The Awakening: Britton (Entangled Covet)

by Abby Niles

  “Very well. In that case”—she approached the table, unholstered her gun, unhooked her badge, and laid both in front of Harwood—“I quit.”

  Seeder slammed his fist against the table and glared at him. “That does it! Now we’ve lost two of the best SPAC agents we’ve ever had because of your mulish stubbornness. Happy?”

  Pensively ignoring Seeder’s outburst, Harwood studied her. It was the first time she’d seen any emotion from the man other than resolve. “You would really quit over this?”

  She tilted up her chin. “I’ve worked within SPAC for ten years. My father is a retired SPAC agent. My brothers all work for SPAC. I grew up respecting this council and everything it stands for. We protect our species. The day you personally flew out to Jersey and offered me the head SPAC position here in North Carolina was one of the proudest days of my life. My family was so honored. But, you know what, Councilman? I had to arrest a hysterical mother, and helped sentence her to life in prison, for nothing more than wanting to be with her child.” When the councilman opened his mouth, she held up her hand. “Yes, she broke shifter law, but her punishment was excessive.”

  When Harwood opened his mouth again, she waved her hand sharply, stopping him once more. “I’m not finished. Instead of finding a way for the parents to be able to stay with their child so they didn’t resort to hiding their children, instead of finding a way for you all to work together, a compromise, you used Samantha Mills to make a political statement. Because of that decision, you put the entire shifter community at risk. You. And now, a good man has once again been stripped of the very abilities that were needed to save the community you put in danger. Why was he punished in the first place? Because he saved an innocent little girl from a life of hell. And now he’s living one. Damn. That’s one despicable criminal who deserved the book thrown at him, Councilman.” By now, her anger, disgust, and mockery rang clear in her voice. “I’m not proud of being a SPAC agent anymore, sir. I’m ashamed. And I cannot in good conscience work for an organization that does bad things to good people.”

  Deafening silence followed her speech.

  At length, Harwood said, “I’m simply upholding our laws, Detective.”

  A hard smile came to her lips. “I believe I just quit. So it’s plain old Val now.” She turned to go, then turned back for one more turn of the knife. “Just a piece of advice, Councilmen. The humans…they have this thing called amendments. Keeps a lot of people happy.” She whirled, stalked to the door, and whipped it open. Before she shut it behind her she looked back, and was filled with satisfaction at the stunned faces staring after. “Welcome to the twenty-first century, assholes,” she muttered.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As the phone rang in his ear, Britton squeezed his eyes closed, preparing himself for the coming jolt.

  “This is Val. Please leave a message.”

  The moment her sweet voice sounded, revulsion stole his ability to speak. Opening his mouth, he tried to push words past the vise around his throat, but couldn’t get anything out but a pathetic squeak. Disgusted, he yanked the phone from his ear, hit end, and had to refrain from hurling the device against the wall. Next time maybe he’d try recording a message in advance on his smartphone, then playing the recording into her machine when it beeped. Jeez. This was ridiculous. Next he’d be reduced to writing actual letters. Who did that anymore? But desperate times called for desperate measures. And he truly was desperate.

  He hadn’t seen Val in five days. Why? Because the crazy woman had quit her damn job.

  Britton slumped in a chair as Aidan and Liam regarded him from the couch. Their friendship was the only thing that had gotten him through the past few days. Britton had never been much of a talker, or even one to give advice, but thankfully his friends weren’t like him.

  “Have you heard from her at all, Brit?” Liam asked.

  Both Aidan and Liam had been stunned when Britton finally told them that Val was his mate. They’d witnessed the hostility between them, even played referee a time or two when things got too heated. When Britton explained what happened after the serum had been given to him, they were even more astounded. And angry, on his behalf. It felt good to have their support.

  “Yeah, we just had a lovely conversation. Didn’t you hear it?”

