Skin Walkers Conn (10 page)

Monroe stood an
d paced to the two leather sofa
s that sat facing each other in front of
his desk, separated by a glass-
topped table.  “Please have a seat.”  He motioned for Conn to take the seat across from him.

Conn rubbed a hand
angrily over the back of his neck and hissed in frustration.  “I’ll stand.  Answers.  Now!”

Monroe took a seat and crossed an ankle over one knee before threading his fingers behind
his head.  “We refer to it as A
ffliction.”

“Affliction?”
Conn growled impatiently.

“Yes,” Monroe’s smile widened.
“Wh
en you first laid eyes on Aries,
not when you first saw her, but the first moment your eyes locked with hers, were you affected?”

Conn frowned at the other man.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”  Monroe uncrossed his legs and sat forward, “
It’s an instantaneous animalistic attraction to her. 
It’s designed to force you to recognize that she holds
some significance to you.  It’s why you were incapacitated at your first meeting, but it’s so much more than that. 
Much like the rut that ruminant animals experience,
male
Walkers too are…afflicted.
”

Conn’s words were clipped, “Afflicted how?”

“Do you hunt Conn?”

“Yes.”  The word was ground out
angrily
.

“Then you understand the extent of the rut?”

Conn’s eyes flashed dangerously
as he clarified
, “I.  Hunt.  Men!”

Monroe’s eyes flashed to the door
and he called out, “Come in
,
” b
efore Jenny had the chance to knock.

She was escorted, as usual, by her
Walker
husband Bishop.  Wordlessly the duo entered the room and
Jenny
took
a
seat on the couch opposite Monroe. 

“So you’ve explained it then?”
s
he asked calmly.

“No,” Monroe stared at her, “I was just about to, but since you’re the expert…”

Jenny smiled timidly up at Conn, “Hardly the expert.  What’s af
fecting you is unique to Walker
s, but I’ll explain to you what I’ve discovered through my studies thus far. 

The rut in say an Elk is typically triggered by the shortening of days. 
He is urged by the desire to ensure that his seed is passed on.
He’ll fight for a harem then fight to keep it.  This ensures that only the seed of the strongest and most virile of the male species is passed on.  Survival of the fittest if you will. 
Often times, a bull Elk will be so pre-occupied with the rut, the need to mate, and the protection of his harem, that he often foregoes eating
, drinking, even
sleeping for days.”

Conn was livid, “Are you people serious?  You’re comparing me to a fucking Elk.”

Jenny shook her head, lifting a tiny hand, “It’s just an analogy.”

Conn pointed to the window angrily, “Do I need to point out that it’s the middle of winter.  The days aren’t getting any shorter sweetheart
!”

Bishop, who stood behind his wife pulled his lip back in a challenging sn
arl
at Conn’s endearment.

“Yes,” Jenny began, “but the
Walker
affliction isn’t triggered by the seasons, it’s triggered by introduction to your
angel
.”

Conn dipped his head to frown at the
D
octor, “She is not my
angel
.”

“No,” Jenny smiled hopefully
, “b
ut she will b
e.  From what we’ve discovered
Walker
mate
s are pre-deter
mined, pre-destined, it’s…well…
fate!”

Conn shifted his eyes
from Jenny to Monroe, “Do you honestly expect me to buy this bullshit?”

Monroe, who’d been smiling throughout Jenny’s explanation sobered.  “Think what you like Conn, but what she’s telling you is fact.”  Monroe stood then and looke
d from Conn to the other
Walker
males
in the room.  “King, Bishop, hell even
I
have experienced what you’re going through.”

“You have no idea what I’m going through.”
Conn stepped forward in challenge, his hands balled into fists so tight that his knuckles shone white.

“Really,” Monroe scoffed.  “Eaten anything good lately?
”  Monroe pinned him with cold blue eyes.  “Eaten
anything
at all
lately?”

Then Bishop chimed in, “When’s the last time you were able to sleep?”

“Better yet,” King
piped up
, “t
ell me your gut reaction if I were to threaten to take Aries from your supervision
and keep
her
here in one of the holding cells
.”

Conn turned to King, his body hunching into a near crouch, “Don’t fu
cking threaten what’s mine
King
,
or I’ll turn you into a
q
ueen
.”

Monroe’s bark of l
aughter cut through the tension.  “
You see!”

Conn’s angry eyes held King’s a moment longer before he turned to scowl at Monroe who carried on unperturbed by Conn’s obvious
dislike of the direction the conversation was heading.

“
How else can you explain your attachment t
o her?  You’ve only just met.
You’re feelings shouldn’t be this strong.”

“I have no feelings for her.”  The
rough
words were ground out between clenched teeth.

Monroe’s brows hiked as he scoffed at Conn, “Really?
“

“Really
!
” Conn challenged.

Monroe didn’t take his eyes from Conn as he spoke, “Stubborn ass Walkers
, a
lways forcing me to prove what you already know.”
 

