Shifting Loyalty (District Shifters Book 2)

by Lola Gabriel

  “I… Look, I asked you to be honest, and I appreciate it, but I don’t understand. How is Matchmaking barbaric? I get that it’s not for everyone, but ‘barbaric’ is a bit of a stretch, isn’t it? It’s just a blind date with a promise of more after it.”

  “You… Wait, you really don’t know, do you?” Rory said.

  “Know what?” Logan demanded, getting more confused by the second.

  “Logan, how do you think the Matchmakers find human women with the Sanmere protein in their blood?” Rory asked.

  The question threw Logan for a second; it definitely wasn’t what he had been expecting, but at least it was a question he knew the answer to.

  “They don’t. The women find them, the same way as I did. They want immortality, power, everything that comes with being a shifter. They go to Matchmakers to make that happen for them. I just don’t get why Raina, and apparently you, too, think it’s so bad.”

  “Logan, that’s not how Matchmaking works,” Rory said. “Women don’t go to Matchmakers and ask for them to set them up. Granted, there are some women who find out about shifters one way or the other and seek them out in order to become immortal. That’s one thing. And while personally, I wouldn’t want a mate who’s only with me for those reasons, I do get why people do it. But Matchmaking is a whole different ball game. Matchmakers hunt women with the Sanmere protein and abduct them. They then sell them to the highest bidder against their will.”

  “W-what?” Logan could feel the horror gripping him like a vice. His heart pounded. His head hurt. His whole body felt like it had been deflated. It explained so much: why the Matchmakers were so secretive; why so many people were against the practice; why Raina was so damned disgusted with him. “I had no idea,” Logan said. “Rory, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I assumed you knew! And it’s my place to serve alongside you, not to question your judgement.”

  “You really thought I was capable of going to such lengths just to find a mate?” Logan asked.

  “If someone had asked me that question before you sought out Chester, then I would have said hell no. But then you were doing it, and I didn’t know what to think anymore. I’m sorry, Logan, I seriously thought you knew.”

  “No! God, I feel dirty just thinking about it. I’m going to call Chester now and tell him the deal is off. Either Raina will forgive me, or she won’t, but either way, I want nothing to do with Chester and his disgusting deals.”

  “Maybe Raina will come around, after all. If she finds out you had no idea what Matchmaking really was, then she can’t stay mad at you for essentially wanting to go on what you thought was a blind date.”

  “I hope not. But if she doesn’t, then she doesn’t. I don’t want to let the pack down, but if my options are to lead with an unwilling mate or not lead and not be a part of this thing, then I’m willing to step down.”

  “That’s a big step, Logan,” Rory warned him.

  “I know. But it’s one I’m willing to take if I have to. Just don’t say anything to the pack about this yet, okay? I want to be the one to tell them if I’m stepping down,” Logan said.

  “Well, hopefully, it won’t come to that,” Rory said.

  “Hopefully not. Right. I have to go. I have a deal to cancel,” Logan said. He ended the call and sat staring into space for a moment.

  No wonder Raina had been so disgusted. He would have also been if he had known the truth. He was now. He began to scroll through his contacts, looking for Chester’s number, but he changed his mind and stood up, dropping his cell phone into his pocket. He needed to talk to Raina first. Chester could wait. She needed to know he never would have supported this kind of deal if he had known what it was about. He debated calling Raina’s room phone again, but he was afraid she wouldn’t hear him out over the phone. He had to go to her room and talk to her there. If she still didn’t want anything more to do with him, then he would leave her alone.

  The decision made, Logan left his room and strode purposefully along the corridor. He made his way to Raina’s room. He paused at her door, remembering the last time he had been here and how different the circumstances had been. He shook his head. He had screwed up massively, but one good thing had come from it all.

  If Raina had still been willing to go on a date with him, to sleep with him, even though she was disgusted by what she thought he was willing to do, he hadn’t imagined the chemistry between them. She had to have felt it strongly to agree to even talk to him, let alone do anything else. He clung to that hope as he raised his fist and knocked on her door.

