Jameson (Darkness #9)

by K. F. Breene

  “I didn’t expect you to be a gentleman to a shifter,” Addison said when he was in the vehicle.

  He started the motor and quickly headed down the hillside, leaving his lights off. Seeing in the dark had its benefits.

  “You’re a woman. It doesn’t matter that you also turn into a lioness,” he said offhandedly as he handed her his phone. “Paulie will either text an address, or he’ll call with it.”

  “You guys have some good hookups.” She glanced at the screen.

  “How have you not caught these guys before now?” Jameson asked, nearing the road. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, feeling the urgency press on him.

  “Like I said, we didn’t beef up our patrols. We also pulled people out of the compound, just in case. They have that strange fragrance, which is chemically engineered, so we’re wondering what else they have. We wanted to see what their intentions were. Now that we probably know, we’re taking the next step. That’s where you come in—to help identify.”

  “In the past, how long have you waited to follow the scent?” Jameson stopped at the mouth of the road and glanced at the phone. “C’mon, Paulie. Call the guy that doesn’t celebrate Christmas. There must be one.”

  “Longer than this, usually. I was in town the last time my room was invaded. When I came back I noticed something amiss, but he was long gone. The others—they went through everything before they went to Tim. Tim then held me back even longer before he’d let me lead a team down. I’ve never seen him so wary. It’s enough to make everyone nervous.”

  Jameson sat back and let his hands rest in his lap, willing calm. There was no point in flexing in impatience. That burned energy for no reason.

  Silence settled through the cab. Crickets sang around them.

  “I hear you nearly died trying to save the shifters from that lab,” Addison said softly.

  Jameson took a deep breath, sucking in her delicious elixir, then wishing he hadn’t. He threw his gaze out the side window, away from her. “Yes.”

  “Strange. A man who doesn’t like shifters, risked his life for them.”

  “For Anne. For Charles. There is a difference.”

  “I heard the story of why you hate us so much.” The phone lit up with a text message. It rang a moment later.

  “Tap that address and pull up some directions,” Jameson said. “Let’s get on the road before we chat with him.”

  She did as instructed, working quickly. “Take a right here,” she said.

  “Great. Call him back.” Jameson stepped on the gas, the SUV lurching forward and picking up speed quickly.

  The call crackled into the car speakers before solidifying.

  “Hey,” Paulie answered.

  “You’re on speaker,” Jameson said.

  “So? Oh, you got someone in the car. Cool. Anyway, that address is of some facility. Really small scale, I think, but on large grounds. Be wary, man. Don’t be stupid. If you need help, call it off until after Christmas, yeah? Anne said you don’t need that thing solved right now. Even snoopers take Christmas off.”

  “It’s Christmas Eve. Clearly they don’t.”

  “Technically, it’s the night before Christmas Eve. I’m pretty sure someone explained this to you, so I’ll let you root around in your memory to explain that. All right, gotta go. Stay safe, man. Don’t be a fool. Oh, and Jameson?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Make sure you’re on time tomorrow. The kids get frantic when they have to wait to open presents.”

  Jameson jabbed the button to end the call.

  “Left up here,” Addison said, looking down at the screen. She cleared her throat. “Now I know why you had that fallen expression. Why don’t you want to go open presents?”

  Chapter Four

  Addison squinted through the darkness, watching Jameson’s handsome face in the glow of the dash. His expression fell again, clearly an unconscious reaction. He shook his head and looked out the side mirror, obviously trying to get away from the conversation.

  “How are you a beta?” he asked.

  “No way. If you want an answer, you have to give an answer. What, an ex of yours married your best friend or something?” She laughed.

  His lips tightened, giving her a flutter in her stomach. It was a dick move to call out someone’s pain, and then laugh at them for it.

  “Sorry,” she amended quickly. “You’re not the only one, trust me. I’m only in this pack because I got cheated on and dumped, and decided to move away. At least you stuck around. You’re a better person than I.”

