Casey

by Claire Marta

  Hearing Zac’s voice instead of her friend’s caused Casey’s lips to tighten in disapproval. “It’s been arranged for tomorrow morning at nine am,” he told her. “You may come then.”

  “Well, Christ on a cracker. You wrapped that up all nice and quick, didn’t you? Fine,” she snapped, still driving in the direction of the Citadel.

  Feeling her distress, Malik reached to pet her hair, trying to soothe her physically. When she failed to settle, he began soft, rhythmic strokes.

  “Morgan, I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m only hanging up because I’m going to shoot whoever in the rear of the car keeps touching my hair.” Jabbing the button on her phone, she ended the call. “Whoever is touching me will lose their hand if they continue.”

  Malik hastily dropped his arm. Iosefa smirked at him.

  “You said you had a guest room?” Casey suddenly questioned. “Is it free?”

  “Yes, it should be,” Iosefa confirmed.

  “Good. You're going to get me in there and take me to it. Tell your superior that unless he wants the Citadel investigated for weapons violations, I’ll be crashing there the rest of the night and I’m not leaving until I see Morgan in the morning.”

  Malik heaved a sigh. There was no help for it. She was determined to stay, and Tobias would have to let her. Unfortunately, this threat of Casey’s was not an idle one. He could hear the truth resonate in her voice, her fear for Morgan replaced by steely resolve.

  He texted Tobias and explained the situation. Approval to use the guestroom was granted. It would be ready and waiting for her.

  Malik gave Casey the news. “Tobias says that the guest suite is available. He’s having it made ready for you.” Hopefully, it would satisfy her immediate needs and make things easier for them. Anything was better than having a wildcat like Casey go feral on them.

  When they reached the Citadel, Iosefa got out to open the metal gate guarding the entrance to the property.

  Knowing that she’d feel more confident if her car was in view and accessible to her, Malik directed Casey to park just past the main building’s front door. He wondered if they should fly back to her apartment and bring her some clothes, then decided against it. She’d already been upset once by them touching her things. Morgan had clothing here that Zac and Aiden had brought over one weekend. Maybe she could borrow some.

  Or he and Iosefa could lend her a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants to wear to bed. The idea of her clothed in something of theirs pleased him. Perhaps she could enjoy their scent on her skin. It was the closest either of them was going to get to sleeping with her tonight.

  As they approached the main entrance, Tobias opened the door. One brow arched when he detected the change in Casey’s scent.

  Malik’s expression locked up for a split second with panic before he hid it.

  Casey breezed on past their superior. “Thanks for letting me stay. If someone could show me where that is…”

  “Theo.” He called to their brother who was watching from the stairs. “Take Miss Andersson to the guest suite. If she needs anything make sure she is provided with it. Morgan is asleep and will see you at breakfast.”

  “We can get you something of ours to sleep in,” Malik offered.

  Her blue eyes narrowed dangerously. “No, thanks. I’d rather sleep naked.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Iosefa watched the grinning Greek lead their red-haired Casey away.

  Turning back, he saw that their superior’s lips were pursed. His sharp gaze was fixed on them. “And when exactly were you going to tell me that you’d mated with her?” Tobias asked. “Do you both think I’m blind to the fact her transformation has begun? There’s only one way that could have happened. I think you two have some explaining to do.”

  “It…” Malik stammered. “It all happened so fast.”

  One of Tobias’s eyebrows rose. “My office. Now.”

  Hanging their heads in shame, they trailed after him. He barked at them to close the door and stalked to his desk to take a seat.

  Tobias looked greatly displeased. “I want an explanation.”

  Iosefa wasn’t sure where to start. Between them, they began to describe their attraction to the ATF agent. How they’d felt drawn to her. Slowly, they revealed their roles at the club—although they did not name it, honoring their promise to keep it a secret. How they hoped that by learning the kink Casey enjoyed, they could win her affections as their mate.

  Pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, Tobias sighed. “And you didn’t think to come to me? To let me know that Casey could be your mate? Instead, you joined with her while she was intoxicated, before gaining her trust.”

  It sounded so bad. They were already feeling guilty over it even though the sex had been amazing.

  “Things just seemed to slide out of control,” Malik admitted, shifting nervously from side to side. “She didn’t remember the sex but we were hoping the memory would return.”

  “And in the meantime, we’ve left another mate unprotected.”

  Iosefa shook his head. “We’ve been watching over her in our free time.”

  The full weight of Tobias’s gaze fixed on them heavily. “Is there anything else you're keeping back?”

  “Casey has been interacting with a Dom at the club,” he divulged quickly. “He’s masked while he’s there, but we’ve learned that he’s a member of the Bratva. They seem to have some kind of connection... I can’t explain it, but it's there. She seems… enthralled by him.”

  Malik cleared his throat. “And he’s not supernatural. He’s a human.”

  Tobias’s brows dipped in a frown at the news.

  “The guest rooms are done.” Iosefa straightened up to his full height. “We seek permission to protect our mate.”

  “Very well,” their superior agreed, still not looking a hundred percent happy. “You will follow her when she leaves tomorrow. Ask Zana for a tracker and place it in her purse or in her car. I expect you both to woo this woman and bring her into the fold. God help us all.”

  Invoking Divine blessings seemed a wise idea. They would need all the help they could get when it came to claiming Casey.

  Too tense to sleep well, they arose early and waited for her in the hall, ready to escort her to breakfast where Morgan would be with Zac and Aiden. Iosefa’s thoughts were consumed by visions of Casey lying in bed, naked beneath the sheets when she should be between them, entangled in theirs. It was all he could do to keep his erection at bay.

  When the door finally opened to her room, they were both eager to see her. Casey was dressed in the clothes she’d worn the previous day. It looked like she’d used her fingers to try and tame her red hair.

  For once she didn’t glare or glower at them. The blue eyes that swept over them gleamed with amusement. “Have you been standing out here all night?”

  Iosefa’s mouth curved in a smile. “Would it please you if we have?”

  “When do I get breakfast around here?” she asked, deflecting his question. For some reason, she seemed to be in a mellow mood. Perhaps she was finally able to relax, knowing her friend was safe.

  They escorted her to the dining hall where other members of the cadre were already eating. As they entered, the boisterous sounds coming from the table died down. All heads turned their way.

  “What?” Casey eyed them back. “Have I got something on my face? Oh, wait. It’s the hair, right? I dyed it red. Get over it already.”

  “Um…, they’re not used to having a woman at breakfast,” Iosefa explained, glaring at the other men.

  Morgan and her mates were yet to arrive. Finding enough space to sit on either side of Casey, Iosefa marveled that she was allowing them so close. Could she finally be lowering her walls and trusting them?

  Malik took the carafe of coffee and began filling their cups.

  “Did you sleep well?” Elijah inquired from across the table. Taking a slice of Gael’s special Quiche Lorraine, he passed the ceramic bakeware to Case
y.

  She helped herself and added freshly sliced fruit to her plate along with a perfectly baked croissant. He and Malik filled their plates as well.

  “Like a baby,” she admitted.

  “I used lavender, bergamot and lemon oils around the bed to provide a calming environment. I’m happy to see that it worked.”

  Casey’s eyes lit with interest. “So you’re the guy who makes the magic oils!”

  Iosefa scowled. Elijah’s oils were responsible for her lightened mood?

  He didn’t like the way their mate was staring at his Caribbean brother, whose smile was made brighter by his ebony skin. A handsome man, Elijah wore his hair in dreadlocks that reached to the middle of his back. Tobias sat to his left. Theo, their equally handsome and perfectly sculpted Greek artist, sat to Elijah’s right.

  Iosefa noticed that Theo waited to serve himself last after Casey had handled the serving dishes and utensils. He didn’t eat right away. Instead, he sat processing any impressions that he’d picked up.

