The Reluctant King (Kinkaid Shifters #7)

Chapter 1

“Well, don’t you look fancy?” Gavin tossed a paperclip at Sam as he walked into Gavin’s office. Sam caught it in one hand, his reflexes as sharp as ever, even if he was trussed up like a penguin in a bespoke tuxedo.

“All part of the billionaire-playboy persona,” Sam griped, sinking into one of the guest chairs in front of Gavin’s desk.

“Better you than me, Alpha,” Gavin said, chuckling as he leaned back in his office chair. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, first, tell me why you’re working so late when you have a beautiful mate waiting for you at home? Am I working you too hard? Do you need another assistant?” Sam asked, truly concerned.

“While another assistant might be necessary if you keep growing the business at the rate you’re going, I’m good for now.

The reason I’ve stayed late tonight is that I figured I’d get a bit of work done while Marigold is meeting with Granny Tucker and Claudia to talk about her magical education to date.

I wanted to sit in, but the ladies insisted they had girl talk to conduct and that I was surplus to requirements, as our cousins in the UK would say.

” Gavin punctuated his words by tossing the folder he’d been holding on his desk.

“Speaking of which, have you heard from Deidre and Miguel lately? All going well with the new operation on the North Sea?” Sam asked.

“From a security standpoint, it’s all good.

Deidre’s family has been running boats for generations, and they’ve got a good handle on the expansion into oil platform service.

You’ll have to talk to someone on the business end to see if they’re turning a profit yet, but my feeling is that it’s going well,” Gavin replied.

As security chief for Kinkaid Industries, Gavin knew just about everything and everyone, but Sam also knew that Gavin was becoming more focused on just the security aspects of their various locations.

Sam’s expansion of the Kinkaid empire meant Gavin had less time to spend on each new acquisition or expansion.

Sam made a mental note to get Gavin more help whether he requested it or not.

He was too exceptional a leader for the entire Clan and their businesses to have him bogged down with trivial paperwork when he could be focusing on big picture stuff.

Sam had plans for Gavin that the younger man didn’t know about yet.

Now that Gavin had found his mate and settled down, Sam wanted to give him more responsibilities within both the company and the Clan, but he needed to build a solid team under his command that he could rely on.

Sam knew that Gavin already had the basic building blocks with his assistants, both at work and in the Clan, but he needed more people.

He needed a bigger team before Sam could give him more to look after.

They had time yet, but Sam wanted to make sure Gavin built that team soon.

He’d hand-pick a few people that he thought had potential and would complement Gavin’s style of working.

He’d give them a few months to work out the kinks and get to know each other better.

Then, if all worked out as he hoped, Sam would be able to pass on more responsibility to Gavin.

In the meantime, he had plans to enact to bring justice to the arms dealer, Abdul Kettering. Which was why he was dressed in his penguin suit.

“Where were you tonight that required the tux?” Gavin asked.

“A fundraiser for one of the big international relief agencies. I thought it would be a good place to get me back on the old radar for big bashes of international caliber,” Sam admitted.

“I thought you hated those things,” Gavin observed.

“I do. Which is why I stopped going to all but the most essential years ago. I still get the occasional invitation, but the really exclusive places stopped sending them when I kept declining. I need to get back on those lists so I can get into the places where Kettering might show up.” Sam knew some of his frustrations were coming through in the low growl he couldn’t quite control.

“I didn’t realize it would be so difficult for you to get invited,” Gavin said, his eyebrows rising in surprise. “I thought being a billionaire meant you never really needed an invitation to go anywhere you wanted.”

“It’s not that simple,” Sam groused, yanking his loose bowtie from around his neck and folding it before placing it in his pocket. “And you know I might be the name on the letterhead, but I’m really just the custodian of the Clan’s resources. The money isn’t really mine.”

“The world doesn’t know that. And the Clan knows that it wouldn’t have half the resources we now have if it wasn’t for you and your business acumen.

You created this empire, Alpha, and we all know it and are grateful you’re such a sharing kind of leader.

” Gavin grinned, and his gaze held all sorts of approval and affection for his Alpha.

It was tough to look at. Sam wasn’t the kind of man who needed his people to bow and scrape to him. On the contrary, he was happiest when he was treated as just another member of the family. He supposed losing his parents so young had caused that quirk of his personality.

