by Kyl, Celia
“I know your name is Grizz Magna.”
She spoke in an even, professional tone that sounded accustomed to delivering reports. If he were a gambler, he would have bet large that she’d been in the military. Or at least danced around the perimeter.
“I know you worked for the SBI and were convicted of tying up three loose ends before escaping capture after your sentencing. And what I’m trying to figure out right now is why I no longer believe justice was served.”
Grizz wanted to use his thumb to gently smooth the wrinkle on her brow, but he refrained. They were both confused by this bizarre twist and needed some time to adjust. Not that he wanted to give it. His body ached for her touch already.
“You didn’t kill me, so I suppose I owe you an explanation,” he said, moving around the room to collect their strewn clothing.
He smiled as he handed her a pile and she blinked uncertainly as she took them. “I didn’t catch your name. Doesn’t seem fair that you know mine but I don’t know yours. Especially after…”
He jerked his eyebrows up to avoid saying the words. A smile played at her lips but she did her best to remain stoic.
“Elektra Mico,” she said, a dark blush rising in her cheeks. “Nice to meet you.”
He would have laughed at the absurdity of it all had the stakes of their situation not been so high. “Ditto. Here, let’s sit.”
Grizz dropped to the floor and sat with his back against the wall before motioning for her to join him. She hesitated for a moment—smart lady—and then hunkered down so their sides touched. So he wasn’t the only one feeling the need to stay close.
“You sure are taking your time with that explanation you promised me,” she said, staring at the wall across from them.
“I just thought we could get more comfortable. Besides, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
He tapped the collar around his neck with a grimace.
“Fair enough,” she said. “But I have teammates scouring the city for you, so don’t count on time holding out for long.”
“In that case, how would you take it if I said my service in the SBI never ended?”
“Curiously,” she replied, and Grizz smiled. He liked this one.
“It started with SBI Director Harlow Shelton. He was investigating a series of reports about shifters coming out of incarceration with heightened powers. You might have heard about a recent incident involving one Danque Anguis.”
Elektra’s eyes widened. “Heard about it? I’m with Wildridge Security. Our agents took the bastard down.”
“Really?” he frowned and tipped his head to the side. “The report I read said someone named Klent—”
“Technicalities,” Elektra grumbled, waving a dismissive hand.
Grizz swallowed a chuckle and continued. “Good, so you know the basics. Danque was a snake shifter who came out of prison with the new ability to stun dragons and paralyze all other types of people. He could have turned into a world-class terrorist if he hadn’t been taken down. And he’s not the only one, which caught the attention of the SBI. Harlow thinks someone inside the organization might have a hand in whatever’s going on.”
“You have a mole?”
“I didn’t say that,” Grizz said with a smirk. “I just implied it. As it turns out, I was the only agent Harlow trusted because I’d been working undercover in Belarus for about a year, trying to take down a ring of shifter art thieves targeting humans. He figured I couldn’t be involved in any of it, so he pulled me off that assignment and gave me a new one.”
“To find Danque?” she asked, her dark eyes curious.
Worry battled with a sense of betrayal inside Grizz. “I wish. No, Harlow worked up some fake charges and dumped me into the system. My job was to sniff around and find out what I could about any inmates being released with increased powers.”
Elektra—god, he loved her name—watched him carefully but remained silent. Reserving judgment, no doubt. At least she seemed to be keeping an open mind about him.
“The plan was for Harlow to get me out before my sentencing. He was supposed to send word through a mutual contact inside. I never heard a thing, even after taking a huge risk to reach out to him. When he didn’t show up to my sentencing, it was pretty obvious something went wrong. I have no idea what happened, but once I was sentenced to life, I knew I had to bolt. Are they okay?”
She looked confused. “Huh? Who?”
“The guards,” he said, dropping his gaze to examine his fingernails. “The ones transporting me back to prison. Are they okay?”
He felt Elektra studying his profile for a long moment. “Noses are bruised but not broken. Their pride, on the other hand…”
Relief washed over him that the guards weren’t permanently injured. As lackadaisical as they’d been about performing their duties, they were all on the same side.
Elektra snaked her arm through his and leaned into him. What he wouldn’t give for her to rest her head on his shoulder—he sensed that’s exactly what she wanted to do—but she was holding back. Just a little. Smart woman.
“Is it just me or is this whole situation…surreal?” she asked softly, tipping her head up to meet his gaze.
Her eyes were dark as coal but a soft vulnerability shone in them. A woman like her—a warrior like her—wouldn’t open herself up very often or easily. Grizz’s heart swelled with pride at the trust she was placing in his hands.
He smiled gently down at her, drinking her in. Who knew how long they’d have together, especially if Harlow had turned on him? Every minute they were together was a gift, as far as he was concerned, and he wanted to enjoy each one to the fullest. The tent in the crotch of his too-tight pants made it clear exactly how his body wanted to enjoy them.
“Totally surreal,” he admitted and then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
That small sign of affection acted like gas on a fire. Her body tensed and he could smell her arousal, even with the collar blocking most of his dragon senses. Yet she didn’t make a move.
“Could this really be happening?” she finally asked.
