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Authors: Jana Leigh

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BOOK: Perfect Reflection
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“I told you I knew about shifters,” Vander said,
never turning around. He continued to hold Jewel’s hand and kept
speaking. “I guess you’re wondering why she told me.”

“Yeah we are, since humans don’t know we exist,” Lex
growled in response. Both of the powerful shifters tensed as they
waited. They knew she was not sleeping with him, they would have
scented it. Therefore, her partner’s reaction could have been one
of two things, and both could make them kill their mate’s
partner.

“Well that’s a long story. Put simply, I know because
Jewel and Josh, her mate that died, loved me and wanted me in their
lives, so they trusted me enough to include me in their secret. I
will take it to my grave because that is what friends do for each
other. So you don’t have to worry about me telling anyone.” Vander
continued to sit and stare at Jewel while holding her hand.

Retten looked at Lex not knowing what to do about
Vander. He knew he couldn’t hurt him because he was touching his
mate, but he wanted to. Lex moved to the other side of the bed,
took Jewel’s hand in his, and brought it up to his face caressing
it. Vander watched Lex.

“She is going to resist this,” Vander said. “It is
not what you think. She is like my little sister, I just don’t want
anyone to hurt her, you know.”

“Vander, come into the living room,” Ret said as he
walked out the door going into the living room area. Lex put
Jewel’s hand back down, took the small blanket lying at the foot of
the bed, and covered her up. Vander watched Lex before he walked
into the other room, went directly to the bar, and pour himself a
drink.

“Before you get all growly, let me explain. I know
the whole shifter thing is important. However, she just found out
about you two, and she is in shock. She never thought she would
find her true mate,” Vander said.

“You said she was married before?” Ret said.

“Yeah, to her high school sweetheart, Josh. When he
died, she fell apart. It took her a long time to get right in the
head about the whole thing. He was killed in a car crash, his
parents shut her out, and she was left alone. It was she and I for
a long time. She didn’t let anyone in. It was just over the last
few years that she began to loosen up a little. Dude, you look like
an older version of her mate. Seriously, she doesn’t understand it,
but I think she was just at the end of her rope. In the car, she
had no clue how to say that to you. Then this case came along, and
she has been strung tight ever since. Something is bothering her
about this whole thing, but she can’t figure it out,” Vander said
and sat down.

“What?” Ret roared—he was her mate, he did not look
like her dead mate.

“What the fuck is going on?” Jewel demanded from the
doorway.

Ret rounded on her at the same time there was a knock
at the door. Lex held up his hand and walked to the door. All of
them sat silently until the waiter finished and then Lex led him
back out the door, smirking at the way the boy scampered from the
tension.

“I am your mate!” Ret said forcefully when the click
of the door sounded.

Jewel rolled her eyes, walked forward, and sniffed.
“Who ordered?”

“We did,” Lex said and pulled her back and held out a
chair for her. All the guys settled into their chairs and started
eating before anyone spoke again. The tension in the room, however,
had not eased. She wanted to make a smart-ass comment, but she also
knew when to hold her tongue. Therefore, she waited it out, and
soon Ret looked at her with a glare.

“I am not a killer!” he ground out and then waited
for her to acknowledge she knew he was trustworthy.

Jewel chewed slowly and then put down her fork and
looked up at her partner who was trying hard not to smile and laugh
at her predicament.
This was bullshit
, she thought she could
control the situation, but Lex and Ret were both Alphas, and no
matter how strong she was, they were oozing power and control.

“You are not the prime suspect anymore,” Jewel said
reluctantly. “The killer is trying very hard to make you one
though, so we need to figure out why.”

“I have plenty of enemies, you can’t be the Alpha of
one of the largest packs in the world and not have made enemies,”
Ret said slowly and looked at Lex.

His Beta nodded and then shrugged, “I can get a list;
however, it is pretty long.”

