She turned her head left, ready to give a dirty look to whoever had pawed at her; however, she was faced with a massive chest. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she looked up at the gigantic man who was staring down at her. Jade held her breath. He was quite possibly one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen—good-looking; masculine features with an edge of roughness; short, dark blonde hair; high cheekbones; and a straight nose. His strong jaw and cheeks were covered with a reddish-blonde beard that was neatly trimmed. He was big, but not in the scary, roid rage way. The man was built like a lumberjack, his shoulders and arms straining against his navy suit. Jade was lost in the depths of the dark gray eyes that stared down at her.
A discreet cough jolted Jade, and she took a step back. Lara was biting her lip, trying to hide her smile. “Uh, Jade…this is…”
“Creed. Sebastian Creed.” The giant man offered his hand.
“Dr. Jade Cross,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound too breathy. She took his hand, surprised by its warmth. The touch of his skin sent electricity up her arm, making her shiver. His hand engulfed hers and his grip was firm, but she could tell he was holding back. A faint, familiar scent wafted to her nose. Something masculine. Like leather and musk and paper. It reminded her of when she was a child and spent hours reading books in her grandfather’s library. How strange.
His face broke into a lazy smile. “Nice to finally be formally introduced, darlin’.”
Sebastian Creed’s drawl sent heat pooling in Jade’s belly and the reminder that they had met previously heated her cheeks, as if someone had set them on fire. “Uh, yeah.” She nodded stupidly.
Thankfully, the elevator dinged, indicating they had reached the 33rd floor.
“Well, looks like we’re here,” Jade announced as she sprinted out of the elevator. She made her way to the entrance of the lab, using her code to bypass the retina scanner. It was too slow, and Jade wanted to get away from the elevator as quickly as possible. As soon as she entered the lab, she braced herself on the wall, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.
“What the heck was that?” Lara asked as she followed behind Jade. “Are you okay, hon?”
Jade swallowed a gulp. “Never better,” she murmured, brushing past her friend.
“Hey you, late birds!” Meredith called. She was sitting on one of the office chairs, spinning around while waving her arms. “Where have you guys been? I’ve been waiting for hours. Look!” She spun again, raising her feet off the ground. “I invented something new. I call it ‘Office Chair Ballet’.”
“How can you both still be standing after the amount of liquor you had?” Lara asked in an exasperated voice.
“Lycan metabolism,” Jade and Meredith answered in unison.
“Ugh, I wish I had one of those back when I was younger,” Lara sighed. “Anyway,” she turned back to Jade, who was creeping up to her inner lab. “Jade! Tell me what’s going on!”
“What’s going on?” Meredith asked, pushing herself closer to Jade.
“Ugh.” Jade put her hands up. “You are never taking me drinking again!”
“But you were such a fun drunk. We both were!” Meredith pouted. “I was hoping we’d have girls’ night all the time now.”
“Oh no.” Lara shook her head at Meredith. “You are never touching alcohol again! Where did you disappear to last night, after we couldn’t find Jade?”
“I checked the bathrooms and then went out front!” the blonde Lycan said defensively. “So, what happened anyway?”
Lara recounted all the events of last night and this morning. Jade’s face turned a crimson color as she relived all the memories of her most embarrassing moments in front of Sebastian Creed. Of course, last night didn’t compare to her humiliation of this morning, especially after he caught her obviously ogling him. She couldn’t help herself. The man was gorgeous, like a sexy lumberjack in a suit. Frankly, she always thought nerdy intellectuals were more her type, but this man who oozed sexuality through his pores set her body on fire. And that voice, that sexy drawl, was enough to make her panties wet. God, she was mortified. He must think she’s some spinster nerd who’d never seen a man before. All she needed were the cartoon eyes that popped out of her head.
“Shut the front door! Sebastian Creed is here, and you flashed him your undies?” Meredith howled with laughter. “Were you wearing sexy ones at least? Oh, please tell me you weren’t wearing your granny panties.”
