Leopard's Kiss (Shadow Guardians) (Shadows Guardians Book 1)

by Stephanie Rowe

  He smiled at her outburst. He couldn’t help himself. She was just so damned unimpressed with his power and his decisions. She treated him like a regular guy, and he absolutely loved it.

  She didn’t appreciate his smile, and she pointed her finger at him. “Don’t you dare try to mess with my mind. Killian showed you that it doesn’t always work, and you do not want to piss me off.” Still glaring at him, she strode out of the room, yelling at Killian that she was half-naked and he better close his eyes when she walked by.

  Slade watched her go, running his hand through his hair. She was right. If he wiped her mind or Killian’s, he was putting them in more danger. He’d have to wipe their existence from every person who’d ever heard of them, and that was beyond his scope.

  There was no going back.

  There was no going back.

  Slade sat down hard in his desk chair and pressed his face to his palms as the reality of the situation settled on him. He could never go back to his old life, to his isolated existence, to a life where no one knew him. Anya and Killian would be in danger forever from their association with him, even if he wiped their memories. They had to remember, which meant they had to remember him, and he had to remember them. Forever, he and Anya would both remember that she’d said she loved him.

  Jesus. What had he done?

  But it didn’t matter what he’d done. It was over. Everything he knew was closed to him now. When this was over, what the hell was he supposed to do? Could he shut himself down emotionally like he had before, knowing that out there somewhere were Killian and Anya, remembering him? Knowing him? How could he go back to that isolated life after having had them both in his space, in his life, screwing everything up? “Why the hell did you pick me?” he shouted out loud to the red-haired woman he’d seen in the bar. “Why me?”

  Of course, she didn’t answer. It was just him, alone in the office he’d assembled so carefully, making it exactly how he liked it. It had been perfection, but now, it was chaotic, messy, and crowded…and so much richer. When he looked at the books scattered on the floor, he could think only of how it felt to be with Anya. When he breathed deep, Killian’s scent slid through him, heavy in the air.

  Sighing, he rubbed his forehead, trying to think. The only way out of this situation was to discharge his duty with Anya. He was to be her guardian, which meant keeping her safe…until when? It had to be when the threat was over. Which threat? The bastard who killed his family? Until he was dead?

  Slade thought about that for a moment, and the longer he thought about it, the more right it felt. He wasn’t trained at keeping people alive, but he was the best in existence at killing people. So, that was why he’d been selected. Because he knew this situation, and because he was the only one capable of killing the bastard he’d been hunting since he was nine. He’d failed his whole life, but the playing field had changed. Anya and Killian were a part of the game now…a deadly game that would endanger all of them. Could he really bring them into it?

  Killian appeared in the doorway. He was dressed entirely in black, wearing clothing that looked suspiciously like the custom fabrics Slade used for his own clothes. “Are those mine?”

  “Yeah.” The pants and shirt fit Killian as if they were made for him. He’d slicked his hair back, but left his jaw unshaven. Nothing could hide the dangerous glitter in his eyes. He looked every bit the predator, not a younger brother that needed protecting.

  Slade looked at his brother, and knew it was time to stop protecting him. He couldn’t go backward. He had to go forward. They both had to go forward. He took a deep breath, and then he began to talk. “The name of the man who murdered our parents and our sister is William Parker. He specializes in kidnapping, breeding, and selling shifters. Dad crossed him many times when he was trying to break the ring. He couldn’t get Dad, so he killed Mom and Jessica. You, me, and Dad weren’t home.”

  Killian stilled, watching Slade intently. “William Parker,” he repeated, his deep voice rolling through the name as if he were tasting it. “I ran across that name while I was searching for you, but I couldn’t find any information on him.” He looked at Slade. “You think he killed my family?”

  “I don’t know about that, but Dad went into hiding to protect us, but Parker found us anyway. He killed Dad while I was out in the woods with you. When we came back, he was still there, and he heard us. He knew we were out there, somewhere. He hunted us for days, but never found us. I left you at the church, and I took off.”

