Free Chosen Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #2) by J.H. Croix

at her. “I’m taking a trip.”
    Rosie slanted her eyes to Phoebe. Phoebe shrugged and shook her head. “Shana thinks she needs to go to Montana to see what she can find out about the shifters out there. It’s crazy.” Phoebe caught Shana’s eyes. “Please listen to me. I’m not saying you can’t go. I just think it’s better if we actually talk to Hank, Dane and Jake about this. All you did was overhear half of a conversation. Don’t do anything rash. That’s all I’m asking.”
    Rosie’s eyes widened. “What the hell? Shana, you can’t be serious.”
    Shana’s eyes had a wild edge. She glanced between Rosie and Phoebe. “I’m serious, and I refuse to be talked out of it. I can damn well take care of myself and both of you know it.”
    After several more minutes of futile arguing, Shana shoved past them, pushing the door open and Rosie out of the way. She stalked down the hall. Fear, worry, and anger clashed inside Phoebe. She looked at Rosie. “I can’t let her go alone, but she won’t be stopped.”
    Rosie’s eyes mirrored her concern. “I don’t know what to say. I’d offer to chase her down, but she’s more likely to listen to you than anyone else.”
    Phoebe grabbed her coat and purse, racing out of the room. She turned to glance over her shoulder before she left. “If I have to, I’m going with her. I’ll try to call Jake, but promise me you’ll call him and Dane.”
    At Rosie’s quick nod, Phoebe dashed after Shana.

Chapter 7

    Jake kicked his boots against the threshold as he stepped into his office. Over a foot of snow had fallen last night. Catamount was blanketed in fluffy white snow. In Maine, the world barely missed a beat after such a storm. By the time he’d awakened spooned behind Phoebe as the first shafts of sun rose above the trees, the roads had already been plowed. When she’d rolled over in his arms, the flicker of doubt that hung in her gaze reached into his heart. He didn’t know how to make her trust how he felt. But he knew her well, and he knew trying to force the issue wouldn’t help. She was a person of action. Actions, not words, defined her life. She was the last person to stand up and make proclamations about anything, and yet the first to do something to make a difference. She wasn’t the friend who would offer platitudes. She was the friend who’d quietly take care of the practical matters for a friend in need, as she’d done for Shana in the early days and weeks after Callen’s death.
    With that in mind, he decided he’d stop trying to explain her worries away and let his actions show her the truth behind his words. The soft brush of her lips against his sent his pulse rocketing and lust tightening inside. The sound of a snowplow in her driveway interrupted them, and she’d leapt out of bed to race outside and move her car. He’d left her house shortly thereafter, his lust barely in check.
    With a sharp shake of his head, he tossed his jacket on the coatrack by the door and immediately sat down at his desk, powering his computer up and diving back into his work. A while later, Dane stepped into his office.
    As soon as he met Dane’s eyes, his stomach clenched.  
    “What’s that look for?” Jake asked.
    Dane’s blue-gray eyes were dark, his jaw tight. “Shana just texted me. She and Phoebe are on their way to Montana. That guy Paul at the hospital is gone. He snuck out during the night. Did you fuckin’ know this was happening?”
    “No! How the hell could you even think I would know about this?” Jake pushed his chair back and stood. He glanced at his desk, trying to find his phone. He spotted it under some loose papers and grabbed it, seeing he’d missed two calls from Phoebe in the last few hours. He’d been so busy with work, he hadn’t noticed his phone had been on silent. Fear knotted in his gut, and anger flashed. His cat simmered under his skin. What he wanted was to shift and chase. He fought the urge because he knew he needed