Chapter Two

Thunder boomed over the night sky, followed by lightning as Raven stood on a busy street in the middle of Stromport. It wasn’t as big as Los Angeles, but it felt like it as she walked down the sidewalk. The rain had begun to fall while she checked her phone to see the address she was headed to. Surrounded by skyscrapers and a ton of people out and about, Raven kept closer to the buildings than the street as she attempted to get her bearings.

Her eyes darted up and down the sidewalk, looking at the numbers of each building wondering why she was in a city instead of a forest. Hiding in the trees, watching from a distance…it was the most soothing part of her job. It was far easier for people to be themselves when they didn’t know she was observing. Getting thrown right into the fray wasn’t her style, but she knew how to adapt. It just took some time to adjust.

Pushing and bumping against humans, off in their own world, was the last thing she wanted to be doing, especially in the rain. The stench of their pure flesh was borderline nauseating. The moon shone bright, drawing Raven’s eyes up to the star-filled sky. Someone shuffled against her as she stood at the crosswalk and it took every ounce of willpower surging through her being not to grab that person by the jugular.

“This rain doesn’t bother you?” a voice asked from beside her.

Turning to her left, Raven saw a man standing beside her in a well-tailored suit and a huge umbrella. He tilted it up just enough for her to see him motioning his head for her to move under. She smiled, seductively gracious. “Thanks, but I’ll be fine. A little water never killed anyone.”

“You sure? I’ve got plenty of room under here.” He laughed.

“You don’t even know where I’m going.” She shook her head.

“Doesn’t matter to me. I’m leaving work. You’re so beautiful, I’d follow you to the ends of the Earth.” He grinned, letting his short brown hair fall in his face. He had a handsome smile and looked far sexier in that suit than Raven wanted to admit. She couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“You’re sweet, thank you, but I’m good. Really, I am.” She walked across the street. Distractions weren’t something she could afford. She wanted to get in and get out.

Getting inside presented her first problem. The face of the building, or at least where it was supposed to be, was blank. There was a solid grey slate facade along with a double wide door, windows tinted black so no one could see inside. There wasn’t a number anywhere to be seen only a name…THE BARSTOW.

“Is this where you’re headed?” The sexy man had caught up with her. “Need an invitation to get in that place. It’s fancy. OWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

His howl into the rain, followed by boyish laughter, turned her off immediately. She let him see the glare in her eyes and he held his hands up before walking away. She wondered what he meant. She wouldn’t have to wonder that much longer as the door pushed open and a woman sauntered through with a smile on her face.

“You the Enforcer, right?” she called out, holding her arm up to shield her face from the rain.

“Yeah,” Raven responded. She inhaled as deeply as she could. The scent of the girl’s wolf engulfed her. She felt at ease, it was a familiar scent.

The girl with springy black curls flowing down past her shoulders, held her hand out. “They were not joking when they said you’d arrive to the minute, huh? Name’s Michy, like Peachy but with an m.”

“Raven.” She shook her hand firmly.

“Nice grip. The boys are going to like you,” she told her, licking her lips. “Come inside. Stick by me and don’t get pulled onto any elevators or through any doors.”

“What?”

Michy winked at her. “Just follow me.”

Raven did as she was told, walking into The Barstow. The walls were blood red with soft lights illuminating the lobby. There were a few people, all in formal attire, milling around. She stood out like a sore thumb in her black denim jeans, combat boots, and favorite leather vest that held an assortment of pockets containing her tools for the job. Raven ran her fingers through her wet strands, slicking the blonde hair back and out of her face just so everyone in there could get a good look at her. She wasn’t to be toyed with.

The scent of pure humans touched her, making her weary. She couldn’t see them, but flashes of killing Jordan ran rampant through her mind. He’d kept his humans in a den of atrocities. It was gory. It was disgusting. It was the primary reason he had needed to be killed. His bloodlust was worse than any other wolf she’d ever encountered. But the odors here were different. There wasn’t any blood in the air, only the aromas of amorous lovemaking. Every nerve in her body tingled as her senses were overloaded.

Michy turned around and smiled. She said something to her but Raven was fully enveloped by what was going on around her. Very few were paying attention to her as they walked across the black marble floor. There was a huge desk, where another woman stood. Raven took in how gorgeous she was. She was dressed in a bustier, a collar, and high heels as she greeted people.

“How much for her?” one of the men asked, referring to Raven.

Raven faced him with her fangs protruding and a snarl rising out of her throat until she felt the soft touch of Michy’s hand on her wrist. “Come, I’ll explain on the way up.”

Raven calmed herself down and shook away the primitive feelings surging through her body as she followed Michy around a corner, up to what seemed like a regular door. It was anything but. As Raven got closer, she noticed it was made of onyx, with a thick gold inlay and a shiny gold handle. Michy pressed her hand against the wall next to the door’s frame. The panel lit up bright blue as it scanned her palm. The door unlocked, revealing an elevator.

“Fancy security,” Raven mumbled under her breath as she stepped onto the elevator behind her tour guide.

“Fancy alpha,” Michy replied. “Alan Barstow isn’t like your good ole boys in the woods. He’s different.”

“What do you mean by different exactly?” Raven asked.

