When Lightning Strikes

by Sedona Venez

  I looked at them incredulously. “Wait. You’re using us as bait.”

  Aunt Ava pulled my hair playfully. “We’re all bait, Light.”

  Storm rolled her eyes. “You know what happens to bait? It eventually gets eaten.”

  Mom and Aunt Ava’s face tightened.

  “That’s what’s we’re counting on,” Mom remarked.

  “Give your enemies enough rope and they’ll hang themselves. And when they do, we’ll finish them off for good.” Aunt Ava finished.

  Mom headed straight for me, grabbing my face. She kissed my cheek. “Be safe, okay?” she whispered. “Please don’t do anything to get yourself in trouble, okay?”

  I rubbed my head. If they thought I was going to sit around waiting for the Shadows to get me, they had another thing coming. “I’m not making any promises. Love you.” We hugged each other again before she and Aunt Ava exited.

  Storm grabbed me and hugged me hard. I hugged her back, kissing her on the cheek. We both were emotional. This isn’t how we wanted this to go. We grew up together, went to college together, worked together, and traveled all over the world together. And at twenty-three years of existence, we had more money than either of us could spend. But money couldn’t buy love or happiness. It was time. Time for us to forge our own way. She had Knox now and I wanted her to be happy. She fucking deserved it. And there was no doubt in my mind that Knox would make sure she would never want for anything… love, affection, protection, and happiness. He was truly a fucking good guy.

  “I love you,” Storm whispered.

  “I love you too.”

  Storm pulled back with a hint of worry in her eyes. I squeezed her arm reassuringly. She was used to fixing my problems, and up until now, I was quite happy to allow her to. But things had changed. The situation had changed. I was changing. I wasn’t sure whether it was for better or worse.

  “We’ll talk every night. I’ll be waiting to hear all of the scandalous things you’ve done to the Alpha,” Storm teased.

  I gave her a devilish grin. “Oh, you can count on that shit. Project ‘make Wolfie’s life a living hell’ starts as soon as I walk out of this damn office.”

  “Give him hell.” She pinched my cheek. She looked over her shoulder at Knox, who was leaning against the wall, talking to Ryker. “I gotta go.” She gave me a small smile. I returned it.

  I stood there for a minute. Never feeling as alone as I felt right then, I watched Storm exit the office into the arms of Knox. I smiled. They were so in love. I was content to bask in the warmth of their new love, when the Alpha from hell turned around and scowled at me.

  “Are you coming or what?” he snapped.

  I sighed heavily before marching toward him. “Would it kill you to say something polite for once?”

  He growled.

  I reached up and tapped his cheek… hard. “Good thing I’ll be staying with you for a long time. It will give me plenty of time to teach you some manners… Lightning style.” I grinned. “Now come along, Wolfie. Time’s a wasting.” I sauntered away with an extra pep in my step when I heard his teeth grinding.

  Yup… let the games begin.

  IT WAS WISHFUL THINKING THAT the Neanderthal who I now called Ryker would say at least one word to me on the ride over to Alfero headquarters. It would have made the ride less boring. But no, Ryker spent the whole ride alternating between texting and talking on his phone. Shit! The man never stopped working. There were non-stop calls about his pack, from the Other Council, to putting out fires within his company. No wonder he was so uptight.

  I sighed with relief when we pulled up to his headquarters. The driver opened the door and Ryker whisked me into the building. Bones, one of his enforcers, was standing in the lobby, flirting with the receptionist. He turned around, his lips curled into an easy smile as he maintained eye contact. “Well, if it isn’t Lightning Credence.”

  I boldly checked out his athletic build and chocolate-brown hair. Oh, yippee, a nice new toy to play with. “Well, if it isn’t the cowboy I call Bones,” I mimicked with a southern drawl.

  Ryker’s piercing gaze unflinchingly met his with a frown. “Is everything ready upstairs?”

  Bones’s smile disappeared, looking from Ryker to me with interest. “Yes…” He cleared his throat. “But there’s a problem.”

  Ryker pushed me toward the waiting elevator. “What problem?” he snapped as we entered the elevator.

