Lawful Claim

by Marie Johnston

  “Go back as far as when Agent E was still your husband. How was your marriage? Was there anything weird that you noticed before they told you he had died? Anything you thought was odd or didn’t think of as abnormal until you look back on it.” Kaitlyn leaned forward across the table, and folded her hands, a comforting presence.

  Ana sat back and thought for a moment. “We were happy. Young, broke, and happy Julio.” She almost corrected herself to call him Agent E, but no, she was talking about her husband, the love of her life, and whomever he was now didn’t change that. “He loved his job. He’d wanted to be a police officer since he was a boy. His dad was a cop and his mom died of breast cancer before he was five, so it was just him and his dad. I lived with my Nana since my parents had been just kids when they had me. They got in with a bad crowd, and I lost both of them before I even knew them.” Ana fiddled with her hands, wondering how far in depth she should go. “We met when I was a junior and my high school toured the college where he was a freshman. We got married as soon as he finished the police academy and I graduated high school and got a job. Then I went to college and we lived in a tiny apartment. We were happy.”

  Sadness as to what could have been threatened to swamp Ana. It wasn’t a foreign emotion by far, so she reached over to run her hands over little Julio’s hair. So much like his father’s—tightly curled, cut short to the scalp, just like his dad had always worn it, still wore it. Man, would she ever get used to thinking that way? That the husband she’d mourned deeply for over a decade was still alive?

  Ana told Kaitlyn about that night, not worrying that Julio was in the room; he’d heard it all before. She described the joy of the pregnancy news, and the devastation of the days after, to the numbness of the following weeks. Even now, not a thing stood out to Ana as unusual.

  “When did you start dating again?”

  “Gosh, like five years after Julio passed, or didn’t pass, whatever.”

  “Were you looking to date, or did men start approaching you?”

  Could there have been more Agents than Griffin trying to get to her and her son? That was…that was just…really insulting, and frightening. Frowning, she ran through the men she had dated in her head.

  “I’ve never approached anyone. I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but I wasn’t opposed to it. I was lonely.” Ana gave her best rundown of the men she’d had in her life. There were two sort of serious ones before Griffin and a handful of ones she’d just dated and cut things off with before anything serious started. “Griffin pursued me more than the others. He was thoughtful, considerate, professionally successful…or so I thought.” Scorn poured out of her voice. Professionally successful was right, his job was to con her into marrying him.

  Kaitlyn glanced toward Julio. “Hey bucko, any of the dudes give you weirdo vibes?”

  Julio lifted one shoulder. “They were okay. I didn’t like Griffin because he made Mom put all the pictures of her and Dad away.”

  “He didn’t make me, we just agreed it was appropriate.” Ana let her defenses drop. She knew it had bothered Julio, but had no idea the depth of hurt he felt. She hadn’t seen it through a ten-year-old boy’s eyes who never got to know his dad, but undoubtedly idolized him.

  “What brought you to our doorstep?” Kaitlyn read into the silence between Ana and Julio and moved them past the tension.

  “Go ahead,” Ana encouraged the sullen boy, “tell her about the other night.”

  As Julio told his story, Kaitlyn peppered him with questions about the kid who claimed to have the coveted Pokémon card. Then Ana described a censored version of how Griffin changed after the incident with Julio, and then the events of the day. Or the previous day. How late was it?

  Once she drifted off, Kaitlyn hesitated for a few moments. “All righty then, let’s get you two set up for the night. One of us will guard you twenty-four/seven, so don’t be alarmed if you see a big dude hanging around outside your door. I’m taking first shift, though.” She stood up, moving gracefully to the door. As it swung open, she faced them. “After you.”

  *****

  X was distinctly aware that there was no comforting presence wrapping her in his heat, in his protection, like he always did during her dreams. He was there, otherwise she would be awake, wracked by the nightmares that had plagued her for twelve years. She let her awareness spread and found him sitting with his back to her on the edge of her dream bed, in her dream room, which was identical to her dorm in the Sigma compound except for the blurred edges.

