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And based the mood he was in, he’d be harsher than he wanted to be. He wasn’t an asshole, never had been, but for the last two years, he could feel himself struggling against the urge to become one more and more.
Blake was right. Everything had worked out in the end with the War Cat. True, Vynn hated him for a long time—not that he could blame him. But his tiger had finally offered to heal him last year, although Vynn refused, surprisingly.
Maybe that should have miraculously made what Luke had done okay, as Blake see
med to think it should, but it didn’t. Everything had turned out fine that time, but it could have been so different.
Who was to say next time he used his gift, he didn’t kill someone, not just knock them out? It was a thought that haunted him. Since that fight two years ago, he’d made sure he wasn’t in a position to need his gift. Not an easy task, given his occupation, but he’d managed it so far.
That begged the question, though, what good was he as an Enforcer if he couldn’t use his gift? Powerful gifts that could aid in capturing rogue, evil shifters were the main requirement to be an Enforcer. Their group was shifter law. They had to be able to take on the bad guys and win.
Maybe he should hang his hat up, so to speak, and find something else to do with his life. He’d been stubbornly refusing to quit, but it could be what was best—for him and his Enforcer brothers and sister.
That was the thought that had been on his mind for the last few months. What had been keeping him so preoccupied. And he was getting closer and closer to pulling that trigger.
We’re not quitters, his lion said, pacing back and forth inside him, tail flicking with agitation.
We also don’t want to be the reason someone dies.
That’s part of the nature of being an Enforcer. Sometimes we have to take lives.
Yeah. The bad guys. Not someone who doesn’t deserve it. Not one of our brothers, or Damara.
His lion started to protest, but Luke shut him down. He hadn’t completely made his mind up yet, but he was almost there. And there was nothing his animal could say that would change his mind about the course he was headed toward.
His gut was heavy with the thought of leaving the Enforcers, but his head felt a little clearer from his walk, and from getting just a tiny bit closer to a decision. It was a decision he didn’t want to make, but if it resulted in an end to the war he was engaged in with himself, maybe it was best if he made up his mind sooner rather than later.
Opening the back door, he walked through the halls until he was back in the main room. His steps slowed as he caught sight of a woman talking to Blake at the bar. Something about her seemed familiar and his head cocked as he tried to figure out if she was someone he’d met before.
It wasn’t until he was right behind her that he caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror behind the bar. Shock washed over him as he stopped in his tracks, a frown forming on his forehead.
“Tarun? What the hell are you doing here?”
Tarun started in surprise as she heard Luke’s voice behind her. She hadn’t realized he was in the bar. Turning, her smile froze on her face when she saw him, and a different sort of shock washed through her system.
When the hell had he gotten so handsome?
Of course, she’d noticed how attractive he was before. All of the Enforcers were, really, but seeing him felt different that time. He was tall, towering over her, his body thickly muscled in a way that suddenly made her mouth dry as dust.
His long, reddish brown hair was brushed back from his face, and his bright blue eyes held surprise as they regarded her. His jawline was more oval than square, and his slim nose was set above full lips accented by a closely trimmed beard that was more red than brown.
Heat rushed over her body as she took him in, and she swallowed hard as her dry mouth suddenly flooded with moisture. She’d never felt like that while looking at him before—or any man, really. It was a first, and possibly not an entirely welcome one.
She was there on a mission. She wasn’t there to be distracted by the urge to ogle the Enforcers.
Well. The urge to ogle Luke. She hadn’t felt any need to stare at Blake or Noah, both of whom she’d seen since she walked in.
“Tarun?” he said again, his eyes dipping slowly down her body in a way that made a shiver of heat dance down her spine. “Are you okay?”
“Hmmmm? Oh, yeah. I’m fine. I was looking for you, actually. Can we talk?”
His brow twitched but he nodded, gesturing her toward a booth in a darkened corner. She led the way, acutely aware of him walking closely behind her. She was wholly focused on the sensation, enjoying it without worrying about why she was liking it so much, when she caught a glimpse of Georgie from the corner of her eye.
The other woman was glaring at them, the venom in her eyes making Tarun’s steps falter a bit. No, she wasn’t glaring at them. The hate filled expression was directed solely at Tarun. When she glanced at Luke, her expression transformed into one of adoration.
They reached the booth and she slid in, never taking her eyes off the other woman. “Who is she?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she squeezed her eyes shut, just barely resisting the urge to shake her head in despair, sure the words made it seem like the answer meant more to her than it did. It was just idle curiosity. It didn’t mean anything.
