Recker (Skin Walkers Book 17)

by Susan Bliler

  Monroe studied her a moment before telling her, “It’s already done and won’t be addressed again.”

  “No!” Alex snapped, her brows spearing down as she struggled to keep from shoving up out of her chair. “What do you mean it’s already done? What did you to do Stoney? If you hurt her…”

  He shrugged negligently as if they weren’t discussing how someone else had suffered in her place. “She had several options. She chose to step down from the Board of Directors.”

  All the air left Alex in a whoosh. She knew how much it meant to Stoney to be on the Board of Directors.

  “Please,” she begged. “Can you undo it? Can’t you punish me instead?”

  He flicked his fingers toward her. “As I said, it’s done.”

  “Then why?” Alex growled. “Why the handcuffs, why put me on display in front of everyone if you were just going to punish Stoney in my place?”

  His brows cocked up. “As you said…a display. The new recruits had to see that there are consequences for breaking protocol.”

  “But there weren’t,” she argued, frowning hard. “Not for me anyway.”

  “You’re leaving the Estate.” He angled his head, his eyes narrowing on her. “I know how much you wanted a place here. Don’t pretend you aren’t paying for what you’ve done, Alex.”

  He was right. She felt tears sting the back of her eyes. After long, tense moments of simply staring at each other, she breathed, “Why am I still here? What do you want, Mr. StoneCrow?”

  “We’re starting a breeding program here at the Estate.”

  She didn’t respond to that.

  “You interested?”

  Alex snapped out of her silence. “Breeding program?”

  Monroe clicked his tongue. “I forgot. Eden says I shouldn’t use that word. She says females may find it offensive.”

  Alex didn’t respond to that, simply waited for him to explain.

  “Stoney informed me that she’s educated you on the affliction.”

  She nodded.

  “So you understand that Walkers have Angels, get afflicted, blah, blah, blah.”

  She nodded again.

  “What most don’t understand is that we have hundreds of eligible Walker males here who’ve never been afflicted. I’ve got scores of males who have no Angels. These are men who will never find their Angels. Worse, they sit on the sidelines and watch male after male gain the one thing they know they’ll never have. It’s something many of my men are desperate for, and I’m not going to lie to you. My hiring a slew of unmated females wasn’t coincidence.”

  Alex swallowed hard, understanding where this was going.

  “I hope to find women who aren’t intimated by Walkers. Women who are open to forming relationships.”

  “And if they are? What exactly do you mean by breeding program?” Eden was right, just saying the words pissed her off and had her frowning hard. “I’m not a whore, Mr. StoneCrow.”

  “No,” he agreed. “And that’s not what I’m looking for.”

  “Maybe you should just tell me what it is you’re looking for.”

  “Mates,” he answered simply. “I’m looking for single women who are interested in becoming Walker or wolf mates.”

  Confused, Alex shook her head. “Wolf?”

  He jerked his chin toward the door. “Chief is a wolf shifter from up north.” He held up two fingers. “I’ve recently acquired two. They both lost a battle and a bet to my Sentry Baymac. If they’re willing, and women aren’t opposed, I’d like to include them.” He shrugged noncommittally. “Seems unfair to exclude them.”

  Something about the way he’d said he “acquired two” got her hackles up. He made Chief and the other wolf shifter sound like inanimate objects. Shoving up off the sofa she turned for the door. “I came for work, Mr. StoneCrow, not to sell myself. Thank you, but no thank you.”

  Before she reached the door, Monroe’s next words halted her.

  “Stoney said you wanted a family. She said you’re alone, but that you dream of children…a man…a family.”

  It was true. She did want those thing, but at what cost?

  “I’m not looking to breed like an animal.”

  “And I’m not looking to breed you like an animal.”

  She turned to face him. “What then?”

  “When you arrived at StoneCrow, you had to submit to testing. You took various personality, aptitude, emotional, and assessment tests?”

  She nodded.

  “We’d take the information we gleaned and match it against the test results of our unmated Walkers and the wolves. We’d see if we could find a compatible mate.”

  Her mind instantly shot to Recker. She wondered if he’d taken the tests. She wondered if she’d be his match.

  “I…I thought you didn’t want me here. I thought I was being banished from the Estate.”

  “You’re being banished from the employee program. You’ll never work here, Alex. The only way for you to remain here on a permanent basis is to enter into the mating program.”

  Her thoughts went back to Recker. “Are all unmated Walkers on this list?”

  “No.” His eyes narrowed on her as he shoved to his feet and paced closer. “It’s a voluntary program. Only those males who want a mate are candidates. We don’t force anything here.”

  Her tongue burned to ask if Recker was on that list. Instead, she asked, “And if you find me a match? What then? Shotgun wedding and the breeding begins?”

  He smirked. “Usually ends up working the other way around, but first there’d have to be an introduction. If we find you a male, you agree to meet with him and…”

  “And what?”

  He wasn’t about to tell her that her blood had already been tested. A match had already been made. That match had been verified well before she’d even come to the Estate.

  “You begin courting.”

  Her brows hiked and she couldn’t help her condescending tone as she asked, “Courting?”

