by Dana Archer
“Let me make a few calls, and I’ll make it happen.” Rick stands and takes both Peyton’s and Rey’s hands. “In the meantime, I hear you brought donuts for breakfast.”
“Yep.” Rey looks up at Rick and smiles. “Sprinkle ones. They’re Mom’s favorite.”
“Yep. We spoil Mommy,” Peyton says in her most serious tone. “Nobody else will.”
“That must be why the goddesses led me to your mama, so I can too.”
Rey’s features scrunch and her lips purse. Finally, she nods. “Yeah, probably. Megan says the goddesses walk among us, guiding us. We just don’t know it.”
Josh steps next to me once Rick, Peyton, and Rey slip into the kitchen. “Either Todd needs to disappear or you do. You realize this, don’t you?”
“Rick has a plan to make sure Todd doesn’t bother us. I trust he’ll make it happen.” I simply wish I knew the details.
Twenty-Two
Rick
The two colorful, braided leather bracelets on my wrist stand out against my tanned skin. I have no intention of removing them. They’re the first presents I’ve gotten in my long life that mattered. Their slight weight against my skin also carries an equivalent branding to Mya’s claw mark on my chest. I feel claimed by the two little girls who paraded me through their preschool, introducing me to everyone who’d listen as their mommy’s new boyfriend and their future dad.
Only a couple of hours after meeting me.
In Peyton’s and Rey’s minds, our future is a done deal. True mates end up together, and they live happily ever after. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Megan told them so, and according to Peyton and Rey, Megan knows lots of secrets. My guess is they all come from the Ammon spirit.
I want to learn Megan’s secrets too. It’s going to have to wait. As much as I’d like to sit back and hope everything will work out with me and Mya, I can’t take that chance. The goddesses might lead us to our chosen path. We have to walk it, though.
Squaring my shoulders, I wait next to the elevator for Uri to make it through the security checks in place at Shifter Affairs. It doesn’t matter if we’re agents or have been here several times already. Every person entering this building is put through the same regime of checks. Even Ella, who’s a senior agent here, is subjected to the routine.
I’ve never met an agent who complained about the security. The details locked inside this building could expose shifters to the general human population, undoing thousands of years of secrecy. That’s our worst nightmare. If it takes a few extra minutes to make it inside these walls, then that’s what will happen.
Uri steps through the double doors into the lobby. He’s ditched the oversized purse and mismatched clothes. Jeans, a black T-shirt, and a leather jacket lend him a dangerous visage that matches his aura. For the first time, he looks like an agent.
With the predatory air surrounding him, he scans the room and zeroes in on me. Or, more precisely, Peyton and Rey’s gifts to me. His gaze rises to mine. His nostrils flare. A denial hovers in the forefront of my mind. There’s no way he can smell Mya’s scent claim on me from across this long lobby. It spans nearly the entire length of this building. Then again, before I talked to Ilan, I never would’ve guessed a Royal could sense the gender of a female’s babies before she could. Obviously, there’s much I don’t know about the Royals of our species.
I punch the button for the elevator and face the doors. The blinking light, indicating the elevator is descending, gives me something to focus on while Uri approaches. I know what he’s going to say.
“What were you thinking? You’ve just given Todd Silverman a reason to take your head.”
Uri’s right too. Especially in light of Mya’s revelation that the Shifter Council likely won’t punish Todd for mating her a day early. “The females in my life want the world to know I belong to them. It’s an honor. I won’t deny their claims.”
“And you think your foolish pride will comfort Mya and her daughters once you’re gone?”
The door opens, giving me a short reprieve. I take it, stepping into the elevator and hitting the button for Ella’s floor. Once the doors close, I face Uri. “Mya gave me a piece of her soul. Welcoming her scent claim is the least I can do to show my gratitude for her gift.”
Uri clenches his jaw so hard, the sound of his grinding teeth reverberates in my body, sending a chill down my spine normally reserved for nails on a chalkboard.
“It’ll mean nothing to the Shifter Council. In their mind, Todd has full rights to her.” Uri bites out the words.
