Forbidden Call (New Breed Novels, Book 1) (16 page)

X carefully laid the vial on a cotton cloth. “What if it’s not a spirit?”

“What do you mean? What else is there? Wait—you don’t mean a god?”

“Well, theoretically, it’s possible, right? I mean look at the New Breeds. We were created by the Goddess Akina. So, what if your mama’s got an immortal buddy of her own? Someone just recently added to her payroll?”

“I guess it’s possible.”
A god. Huh.

Ana turned back to her translation, but she couldn’t get her mother’s face out of her mind. One word from X’s theory kept coming back to her.
Recently.
Where had Mommie Dearest disappeared to and what the hell had she done to end up with that scar on her face? It had to be connected to the Initiative somehow. The more Ana thought about it, the more she wondered if she’d be able to figure it out without going back in. The thought made her nervous, which was odd. The chances of Toltec knowing she had anything to do with the warehouse attack were low. Then she realized she wasn’t feeling panicky about that. Her insides were doing jumping jacks over the thought of having to tell her mate.
Fuck.
It was one thing to go back in, but anything having to do with Victrixa was off the table. She needed to do it some other way, but how?

An hour later she gave up on the translating and went back to her room. SE was still sound asleep. Duty had kept him out until sunrise. Ana went into the closet, turned on the light, and quickly grabbed her leathers, her crescents, and her pistol. SE wasn’t going to be thrilled about this, but she wasn’t going anywhere near her mother. She quietly changed clothes and dematerialized to Bastian’s.

“Girl! Haven’t you ever heard of a door?”

“Look, I’m in a hurry, Bastian. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“How come you never told me you could gleam? Mm-
mm
, that’s a hot power.”

“Exactly. Which is why no one knows I have it. Get me?”

“I getchu, I getchu. So, what brings you here today? Need a makeover to go with that new cut of yours? It’s awesomesauce, btw.”

“Thanks. Listen, I need some mini-cams.”

“With or without remote IP Internet viewing?”

“With.”

Bastian walked over to a wall covered with metal shelving. “I assume you’ll be placing these in the wall or some such?”

“Yes. And don’t you dare give me a damn nanny cam.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, handing her two tiny cameras.

“You know, you…smell different.”

She backed away a bit. “What?”

He sniffed again. “Ohmygod! You’ve been mated!”

“Shh! Jesus, Bastian!”

“Aw, honey, I’m so happy for you!”

Ana stood still while the male hugged her.
O-kaaay
. There was no reason to panic.

Yet.

“So, who’s the lucky male?”

She tapped her boot impatiently. “Like I’m gonna tell you that.”

He smiled. “I know. Can’t blame a girl for tryin’. Now, holla back if you don’t get a decent picture. Those cams are non-interference.”

“Thanks, Bastian.”

The male did his best to look all
WTF?
“I’m sorry, did you just say thank you? Mm! That must be some male.”

Ana rolled her eyes and gleamed out.

Materializing just outside Victrixa’s office, Ana stopped and listened for a moment. She could hear Victrixa’s voice down the hall, so she gleamed in, held the camera in her hand and gleamed it behind a crack in the plaster. She pocketed the other camera and gleamed back to the closet at the mansion.

And found herself standing face to face with SE.

He leaned against the doorjamb. “Hi. Have a good time?”

Damnit!

Her mouth dried up instantly. “I…”

But her mate didn’t say anything. He just turned and walked out of the closet.

She followed him. “SE?”

His back to her, he shook his head. “You know what? Don’t…don’t tell me where you’ve been. I’m not sure I want to hear it.”

“What? Like you have to know where I am every second of the day now? I was gone an hour!”

“No.” He turned around slowly. “You weren’t just gone an hour. You were gone and you left fully armed!”

Oh, God. This was so not good. This isn’t what she’d wanted. “I went to see my tech guy to pick up some equipment I thought we could use.”

“And then where did you go?”

“What?”

“I sincerely doubt the pistol was meant for your tech guy.”

Her chest was heaving like she couldn’t get enough air and her legs were slowly going numb. But she would not lie to her mate. “I put a mini cam in Victrixa’s office.”

The sound of his roar and the crunch that followed were so loud she wasn’t sure what they were at first.

“Fuck!” SE yelled, shaking out the hand that just seriously injured the wall.

