Acknowledgments
Thankyouto Diane Trudeau Iwould never have beenable to get this bookwrittenunder suchcircumstances without you SheilaEnglish,forsteppingintofixallthetenthousandproblemsofmydyingcomputer.BrianFeehan,formakingcertainhe was there everydaytosetupthe pages Ineededtowrite inorder tohitthe deadline.Denise,for handlingall the details of everyaspectofmycrazylife Andtomyamazing,invaluableresearcher,KarenBrownfieldHouton,youareamiracletome! Thankallofyousoverymuch!!!
GEDEONVolkovhadbeenafixerforyears andhewasconsideredthebestinhisfield.Therewasareasonforthat,whichfew understood,anditwasbetteriftheydidn’t Hewasashifter anAmurleopard Notonlywasheashifter;hewasalsoelite As far as he knew, there were onlytwo oftheminthe world his wife, MeilingChang, and himself. There was always the chancethatararefewmoremightexist,butifso,he’dnevercaughtsomuchasahintofarumorofone.
Intellectually,heknewtherehadtobemore Othershadtohavecomebeforethem Theydidn’tjustappearoutofnowhere Anomalies.Threefamiliesinthreecountries:SouthKorea,southeasternRussiaandChinaneartheRussianborder.Therehad tobeothers.
Meilingandhehaddiscusseditandevenquietlytriedtofindotherslikethemselves,butiftheywereoutthere,theywere hidingjust as Gedeonand Meilingwere. Theywere faster and stronger thanother shifters. Their brains worked at greater speeds. They’d been born that way, and because of it their families had been targeted and destroyed. They had watched everyone they loved be betrayed, tortured and murdered Both lived under the threat of a death sentence should anyone discovertheystilllived
Gedeonhadbeenalonerforyears,fearedbythosewhohiredhim,whichkepthimalive.Heworkedmainlyforthe bratva, theRussianmob,andtheycouldbequitebrutalifonedidn’tgetthejobdone.Hehadthereputationof always gettingitdone. When he’d met Meiling, they had joined forces, another added layer of protection Eventually they had become more than businesspartnersandwerenowmarried.
“WhydoIhavethefeelingthismightbemoredangerousthanwhatwe’vebeendoing?”Meilingasked,ahintoflaughterin hervoice
She’dtaughthimfun.He’dneverhadthatbeforeMeiling.She’dbroughtsomuchtohim,hadbecomehisworldinashort time.Heknew hecouldn’tlivewithouther.Hewouldn’twantto.Moreimportantly,hisleopard,Slayer,alwaysakiller and difficulttocontrol,wouldgoinsane Someleopardscoulddrivetheirhumanmalecounterpartstobecomekillers Slayerwas oneofthosealphaleopards Gedeonhadalwaysknowntherewouldcomeadaywhenhewouldbeforcedtosuicidetoprotect those around him. Thencame Meiling. His Lotus Blossom. Just whenhe was certainhe couldn’t love her more, there was alwaysmore.
Still,Meilingmighthavelaughterinhervoice,buttherewasalsoabitofsobrietythere Awarning Herradarhadgoneoff, thesameashis,whichdidn’tmakesense.DrakeDonovanwouldneverhaveaskedthemtoconsiderthisjobifhedidn’tthinkit waslegitimate.Hiscompanywassolid.Renowned.Knownandrespectedtheworldover.ThatwastheonlyreasonGedeon hadevenconsideredworkingforhim
GedeonandMeilinghadtalkedforalongwhileaboutgettingoutofthebusinesshe’dbeeninnowthattheyweremarried andshewaspregnant.Hewasamanofaction,andhe’dgonehisownwayforfartoolong.Itwasn’tasifhewereevergoing totakeordersfromanyoneelse Heneedednotonlythementalactivitybutalsothephysicalitythathe’dhadforyearsofbeing afixer.
He’dhadtorealisticallyfacewhohewasmanytimesinhislife,andhe’dlearnednottoshyawayfromthetruthofwhoand whathewas.Fixingproblemswithinthe bratva wasn’talwaysaboutnegotiatingortradingfavors.Often,itwasabouthaving tokill,andGedeonwasexcellentatthatparticularskill
HehadMeilingnowandhisnumberoneprioritywaskeepingherandhischildrensafe.Hewantedhertohavefriends.He wantedhischildrentohavethem.Beingafixerwasn’texactlyconducivetothosegoals.
DrakeDonovan,themanwhoownedtheDonovanInternationalSecurityCompany,hadapproachedhimwiththeofferofa job.OneofhisclientshadspecificallyaskedDonovantotrytorecruitGedeonfortheheadofhissecurity.Theclientwasnot only bratva butalsoa leopardshifter,as were manyofhis men. He’d recentlytakenover a territoryaboutwhichlittle was known He was attemptingto free itofall humantrafficking Indoingso, he had incurred the wrathoflocals who had been profitingfromthebusinessforyears.
The locals weren’t his only problem. Many of the men under him weren’t happy he wasn’t continuing that part of the business Thosehispredecessorhadbeendoingbusinesswithreallyweren’thappy Basically,itwasanightmaretheywould behelpingthemanwith.Ordinarily,itwasexactlythethingGedeonwouldhavejumpedon.
“I’vegotthesamefeeling,”GedeontoldMeiling.“What’smore,Slayer’swarningmetobeverycareful.”Again,thatmade littlesense
HeknewGoryaAmurov atleastheknew of him.He’dmethimacoupleoftimes,whichwasn’tthesameasknowinghim. He’dbeenaroundtheAmurovfamily,allmembersofthe bratva andlethalashell.Goryaseemedthemosteasygoingofallthe cousins. He seemed relaxed in the tensest of situations and played the role of the peacemaker, although now that Gedeon thought about it, Gorya faded into the background quite easily muchinthe wayMeilingdid He was soft-spoken, but his cousinsalwaysseemedtolistentohim.
“Youknow, Lotus, now thatIreallythinkaboutit, the informationwe have onthe Amurov familyhere inthe States was piecedtogetheranddifficulttoget NotsomuchtheonesinRussia Thatwaseasyenough Butthereisn’tmuchonGoryaatall Heisn’tinthenews.There’snospeculationonhim.Noonetalksabouthim.It’salmostasifhedoesn’texist.”
Meilingnodded her agreement. “Thatbothered me. His cousins runterritories and are considered verybrutal ifcrossed. TherehavebeenassassinationattemptsonFyodorandhiswife,Evangeline Mityawashorriblywoundedthrowinghimselfin frontofhiscousinandEvangeline.Therearehitstakenoutonallofthem,butthereneverseemstobeanythingwrittenupon Gorya.Nothere,andnoteveninRussia.”
Gedeontookhistimeprocessingthatinformation Meilingwasgoodatresearch Hisman,ReneGuidry,wasequallygood Betweenthetwoofthem,theyshouldhavefoundallkindsofdataonGorya,yetnothingofsignificancehadturnedup Drake’s people haddone researchas well,andhe was renownedfor his abilitytoferretoutsecrets onshifters.He was close tothe Amurovs,knewthemquitewell,butwhenitcametoGorya,hehadverylittletocontributeotherthanthathewasagoodman. “Weknow theAmurovfamilycomesfromtheabsoluteworstlairsinthePrimoryeregionofRussia,”Meilingsaid “Four brothers Patva, Lazar, Rolan and Filipp Amurov were pakhans in the bratva and ruled those lairs. Each held his own territoryandruleditwithanironfist.Theydemandedloyaltytothe bratva,andbythat,Imeannottotheirownfamilies.They demandedthatoncethemenservingunderthemweregivensons,theyweretoshow theirloyaltytothe bratva bymurdering their wives.Their leopardswerenever allowedatruemate.Theydeliberatelyturnednotonlytheir leopardsintokillersbut alsotheothermalesintheirlair.”
Gedeonknewallaboutthecrueltythosekindsofpakhans werecapableof Hisfamilyhadbeenmurderedbyone Hedidn’t wanttothinkofthesufferinghismotherhadundergoneatthehandsoftheleaderofthelairhe’dbelongedto Heshutdownthat memoryandturnedhisattentiontotheproblemathand.Thosefour men,the pakhans ofthoseterritoriesinRussia,werethe fathersoftheAmurovcousinsresidingintheUnitedStates.
GedeonlikedandrespectedFyodor,Mitya,SevastyanandTimurAmurov Theyweretough,lethalmen,buthe’dfoundthem tobefair,andthey’dalwayskepttheirword.They’dbeenraisedinbrutalconditions.Thathadbeeneasyenoughtodiscover. HealsoknewthatFyodorhadsavedhisbrotherandcousinsbydestroyingtheentirelair.Thecousinsweretightandloyalto oneanother
WhatofGoryaAmurov?Hewasalwayswiththem.
“You’vebeenaroundtheAmurovsfarmorethanIhave,”Meilingsaid.“AreyoucertainGoryaisreallyrelatedtothem?”
Gedeonbroughtup everyencounter he’d had withthe man Gorya didn’thave the obvious bulkhis cousins had He was leaner,buttherewasnomistakingthemusclesripplingbeneathhisskin.Hemovedwiththefluidstealthofaleopard.Gedeon just hadn’t paid enough attention to him, not with his cousins around. They were lethal, dangerous men, every single one. Gorya, incomparison, had seemed gentle and considerate. He thoughtbefore he spoke. He soothed explosive situations and thenseemedtofadeintothebackground
CouldMeilinghavetheanswer?WasGoryanotreallyanAmurov?Gedeonfrownedashestoodintheshadowsoutsidethe buildingwhere theywould be meetingwithGorya Amurov. Theyhad come veryearly, as theyalways did. Itwas how they stayedalive Theytrustednoone
DrakeDonovanhadchosenthelocation Itwasn’tinterritorywhereGoryawas pakhan Thatwasalittle-knowntownon theedgeoftheswampbetweenNewOrleansandSanAntonio,hiddenfromtheeyesoflawenforcement.Therewasastraight shottotheGulfofMexicobyboat.
At Gorya’s request, Drake had chosena neutral locationto meet Gorya hadn’t wanted anyof his mento know he was meetingwithGedeonandMeiling.WhenDrakehadfirstcometoGedeonwiththeproposalofworkingforGorya,thejobof headofhissecurityhadbeenfor Gedeonalone.Goryahadn’twantedMeiling.Gedeonmadeitclear hedidn’tworkwithout hispartner Goryatookhistimethinkingitoverbeforeheofferedameeting
“HehasthescentofanAmurov.Theeyesofone.We’remissingsomething,Lotus,there’snodoubtaboutit.”
“Maybethedanger’stoGoryaandnottous,”Meilingventured.“Justtakingoverthisterritorywasahugerisk.He’smadea lotofenemies”
GedeonstudiedthebuildingssurroundingtherectangularbuildingtheyweretomeetGoryain.Mostlygaragesandmechanic buildings,withonewarehouseclose.“Hedoesn’tseemtohaveanybodyguardsorsniperslyinginwaitforus.”
