“Are you denying you gave Harvey a death collar to use on me?” Several nearby shifters turned to look at them. The volume of the nearby conversations dimmed. All eyes were on her. She felt the stares on her back. They empowered her. She straightened her spine. “Well, Councilman Mercer? Are you denying you gave my promised mate a death collar to use on me?”
Boris’s nostrils flared. The look he gave her promised retaliation. He’d make her pay for this. Or try to. She had a feeling Anton wouldn’t allow it to happen, just as she wouldn’t allow him to be accused of a crime he didn’t commit.
“If you wish to air our family’s dirty laundry in public, then I’ll oblige you.” Boris spoke in the most condescending tone she’d ever heard him use. “As we both know, Harvey was weak, but he was rich, which is why I chose him. I did worry I’d chosen poorly, though. Even being as petite as you are, you could’ve won any physical confrontation the two of you had. I warned Harvey if he stood any chance of earning your respect, he’d have to force you to submit to him when he mated you, then often once you were mated until you understood your place.”
Boris was giving her a much different take on what happened than he’d given when they were alone. This one angered her just as much.
“Force me.” Rage twisted her words. “That’s—”
“That’s the way of shifters, my ignorant niece.” Boris raised his voice. “It’s obvious I’ve sheltered you for too long if you think you deserve any respect from your breeding partner. You have to earn it.”
Nyx licked her lips and fought to stay calm. This wasn’t the way she’d wanted this conversation to play out. She’d underestimated her uncle. He’d done the same, however. “You didn’t answer my question, Uncle. Did you give Harvey a death collar to use on me?”
You could’ve heard a pin drop in the room. Even the music had been muted.
“I showed Harvey where I kept my set of training collars. They shock the wearer. I suggested he borrow one when it came time to mate you.” Boris fought a smile. “Perhaps he took a death collar by mistake. I do keep those in the same room for when I assist in interrogating betrayers to our species. The two collars do look similar, and we both know Harvey wasn’t the smartest of males.”
“Which is why you told Harvey where I was staying and when to get into the house. You sent him to his death knowing Anton would kill an intruder, especially one who intended to hurt a female under his protection. You also know it was completely within his right to do so.”
Warmth radiated along her back. The scent of heaven wrapped around her.
Anton.
He’d come to her rescue. The knowledge made butterflies take flight in her belly. It also disturbed her. He was giving away their relationship. Then again, they didn’t have one. She was only his secretary. He’d made that perfectly clear.
Anton stepped next to her, blocking her view of most of the people in the room. “The band is waiting on the two of you to start. Will you be talking much longer?”
“No. I think it’s best if my young niece cools her tongue before this becomes any more embarrassing for her. We’ll talk later, Nyx.” Boris turned and walked away.
Thankful she’d checked her clutch bag at the coatroom, Nyx fisted her hands and stormed forward. She wanted both hands free to fight.
Anton grasped her upper arm. “Come on. The dance is starting.”
Inhaling sharply, Nyx faced Anton. “The dance?”
“Yes.” Anton led her toward the dance floor. “That’s what people do at a celebration such as this. It’s not all mourning and regret. Life goes on, after all.”
She fell into step with him. “But Boris—”
“Is a councilman you’ve basically accused of a crime.” Anton cut her a sharp look. “Unless you want to bring your accusation in front of the Council once we meet in a few days, you likely should discuss your family’s issues in the privacy of your own home.”
“I don’t have a home. Almost everything I own is sitting in the foyer of your place.”
“Then my house will have to be yours.” Anton scanned the room, obviously looking for someone, before meeting her gaze. “For the time being, at least.”
“Who are you looking for?”
“My pride leader, so he can dance with you.”
Nyx stopped walking just as the music started. “You plan on having Kade dance with me. Not you?”
“I did.” Anton surveyed the room a second time. “Apparently, he had to step out for a moment.”
Nyx moved in front of Anton. She pressed a hand to his chest and stood on her toes. “Then I guess you’re stuck dancing with me.” She grinned and spoke a little louder so those around them could hear. “Unless you don’t know what to do with a woman once you have her in your arms.”