  Killian walked into the room and sat down in an armchair, never taking his gaze off Slade’s face. His eyes were blazing with hunger, with the need to finally find out the truth. At last, Slade understood why Killian had been able to evade Slade’s memory wipe. His brother’s drive to find out the truth of who he was and where he’d come from had driven him to become stronger and more powerful, until all that was left was a man as determined as Slade was.

  “I was going to come get you once Parker was dead,” Slade said. “But I never found him. I was always too late. All I ever found were the remnants of his crimes, the shadows of his existence. Never the man.” He rubbed his hand over the mark on his palm from the dart. “He was at the warehouse tonight. He walked up behind me while I was watching you, put a gun to my head, and called me by name. Said he’d been waiting.”

  Killian leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs. His right knee was bouncing restlessly, the only indication of his reaction to the information. He said nothing. He simply waited for the rest, showing the patience of a true leopard, willing to lie in wait for as long as it took to guarantee victory.

  “That warehouse was one of his, which means he’s behind the kidnapping of Anya’s friend—” Slade saw Anya appear in the doorway. She was wearing a pair of his running tights, which cupped her ass much too well.

  “Keep going,” she said as she walked into the room. “William Parker.”

  He raised his brows. “You were listening?”

  “Of course.” She sat in the chair beside Killian, also perching on the edge. “Continue.”

  Slade looked back and forth between his brother and Anya. Their attention was fixed on him, their faces desperate for the truth, a truth he’d held inside for so long. He realized that it felt right to bring them into it, to share it with them, to build a team with the only two people in the world he trusted. He nodded at Anya. “Your mom and Marjorie kept you girls hidden throughout your life. No one could have known that you and Julia were shifters, right? Unless they knew to look for you.”

  Anya shook her head. “Julia had shifted a few times, but only when we were in the woods, alone, with no one around. But maybe someone—”

  “No.” Slade had no doubt. His gut was screaming to him about what was right. “If Parker ended up with Julia, that means he knew she existed, which means he knew your mom and Marjorie.”

  Anya’s eyes widened. “So, he’s the one they were running from.”

  Slade leaned forward, and said the words he didn’t want to say. “They were pregnant when they ran, right?”

  “Yes.” Her voice faded, and she gripped the chair. “You don’t think he—”

  Her question trailed off, and Killian whistled softly as he looked at her.

  “When my mom was kidnapped by him, he allowed only his sperm to be used on the white leopards,” Slade said. “He wanted the strongest genes for his prize captures, and he believed they were his.”

  Anya’s face paled. “You think he impregnated my mom and Marjorie? That he’s my biological father?”

  “I think so.”

  “Oh, God.” Anya looked like she was going to be sick. “And Julia’s, too.”

  “Which means…” He swore, not wanting to say this. “He may be psychically connected with you. He may be able to track you, like I can track Killian, and he was always aware of me. He may have been tracking you all along, waiting for you to shift before he made his move.”

  Anya stood up, shaking her hea
d. “You’re just guessing. You don’t know any of this, right? You’re just connecting dots that could fit together another way! Why would he wait? If he knew where I was and what I was, why wouldn’t he just grab me from the start?”

  Slade glanced at Killian, and he saw confirmation on his brother’s face. “I don’t know it for sure,” he agreed, “but I never trust facts to guide my decisions. Facts can be manipulated, but energy can’t. Energy is real, and it carries messages that our conscious minds can’t process. I always base my decisions on my gut instincts, and I’m always right.”

  Anya looked back and forth between them. “You agree with him?” she asked Killian.

  He nodded. “It feels right in my gut as well. Everything fits.”

  “Nothing fits!” She paced away from them, wrapping her arms around her torso. “It doesn’t even matter. We just need to find Julia.” She whirled toward Slade. “You said you picked up a trace of Julia. Can you follow it? Can’t we just do that?”

