The closer we get to finally being able to move against these jerks who are making mythical lives miserable, the faster things move in general. And we have a whole lot more meetings than when we first started on this path.

I love it, just to be honest.

Sure, there’s a huge risk that we will get into deep trouble, but we’re not alone anymore. Knowing we have a huge network at our back gives a sense of a safety net. I can be a little more bold in my own research and intelligence gathering.

The locks are off as far as my hacking is concerned.

Let’s face it, I’m good at what I do. I know that. I’m one of the best.

Sure that sounds cocky, but is it if it’s true? It’s why I make as much money as I do.

I live for this kind of work. So the long hours, the late meetings… it’s all good.

The bonus is that I get to spend time, more time, with Varos.

There are times when I catch him looking at me. It’s like he’s looking for something, some verification from me, and I haven’t puzzled it together yet. I wish I could. I wish I could figure out what he was looking for. Maybe I could give it to him.

Until we finish what we started in this whole mythical business, that’s probably on hold. None of us need distractions from the task at hand. Things are starting to move faster and I need to be at the top of my game.

This is the third late night in a row that I’ve been in Taran’s cramped office with half a dozen tattooed men pressing at my back to wait for anything new I learn or uncover.

Finally, Taran chases them out to give me and Carlo some peace and quiet. Carlo has been a real trooper through all my probing questions. Just when we think we’ve reached the limits of his memory recall, something jigs loose and we have a little more information.

Between his baby and his pushing for more memory, he looks tired. Dark circles are heavy beneath his eyes.

“Why don’t you take a break, Carlo. We’ve been at this for hours. I don’t think there’s anything else that’s new we can get from you without straining you further.”

“I can go a little longer!” Carlo protests. The seriousness of his claim is undone when he breaks into a yawn. “Okay, I can’t. But I’m not leaving yet. Sako still has the baby. I just need a few minutes before we keep going.”

“Taran lets me store energy drinks in the shop fridge. Grab one.” I appreciate Carlo’s enthusiasm. And I can appreciate it. I was serious that there was little more we could do for the night.

“Hey,” Taran’s voice and slap at the office door jamb startle me. “You up for a meeting to brief us on what you have?”

I stifle my own yawn. “I won’t have a snazzy presentation.”

“I think we’ll survive. I’ve called Annika. She’s closing up now.”

With a nod, I close my laptop and head out into the shop.

Everyone is there. All the guys, all their mates. They even have their kids.

I always wonder what the guys do with the kids when they’re all here for a meeting. Austin tells me they have a rotating list of sitters they share between them.

It makes sense. That’s a logistical nightmare to try to plan around kids. Not that I’m complaining. One day, I’ll have my own kids. Austin will be full of all kinds of advice on how to handle it.

It also makes sense that sometimes… they just can’t get a sitter.

So here we are with a shop full of people and children, all waiting for me to tell them something new.

Varos is at his station. He puts up his phone when I come in, pushing things to the side so I can set up my laptop. It’s really sweet that he makes room at this station. I love sitting next to him while we have these meetings. More than just so we’re able to compare notes, although that is a big thing.

It’s also because he always smells so good. I don’t know if it’s soap, shampoo, or just a dragon thing. It’s a woodsy smell, mixed with a clean linen scent, like when my mother hangs laundry out on the line.

Looking at his long legs as he kicks them out in front of him to cross his ankles isn’t such a bad view, either. He really knows how to fill out his jeans.

I’m just saying.

Everyone settles in their chairs and on stools, looking expectantly at me.

“I wish I had new information. What little I have is just a refinement of what we already know.” I turn my laptop and start pulling up images. They can’t really see them very well but Taran nixed the idea of getting a projector.

I run through the information about the compound, their perimeter security, their network security.

I pull up the image of an older man. His hair is cut military short and his suit is well fitted. It has the sheen of a very expensive one that was tailor made for him.

In fact, I know it is because I found his tailor’s bill.

Incidentally, he paid his tailor more than I make legally in a month.

“This is Harrison Matthews,” I say. “From everything Annika was able to find out, he’s the guy we’re looking to take down.”

