After she refused a protector, he comforted himself with knowing it was him or no one for Sakura, and he watched her leave. He checked his watch and dug into his jacket for his own boarding pass. He had a flight to Juneau to catch, and just the thought of meeting with shifters openly set his teeth on edge. Birk, the polar bear shifter, lover to Sakura’s youngest sister, had agreed to talk to him after he explained what he needed, but he had no way of knowing if the man believed Adam was not setting a trap. On that same token, he didn’t know if the shifter wanted revenge for what the Keiths had put him and his people through when they ran off with Shiya. This meeting was a big risk on both sides, but Adam saw it as his only option.
A little over seven hours later, his flight touched down in Juneau, and Adam checked in to the villa he had arranged for. Once he’d refreshed himself with a shower and a change of clothes, he set out for his meeting. Being his first time in Juneau, he took in the small downtown area with shops, crowds of tourists walking along beside him, and at the end of the street a majestic mountain. He’d traveled to many countries with Sakura, and the world’s natural beauty held the same appeal.
The saloon Birk had selected couldn’t be missed on Franklin Street. He stepped into the establishment with his nerves stretched tight and tension stiffening the muscles across his back. Sawdust beneath his feet, he paused to take in his surroundings, realizing he had no idea what Birk looked like. The place was rustic in design, woodwork everywhere and a stuffed bear over the bar. He wondered what Birk and his people thought of that.
“Not one of mine,” came a voice behind him. Adam spun to face the man who’d just passed through the doorway. He looked like a lumberjack in Adam’s opinion, just as earthy as the establishment in a button up shirt, old jeans, and scuffed boots. Adam supposed with the overlong, dirty-blond hair, maybe a woman would find him appealing. For himself, he sensed a bit of danger lurking behind the friendly eyes and stayed on alert.
“Birk?” Adam asked to confirm.
“In the flesh.” Birk moved past him without trying to shake his hand and led the way to an already occupied table. Adam frowned, but as they reached it, the two men sitting there stood, nodded a greeting to Birk, and then melted away. Were they the shifter’s people or humans Birk had intimidated into doing his bidding? Birk sat down and gestured to the chair opposite him. “Have a seat.”
Adam sat down. “How did you know it was me?”
Birk chuckled and tapped his nose. “You have a scent on you similar to Shiya’s. I assume it’s what her sister smells like.”
Adam ground his teeth. He didn’t like this shifter thinking about how Sakura smelled. He’d been intoxicated with her fresh, sweet scent for years, and loved it. Even without the nose of a bear, he recognized Sakura’s unique fragrance, which was all her.
“Easy, partner,” Birk teased. “I don’t have designs on Sakura. Shiya is everything.”
Adam’s eyes widened. “That’s an odd way of putting it.”
“You would understand if you knew the bond we share.”
“You and her?”
“My kind,” Birk corrected. Birk paused as one of the men who’d been sitting at the table earlier returned with two beers. He set one in front of Adam. Birk nodded his thanks and drained half of his in one swallow. Adam took a cautionary sip and enjoyed the flavor. “Don’t worry. It’s not poisoned.”
“How do you know I didn’t come here to attack you?” Adam countered.
“You came alone.”
Adam inferred a lot from the simple statement. Birk meant he was no match for Birk by himself, let alone the other shifters that might live in Juneau. He didn’t bother asking how Birk knew he’d come alone. Adam had been taught how to know if he were being tracked, but apparently there was still a lot to learn. He had seen no one watching him, nor picked up on being followed to the villa or on the way to the bar. Then it occurred to him maybe Birk could smell him from the airport. Could he distinguish between all the humans that arrived in and left the city? If so, that blew his mind.
Birk chuckled and signaled to his friend for another beer. “Don’t hurt your head over it.”
Adam frowned. “You can’t read minds.”