“Since the crimes were in two different cities, we
can eliminate most pretty quickly,” Vander said and pointed his
fork at the men. “However, the feel of them is more directed toward
someone or something. The M.O. is distinctive, and shows a lot of
rage, so we have to be looking for someone you pissed off
a
lot
.”

The group continued to eat in silence, Vander had to
feel the tension in the room. Jewel was still trying to come to
terms with the fact that Ret looked so much like Josh. She had no
clue how to talk to them about this, and she was not going to do it
with her partner in the room,
that would be weird
, and so
she waited and shifted in her seat.
Damn, they were making her
panties wet by just sitting with them
.

“I can contact my secretary and have her send over
the files we need. We keep certain things on record. Excuse me,”
Ret said and stood, pulled out a phone, and walked to the balcony.
Lex sighed, sat back, and looked at Jewel intently.

“What are you thinking we have going on here?” Lex
asked.

Vander looked at Jewel before she spoke and he
shrugged his shoulders. “We found his signature but have not told
anyone, only our Commander. It is something we need to keep
quiet.”

Lex leaned forward closely and stared at her, waiting
for her to further explain to him the situation. Unfortunately,
they were interrupted by a knock on the door before Jewel could
speak.

 

Chapter Eight

 

The Redeemer sighed and looked at the woman with
pity. She was tied to the table and whimpering as he talked to her
gently about how she landed in this predicament. It was her own
fault, and she had to realize that. He would never hurt an
innocent,
he was not crazy
, he thought, and then pulled the
ties tighter because this woman was a shifter, and he had no clue
if her strength was going to play into this.

“Madeline, I am sure you will understand and agree.
As the Alpha Redeemer, how could I let someone I don’t trust
actually join my pack? The others would frown upon it if they knew
you were a cheating bitch like the ones we are trying to rid the
world of,” he said softly.

“But I only slept with you, no one else. My mate is
not my true mate, I told you that, we met years ago and since we
couldn’t find the one meant for us—” Madeline whined, cutting off
her words when he growled.

He growled and leaned over the woman and frowned.
“Are you saying my thinking is flawed?”

The woman shook her head and then closed her eyes.
She knew he was right, she was just as bad as the rest of them, and
now that he had gotten what he wanted from her, it was over. He ran
his hands down the body he had allowed to touch his. This was so
different from killing a stranger, more intense—more satisfying. He
should have done this a long time ago, it would have been better
than searching out weak humans, they had not been able to withstand
the torture he dished out and died very quickly. Madeline was going
to be a treat.

He pushed himself back and looked at his tray.
Special instruments for a special lady
, he thought, and then
took the lighter that was on the tray and studied it. There was a
can of sterno he lit, then slowly picked up one of the utensils he
had, a small brand to mark her skin. It was the NYC Pack symbol and
he grinned,
nice
. Using the flame, he heated the metal, then
turned back to her and said, “Are you ready to learn your
lesson?”

She quivered in fear and he could feel himself
getting hard already, the scent was pouring off her, she was
terrified, and well she should. Madeline knew what he was capable
of. He pressed the utensil next to her skin and grinned when he
heard the sizzle and smell of burning flesh.

“You see, I have thought about this. You betrayed
your own Alpha whom you promised to obey, then you slept with me
and betrayed your mate,” the Redeemer said and laughed like he made
sense. “If anyone else would have found out about this, you would
have been killed anyway. So basically I am doing you a favor, with
this cleansing you will be able to repent your sins and meet the
creator with a clean conscience. So, Madeline, what would you like
to confess,” he said in a sing-songy voice and waited.

Madeline gritted her teeth and opened her eyes, she
was finally getting that she was not going to be released or
escape, he was way too powerful for that. Her eyes narrowed at the
man whom she had trusted with her life, she stole from her Alpha
for him.
It was so unfair
; Madeline thought she had finally
found someone who needed her as much as she needed them.

She refused to open her mouth and scream,
this was
going to be so much fun
. He held the brand to the iron again
heating it so she would feel the searing on her skin. She needed to
feel the pain, she needed to confess her sins, he would break
her—there was no other choice.