  Monroe barked a laugh and tucked both hands into his slacks before rocking back on his heels. “Trying to sound a little less offensive here, Alex. But, since you’re as fond of the ‘c’ word as I am, we’ll just cut the shit. Walker matings happen quickly. Too quickly, if you ask me. But, it can’t be helped. If you agree to this and we find you a match, there’ll be no backing out.”

  “So I’d be a Walker Angel?”

  “No. Walker Angels are found through affliction. You’d be a mate via compatibility.”

  “So I’d be less than an Angel?”

  “No,” he shook his head. “When Skin Walkers attach themselves to someone, Ms. Hayworth, it is with everything they have. If a Walker male is informed that you are compatible and you both agree to a mating, you need to understand, you’ll be it for him. He will love you, protect you, defend you, and covet you with a fierce intensity that promises to be overwhelming. Think of an overprotective pit-bull who lets no one get close to his person.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  Monroe’s lips twisted, and Alex shuddered at the almost sinister hint to his expression.

  “Worse,” he promised. “But you’ll never want for anything. Not financially, not emotionally, not sexually.”

  She blushed at the last and ducked her head. Honestly, what he was offering her sounded…perfect. But, how could she enroll herself in a program where she’d be matched with an unknown male when she felt like there was something between her and Recker? She couldn’t do it. Not now. Not even after the way Recker had dismissed her in the ballroom. Why? Because A, she couldn’t do that to another male right now. Jumping on some list when she had these strange feelings for Recker didn’t feel right. And B, she needed to dissect exactly what it was about Recker that had her loathing him one second and then in the next excitedly exploring the potential that he could be her match.

  Stop kidding yourself, Alex. You don’t even know if he’s on the list! “Can…can I think about it?”

  Monr
oe bowed his head. “I insist that you do. As I said, this isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. I implore you to recognize the seriousness of what you’ll be entering into, Alex.”

  She nodded, “I understand.”

  “No,” he shook his head. “You don’t. So let me be clear. Your reputation here has been tarnished. You need to understand that fully, and you need to know what you’ll be getting yourself into. You can’t work here, you’ve lost that right.”

  “I went and got drunk,” she challenged, infuriated at the unfairness of it all.

  “No,” he shook his head once. “You defied multiple direct orders. And you told a human about us.”

  “I didn’t tell Alise. She knew from before.” It sounded lame even to her own ears, but there was no way in hell she was throwing Stoney under the bus after she’d already taken one punishment for her. “Wh-where is Alise?”

  “Safe. Here. I suggest you worry about your own predicament right now. I also suggest you listen very closely to what I’m about to tell you, Alex.”

  She stared at him.

  “As I said, you’re reputation here has been diminished. There are those here who don’t believe you can be trusted.”

  That grated because she’d kept Stoney’s secret from the second it’d been revealed.

  “There’s only one way for you to remain here and prove that you can be trusted with the knowledge of us.”

  “How? By mating a Walker?”

  “Unfortunately, just that alone won’t be enough. You’ll need a tie to us, and a Walker mate wouldn’t be sufficient. You’ll need something more significant. Something you won’t want to lose.”

  Alex felt trepidation tip-toe over her.

  “A child is the only thing that would prove that you’re in this with us. If you agree to the program and are matched with a male, a pregnancy would be expected right away, Alex.”

  The revelation rocked her. It wasn’t what she’d been expecting. Her thoughts flew to Recker and an image of him holding an infant flashed through her head causing something to constrict in her chest.

  “Do you understand?”

  She swallowed hard but nodded. “I…I understand.”

  “Good,” he crossed to the door and opened it for her. “I’ll expect to hear from you soon. Until then, you are restricted to your suite. Someone will bring your meals. You are not to leave your quarters. Do you understand?”

  “I do.”

  “Good, because there’ll be no leniency for another breach in protocol. Do not test me, Alex. You don’t want to see my bad side.”

  He was right. She didn’t.

  She turned to leave, but Monroe caught her arm. “I need to hear the words, Alex. You’ll pay for your own infractions from here on out. Do you understand?”

  Chills blasted up her spine, but she nodded. “Yes.”

  Chapter 28

  Alex was just out the door when Recker’s booming voice startled her as he asked from right behind her, “What’s your answer?”

  “Jesus!” she flattened a hand on her chest as she spun. “What is your problem,” she snapped angrily. “Go away, Recker!”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and planted his long legs. Staring down his nose at her, he asked again, “What is your answer?”

  “To what?” she asked as heat crept up her throat. Did he hear our conversation? It was humiliating to think that he’d eavesdropped on Monroe’s proposal. It’d be even worse if he knew she was considering it.

  “I heard him, siren. A breeding program? Really? You can’t seriously be considering it.”

  “If I am, it’s none of your business. And stop calling me that!” Turning, she stomped away but only made it a few steps before her feet left the ground. She was hauled up and over Recker’s shoulder.

  “Damn it, Alex,” he snarled. “Why are you always running away from me?”

  “Damn it, Recker,’ she countered through clenched teeth. “I’m not running from you, and you have two seconds to put me the fuck down!”

  He didn’t. She knew he wouldn’t, so just like the first time they met, she reached back and yanked on the hair at the nape of his neck before punching him in the kidneys with her other hand.

