Page 82 of Bearing Secrets
“I’m not worried,” her captor said with a grin. “You see, I’m not alone.” Then he shut the trunk, blocking out her view of a face she’d seen before.
She’d seen it… outsideLeblanc, the first night she’d gone out with Kirell.
Natalia understood now. She knew what Kirell was up against. He wasn’t just fighting a few disloyal elements inside his own House. That would have been too easy. Klebra must have known that. That’s why he’d gone outside his House, looking for allies, anyone that could help him achieve his goal. And he’d found it.
In House Canis.
38
“Will you knock it off? You’re starting to worry people.”
He looked up to see Klaue leaning against the wall ahead of him, blocking the intersection.
“What are you talking about?”
His senior lieutenant rolled his eyes. “You’ve been pacing the hallways for hours now, Kirell. More than a few people are muttering that you’ve lost your mind, that you’re about to go out of control. You don’t talk to anyone, your head is down and your body language screams,don’t fucking touch or talk to me or I’ll rip your head off and shove it down your throat until you can wink from your asshole.That good enough?”
Kirell had to think that through for a second before he understood what Klaue meant by winking through his…anyway, it didn’t matter. The man was right, he had been a menace to the House.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders to try and relieve some of the tension in them. “But why aren’t you heeding said advice about not talking to me?”
Klaue barked a laugh. “Because I’m the best fighter in the House right now and you know better than that.”
Kirell almost thought about challenging him to that claim but decided against it. He knew better than to make claims he couldn’t back up. Klauewasthe best of High House Ursa right now, and he deserved that recognition. Not that Kirell was far behind.
“What’s going on?” his second in command asked, dropping his voice to something friendlier and more private at the same time.
“Just things with Natalia,” he said, matching the other shifter’s tone.
“I thought everything was good there?”
“It’s complicated,” he said with a thin smile. “She stole my car.”
“Which one?”
“The Chiron.” He frowned. “That’s twice now she’s stolen it, I think she might be a car thief.”
“Damn, you let her take the Chiron?”
“Let her?” he scoffed. “I was unconscious in bed. She took the keys. How is that letting her?”
“Minus the fact you let yourself get beat down, you could have kept the keys safer.”
“I really don’t need your aggravation right now,” he snapped, his stress leaking through. “Sorry. I know you’re just trying to lighten the mood.”
“I can see it’s not working. Do me a favor though, and I’ll leave you alone. Go back to your quarters and wait for her there. Anywhere but the halls, okay? Stop stalking back and forth.”
It wasn’t an order, but a request. Kirell thought about ignoring it, but immediately discarded that idea. Starting a fight between him and Klaue wasn’t the way to earn the loyalty of his men. Especially when they were in the right, such as now.
“I’ll go down to the security office,” he decided. “Start reviewing footage, see if I can’t track down something that’ll prove it was Klebra.”
“You’re positive it was him?”
Kirell just snorted.
“Yeah. Good point.”
Walking forward, he clapped a hand on Klaue’s shoulder. “Thanks.”
