by Meg Ripley
Drake set the strange woman’s discharge papers aside. “Yes. There’s a pride in Illinois that claims a neighboring pride is involved in some illegal weapons. They’re selling guns and knives to anyone who comes to them with the right price. That activity is leaking onto the secondary pride’s territory, which is why they called us.”
“I could see why that would be a problem for them, but it just sounds like a day in the park to me,” Flint replied with a slow smile. “I wouldn’t mind a chance to rifle through their inventory. I’ll go.”
Drake put out a hand to defer him. “I’m sure you would, but this particular part of the country happens to be thick with lions. I don’t think your wolf would fit in all that well.”
Flint threw his hands in the air in frustration. “You’re no fun.”
“No, but you knew that. What do you say, Hudson?” He turned to the Special Forces Communication Sergeant. “Think you can pull this off?”
A distraction from that unexpected woman at the door was exactly what he needed. “Absolutely. Let’s get some more information. You got the recording of the call?”
3
Leona stared blankly at the television. She’d hardly seen anything that had come across it in the half-hour since her sister had been home. All day, she’d looked forward to Tracy getting home from work just so she had someone to talk to. Being cooped up in the apartment was driving her crazy. “I don’t know how you watch this shit,” she finally said, propelling herself up off the couch. “All these reporters are just sitting in a studio, covered in hairspray and makeup, pretending they know what the hell they’re talking about.”
Tracy looked up at her, startled. “I can change it. We don’t have to watch the news. I can put Netflix on, or a movie or something.”
“No, it doesn’t matter,” Leona said with a sigh. “I’m sorry. You’ve been nice enough to let me stay here, and I’ve been a shitty house guest. It’s just really hard to sit still when I’ve spent almost the last decade of my life constantly on the move, constantly learning and training, constantly preparing for the next battle.” She went to the window, seeing the same scenery she’d already memorized. The red car that had been parked at the house at the corner was now gone, and a couple of children played in a sprinkler at another house, but otherwise nothing had changed.
“Yes, I’ve noticed.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Leona rounded on her sister.
“That you’re restless,” Tracy explained simply. “You’re not meant for suburban life, but I don’t think that would come as a surprise to any of us. I remember when you used to go to Girl Scout camp as a kid. You’d get out there, canoeing across the lake, hiking through the woods, exploring and adventuring. You never wanted to come home when Mom came to pick you up, and if I remember correctly, you even tried to run away once so you wouldn’t have to leave camp.”
“True enough.” Leona remembered those days well. It was one of the few times in her life when she felt as though she could let her true nature show, even if she wasn’t able to shift into her other form. Her father had always been proud to hear about her adventures, and Leona knew that had only encouraged her to keep going.
“I have a feeling you were the same way overseas. You were out there on some campaign, and you weren’t ready to come home. You’re pacing the place like this is some fortress you’re trapped in, and you expect the enemy to come rushing up any moment.” Tracy clicked off the TV and sat forward in her chair. “I’m not sure it’s healthy.”
Her sister’s comment darkened Leona’s already bleak outlook. “I love you, Trace, but don’t bother talking to me like you have any idea what I’ve been going through. You said yourself that I’m not made for this life.”
“Well, maybe I spoke too soon.” Tracy stood, still dressed in the pale cream skirt suit she’d worn to the office. “I know you’ve always chosen to express the—shall we say—wilder side of yourself, but there are plenty of other places in the world for a lion. I mean, look at me. I’ve climbed the corporate ladder with such ferocity that Working Mother wrote an article about me. It doesn’t all have to be quests and escapades.”
Leona closed her eyes for a moment, trying to keep her patience in check. Just like their animal counterparts in the wild, the lion shifters were a close family. They depended on each other for safety and comfort, and even when they had their differences, their spats never lasted for long. Even so, Leona wasn’t sure her sister would ever truly understand. “I don’t think the concrete jungle is the place for me. But you don’t have to worry about me wearing tracks in your carpet. I’ve got a lead on a military-related job I’m working on. I just have to wait and see what happens with it.”
“Care to tell me what it is?”
“Not really, to be honest.” The idea of getting accepted (or rejected) by the SOS Force was weighing heavily enough on Leona’s mind, and she didn’t need her sister to bring all her own arguments to the table.
This, at least, Tracy could accept. “I’m here if you need me. And I’m sure with your service record, you won’t have a problem. While you’re waiting, why don’t you come in here with me and we’ll get some dinner made?”
Leona followed her into the kitchen and washed her hands, but her mind wasn’t on food. She was thinking instead about the way her body had vibrated as she’d approached that strange, squat building that housed the SOS Force. It hadn’t looked like much, and while she had been around long enough to know that a team like the Force wouldn’t just put up a neon sign, she’d had her doubts. But then she’d seen the security camera that swung around a little too quickly to focus on her. It wasn’t a model she was familiar with, and it definitely wasn’t part of the typical security systems people bought at the computer store. She’d also noted the electronic locks on the door, which also weren’t the norm. They looked more like something out of a movie, and that was all the indication Leona had needed to know she was in the right place.
