by A. C. Arthur
Months later there’d been another murder, Diamond Turner, a stripper from Club Athena’s. The business card of Xavier Santos Markland found in Diamond’s purse had given Dorian another crack at Reynolds and his gang. Unfortunately, he’d hit another dead end. At that point he may have been willing to concede that he was chasing the ghost of a story, but then he’d seen it for himself. The eerie, glowing eyes of the female that had begun watching him on a daily basis. After much thought he’d finally figured out what the eyes reminded him of—a big cat. That revelation had pushed Dorian in a whole new direction with his investigation into Reynolds and as things began to unfold throughout the States, pieces of the puzzle that had been an enigma to him for the last two years had finally begun to fall into place.
In the last two months Dorian had been in touch with other agents across the state and just two weeks ago they’d finally agreed to meet at a clandestine location, to compare notes on the cat people and the connection to Roman Reynolds. There’d been reports as far out as Sedona, Arizona, where just a month ago there was a break-in at a government lab and one of Roman’s friends’, Sebastian Perry’s, resort had been burned to the ground. All amidst reports of animal roaring and vicious deaths.
The meeting location had been brilliant, a civilian-owned cabin in the western Maryland mountains. Nobody within the Bureau would find them there, and nobody else would be looking for them.
Dorian had been wrong. And he’d almost been killed.
One of the agents had stood up just a few minutes after their meeting had begun and started shooting. His name was Kegan Charles and he was stationed in Dallas. They’d just finished introductions and were each about to pull out their own files compiled on what had been going on in their jurisdiction when the shots rang out. Dorian had quickly rolled to the floor, clutching his Redweld to his chest. He’d crawled into one of the back bedrooms and escaped through a window. But not before seeing her again.
Nivea Cannon, graduate of George Washington University and otherwise unemployed. She was the one with the cat’s eyes, the one that had been following him for months now, and she’d been at the cabin with one of Rome’s bodyguards, Eli Preston, owner of two Southside barbershops in D.C. Taking a leave of absence from the Bureau and using these past days to dig deeper into the background of these new players had been how Dorian spent his time.
This case, these people, had been Dorian’s focus for almost a year now. At first it had just been another case, but once Kalina had entered the picture it had taken on another layer. The moment he learned that Kalina was sleeping with Roman Reynolds and had subsequently married the guy, Dorian knew without a doubt he had to find out what was going on. He’d never told Kalina how he felt about her and doubted that it mattered now, but if there was something he could do to save her life and possibly the lives of others, it was his sworn duty to do it. No matter how long it took.
With that in mind, this afternoon he was mulling over the loose ends, trying to piece it all together in his head before he could formulate a plan to expose them. Because now it wasn’t only a matter of his reputation but also of his sanity.
Speaking of which, Dorian had just taken another long swallow of beer when he saw her. He lowered his arm slowly, until the glass bottle clinked onto the metal top of the table sitting beside the deck chair. He blinked, not wearing his shades and wondering if the unseasonably high summerlike temperatures they’d been having the past couple of days were causing him to hallucinate.
No, she was real and she was gorgeous. So much so, his dick twitched as he watched the sway of her hips while she came closer. The high heels of her shoes clanked on the wooden steps leading up the deck, long tanned legs bringing her closer to him as if he’d beckoned her from some long lost wet dream. She wore her skirt short enough to make his mouth water. Her top was tight, like a second skin hugging breasts he knew would spill out of his now sweaty palms. Her hair was pulled back from her face, long dark brown tresses that fell in a sexy tumble of curls down the center of her back. And when she was finally on the deck, standing right in front of him, she looked at him, bringing her hand up to slip the wide-framed shades she wore down her nose a couple of inches until he could see her eyes.
“Agent Wilson, I have something you desire. And you can help get me what I want. I’d say that makes us a perfect team,” she said boldly. Sky-blue eyes too bright to be contacts and just eerie enough to be real, glistened against her sun-kissed skin.
