Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)(32)

Without bothering to knock, he shoved the door of the cabin open and stepped inside.

Rios was already on his feet. There was no way to sneak up on a shifter. Especially not the edgy jaguar who was addicted to coffee and soccer.

The tall, slender male with dark hair clipped close, black eyes, and rich, golden brown skin left the bank of computers that were lined against a paneled wall to stroll forward.

Across the room were more computers and various monitors, and stacks of servers that filled the air with a low hum.

“Welcome back, amigo,” the younger male said.

“Have you heard from Mira?” Sinclair demanded in clipped tones.

A dark brow arched, golden eyes glowing with a wry humor.

“Hey, Rios. Good to see you. And thanks for holding down the fort while I was gone,” Rios mocked Sinclair’s lack of manners.

Not that Sinclair gave a shit. He wasn’t Alpha because of his good looks and charming personality.

He was Alpha because he was a ruthless predator that preferred to kill first and ask questions later.

He narrowed his eyes in warning. “Well?”

“Not a word.”

“Damn.”

Rios studied him with a searching gaze. “It’s just been a couple of weeks since you last saw her,” he pointed out. “What’s got you so wound up?”

Sinclair abruptly moved to stand at the window that offered a perfect view of the waterfall. It wasn’t the beauty of nature, however, that had him turning away from his friend. Nope. It was his need to hide his fierce emotions.

“She’s been taking too many risks lately,” he said, trying to keep his voice even. The last time he’d met with Mira, she’d done her best to dismiss her concerns, but he’d known that she was worried. Hell, he’d been worried when she confessed that she’d ordered computers from Novo-Auction that contained hard drives that had survived the purge. It was exactly the sort of thing that would attract the attention of the SAU. Frustration, and something far more dangerous boiled through him. “I’m afraid she’s attracted the attention of our enemies.”

“Fine,” Rios conceded. “I’ll go check on her.”

“No. You stay here.” Sinclair turned. “I’ll go.”

Rios scowled, folding his arms over his chest. Dressed in a Denver Broncos sweatshirt and a pair of loose sweatpants, he should have looked like a typical computer geek. But no one could miss the lethal power that smoldered in his golden eyes and crackled in the air around his lean body.

“You just got back,” he said.

Weariness wrapped around Sinclair like a shroud. He’d barely slept in the past two weeks. But there was no way in hell he was staying here when Mira might need him.

“I’m aware of that,” he forced himself to retort. “I promise I’ll shower and change before I head out.”

Rios refused to be distracted. “That’s not what I meant.”

Sinclair heaved a sigh. “Just spit it out, Rios.”

Rios took a step forward. “You’re the Alpha.”

“And?”

“And if this female’s been compromised then you can’t risk exposing yourself,” Rios said, the air prickling with the heat of the younger male’s inner cat. “Not until we’ve done our Grand Reveal.”

Sinclair blinked. “Grand Reveal?”

Rios gave a wave of his hands. “Every turning point in history has a name,” he explained. “D-Day. Remember the Alamo. Let them eat cake.”

“Hmm.” Sinclair had to admit that the next few days promised to become the stuff written in textbooks. But he wasn’t fond of the title. A grand reveal sounded more like something that happened in a strip club. “I might have to re-think our history program.”

Rios moved to grab Sinclair’s shoulder. “Your place is here, Sinclair,” he said in low tones. “Let someone else take care of the female.”

Sinclair’s hands clenched, the need to find Mira becoming an overwhelming compulsion.

“I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

That was the question, wasn’t it?

Over the past couple of months, he’d become increasingly…aware of Mira. The delicate scent of her skin. The rebellious corkscrew curls that she tried to keep tamed in a braid. The pale skin that he ached to lick from head to toe.

Still, he hadn’t realized just how deeply she’d managed to dig beneath his skin until his calls to her had gone unanswered.

Suddenly, she’d gone from a tool in his plot to save his people, to a vital part of his existence.

How or why, or what it truly meant, wasn’t something he was going to consider.

Not until he was sure she was safe.

“I was the reason she agreed to help us,” he said. “If she’s in trouble, it’s my fault.”

Of course, the damned jaguar wasn’t satisfied. A part of the reason he was second-in-command was the fact that he was capable of sensing hidden emotions.

Which was why he spent so much time alone with his computers.

“You’re a leader,” Rios said. “You can’t be responsible for the decisions made by all of your followers.”

A part of him understood the logic. He had a hundred shifters in his Pack, plus even more allies that were hidden amongst the humans to act as his spies.