by Shea Balik
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
Chapter 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
EPILOGUE
Copyright ©2017 Shea Balik
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED:
Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $ 250,000. If you find this e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]
PLEASE, respect the authors’ right to make a living, as well as the good works we are trying to help The Trevor Project do!
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
Chapter 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER 1
“You know, if you keep that up your face just might get stuck in a permanent frown,” Chadwick teased as he walked from the back of the plane with his mate, Saber, right behind him. Both of them wore big, satisfied smiles, which only pissed Draco off more.
“And if you keep it up, you’ll find yourself thrown off this plane and using one of those nine lives,” Draco snapped back without thinking. He was tired of Chadwick always having something to say about absolutely everything.
A growl was his only warning before a large hand closed around his throat. “Then you better pray you can fly fast enough to save him or no amount of magic will save you.” There weren’t many people Draco Orah was afraid of, but his friend and reluctant Alpha, Saber, was one of them.
Draco tilted his head in submission, well, as much as Saber’s tight grip would allow him. “Sorry, Alpha,” Draco just barely managed to squeak out through his nearly crushed windpipe.
Chadwick stuck his tongue out at Draco behind Saber’s back. But the thing with Saber, the ape shifter didn’t miss anything.
“Watch it, Kitten, or not even I will be able to stop Draco from tossing you off this plane.” Strictly speaking, Saber was right. Draco may have a healthy dose of fear for his Alpha, but in a fight, Draco would come out victorious. It was his moral code that wouldn’t allow that to actually happen. Saber had saved Draco’s life nearly a hundred years ago and Draco would always be indebted to him.
When Saber let him go, Draco massaged his now sore throat. It had been his own fault for daring to taunt the man’s mate. Saber wasn’t one to stand on protocol. He didn’t even like it when Draco, and the others that followed Saber, called him Alpha. But malign the man’s mate and there was a good chance Saber would show everyone exactly why he was an alpha and now the Chief of the Paranormal Council.
“So, what magic were you talking about?” Chadwick asked in another attempt to find out what kind of shifter Draco was.
It was asking Saber a lot to not saying anything to the man’s own mate, but Draco had learned his lesson the hard way. Never, under any circumstances, reveal his other half. Saber only had found out because Draco had been fighting in his animal form, otherwise he wouldn’t have even told his Alpha.
“Nice try, Kitten.” Saber gave his mate a peck on the lips. “But that isn’t any of your business.”
Draco had only known Chadwick for a short time, but the one thing he did know… well, two things. First, Chadwick was as crazy as they come with little regard for the consequences. Second, he didn’t give up. Like, ever.
Chadwick lifted an eyebrow at his mate and gave him a come hither look. Considering they had just spent the last two hours in the bedroom at the back of the plane having sex, it didn’t even faze the mountain lion shifter. “Everything about you is my business,” Chadwick told his mate as he wrapped his arms around Saber’s neck and gave Draco his middle finger. “That’s what being a mate is all about, right?”
Thankfully, Saber never fell for Chadwick’s ploys. “As I already told you, you need to stop antagonizing Draco and yes,” Saber kissed the tip of Chadwick’s nose and reached back to grab ahold of Chadwick’s hands and put them between their bodies, “giving him the finger is antagonizing.”
Not getting his way, Chadwick let out a sigh. “Fine, but I’m just trying to help. Clearly, there is something important about what he can shift into and if I’m expected to be a part of this team, I should know what that is.”
“The rest of the guys don’t know,” Draco shot back. “And they’ve been a part of this team a lot longer than you.”
When Chadwick opened his mouth, Saber covered it with his hand. “Stop. Both of you. We will be landing soon and I don’t want to hear any more of your constant bickering.”
As if the pilot had heard Saber, he said over the speaker, “We will be landing in ten minutes. Your vehicles are waiting on the tarmac, along with your escort.”
Draco frowned at hearing that. “Escort? What escort?” Draco was practically shouting but he didn’t care. He hadn’t been told there would be others there.
He was all the protection Saber and his mate had. Technically, he was more than enough but that didn’t mean he wanted to be caught unaware.
“Calm down, Draco,” Saber said as he sat down on the couch with Chadwick tucked safely at his side. “That’s just the other Council members and their staff. I asked them to wait for us.”
“Oh.” Draco had nothing to say to that. He should have apologized for his tone in questioning Saber, but he didn’t bother. Saber wouldn’t expect it of him and to be honest, Draco wasn’t sure why he had reacted that way.
