“And we don’t want to ignore the new guidelines,” Devin said as he ran his hands higher so that he could pull her closer.
“We really don’t,” she whispered as-
“I don’t think this book is meant for you, sweetie,” a deep voice said just as the horrible book that Ashley was not planning on checking out was plucked from her hands.
Blinking in surprise, and really, by now, nothing should surprise her, Ashley looked up to find a cute guy in his twenties with light brown hair and blue eyes standing in front of her. Adjusting the backpack slung over his shoulder, he leaned down until he was just about eye level with her and gave her one of those patronizing smiles that she was used to seeing before someone opened their mouth and made a complete ass out of themselves.
This time would be no different.
“Where’s your mommy, sweetie?” he asked in a voice better used on babies and small toddlers, probably trying not to scare her, which she could appreciate considering the fact that he probably thought that she was ten years old and for a good reason. She was barely four feet tall, wore her long blonde hair in a braid, had the face and body of a child, and was forced to wear this pink blouse with purple hearts on it thanks to the clothing industry’s refusal to make business-casual clothing for small children.
Still…
“Where’s yours?” Ashley shot back, wondering if she was ever going to make it through a day without being reminded of just how wonderful it was to be her.
Blinking in surprise, he mumbled, “Umm, home probably.”
“Did you need something?” Ashley asked, reaching over and plucked the book that she’d been reading out of his hand and put it on the shelf, making a mental note of where she’d put it for later so that she could make sure that it was adjusting well to its new home, of course.
“Are you lost?” the man asked, clearly deciding that he wasn’t going to be distracted from his purpose.
“No,” Ashley said slowly before turning innocent eyes on him, “are you?”
Blinking, and she couldn’t help but notice that he did that a lot, he stood up to his full height with a frown and glanced around the library, probably looking for some poor adult foolish enough to lay claim to her. When he didn’t find anyone, he looked back down at her with one of those patronizing smiles and said, “Why don’t we go find Mrs. Marshall, hmm?”
“I’d really rather not,” Ashley said, honestly not sure if she could handle listening to her boss gush about her ten perfect grandchildren today.
“I think it might be for the best,” the man said, clearly determined to see this thing through.
Sighing, Ashley gestured lazily around them. “I work here,” she said, hoping that it would be enough to put an end to this conversation so that she could finish putting the new books away.
“Sure you do,” he said absently as he shifted his attention to glance around the library again.
Deciding that she’d had enough for one afternoon, Ashley walked past him, grabbed hold of the old book cart that Mrs. Marshall refused to replace even though it was long past its prime and was now completely dependent on duct-tape, cardboard, and countless prayers to function, and pushed it towards the next aisle. Ignoring the grinding noise the wheels emitted with the short trip, Ashley grabbed a small stack of books off the cart and headed down the next aisle.
“Look,” the man who apparently wasn’t going to drop this so that she could finish putting the books away before she left for the day said, “why don’t we go see if-”
“I’m not ten. I’m forty-five,” Ashley said, not bothering to look back to see how he was taking the news.
“I see,” he murmured thoughtfully, clearly not buying it.
She could explain that she’d stopped growing when she’d turned ten or that she had a well-known condition that kept her looking like a child, but since she didn’t make a habit of explaining her condition to everyone that gawked at her, Ashley didn’t bother explaining it to him. Instead, she continued placing the rest of the books into their new homes and ignored him until he finally took the hint and walked away.
Once she finished putting away the rest of the books that had been donated over the weekend, Ashley went back to grab that horrible book so that she could make sure that no one else wasted their time reading it only to discover that it was gone. Somewhat depressed that her plans for the night were ruined, she made her way to the backroom and punched out, thankful that Mrs. Marshall wasn’t waiting for her with more pictures of her grandchildren.
Grabbing her bag, Ashley headed out the side door and in seconds, she was just another body walking along the busy Manhattan streets. She liked living in the city where she could blend in easily with the crowd and just…
Disappear.
For the fifteen minutes that it took her to walk to her apartment, she was invisible. No one looked at her, gave her a patronizing smile, or made her feel like she belonged in a traveling freak show. Those fifteen minutes twice a day meant the world to her. For fifteen minutes, she was completely free to pretend that she was just another woman walking home after work.
During those brief walks, she wasn’t a grown woman trapped in a little girl’s body, a thing that didn’t belong in this world or the one that she’d been thrown out of and wasn’t supposed to know about. She was just another person to ignore.
Until she reached her apartment, she was free.
All too soon, the freedom that Ashley cherished ended and she found herself in front of the apartment that she could barely afford. As she let herself into the one-room apartment that never failed to depress her, Ashley couldn’t help but wish that she had a cat just so there was someone to greet her at the end of the day. It didn’t matter that cats didn’t seem to like her or that she considered them to be the spawn of Satan, she just wanted someone waiting for her when she came home.
When she flicked on the lights and found several large men waiting for her, Ashley decided to take her wish as proof that cats were, in fact, evil.