And then there had been him. He hadn’t given her his name, but she didn’t need it in order to have him stick in her mind. He was hot, with dark blonde hair that he kept swept back from his face. He was tall and broad, and Leona had sensed the powerful muscles just beneath the surface of his skin.
Though she’d spent the last several years focusing on her career instead of men, Leona wasn’t the type to just ignore a good-looking guy. She wasn’t immune. But there was something much more intriguing about that man than simply the way he looked. His amber eyes had penetrated straight into hers and down to her soul. She could tell they were breathing the same air as they studied each other, and Leona had felt the distinct urge to slip out of her human skin and show him her more feral side. She’d needed him, right there in that little lobby area he’d allowed her into, in a way that made her want to lick his skin right where his heart beat at his throat and run her hands over the hard planes of his abs.
Which was ridiculous, of course. Now that she wasn’t anywhere near him, she wanted to be more rational about the whole thing. She couldn’t just tumble over herself for a strange guy, except that she had. As focused as she’d been on finding a new career, she couldn’t stop thinking about him ever since she’d left.
“Hello?” Tracy’s harsh voice cut into her fantasies about the man. “Are you listening to a word I’m saying?”
Leona blinked. Damn. She wasn’t the kind to just space off like that. She was always paying attention, always listening, always ready. That was the kind of training she’d received in order to become part of the Special Forces, and it’d become second nature over the years. How strange that she could drop it so suddenly for someone she was…No. Even in her mind, she didn’t want to admit the words that described that encounter. “Sorry. I was thinking.”
“Clearly,” Tracy replied with a snort as she took a package of steaks out of the fridge. “What I was trying to say is that you should have a backup plan.”
“What?” Leona’s mouth focused on the bloo
dy meat. Tracy must have purchased it recently, and from a butcher who actually kept his product clean and fresh. She hadn’t realized until that moment just how hungry she was.
Her sister sighed impatiently as she lit the flame under a cast iron pan and sprinkled it liberally with olive oil. “I’m trying to help you. The least you could do is listen.”
The last thing Leona needed was for her sister to chastise her, but that had always been Tracy’s way. She’d taken her role very seriously, even when they were little, constantly snatching at opportunities to boss Leona around or get her into trouble. As they’d gotten older, Tracy always wanted to share her advice about men and careers, even when Leona had made it clear she wasn’t interested. She had her own life and her own decisions to make.
Now, she felt much the same way. Tracy only had a couple of years on her, and she wasn’t the one who’d been off to war. She hadn’t seen people starving in their own villages. She hadn’t seen the kind of death and destruction that conflict caused, eating away at everything in its path. She’d lived an insulated life in a safe place where the biggest worry she’d had to deal with was a traffic jam on her way home from work.
Still, Leona loved her sister, and she did appreciate Tracy letting her stay at her place when she’d suddenly found herself without her military brethren around her. She was right. The least she could do was listen. “Okay. I’m paying attention this time.” She took a head of lettuce out of the fridge and began tearing it apart to make a salad.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about you since the news about your injury reached us,” Tracy began. “We were devastated, even once we knew you’d be all right. But anyway, that’s not really what I want to talk to you about. I mean, you’re getting around just fine.”
“Yeah, mostly.” Leona glanced down at that leg that wasn’t supposed to be there. It was almost unfair that she should be fine when there were so many other soldiers who weren’t. Shifter or not, every man and woman over there was fighting for a cause bigger than themselves, and yet many of them lost part of themselves. It happened physically or mentally, or both.
“What I’m trying to get at is that you always envisioned the Army would be your entire career. I remember when you told us officially that you were enlisting. There wasn’t a single thing anyone could say to sway you. That was the only thing you were interested in. But now you can’t do that anymore, and you didn’t have a backup plan. Maybe this job you’re hoping to get won’t work out either, and you should have a backup plan for it as well.”
“Who’s to say I don’t?” Leona tore at the lettuce, tempted to whip out her claws and shred it properly, feeling slightly offended.
“Do you?” Tracy challenged as the sound of sizzling meat served as a backdrop for their conversation.
Leona growled softly. “No.” The SOS Force was the only thing she’d concentrated on ever since Sarge had told her about it.
“Okay, so here’s an idea. Maybe think about settling down. Acclimate yourself with the local pride. Get a nice little house with enough space for a garden. You could get all sorts of jobs with your background, something without too much of a commute.”
“That sounds like an absolute nightmare.” She’d said the words harshly, but as soon as they were out, Leona began to laugh. Tracy wanted the best for her and was concerned for her, but the two of them were always at such odds with each other.
“What? Why?”
But Leona didn’t have a chance to answer. Her phone had suddenly started ringing in her pocket. She didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”
“Sergeant Kirk, this is Hudson from the SOS Force.”
