KIRA

Rivulets of condensation trickled down the side of my glass as I glanced around. The restaurant wasn’t empty, but it wasn’t busy, either, which was perfect. I wasn’t surprised my target had chosen this location. It was upscale but not too expensive—the exact type of place I assumed he always took his victims. He was late, though, which didn’t fit his style.

“Kira?” the voice in my earpiece said. “Any sign?”

It was Douglas, one of the other Tranquility operatives assigned to this sting. We had a two-man team plus the bait. I was, of course, the bait. Douglas sat in an unmarked van three blocks away. The second member of the team, Carter, was hidden in the line of sight of the restaurant with a camera. I’d chosen a seat by the big bay window so the team would have a good vantage point.

The earpiece was small, virtually invisible unless you were incredibly observant, and more silent than regular tech allowed. The fae had created the magical device for the council. The spell ensured no one but the wearer could hear anything being broadcast through it. It was incredibly helpful when we went into ops with creatures like shifters, who had significantly enhanced hearing. As small and hidden as the earpiece was, I had my hair down, covering my ears just in case. Thankfully, my hair was long enough to hide my ears, coming to the tops of my shoulders. For some operations, I dyed it or wore wigs, but I’d gone with my natural blond today.

I lifted my drink to my lips to hide my mouth. “Nope. I’m not sure what’s taking so long,” I whispered.

Carter’s voice broke in. “I’ve scanned the surrounding parking lots and see nothing. I think this guy’s a no-show.”

We were here to take down a lion shifter by the name of Leon Marx, who targeted human women for sexual attacks. Three months ago, when reports came in of over a dozen women who’d been assaulted or stalked by the same guy, the Tranquility Council got involved. Interspecies mating wasn’t outlawed per se, but it was frowned upon, especially by more traditional creatures. Wolf shifters, like me, did frown upon it.

“I’m still confused,” Douglas said. “Why is the council so worried about this guy?”

“Because, dumbass, he’s sexually assaulting humans. What more do we need to know?” Carter retorted with a derisive laugh.

“Watch the language on the comms,” I muttered, letting my lips move as little as possible. I didn’t need people knowing I was talking to anyone when I was supposed to be alone.

“Sorry. Dumbass was a bit aggressive,” Carter said. “I meant to say moron.”

“I get that,” Douglas replied, ignoring Carter’s jibe. “But when we were briefed, they said it was a pretty cut-and-dry case. Like, can’t the human authorities take care of this? Seems overkill to bring in Tranquility operatives to take down a date-raping scuzzball.”

“It’s the old guard and all their backwards rules,” I said, resting my chin in my palm to cover my mouth with my fingers. “The alphas are up in arms because this lion shifter is stalking women of other species. Favors have been called in. That’s what’s going on. It’s old-school bullshit, but who cares? Like you said, he’s a shitheel who needs to be neutered. We’re here now, so we do the job. Got it?”

Unlike other wolf shifters, I’d never had a problem with interspecies relationships, but the old men who ran most of the packs were skittish about it. So much so that when something like this popped up, they called in favors to the council to have it dealt with.

“Right.” Douglas sighed. “I’m still saying this dude is a no-show. Maybe he sniffed us out. How good is a lion shifter’s sense of smell, anyway?”

“We wait,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “You guys know how things are right now. The fact that this guy is hunting victims in a wolf-shifter territory should be enough to get the point across. We wait. That’s final.”

My team had express orders to take this guy down and do it fast. There was currently some volatility within wolf-shifter society between those who wanted our species to remain insular and pure and those who were more liberal in their ideologies. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if this guy got away and began to prey on people of my own species. Something as simple as a rogue lion shifter could tip the scales toward the war that had been brewing for months now. Some packs just wanted a reason to fight.

“I still say I should have been the bait,” Carter said. “I look good in a cocktail dress. I mean, minus the bulge between my legs.”

I sighed in irritation. I’d volunteered to try smoking out the lion shifter. As one of the few operatives in the entire organization who could seamlessly pass for human, even among other paranormal creatures, jobs like these were right up my alley. I couldn’t even remember the last time I shifted into my wolf form. It had been years. That suppression made me almost indistinguishable from human women. Even my scent had changed after all these years. I was perfect for this.