  He felt butterflies in his stomach when Raina pulled the door open and stood before him. She was wearing a simple white shirt and black leggings, but she looked as stunning as she always did, and Logan felt his bear growling, threatening to break free. He took a deep breath and forced his bear back down. He had to keep himself fully human. This was a conversation that would require him to have his wits about him.

  “What are you doing here, Logan?” Raina greeted coldly. “I thought I made it clear on the phone that I was busy.”

  “You did,” Logan replied. “But I need to talk to you about something important.”

  “I don’t have anything to say to you,” Raina sighed.

  “Fine, then just listen,” Logan said. “And if, when you’ve heard me out, you still want nothing to do with me, I promise I will never ever bother you again.”

  Raina didn’t say anything, but Logan could see she was wavering. She didn’t look quite as cold as she looked at his face, and her body was less stiff than it had been when she had opened the door.

  “Please, Raina,” Logan begged. “Just give me ten minutes.”

  “Fine,” Raina agreed. “Ten minutes, and then you leave.”

  “If you still want me to, yes,” Logan said.

  Raina opened her mouth to say something, but then she closed it again and stood back from the door, letting Logan into the room. His heart soared. He was a long way from convincing her it was all a misunderstanding, but at least he was through the door. That alone was almost more than he had dared to hope for.

  11

  Raina led Logan into her room and sat down on the end of the bed. She knew she should have just sent him away, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her resolve had caved when Logan had persisted. She told herself she would give him his ten minutes and hear him out, and then she would ask him to leave and hope he kept his word and never contacted her again. Even as she thought it, she felt a pull in her stomach, a threatening emptiness that hurt her deeply as she imagined what it would be like to never speak or see Logan again. She reminded herself of why he was here in New York, and she told herself to be strong.

  Logan sat down on the chair in front of Raina’s desk. He turned to face her, and she waited for him to speak, but no words came. He was just looking at her, drinking her in, and despite herself, she did the same thing to him. He looked so good in his black jeans, his dark blue t-shirt. She wanted nothing more than to rip them off and devour the hot body underneath them. She cleared her throat, forcing herself to get this over with.

  “Well? What did you want to say?” she asked.

  Logan smiled nervously. “I had this whole speech planned out, but now that I’m here, I can’t remember a single word of it, so I guess I’ll just have to wing it.”

  Raina found herself returning his smile, and she cast her eyes down, looking anywhere but at Logan. Whenever she looked into his eyes, she lost her train of thought, and she couldn’t risk doing that now.

  “I was surprised by how disgusted you seemed to be about my use of a Matchmaker,” Logan started. Raina opened her mouth to ask him what reaction he expected, but he held up a hand, cutting her off. “Please, just hear me out.”

  Raina gave a half shrug and nodded for him to go on.

  “I called a friend earlier and asked him if he thought you would come around, and he told me in no uncertain terms that he didn’t think so, because Matc
hmaking is barbaric. And then he went on to explain to me exactly what Matchmaking is, and I’m inclined to agree with him. It’s fucking disgusting,” Logan said.

  Raina’s head snapped up at his last words, and she studied his face intently, looking for some sign that he was lying to her. She saw none. He met her eye with ease, his gaze begging her to understand.

  “That’s all well and good, Logan, but honestly, the fact you needed someone else to point that out to you isn’t doing you any favors,” Raina said, choosing her words carefully.

  “No. You don’t understand. I feel so stupid saying this, but I’d rather you think I’m stupid than think I approve of selling unwilling women to immortals. Raina, until Rory explained it all to me not half an hour ago, I honestly thought a Matchmaker was someone who paired up willing women with immortals. I thought they were nothing more than an online dating service for immortals,” Logan said. “I mean, obviously, I knew that it was more of an arranged marriage situation, that once you were matched, you were mated, but honestly, Raina, I thought the women were choosing that path for themselves.”

