Chapter 4
Analia slid her phone back into her purse, her thoughts—despite a stern lecture to absolutely not go there—conjured up the image of Kellen, and the feeling of his body against hers, his lips against hers, the intensely erotic scrape of his short beard against her neck, the things he’d said, even if they’d only been pick-up lines.
She was absolutely, positively happy for Saffron. But sometimes, like now, it made the feelings of loneliness she sometimes struggled with worse.
That was part of why the club scene didn’t appeal to her all that much anymore. And maybe, if she dug deeply enough, that’s why she felt compelled to get to the animal shelter. Because the wolfhound had shown up and soothed the empty, achy place that was left after the disaster in the club.
For a few minutes, in Stones, she’d let herself believe that what had happened with Saffron and Taine—that instant, absolute rightness of finding and being with someone—was about to happen with her and Kellen. And then his girlfriend, fiancé—maybe even wife had arrived.
“Give it up,” Analia muttered, grateful the animal shelter entrance was coming up fast.
For the dog’s sake, she hoped he belonged to Supernatural Ops. They’d be able to bail him out of jail and make any legal problems go away.
But…maybe it was time to consider getting a dog.
She parked in front of the animal shelter. There were a few other cars in the lot. She got out of hers, hesitated when she saw a black Hummer approaching the shelter. The vehicle practically screamed federal agent.
It pulled into the parking lot. A dark-haired man climbed out. He was handsome in the same way Kellen was, as if he’d had to fight his way out of hard circumstances, as if his confidence and personal power had been forged by the very act of survival.
He bristled with authority. “You’re Analia?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Maksim.” His hand swallowed hers. “I’m glad you were on the scene and had the smarts to get in touch with Saffron. Better to head off trouble than attempt a cleanup afterward.”
He marched purposely to the front door, forcing her to hustle to keep up with him.
A male animal control officer must have been watching for him. The door was opened immediately and they were ushered in with a, “This way.”
The sound of their footsteps set off a frenzy of barking. Worse, it sent Analia’s heart plummeting downward as she wondered how many of the shelter animals found homes.
They reached a heavy steel door marked QUARANTINE AREA. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.
The animal control officer opened the door. Immediately several dogs began throwing themselves against the front of their cages.
The runs held mixed-breed dogs, along with pits and Rotts and shepherds. Midway down, they stopped and Analia’s heart lifted at seeing the Irish Wolfhound.
He sat quietly, the very picture of elegance, strength and loyalty. She crouched in front of the kennel. “Hi, handsome.”
Maksim coughed out a laugh. “Go light on the complements. He’s already a pain in the ass to work with.”
The dog stared at Maksim’s face, the expression in his eyes so human it was easy to read the wolfhound’s thoughts. Get me out of here!
Pain stabbed through Analia’s heart at the dog’s lack of acknowledgment. On the beach he’d been attentive, then protective, but now…
It was like she didn’t exist. But that made a certain kind of sense if Maksim was the dog’s owner, or at least his handler.
It doesn’t matter, she told herself. What matters is that he’s safe and won’t get put down.
Maksim turned toward the officer. “You’ve been authorized to release him into my custody?”
The officer nodded. “He has to leave on a leash.”
“I assumed as much.” Maksim reached into his back pocket and pulled out a braided leash with a looped end to serve as a collar.
It was like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, and a little thrill went through Analia. She hadn’t ogled Maksim’s ass, but she didn’t see how the leash could have fit in his pocket without it being very obvious.
The officer unlocked and opened the kennel door. The wolfhound eyed the leash and curled his lip but remained perfectly still as the loop was slipped over his head and tightened on his neck.
“You can have the honors,” Maksim said, handing the end of the leash to Analia.
“What’s his name?”
One corner of Maksim’s mouth twitched. “That’s need to know.”
The dog stood and moved to her side, still ignoring her. Another stab of pain sliced through her heart and she couldn’t help but draw a comparison to what had happened in the club, the feeling of connection with Kellen, followed by his walking away as if she was nothing, someone easily forgettable.
Analia felt the sting of tears and hastily blinked them away. Now you’re being totally melodramatic, she silently chastised herself.
It was late. She was tired, and truth be told, stressed from the day’s events—first feeling as if she was being watched, then as if someone had been in her apartment, and finally, the mugging.
At least with the last one, she could be one hundred percent sure she hadn’t imagined it! They stepped out of the animal control building, but when she angled toward the Hummer, Maksim said, “The hound can ride with you.”
The comment jarred her. “Where to?”
“IRE headquarters. I need to collect some information from you.”
Her tiredness disappeared in a heartbeat. Even though he could easily get a copy of her report from the police, and she didn’t believe there was anything she could add to it, no way would she pass up an opportunity to check out the Supernatural Ops headquarters. Maybe she’d even get to see the unicorns!
