Knight Defense

by Sydney Addae

David frowned and looked at her. “I don’t think so. I think we’re flying into Ontario. Dad?”

  “Yes, Ontario,” Silas said. It had been a long night, he hadn’t been able to sleep until Angus was in the air on his way home. It had been a successful operation all around.

  Storm had secured his target, and boxed everything in the small cabin, taking all Lee’s files, laptop, disks, everything. Hawke had a lot of information to wade through today between the files Angus took from Humphrey and those from Lee. Silas planned to sift through Lee’s work later to gain insight on the military’s future plans.

  “I contacted Jarcee this morning to tell him about the trip and everything,” David said. “He sounded like Jarcee but distracted. His mate’s living with him.”

  “Really?” Jasmine said becoming animated. “How long has it been a week? Two? That’s fast. No wonder we haven’t heard from or seen him. He’s setting up house.”

  Silas chuckled. He’d check in with Jarcee soon, just to make sure everything was going well and to remind him everyone wanted to meet his mate. Maybe they’d invite them to the compound for dinner or go to a restaurant.

  “Storm made it back okay?” David glanced at Silas.

  “Yes, he got back a few hours ago.” He didn’t add anything else, Storm’s mission wasn’t something he wanted David concerned about.

  Adam walked in and entered the kitchen. He kissed his mom on the cheek and nodded respectfully to Silas. Grabbing a plate, he sat next to David and added bacon and eggs.

  “You ready for this, boss?” Adam asked David. Silas was a bit surprised Adam spoke rather than using their link.

  “Yeah, should be interesting.” He talked about the beauty of the place, the mountains, and wide-open spaces.

  “Ice and snow,” Adam said with a small grin. “Seriously, be careful.”

  “Always. Besides, Jackie says Cain is always on the alert.” He squeezed Adam’s shoulder. The two embraced.

  “What’s going on?” Jasmine asked the question Silas had been wondering. “David’s going on an exploratory trip to Canada, nothing more, right?” She looked up at Silas.

  Frowning, he nodded. “Right. Is there something you’re not telling us? Because Adam’s good-bye doesn’t sound like I’ll see you at the wedding in a few months,” Silas said.

  Adam laughed. “I know, kind of overly dramatic for sure. But it’s so strange for David not to be here, in the compound, what we referred to as the base. Our captain is leaving the command post, sorta, and it’s just weird.”

  Silas thought about it for a few seconds. Adam had always been more emotional, maybe that’s all there was to it. “We’ve always known David would leave the compound when he found something that interested him enough to do so. I think this will be good for him.”

  “Don’t come back an Alpha,” Adam joked.

  David looked at him but didn’t smile.

  Silas stilled and watched the two.

  “What?” Adam said looking at his parents and then back at David. “I was just kidding, but I must’ve said the wrong thing. Are you ready to be an Alpha?”

  “No. There were only two ways to become an Alpha. To start a pack, allowing others to join, or to win an Alpha challenge. You know I won’t start a pack, are you suggesting I not accept a challenge if one is presented or that I cannot win an Alpha challenge? I’m going to believe you don’t mean either because they are both insulting and that’s not your intent. But there are some things you shouldn’t joke about. Honor and integrity are no laughing matters.”

  Adam stared at David a few moments and then nodded. “You’re right. I apologize. I wasn’t thinking about the process, just the end result. A part of me is afraid if you take such a responsible step, we have to become grown-ups, behave differently. I don’t want our dynamic to change.”

  “Change is inevitable, Adam. It’s how we manage change that’s important,” David said. “You’re mated to a talented artist and have had to make changes to accommodate her gift to the pack. Sounds like a grown-up thing to me.” He placed his hand on Adam’s shoulder. The two stared at each other for a few seconds and then embraced.

  “Love you,” Adam choked and burrowed his face in David’s shoulder. “I’m always available for you, use me if you need to.”

