by Olivia Arran
Carter blinked slowly, as if the idea hadn’t occurred to him. He let out a throaty laugh. “I enjoy the chase too much.”
Scrubbing at my chin and wanting to erase the last few minutes from my memory, I launched out of my chair and grabbed a tumbler from the table in the corner, tilting the decanter until the glass was filled with amber liquid. When I gestured with the crystal bottle, Carter nodded, holding up a glass that held the dregs of an earlier drink. Shifters might not be able to get drunk on human alcohol, but we enjoyed the buzz while it lasted if we drank it fast and hard, and that might explain Carter’s … loose tongue. Bree shook her head and I set the bottle down, rejoining them at the desk.
“Anyway,” I began, gulping down a quarter of the whiskey then tilting the glass in my hands, admiring the way the liquid clung to the sides before continuing, “enough about your love life.” I winked. “Or lack of it.” Carter narrowed his eyes and Bree smothered a laugh. Leaning forward in my chair, I set the glass down nice and careful, then rested my elbows on my knees. “What the hell is really going on with this fucking bullshit bootcamp?”
Carter didn’t show an ounce of surprise, instead tilting his glass back and draining it dry in one long swallow. “Took you long enough.”
“To do what?” I bit out.
Hooking his foot over his knee, he sat back in his chair and adjusted his cufflinks, giving us a knowing smile. “Drag your ass down here and poke your nose in.”
“Into what, exactly?” It was like pulling fucking teeth. Give me strength.
“What he said,” Bree added, sounding pissed and jabbing her thumb in my direction.
“I need your opinion before I share with you.” His eyes flicked to Bree, then back to me. “I hadn’t planned on involving anyone—”
I cut him off and said, “She stays.”
He nodded once, then continued, “Do you think any of the visiting human cops are a threat to us?”
I considered his question, going over the last couple of days in my mind. I hadn’t spent every second of every day with the visiting cops, but… “No.”
“And why do you say that?”
“My gut.” It had been telling me something, but not that.
He nodded again, sliding his fingers up his cheek until his thumb cradled his jaw. “Good.” I waited, but he didn’t seem inclined to say anything else without prompting.
So, I opened my big mouth and shoved my foot in it, “You sent humans to live in my house that might have been a threat to my pack?”
His nostrils flared, eyes narrowing. “Might have been. But your gut tells you everything’s fine.”
“And if it hadn’t been?”
“Then you would have dealt with the … situation.”
The only thing that kept me from leaping out of my seat and landing my fist in that arrogant fucker’s face was Bree’s hand on my leg, her nails digging in and grounding my incoherent rage. He’d thought nothing of putting my pack at risk. My family. My fucking mate!
“Breathe, Owen,” Bree murmured, catching my gaze with hers and holding it. Once she seemed happy that I wasn’t going to tear the Mayor a new one, she turned her attention to the man himself. “Why?” Simple, to the point, and exactly the question we needed answering.
I sucked in air. She was so calm, her presence next to me was like an ice bath to my rage, extinguishing it and allowing me to think straight.
I couldn’t help but stare at her, seeing her through eyes now wide open and ready to really understand exactly who she was to me. I’d thought I’d known, had already been willing to hand over everything I was to her, but I hadn’t even been close to understanding.
Not by a fucking mile.
She was perfect in every way possible. I knew fated mates were created from one soul, divided and then set on two paths to eventually join as one again, but now I was finally seeing it in action and it was … humbling. She was everything I wasn’t, everything I strived to be.
So caught up in my revelations, I almost missed Carter’s answer, “Because it has been discovered that the Purists’ reach extends to the human government.”
“We knew that,” I snapped, making a get it over gesture with my hand.
Glaring at me, Carter continued, “As you know, the Purists have recruited some humans to their cause. It is unknown whether their reach extends to the departments who are involved in this renegotiation of the treaty.”
Bree straightened. “You’re talking about spies.”
“Most likely spies, yes.”
