Darkness Rising (Dark Angels 2)

“Actually, I think it probably means he’s living two separate lives. Fake ID will only get you so far in this day and age.”

“But even if he was living two lives, wouldn’t one of those still require a fake ID?”

“Not if he simply stepped into the life of another man.”

“But that’s not possible—”

“Really?” he interrupted, eyebrow raised. “Do you think you’re the only face shifter on the planet?”

Face shifters were able to make basic structural changes to their faces—hair, eyes, and shape. Most could only hold the new form for limited amounts of time, but I’d inherited my shifting ability from my mom, and her genes had been enhanced in the laboratories of a madman. It took a lot of effort for me to change, but once I was there, I could hold it for a long time. “Well, of course not. But it would mean he’s a Helki werewolf, and that would impact both identities. Moon heat isn’t exactly something you can hide.”

“Why would he have to be a werewolf? I know for a fact that the military has face shifters, and they aren’t all werewolves.”

I stared at him for a moment. “Just how do you know all this stuff?”

He shrugged. “I told you, I get bored. It’s amazing what risks you’ll take when you’re bored.”

I snorted softly. “And what happened to all the land the consortium purchased?”

“It’s still all owned by the consortium, which is now run solely by Nadler. But James Trilby and Garvin Appleby’s heirs are suing the consortium and Nadler for a bigger piece of the pie.”

Trilby and Appleby were the other two men we’d linked to the consortium. They were dead, just as the witch who’d been in their employ was de

ad—killed by Azriel after she’d sent a soul stealer after a little girl. “Does that mean the two men didn’t leave wills, or did they simply not leave their heirs enough money?”

“The latter.” He grimaced. “See, this is where pack mentality wins out. In the event of my death, everything either goes entirely to the pack, or it’s split seventy–thirty between my heirs and the pack. Everyone understands the situation, and everyone wins.”

I grinned. “You don’t have any heirs, so your pack wins big time.”

“Hey,” he said, voice offended but eyes dancing. “I might not have heirs yet, but that doesn’t mean I’m not looking for a suitable lady.”

I snorted softly. “It’s a little hard to find said lady if you never actually leave your house.”

“I leave,” he said. “And ladies do occasionally come into the shop.”

“Yeah, and then run screaming when they see the mess downstairs,” I said drily.

“That, unfortunately, is more true than not. Hence the reason I don’t invite many lovelies back.” He paused, then wiggled his eyebrows outrageously. “Of course, there is one lady who’s not afraid to brave the mess. I don’t suppose you’d consider taking another lover?”

“One lover is more than enough for me at the moment.”

“And you call yourself a werewolf?” he said, pretending outrage.

I laughed. “Half-werewolf. There is a difference.” At least, there was with me. Apparently my Aedh heritage had toned down what society generally considered the “worst” aspect of being a werewolf—that is, the moon heat, which forced us to seek sex or go mad during the full moon phase. And—unlike every other werewolf—I wasn’t forced to shift shape on the night of the full moon. In fact, I couldn’t attain wolf form anytime.

But I did have a wolf’s keen senses and high sex drive, as well as the attitude that sex was something to be celebrated. Which came in handy when I had a lover like Lucian.

“So if the consortium is being sued, doesn’t that mean Nadler will have to appear in court?”

“Not necessarily. The case has gone into arbitration. And from what I’ve seen, his lawyers are handling it.”

“But isn’t getting the two combatants to face each other across the table the whole point of arbitration?”

“Yes, unless one of them has money and friends in high places, as is the case here, apparently.” He shrugged. “I’m keeping an electronic eye on the situation. If anything new comes up, I’ll let you know.”

“Speaking of electronic eyes, did Tao ask you to do a sweep of our apartment?”

He nodded. “I won’t get there until tomorrow, though. I’ve got several deals going down tonight.”