  This was the first time she actually saw him in her dream, but like in the first dream appearance, she knew it was him. He was always a comforting presence, holding her. She never acknowledged he was there and kept the stolen moments to herself. It was the only thing that was hers alone.

  Exhaling softly, X didn’t bother to ask what was wrong. Of course she knew; there was so much. She was supremely grateful she had showered before she crawled into bed. No need to showcase her exploits, insulting the male who protected her dreams, never speaking to her, never asking to do anything more than allow him to hold her and keep the nightmares at bay.

  “I understand,” he finally said, as if acknowledging her thoughts.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she countered.

  “It does.” He twisted around, perceptive hazel eyes drifting up her body that was encased in only a T-shirt, underwear, and no less than two knives. “You do what you need to do, Alexandria.” Her blood ran cold; he knew exactly who she was. It’d been so long since anyone had called her that; it felt like an insult to the girl she once was. “We’ll help you destroy Madame G, get you out, and then we can deal with us.”

  “I’m afraid there is only a one-way ticket for me at the end of all this, Rhys.” Sadness and regret laced her voice.

  “Dani made it out,” the Guardian commander pointed out.

  “And Madame G’s still alive. She needs to die. She needs to be destroyed. She needs to be sent somewhere to suffer for eternity.” Damn, that felt good to say out loud, even if it was only in a dream world. Not even she and E talked out loud about their plans, it was just understood. It was also understood that if one word was uttered and heard, they’d die. “And I don’t know why she’s so powerful, or what we’re up against when we do go against her. If the time ever comes, I will get only one shot to destroy her.”

  Rhys turned so he was sitting more fully on the bed, leaning over her, and she indulged herself, her eyes drifting over his features. Over the years, they’d only fought each other, where she had admired his form, his style, his ruggedly-handsome physique. She knew that the brown of his eyes were interspersed with the brightest green, were sharply intelligent, and now they were warmed with concern and tenderness for her.

  “I had to be with someone else today.” She blurted it out and cursed herself at ruining a good moment. Didn’t matter. She shouldn’t get good moments, they were dangerous.

  His expression hardened for less than a second before softening toward her again, this time with anguish shining bright. “I know,” he said quietly. “As much as I wish you had enough vampire in you to render you impotent because I’m your true mate, it would’ve gotten you killed long ago.”

  She was stunned and dismayed at his declaration. “You need to move on Rhys. There is no ‘us.’ Next time we meet, I will no doubt put a bullet or blade in you, like I always do. You need to still be able to do the same to me.”

  For so long, he thought her the enemy, not intending to kill her, only stop her. But while she could make sure not to hit anything vital, she had to be ruthless, with him and all the Guardians. They all sported scars from her silver hardware. She was the same, and call her a masochist, but she was insanely proud of the marks made by Rhys. “Find a nice little shifter female to move on with. Or a ton of human women.”

  She expected his face to cloud over, get angry, something other than afflicted. “You are mine.” He leaned down close, his firm dream lips inches above her own.
“I haven’t been with anyone in years. At first, I would in retaliation for smelling you on another male. Then I couldn’t. I don’t want to. I will wait for you.”

  Tears threatened to well up and, no. Just no. “There’s nothing to wait for.”

  “We’ll see.” He was leaning down closer, ever so slowly his lips closing in on hers, like he couldn’t help himself. She intended to ignore her pounding heart, argue that he couldn’t wait for her, she wasn’t worth it.

  Agent X, report to my suite!

  Instantly, the dream world disappeared to be replaced by a sharper image of her room as X’s eyes flew open. Madame G sounded pissed, filling her with dread. Her malignant leader rarely showed emotion, keeping watch over her people like a bird of prey. X shook off the dream, donned her clothing and gear, and prepared to become well-acquainted with pain.

