by Vella Day
Jackson’s head jerked toward her. “You weren’t close, I take it?”
She could list numerous things he’d done to her, but she’d promised Blair she’d play nice. “Let’s just say, there were good reasons why I went to school in the US.”
She would have thought her parents would have told her about her brother’s death, though it was possible they hadn’t been informed. She looked at Shamus. “Do my mother and stepfather know?”
“I can’t say,” Shamus said.
Kalan cleared his throat. “They do. Your brother’s remains were shipped home.”
“Oh.” More betrayal. The Changelings had little use for women, but she expected more from her mother. Ainsley always believed it was Owen who distrusted her and wanted her out of the way.
“Ye know, lass, with Owen gone, it’s safe to come back home now. I’m guessing Alex will be too busy taking over for your father to bother with ye.” He leaned back in his seat and his feet bumped hers. He immediately sat back up. “I’m not suggesting ye stay in the same town as your family. May I suggest Edinburgh? It’s big and quite safe.”
She’d be near Shamus then. “I like my job here, but I will consider it.” Her certification as an acupuncturist might not even be accepted in Scotland.
Mrs. Murdoch cleared her throat, pushed back her chair, and then stood. “Dessert, anyone?”
Everyone but Ainsley had eaten. “I’m still working on my meal, but you go ahead,” she said.
Shamus stood. “I’ll help clear, Aunt Felicia.”
Blair rose too. As much as Ainsley wanted to offer, she didn’t want to be in the way. Once those three left, she expected her heart rate to slow and the throbbing between her legs to stop—but it didn’t.
Kalan was mated, as was Mr. Murdoch. From what Blair said, her brother Jackson was too much of a carefree spirit to ever settle down, even if he found his mate.
She shoved aside the thought that she and Jackson were paired. Changelings shouldn’t mate with other shifters. It wasn’t just Wendayans who would be driven mad if they bit a Changeling. Shifters were equally affected. Most likely Shamus’s aura was strong enough to reach from the kitchen.
The silence at the table made her uncomfortable. “So what do you do, Jackson?” she asked.
His features softened a bit, but his eyes held a lot of wariness. “I work at McKinnon and Associates as a security expert.”
She knew that much from Blair and had hoped he’d elaborate. “Do you spend your days fighting Changelings?” Damn. Ainsley hadn’t meant for that to slip out, but perhaps having the elephant in the room out in the open might make things better.
His glare shot straight through her. Guess not. The temptation to disappear was strong—assuming she remembered how—but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.
“Not always. Some of our cases involve solving crimes the cops either can’t figure out or don’t have the resources to go after.” One brow rose as he looked over at his brother.
“Which isn’t very often,” Kalan shot back.
Jackson swept his attention toward her. “We’re investigators. We do everything from protection to solving a crime to retrieving what’s been stolen.”
She didn’t like the way he said the last four words, but she wasn’t about to ask for details. She assumed he was speaking of the Changelings who stole that Wendayan’s magic.
Before she could ask Kalan about his job, Blair, Shamus, and Mrs. Murdoch returned with three different desserts.
“Wow,” Ainsley blurted. Her mom never baked anything. “The pie looks divine, as does the chocolate cake.” The third dessert was some pastry filled with berries.
“Thank you.”
Jackson’s phone buzzed, and Mrs. Murdoch looked straight at him, displeasure evident on her face. “Sorry,” he said. “It’s Connor.”
She didn’t know who Connor was, but apparently he was important. The moment Jackson disappeared, the air became easier to breathe, and her body relaxed. At the thought, her blood pressure shot up. Then reason intruded. If Jackson and she were fated to be together, he’d make sure it never happened. Hell, he’d deny it until long after she was dead.
Chapter Four
‡
Jackson returned to the dining room. “I’m sorry, but we have a case that requires the use of the drone.”