Once again he pressed the metal to her skin, this
time over her sensitive breast and laughed when he saw her bow off
the table in pain,
oh he was just getting started
, he
thought and laughed. Before that, though, he had to make sure his
cover was still intact.

 

Chapter
Nine

 

 

Ret and Lex excused themselves to the terrace when
there was a knock on the door. While Vander went to answer the
door, Jewel made a phone call. She needed support, and the only one
she knew who could provide it answered the phone.

“Hey, Benny,” Jewel said into the phone. “What the
fuck do you mean you are here, too? That’s bullshit; do you know
where The Wexford is located? Okay, see you then.” Jewel hung up,
pacing back and forth. She was pissed, he was following her but
why? Because he didn’t trust her?

After giving the waiter the empty dishes and seeing
him to the door, Vander turned around and asked, “Well I don’t have
werewolf ears so I don’t know what Benny said. So are you going to
tell me?” as he watched his best friend pace and worry about
something. She was biting her bottom lip, which meant she was
either pissed off or worried about something.

“He is here in New York and he is on his way here to
The Wexford,” Jewel said with a flat tone.

Vander knew her well enough to not try to pull
anything out of her. She would make a decision about what she
thought.

“Wow, that’s convenient. Why is he in New York?”
Vander asked.

“Don’t know. He is always traveling for his job. You
know Benny; he is always around when you need him.” Jewel walked
over to the window opening up the blinds. New York was a beautiful
city, especially at night with all the lights. Vander watched the
thoughts run through her head.

Finally, she turned back to him. “Do you think I am
handling this case right?”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Vander asked
and looked at Jewel incredulously.

“I don’t know, I mean you know Benny, he wouldn’t
come here unless there was something up. Maybe it’s me,” Jewel
said.

“Uh no, I don’t think that is it, I am pretty sure he
is here for a purpose, just ask him,” Vander said and thankfully,
there was another knock on the door.

She could smell that it was Benny at the door so she
opened the door to an older but still good-looking man. He was here
too quickly, but she refused to question why he was here, if she
did, it would drive her crazy.

“Hey, Jewel,” Benny said when she opened the door to
him.

“Hey, Benny, come on in.” Jewel hugged Benny, loving
how he made her feel safe. Benny came in and saw Vander sitting on
the couch. Vander got up and shook Benny’s hand telling him to have
a seat.

Vander knew that Jewel was having a hard time with
this. Her face must have given away something, because Vander asked
for her. “Benny, why are you here?”

“Why? I thought it was obvious, once I actually
opened the file my men gave me I had to come, Jewel, he looks just
like Josh. I mean it was clear to me you would struggle with this,
or suspected him of homicide, fucking right I would come here to
help you,” Benny said with a shrug and then looked at the partners
and grimaced. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Retten Wexford and Lex Doyle are her mates.” Vander
raked his fingers through his hair. “Look, I know I don’t know too
much about mates, but I do know they are all going nuts. You were
right, she needs you, to knock her upside the head,” said
Vander.

Benny looked at Jewel sharply and then back to her
partner, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“When I opened the packet on the airplane I just
knew. Then in the airport it was confirmed by their scents, they
are my mates. We have looked at Ret, and he had strong alibis for
two of the murders, we are having them checked out, but I think he
is being set up,” Jewel said forcefully and stood, she was
confused, so many things happening that didn’t make sense.

“Listen, you know when you find your mate that is it.
You have two, so what. They are not going to be patient forever
though, you need to figure out what is going on and quickly. Who
would want to set up Ret?” Benny said and sat back.

“A lot of people,” Lex said from the balcony doorway
and they all turned. “Including you, Benny.”

Jewel looked at the two men in surprise,
no way,
what the hell were they talking about
? She never heard Benny
say anything about the NYC Pack or it’s Alpha. She watched as the
men entered the room and took a seat on either side of her, like
they had already claimed her. She went to stand and both of them
gripped her thigh.

BOOK: Perfect Reflection
8.88Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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