The Blackstone Lion: Blackstone Mountain Book 5 Read online

  “I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Catherine said. “I’ll tell him over dinner. And you guys can work it out.”

  “That would be great. I’ll work any job, really,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Now, let's help Grayson pick something out before he takes the entire shelf down.”

  Grayson had all the books within his reach scattered on the floor. But Georgina couldn’t bring herself to scold him, not when he looked so happy. Besides, this was the start of a plan. Work, save and scrimp every cent, and then leave Blackstone. Everyone here had been so wonderful, and they were all good and kind people. They wouldn’t deserve what Georgina would be bringing down on them if The Chief found out they were protecting her and her son.

  Chapter Two

  The lion was silent as it padded through the thicket of trees. Keen feline eyes cut through the darkness, seeing everything. It moved forward, lithe and graceful, not making a sound. It knew every inch of the forest; every tree, rock, and bush were burned in its memory. Stalking the territory, scouting out danger. Keeping everyone safe. It had been doing this since it was a cub.

  Growing up, Luke knew he was different. Hank and Riva had never kept the fact that he was adopted a secret. How could they? But it wasn’t just because he was a lion and they were dragons.

  No. His lion was different. He couldn’t control his animal. It was so dominant that it scared other shifter kids away. Hank was the only one who could manage him. He taught Luke how to tame his lion though it wasn’t nearly enough. Most shifters, given proper instruction, were able to take hold of their animal sides. Something was wrong with him and as he grew older, he was slowly losing control. He was worried he was going crazy and that meant one thing: if he went feral, he would have to be put down.

  And that’s when Hank suggested expending his energies elsewhere. If he couldn’t get any sleep because his lion was bothering him, he should let it roam. And so, with Hank’s supervision, he went out in the evenings in lion form. Hank accompanied him every night until he knew the land like the back of his hand, then let him roam on his own. The lion relished the freedom, staking its claim on the territory, watching out for danger and keeping it away. His animal needed an anchor, a purpose, and it somehow found it, doing these nightly patrols.

  Blackstone Castle loomed in the distance, and the lion pushed forward. The moon wasn’t that high up in the night sky yet. Tonight’s patrol started early, as it had the past few days. Not that the lion minded. It didn’t sleep anyway. Couldn’t sleep. Not when danger was everywhere.

  Must keep everyone safe, Luke said from inside his lion’s body. Nothing too unusual to report in the last quadrant. He really should move east from here and finish that section of his map. But it was like his paws had a life of their own, bringing him closer to the castle.

  Where the hell are you going?

  But that was a rhetorical question, of course. Luke knew where it was going. To the same place.

  The lion walked over to the large spruce tree, pushing on its hind legs and leaping up the trunk as his claws sank into the wood. Swiftly and silently, it crept up the ancient tree, climbing the branches higher and higher until it reached the canopy up top. This particular spruce was so big and so old, it reached halfway up the length of the castle. And, from where the lion perched on its most outward branch, Luke had the perfect view inside.

  Not just anywhere inside, but into the guest room. And, as was her custom this time of night, she was sitting by the window, looking up at the sky.

  Mine.

  Try as he might, Luke ignored his lion’s proclamations. But he knew it would do no good. The lion witnessed every single one of his friends fall for their mates. They were all good men, who deserved the love and happiness a mate could give them.

  But he wasn’t one of them.

  Denying his lion would only cause trouble, but Luke was determined to stay away from her. His human part, anyway. She had never met him or laid eyes on him, so she probably never felt the pull that brought fated mates together. It would be better this way, especially if she had a husband or lover waiting for her. Her cub’s father.

  Where the hell was he? Why didn’t Christina and Jason track him down yet? If she and the cub were his, he wouldn’t—

  But they weren’t his. So he should just stop those thoughts.

  Something must have caught Georgina’s attention because she turned her head toward the room and smiled. She moved aside, and the boy came up beside her and gazed out the window.

  Mine.

  She’s not, Luke admonished. And she’ll never be.

