Embraced by Fire

  She stepped out of the bathroom to see Ryu, now wearing a shirt, and Delilah sitting at the small circular table. Ryu was eating breakfast. They looked far too chummy for her liking. Delilah laughed at something Ryu said, and Kait ground her teeth. Just then Ryu looked up and his eyes met hers. She swallowed her anxieties and gave him a weak smile.

  If only Delilah wasn’t here, they needed to talk about last night. She needed to know where she stood. She needed to know if there was a chance of convincing him to give things a chance to develop beyond one night. To give her a chance.

  “Breakfast, or actually lunch given the time, enjoy.” Ryu pushed a takeout bag across the table toward her.

  “I’m not particularly hungry. Wait, what time is it?”

  “Two in the afternoon.”

  “What?” Kait stared at him in horror.

  “We didn’t get to sleep until early this morning, and your body’s been through a lot, it needed sleep.”

  She felt herself blush at the mention of her body’s exertions.

  Ryu’s eyes flickered to Delilah so fast if Kait hadn’t been watching his face she’d have missed it. “Traumatic events can tire a person out,” he said.

  Okay, so he hadn’t told Delilah they’d slept together. Whatever the other woman may have guessed, he hadn’t confirmed it. Was that because he didn’t think she would want anyone to know, or because he didn’t want anyone to know?

  Thinking about it upset her and she grabbed the food bag. Her stomach growled as the smell hit her. Ryu raised an eyebrow at the sound.

  “Okay, I’m hungrier than I thought,” she admitted, biting into the cheeseburger.

  “Adrian and I talked this morning, you need to join us at ops central.” Delilah nicked one of Ryu’s fries.

  “I can’t leave Kait.” Ryu moved his fries out of her reach.

  “She knows so much already, bring her with you,” Delilah said, getting up. “By the way, I need to ride back with you. Derek dropped me here but he didn’t wait.”

  Ryu glanced over at Kait. “That all right with you? I’m sure we can arrange a guard if you’d rather stay here.”

  Stay here, was he kidding? “No. After all this, I want to know what happens next.” And I’m not letting you out of my sight until we’ve talked, she added to herself.

  After they’d grabbed their things, she followed Ryu and Delilah to the door. It might be crazy, but a brush with death had given her a whole new appreciation for life, and she wanted to experience it to the full.

  ****

  “Don’t worry,” Ryu said, as they got out the car at the motel his team was using. “They’re a good bunch of people.”

  “Humph.” Delilah’s snort reached Kait as the woman walked around the car and joined them.

  “Delilah, be nice. We don’t want to scare Kait before she meets everyone.” The humour lurking behind Ryu’s glare reduced its power, and Delilah poked her tongue out at him.

  The by-play between them reduced Kait’s nerves. Seeing their obvious friendship gave her hope everyone else would be as approachable. The car trip over had effectively diluted Kait’s trepidation around the other woman. Despite her svelte elegance, Delilah was friendly and unintimidated by Ryu’s dangerous edge, and already treating Kait like a younger sister, although Kait suspected she may actually have a few years on the other woman.

  Delilah led them toward one of the indistinguishably drab motel rooms. Kait was glad to have Ryu’s strength at her back as she prepared to meet his team, friends and fellow agents. Her stomach jumped, she was meeting secret agents. She felt like Alice down the rabbit hole. Just as Delilah was about to open the door two men tumbled out.

  “Give it to me, Derek, or I’ll kick your ass.” The tall, wiry man hissed as he leapt at the bear of a man he was chasing.

  “You can try, Hass, but you’ll be the one ending on your ass.” Derek’s voice was lighter than she expected for a man his size but somehow it suited him. He held something behind his back, keeping it out of reach.

  “What are you idiots doing?” Delilah stood, hands on hips, watching.

  Delilah’s voice clearly surprised Derek, who had his back to her, because he tripped in his haste to turn around. Hass grabbed his opportunity, reaching for what Derek held. Derek dodged in the nick of time.

