by Lisa Kessler
“Sorry.”
“Yeah. Me too.”
Ryker came out of the back door of the bar with a bag of trash. He tossed it in the dumpster and waved.
I returned the greeting and groaned. “I need to go. Please don’t tell anyone yet, okay?”
“I won’t.” Her voice softened. “If it’s any consolation, Luke says fate has never made a mistake when it comes to mates. There must be more to Sebastian than we know.”
“Or fate has a sick sense of humor. I love you, Rave.”
“Love you, too, Isabelle. Call me soon.”
“Will do.”
I ended the call and got out of the car. I didn’t tell her what Sebastian had shared about our father. Maybe I should have, but dumping it on her over the phone seemed wrong. Of the two of us, I was the one who wanted answers. Raven took strength from her anger that he’d abandoned us.
We needed to be together when I told her our father took his life to protect ours.
When I pulled open the door to the bar, my mind was focused on Sebastian again. Why would fate saddle me with an enemy? I’d been a bounty hunter and a PI long enough to have some regrets, but shit, had I done something so heinous that I deserved to have my soul somehow tied up with the Severinos?
Or maybe it was my dad’s doing. If Sebastian was telling the truth, and my father had been his mentor, maybe our paths were destined to entwine. Maybe fate wove our souls together before Sebastian started following in his father’s footsteps.
Fuck if I knew.
I grabbed a stool, and Ryker brought me a beer. “Everything okay?”
I rolled my eyes. “A dozen beers won’t make this okay.”
“Sorry I asked.” He put his hands up and made his way down the counter.
I took a sip, and the door opened behind me.
The scent was definitely not Sebastian.
I glanced over my shoulder at Vance as he came my way.
He took the spot beside me. “Have you seen Sebastian?”
“Not for a couple hours.” I lifted my glass. “Got to meet his dad, though.”
Vance raised a brow. “Already meeting the family? Congratulations.”
I took another big swallow of my beer. “Not sure congratulations are in order.”
“Severino isn’t fond of wolves.” He waved Ryker over and ordered a drink before meeting my eyes. “But you’re still alive. I’d put that in the win column.”
I set my mug down. “Sebastian seemed surprised to see him.”
“Usually his dad masterminds everything from deep inside Nero’s walls. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him outside the compound.” Vance took a swig of his drink and lowered his voice. “Did you contact your sister in Reno?”
“Yeah. She knows the plan.”
He tipped his head and raised his glass again. “Now what?”
“Now I’m waiting to see if that slick bastard shows up tonight like I told him to.”
“You’re passing out orders to Sebastian?” He finished the beer and looked my way. “Now that surprises me. And I don’t get surprised often.”
The door opened behind us, and his scent hit me like a jolt from a stun gun. It took all my will not to spin around on my stool. I’d told Sebastian to come by the bar, but I wasn’t about to let him think I was anxious to see him.
Sebastian came over to stand on my other side, so I purposefully faced Vance. “Thanks for the beer.”
Vance played along and fished a few bills from his pocket. “No problem.”
I slid one leg off the stool, but Sebastian caught my hand, his deep voice barely a whisper. “Don’t go.” I pulled away, but he didn’t release his grip. “Please.” Without letting me go, he glanced at Vance. “My father paid me a surprise visit.”
“I heard.” He put his money on the bar. “Are we changing plans?”
“Not yet. But I need to confirm he’s back at Nero before we push our agenda to keep this Pack in Sedona.”
I hated myself for enjoying the way he clenched my hand. “You can let me go now. You don’t have to sleep with me to get me to agree to leave this Pack out of your father’s war.”
Vance coughed a little, surprise on his face before he could cover it up. “I better go find Asher. He can help me get the males together for training. Gotta keep up appearances, right?”
He hauled ass out, leaving me and Sebastian in awkward silence. I yanked my hand free, ignoring the compulsion to touch him.
Sebastian sat beside me, his forearms leaning on the bar. “I never claimed to be a good man.”
“No, I’ll give you that. You didn’t.” I shook my head. “I’m just glad your father reminded me of who I was dealing with.” I glared his way. “I don’t like being played.”
His fingers closed into fists, but he gave no other outward reaction to my dig. “It’s better this way. If he discovers you’re Sol’s daughter…”
“He’ll come after me. I can protect myself.” I gestured to his chest. “I almost killed you, and you’re younger and stronger than your father.”
His lips twitched, but no trace of a smile. “He has an army of jaguar assassins at his disposal. He wouldn’t have to lift a finger to have your throat cut.” He ran a hand down his face, lowering his voice. “Knowing him as I do, he would probably give me the assignment, just to test my loyalty.”
I shook my head. “And why, exactly, are you still loyal to him? I don’t get it.”
“The less you know, the better.” He clenched his determined jaw, but I caught a flash of regret in his eyes before he stood. “I came to warn you to be on guard, and to encourage you to go to Reno. Your sister’s Pack will protect you.”
I raised a brow. “And why do you care? You were only using me to get what you wanted. The cards are on the table now, so what’s with the protective act?”
His eyes narrowed as he turned away. “This doesn’t have to be difficult. I made a promise to your father. I’m keeping it.”
