by Lisa Kessler
There was no more delaying my part in this mess. I glanced his way. “My assignment was to locate a woman named Kaya Blackwing and watch her. Severino was always cataloguing ‘others’ for his files at Nero. This was just another job, and if it went well, I wouldn’t have to kill anyone. I didn’t know he was planning on having a local werewolf bite her.”
“You came to Sedona and spied on her to see if she was a shifter?” The disgust in his tone stung. I deserved it, but until a few days ago, I thought all of this had died with Nero. If he kicked me out of the pack, I’d lose the first real friends I’d ever had.
“Severino already knew she shifted. My mission was to find out if she could shift at will without a moon cycle.” I paced the room, struggling to relieve some of the tension building inside me. “I stayed for three weeks, learning her schedule, her circle of friends, family, all I could. I documented everything. It wasn’t until after I turned over my file to Severino that I heard Kaya had been bitten.”
Asher sat down on the stool, cursing under his breath. “This is fucked up.” He lifted his gaze to my face, his features stoic. “What’s this got to do with the serum?”
“My gut says that Evolution Defense serum is for her. It’s why they want her alive. I don’t have the proof yet, but I think Duane has been contracted to capture Kaya, inject the serum, and see how it affects her.” Bile burned the back of my throat at the thought. “Nero was curious to see if a skin walker could survive a bite. When she did, Severino’s next hope was that she’d be able to shift into a wolf at will. He’s tried juicing up born wolves to shift without the moon, but it drove them to paranoia and painful deaths from brain hemorrhages. Kaya could’ve been the piece he’d been missing, but it didn’t work the way he’d hoped. The wolf still only takes over during the full moon. That fact probably saved her from being stuck in a lab like a fucking rat.”
I gripped the back of my neck, shaking my head. “Micah told us that Evolution Defense is another defense contractor, like Nero used to be. They’re trying to make super soldiers, too.”
“But why would they shoot her up with the werewolf serum like they did with the Timberwolves squad? Kaya’s already got the wolf’s heightened senses.” Asher crossed his arms. “What am I missing?”
“If Sebastian’s right and Evolution Defense is one of the four leaders of this new partnership, then I bet my ass they’ve worked with Duane to make a serum to give humans jaguar senses.”
Asher stood again, running a hand down his face. “I thought they wanted to expose shifters to the world?”
“Brad Newport and his backers do, and if they’re successful, then the defense contractor has to collect all the research they can before shifters are hunted down and wiped from the face of the earth.” I choked down the lump in my throat. “Kaya is a twofer, don’t you see?”
“No.” Asher frowned. “I’m not following.”
“If Duane can capture her and shoot her up, Evolution Defense can study her, then pass her off to Newport and his goons to expose her to the world as a shifter who can change on command. They’ll parade her around like a damned circus animal.”
“Fuck.” Asher got in my face, his eyes cold. “You betrayed us all.”
“I was on a different team back then.” I clenched my jaw, choking on my own excuse. “This is fucked up. I fucked up. Look, when we blew up Nero, I thought all the evidence about Kaya was destroyed.” I searched his stoic features for any sign of forgiveness. “I’ll fix this, but I needed you to know what we’re up against. You have to protect her.”
“How can you possibly make this right?”
“Duane can’t tell anyone about her if he’s dead… Then I find the digital files on Kaya and delete them.”
Asher shook his head. “Killing the new leader of the jaguars will bring them all to our door.”
“They’re already here, mate.” I held his gaze, daring him to look away. “This is the only way to keep Kaya safe.”
He crossed his arms. “And what if Duane’s not the only one who has seen the file on her?”
“That’s what Trager is checking on for me.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
I balled my hands into fists. “Anyone who knows about the file on Kaya has to die.”
Asher sighed. “How many are you planning on killing?”
“As many as it takes.”
“We don’t even know how many of them we’d be facing.”
“Not we. I need to make this right.”