She’d yet to have a chance to scroll through social media posts or watch TV news, but she knew they’d been captured, loaded into a horse trailer and hauled away by Supernatural Ops agents.
“What does IRE stand for?” she asked. She’d heard the name in the news, and heard Taine use it as a division name, but she’d never been able to find out what it meant.
“That’s also need to know.” He reached down and opened her car door, the door she would have sworn she’d automatically locked.
Her Prius wasn’t built for hauling an Irish Wolfhound on steroids. But he got in, taking up the back seat.
Maksim handed her a business card. “My cell number is on the back, in case you lose sight of me.”
Thankfully, the traffic wasn’t a problem, and they didn’t get separated by a red light.
IRE headquarters was in Carmel Valley. It was a sprawling white adobe with a winding driveway leading down to it.
They entered the house. “This way,” Maksim said, leading her to his office. “Have a seat.”
The guest chairs were wooden, with no cushioning. She sat, and couldn’t resist saying, “I take it anyone who gets called into your office is in trouble. This chair is definitely not designed to welcome visitors.”
“You’re very perceptive.”
Maksim dropped into a comfortable-looking chair behind a massive wooden desk. He radiated command and control, and his uncluttered desk was a testament to his staying on top of things.
Since he didn’t indicate she should free the dog, she retained possession of the leash. He said, “There’s a strong whiff of magic on you. What was the mugger after?”
She was so surprised that if she’d been sitting on the edge of the hard chair, she might have tumbled to the floor. And then she felt gripped by fear as the old man’s words slammed into her.
Do not let the charms come to the attention of agents from Supernatural Ops. If you do, they will be confiscated. They will disappear into the IRE vaults and your chance at happiness with your true mate will disappear along with the charms.
She tingled all over. Maybe the cards hadn’t been wrong after all, or not completely wrong.
The old man had also said the charms would open the doors to a journey of discovery, that they’d lead her to a deeper understanding of the world and to the perfect mate. And the tarot cards had indicated love and intimacy combined with a journey.
If she hadn’t crushed on Kellen, then danced with him, she wouldn’t have left the club when she did. And if she hadn’t done that, maybe she wouldn’t have encountered the wolfhound. And if not for the wolfhound, her mugging would have been chalked up to just another crime and she wouldn’t be sitting across the table from Taine’s Supernatural Ops boss.
“Please empty your purse out on the desk,” Maksim said, his tone courteous, but she didn’t pretend it wasn’t an order or that there was any point in resistance. She dumped the contents of her small purse on the desk.
The only thing it held, besides her phone, was her billfold, hairbrush and a tube of lipstick.
Maksim reached across his desk. “May I?”
She gave him the purse. He studied it with half-closed eyes, as if trying to read something by touch.
“According to Taine, you were recently at the supernatural fair. Did you purchase something and carry it in this purse?”
Her pulse throbbed beneath her jaw and she could only hope that any fear he sensed would be attributed to his questioning her, and the possibility that she hadn’t been a random victim of violence.
Analia shivered. Maybe she hadn’t imagined being followed or having her apartment searched.
Maksim correctly read her response. He asked, “Something else happened recently?”
“Earlier today, when I was visiting a client at the Artist’s Loft. I felt as though I was being watched. Then when I got home, I had the feeling my apartment had been searched.”
He leaned forward, gaze intense, like a bird of prey sighting a rabbit. “What did you purchase at the supernatural fair?”
She managed to keep from looking at her charm bracelet. “I bought a deck of tarot cards for Sabra, Saffron’s sister, and a fetish for another friend.”
“You gave the tarot cards to Sabra when you were at Stones?”
“Yes.”
“And the fetish?”
“It’s in my apartment. Or at least, it’s probably there. I don’t know. I didn’t think about it when I got home.”
“What was the fetish?”
“A tiger, carved from wood.”
“Did you buy anything else at the supernatural fair?”
Lying didn’t come easily to her, but she was prepared for the question, knew she couldn’t answer it truthfully. Too much was at stake. If she surrendered the charms, she had a feeling the journey would end, just as the old man had made it clear that her chance at happiness with her true mate would also end.
“I didn’t want to use my charge card and I only had a little bit of cash on me.”
She could truthfully say those two things.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Maksim stood and walked around the desk. He took the leash from her then left his office with the dog, closing the door behind him.
In the hallway, Kellen gave a low, rumbled growl.
“You deserve worse,” Maksim said, heading toward the bullpen.
The leash was magic, but it didn’t keep Kellen from shifting to human form. The indignity of being collared and led down the hall by Maksim was what kept him a hound.
