by KH LeMoyne
Tempted by the aromas of coffee and bacon, she slid into a soft fleece shirt and hip-hugging jeans. She eyed the slim fit in the mirror, surprised at Deacon’s ability to assess her size from merely touching her. Intimate attention that even now invoked a delicious shiver across her skin. She’d missed his company after her doctor visit, but if he truly ruled the nest of shifters in this town, then he’d already carved enough time for her.
Several more outfits lay folded on the bureau. She hadn’t bothered with more than quickly sorting through them after returning from the hospital, but she owed someone for the pretty, comfortable selections. Then she’d fallen asleep the second her head hit the pillow.
Hungry, she left in search of food.
As she reached the kitchen, she noticed a crowd. Shanae sat at the table with Trevor and gave her a ready smile. Matthew, Breslin, and a quiet Trim filled in all but one seat. Matthew lifted a fresh cup in Lena’s direction with an arched brow.
“Coffee would be wonderful.” Instead of sitting with the rest, she accepted the cup and wandered to the cooking island, where Grizz ladled enough food to tempt all the carnivores for miles. Was it even possible to get fruit and yogurt in this town? “Are you the chef?”
“My title is master of the griddle. Regardless of the time, the boy wanted a big breakfast,” Grizz said, gesturing to Trevor before handing her plates piled with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and biscuits to put on the table. Even if she hadn’t seen Grizz’s beast, he wore his bear like an aura. She could now individually differentiate his presence and the others on the team. A skill that felt too familiar, but she didn’t withdraw from the newborn instinct. Each shifter touched her in vibrations, harmonic shadows with size and substance, revealing new details with each passing hour.
More magic? As a human, she should be immune, yet instead she was absorbing the local essence.
Then Grizz winked at her, dispelling her thoughts. “In this boardinghouse, the guests get whatever they want.”
Evidently, that meant a heap of flapjacks as well. He handed her a covered platter of steaming cakes and motioned her toward the table. Thank goodness the table was large enough to hold all the food.
“Lena.” Trevor edged against her leg, holding up a small device. “Do you want to play Angry Birds with me later? Trim said if I played it with everyone, then she’d let me keep it.”
The game unit looked brand-new, and Lena doubted Trim had any expectation of keeping the toy. Lena also found the generous gesture toward Shanae’s child a change in Trim’s previously stoic interactions. Perhaps she’d reconsidered her animosity toward Matthew as well.
Lena eased into a seat. “You take the first turn.”
Having followed her to the table and now standing at her side, Trevor put his elbows on the table, pressed his lips tight, positioned his finger on the image of the slingshot and let loose the red bird. With a huge smile, he watched his game figure land on a birdcage and release what looked like feathered fuzz balls.
“Where are Wharton and Deacon?” Lena regretted asking the minute the words were out of her mouth. Trim tensed. Breslin abruptly stood to take his plate to the sink. Grizz’s efforts at the griddle behind her went silent.
Breslin returned with a new pot of coffee and met her gaze, though his expression remained unreadable. “Wharton is on assignment for Deacon. But he’s checked in several times and asks after you constantly.”
Okay, half an answer with a bit of sarcasm blending in, but she suspected he wasn’t lying. Breslin didn’t strike her as the type of person to waste his breath on a lie. Still, she snorted at his answer and turned toward the reunited couple. “So, Shanae, are you feeling better?”
Pushing a long auburn strand of hair back over her shoulder, Shanae took a deep breath. “Almost back to normal. Doc’s given me the all clear to shift, so I should be as good as before.”
Matthew covered her hand on the table. “Better than before.”
“Mom. You said Dad and I fixed you,” Trevor muttered as he continued maneuvering his game console, then he glanced around. “Why didn’t someone fix Deacon’s face like we did you?”
Trim’s jaw dropped as her eyes widened, but she laughed. “You’ve inherited your mother’s frankness, Trevor.”
Shanae rubbed a hand over Trevor’s head. “Nobody got to Deacon in time. But he doesn’t need to look pretty like I do.”
