Skin Walkers - King (7 page)

Chapter 12

As badly as King wanted to race to the holding cells and murder the bastard that shot Lilly, he was forced to stay at the infirmary.  Jenny had begged him.  Crying, she told him she wouldn’t know what to do if Lilly woke up and tried to leave the infirmary.  It was a lie, King could scent it.  Jenny was trying to keep his mind off murder and preoccupied with Lilly’s health, and Jenny was right.  He didn’t want to leave Lilly alone now either.  If she woke she’d need to feel safe, she’d need to feel protected.  It was all he could give her right now, so he would.

Several hours later, King still stood guard just outside Lilly’s door.  He was surprised to see Monroe returning to check on Lilly.  It was out of character for the busy
CEO, but she was his personal assistant after all.

“Any change?” Monroe demanded without so much as a ‘hello’.

“None.”

“Fuck!  I need her awake.  I need answers.”

“Maybe it’s time we take them from
him.”

Monroe looked at King
.  A rare flash of indecision streaked across the CEO’s face before it disappeared and Monroe nodded.  “
I’ll
talk to him.  You stay here in case Lilly wakes up.  I don’t want her putting her health in jeopardy because she’s pissed at us.”

“Us?
”  King asked mockingly.  “I’m with her.  That fucker should be dead.”

Monroe
’s expression steeled and he scowled at King before turning to stalk down the hall.  The click of his dress shoes on the tile didn’t halt when King threw at his back, “Get the information you need, Crow.  He’s running out of time and you’re running out of opportunity.”

King turned to Jenny who
had just stepped out of Lilly’s room.  She was shaking her head sadly.  She’d heard King’s threat.  “It won’t solve anything, King.”

He turned from her to resume his position in front of Lilly’s door before straightening his shoulders and
locking his hands together behind his back.  The perfect soldier.  “Wrong.  It won’t solve anything for Monroe.  But it’ll appease Lilly.”

Jenny raised a slender brow, “And since when do
you
care about appeasing Lilly?”

King turned his head to stare at
the Walker woman.  His eyes dimmed and he loosed a deep growl.

Jenny threw up her hands, “Okay, okay.  It’s non
e of my business, but you do know she’s afraid of Walkers.”  She turned to walk back down the hall to the nurse’s station.

King resumed his stance. 
Afraid of Walkers?  We’ll see about that.

The next day while Lilly still slept, Monroe returned to the infirmary, “Christ
, King, it’s been three days.  Have you slept at all?”

“Some.” King answered on a growl.  His short black hair was disheveled, and stubble was forming
along his chin and jaw line.  He needed a shave, shower, rest, and a hot meal.  But he wouldn’t admit it.  He couldn’t leave her.

“Go
get some rest, and take a shower.”  Monroe wrinkled his nose.

King kept his eyes straight ahead, “I’m not leaving.”

“You are.  You’re no good to her or anyone for that matter with the shape you’re in.”

King simply shook his head, “I’m not leaving her with anyone else.”

“No one?”  Monroe asked.  He turned to look down the narrow corridor that led out of the infirmary and nodded.  King followed his eyes and saw Bronco at the end of the hall watching through the small pane of glass that was set into one of two swinging doors.  When Monroe gave the sign Bronco nodded then disappeared.  King tensed for a fight.

“Easy man,” Monroe slapped him on the shoulder, “No one’s going to take you from her.  I’ve got a better idea.”

King turned to stare down the hall as the doors swung open.  It was RedKnife.  He was King’s most trusted Sentry, and aside from Monroe, the only other man that King trusted with his life.  But RedKnife despised being assigned to inside work detail.  Claimed he couldn’t breathe.  RedKnife hadn’t worked an indoor detail since he’d arrived at StoneCrow.  The man even preferred to shift at night and sleep outdoors curled into a tight ball in wolf form on the perimeter of the estate.  This was a huge favor and King recognized it.

RedKnife ignored
Monroe and Bronco as he approached.  He rarely spoke to anyone.  When he finally reached King he took the same stance King had posed and stood beside King, so close that their shoulders were touching.  RedKnife stared straight ahead, hands locked behind his back before he said the only words that could get King to leave Lilly’s side. 

“I’ll protect her as if she were my own.  You have my word.”

King dropped his head and took a deep breath making his massive chest expand.  The words were meant to provide solace, but the implication of the ‘as if she were my own’ had King fighting to control the anger that washed over him.  Damn he was tired.  He was acting out of character.  It had to be his exhaustion….didn’t it?  Regardless, RedKnife was sacrificing his personal comfort for King’s sake, and it was more appreciated than RedKnife would ever know.