  “It wasn’t an ex.” He shrugged as the phone instructed them to take a left in a quarter mile. He shook his head and huffed a little, like he was debating continuing. A moment later, he must’ve lost the battle with himself, because he said, “It’s never fun to feel like the third wheel, right?”

  “Totally. Sucks, actually.”

  “Exactly, and this would be the ninth wheel on a bus full of kids. Utterly useless. I’m not even good with kids. I’ve never really been around them.”

  “I’m shit with kids, too. Who cares? Just be the creepy uncle.”

  “My people are all about the next generation. Everyone is good with kids, whether you have them or not. It’s expected. It never used to be a problem because my people don’t procreate easily. Now, with all the humans, there are hordes of children, it seems like. Yet, I’m terrified to hold a baby for fear of hurting it. I make toddlers cry. I don’t know how to speak to the older kids.” He licked his lips, drawing her eyes. Then raising the heat in her body. He really was a handsome man.

  She wiped her forehead and looked away quickly. If anyone was off limits, it was that guy.

  “Exactly,” he said softly.

  “No, that’s not why I was looking away. Sorry—it was a bug. No, dude, relax. There is always that guy, trust me. I’m that guy, but it is so much worse for me because I’m a woman. Everyone assumes that a vagina automatically makes you good with kids. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t. Does not. At all. Experience makes you good with kids, and I don’t have any. Afraid to hold a baby? Um, yes! They are so tiny. And floppy. One wrong move and I feel like I’ll break it. Awkward with older children? Try teens. I’ve rolled so many eyes, I should be in the record books. Your problem isn’t unique.”

  “I should bring you so I don’t have to look awkward by myself,” he muttered.

  “So that’s it, then?” she asked, cracking a smile. She pointed left as the phone piped up. “Quarter mile.”

  “What’s it?”

  “The only reason you don’t want to go to a holiday party with all your people is because you feel awkward being the only single one, and are nervous around kids?”

  “That’s plenty reason.”

  “I mean, if it isn’t about exes, or lovers who are married to your brother, or some other travesty, it’s not a huge deal.” She pointed again to make sure he turned on the small road down a poorly lit lane off the highway. “I don’t like the look of this.”

  “The kid issue is bigger than you’re making it out to be.”

  “No, the kid issue is a smaller deal than you’re making it out to be. Clearly no one cares or they wouldn’t remind you to go. They want you there. Just own up to your lack of experience, and the mothers will laugh and take the baby, or the guys will snicker and make you suffer through it. Trust me. I know you don’t like embarrassing yourself, but when it comes to kids, everything is endearing.” She held up her finger. “Except dropping them on their heads. That is frowned upon, though not wholly unexpected.”

  A lopsided grin bent his lips. He licked them again, drawing her eyes and starting a hum deep in her core. She blew out a breath and returned her focus to the phone. “Not long now. Not many bars, either. This place is a bad kind of remote.”

  “Yes. It reminds me of that lab. We’ll proceed with extreme caution. Their lures don’t work on my kind. I’ll ensure your protection.”

  A thrill of fear cour
sed through her, quickly morphing into anger. Most emotions quickly morphed into anger with her. She scratched her leg, a nervous habit. Without meaning to, she opened her mouth and a truth bomb tumbled out.

  “I’m beta because I’m ruthless in a fight. I lost a brother to a rogue shifter—a bear. We saw it coming up the street, a bear in the middle of the suburbs. I was too young to know what I was, so I was scared and fascinated at the same time. My brother had already had his first change, though. He knew what was coming. He tried to hide us in the bushes, but the bear caught our scent. He was out for blood, and we were it.” She watched the bars flicker on the phone as the truth bomb exploded. “My brother sacrificed himself so I could run, but I didn’t go right away. I was afraid for him. I watched as my brother turned into a wolf, and then got ripped apart, bit by bloody bit.”

