Chapter One
Present Day…
Killian rubbed the spot between his eyebrows and prayed to any God listening to make his headache go away. He looked around the office reception area at the piles of folders scattered all over the place, the dirty coffee cups on various surfaces, and the general mess. Letting out a deep sigh, Killian stepped over the many unopened boxes and made his way to the door at the end of the hallway. The other two offices next to his were still dark which meant he was the first one in today. Not that the three employees (namely himself and his two brothers, Connor and Quinn) of Lone Wolf Security kept regular hours, but he was always the first one in. He had an appointment at eleven this morning, so he wanted some time to himself before his brothers arrived.
Flipping on the switch, he glanced around his office. Apart from the fine layer of dust that had settled in the days he’d been away, everything else was relatively clean and tidy. Their boss, Sebastian Creed, sent them to South America to deal with local gangsters terrorizing factory workers. Their client, the owner of said factory, was having problems with thugs who were intimidating the workers, stopping them from coming to work unless the owner paid them to go away. Needless to say, Lone Wolf Security had dealt with them, but it had taken longer than they’d expected. They were supposed to have come back forty-eight hours ago, but the operation had gone tits up. Thankfully, he and his brothers were professionals, and they were able to get out of trouble, if a little later than expected. They arrived back in New York late last night, and while it would have been reasonable to sleep in—he couldn’t. Not when he’d rescheduled this meeting three times already. He wasn’t going to do it a fourth time.
Killian sat at his desk and booted up his computer. Once he’d gone through his emails, he sorted the other mundane administrative tasks. By the time he was done, he wished he was back in that mud hut in South America, surrounded by goons with semi-automatic weapons.
He let out a loud sigh. They needed help and they needed it now. An admin assistant would make a difference and get the office in order.
Glancing at the clock, he saw it was nearly eleven. The front door opened and he stood up and stretched, ready to conduct this interview. However, the bundle of energy who rushed into his office was not the interviewee.
“Kiiilllllian!” Meredith, his adopted sister, greeted as she slammed the door behind her. The blonde woman tossed her winter coat on the couch in the corner and then plopped herself on the chair in front of his desk. She set cardboard coffee holder on his desk and handed him one of the cups. “When did you get back?”
He accepted the cup with a grateful nod. “Last night.”
“Where did Creed send you this time?” she asked. “And what did you have to deal with?”
“South America. Thugs with AK-47s. You know.”
“The usual,” she finished with a smile. “What time did you get in this morning? And where are Connor and Quinn?”
“Around eight. Probably still sleeping in.”
“And you are here because…”
“Interview for the new admin assistant,” he said, taking a sip from the coffee cup.
Meredith pouted. “You’re replacing me?”
“You know—barging in here and messing around with our files doesn’t make you our official admin assistant.”
“You didn’t complain when I volunteered at first. And I do such a good job!”
Killian laughed and then choked on his coffee, the liquid coming out of his nose down his shirt.
“Christ!” he cursed and grabbed some napkins to clean himself up.
“Oh ha, ha,” Meredith said. “Serves you right.”
He took a deep breath. “If you do such a good job, then what’s with all the boxes and shit in the lobby?”
“Hey, you wanted an assistant, not a cleaning lady,” she retorted. “An admin usually does filing and appointments, right?”
“Yeah, but they file things alphabetically,” he said, glancing at the file cabinet behind him.
“I did file alphabetically.”
“Yeah, you put the client report files in folders like; ‘Assface’, ‘Bastard’ , and ‘Cunt’ ,” he pointed out.
“That is alphabetical, Killian,” she retorted. “Besides, it’s not a reflection on your clients—just the things you had to deal with based on what I read in your reports. So, what am I supposed to do now? I don’t have a job, my husband is working his ass off, and we have a baby on the way.”
“Right,” he replied wryly. “Still, we both know that you don’t need the job. Didn’t you just buy half of a loft in Tribeca?” Besides their generous shares from jobs over the years, Archie Leacham left his adopted children his entire estate when he died. He and his siblings had enough money in this lifetime and the next.
