by A. C. Arthur
It was almost midnight when they’d finally finished the conference call with the other Faction Leaders. Neither Nick nor Rome had been ready to return to their females after that enlightening conversation. And if truth be told, X wasn’t really in the mood for the solitude of his own place. In fact, he was dreading going back there alone, dreading lying in his bed and facing the dreams he knew would come. The nightmare that continued to haunt him.
This room was actually bigger than the one they’d had back at Rome’s. It was on the first level of the compound, with gleaming hardwood floors, because cats had a tendency to rip through carpet in the heat of their shift. Instead of the glass patio doors that had opened out to the running space Rome had constructed at his mansion, there was a control panel hidden beneath the regular light switch that opened two heavy steel doors at the far side of the room. Those doors opened right into the dense foliage of Great Falls National Park. Of course it wasn’t the Gungi, but it was open space where the cats could get out and stretch their bodies without too much fear of being noticed. It seemed the chance that the shadows might be revealed to their human counterparts was ever growing.
“It sounds like they’ve got some pretty in-depth notes on this mystery species they’re researching,” Rome said as he sat at one end of the wheat-toned leather sofa.
Nick was in a recliner, leaning all the way back with his hands folded behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling as he nodded. “A government lab looking into an unidentified species—sounds awfully familiar,” he said.
“They have to have some concrete evidence to launch this type of investigation,” X told them from the spot where he stood looking out one of the small windows. It was dark outside, and to anyone but a shifter nothing could be seen. But in his night vision he saw the sway of trees in a pre-fall breeze. Every now and then he’d see the eyes of an owl staring out into the darkness to see if there was anybody or anything staring back.
“You think they have a shifter in their custody?” Rome asked.
X didn’t immediately answer, as if to do so would somehow validate his thoughts.
“It would not be the first time this government has possessed another being and held it for investigation,” Baxter said, coming to stand in front of Rome with a tray holding three filled glasses.
Rome took his glass and stared quizzically at his friend. “What are you saying, Baxter?”
The tall thin man, with his weather-beaten brown skin and watery rimmed eyes, walked with quiet footsteps over to the chair where Nick sat offering him a glass. Well, not necessarily offering. With Baxter you took what he was giving you or dealt with his silent reprimand. Most times all he had to do was give a knowing look and his will was obeyed. There was a quiet authority about the guy, a sort of allegiance they paid to him even though none of them really knew why.
Baxter knew everything there was to know about the shadows, and some stuff they didn’t even know. He’d been with the Reynolds family for longer than any of them could remember. He was also on speaking terms with the Assembly, which meant that he was accepted by them in some way. But he wasn’t a Topètenia. That fact had always perplexed X.
“I am saying, Mr. Roman—” He spoke as he came up behind X, stood, and waited. “—that they must have some proof in order to investigate. What you should be trying to figure out is where that proof originated.”
X turned to take the drink even though he didn’t really want it. Baxter’s impending scolding was even less welcome, X thought as he took an absent sip.
“Bas said he was planning an operation where he’d send in a team to check things out more thoroughly,” he said.
“And that is a good idea. Mr. Sebastian has a good head for planning operations. He will no doubt come out with knowledge. The remaining question is, what will you do with the knowledge he obtains?” Baxter left the question hanging in the air as he moved back to the bar to place the tray he’d handled there.
“I’d say bust in and kill the nosy bastards, but I think what’s happening was inevitable,” Nick said with a sigh, coming to sit upright in the recliner. “The exposure of the shadows wasn’t something we could expect to have avoided forever.”
“We’ve done a damn good job of it so far,” Rome said.
“That was before Sabar and the Rogues,” X chimed in. “Shadows live by the Ètica, we care about the threat of exposure. Rogues don’t give a damn what they do or how they do it. You saw that when they robbed that bank and when they started a battle with us right in the middle of a public street.”
Rome took a swallow from his glass. His skin was darker than X’s, and so was his cat. He looked menacing even though he rarely scowled and usually had a mild-mannered demeanor.
“So somebody else might know about us as well,” he said, then cursed.
X figured Rome was feeling this was his fault as the Faction Leader. He was supposed to protect the secret of the shadows.
“You can’t control what others do,” X told him. “Rogues don’t give a shit; they’re out there for all to see. There’s no way we can contain that type of blatant attack.”
“I hate to say it but he’s right, Rome,” Nick added. “Even if we kill Sabar tomorrow, we need to accept that the damage may have already been done.”
Rome was shaking his head. “The damage was done when our parents started working with Cortez. That’s where the door opened to our exposure.”
X had already told him what he’d learned from Hernandez. They’d decided that the immediate issue was still Sabar. But now it all seemed to be coming together to make it all relevant.
“Kalina found some journal entries,” Rome offered. “The dates match those same dates Hernandez gave you.”
“So your father took notes after meeting up with Cortez?” X asked.
“Yeah, brilliant man that he was,” Rome quipped.
