Текст книги "Administrative Control"

Автор книги: Mandy M. Roth

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 4 страниц)

“As you are to me,” Asher warned. He would not take kindly to the man interfering any further. He let his power rise slowly and concentrated on the pudgy, balding man who’d let his position go to his head. “Do not even think of pushing me on this. You will pass the report to who it needs to go to and you will sign off on it, as you know as well as I do that you and the others like you have not been honest with any of us. And unless you want me showing up in your room while you’re in a dead sleep, standing over you with a sword, ready to remove that thick head of yours, I’d suggest you do as you’re told.”

The man would. The compulsion in Asher’s voice was too great for a mere human to resist. It wasn’t something Asher did too often, as it was easy to go too far, to push too much. But it was called for now.

“Yes. Of course,” the man said, hanging up.

The idea that a human had any control over him or his men was laughable. His men were handpicked and superior soldiers. That being said, they did tend to bend or break about every rule set before them. It was simply the way of their personalities and he actually found that to be an asset.

“They are chips off the ole block,” he said softly, thinking of how he too had issues following commands when given by fools. He tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket. His men thought they were the only ones within the I-Ops organization who were supernatural.

They were not.

Asher was hardly ordinary or human. But he’d not worn his paranormal abilities on his sleeve for all to see. He kept them close to the vest, knowing better than to shout from the mountaintops about who he was—and more importantly, what he was.

That was a whole bag of shit he didn’t want opened. Things were good with his working relationship. He was the one “human” the men listened to. Though, he had to wonder if they ever suspected there was more to him than he let on. He’d seen the way Jon, one of his men, watched him of late. And he had a feeling Jon might be onto him same as Lukian was.

“I’m getting way too old for this shit,” he said softly, meaning every word of it.

He wouldn’t trade what he did now for anything. He was paying back the supernatural community. Sure, they weren’t aware of it, and yes, he was paying off a debt that wasn’t actually his own, but he needed to do this for his own peace of mind.

His phone buzzed, indicating he had an email. He already knew without looking that it was to alert him that his preliminary reports that Eadan and Duke had given regarding their involvement in matters in Seattle had been passed up the chain, signed off and all.

He laughed.

The men who believed themselves in control actually held little in the way of power. They were simply figureheads. Tools to be manipulated as the others saw fit. Asher was one of the people who viewed them in this light.

Once, long ago, he’d broken the rules. Bent them more than broke, really. The results had been catastrophic. He still carried the guilt of it all to this day.

With a slow measured breath, Asher took in the sights around him as he ran his hands through his now shorter black hair. Once he’d worn it to his waist, as most of his family and brethren did. In an attempt to blend in with his current job and surroundings, he adopted a more modern, clean-cut-male look, even going so far as to magikally sprinkle in some white hairs on his temples to show aging, where no other aging signs could be found. If he kept on as colonel he’d need to use his magik to create some laugh lines around his eyes or something to help the others believe he wasn’t immortal.

Or, you could break the rules and tell them the truth.

No.

The warehouse had been the scene of one hell of a throw-down. Dead bodies still littered the area and the battle itself had taken place the night prior. It was easy enough to keep humans at bay. A few well-placed spells and the humans felt no need to be in the area—in fact, they wanted to stay as far from it as they could. The heavy lifting in the spell department had been done by Helmuth’s magiks, not Asher’s.

The magik, while old and powerful, seemed a bit more like child’s play to him. Then again, he had run with a very different crowd the majority of his life.

While the warehouse area was bloody, Asher had seen worse.

Much worse.

Truth was, this was hardly a drop in the bucket for him. At least he could still acknowledge the brutality around him. Many like him had lost that ability to be sensitive to the deaths of others. There had been a time, not long ago, that he too was in danger of losing the skills needed to relate to those thought to be lesser.

He had been put in his place and had his eyes opened wide.

He began to shake slightly as his mind threatened to take him back to the events of old—to remind him of what had been his turning point. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t mentally return to it all. He was a broken man now because of it. His self-imposed punishment didn’t seem like enough.

It would never be enough.

The entire dock area smelled like a mix of death and fish. Neither were great on their own. Combined they were nauseating. He avoided any further deep breaths as he surveyed the situation. The mess should have already been cleaned. He could have done it much faster than the current cleanup teams, but there were rules in place for a reason, and exposing himself to those around him wasn’t allowed.

