by Vella Day
A few seconds later, five bar seats suddenly vacated, and Devon couldn’t help but wonder what Justin had said to them. On the other hand, his reputation might have preceded him. Once seated, all five men ordered drinks and his entourage laughed at something Justin said. From everyone’s cheery attitudes, the man didn’t seem to be sulking over losing Lexi.
Tomorrow, he’d check out Lexi’s dad to make sure Kapok hadn’t left him for dead or outright killed him.
After polishing off his beer, Devon texted Connor to say Lexi was safe for another day. Because Devon pretended that the weight of the world had landed on his shoulders, no one other than the waitress seemed to pay him any mind. Perfect.
Devon was about to call it a night when the main door open and his body suddenly went crazy with need. What the hell? The hairs on the back of his hands sprouted, forcing him to place them on his lap. This wasn’t good.
As much as he didn’t want to glance around, he couldn’t help it. When he spotted the glorious woman, his chest squeezed tight at her beauty. Devon had seen many women in his days—and had slept with a fair number of those—but this woman defied description. She had to be a good five feet ten inches, and her long, wavy dark auburn hair coupled with those mile-long legs made her even more spectacular. From the confident sway of her walk, he bet she’d be a hellion to deal with.
A wave of disgust washed over him at his unprofessional behavior. Devon was here to find out what Justin Kapok planned to do, not have the best sex of his life. If he botched this assignment, not only would his younger brother be pissed, his older brother Rye and their dad would be furious too.
When the woman strutted by Justin and his men, one by one every head turned. Devon didn’t have to imagine what was going through their minds. Justin held up his hand and slid off his stool. His posse remained. Interesting.
Without looking back, the woman strolled, or rather floated, to the dance floor, where now three other couples were doing a slow dance. Her nearly see-through top made her appear ghostlike, yet highly provocative. As if she knew Justin would follow, she spun around and crooked her finger for him to dance with her.
All Devon could see was Kapok’s back, but the woman smiled when he drew her close to his chest and held on tight. Something ugly dug into Devon’s stomach, but he tried to tamp it down. This was a business trip with no room for pleasure.
What he wouldn’t give to hear what those two were talking about. Sex, most likely, and would it be her place or his? Kapok’s four tag-alongs seemed to have lost interest in the pair and began chatting. It certainly didn’t look as if they were plotting a way to capture Lexi.
The waitress seemed to have taken pity on him and brought him over some bread. “You looked hungry,” she said.
Devon hadn’t thought about food, but once he smelled the fresh loaf, his stomach grumbled. “Thanks. How about a hamburger?”
“You got it, handsome. And another beer?”
“I’m good.” While he rarely got a buzz from drinking, he needed to stay sharp. Besides, he was hatching a plan.
While he waited for the food, he nibbled on the bread. Kapok danced with the woman for one more song then escorted her back to the bar. The man who had been sitting next to Justin offered her his seat, though Devon doubted it was out of chivalry. His boss would demand it.
No sooner had she sat down than Devon’s meal arrived. He ate half of his hamburger then grabbed his empty glass. After sliding out of his booth, he strode up to the bar, positioning himself between the man at the end and a young woman who was talking with another friend. Devon waved his glass at the bartender. Waiting for the refill he didn’t intend to drink, he listened to the conversation.
“So it’s a deal?” the woman said to Kapok.
“Hey, as long as I get the girl, you can do what you want.”
The girl? Did that mean Lexi? Devon’s pulse jumped. The woman leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
As she turned, Kapok grabbed her arm, but the smile on her face never diminished. “Where are you going, sugar? We’re just getting started.”
“You couldn’t handle me,” she said plucking his fingers from her arm.
Devon nearly crushed his glass, ready to defend her honor should Kapok hurt her.
“What can I get you, buddy?” the bartender asked, pulling his attention away from the pair.
“Another draft.”
“Sure thing.” He filled up the glass and handed it back to him. “I’ll tell Serena to add it to your tab.”
“Thanks.”
Devon returned to his booth, not liking how that conversation ended. One thing he did know was that it was going to be a long, sleepless night watching Justin Kapok.
*
After Sam took Lexi back, he escorted her into his office. She smiled when she spotted the three photos of military men. “Were these men in your unit?”
He turned toward the photo and his chest expanded, as if he were in their presence once more. “Yes. I like to think that I’m watching over them now.”
“Were you always a protector?” She spun around to face him.
“My mom says I was. It seemed to have been bred into me.”
How sweet was that? Lexi was surprised he hadn’t been scooped up by some woman long ago. Then again, he had just returned from serving where he’d been focused on helping keep our country safe. “What did you want to show me?”
He lifted the lid to his laptop. “I want to show you the men who might be passing through here. Many people help us from time to time, and I want you to know them from the clientele.”
“Excellent.”
He pulled over a chair next to his desk chair and motioned she sit down. “Here’s a pad of paper and a pen to jot down notes. It might get complicated,” he said as he handed them to her.
She wished she’d taken the time to pick up her iPad before leaving Vermont, but she’d been in a hurry. “I’m ready.”
