Of course, the last of her uncle’s closest sentries still resided with GreyFire in the infirmary section. Despite the male being in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s, she might be able to get the truth out of him.
Then Trinity stopped in front of a door and Kaya focused back on the present. She wasn’t about to let either herself or her clan down.
After knocking three times, Trinity opened the door and walked inside. Kaya followed to find Kian Murray sitting at a rectangular table, a stack of documents in front of him. When his gaze locked with his mate’s, he smiled, his eyes full of love, and the sight made Kaya’s heart squeeze. She knew jealously wouldn’t accomplish anything, but she wanted what this pair had—love filled with respect and the ability to work as a team.
She doubted she’d ever get it.
Kian’s eyes slid from Trinity’s to hers and he nodded. “Normally, I’d offer refreshments and shoot the breeze with you before getting down to business, but what I need to say can’t wait.”
Kaya took the chair across from him and waved a hand. “Trinity has already knocked down the formalities, so just say what you need to say.”
His gaze darted to Trinity, and his mate gave a shrug. Satisfied, he looked back to Kaya. “We’ve found another purple-eyed wolf-shifter this morning.”
She leaned forward. “Did Sy know about this? Why wasn’t I told?”
Kian said, “I didn’t want this information to leak and I told him not to say anything. He was following orders, so don’t take it out on him.”
Maybe he had changed. Teenage Sylas wouldn’t have been able to keep the secret. “And where is this wolf now?”
“The pup’s in quarantine.”
“Pup as in a baby wolf?”
Kian nodded and his lips set in a grim line. “But that’s not the worst of it. The pup came with a flash drive tucked inside a pouch around her neck. After ensuring the flash drive didn’t have any type of viruses detrimental to our security systems, one of my techs found a message for you.”
“Don’t leave me hanging, Kian. What did you find?”
“If you don’t refuse all the bids on your latest malaria drug, and keep it off the market indefinitely from humans, a deliberate epidemic will be started on GreyFire’s land.”
Withdrawing GreyFire’s malaria drug was tantamount to financial suicide. She had invested heavily in the research and development and was on the cusp of earning a return on her investment. The threat could be from any number of competitors, and she had a feeling that whoever had sent the message would only keep on blackmailing her clan’s efforts. Giving in was not really an option. “Did the message or the flash drive give any hint as to who it was from?”
Kian frowned. “That’s the thing. They didn’t try to hide their identity. It was from Human Purity.”
Human Purity was a mix of religious and secular protesters who believed shifters were no more than animals. They fought against, and occasionally derailed, legislation that gave new rights to shifters. “That doesn’t really make any sense. Purity is spending all their time and efforts toward fighting against the proposed human-shifter marriage equality laws in the various states. I have a feeling someone else is using them as a cover.”
Kian nodded. “I agree with you. Purity rarely targets a specific clan, let alone a specific species. If you have any clues as to who might want to threaten you, let me know. I want to help track down the bastards for infecting a mere pup.”
“As much as I’m glad for your offer of help, why? This affects my clan, and doesn’t really benefit yours. If the epidemic succeeded in wiping out GreyFire, most of our land would become yours.”
Kian stared at her for a second before he replied, “I know things between GreyFire’s and DarkStalker’s old clan leaders were tense at best. I also understand how you were embarrassed by my brother.”
Trinity interrupted with a warning. “Kian.”
He shook his head. “No. I love my brother, but Sy was an idiot all those years ago. He, at least, should’ve approached Kaya about breaking it off.” Trinity huffed and Kian looked back to Kaya. “Despite all of that, I want our truce to be more than a formality written on paper. One day, I want our clans to become almost family-like in their protectiveness of one another, but to do that, you’re going to have to forgive Sy. He’s one of my top people, and you’ll often be forced to be around him and work with him. The question is can you do it? Because if you can, then I have a plan on how to find your blackmailer and maybe save your clan.”
~~~
Arms crossed over his chest, Sy stood on the side of DarkStalker’s outside waiting area and watched the wolf-shifters in human form. It’d been a long time since he’d had to do babysitting duty, but for once, he was glad for the assignment. The peace and quiet of the forest helped him to clear his head about Kaya.
He only hoped he could remain levelheaded once he was close enough to scent her again.
For now, he was more concerned about Trin spending time alone with GreyFire’s leader. His sister-in-law had started to make it her mission to find him a mate. Just his luck, she’d try to patch things up between him and Kaya.
And he definitely didn’t want that. Or, rather, most of him didn’t. His dick wanted to fuck her tight, wet pussy every which way until they were both so exhausted they couldn’t do more than lie motionless and breathe.
Shit, okay, he didn’t need to be thinking of Kaya’s pussy. The woman had broken his heart and dismissed him without a fucking word.
Or had she?
He resisted a growl of frustration. His life had become simple, even predictable, over the last decade, just like he’d wanted. But now a tall, bronze-skinned beauty had turned his world upside-down.
Again.
Fuck. So much for not thinking about her.
Truth be told, if he wanted to be able to focus on his duties and role inside the clan, he really only had two options when it came to Kaya Alexie. He could keep fighting his attraction and the curiosity of what had truly happened between them. Or, he could temporarily put aside his hurt from the past and corner Kaya to see what would happen next.
