I stood in front of the mirror in my downtown apartment, adjusting the collar of my navy blue suit for the third time. The woman staring back at me looked nothing like the blood-splattered hunter from last night.
My red hair was pulled back in a professional bun. I'd covered the small scar on my left temple with makeup. The suit was expensive but conservative - the kind of thing a former military officer turned corporate security expert would wear. I looked competent, trustworthy, and completely harmless.
Perfect.
I slipped my fake ID into my purse next to my real one. According to my new identity, I was Sarah Mitchell, former Army Ranger with two tours in Afghanistan and five years of private security experience. Damien's forgers had done excellent work. The background would hold up under any reasonable investigation.
The only problem was my weapons. Kane Enterprises would have metal detectors, and I couldn't exactly walk into a job interview armed like I was planning to storm a compound. I settled for a ceramic knife hidden in my shoe and a small syringe of wolf's bane tucked into the lining of my jacket. Not much, but better than nothing.
My phone buzzed. A text from Damien: "Remember - you're Sarah Mitchell today. Don't slip up."
Like I needed the reminder. I'd been living under false identities since I was sixteen. This was just another mask to wear.
The drive to downtown LA took forty minutes in morning traffic. Kane Tower dominated the skyline like a black glass monument to power and money. Sixty floors of steel and stone, with the Kane Enterprises logo gleaming in gold letters at the top. It was the kind of building that made you feel small just looking at it.
I parked in the visitor's garage and took a moment to center myself. This was it. After nine years of hunting werewolves in shadows and abandoned buildings, I was about to walk into the heart of their territory. Alexander Kane's territory.
The lobby was exactly what I expected - marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and enough space to park a jumbo jet. Beautiful people in expensive clothes moved through the space like they owned the world. And maybe they did. This was the kind of money that bought politicians and judges.
I walked up to the reception desk where a stunning blonde woman sat behind a computer screen. Her name tag read "Jennifer" and her smile was practiced but friendly.
"I'm Sarah Mitchell," I said. "I have a ten o'clock appointment with Mr. Kane."
Jennifer's fingers flew over her keyboard. "Of course! Mr. Kane is expecting you. Please take the express elevator to the sixtieth floor. His assistant will meet you there."
She handed me a visitor's badge and pointed toward a bank of elevators behind a security checkpoint. I clipped the badge to my jacket and walked through the metal detectors. They didn't beep. My ceramic knife and wolf's bane syringe were undetectable.
The express elevator was empty when the doors opened. I stepped inside and pressed the button for the sixtieth floor. The doors started to close.
Then a hand caught them at the last second.
"Hold the elevator, please."
The voice was deep, smooth, and sent an unexpected shiver down my spine. I pressed the button to keep the doors open and stepped back to make room.
Alexander Kane walked into the elevator.
Even after studying his photograph for hours last night, seeing him in person was like being hit by lightning. He was taller than I expected - at least six foot four - and his presence filled the small space completely. His black hair was perfectly styled, his silver eyes were sharp and intelligent, and his suit probably cost more than my car.
But it wasn't his looks that made my breath catch. It was the way he moved. Every step was controlled, precise, predatory. This wasn't just a businessman. This was an Alpha werewolf at the height of his power.
And I was trapped in a metal box with him.
"Going up?" he asked, though he was already reaching for the button panel.
"Sixtieth floor," I managed to say.
"What a coincidence. So am I." His finger hovered over the buttons for a moment. Then he pressed sixty and something else I couldn't see.
The elevator started to rise. Smooth and silent, like everything else in this building.
"I don't think we've met," Alexander said, turning to face me. "I'm Alexander Kane."
He extended his hand. I had no choice but to shake it.
The moment our skin touched, every nerve in my body came alive. His hand was warm, strong, and callused in all the right places. But there was something else - a tingle of electricity that had nothing to do with static and everything to do with the man standing inches away from me.
"Sarah Mitchell," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I have an appointment with you this morning."
"Ah, the security consultant." His grip lingered a moment longer than necessary before he released my hand. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."
"You have?"
"Your resume is impressive. Two tours in Afghanistan, five years of private security work, expert marksman, advanced combat training. Very impressive for someone so young."
There was something in his tone that made me look at him more carefully. Was he testing me? Did he suspect something?
"I started young," I said. "Sometimes life doesn't give you a choice."
"No, it doesn't." His silver eyes studied my face like he was reading a book. "Tell me, Miss Mitchell, what made you leave your last job? The pay must have been excellent."
Damien had prepared me for this question. "I was ready for a new challenge. Corporate security offers different opportunities than military contracting."