That was a lie, but he couldn’t be in the same room with Ainsley anymore. She was affecting his thinking, and his body was going crazy with need. Only by glancing at his mother or father had he been able to control his hair from sprouting and other changes from occurring. The horror of the signs alone should have been enough to tame his libido, but her scent had invaded his very being.
His damn bear kept calling out to him: Mate, mate.
The whole idea was preposterous. He refused to take the bait. Ainsley Chancellor—a Changeling—was not his mate no matter what his bear claimed. The image of the two Changelings, Olivia and Nathan, being cleansed surfaced. It would be nice if that could happen to Ainsley.
“Can’t Connor handle it?” his mom asked. She glanced at her watch. “It’s late. You boys need to rest sometime.”
“Kip is with Teagan tonight, and I told Connor I’d help if he needed me. I’m the one who knows how to use the surveillance equipment.”
“Okay, but try not to be long. It might be years before you see your cousin again.”
Damn Ainsley for messing up his precious time with Shamus. “I won’t be.” He briefly glanced around the table. “Nice meeting you, Ainsley.”
No, it wasn’t, as it had been pure torture sitting there watching her angelic face smile and flirt with Shamus. Underneath it all, she was a Changeling and nothing could change that fact.
“You too.” She looked at him, seemingly so pleasant, but her eyes said good riddance.
Jackson nodded and left. The moment he stepped outside, relief poured through him. Maybe his little outburst in the kitchen had triggered a reaction to Ainsley. His hard cock and urge to shift might have been a residual effect from his hatred of the Changelings.
Don’t be ridiculous. Hatred would never cause my libido to go berserk.
As much as he wanted to deny it, his bear could still smell her scent. Hell, his animal was sniffing, and he bet he was grinning like a fool.
Jackson growled as he looked up at the sky. “Naliana, why?”
Of course, the goddess didn’t answer.
Jackson slipped into the front seat of his Silverado truck. Connor McKinnon had called him, not to ask him to stop by work, but to ask him to fill him in on what he’d learned about their recent case. Jackson was just grateful for the chance to escape Ainsley’s allure. Hopefully, Connor, who had a level head, could help him figure out his next move.
Asking his brother for help was out of the question. His own flesh and blood seemed to be taken with her. If Kalan hadn’t been, he never would have mentioned the apartment above the Blooms of Hope flower shop—unless he was desperate to get Ainsley away from their sister. Everyone knew that apartments weren’t plentiful in Silver Lake.
His sister’s opinion would be totally biased when it came to her roommate, and Ainsley had clearly pulled the tartan over Shamus’s eyes. The hardest part of this whole attraction thing was that Ainsley Chancellor was stunning. Her short blonde hair, streaked with purple gave her an edgy, sexy look—just the type of woman he was attracted to. Normally, he didn’t go for nose rings, but on her it looked good. And her body: it was killer. Her breasts might be small, but those long legs of hers could wrap around a man and make him forget to breathe.
Stop it.
Ainsley was the devil. For all he knew, Owen told her to get a job in Silver Lake just so he’d have someone to help him recruit Izzy. Little did the poor bastard realize that their Clan wouldn’t stand for his kind and kill him.
Before he knew it, Jackson had arrived at work. The light shining from the office window implied Connor was still there. Even though his boss and good
friend didn’t have a mate, he might have an explanation as to why Jackson felt this draw to Ainsley. At the very least, he could come up with some suggestion for how to tame Jackson’s bear. He sure as hell wasn’t going to give into his inner beast when a Changeling was involved.
Jackson unlocked the back door and headed inside.
“That you, Jackson?” came the call from his office.
“It’s me.”
Connor exited his office into their large workroom, looking tired. If he didn’t slow down, he’d be heading for an early grave.
“You didn’t have to come in,” Connor said.
Oh, yes he did. “I need your opinion on something.”
Connor slipped a hip on the makeshift table at the front of the room. Last month, when they needed to find a way to foil the fucking Changelings, this room had been turned into their war room. Before, the area had been filled with plush leather sofas, chairs, and a large wooden table. Now that table was in a vacated office, and the comfortable furniture was stashed in the back near the coffee machine.