  “And you expect me to believe that?” Raina demanded. The thing was, though, she kind of did. Logan was still looking her straight in the eye, and he wasn’t fidgeting or acting like someone who was lying.

  “I don’t know what to expect, to be honest. But I needed you to hear it. I needed you to know I would never, ever do something like this knowingly. I’m going to call Chester right now, in front of you, and call the whole thing off. Even if you don’t believe me, I’m not taking a mate this way. I’d sooner lose my pack,” Logan said.

  Raina knew how far an alpha would go to keep their packs, and that Logan was willing to walk away from his rather than take a mate from a Matchmaker convinced her he was for real. She watched in silence as Logan pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He was really going to call everything off, but if he did that, he wouldn’t save Brianna. She would simply be sold to someone else. If Raina really wanted to take Chester down, Logan was still her best bet in getting to him. It was time for her to tell Logan a few truths of her own.

  “Logan, wait,” she stopped him. He paused, looking up from his cell phone. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you, either. I’m not really here to see the sights. I’m here to hunt Matchmakers. That’s why my alpha is okay with me traveling. I’m taking down Matchmakers in the pack’s name. I used you to get information about Chester, and I’m sorry. I know I have no right to ask you this, but will you help me to end Chester once and for all?”

  “Yes,” Logan said without hesitation. Raina raised an eyebrow at him, and he smiled, filling her with warmth and lust. “You look surprised,” he commented.

  “I am,” she admitted. “I thought you’d be pissed off that I lied to you.”

  “I should be, shouldn’t I?” He grinned. “And I should definitely be pissed off about you using me. But it brought us together, and I can’t be pissed off about that. Let me ask you something first, though. How much of the connection I felt was real, and how much was fake?”

  “It was all real,” Raina answered. “I’ve never felt anything like what I felt when I was with you. But I had to put that aside and concentrate on why I was really here. I knew you were the key to me finding Chester, and it seems like I was right.”

  Logan smiled at her. “So, what’s your plan? Are you going to call this in with your pack or something?”

  “No,” Raina said. “I’m going to kill the bastard. It’s the only way to stop guys like Chester.”

  “Raina, no,” Logan said, shaking his head. “I said I would help you, and I will, but not to do that. Do you have any idea who the Dunbridges are? You kill Chester, and you’ll have the whole dragon pack of New York after you. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I know who the Dunbridges are, but Chester is acting alone. I’ve spoken to Brandon Dunbridge, and while he didn’t explicitly say I should go out and kill Chester, he made it clear he disapproves of his business, and he warned me that Chester is a loose cannon. He told me several times that his family business is in no way tied to Chester. I really don’t think the pack will come after me. They won’t exactly congratulate me, but it will be a relief to them to have Chester gone, and they’ll turn a blind eye to it all. I know they will.”

  “You spoke to Brandon Dunbridge? The oldest dragon in the world and leader of the most prestigious dragon pack?” Logan asked, looking shocked. Raina nodded. “How the hell did you swing that one?”

  “It’s easy when you know which buttons to press,” Raina said with a grin. Logan shook his head and grinned back at her.

  “Just when I think you couldn’t possibly get any more amazing than you already are, you come along and surprise me,” he said.

  “It’s a gift.”

  “Yeah, clearly,” Logan laughed. “So, you obviously have a plan, but before we get into that, I have to call Chester and cancel the deal. I don’t want to be associated with him for even another second.”

  “You’re not going to like this, Logan, but you can’t cancel the deal. If you do, Chester will just sell Brianna on to someone else. You have to play him along, let him think you’re still up for this, and then we can take him down and save Brianna, too. And the longer she’s with him, the more chance there is of something bad happening to her. You do need to call him, but instead of telling him the deal is off, tell him to bring Brianna to your room here. Tonight, or it’s off altogether.”

  “What if he calls my bluff?” Logan asks.

