“How do you guys have a sunroom in a compound?”
“Oh, right,” Richard said. “The glass is bullet-proof. Dimitri had it specially installed as a gift when Adri came. He felt bad that she wouldn’t be able to garden here.”
“Sounds like a standup male. Congratulations, by the way. How far along are you?”
Adriana smiled. “Thanks. Ten months.”
“Hey, only five to go. You look amazing.” He suddenly remembered the matter at hand and looked down at the floor.
“No, SE.” Adriana stood up and walked over to him. She reached under his chin and lifted his face until they were eye to eye. “You don’t ever need to feel ashamed with us. You’re still the same male.”
She kissed his cheek, and walked through the doorway, leaving the two males alone.
Something told SE that her mate didn’t feel the same way. He looked up at Richard.
Richard lowered his lids. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what? Like with my eyes?”
“Like you’re looking for sympathy.”
“Hey, nobody asked for any!”
Just as SE was about to get up, Richard dropped the bomb. “Your son is fine, by the way.”
Cesar. He was the one thing he’d never forgive himself for. Cesar had been so young when Gabi died. SE had been so goddamn crazytown after losing Gabi that he’d just left him. Sure, Cesar had Richard and Adriana. But…Jesus.
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
Richard sighed and rubbed his forehead. “You aren’t the first male to permaphase after losing your mate. Look, Cesar is fine. He’s living with his mate at our old compound in Mexico.”
A tear ran down SE’s cheek. He was so sick with regret that he didn’t know what to do with himself. “I…thank you, Richard…for taking care of him.”
“Hey, I’m glad we were there for him, for both of you. I know this can’t be easy. You wake up and find you’ve lost years of your life. And your mate. If you hadn’t received the call when you did, we might never have gotten you back. Listen, I called Cesar yesterday to let him know that you’re here with us. He’s glad you’re okay, but he’s not ready yet.”
SE wiped the tear away and nodded. “That’s okay. He’s mated. He’s got his own life now. That’s good. He can contact me whenever he’s ready.”
“That’s what I told him. He’ll come around in time. He’s quite a male.”
The two stood and Richard clapped SE on the back. “Good to have you back, brother. The Goddess has chosen well.”
SE didn’t know about that.
“Hey, Richard, whatever happened to that orphan girl that the housekeeper adopted?” He regretted it the instant he said it.
“Ana? We found out she was the daughter of one of Toltec’s leaders. I’m sure you remember Victrixa? The spy who was supposedly on our side? Turns out, she put Ana up for adoption when she was just ten years old. She set the whole thing up. Her own daughter. Can you believe it? We had Ana with us for ten years, until just a few months ago. That’s when we finally realized she was a spy. Leave it to Trixa. Bitch got us twice.”
SE almost lost his lunch.
CHAPTER FIVE
Ana stood in the alley outside her old apartment and tried to recall exactly what SE had said. Three days. They were to meet in three days. No, no, he’d said try to meet. At the time, she’d thought that this was smart because he had no way of knowing what the hell he was walking into. But the sun had set and this was the third time she’d been by her old place. Her nerves were frayed. She checked her cell for the umpteenth time, hoping beyond hope to at least find a text from him. Nothing. Who the hell was she kidding? Her old friends Richard and Adriana had no doubt laid all her shit bare. She took one last look around and gleamed out.
She materialized outside an old mental hospital just outside the city that Toltec used as its main lab. She walked around the corner of the building and nodded to the shifters on duty at the side door as she went in. Man, she hated this place. It was putrid and beyond creepy. Even after all this time it still smelled like piss and worse. She moved along at a fast clip through the trash on the hallway floor that no one ever bothered to clean up.
