Though, as of late he’d been off his game.
Yeah, really off my fucking game, he thought as a snort broke free from him.
Duke sat at the desk next to Malik’s. Duke’s dark brown hair was pulled up in a haphazard way that spoke volumes to how much the man didn’t care about fashion. Since Duke had mated and found a wife, his clothes always matched and he no longer came in wrinkled, looking as if he’d slept in his attire. Which was ironic considering Duke’s wife, Mercy, was absentminded on her best days and often wore mismatched shoes. Malik strongly suspected that Duke had simply started to care more about his appearance now that he had a wife—someone to spend the rest of his immortally long life with.
Something Malik knew he’d never have. Hell, he couldn’t even have sex any longer. Finding a mate was simply out of the question. His lion unfurled and began to make itself known. It’s interest in mating was hard to dismiss. Malik clenched his hands behind his head and fought the beast back into submission, refusing to permit it even a taste of freedom since its outburst in the plaza.
Normally, he made a point to shift shapes at least once a week and run through the acres of land that surrounded Division B headquarters. The woods were stocked with game, all there for the alpha males to hunt. It helped to take the edge off. But Malik had refused to do so since his return to work.
He didn’t trust that he’d be able to return to human form. Throughout the ages, he’d known far too many shifter males who had gotten locked in animal form due to a loss of control. Each and every one had needed to be put down in the end as they became too feral to be permitted to live.
He’d even been charged with dispatching some. He didn’t like thinking about it, but it was hard not to considering he was now showing all the signs of mentally breaking down. It was merely a matter of time before he became the mission—before he became the hunted. The shifter in need of a mercy kill.
“I fucking hate reports,” growled Duke.
Duke was considered something of a luddite around the office. He tended to break the technology first and tried to figure it out later. He was well on his way to killing yet another laptop.
Corbin had already gone rounds with Duke over breaking two in the past four weeks. Victim three would be headed to IT soon from the looks of it. At the rate Duke was going, IT would make him send smoke signals in place of reports.
They’d probably get the information faster that way as well.
Malik leaned back in his computer chair, eyeing Duke’s screen as the man continued to delete everything he’d spent so longing using two fingers to type. Malik had caught up on several months’ worth of paperwork in the same time it had taken Duke to do one report. With the wolf-shifter’s refusal to learn to type, that wasn’t too surprising.
Duke hit the delete key repeatedly; each time muttering yet another curse at the machine, as if it were the problem.
“What, exactly, are you trying to do?” asked Malik, amused with Duke’s irritation. The man tended to hate just about everything, except his mate. He was head over heels in love with the woman. Truth be told, Mercy, Duke’s mate, had grown on Malik as well. As much as he couldn’t see himself ever mated, a part of him envied what the young wolf-shifter had with his woman.
Slowly, Duke turned his head, his onyx gaze raking over Malik as if murder was on the man’s mind. “I’m trying to submit my reports. Corbin has been on my ass for a week to get these done.”
Malik laced his hands behind his head and put his feet on his desk, his loafers looking newly shined. “And you’re actually listening to him? Don’t you normally take months to get reports in?”
“Ha, he’s hiding from his woman,” said Garth as he entered the room. The Viking stood just shy of seven feet tall, making all the other men present look short when they were anything but. “I heard pregnancy hormones have made her downright terrifying.”
Duke cast his murderous gaze to Garth. “Fuck off, Swede.”
Malik couldn’t hide his laugh at the dig Duke took at the Viking.
Duke grunted. “Don’t laugh, King Tut. Don’t you have a stone tablet you should be chiseling or a pyramid you should be building?”
As much as Malik disliked the nickname his teammates had given him, he knew they’d done so out of a sense of brotherhood. The men on his team were like family to him and because he’d been born in Ancient Egypt, they had a lot of fun at his expense. He returned the favor as often as possible. It was simply another way in which the men bonded. “Stop trying to get me to tell you how the pyramids were really built.”
