Protector Panther (Protection, Inc 3)

Shane had needed full life support for a week, and he’d still almost died. But Justin required nothing more than rest, oxygen, IV fluids, and medication to reduce his fever and support his heart and lungs. And from his reaction every time he awoke and saw Shane beside him, Shane suspected that the knowledge that he was finally free and with friends was also essential to his healing. If Hal hadn’t stayed by Shane’s side, Shane doubted that he’d have found the strength to survive.

Justin’s fever broke in a few days, but he had no memory of anything after passing out on Hal’s couch. Shane decided not to tell him the rest. He knew all too well how much Justin probably had to feel guilty about. He didn’t need to know that he’d hurt Shane.

By that time, his claw wounds had healed without a trace.

Once Justin was well enough to walk around, he sent Catalina and Shane out, telling them they must be going stir-crazy. When Shane said honestly that he wasn’t, Justin bluntly informed him that he needed some time to himself.

Catalina went off to telephone Ellie. Shane took a hike in the forest. He didn’t follow a trail and, by habit, didn’t leave one either. But he wasn’t surprised when he heard footsteps behind him, deliberately crunching twigs and leaves so as not to startle him. He knew who it was before he turned around.

Justin was out of his hospital pajamas and in the clothes he’d worn when he’d first shown up at the cabin: jeans, a T–shirt, and hiking boots. He was thinner and paler than he should be, but he stood strong and straight. But what surprised Shane was that he’d found a pair of scissors and clipped his hair close enough to get rid of the black. It was much shorter than he’d usually worn it, but once again bright as a new penny.

“Thanks for...” Justin shook his head as if there was too much to name. “For everything.”

He didn’t say “Goodbye,” but Shane heard it in his tone.

“Why don’t you join Protection, Inc.?” Shane asked. “It’s not quite parachuting into combat zones, but I think you’d like it. And you never know, some day there might be parachuting.”

Justin didn’t smile— Shane had never seen him smile since they’d been PJs together— but the skin around his strange black eyes crinkled like maybe he was thinking about smiling. “Did your boss authorize you to bring on new team members?”

“No,” Shane replied. “If he has a problem with it, I’ll just beat on him till he gives in.”

Justin’s eyes crinkled a little more, then smoothed out as he seemed to give Shane’s suggestion some serious thought. “Maybe later. Not now. I’ve got some stuff I need to sort out on my own.”

Shane wished he’d been willing to stay. But his friend was back, more-or-less from the dead, and that was the important thing. “Your call. Whatever you decide, you know where to find me.”

Justin smiled. For the very first time, those dark eyes looked familiar. “Yeah. I can always find you now.”

He walked into the woods. Shane stood watching the forest after he disappeared from sight. A few minutes later, a snow leopard stalked out from between the trees. He leaped onto an overhanging branch and stared at Shane with eyes green as pine needles, green as Justin’s eyes used to be. Then he climbed away through the trees until the white of his coat was lost against the snow of the distant mountains.

Shane walked back to Dr. Bedford’s office, wondering if Justin had told her he was leaving. He doubted it. Shane leaned against a towering redwood near the parking lot, trying to decide how much to tell her.

He felt a disturbance in the air, and turned to see that Catalina had come up beside him.

“I didn’t hear you,” he said. “Creeping up on little cat’s feet.”

She laughed and tipped her head back, inviting his kiss. Her lips were as warm and sweet as the first time, her body soft and responsive as it pressed against his.

“He’s gone, isn’t he?” Catalina asked.

“Yeah. I invited him to join Protection, Inc., but he said he had stuff he needed to do.” Shane was less disappointed than he would have expected. It had taken him a year, a team, and finding his mate to come to terms with what had happened to him at Apex. He understood why Justin too needed time.

“Come home with me now,” Catalina said, slipping her hand into his. “I want you to meet the family.”

***

Shane spent the entire drive bracing himself to meet her family. If they didn’t approve of a paramedic, they wouldn’t approve of a bodyguard, even one who probably made better money than the average lawyer. But instead of the big family home she’d described, she pulled up at an apartment building.

Shane laughed. “Oh. This family.”

Catalina grinned at him. “You can run the gauntlet of my relatives later. It’ll be just like me meeting your team, except once they finish harassing you, they’ll feed you to make up for it. I hope you like tamales.”

“Love ‘em.”

“How about cats?”

“To eat?”

Catalina rolled her eyes at him, then punched him in the arm. She’d gotten more used to her power by then; it didn’t hurt at all.