Things That Go Hump In The Night (14 page)

She nodded.

"Assuming you pass the background check, the second thing I'm gonna do is review your personal security, because I hear you're having a problem."

Nicole nodded again. Her eyes returned to the white scar across Aquila's throat as she tried to figure out just
why
he terrified her.

Was it just because he was a werewolf?

But then, why didn't
she
have that effect on people?

Aquila began firing questions at her, and she did her best to answer honestly, beginning with why she was using an alias.

His questions were mostly all of the standard background investigation things she expected, with a few added queries to encompass her status as a shape-shifter—where had she lived before moving to the city? How long had she lived in her previous residences? Had she ever been arrested? Convicted of a crime? Was she in debt? Had she ever seriously injured or killed anyone, either in human or wolf form? Was she sworn to an alpha?

Mark did not use a laptop, or even a pad of paper and a pen. He just listened intently and asked her question after question, sometimes asking her to clarify something.

Then he asked her something that she literally could not answer. "Who turned you into a shape-shifter? Where are they now?"

Conscious that Mark could probably hear her heightened heartbeat, Nicole tried to speak despite the warning pulse of pain shooting through her head.

But her throat muscles seized up and no sound emerged.

Finally she managed, "I can't tell you who did this to me. And I don't know where he is now. I'm sorry."

She dropped her gaze to the surface of the table and waited for Mark to tell her that she had failed his test.

He waited for a few long moments, until it became clear that she wasn't going to add anything to her statement. All the while, she could feel in his intense gaze burning into the top of her bowed head.

She heard him sigh. "Okay," he said, to her surprise. "Let's move on."

Nicole looked up, startled, and found him studying her with an unexpectedly compassionate expression.

Then he asked his next question, and she hurried to answer.

"I'm not gonna bother with the drug and alcohol questions," Aquila said, an hour later. "I can smell that you're clean." He wrinkled his nose briefly. "And...did you really have
curry
for breakfast, Ms. Jaeger?"

He sat back, signaling that the interrogation was over. And suddenly, he seemed less scary.

"Leftovers from Shalimar," Nicole explained ruefully. "You should ask Gabriel to take you. It's not fancy, but it's clean, and they have the best Indian food in the city."

Aquila glanced at his watch. "Or
you
could take me right now," he suggested. "It's nearly noon, and I'm starving. And while we're having lunch, we'll talk about your personal security issue. And about getting you some proper training."

"Training?" she asked blankly. "For what?"

She had a brief mental image of Aquila taking her to a firing range and putting a gun in her hand.

He just looked at her patiently, until she twigged. "Oh. You mean there's really training for how to be a—a werewolf?"

Aquila winced a little. "We refer to ourselves as shape-shifters. Too many bad movies, not to mention that not all of us turn into wolves."

We? Us? You mean there are more shape-shifters out there?
Nicole wasn't sure whether she was happy or horrified to find out that she wasn't a lone freak.

"But
you
are a wolf," she said, not sure why she was so certain.

"Yeah. Which is why I'm the one who's gonna train you." He raised a finger when she started to protest. "
Not
negotiable. You need to be able to control your shape-shifting, or you're gonna continue to be a menace to everyone around you."

* * *

Nicole and Aquila made it to Shalimar five minutes ahead of the lunch rush and ordered their food at the counter, with Sameer being his usual surly, impatient self. To Nicole, at least.

Aquila got wary courtesy. Well, the man
did
have an aura of danger and controlled violence.

Nicole badly wanted to ask him if the CIA assassin story was true, but she didn't quite dare.
Maybe once our food arrives.

Grabbing the little plastic marker stamped with their order number, they found an empty booth at the back of the restaurant that gave them some privacy.

After a quick look around to ensure no one was within earshot, Aquila leaned forward over the table.

"All right, Gabriel told me you've got a stalker. What I can't figure out is why in Jupiter's name a
werewolf
would be running scared. Just kill the bastard and hide his body."

He grinned at her shocked look, his gray eyes crinkling at the corners.

"If you want, I can give you some pointers on how to avoid detection and arrest, since you're new at this." He paused while she tried to figure out if he was serious or just messing with her. "Think of it as part of your training," he added.

"Mr. Aquila, you're kidding, right? I can't
kill
anyone," she protested.
Especially not someone—
something
—like Erik.

She shuddered at the thought of confronting his cold malevolence and the magic he could summon with just a word or two.

Aquila noticed her shudder and rolled his eyes. "Lemme get this straight, Ms. Jaeger. You've spent
how
many years living in fear of this guy? You've had to leave your job and move
how
many times?" He spoke in disgusted disbelief. "Who the hell turned you into a shape-shifter, and what the hell were they thinking? You're a fucking disgrace to our kind."

