by Dunbar, Natalie; Glass, Seressia; Jeffries, J. M. ; Banks, L. A.
She spread the blueprints out on the coffee table and explained to Kenny where everything was. She asked about the other people in his gang, but he refused to tell her anything.
“What about the security codes?” Kenny asked when she was done. “We generate random codes and change them daily. I won’t know the code until I report in to work.” “Too bad.” Again he gave her a speculative look as though trying to figure out if she were lying or not. “Listen,” she said, “this is a one-shot deal for me. When we walk out of there, I’m taking my money and I’m out.” Kenny frowned. “I have rules about how the money is divided and used.”
“What kind of rules?”
“You have to let the money sit a couple years. Let the heat die down.” Kenny showed more caution than she would have given him credit for. “I can manage for a few years.”
“I’m sure you can.”
He didn’t believe her. He knew she was a were and still figured she was easy, soft and unable to survive by herself. He didn’t know much about werewolves.
“How about some lunch?” Kenny asked.
“We’re done.” She turned and purposely walked slow to the door. Hurrying showed fear, and she’d be damned if she let him see how much she feared him. He trailed behind her, so close, she could feel the bombardment of his body heat. And the more he crowded her, the more her beast wanted out, and she wondered if he were playing with her, trying to see how far she’d go before her beast took over. He reminded her of a man she’d once seen teasing a hungry dog with some food. Before she could do something, the man caught the dog and clubbed it over the head with a brick. She had felt the dog’s death in way she had never felt any other animal’s death and had fought hard to keep her beast inside. Her instinct had been to attack, and her anger for the man’s actions had almost pushed her over the edge, but Julius had held her back. She hated bullies, and underneath all his smooth talk and easy manner, Kenny was a bully.
She left before he could say anything else. She felt the need to shower, to wash away the feeling Kenny had left on her skin.
Jarred leaned against her car waiting. He worked to keep his anger under control. Though he knew she could take care of herself, he didn’t want her with Kenny. Kenny looked mild and easygoing, but underneath he was more dangerous than any man Jarred had ever known. Especially when he had some sort of ace in the whole with this demon. Jarred wasn’t certain what demons were, and knew for sure he didn’t want to find out.
She exited Kenny’s apartment and walked stiffly down the steps. She grew even stiffer when she spotted him. As she approached, Jarred opened his mouth to speak. She held up her hand. “Don’t speak. I don’t know what I want more: a shower, or something to eat.” She pointed her remote at her car, and it beeped back at her as it unlocked.
“He has the same affect on me.” He couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice. “I told you to wait for me.” She hadn’t needed his protection, but Kenny might have backed off if Jarred had been with her.
“We may have slept together, but you don’t own me.”
Desire flamed in him. Her eyes went wide. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. “As much as I’d like to join you in the shower, right now, I think you should eat something safe.”
“Sushi,” she replied.
He laughed. “I know a great place over on East Sahara.”
“Works for me. I’ll follow you.”
He pulled out of the parking lot with Solange following him. He kept glancing in the rear view mirror as he drove, half expecting her to change her mind. But she didn’t. She followed him all the way to Sushi Palace and parked next to him.
Sushi Palace looked like a run down fast food place on the outside, but inside it was decorated in a muted Asian theme, was exceptionally clean, and Jarred knew the sushi was exquisite. Several sushi chefs stood behind a long counter, putting together orders for the few customers who sat at the bar. A hostess led them to a booth at the back of the room, half empty with the noon crowd having just left.
Solange seated herself with a smooth, flowing grace. She had a predatory glitter in her eyes as she glanced over the menu. Her fingers, long and slim, held feral strength and constrained violence.The waitress deposited glasses of water in front of them, took their drink order and departed. Jarred glanced through the menu. “Why did you go to Kenny’s apartment alone after I asked you not to?” Especially with a demon on the loose. Not that he knew how to kill a demon, but he didn’t like her putting herself in danger.
“Funny, you almost sounded like you care about me.”
Did he? He had to admit, he did and that bothered him. She interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on them and flirted with him. She looked so normal. If he had just met her on the street, not in a million years would he have though she was a werewolf. The world wasn’t all cut and dried anymore.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
“You,” he replied honestly. He was thinking about how the moon had given her skin a silver luster and how her black hair had flowed about her face as she had changed. Excitement filled him, and he though about their wild night in bed and how the sex had been so incredible and how hot she was and how hot he was and… He ran out of breath, thinking about all the things he still wanted to experience with her.
Frowning, she glanced through the menu. “No matter what you’re thinking, you need to know there can never be anything between us because of what I am.”
Her ability to read him so accurately troubled him. “Do werewolf skills also contain mind-reading? Because, sistah, you are way off.” He had to protect his man-ness. He couldn’t give up any emotional crap to her. She was seducing him. What had happened to the nice, shy woman he’d met only two days ago? “I thought you were all hung up on the boss’s son.”
Her mouth dropped open, and then she laughed. “You’re thinking I loved Malcolm.”
“Werewolves don’t marry for love?”