“I don’t believe it. My father didn’t ask you for anything. You can’t even prove you weren’t his killer.”
Sebastian stopped and glanced back at me, his dark eyes cold and distant. “Believe whatever you like, just stay out of my way.”
He walked out the door without looking back. Asshole.
But what was I expecting? Did I really think Sebastian, of all people, was going to walk into this bar and apologize? I was the idiot who’d started falling for his charms, who’d kissed him back. Fuck.
At least he hadn’t tried to schmooze me with how it was all an act for his father.
Either way, I still didn’t have a clear picture of what was going on. I walked around the counter and slipped out the back door. In the distance, Sebastian opened his car door. I jogged through the shadows, grateful to be downwind. When I got to mine, I crouched low by the front fender, waiting. Once he turned on his headlights, I jumped in my car, started the engine, and held my breath.
What the hell was I doing? This wasn’t the wolf’s instincts driving me.
Sebastian drove out of the lot, and I took a deep breath. My last chance to wake up and save myself. Instead I turned on my lights and followed. Tailing suspects was my strong suit.
Sebastian would never know I was there.
Chapter Seven
Sebastian
I never should have kissed her. Catching my father’s scent in the hotel had surprised me. In the panic to keep Isabelle’s identity shielded, I did what I thought would distract him and at the same time annoy Isabelle and get her to leave.
But the feel of her fingers tight in my hair, her soft lips, the hunger she kindled inside me. The woman drove me insane, baiting me to allow the truth to slip. But I’d made it out of the bar without apologizing or admitting that the only person I’d lied to today was my father.
I had already shared more truth with Isabelle than I should have.
Usually lying came easier, but something about her made me ache to confess, to tell her I had
to make my father believe she was nothing more than a chess piece on the other side of the board.
Isabelle had never witnessed the aftermath of my father’s rage. If he thought I cared about her, she was as good as dead.
And did I care?
No. Of course not. A wolf, and probably a soon to be a member of Sloan’s Pack in Reno. No. She was beautiful, intelligent, strong, and…
And she was the first person to ever offer to stand with me, to protect me, and I’d returned it by making her look inconsequential.
But her anger would keep her alive. That would have to be enough for me. Tomorrow I would connect with Vance, and we would train the wolves and ready them for a battle I had no intention of fighting. Isabelle would warn Adam and his Pack to be alert, but I would take it one step farther.
It wouldn’t be the first time I lurked in the shadows in Reno watching over my half sister and her children. I supposed I was more like my father than I wanted to admit. He’d raised me to hold family and blood as the most sacred, but at the same time, I hated him.
The moment I hacked our files at Nero and discovered Lana and I shared the same biological father, it was like a window had opened again. I could breathe. My father and my unstable younger brother weren’t my only blood left on this earth.
But Lana fell in love with a werewolf, an Alpha, and we would never be a traditional family. There wasn’t the bond I’d shared with my mother, but even watching Lana with her little ones from a distance fed some part of myself I’d feared was lost with my mother in the fire that took her life.
And I would die before I allowed my father to take Lana or her children to his scientists back at Nero. They were family and I’d keep them safe, including her son, Malcolm. In spite of his werewolf father, that little boy also shared Severino blood. My blood. My family.
Even if they hated me.
As I rounded the final turn toward the resort, I glanced in the rearview mirror. Habit. I hadn’t noticed any tails, but I always checked to see if I should keep driving rather than lead them to where I slept.
No headlights. Satisfied, I drove into Enchanted and left my car with the valet. By the time I reached my room, exhaustion weighed on me. While my wound was healing, my strength hadn’t made a full return after all the blood loss.
Before I used my key card, I pulled in a slow breath, checking for any sign of my father’s scent. He was gone, but I still had company. I opened the door to my room and allowed it to slam closed while I waited in the hallway, leaning against the doorjamb.
At the other end of the hall, the door to the stairwell cracked open. I crossed my arms.
Isabelle sighed and stepped into the light. “When were you on to me?”
I straightened up and opened the door again. “Not until I got to my room. Your scent announced you.”
She shook her head, coming closer. “I hate that. It’s like no matter how much I shower, I have some sort of weird reek.”
As she passed by me and into the room, I filled my lungs and almost smiled. Nothing about Isabelle reeked—in fact, even though her scent revealed her true nature as a werewolf, it was also wrapped up in her own unique fragrance, wild and untamable with a hint of…honey.
I followed her inside, setting the dead bolt behind me. As I came into the room, she was already seated at the table. I started unbuttoning my shirt and headed over to the closet.
“Why are you here, Isabelle?” I glanced over my shoulder, and she raised a brow.
“You’re not going to assume I changed my mind about sleeping with you?”
I huffed as I shoved the shirt in the laundry bag. “Should I?”
She didn’t answer me.
I turned around, and she winced. Blood stained my white undershirt. “You were too rough on the stitches.”
“I can take care of this.” I met her eyes. “You should be on the road to Reno.”
“Not yet.” She rested her elbow on the table. “I need more information first.”
