by Leela Ash
“How did the car run?” he asked as they strolled easily through the hall toward Kane’s office. He knew it had probably purred like a kitten, but it was difficult for him to carry on a conversation with anyone but his daughter, Lia in particular. He had become reclusive since Ava’s death, and preferred to keep things straight and to the point.
“It seemed fine,” Lia said. “Although it did sound, for a few minutes, like somebody was under the hood playing the maracas…”
“What?!”
Kane’s heart lurched and Lia’s voice let into an easy laughter. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t joke with you about things like that. It was too easy.”
“Oh…” Kane said. “So it’s fine then.”
“It’s perfect,” Lia assured him, touching his arm reassuringly. It was the most natural and calming gesture in the world, but as soon as she did it, she drew her hand away from his arm as if his body had burned her.
“That’s good to hear,” Kane said. They had reached his office, and he unlocked the door and opened it graciously. “Ladies first.”
“Thank you,” Lia said quietly.
He offered her a seat and then sunk down in his own chair, carefully opening the brown paper bag she had packed his lunch in and removing its contents.
“What’s this?” he asked, perplexed as he studied a small container.
“It’s a pasta salad I made this morning. I hope you like it. It’s my specialty.”
“Pasta salad…” Kane said.
“I know that you shifters like meat so I put chicken in it for you,” Lia said quickly, as if afraid Kane would be put off by eating plain noodles. “I tried a little already. It turned out okay.”
“Thanks,” Kane said uncomfortably. He wasn’t used to having people do things for him.
They began to eat quietly, and Kane was shocked by how good Lia’s specialty really was.
“You should make this in the cafeteria,” Kane said, chewing heartily. “I’d have it every day.”
“I could just make it for you every day,” Lia said with a laugh. “I don’t think I’d like to make enough to feed the whole school. It would take some of the magic out of it, don’t you think?”
“Well, I suppose it would,” Kane said with a bemused grin. He had never met a human who understood, or believed, in magic quite the same way Lia did. There was just a readiness inside her to accept everything as it was, even if it went against her upbringing. It was a rare quality. He could see why Courtney liked her so much.
“So how was class?” Kane asked finally. “Did Max treat you funny?”
“He mostly ignored me this time,” she said thoughtfully. “Which is almost worse, in a way.”
“I agree,” Kane said darkly. “I bet he’s up to something.”
“No doubt,” Lia said. “But it’s going to be fine.”
“Damn right it will be,” Kane glowered. “If he touches a single hair on your head, I’m going to teach him what pain really is.”
Lia’s eyes were suddenly wide on him and Kane looked down at the desk sheepishly.
“Sorry,” Kane said with a half-hearted laugh. “You must think shifters are barbarians.”
“Not at all,” Lia said, reaching across the desk to hold his hand in hers briefly. Kane’s body was suddenly electrified by her touch, and a heat more vicious than anything he’d ever experienced suddenly engulfed him. The wolf was awake.
“Really, we’re not that bad,” Kane said, pulling his hand away quickly. He had to get hold of himself. This was neither the time nor the place, nor the person for these types of feelings. What the hell was wrong with him?
“I know,” Lia said.
He knew she understood the nuances of wolf shifters. That’s part of what made this temptation so hard to resist. How many other humans could say the same thing for themselves? Not many. That was for sure.
“Well, anyway, I’m glad Max hasn’t done anything. But you need to stay on your guard. I don’t trust him,” Kane said, his mind reeling. He had to go into action mode to distract himself from the burdens of his temptation. It was the only way he could get through this.
“I don’t trust him either,” Lia said with a soft laugh. “He seems very untrustworthy. And he gave me a ‘C’!”
“A ‘C’?” Kane asked, suddenly bewildered.
“On the homework you helped me with. I know it was passing. I compared my answers with another girl in my class after he handed the tests back today. He was just being petty.”
