A blast of energy washed over Nyx. She’d thought she’d understood what it meant for a shifter to be considered powerful. The sight of Anton in his werecat form obliterated her definition. He became the standard she’d compare all men against. No one would ever take the bar from him. She knew it in her soul.
The moment he slipped through the front door, the energy dancing over her skin faded. Goose bumps covered her arms. Her teeth chattered. Fear, or the loss of Anton’s presence? Nyx couldn’t tell. Nor did it matter. She had to act. If she didn’t, Harvey would get his ass handed to him. His injured self-esteem would turn him into even more of a jerk.
Nyx grabbed the notebook Anton had dropped, then ran. She bumped her shoulder into the door. It banged against the wall with an ominous thump. No sounds of fighting greeted her. Maybe the sight of Anton as half man, half beast stopped Harvey from causing a scene, leaving him as speechless and frozen in place as she’d been.
She stepped inside and set the notebook on her suitcases. None of her things appeared disturbed, but Harvey had definitely been here. His scent lingered in the open foyer.
Inhaling, she stepped forward and let his smell guide her. The farther she walked, the more her pulse sped. He’d gone directly to the service corridors where she’d spent the night. There was no denying it. He’d come for her.
Why? Because she hadn’t gone to him the night she matured as she was supposed to?
Her butler had driven her from their home in upstate California to this secluded section of Ohio. It had taken them days to make the trip. She’d never had more fun in her life, eating at human restaurants and seeing the world beyond their family’s private land.
The tone of the messages Harvey had left on her phone over the week had grown darker. He’d promised to punish her for disgracing him. She’d rolled her eyes with each threatening text. He was too pathetic to be worried about.
Besides, Boris had promised her she’d never have to mate anyone. Which was true. Sort of. Boris couldn’t force her to mate anyone. It was against the law. But he could arrange for Harvey to get his hands on her. And if Harvey got her alone…
No! Nyx wouldn’t think about that fate. This was some sort of controlling stunt. Somehow, Boris must’ve guessed how her feelings toward Anton confused her. Boris wanted to make sure she followed through with their plan—Anton off the Council and her in his spot.
A game. That was all this was. Harvey hadn’t actually meant to hurt her. He likely wanted to yell at her for not following through with their mating plans. He’d make a scene. She’d throw him out. It’d be over.
Nyx rushed down the hall. The first whiff of blood reached her. Her heart raced. Not a game. This was not a game.
She ran faster. The door at the end of the hall—her room—stood open. Anton’s back blocked the view to the space beyond. Tattered clothes hung from his normal human form. Blood dripped from his human fingers.
She stopped and braced her body with a hand planted against the wall. Her mind supplied her with the other details she didn’t want to see but couldn’t deny. A black-and-amber tail was visible near Anton’s feet. It didn’t move.
No sign of blood, but she smelled it. A lot of it. Something rancid tainted the scent of blood. She couldn’t place the smell. Her jaguar understood its significance, however. Death hung in the air.
“Stay back, Nyx.”
Barely decipherable, Anton’s growled voice demanded obedience. Nyx felt the strength of his command in his tone. It skipped over her skin as if his voice had a physical force. She stepped forward anyway. Anger drove her.
“You killed him.”
Anton glanced over his shoulder. “As was my right.”
Nyx focused on the unmoving tail by Anton’s feet. “He didn’t do anything to deserve death.”
“He was trespassing. Only my constituents are allowed on my property. This male isn’t one of mine.” Anton crouched and picked up something from the floor. She couldn’t see what. His back blocked her view. “And he meant to hurt a female under my protection. I was completely within my right to end his life.”
“Hurt me?” Muscles tensed, Nyx curled her hands. “That’s ridiculous. Even if Harvey got his hands on me, he’d be focused on sex.”
“And you’d allow the sex?”
The deep growl to Anton’s voice made him sound as if he was personally enraged by the possibility. She snorted. Killing a man had fed Anton’s primitive side, turning him into a beast. She should be running for her life. Too bad she couldn’t work up the fear to do so.
“No. Harvey couldn’t have overpowered me. I might be smaller than most shifter females, but I’m quick. And feisty.” That was what Boris had always said, anyway.
“I’d say Harvey knew that too. He’d prepared for it.”
“What are you talking about? Harvey was—”
“Prepared to force you into a mating.” Closing the door behind him, Anton faced her. Between his bloody fingers, he held a C-shaped piece of metal. “He would’ve succeeded too.”
She studied the shiny silver metal. Too big for a bracelet and too small for a belt. She’d never seen anything like it. “What is that?”
Anton approached her. Gaze focused on the metal object he held, Nyx backed up until the wall stopped her retreat. She didn’t want that thing he held anywhere near her. It scared her. She couldn’t explain why. There was nowhere to go, though. Her only other option was running.
The predatory look in Anton’s eyes overcame the instinctual urge to flee. He’d chase her. She locked her knees as he closed the distance between them. Other than the blood on his hands, she saw no other sign of a fight. Likely there hadn’t been one. She’d witnessed how fast Anton could move in his werecat form. Harvey hadn’t stood a chance.
Nyx pressed her back into the wall as Anton stepped in front of her, crowding her. The scent of blood clung to him. Her stomach flipped. Her heart beat faster.
Anton held the open circle in front of her face. “Do you know what this is?”
From this distance, the clasps on the ends were visible. “No, not exactly. It looks like it forms a circle.”
With a loud snap, Anton locked the ends together. Dozens of metal prongs emerged from the previously smooth interior of the circle. Anton eased the metal circlet away from her face as clear liquid oozed from the tips of the prongs.
“Do you know what this is?” Anton repeated in a dangerously low voice.
