by Amelia Jade
Gabriel began to laugh at the ineffectual blows.
Then she tried to kick him in the balls.
His hand shot out, long, powerful fingers wrapping around her ankle and stopping her leg cold before it got near him. She gasped, but he knew he wasn’t squeezing hard enough to hurt her. It must have been the shock of his strength that had caused her to make a noise.
“That’s enough,” he said, his voice becoming deadly quiet.
Stephanie tried to pull her foot away, but his arm held her leg immobile, not moving even as she tried to jerk herself free.
“Stop treating me and my men like animals in one of your disgusting zoos,” he said. “We’re not dumb beasts to be observed and documented,” he spat, his anger coming forth as he flung her foot back away from him, causing Stephanie to stumble slightly. “We’re people too, even though I know most of you don’t see it that way.”
“I know that,” she spat. “Why the hell do you think I’m here?’
“Do I really look dumb enough to believe that?” he said, shaking his head and walking away.
Gabriel had fully expected her to follow him, but to his surprise she stayed where she was, rooted to the spot. He didn’t glance over his shoulder, but the temptation to do so was there.
Even as he jogged up the steps and into the front lobby of the motel, glancing around as the last of the bloodstains were being cleaned off the floor, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. All he could see was her short little pigtails bouncing wildly in front of his eyes as he carried her down the sidewalk, her blue eyes wide with surprise.
Angrily he shook his head and stormed back into his office, clearing his mind.
“Okay paperwork, time to meet your enemy,” he snarled, taking out all his frustrations on the pile of forms, orders, requests, and reports.
Chapter Five
Stephanie
She walked down the street under the blazing sun, rubbing her arms.
I think I might have to reevaluate my opinion of Betty.
Betty Silversmith was the kindly old lady who managed the Silversmith B&B, where she was staying. While she had a lovely personality, her taste in bedding was…well, terrible. The old itchy linens had bothered her all night, and even now after a long hot shower, Stephanie still couldn’t get the sensation of them from her skin.
The warmth of the sun in the cloud-free sky certainly helped however, brightening her mood considerably. She didn’t look forward to what a day spent in Cloud Lake might be like if she had to deal with overcast skies or rain.
Please let me get this story quickly, if just for the sake of getting a good night’s sleep. I hope I haven’t offended anyone badly enough that they would hate me enough to deny me that.
Although the day dawned bright with a temperature that should have promised hope, Stephanie was feeling a bit beaten down. The night before had gone far, far worse than she’d expected. Even her “if everything goes to shit, do this” plan hadn’t factored in such a brutal and immediate dismissal.
So today she was going to take a different shot at things, and hope that like the day itself, the commander of the Green Bearets was in a good mood. Or maybe even just in a clean shirt. That would be a helpful start.
I probably wouldn’t want to do an interview if I were covered in blood either. Speaking of which, why was he covered in blood? And what were his men cleaning up inside that I couldn’t see?
“Halt!”
The firm command came before she was within fifty feet of the metal barricade.
Stephanie came to a stop, taking her sweet time, closing the distance as much as she could. A tall shifter came out from around the barricade and approached her. It wasn’t the one from the night before she noted. They must have switched guards.
And why do they need so many guards and barricades like this? Are they expecting to be attacked?
“What do you want?”
The challenge was gruff but straightforward. Stephanie didn’t detect any underlying anger or other prejudice toward her in it. Perhaps this sentry didn’t know about her visit last night, or didn’t realize who she was.
“I’d like to talk to the captain,” she called back, irritated at having to raise her voice.
“Which one?”
She paused, not having expected that reaction. There was more than one? But he’d said he was in charge. Had he been lying to her? How did she let them know which one she wanted to talk to? Deciding to play it blunt, she called out her reply.
“The one in charge. Big mean guy, kinda baby-faced, built like a tank,” she finished dryly.
“Captain Korver?”
She had no idea. “That would be the one,” she confirmed, hoping to make it sound like she knew what she was talking about.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, he’s unavailable,” the shifter replied over the distance.
She rolled her eyes. “Can I come closer so I don’t have to yell at you?”
The shifter hesitated, then shrugged. “Okay.”
Walking forward, she did her best to tug her top down a bit, so that the V-neck cut of her shirt would expose some more of her cleavage. Feeling slightly dirty, she added a very mild sway to her hips as well. Expose a bit of skin, walk seductively, and men would eat out of her hand.
Especially, she hoped, this shifter. Some of the research she’d done last night indicated that a large proportion of shifters preferred thicker women, women with a few more curves to them. Stephanie had no idea if this particular one fell into that category, but she could only hope.
As she approached, his eyes seemed to widen, if only momentarily. But it was enough, proving to her that she had his attention. Should she make it a bit more obvious that she was tugging her shirt down? No, not yet. Save that in case he provided more resistance.
“Do you know how long it will be before he’s available?” she asked, giving her lip a very quick bite.
