by Tate James
“You didn’t drive,” Raze pointed out, and I flipped him off. Sarcastic, sexy asshole.
“Because,” Hunter responded, ignoring Raze, “I lost my wallet back when Candy Jack crashed, and my finance people make me jump through sixteen thousand hoops to regain access to my accounts. It’s a safeguard feature, but it requires more time with phone and internet than we’ve really had up until now.”
I frowned at that blatant lie. “We had a full day at Raze’s house.”
Hunter looked a little embarrassed and dodged my gaze, looking out the window at something fascinating.
“He was more focused on buying you clothes than sorting out transport. By the time he remembered, the local airstrip was already closed for the day. Disadvantage of the reservation being really far away from any major cities,” Boden explained. “And we’re heading to Boston to visit a friend of mine. He works in the genetics laboratory at Harvard.”
I hummed my understanding. “You want him to test my DNA to see if Lizzie was telling the truth.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Are you okay with that?” Boden asked, tilting his head to the side. He was sitting opposite me, with Raze across the small aisle and Hunter facing Raze.
I chewed my lip for a minute, rubbing my amulet between thumb and forefinger. Was I okay with that? Getting some sort of scientific proof that I was or wasn’t human? “I suppose so,” I murmured, sighing. “But can genetic tests really show that kind of thing?”
Boden nodded. “These ones can. Technically, Sean works for the Alliance, but he’s been my friend for long enough that I think we can trust him.”
Raze snorted a sarcastic laugh. “Or at least buy his silence.”
I raised my brows, asking what the story was there, and Boden shrugged. “Sean’s a gambler. Money always helps keep his mouth shut.”
“I see,” I murmured. “Okay cool. Boston it is, then.”
The plane had already taken off while we were talking, and cotton wool clouds danced past the window as I stared out. The whole thing was a lot to take in, but I still held onto the belief that Sean’s tests would come back negative for anything except 100% human. I should know, right? I’d never turned furry or shot lightening from my fingertips, nor had I ever turned anyone into a frog. For the love of cats, I couldn’t even feel that magical hum that Hunter talked about surrounding other magical beings.
No. I was human, there was no doubt about it. But if the guys needed some sort of scientific evidence to convince the Alliance, then so be it.
Fuck knew I wasn’t afraid of needles!
“This might sting a little,” Sean told me, positioning the needle over my inner elbow. Was that the right name for it? Inner elbow? The part in the middle of your arm where they draw blood from. Inner elbow. Sure, that works.
“Is it called an inner elbow?” I asked Hunter, while Sean drew several vials of blood from my veins. “I always ponder this when I’m having my blood drawn but then forget before I get a chance to look it up.”
“Cubital fossa,” Sean answered, still focused on the blood pouring from my arm into the... was that the seventh vial? Damn, this dude was draining me dry!
“I call it an inbow,” Hunter told me, and I snickered.
“That works too.” I peered at the tray of already full blood vials beside Sean as he clicked another one into the needle. “Hey Sean, are you a shifter too? I figure you must be, if you work for the Alliance.”
“No,” he replied with total deadpan seriousness. “I’m a vampire.”
He said this right as he finished the last tube of blood and withdrew the needle from my arm. A small bead of bright red collected in my inbow—thanks Hunter—and I held my breath. Holy shit. Should a vampire really be drawing blood? That seemed really irresponsible!
A fraction of a second later, he dabbed my puncture wound with a cotton ball, then stuck one of those little dot Band-Aids on top.
“Kidding,” he told me with a grin. “I’m a wolf.”
It took me a hot second to recover from that little prank, but when I did, I was fascinated. “You’re a werewolf? That’s so cool. Is it like how TV and movies make you out to be? Going all furry and feral on the full moon?”
Sean sat back on his wheelie chair and gaped at me in utter disgust.
“Did you just call me a were?” he gasped, glancing at Boden who was shaking with silent laughter. “Please tell me you explained to the poor girl what the difference is!”
