Amber Kell Banded Brothers 1 To Have a Human

Sometimes it’s the family you choose that loves
you the most.

Carey Gale always knew about shifters. It was
difficult not to know when your best friends could
turn into some of the deadliest beasts. When he
gets a daytime job to support his band working at
a shifter owned business, he doesn’t expect to fall
hopelessly in lust with Broden Lyall, the
company’s alpha. Sadly, Broden thinks little of
humans. He considers them helpless and weak.
But when hunters come after Carey’s friends,
Broden learns that not all humans are alike, and he
will do anything to have one slim, blond human.

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entirely coincidental.

To Have A Human

ISBN: 978-1-77111-398-4

Cover art by Angela Waters

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To Have A Human

Banded Brothers Book 1

Amber Kell

Chapter One

arey Gayle finished his guitar riff with a quick
flicking of fingers, sending the crowd

screaming. He loved feeding off the energy of a
live audience. The acoustics in Club Feathers were
better than most of the small bars they'd played in
and the owner always gave them free drinks.

“Thank you everyone for coming out tonight.

We’re Banded Brothers, and we look forward to
seeing you again in two weeks.” He bowed to the
crowd and waved a hand to indicate his band
mates. He could see his friends bowing in his
peripheral vision.

The thunder of applause filled the bar and a

chant of next week went through the crowd. Carey
waved again, then he kneeled down by the case to
place his guitar inside.

“I think they liked your new song.” His band

mate Eaton Franks crouched beside him, his bare
chest soaked with sweat. Eaton’s golden brown
hair gleamed under the lights with the same color
as his feathers in eagle form.

Amber Kell

Carey nodded. “Yeah, but I think me and

Denton were playing different tracks.”

“That’s because you’re a show off,” Denton

teased.

Carey looked up to see Denton’s eyes shift to

reptilian for a second and Carey froze, wondering
what his friend sensed.

“You smell something?” Ducking his head

Carey flicked his gaze around the club, hoping to
spot any danger before it found them.

“Mostly cat shifters,” Denton said in a low tone.

“I thought I scented wolf for a bit, but it’s faint.”

Even in his human shape, Denton’s crocodile

nature gave him a better sense of smell than Eaton
and Carey had.

“I didn’t see any wolves.” Carey replied. He

always kept an eye out for wolves since that breed
of shifter tended to be unstable and start fights.

“I don’t want to alarm you guys, but there’s at

least three cat shifters here and a wolf who left,”
Harris Bender said. Harris crouched down beside
them, cradling his bass guitar like a baby.

Bear shifters had a sense of smell seven times

that of the average bloodhound. Harris had never
been wrong. Between him and Denton they’d
always been the first level of alert for their group.

Carey nodded. “Denton already said.” His

friends were leery of other shifters since none of
them were affiliated with an official shifter family.

To Have a Human

The four of them had formed an unofficial pack
with Carey as the leader, despite his human status.

“If no wolves are going to attack, I need a

drink!” Carey declared.

Snapping his instrument case closed, Carey left

it behind for Denton to put in the van. Carey and
Eaton helped set things up while Denton and
Harris were in charge of tearing it down. That was
their agreement.

Carey spotted Eaton flirting with a fan as he

headed for the bar. Eaton was always the
personable one with the audience.

Carey had a knack for being able to recognize

shifters even when they were in their human form.
It came from a childhood of hanging around with
non-human friends. They always moved a little
too smoothly, a little more gracefully than
everyone else.

The crowd slowed his progress toward that

desired drink. Carey pushed through, nodding
and smiling to fans as they came to congratulate
him on a good performance. The best part of
playing to a live audience for Carey was meeting
people afterward and getting feedback.

Finally free of the bulk of people, Carey slid

onto the closest bar stool.

“I hear they have a great selection of imported

beer,” a deep voice spoke up behind him.

Carey turned to see six-foot plus of lush shifter

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goodness. The man’s dark eyes scanned Carey as
if he were a favorite treat and the stranger wanted
a bite. Midnight hair cut short, but long enough
for a good grip, sent several hot scenarios rushing
through Carey’s brain.

Work was over, it was time to play.
Carey let his gaze slide all over the delicious

man. Cat shifter, would be Carey’s guess. “Can I
buy you a drink?”

Carey nodded toward the bartender.
“I’d rather just take you home and fuck your

brains out.” The man didn’t even blink while he
uttered his outrageous pronouncement.

“Hmm, a direct kind of guy, I like that. But I

never go home with anyone if I haven’t tasted the
goods first, not to mention I don’t even know your
name,” Carey said pointedly.

Laughter looked good on the guy. Big, tall and

intense, he probably didn’t laugh half as much as
he should.

“Forgive me. I got sidetracked by your half-

naked body. I’m Broden Lyall.”

“Carey Gale. And I object to the half-naked

thing. My shirt is still on.” Unbuttoned all the way
to expose Carey’s body, but still on. Eaton was the
exhibitionist of the band.

“Barely.” Broden slid one long finger down

Carey’s six-pack abs. “I hope you don’t think I
was objecting.” His trail ended at the top of

To Have a Human

Carey’s jeans. He hooked a finger through the
front belt loop and yanked Carey closer until their
groins touched.

An embarrassing whimper left Carey’s throat.

The man smelled like something wild and
delicious. Carey could feel the man’s heat through
his thin shirt.

“I’m a bit sweaty,” Carey protested weakly as

he locked his knees to stop from tumbling to an
inelegant heap at Broden’s feet.

“I like sweaty,” Broden growled. “It makes me

want to lick you all over.”

Carey’s cock hardened. He had never been so

turned on by someone so quickly before. He didn’t
generally pick men up at bars, but Broden was
going to be the exception.

Broden’s nose twitched before he pinned Carey

with a predatory expression. “I see you like that
idea, too.”

Carey tilted his head submissively as he felt

Broden’s erection harden against him.

“You know what I am,” Broden whispered.
“I’m guessing cat of some kind,” Carey replied.
“And you’re not scared.” Broden searched

Carey’s face as if trying to catch him in a lie.

“Nope. Kiss me,” Carey demanded.
Broden captured Carey’s lips without

hesitation—tasting, licking, conquering Carey’s
mouth. Heat flashed through him like a

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flamethrower had scorched his insides. It took all
his resolve not to climb the man like a tree and
hump against him in front of the entire bar. When
they broke apart, panting replaced words for a
minute.

“How’s that for a sample?” Broden asked. His

wet lips distracted Carey who yearned for another
kiss.

“Um…it’ll do,” Carey managed to say once he

realized Broden was waiting for an answer. He
licked his lips to belie his words. Damn the man
tasted good!

“Go tell your friends you’re leaving.” Broden

turned Carey and shoved him toward his band
mates who were all watching him with great
interest. Carey didn’t live like a monk, but he
rarely went home with complete strangers—his
father taught him better than that. This time
though, he couldn’t resist the urge to follow
Broden like a lost puppy looking for a new home.

Carey made eye contact with Harris who raised

his eyebrows at him. A shrug and a bashful grin
conveyed all that he needed to. He made the
motion that he’d call later and Harris nodded.

He turned back around to find Broden

watching him with amusement.

“All done?” Broden asked.
Carey nodded. “If I don’t call Harris in a few

hours, he’ll get worried.”

To Have a Human

Even without weapons. Carey had lethal skills.

His father made sure that Carey could handle any
situation with or without a gun to back him up. Or
as his father liked to say, A pretty boy like you needs

to know how to take a big man down because everyone

is going to want into your pants.

His father might not be the most diplomatic

person, but he’d taught his son everything he
knew and had saved Carey’s ass more than once.

Broden placed a hand on Carey’s back to guide

him, but didn’t try to speak until they left the
noisy club behind. “Your band is really good.”

“Thanks!” Carey smiled. “We’re getting better.

We’ll never hit it big, but we enjoy playing in the
clubs. There’s cheap liquor and a friendly
audience.”

“Why don’t you think you’ll ever be a success?”

Broden’s interested expression told Carey the big
man really did want to know.

Carey shrugged. “I guess it depends on your

measure of success. I think if we get to play in
clubs, then we’re a success. We’ll never be a huge
name because it’s a matter of commitment. We
enjoy music, don’t get me wrong, but we all have
other goals in life. I like computers, Harris is a
painter, Eaton is getting his degree in quantum
physics or something like that and Denton is into
landscape design. Music is our passion, but it isn’t
our life. In order to make it big, you need for it to

Amber Kell

be both.”

The street was quiet as they walked away from

the club. Only a few cars passed, indicating the
lateness of the night. The cool air made Carey
shiver. He’d left his jacket on the stage when he
stripped it off earlier.

“Here.” Broden’s body heat enveloped Carey

with the warm cloth of his jacket. “I always forget
how cold humans can get.”

A snide comment danced on the tip of Carey’s

tongue, but weighed against the chance for a hot
night with the shifter made him keep the words
inside. Maybe Broden didn’t mean that like it
sounded. No reason to jump to conclusions.

“It is cold out,” Carey agreed, snuggling into

Broden’s jacket.

“What do you do with computers?

Programming?”

“Something like that.” More like de-

programming. That was a world of discussion he
didn’t want to have with a total stranger. His
hacking skills weren’t something he told other
people about. He used it for the benefit of
organizations to check out their firewalls and
verify their security, but most people heard the
word hacking and immediately thought he was
into espionage or willing to break into bank
accounts and funnel money. Neither was a
discussion he intended to get into with his fuck-of-

To Have a Human

the-night no matter how nice the guy seemed. The
less information shared, the fewer things that
could go wrong.

“Let’s not talk about me. Let’s discuss where

we’re going so you can fuck me.” Carey figured
they were walking to Broden’s place since they
had already passed the parking lot a while ago
and weren’t heading to any of the few cars parked
on the street.

“I live right over there.” Broden pointed to a

tall, modern building across the street. Carey had
watched them construct the luxurious condos a
few years ago. They appeared to be well-built, if a
bit soulless.

“Nice.” Looked like he was getting lucky in

style.

They crossed the street and Broden used his

access card to open the main door.

Carey approved of the security even if he knew

he could crack the code in a few seconds. It would
keep most people out. He automatically checked
out the exits as they crossed the lobby. Carey kept
his hands to himself in the elevator as Broden
pushed the number ten button. You never knew
what people would do with elevator recordings.
Carey wouldn’t put himself in a questionable
position that he’d have to access later and erase.

Broden led Carey down the hallway. Doors

were spaced a good distance apart so the

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residences must be quite large. Stopping halfway
down the corridor, Broden unlocked the door.
Pushing it open, he motioned Carey forward.
“Here we are!”

Broden’s apartment surprised Carey. The place

had an unused feel to it like, the man never really
stayed there. High-grade leather furniture,
polished wooden floors and pieces of art glass
filled the condo. Carey wanted to take the
gorgeous shifter to his house and show him what
a real home looked like. The Victorian mansion his
grandmother had left him held all the character
and warmth Broden’s beautiful but empty living
space lacked.

“I don’t spend a lot of time at home,” Broden

said, as if reading Carey’s mind.

Carey shrugged it off. It wasn’t like they were

picking out china patterns. If the man wanted to
live in a cold personality-free abode, he wouldn’t
point out the flaw. For their purposes, they only
needed a nice bed and some lube. Luckily, shifters
didn’t spread disease so a condom was optional.

Deciding actions were better than words, Carey

stripped off his shirt.

“Not much of a talker?” Broden asked, amused.
“No I’m more of a doer. What about you? Want

to do me?” Carey stepped closer until they were
almost chest-to-chest.

“Oh definitely, honey,” Broden purred.

To Have a Human

Bingo. Carey had the big kitty’s attention.

“Don’t be shy, let me see what you’ve got.” It was
probably the worst line he’d ever used, but when
Broden stripped off his shirt and exposed miles of
sexy muscle, Carey had to admit it worked.

Carey’s erection hardened against the fly of his

extremely tight jeans until he worried about
cutting off circulation.

Broden’s nose twitched and a wide smile

crossed his handsome face. “Oh, honey, I want
you, too.”

Carey let out an unmanly yip as Broden picked

him up and slung him over his shoulder like a
sack of flour.

“Hey,” Carey protested.
Broden slapped his ass. “Hush.”
“Hush?” Carey wished he’d brought his knife—

Broden’s broad back would make an excellent
target.

He didn’t have long to anticipate the shifter’s

death. Broden rushed down the hall, then
dropped Carey onto a large bed with a big fluffy
mattress.

Broden’s eyes glinted with satisfaction. “Hmm,

just as I suspected.”

“What?”
“You look amazing in my bed.”
Before Carey had the chance to make the

smartass comment hovering on his lips, Broden

Amber Kell

yanked off Carey’s shoes, then tossed them over
his shoulder.

“Not a neatnik, I see,” Carey said with a laugh.
“Not when I’ve got better things to do than

lining up your sneakers.”

Broden took off his own shoes, then removed

the rest of his clothes without fanfare. Carey
would’ve commented on the lack of romance if
lust hadn’t choked him.

“I must’ve been a really good boy in another

life,” Carey said, his gaze focused on Broden’s
erection.

“Come take your reward,” Broden coaxed.
“Mmhmm.” Carey made gimme motions with

his hands, his mouth already watering over the
thought of tasting the liquid beading the top of the
large mushroom head. He’d never considered
himself a size queen before. He might have to
revisit that notion. After Broden, he might be
ruined forever.

Broden stalked toward to the bed, traces of the

animal inside rose to the surface as his eyes
glowed with a predatory light. When he got close
enough, Carey went to his knees and crawled to
the edge of the bed.

Carey wrapped a hand around Broden’s thick

cock. Peeking at Broden through his long lashes,
Carey swallowed him down to the root.

“Oh Jesus!” Broden exclaimed. “I’ve never had

To Have a Human

anyone take all of me before. Yes, suck me!”

Despite Broden’s rough tone, he placed a gentle

hand on the back of Carey’s head and slid careful
fingers through Carey’s hair.

Carey increased his suction until Broden

tightened his grip to hold Carey still. “Stop. I want
to come inside you.”

After a noise of protest, Carey pulled off. “But I

want to taste you,” he complained.

Broden groaned. “As much as I’d like to have

you swallow me down, I want to fuck you even
more.”

With quick efficient motions, he divested Carey

of the rest of his clothing. It took a little effort to
peel off his pants, but Broden applied himself to
the job. When he was finished, he paused to
admire his handiwork. “Nice. You’re pretty all
over, aren’t you?”

“I’m glad you think so,” Carey replied. He got

his fair amount of attention, but since his three
best friends were drop-dead gorgeous, he never
really thought much about his own looks. From
the expression on Broden’s face, the man didn’t
find any faults.

“There’s lube in my nightstand,” Broden

prompted.

“I’m on it.” Carey scurried over to the drawer

and ripped it open. He gave a shout of success.
“Found it!”

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Broden snatched it from Carey’s hand.
“Hey!” Carey exclaimed.
“That ass is mine tonight,” Broden insisted.

“Roll over, beauty.”

Carey snorted. “I think I preferred honey.”
“And I think I prefer you on your knees and

offering me your ass,” Broden countered.

Carey made a big production over sighing

before he rolled over and wiggled his butt at
Broden.

Broden slapped Carey’s ass, the sound echoing

in the bedroom.

