“Oh, of course,” Christina said. “That’s what we do, after all. Or what we’re trying to do. Let’s go out into the living room. As you can see, I’m trying to set up my office here until we move into the new HQ. That should be soon as things are moving along.”
Christina seemed excited talking about how they were setting up a branch of The Shifter Protection Agency in Blackstone. The Agency was the brainchild of Ari Stavros, her step-father and Alpha of the Lykos clan. He started it to help shifters in trouble all over the world.
They settled in the living room with Jason and Christina in the love seat, Nathan and Violet on the couch across from them, and Luke in the arm chair in the corner.
Christina turned to Violet. “So, tell me what’s wrong. Who’s missing?”
“It’s Nathan’s date’s sister,” she began.
“Excuse me?” Christina shot daggers at the wolf shifter.
Nathan put his hands up. “I swear, she wasn’t my date! She was a chick I met at The Den—”
“Even worse,” Christina said.
Nathan groaned. “Nothing happened. I swear. Melanie told you, I told you—”
“Can we just get on with it?” Jason asked, putting an arm around his wife.
“Right,” Violet said, and she relayed the story of Melanie and Joanne to the rest of them.
“Holy shit,” Jason exclaimed. “You walked into a biker bar by yourself and grabbed that man by the throat? You’re one ballsy lady.” He frowned and wrinkled his nose at her. “What are you anyway? A jaguar? Leopard?”
Violet seemed to ignore him. “There might be others kidnapped along with her.”
“Could they be working with some kind of trafficking ring?” Nathan said. “They probably saw Joanne as a vulnerable college student, away from home where no one would check on her. Maybe they didn’t even know she was a shifter, hence the struggle in her apartment.”
“Will you help us?" Violet asked.
Christina’s face grew serious. “Of course I want to help. And we will.” She stood up. “I don’t have The Agency’s full resources with me right now, but I’ll see what I can do. We’ll think of something and by morning—”
“Morning?” Violet shot to her feet. “What do you mean morning?”
“Baby,” Nathan stood up. “Christina is an expert on these things. She’ll have a plan tomorrow, and we can get some rest for now.”
“Rest?” Violet stood back. “Rest? How can I rest when Joanne and probably those other girls are out there in the hands of those men! God knows what’s happening to them—”
“I’m sorry Violet,” Christina began. “I know how you feel. But even when I was just a field agent, I was taught we had to plan these things. Do some recon and then figure out what to do so as few people as possible get hurt. I have analysts and computer experts all over the world I can deploy, but I have to be smart about how I use our resources.”
Violet turned to Jason. “You’re a dragon. Please, can’t you help them? Just … fly over there and scare those bikers into telling us where the girls are.”
Jason shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way. And I’m already in enough trouble for my last public outing.”
Violet cried in frustration. “Why won’t any of you do something about this?”
“Baby—”
She swiped Nathan’s hand away. “No! You said we would find her and make sure she’s safe.”
“Be reasonable, Violet. We can’t do everything tonight.” Nathan sighed. “What’s the matter with you?”
“Nothing,” she growled.
Her face was twisted in anguish, and Nathan could see how pain much she was in. He could practically feel the animal inside of her, confused and suffering. Gone was the cold and calculated Dr. Robichaux. He didn’t know how, but he knew there was something else going on here.
“Violet!” he called as she turned around and ran toward the door. “Sorry,” he said to Christina and Jason. “And thanks for helping out.”
He didn’t wait for them to say anything. He wanted to make sure Violet didn’t get too far. Sure, he drove them there in his car, but she was a shifter; she could turn into her animal and run away and he’d never catch up with her.
The elevator doors closed as he reached the hallway. “Fuck!” He took the stairs, praying to God he would make it down before she did.
As he got to the ground floor, he heard the ding of the elevator signaling its arrival. “Violet!” he called as she ran out of the lobby door.
He chased after her, catching her in the middle of the parking lot. “Violet, stop. Please. Tell me what’s the matter.”
She whirled around. “What’s the matter?” Her eyes blazed like blue fire. “Your friends are sitting there doing nothing when they could help find Joanne!”
“Baby, calm down! They’re not doing nothing; they’re trying to help!” He gripped her shoulders to keep her steady. “Please. Tell what’s really wrong.”
The expression on Violet’s beautiful face turned from angry to agony. Her eyes filled with tears threatening to spill over. “I’m not doing this again. I’m not going to sit back and wait and let another innocent girl die. Not again!”
“Again?” Nathan could feel the pain radiating off her. “Oh God. Violet.” He pulled her to him, crushing her in his arms in a fierce hug. He buried his nose in her hair. “Tell me, Violet. Tell me why you’re hurting. I need to know.” Because he couldn’t stand seeing her like this and being unable to do anything about it.
“I …” She took deep, calming breaths. “It was back in Eritana, when I was doing my research. We were based in this remote village, and I was staying at the girl’s orphanage. They had nothing, you know? And yet they gave me a place to stay. I’m not good around kids, and they were wary of me. But, later on ... they made me … not so lonely.” She rubbed her face against his shirt, the moisture of her tears soaking the fabric. “Then, I got this job with Blackstone and it was the chance of a lifetime. I took it and resigned from the research team. The girls threw me a party the night before I was going to leave.” Violet looked up at him, her cheeks streaked with dried tears. “Then the men came in the middle of the night.”
