Wild Embrace (28 page)

Revel hadn't even blinked at Kenji's presence. That made no sense, not when the other man and Garnet had only been on two dates so far. Kenji's reputation and tendency to flirt with Garnet alone should've made Rev bristle. Garnet deserved bristling, deserved a man who knew her worth and was ready to fight to keep her by his side.

Kenji wanted to snarl at the idea that anyone would take her for granted.

“The man who avoids relationships like the plague knows so much about how to treat a lover?” A laser-sharp question, Garnet's gaze so direct it was unsettling.

Standing his ground, he said, “If I had a chance at a lover like you, then yeah, I'd push my claim. Hierarchy be damned.” The words came out a near growl, his claws pricking at the insides of his skin as his wolf, forgetting all the reasons it shouldn't, readied itself to do exactly that.

“Careful, Kenji.” Garnet ran a clawed hand over his cheek and down his throat, her voice soft, a warning and a dangerous invitation both. “I might start to take you seriously.”

Kenji shuddered, unable to control his visceral response to Garnet's challenge. Her eyes gleamed. “You and I are overdue for a conversation,” she said slowly. “We'll be having it after we put this situation to bed.”

His blood was still pumping when they left the office to walk back to Athena's quarters, his wolf an inch from his skin. He'd betrayed himself and Garnet had caught him.
Shit
. All these years, he'd been right to keep his distance—put him close to Garnet for a few hours
and he lost it, became that lovesick boy again. Only now, his emotions were impossibly stronger.

Because Garnet? She was no longer the girl he'd worshipped; she'd become a tough-as-nails lieutenant who was respected and loved by her packmates. And she'd done it without changing herself or losing the ability to play with their most innocent. Was it any wonder that the more he saw of the woman she'd become, the deeper he fell?

He was fucking screwed.

“Door's open,” Garnet said when they reached Athena's apartment. “Athena,” she called out.

The other woman's voice was barely audible but it appeared to come from the direction of the bedroom. “Come in, Jem.”

Kenji went with Garnet to the bedroom door but stayed outside while she went in to talk to the older woman—who'd struck him as delicate in spite of her earlier spirited defense of her lover. Kenji had delicate packmates in his den, too, ensured they were safe and protected and happy, same as the rest of his denmates, but he'd never been attracted to delicate.

He wanted to pat those men and women on the head and say, “There, there.”

Garnet would tear off his arm and snap it in half if he tried that with her. She'd probably use his finger bones for toothpicks for good measure. He grinned. How messed up was it that he found it hot that she was so fucking dangerous? And even though that was a singularly inappropriate thought to be having right this instant, it steadied him in a way nothing else could've done.

He listened as, inside the room, Athena told Garnet that Julie had popped out, would be back in ten minutes. Allowing the other woman to talk until she was settled, Garnet asked her who else might've had access to the knives.

“You know Shane,” Athena said in her soft and breathy tone, a tremor beneath the surface. “He's always showing them off.”

“Would he notice if one was missing?”

“Not right away, but he tidies and cleans them every Sunday.” Her tone changed, warmed, as if she was smiling. “It's his hobby, you know? I do my art and he sits with me and we talk and he babies his knives. To him, they're works of art, too.”

“It's Thursday today, so who's had access to the knives since Shane's last cleaning session?” Garnet's voice was gentle but firm, compassion and strength entwined.

“Well, aside from me,” Athena said, “there was Taneese and her mate, Cameron. Cameron has an interest in Chinese weaponry from a particular era and Shane had a special blade to show him.” Her voice steadied as she went through her memories. “The men went into the studio, but I'm pretty sure Shane just took out that one blade to show Cameron.”

“You didn't see?”

“No, I was chatting to Taneese, but Shane and Cameron went in and came back out together.” A pause. “I'm sure Cameron was never alone with the knives.”

“Okay. Who else?”

“Two younger packmates who're working part-time with Shane. Mitchell and Eloise.”

Kenji straightened at the name of the young soldier who'd discovered the murder. Coincidence? If so, it was a damn convenient one.

“That's it?” Garnet's response betrayed neither surprise nor shock.

Athena took time to answer. “Yes.” The tremor returned. “It's been a quiet week. We w-were planning to hold a dinner party on
Saturday. It's not really Shane's kind of thing, but he indulges me.” A shaky sniff. “Russ never let me do things like that—he just didn't like people all that much.”