Boden still shook with laughter. “No, we haven’t had a chance,” he finally managed to say. “But the look on your face is priceless.”
I was confused as all fuck but didn’t care enough to press the issue. Instead, I made a mental note that shifters and weres were different beasts—hah—so to speak, and it was insulting to mix them up.
“Dickhead,” Sean muttered, rolling his chair over to a table loaded with high-tech equipment. His lab was huge with every fandangled gadget a scientist could ever hope for. I think. I mean, I was totally guessing, seeing as I had no freaking clue what any of the stuff did.
The door opened, and two college-aged kids came in, then paused when they saw us all there.
“Oh, Daniel, Elise, come in,” Sean called out to them. “These are some friends of mine from the Alliance.”
“Um.” I gaped at Sean, baffled. So much for secrecy?
He shook his head at me. “Don’t worry, Daniel and Elise are my research assistants. They’re bound by nondisclosure agreements. Both legal and magical. They’ll help me get these samples processed for you quickly.” He arched a brow at Boden. “I’m assuming you need them done quickly? I get the general impression you’re in some kind of trouble.”
“Fast would be great,” Boden replied with a tight, secretive smile.
Sean nodded, fishing out a pair of glasses from his pocket and putting them on. “Very good. I’ll get started then.”
He turned back to the desk in front of him and started labelling the vials of my blood with stickers and a ball point pen.
“Do shifters get bad eyesight?” I whispered, fascinated.
“No,” Daniel, the lab assistant, replied. “He just thinks they make him look the part. He also doesn’t need a white coat.”
I grinned because I totally got it. The glasses and coat did make him look the part. “Okay, I’m hungry and don’t totally want to lurk around here for hours while Sean the not-vampire plays with my blood. Can we go somewhere?”
“Yep, I’m up for coffee,” Hunter agreed.
Raze nodded, pushing off the bench he’d been leaning against. “Let’s see if that coffee shop is still around the corner. The one with the awesome cake.”
“Bernie’s Books?” Elise the lab assistant asked. “He’s still there. Today’s cake is hummingbird.”
I raised my brows as Hunter and Raze started heading for the door. “I don’t know what hummingbird cake is, but if it makes Raze less of a painful douche, then I’m all in. You coming, Boden?”
My blond guardian shook his head. “I’ll stay and chat with Sean while he works. Just bring me back a slice of cake.”
“You got it, boss,” I saluted him and followed the other two out of the lab.
The café they’d been talking about was actually a bookshop which also sold coffee, cakes, and sandwiches. It was cute as shit and totally something that I would have expected to see at home in Portland. The owner was totally fine with customers grabbing a book to read while they were there, too, which was pretty awesome of him. College kids weren’t always the most cashed-up individuals.
I soon discovered that hummingbird cake was a type of banana and pineapple situation with spices. Totally delicious, I couldn’t believe I’d gone my whole life without trying it.
The three of us had found a hidden-away corner of the shop with vacant armchairs, so we’d parked for the afternoon and eaten more cake than anyone should really eat in one sitting. Kidding, there is no limit; cake is life.
“W
e should head back,” Hunter said at some point, jolting me from the pages of the book I was reading.
I scowled at him. “No.” I was halfway through an incredible story about a girl and her dragon lovers. Wait. Were dragons real too? I was just about to ask, when Raze snatched the book out of my hands and stalked away with it.
“What the shit?” I demanded of Hunter, seeing as Raze was gone. “I was reading that!”
He smiled. “We know. You’ve been reading that for the last hour and a half solid. You didn’t even notice when the waitress brought back more cake.”
I gasped, looked to the table, and found an empty plate dotted with crumbs. “You monsters.”
Hunter just grinned. Smug fuck. “Anyway, Sean should almost be done now, so we need to head back to the lab. Find out what variety of monster you are.”
