by Sydney Addae
Jasmine didn’t want the girls to go through the trouble and promised a special girls’ night party for the following week. Lilly’s bright smile erased Jasmine’ initial concern that something was going on. “They’d love it. Just give me the date and time,” Lilly said.
Victoria had returned her four to their nurses to be put to bed and returned with Jacques just as everyone moved from the table to the living area. Danielle sat next to Vanessa, those two bent close talking and laughing. Rose and Lilly sat on a loveseat across from Jasmine and spoke little.
Tyrese placed his hand on Danielle’s neck, she looked up and he kissed her. It wasn’t that the children never saw their older brothers show affection to their mates, but Tyrese was more private than Tyrone, who couldn’t keep his hands off Rose.
“Look at Rone,” Jackie whispered to Sarita. The two giggled as they watched. Ryder, the bolder of Tyrone’s son, walked over to Jackie and kissed her on the mouth, his tiny hands on her neck mimicking his uncle.
Jackie pushed him away and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Eww, stop that,” she said as Jasmine and the other adults laughed.
Undeterred, he turned to Sarita and bent forward.
“Stop,” David said, giving Ryder an I’m-not-playing look.
Ryder froze midway to Sarita’s lips and stared at David. No one moved or said anything. Ryder looked at Sarita, who smiled at him and then at David, who continued to stare at the boy. Jasmine covered her smile as Ryder walked away and lifted his arms to Tyrone.
“See what happens, little man, when you copy your uncle. He’s not the one you should model,” Tyrone said, moving quickly out of Tyrese’s way.
Rose and Lilly laughed.
“Whatever,” Tyrese said, rubbing Danielle’s back. “Ethan and I are headed to the gym, want to join us?” he asked Cameron.
Cameron glanced at Lilly and then he smiled. “Been a while, I might be rusty.” He stood and stretched. Gold highlights and flecks of rust in his full cap of hair looked as if a hair stylist had spent hours blending several colors to develop the perfect style for him. Tonight, he reminded Jasmine of a beefed-up Brad Pitt.
“Look at him, making excuses already,” Tyrone said as he picked up Ryan in his other arm. “Baby, you want me to help you get them down before I go play?”
Rose smiled as she shook her head. “No. We’ll hang out here a while longer. Go ahead.”
Tyrone placed both boys on their feet and they ran, squealing and laughing, toward the other children.
Cameron looked at Lilly for a few moments and nodded. “I’ll meet you there in a bit.”
Lilly stood and looked at Jasmine. “Thank you for dinner. Vanessa, it was nice meeting you.” She turned to Victoria. “Good seeing you, and you too, Danielle.”
Danielle smiled and waved good-night.
“Good seeing you, Lilly. Don’t forget to send me that recipe you told me about at dinner,” Victoria said.
Lilly’s gaze widened and then she offered a tight smile. “Of course. Good night everyone.” She waved.
“Be back in a few,” Cameron said, placing his hand on his mate’s back as they left the room.
“I’m going to go change,” Tyrese said.
Danielle crooked her finger. He bent close to her mouth while staring into her eyes. “Don’t play all night.”
“Not on the court, that’s for sure,” he said, grinning.
“Don’t wear yourself out,” she whispered as she brushed her lips against his.
“Again, not on the court.” He tapped the tip of her nose, turned, and left the room.
Jasmine wondered why they didn’t mind-speak like the others.
“They didn’t invite the old men to play,” Victoria said, stroking Jacques’ cheek with her finger. He captured it in his mouth and grinned. “Well, um, yes, I do think we need to leave as well. Thank you for dinner, Jasmine. Don’t forget, we’re going shopping one day this week. Let me know what day.”
“I’d like to do it when Asia returns,” Jasmine said, watching the children play.
“When is she coming back?” Victoria asked as she and Jacques walked toward the door.
“I’ll let you know.” Jasmine waved goodnight.
Silas placed his arm around her shoulder, pulled her close, and kissed her forehead. “You want me to put the kids to bed so you can talk with the ladies?”