  Chapter Eight

  “I wondered if you’d venture down here.” E was stretched out on his bunk, hands behind his head, legs crossed at the ankles, staring up at the bare ceiling.

  He didn’t bother to look at his visitor, wasn’t sure what the reception would be. Dani Santini stood on the other side of the bars. E could sense her mate, Mercury, at the end of the corridor. The last time he saw her, E was trying to capture her to bring her back to the compound.

  “I had to say thank you while I had the chance.”

  Well, that’s…unexpected. “For what?” he grunted.

  Dani crossed her arms over her chest, pinning him with eyes the color of rich coffee. “For training me not to be a sadistic killer and for only half-assing your attempt to catch me that night in the woods. Oh yes, and for killing Mason before he killed me.”

  E sat up, swinging his legs down to the floor and resting his elbows on his knees. Finally, he turned to look at her, sweeping his eyes over her athletic body from head to toe. She looked good. When he first met her, she seemed like a naïve kid in a big, bad world. Then he watched her grow into a capable fighter, but she had always held a hint of innocence, a bit of insecurity about her role in the organization. Now, she stood with confidence, facing him unflinchingly. “Don’t glorify me, Dani. I’m not a good person.”

  She had the audacity to roll her eyes. “I agree. You’re kind of a dick. I’m still saying thank you, whether it puts a hole in your man card or not.”

  Smirking because he couldn’t help himself, he stood and took the two steps across his tiny cell to stand across from her in the doorway. “Watching you get away, then somehow manage to get Madame G’s taint off you and your baby, better than any Super Bowl party I’d ever been to as a human. It was epic.”

  The supernatural tantrum Madame G had thrown was astronomic. When he was clear of flying debris, he’d wallowed in it. For the first time in what was left of his life, he felt like maybe he was on the right track, finally being rewarded with a victory scored over the madam’s influence.

  He turned his attention back to Dani. “How’s the baby?”

  Would she tell him? Or would he be treated like an evil Sigma Agent again? If she didn’t discuss her child with him, he’d understand. But it’d feel like shit, man, it really would.

  A smile lit up her face. “He’s pretty epic himself. Big, he’s a big little guy.”

  The kid must be what, like nine months old or something? It made E sick every time he thought about how it could’ve gone if Dani hadn’t gotten away, if Mercury hadn’t escaped, if their baby had stayed tied to Sigma. Sickening.

  “What’d you name him?” Was this really a conversation he was having? Talking kids with an old friend? Those scenarios weren’t meant for his life anymore. Less than twenty-four hours being away from Sigma and he was already being pelted with moments of normalcy.

  “Dante.” Dani’s voice radiated the natural pride of a mother.

  “Cool.” E nodded. “That’s very cool.”

  The convo drifted off into awkward silence. He didn’t dare ask further about Dante—anything could and would be used against him and others in the court of Madame G—and Dani was smart enough not to elaborate.

  “We’ll help Ana and Julio, E.”

  Not a shocker. They were two innocent people targeted by Sigma, of course the Guardians would help them. He waited for the rest.

  “But here’s the thing. Madame G is going to strike hard and fast once she learns we have those two and you. We’re building our numbers within the pack, but we can’t ignore threats to our people and utilize too many of our resources to protect your family. Commander Fitzsimmons figures she’ll plan her attacks so that we have to spread our numbers thin, leaving the lodge more vulnerable.”

  Fuck. He didn’t think beyond getting his wife and kid here. Proof E’s intelligence took a backseat to his feelings for his family, and why those feelings were dangerous. Here meant safety, and it didn’t occur to him they wouldn’t not be safe. The Guardians used the ancient protections of their people to mask their location, along with state-of-the-art technology to monitor the surrounding woods and enhance building security. But if there was no one here to guard them…

  “Then what?”

  “The commander will talk to you more, but I told him I wanted to come see you before the shit hit the fan. Anyway, he said you might have to go on the run with them.”

  Not a good option. “She can find me anywhere if she needs to.” Madame G bound herself by blood to all of her Agents. It was like a homing beacon, a big reason why no one could escape.