“I’mgoingupontheroof,”Meilingsaid.“Ifthere’sawayin,I’lltakeit.”
Hedidn’ttellhertobecareful Shewouldhavebeeninsultedifhedid Hedidn’tremindherthatshewaspregnanteither Obviously,shewasawarethatshewas.Hiseyesmethersjusttoletherknowshewashisworld.Thatwasthereminder. She nodded, and thenshe was goingup the side ofthe building, a small shadow blendinginwiththe darker side ofthe concretewall
Gedeonwasgrateful theywereabletospeakmindtomind.Theleopardshelpedwiththat.Hecouldalwaysstayintouch withher,knowexactlywhereshewasorifshewasintroubleandneededhim ortheotherwayaround.
Gedeonmovedaroundthebuildingslowly,checkingthestreets,thecars,thepatternoftraffic,rooftops,everydoorwayand windowfacingthewarehouse.Hecouldfindnothreattothemortothemantheyhadcometointerview.
Donovanhadchosenagoodlocation.Itwasoffthebeatenpath,yetnotsofaroutthatitappearedabandoned.Oneitherside ofthe small warehouse were twoshops,still open One was a garage thatcustom-paintedcars,andthe other repairedtires Acrossthestreetwasaweldingshop Itwasclosed
I can only detect one man inside, Gedeon. If that’s Gorya Amurov, he’s alone. He came without bodyguards. Does that seem right?
Nothingaboutthis meetingwas right Gedeonwas halfinclined to call itoff, buthe knew partofthatdecisionwould be becausehewasbecomingoverprotectiveofMeiling.Hewouldhavegoneinimmediatelyhadhebeenalone.
I’m going in, Meiling. Drake was adamant that Amurov needs help. He specifically asked for me. He had no idea we were considering getting out of our business, yet he reached out to Drake and asked for a meeting to be set up
Wanting to exclude me, Meilingremindedhim.
Henotedthatthistimeshedidn’tsoundhurt.Shesoundedthoughtful.
Gorya’scousinsweren’tliketheirfathers Theydidn’tthinkofwomenaslesserbeings Ifanything,theytreatedtheirwives thewayhedidMeiling asiftheywouldn’tbeabletosurvivewithoutthem Gedeonwassuretheirleopardswerematedas well.Thatmadethewomendoublyimportanttotheirmen.
Goryawastheonlycousinwithoutawomanofhisown.Howdifficultwouldthatbeforhim?Forhisleopard?Nowhe’d beenthrownintoasituationdemandinghimtomakesnapdecisionsandcontendwithviolenceateveryturn The pakhan ofthe bratva,whenchallenged,hadtorespondwithspeedandferocity.Hismenhadtorespecthim.Theirleopardshadtofearhis leopard.WasGoryaAmurovcapableofcommandingthesamekindofdeferenceandfearashiscousins?
I don’t think it’s about you being a woman, Meiling, he mused Icy fingers of dread crept down his spine at his next thought,theonehecouldn’tpushaway.
What is it?
He sighed There was nogettingaroundMeiling He’s leopard, Lotus Leopards are capable of slipping into a building unseen and unheard We do it all the time Suppose, just for a moment, that Gorya researched us the way we researched him. Only he was even more thorough.
I don’t like where you ’ re going with this It’s possible he knows you ’ re pregnant
No one knows I’m pregnant. We haven’t even told Rene.
Themoreheconsideredtheidea,themoreGedeonfearedhecouldbeontherighttrack. That doesn’t mean he didn’t figure it out You were in heat Leopard sex is wild The odds of you getting pregnant were very high Even if he’s just guessing,
he’s got a fifty-fifty shot at being correct Hedidn’tthinkGoryawasmakingaguess Hethoughtthemanhadfoundawayto confirmhissuspicion,andhedidn’twantMeilinginthelineoffire.
Gedeonwasmoreintriguedthanever.Heoftengotstronghunches,andsofar,thosepremonitionshadalwaysbeenright. He knows we ’ re here, Gedeon I don’t know what we did to tip him off, but he’s aware we ’ re here
Meilingwasextremelysensitivetochangesinenergy.HehadnoideahowshewouldknowthatGoryahadbeenalertedto theirpresence,buthebelievedher.
We have to make up our minds if we ’ re going to talk with him The element of surprise is gone I don’t believe he has an ambush set up On the other hand, we ’ re walking into something Slayer doesn’t like GedeonwashonestwithMeiling.His leopardwasstillwarninghimtheycouldbeintrouble. What is Whisper telling you?
Gedeonandhismalewerefierce,brutalfightersandgenerallyriledothermalesthemomenthecameintocloseproximity withthem.Meilingandherfemalecalmedotherleopards.Ordinarily,Whisperhadnoproblemaroundanyleopard. She’s uneasy for Slayer.
Thehaironthebackofhisneckstoodup.ItwasunprecedentedforWhispertobeintheleastconcernedforSlayer.Hewas aneliteleopard,oneofthefew intheworld Slayer was faster thananyother leopardtheyhadever encountered Hewas a brutal,experiencedfighter.Hekilledinseconds,allbusiness.WhisperwaswellawareofSlayer’sfightingabilities. That puts an entirely different perspective on things, doesn’t it? Stay or go?
Meilingemergedfromtheshadowstostandnexttohim Shelookedupathimandthenatthebuilding
Shewasquietamoment,thinkingtheproblemoveraswasherway.Meilingdidn’tmakesnapdecisions.“Ithinkwehave nochoicenow,Gedeon.WeneedtofindoutwhoGoryaAmurovisandwhathisinterestinusis.Thereisnodoubthearranged forustobehere,andhewantstospeaktousalone”
Gedeonagreedwithher.“Thenwe dothis the waywealways have,Lotus.We treathimas a hostile enemy.His leopard willdismissyoursandrageovermine.Slipinsideandsetuptotakehimout.I’llkeephisattentionfocusedonme.Hopefully thisinterviewwillbelegitimate,andwewon’thavetogoaftereveryoneofhiscousins Hehasthekindoffamilythatifyou killoneofthem,theydon’tstopcomingafteryouuntilyou’redead”
“Ifwekillhim,Gedeon,we’llhavetogoaftertheothersimmediatelyandthendisappear.”
ThatwasMeiling.Practical.Withhim.Shedidn’tliketheirlifestyle,especiallyifitinvolvedkilling,butshewouldstand withhim
“Self-preservation,baby.Let’shopeDrakeDonovanisagoodjudgeofcharacter.”
There was no sense inputtingoff the meetingonce theydecided to go. Gedeonentered the roomfirst, careful whenhe pushedthedooropenthattheheavyframepartiallyblockedtheopening Ashedid,hislargebodyfillingtheentrance,Meiling slippedinsidebehindhim,movingalongthewall.ThemomentGedeonopenedthedoor,Slayerreacted,snarlingandclawing, despiteMeilingandWhisper,hismate,beingclose.
Acrosstheroom,Goryasatbehindadesk,rollingabulletbetweenhisfingers,aguninfrontofhim HeglancedatMeiling, and thenhis gaze fixed onGedeon Gorya’s leopard had to have reacted to the aggressioninGedeon’s leopard, yetthe man didn’tsomuchasblink.ThatwasahugeredflagtoGedeon.
Gedeonstoppedclosetothedoor,keepingSlayerundercontrolwhentheleopardfoughthimforsupremacy,clearlyfeeling athreattoGedeonandMeiling
“Gorya,”Gedeonopenedtheconversation.“Youcamewithoutanybackup.Doyouthinkthatwise?”
“The things I have to say to you require complete privacy. I did my research. You will keep what is said confidential whetheryoutakethejobornot”
Goryawassoft-spoken.Hisvoicemesmerizing.GedeonhadtoresistglancingatMeilingtoseeherreaction.Thequalityin thatvoiceedgedoncompelling.Agift.
Gorya turnedhis attentiononce againtoMeiling “We haven’tmetofficially,Meiling I’mGorya Amurov Ihope Ididn’t offendyouwhenIfirstaskedDraketospeakwithyourhusbandaboutworkingforme.Iknewthetwoofyouwerepartners.It wasn’tthatIdidn’tknowhowcompetentyouare;Idomyresearchverythoroughly.”
Gedeonfoundthatlowvoicesocompellingitwasimpossiblenottofocusonit.Instinctively,heknewthatleopardscould inchcloserwithoutlistenersbeingaware Thatvoice,althoughlow,waspowerful,embeddingtheneedtoheareveryword It wasanamazingweapon.
“Knowingthatwe worktogether and thatyouwere riskingoffendingme, whywould youhave Drake onlyapproachmy husband?”Meilingasked
Gedeonwantedtosmile Thoselonglashesofhersfannedher cheeks,makingher looksoinnocentanddemure,notatall calculatingandbrilliantasheknewhertobe.Shewasn’tgettingtrappedinGorya’svoice.
“Youarevery,verygoodatwhatyoudo,Meiling.Youwon’thesitatetokillifnecessary,butunlikeGedeon,itweighson you Ididn’twanttoputyouinthatposition”
HespunthebulletoverandoverbetweenhisfingerswhenheturnedhisgazebacktoGedeon.“IsawyouinSanAntonioat Evangeline’sbakerythenightElijahLospostoscamewithhismentospeakwithyou.OneofhistraineesputaguntoMeiling’s headasshewasgoingoutthedoor Ihappenedtobewatchingyou Everyoneelsewastalkingtogether,butIhadmyeyeson you.Isawyousignalhertoleave.”
HeglancedagainatMeiling,thefaintestofsmilesonhisface.Thecharmshowedthrough,butGedeonnotedtherewasno smileinhiseyes
“Shedisappearseasilyintotheshadows.Noonesawheruntilshehadtogothroughthedoorway.IkeptwatchingyouandI saw youmove.Thespeedandyourabilitytoleapoverthemeninthatroomwereincredible.Later,mycousinsdiscussedit, butbecauseitdidn’tseempossible,theyeventuallydismissedtheideathatyoureallywereabletoleapthatfarandfast.They convincedthemselvesthatyouwerecloserthanyouhadbeen”
Gedeon remained silent. Waiting. Giving nothing away. Gorya hadn’t dismissed what he saw, that much was clear. The bulletbetweenhisfingerscontinuedtospin.Gedeonwascertainthemanhadn’tblinkedonce.
“Ineedsomeonefast Ineedsomeonewhowon’thesitatetokill AndIneedhisleopardtobeexperiencedandferociousin afight.Hemustbeabletoshiftfastandkillfaster.”
GedeonkepthisgazesteadyonGorya’s.“Draketoldmemanyoftheproblemswiththisparticularterritory.”
Goryashookhisheadslowly “Ihaven’texplainedmyself Idoneedyouforhelpthereaswell,butyourmainpurposewill betokillmewhenthetimecomes anditwillcome.”
