by Dannika Dark
“You do realize they sell this in pint size.”
“Not this brand of pistachio. Just the fancy, expensive shit. That’s how they rip you off.” When he pushed his spoon in and tried to pull out a scoop, the handle bent. After straightening it, he shoveled the ice cream into his mouth.
I tapped my spoon against the edge of the carton, waiting for the condensation to crystallize and the ice cream to soften. “Are you in trouble again?”
He sighed. “It’s not about me. Funny you came by, because I was gonna call you.”
“About what?”
He locked his fingers together, his rough hands clean but the cuticles stained with grease. “Shifters are dying, and the packs don’t know what to make of it. The local Council hired bounty hunters, but this isn’t their area of expertise.”
I scooped a shaving of the ice cream even though I didn’t like the flavor. “Did they reach out to the higher authority for help?”
“Let’s just say that after the recent bust, the packs aren’t feeling too confident about working with that side of the law. Besides, the higher authority expects them to handle their own shit. They barely tolerate giving Shifters land. You can’t blame the packs for not trusting any of those people.” Crush waved a hand dismissively. “I guess you already know how many of them were involved in the fighting rings. Shifters don’t take that shit lightly. I got buddies who were once slaves. Some were kept in animal form for decades while serving their master. Anyhow, there’s no way in hell they’re involving the higher authority. The trust level is nonexistent until some of those fuckers prove themselves. They’ve got a lot of relationships to rebuild.”
I set down my spoon and rested my arm on the table. “So why are you involved?”
“Little girl, I’m involved in all the shit that goes down around here.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m sure that’s true, but why are you really involved?”
He dug in for a big helping this time. After taking a purposeful bite, he studied the spoon. “I might have dropped your name as someone who can help.”
I chuckled. “If they don’t want the higher authority involved, what makes you think they want me? They think I’m a Mage, and my kind used to keep their kind as slaves. Remember?”
“They trust me, and that includes you by default. They’ve known you since you were a little girl. My buddy Ren is impressed with your work. You saved Shifters, and that’s something they won’t forget. Ren wanted to know if this was something in your wheelhouse, but hell, I’m not even sure what all you do. He wants to know what’s involved and how much it’ll cost.”
I stared at the spilled drops of ice cream on the table. Viktor didn’t work exclusively with the higher authority. Granted, that was where the big money came from, but we did other jobs. People might not know our names or faces, but the right ones knew about Keystone. Viktor was already passing out smaller assignments. Would he let me form a small group to check this out?
“You’re not in any danger, are you?”
Crush wiped his mouth on the back of his arm and sank the spoon into the center of the ice cream. “Shifters are dying, but it was a few dead alphas that got everyone’s attention.”
My eyebrows reached for my hairline. “I thought Packmasters were strong and well guarded by their pack.”
“I didn’t say they were Packmasters. And it’s not all alphas. Some women, some children. We don’t have all the details.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not just wolves. Some of the other animal groups don’t like comparing notes, so we only know what we’ve heard. Shifters don’t report deaths to the Council. It’s not protocol.”
“But you think someone’s killing them?”
Crush studied the tattoos on his left arm. “It’s just speculation. Better than the alternative.”
“Which is?”
“A disease. I think Ren just wants to cover all bases. Even if it’s a virus, someone had to cook it up in a lab. If it’s contagious, I don’t know what the fuck they’ll do. The higher authority will probably quarantine all Shifters.”
I stood up and went to wash my spoon in the sink. “I’m not really sure what I can do. This might be out of my scope.”
“I’m asking as a favor.”
It got real quiet, and I returned to my seat.
Crush put the lid back on the carton of ice cream. “I just want them to know that I did everything in my power to help, and you’re my everything. Only a few Packmasters know about it, and they’re not going public. They don’t want to start a panic before they’ve looked into it. Maybe it’s nothing. Ren will talk to Viktor, but I think he wants to sit down with you first and see what you think. He doesn’t want anyone else involved; that’s why he’s not going to Viktor first.”
