[The Shifters Committee 05.0] Sensual Hero

by Rebecca Foxx

  “There is no doubt that we will eventually respond and I concur with the need for action,” she said, “I also believe in prudence and timing. May I suggest that we consider chopping off the head after we gather enough intelligence from him or her?”

  A silence fell across the room for a few seconds.

  “Kamira is right,” said Neema as set her coffee cup down on the conference table, “I say we identify the location of the new enemy HQ and take captive the commander, bring him or her here and interrogate until we’re satisfied.”

  Thomas looked around the room at the Committee members nodding in agreement.

  “I will handle this one myself,” he said.

  “We will bring him in.”

  Thomas’ mind traveled back in time to one of his favorite Walkers; Wendy Morrell. She worked for the ESET (Emergency Shifter Extraction Team), which had undergone a name change because of the changes in assignments and duties. Wendy was a rare animal in Thomas’ mind and though he never really tasted her, his mouth salivated at the mere thought of her spread out over his couch or that conference table for that matter.

  Wendy had been put off by Thomas’ sudden departure from her life, but she completely understood that his responsibility was first to The Committee and then to himself. She hadn’t dated or even thought about dating since then.

  Her band was doing well and she was gaining notoriety with each passing week which made her a risk as a Walker because of her visibility, but Thomas believed that her popularity would serve as an excellent cover to draw out the enemies.

  Thomas just needed to convince her.

  Chapter 4 – Bath and Bloody Works

  The mall was particularly crowded that day and while it made Joshua go on high alert, Laura liked the ability to blend in and feel like a “normal” person. She smiled as though she was a child at a birthday party and her happiness seemed to just pour from her.

  It made Joshua begin to feel closer to her and he just wanted to watch her walking and smiling and talking; but he had a job to do and it was tough enough with the crowds let alone his heightened libido.

  They had made two stops; one at a baby clothing store and the other at a large anchor department store. They were on their way to a store specializing in bathroom and body products when Joshua caught wind of something in the air. His training kicked in and rather than stop and cause a scene or to make them an easy target, they kept walking as though nothing was suspicious.

  Joshua’s senses heightened, he escorted the unknowing Laura to the back of the store where he began to take in deep breaths. The scent was one of fear and anger and when those two things are combined, it’s a sure sign of danger.

  Laura was testing out the lotions and the body sprays when the scent manifested itself at the entrance to the store. Joshua’s eyes burned a dull gold and his muscles flexed as he readied himself for any potential attack. There were a total of three men looking around suspiciously.

  They appeared to be searching for someone but it could have been anyone.

  When they spotted Laura, Joshua saw for himself that it was she they were trying to find.

  They looked directly at Laura and Joshua and set up in a triangulated formation so as to ensure that at least one of them had a clear shot at Laura. Joshua recognized this immediately and because of the lack of discretion and laziness of their movements, he could easily see that they were not professionals, but rather low-ranking mercenaries with an agenda. As time went on, their anger began to subside and turned to stifling fear.

  Joshua took that as his cue.

  He grabbed Laura and held her close, whispering in her ear.

  “Drop your purse and bend down and stay down,” he said.

  Laura had been through the drill before and she knew that something bad was about to happen. Obediently and rapidly, she did as she was told.

  Joshua made his way toward the men and they paid no attention to him, but he did notice that each was carrying a silenced pistol inside of their jackets. They looked around frantically, afraid that they had lost their target.

  Joshua reached into his pocket and put on his sunglasses and made his way around and behind the first of the three. Silently and swiftly, Joshua grabbed the man by his jaw and the back of his head and with one move, Joshua had snapped the man’s neck. He sat him down quietly so as to not alert the other two and made his way toward the most aggressive looking of the three just as he began to reach inside for his pistol.

  Like the first, within a millisecond he was sitting on the floor, his pistol in hand and tucked under his thigh. He then made his way to the third of the three men.

  A scream was heard behind them both and the third man turned around to see what the commotion might be and he found himself face-to-face with Joshua. A look of panic caused the color to drain from his face as Joshua quietly reached inside the man’s jacket pocket and removed his firearm.

  “You will be leading the way out of here and if you so much as pass gas, you’ll do so as a dead man,” Joshua growled, his face twisting and morphing enough to terrify his opponent and it worked.

  Joshua hadn’t seen her but on the far right corner of the store stood Laura. She was unconsciously biting her lip and exuding pure, unadulterated estrogen. She loved Thomas but what she had witnessed awaked a dark, twisted beast inside of her and all she could think of was shifting, ripping those three to shreds and then allowing Joshua to have his way with her.

