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Tobias
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“DON’T PUT ME IN THERE.” Greg jerked away from the entrance to the vault at the estate. Panther claws zipped from his fingertips and dug into the sides of the door when Asherah pushed at his back. “My panther will go nuts being trapped inside.”
Tobias’s men came from everywhere like an ant hive, scurrying to watch the drama unfold.
“Should’ve thought of that before you tried to kill my mate,” Asherah snarled, tapping the barrel of the gun to the back of his head.
At the word ‘mate’ murmurs began to surface from his family.
Desperation left Greg’s inner cat hissing and growling. “I’ll help you find the person who hired me. I’ll do anything you want. I’ll serve you for a lifetime... anything. Just don’t put me in that box.”
“Aww... that’s cute.” She kicked him in the ass. The force of the impact left him stumbling forward into the room. “You’re going to do whatever I want anyway, pussycat.”
The newest assassin hissed, and his eyes went glowy-green, but without any show of sympathy his woman stepped inside to join him. Tobias, Dom and Hitchcock barely entered the steel room before she slammed and locked the door behind them.
“Josiah should be present for this interrogation.” Dom leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the cat.
“Josiah should’ve arrived sooner if he wanted to be involved in the interrogation.” Asherah stared Dom in the eyes, daring him to disagree.
Greg spun about, eyes wide ogling the vacuum of the room and steel walls. His inner feline snarled before he shifted into a black panther and began to pace the room. The cat’s hair stood on end as he circled the room, tail twitching as he walked.
“Really?” She threw her hands into the air. “Cats are useless.”
“They hate being trapped,” Hitchcock said matter-of-fact.
She looked at his twin. “You know a lot of cat shifters?”
His brother shrugged. “Let’s just say I’ve dated a few and leave it at that.”
Tobias chuckled. His brother’s former feline lovers left marks on Hitchcock and Tobias speculated about the type of sex they engaged in. Kinky was an understatement.
“We need to make a plan to trap whoever wants you dead, Tobias.” Asherah tightened the rubber band holding her ponytail.
He nodded at her comment. “I want to shut down the place once all the guests arrive at the party. No one can exit until we reveal the person’s identity.”
“I was thinking we should do a toast. We’ll use my spit to force honesty.”
“Gross,” Dom made a face at her. “Why is that necessary?”
“My spit mixed with someone’s blood, ingested or absorbed into their skin acts as a truth serum, Dom.” She looked at him. “A small bit goes a long way. He”—she pointed at the panther—“was given enough to last months. But if that’s too gross for you I can go about the room scratching people and mixing our blood.”
“You know that’ll cause a bigger stir.” Dom shook his head. “I—just the other way is gross.”
She shrugged. “I’m trying to save Tobias’s life. I don’t give two shits about gross.” His woman turned to Tobias. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her ear to his heartbeat. “Now that I know you’re my mate, my siren is content, but worried and protective.”
“My dragon feels the same about you.” He returned her hug, caressing her back with his palm.
“Here’s the deal, Ashe,” Hitchcock said. “I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll help you roofie everyone, including me, Dom, Keg and Josiah—every person I trust without question—because this is Tobias’s life we’re talking about and I can’t lose him. So, tell me what to do and I’m your slave until this killer is captured.”
“Deal,” she agreed quickly. “Afterward I’ll submit to any trial or test you put me through to prove my loyalty to Tobias.”
“You might be surprised to know I understand the mating process more than you think.” His brother’s pairing with his mate had been a difficult one, but they’d fought to be together.
Asherah listed off a bunch of shit she wanted done. “Report back when that’s finished, and I’ll give you more chores. I’ll get my stuff completed in the meantime.”
“Hitchcock, can I have a moment alone with you?” Tobias stopped Hitchcock from leaving the room with the rest of the family.
“That’s my cue to beat it.” Asherah grabbed Tobias’s face between her palms and gave him a kiss. “See you later, baby dragon.”
“Do I have to keep that derogatory nickname now that I’m your mate?”
“Yeah,” she said in a tone that called his sanity into question. “You’re my baby and you’re my dragon. That makes you my baby dragon.”
He swat her ass and murmured against her lips, “We’ll work on your nicknames.”
Ashe strolled toward the door and threw him a saucy grin over her shoulder. Gods, she’d make life interesting.
“I’m happy for you, brother.” Hitchcock settled into a chair and peered up at him. “What’s up?”
Tobias pinched the bridge of his nose, worried for his mate’s safety, as well as the fact that with their coupling he moved a killer into Black Hollow. There were innocents among the paranormal community, many of them like Saroj with gentle souls and who wouldn’t realize evil if they saw it. He didn’t want any of them hurt because of his choices.
“Will you introduce Asherah to King?” Tobias asked even though his duplicitous sentiments didn’t set well with him. He should trust his mate without question and here he asked for Hitchcock’s mate’s help in verifying Asherah’s commitment to him. “Have him get a read on her?”
Frown lines grooved between Hitchcock’s eyebrows. “You distrust your mate?”
“I trust her when it comes to me and my family, but I worry about Black Hollow’s residents.” He winced as he spoke those words.
“Black Hollow residents are our family. I’ll have King assess her, but he’s as much a danger to them as she is. I don’t believe either of them would hurt our families.” Hitchcock stood and clasped Tobias’s shoulder. “They wouldn’t hurt them because they know it’d hurt us.”
“I know you’re right, and I feel guilty for asking.” His fingers went through his hair. “But I can’t stop protecting family or community. That’s not in me.”
His twin shrugged. “King disliked the way we handled her in the beginning anyway. He said it was uncivilized and we were living up to the dragon Neanderthal legend.”
Tobias chuckled. “I guess he’d know more about Neanderthal behavior than we would since he is a Neanderthal.”