  “Delilah, see what you’ve done now. I was having fun.” Derek’s affected petulance made Delilah’s lips twitch.

  “We’ve got a visitor so you need to be on your best behaviour. Give Hass back his iPod,” she said.

  “Ahhh, but he has lousy taste in music.” Derek reluctantly gave it back.

  Hass gave a little bow. “Thanks, Delilah, you’re a queen.”

  “Kait, meet Derek and Hass.” Ryu voice whispered against her ear as he led her over. “Boys, this is Kait.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Kait shook hands with both men before stepping past them into the motel room.

  Inside there was another man.

  “Spock,” introduced Ryu.

  The blond Adonis at the computer spun in his chair at her entrance and smiled a greeting.

  “And this is Adrian, my boss,” said Ryu.

  She started as another man prowled from the shadows at the back of the room, he’d been so still she hadn’t noticed him.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kait.” He took her hand with a polite smile, his piercing pale eyes at odds with his dark hair.

  “Uh…thanks, nice to meet you too.” She found a smile but felt like a defenceless mouse before a clever cat.

  Adrian’s eyes left hers and he looked at Ryu standing behind her. “We’re waiting for a phone call. We had men in the area last night and, after you called, one of them picked up Johnny’s trail not far from Kait’s house. He’s following him now. I expected to hear from him earlier but he hasn’t made contact yet.”

  “We better find Johnny soon, after last night I’m not feeling very forgiving.” Ryu’s voice was hard.

  “Adrian, we have a call. I think you should hear this.” It was Hass, the man she’d met outside. He handed the phone to Adrian.

  Adrian’s eyes turned glacial as he listened to whatever the person on the other side was telling him. “You’re sure?…fine, send me the photographs…was there anything else on the body? Send me that too…no, we don’t have time …”

  “What’s happening?” Kait whispered to Ryu, whose gazed was glued to Adrian’s face.

  “Don’t know, but it looks like bad news.” Ryu didn’t look at her as he spoke.

  Adrian hung up the phone. “The man I told you about, the one following Johnny, we won’t be getting a phone call from him. He’s dead.”

  “Dead?” Derek came up on Kait’s other side.

  “His contact found the body a few minutes ago. We’ve got a few leads from notes he’d already passed on and the GPS in his phone, but time is running out. This is escalating far too fast. There is more going on here than we thought.” Adrian looked at the people in the room, including Kait in his glance.

  “If Razor’s boys found out Johnny’s been keeping a copy of the information, they’d assume he was playing a double game and take action,” said Ryu.

  “Who’s Razor?” Kait tried to keep up with the conversation.

  “Razor is the man we believe is in charge of this information racket. He’s the one giving Johnny jobs. If he thinks Johnny’s flipped on him, he’s the one who’ll give the kill order.” Ryu glanced at Adrian as he spoke, obviously confirming what he could tell her.

  “Who killed your friend, Johnny or this Razor?” Please don’t say Johnny, she thought.

  “Probably Johnny,” Adrian replied. “He believes he’s destroyed your copy of the drive, now he’s protecting his trail.”

  Johnny. Nausea surged wildly in her stomach and bile burned her throat. She clenched her teeth, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts. How could she have been so mistaken about him? These things…he wasn’t the man she’d always thought. Stealin
g, setting fire to her house, almost killing her. He was undoubtedly the one who trashed her car probably hoping she’d be scared and try to return the drive. Now outright murder.

  Kait couldn’t cope. She’d always prided herself on her ability to deal with anything that came her way, but this, this was something else. In time she might be able to put it behind her. Her gut clenched sickeningly. That time couldn’t come soon enough.

  Desperate for distraction, she watched the team quickly go about their business, dealing with this new piece of information and working out what to do next. She couldn’t follow all the chatter, half the words sounded like another language. Ryu and Adrian hung over Spock’s shoulders, watching something on his computer screen, while Delilah, Hass, and Derek talked quietly in the corner.

  She’d been wrong to believe in Johnny, was she wrong about Ryu? She stared at his back. Her judgement had been screwy once, could she trust it now?

