Passion's Prey

came through a side door. Everyone took the stage except Rome, who stood there looking at her like he’d lost his best friend. The fact that his slacks and suit jacket were black added to his somber facade. His shoes were shined as always, the dark-chocolate hue of his skin and deep brown eyes lending its own air of resignation to his stance.

“Oh God, X,” she said rushing toward him, falling into his open arms.

He shook his head, enfolding her against his chest, holding her there tightly. “No. It was Seth.”

The strangled cry that came from her then was heartfelt and cut through her with a ruthless intensity that had tears stinging her eyes. “What happened?” she asked, pulling back just enough to look into her husband’s somber brown eyes.

“Rogues” was all he said.

Kalina could tell this was hard for him. His teeth clenched so tight a muscle ticked in his jaw.

“They’re all here,” Eli whispered to Rome.

Rome nodded and kept his arm around Kalina. She took the stairs to the stage before him, but felt comforted by his hand at her back. Eli and Jax followed them both just like shadows. She could literally hear them breathing behind her, they were so close.

When Rome approached the podium it took only a few seconds for silence to fall over the room like a drape. His presence beckoned obedience throughout. Maybe it was because of the pure power his six-foot-two-and-a- half-inch stature exuded, or it could have been the calm that emanated from him regardless of the situation. Whatever the cause, the guards sat straight in their chairs or stood with legs partially gaped, hands clasped in front of them, eyes focused on their leader, waiting for his command. He stood strong, Kalina standing right beside him. She’d been clasping and unclasping her hands until he reached down and laced his fingers through hers.

“We’ve just been alerted that Seth Jamison is dead. As many of you may already know, Seth was attacked earlier this morning. The attack was not by a human.”

Collective sighs, curses, and gasps sounded immediately. Rome lifted a hand to silence them.

“His vehicle was recovered. We’re reviewing the video that was picked up from his dashboard camera. Preliminarily I will say that it was a shifter of unknown variety.”

More comments and some slamming and stomping filled the room. Jax stepped even closer to Kalina.

“For now, we will stand down,” Rome continued.

The crowd did not like those words.

Rome spoke even louder, so that it sounded like his voice would break every speaker in the place.

“I said for now,” he reiterated, taking a slow, deep breath before continuing. “But we will find out who did this and when we do, he and whoever he’s connected to will pay.”

Now there was applause. From her peripheral vision she could see that even Nick clapped. At that Rome stepped to the side and nodded to Nick.

The butter-toned shifter who stood about an inch above Rome was dressed in a navy-blue suit, crisp white shirt and sky-blue tie. On his left hand he wore a diamond-encrusted wedding band. On his right wrist was a Tag Heuer, its face glistening in the spotlight that had been lit on the podium. And when he spoke, as with Rome, there was complete silence, absolute obedience. This could be attributed as much to Nick’s volatile nature as his sculptured good looks and lethal candor.

“We will increase the patrols around Havenway. Jamison’s parents will be brought here to stay for the burial ritual. Five troops will head into the city and form a perimeter around Athena’s. Reports are to come in hourly on who goes in and who comes out. If we get a visual of Seth’s attacker from the video we’ll email it securely to all the guards on duty.” Nick paused for a minute, both his hands gripping the sides of the podium as if he were holding on to the last bit of his control. “We will not immediately attack to kill. If at all possible we want this bastard alive … at least for a while longer,” he said.

There were murmurs, disagreements, of course.

But Nick continued. “This is the mandate of our Assembly leader. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, is to deviate from these orders.” There was no mistaking the seriousness to Nick’s tone. While he may disagree with the way Rome decided to handle certain things, he had nothing but respect for the man as their leader and would gladly dish out a tremendous beat-down to anyone who dared go against him.

Kalina stood back, watching the crowd, listening to the words being spoken, but it didn’t seem real. Just last night she’d seen Seth and Lucas, the teenage Topetenia who’d come back to the States with them after they’d visited the Gungi to find Ary. Seth had been training Lucas, giving him kickboxing lessons and teaching him how to handle different weapons. He’d said Lucas was a fast learner, and Kalina could tell the man had received much joy from sharing his knowledge with the teen. Seth would lead one day, Kalina remembered thinking. He’d definitely have his own guard team very soon; both Rome and Nick had noticed the young’s man abilities, which was why they’d entrusted him to guard Caprise.

And now he was gone.

Her heart ached at the thought of how his parents must feel, how any parent would feel at such a loss. And for a moment she wondered if her parents—her real parents, the ones who’d been born and lived in the Gungi— had felt the same loss when they’d sent her away.

As the meeting ended she was once again escorted by Rome, with Jax and Eli pulling up the rear.

“I didn’t see Lucas,” she said when they walked out of the gymnasium heading toward their rooms.

“He’s probably still in the medical center. Once he heard Seth had been hurt he raced there and wouldn’t leave Ary’s side as she and Papplin worked on him.”

Dr. Frank Papplin was a shadow who had obtained his medical degree from a human college. He worked at a human hospital, when he wasn’t here at Havenway assisting Ary in the medical center and teaching her all he knew about Western medicine. Ary, in turn, was teaching Papplin about healing shifters as a curandero. Together with the small staff Ary had acquired, they were both making Havenway’s medical center a safe and knowledgeable place for the shifters to receive treatment.

“I want to see him,” she said insistently the moment they stopped in front of the door to their rooms.

Rome shook his head. “Not right now, Kalina. We need to get X back here. Somebody has to tell Caprise. Nick and I have to coordinate the teams to go out tonight. And I need you to find out what the cops know about the incident.”

She was torn, once again, between her duty as the wife of a shifter leader and the instincts of a woman who’d lived her entire life trying to belong. Kalina didn’t know why, but she’d gotten the impression that Lucas was a loner, even though he was born and raised with the tribe. No one had claimed him, no one had argued when Rome said he was coming with them. She wondered why.

“Rome, he’s new here. Baxter’s been teaching him English but he barely understands what we’re saying, let alone watching the man he’d come to adore as a trainer die. He doesn’t need to be alone.”

Rome was opening the door to their room when he looked over his shoulder. “I hear what you’re saying, baby. But this is the priority. Once we’re finished here you can go to him.”

Kalina knew what he was saying was right, she just didn’t like it. “Tell Baxter to get him some food and let Lucas know I’ll be there shortly,” she said to Jax as she followed her husband into their room.

The suite of the Assembly leader and the First Female were of course the grandest in Havenway. They actually consisted of five rooms adjoined by computer- and sensor-locked doors. There was the bedroom, which was the largest of all the rooms; their private bath; a small kitchenette that connected to the living room; Rome’s private office; and on the far end a small conference room. That’s where they were headed now. Only seconds later Nick and Ezra joined them.

“Call X,” Rome said. Eli immediately went to the phone, which sat on a side table in the room.

Kalina took a seat next to the chair at the head of the table. She always sat on Rome’s right. Nick would take the seat on his left. If X were here he’d sit next to Kalina. Their guards would normally sit at the table with them. Today Ezra stood right behind Nick’s chair. When Eli finished initiating the call he would move to stand behind Rome and Jax would return to take his stance near Kalina. They were now officially on high alert.

The room was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts as they faced what would be called their first shifter loss since the battle with the Rogues began.

“He’s not picking up his cell,” Eli said.

Nick frowned. “Call Bas,” he told him.

Caprise was with X. She’d had sex with him and now they were both in Sedona, thousands of miles away