UnexpectedFind by Nancy Corrigan

Kade
warned.
    Rafe turned his head once Jasmine slipped back inside the
house. Kade sat with his back against a tree across from him. He watched him
with narrowed eyes, the intense stare of an alpha meant to intimidate others
into confessing their secrets. Rafe snorted and looked away.
    “Be careful of what? Blue balls?” He glanced down at the
front of his jeans and the bulge there. “Got those already. That’s why I need
to get Jasmine alone. She left me in this state. And by the gods, she’s going
to take care of me.”
    “I’m not talking about the sex,” Kade mumbled. He waved his
hand to encompass Rafe’s body. “You’re tense. You watched her bedroom window
all night, left me to prowl the grounds.”
    He’d done more than that. While Kade had run the lands to
check for any other signs of the rogue shifter, Rafe had made his way to the
house. He’d stood below Jasmine’s window just to hear her breathing. He’d grown
agitated after the first couple of hours. He’d needed to be close to her and
hadn’t calmed until he’d smelled her, listened to the soft exhales of her
breath, knew she was safe.
    “And? That is part of surveillance, Kade. We’ve spent many
nights watching over humans who were in this exact situation.”
    “And after the threats to them passed we left with our cubs
and never gave their human guardians a second thought.” Kade leaned forward and
braced his hand on the ground next to him. “Why do I think this human will be
coming home with us?”
    Rafe faced the house and searched the windows. He didn’t see
Jasmine, but he heard her voice. He focused on her husky timbre and his racing
pulse slowed. “I never said she was. I don’t get to make those decisions. You
do.”
    “Really?” Kade snorted. “Okay. I’ll sneak in tonight while
you’re on your date with Jasmine, grab Seth and Levi, have Devin take Megan and
get the hell out of this shithole.”
    Rafe unleashed his claws, dug them into Kade’s shoulders and
slammed him into the tree. “No,” he hissed. “You will do no such thing.”
    Kade didn’t flinch, didn’t fight him even though blood
dribbled over his chest. He stared at him for a long moment while Rafe fought
to keep his growls contained. “You see? You’re too involved, Rafe. The woman
has captured your attention.”
    Rafe retracted his claws and shoved away from him. He walked
as close to the tree line as he dared. Seth and Levi might be cubs, but their
senses were ten times better than a human child’s. Alerting them to their
presence wasn’t part of the plan. He didn’t want Jasmine to know what he was or
why he was here. Not yet. She might not let him into her body if she did.
    “Jasmine is a beautiful woman. I want her,” Rafe said.
    “You had her.”
    “Not completely. I didn’t get to come.”
    Kade stepped in front of him, blocking his view to the
house. Rafe moved but Kade followed and shoved him back. “You have a hand,
Rafe. Take care of yourself and leave the woman alone. Humans do not belong in
our world.”
    Rafe had tried. After watching Jasmine undress, he’d stroked
his cock until his goddamn hand cramped but he hadn’t come. He wanted her
sheath gripping him, not his roughened skin. Even fantasizing about her hadn’t
helped.
    “We’ve had humans in our pride before,” he said instead of
admitting how he feared Jasmine had captured his interest.
    “And the last one betrayed Mira,” Kade growled.
    He closed his eyes and cursed. “That was three hundred years
ago. Before her betrayal, we had many families who lived within our lands.”
    “But never since. They aren’t trustworthy.”
    Stubbornness tightened Kade’s features and straightened his
spine. Rafe took in his pose and a sliver of unease slithered down his spine. “Humans
are not the same as they were in previous centuries. They are open to different
ideas, accepting of others. Look at all the humans who work behind the scenes
to help us.” Rafe stepped closer