On the Ragged Edge of the World

Chapter 1 Darren Sumner tried not to fidget with his napkin, but his nervous fingers wouldn’t be stilled. He switched his attention from the heavy cloth to his fork, lightly tapping it against the plate in a syncopated rhythm. He had been ten minutes early, but August was nearly fifteen minutes late now, and he couldn’t shake the suspicion that she didn’t plan to meet him at all. Not that he would necessarily blame her if she completely blew him off. It had only been three weeks since Darren quit Argenti. Only three weeks since Jasmine informed him he was guilty of traitorous behavior, including attempted murder and fraternizing with the enemy, and that any attempted return to the organization would result in his swift death. When August contacted him to initiate this meeting, he had been suspicious at first. After a long internal debate, he chose not to tell Aden. He didn’t enjoy lying to his lover, but Aden would immediately suspect that any correspondence from Argenti would indicate a trap. And Aden would have good reason to think that. Werewolves had every reason to suspect any Argenti agent of a double-cross. But f*****g a werewolf didn’t make Darren a werewolf, and August had been his friend for years. She wouldn’t lure him into a public place just so she could slaughter him in front of a huge room of witnesses. Trustworthy or not, Argenti agents were far more subtle than that. Despite that reassurance, Darren still fidgeted. If she didn’t want to kill him, why did she request to see him? The meeting put both of them at risk. Jasmine would not tolerate disloyalty—despite her own lack of fidelity—and meeting with the traitor, the outcast, wouldn’t endear August to anybody. Maybe she was carrying a warning. Maybe she knew of plans to eliminate Darren, Aden, and Aden’s entire pack. As soon as the thought occurred to him, it seemed horrifically plausible. Or maybe August just wanted to see the crazy man with her own two eyes. She was a scientist by nature and by training. Perhaps she couldn’t accept Jasmine’s explanation without searching for the evidence. Thirty minutes after Darren arrived, August swept into the restaurant, all apologetic smiles and swirling blonde hair. She wore it long, down to her thighs, despite the inconvenience. It was her only impractical indulgence. In all other respects, she was calculating and almost coldly logical. She had a sunny smile and a smooth face that obscured her age—she always looked like she couldn’t be older than nineteen, even though Darren knew for a fact she was almost thirty-two. The only thing marring her beauty was a long scar running from her left ear to her shoulder. An old injury, courtesy of the first werewolf she’d ever killed. She wore the scar with pride, never trying to hide it. Darren rose to meet her, automatically scanning her clothes for any areas likely to conceal a weapon. “I was worried I’d be eating alone,” he greeted. She leaned forward and brushed an air kiss across his cheek. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss the chance to have lunch here when I can expense it.” Casting a look around at the various business types who had already settled in on their noon meals, she eased into her chair with a casual flip of her hair. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I got caught on a conference call from hell.” Darren furrowed his brow. “You’re going to expense this lunch? Are you just not going to mention who you’re having lunch with?” “Oh, you’re a potential new informant on the Baeza pack.” She said it as nonchalantly as she reached for the menu at the side of her plate. “Jasmine will never know or care about the difference.” “Hopefully. You’re taking quite the risk here. I hope whatever you had to tell me is important.” Her light laugh was a welcome memory brought to life. “Let me worry about that, okay? Have you ordered yet?” “No, I…” He had been so wrapped up in his questions that he completely forgot about food. He didn’t care about it now, either. Why was August acting like this was just one of their common lunch meetings? “I was waiting for you. The salmon here is nice. And the chicken salad.” “Ooo, the salmon does look good. I’ll have that.” Though she still smiled when she set aside her menu, there was a guardedness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. “How are you, by the way? We didn’t really talk when I set this up.” “Considering the fact that I’ve lost my job, my friends, and my family, and I’m living with a pack of werewolves that want to kill me, about as good as can be expected.” That was only half the story. The other half involved one of the sexiest, most amazing men Darren had ever met, which more than made up for all the bad stuff. But August didn’t need the details of his personal life. She would probably be appalled if he casually mentioned how hard he was falling for a werewolf. “You look good, if that means anything. I was a little worried you’d look like a chew toy left under the couch for weeks, but you don’t look like they’ve laid a finger on you.” “They haven’t.” They wanted to. God knew they did. They didn’t understand why their alpha brought a regular man into their home. And they felt more than a little betrayed that Darren wasn’t just some guy off the street. As a former Argenti agent, he had killed their kind for years. Darren wouldn’t be surprised if he had killed their friends and family. He didn’t hunt werewolves indiscriminately. Argenti was dedicated to only removing the truly dangerous wolves. The ones who couldn’t be trusted to control themselves. The ones who were already guilty. But what did that mean to them? Darren was still a killer. Still the enemy living in their ranks. “Aden wouldn’t let any of his pack hurt me.” Or any of Jasmine’s agents, for that matter. “It’s not so bad having the strongest wolf in the city watching your back.” The waiter showed up before she could respond, taking their orders and hustling back to the kitchen to place them. August toyed with the stem of her water glass, her intelligent eyes unwavering from Darren. “Nobody really understands