Jess heard a jay squawking outside and opened her eyes slowly. She stretched her limbs as far as she could, then closed her eyes again. The bedroom door opened and closed, then she looked up at James. He had coffee and a croissant. He’s the best mate a girl could ever want, she thought, when the scent of the mocha coffee hit her. James perched on the side of the bed after setting the plate and mug on the side table.

“Time to get up, sweetheart.” Jess moaned. “No time for that. Come on. Sit up and eat your breakfast while I shower. Remember you are riding with me today.” He kissed her warmly, then slapped her thigh lightly. “Come on. Up.” Jess wiggled into a sitting position and accepted the cup from him. He put the pastry on her lap. It was stuffed with ham, eggs, and cheese. “If you need more, there’s bacon and eggs in the kitchen. The boys are up and cooking Freddy’s groceries.” James winked and went to the bathroom, shedding his boxers along the way.

He had a magnificent ass. She watched it disappear into the bathroom and heard the water come on. Jess sipped her coffee, and the huge vicious cat from last night popped into her mind’s eye. Then what her wolf had done to it and who it became after that.

What would happen now? She’d never killed anyone before. Would they put her in jail? No. James wouldn’t let them. He’d sent Freddy out there last night and he said that Freddy was home. Jess put her dishes on the side table and got up.

Quickly donning her robe, she flew down the hall to the kitchen. The pack was eating, all in various states of undress.

“Hey, Jess,” Duane said around a forkful of egg.

David nodded respectfully as he usually did. Austin glanced up from the paper and nodded.

“Good morning, everyone,” Jess said, and sat beside Freddy, who looked exhausted.

“Freddy, did you take care of that matter last night?” she asked softly so everyone couldn’t hear. He nodded and sipped his coffee.

“They all know. There are no secrets here,” Freddy said loudly, grinning into his cup.

“Good job, Jess,” Mark said, giving her a lopsided grin. “I feel safer and scared at the same time.” There were chuckles around the table. Jess gave him a confused look. “All I mean is that your wolf is definitely a killer Alpha, no doubt about it now, because she took down a very nasty cat. Which means that you might be able to kick some of our butts.”

Jess giggled.

“Definitely Duane’s, definitely.”

A donut hit Mark in the forehead, and they all laughed.

“It seems that a Margaret Lansing was in the park at night and was attacked by animals. She didn’t make it.” Freddy sipped more coffee. “That’s the official story, anyway. I would’ve liked to have watched. That woman was one nasty piece of work. We’re still trying to ID the other guy.” Several of them grunted.

“What’s up?” James came into the kitchen, carrying Jess’s coffee and croissant. He set them in front of her and waited for the explanation. Jess got the feeling that even though he’d said there was breakfast, he didn’t approve of her being out here in her robe.

“I wanted to know what happened last night after we left, so I came out here to find Freddy.”

“Did you really take on a pack of cats, Cap?”

James nodded at David. “I had help.” He gave Jess a wink.

“Since when do cats hang out in a pack unless they’re lion shifters?” Alex asked, and James shrugged.

“A few work in accounting with Jess, though, which means that job is suddenly dangerous.” The heat of James hand on her shoulder comforted Jess.

“The job is no more dangerous than a week ago,” Jess said, tearing off a piece of pastry and sticking it in her mouth.

“Yes, more than a week ago. Now they all know what you are. How often do you come in close contact with them? It’s taken them a minute to figure it out. I’m sure those that didn’t know have been informed by Margaret.”

“It explains why they get away with murder and all their work is dumped on me, too.”

James nodded.

“Is Lolly one of them?”

“I don’t think so, sweetheart, but I can’t tell because she wears so much perfume. Who knows what’s hiding under there.”

“How could I tell? I mean, we go to the gym together and she showers. Before she puts the perfume on, what would I smell?”

James considered it. “Tell you what, I have a few guys at work that are different species. Come over for lunch and I will introduce you. You can scent them and I will tell you what they are, then when you get a chance to scent Lolly without the perfume, you’ll know. Now go get dressed before you make us late.” Jess hopped up and crammed the rest of her croissant in her mouth and let him kiss her stuffed cheek as she passed him.

“I’ll hurry.” She jogged toward their apartment.

***

Jess went to James’ office at lunch time. She had to wander around a bit because she’d never been to this side of the complex, but she found him with a little help from a young officer. She walked into James’s office, where he sat watching her approach.

He was leaned back in the tilting black leather chair that she had more than likely purchased, with his arms crossed behind his head. He was smiling when she entered, that broad, open, beautiful smile that she loved.

