by Sedona Venez
She pounded on the table. “Well, I do.”
Cortez shook his head in amazement. “You trust her? That’s comical. You didn’t even trust her enough to tell her the truth. Now, that jackass Mason, who thinks he’s the next leader of the tiger-shifters, has kidnapped her. Do you know how dangerous that is?”
Kara’s fists clenched.
He continued. “I warned you this would happen. She’s now under the control of the one Other on this earth she should never be with.” He slammed his hand on the table, rattling the glasses. “And now you walk into my restaurant, demanding we declare war against the tiger-shifters?” He threw his hands up in the air. “Unbelievable.”
“I did it to protect her.”
He bristled, pointing his finger at her with anger. “Bullshit! You did it to protect yourself. Now tell me, Querida. Are you willing to accept the repercussions of going against Glen?”
Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t owe him or the High Council anything. And at this point, I don’t give a shit if the Others know the truth about her. If it will save her ass, I’ll do what’s necessary.”
He laughed icily. “If you had told the truth, you wouldn’t be in this predicament. Do you know the wrath that will be unleashed if the Others find out she was created to finish what Mist couldn’t? They’ll kill her.” He smiled coldly. “Or pimp her out to the highest bidder. That’s one powerful little girl, and whoever owns her will have the High Council by the balls. But you already know that.”
Kara opened her mouth, then snapped it shut. There was no easy answer this time. It was complicated. He knew it and so did she.
“I’ll always be here protect her and guide her to do the right thing. But if she wants to use her power to kill the Others, I know that even I can’t stop her.” She locked eyes with him. “I know what you’re thinking, Cortez. You want to kill her, but I’m telling you that would be a big fucking mistake. Despite the evil Glen put inside her, Infinity is still the Immortals’ spirit daughter. Kill her and they will retaliate.”
His eyes hardened. “No one has seen or heard from a damn Immortal in years. They turned their backs on us. Even Azura walked away when she lost the chance to lead the High Council. Glen and Gibbs are the last of the Druids.”
“The Immortals didn’t turn their backs on us. I feel them every day and they’re waiting.”
“Waiting for what?” He sneered.
“I don’t know… but I think it has to do with Infinity. That’s why she must live.” She couldn’t trust Cortez with what she suspected. It was too dangerous. The fact that Infinity was coming into her powers as Glen’s probation period was ending reeked of brewing trouble ahead. The Immortals were plotting something big.
Cortez snorted. “Bullshit! The Immortals don’t give a shit if Infinity dies. The only logical thing to do is kill her before she kills us.”
She leaned forward angrily. “She’s our only salvation.”
He gave her a little sliver of a smile, like a cat with a mouse. “You mean the Valkyries’ only salvation. Are you sure you aren’t compromising everyone with your refusal to kill her for purely selfish reasons?”
“I’m not afraid to die, Cortez. We all must pay for our sins.”
“Querida, I was born from sin and death. I have nothing to repent for.”
She arched a brow. “Who are you kidding? Both of us have plenty of repenting to do.”
He snorted before pushing back from the table and walking over to the window with long, graceful strides. He stared silently at the Manhattan skyline before finally saying, “I will call the Other Council, but I can’t guarantee they’ll agree to sever the pact.” He turned to look at her. “In truth, it’s not something I believe is in the best interest of my clan or Others.”
She stood and walked over to him. “Leave the convincing to me.”
Cortez yanked her close. Kara blinked. Confused and suspicious. Her eyes looked for tricks, but all she saw was rare emotion in his eyes before he kissed her hard and fast. She moaned as their tongues dueled and hands moved fast, hungry and desperate. Cortez pulled back, pressing his lips against her neck. She tensed before running her hands through his silky hair, briefly enjoying the pleasure of his smell and touch before grabbing his hair roughly, yanking him away.
Roughly, he grabbed her face between his hands. “Would it be so bad to stay by my side as my consort?”