“Well, that’s Max and his kind in a nutshell,” Kane said dismissively. “You might want to drop his class before it’s too late. You don’t want it to affect your GPA. And I would feel better if you weren’t seeing him every day.”
“Drop the class?!” Lia exclaimed. “Do you know how hard I’ve worked to stay ahead in there?”
“I’m sure you’ve worked just as hard in his class as you have in mine,” Kane said gently. Now he was gripping Lia’s hand tightly, and he could almost feel the tremor of her heart between them. Color had risen to her cheeks, and suddenly, the whole office was filled with the powerful scent of lust. She wanted him. Just as badly as he wanted her. And now they were face to face with nowhere to hide from the truth.
If Lia had been a shifter, that would have spelled out bad news. As for Kane’s wolf, he would just have to keep the rascal in check. He was used to doing that. Being a teacher had steeled him against the ravages of his wolf’s temper.
“I’m pretty sure I got a grey hair or two just from worrying about how Max would grade me,” Lia said, pouting. Kane squeezed her hand gently and pulled his away. He couldn’t let himself get that close again. It wouldn’t do either of them any good if he lost control.
“Well, you know there are better teachers at SU than Max,” Kane said bitterly. “I’d rather you take up a math course next semester than have you suffering through a course you’re doomed to fail because Max has a grudge. Do you understand?”
Lia nodded bitterly and stuck a spoon violently into her yogurt. Kane couldn’t help but grin. He had been right. Even angry, there was something sweet about her. Something he wanted to protect. Even if that anger was for some reason directed at him.
“I’ll quit the stupid class,” Lia grumbled. “But I’m not happy about it. I’ve put in a lot of work already.”
“I know,” Kane said as gently as he could.
The flush crawled back to Lia’s cheeks again and it took everything Kane had not to leap over the desk and pin her against the wall. All he wanted to do in that instant was to taste Lia’s pouting lips. But the wolf was all impulse. He needed to be stronger than that. Not just because Lia was just a kid, but because of his wife.
The thought of Ava stayed the wolf enough that Kane could get a clear thought in his head, and he sighed, pushing the hair away from his forehead as he tried to think of the best course of action.
“I know a great teacher,” Kane said, wracking his brain for a way to make Lia smile again. “She’s brilliant. Funny. Kind but stern. And she could get you the credit you need. Help you one-on-one. You need that kind of thing in math, don’t you?”
Lia nodded sulkily and took a big bite of yogurt.
“She even does tutoring after hours. If you had the time to put in to the course, then she would make sure you didn’t fail. She’s not like Max.”
“What’s her name?” Lia asked with a sigh.
“Michelle Herald,” Kane said. “And she owes me a favor, so maybe we can get you into her class. The course load is pretty similar. Before Max fucks your grades up for good. I can talk to Franklin about it if Max throws a fit.”
“All right,” Lia said, a little of the burden seeming to lift from her shoulders. Kane felt terrible. All she had done was agree to help him to help the shifters. She was already suffering for her choice. How could he have brought such an innocent, bright young woman down so low for his own selfish goals?
But they weren’t selfish. If they weren’t do
ing this, then the Malishk Law Reform might take place. Who knew what would happen to the wolf shifters then?
“Hey,” Kane said, suddenly remembering the word. “Do you happen to know the significance of the word Malishk? I meant to look it up but things have been so busy…”
“Malishk?” Lia said, her face growing pale. “Yeah, why?”
“It’s the name of the reform that Max and his people are hoping to vote into being. It’s why he wants to lead the school so badly. To sway the kids into voting for something that would ultimately enslave them.”
“Enslave them is right,” Lia said, getting up suddenly and rooting through the backpack she’d left on the floor by the door of Kane’s office.
She pulled a book out and sifted through the pages, handing the book to Kane and pointing at the photo. “Malishk is the name of the son of the bear shifter’s main god, Arsnal. Mythologically speaking, he’s known as the bringer of good fortune. It’s forbidden, usually, to utter his name out loud. Over the past 100 years, there were cults devoted to Malishk. They pray to him whenever they are hoping to take on a wolf shifter as a slave, or if they are going to war.”
