by Angel Nyx
Casey turned in her seat to look back at her son. “I’m not surprised. Car rides have always made him sleepy. Sometimes, when he was a baby, he would get really fussy and the only way to get him to sleep was to take him for a drive.” She smiled warmly at her son, then turned her attention back to the road. “He’s my pride and joy. I don’t know what I’d do without him,” Casey admitted. She settled in for the rest of the drive and tried to push thoughts of Nikolai from her mind for the time being.
Nikolai
Sometimes, even when a person has the best of intentions, things get in the way and plans have to change. After the party, Nikolai had fully intended on taking some time to sit down and talk with Casey. Several times he’d started to approach her, but she was usually talking with another Pack member and he didn’t want to interrupt her conversations. Then a mission came in that required his special skills. Could he have trusted it to another member of Ghostpoint Security? Perhaps, but if something went wrong, he would forever wonder if it happened solely because he wasn’t there. Maybe that was arrogance on his part, but still he volunteered to go as the munitions expert on the team. He could talk with her when he returned.
The problem was, he was finding it exceedingly difficult to focus. He kept thinking, could he have handled things better when he met Casey? Possibly. But he couldn’t go back and change his very visceral reaction. Thinking about Casey made him feel things he hadn’t in a very long time – along with things he hadn’t expected to ever feel. He found himself longing for a family – longing to settle down and raise children of his own. He’d never had the desire for children before she came into his life. He’d also never expected himself to be so drawn to a woman. The few times she’d been at Pack headquarters, since her birthday party, he’d kept his distance while watching her with other Pack members. She had a gentleness about her that was soothing. True, she also seemed insecure and unsure of herself at times, but from the little he now knew about her, he was certain that was a result of her assault. He found himself wanting to bask in her gentle nature. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and not only make her feel safe, but help her to see how truly beautiful she was.
“Enough.” The word came out more growl than word. If he lost his focus, everything could go to hell. He pushed thoughts of his mate to the background and looked through his binoculars to make sure his target was still in sight. The man was scum. He took great pleasure in kidnapping young women and girls, breaking them, and selling them to the highest bidder. He might have gone on as an unknown had he not grabbed the wrong girl. His most recent victim came from a very wealthy and influential family. Although he’d confiscated the girl’s belongings, he hadn’t gotten rid of them. That error would be his downfall because there was a tracker in both her bag and her cell phone. “Target is on the move.”
The team was split up. Part of the team had followed the tracker back to the compound where the girl was being held. They were slowly, methodically, clearing it of hostiles. The other half of the team had gone after the man behind the kidnapping. He and his right-hand man were just leaving a meeting with a young woman in tow. Money had changed hands, which meant the young woman was going up on the auction block. Or, rather, that was the intention. Nikolai would take him out before that could happen. Even without the binoculars he could see the emptiness, the defeat, in the girl’s eyes. It reminded him of the way Casey had looked when he denied their connection.
“Nyet.” He hissed the word and forced those thoughts from his mind.
“Alpha team leader. All targets found and eliminated. Awaiting orders.”
The words came over the earpiece in his left ear just as his target stepped into the open. Nikolai focused on the man below him in the street and waited until the perfect moment. Just as his second-in-command moved to shove the girl into the vehicle they were traveling in, Nikolai took his shot. Forehead. Dead center. As the body crumbled to the ground, another shot, from a different direction, took out the second-in-command.
“Rogue team, targets have been eliminated. Search the compound for any victims and release them.” When the girl just stood there staring at the bodies, Nikolai swore under his breath. “Rest of Alpha team, rendezvous with Rogue team. I will meet you there.”
“Roger that. Watch your back, Nikolai.”
Nikolai didn’t respond as he moved on silent feet to make his way to the street. He needed to get the girl away from the bodies before the authorities arrived. Chances were, they were just as crooked and she’d end up right back where she’d started. He wasn’t going to let that happen.
