by Lara Adrian
All her life, Kaya had dreamed of having somewhere to belong. A child of the streets from the time she was a little girl, she’d longed to find a place where she felt needed and respected. A place where she mattered. Where she could feel safe.
During the more than year since she’d met Mira, she’d seen a glimpse of what that life could be like. After training under her friend for the past two weeks, Kaya couldn’t think of anything she wanted more than to be a full-fledged member of the Order.
Mira gestured to her team. “Let’s wrap up and head back to base.”
They’d been running her through the paces since sundown, so despite Kaya’s eagerness to prove herself and hone her skills, the thought of a hot shower and clothes that weren’t caked in dirt and forest debris sounded like heaven.
As a group, they trudged up the wooded incline. The Montreal command center sat at the top of the city’s eponymous hill, land given to the Order in exchange for its protection in the years following First Dawn and the violence that became epidemic afterward. Kaya had never seen anything as impressive as the enormous mansion and the labyrinthine nerve center beneath it. She’d spent half a month there and she doubted she’d covered even a fraction of the massive compound.
Mostly by design.
Until she was a full member of the team, her clearance restricted her to the residence and patrol squad areas unless she was accompanied by Mira or another warrior. Kaya didn’t mind the lack of trust. It only made sense. They had a right to be cautious when it came to Order business. After all, the warriors had been under siege from one enemy or another for decades. Far longer than that, if you counted all the centuries that the Breed had been trying to keep the peace between their kind and man before the secret of their existence had been revealed twenty years ago.
“Patrols roll out within the hour,” Mira advised the men as the team reached the command center. When Torin, Bal, and Webb walked away, she turned a considering glance on Kaya. “You looked good out there tonight. Don’t think Niko hasn’t noticed how hard you’re working too.”
“Nikolai?” Kaya stood a little straighter at the mention of the formidable commander who also happened to be Mira’s adoptive father. Although Mira would decide when Kaya’s training period was over, it was the Montreal commander who would be the one to assign her to the team. “Did he say he’s noticed me, Mira? I swear, he’s hardly said two words to me since I arrived.”
Kellan chuckled. “Niko’s hardly got time to say two words to anyone now that Renata is so close to having that baby.”
“It’s true,” Mira agreed, smiling affectionately. “He’s an absolute basket case--although he would never admit it.”
“Never,” Kellan said, then reached out and stroked his mate’s cheek as if he couldn’t control the impulse. “I probably will be too. When the time comes.”
The couple exchanged a look that Kaya pretended not to see. It felt too intimate, a wordless conversation that made the air feel suddenly thick and heavy with meaning.
Kaya cleared her throat. “I’m ah . . . I’m going to drop my gear, then head to my quarters and take a nice long shower. I’ll probably be finding leaves and pine needles in my hair for days.”
Mira laughed from under the curve of Kellan’s arm. “Get some rest. You’ve earned it.”
Kaya left them to their whispered talk and private glances, glad to escape the heated emotion that always seemed to crackle between the recently mated pair. Their bond had been a long time coming--a miracle that had managed to defy both fate and death. Kaya couldn’t begrudge them their happiness, but it made the emptiness in her life feel all the deeper.
She entered the weapons room and unstrapped the paint pistol and her blades. Elsewhere along the corridor, she heard the warriors’ low voices rumbling with conversation and laughter. The sounds of the command center had become a familiar part of her daily routine in the short time she’d been there. Bal’s deep baritone. Torin’s velvet drawl. Webb’s low purr.
Kaya let her mind wander as she took apart the gun and cleaned all the parts. A thousand thoughts and memories crowded her mind as she worked, some of them pleasant, some . . . not.
She didn’t know how far she’d gone adrift in her own head until she felt a vague shift in the air around her. The hair at her nape prickled, at the same time Webb’s warning flashed through her subconscious.
Watch your back. I’ll get you when you least expect it.
Kaya’s lips curved in the beginnings of a smile. We’ll see about that.
