by R. E. Butler
Lucian had been a hunter for ten years. He’d joined the military right out of high school, and was recruited to the hunters’ division. He loved his job. There had been room for advancement along the way, but he never wanted a desk job with the organization – he wanted to hunt rogue shifters and keep the populace safe.
As far as anyone knew, he was human. The magical tattoos worked so well that even blood tests didn’t reveal him as anything other. Malachi suspected he was supernatural in some way, but had never pressed Lucian on the details, and he appreciated that. He wouldn’t know what to say, anyway. His kind were dangerous. Far, far more dangerous than any of the criminals he’d ever put away.
He looked down at the tattoos that crept under his shirtsleeve and covered the top of his hand. Every year, give or take a month, he had to get additional ones. It had been eight months since he’d gotten his last tattoo. He felt like at some point every inch of his skin would be covered. Then he’d be getting tattoos on top of tattoos, and what a mess that would be.
Shaking himself back to the present, he glanced up and saw they were three levels below ground. The elevator shuddered to a stop with a groan, and the door slid open. Two heavily armed guards stood in front of the elevator. They relaxed when they saw Lucian and Simon.
“We finally got the head bird, yeah?” Abraham said as he rested his hand on the butt of his rifle.
Antonio growled but didn’t struggle. He was pretty helpless at this point. Simon and Lucian had shackled his ankles and attached his handcuffs to a chain around his waist. The chains were plated with silver, which was detrimental to raven shifters. As long as Antonio had something silver touching his skin, he couldn’t shift. As far as Lucian knew, ravens were the only group affected by a particular metal.
“I don’t think he likes being called a bird,” Simon said with a chuckle.
“Cell D,” Abraham said. “And the boss wants to see you, Luc.”
“Great.”
They half-carried and half-dragged the angry raven shifter to Cell D. The door opened as they approached and they put him inside, efficiently unshackling him until only his wrist was cuffed. That cuff was attached to a long chain in the center of the floor.
“Welcome home,” Simon said cheerily as the door shut and locked.
Antonio ripped the duct tape off his mouth and stood slowly. His eyes blazed with fury. “You’ll let me free or my people will rain down hell on you.”
“Nah,” Simon said. “They won’t get anywhere near you.”
Lucian turned and headed back to the elevator. Simon caught up to him, joining him in the elevator as it took them to the ground floor. There they entered a second elevator that took them to the hunters’ offices.
“Why does Geflin want to see you?” Simon asked as they exited the elevator.
“No idea.”
“Well, I hope it’s nothing serious. He can be an ass.”
“I heard that,” Geflin said as he leaned his head out of his office.
“Shit,” Simon said.
“Go handle the paperwork for the intake tonight,” Geflin said. “Luc, come on in.”
Simon clapped Lucian on the back and walked in the opposite direction to his office. Lucian had an office too, a glorified cubicle with zero personal effects. He was careful to keep his personal and professional lives separate, even going so far as to change his last name.
Plus, his only family members – a grandfather, an aunt, and two cousins – lived out of state, and he didn’t have much contact with them. And there was another family member that he had no interest in talking to ever again – the man who had taken Lucian’s mom from him, and left him fearful of what his own life would turn out like.
“What’s up, Commander?” Lucian asked as he sat down across from the head of the hunter division.
“I wanted to commend you on the capture tonight.”
“It was a team effort.”
“Perhaps, but you were instrumental in taking out the bodyguards. Do you think that Antonio will implicate his people?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. He’s pretty angry right now, but a few days in holding might change his mind.”
“One way or another we’ll figure out who in his nest work directly with him, and we’ll take the whole damn thing down.”
“The town will be a lot nicer without them.”
“Indeed. You’re off for a few days?”
“Yeah. I have some business to catch up on.”
“See you when you get back.”
Lucian stood to leave. Geflin’s phone rang and he answered, then said, “Shit. Hold on. Lucian?”
Lucian turned around. “Yeah?”
“There are some ravens at the front gate. They’re demanding their leader back.”
“Well, isn’t that interesting?”
“Get your team and go handle them.”
Simon appeared at the door. “How the fuck did they get here so fast?”
“Doesn’t matter. They leave on their own, immediately, or you will take them into custody,” Geflin said.
“Another night in paradise,” Lucian said.
“Let’s go take out the trash,” Simon said.
“Dude,” Lucian admonished.
“What?”
“That’s the most clichéd phrase in cop shows since 1980. Please tell me you were being sarcastic.”
Simon grinned. “Not clichéd, classic.”
“Good grief,” Geflin said. “Get both of your classic butts out of here and get to work.”
Chapter 3
Mia glanced at the clock on her computer and grimaced; it had only been two minutes since she’d looked last time. The day was dragging as if someone had put lead weights on it.
