“I don’t think his mate would like that, though.”
“I’ll do it,” another voice added.
No one answered and Morin was about to ask if they were still there when someone asked, “Tell me it wasn’t Nysys who said that.”
“Nysys...” Dominic said. “You can’t be serious.”
Morin looked at the man’s picture again. He obviously wasn’t as fierce as Morin had thought. He was sexy as hell, though, and Morin found himself conflicted at the idea of the man being in close quarters with him. He cleared his throat. “I’m going to need whoever will come to be able to fake being my boyfriend.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want the killer to think I’m protected. I actually want to catch him, if I can.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I can do it. I’m just not bullet proof.”
“I can do it,” Nysys said, his voice stubborn. Morin could tell Dominic was going to have one hell of a fight on his hands if he said no.
“You’re not trained, Nysys, and you’re...”
“What, a fuck-up? A good for nothing?”
“That’s not what I was saying.”
“I’m a council member, you can’t tell me no. You said you only needed someone to shimmer him out. I can do that.”
“I know you can, but what if the guy surprises you? You won’t be able to fight against him.”
“So teach me.”
“I think Morin needs someone now, not next year,” the snarky voice of the guy who apparently liked Morin said.
“I learn fast.”
Morin heard Dominic take a deep breath. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”
“No. You all think I can’t do anything, but I’ll show you.”
“Fine, have it your way, but if Morin is as much as scratched, your ass is coming back here and you’re off the council. Got it?”
Morin wasn’t sure it was a good thing or no, but it sounded like he now had a Nix bodyguard.
* * * *
The conference was over and everyone was looking at Nysys. He crossed his arms on his chest and put on his best stubborn expression, silently daring anyone to say anything. He should have known not all of them would have problems doing just that.
“You can’t go,” Quincy said. The eagle shifter was looking at Nysys as if he were an interesting piece of crap on the ground. If a piece of crap could actually be interesting, anyway.
“Guess what? I’m going. That makes you wrong.”
Quincy snarled, and while Nysys was quaking in his boots—okay, flip-flops—he wasn’t about to let the man know. He’d learned the hard way he really shouldn’t let his emotions out if he didn’t want to be viewed as a stupid fool.
“You’re not trained. You’re probably going to take one look at the killer and run for your life screaming like a girl while Morin is left to fight for his life.”
Nysys had to admit that was a possibility, but he wasn’t about to say it aloud. He wanted the people around the table to respect him, damn it, and it would never happen if he didn’t change the opinions they had of him. To do that, he had to change himself.
“I won’t run. I might not be able to kick the killer’s ass if he tries something, but even I can shimmer a man here to Whitedell. That’s what I’ll do. Easy.”
Quincy opened his mouth, probably to berate Nysys again, but Dominic stopped him. “We’ll let him try. Morin said he needed someone who can pass as his boyfriend, and none of the mated males is going to accept their mate faking being with another man.”
“Any one of us unmated males could do it, though,” Quincy pointed out.
“Probably, but Nysys is unassuming. The killer won’t think anything of him, so he’ll have the element of surprise if the man attacks. He won’t expect Nysys to be able to get Morin out of there. We’ll give him a quick training course before he leaves, and that way we can keep all the enforcers where we need them.” Dominic’s eyes went to Nysys. “I’m trusting you on this. Don’t make me regret it.”
Nysys gave the alpha one nod. Dominic’s words had a finality that told Nysys what would happen if he failed. That was why he wouldn’t, even if it killed him. He didn’t know Morin Glass. He was also scared to death the killer would hurt him because he was in the way, but he wouldn’t let anyone hurt Morin, not if he could stop it. “When do I leave?”
“You heard Morin. He needs someone as soon as possible, since they’ve already tried to kill him once. Go pack a bag and come back here. I’ll have him email a picture of the place he wants you to shimmer into. You’ll go after your 101 course on self-defense.”
Nysys nodded again and rose from his chair. He looked around the table and saw pretty much what he’d expected. Eyes full of worry and sneering expressions that told him they were expecting him to fail. What Nysys hadn’t expected was the smile and thumbs-up Keenan gave him from his chair, or the reassuring nod Ani sent his way.
He didn’t have to look to know the two men were following him out of the room, but he was still startled when he felt a hand slip into his and squeeze. He looked to his side and gave Ani a wavering smile. “I’m in deep shit, huh?”
Ani squeezed again and let Nysys’ hand go. “Yeah. Why are you doing this? You don’t have anything to prove.”
“Of course I do. Everyone thinks I’m an air-headed blond, well, pink. You know what I mean.”
“That’s not true,” Keenan said from Nysys’ other side.
“Sure, it is. Most people in this house think I’m kind of stupid, clumsy, and good for nothing. Sure, I might be cute and even funny, but that’s about all.”
“Is that why you volunteered for this?” Ani asked.
Nysys shrugged. “In part. I need to prove to everyone that I can do stuff, that I can be useful. And I need to prove it to myself, too. I need to prove I can be a good leader for my make-shift tribe, because I’ll lose them if I don’t.”
“What? Why? Did someone said anything?”
