To Mate an Assassin: The Lost Alphars Series, Book 1

by Ceri Grenelle

  Rhiannon already had their plane scheduled for departure and they were ready to go after loading the SUV up with some belongings that Cimby hadn’t had time to pack with Irisi.

  “We’ll come back for the rest of it after everything is settled,” Kerrick said with a kiss to her forehead. He couldn’t stop touching and kissing her. He wanted her in his arms at all times.

  “Sounds efficient. I do not really care about most of it, but there are some military-grade weapons in my stash I would worry about just sitting here for too long.”

  “Military-grade weapons? You’re a shifter, woman! Use your damn claws to fight!”

  “I do! I just like to play with the weapons.” He stared at her, dumbfounded. “What do you think I spend all my money on?”

  “Psychotic,” Kerrick said with a shake of his head.

  “You’re stuck with me.”

  “Damn right.”

  On the plane Cimby decided to look at the latest package, confirming her thoughts that not all the recent slew of assignments targeted guilty shifters. The face and name staring back at her made her want to vomit—brought to focus how many innocents she’d probably killed over the past few years. It was sickening.

  Seeing her stricken expression, Kerrick took the package from her to look over the info. His face reddened as she watched him read the details. Once finished, he threw the package to the floor and tugged her close, kissing the top of her forehead. She burrowed her face into his chest and took comfort from his scent and his warmth. She’d never had that before.

  If she hadn’t met Kerrick, she would have faced this realization alone. The thought was almost as sickening as all the murders she’d most likely committed since Riddan’s demise. She needed to divert all her attention to finding the person sending these packages and gutting them. But she could not. Kerrick needed her more than she needed her vengeance. No, it wasn’t vengeance, it was justice for all the wrongly slaughtered men and women. She really had been a mindless tool these past few years. Just a robot.

  She tilted her face to the side and stared down at the picture that had fallen from the folder. The handsome, smiling face and shining eyes of Aaron, Kerrick’s Captain, his cousin, stared back at her.

  “We’ll find them,” Kerrick whispered, kissing the shell of her ear.

  “I know. Then I will kill them.”

  After a flight far less lust filled than their first, Kerrick and Cimby arrived home in California. Kerrick met with Aaron, Jeremiah and Zack to begin prepping for the final teleconference with the local alphas. The meeting would be scheduled via satellite as it was imperative he keep in contact with them on a daily basis and up to date on possible Vryk movements within the surrounding territories. If Mara had allies she planned to utilize in other states, Kerrick needed to know.

  The Were alphas were still adjusting to Kerrick’s thorough methods as their new Alphar. They had grown complacent during the final years of Riddan’s command, fighting with each other for territory instead of joining and focusing their strength outwards on enemies trying to breach the inner circles and use shifter secrets against them. Something that had apparently already happened as Cymbeline’s Incendiary assignments had continuously been sent to her after Riddan’s death. What if Cymbeline had never come to Kerrick with her suspicions? Would she have mindlessly killed Aaron as her instructions expressed her to do? She was a capable fighter, a capable assassin. She may have been successful in her mission. Then Kerrick would have had to kill her for murdering his cousin. The thought was enough to rile the Beast within, the powerful magic connected to his dominance struggled to break free and defend its mate, his family. The ones responsible for his mate’s recent assignments would very much regret their choices over the past few years. He would be sure to make them.

  Kerrick took a deep breath to clear his mind of the violent thoughts and eased into the comfortable leather armchair at the end of the table, the projection screen already filling with the faces of his alphas as they signed on to the video-chat program. Zach took his place at the control console in the corner, his face thoughtful and the overwhelming magic in his body vibrating with tension. Moments before Kerrick had sat down, Zach had pulled him aside to confirm what Kerrick had thought regarding Irisi’s weakened state and the tattoo on her hip. Clearly, the disgusting information had affected Zach, a dangerous thing as his magic was more lethal than anyone’s in The Mansion, and if released without check, would do more than harm the inhabitants.