  Bones looked at me uncomfortably, then back at him. “Sophie showed up. And she’s in your office, refusing to leave.”

  Ryker scowled as the elevator opened. “I don’t need this shit right now.” I tried not to flinch when he put his hand on the small of my back, guiding me into the sleek office space. His headquarters occupied one floor of a mammoth office building in the Garment District. His office, with its 39th-floor views of Times Square and the West Side of Manhattan, was sprawling, bigger than most New York apartments and lavishly tasteful. The sitting area had leather couches and an elaborate coffee table, on which were piled art books. A large flat-screen TV on one wall was tuned silently to the news channel.

  A harried woman came bustling toward Ryker. “I apologize, Mr. Alfero. She just showed up. God, that woman is so infuriating,” the woman commented.

  I heard the elevator ding and the doors opened, revealing the dynamic trio of Jackal, Rip, and Soar, who barreled toward us like a freight train.

  “What’s going on?” Rip asked.

  “Sophie. And she’s in Ryker’s office,” the woman whispered.

  I looked at them curiously. Why were they so worked up about ‘Sophie?’

  “I’ll take care of this.” Ryker nodded toward me. “Soar, take her to the lounge, then prepare the conference room. I want to see the footage. I’ll be right back.” He started to prowl toward his office with Rip, Jackal, and Bones following close behind him.

  “Oh no you don’t!” I grabbed his arm, smiling at him prettily. “You promised to protect me. So where you go, I go. That’s the deal, Alpha, and that’s not negotiable,” I mocked before pushing past them. “Besides, I want to meet Sophie. She sounds like lots of fun.”

  “You’re with me, darling.” Ryker wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back against his body. His lips grazed the shell of my ear as he whispered. “I can’t have you walking in on an unpredictable she-wolf.” The surprising contact made my nipples harden, breathing increase, and dampness soaked my underwear.

  “What a gentleman,” I pointed out huskily.

  Abruptly, he released his grip with big-as-saucers hands resting comfortably on my hip, guiding me forward as he pushed open the door with me pinned to his side. I scanned the office, taking in the massive mahogany pieces dominating two walls and a large desk holding down one end of the room. My perusal skidded to a stop and eyes widened at the sight of a butt-naked Sophie kneeling in a submissive position.

  “Happy Birthday… sir!” Sophie addressed with eyes still cast downward.

  “Shit!” Ryker snapped.

  “Oh my!” I bit my bottom lip to prevent myself from bursting out in a fit of giggles. “What do we have here?” I looked at him with fake shock. “Is she here to blow out your candle?”

  Sophie’s head snapped up. She glared at me with frosty eyes. “Who is she?”

  Rip laughed loudly. “Why can’t shit like this ever happen to me?”

  Jackal pushed farther into the office with an aloof stare. “It does but in the confines of the strip club you visit every month.”

  Ryker growled, “What the fuck is going on, Sophie?”

  I winked at him. “I’m not judging. But next time, give a girl some warning before you bring out the sex freaks.” I tapped my lip. “Now that I think of it, is there anything else you want to warn me about before I move into your penthouse?” I stared at Sophie pointedly. “Because I plan to be there for a long time.”

  Sophie stood up, not even bothering to pull on her clothes. I rolled my eyes. Modest she was not.
Sophie tossed her shiny waist-length blond hair over her shoulder, glaring at me. I stared at her tall, reed-thin body with peaches-and-crème skin and pouty mouth. Now I knew what type of women the Alpha was into. Sophie pushed out her obviously fake breasts, hanging on a body so thin I wished I had a cracker to give the poor starved soul.

  “She’s staying with you?” Sophie pointed over at me hotly. “Not once have you invited me to your place.”

  I wagged my finger at her like a schoolteacher. “And that should be a hint and a half for your ass. If a man doesn’t invite you over to his place, you’re definitely not a keeper.”

  “Why you little bitch.” Sophie lunged at me. In a flash, Ryker stepped in front of me, blocking my view, and Rip and Jackal flanked my sides protectively. I shot them an annoyed stare. She-wolf or not, I could take on Sophie without even breaking a damn sweat.

  “I don’t have time for this shit. Sophie, put on your clothes and get out,” Ryker barked impatiently.