She swallowed past her tight throat. “No.”
“Kick off your shoes, Nyx.”
“What?” No doubt her expression matched the confusion in her voice.
“Do it now.”
Without bending, she kicked off her shoes. Anton crouched, never taking his gaze off her, and snagged them.
“Hold your shoes by the heels and press the soles against the metal prongs.” He handed her shoes to her but didn’t release them. “But keep your fingers out of the ring, Nyx.”
The seriousness in Anton’s tone stopped her from questioning him. Her hands shook, but she did as he commanded and gently pressed the soles of her expensive shoes to the prongs. Nothing happened.
“Now push the soles against the points.”
Swallowing hard, she followed Anton’s direction. The metal prongs expanded with a whoosh, slicing the toes off her shoes. She yelped and dropped the mangled shoes. Her body trembled, along with her hands. She held them behind her to hide how much Anton’s little show-and-tell had affected her.
“It’s best known as a death collar. If you took your jaguar form while wearing this collar, these prongs would’ve severed your jaguar’s neck. It’s thicker than yours.” Anton swiped his finger over the flat edge of one of the expanded prongs. Liquid coated his finger. He held it in front of her eyes. “But you never would’ve gotten the chance to take your own life. This smells like a popular sedative used in our prisons. Had this entered your bloodstream, you’d either be too dopey to comprehend what was happening or possibly knocked unconscious in seconds.”
Anton wiped his finger on his shirt, then tossed the metal ring with its interlaced prongs that would’ve no doubt severed her neck as easily as it had sliced her shoes. “That male lying dead on your bedroom floor intended to rape you or mate you against your will. He deserved to die.”
Nyx looked from the death collar on the hallway floor to her bedroom’s closed door. She could no longer see Harvey’s unmoving body, but the scent of death remained.
Anton had saved her from a horrible fate. She should be happy about that. Avoiding mating Harvey had been one of her motives for coming here. Not the only one. Anton was too dangerous to lead the Council. She’d make a better councilperson. That was what Boris had said. The proof lay just beyond her bedroom door. Anton was dangerous. He had no issue with murder.
She inched her way down the hall, keeping her back to the wall, until several feet separated her from Anton. “You killed him.”
“To save you. He meant to hurt you.”
“Did he even get the chance to defend himself?”
“The moment he shifted, the death collar fell from his hands. His reason for coming here was clear. There was no reason to fight. He sealed his fate.”
“Sealed his fate.” She repeated Anton’s words. No other response came to her. Anton had killed a man to protect her.
Anton crossed his arms over his chest, assuming a haughty stance of superiority. “Do you think I lied when I said I’d kill to protect what belonged to me?”
“I’m just your secretary.”
Anton dropped his arms and walked toward her. She matched his steps backward. With his hands fisted and hanging loosely at his sides, he stopped. “You’re mine. Don’t question it. Accept it.”
“Yes, I accepted the job. I’m—”
“You’re mine, Nyx.” Anton’s voiced boomed, echoing in the confined space of the hallway. “Mine to protect. Mine to kill for. Mine to hold close.”
Her thoughts from yesterday morning returned. She’d blamed her irrational fear. It hadn’t been a foolish response. Her instincts had tried to warn her. Anton did mean to keep her. Why?
Had he said the same things to Bianca?
“You killed for me, Anton. That makes no sense. I’m just your secretary. You can fire me tomorrow, or I can quit and that’ll end our obligation to each other.”
Anton worked his jaw, an obvious sign of discomfort. Or maybe he was buying time, trying to figure out what to say. All she knew was that her statement bothered Anton. Good. The fact that he claimed she belonged to him bothered her.
“You won’t leave me that easily. I’m sure I can convince you to stay.”
“What if I don’t want to stay?” She held her breath, waiting on his answer.
“I’m a Royal feline shifter. My instincts and drives are enhanced by not just one animal, but three.” Anton flexed his hands. The tips of modified claws replaced his human fingernails. “My cats are stubborn, and my lion especially is intensely protective of his pride mates. Since mine are hundreds of miles away, he has been known to direct his protectiveness elsewhere. I can’t help feeling this way, but I swear to you, I’d convince you to stay of your own free will. I’m resourceful.”
Nyx motioned to her bedroom—Bianca’s old room. “Did your lion want to keep Bianca too?”
Anton pulled a phone from his rear pocket that hadn’t fallen out despite the seams of his pants splitting down the sides. “I need to report this incident to security and have the intruder’s body removed.”
Nyx licked her lips. “I think it’s best if Boris picks me up while you handle this. I should—”
“You should keep yourself busy while you’re waiting for me. Eat, rest, explore the main part of the house, whatever you want. But do not go into my tower. And do not leave. We’ll talk more later.”
“What if I don’t want to stay in this house with you or work for a killer?”
The hard snap of Anton’s teeth made her flinch. “Don’t test me. Not about this. If you try to leave, I will bring you back.” He focused on her. “Then convince you to stay. Willingly. Of your own free will.”
The stony look was back on Anton’s face. There’d be no arguing with him. He meant his words. She didn’t doubt him.
Nyx nodded sharply and turned away. She had much to think about. Nothing was as clear as it had been yesterday. Not Anton. Not his actions. Not Boris’s reasoning for wanting to remove Anton from the Council. Not even her own thoughts.
Anton had killed to protect her. Promised she’d never leave him. That she belonged to him. She should think him barbaric or crazed. She didn’t. She liked knowing a nobody like her had triggered Anton’s primitive instincts.
Now she just had to decide how to leverage them to serve her best interests. And his. She never wanted this man to die. That realization should make her feel guilty. It didn’t. It triggered every primitive instinct she posed.