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  He didn’t say anything, which had me slowing down my breathing. There was something about this male that always kept me from saying no to him.

  “Come to the picnic Cole.”

  I couldn’t come. That meant watching Aran with his mate. Watching his brothers and Dante’s brothers with their mates. It meant acknowledging that something inside of me was broken. I was sick by not only human’s perceptions but my own people. How could I do that to myself?

  “You’re not sick or broken.”

  Had I said the words out loud or was Dante good enough to read me like a book?

  “Next one?”

  “I’ll hold you to it.” Without another word he disappeared.

  I couldn’t move as images of Aran went through my head. His mate, Rena, I met her more than once. There was no doubt about how much they loved each other. An ache I didn’t want to identify moved through my chest.

  “I’m sending the files to your phone,” Jace said.

  My phone was an amazing piece of technology, mostly because I broke it. The humans called it a jailbreak. Then I added my own software to it. The small ding of the phone told me I had incoming. When I opened it up, it displayed sharp and clear in the air around me. I went over the files but stopped when the file of a human male came up.

  “He’ll be your partner on this.”

  What the… I work alone. “Jace I work alone, and you know it.”

  “You don’t work alone on this.”

  He stood. I put him around six-four because he wasn’t much shorter than Dante.

  “None of my males go after fuckin’ Naresh by themselves, and that means you.” His voice was soft, even, that’s how I knew how angry he was. If Jace yelled, I paid him no attention, he was just raising his voice for the benefit of the onlooker. When he got like this, people thought he was completely harmless. I knew better.

  “Don’t make him wait, he likes punctuality.” He sat back down and didn’t look at me as I stowed my gear and walked to the door.

  “Cole make sure you check in. You miss one, and I’ll have everyone looking for you. You won’t like it when I find you.”

  I gave a sharp nod of my head and allowed myself to fall out of the door as the wind tugged on me. The earth came roaring up at me before I finally opened my wings. I loved to free fall. There was something exhilarating about the knowledge that it was just you and the earth. I always wonder what would happen to me if I just hit. The ugly pictures I have of being nothing, but road kill kept me in check.

  I landed on my balcony and walked into the bedroom through the sliding glass doors. I sat on the bed and looked at the picture of my contact… partner. It was grainy; I knew that Jace could have given me a better one. The fact that he didn’t should make me wary.

  Noah Kemp, ex-military dishonorable discharge. He was also awarded the medal of honor, which wasn’t revoked. What? He had a shock of brown hair that was much longer than a military cut and warm blue eyes. They almost reminded me of the deep blue of the sea.

  I looked at my watch, I had several hours to kill, and I knew what to do with them. First stop was to get my car. I rarely drove it. I moved much faster on my own. Then I hit a fast-food joint. Burger, fries, and a milkshake and I was on my way. I pulled up in front of a house with a condemned sign on it. The only way in was around the back. When I got back there, I saw a piece of wood that could be moved it covered the bottom half of the door.

  It meant I needed to crawl through the door. I thought about my meeting with Noah Kemp before I shrugged my shoulders. He could take me or leave me. Preferably the latter. I put the flap of the bag in my mouth to keep the food from getting crushed after I placed the shake in the bag. The bottom of the wood dragged over my back and ass as I crawled in. Was Ryan here?

  There was a scream as a board nailed me in the head. He was here. I rolled over to my back and caught it the next time he brought it down. A rusted nail scraped across the side of my hand causing me to bleed. I was fortunate that it didn’t hit me in the head the first time he struck.

  “Ryan, I’m not here to hurt you.” He stopped briefly at the sound of his name then started fighting harder.

  “No, you want to fuck me just like Mr. Anders. Did he send you?” He was screaming now. His fear getting the better of him. I let the piece of wood go. He backed up not sure what was going to happen.

  “Actually, I want to feed you.” He looked like a starved, wounded animal. If I could feel he would have broken my heart. I couldn’t feel a thing the ability to do so was beaten out of me long ago.

  He sniffed before his eyes stared at the bag that was now on the floor by my head. I pushed it towards him as I took in the place he was staying. I could see the obvious signs of rodents as well as at least one cat. That was good it probably helped him sleep without being bitten.

  He still hadn’t move. Then with one quick lunge, he picked up the bag and was on the other side of the room. The piece of wood was still in his hand but so was the bag. He opened it with his free hand. I knew when he saw the shake because his face lit up.

  “I hope you like chocolate.”

  Ryan’s head was nodding; he was too busy sucking on the straw to answer me.

  I took that as my cue to stand up. I hadn’t come here when Anders was alive. Ryan was too scared to do anything to disobey him.

  “You have to leave. He will hurt me.”

  “Anders can’t hurt you anymore.”

  He pressed his back against the wall and looked at me as his eyes shuttered. One wrong word and I knew they would empty like he wasn’t home any longer.

  “How do you know him?” His voice was dead. There was none of the fury in it that had been in his body as he protected himself. All I saw was understanding that his torture wasn’t over.

  “I don’t know him.” That was a slight lie, I knew everything about Thomas Anders. He was a teacher who was dismissed from his job on allegations of abuse. The records were sealed the court system said they didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute.

