him attractive.”
Claire ignored Dani’s statement. “Now, you promised me some answers and I want them. How does everyone know so much about me?”
Dani studied her a second before replying, “I won’t give out names, but through our DS Engineering business in Seattle, we have access to a lot of talented humans. Not everyone believes the same as Human Purity or other extremist groups, and they help us out every once in a while.”
Human Purity wanted all shifters eradicated, or just about. “If you have all of these talented people, then why didn’t you reach out to SEA earlier?”
“The SEA was doing well enough on their own. No matter how much it may grate against my nerves, humans fighting for us does more good than shifters standing up for ourselves.”
Some of Claire’s earlier anger eased. “I know, but you see, that’s why my work is so important. I want shifters to be on equal footing and not second-class citizens.”
Dani patted the couch beside her. “Sit down, Claire. I’ll answer a few more questions, but first, I want to know what kind of shifter your aunt is mated to.”
Claire hadn’t been able to talk about her aunt in over a decade. The urge to remain quiet was strong, but given how much DarkStalker needed her help, she could probably share general details without getting into trouble. Besides, thinking of her Aunt Gwen, sadness squeezed her heart. Claire missed her.
Sitting down, Claire met Dani’s eyes again. “He’s a bear, although I’ve never met him.”
“Interesting. The bears around here are mostly lawyers and keep to themselves. I’ve wondered what they’re like.”
Claire tucked that piece of information away for later. Maybe she could convince Kian to invite the bears to a meeting. “I don’t know, really. I haven’t met any of them, either.” Claire settled into a more comfortable position. “Now, tell me what you can of the DarkStalker and GreyFire alliance. The more information I have, the more I can implement the alliance into my campaign.”
Dani didn’t so much as blink at the change of topic. “How much do you know?”
“Not much, just that you worked together to stop an epidemic last year.” Dani opened her mouth, but Claire beat her to it. “No, it’s not common knowledge. If it were, every anti-shifter group in the world would be developing their own shifter-specific viruses. I, on the other hand, have a number of shifter contacts in the city. I heard it from one of them.”
The shifter female looked like she wanted to ask more, but merely nodded. “Rather than press for details, I’ll hold up my end of the bargain.”
Claire had a feeling Dani would know the names of all Claire’s contacts in the city within a matter of days.
The shifter kept her word, though, and went into the details and history of the alliance. As Dani spoke, Claire was able to forget the shifter’s earlier comments about Aidan. She may be stuck on DarkStalker’s land for the next month, but she had plenty of work to keep her busy. She wouldn’t think of Aidan, let alone how he must be hurting from the loss of his mate. From what little she knew about the cougar anyway, he wouldn’t want pity or sympathy. Claire had no intention of treating him any differently the next time she saw him.
Well, except for avoiding his touch or kisses. Those she would force herself to do without.
Chapter Six
As Aidan headed back toward Claire’s quarters, it took everything he had to keep his expression neutral. The meeting with Kian hadn’t gone as he’d liked.
Kian was determined to have Aidan as the human’s guard. What bothered Aidan was his clan leader not telling him the specifics of why. His only answer had been, “You need a change.”
I don’t need a fucking change. He was good at his job. Apparently, he was being punished for working hard.
Questioning his leader’s orders was unusual for him, but none of his other assignments had involved being in
Claire ignored Dani’s statement. “Now, you promised me some answers and I want them. How does everyone know so much about me?”
Dani studied her a second before replying, “I won’t give out names, but through our DS Engineering business in Seattle, we have access to a lot of talented humans. Not everyone believes the same as Human Purity or other extremist groups, and they help us out every once in a while.”
Human Purity wanted all shifters eradicated, or just about. “If you have all of these talented people, then why didn’t you reach out to SEA earlier?”
“The SEA was doing well enough on their own. No matter how much it may grate against my nerves, humans fighting for us does more good than shifters standing up for ourselves.”
Some of Claire’s earlier anger eased. “I know, but you see, that’s why my work is so important. I want shifters to be on equal footing and not second-class citizens.”
Dani patted the couch beside her. “Sit down, Claire. I’ll answer a few more questions, but first, I want to know what kind of shifter your aunt is mated to.”
Claire hadn’t been able to talk about her aunt in over a decade. The urge to remain quiet was strong, but given how much DarkStalker needed her help, she could probably share general details without getting into trouble. Besides, thinking of her Aunt Gwen, sadness squeezed her heart. Claire missed her.
Sitting down, Claire met Dani’s eyes again. “He’s a bear, although I’ve never met him.”
“Interesting. The bears around here are mostly lawyers and keep to themselves. I’ve wondered what they’re like.”
Claire tucked that piece of information away for later. Maybe she could convince Kian to invite the bears to a meeting. “I don’t know, really. I haven’t met any of them, either.” Claire settled into a more comfortable position. “Now, tell me what you can of the DarkStalker and GreyFire alliance. The more information I have, the more I can implement the alliance into my campaign.”
Dani didn’t so much as blink at the change of topic. “How much do you know?”
“Not much, just that you worked together to stop an epidemic last year.” Dani opened her mouth, but Claire beat her to it. “No, it’s not common knowledge. If it were, every anti-shifter group in the world would be developing their own shifter-specific viruses. I, on the other hand, have a number of shifter contacts in the city. I heard it from one of them.”
The shifter female looked like she wanted to ask more, but merely nodded. “Rather than press for details, I’ll hold up my end of the bargain.”
Claire had a feeling Dani would know the names of all Claire’s contacts in the city within a matter of days.
The shifter kept her word, though, and went into the details and history of the alliance. As Dani spoke, Claire was able to forget the shifter’s earlier comments about Aidan. She may be stuck on DarkStalker’s land for the next month, but she had plenty of work to keep her busy. She wouldn’t think of Aidan, let alone how he must be hurting from the loss of his mate. From what little she knew about the cougar anyway, he wouldn’t want pity or sympathy. Claire had no intention of treating him any differently the next time she saw him.
Well, except for avoiding his touch or kisses. Those she would force herself to do without.
Chapter Six
As Aidan headed back toward Claire’s quarters, it took everything he had to keep his expression neutral. The meeting with Kian hadn’t gone as he’d liked.
Kian was determined to have Aidan as the human’s guard. What bothered Aidan was his clan leader not telling him the specifics of why. His only answer had been, “You need a change.”
I don’t need a fucking change. He was good at his job. Apparently, he was being punished for working hard.
Questioning his leader’s orders was unusual for him, but none of his other assignments had involved being in
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