“It doesn’t work like that. I won’t do a job without Viktor’s permission, and I sure as hell won’t work it alone.”
“He won’t want a Vamp on the case.”
“That’s not up to him.” I folded my arms. “He’ll just have to get over it if he wants my help. We have partners for a reason—we look out for each other.”
“I know,” he said, waving his hand. “I don’t like the peckerhead, but only a fool goes into danger alone.”
I tapped my chin. “Hmm. Like that time loan sharks were coming after you?”
He gave me an indignant look that we both knew I didn’t deserve, but that was Crush. He always had to be the exception to the rule, always had to protect his pride. But his grit was exactly why I was still alive. Crush had given me all the tools I needed to survive in this world even though he didn’t know at the time that I would lead a less than normal life.
“Do you have his number?” I asked.
“I’ll set up a meeting.”
“Maybe you better not. If you involve yourself and this turns out to be something, I don’t want you in the middle of it. You’re all alone out here.”
He swung his arm and pointed at a shotgun mounted on the living room wall. “See that? A man with a gun is never alone.”
“Jesus. You should be a billboard for one of those gun shows.”
He wiped an ice cream stain from his Harley shirt. “I live in a sketchy area of town and run with Shifters. I’d be an idiot not to be packing. If I’d been a banker living in some middle-class neighborhood, I might have raised you differently.”
“Bankers get robbed.”
“Yeah, but they have alarm systems, gates, dogs, multiple exits if there’s a break-in…”
I stood up and circled behind him, crossing my arms around his neck. “That’s why you should stop eating all that fried food. If someone busts through the front door when you’re sleeping, how are you gonna squeeze your spare tire through these tiny windows? You won’t have time to get in the closet and load your guns.”
He patted my arms. “That’s why I keep a machete.”
“I’ll see what Ren has to say, but my hands are tied if Viktor puts me on another case.”
Crush shifted in his chair to look up at me. “That’s all he wants. Just someone to check it out. I couldn’t think of anyone better for the job than my baby girl.”
I could only imagine how much my father had been bragging about me after the recent bust with the cage fights. But Viktor might not accept the case, so I’d have to tread carefully with how much commitment I gave Ren.
“I’m heading out,” I said, still hugging him from behind. “Do you need anything? Food? Fruit juice? A stress test?”
“Get your ass outta here before I swat you.”
I kissed his head and smiled. “Empty threats.”
He stood to face me and put his hands on his hips. “I still have that paddle that used to hang on the wall.”
I belted out a laugh. “The only time you ever took that showpiece off the wall was during a party when Wild Bill backed his truck into your bike.”
He frowned. “How the hell do you know that? You were supposed to be
inside sleeping. I didn’t let you roam around at that age during our parties.”
“I had a ringside seat through the windows.”
Crush stared at me long and hard. “What else did you see?”
“Dogs. I always thought your friends brought over their pets. Now I know better.”
“They weren’t supposed to shift around you. That was always the rule.”
“I never saw them do it. If I had, I probably would have just remembered it as a dream or my imagination.” I gripped the back of the vinyl chair when a thought sprang to mind. “Why don’t you get a roommate?”
Crush reached out for the door and swung it open. “Time for you to go, little girl.”
Chapter 3
After towel drying her hair, Blue stepped out of the bathroom and padded down the empty hallway. The stone floors chilled the soles of her feet but nothing like they did in the winter months. She could have chosen a room with an attached bathroom, but when Viktor had shown her the corner room, she’d fallen in love with the light. One set of windows faced west, providing a sweeping view of every sunset. As long as Blue could see the sky, her falcon was at peace.
Once inside her room, she glimpsed herself in the standing mirror to her left. She backed up a step and took a longer look. From the side, nothing looked unusual. Men had often admired her full breasts and lips, but Blue never considered those features the source of her femininity. It was her formidable stance, the depth in her eyes, and the power she exuded each time she wielded her tomahawk. Those qualities, in her view, defined her as a woman.
