“So anyway,” he continues. “I took a gander at the itinerary you emailed us.” His voice almost flips into a laugh at the word itinerary. Probably not a great sign. “Methinks we may need to make a few adjustments.”

“What do you mean?” I do my best to match Patrick’s jokey tone. “I covered all the bases. Golf, beer, gambling…”

“You sure did.” He takes a swig from his bottle. “But come on, man. You have us watching all four days of the Travelers Championship. It’d be nice to actually play some golf one day.”

“I figured you’d want to watch Bucky on TV—since he can’t be here in person and all.”

“Bro,” Patrick deadpans. “Don’t tell me you still have your stupid thing against Bucky.”

“I don’t have a thing against Bucky,” I insist. “I just think it’s interesting that he’s the only groomsman who declined my invitation.”

Patrick rolls his eyes. “I know you’re not that into sports, but Bucky is an elite golfer right now. He was in the top half of the leaderboard at the Masters! He can’t be missing tournaments just to party with us. That’d be, like, forfeiting potentially millions of dollars. Plus he’ll lose his PGA Tour card if he doesn’t play in enough events.”

Here he goes again. Acting like Bucky is some kind of god just because he swings a golf club around on TV every weekend. Meanwhile, I was promoted to senior counsel two months ago—but did he gush to his other friends about that? No. (The fact that I hate my job notwithstanding…it was technically still an accomplishment.)

“Yeah, no. It’s fine.” I dig my feet further into the sand. “We can book a tee time. I don’t know if I’ll play, but you and Wilson and Greeny can—”

“We’ll figure it out,” Patrick says. “That’s not what I was talking about anyway. I couldn’t help but notice that your schedule has one, uh, glaring omission.”

“What do you mean?” I ask—desperate for him to answer with something like “you forgot movie night” or “we should do a wine tasting” or “the Sunday brunch menu is all breakfast and no lunch.” (But I mean, really. What kind of cretin actually cares about the “unch” in brunch?)

“I’ll give you a hint.” His mouth stretches into a smirk. “It rhymes with…knits.”

“Um.” I rub my eyes in an effort to unsee the giant fake breasts that have just bounced into my mind like a pair of self-dribbling basketballs. “I don’t follow.”

“Cut the shit.” Patrick laughs, revealing some new crow’s feet around his eyes. They’re handsome on him, even if they do slightly remind me of Ted. “Listen, I don’t really want strippers myself—the entire concept is weird. Who wants to pop a woody surrounded by their closest friends?” He laughs again. “But with the crew that’s coming here this weekend, we have to accept that it’s inevitable. I can’t stop Wilson from doing what Wilson is gonna do.”

“But Kate!” I protest. “You promised her we’d keep it clean.”

“I was worried this would happen.” Patrick stands up and squeezes my shoulders from behind my chair. “Okay. So remember in high school, before you were gay?”

“I was gay in high school,” I tell him. “I just wasn’t out.”

“You know what I mean.” He tightens his grip. “I’m just trying to remind you of a time when you were better at adhering to Bro Code—one of the most important rules of which is don’t tell wives and girlfriends incriminating shit. Bros before hoes.”

“That is such a juvenile and sexist little idiom.” I try to sound assertive, but it’s no use. Patrick’s display of dominance makes me feel twelve years old again. Like we’re playing Truth or Dare by flashlight in the lighthouse shed. “Kate would be crushed if she knew there were women here this weekend.” I consider going into detail about how she literally threatened to cancel their wedding over this, but think better of it. “And she’s gonna ask—”

“That’s exactly why you need to do me a solid here. She trusts you. If you tell her nothing happened, she’ll believe it.” Patrick’s fingers are basically melded into my clavicle at this point. “I love Kate—obviously. I would never do anything to hurt her. But this is just one of those situations where what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

Perhaps that’s true, but what about my karma? While I understand what Patrick is saying about Bro Code, lying to Kate would be betraying a totally different code to which I’m also bound. The fact that I’m gay and friends with his fiancée should exempt me from Patrick’s antiquated gender expectations altogether.