Chapter 2
Manhattan, New York
“Not fucking happening,” Kale said, shaking his head as he rubbed his hands roughly down his face, really hoping that this wasn’t going to take all fucking night.
“Mr. Quinn-” the shifter sitting behind the massive oak desk began to say only to clear his throat as he fiddled nervously with a button on his Armani suit while he regarded Kale warily.
“Kale,” he said flatly, cutting the other shifter off as he scented the air, absently noting that the Alpha was afraid, but given the circumstances, Kale really couldn’t blame him.
“Kale,” Vane said, clearing his throat with a nod before he continued, “What I’m offering you should more than make up for the unusual task that I’m asking you to do.”
Kale held up a hand, stopping the younger man. “I’m not a fucking babysitter, Vane.”
After a slight hesitation, Vane picked up a thick folder off his desk, no doubt on him, making Kale’s eyes narrow dangerously on the other shifter as he opened his mouth to argue before reluctantly nodding and putting the folder in one of his desk drawers while Kale studied him. If he didn’t know better, Kale would have guessed the man sitting across from him was twenty-five years old, but his senses placed the other shifter at around a hundred and fifty, making Vane his junior by almost eight hundred years. From what he’d heard, the Alpha was a crafty son of a bitch who’d overindulged his only son. This little meeting was only proof of that.
“I did my research, and from what the other Alphas and Masters have said, you’re the best man for the job and worth every penny of what I’m offering you.”
“I’m well aware of my worth, Vane. The problem is that you’re attempting to hire me for a job that a thirteen-year-old girl with acne could do,” Kale drawled, making the other shifter’s lips twitch.
Clearing his throat, Vane said, “I realize that this is a rather unorthodox request, but quite necessary, I assure you.”
Kale leaned back in his chair and studied the other shifter for a moment. “Why are you trying to hire a mercenary to babysit an eighty-year-old werewolf?” Kale asked, trying to ignore just how fucking exhausted he was right now.
This meeting was already proving to be a huge disappointment. He’d passed up two other jobs and cut his week of rest short to catch a plane at three this morning to make this meeting. He was exhausted, hungry, pissed, and the only thing that was keeping his ass in this chair was the prospect of two million dollars, that and the chair was surprisingly comfortable.
Vane pushed a second, much thinner folder towards him. Kale sighed as he reached over and picked up the folder. He sat back and opened it. On the top was a picture of the famous playboy Andrew Vane, the reason that he’d dragged his ass across the country and the man that was going to make him five million dollars richer.
“My son…well, his lifestyle has caused a few problems in the past,” Mr. Vane said, clearing his throat uncomfortably as he tried to bullshit him.
“He fucks around with mated females and doesn’t care who knows it, and from what I’ve heard, he likes to shove it in the male’s face as much as possible. He has a huge gambling problem and has been known to go out of his way to fuck with Masters for shits and giggles.”
Vane shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Kale added, “Basically, your son is a spoiled little brat who hides behind his Alpha daddy’s power and purse strings. If he’d been born to anyone else, he would have been taken out by now, but you keep protecting him.”
Ignoring the man’s stunned expression, Kale continued. “And this time, he’s gone too far and now a Master, hundreds of vampires, shifters, demons, and minions are after your son with the order to take him alive. Did I miss anything?”
Kale watched as all the color drained from the other shifter’s face. “H-How did you know that?”
Kale chuckled harshly. “I was contacted a half-hour after your son fucked with the wrong Master with an offer of five million dollars to grab him. There’s not much that I don’t know, so how about we cut the shit and stop playing games?”
“He’s innocent,” Vane said, making him chuckle.
“Don’t waste my time with bullshit. Either tell me why I should take the job or lose my fucking number,” Kale said, not mentioning that he’d already decided to take the other job for the easy five million. He’d grab the little prick and turn him over so that he could find a better job that would take him that much closer to his goal.
“Yes, of course,” Vane murmured before clearing his throat and continuing. “I need you to take this job because he’s my only son and I can’t lose him.”
“I don’t fucking care,” Kale said, leveling a look on the shifter that told him that he was running out of patience.
“I know my son’s an asshole, but-”
“You need him to find his mate so you can have an heir with some balls to lead your Pack one day,” Kale guessed.
“Exactly,” Vane reluctantly admitted on a heavy sigh.
“And is he currently looking for his mate?”
Vane cleared his throat. “He hasn’t found his mate yet. It could take years before he finds her.”
“So, I’ve heard,” Kale said dryly.
The man had the good sense to look embarrassed at the slip, but Kale ignored it. He didn’t fucking care that he hadn’t found his mate for one simple reason. He didn’t want one. Mates weakened a man. They made males soft. He wasn’t about to be led around by his dick. He liked having control over his life. Everyone assumed that he was searching for his mate, but the truth was, Kale went out of his way to avoid unmated females. If he’d ever come across his mate, he didn’t know and didn’t care.
“I’ve decided to send him where no one would ever think to look for him,” Vane announced with relish.
Kale waited for the other man to continue only to end up gesturing for him to get on with it when he hesitated.