“And then what?” She hissed. “We pretend the evil man you are doesn’t exist? I’m no saint, but I’m not a cold-blooded killer either… not anymore.”
He snarled before grabbing the back of her neck, holding her immobile. “I’m not going to change, Kara. Even for you.”
She closed her eyes briefly, pushing down all of the regrets, hope, and frustration. It would never work between them. “Did I ever ask you to change?”
“This is me. Take or leave it,” he barked.
She blinked back the unexpected tears. “I have to leave it, Cortez. My daughter and Valkyries need me. You don’t.”
“You’d be surprised about what I need,” he responded with a husky voice.
Her heart stopped, her love for him fighting its way to the surface before she buried it with brute force. “We both have needs, but yours don’t matter.” Not anymore.
He grabbed her hand roughly, making sure to graze his canines against it while kissing it. “Well, that’s a damn shame.” He pushed her away roughly. “Well, let the circus begin…” He pulled out his cell and began dialing.
CHAPTER 7
New York… Friday
The ringing of Boulder’s cell echoed throughout the vehicle. He jammed his finger against the speaker button. “Yeah?”
“We’ve got a problem,” Kara hissed. “Cortez just called the Other Council.”
“And?”
“There’s some internal fighting about having the meeting today.”
“We’re running out of time.” Boulder punched the gas. Traffic blurred. “The meeting has to happen today.”
“I didn’t say it was over. I’m fucking working on it. I’ll be over when I’m done,” she barked before clicking off.
“Shit.” He was already on edge. His hands clenched the steering wheel, feeling the duelling Alpha energy—his and Torch’s—choking the air.
“I don’t trust her,” Torch mumbled.
“I don’t trust Kara either.”
Torch looked at him pointedly. “I’m talking about Infinity.”
His jaw clenched. “She hasn’t given you a reason not to trust her.”
“Yet.”
Boulder sighed tiredly. The rift over Infinity threatened to destroy everything they’d built. As friends and owners of Channing and Vigari Corporation, they had a lifetime of history that formed a brother-like bond. It sealed their stability, and breaking that bond wasn’t a decision he took lightly. He also didn’t take lightly to declaring war against the Degrassi pride. He knew it risked angering Glen and the High Council. It was suicide to go against them, especially given what he now knew about his real parents.
But right now, none of that mattered. It didn’t matter the illusion of a perfect and privileged life his adoptive parents had created was a house of sand, an illusion that quickly disappeared when rogues assassinated them. Nothing mattered after that. He went from a cocky teen living a privileged life to a rebellious orphan living on the New York streets. It was rough and very dangerous. There were days he didn’t think he’d survive. But everything changed when he met Torch, an orphan just like him, and instantly, they formed a bond and beat the odds by fighting their way to the top—taking no prisoners along the way.
Now years later, after creating a billion-dollar elite security firm specializing in deadly missions of rescuing ultra-rich Others and humans kidnapped by rogues, they had a lifestyle that most people would kill for. But even with all that, they still wanted the one thing Maxim, the New York wolf king, dangled before them like a bone i
n front of a dog: the Wolf Covenant granting them official pack status.
It was their dream and the dream of the misfit Others they now called family. But he knew now, even without the bullshit official title, they were a pack to be reckoned with. This is what Torch refused to accept, that not having official pack status wouldn’t change what they were—a pack. His mother told him months ago, a truth now confirmed by the reality of recent events… the whirlwind arrival of Infinity into his life. She was his, despite their opposing bloodline, and somehow, they would make it work—they had to.
Boulder glanced at Torch with unease. He felt Torch’s hurt and loneliness, but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. Torch had to face his demons on his own. Only he could get past the hurt of losing the one thing that every wolf-shifter dreamed of finding… their true-mate. A hurt Torch lived with like a bitter pill since the day she disappeared without a trace.
