[Therian Agents 01.0] Chasing Payne

by Chantel Seabrook

  He ran his tongue over his teeth, and tasted the intoxicating substance that still lingered. The sweet taste was a bitter reminder of how dangerous it was to give into mating heat. Fuck. He could have dealt with the physical attraction—But, not this.

  Chapter 2

  "My baby sister has a real job," Jenna Oliver squealed, handing Lora a glass of white wine.

  Her mother opened the oversized oven to check on the lasagna. The smell of garlic and mozzarella cheese permeated the large country-style kitchen, and Lora's stomach rumbled in anticipation. It had been over a month since she had moved out on her own, and she missed her Ma's home cooked meals.

  "So, tell us—" Jenna sat down and started to grate some parmesan cheese. "How was your first day?"

  Lora took a sip of her wine before answering. "Fine." She traced the rim of her glass and shrugged. "Jacob wanted me to tell you that Chase is coming for dinner tonight."

  The smile on Jenna's face melted, and concern flashed in her dark brown eyes. "Chase Payne?"

  Lora nodded, heat rising to her cheeks. "Jacob assigned him as my supervisor. He thought it might be nice to have him join us tonight."

  Jenna's eyebrows shot up. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

  Mama Oliver looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Don't be rude, Jenna. Chase is always welcome here."

  Lora took another sip of wine.

  Jenna's lips flattened and she gave Lora a stern look.

  "It'll be fine," Lora whispered, placing her hand on her sister's forearm. "I'm not a love-struck teenager anymore."

  "Just a love-struck twenty-two year old in heat. Sounds like the perfect combination." Jenna muttered low enough so that only Lora could hear. Placing the grater and cheese down, she shook her head. "Talk to Jacob, see if he can switch—"

  "No." She shot Jenna a look of warning and pursed her lips. If she asked Jacob to switch supervisors, he'd want a reason. Jenna had kept her terrible secret for years. Lora silently begged her sister not to say anything that would raise suspicion now.

  Jenna frowned and shook her head again. Her fingers fluttered over her stomach where scars lay hidden. "Just be careful."

  The pain and humiliation Lora had felt five years before flooded through her.

  When she found out Chase had volunteered with Jacob and Jenna to be a chaperone at her prom, she had devised a plan with one purpose.

  Seduce Chase Payne.

  Knowing he would be there, she had gone to prom alone, armed with her best friend Abby, and a masterplan that would have Chase falling madly in love with her.

  Dressed in a sexy red dress and killer heels, she sat in the school bathroom and downed half a bottle of cherry liquor Abby had stolen from her parent's liquor cabinet. With liquid courage flooding through her veins, she'd sought Chase out, hoping to share what would be the first of many kisses.

  She hadn't expected to find him on the dance floor, his muscular arms wrapped around her sexy, voluptuous art teacher's waist.

  Like a knife to the heart, Lora watched in horror as Chase whispered in the woman's ear and pulled her suggestively against his body.

  Jealousy mixed with cheap alcohol had her animal vibrating to be released. If it hadn't been for her sister Jenna, sensing the battle that raged within her, she didn't know what would have happened. She had gotten her out of the gym just in time before she shifted, ruining her dress and any hope that she'd ever be enough for the one and only man she wanted.

  What happened afterwards had proven almost fatal. She'd lost control, released her lioness and allowed the animal to consume her.

  Her stomach twisted in knots at the memory. What she'd done that night would forever haunt her. She carried the guilt and shame, but it was Jenna who bore the physical scars. For that, Lora would never forgive herself.

  She hadn't been strong enough to control her primal nature, and she made a choice that night to cage the beast forever. A decision that not even her sister knew about.

  Arming herself with a pile of plates and utensils, Lora followed Jenna into the dining room.

  "Do you blame me for worrying?"

  Lora shook her head. "You don't have to worry about anything like…that…happening again."