Nick shook his head. “At least your father left you something to follow his trail. If my parents had anything I guess it went up in that car fire with them.”
“Either way, the evidence shows that your parents weren’t traitors. They were doing what was necessary to keep the tribe viable. We probably would have died out there in the forest without any outside help.” X had been thinking about this since returning from Sedona.
Yes, Loren Reynolds and Henrique Delgado went to Cortez and took his drug money to supply the needs of a tribe that shouldn’t exist. A wrong deed to support a good cause. X couldn’t hate them for that. Hell, at least their parents had cared enough about their own children and the families of others just like them—whether they knew them personally or not—to take such a risk. If you asked him, they should be commended.
“I think you guys need to lay off your parents about this. They did what they thought was best at the time,” he told them.
Both Nick and Rome looked at him as if he’d spoken in another language. X shrugged. It wasn’t often that he talked about their parents like this; usually he just went along with what they said because he didn’t want to offend them or because he just didn’t know. How was he supposed to know how good parents acted when his were at the bottom of—no, they were beneath—the totem pole?
“They put us all in danger,” Rome said, staring down into his glass.
Nick shrugged. “They probably thought it was the only route to take.”
“You do what’s best for that moment. Sometimes you can’t think about the long term,” X said.
“And what about your parents—you forgive them for not thinking about the long term?” Nick asked.
X’s already weird mood took a turn for the worse. “We’re not talking about my parents,” he said.
“We never do,” Nick rebutted. “But it’s obviously affected who you are now, who you’re trying to be.”
“And why is that your business?”
“Because who you are now is tied to my sister.”
X cursed. “Dammit, Nick. We’ve been over this already. What Caprise and I d
o is none of your damn business.”
“But what happens to all of us as a result of what you and Caprise do is relevant, X.” Rome put his drink down and took a deep breath. “Look, you know we’ve never pried into your past. Even when we could have looked back to see exactly what happened in Atlanta, we didn’t, because you’re our friend and we respected your privacy. But you’ve got to respect where we’re coming from now.”
X walked across the room, leaving the window yet keeping his back to them. They were supposed to be his friends, but right at this moment he wasn’t so sure. He wasn’t sure about a lot of things, especially after talking to Caprise earlier.
“That has nothing to do with the here and now,” he told them.
“You sure about that, X? I mean, I’ve watched you over the last few years with women. I know the stuff you’re into and I don’t pry because what goes on in one man’s bedroom has nothing to do with me. You’re a good agent and a loyal shifter, but you’re haunted by something and it seems like it’s taking its toll on you now,” Nick said.
He wasn’t yelling, wasn’t accusing as he had been in the last few days. He was just telling him something, as he’d done many times in the past.
“I think that’s part of the reason that agent is looking at you for this Diamond Turner thing. He had to see something in you to make him think you could do a thing like this.”
X whirled on Rome so fast, his entire body shaking with rage. “I did not kill that girl! And FL or not, I should kick your ass for having the balls to stand there and accuse me.”
Rome stood up, went toe-to-toe with X. “I’m saying what that agent is thinking. From his point of view you’ve got the rage, the strength, and since he has that business card he figures the opportunity to do this.”
“He said as much when he called me yesterday,” Nick added.
“He called you and you didn’t tell me?”
“I’m your attorney, but I don’t have to tell you about every call I take.”
“When it concerns me and my life you do.”
“X, he’s not charging you. He doesn’t have enough evidence for that. But you standing in an alley killing that tiger wasn’t helpful.”
“Oh, like you killing Ary’s father in a fucking parking garage? Nick, give me a break with your psychoanalysis bullshit! You’re just as volatile as I am and you would have done the same thing if you’d seen the fear he put in Caprise. Shit, half the shifters in this building would have done it. It’s who and what we are.”
“We’re not disputing that, X. We just think maybe there’s something else bothering you,” Rome said.
“No. There’s nothing bothering me,” X said before storming out of the room.
After he’d slammed the door Nick and Rome exchanged knowing glances.
“Do not worry, Mr. Rome,” Baxter said from the spot he’d been standing beside the bar.
He had been trained in the art of being there but not being noticed. It was part of his heritage. But he’d seen and heard everything. In fact, he’d known this was coming. Mr. Xavier had been like the proverbial pot of boiling water, only someone had set the flame very low with him years ago. Now the water had just begun to boil, the rage just ready to explode. Unfortunately, the remedy was not going to lie in this friendship.
“He will survive this,” Baxter finished. “He will survive and be much better because of it.”
“How do you know this?” Nick asked. “You always know everything, even before things happen. How is that, Baxter? Who are you really?”
Rome did not object to any of those questions, even though they may have been better coming from him. But he looked at Baxter waiting, hoping, he would deem it appropriate to answer at least some of them.
He did not.
“I am who I am, Mr. Dominick. And I am doing my job. Watching the three of you grow up has been a privilege. You are very good friends to Mr. Xavier. But you are not who or what he needs to make it over this hurdle. That is for his mate alone.”
