
Contents
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Copyright © 2008 by Terry Spear
Cover and internal design © 2008 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover photo © Corbis
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems---except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews---without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, Illinois 60567-4410
(630) 961-3900
Fax: (630) 961-2168
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Spear, Terry.
Heart of the wolf / Terry Spear.
p. cm.
I. Title.
PS3619.P373H43 2008
813'.6--dc22
2007048865
Printed and bound in CanadaWC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
To my mother, daughter, and son with all my love for their support in my writing endeavors.
Acknowledgments
To Deb Werksman, who believed in the world I created and gave me the chance to share my story. And to my critique partners who have been there every step of the way. Thanks Rebel Romance Writers, Vonda, Judy, Pam, Randy, Tammy, Carol, Betty, and Darcy!
Colorado
AS SOON AS HE STRIPPED NAKED, HE'D BE HERS.
Unbraiding her hair, Bella's blood heated with desire while she observed the dark-haired boy. He looked about eighteen, two years older than she. He yanked off one boot, then another, at the lake's edge. It wasn't the first time she'd watched him peel out of his clothes, but it was the first time she'd join him. If he had a taste of her, wouldn't he crave her? Hunger to be like her? Wild and free?
She swallowed hard, longing to be Devlyn's mate---rather than some human's---but it would never be. Lifting her chin, she resolved to make the human hers. She untied her ankle-high boots, then slipped them off her feet.
The human boy's pet gray wolf rested at the shoreline, his ears perked up as he watched her. But the boy didn't see her---he was unobservant, as most humans were.
However, a boy who cared for his wolf such as he did would care for her, too, wouldn't he? He'd studied her when she swam here before, naked, splashing lazily across the water's surface, attempting to draw him to her. Though he'd tried to conceal himself in the woods, she'd seen him. And heard him with her sensitive hearing when he stepped on dried oak leaves and pine needles to draw closer, to see her more clearly. She'd smelled his heady man-scent on the breeze. He'd desired her then, setting her belly afire; he'd desire her now.
Tilting her nose up, she breathed in his masculinity. Masculine but not as wild as her own kind---lupus garou. A human who treated a woman with kindness, that's what she desired.
She tugged her pale blue dress over her head, struggling to shed her clothes as quickly as she could now. Wanting to get her plan into motion, before she changed her mind, or one of the pack tried to change it for her.
Adopted by the gray pack, she wasn't even a gray wolf. So why should it matter if she left them and chose the human boy for her own? Volan, the gray alpha pack leader, wanted her, that's why. Her stomach clenched with the thought that the man who'd nearly raped her would have her if she couldn't find a way out of the nightmare.
The human pulled off his breeches. A boy, still not well muscled, but well on his way. A survivor, living on his own, that's what intrigued her so much about him. A loner---like a rogue wolf---determined to endure.
Only in her heart, she desired the gray who'd saved her life when they were younger---Devlyn. Even now she had difficulty not comparing his rangy, taller body with this boy's. They had the same dark hair and eyes, which maybe explained why the human had attracted her. She wanted Devlyn with all her heart, but craving his attention would only result in Volan killing him. Best to leave the pack and mate with a human, cut her ties with the grays, and start her own pack.
She'd watched the human ride, run, hunt with his rifle, but she admired him most when he swam. Her gaze dropped lower to the patch of dark hair resting above his legs and...
She raised her brows. A thrill of expectation of having his manhood buried deep inside her sent a tingling of gooseflesh across her skin. If her drawers hadn't been crotchless, they'd have been wet in anticipation. She smiled at the sight of him. He'd produce fine offspring.
He dove into the water with a splash. With powerful strokes he glided across the placid surface of the small, summer-warmed lake. She slipped out of her last petticoat, then her drawers. Without a stitch of clothes on, she stood on the opposite shore, waiting for him to catch sight of her. Wouldn't he yearn for her like her own kind did?
She had to entice him to make love to her. Then she'd change into the wolf and bite him. And transfer the beauty of the wolf to him in the ancient way.
Running her fingers through her cinnamon curls, she fanned them over her shoulders, down to her hips.
They'd live together in his log cabin, taking jaunts through the woods in their wolf states under the bright moon forever. His mother, father, and little sister had died during the winter, and none of his kind lived within a fifteen-mile radius. He'd want her---he had to. Like her wolf pack, most humankind desired companionship.
She stepped into the water.
Then he caught sight of her.
His dark eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. But he didn't swim toward her as she expected. He didn't come for her, ravish her as she wanted. His eyes inspected every bit of her, but then he turned and swam away from her, back to the shore and his clothes. What was wrong with him?
Her mind warred between anger and confusion. Didn't he find her appealing?
She swam toward him, trying to reach the shore before he dressed and headed back to his cabin. But by the time she reached the lake halfway, he'd jerked on his breeches and boots, not even bothering with his shirt or vest, and vanished into the woods with his wolf at his heel.
In disbelief, she stared after him.
"Bella!" the leader of her pack hollered, his voice forbidding and warlike.
She snapped her head around. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the gray leader.
Volan stood like a predator waiting for the right time to go after his prey. His ebony hair was bound tight, and his black eyes narrowed. As a wolf, he was heavyset, broad-shouldered and thick-necked, the leader by virtue of his size, powerful jaws, and wicked killer canines. But now he stood as a man, his thoughts darker than night, his face menacing as he considered her swimming naked in the lake.
Did the boy get away in time, before Volan caught sight of him? How could she be so naïve as to think that Volan would let her have a human male?
She paddled in place and glared at him. "What do you want, Volan?" she growled back, unable to hold a civil tongue whenever he stood near.
"Come out at once!"
He turned his head toward the woods.
Had he smelled the human? Her heart rate quickened. She swam back to her clothes, determined to draw his attention away from the boy.
Then she spied Devlyn, watching, half hidden in the shadows of the forest, as if he and the pack leader were maneuvering in for the kill. A pang of regret sliced through her that Devlyn might have seen her lusting after a human. Three years older than she, he still vied for his place within the pack. A strap of leather tied back his coffee-colored, shoulder-length hair, and she fought the urge to set it free, to soften his harsh look. His equally dark brown eyes glowered at her, while his sturdy jaw clenched.
He stepped closer, not menacingly, but as if he stalked a deer and feared scaring away his prey. She raised a brow. This time, he seemed to have Volan's permission to draw close.
She growled. "Stay away." Wading out of the water, she distracted Volan from considering the woods or who might have disappeared into them. Devlyn, too, eyed her with far too much interest.
She hurried to slip into her clothes, irritated to have the wrong audience. Still, the way Devlyn closed in on her, only keeping a few feet from her until she was dressed, while Volan remained a hundred yards away, sent a trickle of dread through her.
Volan never allowed males to get close to her when she was naked, and normally she wouldn't have permitted it either. So what were they up to? She left her wet hair loose, then Volan nodded.
As soon as he signaled to Devlyn, her heart skipped a beat, but she didn't react quickly enough. Devlyn surged forward and grabbed her wrist. In the same instant, Volan charged in the direction of the woods where the young man had disappeared.
"Volan!" she screamed.
He intended to murder the boy. Only she had really killed him, as surely as if she'd ripped out his throat herself. Wanting to save him, she struggled to free herself from Devlyn. "Let me go!"
He gripped her wrist tighter and hurried her toward their village.
"He didn't do anything!"
Devlyn glared at her, his eyes unforgiving, blacker than she'd ever seen them. Anger smoldered in the depths. An anger she couldn't understand.
"Please," she pleaded, trying to soften his heart.
She tried to break free, and he wrenched her back to his side. "You're a fool, Bella."
"I won't be Volan's mate!"
For an instant, Devlyn's grasp on her arm lessened. Then he tightened his grip again. "You have no choice. And after what you've done here, he won't wait any longer."
Was there regret in his voice? God, how she wanted him to save her from Volan...to be her mate.
A howl sounded in the distance, and she sank to her knees. Volan had murdered the young man and shouted his actions to the world with great pleasure.
Devlyn yanked her from the ground and hurried her on their way.
"You won't ever leave the pack, Devlyn. You'll always be nothing but a follower!" She hadn't meant to say the hurtful words, but the anger she harbored simmered red-hot, like molten lava beneath the surface. "Why can't you run with me? Why can't you take me for your own somewhere far from here?"
He glared at her. "They're my family. They'll always be my family. Something you don't comprehend, apparently."
"I---I thought you felt something for me."
Devlyn pulled her to a stop and grabbed her shoulders. "It can never be between us! Volan would hunt us down, both of us. What kind of a life would that be? He'd kill our offspring, too. Is that what you want? Maybe if I'd been older, stronger, but now he won't wait to have you." He shook his head. "Dammit, Bella, as far as the human was concerned, he wouldn't have wanted you! Can't you see that? If he'd seen you changed, he would have been repulsed. If he could have discovered a way, he'd have killed you." He held her tightly, staring into her eyes with a mixture of anger and hunger. "You know what I want from you."
He was hard and smelled of sex. She sensed that his hormones raged, urging him to mount her. Her breath came quickly as she desired his attentions, but feared them, too. Feared them because of what Volan would do to Devlyn if Volan caught him lusting after her. She'd never seen Devlyn so outwardly angry, so filled with venom---so sexually alive.
"You could smell his putrid fear, woman!" He pulled her against his body and kissed her hard on the mouth, no teasing or waiting for her approval---just pure lust, conquering and decisive. And she loved him, every bit of the dangerous and feral lupus garou that he was.
Her body melted to his touch, but Volan's musky, bloody scent drifted to her on the breeze. Panic sliced through her. Volan would claim her now. But if he caught Devlyn touching her...
Volan appeared in a couple of bounds in his ebony-pelted wolf form, his eyes narrowed with hate. He growled, and immediately Devlyn released her. She stepped back, assuming Volan would kill Devlyn for his actions, the thought wrenching at her gut.
Devlyn stood his ground. "I tried to convince her how stupid she was for feeling anything for the human."
Volan turned to Bella. He'd show her how a male wolf took a mate. The moisture from her throat evaporated. The image of him trying to take her when she was much younger still fed her nightmares. A streak of shudders racked her body.
Volan turned his attention back to Devlyn. The hair stood on end from the nape of his neck to the tip of his tail. He advanced aggressively, then stopped.
Torn between giving herself to Volan to protect Devlyn and fighting Volan herself, she knew neither would work. Devlyn would hate her either way---damn his male wolf pride.
Volan growled again. Devlyn yanked off his shirt. His muscles flexed as he tugged at his belt, his golden skin shimmering with sweat in the summer sun. Any other day, she loved to see every bit of his handsome physique---his muscled thighs, the dark patch of curly hair between his legs, and the erection she'd encouraged. But not now, not with Volan threatening to rip him to shreds.
As soon as Devlyn stood naked, he began to change, his body twisting into the form of a wolf, his snout elongated. A thick brown pelt as rich as a mink's covered his long legs and torso. He howled as the change took place. Volan waited patiently before he lunged.
She couldn't watch him rip Devlyn apart. She couldn't stomach seeing the bully hurt any other wolf of the pack. But certainly not Devlyn, with whom she'd played as a pup, not Devlyn who'd rescued her from the wildfire that took her red wolf pack's lives. She couldn't save him now...only maybe herself. Yet when Volan lunged for Devlyn, she dashed between them to protect him. Volan clamped his teeth down on her arm, having the ability to crush the bone with his powerful canines. She cried out when a streak of pain shot up her arm and blood dripped from the wound. Though his eyes reflected remorse at once and he released her, he growled at her to stay out of the way. And so did Devlyn.
Maybe if she ran, Volan would come after her. Maybe she could save Devlyn that way. But she would never return to the pack.
She bolted, with her legs stretched far out, her heart pounding, her breath steady, but her mind frantic---her only chance was to toss her clothes and run like the wolf.
Portland, Pregon
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS LATER---AGING ONE YEAR for every thirty that passed once a lupus garou reached puberty---Bella was the equivalent of a human twenty-one-year-old. She longed more than ever to have Devlyn for her mate, wishing she hadn't had to hide from the pack all these years. The burning desire for him flooded her veins whenever she came into the wolf's heat. Her body craved his touch, but her mind had given up hoping to ever have him for her own. If she could find a strong, agreeable human mate, she could change him into a lupus garou, and he would keep her safe from Volan.
She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the image of the brutish fiend, and continued to pack her overnight bag. Any man would be better than he---a good mate who would help her establish her own pack.
She turned to look at Devlyn's photo sitting on the bedside table, the most recent one that Argos, the old, retired pack leader, had sent her. Taking a deep breath, she threw another pair of jeans into her bag, determined to get her mind off Devlyn.
Knowing she couldn't put off mating much longer, she realized that one's second choice far outweighed living alone; even the sound of a dog's howl on the night's breeze triggered the gnawing craving to be with a pack.
She stalked into her office and left an email message for Argos, a routine she'd adopted because he insisted she keep him posted whenever she went into the woods. As a loner, she'd have no backup. Off to the cabin for the weekend again, Argos. Give the pack my love, in secret. Yours always, love, Bella
She didn't have to tell him to keep her correspondence a secret; he knew what would happen if Volan learned where she was....
Turning off her computer, she picked up her phone and called her next-door neighbor---a woman who had partially eased Bella's loneliness after losing her twin sister in a fire so many years ago. "Chrissie, I'm going to my cabin for the weekend again. Can you keep an eye on my place?"
"Sure thing, Bella. Pick up your mail on Saturday, too, if you'd like. And I'll water your greenhouse plants. Hey, I don't want to hold you up, but did you hear about the latest killing?"
"Yeah, the police have got to catch the bastard soon."
That was one of the reasons she was going to her cabin, to get away, to consider the facts of the murders, to search for clues in the woods. He had to be from Portland or the surrounding area, since it was there he'd killed all the women. And he had to take a jaunt in a forest from time to time. The call of the wild was too strong in them. She hadn't expected to smell red lupus garou in the place where she ran, as far away as it was from the city. For three years she hadn't smelled a hint of them. Not until last weekend. Was one of them the killer? She had to know.
Bella tossed a pink sweatshirt into the bag.
"You be careful, honey. The victims are all redheads in their twenties. And the last was killed not far from here."
"Don't worry, Chrissie. I've got a gun for protection." Well, two: one at her cabin, and one at home, but who was counting? Silver bullets, too; Bella had them made for Volan. It wasn't the lupus garou way, but she had no other way to fight him. She would never be his.
"A...a gun? Do you know how to shoot it?"
Yep, she'd learned how to shoot a gun a good century and a half ago, ever since the early days when she had lived in the wilderness, trying to survive in the lands west of Colorado.
"Yeah, don't worry. Give your kids hugs for me, will you? Tell Mary I want to see the painting she did for art class, and tell Jimmy that I want to see his science project when I return."
Chrissie sighed. "I'll tell them. You be careful up there all by yourself. That is, if you're going all by yourself."
Always checking. Chrissie was looking for husband number two, and she assumed Bella rendezvoused with some mountain man every time she returned to her cabin.
"See you Monday."
"Be careful, Bella. You never know where that maniac will end up."
"I'll be cautious. Got to go."
Bella hung up the phone and zipped her suitcase. Before it turned dark she had every intention of searching the woods for further clues concerning the red lupus garou---not a wild dog, a mixed wolf-dog breed, or as some thought, a pit bull that some bastard had trained to kill his victims---that might be killing the women.
Why had she caught the scent of red lupus garou in the area near her cabin now, when the woods had been free of their kind for the last three years? She envisioned a lone female wouldn't stand a chance at remaining that way. Her stomach curdled with the idea that she'd have to give up her cabin and find a new place to run. Just one more concern to add to her growing list of worries.
Later that day, when Bella arrived at her cabin, the waning moon called to her though it was still fairly light out. She tilted her nose up to the breeze, standing on the porch of her cedar home in the woods, the building now a faded gray. It served as her hideaway on the weekends when she lived on the wild side, away from the hustle and bustle of the city of Portland. She would be the right age to be Volan's mate, if he ever found her. Smiling at how clever she had been to avoid him, the smile faded as a coyote howled. She wasn't meant to be a rogue wolf, living alone without a pack. Some were naturally geared that way. Not her.
More than that, Devlyn still held her heart hostage, damn him. She could still feel the way his strong fingers had gripped her shoulders with possessiveness, smell his feral craving to have her, feel his heart thundering when he crushed her against him. Why couldn't he have run with her?
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of the one who'd possessed her soul since the beginning.
It wasn't that she didn't care for the gray wolf pack, the lupus garou family who had taken her in. It was the unfathomable notion that she'd have been Volan's mate that fired her soul to the depths of hell. Stronger than the rest, he wasn't brighter, nor caring in the least bit. Just a bully, such as in ancient times when the strongest men ruled. Why couldn't she find a mate who would treat her as...as...an equal?
Somewhere, such a male had to exist.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled off her sweater, turtleneck, denims, and hiking boots, and dropped them on a porch chair. Standing naked, she shivered, then breathed in the heavenly scent of pine needles, the smell once again triggering the memory of Devlyn kissing her. No man since had kissed her like he had.
She gritted her teeth and swallowed hard. He stirred primal longings in her too strong to quench. The desire to feel him deep inside her, filling her with his seed, producing their offspring, their family---sharing a lifetime commitment as mates forever---overwhelmed her. But he wasn't the leader of the pack. Even if she wanted Devlyn for her mate, she didn't think he'd ever be strong enough to have her. Yet, she couldn't help but keep in touch with Argos, the old former leader of the pack. Knowing Devlyn was alive and well....
She growled with exasperation. For now she had to hunt like a wolf, and in the interim, search for a different prey---the feral predator that stalked human redheaded females and murdered them like a rabid wolf.
Stretching again, her lean body began to take the form of the wolf. The painless transformation always occurred quickly and filled her with a sense of urgency---to hunt, to run wild among the other creatures of the forest.
A thick cinnamon-red pelt covered her skin as her nose elongated into a snout, and her teeth grew ready for the hunt. She straightened her back, howled with the change, then dropped to her paws. Her nails extended into sharp claws, itching to dig into the pine needle-cushioned earth.
Though she preferred venison to rabbit, she hunted the latter. Killing deer out of season constituted a crime. If anyone found the leftovers of such a kill, an investigation would follow. Soon word would spread that a wolf was killing deer in the area. A wolf that might next go after ranchers' sheep or cattle, or household pets, or children. A wolf thought to be extinct in these parts.
Leaping off the porch, her long legs carried her with graceful bounds through the wilderness. She traveled through several hundreds of acres before spying another cabin---quiet, vacated. Since it was winter and no longer hunting season, except for the end of dusky Canadian goose season, she shouldn't glimpse another human being.
She thought she caught a whiff of something familiar. Pausing, she sniffed the air, and recognized the distinctive smell of lupus garou---red lupus garou.
Loping toward the origin of the scent, she darted past pines and firs, ducked beneath low-hanging branches, jumped a moss-covered log in her path...then halted.
A patch of red fur clung to the bark of an oak. Definitely red wolf; and because none existed here, it had to be a red lupus garou's.
She contemplated returning to her human form and taking the evidence back to her cabin, but she was miles from there, and as cold as it was, her human counterpart probably wouldn't make it.
The breeze shifted. She smelled the red's scent stronger now. He'd just urinated somewhere nearby, marking his territory. She hesitated. If he were looking for a mate, she'd be a prime target; and if he were an alpha male, she wouldn't be strong enough to fight him if he decided to force a mating.
Leaves rustled. A twig snapped underfoot a short distance away. A chill raced all the way down her spine to the tip of her taut tail. An eerie feeling she was being watched froze her in place.
What if he was the killer? What if he was hunting her now? But what if she could lure him into the open, play his game, and turn him over to whatever pack happened to live in the area? Even if he were a loner, the pack in the territory would condemn him to die. Killing humans put every lupus garou at risk. Keeping their secret hidden was the only way for them to survive.
Then again, he might just be a pack member hunting for fresh meat---enjoying the freedom of the change like she was---who had come across her, a loner lupus garou violating the pack's territory. Unless...unless their reds had a shortage of females like the Colorado grays did, and....
Damn, why hadn't she considered that before now?
She stared into the shadowy woods where bugs cricketed in a raucous chorus and a breeze ruffled the pine needles in a whispered hush. If there was a severe shortage of female lupus garou, was the killer trying to turn a human female in the ancient way? To make her his mate?
Not good.
She dashed to where he'd left his mark. No sign of him. But the urine was fresh. Too fresh. He had to be close by, but if he were stalking her he couldn't be an alpha male. An alpha male would have already approached her and let her know he wanted her, if he needed a mate. He had to smell how ripe she was and know she was ready, too. Was that why he went after female humans, because they were easier to take than a lupus garou? Maybe he was afraid to advance on a loner who was more feral, warier, more unpredictable.
She caught the scent of another. Also male. Except for twitching her ears back and forth and withdrawing her panting tongue, she listened and sniffed the air but stood in place.
She smelled---water.
Swallowing, she felt parched, and loped toward the sound of Wolf Creek, the water bubbling nearby. At the fringe of the forest she hesitated, not liking the way the stream's banks were so exposed. For several minutes she stood watching, listening for signs of danger---human danger.
Nothing.
The water beckoned to her. She swallowed again, stared at the rush of the stream, then walked cautiously across the pebble bank.
Unable to shake the feeling that someone watched her, she waited like a rabbit cornered by a wolf, cemented in place.
Ice-cold water from melting snow off the mountains dove over rounded rock. She dipped her tongue into the water and lapped it up; the liquid cooled and soothed her dry throat.
She couldn't help wishing she were back in Colorado, running with Devlyn like they'd done when they were younger---chasing through the woods, nipping at each other's hindquarters, feeling the wind ruffle their fur. God, how she wished he'd mated with her.
Water trickled and gurgled at her feet, birds chirped overhead, and sugar-drained oak leaves rustled in the breeze all around her. But then a flash of red fur caught her attention, and she turned.
The glitter of the sun's fading reflection off a wolf's amber eyes captured her, held her hostage, but her gaze held him captive, too. But only for a moment. His head whipped to the side. Another flash of fur, and another male appeared. Then, the wave of a wolf's tail as the lupus garou made a hasty retreat. She should have heeded the instinctual warning. Instead, she gauged the remaining wolf's posture, the way he turned his attention back to her, closed his mouth, and almost seemed to smile before dashing after his companion.
The crashing through the underbrush couldn't hide the most dangerous sound known to wildlife---a trigger clicking on a rifle. Nothing could disguise the sound of death.
Immediately her tail stood upright, and the hair on her back and neck stood on end.
A chill hurtled down her spine and she dashed through the creek, her heart thundering. Her ears twisted back and forth, trying to identify where the hunter stood.
The sound of a crack rang across the woods and open area, and a sharp pain stabbed her in the left flank. She stumbled...then attempted to dash off again, her leg numbed with paralysis.
The hunter shouted, "He's still going! I've never seen a red wolf that big! Shoot him again!"
Idiots. They couldn't kill her with normal bullets.
Running for several yards, she reached the edge of the forest, but the guarded relief she felt withered when the men splashed across the creek in hot pursuit of her. She sprinted north toward her cabin, miles away. Except going this way meant she had to cross the river. Then again, she could ford it, while she doubted they could.
"Hurry!" one of the men shouted, his voice rife with enthusiasm, but shadowed with a hint of concern.
She would have clenched her teeth in anger, but she was panting too hard. Her movements slowed. Even her brain fuzzed, and her eyesight blurred. Ripping out their throats came to mind, if they got close enough. The primal instinct for self-preservation voided out the ruling drummed into her that her kind didn't kill humans; keeping their existence a secret outweighed the importance of the life of any single lupus garou.
"Tag him before he reaches the river! We don't want him drowning!" the same man shouted.
Another crack. Another stab of pain. This time her right flank. She stumbled when her back legs gave out. What had they shot her with? She panted, her heart racing as she tried to keep her wits.
The men crashed through the brush toward her. Their boots impacting with the earth radiated outward and the tremor centered in her pads. She struggled to run. Her heart rate slowed.
"Man, oh, man, I told you, didn't I, Thompson? He's beautiful," a tall man said, wearing camouflaged gear, his dark hair chopped short, the bill of a camouflaged baseball cap shading his eyes. He approached her with caution.
She gave him a feral look that meant danger and dragged her back legs. Work, damn you! Work! But no matter how much she willed her legs to push her forward, she couldn't manage. She sat, panic driving her to run, but unable to oblige as a strange numbness slipped through her body. No longer able to sit up, she rolled over onto her side. And watched the hunters approach with murder in her eyes.
"Damn! He's the biggest red wolf I've ever seen, Joe," Thompson said as both drew closer...cautiously...the smell of fear cloaking them. He was dressed like the other, only his blue eyes were wide with excitement.
She lifted her head, snarled, and snapped her teeth, but the futile effort cost her precious energy. Exhausted, she dropped her head back to the forest floor, the bed of pine needles tickling her nose.
Joe crouched at her back, then pulled something from her hip. A dart, not bullets. Damn. Her heart beat so slowly she thought she'd die.
"You sure as hell were right that a red wolf prowled these parts. But they've been extinct for years. How in the hell did he get here? I mean, he couldn't have traveled all the way from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park." Joe smelled of sweat and sex and a musky deodorant that wasn't holding up under the pressure; nor was his flowery cologne hiding the body odor.
Thompson, a blond-haired, bearded man, smelled just as sweaty and virile, but he wore no artificial sweeteners to attract the female variety. She could hear his heart hammering against his ribs when he raised her back leg.
Unable to lift her head, she snarled, but the sound, muffled in sleep, didn't have the threat she intended.
"He's a she. Damn. How'd a female ever grow this big?"
She growled, priding herself in being a red wolf, and small. Sure, for a real wolf she appeared big, but as a lupus garou....
He ran his hand over her hind leg. If she hadn't seen him do it, she'd never have realized it, as numb as her leg was. "Long legs, best looking red pelt I've ever seen on a feral wolf." He looked over at the dark-haired man. "She's in heat, Joe. We'll have to find her a mate."
Mate? Great. If they locked her in a room with a real red wolf...ohmigod, they couldn't be planning on taking her to a zoo?
"That'd be the ticket." Joe lifted a cell phone to his ear. "Hey, we got her! Yeah, the wolf's a she, not a he as I'd assumed. No shit! I told you I'd seen her running through here last weekend."
Why hadn't she seen these men? Smelled their pungent odors? Heard them?
She had let down her guard, and now she would pay.
"Yeah, she's a big one." Joe nodded. "We figured one dart would be enough...took two." He ran his hand over her side. She attempted her most terrifying growl, but it sounded more like a sickly, low moan. "Maybe 110 pounds, more the size of a gray." He chuckled. "I know, I know, I told you she's big. No, not fat. Lean as they come, just longer legged and longer bodied, and she has the prettiest red pelt you ever did see."
He ran his hand over her back. "Okay, we'll pack her out of here. Be there in about three hours; longer, if she comes to. The tranquilizers each were set for a 40-pound wolf, not one as big as she is. But we didn't want to overdo it. And let 'em know Big Red can have a mate now. No need for the Melbourne, Florida, zoo to send us a loaner. Unless she's been mating with coyotes, she's about due for a hunk of a red wolf."
He laughed, undoubtedly amused by the response to his comment on the other end of the line.
She groaned inwardly.
"All right, out here." He turned to the blond. "Seems a shame if she's doing so well in these woods that we have to put her into captivity, Thompson."
"Hey, like you said, she won't find any of her kind around here. We're doing her a favor."
Inwardly, she fumed, and if she hadn't been so doped up, she'd have bitten both of them.
Three days later, Bella paced across her new zoo home---nice flat boulders for her to rest on, tree-shaded areas, and an indoor exhibit where humans gawked at her through fingerprint-smudged glass windows.
Furious with the hunters, and even more so with herself, a growl rumbled in her throat. How could she have been so lax in her run not to have noticed them before this?
She paused and took a deep breath, then glanced up at the top of the pen. No way to climb up above. Even if she changed into her human form, she'd never make it, given the way the cliff arched back over the top, providing shade on a sunny day.
She wandered over to the water trough. When she dipped her tongue into the water, Big Red slinked in behind her. She growled. He backed off. The poor old horny red wolf was dying to mate with her. She smelled perfectly ripe, the precise mating time for a wolf, so what was wrong with her, she was sure he wondered.
She shuddered. Mating with a pure wolf...the very thought.
She resumed her pacing, but when the familiar scent of lupus garou caught her off guard, she stopped. Two men, both around five-ten in height, leaned over the wrought iron railing across the moat. The breeze carried their scent to her, musky and wild. But she recognized the scent of one of them from the Cascades when she went on her run. Ohmigod, they'd followed her all the way here? Unless they lived in Portland or the surrounding area...not good.
She studied them closer. Both men wore their brown hair---tinged with a slight reddish cast---short, and watched her with intrigue. But they both had small chins, not a nice square manly jaw like Devlyn had, and both were scrawny compared to the taller, sturdier built grays.
Red lupus garou. Her heart took a dive. She hadn't seen her kind in human form since she lost her own people when she turned six.
They smiled as she observed them, and tilted their noses up slightly, smelling the breeze when it shifted.
"Hello, sweetheart," the older man said, who appeared to be in his late twenties. "Where have you been all of my life?"
She looked over at the other, probably closer to her age. He grinned like he advertised teeth whitener. "Yeah, Alfred, she's one of us all right. Understands every word we say. The right mating age, too."
"Yeah, and in heat, too." Alfred rubbed his smooth chin. "Got yourself in kind of a bind, eh?" He glanced around, and seeing no other visitors nearby, turned back to her and winked. "We'll risk getting you out, but on one condition."
She bared her teeth at him, and he burst out laughing. His friend joined in on the chorus.
"Maybe she'd rather have me," the other man said, poking his thumb at his chest. "She surely can't want him." He pointed at Big Red. Folding his arms, he said, "She's the one from the woods, don't you think?"
Alfred nodded, the smile on his lips not reaching his darkened eyes. "From all accounts, she's the one." He grabbed his companion's shoulder. "Make sure nobody's coming."
His friend turned around and served as lookout as Alfred unzipped his pants. He obviously planned to rescue her and make her his mate. The wolf urge to mark his territory overwhelmed his better human judgment. After he urinated along the bottom edge of the fence, he zipped his pants and smiled. "We'll be back later, sweet thing."
God help me.
The keeper's door creaked opened, and she turned when Thompson walked in with the dark-haired man. Thompson folded his arms as she stared at him. "So what have they been feeding her, Joe?"
"They fast 'em once a week. Feed 'em bone or muscle meat once a week. Two-thirds canine maintenance, one-third frozen feline diet the remainder of the week. She's eating well. Don't know what seems to be the problem. She won't let him near her to breed."
You'd better believe it, Joe.
She strolled off, found a protected area in the sun near the entrance to their faux cave, lay down, and rested her head on her paws.
"We've thought of sending her to another zoo. Several are interested in pairing her up with a male to provide some more offspring. They're trying to introduce some more red wolves into the Smokies, but they need to be feral. She'd certainly do if they could find her a mate as wild as she is."
She raised her head and looked back at them. If she could have glared at them, she would have.
Thompson smiled. "Seems that might interest her. But unsettling her again might do more harm than good. Let her grow used to him for a couple of more weeks. Then if she's still not ready, we'll move her."
Joe pushed his baseball cap back off his forehead. "You don't think she's too young."
"No, she's ready. She's just a little shy."
Hmpf. Shy, that'd be the day. Then she had an idea. Maybe Thompson would make a good mate. He looked strong enough to take Volan on, and he did like wolves. Maybe he could be the one, if she could get over the fact that he had shot her and stuck her in a zoo with a horny, big red wolf. She laid her head back on her legs.
But then a horrible thought dawned on her. When would the moon fade from the sky? Damn. The waning crescent would pass shortly. Then it would be the new moon again. Jumping up, she began to pace.
She had to make her escape before that happened, before she became a human with no chance to remain a wolf, not until the return of the moon. It would be seven days until the new moon from the beginning of the waning crescent. But three days had passed and when she took her fatal run she'd already observed the waning crescent for....
She couldn't remember. Two days? Three?
Damn.
"There's been some unusual recent interest in her," Thompson said.
She stopped pacing and turned to listen.
Thompson placed his hands on his hips. "Now isn't it interesting how she listens to our conversation?"
"She seems to sometimes. She's really gentle."
You should see me on a bad day.
Thompson shook his head. "A wolf is a wolf, still wild at heart. Anyway, a man was interested in transferring her to another zoo. But...." He looked at his feet. "I don't know. I didn't trust him. He seemed to have something else in mind."
When he looked up, his blue eyes widened, and he straightened his back. He motioned with his head toward the railing. "In fact, there's the man, right there."
She turned to look at the railing, and her heart nearly stopped.
"See what I mean? It's like she understands everything we say."
Staring at Devlyn, she couldn't unlock her gaze from him. So many lonely years, dreaming of his hard embrace, and now he stood across the moat from her in the flesh. Her heart beat so hard it was sure to bruise her ribs. Adrenaline coursed through her body at breakneck speeds, the thought that he'd come to free her giving her hope. What she wouldn't give to nip him in the neck, to tackle him and force him to the ground. To have his heated kisses, his firm touch embracing her with wanton desire.
She took a steadying breath. She couldn't deny he still held her heart captive.
Like before, a strap tied his shoulder-length dark brown hair back. A black leather jacket fitted over his broad shoulders, and denims stretched comfortably down his long, muscular legs to his well-worn western boots. He was every bit as handsome as she remembered him, only much taller and more imposing and real than the photos Argos had sent her.
She focused on Devlyn's mouth. How many women had he kissed since he'd kissed her? Her veins turned to ice as an uncontrollable jealousy washed over her.
Was he already mated? Her gut tightened with the idea. She shifted her gaze back to his eyes. His dark brown eyes turned into black quartz, angry with a hint of concern.
Did he recognize her? Sure he did. If she caught him in his wolf suit, she'd know him any day. But how had he found her?
Unless...unless...somehow the fact that a red wolf was living in the Cascades, when none should, got big-time media. Great. That's how he'd found her. He must realize the predicament she faced and the danger to all of them. That's why he'd tried to move her from the zoo. If she turned into a human by the new moon, she could be used to prove legendary werewolves truly exist.
Did he have a plan? He moved his hands over the black wrought iron posts, up and down. His actions hypnotized her. What was his plan?
"What's he doing?" Thompson asked.
"I don't know, but he sure has her attention. You think maybe she belonged to him once?"
"Hmm, now that sounds like a distinct possibility. And he wants her back so he can release her to the wild again. I want him checked out and watched. He's probably one of those crazy animal rights activists. Doesn't he realize she's safer here, with a good diet, and no one to hunt her down? Besides, where can she find a male red to mate? She'd be stuck with scrawny coyotes."
Joe laughed. "Guess it wouldn't matter to her, as long as the deed is done."
She emitted a low growl.
"Don't think she likes your suggestion," Thompson joked.
She turned her attention back to Devlyn. He looked kissable. He'd filled out into a man-sized hunk, but his eyes remained dark and foreboding---even more so now.
Devlyn tilted his chin up as if taunting her to tell him what she thought of him, but he continued to stroke the bars. She realized then he smelled she was in heat. The urge to mate with her would be as natural to him as breathing the air or blinking an eye.
Her gaze met his, the depths of his eyes smoldering with lust. Then he scowled and turned away. He strode off, his long gait taking him away from her within seconds. She wanted to scream at him to set her free. But in the worst way she wanted him to mate with her, to fulfill the unquenchable craving that the sight of him sparked, to take her for his own, his mate forever.
"She knows him, all right, don't you think, Joe?"
"Yeah, like a dog knows his owner."
She whipped her head around too fast in anger, a growl rumbling in her throat.
Both Thompson's and Joe's mouths dropped open.
Thompson said, "My God, I swear she thought you'd insulted her."
She loped back to her den, a cement home, hidden from everyone's view. Insult was right. A dog. And Devlyn her master? She growled again.
Then she thought what if she changed and, damn...as a woman, albeit naked, she could open the door to the wolf's den. Unless they locked it. Why would they lock it? The wolves couldn't just leave.
Big Red crept closer to the entrance of the den. She growled so ferociously, he immediately backed off.
The two men laughed. Thompson studied the den. "You can see who wears the pants in the family."
Settled down on the floor, she rested her head on her paws. But wouldn't they lock the doors to keep others out? Sure. To protect idiot visitors who wanted to pet the nice wolves.
Bella lifted her snout and howled. She howled for the loss of freedom, for the loss of her red wolf family, for missing the affection of the grays who had taken her in, and for the love she felt for Devlyn---a hopeless, pitiful fondness for a lupus garou she could never have as a mate.
"She's howling for him, don't you think?" Joe asked.
"If I didn't know better, yeah, I'd think so." Thompson folded his arms, his blue eyes studying her with sympathy.
"Hey, Thompson," a new male voice said, "there's some guy named Volan Smith on the phone who says he's got transfer papers to take our new little lady out of here."
Bella's ears perked up. Her heartbeat increased so rapidly she feared she was having an early heart attack. Volan had arranged for Devlyn to come for her. Damn the both of them. She growled low with hatred.
Thompson shook his head. "Rosa's not leaving here without some verification that this man has legitimate papers to move her. I've heard nothing about this."
To Bella's profound relief, the men left the pen, and she closed her eyes. When the zoo shut for the night and all of the personnel had gone home, she'd change into her human form and escape across the moat, hopefully, before anyone could turn her over to Volan.
She couldn't believe after all these years that she'd been safe from him, one mistake in the woods could cost her much more than her freedom. Life as Volan's mate would be a living hell.
She suspected Devlyn would return to her under the cover of night. She had to flee before then.
For some time, she slept quietly, allowing the darkness to come. But in that darkness, nightmares that had plagued her forever returned---the searing heat, the white-hot flames, the choking smoke, the fire that killed her entire red lupus garou family. Then Devlyn, a lanky immature youngster of a gray werewolf pack, nearly twice her size, arrived at the stony river's edge. Without hesitation, he grabbed her by the scuff of the neck and swam across the river to save her.
For a moment, she felt a sense of peace.
Then, instinctively, something awakened her in the wolves' pen. A low, menacing growl? A padded footstep creeping toward her?
She opened her eyes as Big Red took a step toward her. She'd been so keyed up, so tired, and now still so groggy, she hadn't realized what had happened right away. She stared at her changed form. No longer did she have the warm pelt of a red wolf, nor four legs, or an elongated snout. Now lying on the icy cement floor, she was a woman, cold, naked, and facing a snarling Big Red.
Hell, she hadn't correctly calculated the days of the waning crescent of the moon. The new moon had arrived and, except for a sprinkling of stars across the black satin night, no sphere lighted the way.
This time Big Red growled at her, exposing his canines and a few front teeth. His tail stood erect, and so did the hair on the nape of his neck and back. She rose slowly from her prone position, but could only crouch because of the low ceiling in the den.
She needed to stand, to spread her arms, to make him think she was bigger and more powerful. But it was too cramped. She stared him down, intimidating him like he attempted to do to her now.
In her present form, she hated to advance on him. She had to move slowly so as not to frighten him more. He couldn't kill her, but what a mess.
How could she explain how a woman entered the wolves' den and survived a vicious attack if he decided to bite? How could she explain why she was naked? And how could she explain how Rosa had vanished into thin air? Further, how quickly could she heal if he injured her?
Would the legendary werewolf come to mind?
DEVLYN STARED AT THE INKY SKY FROM THE BALCONY of his hotel room, his heart pounding furiously as he considered how Bella had been locked up in the zoo. He never thought he'd see her again, but she was even more beautiful than before, if that was possible. He recognized the longing in her whisky-colored eyes. Save me, they pleaded. And the smell of her---wild and ripe for the picking.
God, how he wanted to claim her heart and body for his own.
He gritted his teeth and fisted his hands. How many times did he have to rescue the woman before she recognized how....
He shook his head. It didn't matter how he felt. She could never be his. Even if Volan didn't lead the pack, it wouldn't matter---Bella was so hell-bent on having a human for a mate. His neck muscles grew taut.
The door adjoining his room squeaked open. He turned.
Gray-haired, wiry Argos nodded. Once the leader of the pack, he had stepped down when he'd grown too old. "Are you sure she'll come to me?"
"She trusts you."
Argos winced. The old leader didn't like the idea of returning her to Volan any more than Devlyn did, but she wouldn't be safe on her own. Worse, she threatened the secrecy of their kind with her rash decisions. She belonged to their pack for safe keeping, period.
"You were like a father to her. She was happy with us until Volan took over," Devlyn continued. "She'll come to you."
"I know what you want, but you can't have her."
"Nobody can have her. Not while she's got this insane notion of finding a human to love. Why does Volan want her so badly? She'll make a lousy alpha female mate when she despises him so. He can't lock her up or force her to mate with him."
Argos raised his brows, but remained silent.
Devlyn rubbed his temple, trying to massage away the tension that collected there. "He wouldn't, would he?"
"He's the pack leader. Once he gets hold of her, she'll obey him or pay the consequences. He's driven to have her as much as she's driven to avoid him and find the perfect human mate. So what drives you, Devlyn?"
Hatred of male humans. Procreation of his kind, if he could ever find a suitable mate. But none of the other females in their pack were an acceptable age that he wanted. Only Bella. And searching for another of his kind---well, of the red wolf variety, as that's what he had his heart set on---proved unachievable.
It was like looking for red wolves in the wild in the States. Nearly impossible to find. And no other kind of wolf would do. The red wolf in her had to be what drew him to her.
"I've heard rumors he killed his own brother," Devlyn said, avoiding Argos's question.
"Which one?"
In disbelief, Devlyn stared at him. "There was more than one?"
"Two, both died before you joined the pack. But no, they were accidents. A mountain lion killed his youngest triplet when he was a juvenile. He'd roamed away from the pack on a hunt and the others couldn't reach him in time. His eldest brother died in a raging flood. Tree was uprooted, smashed into his skull. The healers said he was dead before the river pulled him under. But Volan learned his bullying from that brother, the meanest, most crotchety wolf known to lupus garou. Just surviving his brow-beating made Volan as strong as he is today."
Devlyn made a disgruntled throaty sound. He'd always wondered why Volan was so aggressive and controlling, but as far as he was concerned, it didn't excuse his behavior. "Are the others ready?"
"Yes."
"Volan's not coming for her later, is he?" Devlyn jerked his leather jacket on.
"No. He's the leader, not stupid."
"Some of us would argue that point."
Volan sent Devlyn to retrieve Bella because he wanted to emphasize the point that Devlyn would reclaim her, but she belonged to Volan. The thought curdled Devlyn's supper, a couple of hastily eaten half-raw burgers, resting like a greasy lump in the pit of his stomach.
Once they'd seen the newsflash concerning her, they had to be sure it was her, though. Finding a red wolf in the Cascades was unheard of, and to top that off, she was larger than normal. The pack knew the red wolf could only be a lupus garou, and Argos knew it had to be Bella or she would have been with a pack.
But Devlyn had to make sure. She could have been any one of a number of lone red lupus garou females all across the States. Or not. Because such a shortage existed, he sure as hell hoped Argos was right---that she was their stubborn Bella.
When Devlyn saw her in the pen at the zoo, he knew. He couldn't be angry with her for having run away---but for her to risk proving to the world that lupus garous existed? That was irresponsible and unforgivable. At least that's what he told himself, though his heart ached to hold her close again, only this time to claim her for his own.
Devlyn stalked toward the door of his hotel suite. "All right. Let's break our little red wolf out of jail." The notion that she was theirs, though, struck a chord. She wasn't theirs. She belonged to Volan. Fire burned in Devlyn's veins with the thought. Ever since Devlyn had rescued her near the river, the wildfire in hot pursuit of her, Volan had wanted her, too.
For years Devlyn had pinned her to the ground in their wolf states, avoiding her retaliatory bites, playing with her as young wolves frolicked. He still wanted to tackle her to the ground, to force her reaction, to have her pay attention to him. But the burning desire to have her for his mate drove away any notion of having another female.
He hurried his four younger male cousins out to the SUV with Argos at his side in the freezing drizzle. The black-haired, amber-eyed quadruplets, twenty-two years of age, all itched for a fight as they clenched their fists and steeled their square jaws.
Devlyn slammed his door. "If we wait much longer, she'll have changed and be half frozen in this weather." He'd rescue her again. He had to. Not for Volan, but for his own greedy desires. But what to do with her afterwards? He knew what he wanted to do with her. Make her his...forever...his mate for life.
But with Volan still living, how could Devlyn hope to take her for his own? That question had plagued him every minute of the day since he'd learned she still lived.
Backed into the confines of the wolf den, Bella spread her arms out, slowly, in her crouched position, to make herself appear larger. "Back off, Big Red."
He continued to snarl. She took a step forward, and shivered, but it wasn't the chill in the air that made her tremble. The notion that the zoo staff would catch her in the wolves' den in human form forced concern to worm its way into every pore.
Big Red held his ground.
She took another step in his direction. Her eyes remained locked onto his. He didn't back down.
Wrinkling her nose, she bared her not-very-scary human teeth. Anything to show him she wasn't intimidated by his posturing.
After what seemed like an eternity of an old western gunfight showdown, he turned, and trotted out of the den. She took a deep breath, then quickly followed him out. The icy drizzle coated her skin. Hoping to make her escape easily, she crossed the pen to the keeper's door.
Locked.
Her stomach muscles tightened with irritation. Heading for the water trough, she thought to use it as a step in the moat. But it was filled to the brim with water, and she couldn't budge it. Her frustration level mounted, but her body temperature dropped rapidly with the chilly wet breeze swirling about her.
What she wouldn't have given for her wolf's thick undercoat---the dense second coat of fur virtually waterproof, a thermal insulator so effective even snow falling on her back wouldn't melt.
She hurried to the edge of the moat and considered the height of the wall across from the pen. Big Red watched her from a corner of the pen, but never made a menacing move toward her. She'd probably confused the hell out of him. She smelled like a wolf in heat, the same one he wanted to mate, but she didn't look like one in the least bit now. Poor fellow.
She sat on the edge of the concrete, the substance icy and rough on her bare bottom. After twisting around, she clung to the edge with frigid fingers, then dropped into the moat. It was about a six-and-a-half-foot drop and, with her five-four height, easy to make. But when she turned to consider the other side her heart filled with alarm.
Whether the wall rose eight feet or ten...didn't matter. She didn't see any way to climb the rough concrete without foot or hand holds. She turned back to the other side. Her heart fell. She wouldn't be able to climb out that way, either.
The cold had already affected her mind, slowing her ability to think. The shock at turning into her human form earlier than she'd planned had compelled her to panic.
Great. Just great. The next morning, the zookeepers would find a half-frozen, naked woman in the moat. She jumped at the shorter side, but couldn't reach the top edge.
After several tries, she did what went against every instinct for survival---she gave up and yelled for help.
For an hour she screamed and hollered. Some night watchman. She imagined her lips were blue from the cold. Her fingers and toes grew numb. And her voice was reduced to a croak.
Attempting to conserve her body heat, she crouched against the wall, her arms around her knees, her long hair dripping, with icicles dangling about her.
Boots running on pavement in her direction barely registered in her mind.
"The woman's screams came from this direction, Randolph," a deep male voice shouted, nearly out of breath.
She shivered so hard her knees knocked together and her teeth chattered. "Here," she attempted to shout, but her word barely reached her own ears.
"Miss, where are you?" another male voice shouted, older and rustier. Their footsteps stopped at the pen next door. "She sounded desperate, Mack."
The only thought she could focus on was that the news media would have a field day when they learned a crazy, naked woman slipped into the wolves' pen.
She attempted to stand, but the bitter cold froze her joints, locking them in place.
"I know we weren't hearing things. She had to be close to here," Randolph said.
"Maybe she's injured or unconscious."
"Here," she said, the word merely an angry whisper. Furious with herself for being so needy, furious that her voice gave out on her when she needed it most, she had lived for many years as a lone lupus garou. Self-sufficient. She didn't need anyone. Only the image of Devlyn kissing her overran that thought. Damn him for making it impossible to find someone else for her to love.
"One of the predators in these pens could have torn her up," Randolph said.
They flashed their lights into the pen beside hers where two lions prowled.
"Call in some more of the staff."
The flashlight's beam poked into the darkness of her pen, angled toward Big Red. "What are you doing out here, big fellow? Little lady won't let you snuggle yet?"
"Hey, Randolph, what's that?"
The iron fence rattled as they leaned over it and poured their beams of light into the moat.
Bella closed her eyes as the light touched her face. Her long red hair covered her naked body like Lady Godiva on her famous ride. She stopped breathing while her heart nearly leapt out of her chest to know they'd found her, and would take her someplace warm.
"There!" the older man said.
"What the hell?"
"Are you sure she'll go with me?" Argos asked Devlyn again, worry evident in his voice as they climbed into the SUV.
"She only saw me at the zoo. She doesn't know Volan still rules the pack and wants her."
Argos shook his head. "I can't believe she got herself locked up in a zoo."
Devlyn gave an evil smile, the notion he'd have to rescue her from a real wolf's attentions amusing him. "The big red wolf they tried to mate her with sure looked disappointed, hungry, and dissatisfied."
Devlyn's cousins and Argos chuckled.
"I can just imagine how mad she is over that." Argos stared out the window. "I've always wondered if we shouldn't have tried to find a red wolf pack for her to mix with. Maybe she would have found a mate with one of her own kind."
Devlyn started the ignition with a jerk. "We're her family," he said abruptly, not in the mood for hiding his feelings for her. "Besides, I doubt Volan would have stood for it."
Intent on freeing her before she turned into her human form, Devlyn sped down the road. With the temperature dropping to thirty degrees and a wind-chilled rain making it even worse, she'd be in real trouble soon.
He thought back to Volan and his desire to have Bella. Although Devlyn had warred with him over her so many times in the past when he was an immature lupus garou, he'd never had a chance to best him. Thinking she no longer lived, he had long ago ended his quarrel with Volan, concentrating instead on making his leather goods factory a success. But now, could he fight the leader and have the female he wanted most?
His hands fisted on the steering wheel, he shook his head. The notion that she loved humans gnawed at him as much as he fought not wanting to care. There was no sense in wanting what he couldn't have.
A police siren wailed behind him, shattering the otherwise quiet, and forced a shard of anger to rip through him.
Everyone turned around to see what was wrong. Frowning, Devlyn pulled the vehicle to the shoulder, spitting gravel out of its path.
"Speeding a little, Devlyn?" Argos asked, his voice amused.
Speeding a lot. Devlyn tightened his grip on the steering wheel, not wanting to leave Bella in the zoo's pen one more minute. He glanced at the rearview mirror to see a policeman approaching. If Devlyn tore off now, he could probably lose the cop. The officer would never guess Devlyn would hightail it to the zoo.
He slipped his foot off the brake.
Bella had been so intent on fleeing confinement that, when the night watchmen discovered her hiding in the moat, she didn't realize how chilled she'd become. In her wolf form, the March temperature didn't bother her. But, as a naked human, she was frozen to the bone.
"Jesus, Randolph, she's...she's naked," the younger male voice said, as he hung over the railing where zoo patrons normally observed the animals in the pen.
"Yeah, Mack. Call for backup. We don't know yet how badly she's hurt." He tugged off his jacket and dropped it on top of her. "Miss, we'll reach you as soon as we can. Are you injured?"
Her mind was fuzzy and disoriented. Hurt? Tired. Sleepy.
"She's probably hypothermic." He ran toward the entrance to the wolf's pen.
His companion relayed the messages into a phone, his footsteps running behind the other. "We have a naked woman in Big Red's pen, down in the moat. Yeah, yeah!" he hollered. "I'm serious. She's naked. We don't know if she's injured or not. Randolph says she's got to be hypothermic as cold as it is. All right." He snapped the phone shut. "The boss is making all of the calls. We're not to move her if she's hurt, just try to keep her warm. But how in the hell did..." His voice faded; then the metal door squeaked open to the building housing the inside part of the wolves' exhibit. They disappeared inside the building; then the door creaked open to the outer portion of the pen.
Numb and stiff, Bella couldn't even move to put on the jacket that the man had tossed to her. Still, the fleece helped warm her.
The men ran across the pen to the moat from the shorter concrete wall on the opposite side. "Watch my back, Randolph, in case Big Red or Rosa get any ideas. If either injured the woman, they may still feel threatened."
"Rosa must be sleeping in her den. Big Red's sitting in the corner watching us."
"Keep an eye on him. I'll lift the woman to you."
He sat at the edge of the moat, turned, and eased himself down. When his feet hit the ground, he whipped around and ran to her. "Are you hurt?"
Trembling so hard that her teeth chattered, she couldn't croak a word.
He ran his flashlight over her and then helped her into his jacket. "She doesn't appear to be injured, but she's half frozen." He covered her lap with the other jacket. "She's got hypothermia really bad." Lifting her off the rough pavement, he carried her to the older man, who was leaning down with his arms outstretched.
With the two men's heavy jackets covering her, her body warmed some while she lay on the rough concrete above the moat, yet she still shivered out of control, craved sleep, and could barely focus on much of anything.
Vaguely, she worried about being caught, about freeing herself from her current predicament, about hiding before Volan found her.
Suddenly, more shouts erupted and running footsteps headed toward the patron's safety railing across the moat.
"Is she injured?" Thompson hollered from the iron fence.
"It appears she's just hypothermic," Mack shouted back. "Her pulse is awfully slow. She has some scratches but doesn't appear to have been bitten or to have broken any bones."
Mack rubbed her hand while Randolph wrapped his coat around her legs. The door squeaked open, and she turned her head slightly when blond-bearded Thompson dashed into the pen, his blue eyes worried.
Yanking off his coat, he laid it over her. He touched her cheek with clinical concern. "Who are you, and how did you get in here?"
She stared at him, hearing the question and vaguely remembering that he'd shot her with a tranquilizer and incarcerated her here. That's how she'd gotten in here. The men's faces wavered in front of her, and she blinked her eyes slowly, trying to focus.
"What's your name?" He turned to Mack. "Has she spoken at all?"
"We heard her screaming and yelling. By the time we located her, she was crouched against the wall of the moat and hasn't said a word. She's barely conscious."
"The ambulance is on its way," Thompson said. "What about the wolves?"
"Big Red's sitting over there watching. Rosa must be sleeping in the den," Randolph said.
Thompson crouched down in front of her and touched her wrist. "Miss, what's your name? What happened?"
More flashlights wavered in the night. More men were shouting, issuing directions to the wolves' pen. Bella blinked when two policemen in their blue uniforms hurried into the pen; then she closed her eyes, wondering how she was going to extract herself from this mess.
"What happened here, Mr. Thompson?" one of the policemen asked.
Thompson explained all he knew and then reached over and held Bella's hand. "She's ice-cold."
The men piled two more coats on top of her.
"Most bizarre thing I've ever seen in the fifteen years I've been a night watchman," Randolph said.
"Damn," Mack said, tightening his grip on Bella's other hand. "Here come the media."
Before Devlyn could step on the gas and leave the cop behind in the dust, Argos grabbed his arm. "Wait."
The policeman spoke into his radio. "You've got what?" Then he leaned into the open SUV window and said to Devlyn, "Got another call. Slow it down, will you, bud?"
"Yes, sir," Devlyn said, as amicably as he could. His hands still clutched the steering wheel with a death grip.
The policeman nodded and then hurried back to his car, shouting to the other officer, "Problem at the zoo. You're never going to believe this."
Devlyn glanced at Argos, whose tanned face had turned gray.
When Devlyn finally reached the zoo's main entrance, he shut off his headlights and drove into the zoo's lower parking lot. But the sight of the police cars' and an ambulance's flashing lights washing the area near the zoo's entrance in a prism of color sent a splinter of ice into his heart. She would live. The cold or some animal's injury---if minor enough---wouldn't kill her, but how in the hell was he to secret her away?
"When the ambulance leaves, follow them to the hospital," Argos said, as if reading Devlyn's mind. "We can more easily slip her out of there than we could have here."
Sitting in the dark, like when the pack went on a hunt, they waited quietly for their prey to appear. The thought of hunting Bella sent a surge of heat through his system, a longing he had no business feeling, a lustful desire for her he could never fulfill.
The paramedics rolled her out to the ambulance; her red hair spilled over the stretcher, the blankets burying her under the covers. Devlyn could only imagine how close to death she'd come. His anger boiled deep inside. How could she be so foolish as to leave the pack like she did? This is the kind of trouble she'd get in for it. She needed a pack leader to keep her in line. No, not the pack leader...him.
Despite the knowledge that she didn't want him, or any of his kind, she was tied to him---bound together not only by the fire that killed her family, but by something deeper, more primal. He sought to rise above the darkness that filled him with wanting---with the soul-wrenching yearning for the little red wolf. But part of him wouldn't submit.
Argos cleared his gravelly throat. "We'll all go into the hospital and try to create some distraction so that we can remove her. Until then, I'll let you find out where she is and how serious her injuries are. If she's too bad, we may have to let her stay overnight and take her out sometime after that."
Still brooding over the circumstances of her captivity, Devlyn had every intention of moving her tonight. Their own healers could take care of her much better than the human doctors could because of the many years they'd practiced medicine. Devlyn and his packmates had to remove her before anyone discovered too much about her. But it was more than that. He wanted to hold her tightly in his grasp again, to reassure himself that she was safe in his care. He wouldn't wait a second longer than necessary.
They followed the string of police cars escorting the ambulance to the hospital, their blue and red lights flashing against the blackness. The drive seemed interminable. But finally the ambulance pulled into the brightly illuminated emergency entrance, and Devlyn veered away from the circus of police cars following in the ambulance's wake. Seeing the main entrance, he parked near the doors; the lot was fairly empty because of the lateness of the hour.
Before he could jerk his door open, Devlyn spied Henry Thompson headed for the emergency room doors, his stride quick and determined.
"Damn it to hell," Devlyn swore under his breath.
He hated for any man or lupus garou to get close to Bella, but especially some idiot who was in love with wolves. Would Bella mistake Thompson's wanting to help wolves with desiring to have her?
Devlyn shook his head and fisted his hands, still unable to understand what she could see in human males. Yet he had every intention of making her realize how mealy a human male was, how lame and weak and fearful their kind was, and, worse, how dangerous they could be.
"What's wrong?" Argos asked, his voice harsh with worry.
Devlyn motioned with his head toward zoo man Thompson. "He's the one I talked to about removing Rosa from the zoo. He's going to wonder what the hell I'm doing here."
Argos watched Thompson disappear inside the hospital and then let out his breath. "Then you can stay in the vehicle."
Devlyn jerked his door open. "Like hell I am."
THE SMELL OF ANTISEPTICS WAFTED IN THE ROOM, AND THE air conditioner poured out of the vents, intent on putting patients into a deep freeze, Bella was certain. Feigning sleep, she lay quietly in the hospital bed, the highly starched sheets scratchy against her exposed backside where the gown opened up. The white woolen blankets, piled four or five high fresh out of a blanket warmer, buried her, raising her internal temperature. But the knowledge that she wasn't safe yet chilled her all over again.
The room remained quiet, all except for the sound of hearts beating nearby. Once she was hooked up to the I.V., the medicine whooshing through her veins, heating her blood, the nurse left the room. But Thompson and the doctor stood silently watching her.
"Does she have any injuries, Doctor?" Thompson finally asked.
"Just hypothermia. As low as her temperature was, it's a good thing your staff found her when they did. Another couple of degrees drop and she wouldn't have survived. She hasn't revived yet and it might be a while before she comes to, but as soon as she does, you can speak with her. But not too long. She needs to rest. However, most likely she'll be incoherent at first---effects of prolonged hypothermia."
"Thanks, Doctor. I'll only speak to her for a moment."
She didn't believe him for an instant. The way Thompson had hunted her in the woods was reminiscent of a bull dog, determined, dependable to a fault, not someone easily thwarted.
Footfall sounded, moving across the room and out the door. The doctor?
His pungent cologne preceding him, Thompson moved closer to the bed. Why did human males wear such gaudy-smelling perfumes? Their own musky scent smelled so much more enticing.
Taking a deep breath, she was glad her kind's unique DNA structure shifted with the change---perfectly normal wolf DNA when they wore the wolf coat, and human DNA when they turned back into their homo sapiens form. Thompson touched her hair, sending a curl of warmth through her. The toasty, thin blankets helped, but his touch caused a different kind of heat, the kind that stirred her longing to mate.
"Miss." Thompson's voice was deep, rugged, and concerned. He reminded her of a mountain man she'd once met, caring the same for nature's habitat, the same aura of wildness surrounding him, except that the mountain man wanted to be left alone with no human contact. Thompson was different.
"Miss," he said again.
She didn't respond. This wasn't the time or place to seduce him. Later she'd work her charms on him. He cared for Rosa. Wouldn't he care for the human side of her, too?
His fingers touched her cheek and she craved opening her eyes to see the expression in his gaze. Was it longing? Lustful? Did she intrigue him a little?
"Can you tell me what happened to you?"
The sound of boots tromping toward the room caught her attention. Two men entered. She concentrated on the smell of them, different colognes, just as heavy, just as nauseating.
"Officers," Thompson said.
Her heart rate shifted to higher gear.
"Mr. Thompson," one of the policemen said. "Has she come to?"
"Not yet. The doctor said it might be awhile."
A chair slid over to the bed.
Great. She had a whole mess of observers, like at the zoo.
"What do you think happened?" one of the policemen asked.
"No telling, but I'm not leaving until I know. Thanks, by the way, for keeping the media out of it for the moment," Thompson said.