My team had created a fake dating profile on the same app Marx used to find his last three victims. I’d tried not to roll my eyes as I took revealing, sexy selfies to entice him. I had to grind through dozens of unsolicited dick pics and equally creepy come-ons before Leon finally made contact and swallowed the bait. We’d scheduled to meet up at a restaurant in Cullman, a small town near the Eastern Wilds where the majority of the population was human. I was not about to give up so easily. By the goddess, I deserved this bust after seeing all those pictures of men’s genitalia. Catching this piece of shit would make it all worth it.

“Let’s give it a few more minutes,” I whispered.

“Copy that,” Douglas said.

“Yeah, ten-four. I’m moving closer for a better vantage,” Carter said with a grunt.

With nothing to do but wait, I pulled out my phone and turned on the forward-facing camera to check my makeup and hair. If the guy did show, I wanted to look as irresistible as possible. Zoe had done a damn good job on me. Switching from the camera to my messaging app, I shot her a text:

Hey girl, love the makeover you gave me. I think this guy’s gonna drop dead when he sees me.

The reply came within seconds.

Good! How do you like the dress?

I glanced down at the scarlet dress. It was low-cut and form-fitting. From the way the other operatives had been doing their best to look anywhere but my chest, my boobs must have looked great in it.

It’s fantastic. The guy’s going to be drooling on himself when he gets here.

Too bad he’s a scuzzball. Otherwise, I’d say give him a shot. Better him than that flaky-ass mate of yours. He never appreciates all the work I put in to make you look adorable. Maybe I’ll just enchant him and force him to stop dragging his feet.

She was probably only joking. Probably. Zoe and I had been best friends for years, and she’d been my personal cosmetician for as long as I could remember. She was a fae, and if she wanted to, she could enchant my future mate. Not only was it slightly illegal, but I also didn’t want that. Our pairing was one of convenience and opportunity, nothing more. It would almost certainly never lead to love, but I’d come to terms with that.

My friend’s affection and support sent a pleasant warmth through my chest. It was nice to know at least one person had my back. I needed to stay focused, though. I couldn’t get too deep into a conversation when this lion could show up any second.

Gotta go back to work. Talk to you later.

Zoe replied with a thumbs-up emoji, and I slipped my phone back into my purse. In my ear, Carter and Douglas were going over mission parameters. I blocked most of it out since none of it really pertained to me. But then a surprise voice broke over the chatter. That voice most definitely pertained to me.

“Kira, we need to call it. We’ll regroup later and see what went wrong.”

I gritted my teeth. Even the sound of his voice set me on edge.

“Wyatt?” I put my hand in front of my mouth to cover my words. “What the fuck are you doing here? You weren’t assigned to this operation.”

Wyatt Rivers was a fellow Tranquility operative and my brother’s best friend. He was also the biggest pain in my ass. He was like a pebble in your shoe—annoying, ever-present, and right when you thought you’d gotten rid of it, it was back again.

“Kira, we’re in the same division. You know we share resources. I read this guy’s file and thought you might need the backup. I’m in a sedan about a hundred yards from the restaurant. Like I said, let’s call it. We can drop back and punt. Maybe use another fake profile. Try again.”

I rested my chin on my hand again to cover my mouth. “Screw that. He’s coming. I know it. I could tell from the messages he sent me that he was basically humping his keyboard. This is what we do. We maintain the balance between humans and the paranormal. This guy is preying on human women, and I’m going to stop him. Let me do my damned job and get off this freaking channel.”

Before Wyatt could say anything in reply, Carter’s voice interrupted us. “Heads up, target is incoming. Repeat, target is incoming.”

Forgetting all about Wyatt, I snapped my head up and looked toward the entrance. Carter was right. I’d studied Leon’s pictures for weeks, and that slick son of a bitch had just walked in. He took a few tentative steps through the door, scanning the room. When his eyes fell on me and the ample cleavage I was displaying, he grinned. He was a lion shifter, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but that smile reminded me of the Cheshire Cat. It was uncomfortable to look at, but I plastered a similar smile on my own face and stood to greet him.

Wyatt gave another warning. “Kira, give us a signal if you need help.”