“Yeah, but I like coming here,” she sulked, standing up and walking over to him. “And I’m bored! I’m pretty much alone at home. Daric and Jade have limited me to visiting the lab only three times a week. They said they’re not sure if the baby should be exposed to all the experiments there, but I think it’s because I’m always distracting them.”
“Why would they think that?” he asked sarcastically, which earned dirty look. “Look, if you like coming here, you know you’re always welcome to hang out. But we need someone who can get things in shape, at least help us unpack and file things, answer emails and such.” The sound of the door buzzer interrupted him. “Speaking of which…”
“I’ll get him!” Meredith said,. “I wanna be the first to size up the competition.”
Before he could say anything, she was out of her chair, darting out to the reception area. He heard the sound of the front door opening and excited voices. One minute later, his sister came back.
“Right this way,” Meredith said cheerfully, stepping aside to let the other person behind her in. “I didn’t know you were interviewing a girl,” she exclaimed. “Finally—another female! It won’t be such a sausage fest around here. Killian, this is Guinevere King. I love that name, don’t you?”
Killian’s eyes narrowed as he observed Guinevere King. For some reason, she looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on where he’d seen her before. He would have remembered for sure. She was cute he supposed; almost exotic with her soft brown eyes that turned up slightly at the corner, a pert nose with a sprinkling of freckles, and prominent cheeks on a softly rounded face. Her long, brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The skirt suit she wore looked new, but was definitely off the rack as it seemed a tad short for her frame and didn’t fit her curves quite right. He had read her résumé of course, and frankly he was so desperate, he would have offered her the job the moment she walked in the door. Guinevere King had the right qualifications after all. The only qualification that mattered. Although a human, she knew all about Lycans.
“Ms. King,” Killian greeted and offered his hand.
“Mr…ugh…” Guinevere’s brows knitted. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Just call me Killian.” He and his siblings weren’t any regular Lycans. They were Lone Wolves and had no clan which also meant they carried no last name. As a consequence, he’d had his share of fake surnames over the years.
“Then please, call me Evie.”
“Such an unusual name,” he observed. “Hope you weren’t teased a lot when you were a kid?”
She gave a nervous laugh. “You should talk to my brother, Arthur.”
He gave her a wry smile. “All right, Evie, let’s start.” He motioned to the chair, and she sat down, smoothing her skirt and crossing her legs at the ankles. He waited for Meredith to leave, but instead, she sat down on the chair beside Evie and shot him an impatient look.
Killian sighed and shrugged. “Thank you for coming in,” he said to the newcomer. “I’m sorry I had to keep canceling our past appointments.”
“No worries,” she said. “I understand you must be very busy since you have a new business and all.”
“Right.” He took the folder with her résumé and peered down at it. “Well, I suppose given your background, you know all about us?”
She nodded. “Cady Vrost reached out to me,” she said, mentioning the name of the New York Clan’s Human Liaison. Although Killian, Connor, and Quinn were still technically Lone Wolves, they had permission from the Alpha to stay and set up shop in the city, mostly thanks to Meredith who had pledged to them. “You need an administrative assistant who could come in a few hours a week. Specifically, she said your business was Lycan-related, so it would have to be someone who knew about Lycans.”
“Sebastian Creed, CEO of Creed Security, asked us to head an offshoot of his company. One that he could tap to deal with special ops,” Killian explained. “My brothers and I are Lycans, and since we do jobs by ourselves, we can use our abilities without worrying about human team members finding out about our secret. Initially, we just want someone who can help us unpack the office, do some computer work, and of course, file our reports to Creed. That person has to know about Lycans since our reports have details that pertain to shifting and our abilities.”
“Ah, I see,” Evie nodded.
“But, you’re human? Originally from Kansas City?”
“Yes, that’s right. My mother is a Lycan and my father is human, though they divorced a while back. I’m properly registered with the Kansas City clan of course, and I’m pledged to obey all Lycan laws.”
