Page 90 of Rejected By the Shifter King
“He’s listed as an executive producer on the film she’s working on. Used that access to get her alone.” Ajax pulled out a tablet, swiping to a series of surveillance photos. “They were in conference room B for approximately twenty-three minutes. She came out looking...upset.”
Hexius studied the images with the detached focus of a hunter analyzing prey patterns. Samira’s face in the final photo showed the same carefully blank expression he remembered from six years ago, and it was that of someone trying very hard not to feel anything at all.
“Did you get audio?”
“Negative, sir. The room was soundproofed, and we couldn’t risk getting closer without compromising the operation.”
“Anything else?”
“She went home immediately after. Hasn’t left her apartment since.”
Hexius inclined his head, and Ajax bowed, correctly interpreting this as a silent dismissal from his alpha’s presence.
Hexius’ mood turned brooding as he found himself alone with questions that multiplied like shadows in candlelight.
Why Samira?
That was the question he’d never thought to ask six years ago. He’d assumed his brother’s choice was random, some business arrangement between old families, the kind of political maneuvering that kept their kind’s secrets safe while cementing useful alliances.
But what if it hadn’t been random at all? What if there was more to his brother wanting him to marry Samira than just jealousy?
Hexius moved to one of the secured file cabinets, entering a code that would trigger an explosion if entered incorrectly. Inside, nestled between psychological profiles of vampire leaders and detailed maps of Fae territories, was a thin folder marked with Samira’s name.
He’d started the file after receiving the compatibility report from Concord Agency. Standard protocol: know your potential assets, understand their vulnerabilities, maximize your leverage.
He had gotten Ajax to look into her family background, and he had been surprised to find out that Vaughn had reached out to the Hondros’ patriarch shortly after Samira’s flight to the States. Unfortunately, that was all Ajax had been able to unearth, and it was frustrating as hell, not knowing what Vaughn and Samira’s grandfather had spoken about.
Hexius’ lips pressed together as he studied the sparse collection of documents making up Samira’s file. It was disconcerting, to realize how little he actually knew about the woman whose virgin blood might make him the most powerful snow leopard in five centuries.
Why did you choose her, brother? And how did you even find out about her?
The question dragged his thoughts back to the speed dating event three nights ago. He’d gone purely out of duty: check the compatibility claims, assess the asset, determine next steps. Simple reconnaissance, nothing more.
But then he’d seen her.
From across the crowded venue, his gaze had found Samira Hondros, and for a moment he’d wondered if there had been some mistake. This couldn’t be the same colorless Greek heiress he’d dismissed without a second glance six years ago. That woman had been pale, silent, forgettable. A political pawn dressed in expensive clothes that hung on her like a costume.
This woman, though...
Her auburn hair caught the overhead lights as she laughed at something her companion said. She moved with confidence, gestured with her hands when she spoke, and when she smiled it reached her eyes.
Real. Alive.Free.
Maybe this was who she’d always been beneath her grandfather’s tyranny. Maybe he’d never seen the real Samira at all.
The crowd seemed to sense his presence before they saw him. Conversations quieted. People stepped aside without being asked, creating a clear path through the room. Some recognized the Leopard King from news photos, but most simply felt the weight of ancient predator instincts screaming ‘danger’and‘alpha’and‘move’.
He hadn’t intended to approach her table. Hadn’t planned to stay. But his feet kept moving, his attention locked on the woman who should have meant nothing to him.
Her curves were more pronounced now, her simple black dress emphasizing a figure that belonged to a woman, not the girl she’d been six years ago. These things...didn’t even register before. But they did so now, and the realization had his disconcert devolving into unease.
A movement caught his eye, Samira leaning forward to speak to the man across from her, and Hexius’ jaw tightened when he saw how this drew the man’s gaze to the fullness of her breasts.
Why do I even give a damn about these things?
Three days ago, he wouldn’t have cared if she dated every man in Hollywood. But now?
Rage simmered in his chest as some fool leered at his potential mate, and the fact that he felt this way pissed him off even more.
