Roy

 

“Why am I here?”

My cousin, Piper Weslark, smiled at me slowly. There was an edge of irritation coupled with satisfaction in her gaze. A gaze that was like blue fire against her dark hair and tan skin.

And once again, she said nothing.

Next to her was Baltsaros Kazan, her fiancée. He was smothering a smile as he lounged with his feet up on her desk and eyes closed. A mountain of a man with dark hair and tattoos, he should have been intimidating but was in actuality a sunny and calm guy. In fact, I had a feeling the only reason Piper hadn’t thrown something at me was because of Balt.

Glancing between them, I bit back a sigh. I didn’t need to give two of the best agents in Shifters of Anubis more ammunition. Walking in, I’d already known they were locked and loaded. And that I was going down. What I didn’t understand was why. Per some silent agreement, I kept out of the American Weslarks’ way and they kept out of mine.

When had that changed? Why wasn’t I notified?

My stomach sank. Maybe I was about to be.

Piper continued to simply look at me and then she raised an eyebrow. Balt grinned.

I was in for in it.

I could never win, could I?

Sitting back, I gripped my knees and gritted out, “Please tell me why I am here, Director.”

She tilted her head and tapped her chin. “On the planet? Mm, couldn’t say, but you could always get into it with Kai the next time you see him. He’s the philosopher in the family.”

Rubbing my forehead, I let out a sigh. I should have known it would be like this. It was always like this with the American Weslarks and their extended family.

Technically my family, but I’d never really fit in. What, now, all of a sudden I was getting an invitation? Too late, I wanted to say. I’m a lone wolf. I don’t do family or secret clubs.

As a kid, I’d been at a loss with how to join in, even though I’d secretly and desperately wanted to. There were so many silent understandings, inside jokes and catchphrases I didn’t understand. An open kind of joy and determination to have fun. Affection and teasing.

Where I’d spent the majority of my time, with my mother’s side of the family, we didn’t get to have fun. We got to be Zimas.

“If that’s all then,” I said stiffly, about to rise, when Balt spoke.

“Relax, Roy.” He opened his eyes, his gaze immediately going to Piper before me.

It was barely a millisecond, but the look in his eyes immediately made me want to be on the other side of the planet. It was too intimate, too raw. Like he could hardly believe his eyes. And when she looked back, I cringed. Too much love in this room. It was suffocating to someone like me.

I never wanted anything like that. It made you vulnerable in ways I’d long avoided.

Piper’s hand drifted to her belly and now they were smiling like saps. Sitting behind the desk, it was hard to tell, but my cousin was four months pregnant. And when I’d walked in, I’d done a poor job of hiding my shock. I wasn’t exactly in on the family gossip.

Plus, seeing lean, fit Piper with a baby bump was weird. And too personal. As we all well knew, I didn’t do family like they did. Close and supportive. I mean, I suppose, maybe to an extent with my parents, only I hadn’t seen them in over a year.

At the end of the day, I didn’t have that luxury, even if my father was a Weslark.

After greeting me and laughing at my surprise, Piper had hugged me.

Piper Weslark, who wasn’t really given to open displays of emotions, unless it was cold-cocking someone who disagreed with her. And that’s when I’d known I was in for it.

What in the cold reaches of hell could this be about?

“No one is here to make your life a living hell, Roy. You can stop acting like you’ve been marched in front of a firing squad.” Balt’s eyes twinkled at me and his Greek accent danced over the next words. “We’re not the Zimas.”

Ah, of course. I hadn’t even been here fifteen minutes and they were bantering about my mother’s side of the family. It was marginally better than when I saw the Zimas, I supposed.

Tough, hard-headed shifters always with a bone to pick. They’d immediately call out a caustic or nasty comment, maybe both, along with giving me a once-over, seeing only the pollution of their bloodline. But then, I thought I sometimes saw that same look in the Weslark’s, too.

I didn’t know which I preferred in the end. The Weslarks were polite, but the Zimas were honest. At least I didn’t have to worry about any pretense with my Russian relatives.

No, wait, I did know. I preferred when I didn’t have to put up with either side of my family. The one where I was a lone wolf, buried in work and with my head down. Where I didn’t have to be the “lost son” in a vendetta between two powerful shifter families.

“You know that in the last four months, Balt and I have been working to put together an Ops team to handle the TLO situation,” Piper said, now all-business.

I nodded. They'd done more than that. Not only had some of the best recruits and people come out of the woodwork, clamoring for a spot but just last week they'd taken down a major TLO research facility. By all accounts, it had gone perfectly. Snagged a few goons and scientists on that insane organization’s payroll, too.

However, I also knew that the TLO and the Weslarks seemed to be in a kind of grudge match. One that had intensified over the last year or so. Because for Piper, it’d always be personal.