His eyes darted over her résumé again. “So, you’ve got some experience working in an office?”
“Yes,” she stated. “I’ve been working at my father’s furniture store since I was fourteen. I did the general filing and some light bookkeeping, filling in for his secretary when she was sick or on vacation. I worked full-time there for a year too when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do.”
“And why did you move to New York City?”
“I wanted to become a Broadway actress. I mean, I am an actress,” she replied, sitting up straight in her chair.
“Oooh,” Meredith interjected. “Are you any good? Have I seen you in anything?”
“Er, probably not,” she replied in an embarrassed voice. “I did a lot of regional theater back in Kansas, but I’m not in anything right now. I’m mostly doing auditions and casting calls, so my schedule’s pretty open,” Evie explained. “And, if I do get into a show, call time at the theater isn’t until four o’clock for evening shows, and I promise I’ll—”
“You’re hired,” Killian stated. “I’m sure we can work around your schedule, as long as you get the work done. We don’t entertain walk-ins or have meetings here, so there’s no need for a full-time receptionist.”
Evie’s eyes widened. “Really? Oh my God! Thank you,” she squealed. “I mean—this is pretty awesome.”
“It’s just unpacking and filing,” he reminded her. “Nothing glamorous, and it’s only twenty hours a week.”
“No, it’s great. It means I don’t have to pick up as many shifts at the diner,” she said with a sigh of relief.
“Can you start tomorrow?”
“Of course!”
“Great.” Killian stood up and she followed suit. He walked over to her and held out his hand. “Welcome to Lone Wolf Security, Evie King.”
She grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically. “Thank you, Boss. You won’t regret it, I promise.”
“I’m sure I won’t,” Killian nodded. “Now, let’s get you—” The door to his office slammed open, interrupting him before he could finish.
Connor’s large frame filled the doorway as he stalked inside. His brother’s face looked tired like he’d had another sleepless night, and the scar that ran down the right side of his face seemed deeper today. “Hey, Killian, what the—You!” Connor’s eyes zeroed in on Evie, his face drawing into a scowl.
Killian could smell the fear and tension rolling off the human, and heard her heartbeat speed up like a jackhammer. “I…I didn’t know…you…” She looked back at Killian. “Oh my God, I thought you looked familiar!”
“What’s going on?” Killian felt another headache coming on. “Have we met before?”
“The night at Merlin’s,” Connor growled. “She hit me with her purse.”
“It’s because you were a stupid and obstinate ox,” Evie accused, and then slapped her hand over her mouth. Her face fell. “I’m sorry. Sorry about this. I’m…I’ll go now. Thank you for the interview.”
Meredith’s eyes were darting from Connor, to Evie’s retreating form, and back to Killian. “Wait—what’s going on here? How do you know Evie again?”
“She was that girl who caused trouble for us at that witch strip club,” Connor snarled. “Everything was going fine with our op, and then she tried to get in, all liquored up, causing a scene, and I wouldn’t let her through.”
“As I recall,” Meredith began. “It was Quinn going full Lycan in a room full of witches and warlocks that caused trouble for us.”
“What the fuck was she doing there, anyway?” Connor growled. “A Lycan in a witch strip joint?”
“She’s not a Lycan, moron,” Meredith shot back.
“Then why does she—”
“Yo, what’s up?” Quinn walked in casually. He was still wearing his winter coat and his laptop bag was slung casually over his shoulder. “Who’s the cute skirt I saw running out of here? Connor, did she see your ugly mug and run the other direction?”
Connor let out a growl—a real one—and his eyes turned to steel.
“Don’t you start, Quinn,” Killian groaned. “Is she still out there?”
His brother shrugged. “Probably. Waiting on the elevator, maybe. You know that rickety old thing takes ages.”
“Good.” Before any of them could protest, he rushed out, hoping he wasn’t too late. As he jogged towards the elevator, he saw Evie pacing in front of the door, muttering to herself and shaking her head.