Through a smile of gritted teeth, I murmured, “Shut up.”

Leon stepped over, giving me a chaste hug and a peck on the cheek. “Gods, you look good enough to eat.”

It was time to play up the ditzy hot chick angle I’d used to snare him.

Giggling, I put a hand on his chest. “Oh, stop.”

Leon took his seat opposite me, then raised a hand and snapped his fingers at the server. He actually snapped his fingers. Good lord, what an ass. The vapid smile never left my face as he ordered a bottle of wine and our entrees. He didn’t bother to ask me what I wanted. After the server had gone, he turned his attention back to me.

His gaze slid across my shoulders and chest, then up to my face. “I must say,” he said, “you’re hotter in person.”

I waved a hand at him playfully. “You probably say that to all the girls.”

His grin grew hungrier. “Only the ones that look like you.”

“Kira, I don’t like the look of this guy,” Wyatt said in my ear. “We need to pull you out.”

In answer, I scratched the side of my head facing the window with my middle finger. Hopefully, Wyatt would get the message. He was surely tapped into the telephoto camera feed. He hissed a curse but went silent.

Leaning across the table, I slid a hand across the thick muscles of Leon’s arm. “Oh my goodness,” I breathed. “So hard and thick. Do you have anything else like these arms?”

Leon’s entire body responded. His eyes went wild with desire, and I could smell the pheromones wafting off him.

“Oh, I’ve got a few surprises. If you play your cards right, maybe you’ll see.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Is that a promise?”

He nodded and slid his tongue across his lips. “Bet on it.”

One of the reasons for the in-person meeting was to get a DNA sample. The plan was to have Carter slip in as soon as we left the restaurant and snatch Leon’s drinking glass before the server cleared it. That, along with the human testimony, should be enough to take him down. Unfortunately, I’d have to live through this awful act for at least another hour. Stroking this guy’s ego was nauseating.

The conversation continued for another five minutes before the server brought our wine. Leon had already commented on my breasts twice and had even asked if I shaved or waxed my vagina. It was hard for me to keep a straight face at his sheer gall and arrogance. We’d only met each other in person less than ten minutes before.

For my part, I was a good actress. It was another reason I usually went on undercover operations like these. The act I was putting on in the restaurant was worthy of an Oscar. I did my best to ask him about past relationships or girls he’d been with before, anything to get a little more incriminating evidence. The conversation invariably veered back to my body, his body, and various sexual positions.

“Can I try your dish?” Leon eyed the steak that the waiter had just brought me.

I grinned. “Absolutely.”

Leon leaned across the table and cut a piece of the steak. When he pulled back, he bumped my wine glass, and it wobbled precariously. With lion reflexes, he snatched it and righted the glass with both hands before handing it to me. I took it with a nod of thanks.

“What the hell was that?” Wyatt barked in my ear. “Did anyone else see that? On the feed? Kira, don’t drink that wine.”

But the warning came too late. I’d already sipped the liquid. Something was off. The smell and taste were different, the flavor on my tongue a little bitter. The fucker had slipped something into my drink. I couldn’t figure out what, though. My shifter senses were powerful, but the substance was too subtle for me to place. If I had to guess, it was probably a roofie or another human drug. It wouldn’t work on me, but the fact he'd even tried to use it meant my ruse was working.

I blinked as a warm, fuzzy sensation settled over my eyes. Even though it had been years since I’d felt it, I knew my brown irises had turned a faint shimmery yellow. Leon’s smile vanished in an instant, almost like it had been turned off with a light switch. With his eyes locked on mine, his lips turned up in a sneer of disgust and anger.

“Lying cunt,” he hissed and leaped from his chair, flipping the table toward me as he did.

He sprinted for the door. Pushing the table off me, I jumped to follow him.

“Target is on the loose! Repeat, target is on the loose!” I yelled into the microphone.

Chaos erupted around me. The other diners were yelling, running, or pointing. I tugged a small pistol from my thigh holster and ran after Leon. I couldn’t let him get away. We’d probably never find him again. The chatter in my ear was almost indecipherable, with the entire team going back and forth. I ripped the earpiece out and tossed it to the ground.