Nysys shook his head. “No, but I’m not stupid. All my friends are doing something useful. I’m just sitting around. That’s not how a good leader should behave, and it won’t take long for someone better to try and take my place. That’s if my friends don’t decide to become members of the pride first. It’s not like it would change anything anyway. We already live here, and let’s admit it, we already follow Dominic’s rules. I think everyone would think I’d gone mad if I tried to actually give orders.”
“Look, I can see what the problem is, but throwing yourself in danger won’t solve anything.”
Nysys stopped in front of his bedroom door and turned to face the alpha mate. Keenan was hovering next to them, listening. “I’m not throwing myself in danger. You’ve heard Dominic. Morin Glass just needs someone who can quickly get him out of a potentially dangerous situation. That’s it. I won’t fight, I won’t throw myself in front of him to protect him.”
“Maybe not, but you’ll probably manage to trip and end up there anyway,” Keenan added, finally making Nysys smile.
“Probably. It doesn’t change anything anyway. You heard Dominic. If I mess this up, I’m out.”
“I could talk to him,” Ani said.
“No need. I’ll do this, and I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
The two didn’t seem all that reassured by Nysys’ words, but they nodded. “We’ll see you downstairs when you’re done?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”
Once inside his room Nysys sent a message to every member of his rickety tribe. Seconds later, they were all popping in his room and asking questions.
“Where are you going?”
“Why you? Why can’t someone else go?”
“What are you going to do?”
Nysys held his hands up and was more than a little surprised when the five men shut up. “Sit down, guys.”
; “That means he has something bad to tell us,” Wyn pointed out.
“You can’t be sure of that,” Noem said. He was dressed in scrubs, a sign that Nysys had interrupted him while he was working. He grimaced at the thought, but Noem was there now, so it didn’t make sense to dwell on it.
“I’ll be away for a while. I don’t know how long yet, but I’ll let you know when I’ll come back.”
“Where are you going? And to do what?” Cerris asked.
“All of you now who Morin Glass is?” Everyone nodded so Nysys went on, “Someone is trying to kill him, and he needs someone who can pass as his boyfriend and is able to get him out fast.”
Shouts exploded in the room. Nysys frowned, because he hadn’t expected so many protests. He knew his friends loved him and cared for him, but they hardly saw each other, and the fact that he wasn’t doing anything with his life wasn’t a secret.
“You can’t go! You’re going to get yourself killed!”
“Have them send someone else! Who decided you had to go anyway?”
“Guys!” Silence fell again. “I volunteered. Listen to me!” Nysys added when he saw his friends were about to start yelling again. “I’m the leader of his tribe, right? That’s what you all told me.”
Nysys received reluctant nods, and he hoped it was more for the news he’d just given them than for the fact that he was the leader. “Right, so I make the decisions. I need to prove to you and to the council that I’m not a dead weight.”
“But you’re not! We wouldn’t be safe if it weren’t for you, Nysys. We would all still be living with our tribes, being abused and ignored. You saved us from that. You can’t say you’re a dead weight.”
Nysys was surprised to hear Yerad talk. He was the shy one of their group, always the last one to talk, and only if he really had to. “I... I know.” He sighed. “I can’t back out of this now, not if I want to be able to keep on living here. I’ll be careful, guys. I promise.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that. It doesn’t mean you’ll be fine, though,” Wyn said.
Nysys narrowed his eyes at the Wyn and hoped it would be enough to keep him silent. He didn’t want Wyn to scare the other guys, not when he needed them to trust him. “I’ll be fine. Really. I just have to shimmer the guy here if something happens. Easy.”
Nysys knew something would go wrong, though. That was how things always went around him. He just didn’t know what, or when it would happen.
* * * *
Morin tapped his fingers on his desk and looked up again. The guy he was waiting for was late, and Morin had an appointment with his mother. She was in New York for only a week, and Morin hadn’t seen her in more than six months. He’d have to explain what had happened to his father to her, even if they’d been divorced for the past twenty years or so. She’d still notice he was nowhere to be seen.
Morin really wasn’t looking forward to that conversation, but there was little he could do about it. He did need to have the guy with him when he went, though. He was going to present him as his boyfriend. Morin wasn’t about to tell her someone was trying to kill him, not when he knew she would freak out.
He stood up and strode to his office bathroom. He washed his hands again, checked his hair and straightened his tie. Morin hoped Nysys would be dressed appropriately for a dinner in an upscale restaurant and mentally berated himself for forgetting to mention it.
“Hello?”
Good. He’s here. Morin gave the mirror one last glance and opened the door. He had to resist the urge to close it right back at the sight that greeted him.
The man standing in the middle of Morin’s office was definitely not dressed for an upscale restaurant. He would’ve stuck out even in the middle of a fast-food place.
Morin’s eyes didn’t know where to look first. At the short spiky pink hair? At all the metal in the guy’s face? At the colorful designs on his skin Morin could see, thanks to Nysys’ tank top and shorts? Or at the sinful green eyes that were looking at him as if they’d seen a ghost? Maybe at the sharp lines of Nysys’ cheekbones?
“Please tell me you’re not Nysys.”