“No, but I can tell you’re trying to figure me out. Something you can use in your hunt, information to share with the Keiths?” This time, the amusement left the man’s tone to be replaced with bitterness. “Tell me why you’re here if it’s not to try to kill me.”
Adam glanced around, searching for Kotori, Shiya’s other lover. “The other one isn’t here? Or Shiya?”
Birk’s blue eyes darkened. “Leave Shiya out of this.”
Adam held up his hands. “That’s exactly what I want. I don’t want her to know about what we discuss, because…” He hesitated. “I don’t want it to get back to the Keiths.”
The shifter’s eyes widened. “Now you have me intrigued.”
Adam finished his beer and brushed a hand over his mouth. He rolled his shoulders and looked Birk in the eyes. “I want you to make me like you.”
Birk’s jaw dropped. His fresh glass of beer tumbled to the table and almost spilled, but he caught it in time. Some of the color in his cheeks vanished, but then his confusion turned to anger. “Why would you want that?”
Adam was prepared for the question. “The way I see it, the only way to get Sakura is to be a shifter.” He paused and glanced around them. Birk waved away his concern that they would be overheard. No one seemed to pay them any mind, and he wondered how many of the patrons weren’t human. Thinking that way made him fidget a bit in his seat. Now he wished he’d brought along a weapon as added protection. No, I can’t think that way anymore. They are no longer my enemy.
Birk shook his head. “That makes no sense. From what I hear, Sakura hates my kind more than all the others, more so now with her sisters mated to shifters. The middle one is no longer human.”
Adam puzzled over the word mated, but didn’t question Birk about it. He’d learned about shifters finding partners they believed they were meant to be with and forming a bond that was unbreakable, but he knew the full meaning escaped humans.
Feeling self-conscious, he muttered, “Sakura loves me.”
“So you want to control her. Is that it? Force her to be with you?”
“Of course not!” Adam half rose from his chair, but he remembered he was the one who needed Birk, and he reined in his temper. So far he had failed to convey how he felt because of his pride and because shifters tended to exude masculinity. He had no desire to look like a punk in front the man.
“Turning is dangerous. I’m sure you know you could die.”
“A mi plín. I don’t care. I’d risk anything to be with her. I know this is the best way.”
“You love her,” Birk said with dawning understanding. “I know about the Keiths. They are an arrogant family. They’ve been hunting my kind for generations, and they think somehow that makes them superior. The one thing they do respect is our strength and that we’re not to be taken lightly. You believe by becoming what Sakura respects, she will look up to you.”
“I don’t wish to be above Sakura. I don’t want to rule her. I want her to see me for more than the green man she once knew. As…what you are, she’ll open her eyes. I know she will.”
“And if she rejects you? Then what? In fact, you risk her deciding to kill the man she loves. That would hurt her a lot more, maybe even destroy her. Did you think of that?”
“Night and day,” Adam said. “This isn’t a decision I came to overnight. I know Sakura better than anyone. She’s not the hard-hearted woman many make her out to be. She’s strong physically, but emotionally, she can be very vulnerable. She’s afraid to let me in, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t found a place already inside her. I will burrow deeper and deeper until she can’t deny me.”
“You could do that as a human.”
He shook his head. “I never said I was perfect. I want her now. Besides, the biggest reason Sa
kura thinks she can’t give in to her feelings is because she thinks she’ll be much more open to the enemy’s attack.”
“If there is no longer a reason to fight…” Birk concluded, and Adam nodded.
Birk sat in silence for a while, having another beer. Adam nursed a second one but didn’t drink much. He wanted all his faculties about him, and from the glance Birk gave him, he guessed the man knew his reservations. Here Adam was asking Birk to make him a shifter and yet, he couldn’t trust them. Adam had no doubt that Birk felt the same. The man’s next words confirmed it.
“I can’t be sure this isn’t some elaborate scheme. The Keiths will do anything to get their man. Granted, they usually use the beautiful Keith daughters to seduce the men, but since we are aware of who and what they are, maybe the family has come up with a new tactic.”