ThatwasthelastthingGedeonexpectedhimtosay.Thoseeyesdidn’tmovefromhis,assessinghowhetooktherequest. “Perhapsyoucouldsitdownandwecandiscussthis,”Goryainvited
He is very sincere, Meilingsaid He means exactly what he says Whisper also cannot detect deceit He is being very honest. He wants a commitment from you.
Slayer agrees with you and Whisper.
“Gorya,whywouldyouaskthisofme?”
“BecauseIbelieveyouaretheonlymanwhohasachanceofkillingme.”
Again,Gedeonheardonlythetruth.
“Whenthetimecomes,IhopeIwon’tbesofar gonethatIcouldn’tspareyou”Goryaheldupthebullet “I’vefoundthe idea ofkillingmyleopard nearlyimpossible. Everytime I’ve tried, I’ve beenunable to go throughwithit. Ithoughtthatby takingonthisterritoryitwouldhelprelievesomeofthepressureonus,butitmadeitsomuchworse.”
HeshookhisheadandonceagainraisedhiseyestomeetGedeon’s “TocleanupaterritoryliketheoneIhavetakenover requires brutality Ruthlessness Becomingthe kind of psychopathI was raised with Youknow what that kind of violence breeds.”
He’s one of us, Meiling, Gedeontoldher,certainitwastrue. I don’t know how he can be when his cousins aren’t, but he is He knows what we are because he is, and he recognized us
If that’s true, he’s stayed hidden in plain sight, even from his cousins. I don’t think they have a clue what he is. Why would he hide his true self?
Stay where you are
Gedeonwasn’triskingMeiling.Hetooktheleadashenormallydidwhentheywereonadangerousjob.Crossingtheroom, hepulledoutachairandsatoppositeGorya,leavingMeilingaclearshottothemaniftherewasneed.Goryadidnothingto protecthimselffromMeiling,althoughhehadtoknowshewasinaperfectpositiontokillhim “YoudorealizeifIkilledyou,yourcousinswouldhuntmetotheendsoftheearth,”Gedeonsaid. Goryashookhishead.“IwouldmakecertaintheywereawareIhiredyouspecificallyforthatpurpose.”
“Gorya,seriously,thinkaboutwhatkindofmenyourcousinsare.Doyouthinkthatwoulddeterthem?You’refamily.You don’ttalkaboutemotionsinyourfamily,buttheyhavethemforyou Theirwomenhavethemforyou” “Itisnecessary,andyouknowwhy.Theywillknowwhyaswell.Theymadeachoiceyearsago,longbeforeIdid,tolive byacode.Iwasn’tcertainIwantedtolivewithouttheviolenceofthe bratva. Ifit.Once Iwas oldenoughtoholdmyown
againstthe pakhan’s men,Icouldslideintotheshadows anddowhatIwanted Iwas inmyteens whenIbecamefaster and strongerthanallofthem.Icouldoutthinkthem.Outsmartthem.MyleopardhatedthemasmuchasormorethanIdid.”
Gedeonunderstood thatand the need for revenge. Itburned brightand fierce. Deep and cold. Smoldered and never went away “Patience,”Gedeonsaid.
“Exactly,”Goryasaid.“Itbecameagameofwits.Iamadeceiver.Myleopardiscalled Moshennik,whichiswhyIcall himRogue We learned to bide our time One byone we tookoutthe worstofthem Unfortunately, the two ofus thrived on violence.Wereveledinit.Myfirstmemorieswereofbloodanddeath,andIdon’trecallmuchelse.TheonlygoodthingIcan say for myself is, I could never stand seeing what was done to women and children. That was a trigger for me. Again, unfortunately,I’vebecomeamonster,andIcan’tseemtoholdthatsideofmebackwhenthathappens”
GedeonnotedGoryadidn’tsoundremorseful,onlymatter-of-fact.He’dacceptedhimselfforwhoandwhathewas,justas Gedeonhad.
“This territoryI’ve takenover was runlike the ones thatIcame frominRussia. The womenand childrenare sometimes abused,butoftenthewomenarecomplicitinthecrimes I’veretaliatedinkindwhenthereisabuse Ithasn’tbeenpretty,but I’mcleaningthingsupfast.Ontheotherhand,it’sbroughtouteverynegativetraitRogueandIhave.Therushforushasfedthe continualneedformore.We’redeterioratingveryfast.”
There was starkhonestyinthat mesmerizingvoice Gedeonunderstood exactlywhat Gorya was tellinghim He’d been there.BeforeMeiling,he’dgrownmoreviolent,barringhisdoorsandwindowswithsteeltokeepSlayerfromescaping.He’d takenrefuge inrough, emotionless sexto tryto relieve the ever-buildingneed for violence. Like Gorya, he knew the only answerforhimwastoendhislifebeforehekilledaninnocent He’dbeenluckytofindamiracle Meiling
“Your cousins were eachable to find their leopard’s true mate. Whydo youbelieve youwon’t find Rogue’s?” Meiling asked.
Gorya twisted the bulletbackand forthuntil itspunbetweenhis fingers, nottouchinghis skinbutremaininginthe air, a hairsbreadthawayfromhisthumbandfinger Hedidn’tappeartonoticewhilehecontemplatedhisanswer
“Mycousinsarebrutal,violentmenoutofnecessity,”hefinallysaid.“Theywereraisedinanenvironmentthatdidn’tallow for anything else, so to survive they were forced to learn those ways. They didn’t like what they had to become, but they becamegoodatbeingthosemen Thatwasn’tthecasewithme”
Abruptly,Goryapinchedthebulletbetweenhisfingersandcarefullysetitonthedeskbesidethegun.“Thestoryofhowmy parentsdiedisn’ttrue.Myfatherdidn’tmurdermymother.Shewasacquiredinthewaymostofthewomenwereinthatlair. She was bought withthe idea that once she provided sons, she would be murdered byher husband to show loyaltyto the bratva As myfather hadnoproblemkillinghis firstwifewiththehelpofhis twosons,heexpectedtodojustthatwithhis second.Notonlydidheexpectthathewouldkillher,hissonsalsoexpectedit,asdidhisbrothers.”
Gedeoncouldn’tdetectanyemotionatallonGorya’shandsomefeaturesorinhisunusualeyes Amurleopardstypicallyhad amberorevenblueeyes,butGorya’seyes,althoughshapedlikeacat’sandjustasfocusedandpiercing,maybeevenmoreso, wereslategray.Thestrangeandrarecolormadereadinghimmoredifficultthanever.Hiseyescouldappearaspurefrostor reflectbackasamirror.GedeonwouldbethislastdollarthattheundercoatonGorya’sleopardwasgraytomatchthoseeyes, makinghimnearlyimpossibletospotwhenhewantedtodisappear
“Nooneexpectedthatshewashisleopard’struemate,orthathewouldfallinlovewithher.”
“Doyouhaveanyideawhereshecamefrom?”Meilingasked.
Goryashookhishead “Noonecared Shewasconsideredexpendable Mybrothers,DimaandGrisha,hatedherandhated mewhenIwasborn.Iknewtheywantedmedead.TheywouldsneakintotheroomwhereIwassleepingandpickupapillow tosmotherme.Roguealwaystorehiswaythroughthepillow,evenwhenhewasacub.Theycouldn’tlettheirleopardsloose onhimbecauseitwouldhavewokenmyfatherormother Shealwaysseemedalert Shewatchedthemcloselyonceshefound thepillowsripped.”
How terrible to know from the time you ’ re born that your own brothers want to murder you, Meiling whispered into Gedeon’smind. He was just an infant So was his leopard
Goryahadhadtheawarenessofamucholderchildfromthetimehewasaninfant,andhehadn’tforgotten Gedeonknew whatthatwaslike,althoughhisearliestmemorieswerehappyones.He’dbeengiventhatsamegift.
“Myfather, Filipp, fell inlove withmymother. That was enoughto brand hima traitor withhis brothers. She was his leopard’struemate PatvaconspiredwithDimaandGrishatomurderthemboth DimaandGrishabrokeFilipp’sspinesohe
washelpless,andthen,whilePatvawatched,theybeatmymothertodeathinfrontofFilipp IhavenoideawhyPatvadecided to keep me alive. Dima and Grisha were veryangry, but Patva tookme home and gave me to his wife to raise alongwith FyodorandTimur.”
“Thismightanswerthequestionofhowyouaresodifferentfromyourcousinsinthatyouhavetremendousgifts,”Gedeon pointedout,“butitdoesn’tanswerwhyyouthinkyouwon’tbeabletofindyourleopard’struemateoryours.”
“Patvawasthecruelestofallthebrothers.Hereveledinbrutality.Heallowedtheleopardsinhislairtobewhippedinto killingfrenzies Theyhuntedhumansandfedonthem Eachatrocityhecommittedwasworsethantheonebefore Hispower grew,andsodidhisreputation.”
GedeonheardloathinginGorya’svoiceforthefirsttime,buthesuspectedtheloathingwasn’tforPatva;itwasforhimself.
“WhenIwasachild,Patvabeatme,hadhismenbeatme Theysubjectedmetoasmuchcrueltyaspossiblewithoutkilling me.Ilearnedtostayquietandbidemytime.Rogueobeyedme.Weneededtolearnfromthem.Fromalltheleopards.Wewere sponges,soakinguptheknowledgetheyhad,theexperience.AfterawhileIbarelyfeltthebeatings,althoughImadecertainto putontheappropriateshowandthenfadeintothebackgroundasquicklyaspossible.”
Once again, Gorya’s eyes metGedeon’s withoutflinchingfromthe truth “Ireveled inlearning Iwanted to be more ofa monsterthanmyuncle.Ibegantopitmyselfagainsthim.Insmallwaysatfirst.Iwouldstealawayhissmalltreasuresandplant themamonghistrustedcaptain’sthings.Itookgreatdelightinthetortureofhiscaptainandhisfamily.Thewomanwasalready dead and onlyhis sons remained, menwho enjoyed huntinghumans and rapingand murderingothers I always watched as Patva tookhis wrathout onhis ownloyal men, believingwhat his eyes saw whenI had orchestrated the crime instead of listeningto menwho had served himfor years. Youhave no idea the joythat brought me at sucha youngage, and it only increasedasmyactsofrevengebecamemorecomplex”
Again, Gedeonunderstood. How could he not? There was joyindefeatinganenemy, especiallywhenthatenemythought youhadnopower.
“Ididn’twantPatvatodie Iwantedhimtoliveforever Itseemedtoomercifulforhimtojustdie Icouldtormenthim,strip himofeverythingthatmatteredtohimlittlebylittle,andhewouldneverknowitwasme IknewIcouldbesthim Itwaslikea gameofchess,andIfounditexhilarating.Ioutthoughthimateveryturn.”
“Weren’ttherepeopleinthelairsuffering?”Meilingasked.
Goryaturnedhisfrostygrayeyesonher Gedeonknewwhatshewasseeing Emptiness Nosoul Ifhisleopardlookedback ather,thatleopardhadnoreallifeiniteither.