I shuddered, remembering why we were in Boston to begin with. “What if I am one?” I asked him in a small voice. “What if Lizzie was right and not actually a nutso, wannabe fortune teller? What then?”
Hunter got out of his seat, coming around to perch his ass on the table and take my hands in his. I hadn’t even noticed that my fingers had crept back to my amulet again, but he peeled them free gently.
“Firstly, monsters are defined by the actions and choices they’ve made in their lives, not by their genetic code. Secondly, whatever those tests say you are, we’re still you’re guardians. We’re still here for you, no matter what. Even if...” His gaze dropped to our entwined hands, and his thumb rubbed my wrist. “Even if the other night was just a once off, I’m not going anywhere. Neither are those other two assholes. We know beyond a shadow of doubt that you are the one we were chosen to protect.”
His words were really touching, and I needed to swallow a couple of times to clear my throat of all the emotions. So many emotions! These guys were definitely changing me.
“Even if I’m a were?” I asked, my voice a husky whisper.
Hunter laughed. “Wow, we really need to explain weres to you, Cleo-babe. For starters, you’d have to be bitten by another were. But even if you were a were, I’d still think you’re pretty awesome.” He stood up and pulled me out of my seat. “Come on. Let’s take Boden his cake before he gets hangry.”
Hunter slung his arm over my shoulders and walked with me back to the front of the café-slash-bookstore where Raze was waiting for us.
“Here.” Raze handed me a plastic bag with “Bertie’s Books” printed on the side of it. He didn’t say anything more, just stalked ahead of us, but when I peered inside, I found he’d purchased the book I was reading. Along with the two sequels. At the bottom there was a plastic box containing two more slices of cake for Boden, but... Raze had bought me books. That was really fucking sweet of him, and I had no idea how to handle sweet Raze.
Shooting a quick glance at Hunter, who was zero help whatsoever, I went with the only thing I could think of.
I.
Hugged him.
Raze.
I hugged Raze.
Yes, I’m aware I took my own life in my hands by doing this. Trust me. The second my stupid arms closed around his waist, I mentally screamed, What the actual fuck are you doing, Cleo? Step away! Now! Quick, before he notices.
Of course, it was already too late.
Raze stopped walking immediately—which was a good thing because have you ever hugged someone who was walking? It’s awkward and uncomfortable.
Like I was.
“Margaret?” he asked, peering down at me, where I was attached around his waist like a big old human belt. “What are you doing?”
“Uh,” I replied, peering up at him. For some totally unknown reason, my arms were still around his waist, despite how intensely awkward things had become. “Hugging you?”
Raze scowled down at me. “Why are you hugging me?”
“Um, because you bought me books, and that kind of seems like the nicest thing you’ve ever done—ever, in your life, or at least in the life I’ve known you for, which I’m aware is only a week, but... you know. Nice.” Oh wow, there I went with the babble again. How had I never noticed how often I did that until I met these guys?
“So, uh,” I continued when he said nothing, “I wanted to say thank you.”
Raze carefully peeled my spider monkey arms off himself, then took my bag of books and cake from my hand and passed it to Hunter—who was watching us on the edge of laughter. Traitor.
“You wanted to thank me for the books?” Raze asked, and I nodded. “That’s not how you do it, Maggie.”
This felt like a trap. I was definitely walking into a trap here.
“How... how do you do it?” Oops, there I went. Headfirst into a big old trap.
Raze reached out, and his big hands grabbed me, lifting me up and forcing my legs to instinctively hitch around his waist. “Like this,” he informed me, then kissed the ever-loving crap out of me.
Yes, that was screamed. Mentally. I mentally screamed that.
His lips crushed into mine with an intensity that left me totally breathless, gasping as he forced his way into my mouth and just fucking dominated me like... I have no idea what an appropriate analogy was for the way Raze kissed me. He had officially short-circuited my brain. I was brain-dead because Raze kissed me.
