by Chris T. Kat
“Oh God, you’re acting as dumb as Jesse.”
Grimacing, I threw an annoyed glare at him over my shoulder. “I hate that you set him up with Connor. They’re driving me up the wall now.”
Jesse had made it his mission in life to get into Connor’s pants. So far they’d been on several dates, which they seemed to enjoy, but Connor had put the brakes on anything sexual, it seemed.
Roland snickered. “Connor has him working for it. I don’t think Jesse’s ever had to do more than wink or smile at someone to get what he wanted.”
“You’re enjoying that, right?”
“Seeing Jesse flounder and act like a lovesick fool? Yes, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy that. Remember how he liked to tease me about Lori?”
I froze, my hand hovering above the button of the coffee maker. What should I do or say? Act like everything was peachy when Roland hadn’t said Lori’s name in over a year?
“It’s okay, Sam. I’m at the point where I can say her name without breaking down.”
I punched the button more viciously than necessary, then turned to face him. “I’m sorry, Roland.”
“I know. Nick’s been helping. He saw Lori’s picture on my desk about two weeks ago, and he gushed about how beautiful she was. That was the first time I remembered that about her, instead of all the blood….” Roland faltered. He swallowed a mouthful of coffee, hissing when it obviously burned his tongue. “Just don’t dismiss your feelings for him, that’s all I’m saying. And don’t bullshit me that you have none. I’ve got eyes and a pretty decent nose. I can smell your arousal when you’re around him.”
Arousal? And he could smell it on me? What about the others?
At least Nick couldn’t smell it. “Is it really that obvious?”
“You big cats smell extreme to a wolf like me when you’re giving off sex pheromones. I don’t think Jesse or Annie took much notice. They’re way too enamored with their own love interests.” Roland inclined his head. “Okay, and that’s enough heart-to-heart for the next six months.”
I chuckled as he left. I could live with that.
Chapter Five
Nick
FOR SOME reason, I’d expected immediate action at my new workplace, totally disregarding the fact that big cases didn’t pop up every few minutes, even in such a big city as New York.
After the human and shifter societies merged, there’d been a huge increase in violence, especially since some groups had been strictly against the merging. Now, about fifty years after the fact and with humans and shifters marrying each other, producing offspring, singing “Kumbayah,” and what-have-you, our society was safe. Relatively speaking, naturally.
There were still folks who were unhappy about the way things had worked out, and they voiced their concerns loudly and frequently, but altogether humans and shifters at least tried to get along. Drugs had become a problem, though, and that’s what Alpha Unit One’s main focus was. Alpha Unit Two, by contrast, mainly worked on shifter trafficking, something I didn’t feel equipped to deal with. Hence my application to this unit.
Humans drifted toward those pharmaceuticals that enhanced strength, which produced some severe side effects. Government-approved drugs that enhanced strength were only prescribed for hybrids who had trouble accessing their shifter side. I wish they’d never developed that kind of drug. Why would anyone need them? If you’re a hybrid, you’re part human, part shifter, so deal with what you’ve got.
I rubbed my fists over my burning eyes. Damn, my left ear itched. What I wouldn’t give for a good scratch right about now. Instead, I sighed and tried to make sense of my computer screen. From the corner of my eye, I caught Sam staring at me. Why did he have to do that all the fucking time?
I willed myself not to sweat and give myself away. Since I’d started working here, I’d had to almost double the amount of cologne I used, much to the great disgruntlement of everyone who had to smell me. Jesse sauntered past me swishing a folder back and forth and pretended to gag. “Seriously, Nicky my man, try to be a bit more considerate, okay? That cologne’s stinking up the whole office.”
“Shut up,” I grumbled back at him. If he knew of my morning sneeze attacks, he’d probably even feel sorry for me. I definitely felt sorry for myself. Everything reeked to hell, and it all tormented my sensitive nose.
