He cocked his head, his eyes glowing for a moment. Yep, definitely a shifter of some kind. But Hope was a shifter town, and no one would pull any shit that would hurt me, not when it was run by Rawson, who was one of my oldest friends—or at least oldest acquaintances. I didn’t have friends, not seeing as I’d pretty much alienated everyone I knew.
It didn’t matter. I didn’t do friends. Never had, except maybe Ember who was back in the U.K. The Queen of Shifters was my past enemy from when we were teenagers. We’d put that old enmity aside and gotten closer in that shithole prison, and she was probably the only person I trusted besides my sister. But she was pregnant with the Shifter King’s baby and had her life together enough she didn’t need me.
Nor did Ava….
Except that wasn’t true. My older sister was quietly tough, and she and Rawson had recently had a hard time sorting out their lives and how they fit together. They were fine now—more or less. I bit my top lip. Except she was vulnerable while she carried his child. She was a target for our enemies and peoplewho wanted revenge on Rawson for what he’d done in the past. Not only that, but they hadn’t officially mated, which meant another Alpha male could move in and claim her against her will. It would be an outright challenge to Rawson, and he’d fight for her, no question. However, kidnapping his mate would allow others to rile him enough that he wasn’t thinking straight. And that would make him vulnerable.
“Sure do.”
I gave a start, the shifter’s voice making me jump, I'd been so lost in thought. What had I asked him? Oh, yeah…
Lust burned in his eyes.
Swallowing down a wave of nausea, I stood and slammed the empty glass down. “Good.”
Godsdammit! Did the room have to spin so much? I tossed my long blonde hair over my shoulder and took a few steps, right before I stumbled over a chair leg.
“You okay there, honey?” My companion’s amusement at my expense irritated me.
“Fine!” The breath I took didn’t calm my annoyance at his chuckle, but I motioned him closer. “Give a girl a hand, would ya?”
His grin was wide. “Course.”
I grabbed his sinewy arm and walked out with as much grace as I could muster, ignoring the eyes boring a hole in my back. Mr Smexy Barman could fuck right off. I knew what I was doing. Drunk or not, this wasmychoice.
I woke up and instantly knew I was alone. Light poured through the cracks in the motel room curtains, burning my already dry and scratchy eyes. There was a bloody massive hammer hittingthe inside of my skull, and covering my eyes to block out the morning sun didn’t help even a little bit. For a moment, I just laid there trying to remember last night. Had I had sex? My brows drew down. I couldn’t remember. Tentatively, I moved my hand down between my legs. I wasn’t sore, but that didn’t mean much. Most of my one-night stands were underwhelming at best. I sighed in relief. There was no evidence of whoever I’d been with either.
Had I even come here with anyone? I wasn’t easily scared, but I didn’t like that I couldn’t remember anything after leaving the Black Orchid on that guy’s arm. I blinked away the sudden burning behind my eyelids. Shit! I was such a fucking mess…
Heavy knocking at the door made me jump and set my heart thumping.
“Housekeeping!”
Keys rattled. I sat bolt upright and immediately regretted it, my head pounding so hard I wanted to hurl, but I forced my voice to work. “No! I..um…give me a minute, and I’ll be out!”
“Okay, but check out was an hour ago.”
The rattle of a cleaning cart moved on, and the housekeeper entered the room next door. With great effort, I kicked the starched white sheets off my legs and lowered my feet to the relatively clean carpet. Not giving myself time to adjust to being upright in case the cleaner came back, I pushed off the bed and looked around. My clothes were strewn on the floor, but my phone and wallet were hidden under the mattress on my side of the bed.
I sighed with relief. Old habits never die. And, as an agent of the Supernatural Bureau of Investigation, that kind of routine was embedded in my subconscious. Even when pissed out of my mind, I still went through the ritual of hiding my personal shit from my hookup.
If there had even been a hook up.
“Shit!” My heart raced as I registered the cleaner’s words. Fuck! Check out was an hour ago? Fumbling, I flipped open my phone case. Seven missed calls. Rawson. Lionel. And Stone. My face flushed, my stomach dropping out.
“Holy shit balls! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
I stumbled across the room while pulling my clothes on before giving myself a few seconds to relieve my bladder and rinse my mouth out with water. Not bothering with my bed hair, I slammed my feet into my boots, grabbed my stuff and ran.
Rawson was going to kill me! I was over an hour late! And I daren’t even think about Stone. He’d rung me more than anyone. No messages, but his silence spoke volumes.
My heart pounded almost as painfully as my head as I tore down the road. I could swear alcohol was leaking from my pores. My legs felt heavy, and even though I’d done nothing so far that day, my muscles ached so much that it was difficult to lift my feet. Drinking might have dulled my memories and guilt, but it also made me unfit. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone to the gym or for a run, in human or wolf form. And when did I last eat? My jeans kept slipping down my hips. Annoyed, I yanked them up.
Gasping for breath, I didn’t let myself slow down. If my sister’s soul mate realised how late I was, he’d throw a fit, and if he didn’t rip my throat out, he’d definitely send me back to the compound in Scotland. He’d already lost one mate to a madman—my father. He’d go feral if anything happened to Ava. I almost tripped when I remembered it wasn’t just him who’d be pissed off; it was also Connor. The Shifter King had arrived last night for the challenge and, as far as I knew, was still here.
“Shitshitshit!”
Connor was protective of all the people he loved, which meant Ava. He’d been her lover when they were younger, a relationship that had meant something to both of them, muchmore than when Connor and I had been fuck buddies in the prison just to scratch an itch. That meant he’d be as angry with me as Rawson would if I didn’t do my job and protect my sister. And I daren’t even think about what Stone would do if he knew I’d gotten so drunk I’d put my own sister, not to mention her baby, at risk.
