by Lauren Dawes
Raising his hand, he knocked on the door. On the other side, there was a flurry of activity, and he wondered what was going on. A female answered the door, her hair perfectly coiffed, her pant suit well-pressed like she was going out to a day at the races. He bowed, dropping into his formality and breeding on default. He didn’t expect to see her, let alone for her to recognize him, so he was stunned when she said, “Asher. How lovely to see you.”
“Madam,” he murmured. “And me you.”
“We were just getting ready to go out.”
He rose from his bow. “Oh?”
“Yes,” Michelle Scheller, the Leo’s mate, said. “The ladies and I are going out on a winery tour for the day.”
“How quaint,” he replied. It made sense for the males to get their mates out of the house while the meeting was underway.
“Would you like to see Anthony?”
“Ah, yes, please, but only if there is time?”
She stepped back from the door. “Of course. Wait in the living room, and I’ll see if he has a few spare minutes.”
Asher stepped inside the house and scanned the immediate area. He had never been here before, but then again, why would he ever have a need to? Michelle led him into a comfortable room decorated in creams and tans, the room neither feminine nor masculine, it was just neutral and calming.
“I’ll be right back.”
Turning, he bowed again. “But of course, madam.”
She frowned a little at his address, and he once again cursed his stiff upbringing. His father, and his father before him, wouldn’t have had it any other way. He wondered how different his life would’ve been if his mother hadn’t ensnared the male who’d raised him, and had instead stayed with the one who had sired him—his real father…
He shook his head.
Any fanciful notions of being happily reunited with his birth father were a fantasy and fruitless. He was a bastard in the truest sense of the word, his mother like a cuckoo laying her egg in another’s nest. He didn’t know if the whole truth had ever been revealed to his mother’s mate, or whether she’d let him continue believing the lie until his very last breath.
He turned around and walked over to the fireplace, the banked fire warming him from his knees down. Now was not the time to think about paternity. Turning his head to the side, there was a dining room through the archway, and beyond that was a kitchen. Judging by the smell, there was a team of housekeepers and chefs preparing food for an army of jaguars. It was just another confirmation that all of Asher’s players were coming together as he’d orchestrated.
“Asher?”
He turned at the sound of his name, bowing once more at the Leo. His position afforded respect. It was just a shame the male didn’t.
“I thank you for receiving me.”
“Sure,” he said, gesturing to one of the tan sofas in the middle of the room. Asher sat down, feeling the fine weave of the silk beneath him. At least the Leo had half-decent taste in interior decorating.
“What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to talk to you about possibly allowing me to come and work for you.”
Tony frowned. “Ah…”
Inwardly, Asher smiled. The Leo was off-balance, and he was hoping this conversation would do a lot to keep him that way.
“Ah… I’m afraid I’m not following.”
“I wish to come and offer my services to you.”
“Forgive me, but you’ve never shown any interest in working for me before. In fact, you’ve made it abundantly clear that you want to be left alone.”
Asher gave him an indulgent smile. “I’ve decided to be a little more proactive in the pride.”
“You’ve also got a larger net worth than the Yellow Eye and Black Claw prides combined.”
He waved away the comment. “I don’t want to offer my services in exchange for monetary gain.”
Tony frowned. “So, why do you want to offer your services?”
Ah, now there was the question. “I have something of yours that I wish to give back—quite a number of somethings, actually.” Asher took satisfaction in the look of absolute confusion on the Leo’s face. Asher thought he looked a little like a basset hound with his dolichocephalic face and droopy eyes.
“I don’t know—”
There was a loud knock on the front door, snapping the Leo out of his stupor, but Asher wasn’t so ready to let him go.
“I have your females.” He said the words so softly that he didn’t think the male had heard him until he stiffened. Even his chest seemed to stop moving up and down. When Tony remained mute, he sat forward in his chair, meeting the Leo’s eye in smug triumph. “And I have your Shadows.”
Tony leapt from the sofa, his face turning red with righteous indignation. “What are you talking about?”
Reaching into his jacket, Asher pulled out the firearm he’d recently obtained and held it down near his hip, yet clearly pointed at the Leo’s chest. The scent of the Leo’s fear wafted from his pores, making the corners of Asher’s mouth tug up.
Victory was going to be so sweet.
“Sit down, Tony.”
Tony sat.
“Good, now listen to me and listen well—”
“What do you want?” the male demanded, still angry, despite now having a target in the middle of his forehead.
Asher gave him a condescending smile. “Impulsivity is not a good quality to have in a Leo.”
His hands balled into fists at his sides. “You have no idea what makes a good Leo.”
“Actually, I think I do. You see, I’m planning on becoming a Leo of my own territory.”
The bastard had the audacity to balk at that statement.
“You don't believe me?” Asher asked in a deadly voice.
“You can’t just say you’re going to be a Leo and that’s that. You need to be in line for the honor. You need to have the blessing of the Trinity.”
He cocked his head to the side. “You have no heir, am I right?” he asked. “No one to pass the mantel?”
