“Who the fuck are you?” the Alpha asked.
Hoping to break the mood, I stuck my hand out and gave him as good as a smile as I could, which probably wasn’t all that impressive. “Dr. Laila Porter. I’m a lab technician at Biomystic Security.”
The Alpha’s gaze flickered to my hand and then to Venni. Something darker passed through his eyes. “This is the bitch keeping you away from the pack?”
“She has nothing to do with it.”
“You refuse our offers of strong female wolves to mate with because of her.”
“I refuse them because I don’t want anything to do with your games. Dr. Porter has nothing to do with that.”
“You’re shaming your family.”
“They will survive. We have already given the pack enough and have fulfilled our duty. You do not have the right to ask anything more. We gave you offspring, and my brother’s role has fulfilled our obligation.”
“Not all. You are to be Beta to my son.”
“That was not part of the deal, and so I am not required to be. Jameson will make a better Beta.”
“Jameson doesn’t have the backbone,” the Alpha snarled. He glanced at me before straightening. “We will talk about this later. Be at the meeting tonight.” The Alpha stalked away, his energy snapping around him as he growled and people dove out of his path.
Venni grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. “Do not do that again,” he snarled out.
“That asshole is the Alpha?”
“That asshole can tear both our heads off in half a breath.” He glanced around briefly. “Come on. I’m not needed here anymore, and I need to report this to Lombardi. Otherwise, no one will. You drive. I’ll have someone drop off my car later.”
He urged me away from the chaos. If it were up to him, we would have sprinted to my truck, but the first rule to any predator was to never run. It brought out their instinct to hunt and attack, and with all the shifters worked up, that would have been a very bad idea.
Chapter Nine
We didn’t quite make it to my truck when the enforcers finally showed up. Somehow, I was able to arrive before them, and when two familiar faces spotted me, I knew they didn’t like that I was there.
Captain Hanan Tautman changed course and came right at us with a frown. Right behind him was Director Aryana Lisbon. Captain Tautman was a badass mage who was good at making the hard decisions and getting shit done, and Director Lisbon was a badass gryphon that I never wanted to piss off. Gryphons were vicious when they wanted to be, and Lisbon didn’t become director of the enforcers by using her sparkling personality. I was fortunate that I only had rumors to go off of when it came to Lisbon. We hadn’t met until today.
Unfortunately, I’d been consistently pissing off the enforcers since meeting them. When Padraig decided to break into my personal lab at my condo, it was the beginning of my slow fallout with them. It only got worse when Padraig began stealing magic and the enforcers wanted to pin it on me. I’d been trying to stay clear of them since.
“Shit,” I mumbled.
Venni was already glowering at them as they came closer.
“Dr. Porter,” Captain Tautman said when they were close enough. “Why am I not surprised that you’re here?”
“Sorry, Captain,” I said with a smile, ignoring the irritation he sent my way. “This is definitely not my fault.” I nudged Venni. “Ask him. I’m just the ride.”
“I’m sure.” The sarcasm dripped from Captain Tautman’s voice. He turned to the director. “Director Lisbon, I’d like to formally introduce you to Dr. Laila Porter.”
Director Lisbon didn’t have human-like eyes. They were very much her gryphon’s eyes, black pupils with a pale yellow iris. None of the whites of her eyes could be seen, but research had taught me that for gryphons, while they still had that part, they were hidden underneath the eyelids.
I expected Director Lisbon to say something. She decided not to as she stared me down. Nothing had taught me that gryphons reacted like shifters when it came to gazing into their eyes, so I returned the scrutiny, knowing I wasn’t going to start some kind of turf challenge.
It took her a very long time to blink, and when she finally did, she smiled. And it actually looked genuine. “A pleasure, Dr. Laila Porter. Your magic deflection device that you donated to the hospital allowed my niece to get the full dose of treatment she’d been struggling to obtain for a while now.”
It took me a moment to translate her words. None of them were angry or sarcastic, and it threw me off. “I hope she’s healthy?”
She laughed. “She keeps climbing trees and jumping off them.”
My smile was cautious. “Trying to fly?”
Shaking her head, Director Lisbon said, “Trying to defeat gravity.”
Unable to help myself, I chuckled. “I used to try to defeat gravity as a kid too. Didn’t figure it out until I was a teen. Do you have an unspelled stone? Just a small one?”
Curiously, she dug through her pockets and passed over a small, deep blue azurite stone. I wrapped my hand around it and very very gently, nudged my power at the stone to give it a basic levitation spell. The little bit of power I did use wrapped around the stone, and when it felt what I wanted, seeped into the stone, giving it a warm glow as the spell clicked into place. I considered it a win when the stone didn’t shatter in my hand.
I handed it back. “I’d test it out first, but this is a basic levitation spell. While she tries to go up, it’ll at least soften her landing when she goes down.”
“Thank you,” Director Lisbon said, taking the stone out of my hand and tucking it away.
Tautman cleared his throat. “Are you done?”
Director Lisbon frowned at him. “Maybe I should have you retake the training on diplomacy.”
