“Before you go, I have news,” Freyja said, buffing her nails on her ivory-and-gold-colored gown. Unlike usual, she, too, wore a cape, sea green in color. She must have been out and not visiting family. The door cracked open, and in sashayed the newest addition to Alistair’s household: the strange cat Leslie had somehow found, Saga. With a loud meow, it jumped into Freyja’s lap as if demanding to be petted.
“I was just about to head to the initiation,” Alistair said.
“Yes, I know,” Freyja stroked Saga’s black fur, “but there is something on the front that you need to keep in mind. The Fae have again petitioned for entrance into the Order’s board. They’ve decided that they do not have enough representation.”
“Representation? Are we to trust those behind the last rebellion? From what I recall, and correct me if I’m wrong, they had a hand in the Hundred Year War that took us decades to right.”
“Yes, but since then, they’ve paid their dues, and, according to their Seelie and Unseelie courts, they have contributed much to the Order’s continued formation and strength. We need not forget that the Fae have taught much of the magic the Order is blessed to use.”
“It is their magic, but not one that I am comfortable with using. Who knows where that magic has been?”
“Hush now, your intolerance has you looking foolish.”
“There is no place in the Order for the treacherous,” Alistair countered.
Saga jumped down from Freyja’s lap and circled her ankles with a loud purr.
“And how does that sit with your Leslie, or even Peter for that matter? He is one of your most faithful servants, but he was brought here by Fae blood and magic.”
“I trust until given a reason not to.” He planted his feet, turning his back on his grandmother and stared unblinking at the flames.
“Then you are more foolish than I thought. It would help if you started believing people when they display their character to you. Although Leslie is your fated one, you have not yet acted in any way that would build a bridge between you two. Instead, you prance around this keep with your chest puffed out in pride, leaving the poor girl to her own devices and defenses. And Peter, well, how long before your hatred of his kind becomes fuel to lay the Order low?”
“Don’t be a stubborn dragon, Alistair. The battle coming is one you have created.”
Tonight was not one Alistair wanted to be chastised by his grandmother. Her words cut him deeply, though. “Thank you, grandmother, for your time and words, but I must be on my way.”
She pushed up from her chair, walked across the carpet and patted him on his cheek. “I have always let you make your own mistakes, and this shall not be any different. Now your plans are changing. Go, your sedan is waiting below. You can’t leave Leslie to her own novice devices.”
Alistair’s meeting with his sister would have to wait until later. Something was happening with the wolves that required his immediate attention.
Chapter 18
Leslie
Alistair, Drac, Claudine, and I piled into a sedan, while Killian and his team took the rear car, and Rose and her team took point.
If I’d known I’d be stepping out, I might have stayed in my sexy dress. Nothing says sex club like a red dress with a slit up to your ass. But instead, I’d donned my usual wear: yoga pants. Because why not.
Up until now, though, there’d been no explanation as to why we had to do all of this now.
However, let’s be honest. After the attack, I wasn’t expecting a field trip as a reward, but leaving the compound for the city felt like a vacation. All of the sounds of my city, I’d missed. Yep, I didn’t think I ever quite understood how much I loved everything the city offered me until I was no longer in it.
Finally, we pulled up to a nondescript building with just a number on the black overhead awning.
“Oh, I know this place,” Claudine said with a wink and a smile. “Decadence. It seems like your dragon has a kink or two.” She didn’t whisper it, and I sure wasn’t going to look at either Alistair or Drac.
“This is the Wolf’s Den, Claudine, and although it might have the street name of Decadence, I assure you it is aboveboard,” Alistair plainly stated. Of course, he didn’t address the kink part. “Although you ladies will be slightly underdressed, since you are with us, it shouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, this matter is urgent.”
Urgent? I wondered why we’d be heading out now, after I’d gotten comfortable, again, in my yoga pants.
We exited the car, as opened by the valet, and entered.
Slightly was an understatement. The place was like a gentlemen’s old smoking club, with highly polished furniture, dark and plush seating, ornately carved pieces, and original million-dollar artwork hung on the wood-paneled walls, while a large chandelier hung overhead.
The men wore crushed velvet smoking jackets, while the women were dolled up in cocktail dresses or dresses that were so sheer, they would have had more coverage with paper napkins.
“This is Decadence?” I elbowed Claudine for more information.
“From what I recall, yes. It’s sort of like Squeaks, where they have different levels for different kinks. The first floor is like the ‘getting to know you’ round, where you, as a female, get to decide which floor might be of interest. They have everything in there from water play to baby food fetishes.”
I snuck a peek at Alistair. Why in all that was holy would he want us to go here as a way of getting away from the compound?
“Ooh, I almost forgot. There was this one guy I met who had a thing for birthday cakes, so he had his party here on the party floor. No one understood what he meant by his love of frosting, but he’d ordered these huge buckets, balloons, and everything filled with the stuff. Then with a countdown clock, boom, he wanted it all. A frosting orgy. I was there to make the delivery of the frosting, though, not to join in.”