“Hi,” she said, closing the door quietly behind her. “Why do you look like that?” she asked nervously since his smile hadn’t faded in the least bit.

“Dirty thoughts.”

Jess felt her face heat as a sudden image of her kneeling in the space beneath his desk and sucking him filled her head.

“Hmm? I see you are having some of your own. Tell me.” He gestured to the edge of his desk in front of him. She went around and perched there. “What did you think about right then?”

Jess shook her head.

“I thought about pushing that skirt up around your waist and bending you over this desk,” he murmured. “Maybe a quick repeat of last night.”

“Okay, Captain. I thought about crawling under your desk and sucking on you until you came.”

The air left him in a whoosh, and Jess laughed.

“You win. Claim your prize.”

Jess giggled and slapped his hand that was resting on her thigh.

“Come on, it’s all yours.” He gave her a squeeze.

“I believe you promised to teach me to scent shifters, sir,” Jess said coyly.

“I’d rather play the other game.” He ran a hand up her thigh under her skirt.

“Me too, but not at work. Besides, this office is a fish bowl.” She looked around at the glass that made up three walls. There were mini blinds on all of them and on the door, but still, people could see them. As she looked around, she noticed that people were looking. “Why are they watching you?”

“They’re watching you.” He grinned. “You are in the captain’s office and perched on his desk in an overly familiar fashion. They’re wondering who you are and why you are sitting so close to me.”

She looked around again and saw Mark. He nodded. She waved at him, but he’d moved on. “Come on. Let’s go see what you can scent, Big Red.”

Jess giggled and took his offered elbow.

James led her through the squad room and down a hall. A man approaching them had a uniform on with more stripes than James’s had. “Commander,” James said. “Please allow me to introduce my fiancée, Jessica. She works in our accounting section.”

“Very nice to meet you, Jessica.” He shook her hand, and his eyes flashed for a microsecond, but she saw it. He recoiled slightly when her wolf perked up at him, and her eyes flashed back.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” Jess answered and smiled.

He moved away quickly.

“Deer.”

Jess looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“Well, stag, not like a doe or anything weak and small, but still, deer. He moved up through the ranks before the wolves invaded. Now he just steers clear. We’d never hurt one of our own, but he’s a deer, so naturally he’s afraid of wolves. You just scared the crap out of him.”

Jess grimaced. Apparently Big Red was a fan of venison.

James walked on and into an office. “Sir, did you get the paperwork on the Ellis case?” James asked the man behind the desk.

“I did, James. Good work,” he said without looking up. “Your mate?” he asked, raising his eyes from the computer to look at Jess. He had bars on his collar and seemed to be in command.

“Yes, sir. Jessica. She works over in accounting. I’m teaching her about different scents, she is a recent convert to our kind.”

“I’d love to hear that story sometime. Welcome, Jessica. You’ve just met a tiger.”

Jess smiled. “Are there more of you here?” Jess whispered.

“Tigers? Uh, I think there is one in the mail room. He’s very old. We are solitary creatures, if you know what I mean?”

She nodded. No pack, she got it.

“See you at one, sir?” James asked.

He nodded, and they left him on his own.

“A tiger? Wow. What has been going on around me all these years? Are there shifters everywhere?”

James shrugged and led her outside toward where they worked on the vehicles. She saw David under a car that was lifted in the air. He had a tool and was doing something to its parts. Jess knew nothing about cars except where to put the gas.

“David, where is your buddy, the bear?” James asked quietly.

David nodded toward a police car on the far wall. Jess could see a huge pair of boots on the other side.

“Hey, Espo,” James called, grinning, and went over to shake his hand. “How are ya?” The man that came out from behind the car was a mountain. He was bigger than Freddy, who was just about the biggest man she knew. He had wicked green eyes and a chest like a barrel. His complexion was dark like Lolly’s, and she wondered if his parents were mixed like hers. “This is Jess. She’s mine, before you try to steal her.”

The man’s face actually reddened.

“Ma’am.” Espo stuck his hand out, and Jess shook it. His baseball mitt-sized hand swallowed hers. He could crush all of the small bones if he wanted and fling her around like a rag doll, but she got the feeling that this giant was as gentle as a teddy bear.

“Nice to meet you. You have a good man here.” Espo smiled sweetly.

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“See you later, Espo,” James said, leading her away. She heard the man grunt.

“Bear,” James murmured in her ear.

She nodded. “I probably could’ve guessed that without sniffing him,” Jess giggled, and James put his arm around her shoulder as they walked.

“I think that’s all of them that are on duty today. We have an owl in parts, but he’s off today and is no threat to you anyway. Did you memorize the scents?”

“I think so. I will ask Lolly to meet me at the gym in the morning.”