  “I could find her if I were near her.” Slade punched a few buttons on the computer screen, and suddenly a gorgeous, classic mansion appeared on the screen. It was gleaming white, with lawns worthy of the White House, and stone pillars that stretched three stories high.

  Anya knew that building. Everyone knew it. “The Winchester Mansion?” It had once been home to an old, well-funded New York family, but had been turned into a museum of sorts, and a place where the most wealthy elite held black tie affairs with private guest lists consisting of celebrities and the others of equal social and financial standing. Only certain spaces were open to the public, and the rest were under private control.

  Slade braced his hands on the desk, staring at the screen. “William Parker is hosting a charity auction for animal rights tonight. It’s his event.” He looked up, meeting Killian’s gaze.

  “He’ll be there tonight,” Anya said softly, dread welling up. “So, when they attack us here, he has an alibi.”

  A slow smile spread across Killian’s face. “He won’t be expecting us to join the party.”

  Slade grinned. “No. He thinks we’re trapped inside here. We’re not.”

  Anya clenched her fists. “We’re going inside the museum? We’re going to him?” She swallowed hard, fear making it difficult to breathe. This was the man she’d run from her entire life, the one she’d been trained to flee since the day she was born. They were going to him?

  “No. You’re not. You’re staying here.” But even as he said it, she felt the hesitation in Slade’s voice.

  She looked at him. “You’re no longer positive this place is secure, are you? If they can find the location, maybe they can find their way in.”

  “They won’t.” Again, there was the faintest of hesitation, one that she noticed only because she knew him so well.

  She looked at the second computer monitor again, at the men standing there, at the demon still staring at the camera. Fear congealed in her gut. “I can’t stay here,” she whispered. “I can’t sit here like helpless prey, waiting to be attacked.” Dammit. She was so tired of being afraid, of hiding. It hadn’t worked to keep those she loved safe. Julia was still out there, and she was her only chance. She looked up. “I’m coming with you.”

  Conflicting emotions warred in Slade’s eyes, respect and admiration, along with fear and resistance. He looked at Killian, but Anya stood up. “It’s not up to Killian,” she snapped. “I can take care of myself.”

  Slade swore. “These men are killers, Anya. They specialize in hunting down the most dangerous shifters in the world… I don’t want—”

  “I’m not staying behind.” She picked up a letter opener from the desk and clasped it lightly, just as she’d practiced so many times. “I’ve spent my life running, but I was taught how to fight if I needed to.” She narrowed her eyes, then flicked her wrist, unleashing the knife straight at Slade’s throat.

  He snatched it out of the air a split second before it sank into his jugular. Killian whistled softly, but Slade just stared at her. She didn’t need to explain. They both knew how fast he was, and that he’d been in no danger from the blade moving at that speed. She’d merely wanted to show him her accuracy. “I can throw ten times that speed,” she said.

  “Damn.” Killian grinned. “I think she should come with us to protect us.”

  Slade carefully set the letter opener on his desk. “A knife isn’t going to do much if you’re darted,” he said.

  Anya gritted her teeth at his overprotectiveness, but Killian interrupted. “She’s safer with us.” There was something so confident and so dangerous in his tone, that Anya stiffened. How dangerous was he? How much had he decided to emulate his brother in the years he’d been hunting Slade? She looked back and forth between the brothers, both of whom looked so deadly and dangerous.

  “He won’t be expecting us,” Killian said. “The threat will be here.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not.” Slade turned to Anya, his eyes unfathomable. He said nothing, but she saw the torment in his eyes, his understanding that she wasn’t safe no matter where she was.

  “Let me fight, Slade,” she said softly. “I won’t be alone if I’m with you and Killian, but I have the chance to fight. You’ve been at battle your whole life, so you know how important it is to be able to stand up for what matters to you. Julia isn’t simply my friend. If you’re right that Parker fathered us both, then she’s my sister.” She met his gaze. “You’ve gone after him and failed so many times. Maybe you need me this time. Did you think of that? Maybe I’m the difference?”