  Joshua could smell her and he too unconsciously flared his nostrils and the hair on his scalp stood on end. He motioned with his head for her to come and follow and she did so rapidly.

  The noise and banter in the store had drawn the attention of mall security who had arrived and was calling for law enforcement back up. The two security guards looked terrified and were unsure what to do; giving Laura, Joshua, and their would-be assassin a chance to escape undetected.

  As they walked toward the parking lot and to the SUV, Joshua rested his meaty hand on the shoulder of his prisoner and applied just enough pressure to let him know that Joshua was much stronger and superior. It kept him quiet and cooperative.

  Bringing up the rear was Laura who couldn’t take her eyes off of the backside of Joshua. His muscular build flexed through the fabric of his jeans and she enjoyed it so much that she began to soak her pink, lace underpants and her mouth began salivating.

  Joshua could smell and sense what was going on behind him and he used it as motivation to detain the prisoner, get him back to the house, and lock him up for Thomas. While waiting on Thomas, he thought that he and Laura could get lost out on the perimeter of the 40 acre property.

  The thought of his mouth on hers was almost overwhelming and were it not for his extensive training, he could very well had lost control of the prisoner, but he managed to get him into the back seat where the windows were tinted and he was quickly tied up so movement was impossible.

  Joshua put the pistol in his beltline and slammed the door; walked briskly to the drivers’ side and popped the key in the ignition and fired up the SUV.

  Laura was seated next to him, writhing and gyrating her hips ever so slightly with her face pointed out her window. Joshua could smell her juices flowing and that she was masturbating unbeknownst to anyone but him. She rolled her head toward him and when their eyes met, she winked and looked back out the window.

  The drive home felt like one of the longest treks in the history of humanity to Joshua.

  Chapter 5 – The Mouse that Roared

  Their prisoner was terrified and rightfully so. His life stood on a razor’s edge and one wrong move could result in his complete destruction. His face had been pushed down on the floor so he wasn’t sure just where it was they were going and certainly no clue when they had arrived.

  The inside of the SUV reeked with the scent of sexual frustration, anger, and fear. It was intoxicating for the two shifters in the car; horrifying for the prisoner. Before they arrived at the front door of the home, they r
olled the windows down and got serious about the business ad hand.

  Greeting them were three of the guards who promptly escorted the prisoner to the basement where he was locked into one of the hidden cages. He was given some food and water and left with his own thoughts for a few hours.

  News spread throughout the shifter community that there had been an attempt on the lives of two who were closest to Thomas Blaine and the aggregate result was two dead would-be assassins and one missing assassin.

  It was highly guarded even within the shifter community that the prisoner had been caught and that he was in the basement of Thomas’ many mansions.

  Soon, he would either cooperate and divulge information, or he will wish he were dead and buried with his friends.

  Thomas had made his way to the ESET offices where Wendy Morrell worked and he took a deep breath before opening the door to the foyer and walked in. The lobby was filled with rich mahogany and smelled of leather furniture. It was an elegant lobby with top notch security systems and closed circuit cameras that recorded 24/7.

  Thomas smiled to himself as he looked at even the most remote and hidden camera, knowing that he was the one who designed the system himself.

  Recognizing him, the front desk secretary stood up and stammered.

  “Good morning, Mr. Blaine,” she said. “How may I serve you today?”

  Thomas could smell the stench of fear and intimidation oozing from her pores. Looking at the name plate on her desk, he took a mental note of this Kristi Unole. He felt sorry for her because within her was great power but she just had not been taught to develop those skills. Under the existing circumstances, every shifter needed to be trained to defend themselves in the event of an attack.

  Her slight frame, beautifully ice blue eyes, her athletic but lean build, and her demure visage was deceiving. There was something fierce within this young shifter.

  “Good morning, young lady,” he smiled.

  “Good you get Wendy Morrell for me and I need a work with your immediate supervisor, please.”

  There was a look of shock and fear in her eyes; a fear that somehow she had done something wrong and was about to be fired.

  She first rang her supervisor and with an unsteady voice, let him know that Thomas was there and was demanding a word. She then called Wendy’s desk and let her know that Thomas wanted her to come to the lobby. She would take longer because her offices were at the far end of the building.

  The supervisor came out into the lobby, his proverbial tail tucked between his legs.

  “Mr. Blaine, we are honored by your presence,” he said while extending his hand.

  Thomas didn’t take his hand but rather just looked at it and then raised his eyes to meet the supervisor’s eyes. Thomas towered over him and when he spoke, the room seemed to shrink.

  With lightning speed, Thomas pulled a blade out of his jacket pocket and hurled it in the direction of the receptionist. The blade traveled at such a high velocity, it left a shining trail behind it.