“I didn’t flash him my pants!” Jade protested.
“Just your ass,” Lara said as she tried to keep from laughing.
“Shut up,” Jade growled and stomped up the stairs to her inner lab and office. She tossed her bag to the side, and sat at her desk in the corner, angrily tapping on the keyboard to boot up her computers.
“Jade,” Lara began as she and Meredith entered the inner lab. “We’re sorry for making fun of you.”
“Yeah, Jadey-girl,” Meredith continued, walking up to her. “I’m not being mean, you know. We were just teasing you.”
The scientist put her face in her hands. “God, I’m never drinking again.”
“Aww, Jade.” Meredith patted her back. “C’mon, you’re not a quitter, are you?”
Jade looked up at her, her eyes shooting daggers at the other Lycan.
“Now, now, Jade. Don’t worry about Sebastian Creed. I’m sure he’s seen lots of asses; he won’t remember yours.”
Jealousy dug into Jade’s chest, and then disappointment. Of course, a man like him has probably been with hundreds of women. She pushed away those thoughts.
“So, how’s the wedding planning?” Meredith asked Lara.
“We’re not doing a big ceremony,” the witch replied. “But we’ve decided on The Conservatory at the New York Botanical Gardens for the reception.”
“Oh, that’s lovely,” Jade said, her face softening. She was really happy her best friend had found happiness with Liam.
“Are we gonna be bridesmaids?”
“Who said you’re coming?” Lara teased.
“Aww, c’mon Lara. You need me there to get the party going. I’ll be saving up all my good behavior points.” She looked at Jade. “And Jade’s coming, right? So that means she’ll need me there.”
“I’m not having bridesmaids for the ceremony, but I supposed you could be unofficial bridesmaids.”
“Yay!” Meredith whooped. “We should go dress shopping!” When Jade paled at the mention of shopping, she shook her head. “Oh no, Jade, you’re not going to wear just any old thing to this wedding! We’re gonna go out at lunch and pick dresses with Lara. Something sexy that will show off your assets!” She motioned to Jade’s body.
“I don’t think—”
“Besides,” Meredith interrupted. “Weddings are the best places to get laid!”
Jade buried her face in her palms and let out a groan. “Oh no…”
“We’re on a mission, lady,” the other Lycan said. “Let’s call it…Operation: Pop That Cherry! PTC for short!”
“Meredith,” Lara warned.
“C’mon, Lara, be more helpful! Do you have any cute cousins? How about Liam? Any single friends coming to the wedding? We need to start making a list.”
“Can’t we forget what I said last night?” Jade groaned. “I don’t want my…cherry popped anymore!” At least not just by any man, she added silently. Images of a certain very large, very male body tangled up in hers flashed through her mind, and she felt her face go red again.
“But this is an important mission!”
“Look,” Jade sighed, massaging her temple. “I have a lot of work to do. If you guys leave me alone now, I promise, I’ll go dress shopping at lunch, OK?”
Meredith’s pretty face broke into a smile. “Yes!” she said, raising her fist in triumph. “Let’s leave the good doctor to her work then.” She grabbed Lara by the arm and dragged her out of the inner lab.
“Finally,” Jade muttered to herself. With a deep breath, she push
ed aside all thoughts of Sebastian Creed and started her work.
***
Sebastian’s gaze followed Jade’s retreating form as she scampered away like a scared rabbit.
“Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with her today!” Lara Chatraine exclaimed.
“Did she sleep okay, sweetheart?” Liam Henney asked the redhead.
“She wasn’t even hungover.” Lara pouted. Liam laughed, and they shared a look that conveyed a silent message.
Sebastian cleared his throat. “Ms. Chatraine, nice to see you again.”
Lara gave him a smirk. “You too, Mr. Creed.”
A heavy feeling suddenly filled the elevator, and Liam stepped closer to Lara, placing a protective arm around her. “You’ve met?” he asked, electric blue eyes trained on the other man.
