"I'm taking Elizabeth to her store," Ronan said, voice neither harsh nor conceding. "Mabel is to be protected. She can move around Shiftertown, but not out of it, and one of us is to be with her at all times. Tell Rebecca."

"I'm not a babysitter," Scott growled.

He was defiant, but Elizabeth sensed him backing off under Ronan's stare. Elizabeth had seen these dynamics before, at every home she'd lived in. Sometimes the adult radiated menace and the kid took a step back, shoulders slumping in submission; sometimes it was kid who was in control.

Ronan was definitely in charge here. "Not a babysitter," Ronan said. "A protector. We all are."

"Bodyguards," Elizabeth said. Scott flicked his gaze to her, then took it instantly back to Ronan. "Not my choice, but Ronan's right," Elizabeth went on. "Mabel and I need protection until we figure out how to be safe from these guys. I'd really appreciate it if you made sure Mabel was all right. And if anyone comes looking for her, I'll be glad to know you and Rebecca are around."

Scott's gaze flickered again, but the enraged defiance eased out of him.

"Well, if you're going to stroke my ego, all right then," Scott said. "See, Ronan, you only have to ask nice."

Ronan shrugged. "Elizabeth's nicer than me. Go tell Rebecca, and don't be a shithead."

Scott gave him a sneering look, but it was more mocking than angry. "I'll tell her I found you kissing Elizabeth. I thought you said you'd conquered your mating frenzy a long time ago."

"Go," Ronan growled.

Scott went, but at least now he was laughing.

"I'll be glad when his Transition's done," Ronan said, exasperation in his voice. "It's like living with a volcano."

"What's a mating frenzy?" Elizabeth asked.

"Don't humans have that?"

"No." Elizabeth folded her arms, keeping him out of her space. She shouldn't have let him kiss her, but, damn, she'd enjoyed it.

Ronan moved to his motorcycle and started checking things on it. "Mating frenzy happens at the Transition for the first time, but it can happen any time we scent a potential mate. It always happens after a mate-claim is accepted. Mating frenzy means a Shifter wants to mate without stopping, not even to eat. Maybe to sleep, but then only to wake up and mate some more."

"An out-of-control sex drive?" Elizabeth asked. "And you conquered it? I didn't know men could conquer their sex drive."

He ignored her attempt at humor. "Once, a long time ago, I almost mated, but she got killed."

Ronan bent to study a dial on his bike, but not before Elizabeth saw the raw pain in his eyes. She went to him. "Ronan, I'm so sorry." She touched his shoulder, strong beneath her hand. "I didn't mean to tease you."

"It's more than fifty years ago now. I've never found anyone I wanted to mate with since."

But it hurt him. Elizabeth saw that. Some hurts never went away, no matter how much you tried.

"Seriously, Ronan, I'm sorry," she said. "That shouldn't have happened to you."

Another shrug. "We need to get to your store."

Elizabeth let it go. She'd also learned that when people didn't want to talk about their pain, they didn't want to talk about their pain.

She started for the pickup, but Ronan shook his head. "Marquez's guys will know your truck. We take my bike."

"What does it matter? They'll know I'm at the store when I get there."

Ronan gave her a look of great patience. "It matters when they're scanning the streets for your truck, and it matters when I need to get you away as fast as I can."

Elizabeth conceded, not so much because she agreed but because she wanted a ride on that bike. Her skin tingled with glee as she headed for it. She'd owned a Harley once upon a time, until some ass**le stole it, and she'd never seen it again.

The bike was huge, fitting its large owner. An older model, she saw, but lovingly kept. Ronan handed her a spare helmet. Elizabeth fastened it, then mounted behind him.

The motor throbbed, power between her legs. Elizabeth hung onto Ronan, the man as powerful as the bike, and suppressed a whoop as Ronan tore out of the driveway and onto the street.

*** *** ***

Elizabeth let herself put away her worries to enjoy the ride to the shop. Ronan took it easy, but she felt the bike's energy, its need to open up. What heaven it would be to get this thing out on an empty highway and really let it go.

She felt Ronan's strength as he leaned into the turns, the fluidity of his muscles as he moved with the bike. He knew how to ride, knew how to coax the machine to do what he wanted without fighting it.

"Sweet ride!" she yelled.

The journey ended too soon, Ronan pulling up in the alley behind her store.

All seemed quiet. Ronan let her dismount first and took the helmet from her, but told her to wait for him to scout. "If I tell you to, you get on this bike and go," Ronan said. "I can tell you know how to ride, right?"

Elizabeth nodded. She knew, all right, though this motorcycle would be a challenge, as large as it was.

"Good," Ronan said. "Let me go check it out."

Truth to tell, Elizabeth felt a lot better with Ronan there. If she'd come alone in her pickup this morning, she'd be lingering, debating whether to go inside, and possibly losing the debate. In spite of her brave talk about staying open no matter what, she was afraid.

Watching Ronan walk away wasn't bad, either. He was a big man, but trim, not fat. His ass in those tight jeans was very nice, and the black T-shirt stretching across his shoulders was nice too.

Ronan unlocked the back door of her store and stepped inside. Elizabeth tensed, hands clenching around the motorcycle helmet until she swore she'd dent the plastic. When Ronan came back outside after about fifteen minutes, her entire body relaxed, and she flexed her sore fingers.

"Everything's fine," he said. "No one's in there, the lock hasn't been forced, and I didn't find any booby traps."

"Booby traps?" Elizabeth said, eyes going wide.

"These guys aren't going to fight fair. I checked for tripwires and explosive devices, but I'm pretty sure it's clean."

"Pretty sure?"

Ronan actually smiled. "I'll keep looking. Like I said, no one forced the locks or any windows, so I don't think anyone's been inside."