by Dunbar, Natalie; Glass, Seressia; Jeffries, J. M. ; Banks, L. A.
Simone remained silent for a moment, staring through the glass. The hotel’s managing offices boasted an amazing view of the city and foothills beyond. The landscape called to her, called to the wildness inside her, and she desperately needed to let it out.
“No, it isn’t,” Simone said, letting her brother see a shadow of her anger. He wasn’t alpha yet, and she didn’t appreciate him questioning her ability to do her job. “I can hold my own, even now.”
Malcolm swung around. “Can you? When’s the last time you changed?”
“Excuse me?”
“I can smell your wolf all over you.” He sniffed the air for emphasis. “I know you haven’t hunted since Xavier… in more than five years, but I figured you were at least calling your wolf.”
Simone stiffened at the mention of Xavier, the only male of the clan who hadn’t tried to mate her at every opportunity, and the only one she’d considered a friend.
Her brother, of course, noticed her reaction. Damn it. “Simone, no one blames you for what happened with Xavier. His death hurt all of us, but no one blames you for it.”
“Of course not.” She folded her arms across her chest, holding back the pain of memory. No one blamed her for Xavier’s death— out loud, anyway. But everyone knew that if he hadn’t followed her to Paris, he’d still be alive. Any other wolf at his back, and he’d have survived. But it had been her, and he had died. The only reason she wasn’t Omega was because her best friend Solange was still in the pack and no one wanted to cross Malcolm or their parents.
“I don’t have the luxury of hiding out in the desert for a couple of days right now,” she said, managing to keep her voice even. “Especially with the Westwood human and two rival clans breathing down our necks. Remember?”
Malcolm frowned, the dark slash of his brows lowering over his midnight eyes. Great. With everything else going on, she didn’t need her brother snapping at her. Literally.
Of course, he knew the threats facing them. While Laurel ran the hotel’s security, everyone knew Malcolm was the pack’s enforcer. He was GQ fabulous in his designer suits, but he didn’t hesitate to get his jaws bloody when need demanded. Lately, with their parents’ imminent retirement, Malcolm had to get bloody more and more often. Sometimes Simone thought her brother enjoyed the action a little too much.
“Damn it, Simone. Do you have any inkling of how important this week is for us? I don’t need you losing control of your wolf in the middle of a multi-million-dollar poker tournament!”
Simone looked down at her gold and copper Manolo Blahniks in an outward display of submission. She would have loved to argue with her brother, but she knew that would only encourage her wolf, not suppress it. The days when she could freely tussle with Malcolm were long gone. Any attempt at a skirmish at this particular time, with so much on the line and her wolf barely suppressed, would have one of them bleeding. She had a feeling it wouldn’t be Malcolm.
Still, she lifted her chin and met his gaze. “I’m not Solange. Don’t treat me like an Omega or a newborn pup.”
Malcolm actually bared his teeth, and then quickly collected himself, straightening the gold and onyx cufflinks on his couture silk shirt. “Westwood’s going to be here in a couple of days. The Howlers are here already.”
Simone felt her heart drop. “Here? As in, in our hotel?”
“Yeah.” Malcolm bared his teeth again. “Having them stay here seemed to be prudent.” “Or suicidal.” He ignored her comment. “We can keep an eye on them, and
inviting them here shows that we aren’t afraid of them.”
Malcolm may not have been concerned about the Howlers, but Simone was. Their leader, Dwayne “D-Money” Hudgens, creeped her out. He’d been a gang leader before he turned, ruthless and vicious because he liked to be, not because he needed to be. Adding a Were’s abilities to his warped mind only made him more dangerous.
She’d had a run-in with him during a West Coast wolven conclave. The way he’d looked at her, as if gutting her or mating her were equally appealing, still made her stomach churn.
A violent splinter off the Los Angeles clan, the Howlers gang was filled with young hotheads who’d been dangerous as humans, and they’d set their sights on the bright lights and money of Vegas. If D-Money succeeded in taking over their hotel and their pack, it would be because Malcolm lost a challenge for alpha. Neither Malcolm nor D-Money would let a contender, especially a defeated contender, live.
