Shifted Illusions

by C. E. Black

  “I know, it’s ridiculous.” Leo grimaced at an ornate column. “This is the fault of the US government. They thought we needed improvement from what we had before. Granted, what we had was a warehouse on its last legs and on the coast. One more good hurricane and it would have been decimated. But this…” He wrinkled his nose. “I reckon I’m tired of looking at it.”

  “It’s not that bad.”

  “No, it’s not. On the plus side, we have all the equipment we need, even our own doctor.”

  I sent him a crooked smile. “Not a bad payoff, then.”

  “No. So, you were silent the entire ride here. Do you want to tell me what happened back there?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Marguerite is protective of me. She’s a good woman.”

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it, but I’ll play. Come on.” He motioned for me to follow. “Are you and Marguerite close?”

  “No. Getting close to people isn’t a good idea right now.”

  Leo gave me the side-eye. “I’m going to ignore that cryptic sentence.”

  Suddenly, I wasn’t in the mood for teasing. My stomach jumped with nerves as we stopped in front of a set of double doors. No doubt hearing my racing pulse and smelling the fear oozing out of my pores, Leo raised an eyebrow.

  “What happened, Beth? Back at your apartment?”

  Taking a deep breath for courage, I reached for the door handle. “You’ll find out soon enough,” I murmured.

  My feet dragged as I stepped into the room full of shifters. I’d feared it would happen this way. There were four men, all standing around a long table in the center of the room. My eyes immediately went to the largest of the men.

  “Bethany? I’m Teij. We spoke on the phone. Please, have a seat.”

  Eyeing the other men, I padded to the chair he held out for me and sat. The others took their seats, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Let me introduce you to some of my men.”

  He started with the man on his left, Roman. He was a little older than the other men in the room. But no older than mid to late forties. Shifters aged slower than humans, which meant he was much older. Roman had kind eyes, and he gave me a small, reassuring smile, easing the stiffness in my shoulders slightly.

  Until he introduced the next two men.

  Jordan’s expression held none of the reassurances Roman’s had. He gave me a sharp nod as Teij said his name, his countenance saying it was all business for him.

  Next to Jordan sat Paul, a man with deep, penetrating eyes who stared me down, a promise of violence hidden within their depths.

  That was the moment the shakes started.

  “And it seems you’ve met Leo,” Teij said.

  “How do you two know each other?” Roman asked.

  “We met at a coffee shop a few days ago. Then I helped her when she was attacked in the alley next to her apartment. Also, she and Hawk had a previous relationship. I’ve called him in. He’ll be here soon.”

  Leo sat down in the chair next to mine and placed a hand on my arm. He probably meant it to be comforting, or maybe he was only being friendly. Either way, I cringed from his touch.

  I was in a room full of men—dangerous men who could rip me to shreds if they so desired. And I bet the first one to do so would be Mr. Tall, Dark, and Deadly, who still stared at me.

  Though Paul’s expression had morphed into concern at some point, I was past seeing anything other than my own demise.

  “Beth?”

  “Bethany?”

  “Paul! Get the fuck out of here. You’re scaring her.”

  “Not my intention, Leo. Sorry, Bethany.”

  “Get Foxy and Liz in here,” Teij said. Chairs scraped against the floor, the door opened and closed, then there was silence.

  “Okay, Beth. It’s just you and me,” Leo said softly next to me. “You and me. What can I do?”

  I blinked, coming back to the present, and took two full breaths through my nose. He had told the truth. No one was in the room other than him.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “Panic attack. Haven’t had one in a while.”

  “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on.” At the shake of my head, his eyes shuttered. “All right.” He leaned away from me.

  “It’s not like that.” I sighed. “I only want to tell it once. So, can it wait until I’ve calmed down?”

  “Sure—”

  Two women came through the door, both smelling of shifter, but with friendly expressions on their faces. The tallest one, a red-headed fox with a posture that screamed confidence, smiled at me, the mischievous twinkle in her eyes reminding me of Leo.

