“Yeah, that’s kind of what I figured,” Lia said, her voice mild and careful. “I’m sorry that you have to go through this. But your wife would understand. I know she would. If she’s anything like Courtney…”
“She is,” Kane interjected.
“Well, then I truly believe she would understand why you’re going through this. Don’t worry. She would just want to see you happy.”
Lia smiled gently at Kane and he was briefly mesmerized by the perfection of her face; the smooth skin and the gentle light blue eyes that wanted nothing more than to comfort him in what was turning out to be a trying moment for him, in more ways than one.
Kane nodded curtly at her and Lia turned away from him and went back inside. Kane was overwhelmed by the feeling of peace that her words introduced to him and he sat back in the porch swing and exhaled heavily. It gave him chills that an answer to the question he had asked his wife might reach him through the very girl he was conflicted about. Although it seemed impossible, the truth was that there was no end to the mysteries of the shifter arcana, and unexplainable things happened all the time.
It would be stupid of him to brush it aside, and yet, he just couldn’t bring himself to believe that Ava would be all right with the arrangement. Especially not if she knew just how tormented he was by his attraction to the human. A human who was loosely related to those who were single-handedly responsible for Ava’s death.
Even if his wife was all right with it, Kane wasn’t. And whether that was going to make this arrangement difficult or not, he was just going to have to find a way to deal with that, no matter the cost. He wasn’t going to abandon everything he had held onto, his vengeance and his loyalty to his wife, for a human. That fact was just going to have to be the end of it.
***
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
Kane’s hackles rose and a growl began to form in his throat when he heard the voice of the man he hated the most – Max.
“What are you doing here?” Kane snapped, jumping up from the porch swing to intercept Max before he made it through Kane’s front door.
“Whoa, I’m just your typical run of the mill party guest, Desmond. Don’t need to get all bent out of shape about it.”
“Well then,” Kane said, bowing mockingly to Max. “Welcome. And to what do I owe the honor?”
“I just wanted to introduce you to a few of my friends. We heard about the celebration being held in your honor and thought it would be in poor taste to pass by without stopping to say a few words of congratulations.”
“I’m not sure what’s so congratulatory about ‘you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,’” Kane said as pleasantly as he could muster. “But you can go right ahead.”
“I’m sorry,” Max said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I just didn’t realize we were allowed to elope with our students. It’s a very special bond between a student and a teacher, you know. One that could easily be corrupted by the power balance.”
“I can assure you, it’s nothing like that,” Kane said.
“Of course not!” Max said cheerfully, stepping aside and giving Kane another sinister smile. If Kane could throttle this guy there and then, he would. But when Max moved, he saw he had come prepared for such an advance. There were six other men with him. Burly, mean looking men. One of which didn’t smell quite right at all.
“This is Thames,” Max said, gesturing to the man who was putting Kane off. “He’s a good friend of mine. The two of us have been speaking at length about what kind of a mentor the students of the future need. Shifters are at a very vulnerable point in history, you know. It’s going to be difficult to turn the tides without proper procedure in place, as I’m sure you’re aware.”
“Hello, Thames,” Kane said, eyeing the man suspiciously. Thames was tall and gaunt, with cold, hard eyes that were as dark as the night sky. It sent a shiver through him, if he was going to be honest. There was something lacking in this man. Something close to common decency. It was exactly the kind of friend Kane would expect someone like Max to have.
“Nice to meet you, Professor Desmond,” Thames said, without making a move to issue a proper wolf shifter greeting. Kane found it odd, but said nothing. Perhaps Max’s kind had finally succumbed to the point where they felt above the old laws. Did they fancy themselves to be such pioneers of a new age that common courtesy was just going to be thrown out the window from then on? The stakes were high, and Max’s presence on his porch was a disturbing reminder of the fact.
“Likewise,” Kane said darkly. “Do you boys want to come in for a drink? I was just about to get one myself.”
“Certainly,” Thames said, stepping to the front of the group and leading the men inside. The last thing Kane wanted was to allow Max and his posse into his home, but at the same time, he was burning with curiosity. Something had compelled them to come, whether it was to fuck with Kane or to see the results of his engagement for themselves. Either way, something was going on, and Kane wanted to know what it was.
“Professor Fredrickson, what a nice surprise!”
Kane was shocked to hear the genuine warmth in his new fiancé’s voice upon greeting Max. Either she was a legitimately kind-hearted person, or she was good at putting on a show. Either way, it was impressive.
“Why, you’re looking lovelier than ever, Ms. Pike,” Max said, kissing Lia’s hand and holding Kane’s gaze maliciously from across the room.
“Thank you,” Lia said, pulling her hand away from him gracefully and smiling brightly. “I see you’ve brought guests!”
“Not guests,” Max said, swiping his arm out behind himself, the hard look returning to his eyes. “Friends. We all wanted to wish you and yours a congratulations on your engagement. Surely, your family is thrilled at the news!”
Lia seemed taken aback by the suggestion and Kane’s heart pounded hard in his chest. So that was their plan then. Go right for the throat.