“’Cause he’s the alpha.” Trevor nodded, and at the ding from his game, he walked toward the couch behind the kitchen table. The fleeting attention span of the youngster saved everyone at the table from more explanations.
“Deacon doesn’t care about his scars, and we all know you wouldn’t have cared if you had any either,” Trim said softly.
“I haven’t been away so long that I don’t understand where my gratitude belongs—and I would have spared my alpha pain if I could have,” Shanae said, her voice thick with feeling.
“One night in the hospital, and you’ve become maudlin.” Trim stood and made her way to the sink and dumped the rest of her coffee. “There’s no point in debating the past. Besides, you weren’t even born when Deacon’s father challenged him.”
Lena almost tipped over her coffee cup as she lifted her head and stared between Trim and Shanae. Trim glanced away, but Shanae didn’t flinch and whispered while she kept an eye on Trevor. “Alpha or not, for a father to inflict such a visible wound reinforces everything I detested about Corbin King. Challenging his son to the death—despicable.”
Trim shrugged, but her posture was rigid. “There was nothing you or I could have done anyway.”
“Someone should have done something,” Shanae said quietly as she circled her coffee cup rim with one finger and accepted a hug from Matthew. “Anyone alive during Deacon’s childhood bears responsibility for the things that happened to him. Though I suppose you’re right. They made him the man he is today.”
Matthew clasped her hand again and shook his head. “I doubt he wants your pity. What caused this Corbin King to attack his child?”
“Greed. Insanity. Lack of interest in the quality of life of those pledged to him,” Trim stated with a dull flat tone. “I’m not trying to make light of the situation. He wasn’t a wonderful role model to begin with.”
Shanae passed a quick glance to make certain Trevor was still involved with the video game. Shanae and Trim’s conversation implied a shared dark past. “There was no love lost between Deacon and his father. But I, for one, didn’t need to witness his trials to appreciate what he brought to my life—the ability to leave a stronghold, to learn—acceptance of a family I chose and love.” She stared at Matthew. Lena watched with discomfort their intimacy, but there was no denying the two had a tight bond, radiating love with perhaps a touch of pain. These two people deserved their happy ending.
Grizz grunted, set his spatula aside with a soft thump, then straddled a chair at the table. “Life was different in those days. Fairness didn’t ensure survival, only strength. And only for some. Anyone not on King’s elite list merely endured in hope of change. Deacon was right to leave the clan. Probably saved his life.”
Shanae stared pointedly at Trim. “We all agree, but Deacon waded through too many contenders to prove himself when he returned. We should have trusted him from the beginning.”
“What do you mean by proving himself?” Matthew asked.
“Ascension to the alpha title required meeting all who contest for alpha.” Grizz’s voice rumbled in Lena’s ear. “Many came, though many backed down after he destroyed five of the most vicious challengers. The rest hid in the shadows like the cowards they were and challenged every few years. They attempted to weaken him and those who supported him and his new rules.”
Angered for Deacon, Lena regripped her coffee cup and focused on keeping her voice low. “Why would they feel empowered to try? He’s strong, and he never backs down without cause.”
“The continuing challenges were his father’s legacy,” Trim said.
Grizz nodded. “He considered Deacon weak—his refusal to endorse segregation of shifters, accepting humans as mates, refuting his father’s laws. That Deacon left the clan only cemented King’s opinion.” The last he drawled out. “Deacon’s father’s last edict was that his successor had to kill all comers or die. No matter how long it took.”
Fighting to the death turned Lena’s stomach, but she’d understood the natural order of the wild more than most people. Especially after witnessing the fights in the forest. But shifters were part human, and Deacon deserved support from his people. Not disdain and rejection. Yet, he’d endured. Matthew looked a little shell-shocked, but he glanced at Shanae and probably saw the same respect in his wife’s face that Lena did and didn’t comment.