Sam showed her pictures of Jackson Murdoch, who was a bear shifter, and Kip Landon, who was a Wendayan capable of creating electricity. “Both work here. Kip’s talents extend to lock picking, but his main benefit is in cutting power to places.”
“Wow.”
“I’m impressed too. He’s usually the auxiliary guy because he’s not a shifter, but he has tasered a few wolves in his day. Kip’s mate is Teagan, who is my sister. Kip also has a twin brother, Randy, who’s a lawyer. While they are not identical, you might confuse them. Thankfully, we’ve not needed his services yet.”
“And Jackson?”
“Jackson is our technical genius.” He told her about their drone and how it had helped solve a few cases. “He can hack into anything and find dirt on a sterilized scalpel. Needless to say, he’s a very valuable asset. His dad was one of the founders.”
“Does he have a mate?”
“Yes. Her name is Ainsley. She is rare in that she can make herself invisible.”
“Really? I know we Wendayans are talented, but I didn’t know that was even possible.” Lexi wanted to see that. “Now I’m even more impressed.”
“While she’s a wolf-Wendayan mix like you, she is a rare breed in that she can tell a regular shifter from a Changeling, and she can identify whether a shifter is a wolf, bear, or tiger.”
“Never in my life did I imagine such a talented group of people existed in one spot.”
“The whole town of Silver Lake is even more extraordinary. We have a man who is immortal, and he’s married to the goddess Naliana.”
She leaned back and studied him. “Are you making this shit up?”
Sam held up a palm. “I swear on the American flag that I’m telling the truth.”
She’d heard of Naliana, the goddess who paired mates. “Okay. Continue. I’m ready to be wowed some more.” She still believed he was pulling her leg. Sam then seemed to run through half the town. Between the Alpha, Beta, and the Beta’s partner in the sheriff’s department, her head swam.
“I’m not sure I can keep track of everyone.”
“You’ll do fine. I’ll make up a family tree for you. Connor has two older brothers and a younger sister and brother. The oldest, Rye is the Alpha of the Clan, and in between them is Devon. He’s the one keeping tabs on Justin. The youngest brother, Finn, bartends at his uncle’s bar, and his twin sister, Chelsea, is a vet tech.”
“Got it.” She had Ronan. That was all. Her father was now dead to her.
“I’m sure there will be some get together either this weekend or next. Once you see them face-to-face, it’ll be easier to keep everyone straight.” He stood. “You’ve seen where you’ll be working. It’s not well set up, but once you get settled, we can give you whatever you need.” Sam pulled open the top desk drawer and fished out a phone. “This is a burner phone. It can’t be traced, so call us on this. All of our numbers are programmed in here.”
She was about to ask if she could call Ronan, but she’d wait until he finished showing her what to do. Instead of heading to the front as she expected, he led her down the hallway. Near the end, he opened a door by pressing his finger against the scanner.
“Will I need access too?” she asked.
“Yes. Jackson is in charge of that. He’ll take your print and do whatever he does to make it work.”
Lexi had never felt so welcomed anywhere she’d worked. When she’d taught school, the other teachers were too busy worrying about their own students to help guide her. She suspected that if Justin Kapok didn’t exist, she could thrive here. The air slowly leaked out of her body at the thought of leaving Silver Lake though.
Stay, stay, her wolf urged. Sam’s the one for us.
Lexi wouldn’t mind indulging in some wild pleasures, but she had to make certain to steel her heart against believing everything he told her was true. Perfect men did not exist.
They entered a foyer that contained another staircase. “Where does this go?” she asked.
“To our workout room. I thought you might like to learn a few tricks.”
She laughed. “I’m a wolf and you’re…human.”
“True, but there could be times when you’ll have to fight in your human form. Mind you, I’d prefer you never leave this building, but I know that’s not practical. Having fighting skills are always a good thing.”
While she had strength on her side, her skills weren’t developed. “Is there a shooting range down here too?” They had everything else. Not that she’d ever shot a gun in her life, but this was a security firm.
“No, but Silver Lake has a gun range that we can use.”
“If I’m here for a while, I’d like to learn. Being able to defend myself might come in handy.”
At the bottom of the steps, he pushed open a door that led to an area the size of the large room upstairs. One side contained gym equipment while the other half had mats on the floor.
“I’m not exactly dressed to lift weights,” she said.
“We’re not going there.” Sam led her to the padded area. “I want to show you some self defense moves, though I hope you won’t have to use them.”
“I’m game.” Not only did she have nothing else to do, if she could get in some more touches, her day would be perfect.
“What should you do if a man tries to attack you and you aren’t in a place where you can shift?” Sam asked.
“Run?”
He laughed. “Running is good if you think you are faster than that person.”
“I’m pretty fast, but I might not have the right shoes for sprinting.” She tried to picture a dark alley or a crowded parking lot in which maneuvering would be difficult.
“Agreed. I’ll show you some moves. Ready?”
“Yes.”
“First, if you are attacked, go for the eyes like this. Surprise is the key.” Sam curved his forefinger and middle finger and pretended to poke out her eyes. “If you think you’re life is in danger, you have to take him down the quickest way you can.”