“Come on,” I attempt. “Kate’s my…”

“I’ve always had your back.”

“But—”

He somehow manages to squeeze even harder. “Dom.”

And that settles it.

I’ll just have to suck it up. Regardless of our differences, Patrick’s right. He has always been there for me. He’s gotten into fist fights for me—the AIM bully incident was just the first of several in which he had to step in after I talked shit I couldn’t back up with my own knuckles. (Listen, I was an angsty teen.) I owe him.

Plus his death grip is telling me I don’t have a choice in the matter, anyway.

“Alright, man.” I wriggle free and stand up to face him. “Fine.”

“You have to say it,” he demands.

I’m an inch taller than him, but somehow he towers over me.

“Say what?” I ask.

“That you won’t tell Kate anything about this weekend.” All jokiness has vanished from his voice. He’s not messing around. “What happens in Mystic…”

“Stays in Mystic.” I swallow the boulder of dread that’s been forming in my throat and take a breath. I knew something bad was going to happen this weekend. And it’s only Wednesday. “Got it.”

“I’m not here to discuss what you lost, Gaige. I’m here to help you forge a new path forward, even if you didn’t want it to begin with.” I stepped around him, nearing the window and gazing at the silhouettes of training assassins in the faded, heather-purple light of dusk. Swallowing thickly, I tugged at the hem of my vest. “I can train you privately, if you’d prefer.”

Gaige blinked, and for a moment, there was a sliver of the man I used to know. A surprised curl to his lips. A mischievous glint to his eyes. He seemed to recognize his inadvertent reaction, though, and he squashed it immediately.

“There was a time I would have taken you up on that offer. For something else, of course,” he said. My ears burned with his insinuation—so at odds with the suffocating weight of despair in my chest. Slowly, he re-gloved his hand. I doubted I’d ever feel the gentle touch of his fingers again. “But not anymore.”

“Someone else then.” I hated the way my voice came out shaky and weak. “I don’t care who trains you, just get it done. That’s an order from your guild master.”

He chuckled, a dark, nasty sound. “And just how are you going to enforce that? You’re my guild master in name only. I won’t be doing your bidding.”

“I only have so much patience, Gaige. If you continue to bait me…”

“Oh, come on.” Gaige pushed past me as a whirlwind of shadows encircled him. “Don’t you have better things to do? Go run the guild. I promise I’ll, I don’t know, not destroy a book next time.” He toed the shredded pile of parchment and binding for effect, and then let the swirling tendrils swallow him whole. So dark and all-consuming were his shadows that I couldn’t even track his movements. One moment he was there and the next he was gone, whisked away to gods only knew where.

I stormed down one of the aisles until I found a shelf heavy with tomes against the back wall. With far more force than necessary, I tugged a muted-yellow book by the binding, and the hidden door leading to the guild master’s private study swung open. I stepped through and slammed it shut behind me. The telltale, muffled thud of books falling followed, but I didn’t bother to reopen the passage and clean up the mess I’d made.

With the books or Gaige?

Exhaling tightly, I pushed that thought away and sank into the ornate, stuffed chair behind the desk. I grazed a few pieces of parchment. Bounties. A dull ache simmered behind my eyes, and I rubbed my temples. Becoming Cruor’s new guild master was an expected development. Noc couldn’t possibly be both king and guild master, and as his second-in-command, it was only logical for me to take over.

Yet, both Noc and Leena—Crown of the Charmer’s Council, Queen of Lendria, and a sister to me despite our initial rocky beginning—had been somewhat resistant to the idea. They wanted me to remain in Wilheim with them as their advisor. While the idea of dissecting political agendas and helping to strategize the wellbeing of an entire nation had its appeal, there were things here that needed a close eye. One thing—person—in particular, but he wasn’t exactly easy to watch. For the time being, the work that came with being guild master was a wonderful distraction. But even with ample jobs and responsibilities before me, I still couldn’t find the will to focus on my duties.