  Silas glanced at Jasmine. They knew the pups could share each other’s energy, did that extend to the mates as well? Could David pull on Storm, Bella and Quinn’s energies through his litter-mates?

  “Love you, too.” David clapped Adam on the back. “I’m always available for you and your den. Know that.”

  “I do,” Adam said as he sat back. “I do.” He looked at Silas and Jasmine with a sheepish grin. “Breakfast is great.”

  Silas chuckled. “Glad to hear it.” His gaze slid to David who stood and refilled his glass.

  “Tomas contacted me last night to see if we were still sharing a place or if he should get his own now that Renee is mated. I didn’t think it made a difference. He’s still my close friend. I mean I like Storm too, but Tomas and I go way back. Would there be a problem you think?” He looked at his mom.

  Silas was happy she’d get to answer this.

  “Sharing your place with Tomas is between you and Bella. If she’s okay with it, then I’d say it’s fine. If you’re asking if Storm or Renee will be upset that you still have a good relationship with Tomas, that’s something you can ask her.” Jasmine looked at Silas. “What to do you think?”

  “I agree with you.” He didn’t deal well with exes. And even though this situation was different, Storm would never allow Tomas solitary access to Renee again. Which meant Tomas would no longer attend family functions if Renee and her mate were there.

  Tomas’ parents, Matt, Silas’ lead doctor and his mate, Davian, who was Tyrese and Tyrone’s biological father, would make further adjustments to keep the peace.

  “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Adam said. “Bella and I want him to stay at the house with us. It’s good having someone from a normal pack around.”

  David stood, took his plate to the sink and then placed it in the dishwasher. “I’ve got to meet Cain downstairs in the tunnel in a bit.” He walked to his mom, kissed her cheek and hugged her. “Love you, see you when I get back.”

  Jasmine stood, hugged him tight for a few seconds and released him. “I’m so proud of you. Be safe, take lots of pictures and send them to me. I expect to see something every day.”

  David laughed and kissed her cheek again. “I promise to try.”

  She patted his face, stared into his eyes and nodded. “That’s all I ask.”

  David moved to Silas, embraced him for several seconds. “Love you, thanks for letting me go.”

  Silas slapped him on his back. “Thank your mother, I had changed my mind and planned to cancel it. Now I’m glad I listened to her, you’re ready and I’m very proud of you.”

  “Love you,” David spoke.

  “Love you, too soon. All of you have made me so proud.” They separated. David and Adam hugged again before David left.

  “We need to test our links before you leave. When you reach your room, let me know,” Silas told David.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “One by one, we’re leaving,” Adam said watching his mother. “Think you’ll have more pups?”

  “I have six, and several grands, nieces, nephews, why would I have more pups?” She tilted her head to the side and looked at Adam. “I’m not lonely. Or bored. My days are full as it is. The idea reopening the nursery holds very little appeal.” Smiling she looked at Silas. “I have the love of my life all to myself and we can go wherever and whenever we want without taking anyone else’s schedules into account.”

  Adam chuckled. “When you put it like that, I can see why not.” He kissed her on the cheek. “You’re the world’s greatest, Mom, though. Glad I was in your last litter.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  FAYE AND JARCEE HAD been together one day shy of two weeks when t
he call came. She was told to report to an area outside the city limits for briefing within two hours.

  Relief flowed through her. Burned out from all the bloodshed, and internal politics, lack of recognition, slow promotions, she had contemplated changing MOS – Military Occupational Specialty or getting out altogether. But her Commanding Officer convinced her to take this last job before retiring early at 15 years. He promised undercover work with full integration within the general population, something she hadn’t done since she finished military Intelligence School. She’d been sent here with orders to assimilate until further notice.

  Today, she’d get specifics on her target or targets and learn if she needed to quit work at the firm. Pity if she had to leave, she’d enjoyed the work and the people were cool.

  The real challenge was how to leave without alarming Jarcee? She’d need to think of something as close to the truth as possible. Lately, she discovered she couldn’t lie to him at all. It was a liberating feeling to trust someone to that degree but damn frustrating at times as well.

