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  Cambria locked the door behind her and stripped off her clothes. She’d finished her chores for the day and she had some free time before dinner. She was going to clean up and take a nap while she could. Once she felt clean and refreshed, things wouldn’t seem as bad as they did now. It was all a matter of perspective.

  The spray from the shower was pitiful at best, but she didn’t really have room to complain. She’d lived on the compound since Laskin had rescued her at thirteen without paying for anything, including food and clothing. She’d take the mist-like spray coming out of the tiny showerhead over living with her parents and being beaten any day.

  She stepped into the water, sucking in her breath when the ice cold water hit her. Grabbing a bar of homemade soap, she started lathering her olive skin, letting the fragrant peppermint foam slide leisurely down her skin while she worked. Her skin tingled wherever the soap touched, one of her favorite sensations.

  When she felt squeaky-clean, she reached for the bottle of shampoo and poured some in her hand before working it into her chocolate curls. Her shampoo and conditioner were the only things she owned that weren’t made on the compound. The one and only time she’d washed her bouncy curls in the homemade shampoo she’d been given it had been a disaster. Uncle Laskin had taken one look at the rat’s nest atop her head and wiped the tears from her eyes before leaving to buy her proper shampoo and conditioner for her hair type.

  It was the one luxury she was afforded, and Laskin always seemed to know when to replenish her supply without asking. That one small gesture had meant so much, and was more kindness than her parents had ever showed her.

  Cambria couldn’t place the scent, but the shampoo was wonderfully fragrant as the high-end ones tended to be.

  She rinsed her hair and worked in the conditioner, and the goosebumps on her arms and legs faded. She was accustomed to the cold temperature now, and the spray felt almost warm by contrast, even though nothing had actually changed.

  Cambria waited a minute before rinsing her hair and stepping out of the shower. She dried herself with a threadbare towel after carefully squeezing most of the water from her hair. Brushing her teeth, she regarded herself in the small mirror over the sink. Her startling hazel eyes stared back at her as she lost herself in thought.

  Memories of her childhood flashed before her, the night she ran away, the tiger in the woods. When she woke up to find that Laskin had saved her, she would have done anything to repay him. Instead, he’d welcomed her with open arms, even turning away her offer of the money she’d stolen from her parents when she tried to pay him for her keep after living on the compound for over a year.

  Laskin was the best thing that had ever happened to her in her short life, and she would never be able to repay him.

  A soft knock at the door pulled her from her musings. She padded, barefoot, to the door and leaned against the doorframe to speak through the gap around the door.

  “Yes?”

  “Cammy, it’s Tom. Are you decent?”

  Her body flushed and she started to stammer before she even spoke. She stopped and collected herself and tried again.

  “I can be in a moment, do you need me?”

  “I do.”

  He didn’t elaborate, and Cambria was left wondering what he could possibly want from her. She hurried to her closet, pulling her nicest camo pants and black shirt from their hangers and slipping them on quickly. She tossed the ragged towel into the bathroom and ran her fingers through her curls, trying to tame the wild mass of hair as best as she could.

  She didn’t bother with panties or a bra, and when she opened the door, she immediately regretted it.

  Tom’s eyes raked over her slender body, taking in the way the fabric clung to her curves and arching his eyebrow slightly when his gaze fell on her chest. With great effort, he pulled his gaze to her eyes so he could speak to her directly.

  “Your help is needed in the kitchen today.”

  “I was on rotation last week.”

  “I know, but Gary took a few of the young recruits out for extra training and we don’t have enough people in the kitchen to feed everyone.”

  Cambria sighed. She didn’t want to believe that Gary had done it on purpose, but Cambria knew better. He was upset that she’d rejected him, again. She’d been rejecting him since the day she’d turned eighteen, yet he persisted. Taking the other recruits and treating them to extra training was his way of punishing her for hurting his feelings.

  Tom smiled at her, and Cambria melted. He was different than most of the men. Handsome with light blond hair and perfectly straight teeth, it was no secret that Tom had grown up with rich parents. Where the majority of the other men had dropped out of school by eighth grade and had grown up in poverty, Tom was college-educated and well-mannered.

  He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and letting his hand linger against her cheek. She closed her eyes, trying to control the heat that flooded through her entire body at the simplest touch. Tom was sexy, single, and way out of her league. Cambria felt plain in comparison. With her brown hair, tan skin and hazel eyes, she didn’t think she was much to look at, and she doubted that Tom thought more of her than any other man in the compound. He was simply moving her hair out of her face and she was overreacting.

  At least, that’s what she tried to convince herself.

  “I like cooking with you. I know it’s frustrating, but maybe we can make the best of it.”

  He squeezed her shoulder and beamed at her. She couldn’t say no to him, and she wondered briefly if he knew that. She melted under the heat of his charm, her head nodding yes before she was even aware.

  “Good. I’m going to start cooking in a few minutes after I catch a quick shower. Maybe you can start peeling potatoes until I get there?”