“Animals in the wild only respect dominance and survival,” Lena said. “Humans, on the other hand, stray from their guidelines when it suits them. Hopefully, Deacon won’t have to prove himself to his clan that way again. Is there more to how this ended?” She turned a harsh look Grizz’s way.
“There’s always more.” He topped off her coffee and took a long time filling a plate and pushing it her way. He waited until she took several bites and then continued as if giving her a reward. “Deacon offered exile rather than death to three of the challengers.”
Deacon’s reality wasn’t that different from her experiences, except hers played out on a smaller scale. However, he’d battled for his convictions, dragging others less fortunate with him to a life of victory instead of survival and subservience.
Hearing these tales, she knew his success wasn’t as simple as hers either. “They turned on him instead, didn’t they?”
“No act of mercy goes unpunished.” Grizz’s smile didn’t spread light to his eyes. Blackness only deepened there as he stared at her. “Kill or be killed. If you have the courage to stay—to make your mark here—you could make life very interesting, Lena.”
“I’m not the kill-or-be-killed type. Usually,” she added, remembering the past several days. Tension eased from Grizz’s features, and a smile spread across his face. “See, there’s my goal in life. To amuse my bodyguards—I’m sorry, I mean Deacon’s sheriff. Because you are the quiet arm of law and order in this town, aren’t you?”
“You ad lib well, which does make for good entertainment.” His mouth twitched, and he leaned closer. “Not to mention you would put our best marksman to shame. However, entertainment isn’t worth all that much here. Loyalty is.” He tipped his head to her before he stood up and walked out of the kitchen.
She opened her mouth to call him back, but Breslin took his seat as Shanae and Matthew moved to join Trevor.
“I would think Deacon’s business, his history, should be more guarded,” she said.
“You wouldn’t tell anyone.” Breslin stared, his eyes revealing a graveness she hadn’t encountered since she’d met him.
“Because if I fail, then what?” One slip from her, one betrayal, and she’d pay a permanent price? “Would you come after me—or would Grizz?”
Breslin offered a surprising smile, one that didn’t warm the stark sadness in his eyes. “I haven’t executed anyone in years, and Grizz—well, he’s a bit too sentimental for the cold-blooded murder of his alpha’s mate.”
“That’s enough.” Trim snorted. “Leave her alone. You’d think this was a chapter of The Godfather.”
“It’s all right. I’ll be out of here in two days—after the meeting,” Lena said, surprised at Trim’s support. She ignored the strange quiet that followed her delivery. “No one needs to worry that I will say anything after I leave.”
Lena rose and left the kitchen. In the hallway, she leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes, more riddled with confusion than fear or anger. Everyone in this place was out to manipulate her for their own ends.
A tingle drifted across her arms, the fine hairs rising in a prickle. Not a threatening feeling either, but not Deacon’s vibration. He elicited his own response from her body, both visceral and euphoric. She opened her eyes as Grizz stopped before her.
“Do you have more to add? Or do I look confused and in need of counseling?” She kept her tone even, though her brow rose despite her attempt to remain unaffected.
Grizz leaned against the doorframe. “I owe you an apology.”
She waited several long seconds, assessing the odd contrast of the threat in his tense posture with the sincerity in his voice. “Go ahead.”
“I can’t seem to resist the opportunity to push you.”
“To find out where I stand in regard to Deacon.”
His eyes narrowed, but he shrugged. “Deacon would consider my responses to you threatening and unprovoked. It should shame me that he’d be right.”
Wow. But evidently, Grizz didn’t do shame. He hadn’t backed down from holding her accountable for any future mistakes, though she’d hardly expected him to roll over for her. “So what else did you decide I needed to know?”
He chuckled as if realizing he’d shortchanged her. “Of the three Deacon exiled, one crossed back into our territory in broad daylight—flaunting the gift of freedom by attacking our alpha again in front of others. Deacon ripped his throat out before the entire clan. It was enough to end the trials. He commands with respect. Not that he can’t kill when the situation demands it.”
She met his gaze. “You think I don’t know what kind of man he is?”
