Hunter didn’t try to push back, he let his wolf satisfy his curiosity and afterward he would focus his attention on the Vampires where it should be.
“Forgive us,” Andras said. “We weren’t expecting your…assistant to join you this evening. Our contract is very clear regarding this matter.”
The woman met Andras’ eyes. “I have a master’s degree in IT and accounting,” she replied. “When you hired us, you hired me, as well. Is there an issue here?”
Andras didn’t respond, but power radiated around him at the challenge.
Hunter stepped forward. Pretty or not, the woman wouldn’t disrespect his Alpha.
“Stop,” Andras commanded.
“But she—”
“It’s a power play. The Vampires don’t allow their humans to do their talking. They want us to hurt her.”
“What? Why?”
“Because they are sadistic fucks,” Kristoff said.
The Vampires stared boldly at the Shifters, waiting to see what would happen next.
“No problem at all.” Andras walked over to the woman and extended his hand. The scene that the Vampires had hoped for wouldn’t happen. Hunter and Kristof followed him while Gergo and Daniel stood their ground. “Welcome to Dark Wolf Enterprises. I’m Andras Farkas, CEO.”
The woman took his hand. “Asha. Thank you for having us.”
Asha, Hunter repeated her name in his head.
“Your team comes highly recommended. The choice was obvious.” He released her hand.
Asha let out an almost unnoticeable sigh of relief. She swept her arm to one side. “Please let me introduce you to the head of our house.”
Andras blinked in surprise when the Vampire who stepped forward wasn’t the oldest male, but the blonde girl who resembled a prepubescent teenager. Hunter mentally kicked himself as he was sure Andras and Kristof were doing the same. Never underestimate a Vampire.
“Thank you for contracting our business, Mr. Farkas. I am Clarissa.” She shook Andras’ hand.
Her voice sounded like a lyrical flute. Hunter’s ears twitched at the sound of it. While humans found the sound whimsical, Wolf-Shifters didn’t appreciate the high-pitched tone. It grated on his nerves.
Clarissa released Andras’ hand and waved to the others. “My other colleagues, Francisco and Angelica, and our bodyguards are Rocko and Ricko.” The twins each gave a not-so-nice smile. An intimidation tactic that Hunter ignored.
His focus was on Asha.
She had faded behind the others and lowered her eyes. Her momentary boldness was now gone.
His wolf sent him a picture of the human, looking at them, but she had hollowed out eyes.
“I know. It’s too bad that she’s their puppet,” he responded to his wolf.
Like all Shifters, the man and beast were separate entities merged into one. While Hunter was in the forefront, the wolf was awake and lucid, aware of everything that went on around him. But instead of being in control he was more of a passenger in a car. The wolf could communicate using pictures, making suggestions on their course of action, but Hunter had all of the control. And when the wolf was in the front, Hunter was just a bystander, letting the wolf take the reins. Hunter could still communicate with the wolf, as well as his other Pack members just fine.
If she isn’t a Vampire junkie, then why is she with them? Hunter inwardly shook his head. It was common knowledge in the paranormal world that Vampires often told lies to naïve humans—for their unwavering service, the human would be made into a Vampire. The lie was told to fool Vampire groupies everywhere. When her novelty wore off, the Vamps would kill her.
Shame.
“Nice to meet you all.” Andras turned just enough to indicate who he was referring to without completely giving his back to the Vampires. “This is my brother Kristof. He is the CFO and will make himself available via phone for any questions and concerns that you may have. And this is Hunter, the acting head of security, and his team members Gergo and Daniel.”
As Andras introduced all the Shifters, the Vampires took note by making eye contact with everyone. Hunter’s wolf growled at the obvious sign of a challenge. He could feel the others’ wolves pushing forward, ready to shift.
“Calm.” It was the Alpha that had made the command over the Pack bond.
Hunter’s wolf immediately submitted.
“Shall we get started then?” Clarissa asked, oblivious to the electrical power of an impending shift circulating in the air.