Stung by his contempt, Nicole let her temper get the better of her. "The same person who's stalking me now," she snapped. "And he did it because he said it made me more
interesting and unique
."

And delicious.
That had been the worst part of it...knowing that Erik was feeding on her life-energy, but being unable to do anything to fight back.

Aquila's expression of contempt turned into something more thoughtful.

"I
thought
there might be something more to your story," he said, his rasping voice quiet now. "You think he's tracking you through his bond with you? Was he your alpha?"

Unsure of exactly what an
alpha
was, she shrugged. "Something like that. I don't know—he just did this to me and never bothered to explain anything. And I was too busy trying to get away from him to want to get to know him better."

"And you're not telling me everything, are you?"

Nicole shook her head. She wanted to explain, but in addition to concealing the existence of the red string bracelet, Erik's spell meant she couldn't tell anyone anything about him that would identify him. He was a clever, ruthless bastard.

Right after escaping from him, she had gone home for a brief visit. Penniless and traumatized, she had tried to tell her parents where she had been for the past year and what had happened to her. She had been racked by pains so intense she thought she was going to die.

Oh God, she didn't want to think about this right now. Didn't want to relive the agony on her parents' faces as they saw what had been done to her.

Didn't want to remember their angry disbelief when she forbade them from calling the cops.

In the end, they had loaned her enough money so that she could purchase a new identity and find a job in another city.

"The more you tell us, the better we can help you," Aquila said, but to her relief, he didn't press her, just waited for her to offer more information.

Nicole struggled with the limits of what the whammy would allow her to say. "I don't want anyone to get hurt. This guy—he's
really
dangerous. He—" But she found herself unable to force the next words.
He's a demon. A monster. Powerful.

His expression carefully neutral, Aquila studied her for a few moments.

"All right," he said finally. "First things first. I'll teach you what you need to know, starting with how to control your shape-changing and how to maintain control when you're in wolf form."

Wait, you can do that? Stay in control?
Nicole's interest perked.

"How are you controlling yourself now?" Aquila asked her. "You've been in this city for a while, and I haven't heard about any wild animal attacks or unexplained dog maulings."

"I keep a cage in my basement," she answered, keeping her voice low because the tables around them were beginning to fill up.

Aquila looked appalled.

"That's it. Training starts tonight," he said. "If you work at it, you won't need the cage anymore." He started to say something else, and she saw him stop himself. He sighed. "You need to come clean with Gabriel. Tell him you're a shape-shifter, Ms. Jaeger."

"I can't!" she blurted. Then she thought about it. "Wait," she said slowly. "Does he know about you?"

Aquila nodded. "I promised I wouldn't out you, and I won't, but I think you need to be completely honest with him."

"So Gabriel won't think I'm crazy?" Nicole asked, more to herself than to him.

"Well, I can't guarantee
that
," Aquila said dryly, as a harried waiter approached with their food. "But you should do it anyway. Secrets, especially big ones like this, have a habit of backfiring."

"I'll think about it, Mr. Aquila," she promised.

The thought of confessing her deepest secret to Gabriel terrified her. Telling him would leave her more naked and more vulnerable that merely taking off her clothes.

Chapter 8 – Persuasion

Gabriel usually spent his lunch hours in his office, catching up on his email. It was really the only time of the business day when he wasn't in meetings or on phone calls.

He was in the middle of reading a message from his father, which said that he would be in town on Wednesday and that he would like to meet with Gabriel and Rafe for lunch, when his door opened.

Mark Aquila strolled in, wearing an unreadable expression, and closed the door behind him.

Gabriel paused in typing his reply.

"So how did the background check go? Do we hire or fire Ms. Jaeger?" He kept his tone deliberately cool, not wanting to betray himself.

Mark sighed heavily, reached into his jacket, and pulled out a slim leather billfold. He extracted a crisp $100 bill and threw it on Gabriel's desk with a flick of his wrist.

"I was convinced that the stalker story would turn out to be complete bullshit," he growled. He met Gabriel's gaze. "Hire her. She's not a nutcase, and she wasn't lying about the stalker or any of her background info. And just for the record, I fucking hate it when you're right, kiddo."

Gabriel nodded, suppressing a smile. It had been a very long time since Mark had called him
kiddo
.

"Two more things," Mark said, not bothering to take a seat. "First: I'm gonna be staying a while so I can train Nicole. Did you know that she's been waiting until she's on the verge of losing control of her beast-magic, then locking herself into a fucking
cage
when she's forced to shift?" He sounded outraged.

