Fur and Honor (Steel Bonds)
Chapter 1
The Lunar Queen loomed above the docks, the transoceanic vessel as distracting a presence as the telegram tucked in Hal’s pocket.
Would it be considered stowing away when, technically, he owned the ship? A certain balcony high above beckoned. The family suite remained vacant for the ship’s departure, tempting Hal to ignore his mother’s orders and race to his father’s side.
A stroke.
Werewolves didn’t have strokes.
But something had caused Hal’s father to collapse, and his doctors had determined a stroke. His mother’s message carrying the news also assured Hal his father was already on the mend, anxious to get back to his routine and experiencing no long-term effects. She had directed Hal to remain in New Angouleme and continue business as usual.
Business. Responsibility. The weight he carried as the highest-ranking member of the family on this side of the ocean. He understood his mother’s reasoning. The shareholders were already shaken, and the last thing they needed was to learn Hal had dashed home. Stability was key. Their people—and the economy—had already undergone so much upheaval these past few years.
“Lord Delacour, the captain is ready for the hand-off.”
Hal turned his back on the Lunar Queen and managed a grin for the foreman on duty. “Thank you, Mr. Shaunessy. Lead the way.”
The Lunar Queen , along with her two sister vessels, were the jewels of Delacour Shipping, transporting guests and goods across the Atlantika with both the greatest luxury and highest security. Hal did not often visit the docks in person for an arrival, but certain clients and items required a more personal touch. He followed in Shaunessy’s wake through the bustle of activity, returning the respectful nods from those workers who recognized him but not offended in the least that most paid him no heed. The complicated logistics of turning around a ship this size in less than twenty-four hours meant Hal preferred his staff keep their attention on their work.
As should he. “Did Captain Juneau report any problems?”
“No, sir.” They skirted a pallet piled with crates, then paused to wait for a train of laden luggage carts to pass. “The delivery from Master Connor in Londinium went smoothly, and the captain kept the package in her personal safe as instructed. She is eager to transfer it to you, though.”
Hal chuckled. “I bet she is.” He did not take lightly the trust his business had been granted in ensuring the safekeeping of a rare magical artifact on this phase of its long journey. He stepped forward as the final luggage cart trundled by, mentally reviewing the security arrangements in place for the three days the item would be in his care before Archer arrived from Limani to retrieve it. Hal couldn’t decide which he was more excited about, though, seeing his old friend or passing over the heavy responsibility—
“Watch out!”
A body slammed into Hal, knocking him to the side even before his preternatural reflexes reacted to the shout. He sprawled to the pavement, catching himself on his palms and flinching half from the grit biting into his skin and half at the crunch of metal behind him.
And the unmistakable crack of bone; even in human form, the sound was sharp to his sensitive ears.
Adrenaline spurred him into high speed, launching him to his feet and spinning him toward the accident. Hal took in the scene at a glance, no stranger to workplace accidents even though he’d fought hard to implement improved safety protocols. He shrugged off the two dock workers belatedly attempting to fuss over the boss and shouldered his way between more until he could kneel beside the fretting foreman. Shaunessy gripped one hand of the man pinned under multiple crates that had fallen from the pallet, alternately shouting for Medical and chewing out the driver of the second luggage train, who seemed to have clipped the pallet in too tight a turn.
Investigating the incident could wait. Hal pressed two fingers to the fallen man’s neck, unable to hear a heartbeat through Shaunessy’s shouts and the growing ruckus that surrounded them. A reassuring pulse fluttered under his touch. Alive, thankfully. He’d much rather pay medical fees than call a family with terrible news. Especially when, had this man not knocked him out of the way, Hal could have walked off any injuries within the hour. He straightened and began to strip off his jacket.
Shaunessy grabbed his arm. “What are you doing, sir?”
“I’m about to start tossing crates.” Hal couldn’t heal the man, but he could use his strength to speed his rescue. When he glanced down again, the man’s eyes had opened.
The foreman’s response faded along with the rest of the world as Hal drowned in the pools of icy gray that stared up at him, glassy with pain and fear. His heart pounded in his chest, the beat matching the pulse he once again felt through the hand he’d curled around the man’s neck unbidden. Together, the beats overwrote everything else as they roared—
Mine.
Mine.
MINE.
“Hal!”
He jerked away from the injured man, the connection broken as Shaunessy shook his shoulder once again. “What?” he snarled.
The foreman didn’t blink. “Medical needs access, and you need to meet Captain Juneau. Now. ”
Fuck. The artifact. The captain couldn’t move forward with her duties until after the transfer, and every moment Hal made her wait threw off the carefully orchestrated turn-around schedule. Removing his hand from the injured man’s neck required conscious effort, and Hal wasn’t sure he’d have managed if his eyes hadn’t fluttered closed once again. “Make sure he’s taken care of, Mr. Shaunessy.”
“Yes, sir.” The foreman had no reason to question the order, which Hal would have given for any employee in the same circumstances.
Hal rose to his feet and moved out of the way, allowing the emergency management team on shift to converge on the site. They knew their jobs, and Hal would leave them to it.
He had his own job to do. His inner wolf keened as he strode away, but he ignored the impulse to race back to the man’s side. He hadn’t been able to help his aunt or sister when they died. He was unable to help his father now. The bloody beast clearly just wanted Hal to help someone . But that man was human, not one of his.
No one would be his.