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“Hmm. Why are you living with a wolf pack? Don’t you have family?”

“Yep.” Lucian divided the checker pieces. “We get along fine and keep in touch. I just wanted to live my own life. It’s not the Chitah way, but that city wasn’t for me anymore.”

“I hear ya. Sometimes destiny calls us away from home.” With frail fingers, Afram placed his red checkers on the board.

“My nephew’s the beta.”

“You don’t say?”

Lucian made the first move. “Eden said you left Africa to escape slavery.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Humans?”

He made his move. “Mages were hunting us. Don’t know why nobody ever liked Shifters.

They slaughtered my tribe. Some of us escaped, but we split up when they began tracking us.

I walked north for weeks before reaching the Mediterranean Sea.

After that, I traveled from coast to coast in search of freedom, but Shifters were oppressed in so many places.

I helped end the enslavement in Greece.”

“Really?” Lucian took his turn.

“This was long before they discovered America. I’ve seen a lot of bad things in my life,” he continued, jumping one of Lucian’s pieces.

“I fought so Eden wouldn’t have to, but it seems like she’s fighting her own battles.

I just wanted her to have an easy life. That’s what every parent wants for their children. ”

“I’m not rich,” Lucian admitted as they continued playing. “That’s what you wanted for your daughter.”

Her father jumped another one of Lucian’s checkers and captured it.

“I only want a man who will treat her like the queen she is. If Eden chose you, that means she sees a future with you that’s better than what anyone else could give her.

You’re not only a security wizard, but you’re the Shoe Bandit. ”

Both men laughed, and for the first time, Lucian felt like he might win this man’s approval after all.

Sitting inside Henry’s sedan, I searched the glove compartment but only found the owner’s manual, a few rags, and a bottle of cologne.

“Eden, you still there?” Connor asked through the speaker phone.

“I’m here.”

“I called Hiroki just now and brought him up to speed. He’s ringing the Mageri to get what information he can.”

“Are the cleaners on their way?”

“Aye, but they’ll be there in the morning. Might want to cover the body so the coyotes don’t get at him.”

I shut the glove box. “He runs a company, Connor. We need to figure out who to call since his employees will be impacted. I don’t know if someone should take his place or if it means his distribution will shut down. That’ll affect a lot of buyers.”

“I’ll handle that meself. Don’t you worry about it, darlin’. Are you sure you don’t need me there?”

“Everything’s fine.”

“Everything’s far from fine. You’ve got a corpse on your land.”

Mentally drained, I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed.

“I can’t believe this happened. How could he be so stupid?

He had too much to lose with his business and reputation.

This is something you expect from a person with no real prospects.

People would’ve forgotten about the challenge, and the only witnesses were a few drunks in Storybook.

He operates all over the place, so this was the last thing I expected. ”

“Hold on. Hiroki’s sending me a message. I can never figure these confounded phones out.”

Connor accidentally ended the call while trying to figure out how to access his text messages. I set my phone down and lifted up the center console.

“Mints, gum, more cologne—because obviously one bottle in the car isn’t enough,” I muttered. “What do we have here?”

Beneath a microfiber rag, I found a black box that rattled when I picked it up. The sensor alarm on the door was driving me crazy, so I shut the door and turned on the interior lights. After lifting the box lid, I pulled out a top set of teeth with long fangs. “Well, well. What do we have here?”

The phone rang, and I answered.

“Sorry about that,” Connor said. “Hiroki sent me a message. The Mageri looked in Hightower’s records and said he was a Stealer.”

“I thought they’d put up a fight about disclosing information.”

“Well, when you’re dead, you’re dead. There’s hardly anyone’s secret to protect, so it doesn’t matter. I would’ve called meself, but Hiroki has a better relationship with them. Don’t worry about coming in to work. I know it’s your big day moving, and I’m still packing the moving truck.”

I was still reeling over the news. “A Stealer. When Milly looked at Marcus Seaborn’s body, she suggested it could’ve been a Stealer.

It was a hypothesis. He had signs of strangulation, and no Chitah—or anyone else for that matter—would be able to strangle a Mage to death.

There were burn marks on his chest and no venom in his blood.

” I paused for a dramatic beat. “Guess what I just found in his car?”

“A confession?”

“Even better. Chitah teeth. Only the top part. I bet these would’ve fit the impressions on the body.”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Connor said. “We don’t need to pin a murder on him—not after what he did tonight.”

“Yes, we do. I want this to go on his record. I want everyone to know what kind of man Henry Hightower was. He killed Marcus and pinned it on Lucian since he considered him competition. I want to clear Lucian’s name.”

“Is that why you and Henry were suddenly betrothed?”

“I had no evidence against him at the time, but he twisted my arm with his veiled threats. I bet if you talked to that kid Rowdy, you’d find out who really beat him up that night. All that poor baby did was bump into me. He doesn’t have to worry about slander or fearing for his life anymore.”

“Sounds like this wasn’t Henry’s first introduction to violence. Good riddance… the bastard.”

I switched off the interior light. “Looks like no sleep for me tonight. I’ll write up a report and collect the evidence for our records in case his Creator disputes anything.”

“Good thinking.”

“Keep your schedule open, Connor. Don’t forget you’re the one officiating our mating ceremony.”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry about that, lass. I’ve been looking forward to it. Expect the cleaners in the morning. If I hear anything new, I’ll ring you.”

“Thanks.”

“Bye now.”

After exiting the car, I went back inside and heard laughter. As I entered the living room, I caught sight of Lucian and my father playing checkers in the back. “What are you two talking about?”

Lucian gave me a sexy grin over his shoulder. “Shoes.”

My father cackled.

“Is that so?” I reached the table and held out my hand. “Look what I found in his car.”

Lucian’s brows gathered when he picked up the false teeth.

I gestured to them. “I bet if that body was still around, these teeth would fit it perfectly.”

“Maybe. It depends on the condition of the body. By now it would be decomposing and dehydrated. Enough that it might affect how the teeth line up. It’s possible his DNA’s stuck between the teeth in places you can’t wash.

” Lucian set them on the table. “Makes total sense. Only a psychopath carries teeth in his car.”

My father finished his move and sat back. “So that was Henry—the one you thought I’d be thrilled about you mating?”

“The one and only.”

“Humph. A man like that only cares about himself. The only thing he knew how to do right was tie a knot.”

“The cleaners are coming in the morning. That’s going to push back the move to the afternoon. Is that okay?”

He shrugged.

Lucian collected two checkers. “I can take Afram to the house while you deal with the cleaners. Or the other way around.”

“But you’d have to drive all the way over here, and it’s already late.”

He shook his head and smiled. “I’m staying here tonight, female.”

“We only have one bed, and you’re not joining us. Three’s a crowd.”

“That’s right,” my dad tacked on.

Lucian studied the board. “Not a problem. I’m an insomniac, so I’ll sit up and read while you two get some shut-eye. After breakfast, I’ll drive him to the house and get him settled while you handle the investigation. When they finish up, I’ll come back and we’ll clean the house.”

Still shaken by tonight’s events, I stood behind Lucian and massaged his stiff shoulders.

He leaned back and looked up at me.

I gave him a quick upside-down kiss while squeezing the tips of his damp hair. “Are you okay? I can get some ice.”

“Don’t bother.”

His knuckles were bruised, but he continued playing checkers with my dad as if nothing was wrong.

More than that, the way my father looked at him and chatted filled my heart with unspeakable joy. For the first time, I felt like everything was going to be all right.