Changing Focus (16 page)

With that, the man disappeared and a large gray and black wolf with luminous gold eyes stood in his place. Olivia sat heavily in her chair. She’d known, as soon as he walked into the office, she’d known by his evergreen scent alone. But still, seeing it again caused her breath to catch, her heart to race and a longing to fill her from the souls of her feet to her throat. She wanted to see Micah, not this wolf. She yearned to let her own wolf loose and run through the woods again.

He shook from head to tail and changed back into a man. She saw the mark on his chest, an almost circular mark on the left side of his chest, right where she’d left a mark on Micah. Dressing just as casually as he’d undressed, Slade pulled a chair up to her desk and sat. Propping his feet on the edge of her desk, he put his hands behind his head.

“Yeah, Shifters, like real wolves, mate for life. Being away from your mate this long has made your mark hurt, Micah’s hurting too, I imagine. Once we mark one another, the idea is that we’re together for life. Unless you release him from the mating, admit you both made a mistake, he’s in it forever.”

He moved his hands from behind his neck as he stared at her. “If you’re away from your mate for more than a day or two, the mark will hurt. If you’re away for longer, the male will get sick. Not sick enough to die, but sick enough to wish he would.”

Olivia started to say something, but he kicked his feet from her desk, startling her back into silence. “That goes away, or so I’m told. See, even if you break up permanently with Micah, he’ll never mate again. You’re free to do whatever you want with whomever you want. One of the perks of being a female shifter, I guess, but once a male is mated, he’s done. No other female will satisfy him, sexually, physically, in any way. Basically, we get screwed in the deal and not in a good way.”

A solid thump echoed as he balled his hand into a fist to strike her desk. “I’m going to share a little bit of wisdom with you, Olivia. Something our
mutual friend
said to me a couple of years ago. Something that opened my eyes and set my feet back toward my destiny. He looked me right in the eye and asked me how many times I could reinvent myself before I forgot who I was.”

Her breath shuddered as she tried to suck in a lungful of air. Slade growled softly, but when he spoke, she heard pain in his voice. “Now I want to ask you, how long can you run until you don’t have anywhere else to go? You’re one of us, how long is it going to take you to accept that? You marked Micah as your mate, Olivia. You let him mark you as his. Now you’re condemning him to be alone, to be in pain for a very long time and you don’t give a shit.”

“That’s not true.” Olivia got deftly to her feet, unwilling to let him intimidate her. “I do care for Micah. I care more than you could possibly know. But I’m not like you.”

“Bullshit. You’re a shifter. You’re a wolf.” He laughed softly, but there wasn’t any real humor in it. “Hell, you’re a real Alpha bitch, even if you don’t acknowledge it.”

He leaned forward then gave a short bark of laughter. “Think about this, your staff is scared shitless of you, none of them will cross you, especially when you’re on the rag or just pissed about something. You’ve scared the shit out of men twice your size, gotten them to back down from you when there’s an issue you’re really passionate about, and if you ask them, they’ll tell you it’s something about your eyes.” At that, Slade’s eyes started to glow.

Olivia watched, fascinated and angered at the same time. “Get out.”

“Not fucking likely, babe, not until you hear what I’ve got to say.”

“I’ve heard what you’ve said. You’re telling me I’m a shifter, like you. The same thing Micah told me. I refuse to accept that.”

“Refuse to accept it?” Mockery clear in his tone, Slade lunged to his feet, leaning over the desk so they were face-to-face. “You can’t
refuse
something that’s an integral part of yourself, Olivia. You can’t
refuse
to be a shifter. You can refuse to be stupid, but you damn sure can’t deny your own nature.”

He growled-a dark, contemptuous sound. “Try it. Take off that starched shirt and change your life. You don’t have a clue what true freedom is, what true power is. Micah offers you his life, his world and you’re throwing that away for this? You’re content to stay in this stinking concrete jungle when you could be so much fucking happier in the middle of the woods with someone who loves you? You’re fucking stupid.”

“I am not stupid.” They were both breathing hard. Olivia felt anger rise up inside her. Black emotion roiled just beneath her skin, clawing to get out. She wanted to lunge at him, to bite and tear. To make him back down and leave her alone.

Before that feeling would have sent her running to the medicine cabinet or the shrink. This time she didn’t cower away from it. She didn’t reach for pills like she would have. Instead she met his eyes dead on. She stood her ground.

He held her gaze. His lips twisted as he rasped out. “Prove it. Strip and shift.”

“Get out.” Olivia picked up her phone. “I’m calling Security.”