She’d been working for the Wilde Creek Credit Union since she was a senior in high school. It had started out as just an after-school job until she decided what she wanted to do with her life, but it had turned out to be what she wanted to do until she started a family. When she was younger, she figured she’d be mated in her early twenties and already have rugrats running around the house. Of course, in her idealistic teen years, she’d always hoped that Lucian would one day magically see her as more than his best friend’s kid sister and want to make a life with her.
Not too long ago, it had been hard for pack members to mate with humans. If a wolf mated with a human, they were exiled from the pack, and their family and friends were forced to treat them as if they’d died. Then Acksel’s sister Eveny chose a human for a mate, and Acksel changed pack law to allow their members to mate with whoever they wanted. It didn’t hurt that not too long after that, he chose a human mate himself – Mia’s bestie, Brynn. Some pack members had objected to the changes and left but most had stayed. Even her brother had mated a human and adopted her son as his own.
She would’ve left the pack for Lucian, though.
Now, she wouldn’t have to. If he wanted to be her mate.
Her nerves kicked up a few notches. She cracked her knuckles and pushed all thoughts of Lucian and the dinner at her brother’s into the far recesses of her mind. The day would pass quickly enough, and she’d soon be getting ready to face her destiny. One way or another, tonight she’d know if Lucian was really meant to be hers.
* * *
She was possibly the most nervous she’d ever been in her whole life. Which seemed silly, since she was only going to dinner at her brother’s, something she’d done many times over the years.
But this was more than a dinner, and there was no use fighting the nerves that crawled up and down her spine like ants, making her wolf twitch under her skin. She parked in front of Malachi and Nila’s house, the house she’d grown up in. Mia had moved out into her own place after high school, and her parents and brother had opted to leave Wilde Creek and join their uncle’s pack. Malachi came back last year and rejoined the pack, and he had taken the house over from Brynn, who’d rented it for several years.
She got out of her car and took
a deep breath, letting the chilly evening air wash over her. The front porch lights were on, illuminating the cheery welcome mat. She didn’t see another vehicle in the driveway to suggest that Lucian had arrived, which made her wonder if he was even coming.
As she walked up the stone path to the front door, she heard the distinctive creak of the screen door off the kitchen at the back of the house. Moving off the path, she walked to the side of the house and saw a shadowed figure moving away stealthily toward the woods at the back of the property.
She didn’t have to see his face to know who it was.
“Lucian?”
The figure froze, and she hurried along the side of the house. She reached him a few moments later, but he didn’t turn to look at her. She stared at his back, covered in black leather, and inhaled, catching the spicy scent of him. Whatever cologne he wore, he’d been using it since he was a teenager, because she always attributed the scent to him. It was darkly spicy, like something exotic.
Crossing her arms, she said, “I don’t want to be insulted that you’re skulking out the back of Mal’s house like a thief, and it just happens to be exactly the same time that I showed up here.”
He blew out a breath and turned to face her.
Her whole body lit up, and her wolf rolled around inside her, wanting to get close and rub all over him. Only a few feet separated them, but the pull between them was so strong it was all she could do to keep her feet firmly planted.
“Hello, Mia.”
Damn, but he was gorgeous.
“Why are you taking off?”
He didn’t say anything for a long moment; simply stared down at her from a foot above her petite frame. “I don’t suppose you’d believe that I got a work-related call and had to leave.”
“No.”
“Mal told me when I got here that Nila had arranged this dinner as a cover for you to talk to me. He’s angry because he thinks I’m trying to muscle my way into your life, but I’m pissed as hell that the first invitation I get to their house since they’ve mated is because you want to have a conversation with me.”
She blinked a few times in surprise. “Are you mad at me?”
He let out a short growl. “Shit, Mia. You’re Mal’s baby sister.”
“I’m my own person, Lucian. Nila was trying to help. I didn’t ask her to, but she offered.”
“Fine, then say your piece.”
He crossed his arms over his chest in a way that felt like he was erecting a wall between them.
Her mouth went dry, and her heart pounded. She’d had this conversation in her head a million times, but now words were failing her. This wasn’t how she’d pictured it happening, with him looking furious after she caught him trying to sneak away. She was tempted to leave, but she had a feeling that if she did, she’d never see him again. It was now or never.
“I think we’re mates,” she blurted out. Her cheeks flamed at the abrupt words, which had flown from her mouth like they had minds of their own. That was definitely not anything she’d planned to say.
If he was surprised by her admission, he was a very good actor, because he showed zero emotion at her outburst.
“I’m human, Mia.”
“So?”
“Humans don’t have mates.”
“Malachi would disagree.”
He snorted. “I’m not him.”
“I know that.”
“Then know this,” he said, stepping close. “My life is as dangerous as it gets. There is not, and never will be, room in my life for a mate or a wife, or whatever the hell you want to call it. If you believe we’re mates, then you’ve never been more wrong. You’re my business partner’s sister and of no consequence to me.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Lucian.”
His upper lip curled, and she swore she saw his teeth lengthen. “Goodbye, Mia.”