"You're welcome. We might have an attempted rape or even an attempted murder case here. Don't need the media involved quite yet. On the other hand, she might be mentally ill."
She fought making a face at them.
"I considered that." Thompson grasped her wrist, the strength of his touch spiraling through her like a gigantic heated wave. "Pulse is...well, a little rapid, but definitely better than nearly nonexistent. I thought she was too far gone there for a while."
A cell phone jingled in close proximity to Thompson. She held her breath, fearful that his staff would inform him someone had stolen Rosa from the wolves' pen.
"Thompson here," he said.
Too much silence followed. The seconds lingered like minutes, yet Thompson didn't speak a word. The suspense was killing her. When no one conversed further, she opened her eyes. Thompson stared at her with raw disbelief.
She swallowed hard, the moisture in her throat all but gone.
"Yeah," he said into the phone. "The little lady just came to. I'll ask her where Rosa is."
The hardness in his face and the grim set of his mouth and jaw indicated losing Rosa had angered him. Good. Then if he wanted her back, he could promise his undying love to her and---
"Call you right back when I have some answers." He snapped his phone shut and then furrowed his brow. "What were you doing in the wolves' pen?"
Gone were the kid gloves.
What the hell was she supposed to say? Her mind was slightly muddled still and any fabrications she might have conjured up weren't coming to her readily.
Wondering what the police officers' take was on the situation and wanting to avoid Thompson's steely-eyed glower, she glanced over at them. Both mid-thirties, one taller than the other with questioning green eyes, both dark brown--haired.
The green-eyed cop's phone rang and he lifted it to his ear. "Sgt. Stevenson. What? Detain him. I'll be right down." He shoved his phone into the pouch attached to his belt. "Man at the front desk is asking about a woman brought in half frozen from hypothermia."
"The media?" Thompson asked, steeling his back, his voice concerned.
"Yeah, suspect so. We don't need a media circus here. I'll head him off." He turned to his partner. "You stay here. Call you in a minute."
The other man nodded, and in five quick strides, Sgt. Stevenson disappeared from the room.
Thompson turned his attention back to Bella. More interrogation. Didn't the doctor tell the zoo man to take it easy on her? At least that's what she thought he'd said.
She closed her eyes. How in the hell was she going to get herself out of this mess now?
Thompson cleared his throat. "Now listen, miss, if you're some kind of animal rights activist and wanted to free the wolf..." He paused and then continued. "Okay, let me tell you a little tale. Last year we had a similar scenario. The red wolf was someone's pet, but the owner decided he couldn't manage the animal when his wife had a new baby. So what did he do? Afraid the wolf might attack his child, he released the wolf into the wild. Sure, wolves are feral, but this one had been domesticated, too. She kept returning to Portland neighborhoods, looking for the home life she was used to, and finally killed someone's toy poodle---not out of viciousness, but because she was starving. So the dog owner shot and killed her. If she'd been brought to the zoo, she would have been safe, protected, well fed, and content."
And mated with Big Red.
Saddened that the dog owner had destroyed the red wolf and that his beloved pet had to die, Bella hid her feelings and still didn't say anything.
"Several have asked to transfer Rosa to other zoos. It wouldn't have been you and some of your cohorts, would it?" Thompson added.
The cop said, "If you suspect her of wrongdoing, she needs to be read her rights and---"
Thompson interrupted him and directed his comments to Bella. "Listen, we only want to protect Rosa. I know you and your friends do, too. If you hand her over to us, we'll drop the charges."
Was he bluffing to make her tell him the truth? No, she believed he'd honor his word.
"Okay, let's start off all over again. My name is Henry Thompson, one of the biggest contributors to the zoo. I oversee some of the more endangered species, including red wolves. I've worked with other zoos for years, trying to return a select number to the wild, but we can't set Rosa loose out here. No red wolves exist in the Cascades for her to mate. She'd end up mating with coyotes, and the result wouldn't be pure red wolf, which is what has happened in Texas, nearly obliterating the original red wolf species until more recently."
When she wouldn't respond, the cop said, "We have to know what you were doing in the wolves' pen, miss."
She looked back at the blankets covering her, considered the I.V. attached to her arm, and wondered which floor of the hospital her room was located on.
Thompson sat in the chair beside her. "I'm not leaving until I have some answers."
Maybe not, but perhaps he'd grow sleepy, or take a bathroom break, or...
The cop's phone rang. "Yeah? I'll be right down." He hung up and then said, "The media man vanished. I'm going to help my partner look for the news van. The lady at the front desk gave out the wrong room number for wolf lady here."
She couldn't help but cast him a sardonic smile at the name he called her.
"You won't be smiling when we put you in jail for this little stunt you've just pulled," Thompson said, his tone harsh.
Wouldn't that be ironic? If she sat in jail long enough, she could turn back into the wolf. Then the charges would be dropped against Bella, and she'd be returned to the wolf pen as Rosa.
"You might want to stay with her in the event someone locates her anyway," the cop said. "Be back in a little while."
"I'll be here."
The cop hurried out of the room and shut the door behind him with a click.
Fleeing seemed much more plausible now with Thompson all alone with her in the room. He leaned closer to the bed and tapped his fingers on the mattress, his eyes pinning her with authority. "We might not be able to make the charges of wolf-napping stick against you, but we can get you for trespassing."
She closed her eyes.
He grunted. "You're as stubborn as my ex-wife. When she'd made up her mind not to say something, there wasn't anything I could do to convince her to open up."
Bella wanted to ask why they were divorced, but she figured she was better off keeping quiet.
The door opened, and Bella opened her eyes. The nurse poked her head in. "The doctor said you have ten more minutes and then the patient needs to rest. Visitors aren't normally allowed in the rooms at this hour."
"But---"
The nurse raised her hand. "Doctor's orders."
Before she shut the door, another scent filtered into the room---Devlyn's aromatic male scent.
Hell, he was coming for her, the traitor, and he'd return her to Volan posthaste.
"Get me out of here now, and I'll tell you where Rosa is." Bella's voice was still little more than a whisper, which probably saved her butt or Devlyn would have heard her.
Thompson folded his arms and leaned back in the chair. "No. You're too weak. Not until the doctor says---"
She glanced at the I.V. in her arm and then yanked it out. To stop the bleeding, she clamped her hand over the tape that had held the I.V. in place.
"Wait, miss---"
Jerking her blankets to the floor, she stumbled out of bed. What she wouldn't have given for some swift wolf's legs about now. Although she could run long and hard as a human, too, a nice warm wolf pelt would have been preferable in the cold winter weather to a human's naked body.
Thompson jumped up from the chair and headed for her.
Her head swam, and she grabbed the mattress. The idea that she had completely recovered was a delusion.
Thompson skirted around the bed to help her. "I'm---I'm sorry. You need to return to bed, miss. I didn't mean to upset you."
She rushed past him into the bathroom. With only a flimsy hospital gown tied at the back and nothing else to clothe her body, she was out of luck. She locked the bathroom door and then looked at the window. No way to open it. No escape. She hurried out of the bathroom.
Thompson hit the nurse's call button, his tanned face now pale. "I'll get a nurse to put the I.V. back---"
Desperate to escape Devlyn, Bella ran out of the room. She dashed for the nearest exit sign down the long corridor.
"Miss!" Thompson shouted after her.
She slammed into the fire stairs door, glancing back to see Devlyn at the nurses' station and Thompson tearing out of the room.
Thompson looked back at Devlyn, evidently to see what caught her eye. Both men stared at each other for a moment. She didn't wait to see what happened next.
After charging down two flights of stairs, she bolted onto the first floor. One man's boots tromped down the stairwell in hasty pursuit of her. She dove undetected into a hospital room. Thank God an elderly patient snored in his sleep in one of the beds. Heart pounding, she slid under the unoccupied bed.
The door to the room opened. She scarcely breathed. Boots stood in the doorway but then moved away and the door closed.
Hurrying out from underneath the bed, she searched through the man's wall closet.
After tossing the hospital gown, she slipped on his large button-down, collared shirt that reached mid-thigh. She pulled a bulky sweater over this. His baggy trousers and canoe-sized shoes were way too big. Grabbing his corduroy jacket, she shoved her arms into the sleeves. Barefooted and barelegged, she ran to the door and peeked out.
The hallway remained empty, but Thompson, the police, and Devlyn had to be nearby. She leaned against the doorframe, dizzy---not yet herself. Her head fuzzed and her heart beat way out of control.
When her head cleared, she dashed for the front door that she envisioned lay beyond the bend in the hall, centered in the middle of the building.
Devlyn suddenly walked out of a room down the hall and into her path, his back to her. Her breath caught in her throat. Bolting, she tried to dash past him, but he jumped to block her. She slammed against his body instead, and he wrapped his arms around her in a secure vice.
Panic filled her. His touch forced her to want more from him---a searing embrace, another kiss, full of passion. Madness. He'd turn her over to the pack leader, damn him.
Devlyn pulled her into the room. To her horror, Thompson and the two cops lay still as death on the floor, forcing a gasp from her lips. "What---"
His eyes burning with anger, he held a finger to her lips. Then he took her hand and whispered harshly, "We're leaving through the front door, quietly." When she tried to jerk free, he gripped her hand tighter. "Quietly, damn it, Bella. Behave for once."
Straightening her shoulders, she narrowed her eyes. She'd slipped away from the pack before. She could do it again. And, for now, Devlyn seemed her only chance to flee the hospital. Yet, God, how she hungered for more than his hand gripping hers. It was mating season, she reminded herself, nothing more, and she would lust after any male that...hell, who was she trying to kid? The way he looked at her bare legs, even while they stood in imminent danger of being discovered, the way he touched her---he craved her as much as she did him.
He walked her back into the hall toward the center of the building, his stride long and indomitable, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. His touch should have warmed her...well, hell, it did. But for all of the wrong reasons. She craved more of his touch, at the same time resenting the implication. He was her captor, her new zookeeper; her blood sizzled.
When they walked past the nurses' station, a woman wearing polka-dot scrubs spoke on the phone, her eyes wide. "The patient is missing?"
His jaw tight, Devlyn hurried Bella toward the door past the station.
The woman said, "Wait! Sir! Miss!"
He hit the door with his shoulder and yanked Bella outside into the crisp, cold air. Grabbing her up in his arms, he ran for the black SUV parked curbside.
Gray-haired Argos tugged the door open.
"Argos," she said under her breath, the pleasure at seeing him overshadowed by the realization that the pack was returning her to Volan. She clenched her teeth.
He gave her a warm smile. "We've missed you."
"Volan has missed me."
Argos's smile faded.
"Hurry." Tanner, Devlyn's cousin, pointed out the window. "A security guard is headed this way."
Devlyn jumped into the driver's seat while Tanner and his brother Heath wedged Bella between them in the middle seat; then Devlyn gunned the engine. "We'll split up. Give the police clues that Bella and I have headed in other directions."
Bella was squished between Devlyn's cousins, who sat too close for comfort. "Give me some more room," she growled.
Tanner chuckled. "Spicy vinegar, just like the old days, eh, Bella?"
"Volan won't like it if we split up," Argos warned, glancing over the seat at her.
She shoved at Tanner to move his leg, uncomfortably wedged against her thigh, but he wouldn't budge. His brother patted her bare thigh. "About time you returned to the pack. Sure missed having you around."
She slapped his hand.
"They'll catch all of us if we don't split up," Devlyn countered, shifting his attention from the road to his rearview mirror, and gave his cousins a dangerous glare.
Murmured objections filtered forward, but by pack rules, Devlyn was older, and since Argos, though the eldest, had stepped down from pack leadership, Devlyn made the decisions.
"Bella stays with me. Everyone else takes whatever route they need to, to make it back to Colorado," Devlyn clarified.
Argos took a deep breath. "And the two of you?"
"We'll have a time with Thompson." Devlyn shook his head at Bella. "You sure have confused him."
She jerked Tanner's fingers free from a coil of her hair. "Touch me again and you'll lose your fingers."
The cousins all laughed, but Devlyn gave them a look like he'd be the one to follow through with Bella's threat if they didn't behave.
When they arrived at the hotel, the time approached one in the morning. With obvious disdain, Devlyn's cousins reluctantly drove off into the dark in separate vehicles. Argos gave Bella a warm embrace in the parking area of the five-story hotel. He'd been the father she'd lost so long ago, and her heart sank with the knowledge that she might never see him again.
"Welcome back to the pack, Bella. We'll see you soon."
Instantly, he stoked her ire. She was never returning to Volan, ever. "It's good to see you again, Argos. You take care."
He'd always been kind to her, protecting her when the overly rambunctious males had overextended their boundaries with her during her teens, keeping in touch with her all of these years. She loved seeing him again, even briefly. But she knew she'd never be able to correspond with him again for fear Volan would discover her.
Argos nodded as if he knew her thoughts and acknowledged she would make Devlyn's life hell if he contemplated returning her home.
He shook Devlyn's hand. "Keep her safe and bring her home."
"Will do."
Argos quickly disappeared into the blackness, too.
Instantly, being alone with Devlyn sent a spark of concern through her. All male, he was the right age to crave mating with a female in heat. Would he make a move on her while Volan remained out of the way?
Secretly, the urge to mate with Devlyn wreaked havoc with her feelings. She couldn't encourage his attentions, or both would suffer Volan's wrath. But still the desire to have Devlyn's kiss again---
Devlyn grabbed her arm and pulled her into the cement stairwell, their footsteps echoing all the way up to the second floor. Down a long, carpeted, dusty-smelling hall, he hastened her to his room.
"You're barely able to stay on your feet and your eyes look soggy, half-drugged. We'll sleep here for a couple of hours and then move." He shoved the keycard into the slot and then opened the door into a living area furnished with a sofa and a couple of chairs.
At once, the idea that he'd take her back to the pack leader stirred her blood all over again. "You're not taking me back to Volan." She didn't have to say it, but she wanted to state the facts up front, to let Devlyn know that, even if he thought he was the boss of the situation, she had other plans.
He walked her across the living room and then pulled her into the bedroom. "Whatever you say, Bella." While blocking her escape path through the doorway, he yanked off his leather jacket.
The black shirt he wore fit over shoulders that had broadened since the last time she'd seen him. Were his pecs as hard and well sculpted as she imagined them? She was dying to see. On the other hand, she couldn't let him know how much she desired him.
She folded her arms. "You're not staying in here with me."
He crossed the floor to her, pulled the way-too-big jacket from her shoulders, and then dropped it on the floor. "You're not sleeping by yourself so you can give me the slip. We'll have enough running to do. That Thompson fellow is like a bloodhound. He won't be satisfied until he gets you back."
"You mean the wolf back."
"Yeah, and that means you."
Her eyes remained riveted on his buttons while he worked to remove his shirt. When he pulled it off and dropped it on the floor, she stared at his dark-haired chest and chiseled abs. She sighed at the sight of his well-toned body. Already her hormones were set in high gear. She would be attracted to any male, she reminded herself, as much as she desired to mate. But she couldn't help the feeling that this one stirred her like no other.
Her nipples tightened and her breasts swelled in anticipation of his touch. She was sure the short curls between her legs were drenched with expectation, as much as she ached for him. Damn being in heat.
She folded her arms again and hoped to both stop what she figured he had in mind and still leave herself a chance of escaping him. "Volan won't like it if you share a bed with me."
"He doesn't have to like it."
She raised her brows to hear his defiant words. "So, does that mean you've finally grown some balls?" If he were ready to fight Volan---
"Don't, Bella. Don't make anything more out of this than a bad case of necessity. You'll run if I don't stay with you. That's all. You're going home to the pack where you belong."
She curbed the anger that simmered beneath the surface. He didn't want her after all. He only used her to get in good with the leader of the pack. "Why didn't you have Argos stay with me instead?"
"He'd have let you have your own way."
She didn't believe Devlyn for an instant. Sure, Argos had always been good to her, but she was certain he felt she'd be safer at home with the pack and wouldn't have let her off that easily.
"And your cousins?"
"Any one of them would have tried to have their way with you. They're immature and would lose their heads over the thought of you naked in bed with them." He reached over to touch her belly. "As ripe as you are, your smell is an aphrodisiac."
She slapped his hand away. His intimation that her alluring scent was the only reason the other males wanted her forced a chill of irritation across her skin. But hell, maybe he was right. Maybe Volan was the only one who really desired her for a permanent mate. Her stomach rolled with nausea at the idea.
Devlyn walked over to the bedroom door and shut it. With a click, he locked it. But it wasn't half as secure as the zoo cell. She smiled inwardly but glowered outwardly. He returned to the bed, sat, and pulled off his boots.
Considering his words again, she observed his actions. "But you won't lose your head over me?"
"I have a bit more control than that."
Right.
She walked over to the bed and jerked the solid green comforter back. "Good for you, though I'm not removing anything more anyway."
Crossing the floor in a flash, he pulled her around to face him. His unbridled actions signaled danger. She sensed he was close to losing control. He'd done it before when he kissed her, and the fire burned and the anger smoldered in his darkened eyes now like that day long ago. His gaze dropped to her lips as her heart sent the blood rushing to her ears. He wasn't as immune to her as he pretended. Why couldn't she meet a human male who aroused her like he did? But Devlyn could never be her mate. He would always be Volan's lackey.
She tried to pull away, but he shoved her back on the bed, making her sit. Glaring at him, she folded her arms.
He yanked off the cardigan sweater and then unbuttoned her shirt. Once he'd pulled it from her shoulders and dropped it on the floor, he said, "I won't sleep with something that smells like a human male."
His gaze dropped from hers to enjoy her nudity. He smiled appreciatively.
"You've seen me naked before." She slid into bed and then yanked the covers over her.
"It's been a good long while and you're a bit more mature now." His eyes sparkled with intrigue and his lips still smiled.
She assumed he wouldn't try to make love to her.
But then he dropped his pants and she saw his erection. He was one gorgeous hunk of a gray lupus garou. She hadn't remembered him being that big. She wasn't sure he could hold back and not attempt to mate with her. On the other hand, she wasn't sure she wanted him to stop himself, either.
He yanked the covers off her. "Slide over."
"Go around to the other side of the bed," she growled.
"You're on my side. But if you prefer to sleep here, too..." Letting his words trail off, he climbed on top of her and pinned her to the mattress.
Clenching her teeth, she tried to wriggle out from underneath his hard, naked body, but his hands seized her wrists and he spread his legs on either side of her, boxing her in. His thick arousal pressed hard against her mound and liquid heat pooled between her legs.
"Like it here still?" he asked, licking her cheek.
Lost in the feel of him, his heart beating rapidly against her chest, his skin hot, his body hard, and his smell wild, out-of-doors, and musk, she fought parting her legs for him; the ache to have him penetrate her feminine folds was overwhelming.
His erection stirred and he swept his lips over the sensitive skin at her throat.
Was he having a difficult time maintaining his subservient position in the pack?
"Get off me," she growled, although she wanted to encourage his actions.
"I gave you ample opportunity to move and you wouldn't listen." His voice sounded drenched with lust. His mouth caressed the line of her jaw, making her skin tingle in heady expectation. "When you're in a pack, there are rules."
Unable to control her body's reaction, her heated core ached for him to follow through. "Yes, and one of them is not to seduce the pack leader's intended bitch," she said, meaning to sound irritated and put him off, but her voice seemed sexually frustrated instead.
Devlyn cast her an evil smile. "I'm not seducing you. You're still suffering from the effects of hypothermia. I'm merely providing necessary medical attention."
Again she tried to squirm free, to show him he couldn't control her, but every wiggle only made her more aware of how ready his body was to take hers. She swore she heard him muffle a groan.
"Yeah, right, Devlyn. Volan would really believe that line as much as I do."
He ran his fingers through her hair and touched his lips to hers, softly this time.
She couldn't help but respond, desperately needy for a mate's touch...Devlyn's touch. The doubts she had about Volan, Devlyn, or wanting a human male all faded from her thoughts in an instant. She licked his lips and then nipped the lower one.
He issued a deep-throated growl.
She paused. What the hell was she doing? He said he could control himself, but not the way he touched her. His erection throbbed against her waist as the sweet ache between her legs intensified. She didn't want him to stop. What was wrong with her? She couldn't encourage him. Volan would kill him for certain.
When she stilled beneath him, Devlyn took a long, ragged breath and then rolled off her. "Get some sleep, Bella. We'll have several long days ahead of us."
She turned away from him, hurt, confused, angry. She wanted him to be her mate forever and didn't want to wait for that day.
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her against his arousal, her backside bared to him, and she wanted him to take her like a wolf would in the wild.
"To ensure you don't get any ideas of slipping away in the night," he said, his face nuzzling her hair.
She attempted to jerk away from him.
He tightened his iron hold on her. "It's hard enough for me to...well, just lie still, Bella."
But she couldn't sleep, let alone think; the ache between her legs begged for satisfaction. She rubbed her bottom against him, offering herself to him, and he growled in response, the kind of growl that meant he was losing control.
BELLA STROKED HER BOTTOM AGAINST DEVLYN'S RAGING arousal, triggering an undeniable lust for the woman he'd coveted endlessly.
"Damn it, Bella, stop it." To still her actions, he tightened his hold on her waist, the insatiable urge to take her filling him with feral aggression.
"I can't help it. Your scent and your touch are driving me nuts," she growled.
"You only say that because you want me to let you go, but I don't trust you."
Ignoring him, she pressed herself hard against him, challenging him to mate.
No human or lupus garou bitch boasted the same alluring scent as Bella. Taking a deep breath, he drank in her wild fragrance, a heady aphrodisiac compelling him to mate with her against all common sense. He nuzzled his face in her silky red hair, making the attraction stronger, not controlling his behavior as he should.
Devlyn ran his hand over Bella's side, down the gentle curve of her hip, to her inner thigh. She parted her legs for him, and he groaned with insatiable lust. Sliding his hand up her belly, he reached her breast and squeezed the full soft mound.
She moaned and pressed against his heavy loins again.
"Be still," he whispered into her hair.
"You don't want me to be still," she growled. "Not if you're going to keep touching me."
Hungering to mate with her, he lifted her leg over his.
She stiffened her back.
"Nothing that will get us into too much trouble, Bella. Just going to relieve some of your tension."
As soon as he slipped his fingers between her legs, into the hot, wet, swollen folds, she trembled. Stroking her, he whispered next to her ear, "How does that feel?"
"Harder, faster," she managed to get out.
The thrill of having her tight against his body, naked as he had imagined for so many years, filled him with primal need. "Breathe, Bella. I don't want you passing out."
Squirming against him, she prodded him to quit talking and do more.
Reveling in the sweet musky scent that was all Bella, he stroked in and out and then touched her nub again. She placed her hand on his, pressing his fingers harder against her, forcing him to rub faster. Arching her back, she groaned. His arousal stretched out to her like a pike readied to enter her virgin territory, touching her between the folds, but not penetrating. Her moans of ecstasy and writhing lithe body undid him. With Bella's body squirming against him, his erection sliding against her folds, he fought losing control.
Her body shuddered, she cried out, her inner muscles contracting with her climax, and he quickly pulled away before he finished what he'd started.
She gazed at him with darkened amber eyes. "Are you okay?"
His hormones raged out of control, his arousal ached for release, and she had to ask if he was all right? In a husky voice, he motioned to the bathroom and said, "Why don't you wash up, Bella."
"Right." She crossed the floor to the bathroom, her silky skin covered in a fine sheen of perspiration, her red hair in tangles as though she'd been well loved.
God, how he wanted to make her his mate for real.
He was a fool to have touched her, knowing how she turned him on, but even when he'd played with her when they were young, there was always the need to conquer her, to make her his own. Pacing across the room, he tried to get his wolf instincts under control, when instead he wanted to join her in the shower and lick and nip every inch of her delectable skin and penetrate her slick folds.
The shower ran for a short while and then shut off, and she walked out of the bathroom---the towel wrapped around her head, the rest of her naked, her rosy nipples extended, willing him to touch them with his tongue. He took a ragged breath and stalked toward the bathroom. "I'll wash up." A dip in the icy stream back home would cool him down nicely about now. He paused at the door, scowling at her while she slipped into bed. "Don't leave, Bella."
A sly smile curved her lips, stirring his libido all over again. "Why would I do that when you can relieve my...tension, so well?"
He growled. "Don't mention it."
"We didn't mate," she said softly, pulling the cover to her breast. "Don't give it another thought."
As if that could ever happen. He'd think of every stroke, every moan of ecstasy she'd made, the feel of her soft wet folds, her musky sweet scent, every bit of her forever. Just as he couldn't get out of his mind the kiss he'd given her so long ago.
Not trusting her to stay put, he hesitated. She watched him, her expression curious as he pondered what to do. Then he gathered their discarded clothes that were piled on the floor. He didn't think she'd try to run without them.
She cast him an annoyed look. He gave her a tight smile and hurried into the bathroom, leaving the door open. A quick shower with the curtain pulled aside would have to suffice, as he didn't trust little Bella to not run off.
After he finished showering, he towel dried and then strode into the darkened room. His blood heated when he saw only pillows stacked together where she'd lain down.
He yanked the pillow away and stared at the vixen. Bella was sleeping soundly, as innocent as an angel.
Innocent, my ass. There was no innocence in the way she tasted, smelled, or felt.
He walked around to the other side of the bed and slid between the coarse bleached sheets. As soon as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against his body, she hummed. "What took you so long? And why didn't you make me move over for you this time, Devlyn?"
He grunted. "I thought you were asleep. Guess you were only pretending."
"Nearly asleep," she said, her voice soft, alluring, tempting him.
He ran his fingers through her silky, damp hair. "Why haven't you found this human mate of yours yet?" He wasn't sure what got into him to ask---maybe the annoyance he felt that she wanted one, maybe the concern she'd come close to finding one. But afterward he wondered if he should have brought the subject up or kept it buried, like so many other things he didn't ever want to discuss with her.
She tensed in his arms. "Haven't had the time. I have to be selective, you know. One chance for the mate of a lifetime."
"You've had a lot of years to find one. You're lucky we don't age as fast as humans or you'd be dead and gone by now."
"All the more reason to find the right one. Besides, because I haven't been around our kind, this was the first wolf heat I've ever come into since I left the pack. Not sure why it happened this time, unless it's my human age catching up with me. Haven't had much of an urge to find a mate...until now." She paused. "What about you? Why have you never mated?"
"Maybe I have."
She grew quiet.
Maybe she wasn't so determined to find a human for companionship after all. "I've never chosen a mate. Seems I can't find the right one either."
She let out her breath. "Why have you never left the pack? I thought you would years ago."
"I did, a few times." He wasn't about to tell how long and hard he'd searched for her. "But I always longed to be back with my own kind. When Argos took me in---"
"What?"
"I thought you knew."
"Argos's wolf pack wasn't your own?"
Nuzzling his mouth against her ear, he nibbled at the lobe. "No. They took me in like they did you."
"I thought you were part of the family." Her fingertips caressed his arm with featherlight strokes.
His body hardened in response, but he fought giving into his baser instincts. "I was...am. They're my family. And, as much as I don't care for Volan, he's the pack leader. For the most part, he rules well and keeps the pack safe. I'm not a lone wolf kind of guy. I like being a member of a family."
"So your cousins who came with you aren't really your cousins?"
"They are, in a manner of speaking. You're a distant cousin, if you want to get right down to it."
"Thank you, no."
"Don't think you're good enough to be a cousin to a gray?"
A sensual chuckle issued from her belly, warming him several degrees.
Ringing her nipple with the tip of his finger, he enticed it to harden. The sensation shot a spark of interest straight to his groin. He could never get enough of touching her to make up for the time lost. Yet, in the back of his mind, he knew she didn't want him, that it was only her wolf's heat that made her crave him. "Argos wondered if we did you a disservice by not finding a red lupus garou pack to return you to, if maybe you would have settled down with your own kind."
"I'm afraid I've been with the bigger grays for so long that the reds look puny."
He stilled his hands. "You've been in touch with some, Bella?"
"At...at the zoo."
"What?"
"Two men. About our age. They said they'd break me out. One urinated along the fence line. Didn't you catch his odor?"
Hell and damnation. Fisting his hands in her hair, he knew damn well what the red intended with his actions. "The breeze must have shifted." Damn his bad luck. Not only would the reds frown on another male lupus garou trespassing, but a gray trying to take a red to another wolves' territory wouldn't set well with them. "You should have told me."
"You're not worried about them, are you? We left the zoo and then ended up at the hospital and now here. They won't be able to follow me."
"The news will carry the story about your hospital stay and subsequent disappearance. The mystery woman found in the wolf's pen, without clothes, the disappearance of the red wolf, and most likely my description, too. If the red who targeted you is a pack leader, no one would cross him. So he'd know I was from out of town, not a member of his pack."
"He was young, your age...early twenties, small. He wouldn't be a leader."
"Reds are smaller." He wasn't dismissing the fact that they could have more trouble than they bargained for---first zoo man Thompson, then the cops, and now a pack of red wolves.
"Besides, Devlyn, I am selecting my mate."
"That's what this is all about? You want to choose instead of a male choosing you?" His voice sounded as incredulous as he felt.
"This is all about not wanting to be Volan's mate. Don't you see?"
"He's the leader. You should be proud a leader wants you. He'll always safeguard you. Besides, I thought you and he shared a connection." He couldn't help sounding peeved. But, in truth, besides the fact she wanted a human mate and the way she denied wanting to be with Volan, he felt otherwise.
She didn't respond.
"Bella?"
"Leave it," she snapped.
"Why do you despise him so? It's not because he killed the boy at the lake. You hated Volan long before this, although I recall a time when that wasn't the case." The instance when Volan had encouraged her to eat after the death of her best friend---yet she'd bitten Devlyn when he'd tried to console her---hadn't faded from his memory. The image of Volan's arms snug around her and Bella's head pressed against his chest still burned hot in Devlyn's mind.
She abruptly changed the subject. "You never told me what happened between you and Volan the day I ran. I didn't think you'd survive."
"Disappointed?" He knew there was something more to the story with Volan, damn it.
She tried to wriggle out of his arms. "Don't be an idiot. Of course I didn't want him hurting you. I didn't want him hurting the human boy either."
Attempting to squash the hard knot in the pit of his stomach when the image of her lusting after the human in the lake came to mind, he redirected the conversation. "Volan was pretty angry with me for kissing you."
"Some kiss."
The way she said it, dreamily and with intrigue, diminished his annoyance with her over the human boy. "Did you like it?"
"It was all right," she responded too nonchalantly---as if she were playing a role in a movie but overplaying her part a bit.
"You've had better?" he asked, his tone mocking.
Silence greeted him.
Inwardly, he chuckled. "Thought not."
"I'm not going to tell you about all of the guys I've kissed." She tried to squirm free, but he tightened his grip. Sighing heavily, she quit her struggles. "What happened between you and Volan?"
"He planned to tear me to shreds until you ran off. Then Volan hesitated. He wasn't sure whether to kill me or chase you. After scrapping with me for a couple of minutes to make a point, he took after you."
"Were you badly injured?"
"Nothing that wouldn't heal in a couple of days. When Volan returned home two days later without you, he was hell to live with. After I healed, I left the pack."
"In search of me?"
He couldn't reveal that a feminine red lupus garou had brought a big gray to his knees. And he didn't want to tell her that he not only couldn't win against Volan, but he couldn't locate one little runaway female red wolf. This time he didn't answer her.
When he didn't respond, she lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it, warming him thoroughly. "Did you see a newscast about me?"
"Yeah, Argos said it was you right away."
She shrugged and muttered under her breath, "Could have been another."
"Nope, had your trademark all over it."
"I've never been caught and stuck in a zoo before."
He nudged her neck with his cheek. "No, but you've needed rescuing before. So, how was Big Red?"
She slugged him in the shoulder, forcing him to laugh out loud. Playing with her again felt good, but he wanted more. Resenting that he couldn't take her for his own, the powerful need to renew the good memories of their youth and to form new ones as mates strangled him. But it wasn't his business to want the pack leader's intended bitch and, worse, one who wanted a human companion.
With the need for sleep tantamount, both grew quiet; his arms securely wrapped around her, and they slept soundly for a couple of hours.
Something woke Devlyn. He sat up in bed, his heightened wolf senses taking hold. The smell of men's cologne, the sound of a keycard sliding into a slot, and the hush of men's voices in the hallway of their hotel suite triggered adrenaline to course through his blood at racetrack speed.
He jerked the covers aside, jumped off the mattress, and seized Bella's wrist. Clasping his hand over her mouth, he spoke against her ear in a hushed voice; her heart beat hard and her eyes were wild with fear. "Police, I think, trying to enter the living area of the hotel suite. Get dressed."
He shoved her clothes to her and pushed the queensized bed against the door. Throwing on his clothes, he turned to see Bella, already dressed in the oversized men's garments, sliding the patio door open and running onto the balcony. Before he could reach her, she climbed over the patio railing. For a moment, she hung from the concrete patio like a monkey, swinging in the cold city jungle, a drizzle coating everything in icy wetness.
He touched her hand. "Can you make it all right?"
"Yes," she whispered, her amber eyes darkened.
She dropped to the grassy ground shimmering with water droplets. Devlyn jumped down next to her and grabbed her hand. When he started to lift her, she objected.
"You're not wearing shoes, Bella. Let me do this my way."
"All right, boss, do it."
Black as night, Devlyn's eyes studied her for a moment. "It's about time you said so." His voice was hushed but different than Bella had ever heard it. Before she could further consider the change in his mood, he lifted her in his arms and ran across a road, the feel of his virile strength feeding her own. Skirting to the backside of an apartment complex, he headed for an SUV.
"I hope it's yours."
"Rental. We had several, figuring we'd give the police a good chase with all of us going in different directions. We kept this one here in case anyone discovered us at the hotel."
Releasing her, he unlocked the vehicle's doors with the click of the button. "I have a change of clothes for you in the backseat. Put them on while I get us out of here."
After she slipped into the back, he took the wheel and drove out of the parking area. Unzipping the bag, she pulled out the contents---a scrappy pair of red lace panties, a bra the same color, a pair of pale blue running pants, a sweatshirt, and socks and sneakers, trimmed with hearts.
"Who picked out the red scraps of lace?"
"Tanner."
She laughed at the thought of Devlyn's cousin, always playing the bad boy role. "Figures. He always did have a thing for red."
"If you don't like the color, you don't have to put them on."
"Go without?"
He glanced at the rearview mirror, his eyes smoldering.
She clicked the bra closed in front and frowned. "It's a pushup bra."
"Didn't need anything pushed up," he said, his voice ragged. "But it suits you."
"Watch your driving."
"Can't help the distraction," he growled.
Horny and frustrated, he acted like Big Red at the zoo. She pulled the rest of the clothes on and climbed into the front seat. "I can't believe I didn't pick up on those cops at the front door."
"You were still recovering from your harrowing experience at the zoo. How do you feel?"
"Like I'll have to take another nap later on."
"Want to crawl in the back and sleep for awhile?"
"I couldn't right now. My skin's still prickling from nearly getting caught." She ran her hands over the running pants, wiping off the clamminess.
"What's bothering you, Bella?"
"Nothing."
"Don't tell me nothing. I can tell from the tension in your voice you're worried, and about more than the cops almost catching us."
She turned away from him and stared out the window; a light mist drizzled down the glass pane. "It's nothing."
"If you're considering not going home with me, think again. You're not safe on your own. Lupus garous have to stick together to survive. Loners get themselves killed. And no matter what, you can't expose our kind."
She glanced at him and opened her mouth to tell him off.
Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Devlyn cursed under his breath. "Ah, hell---trouble, straight ahead."
A ROADBLOCK. TWO POLICE CRUISERS SAT DEAD AHEAD on the shoulder of the road. While one policeman spoke to the driver of a compact, another eyed Devlyn and Bella's approaching SUV.
Despite the car's heater running on high, a chill ran down Bella's spine, and she involuntarily shuddered. "Maybe they're just looking for drunk drivers."
Devlyn shook his head. "We can't risk that they aren't looking for us."
"They'll recognize us, won't they, if they get a good look at us?"
"Yeah, I imagine so. Thompson probably gave them a rough description. That long, red hair of yours will be a dead giveaway." Devlyn turned down a side street before they reached the checkpoint and switched off his headlights. "Hold on tight. Someone will probably check us out because we avoided the roadblock."
She swallowed hard, not liking the situation at all. "See the carport in front of those apartments? Pull into a vacant slot. A police helicopter searching from above won't see the SUV then."
"I'm more concerned about the ones looking from the ground."
"Do it, Devlyn."
He grunted. "What happened to my being the boss?"
"You can be the boss later, stud."
He turned to look at her, his eyes darker than usual, his expression surprised. She sensed her new nickname for him pleased him in a sensual sort of way, and her own body responded as the ache returned between her legs.
"Let's try to find an apartment where no one's home and get some more sleep," she suggested.
"I hope you're right about this." He turned into the two-story apartment complex and parked underneath the metal carport.
"We probably couldn't outrun them. But if they didn't see us pull in here, they'll probably keep driving and---"
A police car approached and Bella and Devlyn ducked down.
Seconds passed. The vehicle continued down the road, its engine rumbling slightly.
Devlyn peered out the windshield. "They're still going. If they come back to check the parking lots, they may find the SUV, especially if they caught sight of the license plate before we turned down the street perpendicular to the one where the roadblock was set up."
She climbed out of the vehicle, glad the police hadn't noticed the wet drizzle on the vehicle when the ones parked next to it were dry as the desert. "You don't have to come."
"You're not running away from me again." He slammed his door shut.
"Oh?" She darted across the parking area in the thickening mist, and he dashed after her, catching her wrist with a vice-like grip. She would have loved his possessiveness if he'd wanted her for his own. But no, he was keeping her from running away so he could turn her over to Volan. The bastard.
"When did I ever run away from you?" Dropping down behind a razor-toothed holly shrub, she listened for sounds in the apartment.
"When you left Colorado," he said, his harsh tone hushed while he crouched beside her.
"I slipped away from Volan, not you," she whispered in retort.
He clamped his mouth shut.
She stared at him. He'd only kissed her so long ago to prove he was more virile than the human boy, nothing more. Hell, he'd never even searched for her, or Argos would have said. "Devlyn, you can't mean you want me. Volan would kill you."
"Like hell he would."
The image of the last wolf Volan had killed flashed through her mind, and, with Devlyn not giving an inch, she tried to clear her thoughts of the vicious memory. She darted past an apartment window, dragging Devlyn with her. She listened again. "A man snoring."
She ran past the apartment and Devlyn gave her a dark look. A dog barked in the next one. Shaking her head, she moved to the next window. A distinctive odor of death and something more caught her attention---the smell of a red male lupus garou. Instantly, she made the connection between the rogue she'd caught a whiff of in the woods and the one who had been here. Her skin chilled. She was used to the hunt, but this was something else, something purely evil.
Intending to investigate and sure that Devlyn would not agree, she twisted her arm free of him and ran up the steps to the front door.
Dashing after her, Devlyn grabbed her wrist. "No," he whispered harshly. "You stay here and I'll check it out."
Grateful he would, she asked, "Do you smell it, too?"
A look of feral hostility flashed across his face.
"Maybe we can...help." But she doubted they could. She yanked at his leather jacket. "You have a lock pick, don't you?"
"Standard lupus garou toolkit. Where's yours?" He pulled out a leather kit and slid a tool out.
"I never sneaked into human's homes like you and your cousins did for fun, remember?"
"Only because you were too shy."
She snorted.
Jiggling the pick in the lock, he sprang the mechanism open. He shoved the door aside and walked into the room. "The air is foul," he whispered.
"Someone's died," she whispered back, her skin damp and crawling.
"A few days ago. Decay's already set in despite the place being ice-cold. Air conditioner's running on high even though the temperature is barely above freezing outside."
"Natural causes. Let it be by natural causes." But she knew it wasn't, knew it had to be the killer she'd tried to track in the Cascades. She recognized his scent right before zoo man Thompson had caught her on her jaunt through the woods. Was it one of the two wolves she saw watching her at the stream? She couldn't be sure. The breeze had shifted and it might have disguised which of them it was. Or it might have been another, one she hadn't seen, hidden in the woods.
The sound of shattering glass in a room down the hall incited Devlyn to surge forward, but as an afterthought, he turned to her. "Stay here...and don't leave."
She nodded, realizing he wanted to keep her safe, but her blood heated that he'd think she'd run out on him when their situation only grew bleaker by the moment.
The strong odor of incense filling the living area overwhelmed the faint odor of blood emanating from what she assumed must be the bedroom.
Everything in the place appeared immaculately clean, as though a maid had just tidied up, except for a patch of...
She drew closer to the pale blue sofa. Coarse brown hair, reddish at the tips, clung to the back. She reached out to collect it.
Devlyn rushed out of the bedroom. "Let's go, Bella." His stern face allowed no argument. He seized her wrist and jerked her toward the door. "Now, Bella, now!"
"What happened?"
After pulling her from the apartment, he slammed the door. "A woman around your age, murdered in bed." He rushed Bella back to the SUV. "We have to risk driving. We can't be caught here."
"How was she killed?"
He banged her door shut and ran to the other side of the vehicle. As soon as he started the ignition, he turned to her. "A wild animal ripped out her throat."
"Lupus garou," she whispered. "They'll think it's us."
"They'll think it's a wild animal. Werewolves are fanciful legends concocted by our human ancestors, remember? But it fits. He killed her before the waning moon completely faded."
"But the sound of the glass shattering---"
"He must have been living here for the last couple of days. By breaking into the place, we startled him, and he busted the window and took off. The window must have been stuck tight." Devlyn sped out of the parking lot.
"They'll think the killer is Rosa, the freed wolf...me, because she'd be the only wild wolf loose in the city."
He pursed his lips and pinched his brows in a frown. "Possibly. If zoo man Thompson gets hold of this news, he may think the woman had something to do with freeing Rosa, that she kept her in the apartment, or maybe they'll think it's another wild wolf."
"We have to stop him."
He glanced at her, his dark brows lifted. "I have only one mission and that's returning you to Colorado and the pack."
She shook her head. "He's one of mine."
Devlyn stared at her like she'd lost her mind.
"He's a red." She raised the clump of hair she'd hastily plucked from the couch. "We have to stop him before he exposes the legend for what it really is---fact."
"No. Humans are already hunting us."
"You didn't...didn't kill Thompson or the cops, did you?"
The look Devlyn gave her made her wish she had never spoken the cutting words. Dark-seated hurt flashed across his eyes. He clenched his jaw and turned to watch his driving. "We're being hunted because you and I freed a little red wolf from the zoo and because I liberated you from the hospital, knocking some officials out in the process. I'm sure they consider me armed and dangerous. I'm not sure what they think of you, considering you were naked and nearly frozen."
"I'm sorry, Devlyn. This whole thing's kind of gotten to me. Lupus garous don't kill humans without good reason."
"This one did."
"Yes, and we have to make sure he doesn't again."
"Not us. His own pack, Bella."
"Then we have to make them aware that he's doing this." She wouldn't stand by and let it continue, though her own investigation hadn't turned up much. But the scent of the one in the apartment definitely matched the smell she had caught a whiff of in the woods. Was he one of the ones she saw at the zoo? She'd been only able to catch the smell of one of them because of the way the breeze shifted at random. She couldn't have identified which one the scent had belonged to. But at least one was in the clear.
Concentrating on his driving, Devlyn didn't say anything for a moment. "No, Bella, we're not contacting the reds."
Taking an exasperated breath, she reached over and touched his hand. "We have to."
"Damn it, Bella, you're going to get us both caught and in a hell of a lot more trouble."
She folded her arms. "We have to," she growled. "We owe it to our kind."
Again, a shimmer of something elusive crossed his face. For several more minutes, he remained quiet, and she knew he was coming to a decision. He finally let out his breath. "All right."
Relief shadowed with worry skittered across her skin. "Thank you."
"I hope we don't live to regret this," he groused, "but it's about time you realized where you belonged."
For a second, she didn't respond, wondering where the hell that came from. Then the realization struck her---she'd given up lupus garou to live with humans and now wanted to help her own kind. That's why he agreed. Hoping what? She'd give up the notion of finding a human male to mate?
Figuring he had made a concession and might change his mind if she ticked him off, she bit her tongue before she made a hasty retort. "Did he urinate in the apartment?" she asked instead.
Devlyn studied her for a moment, took a long breath, and nodded.
"His territory. Do you think he wanted her, and she grew terrified when he changed into the wolf?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe not? Does he just want to kill humans?"
Devlyn gripped the steering wheel tightly.
"Devlyn?"
Through clenched teeth, he said, "She was a redhead, Bella. He's a red lupus garou looking for a mate. There must be a shortage of eligible females in the area."
Bella's throat felt parched as if she'd crossed the Badlands without a lick of water.
Devlyn continued, "He must have convinced her he loved her and then risked changing to turn her. Only she would have been terrified. Humans can't deal with what we are, Bella. Can't you understand that?"
This wasn't about the woman. She figured this was about Bella wanting a human male.
"You see now why I didn't want you involved?" he asked. "If he catches sight of you..."
He shook his head.
Rubbing her temple, she tried to figure out a way to alert the killer's pack. "The two men at the zoo are probably related to the killer's pack. We have to send word to them. Find them somehow."
"How do you propose to do that when we're on the run?"
"Take us to Tigard; it's south of Portland. That's where I live, and we can use it as our base for the time being."
He scowled at her. "The things I do for you."
"Yeah," she said huskily, "like relieving my...tension."
He glanced at her, granting her a wicked, wolfish smile that said he wanted to eat her all up, and she wondered then if he'd want to do more to relieve her tension the next time. But a police cruiser passed them by, and she shrank in her seat, remembering the danger they were still in.
Thirty minutes later, they reached Bella's house without incident, thank the stars. But until they'd hidden the rental SUV, she still didn't feel safe. And if her neighbor saw her coming home in a different vehicle than the one she'd left in, the questioning would begin in earnest.
Good-natured Chrissie was truly a friend, but she was also too curious for her own good.
At four in the morning, the area remained blanketed in black, except for two security lights highlighting the entryway of the peach stone two-bedroom house.
"Your outside lights are on," Devlyn said, his voice worried.
"Security. They automatically come on when it grows dark. Park around back. We can hide the SUV in the garage, but we'll have to open it from inside. I don't have my garage door controller with me."
"Your vehicle is still in the Cascades?"
"Yeah. Next to the cabin I own there."
They shut the vehicle's doors as quietly as they could, and then he hurried with her to the front door. "Let me go inside first."
Slipping a key from a vine-covered trellis, she handed it to him, appreciating his concern. "Be my guest."
As soon as he opened the door, he took a step inside, lifted his chin, and sniffed the air.
"Smell anything?" she whispered.
A slow smile crept across his face. "Yeah, you, Bella honey."
She pushed him into the house and locked the door. "You're supposed to be keeping your mind on business. Let's move the SUV into the garage; then we can plan our next---"
"Sleep. We haven't had enough sleep to keep us going."
She noticed then the darkened skin beneath his eyes. "All right." She motioned to the kitchen. "Door to the garage is that way."
"Be right back. Undress and I'll meet you in bed." He waited for her to agree.
"Still worried I might bolt?" She folded her arms and lifted a brow.
"No. Not now that you want to catch the killer." He sounded annoyed.
"Then you can sleep on the couch."
"In your dreams."
She chuckled and intended to go to the bedroom when she noticed how wilted her houseplants were and made a detour to the kitchen. She swore that as soon as she gave water to the ficus trees and the winding ivy, they perked up right away. Then she entered her bedroom and glanced out the window at her greenhouse. Chrissie would have made sure everything was well watered, she was certain. It seemed like eons since she'd been here last, not just a few days.
Sighing deeply, Bella felt safe for the moment and overjoyed to be in her own home again. She yanked off her sneakers, determined to climb into bed and fall asleep before the big gray wolf returned and gave her other notions. Then she formulated a plan.
After crossing the room, she dug in her linen closet and pulled out a spare set of sheets and a pillow. Dashing back down the hall, she hurried to the floral sofa. She laid the sheets and pillow on one end and strode back to her bedroom.
Once she removed the rest of her clothes, she heard the garage door grumble shut, and then the kitchen door leading to the garage opened and closed. She climbed into bed, pulled the green velvet spread under her chin, and closed her eyes.
For several minutes, she lay still, listening for Devlyn, but when he didn't come to the bedroom, her heart sank. Playing games with him when they were young inspired her interest in him. Didn't he realize she was teasing him about sleeping on the couch?
She was too tired to care.
After another couple of minutes, she tossed onto her side and growled.
The shattering of glass on the tile kitchen floor sent a spike of adrenaline racing through her veins. She bolted from the bed, tugged on the sweatshirt, and ran down the hall. All she could think of was protecting Devlyn, yet when she approached the kitchen, she realized she had forgotten the gun, even though the silver bullets were meant for Volan, should he ever find her.
She peered around the cabinets to see into the kitchen.
Standing in front of the refrigerator, Devlyn stared at the collage of pictures hanging from the door. Broken glass rested at his feet.
"Devlyn," she said under her breath, her heartbeat thundering.
He looked at her. "Who sent the pictures of us to you?"
Holding her breath, she rubbed her arms as a chill fluttered across her skin. She didn't like the accusation in the tone of his voice or the anger in his eyes.
"Who, Bella?"
Without answering him, she turned to a cupboard, but before she could grab the broom and dustpan, he crossed the floor and seized her arm. Pulling her to face him, he asked again, "Who, Bella? Who in the pack knew where you were and for how long?"
"Let go of me," she growled and tried to free herself from his iron hold.
He pressed her back against the cupboard and gripped her shoulders. "You didn't really leave the pack permanently, did you? You kept in touch. Someone sent you our photos. The colored pictures more recently, black and white for some years earlier, sepia before this. Who's been corresponding with you about us?"
Tears rolled down her cheeks. If she hadn't been so tired, if one of her own kind hadn't killed a woman, if she hadn't been incarcerated in the zoo, she could have handled Devlyn's harsh accusations better. She missed them terribly, nearly every one of the pack...her family. But she wouldn't be Volan's. And if she returned, she'd have no choice.
"Bella," Devlyn said, his voice gentler as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, "you cared about us, didn't you? Even though you have more pictures of me than any of the others in the pack."
She wiped her eyes, attempting to avoid the implication. "He sent more of them to me."
"Who?" He laid her down in the bed and then unbuttoned his shirt. "You have mine more prominently displayed."
"There were more of them. I already said so." Her voice was sterner than she meant it to be.
His penetrating gaze clouded with lust and he yanked off his shirt.
She tugged her sweatshirt off and tossed it on the floor and then pulled the covers up.
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He unfastened his belt and pulled his zipper down. His gaze took in her furnishings, but before he could look at her nightstand, she grabbed the picture off it and shoved it under her pillow. No sense in giving him the wrong idea.
But he caught her in the act and his eyes turned black. "A secret admirer? A human male?" His voice was couched in anger. He sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. After pulling off his boots, he stood and removed his trousers, dropping them on the floor.
Her gaze shifted to the dark curly hair between his legs and his prominent erection. He was ready to mate if she were willing, and the overwhelming animal urge instantly prepped her for his penetration.
"Who sent the photos to you?" His tone turned lighter, more conversational rather than demanding.
She glared at him, still annoyed with his earlier bullying. "It's none of your business."
He hit the bed with his fist, shocking her at seeing his temper flare so quickly. She jumped, irritated with herself for reacting instead of remaining calm, unflinching.
"Damn it, Bella. I've searched on and off for you for years."
Her eyes grew big as her heart leapt. Then she realized he'd followed pack orders---Volan's command to have her returned to him. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "Yeah, so you could return me to Volan."
His brows knit tightly, but he didn't say anything; then he jammed his hand underneath her pillow and yanked out the cherry wood picture frame. A smile simmered on his lips.
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she tried to think of a reason for having his photo next to her bed. Unable to come up with a plausible explanation, she turned her back to him and closed her eyes. "Good night, Devlyn. Pleasant dreams."
He jerked the covers aside. She turned and glowered at him.
Smiling appreciably as he gazed at her naked body, he took in a deep breath. "Feral like the redwoods, sweet as wild roses."
She recovered herself.
He wiggled his dark brows. "It's a picture of me." He glanced back at the photo he'd set upright on her nightstand. "Great image, too. One of my better pictures."
"What of it? It was too big to fit on the fridge. I told him not to send any more that size because they're too big."
Devlyn pulled the back of the frame open, and she knew he'd discover the truth.
"You've had this one enlarged. Gives a photo ID on the back, a local Oregon printer. You had a smaller version of the same photo on the fridge, probably the one he sent you." He cast her an elusive smile.
She pursed her lips.
Pulling the covers back down, he exposed her breasts to the cool air in the bedroom. Instantly, the nipples turned into pert red peaks. He leaned over and kissed one and then the other, making them throb with need.
But she couldn't mate with him, as much as her body readied itself to accept his virile strength. She'd endanger him too much if she gave into her primal instincts, her deep-seated cravings for the gray. She touched his whiskery cheek. "You were supposed to sleep on the couch."
"You've been keeping my image close to your bed. Now you can keep the flesh and blood me in your bed." He climbed into bed next to her and touched her cheek. "Tell me how much you love me, Bella. Tell me how many times you wrote to whoever it was, asking about me."
"He didn't tell me you searched for me."
"Who didn't tell you?"
She sensed the tightness in his voice, the way he barely curbed his anger. "It's late. We need to sleep."
He ran his tongue down her belly, forcing a quiver of anticipation. "I won't quit asking until you tell me. Who was it?"
Giving up the guarded secret, she sighed heavily and admitted, "Argos."
Devlyn stilled his actions and growled, irritated that the old wolf hadn't told him the truth. How he had longed to know what had become of Bella all those years. When he'd spoken to Argos, the sly old wolf had assured him she'd be all right. He should have known Argos knew what had happened to her. "Damn him."
"I shouldn't have told you. I wrote to let him know I was safe after I ran away. I couldn't let him think I'd died. From then on, we corresponded."
"No wonder he knew it was you in that news report. I figured he had some kind of a sixth sense. But all along he knew you lived in the area." He studied her eyes, tired and wary. The annoyance he felt that Argos had kept the secret about Bella faded into wry amusement. "You wanted to know about me, about how I fared."
"Don't be so conceited."
Knowing she disguised the truth, his lips curved up. His intense craving to mate with her filled him with an ache he longed to fulfill. He threaded his fingers through her satiny hair and licked her throat. She moaned. His erection pulsed with renewed gusto. His instincts were right concerning her. She wanted him as much as he lusted after her.
He pressed his arousal against her soft body. "You know how much I desire to have you, Bella. Tell me you want me, too."
Shaking her head, her eyes misted.
He growled at her stubbornness. Then he nuzzled his cheek against hers, enjoying the delicate ivory fragrance she'd washed with, hoping she'd succumb to his advances. He ran his finger over her firm nipple. "I won't let Volan have you. We'll return to the pack and then---"
"No. He'll kill you. I don't want you for a mate. Don't you understand?" She tried to pull away from him, her voice heated with anger. "I don't want you."
But he recognized from her words and actions that it wasn't true; he'd use every trick he knew to convince her to tell the truth.
BELLA RECLINED AGAINST HER BED AND SNIFFLED, HER tears undoing Devlyn. "I just wanted to know about the family, that's all, Devlyn. That's why I wrote to Argos."
Wanting to force the truth from her, he knew she loved him, even if she denied it. "We're both tired." He pulled her hair away from her face and kissed her wet, salty cheek. "Let's sleep." Having every intention of making her see his way once they were well rested, he gathered her against him and inhaled the essence of her. "I want you, Bella."
"You can't," she sniffled again.
"Sorry, from the moment I rescued you from the wildfire, I'd claimed you. Now you just have to agree to be my mate." Yet the question still nagging him slipped out again: "Why do you hate Volan so?"
Early the next morning, Devlyn stretched out on the mattress, annoyed that Bella had tensed and turned away from him the night before, avoiding his question about Volan, even though he'd forced her to curl up with him anyway. No way could he sleep next to the wolf siren and not touch her. Now his fingers itched to have Bella in their grasp, but not locating her, his eyes shot open. Tearing the covers aside, he dashed out of the room and down the hall.
Unable to curb how furious he was that she'd run off, he stormed into the kitchen, his blood on fire. She'd cleaned up the broken glass, but otherwise there was no sign of her.
"Damn it, Bella!" he roared. How could he have trusted the vixen? He should have realized she wouldn't have stayed put.
Suspecting the worst, he yanked open the kitchen door to the garage. The SUV was gone and the garage was empty except for cardboard boxes stacked up in a corner.
He rubbed his stubbled chin, formulating his next plan of action. But where in the hell would she have disappeared to?
The SUV's engine suddenly purred in the driveway, his skin grew sweaty with anticipation, and the garage door rumbled open.
He still couldn't curb his irritation that she would have left him, even for a short while. What if she'd been seen?
When she had parked the car, Bella smiled at him from the driver's seat, a devilish glint in her eyes. The image of her naked in bed with him came instantly to mind. Folding his arms, he frowned at her until the woman sitting on the passenger's side caught his attention. Her mouth dropped wide open and her eyes grew as round as the full moon while she gaped at him. Well, not at him exactly, but at a particular lower part of his anatomy that, on seeing Bella return, had already risen to greet her.
Slamming the door on his rapid retreat into the kitchen, he cursed all of the way back to the bedroom, the fire burning in his veins. How could he have thought Bella would run? Because she would, when the time was right. Who the hell was that other woman? They needed to use secrecy.
He yanked his jeans on.
Secrecy. Hell, he'd been the one caught stark naked, making a permanent impression on that shocked woman's mind.
Light footsteps hurried down the hall. He turned.
Bella leaned against the doorjamb, her posture relaxed, an impish smile tugging at her mouth. "My next-door neighbor went home and skipped having a cup of coffee with me." She wet her lips in a slow sensual sweep and then crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "Hmm, you sure gave Chrissie something to dream about, though I don't think I've ever seen her quite that speechless before." Her smile spread across her face.
He stalked toward Bella, backed her against the wall, and placed his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. "I thought you'd left me." His voice was husky and more desperate than he wanted it to sound.
"Her car's in the shop, and she needed milk for her kids." Bella's gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips.
"Hell, her kids were in the car?" he asked, his voice darkening with concern.
"No, they're at school." Running her finger down his stomach, she sent a surge of electricity straight to his groin.
He let out his breath, her touch wreaking havoc with his need to control. "Really, Bella, you have to be more careful. We can't afford to get caught."
She tilted her head to the side and scanned his whole body with a naughty look. "It seems you made more of an impression on her than I did on anyone this morning."
Growling, he plundered her mouth, dominating, conquering, not willing to let her fight him, if she had any notion to do so.
She squeezed his denim-covered butt, tangled her tongue with his, and pressed her heavenly breasts against his bare chest. "She wanted to know who the iron man hunk was standing naked in my kitchen entryway."
"I didn't expect you to bring company home with you. In fact, I didn't expect you to return home at all," he growled, only it came out more like a wolfish groan. He tangled his fingers in her hair.
"She was glad to have the opportunity to meet you. Said something about maybe having a barbecue."
"No."
She stroked his shoulder blades, the muscles taut. "It's okay, Devlyn. I told her you were all mine. A friend from my youth, renewing an old friendship. Just seeing the way you were dressed...or rather not..." She grinned. "Well, I think she got the point."
He raised his brows and inclined his head.
"Oh, did I forget to mention, she's divorced and looking for husband number two?"
Ignoring her comment, he swept Bella up and carried her to the bed, having every notion of showing her how alpha he could be.
"We have work to do, Devlyn. Catch a killer and---"
He laid her on the mattress, struggling to keep his desire in check. "We have some other business to take care of, Bella. And you're not talking me out of this."
She tucked her arms behind her head, her red curls spread out against the green sheets.
Reaching down, he unbuttoned her shirt; their gazes locked in shared appreciation.
"What do you have in mind? You know what Volan intends to do with me."
"He can't have you. I want you. Always have. I told you already. You just have to say you want me, too."
She furrowed her brows at him, her lips poked out in a sultry pout. "You know I can't."
"Because you're afraid I can't win against Volan." The notion that she felt this way about his abilities soured him. If he couldn't change her opinion of him, she could never love him fully. She'd proved herself an alpha female, being a loner and surviving so many years on her own, but he had to prove he could be an alpha male or lose the battle.
"I don't want you even trying. If we mate and he learns of it, he'll kill you."
Devlyn shook his head, his temperature rising. "If I don't kill him first. Have you no faith in me?"
"He's a brute. I've seen what he's done to others---maimed or killed them outright. He'll destroy you."
"So, by looking for a human mate, you're doing what? If Volan finds you with one, he'll kill him like he did the boy. Would you find that any more acceptable?" he growled, unable to control his exasperation. He yanked off one of her shoes and then the other and tossed them to the floor with a clunk.
She bit her lower lip.
Leaning down, he kissed her lips tenderly, his tongue stroking the full curves, the taste of wild blackberries flavoring them, feral and sweet like her. "Maybe you wouldn't care as much because you couldn't really love a human like you love me."
"You are so arrogant." Her voice teased, turning him on faster as his groin ached with need.
He yanked off his trousers and dropped them on the floor. "That's what you love about me...about our kind. You don't really want some human. Believe me, if you got hold of one, he'd never satisfy you."
She cast a raking glance over his nakedness. "The way you can?" A gleam in her eye and the smile on her lips was invitation enough, an unmistakable challenge.
He growled, "You better believe it." Every fiber of his body was ready to prove it.