  Coming from anyone else, Cambria would have been annoyed. She smiled at him and nodded again, not trusting herself to speak around him. She had a handle on her speech impediment, but when she got nervous, it came back full-force. More than once, someone had suggested it sounded like an accent, but she was born and raised in Florida. There was no accent to be had.

  As her mother was fond of reminding her, she was simply daft. She hadn’t even been smart enough for school, and they had homeschooled her from an early age. As far back as she could remember, about seven years of age, she had either been in her home or in the woods.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Cambria closed her eyes, trying to hide the flush that creeped up her neck

  She’d been daydreaming again, and Tom had still been standing there.

  “I’m just tired. I’ll get right on those potatoes and I’ll see you soon.”

  She moved passed him, trying to slide between him and the wall without touching him, but she failed. Her breasts slid along his torso and she found herself wishing that she could melt into the wall and disappear forever.

  Practically fleeing down the hall, she headed for the mess cabin and sweet solitude. She would peel one hundred pounds of potatoes if it meant putting distance between herself and Tom before she made a complete and utter fool of herself.

  Too late for that, she thought.

  She’d already made a fool of herself and then some.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Cambria was clearing her dishes when Laskin walked into the hall. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood, greeting him with a reverence that stopped just short of actually saluting the man.

  Laskin nodded and smiled, and the young men returned to their seats. Cambria set her dishes down and ran to greet her uncle, smiling shyly when he hugged her warmly before pulling away from her.

  His face darkened and she knew that Gary had already spoken to him. Tears threatened, and she ducked her head in shame.

  “Don’t worry, my child. You’ll pass another time.” Laskin said, and Cambria felt even worse than she had before. She would have understood if he’d yelled at her, called her stupid like her parents always had. But his pity and u
nderstanding undid her and made her feel that much worse about her shortcomings. Laskin was so patient with her and she failed time and time again.

  “I need to speak with you,” he said in a hushed tone. “Not about your failure, but about something of great importance. Can you finish up here and meet me in my office?”

  Cambria nodded. She returned to the table and cleared her dishes, leaving them in the sink for the after dinner crew to clean up. The compound ran like a well-oiled machine as long as everyone did their part. She left the mess hall through the back door, hoping that no one saw her leave.

  Quite a few of the others were jealous of her relationship, not understanding that Laskin was more like a father to her than a leader. Many of the recruits had joined up in the last year or two, but Cambria had lived here for six years. She had watched with envy as boys just slightly older than her had worked towards the cause, training to fight against the growing shifter population that lived boldly amongst the humans. She had wanted so badly to contribute, but she’d been such a liability then.

  The moon lit the gravel path before her as she hurried to the main house and Laskin’s office. She heard gravel crunching behind her and she turned quickly, ready for a fight.

  Tom held up his hands, “It’s only me. I saw you leave and wanted to make sure that you didn’t walk back alone.”

  It was too dark to see his expression, and Cambria wondered why he was suddenly interested in her safety. She walked around the compound at night all the time and not once had anyone offered to walk her home. Yet suddenly, Tom was so interested in her safety? Why?

  “What do you want?” she asked, preferring directness.

  “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine, thank you. I just want some time alone.” Her voice was harsh and she felt bad. But Laskin had been clear. Their meeting was between Cambria and Laskin, and not for the others to know about it. She suspected that Tom was jealous or just being nosey. She wasn’t sure which.

  “Sorry. I was just trying to be nice.” He closed the distance between them in two easy steps and Cambria braced herself for the blow.

  She closed her eyes, but the pain never came. Instead, Tom placed a soft kiss on her cheek, as gentle as a butterfly landing on a flower. Before she could open her eyes, he’d turned and headed back towards the mess hall without another word.

  Cambria watched him go, wondering what the kiss had meant. Surely, she was reading too much into it.

  She turned back towards the main cabin and walked briskly towards her destination. Laskin wouldn’t be waiting on her yet, but she didn’t want to keep him. Something important was on his mind, and she didn’t want him to regret trusting her.

  Jogging up the steps, she took one last look around before opening the door and heading straight down the hall that led to his office. Only a few of the brotherhood lived in the main house, including herself, Tom and Gary. The rest of them lived on the other side of the mess hall in small two to three room cabins that didn’t have running water and were without bathrooms.

  Cambria didn’t envy those men at all. She couldn’t imagine having to drag herself to the cabin near the mess hall to do something as simple as brush her teeth or use the bathroom in the middle of the night. But the others didn’t seem to mind.

  She walked into the office and sat down, beating Laskin into the house by less than five minutes.

  He strode in, pleased to see that she wasn’t going to keep him wanting on her. He went around the large desk and sat down behind it.

  He was quiet for a moment, and Cambria was starting to feel anxious. She thought she’d been called her to discuss something of great importance to the anti-shifter movement. Maybe she’d misread the situation.

  Laskin smiled, his long, narrow face spreading around the expression, but not really embracing it. His smile never touched his eyes and she always felt like something about him wasn’t quite genuine. The huge, jagged scar that covered most of his face fought against him as his face stretched to accommodate what passed for a smile.

