Sweaty and thirsty, I made my way to the kitchen.
“We need to buy a water dispenser for the gym,” I said as I passed Shepherd, who was sipping a drink in one of the booths.
“Take a bottle down with you next time,” he fired back.
Smart-ass.
I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a chilled bottle from the fridge, and returned to the dining room. Instead of joining him, I flipped a dining chair around at the head of the table and sat facing him. “Is Hunter with the other kids?”
“Switch is teaching them all at once so he can keep Hunter on his lesson plans.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I thought they weren’t comfortable around the men.”
“They saw him teaching Hunter and got curious—wanted to learn what Hunter was learning. Switch has a way with kids. I guess I don’t have that knack. They run screaming.”
I chuckled softly. “Maybe you should shower. Or cover up all your tattoos.”
“Maybe I should smile more.”
I screwed the lid back onto my bottle. “No, don’t do that. When you smile, you look like the guy in the action movie who just landed a chopper and is about to blow away fifty terrorists.”
Shepherd lifted his cigarette. “And that’s a bad thing?”
I perked my ears, listening for the kids. “Where are they?”
“Far end of the property in the woods. Some of them were getting brave and running down the halls, opening doors—they were all over the place. Kira went along, and they’re doing some nature shit out there.”
We both shut up when the front door slammed in the distance. There was a low murmur of conversation.
When Lenore floated in, I froze. Her beautiful blond hair was braided and wrapped around her head like a crown. My hair was wild and midnight black. She walked like royalty, her shoulders squared and grace in her step. I sat slumped with my legs apart. While her peach-colored dress was open down the front and held together by a few spaghetti strings, the matching crocheted jacket gave the illusion of modesty. There was nothing modest about my attire, and my shirt had sweat stains. Sometimes I didn’t understand how Christian could be attracted to polar opposites.
She had a peculiar look in her eyes when she noticed me. “Raven, what a delight to see you again.”
Shepherd jumped to his feet, bowed, and made a fast exit. I should have done the same, but my legs were sore, and I decided to let Viktor make the call. The dining room was a common area, not a private room.
He gestured toward me. “You know Raven.” He flicked a glance down to my skimpy shorts.
I shrugged. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting company. You normally take your guests into the private rooms.”
Lenore swung her gaze up to the unlit chandelier. “I find closed rooms so drab and stuffy. This room has just the right amount of light.”
“I insisted on the library, but Miss Parrish is very persuasive.”
Viktor looked nervous. A perceptive Vampire could pick up a racing heartbeat or pupil fluctuations. He didn’t ever behave this way around Lenore, so I knew it had to do with all the children. That was probably where Shepherd had run off to—to make sure they stayed far away from the house until Lenore left.
“I bet you raced down the stairs again,” I said, providing an explanation for the beads of sweat on his brow. “You should let one of us answer when Wyatt buzzes someone in. I don’t mind.”
He nodded and gave me an appreciative look.
Lenore moved to the chair on my right and waited until Viktor pulled it out for her. Funny—she had given me every reason to believe that she wasn’t a woman who relied on men for anything.
When Viktor moved to sit across from her, I stood. “I’ll leave you two alone.”
“Do let her stay,” Lenore said sweetly. “After everything you told me about Raven rescuing those Shifters and shutting down the cage fights, nothing would please me more.”
Viktor gestured for me to sit, so I flipped the chair around and sat. I wasn’t feeling particularly social, but I had to be on my best behavior around Viktor.
Lenore folded her hands, her nail color matching her dress precisely. “I hope you’re giving Raven the vacation she deserves.”
Viktor chuckled. “Raven is not one to sit idly.”
“He speaks highly of you,” Lenore informed me. “Viktor sings praises of all his people, but I think he has favorites.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Viktor gave me a diplomatic look. “All of my people are talented in different ways. What kind of leader would I be if I favored one over the other?”
But Lenore’s cryptic grin led me to believe that maybe Viktor boasted about me in private after all. He always pulled Christian in on more jobs than anyone else. He spent private time with Gem with her translations, so I always felt out of the loop. I’d always imagined myself as a thorn in his side—a necessary evil he needed to keep around for the good of the team but a ticking time bomb he would eventually want to dispose of. He definitely didn’t play favorites, but knowing he bragged about me in private conversations was strangely reassuring.
“What brings you here this time of day so unexpectedly?” Viktor asked, not mincing words. I could tell he was annoyed with her unannounced visit this time, perhaps having second thoughts about encouraging personal drop-ins.
She tilted her head slightly as if searching for the right words. “Several packs are under the impression that I will be providing them with monetary compensation for the loss of an alpha. Do you know where they could have come up with such an outlandish idea?”
Viktor began to shake his head but then searched my eyes.
I gave him a guilty look. Viktor didn’t always want to know every tiny detail about our cases while under investigation, but maybe we should have run this one by him first. I steadied my gaze on Lenore, careful not to suggest that Viktor wasn’t in the know. “I needed a cover. To be honest, it was Christian’s idea. He thought with you being new, it would be a good way to make an impression with the local Shifters. It’s not easy to win people over, but money talks. We should have given you a heads-up, but I didn’t think anyone would be calling you this soon.”
It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since Blue and I had made those calls. Fucking hell, these guys were quick to check us out and make sure we weren’t lying to them.
Viktor glanced at his vodka bottle across the room, but he probably knew getting a drink would only invite her to stay longer. “I will, of course, be handling all the payments. We would never impose in such a way.”
Lenore slid her gaze from Viktor back to me and finally said, “Now that I know someone’s not pulling a fast one on me, it’s no trouble at all. I’m the one who volunteered the idea of using the higher authority as a cover. In fact, I think it’s a splendid idea. Not only can we make amends with the locals, but it’s also an opportunity for me to make personal connections.” She looked across the table at Viktor and canted her head to one side. “I do think it would be best to include me on your plans the next time so I’m not taken by surprise. When three messages mentioned your people by name, I knew you could solve the mystery.”
“Apologies,” he said. “It was a very late night.”