If she’d known that looking the wolves directly in the eyes would garner a negative response, she didn’t show it. It seemed that Andras would have to talk to the Vampires about proper wolf etiquette if he didn’t want a fight breaking out.
“Follow us,” Andras said.
Andras and Kristof led the group to the accounting wing while Hunter, Gergo and Daniel brought up the rear. Andras showed the group to one of the large conference rooms where computers and printers had been set up specifically for their use. The conference room had ample lighting as well as plenty of windows so the Vamps wouldn’t feel trapped, as per their request.
“Myself and Kristof will retire for the evening, but the others will remain outside the doors and at your disposal.”
While Clarissa stood at the door and glanced around the room, the others waited behind her.
When none of the Vamps made a move to enter, Kristof cleared his throat. “Are the accommodations satisfactory?” he asked.
“Yes, this will do,” Clarissa finally said.
At her confirmation, the others filed inside. It was clear that she was the boss and their sire. The other two Vampire accountants and the human took the empty seats in front of the computer monitors and the twins dragged chairs from the conference table and positioned them on either side of inside the door.
Clarissa looked at Andras. “We will work until two hours before sunup and return an hour after sundown. As per our contract, we will keep you updated on any information that we find. Updates will be delivered by Asha, to you only, via hand, in a sealed envelope.”
“Thank you very much. I appreciate your confidence in this matter.”
Clarissa gave a slight nod. She then went to the last empty workstation and turned on her computer.
Andras, Kristof and Hunter left the room, keeping the door ajar behind them. Gergo and Daniel had already found comfortable seating in view of the conference room door.
“Call me if you need anything,” Andras said to Hunter. “Otherwise, I’ll trust that everything is running smoothly.”
“I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“Very well then,” Kristof said. “I have a mate to get home to.”
Andras chuckled. “Yes, yes, we know. You’ve told us before.”
Kristof smiled in return. Before he’d mated it was a sight that Hunter rarely saw. “You should only be so lucky.”
An emotion that Hunter couldn’t pin down flashed behind Andras’ eyes, then it was gone just as quickly as it had come. “I like my space. Besides, I see what mating has done to you and Lajos, and I want no part of it.”
As they walked away, Hunter eased himself into a seat outside the conference room. He adjusted his chair so that he could keep one visitor in particular in his line of sight. The human, Asha.
Asha didn’t know why the Wolf-Shifter chose to sit exactly where he had, even adjusting his chair so that he could watch her. She was not a threat—at all. If he knew what was good for him he’d move his chair a little to the right and readjust his angle to focus on Clarissa.
Clarissa liked to play the innocent card and she played it well, mainly because she looked the part, but in reality, she could be just as cold-hearted and vicious as the rest of the Vampires. But she was the only mother figure that Asha had.
Asha tried her best to push the Wolf-Shifter from her mind and concentrate on her work. She followed the Internet link that she’d been given earlier and when she got to an encrypted log-in, she entered the eleven-di
git passcode that allowed her access into Dark Wolf Enterprises’ secure employee database. While the others were tasked with rooting out and shutting down the bogus accounts the embezzler had set up to siphon money from the company, Asha had a different job. She was to track the private bank accounts of all the employees, starting with the accounting staff then the Information Technology department. Andras and Kristof thought that one of their employees was helping a Vampire embezzle from their company.
Asha took note of the list that she’d been given. The accounting staffs’ names were listed in numerical order. Hunter’s name wasn’t on that short list—she hadn’t expected it to be. She turned the pages until she came across the listing of the security team. Dark Wolf Enterprises had fifty-odd employees and the security team was listed at the end, right before the company higher-ups. It gave credence to the fact that the CEO didn’t believe the embezzler was anyone from that team.
In the time that she’d been working for Clarissa, she’d seen it all. By the time people got around to hiring the Vampires they were usually at their last-ditch effort, which meant all the possible suspects had already been rooted out. When Asha came in, she found that the suspect was always someone least expected.