“Don’t you remember, Liam?” Lara said. “When you picked us up last night, I told you someone scared away the douche bag who cornered Jade. Didn’t I mention it was Mr. Creed who saved her?”
“No,” Liam frowned. “You forgot to mention that. What else happened during this bachelorette party of yours?”
“I’ll tell you another time.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.” She left the elevator, the doors closing behind her.
Sebastian gave a sigh of relief as the tightness in his chest lightened. So Liam Henney was the fiancé Lara Chatraine was talking about. That at least answered one question—Jade was definitely not Liam’s woman. Since he’d been following her around, he knew she wasn’t seeing anyone else either. The thought that she was free sent his mind whirling. Seeing her today, with her pert little ass sticking up the air, made his dick hard as steel. Her outfit and those glasses made him think of dirty librarian fantasies. And to think, he’d already jerked himself off in the shower that morning when his morning wood hadn’t let up. He thought of Jade, of driving into her sweet body, and he didn’t last long. Fuck, he hadn’t blown his load that fast since he was a teenager, yet the image of Jade, naked in his bed, sent the cum shooting from his cock so hard he went dizzy.
“Sebastian? We’re here,” Liam said, interrupting his thoughts.
Sebastian adjusted his belt, glad he wore his suit jacket closed, or Liam would have noticed the erection he was sporting. He wondered if it was in poor taste to jerk off in a potential client’s bathroom.
The two men walked out of the elevator and into the penthouse offices of Fenrir Corporation. Sebastian was surprised to get a personal call from Grant Anderson himself, asking if he was available to meet today about a another possible job. Sebastian was glad he asked his assistant to cancel all his meetings so he could make it, especially since he was finally able to meet a conscious and more sober Jade Cross.
“Mr. Henney, Mr. Creed.” The young man waiting outside the main office doors greeted them. “I’m Jared, Mr. Anderson’s admin. He’s ready for you, but can I bring you some water or coffee?”
“No thank you, Jared,” Liam said, while Sebastian shook his head.
“Very well, please go right ahead.”
Liam opened the doors to Grant’s office. The room was enormous and had floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of Central Park. Sebastian didn’t pay attention to the view, though. Out of habit, he checked how secure the room was, how many possible exits there were, and the ways his enemies could sneak up on him or use any of the items in the room as weapons. Satisfied he had covered all the bases, he turned to the desk in the middle of the room, where Grant Anderson was sitting. The other man stood up and walked over to them.
“Sebastian, glad you could make it,” Grant said, offering his hand to the other man.
“I was intrigued,” Sebastian admitted, shaking his hand. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to work together again.”
Liam and Grant looked at each other, and Sebastian’s brows knitted. Did everyone at Fenrir have some secret language? He couldn’t help but feel like they all knew something he didn’t.
Grant motioned for them to sit on the chairs in front of his desk. “Well, Liam, Nick, and I were talking about it, and after our last operation, we realized we could use a firm like Creed Security, and someone like you, on our side.”
“Not getting into more trouble, are you?” Sebastian asked with a smile.
Grant let out a short laugh. “Oh no. We’re just short-handed, that’s all. And it’s just not feasible for us right now to invest in our own security force.”
“I see.” Sebastian leaned back and rubbed his jaw. “Well, we can sort out the details, I’m sure. I’m actually not too involved in the business side of things.”
“But you are very hands-on when it comes to the security part,” Grant said. “Which is what I like. It would be nice to know you’re personally taking care of any of our requests.”
Sebastian nodded. “Of course.”
“Great,” Liam said. “The first job we need you to do is help secure my wedding reception.”
“Sebastian’s not into weddings,” Grant quipped.
“It’s not the wedding, it’s the idea of marriage,” Sebastian corrected. “But I’m happy for you, Liam. Ms. Chatraine seems to be a lovely young woman.”
“She is,” Liam answered with a grin.
“Are you expecting any trouble at your wedding? Afraid of old boyfriends or girlfriends crashing it and stopping the ceremony?”