Thanks to his inner cougar, who was clawing to come out so he could rub his scent all over the wolf-shifter, he was leaning toward the second option.
Not that Sy wouldn’t mind rubbing Kaya from head to toe; the woman had always loved a massage. Hell, in the past, she’d usually thanked him afterward by sucking his cock deep into her wet, warm mouth.
As his mind started to relive those memories, his cell phone beeped with an incoming message. He took it out, saw it was from Trinity, and read: “Meeting is over. Bring the wolves to the quarantine observation area. Third one is dead.”
Shit. The third wolf-shifter from the attack on his brother had been failing over the last two days, so the death wasn’t a surprise. However, if the death was a result of the symptoms of the mysterious virus, they now knew it killed its victims in less than a week. If the infected pup his clan had found this morning was just the first of what was to come, Kaya’s clan could be in serious danger.
The thought of Kaya contracting the virus and wasting away into a sick, insane animal didn’t sit well with him. No matter what had happened between them, she didn’t deserve that fate. Her clan depended on her, and his clan depended on that stability for survival. He would do whatever it took to prevent chaos from happening. The last thing they needed was for the humans to be proven right about shifters being no more than animals.
He sent a quick reply to Trin to let her know he was on his way, and then Sy walked over to Kaya’s team and said, “There’s news about the infected wolf-shifters and we’re needed inside.”
Probably because of Kaya’s earlier order, they merely nodded and motioned for him to lead the way. He guided them through the “safe” corridors of the mountain used to keep visitors separated from the clan. Once they reached the quarantine viewing room, Sy punched the code into the keypad and the door opened to reveal K
aya, Kian, and Trinity standing in front of a two-way mirror.
They all turned their heads over their shoulders, but it was Kaya who met his gaze first. Even from across the room, the deep brown of her eyes held a guarded look, which he knew meant she was trying to hide strong emotions.
However, unlike when they were younger, Kaya was a leader now, and he knew from working with his brother over the years that a clan leader needed to keep a cool, collected facade no matter how awful something might be. In that instant, he realized that while Kian had Trinity to listen to his true thoughts or to hold him through another death in the clan, Kaya might have no one. Years of holding in her emotions had to be taking a toll on her.
For all he knew, she might be lonely and hurting.
His cougar growled at that thought. They could help her. Why was Sy fighting it?
Not now, he told his cat. They could fight about it later.
Sy headed toward the empty spot next to his brother at the observation window and looked down. He watched as two of DarkStalker’s researchers took samples from the dead wolf-shifter, who was still in wolf form. He’d seen his fair share of death while stationed in Iraq, but this particular sight made him uneasy. If they weren’t careful, that shifter could easily be Kaya or any of her people.
Sy decided to get more information about the wolf-shifter instead of dwelling on what he might not be able to change. He asked, “What did the wolf-shifter ultimately die of?”
His brother answered, “A combination of dehydration and a secondary infection, both a result of the virus. If the cycle repeats with the new wolf-shifter pup, then we have a week to either find the source and demand a cure, or come up with a cure of our own.”
He turned toward his brother. “So which is it going to be?”
Kian motioned for them to move away from the two-way mirror and everyone in the room sat down around the simple table. Kian looked to Kaya. Once she nodded, his brother said, “DarkStalker and GreyFire are teaming up to tackle both. Our clan will reach out to the bears for permission to go onto their land and search all of the nearby mountains for other infected wolf-shifters.” Kian looked to Kaya. “You tell him the rest.”
Sy moved his gaze to Kaya, who still had an unreadable expression. “My researchers will continue working on a cure and a possible vaccine. Thanks to Kian, they’ll have access to any of the cougar-shifters who’ve interacted with the purple-eyed wolves to study their immunity. As for finding the source, Kian has agreed to watch over both clans while you and I try to find out who is using Human Purity as a cover.”
Jonathan the wolf-shifter interjected, “Not alone, surely. As a shifter clan leader, you’ll have a target on your back as soon as you step foot in any of the populated human areas.”
Kaya gave her clan member a piercing stare. “I don’t mind you questioning me, but first, listen to the entire plan before you raise any objections.” Her clan member put his hands up in apology and she continued. “The cougars employ humans in most of their DS Engineering locations. While none of their shifters can manage the sites full-time due to the law, Sy and some of his colleagues take one or two week-long trips to check up on things. Sy is due to visit one of their locations in the next few days.”
Sylas put it all together. “I’m supposed to visit the IT and software engineer division in Seattle this week. They might be able to tell us where or what company encrypted the flash drive, and maybe even a ballpark location if they can find out the original IP address.”
Kaya looked at him and nodded. “Exactly. I have faith in my researchers, but I want to cover every possible solution. If we find out where it originated from, they mostly likely will have a cure in case the virus mutates and starts to infect humans or domestic dogs.”
Sy frowned. “But why exactly are you coming with me?”