He slid up beside where she still stood in shock. “Come with me.” That seemed to sink in because she jerked and stared at him. Her pale eyes reminded him of Casey and he had to push the thought aside for the time being. “You are safe now. My team will make sure you get home to your family.”
“Who are you?”
“That matters not. We need to go. Now.” When she didn’t move fast enough for him, he scooped her up and ran. No sooner were they around the corner, headed away from the bodies, when the authorities roared past them on the way to the scene. He’d cut it too damn close.
Hours later, after every woman, that was in the compound, was rescued and on a plane headed home, Nikolai was finally able to relax. He and the team were on their own plane back to New Orleans and he’d come to a decision. He needed to speak with Casey. He needed to apologize for the way he’d reacted. For whatever reason, the fates had decreed that his mate be a wolf, he would accept that and embrace it.
Chapter Seven
Nikolai
New Orleans. How quickly the Crescent City had become home to him. While many of their Pack chose to find homes within the city, he was content to remain at Ghostpoint Headquarters. He had little in the way of belongings, beyond clothing and some books; there was no need for him to find an apartment elsewhere. He knew that would have to change, eventually, because he had a mate to think about. He would inform his mate that she was to look for a home that she liked and he would take care of the purchase.
“Glad to be home. How about you?” Emory, one of the newer members of the Security team, asked him, as they made their way to the SUV that waited in the extended-stay parking.
“Da. It is good to be back, knowing the mission was a success.”
“Dude, do you ever quit working? I’m glad to be back so I can hit the bars, maybe find some tail.”
Nikolai growled. “Not everyone thinks with their cock.”
“Hell, if that pretty little blonde wolf didn’t have a kid, I’d take her out and rock her world, but I’m not looking…”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence because Nikolai had him pinned against the side of the SUV with his hand around his throat. “Do not ever speak of her in such a way again.” The growl that trickled from him was pure tiger. “Do not even look at her or you will regret the day you were born,” he snarled. He squeezed just a little more, to get his point across, then let go.
Emory coughed several times before he was finally able to speak. “What the fuck, dude? Fine, I won’t talk about her again. Fuck.”
“See that you don’t.” Nikolai slid into the driver’s side of the SUV and closed the door. As the rest of the team climbed in, he got the vehicle turned on. As soon as everyone was settled, he pulled out of the parking garage and headed for headquarters. The sooner he got there and gave his report to Declan, the sooner he could speak with his mate. He pulled into the parking garage at headquarters, turned the vehicle off, and was out the door before anyone else. Any equipment that was taken with them was returned, cleaned, restocked, and logged in, then he went to report the mission’s success to his Alpha.
Nikolai paused outside Declan’s office door to calm his nerves. He didn’t get nervous. Why was he so unsettled? If he really thought about it, he knew the answer. Casey. When he thought of the way he’d treated her when he realized she was his mate, he was filled with shame. He lifted his hand to knock just a
s the door opened.
“Were you planning on standing there all day?”
The smirk on his Alpha’s face made him shake his head. “Nyet. I was just getting ready to knock.”
“I see the team made it back in one piece. Did everything go smoothly?”
“Da, for the most part. All targets were eliminated and their victims were rescued. There was one minor snag. Our main target met with another to purchase a young woman. She too has been reunited with her family, but we almost did not get her away from the scene before the authorities arrived.”
“As long as no one in the team was spotted, it’s all good. You can give your written report tomorrow. You look like hell. Why don’t you get some rest.”
“Nyet. There is something I must do first.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“Speak with my mate.” The look his Alpha gave him had him cocking a brow. “What?”
“That might be a little difficult. She’s not here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean she’s not in New Orleans. She went out of town for a while.”
“Then I will go to her. Where did she go?”
“Don’t know. I wasn’t given that information.”
Nikolai frowned. “You are her Alpha; how did she leave without informing you of her destination?”
“Nikolai, you know better than that. I’m not a tyrant. You can try asking Lily where she went, but I doubt she’ll tell you.”
