Only After Dark The Boxed Set Books 1 - 4: Shifters Forever Worlds (9 page)

“
W
e don’t have
time for this shit.” Reese tossed the envelope aside and opened the file he’d been looking at before Rory handed him the invitation. He glanced at his twin.

Identical—mostly. Except for the scar that ran the length of Reese’s thigh.

Rory and Reese Nielsen. Twin brothers, both wolf shifters. Both alphas of the Nielsen clan, a group that controlled the Houston territory.

“I agree.”

Reese glanced at his brother. Since when did they agree about things like this? And to be honest, he actually didn’t think it was a bad idea. It’s just he had other things on his mind, like the underground shifter fighting ring.

“Then again, it’s one weekend,” Rory said. “And it will go a long way toward building our relationships with other shifter clans.”

Reese narrowed his eyes. Now his brother was in favor of it? He’d take the devil’s advocate role, if only to see if he and Rory were on the same page. “We’ve done fairly well without relationships so far, little brother.”

Little brother by five minutes.

“Thinking that we can fare well against potential enemies without forming alliances is the old school way of thinking.” Rory preached the same thing Reese had been hearing since they’d first met Vittorio “Vax” Tiero and the rest of the Tiero shifters, including Vax’s cousin Lézare Arceneaux.

It wasn’t that Reese had a problem forming an alliance with the Tiero clan and their extended family and friends, it was that he’d become accustomed to winging it without allies.

He glanced at the invitation again.

Calligraphy.

In gold.

The recipient was cordially invited to an Escape Weekend at Arceneaux Point, Lézare Arceneaux’s plantation home just outside New Orleans.

Sure, Reese had heard of the old plantation home. He’d even heard the rumors about Lézare’s lineage, how his great or great-great-grandfather hadn’t been born a shifter. That he’d been born a human, into slavery, biracial, and easily passed for white. He escaped, and then things became fuzzy. The story was muddy. He vanished, and when he returned many years later, he was a white tiger shifter and he’d taken the plantation owner’s daughter as his mate.

Reese turned the invitation over, studying the gold lettering.

Rory cleared his throat. “He’s got some beautiful sisters, you know.” He waggled his brows.

Reese scowled at his brother. “I’m not on the market.”

Untrue.

Boy, was it ever untrue. Reese and Rory were both high up on Houston’s human population’s eligible bachelor lists. Both men managed to stay out of the clutches of women seeking mates.

Not that it stops us from having a little fun every now and then.

Reese glanced at his cell, which hadn’t stopped buzzing with incoming texts from the current flavor of the week, a blonde he met at a club a few days ago. Cute thing, even if she was a bit clingy. She was a screamer, too. Way too much of a screamer. Reese could have done without the melodramatic theatrics during their bedroom acrobatics.

In fact, truth be told, he was becoming bored with her already. He swiped the screen of his phone and brought up her information, put her on
Do Not Disturb
so his phone wouldn’t alert him every single time she texted.

Rory indicated Reese’s phone with his finger. “Who’s blowing it up now?”

“Heather.”

Rory cocked his head. “Heather from…” His brow quirked. He scratched his chin, a twinkle of merriment in his eye. “From Center Stage?”

Rory loved to give him shit about his choice of escorts, though things never evolved between Reese and those choices. They wanted expensive dinners and gifts, he wanted eye candy to keep around. Not that the ladies didn’t try to seduce Reese into their carefully crafted, silicone-enhanced, blond highlighted traps, with their incessant texting and attempts to take up more of his time.

“Yeah, that Heather.”

“Surprised she’s still around, actually.”

“She’s not still around. Not really.” Reese glanced at the invitation again; flipped it over once more.

“Meaning she doesn’t know that she’s yesterday’s news?”

“Meaning you ask too many questions, bro.” Reese yawned.

“Late night with Heather?” Rory smirked.

More like late night with a dream.

A recurring dream he’d had as long as he could remember.

“Nah, just sleepless.”

“I’m going to Escape Weekend.”

“You decided? Just like that? I thought we made business decisions together.”

They’d always been co-alphas, each bringing a different set of skills and strengths to the table.

“I guess I don’t consider this a business decision. It’s more of what I’d call a social one.”

“You know damned well that anything which involves other shifters is going to involve business, one way or another, sooner or later.” It already did. The underground fighting ring.

“So you’re going to Escape Weekend?”

“You also know damned well I have plans to infiltrate that damned underground fighting ring. I finally have an in, and they don’t have any idea who I am.”

Rory pulled out a dark wood, leather-upholstered chair and dropped his large frame in it. The chair yielded to his bulk with barely a protest.