She read Hunter’s full name, Hunter Arany. She peeked over the computer monitor to where he sat. His eyes were on her—deep brown with a hint of gold. She could get used to looking into eyes like his.
While she’d never met a Wolf-Shifter, from the little she’d found out before making the trip, she knew they had dual personalities—one human and a wolf counterpart. Shifters weren’t the same as Skin Walkers or Lycans. Skin Walkers needed the pelt of the animal they intended to shift into, and even then they would remain themselves. And Lycans turned into animals at the height of the full moon.
From what she understood, human and animal co-existed, switching between the two at will.
Confusing. Yet unique and interesting.
Just like the man sitting in front of her.
He was handsome, that was the first thing that struck her, and rugged. He had on dark slacks and a fitted T-shirt, but she could picture him in jeans, white T-shirt, cowboy boots and hat easily. His dark hair fell just past his ears, as if he’d missed a barber’s appointment, and he had a shadow of a beard and mustache, telling that he’d also missed a shave or two. But it was his piercing eyes that held her attention. It seemed as though they bored straight into her soul, hunting for her deepest and darkest secrets.
And if she wasn’t careful, she would tell him all that he sought.
Her heart skipped a beat.
The sound of a chair creaking caught her attention. She didn’t need to look over to see that it was Clarissa. Asha lowered her eyes to the computer monitor and typed in the first name on the list—Jani Hussani.
The slight sound served as a warning. Vampires didn’t have human tendencies and no need to adjust in their seat. She’d seen them hold the same position for an entire night, only moving to finally crawl into their coffins. Panic tried to invade her heart, but she fought it. She’d learned a long time ago to control her reactions when she was in the vicinity of the Vampires. They were predators. If her heart rate increased, they would pick up on it in an instant. Then…
She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and focused on the information that came up on the screen. It was best to forget about the Vampires and the Shifters and concentrate on her task. As if to serve a reminder of the last time she’d shown fear and weakness in Clarissa’s presence, the old puncture marks on her groin began to throb.
Get back to work, Asha.
“Yes, get back to work, Asha.”
Asha’s fingers stilled on the keyboard at the intrusion on her thoughts. “Yes, Clarissa.”
Chapter Four
Last night, Hunter could’ve watched the pretty human work all evening long. He’d much rather have watched her than the Vamps. Oddly, the tension that he’d first felt around the Vamps had disappeared—all because of her.
Asha had little nuances that made her stand apart from them. The way she’d muttered under her breath, chewed on her bottom lip, and fiddled in her seat, while not out of the ordinary, had been cute. Whenever she’d caught herself talking under her breath, she’d cut her eyes at the blonde Vampire, and while the blonde hadn’t paid any attention to her, Asha seemed worried about her just the same.
His wolf liked watching her as well but, unlike Hunter, wasn’t content. He’d sent Hunter pictures of Asha in his bed, with his sheets messed up around her. As soon as those pictures had hit his mind, Hunter had tried pushing them out, but that hadn’t mattered. The image of her lying beneath him, with pleasure in her eyes, was forever burned in his head.
He’d kept his eyes on her, willing her to look his way, but, most of all, willing her to notice him. The wolf inside had stirred at the physical reaction Asha caused within.
When Asha had finally turned her beautiful, smoky eyes his way, she hadn’t shied away like most human women did. Their eyes had locked and his wolf had threatened to break free. Mentally, he’d had to coax his wolf back into submission. Shifting without a valid cause in front of the Vampires wouldn’t have gone well. They would’ve taken it as a threat and reacted. Hunter had stilled his natural instincts and had fought against his wolf.
If he’d met Asha under different circumstance, he would’ve welcomed the chance to get to know her better, which meant getting her alone so that he and his wolf could explore every inch of her willing body. He’d been with humans before—not many, but enough to know how to please them. And please them all he had.