CHAPTER 12
First Lady Kalina Harper wasn’t one to give in to pressure or stress. She’d survived growing up in an orphanage, a sexual assault, an undercover operation that had changed her life, and the realization that she was a Shadow Shifter. To say she was resilient was an understatement. But watching her mate deal with the biggest battle to ever face the shifters was rubbing her the wrong way.
For months she’d stood by Rome’s side as he’d taken on one bad announcement regarding the shifters after another. They’d both stood shaken to the core when they found out that Shya Delgado had been kidnapped and that the damiana inadvertently slipped into her bloodstream during her mother’s pregnancy might possibly kill her. Nick was one of Rome’s best friends so Shya was like their own child, and knowing she was in danger had led to countless sleepless nights for both of them.
Today, however, in the midst of everything that was going on around them, Kalina had desired at least an hour of normalcy. She wanted to have lunch with her mate, to sit at a restaurant with him and talk about their day like two normal humans.
That apparently was not to be.
“You’re hardly eating,” Rome said, snapping Kalina out of her reverie. “Lunch was your idea, remember?”
Giving up the pretense and letting her fork fall to the side of her plate, Kalina looked at her mate. “I scheduled lunch for one thirty,” she informed him. “It’s now almost three.”
He sat back in his chair, already finished with the North Carolina mountain trout entrée he ordered each time they visited the District Commons restaurant. Kalina’s first thought was how deliciously handsome this man was, all day, every day. From the root beer tone of his skin, to the broad build of his body that wore the custom-made suits like no other man she’d ever laid eyes on, to the way his eyes grew even darker when he stared at her hungrily, her heart did a flip-flop every time she looked at him. The cat inside purred with the knowledge that he belonged to her.
“I told you the meeting ran over, I had no other choice but to push our lunch back. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s really bothering you, because I know it’s not about the lunch that you’re not eating being a couple of hours late.”
Kalina inhaled deeply, watching him with eyes that were familiar with every inch of his body. He looked at her similarly, as if there was nothing she could hide from him, ever. And yet, there was.
“There’s something I need to tell you, Rome.” She took another breath, hoping to steady herself, to gather that confidence she was known for and to get this over with.
“I know that there’s been a lot going on with getting the Assembly Headquarters ready and all that’s been happening with these hybrids and Shya. I swear it feels like I’ve been on a roller-coaster ride ever since the first moment I met you.”
“Are you regretting that?” he asked seriously. “Do you wish we’d never met?”
“No,” she replied hurriedly, shaking her head as if to solidify the answer. “Never that. I just mean that it seems like we haven’t had a moment’s peace. I keep trying to think of the last normal dinner we had when you returned from the office, but they’re usually turned into meetings with Nick and X, or with the guards. And since Elder Alamar has taken up residence at Havenway and he and Baxter have been walking around whispering like conspiracy theorists, I haven’t had a moment alone with you.” Kalina sighed this time, feeling like this wasn’t going the way she’d wanted.
“I just want to be with my mate, my husband, and have a regular day, jus
t like any other couple.”
Rome reached across the table then, signaling for her to give him her hand. She did, and he rubbed a finger over the diamond ring that he’d given her for their joining. “There’s nothing in this world more important to me than you, Kalina. Absolutely nothing,” he told her solemnly. “With that said, I do have a responsibility. And you’ve been more than accommodating in that regard. You’ve actually been a tremendous help in developing the Assembly and the plans for our future. But at the same time, I hear what you’re saying. Tell me what I can do to make this better for you.”
Kalina had just opened her mouth to speak when a wisp of cool air floated over their table. She looked up because a scent had traveled with the breeze, a soft, yet still undeniable smell that had both her and her cat going on instant alert.