“Actually, I don’t speak to my family anymore, Professor Fredrickson. I’ve been disinherited.”
“Oh, my dear, I’m very sorry to hear that.”
Lia smiled again, but her face seemed troubled.
“Well, if you ever need anything, anything at all,” Max said, looking closely at Lia in a way that made Kane want to deck him. “I’m here.”
“Th…thank you, Professor.”
Max bowed deeply and then stood up straight. “I heard something about an open bar!”
“This way!” one of the guests beside Max said, leading Max and the group of rogue shifters deeper into Kane’s house.
Courtney’s eyes were wide and she caught her father’s gaze through the crowd, mouthing ‘I’m sorry.’
Kane smiled and shook his head. There was nothing for her to be sorry about. She had organized the only possible way for Kane to get the position of power at the university, and had even managed to make the engagement believable. There was nothing more that could be done.
Relief flooded his daughter’s face, but her eyes remained troubled. Most of the shifters at the party knew about Max, and if they didn’t, they were all just as put off by Thames as Kane was. Something was wrong there, but wasn’t it better to keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
And so, Kane resigned himself to enjoying the rest of his engagement party, rogue shifters be damned. If nothing else, he might be able to get an idea of what it was exactly that Max and his cronies were planning. With Ava on his mind, it was impossible for him to enjoy anything anyway. Even with Lia’s sweet eyes staring at him from across the room.
Kane sighed. Who would have thought that hanging around a bright, beautiful girl like Lia could actually make things worse?
6.
Lia slumped down on the living room couch once the last guest finally left the house and sighed deeply. It had been a hell of a tense evening after Max and his cronies had shown up, and she’d had to spend all of her energy carefully avoiding his subtle advances. Eventually, she aske
d Kane to stand with her for the night, and he had been as protective of her as a bulldog, alert and ready to pounce on anybody who came too close to her.
Finally, it seemed that Max and his friends had gotten the hint, and had left the party without swaying her interest either way. Maybe it was something she would be able to use in the future, to somehow help Kane with his campaign to mentor the youth, but until then, Max’s interest in her was not only inappropriate, it was creepy. Especially with Thames always just a step away from him, his cold, hard eyes boring into her with intense interest, as if he were trying to read every nuance of her emotional state.
Luckily, she was sincerely attracted to Kane, or the party could have gone downhill fast. Who knew what kind of accusations a man like Thames was capable of making? Even without being a shifter, she could tell he was bad news. The energy he exuded seemed dangerous, in a way. As if he belonged out in the open spaces of the world where he could do all the damage he wanted without hurting anyone, and not in a small little house jammed full of celebrating people.
“That…was intense,” Courtney said, sinking onto the couch beside Lia. “How are you holding up?”
“Oh, you know…” Lia said quietly. “How does anybody feel after an engagement party?”
Courtney laughed. “I guess.”
“How is your dad doing?” Lia asked. She was still afraid to get too close to him, but she had been worried about Kane for hours. His demeanor had completely changed once Max and his group of creepy friends had crashed the party, and it seemed like, any second, he would snap. Somehow he had managed to hold it all together, but it seemed challenging.
“Oh, you know…he’s pissed as hell and kind of going batshit.”
“Batshit?” Lia asked. That didn’t sound good.
“He’s convinced Max and his cronies might have come in to plant bugs in the house. You know, to make sure we’re doing everything in accordance to the old laws. Anything that’s out of place they can use in court with the Council to contest the transmission of power should Franklin choose my father as a successor.”
“So they just came here to bug the house then? To sabotage your father’s chance to take over as the head mentor?”
“What the hell else would they have come here for?” Courtney asked with a shrug. “They’re bad news. They would do anything to try to make sure that Max is in charge of that school. And did you see that Thames guy? He’s a fuckin’ creep, isn’t he?”
Lia nodded. “There’s something about him…”
“I think he’s the guy who’s in charge.”
“You mean like, Max takes his orders?”
“Yeah, like that. He’s got a very submissive vibe around Thames. I think maybe…”
“Would you two shut the hell up until I’m done searching the house?” Kane’s angry voice boomed through the living room. “I haven’t found anything yet, but that doesn’t mean…”
Courtney clamped her mouth shut, her eyes shining. Somehow, it seemed to amuse her to invoke her father’s temper, as opposed to the way it seemed to slice right through Lia, as if his anger was powerful enough to cut her right in half.
“Sorry,” Courtney said, standing from the couch. “Come on, Lia. Let’s help him look.”
They spent the rest of the evening tearing the house inside out, until finally Kane was satisfied.
“All right, so maybe bugging the house wasn’t their plan,” Kane said, sitting down at the table and taking a long swig from the whisky bottle sitting on the table. “You two can call it a night. I’m going to clean up.”
“Yesss,” Courtney said, bounding up the stairs. “Believe it or not, I’m actually pretty pumped to get my homework done.”
“That’s my girl,” Kane said dryly, taking another long swig from the bottle. He sat it down heavily, his eyes dark and pensive as he stared out into the space in front of him.