“You’re part of a pack now. We work together.” He rolled his shoulders back. “You’re not going to be able to walk into that satellite facility with guns blazing and take out their leader.”
“He’ll never see me coming.” I smirked, an all too familiar icy calm dripping into my bloodstream. “Just protect Kaya.”
“I can’t stand back and lose one of our own. That’s not how this pack operates.”
Not only was Asher not kicking me out of the pack but he was still claiming me as part of it. I wasn’t sure how to process that. Being a part of something, not because they owned me but because they cared about me, was foreign and strange.
And I wanted that brotherhood almost as bad as I wanted Kaya.
“You won’t lose me.” My smile returned like a worn jacket that fit perfectly even after sitting in a closet all summer. “I’m a killer, remember?”
“No. You’re my friend and a member of my pack.” Asher’s expression softened. “I don’t doubt your skills, Vance. When I said I didn’t want to lose one of our own, I didn’t mean they might kill you. You walked away from that life, remember? Don’t lose yourself to it again.”
He was articulating my deepest fear, which lingered in the darkest parts of my soul. What if my hands were never clean because, deep down, I yearned for the kill?
“It’s the only way to be sure Kaya is safe.” Was I trying to convince him, or myself?
“Maybe.” Asher crossed his arms. “Let’s start with finding the file and destroying it.”
“That’s not enough.” I shook my head. “Every second Duane breathes, he could be telling someone else how special she is.”
“Don’t do this, Vance. Our pack only kills in self-defense.”
“I’m defending Kaya.” I ground my teeth. “This is my fault. Let me fix it.”
He stared up at the ceiling, cursing under his breath. “Does Kaya know any of this?”
“Not yet.”
“Shit.” Asher went to the door and stopped. “Do you want me to tell her?”
“No. She should hear it from me.” She should’ve heard it from me before we slept together, but there was nothing I could do about that now.
Asher nodded, glancing back at me over his shoulder. That Alpha compulsion to obey thrummed through his voice. “Come to the ranch after you tell her. You’re not going to the satellite facility alone.”
The animal in my soul bristled, eager to answer the call of our Alpha. “All right,” I answered. But I had no intention of honoring his order. This was my problem, and I’d fix it or die trying.
One way or another, Kaya would be safe. Her blood would never be on my hands.
CHAPTER 10
Kaya
The dining room was empty, and closing time at the Red Coyote was well underway before my cell phone buzzed in my pocket. Vance’s name lit up my screen. He actually called like he said he would. I wasn’t sure why I was surprised. He’d never lied to me before.
“Hey.” I walked through the kitchen and into my office. “What’s up?”
“Are you still at the Coyote?”
The sound of his voice warmed my insides, but I did my best to mask it. “Yeah. We’re closing up. Why?”
“I’m in the parking lot.” His car door slammed on the other end of the line. “Can I come in? Maybe we could talk.”
“All right. I’ll go up front and let you in.” I ended the call and pulled out my key ring as I made my way through the re
staurant. When I opened the door, Brody hustled by with a stack of folded napkins.
“Hi, Vance.” He didn’t stop on his mission to reset the tables.
“Good to see you, Brody.” Vance met my eyes. “Sorry I’m so late.”
“This is probably better. Everyone will be gone in about fifteen minutes.” I locked the door and headed for the kitchen. I didn’t need to look to know Vance was following; his scent was intoxicating. My wolf began to settle, satisfied to have her mate close by.
The rest of me wasn’t nearly as confident. He was either going to tell me why he’d waited over three years to tell me how he felt, which couldn’t be good, or he was going to avoid the issue.
Neither option was great.
Harley was stacking clean mixing bowls as we came into the kitchen. Peering over her shoulder, she grinned at Vance. “Hey, stranger. How have you been?”
Vance chuckled, catching my hand in his. The simple touch sent a shockwave of desire through me. I looked up and found him staring at me before he looked over at Harley. “I’ve been busy, but I’m hoping I’ll be spending more time with your boss soon.”
