by Abigail Owen
As they wrapped up the first ten-mile lap, A.J. asked, “Do you run a lot?”
She gave a nonchalant shrug. “I usually do at least five to ten miles a day, more on Saturdays.”
A.J. said nothing, and they kept going. Almost four hours later, they were well into their third lap when he finally asked, “How much exactly do you mean by ‘more on Saturdays’?”
Andie grinned, slightly impressed that he’d been able to hang with her so easily. Most other cougar shifters couldn’t. “When I’m training hard, it’s a good ways. I run marathons and some shorter ultras for fun. My longest was seventy-five miles. But that was several years ago, and I haven’t been training lately. I could probably only do another lap or two, but that’s about it.”
“You don’t think you could have shared that fact before we started?”
She glanced back over her shoulder at him. “Would you have believed me?”
He pulled up, indicating that she should stop, so she slowed down to walk beside him. “Probably not,” he conceded. “But you’ve made your point.”
“Have I?” she asked, not convinced.
“Yes. Don’t underestimate you. Point made.”
Andie wasn’t so sure he’d really learned that lesson. But he would eventually, so she let it drop. “Are we done for today?”
“With the physical test… yeah. We’ll hit the obstacle course another day. But I’d like to test the knowledge you claim to have of Carstairs this afternoon.”
“If I give you that information now, you could just kick me out on my tail. It’s my only leverage with you.”
“You’re going to have to learn to trust me, Andie.” Something suddenly shifted in his eyes and his gaze turned intense.
Andie felt her heart pick up speed in response, and then tensed in irritation. She did not need this complication right now. The only way she would ever be completely safe was if she got a cougar more powerful than Kyle or Walter Carstairs to marry her. And Jaxon Keller was the only cougar she knew of who fit the bill. Joining his dare would only lend her so much protection. So as much as she wanted to wrap around A.J. and rub all over him right now, she couldn’t act on that impulse. Ever. She forced herself to look away.
“I’ll walk you back to Hannah’s to shower first,” he said.
She glanced back at him and wrinkled her nose. “Are you implying I stink?”
A.J. grinned down at her. “No, ma’am. I’m saying that I do.”
Chapter 5
“Arthur Jaxon Keller the Third!” Hannah yelled.
Jaxon winced and looked up from his desk. His sister was standing in the doorway to his office, arms crossed over her chest and fire raging in the depths of her brown eyes. He’d wondered when she’d confront him. He’d made a quick call to her last night only to warn her to call him A.J. in front of the girl he was bringing by and under no circumstances to reveal that he was the Alpha or her brother.
Jaxon replaced the book he’d been leafing through on the shelf. Then he leaned against his desk and crossed his feet nonchalantly. “Yes?”
She gave him a look, walked in, and closed the door behind her with a snap. “Are you going to clue me in about what’s going on with Andie?”
He shrugged. “She’s asked for asylum and I’m testing her out.”
“You already told me that when you dropped her off. She asked to talk to Jaxon Keller.”
“Uh huh.”
“She doesn’t know you’re the person she’s looking for,” she pointed out.
“Correct.”
“Why did you tell her your name was A.J.?”
“I’m often called A.J.”
“Only by your Protectors and Commanders. And if she asked for the Alpha, why not tell her she’d found him?”
“Because it’s easier to test her out and get real responses if she’s not pandering to the Alpha of the dare.” He didn’t add that he had other reasons. The Seer’s warnings, though ten years old, kept him from saying more. Besides, he had the oddest urge to get to know Andromeda Reynolds on a different level, as himself rather than the Alpha. The impulse was so unlike him, Hannah would probably pass out from shock.
“This is not the time for games. She’s in real danger,” Hannah insisted.
That got his attention. Jaxon stood up, suddenly every inch the Alpha he was. No one messed with members of his dare. Granted, Andie wasn’t technically part of his dare. But she would be. That he already knew, not that he’d tell Hannah or Andie that just yet.
“What sort of danger? What did she tell you?”
Hannah held up her hands. “Easy, Jax. She didn’t tell you?”
He shook his head. “She’s only asked for asylum so far. She came in pretty beat up. At first I thought she’d been thrown out of her own dare. But then I saw the marks on the back of her neck which make me think that she ran.”
Someone had tried to mate her by force. He was absolutely sure of it. But had they succeeded? The sudden rage that boiled through him at the thought made him want to go out and beat on something. Preferably on the jerk who’d hurt her. The same feeling had hit him last night when he’d first seen the marks. He’d had to use every ounce of his legendary control not to ask her about it point-blank, or worse, slam his fist into the wall like a tool.
Hannah glared at him. “She told me in confidence. You’ll have to earn her trust.”
He forced his shoulders to lower. “Yeah. I’m working on that.”
“It would probably help if you told her who you really are,” she said dryly.
He ignored that. “She’s a skittish little thing. I’m surprised she confided in you.”
“Maybe I treated her as though she was welcome in this dare,” Hannah pointed out. He didn’t miss the accusing note in her voice.
“I would test every cougar who came from another dare – particularly from Carstairs – the same way. It’s hard enough leading animals who aren’t naturally prone to living in groups. I can’t have another dare potentially threatening us from within.”
