Free FireStarter by Khloe Wren Page A

followed.”
    “ We needed to be close to
you, beautiful. To make sure you were protected and safe.”
    I cocked an eyebrow at
Marshall. “Considering I handled the situation yesterday all by myself, I would
have thought there was nothing for either of you to worry about!”
    Marshall’s eyes squeezed
shut as his face contorted, and Clay’s body shuddered behind me.
    “ I will never forget, for as
long as I live, opening that door to find you with a knife at that bastard’s
throat. However, you’re not meant to sleep with the thing strapped to you, so
instead you have us to make sure nothing happens.”
    He reached up and gave my
hair a playful tug.
    “ Cheeky woman, you only
handled it because I equipped you to. And like Marshall said, you’re not
allowed to wear it to bed. Start that shit and I’ll take it back permanently.”
    “ Well, I’m just grateful the firestarter didn’t bother to check me for weapons. He
must have known you were close when he grabbed me, because he knocked me out
with a blow to the head within seconds of snatching me. I came to getting
thrown around the back of that tin can as he cursed and bitched about being
followed. I figured it was at least one of you, and with the way he was
driving, I was worried he’d kill us both in a crash. So I risked pulling my
move. Honestly, I don’t think I would have even attempted it if I hadn’t known
you were right behind us to come help. I mean, my plan kind of ended with the
knife at his throat. I didn’t really want to kill him. Even though he took my
parents’ lives. I just couldn’t do it.” I paused as tears welled. “I thought
all I wanted was revenge on that man, to see him hurt like he hurt me. But in
the end, I couldn’t do it. I mean, if we’d been fighting and I was defending
myself? That would have been different, but with him just sitting there, I
couldn’t bring myself to use the knife on him.”
    Marshall groaned. “Can we
not talk about this? I really don’t want to think about what could have
happened today.”
    After giving her ear a nip,
Clayton’s voice took on a playful tone.
    “ You know, beautiful, the
cops ever find you with that knife, you’ll end up charged.”
    “ Well then, handsome , you’d best get me on this
taskforce thing of yours so I can legally carry a weapon.”
    Clayton sat up in a rush,
and I flopped over on my back with a squeak. “What the hell?”
    “ Wait. Are you serious? You want to join PACT?”
    I rolled my eyes. “Gee, let
me think. I can legally, and while getting paid, do what I’ve been doing
already. I can actually make a life out of chasing firestarters if I’m with PACT.”
    Marshall moved over to
allow Clayton room to put a hand on the mattress next to each of my shoulders
so he could tower over me.
    “ Just one little issue with
that, beautiful. You need to be a paranormal beastie of some description to
join the team.” I tried to interrupt, but he shushed me. He actually shushed
me. I glared at him as he continued to speak. “Good thing we have a solution to
that, huh? You see, when we mate, you’ll become like us.”
    “ I think I’m going to need a
more detailed explanation than that.”
    I wanted to be one hundred
percent certain of what Clayton was saying to me.
    “ To mate, you need to come
to us. By that I mean you need to make the first move to initiate sex between
us. We’ll all feel the power of the bond forming between us as we make love. Then
Marshall and I will bite you on either side of your neck. Don’t worry, it won’t
hurt. Then, after it’s all over, a mating mark will appear on the outside of
each of our right thighs. It looks like a tattoo of a jaguar climbing upwards,
or so I’m told. I’ve never actually seen one in the flesh.”
    “ Wait! You’re both going to
bite me? Like tear into my flesh with your teeth?”
    Fear had me trembling until
Clayton moved back to my side and pulled me close again so he spooned up behind
me.
    “ It’s