“I just don’t like how the issues we’d been having seemed to have centered around her. If she hadn’t tried making that device, we wouldn’t have lost so many people.”
“We talked about this,” Director Lisbon snapped, and I got a good glimpse of the foe she’d be in a battle—vicious and deadly. “I will not talk about it again, and if you bring it up one more time, I will begin questioning your ability to effectively do your job. Focusing on Dr. Porter narrows your view and you’ll overlook the important information.” She turned to me. “Have a good day, Dr. Porter. Mr. Reynards, if we have any questions, we will contact you.”
“You will do better getting information if you talk with Sasha Ventrid. The others won’t tell you anything without their pack lawyer.”
She grinned wide. “Which is how it normally works and why I’m here. I know this game, Mr. Reynards. I enjoy playing this game. Let me have my fun.”
She nodded at us before walking away. Captain Tautman trailed behind, resigned to his fate: making sure she didn’t cause too much trouble.
“I like her,” I said, completely impressed by her personality. She’d be fun to have drinks with one day.
Venni snorted.
“Do you think she’ll get anything out of them?” I asked.
“She has a way of making you think she’s your best friend and you don’t see her coming until it’s already over. She’ll get what she needs. Come on.”
I kept expecting to be stopped on the way to the truck, but we managed to make it in one piece and without anyone chasing after us. We went directly to my house, and Venni followed me in. Atasha was there waiting. That took me by surprise. I never walked into my home before with someone waiting. Instead of greeting us with a smile like she was about to do, it turned into a frown. Her eyes flickered between Venni and me, and then she was gone, sensing I needed privacy. Transportation. My senses picked up her presence in her bedroom, along with Rowan.
They weren’t going to bother us.
Turning to Venni, I asked, “Are you in danger?”
He blinked a couple of times, absorbing my abrupt question.
“No.”
“Are you lying?”
“N
o, Laila.” He stepped closer and pulled me into a hug. “I am definitely not lying. They can’t touch me.”
“Asshole Alpha seems more than happy to hurt you.”
“He can growl all he wants and throw around threats, but he can’t do anything to me. As I’ve said before, our family obligation has already been filled thanks to my brother and sister. If he forces me into the Beta role, the pack will see him as a tyrant who can’t hold his end of a pack deal. No one will want anything to do with him. That leaves him open to challenges.”
I squeezed him harder. “I keep thinking they’ll take you away. If your mother had the option, she would.”
“My mother is a complicated woman. She wants to see me happy. Unfortunately, to her that means the only way I will find my happiness is with another shifter of good breeding.”
“Not trash like me.”
“Laila!” Venni snapped and pulled away. “You are not trash. Don’t even think like that. I’m not in the mood for games, and right now my wolf is ready to bite anyone he thinks is a risk to you and me.”
I smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Even me?”
His eyes darkened, and he leaned forward, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. Not long enough. I wanted more from him.
“Even you. You do better than most in getting in your own way, and my wolf and I refuse to let you. The issues I have with my pack will not be a convenient excuse for you. You don’t understand it yet, but you are mine, and I’m not letting anyone take you away.”
“This was all the trouble you were talking about a couple of weeks ago, wasn’t it, the reason you’ve been holding off on sex?”
He leaned forward and kissed me again. This kiss was possessive, demanding, and a scorching hot promise of the future and what he had planned.
I glared when he pulled away, and he fought a smile.
“You don’t play fair.” There was no hiding the pout in my voice.
“Trust me, this is torture for me too. But when I’m with you, I want nothing weighing it down. It’ll just be you, me, and our imagination.” He leaned forward and gave me a peck on my lips. “And though it doesn’t seem like it, I have a very good imagination. There is so much I want to do with you, so many different ways I plan to enjoy your luscious body.”
I groaned and pretended to bang my head against his chest. “Again, not fair.”
He chuckled and pulled away. “Go, isn’t your first date tonight with Alijah?”
“Yes.”
“Then get ready.” He turned and headed for the front door.
“Venni,” I called out, and he stopped to face me. “You aren’t going to disappear on me, are you?”
His expression softened. “Never.”
“Good. Because I’m not too good at hunting, but I’d still do it if I need to.”
He smiled and left me standing there, worried for him. Everything felt so jumbled, and I felt… heavy. Like I was about to lose a part of myself and there wasn’t anything I could do. If there were attacks against the shifters, their community was going to lock down and tighten up. They could keep Venni away from me.
“I know that look,” Atasha said as she stepped up next to me, making me jump. I was so lost in my thoughts that I wasn’t sure if she walked down or if she teleported.
“What look?”
“That predatory look. Someone might do something silly and when they do, you are going to make them regret it.”
“I met Venni’s Alpha.”
“And? What do you think of him?”
“Grade-A asshole with a god complex who may be using his position as a way to make up for the fact that he skips leg days at the gym.”
She blinked. “Well then. Alphas are powerful and they have normally lived for a very long time.”
“You know what else I noticed?” I asked.
She didn’t respond.