As she pivoted on her heel and stared at her reflection head-on, that confidence waned. Vanity had nothing to do with it, although a small part of her resented those scars for the way men looked at her differently. She had never liked the attention, but eyes once filled with desire now looked upon her with revulsion when they noticed even a fragment of the scars. Sometimes she wanted to rip off her shirt and show them everything. A smile touched her lips at the thought of grown men fainting at the sight of her.
Male Shifters often kept their scars to remind them of a victorious battle or a life saved. Most of those men weren’t half the warrior she was.
Blue had spent endless hours staring at her reflection since the attack. It was the only way to get used to the change and accept what the fates had given her. At least her falcon was still flawless. The feathers overlapped the marks, which were smaller on her animal.
She opened her armoire, looking for her red dress. She loved the wide hood and bell sleeves that gave it a medieval appearance. It wasn’t really hers—she found it in the armoire when she first joined Keystone, as if it had been waiting for her. Whether it was left behind or Viktor had put it there, she claimed it as her own. That and a blue cloak were small things that helped her detach from the outside world, so she enjoyed putting them on at night, after their work was done. Everyone needed a ritual.
The dress wasn’t there.
She let the towel drop to the floor and reentered the hall. Even though Wyatt’s office and some of her teammate’s bedrooms were on the same floor, no one ever wandered to her corner of the mansion. Not that she cared. When Blue reached the balustrade, she swung her legs over and jumped. She hated the weight of her body in human form as it fell, but she and her animal were in sync, and seconds later, Blue felt the familiar rush of sliding out of her body as her falcon emerged. Her outstretched arms shrank and transformed to beautiful wings, powering her upward for a moment before she swooped to the first floor and down the hall. On its own, her falcon could get lost in the maze of hallways, but Blue was able to communicate her desires and steer her animal in the right direction. Of course, all animals had free will, and there was no predicting if they would listen or not. But since Blue let her falcon out regularly, they maintained a symbiotic relationship.
How she loved the freeing sensation of flight. Land Shifters bragged about running at high speeds or taking down large prey. Few appreciated avian Shifters for anything but a lookout. They had never experienced the thrill of ascending to the clouds where the only sound was the wind against your wings. The world beneath became smaller. People were insignificant specks that vanished into the vast landscape.
Her falcon flapped its wings, pushing down air and propelling her through a long hallway that cut through the mansion. When she reached the foyer, she veered right and swooped over Wyatt’s head.
“Hey! Watch it, ladybird!”
Blue’s falcon perched atop a statue. Many were intimidated by her gaze, including Wyatt, who hustled up the stairs without looking back. Blue relayed her desires to her bird, and within seconds, they took flight. Her falcon dove at Wyatt and snatched the slouchy beanie right off his head.
“Son of a ghost. Give that back!”
She flew toward the winged statue near the door and dropped the hat on its head before heading down the east hall toward a painting. When she made a sharp left down the outer hall, she glided by a long row of beautiful stained glass windows.
Blue spotted her dress by the door where she’d gone out the previous night. Sometimes she got it on the way back in, but last night, Blue’s falcon wanted to perch on the rooftop for hours. Afterward, she’d flown through her open bedroom window and gone directly to sleep.
Up ahead, Viktor was admiring himself in a mirror.
He raised his arm. “Blue, if I could have a moment.”
Blue soared past him. When she reached the side exit, she landed on the floor next to the pile of fabric and morphed. Without skipping a beat, she slipped the dress over her head from a kneeling position and stood.
Viktor hadn’t pried his eyes away from his reflection.
Flipping her hair out from the collar, she strode toward him. “We didn’t see you at dinner tonight. Are you securing a big case?”
“Nyet.” He grumbled something in Russian and finally turned toward her. “I cannot straighten tie. Why must these be so complicated? Can you fix?”
