As he soaped up, he thought about how pissed off he’d been the last few weeks. All that time he’d been so frustrated out of worry that they’d never get their chance. Only, it was never about if they would be together. Only when. And that’s the way it was going to stay, for the near future at any rate. Which was probably for the best. He wrapped a towel around his waist, grabbed the scissors and got to work. Fifteen minutes later, he ran his hand through his thick waves and decided it was close enough. He wiped up the sink with a towel, tossed it in the hamper, and pressed his knuckles into the granite vanity. He looked into the mirror, stared at his hazel eyes, and wondered if he would ever stop seeing the male who murdered his best friend.
X sat facing the computer in the lab and typed in Helen’s notes. The female was so busy working that she didn’t have the time. She was also far too satisfied with pen and paper. She was making good use of the new safe, but he wanted it all on hard drive as well. His thoughts wandered to Rose as he started to wonder where she’d gotten to. She’d left their room before he got back with breakfast. Maybe she was down in the shelter with Rory. Nah, he’d sense her there. Jesus, he was losing it. One fainting spell and his female couldn’t have a couple of hours to herself. Maybe he’d just check their room real quick.
He sauntered down the corridor and poked his head in the door. His female was standing in front of the bed, hands clasped behind her back, eyes shining like she had a secret.
“I did something bad.”
A strangled little cry came from under the bed and a tiny little black dust bunny crawled out. X’s brain played with the image until it landed directly on kitten. It was completely black except for its paws and the bottom half of its face, which made it look like it was wearing white shoes and a little black mask.
Rose scooped her up. “She was out on the back property all alone and she was so hungry. I don’t think she has anywhere to go.”
Here it comes.
“Do you think we could keep her?”
His mate looked like a kid at Christmas, which was actually kinda hot. Yeah, something was so not right about that.
“I thought we could call her Cool. C-o-o-l. Get it? Isn’t it cute?”
Oh, he got it alright. His black ass was so damn whipped he would have adopted Cool, Cool’s relatives, her previous owners—whatever it took to put that look in his female’s eye and keep it there as long as possible.
“Well, I don’t see why not. Ana has a nagual.”
Rose put down the cat and threw her arms around his neck. She held him so tight he was about ready to head to the Humane Society and clean them out.
“Thank you, my male. You’ll never know she’s here.”
Somehow he doubted that, but what the hell. Besides, he should hardly be complaining with a second form like Cheetah. What was sharing a little den space from one cool cat to another? Sharing quality time with his female—now that was a whole other story.
Pax lifted the barbell and continued counting down reps before placing it back on the rack and grabbing his water bottle.
Ana walked in wearing skinny jeans and a hoodie. This definitely wasn’t a gym run. “Hey, hot stuff.”
“Hey, sis. What’s up?”
“I just got a text from Reyn. We’re going back in.”
Ah. That would explain why his phone had been wiggin’ on the floor for the last ten minutes. “When?”
“Tonight. They want to meet with us in an hour.”
“You think they want us to get the goods on Victrixa?”
“Yep.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in sixty.”
***
Pax sat at the dinner table and watched as Maya gleamed from Adriana to Richard and back again.
“Bouya!” X whooped as everyone started to clap.
Finally, he caught James walking in the far door. His gorgeous auburn hair was back and there wasn’t a scrap of metal to be seen. He must’ve had an odd look on his face because James stuck out his tongue far enough so he could see his piercing, then gave him a sexy smile. Pax covered his eyes and peeped out before pointing to the seat across from him.
“That is so cute,” Rose said from down the table.
Adriana rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. It’s all fun and games ’til they have to send Mommy away.”
Richard kissed his mate’s cheek.
Pax looked across the table and mouthed, “I need to talk to you.”
James gave a quick nod and took a sip of his water.
After the antipasto was finished, large bowls of pasta were placed on the table with garlic bread. Separate plates of chicken and grilled vegetables were put down in front of Pax and Ana, who was sitting next to him.
“Dig in, Valentino,” she said with a wink.
James gave Pax’s boot a nudge under the table and gave him an odd look, which he waved off for the moment.
“Two of the stuffed shells is plenty, my male.”
“Are you sure that’s all you want, Rosie?” X asked.
“Yeah, I overdid it with the antipasto.”
Diesel smiled. “It’s easy to do.”
Troy snorted. “’Specially for you, Dies.”
X chuckled. “That ain’t no lie, my brother.”
After dinner, James was walking up the main staircase when he felt a hand take his. Instantly, his heart began to race. Pax sped up, led him down the second floor hallway, and pulled him into the conservatory. He used that body of his to pin James up against the wall and warm breath hit his cheek before Pax’s mouth was on his. The message James sent him in the drawing room had been a very explicit come-and-get-me. Message received. He parted his lips to him, Pax’s tongue a sweet invasion. Then James took the male by the back of the neck, wound his tongue around his, and gave him a friendly jolt of electricity.
Pax moaned, but then pushed back, panting. He leaned in and whispered into James’s ear. “I wouldn’t do that in a public space again.”
James smiled and caught his breath. “Point taken.”