It was as if every cell in his body were tingling in anticipation of something. What? Draco hadn’t a clue. But, suddenly, he wanted to rip open the door to the plane and fly. It was more than a bit concerning when he actually started to get up to do just that.
He was only a step away from the door with his hand reaching out for the handl
e when Chadwick stopped him. “Seriously. I know you threatened to throw me out of the plane, but I didn’t think you’d actually try and do it. Because, I gotta tell you, I won’t go easily.”
Draco’s heart was beating a mile a minute. Sweat dripped down his neck as he struggled to keep his hand from actually opening that door. He wasn’t sure it was going to be possible until he felt a strong hand on his arm, reassuring him.
“Draco?” Saber asked questioningly.
Draco shook his head to clear the need pulsing through him to find the source of whatever was agitating him. But it was so unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, he wasn’t sure what was causing it.
“I can’t explain it,” Draco finally told his best friend. “It’s as if something is calling to me.” Except, somewhere inside of him, Draco knew it wasn’t something. It was a someone. He just had no idea who or why he was being drawn in by this person.
“Can you wait until we land?” The concern in Saber’s voice was evident as he glanced worriedly back at his mate. Draco opening that door would not be good for the plane or anyone who was on it.
Cursing himself for not even once considering the others, Draco nodded. “Yeah, I can wait.” Although, even as he said the words, Draco wasn’t entirely sure he meant them, or even if he could do as he claimed.
“Good.” Saber took his hand off Draco and strode back to sit with his mate. “Then have a seat and when we land we’ll figure out what has you ready to jump out of a plane.”
The thing was, Draco had no idea if he wanted to know. He’d experienced a lot in his life, but never once had he felt anything like this. If couldn’t mean anything good. Could it?
Stepping away from that door took far more effort than it should have. Even when he was safely buckled in his seat, Draco struggled to stay there by gripping the armrest so hard, the metal buckled under the pressure, leaving finger sized dents.
Finally, just when he feared nothing was going to keep him in that seat, the wheels touched down. He was unbuckled, out of his seat, with their overnight bags by the door when they rolled to a stop. As he opened the door, Draco was prepared to ask Saber if he could leave and meet them at the Council’s headquarters, which was where they were going, later.
But before he could open his mouth, Draco saw, not only the new Council members waiting on the tarmac for them, but a contingent of Council guards that he hadn’t known would be there. Based on Saber’s reaction, the alpha hadn’t known they would be there either.
“Damn,” Chadwick said. “Talk about a welcoming party. Anyone know if they are going to embrace us or eat us?”
Good question. One Draco sure wished he knew the answer.
Saber placed a kiss against his mate’s temple before saying, “No time like the present to find out.” Then he rushed down the steps.
“Damn,” Chadwick said with a smile as he stared at his mate. “He is so sexy when he takes charge.”
Draco ignored Chadwick and headed down the steps after Saber. He was not about to think about his best friend in that way. Like ever. He’d known Saber way too long and thought of him like a brother, so, ewwww.
By the time Saber walked up to the Council’s guard, Draco and Chadwick had caught up with him. “Good afternoon,” Saber greeted. “I don’t remember telling you we were arriving.”
Draco had just only barely been able to hold back the laughter when among the two dozen guard of big, burly men, it was the smallest of them who came forward. The man wasn’t just small, he was tiny compared to Saber. He couldn’t even have been more than five-four and a hundred pounds soaking wet.
“Good afternoon Chief Council, sir.” The guard was so stiff, so formal, Draco wondered if he had a stick shoved up his ass. “My name is Lowell, the highest ranking guard. As for how I knew you would arrive today, you will find this entire town always reports everything to the Chief Council’s home in hope of remaining in his favor.”
“Knowing that son of a bitch, Refugio, I can imagine he didn’t tolerate anyone going against him,” Saber said. “What I need to know is how the members of the guard feel about the sudden change of leadership?”
Lowell gave a sharp nod as if he’d expected the question. “Well, sir. When we decided to work for the Council, I don’t believe any of us understood the ramifications of that choice. We welcome the change in hopes of performing the duties we had thought we were signing up for.”
Draco could smell the truth from Lowell, putting him more at ease. A lie was pungent, like burning oil. But even though he knew Lowell was being honest, it didn’t mean the other guards felt the same.
That lack of knowledge meant, even though Draco’s skin felt as if it were on fire with the need to find the source of his agitation, he wasn’t going anywhere. It might kill him, but Draco would force himself to stay by his Alpha’s side, because the last thing he would allow was anything happening to Saber. Draco just prayed he would survive long enough to find out why he was so on edge.
