* * *

Unable to tear his gaze from Kat’s long, lean form as she ran with Erin, Jayce watched the two women head off together. She had an unequivocal grace when she ran, even when she’d been human, and it had always stunned him. Her moves today hadn’t been graceful, though. They’d been determined and vicious and she’d completely tapped into the part of her wolf that wanted to survive. He’d known because he’d seen the cold focus in her eyes. Watching her had impressed him. She had a ways to go, but it had almost seemed that she’d let her wolf take over as she took the hits to her hands and body. He hadn’t held back his speed today, just his strength. Substantially. As had Erin.

The sparring lesson had been about teaching Kat to dodge and deflect blows, not about hurting her. Though if he was honest with himself, if it had been anyone else, he would have likely struck harder in a session. With Kat, he found he simply couldn’t. Even seeing her wince at the blows she’d taken had sliced into a part of him that he tried to keep locked down. As he was around her more and more, he realized she was burrowing her way past his defenses. Worse, he knew she wasn’t even trying.

Only once Kat was out of sight did he turn and head back toward the main house. Somehow he pushed back the simmering guilt inside him. He’d felt like a dick after Erin had said Kat needed to eat, but he wanted to push her as much as he thought she could take. If she was so focused on learning to fight and defend herself, she wouldn’t be able to think about anything else. Most of the time when he looked at her, he saw a haunted expression that carved a knife into his heart. But when she was training, she just looked motivated and hungry to learn. She was tough and he trusted her to let someone know if she was being pushed too hard.

As he reached the front door, he started to open it—shifters weren’t all that concerned with privacy, especially on a ranch like this, separated from humans—but paused, reminding himself that he wasn’t part of this pack. He was an outsider. Before he could raise his hand to knock, the door opened and Vivian, the ten-year-old jaguar cub living with Ana and Connor, looked up at him in surprise. Carrying two large books and a pink and brown backpack, she was obviously going to school. “You need any help with those?” he asked.

Smiling broadly, she shook her head, sending her two long braids swishing around her face. “No, thank you. They’re not heavy.”

“And if they were, I’d carry them for her anyway.” Lucas, the wolf cub who lived with Ryan, stomped up the steps behind Jayce and placed himself in front of Vivian in a protective stance that surprised and impressed Jayce. The boy scowled at Jayce momentarily before turning to Vivian, with a much softer expression on his young face.

“What are you doing here, Lucas?” Vivian asked.

Despite what she’d said moments ago, the blond cub took her books and shrugged. “Thought I’d walk you to Esperanze’s.”

Jayce knew from Connor that the two cubs didn’t attend human schools, but were taught by one of the beta females at the ranch. From what their Alpha had said, they were both far ahead of their human counterparts in school. And from the dossier he had on beta shifter Esperanze—he had a file on every shifter in this pack—she was highly intelligent, with a master’s and a doctorate in education. He had no doubt the cubs were in capable hands.

Vivian looked up at him again. “We’ve got to go if we don’t want to be late, but Ana and Connor are in the kitchen.”

The two cubs hurried off, with Vivian telling Lucas she was sure she did better than he had on their last science test.

Jayce’s lips twitched with the urge to smile. It had been a long time since he’d interacted with cubs and it was surprisingly nice to be around them. A sudden sharp pain cut through him as he remembered how happy his brother had been the day he’d learned his mate was pregnant. It was one of the last times he’d seen his brother smile. One of the last times he’d seen him at all.

Shutting that thought down with the iciness of another darker memory, he called out, “Connor, Vivian let me in.” Remaining in the foyer, he waited. From the direction of the kitchen he heard what sounded like two shifters kissing, then a very definite feminine sigh.

“In the kitchen.” Connor’s voice was a low growl of male sexual frustration.

If Vivian had just left for school, no doubt Ana and Connor had planned on some alone time. Considering how busy their house had to be, he doubted they’d get any time together until much later tonight. As he moved through the expansive dining room with its long table big enough to fit twenty people comfortably, Ana walked out of the kitchen looking flushed.

She smiled. “Off to do my rounds.”

He nodded, then pushed open the swinging door and found Connor pouring himself a cup of coffee. The Alpha nodded at a couple of mugs Ana had likely put out for visiting pack members. “Coffee’s fresh.”