  She watched the quiet camaraderie and respect between him and the other members of his team, and recalled how he’d protected and cared for her since they met. Some of that was his job, true, but the tenderness, and unselfish pleasure he’d shared last night had nothing to do with work.

  If she was wrong about Ryu, then she needed to re-evaluate the entirety of her life, because everything in her, right down to her soul, shouted he was the honourable and remarkable man he appeared.

  Ryu and Adrian stepped away from Spock, their dark heads together as they spoke in low tones. She couldn’t hear what was being said but she caught flashes of pleasure, anger, and bemusement on Ryu’s face. She debated creeping closer and trying to overhear, but decided that sort of thing was not only obvious, but below her. If there was something she needed to know, she’d have to trust Ryu to tell her. Heck, he’d brought her here. Trust, crazy but true, she trusted him.

  There were obviously things he couldn’t tell her because of his job, but when it came to everything else, she relished the chance to learn. She trusted he’d share when he was ready. She glanced over at the two men again. Of course, that didn’t stop her being curious.

  ****

  “Mac, you got a moment?” Adrian pulled Ryu aside.

  Ryu wondered if he was about to get bollocked for bringing Kait to HQ. He prepared a defence as they stepped out of earshot. But when Adrian spoke, his words were completely out of left field.

  “I wanted to let you know Neil has been pulled off this assignment.”

  “What—why?” Startled, Ryu searched Adrian’s face for clues. Unfortunately, Adrian was adept at hiding his emotions when he wished.

  “The Director called me. He was the one who tagged us for this case by the way. He wanted an update.” A crafty look tugged at the corner of Adrian’s eyes and mouth, making Ryu’s eyes narrow.

  “Why didn’t the Director call Neil for an update, he’s the project lead?” Ryu asked slowly.

  “Turns out we’re not the only ones who find Neil difficult to work with. Not only that, but people in power are asking questions about why this is taking so long. I gather his other projects aren’t glowing examples either.”

  “Really.” There was a wealth of curiosity in Ryu voice.

  “I let slip I thought Neil had made some errors of judgment regarding surveillance, and he hadn’t taken Kait seriously as a lead, nor looked out for her safety.”

  “I still can’t believe he brushed off my concerns.” Ryu shook his head in frustration.

  “I did try to tell him otherwise. However, if this works out, you may get a commendation.”

  “Me?” Ryu stepped back in surprise. “I haven’t done anything except my job.”

  Adrian stepped closer so they could continue to speak in low tones. “That’s what commendations are for, doing a good job.”

  “But…”

  “No ‘buts’, I’ve already filed the forms.”

  “But you don’t know how this is going to end. Everything could still go tits up.”

  “We’ll just have to make sure it doesn’t.” Adrian’s voice said the subject was closed.

  Ryu felt a warm swirl of pleasure spiral though him. A commendation. “Thanks.” What else could he say?

  Adrian nodded. “There was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “Yes?” Ryu raised an eyebrow.

  “I noticed something when Kait arrived, maybe you can explain it to me…”

  Uh, oh. Ryu didn’t know exactly what was coming next, but he knew he wasn’t going to like it. “I’ll try.”

  Adrian’s gaze flickered across to Kait then back. “Life-bond.”

  Ryu hunched his shoulders as Adrian let the word speak for itself. Damn, how did he explain this? Sleeping with a woman involved in their case, that he was meant to be protecting, it was wrong on so many levels. But to bond as well…He ran his fingers through his hair.

  Adrian saved him having to reply immediately. “Does she know what you are?”

  Mutely, Ryu shook his head.

  “How did this happen? Why now, for goodness’ sake.” Adrian’s eyes were filled with equal measures of annoyance and curiosity as he watched Ryu.

  “She was a virgin, I didn’t know,” Ryu muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “What does that have to do with it?” Adrian’s voice trailed off as realisation dawned. “I’d forgotten. Panthers don’t bond automatically to virgins. Why didn’t you ask her before you did the nasty?”