  Jeremiah sat with Zach, not wanting to be in the line of the camera but needing to participate as Kerrick’s top soldier. He placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder, grounding him, reassuring him that they wouldn’t let him drown in his power. Jeremiah was quiet and sometimes came off as severe, but as he did with Lottie and her children, his plain and calm logic had the capacity to center a person. Kerrick always thought his quiet cousin would make a good leader, but Jeremiah had always been content to remain a soldier. With Jeremiah’s reassuring touch, Zach shuddered a sigh and nodded in thanks, returning his focus to the technological console.

  Aaron sat to Kerrick’s right and Rhiannon settled on his left, her nose still in the Blackberry, receiving updates from soldiers near the border of Mara’s facility. Cimby had gone immediately to check on Irisi upon their arrival, he didn’t think she would be able to pull herself away from the girl for the meeting but before he could motion to Jeremiah to shut the door, she strode in, looking pissed as hell.

  He tilted his head in question but seeing the camera was already projecting his image, she shook her head and took a seat off video to observe the proceedings. It took less than ten seconds for all the shifters in the room to smell his mating mark on her. Rhiannon lifted her head and stared at Cimby, looking somewhat perplexed. Cimby raised her eyebrows in response and motioned for them to pay attention to the screen. Aaron clapped him on his shoulder, a knowing grin on that mischievous face. Instead of appreciating Aaron’s support and basking in the joy of his mating, Aaron’s happiness for him only infuriated Kerrick further. Why would someone target Aaron? They had studied the list of victims from her kills, and while the majority had been legitimate the latest had been questionable. But there was no clear-cut link between any of them.

  Once settled, and after Zach successfully activated all the electronic components that went with the satellite uplink, Kerrick checked once more to make sure his mate was comfortable and wondered if she was ready to virtually meet a small portion of his ruling alphas. These types of meetings would be a part of her life now that they were officially mated. Kerrick needed her to acclimate to the politics as quickly as possible, no matter how much of a challenge he was sure that would be for someone of such a solitary nature.

  Earlier, Cimby had hesitantly admitted to a varying degree of knowledge concerning Vryk battle strategies and culture. She told him she was friendly with the Vryks in her area and even knew some who resided near The Mansion. They must have been in Mara’s clan, but she claimed to be ignorant of what clans they belonged to. The hesitance in her voice made him think she was hiding something from him, it made her tense and he hadn’t wanted to press her on the matter when she was already so edgy. He trusted she would tell him when the time was right.

  Kerrick couldn’t help but glance at her once more before the last alpha completed his connection. She sat right leg crossed over left, an almost regal air about her. He knew better, saw through the façade and recognized the tight, upright posture as worry. Her arms were folded under her breasts and for once she voluntarily wore something other than a black T-shirt and black jeans. Red T-shirt and black jeans were the chosen style of the day. His mate. So original. She caught him staring and narrowed her eyes at him. Kerrick winked at her in return before giving his alphas his full attention.

  “We’re a go, Alphar,” Zach said. “They’re all connected.”

  “Alphas,” Kerrick said with a
nod at the multitude of screens with faces in them.

  “Alphar,” Cristoff spoke first, a golden-skinned Fox shifter with a Southern accent so thick it could be used to make molasses. “One of my spies has breached the Vryk facility walls. They have no news to report as of yet.” Cimby uncrossed her legs hearing this knowledge. She had been more than doubtful that any spies could infiltrate the Vryk walls, Kerrick had to admit he felt slightly relieved that her adamancy on the impenetrability of the facility was unfounded.

  “Thank you.” Kerrick nodded and turned his attention to Michael, Aaron’s older brother and reluctant alpha of a large Bear pack in Northern Oregon. “Michael, report.”

  “We discovered a Vryk safe house owned by Mara in northern Oregon. I have sent men to scout the area and report back with details on security.” Cimby shifted in her seat again and if Kerrick was not mistaken, rolled her eyes. She was itching to participate. How much did she really know about the Vryks anyway?

  Soon, he felt the Beast send to her through their bond. She nearly jumped out of her chair, glaring at him in shock and annoyance. Maybe he should have discussed that new facet of their relationship before allowing his Beast to use it.