Hannah sat down, her anger burned out. “I know you’re right. But I’m telling you we can trust her.”
Jaxon leaned back against the desk again. “Why do you say that? What do you know?”
Hannah took a deep breath and then shook her head. “I’ll tell her what I’m telling you. I’m not getting in the middle of this. You two need to figure out how to trust each other.” She poked him in the chest with her finger. “And to be honest with each other.” She stood and walked to the door. “Sooner rather than later, Jaxon,” she said, and then she left the room.
Jaxon stayed where he was for a while, thinking through his sister’s advice. He agreed with her that he couldn’t let the deception go on too long. It was true that he wanted to get to know Andie as a man first, rather than as the Alpha. But more than that, one big thing was holding him back… the Seer’s warning.
*****
Andie stepped out of the shower, wrapped up snuggly in a towel, and discovered that Hannah had returned to their room. She was propped up on her bed, her computer open on her lap.
Hannah smiled. “How’d the first day of tests go?”
Andie couldn’t hide her smirk. “He tried to see how long I could run.”
Hannah chuckled. “I assume you corrected that mistake.”
“Mmmm… after about four hours of doing laps.”
Hannah laughed even harder. “A.J. is in really good shape, but he hates running.”
Andie rooted around in Hannah’s drawer. Her new roomie was lending her clothes since Andie had shown up with only what she was wearing. Luckily they were the same size.
She sniggered. “He didn’t mention that tidbit. And he was definitely able to hang.”
“So are you free the rest of the day?” Hannah asked.
Andie shook her head. “He wants to pick my brain on Carstairs and strategies.” Worry clouded her eyes.
“Take my advice and trust A.J. Tell him anything you’d
tell Jaxon.”
Andie pulled her shirt over her head as she thought that through. Seemed like an odd comment. A suspicion she was already entertaining picked at her. “There are some things that I’d only feel comfortable sharing with the Alpha.”
Hannah shook her head and muttered something unintelligible. “You trust me, right?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Then if I tell you to put your confidence in A.J., believe it. Anything you divulge to him will be shared with Jaxon.” Glancing at her watch, she added, “Oops. I’ve got to get to my meeting.” Without another word Hannah hopped up and left.
Andie silently finished getting dressed as she thought about her friend’s advice. Growing up in the Carstairs Dare had not made her a particularly trusting person. The dares had been around only about thirty years. Her kind were still figuring out how it worked, and some dares were severely dysfunctional. But if Hannah said she could trust A.J., then she had to believe that.
A loud knock sounded just as she finished drying her long hair. With no time to braid it or put on makeup, Andie shrugged and headed to the door. When she opened it, she was greeted by an eyeful of muscled man as A.J. leaned against the wall. She moved her gaze up to his face, flustered at the heat in his eyes. He was staring at her loose hair that hung in shining waves almost to her waist. Then he blinked and the heat was gone, replaced by complete indifference. It happened so fast, Andie wasn’t quite sure she’d really seen what she thought she had.
“Ready?” he asked in a neutral voice.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
Neither of them said a word as they moved through the corridors. Eventually, they reached what looked to be a large, comfortably functional conference room with a long table made interesting by the fact that it was created from natural pine logs. Slate blue walls were covered by a combination of white boards, a projection screen, and multiple TVs. Andie hesitated only a fraction of a second when she realized there were four other men already seated inside. It didn’t take a moment’s glance to realize who they likely were. Andie pulled her shoulders back.
“Andie Reynolds, I’d like to introduce you to the Alpha’s Protectors and Commanders.” Going around the table, A.J. introduced them in turn. The men were all built similarly – tall, broad shouldered, muscled. Andie mentally tagged them with the small differences. The two Protectors, Dylan and William, were Blondie and Stone Jaw respectively. The Commanders, Pete and Charlie, were Scar Face and Flirty. According to Hannah, Nick Jensen, the Beta and Hannah’s husband, was out on a diplomatic mission.
None of them stood up or offered to shake her hand, but each gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. It didn’t bother Andie. Respect and trust had to be earned in a cougar dare, especially with the shifters in these particular roles. Protectors were assigned to keep the Alpha and Beta cougars safe at all times, similar to the President’s Secret Service. Only here, they tended to also be close friends and advisors. Commanders were the equivalents of the military generals in dare. A vital role given that the purpose of creating the dares of the Shadowcat Nation in the first place was protecting cougar shifters. They were in a perpetual war with other types of shifters. The ones who moved in packs at least.
Andie looked at A.J. “Are you a Protector too?”
He glanced around the room with a small smile. “I keep the Alpha safe.”
Andie’s internal radar went off. He was hiding something from her, and the others were in on it. Hannah had said to put her confidence in him, but he clearly didn’t trust her. She supposed this was to be expected. She was a strange cougar from a dare that had attacked the Alpha’s sister and his Beta, after all. Trust had to start somewhere.
“They’re here to help me question you on the Carstairs dare,” A.J. continued.
“I figured that out for myself,” she murmured. Without waiting to be asked, she grabbed a chair and sat down. “Fire away, gentleman.”