I blinked. What was happening right now?
Harley put the bowls up on the shelf and smiled. “It’s about damned time. We gave up placing bets on when you’d finally ask her out.”
My eyes widened. “You’ve been betting on my love life?”
“Not recently.” She shrugged with a playful gleam in her eyes.
I shook my head as I pulled Vance into my office and shut the door. He took the chair across from my desk, but it didn’t actually put much distance between us as my office was cramped and surrounded by boxes of to-go containers, plastic utensils, and napkins. We didn’t do many takeout orders when I first opened, but now that delivery service apps had risen in popularity, we had plenty of customers who never came through our doors.
Behind my desk, I memorized Vance’s face, his bright hazel eyes, chiseled jaw, and tousled hair. All I wanted was to strip off our clothes and climb into his lap. Why couldn’t it be that simple? We could forget the past and just head into the future.
“Sorry if I embarrassed you with Harley.” He tried to look guilty, but the devilish spark in his eyes gave him away. “Truth is, I’ve been aching to touch you since I left the house, and I couldn’t wait another second.”
“But you had no trouble waiting a few years first?” It came out more cynical than I’d intended as my rational human brain warred with my wolf’s instincts.
The corner of his mouth curved into a crooked smile. “Oh, I had plenty of trouble, kitten. I just tried not to let it show.”
The kitten thing was growing on me. I cleared my throat. “Why?”
He sobered, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the edge of my desk. “Because I have no right to any of your smiles, let alone your kisses.”
I shook my head, rolling my eyes. “I know who you are and who you worked for. I’m not judging you, and I’m not afraid of you.”
“But I think you will.”
My heart pounded at his statement. I stared into his eyes. No smile, no swagger, just…regret. What had he done?
Did I want to know?
Yes. I needed to know. But all I could muster was a whispered, “Try me.”
“Nero assigned me to a mission in Sedona almost four years ago. Severino was cataloguing ‘others.’ He owned a boarding schools for girls with psychic abilities, he experimented on werewolves and jaguar shifters, and his interest in other races was research for the future. Or so I thought.”
He paused, his gaze wandering over my face. Gradually, I realized he meant me.
I frowned. “He found out about skin walkers? About me?”
Vance nodded, tension lining his eyes. “He sent me here to observe you and determine if you could shift without a lunar cycle. I watched you for a few weeks to learn your habits and your social circles, and then I turned in the file with all my data.” A muscle clenched in his cheek. “I had no idea he planned to have you bitten.”
The world tilted under me as I digested this information. I stood up, my hands trembling. “Oh my god. You made me a target.” I bumped the boxes behind me in an effort to put some distance between us. “I was bitten and locked up in a storage unit for months, not knowing if I was going to live or die.”
“I know.” He shook his head, staring at the floor before looking up at me from beneath his thick lashes. “I’ve hated myself ever since.” He pushed his chair back a couple of inches. “You’d just bought this building with plans to open your restaurant. I was in awe. After my first shift, I ran, got as far from Australia as I could, but you didn’t let your lynx control your destiny. I watched you, and I wished I had half your courage. I never would have gotten mixed up with Nero.”
The door opened behind him, and Harley peeked inside. “Sorry to interrupt. We’re done, so I’ll let everyone out and lock up.”
“Thanks, Harley.”
She nodded with questioning eyes. “Are you good? I can stay…”
Did I look as sick as I felt? I forced a smile. “You can go. I’m fine.”
“Okay. Night, then.” She closed the door, leaving us in a silence that spoke volumes.
I sank back into my chair, numb. “You should have told me.”
“I know.” He nodded. “From the moment Severino gave the command for Caldwell to convert you, I’ve been trying to make things right. I thought my report was destroyed when Sebastian and I blew up Nero headquarters.”