He unfastened her belt and unzipped her pants. Smiling sinfully, she never twitched a muscle to stop him. Although mating as a human could occur anytime and with relish, the wolf's side demanded mating from January through April. And he intended to ensure that she was well satisfied for the rest of that time and beyond.
Suddenly, a deep male voice from the next room said, "You have mail, Madam."
Devlyn spun around, but seeing no one, he stormed out of the room to kill the intruder in her office.
Bella laughed and chased after him. "He's my email butler, Devlyn."
Staring at the monitor, he read the message Bella had posted on a local board. Mystic Red seeks male interested in lifetime mate, who loves to hunt, free-spirited and wild in nature, Portland, Oregon.
"Damn it, Bella."
Bella ran her hand down Devlyn's bare back, trying to coax some of the tension out of his tight muscles.
"When did you post this message?" he growled.
"An hour after we fell asleep. I woke and couldn't get back to sleep. I couldn't quit worrying that the lives of other women could be at stake."
He turned to her, his face stern, teeth clenched, jaw set. "So you decided you'd be the bait? Without asking for my input? I thought we were doing this together. What if he decides it's a hoax? That you don't really want him for a mate? That you only want to turn him over to his pack to determine his punishment? What if he tries to kill you?"
She traced his ribs with her fingernails, beguiling him. "I've never done anything useful in my life. I'm a website graphics designer, but I've never truly done anything that makes a difference---well, except for caring for childless human couples during my teen years by mutual arrangement. Several provided a home for me when I needed one badly. I acted the loving adopted daughter and took care of them when they grew too old to care for themselves."
He caught her wrists to stop the sweet torture that her fingers did on his aroused body. "They never caught you slipping out of the house to take a run on the wild side?"
Shrugging, she admitted as much. "A couple of times, but they scolded me for sneaking out to see a fellow, even though, of course, I hadn't. In each case, I took care of the couples in their advanced years until they died. When I finally reached the age of majority and could live on my own, I did so, using the money and properties they had bequeathed to me. I moved from time to time so as not to alert others that I aged so slowly and to keep Volan from finding me."
Rubbing her face against Devlyn's whiskery cheek, Bella loved the feel of his scratchy stubble against her skin, undomesticated and wolfish. "But I've never done anything for our own kind. You saved my life once. You're a hero in my eyes. I want to help stop a killer who could expose all of us for what we truly are before it's too late."
"It doesn't matter to you that I don't want you to do it?"
"Of course it matters to me. I want you to protect me."
His darkened eyes sparkled with desire. "You want me to be your mate."
"I don't want you to die, Devlyn."
"Damn it, Bella. I don't want you to die either. You want me to allow you to jeopardize your life to save others, but you refuse to be my mate because you're worried I'll risk my neck? I've already gambled my life for you once. I wasn't that powerful a swimmer when I was young and carried you across the swollen river. I was determined at all costs to save you. Even now, trying to protect you against this killer, I'm risking my life. So why not take the chance against Volan?"
Devlyn shook his head when she didn't respond and searched through the thirty-two messages she'd received. "Lots of damned nutcases living here."
"Yeah, I didn't expect to get that much of a response."
"I think you've been too cryptic."
When she ran her hand over his toned bare butt, the muscle tightened. He flicked an interested glance her way, but she tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. "What would you have me say, Devlyn? 'Red lupus garou female seeks mate. Horny right now. Only a red lupus garou male need apply'?"
"You might have half of the lupus garou population in several states applying for the position. Lord knows how many are looking for a red." Sitting down at the keyboard, he typed, Little Red Wolf seeks mate. Preferably big gray wolf terminally in lust with her.
She hit his shoulder. "Be serious."
Grunting, he deleted the words. "I am serious." He typed, Rufus lupus female seeks mate in Portland, Oregon, area only.
"A red wolf seeks a mate? The humans will think she's a nut and---"
"The lupus garou will know she's one of them, a loner, looking for a red wolf pack to join."
"Okay, sign it as Rosa."
"But what if Thompson---"
She combed her fingers through Devlyn's shoulder-length brown hair, highlighted by the sun, satiny-smooth to the touch, soft, where the rest of him was hard. "He probably wouldn't be looking at the personals for the local community. And if he did, he'd never figure it out."
Devlyn rubbed his chin.
"Do it, Devlyn."
He flashed her an annoyed look. "You sure are bossy."
"You love me for it," she teased.
He clicked on the send button and scanned the email responses to her first message. Hello, Mystic Red. I'm High-on-Poppy. Would you be my love forever? Just blows my mind what we could do together, wild thing. Set the world on fire. Looking for your loving response. HOP
Devlyn looked back at her as she read over his shoulder. "Sounds fun loving, huh?" she asked.
"Idiot hopped-up human."
They looked at the next message. Hey, Mystic Red. Want to be my sweet thing? Don't you just hate zoos? If I could, I'd free all of the wild animals. And eat the grazers. I never did catch your name, so guess Rosa will have to do for now. Email me and we can arrange to get together. Sooner than later. Lovesick in Oregon. Al
She shuddered. "Alfred."
Devlyn looked back at her, all at once his posture dark and wolfishly protective. "What?"
"He's the one from the zoo. The one who wanted me."
"Red lupus garou," he muttered. "Damn it, Bella, what if he's the killer?"
"What if he is? We could catch him then."
The email butler, dressed in his tux, walked across the screen and then stopped and faced them. "You've got mail, Madam."
Devlyn clicked on the next message.
Hey, Rosa, I posted to your old message. Guess you were afraid I wouldn't catch it. So how about a date? A romp through the Cascades? Email me. Al
Devlyn rose from his chair and shoved it aside. "I don't like this guy."
"He's smaller than you. You can beat him if we get into a bind."
His expression turned stormy. "Damn it, Bella. You think I can only whip smaller guys?"
The darkness in his voice startled her. She hadn't meant to cut his masculinity in half. She touched his lightly haired chest. "I didn't mean it that way. I just meant you could protect me."
"Like hell you did. You think I can only whip a smaller red's ass but that I'd buckle under when the competition's a little more my size." With his long stride, he stormed off to the bedroom.
She fought chasing after him to console him. It wasn't their way, and he wouldn't appreciate it. It would emasculate him all the more. Her stomach clenched into knotted ribbon. Damn lupus garou male pride.
Turning to the computer, she typed in a reply. Hi, Al, hadn't seen your previous response. Meet me tonight at the Papagalli's Dance Club. See you there at seven. Rosa
The response was immediate. Hey, Rosa, what's your real name? Al
Had he been waiting for her response all of this time? Desperate to get in touch with her? Or was he an Internet junkie too?
She stared at the question. What was her real name? She typed: Rosa.
All right, Rosa it is. I'll play the game for now. Don't you think a place a little less crowded would be better? Al
Having no intention of meeting loverboy in private, she tapped her fingers on the desk, considering the best response. I love Papagalli's. Besides, I believe in courtship, don't you? Rosa
Whatever you want, Rosa. But...I don't believe in long courtships. See ya, sweet thing. Al
Then a new message popped up. Male rufus lupus seeking female. Have cabin in the Cascades for hunting and wild romps in the woods. Where can we meet? Charlie
She reread the message. Was it just some nutty human? Hey, Charlie! What do you prefer to hunt? Rosa
Deer. What about you? Charlie
How about two-legged mammals? How about redheaded women? Are you the killer, Charlie? She tucked her hair behind her ear and then typed, A male rufus lupus. Rosa
I like a lupus with a sense of humor. Can we have lunch this afternoon? Charlie
Don't you work? Rosa
A significant pause followed. She chewed on the inside of her cheek. Come on, come on. Let me know what you do.
Independently wealthy. But if you're working...maybe tonight? Charlie
Liar. Do you know Papagalli's? Rosa
The dance club? Charlie
Yep. Make it for seven? Rosa
The more the merrier.
See you there. Oh, what will you be wearing? Charlie
Something black. And you? Rosa
Something to match. Charlie
Most everyone wore black to the club, and she had no plan to stick out. Another lupus would smell her scent. Humans wouldn't have a clue as to who she was, and best to leave it that way.
The kitchen door to the garage slammed shut, sending her heart skittering. Jumping up from the chair, she nearly knocked it over in her haste and headed for the garage. She didn't believe Devlyn would run off and expose himself to the world while the police were looking for them just because she'd angered him. She yanked the door open.
He'd taken the SUV.
Her heart sank. Damn him!
Still, she hated herself for having said he couldn't fight a gray, stomping his male wolf ego into the ground.
Trying not to worry about him, she toasted a slice of bread and coated it with wild blackberry jam, the smell reminding her of picking berries fresh over the summer. The tart sweet flavor touched her tongue, and instantly the image of Devlyn crowding her while she leaned over blackberry brambles filled her mind with wishful thinking. Attempting to clear her mind of the foolish notion, she finished her toast and headed out to the greenhouse.
The fragrant scent of Colorado wildflowers comforted her and she pruned, watered, and weeded for a couple of hours before she returned to the house. Because of the time she'd spent in the zoo, the website contracts she received were piling up, so she headed back to her office, trying to ignore the fact that all she really could think about was Devlyn and making up with him.
But the making up would come only after she got over being mad at him for leaving like he did and worrying her sick.
While she designed a redwood forest for a lumber company, her email butler walked across the screen.
She clicked on her email messages. Ten new messages. But the address of the sixth message caught her eye: Argos.
Bella, I'm worried that we haven't heard from you. Can we meet somewhere? I have some news I'm sure you'll want to hear. Argos
She rubbed her temple. Was Volan dead? That's the only news she'd want to hear. Had another wolf infiltrated the pack and was now the leader?
Argos, where are you? Bella
I'm here, in town. I'm using the main library's computer, but there aren't many patrons and I fear someone's following me. Can we meet somewhere later? Argos
She took a deep breath. Argos and Devlyn could both protect her if she were meeting the killer red wolf tonight. She considered telling him about the wolf they were trying to catch, but decided against it. He'd be just like Devlyn---his only concern would be returning her home. Argos wouldn't agree to her risking her life over a red lupus garou from another pack.
Papagalli's Dance Club. Seven. Bella
See you there. Argos
Email messages were an addiction. She had no ability to shut them off; instead, she began to read all of them. Most had the same kind of message. Red male lupus wishes to meet with female of his kind. Can we arrange to rendezvous and when? Like soonest? She responded to all of them: Meet me at Papagalli's Dance Club.
The biggest crowd Papagalli's had ever seen on a Thursday night would show up. She sent the last of the responses zinging into cyberspace and then returned to working on clients' web pages.
A nagging at the back of her mind gnawed at her---that Devlyn was living a James Bond life of danger when he stormed out of the house. He had no right to worry her. But she knew he had to get away, stretch his legs, work his anger out on his own. Still, she had every intention of giving him a tongue lashing when he returned home for worrying her so.
She groaned as the thought of his tongue sliding down her skin popped into her mind. Maybe a little bit of wolf courtship would smooth out the rough edges of what she'd said to hurt his ego.
Bella worked for several hours on web pages, getting so wrapped up in her designs that she hadn't noticed the time slip away. When she realized the noon hour had arrived and Devlyn still hadn't returned, a slice of worry cut into her heart.
She walked into the living room and stared out the picture window. No sign of the SUV. Damn him for leaving.
A knock at her front door forced a shudder down her spine. She stalked toward the door but then hesitated.
What if the police had caught Devlyn? What if they came for her now, too?
PEERING OUT THE PEEPHOLE, BELLA FOUND CHRISSIE standing on her doorstep and figured the questioning would truly begin. Taking a deep breath, she yanked the door open, relieved it wasn't the police. "Hi, Chrissie."
Her next-door neighbor looked a bit astonished, her blue eyes wide and her blushing lips parted. She was wearing a short chiffon skirt and flowery blouse, a little too spring-like for the weather and a lot too dressy for just dropping by. "Oh, I, well, I wondered if you might like an apple pie. To thank you for taking me to the grocery store this morning."
An apple pie? Chrissie had always been generous to a fault with Bella, relishing their friendship because she had been an only child and was estranged from her parents---they had told her the guy she married was no good and were still mad at her for not listening to them. Now she was raising her two kids on her own and Bella couldn't understand how Chrissie's parents could be so insensitive. But the kids were the ex's, too, and that made all the difference in the world to the parents.
Bella sighed.
Had Chrissie thought Bella had left the house and not Devlyn? Chrissie had never baked a pie for Bella before when she'd taken her to the grocery store or on other errands. She was after the man hunk, only she wasn't taming that big gray.
Bella should have been annoyed, but she was more amused than anything. "Thank you, Chrissie. I have to warn you, though, Devlyn's more of a red meat kind of guy. Not all that much into sweets."
The kitchen door slammed shut and Bella jumped slightly. She glanced back at Devlyn, furious he'd taken off, but glad to see him safely home. He strode across the living room, his expression still stormy, his back stiff, a light sheen of sweat above his brows shimmering in the living room's natural light.
"Who says I'm not into sweets?" he countered, his brows raised, challenging Bella. "I like my dessert, often, just as much as any other guy."
She knew damned well he didn't like sugary treats all that much. Was he trying to undermine her? Get in good with Chrissie for Bella cutting his masculinity down earlier?
"Well, that's good then." Chrissie beamed at Devlyn and handed the pie to Bella, pausing as if waiting for an invitation.
"I guess your kids are due home soon," Bella said, hoping they were.
"Not for another three and a half hours." Chrissie looked at Devlyn, a smile still curving her lips. Her dark curls framed her sweet face like a gray lupus garou's might when in human form. She stood taller than Bella, too, more like the females of his pack, and she definitely had the hots for Devlyn.
Placing his hands on his hips, Devlyn turned to Bella. "I took a run to work out some tension and then picked up a couple of things for us to eat. Didn't care for the slim pickings in your fridge. Maybe you can fix the steak for us. You know how I like it---on the bloody side. I'm going to hop in the shower." He wiped his cheek on his sleeve. "I smell kind of...ripe."
She couldn't help giving him a crooked smile. Yeah, she could smell the scent of him, all male, sweaty, and totally loveable. "Um, yeah, well..."
He waited for her response. She wanted to tell him she would join him, but she couldn't, not unless she told him she'd be his mate. Otherwise, she'd let things go too far.
He raised a brow, challenging her. "Coming?"
As a mature lupus garou, Devlyn proved hotter than the blue flicker of the flame---a wicked wolf, and all hers if she'd just give the go ahead.
She turned to her neighbor. "Um, Chrissie, thanks for the pie. I'll talk to you later."
Chrissie's green eyes bulged like a Pekinese's.
Bella smiled. "Sorry, that's the problem with renewing old relationships. They can be awfully demanding."
Chrissie stammered, "Uh, yeah, well, okay. Talk to you later."
Bella closed the door and then turned to Devlyn. "Where the hell have you been?" she snapped, the irritation still racing high to think she'd worried so about his safety.
"Running. I already said so," he retorted, his own voice still angry. He stormed off in the direction of the bedroom.
Setting the pie on the coffee table, she dashed after him. "You do not like sweets, liar."
He turned to her, his eyes dark and angry. "I do too love sweets, Bella. Your kind of sweets." But he wasn't smiling.
A surge of lust coursed through her body. She wanted him, really she did. But..."You've been gone several hours. You couldn't have been running all that time."
"I took a trip to the Cascades."
Her heart sped up. "Because?"
"The killer might have run there sometime or another." His hard gaze pierced her. "Were the reds aware you had a cabin there? That you took your jaunts there?"
She bit her lip. "I saw two in their wolf forms and smelled their scent on the breeze. I thought the murdering wolf might have been one of them. But I didn't know at the time what he smelled like. How did you know I had a cabin there?"
"Found paperwork in your office when I went to email Argos."
"You could have asked. So, did you find any clues?"
He shook his head. "But what bothers me is, if they knew you were there, why didn't any try to approach you?"
"They did, except they must have smelled the hunter nearby and took off right before I was shot. I'd only smelled their scent in the area the weekend before. Tons of forests exist in Oregon. The clan must normally go somewhere else, probably closer to Portland, maybe around Mount Hood."
"Then somehow one of them must have been in the area near your cabin, getting away from the rest of the clan. Maybe the one who murdered the human girl was with her there and he picked up your scent. If he let it slip to anyone else, any of the eligible males would have been searching for you after that." Devlyn snorted. "Good thing I came along when I did."
Despite agreeing with him silently, she hmpfed back.
He motioned to the bedroom. "Join me?" His offer was more than a proposal to shower with him. It was tantamount to joining him as his mate.
"I've already showered."
Turning his back to her, he stalked into the bedroom. "Fix lunch, then. I'll be out in a few."
His demand and dismissal should have bothered her, but they didn't. What annoyed her were her own actions, or rather inactions. She listened to the shower turn on and his shoes drop on the floor. If she joined him, he'd be one satisfied wolf mate, but she couldn't do it. It would be like sacrificing him to the devil wolf, Volan. She couldn't stomach the idea that the pack leader would kill him.
When Bella didn't join Devlyn in the bathroom, he knew he'd have a hell of a time convincing her that he was the only one for her, but he wasn't giving up. Then it occurred to him. What had she been doing the whole time he'd been gone?
He finished his shower, grabbed a towel, and wrapped it around his waist.
With a quick stride, he returned to her office and checked her email. He read through the messages she'd sent in response to her red wolf invitation, not believing she'd invited half of the world to a dance club that night. More worrisome was Argos's cryptic message to her.
The old pack leader wouldn't return for her unless something terrible had happened, but he would have said if Volan had been killed.
He turned when Bella's light footsteps entered the office.
"Your bloody steak is ready." She glanced down at his towel. "Going to dress, or eat like that?"
He rose from the chair and crossed the floor to her. Taking her shoulders in his hands, he massaged them lightly. "Which do you prefer?"
Her gaze took in his bare chest. "Men don't come to the dining table half-dressed."
"Just the answer I was waiting for." Yanking off the towel, he dropped it on the floor. "Ready?"
She glanced down at the towel and then back at his eyes, ignoring his full-blown erection. "I hope you intend to pick up after yourself." She turned and headed down the hallway.
Following her, he enjoyed the wiggle of her cute little butt covered in the tight black denims. "Is that what you're wearing tonight to meet all of your suitors?"
"Something a little sexier."
"Don't see anything unsexy about the jeans."
She glanced over her shoulder. "Did you practice your smooth words on human females for all of those years?"
"Did it have the right effect on you?"
She gave a half grunt. "No. So what do you think about my plan?"
"Sounds like it could be a circus." Sitting down at the head of the table, he smelled the rich blood of the fresh meat, warm and rare like he preferred.
She sat down opposite him. "Yeah, I thought maybe the more possible candidates we could draw out---"
"You could draw out." He still couldn't curb his anger with the notion of her acting as the killer's live bait.
"I thought if a red acted aggressively about my seeing others---"
He pointed his steak knife at her. "What if that's the problem? What if he can't deal with other reds and because of that is having a difficult time finding a female to mate with him? What if the only ones he's able to interest are human, but when he changes into the wolf, they're terrified of him? As a wolf, he could bite her and still change her, but it's not the same as having a mate who is willing. Most males nowadays wouldn't want a female who has to be forced to accept him."
"You're right." She sliced off a piece of meat. "So then we find one who cowers or is angered when others are interested in me."
"Might work." He guzzled down a glass of water. When she raised her brows, he said, "Run took a lot out of me."
"From what I saw, it didn't take much out of you at all." She licked her lips. "Chrissie was drooling over you. I could have beamed her for thinking she could have..." She quit speaking.
"Could have me, when you already want me?" A healthy appetite for sex quickly displaced the anger and anxiety he felt.
"Why would anyone not want you? I mean, you're so...so..."
"Untameable?"
She bit her lower lip, her gaze drifting down to his naked chest.
"Say it, Bella. You want me. It's really easy. Just say it. I won't bite...too hard."
She shook her head and changed the subject. "You know, when I tried to decide whether to buy a wooden table or a more modernistic glass-topped one, I chose wood because it reminded me of the great outdoors. Only now, if I had glass, it would give me a better view."
He grinned. "Bad Bella."
She chuckled, never having enjoyed her home so much as she did now with the big gray wolf sharing the space. "I sure could get used to having you around."
"I'm all yours."
But would he agree to stay with her? Here? Away from Volan?
"What do you think is up with Argos?" she asked. "Do you think Volan could be dead?"
With the serrated edge of his knife, Devlyn sawed at his meat. "No. Argos would have said. I don't like it that someone's following him. He's not as agile as he used to be. Not as wary either."
"Maybe we shouldn't go tonight." Poking her fork into her meat, she considered Devlyn.
"What? And disappoint all of those panting suitors?" He couldn't help the sarcasm that laced his words. He didn't want her seeing red lupus garou, damn it, and he didn't want them catching sight of her or thinking that they had a chance with her either. He carved off another slice of meat. "We'll go. I'm not delaying our return home to the pack any longer than I have to."
"You shouldn't have left the house earlier like you did," she scolded, her brows knit together in a cute little frown.
"Did you worry about me?"
"What do you think? Here I'd have these dates I couldn't break, and you'd be sitting in jail downtown. Who would protect me?"
"Are you sure you weren't worried you wouldn't have me to snuggle up to tonight?"
She gave a small growl.
He grinned. Yeah, she worried about him and wanted him, if she'd only allow herself to commit to him. He was wearing her down, bit by bit. Maybe, after the dance club, he could encourage her to say yes.
She took another bite of meat and then licked her lips.
Preferably before the dance club.
Bella turned from Devlyn, unable to stand his attentions any longer---the way he watched her lick the steak blood off her lips, the hungry look in his eyes, daring her to say she didn't love him or to say she did, the smile that stirred when she considered his bare chest.
He was so quiet that she glanced up from her meal to see if he was still there. Looking satiated, he leaned back in his chair. "So what do we do until tonight? Want to take a nap? We barely got any sleep. You must have been up before the sun rose."
"You won't want to sleep."
He winked, his lips curving up. "You're right. But we'll have a long night ahead of us, and you know how we are...lovers of the night. We won't do well without an afternoon nap. Game?"
"I've got to do the dishes."
He stood, and her eyes riveted to his erection. Heat pooled between her legs and her gaze returned to his. He grinned. "Really, just sleep. I can't help it if every time you lick the salt and blood off your lips, it gives me ideas." He grabbed his plate and walked to her end of the table. After planting a kiss on the top of her head, he seized her plate and carried the dishes into the kitchen. "I'll take care of these while you get into bed. Be there in a few minutes."
He was right. The lupus part of them required a long afternoon nap. Then they'd enjoy the night. Well, maybe not so much enjoy it tonight, but they'd be better prepared, more alert. If they slept.
"All right. But," she said, pointing down the hallway, "remember to pick up your bathroom towel."
"Gotcha. Don't you love domestic life?"
She snorted. "Right."
Life with Devlyn would be anything but domestic.
Before she retired to the bedroom, she entered her office, planning to check her email and then shut down her computer.
Twenty-two more messages. She blinked. Most had to be humans, looking for what they must have thought was a wild woman. Well, she was a little on the wild side.
She scanned through the messages, but one in particular caught her attention.
Hey, Rosa! Why did you say you wanted to see me at the club but had already told Alfred you were meeting him? Even Nicol said you invited him. I don't want to make this some kind of a group mating scene. What's up? Ross
Ross must have been the other at the zoo. Bella's heart fluttered at high speed. Jeez, was he the killer? Oh hell, she never thought there'd truly be several from the same lupus garou pack that would contact her.
She turned when Devlyn walked into the room. He lifted his towel off the floor. "I thought you'd be in bed already."
"We have a problem."
He joined her at the monitor and read the message. "Damn."
"What do I do now?"
The look that flashed across his face startled her. It was as warm as a breath of sunshine and there was something more that she couldn't read. He touched her hair and then kissed her cheek. "We'll figure something out."
He reread the message. "Okay, how about, 'Sorry, Ross, but I don't know any reds in the area. This is as much a selection process for me as anything. It's a female's choice, too. If you don't want to come tonight, we can make another date. I won't make a choice until afterward.'"
She nodded, typed in the message, and sent it.
When no one responded, Devlyn nudged her arm. "Let's lie down. He's probably not at the computer. After we nap, we can see if he replied."
"Just sleep, Devlyn."
"Of course. I want you alert and ready tonight."
He slipped his hand around hers and pulled her from the chair, his touch gentle and warm, like a boyfriend on a first date. She looked up at him, wondering what had gotten into him. Did he think he had to act human to change her mind about him?
She glanced down at his erection, stirring a surge of interest. She couldn't help the deep chuckle that erupted from her lips.
He gave her a squeeze. "Yeah, you make it happen, Bella, all of the time. When you agree to be my mate, I'll have to wear a lot fewer clothes most of the time."
"You can't wear any fewer than what you have on now, stud."
"Your neighbor would approve. When I walked into the living room, I kind of imagined she wished she could see me the way she saw me earlier in the day."
He released Bella and took his towel into the bathroom. Unbuttoning her blouse, she watched him walk back into the room. "I have a feeling Chrissie thought I drove off this morning and not you. I believe," she said, pulling off her blouse, "she thought she might visit with you a bit and see what she's been missing since the divorce."
"She wouldn't have gotten it from me."
Although Bella was glad he made the remark, she wondered how many human females he'd been with over the years. It shouldn't have mattered, but a smidgeon of envy ran through her veins...well, more than a smidgeon---gallons. If Chrissie pushed it any further, she'd see a new side of Bella...a wolf's territorial side.
"Dollar for your thoughts." Devlyn unbuckled Bella's belt.
"A dollar?"
"Inflation."
"Just thinking how the wolf in me might respond if Chrissie makes any more advances toward you."
"Hmm, now that's sounding mighty possessive." Devlyn nuzzled her face, as if he were starting the wolf courting process.
"I'm a mite territorial, sometimes." She nipped his ear. "We're supposed to nap."
"We will." But the darkness of his eyes and the huskiness of his voice said otherwise.
After unfastening her bra, he slipped the straps off her shoulders. His warm fingers trailed down her arms to her fingertips in a sensual brush. Pulling her hands to his face, he kissed them, his gaze focused on her fingers.
"You sure know how to warm a girl up, but---"
He kissed her lips gently. But when she wrapped her arms around him and tried to kiss him back, he broke free, his actions confirming that he wanted to control how far they went.
When she tilted her chin up, he kissed her neck with gentle brushes of his lips against her sensitive skin. "You smell of wild rose, Bella." He ran his tongue down the hollow of her throat while she scarcely breathed. "Breathe. I don't want you passing out."
Running her fingers through his damp hair, she hmpfed. "Right." Yet she did feel lightheaded with him touching her so tenderly.
He traced her nipple with his fingertips and she drew in her breath. Leaning down, he swept his tongue, wet and warm, over the tip of one breast and then sucked.
Inwardly, she groaned.
His fingers slipped down to her jeans and struggled to remove them. Her whole body thrilled with his touch; remembering to breathe was the least of her worries.
How she wished he'd give up the quest to fight Volan and stay with her forever. She'd do anything for Devlyn then.
He discarded her jeans on the carpeted floor and ran his fingers over the waistband of her panties. Again she tried to touch him, but he growled at her.
"I'm supposed to growl at you, Devlyn," she said, kissing the nape of his neck when he took the nipple of her other breast in his mouth, "if you go too far with me. You're supposed to whine for more."
Lifting his head, he gave her an evil grin. "We're not in our wolf states, Bella. For now, I'll growl when you go too far with me." He yanked her panties down and knelt and then buried his face in her crotch. "But you sure smell fine."
She tangled her fingers in his hair and was ready to give in to him when he stood and eased her onto the bed, growling a curse under his breath. "Sleep. You're going to make me an old wolf before my time."
Crawling into bed, she wished the erection he held out to her could be put to good use, as her body readied itself for his penetration, moist, hot, and aching deeply, longing for satisfaction.
"I'll join you in a moment."
"Can I..."
Shaking his head, he walked out of the room. She groaned and turned away, knowing he would relieve the tension she'd created in him, by himself this time. But she couldn't have him without putting his life in real danger. Volan was danger. And she knew if he learned she wasn't coming home soon, he'd be coming for her.
HER HEART PUMPING AT TWICE ITS NORMAL SPEED, Bella fled the fire. The searing heat singed her fur, the pads of her paws, and choked the breath from her. And then he appeared, the gray wolf, a large, fearless juvenile, intent on only one thing: grabbing her and carrying her across the swollen river.
She whimpered and Devlyn tightened his hold on her. "Bella, you're safe."
The nightmare...the damnable nightmare that she'd had for years.
She ran her hand over Devlyn's arm, wrapped securely around her waist. Folded over her like a butterfly's protective cocoon before hatching, he made her feel safe and secure---until he turned her over to Volan.
"Did you sleep well?" he murmured against her hair.
"Yes. And you?" she whispered back, not entirely ready to shrug off the relaxed state she was in despite the vivid nightmare.
"I had an ache when you squirmed against me."
She smiled.
"You seemed restless and whimpered in your sleep. Are you still having nightmares about the wildfire?"
"Sometimes." She kissed the palm of his hand.
His chest swelled against her back. "You have other nightmares?"
"Sometimes." Those nightmares she didn't want to discuss with Devlyn. She worried he'd rashly take action against Volan for what he'd tried to do to her as a youngster.
"Nightmares about what?" he prompted.
She shrugged a shoulder. "You know how nightmares are. You often can't remember them when you wake." She glanced at the window. The lightness of the sky indicated they had another couple of hours before they went to the club.
"Devlyn, you said Argos had taken you in. What happened to your family?"
He ran his hand over her hair in a sensual caress that sent another wave of desire sliding through her. "They died."
"In a wildfire like mine?"
"No."
She waited for an explanation, but he didn't seem to wish to speak of it any more than she wanted to tell him about Volan. Yet curiosity caught hold. "Devlyn? What happened?"
"Men killed them. Set our house on fire. I'd gotten into trouble earlier in the day for playing in the creek without letting anyone know where I was. My father made me sleep in an outer building, where we stored leather goods, to punish me when we all lay down for our afternoon nap."
He paused.
"Devlyn?"
"I heard the screams, but flames already engulfed the house. I couldn't save anyone, not even my brothers." He took a deep breath. "We were triplets, did everything together, except for the morning I'd played down by the creek."
Bella listened quietly, envisioning the heat of the flames devouring everything in her path the day Devlyn found her. She blinked away the tears.
"I remained at the smoldering remains of the house for days, somehow thinking that if I stayed long enough, I'd wake and find out the horror had been an ugly nightmare. Then hunger forced me to change into the wolf and I ran.
"For weeks I survived on my own, living off the land, not daring to turn into my human form in the wilderness. I'd have never survived, yet the phase of the new moon was fast approaching. I knew inevitably I'd have to face new perils soon."
Chill bumps covered her arms. She could imagine how he must have felt---not much older than she when she lost her family, on his own, alone in the wilderness, terrified, and worse, his heart aching for the only family he'd ever known. She'd never have survived that long had she been on her own at such a young age.
He took a ragged breath. "I kept moving west and then I ran into Argos and some of his pack hunting and he took me in."
"I'm sorry, Devlyn." Her heart ached for him. The painful loss of her family had never faded entirely from her memories. "I didn't know. You must really hate humans for what they did to your family."
"The human males, although in truth it was probably my uncle's fault. He'd gotten into a drunken brawl in town and killed two men. At least I suspected it was because of his rash actions that men came out to the ranch and burned the house."
Now she could understand why Devlyn grew angry when she said she wanted a human male for a mate. "You've been right about me all along, Devlyn. I could never find a human that interested me."
He traced her breast with his fingers, triggering a lustful desire to have him make love to her. "I know," he said softly. "That's why you have photos of us all over your fridge. But more of me. And a bigger one beside your bed."
He was never going to let her live that down. "You're so arrogant. No female could ever put up with you." She pulled the comforter over her shoulder. "I bet if you could get away with it, you would say the original lupus garou was a gray."
"He was," Devlyn said with conviction.
She looked over her shoulder at him. "You can't be serious." But his expression was completely resolute.
"Sure. The first was a gray. I can't imagine you'd ever heard otherwise. Somewhere along the line, a smaller gray female turned a redheaded Scot and he started a pack far away from any of the gray clans. Their pups were smaller, some gray, some more red. The reds began to turn other redheads until they were able to find mates among the lupus garou."
"Bull. Ancient Scots were big men, not small."
"No, really."
"You know, just because you're bigger and stronger doesn't mean you were first. My grandfather said the first lupus garou was a red---that he was a berserker, a Norseman, who prayed to Odin, the Scandinavian god of war and death but also of poetry and wisdom. Odin could change into any form he liked, but a bear and a wolf were his best known forms. He was thought of as the ultimate alpha wolf when he turned into that beast. The berserker human was a redhead, and after losing his wife and children to a raiding party of Norsemen, he beseeched Odin to give him the power to right the wrong done to his family and his people.
"Odin took pity on the Norseman and gifted him with near-immortality by extending his longevity, and the ability to change into a wolf---a red wolf---whenever the moon made its appearance."
Devlyn kissed Bella's ear. "All right, same story, except the Norseman had dark brown hair and amber eyes, and he was a hulking brute of a man. Big, not small like a red."
Bella grunted. "He was a red."
Devlyn didn't say anything for several seconds, and she thought he'd fallen asleep. But then his hand slipped under the covers and caressed her shoulder. "Is that why Vernetta knocked out your baby teeth? Because you tried to convince her that the first lupus garou was a red?"
Bella growled, the memory still making her angry even after all these years.
"Was it? When Argos brought us male juveniles home from a hunt, you were pacing in Argos's cabin, your mouth bloodied, gaps where you should have had teeth, your eyes feral. Vernetta said you fought with her about the legend of the origin of the lupus garou kind, but she wouldn't say what you said, and you'd never speak of it to any of us, not even Argos."
"Well, she was wrong."
"She sure as hell was. If Argos hadn't stopped me, I would have knocked her teeth out in retaliation, except hers were all permanent. I don't think I've ever seen Argos so angry as when he found out what happened to you either."
"You should have seen how angry I was!"
Devlyn leaned over and licked Bella's shoulder. "I did. You couldn't eat anything solid for a couple of weeks. And until you could, Argos wouldn't allow Vernetta to eat anything solid either."
Bella smiled. "She was pretty pissed." Then her smile faded. "The first lupus garou was a red."
Devlyn chuckled. "Whatever you say, Bella honey. Whatever you say."
Figuring she'd never change Devlyn's stubborn mind, she pulled back the covers. "I should check the computer to see if Ross responded."
"All right. I'll fix us something to eat."
"Hmm, a man who cooks. What else could a girl want?"
His hand drifted to her belly.
"A lot of loving...I know. But we've got to get going. Do you have a change of clothes?"
He burrowed his face in her hair as his fingers dropped lower. "Brought my bag in this morning."
His actions heated her, but she fought fulfilling the yearnings. "Have anything black?"
"As dark as the midnight sky when the moon is new."
"Okay." Turning, she kissed his lips.
He didn't kiss her back, only gave her a half smile. She assumed he didn't want to get too worked up if he couldn't relieve his ache for her. She was a little disappointed, loving the way he showed her the intense side of his feelings for her. But he was right...keep it cool.
After slipping out of bed, she yanked her panties on and fastened her bra. Then she had another notion. What if they lived in hiding, like she'd done for so many years? What if she could convince Devlyn to give up the pack and remain with her here, or wherever he wanted to go, but some place far away from the threat of Volan?
The idea seemed reasonable to her, but she figured Devlyn wouldn't go along with it. Not with being a male lupus garou. Hiding wasn't in his nature. Plus, he'd already told her how important his family was to him. But they could start their own family and find their own territory to establish.
He climbed out of bed and headed for the hall, turning to smile at her as she folded her arms and looked him over. "Chrissie would die if she knew you cooked in the raw."
"He'd do something else, but his selected mate's not agreeable enough yet."
Joining him, she raked her fingernails down his chest in a teasing caress. "Keep it up and maybe you'll change my mind."
"I intend to keep it up and change your mind." He snapped the elastic of her bra strap and then strode down the hall.
One hot lupus garou, but he couldn't be hers unless he met her demands.
Once he reached the kitchen, she entered her office, turned on the computer, scanned the messages, and found Ross's note. Meet me at Millie's Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop at six tomorrow evening on First Street. Ross
See you there. Rosa
She tapped her fingers on the desk and then headed for the kitchen. "Ross wants to meet me at a sandwich shop tomorrow evening at six."
Devlyn pulled out a package of German sausage links. "How about these?"
"Looks good." She glanced down his naked torso and then up.
He shook his head. "You are one bad little red wolf."
"Yeah, I know. And I really do apologize for being so wicked. Forgive me?"
He chuckled under his breath. "Nooo, but I don't think you're going to give me what I want to make up for it either."
She cleared her throat, switching to a much tamer subject. "So what do you think about Ross?"
"He's afraid of the competition. He'd rather go for you without the others around, which makes me suspect that he could be the killer."
She ran her hand over Devlyn's well-muscled buttocks. Instantly, the muscles tightened, and he growled.
Ignoring his protest, she kissed his shoulder. "But you think he'll be at the club still?"
"I'd bet on it, Bella." The sausages sizzled in the pan, and he poked them with a fork. The spicy aroma wafted through the air. Her stomach rumbled. "He'll want to see what kind of move the other guys make and how you react. Not to mention, he's probably dying to see what you look like in human form." Glancing back at her, he raised a brow. He continued to stir the sausages. "How do you think you're going to prove who it is?"
"I'll ask them what they think of what happened."
"Has the latest killing even been on the news yet?"
"Oh, heck, I don't know." She hurried into the living room and turned on the television.
After flipping to the local nightly news, she held her breath as the newscaster pointed to a map of Portland where four locations were circled in red. "In the most bizarre case in the history of Portland, Oregon, the killings of four young women---all midtwenties, all natural redheads, every one of them no taller than five-foot-five, one every day for four days, ending three days ago---have baffled police. Preliminary reports in the ongoing investigation show a wolf did the killings.
"In other news---"
Bella shut off the TV and collapsed on the sofa.
"Are you all right?" Devlyn called from the kitchen.
"Four women have been murdered, Devlyn."
"I heard." He joined her in the living room and pulled her to her feet, his eyes darkened, intense, worried, his hands rubbing her arms in a gentle sweep. "Are you going to be all right?"
"Yes." The word was nearly a whisper.
"I don't want you to do this if you're afraid."
"I'm not afraid. I just don't want to see anyone else get hurt." Her gaze met his. "If he doesn't kill tonight, it'll mean he's one of the ones who contacted me, don't you think? He'll wait to see if I agree to be his mate?"
"Maybe. Unless it bothers him that you're being choosey. He might still try for a human female then."
"Oh," Bella said, rubbing her temple. "He can't kill as a wolf tonight. Not until the quarter moon appears."
Devlyn took a deep breath and led her into the dining room. "Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. He won't be able to for another four days."
"We have to find him before that can happen."
"He can still kill them as a human."
"But he probably seduces them first in his human form and then tries to convince them to experiment with something really wild, don't you think? Then he turns into the wolf and they go ballistic. But for now, he may have relations with them until the change is possible."
"You might be right, but I really don't want you mixed up with this maniac."
Bella didn't want to be, either, but she was sure that she already was.
After eating, Devlyn and Bella returned to the bedroom to dress so she could face the crowd of female-hungry reds. She frowned at the meager selection in her closet---meager mostly because she worked out of her home or took a run on the wild side on the weekends in the woods sans clothes. "We should arrive early, don't you think, Devlyn?" Bella pulled a slinky emerald-green dress over her head. "I was going to wear black, but I'm not in the mood. What do you think?"
When he didn't answer, she glanced in his direction.
"You look good in that, Bella. Too good." His expression was brooding but mixed with a wolf's lust.
"Do you want me to wear something else?"
"Do you have anything ankle length with a high neck and long sleeves? Preferably black...and baggy?"
"No. How can I catch the killer if I hide?"
"I don't want you exposed to him in the first place." He buttoned his black shirt with jerky movements.
She figured he didn't want to expose her to the other reds either. "Devlyn, none of them is coming home with me tonight...only you."
She applied green shadow to her eyelids and blush to her cheeks and then grabbed fistfuls of red curls and held them against her head. "Up or down?"
He groaned. "Wear a black wig. Or a big floppy hat."
She released her hair. "Okay, down...less work."
"I really don't know how you talked me into this."
"You love me."
"If I had any sense, I wouldn't allow this," he grumbled, his brows knit in a hard frown.
She crossed the floor and grazed his mouth with hers. "You're an angel. My guardian angel. And you'll watch out for me. But, about my question, should we arrive early?"
For an instant, his smoldering gaze held her hostage; then glancing outside, he shook his head. "We're already too late for that. Ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be, under the circumstances." She squelched the urge to shudder and pulled a shawl over her shoulders.
When they arrived in the vicinity of the club, they parked a quarter of a mile away from the red brick building in an attempt to avoid others seeing their vehicle or that they were together. She walked to the club ahead of him, the music already beating a gypsy rhythm to stir the dead. Cars filled the parking lot to capacity; others spilled into the road, silent against the curb.
She entered the club first, while Devlyn lagged a short distance behind.
A kaleidoscope of colored lights flashed overhead as the music pounded in her ears. She imagined she wouldn't be able to hear anything for hours afterward. The scent of perfume, cologne, and sweaty bodies wafted in the air, but it was a minute before she picked up the smell of a lupus garou nearby. Too nearby.
"Rosa," a deep voice said.
A chill prickled the nape of her neck and she turned. "Alfred."
"You're fashionably late." His chestnut eyes studied her too intensely, looking from her hair all the way to her strappy heels. He'd added some kind of greasy stuff to his hair, making it appear darker, less red. He seemed taller than he had at the zoo. She glanced down at his shoes. Elevated.
Alfred offered to take her shawl.
Once she removed it, his face brightened. "Certainly worth waiting for." Then a dark shadow crossed his face. "I saw Nicol here, though. He said he was meeting you also. I told him to try back some other time."
He seated her at a small round table for two near the highly polished dance floor.
"A gray lupus garou pack raised me, Alfred. I haven't been with my own kind since I was small. I don't want to select a mate from the first red wolf I meet."
He waved for a bartender and then turned back to her. "I see. The red alpha pack leader isn't good enough for you?"
So Alfred was the pack leader of the local red lupus garou. But she noticed at once that his smell wasn't the same as the smell of the one who'd been in the apartment where she and Devlyn had discovered the murdered girl. That was good. He'd want to find the rogue as much as they did, then.
"Actually," she said, "that's some of the problem. A pack leader is already after me---of the grays."
Alfred's eyes widened. "He's not from around here. Can't be. We have no grays in the area."
"No, from Colorado, where I lived originally."
He relaxed. "It's not his territory. Not to worry. A gray from another area won't have any success here with our females."
She wished his reds could do away with Volan. Then she'd offer herself to Devlyn as his mate. Although she assumed he wouldn't like it if the only way he could have her was if reds from another pack killed Volan. Of course, if Alfred and his pack eliminated Volan, Alfred would be sure to think that he could claim her.
Wishing life were less complicated, she took a slow breath. "As pack leader, why haven't you already found a mate?"
"They're either much too young or much too old. You can't imagine what a stir you've created with your sudden appearance. We had no idea that a lone female was in the area. You must keep an awfully low profile. And we never fathomed you'd escape from the zoo. We had planned to storm the place to rescue you later that night." He turned to a bartender. "A beer and..."
"A Bloody Mary," Bella said.
He smiled and then grew serious. "So, who stole you away from the hospital? A gray?"
"Yes. He had orders to return me to the pack leader in Colorado. But something else came up."
Alfred fisted his hands on the table and snarled, "No pack leader from another territory has any say here."
Despite his outburst, Bella kept her words cool. "He's a gray. So far, Volan's been unbeatable."
The bartender returned with their drinks and Alfred paid for them. Bella sipped hers while Alfred raked his eyes over her in too leering a manner. "He won't be welcome. If he arrives here, I'll have a committee give him a grand send off."
Pack leaders---well-thought-of pack leaders---took the lead. He should be the one making plans to take Volan down. Already her estimation of him had sunk to the depths of the Marianna Trench.
She made no comment concerning his threats about Volan, which seemed to make him uneasy. Did he assume he'd not said the right thing to win the red's heart? He had that right. He'd have to look, act, and feel like Devlyn to get close to her.
Alfred cleared his throat. "I thought maybe tomorrow night we could---"
"I have other plans."
He tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes narrowed, and his lips formed a thin line. "I don't want a long courtship. I need a mate." He spoke abruptly, like a pack leader used to getting his way.
But with her, he had to tread lightly. She wasn't one of his pack, and she had no intention of ever being one. "And I told you I'm not going to choose a mate when I haven't seen some more eligible bachelors. Mating for life means something to me."
His eyes darkened and he frowned.
Despite his look of aggression, she wouldn't back down. She glanced around the club, hoping to catch sight of Devlyn. Leaning against a pillar near a set of tables, he observed her from the east side of the building. Her whole body thrilled to know he served as her protector, but it was the way his gaze locked with hers, mesmerizing her, claiming her, that stirred her to the core.
She gave him a knowing smile and then turned to Alfred. "So, where's Nicol?"
He pointed in Devlyn's direction. "The curly redhead who's nursing a drink at the table over there, fuming and watching every move we make."
"Ah." She caught Devlyn's eye and then motioned to the red-haired man with her head.
Devlyn nodded and moved in to sit beside Nicol at the table.
She searched for Argos but, regretfully, saw no sign of him.
"Looking for someone?" Alfred asked, touching her hand as she held onto her glass.
She pulled away from his icy touch, concerned Devlyn might overreact to Alfred's attentions toward her. "An old friend. He wished to speak to me about some problem, but I don't see him."
"How old a friend?"
"Ancient. He's about seventy and retired as our pack leader before I became a teen."
"If you're referring to this gray wolf pack from Colorado, he's not one of your kind. We are."
She leaned back in her chair, not liking the comments he made about her pack. It didn't matter how different they were. They took her in and cared for her when she would have died without their help. Alfred hadn't even asked how her family perished and she ended up with a gray pack. He seemed more interested in getting her to agree to be his mate than anything else, but didn't he know that meant trying to convince her she was someone special?
He reached his hand out to her. "Let's dance."
Her heartbeat quickened. She'd have to dance to keep up the charade, but she didn't want to, not with him. She glanced back at Devlyn.
"Nicol won't ask you. I am." Alfred still held his hand out to her, and she took a deep breath, weighing her options.
Devlyn watched every move the slick red lupus garou made toward Bella. Twice, he'd had the urge to break up the party, claim her for his own, and take her away from the club---damn the reason they were here in the first place.
When Alfred reached his hand out to Bella, Devlyn knew he was asking her to dance. The thought sent a shard of ice straight into his heart. He wanted no one else near her feeling the heat of her curvy body and smelling her sweet scent.
Nicol spoke, distracting him. "She sure is hot." He looked over at Devlyn. "Got yourself a mate?"
"Yeah," Devlyn said, and it was no lie. Bella was his mate, if he could only convince her she didn't want a human. But dealing with Volan was another matter.
"You didn't bring her?"
"She's preoccupied with work right now."
"Ah. So what do you do?"
Devlyn considered the man's calculating brown eyes and his unruly mop of red hair. "Leather goods. You?"
"Professional hunter. Take folks into the wilds---the rougher the terrain, the meaner the prey, the more they love it." Nicol's eyes darkened with a hint of malice.
Devlyn returned his attention to Bella. "You're not here much of the time, I take it."
"I'm here and then I'm gone. I still need a mate, if that's what you're getting at." He pointed his beer at Bella and Alfred. "Now that's what I was supposed to be doing."
"He's your pack leader?"
"Yeah. But from the looks of it, she's taking it really slow."
"What's your leader like around women? Is he aggressive?"
"Don't really know. He's never had a lupus garou the right age to pursue." Nicol gave a smug smile. "But she sure is keeping him at arm's length. His face is even reddening a bit."
Devlyn knew his must have been too, as hot as he was getting. He downed his drink and then ordered a bottled water to chill his blood.
When Alfred tried to move his hand lower down Bella's back, Devlyn rose from his chair, ready to force one red male to cool it with Devlyn's intended mate.
BEFORE DEVLYN COULD RUSH TO THE PARQUET FLOOR, the music changed to a fast-paced dance and Alfred released Bella. Curbing his temper, Devlyn sat back down at Nicol's table.
"Hell," Nicol said to Devlyn and motioned to another man---about the same shorter stature, around five-ten, with brown hair tinged with red. "Ross is headed this way. Guess he'll think I couldn't score again."
Devlyn took his eyes off Bella and stared at Nicol. "You said you hadn't courted any lupus garou."
"No, human females. They're all right, but nothing like one of our own kind. Too tame."
"Ever thought of changing one?"
Nicol's eyes grew big. "Why would I want to do that?"
"To have a mate. I considered it a time or two," Devlyn fabricated---anything to convince Nicol to talk about his relationships with human women. "I thought I might find the one I liked and then, if she were agreeable, change her. Like in your pack, we have a shortage of females who are the right mating age. So...yeah, I've considered it."
Nicol nodded. "Yeah, me, too. But it wouldn't work. A human would be afraid."
"Ever have a problem when you're getting it on hot and heavy and then you have the urge to change?"
Nicol stared at the table, grabbed his beer, and chugged it down. "No...no, and you?"
"A time or two," Devlyn lied. "You know, during the full moon."
Nicol slid his gaze away and nodded at Ross when he sauntered over to the table. Devlyn rose from his chair and offered his hand in greeting. Ross ignored him, and, amused, Devlyn overlooked the insult and sat back down.
"This is Devlyn," Nicol said, "and Devlyn, this is Ross."
Ross sniffed the air and then frowned. "You're a gray. Not from around here."
"Yep." Devlyn wanted to add, 'Going to make something of it?' But this wasn't the time to act macho.
Ross's gaze shifted from Devlyn to Nicol and then to Alfred and Bella. He rested his hands on his hips. "Man, that's her, eh?"
"Yeah, as you can see, Alfred got to her first."
Devlyn finished his water when Bella sat at the table with Alfred again.
"Are you going to ask her to dance?" Ross asked Nicol.
Nicol rubbed the back of his neck. "And start a fight? You know Alfred won't let any of us near her when he's around."
Devlyn stood. "I'll ask her to dance." It was time to do something with that testosterone that made him testy where Bella was concerned.
"But you're a gray," Ross said, his voice astounded.
"And have a mate," Nicol reminded Devlyn.
Inwardly, Devlyn smiled. "Yeah, well, it's just a dance. Not a proposal."
"He's got to be crazy," Nicol said under his breath when Devlyn moved away from the table.
"He's a gray," Ross retorted.
Yeah, he was a gray and he would dance with that hot little red number. Nothing would stop him, certainly not one horny red pack leader.
Now what the hell? Bella stared at Devlyn stalking across the floor, forcing dancing couples to move out of his way or get run over. He was going to blow their case, yet from the way he acted, it didn't matter. She knew he'd have a fit when Alfred moved his hand lower on her backside. And she knew he would watch Alfred's every move and not have missed the red's action.
But this was not the way to handle it.
Her breathing accelerated as she tried to think of how to rectify the situation.
Before she could say anything, Alfred turned and saw the lupus garou targeting his date.
"He's a friend," she quickly said.
Alfred didn't look back at her but continued to stare down the impending threat. "The one who wants you?"
"No, the one who rescued me from the hospital."
He turned to her briefly. "The one who wants to take you back to the gray pack to hand you over to the leader?"
"He saved my life when I was little. He's changed his mind about turning me over to Volan."
Alfred shifted his attention back to the menace who stalked across the club, their eyes locked in combat, the wolf way.
When Devlyn reached him, he stretched his hand out to Alfred. "I'm Devlyn and I understand you're Alfred. I've been visiting with two members of your pack. They say you're a great leader."
Bella waited in breathless anticipation to see if Devlyn's words helped soften the confrontation.
Alfred took Devlyn's hand, but his lips tightened when Devlyn squeezed hard, his own hand much larger. Devlyn's arm muscle grew taut and Alfred's eyes watered.
She took a deep breath, hoping Devlyn's show of strength would make Alfred back down.
"Has Bella told you we're from the same pack?"
Alfred flashed her a satisfied look at having found out her real name. "She said grays raised her, yes, and that you'd planned to return her to your pack leader."
Devlyn looked over at Bella for an explanation.
"I also said you'd changed your mind."
Devlyn's lips turned up slightly. "I haven't had the pleasure of dancing with my wolf mate," he said to Alfred. "I hadn't seen her in years. Never had the chance to dance with her back then."
Devlyn showed all of the signs of wolf posturing.
Instead of waiting for Alfred's response, Devlyn pulled her from her seat, slipped his arm around her waist, and held her close as he moved her to the dance floor.
"Oh jeez, Devlyn." She frowned at him when he drew her deeper into the mob of dancers. "Could you make it any more obvious you have the hots for me?"
Grinning at her, his hands moved down her backside and cupped her buttocks. "If you must know, yes."
She encircled his neck with her arms. "Now listen, I wouldn't let him get away with such behavior toward me. You're ruining the whole thing. What will he think?"
Devlyn slipped his leg between hers and rocked against her heated core. "What he already knows. I've claimed you." He glanced back at the table where the other reds sat. "Maybe this will work even better."
She scowled at him. "What if they decide to gang up on you for trying to steal a red from their territory? They're not going to allow it. Not from a gray."
He grunted.
Sliding her hands down, she cupped his butt and tugged him closer. "Is this helping your plans?"
Chuckling, he kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, a few more moves like that and we'll have to return to the vehicle and finish them."
She breathed in his heady scent. "You sure smell good."
"Taste good, too, if you want a bite."
"Ah, Devlyn, what are we going to do? You know I want you, but..."
Raising her chin, he dropped his mouth open to speak, but the words wouldn't come.
"What's wrong?"
"That's all I've waited to hear, Bella. You said the magic words."
He captured her mouth with passionate aggression, his tongue plundering her, claiming her as he'd done so long ago. His hands roamed over her back and then down to her buttocks again, and he pulled her against him. Adrenaline running high, she trembled. She couldn't deny her feelings for him.
But she couldn't take the words back now. She'd committed to him, just as if she'd said 'I do.'
"I mean---"
"I know what you mean. Do we go home now and consummate our relationship or fake this charade a little longer?"
"I haven't seen Argos yet. What if we miss him?"
"He can get in touch with you the same way." Devlyn worked her toward the front exit.
"You can't mean to take me home this instant."
"Yeah, we have unfinished business, honey. And it's not waiting any longer."
She glanced at Alfred. Nicol and another wolf had joined him.
"Ross and Nicol," Devlyn said when he saw her look at them.
"They're planning on stopping you from taking me out of here, don't you think?"
"Damn it." Devlyn's brown eyes turned black as his jaw clenched in anger.
His intense posture sent a shiver down her spine. "What's wrong?"
"New plan. Zoo man Thompson's near the front exit looking for you. Let's find a back way out."
As soon as he guided her toward a rear exit, Alfred and his wolfmates blocked their escape.
"What if Alfred says he won't let us leave unless I'll agree to be his mate?" she asked, her heartbeat quickened.
"You're already spoken for." He hurried her toward the exit.
All three reds glared at Devlyn, stood their ground at the rear door, and wouldn't let them pass.
"We have some trouble," she said to Alfred, trying to diffuse the fight she feared was about to erupt any second. "Thompson, the man from the zoo who tranquilized me and put me there in the first place, is standing at the front door of the club. He probably has police officers standing by."
"Will you go with me?" Alfred asked.
"I promised myself to Devlyn."
Swallowing hard, Alfred's Adam's apple moved up and down. He crossed his arms. "No deal."
"We'll help you catch the red who's killing the women in the area."
He narrowed his eyes. "How do you know it's a red lupus garou?"
"I have evidence. We'll help you and your pack catch him."
"Why?"
"Because," she growled, frost surrounding each word, "he threatens to give all of us away."
He looked over at his mates, but they waited for him to give the word. Seconds hung like hours while Thompson's gaze shifted around the room. Her chest tightened.
"All right. Come on then," Alfred finally said, his words ominous. But, considering that the zoo man searched for her, guarded relief washed over Bella even though Alfred didn't seem to be buying the bit about her being Devlyn's choice.
"What evidence do you have that it's a red?" Alfred asked, shoving the metal door open at the back of the club.
"Some of his fur."
A dark shadow crossed Alfred's face. "If you give it to me, we can have a DNA match done to find out which one of my pack he is."
She glanced back at Nicol and Ross. Neither seemed worried about the notion. "I don't have it with me. But I can meet with Ross tomorrow night as I planned---"
Devlyn squeezed her hand hard.
She frowned at him. "Devlyn will come with me, of course. Then I can turn it over to Ross."
Alfred nodded. "Ross can let me know the details, and we'll meet you there."
The smell of garbage drifted to them through the doorway on the chilly breeze. One security light dimly illuminated a section of the parking area, while the rest remained dark. A cat scurried past employee vehicles parked next to a dumpster.
Dread trickled down Bella's spine. What if Alfred and his pack ganged up on Devlyn with no one to see---no one to stop them? They could force her to give up the fur afterward. One female red lupus garou was no match for three red males. Even one would be too difficult for her to handle.
"Coming?" Alfred prompted, walking outside, testing Devlyn's steel.
Still holding Bella's hand securely in his own, Devlyn followed. "Tomorrow night. And thanks."
"Thank you for assisting us in this matter." Despite the words he spoke, Alfred's tone remained couched in hostility.
Devlyn nodded. "Tomorrow."
When Devlyn led Bella down the back alley, they caught Nicol's words. "You're not going to let her be his, are you? She's too much of a red for him."
They'd moved too far away from the three to hear the response when other voices in the dark caught their attention.
"I really think the chief's going to be ticked off about this. That guy and his girlfriend gotta be long gone from this area by now."
She recognized the men's voices. The police officers who were at the hospital---the ones Devlyn had knocked out. Her heart raced and her hands grew clammy. If they caught Devlyn...
Her big gray steered her away from them, slipping through the area without making a sound.
Thankfully, they'd parked far enough from the dance club that no others, not even the red pack, would see them leave unless they had followed them. The breeze blew in their favor, and no scent of the reds met them on the turbulent night air.
Devlyn opened the door for Bella and then hurried for his own. After climbing into the vehicle, he drove her home, his hands clenching the steering wheel.
Reaching over, she rubbed his back. "I don't think Alfred's ready to give me up, do you?"
"Nope."
"Did you get anything out of Ross or Nicol?"
Devlyn's back muscles relaxed with her massaging them. "Just that Nicol is a professional hunter---the more dangerous the prey, the better."
"But women aren't dangerous."
"Maybe not to most, but if he's afraid of their reaction to the sight of him as a wolf, perhaps so. When I asked him if he ever thought about changing a woman, he said he had."
"He told you that? Without coercion? What with a killer on the loose, I would think he'd keep his mouth shut."
"I fabricated that I wanted to change a human female. You know how it goes. One tells of his darkest fantasies and the other doesn't want to be bested."
She stared at him, not sure whether to believe he'd fibbed or not.
When her hand stilled on his back, he glanced at her. "Humans killed my family, remember?"
"Men only, remember?" She couldn't curb the jealousy washing over her.
Reaching across the console, he squeezed her thigh. "It's good to know you care. I've never had a woman envious over me before." He winked at her. "Truly, Bella, I've wanted a mate for years. It's unnatural not to desire one when you live in a pack, but you're the only one I've ever wanted for keeps."
"Okay, so you fibbed to Nicol about wanting to change a human female." She began to rub his back again, relieved he had no interest in any other females but her.
"Yes. Then I asked if he ever started to turn wolf while he made love to a woman."
"You said this had happened to you to convince him to talk more?"
"Yes. A couple of times during the phase of the full moon."
She raised a brow. "And had it? For real, I mean."
"No." He chuckled. "You sure are suspicious of me. I'd never make love to a human woman during the full moon. I didn't trust anything like that could really happen, but I certainly didn't want to risk it."
"He said he had?"
"He didn't really say, but I got the impression he might have."
"Jeez. What happened?"
"Not sure. I must have gotten distracted."
She slapped his leg. "Typical man. When the story really gets good, you don't know the ending." She sighed. "What if Nicol had killed other women before the pattern emerged here in Portland? What if he'd done so in other countries where he'd led hunting parties? Out in the wild, where no one would suspect his actions? He could say it was a man-eating lion or something else that attacked the women."
Devlyn shook his head.
She wished he hadn't been so...distracted. "So...what about Ross?"
"I didn't get a chance to talk to him."
"Because?"
His lips turned up.
"What?" she asked, annoyed.
"I had to dance with you, Bella."
Frowning, she couldn't hide her irritation. "You were supposed to find out who the killer is."
"And you, with Alfred?"
Now that she was on the hot seat, she looked out the window and smoothed her dress. "I'm afraid I didn't get anywhere with him."
"Because?"
"I couldn't seem to broach the subject."
He snorted. "Except when you offered him the fur of the killer."
"Yeah, sorry. I couldn't think of any other way to solicit their help while avoiding the fight that seemed headed your way."
After a prolonged silence, he pulled into her garage and shut the door behind them. "I'm not sure it was a good idea. What if he switches it with someone else's fur to cover up the fact that he's the killer?"
"I'm not giving him the whole chunk. Just a couple of strands. That's all he'll need."
They climbed out of the vehicle, but before she could make it very far, he swooped her up in his arms and carried her into the kitchen. "I know it's a human tradition, but call me a sentimentalist. I always liked the idea."