Anton’s eyes narrowed. His tone hardened. “Don’t challenge me.”
“Don’t disappoint me.” Without waiting for his response, Nyx turned her back on the councilman she’d once planned to destroy and walked to the farthest corner of the dance floor.
A popular rock song played. Verse after verse passed without Anton taking her in his arms. The other dancing couples cast glances at her. She was the only one on the dance floor without a partner. She stood out. Fine by her. She liked being the center of attention.
Nyx dropped her shawl on a nearby chair, then glided to the little section of the dance floor everyone ignored. She smiled at the men watching her, ignoring the dirty looks from the women in their arms, and swayed to the music. Her skin warmed the longer those men followed her moves. Too bad they weren’t hanging on her every word, but she’d take this. If they watched her enough, they might want to hear her speak. Once they did, she’d point out the hypocrisy of their actions and laws.
Anton’s scent grew stronger. Her eyes closed on a deep inhale. He tempted her on a visceral level while intriguing her on every other. Had he been any other man, she’d focus on making him a committed lover, one who’d warm her bed for years to come. He wasn’t just any man, though. He was Anton Alexander, the most misunderstood member of the Shifter Council. And she was only his secretary.
A firm hand settled on her shoulder, stopping her dance. Heat spread along her skin, adding to the tingling warmth the other councilmen’s attentions spurred within her.
“You’re drawing attention to yourself.” Anton’s deep voice surrounded her.
“And shaming you.” Nyx laughed. “Now everyone here knows the truth about you.”
Anton stepped behind her. The solid weight of his body pressed along her back. He rested his free hand on her hip. “What truth would that be?”
“The most feared member of the Shifter Council is afraid.” She bit the corner of her lower lip to stop her smile from widening. “Of a woman.”
“Yeah?” Anton chuckled. “How do you figure?”
“Because I challenged you in front of your peers.” She shrugged. “You didn’t deliver.”
Anton slid his hand across her lower belly and pulled her closer. “Sorry, Nyx. You don’t know me well enough to jump to such a conclusion. My peers do. And they understand why I let you walk away.”
Nyx brushed her hair back and leaned her head against Anton. “Do you plan on enlightening me?”
“I was giving them a chance to save you.”
“Why?” She didn’t bother hiding her smirk. “Are you that bad a dancer?”
“Maybe. It has been centuries since I last danced.” Anton bent close but didn’t brush his lips against her skin as he’d done many times before. “But I’m a quick learner.”
Hadn’t she said the same thing to him once? “Then there’s no need to save me from your bad dance moves. Is there?”
“That’s not what I want them to save you from.”
“Then what?”
“I want them to save you from me.”
His words sounded innocent, but his tone promised more, a carnal experience that would transform her. She swallowed against the dryness in her
throat. “Don’t tease me, Anton. What are you talking about?”
“Every male in this room knows the real reason I abstain from taking lovers. And it has nothing to do with me not liking women.”
She exhaled a shaky breath. “Then why?”
“I’ve been known to shatter my lovers to the point where they kneel at my feet, begging me for another night in my bed.” Anton turned her in his arms, then wrapped his fingers around her throat. “But I never give in. I never so much as look at them again. And if they don’t take the hint, I ban them from ever stepping foot on this campus.”
Her heart rate quickened. Instead of scaring her, Anton’s words excited her. She wanted to break apart in Anton’s arms, then build herself up around him. “Why do you turn them away? Council members are allowed to keep regular lovers.”
“No female has ever been able to satisfy me.” Anton stroked his thumb over the pounding vein in her throat. “But I’m not a cruel man. Not really. Instead of telling them how inadequate they are, I chose silence. It’s kinder.”
Nyx smiled in an attempt to hide her self-doubt. “And orgasming at your lover’s hands doesn’t count as being satisfied?”
“It hasn’t yet.” Anton bent close and pressed his lips to her ear. “Take your uncle’s advice. Some things should not be discussed in public.”