His camzah kept the space intimate. “Listen, I wanted to tell you that Ana and I are heading out on another mission late tonight.”
James’s face fell. “Fuck.”
Pax took him by the chin. “Hey. I’m going to be fine.”
But James had been in the old Toltec building. He’d seen the male in action. He knew what it was like, understood the danger far too well. They’d gone on another mission recently and he hadn’t even heard about it ’til they got back. Now, he was getting some serious good-bye action before the guy left. Man, how things changed.
He swallowed hard. “Just be careful. Please.”
“I will be.” The male put his hand on his cheek and walked off.
Ana double checked her weapons and equipment one last time, zipped her leather jacket, and walked out of the closet. SE was standing next to the arm chair with his arms crossed. He walked over to her, pulled something small and silver out of his pocket, and handed it to her. Her chin dropped. It was a Berloque pistol.
“I know how averse you are to back-up weapons, but do bring this one back with you. They’re not easy to find.” He grinned.
She jumped up and threw her arms around his neck. She slid back down and turned the tiny piece over and over in her hand. “This is so cool. Thank you, my male.”
“You’re welcome. You come back to me, Ihkweea.”
“Always.”
She pulled him into a kiss and gleamed out, materializing in the foyer. A moment later, Pax appeared.
“You all set with the plan, Pax?”
“Yep. You’ll take out old blue eyes and I’ll take his place.”
“Right. And remember, Victrixa works very closely with him and the guy’s a total sociopath. You show one glimmer of conscience and you’re toast.”
He nodded. “Got it. After you.”
At the last moment, she sensed her mate. She looked up at the top of the stairs and noticed SE on the balcony, the nagual twittering a
bove his head. She found his eyes, memorizing them for just a moment before gleaming back across the lines of the war.
Rose sat on a stool at the bar and sucked on a lollipop to settle her stomach. She watched Xavier play pool with Troy, James, and SE. He had put the game together to help ease the males. He took a pull from his cigar, lined the shot up, and looked directly into her eyes. He took the shot without dropping eye contact. The ball went in the pocket and he gave her a wink. Her body filled with heat. What was it Ana had said the other day? She’d told her she’d landed the Alpha. She supposed she had. But there were sides to him that no one would ever know but her. The way he cradled her in his arms from top to bottom. How laying with his head in her lap and her peppermint tea was the only thing that helped his headaches if he’d had too much screen time. The things he whispered in her ear in the middle of the night after taking her.
She hopped off the stool and very contentedly popped the candy from her mouth. “I’m going to head downstairs, my male. I’m a little tired.”
His coffee brown eyes were focused on her mouth as she spoke, then followed the lollipop as it went back between her lips. “I won’t be long, female.”
“Let’s keep the game moving, boys,” she heard him drawl as she left the room.
“Never thought I’d see the day, X.”
“Watch yourself, Southie.”
They all burst into laughter and a little satisfied smile crossed Rose’s face.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Ana stood perfectly still in one of Toltec’s back hallways. She drew her breath in slow even pulls as she swept the place for Mommie Dearest. She was alone in her office. Hmm. She didn’t know this building very well and that was going to make things difficult. In the old days, Blue Eyes had a lair under the actual compound. But that place had been a former mental hospital. Where would the cocksucker hide in this more modern building? The frigging custodial closet? Not to mention her powers had been down when she’d been near him before, thanks to the shitload of liquid silver he’d pumped her with. Pax was getting antsy beside her and she didn’t dare look at him. Before partnering with the male she’d always worked alone. Warriors were used to action and any other brother would feel jumpy with this much waiting, but she needed to get her bearings.
“Hey, can you hang tight for a few minutes?”
“Yeah. Where are you going?”
“Someplace you don’t fit.”
Ana phased into Cobra and gleamed herself up inside the drop ceiling. She’d been working on gleaming in her second form for a while now. She’d never seen anyone else do it, but her power worked a little differently, so she thought she might have a shot. She knew it would bring her spying game to a whole new level. Plus, if it worked, she’d be able to kiss mini cams good-bye. It was worth it for that alone. Sure enough, a week ago she’d gleamed herself to the showers down in the gym. Thank God they rarely got used, although she now knew where Viktor’s birthmark was. It had been worth it for this moment. In Cobra’s lightweight, slender body, she was able to navigate the connector rails between the tiles easily without falling through. Her hearing wasn’t great in her second form, but she could feel vibrations, including those made by energy. She just had to hope it would be enough.
Over and over Ana serpentined. She could no longer sense Pax, which meant he must have taken on another form. Damn it. She could only pray there wasn’t a Toltec body lying somewhere. Come on. Come on. Every moment slipping by took up time she didn’t have. She had no idea how long it had been when she suddenly felt a heavy vibration of k’ul appear from out of thin air down below. Whoever it was had gleamed. Without any way to see who it was she was taking a risk, but she had no choice. She locked in on that energy and dematerialized.
The strike was so fast and precise, Blue Eyes couldn’t have prevented it even if he’d seen her. She hit him just above the boot line, delivering enough venom to immobilize him with pain and maybe some blurry vision. It quickly took effect and only then did she phase.