No one had seen Asher arrive. They never did. It was how it should be. He needed to be someone the supernaturals he worked with trusted fully without fearing or questioning his loyalty. Besides, he was forbidden from telling them the truth of himself. The pact between the remaining members of his kind included secrecy. That was fine by Asher. He’d stopped claiming to be one of them long before they’d decided it was best to allow everyone, including supernaturals, to believe them nothing more than mythology. It was for the best. They did not need the insanity he and his kind brought to the table.

His allegiances were his own and not up for debate with the group or the organization. When he’d been brought into the Immortal Ops program, it had not been lightly. The people who thought they had control of it were wrong.

Dead wrong.

Controlling immortal soldiers wasn’t something that could be done easily. Making sure the scientists involved in it all didn’t change sides was apparently even harder—as had already happened.

Bad decisions had been made. Good people had lost their lives.

He checked his watch. The current cleanup crew should have already been done with the warehouse and the pier. That spoke to just how big of a cleanup issue they were dealing with.

Your men all returned alive. You can’t ask for anything better.

He could ask that the violence stop—period, but that would never happen. Since the dawn of time good had been pitted against evil. It would continue to be until the end of it all. There was no changing it.

He knew.

He’d tried.

Asher approached the cleanup crew and then stood among them. They had yet to notice his arrival. He’d have a talk with them later about that. They should always be on the alert. They may not be the most skilled fighters the organization had, but they were trained to protect themselves and their surroundings.

This was hardly a secure location.

“Speed it up,” he barked. The two men nearest him nearly jumped out of their skin.

They needed to get their shit together and clear out soon. He wouldn’t risk any of them learning personal information about him. He’d been alive too long and seen too many turncoats to trust anyone with what he held precious.

Or rather who.

You should probably start by telling her you have the hots for her, he thought to himself.

Coward.

With as many years as he’d lived and as many battles as he’d fought, he thought himself a strong man. Not when it came to one tall redhead with curves in all the right places.

She had a way of making him feel weak and vulnerable, something Asher wasn’t used to at all. He’d tried rather unsuccessfully to keep his distance from her, to ignore her pull, but clearly the Fates had other thoughts on the matter.

Damn Fates.

Always butting in where they didn’t belong.

Family did that.

Soon enough he’d see Jinx again and everything would be right in his world once more. Or, as right as it got in his world. A slow smile found its way to his face and he had to control his expression around the cleanup team. They didn’t need to know he was excited to see a woman.

Information was a weapon, and in the wrong hands it could be deadly.

He was far more excited to see Jinx than he should be. This was a business meeting. Nothing more.

He thought back to the times he’d been near her in his life. Each time she’d commanded his attention, holding it, captivating him from his head to his toes.

Never had a woman held such pull over him.

It wasn’t just because she was a succubus. He’d been around enough of those in his lifetime to know that had nothing to do with the attraction he felt for her. His pull to Jinx was carnal and instinctive. Over the years he’d watched her from a distance, always drawn to her, always mindful of what his obsession could bring.

He’d carved out a nice living for himself—staying off the grid for the most part while still helping to fight the good fight.

She knew about him. About the secrets he kept from his own men. About his magik and so much more. She knew about his father and the horrors his father had brought down upon the earth. About the death and destruction that had followed in his father’s wake. And she knew that he carried those same powers, that same ability, and that he walked a fine line of control.

She knew all the details he kept from everyone, yet she’d never once tried to use it to her advantage. That spoke highly of her character. Of her.

Chapter Three

Lukian waited until the colonel headed to a rental car before he turned to the other men. They’d made it as far as their rental before they’d decided to circle around, tuck themselves away and watch what was happening. Something major was going down in Seattle and they were already down some men, having flown out with only half a team. Lukian wasn’t one to ignore bad vibes and he was getting them in spades at the idea of letting the colonel go off on his own.

“Uh, are we planning to stalk the colonel?” Roi asked from the passenger seat. “If so, can I pee first?”

“Jackass,” said Eadan from the back.

“I thought having you both mated would make this bickering like children end,” added Lukian, annoyed with them and their behavior.

“You thought wrong,” Roi said before smiling sweetly. “Captain.”

