by Susan Bliler
Satisfied that he’d gotten King’s attention, Monroe relaxed back in his chair. “They call themselves Megalya...”
“They?” King cut in impatiently.
“A pack.”
“Like us?”
“No. Not like us. Something else. Something worse.” Monroe rose from his desk to pace to the large window just behind it that overlooked the estate. “They’re an intelligent species, but we believe they exist on blood draining.”
“What?” King snorted, “Like fucking vampires!”
Ignoring the sarcasm, Monroe turned from the window. “They hunt Skin Walkers to drain our blood, King. By doing so they believe they can absorb our powers.”
King’s eyes rounded, “Can they?”
“Of that I’m not certain, but it’d explain why after the first blood draining they’ve kept hunting Walkers.” Walking casually back to the desk, Monroe picked up the picture King had been staring at. “This poor bastard was one of their first victims. You know how I know?” He didn’t wait for a response. “The Walker’s halo.” Monroe slammed the picture down on the desk and pointed at the band around the neck of the corpse. “They take them now. Trophies!” The word was snarled with disdain.
King growled, but Monroe wasn’t finished.
“They target our women and children because they’re easier to take down.” Monroe grabbed up the file and curled his fist around it as he ground out through clenched teeth, “I’ve built this fucking community and can’t fill it. The fucking Megalya are erasing our species, King!” Eyeing his friend, Monroe knew his impassioned speech had worked when he scented his fellow Walker’s rage.
“Where?”
Smiling inwardly, Monroe knew he had his Chief of Security. “They’re everywhere. I’m having a wall built around the estate and state-of-the-art surveillance installed, but none of it does me any good if I can’t get our Walker’s here safely. I need an all Walker team willing to go out and escort other Walkers back here to StoneCrow.”
“Just one team?” King sounded skeptical.
“You remember Tyce Steele?”
King nodded.
“He’s comprised a similar Walker team at Apex. It’s led by a Commander Drago.”
Apex was owned by millionaire playboy, Tyce Steele. His similarities to Monroe prevented him from coming to StoneCrow to exist under Monroe’s rule. The man also possessed Dominant genes and could not reside peaceably in a community with another Dominant; therefore, he’d built his own stronghold in Northern Montana. Hardly built on the scale of StoneCrow, Apex housed mainly mercenaries like Commander Conn Drago and his Spec Ops team.
“Conn Drago?” King’s brows shot up. He knew of the Commander. They’d never met, but it wasn’t surprising to discover—after the war stories he’d heard—that the Commander too was a Walker.
“Yes, he leads a team of four. Your job will be more difficult. I want two retrieval teams pulled together and another three comprised of Sentries to guard the estate while your teams are out escorting Walkers back.”
“Five teams!” King shook his head. “You don’t have enough men.”
Monroe’s cold smile was unsettling. “I’ll get them, but first I’ve got a special assignment for you.”
King hid a wince. To Monroe StoneCrow, special meant dangerous.
“I’ve got a Walker here that needs some training, and he needs it now.”
“So train him,” King didn’t have time to babysit some spoiled Walker.
When Monroe steepled his hands over his desk and smiled, King actually shivered. Shit!
“He refuses to come indoors. At night, he shifts and sleeps in the forest and for the time being I’ve got him assigned to guarding the perimeter. Honestly, I don’t know what else to do with him.”
“Captive?” It made sense. If the Walker had been held and experimented on, he’d despise confined spaces.
“I don’t think so. Did I mention he doesn’t talk much?”
“So let him hang out, get used to the place. He’ll come around.”
“Can’t. He’s got…abilities that I need to assess. These abilities could be used in our favor if I can get this Walker trained.”
“Abilities?” King rolled his head back and forth from the tension in his shoulders. “Why can’t you ever speak plainly?” He stopped rolling his head to pin the Dominant Walker with an impatient frown. “What type of abilities?”
“The Walker’s name is RedKnife. RedKnife KillsPrettyEnemy.” Monroe smiled, “Friend of yours isn’t he?”
