Free Keaton's Lessons [Brac Village 6] by Lynn Hagen Page B

very strange name.
    Kade nodded toward the entrance. “I wasn’t sure what he was until I called the timber wolves. It was like this black, oily feeling came over me, whispering all kinds of pessimistic things in my head.”
    The other man asked, “How long have you been hearing this?”
    Kade glanced at Keaton. “A few weeks. Ever since I got to town. It was like, as soon as I drove through Brac Village, a heavy blanket settled over me.”
    “I need to know,” Dog said, “what would make a hell hound latch on to you. Because once one of them comes after you, you’re their target, period, until we kill him. Provided he hasn’t called in his buddies, you just might be safe once he is sent back to hell.”
    Kade’s hands tightened on Keaton’s arms. “I served a long term in prison.”
    “That’ll do it,” the other man said. “The hound has zeroed in on your anger and resentment.”
    “But I don’t have any anger or resentment,” Kade argued. “I’ve put my past behind me.”
    “You lying to yourself doesn’t concern me,” Dog said so matter-of-factly that Keaton was offended. “Now that I know why he is fixated on you, I can go after him.”
    “So we can leave?” Keaton asked in hopefulness.
    “Yeah, go enjoy the art festival. Don’t let the sweat drip off your balls about having a hell hound after your mate,” the second man said sarcastically.
    “What the hell is your problem?” Keaton asked furiously. “Kade didn’t ask that thing to fixate on him. Why are you acting as if this is all our fault?”
    “Don’t mind Renato. He has been a sour little puss of late. Go do whatever it is that you two were doing. We’ll follow at a distance and see if we can’t flush out your hound,” Dog said as he and Renato headed toward the door.
    Keaton turned toward Kade. “ Our hound?”
    Kade grabbed Keaton’s hand and pulled him toward the exit. “His bedside manner doesn’t concern us. I wouldn’t have cared if those two had sneered every word, just as long as they do their job.”
    Keaton still didn’t like them. They were brisk and curt. But Kade was right. It wasn’t like Keaton was trying to be their pal. Just as long as they got that evil little bastard off of Kade’s back, then he would deal with their sarcasm.
    “Well, you heard the man. Let’s get to the art festival.” Keaton pulled on Kade’s hand as they left the bookstore and headed toward the rec center.
    “You are very bossy,” Kade said, repeating the same thing he had said the night before. Keaton didn’t think so. Maybe he was. No one had ever told him that before. The only thing he knew was that someone was after Kade and he wasn’t going to allow anything to happen to his mate.
    If that was bossy, then so be it.
    Kade seemed amused by Keaton dragging him along. The man didn’t complain. He just wore a sexy grin as they finally made it to the art festival that was being held in the parking lot of the rec center. Keaton wasn’t sure what to expect, but he was surprised to see so many people, so many renderings, and wow, there were food tables, games, and a few people had vendor tables set up to sell small trinkets.
    Keaton went straight to the drawings, getting a kick out of all the pictures and paintings being displayed on the tables. There was even a clothesline hung up, drawings pinned to it with clips.
    “These are refrigerator drawings,” Kade leaned in and whispered into his ear.
    “They are works of art,” Keaton corrected as he touched a picture that had been hand drawn of the forest bordering Brac Village. In the drawing, the rec center was sketched, but what caught Keaton’s interest was the wolf on the side of the building.
    Why would a child draw one of the shifters?
    He had a feeling that more of the residents knew what was going on in their small town than they let on. From the looks of this drawing, Maverick’s little secret wasn’t so secret around here.
    And there sure seemed to be a lot of