Gabriel sighed. That had been bothering him, too. "Yes. That's one of the reasons I was glad you were available to come here in person."

Mark nodded. "Second: there's something weird going on, and I think it's something
you
need to look into. When I asked her about the shape-shifter who turned her, and who's also apparently her stalker, she couldn't tell me much about him. She wanted to, but
couldn't
. I saw her struggling to speak. Maybe it's psychological, but maybe...it's not."

"And you think
I
can figure out if her reticence is natural or if someone has been tampering with her?" Gabriel asked, remember how few concrete details she had given him. And there had been something a little odd about her aura, especially on her left arm. "Remember, I wasn't trained in magic, but science."

"You're still better suited to it than I am," Mark answered. "Don't tell her I said this, but I like her, and I think she'll be good for you. Do right by her."

He turned to go.

Gabriel said softly, "I intend to do whatever it takes, if she'll let me."

* * *

After her interesting but somewhat unsettling lunch with Mark Aquila, Nicole returned to her desk and began coding a new feature for the next software build.

Shortly thereafter, a new email message popped up. It was from Gabriel, so Nicole stopped what she was doing and opened the message. It said simply:

Mark tells me you passed the background check with flying colors.

Say yes to the job offer. You won't regret it. —G.

Nicole stared at the words, torn.

She wanted to stay here, wanted it more than any other place she'd ever lived as an adult. Wanted to keep working with Rafael Amestra and the rest of the smart, funny people who made up the Archangel product development team.

Wanted to get to know Gabriel
much
better.

I'll protect you
, he had said, with utter sincerity.

But could he really?

Last night, she would have said
no
, but she had just discovered that Gabriel had a werewolf working for him.

What other resources might he be able to draw on?

Maybe, just maybe, Erik could be stopped this time.

You've spent how many years living in fear of this guy? You've had to leave your job and move how many times?
Even in memory, the contempt and disgust in Aquila's voice still stung.

Mr. Aquila was right. It was time to stop running away.

She wanted to stay, and she wanted Gabriel. And there was only one way she could have both of those things.

* * *

"Yes," said Nicole, her heart pounding as she stood in front of Gabriel's desk a short time later. "I'll take the job."

She liked how Gabriel's eyes lit up at her news.

"Excellent," he said warmly. "I'm so happy that you'll be staying on with us, Nicole."

"There's just one thing," she said.

He smiled. "Yes?"

"Sachin's old office is empty, and I want out of the cube farm," Nicole told him. "If you gave it to me, then I'd be next door to Rafe, instead of halfway across the building."

She hated when she was concentrating and someone came into her cube and stood right behind her.

Edmund, one of the QA engineers, thought it was funny to see her jump when he did it. He had
no idea
how close he'd come to being attacked by Nicole's wolf last week. 

Gabriel sat back in his chair. "We were going to put the new Marketing Communications Director in that office when she starts in next month." He gave Nicole a wicked smile. "But I'm open to persuasion. Convince me."

Nicole gave him an outraged look and put her hands on her hips. "You've
got
to be kidding," she said flatly.

He raised his hands in defeat. "Guilty as charged. The office is yours for the asking, of course. But it would be nice if you
pretended
you had to convince me..."

He made a doleful face, and she laughed.

Then she caught his scent, and a wave of intense desire swept over her. He was so damned gorgeous, lounging in his chair with an air of authority, and she wanted him.

"Okay," she said and walked around his desk.

Her heart was pounding again, but it was from excitement rather than fear.

He tilted his head back and watched her warily as she bent over him, her hands on the arms of his chair, and leaned close enough to kiss him.

"Mr. Amestra," she said in a low, breathy voice, her lips just barely brushing his with each word. "Please give me an office. I'll do
anything
."

She saw him swallow hard. "Prove it, Ms. Jaeger," he whispered.

So she kissed him, soft and deep, sliding her tongue between his firm, sensual lips, boldly exploring his mouth.

Gabriel returned the kiss with enthusiasm, and she felt his hands slide up her arms to her shoulders, drawing her down onto his lap.

"The office door—someone might walk in—" she managed some time later, surprised she was able to talk at all.

She was straddling him now, the leather executive chair creaking a little under their combined weight.

Gabriel reached out and pushed a button on the side of his desk.

"Locked now," he murmured and kissed her ear before taking her lobe between his teeth, which sent delicious shivers of sensation down her spine.

"Mmm, I like it when you use your teeth," she said.

He responded by nipping his way lightly down her throat, which only made her arousal flare hotter, brighter. She moved her hands from the chair arms and clutched at his hard biceps instead as he moved lower and pressed his face between her breasts.