Tony blanched but said nothing, and really, that said it all, didn’t it? “You need the Shadows to follow you. They’re loyal. They’d never defect.”
Asher laughed at this statement. “They’ve already defected. They’re mine now.”
The male shook his head slowly, like his ears and his brain were playing catch-up and they needed the motion to get his neurons firing.
“I also have the backing of the Trinity. Why do you think you were asked to hold this meeting?” As the Leo’s eyes widened, Asher decided to drive the knife home. “Let’s just say I can be terribly persuasive.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible. My grandfather taught me that.”
“H-how?”
He touched the side of his nose and laughed. “Ah, well, that will remain my little secret.”
Over the Leo’s shoulder, the leader of Specter came around the corner. With nothing but a small nod, Asher gave the Shadow the order to detain the Leo. Lewis moved with preternatural speed and power—his arnasa ability strong, thanks to the powder he’d snorted before coming—and wrenched the Leo from his seat, removing him bodily from the room. Asher watched him go, reveling in the other male’s impotence, at his stupid expression and bulging eyes.
28
Drake walked Neve back up to her room, his hand possessively resting on the small of her back. He’d made sure his cats knew she belonged to him, and the bonus that Neve still smelled of him helped confirm it.
“Was there a reason you were marking your territory?” she asked when they reached the landing. She peered over her shoulder at him, her green eyes glowing faintly.
He kept the victorious smile off his face. “Just keeping you safe.”
“I thought I was safe here.” Her tone was mildly accusatory. “Without the need for overt displays of territorial dick measuring.”
Shrugging, he said, “I had to make sure they all knew.”
She spun around to face him, color rising in her cheeks. His eyes drifted down her tight T-shirt and flannelette pajama pants. “I don’t belong to you, Drake.”
He growled softly, his cat surging for a brief moment. “You do, you just don’t know it yet,” he drawled, stepping closer until his mouth was against her ear. “Or do I have to remind you of what we did together last night?”
“Just because we slept together doesn’t mean you own me,” she replied sharply. A fine tremor ran through her body, and as much as he wanted to touch her, he held back.
“Why are you looking at me that way?” she asked.
“Like what?” he asked, his voice much lower than normal.
Her tongue darted out as she licked her lips. “Like you want to eat me.”
His laugh was slow and deliberate. “Maybe that’s exactly what I want to do.”
A sharp inhale of breath.
Her delicate scent intensified.
“I don’t know what to say to that.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” he replied. “Just come back to my room with me.”
“To do what?” she breathed.
He could see she was waging some sort of internal battle, torn between what her cat wanted and what she wasn’t willing to give yet. “Let me show you how good we are together.”
He waited for her to nod. It felt like an eternity, but eventually she came to some kind of conclusion to her inner monologue. She took his hand. She didn’t know it, but she had taken a very important step. He pulled her to his room and shut the door behind them. As if she was nervous, she walked around his room, studying what little furniture he had. He tracked her with his gaze until she stopped at his window. She turned her head slightly when he approached her from behind. She had knowingly put herself in a vulnerable position.
Slowly, he placed his hands on her waist, and when she didn’t balk, he pulled her in line with his hips, in line with his raging erection. With her sharp inhale of breath, he knew she’d felt it, felt him and how badly he needed her.
He pushed some of her hair out of the way so he could plant a soft kiss on the side of her neck. Her ass flexed into his groin, making them both groan. He kissed her again, right over her carotid, his tongue rolling over the pounding vein. So much life and death here. Neve spun around and grabbed onto his shoulders, her fingers digging deliciously deep into his flesh. Yes. More. He needed more. He felt like they’d been dancing around this attraction for weeks, when in reality, it had only been a matter of days. But that was how it went when a male found his blood-bonded mate. Time ceased to make sense, and all they saw was their female.
“Neve,” he groaned. He ran his hands down over her ass, the soft flannel of her pajamas warm under his palms. Holding her there, he thrust against her, his cock less than an inch from where it really wanted to be.
He claimed her mouth, kissing her like they were both dying and this was the last contact they were going to have. She opened for him beautifully, just like her body did, and he slid his tongue inside, stroking her and wanting to do so much more. He tilted her head, angling it, giving himself better access. She moaned, and he caught the sound. He broke the kiss and stared at her, holding his forehead against hers.
As much as he wanted to make her hoarse from screaming his name, he knew his focus should be on trying to find the missing females. He’d known when he told Greg she could stay that his focus would be divided. As a bonded male, he wanted to be inside his female as often as he could, and they were walking down a slippery path right now.
Neve touched her lips, her fingers shaking. Drake felt like pounding on his chest like a goddamn caveman. She watched him, her green eyes languid and warm under his gaze.
“Tell me you feel it, Neve.” He touched between her collarbones, dragging his hand between her breasts. “The electricity—the connection.” She had to know it was there. He was absolutely sure her cat did, but it was taking the human side of her a little longer to see.
She nodded slowly, as if she didn’t quite trust herself to speak.
“Jesus, I can hardly keep my hands off you.”