But that was years ago, and instead of dealing with it, Torch buried his feelings in a shell of hard bitterness while sleeping his way through a ton of women. Boulder was far from a saint, but after a lifetime of trophy women, both shifter and human, he realized he needed more. He just didn't think he had a chance in hell of finding that elusive connection that would complete him. A connection wolf-shifters lusted after with dogged obsession. Now he was among the very few who had found their true-mate, and there was no way in hell that anyone, including Torch, was going to stand in his way of claiming her.
Anxiously, his wolf clawed his insides. He needed to take action, to tear apart the country to find that fucking tiger-shifter who took his mate. Instead, he was driving to the Channing and Vigari headquarters, otherwise known as C&V, and waiting until Kara got word from the Other Council that a meeting with them was granted. His fingers clenched the steering wheel from the thought of those pompous members thinking they had the power to determine his fate.
“How long do you expect this thing between you two to last?” Torch asked.
Caught off guard, Boulder kept his eyes on the road. “As long as any true-mating—for life,” he responded calmly.
“And when she finds out what you truly are?” Torch goaded.
Boulder's heart raced at the possibility of Infinity walking away from him. He would never recover, and neither would she.
Torch continued. “Do you think she'll ever trust you?”
Boulder quickly analyzed the hard facts. Torch did have a point. He was the last of the pureblood Druids and only son of Azura Thorburn. And Azura had been adamant that he was born to take the throne from Glen. “Who I am won’t fucking matter because I don’t plan on leading the High Council.”
Torch looked at Boulder carefully. “There's a reason you can't feel her. She belongs to Glen and the High Council. You can’t claim what’s already owned. You won't win this, Boulder.”
No one had faith in her but him. “Trust me on this. She's stronger than they think.”
Torch growled with frustration. “Fuck! This whole mating thing has made you damn delusional. You know its full moon tonight,” he stated emotionlessly.
“And?” Boulder snapped.
“It’s only going to get worse. You’re wolf will demand a mating with her.” Boulder gripped the steering wheel, fighting the urge to rip Torch's head off for reminding him of the obvious—the arrival of the full moon. A time the wolf-shifters looked forward to shifting and hunting with their pack. For shifters blessed by the Immortals in finding their true-mate, it was the best time to seal that mate-claim under the strength of the full moon. His wolf needed to claim her and the need would only get worse as the full moon time grew nearer.
“Her? Enough with this shit, Torch! Use her fucking name—Infinity,” he snapped as they pulled into C&V’s underground parking garage. C&V—home to their upscale five-floor penthouse with multiple luxury apartments dedicated to their team.
Boulder’s disposition soured when he saw Cruz and Factor engaged in a heated dispute.
Torch glared at them. “This shit keeps getting better and better.”
Boulder grimaced. He'd be damned if he admitted the internal turmoil was already starting and would only get worse the longer it took him to claim her. There were always repercussions from a mate-claim, both good and bad.
Cruz’s and Factor's heads snapped around, stopping mid-sentence as they watched Torch and Boulder hop out of the vehicle. Cruz scowled, making the claw-mark scar on his cheek crinkle. Factor shoved his hands into his pockets with tense shoulders.
Boulder smelled the anger in the air but chose to ignore it. Looking at Factor, he asked. “Did you send Nick's remains to the Degrassi pride like I instructed?”
“Wasn't much to send,” Factor grumbled.
Boulder's Alpha power washed over Factor, forcing his eyes down in submission. He hated having to flex his powers, but his missing mate was slowly sending him insane. His normal cool, rational personality was almost gone.
“Yes. The remains are in route,” Factor responded.
“Is everyone here?” Torch asked.
Factor looked from Torch to Boulder warily. “Everyone except for Lola,” he grumbled.
Torch looked over at Cruz. “Where is she?” Cruz and Lola were the closest in the team. If anyone would know where she was, he would.
Cruz shrugged. “She had a family emergency to take care of. She'll be back in a couple of days.”
