Jaret camouflaged his truck with tree branches, secured a
silver bladed knife to his ankle, and hid the rest of his
weaponry behind the brush, near the fence. From the inside,
he could reach through the metal rungs and arm himself
tonight, after nightfall, once he was sure no one was
watching. Kane was smart enough that he'd do an ammunition
check before he'd let them through that barrier, but knowing
there was a pack of ferocious wolves inside, Jaret wasn't
about to go in completely unarmed. It wasn't in his nature
to go anywhere defenseless, and if he walked in completely
weaponless, it would raise Kane's suspicions. By rights he
should have called for backup, but he wasn't quite ready for
his comrades to go in guns blazing, not before he figured
out the spiritual shifter's identity and the spell she had
over them. And then there was that nagging point that this
little exercise carried out by him and his cousin hadn't
been sanctioned, and could cost them their jobs. But he was
sure once they cleansed the town, ridding the streets of an
army of monsters, headquarters would overlook their covert
actions and move them up a rung or two.
Toby stepped up beside him as he scanned the perimeter while
trying to get a mental reading from inside. He shook his
head. "Nothing."
"Let's move." As they walked toward the gate, Jaret
lengthened his strides and worked to keep his heart rate
level. Christ, it felt like he was walking into the lion's
den and it was the pride's mealtime. He was pretty damn sure
his comrades would question the intelligence of the two
cousins going in alone, entering such a dangerous town
practically unarmed, but he suspected Kane was smart enough
to keep his pack at bay for the time being. Kane was trained
by the PTF, so Jaret knew full well his first instinct would
be to gather intel while he tried to control the situation.
He'd work to assuage their suspicions and send them away
none the wiser. But his second attempt to protect his
community wouldn't be so pleasant. Jaret would count on it.
As they moved toward the booth, they studied the guy manning
the station, and the out-of-place cowboy hat he had angled
on his head. His yellow eyes narrowed and in a subtle move
that hadn't gone unnoticed by either cousin, he sniffed the
air upon their approach. Had he smelled the silver residue
on their hands, their clothes? Jaret felt Toby flinch beside
him.
"Easy," he warned when he too caught the rich amber gleam in
the man's eyes.
"What the fuck..."
"A demon," Jaret responded, more to reinforce it for his own
benefit than for Toby's, because, like him, Toby possessed
the skills to instantly identify the beast inside that
security booth.
Even though they were unable to probe its mind, with all
their paranormal training it was easy for them to pick out a
creature of the night. Any other unsuspecting human would
think he'd stumbled across (a) a cowboy with strange eyes,
or (b) one who was sporting fashionable contacts. But Jaret
could hardly believe a demon was manning the gate and
protecting both lycans and witches.
The man cocked his head, blocking the light with his Stetson
and giving them both a good hard look before asking in a
Southern drawl, "You two lost?"
Jaret pushed back his hood and tried to read him, but his
attempts proved unsuccessful. He looked past the gate and
cataloged the quaint town. He shifted his stance and
marveled at the normalcy of it all—he'd never seen a pack so
organized. But, he reminded himself, there was more than
just a pack of wolves living behind that fence.
Toby spoke up first. "We're looking for Kane."
Jaret studied the demon and watched the exchange. The
demon's lips tightened and he gave Toby a once-over.
Suspicion grew in his amber eyes and he straightened his
shoulders.
"You got business with Kane?"
"Not that it's any of yours, but yeah, we do."
The demon glanced down and seemed to check over some list he
had pinned to a clipboard. He shot Toby a questioning
glance. "He knows you're coming?"
Toby gave a derisive twist of his lips, and worked to keep
his temper in check. "No, it's a surprise."
"Easy, Toby," Jaret warned, sensing Toby's rising anger and
impatience with the situation. Jaret knew his cousin was
itching to take the bastard out, and it was becoming harder
and harder to leash his control. His cousin had little
tolerance for anything that prowled the night, but had a
special hatred for demons ever since he'd witnessed one
feasting on a young teenage girl, the same highly motivated,
brilliant high school girl who'd served them coffee and
chatted easily with them every morning before she went off
to class. She'd wanted to be president, she'd said. Toby had
done all he could to save the innocent girl, but in the end
simply couldn't. The demon had torn her to shreds and there
was nothing Toby could do to put the pieces together again.
Toby had a soft spot for the girl who wanted to change the
world, and had never quite gotten over that night or
forgiven himself for her death. But it wasn't Toby's fault.
They couldn't save everyone. It was the nature of their
business, the trial of the streets.
"A surprise, huh?" the demon said in that lazy drawl of his
that pulled Jaret's focus back. The demon unfurled his
fingers, folded his arms, and leaned back in his chair. "We
don't much like surprises around here."
"Is that a fact? What exactly is it that you do like around
here?" Toby questioned in a condescending voice meant to
provoke the demon cowboy. The strangest damn persona Jaret
had ever seen a monster take on. "Let me guess, horseback
riding and rodeos more your speed?" Toby asked.
A long pause as the demon stared him down, then his eyes
flared hot when he warned, "Be careful there, boy, or you'll
be in for a few surprises of your own."