  “Hey, ya. Bethany, right?” She held out a hand for me to shake. “I’m Foxy. And this is Liz.”

  Liz’s scent hit me, and my eyes widened. She was a bear shifter. I’d never met one before. “Hi. You can call me Beth.”

  “I heard my hubby’s been causing problems again,” Foxy said, pointing a finger over her shoulder.

  Someone snorted out in the hall.

  “Ignore him,” she said. “Paul’s just pissed because it wasn’t me causing trouble this time.”

  The dark-haired man peeked into the room and grimaced. Foxy crossed her arms and shook her head as though irritated. But the angle of her smile, and the love shining clearly in her eyes said otherwise.

  Something inside of me tightened at the sight. No one had ever looked at me that way.

  “Sorry,” Paul said gruffly. “I get a little too intense sometimes. Or so I’m told.” Then he ducked out, but not before sending a wink in his wife’s direction.

  “Come on,” Liz said, her smile gentle. “Let’s go get a drink and talk.”

  “Oh, yes,” Foxy agreed. “You always have the best ideas, Liz.”

  Liz winked. “You know it.”

  They led me through a door to a private office. Not exactly the bar I’d been hoping for.

  Foxy patted the back of a loveseat on her way to the big desk in the middle of the room. “Have a seat, ladies, while I find us that drink.” She peered inside a drawer and smiled triumphantly. “I knew Teij kept the good stuff in here.” She set a bottle and three glass tumblers on the desk.

  “This is Teij’s office?” I asked, looking around nervously. “Are you sure we should be in here?”

  “Please.” Foxy waved one hand while pouring the drinks with the other, filling the glasses only a quarter full. “It’s my job to give that tiger something to snarl about. Plus, he already knows we’re in here and hasn’t burst through the door yet. Here,” she said as she thrust a glass at me. “This is damn good tequila. Knock it back quick.”

  Clutching the glass of clear liquid, I did as she’d suggested. My eyes watered a bit as the tart liquor slid down my throat. I coughed and held out my glass to Foxy. “More, please,” I croaked.

  Liz sat in one of the two empty chairs and gave me a nod of approval. “Impressive,” she said then drained hers before handing off the empty glass. “Fill me up, Foxy. To the rim.”

  The fox shifter studied Liz a moment before doing as she asked. Once all three of us had a refill, Foxy sat down.

  Liz swallowed down her second shot and sighed. “God, I needed that.”

  “What’s going on, Liz?” Foxy asked.

  “My stupid body isn’t doing its job,” she replied with a strained smile. “It’s been months, and Bear and I haven’t been able to conceive.”

  “It’ll be okay. A few months are nothing—”

  Liz cut Foxy off with a shake of her head. “But what if it’s not? What if my mutant body isn’t compatible with Bear’s? I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.”

  “Don’t put this all on yourself, Liz.” Liz gave her a look and Foxy snorted. “Yes, we all know Bear drips with masculinity,” she said dryly. “But it could be his issue.”

  I’d watched them with wonder. They’d spoken freely about something so personal in front of a stranger. As much as I didn’t understand it, I was als
o grateful. The conversation, along with the easy way they lounged with their drinks, made me feel included. Something I’d never felt.

  It also allowed my mind to take a break and focus on someone else’s problems for a while.

  “May I ask why you wouldn’t be compatible?” I hoped I hadn’t crossed a line, but I felt like I was missing something. “You smell like a bear shifter to me.”

  “But I wasn’t born this way,” she replied.

  “How is that possible?”

  “It’s a long story, but I was changed against my will. This guy, my old boss, was obsessed with finding a way to turn humans. He failed, mostly. Believe me, it was a horror show. Eventually, he succeeded with the involuntary help of a vampire.”

  “Vampires? I heard they were extinct.”

  “We thought so, too. Anyway, the Alpha Division rescued me, but the procedure was only half-complete. Bear had to finish it with his own DNA.”

  “And you thought being a bear shifter would mean you could conceive with him.”

  “It’ll work out,” she said, though it sounded like she was mostly talking to herself. “It’s not really great timing, as it is. With Wolford still on the run.”

