Siren's Kiss (Seraphine Thomas Book 5) Page 4

  In the sitting area that connected the two double bedroom hallways that had become our library, they had found cute magical library puzzles we’d done and framed. Hagan had actually taken a liking to handling them, matted, and custom done. He had a sharp eye for that kind of thing.

  “This week will be great, and then you can just go in to feed and enjoy your club,” Tommy told me firmly, his eyes filled with worry. I leaned down and kissed his forehead, thanking him before I told them that Alok was coming over to start cooking classes since we’d be eating out at the preview, so I hoped they had fun.

  It brightened the mood in the house a bit, but still I couldn’t look at the twins when I left. What I did catch was Noah’s simmering rage focused on them, and I realized he had a right to be angry. He was my lover too and my vampire, tied to me tighter than my Betas. He’d paid attention and figured out at least in part what was going on with me because for months he’d done nothing but give playful kisses or push me to feed.

  Not once had he tried or alluded to wanting sex. So yeah, it was me in that I had issues, but they had screwed up, as others had been able to do right in helping me even if they couldn’t fix the problem.

  My mind circled around all of that as I drove us to the start of the Purple Line where we could park. Honestly, that was easier than catching the Metra by our house, getting off near one of the Purple Line stops, getting on there, and still we had to switch to the Pink Line to get off at Polk and either walk the seven blocks to the main office or take a cab there.

  Seriously, I didn’t know if not driving all the way would be better in the end or not, but at least Leo and Alvin could get a chance to ride the “L.” I was sort of shocked Alvin hadn’t ever done it, but he was incredibly tight lipped about his time on the streets except with the therapist the boys all went to once a week. If she didn’t specialize in children, I might have already made an appointment for myself because she was good.

  Finding a shrink who was a paranormal and so understood the problems we went through and could be comfortable with us was rare. Too bad because we all had mountains of issues we needed to work out.

  We made the next train just in time, and I situated the boys in seats near the door and stood in front of them holding onto the railing. It gave us the best position to get off if there was a problem and kept anyone from being able to yank either of them out right as doors were closing.

  Paranoid? Fuck yeah I was when they could always be in danger and we were walking into potential trouble.

  About halfway to the loop, the fun wore off and both of them fiddled with their phones, glancing around uncomfortably at all the people. It wasn’t better at the station to switch trains. Hell, I was so nervous, I kept my hand on my gun the whole time as I rushed them along. Finally we got off at Polk, and I was wiped from the night before and standing so long in heels that I wasn’t walking the seven damn blocks.

  “So first time in a cab, which is cool, but will it be like that on the way back?” Leo asked me quietly.

  “No, that’s rush hour crap. I avoid it like the plague,” I explained. They both nodded like they got it, but well, they didn’t. It was one of those things people didn’t get unless they’d lived for a while in a huge, packed city like Chicago and had used public transportation and driven for years.

  Otherwise people were tourists in the crazy.

  “You guys know the drill,” I reminded them as we got out of the cab and headed for the doors since I’d already swiped my debit card to pay. “You answer nothing about where you are or personal now stuff. If you’re not sure, say nothing and check with me. Don’t answer anything you’re not comfortable with. At worst, I’ll leave you with Brian if I get too over protective, but that’s only if they can prove to me there’s really something you know that can help.”

  “We got it. We’ll be good, Sera,” Alvin assured me as we went through security.

  I turned to face them, glancing between them and smiling, realizing what he was implying. “You guys always are. I’m never nervous on how you’ll behave, only that people will push you. You guys could never and have never embarrassed me, okay?”

  “Thanks,” Leo muttered, but Alvin only nodded.

  We took the elevator up, and when it opened, I saw who was standing among the people with Brian, and all the air in my lungs left me in a whoosh. “Jason,” I breathed. I forced myself to step out before the doors closed again, Alvin and Leo reacting to my change in attitude and moving to either side of me protectively.