Rory and Reese were both six-foot-five, broad-shouldered and thick chested, as Nielsen men tended to be. The Nielsens had been in the Houston area since the early 1800s when they came over with several German families.

A family of wolf shifters, the Nielsen group were a cryptic clan, low key, and tended to keep to themselves, which explained how they’d managed to stay off the radar of most of the other shifters in the southern U.S., until Rory and Reese were of age and became alphas.

Two wealthy good-looking men—also single—did not miss the eyes of the ladies on the hunt in the area. So the Nielsen clan was no longer as low-key as they wanted to be, certainly not as low-key as Reese craved.

“What kind of an
in
do you have?”

Reese paused. He rubbed his forehead, keeping his eyes trained on anything but Rory. Rory knew him too well. He couldn’t lie to his twin. “I have a chance to fight.”

“What? No, you can’t. Those fights are to the death.”

Reese nodded. He knew the risks involved. He raised his hand as soon as Rory opened his mouth, certain his brother was about to protest this decision. “Save it.”

Rory shook his head, looked out the window, studying the view of the tree-lined beltway from the eighteenth floor of their high-rise. “How’d you manage to wrangle yourself an opportunity to fight in the ring?”

There was an undertone in Rory’s voice, almost as if he were wondering why Reese didn’t tell him about it until it was a done deal.

Simple enough to answer, but Reese wasn’t going to bring it up unless his brother flat out asked. Of course, he wouldn’t have told Rory about it in advance. Why would he? Rory would try to talk him out of it. Or even worse, he’d have called their mother and stepfather in Barbados and had them up here trying to talk Reese out of it.

“They think I’m a rover, that I’m there for the money.”

“So why do you have to fight? Why can’t you just grab the guys that you made the arrangements with and rid this area of the ring?”

“Doesn’t work like that; if you want to kill the snake, you got to get rid of the head. Those guys aren’t shit when it comes to organizing. With them gone, the shot callers would just replace them and start it up again. I need to get rid of the bosses. That would send out a message not to fuck with us and not to try this shit near our territory.”

“I’m guessing Mom doesn’t know you’re planning on getting into the ring.”

Reese shot his brother a dirty look. “Naturally.”

“And you want me to keep it a secret.”

He didn’t care for Rory’s tone. “Not unless you want me to tell her about that night when—”

Rory held up his hand. “Nah, no need to tell Mom about that. Let’s make a deal.”

“Sounds like we already did. I won’t tell Mom about yours, you don’t tell her about this.”

Rory laughed. “The difference is, she can’t stop me from doing something I already did. She could try to stop you.”

Reese groaned. Rory had a point. A phone call that would bring their mother in to harangue, cajole, and beg him not to put his life at risk would suck. “I suppose you have a proposal…”

“You know me too well.” Rory wore the smile that Reese had seen on his face anytime he was victorious.

I’d like to wipe it off his face with my fist.

Okay, not really.

He was close to his twin, but damned if there weren’t times he could be exasperating as hell. “Okay what’s the proposal?”

“You go with me to Escape Weekend. I join you at the fighting ring.”

This wasn’t up for debate. “Hell no.” He wouldn’t have his brother risking his life too. It was Reese’s project. Reese’s obligation. Like it or not, the five-minute head start he had in life made him the older brother, still. And he didn’t want to have his brother’s death on his hands—if it came to that.

Rory stuck his hand in his front pocket, pulled out his cell, swiped to unlock it, tipped it back and forth in a threatening manner.

“You’d really call Mom?”

“In a heartbeat.”

“What if I go to Escape Weekend with you, but we don’t bother with the whole part of you joining me at the fighting ring?”

Rory gave him a look. The same look he’d given his opponents in the wrestling match when he competed against them in high school. “Not happening.”

That look didn’t serve to intimidate Reese, he nodded. “I’ll go to Escape Weekend with you. What gives? Why is it you want to go?” he asked Rory.

“Not sure I want to, just thinking that having connections won’t hurt. We won’t stay past the brunch. A quick in and out,” Rory added.

“Sure, no problem.” Reese nodded.
Then I’ll slip away and take care of the underground fighting ring business.

Alone.

A
t Arceneaux Point
in the upstairs library, Alexa stared at her little sister as Evie stomped her foot, those eyes of hers flashing the fire of anger.

“You’re not going to invite Mason Martinez. You can’t.” She drove her foot into the plush carpeting once more.

“Evangeline.” Lézare put his hand on Evie’s shoulder. “Simmer.” He gave her a hug. “Surely you can manage a little party and not let his being there bother you.”

“Lézare.” Evie pouted. A look that had never failed her when it came to the opposite sex.

“Chère.” Clearly from Lézare’s tone, this didn’t work on him. “Look. It’s a big house.”

