by Lia Davis
Divided Loyalties
An Ashwood Falls Novel
By Lia Davis
Divided Loyalties
An Ashwood Falls Novel
By: Lia Davis
Published by Fated Desires Publishing, LLC.
Copyright 2013 Lia Davis
ISBN: 978-1-62322-066-2
Cover Art by Scott Carpenter
Formatted by IRONHORSE Formatting
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the publisher at
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All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.
Divided Loyalties
Trained to hunt rogues and protect the human race from the threat of shifters, Christa Baker is beginning to rethink her career choice. Especially when her niece and nephew—who she’s raised on her own—end up in the crossfire. Now she’s looking for a way out and disappear off Shield’s radar for good. She never thought her out would be a gorgeous wolf who kidnaps her after raiding Shield HQ.
Hayden Raines has always followed the rules. As the Ashwood Fall wolf Marshal, he has to set the example for those working under him. When he sets his sights on the beautiful human hunter things go downhill, fast. Fate has a funny way of turning things inside out—because the woman he kidnaps, the enemy he might need to protect his family from, just happens to be his mate.
Warning: Contains one woman on a path she’s not ready for, a man who thought things would be different, and a heated exchange that turns out to be the best thing ever.
Dedication
To the man who is my lover and best friend. Thanks for allowing me to dream.
Acknowledgements
I love the Ashwood Falls world, the characters, and the adventures. The series has taken off beyond what I could imagine. I have my readers to thank for that. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for loving the series as much as I do.
I also want to thank my street team for always being awesome and for showing your support in everything you do for me. Love you guys.
Table of Contents
Glossary of Terms
The Ashwood Falls Pack
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
About the Author
Also from this Author
A Mating Dance
A Mating Dance
An Unlucky Moon
Cursed
Glossary of Terms
Alpha – Leader of the Pack
Marshal (First born no matter the sex) – Leader of the enforcers and sentries. The Marshal will also step in to aid the Alpha in his duties when needed. If there isn’t an heir then a Marshal is appointed by the Alpha
Beta – Second born to the Alpha and/or second in command to the heir/Marshal. Generally takes care of Pack issues.
Enforcers – Enforces Pack laws and secures the safety of the den.
Sentries – Generally guards the outer boarders of the Pack property. They can be called in to aid an enforcer in fighting and enforcing the law.
Trackers – Skilled in tracking down rogues and eliminating them
Den mothers/maternal females – Strong and protective, yet not dominate by nature, they watch over the youth in the Pack. Generally work in the nursery and schools and other programs where the children and teens are concerned.
Justice – Pack lawyer with the special psychic ability to read memories through touch in order to place fair judgment on the accused and see the intent of outsiders that come to the den.
Empath – Can connect to the Pack though their emotions and offers comfort when needed and advices the Alphas and Marshals of potential issues between Pack members.
Scribe – Keeps the Pack history through the rare ability to pick up visions through touch. The ability works on objects and people. Many are loners and only like the company of other Scribes.
Rebels – There are two groups: shifters and humans. Shifter rebels had banned together to stop the Onyx and other rogues by force. Human rebels had banned together after discovering the shifter communities and seek to destroy all of them, good or bad.
Council of Elders – Past Alphas and Marshals that form a united ruling body over all Packs to ensure the laws of secrecy from humans are kept and enforced.
The Ashwood Falls Pack
Keegan Andrews - Formal leopard Alpha, now an Elders of Ashwood Falls. Father of Baline, Alec, Shayna, and Ana. Mated to Addyson Lewis. Story told in Surrendering to the Alpha
Addyson Lewis - snow leopard and Pack Scribe. She has no surviving family. Mated to Keegan Andrews. Story told in Surrendering to the Alpha
Blaine Andrews – Formal leopard Marshal, now the leopard Alpha. Keegan’s eldest son. Brother to Alec, Shayna, and Ana. Mated to Graham Griffin and Cameron Nickels. Story told in A Mating Dance.
Cameron Nickels - black jaguar, a Sr. enforcer. Sister to Jared Nickels. Mated to Blaine Andrews and Graham Griffin. Story told in A Mating Dance
Graham Griffin - Puma, architect by trade. Son of Sarah Matthews. Nevan Matthews’s stepbrother. Story told in A Mating Dance
Alec Andrews – Leopard Beta until another one can be appointed and the new leopard Marshal. Brother to Blaine, Shayna, and Ana.
Shayna Andrews – White tiger. Keegan’s adopted daughter. The Pack princess and a den mother. Sister to Blaine, Alec, and Ana. Story told in A Tiger’s Claim.
Travis Hunter – wolf. Formal Alpha to Hunter Ridge until Onyx invaded the den and destroyed his Pack. Now the Ashwood Falls Pack Tracker. Father to Jocelynn, aka Josie, and son to Robyn Hunter. Story told in A Tiger’s Claim.