"Carrying the lady across the threshold?"
"Yeah."
When he crossed the dining room, she chuckled. "We crossed the threshold a while ago."
"Yeah."
"You're taking me to the bedroom?"
"The wolf's version of carrying the lady across the threshold."
She laughed. "I like the wolf's version much better." She unbuttoned the top button to his shirt. "I can just guess what happens next."
AS SOON AS DEVLYN LAID BELLA ON HER BED, THE email butler on her computer said, "You've got mail, Madam."
Devlyn growled, not wanting any distraction to keep him from fully claiming his mate. "You didn't shut your computer down."
"Sorry. By the time you return, I'll be ready for you."
He kissed her lips with feral possessiveness and then ran his tongue down her neck. "Better be."
Unbuttoning his shirt, he strode out of the bedroom, but when he reached the computer, his fingers poised to turn it off, a message from Argos caught his attention.
Bella, I haven't returned to Portland. I found someone had sent a message from my computer saying he'd meet you there, but it wasn't me. Argos
Devlyn cursed under his breath and typed in a reply. This is Devlyn. Who had access to your computer? We're safe for now, but I need to know who sent the message. He added: Who knows her home address? Dev
The message came back quickly. Thank God, you're all right. I've been sitting at the computer all night waiting for your response in the hope all was well. Argos
Who was it? Volan?
Volan's the only one I can think of. I might have left my computer on when I ran some errands.
Poor old Argos. He wouldn't do anything on purpose to hurt Bella. I'm not turning Bella over to him. I want you to know that. Devlyn rubbed his chin, waiting for an answer, respecting Argos above all others in the pack.
Bella approves, I suspect?
Yes. Tapping his bare foot on the floor, Devlyn waited for his response.
You'll have to fight Volan to the death.
Yes.
I always knew it would happen, Devlyn. You're following in my footsteps and, yes, I approve.
You and Myrta? Devlyn couldn't believe the old codger had fought to be pack leader over a female, too.
Yeah, can't see it, eh? The two of you watch your backs. Volan's not one to play fairly if it means losing Bella and his pack leadership all at the same time. He'll be out for your blood.
Devlyn was glad to know Argos was on his side. Does Volan know Bella's address?
No. She's always had a P.O. box address. I don't know where her home is.
Is Volan there now? Devlyn hoped it was a ruse, a veiled threat that he was coming for them if Devlyn didn't bring her home to Colorado.
No. According to others, he left sometime this afternoon.
Devlyn breathed in the subtle fragrance of Bella behind him. A red lupus garou has been killing here. We're trying to discover who he is. We'll be returning later than we planned. In the meantime, we'll keep an eye out for Volan.
Devlyn...be careful.
"Is something wrong?" Bella asked, her sweet voice stirring him when she walked into the office. Her voice was threaded with worry, but seeing her wearing her red lace panties and bra forced the breath from his lungs. "Sinfully sexy" described his Bella. Just catching sight of her bra pushing up her already full-sized breasts...just a bit more and the top of her darkened nipples would be exposed.
He stood up from the desk chair quickly. "Yeah, something's wrong. Argos returned to Colorado and is still there. The message we thought he sent must have been from Volan."
Bella's face paled.
Wrapping his arm around her, he nuzzled his cheek against her neck. "Argos assures me he doesn't know where you live."
She shook her head.
Argos typed in a final message: Bring her home, Devlyn.
You have my word, Argos. D
The next message made the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end.
Dear little Bella,
I sent trusted members of my pack to bring you home, but it seems Devlyn has other ideas. I should have killed him years ago. No problem. Now is as good a time as any. Unless you agree to be my mate. Think on it, angel. A life for a life. Meet me at the club and agree to be my mate and I'll let him live. Volan
Devlyn cursed under his breath, sure Volan's message would shake Bella's faith in his abilities. Shutting off the computer, he tightened his hold on her, hoping she wouldn't discourage what he craved to do with her next. He kissed her cheek, but she seemed deep in thought, not responding to his attentions.
He couldn't stomach the thought that she'd want to cool it with him now. Not when he'd convinced her he was the only one for her. "Bella honey, you haven't changed your mind..."
Her darkened gaze shifted from his chest to his face. Tears pooled in her eyes, striking a chord in his heart. He kissed her lips, trying to stir her compulsion to mate. Once she was his, there was no going back. No acquiescing to the alpha leader.
He breathed in the peach smell of her hair, focusing on everything about her that urged him to take his relationship with her all the way. "I'll kill him, Bella, before he can have you. I swear it."
"We can't do it, Devlyn."
Unable to curb his anger, he growled, "Because?"
"Because of Volan!"
Grinding his teeth, Devlyn cast her a knife-edged look. "You still think I haven't got what it takes? That I can't best him?"
"I've seen what he's done to others who tried to take over the pack! I know how impossible he is to beat."
Devlyn took her hand and kissed it, attempting to get his rage under control, trying to persuade her to give him a chance.
She pushed him away.
Instantly, the bloodlust surged through his veins. "If all it takes for you to agree to be my mate..." He clamped his lips tight and stormed out of the office.
"Devlyn, wait! What are you going to do?"
He refused to give in to the panic in her voice. He'd come too far to back down now. "I'll kill him, Bella. That's what I'm going to do. I'll end this once and for all."
"No!" She grabbed his arm, but he yanked it free.
"Wait for me, Bella. I'll take care of him and be back shortly."
She didn't say another word, and when he climbed into the SUV, he glanced at the reason for his actions---Bella, his chosen, her eyes misted with tears, her lips pursed in anger.
Volan was as good as dead.
Bella watched Devlyn back out of the garage, her knight who'd get himself killed. She'd never share his love, have his children, be able to return to the pack.
The garage door shut, becoming an impenetrable wall between them.
"Damn it, Devlyn." He'd forced her hand.
She raced back to her bedroom, dressed, and yanked her gun out of the bedside table. She would end it once and for all.
After calling a taxi, she paced across the living room, waiting for the cab's arrival, her blood on fire. Could she kill Volan if she had the chance?
The image of him ripping her dress, trying to force himself on her, came to mind. She slung the leather purse over her shoulder. She could do it.
A yellow cab honked outside, and she hurried to meet it. "Papagalli's Dance Club," she said to the driver, her words rushed.
"Yes, ma'am. Hot date?" the driver asked, black dreadlocks jiggling when he talked, his voice sounding Jamaican. Steel band music thumped on his CD player while he tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel in perfect sync with the tune, his body rocking to the beat.
"Somebody's dying to meet me," she answered, jumping into the car.
"Lucky guy."
"Thanks. I need to get there fast to put him out of his misery."
The driver flashed a set of straight teeth, his dark skin making them appear ice-white.
On the way to the club, she pulled out her money but fought leaving her gun in her bag.
A few minutes later, he announced, "Here we are, ma'am. Fastest time I ever made."
She gave him a generous tip. "For your trouble."
"No trouble."
But she was already out the door. The heavy beat of the dance club music filled the parking area, vibrating the ground. Except for the soft glow of street lights, the businesses on either side of the street were dark and closed for the night, making the area the perfect place for a lupus garou to stalk its prey. The temperature had dropped several degrees, but it was the worry about Devlyn fighting Volan that turned her blood to ice. Before she reached the club entrance, movement to the east caught her eye.
She whipped around.
Volan. His black eyes glittered with a mixture of anger and unfulfilled lust. His grim look indicated that he meant business.
So did she.
She fumbled to extract the gun from her purse.
He ran across the parking lot to intercept her.
Damn it! She knew she should've pulled the gun out already.
Her skin grew wet with perspiration. The breeze carried the smell of her fear to him. He'd like that. The notion that she was afraid of him always empowered him.
She yanked the gun free.
His eyes wide, he froze a few yards from her. "Put the gun down, Bella."
Dressed in all black, he was the picture of death. The breeze tugged at his raven-colored hair hanging loose at his massive shoulders. Everything about him was larger than life. His thick neck, angular jaw, huge chest, and large hands. Unbeatable.
She'd even considered that her memory of him wasn't accurate. That because she'd been smaller, he'd seemed larger. But no, he was even bigger now that he stood so close again.
She swallowed, but the moisture in her throat had evaporated. "Leave us alone, Volan, and I'll let you live."
Smiling the most malevolent look she'd ever seen, he ran straight at her.
She staggered backward toward the safety of the club and bumped into the back of a van. She couldn't fire the gun like she thought she could. Heart hammering, she turned to run.
His heated body grew so close, it made the hairs on her arms stand on end. Stomping behind her, he stepped on one of her heels. Then he struck her in the back of the head.
The blow sent pain streaking through her skull. She fought the blackness that filled her vision. Fought giving into the bastard. Stumbling, she fell to her knees. He'd knock her unconscious and secret her away. He'd rape her like he'd intended so many times before.
Shoving her onto her back beside a bright yellow sports car, he reached for her arms. She held them up to him, the gun shaking in her hands.
His face hard with anger, he stepped back. "Put the damned gun down."
She squeezed the trigger. Twice.
Silence.
A hideous chortle erupted. "You're coming home with me, Bella. Then you'll do what I say."
Again, he reached for her.
Only this time, she'd unfastened the safety catch. Two shots to the chest, the bullets slammed into his heart.
He grunted and clutched his chest, pain replacing his arrogant look. Like a giant redwood felled, he stumbled backward and collapsed on his back between the cars.
Her hands trembled. She eased herself up. For as long as she could remember, she'd feared the beast. She couldn't stop shaking, sure he would pummel her again. Her head still ached and she felt dizzy.
With her stomach crawling, she poked Volan's boot with the toe of her shoe. He didn't stir. He couldn't hurt Devlyn and he couldn't hurt her now, but she felt sick over what she'd done. Glancing around the lot in a panic, she saw Devlyn's rental SUV. She tore over to it and yanked on the passenger door. Locked. Her heart and head pounded as loud as the rock and roll beat blaring from the club. Racing around to the driver's side, she pulled at the door. It opened, and she nearly fell on her butt in surprise. Trying to get her nerves under control, she shoved her purse containing the gun into the backseat and then slammed the door.
Returning to Volan, she grabbed his arms and tugged. His massive body wouldn't budge. She dropped his arms and paced briskly next to his head, rubbing the back of hers where his iron fist had slugged her. Oh, God, what was she going to do with him?
She seized his arms again and yanked, her back and arms straining. He was more the size of a grizzly than a wolf, and she couldn't move him even a fraction of an inch. She paced again. What in the hell was she to do? Get Devlyn to help her and undoubtedly have to face his anger, or pretend it didn't happen and get him to leave with her?
The headlights of an approaching car blinded her. She dashed into the din of the club.
Alfred and his buddies danced with human girls at the edge of the dance floor, too preoccupied to see her. Where the hell was Devlyn?
But then the song ended and Alfred and Ross headed for their table; the only sound now was the noisy conversation all around her. Her skin prickled for an instant, but she could barely glimpse them, so she figured she was pretty well shielded unless the ceiling fans in the place circulated her scent to them.
Nicol hurried to join Alfred and Ross. Alfred started speaking to them, his voice raised as he slammed an empty glass on the table. She moved closer to hear what the red leader was saying, but so many people congregated around her that she was still obscured from the reds' view.
"Which legend?" Ross asked, his eyes wide.
Nicol pressed closer to the table. "You mean the one about the gray?"
"Yeah, just what I mean. The gray ousted our leader, what, close to three hundred years ago?" Alfred said, his voice heated.
Ross tossed down the rest of his drink. "Oh, yeah. Your great-grandfather."
"Hell, yeah. So what if this is a case of déjà vu? What if this bastard is going to try and take me down and 'cleanse' the pack?"
Nicol shook his head. "He probably doesn't even know about the legend."
"He doesn't need to know about the damned legend to do what happened before, damn it!" Alfred cast him an annoyed look and then leaned closer to his pack members. "Grays are not to be trusted, period. Particularly when one is after the pack leader's chosen bitch."
Nicol's lips turned up slightly.
"What?" Alfred bit out.
"She hasn't agreed to be your mate."
"She doesn't have to. Ancient pack law states that a lone rufus female in a red's territory is game if the pack leader doesn't have a mate." He tilted his chin up, waiting for anyone to challenge him.
Ross nodded. "Yeah, he's right about that. But if the rest of the pack begins to think of the legend...it could go bad for you. You know, they could worry that the scenario might have the same outcome. Gray wolf kills red pack leader and removes the bad seed from the pack because the reds couldn't do it." He gave a slight sneer.
Alfred moved so quickly that no one had time to react. He seized Ross's throat and growled, "Better hope not, because if he kills me, you'll still want the little red wolf, and the big gray will eat you alive."
Bella's skin chilled, and although she wanted to leave, she felt frozen to the floor. She hadn't heard of the legend they spoke of---probably because the tale was relevant to the ones who lived here and the story hadn't carried farther east. But it showed that the gray's arrival concerned them in a deeper way than she had suspected.
What else might she overhear between the reds? Who murdered the girl?
Alfred released Ross and sat back down. "Get us some more beers. I've got to figure out a way to eliminate this sorry gray before it comes to a real fight."
He wouldn't fight fair---that's what raced through Bella's mind. And she began to think that leaving the area might be the best thing after all. Then she smelled a trace of Devlyn's scent and turned. From the direction of the restrooms, Devlyn stalked, his eyes full of fury, his face hard.
Until he saw her.
Surprise registered and then anger again.
Legs shaking, she strode toward him, still fighting with her conscience which course of action to take. Get rid of Volan's body or just leave him dead in the parking area and sneak out the back way with Devlyn. She wasn't the sneaky type normally. But this was one of those times when she felt her life could depend on it.
Devlyn seized her wrist and pulled her toward the entrance. "What the hell are you doing here, Bella?"
"I came to...to tell you I'd be your mate, but..." She balked at going out the front way for an instant, still trying to decide what to do.
He stopped. "You agree to be my mate? Despite Volan?"
She nodded, tears threatening to spill.
"All right. You don't have to worry about Volan, Bella. He's a dead man. Just remember that." He pulled her tight against his chest, warm and loving, which made her feel even worse about what she'd done.
"I...we have to talk...outside," she managed to get out.
"What's wrong, Bella?" Devlyn grunted. "As if I didn't know. You're still worried Volan will beat me."
How could life be so damned complicated? She walked him outside but noticed a man and a woman standing where she'd left Volan's body between the two cars in the lot. From where she and Devlyn stood, they couldn't see Volan, but by the way the people were bending over, she figured they were checking him for vital signs.
She yanked Devlyn back inside the club. Too late to hide Volan now. "Too dark outside. Maybe too dangerous."
"I didn't see any sign of him, Bella. Volan, I mean. Listen," Devlyn said, pulling her toward a table, "after I had a chance to cool down, I thought about my actions. Killing him as a human is a foolhardy proposition. Wolf to wolf is the only way to resolve this. Since we're both here, why don't we stir the reds up a bit? See if we can make any more headway with them."
"I...I think we should leave."
He pulled her onto the dance floor and held her close. "I'll protect you, Bella. He can't hurt you here. Just play along with me on this and then we'll go home."
Volan would never return to hurt anyone again. Devlyn would take over the pack. End of worry. But she couldn't shake the fear of getting caught. Not by the police, but by the one she cared for more than anyone else in the world, her true love who would hate her for what she'd done. But he'd be alive, she reminded herself. He'd be alive even if he couldn't love her anymore.
The crowd shimmied to the heavy rock beat. Red, blue, yellow, and green lights swirled overhead and across the waxed dance floor. Women's flowery perfumes and men's spicy colognes couldn't disguise the perspiration covering the humans' skin while they worked their bodies to the music. But then the faint sound of a siren wailed in the distance. Bella's heartbeat kicked up a notch.
She caught sight of Alfred again, dancing with a blond. Ross danced nearby with a brunette. Nicol, however, was nowhere in sight. The rear exit was clear. An easy escape.
With the music winding down to a slower paced dance, Devlyn pulled Bella close. "What's wrong, Bella?" He moved slowly, drawing her into the mating madness. "You're shivering."
"I..." She swallowed hard and moved Devlyn toward the rear exit.
He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'm supposed to be the one leading, Bella."
Heart thundering out of control, she stared at the entrance, watching for the police. "I wish," she said against his ear over the sound of the loud music, "that you and I had no cares in the world."
"We won't, Bella, soon." He kissed her cheek and moved his hands casually up her back and then to her bottom. Wedging his leg between hers, he pressed her against his hard thigh.
She rubbed against him, shamelessly, wantonly. The silk of her dress slid over her thighs when his leg stroked her most erotic spot. "I said I'd be your mate. Let's go home."
He cupped her buttocks with his large hands and lifted her slightly against his firm arousal.
"We've garnered the reds' attention. We have to see how far we can take this."
With her head pressed against his chest, she couldn't see who watched them, but when she tried to separate from him to look, he held her tight. His hands roamed down to the small of her back. "We don't want anyone to know we're putting on this show for them, Bella. Just stay nice and close."
Annoyed, she bit his shoulder.
He laughed. "Of course it's not really a show. You know how I feel about you. I'd make these dance moves with you anywhere. In a subtle way, I'm trying to monitor the reactions of the reds."
"We should go, Devlyn."
"I've never seen a pack of lupus garous observe anyone so intensely. You sure have them worked up."
"You have me worked up, Devlyn, but I really want to..."
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You can feel what you've done to me."
"That's why I'm ready to go to the SUV. To...to relieve some of your tension and mine." She moved her hands from his waist to his backside. "Are the reds angry?"
"Rabidly entranced. As if you were doing a striptease in front of them. If any one of them is the killer, I imagine you're unraveling his resolve to keep his murderous intentions under control."
"Devlyn, I'm really ready to take this to a more private location." She rubbed against his steel-hard arousal, trying to induce him to agree.
"A little while longer." His voice sounded husky and strained. He shook his head. "Damn, one's coming in for the kill."
"Devlyn?" Bella said.
Nicol joined them and, in a ragged voice, said, "I know you've claimed her for your own, although you told me you already had a mate."
Devlyn moved his hands to Bella's hips and parted slightly from her. "I had made my intentions toward Bella clear years ago. Except I had to convince her to agree with me first. But, she is my chosen mate...no other."
"You both have agreed to this?" Nicol asked.
"Yes," Bella said, and Devlyn leaned over and kissed her mouth. Responding with equal enthusiasm, she wanted there to be no doubt in the reds' minds that she wanted Devlyn and no other lupus garou.
"May I ask her to dance?"
Devlyn hesitated and then asked, "Bella?"
"I think we should leave, Devlyn."
For a second, he stared at her, as if he finally realized something big was bothering her. He whispered in her ear, "If we make any headway, we can end this here tonight."
She glanced back at the entrance. No police, no more sirens.
Before she could respond, Devlyn kissed her lips and then left her with Nicol.
Disheartened, she held Nicol apart from her while Devlyn made his way to the table where Ross and Alfred sat.
"You must know, Bella, you're about to give our pack leader a stroke the way you dance with the gray. I've never seen his face redder."
"We can't help it. We're in love."
"It's evident." He studied her for a moment, swallowed hard, and switched topics. "Another gray arrived here earlier. He spoke with us and then left. He appeared to be pretty angry he missed you."
Her heart pumped in overdrive.
"Something wrong? You look like you're getting ready to faint. We'll eliminate the gray, Bella, if he's a problem. You don't have to worry about him. He said you arranged to meet him here, but we told him you left with another gray. He didn't seem pleased. After he left, Alfred said you had told him an older man planned to see you. Not someone who appeared to be in his thirties."
"Argos. The man you saw wasn't him. Volan serves as the gray pack leader and intended to have me as his mate."
Nicol stiffened. "He's the one."
"Yes. He sent a message to me pretending to be Argos. We didn't learn of the deception until we returned to my apartment." She noticed the flicker of interest in his brown eyes. If the red wolf pack searched for her themselves, they wouldn't be looking for a house, but an apartment complex instead. Still, she clenched her fists, irritated that Alfred hadn't used his men to eliminate Volan when they had the chance. Then she wouldn't be in the hellacious bind she was in now.
"Alfred still wants you." Nicol stated the words matter-of-factly.
It was as though she had no choice in the matter. She'd selected a mate, and it should have been a done deal, but the reds wouldn't allow her to choose the gray. "But I've chosen Devlyn for my mate."
"He's not from here and he's a gray. As far as Alfred's concerned, the gray has no legitimate claim to you. You know, ancient law of the pack."
When she didn't respond, he took it that she didn't know about it. "The ancient law, you know. Where an unmated pack leader can take a lone red wolf for his own if she enters the reds' territory. Of course, the same applies if he has a mate already and one of his pack members needs one."
She took a steadying breath. The sooner she and Devlyn left the red lupus garou territory and the sooner they got out of the club, the better. "What about you?"
Nicol smiled. "A pack leader can lose his position if a new alpha male emerges."
She raised her brows. He didn't seem to be the emergent leader type. A follower, like Ross---that's how she had both of them pegged. "Like you?"
He shrugged. "There's been no incentive...until now."
That definitely could capsize the boat.
"And Ross?"
"He's been brooding of late. No telling what's going on in that dark mind of his."
"He and Alfred were dancing with human females when we first arrived. They both looked happy enough."
"That was before you showed up with the gray. As soon as you reappeared, they quit dancing and joined me at the table to watch." Nicol tightened his grip on her hand. "I want you to dance close to me like you did with the gray."
"I'm Devlyn's mate, no other's."
He shook his head. "A red belongs with a red...not a gray. No one here will sanctify your choice. As far as Ross goes, he puts on a good show. But, frankly, I wouldn't trust him."
"If you're thinking of ousting Alfred as the leader of the pack and taking over, it seems to me you're the one who can't be trusted."
He gave her a sardonic smile. "No one is to be trusted, Bella, with a rare red female in our midst, who looks good enough to eat. No one." Taking a deep breath, his eyes darkened.
She assumed he could smell how Devlyn had aroused her, and Nicol's own hormones would be thrown into turmoil. She glanced back at Devlyn, who sat speaking to Alfred and Ross but kept his gaze focused on her and Nicol. Devlyn's face looked red and hard. If Nicol got too fresh with her, Devlyn would be at her side in a flash.
Right before the dance ended, Ross made his move. Fearing she would have to dance with every one of the reds, each trying to see if they could stir the same kind of interest in her that Devlyn did, she knew the police would stalk in any minute and arrest her, as guilty as she must look.
Nicol kept hold of her hand, reluctant to give her up.
"Will you dance with me?" Ross asked her, ignoring Nicol.
"Of course, but remember, I'm Devlyn's mate." Glancing over at Devlyn, she frowned.
Ross's nostrils flared slightly as his eyes burned with hatred at the mention of Devlyn's name. Nicol snorted at her comment and then joined the others at the table.
"I thought the brunette you danced with was quite attractive. Have you known her long?" she asked.
Ross's thin lips tightened and his brown eyes darkened to nearly black. "You have no business taking up with a gray."
Her stomach constricted. Instinct compelled her to shove him away and tell him where he could go. She had every right to select a mate, and if he were agreeable, she and Devlyn would consummate the relationship, thereby making it a mating for life. Squashing her more violent wolf nature, she attempted instead to learn whether Ross was the killer. "I'm sorry there aren't more reds around for---"
"You won't be a gray's bitch, Bella."
She didn't care for his tone, ominous and threatening, but she fought telling him off. She already had enough problems with zoo man Thompson, the police, and one dead gray pack leader. Plus the notion of finding and stopping the killer. No way did she need three horny reds compounding her troubles.
Devlyn sat on the edge of his stool, ready to pounce on any of the reds should they take their actions with Bella too far. Although neither Ross nor Nicol had treated Bella other than with great caution, he still didn't like them touching her. They desired her, just as he did. As any of their kind would. Touching that soft, warm body, even with the faintest of brushes, forced his loins to react. He knew the same thing happened to them when they drew close to her. Yet he had every intention of learning who the killer was as soon as he could so that he could take Bella home to the pack.
"I'm surprised you didn't make a move for her earlier. She's lived here for three years. Or didn't you know?"
Alfred's eyes rounded, and his face reddened. "Shit," he said under his breath. "I thought..." He shook his head.
"She's pretty good at keeping inconspicuous, mainly from dodging Volan all these years."
"She should have been mine all this time." Alfred rose from the seat. "My turn." He didn't ask if it was all right with Devlyn. He strode from the table like a pack leader does, knowing that everyone had better follow his lead.
Struggling to keep his seat, Devlyn clenched his fists.
"Man, is Alfred pissed now!" Nicol chugged his beer and then grinned. "To think she'd been in the area all that time and no one knew it. We thought she'd been here only a couple of weeks." He shook his head in disbelief. "She's sure fine."
"What do you think about Alfred wanting her so badly?" Devlyn asked, trying to take his mind off Alfred's hands on Bella's hips.
When she moved them back to her waist, Devlyn smiled at her tenacity.
Nicol faced Devlyn. "I'd say you've got a hell of a lot of competition and a big fight coming if you want to keep her."
The truth was out. "You'd fight for him so he could have Bella?"
Ross finally returned to the table, his face crimson.
Devlyn glanced back at Alfred, dancing super slowly to the music.
"I'd fight any to have a chance to have her," Nicol said.
Ross glared at Nicol but quickly shifted his attention back to Bella and Alfred.
Steeling his composure, Devlyn watched every move Alfred made toward Bella, intent on ripping him apart if he did one thing that she didn't like...or that he didn't care for.
"Hey, Ross, guess how long the little lady's been in the area."
Ross looked at Nicol, waiting for him to answer. Devlyn could sense the tension building.
"Three years. Can you believe it? Alfred's really steamed over it."
"Shit," Ross said.
Nicol finished his beer and set the bottle on the table with a clunk. "I told Bella that Volan looked for her here. We didn't know he was the gray leader who wanted her, though, or we would have done something about it."
Hell, Devlyn must have just missed Volan.
"We're not through with him yet," Devlyn said. "He won't want to give her up."
Ross faced Devlyn. "Did you bring the hair sample with you?"
Devlyn hadn't even considered doing so. He shook his head. "We'll rendezvous at the ice cream shop tomorrow."
"We could follow you home tonight," Nicol offered, with a sideways glance at Ross.
"Thanks, but no. Zoo man Thompson's hot on our trail. The more of us there are, the more likely we'll all be caught."
"Maybe you ought to stay with one of our pack. We have several widowed females, if you'd prefer to reside with one of them," Nicol said.
"We're making other arrangements."
Ross growled.
Devlyn turned to see what Ross was watching. Two uniformed policemen. The same ones Devlyn had knocked out at the hospital. And both were showing sketches to club patrons.
TRYING NOT TO CATCH THE POLICEMEN'S ATTENTION, Devlyn eased his way across the dance floor and reached for Bella's wrist. He attempted not to make a scene and quickly said to Alfred and Bella, "The policemen from the hospital incident are here. Got to go."
Bella's peach skin blanched and her eyes turned nearly black.
Alfred motioned for Ross and Nicol to watch their backs.
"Tomorrow, the ice cream shop," Devlyn said to Alfred; then he pulled Bella toward the rear of the establishment, not waiting for him to respond.
When they reached the back door, Alfred followed on their heels. "Tomorrow night." He looked at Bella with such longing---his dark eyes clouded over as if he were totally moonstruck---Devlyn could have slugged him.
Devlyn yanked Bella out of the building, ran down a street parallel to their vehicle, and then dashed in front of the shops lining the street. Once at the SUV, Bella finally took a breath.
He hurried her into the car, jumped into the driver's seat, and they were off. Driving down the main road, he headed in the opposite direction of her home, just in case anyone tried to follow them. "Are you all right, Bella?"
She nodded, her hands trembling to fasten her seatbelt. "Did...did you find out anything from the reds about the murderer?"
He snorted. The notion that they stirred up a hornet's nest came to mind. "Only that Volan had arrived, and the reds all want me dead."
She ran her hand over his thigh and immediately he became aroused. "We can't let that happen."
He chuckled. "I don't intend to." He could handle any red. Even the three at once, as long as Bella wasn't there to worry about.
The farther away they got from the club, the calmer she seemed.
"Both Ross and Nicol intend to become the pack leader so they could have me. Now that they know Volan is the gray leader who's after me, they might attempt to gang up on him." Her voice still sounded strained, and he figured she'd balk about becoming his mate while Volan still lived, but he had every intention of persuading her again.
"Better him than me." He glanced at Bella, whose lips rose in a small smile. It wasn't a pack leader kind of comment to make, but she seemed to sense that he was joking.
Doubling back, he headed for her place.
"I told them I lived in an apartment. Just sort of let it slip naturally so they wouldn't be on to us," she said; her voice seemed more even now. "Even so, they probably figure I live in Portland, not Tigard."
"Good. If they speak to Volan, maybe they'll let him know this, too." He was glad he hadn't said anything about her house to the reds and ruined her ploy.
"I was wondering," Bella said, sliding her hand up and down his thigh in a slow, sensual caress, forcing his blood to pump faster, "if you'd cooled down too much since the dance club. We might put some slow music on at home and warm things up. I was thinking about your comment concerning dancing...au naturel."
Reaching over, he slid his hand down her dress. With little effort, his fingers slipped down the lace cupping one of her breasts, exposing one already hardened nipple. Rubbing his thumb over the protruding nub, he smiled when she moaned in ecstasy. "I'd say we're heating up just fine." He grinned at her to see the devilishly wicked smile on her lips. "Bad Bella."
"Hmm, don't take any more detours on the way home, unless you want to park out here somewhere."
He raised his brows at her suggestion. When she'd torn into the club and said she'd wanted to mate with him, he considered she'd done so only to get him away from Volan. Hell, whatever her reasons, if she said yes, he was game. "I would park somewhere out here, only zoo man Thompson, Volan, or the reds might catch up to us."
She growled low with amusement. "Here I thought you were my wild wolf companion, afraid of nothing."
"I'm not afraid of anything. Well, except that I won't risk your safety, no matter how much I desire to have you."
She began to unbutton his shirt. "Speed it up, stud, while I'm still hot. You're going much too slow."
He'd show her slow, when he had her naked body pinned beneath his...slow and hard.
When they pulled into Bella's housing development, they kept a lookout for any cars parked in the street that appeared suspicious. Not seeing anything to concern them, he drove into her garage and shut the door.
Now that everything appeared safe, Bella wanted Devlyn---before anything else prevented them from finishing the moves they had started on the dance floor. Volan was dead, but she didn't want to think about that. The police had no idea where she lived, and even the pain in the back of her head had nearly subsided. No one would stop her from having her mate.
Immediately, she unfastened her seatbelt and grabbed Devlyn's.
Chuckling, he pulled his seatbelt free. "I thought we were going to play some slow music and work up the---"
Tugging at his shirt, she yanked it free from his trousers. She had no intention of wasting any more precious time to set the mood right. "The loud music from the club's still ringing in my ears. I don't need it to get me in the mood. Do you?"
His low sensual laugh pushed her to work faster. Their lips touched with heated passion when his fingers struggled with her buttons and she worked on his belt.
"Hmm, fewer clothes next time, stud."
"I'd have to say the same for you, Bella honey." Devlyn unfastened her bra and slid the straps down her arms, kissing her skin from her shoulder to her fingertips.
They moved to the middle bench seat, where there was no console to hamper their progress. The soft velour fabric against her bare back sent a tingling through her body while he knelt between her legs. For a moment, he looked her over, his eyes smoky with blinding desire. "The thought of the reds touching you..."
"But only your touch drives me wild." She ran her hands down his naked thighs, the well-developed quadriceps tightening with her stroke. Already he was fully aroused and her eyes shifted from his washboard stomach to the full erection readied for her.
He tangled his fingers in the short curls between her legs, and a smile curved his lips upward. "Been ready a while, eh, Bella?" His voice was husky, filled with wolfsized craving.
"I told you I wanted you some time ago." She moved her hand to touch him, but he shifted out of reach.
"You touch me, and I'll never make it."
She growled. "You'll have to learn better control, my mate."
"Not with the way you arouse me, Bella. Maybe not until we're both old and gray."
She chuckled. "No way am I waiting to touch you until we're old and gray."
Bella's skin was velvet against Devlyn's mouth and tasted sweet and wild. He nestled his lips against her abdomen. Almost with a purring catlike quality, she growled softly.
Threading her fingers through his hair, she arched her pelvis toward him. She was ready to mate and she'd chosen him over anyone else...over both the gray and red pack leaders, human males, everyone.
Leaning his naked body against hers, he enjoyed her soft curves, fitting nicely against his hard muscles. She mewed her satisfaction. He growled his.
He wanted to take it slow, to enjoy every inch of her and to prove to her she'd made the right choice. Still, her touch heated a fire in his belly that couldn't be quenched until he had his fill of her and she of him. Taking it unhurriedly would test his resolve more than anything else he had ever done.
He cupped the swell of her breast, the darkened nipple taut. When he licked the tip, she closed her eyes, stopped breathing, and stilled her fingers that were buried in his hair. "Breathe, honey."
She chuckled. "Quit talking and get to business."
"Pleasure, woman."
"Hmm, you don't have to tell me." Her fingers massaged his back muscles, kneading and stroking.
Shifting his body higher, he moved his mouth over her heated skin, across the collarbone, higher, to the hollow of her throat.
"Oh, Devlyn," she said, her voice washing over him like a heated spring, filling the emptiness. She arched her body against his, parting her legs, urging him on. Offering herself to him like a siren of the sea.
Brushing his mouth up her neck with whisper-soft kisses, he tangled his fingers in her long hair, squeezing the soft locks in his hands, thankful the redheaded goddess was no longer his fantasy, but tangibly real. Again she pushed her pelvis against his erection, making it clear she ached to have him fill her. Her hands slid down his back and cupped his buttocks, prodding him to enter her.
Making love to her felt more than right. She was feral and willing and throbbing with life. And she was his.
He nipped her chin and then conquered her mouth. Instantly, she flicked her tongue at his lips, teasing him. Catching her tongue, he sucked fervently, making her smile. Again she lifted her hips off the seat, pressing hard against him.
A groan issued from deep within his throat. He continued his slow pace to pleasure his mate, but bad Bella wasn't cooperating. Sliding his hands up her velvet-soft belly, he cupped her breasts, weighing each bountiful marvel. She marked his neck with her teeth. Another surge of craving crashed over him, titillating him as he attempted to use a slow touch. "You're beautiful," he said---but inwardly, not just outwardly, the most beautiful creature of their kind; fun, loyal, and full of heart.
"Quit torturing me," she breathed heavily against his mouth.
It was his turn to smile. "I haven't even begun." Bella frowned at Devlyn, her blood already so hot she felt her car's heater was on the fritz and they were now in a sauna. His arousal pulsing against her waist and the ache between her legs was driving her mad. "Devlyn, I swear..."
He covered her mouth with his and with long, hard strokes, thrust his tongue deep inside. Hurry up! she wanted to scream at him.
His fingers slid down her abdomen and then massaged her deeply, as if preparing her for his penetration, which she'd been damned ready for ever since she spied him at the zoo.
Again she arched against him, trying to force him to hurry. He throbbed against her and she fought biting him again to get him to oblige. "Devlyn," she whimpered, bringing a devilish smile to his lips.
She growled in response. Two could play at this game. She attempted to work her hand between their moist bodies to his thickened length, but as soon as her fingers reached his navel, he grabbed her wrist, kissed her hand, and shook his head.
"Bad Bella."
"Devlyn," she groaned, the pleasurable ache of his actions killing her.
"If you touch me..." His words trailed off and he worked his hand lower, tangling his fingers in her short curly hairs for a moment, and then dipped even lower.
But she didn't want his fingers. She wanted his...
"Oh," she moaned against his mouth when he kissed her hard and stroked her sensitive nub.
"Breathe, Bella," he said, his tone of voice amused.
But she couldn't breathe and feel the sensual strokes that filled her with a longing she clambered to reach...a peak of ecstasy that waited at the top, willing her onward.
Never had she thought being with him could feel like this. From their early days of nuzzling and playing, of nipping and biting, of his pinning her down, of her tackling him back...none of that had prepared her for the earth-shattering feelings he now stoked deep inside of her.
"Oh, Devlyn," she whimpered against his mouth, loving the way he touched her, cared for her, wanted to make the sexual experience last for her. He'd searched for her for years---not to return her to Volan, but to have her like this.
His accomplished strokes sent streaks of pleasure rifling through her like electricity zinging through hot wires, running to the source but not quite tapping into it.
She murmured his name, half pleading with him to finish her off, half wanting it never to end. His actions stimulated every sexual nerve pathway at once and she moaned with deep satisfaction. Scaling the peak, her body trembled with spent passion, contractions rippling through her in an unending stream.
His eyes clouded over as he slowly bore into her. She hadn't expected him to be so large, or that she'd be so small. But every bit of him felt so good. Entering her gradually, he stretched her to the limit, penetrating her inch by inch.
"Breathe, Bella," he whispered against her ear, sending a trickle of heat down her spine. "Relax, or I'll never make it to your special chambers."
She breathed deeply, unclenching her pelvic muscles. He kissed her lips. "Much, much better."
Before she could prepare herself, he thrust deep, breaking the membrane. She gasped, unable to contain her surprise at the sting that followed, like a hornet's hot poker thrust into the skin.
"Are you all..."
She covered his lips with hers and thrust her tongue deep inside his mouth. With her arms secure around his back, she pushed her pelvis higher. No words now. She wanted his seed, his babies, all of him. No going back.
Rocking the SUV back and forth simulated a boat on stormy seas, their heated breaths fogging the vehicle's windows.
His Bella. She was saccharine and tangy, the old Bella, playful and ornery, and the new Bella, just as fiery, just as fun, but filling a burning need now that Devlyn couldn't have fulfilled when they were young. How he loved her, from her long shiny red curls to her perfectly trimmed toenails. Every inch of her soft, curvy, warm, and needy body.
Although he still longed to make it last, her hands stroked his back to the base of his spine, drawing him to the peak. Her tongue tangled with his, teasing and sucking. The way her body moved against his, deepening his thrusts, pushed him to the top before he could control himself.
His seed exploded deep inside her, and she spoke his name in a sultry, exhaustive way against his mouth, her body trembling with renewed orgasmic pleasure.
"Oh, Devlyn," she moaned, her hands shifting from his hair to his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin, her body milking him of every last seed.
"I wanted you, Bella, always have," he said and then encircled her nipple with his lips and sucked.
She ran her fingers through his hair. "I guess you kind of figured I had---"
Lifting his head, he raised his brows. "Loved me?"
"Had the hots for you. Couldn't help myself. Once you kissed me---"
"I knew you'd never been kissed like that since."
"You made it pretty hard for the competition, stud."
Nestling his face against her cheek, he hoped beyond hope he'd not hurt her too much. He'd wanted the experience to be the most pleasurable one she'd ever had. Then, he wished to repeat the encounter until they were old and gray. He settled on top of her, their bodies warm and wet and tired. But alive. He'd never been so loved, so cared for, so desired. He loved every bit of her, the wild side and the tame. The cautious and the adventurous. For choosing him, when she could have had so many others. "Are you all right---"
"Considering we're trying to catch a red lupus garou killer and Volan will want to murder us both for what we've just done...yeah, I'm all right."
He ran his fingers over her abdomen in a sensual caress, sparking a surge of renewed interest. "I didn't hurt you too much?"
Realizing his sole concern rested on how he'd made her feel, not about other world events, Bella smiled. How could she have not recognized how wonderful he'd make her feel? How sensitive he could be?
She quickly squashed that reasoning. The dread of losing him in a confrontation with Volan had been all that had weakened her resolve to have Devlyn. She gritted her teeth, unable to shake the concern that Devlyn might still learn how someone had shot Volan and he died, the only way he could, from silver bullets. Well, snapping his neck would work, too, or drowning, but no way could she have killed him in either manner.
Taking a deep breath, she assured herself Devlyn would think the reds took care of Volan, not her. Nothing could have stopped her from taking the relationship she had with Devlyn to the max. They'd been destined to be together from the moment he'd saved her from the wildfire.
She kissed his lips and then sucked on his lower one and released.
"I always dreamed I'd have you for my own. But the dreams could never be this real, or this satisfying," Devlyn said.
"Hmm, did you dream of making love to me when I was gone?"
"You wouldn't believe how many times I thought I had you within my grasp, only to find my sheets wet, and no Bella."
She laughed. "Well, the vehicle's seat is wet this time, but you've got me to blame for it now."
"I didn't hurt you too much?" Devlyn repeated, his fingers stroking the curve of her hip with a much too sensual touch.
Already she greedily yearned to have him fill her again. "Only pleasure." She wondered why she'd ever thought a human could ever be better than the lupus garou who loved her so tenderly.
He studied her face and gathered her in his arms. "Good. I was afraid when you wouldn't breathe, I'd hurt you too much."
"Are all grays so...big?"
He chuckled under his breath. "Bad Bella."
She licked his salty chest, ready to show him how bad she could really be. How would it be to ride him this time? With her handling the joystick? How would it be to set the pace, to be in charge? Could the big bad gray handle the red's test?
"You're not finished, are you?" She raised a brow in challenge.
He slid his hand down her thigh. "Does my mate want more?"
"All you can give me."
"Let's go inside. Turn on some music, dance au naturel, and take it from there."
They carried their clothes into the house. As soon as they reached the living room, a solid rapping on the front door nearly gave her a heart attack.
The dreaded image came to mind of police officers standing on her front porch with warrants for her and Devlyn's arrest...
BOTH DEVLYN AND BELLA SCRAMBLED FOR THEIR clothes, but he had no intention of allowing his mate to face whatever danger waited at the front door. Wearing only his jeans, he stalked across the living room.
Bella whispered wildly, "Wait, damn it, Devlyn. Together!"
The sound of knocking at the back door surprised him further. With a quick look out the peephole of the front door, he saw another of their nightmares...not Volan, as he'd first assumed. But zoo man Thompson. Bella was still buttoning her dress when she headed for the front door, barefooted.
Devlyn said in a hushed growl, "Thompson."
Her face lost all of its color.
A gentler knocking at the back door sounded again.
Devlyn motioned for her to stay put. In several long strides, he reached the back door. Peering out the side window, he frowned. "Your neighbor, Chrissie," he whispered. He opened the door partway. "Yes?"
"Hurry, let me in."
"Do it," Bella said, her voice hushed, motioning for her to come in.
Chrissie hurried into the house and headed for the front door.
"What the---" Devlyn said.
"Go," Chrissie waved at them to go down the hall. She considered his bare chest and smiled. "Continue what you were doing. I'll take care of the menace standing on your front doorstep."
Bella stared at her and then looked at Devlyn. He joined her and pulled her down the hall and into her bedroom.
With the door slightly ajar and their sensitive hearing attuned, they waited while Chrissie opened the front door. "Well, hello there," she said in such a sexy voice, Devlyn chuckled under his breath.
Frowning, Bella poked him in the rib. The color hadn't returned to her face and her eyes were still darker than normal.
"Are you Miss Bella Wilder?" Thompson asked.
"Yep. What's this all about? You a cop or something? Got a badge?" Chrissie sounded as sugary sweet as could be.
"I'm investigating the disappearance of a red wolf from the zoo."
"You think I'd keep a red wolf in my house? Ha! Aren't they dangerous?"
"Were you at Papagalli's Dance Club tonight, Miss Wilder?"
Devlyn rubbed Bella's arm and whispered into her ear, "Breathe, Bella."
"I don't go to dance clubs," Chrissie told Thompson, her voice firm but still saccharine sweet. "What makes you think I was there?"
"Can I come in?"
Bella stepped back. Devlyn leaned down and kissed her cheek. "It's okay, Bella."
Chrissie said to Thompson, "You haven't established your identity as a cop yet. I don't let just any man into my house, despite the fact that you're a pretty hot number."
Silence. Then Thompson said, "Messages were sent from an email address that belongs to a Bella Wilder, at this residence. If you didn't send those messages, who did?"
"Just exactly who are you?"
"Thompson. I have connections with the Oregon Zoo, and, as I said, I'm investigating the disappearance of a red wolf."
"Got a first name?"
"Look, the wolf may be in danger. I think you and your friends have some notion that Rosa's safer in the wild than in the zoo, but, as I explained to your friend, releasing a red wolf into the wild can have dire consequences for the animal."
Chrissie's voice elevated. "Listen, I don't like zoos. Let the animals live in their natural habitats. That's what I say."
Bella shook her head and then took a step forward, in rescue mode. Devlyn gathered her in his arms, keeping her still.
Thompson cleared his throat when Chrissie didn't incriminate herself anymore. "That's just what I figured. So where are your cohorts?"
"What were they supposed to look like? Do you have their names?"
"All right, I'll humor you. The girl's a petite redhead with amber-colored eyes. No name though. We found her in the zoo, freezing to death---"
"Naked?" Chrissie asked, the tone of her voice raised in disbelief.
That would take some explaining.
Thompson's voice showed marked enthusiasm. "Yeah, that's the one. She's only considered a witness at this point, though."
"And...and she disappeared from the hospital, right? I mean, even though cops were watching her, some guy stole her away right out from under their noses." Chrissie sounded intrigued.
"Yep. Now you remember."
"The news was all over the papers. Sure, I remember. With a story like that, who wouldn't have?"
"The guy's tall, about six-foot---"
"Ah," Chrissie said, as if she were putting two and two together and coming up with Bella's old acquaintance.
"Six-foot-one," Devlyn said under his breath.
Bella pinched his arm. "Shhhh."
"Dark brown hair and eyes. Muscular. He tried to free the wolf from the zoo on pretenses he was transferring her to another zoo. Then he arrives at the hospital, frees his partner, and vanishes."
"Wow." There was another lengthy pause. "But why would she have been naked at the zoo, of all things?"
"Little lady wasn't talking. She ran off before we could extract the truth from her."
"But what has this to do with the dance club?"
"You signed off as Rosa, but the email said you were a red wolf seeking a fun-loving red wolf male. Rosa was the name I gave to the wolf that was stolen from the zoo."
"Ah, well, I had about sixty people here at a party earlier. Someone must have played some kind of a prank."
"Is that so?" Thompson asked.
"Yep."
"I want a guest list."
Bella's whole body tensed. Devlyn massaged her shoulders.
"You're not a cop," Chrissie reminded the zoo man.
"You're right, I'm not. But I can ask my friend, the chief of police, to issue a search warrant and---"
Bella stiffened her back again.
"Well, maybe, Thompson, we could work up that list over dinner. You're not married, are you?"
Again a pregnant pause followed.
Thompson cleared his throat. "No, well, divorced, but---"
"Well, me, too. See we have a lot in common. You like animals and I do also. Maybe you can tell me more about this red wolf of yours. I'll grab my coat, and we can go to that new Chinese restaurant on Main Street. Got paper and a pen? I'll make that list for you."
Another prolonged silence. Then Thompson gave a nervous little cough. "All right."
He sounded like he'd gotten bamboozled into the dinner date, but maybe he'd find out what he wanted from Chrissie when he wined and dined her. At least that's what Devlyn would have tried.
Footsteps headed in their direction. Bella backed away from the door, but Devlyn prepared to tackle Thompson if he tried to enter the room. But it was Chrissie. She pushed the door open wider and grinned.
"Got a coat?" she whispered.
"What about your children?" Bella asked, her voice hushed and concerned.
"At their dad's the rest of the week."
"What about this list---"
"Don't worry. Your name will be at the top. Bella Wilder." Chrissie grinned again. "After I have a lovely dinner with Thompson, and maybe take in a movie, I'll try to make him forget he was after the two of you."
"How did you know about Thompson coming here to see me and---"
"My neighbor called and said Thompson had come to her house to see if Bella Wilder had a wolf in the yard or a strange man visiting or living with her. She knew you and I are best of friends and thought I could warn you. He came to my door next, but I sneaked around the back way to your place. I figured you might need my help." She winked at Devlyn. "You know it's awfully important to renew old acquaintances without a lot of interruptions." Her gaze shifted down Devlyn's bare torso.
Interrupting Chrissie's gawking, Bella handed her a dressy raincoat. "Thanks, Chrissie, for being such a good friend."
"Like sisters," Chrissie said, her chin tilted down. "I owe you for lots of times. What a wonderful night this is going to be." She exited the room with a definite spring to her step and strode down the hall.
Bella whispered to Devlyn, "Thompson is never going to know what hit him."
"Husband candidate number two, don't you think?"
Bella nodded. "Poor man. Wait until he finds out she's got a couple of elementary school-age kids."
When Chrissie reached the front door, she said to Thompson, "Maybe you can explain to me why the animals are so much better off in a zoo. Never know. You might even convince me to change my mind."
"Yeah, well, Miss Wilder---"
"Call me Chrissie. That's what everyone calls me. Here, can you help me with my coat?"
"Sure."
"Hmm, such a big man with large capable hands, but with a tender touch. I bet you keep all those wild animals in line, don't you, but with finesse?"
The front door slammed shut.
If Bella hadn't been trembling so hard, Devlyn would have laughed out loud at Chrissie's actions. Instead, he held Bella close and hugged the breath from her chest. Kissing her head, he said, "What do you want to do now?"
"My heart tells me to run...to hide. I don't want to go to jail or back to a zoo cage. I don't want to expose our people for what they are."
"What about the red lupus garou killer?"
"We have to stop him no matter what." She ran her hands over Devlyn's arms. "I hope Chrissie won't be hurt."
"What do you imagine she thinks about us?"
Bella looked up at Devlyn. "That you're some kind of wild guy. She's always thought of me as very tame-natured. Quiet lifestyle---no dating, carousing, partying. Just nature retreats from time to time. But since you arrived---"
Devlyn chuckled.
"I'm sure she thinks you're a bad influence."
"What do you think?"
"I'd have to agree...happily."
Kissing her cheek, he slipped his hands inside her dress. She shook her head.
"Ah, Bella."
"We have work to do. Play later. You know as well as I do---"
"We have to find the killer."
"And we won't find him---"
Devlyn smiled. "In your bed."
"You always could finish my sentences when we were young." She changed out of her dress and into black denims and a turtleneck.
"I always knew what you were thinking, lovely Bella."
"Not always." She pulled her hiking boots out of the closet.
"Oh? Tell me a for instance." He pulled his shirt on.
"The time I caught you kissing Vernetta."
"You wished it was you and not her." He buttoned the last of his buttons.
Bella growled. "I did not! I wanted to...to---"
"You wanted me to kiss you. Admit it, Bella." The scene played back in his mind like it was only yesterday. She'd just turned sixteen, he nineteen. Vernetta was twenty, but meaner than a bull on steroids. If it hadn't been for Volan keeping an eye on Bella, the rufus lupus would have been the one Devlyn would have shared his kisses with.
Bella growled again and yanked one of her shoes on, tied the leather laces, and then the other.
He smiled to see her cheeks on fire, now as red as her hair. "I only kissed her on a dare."
"Right," she snapped.
"Really. Three of my older cousins had tried to kiss her. She'd bitten each in return. They bet me that she would bite me, too."
Bella rose and folded her arms. "But she didn't. She kissed you back."
He buckled his belt. "Yeah, I won that bet, but I hadn't expected it. She wasn't the one I wanted to kiss."
"Volan," Bella said with disgust.
Devlyn laughed. "No, I didn't want to kiss him, either."
"No, Devlyn, I meant, ohhhhh..." She stormed down the hall in the direction of the kitchen.
He stalked after her. "You're right. I wanted to kiss you, but Volan was always in my way."
She grabbed her fleecelined jacket and headed for the kitchen door to the garage. "But that day after the lake---"
"I had to have you, Bella." He pulled her into his arms. "I had to taste you, savor you, force myself to realize you weren't the one for me, only some lustful desire that drove me insane. Some dream I had that you were all I had imagined you to be and more, but just a dream. I had to wake myself from the dream, prove once and for all that you were nothing more than forbidden fruit. Tantalizing, tasty, but really just like all of the others. But once I felt you against my body, soft and curvy, wet and...hell, Bella, you were real and my dreams of you were real. Once I'd kissed you, held you close, I knew no one could ever replace you in my heart."
"And Vernetta?"
"Becoming an old wolf maid."
"Good." Bella separated from Devlyn, yanked the door open, and crossed the floor to the vehicle.
"Where are we going?"
She sighed deeply. "I was thinking of taking a drive to my cabin."
"I thought we were trying to catch a red lupus garou killer." He could tell by the gentle upward curve of her mouth she was thinking of something sinful.
She ran her tongue over her lips. "All work and no play...but truthfully, near there is where I smelled the reds before. Maybe we could find some evidence that we missed before."
"Gotcha." He jumped into the driver's seat.
"I only wish we could be in our wolf forms for a while."
Knowing she wanted him to make love to her in both states---in civilization, in their silky human skin, and in the wild, covered in sleek pelts of fur---he totally agreed. "Four more days."
"The longest I've ever had to wait for the moon to appear."
The two-hour long drive to Bella's cabin seemed like it grew longer with every mile they drove. Maybe because her thoughts were in such turmoil. What if they discovered the killer in the woods? Or Alfred and his gang?
She shook her head at herself, annoyed she could work herself up likely over nothing. Alfred and his pack members wouldn't be running around in the woods unless they could change into wolves. And surely the killer wouldn't hang around there either.
Devlyn reached over and rubbed her shoulder. "A deep trench is dug into your forehead. Want to tell me what's worrying you?"
"Chrissie and the zoo man. For starters. What if Chrissie let something slip by accident? I know she's smart, and after having raised her two kids as a single parent for the last three years, she has a lone wolf's wariness. But Thompson is clever, too. What if he hit on Chrissie's vulnerability? She desperately wants a man in her life again. Someone who cares for her children, and believe me---they mean the world to her. But she wants someone who loves her and she loves in return, too. It could happen if she thinks he might be the one."
"I think she's got a lot more moxie than you give her credit for. I'll bet she doesn't give an inch. I can just see her talking Thompson around in circles over the wolves and what might have happened to Rosa. And all he'll get out of it is another commitment for a dinner out or some other kind of date."
Bella gave Devlyn a sly smile. "Yeah. I'm sure you're right. You certainly are observant. Most males aren't half as perceptive."
He cast her a smug look. "It's in the genes. So what else is bothering you?"
"Well, I worried that maybe Alfred and his pack would be running around the woods, but I dismissed that because I'm sure they wouldn't unless they were wearing their wolf suits."
"Agreed."
"But then I wondered if maybe the killer might be there, hiding somewhere."
Devlyn squared his shoulders and sat taller. "Maybe. If so, I'll take care of him and that will be the end of that matter."
She took a deep breath and released it.
"Do you have a problem with that?" he asked, giving her a quizzical look.
"No. He couldn't kill any longer. Mission accomplished. Then we could return home."
"What about Alfred and the rest?"
Bella touched Devlyn's hair. "They'll have to get along without me." She pointed to a gravel road off to the right ahead. "Turn there."
He headed off the main road and drove down the gravel road for five miles until they finally arrived at her cabin. Her Escape was still parked out front. Everything appeared the same as before, when she'd gone on her wolf run and Thompson had found her.
"You don't mind going home anymore?" Devlyn asked.
Hating that she was living such a horrible lie, she swallowed hard. "If...when Volan returns home, I have every faith you'll handle him."
Devlyn leaned back against the driver's seat. "If?"
"I meant when. It'll probably take him a while before he realizes we've returned to Colorado, don't you think?"
He cast a wary look her way and then opened his door. "Right." But he sounded like he didn't believe her.
Damn it, she had to get her feelings under control. Not only that, but she worried he might smell her nervousness. Oh, hell, of course he had. Except he said he saw the furrow in her brow instead.
He lifted his chin up and observed the thunderheads building overhead; she pulled her jacket on and zipped it up. She smelled the rain in the air and knew it wouldn't hold off for long. "Storm on its way."
"Maybe we can find something before the rain starts." He buttoned up his jacket and joined her. Slipping his hands under her jacket, he rested them on her waist. Brushing her lips, he pressed further and gave her a searing kiss. She kissed him back but trembled, and he pulled her tight against his body. "Tell me, Bella, what's really bothering you?"
She fought the tears welling up.
"Bella honey?" His dark eyes willed her to speak the truth.
She took a hesitant breath. "I've always felt safe here until the day Thompson shot me. I didn't think it would bother me, but, well, it...does. A...a little."
Devlyn nuzzled her cheek, warming the cold skin. "I thought so. No hunting season right now. Most likely no one will be tromping around in the cold and wet. And it's a weekday, so most everyone is in school or at work. Thompson's busy with Chrissie, so no worry about him looking to find additions for the zoo. But if you'd like, you can wait for me at your cabin and---"
She straightened her back. "No. I'll show you where I smelled the reds' scents. I didn't know what the murderer's scent smelled like before, but now that we both do, maybe we can pick it up here."
He kissed her nose and smiled. "Your nose is icy. Let's get this over with quickly then."
She agreed. Her veins already felt like they were filled with ice and her fingers and toes were beginning to numb. She reached into her pockets and pulled out a pair of gloves. "Let's go."
For an hour, Devlyn and Bella searched for clues, listening to every sound they could hear---the shivering of pine needles and leaves; the whoosh of the wet, chilly breeze; the rustling of a deer moving through the underbrush; Bella's rapid breathing.
He moved closer to her and rubbed her arms, her cheeks, and her nose red. Part of him wished she'd stayed back at her cabin, but another part was glad she was with him where he could keep an eye on her. Twice, he'd smelled the scent of Alfred and Ross on the breeze; he thought it was an old scent, yet he didn't trust her being alone.
"You're not too cold, are you?" he asked, his voice hushed.
Her eyes had darkened and grew wide. He'd sensed it, too---someone watching, and a hint of something else. He moved closer to the smell and caught sight of drops of dried blood spread over a cluster of brown leaves. Bella crouched beside him, barely breathing, yet he could hear her heart beating pell-mell. He lifted to his nose a leaf covered in drops of blood and took a deep breath.
"Is it hers?" Bella whispered.
He shook his head, relieved but dismayed, too. They needed to find evidence of the red's complicity. "Rabbit's," he clarified.
Letting out her breath, she surveyed the area. He shifted his attention and made a wide sweep but saw nothing out of the ordinary. The breeze picked up and a clap of thunder shook the ground.
He glanced at Bella and saw her tremble again. "Do you want to go back to the vehicle?"
"No. We'll keep looking. Let's search where I was shot."
Admiring her determination, he grasped her arm and helped her up. "You let me know when you want to go back."
They moved at a slow pace, searching the ground for canine prints or blood and the branches for broken twigs or any other sign of a struggle.
Lightning streaked across the sky and another clash of thunder sounded like it broke the sound barrier. Devlyn stuck close to Bella and they moved away from the spot of the rabbit kill, climbing over moss-covered logs and through dense ferns, lifting their noses to smell any scents that could give them a clue about the murderer or the murdered girl.
When he smelled the water, heard it rushing over the stony creek bed, Bella seized Devlyn's hand and pulled him to a stop. "Omigosh, look, a family of mink," she whispered, her voice excited as she pointed through the trees to the creek's bank.
Devlyn's attention was rooted to the ground. "Fresh bear tracks," he warned. Looking around, he spied movement in the trees about twenty yards away. "Over there." He pointed to the striking cinnamon-colored black bear lumbering in the woods.
"We're upwind of him. I can't smell him."
"You're right. He's gotten wind of us," Devlyn said, his voice raised. He knew from experience to always keep upwind of a bear and to make noise so that he wouldn't startle one. Although a wolf could take on a bear, bears were known to have killed wolves, too. Certainly as humans, they didn't stand a chance if the bear decided to attack and kill.
"He was foraging in the blackberry bushes," Bella added, her voice just as loud. "We need to give him a wide berth."
The bear rose to stand on his hind legs.
"He's checking us out," Devlyn said, moving Bella away from the beast.
The bear lifted his nose and smelled the air and then exhaled a series of several sharp, rasping huffs.
The wind shifted and now they could smell him.
"He's agitated." Bella took hold of Devlyn's hand.
The bear's long snout curled up and he snarled.
"He's really not happy." Bella took a few steps backward. "I think he's going to charge."
As unpredictable as bears could be, humans usually couldn't tell what they intended to do. But as lupus garous, they could smell the bear's fear and agitation.
"Keep moving backward," Devlyn said in a firm, controlled voice. "Keep talking and moving away from him."
Bella stumbled over a broken tree limb behind her, and the bear dropped to his feet and charged.
Devlyn yanked Bella to her feet and shoved her behind him, but the bear stopped a few yards short and roared.
"We're going!" Devlyn yelled back at the bear. "I sure as hell wish I had my wolf teeth about now."
The bear stood facing them, either getting ready to charge again or waiting for them to withdraw.
Another fork of wicked lightning smacked the ground a mile away and deafening thunder boomed a second later, unleashing the rains.
Unruffled, the bear stood his ground despite the rain pelting all of them.
Devlyn maneuvered Bella back toward the edge of the forest next to the creek. "Ready to ford it?"
"I don't think we have much of a choice, although I hadn't really planned on wading today."
"Come on, let's go." Devlyn hurried her across the stony bank and pulled her into the icy water.
They started to cross the creek, taking it easy over the moss-covered stones while the bear lumbered toward them. As soon as Devlyn felt his feet slipping out from under him, he released Bella so he wouldn't pull her down with him, but she lost her balance anyway and they both fell into the creek.
"Damn, sorry, Bella honey." Both soaking wet, Devlyn scrambled to his feet, helped Bella up, and then moved her as fast as he could to the other side.
Her lips were turning blue and her pace was sluggish.