Adam opened his mouth to respond, but Birk continued.
“That’s why I’m meeting you and not Kotori. My friend believes this is a trap. I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. Kotori would just as soon rip off your head as talk to you.”
Adam flinched at the image the words produced in his mind.
“We also agreed to keep Shiya out of the city for the time being.”
Adam frowned. “You’re holding her hostage?”
“Of course not! Shiya is our mate. As I said earlier, she’s everything. We’ll keep her safe no matter the threat.”
“But she must want to see her family.”
“She misses her sisters and her dad, but they’re on different sides now. There’s nothing any of us can do.”
“I can make a difference,” Adam insisted, leaning forward. “With Sakura. Give me the chance.”
Birk studied his face for a long time, and Adam did his best to look trustworthy. He might have come in here not knowing what to expect, holding on to his own prejudices against shifters. Talking to Birk had felt awkward and even wrong at first. He’d always kept his distance, watching over Sakura while she seduced the men suspected of being something other than human. He’d hated seeing them touch her or her touching them, but he was never privy to conversation. He had been taught that shifters came off as human and could fool anyone who did not know to look for the signs. Adam found this to be untrue with Birk, unless the training referred to lower level shifters. Birk didn’t give off any signs—no sudden shifting of the eyes, no violent temper, no claws forming from out of nowhere. Then again, Birk had no reason to lose control in this place. Juneau was his home, and clearly, he did not consider Adam a threat.
“If I’m changed,” Adam said, “I am an immediate enemy to the Keiths. Correct?”
“Yeah.”
“So, I’m not a part of any plot on their part.”
“Good point.” Birk slapped his hands down on the table. “Since neither I nor my friend can make shifters, it’s out of our hands.”
Disappointment tightened Adam’s gut.
“But,” Birk continued, “I might know someone. I’ll explain everything. If this person is willing, you’ll get what you want. If not, you will be killed.”
Adam stared, looking for the joke. “You’re serious.”
“Deadly.” He reached inside his jacket and felt around then pulled out a business card. Adam caught the word “antiques” on the front before Birk flipped the card over. He scribbled a name and number. “Give me a couple days.”
Adam took the offered card and looked at the number. “Nine seven two. That’s Texas, isn’t it?”
Birk winked. “You don’t mind traveling for what you want, do you?”
“Not at all.” Adam stood and held out his hand. “Gracias, amigo.”
“No problem.”
Adam left the saloon and walked along Marine Way. He had a lot to think about. The truth was, he had no way of knowing if Birk would tell his friend to kill him no questions asked. Birk had admitted himself his friend Kotori would just as soon end his life as look at him, especially if he thought Adam threatened Shiya’s safety. The intensity in the man’s words had shaken him. Adam believed these two creatures did love Shiya, and they wouldn’t hesitate to attack anyone they thought would hurt her. He couldn’t blame them for that. He would do the same for Sakura. In fact, he had done it on more than one occasion, but he’d done so in conjunction with his job.
When he reached his room after almost an hour and a half of walking around, he removed the card Birk had given him and read the name. Laila Stark. The person who could change Adam into a shifter was a woman, and only now as he lay back on his bed did he realize he’d neglected to ask what kind of animal she could make him, and what was the process—a bite? A scratch? He considered calling Birk but then decided to wait and see. He hated having to hold off two days because that left Sakura forty-eight hours without his protection. Too many out there gunned for the Keiths. Well, he would get there soon enough, and then they would talk. How he would break it to her, he had no idea, but he would.
After a few more moments of relaxation, Adam stood and moved to the desk to open his laptop. He had arrangements to make and a letter to write to Sakura just in case he died two days from now. He wanted her to understand how deeply he loved her and to be sure she never blamed herself. He doubted she would walk away from hunting shifters if one killed him, but she would at least be secure in what he had felt for her. He could offer nothing else but all of himself.