Monroe nodded as if he’d conquered some great feat.  “Gentlemen.”  He offered
as he turned and strode proudly back down the corridor with Bronco in tow, clearly pleased with himself.

King turned to RedKnife, “Thank you.”

RedKnife nodded once, keeping his gaze on the wall.

King checked in with
Jenny and peeked in on a still sleeping Lilly before he raced out of the infirmary to seek out Monroe.  He needed some answers on the shooter.

Unfortunately for him, Monroe was not as forthcoming as King had hoped.  Monroe dismissed King from his office with the wave of his hand and a, “Not now, I’ve got
intel coming in and I don’t have time to discuss this with you.”

“You rea
lly should make time.” King threatened, but Monroe didn’t even look up from his computer before he picked up his cell phone to punch in some numbers.

Disheartened but not dissuaded, King returned to his home. 
His residence was a quaint two bedroom cabin.  It was one of the first to be finished on the estate and was nestled just behind the large manor.  As he opened his front door he was greeted by a large living room with rustic décor.  An empty fireplace sat in front of a large leather sofa to his left.  Just above the fireplace was a large flat screen TV. 

He dropped his keys on a small waist-high table that sat just to the right of the
front door, before he strode the short distance down the hall to his kitchen.  Yanking open the door to his stainless steel fridge, he pulled out luncheon meat, cold-cuts, lettuce, and cheese slices, tossing each item onto the island that sat in the center of his kitchen.  The fridge, stove, microwave, and dishwasher were all stainless steel, while his countertops, of a burnt-orange marble, gave the kitchen a sophisticated elegance.

King twisted the top off a cold beer before slamming it and grabbing another.  Then he
snatched a jar of mayo out of the fridge, made himself three sandwiches, and carried them and two extra beers upstairs to his bedroom.  On missions like guarding Lilly, he’d partially shift to a nocturnal animal at night to stay alert, and then at day he’d partially shift to a diurnal animal to keep awake during the day.  It was a costly maneuver.  His human form couldn’t take the stress of those types of alternating shifts for any extended period of time.  Three days was the longest he’d ever gone, and he’d just spent five days with Lilly.  He was exhausted and cranky, and he didn’t particularly care for performing the feat but would if the situation required.

He polished off the last of his sandwiches and finished his fourth beer before dropping, still fully clothed, onto his bed and instantly falling
into an exhausted sleep. 

C
hapter 13

When Lilly
woke, she wasn’t sure where she was.  Then she remembered, and overwhelming grief swamped her.  She fought to hold back tears, and her eyes flashed open when she realized she wasn’t alone.

Monroe was seated
in the chair next to her bed, with Legion Knight standing at his side, and the Walker she knew to be RedKnife KillsPrettyEnemy standing just inside the door, staring straight ahead at the wall above her bed. 

Lilly sighed, looking from RedKnife to Monroe. 
She knew Monroe well, knew his moods.  The thin line of his angry lips whitened as his lips drew tighter.

“What?” Lilly snapped, angry herself that Monroe would think she deserved to bear any of his wrath considering her recent ordeal.

His words were clipped, “It seems King has left you a little gift.”

Lilly looked
away from Monroe’s angry eyes to scan the room.  She found no card, no flowers, no…then she saw it.  Sitting on a table against the far wall was a small, fist-sized, bloody, object.  Lilly blinked, trying to clear her vision.  “Is that?”

“Yes,” Monroe bit out.  “The heart of one Mr. Richard Jamison.”

Lilly sat dazed.  She stared at the heart for several tense moments.  She knew Monroe expected her to feel guilty.  Christ,
she
expected herself to feel guilty, but the emotion wouldn’t formulate.  A flash of anger, then pain were both replaced as a warmth ignited in the pit of her stomach and grew until her limbs were shaking with its power.  Gratitude.  She hadn’t expected any of them to care enough to avenge what had happened to her.  But one had…King had.

Lilly’s peripheral vision took in the flare of Monroe’s nostrils.  She knew he was reading her scents.  Trying to decipher just how she perceived King’s gift.  She didn’t want him to have
to guess.  Her voice was thickened with emotion, “It’s the greatest gift anyone has ever given me.”

Monroe snarled, “Christ Lilly, you’re starting to sound like one of us.  Do you realize a man died today?  By your order!  You’ve got blood on your hands and whether you realize it now or not, blood won’t wash off that easily.”

Lilly let her head fall back against the pillow as she frowned up at Monroe, “Funny, I would have expected more from you.”

He smelt the accusation
and the betrayal she felt.  For a second his own regret flashed across his face.  “I was trying to get answers.  All we had was his name, and the knowledge that he was a local rancher.  We tied you to him through your work with the Canis Lupus Coalition.  Other than that we have nothing.”