  "I'll stay out of it." Doubt clouded Jenna's eyes. She placed two bottles of wine on the large oak table, and gave Lora a look that said she wasn't convinced. "I just don't want to see you get your heart broken. Again."

  "I know." She smiled and tried to lighten the mood. "Trust me. I did a tour of the facility and Chase Payne isn't the only sexy Alpha roaming the agency's halls."

  A harsh cough behind her had Lora turning, finding herself staring into a pair of sexy sapphire eyes locked on her like a homing device.

  Oh, god. She felt her heart leap, the way it always did during the first moment when he entered a room. Her pulse drummed in her ears and her body tensed. Hot sweat beaded on the back of her neck.

  His nostrils flared as if sensing her desire. Was it that obvious?

  "Control my ass," Jenna murmured, crossing her arms over her chest. With a forced smile on her face, she broke through the tension with a simple, "Hi, Chase."

  His attention jolted, he looked to Jenna as if just realizing she was in the room.

  Lora couldn't pull her gaze from him. He was too hypnotic. Too tempting. Too much masculine sexuality all in one perfectly chiseled body. She licked her lips and a small shudder raced through her.

  So much for self-control.

  Jenna was right—Working with Chase was a bad idea.

  Mine, his lion growled, low and demanding, vibrating through his entire body, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Never in his life had his human and animal nature been so at odds with one another.

  He shouldn't be there. It would be hard enough to be around her every day for the next few months. He had wrongly assumed that seeing Lora in a familiar setting, with her family around, would remind him exactly who and what she was — Off Fucking Limits.

  She had always had a tiny crush on him, but he'd never taken it seriously. She was nearly eleven years younger than him, and his best friend's little sister.

  But what he saw now was a woman aching to be touched. Dark, rich desire saturated her presence like a living flame.

  He was so screwed.

  Jenna cleared her throat. "How have you been?"

  "Fine," he said, accepting the glass of wine she handed him, and focusing his attention on the older sister.

  Jenna was a safe focal point. Dark auburn hair, pulled back in a tight ponytail that accentuated her strong, almost masculine features, gave her a look that screamed friend-zone.

  "Ma will be glad you came. She misses seeing you and Turner." Jenna gave him a thin, awkward smile.

  Chase cringed at the mention of his brother's name. The younger man was a train-wreck waiting to happen, but he was the only family Chase had left.

  "I didn't see Turner at the facility yesterday," Lora said, as she began setting the table, keeping her eyes downcast.

  Chase took a sip of his wine and watched her from the corner of his eye.

  "He was suspended last month." It had become Turner's mission in life to self-destruct, and no matter how hard Chase tried to protect him, he somehow managed to fuck up every good thing he had going. "He should be back in the field within a few weeks."

  Both women frowned and exchanged a look of concern. He'd seen that look too many times over the years.

  Jenna studied him with eyes that always seemed to cut through the bullshit and lock on the truth. "What did he do now?"

  What hadn't Turner done? After burning down a research lab two years before, his brother was lucky to have a job. The fire had been an accident, but it had resulted in the death of the man Turner was certain had killed their mother, Richard Boyd.

  Chase didn't believe Boyd had been responsible, but he couldn't deny that the man had been a narcissistic killer, responsible for the torture and death of countless shifters
. The Council had given Turner a second chance, but his brother had begun stalking Boyd's family, unable to believe the man was truly dead.

  One more suspension and not even Jacob could stop the Council from dismissing him.

  Chase shrugged. "He's being dealt with."

  Taking a step towards him, Jenna touched his shoulder, dark eyes piercing through the very fabric of his soul. He shivered involuntarily, and she dropped her hand. "You've taken care of him for too long. He's an adult and you need to let him make his own choices. People grow up, Chase. It doesn't help anyone if you keep treating them like children."

  He shot a quick glance at Lora. Yeah, people grew up all right. That was the problem.

  Jenna followed his gaze and frowned. "Are you dating anyone these days?"

  He heard the warning in her voice and jerked his attention back to her. "Dating?" He shook his head and chuckled. "How long have you known me? Payne men don't date, we fuck."