Chapter Three
Sakura wiped moisture from her forehead as she climbed into the rental and frowned at her surroundings. This was the fourth hotel she’d visited, yet none was the right place. Her feet hurt, her throat was dry, and her stomach growled because she’d neglected to eat breakfast. Why did it have to be so damn difficult to at least pin down the hotel? Then a new thought struck her. What if her mother hadn’t died in a hotel but a motel, a cheaper establishment? She hated the thought considering she’d never stepped into anything below five star, but the beast that abducted her mother could have taken her to a seedy place where he’d be less likely to be found out.
She turned over the car’s engine and made sure the A/C was on max and let the air cool her overheated body. Her sundress clung, and she fanned it, leaning close to the vent. While she hadn’t really come to Florida to lie on the beach, the water and a mimosa called to her. Ever since she’d given her dad the excuse of a vacation, she wanted to stretch out and relax. Working nonstop got to a person after a while.
If Adam was here… She cut off such thoughts and drove the man from her mind. Adam declined coming along, and he didn’t deserve her dwelling on thoughts of him. Let him rot in California! Of course, as much as she raged internally, she missed him. Her bed seemed bigger and lonelier at night, and for some stupid reason, she felt less safe.
“Okay, get a grip, Sakura. You’ve been taking care of yourself for years. You don’t need a man to do it now.”
After checking GPS on her phone, she found a likely strip of motels and decided to check them out. She jerked the car into gear and started off. Half hour later, she drew up to a building that screamed cheap. Sakura removed her sunglasses as she stepped out of the car and stared up at the building. Did someone really think they would class up this place by painting the doors and edging powder blue? Small potholes littered the parking lot, and the manicured bushes outside the main office seemed to be dying. Two giant palm trees leaned toward the lot, heavy with coconuts. Sakura peered back at the car as she approached the door. She’d probably be okay, but staying more than a minute to confirm whether this motel was the right one wasn’t happening.
“Good morning,” the chipper, blue-haired lady behind the counter greeted her. “Welcome to Miami. Will that be a room for one?”
“Thanks,” Sakura said, deciding against admitting she wouldn’t be staying. “I was wondering if any of your rooms have a view of this bridge.” She’d made a copy of the picture and removed her mom from it to keep from scaring the people she questioned.
The old lady took the photocopy and squinted at
it. “Oh, the Seven Mile Bridge. You know it’s known all over the world. People come from everywhere to see it.”
Sakura groaned. “Yes, but the view…”
“The view? Oh sure,” the woman said in a conversational tone, “you can see the bridge from many motels. Not just this one. I—”
“I’m sorry,” Sakura pushed between clenched teeth. “Perhaps I have the wrong motel.”
Confusion colored the woman’s face. “So, you don’t want to stay in room twenty-four?”
Pain pulsed in Sakura’s temple. “Room twenty-four?”
A toothy grin and a tap on the page. “Yes, this is room twenty-four. I know because I made that flamingo picture on the wall myself. I’m not so much into crafts lately since the arthritis has gotten so bad.”
“Can I see the room?”
The woman blinked at Sakura’s rudeness, but hope rose in her chest, and she found it hard to calm down. She might have actually found the place where her mother died. When the old woman grabbed a key from behind the counter, Sakura blew out a breath of relief. The progress out of the office and up the stairs at the end of the building seemed to take forever. At last they arrived outside the room, and Sakura again had to tamp down her impatience while the woman fumbled with the lock and key.
The door swung open, and Sakura stepped inside. Aqua colored walls, plastic stark white chairs sat around a small circle table, and full size bed crowded the tiny room. She spotted the flamingo picture right away and the view beyond it. Her heart hammered as she compared the view with the picture and found it a dead on match. On shaky legs, she crossed the threadbare carpet to the bed and stood beside it. An image of her mother lying there sprang to mind, and tears flooded her eyes. She clutched her stomach and rushed out of the room, gulping huge breaths of air.
Miami Heat Page 2
