by Lynn Hagen
He stepped into a short hallway then held up a hand when he heard voices nearby. Declan moved ahead of him, peeked around the corner, then disappeared.
“What the fuck is he doing?” Bayne mouthed to Kivani.
Kivani had no idea, but he would’ve preferred to stay unnoticed for as long as possible. Calling Declan had been a huge mistake. The guy was unpredictable and reckless. If his move got Joelle killed, Kivani would skin the son of a bitch alive.
Declan came back around the corner dragging two unconscious men behind him. He tossed them onto the open elevator, used the key, and pressed the Down button.
Fuck, they would owe Hector more hush money if they were gonna send him bodies.
“The back hallway is clear,” Declan said as he turned and stood by them. “You’re welcome.”
Kivani shook his head. Declan was one twisted-ass lion. “You got any cash on you?” Kivani asked him.
“Why?”
“Because you’re gonna pay Hector for this shit,” Kivani said.
Declan snorted. “I ain’t paying a guy who doesn’t suck dick.” He headed back around the corner.
Bayne chuckled. “He’s seriously starting to grow on me.”
Kivani prayed he didn’t have to shoot Declan before this was over. He followed Declan with Bayne at his side as they crept into a foyer. The small area reminded Kivani of some noir 1930s-detective exterior-office setting—large, potted plants, a wooden bench to the right of two large wooden doors with the company’s name etched in the glass. The waiting area looked out of place in the glass-and-chrome modern building.
The doors had blinds covering the glass, but they were slanted open, and Kivani looked through them to count how many men he could see in the inner office.
“Four,” Bayne said. “Not including the receptionist.”
“She counts,” Kivani said. “If she works in this office, she’s got to be a Hunter.”
“Not necessarily,” Bayne said. “She could just think she’s working for a reputable firm.”
“They don’t even have what they do on their website,” Declan argued. “How can she be that clueless, Mr. Optimistic?”
“Man, fuck you,” Bayne snapped. “Ain’t nothing optimistic about me. I just like to know for sure that someone’s a Hunter before we kill them.”
“Will you two shut the fuck up?” Kivani snarled. He turned back toward the doors.
Saul had said Joelle was taken to a back office. Since they were in the back hallway, he glanced at the door closest to them. That was where Joelle had to be.
The three pulled back when the door to the back office opened. Kivani swallowed a growl when Kovachi stepped out. He’d never met Kovachi in person, but he’d seen a picture of him, and that was who shut the door behind him and headed in the opposite direction.
“Here’s our chance.” Kivani tried the knob on the door and found it was unlocked. He slipped inside, then hurried to the room Joelle was supposed to be in.
This was too easy. Guards should have been posted at Joelle’s door. Having only two in the back hallway was pathetic security. Why was this area so unsecured?
Kivani hurried into the large office and relief washed over him when he saw his mate sitting on a leather sofa, staring at the window. Joelle’s head snapped around at the sound of Kivani entering. His gorgeous green eyes had been narrowed, but they widened, then Joelle jumped up from the couch and flung himself into Kivani’s arms.
“I can believe my knight actually came to save me.”
“Can you two do the whole sappy-reunited thing in the elevator?” Bayne asked. “We need to get the hell out of here. I got a bad feeling in my gut.”
“I told you not to buy that hot dog when we stopped for gas,” Declan complained. “You can’t trust food rotating under a heat lamp.”
“Not that kind of bad feeling,” Bayne said. “Don’t you think it’s odd we got in here so easily?”
No sooner had Bayne finished speaking than the door opened and Kovachi stepped into the room.
“So nice of you gentlemen to join us.” Kovachi moved aside and four men filed in, guns in hand. “Hector is an amazing early-warning system. He called me as soon as you men entered the elevator.”
“I want my damn money back,” Bayne snarled. “And Hector’s head on a platter.”
“Never trust a guy who doesn’t suck dick,” Declan said. “I should have snapped his neck when I took that key.”
They’d been fucked from the start and hadn’t even known it. Kivani moved to stand in front of Joelle as he bared his canines. “So you’re the new asshole in charge.”
“In charge of what?” Kovachi asked. “I’m merely a businessman who was conducting an interview with Mr. Lovejoy.”