Nathan’s jaw set into a hard line. “Men?”
“Insurgents. Rebels. Or possibly the military themselves. I don’t recall. They wanted the girls. All twenty-three of them. The oldest one was barely thirteen years old.”
He wanted to ask what for, but at the same time he didn’t want to know. The news was filled with stories about what happened to unprotected girls in war-torn countries. “And then what?”
“I woke up and got out of my tent. There were a dozen of them. All armed. They were pointing their guns at the girls and lining them up to place them in their truck.”
“Did they …?”
“I don’t remember much, but I do remember how angry I was. How angry my tiger was. You see to us, the girls were our cubs. Ours to protect. I shifted, and then there was so much blood … I killed most of them.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “You saved them.”
“I saved twenty-two of them.” She swallowed. “The truck drove away with one girl. Nadia.”
“Did the authorities go after her?”
She gave a bitter laugh. “No, of course not. The village elders didn’t have time to look for a girl, much less an orphaned one. And they … they said I was a monster, and they locked me up in a cage.”
“No!” Those bastards.
“Few people had heard of shifters there, so they didn’t know what I was. My team had been driven away too. I didn’t want to agitate the villagers, so I waited. My university has protocols in place, and I trusted the system would work.”
“They got you out?”
She nodded. “Yes. But three days had passed. As soon as I was out, I hunted those men down. It only took me twenty-four hours.”
He dreaded her next words, but he knew she had to say them. And he had to hear them. “Nadia?”
“Sshhh … Baby, it’s okay. You don’t have to say any more.”
“I killed as many of them as I could. I left one so they would know who I was and made sure no one messed with the girls again. They called me the Golden Demon. They said I was a monster. And I am.”
“You’re not,” Nathan said. “You saved those girls. They’re alive because of you.”
She hiccupped but remained silent.
“Violet, baby … I’m sorry. So sorry for what happened to you and for Nadia. You got your revenge. And I know you want to find Joanne too, but lashing out like this won’t help. Tiring yourself out won’t help, either. We need to get some rest and start fresh in the morning.”
“But—”
He planted a quick kiss on her lips. “I promise you, we will find her.”
“I want to believe that,” she said, laying her head on his chest. “But I want to do something now.”
“We are doing—”
Someone clearing their throat interrupted him. When Nathan looked up, he saw Luke standing a few feet away from them.
“For what it’s worth,” he began, “I completely disagree with Jason and Christina’s plan.”
“You do?”
He nodded. “And I told them that. That’s why I’m here.”
Violet pulled away from Nathan. “I don’t understand.”
“Christina wants to recruit me to be part of The Agency,” Luke explained. “I thought, why the hell not? Especially if it means we get to catch the bastards who tried to do us in during the wedding. I already do my patrols every night. She only asked that I do a more organized approach, move in grids, and report back any unusual activity.”
“Wow.” Nathan had to admit that was a genius plan.
“Anyway, like I said, if someone’s got your friend, then we shouldn’t be sitting on our hands doing nothing.”
“Wait. Are you saying you want to help?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Sounds like you two have been running around the whole day. Get some rest, and I'll take over from here.” He rubbed his jaw with his fingers. “So, that bar. The Bitter End?”
Violet nodded. “Off Highway 54, north of Verona Mills. What are you going to do?”
“I’ll head there and keep watch. Follow them and tell you what I find.”
Violet seemed satisfied with his answer. “Thank you, Luke. That would help me sleep better.”
He shrugged. “I’ll call you if I find anything.” Without another word, he walked away.
“Your friend is … different,” Violet said.
Nathan chuckled. “Yeah, that describes Luke all right. But, like he said, let’s get some rest.” He took her elbow and walked her back toward Jason and Christina's apartment building.
“Your car is over there.” Violet pointed to the Mustang as they walked past it.
“I know,” he said as he led her to the building next to Jason’s. “We’re not going to my car.” He fished for his keys and opened the door to the lobby. “We’re going to my loft.”
“Your loft? You live here too?” she asked. “But—”
“Violet, it’s late. And we’re both tired. I don’t want to drive you all the way back to the hotel.” He gently guided her into the elevator.
“I can get a cab—”
“And Luke doesn’t have your number, he has mine. He’s going to call me when he finds something. Do you want to waste precious time driving back and forth from here to your hotel when he does?”
“I suppose you’re right.”
They were already in front of his apartment door. “Don’t worry; I’ve got three bedrooms. I’ll lend you some clothes, you can have a hot bath, and then sleep.”
She sighed in defeat. “That sounds good, actually.”
He kissed the top of her head. For a second he thought she’d recoil, but she leaned into him. “Okay, bedroom’s on the right, same place as Christina’s office. You’ll find everything you need in the closet.”
“Thank you,” she said, pulling away from him.