“You mean…the f-word?”
She chuffed softly and rested her head on his shoulder. He could die happy.
“Fated mates aren’t super common with dragons, you know, Grizz.”
“So…what? We’re just supposed to ignore the bond we both feel? Don’t try to pretend you don’t feel it.”
She looked up at him again, her expression deadly serious. “Oh, I feel it. I feel it hard. In fact, it’s all I can do to resist tackling you again.”
His cock strained at the waistband of his pants. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” But instead of kissing him, Elektra pulled away and took to her feet, pacing around the barren room like a caged animal. “But before we can indulge ourselves again, we need to clear your name. We need to get in touch with your boss.”
“I dunno,” Grizz said, scrubbing a hand through his unruly hair. “That could be risky if Harlow’s in on it and just wants me out of the way. I have a hard time believing that, but then again maybe that’s just my pride talking.”
Elektra pulled a phone from the back pocket of her skin-tight black jeans and started tapping the screen. The fact it survived their initial brawl seemed like a minor miracle.
“Then I guess we’d better find out.”
The next several minutes were spent with Grizz listening silently as she tapped and talked and dialed and talked some more, until she finally found someone willing to talk to her. She remained quiet for a long spell, but her expression remained unreadable. Despite that, anxiety ramped up in his stomach and he knew the news wouldn’t be good. Duh, his boss had hung him out to dry—no way to spin that into a happy tale.
“Thanks,” she said into the phone and then ended the call. She stared at the screen in her hand for a long moment before letting her gaze drift up to meet his. What he saw there chilled his blood.
“Grizz, Director Harlow Shelton was m
urdered four days ago.”
Chapter Four
The blood drained from Grizz’s face, leaving him cold and in total shock. Of all the possibilities explaining why Harlow had hung him out to dry, the man’s murder had never occurred to him.
“What the hell happened?” he rasped out.
Elektra took a hesitant step toward him, as if she wanted to comfort him but didn’t want to overstep. He wanted nothing more than to have her arms twine around him, to ease the shock and guilt, but he wouldn’t push her. They were both trying to navigate a completely new paradigm and it would take time.
But right now, he needed to know how his boss had died.
“They said he was killed in a random robbery. No witnesses.”
“Bullshit!” Grizz shouted, jumping to his feet to pace a groove in the floor. “No way some junkie burglar stands a chance against Harlow Shelton. He’s…he was one of the finest dragons the SBI has ever seen.”
Harlow hadn’t just been Grizz’s boss. He’d been a friend, and one Grizz always knew he could rely on. That was so rare in his line of work that the idea of him being dead by the hand of some random criminal was…unthinkable.
“I’m sorry, Grizz,” Elektra said softly and a bit awkwardly. Giving condolences obviously didn’t come naturally to her, but he appreciated the effort.
“I can’t believe I suspected him of betraying me. What a dick!”
“You couldn’t have known,” Elektra said, taking a few steps closer but giving him room to pace.
“I should have trusted him. I should have…”
He stopped in front of the far wall, glaring at a stain until it disappeared in a puff of plaster and splintered wood. Blinking, he stared down at his bloodied fist, not even remembering making the decision to punch the wall.
“That felt good,” he snarled. Spinning around to face his mate, he jabbed a finger at the collar on his neck. “If it wasn’t for this fucking thing, I’d tear this shithole down to the studs!”
Elektra stopped holding herself back and rushed to his side, laying a hand on his shoulder. The simple touch was a balm to his tortured soul, calming him instantly. His labored breathing slowed and the blistering rage that threatened to blind him faded considerably. He was still pissed as hell, but he could think straight again.
“I know that impulse, Grizz,” she said, skimming her hand down his arm to clasp his hand. “But that wouldn’t be very productive, even if you weren’t wearing that collar.”
“It wasn’t random, Elektra. I know that in my bones, just like I know we’re fated mates. You believe me?”
She studied him intently and then nodded, her full lips pressed into a grim line. “I do. Which means we need to haul ass over to his house to conduct our own investigation. If he suspected someone in the SBI was involved, we can’t trust any of their reports.”
Before she even finished, Grizz shook his head. “No way. Too dangerous. First of all, they might be watching his house. Secondly, and more importantly, if you help me in any way, your life is as good as forfeit. You may know the truth, but with Harlow dead, no one else will believe me.”
“All the more reason we should get our asses in gear so we can prove your innocence.”
“But—”
Elektra jerked away and leveled a hard gaze on him. He imagined being a real criminal and having her look that way at him. A shiver rippled down his spine. More than ever, he felt blessed that she was on his side.
“I don’t give a rat’s ass,” she snarled, pointing a finger at him like a school marm scolding a naughty student. “Don’t you get it? We’re a unit now, whether you like it or not. That’s what fate is all about. Right? If that fate is dying together, so be it. Now that I’ve found you, I’m not about to let you go. Got it?”
A slow, genuine smile spread across his face and all the way into his heart. God, she was amazing. And gorgeous. And sexy as…
She brushed past him, heading for the front door.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“Be right back,” she said, throwing him a wink over her shoulder. “I have something for you.”