A whisper of shadows swirled in the corner, and I stilled. Tendrils pulled from every hidden crevice in the office, and they interwove in indistinct patterns until knitting together in the shape of a man. Noc. He craned his neck from side to side before tucking his hands in the pockets of his fitted trousers. He didn’t wear a crown, but the royal insignia, a griffin, was embroidered on the chest of his tunic. It should have been a bold silver, but the shadows washed out all color. Even the crystalline-blue shade of his eyes.

“Your majesty,” I said, burying my frustrations with Gaige in a smile. It was genuine, at least. Seeing my friend would always bring me joy. Shadow walking meant we could visit each other whenever we desired, despite the distance between Cruor and Wilheim. It was a small boon in an otherwise unfortunate predicament. I’d never expected the guild to feel so empty without him.

He scoffed, and the shadows about his jaw fluttered in response. “Not you, too. Calem already says it every chance he can.”

“He does it precisely because it elicits a rise out of you.” I leaned back in the chair, allowing my muscles to mold into the worn fabric. It’d only been a week since Noc and Leena’s wedding and subsequent crowning ceremony. And Calem, who was undoubtedly causing a ruckus somewhere within the guild, made it a point to refer to Noc as “king” whenever the opportunity arose.

“Yeah, well,” he glanced about the room, as if taking in the familiar surroundings of his former office, “I’ll have to come up with something equally irritating to call him.”

“Good luck with that.” I braced my elbows on the desk. “How’s everything going?”

“We’re making progress. Trade has officially reopened with Rhyne, so we should see and increased shipment in goods in the coming weeks.”

“That’s good. Is Rhyne in need of any assistance with their borders? I’m sure we can afford to send a few members if necessary.” I shuffled the parchment before me, eyeing requests and the details of the bounties.

“Not necessary.” Noc ghosted his hand along the bookshelves lining the wall as he moved toward the desk. Shadows dissipated and appeared with every subtle shift as he toyed with the bindings. “If anything, we need the help in Hireath.”

A nagging sensation trickled down my spine, and I pursed my lips. “Gaige hasn’t been back yet.”

“I know.” Noc came to a halt across from me, eyes cast downward. “Kaori and Raven have been asking about him. They’re handling the rebuilding effort just fine, but they worry. We all do.” Of course the members of the Charmer’s Council were asking about Gaige. He’d been a residing member for decades. Kaori and Raven were his closest friends. Yet, he’d cut off contact with them and ignored discussing his home altogether.

“He won’t train. Not with me, not with Ozias, not with anyone.” I stood and began to pace as the study walls closed in around me. Ozias was an expert at teaching members of Cruor to control the shadows. Even so, he couldn’t coax Gaige to learn.

And that was a dangerous thing.

“I don’t know what to do,” I said.

“How close is he?” Noc’s question was barely audible, but it rang through my mind with the force of a gong.

“Too close.”  I stopped and removed my glasses, pinching the bridge of my nose. Then, I extracted a small, mulberry cloth from my breast pocket and polished the lenses. “I don’t think he has much time left.”

Noc strode toward me and placed his hands on my shoulders. The lack of true contact was apparent, but the icy familiarity of those dark tendrils soothed my frayed nerves. “He’ll come around. He has to.”

Or he won’t, and we’ll lose him to the shadows. The unspoken truth of Gaige’s future hung heavy in the air, and I clenched my jaw.

Noc let his hands fall to his sides. “Leena and I leave tomorrow for Rhyne. When we return, we’ll stop through Cruor on our way to Hireath. If he hasn’t figured it out by then, she’ll knock some sense into him.”
With a quiet sigh, I replaced my glasses. “I hope she’s successful.”

“She will be.” Noc tipped his chin ever so slightly, peering at me for a long moment before frowning. “I hate to leave to abruptly but…”

“Go.” I waved him off as I returned to the desk. I slid into the chair and grabbed the nearest quill and inkwell. “I need to evaluate these contracts and determine who would be best suited for the jobs.”

“Maybe Gaige needs an assignment. Purpose will help.” Shadows gathered around him, temporarily darkening the room. He hesitated for a breath, half his body already lost to the shadow realm and other still firmly planted in my study.