The sadness and pain in her words made Kenji wonder why she'd stayed with Russ for so long, but while SnowDancers had a primal wolf heart, they also had a human one. The animal's clarity and simplicity was at times overwhelmed by the complexities and inexplicable yearnings of their human side.

“Do you lock your door when you go out?”

“No. Who does?” A wet laugh. “But Shane padlocks the studio to make sure pups don't hurt themselves if they come in while we're out. They can get into the unlikeliest places, can't they?” Another pause, her next words soaked with a poignant sense of loss. “I always wanted a pup of my own, but Russ . . . I loved him once, but he was so much work. And now I'm too old.”

Kenji's heart ached.

“There are always children in the world who need love,” Garnet said gently. “After this is all over, we can talk about your options.”

“You believe Shane is innocent?” Athena's voice rose into a higher pitch.

Garnet's reply was tempered. “I'm keeping an open mind.”

Despite her calm
while with Athena, Garnet's heart was racing, her skin tight and her wolf's body at quivering attention. She forced herself to keep her silence until she and Kenji had left the apartment. “Did you hear?”

“Eloise.”

“Exactly.” She stopped in the corridor, hands on her hips. “Before we talk to her, I want to find out if she was connected to Russ in any way.” The idea of the girl as a criminal mastermind didn't fit with what Garnet knew about her, but everyone had secrets.

“Want me to do the same for this Mitchell guy?” asked the green-eyed man in front of her, a man who was very good at keeping secrets of his own.

“No,” she said after a moment's thought. “Rev will have better luck since he's based in this den.” Mentally reviewing the schedule for senior members of the den, she found a gap. “Can you do a security shift, cover for me?”

It was raining outside, the environment no picnic, but Kenji didn't even hesitate. “Consider it done. Who do I get the route from?”

Garnet told him, then asked, “You have business at your own den you have to look in on?” His responsibilities were as heavy as her own and as critical to the health of the pack.

“Emi and I have messaged.” He held up his phone. “She's got everything at the den under control and I made sure the international stuff would keep for a couple of days at least.” Sliding away his phone, he said, “I'd better go grab the route.” A pause, his expression intent and his focus so absolute that she felt as if she was the center of his universe. “You'll figure this out, don't ever doubt that.”

Breath tight in her lungs, Garnet watched him walk away, his stride long and his body gorgeously powerful under the simulated late-afternoon sunlight of the corridor. He was being
her
Kenji again, no dominance games, no making things hard for her, and definitely no chasing after women.

And the fact that those jeans hugged his butt oh-so-nicely . . . Well, she had a pulse. She noticed. Especially when it was Kenji. She'd tried damn hard not to notice for a lot of years, but trying not to notice Kenji Tanaka was like trying not to notice a golden-maned lion sitting smack bang in the middle of your bed.

It was impossible.

Connecting with Revel on the phone once Kenji was out of sight, she went to meet the man she should've been thinking about. As Revel walked toward her, tall, dark, and sensually beautiful, Kenji's words rang in her mind.

Yeah, but there are times for the hierarchy, and there are times to haul your lover close and kiss the life out of her.

Garnet knew that despite his more sophisticated exterior, Revel was no more civilized than Kenji. If he'd decided on her, he'd have acted all growly and possessive, regardless of her anger or the rules of the hierarchy. Wolf males couldn't always help themselves with their courtship behavior. Neither could wolf females.

If Revel hadn't been acting as he should, then neither had she.

Garnet blew out a breath; in truth, she'd known hours ago that
she had to break things off with Revel. It was the only right course of action until she'd got to the heart of this thing between her and Kenji; an attraction that she'd finally accepted had simply gone into hibernation seven years ago. It was awake now, and awake with a vengeance.

She thought of how he'd shuddered when she'd scraped her claws over his throat, how he hadn't slapped away her hand or done anything else aggressive—both perfectly acceptable responses from a dominant touched unexpectedly in a highly vulnerable spot—and felt her blood heat. Kenji had no more gotten over her than she'd gotten over him.

So they'd figure this out. One way or another.

“Lorenzo?” she asked once Revel was close enough.

A shake of his head. “He hasn't got to Russ yet—had a couple of small injuries come in. Juveniles getting a little too enthusiastic with indoor soccer.”