There was no question he was Alpha, but he was…

humble, for lack of a better word. Sam liked to think it was because he and his beast were content and secure in the knowledge of their power and position within the hierarchy.

Right there at the top. That’s where he liked to be.

He liked making decisions and protecting the Clan in every way.

But he didn’t really enjoy the praise that often accompanied his position. He’d much rather operate quietly, seeing to the health and well-being of everyone in his domain. He’d rather be the white-furred ghost that quietly took care of everything without a lot of fanfare.

Even though that white fur had marked him as different from the first time he’d ever shifted into his lion form.

It had set him apart from everyone else and earmarked him for the role he now held.

And surprisingly, it had thrust him onto the international stage well before he was ready for such things. He’d stepped up. Reluctantly.

“Anything I should know about?” Sam asked, redirecting the conversation.

“Nothing new since my report this morning. I’m still waiting on the report from my contact in Brussels. At this point, it’ll probably be tomorrow before I hear from her. I’ll let you know if there’s anything interesting in her report,” Gavin promised.

“Do that. Now, isn’t it about time you headed home? Surely, the ladies are done with their girl talk by now?” Sam asked as he stood.

“I don’t know,” Gavin said, skepticism in his tone. “When those magical women get together, they can talk.”

Sam chuckled and fished his phone out of his pocket. He scrolled through his messages and saw one from Claudia.

“Looks like Claudia left your place about fifteen minutes ago,” Sam told the other man.

“You have her checking in with you?” Gavin’s eyebrows rose again in speculation.

“Not on purpose, but she texted to remind me about a meeting we have in the morning. She said she’s showing Granny Tucker to the guest house on my property in the development, and they’ll both be staying there for the night, since it’s really too late for Granny to be driving back to her place at this hour. ”

“Claudia’s still living in your guest house?” Gavin asked, though he had to already know the answer. He wouldn’t be much of a security chief if he didn’t.

Sam nodded anyway. “I’m hardly ever at the house, as you know.

I usually end up staying at the condo in town.

I told Claudia she could use the house, but she insists on staying in the guest house.

I won’t argue with the woman. It doesn’t really matter to me where she stays as long as she’s a guest of the Clan.

She’s proven herself trustworthy in all our past dealings, so she has my trust and the run of the place, as far as I’m concerned. ”

“That’s a lot of trust to give a mage you only just met a short while ago,” Gavin observed.

“You of all people should recognize what she’s done to help not just your mate but the entire Clan. I trust her.”

Sam heard the finality in his own voice and had to admit Gavin probably had a point.

It was his job, after all, to be cautious about every aspect of securing the Clan.

Usually, Sam was a lot more guarded about accepting strangers into his confidence, but there was just something about Claudia that made his lion believe in her almost immediately.

He didn’t know why that was and didn’t examine it too closely. He just knew it was so.

Weird.

Claudia fluffed the pillows on the guest bed one more time, even though they didn’t need it.

Nervous energy, that’s all it was. She’d been living in Sam Kinkaid’s guest house for weeks now, but having Granny Tucker stay overnight made her acutely aware of just how much space she was taking up in the Alpha’s domain.

“Stop fussing, child,” Granny Tucker said from the doorway, her keen eyes missing nothing. “The room is perfectly fine. More than fine, actually. That lion of yours has excellent taste.”

Heat flooded Claudia’s cheeks. “He’s not my lion.”

“Mm-hmm.” Granny’s tone was pure disbelief wrapped in amusement. She shuffled into the room, settling her overnight bag on the chair by the window. “These old bones are grateful not to be driving back tonight. That’s a long stretch of dark road between here and my place.”

“I’m glad you’re staying.” Claudia meant it. Having Granny here made the guest house feel less like an imposition and more like a proper home, at least for tonight. “Let me make us some tea. I picked up that blend you like from that small apothecary in town.”

Granny’s face lit up. “The one with elderflower?”

“And chamomile, and just a hint of lavender.” Claudia smiled, pleased she’d remembered correctly.

A few minutes later, they were settled in the cozy living area of the guest house, each with a steaming mug.