“What else would they be?” Bree asked, her teeth tugging at her bottom lip as she chewed over his answer.
“Assassins, but it’s highly unlikely that they’d want to tip their cards so soon.”
Closing my hand over Bree’s which was still settled on my thigh, I asked what I thought to be the most important question, “And you wanted this information kept quiet, why?”
“Because the fewer people who know, the easier it will be for them to infiltrate Heartsridge.”
I was fucking missing something. “And why would we want that to happen?”
Carter’s mouth curved up in a smile that had my teeth grinding together, my wolf leaping forward and stretching beneath my skin. “Because if they come into our home and fuck with us, then we can deal with them ourselves. Shifter or human, I don’t care. They come here, they die.”
Well, couldn’t argue with that. Giving him a smile just as feral, I inclined my head. “Game on,” I drawled, picking up my glass and taking a drink.
In that instant, there was complete understanding between us. We would protect our people, no matter the cost. Beside me, Bree nodded, her mouth set in a grim line. “What is the shifter council doing in all this?”
“They are aware of the situation and will be sending people to assist when needed.”
The hand on my thigh tightened.
Carter didn’t notice the fact that Bree had paled, or if he did, he didn’t mention it. But I certainly did and filed that fact away for later. After staring into his glass, like it being empty fucking offended him, he continued, “As I said before, they are also looking into the drug manufacturing, to make sure it’s … ethical and in our best interests that it continues.” Basically, that it wasn’t some Purist bullshit. “The Council has informed me that while they will be arranging work placement training in the human world soon, we are to continue these bootcamps as a way to lure the enemy into a false sense of security. If they see that our guard is down—business as usual, with people coming and going—they won’t be able to help themselves from trying to infiltrate.”
Bree hummed under her breath, her finger tapping on my thigh. “I agree with Owen, I think this batch of cops are on the level.”
Carter nodded at Bree, the corners of his mouth tilting up in a satisfied smile. “When they leave, they’ll report back to their superiors and we’ll monitor how it goes from there.”
Bree removed her hand and plucked the drink from mine, swallowing it down with a sigh. “So, we just wait?”
I smirked when she passed me back the glass, placing my lips exactly where hers had been and draining the last drop. Setting the tumbler down, I thought about it. “You don’t think this is the human government acting on their own? Gathering intel on us?”
Carter pushed his chair back, a clear indication that this meeting was over. “I would be surprised if they aren’t. The only thing we can do is gather our own intel and wait it out.” Striding to the door, he held it open. “But we plan. We get ready.”
As we passed by him, I grinned, letting my upper lip curl up to bare my teeth. “Like I said, game on.”
Chapter Sixteen
Briana
“What about this one?” I held up a top, flipping it around so Julie could see it. It was late afternoon the next day and we’d already been in the store for half an hour, flitting around like hummingbirds with a nectar buzz. So many pretties and, as Julie had so rightly pointed out, I had the
pick of the store, since I didn’t have to wear maternity clothes. This was said with a pout.
So far, I had treated myself to a pair of killer heels and had picked up a new mascara that promised to work miracles. Next on my list was a cute top, and I was pretty sure I’d just found it.
“Ooooooh, pretty!” Julie called back, her hand flicking through hangers with the determination of a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. “I like the sparkles.”
Tracing my finger over the fake gemstones that were flecked all over the top, as if a paintbrush had splattered the material, I had to agree with her. Sparkles were always good. “I’m going to try it on.”
“Gotcha!” Julie was hyper, more excited for a night out than anyone I’d ever known. At around six months pregnant, she was bubbling with energy, and she made me feel like taking a nap just by watching her.
Moments later, I had the top on and was posing in front of the mirror, trying to catch myself from all angles. Huh. Pretty darn cute, even if I said so myself. My lips curled up into a grin as I imagined Owen’s face when he saw me in it, then my smile slipped. He’d mentioned something about a poker game, which meant he wouldn’t— Gah! Grow a pair! It meant he was missing out, that’s all. He could admire it from the safety of the wash basket. I smirked, sliding a finger under one of the spaghetti straps. Or the bedroom floor, that would work, too.