“The Alpha isn’t the same man who sits on the council.” I glanced at Atasha. Her head was tilted to the side in a similar fashion as I do when thinking hard.
“That is interesting.”
“While we chatted with the council, you saw what happened. Shifters went to him for assistance.”
“And not their Alpha.”
“No.”
She nodded, seeing where I was going with that. “And eventually, clear lines are going to be drawn between the Alphas. Eventually, there will be no choice but for the two to finally be pared down into one.”
“With these attacks, it is bound to happen.” I glanced back at the door. If it came down to one Alpha over the other, which side would Venni choose?
“You met them both. Who do you think will win?”
“Isn’t the automatic response supposed to be the councilman. He’s powerful enough to take on that role.”
“Or knows how to play politics better,” she responded smoothly.
I bit my lip, wondering where this was all going, in which direction. Because while the councilman was powerful enough to sit on the council, it was also because he was adept at playing a forward facing role. The Alpha I’d just met? He was no doubt powerful, and he knew how to deal with all the shifters and was strong enough to keep them in line.
If shootings and attacks like this continued, the balance in the shifter community was going to change. The two of them would be forced to challenge the other. I wasn’t even sure how they managed to go this long without a dominance fight. Maybe it was because of the perfect balance in their jobs, one man enjoying the political world while the other behind the scenes, raining down punishments to those who stepped out of line.
“Your tiger friend called,” Atasha said. She smiled. “He wanted to know what to expect for tonight.”
“What did you tell him?” I asked.
“Nothing, but the food you requested is in the heating carrier, ready to go.”
I smiled big. “Thank you. I better get ready so I can pick him up. This week is going to be fun.”
“I am surprised they are able to let you lead. In my experience, men’s egos get hurt when they are not able to take the lead.”
Rubbing my hands together, I said, “Which makes this all the more fun. All the control is in my hands.” I flashed Atasha another smile before running up the steps, slipping by Rowan.
I forced thoughts of the shifters away and jumped feet first into the giddiness I felt at taking Alijah out on a date.
Chapter Ten
I finally got to see where Alijah lived. After parking in the rocky driveway, I checked the directions again. This had to be Alijah’s house. I was just surprised.
He lived in a double-wide trailer on the outskirts of the city, toeing the line of the shifters’ land. The area itself wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the greatest either. It just was. I got out and glanced around the neighborhood. It was a mix of houses and double-wide trailers with the wild looming over them. My senses told me that everyone in the area was energy-based, so a mixture of shifters, vampires, and others like the family of gargoyles across the street and something that was similar to a giant but not quite as powerful a few doors down.
The path up to his house was cobblestone, and the plants in his front lawn were well tended. I never thought I’d get to see where he lived. In my head canon, he lived in the woods, prowling the nights as a predator, eating bunnies and sometimes bigger game when he wanted a real challenge. He also slept in trees. That wasn’t a fair assessment on my part, I knew that, but still, I kind of wished it was true.
I smiled as I approached, excited about seeing a piece of Alijah’s personal life. He was one of the more mysterious men in the group, and I didn’t know all that much about him. What I did know came from his file, and we’d already had extensive conversations about the invasion of privacy in having those files, so I didn’t bring up that information with him.
All I knew about Alijah were three things: he took part in the monthly Grandwood Park fights as the Ripper, he used to be an enforcer before joining Biomystic, and the sensitive spo
t on his body was a hand width down from his neck, along his spine. Alijah was a very private man, so there wasn’t much else. He was a rare Sumatran tiger, easily double the size of normal tiger shifters, and he was overly protective. I called him my silent protector. He was the type more content with just watching everything rather than talking and taking part in it.
Something in his past turned him into the observant type, and it seeped into his professional life as a loner, taking on solo missions, mainly undercover.
I knocked on his door and did my best to hold in my giddiness as I waited for him to answer. A moment later, he opened the door and stepped back, letting me in. I smiled and held up my flower for him. It was a blue heart lily, a rare flower not common around here.
“This is a beautiful flower,” he said, taking it from me.
“Did you know they’re toxic to cats?”
He paused and raised an eyebrow. “So you give me one? Are you trying to tell me something?”
I laughed. “No, you know it isn’t harmful to you. I just love the irony of it.”
“I guess I’m supposed to go put this into water?”
“Yup, and while you do that,” I stepped further into his home, “I get to poke around.” I raised an eyebrow, because if he said no, then I wouldn’t. I didn’t want a repeat of the argument we had over privacy again.
“I have nothing to hide here, you can poke around.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek and then disappeared through a doorway.
I didn’t waste time, but then again, it didn’t take me long to go through the living room. He really didn’t have much here. Everything was impersonal.
“I’ll be out in a moment. You’re almost out of time.”
“Go slower,” I grumbled, and he chuckled, his shifter hearing easily picking up my words.
A door was off to the side, and I dived for it and opened it. Inside was a small bedroom with an open doorway across from me that looked like the bathroom. I paused and stared at his bed. It wasn’t a bed at all, but a hammock. I never been in one.
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