“Oh, would you? That would be great.” He kissed her lightly, stood, and walked over to the kids.
“Come on everyone, time to get ready for bed.”
Tyrone kissed Rose, turned, and left.
Ryan lifted his arms to Silas, who obeyed the silent summons. Rather than wait for Ryder, Silas lifted him as well.
“I’ll come get them ready for bed,” Rose said, standing.
“Sit back and enjoy your visit. My mate can’t wait to get you all to herself.” He winked at Jasmine.
Vanessa and Ethan stood to the side looking at each other. He kissed her and left.
Danielle walked over to the table, grabbed a bottle of wine, and some glasses. “Please toast with me, my stubborn mate has finally agreed we can start working on our den!”
Jasmine shrieked, jumped up, and wrapped her arms around her daughter-in-law. “Are you pregnant yet?”
“No, but not because we haven’t started trying,” Danielle said as she poured four glasses. “To babies.”
They all drank. “How many do you want?” Vanessa asked as they all moved closer to talk.
“As many as the Goddess gives us.” Danielle burst out laughing at what had to be shock on everyone’s faces. “Seriously, two will be fine.”
Jasmine relaxed with her glass. “From your lips to the Goddess’ ears.”
Vanessa turned toward Rose. “What was wrong with your sister? Did I do something to offend her?”
Jasmine choked on her drink.
Rose’s face pinked. “The two of you just met, I don’t think you did anything.” She held out her hand. “Lilly is, well, she has a house full of kids, and it’s possible, she never said this, but maybe it’s not what she thought it would be.”
Jasmine nodded.
“What’s a housefull?” Vanessa asked.
“Seven,” Danielle said.
Vanessa’s eyes widened but she didn’t say anything, for which Jasmine was relieved. No need to make Rose uncomfortable because of her sister.
“Have you heard from Asia?” Vanessa asked.
Grateful for the change of subject, Jasmine filled them in on what she knew, but kept information regarding the chameleon bracelet secret.
CHAPTER 10
A single light welcomed Asia, appearing as Daria, from the window as they pulled into the driveway of the address taken from Daria’s memories. The two full-bloods they’d picked up on the way sat in the back staring straight ahead. The silence in the vehicle had been creepy. Neither of the men had slept or talked or asked to go to the bathroom during the long drive into Durant, Arizona.
Asia glanced at Hawke, who appeared like the first full-blood captive, and then at the men in the back. “Get out and go inside. You’ll receive instructions then.”
With robotic-like movements, the men, Hawke included, left the car and walked toward the door. Memories of Daria’s last visit rose like a silent movie. This should be a casual encounter with an old male friend, by the name of Humphrey. They’d talk about the drive, food, and cost of gas before going to bed. Should be easy. Asia stepped out, stretched, grabbed her bags and followed the men inside.
“There you are,” a small oriental man’s dark gaze roved over her from head to toe with a smile. “I was about to send them after you. You’ve been through enough on this trip.”
Asia smiled to hide her surprise that the man knew what happened. Depending on what he knew, they may need to rework a few things. She took his extended hand and allowed herself to be pulled into a tight hug. He smelled of old aftershave and whiskey. She noticed the half-empty bottle on the
table and stifled a groan.
“Hi Hump, it was nothing.” She stepped back as far as his arm allowed and moved further into the living room.
“Are you okay?”
She waved him down. “Yeah, just slowed me down, got here later than I planned.” She looked around. “You put ’em down for the night?”
“Yeah, they’re in the basement. Bobby’s with them.” He pulled her in for another hug, this time he rubbed his semi-hard cock against her. “Missed you. How long can you stay before the hubby misses you?” He handed her a bottle of water. Asia smelled the drugs, which included sodium thiopental, a truth serum, and drank a long healthy dose. After all her surgeries, and her messed up physiology, the only thing she needed to be concerned about was acting the part of helpless victim.
“Couple days. He’s been asking more and more questions. Why doesn’t my mu-ju work on him?” She kissed his cheek and took his hand. “Hawke, he’s taking me to the bedroom after giving me truth serum. No doubt others will be watching. How’s it going down there?”
