Sleepers: Shifters Confidential Romance Collection

by Juniper Hart

  “Where are you going?” Pascal finally asked.

  “I need to think,” she mumbled, pulling off to the side of the road. The car overlooked the bay as dawn began to peek over the horizon. Kyla wandered toward the edge of the road, anger and disappointment consuming her as she moved.

  A moment later, she felt Pascal join her side but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

  “This was a mistake,” she said flatly. “We need to bring her back to Franz and get them both home.”

  Pascal did not speak but a strong arm slipped around her waist and in spite of herself, Kyla felt herself relaxing against him.

  Everything about us has always been wrong. I shouldn’t have let it get this far, she realized.

  Yet as she stood in his arms, she could not deny that everything felt right, despite the mess they were in.

  “What are we going to do?” Kyla muttered.

  “About us or about them?” Pascal asked.

  She turned and looked at him for the first time, the heaviness growing in her heart.

  “I think we know what we’re going to do about us,” she replied softly. Angst crossed over Pascal’s face and he shook his head.

  “Do we?” he replied flatly. “What’s that?”

  “We don’t belong together, Cal.”

  She spoke the words matter-of-factly even if it screamed out against everything she believed.

  She needed to tell Anatoli that she crossed a line, and that she needed to be reassigned. Or maybe Pascal needed to be reassigned.

  Neither thought filled her with optimism but it was the only way that she could see a future.

  Assuming we get out of this alive. Franz is going to be coming after all of us.

  “Is that you speaking or Anatoli?” Pascal growled. “Because it seems to me that you and I do belong together and we always have.”

  “You wouldn’t even be here if not for Anatoli,” she reminded him sharply. “You’re lucky you’ve made it this far. Most recruits would have been sent home and deprogrammed by now.”

  Pascal blinked. He released a low, mirthless laugh.

  “You think I’m lucky?” he asked dully. “I haven’t had a say in anything since this all began.”

  Kyla stared at him uncomprehendingly.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means that I had no say in being turned either,” Pascal sighed. “I had no say in coming to America all those years ago or about joining the Sleepers. My whole life has been planned for me by Franz. And now, I don’t get a say in whether I get to be with my mate.”

  Flutters rested in Kyla’s gut at the sound of the word, but she willed herself to be calm with Pascal’s nearness doing what it always did.

  “What do you mean that you had no say in being a Sleeper?” Kyla asked slowly. Pascal was quiet for a moment as his brilliant eyes trailed toward the water. The gentle lap of waves filled Kyla’s ears before he spoke again.

  “Franz asked me to join the Sleepers,” he confessed finally. “He wanted me to get intel on the group.”

  Kyla’s neck stiffed and she wriggled out of his grasp.

  “What?” she choked.

  “I know it sounds bad,” Pascal went on. “But he left me there, forgot about me and carried on as if I’d never existed.”

  “And if he hadn’t?” Kyla demanded. “Then what?”

  Pascal held her gaze evenly.

  “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But I’m glad he did.”

  The unspoken words said more than what Pascal had to say but Kyla was afraid to lower her guard, knowing what she knew.

  “You came to betray our cause,” Kyla said, shaking her head. “You were going to harm me and Anatoli.”

  “I would never have hurt you, Kyla. I knew from the moment I first laid eyes on you that you were the one I was meant to be with. I was afraid to make my move with you, worried that this would happen.”

  “What would happen?”

  “That my two worlds would collide.”

  “Yeah…and they did,” Kyla mumbled, looking toward the car. If Lara had regained consciousness, she did not show herself.

  “This is a mess,” Pascal concluded. “But I never wanted any of this. I only wanted you. I don’t want the Sleeper program or the Monarchy. I don’t want immortality or…I just don’t want any of it.”

  She could hear the plaintive note in his voice and she believed him.

  “I love you too,” she sighed. Pascal’s face lit up slightly at her confession but darkened when he saw that she was still lost in worry.

  “We can make this work,” he murmured, drawing her closer. “I know we can.”

  “How? Lara is going to get us both killed. Franz is going to be on a warpath.”

  “You could do something else,” he told her after a long quiet. “Something that will ensure that we’re all safe from Franz’s revenge and that we can be together.”

  Kyla stared at him.

  “What?” she asked skeptically.

  “You can turn us all back to humans,” he replied quietly. “That way, Franz will not have the power to come after us and he will not rule over Lara or me.”

  Kyla’s heart began to pound as she met his gaze evenly.

  “No,” she whispered softly. “That won’t work.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you and I are going to be together forever,” she replied softly, brushing her lips over his as she made a decision. “And forever means forever.”

  Eagerly, Pascal returned her kiss and pressed himself against her tightly so that Kyla could feel every curve of his body firmly across hers.

  Something that feels this right can’t be wrong, she decided, falling fully into the kiss, her dark eyes closing. Fate put us together. I won’t disappoint the universe by not fighting.

  When they parted, Kyla smiled warmly at her mate.

  “I have a plan,” she told him. “Stick with me and we’ll be all right.”

  Pascal returned her beam and nodded.

  “You’ve done a good job taking care of me thus far,” he teased. “I will follow you to the ends of the earth, my lady.”