  Which was adorable, but there wasn’t much either of them could do if there was a real problem.

  Sexy, light blue eyes met mine when the group realized they weren’t alone, and his lips turned into that troublesome grin that always got to me. “Hey, baby, long time no see.”

  I flinched at the pet name, but so did Brian as his eyes went wide. I let out a bitter chuckle. “So he didn’t tell you we know each other? Still playing it all close to the chest, huh, Jason?”

  “Always. You know the game,” he shot back, stepping forward towards me.

  “We don’t play the same game,” I snapped, glancing at Brian with anger. “And you know them well enough I should trust them? You didn’t even check into them enough to know I was in his reserves unit in college? We went through OCS together? Were stationed together on the same carrier?”

  Brian’s shoulders went tense, and the shock was replaced with anger. “If I looked into everyone I crossed paths with on any investigation in this office that far back, that would be all I’d do, Sera.”

  “You’re right,” I conceded, and he lost some of the anger. “But going forward, I would ask you do it when the boys are involved, as you know how big of targets they are.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll make sure to do that.”

  “My, my, you’ve got quite the pull now instead of cute little virgin baby Sera like when we met,” Jason practically purred, and I knew he’d gotten across the point he’d wanted to everyone there. Yeah, he’d taken my virginity.

  “You remember me saying you might be legal adults, but at your age, none of us know our asses from our heads?” I asked Leo and Alvin, deciding quickly how to handle Jason’s unprofessional jab. They both nodded, and I pointed to Jason. “Yeah, he’s the reason I say that.”

  “I miss trusting Sera,” Jason quibbled with a pout.

  “Please, I was never trusting. I knew you for years in college. I thought if there was anyone I could trust, it would be you after all that time.” I gave a shrug. “Besides, you might have gotten the baby virgin, but you were very picky with your conquests, and I still got bumped up several pegs by landing you too.”

  His smile faltered, but always like Jason, he rebounded fast. “Yeah, you couldn’t have been angry with me and had our hot reunion years later.”

  Steam about came out of my ears then, and I took a threatening step towards him. “I wouldn’t brag about that, Jas. There have been lots of convictions now that count being too drunk to agree to sex as being sexual assault, especially when the girl didn’t order any damn alcohol. As long as they’ve said yes once, you can just do whatever you want to them whenever you want, right?”

  His jovial mood left in a flash, and I saw the darkness Jason had in him come out in his eyes before he could hide it. “Don’t put that one on me. You were so fucking nervous and such a baby that you didn’t catch she brought you a sparkling wine instead of water, and when she asked if you wanted another, you agreed. I got drunk too, and then you were gone.”

  I studied him for a moment.

  “He’s not lying,” Harris said from my right, Davis there as well. They’d joined us almost after we’d gotten off the elevator.

  “Yeah, I didn’t think so either.” I gave a firm nod that I appreciated the backup and eased down the tension. “I knew it wasn’t water, but I thought it was a pop, so I didn’t quibble. I’d never had sparkling wine before. I don’t even remember the second glass or anything after.”

&n
bsp; “Shit, baby, was that your first wine or something?” he taunted, rolling his eyes.

  “Yeah, that was my first alcohol.”

  Davis wasn’t the only one who groaned at my shit luck and all of this blowing up.

  But I had something else at the front of my mind, and I switched languages because Jason had the same gift for them as I did and others didn’t need to know my next accusation. “You’re not here for the rabbits. Why would Naval Intelligence give a shit about rabbit shifters and paranormal hunters?”

  The grin came back as he shook his head. “Always so fucking smart. If only you were for anything personal.”

  “Cut the shit, Jas. And stop making this personal or I walk. The mission doesn’t always come first, and everything isn’t always trump cards for later.”

  “German?” Harris asked, and Brian nodded.

  “Sera’s got a knack for languages and accents. It’s why she was always so awesome at undercover work.”