Claudia had chosen this space when Sam—Alpha Kinkaid, she corrected herself mentally—had offered her the run of his property.

The guest house was far enough from the main residence to give her privacy, but close enough that she could walk to the main house in under five minutes if needed.

Not that she’d ever go into the main house on her own.

Sam was rarely there, and she wasn’t about to go poking around his home.

“So,” Granny said, blowing on her tea. “I was pleased to see that Marigold is coming along nicely with her studies.”

“She’s a natural,” Claudia agreed. “Her power is wild and untrained, but she has good instincts. Gavin’s mate will be formidable once she has better control.”

“Gavin is good for her. He steadies her.” Granny took a sip, her eyes twinkling over the rim of her mug. “It’s nice when a powerful woman finds a good man who isn’t intimidated by her gifts.”

Claudia shifted uncomfortably. She knew where this was going.

“You know,” Granny continued, her voice taking on that deceptively casual tone that meant she was about to meddle, “Sam Kinkaid is a good man too. He’s wealthy, and Alpha of his Clan. Heavens! He’s shifter royalty. Handsome as sin too, from what these old eyes can still see. And he’s unattached.”

“Granny—”

“Don’t Granny me.” The old woman’s eyes sharpened. “I’ve been watching you moon over that boy.”

“I do not moon over anyone,” Claudia protested, but her voice came out weaker than she’d intended. “And he’s hardly a boy. He’s older than me.”

“By what, a few years? At most a decade.” Granny waved a dismissive hand. “Shifters age slowly. He’s in his prime, and so are you. More importantly, he looks at you like he wants to eat you up.”

Claudia’s heart skipped. “He does not.”

“He does too. You’re just too busy looking away to notice.

” Granny leaned forward, her expression growing serious.

“Listen to me, child. You’re powerful. More powerful than you give yourself credit for.

But power isn’t everything. Sometimes, the strongest magic is the connection between two people. ”

“Granny, I’m his consultant. That’s all. He may be beginning to trust me to help protect his Clan, and I won’t abuse that by…” She trailed off, unsure how to finish the sentence.

“By what? By being honest about your feelings? By taking a chance?” Granny shook her head. “That’s not abuse, sweetness. That’s being human. Or in his case, lion, but you take my meaning.”

Claudia stared down into her tea, watching the herbs swirl in the amber liquid. “He’s the Alpha. The only white lion shifter on Earth. He has responsibilities I can’t even begin to understand. The last thing he needs is an apprentice mage trailing after him, hoping for his attention.”

“Or maybe, the last thing he needs is to be alone.”

The words hung in the air between them. Claudia thought about Sam in that ridiculously gorgeous tuxedo she’d glimpsed him in earlier when he’d stopped by to check on things.

He’d looked uncomfortable, despite being born to wealth and power.

There was something lonely about him, something isolated, even when he was at home, in a community where he was surrounded by his Clan.

But that didn’t mean he wanted her attention. She was useful to him, yes. Trustworthy, apparently, given that he’d given her free rein of his property. But that was professional respect, not personal interest.

Wasn’t it?

“I see those wheels turning,” Granny said with satisfaction. “Good. Think about it. That’s all I ask.”

“There’s nothing to think about,” Claudia insisted, but even she could hear the lie in her voice.

Granny just smiled and finished her tea. “We should get some sleep. Morning comes early, even for old women and young mages in denial.”

After Granny had retired to the guest bedroom, Claudia stood at the window of the living area, looking out toward the main house. A single light burned in an upstairs window. Was Sam home, or was that just a security light?

She pressed her palm against the cool glass, feeling the faint hum of the protective wards she’d woven around the property. They responded to her touch, recognizing her magic, welcoming her. This place had started to feel like home in a way she hadn’t expected.

And Sam… Sam Kinkaid, Alpha lion shifter, reluctant king of all lion shifters, reclusive billionaire… He was the last complication she needed in her life.

So why did she get butterflies in her stomach every time she was in his presence?

Claudia sighed and turned away from the window. Granny Tucker was a meddling old woman who saw romance everywhere she looked. That was all this was. Just an old woman’s fancy.

She repeated that to herself as she got ready for bed, and by the time she dozed off, she almost believed it.