Lia wished she could go to him, to offer him some words of encouragement or comfort, but it was clear he wouldn’t find any peace until this whole ordeal was over with.
What she could do, though, was begin to clean the place up.
Without a word, Lia dug through the cabinets until she found a roll of garbage bags and set to work. Kane didn’t seem to notice, and sat at the table drinking as if in a daze. Lia could tell his mind was working a mile a minute, though, and she didn’t dare disturb him.
Finally, he rose from the kitchen and began to help her clean, neither of them speaking. Soon, they fell into a comfortable, wordless rhythm, each of them contributing in their own way to making the house back into the place it had been that morning. It was almost like they really were a couple, Lia thought. She had never had this kind of working relationship with anybody before, not even when she had been welcomed home.
Kane broke the silence abruptly, speaking in a low, serious voice without meeting Lia’s eyes.
“Your parents disinherited you?”
Lia froze but nodded. The subject was a painful one to broach, and she rarely spoke about it. It seemed, unfortunately, that the truth had served to be useful in order to aid the lies of their engagement, otherwise she might never have spoken about it out loud to Courtney or her family and the shifters at the party that evening.
“Why?”
Lia was quiet for a moment, surprised by Kane’s interest, but in truth, the whole situation had felt heavy on her shoulders for quite a long time.
“They don’t seem to like it when people tell the truth about them.”
“What do you mean? Are they bad people?”
Kane paused as he began to throw an empty beer bottle away, and Lia sighed.
“Most people would say so.”
“And you told the truth about them, huh?” Kane said, a wry smile on his face. It was as if he didn’t expect anything less of her.
“Yeah,” Lia said. “I did.”
The truth was they had done terrible, immoral things she hadn’t been able to confess to Courtney or Kane. During the war. Things such as aiding and supporting the bear shifters with ammunition and things like that. When she found out about it, she was furious. At that point in her life, it hadn’t been a secret to anybody that she was a staunch supporter of shifters in modern society, but that meant all shifters who were willing to live civilly. Not just bear shifters.
When her parents had discovered that Lia cared equally about wolf shifters, it had been a huge feud, and she’d fought with them for weeks about how unfair and biased they were. She had even called them evil to their faces for attempting to aid in what was ultimately an effort in mass genocide.
It had been enough to get her disinherited, just as she was about to leave for college. She wasn’t welcomed back, and she had been paying tuition with loans and the little money she had managed to save up during her high school career as a waitress at a diner called Shorty’s.
“So you’re paying for school on your own then?” Kane said as if he were able to read her thoughts. It was an unsettling habit that Courtney also had, and Lia nodded, hoping Kane wasn’t able to tell anything more than that from their conversation. If he pried further, she wasn’t sure what she would do.
“That’s right,” Lia said. “But I’m managing. It’s fine.”
“It’s not fine,” Kane said darkly. “I know I’m getting a good deal, but you’re not. You’re just doing this for me. And my people. You deserve some kind of compensation for that.”
“Compensation?” Lia asked, her voice rising. “What kind of person do you take me for? I don’t want–”
“Lia.”
The way Kane said her name, so firmly that all of the words vanished from her throat, was startling. He was such a powerful man. It was thrilling, in a way.
“I’m going to pay for your schooling. In return for all of this. All right? You keep on with your end of the bargain, no matter what happens, and you’ll get all of your loans and the rest of your college career for free. Do you understand?”
Lia nodded relucta
ntly, the protests still rising in her head. Would Kane even be able to afford that? He was already sending one daughter to college. But if she was going to be honest with herself, it was clear he could. He owned the house they were standing in, and it was an incredibly nice house, even if it was smaller than the one her parents had bought with their blood money. Shifters lived based on need, not fleeting desires and competition for material wealth. Their power struggle was something much more overt. That was something she could actually respect.
“All right. Thank you.”
Kane nodded, the hardness in his eyes softening, and they continued working to clean up the house in silence.
7.
It was about one in the morning before Kane and Lia were done cleaning the house. He grinned to himself when he went upstairs to check on Courtney and he could hear her snoring through the doorway. It was an unfortunate habit she’d inherited from her grandfather, a man Kane had always admired and respected. Unfortunately, after Ava died, Colonel Peters wanted nothing more to do with the family his daughter had left behind, and so Courtney had grown up with no family except Kane on her side.
His own family had all perished in the wars, leaving him angry and bitter. It seemed there was no end to the devastation heaped on Kane’s shoulders during the war. It was unbelievable that he had even agreed to teach a human, let alone become engaged to one, after all that had transpired in the past.
Kane shook the thoughts away. They wouldn’t do him any good. He was just going to have to stick with the situation and hope for the best. He knew that most of the men in the running to take over the school had been disqualified by several of the old laws. It was really a contest between Kane and Max. That had probably been the real reason for Max’s little visit that day. He wanted to size Kane up; to see if the rumors were true. And now that he knew they were, Kane expected Max was going to step up his game, whether he was prepared for it or not. With a man as cold as Thames on his side, who knew what Max might end up being capable of?
TANK_Forsaken Riders MC Romance Page 13