  “Welll…” Dani sounded like he wasn’t going to like her idea. “We have a theory that might be worth a shot.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “When I mated Mercury, it was like our bond overrode Madame G’s, and my body and Dante’s were purged.”

  So that’s how they did it. Man, if that ever got out, there’d be some repentant Agents trying to find them some shifters to mate with. “I don’t mean to state the obvious, but I’m not a shifter.”

  “Duh. Give us some of your blood, and our research guy,” They have a research guy? Oh right, that older shifter Dani’s mate busted out last year. “will see if he can find out anything. But,” she shrugged, “it’s something. We know she uses vampire blood to enhance her people, and vampires have their own bonding practices.”

  “Except she’s a vamp herself. Will a kind-of vampire mating a non-vampire out bond a maniacal vampire’s bond?” That’s if…if, Ana would number one, agree to it, and two, follow through when the whole drinking blood bit came up.

  “Dunno. Think about it. Have any vampire Agents ever mated, that you know of?”

  “Maybe in other Sigma chapters.”

  Dani shook her head. “Doubt it. None are as comprehensive as Freemont’s chapter, and from what we know, only Madame G experiments on her Agents.”

  “So then, will I die? Ten years of her infesting me, I’m not human anymore.” He hadn’t felt human since he went down in the warehouse fire.

  “There’s always a chance, but Doc Garreth thinks her conversion process digs into your DNA to alter genes. We think that while her scientists came up with a way to insert vampire traits, Madame G’s blood alone couldn’t do that. So the change might be all you.”

  His enhancements were there to stay. Fucking fabulous. To be real, he didn’t want to lose his abilities, not at this critical time. He needed them to stay at the top of the Agent game and figure out how to kill Madame G.

  “I don’t know that Ana’ll ever agree to it,” he finally admitted. “To her, her husband died over ten years ago. I’m just someone she probably regrets finding out ever existed because I remind her of everything that was lost.”

  Dani’s eyes held somber acceptance for him, a shade short of pity. She knew how it was for Agents. She was almost one herself, though she’d been spared the dirty details since Madame G had other plans for her. “Don’t underestimate what a mother will do for her son.”

  *****

  “We need to what?” Ana’s voice could cut steel.

 
“Our Guardian numbers at the lodge are dwindling.” Commander Fitzsimmons remained unfazed by her disbelief. No scratch that, her utter inability to accept the crazy shit he was spewing. “We have Guardians fanning out to protect the local colonies whose clans are getting hit hard by attacks from recruits and Agents. Soon, she’ll attack here, and she has the numbers to eventually find this place and make it inside. They have before, but we don’t have the level of protection we normally do. Especially not to protect children.”

  Children? The plural word sunk in and damn, there was more than just Julio at risk. But mate the Agent who used to be her husband? Mate, not marry. It was crazy. She feared a blood exchange with the man who resembled a tougher, more virile version of her already masculine, vigorous late husband.

  Not only that, the commander had added, they also needed to consummate the bond. She found out she had been sleeping with the enemy only two days ago, a man who had been sent to monitor her, had tried to kill her son, and then kidnap both of them. She was trying to dump that baggage and now a man who supposedly changes into a wolf was telling her that she needed to swap blood with her no-longer-dead husband and have sex with him? To save her and her son?

  “Once it’s done,” the nonplussed commander continued, “we can arm you and give Agent E his weapons back, make you some maps to the woods, and send Kaitlyn with you to go into hiding.”

  “Kaitlyn doesn’t have a mate or children?”

  Commander Fitzsimmons grimly shook his head.

  “Does that mean there’s a good chance we might end up killed or captured?”

  “It’s a possibility.” He leveled his intense hazel eyes on her. “We’ll deal with that if need be. But your son is comfortable with her, and she’s an excellent Guardian.” A brief hesitation. “One without quite the history with Agent E that the rest of us have.”