these locations, they think there’s some kind of cult recruiting acolytes. I mean, this many people can’t go missing without some kind of trace. There are no dead bodies, no sign of struggle or foul play, and then we have to consider the numbers—forty humans missing in two weeks. It’s strange, and they have their people working on it.
But they won’t solve it. Not without Magiguard help, and that’s where I come in, except I don’t have shit.
“You don’t have shit,” Jasper says, annoyingly echoing my thoughts.
I whirl to face him, angry words hovering on the tip of my tongue, and lose my train of thought because for a moment, I don’t recognize him. He’s wearing a black V-neck, long-sleeved top and black skinny jeans, paired with hiking boots, and his hair…He’s gone and cut his hair, and now every angle and plane of his beautifully ruthless face are on display. His cruel mouth lifts in a thin smile.
“What’s the matter, Cora? Cat got your tongue?”
Like hell. He can dress like us, walk and talk like us, but he will never be one of us. He’s something else, something evil, and he’s my curse.
“What are you doing here, Jasper? I didn’t call for you.”
His lip curls as he advances toward me. “I’m not a pet that needs to wait to be summoned.”
I hold my ground, keeping my gaze locked with his cold one. “You don’t intimidate me.”
“No?” He reaches out to run his icy finger down the curve of my neck. “No, I don’t suppose I do.” My breath hitches at his touch. He leans in closer, crowding me with his taut body. “I excite you.”
I clench my teeth to staunch the quiver in my chest and control the surge of heat in my blood and smile at him coldly. “You’re a good fuck, Jasper, I’ll give you that. But that’s all you are.”
I turn my back on him and close my eyes, expecting him to attack at any moment. Expecting his hand on my arm, waiting for the aggression that is his prelude to sex.
But it doesn’t come.
He’s still here, though. Still behind me. Watching me. What am I doing? Why am I even entertaining this fucked-up dance?
I turn to face him again. “What do you want, Jasper? Why are you here?” I’m not mad anymore. Just tired, and it bleeds into my tone.
The harsh lines of his face soften a fraction. “You’re upset. Agitated. I came to check on you.”
Check on me, my ass. He just wants to make sure his anchor to this world is safe. I’m just a possession to him, and why does that bother me?
“Yeah? Well, I’m fine. I’ll be even better when you piss off.”
He shrugs. “I’ll see you tonight then.” His eyes gleam, and desire shoots through me.
“Wear the blue panties and bra,” he says. “I want you on all fours.”
My body responds to his words by sending pulses to the apex of my thighs.
Urgh. I close my eyes. “Please leave.”
When I open them, he’s gone.
I take a moment to allow my heartbeat to slow to resting pace and then survey the room one final time.
Jasper is right. This is a waste of time.
Fuck, I hope Grayson’s having more luck with his search for Hunter.
Grayson
“This is the place,” Bobby says from the passenger seat of the van.
I kill the engine and look across the street at the small American-style diner. Our search for Hunter has led us here, a half-hour drive from the pack house in Regency Pack territory. His credit card was used at a hotel a few minutes away, and according to the owner of the bed and breakfast Hunter stayed at, he’d come here.
“He stayed close,” Bobby says.
“Yeah, he did.”
The mating. Fee. He can’t help himself. I get that. I don’t like it, but I understand.
“Thank you for bringing me with you,” Bobby says for the third time.
He thinks I’m doing him a favor. I sigh. “You’re here because you’re smart and you’re diplomatic, and Hunter won’t be threatened by you.”
He nods. “I know. I’m still grateful for the opportunity.”
It hits me that maybe I need to look at Bobby’s role at the pack house. He’d been brought in as a grunt, but that was before…before Fee opened my eyes to the wrongness of it. Bobby is bright, and intelligence is a powerful weapon.
I pop the lock on the door and climb out of the van. The diner looks empty, but then breakfast has just finished, and it’s a