The bracelet gave an icy warning pulse against her skin.

It was concealed as usual, pushed high on her forearm and hidden by the long sleeves of the knitted cotton sweater she wore over her jeans in deference to the cool, rainy late-winter weather.

Gabriel tugged the sweater up, revealing her tummy and plain, everyday bra. Her nipples were hard with desire, poking against the padded cups.

Nicole held her breath as his face came close to her breasts.

Then he bit one of her nipples through the bra, and she wanted to come on the spot. He repeated the caress with her other breast and continued switching off until she was panting.

At last he pulled down her bra and used his mouth on her bare breasts, licking and sucking the sensitized nipples until she thought she was going to either explode or lose her mind.

She writhed on his lap and tried to rub herself against his erection, desperate to get some relief from the throbbing, intense ache between her legs. Gabriel held her at bay with an unbreakable grip as he continued to torment her breasts.

"Gabriel...please," she begged, finally, which seemed to be the signal he'd been waiting for.

"Stand up," he ordered.

Nicole scrambled off his lap and found herself leaning back against his desk as he bent to kiss her again. His mouth was hard and possessive, and when he pressed against her, she felt his erection pushing against her belly.

Oh God, she wanted him so badly!

She felt him unzip her jeans and eagerly helped him push them down. One arm circled her waist, supporting her, while his free hand slid down the front of her panties and his long, strong fingers explored the hot, wet folds of her pussy.

"Fuck me, Gabriel," she begged, utterly shameless now.

He shook his head, to her intense frustration. "Not yet."

Then he slowly circled her clit with a fingertip, and she gasped.

"But I'm going to make you come," he said hoarsely. "Right here, right now. I want to hear you beg for it."

"Yes! Please..." She tilted her hips, pushing against his hand.

He continued to tease her clit lightly with his finger, sending electric jolts of pleasure through her every time he brushed against it. She was so close...she just needed him to touch her a little harder.

"Gabriel...
please
...," she whispered fiercely, digging her fingers into the hard muscle of his forearms.

He pushed a finger inside her, then another, then a third, stretching her in an indescribably pleasurable way. She spread her legs eagerly for him and moaned, feeling the edge of his desk pressing against her buttocks.

"I love it that you want me as badly as I want you," he murmured.

He slid his fingers partway out of her and thrust them back in, making her moan softly as they rubbed tantalizingly against her aroused nerves. He began to move, using his thumb to rub her clit with every thrust of his hand as he worked his fingers in and out of her slick, hungry entrance.

Nicole imagined it was his hard cock driving into her and felt her climax gathering like a storm.

Gabriel kissed her, drinking in the soft sounds she was making.

"You are so beautiful and sexy," he whispered between kisses. "I love touching you, love making you feel good."

He picked up the pace of his thrusts, and she writhed around his fingers, arching against the delicious friction of his thumb against her clit. She was so close now...just a little more...

Gabriel bent, and she felt his teeth close around her earlobe.

The jolt was enough to send her over the edge. Pleasure exploded inside her like a lightning strike on water, sending ripples of intense sensation coursing through her body.

Nicole drew a shuddering breath and panted, trying not to make any noise as she pulsed around Gabriel's impaling fingers, drowning in a sea of exquisite sensations.

He was kissing her, his tongue taking possession of her mouth as he continued to caress her, drawing out her orgasm in wave after wave of pleasure.

Gabriel gentled his touch, withdrawing his fingers as Nicole began to come down from her climax. He continued to stroke her clit lightly, summoning every last ripple of sensation.

When her orgasm had subsided at last, she slumped against his desk, her legs feeling shaky in the aftermath. She shivered as a cold draft moved across her skin and felt the prickle of gooseflesh over her exposed belly and bare legs.

As rational thought slowly returned, she realized she had just walked into her boss's office, made out with him, and let him finger her...on his
desk
.

And she didn't regret a moment of it, though her teeth were chattering in the aftermath.

Nicole
hated
winter, even the mild, rainy winters here.

As if sensing her sudden discomfort, Gabriel gently put her underwear to rights, pulled down her sweater with another lingering kiss, and bent to retrieve her jeans from under his desk.

As Nicole pulled them on, she said shyly, "What about you? I mean,
you
didn't—" She swallowed, hard. "I swear I won't freak out on you this time."

She would use her hand, she decided.

Gabriel followed her glance down to his unrelieved erection and shook his head, looking regretful. "I have a meeting with Velosity Marketing in—" he glanced at a small digital clock on his desk "—five minutes." He grinned. "I think I'm going to have to bring a file folder and sit down behind the conference table as quickly as possible."