Garnet made a mental note to look in on the kids later. “Let's hope the weather clears soon.” Wolves, young or old, didn't do well cooped up. “I need you to follow up on something Athena told me.” She recapped the information on Mitchell's possible access to the knives. “Connections, motives, anything relevant.”

Nodding, he glanced at the heavy black watch he wore, similar to the one Kenji favored. “I'm meant to be taking a combat class in ten. I can switch with Felicia, do her session tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.”

When the silky dark of Revel's gaze met hers again, it wasn't senior soldier to lieutenant, but man to woman. “Can you take a couple of minutes for a personal discussion?”

“Yes,” she said, knowing there was no point delaying this. “Let's go into my office.” She'd seen juveniles padding around in wolf form
farther down the corridor—they wouldn't intentionally listen in, but all pups had big ears.

Revel spoke the instant they had privacy, his deep voice quiet but potent. “You've never once looked at me the way you look at Kenji.”

Not ready for such a blunt assault, Garnet sucked in her stomach, clenched one fist. “You've only seen us together for a few minutes at most.” The idea that she was wearing her heart on her sleeve, it aggravated her wolf.

She might do that
after
, but right now, a big part of her was still pissed at Kenji.

Revel smiled that slow, beautiful smile that had always drawn her . . . but not the way Kenji's green eyes and wicked grin drew her. It didn't make her insides flip, didn't make her brain go kind of fuzzy. “I really thought we'd be good together,” she said before he could speak. “I wasn't jerking you around.”

“I know.” Revel cupped her jaw with one hand. “As for you and Kenji, I saw the two of you dancing together at Hawke's mating celebration, too.”

Leaning in without warning, he kissed her, an unexpectedly hot and wet and tangled thing, his hand gripping her jaw and his body heat buffeting her senses. “Sorry.” A grin that was utterly unrepentant. “Had to try and make you breathless at least once.”

“Goal achieved,” she gasped, but even then, deep within, she was steady, watchful.

Pretty and intelligent and dangerous though he was, Revel wasn't for her.

“When you asked me out,” he said after releasing her, “I figured whatever you and Kenji had, it must've burned out, but it's obvious to anyone with a single functioning brain cell that your flame's going strong.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone. “What I don't get is why you two aren't already together.”

She scowled. “Reasons.”

“If it's because Kenji was a bit of a horn dog for a while, you should know he's been a monk for the past year.”

Garnet stared at him. “How could you
possibly
know that?”

“Emi's a senior soldier in Kenji's den,” he reminded her, naming a year-mate. “We gossip.”

All wolves gossiped. It was part of being in a pack. “Do you gossip about me?” It came out a growl.

“Of course we do.” His eyes turned wolf-amber swirled with green. “But only among the three of us—me and Emi and Pia.” The latter SnowDancer was his twin and had transferred with him to Garnet's den, the two having always worked well as a unit.

Pia had also recently been promoted, but where Revel was good when it came to dealing with the management of a den, Pia did better with more practical matters like taking charge of the training and security schedules. Regardless, the two were as thick as thieves—and best friends with Emi Lucenko. As Revel now proved.

“We act as one another's vaults and release valves,” he said. “It's good for Pia and me to have a non-twin in the mix and the contact's good for Emi, too. You know how quiet she can be, how she holds everything inside.”

“Hmm.” Arms folded, Garnet leaned against the door.

She told herself not to ask, but she couldn't stop herself—Kenji's indiscriminate behavior when it came to skin privileges was something she needed to understand. And if her response was fueled by a jealousy she'd never before consciously acknowledged, well, it was time to stop lying to herself. “How does Emi know Kenji's been a monk?”

“Not one but two women suddenly asked her if he was sick. It took a little careful questioning but she finally figured out it was because he was turning everyone down, even friends with whom he'd
previously exchanged skin privileges.” Revel's expression turned solemn. “So she started keeping an eye on him and it looks like Kenji's been sleeping alone for a long time.”

Worry woke in Garnet, a sharp, biting beast. Changelings needed skin contact, needed physical connection. It fed their souls, soothed the animal that was part of their being. Without it, they could go into a deep depression, turn violently aggressive, or just start to lose emotional and mental cohesion. “Why didn't Emi do anything?” The senior soldier had to know Kenji's physical isolation was dangerous.