Nathan watched her disappear down the hallway. When he heard the door close, he walked back to the living room, sank down on the couch, and placed his face in his hands.
“Christ.” This morning seemed like a million years ago. He’d been hurt by her words in the trailer, but now … he couldn’t even recall the feeling.
Violet. She was so strong. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. After what happened to her, a lesser man would have crumbled. But she didn’t. She picked up the pieces and went on with her life. It must be hard to compartmentalize like that.
It all clicked into place. Why Violet was the way she was. She had to keep her emotions packed away, or, he guessed, the survivor’s guilt would consume her. He saw her crack today. Before this whole mess, he wanted to see her show some emotion but not like this. He was glad she had the cold and calculated Dr. Robichaux persona to protect her.
“Nathan?”
“Huh?” How long had he been sitting there? A while probably. Violet was standing in the doorway. Her hair was wet, and she was wearing one of his spare shirts which came down to her knees. “Everything okay? Do you need some water or anything?”
She shook her head. “It’s too quiet in the room.”
“Oh.”
“Can I stay out here? With you? Maybe we can watch TV or something?”
“Of course.” He gestured to the spot beside him on the sofa, then reached for the TV remote. “Anything in particular you want to watch?”
She sat down, bringing her knees up to her chest. “It doesn’t matter.”
He scrolled through the channels, then settled on an old movie musical starring the actress from The Wizard of Oz singing a song about a trolley.
Violet watched the movie quietly, not saying a thing. He tried to glance at her once in a while, unable to concentrate. How could he when she was so close to him that her scent was driving him wild? Or rather, it was her scent mixed in with his body wash. It made him think of getting her into his bathroom and using the detachable shower head in creative ways.
Get a grip. She’d already been through so much today. They both had. She didn’t need him getting all horny around her. It had riled him up, knowing what happened to her. Sure, that was before they knew each other, but he had the instinct to protect her from everything. She was far away from those people who caged her. That was the past, and she’d never have to see them again.
As the credits started to roll, Nathan felt something brush up against him. It was Violet. She had fallen asleep and slumped over on him, her thick damp hair tickling his skin. With a resigned sigh, he put an arm around her, pulled her close, and switched the TV to the sports channel, turning the volume low so as not to disturb Violet. She snuggled against him, burying her face into his side. His wolf sighed in contentment, happy that Violet was comfortable enough to let her guard down around them.
Yeah buddy, he thought. Me too.
Chapter Ten
As light filtered through her closed eyelids, Violet’s first thought was that the firm mattress she was sleeping on was moving.
No, not moving. Breathing.
Her eyes opened, slowly at first. She had to blink a few times, but she didn’t need to see to know where she was. Nathan’s masculine scent was all over her, and she wasn’t on a firm mattress but rather, his rock hard body.
Oh my.
Violet wanted to move away. She really did, except she didn’t want to disturb him. She was comfortable right where she was. Pressing her nose against his shirt, she took in another whiff.
“That’s adorable.”
“Huh?” She looked up at him.
One green eye was open, peering down at her. “The purring.”
“What?” A
hand went up to her chest, feeling the vibrations. She was purring. “Oh!”
Her cheeks went hot, but when she tried to move away, strong arms wrapped around her. Nathan rolled her over, so her back was on the couch and he was on top.
She stared up at him, watching as his gaze roved and lazily appraised her face. Reaching up, she touched the stubble that had grown on his otherwise clean-shaven jaw. He turned and pressed his lips to her fingers, the touch sending a mild shock through her.
When he lowered his head to hers, she didn’t protest. In fact, the only thing she could think of how nice it felt. His delicious kisses sent thrills through her, and when his tongue traced her lips, she opened herself to him eagerly.
Nathan settled between her legs, pressing his hardness against her mound. Her pussy grew wet, and he let out a groan. The only thing between them was her damp panties and his boxer briefs. Adjusting the angle of his hips, he positioned the ridge of his cock just right so it hit her clit.
She moaned his name against his mouth and dug her fingers into his scalp. He responded by pulling up the shirt she was wearing and cupping a breast. She didn’t think this could feel any better, until his thumb brushed her nipple sending her spiraling into an orgasm.
She threw her head back as her body convulsed. His lips clamped onto her neck, his teeth grazing at the skin there, sucking and biting just enough to feel good without breaking the skin.
“Nathan,” she whispered as she relaxed. There it was again. The purring. Her tiger was calm and peaceful and happy. And so was she. It all felt normal, and though the events of yesterday was still on her mind, she wasn’t as angry or hurt.
She opened her eyes, and he was staring down at her
“You have beautiful eyes, you know,” he said, stroking her cheek. “Light blue with a ring of dark navy.”
“It’s a form of heterochromia. A mutation.”
He chuckled softly. “My beautiful little mutant.”
She gave him a tight smile. Ironic.
“So, tiger, huh?” he said with a grin.
“Kind of,” she said.
“Hmmm?”
“Nathan …” Hoping to distract him, she reached her hand down between them, slipping over his rock hard abs to the growing bulge between his legs.
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