“It’s something you have to see, to feel; rather than me tell you,” she said with excitement in her eyes. Raven wondered why that was. It was as if the girl was looking forward to her reaction to meeting the alpha.

When the doors opened, the first thing Raven saw was an entire wall of windows overlooking the city. She could see the homes, twinkling with street lights along with the river that ran along the city’s perimeter. It was one of the most beautiful views she’d ever seen.

“Marvelous, isn’t it?” a slightly effeminate male voice echoed around the room.

Raven looked around to see a tall man. He was slender, slender as if the diet of his wolf didn’t contain a healthy amount of meat. This man could definitely stand to gain a few extra pounds. He wore a red velvet robe, with paisley prints indented all over it. His black satin pants graced the floor making him appear to glide across the room.

“Alan Barstow, Miss Martine,” he spoke softly as he held his hand out. He held it so delicately, Raven wondered if he wanted her to kiss it. Instead, she shook it. The moment she touched his hand, his fingers shifted, wrapping around her own and pulling her into him. His lightning speed surprised her. He breathed onto her before sniffing her wet hair, her very essence wafting into his nostrils. Raven couldn’t shake loose of his grip. Alan moved his face slowly back and forth in front of her as if he were studying her eyes, her reaction to him. He whispered to her, “Do not think for a second that because I am built the way I am that I do not possess the strength of ten wolves. Pleased to meet you.”

He let go of her hand and while it was a rare thing to surprise her, Raven didn’t let it phase her as she responded, “I understand. But what I don’t get is, why am I here, Alan? There isn’t any blood in the air. While I’m curious about the humans down in the lobby; I’m an Enforcer. What am I here to investigate exactly?”

A woman came from a door she didn’t see. Her hair was long and jet black. It shimmered in the lights along with her icy blue eyes. They appeared as if they had flecks of white woven into them. Alan’s were the same. She draped her arm around his shoulder and kissed him so delicately on the cheek, it made Raven wince.

“Oh, my dear, she doesn’t seem to be accustomed to affection. Would you like me to show you how? I promise you’ll enjoy yourself.” She winked, while running her tongue deliberately over her teeth.

“I just want to know why I’m here,” Raven said again.

“Allow me.” Alan nodded. “Raven is the Enforcer that was sent here to help us, Shana. Raven this is Shana, my sister.”

“Lovely to meet you.” Shana’s demeanor was uninterested as her eyes remained glued to the side of her brother’s face. “There was a commotion in the lobby when she walked through. Apparently, we don’t carry enough blondes and combat kink.”

“Well fix it then, Sister,” he sneered under his breath.

“Don’t hiss at me. Guest or no guest, remember who the stronger of the two is my dear brother,” she told him while running a long fingernail down his face.

“Which is why we do this together,” he told her, shaking away from her grasp. “Now, go handle it.”

“It will be done.” She mimicked a curtsy and left.

“Now, back to you,” he said to Raven. “What you saw downstairs is merely the beginning stages of our vetting process. We own a string of clubs throughout the city that facilitates the safe interaction between humans and, well, us.”

“Just wolves, or all shifters alike?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, no!” Alan scoffed. “Only wolves, my dear. I’m in no mood to deal with any other species.”

“How is this legal?”

“Money is all you need to know. Money buys my pack certain amenities and leniencies when it comes to the Council. Besides, they’re opening their minds to the idea of co-mingling species. We’re like a starter pack, to see how well it goes. If it goes up in smoke, we’re on our own, or they send a gaggle of you folks out here to take us out. But the real reason you’re here is that humans, who have been attending my clubs, have been disappearing. It’s not just a coincidental one or two. It’s two to three per night. We’re getting close to the human law enforcement breathing down my neck. And well, we all know how ugly that can get. So you’re here to hang around the clubs, and see what you can see. We’re missing something and we’d hate to be the reason a war breaks out. Many lives would be lost,” he said, almost sympathetically.

“What about your pack members? How many are there? Are they all present and accounted for when these humans disappear? Are they just missing or are their bodies popping up?” Raven asked, putting notes on her phone.

“Sometimes there’s a body or two, but we take care of that. We need to keep this thing under wraps. I bring in a lot of money, for my pack and the Council. Not to mention this city. No one wants my clubs to shut down. Even the prissy-ass politicians take their unmarked envelopes to look the other way. We do have a suspicion about one of our own but it can’t be confirmed,” he admitted.

“Who’s that?”

“He’s talking about me,” spoke a voice so deep it traveled down Raven’s spine and stopped right between her thighs.

Looking up, she saw him. He was 6’2…towering over her. He wore a tank top that showed off every ripple and muscle that could flex above the waist. His linen pants reminded her of Corbin, but this one was much younger. His dark brown hair was cut short, close to his scalp. She wanted to run her hand over it as he walked into the room. The closer he got, the more anxious Raven became. She wasn’t sure what the feeling was coursing through her body when she saw him, but it felt like something far more intense than lust. He could pull his cock out right now and she’d drop to her knees and inhale every inch without batting an eyelash. Now, he was one hell of a distraction, putting the man on the street in the fancy suit to shame.

“Who are you?” she could barely force the words out.

“I’m Conan.”