“That is not acceptable. She is my mate; it is my right to know where she is.”
“A couple of weeks ago you were denying the connection between you. Now you’re accepting it?”
“Da. I am not proud of how I treated her. She did not deserve such disdain.”
“No, she didn’t. Give her time. I’m sure she just needed to get away for a bit and she’ll be back in no time.”
Nikolai nodded but he fully intended on asking Lily where Casey was. “I will fill out a full report in the morning,” he said, his mind already preoccupied with the possible whereabouts of his mate.
Casey
Beaumont, Texas wasn’t exactly a small town. According to the Google search she’d done on the city, it was the twenty-fourth largest city in Texas. With 961 cities in the entire state, Beaumont being the twenty-fourth largest was impressive. As they drove through the city streets, following the GPS to Malcolm’s sister’s address, Casey found herself torn between being glad she’d gone on the trip and wishing she was back in New Orleans. “Are you sure your sister isn’t going to mind Jacob and I being here?”
“Of course not. She already knows you’re coming, so why would she?”
“Well, I don’t know, I mean, she invited you to visit, not you and a Pack member.” When Malcolm chuckled at her she stuck her tongue out. “It’s not funny. I don’t want her to get upset, and what if she jumps to the wrong conclusions?”
“Oh, relax, darling, she’s not going to jump to conclusions. Even if she does, I’ll set her straight right away.”
Casey snickered. “That just sounds so odd coming from you. Straight. Because you are so not.”
Malcolm laughed. “No, no I am not. Rory is aware of that. She knows it’s why I am no longer with the Pride.”
“That’s another thing. Don’t lions tend to be more, um, elitist when it comes to other species? She’s not going to go all furry on me because I’m a wolf, is she? I’m sorry, but lions scare the crap out of me.”
“Aw, don’t worry, babe, I won’t let her shift on you. You need to relax. Oh, we’re here.”
Casey took a deep breath to calm down while Malcolm pulled his car into the driveway. She looked back at Jacob, who’d fallen asleep on the drive, and was just now rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Did you have a nice nap, squirt?”
“Yes, Mama. Are we there?”
“Yes we are. Remember your manners when you meet Malcolm’s sister.”
“Yes, Mama.”
Casey reached back and ruffled his hair. “Love you to the moon and back, kiddo.” The grin he gave her warmed her heart.
“Love you to the moon and back, too.”
“You two are so darn cute,” Malcolm said. “Let’s do this.”
Casey shook her head and climbed out of the car just as the front door opened. It was easy to see the family resemblance between the woman who came running down the walkway, squealing, and Malcolm.
“Mal! You’re here! Oh my God, look at you, big brother!”
“Look at me? Look at you? You went and grew up on me, Rory.”
Casey watched their reunion with a smile. It was obvious to anyone who was watching that the two had missed each other.
“Well, that’s what happens when you go away for years,” Rory teased.
“Haha, very funny. You make it sound like I was in lockup. Rory, I’d like you to meet my dear friend, and Pack mate, Casey, and her son Jacob. Casey was in dire need of a vacation so I talked her into tagging along.”
Casey waved at the other woman. “Hello.”
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you. Y’all come on inside. I have stew on the stove and cold drinks in the fridge. When Mal told me he was in a Pack that consisted of several different species of shifters, I’ll admit, at first, I thought he was pulling my leg. But your Pack has gained some…notoriety among those of us who are without our own group. You know, the proverbial ‘lone wolves’,” Rory clarified.
“About that. How in the heck did you get away from the Pride, Rory? Angus was all about the breeding and you’re a young, healthy female.”
“But I couldn’t give the Pride any babies.” There was sadness in her voice. “I’m infertile. I can’t have children.”
“Oh shit, Sis, I’m so sorry. I know you wanted to have kids some day.” Malcolm winced. “Sorry, Casey, didn’t mean to cuss in front of Jacob.”