King stilled. It wasn’t a question. Monroe knew damn well that King and RedKnife were friends, but what in the hell RedKnife was doing at StoneCrow, King had no idea. The two men went back a long way, he was King’s oldest friend…if you could call him that. RedKnife had been assigned to King for training. He was the finest soldier to ever earn his trident among King’s ranks. “When does he arrive?”
Monroe smirked, “Arrive? He’s been here.” The CEO folded his hands behind his head in self-satisfaction, “One of my very first recruits.”
Chapter 4
“My God, Jenny, would you look at that!” Lilly nearly dropped her peanut butter and jelly sandwich before it even made it to her lips. Sitting at a table in the still under construction cafeteria, Lilly turned adoring eyes to follow King as he stalked across the cafeteria heading for the short line.
Jenny took a bite of her tuna on wheat before turning to stare over her shoulder. “Oh!” She spoke around the bite of food in her mouth, and Lilly shot her a dark look as Jenny tried, unintelligibly, to convey some knowledge.
“You wouldn’t want him. He’s a womanizer?” Jenny finally answered, having swallowed down her bite of food.
“Oh,” Lilly’s expression turned regretful, “Of course he is. Look at him. He can womanize me anytime.” The man was a beast. Tall as hell, and thick with muscle, he was the hottest damn thing she’d ever seen. No. He was more than hot, he was…beautiful. He stalked with a grace and confidence that told her he could handle himself. Practically oozing sensual virility, Lilly knew he was one man she’d never want to be involved with. Men that looked like that seemed to conjure up trouble and the last thing she needed was more trouble in her life.
“Lilly!”
“What?” Her voice was pitched high in innocence. She wasn’t typically this playful, but after a few days of working too closely with the most savagely handsome man ever to exist and Lilly was ready to let down her guard.
“Are you really interested in him?” Jenny tried to hide her burning curiosity by taking another bite of her sandwich.
A deep sigh left Lilly’s pink lips as she shook her head. “Nah, just simply wishing.”
“This is a first,” Jenny challenged. “With all the available Wal...” She cleared her throat, “Men here at the estate, you’ve been pretty closed-mouthed. I had no idea there was such a lusty wench hiding inside you. What’s so special about King?”
Lilly felt herself blush. She knew she’d been acting out of character and couldn’t explain it. Tearing her eyes from King she focused on her sandwich, no longer feeling hungry. “Guess I just need to get laid.”
“Well, you should stay away from him. I hear he’s nothing but trouble.” Jenny felt a pang of guilt at the outright lie, but she had to know if the serum she’d created and already injected into King would work to keep the Walker from becoming afflicted by introduction to his angel. Angel, hmph! It was the term all Walker men used to describe their mates, the direct result—Jenny assumed—from the fact that male Walkers gifted their angels with a halo.
A Skin Walker’s halo was generated over time much like the antlers of a deer. Only the Skin Walker who generated it could remove his halo, and it was only taken off to gift to his angel, his mate. A Walker’s angel experienced a transformation with the acceptance of the halo. Like their Walker mate, angels would become immune to illness and would be able to communicate with their Walker mate through the mist.
&n
bsp; Lilly dropped her uneaten sandwich back onto her tray and propped her chin into her upraised palm to eye King longingly across the cafeteria. “I suppose he would be.” King was humiliatingly handsome, leaving Lilly feeling lacking. “It wouldn’t work anyway. I’m not getting mixed up with the boss’ best friend. Not happening!”
Jenny scoffed with a scowl, “You give Monroe too much respect.”
“And you don’t give him enough. If you knew half the crap that came across my desk, Jen,” she let the words trail off when Jenny eyed her warily. Anytime Lilly had brought up anything to do with Monroe’s work, her friend suddenly became too curious, and not in the manner of wanting to know the details of Monroe’s affairs, no, it seemed more like Jenny was curious as to how much—if any—of Monroe’s business Lilly was willing to spill. The answer was none. In the time she’d been employed by Monroe, Lilly had witnessed dozens of questionable financial transactions, work orders, as well as several nonsensical pieces of equipment that Lilly was loathe to bring up, like the pave hawk helicopter that kept popping up on the CEO’s finance report. It was fueled quite frequently, though Lilly had no record of the helicopter ever being used for specific Preserve business. To her credit, Lilly kept her lips sealed.