Ana’s body went cold and she started to shake all over. Only she wasn’t afraid of him. She was afraid he would leave. The thought was so raw it made her nauseous. She covered her eyes with her hands and cried.

SE flexed his hand a few times and looked over at his female.

“Aw, come here.”

“I’m really sorry,” she said, collapsing into his arms.

“I know,” he said gently.

“I don’t…I’m not…”

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m sorry.”
Jesus.
Sorry was right. He could write a freaking book.
How to Scare the Shit Out of Your Female in Three Easy Steps
or some shit like that. He’d gotten so damn wound up after searching the house for her that he’d gone off like a bomb. Getting a handle on New Breed instincts was turning out to be a real bastard. He picked her up and carried her to the bed, then sat her down on his lap and waited for her to cry it out. When she picked her head up off his shoulder, he dried her cheeks with his fingers and waited for her to speak.

She stared down at her lap and fidgeted with her hands. “I didn’t think. I should have known that when you woke up, you’d miss me and worry. I just…”

“Hey, I get it. You’ve never had to think about anyone else before. It’s a big change. It’s just…I thought you were with X, so when no one knew where you were, I just lost it. Why, Ana? Why would you risk going anywhere near her?”

“I don’t know. I knew the job would only take a few seconds.”

“Seconds? You didn’t place the camera?”

“No, I did.”

“But that takes time and tools.”

Ana shook her head. “Watch.”

She opened her hand and the TV remote appeared in her palm.

SE jumped. “
Ihkweea
, did you just gleam that?”

She nodded.

“How long have you been able to do that?”

“Actually, I don’t know. Last month, sometime, I was starving from fighting all night, but I didn’t have any cash. Then I gleamed a Snickers from a vending machine without meaning to.” They both grinned. “That’s the first time it happened. I wasn’t hiding it, honest. I never really use it. So, see, it was just a few seconds.”

She put her hand in her pocket and brought out a mini cam. “I brought the other one back here.”

SE slid his hands along her jaw. “Repeat after me. I, Ana Mata, will never go near my batshit crazy mother again.”

Ana smiled. “I, Ana
Aguilar
, will…what you said.”

Hearing her use his father’s surname made him so proud, he could have wept right there. Shifters didn’t usually bother with formalities like taking a mate’s name, but he knew what she meant. She was saying she was his. He pulled her to him. Goddamn, he couldn’t have stayed mad at her if he tried.

“Oh, your hand,” Ana said, lifting it to inspect it.

“It’s fine. You know what? I slept through breakfast. Can I interest you in some lunch, female?”

“Hell, yes. Just let me change real quick.”

He looked at the wall where he’d hit it. “And then I think I should probably fix Dimitri’s wall.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SE watched Diesel concentrate on his next shot. The brother’s long, sandy blond hair was tucked behind his ears and his dog tags swung freely as he checked the angle with his cue. SE took another swig of his beer and tapped the wall as Nine Inch Nails poured from the sound system.

“Want another one?” Ana asked as she pulled a bottle from the bar.

“Absolutely. Thank you, female.”

He took the new cold one, kissed his mate’s temple appreciatively, and turned his attention back to the game. “Jesus, Diesel, how long are you gonna take to line up that shot? And where the hell is Troy?”

X laughed as he checked his cell. “Just got a text. He’s out.”

“Okay, I am not forfeiting. Dammit, that’s the last time I partner with that SOB.”

“I’ll step in,” Ana said. “You’re almost done anyway.”

Pax shrugged his shoulders. “Fine by me.”

“Hey, Richard,” X called, as the brother came in with his mate.

“Hey, guys. Listen, I’ve got a conflict. Adriana needs to see Dr. Sussman for her appointment, but I need to view some property with Reyn and Dimitri. I’d let one of the staff take her, but…”

X nodded. “Yeah, no problem, I’ll take her. What time?”

Adriana sat on one of the bar stools. “Not till three. Damn. Now this was a good idea.”

“I gotcha,” Soaring Eagle smiled and helped her slide off.

“Thanks.” She smiled back at him. “I think I’ve reached the point when chairs become the enemy.”

Richard gave his mate a kiss on his way out. “See you in a bit, Adri.”

“Bye, my male. Don’t let Dimitri buy up the whole city.”

