A. Arthur - Passion's Prey

“Yeah, shaking her ass for the public,” Nick chimed in.

“I’d tread lightly in that area if I were you,” X warned him. “She nearly bit my head off when I commented on her occupational choice.”

“That’s because it’s none of your damn business,” Caprise said, entering the room wearing skintight jeans and a T-shirt so tight it made X’s mouth water.

“It’s my business if you’re out there trying to get yourself killed,” Nick fired back. “What is this stripping thing you’re doing?”

Caprise made her way to the center of the room with one hand on her hip, the other pointing a finger at her brother. X could only shake his head. Whatever she was getting ready to say, she meant business. How they were all going to deal with that, X had no idea.

“I’m an adult. I can do whatever I please. And for your information it’s called exotic dancing, not stripping, you idiot.”

Rome covered his mouth and gave a fake cough to hide that he was chuckling. X stood behind Caprise.

“I don’t think they were coming after her. If I scented them it’s believable that they scented my presence as well,” he said, trying to take the heat off Caprise. He’d never defended a female like this before. Sure, he wanted to protect all females, especially shifters. But this, it was a little different.

“How long have you been dancing there?” Rome asked.

“About three weeks,” she replied evenly.

For as candid and sometimes rude as Caprise could be, she always respected Rome.

“Has any Rogue ever approached you?” the FL asked.

“She’s not on the lookout for them like we are,” X replied.

Rome stood. “But she can still scent them if they’re near. Have you ever been near a Rogue at that club?”

“I don’t think so. But he’s right, I’m not looking for them. I go there twice a week, do my dancing, collect my money, and go. I don’t hang out there on a regular basis, and I don’t socialize with anybody while I’m there.”

“They could have scented you,” Rome agreed, looking at X. “And if so, they’re damn bold to come after a commanding officer.”

“Probably figured he was alone so they had a good chance of taking him down,” Nick said.

His voice sounded deceptively calm. Then again, X doubted that Nick had put two and two together to equal that he and Caprise had actually slept together last night.

“Well, if you guys want to continue talking about your secret society crap that’s fine with me. But I’d like to go home and get changed. Is Seth here to take me?” Caprise asked.

Rome nodded. “Seth’s downstairs.”

“I’ll take you back to Havenway,” X replied.

“That’s not necessary,” she said with a toss of her hair over her shoulder.

It was the first time she’d looked at him since she came into the room. Yet it felt like she was looking right through him.

“I said I’ll take you home,” he insisted.

“And I said it’s not necessary,” she said, slower, more intensely. “Look, don’t get any fancy ideas about what happened last night. You and I are on the same terms we were before. Okay, so maybe we’re not total enemies, but I’m not into the possessive shifter crap all you guys have a habit of pulling.”

Before X could reach out to stop her Caprise headed to the door. And a strong hand on his shoulder told him he wasn’t finished with the conversation with Nick and Rome just yet.

“You fucked my sister!”

There was no escaping Nick’s fury, and X didn’t really try. It happened and it was done, just like Caprise said. Nick would have to accept that and move on.

“We’re adults, Nick,” he said with a sigh.

Rome had sat back down, shaking his head, using his cell phone to most likely alert Seth that Caprise was coming down. The guard would be in the lobby the moment she stepped off the elevator. From that point on he wouldn’t leave her side again until they hit Havenway.

“She’s my sister, X. You don’t just do your friend’s sister and think that’s okay.”

He had a point there, but X didn’t care. He wasn’t explaining himself to Nick or to anyone else. For him, explanations had died the day that dirty bastard Jeremiah had.

“Okay, Nick. I slept with your sister. Now can we move on?” He’d really wanted to be able to tell Nick about last night himself, but Caprise apparently had other ideas. He should have known she would.

“No, we cannot move on. You don’t have a mate, X. You have sex and it’s not even casual sex. You have fucking escapades that could easily leave the other person hurt. My sister is not one of your playmates. She’s not some whore for you to screw any way you like.”

And there it was, X thought with growing fury. Since he’d had his first shift at the age of fifteen, X had known he was different. He’d felt it in the air he breathed. When he began feeling the gnawing sexual urges of the Topètenia he knew that he’d be different in that respect as well. His history had already pre-ordained that fact. Finding willing partners wasn’t easy at first—young females tended to be afraid of his darker sexual urges. But as he’d grown older it seemed more doors had opened. Anal sex wasn’t taboo anymore—whips, chains, stimulators, nipple clamps, role playing, none of that was out of the question. It was the norm for him and for those who kept his company. Nick and Rome knew all this and had never said anything about his preferences. Until now.

“It was consensual, you bastard. And I’d never hurt her,” he told Nick through clenched teeth once he’d gotten right in the shifter’s face.

“She doesn’t deserve to be treated like that,” Nick retorted.

Rome stood then, moving to separate the men. “All right, let’s take it down a notch. X is right, Nick. Caprise is an adult and she looked just fine to me when she strolled out of here.”

“That’s not the point,” Nick said.

“It’s the point for now,” Rome told him. “What they do is their business.”

X didn’t back down, but he did look away. He hadn’t wanted this confrontation with Nick, hadn’t wanted to walk down this road with him. But not touching Caprise had not been an option. So he’d deal with the repercussions.

“I asked you to look into her whereabouts for the last five years. Did you do that or where you too busy thinking about how quick you could get into her pants?” Nick asked tightly.

“I’ll find out where she was and what happened,” X said. He’d already decided that would be his priority today, especially after he’d seen that text message on her phone. But that was before Wilson had made his appearance.

“And keep your hands off her,” Nick stated adamantly before walking to the door. “Don’t talk to Wilson without me present, either,” he yelled on his way out.

The door slammed again and X ran a hand down the back of his head.

“You’ve had one hell of a night,” Rome said, his voice much lighter than Nick’s had been.

“Tell me about it,” he said, sinking down onto the couch.

Rome looked down at him. “It had to be Caprise, huh?”

“Man, I couldn’t have prevented that even if I wanted to. You ever had someone that just got under your skin, instantly, like a disease?”

Rome smiled, nodding. “Yeah, I’ve had someone like that.”

“No,” X replied quickly. “Don’t get it twisted, I’m not falling into the mate and joining trap like you and Nick have. I just meant, it was like a hunger that I had to feed.”

“And are you full now? Have you had your fill?” was Rome’s question.

X didn’t reply. Something told him that whatever he said wasn’t going to be perceived the way he meant it, so he remained quiet.