She laughed in a husky way that made him think of a throat raw from screaming. “I never thought self-control would be an issue for you.”
The desire to claim her became a flat-out scream in his head. She would realize it soon enough. “Only when it comes to you, arnasa.”
Her expression became puzzled over his use of the Shadow word for blood mate, and he kissed her again, lingering on her mouth, teasing small sounds from her throat.
There was a thumping on the door, and he broke the kiss, snarling. “What?” he barked, pushing Neve behind him. Much to his annoyance, she stepped out from his shadow and stood beside him. She folded her arms as Grayson opened the door. Gray darted his gaze from Drake to Neve, his nostrils flaring slightly at the heavy scent of lust piercing the air.
“Sorry, boss, but we have a situation.”
“What is it?” he replied, glancing at Neve over his shoulder. Her face was carefully neutral, like she’d slipped on a mask and she was all business.
“I’ve just checked the texts coming in from the pride’s females, and there’s one here you’ll want to read.” Grayson handed him the phone, and Drake took a second to read it.
“Fuck.” His voice was a coarse snarl.
“What is it?” Neve asked.
He tilted the screen in her direction, watching her eyes shift over the words.
“I know her,” she said, leaning back and wrapping her arms around herself. “We went to school together.” She shivered. “I should go and see her.”
“Yes, we should,” he replied, handing the phone back to Grayson. “Can you tell her that we’re coming over to speak with her about what happened?”
Gray nodded, his fingers flying over the keypad. A second later, there was a beep and he looked back at Drake.
“She said she has an hour before her mom gets back from the night shift.”
Neve brushed past Drake. “Give me five minutes to get changed.”
Grayson stepped back and let her pass. A moment later her bedroom door closed.
“Does she know?” Grayson asked.
“Know what?”
“That you’ve claimed her. Does she know?”
He shook his head, pacing over to the closet to pull out some clothes. “Her cat is aware, but she isn’t yet.”
“You know there has to be a harmony between the two halves of someone’s soul for this to work.”
“I know,” he muttered a little too snidely. “Sorry.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m impatient.”
The other male shrugged. “Something like this can’t be rushed.” Grayson walked away, his voice softer when he said, “She’s a good female.”
He waited for him to say something more, but when there was only silence, he peered around the door to find his room empty. Stepping back into the closet, he changed into a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, sliding his arms into his weapon holster last. Opening up his gun safe, he took out one of the two SIGs housed there, checking the clips. Satisfied with both of them, he holstered them under his arms then snagged a jacket, covering up his firepower.
Striding from the room, he waited for Neve out on the landing. When her door opened, he stood a little straighter as she walked toward him with the same fluid grace as her cat had when she moved.
“Are you ready?” he asked, touching her cheek softly. He smiled when she leaned into his touch for a fleeting second. At her nod, they started down the stairs.
“You should know something about Pippa,” Neve said, reaching for the front door. “When she was in high school, she was assaulted by one of the seniors. She doesn’t trust males easily, so maybe you should let me do the talking.”
“Not going to happen,” he replied. It was a response that was becoming habitual when it came to Neve.
She gave him a flat stare. “Listen, this whole dominant male/
submissive female thing isn’t going to work for me.”
“You didn’t seem to have a problem with it before.” Of course, he was referring to the bedroom, and it was a low blow.
The color rose in her cheeks. “We’re not talking about that. This female—Pippa—it’s more than fear of males with her. It’s terror and paranoia all wrapped up in a bow. She won’t talk to you. She won’t even like that you’re escorting me, but that will be my issue to deal with.”
“I’m sorry, Neve,” he said, unlocking the car and opening his door. He put his foot on the car door sill, one arm slung over the door. “I can’t allow it.”
“Then you can kiss any information she might have goodbye,” she replied, looking at him over the roof.
He bit his tongue. Relinquishing control wasn’t something he did easily but, reluctantly, Neve did make a good argument. He didn’t know this female, but he could understand that her past may color the way she viewed males. “I’ll let you take the lead, but as soon as I sense any danger, it’s my way.”
She gave him a sharp look but nodded. “Fine.”
She got into the passenger seat of his Escalade without another word. He didn’t think she’d give in so easily, and was instantly suspicious. He slid into the cool leather driver’s seat and strapped himself in. The engine was a throaty growl beneath the hood, which soon turned into a smooth purr as he eased down the drive and waited for the main gates to open.
“What happened to her?” he asked once they were out on the highway.
“I only heard rumors, but they say she was sexually assaulted by a group of friends of the guy who took her to senior prom. She’d been a junior.”
Drake’s hands curled more tightly around the steering wheel. “Why didn’t she fight back?”
“They outnumbered her six to one.”
“And she couldn’t defend herself?”
“They’d drugged her first.”
“What happened to them?”
She shrugged. “They were human. There was nothing we could do. There was no proof to take to the human authorities. It was mostly swept under the carpet. The school denied any wrongdoing, even though the attack happened on school grounds. She didn’t want to press charges.”