  I pushed past Ryker determinedly and strolled past her, sinking down into Ryker’s buttery leather office chair with a sigh of exaggerated contentment. “Don’t mind me.” I waved a hand. “I’ll be quiet. I love watching a good freak show.”

  Sophie’s eyes narrowed bitterly before she marched over to Ryker, grabbing his arm possessively. I yawned at her obvious attempt at possession, but deep down inside, something I never experienced before stirred within me—jealously. I curled my fingers against my thighs to prevent myself from jumping up and slapping her hands off him.

  Ryker frowned while peeling Sophie’s hand off him. “Sophie, what the hell are you playing at?”

  Sophie’s mouth tightened. “Ryker, who is this?”

  Ryker growled. “Sophie, you’re testing my damn patience.”

  I crossed my legs while twirling a strand of hair flirtatiously. “She wants to know if you and I are”—I looked up and smiled sexily—“fucking,” I whispered loudly.

  Rip laughed loudly. “God, this is funny.”

  Sophie sized me up. “Exactly,” she hissed before jamming her hands on her hips while tapping her foot impatiently.

  Ryker crossed his beefy arms. “That’s none of your damn business.” He nodded over to her scattered clothes. “Now put on your damn clothes and get the hell out. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

  Sophie huffed angrily.

  “And the answer to your question…” I winked at him saucily. “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”

  Ryker smirked, then caught himself and frowned.

  I continued. “And if I were you… I would be damn worried when I do.”

  Sophie put her clothes on with angry, jerky movements.

  “Because what’s between my legs is so good, if I threw it up in the air, it would make sunshine.”

  Jackal’s mouth dropped open. “I’m going to need a cold shower.”

  “Shit. My cock just got rock hard,” Rip mumbled.

  Ryker scowled at them. “Don’t encourage her.”

  Sophie snarled. “This is ridiculous.”

  I smiled like I won the lottery. “Ridiculously good. Now run along. Your services will not be required…” I looked at Ryker with cold eyes. “Anymore.”

  Sophie sputtered.

  Ryker crossed his arms. “Sophie, leave.”

  Her overinflated lips pouted before she pulled on her coat. “I’m not leaving. She is.”

  I smiled, enjoying the drama much more than I really should. “Sweetie, your cheap shoes are over there.” I nodded over to the door. “Put them on and skedaddle.” I leaned forward, giving her the stare. “You’re making the big bad Alpha and his sidekicks really uncomfortable.”

  She grabbed her shoes before marching over to me. “You can’t have him,” she snapped while pointing in my face.

  Oh, hell no! There were a multitude of ways I could handle this, but the one I was leaning toward was breaking her boney finger for being so unbelievably rude. I decided to take the high road, which frankly, was highly unusual for me. Besides, Sophie was rearing for a fight that she absolutely had no chance of winning.

  “Okay, first, the finger, get it out of my damn face. Secondly, you better be happy that I don’t really want Ryker…” I glared. “Because I don’t lose men. I collect them.” I tilted my head subtly. “Now, move your boney ass out of my face before I go straight New York on your ass.”

  Ryker strode over and guided Sophie toward the door. “Sophie, I don’t play games.”

  She sputtered while looking at me spitefully. “You’re kicking me out for this chubby bitch?”

  I jumped up. “Okay, that’s it. I tried to be nice, but the name calling, that’s the last straw.”

  Jackal and Rip dragged a cursing Sophie out of the office, closing the door quietly. I stared at him spitefully while throwing paperclips in the air. “Happy Birthday, Wolfie!”

  A PISSED-OFF RYKER ENTERED the soundproofed conference room with Jackal and Rip trailing behind. Ryker stepped over the threshold and nodded at Jackal, who shut the door. Jackal, the second-highest-ranking member of the team, and Rip, the third, sat down to his left and right. The remaining member of the team, Soar, sat engrossed in pulling up data from his tablet.

  “I’ve never witnessed anything as hot but frightening as what I just witnessed. And I’m not talking about Sophie,” Jackal reported.

  “God. Every time Light opens her mouth, I don’t know whether to run or beg her to make me her sexual submissive,” Rip chuckled.

