by Amelia Jade
Riot police, hurray.
Still, it had gotten him out of Cadia and would allow him to see something new. After over four and a half decades of living there, he’d needed a change in a big way. This was it.
“Well then,” Andrew said, breaking into his train of thought. “Hector here will assign you rooms and get you familiarized with the layout of the embassy, such as it is. Gray will be around at some point. He’s just with his mate and child at the moment. I’m sure he’ll have a finalized schedule for you, but last I heard, Noah you can expect to start shadowing folks as soon as tomorrow’s night shift. The rest of you will follow from there. Any questions?”
Noah shook his head.
“Good. And please, start trying to relax. We all have jobs to do, and I expect you to do them. But you don’t need to be drones about it. You are allowed to have personalities. Got it?”
“Got it,” Noah said, waiting a heartbeat and then purposefully adding, “Andrew.”
The ambassador grinned. “Humor! I like it. It’s a good start.” He nodded his head in a dismissal and then headed back into the embassy itself, leaving the four of them behind.
Noah turned to look at Hector. “I take it no one told you we were coming?’ he asked gently as the guard pawed through a drawer.
“No,” he said, but there was a smile with the answer. “Gray’s first child was just born two months ago, so things are rather hectic with him. Sometimes he forgets to mention things to me.
“Ah,” Noah said.
Hector looked up as he seemed to find what he was looking for. “Got any yourself?” he asked, motioning for the four of them to follow.
“What? No, not for me,” Noah said, trying not to grimace. He knew he was getting older for a shifter. Even though they tended to live longer than humans, frequently reaching two decades over the century mark, he was still getting up in age.
Hector seemed to pick up on the awkwardness his question had brought and simply inclined his head by way of apology. Noah shrugged it off and then gestured for the guard to lead them onward.
There were two wide, curved stairways, one attached to either wall. Hector took them up the one on the left, and led them to their rooms. Noah followed, forcing his mind back onto the job at hand. Now was the time to focus. He could bemoan his lack of a mate and offspring later, when he was all settled in.
Chapter Two
Angela
“Left.”
“Okay, now right.”
“Now left again!” she called, putting motion to her words. “Don’t forget to get up on your tiptoes in-between.”
There were several good-natured grumbles from behind her, but no outright protests, which was to be expected. It’s not like what they were doing was easy after all. It was work. Hard work. Her body protested, and she was sure some of the others had it even worse.
Still, Angela was glad she was here doing it. Well, not only doing it, but running it. She was the leader, the organizer, and the one the others were starting to turn to.
“Right, one more time,” she called, and her right foot went forward as she stepped into a lunge. In front of her the stroller moved forward several more feet as Angela kept her body upright and hands fixed to the push-bar.
Behind her wheels clacked over the hardwood of the studio as the eleven women in her class followed suit. She pushed upward with her legs, bringing her left foot forward until it was pressed to her right. Then she used her calves to lift herself up onto her tiptoes, enjoying the burn of the movement.
A rush of air half-whistled through her lips as she exhaled on the way down and turned to look at the others. Several of them, the ones who had been with her from the start, simply looked sweaty but happy. This decreased through the ranks to the newest joiners, who looked…well, rough would be a nice way to put it.
“Water break,” she called, strolling through and exchanging smiles and nods with her class, most of whom were her friends as well.
“How are you doing?” she asked, stopping in front of one mother whom she had thought was perhaps being a little ambitious when she came out to start.
“Ow.”
Angela grinned and took a seat where she could keep an eye on her own baby, though she knew that several of the other girls would keep watch for her as well. They were a team, all of them, and they helped one another out wherever possible. By looking after Cooper, they could allow her to help ensure the other women in the class were managing.
“Yeah, it’s definitely not easy at first. It’s going to hurt even more tomorrow, trust me.”
“I do,” she said. “That’s what scares me.”
Angela shared a laugh. “I have to admit, I thought you were a little ambitious coming out only two weeks in, but you go girl!”
“Yeah, I thought I’d be okay,” the woman admitted, wiping sweat away from her beet-red brow. “I…uh, I was wrong.”
They laughed again. “Sorry, what was your name again?” Angela felt silly asking, but she was terrible with names. It would take three, maybe four tries before she remembered them.
“Alannah,” she said.
Right. Alannah. Remember that!
“Well Alannah, I hope we’ll see you for the next one?”
“Friday?”
“You bet. Noon, here.”
“Yeah. I’ll be here. It’ll suck, but it’s so much easier doing this together as a group than just trying to go to the gym.”
“Exactly,” Angela said with a nod. “That’s why I started them. I’ve never been an overly active person in my life, though I try to eat more salads than fries and the like. But going to the gym just wasn’t an option. So I started running these classes, and I hope to graduate to higher levels as we all get there. There’s so much available on the internet for me to learn what’s necessary, and it’s good for all of us.”
Alannah’s face showed agreement through the sweat and hair plastered to her face. “I want to be a good example for my child,” she said softly.