  The hot sting of tears pricked her eyes as she remembered that day. “I vowed it would never happen to me. I learned to fight as a human before I changed, and learned to fight as an animal after. I don’t hold back. I go hard. It also helps that my animal is a pack hunter, used to having a leader, and a protector. I’m the leader, and I organize our pack—whatever pack I’m in—accordingly, looking to the alpha for the overall protection aspect.”

  “Like a pride of lions.”

  “Obviously. So when I got to this neck of the woods, I figured out the hierarchy, how they do things, and worked my way up. Quickly. Brutally.”

  “Why this area?”

  “Because my past was haunted by a bear. I didn’t want my future to be. I’m a big believer in facing one’s fears, overcoming them, and moving on to the next challenge.”

  “Poetic.”

  “A necessity. I bring it up because you should try it.”

  The furrow was back, accompanied by seething anger. She’d just hit a hot button.

  Good. He needed to hear it. Hiding from his past made him weak. She’d heard the Boss had gotten over it. Even the surly bodyguard of Sasha had. Jameson needed to follow suit. He seemed like a deep sort of man that had a rock hard outer crust. Get past that, and she bet he was a loving, caring person.

  Then again, she always did like to take in strays. It was never any fun when one scratched her face.

  “A right up here, and the help will come a lot slower soon, because the map is not updating.” She lowered the phone to her lap, a sleek little number that was the top of the line, and stared out through the windshield. Darkness covered the way, no streetlights lending help. Above them, a few stars peeked out of the clouds.

  The SUV slowed, Jameson looking out to the right.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I see a lit facility.” He pointed, drawing her attention to it. “I’m going to get a little closer, then ditch the car. Humans don’t notice me very easily, and hopefully you’re as good as stalking and blending in as your animal is supposed to be.”

  “Excellent, yes. I come highly recommended.”

  “Prove it.”

  “It’s a bit hard under the circumstances, being that I’m in a car right now.” They passed another moment in silence until she couldn’t help her curiosity. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Do you guys celebrate differently or something?”

  Jameson stopped before changing into four-wheel drive. A moment later, he turned off the road. “Since our schedules are opposite that of humans, as far as day and night, we could’ve started our celebration on Christmas Day at the end of the day, when the humans were finishing up their celebrations, or do it the night before, so we get a jump on the human celebrations.”

  “Better to be first than right?”

  That smile was back, twitching as though he were trying to stop it. “Yes.”

  “So tonight is the Christmas Eve dinner, and you are choosing to work instead of go?”

  “You needed assistance, and I am the only one in a leadership position without family.”

  “Can’t find a girl you like, huh?” Addison climbed out of the SUV, feeling a weird pang in her heart at the thought that he was incredibly choosy. She ignored it. “Do you have a bag you’ll be carrying? I’d rather not leave behind my clothes, just in case.”

  If he heard the first question, he didn’t show it as he stepped up to her side and reached out his hand. “I can tuck your garments into my jacket. They’ll be warm when you need them.”

  And smell like you.

  Like the weird pang, she tried to ignore the pleasant shivers. She didn’t know what was coming over her. The guy was incredibly handsome, yes, with a stellar body and pleasing gentlemanly qualities, but he also had a reputation for being a closed-off prick who hated shifters despite the number of times the two peoples had worked together cohesively. Having a crush—while on a mission, for cripes’ sake!— was ridiculous.

  That’s what it was. Ridiculous.

  “Thanks,” she said stiffly, trying to get back on track. His brow furrowed, and for once she understood why.

  “Right, okay—put your hand down, I’m not getting naked right yet.” She shoved his arm away. “What’s the plan?”

  He looked out toward the distant lights and surveyed the area. “We’ll get in close and see what’s there. If it is in any way similar to that lab, we get out. That is no place for shifters. If it is something different, we’ll play it by ear.”

  “Well, I can play it by ear, but you can’t read my body language when I’m in animal form, so…”

  “Yes. That is going to be a problem. Stay close to me. If something is wrong, resort to bold measures.”