“Why, exactly, are we tailing the colonel?” asked Eadan. “We don’t think he’s the rogue, do we?”

“No,” Lukian and Roi said in unison.

Lukian put the car in gear as Brooks pulled away. “I think he’s headed into the lion’s den.”

Roi tipped his head. “Shit. Tell me we’re not going to the whorehouse. Missy will kill me.”

“We’re going to a reputable establishment that the colonel is headed to.” Lukian was careful to keep a good distance from Brooks so as not to tip him off that they were directly disobeying his orders.

“An establishment that features hot succubi who cater to supernaturals,” added Roi. “And just so we’re clear, your wife will end you too.”

“She’ll understand this was to make sure nothing bad happens to the colonel,” said Lukian. “You don’t want to be called to another scene to find his body looking like the ones we just left, do you?”

Roi shook his head. “No. But I’m calling my wife.”

Eadan laughed and then stopped, pulling out his cell as well. “Shit. I’m calling mine too.”

Chapter Four

Jinx kept her posture rigid, watching as hired goons tore apart the room before her. The club was her baby. She’d poured so much of herself into it that it was hard to hold back tears as the men continued to knock down shelves, sending liquor bottles crashing to the floor. They’d already broken a fair number of the chairs and tables in an attempt to show off just how strong they were. Apparently total wreckage somehow equaled badass in their minds.

All she’d really gotten out of the ordeal thus far was that they were dicks. Her girls flinched and huddled in behind her. Thankfully, she’d sent her male workers away, telling them they were needed at another location for the evening. Her boys would have exacerbated the ordeal that possibly could have led to a body count. As it was, the goons were simply making a good deal of noise and breaking a lot of items. They’d not hurt anyone.

Yet.

Jinx had tried earlier to get her girls to go too. None of them had bit on the night at the spa that she’d offered. It was as though they’d sensed trouble brewing. And trouble had certainly bubbled over.

The silent alarms had been tripped. Since Jinx and her establishment were hardly normal, the alarms did not notify the local authorities. What would have been the point?

Come quick and then freak the hell out at the sight of paranormals.

No. That would never do.

The alarms notified her and her own private security. They’d come soon enough. Even though she’d told them earlier that she was having the alarms tested and to ignore any possible alerts.

They were smarter than that. They’d know she was bluffing—trying to keep them all safe. When word reached her of the pending raid on her establishment, she’d done all she could to keep her people out of harm’s way.

 Hopefully her security detail would arrive after Helmuth’s men were done trying to scare her by destroying her club. Her security team was headed up by a rather testy alpha male shifter and he’d kill first and ask questions later. This would only lead to more bloodshed. Helmuth was into some dark and twisted shit now. More than his normal and Jinx didn’t want the wrath of it brought down on her people.

As it stood, Helmuth was annoyed with her putting her nose into his affairs. If his men ended up dead after paying her a visit, she’d have a mess like the one on the docks and she didn’t want that.

Helmuth’s goons had been sent to scare her because she’d dared to put a kink in his plans and foil his attempt to kidnap two people. He was pissed and this was his way of making that known to her.

She centered her gaze on Jasper. He was behind the bar and the ringleader of the current group. He moved in Helmuth’s tight inner circle. While he wasn’t Helmuth’s right-hand man, he certainly had the boss’s ear and blessing to be muscle when called for. He was a grade-A asshole who let power go to his head.

She shuddered at the thought of Helmuth. He’d fooled her upon his arrival in Seattle years ago. He’d entered her club looking for the same thing everyone else was who crossed her threshold—sex. As a succubus, Jinx excelled at sex. Her kind required sexual energy and sex to live and survive. This wasn’t a job to her or her people. It was a way to live. Something they needed. And they were good at what they did.

Very good.

No one had left unhappy yet and Jinx had been running sex establishments for centuries. It was easy since she’d basically stopped aging around the age of twenty-five. The more years she had under her belt, the more things changed for her. She’d actually cut back dramatically on taking clients years ago, feeding off the energy in the club instead. She’d made an exception with Helmuth and foolishly let her guard down with him. Once she realized what he truly was—a sick bastard—it was too late. He’d wormed his way into her life.

