скачать книгу бесплатно
“Since Lupe’s all over you, I’d imagine that’s pretty clear. She needed to go out.” Selena purposely made her tone sarcastic. That would certainly reduce any further possibility that he’d want to kiss her again, wouldn’t it?
“Sure. But...well, even up here, you need to be careful. One reason we chose this area is that we don’t know of any problems, but there are no guarantees.”
As she got nearer, he wasn’t silhouetted now and Selena could make out his features. Handsome features—with his brow knitted in apparent concern.
And that made him look all the more appealing.
She suddenly had an urge to rush toward him and be the one to instigate the next kiss.
Fortunately a noise sounded behind him. An automobile was heading up the driveway. Rainey was probably returning.
That sound also gave Selena an instant to calm herself—and her very human hormones. “I appreciate that,” she said. Then, to remind him—and herself—of who and what she was, she added, “You may not be aware of it, or even if you are you might not be thinking about it. But shifters’ senses are very much like the animals’ they shift into. I heard you come outside the other house probably a lot sooner than another person would, for example. I’ll stay wary, but you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Right.” He didn’t sound entirely convinced.
Rainey parked the car she had driven—a rental, Selena figured, although she wasn’t sure whose—and came running up. “Hey, you two. Three, I mean.” She bent to pat Lupe. “I’m ready to go off to bed so I can get up early tomorrow. How about you?”
Selena glanced toward Owen before answering. His gaze was on her, and it was probably a good thing that Rainey remained somewhat in the shadows behind him.
She hopefully couldn’t see the very hot, very suggestive gaze that Owen leveled on Selena. But she caught it. And quite possibly she thought the same thing he did.
Yes, she was ready to go off to bed. Alone.
But the idea of sharing it with Owen?
After their earlier kiss, it definitely crossed her mind.
* * *
Off to bed. Oh, yeah, Owen had heard that. Thought about it as he regarded Selena. Sexy Selena. Hot Selena, whom he’d definitely enjoyed kissing.
Werewolf Selena.
She and her dog walked with him to his SUV as if she hadn’t sensed the gist of his thoughts about bed when Rainey had mentioned it. Maybe she hadn’t—although her expression seemed to say otherwise.
No matter. He could always act now as if Rainey’s words hadn’t triggered his imagination—not to mention a reaction from his most private body parts. Selena had, after all, reminded him earlier of why he wasn’t fond of shapeshifters.
“I’ll be back here first thing with the rest of the group,” he said, slipping into the driver’s seat of his SUV. He’d decided to stop in at their hotel to speak with them briefly before heading to his own room that night. “I’ll make sure we get here early for them to get breakfast ready for all of us. As Canada Alphas, they’ve already begun to learn that their duties are diverse, and preparing meals can be among them.”
He liked how Selena smiled under the faint lights. He was also amused when she shifted her dog’s leash to free up one hand so she could grab hold of the car door.
“My turn,” she said, starting to close it.
“Hey, you’re a gentleman, too,” he teased as he settled into the seat.
“You got it.” She slammed the door shut.
But as he turned the key in the ignition, his mind rebelled against what he had said.
Selena was anything but a man, gentle or not.
And her very womanly characteristics just might drive him nuts as he continued to work with her on this assignment.
* * *
Once they were all inside the house, Selena went upstairs with Rainey and helped her choose the room she would stay in while they were here. Rainey opted for the one overlooking the front of the house. Selena then left Rainey upstairs and returned to the room that was now hers.
She had already changed into her long-sleeved navy pajamas, washed her face and settled herself beneath her bedcovers when Rainey knocked on her door. “Come in,” she called.
Rainey, too, had put her on pj’s, a frilly pink outfit that contrasted pleasantly with her dark, curly hair. She grinned as she sat at the foot of Selena’s bed.
Selena leaned back on both pillows that were resting against the plain black headboard. “Well, we’re here,” she said.
“Yep, and I gather that we’re really supposed to start our assignment tomorrow.” Rainey paused. “Are you ready to show these Canadian folks what real Alpha Force shapeshifters are all about?”
“That’s what we’re here for.” Now it was Selena’s turn to smile. “We’ll teach them what being a US shifter—and an aide—is all about.”
“And a cover dog, too.” Rainey slipped her backside from the bed so she could kneel to pat Lupe, who lay on the floor nearby.
“Exactly.” Selena didn’t want to kick out her aide, but she did want to try to get some sleep. “So...” she began.
At the same time, Rainey asked, “So did you have fun tonight?”
It was all Selena could do to hide her startled reaction. Surely nothing on her face, in her demeanor, revealed that she’d shared a kiss with the man who was in charge of the Canadian group that Alpha Force was here to help.