“Hey!” Carey objected.
“Sorry, I can’t resist smacking something that

fine.” Broden grinned.

“Less smacking, more fucking,” Carey insisted.
“Patience, sweet.” Broden rubbed the red spot

he caused.

Carey almost said something sarcastic, but the

happy sound of the lube top popping open stilled
his words. He didn’t want to discourage the man
from taking action. He had the uneasy feeling that
Broden had enough control to withhold sex just to
teach Carey a lesson.

“Easy.” Broden circled Carey’s hole until he

pushed back against the finger taunting him.

“In me now!” Carey insisted.
Broden didn’t answer. Instead he slid one

finger completely inside and crooked it until

To Have a Human

Carey bucked beneath the attention.

“More!”
A second finger joined the first, then quickly a

third.

“I need your cock,” Carey moaned.
“I’ll give you what you need, don’t you worry.”
Carey relaxed as Broden’s erection pressed

against his hole. “Now.”

Broden sighed as he slid inside. “You feel so

good. Better than anyone, ever.”

“Flatterer,” Carey groaned.
Laughter puffed air against his skin as Broden

rubbed his face against Carey’s bare shoulder.

“Are you scenting me?” Carey asked.
“Damn straight. When you leave here you’re

going to reek of me for days.” Broden gave a
growl of satisfaction. The cat shifter pumped in
and out of Carey as if his life depended on Carey
coming without a touch.

“Keep that up and I’m not going to last,” Carey

protested.

“Good. Come!” Broden bit Carey’s shoulder,

sending him over the edge.

“Oh, crap!” Carey cursed as cum spurted from

his cock.

Broden groaned and Carey felt wetness flood

his hole.

With a sigh, Broden pulled out, falling onto the

mattress beside Carey. “I knew you’d be a sweet

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fuck.”

“Glad I could prove you right,” Carey gasped.

His heart hammered in his chest as he came down
from his orgasm. His shoulder hurt from Broden’s
bite, but his body ached deliciously.

“Give me some time and we’ll do it all over

again,” Broden said.

Two hours later Carey only felt a little guilty for

sneaking out while Broden slept the sleep of the
well fucked.

To Have a Human

Chapter Two

roden looked up from his paperwork to find
his second-in-command Isaac Graham

standing in the doorway. “You vanished last night
with that pretty singer,” Isaac teased.

“Yes, I did. He was tasty, too.” Broden grinned.

His inner jaguar swished its tail in agreement. He
suppressed his annoyance over waking up alone.
He shouldn’t have expected a flirty singer to want
to hang around until morning. At least he knew
where he could find the man in a few weeks if
Broden didn’t hunt him down sooner.

“Was he as sweet as he looked?” Isaac asked.
“I marked him as mine,” Broden confessed.
“You marked him? Seriously? But…but he’s

human!” As a puma shifter, Isaac rarely showed
concern over anything. People who bugged him
tended to decide they had other places to be.

“I know.” Broden couldn’t help who his jaguar

picked. The beast had never chosen anyone before
and he couldn’t believe his animal half had chosen
wrong this time. Memories of the taste and feel of

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Carey had haunted him all day. He couldn’t wait
to claim his future mate again.

“You can’t bond with a human,” Isaac objected.
Broden growled. “I will choose whoever I want

and I want this man.”

Isaac sighed. “You better hope he’s tougher

than he looks.”

“Are you telling me you don’t think I can

protect my mate?” Broden stared at his beta in
amazement. A low growl rolled up his throat and
he could feel his fangs beginning to lengthen.

“No. Of course not,” Isaac took two slow steps

backward. “I just want you to be careful.”

“Is there anything else you needed from me? Or

are you just goofing off?” Broden snarled.

“We need to hire a new computer hacker. Tony

quit. He said our expectations were too high.”

“Damn it.” Broden slumped against his desk. It

was difficult to find good computer people. They
tended to be more willing to hop onto the next
better paying job than stick around. Especially
hackers. “Who’s taking over his position?”

“That’s the other problem. We don’t have

anyone. Tony was our best security guy. The
others aren’t anywhere close to him.”

“We’ll have to hire outside.” Broden didn’t like

the sound of this. To have someone else just step
in could be difficult. They’d have to get security
clearance for any new employees and that took

To Have a Human

time. “Do you know of anyone who might be
interested who already has top security
clearance?”

If anyone could find someone, it was Isaac. He

was a connector—the type of person who always
knew someone who knew someone who could do
a job. Which made him an excellent beta.

“I’ll call around and get back to you. I just

wanted you to know about the situation,” Isaac
reassured him before leaving.

Broden sighed, resisting the urge to pull his

hair out by the roots. He needed a cut. It grew so
quickly he should have his barber on speed dial.
Idly he wondered if Carey would like it longer.
Broden frowned as he considered his pride’s
reaction to a human alpha mate. They’d better fall
in line with his choice of mate, or there would be
serious repercussions. Broden had no intention of
dropping Carey. They might have only had one
night together, but his Jaguar had decided on
keeping this one human and he wouldn’t be
denied.

Annoyed that his brain kept circling back to

Carey, Broden returned his attention to his
paperwork. He had to focus and break down the
work to see how many people they needed to hire
for all the extra jobs. With the increased
sophistication of global hackers and thieves, they
never ran out of work. Spotted Cat Security

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specialized in breaking into companies and
exposing their security breaches.

They snuck through security systems both

physically and electronically, with Tony being
their main hacker. However, now that Tony had
abandoned them, they were dead with their
electronic surveillance until they found a new
employee with mad hacker skills. Not necessarily
an easy person to replace. However, if Isaac found
a new hacker, this person could train others to
help with some of the easier jobs. Unfortunately,
hackers and security clearance didn’t always go
hand in hand.

Broden plowed through his paperwork, trying

to work out allocations of resources. He got lost in
his calculations and looked up in surprise when
Isaac rushed back into his office.

“I called around and heard some rumors about

a guy who can hack into anything—apparently
security is his specialty. My contact is checking to
make sure it’s all right to give me his number. He
sounds like the right guy if we can get him on
board,” Isaac said.

Broden nodded. “Great.” He tried not to panic

as he contemplated letting someone else into their
system. Alphas didn’t panic, at least not where
anyone else could see them.

“He’s human,” Isaac warned.
“Humans can be useful, just not usually as

To Have a Human

bodyguards or with break-ins. They’re just too
weak to match a shifter if there’s a confrontation.
However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be helpful
with the computers,” Broden explained.

Isaac gave Broden an odd look. “Aren’t you

worried about your own boy? He’s human. You
think he’s weak?”

Broden shook his head. “No. I can take care of

him.”

He would do everything necessary to keep his

mate protected. Humans were fragile and needed
special care, but Broden figured he could protect
one beautiful human.

* * * *

Carey crouched behind the low stone wall, his gun
raised. Leaves rustled in the light breeze, covering
the sound of anything approaching. They were out
there, he just had to be patient. When Carey was
young, his father taught him that when dealing
with the enemy, patience was more than a virtue,
sometimes it saved your life.

A slight noise had Carey lunging to the right as

claws scraped the wall where he’d been standing.
An eagle screech pierced the air. Spinning around,
he shot the bird and laughed when a blue blot of
paint splattered across one large wing.

“Gotcha,” he said in a low voice. A growl had

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him leaping forward.

Snap
“Oooh, vicious,” Carey taunted with glee. He

hadn’t realized he’d gotten so close to the water.

The ten-foot freshwater crocodile growled

again before crawling back into the underbrush.
Light brown in color, it smoothly blended with the
tall grass, all but disappearing in the shadowy
water.

“You’re a cheater, Denton,” Carey called out.
Brush crackled and snapped behind him.
“Crap.”
Carey ran.
He might be able to roll out of the way of a croc,

but the grizzly he heard tramping through the
underbrush could accidentally crush him.
Adrenaline pumped through Carey’s body as he
tucked his gun in his waistband before jumping
then pulling himself up onto the low-hanging
branch. Carey climbed to the top, spun around,
pulled out his weapon, then shot a paint pellet at
the bear’s wide shoulders. He flipped off his perch
and nailed the croc on the nose as the creature slid
out of the greenery.

“The human wins again!” Carey shouted before

dancing in a little circle like a football player
who'd just made a touchdown.

The croc transformed into a black-haired,

green-eyed man who stood six-foot-two in his

To Have a Human

bare feet. “I hate it when you shoot me in the
nose,” Denton Stills complained, brushing at the
blue paint coating his face.

“I just like to hit the biggest target,” Carey

teased.

Denton scowled. “Funny.”
“I know.” Carey bowed to his friend.
“At least you can see your paint,” Harris

Bender complained, pawing at his back. At six-
foot-three, Harris resembled his bear form in size
if not in hairiness.

“I can’t believe you’re pouting,” Carey laughed.

A pouty face looked odd on the big muscular man.

The eagle swooped down and landed before

Carey. In a showy flash of gold, the bird changed
to a five-foot-ten man with brilliant golden brown
hair and gold-brown eyes. Blue paint covered his
entire arm and dripped down the side. He gave
the mess a rueful look. “Good shot, Care!”

Carey grinned at his friend. Eaton Franks never

held a grudge. The eagle shifter had been Carey’s
friend since second grade when an arm cramp had
caused the adolescent eagle to fall from the sky
into Carey’s sandbox.

“You haven’t lost your touch,” Denton

reluctantly agreed.

Carey relished his win as his friends pulled on

their clothing. They might be shifters with
enhanced abilities, but he’d been training to shoot

Amber Kell

people since the age of five when his father gave
him a set of laser guns and tracked him through
the forest.

Raised by a single father who lived and

breathed Special Forces, Carey knew before the
age of ten how to sneak up and disarm an
assassin. However, in a fit of rebellion, Carey had
gone into computers instead of joining any
military group. That didn’t stop him from wanting
to keep his skills up to date.

After they were all dressed, they piled into

Denton’s jeep and headed back to the cabin. The
cabin belonged to Carey’s father, but since he
never stuck around for long, they could use it
whenever they wanted.

Despite the fun he had with his friends, as soon

as the adrenaline faded, Carey began to miss
Broden. The stupid cat shifter had gotten into his
head and didn’t seem willing to leave it anytime
soon. How he’d gotten so infatuated with a man in
one night he didn’t know, but he had to admit the
glow from their one time together hadn’t faded in
the thirty-six hours and ten minutes since they’d
last parted. Not that he was counting.

His phone rang, pulling Carey from his happy

glow of winning. He ignored his friends’ good-
natured grumbles as he answered the call.

A few minutes later, he hung up.
“I’ve got an interview!” he said gleefully,

To Have a Human

waving his phone.

“Good. We need a new keyboard,” Harris said.
Carey nodded. All their extra money went to

the band and to pay taxes on the house his
grandmother had left him, which they all lived in.
“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Don’t steal it,” Harris warned.
“Or liberate it,” Denton added.
“Or anything like that,” Eaton said.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Carey grinned at his

friends. “You’re all very suspicious.”

“Uh-huh,” Denton said.
“I was never convicted,” Carey reminded them.
Eaton laughed. “That’s because they lost the

evidence.”

Carey shook his head. “Pesky computer files,

shame how they disappear.”

The friends all exchanged looks and burst out

laughing. Harris wiped his eyes. “Morons
shouldn’t have left you alone with a computer.”

“Idiots thought a twelve-year-old couldn’t do

anything,” Denton said with a smirk.

Carey shook his head at his friends’

amusement.

They were the best.
Bantering amongst themselves, the quartet

returned to the cabin to wash up.

Thinking back over his conversation with Isaac,

Carey knew this was the sort of job that would

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lead to a much better revenue stream than his
current one. He’d love to just work and not have
to worry about drumming up clients all the time.
Sometimes it was more effort to find customers
than to do the job for them.

Carey picked up his guitar and began to

absently strum it while he thought over his
options. He’d have to nail the interview. He’d do
some research on the company before he went.
Preparation was the key.

Carey didn’t know what to expect when he

reached Spotted Cat Security, but the silvery
metallic office building that looked like something
out of a space ship wasn’t it. Their website hadn’t
done the headquarters justice. The building
covered a good corner of a downtown block. If
Carey took the job, at least he wouldn’t have far to
go from his house on Queen Anne. His
grandmother had left him a mansion at the top of
the hill with a nice plot of land, but taxes were a
bitch. Even with his friends pitching in, they
barely covered the tax bill.

“Wow.”
Carey’s mind automatically mapped out the

entrances and exits as he walked into the building.
The quickest way to make an exit was imprinted
on his mind before he made it to the elevator.
Following the instructions emailed to him, Carey

To Have a Human

pushed the button to the third floor offices.
According to the buttons, there were fifteen floors
in all. He wondered what all these people did.

The doors opened, revealing a beautiful

reception area with a lot of wood and an adorable
shifter girl at the reception desk. A row of office
doors made a frosted glass ring along one wall.
Peering around the reception area, Carey could
make out a maze of desks, but no cubicle walls. So
far, so good. He hated when he went places and
saw a sea of cubicles.

Carey flashed his best smile.
“Can I help you?” the girl asked, her eyes

brightening at the sight of Carey.

“I have an appointment with Isaac Graham.”
The receptionist tapped a few strokes on her

keyboard before asking, “Carey Gale?”

“Yep, that’s me,” he agreed, leaning on the

counter.

“If you’ll have a seat, I’ll tell Mr. Graham that

you’re here.”

“Sure thing.” Carey sat down on the cushy

chair indicated and pulled out his smart phone to
entertain himself while he waited.

Within a few minutes, he’d lazily hacked

through their firewalls and examined their
inventory. They definitely had a good inventory of
weapons and a long client list. He wondered what
percentage of workers were shifters versus

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humans. The company was owned by shifters, but
because of their sensitive work, names and
pictures of the employees weren’t on their
website.

“Mr. Gale?”
Carey looked up into a pair of friendly gray

eyes set in a narrow face. “Yes, that’s me.”

“I’m Isaac Graham.”
Carey stood up and took the hand offered.

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

He noticed the shifter moderated his grip so he

didn’t hurt Carey when they shook hands. Some
shifters were overly cautious when dealing with
humans. Carey hid his smile. Mr. Graham would
be surprised by how much strength Carey had.

“Call me Isaac, please.”
Carey nodded. “Please call me Carey.”
“Now that niceties are out of the way, let me

introduce you to our A-boss.”

“You can say alpha. I won’t be offended.”

Carey knew some humans were freaked by the
rigid social structure of shifter organizations. He
certainly wasn’t one of them. How could he be
when he was essentially the alpha of his own
small group?

Isaac’s smile became wide. “Excellent. I heard

you’ve worked with shifters before.”

“I haven’t really worked with shifters, but I live

with three of them.” Carey didn’t give details.

To Have a Human

Isaac didn’t need to know the ins and outs of his
personal life. A lifetime of caution kept him from
saying anything more. His father had drilled into
Carey’s head not to share more than minimum
details with anyone.

“Good. Good.” Isaac nodded. “I just wanted to

check. Some humans are uncomfortable working
with my kind.”

“Some humans are idiots,” Carey said.
“True. That’s very true,” Isaac agreed. “Sadly, I

can’t say there aren’t some nutty shifters out there
also. I mean you have the wolves…”

Carey nodded. “At least that’s one group you

can point to and fairly assess they’re all bonkers.”