“Only if you tell me you’re not Morin.”
“I think we have a problem.” Morin stepped into his office and closet the bathroom door behind himself.
Nysys frowned. “I know why I have a problem, but what’s yours?”
“Couldn’t they send me someone... normal?”
Morin regretted his words immediately, but he couldn’t take them back. He saw Nysys pass from a mostly relaxed stance to a rigid one as the man bristled. “Normal? What the fuck does that mean?”
Morin held his hands up. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just have an appointment with my mother and you’re, well, underdressed.”
“That’s not what you said.” Nysys cocked a hip to the side and put a hand on it. “Am I too much for you to handle?”
Morin opened his mouth to say no, but he thought better of it. For all he knew, Nysys would become even more mouthy if he did say no. He’d probably see it like a challenge. “Do you have some more formal clothes with you?”
Nysys leaned toward one of the chairs in front of Morin’s desk and grabbed a bag from it. Morin hadn’t even noticed it, and he couldn’t believe he’s missed the eyesore. It was as pink as Nysys’ hair, but it also had rhinestones on it. A lot of them.
“Of course I do. I came prepared.”
“So, do you think you could go and change?” Morin looked at his watch. “We only have a half hour to get there.”
“Have you ever been to that place?”
“Of course I have.”
“In the bathrooms?”
Morin frowned. “Yes.”
Nysys waved. “I can shimmer us there, then.”
“No. We’ll go there by car.”
“Why? It’ll be quicker if we do it my way.”
“What if someone is in the stall you shimmer into?”
Nysys bit on his lower lip and Morin tried to convince himself he didn’t find that both sexy as hell and endearing. “Okay, maybe you’re right.”
“Of course I am. Now go change, and be fast.” Morin pointed at the bathroom he’d just left.
Nysys nodded and skipped to the bathroom, his bag in his hand. Morin waited until the door was closed behind him before sitting at his desk and thumping his forehead on the wooden surface. He had the urge to call Dominic and ask for someone else to be sent, but oddly, he felt he didn’t want to hurt Nysys’ feelings.
Someone knocked on the office door. Morin looked at his watch and sighed, then walked to the door and opened it. He had to hide a grimace when he saw just who was on the other side of it. “Gentlemen, Lady. What can I do for you?”
In front of Morin, stood five members of his father’s board of directors. There were nine of them in total, and Morin guessed he was lucky not all had decided to attend this little impromptu meeting.
“You refused to meet us,” Justine Leblanc said.
Morin nodded. “That’s because I was too busy to do it today.”
“You don’t seem busy at the moment.”
“I’m about to go out to meet my mother.”
“It can wait,” John Ascott declared just before trying to push Morin away to enter the office. Morin stood his ground. He was both taller and stronger than the small balding man who was trying to intimidate him with his stare.
“No, it can’t. She’s in town for only a week. This meeting can wait until tomorrow. You can call my assistant and have him schedule something.”
John’s face flushed. “Now listen here, boy. You didn’t earn your place as president of this company. You have no idea how to deal with what your father left you.”
“I think he’s doing a pretty good job,” a voice said behind Morin. Nysys was already done. Just Morin’s luck.
He turned around to face Nysys, wondering if he was dressed as extravagantly as he’d been before and i
f it would be enough to give Ascott an aneurism. He nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight that greeted him instead. Oh, Nysys was still extravagant, but it didn’t mean he didn’t look good enough to eat.
He now had on black dress pants that moved with his body, revealing his form without being too tight. He had exchanged his turquoise tank top for a dark purple shirt that went perfectly with the color of his hair. Said hair wasn’t in spikes anymore. It looked damp and was already curling around and over Nysys’ ears and on his forehead, effectively hiding his pointed ears. He had on expensive shoes and an even more expensive watch. The piercings were still in and he obviously couldn’t do anything about the tattoos, but now Nysys emanated an air of wealth he hadn’t had before.
“You look... good. Still over the top, but good.”
Nysys smirked. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“You should. I don’t mind over the top.”
“Who’s this—this skank?”
Morin could tell Justine had made a mistake by the way Nysys’ eyes blazed when he looked at her. His glance moved from her shoes to her jacket, then to her hair. He gave her a lazy smile that managed to convey exactly how low beneath him he thought she was. “Love, who’s this little old lady? I didn’t know you kept them on the job once they reached retirement age. It can’t be good for her health.”
Morin suppressed a chuckle. Nysys had nailed it. Justine was almost obsessive in her need to appear young, even if she was just over fifty. “Oh, this is just a colleague. Are you ready to go?”
Nysys smiled. “Of course. If you’re done with your chat...”
Morin nodded and stepped into the hallway. The group of five—Justine still looked like Nysys had mortally offended her—had to take a step backward to allow Morin and Nysys to walk out of the office. Morin turned the light off and was relieved to see Kade had gone home, even if that was the reason why the five had gotten all the way to his office. He’d have enough of a hard time explaining Nysys to Kade tomorrow without the presence of the members of the board.
Morin made a show of locking the door before turning back to the five people still hovering behind him. “Are you heading to the elevators too?”
Nysys Page 2