“We won’t lose him, Kost.”

But as I nodded in answer and Noc disappeared, I couldn’t help but feel like we’d lost Gaige already. The man we knew before had died. This new person was shrouded in a sinister darkness I couldn’t control. No matter how much I wanted to try and pierce that veil, I wasn’t sure he’d let me.
​
One way or another, the shadows would come calling. And the only person who could stop them was Gaige.

Senior Corporal Trevor McCall stood in front of the three-floor industrial building in the heart of Burbank, California, comparing it to the address on his phone, not quite sure if he was in the right place. This was supposed to be Jenna Malone’s apartment, but on the outside, it looked more like a warehouse than a residential complex. Then again, this was Los Angeles. Maybe this was what passed for an apartment building out here.

Before he could step inside and find out one way or the other, the phone in his hand rang, making him almost drop the damn thing. He checked the screen, prepared to let the call go to voice mail, until he realized it was Hale Delaney, his SWAT teammate from back in Dallas. Hale was also his fellow conspirator in this wild scheme to sneak out to southern California so Trevor could spend some quality time alone with Jenna—the sister of one of his best friends, Connor, who also happened to be a member of Dallas SWAT team. And a werewolf. Just like Trevor and everyone else on the team.

Trevor thumbed the green button, then held the phone to his ear. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Not much. Just calling to make sure your flight arrived okay,” Hale said. “And to let you know that the plan worked. Everyone in the Pack thinks you’re in Richmond, Virginia visiting family, exactly like you said you were doing. No one suspects a thing.”

“Excellent. Thanks for covering for me,” Trevor said. “I owe you big for this. I hate asking you to lie to the Pack—hell, I hate lying to them, too—but they’ve been so damn nosy lately.”

“Well, you have to admit that asking for vacation time out of the blue to visit a family you’ve barely spoken to since joining SWAT five years ago is a little suspicious.” Hale chuckled. “Then there’s also all the time you and Jenna spent hanging out at the barbecue when she was here a few weeks ago. Trust me, your interest in her definitely didn’t go unnoticed.”

Trevor tensed, grip tightening on his phone. “Do you think Connor was one of those people who noticed? I mean, if there’s one way this whole thing is going to blow up in my face, it’s if Jenna’s brother decides to follow me out here.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Hale assured him. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on him and it doesn’t seem like he’s suspicious. To be honest, he’s been so focused on Kat, I don’t even think he knows you left.”

He let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God for soul mates.” If Kat was simply some woman that Connor was dating instead of The One for him, the guy would probably be all up in Trevor’s business. “I don’t want to have to deal with him—not until I know if there’s anything real between Jenna and me.”

Trevor had only vaguely been aware Connor even had a “baby” sister and that she had witnessed the kidnapping of their other sister a decade ago. Connor refused to talk about what had happened but said that it had left Jenna mentally and emotionally scarred. Then, a few weeks ago, Jenna had shown up in Dallas to visit Connor. Trevor had been attracted to her on the spot. Like…seriously attracted. Unfortunately, he’d barely said two words to her before Connor lost his damn mind, telling Trevor to stay away from his sister because she was too “fragile” to handle any kind of relationship with someone after everything that had happened to her. Connor hadn’t said it out loud, but Trevor was pretty sure there was also a certain amount of that you-aren’t-good-enough-for-my-sister crap going on as well.

Considering the fact that Connor had been acting like a complete jackass, it wasn’t shocking that Jenna had gotten into an argument with her brother. What was surprising was that instead of going to a hotel, she’d asked Trevor if she could stay with him while she was in Dallas. He didn’t have to think twice about agreeing.

“So,” Hale’s deep voice came through the phone, startling Trevor out of his reveries. “Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do if Jenna is The One for you—or how you’ll break it to Connor?”