Garth grinned, his long white-blond hair falling forward. Tiny braids were done through it, looking as if they had no rhyme or reason. Malik suspected they held more meaning than that. “Boomer and Striker still think it was aliens?”
Malik nodded as he thought about Boomer and Striker. The pair tended to act like overgrown children as often as possible. Sometimes, they managed to get other operatives to join in. “Yep. Striker is positive little green men used ray guns to build them and Boomer is convinced they used their spaceships to do the heavy lifting.”
“They’re idiots,” mumbled Duke.
Malik and Garth nodded in agreement. Both Boomer and Striker could certainly be idiots.
“Everyone is an idiot,” snapped Duke, glaring holes into his laptop screen.
“Sounds as if he’s bitter that his people are boring,” said Garth, sitting on the edge of Duke’s desk. “Americans are so quick to show pride in their country but really, let’s take a look at their crowning achievements throughout history.”
Malik grinned. “I have clothing older than this country.”
“Ditto,” said Garth as he glanced at Duke, who was still hitting the delete key. “If you’re trying to submit the report, why are you hitting delete?”
“I’m not. I’m hitting the Del key. Striker told me that’s how I send stuff,” grumbled Duke, hitting the key again. “All it does is eat what I typed. Stupid thing. These are about as pointless as carrier pigeons.”
Garth slid the laptop away from Duke and glanced up at Malik. “He’s thousands of years younger than us. Shouldn’t he be teaching us how to use technology?”
Malik wagged a foot, still leaning in his chair. “Have you seen him try to work a cell phone? Trust me when I say, he won’t be instructing any classes on technology anytime soon. It’s all the man can do to send a text.”
Garth laughed and then handed the laptop back to Duke. “Click on the blue button on the screen when you want to submit a report. Striker told you wrong. My guess is for his own amusement.”
Duke stood and rotated his neck. “When I get my hands on the Scot, I’m going to kill him.”
Garth grinned. “Mercy still not putting out?”
Duke growled. “Do not talk about my wife like that.” He then slumped his shoulders. “And no. She’s not. She’s making me sleep in one of the extra rooms. She says I smell funny to her all of a sudden.”
Garth lost it, laughing so hard he bent, nearly falling off the edge of the desk. “Your wife thinks you stink.”
Duke reached out, pushed the Viking hard, making the man tumble to the floor.
Garth kept laughing as he stood. “Wait until Rurik hears.”
Malik did his best to hide his amusement. “It’s not so unusual for a woman who is expecting to have problems with smells.”
“I’m her mate!” shouted Duke, looking lost rather than outraged. “She’s not supposed to have a problem with my smell.”
Dr. James Hagen entered from the side hall that led to the medical wing of PSI Headquarters. It was good to have him back after being gone from PSI for a decade. “Are you still moaning and groaning about your mate making you sleep in the extra room?”
“Yes,” said Duke, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout, making him appear about as far from alpha as one could get.
James grinned. “I told you before. This will pass. And whatever you changed recently does have a d
ifferent scent to it. I’m guessing she’s sensitive to it. So is baby.”
“I haven’t changed anything,” said Duke, his brows meeting.
Malik continued to lean in his chair. “That’s not exactly true. You ran out of deodorant about a week ago. Striker had an extra one in his gym bag. He gave it to you and you put it on. I’m pretty sure you tossed it in your bag and have kept using it each day since.”
Duke’s eyes widened. “Holy fuck, my woman has banned me from our bedroom because I smell like Striker!” He headed for the door so fast that he nearly knocked over James.
James caught him and held him in place. “What are you doing?”
“Going to shower and throwing away that damn deodorant. My balls are practically blue and I want to feel my mate under me.”
Garth slapped his knee. “This is too much.”
Duke pointed at him. “You wait until you’re mated. I’ll be having the last laugh then.”
Garth’s eyes widened and he sobered quickly, his laugh fading. “Don’t go cursing me with your American tongue.”
Duke flipped him off.