Ana usually avoided the back hallway like the motherfucking plague. She could hear the screams and moans before she turned the corner, and a chill crept down her spine. All the shifters locked away in the old patient rooms had been given the injection. It didn’t ease her mind that the shifters used here were often young and homeless, picked up right off the streets and lured in by the promise of food and a place to live. So many teens were thrown out of their homes when they came out to their families. And they didn’t volunteer for this shit. It was a major case of wrong place, wrong time. The old patient rooms along the back hall were full of them, all in lockdown until the transformation was complete. Each hellion’s utter lack of k’ul registered with her senses as she passed by. The dose made them stronger and faster, but they were wrong. She could feel it right down to her marrow.
Nope. No way she’d come anywhere near this place unless she was desperate. And as much as she hated to admit it to herself, she was just that. When her mate hadn’t shown at her old apartment, she nearly lost her shit.
She pulled open the heavy metal door at the end of the hall and strode in. Sebastian sat in front of several computer screens. He was a total pain in the ass, but he was the best techie around.
And he wasn’t a snitch.
Bastian turned around and looked her up and down. “Well, well, look what the cat dragged in. Although I don’t know why he’d want you. Nice look you’ve got going on, Miss Thing.”
“Shut it, Bastian.”
He cocked his head to the side appraisingly. “Well, you do have a sort of Batgirl chic going on.”
“Up yours.”
He smiled. “Don’t get your panties in a twist. Now, what can I do for you today, missy?”
“I need to find someone.”
Bastian rolled his eyes. “Okaaay. In a city of over half a million, you’re gonna have to be more specific.”
Ana sighed. “A New Breed. I need to find a New Breed.”
“Stalking one, are we? Now that’s dedication.”
Ana forced herself to stand still. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. Are you gonna to help me or not?”
“Don’t I always?”
“Thank you. Damn. Does everything have to be a drama with you?”
“Have a seat. And yes. Now, who are we looking for?”
Ana remained standing. This wasn’t a social call, not that any of her visits ever were. “I need to find out if any of the New Breeds own property other than their compound.”
“May I ask what all this is for?”
“Not if breathing is important to you. And Bastian—”
“I know, I know.” He started typing on the keyboard. “Call your cell when I find anything and don’t tell anyone.”
Ana turned and made for the door.
“You’re welcome!” he called after her.
She waved her hand over her shoulder. This was a start. In a few days, she would check out Anarchy and see if SE made an appearance. It was too soon now. They’d want him to start training first.
Outside, she walked around the corner and gleamed to her newest hole in the wall across town. She’d lived that way for months, taking on a new address every few weeks. It didn’t have shit to do with being a spy, although that’s what she was. Actually, that’s all she was. Sure, it was to stay off the Order’s radar, but it was also to keep Toltec at arm’s length. She wasn’t about to send them a touchy-feely Hallmark card congratulating them on how well they were doing in the war. She didn’t really know how she felt about it and hadn’t in a long time. But what else was there?
Once inside, she considered ordering out, but decided against it. She’d so had enough of paper containers and plastic forks. As she loped into the bedroom, she took off her leather jacket and removed her weapons,
which she laid on the little nightstand. Then she slid her boots off and stretched out on the bed. For a moment her thoughts turned to her mate. When she closed her eyes, she could have sworn she could feel what it was like to lie entangled with him on the bed; the way his body ended where hers began, their muscles flexing, their breathing in total synch. Ana shoved the thought out of her mind and rolled over onto her side. Fuck him.
SE closed the door to his room and followed Dimitri down the front hallway. They were both wearing workout clothes, his brand spanking new and courtesy of Geoffrey, of course. He actually felt a little nervous. His body was so much bigger and stronger now. It was a lot to get used to.
He looked at the elegant ceiling. “Damn, Dimitri, this place is huge. How long has your family owned it?”
“Since right after World War, I when my uncle relocated from Russia. He built it during the Gatsby era, during the twenties. Then it passed to my father. But it was vacant for a really long time in between. My father wasn’t sure he wanted to live in the States, but eventually, when things in Russia got bad enough, our family moved here.”
“You grew up in this place?”