  He was thirty. He didn’t abuse because he was abused. Not that that made it right, but you could argue that all he needed was help. No, he abused because he liked it. The ten-year-old he raped acted out in fear and pain. The prosecutor had a field day with him in court, and Anders walked away.

  “I’ve been following him for a while. I knew he was guilty, but I couldn’t move until I had proof.” Ryan’s eyes dropped to his shoes. The bag of food was completely forgotten.

  “They will let him out of jail.” His voice was destroying me. There was nothing in it but understanding that he was defeated.

  “He’s not going to jail.”

  “Then how?”

  “He’s dead Ryan.”

  “The cops they’ll think I did it.” His body was shaking I held back resisting the urge to hold him.

  I dropped down to my knees and then placed my hand on the dirty floor once again before I crawled over to him. I was about as tall as he was in this position.

  “No one will come for you; I made sure of that.”

  “I’m free?”

  “You are, but you can’t stay here.”

  “I can run, find another place to live.”

  “You could. There will always be an Anders out there. You need protection.”

  “No! I won’t go back to another of those homes.”

  I didn’t even ask. I already knew he had been abused not because it was in the report I had on him. It was in his eyes. I knew what it meant to be abused as a child.

  “Maybe you can help me with a problem I have.” He looked at me suspiciously. Smart kid.

  “I don’t want to see you hurt. I find I don’t like it. So, either we send you back home, but I suspect they hurt you that’s why you ran away. Or we send you to foster care where I suspect the same thing. Or…”

  He looked me over. He was the first human to look at me this closely. I suspected as he looked at me; he saw my eyes weren’t exactly human. T
hey pass unless you're staring.

  “Or?” His voice was soft. The confusion and doubt were plain to hear in it.

  “Or you live with me. That way, I know no one is touching you.” He was shaking his head, but he was looking at me even closer now. A gray cat came out of the next room meowing. “Is that your cat?”

  His eyes turned to the cat and back to me. “Her name is Storm.”

  I could see that. She might even be beautiful if she had a bath.

  “I’m not going to tell you about myself. I don’t go to school. I’m not smart, and I hate men.” The last part came out with a vengeance I felt down to my soul. Storm finally approached us. She stopped and sniffed me before she went to nuzzle against Ryan’s leg.

  The fact that she seemed to accept me took some of the wind out of his sail.

  “We could give it a try after I come back from a mission I’m on.”

  “What kind of mission?”

  “I’m looking for a bad man.”

  “Like Mr. Anders?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where would I stay until you came back?”

  I smiled at him. “This is what I was thinking.”

  *~*~*~*

  I sighed as I ended up at the place I didn’t want to go. One knock on the door; I knew someone would hear me. Ryan was standing by my side clutching Storm in his arms and the bag of food that was now cold.

  Alexei opened the door. His eyes went from me to Ryan and then back to me.

  “Let us in,” I growled. I didn’t have time for this; I still had to meet Noah.

  He stood back. “Is he always this tense?” He looked at Ryan the side of his mouth turning down into a frown that made me want to laugh at him. A small giggle came from Ryan, and I knew I was going to have to say thank you for that, eventually.

  “Nice to see you, Cole. I thought you were going to stand us up. We have steaks on the grill, corn on the cob as well as potato salad.” He must have named another ten dishes. I could see the hunger in Ryan’s eyes.

  “Do you like eating inside? My cousins are out there, and none of them are married. That makes them very jealous. See that beautiful woman walking towards me? That’s Amber, and she’s all mine.” Alexei said letting Ryan in on his secret with a wink.

  “Hi, what’s your name?”

  “Ryan.”

  “Hi, Ryan I’m Amber.”

  “I was about to go into the kitchen to eat. Would you like to come?”

  He took a step backward until his trembling body was against my leg. His head came up as he looked at me.

  “They won’t hurt you, I promise. I want you to stay here until I come back. I will come back for you.”

  He looked down at his cat.

  “Storm can stay too.” His little shoulders stiffened before he moved away from me. He followed Alexei and Amber into the kitchen making my heart hurt. I’d seen strong men that didn’t act with as much courage as Ryan did.

  “Cole, I’m glad you could make it.” Rena walked to where I was standing by the door.

  “I can’t stay. I came to ask you and Aran a favor.”

  “No worries he’ll be in soon.” She walked over and hugged me. I knew I was risking my life, but I gave her a quick hug. She was hanging onto me loosely until she heard her husband calling.

  “Doll are you in here?” Because that male didn’t get far away from his mate. I couldn’t be sure if I was cynical or jealous of what he had. When Aran rounded the corner, Rena tightened her hug.

  He cleared his throat while sending me looks that might be able to kill. He couldn’t see her, but I could. She pressed her lips together and was doing her best not to laugh. I could see her shoulders wanting to shake.

  “Let her go, Cole.”

  My hands were at my side. I know he could see them.

  “Doll if you want Cole to walk out of here in one piece, I suggest you back away.”

  “I like all my pieces where they are,” I told Rena, who was biting her lip to keep from laughing. She hugged me a little tighter before pulling away.