No. Rainey must just be making conversation. Wasn’t she?
Nevertheless, Selena made herself respond as if Owen was just some ordinary guy whom she didn’t find attractive at all—maybe married and twice her age. Or at least that was what she attempted.
“Sure,” she said nonchalantly. “I had a drink with Owen at one of the other bars in town before we found you guys. He wanted to know more about what Alpha Force was about, but I doubt he got it from our limited conversation there in public. He, of course, knows that shapeshifters exist and that I’m one of them, but I still have the impression he finds them—us—weird.” She wasn’t about to reveal to Rainey how Owen had formed his opinion of shapeshifters. “I hope he gets over that enough to work well with his own CAs.” That was the truth, at least. “He got a phone call that apparently suggested they’ll be needed sooner than anticipated, and he’d better be ready for it.”
“Well,” Rainey said, “we’ll see how he is at breakfast tomorrow. The rest of them, too. I had the impression that they’re way different from our Alpha Force members, even though they’re shifters. They were fun to be with, sure, but they struck me as being kind of wild kids. Good kids, though. Tim even let me use his rental car overnight. I just hope that giving them more control of their ability to shift will help tame them down.”
“Guess we’ll have to make sure of it,” Selena said. But she was glad she wouldn’t be the only shifter there as things progressed. She wouldn’t be the most senior, either.
And surely having other Alpha Force members here, like Captain Patrick Worley and Lieutenant Marshall Vincenzo, as well as their aide, Captain Jonas Truro, would also make it easier for her to remember who she was and why she really was here.
And to remember to stay far away from Owen Dewirter except to teach him what she could as an Alpha Force member.
To ignore any attraction she felt for him and, definitely, to make sure she never touched him again, let alone kissed him.
When Rainey left a short while later, and after Selena gave Lupe a good-night hug and settled herself back into bed, she couldn’t help rehashing those intentions and told herself she needed to focus on her assignment.
She just hoped she could.
In the meantime, she lay in bed conscious of the quiet here in the Canadian countryside, except for occasional hoots from local owls.
She mulled over all that had happened over the past couple of days, including Owen’s tale of his family and shapeshifters.
She was concerned about what would happen tomorrow, and if Alpha Force—no, if she—would be able to do all that was expected to help the CAs start their team and deal with the kidnappings that Owen had mentioned.
Not to mention her concern about her absurd attraction to Owen Dewirter that she needed to find a way to turn off. Permanently.
* * *
Owen saw Selena almost as soon as he reached the CAs compound early the next morning.
She was outside again, with her dog, in the crisp early air. He knew that had to be a frequent ritual. Dogs had needs that had to be fulfilled often, especially last thing at night and first thing in the morning, no matter what the weather, no matter what the temperature.
No matter what the dog’s responsibilities, such as acting as a cover for her owner.
Under the brightening morning sky, it was easier for Owen to remain less concerned about Selena’s safety in daylight. Besides, he wasn’t alone. All four of the CAs who needed to be trained and sent into the field were exiting the vehicles behind him.
They weren’t trained at all, let alone as his special team—yet—but he figured they’d do something if he needed help.
He waved to Selena as he hurried up the front steps of the house. It was dumb, but he felt glad to see her wave back.
“Hey, sir, er, Owen,” Andrea called from behind him. “What are we going to do today?” She, like the rest of them, had dressed in casual clothes—jeans and a sweatshirt.
Before coming here, the CAs had been given a brief amount of preliminary training as Canadian police officers and instructed in some of the formalities. Owen had nevertheless told them that, although he was in charge, informality was fine here.
When he had visited them at their hotel last night, he had briefly described to them part of what they’d be up to today, but it wouldn’t hurt to repeat it, drum it into their heads, so they would be ready once the rest of the Alpha Force team arrived to teach them their methods of shapeshifting.
“First thing, I’m going to brief you about our assignment and the update I received last night that I didn’t mention to you before. Then the rest of the day will depend on when the other Alpha Force members arrive.”
“Got it.” She was surrounded by the other CAs on the porch, their gazes all trained on him. Each watched him with concentration, a couple of them nodding.
They all looked interested and eager.
But that didn’t mean they’d be able to do the job—especially with all the tweaks that needed to be added to normal, rational, predictable RCMP constable duties. Not that they were the usual RCMP constables.
Turning his back on them, he hurried into the house. Maybe he was just being naive, but he believed that Selena would be the ideal trainer—and not just because she was a shapeshifter. They’d studied her background, and since she’d been a teacher before joining Alpha Force, she should be able to take these young shifters and instruct them on exactly what was needed to fulfill the RCMP’s needs here.