James nodded. “Have you eaten?”

She shook her head, and his mouth flattened to a thin white line. James pulled out his cell phone and dialed. “Dan? James. I’ll need a wonton soup, beef and broccoli…no, add a Mongolian beef to it. We’ll eat there, but we’re in a hurry. Short lunch today. Thanks, Dan.”

“You can do that? Order and sit down?”

“Sure. Dan knows that sometimes lunch is short for one reason or another. He’ll bring it all out at once so we don’t have to wait for anything.” James led her through the compound, down halls that she’d never been in, and past offices that she didn’t know were there. They went out a side door and were almost directly in front of Dan Dan’s.

“I need a map of this place. You really know your way around,” Jess said, pushing through the restaurant’s door.

“Hazard of the job. We have to know every nook and cranny in case something happens.”

Dan met them and seated them immediately at a table where hot tea and cups were waiting.

“One minute,” Dan said and hurried away. He was back in seconds with their order. “Enjoy,” he said and gave them a little bow with his signature smile.

“No time for pot stickers, sweetheart,” James said when he caught her looking around. “Next time, I promise.”

Jess sipped her soup and nibbled a shrimp. God, she loved Dan’s soup. Broth of the gods.

“That’s okay, but you owe me.”

“I’m forever in your debt anyway, so what’s one more thing?”

Jess gave him a curious look, forking beef into her mouth.

“You saved me from a horrible lonely life, sweetheart.”

She smirked. “I hardly think a man like you would spend his life horribly alone.”

He tipped his head slightly.

“Look at you, James. I’m sure that women would fall at your feet. And I better not catch any of them.”

“It wouldn’t matter if they weren’t the right one. I’ve always only wanted my destined mate, and that is you.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Eat, before we are late.”

She scoffed.

“What?”

“You’re the captain, and I am without supervision right now, so nobody will notice.” She finished her beef then sipped her tea while James paid for their meal.

***

“Don’t forget to ask Lolly to go to the gym tomorrow so you can scent her,” James murmured in her ear at her office door.

“I won’t. See you later.” She leaned into him and pecked his cheek. She noticed Debbie give her a curious look as she went into her office a few feet away.

“What’s wrong?”

Jess shook her head.

“Tell me.”

“I just saw Debbie go into her office and she gave me a funny look is all.” She watched James’s nose twitch, then he gave her a slight nod. “You scented her?”

He nodded again. “Whatever they were using before, she isn’t using it now. Be careful, sweetheart.”

Jess nodded then went into her office. She was deep in thought comparing warrantees on an item someone ordered when Debbie came into her office and closed the door. Jess’s wolf pushed, but she pushed her back down for now.

“I think I should apologize for a few things.” Debbie worried her lip as she leaned against the door. She was five feet away, but that was close enough to shift and pounce. Jess’s muscles coiled. “I won’t, don’t worry. I didn’t come to hurt you.” Debbie glanced out the large window of the door, then looked back at Jess. “She made us do it. She was, well, awful. You know how she treated you, just imagine her being in charge of you all the time.” Debbie rolled her eyes, and Jess softened. “We didn’t want to, and thanks for not doing to me and John what you did to her.”

Jess raised her eyebrows.

“I saw,” Debbie whispered. “You’re a lot tougher than you look.”

Jess smiled.

“Um, I’ll be here on payroll days from now on. I know you probably think I’m some kind of drunk, but I’m not. She made me take those days off so she could give you shit.”

“Really?” Jess said quietly.

“Yes, she liked to punish you for some reason. I don’t think she knew until recently what you were, but she didn’t like you.”

“I got that,” Jess laughed.

“I know we’ll never run in the same circles.” Debbie grinned. “But we don’t have to be enemies either, especially since she’s not calling the shots anymore. Thanks for that, by the way. We’re all thankful.”

“How many of you are there here?”

“Cats?”

Jess nodded.

“I, uh, well there’s six in the building, a tiger in the PD and one in the mail room, three panthers, and a jaguar in operations over here. I won’t say who, it’s not my place.”

Jess nodded.

“There’s a rumor that you will be taking her place soon.”

Jess gave her a wide-eyed look and wondered how that had gotten around so quickly. “You’re a shoo-in. Since she gave you such a hard time, she set you up, too. You know how to do all of it, so you’re a natural replacement. I hope you won’t hold anything that she made me do against me.”

Jess got up and came around the desk. Debbie’s hand went to the doorknob.

“I won’t. Friends?” Jess held out her hand. Debbie smiled, then came over and shook it.

“Thanks, I’ll see you around.

Jess nodded and watched Debbie leave.