"He's not following us across the creek," Bella said, casting a glance over her shoulder, her teeth chattering.
"No, but we'll have to make a wide sweep north of him, where the land's not as steep, and head back toward the..." Devlyn pulled Bella to a stop on the opposite bank, and his gaze searched the woods for signs of anyone. He thought he'd smelled the murdering red. He thought he'd caught a glimpse of a dark green jacket, nearly blending with the Douglas fir, withdrawing deeper into the forest. But the rainfall was so heavy and the water ran down his face so hard that he could barely see.
"It's him," Bella whispered, her voice on edge.
"Did you see him, too?"
She cast Devlyn a fearful glance. "Did you see him?"
"Not sure. Come on. We need to head north."
"You smelled him, didn't you, Devlyn?"
"Might have been an old scent."
He thought he heard her snort, but the sound was muffled in the rain.
For a good half hour, Devlyn and Bella moved through the forest. Although the woods impeded their progress, he didn't want them exposed along the rocky bank of the creek. And the trees helped deflect some of the pounding rain. But he couldn't help feeling that the red was following them.
He thought he heard a branch snap behind them once, but the rain poured down in such a torrent that it was hard to hear anything else.
"I think we should cross here," Bella said, her teeth clattering. "The terrain isn't as steep on the other side of the creek."
Holding her hand with a titan grip, he helped her across the creek and up on the opposite bank. When they reached the shelter of the Douglas firs, he pulled her to a stop and watched for any signs of movement in the woods they'd left behind.
Silently, they observed the sheets of rain pounding the branches and the creek bank while he tucked Bella under his arm and held her shivering body close.
Finally, she shook her head. "He knows we're watching for him. He won't move out of the safety of the woods."
"Maybe. Or he might have hightailed it out of here already."
She looked up at Devlyn and her expression told him she knew differently---that the killer wanted her. That he would stop at nothing to have a real red lupus garou.
Devlyn squeezed her hand and then hurried her through the woods as fast as they both could manage, hoping the rush in their pace would warm her up some. They were a good mile north of where they'd been, and everything was gray, from the sky to the ground, as the rain continued to pour; the visibility was dismal.
Devlyn was so intent on returning Bella to the SUV and watching for signs of a trap the murdering red might have rigged that he wasn't thinking of anything else. But, suddenly, Bella yanked him to a stop. "The odor's faint, Devlyn, but do you smell it?"
No matter how frozen she had to be, she was still searching for clues of the killer's movements.
Feeling waterlogged as the rain penetrated every inch of the clothing he wore, soaking him clear to the skin, Devlyn took a deep breath. The girl's blood. He went into search mode. His gaze glanced at the pine needles and leaves matted on the ground beneath woodland ferns. He breathed in the wet, clean air but also smelled signs of the girl. She'd worn a flowery perfume, and he smelled blood---her blood.
Bella had separated from him, inching along, searching for clues, her eyes glued to the ground, barely breathing, then taking a deep breath, trying to find the source of the smell. "Here, Devlyn!" she shouted.
But something buried under a fern a few feet away caught his attention. Using a stick, he snagged a blood-soaked bra out from underneath the plant. He lifted the lacy garment to his nose and took a deep breath. Her blood, her fragrance---beyond a doubt.
Bella came up behind him and stared at the bra. "You knew he killed her out here, didn't you?"
"He probably took her 'camping,' wanting to sequester her away from civilization. But his plan to change her and make her his mate didn't go as expected. He cared enough for her that he took her back to her apartment, cleaned her up, and dressed her in a nightgown before he laid her to rest in the bed."
"Then stayed with her until we scared him off." Bella's voice sounded choked with tears and she couldn't look Devlyn in the eye.
"I thought he was there because he needed a place to hide. But now I think he didn't want to leave her until he was forced to."
"But you knew she died out here."
"He'd washed her body, but her hair smelled of the forest and wood smoke. They must have had a campfire and she was in the path of the smoke." Devlyn glanced at the gold necklace in Bella's gloved hands, finally taking notice of it.
"Hers," Bella confirmed, shoving it into her jeans pocket. "Same perfume, traces of wood smoke, too." She pointed at the bra. "You aren't going to take it with us, are you?"
"No." He buried it underneath the leaves beneath another fern. "The necklace will be proof enough as far as the red pack is concerned. I wouldn't want anyone catching us with her bloody garments."
He wrapped his arms around Bella and pulled her tightly into his embrace. She was shivering; not wanting to prolong their staying here, he whispered against her ear, "Let's go home, Bella. We've found what we came here for. It's time to go home."
Bella knew she was close to being hypothermic again and, even though Devlyn wanted to return to her cabin first, she wanted to go home instead. "I don't have any dry clothes for you, and I used the last of the wood for the fire. The rest of the firewood is too wet to use. And firewood is the only kind of heat I have at the cabin." She couldn't say a word without her teeth rattling together and she clenched them tight, but the shivers continued to shake her to the core.
But when she saw the SUV, her spirits lifted and her pace quickened. Devlyn opened her door in a flash, and cold, wet, and tired, she somehow managed to climb into the vehicle with his help. How he could not be shivering, she couldn't imagine.
He slammed her door shut and hurried to the driver's side. Then he turned the engine on and switched the heater on high, the first cold air chilling her further until they were halfway down the gravel road and the car began to warm up.
She peeled off her gloves, her hands shaking and numb, and held her icy fingers up to the vent. "If we show the necklace to Alfred and his buddies, one might react to the sight of it," she said, her whole body still trembling. She struggled with her jacket zipper, annoyed that her fingers still weren't working right. "I know none of them are the killers, but they might know who is."
Glancing over at her, Devlyn gave her a worried look. "Are you going to be all right, Bella?"
"Yeah, I just need to remove these wet things."
His lips curved up a smidgeon. "I can warm you up a bit."
"I hoped you'd say that. What about you? Aren't you freezing?" She jerked her drenched jacket off and tossed it into the backseat. Even her turtleneck was wet, and her jeans were soaked.
"I could use some warming up, too."
"Hot chocolate should do the trick."
He chuckled, dark and seductively.
She smiled and fumbled with the leather ties on her boots. Having a devil of a time untying the wet laces, she finally managed and sent the boots flying into the backseat. After peeling off her socks, she unfastened her seatbelt, and Devlyn gave her a raised eyebrow look.
"I'll help you take off your coat," she said, unable to control the shivers still, even though the interior of the Suburban was warm now and, because of all of the wet clothing inside, the windows began to fog.
Devlyn switched the heater to defrost while Bella unbuttoned his jacket. "That hot chocolate's sounding better by the second."
She helped him shrug out of his jacket and threw it over the seat to join hers. Then she started to work on the buttons on his shirt; his face was etched in a permanent wolfish grin.
"Something tells me you aren't going to wait for me to make some cocoa when we get home."
"Something tells me you're right." He leaned over and kissed her cheek, his lips cold.
She'd definitely have to warm them up.
By the time they arrived home, Bella had managed to remove his shirt and, in a comical maneuvering, his boots and socks. As soon as he pulled into the garage and shut the door, they both shed the rest of their wet clothes. Then together, they gathered them up and dumped them in her dryer where she put the load on high heat for an hour.
Shaking hard, she hurried with him toward the door leading to the kitchen, the ice-cold garage doing a number on her already chilled blood.
Devlyn yanked the door open, intent on getting Bella in a hot shower and taking the warming up process to new sexual levels, but the sight of zoo man Thompson sitting at the dining room table, sipping hot cocoa with Chrissie, nearly compelled Devlyn to have a stroke.
IN HER NAKEDNESS, BELLA GASPED, AND DEVLYN'S temper spiraled when he saw the enemy---zoo man Thompson---seated at her dining room table, cozy as could be. Devlyn shoved Bella behind him, hiding her nudity from the wolf lover, and slammed the kitchen door on their escape. He hit the button for the garage door opener and then met Bella at the SUV before she could open the door. He yanked it open and she scrambled into the car. As fast as he could, he raced around to the driver's side.
If it wasn't one damn thing, it was another. Why in the hell had Chrissie brought Thompson back to Bella's house?
Damn. Thompson thought Chrissie was Bella, and it was her house. She probably couldn't get rid of him without arousing suspicion. Or maybe she hadn't wanted to get rid of him so awfully bad. Devlyn growled deep inside.
He jammed the keys in the car's ignition and turned the engine on, but Chrissie hurried into the garage, waving at them. Devlyn rolled down the passenger's window and scowled. If Chrissie delayed their escape---
"I told Henry everything." Chrissie winked at Devlyn. "About how you and Bella were old friends who were in love with each other. How Volan Smith---you know, the guy you worked for, Devlyn---wanted the red wolf and how he had the goods on you so you had to release her from the zoo. Only you didn't. Volan set the red wolf free when you refused to go along with it. But he had taken Bella hostage and left her naked in the zoo's wolf exhibit in the wolf's place. He thought it was funnier than hell in his sick twisted mind, except that she could have died."
Devlyn clamped his gaping mouth shut and then finally said, "And?"
"Well, Henry's really a pretty great guy. He wants you to give a description of this Volan Smith so he can notify the police. Of course, he wants you to make a statement to the police about everything that happened also."
Bella glanced at Devlyn. "What about the knocked-out police officers and Thompson at the hospital? They'll blame and arrest you for that."
"Extenuating circumstances. Volan threatened to kill Bella. Left her for dead already, right, Devlyn?" Chrissie asked. "You knew no one would believe you and worried Volan would get to her at the hospital. Overcome by concern for her, you took any measure you could to protect her."
Bella shook her head. "I don't trust Thompson. What did he say about the wolf?"
"He wants her back. But I told him Volan's the one that got her out, and he's the one who'll know where she is."
Devlyn nodded. "He thinks she's his."
"Did he own her before?" Chrissie asked.
"Yeah. But she ran away."
"That's what I told Henry. He thought humans had owned her before."
Chrissie glanced at Devlyn's naked chest. From where she stood, she couldn't see anything more, but he imagined she wouldn't mind taking a peek to see what else she might get a glimpse of---if she hadn't already gotten enough of an eyeful earlier.
"When the two of you are more dressed, maybe you could come in and talk to him?"
"Our clothes are wet and in the dryer," Bella said.
Chrissie raised her brows. "Want me to grab them for you?"
"Sure," Bella said. "But I don't want Devlyn arrested. Maybe Thompson won't press charges, but the police most likely will. The worst of it is, Volan is after me, even now. Devlyn's my only protection."
Chrissie's eyes widened. "Oh, yes, of course, if Volan's still on the loose and after you." She pulled a ring of keys out of her pocket. "You can wait at my house while Bella talks to Henry," she said to Devlyn.
Devlyn shook his head and climbed out of the SUV, the door shielding him from Chrissie's view. "I stick with Bella."
Chrissie whipped around, dashed for the laundry room, and yanked the dryer open. In a jiffy, she headed back to Bella's side of the SUV and handed the warm damp clothes to her. Bella passed Devlyn's things to him, and while she tugged on her turtleneck, Chrissie hurried for the kitchen door with one backward glance before she closed the door behind her.
Devlyn yanked on his pants, growling under his breath. "Of all the damned things to happen. I should have known."
Bella objected, "But you can't go with me. He'll---"
"I'm not leaving you for a second, Bella. At any time, that bastard could show up." Devlyn finished buckling his belt while she tugged on her denims.
Nodding, she acquiesced to his leadership, but he could tell she wasn't happy about it. This time it didn't matter. Any male who wouldn't protect his mate could never lead a pack; if Thompson had any ideas of having Devlyn arrested, he'd make sure he changed his mind. Even if it meant knocking him out again and running for the hills with Bella.
When Bella was more presentable, Devlyn grabbed her hand and then paused at the door to the kitchen, but everything was quiet in there. He glanced at Bella, but she was waiting for him to make a move. Steeling his back, Devlyn twisted the knob and pulled the door open.
Thompson stopped pacing and stood watching them, his blue eyes shifting from Devlyn, the one he most likely felt threatened by, to Bella.
Instantly, Devlyn felt possessive of his mate and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Thompson, taking the cue, sat down at the table again, playing the part of a nonthreatening male adversary.
Devlyn walked Bella into the kitchen and shut the door.
"Chrissie told me the whole story," Thompson said, glancing in her direction.
Leaning against the bar countertop, Chrissie smiled back at him, and Devlyn fought the urge to laugh. The woman would have made a great seductive gray female in their pack, but he was sure Chrissie wouldn't agree.
"But," Thompson continued, "the police are going to need a description of this Volan Smith."
"He's still after me," Bella said, trying to move toward the fridge.
Devlyn finally released her, fearing the others would think he acted like a clinging vine. He couldn't help feeling possessive when it came to her, blaming it on his wolf nature. He was sure Bella wouldn't fault him too much for it.
She pulled a picture from the fridge, the rest half burying it.
He moved in closer and glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, it was a recent photo of Volan. "Why did Argos send this to you?" He couldn't help the irritation that laced his words.
"So I'd know him if he ever came for me."
"Oh." He definitely had to get a grip on his emotions.
"He was an old boyfriend?" Thompson asked.
"No," both Devlyn and Bella said, and she looked up at him. He gave her a small smile.
Chrissie's version of the story didn't hold a thimble of truth. They'd have to concoct something that was more factual than not.
Bella squeezed Devlyn's hand as if to encourage him to let her explain the situation. "I was adopted after a wildfire killed my family. He was my adoptive brother, only he wanted me for more than a sister."
"He tried something with you?" Thompson asked, his face stern, as if he would have protected her from the menace, too, if he'd been able.
Bella glanced at Devlyn, and the look on her face revealed a mixture of shame, regret, and anger. All at once, the idea that Volan had attempted to rape her when she was underage raced through Devlyn's mind. Was that the reason she kept trying to run away? Argos had grown too old and couldn't fight Volan, so he had wisely stepped down as leader of the pack. Although the pack would sentence a rogue wolf to death for such a crime, it couldn't do it if the wolf happened to be the leader and unbeatable.
Devlyn frowned at her, his heart thundering, both with concern that Volan had tried to do something so dastardly and with anger for her not telling him. He knew she'd been hiding some deep, dark secret, damn it. The nightmares she was having..."Bella, did he?"
Bella ran her hands over her jeans and stared at the floor. Her words were no more than a whispered croak. "Argos stopped him."
"Damn it, Bella, why didn't you tell me? I would have killed him! Why didn't Argos tell the rest of the---"
Her eyes shot up in warning.
"Family," he said, swallowing the word he'd almost used.
"You were adopted, too?" Chrissie asked, her eyes as big as melons. "A brother, too?"
He nodded. "Yeah." He knew what Chrissie was getting at. He and Bella shared an incestuous relationship, although they wouldn't have been blood relatives. "We weren't raised together for long before she ran away." They had been, but humans wouldn't understand the lupus garou longevity, nor would they understand the workings of a pack. Besides, they were different kinds of wolves, sharing no close lineage---a red and a gray.
Befuddled, Thompson just stared at them.
Chrissie collapsed in her chair. "So, that explains why you don't go out with guys and you stay home most of the time. And have a post office box and all."
"But about Rosa," Thompson said, "why would he want her?"
"She's like a wild pet," Bella explained.
Devlyn linked his fingers with hers. He couldn't believe Argos hadn't at least told Devlyn to protect Bella. Then he realized Argos couldn't have. No one could have protected her back then.
She handed the photo of Volan to Thompson.
Frowning, he considered the picture. "I saw him at the dance club tonight."
Bella's face paled. "Yeah, he pretended to be Argos, my adoptive father, in an email to me."
"You were at the dance club?" Thompson said in surprise. "I---"
Bella gave an elusive smile. "What name did you use on your email to me?"
"Charlie. I thought maybe there was some kind of conspiracy to free all red wolves. I knew it had to be you, the unnamed girl from the hospital, or at least I'd hoped so."
"Charlie, the one who's independently wealthy." Bella noticed Chrissie's eyes grow big. "Volan doesn't know where I live, for now. But he's pretty cagey. He'll find out sooner or later."
Thompson glanced at Devlyn. "I won't press charges against you for knocking me out."
Devlyn raised a brow. "Who said I struck you?"
Bella's fingers tightened around his.
He gave her a reassuring squeeze back. "You didn't see who hit you, did you? Volan was there. That's why I had to rescue Bella from the hospital. I discovered he'd already knocked out the police officers. He must have gotten to you later."
Thompson rubbed the back of his head as if remembering the pain. "Yeah, you could be right. I only assumed it was you because I'd seen you at the zoo earlier and then again at the nurse's station. Downstairs, the receptionist said you'd left with a half-dressed, redheaded woman in a man's oversized clothes. I just assumed---"
"No one could have protected Bella if I hadn't slipped her away from the hospital."
Bella's fingers still squeezed his, cutting off the circulation, waiting for Thompson's final verdict.
"Yeah," Thompson said, nodding. "I'm sure I got a glimpse of this fellow right before he hit me. He's the one all right."
Devlyn wrapped his arm around her waist, glad that the zoo man could help corroborate their story, made up as it was. Now the problem was, if the police did arrest Volan, they'd have no proof. Plus imprisoning Volan wasn't the solution. Like any lupus garou, if he were exposed to the full moon when it shone in all its glory, Volan's wolf coat could appear. No way could they risk Volan's imprisonment. To secure Bella's freedom, Devlyn had to kill Volan.
"You need to make a statement to the police about what he did to you, Miss Wilder," Thompson said.
She shook her head.
Thompson turned to Devlyn. "Can I talk to you for a moment, alone?"
Devlyn embraced Bella and then released her. "Yeah, we can talk out back."
Bella frowned at him. Devlyn had every intention of keeping the zoo man on their side. One less problem to have to deal with. Or at least he hoped.
He joined Thompson on the covered brick patio, and the two sat on a pair of cushioned, high-backed rockers. The rain had slowed to a pitter patter, but Devlyn felt damp through and through.
Thompson said, "I'm sorry about the little lady, but she needs to report this to the police. I can see she's terrified of this man." He shook his head. "I don't know why your family wants to keep this under wraps, unless it's to protect the family name. But Miss Wilder shouldn't have to fear for her life."
Thompson paused as if lending weight to his lecture, allowing Devlyn to soak in his words of wisdom. "I can tell she believes you'll protect her no matter what, but you can't kill him. Let the police handle this."
"I didn't mean I'd kill Volan for real." Of course Devlyn would kill him. It was the only way to save Bella. "It's just a saying. I'm not the killing type."
"Anyone's got it in them if there's enough at stake." Thompson glanced back at the house. "I'd say that the little lady is pretty high stakes."
The highest. "There can't be any leak of her address to the media, Henry. She'd be a ready target if that happened."
Thompson folded his arms. "You think if I tell the police, they'll question her, need her address, and somehow this Volan will find her?"
"Yeah, that's exactly what I think." But more than that, the reds would locate her. And the killer of the female humans could, too, if he wasn't one of the pack. In any event, as soon as Thompson vacated the premises, Devlyn was taking steps to move Bella to another location to keep her safe.
Thompson reached underneath his jacket and Devlyn's back stiffened. "Got something I want to read to you," Thompson explained when he noticed Devlyn's reaction. He pulled out a newspaper clipping and shook out the folded paper. "This was in the Mail Tribune about Wolf Creek and some trouble they were having. Namely, a barbecue that was held in the neighborhood there. A nonprofit wolf sanctuary that takes care of abandoned and abused wolves once raised by humans was negotiating the purchase of the Golden Coyote Wetlands, one hundred acres of land near Wolf Creek. One of the men threatened to use the wolves for target practice."
Devlyn's neck muscles tightened.
Thompson took a deep breath and proceeded. "The thing is, people have painted over their signs, caused lots of other vandalism at the current facility, and even attacked the founder's home. These people who take in wolves to raise as pets have the best intentions. Or maybe not always, but they take in a wolf thinking that it's different and they can handle it. Then they find out they can't. The abused animals have no place else to go. My point is that, if people like the one who was threatening to kill wolves learn that a red wolf is running through the woods, releasing Rosa into the wild will get her killed."
Devlyn nodded. What else could he do? Lupus garous generally knew to stay out of the human's way when they took a run in the wild, except in Bella's case. He figured she had been distracted when she sensed other reds nearby. He didn't like it that people were mistreating real wolves, but he didn't want to sound too interested. "The founder's name?"
Thompson refolded the paper and shoved it under his jacket. "Probably best if you didn't know it."
Why? Because Devlyn might try to release those wolves into the wild? Seal their doom? But he would discover the name soon enough. And then? He'd make a private donation. Maybe, with additional funds, the founder could find a place far enough away from civilization where the wolves could live out their days in peace, like the insurance company did for a couple of pairs of red wolves in North Carolina at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.
Thompson waved Volan's picture. "I'll run this photo by the police station on my way home. I can't promise anything about keeping Miss Wilder and you out of this forever, but for now, I'll say I received an anonymous tip about your circumstances. No addresses, no statement." Thompson shoved the photo inside his jacket. "In the meantime, I'll ask the chief, a good buddy of mine, to pull the warrants for your arrest and trash them, as a case of mistaken identity. The fact that I swear out a complaint against this Volan Smith striking me at the hospital should get the ball rolling as far as getting him into custody."
Somehow, Devlyn didn't figure Thompson's plans would fall into place so easily.
Thompson tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. "Then Miss Wilder and you can come forward with further charges. But remember what I said." He rose from the chair. "Convince her to press charges. It's the only way to put the bastard behind bars."
Devlyn intended putting Volan six feet under, not behind bars.
He stretched his hand out and gave Thompson's a firm shake. "Thanks for helping us."
"Because of circumstantial evidence, I've pinned the blame on the two of you, and put you both at more risk. I'm the one who should be apologizing. If you need any further assistance, feel free to call me." Thompson pulled a business card from his pocket.
"Thanks." Devlyn hoped his movements didn't appear too rushed as he grabbed the patio door and yanked it open. And he hoped removing Chrissie from the house wouldn't take too much effort.
All he could think of was moving Bella. A cousin's condo in Sacramento might be a good bet.
But would Bella agree to leave? He'd grown used to her unpredictable behavior. Thinking he'd have the situation well at hand, she'd surprise him. So, when he planned their next move, he had an inkling he'd have a fight on his hands.
Drawing himself taller, he entered the dining room as Bella sat at the table watching him, her face showing her concern. A paper napkin she'd been toying with lay in shreds on the tabletop. She quickly released the tortured paper and placed her hands in her lap.
Trying to reassure her that he'd take care of her, he smiled. He glanced at Chrissie, whose focus had returned to his bare chest where his shirt still hung open.
Thompson said, "Night, Chrissie. I'll call you tomorrow."
Grinning at him, she twisted a dark curl around her finger. "Sure thing. I'll be waiting."
Devlyn let Thompson out and then locked the door. Now, for Chrissie's removal.
He stalked back into the kitchen. For a second, it didn't register that Chrissie had already left. He looked inquisitively at Bella.
She rose from her seat. "She told me to say good night to you and slipped out the back door. She figured we had more getting acquainted to do, and she needed to get some beauty rest for her date tomorrow with Thompson."
"Bella, listen," Devlyn said, drawing close. He rested his hands on her shoulders and leaned down and kissed her cheek. "For your own protection, you have to leave here."
BELLA KNEW DEVLYN WELL ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE HIS intense, anxious posturing meant that he wanted to move her somewhere safe before he even spoke the words. She scowled at him. "You're not going to hide me away while you search for the red killer and face Volan on your own. What kind of a mate would that make me?" In the worst way, she wanted to say that Volan was no longer a threat, that she knew Devlyn could handle the killer, but she squashed that notion right away.
She assumed Devlyn felt as hemmed in as she did. The closer it got to the moon's reappearance, the more the wildness inside them screamed to be released. Just a run in their wolf coats would do the trick. Just a stretch through the wilderness would curb the urge to remain in wolf form for very long. She craved the wind in her fur, the smell of the pines, the damp earth, the crisp fresh water, the woodland animals---that further spawned the desire to hunt.
She took a steadying breath. Being together as wolfmates for the first time would be a truly special experience they'd never forget.
"Devlyn, listen. I want to be there when you make the murdering red pay. I want to be part of the solution, to make a difference in our world."
"Bella, we do it my way," he said again. "You'll stay with my cousin in Sacramento. It's fairly close by and I'd feel a whole lot better if you were out of harm's way there."
Ignoring his words and hoping he wouldn't realize she was not about to go along with his new scheme, she slipped his damp shirt off his broad shoulders. "Let's dance to the music this time. Nice and slow."
Running her fingers over his chest, she traced the muscles that relaxed under her ministrations. Already his fingers yanked at her turtleneck.
His actions warmed her. "Chrissie really likes Thompson, but she wanted to know what you're taking that makes you such a sexy hunk."
A smile tugged at the corners of Devlyn's mouth.
"She said she's seen more of you out of clothes than in them. Although we kind of blew her mind when we both came into the kitchen from the garage naked."
"Did she ask why?"
"She gave us an out. Said that we were really smart to dump our wet clothes in the dryer like that and not track all that water into the house. Not to mention, it saved us the trip running back out there with the wet clothes after we changed into dry things. She talks a lot when she's nervous."
Devlyn chuckled.
Before Bella could touch his belt, Devlyn pulled away from her, and her heart sank. Instantly, she felt she'd failed in her mission. She had no intention of going along with Devlyn's plan to sequester her away with one of his cousins she didn't even know. Disappointed, she realized her charms weren't as powerful as she'd hoped.
He strode across the floor to her stereo and perused the selection of CDs stacked in a three-foot-high wooden shelf. The music.
Instantly tickled, she worked on removing her belt.
"What did Thompson think about our awkward state of undress?" he asked over his shoulder.
"He was interested in Chrissie's reaction, I'm sure. If she were agreeable, maybe he'd try some moves like that with her in her garage."
Shaking his head, Devlyn flipped through some of the CDs. "Hope she doesn't have a compact."
"She does, and with Thompson's big frame, they'd probably blow a couple of tires."
Devlyn glanced back at her, a grin plastered on his face. "Bad Bella."
"What?" She unbuttoned her jeans and slid the zipper down. Already the ache between her legs filled her with urgency. She glanced at the bulge in Devlyn's jeans. Although she meant for them to take it slow and easy, already she wanted to rip his clothes off and get on with the sensual dance moves that would drive her to the edge of the abyss.
"Thompson was so busy trying to get an eyeful of you, he didn't see the big bad wolf's temper rise."
"Nah, you shoved me through the doorway too quickly. Besides, he probably saw only one bare breast, if that."
"Even that would be more than I'd be willing to let him see."
She dropped her jeans on the carpet. "What did you boys talk about?"
"Thompson's going to leave us out of the picture for the time being."
Bella let out a sigh. "Thank God."
"Yeah, but he still wants you to report the attempted rape." Devlyn's eyes darkened in anger, yet compassion showed in their depths. "You should have told me, Bella. You shouldn't have had to face Volan alone. No wonder you ran away three times."
"Six, but who's counting?" She wasn't sure why she mentioned it. Maybe to show how determined she truly had been.
He growled and then stuck a CD in the player and turned the music up. The instrumental songs were perfect for slow dancing, with a beat in between for some jazzier steps.
"I would have protected you." He stalked toward her.
She shook her head. "You would have gotten yourself killed. Then where would I be today?"
Placing his hands on her cheeks, he tilted her face up to him. "I would have thought of something."
Silver bullets? No, Devlyn was too honor bound to have stooped so low. Not like she'd done. She closed her eyes, trying to erase the image of Volan's dead body out of her mind.
Devlyn kissed her lips.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
"You were too young. So was I. Nobody had the strength to fight Volan. Argos somehow found the power that one time, but he couldn't have done it on repeated occasions."
"How many times did Volan try with you?" Devlyn asked, his words dark and incredulous. "I thought there had been only the one time."
"Three. I knew he'd keep trying. The other times, pack members approached and he'd skulked off before they saw that he had attempted to rape me, afraid to show what a bastard he really was, I suspected. But I couldn't stay. I'd always hoped you would be strong enough someday and that we could be together again. I felt terrible leaving you after you kissed me that day, terrified he'd killed you because of your kissing me. But unable to save you, either."
She wanted to assure him that he couldn't have helped her, nor could any of the pack members. That everything had turned out as well as could be expected under the circumstances. That he should have no regrets. But she also wanted him to know how badly she'd felt in leaving him behind to face the beast alone.
"You couldn't have done anything for me, Bella."
She touched his cheek, lightly covered in brown stubble. He was right of course. And had she interfered any further, it would have been worse for them both. She knew it in her heart, but she still couldn't reconcile having left Devlyn behind to fight the monster.
"I ran, but I came back. I slipped into the village to learn that you were alive and our healers were taking care of you. Volan was searching for me, but I figured he'd never suspect I'd return to see if you'd made it all right."
"I wish I'd known. I wish...well, but I understand how terrified you must have been...of him and what he would have done to you."
She nodded, not wanting to relive the most horrible time of her young life. "Then I disappeared for good."
"And you wrote to Argos."
"As soon as I could. I wanted him to know I was all right. We agreed it was safer for you if you didn't know."
He growled again and then kissed her cheek. "He should have told me."
They rocked slowly to the music, but she barely heard the tempo. His hands swept down her sides, heating her nerve endings. His gentle touch, not pressuring, heightened her anticipation of what would follow, stirring her faster than if he'd started quickly with stroking her already aching nub.
The music faded further into the distance. She concentrated on the feel of him, his rough fingers against her skin in whisper-soft caresses. The smell of his musky body mixed with the fragrance of sandalwood soap. The sound of his heavier breathing, as his heart beat rapidly against her fingertips, matched hers. She licked the hollow of his throat, tasting his slightly salty skin, eliciting a deep-throated groan from him.
Moving her hands lower, she fingered his belt buckle. He leaned down and fondled her breast with his mouth, not pushing for satisfaction quickly, instead increasing the sensitivity of her skin to his touch.
Taking it slowly was tantamount to getting her way in the scheme of things, but she didn't believe she could handle his measured moves. Already she craved having him deep inside of her. Coupled together they were as one. No one could claim her then. She was his and he hers. Nothing else mattered.
She skimmed her fingernail down his zipper, stirring his rock-hard erection that was straining against the denim.
He growled when she ran her fingernail over his denim-covered arousal again. "Tease," he whispered against her cheek. Leaning over, he took her nipple in his mouth and sucked hard.
Who was the tease? Already she was thoroughly wet from his touch and yearning for much more. She pulled down his zipper and watched his erection spring free.
This time she wanted to touch him but fought the urge, fearing she'd send him over the edge too quickly and he'd send her away. Slow and easy. Slipping her hands around his waist, she pulled him against her body, sliding her leg between his. Again they rocked to the beat of the music.
She pressed her bare skin against his arousal, rubbing at a gentle pace, and his growl was more a moan this time. Still partially clad in his denims, he raised his leg and grazed her nub with the well-worn fabric covering his taut leg muscle. The soft material brushed against her supersensitive spot, exciting her further.
Her own muted growl erupted.
"Remind me," he said, licking her cheek, "to thank Thompson for capturing my little red wolf so I had the chance to free her and make her mine."
"I wasn't happy to see you at the zoo, you know."
He smiled. "The smell of you, ripe and ready for mating, nearly drove me insane. That poor wolf they tried to mate you with must have been truly agonized. I know I was."
"My heart nearly stopped to see you there. Then I realized you'd only come to take me back to Volan."
Devlyn moved his hands to her buttocks and lifted, pressing her harder against his arousal. She moaned as his leg massaged her more intensely.
"He'd ordered me to bring you back. But as soon as I saw you, I knew I couldn't. Not to him, not as his mate, but as mine."
She lifted a brow, amused. "You thought I'd agree? What if I hadn't?"
He kissed her mouth, pressuring her to part her lips. When she leaned her head back and opened herself to him, he thrust his tongue into her mouth and squeezed her buttocks. Her hands stilled on his hips, her senses overwhelmed with his bold erotic moves. Barely able to stand, she trembled with excitement.
Her reaction to him spurred him on. His hands shifted to the small of her back and pressed her against his leg, strategically rocking between her legs to the music.
The increased tempo of the melody matched his more aggressive actions, stimulating her further. The crescendo drew her higher, toward the sun, the moon, and the planets in the far distant galaxy, to the stars that clung to the black velvet night, well beyond the earth and the gravity that held them captive. Her hand shifted to capture his leg and increased the pace.
"Ah, Bella," he groaned.
She moaned his name.
A smile stirred on his lips, and he hugged her tightly.
The influx of the orgasm rippled through her like a never-ending tumultuous waterfall. She kissed his mouth with enthusiasm, loving him for bringing her to climax without concern for his own cravings. She desired to transport him to the top as well but hoped they could continue the action for much longer, ensuring that her plan to keep him from sending her to his cousin would succeed.
Yet, loving each other like this, whether they left her home or not, proved more important to her than anything now. He released her body and yanked off his jeans, his own mouth kissing her back, not wanting to part from her, she imagined, as she didn't want to separate from him, not even for a second.
Bella's moves against Devlyn's body couldn't have been any more erotic, and when she came with just the rubbing of his thigh against her nub, he nearly spilled his seed. Even now, he fumbled to ditch his jeans so that he could penetrate her slick, wet folds before he lost it.
She wasn't just any lupus garou, but the best part of his life growing up. Fond memories of the good times of their youth still lingered in his mind, even now as he maneuvered Bella to the velour couch.
He tried to take it gradually, moving to the slower pace of the music again. He danced her toward the couch, his leg still deeply entrenched between hers, keeping her warm for the follow-up play.
Their hips swayed to the music, their greedy fingers exploring each other's backs. The notion of moving her faded away. The only thing that concerned him now was filling her again.
"Bella, I want you like a wolf does."
She nodded.
Did she feel the pull of the moon? Did she want to mate with him in the wild like a male wolf committed himself to a female? He could barely wait to breathe in the pine scent blowing in the breeze, mixed with the musky smell of her, or feel the cool air against their fur-covered skin, their noses touched in greeting, or tackle her in playful fun and then mate with her among the pine needles that carpeted the forest floor.
Climbing onto the couch on hands and knees, she wiggled her tight little butt suggestively and then grinned over her shoulder at him. He nearly laughed. Yeah, she was ready all right.
He ran his fingers between her firm buttocks and dipped them between her honeyed folds. Her body still shuddered from her orgasm, sending a streak of urgency into his overheated system. He leaned his pelvis against her smooth round bottom and pressed his erection into her channel, driving deeply, and then slowly pulled out.
Her breath nearly ceased when he reached underneath her and pressed his fingers against her abdomen, moving down to her curly hairs, and then her swollen nub. Stroking with renewed focus, he urged her to come again as he sought to give her pleasure. He thrust into her tight sheath, clutching him like a warm, wet, velvet glove.
He'd never imagined how good life could be with Bella at the center of it. The pack was important, but Bella was everything.
When he penetrated her deepest chasm, the music heightened the rhythm. Her pelvic muscles tightened. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the way she squeezed him tight, grasping him, as he pulled back, regaining her hold, when he thrust forward. The sensation heated his sweaty body and, with a final plunge, he released his seed. But his fingers still fondled her nub until her inner muscles shuddered, convulsing around him in orgasmic delight.
Turning her over, he lay down on top of her to feel her warm, soft body beneath him. Her eyes had darkened, and her body was glossy and lightly flushed. She was the most beautiful creature in the whole world, and all his. She felt so right to him, fitting perfectly against his body, moving in sync, every part of her exciting him beyond belief. But it wasn't just the lovemaking that hooked him. It was everything about her...the way she acted so agreeable and yet so aggravating at the same time. The way she'd wanted him but denied her love for him, fearing for his safety. The way she'd lived in silent terror under Volan's threat but never once told Devlyn, in an effort to keep him safe.
He'd wished he'd been stronger then, more able to protect her, more of a hero to her, but he couldn't continue to regret the past. The future stretched out before them. Taking it one day at a time had to suffice for now. Although he wanted to take her away from here, safe from all the evils of the world, he couldn't ruin the special moments they shared. Sleeping with her was as much a pleasure as any other moment he spent with her. Wrapping his arms around her for a few hours in blissful rest was the only plan he had for now.
Later, after they were well rested, he'd insist that she go to his cousin's place.
She raked her fingers through his hair, no doubt tangled and a mess. Her lips turned up. Seductive minx.
"Let's go to bed for a while, Bella." His voice was still husky, but tired, too. He climbed off her, but before she could rise, he slipped his arms under her and lifted her from the couch.
"I could have walked, Devlyn. You must be worn out."
He growled. "You're talking to a gray, Bella." She didn't mean any insult, but the idea still gnawed at him that he hadn't been able to best Volan yet. Any comment about his stamina remained a sore spot with him for now. He'd tried to remark with a lighthearted air, but Volan---damn him---angered him even more as the news of Bella's past was revealed. He kissed her cheek and carried her into the bedroom. Before long, he was folded around her under the covers.
Bella snuggled with Devlyn, her head on his chest, listening to his steady breathing and heartbeat that lulled her toward sleep. One hand lightly stroked her back and the other touched her hair. She couldn't have been any happier now that she rested with the lupus garou she'd always loved. Wild and single-minded when it came to pleasing her. On the other hand, she couldn't deal with the cold truth that she'd killed Volan, and Devlyn would probably never forgive her. Or maybe knowing that Volan had tried to rape her as a juvenile would change his mind. She kissed his chest and then cuddled her cheek against it.
Living among the humans, she'd become only a shell of what she was. She gripped Devlyn tighter, not wanting to lose him again, ever, but feeling the ugly truth would come out sometime or another. He was bound to hear that someone had shot Volan outside the dance club. Oh, man, and Thompson would place Devlyn and her at the club. They had the biggest gripe against Volan.
The situation couldn't get any worse. The police would consider Devlyn the most likely suspect. Hell, he said he'd kill Volan himself, right in front of Thompson.
She could leave a note, explaining to the police and Devlyn that she was the one who killed Volan for his attempting to rape her. The best scenario would be if she left Devlyn, ran somewhere else, lived the miserable life of a loner---anything to keep the police from arresting her mate.
"What are you thinking about, Bella?" Devlyn whispered, dreamily, half asleep.
"About how much I miss the pack, of being with them, of running wild as the wolf with them. Being on my own hasn't been the same. Running as a loner is...lonely, to say the least."
"You felt you had no choice." His fingers stroked her shoulder.
She nodded against his chest. "But..."
"What, Bella?" Already his voice sounded darker, more awake, wary.
"I think we need to make a stand, don't you?"
She meant against the reds---then she would be history---but she realized at once she should have said it differently. She wasn't used to playing alpha male games---let the male think he's making up all of the important plays, agree sweetly like the good mate she should be, and then ensure somehow that she got her own way.
She closed her eyes, waiting for the explosion.
"After we've had a good rest, my cousin will come for you and take you to California for safekeeping."
She clenched her teeth against speaking her mind and saying something hurtful. She reminded herself they both were exhausted, and she kept her lips sealed.
One thing he'd learn about her, he might be the alpha male, or at least was attempting to take on that role, but she was a lone wolf...a rogue, and had been for years. She played by her own rules, and until now---well, until she got thrown in the zoo---she'd done well enough on her own.
"Bella?" He waited for her agreement, but she couldn't give it.
"Sleep, Devlyn. I'm exhausted."
He continued to stroke her hair and back. "I'm calling my cousin when it's light out. I want you to stay with him while I take care of the reds."
No way was he going to tell her what to do. Yet, from his definitive tone, he expected to do just that, and she'd obey.
She glanced at her alarm clock. Dawn would break in another three hours or so. He thought she'd go along with him, just like that.
Wait until she woke up later. Once she had some sleep...she'd...
She yawned. She'd do something about it.
When Devlyn began to snore, she lay awake for another half hour, aggravated that she couldn't quiet her mind and sleep. Finally, she slipped out of his arms and left the room.
In her office, she turned on the computer and checked her email. Argos was asking for an update. She clicked on his message but hesitated to answer. She wanted to ask his advice, but she couldn't. Despite being like a father to her, he had been a pack leader. He was sure to think she'd done the wrong thing in killing Volan the way she had.
Not bothering to send a reply, she checked the rest of her email. Alfred, Nicol, and Ross had all sent her messages.
She ignored them and stared at the subject of the last one.
Wicked Bella.
Her heart raced. The reds knew her real name now. Was it the murdering red who had learned her name from the others? The sender used her own email address, so no clue there. The other reds always used their real names so she'd know it was them.
She poised her finger on the mouse, took a deep breath, and clicked. The message opened up and the breath caught in her throat.
I'm invincible, don't you know, sweet Bella? Invincible. Volan
A photo finished loading, a picture of the devil wolf himself, his unkempt black hair straddling his shoulders, his eyes and lips smiling without humor, his skin pale, not ruddy like it had been when she first spied him at the club.
How...how could he have survived?
"Bella?" Devlyn called out from the bedroom.
She turned off the computer, her heart racing. When had Volan sent the email? Before or after she killed him? How could he be alive? No, no, he wasn't alive. He'd sent the email to her before she met him at the club, angered that Devlyn wasn't bringing her home to him right away. That's why he called her wicked Bella. But the invincible part threw her.
Invincible because he could survive silver bullets?
"Bella!"
"Coming." She strode back to the bedroom, her skin prickling with fear.
Volan couldn't be alive. According to the legend, silver bullets that penetrated the brain or heart or were left elsewhere in the body and not removed right away could cause death. But what if the legend were just that---a made-up legend and not really true? Think, think---had she ever known of a case where a silver bullet killed a lupus garou?
No, death because of fire, a cousin broke his neck when he was in his human form and jumped into a shallow river bed, but no one she actually knew had ever been killed by a silver bullet.
Reluctantly, she climbed back into bed, and Devlyn wrapped his arms around her, tightening his grip. His touch should have warmed her, but she was chilled to the center of her being. She was so stiff, Devlyn whispered into her ear, "Sleep, Bella honey."
But she couldn't. She tried to relax, tried to let Devlyn think everything was all right. But her mind wouldn't shut down.
Volan had to be dead. Otherwise, she'd made love to Devlyn thinking Volan was dead. She'd given herself freely to the man she'd wanted forever, only to get him killed. She didn't have to worry about Devlyn being arrested for Volan's murder, but now she fretted over her original fear---Volan was indomitable, as she'd always known, and he would terminate Devlyn.
Unless, Volan was really dead. He had to be.
She thought back to the dance club and the events that led up to her killing him and afterward. He went down like a felled redwood. And he didn't move again. For several minutes, he didn't move. But she hadn't checked his pulse, either. Did he have a pulse? She groaned inwardly.
But...but what if he'd been wearing a bulletproof vest?
No. Why in the world would he have done that? He was an alpha male pack leader. He could control her, he'd think. And she was certain he'd never believe she'd shoot him with silver bullets.
So what in the hell had gone wrong?
Devlyn took a heavy breath, and she sensed he'd fallen asleep again.
Then another distressing thought hit her. What if silver bullets did work as the legend stated, but the old-time blacksmith who'd made them for her had taken her silver and kept it? What if he'd used some other compound and the bullets weren't really silver at all?
She considered what had happened that day so long ago when she'd thought Volan was close on her trail and she'd found a smithy working at his anvil, his large, sinewy hands pumping the bellows to heat the fire. The sign hanging above the blacksmith's shop in the Arizona town proudly advertised his skills: wrought iron work, horse shoeing, wagon fixing, wagon wheels, pulling teeth.
But all she'd cared about was whether or not he could make bullets. Silver bullets.
She could still envision the way the big man stared back at her, his muscular arms bulging under his linen shirt, his bushy black brows raised, his mouth embedded in black whiskers and partially opened.
"Silver bullets," he'd repeated, like a parrot.
Bella had offered her most winsome smile. "My brother collects old bullets from the American Revolution, Civil War period, various types. A collector. Anyway, he was saying how he had about every size, shape, and kind of bullet known to man except for one."
"Silver bullets."
"Yes, sir. He's turning twenty-five and I wanted to give him a real keepsake. Will these be enough silver spoons for the job?"
The smithy wiped his sweaty hands on his apron and considered the silverware. Looking back up at her with eyes as black as the coal in his fire, he asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Come back in three hours. I have several other jobs before yours, miss."
"Yes, yes, thank you."
And then she'd left to spend time in the mercantile, purchasing some dried meat and other items for the trip she'd have to make. The widow MacNeil that she'd lived with had died the month before. Bella had stayed there long enough and needed to move on, especially if Volan had learned she was there. After buying her stagecoach passage for Idaho, she returned to the smithy's shop. He had already gone, but a note was left on a table with six silver bullets: for Bella MacNeil.
Then she'd left with her treasure, her protection against Volan. For the first time ever, she wasn't afraid.
Which made her wonder again, did the smithy keep the silver for himself and give her regular bullets?
If so, she had one more chance to protect herself. The gun at her cabin. Different smithy, this one at Donley's Wild West Town a few years ago in Chicago, when Bella thought it might be prudent to have two guns, one at each residence, both filled with silver bullets. Or at least she hoped.
Devlyn's arm twitched, and she breathed in his masculine scent.
God, how she loved her big gray, and how she hated having to leave him. But if Volan was truly alive, the nightmare would never end. As soon as they found out who the red killer was, she would run again.
An hour into her slumber, Bella woke. What was the sound she'd heard? A grinding of metal against metal? A key slipping into the front door lock?
BELLA LISTENED BUT DIDN'T HEAR ANY FURTHER sounds. Slipping out of Devlyn's arms, she was surprised he didn't wake. Her heart beating hard sent the blood rushing into her ears.
Maybe she'd dreamed she heard something. Maybe a branch scratched at the window out back. So why had it sounded like a key in the front door?
She pulled on her jeans and a T-shirt and then seized the 9 mm from her bedside table drawer where she'd hidden it again, minus two bullets. Silver or regular? She growled low under her breath but reminded herself that Volan could be dead.
Taking a step out of the bedroom, she listened with her fine-tuned hearing and sniffed the air for any sign of an intruder. Nothing. She turned in the direction of the kitchen. The house remained dark, although she could see like a wolf in the middle of the blackest night.
Her heart thundering, she crept closer to the kitchen. She sensed something, a hushed word, a faint rustling, something out of the ordinary. Then the smell...
She tilted her chin up, readying her weapon. It wasn't Volan's smell. His remained imprinted on her memory forever. She sniffed again. A red? But the scent confused her. More than one? Damn, the three of them?
Alfred entered the living room from the kitchen. Ross and Nicol came from the dining room. All three paused when they spied her gun.
"Silver bullets," she said, loudly, hoping to wake Devlyn. She didn't want him to know she had a gun loaded with silver bullets, or at least what she thought had been silver bullets. Wolf to wolf combat was the way they settled things. However, she had no choice at the moment. "They were meant for Volan if he ever found me. But I have enough to use on the three of you also."
But in truth, she didn't want to waste the bullets on these three---silver or otherwise. She knew Devlyn could make them leave.
She listened behind her for sounds of Devlyn stirring. Poor old gray. She'd worn him out. Wake up, Devlyn!
Alfred inched toward her.
"You don't believe me?" She continued to speak loudly. Devlyn!
"I believe you, Bella, because you're scared of the gray, Volan. But I don't believe you'd use the bullets on one of us. We're your kind, no matter how much you choose to deny it."
He could see through her better than she'd hoped, and she didn't feel he would listen to reason. She tried another tactic. "One of you might be the killer of all those women," she lied, knowing none of their scents had been in the murdered girl's apartment. Then again, any one of them, or all three, could be covering for the bastard who killed her, which was just as bad. "I'd be doing the rest of our kind a big service if I ended his life."
"But which one, Bella? Which one of us would you choose? Surely you wouldn't want to kill two innocent lupus garou. Two of your own kind." He repeated the last words, attempting to sway her. "Of course, that's saying that one of us is the killer. It could be any of my pack, or even a lone, rogue wolf. No doubt some are living here. Why, look at you, sweet thing." Alfred's lips curved up. "Who would have ever thought we had a female right under our noses, living as a rogue for all of this time?"
"But we found evidence of her in the woods when we..." Ross said, but Alfred waved his hand to silence him.
He continued to cross the floor at an easy pace, his step shortened, trying not to force her into a corner where she might use the weapon on him. The others waited. He was the alpha male. It was his business to take her, to make her obey him. To force her to tuck her tail, whimper, and bow her head.
Having no intention of giving in to the red's words or actions, she lifted her chin and drew herself up as tall as she could. Then, remembering the gold necklace she found in the woods, she pulled it out of her pocket. "Recognize this?"
Alfred stared at it but didn't say a word. Nicol looked a little green.
"Never saw it before in my life," Alfred said. "What of it?"
"The killer dropped it after murdering one of the women. Sure you don't recognize it? Nicol seems to."
"That's a lie," Nicol snarled.
Something wasn't right. Did he know the killer? The girl the red had murdered?
She shoved the necklace back in her pocket. "Well, it's evidence that will put the killer away. As for the three of you, I want you to leave my home this instant."
Alfred sneered. "We can't, Bella. You belong to our pack now. Most important---you belong to me. I thought I'd made that abundantly clear."
The thought that she'd be Alfred's soured her stomach. "I thought we had a date later today, to bring you the fur sample." She took a step back toward the hall, hoping to keep him talking until she could wake Sleeping Beauty.
Alfred cast her a sinister smile. "I'll have the sample now. And you along with it." His darkened brown eyes suddenly focused on the hall behind her.
She thought she heard it, too. The sound like the shifting of a body on a mattress from the direction of the bedroom.
For a second, Alfred hesitated. Then he directed a deadly glower at Ross. Under his breath, he growled, "I thought you said he wasn't here."
"Listen, Alfred, Nicol, and Ross," she said, hoping that, if Devlyn heard her conversation with the reds, he'd realize they had three to handle. "I've already told you. I'm Devlyn's mate."
Then, as if worried the big gray would soon be more of a threat than Bella with her silver bullets, Alfred lunged at her.
Slowly aware something wasn't right, Devlyn had sensed he no longer wrapped Bella securely in his arms. His eyes shot open. As groggy as he was, her harsh words, spoken loudly in the living room, forced a surge of adrenaline to spike his blood, readying him instantly to face the threat.
All that raced through his mind was saving Bella. He heard her say the reds' names, warning Devlyn that the three had broken into the house.
Naked, he rushed out of the room and down the hall. Before he reached his mate, Alfred lunged at her, shoving her hand up.
Devlyn's gaze pivoted to the gun she held. What the hell?
Alfred forced her to drop the weapon, and in the ensuing struggle, kicked it underneath the sofa. Instantly, Devlyn dove into Alfred. Knocking him aside, Devlyn broke the red's grip on Bella's arm.
Alfred jumped back. In a flash, he yanked a knife out of a sheath attached to his belt. Taunting Devlyn, he waved the weapon in front of him. He struck and then retreated.
With agility, Devlyn withdrew from him, away from Bella's direction, allowing her to escape. Facing the others, he ensured that they couldn't strike at his back in case they had the cowardly notion to do so.
Neither advanced for the moment, waiting for their leader to take care of the gray, as any pack should do.
"You can't do this," Bella screamed at Alfred. "You have to fight each other in your wolf form. It's our way!"
"He's too much of a coward," Devlyn goaded the red on. "He can't get you any other way."
Alfred's face reddened and his eyes narrowed to angry slits. His lips formed a thin, grim line as he growled. Without warning, he slashed at Devlyn.
Devlyn jumped out of the path of the ten-inch blade. Bella gasped. Even now, Devlyn could smell the red's putrid fear. The red hunched over, like a lupus garou who knew he couldn't win. Yet, Alfred couldn't show his pack that he was unable to triumph over the female he had chosen for his own.
In an attempt to rile Alfred, to rattle him so that he'd make a fatal mistake, Devlyn provoked him further. "What's the matter, Alfred? Can't convince a human girl to agree to be your wolfmate?"
"You can't pin those murders on me."
Nicol advanced on Bella in two bounds. She dashed toward the kitchen. Both Nicol and Ross tore after her, forcing a splinter of ice down Devlyn's spine. They wouldn't endanger her, just take her for their own. That thought sent another charge of adrenaline through his system, urging him on to eliminate the threat.
Alfred sliced the air with the knife, aimed at Devlyn's chest. Devlyn dove out of his reach, the blade whooshing past his ear.
A drawer drew open in the kitchen and then slammed shut.
Alfred stabbed at Devlyn's throat. He dodged the blade. But Bella's situation distracted Devlyn. Not liking that he couldn't see what was happening to her, he backed toward the kitchen.
She growled. Nicol yelped. After what sounded like a chair crashing, Bella reappeared in the living room, brandishing a bloodied carving knife. Nicol and Ross followed some distance behind her while she backed away from them, her weapon readied.
Blood dripped from Nicol's arm, but he and Ross approached her anyway, one on either side. Checking on Bella, Alfred turned for an instant.
Devlyn grappled for his knife. Alfred swung at him again. Leaping out of the way, Devlyn narrowly missed the blade cutting his torso.
Bella waved her knife between Nicol and Ross. "Give it up," she snarled. "I don't want to hurt either of you."
"Volan will never let you have her," Devlyn said, hoping to talk some sense into them. He would never let them have her, but he hoped maybe the threat of two grays wanting her would make the reds cease and desist.
When Alfred continued to attack at him, Devlyn realized he had only two choices. Either he took Bella home to his territory where he assumed the reds would leave well enough alone, not wanting to fight a pack of larger grays, or he had to kill the reds at the first glimpse of the moon, when they all could appear in wolf form, here in their own territory.
Ross grabbed for Bella's arm. Nicol hesitated on her other side, favoring his bloodied arm. As soon as Ross seized her wrist, she struck at him with the knife, slicing across his arm. He screamed in pain, released her, and jumped back.
Devlyn couldn't help the swell of pride that filled him. In the same instant, he pounced on Alfred, knocking the red to the floor.
Alfred's head hit hard against the carpeted concrete. An "oof" from deep within his chest escaped his lips from the jolt. A string of curses followed.
Devlyn pinned him to the floor with his bigger frame. He grappled with Alfred's arm, trying to free the knife from his hand, but it slipped and cut the red across the abdomen. Alfred squawked.
"Don't make a move toward them," Bella warned Ross and Nicol.
Managing to bend the red's wrist back, Devlyn pressured so hard that Alfred's thumb could no longer grasp the handle. Devlyn yanked the knife out of Alfred's hand.
Bella waved her weapon at Nicol and Ross. "I didn't want to hurt you. Any of you. But if you don't leave now---"
"He can't have you," Nicol said, backing off. Ross followed him. "The gray can't have you."
Devlyn let Alfred up. He would have killed them all for trying to take his mate, but only if they'd been in wolf form. As humans, they were bound to obey human law. As wolves, the law of the jungle prevailed. The strongest and most cunning won. Survival of the fittest.
"You can't have her," Alfred said, standing, his face flushed and his eyes haunted. "She's a red and in our territory." His words were dark and menacing, but he bowed his head like a beta wolf in front of the alpha male, defeated and not willing to be whipped any further, submitting to the gray, no matter how much it hurt his male wolf pride.
"We fight like wolves the next time," Devlyn said, his gaze intense, forcing the reds to agree.
Even if Alfred and his followers didn't like the idea of dealing with him wolf to wolf, their failed attempt at taking Bella had wounded the red pack leader's pride too deeply to try again. Plus, their injuries would need time to heal. Then the moon's appearance would tell all.
They would make their stand in the wilderness, Devlyn against Alfred at first and then facing the others. Whoever desired the female red would make his move.
"By the next moon," Alfred said, clutching his stomach, the blood soaking his shirt, his eyes hostile but his face turning pale. He glanced at Bella, who was still holding the kitchen knife at the ready. "You'll be mine, sweet thing. Be ready." He staggered toward the front door with the others trailing behind, clutching their bloodied arms.
"They must have followed us here," Bella said when Devlyn locked the door behind the reds' hasty flight. "They must have had lock picks like you carry."
Nothing mattered to him for the moment except the gun she'd wielded and the secrets she'd withheld from him. "Where did you get the gun, Bella?"
She headed for the bedroom, her hips swaying suggestively with her walk, her buttocks covered in the tight jeans, tantalizing him. But she refused to answer him.
He hastened after her, wearied from sleepless exhaustion and fighting with the red. The hyped-up adrenaline that readied him for danger started to drain as the threat vanished. Yet a new energy stirred, a deeper, more primal urge.
He chastised himself. They needed sleep more than anything else.
His gut clenched with irritation. He would kill Volan, proving to Bella and to the pack that he served as the alpha male, no other. In the ancient way they had to end this. Not with a manmade invention. Besides, only fictional tales stated that a silver bullet in the heart or brain could kill a lupus garou. Nothing in ancient lupus garou folklore made reference to such a thing, although many of his kind believed there might be a thread of truth in the fictional stories.
He combed his fingers through his unkempt hair as he entered the bedroom. Standing before the bed, Bella pulled up her T-shirt slightly, her eyes averted, her fingers unzipping her jeans.
Hell, she'd probably end up wounding herself and never get a shot off at the wolf.
"Bella," he said, drawing closer as she pulled off her pants, invading her space. "What kind of bullets are in the gun?"
She glared at him.
Silver bullets. He knew it. Just the way her eyes darkened and narrowed into daggerlike slits. Damn her. She couldn't take down Volan. He had to. What the hell was she thinking? "You can't use them on him, Bella. He's mine."
She took a deep breath. "If he comes around and you're not here to save me, he's mine." She yanked off her shirt.
She wouldn't win this argument. He would be the alpha male of their pack. The gun and its deadly bullets would have to go.
Instantly, the sight of her perky breasts, the nipples already hardened and darker from her exertion, the quickened pace of her breath, and the redness of her cheeks turned him on. She glanced down and frowned at his erection, beckoning to her to give it release.
At once, he throbbed with a deep-seated primal lust, inspiring him to take her again. He couldn't help that the sight of her sent his blood rushing south. She could feign being mad at him all she wanted. But the way she licked her lips and folded her arms under her creamy breasts...the way her heated eyes took in every inch of his body, she wanted him, too.
"What if they return?" she asked, her gaze shifting to his eyes.
Just the opening he was looking for.
"They won't, sweet Bella." God, how he loved her. "Alfred and his gang will wait for the next phase of the moon. As lupus garous, he and the others must honor this."
"But they're afraid of you. They're worried about some legend to do with a gray. Do you think all of them will be honorable enough to hold up the bargain?"
"Their wounds would put them at too great a disadvantage. They wouldn't risk it." Devlyn frowned. "What was the legend they were concerned about?"
She ran her finger around his nipple and he sucked in his breath.
"That some big gray got rid of a red leader who was bad for the pack."
"Ah." His lips curved up. "My great-grandfather."
"What? The gray couldn't have been your great-grandfather. He killed Alfred's great-grandfather, so he must have been from this area, not Colorado."
"Alfred's great-grandfather?" Devlyn shook his head. "Ever hear of the Gold Rush?"
She tilted her chin down, giving him a look as if she knew better. "In California, not Oregon."
"Over seventy million dollars in gold was panned out of the Rogue River. My great-grandfather had the gold fever bad, but after he had the run-in with the red pack leader living in the area and because none of our kind lived there, he returned to Colorado to be with our pack." Devlyn combed his fingers through Bella's hair, separating the silky strands over her shoulders. "Who would have ever thought my ancestor was the one to set things right with this same pack. But it appears the bad seed continued through Alfred, and he managed to take over like his great-grandfather."
Bella licked Devlyn's nipple and his groin tightened. "Alfred would have a heart attack if he knew you were a descendent of the same gray."
He chuckled. "Maybe we should send him an email and tell him so...end his misery sooner." Placing his hands on either side of her cheeks, he lifted her face to his. "I want you, Bella, more than I can say."
Her hands swept down his sides, stirring him all over again. He moaned. How could a small red lupus garou female bring him so quickly to his knees?
Devlyn climbed into bed first and reached his hand out to Bella. When her fingers touched his, he wrapped his hand around hers and pulled her on top of him. His brown eyes, as dark as midnight, gazed into hers with the familiar longing of a wolf desiring the satisfaction only his mate could fulfill.
She leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth, loving him for everything he stood for. Brushing her lips over the rest of his mouth, she ended with a kiss on the other corner. He tangled his fingers in her hair.
"I promise I won't use the bullets on Volan, unless---"
His face darkened. He rested his hands lightly on her hips, adjusting her squarely on top of his rigid erection, and impaled her.
"Unless," she continued, sucking in her breath as he penetrated her, stealing her thoughts briefly, "I have no other choice."
"By no other choice, you mean that he has killed me. I won't have you using the gun on him for any other reason."
Damned male wolf pride.
She slid up his erection and down again, holding him tight within her, stroking his needs as he reached his fingers between her legs and began to stroke her.
She licked his nipple. "Yes, that's what I meant."
"That if I were dead---"
She clamped her mouth over his, not wanting him to say another word about the fact that he might die in this fated confrontation with the alpha gray.
"Make love to me, Devlyn, as if we haven't another care in the world."
She didn't think either of them could manage to climax with as little sleep as they'd had, but his spinetingling strokes over her swollen nub sent her hormones spiraling toward a cataclysmic end. She nearly sank down, so close to reaching the climax, unable to think of anything else, and then the white-hot heat washed over her. The heart-stirring waves of completion clouded her mind with awe and deep satisfaction.
She would have curled up against Devlyn's chest and drifted off to a dream-filled, wondrous sleep if it hadn't been for his rolling her over and finishing her off. He felt so good, every inch of him diving into her, her own body still pulsing around him, clutching him and releasing, a vague awareness drifting to her that he had finished.