“Whoa! Diesel leaves the 8 ball frozen to the rail! Nice,” Pax said, fist bumping the brother.

SE handed his cue to his mate. “Looks like it’s your shot,
ihkweea
.”

“If she makes this shot, I’ll fix Dimitri’s wall,” Diesel said with a grin. “And if she doesn’t, you take my next duty.”

SE started to answer that Diesel was out of his ever-loving mind if he thought he was going to miss a night with Ana, but she jumped in.

“You’re on, Diesel.”

“Okay by you, SE?” Pax asked.

He picked up his beer and leaned against the wall. “You heard the female.” He watched his mate line up the shot and sink the fucker without breaking a sweat.

“Booyah!” X yelled.

“Holy shit!” Pax was laughing so hard he had to grab the edge of the bar.

Even Adriana started giggling.

Ana grinned. “It’s all about the spin, boys.”

SE kissed his mate. “Excuse us, my brothers. I have a female to thank. Oh, and Dies, don’t come up to fix that wall for a couple hours.”

Diesel rolled his eyes. “I think I just threw up a little.”

Pax laughed again. “You have any trouble matching that custom paint, don’t come to me.”

Diesel grinned and held up his hand. “Well played, Ana.”

“Thanks,” she said, giving it a firm slap.

Jesus Christ. Just when SE thought his mate couldn’t get any hotter. After watching her kick Diesel’s ass, he could have taken her right on the pool table. She hopped on his back at the foot of the stairs and he piggy-backed her up to their room. The memory of carrying her down the stairs of her old apartment added to the thought of all the memories they had yet to make brought a wide smile to his face. When he dumped her on the bed, she giggled.

“How fast do you think I can get you out of those pants?” he asked.

“Not fast enough.”

He unbuttoned her jeans and yanked them off, as she peeled off her sweater.

“Whoa,” he said, as he looked at her new lacy bra and panties. “You look so amazing in that. Okay, I am not even going to ask if Geoffrey bought them.”

“He didn’t. You like?”

SE showed his approval by bending down and taking her into his mouth through the black silky panties. He’d never thought of her as a satin and lace kind of female, but, man, he was so glad he was wrong.

“No Impala today?”

X barked a laugh as Adriana gave a disappointed huff. “The Impala is a little loud. Dig?”

Adriana didn’t care. She loved X’s vintage ’65 Chevy. It was in peak condition, cherry red with a white stripe trunk to hood. And it
was
loud. It was great. She and Richard had their Volvo and a new Audi SUV hybrid, courtesy of Dimitri. He made sure everyone picked out nice rides as a gifts at initiation. Adriana loved vintage cars, but they had to be practical these days.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said. “Thanks for taking me. So, what do you think of Ana?”

X smiled. “Not mincing words today, are you, mama?”

Adriana watched Brookline pass by as X drove up Beacon Street. “I guess not.”

“Look, I do trust her for the most part. She’s SE’s mate and she’s done a fuckload to help us out. Shit, we wouldn’t even have him if it wasn’t for her.”

She gave a tentative nod. “But, I mean, she could just be doing those things as part of a cover though. Right?”

“Have you seen the way those two look at each other?” he asked. “That ain’t no cover, mama.”

Adriana sighed. “I suppose you’re right.” She knew he was right. It was obvious they adored each other. If that female broke SE’s heart…

“Look, ultimately, everyone will have to draw their own conclusion, and you all have a past together that I don’t share. I’m sure that makes things less clear cut for you.”

Just a tad.

“Oh—turn here, X. I’m sorry.”

X swung into little lot at the back of the brick building. After he parked the car, he walked around to Adriana’s side, opened her door and helped her out.

They walked in right on time.

The receptionist at the front desk looked up and smiled. “Hi, Adriana. Dr. Sussman will be ready for you in a few minutes. How are you feeling?”

“I’m great. Thanks, Dee.”

A few minutes later, when the nurse came out to get her, Xavier picked up his iPad. “I’ll be waiting right here, Adriana.”

An hour later, X was up at the window checking in with his new friend, Dee. “Excuse me, ma’am. How long do these kinds of check-ups usually take?”

Dee smiled. “She should be out any minute. She’s Dr. Sussman’s last patient today, so they’re probably chatting now. I’ll check on her in a few minutes.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Less than a minute later, X heard a scream from out back. Instantly, he was on his feet.