“Iconsidered the entire lair corrupt, so therefore Iwas atwar witheveryone. Iftheysuffered, thatwas good. Itgave me opportunitiestohonemyskills Patvatookmewithhimonraids,andIpracticeddeceivinghimintothinkingIwassqueamish andreluctant.Hispunishmentsweresevere,butitwasworthittome.Ilearnedtobeanevenbetteractor.He’dforcehisother mentotakemewiththem,andthatwouldallowmetowreakhavocwithouthisknowledge.”
Gorya turned backto Gedeon “Rogue and Ihunted his bestfighters, firststalkingthemfor weeks justto hone our skills, enteringtheirhomesoverandover,standingoverthematnight,buttheirleopardswereneveralertedunlesswewantedthemto knowwewerethere.”
ThehaironthebackofGedeon’sneckstoodup.Slayerrakedathiminalarm.
That’s what he did to us, Meiling, stalked us He came into our home and Slayer didn’t alert Neither did Whisper He knew you were pregnant because he heard us talking.
GedeonfounditverydisturbingthatGoryaandhisleopardhadtheskillstoentertheirhomewhenMeilingandhewereboth elite WashefastenoughtokillGorya?WasSlayer?He’dneverquestionedhimselforhisleopard,buthe’dbeanarrogantass ifhedidn’tconsiderthepossibilitythatGoryamightbefaster,strongerandevenmoreruthless.
All his life Gedeon had known he was superior to other shifters. He’d been careful not to take it for granted, but he’d known Hehidhisgiftsfromothers NowhesatacrossfromamanwhowasrelaxedwhileknowingMeilingwasinpositionto shoothim.Gedeonsatacrossfromhimwithinstrikingdistance.Goryahadn’tsomuchasflinched.
“Toansweryourquestion,Meiling,overtheyears,Idevelopedtheneedtofeedthebrutalityinsideme.Whetheritcomes fromtheskills Igotfrommymother or theDNAIgotfrommyfather or the combinationofboth,it’s verystronginme.Far more so thanmybrothers The beatings Rogue and Iwere subjected to so earlyand the waywe had to survive bysecretly plottingtokillonlyfedthatsideofme ofus.Icanbeverysadistic,andIdon’tfeelremorse.Iknowmycousinsoftenthought ofthemselvesaspsychopaths,buttheyarenot.Theyaregoodmen.Iamnot.”
“Ifthat’sthetruth,howdidyouenduphereintheStateswithyourcousins?”Meilingasked
TherewasaqualitytoMeiling’svoicethathadalwaysbroughtGedeonpeace Forthefirsttime,hehopeditbroughtGorya and his leopard peace as well. He remembered the days of believingthat he was a psychopathand there was no hope for survival.ItwaspossibleitwastoolateforGorya,butclearlythemanwasdeterminedtofindawaytokeepthosearoundhim safebyhiringGedeontokillhimafterhecleaneduptheterritoryhe’dbeengiven Thatdidn’tstrikeGedeonasamanwhowas completelyunredeemable.
Forthefirsttime,Goryahesitated.Heworehisblackhairslickedback,soitwasimpossibleforGedeontotellhowlongit wasontop,butitwasthick,asallshifters’hairwas Thesidesofhishairwerekeptshaved Heworeashort,trimmedbeard andmoustache.Helookedyoung,withfew linesinhisfaceuntilyoulookedveryclose,thenyoucouldseethefaintsignsof burdenandexhaustionfromthelifehe’dledtakingtheirtoll.
Goryapushedhisfingersthroughhishairandshookhishead HegaveGedeonthatfaintsmilethatwasascoldasiceandas fakeasathree-dollarbill.“ItoldmyselfIwouldansweryourquestionshonestly.There’salwaysthatonemomentinlifewhen you must make a choice. My choice, until then, had been to keep Patva alive and torment himby slowly stripping himof everythinghehad.Hewasbringinginwomenandyounggirlsandsellingthemorgivingthemtohistrustedmenbeforeselling them Hehadoneofhisenforcerstakemealongwithhimtoinspectahousewheretheywerekeepingsomeofthewomen”
TherewasnoexpressiononGorya’sface,buthepickedupthebulletagainandlookedatitforalongmoment.“Isometimes wonder,ifIhadjustkilledhim,wouldIhavesparedthatchildthethingsdonetoher?ButthenIwouldneverhavebeensentto thathouseofhorrors”HelookedupagainandmetGedeon’sgaze
Gedeoncouldbarelylookathim.Forsomeunknownreason,hehadthefeelingGoryaknewabouthispast,abouthismother injustsuchahouse.AboutGedeoninjustsuchahouse.NooneotherthanMeilingknewaboutGedeon’spast,sothatwouldbe impossible,butthosefrostygrayeyesseemedtoseeinsidehim,intothesecretsofhisdarkpast
“Themenopenlyrapedandbeatthewomenandchildrenrightthereinfrontofoneanotherasiftheyweren’thumanbeings. Theylaughedandeggedeachotheron.Onelittlegirlwasn’tmorethanfiveorsix.Shehadallthiswhite-blondhairandbluegrayeyes Icouldseeshehadaleopard,althoughIknew themenweretoosmugtosee She’dalreadybeenrapednumerous times Therewasnodoubtshewasgearinguptoforcethemtobeatherintosubmissionagain Ithinkshewasgoingtomake themkillher.”
Goryashookhisheadasifbackinthathouseofhorrors.“Idon’tthinkI’llevergetthesightofthosewomenandchildrenor thesoundsorsmellsoutofmymindforaslongasIlive IthinkIwentalittleberserk IknowRoguedid Oneminutewewere lookingatthatlittlechild,andthenextIwasshiftingandtearingthemallapart.”
He sankbackinto his seatand regarded Gedeon, once againrelaxed, acceptingwho he was. The change was slight, but Gedeonreaditeasily
“Patvahadsentafive-manteam.Thereweretwoguardsinthehouse.Ihadtokillallsevenofthem.ThenIhadtodestroy thecameras.Therecouldn’tbeanyevidencethatIhadbeentheonetokillthemandinsuchaviolentway.Imadeitappearas if we’d beenraided byoutsiders so theycould get the womenand sell themthemselves I had less thananhour to get the womenandchildrenontoafreighterIknewwasleavingtheharbor IhadtomakeouttheproperpaperworkandsignPatva’s nametoit,whichIwasverygoodatdoing.ItwasthebestIcoulddoforthem.Iknewwheretherewasmoney,andIgavewhat Icouldtothem.ThenIhadtofindawaytomakeitlooklikeI’dbeenrippedapartandleftfordeadsoPatvawouldbelieveI’d beenattackedaswell”
“Howwasitthatyoudidn’tkillPatvayourselfwhenheattackedyouandTimur?Eventhoughyouweresoyoung,youmust havebeencapableofkillinghim,”Gedeonsaid.
“Whenhefirstcamein,heactedverynicetoOgfia,Timur’smother Shealwaystriedtogointoanotherroomtogetaway fromhim,evenifhebeatoneofus.Timurneverseemedtomind.Hemadeexcusesforher.Whenshestartedtoleave,Patva leaptonherandbegantobeathersavagely.Timurimmediatelywenttoassisther,butinsteadofaidinghim,Ogfiaagaintried tolockherselfinanotherroom”
Therewasn’ttheslightesthintofdisgustorloathingonGorya’sfaceorinhisvoice,butGedeonfeltdisgustheavyintheair. Goryamightnotbeabletotolerateseeingwomenorchildrenraped,torturedormisused,buthedidn’thaveahighopinionof them.
“Patvaturnedonmewithaknifehiddeninhishand Usingaweaponwasunusual,andIdidn’tseeorexpectit Hestabbed methreetimesasherushedpastmetogettoOgfia.Roguespunusawayfromhimfast,sotheblademissedmyheart,butIwent down.HeshoutedatTimur andmethatwewerecowards andtraitors.Thoseloyal tothe bratva didn’tgive their loyaltyto women”
Gorya touched his chest near his heart “That taught me the lesson to always expect the unexpected I was young and arrogantinthosedays.AfterPatvabeatOgfiatodeath,heturnedhisattentiontoTimurandme.Imighthavebeenabletotake him,Idon’thonestlyknow.I’dlostalotofbloodandwasweak,butfortunately,Fyodorcamein.Hesavedus,andIjustfell backonwhatIdidbest IbecamethedeceiverevenwiththoseIlovedmost”
What do you think, Meiling?
I’ve never met a man so lost, Gedeon. Or so dangerous The point is, what do we do? I don’t think we have a choice We take the job Gedeonstudiedthemanacrossfromhim.Goryawasbrilliant.He’dknownthatthemomenthelaidthefactsouttheywould takethejob Hesighed “Youhaveyourselfacoupleheadingyoursecurity Yourmenaren’tgoingtolikeusverymuch” Goryasenthimthatflat,coldsmile.“Theydon’tlikememucheither.”
MAYA Averina paced the lengthof the verylongbasement, cursingunder her breathwitheverystep. The heat was stifling. Therewereonlyslitsforwindowstoallowlightin,andthoseranalongtheceiling,fartoonarrowforevenhersmallbodyto escapethrough.
Shemeticulouslyinspectedeveryinchoftheprisonshe’dbeentrappedin.Therewasnowayoutthatshecouldfind yet. Thatdidn’tmeantherewasn’tone Shehadn’tgivenup Sheknew camerashadbeensetupinthatlongrectangularbasement somewhere.She’dspottedaverytinyonenearthedoorway,buttherehadtobeoneortwomore.
Themomentshe’drealizedwhatwashappening,sheshouldhavefoughtherwayoutofthebuilding.Shejusthadn’tknown howmanywereinvolved She’dbelievedshewouldbeabletofindawaytoescapethebasement Shestillbelievedtherehad tobeaway;shejusthadn’tfoundityet.
“Notmyfinestplan,Wraith,”shesaidaloud.“Igotusintoamessthistime.Andwhenwegetout,I’mgoingto kill Theo.” Shemeantittoo
TheoPappashadhelpedherescapeabadsituationafewyearsearlier,andshehadneverforgottenhiskindness Whenthey hadrunintoeachothermonthsago,hewastheoneneedinghelp.Shehadasenseaboutpeople,andredflagshadgoneoff.He seemed a completely different person. She smelled addiction on him. Not just drugs but other, darker things she had encounteredinherpast Shehadn’tsensedconspiracyuntilitwastoolate,mostlikelybecauseshehadn’tspentanytimewith him.
She and Wraith were in a good place. She had a good freelance job, although she mainly worked for three different companies,researchingwhatevertheyneeded Shewasthoroughandfastanddidn’tmindgoingplacesnooneelsecouldgoif shewasn’taskedhowshegotherinformation.Sheworkedfromhome,avoidingpeople,whichsuitedher.