  “Or me. I’m a badass,” Killian chimed in. “So’s Anya.”

  She grinned at Killian. Really? He thought she was a badass? She liked that. A lot. After being taught to run away her whole life, it felt amazing to have someone see strength in her instead of weakness and vulnerability.

  Then she looked at Slade, her emotions sliding into a holding pattern while she waited for his answer. She needed him to accept her on the mission, to see her as more than the weak victim her mother always perceived her to be. Slade was pure menace, and she needed him to believe she could fight.

  He glanced at Killian, and then looked at her. She saw the torment on his face as he ran his fingers over the blade of the letter opener. Finally, he nodded. One nod. No words. But it was enough. Relief and pride rushed through her, and she couldn’t help the grin that spread over her face.

  Power seemed to roll through her, coming from deep within her. No longer was she the fleeing victim. Today, everything changed. Today, she stopped running, and became the badass that her mother should have been, that they all should have been. Maybe then, things would have turned out differently.

  Slade’s face softened as he watched her smile, and he nodded again. “We go in tonight,” he said. “The three of us. Whether he’s expecting us or not, we’ll be ready.”

  Anya’s heart began to hammer with adrenaline and, yes, more than a little fear. She was ready to fight, but she wasn’t foolish enough not to understand the danger. “You can’t kill Parker,” she said. “Not until we find Julia.”

  Slade again looked at Killian, but this time, it was a hard look, telling his brother not to argue. “Agreed.” He turned his attention toward Anya. “Once we get close, I’ll know if Julia is inside or not. If she is, we’ll find her and get you both clear before we go after Parker.” His eyes narrowed. “It will be your job to keep her safe while we go after him.”

  Her heart stuttered. “You think she’s there? Why would he have her there?”

  Slade brought up another screen, a list of names. “Because I recognize some of the names on the guest list. I think it’s an auction. I think she’s the main attraction.”

  “An auction?” Nausea churned in Anya’s stomach as she peered at the computer, scanning names that meant nothing to her. “He’s selling her like a commodity?”

  “As a white leopard, she’s too valuable for him to sell. I think he’s planning to rent her.”

  “R
ent? Like, by the hour?” She sat down, gripping the edge of his desk.

  “Something like that.” Slade looked over at her, and his voice softened. “You don’t need to go, Anya. You’re safe here.”

  She looked at him. “There are men standing outside your building, looking for a way in. You don’t know for sure that I’m safe here. There’s nowhere that’s safe for me right now, is there?” She sat up, her voice soft but unyielding. “I have to go, Slade.”

  He pressed his lips together, but nodded once.

  Killian leaned forward to look at the screen. “I know some of those. They’re high rollers in the black market for shifters. Some of them could pay a hundred million in cash for her.” He let his finger drift over the screen. “Bastards.”

  Anya swallowed. “When did you find out about this? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Slade shrugged. “Until he attacked me at the warehouse, I didn’t know he was involved. I track what he’s doing, so I knew about the party, but it wasn’t until now that I put all the pieces together.” His eyes flashed. “I’ve tried to get into his parties before, but he always had them guarded tightly. There’s no way to slip inside unnoticed, so I wasn’t planning on trying to get to him there. But when I saw him at the warehouse last night, it made me realize that he’s relevant to this situation. So, yeah, we’re going in.”

  Anya looked at him. “How many times have you gone to one of his events in search of him?”

  Slade met her gaze. “Twenty-seven times.”

  “And you’ve never gotten to him?”

  “No.”

  Her shoulders slumped. How good was William Parker, if he’d managed to evade the Black Swan so many times? “Why would this time be different?”

  “Because this time, there’s too much at stake to fail.” His voice was cold, his eyes glittering, and she knew she was looking at the Black Swan, the man who killed first and never bothered to ask questions. “This time, we’re going in the front door, with the rest of the guests. I can cloak us fairly well. If they’re not looking for us, they won’t notice us. It’ll give us time.”