  If her orders hadn’t prevented her from sharing her real reason for being in the area, she would’ve told Jarcee on day one. But other than waiting for more information, she didn’t have anything to tell.

  Jarcee strode into the kitchen where she prepared a cup of tea and offered him one.

  “Where are you going?” He was dressed in loose fitting jeans, a tee-shirt, and sneakers, looking hot and sexy.

  “Ride with me, I’ve got to say goodbye to a friend who’s leaving town.”

  Relief flowed through her. She schooled her face to one of regret. “I can’t, I have a meeting in a bit. I’ll see you when you get back.”

  He stared at her for a few seconds. “You’re sure? I’d love you to meet him, all of them actually. Soon, they’re going to think I made you up.”

  Giddy that he’d told his friends about her, she stood on tip-toes and kissed him. “Not this time, set something up, I’d love to meet them.”

  He nodded, took her hand and stared at her. “There are some things we need to discuss later. I’ll bring home a few lobsters, and other seafood, sounds good?”

  Sounded delicious. She patted her belly, pleasantly surprised she hadn’t gained any weight since she’d moved in with him since they ate all the time.

  “That works for me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. This man owned her heart, soul, and body. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for him.

  Jarcee patted her backside. “Drive safe. Don’t get too close to other guys, I don’t like smelling them on you.”

  With that weird request, he left. Faye finished her tea, mapped the address and prepared for her meeting.

  FAYE ARRIVED WITH TEN minutes to spare and parked in a large garage in behind the brick building, along with several cars and a few vans. Puzzled, she couldn’t imagine who or what kind of operation warranted this type of surveillance in a place like this. The mall was almost an hour away, as well as restaurants and entertainment. She had expected the meeting to be closer to that area instead of here.

  Inside, she cleared security checkpoints and entered a large conference room. A few people sat at desks, others talked in small groups, a total of 12 in all. The composition was six men and six women. She didn’t know anyone and took a seat.

  A man wearing an open collar shirt and slacks walked into the room, stood at the front holding a folder. “I’ll begin with roll call.” When he said her name, Faye acknowledged her presence.

  “Hello, I’m Special Agent Elroy High. Thank you all for being here. You’ve noticed this operation isn’t being handled as a standard military op. This is a para-military operation. You will be reporting to me and my team who you’ll meet soon.”

  That explained a lot, Faye thought as she took notes.

  He discussed the sensitivity of the assignment, high-level security and threat to National Security. By the time he finished, Faye was ready to bring down the next Bin Laden.

  “You’re receiving folders now with information of your targets depending on where you’re stationed.”

  Faye opened her folder and stared at the dark-haired man with blue-green eyes. It wouldn’t hurt for him to smile, she thought and started reading his bio. Frowning, she re-read the bit about his title. “Alpha.” Another word jumped out at her, “pack.”

  What the hell? She continued reading something that came out of a horrific fairy tale. Was he fucking serious? Wolf-Nation? No way. She read the entire bio again to be sure.

  His compound or base was in West Virginia? In this area? Who the hell would do that? She looked up and met Agent High’s gaze.

  He nodded.

  She sat back in her chair and tried to process the words on the page. Where did these people live? In packs? Caves? The mountains? Silas Knight looked normal, human unless the rest of his body was deformed or something. How was it possible for a different species to co-exist with us for hundreds of years and we not know about it? she wondered.

  “Sir, with all due respect, is this for real?” someone asked.

  “Yes, it is,” High said. “Another reason only a few have received this information. It’s vital to National Security that this information is not released.”

  “But—”

  Agent High raised his hand. “Give me a minute to explain then ask questions.”

  Faye sat spell-bound as Agent High told the story of how Silas Knight came to be, how he set up packs in every state, how pack members couldn’t be detected. He stressed they were citizens of the United States with all protections and privileges afforded them.