CHAPTER 2
“Lowell called. They are on their way and will be here in fifteen minutes.”
Ryland tried not to sigh, but it was hard. Over the years, his punishments for his disrespect had curbed the urge to show his aggravation, but not the temptation. “The meal will be done in time.”
“It better be,” Gerald growled out before storming out of the kitchen.
As soon as Gerald was out of sight, Ryland gave into his frustration and he stuck his tongue out at the man, or, at least, in the direction of where he’d just been. That small bit of defiance shouldn’t have felt so good, but it did.
Before he had come to the Council Headquarters in order to try to free his sister, Ryland was sarcastic as hell. To his credit, it had been an art form that he had mastered in his daily life. Okay, so that was probably a bit vain, but the point was, Ryland had never believed in biting his tongue. He said what he thought, without ever worrying about the repercussions. That was before he’d been forced to work for Refugio Costa.
“Ry.” Keira, Ryland’s sister, came rushing into the kitchen, where Ryland worked. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes red from crying. “Is there anything I can do to help?” She held her hands in front of her, fingers twisting together in agitation.
It tore at his heart to see his sister so afraid. He went to her and led her to a chair at the table. “Why don’t you sit down and relax.”
She shook her head over and over again as if she couldn’t stop. “No. I need something to do. This waiting is killing me.”
The pleading in her teary eyes wore Ryland down. He would most likely get in trouble for allowing Keira to dirty her hands in the kitchen, but he couldn’t turn her down. “Okay,” he said. “Why don’t you cut the bread loaves.” It wasn’t a lot to do, but with ten loaves, it would take her some time without giving her dishpan hands.
As she cut the bread, Ryland started pulling various dishes out of the oven. Then he plated up the vegetable medley he had cooking on the stove. Not knowing what the new Chief Council liked, Ryland made a variety of dishes. He also kept the non-meat dishes to a minimum as the majority of the new Council members were predators.
“Do you think he’ll be like Refugio?” Keira’s voice wavered as she spoke.
As much as Ryland wanted to say no, he also didn’t want to give his sister false hope. It wouldn’t be right, especially since experience had taught him shifters considered humans nothing more than slaves. He glanced down at the shackle he had around his ankle to keep him from taking his sister and running.
That was just one example, but an effective one. “Honestly Keira, I have no idea. From what I’ve overheard some of the guards say, the new Chief Council is unlike any shifter they have ever met.” He didn’t add that there was a plan in place to assassinate the man, along with the other Council members who defeated the old members in an official challenge.
Ryland just hoped he or Keira didn’t get caught in the middle. There would be little chance of either
of them making it out if that happened.
The knife Keira was using stopped mid-cut as her lavender eyes, so unlike his own amber ones, stared back at him. The tears she had been shedding all morning were making them sparkle even more. “What if he orders my death for my affiliation with Refugio?” There was stark terror in her voice, which hadn’t managed to rise above a whisper.
It had been something they had hoped wouldn’t happen after they’d found out Refugio had died in the challenge for his Council position. As grateful as Ryland was that his sister wouldn’t have to serve that monster any longer, it hadn’t meant she was out of the woods. For all they knew, this Saber person would require her to serve him in the same way.
It would kill Ryland if that happened, but at least she’d be alive. It was more than likely the new Chief Council wouldn’t want to take any risks with those loyal to Refugio trying to stab him in the back as several of the guards had been threatening to do. He couldn’t allow his sister to die. “Then I will cut off my chained leg and we will make our escape.”
It wasn’t something that would work, as the shifters would be able to smell his blood, but Ryland would go to any extreme to save Keira’s life. Even if that meant dying himself in the process.
The tears she’d barely been holding back flowed freely. Keira rushed to his side and threw her arms around him. “I won’t let you do that, brother. But I love you for saying so.”
“Just stay out of sight when they arrive.” It may not work as the guards would most likely mention Keira to the new Chief. Still, if they were lucky, they might just be able to keep her out of sight until Ryland could find out what kind of man the new Chief was.
Keira hugged him tighter for a moment before pulling away. “I will,” she whispered before going back to cutting the loaves of bread.
“What are you doing in here?” Gerald demanded of Keira as he came rushing back into the kitchen. But then he waved her off as if he didn’t have time or didn’t care what she had to say. “Never mind.” He then turned to Ryland. “They are coming up the drive. Why isn’t the food out?”