what’s going on, you know. Jasmine has eradicated most of your files, and we all have strict orders that fraternization will not be tolerated. There’s also a standing order that if you show up at Argenti without express prior clearance from Jasmine, you’re to be shot on sight. Did you know about that?” “Yes. She left me a note saying as much. But she didn’t tell you why I’m living with Aden? Did she tell you anything about Halloween?” “We know that Aden Richter killed Ray Giessen, because Ray was trying to set him up to take the fall for the ritual murders. And we know you’re the one who gave the information to Aden, rather than turning it over to Argenti. What we don’t know is why.” “Well…that’s…an interesting interpretation of what happened. Not correct, mind you, or surprising, but interesting. Aden did kill Ray Giessen, but that was after Ray broke into Aden’s home and attempted to kill him. As for why I would help Aden over Argenti…Jasmine and Ray were behind the ritual murders. They were trying to create a human with all the strength and abilities of a wolf. In order for the magic to work, they needed to sacrifice somebody immune to a werewolf’s bite.” August frowned. “But nobody’s…” Her voice trailed off as his meaning sank in. Argenti recruited the vast majority of its agents based on genetics. A rare disorder, found only in a sliver of the population, elevated the levels of silver in their blood, which in turn made them poisonous to werewolves. It also made it impossible to be turned. Darren was the only agent they had ever had who had the same immunity without the disorder. His came naturally, though family lore had never been clear whether his great-great-great-great-grandmother was a wolf or just involved with one. Either way, he’d always been faster, stronger, better than the other agents, which worked to his benefit since his blood didn’t have the same lethal effects. “You don’t really expect me to believe Jasmine would orchestrate something as cold-blooded as that, do you? At least, not without proof.” The way she posed the last statement made it clear she hoped Darren would provide some. “I didn’t believe it, either. I think maybe a part of me still doesn’t. But I got over my skepticism when she started chasing me with a knife.” Darren leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I don’t want any sort of war with Jasmine. She knows that, and I think she agrees that it’s best to avoid a conflict. As far as I’m concerned, we’re all going to live and let live.” “Ha. Easier said than done, I think.” “Why do you say that?” She still seemed wary, but damn it, she was the one who wanted to see him, not the other way around. He’d been fully prepared to stand by the agreement he’d made with Jasmine. He was still prepared, but he was getting pretty sick and tired of people keeping secrets from him. “Anything I say to you goes no further than this table,” August said. “You don’t tell the wolves, I won’t tell Argenti.” “I don’t exactly confide in the pack.” Darren didn’t exactly talk to the pack. When he was forced to be in the same general area as Aden’s wolves, he kept to himself. He couldn’t imagine living like that for the rest of his life, but it was better than the alternative, which was living without Aden completely. “It’ll stay between us.” August took a long swallow of her water before pushing the glasses out of her way so she could lean forward and create the semblance of privacy for them. All humor was gone from her face, her thin mouth a firm line. “There are rumblings about an upcoming power struggle between the packs,” she said, her lips barely moving as she spoke. “I don’t have a lot of specifics, but the one thing that seems to be agreed on across the board is that the Richter pack is going to be right smack at the center of it.” Darren’s mouth ran dry. He sipped from his glass, but that did nothing to help. If he had still been a member of Argenti, he would be investigating the rumors, searching for the sources, and preparing to track down and kill any wolf that allowed a blood vendetta to spill over into the regular population. But generally, Argenti didn’t get involved in pack politics. If August was hearing the rumblings, and if she thought it was worth sharing with him, it could only mean they were bracing for a huge fight. “Are you warning me to stay out of their way, or are you trying to recruit me?” “I’m trying to make sure you don’t get killed.” She said it without blinking. “If Jasmine knew I was doing this, she’d ship me to Buttfuck, Egypt, to punish me for interfering.” Darren nodded. Jasmine would do worse than that to August if she suspected August was doing anything to help Darren. “Thank you. I promise, you’re not wasting your time here. I’m not going to let myself get killed.” She sighed and sat back. “You know what’s sad? I think you even believe that.” “I’m in no more danger than when I was with Argenti.” In a way, he was in less danger. At least he knew the wolves wanted him dead. They were honest about it. Unlike Jasmine. “And I already told you. Aden is…” Darren paused, his eyes widening. “Walking into the restaurant right now.” She turned her head to follow his gaze. When he heard her audible intake of breath, he knew she’d seen him, too. Aden Richter was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most mouthwatering male Darren had ever seen, whether human or werewolf. At six-four and two hundred pounds of solid muscle, he commanded a room just by being in it, whether wearing leather pants and nothing else as part of a Halloween costume, or the custom tailored, slate-gray suit he currently wore. Nothing could hide his long legs and powerful thighs, and in the perfectly fitted suit, his shoulders seemed even broader, the hint at the muscles beneath more intoxicating than seeing them in all their rippling glory. His thin-rimmed glasses made his blue eyes glitter even more brightly, while his sensual lips were turned into an amused smile at something the companion at his side was saying. A smile that faded when his gaze swept over the crowded restaurant and immediately landed on Darren.