Would she know what he really was, or would the curse keep him camouflaged the way it had with the other supernaturals? Zander shook his head and shoved the concern aside. It would be what it would be. She was his brother’s mate and the answer they had been looing for. He curled his hand around the cool steel knob, and the memory of Zed’s haunted voice flickered through his mind.
Mine.
A moment later, the sound of glass breaking and a woman’s cry filled the air. Panic fired through him. Without bothering with the formality of knocking, Zander tore the door open and stormed into the office, but he stopped short when he found himself staring into a pair of glowing amber eyes.
It had been so many years since Zander had seen the clan eyes of an Amoveo, he was rendered speechless. However, within seconds, the woman’s eyes flickered and shifted back to their human state—a lovely shade of brown.
“I guess you don’t believe in knocking?”
Chapter 3
Rena McHale stood at the center of the small office with broken glass littering the wooden floor around her feet, seemingly unaware that her eyes had shifted. An Amoveo would never allow their clan eyes to be seen by a stranger who was presumably a human.
“You’re bleeding,” he blurted out.
“Damn it,” she hissed.
She had blood dripping from her right hand, and the other was balled into a fist, ready to fight. Rena McHale was every bit as beautiful in person as she had been in the dreamrealm.
Scratch that. More so. The woman was breathtaking.
Chestnut-colored hair cut in a chin-length bob and highlighted with bright-red streaks framed the determined expression on her oval-shaped face. Irritation and a hint of surprise danced in her brown eyes, which were flecked with gold. She was dressed in a simple blue suit with a crisp, white shirt unbuttoned just enough so he could see the curve of her cleavage.
“Staring at my boobs after you barge into my office is a ballsy move, my friend.”
Zander flicked his gaze back to hers, and the moment their eyes locked, it sent a shock straight to his dick. Son of a bitch. That’ll wake a man up. He bit back the urge to swear out loud. The woman was bleeding, and he was ogling her like a creep. He made a mental note to keep his eyes on her face.
That wouldn’t be a problem.
“Sorry,” Zander murmured. He took a step back and raised both hands as if in surrender but pointed at the blood dripping onto the floor. “You want some help with that, or do you just wanna bleed to death?”
She sighed. “That seems a little dramatic.”
She arched one dark eyebrow and stepped over the broken remnants of what looked like a glass of water before grabbing a roll of paper towels off a file cabinet. She tore off a large wad and immediately pressed it to her wound while eyeing him warily.
“How can I help you?”
“You might need stitches,” he said quietly. “There’s a lot of blood.”
“It looks worse than it is. I’ll throw a couple of butterfly bandages on it.” She gave him a quick once-over but didn’t make a move toward him. “I heal like a champ, but thanks for your concern.”
He bet she did. Amoveo were known for their ability to heal swiftly. Even a hybrid like Rena would enjoy that particular gift. A hybrid. He still couldn’t wrap his brain around this piece of the puzzle. His brows knit together as she pulled a first aid kit from the bottom file cabinet drawer and swiftly tended to the cut on her hand while keeping one eye on him.
When had the Amoveo started breeding with humans, and why the hell doesn’t she know what she is? Where were her people? He glanced around the office. There were no personal pictures anywhere. It was sparse and strictly business.
This was going to be more difficult than he thought.
“Do you always barge into people’s offices, sir?”
“Only when I hear a woman scream.” He dropped his hands to his side and kept his voice low. “Breaking glass and screaming don’t usually bring good news.”
“True,” she said with a small smile. “Now that you know I’m not a damsel in distress and only a little clumsy, tell me who you are and why you’re here.”
“It’s my brother.”
“Hold on.” Rena tossed the bloodied paper towels and bandage wrappers into the garbage can next to the desk. “Let’s start with your name.”
“Zander.”
She smirked and gingerly smoothed the bandage over the side of her palm. “Last name?”
“Lorens.” He stuck out his left hand and slowly closed the space between them. The light, sweet scent of pears wafted over him, and he couldn’t help but breathe a little deeper as he got closer. It was a stark contrast to the city she lived in. “Zander Lorens.”
Rena shook her head and laughed while waving her injured right hand. He stilled as the light, musical sound of her amusement hit him in seductive waves. His gut tightened with need, which was disarming and disconcerting.
“Right.” He cleared his throat, quickly dropping his arm. “Sorry.”
Just as well. What was he thinking? Touching her would not be a smart move. Zander’s body was sending signals that were confusing the hell out of his brain. He would keep his distance. Nature had messed up once before, and it was up to him to make it right.
Once she connected with Zed, everything would be as it should be.
“No problem.” Rena went behind her desk and gestured to the chair in front of it. “Have a seat, Mr. Lorens. Sorry about the bloody debris field.”
“Zander.”
“Zander.” Rena’s eyes narrowed slightly, and her intense gaze skittered over him from head to toe. “I’m betting the bike I heard pulling up outside belongs to you.”