  He’d returned after an extended trip when Cambria was just fourteen, near death and scarred from an almost deadly encounter with an angry shifter. His injuries had caused a great deal of protests locally, and had eventually lead to the state of the area now. The curfews and the strict laws imposed on shifters had been started because of the horrors of the injuries that Laskin had suffered. He had never gone into detail with her about what had happened, but she knew enough to know that shifters weren’t to be trusted. She loved Laskin like family, and any enemy of his was also her enemy.

  Laskin had saved her from a tiger-shifter; a monster that most certainly would have eaten her for dinner if Laskin hadn’t bravely stepped in and saved her that night. The details were fuzzy because she’d passed out from the fear of coming face to face with a tiger of all things, but she knew that he’d saved her life that night and that was all that mattered.

  When Laskin finally spoke, he got right to the point.

  “Cambria, I’m starting to wonder if what we’re doing to combat the shifters is enough. Sure, we’ve shown the world what kind of monsters they really are, revealing the truth of their existence. But I’m wondering if there’s more that we can do to show the world the truth.”

  Cambria nodded to show that she was listening, but she hadn’t yet figured out what he was getting at.

  “I’m sorry I failed the test again today. I was so close. Next time I’ll-”

  He held her hand up to silence her and she stopped, feeling badly for interrupting.

  “There’s nothing wrong with what you’re doing. In fact, it made me realize that we are failing to use certain skills that you already possess to our advantage. Things have begun changing, but the issue is clear. There are still humans who think that the shifters are good and that the fault lies with ignorance and politicians who pander to the unwashed masses. You and I know that this is false, but the average Joe Blow on the street doesn’t know the truth.”

  He stopped, taking a delicate sip of the piping hot tea that he’d carried in with him and weighing his words carefully before he continued.

  “I may need you to infiltrate the shifters. To gain their trust and to put yourself in a position to gather intelligence for a long time.”

  “How long?”

  Laskin shrugged, completely unconcerned. “Could be six months, could be six years. You never know with people what it will take to make them see the truth.”

  Cambria was surprised. This was a big undertaking, one that she was sure Laskin didn’t take lightly. There were so many of the recruits that were probably better suited to the task. She couldn’t figure out why Laskin would choose her.

  “What skills could I possibly have that would help me do this?” She was puzzled.

  “It’s not skills so much as natural talent. You’re a woman, and as such, more easily trusted than a man would be. They’ll be suspicious of men, but you’re young and attractive, and you look completely harmless. No one will ever suspect you of being anything but an enamored young woman in love with a man of a different species.”

  Cambria opened her mouth to protest then closed it. Her first reaction was to say no, but who was she to deny Laskin’s request? He’d fed her, clothed her and cared for her for six years, and this was the only thing he’d ever asked of her. How dare she even consider saying no? It didn’t matter how she felt about it. The only thing that mattered was the greater good. If she would die for the cause, there was no reason that she shouldn’t seduce a shifter for the cause.

  Laskin waited patiently for her to absorb all that he’d said. He was putting a lot on her, and she was so young. When she finally accepted that there really was no other alternative, she smiled weakly. She would do what he asked and she would thank him for the opportunity.

  “I’ll do it. When do I start?”

  “Be patient, little one. I have another plan to put into action first. If that fails, I’ll need
you to jump in and do your part. For now, just keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll call on you when the time is right. Understood?”

  “Of course, Laskin. Thank you for trusting me with this.”

  Laskin smiled and for once, the expression made it all the way to his eyes. He was happy with her, and Cambria felt herself swell with pride.

  “I can do this,” she declared, feeling confident for the first time since she’d failed this morning’s training test

  “Of course you can. I never doubted you.”

  He stood quickly and motioned to the door, dismissing her and closing the door behind her. He listened as her footsteps faded down the hall and the thin door that separated her room from the others closed and locked.

  Gary stepped out of the recess between the back door and the outer hallway. Cambria had been completely unaware of his presence in the room during their conversation.

  Gary smiled, yellow, jagged teeth bared as he spoke.

  “You think she’ll survive the mission?” He asked, barely containing his giddiness.

  “Let’s hope not. It won’t do us any good if our poster child for shifter violence survives their love affair.”

  Gary chuckled under his breath, completely unconcerned for Cambria. She’d sealed her fate when she’d rejected him time and again. If she had proven herself worthy of Gary, he would have argued with Laskin over the mission.

  Instead, Gary had steered their conversation from a vague idea to one that assured that Cambria wouldn’t survive. Or, if she did, she would be scarred for life as Laskin had been with his encounter with a violent shifter. Either way, she was paying for letting Gary down one too many times.

  At least that’s how Gary saw it.

  The two men left via the outer door; Laskin left to return to his home in the city and Gary left to check on the young recruits in the mess hall. Left to their own devices, they often dissolved into petty arguments and sometimes full-blown fights. He needed to make sure that the men saved that energy for the real fight. The time was drawing near and he needed them to be ready.