“Lézare!” Evie screeched.

Alexa tuned her siblings out. Evie’s long-over relationship with Mason Martinez wasn’t at the top of Alexa’s priorities. They faded out, though everyone had been convinced the two were fated mates.

Oh, well. Shit happens.

Maylene, their housekeeper and so much more, snuck in, placing a platter of fresh beignets on the long table under the mirror. Lézare’s favorite of course, from Maylene, who found Lézare to be her favorite. Alexa nodded her thanks since neither of her siblings noticed Maylene’s entrance.

Lézare and Evie were still at it, bickering over Evie’s reaction to Mason.

Alexa was hardened to relationships and men. She’d seen more than enough to convince her she wanted nothing to do with entanglements.

Evie shouldn’t be so upset about Mason being there. It was obvious she still had feelings for him. She should be happy he’d be there. Maybe they could reconnect.

Unless he brings a date.

She glanced at her hotheaded sister.

Oh shit.

That would be explosive.

A look crossed Lézare’s face. One of bitterness, as if he’d drank unsweetened lemonade.

“What’s that look about?” she asked him.

“What look?” He wiped the scowl away.

She shook her head. They were too close for him to think he could fool her, but she wasn’t going to push the matter.

“Evie.” She turned to their younger sister. “You’ll have to figure something out. Mark and Veila are invited.” Obviously, since Veila was their cousin and Mark was her mate. “And so is Mason.” He was Mark’s brother, after all. “What you and he had in college, however it may have ended, is in the past. You cannot disrupt this occasion like you did the Shifter Council Meeting.” Alexa forced a smile to her face to soften the blow of her words.

“The Arceneaux Shifter Masquerade Ball only happens once a year. Why does he have to be here? It’s our party. It’s an Arceneaux event.” Evie’s claws began to extend. The sound of two creeks and bone crunching heralded Evie’s shift as she morphed into her white tigress, then snarled at Alexa and Lézare and left the room with a couple of leaps, turning the corner and just like that, she was out of sight.

“That went well.” Lézare glanced at the silver tray that held the beignets, took one and bit into it.

Not!
“Really well.” Sarcasm tinged Alexa’s voice.

Siblings!
Speaking of, what the hell was up with Valencia? Where was their errant, headstrong, other younger sister? Alexa took a glance at her phone, frowned. Still no word from Valencia.

“Nothing?” Lézare asked, clearly in tune with what was giving Alexa pause.

“Not a word. Not a text. Not a call.” She slammed the phone on the table. On the way from Georgia, she hadn’t kept in contact with them to let them know of her progress. Or her wellbeing.

“That’s not like Valencia. She has her faults, but not keeping us posted isn’t one of them. Maybe we should be happy she’s not texting and driving.” Lézare took another bite.

A tiny flicker in her peripheral vision caught Alexa’s attention. She glanced out the window. “Lézare. Someone’s here.”

He set the beignet on the plate, rubbed his fingers on a napkin to rid them of the powdered sugar. “Who is it?”

She scrutinized the driveway. “I don’t recognize the vehicle. Change that. I don’t recognize either of them.”

“We’re expecting at least a dozen guests who will be staying on the premises instead of in the city. It’s no surprise that vehicles are pulling up.” He put his arm around her.

She leaned her head on his shoulder.

“What’s going on? I’m sensing something’s up with you, Alexandria.”

She gave him a playfully dirty look at the use of her full name. “Nothing. I’ve got this feeling. Maybe it’s stress, or Evie and Mason.”

“She needs to relax.”

“I don’t think you understand the depth of her feelings. You’ve never been in…” She bit down, clamping her lips shut. She didn’t want to say her brother had never been in love.

Had he? Had he ever experienced heartbreak?

She had. Then again, had she really? Alexa wondered about it, thought of the man she’d known when she’d been in New York that one summer. A handsome polar bear shifter. She pushed the memories back. It didn’t work out. That’s all that mattered.

Lézare was talking. “If they have feelings for one another, they should act on them.”

The door on one of the vehicles opened. A squeal escaped from Alexa’s lips before she could have thought to quell it.

“It’s Callie! You didn’t tell me Vax and Callie were coming.”

Next to her, Lézare covered his ears.

Then Alexa saw the rest of her cousins and their mates—all but Sophie, who’d stayed in Europe to have the baby. The baby that Sophie had kept a secret, with Alexa and Lézare’s help.

“No Sophie?” Lézare asked.

“She decided to stay abroad a while. She’ll be back.” A wistful note Alexa couldn’t hide colored her voice. She loved the blonde tigress who was the baby of the Tiero shifters. Alexa and Sophie had formed a special bond. “Let’s greet our family.”