Sheappearedtobeanintroverttotheoutsideworld.Shedidn’tinteractwithanyoneotherthanexchangingemailswithher clients She kept to herself, movingoften, always stayingonthe edge of a city, where there was plentyof roomto runher leopard
Maya took time to hunt down certain criminals. That kept her skills sharp, both on the computer searching for their whereaboutsandthenphysicallystalkingthem.ItwasimportantforherandWraithtoalwayshaveanedge.Theycouldn’tever getcomplacentbecausetheywerelivingalifeawayfromshifters Unfortunately,herlastinvestigationhadbroughthertothe coastofTexasandthentheswampsofLouisiana.
She had knownher quarry, Albert Krylov, was workingas a courier for one of the bratva families inRussia. She was lookingforhisconnectionsintheUnitedStates ShefounditalittleshockingtofindnotjustoneterritoryheldbyRussiansbut several.ShethoughttheywouldhavebeenItalianor American,maybeboth.How theRussianshadgottensuchafootholdin LouisianaandTexaswasbeyondher.Shehadbeenverycarefultoavoidanycontactwiththem,eventhoughshewastracking Krylovandhehadgonetoeachofthoseterritories
She had runinto Theo inthe Café duMonde inNew Orleans. There was no wayto abruptlyleave or pretend she didn’t knowhim.Hehadspottedherwhileshewaitedinlineandcamerightovertoher.Shecouldn’tmakeascene,notwithKrylov ata table several feetaway. She didn’twantto draw attentionto herself. She blended into the crowd unobtrusively, making certainshe was inthe shadows as muchas possible and blurringher appearance so no one would be able to describe her accuratelyifaskedlater.ButTheohadnoticedher,becausethemomenthe’darrivedattheCaféduMondeandgottenintoline he’dapproachedher.
Heimmediatelytoldherhewasintroubleandneededhelp Couldhecallherlater?Hewasbeingfollowedandcouldn’t stay. The meetingwas so briefshe hadn’thad time to assess the situation. Instead ofgivinghimher number, she’d takenhis numberandagreedtocallhimassoonasshecould.
Thankfully,KrylovhadmovedoutofNewOrleans,acitythatseemedtobecrawlingwithshifters She’dfollowedhimto theAtchafalayaSwamp,thelargestintheUnitedStates.Withamillionacrestochoosefrom,shethoughtherselfsafeenough, buttoherdismay,KrylovwasvisitingyetanotherRussianterritory.Thisonelookedasifithadbeenaroundforawhileand waswellestablishedwiththelocals Itwasrunbyshifters
The bratva ShehadthoughtherselfsafefromthemintheUnitedStates.She’dstayedundertheradar,farfromanythingthat remotelyresembledshifters.Ithadn’toccurredtoher there wouldbe leopards inthe swamps ofLouisiana,andyetnotonly weretheythere,buttherewasalsoanentireestablishedtownofthem Worse,theywereRussian
The pakhan andleaderofthelairhadbeenkilledrecently,andanewonehadtakenover.He’dbeenchallengedjusttwice. Fromrumors she’d heard, he hadn’tspared the challengers’lives, as was normal. His leopard had killed theirs inseconds. Therehadbeennomorechallengestohisleadership.
This new leader wasn’t just bratva He was fromthe Primorye regionof Russia, where the Amur leopards were going extinctandtheshifterswerethemostcruelandbrutalofall.Thoseweretheonesreputedtokillthemothersoftheirchildrento proveloyaltytothe bratva. Theydemandedthesamefromallwhoservedunderthem.
Althoughtheswampwasthebestpossibleplaceforhertokeepuphertraining,shedecidedtogetoutwhileshecould She wantedtoridtheworldofKrylov.Shealreadyhadleadsonthreeothersshewantedtotrackthankstohistravels.Sheneeded anopportunitytokillhimandeitherdisposeofthebodyintheswampormakecertainsomeoneelsewouldtaketheblame.
She called Theo, intending to tell him she was no longer in New Orleans and wouldn’t be able to meet with him Unfortunately,hewasintheAtchafalayaSwampaswell.Hewasdesperateforameeting.Hekepttellingherhewasreallyin troubleandremindedherthatwhenshe’dneededhelp,hehadcomethroughforher.
Mayafeltunsettled Edgy Moody Veryunlikeher Shemadedecisionswithlogic Shewasdecisive Shewouldneverhave agreed to meetwithTheo ifshe’d beenherself, butshe was all over the place Her bodyburned onand offas ifshe had a fever.Shenevergotsick,andyetshefeltasthoughshewerecomingdownwithsometerribleflu.
“Ishouldneverhaveagreedtomeetwithhim,”shemutteredaloudasshepacedthelengthofthebasement.Fortunately,the areawasverylongandgaveherenoughspacetorelievesomeofherpent-upenergy
We were burning up with fever, Wraithexcused.
Asalways,WraithexcusedanythingMayafeltshe’ddonewrong.ThatwassweetandmadeMayafeelloved,butitdidn’t helpherlearnfromthemistakesshemade Mistakescouldgetthemkilled Theycouldn’taffordmistakes
Theoinsistedonmeetingher inthis building,asprawlingone-storymonstrosityofnew moderndesign.Thebuildingwas locatedinatownintheswampjustonthecoast.EvenMayaknewmostresidencesandbusinesseswerebuilthighonstiltsto avoidtheflooding,especiallythoseclosetothewater Theycertainlydidn’thavebasements Thisbasementwasbelowwater level,soonelittleleakanditwouldfloodeasily
Thebuildingwas toonew,andthatwas her firstredflag.Theosweated;his gaze,insteadofshiftingtothewindows and doors,continuallysweptalongthe upper trimofwoodas theywalkeddownthe hall.She couldunderstandhis nerves when he’dsaidhewasintrouble,buthelookedasifheweresweepingforcameras Whychooseabuildingandriskbeingcaughton cameraratherthanmeetingoutintheswamp?
“Don’tgivemedrama,Theo.Idon’thavemuchtime.”She’dbeencurt.Herguttoldhertogetoutofthere.Thefartherthey movedawayfromthemainentrance,themoreheralarmsweregoingoff Wraithhadgonequiet,verywatchful.Shemadeitplainshedidn’tlikeor trustTheo.Atthesametime,itwasdifficultto thinkstraight,topushdowntheunfamiliar feelingsofburninginside,ofneedingtorubher skinalongeverysurfaceandthen rakeher fingernailslikeclawsdownTheo’sfaceeachtimehegottooclose Thosefeelingswouldriseabruptlyand,justas fast,leaveher.
“Itookajobatoneofthebusinessesintown.”Theo’sgazemethersandthenslidaway.Anotherredflag.Sheshouldhave takenhimoutrightthenandleft,buthewasalreadytalking,andshewaslistening.“Therewassomuchcashcomingin.I’m goodwithnumbers Reallygood Irealizedeachofthebusinesses,underonepremiseoranother,paidacertainamounttothe oneIworkedunder.Smallbitsofcashweredisappearing,andItracedtheflowbacktothreemen.Theyweresiphoningmoney steadilyfromthreedifferentsourcesandhadbeenforawhile.”
He hesitated and then corrected himself “I couldn’t find the exact identities of the men, just where each of them was workingandstealingfrom.”
The longhallwayended abruptlyatanopendoorway. To staya distance fromTheo, Maya found herselfstandinginthe doorway Acooldraftcamefrominsidethedarkenedinterior Therewasnoscentofanyonewaitinginsidetoambushher,and shewelcomedthecoolaironheroverheatedbody.Shetriedtomakesenseofwhathewassayingoverthestrangeroaringin herearsandtheintensefirebuildinginherbodythatcameandwentinwaves.
“IswearIwasgoingtoreportthemoneydisappearing,butbeforeIcould,oneofthemenvisitedmelateintheevening He stayedintheshadows.Evenwithmysuperiorvision,Icouldn’tmakehimout.Myleopardcouldn’tsmellhim.”
ThatalarmedMaya.Theoseemedtobetellingthetruth. Wraith?
He is telling the truth His leopard confirms his story His leopard is weak, Maya, very weak Sick He is not taking care of him I suspect that is the reason he could not scent the other male “Hemademeanoffer.Hetoldmehow corrupttheleaderofthelocallairwasandthattheyweresiphoningthemoneyto helphumantraffickingvictimsofthislair.”
Sheheardthatlieasplainasday,andherheadsnappedup Sheglaredathim “Youknowbetterthantolietome,Theo”
“Everythingwas goingfine.” He ignoredher warning.“Thenthe leader ofthe territorydied was murdered anda new pakhan tookover.Hedemandedanaccountingfromeveryoneofhismenandtheirbusinesses.Iknewhewoulddiscoverthe missingmoney WhenIreachedouttotheothers,theyweregone Iknewthey’dsetmeuptotakethefall”
“Ofcoursetheydid.You’reanoutsider.NotRussian.Whatdidyouthinkwasgoingtohappen?Doyouhavethemoneyto giveback?Canyouevennametheothermen?”
She was burningup Her skinitched Her skull hurt She could barelylookathim Her throatfelttightand swollen She backedanothercoupleofstepsaway.Wraithfeltjustashotandoutofsortsasshewas.
Neither wantedtodeal withTheo.He’dtakenthemoneyfor his ownpersonal gain,mostlikelyfor drugs.Whatever he’d beenusingitforhadmadehisleopardsick
Theoshookhishead “Idon’thavemyshareletalonetheirshares ButIhaveanideaofhowwecangetit” Mayawisheditwerethatsimple.“Youdon’tseemtounderstandwhatyoudid,Theo.Youstolefromthe bratva. That’s a deathsentence.Notjustadeathsentence.Evenifyoureturnthemoney,theywilltortureandkillyouasanexampletoeveryone else Noonestealsfromthemandgetsawaywithit Ifyouhaveafamily,theywillkillyourentirefamily”
Theoshookhishead,aslylookstealingoverhisface.“Notthistime.Ihaveyou.” “Whatdoesthatmean?”
Withoutthinking,shehadtakenanotherstepback,whichputhersolidlyintotheotherroom Theoreachedoutandslammed thedoorclosed.Sheheardaboltslideintoplace.ForamomentshestaredatTheothroughthethickglasswindowinthedoor ashepointedtoagrilleontheleftside.
“I’mholdinganonlineauctiontomakethemoneyback”Hisvoicesoundedjustalittletinny “ItoccurredtometheminuteI sawyouinNewOrleansandrealizedyoustillweren’twithanyone Youhaven’tbeenclaimed Wecansayyourleopardisin herfirstlifecycle.Wecouldrepeatthisscamoverandoverandmakesomuchmoney.Thebiddingforyouissohighalready it’sunbelievable.”
Themomentsheheardthewords“firstlifecycle”and“haven’tbeenclaimed,”alarmbellswentoff Shewasscorchinghot Burningup.Herskinfelttootight.Shecouldn’tthinkclearly.Shewasmoody.Edgy.Whatdidthataddupto?Shewasleopard. Afemaleshifter.