“What kind of crap?”
“You know I won’t talk, Jen. Why you bother asking is beyond me.” She could’ve sworn that Jenny’s smile turned approving.
“I know. Doesn’t hurt to try.”
“So, what is it this King is going to be doing here on the estate?”
“Beats me,” Jenny shrugged, “I thought you of all people would know.”
She shook her head and took an uninterested sip of her iced tea. “I have no idea what Monroe would need a man like that for, and I’m almost afraid to find out. He’s supposed to be security. Either Mr. StoneCrow’s got some serious enemies, or he’s extremely paranoid.”
At first, Lilly had questioned the amount of people and the strange occurrences that often took place under the guise of StoneCrow business. It didn’t take her long to realize that if she wanted to keep her job, she’d need to keep her mouth shut. And she did just that, but it didn’t hurt to fish for information every once in a while. “Why do you suppose Monroe is having a school built? It seems kind of odd for a preserve and rehabilitation facility, doesn’t it?”
Jenny sat up straighter, “Oh!” She waved a hand dismissively in the air, “It’s probably just because the estate is so far from the city. It’d be easier for staff to school their children here then to ship them to Great Falls.”
It made some sense. Unlike most employees, Lilly had refused the CEO’s offer to take up residence on the estate. Instead, she drove the fifty minutes and forty-five miles it took to get to her apartment in Great Falls. The daily commute was a pain.
“And that’s another thing,” Lilly prodded, “why so many personnel? I mean I’ve researched comparable facilities in much larger states. They don’t have a fraction of the staff we’ll be hiring. It doesn’t really make sense.”
Seeming flustered, Jenny rose from her seat, taking her tray of half eaten lunch up with her. “Who knows why he does half the things he does? You’re closer to him than most. You should have all the answers.”
Lilly followed Jenny up, her eyes automatically going to King’s back as he slowly proceeded down the line, filling his tray with mounds of food. “If I’ve got ‘em, I’m taking ‘em to the grave. Monroe StoneCrow is one man I don’t want to piss off.”
***
Standing in the chow line, King selected several pieces of fruit, a carton of milk, and was piling a second plate with roasted chicken and steak when a scent hit him. Surprisingly, the mouth watering aroma didn’t come from any of the food laid out in the long line of banquet tables. He took another slow inhalation through his nose and sifted through the many aromas of food, the overly strong perfumes, hairsprays, and body lotions. There! It was sweet, tempting. He ran his tongue over the roof of his mouth trying to place it. Pears and spiced apples…Christmas! The scent reminded him of the excitement and eager anticipation of a Christmas morning. Turning, he let his nose lead his chin until his eyes locked on the source. Lilly Worthington. Sitting at a table with StoneCrow’s Chief of Surgery, who he knew Lilly was told was merely a veterinarian, King quickly swung back around when Lilly slowly lifted her eyes.
He was surprised to find his heart racing and his body reacting to the sight of the woman. The sudden urge to leave his tray to stalk across the room to her was nearly overpowering. Am I ill? Running a mental diagnostic, he checked off a list of ailments that were not currently afflicting him. He was fine…mostly.
Peeking another look over his shoulder sent his heart rate spiking again. What was that emotion he was feeling? He closed his eyes and let his chin fall to his chest. Shit! Craving. He was craving Monroe’s personal assistant, and it didn’t bode well for his new assignment as Chief of Security for the estate.
After speaking with Monroe, he’d agreed to accept the position for one year. In that time, he’d create five teams of Sentries to ensure the safety of StoneCrow’s residence and to retrieve Walkers for the community. One year, that’s all he’d promised.
“Uhhh, you gonna decide, big guy?”
Startled from his reverie, King glanced down to find a small Walker woman with pixie short, blonde, hair peering around him to eye the line that had moved considerably further ahead with King holding up progress. He realized it looked as though he couldn’t decide on another entrée.
