Her Fierce Warrior (X-Ops #4)(30)

"Okay. So if you're not here to break up with me, why did you drive all the way up here during your lunch break?"

"I came here to tell you something that would get me in a load of  trouble if anyone ever found out," she snapped. "It might even send me  to prison."

"Layla, if this is secret info, you shouldn't tell me," he said.

When she didn't say anything, Jayson suddenly had a horrible vision of  her stumbling across deep, dark government secrets that involved  assassins, political cover-ups, and unauthorized covert operations.

"I know I shouldn't be telling you," she said. "But I spent all morning  talking to Ivy and came to realize that we let a secret come close to  destroying our relationship. I almost lost my sister over something she  refused to share with me, and I don't want that happening to us. I want  to be a part of your life, and that won't happen if you find out I've  been lying to you the whole time. And at some point, you'd figure it  out."

"Figure what out?" God, he was so frigging confused. He felt like he needed a translation guide for this conversation.

Layla didn't seem to notice the fact that he was drowning, though. "That I'm not exactly what you think I am."

Could she be any more cryptic?

"I don't really work for the Department of Homeland Security," she said  softly. "I work for an organization called the Department of Covert  Operations, or DCO for short. It's buried so deep inside the bureaucracy  of the DHS that they don't even know we exist."

Jayson almost laughed. "That's your big secret? That you work for a  secret organization within the U.S. government? If it is, that's not  really a secret. There are probably dozens of organizations in the  United States like that. And it certainly isn't going to come between  us."

"No, that's not my big secret," she said. "The secret part is about how  the DCO operates. They field teams of trained operatives from military,  law enforcement, and covert backgrounds with those who possess … special  abilities."

"Okay," he said slowly.

"Maybe it would be best if I just show you," she said. "But you have to promise to not freak out-or hate me."

He scowled at her. "Now who's being stupid? You know I could never hate you. And I'm former Special Forces. I don't freak out."

Layla gave him a small smile that was a little bit sad but didn't say  anything. After a moment, she shook her head, then picked up their  plates and carried them over to the sink.

"This isn't as easy as I thought."

Jayson stood and followed after her. Luckily the kitchen was small, so he didn't have to go far.

He gently put his hand on her arm and turned her to face him. "Hey. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Layla didn't smile this time. "Just remember you said that."

She took a deep breath, then slowly held up her hands, palms facing her.  As he watched, her oval-shaped nails extended and turned into claws  that had to be an inch and a half long. If that wasn't crazy enough, her  eyes became a vivid green, and the tips of two really sharp fangs poked  over her lower lip.

Jayson tried not to freak, he really did, but he failed. He took a step  back so fast he had to grab the counter to keep from falling on his ass.  A split second later, the claws, fangs, and green eyes were gone, and  he had a hard time believing he hadn't imagined them.

"What did I just see?" he asked.

Her eyes filled with tears. "I was right. You're disgusted, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not!"

Shit. He told her he wouldn't freak out. Layla looked so scared and  vulnerable right then that it made his chest hurt. He pulled her into  his arm, hugging her close.

"Layla, you didn't disgust me. You could never do that-even if you  sprouted horns and a tail." He pressed a kiss to her silky hair. "I'm  just not sure of what I saw, that's all."

Layla nodded against his chest. Then she told him that she was a  shifter-a genetic mutation of a normal human who possessed certain  animal traits. It sounded too insane to be real, but he'd seen the claws  and fangs, not to mention the brilliant-green eyes, so she wasn't  making it up.

"Are the physical changes I saw the sum total of what you do when you  shift, or are there other things that make you different?" he asked.

She didn't answer right away. "I can run faster and farther, and jump  higher than a normal person. My senses are keener, too. I can smell,  see, and hear better."                       
       
           



       

Wow. "Are there others like you?"

She hesitated. "That's not something I can talk about because that would lead to secrets that aren't mine to tell."

He could understand that.

Layla bit her lip. "I know that finding out that I'm a shifter is a lot  to take in, and that it might take a while to wrap your head around it,  but I couldn't keep it from you any longer. I could feel us drifting  apart lately, and I know it was because I was hiding things from you.  Maybe you don't even realize you're doing it, but I can see you tune out  sometimes when we talk. I think you were subconsciously picking up on  the fact that I was keeping this huge secret from you." She sighed. "I  want you to know the real me, even if that means you walk away from me  because of it. That's better than letting us fall apart slowly-or having  you hate me when you stumbled over my secret on your own."

Damn. He hadn't realized he'd been tuning out during some of their  conversations, but if he had, it sure as hell wasn't because of anything  Layla did. It was because he was a worthless piece of handicapped crap  who didn't deserve her and wasn't man enough to let her go.

He opened his mouth to tell Layla that when she leaned forward and  kissed him … then kissed him some more. He kissed her back, forgetting all  about the fangs he'd seen earlier. She was the same Layla he'd been  half in love with since they'd met.

Layla pulled away with a rueful smile. "I'm sorry to spring all this on  you and then bail, but I really do have to get back to work. I have  another session right after lunch. We can talk about this later as much  as you want. Or if you decide you don't want to have anything else to do  with me, I get it. Just text me, and I won't bother you again. I only  hope you'll keep my secret if for no other reason than I'm asking you  to."

She gave him a quick kiss, then picked up her purse from where she'd  left it on the couch and practically ran for the door. It took a little  work on his part, but he caught up and grabbed her hand. Then he turned  her to face him and kissed her again-like he meant it.

He rested his forehead against hers. "Thank you for telling me. I know  how hard it was for you. Nobody will ever hear about your secret from  me. That's a promise."

She nodded, her eyes shimmering with tears. She turned to open the door, but he stopped her again.

"You want to come over tonight? I could order pizza," he added.

Layla smiled, the tension visibly fading. "I'd like that."

After she left, Jayson wandered into the living room and collapsed on  the couch. Damn, he'd had a hard enough time trying to see how a  relationship with Layla could work when he'd thought she was this  amazing woman with beautiful eyes, silky hair, and a body that wouldn't  quit. Now that he knew she was some kind of superhero, he didn't see how  they had a chance in hell of making it.





Chapter 10


Angelo cringed as he watched Minka wave the knife she was using to dice  the tomatoes for the fajitas. She was going to cut off a finger. She'd  been bouncing off the walls since he'd met up with her at Layla's office  a few hours ago; she couldn't stop talking about how well things had  gone with Ivy and Tanner. The only time she'd slowed down was when  they'd taken a detour to the grocery store on the way to the apartment,  and that was only because she'd never been in a store with so much food  before.

"I couldn't believe it when Tanner showed me how to put the beast behind  a door and keep it locked away," she said excitedly as she reached for  another tomato. "I was even more amazed when he showed me how to open  the door a little so I could get my claws to come out. I can't imagine  why I'd ever want them to come out, of course, but it was very  impressive anyway. Oh, and did I tell you that I'm part cat? That's why I  have curved claws."

Angelo held one hand above the grill to see how hot it was while  stirring the peppers and onions with the other, then gave her a quick  look. "Part cat, huh?"

He had to really force himself to pay attention to the vegetables he was  sautéing, or he was going to burn them. The secret to good Mexican food  was the right blend of peppers, spices, and patience. But right now,  Minka was being damn distracting-especially dressed in the long  boho-print skirt and tank top Layla had given her to wear. What man  could think of cooking when he had such a gorgeous woman in front of  him?