  “Like biting you? Or would rubbing against your leg be enough?”

  His gaze turned intense as he looked into her eyes. Her stupid stomach flipped again, clearly not remembering the logical thoughts she’d had a moment before.

  “You can start with rubbing and go from there,” he said in a lower register.

  And there went the shivers.

  A confused look came over his face. He shook his head and turned away. “Let’s head out. I’ll set the pace, since in animal form you are bound to be ten times faster.”

  “What happens if we get separated?”

  His movements turned coarse before he froze. His glance back was suspicious and accusatory. “Leave your phone here.” He dug in his jacket and extracted the keys, holding them up for her to see. “I’ll leave these here as well. If you leave me behind, do me a favor and call someone who’ll come back for me.”

  “Wow.” She cocked a hip and let the annoyed shock cover her expression. “That it, huh? You assume I’ll run at the first sign of trouble. Please enlighten me, since I’m new to this neck, but how many times in your working with our pack has that happened?” She hardened her gaze, like she was dealing with a young, headstrong male who didn’t know his dick from his head. “None, right? Not with the demon, not with the Council… We even helped free your leader, right? Yet still you think we turn tail and run at the first sign of trouble?”

  He pushed the keys up a little higher, a silent comment, and made a show of leaving them on the top of the wheel, out of direct sight. He was calling her, and her people, cowards.

  The rage she always kept on a tight leash blasted out, fueling her. She launched forward before she knew what she was doing. Her fist smashed against his jaw, knocking him sideways. He recovered gracefully, but instead of barreling into her like she expected, he took a step further away and dropped his hands to his sides. Watching her. Analyzing.

  His cool demeanor was enough to douse the fire burning inside her. Mostly.

  “Shall we go?” he asked, his voice even, like her outburst had never happened.

  “Yeah.” Without another word, she ripped off her clothes and tossed them at him before changing shape. Many men got under her skin. Most people in general, in fact. She didn’t have great coping mechanisms since watching the fate of her brother. But no one had ever so effectively calmed the rage. No one she’d ever known could douse the fire so quickly once she’d let it take over.

&nb
sp; Off balance, she ran off ahead, needing to get her bearings before joining him again.

  Chapter Five

  Heavy breath came from Jameson as they neared the collection of buildings. Addison stayed within his general area, but she didn’t keep too close. He wasn’t sure if it was because she was afraid she’d try to maul him, or that was just her way.

  He slowed, getting the lay of the land in front of him. The road in was barely big enough for two cars to fit side by side, and didn’t have any traffic markings of any kind. No signs had adorned the turnoff, and no lights dotted the way. The place looked desolate, except for the largest of the four buildings, where three windows glowed a pale orange.

  Trying to ignore his throbbing jaw from a powerful, well-placed punch, he analyzed the ground as Addison stalked closer, one of the most effective predators in the world. She was a sight to see, graceful and lithe in her cat form, and, he suspected, utterly fearless. She would’ve taken him on without another thought. Tried, in fact. And judging by the punch, she would’ve given him a run for his money.

  Her as a beta now made perfect sense.

  “There aren’t any tracks out here indicating a patrol.” He checked his phone, found no coverage, and glanced up at the sparse trees. “I haven’t seen any technology. So far, this doesn’t set off any of my alarm bells.”

  Addison stared at him, her large golden eyes practically glowing in the dark. It was an illusion, he was sure, but lions of any form were intimidating. Especially ones her size.

  “Let’s work our way closer. If you feel strange in any way, pull in close. Agreed?”

  She huffed.

  He took that as a yes.

  Jogging once again, he cut the distance to the closest building, keeping his eye on Addison as well as the surroundings. Nothing moved out there. At the darkened building now, he moved along the side and to the edge, where he could get a look at the lit windows of the main building. No curtains obscured his vision, but he couldn’t see anything move from his vantage point.