“Agreed,” Isaac said.
Isaac escorted Carey down a white-painted hall

decorated with generic office artwork. Carey
wondered where a person went to buy the same
crappy stuff that went on cheap hotel walls, but
then Harris painted most of his art. Not everyone
was lucky enough to have a resident artist.

When they reached the last door, Isaac knocked

twice and waited.

“Enter,” a deep voice called from inside.
Carey’s stomach did a nervous flip. That voice

sounded awfully familiar. When Isaac opened the
door and waved Carey inside, his suspicions were
confirmed.

“You!” he exclaimed. Paranoia struck. Had

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their meeting the other night been coincidental
after all or had Broden been hunting him and
horny, stupid Carey had fallen for the act?

“You left me!” Broden stood up and marched

over to Carey.

“It was a one night thing,” Carey defended

himself. Broden’s anger was oddly reassuring.
Maybe it hadn’t been a setup. Maybe the gorgeous
shifter had actually liked him. “And my shoulder
still fucking hurts.”

He wouldn’t let Broden get away with not

taking responsibility for his painful bite since the
damn thing stung whenever he moved his right
side or took a shower or even breathed wrong.

“Let me see.” Broden’s smug expression wasn’t

reassuring. Carey resisted the urge to hit him. It
probably was the wrong move if he truly wanted a
job there.

Before Carey could respond, Broden ripped

open Carey’s dress shirt, sending buttons flying
everywhere.

“Shit! I liked that shirt,” Carey complained. It

had been his favorite, too—polished cotton in a
nice blue. Eaton was going to throw a fit. He’d
bought the shirt for Carey for Christmas a few
years ago, telling him he needed at least one dress
shirt to be civilized. Apparently Broden didn’t get
the how-to-be-a-civilized-person memo. Maybe it
was lost in his inbox along with the don’t-molest-

To Have a Human

potential-employees note.

“Beautiful.” Broden brushed a finger across

Carey’s wound. Carey whimpered as a jolt of
desire slammed through his body at Broden’s
touch. Why he was so completely enthralled with
this one man, Carey didn’t know, but the slightest
brush of skin between Broden and him brought
sparks of need zapping up and down his spine.

“I had a different word for it. Besides it sort of

destroys my dating potential.” He struggled to
sound sarcastic when he was actually turned on.

“It proves you’re mine and you have no more

dating potential,” Broden snarled. The tip of fangs
appeared through his lips. “You’re done seeing
other men—or women, too, if you swing both
ways.”

Carey opened his mouth to tell the bossy shifter

what he thought of the man’s opinion when Isaac
intervened.

“I take it I should interview him then?” Isaac

asked.

Carey and Broden turned to face him.
“For the job? You know, ask questions that

don’t involve naked couch time?” Isaac’s raised
eyebrows showed he thought he was hysterical.

“I’ll interview Carey on my own,” Broden said

in a rough tone. He put a hand on Carey’s
shoulder, his thumb sliding across a patch of bare
skin and sending a shiver through Carey’s body.

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Unable to resist, Carey jabbed Broden in the side
with his finger, pleased when he got a grunt. The
shifter was way too sure of himself, thinking he
could manipulate Carey into doing what he
wanted.

Dating, maybe, but mating wasn’t on Carey’s

to-do list. Not in this decade. He didn’t need a
mate to weigh him down and tell him what to do.

Isaac’s cynical gaze swept Carey’s exposed

chest. “I don’t think that would be such a good
idea. I mean you can sleep with him all you want,
but a job interview should be professional. I don’t
want you hiring someone with your little brain
and regretting it later. No offense, Carey.”

“No offense taken.” Carey shrugged. At least

one of them was looking out for the company. His
respect for Isaac grew at the man’s insistence on
someone responsible doing the hiring. Obviously
Broden wasn’t giving the interview the right kind
of attention. Carey would love a repeat of their
first encounter, but he could use a job more. He
also didn’t plan to get it because he was sleeping
with the boss.

Carey’s phone beeped. He pulled it out of his

pocket. “I think you need to beef up your firewall.
I’ve been all over your system and there wasn’t
much stopping me.”

Whoever had been their computer specialist

before hadn’t done a very good job, by Carey’s

To Have a Human

estimation.

Their

security

program

was

sophisticated, but anyone with an ounce of
knowledge knew all of its back doors.

The astonishment on both their faces made him

smile. They really had no idea about the
technological capabilities of a smart phone. These
obviously weren’t the computer crew. Carey
wondered who else they had on staff.

“You’re hired,” Isaac said.
“We will, of course, run a background check on

you first,” Broden replied. His smile told Carey
that it was probably more for personal reasons
than because he needed it for the job, but that was
all right.

“I’d be surprised if you didn’t. You’ll find I

have both shifter and human clearance,” Carey
assured him.

If there was one thing his father had taught him

even better than firearms, it was how to design his
own background check. Carey’s file showed
whatever he wanted it to. However, the one these
people would see was the one he’d set up with
security clearance and a limited background filler,
enough to look like he had a valid history, and
with just enough facts to satisfy his curious kitty.

“Good,” Broden approved. “Now that that is

out of the way, Isaac, you can leave us and go
check Carey’s clearance.”

“Don’t you want to explain the job to me? I

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might not want it,” Carey warned. He might think
Broden was the hottest shifter on the planet, but
he wouldn’t ruin his life over a big cock, no matter
how well the owner knew how to use it. He’d only
offered to interview because he wanted a steady
paycheck for the group.

There were other options. More tiring options

that involved drumming up business and a few
that involved shady people with even shadier
bank accounts, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t
do things if needed. He took care of his people.
They might be an odd little pack, but they were
his.

Broden wrapped an arm around Carey’s

shoulders. “I’ll tell you all about it.”

“It doesn’t include having to have sex with the

alpha,” Isaac piped up. “That’s completely
optional.”

“Don’t you have references to check?” Broden

growled.

“Yes, sir,” Isaac gave a snappy salute before

vanishing out the door, laughter drifted after him.

Carey tried to put his shirt back together, but

had to give it up as a lost cause.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” Broden promised.

“Sit.”

Broden motioned toward a leather couch

positioned at the side of the room away from the
desk. The piece of furniture looked comfortable

To Have a Human

and well-loved like it had provided haven for
more than one impromptu nap and possible
overnight sleepover.

“Is this like a casting couch interview?” Carey

asked, waggling his eyebrows at Broden. “Should
I strip to see if I’m qualified for the job?”

Broden grinned. “The job isn’t contingent on

giving me sexual favors. However, don’t let that
stop you from sleeping with the boss. Although
I’m in charge of the company, I won’t be your
direct supervisor, Isaac will. He’s in charge of day-
to-day operations.”

“Good.” Carey hadn’t stopped kicking himself

for not getting Broden’s number before. He’d had
an attack of nerves in the middle of the night and
had snuck away. Afterward, he’d regretted that
action. Broden deserved better. Unfortunately,
unless he returned to Broden’s apartment and
truly became a stalker, there wasn’t a way to go
back and apologize.

“I was going to go back to the club to find you,”

Broden said, breaking into Carey’s thoughts.

“You were?” Carey’s heart pattered faster—he

really was wanted. Despite the evidence of the bite
mark, he’d worried that Broden might regret his
one-night stand with a human. Carey had more
than one encounter where the friendly shifter
lover from the night before refused to
acknowledge him the next day. Harris generally

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hunted those men down and beat the crap out of
them, but it had happened before.

Broden nodded. “You said you’d be there in

two weeks. I was going to make sure I was, too.
I’d like to date you on a regular basis and see
where it might go. What do you think?”

“I didn’t think shifters dated. I thought you

mated or not.” Carey couldn’t get a handle on
Broden. The man had marked Carey as if he
belonged to him, but then didn’t push to seal the
deal. As none of his friends were mated yet, Carey
didn’t know if this behavior was normal. Maybe
the cat shifter was a bit unhinged. Or maybe he
was looking for a way to convey his regrets about
picking the wrong guy. Despite the satisfied look
in his eyes when he saw his mark, maybe Broden
didn’t want anything long term either. Carey
could appreciate that. He needed to get his friends
settled first and make sure their lives were on the
right track before he could accept any man
permanently in his life.

“I’m not like most shifters. I’m a jaguar, and the

alpha of my pride. I need to make sure any man in
my life can handle being my mate. If you were a
shifter, it would be easier. Each of our animals
would bond with the other. Since you’re a human,
allowances must be made.”

Carey didn’t like how Broden acted as if being

human was a barrier that had to be overcome.

To Have a Human

He’d known enough shifters with that humans-
are-inferior attitude that he didn’t have to accept it
from a lover.

“I can already tell you that if you think you

need to make allowances for me, then we aren’t
compatible,” Carey let his disgust show on his
face.

He wasn’t anyone’s second choice. With one

last disappointed look at Broden and with his
heart breaking, Carey turned to leave.

Two steps later, Broden grabbed him and spun

him back around.

“Don’t leave, babe. I didn’t mean for it to sound

like that. I just want to know you better before I
make any permanent decisions. I told Isaac you
were mine and I was going to keep you, human or
not, but I do have to make sure you’ll settle well
with the pack. Is it too much to ask to give us
some time?” Broden’s pleading look twisted Carey
into knots.

“I like you, too, but I’m not a consolation prize.

If you can’t accept me as a human, we’re done.”
Carey was at a loss. He really liked Broden and
even though he didn’t really want to be Broden’s
mate at this time in his life, he couldn’t make
himself let the man go completely. He had a
feeling that if he quit seeing Broden, he would
regret it for the rest of his life.

“Like I said, I want to date you. Take you out

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somewhere, not my apartment or a bar, and get to
know each other.” Broden leaned closer and
sniffed at Carey’s neck.

Carey laughed. Broden’s breath across his neck

tickled. “If you want, I can strip down and you
can sniff me all over,” Carey offered. He winced
after he spoke. Eaton always told him he didn’t
need to say everything he thought. Harris claimed
Carey had a defective brain-to-mouth filter. Carey
suspected a person had to have one to start out
with in order to break it. His daddy wasn’t the
only reason Carey had to learn to hold his own in
a fight.

Broden’s mouth quirked at the edges. “I’ll

restrain myself.”

Despite his words, Broden shoved Carey’s shirt

off Carey’s right shoulder a little to access the bite.
Broden lapped at the mark he'd left, healing the
open wound. “Sorry I didn’t heal this for you. I
got carried away, and you left before I
remembered.”

“It hurts like a bitch. I almost asked Eaton to fix

it, but that would have been too weird,” Carey
explained. He’d never been romantically attached
to any of his roommates—they were like brothers
to him.

A low growl vibrated Broden’s body against

him. “I don’t know who Eaton is, but he better
keep his mouth to himself.”

To Have a Human

The he-man act never appealed to him before.

Why did Broden’s possessive tone make Carey
shiver with desire? Something about this cat
shifter had Carey reacting like he never had
before. Maybe there really was some sort of
cosmic-mate-matching service and they were the
latest pair. Only time would tell if this would
work out.

Carey raised an eyebrow at him. “I didn’t agree

to be exclusive.”

“Trust me when I say I don’t share. Until we

decide what’s between us, I’ll need you to see only
me. I’m a jaguar,” Broden said as if that settled the
matter.

“I didn’t think jaguars mated for life,” Carey

said.

“Jaguar cats don’t. Jaguar shifters are like all

other shifters—once we find the one we want, we
keep them.” Broden’s smile told Carey the man
already had plans for keeping Carey.

“I’m not dating anyone else at the moment. I’ll

agree to be exclusive for now,” Carey caved. He
didn’t want to fight, not when his entire goal was
to get back into Broden’s bed.

“Thank you. Let me know if you change your

mind,” Broden said. “So I can hunt down your
new lover and convince him of the error of his
ways.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Carey said dryly.

Amber Kell

Chapter Three

roden knew the second Carey exited the
elevator and walked onto the third floor. The

scent of honey and lemon always followed the
man. An odd smell to make him hard and needy,
but the results didn’t lie. Since Carey had started
to work there a few days ago, Broden had never
missed the opportunity to watch the man enter or
leave a room. No one looked as good from all
angles as Carey.

Not to mention the man did great work. Three

banks now had permanent contracts with them
after Carey easily hacked into their accounts to
show them the error of their ways.

His hot lover was also good for business—what

more could he ask for?

He struggled against the urge to purr.
After taking a slow calming breath, Broden

turned and tried to focus on his spreadsheet.

“Did you say something, boss?” Isaac asked.
The smirk on his face told Broden his beta

To Have a Human

needed his ass kicked…again. Ever since Carey
had started on the job and showed all the errors
their last computer guy had left behind, Isaac had
been beside himself with smugness.

Not only did Isaac pat himself on the back for

bringing Carey on board, but for finding Broden’s
mate. Isaac said that he got the credit because
Broden let Carey slip through his fingers.

Smug bastard.
“No, I didn’t say anything.” Broden let a little

growl underlie his words to show his ire.

Isaac tilted his head submissively, even though

the twinkle in his eyes didn’t dim. “You should
see the workers pop out of the woodwork when
he walks through the office, men and women.”

A fang pricked Broden’s lower lip. He sucked

in a breath, appalled at the action. Only Carey
affected him enough to lose control and actually
fang out.

Isaac gave a strangled laugh.
“Oh, shut up. I can’t help if it drives me insane.

Have you seen my guy? He’s hot!”

“He is,” Isaac agreed. “You think he’s the one?”
Broden nodded. “He’s jumpy though. He’s

agreed to be exclusive, but not to commit.”

“Is it the rock star thing?” Isaac asked.
Broden shook his head. “No, I think it’s because

I made a comment about him being human. He’s
kind of sensitive about it.”

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Isaac tilted his head to examine Broden.

“Maybe you’re just insensitive. You’ve never had
to actually consider someone’s feelings before.
Everyone has always catered to you, especially in
the pride. I think you need to step up your game.
Do you know he remembered Julie’s birthday and
he hasn’t even been here a week?”

Broden shrugged. “You know I don’t remember

stuff like that.” He’d never been good with
anniversaries

and

holidays—they

always

interrupted the flow of the regular day. Annoying.

“She’s been your assistant for ten years,” Isaac

said, exasperated.

“So?” Broden wondered where his beta was

going with his weird comment. It’s not like
Broden didn’t know how long she’d been his
assistant.

Isaac rolled his eyes. “My point is, he’d make a

good alpha mate. He already knows how to get on
everyone’s good side, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s
easy on the eyes.”

They both watched the friendly blond exchange

smiles with the receptionist. Carey brought out the
best in everyone. Not to mention his shirt outlined
a nice set of muscles. Broden longed to strip him
naked and examine every bump with his fingers
and tongue. Sometimes at night he had dreams
about doing that exact thing. He wished to do
more of it in the future.

To Have a Human

He smiled as he visualized the mating mark

still there beneath Carey’s shirt. Broden made sure
to freshen it each time they made love. Eventually,
it would become permanent.

“I worry he’s not strong enough because he’s

human.” As much as Broden wanted to keep
Carey forever, he worried the pretty man
wouldn’t be strong enough to be a shifter mate.
Although a mixture of cat breeds formed their
small pride, they didn’t have any humans in the
mix. He ignored the unhappy snarl of his inner
cat.