He released his warm, wet seed deep inside of her and collapsed on top of her with a tired groan. "You..." he said, his words a heavy whisper, "are unbelievably wonderful."
She wrapped her arms around him. He turned over onto his back so she could sleep with her head against his chest, one leg propped over his.
A wolf that exposed his belly gave the other wolf complete power over him. He was all hers, every inch of the hunky, muscular, very slick gray lupus garou.
His hand swept down her backside and then touched her wet folds from behind. He could have his way with her all morning long if that's what he desired. She raised her leg up to expose herself to him further. He hummed his pleasure against the top of her head. He pulled her leg even higher against his belly. He groggily whispered, "Hmm, Bella, one hot little red wolf."
"Ready anytime, Devlyn."
He chuckled. "Making up for lost years, honey."
She wiggled against him. "Fill me up whenever you have the urge."
His sexually hungry growl meant she wouldn't have to wait very long, which suited her fine. She brushed her face against his cheek, smelling the spicy, male scent of him, hoping that nothing else---like red lupus garous or Volan---would disturb their sleep or other, stimulating activities they might wish to explore later that morning.
Yet she wondered what happened to Devlyn's plan for her to stay with his cousin? Had he given up on that notion? Or would she have to fight him all over again when they woke?
Worse, the threat of Volan still hung heavy in her thoughts. Was he dead or not?
Early the next afternoon, Devlyn found Bella gone, again. Searching through the house, he found no sign of her. But the fresh, sweet fragrance of cut flowers sitting on the dining room table in a glass vase caught his eye. He glanced outside and saw the greenhouse door open. Then he noticed Bella's silhouette against the green glass building, and the prickle in his gut dissipated. Stalking across the yard, he reached the greenhouse and, with a squeak, shut the door behind him as he entered the building.
He stared at the plants in wonder. Colorado wildflowers from alpine columbine and aspen daisies to scarlet paintbrush and fireweed.
"Do you like it?" Bella asked, watering a trough of violets, barely looking Devlyn's way.
He considered Bella in the ankle-length robe she wore, the forest-green velvet clinging to her curves, her hair dangling in a fiery display in contrast against the fabric, her feet bare. "What's not to like?" His voice was already several shades huskier than normal.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and nuzzled his face in her hair. "You smell like a garden of flowers."
"That's because we're standing in a greenhouse full of them," she teased, leaning against his chest, pressing against his heavy groin.
He took her hand and ran his nose over the silky skin. "Your hand smells like roses, and your hair like Persian lilac. You smell like a floral garden." He nudged his cheek against her throat and she moved her head so he had better access. His hands dipped lower, to the tassel tie belted at her waist.
"I have work to do," Bella said, but she didn't stop him, either.
"The work will get done, but this can't wait." He pressed his arousal against her backside and she smiled.
"If we keep doing it, I won't be able to walk normally for a week."
"Hey, just think if we were in our wolf coats."
Bella laughed. "Well, I've seen a wolf and his mate go at it, but..."
"Half an hour at a time? Multiple times? Just know what you're getting yourself into when the moon appears." He pulled her robe open and slid his hands over her breasts.
She turned and smiled when she saw he was wearing jeans but was barefoot and shirtless. "You're dressed. Kind of."
"Easily remedied." He tackled his zipper. "Afraid Chrissie's kids might peek through a knothole in the redwood fence and see something they shouldn't."
"Good thinking. But I believe Chrissie's the only one who might do something like that, particularly now that you're around." Bella kissed Devlyn's chest, her hair dangling against his nipples, raising them into tight knots. She licked one and hummed.
Devlyn broke free and locked the door. Thankfully, the greenhouse windows were fogged up enough that only Bella and Devlyn's silhouettes could be seen from the outside.
He yanked off his jeans and slipped the robe down Bella's shoulders, exposing every inch of creamy skin. She was every guy's wet dream and more.
After spreading the fabric over the mossy floor, he motioned to the makeshift bed. "My lady?"
She laughed. "So gallant."
"Only for a minute." Without further ado, he swept her off her feet, and she squealed.
"I hope Chrissie doesn't think she needs to come to your rescue."
He pressed a steamy kiss to Bella's ear and then set her on the robe. Grasping her knees, he moved them apart, opening her to his touch. "My garden princess. I see you missed more than just me in our home in Colorado." He kissed one shoulder and then licked the other.
She cupped his face and looked into his eyes, hers darkened amber gems. "I never ever thought my garden could bring me this much pleasure."
He gave her a wolfish grin. "You always know the right words to say, Bella honey."
"But you always know the right moves to...ah, Devlyn," Bella mouthed against his lips, his tongue probing hers, his fingers separating her womanly folds.
The fragrance of sweet flowers scented the greenhouse, but Bella was the most irresistible flower of them all. Her hands shifted downward, pressing his buttocks, pressuring him to enter her.
With a single hard thrust, he impaled her, entering her secret garden, deeper with every movement, rubbing her mound, pushing her toward the top.
She matched his enthusiasm, rocking against him, striving for deeper penetration, until he found sweet release, planting his seed inside her, his body on fire.
Nipping his shoulder, she stifled a cry, her internal muscles clamping down on him, milking him for everything he had.
Totally spent, he rolled off her and pulled her on top of him. "I like this garden room of yours very much," he said, his voice drenched in passion. He winked at her.
"I just bet you do. But I had lots of work to get caught up on and now I'm...well, awfully relaxed."
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. "The work will get done."
But it didn't.
For an hour, they slept in peaceful bliss in the garden of flowers while a storm raged around them. A bolt of lightning crashed close by, shaking Bella from her state of slumber. She frowned at Devlyn, who opened one sleepy eye and gazed at her.
"I had work to do," she groused.
His lips curved up in a wicked smile. "You sure did." After helping her up, he grabbed his jeans and pulled them on.
When she slipped her robe over her shoulders, he pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her cheek with his. "What can I do to help?"
She groaned. What she wanted him to do was take her back to bed and ravish her all over again.
His eyes lighted with fire and he grinned. "Does my little red wolf need some more---"
She pulled out of his embrace before he talked her into returning to the house. "Here," she said, handing him some gardening clippers. "Cut off the dead flowers. I'll finish watering."
After finishing the chores in the greenhouse, Bella and Devlyn made a wild dash through the rain to the house. Intending to wash their bed linens, she declined taking a shower with him for now or she'd never get the cleaning done.
"I'll fix us something to eat as soon as I'm through here," he hollered from the bathroom, the steamy spray muffling his words.
She finished stripping the bed. "All right by me." But what she really wanted was a good four more hours of sleep. She dumped the dirty sheets on the floor and remade the bed with fresh linens. By the time she had finished showering and dressing, Devlyn was in the kitchen cooking---in the raw again.
She dumped the linens in the washing machine, started it, and then wandered into the kitchen, feeling as though she could move at only half speed. Sitting down, she leaned against the dining room table.
Devlyn glanced over from his cooking, the long German sausages sizzling in the frying pan for their brunch, filling the kitchen with the scent of spicy pork. Bella leaned her elbows against the table and rested her head against the palm of her hand. She cast a tired smile in his direction. He smiled back.
Soft, pale blue sweats covered her curvy body. Already he was prepared to slip her sweats off and make love to her again. Only he'd done so three more times that morning, and the final time, when she rose from the greenhouse floor, she'd been a little stiff, like a cowgirl who'd been riding a bull too long.
Her eyes appeared blurry. She hadn't had enough sleep, nor, truthfully, had he. Once they ate, he planned on taking a nap with her, although he feared to get any sleep he'd have to move to her couch. The memory of making love on the couch filled his thoughts, her tight bottom wiggling suggestively at him, the smile playing on her lips, the feel of her soft buttocks pressing against him when he entered her. He chuckled. Well, he couldn't think of one place she'd be safe from his advances.
He poked at the sausages and then flipped them over. "Blueberries all right this morning?"
"Hmm-hmm."
"Some sourdough muffins?"
This time she didn't respond. He turned to look at her. She cradled her head on the crook of her arm. Her cinnamon curls cascaded over the table, like a silken red waterfall. She'd closed her eyes, and her face appeared totally at rest. He chuckled.
But then a knocking at the back door just about unhinged him.
He stalked to the back door and peeked out the curtained window. Chrissie smiled back at him, her brows raised.
Growling under his breath, he opened the door. Her gaze instantly focused lower, on his nakedness. He motioned for her to come in. "Be right back. I'll throw some jeans on." Even though Bella was going to wash them.
"No need to on my account," Chrissie said dreamily while he strode down the hall.
It didn't matter to him that she saw him in the raw, but if he'd stayed that way with Chrissie in the house and Bella had known, that was another story.
After he yanked on a pair of jeans, he stalked back to the kitchen. Chrissie had served up the sausages and muffins, preventing them from scorching, thankfully.
"Did you want to eat with us?" he asked, assuming there was no polite way of getting rid of the woman. On the other hand, since she'd saved their butts the previous night, they kind of owed her.
Chrissie glanced at Bella. "Looks like you might have a time waking her to eat. What did you do to tucker her out so?" A smile appeared. "Forget it. I already know the answer."
He ignored her, wishing Bella didn't have such an intrusive neighbor. Leaning over Bella, he kissed her ear. "Bella honey, do you want to eat?"
She murmured something inaudible.
"Okay." He lifted her from the chair and carried her down the hall to the bedroom. After laying her on the mattress, he hesitated. He didn't want to disturb her slumber, but since they didn't wear anything to sleep in, and he intended to join her after he ate breakfast...
The decision was already made for him. He slid her sweats off, first the pants and then her shirt. He groaned to see her sweet body. Never would he get his fill of her. Hurriedly, he pulled the comforter over her. Then he strode out of the room, shutting the door behind him before he changed his mind and joined her.
When he reached the dining room, Chrissie had already poured glasses of milk for them.
"I would have gotten you some orange juice, but you don't seem to have any."
He downed the milk. "Milk's good for growing bones."
Chrissie sighed. "And muscles. Don't forget the muscles."
"Do you often visit Bella in the morning, or did you have some news?"
"I didn't mean to barge in on the two of you, but since it was later in the morning, I figured---" Chrissie's cheeks reddened. "Well, I assumed you'd both be up and ready to face the day." She buttered her muffin and lifted it from the plate. "In truth, I wanted to tell you that Henry called me earlier and said he'd talked to the police chief. The warrants for your arrest and Bella's have been rescinded."
Somewhat relieved, Devlyn nodded. "Thanks so much for all of your help last night, Chrissie. I don't think we had the chance to express our gratitude."
Fingering her muffin, she grinned. "Do you eat Wheaties?"
He stabbed a sausage. "Meat, and lots of it."
"Ah. I'm sorry for making up a story so different from the truth. I worried that when Henry heard the real version, he would have been madder."
"Well," Devlyn said, lifting his forkful of sausage, "I'm glad it all worked out fine."
He got the distinct impression something was bothering Chrissie, but he wasn't used to having human friends or the way in which they were afraid to speak frankly. With lupus garous, if they wanted something, they normally came out and said it.
Dipping the butter knife into the blackberry jam, he coated his muffin, the smell of the wild berries tantalizing him. He envisioned Bella bending over to pick the strong, flavorful fruit in the wilderness, her denims hugging her buttocks. Licking the sweet, tangy jam off his muffin brought an image of the wild to him, creating the urge again to run through the brambles, to chase Bella through the woods on a carefree romp. The idea of finishing breakfast and joining her in bed quickly filled his thoughts.
He looked up from his muffin to see Chrissie watching him with adoration in her eyes. Or maybe a bit of lust. Inwardly, he smiled. She couldn't handle a lupus garou, no matter how badly she thought she wanted him. "Is something bothering you?"
She looked back at her plate and then up at Devlyn. "I'm worried about this Volan. Henry showed me the picture of him and said that if the man came around my place asking about Bella, he wanted me to know what he looked like. He feared the man might get violent, considering how he left Bella naked at the zoo in subfreezing temperatures. He must have wanted her dead." She watched him for his reaction.
"He's dangerous all right."
"There's something else. I thought I heard car doors slamming in the middle of the night. As sleepy as I was, it took me a few minutes for the noise to register. Then I wondered who it would be that late at night. So I threw on some clothes and looked out the living room window, but I didn't see a soul, only a jeep parked in front of my house. I watched for quite a while and then, figuring whoever it was wouldn't be returning any time soon, I walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water. But I thought it odd that the vehicle was parked in front of my house. When I returned to the living room window and peeked out, the jeep had disappeared."
Devlyn took a deep breath. "Maybe it was someone at the wrong house."
"I instantly thought of Volan and called Henry, but I couldn't get hold of him. I was going to come over here to check on you, but the house remained dark and, well, then the jeep vanished."
"We must have been sleeping like tired, old dogs."
Chrissie grinned.
He got the impression she didn't think they were all that tired, or old, or that they had been sleeping. Although about now he sure could use a nap. He grabbed his plate and pointed to her half-eaten breakfast. "Done?"
"Sure." She jumped up from her chair.
He carried the plates into the kitchen. "We watched movies until way too late last night. I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to join Bella for a nap."
"Oh...oh, sure." Chrissie headed for the back door. "If you two need anything from me, be sure and holler."
The door shut on her hasty exodus, and he returned to the bedroom only to find Bella gone. For an instant, the image of the reds ferreting Bella away flashed through his mind. He tore into the bathroom, hoping she was taking a shower, although he didn't hear the sound of the shower spray or smell any dampness in the air.
As he suspected, she wasn't there.
He stormed out of her bedroom, down the hall, and into her office.
Sitting in her chair with her chin propped in her hands and wearing her sweats once again, she stared at the monitor. Bright colors zigzagged across the screen, darting hither and thither against the stark blackness.
"Bella?"
She gave a start. "Oh, Devlyn."
He crossed the floor and knelt at her side. "Bella, what's wrong, honey?"
"I woke and didn't find you with me. Then I heard Chrissie talking to you in the kitchen, but I was too tired to speak to her. I couldn't sleep, and I wondered if I had any new messages to clue us in about the killer."
He touched her cheek and then looked at the screensaver.
Sighing deeply, she nestled her cheek against his hand. "I guess I forgot what I was doing."
"What you are doing is taking a well-deserved nap, now, with me. We'll look at the messages later. We're both too exhausted to make any sense of anything."
She raised her arms to him. "Help me up."
"I'll do even better than that." He lifted her in his arms, and she nestled her head against his chest.
"I see you put on some jeans."
"I didn't think you'd approve of Chrissie seeing me without."
She gave a low growl. "You're right. I can be awfully possessive."
"All right by me." He carried her down the hall to the bedroom and deposited her in the bed. "You shouldn't have gotten dressed."
She touched his zipper and instantly his arousal strained against the denim. No wolf could ever get him worked up as fast as Bella.
Knocking at the back door interrupted them and sent a ripple of anger shooting down his spine. "Now what?" Devlyn growled.
"If it's Chrissie, I'll take care of it." Bella sounded grumpy and climbed off the bed.
Knocking sounded again, louder this time.
"Maybe we should ignore her. I told her I was taking a nap with you."
Bella's lips turned up. "What did she say to that?"
"I think she didn't believe we were going to nap."
"Not with her pounding on the door every few minutes." Bella swept her hair out of her face, and he wanted to kiss her pursed lips.
"I'll take care of it." Devlyn stormed out of the bedroom, figuring an annoyed male might persuade the woman to vamoose more easily than his mate would. Before he could make it to the back door, Bella's feet tromped on the carpet behind him at a hurried pace to keep up.
When he turned to look at her, she smiled. "Didn't want you to be too brusque."
"Not me." But he had the feeling that, if Bella weren't so tired, her neighbor might see the darker side of Bella's persona. Yanking open the door, he tried to quell the ire building in his own blood.
Chrissie gave a nervous smile. "Uh, I'm sorry, folks, to disturb you again." Twisting a piece of her dark hair between her fingers, she looked quickly from him to Bella---who stood slightly to the left of his shoulder---and back to him again.
Wary that something was seriously the matter, he motioned to the living room instead of sending the woman packing. She glanced at Bella, as if asking if she approved. Smiling wearily, Bella nodded.
Devlyn linked his fingers with Bella's and followed Chrissie into the sitting area.
"I'm sorry, Bella, Devlyn, but something's been bothering me." Chrissie took her seat on the couch.
Devlyn and Bella sat on the loveseat opposite her. Immediately, Bella rested her head against Devlyn's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed.
"Henry told me not to say anything to you, but I think he mentioned it to me, hoping I would tell you. He really admires the way the two of you seem so much in love. He knows that Devlyn is only trying to protect you, Bella. But, well, something about your story didn't add up."
Bella kept her head on Devlyn's shoulder, but her whole body tensed.
"What did he say, Chrissie?" Devlyn prompted, wondering if he would have to take Bella back to Colorado earlier than planned and forgo solving the red lupus garou killer mystery. Bella's safety was tantamount, above all else.
"Can I have a glass of water?" Before anyone could respond, Chrissie hopped up from the couch and headed into the kitchen. "Sorry," she hollered. "I'm a little nervous."
Bella shook her head.
Devlyn kissed her forehead and gave her another squeeze of reassurance.
"Yeah, like that," Chrissie said, pointing with her index finger wrapped around a glass of water. "He saw how caring you are toward one another. Refreshing to see."
"What didn't add up, Chrissie?" Devlyn asked, trying to curb his irritation.
She sat back down on the couch. "It was the zoo scene. Volan has never been sighted anywhere. At the hospital, the zoo, nowhere."
"At the dance club," Devlyn reminded her.
"Yes, yes, of course. But that's the first time."
Devlyn attempted to look unruffled by the revelation. "Henry said he remembered Volan struck him."
"That's the problem. You and Volan are similar in build and have similar coloration."
"No," Bella said. "Devlyn's hair is brown and Volan's hair is black."
"Devlyn's hair is dark brown, and inside it looks nearly black." Chrissie sipped some of her water. Her gaze shifted from Devlyn back to Bella. "The thing is, Devlyn is the one who's always in the picture, not Volan. Then there's you, Bella. But he's trying to protect you. Henry understands that. He said he's sure you told the truth about Volan as far as being afraid of him and what he'd do to you. But it's the other part of the story that doesn't fit."
"What doesn't add up?" Devlyn asked again.
"Why didn't Volan grab Bella at the hospital? If he'd already knocked out Henry and the cops, how come he didn't get Bella? Where was he? The receptionist said she never saw the man. The police said they'd been knocked out from behind and had never seen who hit them.
"Henry believes it was you, Devlyn, fearing for Bella's safety; you couldn't explain the situation to the police adequately, so you knocked them out and stole her away."
She paused, waiting for confirmation of what she said, but when they remained silent, she continued. "The real problem is the zoo. If Volan didn't release the wolf and leave Bella in the pen naked, who did? Henry knows you wouldn't have, Devlyn. You would never risk Bella's life like that. The only conclusion he can come up with is that you're protecting someone else. Maybe this Argos, your adoptive father? Maybe he's a bit crazy and he---"
"No," Bella said.
Devlyn rubbed her hand. "Why is Henry so sure Volan wasn't at the zoo earlier? What proof does he have?"
Chrissie swallowed hard. "The police arrested Volan early this morning."
Bella sat upright, her heartbeat racing.
Chrissie studied her. "He had airline tickets."
Devlyn took a steadying breath.
"The airline verified that Volan's flight was delayed in Denver, so he couldn't have made it to Portland in time to free Rosa, the red wolf, or to leave Bella there. He was still stuck in Denver when someone rescued Bella from the hospital. Henry wondered if perhaps Volan had an accomplice. He figures if Volan flew to Portland and then showed up at the dance club, he really had come after Bella."
"Is Volan still in jail?" Bella asked, her voice hollow. Already her cheeks had grown as pale as the fresh fallen snow of the Great Rockies.
Chrissie shook her head. "Once he could prove he had nothing to do with the zoo or hospital incident, the police couldn't hold him any longer." She sat forward on the couch. "Listen, I've known you for a long time, and I've never seen you so scared. I know what you say about this Volan guy is true. Henry believes it, too. But nobody can help you if you don't go to the police and make a statement about what he's done to you."
Devlyn grunted. What had happened to Bella had occurred way before Chrissie's grandfather was even born.
"Oh, and Henry knows Volan's connected to the zoo somehow, because he'd tried to get Rosa transferred to the Denver zoo. That's why Henry mentioned that maybe you knew of an accomplice Volan might have had working for him."
Devlyn couldn't think of what to say. Bella's hand turned ice-cold, and he rubbed it, trying to warm it.
"No one gave Volan any indication where Bella lived, did they?" he fairly growled.
"Henry wouldn't tell the police her address. He feared someone might leak it to the press, to Volan, or to his accomplice, because he must have one. Unless..." Again she swallowed hard. "Unless, the two of you freed Rosa and..." She shook her head. "But you wouldn't have left Bella to freeze to death in the pen. So what really happened?"
BELLA GRIPPED DEVLYN'S HAND AS IF AN OCEAN current tugged her out to sea and she would drown if she let go. Her mother had always warned her to stay away from humans. They'd never accept the lupus garou's ways. Now, so many years after her mother's untimely death, those words haunted her.
Bella could never explain the truth to Chrissie. Yet she'd cherished her friendship with her...until now. But protecting her mate and the lupus garous took priority.
Immediately, she wanted to return home, to the grays that had taken her in, to a life where she could run with the pack and share the bonds that made them alike as well as the differences that made them unique. She wearied of hiding who she was, wanting nothing more than to be Bella, lupus garou, free to run on the wild side on moon-filled nights and enjoy the gifts being human meant, too.
On the other hand, the notion that Volan was confirmed to be perfectly alive, searching for her, and that he would kill Devlyn filled her with dread. Hell, after she shot him, he probably wanted to kill her, too.
Chrissie wrung her hands while the silence stretched between them. Devlyn waited for Bella to answer Chrissie's question as to what had really happened at the zoo that night when Rosa escaped and Bella was left to freeze to death in the pen.
Weaving a new story, like a black widow spider ties the silken strands together into a web full of holes and deceit...how could she spin another lie like that?
"I don't know what to say." Sometimes the truth was better off said.
"Henry told me you're hiding the truth. That you're afraid of more than just Volan. I've been your friend for a long time and I want to help. So does Henry." Chrissie looked at Devlyn and then faced Bella again. She rose from the couch. "But Henry and I can't help if you're not totally honest with us."
Henry and Chrissie couldn't help even if they were totally honest with them. Despite liking the two of them so much, Henry and Chrissie couldn't refrain from being terrified if they knew of the real existence of lupus garou. No, Bella and her Rosa, one and the same, would have to remain a mystery to Henry, Chrissie, and any other curious human. Although Bella contemplated telling Chrissie that she feared the killer of redheaded women was after her, to give Henry and his police friends another reason why she was so concerned, she worried their interference could delay Bella and Devlyn's locating the murderer and ending his terror.
Chrissie sighed. "All right, if you change your mind, I'll be next door as usual. Um, do you think I could borrow some flowers from your greenhouse to make an arrangement? Henry really loved the way your house is filled with plants---like an extension of nature's beauty. He's genuinely into that sort of thing."
"Take whatever you'd like. And thanks for all of your help, Chrissie. We're just really tired, and neither of us can think straight," Bella said.
"Yeah, all those late-night movies," Chrissie said, winking.
Bella looked at Devlyn. He smiled back at her.
"See ya." Chrissie headed out the back door.
Devlyn pulled Bella from the couch. "Now, we get some sleep. But now I'm worried things are getting too hot around here for us."
"We have to catch the killer." Bella had no intention of leaving the Portland area until they did. Yet Devlyn had made no mention of her going to California with his cousin again, and she wondered---although she wasn't about to bring it up---why he had let the matter drop.
Devlyn walked with Bella to the hall and then made a detour to the front window. He peeked out and then turned and faced her.
Her heartbeat quickened when she saw the concerned look on his face. "Company?" she asked.
"Yeah. Seems we have some guard dogs on our tail."
"The police?"
"Plainclothes stakeout. Maybe Henry's worried that Volan's accomplice will show up unexpectedly. Or Volan himself."
She swallowed hard at the thought that Volan truly lived and could arrive any time on her front doorstep and that the final scene would play out between Devlyn and him...
Devlyn crossed the floor to join her. Taking his hand, she enjoyed the strength, warmth, and size of it, knowing he'd always be there to protect her if he could. They walked toward the bedroom, their steps betraying the tiredness they both felt.
Bella yawned. "Henry must have assumed that the jeep pulled up in front of Chrissie's house in the middle of the night meant trouble."
"Yeah. He probably wishes he'd had someone watching us before this."
They stripped out of their clothes, intent on getting sleep. Both considered the other's body with interest. The knowing look they shared turned into grins.
Devlyn drew her into his arms. "Sleep. Then I'll have something ready for you." He rubbed his cheek against hers.
His touch triggered interest, yet she yawned again. Both chuckled. "Can't wait to see what gifts you want to bestow on me."
She wished, as they climbed into bed and snuggled together, that nothing else mattered. That the red who killed the women had already been caught and put out of his misery, and Volan, too. That they were again home with the pack and Devlyn now served as the leader. But none of those wishes would come true without a fight, and the fear that the one left standing might not be the right one sent a shiver down her spine.
Later that evening, Bella woke to find Devlyn gone. Lightning flashed across the darkened sky and distant thunder grumbled. A steady rain beat against the bedroom window at a slant, a perfect setting for snuggling longer under her down comforter. Listening for sounds of Devlyn in the shower, she touched her wet hair and remembered showering with him already. The memory of his large hands massaging her breasts, slippery with peach soap, heated her body. She tilted her nose up and smelled for any signs he was cooking dinner, although she vaguely remembered licking whipped cream and blueberries off his chest sometime earlier. Worried she might grow weak from lack of food, he'd enticed her to eat a bite. Heaven knows how her snack had ended up on his chest.
Domestic life with Devlyn was anything but domestic.
The email butler announced a new message. The office.
Slipping out of bed, she peered into the oval mirror hanging above her dresser. Her hair rested about her shoulders in a fiery-red, tangled mess. Well-loved...that's the way she appeared. The image sparked a secret little thrill. Her left cheek wore a faint redness...the result of his nuzzling her with his scratchy stubble of a beard at sometime or another in their bedtime romps.
A telltale hickey graced her right breast. She quirked a brow, trying to recall when he'd done that.
Without dressing, she wandered into her office. Devlyn sat at the desk, staring at her computer, intensely reading the messages.
Running her hand over his naked back, she felt his muscles instantly tighten. He turned and pulled her into his lap. "Bella honey."
"Find anything?"
He slipped his fingers between her legs. "Hmm-hmm, nice and wet, too."
She chuckled. "I mean about the reds, or the killer or something. You sure have a one-track mind." She was damned thankful she'd deleted Volan's message to her earlier.
"You distract me something fierce. But no. And I don't think we will either until---"
"The moon appears." She'd hoped everything would be resolved in the next few days before that happened.
But the way of the wolf would dictate the final draw. Everyone waited for the day to arrive, or the night, rather, when the moon began its sliver of an appearance. The waxing crescent that would grow until the moon swelled into a full sphere...the phase that would send lupus garous running through the wild in their wolf pelts, anxious to feel the wind at their backs and the feral freedom their wolf forms presented them. The reds would make their final move.
Then...Volan would seek Devlyn out to make his kill. She shivered and ran her hand over Devlyn's. He stroked her nub, and she arched her back when he worked her hormones into a delicious frenzy.
Yet the notion still plagued her: three more days and their fate would be sealed.
The next afternoon, Bella heard kids' laughter and looked out the front window. Like a lumbering grizzly, Thompson chased after Chrissie's kids on the front lawn as her son, Jimmie, tossed a beach ball to her daughter. Mary missed the ball and Thompson feigned running for it. All squeals, Mary dashed after the rolling ball and grabbed it just before Thompson reached it.
Chrissie stood watching them, her face beaming.
Bella took a deep breath, and Devlyn moved silently in behind her and then wrapped his arms around her. "What's all the racket about?"
"Looks like Thompson's as good with kids as he is with animals."
Devlyn shook his head.
Bella turned and nipped Devlyn's chin. "I've been thinking."
"I can tell this is going to get us into some tight places."
"Yeah, well, you know me."
He ran his hand up her sweatshirt and cupped a breast, quickly moving to the nipple and sending a spinetingling jolt straight through her.
"Yeah, I know you. What's brewing in that one-track mind of yours?"
She gave him a small smile and pressed her mouth against his in a lingering kiss. He responded, wrapping his arms around her in a tight squeeze, and she felt his arousal beckoning to her. He nudged her back toward the bedroom.
"I've been thinking," she began again. "If the murdering red was so fond of the girl he killed, why would he have found others and killed them, too? Then Nicol's reaction to seeing the necklace bothers me also. He really looked sick when he saw it."
"And?"
"I want to search his place. Find out if there's any sign of a girl murdered there. Maybe we're dealing with two killers, not one. Or maybe he knew the girl intimately before the killer murdered her. Maybe she was at his place before she was killed. I just want to discover how connected he is to what's happened."
"You want the truth before I take Nicol down."
She took a deep breath and raked her fingers through Devlyn's hair. "Yeah. I want to know that, if there was more than one killer wolf, we'll find them both and get rid of the threat. What if we left the area after we eliminated one murderer, only to discover the killings continue?"
"Against my better judgment, I agree. Would you stay home on this one?"
She gave him a get-real look.
He shook his head and pulled her back to the bedroom. "Didn't think so. Why did I even ask?"
"Because you always want the best for me. But what if you left me alone and someone came for me, despite your thinking that they'll honor the agreement?"
"That's the only reason why I'm allowing you to come with me."
She hit him in the shoulder. "You are sooo controlling."
"Yeah, and you love me for it." He swept her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom.
Pleasure before business.
An hour later, Devlyn watched over Bella's shoulder while she hacked her way into the police headquarters files.
"Do this often?" he asked, not believing how devious his little red wolf could be.
"When I need to."
She printed out a page and pointed to the printer where five more pages rested in the tray. "Okay, we've got all three of the reds' addresses, the time of the killings, and the locations where the police found the bodies. Can you think of anything else we might need?"
"We already have a police escort."
She groaned. "They've been parked across the street for so long I almost forgot they were there." But then she smiled, the look pure evil. "I've never attempted anything like this, but it's worth a try." She accessed the police station's computers again and sent a message to the sergeant in charge of the surveillance teams watching her house.
Pull the surveillance watch on Bella Wilder's house. We'll reinstate it if we have further evidence that it's needed.
She sent the message off and looked up at Devlyn, her brows raised.
"But will it work?"
"Maybe. For a while possibly. Won't know for sometime, probably. Want to get something to eat before we go investigating the reds?"
"Why couldn't you have gotten rid of the search warrants on us in the same way earlier?"
"Ha! This might not even work. We'll just have to wait and see."
In the meantime, Bella hastily made tuna fish sandwiches while Devlyn kept an eye on the SUV parked across the street.
The vehicle wasn't moving.
Bella joined him at the window, plates of sandwiches in hand. "Didn't work yet?"
"Nope."
"We have another problem, too."
He took his plate and nodded. "Thompson."
"But, maybe, Chrissie and the kids will keep him preoccupied." She motioned to the window. "They've all gone inside the house."
"Let's hope so." Devlyn began working on his second sandwich when the police SUV's engine started and the vehicle began rolling down the street away from Bella's house.
"Let's go," he said, already halfway to the kitchen.
Bella hastily ate her sandwich and raced after him. "Wait! Got to get the papers with all the addresses on them."
Devlyn shoved the empty plate onto the kitchen counter and hurried out to the car. He punched the garage door opener, jumped into the SUV, and started the engine. Bella dashed into the garage, her expression harried.
Wishing he could have sent her home to his cousin, he took a deep breath. The situation could get really hairy if they ran into any of the reds while they searched their homes.
Bella considered the Oregon map as Devlyn drove out of her residential area. "Head for Beaverton, west of Portland. That's where Ross lives. Nicol's place is farther out, and Alfred's ranch home is south of Portland." She rifled through the papers and pulled out the one that listed their occupations. "According to a website that Nicol advertises on, he's a professional game hunter and takes people on tours, but you found that out already when you spoke with him earlier."
"Yeah, but not where he actually hunts."
"Well, here's the listing. He's a fourth-generation big hunter game guide---"
Devlyn snorted. "As in he's all four generations."
"Bet you're right. He charges fifteen hundred to thirty-five hundred dollars for hunts in northern Idaho for mountain lions, black bear, antlered deer, and elk."
"Not too far away then."
"Nope. But then he also schedules two trips a year to South Africa for antelope, buffalo, and kudu, for a price ranging from five thousand to ten thousand. And here's his schedule. He's on a hunt in Idaho for three days." She looked over at Devlyn. "He'll be home when the first of the moon appears."
"In time for the fight."
Suppressing a shiver, she ran her finger down the page to a listing for Alfred. "Okay, so Alfred owns a cattle ranch. Probably eats the cows on occasion when the moon's out."
"Wouldn't be surprised. So what does Ross do for a living?"
"Owns a meat packing plant. Probably where Alfred sends his cows after fattening them up. He's located in Woodburn, a few miles south of Portland."
"Woodburn."
"Yeah. According to the history of the place, men were burning the brush, clearing the area to lay railroad tracks when the fire got out of hand. They have a big tulip festival, and I've collected bulbs for my garden from there."
He offered a sexy smile. "Never took much notice of flowers before, but I sure do like that greenhouse of yours. In fact, I wouldn't mind working out with you there on a regular basis."
Bella rolled her eyes. "My plants would all die from lack of care."
He laughed. "So where does Alfred live?"
She held up two fingers. "Two places. One's in Portland, probably to keep closer ties to his pack in the surrounding area, and a place south of that---well, he had a place at Cottage Grove near the Row River where he initially had his cattle ranch. The river was named Row for the quarrel two men had over sheep-and cattle-grazing rights. Knowing the way Alfred is and his great-grandfather's legend, I wouldn't be surprised to learn he was the man who killed the other rancher. But he's moved his ranch closer to Portland, near the Willamette River by Salem. That's an hour south."
Devlyn shook his head. "So, Ross is probably at the meat packing plant, running things. And who knows where Alfred is."
"Turn down that street there," Bella advised, pointing right. "Cross four more street intersections; the second house on the left is Nicol's."
When they reached the red brick home, Bella said, "Problem is, after we've checked out Nicol's place and taken the drive to Ross's, it might be close to closing time at the meat packing plant. If he's even at work at all today because of his injured arm. Heck, Nicol might not have even gone on his hunting expedition."
Devlyn parked the SUV in Nicol's driveway and considered the house. "No lights on, unless he's sleeping. Wonder if any of the rest of the pack live in the vicinity. Next-door neighbors, even."
He climbed out of the SUV and Bella joined him. "Gray-haired lady peeking through her blinds across the street is watching every move we make," she said.
At a leisurely pace, Devlyn checked the mailbox and pulled out a flyer. Then he headed straight for the front door as if he were a regular visitor. "No sounds inside the house. Won't take long for us to check out the place, sense any signs of blood, see if either the murdering red or the girl were here before. We'll be gone long before anyone can get here."
"Unless someone calls the police."
Devlyn picked up the newspaper lying on the front step, shoved it under his arm, and brought out his lock picks. Within seconds, he had the door open and they were in.
Both listened for any sounds that would indicate that Nicol or anyone else was in the house, but they heard nothing. The place was silent, vacant, unless Nicol was cowering somewhere or sleeping.
"The neighbors will see us drop off his paper and mail for him, stay a few minutes, and then leave without taking anything, and figure we have to be friends of his."
"Is that how you and your cousins got away with snooping through people's homes when you were younger?"
"Works like a charm. It's the sneaky ones that get caught. And, thankfully, it's cold enough here that no one will be suspicious of us for wearing gloves either. Although it won't matter at the reds' places. They'll smell that we've been there, and catching a trace of your scent will drive them crazy to know you were there and all they can enjoy of you is the delicious fragrance you left behind." He lifted his chin and took a deep breath. "Smells like Nicol and the strong odor of dead animals."
Bella pointed at the stag heads mounted over the mantle as she made her way across the jungle of a living room. The couch covered in zebra and the chairs in leopard skins caught her eye, and she wondered if Nicol killed one of the women and took a trophy from her, too. When she walked into the cluttered kitchen, she found dirty dishes stacked in the sink, and the kitchen counter was buried in papers and half-eaten sandwiches, dried out and spotted with spreading black mold.
"A woman's been here," Devlyn called out from down the hall. "Well, make that a few."
But was one of them the murdered woman?
Bella peeked into the fridge. Half-soured milk and green fuzzy cheese. She wrinkled her nose and shut the door. Ransacking the drawers, she found nothing.
"Computer back here. You want to hack into his email?" Devlyn shouted.
Bella bolted for the sound of his voice and found him hunched over the keyboard, Windows starting up on the screen. He moved out of the chair to let her sit down.
"AOL. He's got it set up where he can just log in automatically." She clicked enter and the page took forever to upload. "Direct dial-up." She studied the email message subjects and chose one that said, "Looking forward to Sunday!" dated three weeks earlier. Here's a newer picture of me, and, yes, Nicol, my hair is really red! Not a Clairol-bottle red! I've told all my friends how we've met on the dating service. They're going to try it next, too. Got any brothers?
"Omigod, Devlyn, he was looking for redheads on an online dating service. Look." As if Devlyn already wasn't. His heated breath caressed her neck while he looked over her shoulder.
Bella's breathing slowed as she clicked on the attachment. After several excruciatingly slow seconds, the picture appeared. "It's her," Bella said. "I recognize it from the police photos in the papers---the murdered girl, Linn McGowan."
She hurriedly looked through several more emails, finding pictures of four more redheads from the online dating service.
"Where's Linn's residence?" Devlyn asked, his voice hard.
Bella pulled the papers out of her jacket pocket and fumbled through them. "South side of Portland."
"What about the other redheads he'd contacted?"
"The other girls listed in this dating service live in other parts of Oregon. They're not among those found dead here in Portland. He may never have met them once he found Linn."
"Or if he did and they met bad ends, he might have killed them in other locations of the state, and the police may not have connected them with the killings here."
Bella's stomach clenched while she sifted through the emails and then she shut the computer down. "What about his bedroom? Find anything there?"
"He's been with a few women in there. I thought he might not have brought the woman who was murdered here. But maybe so. We'll have to check out her place to pick up her scent and compare."
Bella headed into the bedroom and took a deep breath. "Lusty little red wolf. Ready to go to Linn's place?"
Devlyn pulled out a date book from his pocket and flipped it open.
"Nicol's?"
"Yep. Found it on his desk. When was the girl murdered?"
"A week before the mystery red's murder."
"This just about confirms it then. 'Date with Linn, noon.'"
"What if he met her somewhere else?" Bella asked, as Devlyn guided her out of the house, pretending to lock the door, and then escorted her to the car.
"In his little black book, he had listed several dates with her beforehand. The last one is the day she was found murdered. I'd bet either he brought her here at least once, or he went to her place sometime during their courtship before her death."
"The neighbor's still watching us. She undoubtedly took down our license plate number."
"No problem. We've acted above suspicion. Why would anyone break into a house and then not haul off computer equipment and a bunch of other valuable items?"
"You're right." Bella snapped her seatbelt in place. "Do you want to chance going to Woodburn to check out Ross's place? We should make it before his business closes for the evening."
"Yeah. Then we can check out the murdered girls' places."
"And Alfred?"
"We'll have to leave him until tomorrow, unless we want to try checking his place out while he's there."
"We might have a police surveillance car back at our place before we return home," Bella cautioned.
"Okay, Bella honey. We'll make it an all-night sleuthing venture. The hunt is on."
The sky was dark, with massive clouds threatening to rain, and the air was heavy with cold moisture. Devlyn hoped the impending storm would hold off until they were through. He sure preferred his drier Colorado weather to this.
The search for Ross's place took longer than expected because, even though his address was Woodburn, he lived a couple of miles out on a gravel road. Because of the thick trees and winding road, they couldn't see the houses hidden back off the lane until they were right on top of the drives leading to them.
When Devlyn finally spied the redwood house tucked back in the forest, he pulled off the main road and parked a few hundred yards from the place. Lights were on inside, and two vehicles were parked out front.
"Still want to check it out?" Devlyn asked, glancing at Bella.
She rubbed her arms. "No. Let's go to where the women were murdered. Maybe we'll pick up Ross's scent at one of their places. Then we can check out Alfred's house in town."
Devlyn pulled back onto the main road and returned to Portland, where Bella directed him to Linn's apartment. The rain was spitting by the time they reached the apartment's door, and Devlyn mused that folks in Oregon couldn't ever tan---they just rusted.
Devlyn picked the lock, but before they opened the door, a woman wearing pink foam curlers in her white hair, a pinstriped housecoat, and purple sneakers peeked out her door. She gave Bella a sad kind of smile. "Hi. You must be Linn's sister. The poor thing. When I was laid up with a broken leg several months ago, she brought me canned chicken soup---she didn't cook, you know. I told the police there were half a dozen guys or more seeing her. She told me it was some online dating service."
The woman shook her head, making the curlers jiggle. "Darn foolishness and dangerous, I thought. Meet them at church, I told her. But she wouldn't go to church. Do you go to services? See, if she'd been in Bible studies and listened to a sermon about the Lord and not seeing whoever murdered her that Sunday, she'd have been fine, I figure. I was away at a social gathering after services so didn't get home until that evening. But by then it was too late. She sure wasn't lonely. Do you need anything?"
"No, thank you," Bella said in a small voice.
Devlyn rubbed her arm and the neighbor smiled. "You two must be newlyweds. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Bella said.
Devlyn pushed the door open. "It was nice meeting you." He didn't have time for niceties. Then he closed the door after them.
Taking a deep breath, Devlyn pulled Bella into his embrace. "Are you okay?"
"I...I didn't expect a nosey neighbor."
But he knew Bella's upset was due to more than that. The more they learned about the dead girls and the reds, the more personal the situation got.
"The old woman's lonely. Probably doesn't have anything much to keep her occupied. But I bet you anything that, if it was Ross's doing, he planned the Sunday killing because the next-door neighbor wasn't going to be home."
Bella agreed and turned on Linn's computer. Before long, Bella was hacking into her email. "The only emails linking her to the dating service were sent to nine other men. Nothing that she emailed to Ross."
"He deleted them to cover his trail," Devlyn concluded. He took a deep breath. "His scent is in here, and the smell of antiseptic and blood. He cleaned the place thoroughly, but he didn't expect lupus garous to be checking for his scent."
They combed through the rest of the place and found nothing but the smell of Linn's blood and perfume in the bedroom.
"He never took her to his place," Bella said.
"Too wily. He left the other guys' emails to her so the police would consider them all suspects. I imagine that, when he learned she was seeing other guys and not just him, he was pretty pissed off."
A knock on the front door nearly gave Bella a heart attack and she let out a squeak. Devlyn gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and then answered the door while Bella turned off the computer.
The old woman next door gave Bella a kindly smile. "Linn felt so badly that my favorite gold necklace had broken, she gave me hers to keep. Said she didn't really ever wear it. But, since you're her sister, I'd like for you to have it."
Bella began to object, but Devlyn took the necklace. "Thank you. She'll treasure it."
As soon as Devlyn and Bella climbed back into the SUV, she let out her breath. "Why did you take it?"
The old lady waved at them as Devlyn backed out of the driveway and Bella waved back at her.
"Do you see how similar it is to the other one we found in the woods? I have a hunch that's why Nicol was concerned when you showed him the other. Maybe he even gave it to Linn, but when he went to remove it, he couldn't find it because she'd given it to her next-door neighbor."
"Hmm, sounds like Linn didn't have any sentimental attachment to it, maybe not to Nicol either. Wish we could have found a diary of hers or something."
"If she'd had one and it had any reference to him, he would have destroyed it."
Devlyn smelled the necklace and nodded. "His scent is on it."
"So he was the last one to see Linn alive."
"I'd say that was a safe bet. What about the location of the other two murdered women?"
Bella searched through the papers. "Omigod, I didn't see this before, but one lived only a couple of doors down from Alfred's townhome." She looked over at Devlyn. "He couldn't have killed a woman, too."
"Let's find out."
Bella was sure Nicol had murdered one of the girls because of the way he seemed so upset over the necklace. But Alfred had wanted the patch of red wolf fur she'd found in the murdered girls' apartment when she and Devlyn were on the run. Did he think Bella had found it in the apartment of a girl he might have been seeing?
"No houses," Devlyn said, driving through the development. "Condos, duplexes, townhouses. I can't imagine he'd want a place so compact, no yard, front or back."
"He has a big ranch. He probably doesn't stay here that often. Maybe just for pack business."
"Or picking up women."
Bella glanced at him. "Yeah, way out on the ranch, all he'd have was a bunch of cows."
They drove slowly past Alfred's place, where six vehicles were parked.
"The girl's place is two houses down. There---in that duplex. Looks like no one's home next door."
Seeing a police lockbox securing the front door, Devlyn pulled around the back under the metal carport. A lockbox secured the back door, too, but at least Bella and Devlyn were hidden from prying eyes.
For several seconds, Devlyn tried to unlock the box using his tool kit. Bella's skin prickled with uneasiness. Eyeing a side window, she moved closer to check it out. When she pushed against the windowpane, trying to move it up, it didn't budge. Glancing over at Devlyn, she saw him watching her, waiting to see if she was successful. She gave him a lopsided half-smile and pointed to the lockbox. "Can't get it open?"
"Take me a few seconds more." He went back to work.
Looking up, she found another window directly above the locked one. Devlyn was struggling away with the lock, getting a little more aggressive, but not making any headway. Bella surveyed the area but couldn't find anything that would help her reach the upper-floor window except for a plastic trashcan on wheels.
"Devlyn, do you want to see if you can hoist me up and I'll check the window---see if it's unlocked?"
He grunted. "It'll only take me a few more seconds to unlock this."
"Fine, have it your way." She grabbed the garbage can and rolled it underneath the window.
He stopped what he was doing and gave her a disgruntled look. "Here, you'll end up breaking your neck," Devlyn warned, shoving his lock pick set into his jacket pocket.
He lifted Bella onto his shoulders, and, as if she'd been on an exhibition cheerleading squad for years, she nimbly balanced herself on his shoulderblades. When she shoved at the window, it didn't budge.
Devlyn snorted.
"Just hold still and I'll try again. It might just be a little stuck."
Bella pushed again and thought she felt a tiny give. "It's unlocked. I see the latch is turned. But it's a bit cemented in place."
"Maybe we should switch places, and I'll open the window."
"Very funn---oh, oh, here it goes."
The window suddenly gave, sliding up, and Bella lost her balance, her feet slipping off Devlyn's shoulders. In a desperate attempt to avoid falling, she grabbed the windowsill and hung on, her gloved hands smarting where the metal window grooves dug into them.
Devlyn grabbed her feet and then lifted her until she could pull herself through the opening. As soon as she clambered into the bedroom, she knocked over a bunch of makeup jars and a mess of other items on the dresser, sending them crashing to the wooden floor.
"Are you all right?" Devlyn called out.
Bella got to her feet and peered out the window at a worried-looking Devlyn. "A cat burglar I am not. I'll open the window down below. Be just a second."
She glanced at the sheets and floral comforter torn in shreds, half dragging on the floor. Not good. And she could smell the blood in the room, too. But not just what must have been the girl's blood. She smelled a hint of Ross's blood, remembering the scent after she had sliced him with her knife in the living room. She shivered to think she'd danced with two murdering reds and hadn't had a clue.
Stumbling through the living room where the couch and overstuffed chairs were ripped to pieces, stuffing scattered everywhere, she finally managed to make it to the kitchen. The room looked as if an earthquake had hit here, too. Or a wild animal had torn up the place.
Her boots crunched through broken dishes and shattered spice jars, the smell of cinnamon and paprika mixing in a nauseating medley. Reaching the kitchen window, she unlocked it and yanked up the glass. "I smelled Ross's blood upstairs. She must have drawn blood when he tried to murder her. The smell of her blood is scattered throughout the duplex, too."
Devlyn stood inside the kitchen, surveying the damage. "He tried to make it appear like a burglary."
"How can you tell?"
"Computer hard drive's missing, but keyboard's still at the desk. Monitor's gone. No printer, but there's the cord." Devlyn pulled open several kitchen drawers. "Silverware's gone, but the spatulas, serving forks, and knives are all here."
She followed Devlyn into the living room.
"No television, no stereo. And I bet upstairs you won't find any jewelry," he said and sniffed the air.
Bella's gaze shifted to the Disney prints on the living room walls, all knocked askew. The brightly colored pictures complemented her floral seating arrangement, bright and cheerful---at one time. A collection of family photos hung on another wall, featuring the red-haired girl herself surrounded by what looked like her mother and father and a younger brother and sister, all with gleeful blue eyes and wide smiles. The Cinderella Castle spires rose in a lighted backdrop behind them.
Bella clenched her hands into fists. The reds who had murdered these girls were no more than savage killers. Now, she had no regrets if any of them should die at Devlyn's hand. But her concern that he'd be overwhelmed by the three of them worried her more than anything.
When they reached the stairs, Devlyn motioned to the carpet. "Blood trails all of the way up. Scratches on the handrail indicate that she was still struggling to get away from him."
"Was he enjoying the torture?" Bella asked, sickened at the way Ross's twisted mind worked.
"More like a rabid wolf, no control."
"But the police must have been baffled. She was killed in the same manner as the others. The police reports said canine saliva was found in her bite wounds. Why would Ross have tried to cover his tracks with a faked burglary?"
"Maybe he didn't fake it. Maybe he really did burglarize the place."
Bella considered the possibility and agreed. "That could be. I wonder if he was looking for something that connected him with her, too. Did he date her first, like Nicol had Linn? Or had he just stalked her and then attempted the change?"
"Not sure. Either could be a viable possibility."
Devlyn shut the bedroom window and then led Bella back downstairs.
"Where to now, Bella? The last murdered girl's place, or do we check out Ross's house again?"
"What about his meat packing plant? It should be closed for the night." She climbed out the kitchen window; Devlyn followed and then shut it.
A clap of thunder let loose another bout of rain, but thankfully the carport kept them from getting wet.
"Let's find the other woman's apartment first and check it out."
"Boy, I really thought that, since this one lived so close to Alfred, he targeted her, not Ross," Bella said.
"He probably saw her outside of her duplex sometime when he was visiting Alfred."
"Do you think Alfred killed the other girl then?" Bella climbed into the SUV.
"If so, the red pack's doomed unless we can take care of the bad seeds."
They drove around the front of the townhouse and pulled to a stop at the street. A police cruiser drove on by slowly, the officer glancing in their direction. Bella's heart nearly gave out.
"We could be the resident next door," Devlyn said, trying to reassure her.
"Right." But she didn't feel at all reassured. That's all they needed right now---some cop asking them why they were in the parking area of the unoccupied duplex when they didn't live there. "The last girl on our list is Lisa Campbell, the first girl reported murdered. Her place is located on the other side of town."
Devlyn drove them past Alfred's place, but it was even more crowded with cars now. The time was nearly eight when they reached the victim's house. But already they could see a dilemma. Lights were on in several of the rooms, and three vehicles were parked out front.
"Looks like it's a little busy for a visit, Bella."
She ground her teeth. "We have to know if Alfred killed her. Since he appears to be preoccupied in town, let's take a country drive and check out his cows." But she couldn't shake the eerie feeling that someone was watching them.
DEVLYN NOTICED BELLA CHECKING OUT THE SIDEVIEW mirror again and saw the tension in her stiffened spine. "See anything?"
"I thought I saw a black Humvee. Twice now. But when I look back, it's gone, vanished in the rain."
"I've seen it before."
Bella looked at Devlyn. "When?"
"When we were at the dance club. I saw it parked there and then again when I took a look in the Cascades for any evidence of the murdering red's complicity; it followed me for a while and then disappeared."
"A red? Or Volan?"
"Volan would have confronted me. The windows were too dark; I couldn't see the driver, but I gathered he was a red---wary, questioning, but something more. I can't pinpoint the gut feeling I have about it, except that, even though he's hostile---a red not liking a gray in the red's territory and has his sights set on the only female red wolf who's young enough to be pursued---he doesn't seem to have any evil purpose."
"Like reporting our actions to Alfred."
"Right." Devlyn was more curious than worried about the red's business.
The downpour worsened along the highway, and Devlyn hoped that the rain would help hide their clandestine activities when they reached Alfred's ranch.
Bella tapped her fingers on her door's armrest. "This means he might be one of the older males who wants you to eradicate the killers from the pack."
"Possibly."
"You don't think so?" she asked, her voice elevated in surprise.
"When I was alone, he followed much closer, more aggressively, letting me know he was there and watching. But when you're with me, he hangs back, almost as though he knows he has no chance with you when I'm around."
"The mystery murdering red?"
"Maybe. But I don't really think so. The one who followed us into the woods, the one we recognized as the murderer, behaves differently. Skulks more in the background. I wished I'd paid more attention to who else was at the club that night. The Humvee was there, which meant this red was watching you...us. But I sure didn't get a whiff of either the murderer or this guy."
"Hmph," Bella said, folding her arms. "As hot and sweaty as the humans were getting, covered in their cloying perfumes and colognes, I had enough of a time trying to smell the reds we met up with."
"I was concentrating on a female red in the midst of a bunch of lusty red males. I should have known there would have been more of them there." Devlyn peered into the fog, trying to locate the turnoff for Alfred's ranch.
"I hacked into the files at the county courthouse; he owns the deed on a seven-hundred acre spread. Tax records show he has seven hundred sixty steers on the ranch and gets paid on the gain at a rate of thirty cents per pound per day with a gain of three hundred pounds. Not too shabby. He pays a tax assessment on the irrigation water from a canal, but, according to this, he doesn't need the irrigation water and has fought with city hall about reducing or doing away with the tax."
Devlyn snorted. "Why would anyone need irrigation water in a place as wet as this?"
Bella chuckled. "Ready to go home to Colorado and dry out?"
"You bet."
"Okay, there's a river on his property and his main house sits on a hill high above the ranch."
"Main house?"
"Yeah, he has a second home, mobile home, and a bunk house, machine shop, three large granaries, two loafing shed barns with feeders, an additional barn, and two sets of corrals with portable scales."
"Holy crap, Bella honey! Can you imagine how many reds work for him and probably live on the property?"
Bella frowned at him. "But Alfred's not there."
Devlyn shook his head. "No, but most of the rest of his pack might be."
He turned off onto the ranch road along the river in a pretty valley surrounded by timbered mountains. They spotted several elk, cows, yearlings, and horses on higher ground; some of the lower-lying pasture lands were under water.
All of the buildings rested on the hilltop above the valley, and Devlyn shut off his headlights and crawled along the road, trying to get as close to the main house as he could without garnering anyone's attention.
"The Humvee's behind us again," Bella whispered, as if the guy could hear them. "But he turned off his headlights, too."
"Maybe he hopes to box us in, if he backs Alfred. On the other hand, I wouldn't have expected him to turn off his headlights. He's got to know we realize he's following us."
Devlyn parked some distance from the house in the dark, and then he and Bella headed through the pelting rain for the backside of the place, where windows enjoyed a view of the valley. He glanced up at the eaves and roofline. "No security cameras."
Bella motioned to the bunkhouse a couple of football fields away, where several pickup trucks were parked. "No need," she whispered, "when he's got such a huge security force nearby."
Devlyn grabbed the doorknob on the back patio doors and smiled when the door opened without resistance. "He must feel really secure out here with all his hired muscle."
Inside, the place was super elegant---leather couches, Persian rugs, crystal chandeliers, oil paintings of the Oregon coastline. And brass wolf sculptures. Devlyn didn't bother turning on the lights, not needing them anyway, and made his way through the three spacious living areas, searched the kitchen, which was big enough to serve large parties, and then headed to the bedrooms, both he and Bella dripping water everywhere.
Every one of the bedrooms was outfitted for guests, with bathrooms for each, dressers and sitting rooms, and balconies. In the last one, the room was larger than the rest and even more highly appointed, with a brown velvet comforter on a raised bed, massive oak furniture that filled the room, and oil paintings of men and women hanging on the walls, maybe his family over several generations.
Bella grabbed an old leather-bound book off a shelf in a sitting area.
"His journal?"
"Werewolf legend."
Devlyn made a face as she stuffed it into her jacket. "Humans don't have a clue about the real lupus garou legend. And lupus garous aren't permitted to set down the oral history in writing, which is why some clans became confused as to what the real story is," Devlyn said while Bella sat down at Alfred's computer.
Her fingers flying at the keyboard, she retorted, "Right, gray clans got it mixed up, you mean." She let out her breath in exasperation. "Nothing on his computer, email, files, correspondence." Bella scanned the rest of his computer. "Not a darned thing." She looked up at Devlyn as he paused while searching through dresser drawers. "I smell lots of reds who have been here, which would be typical. Pack probably meets here regularly. And the murdering red? I smell him here, too."
"I got a whiff of him in one of the guest bedrooms. But no humans. Alfred probably figures it's too dangerous to bring them to his lair."
Then he thought he heard a faint sound of something, but before he could listen further, a woman suddenly called out from the foyer, "Hello?"
"Damn," Devlyn said under his breath, wondering why he hadn't heard the front door opening.
He locked the bedroom door and hurried to open a back door onto the patio. Bella turned off the computer and joined him. But as soon as they sneaked around the side of the property, trying to reach their car, the heavy rain instantly dousing them, a woman ran outside, yelling into a phone, "Someone's broken into the master's house! Yes, yes...I don't know. It smelled like a gray. And a female red. What? What do you mean keep them here? They're not here! Oh, oh, I think I see a vehicle down the road in the dark. Yes, it's a black SUV."
The woman was shrieking so loud Devlyn was sure whoever was listening had to hold the phone away from his ear or lose his hearing. Devlyn rushed Bella down to the SUV, and both jumped in just as a couple of truck engines rumbled to life.
"Oh, hell, Devlyn. The cavalry's coming." Bella wrung out her hair and wiped the rain water off her face.
"We'll make it, honey." But he wasn't sure they would. With nowhere to turn easily and the shoulders along the gravel road pure mud because of the hammering, constant rain, he headed straight for the pickup trucks in a dare-to-hit-me mode, chasing one off the hill. The pickup got stuck in the water-drenched mud. But the other truck was still game.
Bella gripped the seat and looked out the sideview mirror. "The Humvee's behind us."
Again, Devlyn wondered if the Humvee driver intended to box him in. But instead, the vehicle slipped on past him and headed straight for the pickup.
"Jeez, Devlyn, he appears to be on our side. Or plain nuts."
At the last second, the pickup veered, clipping the Humvee's front fender, causing the pickup to spin out of control and plow into the side of one of the barns. The Humvee flipped around, too, and ended up facing Devlyn's vehicle.
Devlyn paused, making sure the Humvee driver's vehicle wasn't incapacitated.
For a second, the two vehicles faced each other in a gunfight standoff, and then Devlyn turned his SUV around in the gravel and drove slowly, watching to see if the Humvee followed them. When it did, he nodded, assured the guy's vehicle was fine.
"Wonder who the guy is. Could use him for backup when the going gets rough," he said.
"I'd sure like to know his story." She sighed deeply. "We didn't find one lick of evidence on Alfred yet."
"I think he's too wily to keep anything around that could incriminate him. The only other thing would be if we could get in the house of the last girl who was murdered. If we smelled him there, that would cinch it."
When they reached the main road, Devlyn turned his headlights back on for the benefit of other vehicles.
"The Humvee went in the opposite direction."
"Too bad. I was beginning to like the guy."
"He could be bad news."
"That he could." But Devlyn's gut instinct told him the mystery red wasn't.
For several miles, Bella watched her sideview mirror. Because of the bad road conditions---the water puddled up in ponds in places on the highway and the rain ran down the windshield like a continuous rampant waterfall---Devlyn concentrated on what was in front of them.
"Maybe we can check out the girl's place now."
Bella stared at the headlight shining on her sideview mirror and studied the forest-green SUV skulking behind them. "I think someone else is following us."
Devlyn looked up at his rearview mirror. "Saw one like it parked at the mobile home on Alfred's property."
Bella made a face. "Great, then they know we're on to them. Well, not that they wouldn't know already. I imagine the woman who ratted on us probably called Alfred at his home in Portland and warned him that we were snooping around his country estate."
"Well, tit for tat. He broke into your place. Payback can be hell."
"Yeah, we dripped water all over his expensive carpets."
"And you stole his favorite bedtime book. So what did you learn from the human-concocted 'werewolf legend'?"
She flipped through the book, scanning several pages, and then gave a ladylike snort. "A human wrote it."
Devlyn raised a brow. "What did it say?"
"Why should you care? You already said humans don't have a clue."
"You're right. So what did it say?"
She cast him an annoyed look. "A Scandinavian white wolf was the first lupus garou."
Devlyn laughed out loud.
Bella threw the book into the backseat. "I told you it was a bunch of nonsense." She glanced back at the vehicle following them. "Can you lose the SUV?"
"I could do better than that." He jerked the rental SUV over to the shoulder of the road, and the green one jammed on its brakes and stopped several feet behind them.
Her heart skipping beats, Bella grabbed Devlyn's arm. "What if the SUV's packed with reds? You can't fight them all."
The other vehicle idled behind them. Devlyn's neck muscle tightened and his knuckles turned white from the grip he had on the steering wheel.
"Devlyn, we might as well return home if they know what we're up to. Even if we managed to lose them, the word's probably out that we're investigating the murders."