To that Nick cursed and Rome shook his head. It seemed neither of them had much faith in their friend or the true strength of a companheiro.
Chapter 22
“Took you long enough,” Caprise said the moment X came out of what they called the “boys’ room.”
The room was at the far end of the north corridor, and was always locked. She’d figured out long before she’d overheard them talking about meeting there that it was expressly for Rome and his two commanding officers.
Thanks to Lucas, the shifter from the Gungi, she’d known exactly when they finished their official meeting in Rome’s private conference room. Lucas didn’t speak much English, and Caprise had only gotten to know him because he’d clung to Seth like a wet T-shirt. He was tall and gangly, still trying to figure out how his sixteen-year-old body was going to suddenly morph into the bodies he saw every day of full-grown shifters. He had intelligent eyes and an inner strength that some of the shifters around here would envy. She could see it in the way he held his head high, how he was determined to speak English, to learn to fight, and to prove to Rome he hadn’t made a mistake bringing him here.
Tonight he’d been in Rome’s rooms, as Kalina had summoned him there. He’d asked Caprise to come along because her Portuguese was a lot better than Kalina’s and he was hoping she could translate. She really hadn’t felt like being bothered with a lot of people, but it had actually worked out for the better.
“So you’ve seen X already tonight?” Kalina had asked when they were in her sitting room. Lucas was eating dinner because Kalina swore if he missed one meal he was going to shrivel up or possibly pass out. Caprise thought it was a little much. He was a growing boy; he’d eventually get hungry, at which time he’d eat. She understood all too well the starvation that came with grief. How many days had she gone without eating after her parents died? Double that after little Henrique had passed.
“Saw him, talked too much, moved on,” she said quietly.
“Talked too much, huh? I know that feeling. When I told Rome about my past as an orphan I felt like I’d talked too much, too.”
“He didn’t talk at all” was her reply.
Kalina simply shook her head. “They’re like that.”
“He’s not playing fair. He wanted me to tell him everything and I did,” she said, absently rubbing the mark at her side, her son’s name surrounded by floral swirls. “He should have reciprocated.”
“Is it important to you to know what he’s holding back?” Kalina had asked.
Caprise thought about that for a long moment, then sighed. Before last night, hell, about two weeks ago, it wouldn’t have mattered to her one way or another. Today she couldn’t say that. “Yes, it is.”
Kalina’s response was a genuine smile. “I knew it.”
“You did not know anything,” Caprise said, only slightly agitated. It was different having someone she could confide in. Kalina had said she and Ary were there for Caprise, that she could share things with them and they wouldn’t tell a soul. Caprise believed them and she appreciated their offer.
“So how are you going to get him?” Kalina asked after she’d cleared Lucas’s plate from the table and come back to sit on the couch next to Caprise.
“I don’t know yet.”
“My advice—and I know you’ve known X a lot longer than I have—I would smother him. Don’t give him a moment to think of why the two of you joining is not a good idea. Don’t let him find refuge.”
Caprise let her words sink in. “Like in battle you’d never let your opponent get a catnap,” she said slowly.
“Precisely. Stay on his back until he has no other choice but to face you, to face what’s going on between you two.”
“Or run and hide,” she followed up with. There was the possibility that X really didn’t want this mating thing with her. Maybe he wanted to mate with someone else. Maybe … stop it! she berated herself. Xavier Santos-Markland wanted her, she knew he did. The companheiro c
alor was so strong, if it were a drug she’d be high as a kite right now. No, whatever was standing in their way had nothing to do with her, but with him.
“You won’t run and hide, it’s not in your nature. You’ll bide your time to figure out a strategy, then you’ll strike.” Kalina picked up her mug of hot chocolate, blew on it, and smiled before taking a sip. “And when you do Xavier won’t know what hit him.”
Lucas had interrupted then, attempting to tell Caprise that X and the others were on their way out of the conference room. To avoid seeing him right at that moment and any awkwardness between the two of them and her brother, she’d slipped out the door before they made their way to this part of the First Female’s suite.
Now she was back, and she was ready.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in bed?” X asked, his brows drawn in a tight line.
He looked like he was about to explode, he was so angry. Any other woman would have run screaming. Caprise wasn’t any other woman and she wasn’t running anymore.
“I don’t have a curfew,” she said, taking a step closer to him.
His body was tense, anger rolling off him in heavy rivulets that assaulted her like huge waves. She didn’t falter, simply took another step closer.
“Do you have a time to be home, or someone you have to go home to?” she asked him.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. She watched his muscled chest, beneath the fitted material of his black T-shirt, move up and down. Her mouth watered and at the same time her heart melted. He was trying so hard to keep a lid on whatever was inside of him. It was almost painful for her to watch.
“There’s no one else, Caprise,” he said finally, his eyes opening slowly as if he’d been drugged. “And don’t tell me you’re going to play the jealous girlfriend now.”