by Cecilia Lane
“Do you think Mom and Pop were mates?”
Callum shook his head. “No. He wouldn’t have let her go and she wouldn’t have left him if they were. They’d have found a way to work things out. Mom just wasn’t meant for this world.”
It was truer than Callum even knew, Cole thought sourly. He pushed away painful thoughts before they could overwhelm him or piss off his bear. Their mother had left them when they were still just babies. She made it clear they weren’t worthy of her love.
But Callum did ease his mind. If his bear was right and she was his mate, they would find a way out of the quicksand that existed all around them.
“Come on,” Callum said. “I want to show you something.” Callum jogged up the path to the bridge that passed in front of the waterfall. Cole growled and followed after.
It was a short distance away that Callum stepped off the path. Cole frowned. He thought he knew where Callum was taking them, and every step made him more certain. There was a small cave nearby that opened into a hidden valley of sorts. The Strathorns used it for some ridiculous clan bonding camping that his father forced on them when they were younger. That’d been before he lost his head and Callum had to take over.
Cole followed Callum through the familiar cave path and right back into the sun on the other side. He opened his mouth to give his brother shit and ask if he needed a banjo for some camp side tunes when he noticed other people already in the clearing.
Gideon Bloodwing and his clan of dragons lounged through most of the space. One of them even sunned himself in dragon form. Gray, his Strathorn clansman, huddled unhappily on the edge.
“What’s wrong, Gray? The fire breathers not being warm and friendly?” Cole called out.
All heads turned toward him and Callum. Gray didn’t move except to throw a middle finger into the air.
Gideon pushed off a cot where he’d been laying and crossed toward him. Two nearly identical men followed, and even the dragon opened an eye and watched.
Gideon’s beard had grown thicker since the last time Cole saw the man. Everything had changed that night when Bearden was attacked by a visiting delegation of fae. Their leader had crazy ideas of using the Broken to tear a new hole through the veil between worlds. It was Gideon’s fire that saved both Callum and Leah’s lives.
And, ultimately, that night brought Rylee into the enclave. The crazed fae had a contingency in case his plans were defeated. He taped an interview with a local newscaster that revealed the enclaves protected by the Broken’s magic, and the supernatural folk living in the hidden towns.
Cole hated the fae man for what he’d done and was glad that Gideon burned him down to nothing. But he didn’t hate that Rylee had become twisted in his life. Silver linings and all that hippy-dippy shit.
He knew Gideon had called in his Bloodwings that night, and knew there was tension between them. He never expected Callum to aid in hiding them within Bearden territory.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out.” Cole clasped Gideon’s hand and drew him in for a quick hug. “You better get back to town soon. Leah’s going to take over the Roost.”
Worry lined Gideon’s face. The Roost, in all its grimy glory, was his baby. Leah wormed her way into first cleaning the floors and tables, then fixing the burnt out lights. “She hasn’t changed anything, has she? Customers are still coming in?”
“Relax,” Callum said. “She’s taking care of the place just fine. She hasn’t chased anyone off, hasn’t mauled anyone over a tab, hasn’t redecorated. Your office might be a little more pink and glittery when you get back, but that’s it. No difference.”
“Pink? Glittery?” Gideon scowled. “What did she do?”
Cole blew out a breath. “Nothing. Yet. He’s just kidding. But she does have a gallon of pink paint stashed away for some purpose we aren’t sure of yet. So, you might want to get back soon.”
One of the men behind Gideon stepped into the circle. “Can we get on with this?”
Gideon stiffened with every word and the scent of burning wood reached Cole’s nose. “Right. We’ve been flying and monitoring the activity around the camps from above.”
“How? Orders were not to go near them, human or military alike.” Cole’s brows shot together. He’d heard nothing from Rylee about Major Delano being irritated, and certainly nothing from Olivia about needing to closely watch the situation.
The other dragon grinned, but it wasn’t a friendly expression. “We won’t be seen. Trust us. You groundlings don’t know all our secrets.”
