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“Shifters in the United States.”
Her research showed there were whole families of shifters, and some who were rare, producing one or two every so often. The time span might be a generation, or it might be a century. She knew that there might be shifters to come who hadn’t been born yet. Their fight spanned over generations of Keiths and would likely go on into the future.
Kotori’s voice broke through her reverie. “I want to know why you slept with us. As you’ve no doubt checked into who we are, we’ve done the same with your family. Like shifters, you close ranks and squash information that might leak out about your methods.”
Birk picked up the conversation. “You use beautiful women to lure the shifters into trusting you. I thought it wouldn’t lead this far. After all, the most common knowledge about the Keiths is that they think all shifters are killers. Yet, your men send the women in to fuck them without qualms.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” He leaned over her, but at that point, she would not back down. He made it sound like she and her sisters were whores, and he knew what he could do with his superior attitude. “You think you’re better than us? You and Kotori were right there with me in bed, and you knew who I was, just like you said. You can say what you want about me, but you’re going to take back insinuating my sisters are whores. They do not sleep with the men.”
“There again, Shiya, why did you sleep with us?”
She saw he didn’t want to let it go, and Kotori, standing next to him, was in total agreement. What difference did her answer make since they’d already made their minds up about her character? If they knew all along, why did they sleep with her? The answer came to mind as soon as she formed the question. As shifters with a high sex drive, they didn’t care who shared their bed. Any woman would do, and she’d seen evidence of that at Birk’s office when he accepted that blonde’s card. A pang of jealousy hit her, but she tamped it down.
“I want you both to leave. You’re no longer welcome.” She stepped around Birk and squeezed by Kotori to get to the door. In the front room, she held the door open, waiting for them.
Birk walked up and put his hand on the knob. “We’re not done here. You do not get to dismiss me.”
When he slammed the door, she stumbled away from him in alarm, but before she could speculate on whether they intended to kill her, the door burst open again. Birk moved seconds before it did and pulled Shiya out of the way. She cried out at the sudden sound and the fact that Joe stood in the entryway.
“Get your hands off of her, now,” Joe barked.
“Joe, what are you doing here?” Shiya thought to defuse the situation, but she realized she helped nothing wedged against Birk’s chest, his hands still around her waist, and her sheet slipping dangerously low over her breasts. She struggled to get out of Birk’s hold, and he let her go after holding on for a while as if he sought to piss Joe off.
“Who are you?” Kotori demanded, and Shiya glanced at him. His eyes didn’t look right, and she worried he was about to change.
“Look, everybody calm down.” Her hands shook as she held them up, and both Birk and Joe seemed to notice.
“Shiya, go to the bedroom,” Joe commanded. “I’ll take care of this.”
“You’ll take care of what?” Birk demanded.
He stepped around Shiya to get to Joe, but Joe had been taught to strike hard and fast. Delays would get a person dead. He produced a weapon she knew well because she had bought it for him. The eight-inch steel blade was half serrated on the top and sharp enough to cut through wood—or bone. She’d had the handle customized with a bright red grip, Joe’s favorite color, and his name carved at the end.
Shiya ran her hands through her untidy hair, only now realizing she looked a hot mess. “Joe, what are you doing? You know you don’t handle this kind of thing here. It’s too dangerous.”
“You want me to wait until they drag you out in the forest to eat you, Shiya?”
“Joe.”
He lunged at Birk, but Birk parried the attack with the flat of his hand, knocking Joe’s hand away. Her ex winced in pain, but to his credit, he didn’t drop the weapon. He came at Birk again, jabbing with his knife, but when Birk went to block, Joe dropped low and kicked out. His foot slammed into Birk’s legs, and her lover hit the floor. Joe sprung up from his crouch and swung his arm to drive the knife into Birk’s chest, and Shiya screamed. She ran forward to somehow stop Joe from killing Birk, but in the next instant, Kotori plowed into Joe, sending him and his knife flying. Kotori’s growl didn’t sound human as he stalked over to Joe. He jerked her ex up from the floor and dangled him from a powerful fist wrapped around his neck. Shiya saw the life leaving the man and knew if she didn’t do something, he would die. Birk, picking himself up from the floor in obvious disgust that he’d let a human get the drop on him, made no move to stop it.
She ran over and grabbed Kotori’s arm. “Stop, Kotori, please. Don’t kill him.”
Kotori snarled down at her, his eyes jet-black with little white showing. Fear stirred in her belly, but she refused to back away. Somehow she didn’t think he would hurt her, or he already would have.
“Don’t do this.” She stood on tiptoe to reach up to his hand holding Joe in its iron grip. No amount of prodding could open his fingers. “Birk, make him stop! He’s killing him.”
“What do I care if another human dies, Shiya? He’s one of you, isn’t he? A Keith?”
“No, he’s not. He works for my dad, but he’s not related.”
Shiya didn’t know where Joe got the second weapon. The smaller knife, no longer than the palm of a woman’s hand, swiped over Kotori’s arm, cutting deep. Kotori drew back as blood gushed from the woun
d. He dropped Joe on the floor, who gasped and choked trying to drag in air to fill his lungs.
“Seems this man wants to die,” Kotori spat and started toward Joe. Shiya darted into his path and held out her arms.
“He’s my protector. It’s his job to look out for me. Just, please, get your arm taken care of. If you two go like I asked you to, no one else has to get hurt.”