Angela reached out and clasped her on the arm, trying not to let the ache in her heart show. Becoming a mother had changed her in so many ways she’d never expected, and sentiments like this were just one of them. It was something that she’d understood intellectually before parenthood, but that just sort of morphed into a core part of her being after she’d delivered Cooper.
Being a mother or father wasn’t for everyone, and Angela would never fault those who chose not to, and she sympathized with those who wished to but couldn’t, for whatever reason. Life was complicated, but now that she’d created it, she felt a sort of responsibility to ensure that her creation didn’t grow up to be a failure, or worse.
“I understand,” she said, and when she spoke those two words, they came with a meaning, a gravitas, that she knew Alannah would hear deep within her. “That’s why we’re all here. For ourselves, but also for our children. It’s going to be tough to do this as single parents, but that doesn’t mean we need to do it completely alone.”
“Thank you,” Alannah said.
Angela stood and offered her hand to the other woman. Together they stood and took several deep breaths. Alannah eventually produced a water bottle from her stroller and guzzled some of its contents with all the grace of a thirsty dog.
“So Friday?” she asked.
“Friday,” Angela confirmed.
“Bring it.”
Angela grinned, clasped her newfound friend on the shoulder, and made her way through the rest of her little group, trading words, jokes, and support as needed. This was her team, and she was proud of it. At the front of the group was some of her closest friends, Elle and Laura and Rachel.
The studio gym space was getting tight, she decided, with a dozen of them. If the numbers kept expanding she’d either have to get a bigger place, or do two classes. It might be worth it, so that she could start doing some more advanced work. The core four of them were definitely ready for it, and another two or three women would probably join, though
they might regret the decision the first time or two.
Her only concern was affording it. So far the local high school had been kind enough to loan her the use of their workout studio area, but if she kept expanding, she was going to need to move into the actual gymnasium itself. They might be less willing to let her have that for free, considering it was often rented by youth sports leagues.
I’ll figure something out. I’m not going to stop, that’s for sure.
With the class over the women were all packing up and preparing to leave. Several babies started to make noises, and the room promptly filled with giggles and laughs from mothers and their children as the others all picked up on cues from each other and started to become active in their strollers.
“The first time one of them cries in here it’s going to be disastrous,” Rachel remarked as she fell in line behind Angela on her way to the front lobby of the school.
“Shh, don’t jinx it!” she hissed. “We’ve got a perfect record so far, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as possible.”
“Good luck,” Rachel laughed, reaching into her stroller to tickle Karlie under the chin.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the joke seriously, knowing she was going to need it.
They emerged into the lobby, and Angela found her eyes immediately drawn to the tall, wide-looking figure standing at the doors.
“Hector is picking you up today?” she asked teasingly.
“I guess?” Rachel sounded surprised by her mate’s presence. “Who’s that with him though?”
Angela looked back over at the swath of doors that led in and out of the school, noticing for the first time the figure behind Hector, standing between the two sets of doors and looking outward. Like all shifters he was tall and broad at the top, tapering down to a firm waist.
“I don’t know,” she said. “But he’s got a cute butt.”
Which was true. The lights of the school were shining just right to let her see the curves of his rear, clad in the ubiquitous black tactical pants that all shifters seemed to wear unless forced to do otherwise by their mates. As she spoke he turned to look inside, possibly drawn by the noise of the women as they all filed into the lobby, talking to themselves and their babies.
“Oh,” was all she managed to say as she truly saw him for the first time.
He was gorgeous. Her eyes roamed shamelessly over him, from the sandy-blond hair on his head to the thick, powerful muscles of his legs. Her gaze slowly returned upward to his face, which was covered in a neatly trimmed beard which terminated just below his jawline. A pair of full lips turned upward in a smile as he looked over the crowd, and then froze in place as eyes the color of picturesque ocean water locked upon her. His mouth parted slightly and she saw his eyebrows rise toward his forehead.
“Earth to Angela,” someone said.
A hand wrapped around her arm and gave it a little jerk, startling her out of the inadvertent staring contest with the mystery shifter.
“Um, yes?” she asked, still not turning her head away as she regarded the rest of him, etching his face into her memory.
“Over here,” the voice said, somewhat condescending, somewhat bubbling with laughter.
Angela eventually managed to turn her head away from the gorgeous specimen of masculinity and look at Rachel.
“Who is that?” she hissed.
Rachel snorted. “Think with your head for a moment.”
“I’m trying, but I mean, look at him,” she said dreamily.
From around her she heard several other women admiring the unknown shifter as well. An irrational shot of jealousy flashed through her system, doing more to bring her back to the present than anything Rachel had done. There was no reason for her to feel that way about him. She didn’t even know his name for crying out loud. How could she be upset that others were admiring him when she was doing the same?
“Yes, he’s not bad-looking, but Hector is also standing right there, and he’s got my eye, so you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t start flooding the school with the rest of you,” Rachel said dryly.