Gideon tongued his teeth. “What Damien means is that we can make ourselves hidden, like the enclaves. It’s part of our magic.”
Damien crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Gideon with flinty eyes. “Do you always reveal the secrets of our people to the groundlings?”
Gideon rounded on the man. “Our people? You must be referring to everyone with ancestors that stepped through the veil. Fae, vampires, and shifters of all shapes are our people. I know you’re not bringing that dragon clan bullshit into my enclave. You’re here to help Bearden. If you don’t want to do that, you’re welcome to leave.”
Damien’s eyes blazed with fury, but he raised his hands up and backed away a step. Gideon stared him down for several long seconds before turning back to Callum and Cole. “They’re mapping the border. It started with walking the path you and the human marked up, but they’ve expanded on it. They’re dipping in and sending up drones, too.”
“So they have people with supernatural blood. That’s no surprise. At least one of them saw us when we introduced ourselves,” Callum said.
“That’s not all.” Gideon scrubbed a hand through his hair and then spat on the ground. “They got a shifter with them.”
The silence beat down on all of them. The distant cawing of a bird brought them back to focus.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. They got a shifter. Doused up in cologne strong enough we can smell it in the skies, but the scent of fur is still underneath.”
Callum nodded like he wasn’t surprised. “Keep watch and see if you can find out who they have. It’s probably not someone from Bearden. Let them keep at it with the drones and mapping. It’s going to draw more attention and show we’re watching if accidents start to happen.”
Gideon dropped his voice. “Not sure how long these ones will stay without any action.”
Callum nodded. “I know. Do the best you can. You’re our eyes right now.” He dipped over to Gray for a quick word, then strode past Cole.
Head stuck processing everything he’d just seen and overheard, he trailed after Callum. It wasn’t until they were back through the cave and out of earshot that he spoke. The beginnings of anger were working their way into existence. “That’s what you wanted to show me? You’re working with the Bloodwings? I assume Olivia doesn’t know.”
“You’d be wrong. She knows. She’s new, and I don’t fully trust her, but she has Bearden’s best interests in mind. This is our insurance that the other enclaves know what’s happening on our borders. I don’t think Gideon expected his dragons to show, and we’re going to use them while they’re here.”
“I knew they were in the enclave, but damn, Callum. You’re dragging a whole mess on our heads.”
“That fucker Jamin dragged this on us when he announced our existence to the entire world,” Callum growled. He stopped suddenly and turned on Cole. “I know you’re interested in that girl, but you need to watch yourself.”
“Like you did with Leah?” Cole’s lips twisted into a sour shape. “You forget, alpha, I heard what Bruce said about her being planted here by the fae. I brought you that warrant for murder with her name on it. I didn’t say anything before because there wasn’t any point. She got turned, and she’s one of us now. But if one human can be brought into the fold, why not another? I don’t see any other solution, honestly. We have a fucking circus camping out next to the guys pointing guns at us. We’re not
going to be able to hide this place.”
“That’s not the same. Leah was on the run and got pushed into the enclave. Rylee is here to study us like we’re lab rats.”
Cole snarled. “Is that what’s all of this is about? Olivia invited a human into our borders, when you’d do your best to keep them out? You’re not so different from the new mayor, you know. You both push me toward Rylee, then tell me to hold myself back. Push, Cole. Pull, Cole. Watch out for her, Cole. I’m fucking sick of it. She doesn’t want to hurt us. If she knew something, she’d say.”
“Are you sure about that? And what if they’re keeping secrets from her? What could she find out for us?”
“No.” Cole shook his head to cut off that line of thinking before it even started. His brother’s words were sounding too much like Olivia’s. “We’re not heading down that path. I’m not putting her in danger to find some tiny, useless nugget of information.”
Callum opened his mouth to argue further, but Cole’s phone rang shrilly in his pocket. “You going to get that?” Callum asked. “Might be your mate.”