I flicked the curtains back, striking a pose. “What do you think, Julie?”
My friend looked up at me from where she sat on in a chair, her arm curled around her bump protectively, her face a pasty white. “Looks really good, honey.” She swallowed, her eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.
I raced forward, dropping to my knees. “What is it, Julie?”
“Nothing, I’m fine. Truly, I’m—” She leaned forward and heaved and I grabbed her hair, tucking it behind her ears while making shushing sounds. Shit. Darting back to the changing room, I rooted in my bag and came up with nothing. No phone. Damn it! Rushing back to Julie, I rubbed her back and caught the eye of the shop assistant. “Call the packhouse and ask for Tom,” I instructed and the assistant ran off without a word.
Julie heaved again, her hand clamping down around my wrist and eyes widening. “I don’t feel too good,” she whispered.
“I know, honey. I know. I’m going to take good care of you and Tom will be here before you know it.” I tried to keep the worry out of my voice, but it must have seeped through.
“The baby is fine. I can feel her,” her voice was strained, but conviction shone through. “She’s fine. Probably laughing at me.”
I stroked her hair back from her forehead where a few strands had tangled, easing her back into the chair. “Could be a boy, you know.”
Julie grimaced at me. “Haven’t you placed your bet yet? Boy or girl. Cat or wolf. Even the delivery date, it’s all up for grabs.”
I chuckled, happy to see some of her spark shining through her obvious misery. “I’ll make sure I do that.”
“Girl, right? Tom thinks he knows it all, but he’s wrong. A woman knows these things.”
I didn’t remind her that only a week ago she’d been swearing left, right, and center it was a boy she was carrying. It was a woman’s prerogative to change her mind as many times as she wanted to—especially when she was being used as an incubator. Tom had caught onto that fact pretty fast, from what I could see.
Footsteps rushed up to us, then, “Tom is on his way.”
I thanked the shop assistant, and with a little direction and her help, I yanked my new sparkly top off and shuffled into the hoodie I’d thrown on this morning. “Is it okay if I take this and come back later to pay?” I indicated the top. Not that I was sure I’d get chance to wear it; I didn’t want to leave Julie’s side right now, but it would do for another time.
The shop assistant nodded. “Sure. You’re Briana, right?”
My eyes flicked up to the woman, but I was pretty sure I didn’t know her. “Yes,” I answered slowly.
She chuckled, but it was subdued, her eyes flicking back to Julie in silent worry. “Ah, you’ll get used to it. You’re Owen’s mate and everyone knows the alphas around here. He has an account here; would you like me to charge—”
I shook my head. I’d exchanged one kind of notoriety for another. Just my luck. “Eh, why the hell not?” Though I made a mental note to pay him back, as soon as he paid me my wages. And wasn’t that a mind screw? I wondered if enforcers earned more than cooks. Adding that to the mental to-ask list that was growing inside my head, I checked Julie over, noting her color had returned and her breathing was steady again. “Feeling better?”
She groaned, giving her stomach a rub. “I think baby disagreed with something I ate.” She blinked at me, her eyes widening in horror. “It better not be the gooseberry jelly.”
“You did eat half a jar for breakfast.”
She pouted, wrinkling her nose in a scowl. “Screw you, you’re not my mother.” She stuck her tongue out.
And … she was back. I snorted. “Thank fuck for that.”
The fake ass scowl morphed into a grin. “I’ve still got you down for babysitting duties though. Don’t think you’re getting out of those.”
I couldn’t swallow past the lump in my throat for a moment. I’d never thought about the future, never stuck in one place long enough to make plans for one. Even now, my feet itched to run, despite the fact that I should be safe.
Pulling a face at her, I shuddered. “Owen might not know it yet, but he’s on diaper duty.”
Whether I was still here or not, at least he would be there for her.
“Sooooo … you escaped!” Nita made a big show of looking around me, her eyes widening in mock shock.