“So, you like helpin’ the enemy,” Jasper said snidely, pushing more bottles to the floor. He stared out from beady eyes. Five scars lined his right cheek. A sign he’d lost at least one fight in his past with a shifter male. She couldn’t hide her smile. She’d seen him without a shirt before and knew the damage went far beyond his face. Normally, she wouldn’t have gloated at someone else’s pain, but Jasper was a special kind of crazy. He’d been banned from her club years prior for his rough treatment of her girls.

Now he thought himself above the rules governing her place.

He held out a broken bottle in a threatening manner. “Doesn’t look like fucking faeries are around here to lend a hand to you though, does it?”

The faerie in question was Eadan Daly. He was probably tucked away in his home on the east coast, rocking the world of his new bride Inara. The two had come across Jinx’s radar recently and she’d found herself aiding them when she knew it would be in her best interest to remain neutral—as she always did. But there was something about young love that she couldn’t turn her back on.

The tides in the supernatural community were changing and she’d not liked a lot of what she was seeing. Helmuth had paired up with other sick bastards and had grander schemes on the horizon.

Plans that turned her stomach.

As conditioned as she’d been to simply see all but do nothing, she’d found that changing when she’d come face to face with a skinny, hungry Inara in need of help. Inara had ties to an old friend of Jinx’s—James Hagen. Jinx had feared the worst when James had gone missing and was still relieved he had been found alive.

She wouldn’t take back helping Inara. It was the right thing to do and Jinx had watched enough wrongs happen in her life to know it was time she stepped up. The help Jinx provided had cost her.

She now had Helmuth’s goons to contend with. Jasper put a hand on the bar top and continued to wave the broken bottle around in the air, making Jinx’s girls cry more. If Helmuth really wanted to make a point, it wouldn’t be with scare tactics. He’d have sent his men to do violence right out of the gate. She knew enough of Helmuth’s type to predict it. And she wouldn’t subject her girls to that. Not if letting the goons trash the place would get them out of her hair.

Jasper laughed. “You put your neck out for PSI and what do you have to show for it?”

She didn’t respond. There was no need. Nothing she said would end what was happening. She intended to let Jasper get his fill of trashing her place and then hope he’d leave. But if he dared to harm one of her girls, Jinx would take the gloves off.

“Nothing to say for yourself?” he demanded.

She shook her head.

Jasper glared at her. “How about I cut up some bitches?”

“You will do no such thing,” said Jinx, stepping forward. “I’ve allowed you to have your fun and games. You’ve scared my girls and caused a fair amount of damage here. You’re done. Leave or I will remove you.”

Jasper snorted. “As if.”

She leveled her gaze on the man, remaining calm in the process. She’d seen real violence in her long life. This was nothing compared to what she’d witnessed and lived through. She walked closer to him. He looked at the tops of her breasts, which she knew were pressed up like offerings. As a succubus she had zero issues with her sexuality. In fact, she embraced and used it as the weapon it was when called for.

“Jinx,” Aneta said from the back of the room.

“I’m fine,” said Jinx.

Jasper laughed. “Listen to the whore.”

Jinx huffed and then lifted a hand. “Do you really think you’re the first person to think to call us that? Oh, please. Tell me Helmuth has smarter men than you at his disposal.”

Jasper’s face reddened and he clutched the broken bottle so hard it shattered in his hand, cutting him and making blood flow. He growled, showing shifter teeth.

She didn’t so much as flinch. Shifters didn’t scare her. They never had. She remained in place. “Stop with the theatrics. Either shift so I can scold you like the bad dog you are or leave. You’ve made your point. Helmuth is displeased with me. Well, I’m none too thrilled with him at the moment either. Yet you don’t see me behaving this poorly.”

“Listen, whore,” snapped Jasper, through shifted teeth. “He’ll mail your head to PSI.”

Paranormal Security and Intelligence was probably one of the only things standing in the way of Helmuth’s total control of the upper west coast. Jinx considered sending them a basket of chocolate as a thank you.

“PSI will chew you up and spit you out. You know it and so do I. Do you want me aligned with them for good? That could be arranged. Oh, the things I know, Jasper, or have you forgotten how close Helmuth and I were?”

Jasper’s expression wavered and his teeth returned to normal.

One of her girls giggled. “Helmuth has it bad for Jinx. He’d never take her head. I’m guessing you were sent here to give her a message, not tear the joint apart. And I’m guessing when Helmuth finds out what you did, there will be hell to pay.”