Monroe
stood
and strode casually back to his desk before taking a seat and lifting his pen before re-arranging th
e paperwork he’d previously set
aside.  He dropped his eyes to the paper work dismissively and spoke without looking up. 
His humor at the situation gone, he spoke with seriousness. 
“Per your revelation to her in the jungle, Ms. Bracken is now threat to Walkers.  She’ll be imprisoned here at
StoneCrow
until such time
that I deem
she is no
longer
a threat.”

Conn covered the distance to Monroe’s desk in three quick steps that had King
uncrossing his arms and readying himself to defend the CEO. 

Conn ignored the Walker S
entry and braced his hands on Monroe’s desk.  “I understand you’re used to playing your little games with the so-called men,” his eyes da
rted to King then back to Monroe
, “under your employ.  But make no mistake Monroe, I am
not
under your
employ.  I am
not
threatened by you, and I am
not
going to tolerate your fucking threats or your games.
”  Conn straightened, “And as far as Ms. Bracken goes, I have received no payment for her delivery.  Therefore, she belongs to me and with me is where she’ll
remain
until such time as
I
deem it unnecessary.”  Conn turned and stalked angrily from the room
, slamming the door behind him.

Monroe lifted his head to stare at the door as a faint smile touched his lips.

King spoke then,
“You want me to
take a team and
relinquish him of his custody
?”

Monroe’s smile widened and he dropped his pen to steeple his fingers over his desk, “No King.  I think one more night together will put Conn just where we want him.”
  His smile
faltered as
he turned to eye Jenny, “Any idea on why she’s in pain?”

“Not without examining her.  She has no outward sign of injury, but something is definitely wrong. 
Funny though, she doesn’t seem to notice.  It’s like she’s lived with the pain so long that it’s normal to her.”  She
pursed
her lips, “I need to run tests
.  Problem is, he’s like a dog with a bone.”  She jerked her head toward the door, “I don’t see him bringing her back to the infirmary.”

“He’ll do it.”
  Monroe eyed Jenny, “She’s his, he’ll want her
healed
.”

Chapter
1
1

Conn
ignored the elevator, opting instead to take the stairs—two-at-a-time—up to the penthouse of
StoneCrow
Manor.  At the landing, the carpet changed from dark blue to a rich crimson that covered the expanse of the top floor.  To his left was the
elegant ballroom that housed the estate’s many celebrations and festivities.  Straight ahead was the
estate
s fine dining establishment
, which
was currently closed.  Conn’s head snapped to the right and locked on his intended target.
H
e strode angrily across the plush
flooring
toward the Crow’s Nest, the
sophisticated
pub that
was open
round the clock
. 

Inside he ignored the few couples sprinkled around the room as they watched him enter.  Walkers and their
angels
.  He could smell them, feel them. 

Angels and Halos!
  He snorted, always having
found the terms ridiculous. 
He’d always known that when a
Walker
found his angel, his mate, he’d gift her with his halo and bind her to him, but he hadn’t been informed of the so-called ‘affliction’ that was apparently now assailing him.  He’d been prepared to rip King apart when he threatened to take Aries.  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so enraged. 
Aries.

He’d never admit it to an
yone else
, but he’d already co
nsidered gifting her his halo, n
ot to
bind her to him, but because a
Walker
’s angel experienced
a transformation with the
acceptance
of the halo.  Like their
Walker
mate, angels would become immune to illness and would be
able to communicate with their
Walker
mate
through the mystic,
the mist for short.  It was
a telepathic means of communication that
Walkers shared
.  Both would be valuable assets for his Aries to possess. 
His Aries?
  He cringed inwardly at the possessiveness he felt toward her.  Truth be told, he’d
considered gifting her his halo just to heal the pain she refused to acknowledge she was in. 

Hearing laughter, he turned to frown at
a
Walker
and his angel nestled in a corner booth.  The couple w
as
engrossed in conversation, smiling at each other.  He wondered what it would be like to be sitting in the intimate setting enjoying Aries’ company. 

Conn’s eyes flicked to the silver band around the woman’s throat then to the matching brand around
her
Walker
mate
’s thicker neck.  A
Walker
’s halo branded him as it left his throat
.  The thick raised sc
ar was hideous looking, but no
Walker
who’d claimed his angel seemed to mind the permanent proof of his claiming.

He made h
is way to the bar and sat down o
n a stool.

“Commander
Drago
, what can I get
ya
?”

He eyed the petite woman with short black hair, “Do I know you?”

“Nah,” the woman finished drying the glass in her hand before throwing the bar towel over her shoulder and setting the glass on the bar.  “Name’s Cindy.  Cindy
KillsPrettyEnemy
.”

He recognized the last name and knew instantly that the woman was
angel
to
RedKnife
, the renowned sole indigenous
Walker
at
StoneCrow
.
  He exhaled slowly, not wanting to be rude but not wanting to converse either.