by A. C. Arthur
Then there was X. Gorgeous didn’t quite seem to fit his rugged and lethal persona. Yes, his face, with the skin the delicious color of milk chocolate and eyes as piercing as they were alluring, was a pleasure to look at. But beneath his totally hot body—bulging muscles and a confident stride had always been Caprise’s undoing—there was something else lurking. Danger probably described it in the most basic of ways, but it wasn’t that simple. Whatever it was beneath the surface was what made X the man he was. It had molded and created this fearless leader, this absolutely vicious but methodical killer. Again, Caprise noted she should be afraid of him since she knew what he was capable of. In fact, though, she wasn’t afraid, and for that very same reason.
He hadn’t grown up with Nick and Rome, not in those very early years. He moved here from someplace—Atlanta, if memory served her correctly. But that was all she knew. Nick hadn’t told her anything else, and she’d never thought to ask. Casting a quick glance at him now as he stared out the window, she wondered why it hadn’t mattered to her until now. She would be kidding herself if she said that their physical joining hadn’t changed anything. It had, and in a big way. Caprise was honest enough to admit that, even if just to herself.
Maybe she should have stayed in DC, she thought fleetingly. But it was a little too late for that now since they were somewhere over Kansas en route to Arizona. She didn’t really know why and hadn’t thought to ask. It was most likely shifter business, and Caprise figured she didn’t want to know the details. For as much strength as it had taken her to return to DC, she still wasn’t quite ready to claim the heritage that had been thrust upon her. Should she be? After all that had happened to her?
So many questions roared through her mind at this moment, so many issues she’d thought she had a handle on resurfacing to give her contented state a kick in the ass that had everything tilting on its axis. And wasn’t that just how life was: The minute thoughts of safety and completeness engulfed her, everything shifted so that landing on her ass became the norm.
“You’re thinking too hard.”
His voice was deep and raspy, almost like some maniacal villain in a B-rated sci-fi flick. Come to think of it, X’s entire demeanor could easily be mistaken for a villain, rather than a warrior for the good side.
“How do you know what I’m doing?” she asked him. They still had hours to sit on this plane together, so trying to ignore him or having him ignore her was pointless.
“Your scent is full of confusion. It’s driving me insane.”
On instinct Caprise inhaled deeply and exhaled with a shiver going down her spine. His scent was of pure, unadulterated lust.
“Go ahead, say it,” he said, watching her closely.
He had a knack for doing that. Saying things to her that were absolutely true even if she didn’t want to accept them. And he was so damn sure of himself, so sure that if he wanted her that meant she wanted him, which wasn’t exactly a lie.
“I’m not saying anything,” she replied tightly. Then she thought better of her silence and figured if X insisted on tapping into her innermost thoughts and feelings, she could do the same.
“Is sex all you think about?” she asked him.
He shrugged. “What else is there?”
“Work, for one,” she said, staring at him incredulously because she couldn’t believe he’d just said that.
“My day job has me investigating human traffickers. My second job puts me face-to-face with sadistic killers. What would you suggest I think about in my spare time?”
He was hiding. It was obvious to Caprise, because a year ago she would have probably given the same flippant answer if asked.
“Do you like looking for the bad guy all the time? Don’t you ever do anything for fun?”
“Fun is overrated” was his reply.
“I used to think that, too,” she answered.
X laughed. And suddenly Caprise was engulfed with warmth, as if those big strong arms of his had wrapped around her, holding her so tightly yet so comfortably she had no choice but to let down her guard.
“You got a problem with sex addicts?”
“Not at all,” she conceded. “Just makes me wonder, that’s all.”
“Don’t waste your time.”
“Meaning?”
“Don’t waste your time wondering about me. I am who I am and proud of it.”
And then he seemed to go off into his own world again. His thoughts were just as deep as hers, she figured, even though she couldn’t scent his. Her fingers drummed on the arm of the seat and she began to hum. X was proud of who he was and yet he denied that person the freedom to shine. Why? He was a puzzle, one she was sure she could figure out. That would be a welcome change, she thought. Helping somebody else with his problems instead of trying to sift through her own.
After a few moments she realized what she’d been thinking of doing could backfire on her: Not only could her heart end up broken, but there was a chance that she might not be able to tame the beast lurking inside X. That nobody could.
Sedona, Arizona
Sebastian Perry was a thirty-four-year-old renowned bachelor, six foot one, with butter-toned skin, eyes as gray as a cloudy day, and a mind as sharp as Bill Gates’s—if he were in charge of the military instead of being a computer mogul. He dressed better than most of the male models in the country and walked with an air of confidence—some called it swagger—but he’d hold on to confidence because it sounded good, too. An only child to Geneva and Lathan Perry, he was blessed with all the good parts of his parents and loved the fact that all the bad parts had departed along with them after the divorce.
In college he’d majored in hospitality, minored in poetry, and kept a stable of women that still liked to ring his phone even though a good portion of them were now married. Life, and two multimillion-dollar vacation resorts, had landed him in Sedona five years ago. Perryville Resorts were known worldwide, giving their owner even more visibility in the human world. None of them knew he was a lethal beast, his gray eyes turning an eerie shade of red-gold, his teeth growing sharper and longer, his body bulking and covering with fur. It was one of the many secrets he held close to the vest like a seasoned gambler at Caesars.
