Free Hounded (Shifter Town Enforcement) by Sadie Hart

obnoxious puppy. Walker, on the other hand, she met his gaze levelly.
    Back home, she’d have outranked him. Technically, even here with seniority and her record she could call rank, though any Enforcement office would have a hay day over her seeing lions. She couldn’t afford that. All she could do was take control informally, to do that; she needed to throw him off guard. But she was on his turf, on his crime scene. If she let him, Walker would feel in control.
    She couldn’t afford to let him. If they found something Lennox needed to cover, she needed to have him back down. Anger flashed through his eyes at the challenge as she held his gaze. His hands fisted at his side. She knew the war going on inside him, as Hennessey tried to stuff his dog down deep so the man in him could keep eye contact.
    Once upon a time, she’d have had that problem. Not anymore. She’d worked next to Torres for too long, the ridgeback more than willing to kick her ass over any indiscretion. He’d never allowed one moment for her to slack. Any time she’d shown weakness, he’d been willing to toss her aside and find someone else to stand as his partner. Just like his wife. Bree never would have kept her on the job if she’d thought for a second Lennox couldn’t handle it.
    Between the two of them, she’d cultivated strength in her dog. In herself. She knew Dade was watching them, as were Tegan and Kanon. Everyone waited. The seconds ticked by and Lennox held her stare. Calm, but firm. She would not yield on this. And unlike Hennessy, she didn’t have to fight her inner dog to meet his eye.
    His lips pulled back in a grimace and Walker broke; his head angled away, gaze to the ground. It was stupid. She should have just hiked down her pants and pissed on the ground. It felt juvenile, but she needed his cooperation. She needed him submissive. It wasn’t something she’d never have demanded normally, but to protect the two behind her... There wasn’t an option.
    “Follow me.” Lennox turned, instantly taking charge before Hennessy could recover. He stiffened, a slight tension pulling across his shoulders, then it eased out of him and he trailed after her. Dade’s head whipped between them, her lips still curled in a snarl.
    There’d be issues later, as Dade stretched for her place.
    “Stay,” she told the lions, Kanon’s jaw tensing at the command. They both jerked their heads in small nods. From outside the house, everything looked normal. Pine trees edged the yard, giving way to a forest that encased the back of the house. What was left of the front yard was neatly mowed. A rose bush sat perched on either side of the deck, window boxes sat under each window.
    The white washed spindles of the front porch made it look open, inviting. If they ignored the scent of death and blood on the wind, and the quiet of the forest critters and birds. Even the crow had winged off, thanks to Tegan’s earlier roars.
    Hennessy and Dade took long dragging sniffs as they approached the front door. Walker frowned, one foot on the steps. “They haven’t come in yet?”
    “No.”
    He glanced back at them; Lennox couldn’t help it, she did too.
    They stood together, eyes on her. On the house. They knew. Anyone with eyes could see they knew, but nothing beyond that was telling. Tegan looked away first, as if the scrutiny of his grief bothered him. Kanon stared straight at her, ignoring the Hounds around her as if they didn’t exist. I know , his gaze said, and his lips curled into a gentle smile. Stay strong.
    He was bothered by their deaths, the grief plain on his face. It was in the downward tug of his eyebrows, the sadness in his eyes. But that was all he gave away. Any anger or fear at seeing his name in Caro’s blood on the door, he’d stamped that down and locked it away.
    Lennox was grateful for it.
    “They knew the moment they stepped out of the car.”
    “And they didn’t fight you to go in?” Dade’s voice said she didn’t