“You don’t look so good,” his friend said.
Jackson bit back the urge to tell him to look in the mirror. “You wouldn’t either if the same thing that just happened to me happened to you.”
Connor stood, walked to the back of the room near the coffee machine. It was where they had their hidden stash of booze, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey along with two glasses. “I take it you could use one.”
“Oh, yeah.”
After pouring each of them a drink, Conner dropped down on the sofa and motioned him over. “Tell me what happened.”
Jackson picked up the golden brew and chugged it. “Turns out Owen Chancellor has a sister who happens to be my sister’s roommate.”
Connor whistled. “Fuck me. Really? Does Blair know she’s a Changeling?”
“Yes.” He went through their history, including the fact that Ainsley was half Wendayan. “My cousin, Shamus, from Scotland knew her growing up and seems enamored by her. I don’t get it.”
“What’s the problem?”
Jackson looked off to the side, trying to find a way to say it without looking stupid, but he failed. “I think she’s my mate.”
Connor laughed. Now that pissed him off. “I take it this is a joke?”
Jackson shot up from his seat and paced. “I wish. As soon as she walked into the house, my body went crazy. I swear her scent was sweeter than this whiskey. I sure as hell did not want to be attracted to her, but my bear kept clawing and scraping to get out. It was insane.”
“You do realize that if you mate, it will alter your genes? And probably not for the better.”
Jackson stilled then relaxed. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of getting anywhere near her again.”
“You might not, but your bear might take over. Rye said he lost all control around Izzy.”
Jackson tossed back his drink then immediately realized it was empty. He sat back down and smacked it on the table. Jackson looked Connor dead in the eye. “So it’s true about what this insane attraction means? Kalan hinted at the same thing a long time ago, but I didn’t want to believe him.”
“Appears so.”
“Fuck me. What can I do?”
“Besides move away from here?” Connor leaned back, but this time his smirk had disappeared.
He wouldn’t leave his Clan, his family, or his job. “Besides that.”
*
As soon as Jackson left the dinner party, Ainsley let out a breath. While she was happy she could now focus on Shamus, a boatload of worry was settling in. If she and Jackson were mates, it meant she’d live out a lonely life, because the two of them could never be together, even if she wanted to be with him—which she didn’t.
“Tomorrow’s Saturday,” Shamus said. “Do ye have time to go exploring with me?”
That was one question she was happy to answer. “Absolutely.”
He looked over at Kalan. “When do you think you could find out about the apartment?”
“The man who owns the place is Len Berta. His cellular phone store is across the street from the Blooms of Hope flower shop. I imagine if you go into his store and ask, he’d be happy to let you check out the place. To smooth the way, I’ll give him a head’s up in the morning.”
That was easy and nice of him.
“Thanks,” Shamus said, looking happy.
“Ainsley, you want to help clean up?” Blair asked as she pushed back her chair and stood.
“I’d be more than happy to.” Even though Kalan had his claws retracted, she had the sense he was being polite for his mom’s sake.
Mrs. Murdoch held up a hand. “Nonsense. Kalan and I will clean up. I know you girls are tired. Ainsley, it seems like you’ll have a long day of fun tomorrow with Shamus.”
Ainsley genuinely smiled. “I do.” She faced him. “How about I pick you up here around eleven? We can check out the apartment and have some lunch.”
“Sounds good to me. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
With her plans all set with Shamus, Ainsley was anxious to leave. Dread and despair sat heavy in her gut over this whole mate thing. She prayed she was wrong, but her internal sensors were screaming she was not.
Blair hugged everyone goodbye and then walked out with her. They stopped in front of Blair’s car, and she faced Ainsley. “I’m sorry about the way Jackson acted. I don’t know why he was such a pill.”
Tell her. “That’s okay, I understand.”
“Understand, why he wasn’t civil?” Blair asked.