  And Kyla believed him.

  Epilogue

  The animosity was so thick, anyone could have cut it with a knife, but Franz pretended not to notice as he stood before the group.

  “We’ve told you already, Franz. You’re not welcome here. You need to move along before our patience expires.”

  Kieran spoke with such even dispassion, Franz felt his blood pressure skyrocket.

  “How can you talk to me like that?” Franz demanded, his mouth becoming a firm, furious line, but somehow, he managed to keep his temper in check. “I have been nothing but loyal to the Monarchy!”

  “You’re lucky we’re allowing you to breathe at all,” Vesuvius shot back, annoyance spilling from his words.

  “Stand down, Ves,” Kieran retorted, eyeing his court mate warily before turning his attention back to Franz. Your life is not threatened, friend. We know the circumstances aren’t your fault.”

  The condescending way Kieran spoke only fueled Franz’s anger.

  He’s glad that Lara and I aren’t vampires anymore, Franz thought. This could not have gone better for him!

  Of course, he said none of this aloud. Irritating the Court did nothing to better his position.

  Remember, you are a mere mortal now, Franz reminded himself.

  “Why are you here, Franz?” Vesuvius barked. “We all have lives to attend. We don’t jump when a mortal calls a meeting at Court.”

  Franz swallowed his own anger and forced a smile, nodding.

  “I appreciate you taking the time,” he assured them. “And I’ll get right to the point.”

  He paused for effect.

  “I want to be turned back.”

  His announcement was met with a wave of laughter and Franz bristled at the response.

  “Turned? Again?” Kieran murmured as i
f he hadn’t already been aware of Franz’s reasons for coming. “You must know that’s illegal.”

  “It is usually, “Franz agreed quickly. “But I was already a vampire, for over two hundred years. I—”

  “And before that, you were a mortal!” Vesuvius snapped. “You’re exactly how you should be. This is nonsense, Kieran. Must I listen to this or may I go?”

  “No!” Kieran snapped, casting Vesuvius an irritated look. “Did I call for a dismissal?”

  He turned his eyes back to Franz and the newly turned mortal felt his heart racing as he stared in anticipation.

  “As you said, Kieran, the matter was beyond my control. I didn’t ask to be reverted back,” Franz rushed on, his heart pounding. He hadn’t felt fear in so long, the sensation was almost dizzying.

  “You must know that doing such a thing would put us at deeper odds with the other shifters, don’t you?” Kieran pressed. “Is this really the kind of publicity we’re looking for? I think not.”

  Frustration coursed through his veins and with every second that passed, Franz was finding it more difficult to control himself.

  “I could understand if you refused Lara,” he insisted, unwilling to give up the fight. “But I didn’t ask for this!”

  “It’s hardly the issue. What’s done is done, Franz, and there’s nothing I can do to change that—at least not yet.”

  Vesuvius whipped his head around to look at Kieran, his eyes narrowing, but Franz felt a spark of hope light inside him.

  “Yet?” he echoed. “But in the future?”

  “Kieran, what are you saying?” Vesuvius demanded again but once more, Kieran waved a dismissive hand at him.

  “You had some interesting perspectives on the matter of the realms while you spent some time with the Court, didn’t you, Franz?” Kieran continued. “You seemed to foresee a major battle between us again.”

  Franz didn’t speak but instead waited for Kieran to finish his thought.

  “Some members of the Monarchy thought you were a little farsighted on the matter but I’m not sure that’s so now.”

  Elation surged through Franz as he nodded eagerly.

  “I knew it!” he cried, clapping his hands together like an excited child. “I can help!”

  “That’s what I’m banking on,” Kieran agreed, settling back in his chair to peer speculatively at Franz. “But not as a vampire.”

  Disappointment overwhelmed him and he gaped at Kieran, wondering if the head of Congress had only allowed for the meeting to mock him publicly.

  “But you just said—”

  “You once suggested that there was a program of shifter spies who worked together to undermine each of the realms,” Kieran cut him off. “Do you still believe that?”

  Franz had never been so sure in his life.

  “I do.”

  “Then we must find out all we can about this group and dismantle it, from the inside,” Kieran went on. He turned to the other members and nodded. “Don’t you agree?”

  Franz found himself nodding in agreement at the suggestion even though Kieran wasn’t waiting for his approval.

  “Kieran, I don’t think this is a very good idea,” Vesuvius muttered and the others seemed to share his doubts but as always, Kieran had the final say.

  “I do,” he replied firmly. “And I think that Franz should approach as a human. They are the most non-threatening of all the realms, don’t you think?”

  Disappointment threatened to clog Franz’s arteries, but he dared not complain.

  At least it’s an in. It’s better than nothing, Franz thought.

  “For how long would I do this?” he asked boldly.

  “For as long as it’s necessary,” Kieran replied. It wasn’t the answer that he wanted to hear but before Franz could argue, Kieran spoke again.

  “Of course, this is only if you want to become immortal again,” he said sweetly.

  “Kieran…” There was a warning note in Vesuvius’ tone but Kieran ignored him, his eyes fixed on Franz’s face as he waited for a response.