After the shit storm that went down this summer – the truth about the TLO had hit the shifter world like an avalanche. Kidnapping, extortion, and experimentation. Creating hybrids of shifters and inanis (non-shifters), as well as new shifters.

And it had come out on the shoulders of Piper and Kai, as well as a girl named Isla Deluca. The latter was Kai’s girlfriend and Balt’s cousin, which had also rippled through like an earthquake.

I tried to ignore it all, though. One because I really didn’t care and two because I had more important things to worry about. I did know there was a lot of unease in the SOA and shifter communities. That was impossible to escape, even in the most remote corners of our world. Rumors were flying around and people were scared.

And from what I’d heard of the TLO, that’s what they wanted.

In fact, the last time I’d seen Piper and Balt, it was after they’d had a nasty run-in with the top dogs of the TLO. She’d been a wreck – her eyes blazing, face tear-streaked and body caving in on itself. Balt hadn’t been much better, never mind the rest of the people in the room.

There had been a hostage situation in Greece with kids and Balt’s family, one that could have cost Balt his life if not for Piper breaking all sorts of protocol. She’d tricked one of the best Black Ops teams into coming to her aid and had four non-SOA members helping her, too.

Of course, though, Piper Weslark got away with it. In fact, she’d been given a new and shinier Directorship as a result. And my stomach sank even lower.

I’d known everyone in that room had been through some kind of hell when I’d showed up. I’d had no idea what I was walking into, but it was the kind of hell I didn’t want to acknowledge or look in the eye. Yet that was the job and I’d seen it all the same.

And that night, I’d done something stupid. I’d acted impulsively. I don’t know what was wrong with me, but I’d done Piper a solid – a favor that maybe saved her ass from being exiled from the SOA. Hell, I’d broken more protocol than her in retrospect.

And now I wondered if she knew and wanted to return the favor.

“Piper, I need to be on a plane soon,” I said, shifting in my seat.

“No, you don’t,” Piper said with a smile and the foreboding solidified. “You’re not going to Kazakhstan, cousin. You’re joining my team. No more days of being a Runner for you.”

My ears buzzed and I gaped at her. What the hell had she done?

“What?” I choked out.

“Roy, you’re too talented to be a Runner,” Piper said, her eyes flashing. “I talked to the Heads and they agree. I’m giving you a mission with some real meat to it.”

Oh, of course. This bullshit again.

Within the order, there were families whose name carried a lot of weight. To name a few: Weslark, Herrod, Bao, Leone, Valspark, Rodriguez, Chen, Diya, and Kapoor.

Oh, and Zima. Can’t forget those Russians even if you tried.

For though the shifter world was not one that recognized borders, things could still get political, due to the fact that in the old days, shifters had mainly connected and conspired along family lines. Some were allies, like the Baos and the Diyas. Some were great friends like the Knights and the Herrods. And some were foes, like the Weslarks and the Zimas.

Pride followed the “High Families” as they were called. Some even considered them royalty – I’d heard Piper called a princess more than once. Hence, in spite of the ironclad code around teamwork and all for one and one for all in Shifters of Anubis, the families influenced it all the same.

Their playgrounds for this nonsense took place in the Tribunal – the sort of government that oversaw our world – and SOA.

Shifters of Anubis, the secret Order, and weapon of the shifter world. The protectors and law upholders, stretching back for eons. It was supposed to be above this pettiness.

But time and again, opinions varied. And wills clashed.

The most notorious clashes had always been between the Zimas’ and the Weslarks’.

Sometimes I dully wondered if that was my legacy – the tug of war rope between them. The Zimas had been winning for the last five years, so maybe now it was the Weslarks’ turn.

“Why?” I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew what Piper would say.

“I trust you,” Piper said evenly and I leaned forward, raising my eyebrows. Maybe I didn’t. “I need someone I can trust implicitly. With everything else going on, I don’t have time to worry.” Her hand drifted to her stomach again. “And there’s only so much time we have to get this done.”

“So, what, you do not trust other SOA members?” I asked, a bit snidely.

I didn’t trust her or this job. She had to know that. Piper was a genius.

“Of course not," Piper said, rolling her eyes. "Beyond the trust, I need your skill set."

No, you want to stick it to the Zima’s because you have the power to, I thought. “That is absurd. Shifters of Anubis has plenty of fine agents who’d be happy to answer this call.”

“Not like a Weslark cousin,” Piper said, a warning note in her voice.

I swore in Russian under my breath. “Do not pull nonsense like that with me, Piper. You shouldn’t rely only on family first for something like this. You are being biased. That’s against our word in the Order.”