“Some do. I guess the easiest way to explain this is that it’s like the nobility in old Europe. People were always trying to marry better than where they started.”
He’d remembered a documentary he rented the other day. “To advance your status in the pack, right.”
She gave him a dimpled smile that sent him spiraling back into lust.
She wagged a finger at him “Special agent Maitland, have you been watching the Discovery Channel.”
Caught red-handed. “I needed to know what I was up against. One thing I’ve noticed about wolves—they don’t back down. Even a lone wolf will take a stand.”
She touched his hand. “The pack is who we are. All my wolf life, I’ve been raised to be a part of a pack. Every decision I’ve ever made, was made for the better of the pack.”
The waitress came and they ordered their food. Silence fell between them. He thought of all the past years, the times he called BVW—before vamps and weres—that she’d spent hiding what she was, moving when people started to notice she wasn’t aging like normal humans. He could understand why the pack was so important. The pack had been the only stability she’d had. The same type of pack mentality was evident even in the FBI where decisions were made for the better of the organization. “What I don’t understand is why you want to leave. Isn’t the pack your security, your protection from the world? It’s not like you have to pick up and move anymore. The world knows you exist.”
“Why,” she asked softly, “do you think Kenny chose me to be his new inside person? Because even he knew I’m a weak link. Malcolm is going to be the alpha after Julius and Esther leave. I’m the omega, the bottom of the pack—everybody’s friend, therapist, and go-to girl. If I had decided to stay, I could end up as everybody’s punching bag.”
Jarred decided maybe he didn’t understand pack politics after all. “Malcolm would allow that.” “He would allow whatever he needed to keep the pack strong and his position secure. Most of the time it’s the same thing.”
“But the way you
talk about everybody, you all seem so close.”
“Never forget this. We act human, but underneath we’re still wolves. The veneer of civility will be tested when Esther and Julius leave. I don’t think anyone will challenge Malcolm, but…”
“You wanted him for protection.”
“I wanted him for security.”
“You make yourself sound so different from everyone else. You’re a lot stronger than you think you are.” She licked her lips. “What do you see that I don’t?” “People perceive kindness as weakness. I see it as strength. And
even if you weren’t a werewolf, you would have helped me because you always do the right thing. You’re not only moral, but also brave. I like that about you, more than I should.”
“How did you ever end up as an undercover agent?”
How did he explain his desire to make the world a better, safer place? He was like his grandmother who’d had an adventurous spirit. Working undercover was a different adventure every day. He didn’t sit behind a desk pushing papers. He didn’t teach numb-nuts newbies how to be decent agents. No, his life changed from minute to minute. He had no patience for the mundane, which was probably why he’d fallen for this sexy woman who was a wolf in her spare time. “You didn’t answer my question. Why did you go to Kenny’s house by yourself? I told you I would go along.”
“There has never been a major crime at the French Quarter. No rapes, no assaults, no murders. Do you know why?”
He couldn’t resist teasing. “Because you eat the bad guys!”
She had the grace to blush. “Admittedly, that has happened in the past. But because we take it as a sacred duty to protect everyone who walks through our doors. We can smell chemical changes in the body and know when people are afraid, or angry, or in love. We’ve been able to avoid trouble.”
“If so, then why didn’t you neutralize Kenny long before now.”
“Just because we smell these changes, doesn’t mean we act on it. Kenny is a very good actor. There’s not much going on inside him. He’s a sociopath, and the most emotional reaction I got from him was when I told him he couldn’t use guns.”
Jarred blanched. He struggled with the effort not to shout. “You told him what?”
“If he starts blowing the casino up, the pack will revert to instinct and do what needs to be done to protect ourselves and our patrons. Esther and Julius have some control over us, but we have werewolves from all over the world who vacation at the French Quarter, and we wouldn’t be able to control them when the bullets start flying. And Kenny has a demon and I don’t know if he controls the demon or the demon controls him.”
How did he do research on a demon? “Can demons be killed by bullets?”
“Some can. Some are killed by magic.”
Magic, he thought. Well, he’d just learned another piece of information about the new world order he hadn’t known about. “Then I’m definitely not going in unarmed.” The demon was an unknown factor, and he didn’t know what he should be doing to neutralize it, if he could. But he would start with a powerful gun.
“Have you ever met Kenny’s lover?”
For a second he was silent, wondering why she’d asked. “Yeah, a few times. He’s a little strange, but nothing to write home about.”
“Does he wear copper bracelets or a copper necklace?”
Funny he couldn’t recall the guy’s name, but he did remember the jewelry. “He has a copper necklace. Why do you ask?”
“I think Kenny’s lover is the demon.”
“But you don’t know for sure.”
“I haven’t seen the demon. No matter how human a demon may look, I would be able to spot it if I’m in the same room.” “What’s so important about the copper?” “Copper controls a demon. If he wears copper, he’s probably the
demon.”
He took a deep breath and held it before letting it out slowly, trying to control the worry. A demon lover. That was one for the books. Fear settled in the pit of his stomach. “Did Kenny agree to the no guns rule?”