Angela reached out and swatted at her friend, not really putting any effort into the blow.
“Hey, play nice,” Rachel said, “or I won’t find out his name for you.”
A sliver of fear replaced the jealousy in a heartbeat. “No, don’t be like that,” she said. “You don’t need to try and play matchmaker for me.”
“Oh come on,” Rachel said with a very unladylike snort. “I can practically see the lake under you, and your nips are trying to rip through your shirt.”
Angela looked down in horrified embarrassment. She’d forgotten that she was still only wearing her active-wear tank top. It was great for working out in—thin, stretchy and covered her upper body while leaving most of her shoulders exposed. But it also had a tendency to allow anyone’s nipples to show through, despite the extra padding she wore underneath for obvious reasons.
She swiftly pulled her winter jacket on, glaring at Rachel.
“Oh come on,” her friend laughed. “Do you remember what you all did to me when Hector and I first started getting together? You do not get to take the high road now just because buddy over there has made Mount Vesuvius active in your pants.”
“You have a filthy mouth,” was all she could respond, the comment sending the two of them into fits of laughter as only best friends could.
The crowd of women was beginning to disperse as cabs or cars arrived to take them away, many of the women sharing vehicles for the short ride home. It was cheaper, and they were all living on a set stipend, so it just made sense.
“I’ll see you later,” she told Rachel, gave her friend a hug, and watched as the trio of them departed, Hector giving her a friendly wave which she returned, though her eyes were mostly focused elsewhere.
She couldn’t stop wondering who his friend was.
“Ready over there?”
She turned to see Elle all bundled up and waving at her before pointing to a cab outside.
“Coming,” she said, pushing Cooper in the stroller toward the door.
Who was he?
She needed to find out.
Chapter Three
Noah
He hung around the outside of the complex while Hector walked his mate inside. A few kids, perhaps just into their teenage years, went by. One of them made a comment about Noah, something about being a loser. He hadn’t been paying much attention to them beforehand.
A smile split his face. Poor kids. They had no idea what a shifter could do in wintertime. None whatsoever. Casually Noah bent down, as if to tie his shoelaces, so that the movement wouldn’t attract attention. Then he swiftly scooped some snow into one hand, and packed it loosely so that it would splatter on impact. He glanced over his shoulder, took in the distance and wind, and then in one smooth motion turned and launched the snowball. It arced high into the sky, quickly flying out of their view if they’d even been looking at him.
But they hadn’t. Like typical cocky kids they had just carried on their way. But Noah wasn’t done yet. His enhanced reflexes kicked in and he quickly sent three more snowballs after the quartet, each on successfully lower arcing patterns. His smile became a grin as he watched the snowballs impact them square in the back, one after another.
Sometimes it paid to have enhanced reflexes and muscle control.
Shouts went up from the group, but before they could respond Hector came back down his driveway. He glanced over at the commotion, and then at Noah, who was carefully wiping melted snow from his hands.
“What was that all about?”
“No idea,” he replied. “I don’t think they like her house.”
Hector frowned and glanced behind him. “I suppose.” There was more written in his glance than Noah could read, but he wasn’t sure why.
“Must be a human thing,” Noah added.
Hector arched an eyebrow. “Right. Well, come on then. Time to get back to the embassy and get ready
for the evening.”
He nodded and fell in step. “Will Gray be there?”
“He’d better be,” Hector added. The two of them lengthened their strides, and then shortly after that broke into a ground-eating lope. The snow-covered landscape didn’t bother them much, their boots crunching through anything and gripping to any surface below. They jogged swiftly toward the east part of town.
“So, what’s the deal with that place?” he asked as they went, “and who were all those women where we picked, um, Rachel, up?” He fumbled slightly over Hector’s mate’s name, feeling silly considering he’d just walked home with her. The elementary school was only ten minutes or so away, and they’d decided to walk instead of cab it. Though it was winter, the sun was shining, making it bearable.
Hector frowned over at him. “You weren’t briefed on the situation here?”
“Um, sort of. It was pretty vague, to be honest. Something about a lot of women that we’re kind of responsible for?”
Foggy air blasted from Hector’s nose as he snorted into the crisp early evening weather. “Yeah, that’s one way to describe it I guess. Okay, quick history lesson then. Did you fight in the war?”
“Yeah,” he responded. Almost everyone had fought in “the war.” Their homeland of Cadia, a shifter territory carved out of human lands nearly two hundred years earlier, had come under attack from their largest rival, another shifter stronghold by the name of Fenris. It had been a close thing, and Cadia had nearly lost several times. In the end, thanks to several lucky victories and hard-fought battles, Cadia had emerged victorious, while Fenris had been left a shadow of its former self.
“Well, were you briefed on the fact that the war was actually started by a large human corporation meddling with shifter politics?”
“That’s the Institute I’ve heard rumblings about, right?”