Lilly closed her eyes, her throat convulsing as s
he swallowed.  “Richard Jamison.  He goes by RJ.  He’s hated me for a very long time.”

“You knew him
personally?” Monroe couldn’t disguise his interest.

“
Only through my work with the Coalition.  I told King this.  We’re a non-profit committed to the protection of gray wolves.  RJ has been our most ruthless opponent. 

As a rancher he’s sought to have protection of the wolves removed as well as being the greatest adv
ocate for wolf hunting.  Recently we’ve drafted legislation that would re-list wolves as an endangered species. 

RJ’s lost several cattle this year to
the wolves and he threatened violence at our last meeting.  The police had him removed from the premises.  I didn’t file a report because I know how passionate people can be.  I assumed it was all talk.”

Monroe’s expression darkened in disbelief.  “He tried to kill you over some
fucking wolves?”

“
Like I said, people can be passionate about their causes.  I’d kill to protect them; he’d kill to destroy them.”

Monroe smirked
caustically, “I doubt you’d kill to save wolves.”

Lilly cocked her head, “
I know you’d kill to protect yours. 

Monroe leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.  “And
exactly
how much do you know about my
wolves
?”

Here it is.  Time to come clean.
  Lilly drew in a steadying breath, and offered in preemptive defense.  “I’m not dumb, Mr. StoneCrow, and I’m not blind either.”  When he didn’t respond she forged on, “The phone bills.” 

Her eyes flicked to
the two other men in the room before coming to rest on Monroe as his expression darkened in impatience.

“I first noticed that the phone bills were nonexistent, except for calls I made.  E
ven your cell is rarely used.  It didn’t make sense because I knew you were doing a great deal of communicating with your newly hired staff.  At first, I thought you were e-mailing, but when we transitioned here and didn’t have the internet for the first few weeks, you were still making things happen.”  She looked at him accusatorily, “There still weren’t any phone records.  You were communicating without actually calling or e-mailing anyone.  Once the estate was up, I pulled the records for the infirmary and the rest of the manor.  Nothing.  None of you contact each other via phone.”

Monroe eyed her silently.  When his brow’s hiked she knew he expected more.

“Then there were the Sentries you’d hired.  They didn’t make sense for a wild life refuge and rehabilitation facility.  Neither did the grandiose manor or the cabins you’re having built.  I began to dig,” she felt slight shame at the admission, “I know Jenny isn’t a veterinarian.  She’s a surgeon, one of the best in the nation.  And Stoney’s a nurse, not a vet tech.  And King,” she darted a glance at Monroe who still watched her, unmoved by her statements.  “King is a highly decorated Master Chief assigned to Navy Special Warfare.  It was then that I realized something was going on.  You people weren’t who you claimed to be.  Plus you all wear those,” she pointed to the halo that hung around Monroe’s throat.  “I want you to know that I’ve had my suspicions for quite some time, but I’ve never shared any information with anyone, and I have no intention of doing so now.  I am well aware of just how easy it is for you to make people disappear.  I want you to know that you and your,” she stalled to pin him with unsure eyes, “
werewolves
can continue to rely on me for absolute secrecy.  Your people, your operations, are safe with me, Mr. StoneCrow.”

Lilly’s body was rigid as she waited.  She’d finally revealed that she knew Monroe and his people were werewolves.  Now, he’d either
kill her outright, or accept that fact that he could trust her.

Cold, blue eyes assessed her, and the minutes seemed to drag by before Monroe finally spoke.  “We’re not werewolves, Ms. Worthington.  We
are Skin Walkers.”

He spent the next twenty minutes explaining their abilities and their varying stages. 

Lilly gaped at him several moments before she blinked hard.  “That’s why we need the school.”

Monroe smiled, “Yes.”

“We’re going to train the children to hone their abilities.”

Monroe nodded as he watched Lilly’s mind work.  “
What is that necklace you all wear?”  She eyed the collar of his shirt.

“It’s not a necklace. 
It’s called a halo.  It carries a part of our essence with it even after we gift it to our mate.  The halo is generated through our youth until it becomes the halo you see now.  It can only be removed when gifted to our mate.  It cannot break, and it cannot be removed by any hand other than by that of the Walker who owns it.”

“And it is given to your wife
?”

“Angel,” Monroe
corrected.  “We call our mates angels.”

They stared at each other for a moment of companionable silence
before Monroe exhaled loudly and rubbed the back of his neck.  “You know about us now, Ms. Worthington, and I don’t think I need to tell you how dangerous things have just become for you.  Please know that if you have any designs on betraying me or my kind,” he didn’t get to finish.