Liam laughed. “No, no, nothing of the sort. But we do have some VIPs. My family from San Francisco is coming, plus some business associates, partners, venture capitalists, you know. I’d like to feel confident they’ll all be safe and secure.”
“Simple enough job,” Sebastian said. “Nothing we haven’t handled before. In fact, we’ve done two celebrity weddings in the last year. My partner and I will oversee it personally. I’ll also have some of my guys blend in with the guests, if that’s okay?”
“You do whatever you need to do to keep us safe,” Liam agreed.
“I’ll have my lawyers contact yours, and my assistant can work out the other details.”
***
Jade tapped her fingers on her chin as she looked at the old, yellowed texts projected on her screen. Vivianne Chatraine, Lara’s mother and head of the New York coven of witches and warlocks, had sent over some books from their private library for her to study. However, most of the texts were so old and worn, Jade instead decided to scan all the contents and keep digital copies. It was also much easier to catalogue them, though it had taken weeks. Now that that the last of the volumes had been scanned, she could breathe easier knowing she could return them to Vivianne. The books, after all, didn’t just contain knowledge of magic, but were also heirlooms and historical artifacts of the New York coven.
She sat back in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes. Jade never thought she’d end up here. After finishing her two PhDs in biochemistry and bioengineering, she had been surprised to get a call from Grant Anderson, her Alpha. Technically, since she was born in New York, he was her Alpha, even though she moved to England with her mother after her parents divorced. She was twenty years old then, and Grant had an interesting proposition for her: come back to the States and help them study magic.
At first, she had been skeptical. As a Lycan shifter, she knew magic existed and it was not very different from science. However, she wasn’t sure where to begin to study magic. Witches were very secretive and everyone knew they would never share their knowledge, especially not with Lycans. While she didn’t say yes right away to Grant’s offer, she didn’t say no either. After all, she had just finished her PhDs and had never had any real-life working experience. So, she worked at a bioengineering firm in London for the next two years.
The whole time, however, the Alpha’s offer kept niggling at her, always at the back of her mind, until, one day, she decided to take it. She moved to New York and helped set up the 33rd floor lab dedicated to studying magic. At first, she was hitting walls. She collected as much knowledge as she could from just reading books, journals, old newspa
per clippings, whatever she could get her hands on. But without any other sources, or any witches willing to talk to her, she couldn’t further her research.
All of that changed, however, when Alynna Westbrooke (or Chase, before she married Alex) came into the picture. It turned out Alynna was the secret love child of Michael Anderson, New York’s former Alpha, and his True Mate, Amanda Chase. The one downside to being a werewolf shifter was that their kind was not not very fertile. Most couples didn’t have any children, and if they did, few had more than one. Also, Lycans who mated with humans didn’t produce Lycan children.
The one exception was True Mates. When a Lycan found his or her True Mate, they were guaranteed a child the first time they had sex without any physical contraception. Alynna grew up not knowing she was a Lycan, seeing as Michael had died before he could introduce Alynna to the clan. Alynna suddenly showed up at Blood Moon one day where she met Alex, who also turned out to be her True Mate. After she got pregnant, they discovered on more interesting thing about True Mates: the unborn children protected their mothers, making them indestructible. Alynna survived a poisoning attempt by an assassin.
This also started the trouble with the mages. Mages were former witches who used Blood Magic. As much as witches did not like Lycans, the mages hated them even more. They plotted to destroy the Lycans and even stop True Mates from finding each other. When the mages kidnapped Cady Vrost, her aunt Vivianne and cousin Lara teamed up with the Lycans to rescue her. That was also when the Witch and Lycan alliance began. Jade’s research and study flourished, especially since she had Lara to help her with her experiments, as well as Vivianne’s knowledge. Her studies into magic were still a secret from the Lycan High Council and the Witch Assembly. The two governing bodies had a tenuous truce, but they were slowly starting to work together, especially with the mages now growing bolder. The mages now had figured out how to control humans and had recently built an army of human slaves to do their bidding.
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