Her dress was red, like a siren’s song in silk. The halter-top dress hugged her breasts, wrapped around her waist, and lay on her toned legs until midthigh. Alabaster skin was highlighted by shiny black hair, crystalline ice-blue eyes, and a smile that went straight for the gut … or the dick, Kalina wasn’t sure. Yet, she didn’t spare her mate a glance, keeping her gaze on the female interrupting their lunch date.
“Assembly Leader,” the female said with a slow nod to Rome. “First Female,” came next when she finally spared Kalina a glance.
“Rogue,” was Kalina’s quick response.
Rome remained still, his palms flattening on the table. Eli and Jax, who had been sitting at a table across from them, nursing a glass of water, stood immediately, but were slowed by the almost imperceptible shake of Rome’s head. The guards did not sit, but they did not approach either.
“They said you were smart,” the rogue continued. “I didn’t believe them.” She shrugged. “Still don’t.”
Kalina didn’t even blink. “Not smart would be walking into a room full of Shadows alone and believing that you’ll walk out unscathed.”
“What do you want, Bianca?” Rome asked, interrupting the stare-down between the females.
She’d heard that name before, Kalina thought with interest. Rome and the other FLs had mentioned it during one of their phone conferences. Afterward, there hadn’t been a lot of talk about her, but Kalina was certain now that she’d heard Jace Maybon, the Pacific Zone FL, bring her up because she’d been on his radar as a potential client in his talent agency. Looking her up and down again, Kalina was certain what Bianca Adani’s first and most prized talent would be.
The tramp leaned over then, flattening her palms on the table so that her cleavage was perfectly aligned with Rome’s line of sight. He kept his gaze on her eyes and Kalina’s chest swelled with pride.
“I have a message for you, Assembly Leader,” she said, her voice going to a hushed tone.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kalina saw Jax and Eli step closer, until they were directly behind Bianca. Their gazes locked on her but not in the sexual way the rogue may have intended.
“A message from whom?” Rome asked.
He would remain calm and play this entire scenario out. Rome was a leader through and through, so his actions would be carefully considered and as discreet as possible since they were sitting in a public restaurant.
Bianca chuckled, a deep, rich sound that was followed by a toss of her head, the sheet of her dark hair flipping over one shoulder with the motion. “The leader you never anticipated would return,” she replied cryptically.
Rome shrugged. “So what’s the message from this leader-in-hiding?”
His tone was nonchalant but Kalina knew he was on high alert, the rogue’s words piquing the interest of all four of the Shadows.
“Oh he’s definitely not hiding and neither are the rest of the tribes,” Bianca told Rome. “Not anymore. We’re all here, all around you. Lormenia, Serfins, Croesteriia, Bosinia, and even more Topètenia than you’d ever imagined. We’re here and we’re ready.”
Kalina did not gasp, but she did sit up straighter in her chair, her cat ready to lunge at the Bengal tiger. Rome reached forward then, letting his palm rest on Bianca’s, which he patted as if she were an insolent child. “If you’re ready to follow, you will be safe. If not, you should warn them to stand down.”
Bianca looked down at Rome’s hand on her own, then over her shoulder to Kalina whom she smiled at knowingly. Or at least the rogue thought it was knowingly. Kalina had no doubts where Rome the Leader or her mate were concerned. She showed that by smiling at the rogue in return.
When Bianca looked back at Rome it was with her seductive smile still in place. “We only follow one leader, and it is not you. Or your pregnant little cat over there.”
Rome’s gaze flew quickly to Kalina as Bianca stood up straight, looking over at Jax and Eli as she chuckled.
She took a step away from the table and then paused to add one more thing before leaving. “You’ve been warned.”
Eli followed Bianca out of the restaurant while Jax stayed close enough to the table to hear Rome’s surprised inquiry to his mate. “Pregnant?”
* * *
This had been one of the longest days in Nivea’s life. It was nearing dinnertime and she was bored out of her mind. For nine hours straight she’d sat in the tech room watching security monitors, reviewing news feeds, and monitoring the Internet for any mention of cat people, the shifters, or the hybrids. It was a daunting task, one she’d shared with forty other guards that for whatever reason actually enjoyed being cooped up in a room with no windows and jugs of coffee.