Then there was the human threat, a technology hotshot named Vernon Westwood. Even though he already owned a couple of properties closer to the Strip, he’d set his sights on the French Quarter for some unknown reason. Their parents had refused his buyout offer a few months ago, but he’d vowed not to give up. Sure, they’d disposed of more than one shady businessman who’d attempted to strong-arm them, but something about Westwood made Simone’s hackles rise.
She licked her lips, trying to find moisture in her suddenly dry mouth. “Do you—do you want me to approach D-Money?”
She felt his gaze on her as if he’d reached out and tapped her shoulder. “Do you really think anyone in the family would want to offer you up to D-Money?”
“Both of us are unmated,” she said, stating the obvious. “Without pups, we’re vulnerable. An alliance would be in the best interests of our clan.”
Malcolm actually growled. “This isn’t the Dark Ages, Simone. I’m not about to throw you at that thug just to keep this place. I’d rather go down biting and clawing.”
Relief had her nodding in agreement. “So would I.”
Malcolm studied her. “You haven’t been in a fight in five years.”
“I haven’t needed to fight in five years,” she clarified, feeling a sting despite every effort not to. Did Malcolm think her weak like everybody else did? Sure, she preferred pedicures to showing her claws, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t throw down if she had to. “Just because I’m not an enforcer like you or Laurel doesn’t mean I can’t handle myself if push comes to shove. I’m still a wolf.”
He sighed, turning back to the window. “Mony, I know you can take care of yourself,” he said, his voice soft. “And I know I can count on you to have my back. That doesn’t mean that I’m not going to worry about you.”
Simone took a breath. Her brother hadn’t used her nickname in years. It was as close to an apology as she was likely to get, and so unusual that she didn’t know what to make of it. “Malcolm.”
He didn’t turn, but she knew he paid attention. She was worried about him. They’d both had easy lives with their parents as the Vegas Alphas. Her brother had been as reckless and confident as an unchallenged alpha-in-waiting could be. Now, with threats from Weres and non-Weres alike, Malcolm had traded his unruliness for cold calculation and deadly vigilance. That he excelled at it made her proud and worried.
“Today’s our slow day,” he said, turning toward the door. “I think tonight will be a good time to go for a run. Stretch your legs, clear your head.”
Simone wasn’t sure if her brother was trying to get her off the premises for a while or really was concerned for the health of her wolf. Getting wild was the only form of therapy Weres believed in. “Is that an order?”
He turned his head, baring his teeth in a wolfish grin. “Would you rather talk to Mom about it?”
“Uh, that’s all right.” Esther Temple was definitely the diva of the Vegas clan, but Simone had seen her mother take down a bighorn ewe by herself. The last thing she wanted was her mother sniffing around her troubles.
Speaking of troubles… “You know, I do have to leave the hotel for a couple of hours,” she said, making a decision. “There shouldn’t be any emergencies that Lisa can’t handle. I’ll get in a run while I’m gone.”
Malcolm stepped back, his face softening with relief. “You do that.”
Her brother left. Simone looked out the window again, resolute. If Kadim thought she’d take his refusal as final, he was sadly mistaken.
She p
ressed the intercom on her phone. “Lisa, get me Kadim’s home address, then have someone bring my car around. I’ll be out the rest of the day.”
She crossed to her black laminate credenza, opened one of its deep drawers, and removed a small overnight bag. Even though she hadn’t run in years, she still kept a change bag handy, packed with a tracksuit, sneakers, and toiletries. As much as she loved her designer heels, they were the last things she wanted to slip her feet into after a run.
Exiting her office, she retrieved the directions from her curious assistant, and then headed for the elevator. Moments later, she exited into the main floor of the casino.
“Well, well, if it ain’t Miss Thang.”
Simone stopped in her tracks as Dwayne “D-Money” Hudgens stepped in front of her, flanked by his ever-present Mutt and Jeff flunkies.