  She pointed up to the stars, her mouth moving, as if explaining something to him. He nodded along, moving his gaze from her to the heavens and then back to his mother again. The adoration in his face was evident, and he looked at her as if she were the most important thing in the world.

  A different kind of emotion pricked at him. It was an even more dangerous thought, and he quickly quashed it. The past was the past. He’d made his bed, and now he had to lie in it.

  The boy spoke, and she nodded, then gave him a kiss on the forehead before he bounded off. She remained by the window, turning her head in Luke’s direction. For a second, he thought she’d caught him. But he was too far away, and she was human; no way she could see him in the dark.

  Her lips parted, and her eyes remained fixed in his direction. Luke didn’t make a sound or any movement. She shuddered visibly and rubbed her hands on her bare arms as if she felt a chill. With an intake of breath, she stepped back and closed the curtains.

  This is the last time, he told his lion. She’ll be gone soon. Because, surely, she had her life to go back to. One where she lived in a perfect home, with her perfect husband, and her perfect child. He had to stay away from her and make sure their paths would never cross again.

  Luke parked his truck in the visitor’s section of the lot at Lennox Corp. As soon as he entered the complex, Jenkins, the kind old man who had been the guard at the gate since Luke was a teen, waved him in. He pointed Luke to the executive parking garage, but he went the opposite way instead. He was pretty sure the managers and VPs wouldn’t appreciate seeing his busted up old Ford truck next to their Lexuses and BMWs.

  He turned the engine off, slipped out of the driver’s seat, and walked across the lot where he entered the glass and steel building that was the Lennox Corp. Headquarters.

  “Good morning Mr. Lennox.” The bright-eyed receptionist stood up from her table to greet him. “On your way to the executive suite?”

  He grunted in an affirmative.

  She flashed him a smile that was all straight white teeth. “I’ll buzz you right in, Mr. Lennox. The elevator’s waiting.”

  Even as he walked away, he could feel the receptionist’s eyes on him. He wasn’t stupid; he had seen the appreciative look in her eyes. Her heartbeat had sped up when he approached and the slight flush on her cheeks and neck indicated her arousal. Women seemed to find him attractive, but he didn’t care one way or the other. During the past few years, the lure of an attractive woman seemed less and less appealing.

  The elevator dinged, signaling its arrival. He entered and pressed the button for the top floor, mentally preparing for his meeting with Jason and Christina. Things were getting serious now, and they had to find out who was trying to harm them, before they struck again.

  Luke walked toward the familiar office of the CEO of Lennox Corp. and the President of Lennox Foundation, the titles that had been held by Riva and Hank Lennox and now by their twin sons. When the building was renovated and expanded, they had their offices built right next to each other. Even during work hours, the two had been inseparable. And when they retired, it was only natural for their sons to take over. Sybil, on the other hand, went her own way, preferring to work as a social worker. He was so proud of her, his Sybbie, for forging her own path and following her heart.

  Riva had tried to give him some type of position at Lennox, which he
scoffed at. No, he wasn’t the suit and tie type; he preferred working in the mines. The physical work kept his animal steady, and the money wasn’t bad. He didn’t need much to survive anyway.

  As he came closer to the waiting area outside the executive offices, he froze. There was an unfamiliar scent in the air—heady and delicious, like apples and cinnamon. There was also a familiar figure sitting on the chair that used to be occupied by Martha Caldwell. She was staring at the computer screen, her brows drawn together in concentration.

  Even though his brain was telling his feet to turn around and get the fuck out, his body remained rooted in its spot.

  Mine, his lion purred.

  It had been days since he’d seen her. Like he promised himself, that was the last night he went to the castle. It stuck, but he wasn’t expecting to run into her anywhere else, much less outside Jason and Matthew’s offices.

  He wasn’t sure how long he was standing there. Certainly, long enough for her to notice. She whipped her head up from the computer screen. Soft brown doe eyes went wide with shock, and a small sigh escaped her plump pink lips.