Maya andWraithwere unusual intheir worldbecause they’dknowneachother since Maya was aninfant Females were rarelyawareoftheirleoparduntiltheyenteredwhatwasknownastheHanVolDan.Theleopardandthehumancametogether inthesamecycle,ovulatingtogether.Thereweremanytimesitneverhappened,andtheleoparddidn’triseoremerge.Wraith hadmadeherselfknowntoMayaalmostimmediately,andthey’dreliedoneachother
“We’regoingintoheat,”MayawhisperedtoWraith.“That’swhat’shappening.”Apartofherwantedtolaugh.“It’srather ironicthatTheoisbetrayingus,believinghe’sscammingthebuyersbysellingustothehighestbidder becausehethinkswe aren’tinheat.”
He is like all the others Abetrayer “Ishouldneverhaveputyouinthisposition,”Mayaapologizedtoherleopard.Shewipedthesweatfromherface,tookher laptop fromthe small backpackand opened it. She had her ownhotspot. “Let’s see ifwe canfind the moneyTheo and his friendsstole Idon’tbelieveforoneminutehisaltruisticstealing-to-help-human-trafficking-victimsstory”
EvenifTheoorhisfriendstriedtohackintohercomputer,itwouldbeimpossible Shehadbuiltintoomanyfirewallsfor themtoworkthrough,allfalseandallwithvirusesinthem.Bythetimetheyrealizedwhatwashappening,itwouldbetoolate. Theowasonhislaptop,lookingsmug.Shecouldhavetoldhimhisinsaneplanwasn’tgoingtowork.Hehadnoideawho he had stolenfromor what those consequences were goingto be He couldn’t possiblyconceive of what kind of hell was cominghisway.
Mayatookhertime,researchingtheterritoryfirst.Littlewasknownaboutit.Ithadbeenkeptsecretformanyyears.Hidden away,thelairandtownhadgrownquitewealthy,beingintheperfectlocationtorunarms,drugsandhumansbyland,seaand evenairwithoutanyonesuspecting.The pakhan haddiedtwomonthsearlierandGoryaAmurovhadreplacedhim.
“Amurov,”Mayawhisperedaloud.Shepressedherhandoverherheart.“That’sbad,Wraith.Theworst.Theytortureand kill for the slightestinfraction Theywould take anymoneyTheo managed to recoup, thentorture and kill himjustto show otherswhathappensifthey’recrossed.”
Saves us the trouble of killing him, Wraithsaid. Did you find the money? “He gambled his share away. He has a drug dealer. Quite a bit was spent there. It’s no wonder his leopard is ill. He deservestodie”
If the bratva doesn’t get him, we will, Wraithassuredhercomplacently. We always do. ThesymptomsoftheheathadsubsidedenoughtoallowMayatobreatheevenlyandthinkrationally.
“Believeme,Wraith,anAmurovisn’tgoingtoletitgothatTheostolesomuchmoney,”shereiterated Then they will kill him for us. Did you take the money from the others and put it somewhere it can’t be found by them or these leopards that are disgusting?
ShefeltWraithcurlherlip SheheldthemaleleopardsincontemptjustasMayadid “Ifoundthemoney Itwasfunneled intothreeoffshoreaccounts.Andyes,Iremoveditfromthoseaccounts.Thenamesontheaccountsarefake;atleastIcan’tfind anyonewiththosenamesinaquicksearch.”
Maya closed her laptop, carefullywrapped itand putitawayinher bag Everythinghad to be waterproof She beganto pacethelengthoftheroom,inspectingeveryinchofitagain Clearlythiswasusedtobringprisonersforinterrogation There wasasmall bathroomandshower,whichmeanttherewasrunningwatertodrink.Mostly,therewereinstrumentsfortorture. Insteadofintimidatingher,shesawthemasweapons.
There was a long oven; clearly bodies were burned there after the interrogators were finished with them The entire basement had beendesigned like some medieval dungeon. She looked up at the slivers of windows again. Beads of sweat begantotrickledownherbody,andshewipedattheonesonherfacewithherforearm.Onceagain,theburninghadstarted. Thistimesheachedeverywhere
“Wraith,we’reinsomuchtrouble.We’regivingoffenoughpheromonestocalltoeverymaleshifterformiles.Ifwecan’t getourselvesundercontrol,we’llneverbeabletohideourpresenceifwedobreakoutofhere.Clearly,thisisatrueheat.” AsfarasMayawasconcerned,itwaspurehell,anditwasjuststarting Theycouldn’tbeanywhereinthevicinity Theywould havetogetoutoftheareaasfastaspossible
I will settle again. I am very tired.
Mayadidn’tknowifthatwasbadorgood.IfWraithwenttosleep,theirbodieswouldsettleandtherewouldbenowayfor amaleshiftertoknowtheywereinheat Ontheotherhand,shemightneedWraithtoescape “Gotosleepifyouneedto.I’llwakeyouifthingsgetdicey.”
Wraithhadfaithinher.She’dnever letthemdownsofar.Maya was afraidthere was always a firsttime,andshe hadn’t beenpayingattentionthewaysheshouldhavebeen Aftersplashingcoldwateronherface,shemadeherwaytothedoorand peeredoutthewindowatTheo.Hewasstillonhislaptop,lookingtriumphant.
“Bidsstillcomingin?”shequestionedthroughthegrille.
Theolookedup,hiseyesgleamingwithsatisfaction “Youwouldn’tbelievetheamountofmoneymenarewillingtopayfor you.There’sashortageoffemaleshifters,soyou’reatapremium.Thetwoofuscouldmakesomuchmoney.Evenifwejust askforhalfupfrontandthentakeoff,wecouldmakeakilling.”
“Youdon’tthinkwordwouldgetoutandthey’dsendsomeoneafterus?”sheasked,puttingjustasinglenoteofinterestin hervoice
Sheappearedtobelookingthroughthewindowathim,butshewasstudyingthedoor.Itwasheavysteel.Thick.Thebolton theoutsidehadslideasilyintoplaceandwasaboutattheheightofhercheekbones.
Mayawassmallandslightdespitebeingashifter,causingherappearancetobeverydeceptive Shethoughtperhapsbeing starvedasachildduringthetimesheandWraithweregrowinghadcausedhertobesmallerthannormal ormaybethatwas justhergeneticmakeup.Hersizedidgiveheranadvantageinquiteafewways.Shegavetheappearanceofbeingfragileand delicatewhen,intruth,shehadthemusclesofashifterrunningthroughherdiminutiveframe
Maya’ssizeallowedhertoslipintospacesfewotherscouldgo,particularlylargermaleleopards.Overtheyears,sheand Wraithhadhonedtheir fightingskills,somethingveryunexpectedinfemaleleopards.Bothweregoodatactingoutwhatever rolewasnecessarytogetdonewhatwasneeded Therewasnohesitationoneither’spart
“I knew if you thought about it, you’d come to your senses,” Theo said, taking a step closer to the door. “It’s a real moneymaker, Maya. We can’t stayhere. Sooner or later, that bastard who tookover the lair will come lookingfor me. He killedthemenchallenginghimforleadership Thatisn’tdone”
Her heartdropped.Itwascommonfor several membersofalair tochallengefor theroleofleader whena pakhan died. Most of the time, because every leopard was needed, the fights were bloody, but once the losing leopard submitted, the victorious leopard allowed the loser to swear allegiance and thatwas the end ofit. The Amurovs were brutal killers. They tooknoprisoners Theywereknownfortheirswiftretaliationandcruelwaysofdealingwithanyonetheythoughtwasagainst them.
“Areyoucertainthey’vecheckedthebooks?It’sabigterritory.Therearesomanybusinesses,andhe’sjusttakenover.I hadoneofmyhackerfriendsdoaquicksearch,Theo It’spossibleyouaren’tonhisradaryet”Shedidn’tbelievethatfora minute.TheAmurovshiftersseemedtosmellbetrayal.
Theo’sgazehadgonebacktohislaptop,greedetcheddeepintotheheavylinesofhisface.Now thatshewasfreeofthe scorchingfuryofWraith’sheat,shecouldeasilyseethesignsofdepravityonTheo’sfeatures Hisnosewasredandbulbous Hiseyesappearedbloodshot.Hisjowlshadgonesaggy.Once,he’dbeenacharming,handsomeman.
We’ll have to be ready for Theo to open the door. He has some kind of plan. Mayaspoketelepathicallytoherleopardin images,herfaceturnedawayfromthewindow Shedidn’twanttolookatTheoanymorethanshehadtonowthatshe’dmade uphermindtokillhim If someone is with him, we’ll have to kill both and make our escape Wraithgaveasniffofdisdain. You will kill anyone coming through the door when they open it. If you do not, I will.
Wraith was very certain they would prevail and she had reason to be so confident. The two had tracked and hunted criminalsforseveralyears,andtheyhadneverfailedtobringdowntheirprey Thatdidn’tmeantherewouldn’tbeafirsttime theywouldfail.Already,Mayaknew theywereintrouble.Onemistakeanditcouldprovetobefatal.Shedidn’tworryher leopardwithherconcerns.
“We’reinAmurovterritory Thispartoftheswampistheirs Theirleopardswillhuntusiftheysuspectwe’reinheat They mayanyway.Theytrafficwomen.We’llhavetocoverourscentandgetoutfast.”
Thatwouldmeanleavinghercomputerbehind.Shehadlearnedtoplanforeventssuchasthisone direemergencies.She hadmoneyandclothesstashedinvariousplacesifshecouldgettothem,butshedespisedleavingherlaptop She’dsetafailsafeonit Themomentsomeonetriedtoaccessit,theharddrivewouldbedestroyed Therewouldbenotrailleadingbackto her. Inanycase, she would move fromthe state she’d beenlivingin. She was good athiding. She’d beendoingitfor some time. If necessary, she would go to Europe. That might meana new identity, but she was good at paperwork, and she had enoughmoneytostartoversomewhereelse
She swore again under her breath. This was her own stupidity. The moment she’d recognized Theo, she should have disappeared.Notacknowledgedhim.Notspoken.Notengaged.WhathadgottenintohertoriskWraiththatway?
It is our first heat, and we didn’t know what to expect You were disoriented
OfcourseWraithwouldexcuseher.Shealwaysdid.Mayabelievedsheshouldhavebeenprepared.She’dconsideredthat eventuallyitwould happen, butnothingcould have possiblyshownher whatitwould be like to feel the wayshe did when Wraithburnedwithneed NotjustWraith Nowsheknew Hormonesragedoutofcontrol
Ifshewasgoingtogetthemoutofthissituation,shewouldhavetodosofast.WhatshedidknowoftheHanVolDanwas thatthefemalewouldriseinlittlestops andstarts.HopefullyWraithwouldsettleandgiveMayatimetogetthemoutofthe extensiveandverydangerouslairandawayfromall bratva territories.
MayaturnedherattentionbacktoTheo “Theo,”shecalledouttohiminasoftvoicetobringhisattentionbacktoher He hadtothinkitwashisideatoopenthedoor.“Doyoubelievetheyalreadyknowaboutthemoneythat’sgone?”