Zander nodded and stepped around the broken glass before sitting across from the increasingly intriguing woman. In his experience, most women who cut themselves and bled the way she did would be crying or freaking out. Not Rena. She seemed more annoyed by it than anything else. The lady didn’t flinch from the pain or grimace when she put on the butterfly stitches.
Rena McHale was tough as nails and, of course, that only made her more attractive. Damn it all. Why couldn’t she be a mousy, waif-type girl or maybe a glamor puss like that blond? After five hundred years, the universe could have thrown him a bone and given Zed a mate that Zander wasn’t drawn too.
No such luck.
“Okay,” Rena said slowly. She leaned back in her chair and settled her hands in her lap as she gave him a once-over. “Then let’s get right to it. What has brought you to Fox Investigations? Something about your brother?”
“Yes. He’s lost. I want you to find him.”
She studied him silently, as though deciding what to say next. Zander had the distinct impression she was holding something back, but he hadn’t a damn clue what it could be.
“My fee is ten thousand dollars. Half up front and half when I find your brother. I have a money-back guarantee. If I don’t locate the lost within a week, then you get your deposit fully refunded. No harm, no foul.”
Zander didn’t flinch when she mentioned the fee, though he sensed she was expecting him to. Based on the modest office space, he also suspected this wasn’t her usual fee. Amusement, a feeling he’d practically forgotten, bubbled up. The vixen was trying to play him. He didn’t look like a guy with a fat portfolio, and he liked it that way. Between his long hair, the Harley, and his road-weary outfit, most people mistakenly assumed that he was broke.
“My case is unusual, and I’m going to need more personal attention than most of your clients.”
“Really?” Her eyebrows lifted, and a hint of curiosity flickered in her eyes. “What kind of attention?”
“I want to be involved in the search. My brother was last seen near a ranch in Montana and I—”
“Hang on.” Rena held up her injured hand, and a s
tony look settled in her eyes. “That goes against my policy. I have a unique investigation style, and I work alone.”
“I’ll pay you thirty grand.”
Rena stared at him with silent disbelief, the only sound in the office that of a car driving by. Zander held her stare and suppressed a smile. He could tell she wasn’t used to being surprised. Add that to her list of attractive qualities.
“Let me make sure I heard you correctly.” Rena leaned both elbows on her desk and peered at him intently. “You want to pay me thirty thousand dollars to go with you to Montana, and who knows where else, to find your brother?”
“Yes.” Zander kept his tone and his expression neutral. “You heard me right.”
“No offense, but you don’t look like a guy who can throw around that kind of cash.”
“I get that a lot.” He smirked. “I’d like to get started as soon as possible. We can leave—”
“Sir, I don’t know you well enough to tell you how I like my coffee, let alone go on a road trip with you.”
“Zed’s situation, like your investigative technique, is unique. My presence is required. You’re going to have questions, and it’ll be easier for everyone involved if I’m there with you to answer them.”
“If you have all the answers, why do you need me?”
She was smart too.
“I’d like to leave first thing in the morning,” he said quietly.
“What makes you think I can, or will, drop everything and leave town tomorrow?” A wicked smirk curved her lips and her eyes crinkled at the corners. “Maybe my husband wouldn’t like that.”
Zander stilled. Holy shit. The possibility had never even crossed his mind.
“You’re married?”
A dark, dangerous surge of jealousy boiled up, and the muscles in his neck and shoulders tensed. Something deadly curled and stretched inside his chest, reminiscent of a time long ago. It was as if his dragon, buried deep within his soul and long dormant, had suddenly awakened.
But that was impossible.
“Are you?” he asked in a barely audible voice. “Married? Do you have a family?”
The amusement that had edged those brown eyes seconds ago faded, and she shifted in her chair as though suddenly uncomfortable. Her energy signature skittered around him, reflecting her uneasiness and confirming his suspicions.
“No.” She moved a small green paperweight in the shape of a frog and briefly avoided his gaze. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m single. No kids. ”
“I see.” Tension seeped from his shoulders and the tingling in his chest dissipated. “Then you should have no trouble taking this job.”
“You are a piece of work.” She laughed. “Just because I’m not married doesn’t mean I don’t have other responsibilities. Are you one of those eccentric millionaires who never hears the word no? You’re used to getting whatever you want?”
Any humor Zander felt vanished. If she only knew how long it had been since he truly had what he desired. More years than he could count.
“No.” Zander rose to his feet slowly. Rena mirrored his position. “This isn’t a matter of what I want but what my brother needs. This is a case of life and death, to put it bluntly. I’ll meet you here at nine tomorrow morning.”
He heard her unamused huff as he turned and strode to the door.
“I never said I would take your case, and besides, how do you know I don’t have other cases to tend to?”
“Do you?” he asked, turning to face her.
“I have two others on the docket but—”
“They can wait. My brother can’t.”
Her intelligent gaze bored into his, and her lips lifted at the corners.
“Given the extra money you’re paying,” she murmured, “I can put off the next two cases for a little while. I’ll still only give you a week though.”