“He agreed.” She nodded. “But I don’t trust him.” “You’re smart not to trust him,” Jarred said. “What will you do then?” She leaned toward him. “Just so you know, if I want to take a gun away from someone, I can.” Her voice was low and dangerous.
Jarred had no illusions about what she could and couldn’t do, and Kenny was damn lucky he was going to jail. “You don’t have to leave the pack to feel safe. From where I’m sitting, you have taken care of everything. The pack is damn lucky to have you.”
“Maybe, but I don’t belong.”
How could she not belong? She took care of things in the pack and kept everything moving smoothly. They’d be fools to let her go. “Why not?”
“My biological father set me aside from everyone else. He was the master of the plantation, and my mother was his mistress. When I was born, I was another piece of property, but with a higher status than everyone else. Even as a toddler, I was taught to speak in a more refined manner. I was taught to serve tea, had my own room, fine clothes to wear and eventually when I was old enough, I would have been sent to Paris to be educated. My future was to end up a rich planter’s play toy. Had Esther and Julius left me behind when they ran away, I would have been nothing but an expensive whore sold to the highest bidder at the Quadroon Balls. Even though the Civil War did interrupt a whole way of life, we didn’t see it coming. Everyone in the pack, besides Malcolm and Simone, were born before we left. And my father was responsible for selling their parents off to other plantations, or working them to death.”
“So you think they look at you and see your father. You’ve been carrying a pretty big burden around for all of your life.” And he felt the heavy weight of her sorrow and wished he could ease her burden. He knew how the past could shape the future and saw the results in what he did.
“Esther and Julius protect me.”
“Why would you leave them?”
“Time to grow up.”
“And I thought I was a man when I got my driver’s license.”
Suddenly, Solange laughed. “Thank you, sometimes I tend to feel a little sorry for myself.”
He held her hand, feeling the strength in her grip. “What are you planning to do?”
“Travel. I’m young, wealthy and I still have a lot of years ahead of me.”
So she didn’t think they had anything going for them. He felt a stab of sadness that she considered him nothing but a fling. “How many?”
“About a hundred fifty to two hundred years.”
“How does one plan for a life that goes on so long?” He ran his thumb up and down the back of her hand. Her skin was so smooth, like satin. “I live in the now, that’s why I’m a good undercover agent.”
“What are you proposing?”
“I want to go back to your place and see your sheets again.”
She looked startled, and then she grinned at him.
“Look, I’m a guy. I never thought I would appreciate the feel of Egyptian cotton sheets and a beautiful woman at the same time.”
“I like that idea, but first, I do need to eat. Something as raw as this place can provide.”
Their food came, and he watched as she licked her lips and dug into her sushi.
Afterward, he followed her back to the casino. For most of the drive, thoughts of her dominated. He was playing with fire. Only two days ago, his life had been relatively normal except for Kenny. And now…now he was consumed with a woman he couldn’t have, and involved with a sociopath who had a demon for his lover.
Maybe he needed to more afraid than he truly was.
Sensual heat rose inside her, surprising her. Jarred Maitland had gotten under her skin, and just looking at him made her want to tear his clothes off and have him right there and then.
He closed the door to her apartment and turned. Her stomach somersaulted, as he loomed nearer. God, she wanted him. She closed her eyes for a second, reliving the intense pleasure of his hands
on her body, and his lips on hers. Jarred Maitland embodied every fantasy created in her love-starved imagination.
He backed her up against the wall, and she realized she could not get away from him. She didn’t want to escape.
Jarred braced his large hands on either side of her shoulders. Solange curled her hands into fists forcing them to her side, not trusting herself to touch him. She inhaled the subtle, woodsy notes of his soap mixed with the heat of his body. She remembered the salty taste on his skin, the texture of his smooth flesh, and the hardness of his muscles. Shivering, she pressed harder against the door.
Jarred took another step closer. His mouth was only an inch away. She could feel the heat of his breath on her lips and see the darkness of desire in his eyes.
“The moon,” he said, “is still full, and the stars are still straight.” She tilted her head at him. “Are you saying throw caution to the wind?”
He pushed back a strand of hair off her cheek, answering her with a silky smile. The tip of his finger left a trail of fire on her cheek. “I’m saying go with the moment.”
Her body trembled, and the intensity of her emotions frightened her. “This might be a mistake.”
He kissed her neck, and then ran his hot tongue along the line of her cheek. “The only mistake,” he said, “is not letting our attraction play itself out.” He nibbled the soft skin at the base of her neck.
A shuddering moan escaped her lips. Heat danced up her spine, and she squeezed her eyes shut, wishing she could mark his seduction up to one of her flights of fantasy. But Jarred was flesh and blood real, not one of her nocturnal musings. He was human and she wasn’t. Yet the need for him wouldn’t go away.
“I want you.” He pressed her hand to his erection.
He felt so powerful and ready. She took a quick breath, hoping some witty comeback would spill from her mouth, shattering the mood. But her trusty brain failed her. Probably because the old girl was in cahoots with her heart. She wanted him. She loved him. Nothing could change her feelings. Solange felt his rhythmic grind against the palm of her hand and was lost.