“He’s lying,” Joelle said from behind Kivani. “He knows shifters exist because he asked why I chose to be with an animal.”
“Where’s Ethan?” Kivani asked. “I know he’s the one who brought Joelle to you.”
Kovachi’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, the man you had a secret meeting with in an alley.”
How the hell did he know about Kivani talking to Ethan? Had Ethan told Kovachi about it? Had he told him they were family? What in the hell was wrong with Ethan? Kivani knew his cousin held bitterness in his heart, but he didn’t think the guy was suicidal.
Declan glanced at Kivani with suspicion and Bayne furrowed his brows. “Who’s Ethan, and what meeting?” Bayne asked.
“Your associates are in the dark.” Kovachi smirked. “How interesting. That makes me wonder what you two were meeting about.”
“We were talking about his funeral arrangements,” Kivani said. “Shall we discuss yours?”
Someone behind Kovachi snickered. Kovachi pulled a gun from inside his suit jacket and shot the snickering idiot in the head.
Joelle shouted as his fingers curled into Kivani’s shirt. They trembled as Kivani growled.
“Get him the fuck out of here,” Kovachi said to the man on his left. “Anyone else think this animal is funny?”
The remaining three men looked close to wetting themselves as they shook their heads. Kivani reached behind him and pressed a hand to Joelle’s hip. He needed a physical reassurance that his mate was okay, though Kivani had clearly seen who Kovachi had shot.
Still, his wolf was going apeshit, moving close the surface. Kivani’s canines descended as his claws slid free. If Kovachi aimed that gun in his direction, Kivani would tear the bastard to shreds.
“We gonna do this or what?” Declan asked.
Kivani shoved Joelle toward the desk just as Declan attacked. Bayne joined the fight, shifting into his bear form. It was an impressive sight, considering shifters were larger than their wild-animal counterparts.
His lumbering form smashed into filing cabinets, denting one and knocking the other over. He spun and crushed the wooden coffee table that sat in front of two barrel-designed office chairs.
Kivani went after Aleksei, chasing the prick down the hallway as Declan and Bayne fought the three humans. He hadn’t wanted to leave Joelle behind, but Kivani might not get another chance to kill Kovachi.
Kivani was stunned when Kovachi spun midrun and threw his hands out. Green lightning shot from his fingers, and Kivani jumped out of the way seconds before the bolts hit him.
Kovachi wasn’t human.
The receptionist screamed as she ducked under her desk. Kivani raced down the hallway, but Kovachi was fast. He threw his hands in front of him and a small portal appeared.
Kovachi turned and snarled at Kivani. “You’ll pay for killing Sergei. I won’t stop until all the Knights are dead.”
He moved through the portal and it closed and disappeared.
Just what in the jacked-up reality was going on?
Joelle stared at the dead bodies. He’d never seen one before, and the glassy-eyed stares from the three men wigged him out. Even so, every time he looked away, his gaze kept wandering back to them, like they were the scene of a ba
d accident.
The two men who had come with Kivani stood by the door, and Bayne was naked. They were also bloody. Joelle stayed close to the window, hugging his body as he kept telling himself not to fall apart.
He knew they were shifters, but seeing one shift into a bear had made Joelle nearly faint. It was a reality check, a visual reminder that his mate wasn’t human.
“How you holding up over there?” Bayne asked.
Even though he felt on the verge of a meltdown, Joelle was relieved when Kivani returned to the office. His mate stepped over the fallen bodies as though they were no big deal.
“We need to get going.” Kivani looked a bit shaken as he headed right for Joelle and folded him into his arms. “Kovachi isn’t human.”
“What?” Bayne asked. “What does that mean?”
“I think he’s a sorcerer.”
Great. As if Joelle didn’t have enough to freak out about. “Can we just go?” His gaze slid back to the dead guys.
Kivani grabbed his hand and led him from the office.
“This just keeps getting better and better,” Declan complained. “Why would a sorcerer want to take over the Hunters? He’s the fucking enemy.”
“Bet Hephner’s men don’t know that.” Kivani kept a grip on Joelle’s hand, as though he was afraid Joelle would run in the opposite direction and never come back.