ThistimeMayainsertedasmalltrembleinhervoice.Shewantedtocreateasenseofurgencyinhimtoleaveimmediately. Sheappearedsmallandlost,notdifficultwhensheoftenworeclothesjustalittletoobig Herweaponswereconcealedupher
sleeves,betweenher shoulder blades,downinher boots,aroundher waist,alongher thighs Itwas funnytoher thatnoone everthoughttocheckherforweapons.Shedidn’tappeartobeathreattoanyone,andtheytookheratfacevalue.Asidefrom herbrain,herlookswereoneofhergreatestweapons.
Theolookedupfromhislaptopandthenscowled “Amurovisarealbastard,Maya Allhecaresaboutismoney Thefirst thinghe did was demand anaccountingfromeveryone. Everysingle business had to turnover the books to his people. He broughtinnewpeopletooverseeeverything.Heknows.I’msureofit.”
DeliberatelyMayalookedpasthim,downthehall,asiffearfulofhimbeingstalked Shebroughtonehanduptoherthroat “Those men you said brought this idea to you, they were tempting you, Theo. They’d already been stealing from the organization, and theyneeded someone theycould blame if there was anaccounting. Theydeliberatelylured youinto their schemebylyingtoyouandthenhookingyouintogambling Youknowthat,right?”
Hiseyesmethers.“Howdidyouknow?Aboutthegambling?”
“Myfrienddoesresearch.That’sher job.Iaskedher totrytofindoutwhothosemenwerewhogotyouintothismess.I figuredifwecouldfindthem,youwouldhavenamestotellthisnewleader,buttheycoveredthemselves.Theyhidthemoney undernewidentities Givenenoughtime,I’msureshecantrackthem,butnotunderthesecircumstances”Shedangledthebait, willinghimtoopenthedoor.
Theoglancedbehindhimandthenatthelaptop.“Youhavenoideatheamountofmoneytheseshiftersarewillingtopayfor anunmatedfemale”
“WhathappenswhentheyfindoutI’mnotavailable?”
“Theywon’t.Wecanaskforhalfupfront,arrangetomeetthemsomewhereandthengetoutofthearea.”Theosoundednot onlyeagerbutconfident “Ifwemoveconstantly,wecouldrunthisconseveraltimesbeforewehavetoshutitdown Wecould makeafortune.”
“WhatifIreallydogointoheat?Itcouldhappen,Theo.Idon’twanttobewithastranger.”
Theolookedherover “Myleopardwouldclaimyours He’sneverhadamate”
Wraithwould never accept his leopard The male leopard was weakand sickfromall the alcohol and drugs Theo had abusedtheirbodieswith.Wraithwasintopfightingform.Shewouldneverstandforamatewhowaslessthanshewas. “Doyoufeelasifyourleopardisclosetorising?”
She had no idea ifTheo could hear lies She could She didn’tdare speakaloud She lowered her lashes, lookingatthe floorasifashamed.Manyfemalesneverhadtheirleopardsemerge.Theywereoftentreatedaslessthandesirablebyothers. Therewerelessandlessshiftersasfewermalescouldfindmates.
Maya knew the Amur leopards were close to extinction, butthatwas because the Amurovs had cruellyand deliberately preventedtheirleopardsfromfindingtheirtruemates.Theyoftenmurderedfemalecubsandalwayskilledthemothersoftheir childrenoncetheygavebirthtosons,justtoprovetheirloyaltytothe bratva. Theyweredestroyingtheirownspecies.They knewit,andyettheystillcontinuedwiththeirsadisticpractices Inhermind,thatmadethemculpable “Itwouldbebetterifshedidn’trise,”Theoassuredher
Evenwithhisassurance,Mayaheardthelittlesuperiorsneerinhisvoice.Likemostshifters,helookeddownonanyfemale whose leopardhadn’temerged.Little didhe know thatWraithcouldrunrings aroundhis leopard.She mightnothave hada heatcyclewithMayabefore,buttheyhadmanagedtoworktogetherineveryotherway
Mayatwistedherfingerstogethertoshownervousness.Whydidn’thegetamoveon?Hehadtorealizetheywererunning outoftime.Shefeltasenseofurgencyandwantedtoinsistheopenthedoor.Hewasthekindofmanwhothoughteveryidea washis,butthereasonthethreeRussianshadchosenhimwasbecauseTheowasweakandeasilyopentosuggestion
Moisteningher lips, Maya stepped closer to the door, shakingher armslightlyso a small blade slid into her hand. Her fingersclosedaroundthehiltandshekepttheflatbladeconcealedagainsther wristasshewilledTheototakeanother step towardthedoorandslidetheboltfree
Herheartjumped.Clenchedhard.Shesworeitskippedabeat.Wraithstilled.Bothfroze.Theosimplypeereddownatthe screenofhislaptopasifmesmerizedbythevariousnumbersthere.
“Thebiddingisgoingstrongforyou,”heannounced. Theodidn’tsensethemencomingupbehindhim Fiveofthem Eveniftheywereentirelysilent,whichMayawascertain theywere,andtheirenergywasnonexistent,surelyhehadtofeelthepresenceofdanger.Hisleopardhadtobethataware.She waslockedbehindathickdoor,andthethreatofimpendingviolencehithersohardshetookseveralstepsbackintothedarker shadows
Asthemencamecloser,shecouldtellthatthethreebringinguptherearwerebodyguards Theyweredefinitelyfromoneof thelairsinthePrimoryeregionofRussia.TheywereAmurshifters,fit,musclesmovingsubtlybeneaththeirclothing.Itwas thetwomenstridingtowardTheothatsetherheartpounding.She’dneverseentwomenwhoappearedmorelikepredators.
Atfirstshethoughtthebulkierofthetwowasthemantofearthemost Hiseyeswereglaciercold,andsheknewhetookin everythingaroundhim.TheothermanwasdefinitelyanAmurov,buthewas...more.Shecouldn’tkeephergazefromhim. He didn’t have obvious muscles, but theyran beneathhis skin. He looked almost nice charming but she knew that was deceptive Shecouldn’thavesaidhowsheknew,butshedid
Icyfingers offear creptdownher spine.She wouldhave movedevenfarther backintothe shadows,butmovementdrew notice, and she didn’t dare draw either of those two men’s attention to herself. They were the scariest men she’d ever encountered,andshe’dmetafewverydangerousmen
She was careful to observe them from under her lashes, not stare directly. Several times, despite their attention being centeredonTheo,bothmenlookedtowardthedoorofthebasementasiftheywereawaretheywereunderobservation.
“TheoPappas.”ThemanshewascertainwasanAmurovspoke.Hisvoicewasdeceptivelylow.Mild.Nohintofathreat.
Theohalfturnedtofacethem,hisskingoingashenashesawthenumberofmenfacinghim Oneofthebodyguardsreached outandtookhislaptopfromhim,glancedatthescreenandthenhandedittoAmurov.
“MynameisGoryaAmurov.”Hestudiedthecontentsofthescreenandthenturnedtowardthedoorofthebasement.“You appeartobeauctioningoffayoungfemaleleopardinheat Thefactthatthedoorisboltedwouldindicateshemightnotbeon boardwithyouridea.”
Again,Mayacouldn’tdetectahintofreprimand.Shealsocouldn’ttellwhetherhethoughttheideawasagoodoneornot. ConsideringtheAmurovlairsdealtinhumantrafficking,shewassurehewouldapplaudTheo’sscheme
“Themoney’sforyou,”Theosaidhastily.“Ioweyoumoney,andthiswasawaytopayyouback.Youcanseehowmuchis comingin,andIonlyjuststartedtheauction.Although,”headded,“ifyouwantheryourself,wecouldworksomethingout.”
Thebodyguardsexchangedincredulouslooks Mayaallowedherselfabreath Theowasoblivioustothefactthathewasin wayoverhishead
“Wecanworksomethingout,”GoryaAmurovrepeatedslowlyinthatsamelowvoice. His headturnedslowly,andthis time his eyes piercedthe darkness to lookrightather. Seeingher. He didn’tlookinthe least bit easygoingor charming Fear crept downher spine Ice surrounded her heart She gripped the hilt ofher knife and strokedonefingeralongthesmallblade.Shewaslookingatdeath.
GORYAsuddenlystruckTheowithoutevenlookingathim.Hewassofasthishandwasablur.SostrongTheo’sheadsnapped back, the skin on his cheekbone exploding and blood erupting even as he was knocked off his feet All the while, Gorya continuedtostarestraightatMaya,neverblinking.Thelaptopdidn’tsomuchasshakeinhisotherhand.
Shecouldn’thelptakingthecautionarystepback,fartherintotheshadows.Hermouthwentdry.
“Didyoureallythinkyoucouldgetawaywithstealingfromme?”Goryaaskedinthatsamelowtone,asifthatbrutalstrike had never happened. “Youknew the consequences, and yetyoutookthe moneyand spentitondrugs, alcohol and gambling. Nowyou’rewillingtosellafemaleshiftertopayforyoursins.Youdisgustme.”
Theodughisheelsintothefloor “I’mgivingyouthewaytomakemoney free,”hesputteredashetriedtopushbackward, awayfromGorya.“Icouldhavekeptittomyself.Ididn’ttrytohideherfromyou.”Therewasasobinhisvoice.
Goryagesturedtowardhimindisgust.“Rodion,gethimoutofhere.Weneedthenamesofhisaccomplices.Hedidn’tthink ofthisschemealone Quitefrankly,hedoesn’thavethebrainsortheballstohavethoughtofthisbyhimself”
Theentiretime,Goryahadn’ttakenhis gazefromthatwindow leadingstraighttothebasementrooms Heshouldn’thave beenabletoseeMayaintheshadows,butsheknewhedid.
“Takethelaptopwithyou.HaveTonioseewhathecangetoffit.Ifthere’sapasscode,I’mcertainPappaswillcooperateif youneedit”
Hespokesocasually,butMayaknew whatwas meantbycooperation.SomeonewouldgettheinformationfromTheoby torture. It wasn’t that she was opposed to Theo dying. She’d planned to kill himherself. As far as she was concerned, he deservedtodieforanumberofreasons Shekilledascleanlyaspossible,notthatshethoughtherselfbetterthananyoneelse HerheartpoundedastheleaderofthelairwaitedforthebodyguardtodragTheodownthehallandoutofsightbeforehe movedclosetothedoor.
“Areyouinjured?”
Sheshookherhead,reluctanttospeaktohimaloud Inanycase,itwouldbegoodtoknow ifshewasright Couldhesee intothedarkerrecessesofthebasement?
“I’mgoingtoopenthedoorandallowyoutocomeout.”
Nowaywasshegoingouttherewithfourshiftermalesinanarrowhallway Shewouldn’thavefightingroom Therewould benoroomtomaneuver.Shewouldhavenochoicebuttospeaktohim.
“Noonewillharmyou.Andnooneisgoingtosellyoutothehighestbidder.”
Sheshookherheadagain,keepinghergazelockedwithhis Heneverchangedexpression “Youhavemyword.”