“Good. You’re hired.”
“Wait. You haven’t told me—”
“We’ll have plenty of time to talk on the road.”
“You really are something else, aren’t you?” She laughed softly and folded her arms over her breasts. “First of all, there’s paperwork you need to fill out if you really want to hire me. And if you’re telling me we need to go to Montana, that would require travel arrangements. The travel agency downstairs books all my flights and so forth but—”
“I don’t fly,” Zander said flatly.
“What?” A look of disbelief washed over her. “Who doesn’t fly in this day and age?”
“Me.”
“Why not?” she asked incredulously.
“Men don’t belong in the sky.” He suppressed the whisper of irritation he felt every time he thought of the way humans had taken over the skies—skies he and his people used to dominate. “It goes against the natural order of the universe.”
“So does a parent abandoning their kid, but that didn’t stop mine.”
A pang of empathy tugged at Zander. He had been alone for centuries, and long ago had mourned the loss of his family, but at least he had known the love of his parents. This woman had no one. Her Amoveo relatives and her human parent had obviously shunned her.
It made sense, then, that she would be a seeker of the lost. She herself was among them.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
“Oh well. I’m over it.” The tone of her voice was light, and she waved it off as though she didn’t care, but he sensed sorrow beneath it. “I got a raw deal in the family department, but life goes on.”
“You seem to have done all right for yourself in spite of it.”
“Thanks.”
She stared at him wordlessly for a few seconds.
“Your offer is for real? Thirty grand to find your brother—if I go with you.”
“Yes.”
Zander pulled the Ray-Bans from the collar of his T-shirt and slipped them on before tugging the door open. The amber light from the late-afternoon sun spilled into the room and lit up the red highlights in Rena’s hair as she stood studying him from behind her desk.
“Coffee?”
“What?” She blinked.
“How do you take it?”
“Uh.” A look of confusion flickered over her face. “Black.”
Made sense. A woman like her wouldn’t want or need to sweeten her coffee.
“See you tomorrow. Nine sharp.”
“I’ll be here.” Rena waved at him with her injured hand. “See you then.”
He sensed that she didn’t believe him or his offer, but that was fine, because he had a hunch convincing her was going to be half the fun. Maybe he could do a little more persuading over drinks tonight.
The smug smile on his lips faltered as he straddled his Harley. What the hell was he doing? He wasn’t here to flirt with this woman over drinks. She wasn’t his, and boozing it up with her at a bar would only confuse matters.
Besides, there were only six more days until the anniversary. He didn’t have time to dick around. If she didn’t connect with Zed and awaken him by the time the sun set on All Hallows’ Eve, his brother would remain trapped forever.
Zander started the bike and revved the engine. A whisper of awareness tripped up his spine as he became mindful of someone watching him. Sure enough, Rena stood in the window of her office, her steely gaze pinned to him. Her energy signature pulsed faster and swirled around him like a tornado. Looked like he wasn’t the only one affected by their encounter.
A slow grin slid across his face, and he tipped his head to her before pulling away from the curb. Well, maybe one drink wouldn’t hurt.
Chapter 4
Rena was late, and she hated being late to anything, but after the bizarre visit from her dream man who turned out to be a real man, she was way behind schedule. She tugged open the front door of Dino’s Place, and
her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light inside the fifties-themed bar. She’d always had great eyesight, even in the dark. Tonight, however, it seemed particularly sharp, because it only took about two seconds to spot Patricia’s annoyed expression.
“I’m sorry!” Rena hurried over, trying not to trip on her heels, and gathered Pat in a huge bear hug. “I know, I know. I’m late, and it’s your birthday, and I suck. Drinks on me all night.”
“You’re lucky I love you.” Pat kissed her cheek before swiping at what was surely a red lipstick streak. “You’re gonna have to catch up with me. Dino already bought me a couple of birthday rounds.”
“Thanks, Dino,” Rena shouted. She waved at the owner who was, as usual, dressed like a member of the Rat Pack and working behind the bar.
A Frank Sinatra tune filled the small club, and Rena noted they were the only two customers in the place. It was still early, as it was a Tuesday night in September, but she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Dino. Business was slower than usual.
“Come on.” Pat grabbed her hand and tugged her over to the small table in the corner. “I already have a drink ready and waiting for you.”
She could have kissed her again. If she ever needed a drink, it was tonight. Rena had been off-kilter ever since meeting Mr. Sexy Pants, Zander Lorens. It was rare that a man could capture her attention the way he had, but then again, a guy in her dreams had never turned up in person before. If she were being honest with herself, she hadn’t been able to get the hunky, mysterious stranger out of her head since he’d left her office a few hours ago.
There was something about him that Rena couldn’t shake, and it wasn’t just his lopsided grin or that sexy swagger. There was far more to Zander than met the eye. His energy signature, for one thing. It was as if the residue of it, thick and musky, clung to her like smoke.
Maybe a good stiff drink would help get the man out of her head.
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