Page 12 of Luka

“You have my full attention.” Luka wasn’t sure what Spencer was about to say, but he braced himself in case he had to contain his wolf, especially if the guy told him he was being abused. He was also glad his plan had worked and Spencer felt comfortable enough with him to confide in him.

“My uncle lived with me for about a year,” Spencer said, refusing to look at Luka. “He was the meanest guy you could ever meet. I wanted him gone, but I was too afraid to tell him to go.”

Luka forced himself to remain quiet so Spencer could get it all out, but he hoped like hell the uncle was still alive, because Luka was going to end him.

“He was abusive. Toward me. A lot.”

Luka gritted his teeth.

“Then he was killed in a bar fight,” Spencer went on. “When he died, he owed money to a lot of people. Unsavory people.” Spencer pointed at his eye. “One of those men broke into my apartment and told me the debt was now mine.”

“Do you know who the guy was who broke in?”

Spencer shook his head. “All the lights were out. I didn’t get to see his face. He said the first two hundred is due Friday when I get off of work.” Spencer swallowed and looked at Luka. “I don’t have two hundred bucks. Even though I’ll get paid on Friday, I owe my own bills, you know? I have no idea what I’m going to do, and the last thing I want to do is pull you into this.”

Luka could smell the fear pouring off of Spencer. The guy was desperate, cornered, and terrified because his piece-of-shit uncle had laid this at his nephew’s feet.

“So that’s what’s going on with me.” Spencer sipped his coffee. “What’s your deal?”

“It’s complicated.” Luka appreciated Spencer sharing with him, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to do the same.

“Nope, you don’t get to shut me out.” Spencer set aside his coffee and stood, placing his hands on his hips. He looked as intimidating as a puppy. “I spilled my guts to you.”

“What if I told you I was an assassin?”

Spencer cocked his head. “Like you’re a water ninja.” He looked as if he was mulling that over. “That would explain how you snuck up on me like that. I swear I thought you materialized out of thin air.” The guy actually chuckled. “I had you pegged for a regular guy working a nine-to-five.”

Luka grinned. “There’s nothing regular about me.”

Could Spencer simply accept what Luka had done? Was it that easy? Luka never trusted anything that easy, but he wanted to trust Spencer. He wanted the guy to see him as he had from the beginning. Not a monster. A man, a regular man. Someone who felt deeply but hid his emotions because they were a weakness.

Though Luka didn’t want to hide anything from Spencer. He wanted Spencer to know everting about him. Fuck. That was a scary thought. Luka wasn’t even sure why he wanted to expose himself to someone else. To put his trust in someone else’s hands.

Spencer sat back down. “Are you really an assassin? I swear I won’t tell anyone, but it’s hard to wrap my head around that.”

Luka simply sat there, studying Spencer. “You’re not afraid of me?”

“Are you going to kill me?”

“No.”

“Then, no, I’m not afraid of you.”

“I’m also a wolf shifter.”

Spencer blinked several times. “Show me.”

* * * *

“We might have a problem,” Shayde walked into Eleazar’s office. “There might be someone else looking to take over Nelo’s coven.”

This wasn’t what Eleazar wanted to hear. He knew Kellam was perfect for the position, even if the vampire was dragging his feet. Kellam would make a good coven leader, someone who could control the vampires who were becoming a bigger and bigger problem. “Who is it?”

“Someone named Lazarus Webb,” Shayde said.

Eleazar had never heard of him. He’d already had Fayez killed when the coven leader had proven a problem. Then Nelo. Eleazar thought for sure he had the right man to take over, but if Lazarus was trying to replace Nelo, Eleazar needed to find out everything he could about the vampire.

“Any intel?”

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