“Don’t bother. Just do the man a favor and release him from the mating. He won’t accept it, but do it anyway.” Slade stormed back to the office door. He yanked it open then turned to face her again. “Micah deserves better than you. And he needs to be free of you so he can focus what energy he’ll have after that on getting his kid back. If not for him, do it for Talia.”

He exited, slamming the door behind him. Olivia sank down into her chair, shaking. She replaced the phone in the cradle, folded her arms on her desk, put her head down and sobbed.

A few minutes later, she sat up, wiping her face. Slade was right. The past two weeks she’d felt like she was walking through a fog. Micah did deserve better from her-better than her.

With that in mind, Olivia picked up her phone again. “Kim, get me a flight to Minneapolis, Minnesota, please and book me a car with four-wheel drive. I’m taking some personal time. I’ll let you know how long I’ll be gone no later than tomorrow.”

Setting the phone down, Olivia replayed Slade’s last words. What had he said about Talia? Talia was gone? She snatched the phone back up and dialed a number she’d partially been punching in for several days. This time she hit the last number and let it ring.

When Gareth answered, her heart broke again as he filled her in on what had happened to Talia. Olivia’s mind raced-Talia needed to be with Micah as much as Micah needed that child. With a determined thank-you, Olivia hung up the phone then dialed her assistant again.

“Kim, cancel that Minneapolis flight. I’m going to New Orleans. I’ll still need a car but you can cancel the four-wheel drive.”

M
icah shook his head as he helped Joie pick up luggage. They’d needed special assistance to get on and off the plane but Joie acted as if it were old hat. He supposed it was to her but he found it nerve-racking. All he wanted to do was to get to the hotel and then meet with his lawyers.

Two days before he could get in front of the judge. Not even having a shifter judge could take away the heavy case load. His lawyers had done everything they could and he supposed that in the legal world, this had been lightning fast.

Micah grabbed the twins, one under each arm, and headed out the door to hail a cab. A sharp whistle got his attention. The sight of the small, plump woman flagging him down from the old boat of a car was a welcome one.

“Kay, it’s good to see you. I wish the circumstances were better.” He released the wiggling children into the care of their great-godmother and turned to find Joie on his heels.

“
Tante
, sorry for the short notice. Here’s Emil. You kids behave now or I’ll feed you to the gators when I get home.” Gales of laughter gave proof to her parenting skills. Micah leaned down to Kay who bussed him on the cheek.

“Shaman, what you done got yourself into is not as bad as you think. I’ll be praying for you and that woman of yours.”
Tante
Kay gave him a wink and slipped back in behind the wheel.

“Joie, you tell that rascal of yours my boat needs a tune-up when he gets back, now, you hear? Now we’re going home and out of this noisy city.”

Micah got in line for a cab. All he wanted right now was to be back in the frigid Wisconsin weather. This so-called Louisiana cold didn’t qualify. He shrugged out of his leather jacket with a curse. Where had his life gone so wrong? From the carefully planned retirement to this insane grief he felt, Micah wondered if he was losing his mind.

Pain shook him. He needed Olivia badly. It wasn’t right for new mates to be apart. The bonding energy might never complete its cycle. He knew where she was though so that much of the bond had taken. Had hers? Did she feel him under her skin the way he did? Clenching his fist, Micah turned away from Joie so she wouldn’t see his anguish.

Finally they were next in line at the cab stand. Handing Joie in, he helped the driver load the luggage. Once he gave the address for the hotel, Micah leaned back with a sigh. His phone vibrating in his pocket jolted him out of his reverie.

“Why aren’t you here?”

Micah sighed into the phone. “Tony, I’m going to a hotel. I’m in no mood to be around others. You and Carly enjoy each other. I have to do this on my own. Thanks.”

Joie laid a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure that’s a good thing? You know Slade and Tony have worked out their differences.”

“Yeah, I know, Joie, but I don’t want to bring them in on this. Carly’s trying to get her own clinic going and they’ve got the baby to rear. And I don’t want you in this either. I let you come with me because I knew I couldn’t stop you. But I can and I am putting my foot down here. This is my battle. Let me fight it on my own.”

The exasperated sigh from his side told him this wasn’t going to be easy. “Micah, you can’t do this on your own. You told me on the plane that they were taking the lone wolf angle on this. Don’t you see you are setting yourself up to fail? Are you really as stubborn as Malcolm?”

The words hurt but Micah ignored the pain. He had to do this on his own. Talia was his and he would retrieve her. He’d make the judge see that he was not a lone wolf just because he refused leadership of a Pack. That didn’t matter, he couldn’t let it matter.