“There are things about Mya’s past you don’t know.”
“Will it be enough to stop Todd from breeding your true mate?”
I flatten a hand against the metal wall and hang my head. In some regards, so much has changed since Mya walked into my life. In others, nothing has. “This conversation is irrelevant. Todd’s dirty. We’re going to implicate him in either Ben’s murder or dealing Ambrosia. Maybe both. It’ll be enough to ensure he never sees the light of day again.”
The elevator door opens. Uri stops me from escaping into the hallway with a hand on my shoulder. “You might be right, but I haven’t lived as long as I have by hoping things work out. I make them happen.”
I jerk my shoulder, freeing myself from Uri’s grasp, and stride forward. “Then help me put Todd behind bars, and I’ll return the favor.”
“There’s nobody I want to imprison.”
“Stay in this job long enough, and I guarantee you will.”
“Females have no place in my life. I won’t allow one to become the center of it.”
As if he has a choice. Love is an entity unto itself. There’s no stopping it.
Shaking my head, I walk to Ella’s office. “Females aren’t the only ones who can trigger our instincts. Sometimes it’s kids. Or humans. One time I had to be restrained from ripping some loser’s throat out because he was kicking his dog. It’s all about our instincts. Once they’re triggered, we become focused. Determined and unstoppable. Once it happens to you, I’ll have your back.”
“You would anyway. You’re my partner.”
Uri’s right about that too. “Until death or reassignment.”
Uri reaches past me, opens the door, and walks through. “Then let’s get this warrant ordered and finish this.”
Ella turns at our approach. “And if you’re thinking about ordering warrants, you better have a valid probable cause with evidence to back it up. The judge assigned to this district is a hard-ass.”
“We do.” Uri reaches behind him and pulls out a manila folder he must’ve had shoved in the back of his pants. “And if all goes well, we’ll solve two cases today.”
Uri drops the open folder on Ella’s desk. The letterhead for the doctor acting as the Shifter Affairs’ coroner covers the top of the first page. Underneath it, Benjamin Tanner’s name is typed in bold letters.
“Ben’s autopsy report.” I reach for it, but Ella snatches it before I do.
Minutes pass as she silently reads through it. Each one cranks up my tension. I roll my shoulders, cracking my bones, but the tightness in my muscles doesn’t ease.
Uri takes the file from Ella. “I’ll save you time. Ben didn’t die from the bullet between his eyes. He died from Ambrosia overdose a good thirty minutes before he was tossed along the side of the road.”
Ella looks from Uri’s face to the file he’s clutching. “That’s specifically spelled out in there?”
“In agonizing and vivid detail. Pages and pages of detail. Complete with photographs of decayed organs and illustrations.” Uri once again drops the folder on Ella’s desk as if touching the papers offends him as much as reading it apparently did. “Lyla is morbid. It’s no wonder she doesn’t have a man in her life.”
“Maybe, but she’s brilliant. And she accepted my offer. Lyla will be sworn in as a Shifter Affairs agent later today.” Ella’s smug smile lights up her face. “Now I only need my assassin to succumb to my pestering and join.”
“Good luck with that.” Ilan didn’t seem thrilled with the idea. Unless silence equals an agreement on his part.
“Lyla’s not signing as a field agent, I’m assuming.” Uri crosses his arms over his chest and gives Ella that condescending look he wields so well. “The female is too scrawny and weak to be expected to deal with dangerous shifters. She should be set up in an office like you are, where she’ll be safe.”
Ella balls her hands and gets up in Uri’s face. Her glare’s the kind that promises death. I should probably intervene. I won’t. Uri deserves her fury for that comment.
After a long moment where Ella and Uri glare at each other, she says in a too controlled and even voice, “Because of Lyla’s role, she’ll need to work both in the field and in the office, but I promise you, she’ll get the training she needs to survive in your male-dominated culture.”
Eyes narrowed, Uri bends closer. “What kind of training?”
