Gem rested her head across his arm and smiled at him. She batted her lashes in that endearing and playful way that was all Gem. “Please help us find the baby.”
Shepherd nodded, suddenly feeling embarrassed about his outburst. He didn’t like people thinking he didn’t have things under control. “If anyone asks, just tell them I was mad I missed breakfast.”
She patted his hand and stood up. “There’splentyleft over. I’ll just tell Raven to heat up the sauce.”
His lips twitched. “Sauce?”
Chapter 12
Niko pinnedme against the mat. “You’re losing focus.”
Exhausted, I simply lay there while he stood up and wiped his face and chest with a towel. After Shepherd’s meltdown, I had decided to extend my morning session with Niko. I enjoyed our time together even if we spent most of it knocking each other down. When working out, he had me focusing on upper-arm strength by climbing the rope or doing pull-ups. But during our one-on-one sessions, he taught me how to fight. It wasn’t that I didn’t know how to protect myself, but I fought dirty. Niko wanted to demonstrate actual maneuvers, which would probably take me centuries to perfect. He said that relying heavily on Mage energy could be a weakness, and only a true warrior could fight without it.
He tossed me a bottle of water, and I caught it in my hand before sitting up.
“What was that about upstairs?” I asked, unscrewing the lid.
“Do you mean with Shepherd?” Niko heaved a sigh and hiked up his loose black pants so he could sit down in front of me. “He’s never spoken about his past or personal life. I’ve never known him to lose control.”
“How are we supposed to help him if he won’t let us in?”
Niko swept back a wayward piece of hair and tucked it through the elastic band holding his hair in a knot. “We must leave it up to Viktor. If he’s too unstable to work on this case, Viktor will pull him out.”
I gulped my water down and set the bottle aside. “Has this ever happened before?”
Niko’s blue eyes looked through me. “Shepherd has always been emotionally stable, and I’m good at reading energy. He has a unique relationship with Wyatt because they’re partners, but he’s always gotten along better with Christian. Perhaps they enjoy each other’s company because they are more alike than not.”
I leaned on my arm. “Maybe Viktor’s taking a big risk hiring a team of secret agents who have the kind of criminal record we do.”
“If Viktor didn’t give us a chance, who would? He’s giving us an opportunity to start over. Where would you be now if he hadn’t come along? Here we can forget our past and rebuild our lives.”
I stood up and straightened my tank top. “We might be done with the past, but the past isn’t done with us. Ever think of that? Maybe the only way to move forward isn’t to shove all our skeletons into a closet and pretend they never existed. The closet’s still there, Niko. And the next time you open it, all that shit’s going to fall on top of you.”
He slowly rose to his feet and cocked his head to the side. “You’re not talking about Viktor anymore. What are you contemplating?”
“Nothing.”
He narrowed his eyes, and I knew he could read my lie.
My father was an unresolved issue, and no matter how perfect my new life seemed, if I didn’t close that door once and for all, it was going to haunt me worse than any of Wyatt’s spooks. I might end up like Shepherd with mood swings and outbursts of rage.
I turned on my heel and headed toward the door. “I need to shower.”
“Raven!”
He followed behind me, and when I realized he wasn’t going to let it go, I flashed up the stairs and across the mansion.
After several flights of stairs, I reached my room on the third floor and closed the heavy door behind me. I liked Niko, but not enough to confide something that could make me look bad in front of Viktor. While we each shared the same tattoo, Niko was loyal to Viktor first and foremost. My plans had nothing to do with Keystone, and no one had any right interfering.
I’d stripped out of my shorts and was grabbing a clean pair of panties and some clothes from my armoire when all of a sudden, Niko burst into the room.
“Why did you run from me?” The door closed behind him, and his gaze followed my energy trail until he found me by the bed.
I stood there in nothing but a pair of panties. Could he see my nudity? My guess was no when he didn’t flinch or look away.
His eyebrows sank into an angry slash. “Everyone has secrets, but if you’re planning to do something that’ll hurt this organization, I can’t allow that to happen. Your energy flickered back there.Guilt.” He closed the distance between us. “It is not my job to protect you. Everyone must make their own decisions. But don’t waste our time. If you have a choice, then you need to make the right one.”
“Like you ignoring those guys who follow you around?”