She approached him and undid the knot. Ties weren’t really Viktor’s style. He exuded casual sophistication—usually chinos with pressed shirts and cardigans. Blue slowly adjusted the length of the necktie, something she’d learned to do since they occasionally went to formal parties, and the men in the house were hopeless. “I don’t think I’ve seen you wear a tie to a business meeting.”
“Not meeting. My date with Miss Parrish is this evening. I would have bought a tailor-made suit if it wasn’t on such short notice.”
Was Lenore worthy of a man like Viktor? “Maybe you should wear the clothes that you like. Be yourself.”
“Fancy restaurants require fancy clothes. I must look good.” His cheeks flushed. “Is this acceptable?”
Acceptable? Viktor was the definition of handsome. Seasoned by the years, his silver hair, often combed back, was peppered with dark grey. He kept in shape—just the right amount of definition in his arms and torso. And there was something about the way Viktor looked at a person that made them feel noticed. Men like Viktor possessed a quality that couldn’t be taught: charisma.
“Miss Parrish is a lucky woman” was all she could say.
Viktor stroked his short beard, neatly groomed on the sides and longer around the chin and mouth. Aftershave wafted off him, and she noticed a bloody piece of toilet paper stuck to his neck.
After adjusting his tie, she reached up and removed the toilet paper, flicking it to the floor. “A man like you doesn’t need to slice his jugular to impress a woman. Your reputation precedes you.”
He cupped her cheek in his hand, and she warmed. “What would I do without my Blue?”
She stepped back. “Do you really think it’s wise for people like us to pursue relationships? Gem’s boyfriend lost his head. And if Raven and Christian split, it’ll get ugly no matter what they say now. I always assumed you wanted us to keep any relationships we had with outsiders casual.”
“In this job, it is for the best. But there comes a point when I cannot rule
your lives, and I cannot predict my own path. Miss Parrish is an exception—she is not an outsider. She is privy to our secrets.” He turned to the mirror and admired Blue’s handiwork. “I do not think this will flourish into a romance. I am not deserving of a woman such as her.”
Blue considered Lenore’s beauty. While she didn’t think much of her personality, there was no denying Lenore’s attractiveness. Flaxen hair, a slim physique, money, class… and the flawless skin of a Vampire. “Any woman would be lucky to have you at their side. Don’t let her intimidate you. Beautiful women have a way of doing that, and just because she asked you out, don’t think that she’s the one who has the upper hand.” Blue stood behind him and brushed lint off the back of his jacket. “Look at what you’ve built, and all without the help of a pack. People respect you, Viktor. You can have any woman you want.” She gazed at him through the mirror. “Just be careful.”
Blue wanted to warn him that Lenore had the power to charm him with a look, but Viktor obviously knew the risks of dating a Vampire. Why, of all Breeds, did it have to be a Vampire? Does he not want the loyal companionship of a wolf?
She folded her arms. “Any new jobs for Niko and me?”
He turned around and fiddled with his cuffs. “Perhaps I might need a scout. I have not yet reviewed the details.”
Blue clenched her fists but quelled the frustration in her tone. “I’m more than just my bird, Viktor. Any assignments that I can work in human form?”
“I have nothing. If you are bored, go relic hunting at the pawnshops or help Wyatt with side work.” Viktor blew out a shaky breath, obviously distracted by his evening plans. “Well? How do I look?”
“Like a million bucks.”
Viktor glanced at his watch. “I must hurry.” He turned away and quickened his pace as he put distance between them. “Spasibo!”
Blue strolled to the back of the mansion and glided through the shadows, her long dress swishing at her feet. Most of the halls were identical—stone floors and walls, gorgeous arched ceilings that were expertly crafted, the only light provided by candles. Keystone was like stepping back in time, and the mansion was built to last. Blue wasn’t easily spooked, but sometimes in the late evening, it felt as if the ghosts of her past were hiding in the pitch-black corners. After ascending a flight of stairs, she took a shortcut to her room.