“You don’t have to threaten me, Mr. StoneCrow.  As I said, I’m not dumb or blind.  I understand well the consequences of crossing you or your Skin Walkers. 
I plan on getting back to work and performing my duties with the highest level of professionalism and discretion.”

Looking relieved, Monroe plowed a hand through his dark hair. 
“Now, I’ve just got to figure out where King disposed of that body.  I can’t have this coming back to bite us.  We don’t need that kind of attention.”

Lilly dropped her eyes and felt the first real pang of regret for what King had done for her.  She didn’t regret the loss of a monster like RJ, but
she didn’t want to bring any trouble to StoneCrow. 

Monroe stood,
dusting a fleck of lint off his impeccably tailored slacks.  Today, as was typical for everyday, he wore dark dress slacks with imported Italian shoes, ever ready for the boardroom or TV interview.  His white button-up shirt was tucked into his pants and a black tie hung down the front of his shirt, and was slightly unknotted.  The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to reveal thickly corded forearms. 

Suddenly the door opened and Cindy
Sambrano entered.  The small female with short, dark, hair was a recent hire to the estate.  Eventually, she’d work in the Crow’s Nest, the pub that would be on the penthouse floor.  For now, she assisted with the kitchen staff, keeping the stream of constantly arriving employees fed.

Carrying a covered tray, Cindy entered and scanned the room for a table.  Finding none, she wordlessly approached RedKnife and
gripped his elbow with delicate fingers before sliding her hand down his thick arm to grab his wrist.  Although her fingers didn’t come near to touching, she lifted his fist and used her small fingers to force his hand opened so that it rested flat, palm side up.  She placed her tray on his hand before smiling up at him and whispered, “Can you hold this for a sec.”  She was completely oblivious to the fact that everyone in the room had suddenly stilled, all eyes locked on her.  Even Monroe tensed as he peered apprehensively at RedKnife’s dazed expression.

No one ever touched RedKnife KillsPrettyEnemy. 
No one!
  Hell, even his best friend, King Mulholland, had only ever brushed the lone Indigenous Walker a handful of times over the span of their decade’s long friendship.

Unaware of her faux paux, Cindy continued to remove
items from the nearest bedside table before removing the tray from RedKnife’s hand and smiling at him appreciatively before giving him a friendly wink then bending to lay out silverware next to Lilly’s lunch. 

“Thanks!”
  She whispered to RedKnife.

When the room suddenly darkened, all eyes—except for Cindy’s and RedKnife’s—shot to the window. 

It was rumored, but as of yet unproven, that Indigenous Walkers could control the elements.  No one was certain if the shifts in weather, that seemed to mimic RedKnife’s moods, were coincidence or not.

Monroe cleared his throat.  “That’ll be all, Cindy.”

She nodded once then quietly exited the room.

RedKnife still stood with his hand palm side up in the air, as if unsure what had just happened.
  He looked mystified. 

Monroe had to smirk at the poor Walker’s confused expression.  You’d think he’d just been accosted by a squirrel rather than merely touched by a beautiful woman.  “She meant no harm, RedKnife.”

Instantly, RedKnife dropped his hand and his ever-present scowl returned.  Shaken and unsure what else to do, he turned and stalked from the room.

Legion
smiled at the CEO before being ordered, “Follow Ms. Sambrano back to the kitchen.  Make sure she gets there safely.”

Legion
hurried from the room.

“What was that all about?”

Turning to Lilly, Monroe supplied, “RedKnife isn’t used to physical contact.”

“Why?”

He shrugged, “Not sure.  Just know it makes him uncomfortable.”

Once again, Lilly’s attention went to Monroe’s immaculate suit. 
From the moment she’d begun working at StoneCrow, she’d always found Monroe to be attractive; however, for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t
attracted
to him in the least.  He was a God among mere mortals, all of his men were.  The were all built like Adonis, had twice the height and muscle mass of any average man. 

For the first few years
, Lilly had felt like a fat frump having to work among such superb specimens.  She imagined it must be exactly how a photographer’s assistant felt when on an exclusive photo shoot, snapping away at the world’s foremost beauties.  After two years of self-loathing, she realized that most of Monroe’s people were just as beautiful inside as they were out, and the realization made it not so hard to pale in the shadow of their glory.

Lilly herself was no slouch in the looks
department.  Black heels, pin skirt, white shirt, with a dark suit jacket were her favored attire.  Her hair was a honey blonde, and it tumbled to her waist in satiny waves, but for work it was pulled tight everyday to form a no-nonsense chignon.  She went to pain-staking efforts to apply her make-up to appear flawless.