“Fuck!” Kane exclaimed, slamming his fist on his desk and jumping up. “And the Council doesn’t realize this?!”
Lia grew somber. “It’s likely that many of them do. It’s hard to say whether or not the Council has been infiltrated. Maybe they’re waiting to say something. Or perhaps those who have infiltrated are holding things over their heads.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Kane said bitterly. “Since my time, the Council has become pretty washed up. We obey them out of respect, but everybody knows that most of them are so old they’re close to being senile. It’s hard to believe they would let something like this go unless they were being manipulated.”
“That’s highly possible too,” Lia said quietly. “Either way, they’ve agreed to bring this matter to a vote, if I’m gathering correctly.”
“Yeah,” Kane said quietly. “A vote that could change everything. For the worst.”
“But that’s only if they make it to power,” Lia said, looking at Kane with a deep fire in her eyes. He was stunned into silence by her beauty and conviction. “And with me by your side, that isn’t going to happen. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you, and all the wolf shifters in Stonybrooke, to avoid another massacre.”
And with that, Lia smiled brightly at Kane and left the office, leaving him agape behind her.
12.
“So you decided to drop my class, eh? I wonder whose idea…”
Lia’s entire body shivered in fear at the sound of Max’s cold voice from behind her.
“It just isn’t working out well…with my schedule and everything,” Lia lied. She normally didn’t like lying, which was partly why it was so difficult for her to continue living with Courtney and her father without telling them about her parents and their responsibility toward the bear shifters’ efforts at eradicating the wolf population.
“That sounds like quite a believable excuse,” Max said. “Too bad it’s not true.”
Lia swallowed hard and turned to face him, carefully attempting to map out an escape route, but the place was deserted and there was nowhere else to go. They were in the parking lot near the bus stop; Lia had been instructed to take the bus home so that Courtney could follow Eric to the cabin where they were going to be spending the weekend together. Now that she was there, though, it was clear what a mistake it had been to listen to her friend. She should have gotten a ride home with Kane.
“For a math teacher, you don’t really take variable into account, do you?” Lia asked, backing nervously toward the pay phone. She put her hands in her pockets, hoping to somehow fish her phone out and call Kane. He was on the other side of the building, but if she could reach him, then maybe…
“Variable? You forget, Lia, that I’m also a shifter. Shifters have a startling tendency to sniff out liars. It’s one of our best qualities.”
Max was walking slowly toward her, and the fear in her chest mounted to panic. She wouldn’t be able to solve anything if her mind was swept away with fear, though. She pulled her phone out as she continued to back away from Max, and tried to quickly swipe to Kane’s name to dial for him.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Max asked, his eyes dark and chilling as he finally took a long stride forward, until he was almost close enough to touch her. “You’ve done enough to get in my way. It’s time you come with me.”
“No!” Lia exclaimed.
She had just reached Kane’s name and allowed the phone to dial when Max shoved her forward, knocking the phone out of her hand. Pain suddenly coursed its way through her as Max’s hands bore down on the pressure points at the back of her neck and he shoved her forward and wrestled her inside a black van that was waiting out in the parking lot.
“Let me go!” Lia cried. “You’re going to regret this!”
“Oh, I don’t think I will,” Max said with a grin as he climbed into the van beside her, holding a knife to her back. “Rax, get driving!”
“Yeah, boss.”
“You piece of shit!” Lia exclaimed, clawing at the door. But it was locked, seemingly from the outside, and there was no way for her to get out. She was trapped, and there was nothing she could do about it.
“This the girl, huh?” Rax asked from the driver’s seat.
Lia didn’t like the tone of his voice. It had a different quality to it than most of the other wolf shifters had. Darker, grittier almost. As if he were rotten from the inside out.
“That’s right. The one supposedly engaged to Kane Desmond.”
