“Let’s get you that coffee,” Jake hurried over to the food replicator.
I sat up. “Smart man.”
“That bolt came a wee bit close,” Jake said as he handed me my coffee.
I took a sip. “I hit what I aim at sugar.”
“Good to know.”
The door chime sounded repeatedly.
Geezus. Trayon was persistent. “How much lightning do you think his armor can handle?”
“I’ll deal with him. Go take your shower.”
“Good idea.” Smothering a laugh, I strolled into the bathroom. Sometimes being a crazy bitch had its advantages. Walking into the shower, I let the jets of water do their magic.
Jake called, “How does a breakfast burrito sound?”
“Perfect.” I shut off the shower, braided my hair and hit my bracelet. Armor formed around me. I could get used to having a mate.
Chapter Ten
Trayon waited outside our room. Tendrils of smoke still rose from his armor. He held out a chocolate bar. “For my lady.”
I shot Jake a questioning look.
“Take it.”
I took it. “For future reference, bribing a police officer is against the law.”
“Yes, my lady.” Trayon followed us down the hallway. “Where do we start?”
“I start with a sweat lodge ceremony.”
Trayon’s tentacles stood out from his head. “Sweat lodge?”
“It’s a Navajo shaman ritual.”
“I will come.”
“No. You’re neither Navajo, nor a shaman.”
His tentacles slumped. “I wish to help. My true mate awaits me.”
A romantic Askole? Or a horny one? “You can help by finding all of Lily Begay’s missing sheep. You know, the Navajo woman you terrorized by breaking into her hogan.”
“The old one shot me several times,” Trayon protested.
“What did you expect? You kicked her door in.”
Jake snickered.
“What are sheep?”
I shot him a mental image of Lily’s sheep with their unique red painted brand. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go find them and return them, unharmed, to Lily.”
“Yes, my lady.” Trayon zoomed off.
“Are Lily’s sheep really missing?”
“Nope.”
Jake laughed. “You’re an evil, evil woman.”
“Hey, it’ll keep him busy. Call me curious, but how old is Trayon?”
“He’s three hundred years old,” Jake replied.
“Seriously? He acts like he’s twelve.”
“He’s Sariel’s youngest son.”
“Ah. That explains a lot.”
“What’s up with the sweat lodge ceremony?” Jake asked.
“It helps me focus.”
Jake frowned. “You can’t actually find Dragos women that way.”
“Think of it as a stepping-stone. We first run a criminal history search on any Dragos women who have been arrested. We find the ones who have been very bad girls and then I hunt each one mentally.”
Jake chuckled. “You’re going to give the Askole warriors the worst of the worst.”
“Think of it logically. Who could handle an Askole warrior?”
“A stone-cold bitch,” Jake answered.
“Exactly. You and your family know how it feels to be hunted. Do you really want to track down any woman with psychic abilities?”
The amusement in Jake’s eyes died. “No, I don’t.”
“This way, I’m technically doing what Zarek wants and leaving the innocent women alone.”
“Zarek will know what you’re doing.”
“Maybe, but I’m a cop and a shaman. If Zarek wants my loyalty, he will leave my people alone and let me do this my way.”
“Our way.” Jake leaned down and kissed me. “I’m still a cop at heart.”
“Protect and serve. Those are words to live by.”
“They are. Let’s tap into Central Command’s database and find ourselves some bad girls,” Jake said and waved his bracelet at a door. The doors slid back to reveal a room filled with the best of Coletti technology.
“Wow. Nice, and even better, I know how to use all of this.”
Jake patted a chair. “Sit and let’s get busy.”
I took a seat and connected to Central Command’s criminal history database. The Dragos clan had been very busy. Most of the clan were thieves and conmen. Then you had the kidnappers, extortionists, hitmen, and the ones that dealt in human trafficking.
A woman who went by the name of Jia Stanka caught my attention. At thirty-two she had an extensive criminal history and was a paid assassin with twelve confirmed kills. Jia was also a master thief with a talent to confuse minds, but it was her ability to manipulate electricity that made me choose her. I sent her information over to Jake’s screen. “What do you think?”
Jake let out a whistle. “Bingo. We’ve got a winner.”
“You do realize Jia will try to kill Trayon,” I pointed out.
“I do. Challenging an Askole male to a fight is a sure-fire way to start the mating dance.”
“You and the Askole have a lot in common.”
“Hey, we both want a mate that’s fearless and will stand by our side, no matter what comes.” Jake leaned over and gave me a sensual kiss that stole my breath and addled my senses. “You’re perfect for me.”
“So, if I had been a timid mouse, you wouldn’t have been interested?”
Before he could answer, a seriously pissed off General Jones appeared. “Did you or did you not send Trayon to find some missing sheep?”
I exchanged a worried glance with Jake and nodded. “I did.”
“Were the sheep missing?”
“Ah. No. It seemed like a good way to keep Trayon busy.”
The General’s left eye twitched. “Did it now?”
“What did Trayon do?” Jake asked.
“He collected every sheep within a twenty-mile radius and delivered them to Lily Begay’s hogan.”
“Huh? That was fast.”
“Do you know how many calls Central Command received about an Askole warrior stealing sheep?”
I gave the General a bright smile. “A lot?”
“Eight hundred calls which included the governor and state senators.”
Jake stood up. “We’ll make sure all the sheep are returned.”
“You’re damn right you will.” The General vanished.
“Are Askole warriors always this crazy?”
“Yes.” Jake took my hand.
“Good to know.” There was a flash of black and we appeared next to Lily’s hogan. My jaw dropped. There had to be at least six hundred sheep milling around.
Jake surveyed the animals. “We’re going to need a shitload of trailers.”
“Relax. I know just the person to call.” I tapped my bracelet’s comm-link.
A raspy voice said, “Hubert Transport. How may I help you?”
“Hey Helen, it’s CeeCee. I