  “Wolford? Is he the crazy guy who experimented on people?” I shivered at the thought of him free. He sounded too much like my uncle for my liking.

  “Fucking asshole,” Foxy growled. “He got away, but we’ll find him.”

  “No doubt,” I murmured. From the hatred in both women’s eyes, neither would let the bastard get away with his crimes.

  Liz tucked her knees under her and faced me, her smile causing my stomach to flip with nerves.

  “Enough about me. What’s going on with you and Leo?”

  “Nothing.”

  Foxy snorted at my quick reply. “Didn’t look like nothing.”

  I sighed at her easy observation. But what would I tell her? He saved me from an attack. I slept overnight at his house. He came to my rescue again when someone broke into my apartment. Then he was there for me, settling my anxiety when I couldn’t handle facing a room full of male shifters. And I hadn’t forgotten about the hot kiss in his car.

  Yeah… There was no way I could pass this off as nothing.

  “Okay. You’re right. It’s not nothing. But… It’s also not something.”

  Foxy and Liz exchanged a look. “Explain,” Foxy said.

  The clear liquid swirled as I stared down into my glass and debated whether or not to let these women in. Liz’s pain had been real. It still lingered in her eyes. I would take a guess and say it always would. It was the same look I saw in the mirror every day. After ripping open her wound, the least I could do was share some of mine.

  The burn wasn’t as intense when I tipped back the last of the tequila.

  Foxy sat back in her seat. “That bad?”

  “I’m trying to figure out where to start.”

  “The beginning?”

  Too many beginnings to choose from, I thought.

  “How did you meet Leo?” Liz prompted.

  “At the coffee shop where I work. Used to work,” I corrected.

  “I want to hear about that,” Foxy interrupted, “but tell us about you and Leo first.”

  “We bumped into each other, and I asked him out.”

  Foxy frowned. “That’s it?”

  “Then he stood me up.”

  The jaws on both women dropped.

  Liz recovered first. “What a jerk!”

  “Sort of makes sense, though, doesn’t it?” Foxy said to her. “Think about it.”

  Her angry expression clearing, Liz bowed her head and nodded. “It does.”

  I scrutinized them both. “Am I missing something?”

  Foxy sighed and settled her elbows on her knees, letting her glass dangle between them. “Leo has always been—”

  “Lucky with the ladies,” Liz interrupted her.

  I grinned while adding my two cents. “I think Foxy was going to say, a player.”

  “No, Liz is right,” Foxy said. “Leo moved from one woman to the next, but he never played them. I would go so far as to say it went the other way around most of the time. I’m not sure he saw it, though. But things have changed since his accident.”

  “The scar?”

  Foxy nodded. “He was injured in an explosion. Actually, it was more than that. Leo’s lucky to be alive. He just doesn’t see it that way.”

  “What? Why? Don’t tell me it’s because of the scar on the side of his face. It’s barely noticeable.” Okay, it was more than noticeable. But it didn’t take away from his good looks. Not in my eyes.

  “Leo’s one vice, or at least his worst, is his vanity. His face has gotten him far in life. With women for sure. But also in his career. We’ve used him in the past to get through people’s defenses. They’re attracted to his charm and his boyish good looks. And they tell him everything he wants to know.”

  Boyish good looks? Hardly. Leo was sexy as hell and looked no closer to a boy than I did. But I started to understand the big picture. “And now he sees himself as useless.”

  “Exactly,” Liz confirmed. “What we’re trying to say is… Give him some time. If I put myself in his shoes, I’d be wondering what you saw in me every time I looked in the mirror. Eventually, he’ll see what you see.”

  “This sounds all good and fine. But Leo and I aren’t together.” I flinched as the words left my lips because they’d felt too close to a lie.

  “Honey,” Liz said, giving my hand a soft pat, “everyone could see plain as day what’s between you two. If you’re not together now, you will be soon.”

  “There’s something else,” I tried to explain.