"I imagine by now the whole pack knows and every one of them will be watching for us, either at Ross's place, his packing plant, or the murdered girls' houses, if they don't know we've been at any of them. Unless they've checked them out and found our scent there." He gave a satisfied smile.
"Right." Bella let out her breath. "Hell, that means Alfred's involved. Otherwise, he'd terminate Ross and Nicol himself for creating all of this mess. And the other red, too."
Devlyn glanced in the rearview mirror. "Unless he's a loner---not part of the pack." He pulled back onto the road and headed for Bella's house.
The rain would let up intermittently and then pour hard again in places, but she could still see the green SUV following them. Twice, the rental SUV Devlyn was driving slid like a skater out of control on the waterlogged road.
"Nearly worse than the ice in Colorado," he groused under his breath.
When they finally neared Bella's house, the green SUV suddenly headed down a side road and took off. But Bella and Devlyn had a new surprise waiting for them.
Two police cars and a fire engine, their lights flashing, were parked in front of Bella's place; her stomach took an instant dive. Smoke was billowing into the night sky in the backyard behind her house. Her greenhouse and shed were on fire!
Devlyn pulled into the garage, barely parking before Bella jerked open the door and leapt from the car and dashed out the garage door to the backyard.
"Bella!"
She heard Devlyn's heavy footfall behind her as a policeman tried to block her path to the greenhouse. Despite the intermittent heavy rainfall, the roof protected the fire blazing inside and the firemen had to use hoses to bring the blaze under control.
"My plants," Bella cried, trying to get to her shed, but Devlyn gathered her against his body and held her tight.
"You can't go near it, Bella," he said, half commanding, half trying to console her.
Another vehicle screeched to a halt in front of the house and Thompson, Chrissie, and her kids piled out of the car.
"Omigosh, Bella," Chrissie said, running to join her. "What happened?"
"Vandals," one of the policemen said. "Whoever did it broke most of the windows in the greenhouse, trashed the inside, and then poured gallons of gasoline everywhere. Luckily, the wind died down before the blaze really took hold or the house might have caught fire."
Thompson rubbed Chrissie's arm. "Why don't you take the kids in the house and I'll be over in a little bit."
But Chrissie looked devastated and didn't seem to want to leave Bella alone. Shivering, her kids stood out of the rain on the back patio, their eyes and mouths wide as they gaped at the fire. Chrissie gave Bella's hand a squeeze and said, "Call me." Then she hurried the kids to her house.
Thompson shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the dwindling inferno. "Police called me to say that whoever set fire to your greenhouse must have been the one who hacked into the police headquarters and sent a bogus message to Sergeant Reddy, who pulled the police detail watching your place." Thompson shook his head. "This Volan character is sure vindictive."
Volan?
Bella was sure the reds had burned the greenhouse, probably in retaliation for snooping around Alfred's house. She tried to get closer to the building to see if she could pick up the reds' scent, or Volan's. But Devlyn wasn't letting her get any nearer, and she growled at him.
Without warning, an explosion rocked the greenhouse. Splintered glass and wood flew across the backyard, and Devlyn yanked Bella behind the garage while everyone else took cover.
"Hell!" one of the firemen said. "What did you have in there?"
"Fertilizers, garden chemicals, gas for my mower, not sure what else," Bella said, making her way back to where she'd been standing, her eyes filled with tears and her heart in her throat. In the next instant, the greenhouse roof collapsed, and everyone dashed for safety again.
Once it appeared the greenhouse was settled in ruins, the fireman returned to put out the rest of the flames, now smoldering in the twisted metal, glass, and wood debris.
"Thankfully, your next-door neighbor Mr. Sherman called in the vandalism," one of the policeman said. "Mr. Sherman said he thought the guy was going to torch the house, so he began yelling on the phone to 911 all the details about the guy---big, dark-haired, sounded a lot like Volan."
Thompson looked back at Bella and Devlyn. She hoped she didn't look as guilty as she felt. "You didn't hear or see anything?" he asked.
The policeman offered, "They weren't here. They just arrived shortly before you did."
Thompson looked from Bella to Devlyn, and she knew he was waiting for a report, but neither of them said anything.
"Guess it was good you weren't home then," Thompson said, "or Volan might have tried to do more." He turned this attention to the police officer. "Is the watch back on the house?"
"You bet. Police Chief Whittaker himself directed it. He said there's to be no more foul-ups, or heads will roll. Now, only he can change the order."
Bella exchanged a glance with Devlyn. Their sleuthing days appeared to be over unless they wanted a police escort tailing them or they could think up some other creative way to get rid of a tail.
Early the next morning, even though it was dark, with threatening storm clouds hovering overhead like a permanent menace, Devlyn reached out for Bella in bed, but he found her gone. He listened, hoping to hear her butler announcing new email or the sound of her cooking in the kitchen. Nothing. And then the rain, pitter-pattering at first, followed by a roar as it drowned the area, filled his ears. He was sure if he didn't leave here soon, his skin would start wearing a coat of green moss or mold.
Shoving the covers aside, he headed out of the bedroom. She wasn't in her office. She couldn't be in the greenhouse now. The thought of the ruined greenhouse sickened him. When he returned her to Colorado, he'd build her one twice as big.
He strode through the living room, but then he saw her standing in the green velvet robe on the back porch, staring at the burned wreckage. Growling at the insidiousness of whoever torched her building, he pulled the door open and stalked outside.
She took a deep breath and rubbed her arms. Devlyn pulled her into his embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Come on back inside, Bella honey. I'll make you something to eat."
"Was it Volan or the reds? That's what I can't quit worrying about."
"The reds. Volan doesn't know where you live."
She looked up at him. He gave her a small smile. "I sniffed around the wreckage when you were sound asleep last night. I didn't want you to worry, but I knew you'd be more concerned if it was Volan."
"I couldn't make myself check it out." She let out her breath and, for the first time since they'd found her greenhouse on fire, she relaxed.
"Come on inside, Bella. I know Chrissie's kids are back at their dad's, but I don't want Thompson to see me dressed like this, if he's still at Chrissie's house, in case anyone peeks over your fence."
Bella glanced down at Devlyn's nudity and her lips rose a hair. "You are one big, very bad wolf, you know?"
"And all yours." He coaxed her back inside the house, ready to prove it.
"What about investigating the reds further?"
"We're done with that for now, honey. Time for the big showdown as soon as the moon makes its appearance. I'm sure at that time we'll resolve the issue of the murdered girls once and for all."
Later that morning, Chrissie pounded on the back door, her face solemn. Bella let her in and glanced at the blueberry pie Chrissie was holding.
Chrissie handed her the pie. "I'm so sorry about your greenhouse. I wanted to come over last night and say something more, but Henry stayed late and helped me take the kids over to their dad's place. Then, well..." She shrugged.
Saddened about her greenhouse, Bella managed a small smile, glad that Chrissie had found someone she enjoyed being with after her husband had dumped her for a much younger woman. "I'm thrilled the two of you hit it off so well. Come in."
"I'm sorry I've been kind of distant, too. Henry and I have been dating up a storm, and, well, you know how it is when you've getting involved with someone. I have to make time for the kids, too, so it's been a juggle."
"No problem." Bella headed for the kitchen and Chrissie followed, glancing around the living room. Bella was sure she looked for signs of the naked hunk and was glad Chrissie hadn't come any earlier in the day.
"Devlyn still sleeping?" Chrissie took a seat at the dining room table.
"Devlyn's looking over some emails. Want a slice of pie?" Bella carved up a piece.
"Sure. Things have been awfully quiet over here. Well, except for the insurance people and the arson investigators tromping all over the place." Chrissie took the plate Bella handed her. "I wondered if you needed me to run out and get you anything. I imagine you don't want to leave the house after what has happened, and Devlyn shouldn't leave you alone."
No one needed a neighborhood watch program with Chrissie acting as the eyes and the ears of the whole community. "We've been rather preoccupied, but we have plenty to eat and are just fine."
Chrissie sat at the table and considered Bella's neck.
This morning, at least, Bella's appearance was neater, although she imagined Chrissie was looking at the hickey gracing her throat. Bella's hair rolled in shiny waves over her shoulders and down her back. No one would suspect Devlyn's hands had tangled her curls in the throes of passion only half an hour earlier.
Chrissie scooped up a bite of crust, stained blue and dripping with berries. "Are the two of you getting married?"
"We've already done so." In the lupus garou way.
Chrissie's eyes widened. "When?"
"About the time we first had our reunion." How could Bella explain that, for lupus garous, selecting a mate meant for a lifetime and the traditional human-contrived marriage vows meant nothing? Hell, half the human population ended up divorcing the same mate they promised to share their lives with together forever. Hmph. Look at Chrissie, even!
Chrissie seemed saddened not to have been told earlier. But then she looked at Bella's unadorned fingers. Explaining the lack of a wedding ring would be even harder.
"Allergic to metal." Bella flipped her hair back and pointed to her ears. "No earrings, no bracelets, no necklaces. Can't wear any kind of metal." In truth, most jewelry hindered their turning into the wolf. If it didn't, it would be lost with the change. Or, in the case of pierced-ear jewelry, what would someone think if they found a wolf with pearls or gold secured to the leather of their ears?
Chrissie glanced at Bella's wrist. "Jeez, I never realized." Her gaze met Bella's. "I never noticed you don't even wear a watch."
"Nope. Can't."
"How do you tell time?"
"Clocks. When I'm in the Escape, it has a clock. The computer has the time. The oven, microwave, my alarm clock in the bedroom...clocks surround me. If I'm somewhere that I don't know the time, I just ask." She couldn't let Chrissie know she had an innate ability to know the time, from the elevation of the sun in the sky.
"I would have liked to have been present when you got married," Chrissie said softly. "I would have gotten you something."
Bella's heart wrenched. She hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings. Bella gave her a hug, and Chrissie reciprocated with a heartfelt embrace. "Chrissie, you have been the best of friends, and I don't want to ever lose that. But I imagine you know I left my heart in Colorado, and, now that Devlyn has found me, we'll be returning there soon."
"Oh," Chrissie sniffled. "Oh, sure, I knew it would happen someday because of all of the pictures of your family you keep on the fridge. I can't tell if it'll ever come to that, but, if you're back there and Henry and I, well, if he, you know..."
"Asks you to marry him?"
"Yeah, I realize it's way too early, but, if it did happen, would you be my matron of honor?"
Bella smiled. "You bet." She might even entice Devlyn to come with her to the wedding. Actually, she was certain he wouldn't let her return alone.
"Devlyn, too. I'd want him to come. You could use my extra guestroom."
"He'd love to."
Devlyn walked into the dining room, but despite the smile that lifted his lips, his countenance was dark. "What would I love to do?"
Chrissie groaned and the two ladies separated. "Tell him later. I'd hate for him to think I was scheming where Henry was concerned."
Bella smiled. "We'll keep in touch. What with the Internet, you can keep me posted. We can email each other daily. I'll check your blog every day, and you can upload your kids' drawings. It'll almost be like I haven't left." She waved at the pie sitting on the counter. "Chrissie baked us one of her famous blueberry pies. Want a piece?"
"Yeah, I could use some quick energy." He winked at Bella. "You know how much I like blueberries, and..." He reached into the fridge. "Whipped cream."
Chrissie quickly finished the last bite of her pie. "I've got to go. Enjoy. I'll talk to the two of you later." Her cheeks colored crimson as she hurried out the back door.
Bella touched Devlyn's arm. "You embarrassed Chrissie."
"She loves it." He dabbed whipped cream on top of his pie.
"So what's the bad news, Devlyn?"
As he met her gaze, his brown eyes darkened. "Alfred wants us to meet him, and he wants to fight me for you. His whole pack will be there. He's laid down the challenge and---"
"You'll win, Devlyn. I have no doubt about that. But we need to find the unknown killer, not establish your right to have me to the satisfaction of a bunch of reds."
"It's a challenge I can't refuse. If we weren't in their territory and you weren't one of their kind, I'd have to agree with you. But under the circumstances..."
She growled at him and stabbed her fork into her pie. "We have more important concerns. We don't know for sure that Alfred killed anyone."
"This is important to me, Bella. At least while we're here, I have to prove to the reds that you're mine. That no one can make a claim to you."
She attempted to curb the annoyance she felt. She hated this part of being a lupus garou. The part that could mean her losing Devlyn. She was certain he could win against the red, but the problem was that two more reds wanted her. They wouldn't allow him time to recuperate. And she couldn't help feeling that the reds should be handling this matter with Ross and Nicol. Neither one of them was the leader and both of them had murdered girls. So why didn't the pack take them down?
Because Alfred approved it.
Fine. Despite the objections Devlyn would raise, she'd take her gun, to even out the odds a bit if he needed her help. Even if the bullets weren't silver, they'd do enough temporary damage to save Devlyn's hide until he could heal. No red would have her who hadn't earned her justly. Hell, no one but Devlyn would have her.
Then the image came to mind of Volan, standing before her one second, lying on the ground dead the next, and alive after that. She squelched a shudder that threatened to undo her resolve. Still, the bullets had knocked him out for a time. Thinking it might work better, she'd aim for the head this time.
"When and where are we to meet?" she asked, not at all happy about the circumstances.
"Wolf Rock, as soon as the moon makes its appearance. I still say you should have stayed with my cousin."
"Well, I think you already decided I was a better asset here with you than off with some distant cousin of yours." She raised a brow, hoping that was his reasoning.
He grunted. "The notion had occurred to me that he might make a play for you himself."
She laughed. "So that's the real reason you agreed to let me stay by your side, mate of mine."
She pointed to a map of the Cascades. "Wolf Rock is close to my cabin." She twisted her hair between her fingers, trying to ease the concern that chilled her skin. "But what about the escort service we have out front?"
"One of the reds' older couples is coming to see us. They'll drive our Suburban out of the garage and, hopefully, the police will tail them. They'll be heading east, toward Colorado. If that doesn't work, Alfred said he'd work up another plan."
Then all would be decided. At least with the reds. With Volan, that was another matter.
Two days later, still several hours before the waxing crescent of the moon appeared and the first clear day since storms had pelted the area, a knocking at the front door made Bella's heart nearly leap out of her chest while she worked on a pressed flower picture of a variety of Colorado wildflowers, a parting gift for Chrissie.
Devlyn pulled Bella from the kitchen stool where she'd been working at the counter and held her close, kissing her cheek. "Let's get this over with and return to Colorado."
"But the killer---"
"I think we'll find out at Wolf Rock which one is the mystery murderer."
Yeah, despite her considering otherwise, she assumed the murderer would be the right age to want to run the pack if Alfred and the others fell.
Together, she and Devlyn went to the front door to let the reds in.
The man and woman appeared to be in their seventies, both gray-haired. They must have assumed the police wouldn't guess their ploy. And being that the couple was older, the police wouldn't see them as a threat to Bella or Devlyn either as they approached the house.
To her surprise, the woman hugged Bella, and the man slapped Devlyn on the back in greeting. Then he reached over to hug Bella, and Devlyn growled low.
She frowned at him to cool it, but the red male tensed and backed off.
After showing the police that these people were friends, not foes, Devlyn closed the door.
The woman quickly donned a long, red wig, while the man covered his gray hair with a dark brown one. The woman eyed her for a moment and then gave an evasive smile. "I see now what's got our boys stirred up. Haven't seen a marriageable one like you in a while."
"Who's the rogue who's killing the human females?" Bella asked, figuring if the woman knew she wouldn't tell her but that her response itself might give a clue.
The woman snorted. "He's a lone wolf. Got to be. Not one of the pack."
"If he's looking for a mate and a loner, why doesn't he come for me, then? Only the three from your pack have approached me."
The woman glanced at the man. Her reaction clued Bella into the truth. Nicol and Ross were definitely in on the killings. Alfred's role was still not confirmed, but she highly suspected he was in on them, too. All three were sure to fight Devlyn. And maybe even the mystery fourth.
Devlyn handed the man the Suburban's keys. "Be sure to turn it in at the rental company when you're through with it."
The old man grunted.
Ditching the SUV somewhere in the wilderness and then running like a wolf were more what the old man had in mind. At least that's what Bella would do if the roles were reversed.
The man motioned to the woman. "Let's go."
The two disappeared into the garage, and Bella and Devlyn posted themselves at the front door. A bead of perspiration trickled between her breasts as they watched out the window to see if the police would take the bait.
THE RENTAL SUBURBAN PULLED OUT OF BELLA'S driveway and headed through the development, an older couple from the red lupus garou pack driving it. After a moment's hesitation, the unmarked police car followed.
"Now what, Devlyn?" Bella asked. Her voice was tight and worried. Her cheeks flushed faintly.
He hated to see her so concerned, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Now we wait for---"
A different Suburban, this one black, pulled in front of the house.
"Is it a red escort? The police wouldn't send someone else, would they?"
"I don't think so." Devlyn started to walk outside.
Bella tugged at his arm. "Wait for me. I've got to do something."
He couldn't help looking at her in disbelief.
"My mother always said to use the bathroom before I went anywhere," she hastily explained. "Just don't leave without me."
He tilted his chin down. "I won't be leaving without you, honey, that's for certain."
Her eyes held a wealth of worry; then she nodded and whipped around, disappearing down the hall.
Folding his arms, he watched out the window while a man climbed out of the vehicle. Again, this one appeared older, only his hair was nearly white. They must have thought Devlyn and Bella wouldn't feel threatened by pack members who were way past the age of scrapping well.
Bella soon joined Devlyn and placed her hand in his. "Sorry, I had to really go to the bathroom."
Her hand was ice-cold, and he hated that she seemed so scared. Gripping her hand tightly, he tried to warm it up on the way to the SUV.
Once inside the vehicle, the man glanced at them through the rearview mirror, his gaze shifting from Bella to Devlyn. He snorted and then drove the vehicle past Chrissie's house. Plain as day, Chrissie was watching out the window with a phone pressed against her ear, her brow wrinkled with concern, her hand waving in distress as she spoke. Devlyn looked back and observed her as she bolted outside and recorded the license plate of the vehicle on a slip of paper.
"Great neighborhood watch, eh? A force of one," Bella whispered to Devlyn.
"Yeah, hope Henry doesn't have the police chief put an all-points out on us before we make it to our destination and take care of business."
She sighed deeply. "They'll think we're in on some kind of bad-guy caper, what with leading the police astray."
"They might think we've been coerced into leaving with them. Hopefully, we'll be long gone before they question us further. The killings of the women will stop---"
She shook her head. "But Rosa will never be found."
"She'll be with me in Colorado, if anyone knows where to look."
She nestled her head against his chest. "Do you think Henry will suspect you're going to fight Volan?"
"Yeah, I do."
"He'll try to stop you."
With a light caress, he rubbed her arm. "Yeah. Only wouldn't he be surprised to find Volan's not there, and instead three other men are waiting to have a piece of me?"
She ran her hand over his thigh, instantly stirring his libido. He cast her an interested smile and glanced at the driver, whose eyes remained glued to the road as they drove out of Portland.
"Bad Bella," Devlyn whispered in her ear and then slipped his hand down her shirt and worked his fingers under her lace bra. "Why don't we move to the seat that's way in back?"
She gave him a soulful smile. "All right, stud."
They had a long drive out to Wolf Rock. No sense in wasting precious minutes.
"Need some tension relieved?" she whispered to him as she climbed over the back of the middle seat, her bottom suspended at the top of the seatback for a moment. Immediately, he ran his hands over her butt and squeezed.
"Yeah, you always bring it out in me."
Two hours later, they arrived at their destination at the base of Wolf Rock, an ancient volcanic plug, a barren rock face in summer, now sporting a topping of fresh snow like a whipped cream-topped sundae. Devlyn stared up at the daunting monolithic rock: rising over forty-five hundred feet, the nine-hundred foot pinnacle towered above them, surrounded by the Willamette National Forest.
The fragrance of ponderosa pine and Douglas fur scented the cool, crisp air. Birds chirped in the cover of the forest. A hawk screeched high above, soaring, searching for his next meal, all of it belying the deadly confrontation that would soon take place. Other than the black SUV, there was no sign of anyone else yet.
"No climbers," Devlyn stated, wondering if they were on the other side of the rock face.
"Not allowed," Bella explained. "From January first through July thirty-first, raptors nest up there and no on wants to piss off a mother eagle. And, really, hikers only climb between August and October unless the roads are blocked with snow."
"Good time for a rumble, then."
Bella ran her hand over Devlyn's arm. "Yeah."
But she didn't sound like she thought the time was good for the coming fight.
The driver turned to look at them. "Seems I drove a little faster than usual. If you want to get out and stretch before the others arrive, you can."
"Who killed the human women?" Bella asked, combing her fingers through her hair.
Devlyn couldn't believe she'd ask another red that question. Then again, he could. She wasn't really the shy type. Still, he didn't believe any one of the red pack would tell them if he or she knew who had done it.
"Sad state of affairs when lupus garous can't find a mate. Unnatural. In the beginning, there was only one. Of course, you probably know the story. Some say he was from some other world, or a genetic abomination; others say a virus mutated him. Anyway, he had to change a human woman to satisfy the wolf's urge to have a mate. Then more were changed, until all we had to do was mate with our own kind, no longer needing to change humans in the ancient way. Somewhere along the line, the males outnumbered the females and that led to the imbalance that has caused all of the trouble."
Bella frowned. "The first lupus garou was a berserker gifted with the change by Odin's will."
The old man nodded. "That's another version."
She growled. "It's the true one. And the first was a red."
The old man's lips rose in a sly smile.
"Well, he was," Bella insisted.
"Never gave it much thought what kind of wolf the original lupus garou was. I suspect it could've been a red."
"But," Devlyn interjected with authority, "it was a gray."
The old man's eyes caught Devlyn's gaze, but he wouldn't respond to the bait. Then he took a deep breath and stared out the windshield, glancing up to look at them through the rearview mirror.
Devlyn nodded for him to continue. He squeezed Bella's hand when her breathing grew shallow.
The old man sighed. "It's not right for a lupus garou to do what's been done." He shook his head, sorrow filling his voice. "Not right at all. If the woman couldn't accept him...well, in the old days it was different. She had no choice, and, once she was changed, she acknowledged it, learning to love her new life. Today, it's not the same. We can't just kill a human because she won't accept us."
Bella said softly, "All of us are at risk with their actions. They'll expose all lupus garous to manhunts and extermination if they learn the truth about us."
"That's what I've said all along. They'll be the death of us."
"How can we help put a stop to this?"
"By that mate of yours fighting tonight."
Bella's eyes widened. "It's all three of them then---Alfred, Nicol, and Ross---and a fourth?"
The man studied her in the rearview mirror. "You would have made an exceptional alpha female for our pack, but it won't ever happen. Not the way you're attached to the gray." He gazed out the window again. "When it's all said and done, we'll be leaderless, but one of the older males can guide the pack in the interim. Maybe we need someone with more sense than strength for a while. Although..." He shook his head.
"So there's another who might be fit to take over?" Bella glanced at Devlyn. "Does he drive a Humvee?"
"He's a loner, for the most part. Been gone for most of the year, some say searching for a mate somewhere else in the States. But he's not been successful as far as I hear. By the way, he only just learned about you, missy."
"Would he take over?"
"If your mate gets rid of some of the bad seeds, I suspect he might come down from the mountains."
"But what about the other murdering red? The one that's sneakier than the rest?"
The old man remained silent.
Bella tightened her grip on Devlyn's hand. "They all took part in the killings---one for each girl, four of them."
This time, the old man glanced up at the mirror, and the look in his eyes revealed the truth. Four younger males had taken part in the killings. All seeking a mate. All failing. They were bound together in the killing spree, and, with so many involved, the rest of the pack feared speaking out against them.
Devlyn knew then it was his destiny to fight them when their own could not. To right a wrong that could hurt all lupus garous in the end.
"Who's the other red?" Bella asked again.
"Simon."
"Simon? We haven't met this Simon."
"He's the least aggressive of the pack in their age range. I'm sure he was there when the others went to meet you at the dance club."
Bella swallowed hard.
Devlyn wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. He tried to think of another red he might have missed, who'd watched them, quietly surveying the female he wished to make his own at the dance club. But Devlyn had been so intent on Ross, Nicol, and Alfred that he never thought there'd be anyone else. Kissing her cheek, Devlyn whispered, "I'll be all right, Bella."
"There'll be four of them, Devlyn."
"They won't attack all at once, not in front of their pack."
"If anyone can do it, it'll be your mate," the old man said. "In truth---and I'd be burned at the stake for saying so---your gray is the only one who has a chance at saving this red pack from extermination. And it's rattling Alfred a bit to think the gray devil wolf from his great-grandfather's day did away with that bad hombre, too."
"But if you have no others to lead the pack and this other one won't leave his mountain home..." Devlyn said, concerned about the pack dying out without younger leadership.
The man's wizened face lifted, and his eyes turned brighter for an instant. "Leidolf returns to the city on occasion---checking out the pack, we figure. Mainly after he learned your mate was here, too. We believe he plans to take over once the gray culls out some of the bad wood. Leidolf's name means wolf descendant. Some say his line ties in directly to the original lupus garou, one of the rarest of our kind, with only a human or two thrown into the mix."
"A red royal," Bella said under her breath.
Devlyn grunted. A royal, my ass. That kind of lineage didn't make him a better wolf.
"Yeah, he'd be a royal all right. Give our clan a good name. We could certainly use the likes of him to give new life to the pack. Alfred hates him because he fears the elusive lupus garou. An animal magnetism surrounds him, and whenever he appears, we're drawn to him. If Alfred and his gang are banished, we hope the rogue will agree to be our leader."
"But what if he's not strong enough?" Bella asked.
The man chuckled. "Alfred tried to take him several months ago, but the red took care of him instead---sent Alfred to the healers. Even though Alfred denied that the loner had torn him up good. He insisted he'd tangled with a cougar. But we all know better."
"So why hasn't he taken on Alfred and his gang?"
The old man shook his head. "Too many of them, missy. No red could hope to fight four fit males and survive."
Bella leaned her head against Devlyn's chest. "We should have gone home to Colorado when you said."
"No, Bella. You were right all along. We needed to be here, to set things right. Just have faith in me."
He wished she trusted his abilities more. Already the adrenaline flooded his system, preparing him for battle. Both mentally and physically, he readied himself.
Still, the sound of tires rolling on gravel startled him, and they both turned to look behind them.
"Here they are. Time to give it all you've got, young man."
Devlyn would. He wouldn't give Bella up to a pack of reds, if he had to fight every last one of them. Proving to any wolf that he'd claimed her, particularly to her own kind, gave him great satisfaction.
Four SUVs barreled up, scattering the gravel on the shoulder. Two parked in front of them, two behind, as if wedging them in, allowing them no chance of escape.
The sun had nearly faded from the sky, and already the reds were ditching their clothes in the vehicles. Bella and Devlyn waited. Despite the old man's words, the gray was not likely a welcome sight among the reds, and the notion that Devlyn---instead of a red---would kill their leader most likely didn't bode well with many of them. As the old man said, there were many who probably felt that Bella could solve their problems by mating with one of the reds and thereby end the killings. What was done was done, and it wouldn't be repeated, but the problem was that, if Alfred won the prize, Ross, Nicol, and Simon would still be without mates. And they would continue their killing spree.
The urge to mate ran in their blood. Desiring a mate who would race in the wild with them proved tantamount. Sexual relations with a woman in human form only wouldn't be enough to satisfy them.
Bella would have had more of a chance at changing a human male---with their more warlike, hunter attitudes---than a male lupus garou would at changing a female human. Devlyn was well pleased when she'd said she'd given up that notion.
When night fell and the sliver of the moon sat suspended against the navy velvet backdrop, Devlyn and Bella exited the vehicle. The reds had already turned into their wolf forms, but Bella seemed reluctant to remove her clothes. Surprised to see her shyness, Devlyn realized she hadn't been with her own kind for eons, and living with humans had changed her. Then he reconsidered. She didn't want to become a wolf because it meant that then he would, too, and the battle would begin.
Because he didn't want the reds to see her nakedness, he stood in front of her, with the SUV at her back, the door wide open to provide her some privacy.
Her eyes filled with tears, striking a chord of sympathy deep inside of him. She had to be strong, his alpha female, forever by his side.
"Be strong for me, Bella honey. I need your strength to win."
She swallowed hard and nodded.
"I love you." He kissed her lips; it was the last time he could touch her in their human form until he finished with the reds. He wanted to do so much more, to assure her in some way that he'd come out on top. Until he fought the others and won, he figured that no amount of convincing would work.
They deepened the kiss, and growls erupted behind them.
Bella wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace, ignoring the reds' dislike of Devlyn and his mate showing such affection. "I love you, too, you big gray. You'll win. I know it."
But she didn't sound sure.
"You'd give me hell if I didn't. Are you ready?"
She nodded.
"All right, let's do it, Bella darling."
Bella took a deep breath and began to change as Devlyn kept her shielded. Once she had dropped to all four paws, he shapeshifted, glad to be in his wolf form and ready to finish this.
He rubbed her face with his muzzle and then moved away from her. His heart thundered with determination.
Bella watched her big gray with sadness in her heart. She couldn't help but worry about how he would fare. But worse, she knew she had to leave him once it was over. Had to run so that he wouldn't fight Volan.
Here, if he began to lose the battle, she'd change into her human form and get the gun. After all, four against one wasn't fair by either kind's standards, lupus garous or humans. And regular bullets were better than nothing.
Even though her wolf coat kept her warm, she shivered. She couldn't shake the fear that one of the reds might seriously injure Devlyn.
The wolves formed a jagged circle while Devlyn and Alfred faced off in the center. Although Alfred was decidedly smaller, he was wiry and moved quickly, pacing back and forth, highly agitated and aggressive. Devlyn's larger build had the power of the pounce and the pinning that had always beat her when they played as youngsters and preteens. But this was entirely different. This was a battle to the death.
She assumed that, if Devlyn had not learned that Alfred was one of the killers, he would have let him live, barely, just to make the point that Bella was his and no other's. Then Alfred could heal and come back to run the pack, if another hadn't taken it over. But Alfred and his companions in crime warranted the death sentence, and Devlyn would mete it out if he could.
Devlyn stood stiff legged and tall---a show of dominance. His ears were erect and held forward, his hackles bristling. He held his tail vertical and slightly curled toward his back, alpha posturing at its best and not to be trifled with. His lips curled up, and he bared his incisors. Alfred promptly growled, showing off his canines. If Devlyn dove in and got Alfred just right, his powerful jaws---twice as strong as those of a German Shepherd's---could crush the large bones of his prey.
Alfred continued to pace, which was not normal for two wolves fighting for the alpha male role. She wondered if her kissing Devlyn with such affection had unmanned the killer red.
Appearing not to want to attack the red unprovoked, because of his size and the fact that he wasn't in the red's territory, Devlyn waited.
Alfred finally whipped around, as if he got the courage to take a nip at the gray, and leapt nearly six feet into the air.
Devlyn sidestepped where Alfred would land. As soon as the red's paws were planted firmly on the ground, Devlyn attacked.
Devlyn's teeth sank into the red's flank. Yelping, Alfred scurried away, his side bleeding, his ears flattened, his tail straight down. The rest of the wolves waited, tongues panting, as if they stood at a sporting exhibition, watching to see which fighter won.
Bella squelched the urge to rush into the fray and bite the red who could have exposed their kind for what they were, to give back a little of what they'd done to the girls they'd murdered.
Devlyn watched Alfred, never taking his eyes off him, calculating his next move, conserving his energy for the next three in line. He was a crafty wolf, and she loved him dearly for his size, strength, and cunning.
Limping slightly to the side of the circle, Alfred paced again, only slower this time, not as steadily or as sure of himself. He never looked at her once, just at the ground, already exhibiting signs of defeat. The way he acted, he appeared to think he'd lost the fight before he'd even begun. He was probably right. The last two wolves might have a chance to take a bite out of Devlyn when he was tired and worn down. But not the first.
Bella hoped with all her heart that Devlyn wouldn't be hurt, even a scratch, despite the fact that they healed quickly.
Attempting the same maneuver, Alfred whipped around and leapt through the air. Maybe it worked for him when he became the alpha leader for the reds, but with Devlyn, it didn't.
Devlyn lunged this time and grabbed Alfred's throat, instantly crushing his neck. He had to end the game quickly if he were to conserve enough strength to fight the other three.
For a minute, no more, the reds watched him when he released the dead body of their alpha leader. The deed was done. No one had time to reflect on the sudden shift in power.
Instantly, Ross attacked. His teeth snapped at Devlyn's neck, but Bella's gray mate lithely avoided Ross's wicked canines.
Her heart pounded ferociously.
Grabbing Ross's ear, Devlyn tore the leather. Ross whined in protest and dodged out of the way.
So much for the bad red wolf who'd killed his victim so brutally.
Sitting on her haunches, every nerve on edge, Bella tried to stretch her muscles to release the tension.
Devlyn faced Ross, but he got a glimpse of her. His tongue hung over his teeth as he panted, but his lips curved up slightly as if in a smile. He'd beaten Alfred, and he'd done it for her. He was one proud big gray wolf.
Bowing her head slightly to him, her eyes gazed into his, showing him how much she loved him and how proud she was of him.
Ross attacked again.
Bella stiffened her back, but Devlyn was prepared. He immediately responded with a bite at the red's right shoulder. Bleeding profusely, Ross yelped and bolted away.
Bella glanced at Nicol; his eyes were darkened, his body tensed. As soon as Devlyn finished Ross, Nicol wouldn't wait either, but which one was the sneaky Simon?
Fear niggled at her that he was an emergent leader. The kind that waited until the battle ended before he rushed in to take over. Was it as Ross and Nicol had said? There wasn't any reason to take over the pack until she came along?
She stood. Then realizing her anxiety might bother Devlyn, she lay down and rested her head on her paws as if the whole matter served simply as a pleasing walk in the woods.
Ross stood still at the edge of the circle, panting hard, his chest filling and emptying with intense breaths. No longer just a spectator, he battled for his life. Fresh blood matted his fur. The rest stood on end as he raised his tail behind him. His posture indicated that he wasn't ready to give up the fight, not yet.
Neither was Devlyn. He stood ready, his body somewhat relaxed between sparring, to allow him time to rest.
A wolf howled in the distance. As unique to wolves as fingerprints were to humans, Bella immediately recognized the warning sound...Volan.
THE SOUND OF VOLAN'S HOWL NEARLY MADE BELLA'S heart stop. Devlyn's ears pulled back and he narrowed his eyes. His tail pointed straight out, parallel to the ground. Undoubtedly, he sensed the added danger when he caught the sound, too.
It just couldn't be Volan. Not when Devlyn had so many reds to fight. Bella continued to recline on the ground, pretending not to be bothered, to show Devlyn that she believed in him with all of her heart. But she couldn't smooth down the hair standing erect on the nape of her neck or tail. She couldn't relax her tail, fixed straight as a spear, her body on full alert, ready to react if Volan made a sudden appearance.
Then she reminded herself that she had her gun and it could give him a lot of heartburn for a while.
Ross ran toward Devlyn with his teeth bared. Fire burned in the depths of his brown eyes. Devlyn responded, his leg and back muscles moving like a waterfall, fluid and powerful. Grabbing Ross by the throat, he snapped his neck in two.
Ross fell limply to the ground; Bella stopped panting. For now, Devlyn had proved himself once again the winner. Taking a deep breath of pride, she admired her mate for his skill and ingeniousness. She thought of how Ross and the other wolves had killed those helpless women and how, if they'd had a chance, they would have killed Devlyn. For those reasons, she had no regret. It was the way of the wolf, the only reason they had survived as long as they had.
Still, her anxiety heightened, worrying that Devlyn's energy would dwindle.
Nicol lunged at him. No rest in between, calculated to wear the gray down.
Most of the wolves still stood. A couple of the older ones, their red fur now graying, lay down, but all kept their eyes fixed on the fighters.
Nicol got a lucky strike---because she couldn't concede it was anything else---and grazed Devlyn's neck with his wicked canines. Devlyn snapped and growled with his teeth bared, the sound deep and base-like, extremely menacing. Nicol quickly retreated from Devlyn's killer canines.
Bella squelched the urge to dash into the battle and bite the red back. She sat up instantly, unable to pretend any further to be so relaxed about the fight.
Nicol pounced on him again, but Devlyn snapped his jaw at him, nearly catching the red's leg. Hearing the sound of Devlyn's powerful jaws clamping together so close to his body, Nicol yelped.
Bella searched the crowd again, looking for a male wolf about the right age that might be Simon. Her eye caught that of a red who was watching her, not the fight. He stood taller than Alfred had, but certainly not as big as a gray. But he looked as if he could have put Alfred down. Her stomach tightened.
She faced Devlyn, who sprung at Nicol and pinned him down by the throat.
Nicol whined and squirmed. Devlyn had the best of him. Why didn't he finish him off? Not to do so was cowardly, and it was not the wolf way...not the lupus garou way. Not when the red had murdered a human woman and risked exposing all of the lupus garous.
Devlyn's chest heaved with exhaustion. Worn out, he rested before the kill, knowing that Simon would attack as soon as he let go of Nicol. Bella settled back down, glad she'd figured out his reluctance to finish Nicol off.
The wolves grew restless as he continued to wait. Several wolves held their tails straight out behind them, indicating their apprehension. Then, with resolve, Devlyn clamped his jaws down on Nicol's throat, crushing the neck bone with a powerful snap, ending the fourth-generation big game hunter's life instantly.
The one who'd been watching Bella immediately leapt for Devlyn, nearly sixteen feet through the air, the longest distance a wolf could leap. This time, Devlyn didn't react quickly enough. Simon knocked him on his hip.
Bella lunged forward, but two of the other males blocked her from interceding. Females fought females, never males---the unwritten rule passed down from generation to generation.
She growled at them. They bowed their heads to her, showing that they had no intention of fighting her but wouldn't move out of her path.
Again she growled, baring her teeth at one and then the other, preparing herself to attack. She couldn't watch Simon hurt her mate. The strain of the fighting and the tension that had built up in her system keyed her higher than an active volcano built up steam, ready to explode.
When neither of the reds would move out of her path, she snarled and snapped at the one to her right, intent on having her way. Immediately, the one to her left pounced on her. He pinned her to her side against the pine needle floor. She wriggled with frustration but couldn't free herself because of his heavier weight and bigger size.
Devlyn caught her eye and snarled. Angered that another male would force her down if he hadn't had to fight Simon, she knew he would have taken care of the male that now dominated her. Devlyn whipped around and battled with the red, his teeth connecting with Simon's right front leg.
Simon yelped and dodged backward.
The two tore into each other again, snarling and biting with wicked intent.
Bella squirmed to get free again and then growled low. More enraged than she'd ever been, if she could have freed herself, she would have torn to shreds the red who pinned her down.
To her horror, Devlyn tucked his tail, bowed his head, flattened his ears, and lay down on his belly. Her heart nearly quit when she saw his defeated posture. His neck and mouth bled, but he didn't seem to have any serious injuries. If he didn't fight and kill the red, a known murderer...
A male, maybe in his late fifties, moved forward cautiously, baring his canines at Simon. The younger wolf turned to face the new threat.
Devlyn remained in his subservient position, watching the reds fight, avoiding looking at Bella.
It finally dawned on Bella. Devlyn couldn't kill the last renegade red. He had to force one of the reds of the pack to do it. The one who did would become the new leader. They couldn't have a gray best the last red and take over the pack.
Just like the gray devil wolf that had infiltrated Alfred's red pack so long ago. The leadership had become stagnant and corrupt just as Alfred's was. She'd never considered that Devlyn's great-grandfather had forced change---not by taking over as he could have easily done, but by helping them rid themselves of the cancer in their pack---and then left. That another red wolf had taken over. But she bet his great-grandfather hadn't had to fight four reds, one after another, either.
The older male charged and tackled Simon. The younger wolf seemed surprised the older one would challenge him. They bit each other, snarled, and snapped their mighty jaws. They dodged and charged and bloodied each other's pelts. Then Simon made the fatal move. He turned the wrong way, exposing his throat at the inappropriate instant, leaving himself open to the kill.
The older wolf took him by surprise. Without hesitation, he ripped out Simon's throat, and the younger wolf was instantly killed.
Then something drew their attention toward the woods, and everyone turned to look. Standing in the mist of the forest, a red male wolf considered Bella with unspoken longing, but his neck and leg were bleeding, his tongue hanging from his bloodied mouth, as though he'd tangled with a much bigger beast and lost. Had he come to fight for the leadership but been thwarted? And now was he too torn up to fight well?
He glanced at Devlyn and bared his bloodied teeth. The new leader bowed his head to the loner. The two stared at each for a moment and then the wolf turned and dove back into the forest, disappearing in a heartbeat.
"It's him, Leidolf," one of the older women said, already having turned back into her human form. "He'll be back." She smiled with admiration. "He has the look of leadership in his eyes, his stance. And he would've taken on the others if he hadn't been injured and that delayed him. He'll be back."
There was no time for jubilation, or for the wolves to show their allegiance to their new pack leader. Sirens sounded from a distance, creating a panic. The wolf that pinned Bella down jumped off her. She snapped at him, missing biting his leg by inches.
Devlyn rushed to join her as the other wolves scattered, quickly changing into their human forms. Some dove into the vehicles and donned their clothes. Some grabbed the lifeless, bloodied bodies of the reds, once again turned into human form, and deposited them in the trunks of their vehicles.
Only the new red alpha male leader remained for a moment, staring at Devlyn, not challenging him, but instead giving him thanks.
Devlyn bowed his head and then raised it in acknowledgement.
The wolf dashed for one of the vehicles, but before Bella and Devlyn could return to the SUV that had brought them there, the driver tore off. She realized then they'd never have taken the gray and her back with them to the city. Only if the gray had died would they have taken her into the pack.
She touched her nose to Devlyn's, and he licked her face. They pressed their muzzles against each other. They had only one option available to them, now---run like the wind and seek shelter in her cabin.
At short spurts, they could run as fast as twenty-eight miles per hour, but because of Devlyn's fight, they ran at a trot. Her cabin was located only a couple of miles away. They'd make it. As long as zoo man Thompson didn't find Rosa running with the injured gray male, or they didn't cross paths with Volan. Involuntarily, a shiver ran through her.
With the cool breeze in her face and the two of them trotting nearly shoulder to shoulder, she suddenly realized that the gun she'd so carefully hidden in her clothes still rested under the seat in the black SUV. Her security blanket was ripped away from her. Now they had nothing but to fight Volan the way the wolf would. Even wounding Volan temporarily would have been to her advantage---until she could find another old-time smithy who could fashion silver bullets.
Then she recalled the gun in her cabin. Different smithy, and maybe real silver bullets. If they could just reach it in time.
Analyzing the rustle of the wind through the trees, birds' sweet whistling tunes, and the sound of Devlyn's and her pads tromping on the needled floor, she listened for Volan. Tilting her nose up, she breathed in the air, smelling a deer nearby, the scent of a raccoon, the fragrance of pine...no Volan.
Devlyn acted as wary, his ears twitching back and forth, channeling in on the sounds, sniffing the air.
When the cabin came into view, she filled her lungs with air and wanted to shout for joy. Instead, she whimpered in her most happy wolf way. Devlyn rubbed her face with his, sharing her tentative liberation.
As soon as they reached the front steps, they changed into their human form. Standing on the porch, Devlyn pulled Bella into his arms and kissed her thoroughly.
The tension drained from her body. Devlyn had won. He'd shown his cleverness, superiority, and prowess as a born leader by allowing the older male to take down the final rogue wolf. She wondered if the mystery red wolf would give up his loner ways and take over the pack. But then she speculated again about whether she could convince Devlyn to start a new pack.
A lone wolf could do so, with his mate, and then he wouldn't have to fight Volan. How she wished he'd agree with her, but his heart was set on returning to the family that had taken him in. She had to admit that the notion of being with the pack again filled her with longing.
Taking an exasperated breath, she asked, "Did you hear Volan's howl?"
"Yeah." Devlyn rubbed her arms. "Telling us he knows where we are and that we have no choice but to return home to the pack."
"We don't have to, you know. We could start our own."
Devlyn's eyes hardened, and she knew then that she'd never be able to convince him to stay away from Volan. "I told you years ago, Bella. He would come after you and our children. I can't risk it." He glanced down at her clothes still lying on the chair on the porch.
"I took a run and ended up in the zoo." And, once she was back in Portland, she'd take a run again, away from the wolf she loved most in the world, like before, to protect him.
"I remember it well, although it seems like eons ago."
Grabbing her clothes, she headed inside the two-room cabin.
Devlyn dashed around her. "Let me take a look around first."
She smelled it then. The slight odor that was Volan. Her skin chilled, but it had nothing to do with the cold cabin.
Devlyn quickly inspected the bedroom and bath and rejoined Bella in the living area. "He's not here."
"But he's been here."
"Yeah."
"Do you think he'll come back?"
"No. He'll want to prove to the pack you're his. Trying to kill me here and then returning you to the pack wouldn't be enough."
She dumped her clothes on a tweed-covered couch and took Devlyn's hand. "Let's get you washed up then. I'll take care of those bites and..."
He leaned over and licked her neck. "I need something else. I'm a bit...tense."
Glancing down at his full-blown erection, she lifted a brow. "After all you've been through?"
He wiggled his brows.
She laughed. "I know just how to handle it."
He growled softly. "How well I know."
They made it halfway across the living area when the front door slammed open, banging against the wall.
Volan stood in the entryway, his mouth red with blood, and she wondered if Leidolf, the loner red, had tangled with the demon. He was dressed in denims and a sweatshirt that were as black as his mood. His black hair hung loosely at his shoulders, and he looked as if he'd fallen out of bed in a hurry and hadn't had his first cup of coffee yet. But the demonic look in Volan's black eyes had nothing to do with missing a mug of caffeine. His unfulfilled lust for Bella showed in every angry line creasing his stern face.
Volan took in Bella's nakedness, inhaled a deep breath, smelling the air, or rather, her---trying to tell if Devlyn had mated with her already. His look couldn't get any harder; then he shifted his attention to Devlyn. "I gather you were straightening out a matter with a pack of red wolves in the area, which delayed your bringing Bella home to me."
"She's mine, Volan," Devlyn said, moving Bella behind him. "You can't have her."
Volan tsked. "You can't have her. Pack laws. She's my choice."
"Those aren't wolf laws. She chose me. You're out of luck."
"My rules then. Come on, Bella." Volan stretched his meaty hand out to her. "I'll let him live if you come with me now."
Devlyn gripped her arm tighter, worried she might agree to be Volan's mate.
"However, Bella sweet, I'll have to teach you a thing or two about wolf law. Seems you've forgotten some of them while living among the humans." Volan touched his chest lightly; then she noticed his skin still seemed paler than usual.
Had she injured him after all? Why hadn't the silver killed him?
Drops of blood trickled down his sneakers onto the wood floor. She looked up at him.
Volan turned his attention to Devlyn. "Lover boy's too spent to fight me. Wouldn't be a fair battle. Besides, we fight in front of the pack, end this once and for all. I challenge you to bring her home and battle me for her, Devlyn."
"I'll be there," Devlyn growled.
Volan turned and stalked out of the cabin, a slight limp to his gait.
Releasing her, Devlyn stormed to the door and watched Volan disappear into the woods. Bella joined him and bent over to inspect the blood.
"He's been wounded," Devlyn said. "That's why he wouldn't fight me yet."
"In the leg?" she guessed, wondering how her bullets managed to hit him in the leg when she was damn sure both bullets had hit his chest.
"Yeah, probably when he was in wolf form someone got a shot off."
"It's not hunting season."
"Right, but some wouldn't care if he was wearing his wolf pelt and got near their livestock."
For now, all Bella could think of was getting Devlyn back to her home in Portland and then slipping away again so he wouldn't ever have to fight the devil wolf.
Before long, warm water filled the tub, and Devlyn reclined on his back as she climbed on top of him.
He kissed her lips and ran his hands over her breasts, heating her deep inside. "I have to say, Bella, you made me proud."
"I was afraid you'd be angry with me because I tried to help you."
He leisurely licked the bathwater off her cheek. "You love me and wanted to protect me. You didn't do it because you felt I couldn't handle him. It was just instinctive. An alpha female quality."
She washed his bloodied neck with care. Referring to her as having alpha qualities was the greatest compliment he could ever give. "I was so proud of you to submit to another red, to allow him to fight Simon for the right to be the leader of the pack." Knowing how difficult it was not only to pretend to cower before a red, but in front of his mate---it had to have been the hardest thing he'd ever done. Her chest swelled with pride to think such a great gray wanted her for his very own.
"I only did what my great-grandfather had done before me."
"Don't be so modest. I doubt he had to fight four reds, one after another. You created a new legend for this clan in your own right."
"And you, Bella. The red wolf that the gray fought for."
She leaned over and kissed his bristly cheek.
His fingers touched her nipples, making her whole body tingle. He sighed deeply. "With only one to battle instead of four, I hoped one of the older wolves would have the courage to tackle him."
"My clever wolf." She ran her hand over his length in loving strokes. Finally, he'd allowed her to touch him, without stopping her. She would have rested with him instead, anything, to feel his heart beating against her breast, to have his skin touching hers, warm and alive, to feel his breath against her cheek, to taste his salty skin, and to smell him, feral and all male. Her gray, for the most part uninjured and safe with her again.
His eyes clouded with passion as he studied her with admiration, his hands massaging the small of her back. When it appeared he couldn't handle another of her strokes, he slipped his hands down to her thighs, his fingertips drawing closer to her folds.
"You're still awfully tense," she said, her gaze taking in every inch of his glistening body, hard, muscled, and every bit hers.
He chuckled, the throaty sound triggering an ache between her legs. He lifted her and worked his way inside her folds. "This will definitely help."
Her nipples brushed against the hair on his chest, sending delicious chills of desire coursing through every nerve. He cupped her face and lifted it, claiming her mouth with a deep, sizzling kiss. Their bodies slid against each other while his erection penetrated her deeply. Up and down she rose on top of him, creating tidal waves in the bathtub. Water splashed over the edge of the tub and spilled onto the tile floor. They kissed and touched each other's skin with greed, giving not a care to anything else in the world.
Just as she envisioned climbing to the top of the snow-covered Wolf Rock, she rose higher with every plunge he made deep inside her. When she felt she couldn't take any more, he groaned out her name, filling her with his warm seed, and as she reached the peak of pleasure, her insides pulsated with orgasmic delight.
"You're too right for me," he whispered against her mouth, tenderly, lovingly, the sound of a lusty, satiated mate.
Their tongues tangled, and she combed her fingers through his damp hair. "For each other," she said, still seated on top of him, never wanting to let go.
But something in his eyes told her he was concerned about some matter. It didn't take her long to learn what still troubled him.
He cleared his throat. "I always wondered, Bella, in the old days when your friend drowned---"
"Elizabeth?"
"Yes. Why didn't you let me console you?"
"Volan saw you with me. I bit you to get you to leave me alone. He hated when you got near me, especially after I became a teen."
"But you let him comfort you! I thought you wanted him."
"Right. That's why I ran away so many times."
"Then why?"
She glowered at him. "He threatened to kill you! He told me if I let you touch me, he'd end your life. Damn it, Devlyn, you weren't full grown then. He'd killed men more his size. I couldn't let him hurt you."
Then tension left his body, but only for a second.
She cocked her head, thinking she heard a sound outside the cabin. Devlyn's whole body grew rigid. He'd heard it, too.
Before they could disengage themselves from each other, humans stormed into the house, their heavy cologne preceding them. Zoo man Thompson forged ahead at the lead and began to enter the bathroom first but stopped when he saw Bella sitting on Devlyn, naked in the tub.
He wheeled around, shoving uniformed cops out of the doorway, and then hollered back to Devlyn and Bella, "Sorry, folks. We had word the two of you had been kidnapped."
Devlyn smiled at Bella and shook his head.
Henry cleared his throat. "Chrissie will be glad to hear that you're both...uh, well."
Bella chuckled under her breath and handed Devlyn a bath towel. "I only have the one." She pointed to a hand towel. "That wouldn't work I don't think."
He wrapped the towel around his waist. "I'll bring your clothes to you. I don't have any," he whispered in her ear. "The towel will have to suffice for now."
He walked out of the bathroom and returned with her clothes. He said for her ear only, "I'll give them the story."
"I'll listen to make sure our versions are the same," she said, her voice hushed.
Devlyn left the bathroom and shut the door. "Henry." He pointed to the couch. "Have a seat."
Henry sat down while the police milled around on the front porch. "When Chrissie called to say you were kidnapped, I had to take measures into my own hands. We hadn't reacted fast enough to follow the SUV that took you, so I broke into your home..."
Devlyn raised his brows.
Henry shook his head. "I'm sorry. I only wanted to get to you quickly before Volan killed you."
"And?"
"I found the email stating that someone wanted to meet you at Wolf Rock. You wouldn't take Bella with you to meet him for fear she'd get hurt. I figured he thought you wouldn't come, so he ensured that you would by kidnapping you. Luckily, I was able to get the police's help, and we hurried to Wolf Rock as fast as we could."
His gaze fastened on the bite marks on Devlyn's neck. Although they'd been severe, the wound had already started to fade, the intensity of the pain lessening by the hour. Of course, some of the healing had to do with Bella's distracting him. Still, he was sure the wound looked pretty angry.
"We found a lot of blood, but no bodies. I'd come across Bella's cabin a few days ago, checked the license tags of the Escape parked out back, and verified that she owned the place. Anyway, I'd hoped, if you were still alive and able, that you'd made it here safely, as close as it is to Wolf Rock. We found traces of blood along a trail leading directly here, too."
Devlyn nodded. Either Henry assumed that more had happened and he was keeping it a secret, or he'd given them the best out they could have. "Yes, well, luckily her place was close enough."
Henry pointed to his wound. "A doctor needs to take a look at that."
Bella entered the room wearing her turtleneck and jeans. Her wet curls still dangled over her shoulders, and the dripping water darkened the blue turtleneck in spots. She joined Devlyn, and he pulled her onto his toweled lap. She smelled like lavender and female, and he had to fight burying his nose in her wet hair. What the heck? He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against her hair, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes.
A hint of amusement flashed across Henry's face.
"With Bella's care, I'll be better in no time."
"Yeah, with care like that..." Henry cleared his throat. "I guess I'd better let you give the police a statement about what happened then. We'll give you an escort home?"
Devlyn deferred the decision to Bella. She nodded. "We'd like that. We're going back to Colorado for a while. Let Devlyn heal up there."
Henry stared at her for a moment. "But that's where this Volan character is from."
"We'll inform the police when we get there about the situation," Devlyn said. "And listen, Henry, we sure do thank you for trying to rescue us."
Henry glanced back at the bathroom. "I didn't expect...well, I'm just damned glad we found the two of you alive and in pretty good shape."
"We'll need one more thing, however," Bella said, with a twinkle in her eye and a dimple in her cheek.
Henry rose from the couch. "Anything."
"He stole Devlyn's clothes. Well, mine, too, but luckily I had some clothes here already."
"You ran in this cold, stark..." Henry shook his head. "That sick bastard."
"I have an oversized pink sweatshirt Devlyn can wear, but the extra pair of denims I have won't fit him." She ran her hand over his thigh.
His muscle flexed with her stirring touch. Just a little higher, more centered, and she could touch something else she'd stirred.
"Let me talk with the officers. Maybe we can come up with something."
Henry walked outside and conversed with the officers.
Devlyn kissed Bella on the mouth. "Hmm, a pink sweatshirt, eh?"
"Yeah, I dare you to wear it."
"I'll take you up on it. Nothing I'd like better than to wear the smell of you, up close and personal."
She chuckled. "I'm glad you don't have a problem with it. Because I imagine that's all we're going to be able to come up with."
Although one of the officers offered his jacket to Devlyn, he couldn't be dissuaded from wearing Bella's sweatshirt back to her house. With a blanket wrapped around his waist, he walked outside to talk to the police officers. She overheard Devlyn say, "Volan brought a killer wolf with him and ordered it to attack me. When we heard the police sirens, he fled with his wolf in a black SUV, but we didn't get a look at his license plate. Concerned about Bella and my condition in the frigid weather without clothes, we headed for the warmth and safety of her cabin."
"Hell, I wonder if that's the same wolf that rancher Evans shot?" one of the men said.
"Someone shot a wolf?" Devlyn asked.
"Yeah," Thompson said. "At first we thought it was Rosa, but he described the wolf as a bigger gray."
Bella barely breathed. Volan.
"Did the rancher kill him?" Devlyn asked.
"Nope, that was the thing. He yelped, so Evans knew he hit him, but the wolf ran off. We've got men trying to track him down. A wounded wolf shouldn't get far, but he will be a lot more dangerous," Thompson said.
So a rancher had wounded Volan after all. But it didn't explain his bloody mouth, and she wondered again if he'd torn into Leidolf. Then he could watch from a distance and see if Devlyn could handle four reds on his own? She wouldn't put it past the bastard. Then what? Fight Devlyn when he was worn out? Only he got shot. She smiled. Good one on him---the snake.
Hoping the police believed Devlyn's story, Bella returned to the bedroom to retrieve her gun. Her heart did a flip when she saw the braided rug that normally kept her secret cache hidden had been overturned, and she quickly lifted a loose floor plank.
Nothing but a scribbled message. Naughty, Bella. Another gun? Threats work better if you back them up with real menace---silver bullets. I see you got it right this time. But you won't be needing this gun. Not anymore. Soon, your mate, Volan
Sniffing the air, she smelled Volan's faint odor. She glanced at the window; the cotton curtains rippled in the breeze. She dropped the crumpled note into her hiding hole and wanted to scream. Crossing the floor, she parted the curtains. He'd broken the window. Sniffing her shirt, she realized he must have touched her clothes on the porch and recognized that the place was hers. Had Devlyn seen the note?
She checked the bed. Volan's odor clung to the sheets. She wanted to throw up.
"Bella?" Devlyn called to her from the living room.
"Coming!" She hurried out of the bedroom, hating what she'd have to do next.
On the way home, Bella tapped her thumbs on the steering wheel and then finally glanced at Devlyn, his eyes drowsy, as he leaned his head against the passenger's window. He must have seen the upturned rug. "Volan slept in my bed," she growled low.
"Yeah." He stared out the window.
Did he find Volan's note or not? Oh hell, no sense in keeping the situation secret. She squeezed the steering wheel and then loosened her hold. "He left a note."
Devlyn looked at her.
"Underneath the floorboard."
He didn't say a word, just watched her with a stern look.
"I...I had another gun; the bullets were meant for him."
"I know, Bella honey."
"You did?" Tears pricked her eyes.
"Yeah."
"But you didn't say anything."
"I didn't want to worry you that he'd found the gun."
"Would you have let me keep it?"
He ground his teeth and looked away. "Yeah. Even though I didn't ever intend for you to have to use it."
She took a steadying breath. "Thanks, Devlyn."
"What I have to know is why he knew about the other gun---the one you threatened the reds with at your home---and why did you intimate that the bullets were silver when they weren't?" His eyes were hard, compelling her to tell the truth.
"I..." Oh, hell, she couldn't keep the secret from her mate even if he hated her for it. "I shot him."
Devlyn's eyes widened.
"Twice," she added. "In the chest. Both times. And he fell. And he looked dead. But he wasn't. Only knocked out. But I didn't know that. You know, real bullets cause damage, too, except it's not permanent. But then he contacted me. And I didn't know if he'd sent the email before or after he died."
Devlyn raised a brow, his mouth almost curving up.
"So, I didn't know if the bullets weren't really silver or if Volan was really dead. Then we got the news that Volan was taken into custody, and that confirmed that he was alive." She glanced at Devlyn. "I don't blame you if you hate me for it."
"It's not our way, but, for your protection...I understand, Bella honey." He leaned over and kissed her cheek and then it seemed like the fight, the sex, and the adrenaline seeping out of every cell of his body finally hit him. He closed his eyes, and his head leaned against the cold glass window, where he slept for the two-hour drive home while the police escorted them the whole way.
When Bella finally parked in front of her house, Chrissie dashed out of her place to greet them. As soon as Bella and Devlyn climbed out of her Escape, Chrissie's gaze shifted from Devlyn's injury to the pink sweatshirt stretched taut across his chest and the green blanket wrapped around his waist. Her eyes grew wide.
Bella gave her a hug. "Thanks, Chrissie, for sending Henry to our rescue."
Chrissie looked at Henry, whose ears turned slightly red. He rubbed his chin. "Yeah, we'll talk about it later." He disappeared into Chrissie's house with her, but she cast a backward glance at Devlyn's blanket one more time, her eyes still huge.
Thank heavens the police took off, and Bella could do what she knew she had to, to keep Devlyn safe.
Devlyn stalked into the bedroom, intent on changing and then returning to Colorado, while Bella paced in the living room.
She listened to him zipping his bag. Grinding her teeth, she glanced out the window at her compact SUV. Now or never.
She pulled out her keys and headed outside.
"Bella!" Devlyn roared from her front porch.
She whipped around.
His brown eyes turned coal black; his mouth formed a thin grim line. "What are you doing?"
Unable to form the words she knew she had to say, she stood mute.
Devlyn ran his hands through his tangled hair, locking her gaze with an angry glare. "Looking for something, Bella? Need to pick up some more gas? Groceries before we leave? What?"
Annoyed, she tilted her chin up and said what she had to before she changed her mind. "I made a mistake. I've changed my mind...about us." She hated the quaver in her voice, but she couldn't squash it no matter how hard she tried.
