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Chapter Two
Adam left Sakura’s house with myriad emotions storming out of control. She had rejected him again. He’d expected it, of course, but that didn’t negate the fact that it tore him up inside—just like the two times before. His biggest issue lay in knowing Sakura loved him. She knew it. He knew it. However, Sakura believed giving in to love meant opening herself to being weak. No one knew the woman as he knew her, and he could say without reservation none of the Keith women were as vulnerable as she was. The difference with Sakura was half her battles were in keeping the wall erected between herself and those around her—including her family. Still, if she thought he intended to give up on the two of them, the sexy little thing was starkly wrong. Sakura would be his and his alone, no matter what he had to do.
For now, he had pissed her off. He knew that. Sakura might push him away, but she expected him to follow her wherever she went, to be her trained puppy, who basked in whatever crumbs of affection she offered him. Sometimes, like now, he needed to remind her she craved him just as much as he did her, and while she was his Queen, he was her King, and she needed to respect him as such.
He grinned as he pressed heavy on the Maserati’s gas pedal. “Me perteneces, beautiful lady. You are mine. Just a matter of time.”
Adam drove Sakura to the airport despite her protests the next day and asked her again to take someone along. Even if it weren’t him, he would feel better knowing she had a protector. Of course, he understood that with the Keith women seducing the shifters, any man with enough training was nothing more than another set of eyes to watch over her. More often than not Sakura took down her quarries. Adam provided backup and partnership when there was more than one. They had come through many scrapes together, and he hated not being in Miami with her, but he would get there as soon as possible.
After she refused a protector, he comforted himself with knowing it was him or no one for Sakura, and he watched her leave. He checked his watch and dug into his jacket for his own boarding pass. He had a flight to Juneau to catch, and just the thought of meeting with shifters openly set his teeth on edge. Birk, the polar bear shifter, lover to Sakura’s youngest sister, had agreed to talk to him after he explained what he needed, but he had no way of knowing if the man believed Adam was not setting a trap. On that same token, he didn’t know if the shifter wanted revenge for what the Keiths had put him and his people through when they ran off with Shiya. This meeting was a big risk on both sides, but Adam saw it as his only option.
A little over seven hours later, his flight touched down in Juneau, and Adam checked in to the villa he had arranged for. Once he’d refreshed himself with a shower and a change of clothes, he set out for his meeting. Being his first time in Juneau, he took in the small downtown area with shops, crowds of tourists walking along beside him, and at the end of the street a majestic mountain. He’d traveled to many countries with Sakura, and the world’s natural beauty held the same appeal.
The saloon Birk had selected couldn’t be missed on Franklin Street. He stepped into the establishment with his nerves stretched tight and tension stiffening the muscles across his back. Sawdust beneath his feet, he paused to take in his surroundings, realizing he had no idea what Birk looked like. The place was rustic in design, woodwork everywhere and a stuffed bear over the bar. He wondered what Birk and his people thought of that.
“Not one of mine,” came a voice behind him. Adam spun to face the man who’d just passed through the doorway. He looked like a lumberjack in Adam’s opinion, just as earthy as the establishment in a button up shirt, old jeans, and scuffed boots. Adam supposed with the overlong, dirty-blond hair, maybe a woman would find him appealing. For himself, he sensed a bit of danger lurking behind the friendly eyes and stayed on alert.
“Birk?” Adam asked to confirm.
“In the flesh.” Birk moved past him without trying to shake his hand and led the way to an already occupied table. Adam frowned, but as they reached it, the two men sitting there stood, nodded a greeting to Birk, and then melted away. Were they the shifter’s people or humans Birk had intimidated into doing his bidding? Birk sat down and gestured to the chair opposite him. “Have a seat.”
Adam sat down. “How did you know it was me?”
Birk chuckled and tapped his nose. “You have a scent on you similar to Shiya’s. I assume it’s what her sister smells like.”
Adam ground his teeth. He didn’t like this shifter thinking about how Sakura smelled. He’d been intoxicated with her fresh, sweet scent for years, and loved it. Even without the nose of a bear, he recognized Sakura’s unique fragrance, which was all her.
“Easy, partner,” Birk teased. “I don’t have designs on Sakura. Shiya is everything.”
Adam’s eyes widened. “That’s an odd way of putting it.”
“You would understand if you knew the bond we share.”
“You and her?”
“My kind,” Birk corrected. Birk paused as one of the men who’d been sitting at the table earlier returned with two beers. He set one in front of Adam. Birk nodded his thanks and drained half of his in one swallow. Adam took a cautionary sip and enjoyed the flavor. “Don’t worry. It’s not poisoned.”
“How do you know I didn’t come here to attack you?” Adam countered.
“You came alone.”
Adam inferred a lot from the simple statement. Birk meant he was no match for Birk by himself, let alone the other shifters that might live in Juneau. He didn’t bother asking how Birk knew he’d come alone. Adam had been taught how to know if he were being tracked, but apparently there was still a lot to learn. He had seen no one watching him, nor picked up on being followed to the villa or on the way to the bar. Then it occurred to him maybe Birk could smell him from the airport. Could he distinguish between all the humans that arrived in and left the city? If so, that blew his mind.
Birk chuckled and signaled to his friend for another beer. “Don’t hurt your head over it.”
Adam frowned. “You can’t read minds.”
“No, but I can tell you’re trying to figure me out. Something you can use in your hunt, information to share with the Keiths?” This time, the amusement left the man’s tone to be replaced with bitterness. “Tell me why you’re here if it’s not to try to kill me.”
Adam glanced around, searching for Kotori, Shiya’s other lover. “The other one isn’t here? Or Shiya?”
Birk’s blue eyes darkened. “Leave Shiya out of this.”
Adam held up his hands. “That’s exactly what I want. I don’t want her to know about what we discuss, because…” He hesitated. “I don’t want it to get back to the Keiths.”
The shifter’s eyes widened. “Now you have me intrigued.”
Adam finished his beer and brushed a hand over his mouth. He rolled his shoulders and looked Birk in the eyes. “I want you to make me like you.”
