“Fair enough. What’s that got to do with why you’re sitting in my lap but not letting me kiss you?” He wasn’t going to let her off that easy.
“Just thought you might want to know.” She ducked her head and went back to touching his scars. A frown etched on her face, which was ethereal in the moonlight, all shadows and sharp cheekbones and dark-as-midnight hair spilling over her shoulders. God, she was beautiful.
He brushed her hair back from where it had fallen across her face. The direct approach wasn’t working, so he’d have to come at this sideways. “I’m glad to hear your brother is on Team Good Guys again.”
She nodded. “He really is a straight arrow, but there’s hope for him yet.” Her smile was pained, and it was really starting to tear at him. “But the Colonel’s slipperier than an eel. He’s already talking plea bargain. And I wouldn’t be surprised if someone up the chain of command gives it to him, just to keep his mouth shut.”
Jace grimaced. That was all too likely. “No matter what, I’m not going to let him near you again.”
She shook her head. “I’m not worried about that. I just want him to pay for what he’s done. Unlike Agent Smith.”
“Wait… what? What happened to Agent Smith?”
“Daniel says someone sprung him after about three hours. I think he must have some kind of connection to pretty high-level brass, maybe even Senator Krepky. As far as I know, he’s still planning to propose that law about shifters—you know, the one where we all have to register? I’m sure the good Senator would be willing to pull some strings to keep Agent Smith out of the limelight and pin all of this on my father. Not that he’s innocent, but one rogue Colonel is a whole different thing than the Feds being directly involved. He’ll want to keep all that as quiet as possible when he goes for the new legislation.”
“Well, that’s easy, then,” Jace said with a tight smile. “We don’t keep quiet.”
Piper nodded. “Olivia’s already talking about taking the entire story to some guy in the press she knows. I guess she used to be a reporter or something?”
“Yeah. And that sounds like a reasonable approach.” He ran his fingertips across her pale cheeks—she allowed it, but she wouldn’t meet his gaze. She was still hiding something. He pressed on. “So, Olivia will take it to the press. Daniel will try to get your father to pay for what he’s done. And Agent Smith might manage to slither under a rock. What’s left?”
She took a deep breath, still avoiding his gaze. “Noah’s going back overseas.”
“I can imagine he’d like to get far away from here.” Jace ducked his head and peered into her dark eyes, which were fixed on his chest. Was that it? Was she planning to go back to work overseas as well? Was that what she was hesitating to tell him?
The distant howl of his wolf welled up from deep inside him. It surged closer to the surface, but Jace was no longer afraid his beast would burst out at any moment. He and his wolf had just been reacquainted, and it felt good to be able to listen to what his wolf was telling him again. And right now, his wolf was insisting that Jace not let his mate go. Only Piper wasn’t his mate—and she’d already made it very clear she never wanted one. Hot sex? Yes. Fall in love? Maybe. But a magical bond that forever tied her to him? No. And Jace could understand why—her father had abused everyone he loved, including his mate… who eventually killed herself to escape it. If all that had happened to him, Jace wasn’t sure he would ever take the chance, either.
Piper was keeping silent, obviously struggling for words. He gave her time, not pushing.
Eventually, she said, “Daniel’s going to stay here in Seattle at the Joint Base. Partly, I think, to make sure my father pays for what he did. Partly because Daniel’s finally out from under his shadow—now he can have a career of his own. Taking down his own father and this horrible shifter experimentation program might even be what launches it.”
“Good for Daniel.” Jace waited, but it was clear he was going to have to force this out of her. “What about you?”
“What do you mean?” But he could tell by the way she was avoiding looking at him that she knew exactly what he meant.
Jace slid his hands up from her waist, along the soft length of her arms, and up to hold her cheeks gently by his fingertips. He tilted her face and brought her eyes up to meet his.
“I know you don’t want to mate,” he said softly. “And I get why. Your father has ruined so many lives, I’m sure you can’t imagine mating as anything other than being horrifically trapped.”