Perryville Resorts Sedona was located near the secluded Boynton Canyon, sitting on more than eighty acres of natural terrain. Its structure was surrounded by red-rock buttes known for inspiring the mind, body, and spirit. This was the reason Bas stayed here year-round. While he made it a point to spot-check each of his resorts throughout the year, this one was his baby. From the moment he’d opened his first location, he knew he’d end up here. His plan was to expand Perryville until it touched every exotic locale in the world, but here, where he could stand on the balcony to his penthouse suite and look at the magnificent orange and fuchsia swirls in the sky as the sun set over the beautiful red rocks, was where he belonged.
In twenty minutes the jet would land on the private strip of land Bas had designated as shifter airspace. It was completely off the grid, so the FAA had no way of tracking their jets to or from their destination. Just as below the basement floors of Perryville Resorts was yet another twenty-five feet dug into the earth. Here was where the shifter labs and surveillance spaces where kept. The walls of the U-shaped bunker were lined with layer upon layer of reinforced steel and guarded by some of the most high-tech security equipment ever invented. Bas had consulted with Nick on most of the layout and what would be needed to keep the fortress both stable and secure. X had given his input on the technology and the general warfare. Should their security somehow become breached, for whatever reason, this was Bas’s territory. He had teams of shifters categorized by their levels of achievement in combat: Lower levels did perimeter checks, while higher levels worked discreetly among the citizens of Sedona. Bas’s years as a marine had provided the combat skills required to train hundreds of shifters to protect and safeguard their secret as well as their people. His college years had given him the intelligence an
d sophistication he needed to rub elbows with the rich and elite of America. The fact that he was a shifter had given him the solid footing he needed to stay sane among everything else.
Comastaz Laboratories, owned and operated by the US government, was studying an unknown species. A human–animal mix was what they thought they had. From the research Bas had confiscated, it looked like they were relying on guesswork, supposition, and the rantings of one man—Julio Cortez.
X wasn’t going to be happy when Bas told him what he’d found. He was going to be even less pleased at the prisoner they’d managed to capture but who refused to speak, even after Bas’s blue team had exhausted their very best coercion techniques.
“We’re land-live.”
The voice belonged to Jacques, Bas’s Lead Guard, as he reported through the intercom link they all wore tucked discreetly into one ear—it was activated by small chips embedded into the collars of their shirts—that the jet had landed safely.
“Received,” Bas responded tightly. “Bring him to my office immediately.”
“Received” was Jacques’s solemn reply.
Bas’s body tensed as his gaze lingered over the rocks, down the base of what looked like a majestic formation of cliffs and caves. They rose hundreds of feet above Perryville, which sat serenely, its reddish brown buildings a complement to the stark blue sky and entrancing multihued sunsets. It was serenity served on a platter of the highest quality—royalty within a scenic mountainous region that boasted mind, body, and soul restoration. It was his masterpiece.
And someone or something was threatening to destroy it.
The scents were changing, shifting and eluding as if they were being surrounded. Bas had felt the intrusion days ago. With each moment the sense of being invaded grew, even with the dozen perimeter checks per day. It wasn’t the humans who arrived like clockwork according to their reservations and stayed to spend their money in search of something they would most likely leave here without finding—because their minds would only allow them to accept so much of the unknown. No, this presence was different. It was animalistic in all its glory and it was a major threat to all Bas had accomplished. For that reason alone he vowed to hunt to kill, no questions asked, no prisoners taken—despite the mandate of the head of the Stateside Assembly.
* * *
X felt it the moment they stepped off the jet.
Eyes were upon him, lots of eyes that saw through his human skin to the beast that lay in waiting.
He scented their stench and growled instinctively, drawing a frown from Caprise, who had stepped down from the steps and stood beside him.
“Easy, big fella, we’re out in the open now. Wouldn’t want any exposure issues,” she reminded him. He looked like he was ready to shift in the next instant.
“Stop,” he said, reaching out to touch her arm, to hold her still. “Lift your head to the wind and close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Be quiet and do it,” he said with a little more force.
Later, X would marvel at how quickly she’d obeyed him and possibly question it. Right now, however, she did what he’d told her to do.
“It’s coming from the west,” she said softly, so quiet that the light breeze almost drowned her out. “There.” She pointed.
X immediately pulled her arm back to her side. “I know.”
“Who—” she began, then cleared her throat. “What?”
“Rogues.”
“Great.” She sighed. “Everywhere I go now these things are popping up.”
She was urged toward the Land Rover that was waiting to take them to the resort. He was beginning to notice that same thing. Not that they hadn’t acquired the interest of the Rogues before Caprise had arrived. It still seemed weird that they turned up everywhere she was lately. That couldn’t mean anything good, X thought with another low growl. Nothing good at all.
Chapter 13
“I didn’t know you were bringing company so this is the only suite available,” Bas said, entering the room behind X and Caprise and one of his human staff members, Jewel.