  The whimper that escaped Lora's lips was subtle, but he heard it, and the sound went straight to his cock.

  "Always the gentleman." Jenna rolled her eyes and punched his arm as she walked past him. "I'm going to go see if Ma needs a hand in the kitchen."

  Lora bit her lip as she watched her sister leave the room, and her cheeks reddened under his gaze.

  He could sense her animal pacing within her, and despite her apparent attempt to try and subdue it, desire and fear radiated off of her.

  He took in a deep breath and felt his cock harden at the scent of her arousal. Shit. It was time he put an end to this nonsense. He took a step towards her and placed his wine glass on the table.

  Her lips parted, and he heard her slight intake of breath as he came closer.

  His gaze immediately drew to her lush mouth. She licked her bottom lip, and a low hiss escaped his tight lips. She looked at him, her expression questioning, a hint of hope behind her amber eyes.

  Damn it. Who was this woman, and what had she done with the girl he'd once known?

  "What happened earlier"—hardening his emotions and his features, he gave her an icy stare until she broke eye contact—"won't happen again."

  She bent her head in sullen agreement. "I know."

  "The agency isn't a dorm room—"

  "I said, I know." Her fists clenched at her side and her eyes narrowed. "I was just trying to prove a point."

  "And what point was that?"

  Frustration stormed in her amber eyes. "I have four older brothers. I don't need another one."

  He didn't try to hide his irritation. "So you go around kissing every man who isn't your brother?"

  Sharp laughter burst from her throat. "If I want to, then yeah, I'll kiss whoever I want."

  Circling his fingers around her wrist, he tugged her sharply towards him and growled deep within his chest. "Not while you're under my supervision, you won't."

  Lora's eyes widened, but not in fear as he had anticipated. Her pupils dilated and her breath became fast and uneven.

  Damn if the girl didn't have the same effect on him.

  His canines elongated, and he tasted the sweet substance produced by the glands under his tongue. A substance that with one bite would mark her as his.

  Shit, shit, shit. No fucking way. He didn't do relationships, and he sure as hell wasn't about to crucify himself by taking a mate.

  He released her and took a quick step back.

  A sound from the kitchen reminded him where he was.

  He needed to get the hell out of there before every person in the house smelt the damn hormones that seeped through his pores.

  Despite the aching heat that surged through him, he lowered his voice to a frigid snarl. "If you want to last more than a week at the agency, I suggest you start acting with more decorum. I don't have time to deal with a spoiled little girl with an agenda to prove. Grow the fuck up, Lora."

  Her eyes widened in alarm, and red suffused her cheeks. His stomach knotted. It was too late to take back what he said, to change the harsh tone he used, but damn it. She wouldn't survive more than a week in the agency. No, he lied. He wouldn't survive a week with her traipsing through the halls, wondering which agent she would kiss on what day.

  He turned his back on her. "Tell your family I was called back to the office."

  "Tell them yourself." Her voice was ice, and a twinge stabbed at his chest. He could hear the defiance in her voice. "If you haven't noticed, I have grown up. Let me know when you do the same."

  He spun around, ready to argue, but she had disappeared up the stairs towards her old bedroom.

  The beast within him roared like a freight train, urging him to go after her. To set her straight. Show her how much of a man he really was.

  No bloody way would he be that stupid. He turned on his heels and made a beeline for the front door.

  His lion could pace and rage all he wanted. Chase was a master at keeping the animal confined behind an icy exterior. This was no different.

  He'd sworn to himself he would never take a mate. It was a promise he didn't plan to break. The bond that formed during the mating process was volatile. It weakened and destroyed a person, until they were no longer able to live without their other half. It was a cruel trick of nature, and it was the reason his father was dead.

  He would never allow himself to be that weak. If he did, it would destroy them both.

  Lora Oliver was his mate, and there was no way in hell he would ever claim her as his own.

  Chapter 3

  Stupid. She'd been so freaking stupid.