“You never told us who Ethan was,” Bayne said.
Joelle knew who Ethan was but didn’t understand why Kivani had had a meeting with him. Had Kivani lied to him? Were they really lovers like Joelle had first thought? If they were, they had one messed-up relationship if it was okay for Kivani to choke the shit out of him.
Joelle didn’t like the doubts and insecurities creeping into his mind, or the thought that Kivani was playing him for a fool. Every time he convinced himself that Ethan wasn’t a threat, he seemed to pop back up.
And Kivani had said Ethan was a Hunter. None of it made any sense. Joelle wanted to pull his hand free, to put distance between them, but touching Kivani kept him grounded and stopped him from screaming his head off.
They rode down in silence. Kivani hadn’t answered Bayne, and Bayne hadn’t pushed. They stepped off the elevator and Joelle saw machines and other stuff that told him this had to be a maintenance room.
“Where’s Hector?” Declan asked as he looked around.
“Gone,” Bayne said. “Did you seriously think he’d stick around?”
Joelle didn’t bother asking who Hector was. Aleksei had called him an early-warning system, which meant he was a Hunter.
Bayne headed out of the building, still naked, as if he walked around nude all the time. Joelle’s gaze bounced from Bayne’s well-toned ass to Kivani’s face, making sure his mate didn’t bust him.
His feelings might have grown deeper for Kivani, but he wasn’t blind, and Bayne had a really nice ass.
Declan and Bayne got into a midnight-blue Escalade while Kivani led Joelle to his Lexus. Joelle looked back at the building, shivering at the thought of what could have happened to him. He wasn’t sure what a sorcerer could do, and he was glad as fuck he hadn’t found out.
“Are you okay?” Kivani asked in the darkness of the car. “Tell me he didn’t hurt you.”
“He didn’t hurt me.” Joelle had never hated anyone at the level he hated Aleksei. The guy came off smooth and charming, but he was a liar and a killer.
Joelle hoped Kivani ended Aleksei’s life.
He blinked a few times, shocked at his thoughts. He had never wished harm on anyone before. Not even Henry when Henry was acting like a straight-up dick.
“What’s happening to me?” Joelle asked as he turned to face Kivani. “I just wished for Aleksei’s death. That’s not who I am.”
“It’s a normal reaction,” Kivani said. “He held you against your will, Joelle. You were afraid, pissed off, and you have no physical outlet for these emotions, so your mind is compensating for a situation you’ve never encountered before. You’re not turning into a bad guy. I promise.”
Joelle blew out a long breath. “Just take me home.”
Kivani turned on his radio. Jazz played quietly in the background as he pulled away from the curb and headed to Joelle’s apartment building.
Chapter Nine
As soon as they stepped into the apartment, Joelle spun, ready to tell Kivani he wanted to be alone. But Kivani had other plans. He stepped into Joelle’s personal space and grabbed a handful of his hair, tugging his head back. Joelle hissed, glaring at him, until he saw the smoldering hunger in Kivani’s eyes. The apartment felt smaller, hotter, as Joelle tried to remember how to breathe.
“We’ll talk about you taking off later. Right now I can’t fucking think straight.”
The needy statement sent Joelle’s pulse racing. He knew exactly what Kivani meant, and as pissed off as he still was at the situation he’d been in, all Joelle’s worries vanished as Kivani’s arm slid around his waist, yanking him close.
“I’m tired of waiting.” Kivani skimmed his lips along Joelle’s jaw as the hand behind Joelle’s back slid to his ass. He hitched a leg over Kivani’s hip, clinging to him.
With one arm, Kivani lifted Joelle off his feet and carried him to the bedroom. It was a perfect fit. Joelle’s body wound around Kivani’s, his arms coiled around Kivani’s neck, and their lips crashed together, their tongues tangling as moans escaped their throats.
Joelle needed Kivani to ground him so badly, to make him forget that gun pressed into his side, Aleksei’s cunning eyes, and those dead bodies on the floor. Joelle wanted those images erased, replaced by thoughts of Kivani’s hard, muscled body slamming into his.