He shook his head. “I’m good, but thanks. Just got a call from a contact of mine—I might have a lead on a dealer selling vamp blood in the next county. Not in Winston-Salem, but it’s on the way there.”

“Who’s your contact?”

Jayce shrugged. He’d followed up with Niko and asked him to keep an ear to the ground for news of someone selling the stuff. Part of Jayce had wanted to keep the business of vampire blood trafficking to himself, but he was glad he’d informed Niko about it. Since it was likely someone who had targeted his own kind, Niko hadn’t had any problem helping him out. When he’d spoken to him, the vamp had been unable to get away. He’d sounded like otherwise he would have followed up with the dealer himself. “Not important—and he doesn’t live in your territory.”

Connor appeared to slightly relax at that, but his eyes narrowed slightly. “Where did you get that laptop you asked Ryan to hack?”

Jayce had been waiting for this question; he’d just been hoping to hold off a little longer. Connor had allowed him to use Ryan as his own personal go-to guy for all things computer-related without much of a fuss. Sure made Jayce’s life a hell of a lot easier, since it meant he didn’t have to courier stuff up to the Council. Unfortunately it also meant he needed to keep Connor in the loop more. Sharing information just didn’t come naturally to him. He liked to hold things close to the vest. “It might be related to the blood trafficking.”

“Might be?”

Jayce shrugged. “We’ll find out when Ryan cracks the encryption.”

Connor just stared him, his expression dark. “I know that’s part of the reason you’re here, so if there’s something I need to know as Alpha—”

Jayce held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Right now I’m just checking up on leads. Saturday I followed up with a dealer I’ve done business with before. It was not in your direct territory. He’s someone I’ve used for information gathering—though after our run-in he won’t willingly work with me again.”

Connor sighed, eyeing him warily. “That have anything to do with the explosion of an abandoned school bus in Lenoir?”

Jayce raised his eyebrows. “How’d you know about that?”

“I watch the news. . . . And I’ll take that as a yes. If that shit rolls into my territory, I want to know. I’m talking one fucking drop sold in Fontana, I better not find out you knew about it and didn’t tell me.” Connor’s voice was low and deadly.

“You have my word.”

Connor relaxed, then asked, “When are you heading out?”

“Now. I just wanted to let you know.” He didn’t have to, but considering that the Alpha was letting him live on his ranch and train one of his packmates, and wasn’t giving him too much grief about using Ryan as a resource, Jayce had no problem showing Connor the respect he deserved.

The Alpha set his mug down. “I’ll go with you.”

Jayce worked alone, and he was about to tell Connor it wasn’t necessary when there was a light knock at the front door. If they hadn’t been shifters they probably wouldn’t have heard it. Then the door opened.

Before she called out a soft “hello,” Jayce knew who it was. Brianna, the fae warrior who looked anything but, had a distinctive fresh spring scent.

“In here,” Connor said as he placed his mug in the sink.

The blonde pushed open the door and nodded at both of them, a polite smile on her face. “Do you have time to talk?” she asked Connor.

The Alpha nodded.

Instead of taking the opportunity to leave, Jayce leaned against the counter as the female took a tentative seat on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. “The apartment Liam found and furnished for me is nice. Thank you and please tell your brother the same.”

“You’re not here to thank me.” Connor’s voice was soft but it was obvious he didn’t want to waste time making small talk.

She shook her head, the movement so slight it was almost imperceptible. “I wanted to let you know in person that I’ve made contact with an APL member’s wife. She’s . . . weak where it comes to her husband and it allowed me to glean information from her.”

Connor and Jayce both straightened. “And?” Jayce asked before Connor could.

Brianna shrugged. “She has given me nothing of interest—yet—but I wanted to let you know I will not be coming back out to the ranch for a while.”

Connor growled low in his throat. “Why not?”

The blonde’s eyebrows drew together. “Do not growl at me. I won’t be coming back here because I don’t want there to be any risk of my being connected to your pack.”

It was smart, but Jayce understood how Connor thought. Sure enough, Connor said, “You are in my territory and therefore under my protection. You will accept one of my warriors as your shadow. He will stay at the apartment with you.”

The lines around her mouth and eyes deepened. “I am not a child.”

“Then don’t insult me by acting like one. You will take this protection. Angelo will go with you when you leave here.”