He watched her leave, wondering what the hell she could have for him. The emotions surging through him were new, but he trusted them. If she walked back in with some kind of weapon or restraints, he’d want to kick himself, but that wouldn’t happen. Of course, he never thought Harlow Shelton would get murdered either.
Elektra strolled back into the house with a large crowbar resting on her shoulder and a smile on her face.
“What’s that for?” he asked.
“The collar, dufus. Now sit.”
He obeyed as she searched around for a fulcrum.
“Are you sure about all of this, Elektra? It’s not too late for you to save your career, not to mention your life. You know what they’ll do if they learn—”
“Shut it.” She found a chunk of wood in a gloomy corner and stomped over to him. “Here’s the deal. We’re mates. I think we’ve both agreed on that. That means we stick together, no matter what. And if that gets me lined up in front of a firing squad… Well, there are worse ways to go out than standing next to your fated mate.”
Her tone was matter-of-fact, almost distracted, as she slipped the crowbar under the collar and tried to figure out the best way to break it. Each effort ended up choking him and in a fit of pique, she threw the thing across the room. It lodged in the wall like an arrow.
“Not enough leverage,” she grumbled as she retrieved the crowbar. “You’re too fragile while you’re stuck as a human.”
“Fragile?”
Half an hour later, collar still firmly locked on Grizz’s neck, they stood at the back of Harlow Shelton’s house—a modest craftsman-style home in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. Harlow liked to keep a low profile. His neighbors probably thought he was an accountant.
Grizz carefully slid the window open and climbed inside before Elektra, landing softly in the dark room. Even though he knew she didn’t need help, he offered his hand anyway. To his surprise, she took it.
“Harlow wasn’t mated,” he said quietly as he shut the window again. “Unless someone’s watching the place, we can take our time and perform a thorough search.”
“Good to know,” Elektra said, her keen eyes taking a detailed inventory of every item in the kitchen. “Since you knew him, you start looking for clues while I find something to get that thing off you so you can shift again. Our travel plans will be severely hampered if you have to ride me all the time.”
The wink she gave him as she wandered over to a side door, coupled with the sweet curve of her swaying ass, made the sassy double entendre even more effective.
“Down boy,” he muttered to his semi as he hurried to Harlow’s office.
The room was filled with rich leather and dark mahogany. Bookcases lined the walls, framing a large ornate desk. If he was going to find anything, it would be in Harlow’s desk. Sitting in the man’s chair felt weird. His skin itched and tension built inside him. He just wanted to get this over with.
The desk was neat and tidy, not a single item out of place. And not a single item that could be a clue either. All standard office fare—stapler, desk calendar, ubiquitous green-shaded banker’s lamp. But no computer and definitely no smoking gun, though Elektra had failed to mention exactly how Harlow had been killed. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
One by one, Grizz searched the desk’s drawers. Only one held anything work-related, but he didn’t find so much as a single piece of paper with his own name on it. As foolish as it seemed, he’d been hoping to find a folder labeled Grizz Magna’s Undercover Mission.
“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which one fills up first,” he grumbled as he pulled out a folder stuffed with papers.
Like everything else in the drawer, the contents were useless to him. He scratched his neck absently as he checked every paper, just in case—a report on a vulture shifter grave-robbing incident, an official repr
imand for insubordination against Harlow’s second in command, Joshua Slocum, and an internal transfer request for a fraud specialist name Suzanne Shatner.
If his life wasn’t completely in the toilet, he might have chuckled over the woman’s last name and wondered if she was any relation to the actor with the same last name. Wouldn’t it be simply perfect if William Shatner turned out to be a gorilla shifter? He certainly had the build for it.
With each irrelevant file, the angry buzzing in Grizz’s head grew louder. He felt like he was walking a tightrope with hornets swarming around him. One misstep and he’d be dead. But sitting in Harlow’s high-backed leather chair only left him feeling frozen in place.
Slapping the folder closed, he jammed it back in the drawer and slammed it shut with a bang. “Dammit!”
* * *
A loud bang echoed down the hall as Elektra returned from her excursion to the garage. Heart in her throat, she sprinted toward the office, worried Grizz had hurt himself, or worse, Harlow Shelton’s murderer had returned. The very thought nearly sent her into a full-blown panic. She needed to get to him immediately.
“Grizz!” she cried as she rounded the corner and stopped in the doorway, panting heavily as she scanned the room for threats.
“What?” he snapped, a scowl on his handsome face. His beard couldn’t hide his frown, but he seemed fine otherwise.
“What happened? I heard a loud bang.”
“Bah, I’m just pissed. Slammed the drawer.”
Disappointment took the place of the fear she’d been feeling. It wasn’t as if she’d expected the director of the SBI to have some kind of document in his home that detailed Grizz’s undercover assignment, but a girl could hope.
“Didn’t find anything, huh?”
“Nothing. Not a damn thing.”
She felt his frustration in her own mind, almost as acutely as he felt it himself. Her heart ached for him. For them. The sooner they cleared his name, the sooner they could live the rest of their lives without the specter of a death sentence looming over their heads.