Cole spun on his heel to avoid throwing a punch in his brother’s stupid face and pulled out the soft bag he would use to store his clothes when he shifted to his bear for the run home. His phone was next, and he managed to answer on the last ring. “What?”
“Where the hell are you and your idiot brother?”
Cole held the phone away from his ear to save his sensitive hearing from Olivia’s screeches. “We’re out. What’s gone wrong?”
“That damn Major Delano has gone off his rocker! Doctor Garland has been released from her contract and they’re clearing out her lab as we speak!” Olivia ground her teeth hard enough to be heard over the phone. “You were supposed to watch for this, Strathorn. Why am I hearing about the military entering our enclave after they’ve already done so?”
Fuck, fuck, fuck. That job meant everything to Rylee. And Delano, that asshole, wanted her gone. He didn’t think Rylee expected Delano to interfere. Which meant she’d been kept in the dark. There was danger in the military camp keeping any information secret.
“I’m on my way.”
Chapter 17
“Look who showed up!” Becca squealed and stuffed herself into the booth with her sister right behind her.
“Look who’s talking,” Leah grumbled. She pushed the pitcher of mimosas toward the sisters. “We’ve been waiting five minutes. Five! Do you know how many passes Pierre has done?”
“At least ten,” Rylee giggled. “I couldn’t keep count. Does he think we’re going to do a dine-and-dash or steal the silverware?”
“Probably. You just don’t know what sorts of criminality we get up to in our inferior places of business,” Becca snorted.
“How are you?” Faith asked.
“Great. Wonderful.” Rylee smiled with her answer. Neither of those words fit or described how she truly felt.
How was she? She felt like she’d ingested all the alcohol and drugs she missed out on in college, though she’d never made herself available for that crowd to notice and invite her anywhere. She felt like she could do ten million action scenes all on her own and all in a row. She could swallow the world and every last bit of terribleness in it.
Cole was helping her turn her entire worldview on its head. He couldn’t undo the years of hiding and wishing she’d done anything else that night, but he was easing her into living around her damage. She could shove it all in a dark corner of her mind and forget about it when she had him to lean on. He made her feel invincible.
“I caught this one doing the walk of shame,” Leah piped up.
“Oooh,” Faith and Becca said at the same time.
Rylee lifted her chin. “I’m a grown woman. I don’t need to feel ashamed of anything that may have transpired last night.”
“Damn.” Becca whistled. “The Strathorns are on a roll with you newbies. Which one is going to be next?”
“Nolan,” Leah whispered to her mimosa. She raised innocent eyes. “It’s not like I’ve been sending romantically named drinks to you both for my own fun.”
“Sex on the beach, slippery nipple, big banana daiquiri, and pink panty dropper are not romantic drinks.” Becca ticked off a finger with each drink name. “And you’re insane if you think they will get me to talk to that man.”
Leah cupped her chin and stared into nothing. “Pink panty dropper night was a fun night. You almost said three words to Nolan.”
“‘Fuck off’ doesn’t count as talking.”
Faith wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulder. “Enough about Nolan. I want to hear about Cole.”
Rylee could feel her cheeks turning a rosy shade. Cole said he thought her blushes were sexy, and that thought added another degree of red.
The entire night had gone beyond well. Even the little kerfuffle between Olivia and Cole hadn’t ruined everything. She’d had dinner, drinks, and gone home with him. She even worked up the courage to stay the night! Not that there’d been much room for objections. Cole certainly kept her mind occupied on anything but feeling nervous.
He’d been such a sexy gentleman. He knew even before she did when he pushed her too far and immediately scaled back to distracting kisses and touches. Rylee pressed her thighs together. Thinking about his hands and lips all over her body made her eager to see him again.
“And that, my friends, is the look of one falling down the rabbit hole of lust to the land of love,” Leah announced.