James closed his eyes, appearing tired of all their antics.
Malik remained in place as Duke stormed out of the bullpen, clearly a man on a mission to get laid.
Garth righted himself as Auberi Bouchard entered the room.
The Viking and the vampire had a longstanding history of not liking one another. Auberi curled his nose at Garth. “I thought I smelled something.”
Garth eyed the man. “I heard there was a Jerry Lewis movie on television. I figured you and your other French friends would be glued to it.”
Auberi leaned against Malik’s desk, sitting partially on it. “Tell me again why you permit such trash to be part of your organization?”
“We work for the same place,” reminded Garth, standing slowly, a challenge in his eyes.
Malik eased his feet from his desk, preparing to break up the two alpha males should the need arise. To this day, Malik wasn’t even sure what had caused the animosity between the men, but time had only caused it to grow worse.
Auberi licked his lower lip, his posture saying he was more than prepared for an attack. “Is there not a village in need of pillaging?”
Garth made a move to go at Auberi and Malik leapt up, putting himself between the men. The shifter growled and the vampire snarled.
Malik groaned. “Guys, really?”
James moved in quickly to lend an assist. He touched Garth’s shoulder. “He baits you because he knows you’ll take it.”
Garth narrowed his gaze on Auberi. “Vampires have no business here. Go back to your division.”
Malik pressed closer to his longtime friend, knowing the vampire well enough to know he’d rise to a challenge. Malik caught Auberi’s gaze with his own and shook his head. “Enough.”
“Cool. A fight,” said Boomer as he came in from the direction of the training rooms. He had a towel around his neck and was only wearing a pair of workout pants. “Did I miss any good stuff?”
James grunted. “No, Garth was heading out for the night.”
“I was?” asked Garth, sounding unhappy that he was being forced to go.
Boomer shrugged and towel dried his long hair. “I miss all the action. Hey, James, did you have that file on that girl you wanted me to look for?”
All men present turned their attention to the doctor.
James stepped back and grunted. “Stop looking at me like I’m cheating on my mate. I’m not. That isn’t even possible and you all know it. And beyond that, I would never do that to Laney. You know me better than that.”
Boomer raised his hand. “Erm, Doc, only I know it. I’m the only other guy standing here who’s mated. They don’t get that their dick will have one desire and one desire only when they meet the woman meant for them.”
Garth shuddered, as did Auberi. The pair shared a look and seemed surprised to be of equal opinion on the act of mating.
Malik instantly thought of Brooke and had to force her from his mind. He turned his attention to James. “Is this something I can help with?”
“Sure.” James walked to Malik’s desk and pointed to the laptop on it. “May I?”
Malik waved a hand, granting permission for the man to do as he pleased with the laptop. Had it been Duke, Malik would have grabbed the laptop and ran, for the laptop’s safety of course.
James turned the laptop in a way that Malik couldn’t see it. He went to work on something and then pointed to the screen as Boomer leaned near him. “I just got a call from Laney telling me that she thinks this should be looked into. I don’t want to sleep on the sofa, so how about we make sure this isn’t something important.”
Boomer’s face paled. He glanced behind him at Garth, and the Viking went over to stand near him. He too paled, his gaze flickering to Malik before he lurched forward, grabbing the laptop and flinging it.
The laptop hit the wall and broke in several pieces.
Malik stood fast. “What the hell, Garth? I’d have let Duke use it if I wanted that result.”
Boomer pressed a fake smile to his face. “Hey, Auberi, didn’t you mention you had something cooked up for Malik’s upcoming birthday?”
Auberi licked his lips. “I do.”
“You two should get going then,” said Boomer, shaking his head at James as James started to speak.
Garth eyed Auberi. “Now would be the perfect time to take him to celebrate.”
“You are all so fucking weird,” said Malik, walking over and picking up the pieces of his laptop. “IT is so going to think I let Duke touch this. Want to tell me why you went postal on my computer?”
Garth shook his head. “Nope. Go enjoy your birthday.”