Ella’s smirk makes me smile. Whatever she’s about to say will tick Uri off. I’m not ashamed to admit that’ll amuse me. “For the first six months, she’ll spend twenty-five percent of her time with an agent who’ll act as her mentor and trainer.”
“Who?” Uri growls the word.
“I’d originally planned to assign her to Rick. Now”—Ella’s smirk widens into a shit-eating grin—“I think she might be better off with you, since you seem so concerned about her adjustment to life as a Shifter Affairs agent.”
Without looking at me, Uri points in my direction. “I already have a partner.”
Ella shrugs and moves behind her desk where her cell phone is charging. She unplugs it. “Now you have a partner and a mentee.”
“How much time do you expect me to put into this job? You know I have obligations at home.”
Holding her cell phone, she tilts her head to the side and gives Uri the fakest pleading expression I’ve ever seen. “It’s only two hours a day. A big, strong agent like you can spend that in the gym with Lyla. While you have her there, you can give her tips on how not to act so scrawny and weak.”
Uri plants his hands on the desk. “I’m immortal. I don’t need to exercise. This is the body I’ll have until the world ends.”
Ella sets her phone down and matches Uri, leaning on the desk so they’re once again in each other’s faces. “A powerful physique doesn’t equal skill. Even the most feared fighters of your species aren’t born that way. Their abilities are honed and tested repeatedly. So quit your whining and share your knowledge with Lyla. You’ll be the one who’ll give her the tools to save her life if it’s threatened.”
“Don’t you mean when her life is threatened? Because in our world danger is a given,” Uri shoots back.
Ella removes her suit jacket and rolls up her sleeves, exposing thin, scarred arms. She crosses them over her chest. “Yes, it is. For your own sanity, you might want to make sure Lyla is as prepared for it as she can be, unlike the half-hearted, pathetic excuse of a training my mentor gave me. Your cousin, Zach, is still beating himself up over his failings. Or, according to him, my failings.”
Uri focuses on Ella’s marred skin. After a long moment, he nods. “Warn Lyla she’s going to work hard. I don’t handle failure well.”
“Neither do I.” I butt into Ella and Uri’s verbal spat. “What did you learn on your date last night?” The fact that Ben died from an Ambrosia overdose won’t put Todd behind bars unless I can pin it on him.
“Don’t call it a date.” Uri glares at me over his shoulder. “That was the worst two hours of my life.”
“Was it successful?” That’s all I need to hear.
“Yeah.” Uri shoves his hands in his pocket. “She gets her supply of Ambrosia from Harper’s Diner. Right out of the vending machine in the lobby where they serve takeout pies and pastries. Everyone in the area does.”
“A vending machine!” Ella rushes around the desk to Uri’s side. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Little kids can buy things from vending machines. If you knew this, why didn’t you say it immediately?”
Ella doesn’t wait for Uri’s answer. She snatches her keys from the blotter on her desk and grabs her jacket. Uri rests a hand on her shoulder. “You have to feed the right amount of money into the machine and key in the correct selection that just so happens to be unlabeled. No child or innocent is going to accidentally overdose themselves.”
With her keys clutched in her hand, Ella closes her eyes and breathes slowly in an obvious display meant to get herself together. “Get out there. Now. I’ll text the second I have the warrant in hand, but we’re not waiting for official documentation. This is a public risk.”
“It’s not. I told—”
Ella raises her hand, stopping Uri’s argument. “Maybe not, but that’s what I’m telling the judge. We’re not going to wait hours or even days while he ponders over the autopsy report and your account of this user’s claim. We’re going to act.”
“That’s skating the rules. If proven, you can be asked to resign.” I don’t want to have to adjust to a new unit leader. I won’t be able to stop myself from comparing him or her to Ella. She’s the best I’ve ever had.
“That’s a risk I’ll take. Now go.” Ella tosses her keys on the desk. “And if this ends up biting us in the ass, remember I ordered you to act.”
With that one simple statement, my loyalty to Ella Montgomery is sealed. It looks like I now have quite a few women in my life I’d kill to protect.