  Kissing Chase had felt like a victory at the time, but the feeling had been short-lived. And now it seemed like she was going to pay for it with her career.

  Three weeks. She'd been working at the agency for three whole weeks, and Chase still refused to let her do anything except file papers and follow his assistant around like a glorified secretary.

  Lora paused in the open doorway of his office. He sat at his desk, eyes downcast, and brows furrowed. She was certain he had lost all capability of smiling, at least whenever she was around.

  Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she watched the man who had haunted her dreams since she was little more than a child.

  She cursed herself for the swell of desire that bubbled like a geyser whenever she saw him.

  Digging her fingernails into her palms, she raised her fist to knock on the doorframe.

  "Sit," Chase ordered, not looking up from his work.

  Lora dropped her hand midair, crossed the room, and sat on the steel seat across from him.

  "Read this." He handed her the file, then sat back in his chair, arms folded across his chest, blue eyes intense and watchful.

  Lora read the case report and her mouth dropped open. "Holy shit. Spontaneous morphing? Is this for real?"

  The muscles in his face tightened. "Unfortunately, yes."

  Lora scanned the report a second time. Detroit, Michigan. Twenty-six year old Kevin Adamson, H. Sap. Sapiens, Spontaneous morphing. "Spontaneous morphing? I didn't know it was possible?"

  "It's never been documented before, but our geneticists have only begun to understand the basic chromosomal differences between us and humans."

  "So he was human and now he's…what? One of us?"

  "Not exactly." Chase let out a deep breath, leaned forward, and placed his forearms on the desk. There were dark circles under his eyes Lora hadn't noticed before. "Whatever caused the man's genes to mutate made him shift into animal form, but not shift back."

  "He's stuck? Permanently?" The very thought sent a sliver of panic through her. To lose the ability to shift back was a terrifying thought. She knew better than anyone, what it was like to lose oneself to the animal.

  "We're not sure if it's permanent. We're keeping him under surveillance, and our scientists are doing everything they can to figure out what caused it."

  Lora couldn't wrap her mind around it. "Are you certain he was human? Maybe he was just a rogue—"

  Ch
ase pushed his chair back and stood. "This is the fifth case this week."

  "Fifth?"

  He paced the room, his presence overwhelming in the small space. "We have no doubt he was human."

  "So somehow humans are shifting. How? Why?"

  He placed his hands on his desk, his blue gaze locked on her. "That's what we're trying to figure out." He paused, giving her a long searching look, and then nodded once. "I'm assigning you to this case."

  It took her a moment to register what he said. "You're giving me a case?"

  "Not alone. There are several senior agents already working on it, but I want you to be involved."

  She bit her lip in order not to smile. It was a start. "Who will I be working with?"

  Chase looked over Lora's head. "Agent McCaffrey, come in."

  Sensing a man's presence behind her, Lora turned in her chair and blinked rapidly.

  Holy shit. Her pulse quickened as she glanced up at the gorgeous man who hovered in the doorway. Well over six feet, he looked like he was sculpted from marble, if marble were the color of bronzed leather. Dark brown eyes flecked with gold locked onto her with an intensity that made her shiver.

  A smile curled at the corner of his mouth as he leaned against the doorframe.

  He was hot as hell, and he knew it.

  "Austin McCaffrey is one of our best field agents. He'll be working with you on this case."

  Her brain wasn't quite able to form a response.

  "Nice to meet you." He held out his hand, and looked her up and down, a slow hunger in his dark eyes.

  Like a moron, she just stared at it.

  "Lora." Chase's gruff voice made her jerk back to reality.

  She shook Austin's hand quickly, and looked away, crimson heat staining her cheeks.

  When she looked up again, Chase's eyes were glued on her like a hawk soaring over its next prey. His expression was so tense that Lora didn't even notice the second man enter the office.

  "So the rumors are true. Jacob really did let you join the agency."

  Lora twisted in her chair at the sound of the familiar voice behind her. "Turner!"