Primal Heat--A Paranormal Shapeshifter Werejaguar Romance Page 16

  At his side, Rome’s fists clenched as he dropped his head. “That’s what they call the children in the Gungi whose parents have been found to be rogues, or descendants of rogues. Elder Alamar reported on this when the Stateside Assembly was just being formed. The tribes in the rain forest were now afraid that the rogue trait was hereditary. I didn’t believe it until Lidia Morales arrived here with Brayden Sanchez. She’s Sabar’s niece and apparently was ostracized for that relation. That’s why the Sanchezes finally took her abroad with them. She was a big part of the reason Sabar had targeted the Sanchez brothers when he first began building his army.”

  “Wait a minute,” Nick said incredulously.

  Before his friend could start speaking again, Rome turned to face him, nodding his head. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. This piece of crap’s been sending shifter children to Crowe at Comastaz and Crowe’s been picking them apart to continue building those damned hybrids.”

  “Because he couldn’t get his hands on my daughter,” Nick finished for Rome. “He couldn’t get her DNA so they settled for what they thought was distorted shifter DNA. And the only way they would have known that was from a sneaking traitor like this.”

  The kick that landed in Richard’s gut could not have been prevented even if Rome wanted to. The man curled into a fetal position and Nick landed another kick to his spine.

  “Don’t kill him,” Rome said in a level but commanding tone. “He should suffer the same way he made those kids suffer. Spend some time with him and then lock him up again.”

  He was leaving the room when he heard the man land another kick. Nick was fuming; everything they’d learned from Cannon coupled with the still fresh memory of his daughter being kidnapped had the shifter at his breaking point. Now, with the knowledge that Richard Cannon had sent other shifter children to the fate that could have been Shya’s—that was a rage that Rome could not begin to explain. As angry and as hurt as he was with the discovery, he knew it was worse for Nick. And so he’d left him with Cannon, but he’d given the order not to kill. This meant Nick would not kill the shifter, but he would beat him until the bastard wished he were dead.

  * * *

  “I was just on my way out,” Nivea said when she’d opened the door to her room, only to find the First Female and X’s mate, Caprise, standing in the doorway.

  She’d awakened once again to Eli being gone. That man sure did like to perform a disappearing act, especially after sex. Emotionally drained from seeing her father and telling Eli all that had happened between them, and more than a little agitated with her so-called mate for leaving her once again, she wasn’t really in the mood for chitchat. And she especially was not in the mood for two of the highest-ranking mated females in the Assembly and whatever they felt they needed to say to her.

  “We won’t take up much of your time,” Kalina said. “We just thought it might be time for us to talk.”

  Realizing that she was standing in the doorway, actually blocking the First Female from entering her room, Nivea moved to the side, swaying her arm as invitation for them to come in. When the door was closed she took a deep breath and prayed she would handle this the way she should, that she wouldn’t show the attitude that was brimming just beneath the surface, that her agitation would remain in check, that …

  “Look, I can tell you’re not in a very good mood.” Caprise spoke first. She was a tall and exotically gorgeous female with thick black hair hanging almost to her waist. She’d just begun guard training a few months ago, but Nivea had seen her in the training center and knew she was a natural at defensive tactics, just like her older brother, Nick. Caprise was also a trained dancer and had a grace about her that bordered on the overtly sexy, which kept her mate, X, on his toes. Of the two ladies standing across from her, Caprise was definitely the most candid. Nivea could so appreciate that.

  “No. I’m not,” she admitted and then took a deep breath, expelling it slowly. “But I do not want to take it out on either of you. So if we could possibly do this later…”

  Kalina shook her head.

  “No. Unfortunately, there are a couple of things I’d like to ask you about the incident at the cabin. Did you or did you not see Agent Dorian Wilson there that night?”

  Okay, that was a little better, Nivea thought with an inward sigh. She could talk about Wilson and the cabin. That was her job. What she didn’t want to talk to them about was her father or Eli or anything related to those two people.