The shifter swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down violently. She saw his eyes bounce slightly as they tried to stay focused on her face.
Oh for…okay, here you go. She leaned slightly to the side, arching her back forward as she glanced around the shifter, giving him an opportunity to look down her shirt. She fought back shivers at being examined so bluntly, but if it got her what she wanted, then she would put up with it.
“I’m not certain, ma’am,” he said, his eyes rising back up to meet hers as she settled back onto both feet, facing him once more.
“Any ideas?” she pressed, taking a deep breath to help accentuate her chest. “I really need to speak with him.”
The shifter closed his eyes this time instead of glancing down, and sighed. “I’m really not supposed to tell you this, ma’am.”
“I know,” she said softly. “I know.” This time she was rather overt as she tugged her shirt down some more.
He licked his lips furtively. “Captain Korver is out patrolling the streets. He does that every other day. If you try the intersection of Main and Quicksilver, he’ll probably be in and around that area. Ask around, you’ll find him.”
Stephanie brightened appreciably. “Thank you so much,” she said genuinely. He didn’t have to give her such detailed information, and she was grateful for his openness.
As a reward, she crossed her arms in front of her. “Keep up the good work,” she said, turning her head to look up at the motel while the guard tried not to drool over her breasts.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said as she dropped her arms and turned away.
Fifteen steps down the street she let the shivers overtake her, feeling disgusted with herself.
But she had what she needed.
***
“Captain Korver!”
The broad-shouldered figure walking the street ahead of her stopped, and Stephanie was positive she could see him shudder as he recognized her voice. He turned part of the way, his head looking back over his shoulder as she waved at him, pushing her way through the passersby to close in o
n him.
He turned away and continued walking.
“That’s rude,” she called out, garnering the attention of some of the residents of Cloud Lake as they wondered who she was talking to.
The tall figure in a white T-shirt and black pants—thankfully devoid of blood this time—kept walking, ignoring her.
“I think we can quit playing games, Captain Korver,” she said, practically jogging to close the distance. “I know you heard me. You know you heard me. Let’s just talk.”
The long steps slowed as he hung his head, giving it a long shake that she saw as she finally caught up to him.
“Why do you hate me so much?” she asked, without bothering to introduce herself. The recognition was in his eyes; he remembered her exactly.
Which she’d expected, though Stephanie had hoped for a slightly less hostile reaction than the one she got. Something flashed through his eyes as he looked over at her, but he hid it so fast she couldn’t figure out what it was.
Anger? Frustration? Dismay? Something else?
But Captain Korver didn’t respond. He just stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, looking at her. Although there wasn’t a massive press of bodies, there was a constant flow of people coming and going, enough that there were people actively moving aside to avoid his bulk.
Stephanie just looked up at him inquiringly. She wanted to know why he detested her so much. Was it her? Her methods? The fact that she worked for the news? That would be far from the first time someone had disliked her for that reason, even if she hadn’t been working. At least one blind date had ended when they found out she was a news reporter. It was as if everyone suspected her of investigating them for something. Most of them were nowhere near interesting enough to warrant that, which spoke a lot to their egos, she thought.
But Captain Korver barely knew her. Why was he so angry?
“Why are you so persistent?” he said by way of reply.
“Because I’m trying to do my job?” she said, not understanding why it was so hard to understand.
He considered this.
“Why didn’t you report me for last night?” he asked, his voice contrite, almost…
Stephanie felt her eyes widen slightly. “Are you apologizing?”
“Sort of,” he said angrily. “I wanted you gone, but that wasn’t the way to do it. I let my emotions get the better of me.” He glared at her. “Now, why are you here? None of you news people have shown any interest in us before. What changed?”
“That’s a much more specific question. A question like that, I can give a more specific answer to.”
He eyed her, not saying anything, but his glance said it all. Oh yeah? So why aren’t you answering it then?
Stephanie ran her tongue over her teeth in frustration. “Okay, I’m here because until recently, humans hadn’t been involved in your little war.”
Captain Korver looked at her, then stepped backward until he could lean up against the brick and mortar of an old-looking building, currently inhabited by what appeared to be a book store. Stephanie made a mental note to check it out—she loved to read—and then focused her attention back on Captain Korver.
Even as she considered him, she realized she couldn’t go around calling him that all the time.
“Do you have a name?” she asked suddenly, switching subjects.
“Captain Korver,” he replied with a sly smile.
Stephanie slowly counted to ten in her head. “Do you have a first name?” she ground out.
“That’s a much more specific question,” he said. “With a specific question, I can give a more specific answer.” He was mocking her, she knew it.
So when he didn’t immediately give her that specific answer, she simply raised her eyebrows expectantly and waited.
“Ha!” he barked in laughter at her facial expression. “You can call me Gabriel, if you must.”
“Thank you.”
He shrugged it off. “Do not abuse the use of it around my men. To them I am Captain Korver. Understood?”