Thoseeyeswereflatanddead.Ice.Colderthanice.Frostedoverandpiercingtheveilofdarkness.Atthesametime,they burnedoverher Throughher Shesworeifshe’dbeeninthefiresofhell,hewouldhavefoundherthere Ifshe’dbeenhiding inthedensestglacier,hewouldhaveseenher.
“Forgiveme,butyou’reanAmurov.Youdon’thavethebestreputations.”Shewascrazytorilehim,butwhatdidshehave to lose? She was alreadya captive. “Ifyoumeanwhatyousay, unlockthe door and leave. WhenIfeel safe, I’ll leave the buildingandgetoutofyourterritory”
Somethingchanged. She didn’t know exactlywhat it was, but she knew the moment she spoke she was introuble. Real trouble,andshecouldn’ttakeitback.Thelinesinhisfacedeepened.Hiseyeswentfromthatgrayfrosttoaneeriecoloreven morepenetrating Shecouldseehisleopardlookingstraightather,asteelybluishgraycomingthroughthatpiercingstare The
blue wasn’t vivid if anything, it was still as frosty as the gray was but she could see the difference, and she knew the leopardwasawareofher.
Mayashudderedandstrokedher finger alongtheshortbladeoftheknifeinher hand.Theywouldbecomingfor her.She hadpromisedherselfshewouldneverbetakenagain Shewouldn’tallowWraithtobesavagelybeaten,andshewouldnever againsubmittorapeandothervile,depravedactsmensubjectedtraffickedwomento.
Gorya Amurov was comingfor her. He wasn’t goingto leave quietlyand let her go into the swamp and disappear. His promisesofnotsellingherandnoharmcomingtoherwerebullshit Shecouldn’ttrusthim
Shepressedahandtoherchurningstomachandfoughtdowntherisingbile.Shedetestedmaleshifters.Shedetested their leopards.Morethananything,shedetestedtheAmurovs.Shewas willingtodie,andshewouldtakeWraithwithher before shewouldletthemtakeher Thatwasasolemnvow
Mayamovedfartherbackintothedeeperrecessesofthebasement.Ifhewascomingforher,hewasgoingtohavetocome all the wayinto the room. She mighthave a chance to kill him. Ifshe could face themone ata time, the maninstead ofhis leopard,theywouldthinkshewassmallandweak.Thatwasalwaystheman’sdownfall.
She heard the boltslide and her heartaccelerated She tooka deep breathand forced itunder control The door opened slowly,andlightspilledintotheroom.
“Gedeon, this is the time to earn your money,” Gorya said. “Matvei, Kyanite, you are to stay out there no matter what happens IhiredGedeonformorethantoheadupmysecuritydetail Hismaindutyistoensurethatmyleoparddoesn’tkillan innocent.”
Thetwobodyguardsexchangedanuneasylook.Onemovedforward,butGoryahelduphishand.
“I’vegivenhimanorderIexpecthimtocarryout I’vealreadytextedmycousinsandletthemknowI’veinstructedGedeon tokillRogueifheattacksthiswoman,andGedeonisnottobeblamedorharmed.IexpectyoutoprotectGedeonfromthem shouldtheycome.Thatisadirectorder.”
HisgazemetGedeon’s Gedeon’snodwasnearlyimperceptible,butMayacaughtit Immediatelyshewishedshecouldsee throughthe little window She knew there were windows alongthathallway Her bestguess was thatsomeone was outside thosewindowswithahigh-poweredrifle.IfoneorbothbodyguardsmadeamoveagainstGedeon,theyweren’tgoingtolive throughit.
Butwhatdidthatmeanfor her?MayaheardtruthinGorya’s voice,buthewasn’tmakingsense Hebelievedhis leopard mighttrytokill her.No,he believedhis leopard would trytokill her.He fullyexpectedGedeontohave toshoothim.Why would he chance it? If Gedeonshot the leopard, it could kill Gorya. Unless Gedeonwas sucha good shot he was able to incapacitatetheanimalwithoutkillingboth Shedoubtedanyonecoulddothatwithanexperiencedleopardattacking Shewas certainGorya’sleopardwasextremelyfast.
Goryaclosedthedooronthetwobodyguards,andthebasementwasoncemoredimlylit.Heturnedtowardherashetoed offhisshoes “MynameisGoryaAmurov,incaseyoudidn’thearit Myleopardreactedverystronglytoyourvoice Pappas hadyournameasMaya”
Sheshookherhead.“Keepyourleopardawayfromme.Idon’twantanythingtodowithyouoryourleopard.”
“I’msorry,Maya,buthe’sveryinsistent.”Ashewalkedtowardheronbarefeet,heslidthebuttonsfreeonhisshirt.
Sheswallowedfearandmovedclosertothewalltoprotectherback,althoughshegaveherselfroomtomove Shecouldn’t controlthewayherheartaccelerated.Thatembarrassedher.Ifshewasgoingdownfighting,shedidn’twanthimtothinkhera coward.Thehellwithhimandhisleopard.
Gorya came at her ina slow, steady, silent stalk, the waya leopard would No freeze-frame, but alarmingall the same, maybemoresobecausehedidn’ttakehiseyesfromhers.
Sheshookherheadandmovedintoafightingstance,feetshoulder-widthapart,handsuptoblockanymovehemade.The bladewasconcealed,butshecouldstrikewithitfromanydirection She’dalreadypickedhertargets
“Heisn’tgoingtogettoher.”Mayamadeitafirmstatement.
Goryanodded.“Iunderstandyoufeel youmustprotecther.Ifeel Ishouldprotectyou.Gedeonwill seetoitthatnoharm willcometoyouoryourleopard.”
“Idon’tknowortrustyouorGedeon Backoff”Itwasmoreofapleathanacommand Goryawasrelentless.Hejustkeptcoming,andthecloserhegottoher,themoreinvincibleheseemed.Shedidherbestnot tolettensionshow,nottogripthehiltofthebladetoohardandgiveherselfaway.Hegotintoher personal space,his eyes staringrightintohers
Likefrost Shecouldseetheleopardlookingatherthroughthosegrayeyes,givingthemthatbluishcastthatbyturnsburned andfrozeher.
Goryadidn’tbreakthestarewhenhereachedher.“Gedeon.”Hecaughtherarmsandpulledherclose.“Bog,your scent. ” Hetookadeepbreath,inhalingherintohislungs
Shetriednottobreathehimin.Asitwas,ittookeveryounceofdeterminationtorotateherwristandstepintohim,tothrust thebladeathischest.Athisheart.
No, Wraithprotested I recognize his leopard
She should have drivenitdeep, buthe verygentlycaughtthe blade, wrappinghis fistaround itand twistingitoutofher hand.Blooddrippedfromhispalmashetossedtheknifeasideandturnedheraround,pressingherfrontagainstthewall.
That’s impossible We’ve never met them before His leopard is a killer
“Whatareyoudoing?”Shepushedherforeheadagainstthewall,closinghereyes,tryingtofigureoutwhatsheshoulddo. Wraithhadnevergoneagainstherdecisionsbefore.Notonce.
Shecouldn’tmove.Herhandsweretrapped,andGorya’sbodyweightheldherinplace.Heseemeddrivenbyhisleopard andasuncertainoftheoutcomeasshewas Mayacouldn’tstopshakingeventhoughGoryatriedtosootheherbyrubbingher armsgently.
“Gedeon,” Gorya repeated. “Rogue is insistent. For the firsttime, I’muncertainifIcanhold himback. Come closer. Be ready”
“Hecouldkillher,”Mayafoundherselfpleading.“Notlikethis.Don’tlethimkillherlikethis.”
“Gedeonisfast,”Goryaassuredher.
“Nooneisthatfast”Thetruthwas,theleopardwouldkill Maya,butWraithwouldbetoocloseandfeel thepain Maya didn’twantthatforher.
IfGorya was allowinghis leopard toclaimWraith,and the monster’s intentionwas reallytokill her, Maya mightnotbe abletostopWraithfromrising Ontheotherhand,ifWraithbelievedthemaleleopardwasdeterminedtokillMaya,shemight shift Thesemen andtheleopard wouldn’texpectthat Femalesdidn’tshiftuntiltheemergence,whichhappenedduringthe firstheatcycle.Theyhadworkedatit.Practicedoutofdireneed.MayahadbeenachildandWraithhadcometoheraid.
He will not kill either of us. I would never allow it.
MayacouldbarelystandthescentofGoryasurroundingher Hewastoopotent Toomale Shetriedholdingherbreathashe pushedhershirtup,exposingherspine.Shefroze.Hewouldseethescars.Aroadmapofthem.Tinywhitelineslikeagiant spiderwebspreadingacrossherentireback.Fromthedimplesatherbottomtohershoulderblades.Nooneelsehadseenthem notinyears
Damnhimto hell. She knew he was staringatthem. She felthis gaze, burninghot, rightthroughher skin. She refused to squirm. She nearlyjumped outofher skinwhenthe pad ofhis finger brushed alongthe networkofscars, followingeachof thosethinlines Itwasthelightestoftouches,butshefelteverybrushstrokeasifitsankthroughskinandmusclestraighttothe bone,brandingher
Maya shuddered. She couldn’t help it. “Please, don’t let himdo this.” She wasn’t a womanto plead, especiallywitha member ofthe bratva. Sheknew better.Sheknew theydidn’thavehearts,butshecouldn’tstopherself.“Ican’tbeclaimed. Thosescarsyousee,Amurovsdidthose”Shewhisperedittohim,hopingGedeoncouldn’thearhermakeafoolofherself He wasleopard,whichmeanthishearingwasacuteandmostlikelyhecould.Thatonlyaddedtoherhumiliation.
Goryapressedhislipsagainstherskin,rightinthecenterofthespiderwebofscars.“Youhaven’tseenmyscars.They’re fairlyhorrendous Amurovsmadethemaswell”
Shedaredtotakeanotherbreath.Shehadnochoice.Hesmelledwild.Feral.Dangerous.Hisleopardwasclose.Listening toeveryword.Shedidn’tcareifheheardherbeg.IfGedeondid.Goryahadtolistentoher.
“Idon’tknowhowtobeapartnertoanyone Idon’tlikemen Iwouldbeofnousetoyou I’mbrokenandthere’snofixing me.Imightwakeuponemorningandstickaknifeinyourheartjustbecauseyou’reanAmurov.”
“Aftercleaningupthishellhole,Ihadplannedtoeatabullet.Maybeitwouldbeamercy.”
Gorya’svoicerangwithhonesty.Asmuchasshedidn’twanttobelieveasinglethinghesaid,itwasimpossiblenottohear thetruth Shetriedtoturnherheadtolookathimoverhershoulder Sheneededtoseehisfaceagain,buthehadonehandon thenapeofherneck,holdinghershirtoffherbackandshoulders.
She grew hotas hormones flooded her body. Afistofdesire knotted inher belly, and fire beganto smolder betweenher legs