The sound of a man clearing his throat tore a gasp from Nyx’s throat. She jerked away from Anton and spun. The tall black-haired, green-eyed jaguar shifter standing a couple feet away matched the pictures she’d seen of Colin Lynch, next in line to be the alpha leader of the Lynch family.
Colin dragged his gaze over Nyx, then focused on Anton. “I hope I’m not interrupting something important.”
“Not at all. I was teaching my secretary how her words and actions can land herself in situations that’ll ruin her.”
“I agree.” Colin studied her for a long moment, then faced Anton. “I’m specifically looking for an innocent mate. A night in your bed will ruin her. I’m not so sure I’d want her after you’re done with her.”
She stiffened. Both men talked about her as if she wasn’t right here in front of them. “Excuse me. No man will ever define my worth. I’m a Mercer. We stand alone.”
“Not your worth.” Colin grasped her hand and drew her away from Anton.
Her first instinct demanded she resist. She didn’t want to leave Anton. The people watching them stopped her from fighting Colin. She stepped closer to the second man Boris had chosen to use as a tool to manipulate her. “Then what?”
“Your devotion.” Colin traced her lips. “I don’t want a female who secretly longs for a man who only used her to get off.”
Nyx glanced at Anton. He wasn’t coming to her rescue as he had minutes ago with Boris. Anton stood impassively, watching them.
Anton focused on Colin. “And I’m in no mood to get off. I’d rather keep Nyx as a secretary than use her as a toss-away toy. Of course, if she keeps teasing me, she’ll become one despite my wants.”
“Toss-away toy.” Jaw clenched, she took a step forward. How dare Anton refer to her as something dispensable. She was trying to save his reputation and his life.
Colin hooked an arm around her belly, stopping her. “I appreciate your restraint.”
“And I’d appreciate it if you would walk Nyx home when you’re done with her. I’ve wasted enough time tonight. I have work to do.” Anton turned cold eyes on her. “Alone.”
“Of course.” Colin drew her close. “Nyx will be safe with me.”
“Since you’re a Shifter Affairs agent, I’d hope so.” Anton turned his back on them and walked across the dance floor.
The dancing couples moved out of his way without prompting. Through the opening in the crowd, Nyx caught a glimpse of Kade’s blond hair near the entrance to the dining hall. A moment later, both Anton and his pride leader disappeared.
Nyx’s jaguar stirred. Her cat’s low growl reverberated within her. It didn’t like being in the arms of a stranger. Neither did she. She wanted to be in Anton’s embrace.
He’d ruined her already. She knew it. The soul-deep awareness couldn’t be denied, and she hadn’t even gotten the chance to experience a night of passion in his bed. There was only one difference from Anton’s warning. She wouldn’t beg for another chance to feel Anton’s arms around her. She’d fight for her right to be there. To the death if that was what it took.
Anton was hers.
Chapter 18
The moment the music ended, Nyx slipped from Colin’s arms and made her way to the edge of the dance floor. Her stomach rolled. She couldn’t fake her mood a second longer.
Nyx weaved through the tables. The coatroom beckoned her. She’d check out her purse, then leave. She didn’t care where she’d left her shawl. She had others.
“Normally, people excuse themselves from situations that make them uncomfortable.” Colin laid a hand on her shoulder. “Running makes you look desperate.”
Nyx froze. The realization of what she’d done registered. She shrugged off Colin’s hand and her embarrassment. His opinion of her didn’t matter. “Didn’t I say I was leaving?”
Lifting her hair out of the way, Colin draped her shawl over her shoulders. “No.”
“Hmm…” Nyx crossed the edges of her shawl over her chest. Anton’s scent wafted to her from the fabric. She lifted a section to her face. Instead of calming her, the reminder of the man who’d left her here intensified her edginess. “I must’ve only thought it, then.”
Without looking at Colin, she approached the shifter behind the counter. “I’m ready to leave.”