  “He won’t,” Raina assured him. “He wants to do this the easiest way, and coming through on the deal he already has in place is the easiest way.”

  “Okay,” Logan said with a nod. “That makes sense.” He scrolled though his contacts and placed the call. Raina watched him as he waited for Chester to pick up. He was definitely the hottest man she had ever laid eyes on, and now that she knew he had been clueless about the Matchmaking, she couldn’t resist that pull inside of herself any longer. Once this mess was cleared up, she would have to talk to Logan about how a relationship could work for them.

  “Chester, hi,” Logan said.

  Raina sat up straighter, straining to hear Chester. She couldn’t, and she had to make do with one side of the conversation.

  “Yes, about that. I’m tired of waiting now. You’ve had more than long enough to organize this. I want the girl brought to my hotel room tonight at eight o’clock. I’ll text you the room number and the address.” Logan paused and frowned. “Absolutely not. I was told you were the best in the business, but I’m starting to think you’re a bit of an amateur. Eight o’clock tonight, or the deal is off.”

  Raina felt a shiver of desire run through her body as Logan put his foot down. She could definitely see him as an alpha, seeing this new, commanding side to him.

  “That’s what I thought,” Logan said, giving Raina a thumbs-up. “And Chester? She had better not be hurt in any way, or I won’t be fucking happy at all. Do you understand me?” He waited for another second, and then he ended the call. He went straight into his text messages and sent Chester the address of the hotel and his room number. He looked up at Raina. “It’s done,” he said.

  “Wow,” Raina breathed. “You sure told him.” Her center was soaking wet, and she could feel it clenching, her clit throbbing as she looked at Logan in a whole new light.

  “It had to be done.” He smiled. “Now, the rest of the plan is what, exactly?”

  Raina stood up and walked towards Logan. “We have plenty of time to plan it all. But first, there’s something else we need to do.”

  “What?” Logan frowned.

  “This.” Raina leaned forward and brushed her lips against his.

  12

  As he made the phone call to Chester, Logan felt like he was in control of himself and his situation once more. While Raina hadn’t come out and said one hundred percent that they would be together, she believed him, and she had asked for his help rather than t
hrowing him back out of her room. It was only a matter of time until they could be together again—once they got this Chester thing out of the way. And even if he was wrong and Raina didn’t want him like he wanted her, there was no way he was letting her do this alone. He had to be there to protect her and keep her safe. And he had to atone for what he had almost done.

  He told Chester in no uncertain terms that the exchange was happening tonight. He felt powerful as he said it. He was the goddamned alpha of the bear pack of District 18. He didn’t take orders; he gave them. He called the shots in his life, and it was time he remembered exactly who he was.

  He felt even more like himself when Chester meekly agreed to his demands, but he was still a force to be reckoned with, so tonight would be dangerous. Chester was greedy; he would do anything to get the money for Brianna, that was why he was being so accommodating. Logan couldn’t allow himself to think Chester was weak. Taking him down was going to be far from easy. He just hoped Raina had a plan.

  She was very resourceful, and there was so much more to her than he could ever have imagined. He should be pissed off that she’d played him, but how could he be pissed off at the action that brought them together? He decided he was just going to roll with Raina’s plan, and when the time came to execute it, he would make damned sure he was the one to take any risks. He would protect Raina with his life if it came to it, of that he had no doubt.

  He ended the call with Chester, cutting him off while he was still talking. He didn’t need to hear anything else from that low life.

  “Wow, you sure told him,” Raina said in a breathy voice.

  Logan could see the lust in her eyes, but he knew she was focused on her plan, and nothing could happen between them until after they had finished with Chester once and for all.

  “It had to be done,” he said, loving the way she was looking at him. He caught himself thinking about taking her in his arms and kissing her. He forced himself to focus on the matter at hand instead and ignore his hardening cock. It was far from easy. Raina had such a profound effect on him that thinking about anything besides how much he wanted her was like torture. “Now, the rest of the plan is what, exactly?”