Finally he got to the hotel and left a very unhappy Joie in the cab. He’d paid the fare to take her back to LaPlace. The prepaid tip had guaranteed the cabbie’s agreement to the out-of-area drive.

Throwing his coat down, Micah tipped the bellhop and closed the door more firmly than necessary. All he wanted was a few moments of peace and quiet. He had to think. Had to get his head on straight. His phone buzzed again, denying him that silence he sought.

“Micah Keeps Vigil,” he barked the words into the phone. “What?”

As his lawyer delivered the hearing details, Micah felt his knees go out from under him. The bed protested as he sat down heavily and he wondered if the Great Spirit were testing him for some reason.

The hearing would be held at the compound. Fist balled, he slammed it into his thigh. This was bad, very bad. Using Louisiana law and shifter authority, the Compound Pack lawyers named the hearing site using a little-known law about child custody hearings being held in nonthreatening venues.

“Hell.” Micah bit off the curse as he stood up to pace the room. He had to think. This changed everything. Looking at the phone on his bed like it was a snake, he realized he had to call for help. With the hearing being held at the compound, the Turn Skins would be out in force. He needed the backing of his Pack in spite of his desire to do it all himself.

Growling, he resisted picking the cell up immediately, knowing from past experience that in this mood he might crush it into useless bits. Micah hit his leg again and winced. Bruising himself was not going to help this situation. He’d lost Olivia. He would not lose Talia and not to the Compound Pack.

With a deep breath, he pulled in as much calm as he could, forcing the overwhelming desire to shred something to flow out on the exhalation. Five of those cleansing intakes and releases allowed him to gain a modicum of calm. He picked up the phone and started methodically going through his phonebook.

By midnight Micah knew he’d have friends at the hearing but he didn’t know if it would be enough. If the judge deemed him a lone wolf, he knew he would never be able to rear Talia and it would be at the whim of the Compound Pack shifters whether or not he could even visit his child.
My child.
Mine.
The thought reverberated through him shaking him to his core.

When had this all happened? He tried to look backward to see if he could fit the pieces together, but when Olivia’s face floated in his memory, he closed his eyes. Thinking of her only hurt-his heart as well as other unanswered desires his body still demanded.

Newly mated shifters had a honeymoon period for a reason and he’d been denied his. If he’d been a different kind of wolf, he might have been able to hit a bar or call an old friend here in New Orleans to find temporary relief. But Micah had never been that kind.

A soft knock at the door put him on full alert.
Who could be at the door at this hour?
A quick scenting brought a smile to his face. He opened the door and dragged the visitor in.

“Tony!” Micah pounded his friend on the back. “I told you not to come. You are such a cat. You don’t listen worth a damn.”

“
Dogs
come when they’re called.
Cats
take a message.” The raven-haired man grinned as he quoted an old joke. “So what do we need to do to get ready for the day after tomorrow, Micah? Carly told me not to bother coming home until we had a strategy. She’d be here but she’s home with TJ.”

Micah let Tony distract him with tales of his terrible almost-one-year-old before pulling out a notepad. “Let’s draw it out, Tony. Like we used to.”

The two bent their heads together to begin to list every player involved as well as their angle. Once they knew why the Compound Pack wanted Talia, they could plan their attack.

At one point, close to three in the morning, Micah rubbed his neck and leaned back from the desk. Heaving a sigh, he looked at his friend.

“You know, life was certainly simpler when they kidnapped our people and we went in and kicked ass and took ours back.”

Tony shook his head. “Never thought I’d hear you say that, Micah, but you’re right. The Turn Skins are different these days. Hell, I don’t even call them that much anymore. They are the Compound Pack now. Frank’s done a damn good job of turning that Pack around. I’ve heard they are having some money issues though.”

Tony hit himself in the forehead. “That’s it, Micah. Money. I’ll bet Curtis left money to Talia and they want to control it.”

“Money? You think this is about money?” Micah growled fiercely. “They can have the money. I don’t need it. I can take care of Talia without that old bastard’s money.”

Snarling, he swept the notepad off the table as he jerked to his feet to pace angrily. Money? They’d taken his child for money? Rage built inside him until his ears rang from the pressure. A hand on his arm nearly threw him over the edge until he realized that Tony was still there.

“Micah, pull it together. We’re just speculating here. We don’t know why they want Talia. We can’t waste time worrying about what we don’t know.”

Slowly nodding his head, Micah tugged himself back to the hotel room. His wolf wanted to kill something-he couldn’t afford that energy expenditure right now. Sitting back at the table, Micah reached down to return the notepad to the table.