The woman bent and retrieved Nyx’s purse. Colin snatched it from the other shifter’s hand. He tucked it under his arm, then motioned to the door. “Let’s go, then.”
“I can find my way.”
“And I promised to walk you home.” Colin pressed his hand to the base of her spine and urged her forward.
Once in the hallway, Colin crowded her against the wall. He bent close and lowered his voice. “Besides, you need to be my witness.”
Aware of the other shifters around them, Nyx fisted Colin’s shirt instead of shoving at his chest. Her balled hand worked the same to keep a slight distance between their bodies. “A witness to what?”
“A delivery. I’m completing my assignment.”
The first Alexander’s book. Nyx turned her head to look into Colin’s eyes. Hunger didn’t warm them the way Anton’s did sometimes, but Colin’s eyes were beautiful. They could’ve been gemstones. The perfect cut to his jaw and his straight nose gave him a model-worthy appearance. No doubt he had women falling at his feet. She never would. He didn’t do a thing for her. Besides make her skin crawl.
“Where is it?” Surely, he hadn’t brought it here. There were shifters on the Council who’d make sure it was destroyed permanently. They feared what was written inside. That was why Boris had kept it hidden until now—until she was ready to claim her destiny. Only, she wasn’t ready. There wasn’t a seat for her to claim. She’d have to wait until a feline councilman died of old age. No matter. The book was safer here, locked away in the library where it belonged.
“In my car.”
“Your…” Nyx lowered her voice. “Your car?”
Colin nodded, then handed her purse back to her. They slipped through the main doorway and jogged to where a handful of cars were parked behind the dining hall.
Nyx tightened her grip on Colin’s hand. The foolishness of his actions left her enraged. Anyone could’ve broken the widows on his car and stolen the book.
The rumbling growl of an engine starting carried through the night. She focused on the black sports car with its dark windows. The passenger window rolled down. Colin led her toward it.
She caught a glimpse of blonde hair and red lipstick, but no indication of what shifter animal the female driving the car possessed. Had this woman taken the drug Anton had mentioned to mask her scent?
“My human partner,
Sam. We’re not romantically involved,” Colin offered as if he’d anticipated her question.
His response stoked her curiosity, but not enough to urge her to ask more. Nyx couldn’t care less what this human was to Colin. “She’s guarding—”
“Yes.” Colin cut her off, then reached through the open window and retrieved a burlap-wrapped package. “She is.”
The human female didn’t speak, but she did give Nyx a disappointed look, as if she found Nyx lacking in some way. As if Nyx cared. She raised her chin.
The window closed. The car pulled out. Nyx stared at the retreating taillights. “She didn’t say a word.”
“Sam thinks we’re going to fuck.” Colin led Nyx toward the path leading to the library. “It pisses her off. I’m going to get the silent treatment for days.”
“Why? Aren’t you allowed to have lovers?”
“Sam thinks I’m a man whore. She doesn’t understand why I keep screwing every woman who’ll spread her thighs for me when I know I’m going to be taking a mate soon.”
“Because you should be saving yourself for your future mate?” The concept was sweet but impractical. Shifters needed to fuck. Abstinence left them edgy. And grumpy. Maybe that was Anton’s problem. He needed a good, hard fuck.
“I guess.” Colin punched a code into the keypad on the library door, then pushed it open. “She’ll get over it. She always does.”
Nyx cut a sideways glance at Colin but didn’t respond. She didn’t know much about human females, but she understood how silence acted as a weapon. Anton had been wielding it since she’d moved into his house. Or trying to. So far, she’d been able to counter his reluctance to interact with her.
“Come on. I want to get back to the dance. Boris is waiting for me to give an update.”
“Okay.” She followed Colin across the library and slipped through a door behind the desk.
Before she knew it, a darkened, winding stairwell leading to the basement of the library loomed before Nyx. Near the deepest turn in the stairs, flickering light danced along the walls. The candles did little to brighten the path. Or counter the ominous mood this place gave off. The airy library above was nicer.
Forbidden Mate: Shifter World: Royal-Kagan series book 8 Page 16