Chapter 6
Five hours later Andie was slumped down in a chair that now felt glued to her butt. She rubbed her hands over her tired eyes. Every inch of the whiteboards on the walls in the room was covered in writing. Flirty Charlie was busy taking pictures of it all and translating it into his computer.
She’d covered the Carstairs’ leaders, their methods, their training, their experience, and their thinking in detail. Then she’d moved on to their general strategies in battle, including formations, coordination, operations, and movements. Finally she’d covered resources and tactics, including weaponry, Specialists, training programs, technology, treaties and alliances, and intelligence networks.
At first, she’d noticed the skeptically amused looks that passed between the men as she talked. It was rare for a female shifter to be a Strategist in a dare, and even rarer to be involved in actual fighting. But as she continued her exposition, and her expertise became obvious, the looks had turned serious. Now there was even a hint of respect in them.
Andie had been an open book in explaining everything the Keller Dare would need to know in order to defeat the Carstairs if ever attacked by them. But she’d refused point blank to provide the layout and defensive systems and strategies employed at the Carstairs compound, no matter how hard the five men tried to pry it out of her.
“It’s key information,” Scar Face pointed out for the third time.
She shook her head but didn’t remove her hand from her eyes. “Yeah. I get that, Pete.”
She felt someone kneel down in front of her and knew it was A.J. She could smell the citrusy aroma of his aftershave and an underlying scent, woodsy and totally male, that was just him. When she didn’t look up, he placed his hands on her knees. The warmth of his contact spread through her, and, for some reason, relaxed her. Andie took her hands away from her face and opened her eyes.
“What’s holding you back?” A.J. asked quietly.
She huffed a sarcastic laugh. “That would be the proverbial elephant in the room.”
He tipped his head questioningly.
“What I’m doing is essentially betraying my dare,” Andie elaborated. “And none of you know my reasons for that. You don’t know if there’s any truth in what I’ve told you today. And even if I’m for real, why would you ever accept a traitor into your midst? Or worse, what if I’m giving you false information so I can infiltrate your dare and report back to Walter and Kyle?”
“There’s more, isn’t there?” A.J. prodded. Andie was very aware of the fact that his hands were still on her knees, his thumbs moving in lazy, highly distracting circles.
She nodded. “I am exactly what I seem – someone who is asking for asylum from a dare where she’s no longer… safe.” Her voice wobbled on the last word.
Andie gritted her teeth. She hated showing her vulnerability, especially to A.J. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “But there are still people I love in that dare.” She didn’t add that her father was trying to wrest the power from Carstairs. If he could do that, the dare still needed to protect itself. “I’ve heard that Jaxon Keller is a trustworthy Alpha. But I will judge that for myself. But this information, which would make my friends and family vulnerable should you choose to attack them, is something I will only give to him. After I’ve decided that it’s safe to do so.”
The men in the room shifted uncomfortably but remained silent. A.J. stayed crouched in front of her, still and steady, his gaze on hers unwavering. “If you want to talk to the Alpha, you have to earn our faith in you first and tell us why you need asylum. Will you give us that much?”
Hannah’s advice to confide in A.J. rang in Andie’s ears. But more than that, something about this solid man demanded her confidence in him. He’d mostly listened these last hours, letting the Protectors and Commanders ask the questions. But she’d gotten the impression that he’d have stepped in had the questioning become too intense.
Andie looked down at his strong, capable hands still resting on her knees. “Spilling my guts to five strangers f
rom another dare, especially ones in power to use the information against me, is too much to ask.”
She glanced up and locked gazes with A.J., catching a flicker of disappointment before he cleared his expression. “But I will tell you. And only you,” she added in a whisper.
Satisfaction blazed in his eyes. Without a word to the other men, and without removing his gaze from hers, he nodded toward the door. Silently they rose and filtered out, closing the door behind them and leaving Andie alone with A.J.
A.J. hooked a chair close to her and sat down. Andie took a deep breath and started talking. She told him everything she’d told Hannah the night before. She started by detailing her dare’s displeasure with Walter and Kyle’s treatment of Hannah and Nick when they’d visited to negotiate a joint business deal. They’d turned out to be the Fated Mates they’d claimed to be, making any challenge to their relationship off limits according to Shadowcat Nation law. But Kyle had challenged anyway.
Andie then walked him through her own father’s position as Beta in the dare. She talked about the ways that Walter and Kyle kept the dare in check – mostly by ruling with fear and threats of pain.
“Why didn’t your father leave with you?” A.J. asked.
Sadness clouded her eyes. “He’s a good man. He’s stayed in the position of Beta all these years to try to help as many as he can from within. I once asked him why he didn’t leave or challenge Walter.”
“And?”
“He said that after watching Walter take down more than ten cougars who tried to challenge him for Alpha, he knew he’d never beat him in a straight up match. Walter fights mean. He also kills the family of anyone who dares to leave. And when Kyle got big enough, well, let’s just say he’s worse. Dad stays where he is because he sees no other way. He expects that his very public position in the dare, and Walter’s reliance on him to keep the peace, will keep him alive after I leave.”
