If it's not one thing.... You know the rest   Finally, the next chapter here. Thinking about rearranging how this is set up so it is easier to follow...

With a low roar, Marc swiped out at the man with his paw, claws extended. He caught the front of the man’s shirt, ripping the cotton material and grazing the skin underneath just hard enough to leave a set of parallel scratch marks across his chest. The man jumped straight up into the air like he’d grown springs in the bottom of his feet and he screamed like a little girl. As soon as he hit the ground again, he spun around and took off running. Marc urged him on his way with a warning growl that ended in a loud snap of his teeth together.

As soon as the man was out of sight, he switched back to human. No point in risking more exposure if someone else took an interest in what happened in Delila’s front yard. A car door slammed and a couple of seconds later, tires squealed. Marc started to grin at the way the man had so quickly melted into fear, but as he pushed up to his feet he nearly lost his breath to the pain in his side. Shit.

He’d heal much faster than if he were one-hundred percent human, but he still needed time. And a place he could sleep. Stepping around the bush, he looked around the neighborhood. Nice trimmed lawns and cookie-cutter condos as far as the eye could see. Great. Just great.

He felt sweat roll down his neck and he reached up to brush it away. His hand came back smeared with blood. Hell. Even better. Not only didn’t he have shoes, he couldn’t walk or breathe without pain from his ribs radiating through his body in blasting waves, he was bleeding from the head. And he still had a damn headache. One hell of a way to start a morning. At least the day could only get better.

Where are you, cub?

Or not. His cousin’s distinctive low rumble cut through his thoughts. Normally he considered the telepathic abilities of his kind a huge time-saver. Today it was a serious nuisance. He tried to clear his mind of pain before he answered, but his cousin didn’t wait for a response.

Let me know where to meet you tonight. The clan’s sending me to take over your assignment.

Tonight. That gave him a little time. Claudius was an arrogant asshole and the idea of him even looking at Delila didn’t settle well. And if he knew his cousin at all—which he did—just looking wouldn’t be enough for him.

Keep ignoring me cub, and I’m going to whip your ass when I get there.

Marc sent a short burst of thought starting with a mental image of him flipping his cousin off and ending with the location of a fast food restaurant at the edge of town just off the highway. He blocked further communication before Claudius could respond. His cousin may be a condescending pain in the ass, but he was one of the clan’s top hunters. If they were sending him out here, something was going on.

Most days he appreciated his half-were status because it left him clean out of clan politics and a big chunk of piddling clan responsibilities. Then there were days like today where he really wished he knew what was going on instead of being left to guess and rely on his cousins to dole out information if and whenever the hell they felt like it.

He hissed out a breath and another stab of pain shot through his side. One thing was for sure. He couldn’t just stand outside Delila’s house barefoot and bleeding. He needed a shower and something for his head. And he needed to keep an eye on Blain’s sister. Maybe the woman would return from her run in an understanding mood and make his job easier. And maybe Claudius would take a wrong turn and flash himself into the middle of the ocean. Both were about as likely as the other to happen. Steeling himself against the full-body thrashing he was about to put himself through—again, he called on his powers to teleport himself into her condo. Damn, he hoped she had a fresh pot of coffee on.

Summer's gone! Where did the days go? Yikes! Hope yours was great!

Eve