“Jesse’s right, Nick,” Sam chimed in. “That’s really too much. It’s giving most of us a headache. Maybe you wouldn’t have to rub your eyes so much either if you’d tone it down a bit.”
Before I had the chance to protest, Annie patted my head. “Ah, but I like it when he does that. Reminds me of a little cub. So cute.”
She winked at Jake, who sank lower in his chair. I sniffed the air—stealthily, of course—and coughed. Seemed someone was in heat and interested in getting a cub. How would that work? Would she be allowed to go into the field if she was pregnant?
“Aw, now you’re wrinkling your nose just like a little tiger cub,” Annie cooed at my right side as she ruffled my hair.
“Geez, fuck off. Even better, go and fuck your boyfriend and get yourself a cub or two, but leave me alone.” I fended off her hands, which seemed to be petting me everywhere. She didn’t stop, just twirled my chair around to have better access. I gazed into her face and flinched. The golden flecks in her green eyes brightened, and her nostrils flared. Right now, she was acting mostly on instinct, her tigress right under the surface.
Oh fuck. Any second now and she’d be onto me!
I slouched lower in my chair, hoping to flex out of her reach. “Sam! I think she’s going feral. Why is she going feral? Sam!”
Suddenly Sam’s comforting scent mingled with Annie’s. I heard him talking to Annie, but I couldn’t make out the words. Fear vibrated through my every pore when she inhaled deeply, the golden flecks coalescing more and more.
More people surrounded us. All of a sudden, someone pulled me from my chair. Annie roared. She stretched out her hands for me. Someone—Sam—slapped her hands away. The skin-on-skin contact made a sickening sound. I wound my arms around Sam’s neck and held on for dear life.
A soft shriek escaped my mouth when Annie roared again. Sam gripped the back of my head, smashing me into his chest, while his other arm secured me around the waist. My heart hammered a rapid bum-bum, bum-di-bum. I gulped in air, smelling Sam, his worry and protectiveness. I curled deeper into his arms, trusting him to keep me safe and for once deciding I could do with some safekeeping right now.
I became aware of Sam rubbing my back in a comforting gesture. My heart rate had returned to normal, so I peeked up at him. His usually stern face transformed into something beautiful when he smiled. I smiled back, barely remembering not to moan in contentment. Preventing the purr in my throat from escaping was way harder than it should have been.
“What happened?” I coughed to dislodge the constriction in my throat.
Sam turned me around, his front now pressed against my back. He was so big and strong that I couldn’t help but lean back into his embrace—just a fraction, of course.
When I spotted Annie again, she was leaning heavily on Jake, who only seemed to be upright because he was sitting on my desk. Annie was in partial shift. She clutched Jake around his torso while she rubbed her furry head all over Jake’s skull. Jake didn’t say anything, simply held on to Annie’s ruff and sometimes offered his neck to her.
“Is she going to bite him?” Julie asked from Roland’s corner of the room. She’d gone deadly pale. Did she even notice that Roland was partially blocking her, touching her?
“No, they’re fully mated. She’d never attack Jake. Look at how relaxed he is.” Sam pointed at the scene in front of us. By now, Annie was licking Jake’s face, enticing soft giggles from him.
“So… how long will that go on? Because I ain’t going back to my desk as long as they’re rubbing all over each other.” I eyed my desk. Hopefully they wouldn’t do more than what they were currently doing, because… ugh.
Sam slid his right hand along my chest before he stepped away from me. My little inner voice instantly complained about the lack of body contact, almost crying at the loss. I swallowed and burrowed my nails deep into my palms, the pinch enough of a distraction to stop me from emitting a scent that anyone with a fine nose could pick up on.
“As soon as Annie’s more in control again, the two of them will go on leave for a couple of days,” Sam answered my question.
“And how long will it take for her to get back under control?” I tapped my left foot on the floor. “I have shit to do. I think I finally found a connection.”