I rubbed my temples, fighting back angry tears. “So now people outside our pack, enemies, know I’m a skin walker.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “The shooter the other night wasn’t supposed to kill you. The jaguars have a new serum from Evolution Defense. Cole’s not sure what it is yet, but I’m betting since they’re working with Duane and the other jaguars from Nero, it’s a jaguar shifter serum similar to the formula they injected into the Timberwolves squad.” He met my eyes. “I think they want to see how it would affect you to have a jaguar shifter’s heightened senses. Duane’s expecting a huge payoff from the defense contractors.”
My stomach roiled. Good thing I hadn’t eaten yet.
I stared at him, anger and hurt swirling into a tempest. “Get out.”
“Kaya, wait, I—”
“No. I need you to go.”
“You can hate me. I deserve it.” He stood up. “But you’ve got to stay with the pack for now. You’re in danger until I can make this right.”
“Are you kidding me?” I got up, rounding my desk to his side, my hands balled into fists at my sides. “Without going back in time, there’s no way to make this right.”
“I know I fucked up, but I’m going to end anyone who ever saw that file. Stay with the pack tonight. You’ll be safe.”
In the depths of my soul, the wolf snarled, a deep rumble vibrating through my chest. This was a suicide mission. I searched his eyes. “If you go into that facility alone, you’ll die.”
“Not until they do.” There was a cold gleam in his eyes that I didn’t recognize. This was the hired gun.
My wolf howled, making my head throb and my heart ache. I grabbed Vance’s shirt with both hands and yanked him down to me, pressing my lips to his. He groaned, clutching me close as our tongues fought an impassioned battle for dominance. Raw need, anger, and passion pumped through my bloodstream.
I broke the kiss, stumbling back a step. “I’m going with you.”
“What?” His eyes widened as he frowned. “No. I made this mess. I’ll fix it.”
“They’ll kill you.” The blatant truth shook me to my core. Yes, I was angry and hurt, betrayed by the man my wolf had claimed as her mate, her one and only love. But this was also Vance, my friend through thick and thin, and if he ran off half-cocked into that facility, I’d never see him again.
I hated him for keeping this from me, but at the same time, I wanted to have time to see if I could get past thi
s someday. Maybe.
God, I couldn’t lose him forever.
“They won’t.” His expression hardened, the passion draining from his eyes, replaced with the cold indifference of a hunter. “Killing is the only thing I’ve ever been good at. Blood will spill, and it won’t be mine.”
I’d never been afraid of Vance, but I’d also never seen this side of him. He was always quick to smile, to joke, to cover the darker side. Now that I stood in front of him, watching the darkness swallow him whole, fear soured my stomach. I caught his hand, squeezing it until he finally met my eyes. “After last night, I can assure you, killing isn’t the only thing you’re good at.”
I arched a brow, praying he’d catch the innuendo and be lured back from the dark place he’d retreated to. His gaze bore into me, and I held my breath. Slowly, his features softened, his mouth curving slightly, as if trying and failing to smile. “I don’t deserve you.”
“No, you don’t.” I shook my head. “But if you die, I’ll never get the chance to kick your ass or forgive you, so I won’t let you go in there alone.”
“I won’t die.” He lifted his hand, caressing my cheek. “I have too much to live for.”
I caught his wrist, lowering his hand. “I’m not making you any promises. I may never be able to get past this.”
“Not wanting me dead is enough.” His smile faded. “I’m so sorry, Kaya. For everything. I wish I could go back and make different choices, but I can’t.”
“I’ve accepted the wolf. We’re one. She’s part of my life now. But…” I fought to hold back the hot tears welling in my eyes. “I’m not sure I can accept that you’ve hidden this from me for years.”
“I thought it didn’t matter anymore. Your secret was safe, buried.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You thought I’d never find out. There’s a big difference.”
“I didn’t want you to hate me. I…” He broke eye contact, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned for the door. “It doesn’t matter now.” He looked back over his shoulder. “I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t deserve you.”