The Rejected Mate Games

2

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 f**k 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 b***h 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 c****d 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 v****a. 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 s****l 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.