Trevor’s mouth curved as he thought of how much fun he’d had hanging out with Jenna back in Dallas. They’d spent hours talking and laughing about the silliest things. And while it would have been easy to do a lot more than that together, he knew that in some ways, Connor was right. Jenna might put on a good face, but she was still dealing with the trauma of seeing whatever had happened to her sister. Trevor hadn’t wanted to rush her into anything, but the whole time they’d been together, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about what could be…if they had time to explore it.

Which was why he’d jumped at the chance to come out to LA when Jenna had asked.

He stared at the warehouse building in front of him. “If Jenna is my soul mate, then I’ll worry about telling Connor. Until then, I’m not going to think about him.”

He expected push back on that, waited for Hale to tell him he was being stupid…silly even. But his teammate, his pack mate, and his friend didn’t do any of that.

“I wish you all the luck in the world then,” Hale said. “And don’t worry about Connor finding out before you’re ready to tell him. I’ve got your back.”

Trevor still wasn’t sure how Hale had figured out he had a thing for Jenna or that she’d been staying at his place. He knew it wasn’t because Hale had picked up her scent because, seriously, the guy had the worst nose in the Pack. But somehow, Hale had, and Trevor would be forever graceful. Coming out here to California to woo the woman who might be his soul mate was nerve-wracking as hell. It helped to know he had someone on his side.

“I’ll call you later and let you know how things go,” Trevor said.

It was time to stop talking and do this.

Shoving his phone in the pocket of his jeans, Trevor took a deep breath, trying to psych himself up. He didn’t why he was so damn nervous. But talking to Jenna a few times a week since she’d left Dallas—even FaceTiming now and then when they got the chance—was one thing. Showing up in LA was another. It was a big step—even if his inner wolf insisted he was ready for it.

Well, ready or not, he was here.

Tightening his hold on the handle of the weekender bag in his hand, Trevor opened the door, walked inside, and headed for the steps.

The interior of the building was a lot nicer than the exterior, but it still had a decidedly industrial feel, with lots of exposed concrete and steel support beams. There was some splashy, colorful modern art on the walls here and there, which wasn’t exactly Trevor’s thing, but it all came together in a way that seemed to work.

Jenna’s delectable scent hit him the moment he reached the second floor. Then again, he supposed there was always a chance someone was simply burning candles in their apartment. That could explain the heavenly scent of honeysuckles filling the air. When he finally reached Jenna’s door at the end of the hallway and breathed in the flowery fragrance wafting gently out from underneath it, he knew for a fact it could only be Jenna’s scent. In all honesty, he’d already known that because it was the very same one that had enveloped him since he’d first met her back in Dallas. There was no mistaking it.

Heart beating faster, he rapped his knuckles on the door. It opened a few seconds later to reveal the most beautiful woman in the world he’d ever set eyes on. Maybe it was simply the fact that he’d been waiting for weeks to see her in person again, but she was even more gorgeous than she’d been the last time he’d seen her.

Slender and graceful, with perfect skin, soft pink lips, a button nose, and hazel eyes gazing out from under graceful arching brows, she looked like an elf who’d just stepped out of a Lord of the Rings movie. While in Dallas, she’d usually worn her hair up in a high ponytail, but now, her honey blond hair was loose around her shoulders, the silky waves hanging down to her waist. It was all he could do to not reach out and run his fingers through it and feel its softness. Hell, what he really wanted to do was bury his face in those tresses and breathe her in. The only urge stronger than that was the one demanding he sweep her into his arms and kiss her until they were both out of breath.

Crap. He’d been standing in front of Jenna for who knew how long, neither of them saying a word, and he was already about to lose it. Damn, he was in so much trouble.

Before he could open his mouth, Jenna rushed forward and threw her arms around him, squeezing him so tightly it practically choked the air out of him. Strangely, it was still the best hug he’d ever gotten. Not that he was like a big hugger or anything. But if he were, her hug would have been award winning. Easily two thumbs up and five stars.

The air was electric between them when Jenna finally stepped back, gazing up at him with expressive eyes that were filled with innocence and fire at the same time. His lips were tingling with the desire to bend his head and kiss her, even as it seemed she might do the same thing at any second.
​