  “That’s the job, Sera,” Jason replied to my earlier statement.

  “Bullshit. Your mission isn’t everyone’s mission, Jas! The ends don’t always justify the means. Everyone is expendable and exploitable to get to your goals, but that’s not the right way to do things when we’ve all got different missions and some aren’t for the good of everyone.”

  “Always so righteous and fucking naive,” he bitched, crossing his arms over his chest. “Always the poor baby who no one loved and graduated early to escape but landed in college at sixteen, finished, and an officer by nineteen no one would take seriously.”

  “You didn’t take me seriously because you were so goddamn jealous I could do what you couldn’t,” I said with a growl. “It’s not my fault Daddy never loved his bastard son who he didn’t acknowledge and you can’t even visit the main family house.” I smiled when that rage came back in his eyes. “Yeah, not so naive, huh? I can look into people’s pasts too, Jas, so be careful about those exploitable factors, as you’ve got them also.”

  “Look, we just need to talk to the rabbits for a bit,” he said smoothly, but I knew something was coming from the look in his eyes. “But I thought there were three of age? Oh right, one of them died?”

  Alvin gave a whimper and started shaking. I pushed both of them behind me before they ended up shifting as Jason poked at their gaping wounds.

  I was about to tell Jason where he could shove his shit when the elevator opened behind us and I felt him before I even heard his voice.

  “Sorry, sorry, traffic was a joke,” Dain apologized, moving up next to me.

  “Why are you here?” I asked, shock throwing me from my anger for the moment.

  “He’s your attorney,” Harris chuckled, and I gave him a look, making my friend and colleague frown. “Sera, he’s your attorney.”

  “I didn’t know that,” I muttered, swinging my head back around to Dain. “Really?”

  “Yes,” he sighed. “Why did you think I was always there for legal matters?”

  “I know you had some sort of background, but I just sign what you guys tell me to. I didn’t know you were an actual attorney. I thought you helped the pack attorney or something. Can you practice here?”

  “I have license in over a dozen states including Illinois and Nevada. I got bored at court and kept taking more tests, as it would benefit our queen,” he explained quickly, taking in the tension in the air.

  “You didn’t need to call a damn attorney, Sera,” Jason bitched.

  “Oh, I’m glad I did with you being involved.”

  “We just need to ask the kids some questions, and you can’t just barge in as their sister, as they’re of age.”

  “Actually she can,” Dain argued before I could lay into Jason. He pulled something out of his briefcase and handed it over. “The adoption is official, and no matter their age, they are children of the Alpha. I assume you know the rights and changes that entails to any questioning, especially outside your jurisdiction, as you are in a military uniform and they are not military?”

  “Can I talk to you a moment? This is not necessary!” Jason asked, going back to German.

  “I suggest you not try other languages to pull anything in front of a fairy, as we can all speak globally,” Dain shot right back.

  “You never stop impressing me,” I complimented Dain, studying Jason closely. “Will you be straight with me if I say yes? This isn’t about the boys.”

  “It is,” Brian argued, but obviously not happy with the situation in front of him. “They might be able to point us in one direction or another.”

  Yeah, neither was I.

  4

  “There is always more to the story with Jason,” I warned Brian. I glanced at the others in the group, seeing a few military uniforms and directing what I said next to them. “The rules are clear about children of an Alpha or any paranormal leader since we have so much power that they can be caught up in too much. You so much as touch them without my permission or theirs, which includes detaining and questioning them after I’ve said no, and I can end you.”

  “We’ll keep the boys right here, Chief,” Harris swore, moving in front of them as did Davis. “They wouldn’t be stupid enough to even try to say hi after your warning with your lawyer present too. I wanted to check how they were doing with their studies anyways.”

  “Fine,” I agreed and stepped closer to Jason. “For once just tell me the end goal and let’s act like adults without all the bullshit, Jas. Things get done faster then.”

  “Fine,” he huffed and led the way to the room they must have been using.