  “Ow! Damn it!”

  And just like the first time they met, a resounding crack filled the air when he slapped her ass hard. Alex yelped, and they both stilled for a moment. It was just a moment too because one second later, she was going buck wild crazy on his shoulder. Fists flailing, legs kicking, mouth cursing up a storm, Alex took all her pent-up frustrations out on Recker. And why not? He deserved it! He was the reason she’d fled the Estate in the first place. He was the one who couldn’t stand to even look at her up on that stage. He was to blame for all of this.

  She fought him all the way down to the second floor where he carried her effortlessly through the halls. Alex bucked hard once, and Recker nearly dropped her. Startled, Alex yelped and wrapped her arms around his waist as she hissed, “Don’t you drop me!”

  She didn’t see what happened but was glad she was clinging to Recker because he suddenly slammed to a jarring halt. There was an impact that felt like he’d run into something, which was confirmed when Recker snarled, “Watch it!”

  She tried to peek around his body to see what was happening. That’s when she heard Chief’s voice.

  “You!” There was a pause before Chief snarled, “You hurting this woman again, Walker?”

  Her eyes slammed closed. Oh, dear God.

  “Chief, get the fuck outta my way. Now!”

  It was humiliating having her ass in the air and facing the action when she couldn’t even see. Alex wiggled trying to get down, but Recker’s hand just below her ass tightened enough to get her to still.

  “Put. Her. Down!”

  No, no, no! She was about to plead for Chief to just let them pass, but Recker’s next words had her mouth slamming shut.

  “Try to interfere with me and what’s mine, and I will fucking end you, wolf!”

  His?

  There was silence a moment before a growl rattled up from Recker’s chest and vibrated against her thighs.

  “I didn’t know she was yours,” Chief conceded.

  Yeah, Alex thought. Me either.

  “She is. Now, move!”

  Chief must have moved because Recker started walking again, and this time, Alex simply hung limply over his shoulder.

  She was carried to her suite, and it pissed her off that Recker pounded in her code and shoved right into her place. How in the hell did he even know what her code was?

  Once they were inside her suite, Recker finally put her on her feet, and when she stood facing him, she was taken aback by the look of fury on his face.

  “Are you seriously considering this breeding program, Alex?”

  “What do you mean yours?” she countered, evading the question as she planted hands on her hips and stared up at him defiantly.

  “Fuck!” he bellowed, plowing his hands into his hair and pacing away from her. He went all the way to the furthest wall in her sitting room and turned to face her, hands still buried in his hair as he pressed his shoulders into the wall. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

  She didn’t answer.

  Dropping his hands, he asked, “Are you really willing to contract yourself to some man who doesn’t even know you? Hell, who hasn’t even seen you?”

  Still, she was silent.

  “Don’t you want a real relationship, siren?” Thick arms crossed over his chest, and for some weird reason, it looked to her like he was trying to hold himself back.

  “Don’t you want a man who adores you?” he continued. “A man who actually wants you?”

  She shrugged.

  “Being wanted is a big fucking deal for most people.”

  It was to her too, but she’d never admit it. How could she? No one had ever wanted her and to point that out to Recker was tantamount to pointing out how undesirable she was to the one person she
wanted to like her. She shrugged to cover her insecurities. “I suppose.”

  “You suppose?”

  Glancing up, her eyes locked on Recker’s as he shoved off the wall. His arms, which had been crossed, slowly lowered as he stalked toward her. A grin twisted his lips, but it didn’t match the suddenly hungry look in his eyes. “You don’t think being wanted is a big deal, siren?”

  Alex fidgeted nervously, trying and failing to tear her eyes from his. “S-sure. If you’re into that sort of thing.”

  Slowly, he stalked closer, his movements almost vulturine as he studied her intently. “You don’t think you’re into being wanted?”

  Her teeth dented her bottom lip as Alex tried to calm her racing heart. Something unknown, unseen, was ratcheting up with each step Recker took toward her.

  She shook her head, “I don’t…” Words failed her a moment, and she frowned, “What…what did you ask?”

  Recker grinned. “Wanted. Do you know what it feels like to have a man actually want you?”

  “It…it’s probably overrated. Lots of people make relationships work without investing emotionally.” She was rambling now, and she knew it, but couldn’t stop. “I could do that. It can’t be hard. I could do that.”

  “Are you finished,” he asked.

  His voice was low and calm, but his eyes were churning, flashing with some intensity that almost felt like a warning that kept Alex from answering.

  Chapter 29

  “Answer me,” Recker closed the space between him and Alex. “Are you finished lying to me? I can scent it as easily as I can scent your arousal.”

  Alex had to tilt her head far back to keep eye contact with Recker, but answering him wasn’t going to happen. He was crowding her space, and his big body pressed up against hers was preventing any rational thought.

  His hands went to her hips and pulled her even more firmly against him.

  “Tell me, Alexandra, do you want to know what it feels like to have a man actually want you? Because I want you, siren.”

  Then his mouth was slanted across hers, and he had her up in his arms, her legs wrapped around his big body as he shelved her ass with one strong arm.