She gave him a look like it should be obvious. “Because my clan doesn’t trust yours. While Kian and I are hoping to change that over time, it will take some convincing. However, if we find something useful, I can simply pick up a phone, call my clan, and tell my wolves what to do and they’ll listen.”
His brother leaned forward on the table. “Can you handle it, Sylas?”
Kian was really asking him if he could handle working with the woman despite their less-than-happy history.
Well, at least this way he’d have a chance to ask Kaya some questions and get some answers about what had really happened between them.
The hard part would be telling his dick to calm the fuck down.
Still, this was for the benefit of his clan. He could find a way to manage. “Yes, but how are we going to explain her presence? Some of the interns at that location are from DarkStalker and live in the same apartment building as the one I use when I’m in Seattle. If they come upon us, they’ll scent she’s a wolf straightaway.”
Trinity leaned on the table and slowly smiled. “Kaya’s going to pretend you two made up and she’s your girlfriend again.”
Sy blinked before looking to Kaya. “Really?”
She shrugged. “I would do far worse to protect my clan. Besides, it’s the best chance we have at making this work.”
Chapter Six
A few hours later, Kaya slid into the passenger seat of Sy’s SUV, buckled her seatbelt, and tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.
She had done a good job of hiding her emotions earlier, both when talking with Kian and in the observation room overlooking the dead wolf-shifter, but spending the next how many days posing as Sy’s girlfriend made her nervous. She hadn’t lied to Kian; she could do it. However, since shifters were very tactile, affectionate beings, Kaya wasn’t sure how she was going to react to Sy caressing her cheek or pulling her close against his side in the presence of others, with his heat and scent surrounding her. Or, even worse, if he decided to nuzzle her neck and start making the human equivalent of a purr.
Her nervousness morphed into something much hotter as she remembered how it had felt to feel Sy’s skin next to hers when they’d been naked and tangled in bed sheets.
The driver’s side door opened and Kaya barely prevented herself from jumping. Sy tossed a duffel bag into the back and sat down in the driver’s seat. She expected him to start the car, but instead, he turned toward her and said, “Are you sure you want to do this? We can find another way.”
His doubting her quickly washed away her sexy thoughts of Sy’s skin. “Of course I can do this. The safety of my entire clan is at stake.”
He sighed. “I know, but I was hoping you had changed your mind.”
She studied his face. “Why? You’re hiding something from me. If we’re to work together, I need to know what it is in case it could jeopardize our investigation.”
His gaze flicked up to hers. “Who says I’m hiding anything?”
“I can explain how I know you‘re hiding something, but I won’t bother unless you promise to answer my question after I do.” He nodded and motioned his hand for her to continue. She decided to hold nothing back. After turning a little toward him, she said, “You were angry and dickish to me earlier, and now you’re all sighs and politeness. Something happened between you stomping off to babysit my wolf-shifters and you sliding into this car. What was it?”
His eyes turned fierce. “Do you really want to know, Kaya? Because I promise you won’t like it.”
“You haven’t truly known me in over a decade. I can take anything you throw my way, so just spit it out already. The longer you hesitate, the less time we have in the city.”
He turned in his seat to better face her, and the look of anger and something else she couldn’t define in his eyes knocked the wind out of her. She felt the heat of his gaze in places she didn’t want to think about.
Her mind might dislike him, but her body very much wanted to get friendly again.
Enough. She was a grown adult, for fuck’s sake.
She forced herself to pay attention to his words as he said, “While we might’ve been apart for m
ore than a decade, I’ve seen Kian work for years as DarkStalker’s clan leader, so I understand you better than you think.”
“Kian? What does he have to do with anything?”
“Kian puts up with all kinds of shit and grief to keep the clan together. Hell, we nearly lost him after his leg was shattered by a wild, insane bear-shifter a little over four months ago. But no matter what he goes through or what he has to do to keep the clan together, he always has Trinity.
“It was Trin who brought him back from his bouts of self-pity after the bear attack. She also acts as his confident and—never tell her I said this—as his own personal cheerleader. If things go wrong, he can talk with or fuck my sister-in-law and spring right back. Without her, he would break.” He leaned in a few inches. “But today, I realized you have no one. You take on all the responsibilities of your clan and brave whatever needs to be braved with no one to cuddle, talk to, or let alone fuck, at the end of the day. It must be incredibly lonely. Am I right?”
For a second, she could do nothing but stare at him.
Sylas Murray had definitely changed from the cocky teenage boy she’d known. Instead of cheating at a game to claim a kiss or quick fuck, he could easily deconstruct her role and the reasons behind her self-imposed isolation, and do it in less than a day.
The boy had become a man, and to be honest, she wasn’t sure what to make of it. Hell, the more she talked with him, the more she started to believe she didn’t know him at all anymore.
And that could be very, very dangerous. If she wasn’t careful, she could slip and start to fall for this more mature version of him, a version who might be her equal.
She cleared her throat and managed to say, “You expect me to believe you got all of that from a few hours in my company?”
He leaned even closer, but Kaya maintained her position. She would not retreat from him. “Yes, but that’s not the only reason for my behavior. Do you want to know what else changed?”
Reclaiming the Wolf (Cascade Shifters Book 1) Page 5