They entered the room containing agent cubicles. Maksim closed the door then finally removed the looped collar. He crossed muscled arms over his chest and scowled.
His boss’s expression actually brought a measure of relief. Kellen let his hound form become his human one and braced for a lecture about keeping a low profile.
Maksim said, “My gut says two things are going on here. We’ve got a magical problem and we’ve got a mate problem.”
Kellen felt a flash of panic but pulled off what he thought was a convincing shrug. “There is no mate problem.”
“Bullshit.”
“It’s easy enough to prove. I’ll stay away from her.”
“The way you did earlier this evening?”
“There were extenuating circumstances.”
Maksim snorted a laugh. “The way there were extenuating circumstances when Taine torched three sports cars and a table full of vendor’s wares at the supernatural fair?”
“I was trying to ensure her safety, because of her relationship to Taine’s mate.”
“Right.” Maksim’s tone and expression were clearly disbelieving.
Kellen shrugged again.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Maksim said, steel entering his voice. “Since you’ve already admitted a desire to ensure her safety, something that is obviously a valid concern given the mugging, the search of her apartment, and the possibility that someone is keeping track of her movements, I’m assigning you the task of guarding her while you investigate and determine what magical item someone is after.”
The hard look in Maksim’s eyes dared Kellen to ask, And if I refuse? Because it promised the answer, You’ll be on your way to an IRE operation on the opposite side of the world and you’ll stay there for a century, or more.
Maksim wanted to force him into constant contact with a potential mate. He thought it would change the outcome. It wouldn’t.
“Fine,” Kellen growled, releasing the human form to become a fey hound.
Maksim’s smile was a baring of teeth. “Nice try. And part of me—a very small part—admires the effort. But the humans have posted your activities as a hound all over their social media. Your saving the homeless man from a beating has gone viral. And following on the heels of your outing with the unicorns, it’s generated attention Supernatural Ops doesn’t need. Attention that will only increase once your rescuing Analia gains some social media traction. It’d be too much to hope for that it happened without ending up on someone’s cellphone. You operate in human form or go home.”
Kellen released the hound’s form. “I’m not taking her as a mate.”
“Your choice.” Maksim expression remained clearly disbelieving.
She’ll get hurt, Kellen nearly said, but managed to cut off the words.
She wouldn’t get hurt if he kept his hands off her and his cock out of her.
He could resist the temptation she presented.
He could.
He absolutely could.
“Fine,” Kellen growled for a second time and grabbed a go bag from beneath his desk.
They returned to Maksim’s office, Kellen bracing himself before stepping inside.
It didn’t help.
Color immediately flagged Analia’s cheeks at the sight of him and she quickly looked down at her lap. She’d replaced the items in her purse and now her hands clenched on the small bag.
The guilt that had driven him to follow her out of the club returned. Words scrambled and chased around in his head but didn’t line up in a way allowing him to explain his actions, especially in front of Maksim.
“I believe you’re in danger,” Maksim told Analia, whose gaze instantly snapped upward to Maksim’s face. “For that reason, I’m assigning Kellen to guard you and to investigate the threat.”
“No,” Analia said, her heart pounding so hard she could barely hear herself over its thunder.
Maksim sat at the corner of his desk. “I understand from Crew and Gaige that you and Kellen got off to an awkward start—”
“No. It’s not that,” Analia said, not wanting to revisit the hurt. “It’s just—”
Maksim’s raised hand was an imperious command to halt. “I’d prefer not to involve other branches of government in this situation.”
Her heart rabbited at the implied threat. “I could stay with Taine and Saffron,” she said, hearing the desperation in her own voice.
“Kellen has a certain skillset that lends itself to the task at hand.” Maksim’s expression softened. He leaned forward, a conspiratorial gleam coming into his eyes. “Here’s your chance to step foot in the supernatural world. You must have an interest in it, or you wouldn’t have attended the supernatural fair.”
She tingled again, at having confirmation of the old man’s claim about where possession of the charms would lead. But she continued to avoid looking at her bracelet, as she’d done when Maksim left the room, in case she was being watched.
She risked a glance at Kellen, whose firm lips sent a flutter through her chest as she remembered them softened and pressed against her mouth.
“Okay,” she told Maksim, but she would not make the same mistake she had in the club. Regardless of the intense, continued attraction, she would not surrender to desire or to the belief that somehow Kellen was her true mate.
He was obviously taken—even if he didn’t consider himself taken. It made far more sense that the importance of the encounter with him at Stones was that it had led to the beginning of her journey, the one that would ultimately lead to meeting Mr. Right.
They left Maksim’s office in silence. Analia was glad she had her car and would have the drive back to her apartment to shore up her defenses. She needed time to get used to the idea of Kellen being with her twenty-four, seven.