"And you think protecting me will be challenging?"
Before I could answer, the elevator lurched to a stop. Not the smooth stop of reaching a floor - a violent, unexpected halt that made both of us grab the handrail.
The lights flickered and died. Emergency lighting kicked in a second later, casting everything in a dim red glow. The display panel showed we were stopped between the forty-third and forty-fourth floors.
"Well," Alexander said calmly. "This is inconvenient."
I looked at him suspiciously. He didn't seem surprised by the malfunction. If anything, he seemed... satisfied.
"Does this happen often?" I asked.
"More often than I'd like." He pressed the emergency call button. A crackling voice came through the speaker.
"Mr. Kane? We're showing a malfunction in elevator seven. Our technicians are on the way, but it might take some time to get you out safely."
"How much time?"
"Maybe thirty minutes. We're very sorry for the inconvenience."
Alexander sighed and loosened his tie. "Well, Miss Mitchell, it looks like we'll have to conduct your interview in here."
I studied his face in the red emergency lighting. There was something almost predatory about his smile. Like he'd planned this whole thing.
"You don't seem very upset about being trapped," I observed.
"I've learned to make the best of unexpected situations. Besides, this gives us a chance to talk without interruptions." He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "So tell me, what do you know about my company?"
"Kane Enterprises is a diversified corporation with interests in real estate, technology, and import/export. Founded by your grandfather, expanded by your father, and now run by you. Revenue last year was approximately eight billion dollars."
"Very good. And what do you know about the kind of threats my company faces?"
I thought about how to answer that. The real threats to Kane Enterprises weren't corporate espionage or disgruntled employees. They were rival werewolf packs, government agents, and hunters like me.
"Any company your size attracts attention," I said carefully. "Some of it unwanted. Competitors, protesters, people who think successful businesses are fair targets."
"People like hunters, you mean?"
The question hit me like a physical blow. My hand instinctively moved toward the ceramic knife in my shoe, but I forced myself to stay calm.
"Hunters?"
Alexander's smile was sharp as a blade. "Surely you've heard the stories, Miss Mitchell. Los Angeles has always been full of urban legends. Monsters in the shadows, secret organizations, things that go bump in the night."
"I don't believe in monsters," I lied.
"No? How disappointing. I find monsters far more interesting than ordinary people." He pushed off the wall and took a step closer. In the small elevator, that brought him within arm's reach. "They're usually more honest about what they want."
My heart was beating so fast I was sure he could hear it. Alexander Kane was playing with me, but I couldn't tell how much he actually knew. Was this just the natural suspicion of a powerful man, or did he somehow know exactly who I was?
"What is it you want, Mr. Kane?"
"The same thing everyone wants. To survive." His silver eyes seemed to glow in the dim light. "To protect the people I care about. To eliminate threats before they eliminate me."
"That's a very paranoid way to live."
"Paranoia is just good planning when everyone really is out to get you." He tilted his head, studying me like a puzzle he was trying to solve. "Tell me something, Miss Mitchell. In Afghanistan, did you ever have to kill someone?"
The question was so unexpected it took me a moment to respond. "Why would you ask me that?"
"Because the kind of security I need isn't about checking credentials and watching monitors. Sometimes it requires more... direct action."
I met his gaze steadily. "If the job requires it, yes. I can take direct action."
"Good. Because the people who want to hurt me aren't the kind who respond to stern warnings." He moved even closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne - something expensive and masculine that made my head spin. "They're the kind who bring guns and knives and silver bullets."
Silver bullets. He'd definitely said silver bullets.
"Mr. Kane," I said quietly, "are you telling me you believe in werewolves?"
His laugh was rich and warm, but there was something dangerous underneath it. "Miss Mitchell, in my experience, the most dangerous monsters are the ones who look completely human."
The elevator shuddered and the lights came back on. The motor hummed to life and we started rising again.
"Ah," Alexander said, stepping back to give me space. "Perfect timing."
The doors opened onto the sixtieth floor. A middle-aged woman in a gray suit was waiting for us, looking worried.
"Mr. Kane, I'm so sorry about the elevator. Are you all right?"
"Fine, Margaret. This is Sarah Mitchell, our new security consultant." He looked at me with those unsettling silver eyes. "Miss Mitchell, Margaret will show you to the conference room. I'll be with you in just a moment."
I followed Margaret down a hallway lined with expensive artwork. But I could feel Alexander's eyes on my back the entire way.
"Here we are," Margaret said, opening a door to a glass-walled conference room. "Can I get you some coffee? Water?"