“She talked to him, said he seemed fine. No edge, no sudden temper or mood swings, same Kenji he's always been.”

Garnet had to admit Kenji looked fine, but as she'd already remembered, Kenji Tanaka was great at putting on a front. He'd done it all the time as a child while his parents were yelling down the den and snarling at one another. Satoshi and Miko Tanaka were a rare changeling couple who'd been together and stable long enough to produce a child, but who now couldn't stand one another.

They'd separated for good when Kenji was twelve, but their relationship had been a battlefield long before then. Kenji had never seemed affected by the loudness of their fights or how passionately they made up. He'd always been the fun kid, the one who could make everyone laugh—and who could play the violin with so much wild emotion that it made adults weep and children dance.

Garnet had seen below that talented, laughing surface only because she'd caught him out when he was ten and she was eight.

She'd found him curled up all alone behind a tree by the lake, crying so hard his body shook. It had hurt her to see her friend so sad. Going up to hug him hadn't even been a question, and Kenji had let her. He'd always let her hug him, no matter how annoyed they might be with each other. She'd take advantage of that.

“All right,” she said in a meticulously even tone. “Go find out about Mitchell.”

Revel nodded.

She touched his forearm as he went to open the door, his skin lightly dusted with dark hair. “When you do meet her, she'll be a lucky woman.”

A cocky smile she might've expected from Kenji but never from Revel—which showed exactly how deeply she knew one man and not the other. Because if her normally serious right-hand man had such cockiness in him, he needed a mate who could bring out that playful side . . . just as Kenji needed a mate who saw beneath the carefree face he presented to the world, a woman he could trust with his hurts as well as his joy.

“I know,” Revel said, grazing his fingers over her cheek.

Leaving the office, the two of them headed in different directions. Garnet decided to go to the packmate who was in charge of the junior soldiers, see what he had to say about Eloise.

“Good kid,” was Yejun's summation. “A little too straitlaced, but she's loosening up.” His grin made it clear the experienced trainer liked Eloise, regardless of her straitlaced nature. “You think she had something to do with what happened to Russ?”

Garnet kept her answer simple, uninflammatory. She had no intention of causing Eloise any trouble if her young packmate had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. “She found him—I have to clear her.”

“Right.” Yejun's nod made the simulated sunlight of the den gleam on his cleanly shaved head. “Well”—the grizzled old wolf scratched his stubbled jaw, his brown skin lined with life—“I can't see her getting heated up over Russ.” A dubious expression. “That girl has the pups trailing after her with their tongues hanging out.”
He shook his head. “Boys these days, they have no pride when it comes to a strong woman with dangerous curves.”

Garnet wasn't about to fall for his morose tone. “Did you at that age?”

A big laugh, eyes glinting mischievously. “Hell no. Pride gets you a lonely bed.” His expression turned smug. “
My
bed is filled with a gorgeous armful of strong woman with highly dangerous curves—you think I lassoed my mate by being a shrinking violet? Hah!”

Garnet's lips twitched. Since Yejun's mate, Sabrina, was a powerful wolf who'd held Revel's position until she decided to semi-retire—emphasis on the
semi
, Garnet had a good idea of what their courtship must've involved. “Anything else I should know about Eloise as it applies to this situation?”

Tinkering with a small device he was apparently fixing, Yejun took a moment to think. “I know Eloise is studying as well as doing her soldier training. I'm fairly certain it involves math, so she could've been a student of Russ's.” Lines formed between his eyebrows. “And yeah, she picked up a few hours of work with the den maintenance team to save up for a special trip.”

“Thanks, Yejun. I'll check it all out.” She touched his shoulder as she left—just because he was a mature packmate in a stable relationship didn't mean he didn't need the occasional physical sign of affection from the most dominant wolf in the den.

Every wolf needed to know he or she was valued.

Popping in to see the pack's overall chief of education afterward, Garnet affected a mock-stern expression. “Putting up your feet on the job? Tut-tut.”

Ruby poked out her tongue in Garnet's direction. “I think my baby is going to be a twenty-pound sumo wrestler.”

Chuckling, Garnet walked over to where her sister was stretched
out on the sofa placed against one wall of her office. “I thought I authorized your maternity leave.”