He spun and disappeared into the woods, leaving her alone in the darkness. She stared after him until her eyes watered and her heart cracked. He wasn’t playing a joke on her, rushing back and swearing he’d been in love with her since they were kids and he’d taught her how to roller skate. This wasn’t the first day of their life together; it was the moment her whole idea of love had been shattered by someone she’d thought she knew.
The screen door creaked and her brother joined her, slipping his arm around her shoulders and giving her a one-armed hug.
“I’m sorry, kiddo. It’s better this way.”
“For you?”
He scoffed, turning her until she faced him. “No, not for me. Lucian’s life is on the line all the time. The people he works with never get married because it’s too dangerous for them. He loves his work. He wouldn’t give it up for anyone.”
The tears that she’d been too shocked to let fall now slipped over her cheeks. She leaned against her brother and wept. This was how it was supposed to be, then. She’d wanted to know once and for all if Lucian was the male for her. Now she had her answer.
Her wolf protested, but she pushed against the feeling. If Lucian didn’t want her, it didn’t matter how much she wanted him.
It really was time to move on.
She just hadn’t expected it to hurt so much.
* * *
Lucian cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. He hadn’t slept well, and coming into work early hadn’t done anything for his mood. He couldn’t stop thinking about Mia. She’d looked so beautiful in the moonlight. It had nearly killed him to be so cruel, but it really was for the best. And he knew for certain it was for the best, especially after the ravens had shown up and demanded Antonio’s release. When they’d refused, the ravens had sworn to take revenge on everyone that the hunters loved until he was released.
Well, they could just blow that out their asses. As far as anyone would be able to find out, Lucian had no loved ones, and despite what the beast inside him said to the contrary, he’d never take a mate. There was too much opportunity for someone he loved to get caught in the crossfire. He’d seen it happen to other hunters over the years, and it had become an unofficial policy for them to remain single and cut ties with their families.
After the ravens’ threats, Lucian had decided to have Mal buy him out of their security business. He probably shouldn’t have gone into business with his best friend in the first place, but Mal had needed financial help and also Lucian’s security expertise. It had been easy enough to keep that part of his life under wraps, but there was always a chance that someone could see something at some point.
Now that Mal had Nila and Jack, and a baby of his own on the way, it wouldn’t do for anything bad from Lucian’s life to spill over into Mal’s. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to Mal’s family.
So he’d gone over to Mal’s with the intention of telling him about the buyout over dinner, when Mal had explained about Nila and Mia conspiring together in some kind of group romance situation. He’d tried to leave without Mia knowing he’d even been there, but she’d sensed him.
Outside of burying his mother, breaking Mia’s heart had been the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. He’d wanted very badly to take her in his arms and live out every fantasy he’d ever had of her. Instead, he’d hurt her badly and never let her see how much it killed him to do it.
He felt like shit. But he’d rather have her hate him and be safe than risk a single hair on her head.
“What the hell?” Simon said from his cubicle.
Lucian firmly pushed away thoughts of Mia from his mind for the hundredth time that day and walked over to Simon’s desk.
Simon tapped the monitor, and Lucian could see the security footage from the front of the building. There were seven of the raven shifters that had appeared after Antonio was brought in.
“Two of them are missing,” Lucian said. “The brother, Dario, and one of the cousins, Moris.”
“Maybe they know it’s a lost cause.”
Lucian didn’t think that the ravens thought anything was a lost cause. �
�What does security say?”
“That the mother wants to speak to the officers responsible for her son’s capture.”
“That sounds like nothing close to what I’d planned to do with my day.”
“Me either. Geflin’s down at the security office and says we need to go out and send them on their merry way again.”
“We’ll make sure they get the hint this time,” Lucian said.
After finding Neil and Isaac, they stopped at the weapons lockers to suit up. Body armor, knives, guns, and comms. He didn’t think it would come to a fight, but he wasn’t about to walk out to seven raven shifters unarmed, like an idiot.
Within minutes, Lucian, Simon, Neil, and Isaac were dressed and on their way to the security office. Geflin was staring at the monitors. He turned and said, “The mom is the mouthpiece. Her name is Dahlia.”
“Why the hell are they coming here anyway?” Simon said. “We already told them he’s being held for trial and isn’t allowed contact with anyone.”
“Make sure she understands that if she or any of the other ravens come around here again, we’ll arrest them on sight and make an example of them to the rest of the shifter community,” Geflin said.
The four headed outside, passing through the security checkpoints and out into the yard between the building and the concrete fence. Above them, hunters were stationed with rifles. The heavy metal gate unlocked with several loud clanging sounds, and slowly opened. Lucian and his teammates walked through to where the ravens waited, beyond a line of hunters. The hunters split to allow them to get close enough to talk.
Isaac cleared his throat. “We’re here, but Antonio isn’t coming out.”
Lucian mentally rolled his eyes. Nothing like having blunt honesty tossed around like a hand grenade.