  “Eli and I followed Agent Wilson to the cabin,” she started, willing her hands to remain still at her sides. “Fifteen minutes after he went inside, two other men showed up, and then two more.”

  “So there were five men in total in that cabin and two ended up dead?” Caprise asked.

  “Right,” Nivea conceded. “And I have no idea where the other three went, mostly because I hadn’t been able to identify two of them. As for Wilson, X received reports from his contact at the Bureau that the man is MIA. I’ve been to his apartment twice every day. No car, mail falling out of its box. Nothing.”

  “And you think that’s normal?” Kalina asked her.

  Nivea shook her head. “No. Not normal. Then again there was nothing normal about Wilson’s obsession with us.”

  “He thought he knew what we were doing,” Kalina said, turning away from them and walking a few steps across the room. She turned back, a finger resting on her chin. “From the start he thought he knew who and what Roman was. Then he decided to come after X. I told him he was wrong and I warned him to back off.”

  “Hardheaded S.O.B., ain’t he?” Caprise added with a smirk.

  “But he’s not stupid,” Kalina replied. “And continuing to come after us was just stupid. Dorian should have known better, he should have backed off.”

  Nivea could see where the First Female was going with this conversation as she’d been down that road herself. She just hadn’t had the time to follow up on that particular hunch. “Unless he found others who shared his assumptions. If those men in the cabin were ones that thought they knew everything about us as well, they would have had a common bond. A reason to meet in a secluded spot.”

  “And if there was somebody that didn’t want them to really figure out what we are, then there would be anger, blood, death,” Caprise added. “All three of which were found in that cabin.”

  Nivea let out a shaky breath.

  “You think a shifter was in that cabin?”

  “X said there was a rogue scent in the hospital room where that guy Eli beat the hell out of was killed,” Caprise offered. She’d been moving around as they talked, looking at everything on Nivea’s dresser, from her deodorant to the Betty Boop lunch box where she kept her fancy jewelry.

  Now the guard had turned to face them, crossing her arms over her chest as she thought about what she’d just said.

  “Rogues usually don’t care who knows about us,” Nivea commented, thinking about what was being said. She’d relaxed a little having the women in her personal space, thinking of them as her two sisters for a moment. She leaned against the wall by the bathroom.

  “Their goal is to wreak as much havoc in the human world as possible,” she continued.

  “And killing a human that’s just been beat down by a Shadow in a hospital room surrounded by other humans would be right at the top of the wreak havoc meter, don’t you think?” Kalina asked.

  “Sonofabitch!” Caprise yelled.

  Nivea had to agree with her. “So whoever killed the wannabe investigators in the cabin is the same one who killed Rimas at the hospital. Because what better way to get humans riled up than to start killing them off without any regard? We all know rogues don’t give a damn who they kill, just that it gets this war between humans and shifters going a little sooner.”

  Kalina was nodding. “Right. The question now is who is controlling these rogues, because there’s no doubt that the real way to get humans up in arms would be for one of them to simply shift in a public place.”


  Caprise snapped her finger as if she’d just thought of something. “Just like when Sabar was alive and running the rogues. He wanted to kill humans, but he also needed them to keep buying his drugs, so he didn’t have the rogues just running through the streets in cat form.”

  “So somebody new is pulling their strings. Just as Eli and the other guys believe someone is working along with Crowe. What are the odds that this ‘someone’ could be the same person controlling the rogues and Crowe’s hybrid project?” Nivea asked.

  Kalina cursed. “We need to figure out who this bastard is.”

  “And take his ass down, now!” Caprise completed. “Are you off your house arrest?” she asked, looking over to where Nivea stood.

  She couldn’t help it, Nivea gave the female a warning glare, which resulted in Caprise’s impulsive laughter.

  “I’d say her shoulder looks pretty healed to me,” Kalina added. “Besides, it’s gonna have to be the two of you on the outside. Ever since Rome found out I was pregnant, I’ve been living under a microscope. I’m actually surprised he hasn’t sent Jax to come in here and haul me back into our room and into that bed that I’m thoroughly sick of lying in.”