  “It’s him,” she said in a voice so soft a normal human wouldn’t have heard it. She stood up and walked over to him, her heels padding across the plush carpeted floor. “Hi. You’re Luke, right?” Her voice made something in his gut ache.

  How the hell does she know my name? “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  His words must have come out rougher than he’d intended because she flinched. “I-I-I work here,” she stammered. “I’m Jason and Matthew’s new assistant. Well, trying to be.” She laughed, a sound that reminded him of tinkling bells. “It’s my first day.”

  “Hey, Georgina?” Matthew’s head popped out from behind his door. “Could you come in here for a sec?” His silvery gaze fixed on Luke. “Oh, hey Luke. You here to see Christina and Jason?”

  He cleared his throat. “Yeah.”

  “Sit tight then. They’re downstairs on the 15th floor, but they should be back any sec. Georgina?”

  “Oh right. Sorry, Matthew.” She straightened her shoulders and pivoted on her heel. Luke stared after her, watching her walk away from him and disappear into Matthew’s office without a backward glance.

  She works here? Now he was really confused. Why would she be working at Lennox? Where was her husband? He huffed and then sat down on the leather couch. He glanced at Jason’s door and then at the elevator. Maybe he should just go down and meet them at the fifteenth floor.

  A small sound caught his attention. He frowned and turned toward the source. Two small hands clutching the side of the table. A small reddish-blond head peeked out from under the desk. A pair of eyes blinked at him.

  The head disappeared when he realized Luke was staring right back at him. A few seconds later, the boy came crawling out from underneath the desk. He instantly recognized him. Georgina’s cub.

  “Are you supposed to be here?” he asked.

  “I’m ’sposed to be with Miss Irene,” he said in a quiet voice. “But … my bear wasn’t ready. It tried to come out and play with the other kids. They have a no-shifting rule.”

  He grunted. Many of Lennox’s employees took advantage of the on-site daycare the company provided. If the boy’s bear wasn’t used to being around other young, it could have been excited.

  The boy walked closer, his brown eyes peering up at him. Luke could tell the bear cub inside him was wary now, as if assessing his animal. To his surprise, his normally dominant lion went still, not wanting to scare the cub away.

  He gave Luke a lopsided grin. “I’m Grayson,” he said, sticking his hand out.

  Luke stared down at the tiny hand.

  “My mommy says gentlemen always introduce themselves and shake hands when they meet someone.”

  Unsure what else to do, he took the small hand, engulfing it with his own. “I’m Luke.”

  “Nice to meet ya, Mr. Luke,” he said with a gap-toothed smile, his neck craning back so he could look up at him.

  “It’s just Luke,” he corrected.

  “Grayson?”

  Luke and Grayson both turned their heads toward the sound of his mother’s voice.

  She walked toward them, the expression on her face tight, and bent down to his level. “Grayson, honey, why don’t you go back and play at my desk.”

  “Okay, Mommy.” He looked up at Luke. “Nice to meet you, Luke.” He scampered off, disappearing under the desk.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “Was he bothering you?”

  “No.”

  “We haven’t been introduced,” she said. “I’m Georgina. Georgina Mills.”

  “Luke,” he said. Like her son, she held her hand out. He hesitated for a moment but took it. Her palm was soft and warm, and standing this close to her, her sweet scent was even stronger. He also didn’t fail to notice the blush on her skin and her heartbeat speeding up as their hands touched. It made him quickly pull away.

  “You were there. When Nathan and Violet came to the lab. And you … Dr. Mendle ….”

  “That sick bastard is gone.” The lab had been burned to the ground, probably by the same people who ran it. Jason had said they didn’t find any bodies or evidence the lab had even ever existed. “He won’t hurt you and your boy anymore.”

  “I-I-I just wanted to say thanks.” She choked up. “For saving us. I haven’t had a chance to say it.”

  “No need.”