“Shit…goddammit…f—Oh! Killian,” she exclaimed as he drew nearer. “Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I mean, I don’t remember much from that night, but I assure you I don’t make a habit of hanging around male strip clubs. You see, my best friend—”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, raising a hand to stop her. “What you do in your private life isn’t any of my business. You’ve been vetted by both the New York Clan and Cady Vrost, so I’m sure you didn’t have any nefarious reason for being there.”
“No, I swear I didn’t. Just a girls’ night out gone wrong.”
“Good.” Now he vaguely recalled her. That night at Merlin’s was a little bit foggy in his mind seeing as he’d been hit with some type of confusion potion when things went down. He did remember having to rescue Connor from a bunch of angry women at some point. His brother was never smooth with the ladies and it looked like Evie King had gotten under Connor’s skin for some reason. “Now, I’ll expect you here tomorrow then. We’ll have to fill in forms and—”
“Wait—what?” Evie looked up at him, a soft gasp escaping her mouth. “You want me to come back?”
“Of course.” There was no other alternative, after all.
“But what about…him?”
He frowned. “Connor?”
She nodded. “He doesn’t seem to like me very much.”
“He doesn’t spend a lot of time at the office,” Killian assured her. “Most of our ops are overseas. In fact, you won’t see very much of any of us, I’m afraid. You’ll have the freedom to come and go anytime you like to complete your twenty hours.”
She didn’t look convinced. Her lips were pursed and she was wringing her hands. He didn’t want to scare her off, not when he was tired of looking for someone to fill in the position. He took her by the elbow. “Listen, Evie, I’ll be honest with you. We don’t have any other qualified candidates. There aren't a lot of Lycans or humans in the know who want to work with us. Quinn, Connor, and me, are Lone Wolves. Do you know what that means?”
She nodded nervously. “Sort of. I mean, I’ve heard about them—er—you. You don’t have clans for some reason or another and you usually roam around.”
“Yes, that’s true. It also means our wolves are…” He didn’t want to use the word damaged because although that was true in Connor’s case, he didn’t want to scare her. “Restless. We don’t have an Alpha to follow—to ground us. It makes other wolves nervous.”
“I see,” she said, biting her lip.
“Connor won’t hurt you. He would never hurt a woman. If you want, I can give you a heads-up if he’s going to be in the office so you don’t have to see him.”
“No,” she protested, grabbing his arm. “I mean, no problem,” she quickly added with a nervous laugh.
“Great,” he replied. “You’ll accept the position, then?”
“Yes,” she said in a high-pitched voice. “Thank you so much for this.”
A soft ding indicated that the ancient elevator had finally arrived. Killian grabbed the handle of the gate and pulled it open for her. Evie stepped inside, buttoning up her coat to prepare herself for the winter chill outside. “I’ll see you in the morning, Boss,” she said as he shut her inside.
He gave her a final wave as the elevator descended and then Ms. Evie King was gone. There was nothing mysterious about her, yet he couldn’t help but feel intrigued. Fresh-faced and innocent, she had a bright demeanor that didn’t have a hint of cynicism. It reminded him of—
No. Can’t think about that. The anger began to bubble up inside of him, but he quickly shut it down. Things weren’t always what they seemed. An innocent-looking lamb could sometimes be a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Killian walked back into the office. As usual, his siblings were squabbling about something or other. It almost made him smile. Meredith had left them some time ago when she had a disagreement with their father, and although it was sad that it took his death to bring them back together, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. It was just like old times.
“All right, stop. Stop,” Killian commanded and the three other Lycans immediately quieted down. “What are you arguing about now?”
“Connor being a dickhole to Evie,” Meredith barked. “I like her. I want to keep her. Even though she is taking my job.”
“She’s not a pet, Mer,” Quinn quipped.
“You know what I mean,” she snapped. “I have this feeling that we need her. And she needs us.”
“You were always the one taking in strays like you were some Disney princess,” Quinn moaned. Beside him, Connor looked conflicted but nodded in agreement.