  “I meant heard from her like in a text or e-mail,” Liam said, unfazed by Britton’s weeklong bad mood. Liam had gone through his own living hell when his mate had left him, enduring disastrous consequences. If anyone knew what messed-up shifter chemistry did to a person’s disposition, it was Liam.

  “If you consider receiving a text that says, ‘I tried. I’m sorry,’ then, sure, I’ve heard from her.” Leaning his head back against the chair cushion, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I still can’t believe she fucking quit.”

  Val hadn’t even had the courtesy to tell him. He’d had to find out on his own. For three days he’d stopped by her department, searching for her. On the fourth day, he’d finally pulled Raquel aside and asked where she was, and had been informed that Val had stormed off the job a few days ago. He’d been instantly furious. Work was the only way he could see her, and now she’d removed herself completely from his life.

  Other than that one cryptic message she’d sent him, she hadn’t responded to any of the texts he’d sent, nor returned his phone calls. Not as if he’d be able to answer, anyway. He was rendered mute the moment he heard her voice. Paper might just be the only way to communicate. Unless just seeing her name in print set him off. Fuck.

  Liam let out a harsh breath. “Brit, maybe Val has the right idea. Maybe some space would do you good.”

  “You think space is going to help me forget?” Britton scoffed. “If it were that simple, I’d have left town immediately. Besides, did you forget about Ava after she dumped your ass? No, you didn’t. You just became a freaking zombie. At least I’m lucky in that respect—being human without the complications of bonding.” He sighed. “I just hate the woman I love, instead of being thrown into some emotionless stupor that makes me oblivious to my surroundings.”

  That’s right. Look at the silver lining.

  Liam grimaced. “Okay, fair enough. No, I couldn’t forget Ava.”

  “But you still got your happily ever after with her, didn’t you?” Britton didn’t wait for an answer. He looked at Aiden. “You both fucking did. You both survived going through hell to be with your mates. But my hell is hating my mate, being repulsed by the mere idea of touching her. Do you have any clue how fucked up that is?”

  So much for the silver lining.

  Aidan and Liam exchanged a glance.

  Britton’s phone rang for the fifth time that afternoon. He glanced at the screen, then immediately sent it to voice mail.

  “Who keeps calling?” Liam asked.

  “The PD. I’m off duty today, so screw ’em.”

  “They keep calling, Brit. It may be important.”

  He shrugged. “Whatever.” He had no desire to go down to the PD. Ever since Val had left, the place suffocated him with memories of her. He needed some downtime, away from it all. He didn’t think that was too much to ask. It was his damn day off.

  His phone rang in his hand again. Before had had a chance to shut it off, Liam snatched it from him.

  “Hey, man! Not cool!”

  “Townsend,” Liam answered in his best imitation.

  Britton gave a disgusted groan, but straightened when his friend’s body tensed and his gaze shot to his.

  “Yeah?” Liam said.

  Unease gripped Britton’s gut and he sat up in his chair. “What?” he mouthed.

  Liam shook his head and held up a finger. “Do you know why?” There was a pause, then he said, “Okay. I’ll be there shortly.” After he hung up, he stared at Britton. “Damn, man.”

  The unease tightened even more. “Is it Val? Is she hurt?”

  “What? No. The High Council…they want to see you.”

  Britton scowled. “What the
hell for?”

  “The guy didn’t know. He just said that you were to go to the administration building immediately.”

  “Or what?” Britton sat back against the cushion and propped his ankle on his knee. “Well, they are going to have one hell of a long wait.”

  “Brit, it’s the High Council.”

  “Whoop-de-doo. I am no longer a shifter and I’m no longer with SPAC. I don’t have to jump at their beck and call.”

  Liam groaned and shot a glance at Aidan. “Help me out here, man.”

  Aidan sat forward. “Brit, you need to go.”

  He glared at his friends. That’s what he got for leaving his phone on. He would never have answered that call. They couldn’t convict a guy for not answering his phone.

  “It could be important, man.”

  He didn’t give a rat’s ass what the High Council wanted. They’d already taken everything from him. What more could they want?