  “Is there any other way I can say thank you? How about dinner? I’m a decent cook, though I don’t have a kitchen. Not even my own place,” she said, biting her lip. “I could cook you dinner. At your house.”

  His lion let out a roar of pleasure, thinking of its mate in their den. He shut that thought down quickly. “Where’s your man?”

  “Huh?” Her delicate dark brows drew together.

  “Your cub’s father.”

  “Oh.” Her breath became shaky. “He doesn’t have one. I mean he does, obviously. Did. But Grayson’s father passed away before he was born.”

  He stared at her, dumbfounded.

  “Luke, sorry about the wait, man.”

  Luke had been so distracted, he didn’t hear the elevator or the sound of Jason and Christina walking up to them. “No big deal,” he answered.

  “Hello, Luke,” Christina greeted. “Thanks for coming. We have a lot to talk about.”

  “Let’s go into my office,” Jason said. “Georgina, no calls, okay?”

  “Sure thing, Jason.” Georgina glanced at Luke, but said nothing, then quickly scampered to her desk. His gaze followed her, like she was prey on the savannah.

  “Luke?” Jason waved a hand in his face.

  He snapped his head back. “Let’s go.” He followed them into the office, doing his best to ignore Georgina’s presence as they walked by her. His mind was still reeling from her offer and he realized he didn’t get to answer her question. Not that he would ever say yes. Today had been a fluke; had he known she’d be here, he never would have come. It was too risky. Her attraction to him was obvious, and his damn lion had picked up on it.

  Mi—

  “Why is she here?” he asked Jason in a gruff voice as soon as the door slammed shut behind them.

  “Who? Georgina?” Jason walked around to his desk and sat in the chair. Christina sat down in one of the seats in front of the large oak desk that had belonged to Hank Lennox. “We hired her to be our assistant.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?” Jason frowned. “Because we need one and she has the experience.”

  “But why her?”

  “Is there something the matter, Luke?” Christina’s cool blue eyes perused him. “What’s wrong with Georgina?”

  “She needed a job, and she has a kid to provide for,” Jason said.

  “And it was the perfect way to keep her here,” Christina added.

  “Keep her here?” Luke gripped the arm of the chair so tight, he could hear the wood crack under his fingers. With a deep brea
th, he relaxed and let go.

  “We can’t let her leave,” Christina said. “Not until she tells us what she knows about The Organization.”

  “The Organization?”

  “That’s what we’re calling them for now,” Jason said. “Those people out to get us. Since they don’t seem to have a name.”

  Luke huffed. “So, why can’t you let her leave? You think she’s lying?”

  “I know she’s not telling us the whole truth,” Christina said. “I can feel it.”

  Luke could tell right when she arrived in Blackstone that Jason’s mate was much smarter than she let on. She may not be a shifter, but she had finely honed instincts like one. “What do you think she’s hiding?”

  Christina shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  Or, maybe, Christina didn’t want to tell Luke.

  “Anyway, there’s a reason we called you here, man,” Jason said.

  “And what’s that?”

  “Remember the burned-out canning factory?”

  “Yeah.”

  Christina’s lips curled into a smile. “Not everything was lost. We found something important. A game-changer.”

  “What is it?”

  “The Organization thought they’d gotten rid of everything in that fire,” Jason said. “But we combed every inch of it and found Dr. Mendle’s personal diaries and computer.”

  “He was so paranoid, he kept them in a hidden compartment under the flooring of his lab,” Christina added. “Our people back in The Agency are looking at them as we speak.” The Shifter Protection Agency was a secret organization Christina’s adoptive father and Alpha of the Lykos pack, Aristotle Stavros, had established to counteract anti-shifter activity all over the world.

  “Did they find anything?”

  “A lot. Too much,” Christina said. “They’re still sifting through everything. It’s going to take weeks to organize and catalogue everything, especially the handwritten diaries. We found over two dozen notebooks. He must have started writing in them years ago, then switched to using his laptop. The doctor kept meticulous notes and diaries of his experiments and his dealings with The Chief.”