Chapter 16
Amara
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The claustrophobiais going to kill me.
Pointedly taking slow, deep breaths, I mentally talk myself down from the ledge. There’s a noticeable change in the atmosphere of the overcrowded office set up on the third floor when I get my heart rate back to a normal rhythm and shake off some of the anxiety. Most of the shifters packed in here were reacting to my distress, either restlessly bouncing a leg, or fingers digging into their crossed arms, jaws tight to keep themselves from intervening like their instincts demand.
But there are a handful that simply assess their surroundings with a keen eye, leaning casually against the walls that gives them a good view of the room to watch for potential threats, but left me to my spiraling. Their responses give me more confidence in my initial assessments that they have what it takes to be an asset to Kodi’s security company.
“Alright, boys and girls.” Kodiak hops up to stand on a desk, looking over the masses. “As I’m sure you’ve heard, I’m looking to bring someone new into my ranks.” Back in his fingerless gloves to keep his mark hidden, he gestures to where I’m sandwiched between Stone and Raiden. “My lovely mate was so kind as to weed down the first wave of contenders, so you can thank her for making it this far.”
After a weighted pause, he pointedly clears his throat, ignoring my glare as several mumbled variations of, “Thank you, Amara,” draw every single person’s focus on my flaming face.
A devious glint alights his dark blue eyes. “Now comes the fun part; role playing.”
A few of the men and women that volunteered to help with this scenario murmur to each other, but the six that came here tonight hoping to catch Kodi’s eye remain stoic, attention rapt on him and soaking up every word that comes out of his mouth. Stone captures my hand and silently presses a kiss to the back of it while Kodiak begins rattling off directions.
“I’ll be dividing you into groups and giving you your missions separately. No, they won’t be the same, no they will not be equal. In this line of work we don’t get the luxury of everything wrapped up in a pretty bow, or always being fair. We work with what we’re given, adapt, and overcome. Your goal is simple; complete your objective. There are no rules, because no two jobs are ever exactly the same.
“What if we’re working security on a treaty negotiation, and a bomb goes off? Chaos everywhere, comms down, and no way to know who’s responsible for setting it off. I need to know I can trust your judgment to make spur of the moment decisions without having to hold your hand every step of the way.”
Raiden leans down to whisper in my ear. “It’s not too late to change your mind, dragonfly.Say the word and I’ll take you home.”
It’s tempting, but even the thought of getting Raiden alone for a couple hours while he tries to distract me from my thoughts isn’t enough to talk me out of this.
“No, I’m okay.”
Shifting my foot so I can feel the reassuring pressure of the anklet Kodiak gave me, and brushing my thumb over my belly button where Stone’s performance enhancer is hidden, I begin reinforcing my mental walls. Malcolm’s spent too much time busting through them and getting in my head. I’m sick of it, sick of him, and sick of being afraid.
Giving Raiden a soft smile, I try to convey all of that and leave no room for doubt when I say, “I’m going to be fine, because I know what’s waiting for me on the other side.” Then I intentionally ruin the moment before I get emotional and lose my resolve. “The promise of dragon dick as a reward is a pretty good motivator to win.”
Several of the men around us snort, one woman gives me an “Amen to that,” and Kodi shoots the two of us an annoyed look for distracting people. “Anyway,” he dramatically drawls, and I bite back a smile, feeling worlds better than when we first arrived. “Line up for your assignments.”
Torin, Bastian, Jasper, Liam, Roman, and Gage step up to the desk in an orderly fashion, and I watch Kodi hand over slips of folded paper so that no one can eavesdrop, but I know them by heart with as many times as we went over the plan. Knowing what to expect helped put my nerves at ease enough to do this, so I wouldn’t feel so wildly out of my element.
‘Find something to focus on in the midst of chaos, and it’ll become the eye of the storm,’Stone coached.‘Then you can breathe while studying everything happening around you so it’s not so overwhelming. Disassociate if you have to. It’s better than a panic attack when you’re in a hostile environment.’
One by one, they take their assignments. Bastian and Torin are each on their own, with a photo of their client attached they need to find and deliver to Kodiak outside, to see if Bastian’s refusal to shift will be a handicap, and if Torin’s desire to help people in trouble he comes across will take precedence over his orders. Jasper and Gage are paired together to see if the ninja can work well with others, starting from the beginning with their less-than-cooperative client instructed to sow discord, and Roman and Liam are supposed to try andabductBastian or Jasper’s team’s clients. Me?
I get to play extreme hide and seek.
Torin stiffens and glances up at Kodiak, wondering if he’s being set up to fail. Kodi raises an eyebrow. “If you're not operating at the level that I'd trust to keep my mate safe if I was incapacitated, you shouldn't be here. If you're manhandling clients inappropriately, you shouldn’t be here.”
Taking mercy on the guy, he sighs. “Our job is to protect the people we’re hired to, whether or not it pisses someone off. Sometimes it’s necessary if someone’s injured, frozen in fear, or hysterical to toss ‘em over your shoulder and get the hell out of dodge. Protection from bodily harm comes first, and you try to break through to them once it’s safe enough to do so. You won’t be eviscerated unless you touch her inappropriately.”
Several ears perk up, lapping up any scrap of information that might be useful, but in this case, it won’t put Torin at a disadvantage that I’m related to his assignment unless someone wants to sabotage him.
Kodi switches to his phone, tapping into the speaker system of the eight-story training building and blasting a rock cover version ofI’ll Make a Man Out of You, beaming when several people chuckle at his sense of humor. He cranks up the volume to the point I can barely hear myself think, aimed at fucking with the more sensitive shifters’ hearing and concentration. I know him well enough by now to guess he put the song on an endless loop, too.