“He looks like a skeeve,” Kuras says, bouncing one of the twins on his knee. “That nasty, oily smile.”

“Like his hair,” Carlo agrees. He’s standing behind Sako, who is rocking their little girl in his arms.

A few snickers around the room. “No seriously. The guy goes through a case of hair product a month. I know I lugged enough boxes up to his private quarters.”

“Who is he?” Bronaz leans forward to peer closely at him.

I pull up his financials for the past five years. “Businessman. Real estate, developing, manufacturing. Mainly in pharmaceuticals. Farms out the manufacturing overseas, taking advantage of the sweat shops and lower cost, shipping back and selling for a huge profit. He’s just bought some land in the northern part of the territory to build a new facility for natural gas refinement. Looking to be a powerplayer in politics in the next five years. He already has several congressmen in his pocket.”

The images of his biggest supporters flash up next to him.

“So,” Nyve purses his lips as he considers his words, “what the hell do we do? Charge their front gate? Drop in from the sky? That place looks like a fortress.”

“We could infiltrate through their deliveries,” Nosko says.

Sako stands up so he can see better. “We sure aren’t getting through their front gates. I bet they’re tightly guarded with a very short list of people who can gain access.”

Annika holds up her hands. “Maybe we’re thinking about this too hard. Surely it can’t be this complicated.”

“Judging from what Ronnie has uncovered and Carlos verified,” Varos stands up behind me in support, “I think it is that complicated.”

Austin’s mouth twists side to side. “So it’s trickier than we can pull off.”

“We’re looking at major spy shit,” Sako agrees.

“I’m afraid so.” I pull the laptop around and stare at the vast amount of information we’ve collected over the past months. “This is way above my paygrade.”

That gets a few chuckles but barely reduces the anxious tension in the room.

“I think we’re all forgetting a key component in all this,” Taran finally says. He moves to the center of the room. “The other shifters. The wolves are far better equipped, organized, and able to take on something of this magnitude. Maybe we should consider letting them call the shots and we provide support.”

Bronaz makes a noise of agreement. “That really seems like our best course of action. This is bigger than we are and we’re certainly not in a position to handle it on our own. They offered help, I say we don’t hold back and let them do what they can do.”

Everyone twists to look at Annika. Between her and Taran, they really do lead our own little rag-tag band.

Her head is ducked in thought, black-tipped fingers drumming on her knee. “I don’t see we have another choice,” she finally says.

“I’m getting a sense of reluctance, Annika.” Taran sits down next to her. “Need to talk it out?”

Annika smiles at him and leans into him playfully. “I think it’s just the discomfort of needing outside help to take care of my problems.”

“Then it’s settled.” Sako claps his hands together. “Varos coordinates with the wolves and the five of us join them to take this asshole down.”

“Hold on—”

“What five? What?”

“Oh no, hell you don’t—”

The omegas in the room aren’t pleased by Sako’s plan. I agree with them. “We are a part of this, too.” I have to raise my voice to be heard. Kuras and Austin gesture to me in agreement.

“Exactly.”

“What he said.”

“Hold on, now,” Sako holds up his hands. “Come on, you guys. You have kids to take care of.”

“Are you saying we’re incapable—”

“If you think for one minute—”

Taran’s whistle pierces the shop in an earsplitting sound. “Everyone calm down,” he says with a raised voice.

It takes the other omegas a few moments of shouted protests before the shop gets quiet again.

“I get what Sako is saying. It’s dangerous to put the omegas out there and risk losing one of you. Ow!”

Nosko punches Taran hard on the arm. “You’re not as bright as I believed you to be, Taran Scalding, if you think you can relegate us to the benches on this. We have just as much at stake as you do.”

“Exactly.” Kuras shifts the baby in his arms and stands up. “You can’t expect us to not help.”

Bronaz tilts his head back and lets out a soft breath. “What about the kids?”

“We hire sitters.” Nosko punches Taran again.

“Ow. Stop that.”

“Then stop being a selfish jerk. If you go, we go.”