Drac threw back his head in laughter. “I was at that party, Claudine, and you missed nothing. There is nothing like hair in frosting. It gets in your teeth.”
“I told him when I delivered the stuff that he should have told people to wax before they jumped on in. Hey, at least I didn’t have to clean it up.
We followed Alistair, who seemed to know where he was going. There was no question whether or not he visited the place. It was a question of why.
“Come, take a seat in this area,” Alistair said. “This is the master’s room, and you will both be out of harm’s way.”
“But Claudine,” Drac addressed her, “if there is more that you’d like to see, or if you’re curious, I am a member and can show you things.”
Eww, what? How did it go from Drac biting me to wanting to get it on with my sister? She perked right on up with that invitation, too. “No magic, Drac. If she wants to go, she will.”
“Magic doesn’t work on her,” he revealed. “I am unable to glamour her even if I wished to.”
I paused and wondered for a brief moment. Was Claudine’s magic awakening?
Claudine took Drac’s offered hand, and alone my head tingled. I sat watching the people—shifters, Fae, other vampires and humans— walk around me. It was sort of like being behind a golden rope at a nightclub, except being here made sure that no one even thought of approaching. This was his lordship’s table.
A part of me might have been perturbed, but at least it told me that Alistair did have his fun before me. But I wondered if he was still having his fun here at the club since me.
It didn’t take long for those nearby to move closer as if to either catch a glimpse of the woman proclaimed to be the “lord’s,” or just to stare. Some were curious as to who I was, but others knew that no matter what happened, they could never touch me. It was like Alistair had placed his seal on me, and in a matter of effect, he did.
I didn’t know how long I sat there alone until Killian showed up and took a seat next to me.
“I’ve never seen one so bored in a sex club. Keep your chin up.”
/> “Why did Alistair bring us here?” I glanced around the room. For a moment, I thought I heard Imogen’s voice, but that would have been strange and out of place. I didn’t know her to be that open-minded. Then again, nothing more could surprise me than what I already knew about her. What people did during their free time and with which toys, well, it could all be surprising.
I’d once worked as a temp in an adult store, and we had a convention. The store’s owner liked to exhibit the vibrations of his finger-sized tool. He’d touch the women on their hips, with permission of course, as this index finger hummed. And then, lead the women over to an array of spicy action if they liked his vibrating finger. Most never took the bait, but there were the occasional adult toy connoisseurs who asked to see his offerings and ended up right in front of the large row of butt plugs. Of course, those follow-up sales made for strange encounters when I later saw them grocery shopping with their wife and kids. It was one thing to buy a toy at a convention, a whole other thing to have the one who picked out your dildo, help you pick out potatoes.
Size does matter.
No, it didn’t bother me, but there was something strange about knowing someone else’s kinky secrets.
“To get you out of the house. You’ve been looking forlorn for too long now.”
“No, there has to be more to it.”
“Well, the wolf you attacked supposedly came here. He didn’t seem like he was in the best of moods. We think he might be up to something bad.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve had pups, those new to the order, go missing, and all roads start here.”
I nodded remembering what Delphine had told me. “You’re talking about Brock?”
“Aye, but not only him. Although Charming oversees the pack in the area, the Order oversees all supernatural beings—the wolves, the vampires, the Fae, etcetera. To be honest, the Order is what holds everything together and keeps chaos from erupting. The last thing you want is a war, and most wars start because of some ill will and ill-wielded magic.” He leaned closer, ensuring we weren’t being listened to.
“Other officers have reported similar cases.”
“Other officers? How many bases are there? I thought there was just you and Rose.”
It was his turn to laugh now. “Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh at you. The thing is, we have to patrol the entire world, staying hidden and keeping both humans and supernaturals safe. Yet currently, the balance isn’t there.”
“Are you suggesting that supernaturals are going missing?”
“Yes, and we’re not finding any trace or clues as to where they go. We’ve had some of our best sorceresses try to find them on the map, but it continues to ping all over the globe. For example, we had a pup reported missing in Florida, and his signature pinged then in China, then South Africa, then Argentina.”
It was sort of like what happened when signals were tracked online and then continued to ping and bounce across the different servers. It would take hours to travel to all of those places.
“We have teams in place, and through the goddesses’ traveling rune stones, that alleviates much of our travel needs.”
“You mean, I didn’t have to take that horrible flight back? I could have simply rubbed a stone and poof, arrived with my luggage?”
Killian gave me a sheepish grin. Maybe I had to have a certain clearance to earn that right, or at least have more than a passing conversation with Freyja.
“So, what do you think is afoot?”
“I know that this is more than just about new recruits. They are striking where we’re the weakest.”
“And that has to do with sex?”
“What you might not know is that this is also our breeding season. Wolves breed, and shifters are the same. Although we might not be in for the—shall I say procreation part, there is a natural shift for the wolves when we’re more driven by our animalistic desires than usual, and a great time for a female with ill intentions to act as a honey pot.”
