Page 18 of Furever Loyal
She blinked, surprised. “Okay. Good. Let’s go.”
“Yeah, I’m coming.” Kincaid slipped out of the office and closed the door behind him.
Smiling, she leaned against the doorjamb. “You missed a piece. Put it back,” she told him, reaching out with her foot to toe the single sheet of paper on the ground right in front of the door.
Kincaid didn’t reply, nor did he pick it up. She was about to question him why, when her shadow, draped across the inside of the office, shivered and grew bigger. Alotbigger.
That’s impossible. Shadows can’t do that.Which meant only one thing.
That’s not my shadow…
9
He saw the shadow move first, even as he was reaching for the paper, and his eyes snapped upward. A tall figure loomed up behind Haley. Though it was muscular, it didn’t have the same thickness as himself.
The face wasn’t familiar to Kincaid, though he recognized the calm, predatory nature of its movements. Considering their current location, he knew without a doubt who the man across from him was.
It was a Canis agent.
Haley yelped and darted inside the office as she too realized that whoever it was, they weren’t friendly. The speed of her movement caught the werewolf off-guard, and he missed as he swiped at the back of her neck, trying to grab hold.
Kincaid growled, the full-throated noise rattling the windows and immediately catching the attention of his enemy.
“What the hell are you doing here?” the newcomer snarled, bristling at the noise, his lips pulled back to reveal his teeth.
“Looking around.” Kincaid was well aware the other man had meant House Ursa when he’d said “you”, and not Kincaid specifically. This was, after all, Canis territory, and Kincaid shouldn’t be there, but right now he didn’t give a damn about the rules.
“That cannot be allowed to stand. You must pay for this.”
For a second, Kincaid thought that the Canim was going to shift, revealing the secret to averyunprepared Haley, but instead, he just stepped inside the door.
“Kincaid, I’m scared,” Haley said from where she hid behind him. “Can we just go?”
“Too late for that now. You must be taught respect.”
Kincaid snorted. “Like any of you mangy shits know a thing about respect. I know it’s ass-kissers that usually get ahead, but you guys really took it to the next level with the whole licking thing.”
His opponent snarled audibly. “I willteachyou respect.”
If there was one thing all Canim hated equally, and that was guaranteed to drive them into a fury, it was being compared to domesticated dogs. Insulting them that way never failed to both make them furious and amuse Kincaid. It was just too easy.
“This isn’t obedience training,” he said in a deep voice. “But trust me, by the time I’m done with you, you’ll know just whose commands to obey.”
The Canim swung at him wildly.
“Bad doggy,” he snapped, ducking under it and lunging forward.
Haley shouted and retreated deeper into the office as the two men collided and went down hard, Kincaid pile-driving the Canim into the floor. He was up in a flash, only narrowly avoiding having his legs swept up from underneath him. The Canim was tougher than that, and he would require more of a beating before he gave up.
“What does Laurent want with me?” Kincaid asked, dodging another attack.
“Why would anyone want anything to do with you?”
“Good question,” Kincaid said, dancing backward as his foe attacked. Behind him, Haley kept scrambling. He heard her open another door, and a cool blast flowed over his skin. Not enough to be from outside but…
He glanced over his shoulder.Yup. Just as I thought. Warehouse.
The perfect spot to continue their little discussion. “Come on,” he taunted, darting through the door. The Canim charged right into the door as Kincaid slammed it shut in his face.
