Declan held his mate close, one arm firmly around her waist, while she sat across his lap. He hadn’t let her get more than an arm’s length away once he’d gotten his fangs in her pale flesh. The wolf finally had her, and the beast wasn’t about to let her escape.
The team sat around a table on Birch’s back deck—the entire team. Which included Pike. Pike, who made sure his ass was next to the team alpha and as far away from Declan as he could get.
Abby had told Declan he couldn’t kill his brother. He wondered if she’d let him rough him up a little though.
“Now that the happy couple has joined us,” Birch drawled, “here’s where we stand.”
Grant raised his hand. “I’m sitting. Does that mean you want us to stand? Is this gonna be like church with all the praying and the ‘please rise, please be seated, amen’ shit? Because if it is, I’m gonna need a sandwich.”
Birch sighed. “Fuck my life.”
“Abby, will you make me a sandwich?” Grant flashed what Declan could only describe as “sad puppy” eyes.
Declan growled low, his wolf prowling and anxious to pounce on the male who dared ask his mate for anything. “Grant…”
“I wouldn’t mind a sandwich,” Ethan added.
“Potato salad, maybe?” Cole put in his own order.
“My mate is not cooking for anyone.” The deck vibrated, and his roar echoed across the lake, the still water shimmering with the sound.
Abby stroked his chest, her small hand tracing circles on his pecs, as she whispered, “Shh…Calm down.”
And as it always seemed to do, his wolf calmed with her touch.
“I called it. She’s a dick whisperer,” Pike murmured, and that had Declan’s fury rising once again.
Declan ignored his brother’s whisper and kept his attention on the team alpha. The quicker Birch spoke, the quicker he could drag Abby back to bed. “What’s going on, boss?”
The team alpha took a deep breath and released it slowly. His gaze touched on each of them, attention even landing on Abby as he sought out the rest of the team.
“Quade is no longer a threat to Abby.”
Cole snorted. “He never was a threat to Abby. One of us would have killed him if he’d tried to go after our kitten.”
Declan’s wolf bristled at the nickname, and he let a low growl escape his throat. “Cole…”
The tiger waved him away. “Down, boy. Bad dog.”
“The director,” Birch growled between gritted teeth while he glared at Cole, “is under the impression that Grant was able to piece the tablet back together and part of the data was recovered. It reveals exactly what Abby reported—FosCo wired money to Unified Humanity. He’s withdrawn his request to speak with her in light of that as well as the fact that she’s now fully mated to a SHOC agent.”
At least Declan wouldn’t have to waste time killing Quade now.
“You going to share your ‘twitchy’ feelings with the class?”
Birch ran a hand through his hair and then gripped the back of his neck, massaging the muscles. The wind changed direction, a gust that snared Birch’s scent and blew it in their direction. Declan pulled apart the different flavors, quickly identifying each one…including the last. The one that had his stomach clenching and his heartbeat stuttering.
“Aw, shit,” Ethan mumbled.
“That bad?” Grant whined.
“Motherfucker,” Declan growled.
Cole groaned. “I need to order more C-4, don’t I? With or without notifying SHOC?”
Abby frowned, brow furrowed, and her attention drifted across the team before returning to Declan. Her sparkling blue eyes were clouded with confusion. “What?”
“Birch doesn’t get worried, but right now he’s worried.”
“Concerned,” the grizzly snapped, and curled his lip, flashing a fang.
“Concerned, then,” Declan drawled, rolling his eyes.
Birch curled his lip a little higher before speaking again. “Over the last several years, tips about Unified Humanity and assignments to take them out from headquarters have tapered off.”
Declan nodded. They had lessened over time. “Because we’ve been making a difference.” Pike snickered, and he shot his brother a dark glare. “Something to share?”
Pike remained silent.
“There’s someone inside SHOC feeding information to Unified Humanity. That same person is limiting what information agents receive.”
Declan’s heartbeat stuttered, and his lungs froze. Abby shuddered in his arms. He pulled her even closer, tucking her head against his shoulder. The others…weren’t happy.