"Coffee would be great, thank you."
She left me alone in the conference room. I used the time to study my surroundings. The room overlooked downtown LA, with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a spectacular view. But more importantly, I could see the layout of the office space. Emergency exits, security cameras, potential weapons.
Alexander Kane had definitely been testing me in that elevator. But the question was why. Did he suspect I was a hunter, or was he just naturally cautious?
Either way, I was walking into this job half-blind. And that was dangerous for everyone involved.
Margaret returned with coffee and a fresh tablet. "Mr. Kane will be right with you. He just had to take an important call."
I thanked her and sipped the coffee. It was perfect - strong but not bitter, exactly how I liked it. Which was either a lucky guess or another sign that Alexander Kane knew more about me than he should.
Ten minutes later, the door opened and Alexander walked in. He'd taken off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, which somehow made him look even more dangerous. I could see the muscles in his forearms, the way his dress shirt stretched across his chest.
Focus, Scarlett. He's the target, not a potential date.
"Sorry for the delay," he said, taking the seat across from me. "Where were we?"
"You were asking if I could take direct action when necessary."
"Right. And you said yes." He opened the tablet and scrolled through what looked like my fake resume. "Tell me about your most challenging assignment."
I launched into a prepared story about protecting a diplomat in Kabul. It was mostly true - I'd just changed a few details and left out the part about the diplomat being a werewolf who was smuggling silver weapons to hunters.
Alexander listened without interrupting, but I could tell he was paying attention to more than just my words. He was watching my body language, listening to my tone, studying every micro-expression on my face.
"Impressive," he said when I finished. "You seem to handle dangerous situations well."
"I don't panic easily."
"Good. Because this job comes with some unusual requirements." He leaned back in his chair. "Tell me, Miss Mitchell, how do you feel about working nights?"
"I'm flexible with my schedule."
"And travel? Sometimes at very short notice?"
"That's not a problem."
"Excellent. And one more thing - how do you feel about keeping secrets?"
The question hung in the air between us like a challenge. I knew my answer would determine whether I got this job or not.
"Mr. Kane, in my line of work, discretion is everything. I've never broken a client's confidence, and I never will."
"Even if someone offered you a great deal of money?"
"Even then."
He smiled, and for the first time since I'd met him, it looked genuine. "In that case, Miss Mitchell, I think you're exactly what I've been looking for."
"Does that mean I have the job?"
"It means you have the job, if you want it. The salary is two hundred thousand a year, plus bonuses. Full benefits, company car, expense account. You'll report directly to me, and only to me."
Two hundred thousand dollars. That was four times what I made as a hunter. For a moment, I almost forgot this was supposed to be a cover identity.
"There's just one more thing," Alexander said. "I need to know you're committed to this position. My last few security chiefs didn't work out because they weren't prepared for the realities of protecting someone like me."
"What kind of realities?"
Alexander stood up and walked to the window. With his back to me, he said, "Miss Mitchell, there are things about my life that might seem... unusual to someone from outside my world. I need to know that you can handle unusual situations without asking too many questions."
"I'm not easily shocked, Mr. Kane."
"No, I don't think you are." He turned back to me, and there was something different in his expression. Something that looked almost like relief. "When can you start?"
"Immediately, if you need me to."
"I do need you to. In fact, I have a dinner meeting tonight that could use your... expertise."
"What kind of dinner meeting?"
Alexander's smile was sharp as broken glass. "The kind where everyone will be carrying weapons and at least half the guests want to kill me."
I stared at him. "And you want me to keep you safe?"
"I want you to help me survive the night. Think you can handle that, Miss Mitchell?"
I thought about Damien's mission. About getting close to Alexander Kane and learning his weaknesses. About the genetic material that was supposedly worth millions.
"Yes," I said. "I can handle that."
"Excellent. Be here at seven tonight. Formal dress - we're going somewhere upscale." He walked me to the door and extended his hand again. "Welcome to Kane Enterprises, Miss Mitchell."
I shook his hand, and once again felt that strange tingle of electricity. This time, his grip was firmer, more possessive. Like he was claiming me.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Kane."
"Call me Alexander. We're going to be spending a lot of time together."
As I walked back to the elevator, I could feel his eyes on me again. When the doors closed and I was alone, I finally allowed myself to take a deep breath.
I'd gotten the job. I was in.
But as the elevator descended toward the lobby, I couldn't shake the feeling that Alexander Kane had been interviewing me for something completely different than corporate security.
And whatever game he was playing, I wasn't sure I understood the rules.
End of Chapter 2