  When he finished, she was under the impression Silas Knight was the target but unsure of the mission.

  “We have no defense against this pack. As I’ve said, Knight can call them all to arms against us and they’d have to obey. We need to determine their weaknesses, and how to exploit them.” He said more but she grasped the kernel of the mission was to find the weakness in the pack.

  Her thoughts ran back to the Bin Laden mission several years ago, her team had discovered a loose thread that led to the eventual capture of one of the country’s enemies. How could she bring that level of expertise to this operation?

  “What about his family?” someone asked.

  Faye watched as photos of Knight’s wife, she was surprised the woman was black, and his kids. All mixed and good looking.

  She froze. There was an image with a tall blond in the background with one of Knight’s sons. Not his face, just his profile. Butterflies filled her stomach.

  No. That couldn’t have been Jarcee. “I work Security,” he’d said. Fear that she’d been sleeping with someone who knew the enemy kept her quiet. There were no other pictures of the blond giant, but her heart confirmed that person was her lover.

  Heart-sick, she half listened to the rest of the presentation. How could she help keep her man out of this investigation without discussing why? Stomach queasy, she listened to questions regarding defense were answered and explained.

  “Do not engage if you meet someone in the pack, befriend, ask questions, we need information. Anything you learn, we need to know because it paints a broader picture to prepare for our future.”

  Faye read between the lines. The government wanted information to destroy the pack when the time came. Did Jarcee know anything about the people he worked for? Would he be able to get her an introduction? How could she finagle that without alerting him to her mission? She’d have to think of a way.

  The discussion went on around her as she wrote notes on how to find pack through the resources she’d already accessed. Tax record searches. Business sales. Newspaper records. Cross-reference names of old owners with new followed by background checks.

  Pulling threads.

  “That’s all for now. Based on where you’re assigned, your support team is here. Set up a time to meet with them before you leave.” He paused. “Faye, can I speak with you?”

  She met his gaze and nodd
ed while closing her notebook. “Yes?”

  “You didn’t have any questions, yet I know you didn’t believe the report at first. You read Knight’s bio several times. Have you accepted the mission?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “What’s your strategy?” Their gazes locked.

  “Grunt work mostly.” She explained how she planned to search records for a pattern. “If they’ve lived here a long time there may be something there.”

  He nodded. “That’s good.”

  She explained cross-referencing and they discussed that for a while, going more in-depth.

  “No wonder you were top in your class. You’re going deep. Keep me apprised.”

  “What should I do about my cover? Shall I remain with the real estate firm?”

  He nodded. “For now, yes. Once you have a target you may need to pull back and stop. We’ll make that decision then.”

  “Thanks.” Pleased with his answer, she left and headed back to the house. Worry dogged her footsteps. How would she broach this with Jarcee? Would he stop working for Knight? If not, would she report her relationship? It was just a matter of time before High discovered it anyway.

  By the time she entered the house, she’d grown tired of the mental back and forth and pulled out her phone to call it in. She stopped. The photo didn’t show Jarcee’s face. There was no way she would’ve known he worked for Knight. Pleased with her defense that would buy a little time she stripped and dived into the pool.

  JARCEE PULLED INTO the garage with a heavy heart. La Patron had scolded him severely over mating with Faye without explaining everything and gaining her permission. Even though she had spoken the words, she hadn’t fully understood their meanings. La Patron did say she must have meant them for the mating to have occurred.

  But it was still wrong.

  Fear had kept him quiet. Desperation to keep her at all costs violated Faye’s trust and robbed her of her right to choose. As a breeder, she could leave him and there was nothing he could do to stop that.

  His selfish actions would be his downfall. Thinking of life without Faye stole his breath. He sat in the car praying the Goddess would be kind and forgive him this huge transgression. If she left, he would leave the pack, and return to the place of his ancestors. A place he’d forgotten seemed a fitting end for allowing fear to control his life the one-time bravery mattered most.