  With luck, it would be something useful that could further their cause with her.

  He hoped that it wasn’t Casey’s secret life making Theo’s brow to crease with concern.

  The Greek artist picked up his fork and took a bite of quiche, chewing in silent contemplation.

  Swallowing, Theo was about to say something when Morgan entered the dining room with Zac and Aiden, dressed in an oversized sweater that hid the abrasions on her arms. She looked like a woman well-loved—although Iosefa was certain that the men had only watched over her and had let her rest, safe in their embrace.

  Casey pushed back her chair and ran to her friend, clucking like a mother hen and giving Zac and Aiden the evil eye.

  They were going to have to do something about that. She had no idea how powerful thoughtforms could be.

  Evidently, Morgan had not seen Casey’s red hair. She marveled at the change in her roommate and begged her to sit with them.

  “Psst.”

  Theo leaned over the table and whispered, “I need to talk to you both. Alone.”

  Hell’s bells. That did not sound good. It sounded… foreboding.

  “We’ll have to let you know,” Malik told him. “We will be watching our mate.”

  There. They’d said it. He was certain that Theo—with his psychic gifts—already knew it. Soon, everyone else would, too.

  Tobias would see that the rest of their brothers left Casey alone. They were the only ones allowed to mate and procreate with her. The others must look elsewhere and find their own woman.

  Casey returned briefly and took her breakfast to eat with Morgan. Iosefa sighed and stabbed a piece of honeydew melon. “If we ever talk her into moving here, we’ll be lucky to see her. She’s used to spending time with Morgan. She won’t want to give that up.”

  “She used to date Morgan’s brother,” Theo told them. “James is history but Morgan is her potential future.”

  “Potential?” Malik frowned.

  Theo sighed. “There is always a choice. Sometimes there are several possibilities, depending on a soul’s potential. Rarely is anything written in stone. Right now, Casey is treading a two-fold path that will eventually diverge. One way holds darkness. The other holds light. If she chooses the path of light and a life with you, having those two women together will make each of them happier and ultimately content to be here. They will be best friends sharing a new existence. Growing old together. Casey will have you, but she’ll need that connection just as much. Something that Eve would have greatly benefited from. Speaking of connections…”

  He leaned closer and drew in the air with his fork. “What do you know of soul mates?”

  Iosefa frowned. “Only that Casey is ours. That we were destined to be together.”

  Theo caught that thought and stopped it midair. “You’re partly right,” he said. “She is your destiny if she chooses to accept it, but that makes you her fated mates, not her soul mate. Unfortunately, that role belongs to another, and the connection that she feels to him confuses her. It is strong. Very strong. Her soul has been circling his much longer than she realizes. Not always in pure love. I sense there has also been darkness.”

  Malik and Iosefa shared a look. Master S… Ivan. It had to be him. They’d seen her reaction to the Russian at the club and when she’d spoken to him on the phone.

  “What are they meant for in this lifetime?” Iosefa asked, his stomach twisting in knots at the thought of Casey with someone else.

  “Soul mates help us achieve mastery,” Theo said. “They teach us lessons or help us remember the lessons we’ve learned, allowing us to avoid repeating mistakes. They also provide the opportunity to repay or settle karmic debts that we feel we owe.”

  “But if this other man—this soul mate—will bring only darkness, why would she choose to go down that path?

  “Temptation? Seduction? The sense of being bound to him? Who knows?”

  “We will fight for her,” Malik swore.

  “But will it be enough?” Iosefa wondered. “Humans were created with free will. The Morning Star always argued that it was not wise.”

  Theo clucked his tongue. “I would advise against speaking the name of one you do not want to summon.”

  “But what can we do?” Iosefa asked, praying for wisdom and guidance.

  Theo rubbed his jaw and looked at them both. “Unfortunately, I can only tell you what is given to me. I can only share what is allowed. From the flashes of visions that I’m seeing, I can tell you that the images aren’t always clear. Things are not always as they seem. Have faith,” he said. “Trust your instincts. Let your dedication to Divine Law and the Highest Good rule your choices, and we shall pray that her conscience is guided by the same.”