“Gentlemen.” She forced pleasantness into her tone. In the center of her hotel, there was nothing Hudgens and his flunkies could do to her. “I trust you’re taking advantage of what my casino has to offer?”
Hudgens frowned at the veiled insult. “Just imagining some of the changes I’d make if I was running the place,” he said, running his oily gaze over her. “Maybe make the waitresses wear a little less.”
She wondered how the gold tooth fit his canine when he changed, and then decided she didn’t care enough to find out. “Then it’s a good thing you’re not running our casino, isn’t it?”
“It may not be your casino for long.” Hudgens smiled. “Your parents are about to leave, your brother doesn’t have any kids, or a strong second. If something were to happen to Malcolm, the Temple clan would be in trouble.”
“You don’t scare me, D-Moron,” she retorted, even though ice slid down her back at his words. “I’ve met Siberian Weres before and after Chernobyl. Compared to them, you’re toothless.”
“I think you need to show some respect,” Mutt said, stepping up on her.
She instantly stiffened as her wolf fought to claw to the surface. Mutt must have seen it in her eyes, because he took an involuntary
step back. She bared her teeth in territorial irritation. “And I think you need to get your wannabe ghetto fabulous ass out of my face.”
Two dark jacketed members of security, one human and one Were, both huge, appeared beside her. “Are you in need of assistance, Ms. Temple?” the human asked.
Simone turned an icy glance to Mutt. “Not at all, it’s just a small issue,” she replied. Hudgens sidled back, his eyes flat with anger. “Just ’cause you own this casino doesn’t mean that you’re all that, bitch.”
“That’s Ms. Bitch to you. Carl.” She acknowledged the Were beside her. “Arrange for the house to give our guests a starter account. After all, we’re equal opportunity when it comes to hospitality.”
Reining in her adrenaline rush and sudden need for blood, she turned on her five hundred dollar stilettos and stalked out of the hotel. Luckily, her silver convertible sat at the curb waiting for her, top down and purring.
Simone thanked the valet who handed her into the car, controlling herself long enough not to peel out. Thankfully, Kadim lived an hour northeast of downtown. He’d better hope like hell she had control of her wolf before she got there. God help him if she didn’t.
Chapter Two
She obviously paid The Great Kadim too well.
Simone stepped out of her car, pushing her sunglasses up into her hair. Mountain air filled her lungs, musky and sweet. Being halfway up the mountain easily made it twenty degrees cooler here than in the valley, which put the temperature somewhere around eighty-five. Practically freezing, unless you lived in casinos.
Kadim’s estate—she wasn’t sure it could be called anything else—disappeared into a copse of pine and other trees that hugged the curve of the mountain. The Temple clan owned land closer to Mt. Churchill to the west of Vegas, but looking at this view, Simone suddenly thought it worthwhile to scope out property nearby. She could run on her own land, without fear of encountering other wolves.
The front door opened. Kadim himself appeared in the doorway, at-home casual in beige linen pants and a brown and beige madras-style shirt. He stood six-three, on par with her male clan mates, though leaner in the shoulders. His skin tone reminded her of the most decadent Belgian chocolate, dark and nutty, making his smile a brilliant, sensual pearl against the darkness of his skin.
As she left her car, slamming the door behind her, she noticed that his feet were bare, long, and lean. Obviously not expecting company, she thought, though he didn’t seem surprised to see her.
He gave her another wide, welcoming smile. “Simone, a pleasure to see you.”
“Really?” she answered, lifting her sunglasses into her hair as she took the handful of steps to reach the ornate entry. “You don’t seem surprised to see me.”
“Bruce called shortly after he left your office,” he explained, stepping back to let her inside. “He told me you weren’t pleased with my decision.”
Simone grimaced, and wondered if Kadim knew how much she’d unnerved his agent. “I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t pleased, more like confused. I decided it would be better to go right to the source. Seeing as we’re friends and all.”
“I suppose, given our friendship, that’s a reasonable decision.” He shut the door behind her. “Bruce, of course, thinks I’ve lost my mind by not accepting the Mystery Channel offer. What do you think?”
