“But if it passed, would you apply?” She could see him doing a job like that. Or join the special task force, a SWAT team for paranormals.
The big man shook his head. “Too many people. Too many orders. I like my place here. You should think closely about it before dismissing it.”
That surprised her, but she ultimately rejected the idea. “If I apply, they’d require a blood test. I’d be forced to register.” There was nothing either of them could say to that.
The last thing she needed was to be labeled as a conduit in a public database, not to mention her that blood would reveal the mutations in her genes that made her a crossbreed. She wasn’t prepared for the consequences of either, especially if the very people who infected her with the various shifter DNA increased their search to locate her. She was safe right now, hidden in plain view. If she applied, she couldn’t guarantee a public position would protect her.
She pushed away those dark thoughts, along with the insidious fear at the mention of discovery. Thunder rumbled in the distance when the house came into view. Her feet quickened, eager to escape. London opened the front door and disappeared down the hallway to the section of the house he’d claimed as his own. Security central. She suspected he had a fridge in there as well and was tempted to follow when she heard voices.
“Where is she?”
Jackson’s growl carried easily through the kitchen door and shivered through her. The heat of his anger struck her even through the flimsy panel separating them. No doubt she was the person he wanted; he reserved that rough voice strictly for her.
She hadn’t seen or spoken to either wolf since they’d returned from the morgue yesterday. Until Jackson decided to share information about the pack with her, she really had nothing to say to him. She and Dina had spent most of the day yesterday out on the streets, questioning all the rogues they could find about missing shifters. Surprisingly, they responded to Dina, while watching Raven as if she would attack. Funny, since the rogues were supposedly the dangerous ones.
She cautiously stepped away from the kitchen, placing her feet with care. No sound. No trail. The door opened before she’d taken two steps. She froze, hunching her shoulders as if she’d become invisible if she were small enough. Instead of the confrontation she expected, Taggert slipped into the room.
When she would’ve spoken, he held his finger to his lips. She smiled in relief, the knots in her stomach relaxing. Taggert she could manage. Alone without Jackson to interrupt them, he’d give her answers to a few pesky riddles that continued to nag her about shifters.
Taggert trusted her. Knowing that weakened her resolve to use him to get answers. Strangely enough, she wanted to prove his trust was well placed. He’d treated her as one of them since they’d first met. She wanted that so badly, she refused to consider that he’d be in the perfect position to betray her.
The instant she straightened, his eyes widened. He rushed forward, his arms spread wide in an attempt to herd her. Then she heard it.
Footsteps.
She would know that tread anywhere. Not needing any prompting, she sprinted to the nearest escape with the knowledge they’d never make it in time.
The closet.
She barely snagged the door open when Taggert shoved her from behind. A flash of light was the last thing she saw when the door snicked shut, plunging them into darkness. The lack of light gave her a false sense of anonymity, but any pretense of being a naughty child caught up in a game quickly disappeared in the tight space.
Junk crammed along the walls from the previous owner, jabbing her every time she twitched to put space between them. Plastered against him closer than fur on a cat, every inclination that said Taggert needed protection vanished. All her body understood was the warm male so close and so damn willing.
She swallowed hard, acutely aware of every inch of him pressed up against her, her breasts against the hard wall of his chest, his legs tangling with hers. Taggert didn’t struggle, realizing the futility of it long before her.
“My scent. Can you cover my scent like yours?”
The whispered caress of his words against her ear sent a shiver of delight through her gut. His cheek brushed lightly against hers, almost nuzzling her.
Panic skittered down her spin. He didn’t know what he was asking. To mask him, she’d have to take him into her shields. Open herself up to him. It’d leave her vulnerable. It would also make it impossible for her to pretend their attraction didn’t exist.
“Raven?”
“Right.” She was an adult. She could control her baser instincts. She had to swallow twice before she found her courage. “You might get shocked a bit.”