Deceptions: A Collection

by Shiloh Walker

  I laid a hand on his chest, splayed my fingers wide over the black ink of his tattoo. “We’re talking you and me. There is a you and me….right?”

  “Yes.” It was a low, harsh growl.

  “And what will your dearest My Lady think?”

  “She can fuck herself.”

  I blinked. “Ah…well, then.” My mouth had somehow managed to go dry. Very dry. “What…what happens, then?”

  “You better be sure,” he rasped. “Remember what I said. It’s permanent. I don’t give up what’s mine.”

  Mine…

  It made something warm and sweet bloom inside me. Smiling at him, I tugged my wrist from his grasp and reached up, cupping his face in my hands. “I kind of like the idea of it, really. And you’re mine, then, right?”

  “Yes.” He caught my wrist once more, lifted it to his mouth for a quick kiss. “I’ll bite you. It will hurt and it will scar.” His brooding gaze held mine as he pressed his lips to the sensitive skin along my wrist. “I could bite your shoulder, but I’d rather do it here…he’ll see it. He’ll know. He’s smart so he’ll get the idea that he needs to leave you the fuck alone.”

  Reflexively, I clenched my hand. “Ah…I guess Es has something that can speed up the healing.”

  “Probably.” He continued to watch me.

  Leaning in, I kissed him and then I sat down. It was weird that I felt nervous now. Why did I feel nervous now…?

  Even as he moved around and pulled me into his lap, settling me close, so close that I could feel some very interesting portions of his anatomy pressing against my hip, I was still battling nerves. He lifted my wrist again, his eyes intense as they rested on my face, burning. Hot. Hungry.

  My throat constricted until I couldn’t breathe. Didn’t seem like I could breathe at all.

  His mouth opened and I twitched as I saw his teeth—they weren’t completely human now. Longer. And sharper. So much sharper. As they pierced my wrist, I bit my lip to keep from screaming.

  I’d asked for this—

  I wanted this.

  The pain was deep and piercing and it didn’t end when he lifted his head. His tongue rasped around my flesh, lapping at the blood for a moment before he sighed against my flesh. “You could have made a sound, baby girl.”

  Jerkily, I shook my head. Making a sound when you hurt—

  Shoving that thought back inside its closet, I glanced around. “I need to wrap this, huh?”

  He continued to lick me. “Probably.” He groaned a little. “You taste amazing, though.”

  “Stop it,” I muttered, shoving at his head and easing off his lap. I was on my feet and looking around for something to wrap around my wrist when he emerged from the bathroom, holding a hand towel.

  “We’ll use this,” he said quietly. “Get dressed. We’ll find Es.” A grim look settled in his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  As he wrapped my wrist, I noticed the odd tension in him. It called to the instincts buried in the back of my mind and I could feel myself getting edgy. My right hand heated. Readied itself. “Nothing,” he murmured. “It’s just…” He shot a look at the phone lying by the bed. “She’ll be calling again soon. I can feel it.”

  “Is that a gut instinct or more?”

  He stared at me. “More.”

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Kori led us to the healing hall without speaking. There was an odd look in her eyes when she first looked at Damon, but she said absolutely nothing, which was weird, I thought.

  Es was in the hall with the two girls and when she saw me, that gentle smile curved her lips. “You slept.”

  “Yes.” I didn’t mention the odd dreams or anything else. As I tried to figure out how to explain what I needed, she rose from the chair where she’d been seated and came to me.

  “Ahhh…” She unwrapped my wrist and studied the punctures. They still bled. “You realize, of course, there are several ways to heal this.”

  Damon’s hand curved over the back of my neck.

  I stared at her pale eyes and waited.

  “A full healing would remove any scarring but it’s more invasive and you’d need rest. A day, possibly more, since your body has already been rather taxed.”

  As one, Damon and I said, “No.”

  She flicked a look at Damon. “Cat, I understand the significance, but I need her answer…hers alone.”