“I haven’t stayed alive as long as I have by spilling company secrets.” I went into the bathroom, cringing as I pulled the tank over my head. The wound was oozing, but not too badly. I reached for my medical kit and called out, “Your father was employed at Nero. He was my mentor, and he gave his life to keep you safe. Now you should walk away while you still can.”
She moved from the table to sit on the edge of the bed facing me. “So here’s how I see it. You lied to Antonio about using me to get the Pack’s support for your cause, and when you saw it pissed me off, you decided not to correct the situation, hoping it would send me running out of town.” She crossed her arms. “How am I doing so far?”
I stared into the mirror rather than her eyes. The scars on my chest, including the new one, were a visceral reminder of the danger in my life. Why would a sane person want any part of this?
Her mother’s letter, the prophecy she saw for my future, popped in my head. If I showed it to Isabelle, would she understand why I needed to keep my distance? Foolish.
I fished out a gauze pad and wet it with hydrogen peroxide. “What do want from me?”
Pressing the pad to my stitches, it burned, and I relished it. Physical pain was a welcome distraction from her temptation. Did she know how tenuous my grasp was on my emotional shields?
She stood up and came over to lean on the doorframe. “When my dad went on business trips, was he really on assignments for Nero?”
I threw the gauze in the trash, relieved her questioning had shifted focus. “Yes. Eventually, I started being sent on missions for my father, and Sol would shadow me to be sure I wasn’t discovered. ” I glanced her way. She was close enough to touch, but I resisted the urge. Barely. “He was the best at his job, both in eliminating targets and training me.”
“So let me tell you about the guy I knew.” Her gaze lowered to her feet. “My dad was the backbone of our family. My mom struggled with depression sometimes.” She shook her head without raising it.
My dead heart surprised me with a piercing ache. Isabelle’s parents must have kept their abilities hidden from their daughters. She hadn’t known her father was a jaguar shifter or that her mother was a gifted clairvoyant. She had no idea her mother lived with the burden of seeing her family’s future.
Isabelle deserved to know, but if I told her, she’d only press for the whole story. A story that, according to her mother’s letter, would involve us both.
Without thinking, I took Isabelle’s hand. Was I trying to comfort her? Her chin lifted, and her green eyes met mine.
I managed a whisper. “Sol loved you and Raven.”
“Oh, I know.” She cleared her throat. “That’s what I’m getting at. My dad was always a great judge of character. He could pick out which friends were trouble and which were true. He loved and protected us. Always.”
Her eyes searched mine as my thumb caressed her knuckles. Finally she said, “He never would have asked you to protect me if he didn’t know for certain that you would. He wouldn’t have risked it.”
I frowned. “I thought you decided that never happened.”
She retreated to the window across the suite. I stared at my empty hand, then at her back. Without turning she sighed. “This was a mistake. I should’ve let you walk out of my life.”
Her grip on the blackout drapes was tight, strained. What was I missing? It wasn’t often that I found myself unsure of my next move.
All the more reason to keep her far away. Safe. I turned out the bathroom light and stepped into the suite.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I clasped my hands together, resting my elbows on my knees. “Can I ask you something?”
I listened for movement, but none came as she answered. “What the hell? Go for it.”
“Did you come here unarmed?”
The drapes ruffled behind me as I drew my pistol from its hiding place between the mattress and the box spring. In one fluid motion, I was on one knee, facing her, with my arms outstretched, the barr
el aimed at her chest, my sights trained over her heart.
Her pulse pounded in my ears.
“I’m always dangerous, Isabelle.” The best protection would be for her to stay away from me. I was too close to telling her more than I should. Hate was safer than the emotions she stirred up inside me. My jaw was tight as I spat out, “Didn’t the wolves warn you about me?”
A crease formed between her brows. “Why are you doing this?”
I steeled my resolve. She needed to go, before I gave in to temptation. “Answer my question.”
“Yes. I’ve been warned. You’re Nero’s deadliest assassin and the heir to the empire.”
I pulled back the slide, but I had no intention of firing. “Is that all?”
“Fuck you, Sebastian.” She walked to the door, giving me a clear shot at her back. She reached for the handle and glanced over her shoulder. “Not that it matters…” She lifted up the back of her shirt to expose the grip of her pistol, then pinned me with her gaze. “I didn’t come here unarmed. I just chose not to draw my weapon.”
She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
I set my Glock on the dresser and raked a shaky hand through my hair. She was tying me in knots. The two women I’d ever risked relationships with had never known all of me. I gave them a facade, a well-crafted mask to hide the darker parts of myself. They didn’t know I shifted from a man into a huge black jaguar during the new moon, and neither of them knew I was an assassin. My secrets made it possible for them to care for me.
But Isabelle knew I’d done unspeakable things. And yet, when I drew my gun, she didn’t defend herself. From my short time with her, it was clear she wasn’t ignorant or weak.
I went to the closet and pulled out the leather roll. I untied the strap and rolled it flat on the bed, exposing all the tools of my trade. I wore my gun, but the silencer, garrote, switchblade, cyanide capsules, and throwing stars were all stored in my tool kit. I slid my hand into the hidden pocket at the end and withdrew a tattered piece of stationery.