Jewel looked young, probably in her late twenties. She was tall and sure of herself with an awesome body couldn’t really be hidden beneath the staff uniform. She went through the unit pulling the drapes back to reveal more scenery through pristine windows.
“You own the joint,” X replied gruffly. “You couldn’t fix it so I had the best suite in the house?”
Bas smiled genuinely as he joked along. “Not on your life. You’re a freebie. The rest are paying customers.”
“I’m hurt.” X continued the exchange, slapping a hand to his chest and taking a step back.
Caprise watched the friendly banter with interest. Sebastian Perry was one hell of a man, dressed in slacks that weren’t fitted, but draped over lean hips and fell to rest with pure style over shined leather tie-ups. His shirt was the color of the rocks that stretched skyward and occupied every view from every window she’d seen so far in the resort. It, too, fit him impeccably well and added sparkle to the gold-and-diamond watch at his wrist, the thick gold bracelet on the opposite side. His hair was wavy, raven black, and about a quarter inch long. The eyes were entrancing, drawing you in completely the moment he set them on you.
But they didn’t hold Caprise long. Pretty faces had run their course with her, right alongside smooth words and fancy cars. No, Bas seemed really cool, and he knew everything there was to know about the shifters in the Mountain Faction. He was even very cordial with his staff, as she noticed when he dismissed Jewel, who smiled at Caprise before leaving. But he wasn’t X.
The fact that she even cared said a lot.
“All joking aside, if you’d like your own room, I could probably find a vacancy.”
Caprise jerked her gaze from the view, aiming it squarely on Bas as she realized he’d been speaking to her. “I can handle it. But thanks,” she told him.
If she weren’t Nick’s sister she doubted the offer would have been extended. She’d seen the look he and X exchanged when she was introduced. No doubt the FL knew she’d been with X intimately. There was a sort of territorial vibe going between them, but she dismissed it.
“I believe you can handle it,” Bas commented, rubbing a finger over his clean-shaven jawline.
He was watching her like a cat would its prey, only his hunger was on a totally different level.
“She’s staying with me and she’ll be just fine,” X said, clapping a hand on Bas’s shoulder, effectively drawing the man’s attention from Caprise.
She only smiled, taking this opportunity to wander through the suite. They would talk about shifter business—some guy named Hernandez and information he wasn’t giving them. At this point Caprise was becoming a little curious about what was going on. But she wouldn’t tell X that, not just yet.
Even though this was all Bas had available for them to stay in, it was no minimal arrangement. The living room was huge, with a lovely beehive fireplace occupying its largest wall. Everything was decorated in deep oranges, rustic browns, and soothing beiges, all colors that soaked up the warming rays of the sun and cast a hazy glow about the entire space.
To her left were glass doors that opened to a patio with more cotton-candy clouds and a stunning sunset as its backdrop. To her right was the kitchen and right in front of her, after she’d walked a couple feet from the fireplace, was a small hallway. She moved forward, spying a bathroom to her left just before glimpsing the bedroom ahead. Another spacious room with yet another beehive fireplace and a bed that looked like five people could fit on it. Caprise wasn’t nervous. She’d slept with X last night and nothing had happened. She’d had sex with him twice and was almost positive that if—or she should probably say when—the urge hit them they’d have sex again. Unlike many single females she didn’t have any hang-ups about sex. It was basic and normal between two healthy adults.
X didn’t give the impression of a man who dealt beyond the physical. That worked for Caprise�
��no strings, no complications, that’s what she’d decided to have once she returned. Anything more might test her newfound resolution of her past.
Caprise sat on the bed, rubbing a hand down her back, letting the low muffle of their voices be drowned out by her thoughts. In the next instant her cell phone rang. Dread sifted through the room like tear gas and her heart began to pound. It was him. She knew it as surely as she knew her name. After all these years he’d found her, and he knew exactly what she’d done.
* * *
“So how long did it take?” Bas asked X as they stood out on the patio just beyond the living room.
“How long did what take?”
Bas chuckled. “The ass whipping Nick administered when he found out you’d slept with his little sister.”
The FL’s laughter continued and for a minute X actually considered punching him. But there was that whole ranking thing that held him back. Besides, it wasn’t a question he wouldn’t have asked if the shoe were on the other foot. So instead of getting physical he simply shrugged. “We talked a bit, then things got in the way.”
Bas nodded. “So he really hasn’t had the time to dig into your ass yet?”
“Hey, I’m not here for your amusement, Perry. When do I get to talk to Hernandez?”
“Whenever you’re ready. But I’ve got to tell you, the guy’s not in any hurry to give up his boss.”
“We just want to know the connection,” X said. He’d been walking from one end of the patio to the other, looking over the iron railing to the drop of trees and rooftops of the adjoining buildings in this resort that actually looked like a tiny village.
His gaze kept traveling up the red-rock formations, to the tops that looked as if they touched the sky. But X wasn’t awed by its beauty or soaking up any of the soul-healing crap. He was looking for someone—or rather, something—that he knew was out there.