“Yes, and it wasn’t just that I’m a Changeling.” Okay, that was most of it. A cold wind blew right through her sweater, and she wrapped her arms around her waist for warmth. “How about we head home, and I will tell you everything?”
Blair clasped her shoulder. “Did something happen while I was in the kitchen helping mom with the dessert?”
“Kind of.”
Her roommate shook her head. “I can’t wait to hear this.” She waved and slipped into her car.
Ainsley jogged to the end of the drive and jumped in the Jetta’s driver’s seat. Glad for a few minutes of quiet to think through her dilemma, she took off, arriving home a minute before Blair.
The short drive only increased her agitation and anger. With all she’d endured in her life, why did she end up with a bear shifter? Not that she wanted another Changeling, but if she had to live with this kind of intense yearning for the rest of her life, she might end up like her dad—despondent and then dead.
As soon as Blair entered her apartment, she set down her purse and headed straight for the kitchen. “I can’t wait to hear what happened. You want some wine?”
“Totally.” Hopefully, her admission wouldn’t drive a wedge between them. With Jackson being Blair’s brother, she might have an idea what Ainsley should do.
Blair returned a minute later with two glasses of Merlot and joined Ainsley in the small living room. She sat on the red sofa while Ainsley took the yellow chair across from her.
“Tell me,” Blair said.
Ainsley inhaled deeply. “I need to start by giving you a little background on my father.”
Blair leaned forward. “I didn’t think you remembered much.”
“This isn’t about our time together. My mom told me later how and why my father died.”
Her roommate hissed in a breath. “That must have been a rough conversation.”
“More than rough. I still can’t believe it. Apparently, my father wasn’t aware that when a non-Changeling mated with a Changeling, he would inherit the Changeling’s bad genes, which would change his perspective on things. I’m guessing my mom didn’t know either.”
“How is that even possible?”
“I don’t know. Do you understand how Kalan was able to transfer his ability to shift to his mate? I understand she was human.”
Blair nodded. “She was, and you’re right. I don’t understand how all that works either.”
>
“Anyway, according to my mom, when I was about five, Dad became depressed. By the time I was eight, he was so distraught with all the evil thoughts pummeling his body that he killed himself.” A sharp pain stabbed her gut, and she crossed her arms.
“I’m so sorry. Were you aware he was unhappy?”
She shook her head. “He was good at putting on a happy face when he was around me. He always told me that I was his light.”
“Aw. So you believe that if you mate with a non-Changeling, that person would end up in despair? Or worse, dead?”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
Blair leaned back against the sofa and drank her wine. “I’m glad you confided in me, but why tonight?”
Now came the hard part of the conversation. “Because as soon as I walked into your parents’ house, I was so overwhelmed with lust that my pulse started racing, sweat formed on my upper lip, and my inner wolf was clawing for some release.”
Blair’s eyes sparkled. “You found your mate?” Just as quickly she sobered. “Oh, no. Poor Shamus. Does he know this will happen to him?”
“Probably not.” Ainsley swirled her wine in her glass to give her time to think about how to phrase her next sentence. “Yeah, about that; it’s not Shamus.”
Blair stilled. She placed a hand over her heart. “What are you saying? The only available male at dinner was Jackson.”
“I know, but don’t worry. I won’t get near him again. Maybe he isn’t aware that we’ve been paired, though I don’t know how he couldn’t know. If he had those erotic sensations coursing through his body, I’m betting he’ll be in serious denial, never believing he’s been mated to his arch enemy.”
Blair clasped a hand over her mouth. “Not only that, if you can’t be with Jackson, it means you’ll never mate. What will you do?”
“Do? Live my life the way I have been. I can have protected sex with a human without him suffering any consequences, but I’ll never experience deep desire or passionate, unbridled love. He can never be my everything.”
Blair polished off her glass. “That would be horrible. What happens if Jackson knows you’re his mate and decides to pursue you?”