The sound of his cell phone ringing jolted him from his thoughts. He pulled his eyes away from the security monitor that he’d been focused on before thoughts of Asha had taken over his mind. He’d been alternating between watching Erzsebet while she talked on her desk phone and Asha working on the computer in the conference room. His phone rang again and he fished it from his pocket.
“Hunter, here.”
“Hey, Hunt, it’s Lajos.”
At hearing his cousin’s relaxed voice, Hunter immediately smiled and leaned back in the desk chair. “Don’t tell me that you’ve taken time out of your honeymoon to call and check up on me?”
Lajos chuckled. “I sure did, and if you tell my wife, I’ll deny it.”
Hunter laughed as well. He could just imagine Meisha’s reaction to Lajos thinking about work when he was supposed to be enjoying two weeks of rest and relaxation.
Lajos had met Meisha when he’d gone to Jacksonville, Florida, with Kristof to terminate an accounting contract that Dark Wolf Enterprises had with a human accounting firm that was owned and operated by Trudy, Kristof’s now life-mate. Neither Kristof nor Lajos had thought that they’d both come back from that trip life-mated. And Hunter could also bet that Meisha and Trudy, childhood best friends, had never thought that they’d be mated to Wolf-Shifter brothers.
“How did the first night with the Vampires go?” Lajos asked after a long yawn.
Hunter let out a breath. “Tiring and boring.”
“Tiring and boring?” Lajos asked. “Really?”
“Yeah, essentially.”
“So, um, you okay with being saddled with them, then?” There was a hint of confusion in Lajos’s voice and Hunter understood why. Although his family had been attacked well before Lajos had even been born, he knew the story of what had happened.
“I am. To be honest, I thought it would be harder to control my wolf around them and I thought I would have…flashbacks, but…” Hunter thought about it more. “Nothing like that happened. I’m okay.”
“Well, that’s good to hear. I was feeling guilty about not being there to take over this job for you.”
“No need to. Enjoy your honeymoon, and don’t think about us here.”
“Andras is certain that they’ll get the job done, then?”
“Yeah, I have no doubt in that, either. Andras will have his preliminary report sometime today.�
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“Already?”
“They work fast. Their human assistant arrived about an hour ago. She’ll give their daily report to Andras as soon as he’s free.”
Hunter had tried to take the report, telling Asha that he would give it to Andras after he finished his meeting, but she’d declined. She had strict instructions to physically hand the report to Andras and only him. He’d taken her to the conference room reserved for her and the Vampires to wait until Andras was ready.
“Good. I want all this mess to be over with already.” Lajos cursed low under his breath. “Here comes Meisha,” he said in hushed tones. “I’ll call you when I can.”
Hunter burst out laughing. “Tell Meisha I said hi.”
“Uh-uh. No can do. She’ll never know about this conversation.”
“Mum’s the word, then.”
Lajos disconnected the line.
When Hunter stuffed his phone back into his pocket, he still had a smile on his face. But as soon as he saw Erzsebet on the security monitor preparing to leave for the evening his smile dropped. He could either follow her again or come right out and ask her what was going on. She was hiding something and he intended to find out what it was.
He left the security office and headed to the accounting wing. He nodded to the employees who were also related in one way or another, as he passed. Most had on their coats, with belongings in hand, ready to leave before five. It would be hours yet before the Vampires were scheduled to arrive but, per the memo he and Andras had sent out, employees were to leave well ahead of time.
When he made it to Erzsebet’s cubicle, she had her purse flung over her shoulder. She turned away from her desk, with her car keys in hand, and bumped right into his chest.
“Oh! Hunter. I didn’t see you behind me.”
Hunter cocked his head to the side. “Did you happen to see me behind you yesterday?”
She kept her face neutral. “I thought that was you.”
“Don’t play games with me, Ezie. So, you lost me on purpose?”
Hunter Claimed (Dark Wolf Enterprises Book 3) Page 4