  “What?” Nivea asked, coming closer. “Wait, you’re pregnant?”

  “I am,” Kalina said with a proud grin, her palm going immediately to her stomach.

  Caprise shook her head. “All this domestication around here is really cramping my style.”

  “Ah, congratulations,” Nivea finally managed after she tore her gaze from Kalina’s stomach and her mind from the loud scream of disappointment.

  Ary and Nick were mated and they had a child.

  Ezra and Dawn were mated and could barely keep their hands off each other. Bas and Priya were talking about a huge wedding. And Caprise, she was so in love with X she didn’t know what to do with herself, despite her bravado.

  “Thanks,” Kalina replied. “But I’m not an invalid.”

  “Yeah, I’ll send that memo to the Assembly Leader right away,” Caprise chirped. “You might as well give it up, he’s never going to let you out to look for Wilson, or a rogue killer for that matter.”

  “Me, on the other hand,” Nivea added. “I’ve already been assigned to Wilson. So I can dig a little deeper. Find his next of kin and pay them a visit.”

  Caprise pointed in her direction. “Good thinking. I’ll get into X’s database and start searching the rogues.”

  “Search all tribes,” Kalina added. “Bianca the Bitch said they were all in on this—cougars, cheetahs, tigers, and lions. We should consider any of them the enemy.”

  “Don’t I know about enemies,” Nivea said out loud and instinctively knew it had been a mistake.

  Kalina took a couple of steps until she was standing right beside Nivea. “I don’t know the specifics of what went on with you and your father, but I know it was bad enough to have Eli roaring in anger. I heard him all the way in my room. Rome said they have Richard Cannon locked up tight but I don’t get the sense that you’re afraid of him.”

  She’d thought this was the last subject she wanted to broach with these women, or with anyone for that matter. But Nivea’s response came surprisingly easy.

  “I’ve never been afraid of him. Disgusted by what he did to me, maybe. Terrified that he would turn his attentions to my sisters, yes, but never afraid of him. He’s a spineless coward, always has been.”

  “And now he’s either going to grow some balls and do what’s right or rot in that holding tank for the rest of his life,” Caprise added. “Don’t think about him or what he did. Your life is your own now.”

  Nivea nodded. Caprise had endured her share of pain at the hands of a man she once loved so Nivea could relate to her sincere words. As for Kalina, she’d grown up an orphan and had met Rome for the first time after she was sexually assaulted. None of them had been blessed with an easy life, but here they all stood now, united and ready to do whatever was necessary to keep their secret and their species safe. Nivea took pride in that fact and nodded to them both.

  “Let’s get started,” she told them.

  * * *

  Eli hadn’t seen Nivea all day. After meeting with Rome in the morning and learning that the Assembly Leader planned to stay around Havenway for the remainder of the day, he’d decided to go and check on the barbershop. There was no doubt his staff had questions. Malik had already sent him numerous text messages. In addition, he had the sinking suspicion that the rogue that had taken care of Rimas would also take a personal interest in the barbershop with hopes of drawing Eli out.

  Never being one to run from a threat, Eli had gone alone, stepping out of his SUV and moving slowly toward his shop. He scented the air as he moved, his cat’s eyes protected from public view by his sunglasses, surveying his surroundings. All looked to be in order.

  He entered the barbershop, standing in the doorway for a few more minutes, surveying, scenting. The rogue had definitely been here.

  “Hey, man, glad you decided to stop by,” Malik said, approaching him.

  Eli extended his arm, shaking the man’s hand and appreciating the eye contact. Sometimes people who had battled with addiction and such needed a helping hand and could feel a little embarrassed by that fact. Malik Drake did not.