“I think you think that you have a good reason for not filming the special.” She followed him deeper into the house. “Something based on your extreme need for privacy.”
She stopped, stared. “Which explains why, after a year full of dinners, you’ve never invited me to see this spectacular view.”
It was a spectacular view. The paneled entryway flowed into a two-story great room with one wall composed entirely of windows. Cedar beams framed the ceiling and windows, giving the room an alpine lodge feel, even with the wraparound deck visible through the glass. A large stone fireplace dominated the right wall, with a short hallway that she guessed led to bedrooms. The great room narrowed to an intimate family room that spilled into a huge, tile and timber kitchen on the left, with an open switchback staircase leading to a loft-like upper level.
Simone’s gaze returned to the large windows, drawn like a lodestone. The mountain and its copse of trees dominated the view, calling to her wolf. Kadim’s home would be perfect for Weres, she thought, venturing further into the room decorated in a mix of warm earth tones. Step onto the deck beyond the glass wall and you’d be inches from forest. If she could manage to stay until nightfall, she’d be able to get in a run here, far from her clan. After the incident at the hotel, she desperately needed the release of running wild for a couple of hours.
She turned, catching Kadim watching her. “You have a gorgeous home.”
“Thank you.” He gestured her into the seating area closest to the windows. “Maybe I didn’t invite you before because I didn’t think you’d show.”
“And miss an opportunity to visit the reclusive Kadim in his private sanctuary? Not on your life.”
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with keeping a few things private,” he answered. “After all, we all have secrets, don’t we?”
She gave him what she hoped was a blank look as she wondered what he meant by the question. She’d assumed that Kadim was human—his smell, a curious combination of spice, earth, and smoke, certainly wasn’t Were. She’d never told him about the multiple threats facing the hotel. Even though he was a good friend, he wasn’t family, wasn’t clan.
He smiled at her again. “Relax, Simone. You’re a guest in my home. I’m not going to dig for your secrets, but I would like to invite you to stay for dinner. I happen to have a couple of steaks marinating.”
Convenient, Simone thought. Her stomach, however, thought it was an excellent idea. With her wolf hard on her she had to eat more than usual, almost doubling her number of meals. The medium-rare burger she’d devoured
on the drive up was almost gone.
“I’d love to.” She smiled. “Though I can honestly say I understand why you’d like to keep this view to yourself. It’s simply stunning.” She turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. “Do you keep it to yourself?”
His slow grin brightened his face and melted her insides. “Would you believe me if I said you were my first visitor?”
“Not for a moment.”
He laughed. “I didn’t think so. Bruce, of course, has been here once or twice to drop off paperwork, but that’s about it.”
He looked out the windows. “Truthfully, as decadent as the suite at the hotel is, this place suits my need to relax, to be myself. Would you like something to drink?”
“Merlot, if you have it, thanks.” As Kadim headed for the bar, Simone strolled through the open French doors that led onto the deck, and the wild land beyond. Afternoon sunlight warmed her skin, no less intense for being an hour before sunset. The deck extended a dozen feet or so from the house, providing plenty of room for entertaining. The loft area she’d noticed inside had a balcony, and a lower level of the deck opened right into the woods.
Simone closed her eyes, hiding her jealousy. As much as she loved the hotel, she wanted a place like this, a place that could be hers. Her wolf needed a place to be herself, and despite the property the clan and her family owned, Simone didn’t feel comfortable running wild there.
She frowned, opening her eyes to stare out into the forest. How depressing that she didn’t feel comfortable running with her own family. Then again, no one in the clan had asked her to run with him or her either. Not since she’d gotten Xavier killed. She knew they didn’t trust her to have their backs, and she supposed she couldn’t blame them for it.
With a sigh, Simone folded her arms atop the railing. So she was unreliable when it came to fighting. That didn’t mean she couldn’t contribute to the pack in other ways. She was good at her job, the bottom line proved that. But losing Kadim and the special would be seen as a weakness; reminding people of other times she’d failed the clan.