  “What will it be, Franz?” he urged. “Will you rejoin us one day or live a miserable existence as a mortal until you drop dead, old and wrinkly in a few years?”

  “I’d prefer a time frame,” Franz muttered but he knew he wasn’t getting one.

  “And I would like some intel,” Kieran replied amiably. “Maybe we can discuss a timeline once you get me one of those.”

  “I’m in,” Franz agreed, springing forward to shake on the deal. “You can count on me like you always have, Kieran.”

  Kiera accepted his proffered hand, a wry smile on his face.

  “Good,” he said brightly, turning away. “Just try not to die before that happens, all right?”

  “Are we about done here, then?” Vesuvius growled, jumping to his feet. He didn’t wait for anyone else to respond as there was no direct answer. Franz watched as the Court dispersed.

  Abruptly, he felt a wave of shame overcome him, the feeling twisting in his gut.

  If you agree to this, you’ll be betraying your own kind, he warned himself but just as quickly, he dismissed the thought and threw his shoulders back with smug confidence.

  The vampires are my kind. Mortals are weak and ruled by love. I am going to claim what is rightfully mine.

  And he didn’t care who he took down with him.

  Shifters Confidential Series Epilogue

  1

  If there had ever been a time when Anatoli had slept through the night, she could not recall it. It seemed to her that for decades, her emerald gaze remained fully opened, regardless of time of day and she surged through for a greater good.

  Perhaps it was her hybrid bloodline that kept her from spiraling into a pit of exhaustion after decades of working tirelessly, or maybe it was simply the adrenaline drive which motivated her to keep moving.

  Whatever it was, it had maintained Anatoli for longer than she cared to remember and suddenly she felt very tired.

  Is there even a point to it anymore? I’ve been fighting for too long, she thought, staring at the world map in her office, the blinking lights scattered across the planet, less than there had been before. Every year, there were fewer and fewer operatives, no matter how hard she tried to train and recruit. Perhaps, subliminally, they had detected that she had lost her way and steered clear instinctively.

  Or maybe I’ve just dropped the ball on everything.

  Once, Anatoli had believed there was, that there was a cause and service to overthrow. The Cabal had wreaked havoc on hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lives. Yet the idealistic witch was not as young as she had once been nor as naïve.

  Time and circumstance had changed her in more ways than she wanted to consider.

  A gentle knock on the office door caused Anatoli to turn and she beckoned Callie to enter. The fairy eyed her warily as though sensing the Director’s mood.

  “Bad time?” she asked.

  “Isn’t it always?” Anatoli sighed. “What’s up?”

  “The new recruits are here,” she announced. Anatoli stared at Callie for a long moment, unspeaking as her mind whirled.

  A part of her wanted to tell her to send them away, to call the entire thing off. It had been a long time since she had been this disheartened.

  “Ana?”

  Anatoli raised her head and met Callie’s eyes squarely.

  “All right. Fine,” she said dismissively. Her mind was on much deeper things, things she should have considered years ago. It took her several seconds to realize that Callie remained in place and didn’t move.

  “What is it, Callie?” she demanded the annoyance in her tone thick. Callie shifted her weight uncomfortably.

  “What are we doing here, Ana?” she asked bluntly. “The last few months, we’ve been stagnant.”

  Anatoli bristled at the reminder.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she shot back defensively. The fairy hesitated but pressed on.

/>   “You’ve been ignoring important calls,” Callie said bluntly. “The higher ups want their intel.”

  Fury snaked through the Director’s veins and she glowered at the fairy.

  “Why don’t you let me worry about the Cabal,” she hissed. “And you worry about training the recruits.”

  Callie opened her mouth to protest but seemingly thought better of it. Still, she didn’t move.

  “Also…”

  The Director waited, her impatience growing. She did not appreciate the reminder that things were failing in every direction.

  “What?” she barked. “I’m busy, Callie.”

  “I have that list you requested.”

  Anatoli frowned as Callie shuffled forward, thrusting a page toward her. The fairy hesitated in front of the desk as Anatoli scanned the surprisingly brief set of names before her.

  Is this even necessary? Should I really drag anyone else into the mess I’ve made?

  Of course she said none of this aloud. Despite her pride being broken, despite knowing she had crossed a line she had never thoughts she’d cross, she couldn’t give the impression to the few loyalists remaining that she was about to fold the entire operation, no matter who it would upset.

  I’ve already spent most of my life double crossing those who have learned to trust me. What’s a few more months.

  It was important that she save face, at least until she made a plan to exit gracefully—or at least without being detected. The Sleepers program was a flop and she had no one to blame but herself.

  “Ana, you know…” Callie said haltingly. “I could easily fill the position.”

  Anatoli scoffed before she could stop herself, but she did not feel bad for her response.

  Callie should know better than to even ask something so stupid, she thought, raising her dark crown of hair to stare deadpan at her insubordinate. Even if she were on her way out, she couldn’t have Callie at her side. She needed someone dependable, strong. Callie was perhaps dependable, but she lacked the leadership that was needed.

  Then again, will anyone ever compare to Dex?

  Another pang of regret shot through Anatoli, but she cast it aside. Dex had chosen his side, against her and the cause.