  At the very last minute before it sunk itself between the eyes of the receptionist, her hands, barely visible, came together in front of her face and stopped the blade. There was a look of shock and terror on her face.

  “How long has she been working for you?” Thomas’ question was firm, angry, and focused.

  The receptionist began to feel aroused and enlivened by the strength of magnitude of his voice. Her boyfriend at that time was a small intellectual and would never be a pack leader. Truth be told, she was more alpha than he was even though she barely reached 5’ tall.

  “She has been here for about 18 months, sir,” the supervisor stammered, “Why do you ask?”

  Thomas shot him a glance that would have bent steel and the look told the boy in no uncertain terms that no one was to ask Thomas’ motivation or reasoning for anything.

  Thomas looked directly at the receptionist and spoke.

  “Get Director Blalock down here immediately,” he commanded.

  The receptionist mumbled and quickly dialed the Director’s number. Within a few short seconds, the Director was there in front of them.

  “I’m going to make this simple and sweet, Director Blalock,” Thomas thundered.

  “I want this receptionist in ESET training by the end of the day and for the rest of the week, this young man will be taking her place at the front desk.” He continued.

  “She has been here 18 months and has received no training and she is a natural. Send her to training and when she has successfully completed training, I want her to report to Joshua for assignment to my Guard.”

  He paused to ensure the message was getting across.

  The receptionist’s face was red and her eyes hidden by her golden locks of hair that she had allowed to flow in her face. It was a sign of weakness and submission, but Thomas saw what was inside of her and expected more.

  The Director nodded his affirmation just as Wendy Morrell walked into the lobby to catch the tail end of the dialog. She too had been through ESET training, but she would never make a good field agent unless it was in a covert operations environment.

  Thomas smiled when he saw her and his loins flared with blood pumping through them at the sight of her curvaceous and delicious body.

  She too smiled and was pleasantly surprised to see Thomas come to visit her after so long.

  “Let’s go have coffee,” he said. It wasn’t really a question, but rather a gentle demand.

  “Let’s.” Her response was enthusiastic and bold. She enjoyed time with him and would make the best of it that day.

  Chapter 6 – Back at the Ranch

  Joshua assigned two of his best crew members to keep watch over the prisoner and in the interim, he spent time with Laura to debrief her and do a quick analysis if she would be alright. The event was traumatic and though Laura was made of all the right stuff, it could still have a negative impact on her.

  Joshua made his way up the stairs and from behind one of the many bedroom doors; he heard Laura’s voice and the giggles of the baby. The sounds made him smile because he thought Laura to be a splendid mother, but also the sounds of their voices had a calming affect on him.

  He could have just laid down on the floor outside of their bedroom door and listen to them talk and banter all week long.

  He had come to grips with the fact that he was indeed falling for Laura, but he was also concerned that if he were to pursue her in any way or to even have the appearance of impropriety, Thomas would tear him from limb to limb. Though there was some question as to the extent of the romantic relationship between Thomas and Laura, it was always to err on the side of caution.

  He walked back down the stairs and made himself comfortable in the casual living room where he had a view of the stairway and the echoes from the activity within the home was limited. He tuned his ears to the direction of their room and for the next hour, he would sit there and guard them with his life if need be.

  It was the calm before the storm of Thomas arriving.

  The diner was small, intimate and designed in such a manner that each booth was virtually soundproof. The high backs of the booth seats, the fabric-covered walls, and the low light all worked together to make an environment that was good for dates and for private meetings where discretion was of the utmost importance.

  They were seated in the back of the diner as Thomas had requested and once seated, he ordered them coffee and did not waste any time starting the conversation.

  “You are needed for an important mission as a Walker, Wendy,” he said with his voice filled with concern.

  “We need to find out who the new commander of the resistant movement is and we need to bring him to us as a show of strength,” he concluded.

  Wendy sat with her mouth agape, unsure what to think about what she had just heard. As she looked into his eyes, she could see beyond the rough exterior and see that behind his stern look was a hint of worry.

  The attacks on the shifters had become more and
more frequent and increasingly bloody. The whole of the shifter community had been waiting for a decision from The Committee and it seemed to her as though they had found a solution and it included her.

  “Thomas,” she said, “I’m not a warrior by any stretch of the imagination; sure, I’m a Walker, but I know nothing of covert operations.”

  Thomas sipped at his coffee and gave her an understanding look.

  “Wendy, all I need you to do is identify the location and name of the new commander,” he said in a reassuring tone.

  He then reached across the table and took her hand, sending shockwaves through both of their bodies. There was an undeniable attraction between the two of them and there always had been. Thomas did not want to be accused, however, of taking advantage of that aspect of their relationship to convince her to perform this mission.