As soon as Joelle touched the bed, he untangled himself and grabbed at Kivani’s shirt as he reached for Joelle’s. Their arms got in each other’s way as they still tried to kiss, tried to stay connected.
“Maybe we should undress ourselves,” Joelle said after elbowing Kivani twice.
Kivani’s smile was so sexy that Joelle’s cock pulsed. “Deal.”
Joelle sat up and made quick work of kicking his shoes off. He stood and slid his pants down his legs, nearly falling over from how fast he moved. After tossing his pants aside, Joelle peeled off his socks, then turned and froze.
Kivani had the body of a god. Joelle had seen that through his clothing. But naked, he made Joelle want to weep as he worshipped every inch of Kivani’s amazing form.
Joelle stood there mesmerized as Kivani began to stroke himself. His cock was long and thick and the head leaked pre-cum. Joelle’s mouth watered as he licked his lips.
A sensual smirk lifted the side of Kivani’s mouth. “You want a taste?”
“Fuck yeah.” Maybe having a gun at his side and facing a true monster had given Joelle bravery he’d never had before. Whatever the reason, Joelle slid onto the bed, then crawled across it toward Kivani, making sure he put on a little show for him. His ass was jutted out and his eyelids heavy-lidded as Joelle drew out the suspense. And it was working because Kivani’s eyes gave a slight glow. That should have freaked Joelle out, but he was too horny to care.
Kivani’s hand strangled his cock, and he’d stopped stroking himself as he watched Joelle’s every move. His eyes were dark and hungry, and his neck muscles had grown taut.
On all fours, Joelle stared up at him, parting his lips slightly. “Feed it to me.”
Kivani rubbed the head across Joelle’s lips. He felt the wetness as he flicked his tongue out, never breaking eye contact.
“Open for me, baby.” Kivani’s jaw was clenched tight. He looked seconds away from coming, and Joelle loved that he had this much power over him. He loved that he was the one who made Kivani this intense.
Joelle parted his lips and took the head into his mouth, moaning as he lashed his tongue across the slit.
“Oh, fuck.” Kivani’s eyes fluttered closed for a moment before they flashed open. Joelle took Kivani’s cock farther into his mouth, sliding his tongue over Kivan
i’s dick as Kivani’s canines descended.
It was the sexiest damn sight Joelle had ever seen. This tall, brave warrior belonged to him. They wouldn’t part ways in a few hours with a broken promise that Kivani would call. Come morning, Joelle wouldn’t feel hollow and as if he’d been used simply for sex.
“Not like this.” Kivani pulled back, smashing his eyes closed as he let out a long breath. “When I come, it’ll be inside your ass.”
Joelle smiled, sliding his tongue over his bottom lip. “I’ll get the lube.”
He’d turned, ready to crawl to the nightstand when Kivani pinned him to the bed, kissing down Joelle’s back. Joelle laughed, trying his best to wiggle free.
“You gotta let me—” Joelle’s eyes rolled to the back of his head when Kivani licked his hole. He hissed, rocking back, his fingers curling into the bedding as he moaned.
Kivani reached between Joelle’s legs and stroked him, making Joelle shoot so close to the edge that he grabbed Kivani’s wrist to stop him. “Not if you want this over before we’ve started.”
Joelle was in his midthirties, and getting it up twice in one night wasn’t as easy as it used to be. If he came now, he might not be able to do it again.
Kivani crawled up Joelle’s back and placed a kiss on his nape. “You think I can’t get you to come multiple times?”
With that deep, silky voice whispering in his ear, Joelle was tempted to find out. “You’re killing me here.”
Kivani’s chuckle vibrated against Joelle’s back. “Fine, get the lube.”
“You kind of need to get off me so I can move.”
“But I like pinning you down.” Kivani nipped Joelle’s shoulder, sending shivers of pleasure through him. Kivani reached into the nightstand and extracted the bottle of lube. “Stay right where you are.”
Kivani rolled slightly to the left. Joelle heard the bottle being opened, then wet fingers pressed at his hole and Kivani pinned him down again.
“N-not moving.”
Joelle hissed as Kivani’s fingers breached him. He turned his head, seeking out Kivani’s lips. Kivani was right there, lapping at them, teasing his mouth with his teeth.