Jared Nickels - black jaguar, Pack Justice, brother to Cameron.
Zorana (Ana) Darwin-Andrews – leopard. Daughter to Keegan.
Kieran Michaels – Leopard Elder of Ashwood Falls. Formal spy inside the Onyx den. No surviving family.
Luna Raines - Wolf Alpha. Mother to Hayden, Dane and Tanner. Mate is deceased
Hayden Raines, Wolf Marshal. Brother to Dane and Tanner. Mated to Christa Baker. Story told in Divided Loyalties.
Christa Baker – Human mate to Hayden. Formal rebel hunter. Caretaker to her twin niece and nephew, Brenna and Bryce. Story told in Divided Loyalties.
Dane Raines – Wolf Beta and an enforcer. Brother to Hayden and Tanner. Son to Luna.
Tanner Raines, a wolf sentry. Brother to Hayden and Dane. Son to Luna.
Danica Welsh-Matthews – Leopard Pack Healer. No surviving family. Mated to Nevan Matthews. Story told in Winter Eve
Nevan Matthews – Human Pack Empath. Stepson of Sarah Matthews and stepbrother to Graham Griffin. Mated to Danica. Story told in Winter Eve
Chapter One
Something didn’t ring right with Christa Baker as she sat in the conf
erence room listening to the new leader of Shield rattling on about rogue shifters. He said they were growing in numbers, yet he hadn’t provided any physical proof. Sure a few humans had gone missing, most of whom were homeless, and according the police, their disappearances weren’t that unusual.
She failed to see his point because shifters were born, not created. So why would they need to kidnap humans?
Her new boss had gone on and on for the last several weeks about an increase in shifter sightings. Again, no proof. Christa had checked.
She could pull up anything from the Internet. Social networks like Facebook and YouTube were the best places to look for the weird and unusual.
There hadn’t been a human attack by a shifter since she’d killed the beast in her home eight years ago. It had been her first encounter with what she now knew was called a mutant, a half-animal, half-human creature with no regard for life—its own or others’.
However, Vance Miller believed a civil war was raging among the breeds that had spilled over into the human world. There was something he’d left out, something bigger than he wanted her and the others in Shield to believe. So what if the shifters were at war with one another and killing themselves? Was it the mutants? If so, then they deserved what they got. They’d created the damned creatures; they could all go to hell as far as she cared.
It wasn’t Shield’s place to get involved in the shifters’ civil war. Shield was a human-run group of rebels that went above the law to protect mankind from the were-kind or shifters, as they liked to be called. She didn’t care what they called themselves as long as they left the humans alone. So far, in the eight years she’d been with Shield, the shifters had. However, there was the occasional mishap—like the mating-gone-wrong situation her sister had suffered.
Mary didn’t have the chance to run when her mate turned on her in a fit of jealous rage. Or at least that’s what Christa believed happened. Her niece and nephew, fraternal twins Brenna and Bryce, had been only eight at the time and thankfully not at home to witness how their mother died.
However, Christa had been the one to ID the body.
From that day forward, Christa had fought for Shield to protect humans from the shifter races.
Up until a few months ago, Shield hadn’t attacked innocents or started wars between the shifters, but then Vance had stepped in as the new leader of Shield. He’d changed the way the others thought, more like manipulated them into believing his load of bullshit. She wasn’t sure how he’d done it, but the others just bowed down to him and believed every lie out of his mouth.
How could they be so blind to his cause?
Then again, the other soldiers couldn’t detect a shifter like she could. Sure, they all had training to know what to look for. Eye color was the biggie. Most shifters had an unusual coloring, and when they were challenged or provoked, their eyes seemed to glow. Plus the pupils were reflective like the animal that lived within.
Christa had lived with two shifters for the last seven years. She’d been there when Brenna and Bryce shifted for the first time. She’d also helped them control their wolves, thanks to the information her sister had shared with her when she was alive.
“My sources tell me that the rise in shifter attacks points to a hybrid Pack of wolves and leopards called Ashwood Falls,” Vance said then tapped on the table to get her attention.
She met his gaze and held it until he looked away, but not before she caught the flashing shift of color in his irises. Satisfied she wasn’t being paranoid about what he was, she asked, “How trustworthy is this source? Why haven’t we heard about attacks from our police contacts? It should be all over the Internet.”
Vance set his jaw and turned away from them to study the map on the wall. “The shifters are very good at hiding these things from humans. You, of all people, should know that, Christa.”
Fucking ass…
What she really wanted to say was, “Like you, asshole,” but she refrained and squashed her temper down before it got her in trouble. Again. “How sure are you?” she asked in a slightly softer tone.
See? She could be calm and cool.
He peered at her over his shoulder and smiled one of those smiles that held no humor or amusement. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were protecting the shifters.”