“I will reserve what I think. However, you surprise me. I’m learning not to judge you by human standards.”
“Don’t get all flattering now. I won’t know how to handle it.” Then, from the adjoining room, she heard Trevor.
“Eww, they’re kissing.” Trevor launched himself through the door and hid his face in Lena’s jeans. A quick look through the doorway confirmed his parents were sharing a light kiss.
“Yes, that’s what it looks like.” Lena gave the besotted couple a wry look. “Trevor, you and I can go to the table, and you can show me how to play your game.” She ignored the others as plates and pans clinked in the background with Trim and Breslin cleaning up.
“Good afternoon.”
Lena spun and caught the snide smile from her favorite alpha as he closed the back door and headed toward the table. At his voice, parts of Lena’s body thawed from their previous chill spawned by the earlier retelling of his adolescent battles.
He stared at her for a long while, golden eyes alight with heat and fire. Then, with a blink, he focused again on the newly reunited couple. “Matthew, I’ve come with a proposition for you.”
“I can take Trevor to the other room,” Lena offered.
“No need. I’d actually like to speak with you as well.” Deacon’s gaze roved over her face, leaving a hot flush in its wake. “If you would stay.”
Should it unnerve her how he could just show up, ooze his unique brand of predator charm, and she melted? Alternating between caution and the desire to do anything he asked, she went with the silence of acceptance.
As if hearing her thoughts, he widened his smile, and one devilish dimple reappeared. “Please.”
Lena lowered her head in acceptance and turned to Trevor.
“What can I do for you, Deacon?” Matthew asked.
“I have an offer—one dealing with an expansion of your business. The clan would like to invest in a private, nonmilitary division of your company as a shareholder. We would offer you capital for additional research, a building within close proximity of your home, as well as office space in buildings we own in Seattle, Spokane, or wherever you choose that is convenient for your other clientele.” Deacon withdrew a packet from his jacket as his phone buzzed.
He ignored the call and handed the packet to Matthew. “You are under no obligation to accept this offer. I can provide more details on the umbrella corporation we use to invest in many of our businesses. Ultimately our portion of the proceeds is divided between reinvestment in other businesses and providing education dollars for our people pursuing
degrees and certifications.”
Matthew had opened the pouch, then alternated between wide-eyed and squinting as if trying to search for some hidden meaning. He looked up as the silence took hold. “I don’t know what to say. This is a very generous offer. Frankly, this is better than I was expecting to negotiate with prospective partners when I expand.”
Deacon shrugged, his expression freezing as his phone buzzed again. He glanced quickly, pressed a button, and continued. “Take your time. Consider your options. Have your attorney review the material. There’s no rush.”
Withdrawing her arm from Matthew’s where she’d been reading at his side, Shanae looked up at Deacon. “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for coming to find me—and Trevor. Now the help with finding a home and this—” She waved toward the packet. “We really appreciate your time, but I know how busy you are. That you’ve taken time for us is something I can’t thank you enough for.”
As if to make a point, his phone buzzed a third time, and Deacon winced. Lena could almost see a red pulsing line extending from that phone to his temple, a burgeoning headache waiting to explode. With a tense smile, he tapped another button. “You pledged your loyalty to me. My help and my time is the promise I give back.”
The buzz echoed again.
“You need a—”
“Someone with nerves of steel to run my office, I know.” His growl and a maneuver to shut off the phone stopped Shanae in midsentence.
“Someone to handle the details,” she said with a tone and a smile that clued everyone in the room into her thoughts. “A person to prioritize the demands you have.”
“When did you want to start?” Deacon didn’t give Shanae a chance to answer but shoved his phone in her direction. She stared at him, and Lena hoped the woman wasn’t insulted.
“The child care center and preschool is down the driveway from my office. Name your salary.”
Shanae actually bit her lip to keep from laughing, and Lena had to look away to stop any sympathetic outburst, because he seemed so desperate and determined to sweeten the pot.