  What the hell was that? she mouthed, looking a little disturbed and crossing her arms.

  “We are stable here at The Mansion. I am, however, considering moving the submissives, families and children who reside in The Mansion to our neighbors in Canada for the time being. Zach will accompany them during the journey and Michael, you will oversee them throughout the residency until we deem it safe for them to return.”

  “I think that is wise, Alphar.” Cristoff nodded along with many others.

  “We cannot stay dormant on this situation any longer, alphas. We will attack Mara’s clan. She will be expecting retaliation for the shifters she killed. Mara may be an ancient, but we will not bow in fear of her power. This is our territory, and we will die protecting it.” His Beast could sense his mate’s tension and he knew it was time. He raised his hand to her.

  “Cymbeline, do you have any knowledge that would be of use?” She raised her eyebrows at him. Kerrick nodded, suddenly feeling a sense of shame for not having invited her to participate and introduce her in the first place. He had assumed she would not want to be on display in such a manner, but he could now see he had just used that as an excuse to protect her. He wanted to have her to himself for a little while longer before needing to share her with the world.

  “Alphas, meet my mate, Cymbeline Kendall.” She grinned at him and the coy little lick she gave her bottom lip had his pants fitting a little less comfortably. Aaron stood and grabbed a chair, setting it at his right. Kerrick pulled her towards him and she sat, not before he placed a kiss on her palm.

  She kissed his cheek with an uncharacteristically sassy bite and turned to the screens, all business. “Forget about the northern Oregon safe house, it is a front. There is one located outside Seattle that usually has low security unless being utilized and since there haven’t been any incidents in that state I doubt it is. The best way to hit the Vryks hard…” she hesitated and guilt flickered in her eyes for a brief moment. “The best way to hit them hard is to take away their vanity.”

  Gerrard, the Bobcat alpha, guffawed, scratching his bushy beard. “Their vanity? What will that do?” Kerrick understood what she meant, of course. Their weakness was their compulsion, their absolute obsession of remaining connected to the human race. In order to remain connected, they needed human blood. Vryks drank blood not to stay alive, but to keep their young humanoid appearance maintained. They could subsist on normal food as long as it came from a living creature, but they would transform into their true forms, something even Kerrick had never seen, if they ceased drinking human blood. Human blood was camouflage for Vrykolakas, vanity.

  “Vryks employ and house humans as staff in their facilities,” Cimby continued. “They are treated well, mostly, but occasionally a human is given so much blood to ingest they become blood possessed.”

  “Blood possessed?” Cristoff asked.

  “They feed humans their blood to keep them young and healthy until they are addicted to it and will die if they do not receive the substance on a regular basis,” Michael answered for Cimby with a dark look.

  “Take the humans out of the Vryk facility, take away their blood supply…I assure you they’ll get sloppy.” This was the woman Kerrick had mated, intelligent and ruthless.

  Daniela spoke next, her hand scratching her forehead in exaggerated concentration. “What do you suggest we do with the humans once they are taken from their Vryks?”

  “Most importantly, help them detox,” said Cimby. “They are all blood possessed, every single one of them. We won’t be able to give them their lives back but we should do what we can for them.”

  “They’ll not be cooperative,” Robert, an irascible Wolf alpha said angrily. “Our goal in this battle is not to save some blood-hungry humans. They made that choice on their own. It is not our responsibility to rescue them.” Robert’s words were calm despite the tension Kerrick could see vibrating in his muscles. Robert’s pack lived near Mara’s facility and he knew the man was acquainted with some of the Vryks there. Not all Vryks were bad, just as not all Weres turned rogue.

  “A lot of them didn’t make the choice to be there,” Cimby countered, withholding any sign of emotion. “Some could have been injured and healed by passing Vryks before supernaturals were revealed to the general public centuries ago. Vryks can’t erase people’s memories of them, contrary to popular belief, so to keep the secret they bring the humans to the facility for a prolonged life of servitude.”

  “We should not kill the Vryks indiscriminately. We should give them a chance to surrender,” Leah said after a moment of silence.