“It’s not my birthday. It’s not even close to my birthday,” said Malik. “Auberi just picks a day of the year each year and decides that’s when I should celebrate.”
“Because you won’t tell us your actual birthday,” said Auberi. “Let’s go, Tut.”
“I’m going to lend James a hand with something Laney wants us to look into,” said Malik.
Boomer lifted his hands. “Garth and I have it. Rurik can help. And Striker will lend a hand if we call him. You go. Have fun. You’re just coming off leave and we don’t want you pushing too hard or anything.”
Malik stared at his friends. “What’s going on?”
Garth shook his head. “Nothing. Go. We’ve got this.”
“Yeah, this will bore you,” said Boomer, clearing his throat. “Have fun. We’ll call if we need anything.”
Giving in, Malik shrugged and put the broken pieces of his laptop on the desk nearest him. “Fine, but Garth, you take your ass down to IT and explain what happened. Get me a new computer.”
“Sure thing,” said the Viking. “Go. Have fun, Malik.”
“I will make sure he has nothing but fun,” said Auberi with a laugh.
“This is going to end with a lot of naked women, isn’t it?” asked Malik, already knowing his friend’s idea of a good time.
“And maybe some naked men,” supplied Auberi with a wink.
With a groan, Malik followed behind Auberi, thinking of ways he could bow out early on whatever it was he had cooked up.
“Let’s go find you the perfect woman or women to spend the night with,” said Auberi.
Chapter Twelve
Malik made his way onto the dance floor, a drink in hand, moving to the beat of the music at the club Auberi had taken him to. The music was hard thumping hip-hop. Finding the perfect woman to have a night of amazing sex with wouldn’t happen. He’d not had sex in five years. Not since he’d spent a night under the influence of the experimental drugs in Egypt. Since he’d lost control and nearly shifted form fully while buried deep in the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
Brooke.
That had been it for him.
His dick simply refused to work unless he was alone, stroking himself to Brooke’s photo that
he’d taken with his phone. Even achieving orgasm by that means was getting harder and harder. Soon that option would be gone and he knew what would happen then. He’d succumb to the pull of the lion inside him. He’d seen it happen to others—men who tried to deny their animal instincts and the need for sex.
He’d gone to great lengths to hide the truth of it all from his friends, knowing they’d have seen it as a sign that he didn’t have control of his beast. He was on borrowed time before he’d need to confess it all to his friends. After all, they’d be the ones who would have to hunt him and put him down when he lost control. The least they deserved was the truth.
The famed ladies’ man had fallen from grace.
He took a sip of his vodka on the rocks. Suddenly, two beautiful women were there, in slinky dresses that only just covered their asses. One was in a red dress and the other wore gold. They pressed up against him, moving with the music as well, grinding their bodies against his.
He caught sight of Auberi not far from the dance floor, a drink in hand as well. The man lifted his drink and nodded to Malik, clearly pleased to see him starting to loosen up again. If he only knew the truth. That Malik hadn’t bedded any woman in years.
Auberi would be horrified.
The man lived for sex.
He was French. It was expected.
Auberi sipped his drink as he grinned. The two had spent centuries romancing women. Sometimes they even romanced the same woman at the same time. Auberi’s tastes ran both ways. Malik’s did not. That hadn’t stopped them from sharing women in the past.
More than once.
The woman in red slipped her hand into the open portion of Malik’s shirt, running the palm of her hand over his chest. This was the point when his cock of five years ago would have been all in for sex.
Nothing.
PSI’s scientists had effectively neutered him.
Frustrated, but not deterred, Malik continued to dance, his free hand finding the hip of the woman in the gold dress. He felt as if he were going through the motions. Nothing more. He’d had countless women in his immortally long life. He’d taken women in every way possible and some not so possible. Though he’d only spent his seed in one, having been told at an early age of the dangers of doing so. And he’d not meant to do so ever, but the fucking medication had messed with his judgment as well as his dick.
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