“He’s got us hooked up to some kind of machine, supposed to help us rest better. Shut down the cameras and get into your lover boy’s head so we know what’s going on. Heads up, if this guy puts his hand on my cock again, I’m breaking his neck and we’ll make new plans.”
“I don’t know. That would make our lives so much easier, don’t you think,” Humphrey said, squeezing her shoulder. “Come, let me help you forget all your problems.” He kissed the back of her hand and led her down the hall.
“On it.” Asia’s wolf rose slightly, inhaled, and searched the area to discover the camera location. There were three. One in the hall watching them now. And two in the bedroom.
“I need to wash-up, I’m feeling tired. It was a long drive but I didn’t think I’d be this tired.” She pouted and tossed her bags on the floor.
Humphrey steadied her and led her to a wingback chair next to the bed. “Have a seat, baby. You had a long day.” He turned and walked toward the window and closed the blinds. Asia leaned forward, slipped off her shoe, and activated a jammer in the heel Hawke had created. Humphrey nor his friends wouldn’t realize they weren’t receiving real transmissions for five minutes. She needed to work fast.
He returned to her and snapped his fingers in front of her face. “Daria, what happened in Texas? The Alpha’s Bitch took you someplace, where did you go?”
Her head lolled and she struggled to look at him. “Wait, why are you waving like the ocean?”
He grinned.
She grabbed his arm, and activated the bracelet while pretending to be unsteady.
“You’ll be fine in a few minutes, just answer the question, where did they take you?” He frowned and scratched the side of his head as Asia used a gentle touch going through his mind.
“To an office.”
“What?” He shook his head as if he could shake Asia’s probing away. She remained steady, removing information, changing a few things regarding La Patron they shouldn’t know, and seeking more names.
“Hold on, I need to sit down.” He dropped to the floor and tried to break their connection, but she continued holding his hand.
“Hawke there are two men monitoring, watching. They’re located on this block, a couple houses down. He’s expecting them to come any minute. Can you hold off killing Bobby until these guys get here? I want to find out what they know.”
“Okay.”
She smiled at his grumpy response and released Humphrey’s arm. Asia slumped in the chair with her head lolling on the side as the door crashed open. Two men ran in holding semi-automatics. The smaller, younger looking man with a lean, wiry build, shaggy reddish-brown hair, and wintry gray eyes, carried a handheld scanner. He walked to her and ran the scanner across her body, then ran it over Humphrey. He shook his head to his partner and put the scanner away.
“Hey,” Humphrey said, trying to stand.
“What the fuck happened?” the older guy said as his gaze flicked from Asia to Humphrey. He was slightly taller and larger than the younger gunman. His bald head gleamed beneath the overhead lights as he moved closer to Humphrey.
“Nothing, just got tired for some reason. I was questioning, her.” Humphrey pointed. Asia looked at the men through a few strands of thick brown hair, noting they were mercenaries. It was obvious in the way they stood away from the windows, doors, the manner they handled their weapons. She wasn’t sure what Daria and Humphrey thought they were involved in, but these men were just hired muscle, which explained why Humphrey knew just a little more than Daria. Both were bottom feeders. Hopefully, these two knew more.
“Coming up, they have guns, that changes things. Oh, and I got some information from Bobby.”
Asia would’ve smiled at her mate’s smug tone but she didn’t want to tip off these trigger-happy guys.
“What’s wrong with your equipment? It went all static a few minutes ago,” the older man said without taking his eyes off her. The other walked to the wall and started working on something.
Asia leaned forward. “I’m tired.” She yawned to cover the sound of Hawke’s approach.
“Tell us what happened in the Alpha’s office?” Humphrey asked.
“Whaat?” she asked, looking up at Humphrey.
The bald man moved close to her, raised his hand, but Humphrey stopped him. “No, we don’t do that. Go back to your posts, I have this.”
“Go on back and monitor things, I’ll stay here.” The older man moved back against the wall, his finger on the trigger, and watched them. The smaller one nodded and walked out.