She wasn’t sure she could poke out someone’s eyes, but if she were desperate enough, she might try. “That’s pretty gruesome.”
“I know, but if your life is on the line, you’ll have to try it. If he blocks your arm when you are trying for his eyes, or if you can’t reach him, you’ll need a different tactic. If he strikes you, and you just stand there, he’ll be able to knock you down.”
He demonstrated slowly. The punch was light, but even that blow knocked her off balance, but she didn’t tumble. “I can tell that a harder hit would be difficult to come back from,” she said.
“Correct. So here’s what you need to do to combat it. As I come toward you with my fist, turn to the side and see what happens.”
Sam demonstrated again. When Lexi twisted, the blow glanced off her, and she didn’t even need to adjust her balance. “That was cool.”
“For you, yes, but not for the attacker, because he is now off balance. Every time you turn, squirm, duck, or whatever, it makes you unavailable. That means you’re unavailable to be hit. Now here’s what else you can do. As you turn, move closer to me and try to hit me.”
In slow motion, Sam threw a punch. As his hand neared her body, she not only twisted, but she stepped forward, and her wolf panted from the closeness. Her scalp itched, and a few hairs began to poke out of her arms.
Stop it, she commanded her wolf.
I can’t help it.
Try.
Ignoring her wolf’s whimpers, Lexi did a slow motion punch to Sam’s stomach. In real life, she would have aimed lower.
Touch him down there, her wolf said. You can always say it was a mistake.
Sam grabbed her hand, but not before she met with resistance. “That was awesome,” she said, thrilled she’d made contact.
“When you attack back, it’s called being unavoidable. Your goal then is to be unavailable and then unavoidable.”
She smiled. “Let’s try it again. Only this time move a bit faster.”
He laughed. “You do know that no matter how good you become at combat, we aren’t taking you out on assignment?”
She stuck out her tongue, enjoying the whole concept of just being herself again. “I know, but you can never have too much knowledge.”
“Very true.”
“Okay, go for it.”
Chapter Seven
‡
Sam never should have tried to teach Lexi how to fight because being this close to her was messing with his head. In the service, he’d taken many combat classes and eventually ended up teaching a few. Even when he taught females, he never had this kind of reaction. This was more proof that Lexi was his mate.
Or am I being a wishful fool? He might want her, but Lexi had made it clear she intended to leave just as soon as Kapok was neutralized. She’d either decide to return to Vermont to be with her brother and friends, or hightail it down to Florida where the sun was warm and the beaches endless. He’d hoped that by showing her how welcome she was in Silver Lake, she’d want to stay.
There was still time, he reminded himself.
“You okay?” she asked, stepping even closer.
“Ah, yeah.” Daydreaming could get a soldier killed.
“How about I try to punch you and you use your tactics on me?” she asked with a sparkle to her eye that said trouble was just around the corner.
He liked that idea better because he didn’t want to inadvertently hurt her. “Go for it.”
Lexi planted one foot behind the other and then hauled off and hit him. Even if he hadn’t moved to the side, the blow wouldn’t have done much damage despite the power behind the hit. Punching techniques would have to be for another day.
With his twisting move, her fist glanced off his chest instead of hitting him dead on. Before she had a chance to draw back her arm, he stepped in close and yanked on her elbow, drawing her near. With her momentum moving forward, he stepped to the side and let her tumble to the mat.
“Hey, that’s not fair,” she said from on her knees. She jum
ped up, the small smile telling him she was merely pissed with herself that he caught her off guard.
“Fights are never fair,” he threw back.
Her brows rose. “Okay, I see how it’s going to be. Let’s have a go again, but this time, you try to hit me.”
“Sure,” he said though he wouldn’t use all of his power. She faced him and held up her hands in a self-defense mode. “Bend your knees. You want to keep your center of gravity low for better balance.”
“Like this?” She widened her stance and thrust back her butt.
“Perfect. In order to have some power in your punch, your right foot needs to be back even farther.”
“Got it. Now try me.”
While Sam did a less than full speed punch, not only did Lexi twist to the side, she leaned in and then grabbed his arm to throw him off balance. At the same time, she raised her other hand to claw his face. Sam spun once more to avoid having his eyes gouged out, and then hooked his leg around hers. Down she went again. This time she landed on her butt.
With narrowed eyes, she raised up on her elbows. “You fight dirty.”
She was so cute, spread out on the mat like that. “Thank you.” Sam dropped to his knees and straddled her.
“I like this move though,” she said as she dragged her gaze from his face right down to his crotch.
Sam had to use all of his control to rein in those blue sparks. Shit. It wasn’t supposed to be sexual. “This is in case someone tries to sexually assault you.”
“Oh.”
“What would you do?” he asked, wanting her to think about her vulnerable position.
“Fight like hell.”
“Show me.” She drew her knees toward her chest and tried to kick him, but he held down her arms. “Okay, stop struggling. Your instincts are good, but your first mistake was not pressing your hands on my shoulders to keep me from getting closer.”
Sam could feel his blue sparks rise to the surface once more, and he had to look at the red mat beside her to calm down. As soon as he let go of her arms, Lexi grabbed his shoulders. “Like this?”