by Dannika Dark
“It does no good to get your hopes up.” Nadia lifted her purse from the chair in the hall. “I’m going to work. I have several artifacts to appraise for some important clients. No parties, no rearranging anything, no borrowing my clothes, no eating my ice cream, and no dragging any Packmasters on one of your crazy chases.”
“Say no much?” Kat stood up and closed the distance between them, annoyed with all the orders being barked at her. She hadn’t even had her morning sugar yet. “I won’t even borrow your toothbrush, if that makes you happy. You’ll barely know I’m here.”
Satisfied, Nadia opened the door and paused. “Did you order something?”
“What is it?”
Curious, Kat shouldered past Nadia and peered into the outside hall. Someone had left a large paper bag in front of the door—not the kind you get grocery shopping, but the fancy kind with the arched handles. Kat bent down and reached inside, pulling out a pair of jeans, two blouses with spaghetti straps, a toothbrush, comb, and underwear—sexy black ones at that.
“What is all this?” Nadia peered down the empty hall in search of the person who’d left it.
Kat held Prince’s business card between two fingers. When she turned it over, she saw that he’d signed Charming on the back. “Looks like they’re from a knight in shining armor named Prince.”
Nadia huffed and straightened her skirt. “Most men buy flowers for their date, not underwear for their date’s sister.”
“He’s old school and probably thinks the way to impress you is by taking care of your family. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t be trying so hard to help your needy sister. Oh look, he even bought me a razor.”
“Needy indeed. I have to go, Katarina. Call me if you need anything, and remember the rules!”
Nadia flew out in a rush, a heavy scent of perfume trailing behind her.
Kat yawned loudly and shuffled into the kitchen in search of something to eat.
“Dangit, Nads. Why didn’t you put the pizza in there like I asked you to?” she grumbled, moving aside strange fruits and cheeses. If there was one thing her sister loved, it was gourmet cheese. And the weirder the animal it came from, the better. Kat couldn’t even stand blue cheese on her salads; it made her gag. But whatever artificial goodness they sprinkled on pizza was all right with her.
Kat heaved a sigh and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She took her goodie bag with her, and once there, decided to hop in the shower. The stench of cigarettes still clung to her hair and was making her nauseous. Kat tossed her plaid shirt into the dryer with one of those scented sheets. The shirt had become a souvenir of a great night. Not the part where her suspect had gotten loose, but all the other stuff with Prince. Although keeping an item to remember time spent with her sister’s boyfriend seemed a tad inappropriate.
While she soaked beneath the spray of hot water, Kat thought about the dream she’d had the previous night. It had seemed so vivid, walking into a dark room where Prince was lying naked on a bed. He called to her, and his wolf howled in the darkness before they made love.
Kat shivered just thinking about it. After she towel-dried her hair, she examined the jeans Prince had chosen for her. They were the kind that hung low on a woman’s hips—comfy in all the right places.
“Snug!” Kat said approvingly, looking at her reflection in the mirror from all angles. What she loved was that he hadn’t bought her fancy clothes in an attempt to make her into someone she wasn’t.
She slipped into a white tank top that didn’t quite cover up her cleavage the way she would have liked. It seemed peculiar he would have bought her such a tight shirt, the kind that left nothing to the imagination if the temperature dropped. Luckily the plaid shirt was nice and warm after a tumble in the dryer, so she rolled up the sleeves to her elbows and grabbed her sneakers, wishing he had left her some good running shoes instead of all the clothes.
After tying her sneakers, she dashed to the fridge one last time. Kat twisted open a large jar of pickles and stuffed a big dill into her mouth.
“Time to head out,” she mumbled, grabbing her car keys.
The second Kat opened the door, she stumbled over a shoelace that had come undone. Prince caught her arms just as she was falling to her knees. She lifted her eyes up to his and, oh God, the visual. There she was, kneeling before a Packmaster with a pickle wedged so deep in her mouth that she started to gag.