“We have a strategy. We know we have allies coming. Now we wait. So go home to your beautiful mate.” Micah heard his voice splinter. “And I’ll get what sleep I can. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Tony headed for the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. “Micah, I know you’re mated. I can smell it a mile away. I don’t know why she’s not here, but I’m guessing there’s a good reason?”

Micah sighed. “That’s a long story. Suffice it to say she doesn’t want to be what she is-a shifter. I can’t worry about her now though. She’s safe in her office in New York. I’ll deal with her once I get Talia back.”

“Shouldn’t she know about Talia, Micah?” Tony’s tone wasn’t harsh but the question lanced through Micah. He swept a hand through his hair and nodded.

“Probably but it’s too late now. I’ll tell her once this is all over and I have Talia back. Then I can work on bringing Olivia home.”

Tony nodded. “Okay,
mon
ami
, you know what’s best, I guess. Get some rest.”

Micah flipped the privacy latch on the door after Tony left. Was he right? Did Olivia deserve to know about Talia? Mulling it over for a few moments, Micah realized he agreed with Tony. He picked up the phone and hoped Olivia was still an early riser.

When the call went straight to voicemail, Micah hung up without leaving a message. Then, cursing himself for a fool, he called back and left a short statement about what had happened. He told her he would call her when everything was straightened out. Even to himself he sounded like someone trying to convince themselves of a long shot happening.

Micah stretched out on the hotel bed. When his feet hung off the edge, he groaned and flipped to his side to draw them up. Closing his eyes firmly, he waited for sleep to come. He dozed fitfully until his alarm went off.

Sitting up he thanked the years of surveillance that had taught him to grab sleep no matter what was going on. Feeling as rested as a few hours could make him, he put in an order for room service and got in the shower.

The remnants of his meal were being wheeled out when Tony poked his head in the door. “Ready?”

Micah glanced around the room to make sure he had everything and headed down to the car where a familiar blonde woman and a short brunette male waited. “Carly, Nolan, it is good to see you.”

Nolan threw his arms around Micah, hugging him fiercely before stepping back. “I had to come see you, Micah. I won’t go onto the grounds with you, but I’ll be waiting for word. You need to come by Animalia before you go home. I know, bring Talia in for dessert after the hearing. I’m sure I can whip up something she’ll like.”

Micah smiled and put a hand on Nolan’s shoulder. “Thank you, little brother. You can be sure we’ll stop by the club before we go home. I’ve missed your étouffée.”

Nolan grinned and stepped back, giving his place to Tony’s mate who also wrapped Micah in a tight hug before touching his face with one cool hand and looking straight into his eyes.

Dr. Carly Pantera smiled gently. “It’s good to see you and I wish it were under better circumstances, Micah. You need to stop by New Orleans more often. Enough of that, now let’s go get your daughter.”

The cool determination of the human did more to build Micah’s confidence than anything else the day had brought so far. She’d faced the Compound Pack under the misguided angry rule of Slade, so for her to willingly return was a statement of her loyalty and courage. She and Tony were indeed well matched.

Thinking back over their combined past with the Turn Skin Pack, Micah still marveled at the changed wolf that Slade was. His tiny human wife had turned him around completely. He wasn’t nearly as angry or bloodthirsty as he’d been then. By the same token, Micah also understood the pain that held his friend Nolan. The Turn Skins had killed his mate, Derik, and he still struggled with anger against them. Nolan waved as they got into the car to head to the hearing site. Looking out the back window, Micah watched Nolan’s head drop as he turned to cross the street to his own car.

The trip to the compound was quiet with each lost in their thoughts. Micah tried to imagine his world without Talia. Though she hadn’t been with him for long, his life had become so much more vibrant with her in it. The fact that she and Olivia had come to him so close together, a mate and a child to bring up, making them an immediate family, had to be a sign from the gods that they were truly meant to be together. The sobering vision solidified his decision to get his child back one way or the other. If he had to, he would steal her and disappear on one of the reservations.

He knew his way around reservations, having grown up on one, and knew he could easily take Talia and no one would ever find them. Those who lived on the reservations wouldn’t tolerate interference from outsiders and he could go far enough away that no shifter would ever find them. Shaking his head, Micah pushed those thoughts aside. He didn’t want that for Talia, though, to live in shadows and fear. He wanted to bring her home, hear her laughter ringing through his home and be able to tuck her in at night and watch her grow. First he had to get his daughter, then together, maybe they could convince Olivia that she belonged with them too.