  Iosefa blew out harshly. Zac and Aiden didn’t have this much trouble with their mate. Would anything ever be easy with Casey?

  Theo glanced over his shoulder to make certain that Casey remained with Morgan and out of human earshot. Arching a brow, he spoke across the table. “For what it’s worth, I do not like this Ivan, either.”

  Malik and Iosefa were forced to watch Casey from across the room while Casey—by her choice of seats—was forced to watch Zac and Aiden catering to her friend. The men loaded one plate for the three of them to share. They fed themselves and Morgan, too, popping morsels on her tongue and giving her sips of coffee from her cup.

  From time to time, Morgan would giggle. Zac and Aiden seemed determined to find her cherries when they went to the store. An exchange of lustful glances followed. The looks shared between the three of them grew increasingly, uncomfortably intimate for their closest witness.

  Casey was practically fidgeting in her seat.

  A phone going off hooked everyone’s attention, since cell phones were muted for meals. Tobias watched, too, as Casey put it to her ear. The smile on her face froze before disappearing completely. As if a switch had been clicked, her posture and body language changed. She was in professional ATF mode.

  Iosefa strained his ears, tuning into the conversation.

  “Okay,” she said, quickly ending the call. “Morgan, I have to go. Something’s come up. Keep in touch. I want to know the second you come home.”

  Morgan’s emerald gaze turned to the two men at her side. “I’m okay here for a while. Aiden and Zac are looking after me.”

  Casey’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Okay. Sure. Until you feel ready then. Remember, I’m only a phone call away. I’ll be waiting to come and pick you up.”

  Stalking to the table, she grabbed her shoulder bag. “Thanks for breakfast. Can someone let me out the gate?” she mumbled to no one in particular.

  “Iosefa, Malik, see her out, please,” Tobias ordered.

  Without a word, they rose, swiftly joining her as she headed upstairs to get her things. They needed to stay close. Until she had received the call, Casey had planned to be with Morgan when she spoke with the police later this morning. All that had changed. Whoever h
ad phoned her, Iosefa was sure it was linked to her work and danger.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Casey scanned the foyer of the spa, her gaze settling on a familiar presence. The Russian stood by the reception desk watching her with a half-smile curving his lips.

  His earlier phone call had been brief and sharp. Something was on tonight. She’d known that the second he wanted her to pose as his girlfriend and told her where he’d arranged for them to discuss it.

  She just wished she knew what he was thinking.

  He’d sounded chilly when they’d spoken. Now that they were here, his easy attitude was surprising. After agreeing to get with him last night and failing to show, Casey had expected some other emotion. Annoyance. Anger. Even disappointment. Thanks to Malik and Iosefa, she’d completely missed her meeting with Ivan.

  She still couldn’t believe that she’d fallen asleep in Malik’s arms and awakened in Iosefa’s lap. The main thing was, Morgan was safe. In the end, she hadn’t needed the Russian’s help after all. Desperation could have driven her to do something she would have regretted. Owing a favor to a Bratva was not something she needed hanging over her head.

  “Ah, there you are, kiska,” he greeted her. “Everything is ready for you.”

  Eyebrows knitting together at his words, she placed a kiss on his clean-shaven cheek, keeping in character. “This is an interesting surprise.”

  “There’s a dinner tonight and you need to be pampered.”

  Casey smiled at the upscale-looking receptionist. The place was exclusive. A little world of luxury and relaxation. She’d never booked a spa day even though she could easily afford it. If Ivan was treating her to this, she’d make sure to pay him back. They had to remain professional. There was no way she could accept gifts from him.

  “We have you down for a waxing, facial, body wrap, and massage,” the woman told her, calmly glancing at a sheet of paper on the desk. “Mr. Michalov, we have you down for a massage. If you’ll accompany Alice, she will show you to your room.”

  Your room.