He slid down the wall to the floor and looked up at her with those fucked up blue eyes. “Do you know what happened to the last Mata female who tried to poison me?”
Goddamn she wanted to kill the fucker. Unfortunately, she couldn’t do that. They needed to put him back in play when they were done. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. My mother’s scar, blah, blah, blah. Get a new story.”
She picked up the metal trash can and slammed it down on his head.
There was a tremendous flash and Rose’s body was consumed by a heat too intense to bear. She looked up. Xavier was running toward her, his great hands balled into fists, his face contorted by fear. “Run, Rose!” She looked down at the concrete, willing herself to move, but it was melting under her very feet. She looked back for Xavier, but he was being swallowed into the melting ground.
Rose felt a scream try to leave her throat, but when she sat up in bed, she was greeted by quiet darkness. The only things she could hear were the smooth whirring of Cool’s purrs and the even sound of her mate’s breathing next to her. Then the shaking started and she realized she was freezing. The sheets were soaking wet. Oh, Goddess, no. She made her way to the bathroom and grabbed a clean towel. She wrapped it around herself and rubbed her arms as she went back into the bedroom and found her bag. She pulled out the new cell Xavier had given her and sent out a text.
I’m coming.
Ana slipped around the corner to the back hallway where she’d left Pax. A blond Toltec shifter stood facing her. Instinctively, she went for her pistol, but then the male flashed her the peace sign. The agreed upon signal. It was Pax.
“You didn’t have to kill the looker, did you?” she whispered.
He shook his head. “I knocked him out. Did you find him?”
She nodded and cast out her senses for any unexpected visitors before giving him the all clear. He followed her down the next hallway and around a corner to a heavy door. They gleamed inside and made their way past the douche’s museum of torture horrors and into the next room.
Pax phased back to his first form and looked down at the body on the floor. Ana watched and waited, but the male just stood there. Patience. Officially Lost.
“Well?”
“I…I don’t know what he is.”
She looked down at the body on the floor. “What do you mean you don’t know what he is?”
“With all the shit we’ve dealt with lately this somehow surprises you?”
She looked down at Blue Eyes and kicked his boot with her foot. “I thought his energy was a little funky.”
“And you’re just sharing that now?”
“Well, can you clone him?”
“I’m working on it, but so help me, if I end up looking like that the rest of my life I’m going to kick your ass.”
Oh, for the love of fuck.
X rolled over and immediately realized he’d made a mistake. A squeal came out from under him and he lifted his shoulder. Cool’s head popped up and she bristled.
He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. Seven o’clock. “Sorry, Miss Thing, but I’m not sure we both fit in this bed.”
She hopped off and went straight for her dish. Hmm. “Hungry, eh? Where’s your mama?”
He put down some food and fresh water. She wolfed down her breakfast, then started to chase something under the bed. Huh. So far, it seemed he was usually the first one up. He headed into the bathroom. Rosie hadn’t showered either. For a moment he wondered if she might be out behind the mansion looking to add to the family. If she did, there was no way he’d be able to say no, that’s for damn sure. The thought crossed his mind that he’d better get started on those plans for expansion. He shook his head and smiled at the thought of them becoming two crazy old cat people.
Twenty minutes later he was walking up to early breakfast with Diesel and Helen when they met Geoffrey in the main foyer.
The look on the male’s face was earnest. “I must speak with you.”
“I’ll
catch up with you later, Dies.”
Geoffrey walked into the small kitchen and X followed. “Did you know I received a call from Rose this morning? She asked me to take her into town.”
X’s heart gave a lurch in his chest. “To town? Where?”
“To Cambridge. MIT.”
MIT?
“I just returned. You didn’t know? I sent you a text. I would have declined to take her.”
Fuck. “You did the right thing, Geoffrey. Thank you.” X said absently.
Geoffrey headed off. “Let me know if you need anything.”
What could Rose possibly want at MIT? She’d been there the night of James’s Induction, but he’d never asked her why. He gleamed down to their room and turned on his computer. Then he went for the drawer to her nightstand. Kleenex, a book, a photo of him that was no doubt from the other females. Adrenaline coursed through him. The protective instinct was clearly running the show. He turned, slammed her suitcase down on the bed, and opened it before freezing in place. He rubbed his goatee. He needed to know she was safe, but part of him felt like he was spying on her. A big part. No, there was no way he was going through her stuff. He turned and sat down at his laptop, quickly bringing up her phone. He’d given her a clean phone when she moved in, after installing a third party tracker for safety. He exhaled in relief when the signal popped up on the map. She was still on the main MIT campus somewhere. Thank fuck. Now the only question was did he go get her now or later?
The tab for screening her texts popped up. He stared at it for a moment before clicking the icon. Jesus, this was low. That wasn’t no protective instinct. It was the possessive instinct. But like the mated male he was, he glanced at the screen anyway. She’d only sent one text since she’d been at the compound. It had gone out at 5 a.m. that morning to—Ben Stokes. A male. Fuck. Me.
He pulled out his cell and dialed his boy. “Yo. I need you. It’s Rose.”
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