“She’s not some lost animal,” Killian said, holding his hand up before any of them could interject. “Listen to me. Evie is the most qualified person to help us out here. I’ve hired her. She’ll come in on a part-time basis and work around our schedule if she has to. Don’t scare her away,” he warned. “That means, no growling at her,” he said to Connor. “No hitting on her,” he looked at Quinn. “And no smothering her with your constant need to get into everyone’s business.”
“Me?” Meredith batted her eyelashes when Killian’s gaze landed on her. “When do I do that?”
He rolled his eyes. “If I have to reconcile another expense report or deal with the landlord over the bathrooms again, I swear I’m going to murder all of you.” The threat was met with silence which he accepted as their agreement. “Okay then, if you guys are ready,” he motioned to Connor and Quinn. “We need to debrief with Sebastian. He said to call his office any time today.”
“How about lunch first?” Meredith asked. “I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,” Quinn said. “I know you’ve always eaten like a pig, but that kid you’re growing inside you eats like a sumo wrestler.”
“Shut up. That’s your niece or nephew you’re talking about,” Meredith gave him a punch on the arm. “And besides, it’s a magical baby, remember? Not just because my husband’s a warlock, but also my True Mate. That means we were meant to be together and this baby was conceived the first time we banged in the backseat of—”
“Eww, please, I don’t wanna hear about your soul mate sex life,” Quinn interrupted.
“None of us do,” Connor gruffed.
Killian shook his head. “Meredith, go ahead and order a couple of pizzas or something. I’ll call Sebastian and make an appointment.”
***
Killian locked the door behind him, relieved that the day was finally over. Meredith hung around until after lunch and then left to go back home. After their conference call with Sebastian, Connor and Quinn left the office. He stayed behind preparing for the next day and making sure he had all of Evie’s forms printed out.
He’d always thought he’d be a master thief his entire life, skirting the law and taking on jobs that would be on the gray side of things. It was the death of his father and wanting to keep his little ragtag family together that made him accept Sebastian’s offer to move to New York from Portland. Of course, had he known going legit required so much paperwork, he might have had second thoughts.
He breathed in the crisp winter air outside as he stepped out of the building. It was already dark outside despite the early hour and the temperatures had dropped significantly. As a Lycan, he didn’t feel cold, but he wore a coat anyway to keep up appearances. They all did, as the human world was not ready to know about the existence of wolf shifters living under their very noses for the last couple hundred years.
Killian headed uptown towards his condo in Kips Bay on the east side of Manhattan. Although it was over thirty blocks away, he didn’t mind the walk. Normally, he took a cab or the subway, but he wanted to be outside and let out some excess energy. His inner wolf did not like being cooped up inside the office all day.
His walk took him to the busy area of Union Square. It was out of his way, but he liked the vibe there. The square was bustling, filled with students from the nearby universities hanging out at the park despite the chilly temperatures (probably to escape their cramped dorm rooms) and shoppers doing some after-Christmas bargain hunting. He was standing in front of Union Square Park on Fourteenth Street and Broadway, getting ready to cross the street when the hairs on the back of his neck prickled and something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
A flash of silvery hair.
He turned his head to the right, eyes scanning the throng of people as they crossed the street towards the east side of Broadway. He towered over most of the crowd so he quickly spotted a female figure with silvery blonde hair under a black beanie. No. It couldn’t be. His inner wolf perked up all of a sudden, turning its head, trying to catch a familiar scent. It scratched at him, telling him to go after her. And then what? He asked the wolf. What would he do if it was her?
His keen eyes tracked the woman in a black coat as she hurriedly crossed the street. He was seeing things. Besides, as far as he could see, the woman had a short bob, the hair stopping a few inches above her shoulders. Mentally shaking his head, he purged his thoughts of her. It was all his imagination. Luna Rhoades was not halfway across the street from him. She was all the way across the country. And he hoped the cold-hearted, icy bitch would stay there.