and sights I could before I ventured out, but I guess I wasn’t careful enough. I should’ve just bitten the bullet on my first day and figured out how to get my collar off.
I should’ve been trying all along to get rid of this thing sooner, but getting far away from Kaazu has been my only focus. I’m kicking myself for that now, because this collar is like a damn bullseye on my neck.
Crossing my arms in front of me, I walk as fast as I can without drawing attention to myself. That last bit is a feat in itself, because I don’t exactly blend. Still, I keep my body small and my steps light as I hurry down the sidewalk. But instead of the shifter scent growing fainter, it’s growing stronger. Which means either I’m downwind from the original source or...there are more.
The answer comes in the form of a growl as a behemoth of a male steps up to block my path, like he’d been waiting for me.
He has a big gut and a good foot of height on me. Bald head shining the reflection of the morning sun, he smells like beer, peanuts, and one hundred percent shifter.
Motherfuck.
He looks down at me, pudgy cheeks hanging around his jaw as he takes me in. “Who are you?”
My head tilts slightly as I feel someone else approach me from behind. A quick glance over my shoulder confirms that I’ve just been boxed in.
“Look what we herded in from the field, Drag,” the male behind me says before reaching down and pinching my ass.
I tense, my teeth grinding. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
He laughs, but his hand drops away. “Lookie here. The little lost sheep has a temper.”
“You think she’s a sheep, Jordy?” The behemoth—Drag—asks while scratching his chin. “I’m thinkin’ smaller.”
I turn my body so that I can keep both of them in sight. I won’t let them sandwich me.
I cast cool eyes over the second male, noting his appearance. He’s thin and gangly, all hard angles and long hair. Basically, the complete opposite of his counterpart. They crowd me even more, forcing me to step back until I’m flush with the building.
“You’re in our territory, sheep,” Jordy says.
I tilt my head. “Hmm, I didn’t realize you two had claimed this corner to turn your tricks. I’ll go walk on another sidewalk, fellas. Wouldn’t want you to miss out on customers,” I reply before I sidestep the bigger one and attempt to break away.
Drag snatches my jacket and shoves me back against the wall.
“What’s she talkin’ about?” he asks on a frown.
Jordy has an ugly sneer on his face. “Pretty sure she just fuckin’ called us hookers or some shit.”
“Worked that out quicker than I thought you would,” I mutter.
Drag frowns. I smirk at him, just because I know it’ll piss him off even more.
I shouldn’t antagonize these two, but I’ve never been the girl who backs down. I don’t cower. I don’t give in. Someone wants to fuck with me? I’ll fuck with them right back.
“Listen up, sheep. You’re in Pack Rockhead territory without permission. That’s a problem,” Drag announces.
For some reason, the pack name sounds familiar, but that’s not surprising. We’ve performed for so many packs over the years, lots of them pull at the strings of my memory.
“So is your breath,” I reply. “But I didn’t know. I’ll go.”
I start to walk, but he grabs me by the arm to stop me. “Nice accessory you got there,” he says, nodding toward my neck. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that’s a collar.”
If I wasn’t trained to put on a show, I might not have been able to school my features, but I was, so I do.
“This?” I ask, letting my fingers brush against it. “It’s not a collar.”
His brows pull together. “Then what the fuck is it?”
“A family heirloom,” I deadpan.
Apparently, he doesn’t appreciate my answer, because his mouth thins. “You know any shifters who’ve run away from their masters?” he asks Drag.
Drag scratches his chin in thought. “Nope. But I bet I could find out.”
Panic fists around my stomach, but I make myself snicker. “Fine by me. You guys are gonna waste a lot of time and make yourselves look even dumber than you already do,” I bluff.
Jordy sneers. “Don’t fuckin’ matter either way. You’re still on our territory. Our alpha can look at it and see what he thinks. You’re comin’ with us to our compound.”