That was why she was here—not to create impossible sex fantasies in Owen’s mind each time he saw her.
And at night when he tried to sleep...like last night.
He shook off the thought. Heading into the kitchen with the gang behind him, Owen began asking questions before giving orders for breakfast preparation. “Who’s good about cooking eggs? Sal? Great. There are some in the fridge along with butter, and the frying pan is in the drawer beneath the stove. Who’s our go-to toast guy?” Tim Franzer raised his hand, which left Craig Neverts, Andrea and him. Owen decided to brew the coffee, so he told Craig and Andrea where the items were to set the large dining area table.
“Now, let’s get to work,” Owen said.
“Need any help?” Selena, along with Rainey and Lupe the dog, had just come through the kitchen door.
“I think we’re good,” Owen said. But he watched as Selena immediately approached Sal and started helping to cook the eggs.
Was there anything that woman couldn’t do? She was a US soldier, a teacher, a cook...and a shapeshifter.
And sexier than any other woman Owen had met.
With all that in her favor, he’d no doubt that she’d be one hot partner in the bedroom.
But that was one scenario he’d never see realized.
He walked over to the large coffeemaker, glad he had something entirely neutral to accomplish.
Something that allowed him to keep his back toward the rest of his cohorts—so no one would be able to notice the bulge at the front of his jeans.
Chapter 6 (#ulink_eb202218-39c6-5a7f-bcce-39de120c6216)
Selena was glad to keep busy, even though it was a challenge for all the CAs and her to stay out of each other’s ways while whipping up their breakfast together.
Finally they had the meal prepared, and all of them found seats around the sizable dining table. She didn’t plan it, but Selena found herself sitting beside Owen near the doorway to the kitchen. Not a bad place to be. In fact, the two of them were more or less in charge, so why not join forces for what needed to be said here?
Not surprisingly, Owen said he had a lot to tell them, including information he’d just learned yesterday that they needed to know. But he directed them to start eating first.
Selena wanted to hear Owen speak a lot more than she wanted to eat.
Nevertheless, Owen handed her a bowl so she could scoop out her own helping of eggs. “These look great,” he said.
“They are great,” said Craig, who sat across from them. He had already dished himself a substantial helping and had his fork up to his mouth.
Sal and Andrea were on one side of Craig, and Tim had a seat next to him. Rainey was beside Selena. It was almost as though the two groups were opponents—except that Owen sat close enough to her to appear to be on her side.
That wouldn’t be entirely accurate, though. They weren’t enemies, of course, but the differences between them seemed as weighty as the matters they needed to work on together.
Then there was the proverbial elephant in the room, at least as far as Selena was concerned: her totally inappropriate sexual attraction to the man.
Selena ate rapidly, watching the others across the table and listening to their friendly hazing of one another. Even Rainey became the subject of their amusing gibes. How could she stand to be in a whole room full of animals? they’d teased her. Even their commanding officer, Owen, was an animal. A human one. Selena knew he didn’t need to shift to become a feral creature.
To Owen’s credit, he jested along with them, talking about how he would use his own wild nature to mow down any of those here who dared to disobey him.
But after a few minutes of the revelry, Owen fortunately ended it.
“Okay, everyone,” Owen called out. “Let me have your attention.” He had finished his eggs and toast quickly and now just held a coffee cup in his large right hand. Despite the prior levity, his deep voice now resonated with authority and seriousness, and although it wasn’t extremely loud, he did, in fact, appear to capture everyone’s attention.
Selena put her fork on her plate though she wasn’t through eating. But she wanted to concentrate on what he said.
“I’m going to start at the beginning,” Owen said. “I’ll give a quick recap of why those of you who are now part of the Canada Alpha team have been recruited, both to refresh your recollections and to make certain our Alpha Force visitors know enough. Then I’ll tell you why what you’re about to embark on is crucial to our national security. How you can help save lives.”
Selena had been informed of the basics before, but hearing them from Owen, with his point of view and earnest tone, drove home the importance that she’d been told surrounded her mission here.
Yes, the recruits were shapeshifters. How they had been found and recruited into the RCMP was only hinted at, but their ultimate objective was a matter of Canadian national security as Selena knew.
“We’re all very pleased to have found each of you and look forward to your justifying the trust we’ve placed in you.” Owen’s gaze moved slowly from Sal to Andrea to Craig to Tim. In exchange, they each peered solemnly toward him and nodded.
He then looked toward Rainey and, finally, at Selena. Those eyes of his were gleaming and blue and grave. They didn’t turn her on at that moment, but they definitely made her take notice. Made her want to fulfill whatever they commanded.
Which, right now, was apparently just to listen.
