Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (56 page)

He shrugged one shoulder, not
really caring about her personal impressions of him.

“Never much of a conversationalist,
were you.” Deirdre sighed and picked up a file. “Your next
assignment.” She held it out to him and Damien almost smiled. This
was what he’d been waiting for.

“No.” He hooked his thumbs in his
belt loops.

“No?” She arched a brow when he
made no move to take the folder.

“You heard me.”

Slowly, she lowered her hand and
laid the file on the edge of the desk. Folding her hands in front
of her, she cocked her head and blinked, a curious expression on
her face. “Any particular reason? Some moral or ethical dilemma
with the case?”

“I don’t know what the case is yet,
do I?” He pointed out the obvious.

“True. And ethics have never got in
your way before.” She made a little moue and tapped her lips with
her finger, the red of her nail polish matching her lipstick. “Are
you hoping for a pay raise? Because if you are—”

“No. No raise.” He shook his head.
“I’m quitting.”

“Quitting?” Her eyes widened before
she gave what seemed like a genuine laugh. It was a sound he’d
never heard from her before, and he noted it actually had a light
quality that was quite at odds with her outward persona. “Damien,
that’s extremely amusing.”

He inclined his head. “I’m glad you
think so.”

Still smiling, she extended the
folder once again. “Now, enough of this foolishness. I’ve been
lenient with you for not coming when called, but this is a business
after all. As delightful as your sense of humour might be, I have
several meetings and—”

“I’m not trying to be amusing. I’m
quitting. Someone told me it’s polite to tell your employer.”

The smile slowly left her face and
the expression in her eyes hardened. “No one quits, Damien, and
lives to tell about it.”

“No one has…yet. I thought I’d be
the first.” He gave her a cheeky grin.

A hint of a flush showed on her
cheeks. “You signed on for life. That was the deal. I allow you to
kill all the Anti-Fae you want without fear of retribution. In
exchange you belong to me, body and soul, for as long as I
wish.”

“Strange but I don’t remember
signing any papers saying that.” He mocked her, taking perverse
pleasure in watching her control crumble.

“There were no damned papers, you
know that.” Deirdre was standing now, legs braced, her hands
clenched into fists and resting on her hips. She wasn’t used to
being defied. The rapid rise and fall of her breasts revealed that
her breathing had quickened.

“A verbal agreement with no
witnesses…” He paused and cast a meaningful glance at the mirror
behind her desk before continuing, “is almost impossible to
enforce.”

“I will enforce it though.” She
narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to him. “I’ll hunt you down
and you’ll be drawn and quartered as an example to the others.”

“I’m shaking in my boots.” He
rolled his eyes at her threats.

A low infuriated sound erupted from
her and she moved to slap him. Damien shot his hand out and grabbed
her wrist, yanking her forward until they stood face to face.

He spoke through clenched teeth,
his voice barely above a growl, each word spoken slowly and
distinctly. “Don’t ever try that again.” With a look of disgust, he
pushed her away.

To her credit, she didn’t stumble,
despite the heels. A few strands of hair had escaped from the
severe knot she had it pulled back in. Brushing them from her face,
she picked up the phone, hovering her finger over the buttons in
preparation for dialling. “Leave if you want, but know that the
moment you do there’s a bounty on your head.”

Damien gave a short dark laugh.
“There likely is already, so join the crowd.” He looked her up and
down, his lip purposely curled in a sneer. “Do whatever you want,
Deirdre. My life’s already hell. I doubt you can make it any
worse.”

Slowly, he turned and sauntered out
of the room. Behind him he heard a crash that sounded rather like a
phone being thrown against the floor. It made him smile.

As he left the building, Damien
took a deep cleansing breath and climbed on the motorcycle he’d
purchased the day before. He revved the engine and then took off,
peeling rubber the length of the driveway. A wide grin spread
across his face as he pictured Deirdre fussing over the tire marks;
she was anal about the appearance of the stately mansion that
served as her headquarters.

Chuckling to himself, he pulled
onto the highway and increased his speed. The wind whipped his face
and tore at his clothes. He gloried in the feeling of freedom. For
the first time in eighteen months he actually felt that something
might be going right in his life. There was still a gaping hole in
his heart, his wolf was still fighting him, but maybe, just maybe,
he’d find some peace now.

Pulling into a gas station, he took
out his wallet and found a crumpled piece of paper. There were
directions written on it. An old friend from his Academy
days—Kane—had always been after him to visit. He’d go there first,
stay for a few days, and then head out again before anyone found
out where he was.

Yeah, he’d keep on the move,
staying one step ahead of Deirdre, in case she ever decided to make
good on her threats. And who knew what Lycan Link would do. Would
the captain pursue charges because of his defection, or would Reno
talk the old man into letting it pass?

It didn’t really matter either way.
There were worse things than being a nomad. Not every wolf had a
pack, and at least he had Beth’s memory to keep him company. That
was more than some ever had.

He tucked away the directions and
then took a look at Beth’s picture. A faint smile curved her lips,
and her dove grey eyes seemed to have lost the faint look of
accusation that had been in them lately.

“I’m sorry, Beth,” he whispered the
words. “I feel like I’ve betrayed you. I wanted to avenge your
death but in the end…” He flattened his lips and shook his head.
“You were always so much wiser than me.” He paused and took a deep
breath. In his mind he could see how she’d tilt her head and raise
a brow, gently scolding him when he underestimated himself. She’d
always trusted him, believed in him, no matter what.

She’d playfully tug at his dark
hair and whisper that he would always be her white knight, that
he’d rescued her that first time they’d met.

But not this time. This time, he’d
let her down.

Blinking against the tears that
threatened, he continued. “I want you know that I love you and I’m
going to keep trying to be the person you thought I was. And no
matter what, you’ll always be my mate; my beautiful, wise mate.” He
was sure he could hear her voice answering in his head.

‘
Never forget…love.’

“I won’t,” he whispered, stroking
his finger over the curve of her cheek. “I’ll never forget. As long
as I live, I’ll never forget you.”

Tucking the wallet back in his
pocket, he swung himself onto his motorcycle and headed for the
open road.

~FIN~

Hi!

Thank you for downloading Betrayed.
I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please leave some feedback at
the site where you found it.

This book, like all the Law of the
Lycans stories, is free. In lieu of paying me for my hobby, I ask
that you please consider making a donation equal to the value of
this book (or the whole series, if you wish) to your local animal
shelter or food bank. It would be greatly appreciated by those in
need.

If you’d like to find out more about me
and my books, visit my webpage at:
https://sites.google.com/site/nickycharlesbooks/

You can also follow me on facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nicky-Charles/217412024968769?sk=wall

Or write to me:

mailto:[email protected]

Other books by Nicky Charles

Forever In Time

The Mating

The Keeping

The Finding

Bonded