Kat slowly pulled it out, and it made a juicy sound when she sucked on the tip. “I almost choked on that thing.”
His lip twitched, and wow, did he look yummy. Kat admired his fitted black shirt and dark jeans.
She wobbled as she stood up, doing a quick check to make sure his fly wasn’t open. “Are you wearing denims? I’m thoroughly impressed at your attempt to blend in with the natives.”
He folded his arms and assessed her attire. “Are the garments I provided to your satisfaction?”
“You talk like a commercial,” she said, biting off a chunk of the pickle and locking the door behind her. “They’re great. Thanks. I’m not even going to ask how you know my exact size.”
“I’m a perceptive man.”
“That I don’t doubt. You bought me lace panties. No one’s ever bought me sexy panties before.” Kat took another bite from her pickle and suddenly felt self-conscious about the way he kept staring at her mouth. “So, do you want to start brainstorming on where we should look first? My contact gave me the names of two bars. They’re not his regular hangouts, but the bartender or some of the waitresses might have information.”
Kat lost her train of thought, disappointed that Prince had tied his hair back again. She spied a short silver hair on the side of his head and quickly looked away.
“I scheduled a meeting to sell you at noon.”
Kat almost choked on her pickle for real. “Whoa,” she blurted out, holding up her hands. “I don’t know what you think we have going on here, but I’m not a two-bedroom condo. You can’t just sell me.”
They turned around and walked a few paces toward the elevator. Prince smelled so good that Kat kept falling behind so she could catch his heavenly draft.
He pushed the elevator button and folded his arms. “Vlad is in the slave trade, as you’re aware. With what little we know, my associate suggested that Vlad’s probably a middleman.”
“Yeah, that’s my thought too. Buys them from his contacts and turns around to sell them for a higher price, taking all the risk. Sellers usually want to flip them over as fast as they can so they don’t get busted, and sometimes it’s not easy to find a buyer that quickly.” She gave him a skeptical look. “Do you really think this plan will work? With the higher authority hiring more bounty hunters, a lot of the sellers are skittish about dealing with people they don’t know.”
“I have access to a list of traders across the continent who’ve made transactions within the past ten years. There aren’t as many big ones as you might think, so with the help of an associate, I was able to narrow it down to the two men we had the least information on who might be Vlad. The others were easily ruled out. An insider took a big risk and referred me to them. Our first appointment is at noon, the second at three.”
She pressed the elevator button five times and leaned on the door, rolling the pickle between her thumb and index finger. “Why did you space them so far apart?”
Prince relaxed his stance, letting his arms fall to his sides. Kat tried not to notice the ropes of taut muscle along his arms. It was a travesty how he kept such a stunning physique hidden beneath his suits, so seeing him in a T-shirt was like going to a carnival and finding out no one was standing in line for your favorite ride.
“I thought we could have lunch.”
“Sounds amazing. First we’ll sell my body and then we’ll grab some tacos.”
The elevator doors opened and Kat slipped through the opening, catching herself before slamming against the rear wall. She casually raked her fingers through her hair and yawned before nibbl
ing on her breakfast. Prince eyed her as he got in, looking at her the way most people did—like he didn’t know what to think of her odd behavior.
When he knelt down in front of her, she sucked in a sharp breath.
Prince began lacing up her sneakers, tying them with double knots so they wouldn’t come undone. “You should try the running shoes with the sticky straps.”
“You mean Velcro?” The mere thought of her chasing down an outlaw in Velcro shoes was enough to give her the giggles. Kat unabashedly cradled his head with one hand, running her fingers over his smooth hair. “You should wear your hair loose.”
“It gets in the way,” he said, tightening her other shoe.
“Then why bother growing it? Shave it all off if you don’t care.”
He peered up at her with his blue eye, which was his left one. It was a striking shade, like a sapphire stone sparkling beneath moonlight. The other was an ordinary shade of melted chocolate, but together they were fascinating.