  Aidan groaned. “Damn it, if you ignore a direct order, they could punish you even more. What if they send you to Kerker?”

  “A vacation doesn’t sound like a bad idea right now.”

  “Britton.”

  When his friends called him by his full name he knew he was in trouble.

  He rolled his eyes. “Aidan,” he shot back.

  “I know you’re pissed. You have every right to be. But you can still have a future with Val, even if you don’t see it right now. Your sentence will end one day.”

  He stared at Aidan in disbelief. “Do you actually think I want Val waiting around for me for sixteen fucking years? I don’t. I want her to find happiness, even if it kills me to watch her do so.”

  “She’s your mate, man. There will never be anyone else. Liam’s mate and my mate both understood that in the end, even though they took their damn time and fought it tooth and nail. Val isn’t fighting, she’s accepted it. She wants you as her mate. Don’t fuck up the future you can still have with her, just because you’re pissed at the High Council.”

  Irritated that Aidan had to be the voice of reason, he ground his molars together. But his friend was right. His sentence would end. Sixteen years was a damn long time, and anything could happen before then, but if there was even the smallest chance that he and Val could be together one day—together in the way they were meant to be—Britton couldn’t chance telling the High Council to fuck off now.

  “Fine.” He shoved off the chair to his feet. “But if I go down there and things get even screwier than they already are, I’m coming back and kicking both your asses.”

  …

  Britton took a cleansing breath before he closed his hand around the knob and opened the door to the High Council chambers. As before, the councilmen sat behind a long table, ten pairs of eyes staring intently at him as he walked in.

  Harwood nodded. “Townsend.”

  “Councilman.”

  “Have a seat, would you?”

  He hesitated a moment before sitting in the chair he hadn’t thought he’d be sitting in for another decade and a half.

  Silence descended over the room, and he had to keep from squirming in his seat. “Okay, I’m here. Why was I called in?”

  “We thought you’d like an update on the case you helped with.”

  Arching a brow at them, he gave an I-really-don’t-give-a-shit shrug of his shoulders.

  Harwood cleared his throat. “We’ve sentenced the Graggs and Silvers to thirty years in Kerker for the kidnapping of Charlie Mills and the bombing of a council building. Since no one was killed, they did not receive the maximum penalty.”

  Well, wasn’t that a fine how-do-you-do. He clamped his teeth together to keep from speaking. Thirty measly years. While he was serving twenty just for doing the right thing. Such bullshit.

  “Charlie is back at World Shifters, and we are happy to announce that his beast doesn’t seem to be showing any negative effects from the kidnapping. He has also been reunited with his mother.”

  Britton blinked. Hello? “Excuse me?”

  “Yes. Thought that would get your attention.” Harwood pushed back his chair and stood. “We had a very strong-willed young lady point out the error of our”—Seeder cleared his throat loudly, and Harwood sighed—“of my ways. I take a great deal of pride in my position, and it’s my responsibility to keep the shifter community safe. I did this by following ancient laws with a flawless track record of ensuring our safety, and refusing to believe there could be a better solution. The rest of the council has been preaching change to me for months, but it took Detective Calhoun to get me really to see it. I’ve always held her in high regard. And to have her say she could no longer work for me because my decisions made her feel ashamed to be a SPAC agent—” His jaw worked. “Well, it was distressing. I finally listened. Detective Calhoun has accepted a position as assistant to the council, to help us formulate a few amendments to our laws. The first is helping us find an agreeable living arrangement for the parents of mutated children that won’t interfere with what we need to do to help these children learn to control their beasts. She plans to stay with SPAC, but she has resigned her position as head of the department. Therefore we are in need of a shifter with special abilities who can fill her very impressive shoes.”

  Britton sat up straighter, trying to contain the sliver of hope blossoming in his chest. Just because Harwood said he was looking for someone didn’t mean it would be him.

  “This, of course, presents a problem. There’s only one person we trust to take over SPAC. You. But you are serving a criminal sentence. A real conundrum.”