  Eli and Nivea had rescued Malik from rogues that were probably also drug dealers. The rogues had kidnapped him in an effort to get Priya, Malik’s sister, to report on the existence of cat people. Of course, that never happened and now Priya worked for the Assembly. As a way of helping Priya to rest easily about her brother’s well-being—and to ensure she was no longer vulnerable in this area of her life—Eli had offered Malik a job at the barbershop as long as he maintained his sobriety and attended the outpatient rehab facility. So far, all had been working out well.

  “Got a little caught up yesterday,” Eli replied.

  Malik nodded. “I bet you did. All you missed was the press camped out here like they expected another fight to break out.” Malik gave a wry chuckle as he walked toward the back of the shop.

  Eli followed him, nodding to the barbers and customers as he moved through the room. As always, he admired how his staff kept a clean and pleasant atmosphere. The walls had been painted a warm green, the floors black marble that matched the chairs and stations. He’d considered adding a couple of stylists to at least one of the shops, but figured he liked the mostly male clientele much more. His thoughts momentarily ventured to Nivea and all the conflict he was having with regard to her being in his life—or, more like his bed—now.

  “Got a package back here for you,” Malik was saying when Eli snapped out of his Nivea-reverie. “Came early this morning. I was going to call you but then it got busy and I figured I’d get ahold of you later in the day.”

  “No problem,” Eli said as they moved through the hallway.

  The last door to the left was the business office. It had only been in the last couple of weeks that Eli had given Malik more responsibility around the shop. The added duties had seemed to work well to boost Malik’s confidence and Eli was proud of the way the man had stepped up to the plate.

  “Here you go,” he said once they were in the office. He tapped his hands on the top of a white box sitting on the edge of a table across from the desk.

  It was a medium-sized box and when Eli moved closer to examine it, the first thing he noted was the lack of a return address.

  “How was this delivered?” he asked Malik.

  “It was on the steps when I came in this morning. I got here around six because we have a few customers that come in right at seven and I wanted to make sure the floor and booths were clean before everybody started to arrive.”

  Eli nodded. He slid a finger along the length of the box and down the sides, all the while his senses going into overdrive at how strong the rogue scent was at this moment.

  “I’ll take it with me,” he said finally, lifting the box and moving over to the desk to act like he was looking
at other mail that had accumulated.

  “Heard that guy that was in here died at the hospital,” Malik said and Eli’s head shot up to look at him.

  “Somebody else killed him there,” he stated coolly.

  Malik nodded. “Long as the deed got done,” was his reply. “You pull a knife on a man, you better be prepared to kill or be killed. That’s what my pops told me before he split.”

  The last was said with a careless chuckle that Eli suspected held more emotion than anything the man had ever said to him before. A few minutes later Eli and Malik had walked out to the front of the shop again and he’d bid him farewell, telling Malik how proud he was of his progress.

  For the next few hours Eli had driven around town, that box sitting in the passenger seat of his SUV. Finally, he’d pulled to the side of I-66 in the building rush-hour traffic and opened the box.

  His chest constricted, his fingers tightening on the box as he stared down at its contents.

  “Fuck!” he yelled in the interior of the car.

  * * *

  Later that evening, Eli sat at the table behind the one that Rome, Kalina, Nick, Ary, X, and Caprise occupied. He and Ezra sometimes sat at the table with them, but tonight Ezra and Dawn had gone out to dinner and Eli had no desire to feel like the odd man out. He hadn’t wanted to consider why he gave a damn about that either.

  “Let’s go for a walk,” he heard a voice behind him say.

  He knew that voice, just as he knew how being alone with her would turn out. Considering the way his afternoon had gone, that probably wasn’t the best idea.

  “No, thanks,” was his chilly reply.

  She didn’t speak for a second or so but she didn’t leave either.

  “So, what, I’ll see you if I come to your room tonight and then you’ll leave before I wake up in the morning?” Nivea inquired, her tone as chilly as his had just been.

  “Don’t do this, Cannon. Not right now.” If he’d been thinking straight Eli would have known immediately that wasn’t the right thing to say to her.