  Rolling my eyes, I said, “You heard my answer. I know what the damn thing means and I want it there. No full healing.”

  “Because you can’t take the down time?”

  “No.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “Because I asked him to put it there in the first place. Why ask him to do it if I’m just going to have you remove it?”

  Now she smiled again, and the look on her face was oddly pleased. “Wonderful. A minor healing spell, then. You’re probably familiar with it. I can accelerate the healing—it will be like it’s months old, instead of minutes.”

  “Ah…months?”

  Any time Colleen had done such a spell, she’d just been able to ramp it up for a few days, a few weeks at best.

  Es smiled at me. “I’m the mother of this house, Kitasa. I have a bit more skill, a bit more power at my disposal than some of the witches you’ve known. And you’ll need all your strength for when you go back out.”

  I felt the hot power of Damon’s energy slam in me, the burst of his anger flaring.

  Yeah, pal. I know you don’t want me going back out.

  But I couldn’t wait quietly, either.

  Es had her hands on my wrist and the wonderful, warm crawl of her magic was spreading through me when Damon’s phone rang.

  I tensed.

  It was her.

  Annette. The Queen Bitch. The Alpha Cat. And Damon’s Lady.

  Bile knocked at the back of my throat but I swallowed it down as I turned my head and stared at his wide shoulders. He held his phone for a moment, staring at it before he lifted his head to meet my gaze.

  Then he answered it, his voice falling into that flat, familiar tone. Even just two days ago, I’d thought that tone signified reverence. It didn’t. It was just…emotionless.

  What had Es said—

  …notices everything and she’ll notice more about you than you could possibly imagine, including what you had for breakfast, the fact that you’re in rut, and the fact that you hate your Alpha…

  I studied him closer.

  Did he hate her?

  “He does,” Es murmured, her voice low, very low.

  I jerked my gaze to her, my mouth opening. She shook her head and mouthed, “Later.”

  Then she let go of my hand. I looked down. The pain was gone. She wiped away the blood and I stared at the pale, scarred skin of my left wrist. Bite marks. Very, very clearly bite marks.

  A bronzed hand closed around my wrist. I looked up into Damon’s eyes.

  But he was too busy staring at my wrist and the look in his eyes was hot. Burning hot.

  “Yes, Lady,” Damon said, in that neutral voice that belied the heat in his gaze. “We found him late last night but under unpleasant circumstances. I was unable to call you at the time, because of those circumstances and I deeply regret the oversight. I’ll make amends upon returning to the lair.”

  I heard her voice. “You will make amends? The investigator should also make amends, Damon. She was the one hired, the one I am paying. Bring her with you.”

  His hand tightened. “With all due respect, Lady, I cannot. She has seen her part in this job completed and is unable to travel back to Orlando. She’s requested that her payment be deposited into her account for completion of the job.”

  “And why is she unable to travel, my dearest Damon?” Annette asked, her voice silky and smooth.

  The mother looked at me and tapped her finger on something in front of me. I hadn’t even noticed it.

  “This is the contract we discussed, Ms. Colbana. As you’ve completed your assignment for the Cat clan, I’m an
xious for you to get to work on this promptly. We need to know who is behind this.”

  Damon’s shoulders tensed. He stared at Es, an unreadable look in his eyes.

  Es simply watched me with a smile.

  I swallowed as I heard Annette’s voice drop into a growl over the phone. “Who do I hear speaking, Damon?”

  “It’s a Green Road witch, Lady.”

  “A witch…”

  Pretending oblivion seemed best. Bending over the table, I studied the contract. “And the terms are as we discussed?” It looked fair. Legit. And real as all get out.

  “Of course. We can only pay five thousand, I’m afraid. We aren’t a rich house, but I believe you understand the importance of seeing this through—whoever has been preying on the NH children needs to be caught. You already have information in your hands so you are far more suited than anybody else,” Es said quietly. Then she leaned forward, a smile in her eyes even though her face was solemn. “And I offer something that has more value than money. You already have a few friends among our house, but I offer kinship. While you do this job, you’ll have whatever protection our house can offer and if you find us answers, I’ll apply to the Order of Witches to have you honored with the designation of kinship. It’s not often granted to those outside our order. We’ll offer you aid just as we’d offer it to any of our house. When you have need of us, we’ll be there.”