She nodded, knowing that his rank was a big part of his persona in the military. “I won’t offend you like that, Gabriel.”
He didn’t look convinced. “We’ll see. Now, answer my question, please. Why are you here? The humans of Cloud Lake have been involved with this war since the beginning, but never before has a big-city news agency sent anyone out to investigate.”
“The involvement of our military several weeks ago against another one of your territories generated more national, and I suppose international, interest. When it came out that they were supposedly at war with you, it became only logical to come talk to you.”
Gabriel sighed and pushed himself off the wall, starting to walk down the street again. Stephanie stared at him for a moment and then rushed after him.
“What? What did I say wrong?” she asked.
He took his time replying, and she was forced to nearly jog to keep up with him.
“I don’t appreciate being lied to,” he said at last, his voice sounding like two tectonic plates rubbing against each other, so deep and filled with anger.
“I wasn’t lying though,” she protested.
After all, it was the truth.
“Stephanie Holmes, of Channel 22 News in Morgantown, the news about the war between us came out weeks ago. You are the first newsperson that has come here, and to my knowledge, none have requested to visit Cadia either. If this was actually newsworthy, the national networks would have sent someone ages ago, don’t you think?”
She stopped.
“Nobody else has come here?” she asked, somewhat surprised.
That would explain why he was so unused to the idea of her being here, that he wouldn’t want to give her the time of day. She was the first one to pester him. And here Stephanie had been thinking she’d have to pick over the scraps, to take the leftovers of the big guns. But no, she was first on the scene! That meant any story here could be hers for the taking.
If she could get it.
“No, nobody else. So, why you?”
“Because my boss wanted a story from here,” she said.
He snorted. “I understand that part completely.”
She sensed a wry amusement in his words, but he didn’t elaborate, and she decided now was not the time to ask. Perhaps it was just a military thing, with having to take orders and not always be able to question them?
“So, why you then?”
“Why me?”
“That’s what I said.”
She came to a halt. “Can we at least not force me to jog alongside you as we talk? I’m sorry, but you’re a giant, I’m a midget. Running—in case you missed it—is not exactly my forte.”
Gabriel gave her a quick once-over with his eyes. It wasn’t the same sort of devouring look that the other shifter had given her, and yet, she felt herself break out in goosebumps all the same. But this time there was no feeling of disgust with them.
Odd…What the hell was that all about?
“Very well,” he agreed, interrupting her thoughts. “But I must keep walking. I have duties to perform.”
“Fair,” she said, falling in next to him as he continued along at a much more sedate pace. “And in response to your question, the reason is because my boss chose me. I’m the best he’s got.”
She winced internally at the last words, but she didn’t want to admit the truth. If Gabriel found out that she was just a freelance temp who worked for pennies, and who had been given the assignment solely because nobody else would touch it, and because her boss wanted her gone, then he might think less of her.
And that’s important, why?
It just was. Stephanie didn’t know, and nothing was leaping out of the shadows of her mind to answer the question just then, but she couldn’t argue the truth behind it. She could simply just feel it. She filed that away for further consideration at a later time. Right then there was no time for her to dwell on Gabriel’s thoughts of her.
“
What is it that you want?”
The question caught her off guard. Not that she didn’t know the answer, but Stephanie hadn’t been expecting to hear it from Gabriel. At least, not yet. She’d figured on having to work him over for a while more before he even deigned to hear what she was there for, besides something as vague as “a story.”
“For now, not much,” she said. “Follow you around, perhaps get some video of the daily routine of your men. Talk to some of them about life here in Cloud Lake versus back home. Stuff like that.”
“I see.”
She rolled her eyes at the noncommittal response. “I want to get a sense of the life you lead here. To show your men interacting with humanity.” She paused, wondering if she should continue, then decided to go for it. “This is, after all, the biggest interaction of shifters with humanity in recent memory. Perhaps ever,” she said slowly. “Definitely the best interaction that we’ve had according to any records I’ve been able to view.”
Gabriel’s head turned so that he could regard her as they walked, his eyes focused on her for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time.
“You’ve done some more research I see,” he said, his tone gently chiding her.
“Well, I had all of last night free,” she shot back, not appreciating his reminder that she hadn’t known even the name of the Green Bearets when she’d first showed up.
The big shifter tilted his head back and laughed loudly for a few seconds. “I told the others you had spirit, little human. I’m glad you haven’t proven me wrong.”
“My name is Stephanie,” she said. “I’d appreciate if you called me that, not ‘little human.’ That’s just rude.”
He calmed immediately, though there was still amusement sparkling in those magnificent eyes of jade. “Very well, Stephanie. You are correct, things are going well in Cloud Lake. But that doesn’t mean they always will. Or have,” he said thoughtfully. “I assume you’re aware of what happened just prior to us establishing an outpost here?”
She nodded. “Yes. Your enemies in Fenris invaded and began to loot and pillage the city, basically.”