She narrowed her eyes and wished she had the gift of pyrokinesis so she could light his ass on fire. Okay so maybe that was a little extreme, but she didn’t trust or like him. The darkness he held around him put her on edge every time he was near. “I wouldn’t want to go in and destroy the wrong den when there could be a bigger threat out there. I just like to be sure.”
The truth was Vance had taken all the control of research and strategy from her when he took over the unit. That annoyed the hell out of her, and it also left her feeling as though she was going into an OP blind.
She swore he let out a low growl before he called the meeting to an end. Gathering her notebook and pen, she moved toward the door, only to stop when Vance stepped in her path. She fisted her free hand by her side and silently counted backward from ten. One corner of Vance’s lips lifted. She wanted so badly to punch that smirk right off his face.
Or just shoot him.
If there was a rogue, it was him for sure.
“What’s the rush?”
She stared into his dark brown eyes and squared her shoulders. “I skipped lunch.”
He moved to the side, and she stepped forward. He gripped her biceps and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Tell the brats to stay safe.”
She jerked out of his grip and stormed down the hall to the lobby of Shield HQ, away from the bastard shifter-acting-human. Only then did she allow her heart to pound uncontrollably and let fear consume her.
Pulling out her phone, she sent a one-word text to an untraceable cell.
Marco.
A few seconds later she got a reply.
Polo.
Relief flooded her system and threatened to make her knees give out. She had to get a grip. The twins were safe and very smart. But still she insisted on the text codes for her own piece of mind.
Although Vance had just threatened her niece and nephew. At least that was what she took it for, a threat. Maybe he knew they were wolves. No. He’d never met—or even seen them.
She had to get out of Shield and disappear. Fall off the radar for good.
But how?
When she reached the lobby door, she jerked back as it flew open to reveal a large man with black hair and bright green eyes that bored into her as he moved forward. She sidestepped him, but he was too quick. He snaked one arm around her waist, drew her into the hard length of his side, while he held a gun straight out, and fired at everyone around them.
She screamed, but no one heard her over the gunfire. Shield soldiers came from the back offices, weapons drawn. Two more men stepped up beside her and her captor then rushed the wall of Shield soldiers, killing them with ease like trained assassins.
Christa twisted and kicked with no results. The man had a death grip around her waist. “Let me go. We don’t have money in here.”
He didn’t reply, which was no surprise to her. She didn’t expect him to. Think, Christa. She scanned the large lobby, and her heart ached for the men and women she’d worked with for the last eight years. They were giving it their all, but it wasn’t good enough. One by one, they fell.
And she was helpless, trapped in the arms of the murderer.
One of her captor’s allies, an auburn-haired man, advanced down the hall. He came back a few minutes later and said, “He’s not here.”
The man holding her firmly to his body growled. “Let’s go.” He shot the last soldier before turning her around to face him.
She gasped. No fucking way. He was a shifter.
The way his eyes reflected off the light told her that. Frantic, she shoved against his chest. He wouldn’t budge. “Let me go!”
He lifted a brow and studied her for a moment or tw
o as though he was trying to read her mind or something. Oh, no he wouldn’t. She yanked her knee up and connected with his balls, hard. He cursed and let go of her as he doubled over.
She didn’t waste time. She ran for the door, only to skid to a halt as the auburn-haired man appeared in front of her. What the fuck? A teleporter? No, he hadn’t materialized in front of her. She’d seen it done before. Fucking shifter speed was what he’d used to reach her so fast.
Christa patted her hip. Damn. She’d left her gun in her car because it was always too tempting to shoot Vance if she took it into the meeting.
She tried to fake a left and then moved right to move around him when the other man gripped her by the arm. A sharp stick in the arm made her jerk. She peered at the man as he pulled a needle out of her arm.
Son of a bitch.
Her vision blurred, and her legs wobbled, no longer able to hold her up.
“Bastards,” she managed to say before everything went black.
****
“What the fuck did you do that for?” Hayden gritted out as he straightened, his balls still throbbing.
Damn female.
Kirk, the leopard sentry, capped the needle and slid it into a red plastic bag. “She’s a runner and a liability. Unless you preferred me to let her go, because I wasn’t going to be the next one she racked in the balls.”
Tanner, who was currently holding the female steady, bent to scoop her up in his arms, but Hayden sent him a warning growl and halted his brother. With a raised brow, Tanner waited for Hayden to hobble over and take the female from him.
Hayden led his brother to the Range Rover while Kirk stayed behind to wait on Blaine, the new leopard Alpha of Ashwood, to teleport in with another sentry to clean house. Blaine normally couldn’t teleport to a place he’d never been, but he could flash to someone who was linked to him. Kirk, as well as Tanner and Hayden, were tied to the leopard Alpha by a blood bond. So Blaine could teleport to them without effort.