“The boss doesn’t like being double-crossed,” returned Jasper quickly, sounding worried. “No peace of ass is worth that.”

The same woman responded, “Clearly you’ve never had the pleasure of Jinx.”

He looked to his other men and then to Jinx. “You’re awfully brave for a succubus. You should have stayed out of Helmuth’s business. Like I said, PSI left you hanging.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” a deep, familiar voice said from the entrance of her club.

Jinx gasped. It couldn’t be. They weren’t meeting until tomorrow. She turned in time to spot a man who was well over six feet tall, standing there, dressed to the nines in a designer suit, his close-cut black hair holding the smallest of dustings of white in the temples. White that never seemed to move further into his hairline.

Asher’s gaze raked over the club bar room and landed on her. “Are you harmed?”

Warmth spread over her body at the sound of concern in his voice.

“Who the fuck are you?” demanded Jasper.

Asher adjusted his tie, appearing very calm, cool and collected. Jinx knew it was a smokescreen. That the man kept a lethal side hidden away from view of others. “I was about to ask you the same question.”

Jasper nodded to his men. “Get him out of my sight.”

Jinx’s breath caught. She didn’t want Asher hurt on her account. She was about to signal her girls to turn on their succubus charms and put them in high gear to distract the shifters when Asher moved fast, twisting, striking one of the men, knocking him down with one blow.

Stunned, Jinx simply stood there as Asher turned, undoing his jacket with one hand as he punched a man in the throat with his other hand. The man fell away as if he were a fly being swatted.

Within seconds three other men poured in from behind him. She recognized Eadan instantly and knew the others must be some of the I-Ops. A tall man with long black hair smiled wide as he attacked a man near Asher. The more she looked at him, the more she realized he was one of the files she had in her office. Geoffroi “Roi” Majors.

“Hi, Colonel. Lukian said Eadan and I were behaving badly and he didn’t want to sit on a tarmac with us anymore. Miss us?” asked the man with a grin that said he was up to no good and proud of the fact.

“You listen worse than a toddler, Roi,” Asher said and flipped a man over his back. When the man landed in front of Eadan, Eadan kicked him in the head. “I’m considering putting you all in time-outs later.”

“In all fairness, Lukian thought of this,” said Eadan. “We just agreed and tagged along for the ride.”

Groaning, Asher continued to fight with the men who had trashed her club. Jinx backed up more, putting her arms out to her girls. They rushed to her and she tipped her head in the direction of the back exit. Without needing to be told twice, her girls all ran in that direction. The minute Aneta, the last of her girls, cleared the area, Jinx exhaled a long, shaky breath. She loved her girls and her workers. They were a family of sorts to her, and if anything had happened to them she’d have never forgiven herself.

Jinx didn’t leave, even though the opening was there for her to take it. She’d not walk out and allow the I-Ops to clean up her mess. She’d known that by helping Eadan she was borrowing trouble, and she owed Asher too much already to permit him to take this burden on alone.

She wasn’t a born fighter but she was hardly a shrinking violet. Bending, she looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon. She grabbed a discarded bottle and lifted it, holding it up, ready to do harm. Jinx spun as she sensed someone coming up near her and stopped just shy of hitting Asher with the bottle.

He slinked an arm around her waist and pulled her against his powerful frame, turning her body and putting himself in the path of the oncoming bad guy she’d not known was near her. Asher took a hard hit from behind from a rather beefy shifter, but it didn’t seem to faze him.

A gasp came from behind her and Jinx glanced over her shoulder long enough to see that Eadan had witnessed what had happened. Jinx put a hand to Asher’s chest and he looked down at her, his dark gaze piercing through her. Her succubus side reared to life, sensing desire radiating from Asher. Something she’d never sensed from him before in all the centuries she’d known him.

Unsure what to make of it, Jinx tried hard to keep her succubus from responding. Asher’s allure was too great. His nostrils flared and his eyes shifted colors—a sign he was losing control of his beast side. A side she knew he kept repressed.

“Asher,” she said, her voice low. “Your men will see.”

He spoke and his voice was deeper than normal. “Let them.”

She shook her head. This wasn’t like him at all. Her hand went to his stubble-covered jawline. She wanted to go to her tiptoes and kiss his full lips, but she held back. It was incredibly hard to do, especially with her succubus hormones raging out of control. Asher was simply too close and smelled too good. Not to mention he was drop dead gorgeous.