Her grip tightened around the hilt of one of her blades. Behind her, she sensed his approach even though he moved in utter silence.
Kaya sprang into motion. In a fraction of a second, she pivoted, bringing the edge of her dagger right below the Breed male’s squared jaw, poised to kill.
Except it wasn’t Webb’s face she stared into now.
It wasn’t any of the Order warriors from the Montreal command center.
Eyes the color of a spring leaf held her gaze from beneath thick golden-brown brows and dark lashes that any female would envy. There was no fear in those unblinking eyes, only surprise and a trace of wry amusement. “Now, this is a hell of a welcome.”
Kaya scowled at the tall, muscular Breed male dressed in civilian clothes. She didn’t move her blade. “Who the fuck are you?”
He smirked, too arrogant by far. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“This area is restricted. Who let you in?”
One beefy shoulder lifted in a shrug. “Nikolai and Renata told me I’d find Mira down here. Knowing my friend, I expected to find her working out with her blades.”
“Your friend?”
Oh, shit.
Kaya backed off, pulling her dagger away from him just as Mira rushed into the room on a delighted squeal and threw her arms around the handsome male. “Aric!”
His gaze lit up as he caught Mira in a hug, lifting her up and spinning her around in his arms. “You look great, Mouse,” he said, setting her down on her feet again. “Where’s the lucky bastard you took for a mate?”
“Right here.” Kellan entered the weapons room and clasped Aric’s hand in greeting. “Good to see you, man. We didn’t know you were coming.”
He gave a cryptic smile. “Well, here I am.”
“Is Rafe here too?” Mira asked. “I haven’t seen him since . . . well, since everything that happened a couple of weeks ago.” She glanced at Kellan, heavy emotion ripe in her lavender-tinted eyes. “Where is he, Aric? I’m so excited to see you both.”
“Rafe’s looking forward to seeing everyone too. I’m sure he’ll be down soon to find you.”
Kellan cocked his head. “Last we heard, you two were leaving London with the Breedmate you rescued in Ireland a couple of nights ago. Chiffon-something.”
“Siobhan O’Shea,” Mira corrected impatiently. “Does that mean you brought her with you?”
“She’s with Rafe. He and Renata are getting her situated in the residence.”
Aric’s gaze kept straying to Kaya as he spoke. She didn’t miss the spark of interest in his light green eyes, nor the trace of humor that tugged at the corner of his lush mouth.
“I’m sorry,” Mira blurted. “Aric, have you met my friend Kaya Laurent?”
“We were just getting acquainted,” he said, that arrogant smile deepening as he extended his hand to her. “I’m Aric Chase.”
His fingers wrapped around hers, warm and firm. She didn’t want to acknowledge the current of awareness that sped through her veins as their palms pressed together. Ordinarily, Kaya avoided touching people she didn’t know, a caution she’d developed early in life to shield herself from the power of her extrasensory talent. But her ability to read someone’s mind with a touch didn’t work on the Breed.
So the jolt of electricity she felt while Aric’s strong hand engulfed hers had nothing to do with that. The look he gave her said he felt it too.
Kaya withdrew from his grasp
and folded her arms over her chest. “Chase?” she repeated, once the name he gave her finally penetrated the unsettling drift of her thoughts.
“Aric’s father commands the Order’s team in Boston,” Mira offered helpfully.
Kaya worked to stifle her groan. Bad enough she’d just put a knife under the chin of a visiting warrior; she’d nearly assaulted Sterling Chase’s son. Aric’s mother was something of a legend too. The first female Breed ever known to exist, Tavia Chase was a daywalker besides--a gift she’d passed down to her offspring, Aric and his twin sister Carys.
As far as hierarchy went within the Order, Aric Chase was practically royalty.
“Nice to meet you,” Kaya murmured lamely.
“Likewise.” His eyes travelled her up and down in a slow appraisal. His dimpled grin spread into an amused smile, then he chuckled.
“Something wrong?” Visiting royalty or not, she bristled at the idea that he would mock her in front of her team leader and friends.