Wincing at the decibels screeching through my ears, I clinked my glass against hers before taking a much needed drink. I didn’t bother to grace her with an answer, just tilted my chin in the direction of the door. “They’re here.”
Making their way across the crowded room were Harper, Mina, Emma, and … well, would you lookie here, Miss Grace Lockett herself, last seen brandishing a stapler and looking like she’d like to eat a certain lion shifter for breakfast.
Sucking on my straw, I downed half of my drink, enjoying the rush of heat that coursed through my bloodstream and straight to my head. Moonshine and cola—the perfect combo to enable all kinds of conversation, especially the kind which involved grilling a certain person about a lion shifter and how much she’d like to take a bite out of him.
I chewed on my straw. Huh, talking about snooping, I still hadn’t managed to find out what the hell Grant’s problem was. He was kind of back to normal, but still a hell of a lot more quiet than his usual easy going self. And, since nosey should have been my middle name, I was just the girl for the job. I just had to make sure to remember in the morning, then I could get right on hounding Grant’s ass until he gave up. I added it to my ever growing mental check list, pinning it at the top. He was a friend and he was a member of my pack, which meant it was my business anyway. Satisfied with my astounding logic—especially under the influence of alcohol—I turned back to my friends.
With a round of deafening squeals and hugs, we greeted each other and drinks were passed out, apologies were made for the missing members of our little gang, and Granny Foxglove—Mina’s granny, not mine—popped out of the woodwork. Okay, not quite out of the woodwork, but I didn’t have a clue where she’d appeared from. Though, from the look of her outfit—a very swishy, sequined skirt in a pale lavender and slinky blouse to match—she looked ready to party. And from the way she downed her drink, setting it down to a round of applause, the wily fox shifter was here for a good time. “I ditched Talbot,” she shouted over the music, managing to whack at least three innocent bystanders with her oversized purse.
And were those … knitting needles sticking out of it? I squinted. Yep, Granny Foxglove was armed and dangerous tonight.
“I’m going to get my boogie-woogie on with some
hot stud.” And she was gone, melting into the crowd, who quickly cleared a path for her once they realized their limbs and possibly eyeballs were in jeopardy.
Mina just grinned, waving her Granny off. “She told me she doesn’t want Talbot getting too complacent,” she shouted over the music, her hips swaying to the beat.
“But Talbot’s not here to see,” I shouted back.
Harper circled her hips, sliding her hands down her body and shooting a glare at a guy who was trying to dance up close to her. He backed off, hands up in silent apology. “Oh, the guys will be down later on. They always turn up eventually on girls’ night. They can’t help themselves.”
“Boo.” Nita stuck her bottom lip out.
Harper hip bumped her. “I hear Michael’s coming.”
“He’d better not be,” Nita shot back.
I couldn’t help myself, it was just too easy. “At least, not without you in the picture, right?”
Nita spluttered, then scowled, but before she turned away, I caught the glimpse of a satisfied smirk. Yeah, she might pretend it wasn’t happening, but it was. Or, if it wasn’t, it would be soon. And wouldn’t that be fun fireworks to watch?
Sidling up to Emma, one of the quietest of the bunch tonight, I smiled at her. Once human, she’d been changed into a bear shifter, and had obviously missed the ability to get drunk, if the way she was sucking back her drink was anything to go by. Heat flushed her cheeks as she grinned back at me, her short red hair curling at the edges and damp from the heat of the bar. She was sweet, no nonsense, and compassionate. Good thing too, being the resident doctor in town. “Having fun?”
She nodded, letting go of her straw long enough to answer me, “It’s a shame that Julie couldn’t make it.”
“Sure is,” I agreed. Luckily it had been something she’d ate, though Tom had refused to let her out to party, insisting on bedrest that involved waiting on her hand and foot. Lucky woman. I hadn’t wanted to leave her, but she’d insisted. “Once she’s had the rugrat, she’ll be back to fighting shape and nothing will stop her.”