“I wasn’t finished the first time you whacked me.”

If it weren’t so serious, it would be kind of funny. I turn to look at Varos. He’s hard to read, sitting there watching the uproar as they argue it out.

“Hey.” I nudge him gently so he’ll look up at me. “What’s on your mind?”

It feels presumptuous to ask but also, a little comfortable. Natural. I really want to know what he’s thinking… about everything. I trust he’ll be truthful.

“I want to agree with the alphas in the room,” he starts out slowly. He lifts his gaze to meet mine and it makes my insides wiggle happily.

“But?”

“But it does seem unfair to exclude the omegas. You have just as much at stake in this as we do.”

You, he says. That must mean he thinks I should be there, too? Not that I need his approval, it still gives me a very warm feeling that he believes I have a right to be there along with the other guys.

That he actually means me specifically.

I’ll take my feel-goods where I can.

I’m not sure what I can do to help. The guys are all dragons, except Carlo. He’s a wolf shifter. They’re all built for physical confrontation and fighting. I’m just a fox shifter. I don’t do that fighting thing.

Or if I do, I take on fights that are my size.

This organization is not my size. It’s much bigger than me. It’s bigger than all of us.

But if they think that I won’t be there in some capacity, they are just wrong.

Regardless of how all of this comes together, it’s going to be killer! Shifters working together. Honestly, I’ve not heard much about cooperation between shifter factions. Everyone usually keeps to themselves.

This coordinated effort? Yeah… I’m excited.

Varos sitting there, his focus on me as we look at each other, I can only imagine what his dragon form must look like. I know very little about that side of him. I know he’s a Runic dragon. That came up in our early conversations. In dragon form, he probably looks totally bad ass.

I need to be careful that my body doesn’t betray the level of hotness I can imagine Varos looks like flying around as a dragon. I mean, he’s already one of the hottest guys in the shop with his movie star looks and smile that rivals most models.

Add the ink on his arms and I’m looking at one hell of a good looking dragon dude.

I should work out this fascination I have with Varos before we go to get this bad guy, otherwise I’ll be distracted by how awesome and cool he’s going to look as we do something serious like fight other bad guys.

It’s hard when he’s looking up at me like he can see into my soul. It gives me the shivers.

Dimly in the background, I can hear the meeting wrapping up and I force myself to pull away from his gaze and shut my laptop down. I have a ton of work to do before I go to bed so I need to get home soon.

With everyone standing and talking as we get ready to leave the shop, it’s hard to keep an eye on everyone. It’s almost too late when I step back and bump against something low to the ground.

Actually, it’s someone low to the ground. I dance around to catch my balance so that I don’t bump into Taran and Nosko’s daughter, Charity. Or worse, step on her. She collides with me and bounces off, blinking rapidly as she tries to figure out what happened.

I’m trying to stay on my feet but my balance has been shifted and my feet can’t keep up. There’s no fighting it; I’m going down.

With my hands out in front of me hoping to break my fall, I feel solid warmth grab me roughly and haul me back onto my feet, holding on until I regain my balance. My hands reflexively close down around the arm holding me up. The cool leather of Varos’ jacket beneath my hands gives me grounding.

A tickle vibrates in my stomach with Varos so close. I feel his breath on my neck. I smell his aftershave. He’s right there. Right there.

“You good?” Varos asks in a deep voice and it tickles my ear. I nod numbly as I stumble to get my feet back under me.

I glance behind me to watch as Nosko picks up the little girl.

“Sorry. I didn’t want to fall on her. Is she okay?”

I’m still tangled up with Varos’ arms around me when Nosko rushes over. “Holy shit, Ronnie, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” I say with a shaky smile. “Is she alright?”

“Just a little scared,” Nosko says, rubbing at her back. She hides her face against Nosko’s shoulder. “I was more worried about you wiping out. Varos has good reflexes.”

I look down to see Varos’ arm still around me. “Yeah, he does.”

Varos slowly releases me and already I miss the warmth of his body. There was something there, that moment when he held me. I thought I felt something but… then it was gone.

Maybe it was my imagination.