The elevator doors opened, and Nadia’s neighbor stood at the entrance with her little white dog in her arms. Her eyes widened at Prince on his knees and Kat holding his head.
“He’s almost finished,” Kat said in a breathy voice.
Prince snapped his head back to look and then quickly stood up. The woman’s eyes were glued to him, and he bowed slightly, holding the elevator door open for Kat while giving her a punishing glance.
She sauntered out and petted the little dog on the head as they passed. The old woman unabashedly gawked at them, and it amused Kat how easily humans were offended by such trivial innuendoes.
Her back straightened like an arrow when Prince placed his hand against the curve of her spine.
“You’re mischievous, Kat.”
“Don’t try to pretend that wasn’t funny,” she said, pointing back at the elevators. “There’s nothing better in life than someone getting the wrong idea. Didn’t you ever watch Three’s Company? Oh wait, you don’t watch television. See what you’re missing?”
He veered her toward the right. “I’ll drive.”
Kat took one look at his Audi and chortled. Prince was definitely not a low-end-model kind of guy. “Yeah, we’re not going to stand out at all. So where are we going to meet contestant number one?”
“His apartment.”
She stopped in front of his car and looked up at him, the sun shining in her eyes. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. Coffee shops and bars are always safer bets, especially with guys who are into flesh trading. What if he has a myriad of helpers in there ready to pounce and put me up for sale?”
Prince rested his hands on her shoulders, giving her a pensive stare. “Then I’ll protect you.”
His words penetrated down to her feet, giving her the kind of reassurance and feeling of being protected that only an alpha could.
Kat bit into the end of her pickle, the crunch tearing through the awkward silence. “Like last night? You almost crushed me to death. Although watching you flip over that table was a little gallant and raised a few hairs on my arms. Do you carry a weapon?”
“I am the weapon.”
Kat sucked on the tip of the pickle and then smiled. “Good answer, Charming. Are you going to open the car door for me like a gentleman, or would you rather watch me slide over the hood and climb in through the window? Either way, I’m good.”
He spun on his heel and rounded the car. Kat followed close behind, her grin widening. Not many men looked as good going as they did coming, but Prince had a masculine swagger she couldn’t ignore. She wondered if he was kidding about being the weapon, but men his age didn’t crack jokes very often. Either way, remarks like that made her want to figure him out.
Prince gingerly lifted the handle of the door, and she tossed the remainder of her pickle on the curb and got in.
“No one should be that good-looking,” she mused quietly, watching him walk around the front of the car. His seemingly innocuous gaze made her warm all over, and his eyes were predatory, humbling her with centuries of experience. That man was like a walking powder keg.
When Prince got in and shut the door, he gave her a cursory glance. “Why didn’t you toss out that garment?”
“This?” she asked, tugging on the flannel threads. “I kind of like it. It keeps everything concealed better, and I don’t just mean my breasts.”
“Are you armed?”
She reclined the seat back a few inches and stretched her legs. “I am the weapon,” she replied with a playful smirk. “What’s good to eat around this town?”
He started the car and merged into traffic. “I know a few restaurants that will find us a space quickly.”
Kat pulled down her visor to shield her eyes from the blinding sun reflecting off a mirrored building. “No, thanks. I like grab-and-go food. So… how many Breeds live in Austin? I’ve never really gone out and immersed myself in the local culture. Nadia says she loves it here because of the eclectic atmosphere, but it’s all new to me.”
“We have more Shifters than most cities,” he began. “Here you have the best of both worlds: plenty of land for packs to purchase and close to a big city. Many young humans are drawn to the live music, barbecue, and nightlife; it’s a place where differences are celebrated. Naturally, we blend in.”
She flipped one of the shoelaces around where she’d crossed her foot over her knee. “Swell. My kind of town. Packs or rogues?”
He pulled a pair of mirrored sunglasses out and slipped them on. “An abundance of each. Enough to keep the Council busy.”
Kat squinted from the bright sun. The used-car lots and Mexican restaurants alongside the road drew her attention away, as did the man on the unicycle. Every so often they’d pass a homeless man lying in the grass, or someone holding up a sign advertising gold exchange.