Jinx tried to push away from him but he held her, his grip iron-clad. He bent his head, his nostrils flaring. “I smell you.”

She gulped, knowing what he meant. He could smell her sex—her desire. She pushed harder on his chest. “Asher.”

He growled and stiff-armed a man trying to come at them, never losing his hold on her. Suddenly, his face was right in front of hers, his lips dangerously close. Jinx tried to harden herself against the pull to him, but she failed miserably as she did indeed go to her tiptoes, her lips touching his.

She expected Asher to come to his senses and push her away. He didn’t. He lifted her off her feet, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. Her succubus side lost its mind, turning on in full and then some. Asher’s kiss intensified and Jinx melted against him, letting him lead. Her body craved an alpha male. Always had and probably always would.

He broke the kiss as fast he’d started it, leaving her touching her lower lip as he released her and spun, thrusting a leg out and kicking one of Helmuth’s men in the chest. The man’s feet came up and off the ground as he went backwards.

Asher advanced on two others who were currently trying to double-team Roi. Asher ripped one back and slammed his head against the bar top. He turned and looked in Jinx’s direction. His eyes widened as someone grabbed her from behind, yanking her backwards.

Jinx stilled as something hard and sharp pressed to her throat. Hot, rank breath coated her ear. “Enough or I cut the whore,” said Jasper against her ear so loud it was nearly deafening.

He pulled harder on her head, making a cry escape her lips. She hated displaying a weakness. She was about to try to break free when something deep down told her to look in Asher’s direction.

His fellow I-Ops had held him back but they didn’t look they were going to be able to hold him long.

Roi’s eyes were wide. “Anyone wanna tell me why the colonel is so fucking hard to keep in place?”

“Methinks the colonel has some explaining to do,” said Eadan, sounding strained. “Colonel?”

Asher locked gazes with Jinx before his gaze hardened and went to Jasper. His eyes shifted colors again and fur sprouted out and over his hands before claws emerged from his fingertips, making his men all suck in sharp breaths. “Take your hands from her at once,” he said, signs of an accent that normally wasn’t there showing through. The air around him began to bristle with raw power and his men loosened their hold on him enough that he shook them off, his full attention on Jasper.

Jasper held tighter to her. “Back off or I cut the bitch.”

“You could try but you’ll be dead before one drop of her blood is spilled,” said Asher, no longer sounding like himself at all. It broke Jinx’s heart to know he’d gone this far over the edge on her account. She knew what control meant to him. She understood what this was costing him. More than that, Jinx knew full well the guilt he’d carry if he couldn’t rein it back in.

“Asher, no,” she pleaded.

Jasper snorted. “Listen to her. She doesn’t want you hurt.”

Jinx stiffened. “I don’t want him to do what he’s capable of. And trust me when I say he isn’t the one who is going to get hurt here. You should take your injured and leave while you still can.”

Asher moved his head back and forth, cracking his neck loudly, the air around him still thick with power. Eadan lifted a hand, running it through what looked to be nothing but what Jinx knew to be raw magik. Eadan’s eyes widened and he whispered something to Roi.

“Colonel is a fucking magik too!” shouted Roi.

Lukian groaned and pulled back on his men. “Give him space.”

Eadan tugged on them both. “Yeah, a lot of space.

Roi seemed very lost. “What the hell is going on?”

“Our colonel is something none of us thought was real,” said Eadan.

“A born shifter with magik,” said Lukian. The man seemed torn, as if he wanted to pull Asher back but knew better than to try.

Jinx met Lukian’s gaze. “He’s more than that even. Go now. He won’t be able to control it and he’d never forgive himself if he hurt you or your men. He sees you as sons even if he’s never said as much.”

Lukian stiffened. “We aren’t leaving him.”

Asher glared at Jasper, his focus singular. “Release my woman.”

His woman?

It was Jinx’s turn to inhale sharply. What was he talking about? She wasn’t his. As she opened her mouth to protest, she stopped, her gut telling her his words weren’t said in error. Her mind raced with all the years she’d known him. With their past. With the fact he’d seemed to keep her at arm’s length for so long. Joy should have been her reaction to discovering she did indeed have a mate. Anger was what won out.