CHAPTERSIXTEEN
HENRY
The two men who walked into the studio were both heavy, thickset men. Henry knew instantly they were shifters with malevolent intentions in mind. It was his bodily instinct to protect his mate, so he stood in front of Olivia and used his giant hand to block her from any movement.
She may not have been used to someone standing up for her like that, or hell, a man protecting her, and it may even injure her sense of independence. But there was nothing Henry could do about that, especially in moments when she was being unfairly threatened.
He couldn’t believe Philodendron would stoop this low to get his attention. Oh, Phil had gotten his attention previously because of the unending nuisance he’d become. The man had the talent a kindergarten teacher would be proud of but nothing else. The only reason Phil went away was because of the restraining order Henry had to file against him.
After some fleeting banter, Henry sensed one of the men about to take a cheap shot at the side of his head. He first pushed Olivia back slightly, so she wouldn’t fall into the crossfire. He then dodged the heavy-handed punch and used his powerful leg to shove the unibrow man backward, crashing into the art supplies.
“Get back!” Henry roared at Olivia.
The studio wasn’t very big, so there were limited areas Olivia could go to. She looked at him with her concerned and beautiful blue eyes, then backed up slowly. As long as she wasn’t in the way, he didn’t have to worry about her.
“You son of a bitch!”
The nostril man was holding various pieces of art, threatening to smash them over his leg as he bellowed. The unibrow man stumbled up from the ground, gathered himself, and then grabbed hold of some more pieces of art off the walls.
“Don’t make us do this,” Unibrow hissed.
Henry was trying to comprehend what the hell was going on, but it didn’t matter. He had to get into the fight with the ruffians, or they had no chance of figuring out what it was that they wanted.
He removed his shirt and pants, feeling heat radiate from Olivia behind him. He looked back slightly, then saw her biting her lip, both in arousal and fear. She had picked up an easel and was holding it like a shield, a spartan ready for battle.
“Stay back,” Henry said, knowing that the words were fruitless.
He shifted quickly, black flames bursting from his skin, tail sprouting out in an instant, claws bursting forth with a furious vengeance. He fit into his panther skin like a tailored suit, the low rumble of his growl shaking the spattered bits of paint and brushes that had crashed to the floor.
He snarled at his enemies, who proceeded to break a few pieces before shifting themselves. Henry sought to interrupt the process and managed to as he leapt onto the unibrow before he was able to make the complete transition.
Their large animal bodies soared into the farthest wall from them, smashing into various paintings that had been hung there along with a cork board that announced community events. Henry heard Olivia gasp and was able to flash a look in her direction before re-focusing on the henchmen.
She had covered her mouth in horror. Henry figured out at that moment she had no idea he was a shifter.
Unibrow tried going for his tail, and Nostrils tried clamping around his throat. But Henry was an agile beast, managing to scurry from Nostrils’s chomp and slashing at Unibrow before he could give his tail a good tug.
Unibrow let out a high-pitched yelp that was slightly amusing. His tiger face began to bleed, his panic giving Henry time to give Nostrils a good smack across his face, lightly scraping the thin skin of his throat.
Nostrils took a bounce backward, his paws squishing into paint that had been spilled in the scuffle. He looked at Henry, eyes narrowed with frustration, and just before he could leap for him, Olivia sent her easel across the room and smacked him directly in the eye.
“Get the fuck out of here!” Olivia screamed.
Nostrils was bewildered, flashing a puzzled look at Henry. Henry was bent forward, growling deeply, saliva dripping onto the floor in thick wads.
Nostrils limped toward Unibrow, and they proceeded to stumble out the door with their tail literally between their legs. They broke the door on the way out, shooting it off its hinges and into the street.
Henry had the impulse to go after them, those disrespectful fucks, but he had Olivia to protect first. He turned to her, still in his panther form, feeling the snarl melt from his lips into a look of innocence.
“Henry?” she said, a smile teasing at her lips.
Henry immediately shifted back, then came to his woman with open arms. She fell into them, leaning her head against the hammering beat of his heart. Her fiery hair had come loose and smelled of fresh lilacs.
“So, you’re a shifter?” she said into his chest.
Henry cringed, stroking her head as she pressed farther into him.
“Yeah,” he whispered. “That may have been a bit of information that I overlooked.”