  Was this the blow? Part of his punishment? To be given hope, only to have it snatched away? He held his breath, waiting for the elder’s next words.

  “After reviewing your case, the High Council has unanimously decided that though you were in beast form in the presence of an unmarked human, you did not shift in her presence. And although your beast was seen by other unmarked humans, it did not retreat back into your body in view of them, nor reveal your true identity to them.”

  Britton’s heart thumped hard against his chest. That had sounded very much like a reversal of his guilty verdict. He gripped the arms of the chair, waiting, desperately praying, for confirmation.

  “Therefore, we believe that no crime was committed, and you are hereby exonerated of your offense.”

  Blood rushed into his ears as the whooshing of his heart echoed in his head, and he couldn’t seem to catch a full breath.

  He was free.

  Free!

  Chapter Fourteen

  An hour had passed since Val spoke to Britton on the phone, and still her sappy smile refused to budge. He’d called as soon as he’d left the High Council building. Though his voice had been strained, he’d assured her that he couldn’t wait to see her. Unfortunately, he was still having trouble talking to her.

  As much as she hated to hear that, she’d also expected it. The serum antidote hadn’t worked instantly last time. It had taken a few days for his body to readjust to being a shifter. They both hoped the transition would go faster this time, since only a little over a week had passed since the High Council had taken his beast away.

  Together, they’d made the difficult decision to wait a couple of days before reuniting in person. Neither of them wanted any more bad memories of hatred and rejection between them. They wanted to start fresh when Britton was whole again.

  Start their life as a mated couple.

  Val was still stunned at the turn of events. Had she’d known all it would take was her quitting, she would’ve done it the moment Britton had disappeared behind those elevator doors. Apparently she was a more valuable asset to the council than she’d realized.

  Soon Britton would take his rightful place as the head of SPAC, and she would assist him when needed. She held no resentment or anger at him taking over her position. Not now. The man shouldn’t have lost it in the first place. On the other hand, if he hadn’t, they might never have met.

  Fate w
orked in mysteries ways.

  When her phone rang, she bounced over to it, light and happy for the first time in years. She would be with the man she loved—for eternity—and nothing stood in their way.

  She picked up the phone and her smile widened as she read Britton’s name on the caller ID. He might still struggle to speak to her, but he wanted to hear her voice anyway.

  She pushed talk. “Hey, babe. I was just thinking about—”

  “Val?”

  At the vaguely familiar male voice, her smile slipped. She pulled the phone from her ear to check the caller ID again. “Britton.”

  Unease curled inside her. “Who is this?”

  “Aidan O’Connell.”

  Panic instantly threatened to overtake her. Aidan wouldn’t have called her using Britton’s phone unless it was for dire reasons. She used every bit of her cop-instilled resolve to say, “Tell me what happened.”

  “We’re rushing Britton to the Bradley Clinic.”

  A long, agonized howl came over the sounds of a speeding car engine and squealing tires.

  Icy fear washed over Val. Her fragile composure crumbled. “W-what’s the matter with him?” She barely got the words past the heart thundering in her throat.

  “We don’t know. About twenty minutes ago, he started having stomach cramps. Now the pain is so bad he can’t even walk.”

  A low, rattling groan sounded in the background, bringing with it an image of Britton doubled over in the backseat, fighting the pain.

  Her grip tightened on the phone. “I’ll meet you there.”

  Not waiting for his response, she snatched up her keys in trembling hands and rushed to her car. She peeled out of her driveway and sped down the road.

  Please be okay.

  She white-knuckled the steering wheel. They’d been so close, just days away from being together. Why was this happening?

  Breathe. Breathe.

  He was having stomach cramps. That could be anything. Food poisoning. Appendix. So many different illnesses that could be easily remedied. Even though he’d been given the serum, he wasn’t a full shifter yet. So he was still susceptible to human illnesses and complications. Hopefully the return of his super-speed healing would click into place, and by the time she got to the hospital, he’d be fine.