She was hyper-aware of his presence at her side. Could barely keep herself from looking at him, despite the lingering embarrassment of giving in to him on the dance floor.
I’m not to blame for tempting him into straying. He was probably used to making conquests. But for her, the encounter had left a raw, aching place in her chest.
Live and learn. Hadn’t that always been a favorite motto?
She kept expecting Kellen to peel away and head for one of the expensive cars lining the curb. Geez, she hoped this wasn’t her tax dollars at work! The house and cars on display were worth millions!
Go! Go! Go! She silently chanted to Kellen. But instead of leaving her side, he matched her step by step, causing her nerves to tighten until she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Don’t you think this is a bit extreme? Who’s going to attack me right here, right now?”
“My vehicle is at Stones.”
“Oh.” And her face flamed.
She wondered if she was always going to feel like an idiot around him. But as soon as the question arrived, she realized that’d be the less dangerous emotion.
She was on guard now. But let down that guard and she had a bad feeling she’d once again feel the sizzling lust that’d blotted out everything else when they were on the dance floor.
They reached her blue Prius. She braced herself for close proximity and being trapped in a small place with Kellen.
Kellen shoehorned himself into the front passenger seat and thought it was a good thing it took a lot to kill supernaturals when they were in this realm. Her car would be no match for a lot of what was out there on the freeways.
Like Maksim, his ride was a Hummer, not because he needed all that steel, but because he preferred not to be delayed and inconvenienced by humans experiencing road rage, and he’d found the Hummer cut down on instances of it.
Analia kept both hands on the steering wheel and her attention focused on driving, as if they’d entered rush hour traffic or were on a speedway packed with aggressive racers instead of darkened, deserted, residential streets.
Fuck!
This was his doing.
He’d set this in motion.
He caught himself driving the fingers of both hands through his hair. What I love about dogs, she’d told his hound self, is there’s no pretense. If a female in heat comes along, adios. You’re going to give chase. If someone with better treats or a more magical touch when it comes to ear and belly rubs comes along, you’ll probably give in to temptation. And that’s okay. I know that going in, and it’s okay. No hurt feelings. No heartbreak. But men… Men are a totally different story.
Fuck!
He had to say something. He had to make it right. But where the fuck to start?
“Deidra is not my girlfriend, or my wife, or my anything, nor has she ever been, despite the impression you got,” he said, going with the first thing that popped. “She wants to be, but there’s not a chance in hell of it happening. Ever.”
The hands gripping the steering wheel tightened. “Your love life is your business. It’s got nothing to do with me.”
A stab of anger had him inhaling sharply, filling his nostrils with Analia’s scent, something he’d been able to ignore since she and Maksim showed up together at the dog pound.
His cock went rock hard and the rush of blood southward made him lightheaded enough that he nearly grabbed the steering wheel to jerk the car to the curb so he could make his love life her business.
A sliver of sanity prevailed. He rolled down his window and a blast of air drove her scent back.
One minute he was telling me he needed more, and the next he was walking away without looking back, she’d confided when she thought she was talking to a stray dog.
“I was doing us both a favor,” he growled.
That finally gained her attention. She glanced at him, an adorable scrunch to her face. “What?”
“I was doing us both a favor when I walked away after the dance.”
Her focus returned to the road in front of them, but she no longer had a death grip on the steering wheel.
An improvement, he thought. Not that it mattered, he silently added, though the ease of constriction in his chest might as well have screamed lie.
“How was it a favor?”
To his ears—his very keen hound ears—her question held hope as well as trepidation.
Fuck! Talk about a lose-lose situation.
Not that his cock agreed. It was hard and hurting, and had been since the sharp inhalation of her scent. A scent that said mate.
Potential mate, he answered instinct with a silent snarl.
He had a choice. And his choice was to remain unmated.
Her hands slowly tightened on the steering wheel and fuck, it sent a shaft of something, something he refused to acknowledge as unhappiness through his chest.
“When I asked you to dance, I didn’t realize you were Saffron’s friend.”
The adorable face scrunch reappeared. “And that matters why?”
“Because she’s Taine’s mate and I work with Taine.”
“So?”
His eyes narrowed. Was she being deliberately difficult? Or did she really need to hear him spell it out?
Her hands tightened a little more on the steering wheel. He said, “I don’t do permanent when it comes to women. I do fast and uncomplicated.”
Her hands didn’t loosen on the steering wheel. “And for some reason, you thought I was on the verge of falling madly in love with you and getting my heart broken?”
“Something like that.” She had admitted to his hound self that she wanted to meet Mr. Right. She had admitted to believing he was the one.