  I stared at her. Was she serious? Allies. Real, true allies, I realized. But was she serious?

  Es smiled serenely. “It’s all in the contract, Kit. The very valid, very legal contract. One of my granddaughters is human—not a drop of magical blood and she went into law, specializes in NH rights. She did the contract for me last night and delivered it this morning. Sign it and I can offer you a protection that you’ll not find elsewhere.”

  I snatched the pen out of her hand so fast, she chuckled. Hell, I’d planned on seeing this through anyway.

  “Put the investigator on the phone,” Annette demanded. “I want to rehire her immediately, Damon. I want answers and I’ll pay her one hundred thousand whether she finds the culprit or not, but she has to return to Orlando now.”

  I was already signing my name.

  “Lady, I’m afraid she’s already contracted elsewhere. I’m deeply regretful.”

  I slid him a sidelong glance. He was still staring at my wrist.

  She continued to yell at him.

  I listened. Drank a cup of coffee and finished half of a second cup before she finally seemed to recognize the futility of it. “You will not be bringing the investigator back when you return to East Orlando, will you, Damon?”

  He sat across from me, long legs sprawled out, bracketing mine. His thumb stroked over the smooth surface of the scars. “I will not, Lady. My humble apologies,” he said.

  I managed to keep my snort behind my teeth, but only because I knew she’d hear it.

  “Very well. You’ll return with Doyle.”

  I scowled, thinking it was weird that she hadn’t asked about him at all.

  A snarl ripped through the air.

  “No.”

  I tensed. Damon’s hand tightened on my hand and he looked up to see Doyle standing just inside the protective entrance to the healing hall. Doyle crouched down, his eyes bouncing between Damon and me before landing on Damon. Muscles rippled, bulged and I could see stripes ghosting on his skin before disappearing. “No,” he spat again. “I won’t go back.”

  Rathi—

  My gut went cold as the sight of him and fear chittered like a caged beast in the back of my head but I slammed it down.

  “Doyle,” I said softly. “Your aunt was worried for you. She just wants you home safe.”

  He snarled and the sound of it echoed through the small room. “The fuck she does. Do you know why I ran? So I wouldn’t have to go back to her.” He slanted a look at me, and then his head cocked, lingering on the way Damon gripped my wrist. “I won’t go back—I won’t—”

  He lunged at me.

  Damon shoved me aside.

  I had my blade in the next second, rolling across the floor and coming up in crouch.

  The phone lay on the floor and I could hear Annette talking, her voice calm and cool, as though Damon still held the phone instead her nephew, caught in a half-shift, pinned to the wall.

  “Shut it down, kid,” Damon panted. “Before I have to hurt you.”

  Doyle just struggled harder. I stared at his blue eyes and felt his fear dancing over my skin.

  “If the boy doesn’t return home, the investigator will not be paid and her life is still forfeit.”

  Oh, screw this. Sneering at the phone, I snatching it up. “Listen, Alpha. I can’t make him come home if he doesn’t want to. And if I recall shifter law correctly, once he’s hit his first shift, the Assembly will see him as an independent in his own right, meaning he can make his own judgment. Now…by our contract, you hired me to find him. I have unbiased witnesses, a Green Road witch who can vouch that he has been found. Now whether you decide to pay or not, I did my job, but if you don’t pay me, I’ll make sure every fucking soul in the south knows you don’t honor your fucking word.”

  Damon swore and I looked up. I saw the words in his eyes, but I was fed up with having that crazy woman try to terrify me into anything.

  “Do you understand who you are talking to?” she whispered.