Rylee opened her mouth to deny, deny, deny. It’d been one night and Cole didn’t want a mate, which meant there was nothing permanent to be found with him. She’d leave Bearden eventually, and she’d be left with extremely fond memories of the man who helped make her feel less broken.
But then her phone chirped and distracted her. She tugged the device from her pocket, brows drawing together in confusion at the notification. One of the security measures put into place was a keypad lock on the lab door that would notify her of any uses. She was the only one in Bearden with the code and she was very much not at the clinic.
“It’s my lab. Someone accessed the room.” She stood quickly. “I need to go. Sorry.”
“Hold up, I’ll go with you. You’ll get there faster driving than walking,” Leah answered. Quick goodbyes were exchanged with Becca and Faith, then they were out the door and loading into Leah’s truck. She didn’t have time to worry about Leah’s speeding before they arrived.
“Those your guys?” Leah asked, pulling to a stop on the side of the street next to the clinic.
Three dark green military trucks took up most of the parking lot. Two men leaned against them with huge guns slung across their chests and bored looks on their faces. At least, until they spotted her and Leah. Then one of them marched in their direction.
Rylee shook her head. “I wasn’t told about this.”
“Well, fuck. Ring up the mayor. I’ll call Callum. This doesn’t feel right.”
The soldier rapped on the window. “Ma’am, I’m going to need you to move along.”
Leah pressed her phone to her ear. “Sorry, can’t hear you. I’m on a call.”
The soldier continued to argue with Leah while Rylee connected her call. Leah huffed, “No answer.”
Rylee had more luck with her call. “Mayor Gale said she’d be right over.”
She balled her hands into her lap and tried to see what was being carried to the waiting trucks. Boxes, one after another, were being loaded inside. And the soldier at Leah’s window still demanded they move.
She was out the door with Leah jumping after. She couldn’t wait. They were tearing apart her lab and possibly ruining everything she’d worked for. If she was being required to relocate the lab, she needed to be the one to pack and facilitate the move. She didn’t trust anyone without a degree in the field to handle the samples and equipment she worked with on a daily basis. Heck, she didn’t trust anyone but herself to keep everything straight and organized the way she preferred
.
“What is going on here?” she demanded as soon as she ducked around the swarm of men carrying away her work and entered the lab itself.
Boxes were lined up on every available surface. Major Brant Delano leaned against a wall and watched the action. Many hands were loading equipment and notes and other supplies with hardly any care for banging around sensitive and expensive items. She winced when a case of slides crashed to the ground and scattered all over the floor.
Her heart thudded in her chest when she recognized the tall man directing the packing. Peter Glasser, the man of her nightmares. He made her a statistic when she did everything right. She went to the police, she reported the crime. But he laid the groundwork and turned her accusation into a he-said, she-said that went utterly nowhere. And with her degree in hand and a recruiter luring her to Nevada, she just let everything go. She wanted to put Peter behind her and forget that terrible night.
And now he was standing in front of her and ripping her world apart all over again.
Her entire body trembled and her voice shook, but she pushed the words out of her mouth. She was done letting him control her through fear and pain. He’d done enough damage. Her short time in Bearden proved she wasn’t as weak and broken as she thought.
“Stop. Stop everything. You have no right to be here.”
Peter turned and plastered a warm smile on his face. She wanted to punch his teeth out. “Rylee. I was wondering when you’d arrive. There have been some changes that you need to be made aware of.”
Delano gloated from a corner. “You’re due back in Nevada for a debriefing. Collect your things.”
“Excuse me? You do not get to order me around like a child,” she snapped.
“The Director thought it best if someone else took over the field work. Major Delano and I have previously worked together and won’t butt heads,” Peter explained, raising his hands and speaking quietly like she needed soothing. It only made her angrier.
Peter’s arrival was a nightmare. He didn’t care about the shifters and other supernaturals of Bearden. He didn’t think of them as people. He would do more damage than good and jeopardize all of Bearden. A chill worked up and down her spine to think of all the bullheaded bias Peter would bring into the study.