“A trap to lure in the wolves?”
“Yes. If my calculations are correct, because they know the wolves are the bouncers, defenders of the Order over all the other species, they attack us first.”
“So, once you’re gone, then there’s nothing standing in their way? Oh, my, we have to tell Alistair.”
“I have, and that is why we’re here, to protect those pups from further harm.”
As if on cue, Alistair rounded the corner and came to have a seat. He never stopped glowering at me. “Uh-oh, I seem to be in trouble.”
Killian shot up from his seat and went to stand behind it. “Killian,” Alistair said in greeting. “I’ve spoken with Mitsy in the back. She said she heard earlier from the pixies about some ill-advised activity happening at the power plant. I want you and Leslie to head there and check it out.”
“Alistair, I know you think I have some mad street fighter skills, but this is the second time we’re hearing about something happening at the nearby power plant.”
Everything within me screamed that this was the wrong call.
“Have you, by chance, made a map to look at the area where all of the missing supernaturals are coming from, you know, a Venn diagram, and compared it to the location of the power plant?”
“Leslie, you are in safe hands,” Alistair said. “Killian, on your way out,” he gritted his teeth, “please send Rose in. I have matters to discuss with her.”
Chapter 19
Leslie
Killian and I retrieved the vehicle from the valet. Whatever Alistair and Rose had to discuss wasn’t privy to me, and I wasn’t going to allow whatever they had to ruin my new life.
“You don’t have to worry about those two,” Killian said.
“Reading my thoughts, too?”
“No, you’re clawing the seat so much that I’m going to have to get it sewn back together.
I looked down at my hands and sure enough, I was.
“Well, how am I supposed to feel when he invites the other woman to meet him in the back at a sex club? Only thing I needed to make this a worse mental picture would be a roll of condoms and body lube. Knowing my luck, she can make them appear out of thin air.”
“I never thought you to be the jealous type.”
“I’m not. I feel like a caged animal. Everyone around me is keeping secrets, claiming that I have this grand destiny and then telling me nothing about how to actually do any of it. Oh, you are the key,” I said, mocking Alistair’s tone. “In all honesty, you all are speaking a language I don’t understand. Yes, you’re speaking English, but the context of those words make no sense.”
I pulled the leather free from under my fingernails and crossed my arms.
We stayed quiet as he maneuvered through and away from the city.
“I’ve been under my uncle’s command since I was a pup. He is trusted and trustworthy.”
“Actions speak louder than your character reference. All I’ve seen is a man torn between two maybes, and I’m tired of waiting for him to make up his mind.”
“Then, don’t wait. Go on with your life and make something happen. Destiny doesn’t mean now. It just means it will be.”
Those three little words—then don’t wait—seemed almost freeing. In all of my reading about shifters and fated mates, I thought it meant now. I thought it meant that Alistair would keep my heart safe now. But those were the naïve wishes of a hopeless romantic.
“So, I should just put all of my energy and focus on becoming the best key I can be?”
“No.” He shook his head. “You should spend time learning to be the best person you can be. Don’t become a tool for someone to possess, or a means to an end. I know my uncle. He will love you, and I’m sure he already cares, but your life’s meaning doesn’t and shouldn’t depend on if he is into you or not. Before you do anything brash, talk to him. I could be completely off base.”
New York was a city that overflowed with opportunities, sensuality, sexuality, and I di
d myself a disservice in not securing my own way.
This was not the conversation to be had on my first road trip, so I sought to dig some more. “So, tell me about you. Why are you part of the order?”
“That is what I was born for, to build the bridge between the worlds. My mother is the queen, as our society is matriarchal, and my father is the founder of the Order.”
“And your mate?”
“So far, I’ve been more of a loner, but that doesn’t mean it will always be so. Friends are good to have, but my fated one, well, she is still out there.”
A twinge of sadness hit me. Here I was being a complete jerk about the fated mate thing, instead of declaring, “this is it,” all the while, poor Killian suffered. I would have tried to hook him up with Claudine, but I feared she’d break the poor man in two, and since she went for a private tour with Drac, who legend has was the sexiest vampire ever, I didn’t see her leaving that anytime soon.
We moved to a comfortable silence as the car edged out of the city, where nature grew in abundance and the sights of the city were only in the rearview mirror.
Finally, we pulled up a dirt road, rounded a bend, and parked the car.
Killian leaned across me, opened the glove compartment, and removed a 9mm handgun.
“I don’t think regular bullets are going to stop anything,” I said.
“Luckily for you, these aren’t regular, but deadly for man and beast alike. We never want trouble, Leslie, but we always plan for it. Do you know how to use it?”
I weakly nodded. Firing range training, don’t fail me now.
“Keep your finger off the trigger until you plan on shooting. Here is the safety. It’s on. This has eighteen rounds in the magazine. Go for the center mass. Don’t get fancy. Make them all count. If you think you can sucker punch someone instead, then go for it. But this is only in case of an emergency—to survive. I have knives to fit inside your boots.”
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