His brows speared down and without a word he jerked up his tray and left the line and the food tray. Suddenly, no longer hungry, he had to get away from Lilly. She was too distracting and he didn’t need distractions. Adamant to fulfill his year obligation and then be gone, he wouldn’t take the risk of getting close to anyone, regardless of how badly he wanted to get to know Lilly.
Chapter 5
Lilly fidgeted nervously as they waited for the elevator doors to open. Monroe had stalked out of his office that morning demanding, “Lilly!” It was how he requested her presence. She’d snatched up her e-tablet and raced after him, which wasn’t an easy feat in her typical office wear of pencil skirt and heels.
Waiting impatiently for the elevator doors to open, she felt her body flush. Damn, it’s hot in here! She fought to keep from fanning herself. Monroe stood beside her and King Mulholland was directly in front of her, his massive height and broad frame blocking out sight of the double doors.
Letting her eyes traipse down his shoulders to his tapered waist, she actually jumped when Monroe asked, “Lilly, any word on whether Mason will be joining us here at the estate?”
Mason? Mason, Mason… “Uhhh,” she pulled up her e-tablet and quickly slid her fingers over the small screen as she drew her mind away from King’s body and tried to focus.
“Ahh, yes!” She finally responded sounding too breathy. “I mean no!” She felt Monroe’s gaze jerk toward her. “I mean….yes, I’ve had word, and no, he won’t be coming to the estate. Apparently, he’s determined to locate his estranged sister before committing to residence.”
“Did you tell him we’d be glad to assist in tracking her down?”
“I offered, but he was doubtful we’d be of use. He’s hired several private investigators and still has had no luck.”
King looked at Monroe over his shoulder.
“Let’s see if we can’t help our friend out, shall we?”
King nodded once before returning his attention to the doors.
“If it’s any consolation,” Lilly offered, “Remy McCabe and his girlfriend, Amanda Chandler will be joining us here at the estate in the morning.”
“You hired Remy?” King’s tone was incredulous.
“Yes, I did.”
Lilly watched as King’s shoulders tensed. “Well, keep him the hell away from me.”
Lilly looked at Monroe and when he nodded, she quickly added a note to her profile for Remy McCabe. ‘Keep him away from King
Mulholland?????’
When the elevator doors opened on the third floor, a construction nightmare greeted them. Thick plastic flapped in the chilly Montana wind even as a foreman barked orders from some unseen location.
Monroe stalked through the place like he owned it while King hung back, eyeing Lilly as she attempted to tiptoe through the debris covered concrete in her heels in an effort to keep from getting dirty.
“I can carry you,” King offered. He’d meant it sarcastically, but when the words came out they sounded sincere. He was shocked to find a part of him hoped she’d jump into his arms.
Lilly stopped in her tracks and eyed the tall Chief of Security, secretly wanting to take him up on his offer. Righting herself she smiled sheepishly. “New shoes,” she offered lamely and then followed after Monroe, no longer concerned with her shoes.
“And how long will that take,” she heard Monroe demand as she joined his side. He was talking to a man she knew to be the foreman of the project.
The man took off his hard-hat and used the same arm to swipe across his brow. “About two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” Monroe’s tone turned icy. “That’s what you said two weeks ago.”
“Well I apologize, Mr. StoneCrow, it’s just that…” he didn’t get the chance to finish.
Shouts of, “LOOK OUT, LOOK OUT, LOOK OUT!” had heads snapping around. Monroe and King both jumped to life and moved with an impossible speed, topped only by their impossible strength when both men caught the metal beam that slid from some unknown spot and would have caused serious harm had the men not acted so quickly. Both men strained as they lowered the beam to the ground.
Too late, movement out of the corner of her eye had Lilly turning. A second girder was nearly on her, leaving her only enough time to throw up an arm the shield herself as King bellowed, “LILLY!”
Shoved out of the way, she hit the ground even as her head jerked back in time to see King fall under the massive weight of the steel girder. Pain lanced through her ankle and Lilly sucked in a great breath and scrambled back to King, ignoring her own injury in hopes of getting to him. He was lying under the beam and wasn’t moving.