Toby widened his stance in a combative move. "How so?"
As if he'd said too much, the demon picked up his phone, and
spoke in whispered words. A few moments later Kane came
sauntering toward the gate, alone.
In a show of dominance, a pissing contest of sorts, they all
stood their ground. Kane stepped up to the gate, and his
dark eyes—camouflaged by contacts—met Jaret's straight on.
"You two are a far way from home," he said, and angled his
body like any good hunter would. Clearly Kane was as uneasy
about this meeting as he and Toby were.
With a nod, Jaret rooted his feet and gestured toward the
town. "Could say the same about you."
"Like you two always said, I was getting too old for the
hunt. Time to step down and let the younger guys handle it."
Jaret inhaled but couldn't decipher any lycan scents on
their former colleague. Whoever was teaching him how to mask
his appearance was doing a damn fine job.
"So what is it I can do for you two?" Kane asked. He always
was one to get right to the point.
"You left the city rather quickly and the captain was
worried about you." It was a flat-out lie, planted on
purpose. Jaret wanted Kane to chew on that tidbit, to
wrestle over it as he struggled to determine if this trip
was sanctioned or not. "He put us on the case to track you
down and make sure you hadn't gotten yourself into any trouble."
Kane gave a casual shrug meant to placate. "As you can see,
there is no trouble here and I couldn't be better."
Jaret nodded. "You're looking good, Kane. Retirement's done
you well." Jaret cast Toby a glance. "Maybe we should think
about retiring too, cousin."
"I was well past my prime," Kane responded in an easy,
laid-back voice. "You both even said so yourself. But you
guys, well, you guys are still needed on the streets."
Jaret smirked and slanted his head. "Well, well, I never
thought I'd see the day when the infamous Kane Reynolds
would give us a compliment. Looks like retirement has
softened you."
"Maybe. Maybe not. Either way I've grown fond of this place,
and I'm not looking for trouble."
"Neither are we."
Kane stared at them, his expression dubious. "This is a nice
quiet gated community, boys. Don't come here looking for
trouble, because if you do, you just might find it."
Jaret tried to read him, but he had a mind shield in place
that prohibited him from touching his thoughts. "I read you
loud and clear," Jaret assured him, understanding the
underlying threat. It was time to make nice. "I know we've
had some troubled times, Kane. But it's time to move past
that, don't you think?" Jaret held his hand out.
With that, Kane exchanged a look with the guard and a moment
later the soft hum emanating off the electric fence
vanished. After a long pause and a good hard warning glare,
Kane reached through the gate and shook his hand, and in
that instant the three of them appeared to forge an uneasy
truce.
"Since we're here, we might as well stick around and soak up
some of this fresh country air, seeing as how it's done a
world of good for you," Toby added.
Cutting right to the chase, Kane asked. "You boys armed?"
Jaret resisted the urge to laugh. He held his arms out.
"Check yourself."
Kane cast the demon a glance. "Check them, Jake."
Crowding them, Jake did a pat down and pulled the knife from
Jaret's ankle. He tossed it to Kane and Kane secured it
under his belt.
"No weapons are allowed inside. I'll give this back when you
leave." He turned toward the demon and said, "Open the gate,
Jake."
Jake gave a look that suggested Kane had gone insane, but
then immediately followed orders, which, coupled with the
way Kane had issued them, led Jaret to believe that Kane
held a damn high ranking in this secluded community, the
same way he did in the Chicago branch.
Sure, Jaret respected him for that, and sure, the cousins
had razzed him about his age, because the truth was they
were threatened by his intelligence and seniority, and
coveted his superior position.
Jaret studied Kane's body language and action. He'd hazard a
guess that the spiritual shifter had told the former PTF
officer of their presence and he was fully expecting their
company, and no doubt he had a plan of his own in place—not
that anyone could easily sneak up on the cousins. At least
they had that on their side, and that was something. But
nonetheless, they'd have to be very careful once they were
on the other side of that guarded fence.
The gate slowly opened and both Jaret and Toby stepped into
the town. Off in the distance their presence was met with
curious stares and disapproving scowls.
"Any hotels we can check into?" Toby asked.
"No hotels here. You might want to try Silver Springs. Not
too far from here. Nice town. More amenities than Serene."
Was he trying to drive them out of town?
Jaret took in the rows of houses just beyond the main road.
"Rental houses?"
Kane folded his arms and rocked back and forth on his feet.
"I suppose I can arrange that. We have a nice two-bedroom
near the running park that you both might like." Kane
stopped to give them a once-over. "You both still run, don't
you?"
"Yeah."
"Good, then the house will suit you fine."
Or was he was trying to get them to stay?
Toby's stomach took that moment to grumble. "Can you point
us to the best place to get some grub? I could use some good
old-fashioned country cooking."
Kane led them down the main street and gestured toward the
café. "You two go ahead. I have some things to do and will
catch up with you later with the rental paperwork and key."
With that, Kane disappeared around the corner, and Jaret and
Toby entered the café. They shed their coats, took a booth
in the corner, and pressed their backs to the wall, a
defensive response when entering foreign territory. Before
they flipped open their menus, they took note of the crowd
and documented the way their presence had garnered so much
attention.