“Part of the time. When my father died, I inherited it. I’ve never lived in it as an adult until recently. Twenty-five thousand square feet didn’t make any sense for just me. I have a condo in Midtown, but now there’s too much going on here to bother coming back and forth.”
SE shook his head in disbelief. “Jesus. How many bedrooms?”
“Nine in the main mansion, five in the compound below. Adriana, Richard, Troy, you, and I are upstairs. Reyn’s room is off the library downstairs, and X, Pax, and Diesel are in the compound.”
“Why, are they grounded or some shit?”
Dimitri laughed. “Pax and Diesel have been, let’s say, sowing their wild oats since the Transition, so they’ve got the place set up more as a man cave situation. And we needed X to be near the technology. Besides, I need Chuck D at three in the morning like I need a hole in my skull. It’s a good arrangement.”
“Sowing their oats? Uh, shifters still mate for life, right? That didn’t change while I permaphased, did it?”
Dimitri barked another laugh. “What can I say, my brother? New Breeds are a new species. You never know what to expect. In spite of how they may behave off duty, they’re both a hundred percent committed to the cause and totally disciplined in the field. Diesel’s actually a vet of the war in Iraq. He’s also our weapons man. Keeps the mansion locked up tight as a drum. He’ll get you suited up right.”
“How many tours?”
“In Iraq? Three.”
“Jesus. How old is he?”
“Twenty-eight, give or take.”
“He’s in charge of security?”
Dimitri nodded. “Well, I should say Diesel and X. Diesel dreams it up and X makes his sick little fantasies come true.”
“But how would you keep another shifter from, say, gleaming in?”
“I’m not sure I understand your question. New Breeds are the only kind of shifter that can gleam.”
Huh. Someone was gravely misinformed here. Was it the Order or was it himself?
They walked into the snooker room and SE was struck by the size of the TV. The thing was fugly, but he had to admire it all the same.
“This is generally the hangout room. I converted it into a kind of rec room. It’s more modern and comfortable. You got the large screen, the pool table, darts, stereo, and bar.”
“That’s some TV. I’ll bet the males fight over that thing.”
“Not too often. Thank Christ, there’s another one like it underground.” He walked toward the built-in in the corner. “Okay, this is the first entrance down to the compound.”
Soaring Eagle watched in shock as Dimitri pulled the shelves away from the wall and revealed a freaking Scooby-Doo entrance to an elevator. He suddenly felt like he was living in a game of Clue. The New Breed did it in the secret passageway with a Glock or some shit.
“Before you can use the elevator, you have to punch in the security code.” Dimitri demonstrated how it worked and they stepped inside. “Now, the choices on the panel say main level, which is the mansion, and floors A and B. You want to hit B. There is no A. That was put in to confuse an intruder or stall for time if necessary. If you hit A, the elevator stays stationary for thirty seconds before releasing. On the way back up, I’ll show you the other access point.”
“So what’s down here besides the bedrooms and gym?” SE asked as they stepped out of the elevator and he looked up and down a long hallway. The contrast to the comfort and opulence of the mansion upstairs was remarkable. The compound was as sterile looking as a hospital ward, right down to the fluorescent lighting and the whitewashed walls.
“Our medical area, a couple offices, and the tech room,” Dimitri replied. “There’s also a kitchen and dining area at the opposite end of the hall from the gym.”
“How the hell did you put all this into place so quickly?”
“Most of it was already here. My father was terrified of the Cold War and had it built in case of a nuclear attack. I just had it remodeled for our purposes.”
They entered the medical area where Nurse Dimitri took SE’s height and weight.
“How tall were you before the Transition?” Dimitri asked.
“About six-two.”
“Well, now you’re just over six-five.”
SE was stunned. No wonder he felt so out of fucking whack.
“Let’s get your weight and hit the gym.”