  I had a moment to be distracted by an electronics noise that I didn’t like before I was pushed up against the wall. Jason’s lips found mine as he put my wrists in his hand above my head.

  “Admit you’ve missed me, baby,” he moaned as his other hand moved into my suit jacket and over my breasts.

  “You’ve stooped to recording shit, Jas?” I growled as I pulled against his hand, but he tightened his grip. “Let go or I’ll break your hand. This isn’t happening.”

  “Always so fucking smart,” he grumbled, and then there was a pinch at my neck. Instantly everything went fuzzy, and he went back to kissing me, working open my buttons. I realized he’d drugged me when my vision went dark around the edges and I was dizzy.

  My siren and wolf were instantly on alert, and I felt power flood the room as I faded, about to pass out for real. I did the only thing I could think of to weaken him, as I couldn’t seem to move besides slump against the wall.

  I fed. I fed big from him.

  Seconds later, the door burst open and Jason was gone, Dain catching me when I went to collapse.

  “What did you do to me?” Jason demanded as Dain asked what he’d done to me.

  “Fed,” I answered Jason, but then tried to answer Dain’s question too. “Shot.”

  “You fed from me, and you’re trying to accuse me of something now?” Jason panted from the floor. I saw something shift in Dain’s eyes, and he went from worried to something else.

  “No, of course my client isn’t,” he answered for me. He lifted me into his arms. “She’s just a bit woozy from not eating today. I’ll get her to Chief Havers’s office for a while.” He gave me a steady look as we left, and it hit me.

  Accusing him would do no good, as I healed too fast for there to be proof. I would guess the injection site had already healed, and I would process whatever he’d given me soon.

  That didn’t mean I was going to just let this go.

  “Get the recording,” I ordered Harris at a level I knew only he would hear. He darted into the room as my world went dark.

  “I’ll never call you baby again,” Brian promised as I opened my eyes sometime later, worry in his gaze as he played with my hair. “Are you really not okay from yesterday?”

  He didn’t know the truth. He would start shit over it no matter the proof because it had been done to me. Normally I would have accepted that and let it go, but he also des
erved to know.

  “Tell him,” I commanded Dain, my voice sounding distant and groggy. “He can be trusted, and he has to know who Jas really is.”

  “This is unwise,” he argued but still did as I said.

  “I’ll kill him,” Brian hissed. He had more to say but stopped when I grabbed his hand.

  “He’s not here for the boys.”

  “No,” he agreed. “That might be how he got you here because they did have a lead in what we’re investigating, but you were the goal. After seeing how you were with him, he’s not stupid enough to think if he just called you that you’d come.”

  Which made sense to use the boys to get me in the door, but what would a sex tape be useful for? I’d never give him the boys even then. But he didn’t want them. What could he possibly…

  “That fucking idiot,” I growled and pushed myself to sit up. It was only Dain, Brian, and I, and I felt a thrill of terror race through me.

  “They’re fine,” Dain assured me, probably feeling my mood. “Harris and Davis are in another office with the boys as they listen to different dialects. There were real questions about the man known as Zach Brown, and they admitted to having heard him speak a different language on the phone they didn’t know. Other than that, they know nothing, and the questions were valid. Brian only asked a few, and I allowed that. Nothing more.”

  “Okay, good,” I sighed. He handed me a bottle of my tea from the bag Leo had been carrying, and I thanked him. “Bring Jason in, but I want you both here.” They both advised me against it but did as I wanted. When I laid eyes on Jason, I wanted to throttle him. “Anything for the mission, huh, Jas?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he argued, but I saw something surprising in his eyes.

  “You finally found a line you’re not okay with crossing,” I blurted, more shocked than anything. He met my eyes for just a moment, and I saw the regret in them. “Try not being such a dick and you’ll get better results.” He opened my mouth to say something, probably unflattering, but I cut him off. “What do you want from Alena or the Dorcases?”