She flinched as he reached out to her without warning. His hand skimmed past her right cheek, to the side of her head. Smiling, he pulled a gnarled twig from the tangle of her hair.
Kaya snatched it away from him, her lips pressed flat over the curse that leapt to her tongue.
“You’re welcome,” he told her quietly, just as a hard rap sounded on the doorjamb.
Nikolai filled the space of the open door, the commander’s glacial blue eyes intense as he met the gazes of everyone in the room, finally settling on Aric and Kaya. “Good. You’re all here.”
Mira tilted her head at her father. “What’s going on?”
“Lucan’s called a meeting. He’ll be linked in to the war room from D.C. in two minutes.”
She nodded. “I’ll go tell the team.”
“Actually, it’s not the team he wants to meet with tonight.” Niko’s grim gaze left Mira’s. “Aric, Kaya. I need you both to come with me.”
CHAPTER 3
Aric left his bewildered friends in the weapons room and fell in line behind Nikolai and the lithe, brunette beauty who looked like she’d just returned from days of intense wilderness training. Either that, or a vigorous roll in the hay--assuming the hay was full of pine needles and moss and several seasons’ worth of fallen leaves and bramble.
Both possibilities intrigued him.
Especially the latter.
He couldn’t help but admire the view as he followed Kaya Laurent’s swift, long-legged stride up the corridor. She wore black fatigues that hugged every curve, her emptied weapon belt cinched around a slender waist. Sleek, silken tendrils of coffee-brown hair had escaped the ponytail that rode at her back, bouncing with each clipped step she took at Niko’s side.
They walked into an open meeting room and the commander closed the door behind them. “Take a seat.”
Aric walked to the round table and sat down in one of the empty chairs that surrounded it. He waited for Kaya to take her place beside him, but instead she circled to the opposite side and sat about as far from him as she could get.
He smirked, watching her do everything she could to ignore him. Evidently, he hadn’t won any points with the lethal beauty.
“So, I guess we can skip the introductions,” Niko said as he strode over and seated himself between them. “Looks like you two have already had a chance to meet.”
“Yes, sir.” Kaya didn’t spare Aric as much as a glance while she spoke. “We’ve been introduced.”
“Kaya was kind enough to explain some of the command center policies to me when I bumped into her in the weapons room.”
Now her gaze swung to him, a flicker of shock in her deep brown eyes. She was outraged, but kept her reaction on a short leash. Despite her silence, a flush of furious color splashed across her high cheekbones.
God, she was beautiful. He’d noticed that the instant he laid eyes on her. Even if he wasn’t gifted with a flawless memory, it would be impossible not to notice every feature and nuance of the female who’d gotten his attention so thoroughly by pressing the razor edge of her dagger under his chin.
Nikolai’s head swiveled from Kaya to him in question. “Care to explain?”
Aric cleared his throat. “We’ve met, sir.”
“Good. Then let’s get started.”
He no sooner said it than the wall-length flat-panel screen lit up with an incoming video call. Lucan Thorne’s dark-haired, grim-faced image filled the display. The Order’s founder wasn’t calling from his private office at the D.C. headquarters, but from the technology center. Banks of touch screens and wafer-thin displays illuminated Lucan from all sides.
As the two commanders exchanged perfunctory greetings, Kaya had gone utterly silent, her gaze locked on the screen while she surreptitiously brushed at the dirt smudges and small debris that clung to her clothing from whatever she’d been doing in the moments before this meeting had been called.
Aric wanted to tell her not to worry. Even disheveled she was a sight. Not only because she was gorgeous, but for the way she carried herself. Confident. Competent. Determination shining in her dark eyes.
Nikolai gestured to her now. “Lucan, this is Kaya Laurent, the trainee I told you about.”
Trainee?
The way she handled herself with a weapon, Aric had assumed Mira’s friend was already a member of her team or well on her way to becoming one.
The Order’s leader gave Kaya an acknowledging look. “I’ve heard good things. Not only from Niko but from Mira as well.”