Earlier this morning she’d awakened alone to a note from Eli. She’d thought she would roll over and cuddle her face against his chest as she’d done frequently throughout the night, but the paper had crinkled against her skin, instantly waking her up.
He was going out in the field and would be in touch by cell phone. Initially she’d been pissed by the note and the fact that she’d been ordered to stay inside, even when her shoulder was relatively painless at the moment. Then, Nivea had lain back on the bed, reveling in not only where she was but how far she’d come. She’d slept with Eli Preston last night. Not had sex with him as they’d done before and then been sent on her merry way, but she’d lain in his arms while he held her close and they’d both slept, peacefully.
Once upon a time, so many of Nivea’s nights had been riddled with nightmares, with dark and disturbing memories that refused to let her go. She’d gone through years of therapy, possessing a determination her therapist had said she’d never seen in another female victim of sexual abuse before. But Nivea had wanted to be normal, she’d wanted desperately to move past the things that had happened that had not been her fault. She’d wanted to forget but to be smart enough to remember at the same time. Because remembering was what kept her sane and focused. It’s what kept her from killing the man who had tried to destroy her life.
Just before, Nivea had received two text messages and one picture message from Eli. The two texts were of an address and a list of the contents of a bag he’d found. She’d run everything through the computers, coming up with a name, Robert Slakeman of Slakeman Enterprises. Slakeman was a defense contractor. His weapons armed the U.S. military and some high-level cartel members, as recently alleged by a few FBI agents on the West Coast. Nivea had no idea what any of this had to do with the hybrids or what the shifters were dealing with now, but she certainly planned to ask Eli when he returned to Havenway.
She’d just finished viewing the picture message when there was a knock on the door. Her bed was on the far side of the room, her dresser and a desk closest to the door. She moved past both and pulled the door open, not in a million years expecting who was on the other side.
“Long time no see,” Richard Cannon said, making his way inside her room without an invitation.
Nivea’s heart immediately pounded and while she would have preferred he’d stayed out in the hallway, she wasn’t about to make a scene that would alert everyone that he was here. As she closed the door she wondered how he’d managed to get
inside anyway, considering Rome and Nick were looking into his financial dealings. Maybe that wasn’t public knowledge as of yet, which would be the only reason the guards at the gate would have allowed him passage. That and the fact that he was a shifter and her father.
She sighed with that thought.
“What do you want?” was her question the moment the door was closed and she was relatively sure nobody would overhear what was going on.
Some would say he looked good for a fifty-seven-year-old man, with his black suit, crisp white shirt, and slate-gray tie. His hair was midnight black and combed back from his face so that his thick eyebrows and expertly cut mustache were prominent. Money really did do wonders, she thought, because the asshole that lived in those clothes would never be more than a dirty, scumbag pervert in her eyes, no matter what he wore.
“Is that any way to greet your father, whom you haven’t seen for years?” he asked, looking around her room as if there might be something there he had interest in.
Nivea knew that was not true. There was nothing at Havenway that interested her father. Nothing the Shadow Shifters were doing that he wanted to be a part of. After all, his number one goal for the last thirty years had been to kill off whatever shifter children he could in an effort to end the breed entirely because he believed the world would never accept them. He was the biggest, sorriest kind of hypocrite there was. While his nonprofit foundation boasted how many children they helped and saved from abusive homes and sickly situations, the man—Richard Cannon—had the blood of thousands of shifters on his hands. The wretched bastard.
“No, but that’s how I greet the man who made me swear not to ever tell what he was doing to anyone or he’d terrorize my sisters the same way he did me,” she replied vehemently.
Richard didn’t even have the gall to look affronted by her comment. Actually, his shoulders almost lifted in a shrug, but he took that moment to step closer to her instead.