“Do you consort with other Breeds much?” Prince asked.
Kat wondered about that statement. What he really wanted to know was what kind of men were in her dating pool. Mating outside your Breed was frowned upon, although most dated other Breeds once or twice out of curiosity. To be honest, Kat didn’t have an interest in dating men who weren’t Shifters. Most Chitahs didn’t like her dangerous profession and were always trying to defend her honor. Sweet, but a little embarrassing for a bounty hunter. Vampires were another story. They had the ability to charm people into doing things with a form of hypnotism, so Kat didn’t trust Vamps as far as she could throw them. She’d dated a Mage once, and he was a decent guy, but the sex was too weird since he couldn’t touch her. They’d get charged up with energy during sex, making their hands deadly weapons—except with another Mage. Kat really didn’t want to explore the world of electrocution by sex, so she took them off the menu.
It’s not that her lovers had been bad, but few met her needs and most of the time she could have placed bets on when the sex was going to happen. Kat lived a spontaneous life, so planned sex had zero appeal. And it’s not like they had an itinerary, but after splurging on an expensive dinner and telling her about nine hundred times how sexy she was, intercourse was always an expectation.
Not that Kat had much sex.
Maybe that’s why she kept gawking at Prince like a woman whose ovaries had just come out of hibernation and were about to implode. Her stupid wolf had a thing for alpha males, and she had scented him right from the start. Her inner tail was wagging, so Kat needed to pull it together before she mounted him at the next red light. The one thing that steered her alpha hormones in the other direction was knowing that Prince was one of those planners who strategically placed rose petals on the floor, creating a trail to his private chambers.
A trail Nadia would soon follow.
“Well?” he pressed.
She’d forgotten the question.
“I was asking if you associate with other Breeds,” he reminded her.
She scratched her cheek and watched a little boy in the car in front of them stick out his tongue. “It depends.”
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��On?”
“If they’re dickheads. I’m not sure what exactly you want to know, since you’re pretty good about beating around the bush.”
“I dislike that idiom.”
She snapped her gaze at him. “Well, I dislike euphemisms. Associate with other Breeds? Why don’t you say what you really mean? Not that it’s any of your business, but yes, I’ve dated non-Shifters.”
“You’re an alpha wolf,” he ground out. “Your standards should be higher. You could have your selection of any Packmaster you desired.”
She snorted and stretched her legs. “Yeah, they’re just beating down my door to put their claim on a bounty hunter who sometimes forgets to shave and likes to watch TV all day. I’m a real collector’s item.”
“These are traits you can change.”
“My tummy’s all aflutter at your compliment. Look, I’m not changing who I am,” she bit out, sitting up straight in her seat. “Oh, wow. There’s a taco stand! Let’s hit that on the way back.” Kat twisted around in her seat and stared through the back windshield at the little shack on the left side of the road. “And they sell quesadillas. Put that intersection to memory.”
Kat faced forward, and the silence that followed turned into an awkward moment. “What?”
He looked sideways at her with his brown eye. “You’re unpredictable. I never know what you’ll say or do next.”
“Thanks,” she replied sincerely. Kat didn’t dwell on hidden meanings.
“Are you upset with me?”
She felt bad for a minute because he was serious. Kat sometimes had an abrasive personality, but she didn’t like to hold grudges. “We had a disagreement. That’s all.”
He pulled the car up to an urban apartment building—the kind with indoor elevators and no balconies. When Kat got out, she could feel the heat rising from the concrete, telling her it was going to be a scorcher.
A few tufts of cottonwood floated in the air, and she rubbed her nose. “What do we do if it’s not Vlad?”
“We decline his offer for lemonade?”
She patted his arm, holding his bicep long enough to sigh inwardly at how strong he felt. “You’re funny, Charming. I knew there was a sense of humor hiding in there. Stick with me long enough and you might crack a smile.”