“I think Carey would kick your ass if he heard

you questioning his strength. I think he’s plenty
strong for a human, and if he somehow gets into
an altercation with a shifter, he’s got you, our
pride, and that band of his behind him,” Isaac
persisted.

Isaac had come to some of Carey’s concerts and

was becoming an avid fan. Broden suspected it
was a particular crocodile shifter that really had
his attention, but he didn’t point that out. Not yet.

Broden shook his head. “As much as I want to

keep him, it would kill me if I hurt him.” That’s
what it came down to. He didn’t want to hurt the
younger man.

Humans were fragile. His father had drummed

that into him years ago when he’d gone to a public
human-shifter school.

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Unfortunately, his parents weren’t around

anymore to ask for advice. His mother had died in
a plane crash and his dad died soon after from a
broken heart. For shifters, it wasn’t just a figure of
speech. When they lost their mate, their heart
literally couldn’t take the pain.

“So that’s it. Despite claiming him as yours,

you’re going to let him get away?” Isaac’s tone
expressed both disgust and disbelief. “I never
thought I’d see the day my alpha was afraid of
something.”

“I can rip out your throat before you make it to

the door,” Broden said mildly.

Isaac cleared his throat. “It’s your decision,

boss.”

Broden nodded. “Remember that.”
After discussing a few more items of business,

Isaac rushed off to carry out Broden’s orders. He
left the door open when he exited, leaving Broden
with a clear view of Carey talking to a new
worker. Broden had contracted the man for
protection support, but his inner jaguar didn’t like
how close the man stood to Carey. No one but
Broden should stand near enough to mingle his
scent with Carey’s.

The new guy, Dan or Dean or something,

watched Carey with a glow of attraction that made
Broden’s animal half want to take the man down
like a wounded deer and rip out his throat.

To Have a Human

The Carey issue ate away at him. He needed to

have the gorgeous man under him, preferably
naked and wrapped around his cock. Memories of
the last time they got together haunted him day
and night. He had to have Carey, he just hoped it
wasn’t a selfish move that would injure his pride
in the end.

A loud purr rolled up his throat as he

contemplated all the things he could do with the
human. He imagined Carey’s robin egg blue eyes
darkening with lust as he licked all that
beautifully tanned skin. Broden wiggled in his
chair, parting his legs to make room for the
erection as he contemplated the tan that extended
all over Carey's hot body.

Taking a deep breath, Broden ruthlessly forced

his mind to focus on the contract before him. His
erection would have to wait.

Linda came into the office, closing the door

behind her and cutting off his view of Carey. Her
natural reddish-brown hair, twisted in a
complicated knot, looked like it took hours, but
Broden had seen her twist it out of the way and
pin it in place with a pencil and get the same
elegant look. She had the natural grace of an old
movie screen actress with the attitude of a drill
sergeant.

“You look nice today,” Broden commented.
Linda looked up from her notepad and

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frowned at him.

“What? Can’t I compliment you?” Broden

asked innocently.

“The last time you complimented me it was to

cushion the blow that you'd set the coffee pot on
fire,” Linda reminded him.

“That was what? Five years ago?” Broden

asked.

Linda nodded. “And I only remember it

because your desperate attempt at distracting me
failed miserably. Anyway, I wanted to say Carey’s
a sweet boy, though you should formally claim
him. Spreading your scent across him, then
sending him into the company to work is starting
all sorts of rumors.”

“What kind of rumors?” Broden growled. “If

anyone has said anything to hurt him…”

Claws popped out of the tips of Broden’s

fingers. No way would he let anyone harm Carey,
physically or mentally.

“Hold on, boss. I’m just saying it’s causing talk.

Some are saying you’re too afraid to take what
you want or you don’t trust Carey because he’s
human. I don’t think anyone has said anything to
him, but I don’t know for sure. Even if they don’t
say anything to him directly, he’ll eventually hear
the rumors and his feelings might be hurt.” Linda
look worried.

“I don’t think he’s that delicate,” Broden

To Have a Human

responded. However, the thought of it possibly
hurting Carey bothered him.

“It’s a matter of courtesy. If he were a shifter,

would you hesitate?” Linda’s expression made
Broden feel like he was reverting to his childhood
when his mother tried to hold him accountable for
his actions.

“No,” Broden confessed. “He’s right, I do treat

him different because he’s human.”

Damn, he was an idiot. “I need to have a

claiming ceremony. Prove to everyone I mean to
make him official. I’ve been an idiot. There’s no
way I’m not going to keep him. He’s my mate. I
know it. He’ll have to get used to the idea.”

“That’s the spirit,” Linda approved.
Putting their heads together, they started to

schedule the party.

* * * *

Carey settled into his office. Because he did all the
computer stuff and needed a lockable space, he
was given an office of his own. Tony’s old office.

“Hello, pretty human, what’s on the agenda for

the day?” Lucan slinked into Carey’s office. The
way he moved, all boneless, made Carey
sometimes think of him more as a snake than the
Scottish wildcat he was in his shifted form.
However, Lucan treated him just like he was a

Amber Kell

member of the company. Carey had learned the
corporation was actually a small pride of mixed
cat shifter breeds who ran the business and shared
in all the profits.

“We’re breaking into WolfTrac,” Carey

informed him.

Lucan tilted his head. “A wolf company is

hiring us?”

Carey tapped a few keys and examined the

monitor. “Hmm, did I say that?”

“Does the boss know?” Lucan stepped closer to

see what Carey was doing.

“They’ve been trying to crack our system for

the past three days and I’m trying to figure out
why. I don’t want to say bad things about Tony,
but there were some emails between him and the
WolfTrac president. The email was encoded and I
haven’t had time to look at it yet, but it does make
me curious as to why a cat shifter would leave an
obvious good thing here to do some work with the
enemy.”

“Tony is working for WolfTrac now?”
Carey nodded. “At least that’s what it looks

like. His signature is all over their system. Not
only that, but he left a lot of holes in our system
that WolfTrac seems to somehow know all about.
I’ve been plugging them and adding gates of my
own to keep them out, but I’m following the a-
good-offense-is-the-best-defense route and am

To Have a Human

checking them out myself.”

“I did wonder why Broden never pursued

Tony. I mean, we’re a tight group and Tony never
really fit in, but he was one of us, you know. The
fact he just up and quit and no one went to check
on him is kind of odd,” Lucan observed. Sitting on
the edge of Carey’s desk, he sniffed the air.

“What? You know I hate being sniffed.”

Somehow it didn’t feel quite as annoying when
Broden did it, but it usually preceded sex so he
was forgiven.

“I can’t help it, you smell like Broden, lemon

and honey and, as a member of his pride, the
alpha always smells the best. I just want to climb
in your lap and sniff you,” Lucan confessed.

“Do it and you're fired,” Broden growled from

the doorway.

Lucan jumped gracefully to his feet, dropped to

his knees, and bowed his head. “Forgive me,
Alpha.”

“Rather dramatic, isn’t he?” Carey asked.
“A little.” Broden raised an eyebrow. “Rise,

Lucan, just keep your nose to yourself.”

“Yes, sir.” Lucan climbed to his feet and

hovered as if unsure of what to do.

“Go back to your desk. Carey will call you

when he needs you back,” Broden instructed.

“Yes, Alpha.” Lucan gave Carey a wistful look

before exiting the office.

Amber Kell

“Don’t be so hard on him, he’s young,” Carey

said. He felt a little bad for the exuberant shifter.
Lucan had a sharp mind, but a big mouth. Carey
understood the dangers of that combination.

“I’m not hard on him, I just don’t want him

sniffing you. That’s my job.” Broden walked over
and pressed his face to Carey’s neck, inhaling
deeply. “He’s right, you do smell good.”

Carey laughed. “I take it you like how you

smell on me?”

“Absolutely, you’re the best kind of smell,”

Broden confirmed.

“And what’s that?”
“Mine.”
Carey laughed. “Did you come by for a reason

or just to sniff me?”

“I wanted to double-check you were doing your

concert tonight. I’m going to show up, but it might
be closer to the end of your gig. I’ve got an
overseas conference call later tonight.” Broden
gave Carey a pained expression that told him it
wasn't something his lover was looking forward
to.

“No problem. We’ll be there until midnight.

After that, you’ll have to hunt me down at home.”

“Speaking of home, when are you going to take

me to yours?” Broden frowned.

“I’ll have you over soon,” Carey promised. “I-

I’ve never invited a date home before.”

To Have a Human

It was sort of an unwritten rule. None of the

roommates brought anyone into their house. It
was their safe zone, where strangers weren’t
welcome. He’d have to check with his friends to
see how they felt before dragging Broden home.

“Really? Never?” Broden asked.
“Nope. I’ll check with the guys, maybe we can

have a dinner or something,” Carey offered. He
didn’t want to make any hard promises, but if
Broden planned to become part of his life, Carey
needed to be comfortable with Broden in his
home. Carey usually kept his private life private—
it would be a big step to allow someone into his
small group.

“Are you worried your friends won’t like me?”

Broden’s expression was almost amused as if
Carey’s concerns were ridiculous. Maybe they
were.

“Not exactly. It’s sort of complicated. Now, if

you don’t mind, I’ve got work to do.” He waved
meaningfully at his monitor.

“What are you working on?”
“Hacking the wolves. They’ve been trying to

break into our system over the past few days. Do
you know why Tony left?”

“No. Why?”
“I think he might be working for WolfTrac now,

and I don’t know why anyone would go work for
those psychopaths if they didn’t have to. I’m

Amber Kell

wondering if maybe he had to.”

“You think blackmail?” Broden asked in

surprise.

Carey shrugged. “Did he give notice or

anything?”

“I don’t think so, I’ll double-check with Isaac.

As far as I know, he just stopped coming to work
and told Isaac we had too many jobs to do.”
Broden frowned. “That does sound suspicious,
doesn’t it?”

“It kind of does.” No good roads led to the

wolves. If Tony was working for them now, that
might be something Broden should investigate.

Broden grabbed Carey’s desk phone and called

Isaac’s extension. After a minute, he slammed it
back down. “I forgot he’s taking the day off to go
to a security seminar at the convention center. He
won’t be back in the office until tomorrow. I’ll
leave him a note and have him check on that.”

“Thanks,” Carey felt a rush of relief that Broden

not only believed him, but was willing to look into
his concerns.

“No, thank you. No one else thought to look

into this. We should’ve been more concerned with
one of our own.” Broden kissed Carey, hard and
fast, leaving a blaze of heat behind.

“Um, you’re welcome, but Lucan is the one

who mentioned that he didn’t think anyone
followed up,” Carey got out once he caught his

To Have a Human

breath.

“I’ll thank him, too, minus the kiss.” Broden

tapped Carey on the nose and left.

“It better be without the kiss,” Carey mumbled

as he tapped on his computer keys. The idea of
Broden touching anyone else, kissing or not, made
Carey cranky—Broden belonged to him.

“Crap,” Carey said, looking at the ceiling. “I’m

in love with the fucking alpha.”

“About time you admitted it,” Lucan said,

entering the room. “Thanks, by the way, for telling
Broden about my idea.”

“He talked to you?” Carey didn’t realize he’d

been fixating that long on his computer screen.

Lucan nodded exuberantly. “He said I had

good instincts for the pride.”

“That was nice of him.” Whatever faults Broden

had, he was a good alpha.

“It was. I hear you have a concert tonight.”

Lucan scuffed the floor with his shoe. “Is it okay if
I come along?”

“Sure, the more the merrier.” Carey sighed.

“I’m not making much progress with this right
now. I’m going to run a few programs, then leave
it for tomorrow. We’ll be at Feathers on Capitol
Hill. It starts at ten, come early if you want a seat.”

“Cool. I always wanted to go there,” Lucan

exclaimed. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled as Lucan all but

Amber Kell

bounced out of Carey’s office.

Lucan was a cute kitty. He’d be a good hacker if

he could stand being seated for more than a few
seconds at a time. Maybe he should ask Broden to
look into one of those standing desks for Lucan—
that way he could fidget and still get work done.

Pulling on his jacket, Carey headed out the

door.

To Have a Human

Chapter Four

he club pulsed with life and dancing as pre-
recorded music pounded from the speakers

positioned all around the building. Carey spied
his band mates on the small stage, setting up gear.
Sometimes it struck him odd that he was the only
human in a band of shifters, but his father called
him a shifter magnet for good reason. If there were
sick or injured shifters within a hundred mile
radius, they always found Carey.

“Hey, guys.” He waved to his friends as he

approached.

“Hey, rock star,” Eaton called out.
Carey laughed. If either of them looked like a

rock star, it was Eaton. The man’s gold hair and
perpetual tan gleamed under the stage lights.

Catching sight of the familiar bag in Carey’s

hand, Eaton’s smile went nuclear. “You are the
best, dude.” He grabbed the sack Carey held out
and opened it eagerly.

“I figured you wouldn’t have time to eat.” He

Amber Kell

didn’t mention he doubted Eaton had the money.
His eagle shifter friend sent all his extra funds to
his parents to help raise his five brothers and
sisters in Guatemala. His family didn’t have a lot
of money and Eaton worked two jobs besides
playing with the band. Despite everything, Eaton’s
sunny nature always shone through his
exhaustion and he’d never let the band down.

“The double cheeseburgers are on top.”
Eaton grabbed two from the top and handed

them to Harris.

“Thanks, Carey, I freaking love their salmon

patties.” The sandwiches looked almost dainty in
Harris’s large hands. A nicer guy hadn’t been born
despite the hardships life had dealt him. If Carey
hadn’t found Harris crammed into a small cage in
a sicko’s backyard, the bear shifter might not be
alive today. By mutual consent, they never
discussed Harris’s condition when Carey found
him. Some things didn’t need to be talked about
between friends.

“Did you get my steak burger?” Denton

stepped forward, his ripped shirt exposing his six-
pack abs. The man didn’t have a single ounce of
fat on him and as a crocodile shifter, he burned off
tons of calories whenever he transformed, leaving
his human form lean and muscular.

“Have I ever forgotten?” Carey asked, mildly

insulted.

To Have a Human

Denton’s eyes flashed reptilian for a moment.

“Sorry, dude, I didn’t eat lunch,” Denton
apologized.

“You know you can’t skip meals,” Carey

scolded. When Denton got super hungry, his croc
half took over and bit down on whatever was
closest.

A flush crossed Denton’s cheeks. “Sorry, I was

working on a new song.”

“Ah,” Carey nodded. Denton got lost in the

creative process and forgot to eat or drink or do
anything except the music.

Carey got his own chicken sandwich out and

sat at the end of the stage next to Eaton. “How’s it
going?”

Eaton scanned the stage. “Pretty good. I think

we’ll be ready in ten minutes or so. We should
have a nice crowd tonight.”

Carey followed Eaton’s head nod toward the

audience. The tables were filling up quickly.

“Anyone playing after us?” Carey dared not

hope the crowd was there for them. He thought
they were good, but he might be biased.

“Nope, they’re all here for us,” Eaton said with

satisfaction.

“Really?”
Carey scanned the audience with new eyes. The

crowd wasn’t huge, but it was growing, and it
looked to be a good attendance.

Amber Kell

The band quickly finished their food and tossed

their wrappers.

“I’ll change quickly, then we can get started.”
Carey grabbed the clothes Denton handed over

to him and rushed to the backroom to get dressed.