After discovering that he’d also put on twenty-five pounds of new muscle, SE went into the gym feeling even more curious about what his new body could do. It felt awkward, but strong, and he couldn’t wait to work out and get some sparring in. He was so goddamn pissed off all the time, he figured a little action might help. It was better than punching a wall, which was the next stop.
As they walked out into the open gym area, a male SE had never seen before was leaning against the wall smoking a cigarette.
“Troy,” Dimitri barked, “how many times do I have to tell you not to smoke down here? All we got is the ventilation system. No one wants to inhale that shit.”
Ah, the missing brother. SE gave him the once-over. Troy wore a knit Red Sox cap, a T-shirt, and baggy jeans. He seemed a little small for a New Breed, maybe six-three, but he recognized the streetwise vibe the brother gave off almost instantly. The expression on his mug seemed plenty intimidating. He clearly wasn’t anyone to be messed with.
Without a word, Troy dropped the cig on the floor and put it out with his shitkicker.
“Troy, this is Soaring Eagle.”
Heading out of the gym, Troy glanced SE’s way and gave him a nod. “S’up?” Without waiting for an answer, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans and left.
SE looked over at Dimitri. “Gee, was it something I said?”
The brother shook his head. “Nope. Hell, he said more to you than he’s said to me in the past month.”
SE followed Dimitri into the next room and took a gander at all the workout equipment. The place was so tricked out it looked like a mini Gold’s Gym and it was so up-to-date that SE didn’t even recognize some of the equipment. He followed the male’s lead and hopped on a treadmill for a quick warm-up.
“Troy’s a bit of an enigma. He’s from Southie. Grew up in the system. It’s a hard life. He’s our youngest, only twenty. X seems to get along with him the best. Doesn’t take much to set him off, though, so watch yourself. And while we’re on the subject, do the same around Richard and Adriana.”
“Protective instinct?”
“Yup.”
“No problem.”
“Listen, I wanted to go over some things. The war isn’t the same as it was eight years ago. We’re not just fighting other shifters now. When the Goddess transformed us—”
“Whoa, hold up, D. The Goddess again?”
“The Goddess Akina is responsible for our transformat
ions,” Dimitri said without breaking his pace. “Toltec is creating an army of mutations, shifter mutations. They look mostly like everyday shifters, but they’re somewhat bigger and stronger. They’re low on k’ul and their desperation for it makes them highly dangerous. So the Goddess infused us with more k’ul so we could fight them. She even gifted some of us with extra abilities.”
“Yeah? What’d you end up with?”
Dimitri smiled. “Me? Nothing. She just wanted me for my money.”
SE laughed. “But seriously. How do you know there isn’t some natural cause for our change?”
“Reyn. He was the first one of us to receive the call nine months ago and he’s the only one who’s ever seen her.”
SE crawled out of the shower, grabbed a clean towel and flopped down on the bed. His body should have been worked to total exhaustion, but already he could feel it recovering. He reached down to pick up his dirty clothes and noticed his ripped-up old jean shorts shoved halfway under the bed. He was about to throw them in the trash when something crinkled in the front pocket. Pulling the piece of paper out, he unfolded it and stared. Ana’s cell number. They were supposed to meet.
Shit.
He chucked his shorts in the trash and almost did the same with her number. For some reason, he couldn’t let go of the paper. Instead, he opened the drawer to the nightstand and tossed it in. Then he changed into fresh clothes and headed down for another workout. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to get her face out of his head unless he was near death. Or just plain dead.
CHAPTER SIX
Richard quietly unlocked the door to the room he shared with his mate. He opened the walk-in closet, slid his trench coat off and hung it up. He sighed as he went to the metal cabinet at the back wall, opened it, and began to disarm. He pulled a dagger from a chest sheath and ran his fingertips lightly along the fuller. God, he hated nights like this. He’d been on duty for hours and they’d seen zero action. Not so much as a goddamn whiff of the mutant scumbags keeping him on the job and away from his mate.
Forbidden Call (New Breed Novels, Book 1) Page 4