That got Sam’s attention fast. Since I’d teamed up with them, there’d been a steep upward progression of deaths due to overdoses of a new street drug that combined enhancement gen material with something else our scientists couldn’t pinpoint yet. So far we’d come up empty-handed as to who was dealing this crap and where their laboratory was.
“You have?” Jesse sounded almost incredulous.
Connor rolled his eyes, although he didn’t seem to mind that Jesse had put himself between Connor and Annie, basically shielding him from harm. “You make it sound as if you are the only one capable of finding clues on the computer.”
“That’s because I’m the best.”
“Did it ever occur to you you’re overdoing the arrogance thing?” Connor shot back.
“It’s not arrogance if it’s the truth.”
Connor’s mouth formed a firm line before he said, in a cold tone, “Then how about the fact that your arrogance is really putting me off? With that attitude, you’re as desirable as a toaster.”
He ducked under Jesse’s arms and made his way over to me, glowering. Jesse gaped at Connor’s retreating back.
“Toaster? Seriously?” I asked Connor.
“I’m hungry. You up for an early lunch? Maybe the two lovebirds will be gone by the time we’re back,” Connor said.
“Sure.” Remembering my manners, I turned to Sam. “If that’s all right?”
“That’s fine.” Sam smiled, and I had to tamp down hard on my desire to purr.
Jesse’s voice drifted toward us when we reached the door. “I thought we were going for lunch.”
Connor threw him a hostile look. “I’ve changed my mind.”
Jesse appeared ready to combust at any moment, so I hurried to open the door, almost smashing it into Connor’s face. Only Julie’s fast reaction saved him. “Me and Roland are coming with you guys. This is too weird even for our team.”
“Really? You could’ve fooled me. Since I came here, you’re all acting weirder and weirder.”
I laughed at the disgruntled looks on my teammates’ faces.
Chapter Six
Sam
I PINCHED the bridge of my nose while I watched half the team flee our office. What a day!
Hopefully, Jake’s soothing touch would bring Annie back to her normal composed self quickly. Though I did wonder why Annie’s heat suppressants didn’t work properly, because it was obvious now she’d gone into heat. She’d only had a problem with the suppressants once in the past, and that was after she’d switched from one medication to another.
An angry growl issued from Jesse’s direction. His green eyes were drawn into slits, and the jaguar hovered right under the surface, ready to strike. I’d never seen him so furious. Sure, he liked to play diva, but he’d never been so out of control as he was lately.
“Stand down!” I snapped at him.
He answered me with a loud hiss and stepped closer. While I could hold my own against Jesse, even in his jaguar form, I didn’t want to fight him. I dropped my voice to a lower register, allowing a rumble of my own to suffuse it. “Are you spoiling for a fight, Jesse?”
“He went without me. He promised we’d go,” Jesse squeezed out between heavy breaths.
I raised an eyebrow. “Get yourself together, dammit! We’re cops, not some damn actors in a soap opera.”
“He feels rejected by his mate, and that hurts, doesn’t it, Jesse?” Annie’s voice sounded hoarse, and she seemed to have some trouble focusing on the words. But that didn’t stop her offering her opinion. “It hurts so much your heart feels as if it’s splitting apart. The desire to finally bind him to you is overwhelming and scary and comforting all at once. Everything feels out of control, and that’s terrifying.”
Jake was still sitting on Nick’s desk, anchored to Annie by one of her arms. He hung on her words, admiration shining brightly in his eyes. God, the love between them hurt to watch.
Still, they managed to act professionally. And although Annie was extremely protective of him, she respected Jake and let him do his job. She trusted him to hold his own, no matter what. She never fell into that trap where her concern about him immobilized her or prevented her from doing her job. Would I be able to do the same with Nick?
Er, my mate. I meant my mate, of course. If I ever found my mate. And if he happened to be a cop.
Jesse’s breaths still came out as pants as he fought against his shift. Incredulity laced his voice. “He won’t let me bite him. I told him he’s my mate, and he just laughs it off.”
