Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian 1)

With the way my luck had been running of late, I wouldn't be one of the lucky ones who was completely unaffected. I wouldn't even be one of the ones who got pregnant. I blew out a breath and changed my mind. I was going to rip the bastard's balls off, then kill him. "Why did it affect some and not others?"

"Studies undertaken suggest it might have something to do with the fact that the ten who changed rather than getting pregnant were all of mixed heritage."

His expression was grim and somewhat speculative. I didn't have to read his thoughts to know he was thinking about my mixed heritage. I felt like screaming. Jesus, as if I didn't already have enough weirdness in my life

"So where did they find so many crossbreeds?" Breeding between nonhuman races - especially other shifters and werewolves - was extremely rare. Though we were sexually compatible, something in our genetics made it next to impossible for one breed of shifter to impregnate another naturally

"They advertised throughout Australia. Natural crossbreeding may be rare, but it does happen."

"How long was it before the side effects became apparent?"

"The trial was conducted over a year. It was six months before the side effects started to show. Up until then, everything had been proceeding exactly as expected."

So I had months to wait before I'd know one way or another. I kicked some stones out from under my foot, watching them splash into the water. Dragonflies buzzed the ripples, their wings jewel-like in evening light. "And how is the drug taken?"

"Via injection, once a month."

I closed my eyes. Talon had been giving me the injections for at least two months, then. Why else had I been blacking out after drinking his "fine" champagne? "I knew he was single-minded when it came to getting his own way, but I never thought he'd go this damn far."

"I gather we're talking about Talon Lasalle?"

I squinted up at Jack. "How did you know?"

"Had him investigated." His sudden smile was wry. "You may think of yourself as little more than a paper pusher, but the truth is, you work in a sensitive area and know more about the workings of the place than most of the directors. The Directorate has many enemies, and the information you and the other liaisons hold could be extremely useful to those intent on our destruction." He shrugged. "So I know exactly who all my people spend time with."

"You investigate everyone we come in contact with?"

He snorted softly. "Hardly. We haven't the manpower. Just those who feature prominently in your life. The only reason Liander is involved in this mission is because I know all there is to know about him - and his exemplary record in the military. He'd make a good addition to the new team I want to set up."

"You'd have as much hope conning Liander as you've had with me."

"He's not as stubborn as you."

I ignored the gibe. "So what did your reports say about Misha and Talon?"

"Talon is a very successful entrepreneur with fingers in all sorts of pies - and many of those companies have fingers in other pies, not all of which we've tracked down yet. He's ruthless when it comes to getting what he wants but has never stepped beyond the law - as far as we know."

"Until it came to wanting a kid," I muttered. "What about Misha?"

"Misha's even more difficult to pin down. He's very successful, but as yet we're not exactly sure how."

I frowned. "He owns Rollins Enterprises."

Jack nodded. "Which has suffered five years of substantial losses, yet Misha's personal fortune keeps getting larger."

"Undoubtedly thanks to good investments." Like the South Bank apartment complex

"Damn good. Only, as yet, we can't locate all of them."

I stared at him for a moment, not sure what to think. "You think Misha's a crook?"

"I honestly don't know, because both the gold and silver packs are notoriously tight when it comes to giving out information about pack members and money. I do know he's covered his tracks very well, and my instincts suggest he's up to something. While I doubt that something involves the Directorate, I am sure it involves you in some way."

I rubbed a hand across my eyes. The day that had started out so well was becoming positively shitty. "Why haven't you mentioned this before now?"

"Because I haven't any evidence that he is up to something. My instincts could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time."

I took a deep breath and released it slowly. Misha and I were going to have a heart-to-heart when he got back. If I didn't get answers that satisfied me - and Jack - he was struck off my list, right alongside Talon