  “Wuss,” she said laughing. Then she was at Aran’s side giving him a long-drawn-out kiss. That’s when I knew I wasn’t cynical, I was jealous. I knew I couldn’t have what they had. I knew what I wanted was considered a sin by humans as well as my own people. I needed to fit in, to walk the straight and narrow so I could do my job. That didn’t stop me from longing for the forbidden.

  “I need to talk to the both of you.” Aran nodded and took us back to his security room. That allowed him to keep an eye on his family while he listened to me.

  I told him what I needed. He and Rena agreed to watch Ryan after I told them I was going after fuckin’ Naresh. They both gave me a look that said about time. We all knew he would have to be dealt with, but after what I saw his number was now on the top of the list.

  I thanked them then left. Now all I had to do was get rid of Noah Kemp.

  Chapter Two

  Noah

  I arrived at the café early. Once I had a large coffee and a bear claw I went to sit on the patio outside. It gave me a perfect view of the door, and the brick wall at my back made me feel safe enough to relax a little.

  I was here to meet my partner. The word made me want to shake my head in hatred. Jace, he owned the company, knew I didn’t do partners. That was the first stipulation I made before agreeing to work for the company. He stuck to the deal for two years.

  When Jace called me up to say I was needed on a big case, I thought about damn time. I was going stir crazy sitting around with nothing to do. When he mentioned a partner, I turned it down immediately. But Jace was Jace. He could talk you into just about anything. In the end, I agreed, now I needed to get rid of the partner so I could work alone.

  I rechecked my watch. Ten minutes before my mysterious partner showed up. Ten minutes that I had to check out the man… no the male sitting on the other side of the patio.

  The male was slender I suspected I had at least forty pounds on him. He didn’t look weak I could tell by his arms and the pull of his shirt across his chest that he was developed nicely. He didn’t look like a gym rat; I appreciated that.

  That’s where it should have stopped, my looking him over, but it didn’t. My eyes went to his lips. They were full with just a hint of pinkness. I was killing myself wondering if they were soft or hard. I allowed my eyes to look at his skin. He was the color of caramel. I acknowledge that I never met anyone the exact color. His hair was a little past his shoulders, pulled back with a tie. It was also golden. Not white or blonde, but literally golden.

  I had never seen another male like him. Not in or out of the army. Watching him made my blood pound, my heart race, and my breathing hitch. That was the problem. I never was attracted to a man before today. My head shook as I dragged my eyes from his mouth. There was no way I was attracted to him. I refused to look down at my dick that was standing at attention.

  My eyes drifted to my watch again two minutes, and my new partner wasn’t here. I hated people who couldn’t be bothered to be on time. If you can’t make a simple appointment how was I supposed to believe you could watch my back? Time ticked away slowly. One minute, sixty seconds for the mysterious Cole to prove he could be trusted.

  I felt rather than saw the other male get up cross the patio and stop at my table.

  “Noah Kemp.” His voice was deep. It touched a place inside of me that I didn’t know existed.

  “Cole, no last name.” His mouth tilted up in a smile and those eyes I had so much trouble focusing on were checking me out. Fuck, I was screwed.

  “Have a seat.” The male I had been fascinated by for the last hour was my new partner. How was I supposed to deal with that?

  “I don’t need a partner.” I felt my lips lift in a smile since I felt the same way.

  “Then we’re on the same page. I’ll take the case. You can take a vacation.” I gave Cole my standard polite smile as I started to stand.

  “Sit down pretty boy
.”

  My hands landed flat on the table as I pressed my body over it and into his face. “I’ve got your pretty and your boy.” It was the hitch in Cole’s breathing that made me want to move backward. No matter, I stood my ground.

  “I really don’t do partners.” Cole wasn’t apologizing, but he was giving me enough to sit. Barely enough but I’d take it.

  “It’s just one case.” The words I spoke shocked me. I had no plans to comply with Jace until I saw Cole walk towards me. Now I was in the middle of a push and pull. I wanted to push him away and shout to the heavens what I’ve known all my life. I was straighter than straight. I also wanted to pull him to me just to find out if his lips were as soft as they looked. Nothing else, I swear.

  “This is a case you can’t do alone. I’m not sure you should even be on it.”

  I felt myself tense. He held his hand up, so I waited before I told him what I thought about what he said. He laid his phone on the table and opened it. Screens laid across the table. How had I missed new software like this? He pulled up a file. The clarity of what I saw made me wish his phone didn’t show everything in graphic detail.

  “This was one of the last kills we got on film. I saw one recently but didn’t photograph it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I remember everything I see perfectly.”

  It must be nice to have a photographic memory. That’s something I don’t have.

  “We have a way of showing you what I saw if it’s necessary.”

  I nodded, but I doubted what Cole said was true. “Do you have a name and a picture?”

  He stared at me for a while. The look seemed to take stock of me. Maybe he was looking for a way to get rid of me or checking to see if I had what it took to go the distance.

  “Welcome to the new world order Noah. His name is fuckin’ Naresh.”

  I don’t know what I expected, but that wasn’t it. He said the curse and the name with so much venom that I wanted to smile and take cover at the same time. Whoever this Naresh was there was no love lost between him and Cole.