Oh, yes. She knew exactly who he was as soon as he said her name, and a shiver of excitement rippled down Leona’s spine and coalesced in her stomach. She now knew the name of the man who’d been haunting her mind for the last day and a half, the man she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about. But this wasn’t the time for that sort of stuff. She slipped out of the kitchen and down the hall. “Yes, this is Sergeant Kirk.”
“I need you down here in five minutes for a meeting.”
It was completely out of the blue. It wasn’t even reasonable. But that didn’t bother Leona. It was probably a test, and she was more than ready to pass it. “I’ll be right there.”
Her knuckles itched as she hopped out of the cab a block away from headquarters. Her body was full of energy, and she could almost see it flashing brightly through her veins. It took everything not to shift, to feel her paw pads against the sidewalk as she raced toward this new destiny.
Retaining her self-control and her human form, she stepped up to the door and rang the bell.
Hudson appeared instantly, whipping the door open. His jaw was tight and his eyes intense, almost as though he was angry with her for being there. “Sergeant Kirk. Come in.”
She did as she was told, taking care to keep her shoulders straight and her head up. How easy it would be to rub her hip against his as she slipped in the door, to rub her jaw against his shoulder as she looked up into his eyes, to tell him what he did to her. Her abdomen tightened as she fought it all off. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting.”
He didn’t even glance at his watch. “You’re right on time. The conference room is this way.” Now it was his turn to move past her.
Leona had to wonder if he was feeling the same way. She’d never suspected anyone of being her fated before. She knew it had to be a mutual thing. A pull this strong couldn’t simply be a one-sided thing, yet he seemed just as solid and steady on the surface as she was fighting to be. She said nothing as she followed him down a hallway to a conference room with massive windows and an equally large table.
“This is Flint, our weapons specialist,” Hudson said, indicating a man who lounged back in his chair and picked his teeth with a pocket knife. “Garrison, our engineer.” He gestured toward a man who sat with his back straight and his eyes watchful, but accepting. “Our resident physician, Drake.”
This last man was seated at the head of the table, and he stood up to shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Sergeant Kirk. We think you might be a good fit for the SOS Force, even though Hudson wasn’t kidding when he said we weren’t hiring.”
That was more of a compliment than she would’ve expected from men like this. “I appreciate the chance.”
“And it’ll be an interesting chance,” Garrison intoned from the other end of the table. “We’ve received some information, and there’s a pride in Illinois we need to investigate. We don’t do these things overtly, preferring to keep our presence quiet until it’s time to take final action. We’ve discussed this quite a bit since you arrived, and we’ve decided to send you and Hudson on the mission.”
Her heart thundered with excitement. It hadn’t been all that long since she’d been hurt, but the intervening time had seemed like an eternity. There was nothing she wanted more than to get back out in the field. On the backside of that thought came the immediate awareness of Hudson, standing just behind her. So she was going to be his partner on this assignment? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. “I’m more than happy to go out on my own.”
Drake gave her a small smile. “I have no doubt about that, considering your service record, but considering you’re brand-new to our team, we’re not inclined to send you out alone. You’ll be heading into a suburban area, and you and Hudson will pose as mates to blend in.”
“I see.” Those were the only words she could choke out, considering how every cell in her body was thrashing toward Hudson at that very moment. She couldn’t deny the attraction she felt for him, and now they were assigned partners? Pretend mates, even? It was like torture, and it was going to make this mission much harder than any of them could know. “When do we leave?”
The grunt of laughter came from Flint, who was now twirling his knife expertly with his fingers. “There are some things we need to do first. You can’t just head out without knowing what you’re going into, and you�
��ve got to have a link with the rest of us.”
Leona had expected to spend some time learning about this mission, but this caught her off-guard. “A link?”
“Just like a clan,” Hudson said from behind her shoulder.
She stepped away to look up at him, acutely aware of how little distance there was between the two of them.
“My company has provided the Force with special phones and secure lines to communicate from anywhere in the world, but of course that doesn’t work as well when we’re in our other forms. We forge a mental link to each other just like any other clan does.” His eyes slipped down to her mouth for only a split-second before returning to her eyes.
She swallowed, the idea of Hudson being in her mind both thrilling and terrifying to her. “And how do we do that?”
“A sacred ritual,” Garrison replied. “Knowledge of this ceremony has been passed down through my family for centuries, even when there was no need to use it. I tried it when the four of us teamed up, and it was just what we needed. I assume you’re not afraid of blood?”
“Doesn’t bother me at all.” She’d seen plenty of it, both her own and others’.
“Good. We’ll go over all the information for the mission right now, and then we’ll conduct the ceremony tonight. We leave in the morning.” Hudson gestured for her to sit down before taking the chair next to her.
The field was a remote one, and Leona might never have found it if she hadn’t had such thorough land nav skills drilled into her brain. She’d wondered as she drove if this was just some trick by the SOS Force, some hazing that was supposed to embarrass her and let her know she wasn’t truly welcome in their group. But there she stood with the four men in a clearing surrounded on all sides by woods, a ring of stones filled with firewood in the center. No fire had been lit, and only the dim blue light from the stars and the sliver of moon overhead illuminated the field.