* * * *

Broden exited his Mercedes and slammed the
door. He could hear the music from the parking
lot. A deep driving beat and a luxurious voice
could be heard above it all.

Carey!
His footsteps sped up as Broden rushed to the

front door. When the bouncer went to intercept
him, Broden flashed his fangs.

“Whoa, cover charge!” the bouncer said.
Broden pulled out his wallet and tossed some

money at the bouncer—he didn’t bother to count
the bills. He needed to get inside, to claim his man
before someone else dared. Pushing his way
through the crowd, Broden ignored the angry
looks and frowns until he reached a few feet from
the stage.

Wow!
On the stage was a man of pure sex appeal.

Carey writhed and sang like a siren spinning his
spell upon his hapless victims. Broden knew if
Carey crooked his fingers, half the audience

To Have a Human

would be more than happy to offer themselves to
him.

A low growl rolled up his throat while Carey

continued his song and shook his ass on the stage.
His inner Jaguar wanted to drag the object of his
attraction away from the crowd so no one could
drool on him. That ass should have exclusive to
Broden Lyall tattooed on it to keep the others away.

Isaac walked through the busy bar to come

stand beside Broden.

“He’s good,” Isaac shouted to be heard over

the crowd.

Broden nodded, but didn’t say anything. Right

now he didn’t want anything to distract him from
his mate, especially with Carey dripping sex like
an incubus after a dry spell.

Four songs later the band stopped for a break.
Broden spun away from Isaac and followed

Carey’s path off the stage and to the bar.

“Good evening, Carey,” Broden said.
Carey spun around. “Hey, Broden. You’re

earlier than I thought you’d be.”

“The conference call ended sooner than I

expected,” Broden replied. “Happy to see me?”

“Always.” Carey stepped closer until his

sweaty body pressed against Broden.

Broden slid his hands into Carey’s hair, holding

him still for his kiss. Carey tasted like everything
right in the world. Broden’s inner jaguar let out a

Amber Kell

purr, vibrating both of their bodies.

Carey laughed. “I think kitty approves.”
“What’s not to approve of?” Broden looked

Carey up and down. “I think I might have to
demand a new company dress code.”

“I don’t think we’d get much done if everyone

wore skin tight pants to work. I wouldn’t be able
to sit at my desk, that’s for sure.”

“Hmm, okay, maybe only on Fridays,” Broden

amended.

Shaking his head, Carey accepted the bottle of

water the bartender handed him. “Did I see
Isaac?”

“Yes. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” Broden gave

the bartender a cold glare when the man flashed
Carey a flirtatious look. The stupid man also had
the gall to check out Carey’s ass when he turned
away.

His inner jaguar clawed at Broden’s insides.

The cat wanted to rip the bartender apart. Broden
took long, slow breaths and imagined his inner
animal curling up in a ball to sleep, a calming
exercise he’d learned when he was young. It had
been years since he last got so close to losing
control.

“Hey, you all right?” Carey slid his hand along

Broden’s arm.

The feel of Carey’s skin touching him soothed

him as only a mate could—another sign Carey was

To Have a Human

meant to be his. Broden grabbed Carey and kissed
him. He started out gently, giving Carey the
chance to pull away if he wanted. Instead of
objecting, Carey rubbed against Broden, ratcheting
up the desire to unprecedented levels.

Broden’s grip tightened as he added more

aggression to his embrace. Carey matched him,
kiss for kiss.

“Carey, we need to get back on stage, man,”

Denton’s voice broke into Broden’s lustful haze.

He lifted his mouth to glare at the intruder. A

reptilian gaze flashed at him until the man’s eyes
returned to human.

Carey looked over his shoulder. “Sorry,

Denton.”

Denton smiled at Carey. “Come on, you’ve got

fans waiting.”

Broden received a quick kiss before Carey

headed back to the stage.

“Keep your hands to yourself, cat, Carey’s not

for you,” Denton warned.

Broden bristled at the order. “Why is that?”
“Because Carey’s good people and I know you

kitty cats stick with your own. I won’t have him
toyed with because you’re in heat,” Denton
growled.

“I’m not in heat. I’m interested in Carey and no

lizard is going to stop me from getting what I
want.” Broden had no interest in playing games.

Amber Kell

Denton smiled, revealing rows of razor teeth.

“I’m not a lizard. I’m a crocodile. Trust me when I
say I’ve got Carey’s back. If you hurt him, you
better sleep with one eye open, because we’ll hunt
you down. I’ve declawed a cat or two in my time.”

Broden nodded. “It’s good to see he’s got

people on his side. Someday maybe you can tell
me how a croc shifter came to be watching out for
a human.”

“You’ve got that wrong, mister. Carey usually

watches out for us.” Denton turned around and
headed back to the stage before Broden could ask
any more questions.

Isaac walked up beside him. “I still think he’s

hot.”

“He’s a croc.”
“Hmmm, I like to live dangerously,” Isaac said.
Broden watched as his friend tracked Denton’s

progress to the stage where he picked up his
guitar.

“Are you going to stay?” Isaac asked.
Broden watched Carey begin a song and leaned

against the post beside him. “I’m not going
anywhere.” No way would he leave the sexy man
in a bar full of horny young people, all of whom
had their eyes glued on Carey’s gyrating hips.
He’d tell Isaac about Tony tomorrow—it wasn’t
like the man was going anywhere now.

To Have a Human

* * * *

Carey tried not to stare while he focused on his
music, but Broden stood out in his fitted suit like
an Abercrombie model in a sea of trolls. Closing
his eyes in order to keep on tune, Carey belted out
his words. They sang a combination of cover
songs and ones the band wrote, mostly Denton.

The heat from the lights made sweat soak his

clothes and saturate his hair. He knew by the end
of the night he’d be able to drench a full-sized bath
towel with his moisture. The crowd went wild as
the band wrapped up their last set. Taking a bow,
they exited the stage.

Carey only made it a few steps before a low

growl sounded beside him. He turned to see
Harris’s eyes glowing. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“That man is here,” Harris said.
Carey froze. Over the past few weeks, a wolf

had watched them, but never close enough to spot
and not always at every performance.

“Where?” Since Carey didn’t have enhanced

senses, he depended on his friends to let him
know if there were any strangers they needed to
keep an eye out for.

As a band of three shifters and a human, they

were more cautious than they might’ve been if
they had an all-human band. Carey wouldn’t
trade his friends for anything, but it did cause

Amber Kell

some interesting times. More than once they’d had
to hide their true nature from the world at large in
order to stay safe.

Carey scanned the crowd, his training kicking

in as he picked out a few people he considered
possible targets. Unfortunately with his tight
leather pants, he had little room to hide a gun.

“Let’s clean up. Denton, you keep an eye out,”

Carey ordered, taking control of the situation. In
their group of four, Carey had always been the
leader.

“I’m on it,” Denton replied without hesitation.
Carey, Eaton and Harris all packed up their

equipment.

“Can I help with something?” Broden asked.
“Carry this,” Carey handed over a subwoofer.
“What can I do?”
Carey looked up to see Isaac standing by the

stage, his gaze pinned on Denton.

“You can carry Denton’s guitar,” Carey nodded

toward the black case and ignored the dagger
glares from his friend.

He hid his laughter as he bent down and

grabbed the keyboard stand. It only took a couple
of trips before everything was packed up. The
person Harris had scented never made an
appearance and after twenty minutes, the bear
shifter declared the stranger gone.

“Do you want to go home with your friends or

To Have a Human

with me?” Broden asked.

Carey turned to face his band mates. “What do

you guys think? You need me to go with you?”

It would be the perfect reason to avoid Broden.

As much as he liked the guy, he was still on the
fence about the forever-bonded mates things.

“We’ll be fine,” Eaton reassured him. “Don’t

use us as an excuse. If you don’t want to go with
Broden, don’t.”

“Don’t be a pussy, Carey,” Denton taunted.

“Not when you can be with one instead. Of course
if he hurts you, I will kill him.”

Carey smiled. His friends were the best. Leave

it to Denton to cut to the heart of the matter.

Broden cupped Carey’s face, his thumbs

brushing across Carey’s cheekbones in a
surprisingly gentle touch.

“I’m going to kiss you right now unless you tell

me no,” he warned.

“Go ahead,” Carey whispered. He might have

reservations about his possible relationship with
Broden, but he had none when it came to kissing
the sexy cat shifter.

Thoughts vanished from Carey’s head as

passion overwhelmed him. He forgot everything
except the texture of Broden’s fingers stroking his
skin. He pressed closer, trying to add more contact
between them.

“Get a room,” Eaton said, laughter lacing his

Amber Kell

voice.

Broden broke away from the kiss. “I have one.

Want to come home with me?”

Entwining his fingers with Carey’s, Broden

pulled Carey along after him and through the
crowd. Carey nodded to the regulars he
recognized and the people who waved to him as
he passed. They paused at the door when
Feather’s owner appeared out of the crowd,
barring their way.

“Hey, Carey, not leaving without your funds,

are you?” Tim asked. A condor shifter in his
animal form, Tim stood six-foot-four-inches as a
human. He might be able to meet Broden eye-to-
eye, but he still didn’t ooze the magnetism the cat
shifter exuded naturally.

“Thanks, Tim.” Carey accepted the envelope

the nightclub owner held out to him.

“No problem, you know I love it when you

boys play. My bar tabs always triple when you’re
here. We still set up for next month?”

“You bet,” Carey agreed happily, tucking the

fat envelope into his jacket pocket. That should
cover the utility bill.

“He’ll call you.” Broden wrapped his arm

around Carey’s waist as if staking his claim.
Typical obsessive shifter behavior Carey had
observed in the past, but never toward him.

Tim gave Carey a knowing look, but didn’t say

To Have a Human

anything. Instead, he stepped to one side and let
them pass with a wave of his hand. “Enjoy your
night.”

“Thanks, Tim, see you soon,” Carey said as

Broden moved him quickly out the door.

Carey didn’t say anything until Broden started

leading Carey to his Mercedes. Carey stopped in
the middle of the parking lot. “I need to take my
truck.” He pointed to his battered vehicle. “I don’t
want anyone to tow it.”

“Good point. Follow me and you can park in

my garage.”

Carey’s father had taught him to never give

anyone control of his method of transportation.
You can’t make a quick getaway if you have no
way to run.

“Sounds good,” Carey agreed.

* * * *

It took little time to take the elevator up to
Broden’s condo from the parking garage and soon
they were stepping into Broden’s sterile home.
Carey suppressed a shudder at the personality-
free abode.

“I’m going to hold you to that promise of

dinner at your house,” Broden commented as if
sensing Carey’s dislike of his condo.

“I share a place with my band. You might not

Amber Kell

like the crowd,” Carey commented, trying to put
Broden off a bit. He wondered if Broden would be
offended if he suggested he hire Harris and
Denton to redo his place. Combined, the pair
could do their own design show, though Denton
would rip out every one of his crocodile teeth
before he admitted it.

“Hmmm. Maybe not, but I’d still like to see

where you live. You aren’t ashamed of me, are
you? Your band mates seemed to have mixed
emotions about me.” The insecurity in Broden’s
eyes surprised Carey.

He tapped his cheek a moment as if

considering. “Tall, dark, gorgeous man with a
successful business. You might be acceptable
enough. I mean I am scraping the bottom of the
barrel, but I guess you’ll do.”

* * * *

Broden laughed. “Have a seat. Would you like a
drink?” He could be a good host. Jumping on the
man immediately would probably be bad form.

Carey sat down on the couch, his legs spread

wide apart and displaying his erection. Broden
licked his lips.

“I’ll take some water,” Carey said.
“Water, I can do that.” Broden pulled his gaze

from Carey’s cock to meet his mate’s eyes.

To Have a Human

Carey’s slow smile warmed Broden and eased

his concerns. “You’re okay with this, right?”

“Absolutely. I’m glad you came tonight. I was

worried I’d miss you if your call went late,” Carey
confessed.

“How could I not?” Isaac was going to pitch a

fit when he learned Broden had cut short the
customer call in order to attend Carey’s gig. He’d
rather lose all the clients he had, than disappoint
his mate.

Broden stared at Carey. He couldn’t remember

the last time someone threw him off guard. Carey
slid off his tank top, exposing an enormous tattoo
with an eagle, a bear and a crocodile designed in a
circle.

“You didn’t have that last time.”
Carey smiled down at the tattoo. He ran a hand

over the intricately detailed mark. “I’ve been
waiting for the money to have it done. I wanted a
picture of my family.”

Broden let out a snort. “Your family is an eagle,

a bear and a crocodile. You have a weird ass
family.” He knew they represented Carey’s band,
but he had to admit the lack of a cat in the tattoo
hurt a bit. Once they were officially mated, he’d
damn well add a giant jaguar to his lover’s body.
Maybe cover his entire back.

The cold look he received for his teasing

would’ve done credit to the crocodile. Carey stood

Amber Kell

and, even though he barely reached Broden’s
nose, the animosity crackling off him would’ve
made a saber tooth tiger proud.

“You’ve met my band.” Carey informed him.

“They’re my family. Well, them and my father.”

Broden held his hands up in a gesture of

surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you guys were
that close. I knew you were band mates and lived
together, but usually completely different shifter
species don’t join as a group.”

Their relationship fascinated Broden. Another

reason he wanted to see Carey’s place, to
understand the interaction between the friends.

“We have special circumstances. I’ve known

them all since I was a child. It’s a long story,”
Carey said.

“I’d love to hear it some time,” Broden said

before he went into the kitchen and came back
with a glass of water. Getting information from his
lover was difficult. Carey was like a high security
safe with a triple encryption code.

“I’ll share it some time when all my brain cells

haven’t travelled south,” Carey offered.

Even knowing Carey was purposely distracting

him didn’t deter Broden from falling for the hot
look sent his way. He carefully set the glass of
water on the table before sitting beside Carey on
the couch.

“I’ll be happy to help you with your little

To Have a Human

problem,” he purred.

“Little?” Carey raised an eyebrow, daring him

to continue.

Broden grinned. His mate did have a point,

there wasn’t anything little about the erection
pushing for room inside Carey’s tight pants.

“Did I say little? I meant huge problem,”

Broden soothed.

“That’s what I thought you meant,” Carey said.
Broden grinned. He would be happy to come

home to find this half-naked man on his couch
every day.

Carey took a sip of water before pushing off his

shoes and stripping off his pants. Stark naked, he
settled back on the couch with a come-get-me look
in his eyes. Broden had never received a better
invitation.

“Nice.” No matter how many times Broden saw

him naked, Carey still took his breath away.
Broden smiled at the fang mark on Carey’s
shoulder. He’d done well there. The man belonged
to him.

Now he just had to figure out how to integrate

a human into his world without his entire pride
freaking out over it. Having Carey work with the
pride had helped some. Getting them familiar
with a human in their midst took away some of
the fear ingrained in them from their parents.
Humans hadn’t always been kind to the shifter

Amber Kell

world, and many pride members had bad
memories of tortured childhoods or frightening
knife- or gun-filled encounters.

Carey’s cheery personality and helpfulness had

done a lot to pave the way to better human-shifter
relations, but they still had a way to go. Pushing
thoughts of his pride away, Broden quickly
stripped off his clothes before Carey’s interested
gaze.