  “Whatever else can be worked out,” Liz jumped in. “Seeing Leo with you earlier, even though you were freaking out, and I’m sorry about that, we were so… thrilled to see his reaction. He hasn’t cared about anything in a long while. He cares about you, Beth.”

  Shit. I’d held a small hope I would make a couple of new friends. Something I desperately needed. It wouldn’t happen now.

  “Listen,” I began, sitting my glass down on the coffee table. “I like Leo. He’s a great guy. But there’s a very good reason it won’t work out between us.” I took a deep breath. “There’s something I haven’t told you—”

  The door flew open and a frantic-looking Henri came in, rushing to my side. “Beth! Thank God, you’re okay.”

  He scooped me off the chair and into his arms. And right in front of the two women who only moments before had been trying to persuade me to date his best friend, he kissed me.

  I should have pulled away, embarrassed or even a tiny bit guilty. But truth be told, I couldn’t find it in me to protest.

  13

  Hawk

  Getting the call someone had broken into Beth’s place had shaved years off my life. I’d rushed to headquarters, breaking every traffic law in my efforts to get to her. Seeing her alive and well under the protection of my team caused my adrenaline to crash.

  Without deliberation, I folded her into my arms, the need to feel her pressed against me and to taste her sweet lips consuming me.

  A contented rumble came from my throat as Beth kissed me back, her tongue caressing mine, welcoming me home. But the pleasure of having her to myself was short-lived. When my hips pressed into hers, she pulled away abruptly and ducked her head.

  I started to question what was wrong when someone cleared their throat, reminding me we weren’t alone.

  Beth’s cheeks turned a lovely shade of red, and she stepped back. Reacting without thought, I clasped her hand in mine before she could get too far. Her head tipped to the side as she stared at our hands. Her smile had warmth blooming inside my chest.

  Someone cleared their throat again. This time much louder.

  I gave Foxy and Liz a nod, thanking them without words for taking care of Beth. However, my greeting was met with twin looks of confusion. They glanced back and forth between me and Beth, most lik
ely puzzled about our relationship. Not in the habit of sharing my dating life with anyone but Leo, I shrugged it off. I wasn’t about to start a conversation with them now.

  “Are you okay?” I asked Beth. “I heard Paul was being an ass again.”

  “He only stared at me.” Beth rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Not his fault I have issues. But to answer your question, yes, I’m okay now. Thanks to them,” she said, tipping her head toward Foxy and Liz.

  “Anytime,” Liz replied.

  “Yeah, maybe we should get together and talk again soon,” Foxy suggested.

  Beth stiffened. “Sure. That sounds nice.”

  I narrowed my eyes at my nosey teammate and received a wink in return. Incorrigible fox.

  “How’s your vacation going?” I snarled my lip at the question, and she laughed. “You had what? Two days off? I bet you spent all your time agonizing over work too.”

  I glanced down at Beth then back up. “You’d be surprised. Work’s been the last thing on my mind.”

  “Are you’re ready to talk to the team now?”

  I’d known Leo was behind us, but apparently, Beth hadn’t. When he spoke, she tried to drop my hand, but I tightened my grip gently. Enough to let her know it was okay. Her anxiety was clear, and I ran my thumb over the fluttering pulse at her wrist, receiving a small smile in return.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied. Halfway out the door, she glanced over her shoulder. “Foxy, Liz, will you come with us?”

  “Of course,” Liz answered.

  I tried to catch Leo’s eye as we filed past him, but he wouldn’t let me, keeping his expression absurdly professional. If Beth hadn’t been next to me, I would have snorted. We had some serious issues to discuss. Later. First, we needed to help Beth. The break-in at her apartment hadn’t been random, apparently. But other than that minuscule bit of information, I was seriously out of the loop.

  Teij was the only one waiting for us when we entered the conference room.

  “Thanks for trying this again, Beth,” Teij said as we sat down at the long glass table—the Alpha Division’s usual pow-wow spot. “I’m sorry about earlier. For now, we’ll keep the discussion between us. Would you like Foxy and Liz to stay?”