“They’re currently searching for Andrew at luxury resorts, hotels, and villas. They’re expecting him to continue living the high life, so I’ve decided that he should do the opposite.”
“Meaning…”
Vane’s lips slowly curled up into a smug grin. “I think it’s past time that Andrew communed with nature.”
“I see,” Kale murmured, seriously wondering how the man sitting across from him had made it this far without his Pack turning on him.
“It’s the perfect solution,” Vane said, nodding in agreement to his own suggestion.
“You’re going to hide a shifter with absolutely no skills in the woods when there are hundreds of shifters, demons, vampires, and minions searching for him this close to a full moon?” Kale asked slowly, deciding that the man truly was a fucking moron because he would have been better off keeping his son in the city where he could hide his scent behind the stench of humans, garbage, and pollution.
“Yes,” Vane said with a firm nod. “I have a cabin in Washington that can’t be traced back to me.”
“I see,” Kale said, keeping his gaze locked on the shifter sitting across from him even as he mentally cataloged all the exits in the room, including the door to his right dressed up as a bookshelf, the fact that they were on the tenth floor, and the demons Vane had posted at the door as well as the ones that he’d spotted at the end of the hallway. He calculated the odds of grabbing the little prick and getting him out of here alive and decided that they were good.
“You’re not taking the job, are you?” Vane asked after a heavy pause as he sat there, shifting a nervous glance to his left at that hidden door when the first chime alerted Kale that he had a text message.
“No, I’m not,” Kale said absently with a heavy sigh as he pulled his phone out, hoping that it was an offer for a better job and found himself almost smiling when he saw the message waiting for him. “But luckily for you, something better just came up.”
Chapter 3
Manhattan City Emergency Room
“Tell me what I’m looking at, Izzy,” Kale said several hours later as he stared down at the little girl plugged into every machine known to man as he popped one of the graham crackers that he’d helped himself to from the nurses’ station in his mouth. He followed that by washing the crackers down with the can of Coke that he’d helped himself to from the nurses’ lounge before tossing the empty can onto the gurney of the drunk frat boy passed out behind him.
“I honestly don’t know,” Izzy said with a sigh as Kale adjusted his earpiece and glanced around the busy emergency room, noting everything from the belligerent drunk being taken down by security to the orderly on the far side of the room wearing expensive Italian loafers, trying to pretend that he wasn’t watching Kale’s every move.
Whoever this little girl was, she’d already drawn the attention of at least one Master. She was also dying, Kale thought as he listened to her heartbeat begin to slow down as she struggled to take her next breath. She’d be dead in an hour, probably less, which meant that he’d just wasted another hour on bullshit instead of grabbing the little bastard and bringing him back to Las Vegas so that he could collect the five-million-dollar bounty.
“Why am I here?” Kale asked, tilting his head to the side to take in the bruises marring her small, pale neck, the thick casts encasing her small arms and legs and couldn’t help but wonder what kind of sick fuck would do this to a child over a fucking television.
“Because Tattletale picked up some irregularities in her blood,” Izzy said before asking, “What does she look like?”
“Like a little girl who interrupted a burglary,” Kale drawled, shifting his attention to the piece of shit handcuffed to a stretcher across the room, who was bitching about being hungry.
“Maybe she was bitten? Or accidentally ingested vampire blood?” Izzy asked, sounding just as confused as he felt and making him wonder if her pride and joy, Tattletale, the computer program that she’d accidentally created that could infiltrate any computer in the world h
ad finally fucked up.
Kale sure as hell hoped Tattletale hadn’t fucked up because he was counting on it to help him hunt down more Pytes. For every Pyte that he could get his hands on, the Council was paying him a large enough fee to resist the urge to encase the fucking monsters in cement and drop them at the bottom of the ocean where they could rot for eternity. As for the Pytes that hadn’t reached their immortality yet…
He would make sure that they never did.
Not that Izzy knew that because if she ever found out, she would never let him near Tattletale again.
Then again, he had absolutely no intention of telling her.
“Her attackers are human,” Kale said, shifting a little closer and slowly scented the air around her only to frown because there was definitely something different about her.
He scented the air again only to end up shaking his head because whatever it was, it was too weak for him to separate it from the stench of illness, unwashed human bodies, and bleach filling the busy emergency room. For a moment, Kale considered tasting her blood, but since he didn’t know what she was, he didn’t want to take the risk.
“Then I’m out of answers,” Izzy said, which made two of them.
“Whatever she is, she’ll be dead soon,” Kale said with a sigh as he shifted his attention back to the orderly to find him gone.
“Are you going to grab her?”
He looked back down at the small child and shook his head. “Let her die in peace,” Kale said, already dismissing the little girl and deciding to return to the high-rise and grab the little bastard before his father had a chance to sneak him out of the city.
“Okay, but the Council will probably send a team to grab her,” Izzy said on a tired sigh.
“Probably,” Kale said, already knowing that it would be a waste of time and not really caring as he sent the little girl one last look of pity before he turned around and walked away.
Unstoppable Page 2