“You are the most fascinating person I’ve ever

met,” Broden whispered as he climbed onto the
couch, placing a knee on either side of Carey’s
hips. “And you’re all mine,” he hummed.

“You had me before,” Carey reminded him.
“Yeah, but now you can’t escape,” Broden

grinned triumphantly. His inner cat loved to play
and since Carey was used to being around
shifters, he knew the young man wouldn’t freak if
claws and fangs came out.

“Who said I wanted to escape?” Carey licked

his lips as he regarded Broden with lust-filled
eyes.

“Mmm, not me.” Broden settled on Carey’s lap,

pleased when his human easily took his weight. It
helped that Carey was quite strong for a human.
Although Broden enjoyed being the aggressor, he
liked it even better that Carey wasn’t a fragile
flower.

“Kiss me,” Carey insisted.

To Have a Human

“Pushy boy,” Broden teased. He slid his tongue

along Carey’s lips until Carey allowed him inside.
Heat pooled through his body, making his cock
harden. Moaning, he rubbed against Carey’s body,
letting their erections bump and grind together.

He wrapped his fist around Carey’s cock,

pumping gently. Sliding his thumb across the tip,
he spread pre-cum across the top before licking his
finger to relish the taste. “Let’s get the lube. This is
one spot you don’t want chafing.”

Carey laughed. “I can’t argue with that. You

should keep a tube in here.”

“If you come over more often, I’ll consider it,”

Broden agreed.

Broden slid off Carey’s lap, then without

warning, he picked up his mate and flipped him
over his shoulder.

“Hey! What is it about you and treating me like

a sack of potatoes,” Carey protested.

Broden slapped Carey on the ass. “I like

potatoes.”

Something about Carey always raised his

spirits. No matter how much stress he had during
the day, just seeing his mate’s face made
everything better. Working with him just
increased his happiness.

Broden dropped Carey onto the bed. He froze

as the beauty of the moment grabbed him by the
throat. Love took away his breath, but Broden

Amber Kell

brutally held back the words. Carey wouldn’t
appreciate hearing those three little words quite
yet. When it came to feelings, his human was more
fidgety than a cat in a room full of puppies.

“Are you going to stand there all day or are you

going to fuck me properly,” Carey complained.

“Properly?” Broden asked. “No, I plan to fuck

you very improperly.” He grabbed the lube from
the drawer. “Roll over. I want to screw you hard
and I don’t want to have to bend you in half.”

“But I’m very bendy,” Carey teased.
“I know you are. Now roll over.” Broden used

his commanding voice, the one the cats in his
pride immediately responded to.

Carey raised an eyebrow. “Did you just try to

alpha me?”

Broden sighed. “Just roll over before you totally

ruin the mood.”

Giving that notion the attention it deserved,

Carey rolled his eyes. “I somehow doubt you’ll
lose interest.”

Despite his words, Carey turned onto his

stomach and shook his ass. “Does this help
resurrect your flailing interest?”

“Definitely, your ass could be the next Viagra,

able to make a man hard with a single shake.”

Carey looked over his shoulder at Broden. “I

don’t know if I should be flattered or appalled by
the imagery you just put in my head.”

To Have a Human

“Let’s go with flattered,” Broden said.
Broden prepped his lover carefully before

slicking up himself. Without further warning, he
pushed his cock inside Carey’s well-lubed hole,
relishing the first moment of entry. The second he
entered Carey, he paused to savor the initial body-
to-body interaction. He’d had many lovers in his
past and none of them had ever felt as good as
Carey. When they connected, it was as if their
souls bonded.

Leaning forward, he wrapped his body entirely

around Carey, surrounding his lover with his
heat. In slow, dreamy movements, he slid in and
out of Carey, cherishing every brush of skin, every
second of heat surrounding his cock and every
gasp he pulled from his mate like sweet music.

“You feel so amazing wrapped around me. I

want to keep you here forever,” Broden whispered
in Carey’s ear.

“It might make time at the office a little

awkward,” Carey answered with a hitch in his
breath.

“Mmm, I’ll chance it.” Broden plunged his teeth

into his mating mark, reinforcing his claim.
“You’re mine. The sooner you agree, the quicker
we can start planning our life together.”

“But no pressure.” Carey tightened around

Broden, making him buck from the sensation.
“And stop biting.”

Amber Kell

“More pressure,” Broden groaned. “And I’ll

bite you until everyone knows you’re claimed.”

The thought of everyone knowing Carey

belonged to him even when he danced half-naked
on the stage shone as a tantalizing dream. Broden
wrapped a hand around Carey’s cock, pumping
him to completion.

With a cry, Carey came and shot across the

sheets. The smell and feel of Carey coming sent
Broden over the edge. His cock pulsed out his
release, flooding his lover with his scent and
reinforcing his mating claim.

Carefully disengaging from his mate, Broden

toppled sideways. He pulled Carey into his arms
as he tumbled away from the mess.

“I’ll clean it up in a minute,” Broden said.
“We need new sheets,” Carey muttered.
“Rest. I’ll get them in a bit,” Broden reassured

him.

“Okay,” Carey agreed, his voice already sleepy.
“My mate,” Broden whispered, nuzzling the

back of Carey’s neck.

“Yours,” Carey agreed.

To Have a Human

Chapter Five

roden woke up smiling with Carey cuddled
in his arms. Carey had agreed to be his. His

mate might have said it in the heat of passion, but
Broden would hold him to his agreement. It
would only take a quick phone call to Linda to
arrange a pride meeting for next week. They could
plan a mating ceremony at the same time. He’d
even spread the invitation to Carey’s friends and
father if he wanted. Broden wondered what kind
of person had raised his rather complicated mate.

Broden brushed the hair from Carey’s face as he

slept. For a person who always appeared on the
alert while awake, Carey slept hard like a child
safe in his bed. Broden hoped Carey always felt
that level of security when sleeping with him.

With a quick kiss to Carey’s cheek, Broden

slipped out of bed, then pulled on his jeans. He
kept his steps quiet when he left his bedroom to
start some coffee. No reason to wake his lover,
they had no work today. That reminded Broden

Amber Kell

he still needed to talk to Isaac about Tony.

“Good morning, Mr. Lyall,” a strange voice

said.

Broden’s claws popped out of his fingertips in

response to an intruder in his house. A wiry blond
man with the coldest eyes he’d ever seen sat on his
counter. A pistol rested beside him in plain sight.
Dressed in a bland outfit of off-brand sneakers,
khakis and a beige polo shirt, the man wouldn’t
stand out in a crowd. The average person
wouldn’t remember the stranger two seconds after
he passed him on the street. Broden felt chilled at
the ease with which the man would blend into a
crowd, just a regular every day guy who
comfortably fingered the weapon at his side.

“Who are you?” Broden was quite pleased his

voice didn’t shake. He needed to get this guy out
of here before Carey woke up. His jaguar swished
its tail as if waiting to pounce and protect its mate.
Except the man had an oddly familiar smell and
Broden’s fears were confirmed with the man’s
next words.

“No need to get uppity, little cat. I’m just here

to talk to my son.” Somehow Broden didn’t feel
reassured. If the man had been a shifter, he
would’ve been something with big claws and
sharp teeth. Examining the intruder, he took note
of the similarities. If his sweet Carey were twenty
or so years older, half as pretty and slightly

To Have a Human

homicidal, the men could’ve been twins.

“He’s sleeping. Come back later and try

knocking.” Broden didn’t take his gaze off the
man as he issued his demand.

Carey’s father gave Broden a low dangerous

smile that sent chills across his skin. “I’ll wait for
my boy. He doesn’t tend to sleep in much.”

As if to prove his words right, Carey shuffled

into the room, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
He smiled when he caught sight of the gun-toting
intruder. “Hey, Dad.”

The joy in the man’s eyes at catching sight of his

son made him look like a completely different
person. The fast transformation from cold killer to
caring father made Broden a little dizzy.

“Hey, Care.” Carey’s father jumped off the

counter and hugged his child like any other
parent. As if he hadn’t just broken into Broden’s
secure condo and brought a gun with him.

Broden watched Carey’s expression carefully,

surprised to see nothing but affection on his
lover’s face. Whatever the man did on the sly, he
obviously adored his son and the feeling was
returned.

After greeting his father with hugs and manly

back-slapping, Carey turned the man to face
Broden. To Broden’s relief, he left psycho dad’s
side to give Broden a quick hug before making
introductions.

Amber Kell

“Broden, this is my dad, Aden. Dad, Broden

Lyall, though you obviously know that since you
figured out where he lives,” Carey added.

Carey’s casual acceptance of his father’s break-

in skills startled Broden a bit. Of course, he did
hire Carey to hack into other people’s systems.
Maybe the Gale family had flexible morals. But
while he found that trait adorable in Carey, he
found it nerve-racking in his father. Next to Aden,
Carey’s crocodile friend looked like a baby gecko.

Aden nodded to his son. “I need to talk to you,

alone.”

“Anything you want to tell Carey, you can

share with me. He’s my mate.” Broden crossed his
arms over his chest. No way would he let this
psychopath alone with Carey despite his obvious
affection for his son. Aden wouldn’t be the first
father to kill his young. The man all but vibrated
with violence.

Aden ignored Broden and kept his eyes on his

son, waiting for his response, as if Broden didn’t
matter.

“It’s okay, Dad,” Carey agreed.
“A dead body was left by your front gate this

morning. I went there first and found it with a
warning note. The Greben wolf pack is after you.
I’m guessing it has something to do with your
work for this guy.” Aden pointed disdainfully at
Broden.

To Have a Human

“Did you get rid of the body? Eaton can’t see a

dead body!” Carey snapped.

Aden nodded. “Don’t worry, I told the boys,

but got rid of the evidence. I grabbed his driver’s
license.” He pulled a wallet out of his pocket and
tossed it at Carey.

Broden intercepted it and flipped it open.
“Is it Tony?” Carey asked.
“Yeah.” Broden didn’t try to sugarcoat it. They

both had suspected who it might be as soon as
Aden had mentioned a dead body. “I wonder why
they did it.”

“Because I kept blocking their hacking. They’ve

been using him to try and get into our system. I
guess once they figured out it wasn’t working,
they had no further use for him,” Carey answered.

“Why did he go to them in the first place?”

Broden asked. “He had a good life. A stable pride
and a good job, what else could he want?”

“Maybe he had debts we didn’t know about,”

Carey offered. “You never really know about
someone else’s life. Everyone has things to hide.”

Broden resisted that obvious invitation. “You

need to come and stay with me for a while. I’m not
letting you go home—the Greben pack knows
where you live.”

Aden gave a snort. “You’re an idiot if you think

he’s going to leave his friends.”

“Hey! You weren’t even invited here, you can

Amber Kell

leave any time now,” Broden snarled.

“Don’t talk to my father like that—he’s right,

I’m not leaving my friends,” Carey replied, his
face set in mutinous lines.

“Fine, we’ll find them an apartment to stay in,

too,” Broden answered. He paced as he began to
make plans. His mind worked better when he was
in motion.

“I’m not leaving my house either,” Carey said

between gritted teeth.

“Have you seen anyone strange hanging

around recently?” Aden asked.

Carey paused. “Harris thought he smelled a

strange wolf following us the other day.”

“If the Greben pack is after you, I’ll pull some

people off break-in jobs and have them protect
your house,” Broden offered. The Greben family
manufactured some of the worst drugs. They even
made some that affected shifters. Both the shifter
and human authorities were leery of the group
because they weren’t afraid to hire assassins to
take out any enemies.

“You know them?” Aden asked.
“Not personally, but I’ll see that Carey is

protected. I run a security agency,” Broden
explained as fear chilled his heart. How could he
keep everyone protected when Carey wouldn’t
even be reasonable enough to move into Broden’s
secure building? Of course it couldn’t be that

To Have a Human

secure if Aden just wandered in.

Aden tossed back his head and laughed. “You

think my son needs protection? I just wanted him
to keep an eye out. He’ll be fine.”

“Your lack of concern for your son is

appalling!” Broden growled.

“My son is more than capable of taking care of

a few shifters,” Aden said, his gaze challenging
Broden to deny his statement.

Broden was more than happy to oblige. “He’s a

human against shifters. He doesn’t have a
chance,” Broden snarled.

Carey turned to face Broden with an expression

he’d never seen on his lover’s face before. “Are
you saying I’m inferior because I’m a human? Is
that what you really believe? That somehow I
can’t take care of myself because I’m too fragile?”

Oh shit!
“No. I’m saying you aren’t equipped to fight

shifters,” Broden explained. He flexed his claws to
prove his point.

Carey turned and stormed back to the

bedroom.

Aden shook his head. “You stepped in the litter

box this time, cat boy.” Aden reached behind him
and collected his gun.

“What did I do?” Broden had no idea how

wanting to protect Carey had turned so wrong. He
wasn’t making things up. It was dangerous for

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humans to fight shifters, everyone knew that.

“You disrespected my boy. He’s not going to

stay with you now.” The glee in Aden’s voice
shredded Broden’s last nerve.

“I don’t need the advice of a homophobic anti-

shifter asshole,” Broden snapped.

Aden shook his head sadly. “Don’t lay this on

me, cat man. I don’t care if my son loves a man as
long as he has someone. Unfortunately, you don’t
seem smart enough to keep him.”

Carey returned, wearing his clothes from the

night before. “Let’s go,” he told his father, not
looking in Broden’s direction.

“Wait!” Broden said. “I’ll assign someone to

watch you.”

“Don’t bother, Broden. I can take care of

myself.” Without another word, Carey walked out
of the condo.

“If he gets so much as a scratch on him, I will

hunt you down,” Broden growled at Aden.

Aden shook his head. “You know nothing

about my son. Maybe you should talk more and
fuck less. Getting to know your mate is just as
important as claiming him.”

With those parting words of wisdom, Aden

tucked his gun into the waistband in back of his
pants, covered it with his shirt, then followed his
son out. Somehow Broden lost both his lover and
the respect of his future father-in-law in one fell

To Have a Human

swoop.

“Damn.”
Broden dropped onto the couch in defeat and

rubbed his face in his hands. After a few minutes
of self-pity, he fetched his phone and called Isaac’s
personal cell phone.

“What’s up, boss?” Isaac answered.
“I want you to put a guard on Carey Gale.”
“What’s up?” Isaac asked.
“He’s a target of the Greben family. They just

left Tony dead on his doorstep. His psycho father
thinks he can take care of himself.”

“Against a pack of wolf shifters?” Isaac asked

incredulous. “I mean I know he’s got shifter
friends, but what there’s only three of them and
one human against an entire pack.”

“I know.” Broden felt better now that his friend

agreed with his assessment. When Carey and his
father were there, he was beginning to think he
was the only sane one.

“I appreciate a confident man, but are you sure

he’s not crazy?” Isaac asked.

“Not entirely.”
“What’s his address?”
Broden froze. “I don’t know.”
“You’re dating a man whose house you’ve

never been to?”

“We haven’t been dating long,” Broden

protested. “Besides, it’ll be in his employee file.

Amber Kell

Look it up.”

“You’ve had time to mark him,” Isaac

countered.

Broden growled. “Just find his address and put

security on him. If anything happens to him I’ll
never forgive myself.”

“We’ll keep him safe,” Isaac answered

cheerfully.