Casey waved the apology away. It was an understandable slip.
“Life goes on, right? Anyway, come on inside.”
They followed Rory into the house. It was bigger than one person really needed but from what Casey had seen so far, everything seemed bigger in Texas, including the houses.
“Have y’all gotten a hotel yet? If not, you’re welcome to stay here. Don’t ask me why I got a three-bedroom house when it’s just me living in it. I liked it and I could afford it so I figured I might as well get it.”
“No, we hadn’t gotten that far yet. We were going to find one once we got here,” Malcolm admitted.
“Then stay here. Save your money.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose,” Casey started.
“I’m positive. It’ll be nice to have some company, if I’m completely honest. It gets a little lonely on your own.”
“Yes, it does,” Malcolm agreed. “Hey, what did you mean our Pack has gained some notoriety?”
“The rumor mill is all abuzz about your Pack, Malcolm. It’s unique. Your Alpha must really be something to be able to keep all those different types of shifters from wanting to fight.”
“That he is. Declan was in a Special Ops group for years; he has a lot of experience in keeping different types of shifters in line. But really, it’s more that he questions anyone who wants to join the Pack. Well, usually, anyway. He’s made a few exceptions, like with Casey here, because his mate vouched for her. But if a new shifter comes to the area, wanting to join the Pack, he makes sure they’re not going to cause trouble before letting them in. If they even hint at not being able to get along with others, their request is denied. That’s not to say we all sit around campfires singing Kumbaya, but there isn’t a lot of infighting.”
Casey snickered. “Could you imagine the Pack doing that? That would be a sight. You and Echo are about the only ones who can really sing; the rest of us can’t carry a tune in a bucket.” She and Malcolm shared a laugh.
“You’re not that bad, but you’re right, it would be a sight. Rory, that stew smells delicious.”
“Sit down. I’ll dish up
some bowls. What would y’all like to drink? I have juice, milk, water, I think I’ve got some root beer in the fridge, and of course wine. Oh, there might even be a beer or two left over from a get-together I had last weekend.”
“Beer or wine would be perfect,” Malcolm replied.
Casey rolled her eyes. It was late afternoon but leave it to Malcolm to want the alcohol. The man loved his wine. “Jacob and I will take juice.” It wasn’t that she didn’t drink; she just didn’t do it often.
“One beer and two juices coming right up. I have to say, Casey, your son is adorable.”
“Thank you. He’s my world.”
Once they had bowls in front of them, all talking ceased for several minutes. “Oh, this is really good,” Casey said after several bites.
“Thanks. I’ve been playing around with different spices and ingredients to find that perfect mix. I think I finally got it.”
Malcolm cocked a brow. “You could make a killing selling this.”
“That’s kind of the point. I’m thinking about opening my own restaurant, but in order to do that I need to have a decent number of menu options for customers to choose from. I went to school to be a chef but I don’t want to work for someone else. I want to be my own boss, you know?”
“That is an awesome idea, Sis. You planning on opening it up here in Beaumont?” Malcolm asked.
It sounded like an idle question but Casey had the feeling it was anything but.
“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far in the decision process, yet. Why?”
“You could always come to New Orleans. Join the Pack and open it up there.”
“Uh, wouldn’t that be up to your Alpha to decide?” Rory asked, confusion evident on her face.
“Well, sure, but Declan’s a good sort. If you wanted to move to New Orleans to be with family, he wouldn’t deny you. I know you’re used to the way the Pride does things. We both know lion shifters are arrogant, egotistical, elitist assholes, for the most part. Maybe if Declan hadn’t been in Special Ops, where he worked with different groups of shifters for years, he’d be a different sort of Alpha, but the fact is, he did do that, and he’s more welcoming to those who have a genuine desire to be part of a group, and can get along with others who aren’t like them. The Pack shares territory with the Black Water Pard and we’re allied with the Red Moon Clan in Lafayette. Just think about it, Rory. Okay?”