“Thank you, sir. I’m doing my best.”
“Keep it up.” Now, Lucan’s shrewd gray gaze swung to Aric. “Ready to get to work?”
Aric grinned. “Always.”
“I’ve asked you both to be here tonight because we have a task that requires a certain combination of skills,” the warrior elder explained. “Opus Nostrum has been coming at us hard since the Order killed their leader, Reginald Crowe, a few weeks ago. Between bombings and assassinations and the recent uptick in Rogue activity around the world, Opus is doing its damnedest to keep us busy. Apparently, they believe if they make sure the Order has one fire after another to put out, we won’t have the time or resources to come after their members.”
“They thought wrong,” Nikolai interjected. “We’re not going to stop until we’ve torn the mask off every one of the bastards who make up their cabal.”
Lucan nodded. “Which brings me to the reason for this meeting. Gideon’s run across some intel that suggests a high-value target with possible Opus ties will be attending a big social gathering in Montreal tomorrow. We need to have eyes and ears on the inside, but it’s imperative that we don’t tip our hand that we’re closing in on this new lead. Not to Opus, and not to the bastard we’re all but certain is allied with them.”
“What kind of event are we talking about?” Aric asked.
“A wedding reception,” Lucan replied. “For Anastasia Rousseau and Stephan Mercier.”
“You’re talking about the former Prime Minister’s granddaughter,” Kaya pointed out. “Her wedding has been the most anticipated social event of the year. From everything I’ve heard, there are likely to be close to a thousand people in attendance.”
Lucan’s expression said he already knew all the particulars and had accounted for every one of them. “We need someone present to verify our intel firsthand. The best way to do that is to get inside the target’s head.”
Nikolai turned to look at Kaya. “That’s where you come in.”
“You want me to read the mind of someone at the reception? No problem.” Tenacity glittered in her gaze. “Just tell me who I’m looking for, and I’ll handle it. I only need to get close enough to touch him.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not going to be easy,” Niko said. “Our target is high profile. He’ll be guarded on all sides.”
“And we can’t afford to let him know that he’s been made,” Lucan added. “Which means we need to take extra precautions to ensure he’s got no memory of any
interaction with you, assuming you’re successful at getting close enough to read him--”
“I’ll be successful, sir.”
At that confident blurt, Niko slanted her a wry smile. “No one here doubts you, Kaya. Or you, Aric. You’ve both exceeded expectations in your training. That’s why you’ve been tapped for this operation.”
“Combined with the fact that neither of you has been active on patrol,” Lucan said. “The risk of being outed as members of the Order won’t be a factor.”
Aric chuckled. “Never thought my lack of experience in the field would be considered an asset.”
“This time, it’s exactly what we need,” Lucan replied. “And since the wedding reception is being held at noon in the Rousseau estate’s garden, the fact that you won’t go up in smoke before you have the chance to mind-scrub the target makes you uniquely qualified for this assignment.”
“Point to the daywalker,” he quipped. “I won’t let the Order down.”
“See that you don’t.” Lucan glanced to Kaya too. “We’re counting on both of you to make this happen. We can’t afford to let this new lead slip through our fingers. It’s going to take teamwork to get it done, and get it done right.”
Kaya nodded, but the look she gave Aric was less than enthused. “I’ll do whatever it takes, sir.”
“That’s what I want to hear,” Lucan replied. “Let’s run through some scenarios for rolling out this op. Meanwhile, Gideon’s working on new IDs for both of you. They’ll be waiting for you in the morning, along with your invitation to the reception.”
“And we’re certain our target is going to be there?” Aric asked.
Lucan grunted. “He’ll be there. Your target is the groom.”
CHAPTER 4
Kaya smoothed her palms over the skirt of her dusty-rose silk dress, trying not to notice the slight tremble in her fingers. Damn her nerves. It took a lot to rattle her, but as she waited in the car beside Aric at the tall iron gate outside the Rousseau estate, her heart seemed determined to climb into her throat.