“Elder,” Rome said as calmly and respectfully as he could. “You don’t understand.”
Alamar only shook his head as he rose, his body rigid as he stared at Rome. “You are the one who does not understand, Faction Leader.”
“She’s Rome’s mate?” X asked, obviously not sure if this was what the Elder was getting at.
“As a leader of our people you know the legend,” Alamar stated, stepping back only slightly from Rome.
It was Rome who cleared his throat, moving just a little farther from the Elder. “A companheiro is the lifetime partner of a shifter. The two are born to be together, to continue the species, and to build solidarity among the people. Once they complete the joining they cannot be separated unless by death. The scent of a companheiro is unique to each couple, a shared aroma that pulls them together in an urge to mate, to consummate the union. It is called the companheiro calor,” Rome recited as if he were a schoolboy in front of the classroom.
“Holy shit,” Nick sighed, sitting back in his chair to stare at Rome. “Kalina Harper is your mate.”
“No!” Rome said, then clapped his lips shut. The denial was too strong, too loud, the sound rubbing raggedly against his skin. “I don’t believe in this mating-for-life thing. It’s just an old legend. Besides, Kalina would know if she were a shifter.”
Alamar made an indistinguishable sound. “Do not blaspheme our traditions. It is those who came before us who made it possible for you to be where you are. They have seen much, know much. The legend is true. And she may not have had the acordado yet.”
“The awakening,” X whispered, still staring incredulously at Rome.
“In females it takes a little longer for the shift to take place. But if you are scenting her, if you have taken her into you, then her acordado is coming.”
Rome attempted to deny that he’d been inhaling Kalina’s scent like an addict would cocaine in the last week or so. But he kept that to himself. The thought of Kalina shifting into a cat was something he’d never considered and didn’t want to entertain at this moment. This whole idea of companheiros and calor, joinings and awakenings—it was all ridiculous. He didn’t believe a word of it, would not believe it. He could not.
“With all due respect, Elder, I decide if there’s one person for me,” Rome stated adamantly. “We are not in the forest.”
“No, Faction Leader, the forest is in you.”
Nick and X remained silent as Rome’s temples began to throb.
“You cannot take out that which is a part of your soul, your blood, your heritage. You are a Shadow Shifter, one of the legendary men who are also beasts. Your entire existence is a legend to some, a truth to others.” He nodded toward X and Nick. “You are also a leader of many. To deny what is your destiny is not an option.”
“I have given my life to the Assembly, dedicated my time and my money to the care of the tribes. This,” he said insistently, “I cannot give them. I am not looking for a mate, nor will I accept one on legend alone.”
The fact that he was blatantly going against the word of an Elder was not lost on Rome. It was a serious offense, one that could cost him his role as Faction Leader. But he didn’t care. He would not be linked to a woman just because their legend said so. It was yet another responsibility to him, one he was not willing to take on. Another life he would be responsible for protecting.
Besides, a companheiro had to also be a shifter. Which Kalina was not.
He left the room before anyone could speak another word, before the legend could begin to make any more sense given what was going on around them.
“Is she a shifter?” Nick asked X when they were leaving Rome’s place later that morning.
“She has to be,” X answered.
“But why wouldn’t she just tell Rome what she was?”
“Maybe she doesn’t know. Maybe she’s a half-breed like us and was raised to believe she was human.”
Nick sighed, approaching the driver’s side of his Porsche. “So what does Chavez want with her? You can only be a lifetime mate to one cat. If Kalina is Rome’s mate, why does Chavez want her?”
X shrugged. “You know some always want what others have.”
“But nobody knows Rome has her. He just met her a few days ago.”
“Are you sure about that?” X asked.
Nick looked contemplative. “No, I guess I’m not. So we need to find out who Kalina’s parents were. Because if she’s about to make her first shift and the Rogues have picked up her scent, we’re looking at a much bigger problem than we first thought.”
X nodded. “I’m on it. I’ll check in with you later. What about Rome?”
Nick thought for a moment about the pensive look on his friend’s face, about the fact that he knew Rome’s hesitancy. A mate would be someone close to him—someone he could lose, the way he’d lost his parents. That type of loss would devastate Rome, most likely driving him to a deadly rage. It wasn’t something Rome ever wanted in his life. He would fight it like a vicious attack were it to be true.
“Let’s keep this quiet for now. We’ll tell him what he needs to know when he needs to know it.”
“You don’t think he needs to know it now?” X asked.
“You want him killing every Rogue in this city without giving a damn who sees him or finds out about us? Because that’s exactly what he’ll do once he realizes they’re out to take his mate.” Nick took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and looked around to the clear summer’s day. “I want to exterminate those bastards as much as anybody else, but I don’t want all that blood on Rome’s hands. He’s dealt with enough. Let’s find out what the threat is before we pull him in.”
“He’s not going to like us keeping shit from him,” X said, opening the car door and sliding inside.
Nick followed, putting the key in the ignition. “True, but we’re his friends. He’s not going to snap our throats. He’ll thank us later.”
“Don’t bet on it,” X said as they pulled out of Rome’s driveway. “And get yourself a full-size car or a truck, man. This tight-ass toy car makes my legs hurt.”
“That’s because your thick-ass body wasn’t built for a sleek, smooth vehicle such as this. Me, on the other hand—” Nick slipped on dark Ray-Ban shades. “—I look damn good behind the wheel of this puppy.”
Chapter 17
Kalina had just finished dressing and was on her way out the door headed for work. She was already going to be late, but at least she’d called.
She really needed to close this case and get on with her life. This attraction to Rome had been a source of conflict for far too long. And she wasn’t about to let sex—even terrific mind-blowing sex—mess up her career aspirations. Roman Reynolds was a job and nothing else.
He’d sealed that deal the moment he climbed out of that bed, leaving her there to wake alone.
It was petty and probably a small thing to a more experienced woman. But to Kalina, who had taken only two lovers in her adult life, all before the incident two years ago, it was a big deal. Sleeping with a suspect was something she’d never imagine she’d do. But she had, because she’d felt something deep inside when Rome looked at her. She’d felt … like she belonged. To him, in his life, somewhere, finally.
But it was an illusion. No, it was a hit-and-run, a booty call that she’d answered like a wanton hussy. He’d probably kidnapped her—she was still fuzzy on exactly how she came to be in his house, in his bed. She remembered Mel and the cookout—which meant she’d have to face the cheerful woman this morning and explain why she’d gone AWOL on her last night. She remembered something else, too—eyes that glowed in the night. The thought sent a chill right down her spine.
Surely she was seeing things—again. No, that wasn’t possible; crazy didn’t go on hiatus for two years then resurface. On the short drive to work she thought about that over and over again. What had she seen, and was it real? Kalina also thought about Rome, about how she would react facing him again. That was an easy fix: She wouldn’t go near him. She would stay in her department and find a link between Rome’s money and that cartel in South America. In the several texts that she’d received from Ferrell yesterday after she’d ignored his first one,
