CHAPTERONE
RUX
Rux Cohen tapped against the sleek wood of his desk as his big voice boomed through the office building. He was working late again, as usual, watching the sun sink below the horizon in his high-rise suite.
He was standing while he argued with one of his business opponents, loosening his tie to keep his neck from straining inside the confining shirt. He wished he could just shift into panther mode and fight the man the way his natural body longed for.
But he hadn’t created the company based on violence. He was a firm, but smart, businessman with the desire to be seen as more than just some male who could shift into an animal.
Shifters had a reputation for being quick to be rough, and Rux didn’t want to appear that way in anyone’s eyes.
It wasn’t completely untrue, though. When he was in his human form, he felt like he was wearing a flesh suit. It wasn’t natural to him, but no one was going to do business with a thick panther snarling at you.
Some of his business partners were shifters, while many were just humans. He knew of the wild stereotypes about his people, but he tried not to let that influence his decisions.
The week had been long, and it was weighing on him. Though he loved the business, he knew when it was time to tap out and simply let one battle go.
Rux gave into the argument as his skull split with a headache. He finished off the conversation, pressed the end button, and sat down to rub his temples.
His assistant buzzed in, startling him briefly.
“What?” he asked brashly.
“Urgent call from Nyssa,” said James, his assistant, with indifference.
“What does she want?” he asked.
“I was informed to tell you that it is urgent,” James said.
“Oh, lord,” Rux sighed. “Fine, connect her.”
James connected Nyssa, who was already in the middle of a sentence when Rux picked up.
“Are you out of your mind?” she yelled into the phone.
“Jesus,” he said. “Only sometimes.”
“Rux,” Nyssa said, “have you completely forgotten about our dinner plans?”
Rux looked at his day planner sitting open. He had written his sister’s name in bold letters and even circled it with a red marker.
He sighed. Work often seeped into his social life, or what little social life he had. The thought of meeting his sister for dinner had completely evaporated out of his brain.
“Nyssa, I’m sorry,” Rux said. “Can I get a rain check?”
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Nyssa declared. “You don’t get to blow me off again, brother. Get your ass over here, NOW!”
Nyssa hung up, and Rux let out another heaving sigh. He felt guilty, letting down one of the few people on Earth who had always been there for him.
He looked at his watch and figured he’d have enough time to clean up quickly in the bathroom and make his way to the restaurant.
He did just that, applying some cologne, retying his tie, and slicking back his medium-length, raven-black hair. He looked at himself, his green eyes swimming with boredom already.
“Do it for her,” he said to himself.
Rux’s driver took him to the restaurant, where he walked to the table where his sister was sitting. She was tall with thick muscles, showing off their genetically dominant jet-black hair. When he spotted her, he shot her a small smile, then realized there was someone sitting opposite his sibling.
There sat a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman wearing a sleek, velvety, blue dress. Rux burst with realization as to why his sister had been so adamant about him coming to the dinner.