To say the least.
“What the fuck?”
“Fuck that.”
“No fucking way.”
Birch held up a hand to silence them all. “I had my suspicions, which is why I sent Pike in to UH.” The grizzly nodded at the other wolf. “Pike gave me—us—the tip on FosCo. Our arrival, Abby’s discovery, and SHOC’s response prove there’s someone on the inside feeding intel to Unified Humanity.”
“Who?” Declan wanted to bathe in their blood and feed their bodies to natural predators.
“We don’t know,” the grizzly snarled. “Yet. Foster’s death meant we couldn’t get any info from him, and he was the closest link between SHOC and UH. The traitor is safe—for now. He—”
“Or she,” Ethan grumbled, and everyone focused on the lion with narrowed eyes. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” He frowned at them all. “The chicks in the pride do the heavy lifting and conniving. Never met a bigger group of feline bitches in my life. They will tear your shit up and smile while doing it. Just sayin’.”
Birch picked up where he left off. “He or she is out of reach right now, but FosCo wasn’t the only big business wrapped up in Unified Humanity. Pike gave us another name—a name that won’t go past our team until we figure out what the hell we want to do next.”
“We?” Declan raised his eyebrows in question.
“We.” Their team alpha gave Grant a blank stare. “We’re going to talk about a democracy since going against UH while there’s a traitor in SHOC might end up with some of us six feet under.”
“Sweet.” Grant punched the air. “First order of business, I want to be in charge of location selection for all future operations.”
“Grant,” Birch snapped, and the wolf immediately straightened, any hint of a smile vanishing from his expression. “This isn’t the time for fun and games. We do this, we do it knowing that shit is gonna keep getting flung at the fan and we’re the fucking fan that’s gonna end up covered in it.”
“I’m in.” Abby’s voice didn’t waver, and she straightened in Declan’s lap. “I know I’m not an agent, but if you’re taking votes, then I’m in.”
“Abby,” Declan murmured, wrapping both arms around her and pulling her close, but she wouldn’t have it.
“No.” She brushed off his hold and turned to face him. “Unified Humanity needs to be stopped. If there’s someone inside SHOC helping them succeed…we—you guys—have to do this.” His mate lowered her head, soft forehead pressed to his own while she whispered. “There can’t be any more children like me, Declan. Not if there’s something that can be done to stop them. Can you imagine another child out there in a burning house? Praying for their lives while they’re locked in a cupboard? The fire…”
“Shhh…sweetheart.” He cupped her cheeks and brushed away her tears. Declan lifted his head and let his gaze sweep the others, satisfied when they all gave him a brisk nod. “We’ll do what we can to stop them and find the traitor.” He directed his next question to Birch. “Where are we looking first?”
“Foster supplied the cash to Unified Humanity. Thanks to Pike’s intel, we’re going after the brawn next. We’re hoping that will lead us to the brains. Somewhere in there, we’ll find out who in SHOC is blocking us at every turn.” Birch leaned over the table, gaze intent. “Take some time to get your head on straight because o
nce we’re back on deck, things are gonna get real ugly, real quick. This shit ain’t gonna be easy.”
Declan grinned, and the team spoke as one. “But it sure as fuck is gonna be fun.”
Dangerous, too, but at least he’d have Abby at his side. He could face anything as long as he had her in his life…and in his heart.
About the Author
Celia Kyle is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, ex–dance teacher, former accountant, and erstwhile collectible doll salesperson. She now writes paranormal romances for readers who:
1) Like super-hunky heroes (they generally get furry)
2) Dig beautiful women (who have a few more curves than the average lady)
3) Love laughing in (and out of) bed.
It goes without saying that there’s always a happily-ever-after for her characters, even if there are a few road bumps along the way. Today she lives in central Florida and writes full-time with the support of her loving husband and two finicky cats.
Learn more at:
Twitter: @celiakyle
Facebook.com/authorceliakyle
CeliaKyle.com
Read more of the Shifter Rogues series by Celia Kyle in:
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