwed,” Drew commiserated. “So what you’re telling me is that within the first two hours of meeting Liam, you rescued him, comforted him, fed him, and made sure he had safe shelter? Could your wolf howl any louder?”

No, he couldn’t, Russ thought sourly. His wolf hadn’t stopped pacing since he’d left Liam at the bungalow, and it had been a battle of wills not to give in and keep watch over him during the night. Only by convincing his wolf that humans might consider such actions as “stalkerish” and thereby scare Liam off for good did he get his wolf to back off.

Russ realized his hands were shaking. “I’m not ready for this, Drew.”

“Your wolf is.”

“My wolf thinks you can deal with problems by biting them or peeing on them.”

“You mean you can’t?” Drew’s shit-eating grin was oddly reassuring, an unspoken affirmation that everything would be okay.

“I don’t even know if he’s a shifter. He said he wasn’t a psychic—he just knew Jeffries from the folklore classes Rich used to teach.”

“Hmm. That doesn’t keep Rich from knowing whether Liam is a shifter. And didn’t this whole thing happen awfully fast?” Drew asked. “I thought Rich was complaining at poker night last week that one of his Institute colleagues was trying to push his favored candidate for the job, even without the right credentials. And now Liam’s not just hired—but he’s here, moved in, and ready to start?”

Russ met his gaze. “You think maybe Rich picked up on whatever trouble Liam might have had and offered him a lifeline?”

“Sure seems likely.”

Not like I can ask, or that Rich would tell me. But I hope that if Liam does have trouble brewing, Rich was able to lend a hand.

“This guy also has you being more Libra than usual,” Drew pointed out. With all the psychics in town, even the shifters took things like astrological signs and tarot readings seriously. “Romantic, loyal, protective—and always overthinking things.”

Russ just growled, because Drew was right and he knew it.

“When’s Liam’s birthday? What’s his sign?”

“How would I know?” Russ grumbled.

“You looked at his license to do the repairs, didn’t you?” Drew grabbed the paperwork off Russ’s desk and glanced at the photocopy of Liam’s license. “Oh-ho! Looky here! He’s a Leo…your perfect zodiac match. Wow, there’s a surprise.”

Russ snatched the papers back and opened his mouth to argue when the intercom on his desk buzzed. “There’s a Liam Reynard here to see you.”

“Thanks. I’ll be right there,” Russ replied.

“Ohh…do I get to see him too?” His brother asked, managing to channel what Russ considered Drews’s pesky ten-year-old self.

“Behave.”

“Russ and Liam sitting in a tree—”

Russ snapped the hand towel at Drew, who dodged out of the way. “Seriously, Drew—”

Drew clapped him on the shoulder. “I will be the soul of discretion.”

The door opened, and Liam stepped inside.

“Wow—you must be the guy Russ was just telling me about,” Drew said with a big grin. He thrust out a hand to shake Liam’s. “I’m Drew, his younger and better-looking brother.”

The next time he shifts I’m going to make sure he tangles with a skunk. Russ took a deep breath and tried not to look mortified. Liam smiled, then frowned, as if trying to figure out what was going on.

“Liam. Don’t mind Drew—he was just leaving,” Russ added emphasis on the last word. He could hear Drew laughing all the way down the hall. “Siblings,” he muttered, then turned his attention back to Liam, hoping he could reclaim any semblance of cool.

“So…sleep well?” Russ asked the first thing that came to mind and groaned inwardly at what came out of his mouth.

“Yeah, I did. For once,” Liam replied. “Didn’t expect to—new place and all—but I guess I was pretty tired after everything that happened.”

Liam didn’t look like a man who had slept soundly. Likely, if whatever was bothering Liam was more than a passing inconvenience. His eyes were shadowed, he held himself like he might need to run at any moment, and in Russ’s imagination, he could almost see a tail swishing impatiently.

Fox shifter, his wolf supplied. Can’t you tell by his scent?

The scent that Russ picked up was burnt orange and cloves, with an earthy, musky undertone that went straight to Russ’s cock. Now that he looked at Liam, he could see the fox in the other man’s graceful movements, lithe build, and the slightly tilted,