Jaret attempted a smile, to see if he could pull a reaction
from the lady with the pewter eyes in the booth beside him.
She simply grunted and shifted her head.
"Friendly bunch."
"They don't take too kindly to outsiders."
"Not much wonder."
The bell above the café door sounded and Jaret looked up in
time to see a group enter. Well, well, so it appeared that
everyone in this peculiar town was stopping by to check out
the strangers. The man at the tail end of the line, a man
who was tall, well built, and athletic, cast them a quick
glance, his green eyes raking over them with quiet concern;
then with long, catlike strides, he sauntered up to the counter.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Toby shifted, clearly
uncomfortable as he did a tally. "Witches, lycans, demons,
and now panthers." Incredulous, Toby shook his head. "What
next? Vampires?"
"I guess we won't know that until tonight," Jaret said,
unease moving through him as his fingers itched to reach for
his gun, but he knew it wasn't there.
"Well, I'm guessing we can count on it. What the hell is
this place anyway?"
Jaret really didn't know, but the sight of all these
monsters cohabiting in one town raised another question.
Were there any other similar covert communities like this
one set up around the globe? That was something he damn well
planned to find out before he finished his business in Serene.
In answer to Toby's question he said, "Well, after we gather
information, and obliterate it, it's our ticket to a huge
fucking promotion, that's what it is."
"But the witch..."
"Yeah, the witch. First we need to find out what kind of
spell she has over us."
Toby pressed against the wall harder, his dark brow furrowed
with concern. "Maybe we should just get the fuck out of
here, and come back with reinforcements. We're way too
outnumbered."
"Kane's not going to react, Toby. Not yet. We've got time.
If he kills us, he'll fear others will come looking. He's
not going to discount the possibility that this trip was
sanctioned, and as long as we have that on our side, we're
safe. He doesn't want to bring that shit down on his town.
He's simply going to want to send us away quietly."
Toby nodded, knowing he was right, but still not liking the
odds.
Jaret turned his attention to the counter, and the second he
set eyes on the beautiful violet-eyed woman who'd come from
the back, his entire body reacted with primal need, and the
odd tug of familiarity hadn't gone unnoticed by him.
"Jesus."
Toby turned to identity the source of Jaret's sudden
discomfort. He sucked in a breath and said, "She's fucking
gorgeous."
Jaret thought gorgeous didn't even begin to describe her.
She had long dark hair, pinned haphazardly on the top of her
head, a few wayward tendrils falling across her creamy
cheeks and dipping down into her cleavage, mostly obscured
by an antique amulet. Knowledgeable yet guarded violet eyes,
flawless skin, a full puckered mouth, and a body so full of
want that it begged for their undivided attention filled him
with undisguised lust. She wore a tight, sexy fifties-style
uniform with a V-necked zip front, short sleeves, and a
flared skirt that reached her midthighs. Jaret ached to slip
his hand under that skirt to see if she was wearing any
panties, or, better yet, pull the zipper from her ample
cleavage to the juncture between her legs to discover all
her little secrets.
Just thinking about her naked body had his cock throbbing
and his mouth dying to take possession of those plump
lips-both sets. She bent forward, affording him a view of
her pert breasts and milky cleavage, and that was when her
scent reached him. Warm sugary vanilla. That had to be the
sweetest, sexiest scent on earth. His mouth watered. His
fingers itched. And his cock grew another inch.
"Fuck..."
The mere sight of her filled him with passion and had him
envisioning her sprawled across the bed, Toby and he
stripping her bare and pleasuring her in the most decadent
ways before spending the night buried inside her beautiful
body. He ached to push inside her and ride her with reckless
abandon for the remainder of the day, week. Year.
Everything from the way she moved, the way she smiled, to
the way her body beckoned his rocked his world and shook him
to his very core. Never in his life had he experienced such
powerful emotions, and honestly he wasn't even sure how to
handle it. From the strained looks on his cousin's face,
he'd say Toby also felt the physical chemistry, and was just
as confused by it as Jaret was.
Jaret concentrated and tried to forge a connection with her,
but when he did, her head came up with a start and she
sucked in a tight breath. She'd felt him. She'd felt him
trying to prod around inside her mind. But her protective
shield was too secure for him to work around. He'd have to
find another way to get inside her head and gather
information on this sexy spiritual shifter who had the
ability to rattle him like no other.
But how?
"I know how," Toby announced.
So did Jaret, in fact. "We catch her with her guard down so
we can read her."
Toby gave Jaret a crooked grin. "After her erotic show, we
both know there's only one way for us to get her to drop her
defenses."
Jaret gave a slow nod of his head, determined to get to the
bottom of matters. "That's right, cousin. It's time to
seduce our way into her thoughts."
He stole another glance at the waitress. She moved with a
sensuality that nearly drove him to his knees. As he studied
her, his cock throbbed in a way it had never throbbed
before, and it begged the question-was he seducing his way
into her bed purely for informational purposes, or for his
own selfish ones?