“Seriously, Jess?” Jake twirled the end of Annie’s long braid around his fingers. “That’s not how it works. Connor’s right about one thing—your arrogance is getting to be too much. Don’t start with how great you are, because that’s just… no. Why would Connor want to be with you if you’re always belittling him?”
“I’m not belittling him. Why would you think that?”
“You telling him all the time how you’re the best at something isn’t exactly a self-esteem booster, Jess. Besides, who’d want to be with someone like you who’s obviously more in love with himself than anyone else?”
A sharp spike of pain surged into Jesse’s scent. Ouch. Jake’s comment had definitely hit home. Of course, I could leave it at that, but all that drama was starting to disrupt the team. “Get your act together, Jesse. Either behave like a normal being or cut Connor loose. Any more drama and I’ll reassign you. At the moment, you’re destroying the team’s trust in you.”
The scent of pain magnified, but Jesse wouldn’t be Jesse if he didn’t have a comeback. “You’re threatening me? You’d choose Connor over me?”
This conversation had the potential to ruin our team, but I still opted for honesty. If I could pride myself on anything, it was that. “Trust has to be earned, and it has to be nurtured to remain intact. You’re playing with it, and you’re losing the respect of your teammates while Connor’s doing none of these things. Yes, at the moment I’d choose him over you.”
“I’ve been here from the beginning!” Dark hair sprouted from Jesse’s face. I closed my eyes, centering myself. If I had to fight, I would.
When I opened my eyes again, Jake was towing Annie to the door. “See you tomorrow, boss,” he mumbled.
“Or maybe the day after tomorrow,” Annie added, her eyes gleaming.
“Have fun, and find out what’s wrong with the suppressants,” I said.
“Will do,” they chorused in unison.
The door clicked shut, and I faced Jesse again. I kept my limbs loose, ready to pounce at any second.
Jesse’s facial hair was gone, and when I caught his gaze, his eyes swam in unshed tears. “Sam, what’s going on with me? I’m so angry all the time, and it’s all centered around Connor.”
“What do you mean it’s centered around Connor?” I took a tentative step closer, still wary of the predator lingering inside Jesse.
“I want him so bad I ache, but the closer I get, the more his scent gets into my nose and the more I want to strangle him. There’s something odd about him, like his scent isn’t as it should be.”
Throwing all caution to the wind, I closed the distance between us and hauled Jesse into a rough embrace. He leaned heavily against me, his head ducked low. Embarrassment, confusion, and exhaustion seeped from his scent.
“Have you tried talking to him about it?
Maybe there’s a reason for the odd scent?” I asked.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he’s taking some meds that alter the way he smells,” I guessed.
“He’s healthy. He doesn’t have to take any meds.”
“He’s also human, Jesse,” I reminded him. “Sometimes they take painkillers for headaches or whatever other aches ail them. Or maybe he’s supplementing his diet with some of these new vitamins. You know that could be the cause of him smelling weird to you.”
“It’s driving me batshit crazy, thinking he’s knowingly hiding something from me.”
I gave his back a hearty pat, chuckling. “Everyone hides something. Don’t hold Connor to different standards than yourself.”
Jesse grimaced, then ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m doing this all wrong, aren’t I?”
“Maybe, but at least you’re trying.”
“Yeah. Which is way more than can be said for you and Nicky.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That seemed to become my default statement when it came to Nick, the beautiful guy I dreamed about at night and wanted at my side 24/7.
“Sam, I can smell your arousal a mile away. Let me tell you that it’s quite strange to think of your boss that way.”
I flipped him off and repeated, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re an ass.”
“Likewise.” I threw myself into my chair, hiding behind my desk to conceal my erection, which had sprung up as soon as Jesse uttered the word arousal and I thought about Nick. The way his dimples deepened when he laughed, the way his baby blues lit up when he got going about something. God, I had it bad!
“Maybe you should ask him out,” Jesse offered, perching on his own desk.