  “For the first time in my life, I forgot.” Ryu glared at Adrian. What did he think, Ryu did this all the time? If that were the case he’d have bonded long ago.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. I just can’t believe you’re bonded. I’m so curious I could gnaw my own paw off, but I won’t ask.”

  “That’s lucky, because I wasn’t planning on doing a ‘Dear Playboy’ on this one,” said Ryu acerbically.

  Adrian grinned, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. “What are you going to tell her? It’s not only your secrets at stake.”

  Ryu’s arms dropped and he stepped closer, his voice lethal. “I would never share secrets that weren’t mine to give, and you damn well know it.”

  Adrian grabbed his shoulder. “I know, but it had to be said. You’re going to explain to her what you are, and she’s a smart girl, she’ll have questions.”

  Ryu glanced away, anxiety eating his gut.

  “You have to tell her. You didn’t plan this but it’s done. Living without a bond-mate is one quick, painful trip to hell.”

  “I know. I just haven’t worked out how…this is going to be a mind-twist for her.”

  Ryu saw Adrian’s chest surge as he took a deep breath. “This girl will be in your life for a long time, and I don’t intend to lose you out of my team so, if it’ll help, you can tell her what I am.” Adrian squeezed his shoulder before letting go.

  “Thank you.” Ryu knew deciding to share their second-selves wasn’t something any shifter took lightly. “And I won’t break team or assignment confidentiality.”

  “Will she cope with that? Knowing you have secrets she can never be privy to.”

  “Like you said, she’s a smart girl. My not being human is going to be more of a problem. Hell, maybe she won’t want me.”

  “No time like the present to find out,” Adrian said decisively, walking toward Kait.

  She looked up as they approached. Her smile made Ryu ache to hold her.

  “Mac, why don’t you take Kait next door? I’m sure she doesn’t want to crowd in here with us.” Adrian’s words tugged Kait’s attention to his boss.

  Taking her elbow, he led her next door, knowing Adrian would give him as much time as he could before calling him back. This was his chance to tell her. Warning! Here be dragons. He smiled at his own weak joke.

  With luck it wouldn’t be the last time he smiled. He took a deep steady breath. He hoped he had the courage to do this. His eyes darted to her face, and he really hoped she could cope.

  He was abou
t to find out.

  Chapter 30

  “Finally, alone.” Ryu leaned against the closed door, the wood cool against his palms, and swept his hot gaze over her from head to toe.

  The t-shirt and sweatpants Delilah had brought fitted her better than his t-shirt, but he felt an odd pang knowing she wasn’t wearing his clothes today. The sight of her wearing his old t-shirt had been unexpectedly endearing. Although, the tighter t-shirt made it clear Delilah hadn’t provided her with a bra.

  He banished the image of her breasts exposed to his gaze last night, nipples tight and begging for his mouth. Right now he planned to talk but…she might be a more open to his revelation if he reminded her why she’d slept with him in the first place. If he blurred her mind with passion it could create a buffer. He pushed away from the door. The chemistry between them hadn’t died after last night, if anything it was stronger.

  As he closed the distance, he admitted kissing her might be an excuse to delay this discussion. It might also give him the courage he needed to tell her the truth.

  He stopped when their bodies touched. Sliding his arms around her waist, he lowered his mouth for a taste. Delicious.

  “Ryu, we need to talk,” she said against his lips. He tasted her breath.

  Brushing her lips with another kiss, he didn’t move away. “You’re right, we need to talk.” He wondered if she tasted his coffee from earlier the way he tasted hers?

  “Soon.” Her tongue flicked against his lips and his body leapt to attention.

  He pulled her closer. “Now, in fact.” He ran his lips down her throat.

  Her head tipped back. “It’s important.” Closing her eyes, her arms locked around the back of his neck.

  “I know, there are things I need to tell you.” He hooked her leg over his hip, and moved his lips up the other side of her throat.

  “Last night too much happened.” She broke off on a gasp. “But now…”

  “Now we have time,” he whispered against her ear, before taking the lobe into his mouth and sucking gently.