Twenty-Three
Mya
The gun in my purse might not weigh much, but carrying it makes my shoulders hunch. I scan my apartment building’s parking lot. Nobody’s around. Thank goodness. I’m too frazzled to lie if someone questions my odd behavior.
I should’ve just left the gun in the apartment. I don’t have a license to carry a concealed weapon. Rick insisted I keep his gun handy, however. I’m not sure he meant for me to take it if I leave my place, but I made him a promise. I’m going to keep it.
Besides, this is only a short trip. Ella asked me to come to her office. She wants to get my official statement about when and how Todd made me his breeding partner. I’m not sure why it matters if she doesn’t think the Shifter Council will punish Todd for what he did, but I have no reason not to cooperate since I’m not skipping town. Hopefully, Ella will be able to pull a few favors or dig up some support for me. She seemed determined to help me. I won’t know until I talk to her.
At my van’s side, I pull out my keys. My wolf slams hard enough into my rib cage that I stumble. Sharp teeth rip at my insides. I gasp at the unexpected assault. She wants out. Now. I can’t let her free. My neighbors might see me shift. There are a few who don’t work during the day.
Eyelids squeezed shut, I focus on the wall between us, building it up. It pains me to do so. She’s obviously sensed a threat. Her deep snarls chill me. She’s going to fight me with everything she has.
The slight curving of her spine is my only warning. She throws her metaphysical body against the barrier separating our forms. Sheer agony radiates through me. The keys fall from my hand as I press my palms against my chest. Never before has she tried so hard to force a shift upon me.
There’s only one thing I can do.
Using every ounce of strength I possess, I shove her back. A thick wall drops between us. A twisted sense of rage chokes me without the shield she provides. I know who it belongs to—Todd. I want to get away. Only, I can’t run yet. My body’s still reeling from my wolf’s attack. I brace a hand against the van’s door as my stomach heaves and my head spins.
The sound of squealing tires yanks my attention to the entrance of the parking lot. Todd’s rusted pickup jumps the curb. It fishtails, then accelerates, aiming right at me.
I scream and run toward the building. The truck swerves, coming to a stop inches from me. Panting hard, I pivot and take several steps before a bruising grip on my wrist stops me.
Todd yanks me against his body. He hooks a muscled arm around my
waist. My feet leave the ground.
“No!” I pry and scratch at Todd’s arm, trying to break his hold. “Let me go!”
He climbs into the driver’s side of the truck and shoves me. My shoulder rams into the passenger door as I tumble onto that side. I reach for the handle. The truck lurches forward before I can open the door. My head bangs hard against the window, sending spots dancing across my eyes.
“What is wrong with you? And where are you taking me?” Too angry to be afraid, I scream the question. How dare he manhandle me like this! I’m pregnant with his babies!
“My house. I’m taking you to my house. Locking you in my bedroom.”
“Your house?” I swallow hard. He’s got to be joking. Threatening me, maybe. “Why? You never wanted me there before.”
“And I don’t want you there now. You forced me to do this!”
Oh no, he’s not locking me away. I have to get out of here. I reach for the door handle. The truck picks up speed. I glance out the window at the blurry objects rushing by. We’re going too fast to jump. I can’t guarantee I won’t hurt my babies when I smack into the pavement.
I cut a quick glance at the speedometer. Seventy miles per hour and climbing. Releasing the door handle, I grab onto the armrest of the door. There’s a reason the speed limit is only forty going through here. The road is narrow with hairpin curves. “Todd, slow down. You’re going too fast.”
“Shut up, you stupid female!” Todd flexes his hands on the steering wheel. “I’ll drive how I want to drive!”
Fury twists Todd’s features. I’ve never seen him this mad before. Or this quiet. He usually screams at me when he’s angry, telling me exactly what I’ve done to set him off. Not this time. Something’s different. I know what.
I smell like Rick.
In an attempt to put as much distance between us as possible, I inch my way from Todd until the metal door presses completely into my side. The tremor shaking my free hand rushes through my body, leaving me trembling. The panicked reaction is the worst I’ve experienced. No wonder. I’m living my worst nightmare.