“First of all, Shifters of Anubis is built on nepotism,” Piper answered with a snort. “Second, I told you, I need you, Roy. I did not blindly reach into a hat and pull out your name. Nor did I think, hm, what cousin can I use?” Her eyes were blazing brighter now. “You think I’m playing favorites – I’m not. I’ve done the math and you’re my guy.”

“For what?” I asked, piqued, but curious.

“To run lead with a partner on the Bear Valley facility,” Piper replied. My jaw dropped. “You’ll be working with a team to analyze what they had in there, why they had it and every other question we have about TLO.” She paused. “It also requires discretion. Someone used to blending in.” She shook her head. “TLO set up shop in an inanis town. And I need someone who can spot what others can’t. Someone with brains, Roy.” Fiddling with a pen, she continued, “I know you’ve probably heard all the praise, but it was misplaced. The place was a cinch to take down. And we need to know why. Something is going on in those mountains, Roy.”

While I was intrigued, I shook my head. “I’m a Runner,” I argued. “I don’t play well with other people. And I certainly don’t run Ops missions like this.”

“This isn’t a typical mission, Roy. It’s covert and out in the open. It’s going to be part-research and part-muscle. It’s only a matter of time before TLO comes back to try to wipe the place off the earth. And beyond that, we’re getting conflicting reports.” Piper sighed. “Roy, this is what you do. You come in and find out what’s going on. Only you’ll have a team and be reporting to me,” she shrugged and said in a nonchalant voice. “You’d make the rules, too.”

“I do not care about any of that shit,” I said in a hard voice. “And I follow the rules to a T.”

“Really? Then why did you make that call in Greece?” Piper shot at me.

I bit my cheek hard and glanced down. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Please, Roy. Our asses were on the line. If Herrod had got to the Heads first, they’d have had no choice but to exile us from SOA. You got a hold of Mirois and convinced Zena to talk to her. Mirois didn’t get a call, you schemed with an old lady to protect your own.” I reluctantly looked up and Piper had me locked in her gaze. “You walked into that situation and assessed in an eye-blink. Maybe you’ve mastered a poker face for most people, but not with me or Balt. We know what you did. We know what you saw. Now I need those same eyes on the ground in Bear Valley.”

I didn’t respond to that, only lifted a shoulder as I tried to think of a way out.

Her face was set and stubborn as she spoke again. This was the Piper I knew.

“Roy, you don’t have a choice. I’ve already talked to the Heads,” she ground out. “You’re accepting this job.” She snorted. “At the end of it, if you want to be a Runner again, fine.”

Nodding, I asked gruffly, “How long?”

“Depends on what you find,” Piper said.

Letting out a breath, I asked, “Who is my partner?”

Mentally, I was preparing myself for Kai, Soraya, or Enele. The first two would drive me up the wall, but Enele I could tolerate.

“Kesari Iyer,” Piper responded, a little too innocently.

“Ke–” I swallowed the rest of the name.

You jackass! Came echoing down the months that had passed.

“Please tell me you are joking,” I said in a flat voice. Piper tilted her head and smiled at me. “No,” I said, too forcefully. “Absolutely not.”

“Why?” Balt asked, a smile tugging up in his cheek.

I let out a noise of disbelief. “You know why. She hates me. And she’s not even Shifters of Anubis.”

“We contracted out,” Piper said dismissively. “And she does not. We were all upset that night – Kesari, especially.”

“She’s…” I shook my head, remembering the few encounters after that first and far too memorable one where she got in my face. A dark-haired pixie bouncing around and chattering everyone’s ear off. Drinking too much coffee. Smiling and laughing.

“She’s has a Ph.D. in everything we need, Roy,” Balt said. “She’s a brilliant kid and a sweetheart.”

I was breaking out in a cold sweat. “Get another cousin, Piper, I mean it. Enele. Or Soraya.”

“Both of them are already busy doing other things,” Piper said. “And besides, I already explained why you are perfect for the job. I’m not rehashing this. It’s a dead horse.”

I couldn’t win, could I? For a moment, I pictured myself boarding a Shifters of Anubis plane for the empty, isolated, and freezing peaks of Tien Chen. My heart dropped as that image was replaced by snapping eyes, streaked mascara and wild hair.

“There is one other thing,” Piper said. “Since, as you astutely realized, Kesari is not Shifters of Anubis, I’ve had to arrange matters with the two of you. One, you will be her personal bodyguard.” I let out a noise. “TLO knows her face. And you will keep her safe, you hear me?” Her face became fierce for a moment and then she smiled broadly, “Also, you’ll be living together. Finally, since you’re undercover, you two are together.”

I shook my head, not comprehending even as my pulse raced. “Together?” I echoed.

My cousin’s smile became a satisfied smirk. “Yes, together. You’re her boyfriend now, Roy.”