“Thanks.” Relief filled Broden. Isaac would take

care of Carey just like he handled everything else
with ruthless efficiency.

“No problem, boss, I’m interested in

discovering more about the guy you’ve fallen in
love with. I mean I like him and all and he’s a
great hacker, but he never really shares anything
personal.”

“I know,” Broden agreed. When all was said

and done, he really didn’t know his lover that
well. Maybe he could learn more about Carey and
keep him safe at the same time. “While you’re
checking out his address, do a background check
on his father. He came to my apartment with a
gun and he looked more than capable of using it.
I’m thinking he has a military background of some
kind. He might even still be active. His name is
Aden Gale.”

“Got it. You know if Carey finds out you’re

investigating his father he might not be so
forgiving,” Isaac warned. “Some people try to

To Have a Human

learn things through conversations with their
mates—you might want to try it sometime.”

“It should concern you to know that you and

Carey’s father agree on that point,” Broden
pointed out.

“I’m just letting you know you might be taking

the wrong approach to this whole thing,” Isaac
said.

“Carey is my mate. He’ll forgive me.” Broden

had confidence that his lover would get over his
ire. Didn’t he have to?

* * * *

Carey was still fuming when he entered his house
twenty minutes later with his father on his heels.

Eaton, Denton and Harris were lounging

around the mansion, eating wings and pizza.

He frowned at the eagle shifter. “Don’t you feel

cannibalistic when eating something with wings?”

Eaton laughed. “I think I can overcome any

kind of wingy taboo. Besides, you’ve seen me eat
chicken before not to mention eagles hunt smaller
birds.”

“True.” Carey plopped down beside Eaton.

“And each time it freaks me out a little bit.”

Denton and Harris laughed while Eaton shook

his head.

“Did you secure the house like I told you to?”

Amber Kell

Aden asked the shifters.

“Yes, sir,” they said simultaneously.
“The windows are triggered,” Denton said.
“The garden has traps,” Harris added.
“And I re-calibrated the security cameras,”

Eaton spoke up.

“Good. My being here won’t do anything but

draw more attention to you. I’m going to go, but
I’ll still be keeping an eye on you. You know how
to contact me if there are any further problems.
You guys can always go to the cabin if you need to
get away. I’ve added a little money to your
account, Care, I noticed it was getting a bit low,”
his father said.

“Thanks, Dad.” Some people might think Aden

Gale was a strange parent who taught his son
dangerous things, but Carey knew his father only
wanted to prepare him for a world where Carey
wouldn’t be the biggest, baddest thing around.
Aden’s goal was for Carey to at least be the last
man standing. Aden’s motto was even the toughest

guy will fall if you shoot him in the balls.

His father gave Carey a manly clap on the

shoulder before showing himself out. As soon as
the door closed behind him, his roommates started
talking.

“Your dad freaks me out,” Eaton confessed.
Carey laughed as the other two shifters nodded

their agreement.

To Have a Human

“You didn’t have to come home early,” Denton

said. “You knew your dad was looking out for us.
Why leave your kitty friend?”

Humiliation burned through Carey as he

remembered Broden’s attitude. He’d been halfway
to falling for the guy when he learned how Broden
really felt about humans. Carey felt like an idiot.

“Because when Dad came over with his news,

Broden told me he doesn’t think I can handle
myself because I’m human,” Carey confessed.

“Oooh no.”
“Idiot!”
“Crap!”
Carey nodded. “I’m apparently quite unable to

take care of myself and need my big manly shifter
to look out for me.”

“Well, to give him credit he’s probably not used

to humans like you. I mean if he’s only dealt with
shifters in the past, he might not realize that some
people, some humans are more than capable of
taking care of themselves,” Eaton offered.

“Always the peacekeeper,” Carey patted Eaton

on the leg.

“No, he has a point,” Harris agreed. “You are

exceptional. Not every human can take down
shifters. I don’t think you should give up on your
cat man yet.”

Carey let out a long sigh. “Is it wrong that I’m

looking for reasons to break up with him?”

Amber Kell

“Why?” Denton asked. “If he’s that much of an

asshole, I can take care of him for you.”

Carey pulled down his shirt to show the mark.

“He marked me.”

“Ooh,” Eaton leaned over to check it out closer.

“He’s bitey. I thought you smelled weird but I
thought it was because you spend the day with all
those other shifters.”

Carey shoved Eaton away. “He thinks I’m his

mate.”

Denton frowned. “Cat shifters don’t think they

have mates, you’re either a mate or not. If Broden
says you’re his, he’s never going to let you go.”

“Unless we kill him!” Eaton said cheerily. “That

would end the whole thing.”

“No killing!” Carey snapped. “I don’t want him

dead.”

The thought of Broden being harmed made

Carey’s heart beat faster in a panicky rhythm.

“You really like him,” Harris said with the

wonder of a child discovering a new toy.

“Yes. I really like the idiot,” Carey grudgingly

admitted.

“Carey’s in loooveee,” Denton sang.
“Shut up,” Carey threw a chicken wing at him.
Denton snagged the food out of the air and bit

into it.

Looking around the large room made him

smile. The house was an old Victorian with all the

To Have a Human

original details. With over seven thousand square
feet of space, it was too big and too much upkeep.
However, it was filled with memories of his
childhood and growing up with his shifter friends.
When Carey looked around the house, he saw a
home filled with memories. The long banister he
used to slide down, the ballroom where his
grandmother taught him to waltz and the
enormous kitchen where she tried but failed to
teach him how to cook.

His grandmother had invited his friends into

her home and lavished them with all the love they
could ever need. She’d even added a freshwater
pond for Denton to swim in when he needed a
good soak. They’d all mourned deeply when she
died five years ago.

“What are you thinking about?” Eaton asked.
“Memories. I’ve had some great ones in this

house.”

“Have you thought about who you’re going to

leave it to when you die?” Eaton asked.

“Poaching out my house?” Carey asked.

Shifters lived much longer than humans and it
made sense to him that his friends would worry
about their home.

“No,” Eaton denied. “I was just wondering.

You don’t have any siblings. You probably aren’t
going to have kids unless you adopt. And since
you’re denying your kitty, I have doubts you’re

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going to have any children soon.”

“I have the house divided between the three of

you,” Carey said calmly.

“No shit?” Denton asked.
“You’re my closest friends, who else would I

leave my house to?”

Harris growled. “You’re going to mate with

that damn cat and live a god damned long life.
You understand?”

“What are you talking about?” Carey frowned

at his friend.

“If you officially mate with the cat, it will

extend your life as long as his,” Denton explained.
“I thought you knew that about shifters. You
know everything else about us.”

“Since none of you have mates or have even

started looking, the ins and outs of shifter love
have escaped me. I can’t believe you want me to
accept him just so I can live longer.” A ruthless
idea to come from the usually dreamy bear.

Harris rolled his eyes. “No, you should accept

him because you’re his mate and the only one he’ll
ever have. The fact that mating with him will
extend your life is just a bonus.”

Carey sighed. “I can’t decide right now when

I’m under a death threat. Once the wolf gang is
dealt with I’ll make a decision about Broden.”

“I think it’s time for us to go back to the cabin.

Make them come to us.”

To Have a Human

“Gee, I hope no one follows us…” Denton said.

The sound of a bone snapping beneath strong jaws
filled the air.

They laughed over their food as they made

plans.

Amber Kell

Chapter Six

roden paced back and forth in his office,
waiting for an update. At least Denton called

him to tell him they were going out of town.

“He’ll be fine. We’ve got men following him,”

Isaac soothed.

“I need to go out there. I don’t like leaving him

unprotected.” Broden felt twitchy without Carey
in his sight. Especially since he knew the Greben
pack wanted Carey’s blood or maybe his skills,
Broden wasn’t sure about that yet.

“Doesn’t he have three shifters with them, one

of them a bear?” Isaac lifted an eyebrow at him.

“That won’t help them if Greben brings the

entire pack,” Broden fumed.

“I did some calls and six of Greben’s boys

headed out of town. I think your man can handle
that many,” Isaac said.

“I’m not going to chance it,” Broden snarled.
“Why don’t you give him the opportunity to

prove himself? You said his father looked like a
dangerous man. Maybe he taught Carey a thing or

To Have a Human

two. We can keep an eye on the main pack from
here. If they so much as twitch a paw out of place,
we’ll hunt them down. If you go too early, you
could lose Carey forever. No one wants to be
considered weak by their mate,” Isaac said.

Broden collapsed on his couch. “You’re right.

Telling him I thought he was a fragile human
started the fight in the first place. No reason to
compound my stupidity.”

“Exactly,” Isaac approved. “Why don’t you go

home and get some sleep? I’ll call you if anything
happens. You’re not going to get anything done
today.”

Broden couldn’t argue with that reasoning.

He’d been there for several hours and had nothing
to show for it. “Fine, but call me if you hear
anything. Understand?”

“Absolutely,” Isaac promised.
The busy traffic home had Broden cursing most

of the way. Entering his condo and upset about
Carey and the Greben pack, Broden didn’t pay
attention to the odd smell until it was too late.

“Oh good, and I thought this was going to be a

hard capture,” a silky voice said.

A sharp pain pierced Broden’s neck as the scent

of wolves filled his nostrils. Damn, he’d turned
into one of those too-stupid-to-live heroines. All
he needed to finish the look was a pair of four-
inch heels and a dark forest to stumble blindly

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through.

He definitely owed Carey an apology. Longing

for his mate, Broden tumbled into darkness.

* * * *

“Who wants s’mores?” Eaton asked brightly.

Three hands went up.
“Cool. I’ll get the stuff.” Eaton scurried off to

the small kitchenette.

“You should call him,” Harris said.
Carey scowled at his friend. “Why? So he can

explain my inferiority in excruciating detail?”

“I think you’re making too much over that,”

Denton scolded. “He’s just a little kitty who
doesn’t understand his ball of yarn bites.”

“That was bad,” Carey scolded his friend.
“Come on, call him before he gets his fur all

ruffled,” Harris teased.

“You guys are never going to stop bugging me

until I call him, are you?”

“Nope,” Denton exclaimed.
“Fine.” Carey pulled out his cell phone and

dialed Broden’s number.

The phone rang and rang before going to voice

mail.

“He’s not answering. Huh,” Carey set his

phone down. The lack of answer unsettled him a
bit. Broden always answered his phone.

To Have a Human

“Maybe he’s using the litter box,” Denton

commented.

“I will end you all if you don’t stop with the cat

jokes,” Carey threatened.

“Yes, Carey,” Denton and Harris said together.
Carey wasn’t fooled by their fake looks of

contrition. He knew they’d start up again.

A howl filled the air, the sound quickly picked

up by other wolves.

Eaton stomped back into the room. “I’m glad I

didn’t started roasting marshmallows because I
hate it when they get ruined.”

Another round of howls had Eaton tilting his

head, not unlike his bird nature. “I hear six.”

Carey yanked back the rug and pulled at the

iron ring embedded in the floor. Opening the
hatch revealed a wooden ladder leading down
below. The smell of cedar and dust filled his nose.
His father had discovered the underground cellar
after he’d bought the cabin. It had been little better
than a hole. Together Carey and his father had
added a better framework, cedar flooring and lots
and lots of hooks for weapons. Pulling the cord lit
up a lone light bulb.

Rows of guns and stacks of ammo filled the

dugout basement. There was even a case full of
knives and a few bows, but for now the collection
of guns should do well enough to take out a wolf
or two, or at least sting their asses. Carey grabbed

Amber Kell

his new favorite Glock, filled his pocket with
ammo cartridges and was ready to go hunting.

Carey climbed back up the ladder, pleased with

his collection.

“Ready, wimpy human?” Denton asked.
“I’ll try not to break a nail.” Carey snapped in

his first cartridge.

There was a scratch at the door. Carey raised an

eyebrow at Harris who shrugged.

“Should we let in the wolf at the door?” Eaton

asked.

Carey shrugged. “Sure, why not if they want to

make it easy for us. Wolves in a cabin are sort of
like shooting fish in a barrel, not a lot of sport
involved.”

Harris opened the door. “Hello.”
A muscled man wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a

whole lot of attitude sauntered into the place like
he owned it. “Which of you is Carey Gale?”

“I am.” Carey raised his hand in a pick-me

gesture.

“I’ve come to give you the chance to work for

John Greben. His last computer tech proved
incompetent. You will, of course, be spared your
life as payment,” the wolf in human form
explained as if he were doing Carey a massive
favor.

“I’m sorry, but what’s your name?” Carey

asked.

To Have a Human

“Frank Greben, John is my brother.” Frank’s

eyes narrowed.

“I’m not going to be your computer bitch, so

you can just go back to your master and tell him
you failed,” Carey made a shooing motion with
his hand.

“You think your little friends can help you? I

can kill them with just a snap of my finger.” Frank
sneered.

Carey shot his leg.
Frank screamed and clutched at his bloody

wound. “I’ll kill you.”

Carey knocked the wolf over with a well-placed

kick. “Here’s a little something you might not
know. My father is in Special Forces. He’s taught
me all kinds of things about skinning animals.
Now you can get out here nicely and tell your
pack leader to leave me the hell alone or I can hunt
you down and kill you.”

The wolves howled.
“My pack will tear you apart,” John warned.
“Or I can shoot them. I’m a really good shot.”
“He is,” Denton verified.
“What about my leg?” Frank whined.
“Shift,” Carey shrugged indifferently.
“I’m not shifting in front of you!” Frank

exclaimed.

“Then go outside, I don’t care,” Carey said.
“How am I going to get there?” Frank pointed

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100

at his leg.

“I can help with that.” Harris picked up the

wolf shifter.

Eaton rushed forward to get the door. “After

you.”

Harris tossed Frank out the door.
“Nice distance.” Eaton slapped him on the

shoulder. “That shot-put training you had really
paid off.”

“I thought so,” Harris said proudly.
The five wolves sitting in a circle looked at

them curiously.

“Tell your alpha we don’t want to have to kill

your pack, but we will if you don’t leave us
alone,” Carey warned.

Harris slammed the door.
“Who wants a beer?” Eaton asked.
“Ohh, me!” Denton said.
The other two nodded and a round of beers

were opened.

“How long before kitty cat arrives?” Denton

asked.

Carey shrugged and took a sip of beer. “I’m

sure he’ll be here soon.”

“You think so?” Eaton asked.
“Absolutely. He’s obsessed,” Carey said wryly.
“Your interpersonal skills might need a little

work,” Denton offered.

“Hmm. Maybe.” Carey rubbed his chin like he

To Have a Human

101

was thinking it over. “No. That can’t be it.”

Carey’s phone rang. “Hello?”
“Carey we have a problem. John Greben has

kidnapped Broden. He says he’s going to kill him
unless they get you. Come back to Seattle and let’s
get Broden back,” Isaac proposed.

“You want me to turn myself in?” Carey asked

in surprise. He’d thought Isaac liked him and if
Broden found out his beta gave Carey over to the
Greben pack, he’d kill him.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Isaac scolded. “I want you

to come help us kick their collective asses. That
way not only can you get Broden back, but he’ll
have to eat his words about you not being able to
protect yourself.”

“I like how you think, Isaac,” Carey

commented. “We’ll be back in town in about two
hours. Where do you want me to meet you?”