Humphrey gave her the bottle of water again. She polished it off and thanked him with a smile.
He stroked her hair. She wanted to punch the hypocrite. “Tell me what happened.”
“We went in the store to buy the, the… um, snacks, like we always do. The cash lady asked the dummy a question and he didn’t answer.” She blinked a few times and coughed. “He didn’t say anything.”
The man holding the gun cursed.
Humphrey nodded. “So they questioned you. What did you tell them?”
“Me and my lover were on our way home to Arizona, just like we’re supposed to say.” She shook her head. “Fuzzy.”
“I know. Just a few more questions and you can rest. Did they give you anything to eat or drink while you were inside?”
She snorted. “No. No southern hospitality that’s for sure. They tried to get him to talk and took him to another room. Then he came back, they thanked us for shopping at the store, apologized, and we got in the car.” Squinting, she touched Humphrey’s chest. “I did what I’m supposed to do, what about you?”
The smaller man re-entered the room, raised a pistol, and shot the man holding the gun in the arm and then the leg. “Cameras are all disabled. Let’s get out of here. There’s another group on the other side of town. I had Alpha Paxon send a small team to secure the men until we arrive to question them,” Hawke said. “By the way, all of the full-bloods they take are rebels, that’s why there was no alarm. Bobby is a handler, works for Daria’s group to make sure the collars work. Lover boy Hump, works for the client.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Humphrey yelled, moving forward until the gun was pointed at him. The smaller man didn’t say anything. He placed his hand on the downed man’s shoulder ignoring the rainstorm of profanity and threats.
“Take it easy,” Hawke said, channeling the dying guy’s former partner. Asia watched Hawke take information from the downed man for a few seconds and then she grabbed Humphrey’s arm again. This time she stopped his heart.
“Son of a bitch was going to let them kill me,” Asia said.
“Yeah, that’s why this one stayed behind, to take care of all the loose ends.” He tossed her a pair of gloves. They picked up the men and took them downstairs to the basement.
Asia looked around. “Where are the full-bloods that were here?”
“Alpha Paxon has them. That’s one way
to deal with rebels, collar them.”
“Who decides that though? Is there another group targeting and selling full-bloods? Even if they are rebels, they’re still pack,” Asia said.
“Good question, one I can’t answer. They’ll finish cleaning up here. I’ll fill you in on the way.”
“Do I stay in this form or change?”
“Change. La Patron doesn’t want anyone knowing about the bracelets.” Hawke morphed into his natural skin. “Alpha Paxon thinks we’re wearing costumes. Let’s keep it that way.”
Asia nodded and followed him out the door.
CHAPTER 11
Shyla woke slowly, pulling herself from a pitch-dark morass with static cling tendencies. She kept her eyes closed against the light in the room while settling her chaotic thoughts. As they re-aligned into some semblance of order, she recalled the nightmare of being sucked through a wall to this place. A mate in danger. She frowned, it was all too weird. The person in the dark sounded as if all of this was a mistake, something that couldn’t be changed.
What was with all the secrecy? Honestly, she was over this cloak and dagger crap. It was beyond time for plain speaking. She just wanted to go home and forget this night ever happened. She froze at the sound of the door opening.
“What have they done to you?” the deep, dark voice rolled over her.
Goosebumps raced across her flesh as he moved closer. Incredible heat buffeted her skin as if she were being cosseted in a large, wool blanket. His palm touched her cheek, marking her, if not forever, definitely for the present.
Curiosity won. She opened her eyes and stared into liquid emerald green pools so tempting, she wanted to dive in and never leave. Black hair cut in some sort of geometrical style flattered his angular face. Her fingers itched to touch his goatee. She swallowed hard at the perfection of his firm lips and wide shoulders, just the right size to lean on. Handsome seemed too tame a label for this man, he was more like an ancient warrior, with high cheeks and a narrow chin. On him it all worked. She wiggled her fingers, eager to touch his shoulder-length hair. Would his lips be soft or hard?