Thanks a lot, you overgrown pussycat; now I won’t be able to do stuff anymore.
Who was I kidding? No stuff was more important than getting more of his hands—and other parts—all over and in me.
When he released me about a year and one pair of panties later, my knees were weak and my head was spinning.
“Well.” I cleared my throat, running a shaking hand through my hair. “Good to know.” I smoothed a hand down the front of my top, for lack of any better ideas what to do next. “I will... keep that in mind.”
When I finally plucked up the courage to look up at Raze, there was a lazy, smug smile on those seriously kissable—I had proof—lips. It was almost enough to clear the fog from my brain. Almost. Until I met his eyes and found a promise of all kinds of dirty things there.
Holy mother of cats.
“Well shit,” Hunter said, slinging his arm over my shoulder and directing us back toward the labs. “Looks like I need to start doing things to get thanks for.”
Chapter Eighteen
Something was wrong. That much was evident the second we stepped back into the lab and saw Boden, Daniel, and Elise all huddled around Sean as he looked through a microscope.
If we had any doubts, the guilty way they all looked at us—at me—when we approached them was a dead giveaway.
“What?” I demanded, folding my arms over my chest and bracing myself for the worst. “What did you find? What am I?” Suddenly another thought popped into my head. “Oh cats. I don’t have some kind of disease, do I?”
“No, no diseases.” Sean shook his head, pushing back from his workstation and taking his fake spectacles off. “Ah, this is all a bit baffling, to be honest, Cleo. Take a seat.”
“Uh-uh.” I shook my head. “No, I’m okay standing. Thanks.”
I glanced at Boden, who just gave me a seriously puzzled sort of look back. Very encouraging. We’d have words on that later.
“So, what did you find?” I pressed when Sean didn’t immediately info dump all over the floor at my feet.
He cleared his throat and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Well, we discovered that Marie-Elizabeth was not totally correct in her summation. You are human—”
“Oh, thank the gods of cats everywhere,” I exclaimed, releasing my pent up breath in a huge sigh. “Wow, you had me worried—”
“—but you’re also something else,” Sean continued, talking over me like I had just done to him.
I blinked a few times, then sat down in one of the vacant wheelie chairs. “Come again?”
“You’re human and something else.” He summarized.
I gave a tight nod. “Yes, I heard that. But what else? What is the something?”
It seemed like they were withholding something major here, and I’d really love if they spat it out before I passed out.
Sean exchanged a glance with Elise, and it was her that responded.
“By our best guess, you’re half human and half god.” She gave me an awkward sort of smile. “How cool is that? Right?” She didn’t sound anywhere near as enthusiastic as I was sure she’d been aiming for and quickly continued. “I mean, it’s not totally conclusive because we don’t have a whole lot of genetic material to compare against. Record-keeping and DNA testing weren’t super popular back in ancient Egyptian times, you know?” She tried to laugh at her weak joke, and it fell flat.
Really flat.
“Wait, ancient Egypt? Why do you say from there? Surely there are thousands of other gods; why are we leaping straight there? Is it because of how I look?” I scowled at them but not like... super seriously. I sincerely doubted that was their reasoning; I was just trying to make light of the whole fucked-up mess.
Because they’d just said I was half god and that... hurt my brain.
“Oh, well that leads us to the most confusing part of what we found,” Sean took over again, and this time he looked really excited. “Your DNA holds certain genetic markers which are, in short, extinct. But all of them indicate both parts of your makeup originate in Egypt.”
“What... I’m lost. What are you saying, exactly?” I leaned forward, like physical proximity might make the information clearer.
“I’m saying that if these results came to me on paper and I hadn’t personally drawn your blood, I’d say that I was looking at the DNA of a woman who’d lived in Egypt around the Eighteenth Dynasty.” He paused, and I said nothing. I was too busy trying to figure out what year that was. “Around 1450 BC.”
“Um.” I blinked a few times. “What?”