“Stop by the office and we can get you some

weapons before we head out,” Isaac offered.

“That’s not a problem. Where is the pack

located?” Carey had no idea of the pack
headquarters. He didn’t generally hang around
the part of town where scary wolf packs gathered.
His father taught him to protect himself, but not to
look for danger.

“They want to do the exchange at Seward Park.

I think they believe we’ll be less likely to cause a
fuss if we’re in public,” Isaac said.

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102

“Idiots. I’ll call ahead to the human police and

tell them to stay away. I’d suggest we go straight
to their pack home and hit them where it hurts,
but who knows what they’ll do to Broden. They
might kill him just to teach us a lesson.”

“Agreed, but we also don’t necessarily need to

go in there guns blazing. If you take out the leader
of a wolf pack, they fall apart. If we can kill John
Greben, it’ll all end quickly,” Isaac stated.

Most wolf packs were attack-now-worry-about-

details-later and were completely under the
control of their pack alpha. Little individual
freedom or thinking took place. If they finished off
John Greben, they were golden.

“Do you have a picture of him?”
“Who?” Isaac asked.
“John Greben.” Carey could grab a picture

himself from the Internet, but it would save a lot
of time if he didn’t have to.

“Yeah, I’ll text it to you. Just come back home,”

Isaac pleaded.

“We’re on our way. We just need to pack up

and head out.” After exchanging goodbyes, Carey
hung up.

Eaton looked at his marshmallows sadly, then

stuffed several in his mouth, giving him more of a
chipmunk than an eagle look. “I wove
mashmawows,” he said with his mouth full.

“That’s so gross,” Denton groaned. “You know

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103

I hate it when you talk with stuff in your cheeks.”

Eaton made kissy noises that sounded more like

a deranged squirrel than a kiss, making them all
laugh.

“Broden’s been kidnapped by the Greben pack.

They want to exchange me for him at Seward Park
tonight. We’ve gotta get going,” Carey explained.

No one moved.
“Which part of going did you guys not

understand?” he asked.

“The part where you think we’re going to

exchange you for anyone,” Harris answered.

“I’m not really going to be exchanged. It’s just a

ploy to get Broden back and kill their leader John
Greben. I won’t be in any danger,” Carey
promised.

“I don’t know these cats well enough to trust

them with this kind of exchange. I say before we
go we call in the big guns,” Denton said.

Eaton

nodded

and

swallowed

his

marshmallows. “Let’s call your father.”

The city streets shone from the recent rain as

they headed to the park, giving everything a
blinding glare when oncoming cars flashed their
headlights.

Pulling into the parking lot, Carey saw the rest

of the office had already arrived.

“You ready, Carey?” Eaton asked. The eagle

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104

shifter had his hair tied back and covered with a
black beanie, and all four had Kevlar vests and
enough weapons to start a revolution. Carey had
damn near emptied the cabin’s weapon room.

“As ready as I’m going to get,” Carey replied.
He had a Glock in his underarm holster, a Sig

tucked in the back of his waistband and a .38
nestled in his ankle holster, plus every pocket he
had was filled with ammo. If that all failed, he had
the Bowie knife his dad gave him for his tenth
birthday because according to his dad, if someone
pulls a knife on you make sure yours is bigger.

There was no doubt in Carey’s head that the

wolves had no intention of letting anyone but
Carey leave alive, and that only because they
needed him. The more cats they could take out,
the better it was for the wolves. Less competition
was better for them in the long run.

“Let’s go get your cat,” Denton said. His

anticipatory smile would’ve been chilling if Carey
hadn’t been sired by tougher stock.

“Looks like the wolves need to be taught some

manners,” Harris said in his calm way. Even going
into a possible gunfight, Harris never lost his Zen-
like tranquility. Carey had seen him bash a rhino
shifter’s head in and then calmly finish his
sandwich.

In synch, the four friends exited the van and

headed toward Isaac’s group. The beta’s eyes

To Have a Human

105

widened when he caught sight of them.

“I guess it’s not your first time at this rodeo,”

Isaac commented.

“We like to call this a regular Saturday

afternoon,” Denton replied.

Isaac examined their gear. “Military grade.

How did you get your hands on this stuff?”

“It’s rude to ask where your presents come

from when you find them wrapped under the
tree,” Eaton said piously.

Carey suppressed his laughter because his dad

had given Eaton that particular sniper rifle
complete with a big red bow two Christmases
back.

“You have hidden depths, alpha mate. I think

you’ll fit in just fine,” Isaac’s eyes glowed
approvingly while Carey wondered if that was
such a good thing or not.

“Have you seen the wolves?” Carey asked.
Isaac nodded to a field away from the parking

lot. “Over there.”

Carey nodded and headed in that direction, his

friends flanking him on both sides, Harris on his
right, Denton and Eaton on his left. He vaguely
heard cursing and a stampede of feet following
them. Carey kept his focus on the man standing in
the middle of the field with a dozen wolf shifters,
holding a gun trained on another man lying on the
ground.

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106

Carey had wrestled with himself over whether

or not he could commit to Broden, but seeing his
strong, vibrant lover collapsed on the ground
sealed his answer. He loved Broden. Every
stubborn, annoying bit of him, and if John Greben
hurt one hair on Broden’s head, Carey was going
to kill him.

“Took you long enough,” John sneered. He was

a handsomer version of his brother, but his eyes
had a meaner cast. Carey knew that type of man—
he’d snap for no reason and beat the crap out of
someone, then blame it on the victim later. A
bully. Carey knew exactly how to deal with
bullies.

“Didn’t your brother tell you we were on the

way?” Carey gave Frank an appraising look. The
wolf glared back at him.

John laughed, a cold sound holding all the

warmth of the winter wind. “He told me you shot
him.”

“Yes, I did. I’d have killed him if I’d known you

had Broden,” Carey said.

John smiled, his dark eyes lit with a mean

mirth. “I like you. You’re almost as ruthless as me.
Your big drawback is that you have loved ones. If
you have people who love you, you’ll always be
weak.”

“Weird, I’ve always thought that’s what makes

me strong.” Carey stared at John as if waiting to

To Have a Human

107

hear what he was going to say, but in reality he
was assessing the situation.

“I like your house,” John said. “While we’re

here, I’ve decided to make it my new base. My
men are there now, helping themselves.”

Carey laughed. “I somehow doubt that.”
A look of confusion crossed John’s face. “I don’t

get you, you’re not the least worried about coming
out here and being surrounded by wolves. Even
with your backup, you are outnumbered yet you
don’t smell the least bit like fear, and neither do
your buddies. The cats all stink of it,” he sneered.

“Can we get on with this?” Carey asked in a

bored voice. “Give me back my mate and I won’t
kill you.”

John threw back his head and laughed. “He’s

your mate? This just gets better and better. Sadly,
it does mean I can’t kill him if I want your
services. Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll
free Broden here and you come work for me.”

“I have a counter offer. Free Broden and I don’t

kill you,” Carey said.

“That’s your counter offer? How about I kill

one of your pretty friends?” John moved the gun
from Broden and toward Eaton.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Carey said.
“Why not?”
“Because my sniper gets an itchy trigger finger

when my friends are threatened,” Carey offered.

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108

“Sniper! Ha! You don’t have a sniper. Who do

you think you are?” John taunted.

“Lance, shoot the eagle,” John ordered.
The wolf by John’s right pulled out his gun and

pointed it toward Eaton. A loud crack filled the
air. A red bullet wound appeared in the center of
Lance’s forehead. He toppled to the ground.
Before he even hit it, Carey knew he was dead.

“Did you want to try that again?” Carey asked.
John stared at his dead pack member. “I can

shoot Broden before your sniper gets me.”

“You can try,” Carey agreed. He crossed his

arms in front of his chest as he waited for John’s
answer. “We can do the whole shootout at the OK
Corral thing if you’d like, but that sniper taught
me everything I know. We will win, and even if
we don’t, we’ll kill most of your pack—all so you
can get one hacker. You might want to think about
that.”

John’s phone rang. Not taking his eyes off

Carey, he answered. “What do you mean you
can’t take the house?”

Harris’s big body shook with laughter beside

Carey.

“Shush, you’ll make him feel bad,” Carey

scolded.

Broden still hadn’t moved. Carey wondered if

Broden was drugged or if the bruise on his
forehead had caused his unconsciousness.

To Have a Human

109

“Get everyone out you can. I’ll talk to the

owner.” John hung up with the person on the
phone still squawking in the receiver.

“Problem?” Carey asked innocently.
“Your house has apparently eaten ten of my

wolves.” John paled.

Denton didn’t try to hide his amusement—he

threw back his head and laughed.

“A wolf-eating house.” Eaton giggled.
“Enough!” Carey scolded his friends. The traps

they’d set captured the wolves in cages beneath
the ground. It would take a special pass code to
release them. His father had set the system years
ago when he’d worried some of his enemies might
be interested in capturing or killing his son.

“I’m willing to trade your cat for my wolves.

Do we have a deal?” John’s expression showed
what he thought of having to make one.

“Deal. I take Broden now and I’ll send your

wolves home.”

John scowled. “How do I know you’ll keep

your part of the bargain?”

“What am I going to do with a bunch of

wolves?” Carey asked.

“Good point. If I don’t see them in two hours,

then I’m coming to get them myself.”

“You should come get them,” Carey agreed.

“Otherwise, they won’t have a way to get home.”

“I’ll send cars,” John said sourly.

Amber Kell

110

“What did you do to Broden?” Carey had held

back asking before because he figured John
wouldn’t answer just to spite him.

John pulled a vial out of his pocket. “I drugged

him. If you give him this, it’ll counter the drug and
he’ll wake up with only a headache for his
troubles. Here, catch.”

Carey easily caught the vial.
“You know, for a human you have really good

reflexes,” John commented.

“Thanks. Harris, grab Broden,” Carey ordered.
Harris put the rifle strap across his chest, then

walked over and picked up Broden. The bear
shifter easily flipped the unconscious cat over his
shoulder. A flash caught Carey’s attention.

Isaac shrugged. “What, you didn’t think I’d get

a picture of that? It’s perfect blackmail material.”

“Send me a copy,” Carey said. With a nod to

John and a wave to his kitty cohorts, Carey led his
group back to the van.

“That was disappointingly bloodshed-free,”

Denton said with a pout.

“One guy died,” Harris pointed out.
“Yeah, but it was all tidy and neat,” Denton

protested.

Carey laughed. “Sorry, next time I’ll request

more blood splatter.”

Shaking his head, he got in the car and they

drove home.

To Have a Human

111

Chapter Seven

roden woke up to a blinding headache in the
most comfortable bed he’d ever lain in. Like

sleeping on a cloud, the mattress cushioned his
body and the covers cocooned him in a cozy nest.
He could easily stay there forever.

“Good morning, lazy cat.”
Broden’s favorite voice in the world added to

his pleasure and he began to purr. “Morning,
mate,” he replied. His voice sounded rusty to his
ears and his throat dry.

“Here’s some water,” Carey slid an arm behind

him and pressed a glass to his lips.

Broden happily drank the cool liquid as he

soaked in his mate’s scent. The whole bed smelled
like him—hell, the whole room did.

“I’m in your home,” Broden said, amazed.
“What’s the last thing you remember?” Carey

asked.

“Someone stabbed something into my neck,”

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112

Broden replied.

“John Greben had you drugged and kidnapped

in order to get to me,” Carey informed him.

Broden blinked up at his mate. “But you’re here

and I’m here. What happened?”

“Let’s just say things didn’t work out for him

like he thought.”

Looking around the room, Broden soaked in the

architecture. Unlike his modern, cold building,
Carey’s room had interesting moldings and pale
yellow walls with vibrant artwork. The furniture
had the feel of solid wood and the window
treatments blended with the colors in the room.
Overall, it oozed home from the very core.

“No wonder you don’t like my place,” Broden

mused.

Carey laughed. “You’ve slept for a few days,

want to take a shower and get some food?”

“Sounds good,” Broden agreed. He didn’t

really want to get up—he’d never been so
comfortable in his life, but he did need to use the
bathroom and he might as well shower while he
was there.

“Come on,” Carey held out hand to help

Broden up.

Broden let Carey pull him out of bed before

wrapping an arm around his mate and dragging
him toward the door he pointed to.

“I think it would be a better idea if we shower

To Have a Human

113

together. Water conservation and all,” Broden
declared.

“Hmm, very wise idea,” Carey agreed. “You go

ahead and use the bathroom. I’ll come in when
you start the shower.”

Broden did his business, brushed his teeth with

a new toothbrush he found on the sink and started
the water. With some food and another session in
that heavenly bed, he’d be good as new.

Carey appeared as if on cue.
“Get in and I’ll wash your back,” Carey

motioned Broden inside.

“That’s probably the best offer I’ve ever had,”

Broden agreed, stepping into the tub. It was one of
those old-fashioned claw-foot tubs with the
amazingly high sides. A curtain ran all around it,
but when Cary moved the curtain away from the
window, it exposed a private rose garden.

“My grandmother planted that garden in

tribute to my mother. She died having me, but
apparently loved roses,” Carey said.

“Is your grandmother still around?”
Carey shook his head. “No, we lost her a few

years ago. She left me this house.”

“From what I’ve seen of it it’s beautiful,”

Broden said.

“I love it and I love you,” Carey said, soaping

up his hands.

Broden smiled. “Does this mean you’re going to

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114

agree to become my mate officially?”

“Someday. There’s not any hurry, is there?”

Carey asked.

Broden sighed as his mate’s hands ran across

his body, stroking and soothing him with each
pass. “No hurry as long as everyone knows that I
have you.”

“I’ve thought about adding another tattoo,”

Carey said as he wrapped his hand around
Broden’s erection.

“Whatever you want,” Broden agreed. “As long

as you keep me.”

“Would you like to move in with me?” Carey

asked. “My friends won’t be moving out.”

“I wouldn’t ask them to,” Broden reassured

him.

“Good, then let the negotiations begin.”

Without warning, Carey dropped to his knees and
Broden realized his lover had no intention on
playing fair, a fact that became less and less
important against the skill of Carey’s talented
mouth. In no time at all his orgasm rushed
through him only to be greedily sucked down by
his lover.

His knees wobbled and he was more than a

little relieved when Carey stood up to help
support him.

“Come, cat man. Let’s go back to bed and I’ll

tell you a bedtime story about the boy who grew

To Have a Human

115

up in this house,” Carey coaxed.

Eager to go back to bed, Broden let Carey lead

him back into the other room only to stop at the
sight of a pair of fully automatic machine guns
with white bows around them. They looked like
the sort of bows you’d put on a wedding package.

“Aww, Dad must like you,” Carey said. “He

only leaves guns for people he likes.”

“Um, that’s sweet?”
“Welcome to the family, Broden,” Carey said

with a grin.

Exhaustion wore Broden down. “Let’s get the

guns off the bed and take a nap. After that we can
explore all the things two grown men can do in
such a big comfy bed.”

“It’s a date,” Carey agreed.
Broden climbed into bed and cuddled his mate

close. Today he just wanted to lie there and be
with Carey. Tomorrow he’d worry about the
details of meshing their lives together.

About the Author

Amber Kell lives in Seattle, WA with her husband,
two sons, one cat and one extremely stupid dog.
She loves to hear from her fans at
amberkellwrites@gmail.com

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