  “Yes. A woman who is about to go back on a contract she made. The kid was found. Job completed. End of story.” I hurled the phone at Damon, but he had his hands full with Doyle’s struggling body and it bounced off his shoulder.

  Es caught it.

  I closed my eyes as she lifted it to her ear.

  Shit.

  I’d just drawn somebody else into the mess.

  “Would this be Annette?”

  “I’ve no business with you, witch. There is no trouble between us.”

  “Of course not. We’ve always accommodated each other, the Cat Clan and the House of Witches…have we not?” Es smiled as she moved over to study Damon and the struggling boy. “Your nephew has successfully shifted. I witnessed it myself last night. As a speaker for the Assembly, I’ll be happy to register his status for you.”

  Doyle stopped struggling.

  Damon cut a look at Es.

  She turned away and continued to pace. “He’s in an emotional state after his ordeal. Perhaps he just needs time to acclimate. However, I understand that you might be distraught at his behavior. That would certainly explain your behavior in recent moments…despite the fact that Colbana did in fact successfully complete a job. A job she’ll naturally be compensated for.”

  Silence reigned.

  It was finally broken by the sharp sound of the Alpha’s voice as she said, “Naturally. I’ll have the funds deposited once Damon returns. He’ll see to it.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll see you in session.”

  Es disconnected the call and laid the phone on the table by the contract. “Well. That was pleasant.” Then she frowned and looked at Doyle. “Really, boy. Control yourself. If you can’t discipline yourself better, you’ll end up as crazy as your aunt.”

  Doyle flinched.

  Es looked at me. Her eyes went cold and bright. “This isn’t over between you two. She fixates and hates blindly. You just became her enemy.”

  “I think that happened the minute I was hired for this job. No matter what the outcome.”

  “Entirely possible.”

  “You…you’re leaving me?”

  I stood in the hallway, very much out of Doyle’s line of sight, although I knew that wouldn’t make much difference.

  He could scent me, hear me.

  Although at the moment, he was focused on nothing but Damon.

  Damon, I could see. He stood at edge of the hall, right where it bended out of sight, his head angled down as he looked at the kid. “I’ve been called back. You might have decided to fly solo, man, but I’m still part of the clan and unless I cut ties,
I have to answer to the Alpha. You know what happens if I don’t.”

  “How can you go back to her?”

  I closed my eyes at the sound of his voice. He sounded like what he was, really. A scared kid. A lonely one. Even if he did grow three inch fangs when he was pissed. Tiger, I was thinking. He shifted into some kind of tiger. I’d seen stripes trying to come through on his skin.

  I figured that meant the Queen Bitch was a tiger, too.

  Queen of the Jungle. She probably liked that.

  Enemy…my hand tingled.

  Now I had two of them to deal with. And those were just the local ones. Heaven help me if my grandmother ever decided to acknowledge my existence again.

  But those were problems for another day.

  “If I don’t go back, you know what happens. I’m rogue and they send everybody after me,” Damon said, his voice hard and flat.

  “Then just take her out!” Doyle half-shouted.

  “And step into her shoes? Shit. Grow up, kid. It’s not as simple as that.”

  Damon’s eyes cut my way and then he looked back at the boy. “Stay here. Out of trouble…the witches here can help if you start feeling shaky. They’ve done it before and Es is decent people. And…” his voice dropped to a threatening growl. “Keep your eyes, your paws, your thoughts off what’s mine. Because I will be back…and as much as I love you, Doyle, you won’t stand a chance if you hurt what’s mine.”

  Doyle muttered under his breath and swore. He walked away; although I couldn’t see it, I knew he was gone. The intensity in the air faded and instead of two angry shifters hovering nearby, there was only one.

  My one.

  He looked at me and then jerked his head as he headed outside.

  There was a car waiting.

  Es had said it was on loan.

  It was long, lean and black, a throwback from the days of those old muscle cars and it looked like it might have been made just for him. As he leaned back against it, he stared at me with fury dancing in his eyes. “You had to do it, didn’t you?”