Boulder crossed his arms, looking at him suspiciously. “What family?”
Cruz looked at him blankly.
Factor looked over at Cruz with disdain before grumbling, “Idiot,” as he marched away.
Boulder opened the team bond only to find that Cruz had walled his mind. Cruz was hiding something and Boulder didn’t like it. Lola was an intricate part of their ragtag group of orphan misfits from the Fire and Ash war, but she was also prone to extreme bouts of emotional episodes. Episodes attributed to her hybrid empath-fae-human bloodline, but he suspected something else was going on and he needed to find out what.
Torch pulled out his cell, dialing her number on speaker. “Bullshit. Either she has run off with one her lovers again or she’s pouting about some petty bullshit. In both cases, I don’t give a shit. She needs to be here taking care of business while we sort out this Infinity mess.”
As the Director of Communications, Lola dealt with their demanding and often difficult clients, using her beauty and keen business skills. It didn't hurt that she occasionally helped with difficult cases using her fae powers to locate kidnapped clients with just a touch of their personal possessions.
Torch growled when Lola’s phone went straight to voicemail. “What the hell is going on, Cruz?”
Cruz crossed his arms defensively. “That's not my business to tell.”
Boulder and Cruz’s eyes locked. “Is she with Lucas?”
Boulder despised Lucas, the fae king and also her estranged grandfather. He was a ruthless, conniving bastard who’d strung her along for months with the promise of revealing the names of the rogues who killed her family.
Cruz's body tensed. “Look, guys, I can’t tell you. So stop fucking asking me,” he snarled.
“That’s your final answer?” Torch asked.
Cruz ran his fingers through his blond hair with agitation. “Yes!”
Boulder glared at Cruz before storming past him. “Torch, we’ll deal with this shit later. Let’s go,” he snapped over his shoulders, already racing toward the elevator. He pressed his finger to the biometric security pad, then punched in the code, a code only members of the team knew. The door slid open, and they stepped in, taking the private elevator up to the boardroom.
Boulder felt uneasy. His wolf stirred with agitation as the door slid open, revealing the large corridor. Reaching out through the team bond, he sensed Torch’s tension as they marched, side-by-side, equal in power and menace, through the large corridor. Cruz and Factor brought up the rear. Silently, they entered the glass-enclo
sed boardroom, walking around the large, square mahogany table with plush black leather seating for thirty as the focal point. Tugging on his team bond, he instantly knew where the agitation emanated from. Feelings of uncertainty flooded through before he shut down the link, shutting them out.
He and Torch strode to the head of the table—standing shoulder to shoulder, equal in strength, power, and rank. Unheard of in wolf packs, but then again, most packs did not have two high-ranking members both born Alphas, making the title of Alpha and second-in-command semantics. Adding to the unusual team dynamics, Torch had reluctantly stepped into the role of Alpha when Boulder refused the position. He wanted nothing to do with the responsibility of having to deal with Other politics or the Council. Well, that and the fact his newly discovered bloodline made ruling as Alpha dangerous. Besides, he was happy being second-in-command and leader of the enforcers, utilizing the skills that he excelled at—strategizing and killing.
Cruz Disantis, the third highest-ranking member of the team, and Factor Lovell, the fourth, sat down to their left and right. The remaining members of the team, Max Luca and his brothers, Eli and Jayden, were ex-Navy Seals and enforcers, and Wyatt and Logan were trackers.
Torch leaned forward, pressing his hands on the table, allowing his power to roll off his body. “Okay, listen up. Let’s make this brief because time is of the essence. Mason Degrassi, the Degrassi pride’s second-in-command, kidnapped Kara’s daughter, Infinity.” His eyes slid over to Boulder. “Boulder’s true-mate.”
“Holy shit!” Logan choked.
“True-mate? Well, I sure didn’t see this shit coming.” Jayden smirked with a mischievous glint in his gray eyes.