“Desmond. What a joke.”
“Shut up!” Lia exclaimed. “Who do you guys think you are?”
“Why, your kidnappers, of course!” Max said, turning to face her with a jovial smile on his face. “I’m not sure what’s so difficult to figure out about that. Then again, you’re not exactly the best at putting two and two together, are you, Miss Sanders?”
Lia would have hit him if he hadn’t had a knife to her back, but it wouldn’t do Kane any good for her to get murdered in the back of a sketchy van because of her bad attitude. She was going to have to try to play it smart from then on out, otherwise who knew what might happen? Not just to herself, but to the citizens of Stonybrooke should the ominous Malishk Reform pass.
“I guess you would know,” Lia said with a halfhearted shrug. Maybe it would be wise to change tactics. If she could get information from Max about what they were planning, then maybe, once she got out of the mess she was in, she would be able to be of some use to him.
“Damn right, I would know,” Max said.
It was easy to get an egotistical shithead to talk, Lia realized. All she had to do was to tell him how great he was and the rest would follow. He was probably bursting to brag about his plan. To gloat in the face of the girl who had nearly helped Kane stop him.
“I mean, Kane is super smart and sexy, you know, but anybody could learn history. It takes a special kind of person to teach math.”
Max smirked, and Lia felt sick. He was enjoying all of this far too much for her to be comfortable with it. But what choice did she have? Kane needed all the help he could get, and if she could find a way to get Max disqualified from the running (as if kidnapping a student wouldn’t be bad enough) and learn more about the group he was a part of, then they would have a real chance at protecting Stonybrooke from whatever evil thing it was Max and his cronies were planning.
“Why do you teach math anyway?” Lia asked, hoping she could play into Max’s interpretation of her as a simple, stupid girl who couldn’t put two and two together. “It’s so boring.”
“It’s not boring to the people who understand it!” Max exclaimed. Rax laughed from the front seat.
“I’m with the girl,” he said. “Math sucks.”
“Just shut up and drive!” Max barked. “Nobody asked you. As for you, Lia, it’s students like you that ma
ke me hate my job. You nimrods come into class and expect to get it without getting engaged! I don’t know what’s worse about this generation! The council or the lovey-dovey university letting all manner of riff-raff through its doors. A human in a shifter school. Who ever heard of such nonsense?!”
Lia was quiet for a moment before smiling at Max brightly. “Sorry. You know, I just have a thing for shifters. Especially, teachers.”
Max opened and closed his mouth, unsure of how to respond.
“Damn,” Rax laughed from the front seat. “Maybe you’ve got a shot there, prof!”
“Shut your mouth, damn you!” Max shouted. “I’m tired of your commentary. You only have one job here, Rax. Deliver me and the girl to the halfway point and then get yourself to the Malishk temple to let them know we’ve got the girl and Kane and his batch of merry men aren’t going to get anywhere with this election.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Rax said.
“Max and Rax,” Lia said with a bright laugh. “That’s kind of adorable. Did you do that on purpose?”
“They’re not our real names,” Rax confided. “They sound the same because we are one under Malishk.”
“Rax, I swear to God!”
“It’s not right to swear, Max.”
Lia watched the exchange, bemused, as Max turned a new shade of red beside her.
“It’s all right,” Lia said, touching Max’s shoulder lightly. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“Damn right you won’t,” Max grumbled, digging into one of his pockets and pulling out a zip tie. “And you won’t be touching anyone else either, you siren.”
“Siren?” Lia asked, biting back a laugh.
“Yes, siren. I know what you’re after, but you’re not going to get a damn word out of me about any of this. And Rax, if you don’t keep your fool mouth shut, I’m going to report you to the One.”
The tension in the van grew thick and Lia could tell that whoever the One was, they were very powerful. She was silent as Max roughly pulled her arms behind her back and bound them with the zip ties. When he was satisfied with his work, he turned to her with an evil glint in his dark eyes.