  “How can you defend them after what they did to your people?” Gerrard asked, looking angry and perplexed by Leah’s willingness to help.

  “Because one Vryk does not reflect an entire population just as one attack perpetrated by a group of Weres should not reflect upon an entire species.”

  “I agree with the Gator,” Cimby said, Kerrick pinched her thigh for her rudeness. “There are good Vryks in the facility, Vryks who I think can help us. I just need to get in touch with them.”

  “What Vryk do you put so much faith in? What Vryk do you even know in that clan? How do you know them?” Gerrard asked.

  “Yes, what pack do you come from?” Robert added to Gerrard’s inquisitiveness.

  “Carter, your Vryk negotiator,” Cimby said. Rhiannon sat up, startled at hearing the name of the Vryk they all knew so well and regrettably liked. “He is Mara’s PR agent to the humans besides his dealings here.” Something dangerous made itself known within Kerrick. A hard pang and a sickly, acidic feeling rose to the back of his throat, making it hard to breathe. Of course he knew Carter. The large and smarmy Vryk had come to The Mansion on many occasions to list Mara’s demands. At first impression, he thought Carter was just an oversized brute acting as a messenger boy. Later he’d come to understand the Vryk was close to the age of an ancient, and more cunning than Kerrick originally thought possible. But how did Cimby know him? There was so much about Cimby’s life that remained a mystery.

  Kerrick felt fingers digging into his hand and he realized he’d been squeezing her thigh a bit too hard. He released the death grip he had on her and nipped her shoulder in apology, not caring if his alphas saw the gesture of affection. This sort of open care was the norm for shifters.

  “You trust that slime ball?” The usually jolly Cougar alpha, Mac, asked.

  “He’s helped me out in tricky situations in the past.” She turned to Rhiannon. “Contact him. He’ll help us gain access to the facility. He doesn’t like the way Mara runs things and is ready to take over.” Her words may have been easy but Kerrick could hear the confidence she put in Carter. It was absolute. Kerrick tried not
to hate him, this man who had known Cimby longer than he’d like to think about and who also apparently helped her on missions. What he could only assume was jealousy raged inside him. He took his hands off his mate and placed them on the armrests, not wanting to accidentally cut off her circulation again.

  “The soldiers will convene tomorrow at 4:00 a.m., we will arrive by dawn when they are at their weakest.” He spoke before there could be any more discussion regarding Carter’s allegiance. He would speak to Rhiannon and Cimby on that matter privately. “The less casualties the greater the victory, and if we can save the humans in the process, all the better. Anything else?” Kerrick needed the meeting to end, his Beast was telling him it was important and he needed to pay attention to whatever was happening inside him. All he could think of was Cimby in the arms of another man, Carter or otherwise. He had never considered her having past relationships yet now all of a sudden it seemed too relevant to let go.

  “Yes.” Cimby shot an odd look his way, probably sensing his distress. “It would be prudent if we could cut their funds in some way. The facility is high tech, has hundreds of occupants and is expensive as all hell to keep operating efficiently. Cutting their funding would be another form of derailment.”

  “Leah.” Kerrick addressed the Gator who, besides being a cutthroat wild child, oddly had a knack for anything with a dollar sign.

  “I’m on it.” She grinned, whipping a dreadlock behind her, a fiery light of excitement encompassing her black eyes. “I’ll try for the Al Capone method. If that doesn’t work…” She shrugged, her grin leaning towards the feral side. “Bribes are always fun.”

  “Do not leave a trail,” Kerrick ordered.

  She feigned affront. “Come on, Alphane. Don’t insult me.” Kerrick grimaced at the use of the name Alphane. Because Kerrick was the youngest potential to ever defeat an Alphar, the Cajuns and their witch-makers had it in their heads that Kerrick was or would beget some sort of all-powerful Alphar. According to the myth of the origin of Weres and Alphars, upon Alphane’s death his power broke and was absorbed by potential Alphars across the planet. His people dubbed them Alphars, in honor of their fallen leader, and so the Alphars were born for better or worse.