  “What the fuck? Can you guys focus?” Ryker snarled. He was already regretting making the promise to protect Light. She was too much of a distraction.

  Soar glanced up from his tablet. “What happened?”

  “An epic clash of the titans. Sophie, zero. Light, ten,” Rip related.

  Soar scowled. “Figures. Underneath that pretty face is a mean, vicious siren.” He shook his head with a look of amazement. “Did you see what she did with that damn letter opener? Fuck… inches away from taking out my eye.” He smirked. “I would take that woman to a knife fight any damn day.”

  Ryker frowned. Soar was distrustful of everyone until he warmed up to them, and that could take months. Now he was an official member of the “I love Lightning” fan club, way ahead of schedule. Ryker leaned forward, pressing his hands on the table, allowing his power to roll off his body. “Enough! We have too much shit going on to be talking about Light and her damn antics.” He took a cleansing breath before sitting down.

  Rip laughed. “Man, you’re mad she won’t kneel at your feet like every other woman.”

  Jackal grinned at Ryker. “Let me give you some advice. This one is a wild stallion. Don’t try to mind fuck her ‘cause it ain’t going to work. A firm but gentle hand is needed to corral her into your bed.”

  Soar examined Ryker with way-too-wise eyes. “Light’s not some woman you fuck and walk away from. She’s a keeper.”

  Ryker scoffed. “I’m not interested in a mate.”

  Jackal leaned forward with a smile and eager eyes. “If you don’t want her, would you have a problem with me pursuing her?”

  Ryker’s eyes flashed.

  “That’s what we thought. She’s all yours, Alpha,” Jackal commented smugly.

  Ryker struggled to get himself under control. “All I care about right now is pack business,” he remarked while watching them coolly. “Let’s review what we know so everyone’s on the same damn page.”

  Soar slid his finger over the tablet. The myriad of monitors flicked to life. Ryker’s eyes narrowed on the streaming images from the crime scene, autopsy, and copies of the report appearing on the monitors.

  “Here are the photos we got from our informants. Notice the heart is ripped out of every single body.” He eyed them. “What’s more puzzling is the hearts were not found on the scene.” He paused, scratching his head. “And the animal maul marks on the body… definitely made by a shifter,” Soar finished.

  “Shifters don’t take organs,” Ryker
argued. “And if we did, what the fuck would we do with them? Our organs are useless once they leave the body.” It was nature’s way of ensuring the essence and power of Others remained within the body.

  “That’s exactly what I concluded, but someone is going to great lengths to frame shifters.” Soar leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “What’s even stranger is the neighbors reportedly heard howling around the time frame of the attacks. Some even said they saw wolves running in the street.”

  “What the fuck? Wolves running in the middle of Manhattan?” Ryker ran his hands through his hair. “This shit is out of control. Whoever did this is going to pay for jeopardizing the peace treaty talks.”

  “Frankly, I don’t think you have a chance in hell of getting the Others to the table now,” Jackal interjected. “They’re too riled up. Chatter on the network is going crazy. Wild speculation is running rampant, but the main theme is everyone thinks the stolen Credence client book is some type of Other hit list.”

  Ryker’s jaw tensed. “Can this get any worse?”

  “Oh, it did,” Rip commented. “We’ve also picked up unusual chatter in the Other network about humans purchasing Others’s hearts.”

  Ryker sat straight up. He didn’t like the sound of this at all. The few humans who knew of their existence had been trying for centuries to get their hands on Others’s organs. They believed that by implanting the organs into humans, they would somehow get the Others’s strength and power. If the network chatter was true, it meant someone had figured out how to successfully harvest Others’s organs. “Rip, call Ben from the Riley pack. He may know what’s going on.” He paused. “A couple of months ago, I got a strange call from a former colleague. He was frantic about a visit from a group of rich humans who said they were from a corporation called Swodah Unified. He said they were looking to purchase Other organs. He told them it was impossible and not to come back. I gave the lead to Ben since he had been monitoring this group’s activities for years. See if he has any new intelligence.” He stared sharply at Jackal. “Find out the names of the humans who purchased the organs. We find the names and it will lead us to who’s behind the killings.”