"So you thought what? You'd just sneak off? Skulk away without a word to me?"
Those were wolf fighting words.
Folding her arms, she returned his glower. "I'm leaving you, and that's that. You can't make me---"
He lunged forward.
"No!" she screamed, but he yanked her into his arms and held on tight. "Let me go, Devlyn! He'll kill you and I'll just die!"
"You're mine, Bella. You agreed. Wolfmates don't dissolve relationships like that."
She struggled to get free, but he lifted her over his shoulder and strode into the house. "All right, we do it my way. Got some rope handy?" His words were gruff, but a hint of playfulness took the edge off.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Wouldn't I? If I have to, I will."
"I didn't know you were into bondage," she snarled, fighting to free herself.
"If it works, why not?"
"I don't have any rope."
"You're not leaving me, Bella, and that's final."
"Fine," she snapped, not liking it, but for the moment, she had no choice.
For now, Colorado and the pack beckoned for their return.
After giving Chrissie the picture of pressed Colorado flowers as a keepsake and assuring her she would keep in touch, Bella and Chrissie said their good-byes. Devlyn helped Bella load everything she could fit into her Escape, not letting her out of his sight for an instant. Within the hour, and with Bella's heart in her throat, they were on their way, with Chrissie and her kids and Henry waving good-bye in the misting rain.
It took nearly the whole trip back to Colorado for Bella to realize that, although she wanted to show her independence and to run her life her own way, she wanted Devlyn more. She knew in her heart that he was meant to be an alpha male. Now that Devlyn was part of her life, her mate, and bound by wolf law to protect her, she had to give him the chance to prove himself worthy, or else she would forever damage his pride. She loved and admired him for being a male lupus garou. The good and the bad.
For humans, male pride only went so far, but for wolves, it was the whole basis of their familial existence. A part of Devlyn would never be satisfied unless he took over the pack in the wolf way, through brute force and resourcefulness, ousting Volan forever.
No matter how hard that was for her to concede, she had to give him the chance to show he could do it. To her, it didn't matter if he was the alpha male. It only mattered that they loved one another, but he needed more. The reassurance that he had the legitimate claim to her, that she was his and no one else's. He had to prove he could do this---to protect her from Volan, ultimately, to kill him, and to lead their pack.
And she prayed he'd survive.
Devlyn and Bella finally arrived in the Southern Rockies, midday. The pinyon junipers and pines scented the air, calling to them to take their fill and romp through the woods as they had done as youngsters.
Bella's eyes moistened to be home finally. She stared at the log cabin home, with its steep roof and wraparound porch. "This is your place, Devlyn?"
"Plenty of room for a bunch of kiddos," he said, reaching over to pat her belly. "Five bedrooms and three hundred fifty acres of prime wolf land. A stream runs right through the middle of it."
"The stream where we fished when we were little?"
"Yep. About a mile from here, my leather goods factory sits on two acres. Tanner and some of my other cousins are running things while I'm away."
"Oh, I should have asked before if you could support me in the fashion I've been accustomed to."
"Yeah, Bella, and all the little ones, too."
"Good." She climbed out of the Escape, weary of all of the traveling, glad to stretch her legs and to be home. "That means I don't have to spend my money."
He joined her on the porch and wrapped his arms around her. "You're independently wealthy?"
"Are you sure you didn't already know?"
He chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Here I thought I knew all about you."
"Not everything. Some secrets should be left that way, don't you think?"
"Absolutely not."
She smiled and then noticed a note fluttering on the door. "Someone left you a message." Already dread filled the pit of her stomach.
Didn't think you'd have the nerve to bring her to me after all. Argos said you were coming home. See you soon. Volan
She touched Devlyn's neck where the red's canines had wounded him. Thank heavens, the area was completely healed, with not even a trace of a scar.
"Come on. We've tried your bed, the couch, the rental SUV, motel rooms, bathtubs, and showers. It's time to christen my place now. Plus rest up for tonight's big adventure," Devlyn said, crumpling Volan's note in his fist.
"Fighting Volan."
"Yep. The time has come. Well, in a few hours, but the notion is making me a little tense. Got something to relieve the tension?" The glint of devil flashed in his eyes.
"Now who's got a one-track mind?"
"Only...when you're around."
They'd barely walked into the house when Devlyn's phone rang. Answering it, he glanced at Bella.
She knew from the look on his face, Volan had called the pack to meet in the glade. The time had come to decide the leadership of the pack once again.
DESPITE LOVING HER WOLF FORM, BELLA THOUGHT SHE could live without it forever if it meant she and Devlyn would not have to face Volan's wrath; after all, keeping her wolf form meant that she could possibly lose the gray she dearly loved.
As before, she would be the dutiful mate and sit on the sidelines, relaxed and quiet, giving the illusion that she didn't worry about Devlyn's strength.
But as soon as the grays gathered for the evening spectacle, her heart sank. Crickets sounded their raucous tunes, frogs riveted from near the stream, and a breeze stirred pine needles with a whooshing sound. Cold and crisp, the smell of an expected snow touched the air. She wished the whisper of frost would harden Volan's joints and make him unable to dodge Devlyn's lunges. That Volan's teeth would fall out from disrepair. That his eyes and hearing were not so keen and he would make fatal mistakes, giving Devlyn the advantage. But he was not an old wolf, only in his mid-thirties, and he was a threatening figure.
Vernetta inched toward her in her wolf form, her dark brown hair standing on end, warning her the move wasn't a social call. Suddenly, the idea dawned on Bella. If Devlyn succeeded in beating Volan, Vernetta would want to be the alpha female and his mate. Bella had been so worried that Devlyn would win, she never considered she might have to battle a bitch for the female alpha role. Especially since she had already mated with Devlyn, and she figured it was a done deal.
Devlyn cast a wary glance at Vernetta while he waited in the center of the circle alone, the grassy clearing surrounded by thick pines and a smattering of oaks shivering in the chilly breeze, a peaceful meadow any other time. Volan was the only wolf of the pack not in attendance. Now it was she, Bella, who had her mate worried. Not the other way around. He feared for her safety. Then alarm filled her soul. Would he give in to Volan, concerned that, if he did not, Vernetta might rip her to shreds?
Vernetta stood two inches taller than her and was heavier besides. Bella had never tangled with her, or any female before. Well, except for the time Vernetta had knocked Bella's baby teeth out, but Bella had been so much younger and smaller it really hadn't been a fight. For the first time that a wolf had tackled her in years, the red male had sufficiently pinned her down, but Vernetta wouldn't just wrestle her to the ground. She'd want blood to ensure Bella got the point. No lupus garou but her would be Devlyn's mate.
The smell of Volan pelted Bella before she caught sight of him. Turning, she found he'd sneaked up behind her, sniffing. She was sure he tried to see if Devlyn was still keeping her well satisfied. She snarled at Volan. He shoved his way between her and Vernetta, his black fur standing on end, his neck just as thick as she'd remembered it, his body hefty and deadly.
He glanced at the gray and then gave Bella a look of menace, the same kind of evil look that he gave Devlyn the day he'd kissed Bella so long ago. Vernetta wouldn't fight Bella to have Volan as her mate. This was clear in her posture when she slinked away, her tail tucked between her legs, but what disheartened Bella most was the way Devlyn's ears flattened slightly.
She wanted to scream at him not to give in. She'd fight the bitch with tooth and claw, but damn him if he gave up the fight before it even began.
His ears rose, and she bowed her head to him, trying to show she would fight for him as well as he fought for her. That she wouldn't give the matter a care when it was her turn to wage war, just as she'd struggle to keep her own emotions in check while he fought his battle.
Volan swung his head around and licked her face. Instantly she bit him, nipping his cheek. A love bite, that's the way he treated it. If a wolf could smile, he grinned at her. She snarled at him.
With a heavy lope, he ran into the center and confronted Devlyn.
Now was the moment of the face-off she'd dreaded all her life. Larger than most wolves, Volan was heavier-set than Devlyn, although Devlyn stood taller.
The hair on the backs of both wolves stood erect, as did their tails. They held their heads high and sniffed the air, attempting to sense signs of fear. They twitched their ears back and forth, listening, each anticipating the move of the other.
The standoff continued, and although most of the wolves remained tensed, waiting for the clash to begin, everyone kept deadly silent. Bella sat down, her back aching from holding it so laboriously taut, worrying that, if she didn't relax, she would cause her body to stiffen so much that she'd be unable to take on Vernetta.
Volan waited for Devlyn to make the first strike. Was that the reason Devlyn had waited for the reds to attack him? Because he'd learned it from Volan?
Never having witnessed fighting for the alpha male position between grays, she wasn't sure of the best way to win. She'd only seen the aftermath of the kill, when Volan had finished with the rogue wolves years earlier. Bella panted hard, trying to contain her nervousness, hoping that Volan would collapse and die right on the spot before either of them did anything.
Once she sat down, several others did, too, as if she'd clued them in. To her surprise, the old pack leader was watching her. When Argos caught her eye, he bowed his head slightly and then lifted it.
Taking a deep breath, Bella faced Devlyn and Volan, more confused than ever about pack politics. She'd been away much too long. Living with humans had caused her to forget some of the pack ways, and now she regretted it. She would raise her children in the pack and never again forget where she came from.
Devlyn flattened his ears again slightly. She wanted to bite him in the butt and make him quit it, but before she could think any further about it, Volan lunged for him, his canines extended viciously.
Devlyn dodged his action, swung around, and bit him in the shoulder. Volan yelped. She wanted to cheer Devlyn on, to jump up and down, but the battle had only begun.
The two parted and ran away from each other for a moment, gathering their wits and readying themselves for the next confrontation. Devlyn glanced at her, and she bowed her head to him again. He turned quickly when Volan flew across the center at him.
Had it irritated Volan that Bella showed her favoritism for Devlyn? It did. She'd rattled him. Yes!
What else could she do?
Volan hit Devlyn so hard with a frontal assault that each raised up on his hind legs and snapped and snarled at the other's muzzle. Bella jumped to her feet; then, not wanting Devlyn to see her worry, she lay back down. Neither of the males won. Both dropped to their paws and separated.
This time, Volan paced along the edge of the wolf circle, his black fur glistening with sweat except for the patch of blood at his shoulder. He paced like the reds who couldn't beat her mate.
Devlyn stood still, watching him, wary of the next move, but seemingly in complete control. His chest heaved with exertion, but she sensed he wasn't tired yet. Not with the adrenaline coursing through his body. Not with the knowledge that he wanted her more than he wanted anything else in the world.
She glanced over at Vernetta, who was watching not the fight, but her, as if to say it was Bella's turn next. Bella lifted her head higher and turned to face Devlyn.
Volan conserved his energy this time. He didn't jump into the fray but instead trotted across the circle and again attempted a frontal assault.
This time he managed to bite Devlyn's cheek. The blood dripped from his face and Bella bolted into the circle. Instantly, Vernetta charged her. Before they could clash, several males forced them back out of the circle. The position of alpha male had to be determined first. The females' fight would follow.
Now Bella wanted to pace, but she couldn't unless she did so outside of the circle. Then she couldn't see the fight. She forced herself to sit.
Devlyn and Volan had separated again, like boxers returning to their own corners of the ring.
Volan charged Devlyn again, not waiting such a long while in between this time. His action disheartened her. Worse, when he struck at Devlyn, her mate fell. She nearly died. Intent on protecting her mate, she dove into the battle, risking the grays' wrath.
Devlyn's cousin, Tanner, slammed into her from the sidelines, knocking her off her pads. The brief distraction allowed Devlyn time to get to his feet, and at once he lunged at Volan. Tanner snapped and snarled at Bella to get her to move to the outskirts of the circle. She growled back at him, the lowest, angriest growl she could manage, and then trotted back to her place.
The grays were too big for her to handle. How could she even think she could deal with Vernetta successfully?
Devlyn had managed to catch Volan's cheek with his canines and ripped a chunk from his face, the fur-covered skin hanging loose, covered in blood.
Devlyn lunged again. He grabbed the gray's thick neck and held on for dear life. Volan snapped his jaws in an attempt to get loose. He finally shook Devlyn off. The two parted company.
But this time...Devlyn paced.
By jumping into the ring, she'd shaken him. Seeing his cousin tackle her and the powerlessness she had against the grays...undoubtedly, Devlyn worried about her ability to fight for the place of the alpha female.
Her heart sank. She couldn't help it. When he was hurt, she had to protect him. She had to.
Okay, she wouldn't do it again. Just quit pacing, Devlyn, damn it!
Volan leapt through the air and knocked Devlyn down. She could almost hear the breath in his lungs whoosh out. She waited, breathless, while Tanner watched her. She gave him the evil eye. Apparently, he thought it his place to keep her in line, but she wasn't having any part of it.
When Volan dove for Devlyn's throat, Bella went for Tanner's. She couldn't hurt him, and he wouldn't risk harming her or face whoever was the victor as the alpha male, but for the moment, she would be the distraction.
As soon as she sank her teeth in Tanner's neck, he yelped. Volan snarled at them. He wanted the show centered on him, but she wouldn't release Tanner's neck despite his attempts to break free from her. Another of Devlyn's cousins bit at her backside. That did it.
She swung around so fast, he didn't have time to retreat. With her teeth snarling, she quickly bit his leg. He yipped and scurried off.
Devlyn made it to his feet and attacked Volan again, but instead of trying for his throat, he jumped against his back. With a powerful snap, he bit into the back of Volan's neck, crushing the bone instantly. Volan didn't make a sound, and his body fell to the pine needle--carpeted floor. Volan was the alpha leader no more.
Vernetta didn't waste anytime in attacking Bella, but Bella's blood still boiled from Devlyn's cousins having attacked her. She wasn't in the mood for giving in to threats from anyone. Least of all from a female who lusted after Bella's mate.
Bella grabbed Vernetta's leg, biting only enough to make the female bolt away and limp off. Bella didn't want to kill her, just show her she wouldn't take guff from any gray female, not now or ever.
She hadn't even time to see how Devlyn fared.
Vernetta turned and bolted for her. Bella jumped out of her path and bit her broader backside. Vernetta yelped, but she turned around and charged again. There was no waiting it out, no resting between bouts.
The image came to mind of the black bear that Bella had faced years ago when she'd run away from the pack. She didn't back down then, and she wouldn't now. Vicious perseverance was the key.
Vernetta hit Bella this time with her canines, slicing her neck. The throat. If Vernetta got hold of her throat...
Bella swung her head around and grabbed Vernetta's neck and bit hard, not enough to kill her, but enough to show her that she was someone to respect. Vernetta tore free and then whipped around and lunged again.
Damn, the bitch wouldn't yield.
And Bella was quickly wearing out. The size of the gray overwhelmed her, and fighting with Devlyn's cousins hadn't helped.
Still, she wouldn't give up. Devlyn was hers...her heart soared with the realization. He was the alpha leader now!
Vernetta slammed into Bella again, and both rose on their hind legs with the impact, only Vernetta's bigger size forced Bella down first. This time, Bella aimed low. Get the lower parts, like a wolf pup would do when tackling his mother.
Bella grabbed for Vernetta's foreleg, but she wouldn't nip it this time. With a powerful snap, she broke her leg in two. It would heal, but for now, it was the end of the game for the gray. Vernetta yelped, rolled over on her side, and then whined.
Bella turned to face Devlyn. He just stared back at her. Was he ashamed she could be so mean? That's the way she felt for an instant. Mean and crotchety.
Devlyn stalked toward her and nuzzled her face with his. Their noses touched, and they licked each other's wet cheeks. The wolves around the circle lay down and bowed their heads.
Devlyn had proved himself the new alpha male leader, and Bella had won her place as his alpha mate.
FIVE MONTHS LATER, DEVLYN CRADLED BELLA IN HIS arms while they nestled on a new redwood porch swing he had crafted for her. She gazed at the beautiful greenhouse situated nearby---twice as big as her old one and already filled with rhododendrons and azaleas from Oregon, now her second home. "Chrissie wants us to come to her wedding in two months. She and Henry moved the date up, afraid I couldn't travel if they waited too long or, if they delayed it until after the babies are born, it would be harder for me to take them with us." She smiled up at Devlyn.
He grunted. "I knock Thompson out during my rescuing you at the hospital, and he wants me to be his best man at his wedding? Humans. No figuring them."
"Hmm, maybe it's the wolf in you he really likes."
Devlyn shook his head, his hand caressing her belly, swelling with triplets. She sighed heavily against his chest.
A wolf's howl in the distance brought a smile to her lips. "The Sinapu sure have made strides to reintroduce the gray wolf in the area."
"Yeah. No worry about hunters shooting lupus garous anymore or trying to put a wolf into the zoo."
"And even a few reds have been successfully reintroduced in the Smokies."
Devlyn ran his fingers through her hair. "Right. Once the humans realized that the reds they set free weren't wild enough and so were killing turkeys at local farms."
"Good thing the government's willing to reimburse farmers if wolves eat the farmer's livestock."
"Makes it easier for us to roam the area in our wolf states without arousing suspicion. But it sure was funnier than hell when Tanner got tagged as a successful reintroduction of one of the gray wolves. Nobody will let him live it down."
Bella smiled. "I couldn't be happier to be here with you like this, Devlyn, and with the pack again."
He held her tighter. "To think Argos's own mate had done the very same thing as you...distracted the pack leader so that Argos had a chance to win."
She chuckled under her breath and slipped her fingers over his bare chest. "I wish he'd told us sooner."
"Yeah, I would've had you help me out long before this. We're a team, sweet Bella."
"I agree. I'm glad Vernetta's leg healed properly, too."
"Did she tell you she had first dibs on taking care of the triplets?"
"Yeah." Bella smiled. All of the females of a wolf pack helped raise the alpha female's offspring. She couldn't have been happier to be home again. She'd lost her own red lupus garou pack but found the gray pack and the mate who'd forever be hers. "I guess your cousins aren't still sore at me for fighting them that day, although they've made themselves scarce whenever I'm around."
"On the sly, they told me that, once they'd seen your reaction, they knew you were the alpha female, even before Vernetta tried to take you down. Tanner said he was glad he didn't have to deal with that quick temper of yours."
"And you?"
"Spices life up just right."
She gave him a serious look. "When the triplets are old enough, they'll learn the true legend of how werewolves came into existence."
He kissed her cheek and squeezed her good-naturedly. "Sure, Bella honey. The first was a Scandinavian white wolf. We still have Alfred's book to prove it."
She shook her head.
Another howl sounded from the wilds.
"He's looking for a mate, don't you think?"
Devlyn stood and lifted Bella from the swing. "Yeah, at least I've got mine."
"I love you, Devlyn," she murmured against his throat.
"No more than I do you. But for now, you have to earn your keep."
She nipped at his chest.
He laughed. "Or maybe I should say, I have to earn mine."
"Hmm." She snuggled against his chest. "You better believe it. I want to take a run on the wild side. Think you're up to it, stud?"
He growled. "I'm just the one to take you up on anything your heart desires, my little red wolf." He buried his face in her curls. "Anything."
Devlyn served as the alpha male, but Bella ruled his heart and soul...just as it was meant to be. She smiled. "Promises, promises."
He chuckled, deeply rapturous. "Yeah, and you know how intent I can be on keeping my promises."
"Yeah, makes me remember again why I selected you for my mate."
He laughed and kissed her ear. "Demanding wench, but I aim to please you for the rest of our days."
She ran her finger down his chest. "Good, because we still have a lot of catching up to do."
"I'm sure we'll never get caught up." He shoved the door open with his hip. "But we have all of the time in the world to try."
"Trying is all of the fun." She grinned at him, as he laid her on the faux polar bear rug resting before the fireplace. Then she pulled the leather strap free from his hair. "My sinfully, seductive big gray wolf."
He pulled off his jeans and knelt beside her. She reached out to touch him. Shaking his head, he grinned back at her. "Bad Bella."
"Hmm-hmm."
The End
Copyright © 2009 by Terry Spear
Cover and internal design © 2009 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover photos © Jupiter Images; Tashka, dreamstime.com; valuavitality, dreamstime.com; Corbis
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Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Spear, Terry.
Destiny of the wolf / Terry Spear.
p. cm.
1. Werewolves---Fiction. I. Title.
PS3619.P373D66 2009
813'.6---dc22
2008037086
Printed in CanadaWC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
I dedicate Destiny of the Wolf to the memory of my father, who believed with all his heart I'd be published, but died of a fast-spreading cancer before that day came. He was a true hero, who survived numerous near-death catastrophes---from a dwindling sandbar in the incoming rush of tidal waters of the Duwamish River when he was four, to a typhoon in the Persian Gulf, to a sunken sailboat in the shark-infested Sea of Japan, and many, many more such adventures---yet always maintained a wonderful sense of humor and lived life to its fullest.
WHY HAD LARISSA, HER LOVING SISTER, ENDED UP DEAD---here, of all the godforsaken places in the States? Maybe that was the reason---off the beaten path, surrounded by wilderness, a place to hide from the harsh realities of the forced marriage, safe from Bruin's retaliation should he ever have located her. But she hadn't been safe. And now she was dead.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lelandi Wildhaven thought she saw her cousin, Ural, slink into the woods in his wolf form, but she had to be mistaken. He wouldn't be angry enough with her to shapeshift this close to Silver Town and risk alerting the gray lupus garou pack that a couple of reds had slipped into their territory.
Ignoring her gut instinct telling her this was a very bad idea, she pushed open the Silver Town Tavern's heavy door, the squealing of the rusty hinges jarring her taut nerves.
Five bearded men sitting at a table turned to stare at her, and at once she feared the worst---they saw straight through her disguise.
She shoved the faux eyeglasses back into place, hating the way they kept sliding down the bridge of her nose. The weather-beaten cowboy hat she'd picked up at a resale shop half swallowed her head, making her look like a little kid wearing her dad's Stetson.
Amber glass lights hanging from brass rods high above softly illuminated dark oak tables and a long, polished bar. Slow-spinning wooden fan blades circulated the air, impregnated with the smell of gray lupus garou. Her nerve endings prickled with fresh awareness. Dingy antique mirrors covering the back wall behind the bar bore mute witness to the goings-on in the place, as she suspected they had for decades. If they had captured all the images of the bar's existence what a story those mirrors could tell.
Another bearded man crouching beneath the lip of the bar suddenly stood to his full six-foot-four height. The glass and dish towel he held nearly slipped from his grasp as his appraising glance took in every inch of her. His lips turned up at the corners slightly. Deep laugh lines were etched in his tanned skin and shaggy black hair extended to his shoulders, giving him the appearance of a rugged mountain man, unused to civilized trappings. What disturbed her most was that he was a gray, like the men drinking at the table. She'd anticipated it would be a human-run establishment frequented by lupus garous, like the bar back home.
"What'll you have, miss?" he asked, his voice warm and welcoming.
Expecting a chilly greeting---their kind didn't welcome strangers venturing into their midst, especially if she were human and this was an exclusively gray lupus garou tavern---she hesitated.
"Miss?"
"Bottled water, please." She'd meant to sound tough, to match the look of the place. She'd intended to be someone different, with her red hair dyed black and the high-heeled boots giving the impression she stood taller, more like them. The blue contacts she wore hid her green eyes sufficiently, but she still felt like Lelandi, triplet to Larissa, with barely any visible difference in appearance, except her eyes were greener and her hair more red and less golden than her sister's had been. Had her voice betrayed her?
The small smile on the bartender's face was more likely because she was a stranger who'd walked into a wolves' den without protection than because she'd given herself away. She cursed herself for not disguising her voice better, but the barkeep's warm demeanor gave her a false sense of security, which could be the death of her if she wasn't careful.
The bartender handed her a chilled bottle of water and tall green glass. "New in town?"
"Just passing through," she said, paying for the water.
"Sam's the name, miss. If you need anything, just holler."
"Thanks." Hollering for a drink was definitely not her style.
She chose a table in the farthermost corner of the room, half-hidden in shadows. Although any of them could see in the dark as well as she could, this location would keep her out of the main flow of traffic. She hoped she'd seem inconspicuous, not worthy of anyone's scrutiny, and most of all, human.
Lelandi glanced at the door. According to her information, Darien Silver---Larissa's widowed mate---should be here soon.
One of the men got up from his seat and gave Sam some cash. The man cast Lelandi a hint of a smile, then returned to his chair. Small for a gray, stocky, hair a bland brown, eyes amber, his clothes carrying a coating of dust, he had a soft, round baby face. Looked sweet, a beta-wolf type. Smudges of dirt colored his cheeks, and he wiped them off with the back of his denim shirtsleeve. His eyes never straying from her, he smoothed out his raggedy hair and took another swig of his beer.
Sam joined Lelandi and handed her the cash. "Joe Kelly paid for your drink, miss. He works at the silver mine, which explains his slightly rough appearance. But he cleans up good." Sam gave her a wink, and returned to the bar.
Should she turn down Joe's offer? On the other hand, if he was interested in her, maybe she could discover the truth quicker.
"Thank you," she mouthed to Joe Kelly and his chest swelled.
The other guys started ribbing him in low voices. The tips of Joe's ears turned crimson.
Her stomach clenched with the notion that Larissa had had the audacity to mate with a gray, especially when she had a mate already. She'd said she wanted to find herself, and she did. Six feet under. Yet, Lelandi couldn't help feeling it was her own fault, that if she'd taken Larissa's place back home, or even run away with her, she might have kept her safe. But what about their parents? She couldn't have left them behind---not with her dad so incapacitated---but hell, she hadn't been able to protect them either. They had been murdered anyway.
She tamped down a shudder, hating that she hadn't stopped any of it. But once she learned what had happened to Larissa and put the murderer in his grave, Lelandi was going to locate her brother and their uncle---damn both of them for leaving the family behind.
The barkeep clinked some glasses, his gaze taking her in like a crafty old wolf's. He probably was on the younger side of middle age but due to the beard, he seemed older. The smile still percolated on his lips. Trying to figure her out? Or did he realize what a phony she was? Hunting in the wild was nothing new, but hunting like this...
She twisted the top off her bottled water and glanced down at her watch again. Only four twenty-five.
"Waiting for someone?" Sam asked, one dark brow cocked.
She shook her head. Her hat jiggled, her glasses slipped, and the annoying earrings danced.
Two men appeared in front of one of the dingy tavern windows and then the door jerked open. Her heart skittered.
"Hey, Sam! Bring us a pitcher of beer," one of them called.
About six-foot---as tall as her brother---with windswept shoulder-length dark hair and a newly started beard, his amber eyes hinted at cheerfulness and good-humor rang in his words. Both men wore leather jackets, plaid shirts, denims, cowboy hats, and boots, and they appeared to be twins. Multiple births abounded among lupus garous, so no surprise there. They looked like they were mid-to late-twenties and walked into the place like they owned the joint.
"Jake, Tom." Sam glanced in her direction, alerting them to the presence of a stranger.
She stiffened her back and gripped her glass tighter.
Tom---his hair the lighter of the two, longer, curling around his broad shoulders, his face smooth as silk---fastened his gaze on her and raised his brows, tipped back his Stetson, and grinned.
Self-conscious, her whole body heated and alarm bells rang. Keep a low profile!
Tom took a deep breath as if he were love-struck. "The place looks a might better tonight, Sam. Done some nice redecorating."
The bearded one furrowed his dark brows. "Didn't you tell her it's a private club and no matter what, that table is reserved?"
"Bending the rules today. First come, first served." Sam grinned and winked at Lelandi.
Damn. Was this where Darien normally sat? She thought he'd sit in the center, so everyone could see their leader. That's the way Bruin did it back home.
Now what? Move? To where? If she moved to the table across from Darien's, she feared she'd draw too much attention. Not that she expected anyone to hurt her here, but she had thought she'd be able to keep a low profile. The tables situated on the other side of the bar sat in front of the restrooms. Anywhere else was too near the front door or in the middle of the floor, and no matter what, she wanted to have her back to the wall. She wasn't leaving until she'd had a chance to observe the leader and as many of his pack members as she could, any one of whom might have murdered Larissa.
Tom grabbed the pitcher of beer and a glass. "Come on, Jake. Change is good for the soul." He stalked over to the table opposite her and sat where he could see both the front door and, most of all, her.
Immersed in a goldfish bowl, she wondered what had made her think she could enter the wolves' lair without arousing suspicion.
Jake sat with his back to the wall to have a better view of the door. If he wanted to look her over, he'd have to turn his head and be pretty obvious about it. He did. The expression on his face was dark and foreboding. Gone was the humor his features had held when he first walked into the place.
Laughing and boisterous, three more men barged into the tavern, glanced to where Jake and Tom sat, then shifted their attention to Lelandi. Which meant what? That Jake and Tom normally sat with Darien at the table where she was now sitting?
Terrific!
"Howdy, boys," the older bearded man of the group said, nodding a greeting. The other two were nearly as old, gray streaking their brown beards, their gazes pinned on her. "Bring us the usual, Sam." He turned to Jake and pointed his head at her. "He know about this?"
"Still giving orders at the factory, Mason," Tom said.
The bearded man grumbled, "Fourth of July's coming for a second time this year."
Figuring she'd be better off sitting next to the restrooms to lessen the chance of creating fireworks, Lelandi grabbed her purse.
The door banged open again. The chatter died.
As soon as she saw him, she knew it was him---not only because silence instantly cloaked the room and every eye in the place watched Darien Silver's reaction. His sable hair curled at the top edge of his collar. Brooding dark eyes, grim lips, features handsomely rugged, but definitely hard, defined him. Wearing a leather jacket, western shirt, jeans, and boots, everything was as black as his somber mood. He looked so much like Tom and Jake, she figured they must be triplets, and he was the leader of the gray lupus garou in the area. Had to be, the way everyone watched him, waiting for the fireworks.
Something about him stirred her blood, something akin to recognition, yet she'd never seen him before in her life. It wasn't his face, or clothes, or body that stimulated some deep memory---but the way he moved---commanding, powerful, with an effortless grace.
He glanced at the barkeep and gave a nod of greeting---sullen, silent, still in mourning for his mate? If he discovered why Lelandi was here, he'd be pissed.
A shiver trickled down her spine. She released her purse and kept her seat, for the moment. Everyone was acting so oddly, she imagined that was the reason he quickly surveyed the current seating arrangement. When his eyes lit on her, incredulity registered.
Crap! He recognized her; she just knew it. Didn't matter that she had dyed her hair this horrible color that didn't do anything for her fair skin, or that her eyes were now blue. Didn't matter that the heavy padded leather jacket gave her broader shoulders and made her appear heavier, or that she wore her hair straight as blades of uncut grass, compliments of a hair straightening iron, when her sister's and hers was naturally curly. She couldn't hide the shape of her face or eyes or mouth. All of them mirrored her sister's looks.
Then again, his look was puzzled. The hat and glasses appeared to confuse him. Maybe the fact that she wore the faux pierced earrings that looked like the real thing did too.
She broke eye contact first, her skin sweaty, her hands trembling. God, he was more wolf than she was used to dealing with---broader-shouldered and taller. His eyes locked onto hers with sinful determination, no backing down, no compromise. No wonder Larissa had fallen for the attention-grabbing gray. Lelandi couldn't help wondering how a romp with a virile wolf like him would feel. But damn if it hadn't gotten Larissa killed. Stick with your own kind, that's what her father would have said. No humans, lupus garou only...the red variety.
Everyone remained deathly quiet---no one lifted a mug to take a sip of a drink, no one moved a muscle. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to look at Darien, to see what he was doing now.
Still staring at her. She wanted to sink into the floor like mop water on a hot day. She gritted her teeth, lifted her glass of water, and took another swig, hoping she wouldn't inadvertently choke on the icy drink out of nervousness. But she wasn't leaving Silver Town until she avenged Larissa's death.
Darien glanced at Sam, who shrugged a shoulder and handed him an empty glass. If Darien wanted her out of his chair, he would have to move her.
Macho gang leaders had to show they were in charge, particularly when it came to their territory, and no one, especially women, upstaged them. There were none more notorious for this than lupus garous. No one challenged them and got away with it, unless another lupus garou was trying to take over the pack, and won.
She wasn't part of his pack. She wasn't a male. And she wasn't a gray. What's worse, she looked like his dead mate. On the other hand, it appeared he wasn't sure of what he was seeing.
The eyes that latched onto her again were cold, yet sorrow was reflected in them, too. He jerked the glass off the counter and headed to where Jake and Tom sat. He forced Tom to move to the chair with his back to the door, giving Darien a better view of both her and the entrance.
How could she observe the pack members if the leader kept an eye on her? Even now, she was certain he could smell her fear. She told herself she wasn't afraid of him, but any lupus garou who was worth his pelt would take heed when confronting a pack leader.
Frozen with indecision, she remained seated. What the hell, let him think she was too afraid to move from her chair---his chair, whatever.
The first woman she'd seen tonight entered the tavern dressed in short shorts and a turtleneck shirt, with leather boots mid-thigh, her sable hair piled on top of her head in whirls of dark curls.
"Hey, Silva," one of the four men seated at the bar said and whistled. "Looking hot."
She gave him a flashy bright red-lipped grin, then glanced in Lelandi's direction. Astonishment was reflected in her expression. Silva's gaze shifted and she spied Darien nearby. Bending over the bar to give the guys a better look at her ass, she whispered something to Sam. He looked over at Lelandi. Yep, she was sure to be the topic of conversation tonight.
Sam shrugged. "Drawing a real crowd tonight, Silva. Why don't you see if the boss needs some more beer?"
Tom lifted the empty pitcher. "Need a refill. Looks like the lady could use another drink."
Desperately wanting out of the limelight, Lelandi melted into her seat.
Silva gave her a simpering smile. "Well, well, looks like the word has gotten out to some far-reaching places. Guess it won't be long before the place will be crawling with---"
Sam slammed a pitcher of beer on the counter. "Take care of the customers, Silva, and play nice."
She sneered at him, then grabbed the pitcher. "Yes siree, boss, that's what you pay me for." Swinging her hips, she carried the beer to Darien's table, and then gave him a big smile. "Here ya go, boss. Just whistle if you need more."
Darien didn't say a word, just leaned back in his chair and looked over at Lelandi.
Silva made a face and headed for Lelandi's table. "Need another...bottled water?"
Time for a drink. "Got margaritas?" Lelandi spoke low, only it wasn't low enough.
Tom choked on his beer. A couple of the men at the bar chuckled. Sam smiled and poured whiskey for one of the men.
"I don't know, sugar." Silva turned to Sam. "Hey, Sam, we got fancy drinks for an out-of-towner? Like a margarita?" She said the word as if she was speaking of a woman's cute name.
More chuckles ensued.
"I can whip up anything the little lady would like."
Little. That described her all right. Five-four, and the size of a red lupus garou female. She sat taller.
"Is that what you would like, Miss...?" Silva asked, drawing it out, searching for a name.
"Yes, thank you."
Tough, damn it. Lelandi wanted to present a tougher image in front of the grays. She'd practiced and practiced and so what did she do? Acted like a squeaky damned mouse. Used to being around her own kind, she'd never felt intimidated---much. Having earned double black belts in jujitsu and kung fu helped boost her confidence around human brutes. But these people were neither human nor her own kind, and a whole pack of them could devour her alive if she gave them the opportunity.
The woman leaned closer and Lelandi was again sure she was about to be found out. Silva breathed in the air, and her brown eyes narrowed. Despite wearing a ton of fancy human perfumes, and of course the stench from the fresh dye job---although Lelandi had washed her hair in strawberry shampoo trying to cover up that odor---she hoped no one could smell that she was a lupus garou, and not one of their own kind, either. Looked like it didn't work.
"Well, well, well." Silva straightened her back. "Make the lady a margarita, Sam."
"Put the first on my tab," Tom piped up. "Wouldn't want the lady to think we're a bunch of unfriendly old coots."
"The second one's on me," Silva said.
The miner, Joe Kelly, looked disappointed that he hadn't spoken up first, but as much of a beta wolf as he appeared, he probably wouldn't say anything to tick Darien off. Darien's brothers would be the exceptions, and Silva seemed able to do as she pleased.
Darien didn't say a word. He exuded control with just a look---dangerous, not the kind of man to rile. His actions, or lack thereof, spoke louder than any words. Bruin would have blustered all over the tavern in Darien's place. Proving he was the pack leader and no one would disobey him, Bruin would have taken her to task immediately, belittled her, thrown her out of the joint bodily if she'd taken his seat. But just a glower from Darien conveyed a world of threat, and she'd do well to heed it.
Everyone seemed fascinated with the reason Silva had taken an interest in Lelandi. They had to figure Silva had discovered something about her. Silva seemed amused Lelandi was a red lupus garou masquerading as a human. At least Lelandi assumed the woman had found her out.
"Where ya staying, darlin'?" Silva's tone was much more appeasing, the sweetness faked.
Lelandi cleared the sudden frog in her throat. "Just passing through."
Silence. The woman's eyes darkened, and she quickly glanced at Darien. His eyes had widened, and he was staring at Lelandi. Shit. Her voice must have sounded similar to Larissa's this time, the way she spoke, the inflection, something.
Low conversation took place at the table next to Darien's and among the grays at the bar while Sam whipped up Lelandi's margarita, but no one at Darien's table spoke a word.
More patrons entered the tavern, all looking to greet their leader, then, finding a dead ringer for his dead mate sitting at his regular table, turned to see Darien, and the scenario repeated itself until the place was crowded and noisy. But no one dared sit at her table. Thank god. The more important conversations were conducted low so she couldn't hear the gist of them, but she only had to guess what was being said. Dead sister's clone arrives at grays' hangout, seeking revenge. They'd all be shaking in their boots. Right.
After finishing her margarita, Lelandi was dying to go to the bathroom, and the place had grown so warm, she shrugged out of her jacket. Big mistake. As soon as they saw how petite she was, the whole room grew quiet again.
Silva hurried over with another margarita for Lelandi, although she intended to get another bottle of water.
"On me, sweetie," the woman said, this time with real affection. Standing nearly five-foot-ten, in her four-inch heels, she was small for a female gray.
"Thanks." Lelandi stood, and the woman's face dropped, probably thinking Lelandi meant to leave, snubbing her for the drink. "Got to use the little girls' room."
"Oh." Silva's lips turned up slightly. "Back that way." She motioned with her hand.
"Thanks." Lelandi hadn't considered what it would feel like to walk through the tavern to the ladies' room, until everyone acted so interested in her. With her shoulders straight back, her chin tilted up, and her body ten degrees hotter than normal, she made her way to the restroom.
Several men nodded their heads in greeting. Respectfully, a couple of them took their cowboy hats off. None smiled though, not even Joe this time, which would be typical. Until their pack leader made her welcome, most would look her over, but wouldn't make any move to be overtly friendly. Darien would probably take Joe to task if Sam told him the miner had paid for her first drink.
Sitting with some men at one of the larger tables, three women glowered at her as if they wished her dead. Had any of them wanted Larissa eliminated and carried out the threat?
Ignoring them, Lelandi walked into the restroom, but after entering a stall, she heard the outer door squeak open. Her skin chilled. Too late to circumvent the trouble headed her way.
When she exited the stall, the three women were waiting for her, their expressions slightly amused in a sinister manner. All brown-haired, around midtwenties like her---probably each vying to be Darien's new mate and fearing she was new competition.
When she'd come up with this scheme of looking for her Larissa's murderer, Lelandi had never considered anyone would think she'd be interested in pursuing the pack's leader. The idea of mating with a bigger gray for real...She mentally shook her head.
"What's your name?" the woman in denims and a cowl-neck sweater asked, her voice softly threatening, her western boot tapping on the tile floor. Her amber eyes narrowed, she took in a deep breath---trying to smell who or what Lelandi was---and curled her orange-painted lips up in a nasty way. The notion her face could hideously freeze that way briefly crossed Lelandi's mind. "You're not from around here, and you're not one of us."
"Hey, Ritka, what say we give her a nice send-off?" the shortest one asked, still towering over Lelandi by several inches.
Lelandi brushed past her to wash her hands.
"Don't plan on staying, bitch," a meatier one snarled, whipping her waist-length, muddy-colored hair about as she spoke, crowding Lelandi. Bulkier than the other two, she would make a hefty wolf and hard to beat if she craved being Darien's bitch and fought the others to have that role. But no female lupus garou---well, of the red variety---crowded Lelandi anymore and got away with it, and she was having a devil of a time maintaining her cool.
"Don't intend to stay long. Just taking care of a little family business, if it's any of your concern."
Ritka whispered close to her ear, her whiskey breath invading Lelandi's breathing space, "We know who you are, and you can't have him, Red. You know what happened to the other one. Get out of Dodge, honey, before it happens to you, too."
Her blood sizzling, Lelandi attempted to wash her hands as if the women didn't exist.
The short one yanked at her purse and the leather strap bit into Lelandi's shoulder. "Tell us who you are."
"As if the bitch would say, Angelina, when she's wearing this fool disguise," Ritka snarled.
Lelandi's temple pounded with frustration, but she rinsed the soap off her hands and bit back the feral part of her wolf nature clawing to get out. Beating up three female grays wouldn't help her cause.
Ritka bumped into her, probably triggered by the other pulling at her purse, each leading the other on, escalating the situation. Lelandi clenched her teeth against retaliating. Nothing they did was important enough to provoke her, she reminded herself.
The heavy one grabbed a handful of Lelandi's hair and yanked hard. "Guys don't like dyed hair, didn't you know?"
The pain ripped across Lelandi's scalp, and she counted slowly to ten, hoping to avoid physical contact, but planning swift retaliation if anyone did anything else.
"You got that right, Hosstene," Ritka said with a sharp laugh and reached for a handful of Lelandi's hair.
Enough! With a quick well-placed jab, Lelandi elbowed Angelina in the gut, judo-chopped Hosstene in the throat, then swung around and slammed her fist into Ritka's eye. While they were choking and cursing, Lelandi grabbed a paper towel, dried her hands, and left the restroom, her heart racing.
She'd asked for trouble now.
NO, DAMN IT. THE BITCHES HAD ASKED FOR TROUBLE AND as much as told Lelandi that someone had murdered Larissa for being a red.
She opened the restroom door and slammed it behind her, shutting out the women's curses. The men who were sitting with the women looked from Lelandi to the ladies' room. Sorry, boys, the girls need to tidy up a bit.
Lelandi retook her seat and when the women still didn't emerge from the restroom, Sam motioned for Silva to check it out.
Maybe now would be a good time for Lelandi to go in search of her rogue brother and uncle. Forget that Larissa had run away and gotten herself killed, leaving Lelandi to deal with Bruin's pack alone. Or, she could stay and face the wrath of a bunch of angry grays.
As a matter of pride and a good deal of stubbornness, she stayed. All eyes remained on the restroom while Lelandi coolly drank her second margarita. No one spoke. No doubt the whole lot of them would murder Lelandi in her sleep tonight. She hoped her time here wasn't totally wasted. But she wasn't giving up.
Silva came out of the restroom, her lips turned up, her eyes sparkling with amusement, head shaking. She raised her brows at the guys who were with the women and strolled past. Her attention turned to Darien, waiting for a report. Her smile broadened, then she spoke to Sam.
"Next margarita's on me, Silva, for the young lady." Tom offered Lelandi a grin and a wink.
Lelandi shook her head. "Water will be fine."
The three women crowded out of the bathroom, Ritka scowling, her swollen right eye already turning black and blue. Angelina was still clutching her stomach, and Hosstene's face was dark with anger---Lelandi was pretty sure her jab to the gray's throat would preclude her talking much for a while.
Everyone looked the women over, then Lelandi. No, she wasn't fighting to be the pack leader's new bitch.
She guessed it was time to come up with a new plan. This one damn sure wasn't working.
Darien Silver watched the defiant young lady who had to be his mate's twin. Had to be. The voice clinched it. At first, he thought she was some ditsy human sitting in his chair at his table, and he couldn't understand why Sam hadn't thrown her out of the place. At least he'd thought she was human. Lupus garous had exceptional visual acuity. Only humans wore glasses. And the pierced earrings. No lupus garou would get caught dead with pierced earlobes in their wolf form. Or wear a watch, for that matter. The straight black hair looked nothing like his dead mate's, and the blue eyes had stopped him cold. The perfume she'd drowned herself in, he figured, was some ploy to get all the guys in the tavern hot and bothered, but for lupus garous, the smell was overwhelming, burned their eyes, and had the opposite effect.
Her voice was all it took to send shivers exploding across his skin.
He swore he was seeing his late wife sipping margaritas, which she never would have done. A wine lady was what she was. And the way this woman had handled the ladies from his pack? His mate would never have managed.
Taking a steadying breath, he reminded himself the woman wasn't his mate. She only looked like her when he scrutinized her closely, her small face dominated by the oversized Stetson and the bug-eyed, rose-colored glasses, but personality-wise she couldn't be more different from his beloved Lelandi. Except his people already seemed to make up their minds. Lelandi had returned, and he would have a go at her again.
Not in a million years. She'd killed herself, unstable, unable to deal with the stress of being a pack leader's mate, and not being one of them in the first place...Nope, wouldn't happen again. Next one would be a gray, except not from his pack. Except for Silva, the eligible women had resented Lelandi, and he couldn't forgive them.
He finished his third beer and set his glass aside. He tried to watch his people to take his mind off his dead mate, but the woman sitting at his table distracted him something fierce. What the hell was she doing here anyway? Come to claim her sister's body? Scream at him for pushing her sister over the edge? Condemning himself enough for her death for the past three weeks, he didn't need anyone else's help. Not enough beers in the world could make him forget the look on Lelandi's face, at peace finally in death.
He shook his head. Although he usually stayed until closing, tonight he wanted to get away. How would it look if the pack leader couldn't deal with the image of his late wife sitting at the next table?
Growling deep inside, he poured himself another beer.
"Twin sister, don't you think, Darien?" Tom, his youngest triplet asked, his brows raised.
"Yeah. Lelandi said she didn't have any family left. Apparently she lied." Which didn't set well with Darien, but it was too late to be angered about it.
"What do you think she's doing here?" Tom rubbed his hand over the sweating glass.
"Something to do with her sister, no doubt."
"Think the woman suspects Lelandi was murdered?" Jake asked.
Darien looked sharply at him. "What the hell makes you say that?"
Jake shrugged. "Why wouldn't she meet with you and state what her business is here? Why try to conceal her identity? The only conclusion I can come up with is she doesn't think Lelandi's death was an accident. And she's looking into it herself."
"Hell." Darien glowered at the red, wondering what her hair would look like if it wasn't that hideous black color, way too harsh for her light creamy skin.
"Looks like she gave the ladies hell who meant to mess with her." Tom grinned.
"Which means there'll be more trouble." Jake's voice was as dark as Darien felt.
Darien turned to Tom. "I want you to---"
Jake interrupted, "She's leaving."
All conversation in the tavern instantly died.
Her boots clicked on the wood floor as she walked toward the door, her back stiff, her hands clenched in fists---her whole body language saying, Don't mess with me.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, he craved chasing after her and laying claim to her, just like he'd done with her sister. He felt an overwhelming urge to kiss those pursed lips, feel her soft skin naked beneath his, make love to her like he'd made love to her sister. He was definitely losing it.
With the utmost restraint, he remained seated and observed her open the door. "Follow her, Tom. Watch where she goes, and...hell, stick to her for the night."
"You sure? You really mean it?" Tom asked, his voice too hopeful.
"Just don't let anyone get to her, all right?"
"He means," Jake interjected, "don't let anyone screw with her and that includes you."
Tom looked at Darien for confirmation. If his brother wanted her and the woman was agreeable, who was he to say no? Their kind wasn't into casual sex, so if she wanted a mate and Tom was interested, fine. Darien wasn't about to go down that road again. "Do whatever it takes to make sure none of our people bother her."
Tom gave Jake a look like he had him there. "Thanks, Darien. I'll take care of her." He hurried after Lelandi's sister as the door slammed behind her.
Sending Tom after the woman signaled to the rest of his people in the tavern, and the word would quickly spread to the others, Darien wanted her left alone. If any stepped over the line, he'd hold them accountable.
Jake moved his glass over the wooden table, scraping it back and forth.
Darien glowered at him. "What, Jake?"
"Don't you think you should talk with the woman? Find out what she's doing here?"
"Why do you think Lelandi was murdered?"
"You've buried your head in the sand on this one, brother. Several believe someone murdered her, but when they spy me, the talking stops. No one will tell me or Tom what they suspect."
"A conspiracy?"
"No. At least I don't think so. Unless they're protecting someone, or are afraid you'd be too mad if you learned the truth."
"Most of the pack believes I'd be happier thinking she committed suicide?"
Jake twisted his head to the side. "Yeah. If we have a murderer in our midst, it could shake up the whole pack. If she committed suicide, everything would be a lot cleaner."
"She left a suicide note in her own handwriting. She killed herself. End of story." Darien took another swig of his beer, but this time it tasted sour.
"Then why don't you tell her sister the truth? Why send Tom, who's bound to botch the whole thing?" Jake's mouth curved up, the first truly evil smile Darien had seen him offer in a while. "If he gets fresh, he's liable to look like Ritka with a colorful new eye."
Darien ignored his comment. "If a twin sister is looking into what happened, Lelandi must not have had any brothers."
"We didn't know she had any family, period."
Darien rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the tension pooling there. The gnawing pain of her death would never fade away, but now seeing her look-alike sister brought it all crashing back tenfold. Yet, he was furious with his mate for killing herself. Doc said it was part of the grief process, but Darien hated himself for not controlling his feelings better. Remorse, that's the only feeling he should allow himself. "I'm beginning to assume I didn't know a lot about my mate."
Jake glanced back at their usual table. "If it were me, I'd tell the woman what I thought and send her packing. Things could get out of hand if she hangs around. It appears the other women think she wants to be your mate to replace her sister."
"That would be the damned day," Darien growled, yet a twinge of need wreaked havoc with his feelings, and his brother looked like he didn't believe him one bit.
Not far from the tavern, Lelandi heard the door creak open and shut. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Tom taking great strides to reach her, his eyes and mouth lit in a smile.
Great. Just great. How in the hell was she going to put Plan B into effect and break into Darien's house to search for clues about Larissa's death while he was drinking at the tavern if one of his brothers shadowed her?
She cast him an annoyed look. His lips curved up even more and his eyes sparkled with way too much interest. She headed for the Hastings Bed and Breakfast, figuring she'd slip out the window of her room if Tom took up residence in the lobby.
Before she reached the brick building, Tom joined her, standing so close that the heat of his body reached out to her. "You're Lelandi's sister, aren't you?"
"Larissa's," she corrected.
He bowed his head slightly. "I wasn't certain until I heard you speak. You sure shook Darien up. But he needed to be rousted from the pit of hell he's been wallowing---"
The familiar sound of danger, a clicking sound made when someone switched the safety off on a gun, caught her ear, and she whipped her head around. In a heartbeat, she wished she'd brought her gun in her purse. But it was hidden under the mattress until she needed it. And she was afraid she needed it now.
Tom seized her arm. "Wait," he whispered.
Her skin prickled with fresh concern. He'd heard it, too. She'd hoped she'd been mistaken.
"Nine-millimeter," he warned, his voice hushed.
Before they could move, a shot rang out, Tom yelled and shoved Lelandi behind him, but collapsed to his knees. "Run! Go back to the tavern!"
Ohmigod, the bastard had shot Tom! Seizing his arm, she tried to move him, but he was dead weight as he slipped to the asphalt, passed out. Blood streaked down his face. The bullet had struck him in the temple.
The shooter moved out of the shadows, blocking her path to the tavern. A pleasant face to look at if the murdering bastard weren't wearing such a scowl. His scruffy black beard, unkempt hair, and rumpled clothes made it appear he'd been living on the run for a few days. Amber eyes looked almost wolflike, but being upwind of him, she couldn't tell if he was human or lupus garou.
He aimed his gun at her. Silver bullets or regular?
"What do you want?" Her heart racing, she tried to buy herself time.
Had anyone in the noisy tavern heard the shooting? She couldn't tackle the gunman from this distance. If she dashed for the inn, he might shoot Mrs. Hastings, or the twin girls who kept hanging around the lobby, although Lelandi sure wanted to get her gun.
Where the hell was Ural, now that she could use his help? If he was in his wolf form like she suspected, his wicked canines could take care of the menace. Taking time to strip and shapeshift into the wolf herself wasn't an option.
Out of choices, she did the only thing she could think of to rouse help for Tom and maybe scare off the hesitant gunman. She screamed.
The shooter's eyes widened, his lips curved down, and he pulled the trigger, firing once, twice, three times. The impact of the bullets ripped into her chest, throwing her against the brick building, and she nearly collapsed. At first, no pain registered as she struggled to stay on her feet. When she didn't immediately expire on the spot, he stared at her as if she was the devil incarnate.
Then the pain struck hard and for an instant, her thought processes threatened to shut down. When he raised his gun, her brain caught hold.
She dashed toward the forest skirting the town, intending to double back as soon as she could and get help for Tom. She'd give the shooter a real run for his blood money. Thank god the bullets didn't burn like silver ones would. She'd live, if she could find refuge and allow her body time to heal.
"Bloody hell!" Her assailant took chase.
Stabbing pain streaked through every inch of her now, and she could feel the hot blood seeping from the wounds. Every second her heart pumped more blood out, and she felt her legs weakening.
Run, damn you, Lelandi. If ever she had to push herself, this was the time.
Branches broke several yards behind her as she dove around trees, scrambled over fallen, rotting trunks, clawed through thick brush. As much noise as the gunman was making, she again assumed he was human. Good. He couldn't see the trail of blood she was leaving, nor could he smell her scent. Then again, the breeze was shifting so much, it would help to disguise her location. Oh hell, as much perfume as she was wearing, probably even a human could follow her. She tried to remain downwind of him.
Tried---was the key word, because her senses were failing---one by one.
She no longer heard the birds singing in the trees, or the wind whistling through the firs, just her heavy breathing and the blood roaring in her ears. Her eyes blurred and she misjudged the lay of the land. The ground seemed to give way. And she fell.
Striking branches and brambles, she grabbed for anything to stop her tumble down the steep incline, skinning and cutting her hands. She lost her hat first, her glasses next. A branch scraped off one earring, then the other. Her hair tangled on every branch in her path, yanking at her scalp, the branches and twigs giving up their hold as she rolled. Downward...downward, banging against rocks and stumps, her whole body bruised and battered, she gritted her teeth against the pain.
For a second, she worried about the damned disguise and the trail she'd left behind for the attempted murderer. Then her back struck something rock hard, unforgiving, massive. The pain shot straight up her spine, all the way to her brain, short-circuiting it.
Blackness enveloped her as her night vision and all her senses shut down.
REACHING A DULL ROAR, THE CONVERSATION AT THE TAVERN centered around Lelandi's sister's appearance in town when Darien's cell phone rang. He wasn't surprised to see Tom's cell number and assumed Lelandi's sister was causing trouble. He sure as hell hoped she hadn't slipped away from him. "Yeah, Tom? What's up now?"
"Got to come quick!" Tom yelled into the phone, his voice breathy.
"Tom?" Darien leapt from his chair. "Where are you?"
"Gunshots fired. Hastings Bed---" The phone died.
"Gunfire at Hastings!" Darien's heart hammered his ribs as he and Jake bolted for the tavern door.
From the thunderous roar of boots tromping down the street behind him, everyone from the tavern must be on his heels. While he raced toward the hotel, his muscles tensed for battle, concern for the woman and his brother's safety swamped him.
Although the insidious thought flashed across his mind that she might have shot Tom.
"Hastings Bed and Breakfast," he hollered to Jake, clarifying it wasn't Hastings Hardware.
"Crap, Darien, what now?"
"Gunshots were fired. Hell, I don't know." Darien berated himself that he'd put Tom's life in danger, when he should have gone instead.
His cell phone rang, and he jerked it off his belt. "Tom, what the hell's---"
"I've been hit."
"Where are you?"
"Behind..." Tom quit speaking.
In the eerie silence, Darien held his breath in anticipation as he and Jake stopped dead. "Tom? Tom!" Silence. "Armed gunman somewhere near Hastings. Get Doc Oliver. Tom's been shot," Darien shouted to his men.
Gray-haired and bearded Mason, still wearing his gray suit---the usual attire for Silver Town's bank owner---yanked out his cell phone. "Got it, boss."
"Silver bullets or regular?" Jake asked.
"Phone went dead."
More shots sounded in the woods farther away. Darien cursed and quickened his run toward Hastings. "Careful, men. Not sure what kind of bullets the shooter's using."
He motioned for some to skirt around the front of the B&B. Then he, Jake, and several others headed around back.
"Where the hell is Tom?" Jake asked under his breath.
"Passed out maybe."
"I'll kill whoever the son of a---"
Groans came from behind a Dumpster. Anger blazed through Darien's veins as he and Jake bolted around the green trash bin.
Tom lay on his back, holding his bloodied head, his eyes dazed. "Where'd she go? Odin's beard, my head hurts like a---"
"Tell the others we found Tom!" Darien shouted to some of the men as they drew closer. One of them handed him a handkerchief. Crouching next to his brother, Darien lifted his head in his lap, then tied the handkerchief around the bleeding wound. "Silver or regular?"
"Not silver. My body's rejecting the bullet, but it hurts like hell." Tom closed his eyes. "Where's Larissa?"
Two more men came running toward them.
"Doc Oliver's on his way." Mason shoved his phone into his pocket. "No sign of the girl or the gunman." He arched a gray brow in question. "Sure they aren't one and the same?"
Hoping it wasn't so, Darien looked at Tom for an answer.
"Thor's thunder." Tom's gaze drifted and he squinted his eyes closed. "He shot Larissa, too."
Darien swore under his breath. The notion the maniac threatened Lelandi's sister's life twisted his gut. Issuing the next order took all his strength, when he wanted more than anything to take care of the matter himself. "Find her, and get that damned gunman."
Any other decision would sound like he cared more for the red's safety than his own brother, or a pack member---not a leadership quality. Applying pressure to the wound, he hoped Doc Oliver would hurry, because no matter how much he told himself otherwise, the woman looked too much like his dead mate to deny his feelings for her. Even in death, she held his heart captive.
Unable to contain his impatience he shouted, "Where the hell is Doc Oliver?"
Three more shots rang out, reverberating through the forest, and Lelandi cringed. The gunman must be shooting at shadows. She hoped.
Survival of the fittest. That's what ran through her mind as she lay in the underbrush nestled at the base of a stand of spruce, her back wedged up against a moss-blanketed boulder. Her mind drifted when the pain from the three bullets lodged in her heart intensified. Her back didn't feel too swift either. She'd survived worse. Hunter's wounds when she was a wolf, an attempted rape, a near drowning, now this. Her guardian angel sure worked overtime for her.
The pain grew hot, but the perspiration on her skin, refrigerated by the cool breeze and the blood soaking her turtleneck chilled her further. Something moved toward her. Intently, she listened to the sound of its scurrying and smelled the scents. Cold, crisp autumn, a hint of moisture in the air, a time when she baked apple pies, made special soups and hot spicy chili, decorated with pumpkins, squash, and colorful mums, the colors complementary to her fiery red hair and green eyes. Autumn, her special time of year.
Darien was a winter, sable hair, dark eyes, cold, brooding. North wind chilled. Winter.
The scurrying stopped, bringing her drifting mind back to her current set of circumstances. The creature's blood rushed through its small heart and veins, and she got a whiff of its unique smell. A rabbit. She closed her eyes and hoped Darien had found his brother and was easing his pain, like she wished someone could do for her.
A wolf howled. I'm here, where are you?
Ural? He'd find her, come for her, eliminate her assailant.
The gunman couldn't kill her with regular bullets, but she had to heal up some before she could move again. Getting the gunman away from Tom had helped him, but now she didn't have the strength to move an inch in the direction of Hastings Bed and Breakfast. Worse, she had no idea where she was.
Footsteps crunched on fallen leaves maybe a half mile away. The gunman's or Darien's and his men? She made out only one set of footfalls, most likely the gunman's.
Her chest hurt like it was on fire, and she stifled another groan. Don't pass out! If the gunman found her, she'd make a horrendous racket, but if she passed out, he could move her somewhere else and kill her. Snapping her neck would do the trick, when regular bullets wouldn't.
Her thoughts shifted to the tavern, and she could imagine Darien racing out with half his people or more in hot pursuit if Tom had been able to call for help. Too late, she'd seen the gunman hiding in the shadows of Hastings, and she berated herself again for not being more alert.
Would the grays waste their time searching for her if they discovered Tom was hurt? Maybe not, but they'd continue to look for the gunman who'd shot Tom.
She tried to concentrate on the bullets seated in her heart. Tried to envision her body working miracles to expel the foreign substances, stop the bleeding, and seal the wounds. But she'd lost too much blood and felt weak, nauseous, disoriented. It would take some time to rebuild her blood. She groaned again.
Footsteps trudged closer, stopped, moved again.
No one spoke any words. Friend or foe?
She looked up through the tree branches shuddering in the wind. A sprinkling of twinkling stars littered the dark night sky. Star light, star bright...Sharp pains coursed through her body, down her arms and legs, and up again, sending blinding pain into her skull. Her vision blurring, she clenched her teeth to keep from fading away.
Where was Ural? Originating from one of the purest lines of the first lupus garou, she was a royal like him and could change into the wolf despite it being a moonless night. Being a wolf in this condition wouldn't help, however. Except the gunman wasn't looking for one. Yes! Then she could howl and return Ural's call. He'd come to her then and protect her.
She fumbled with her jacket buttons, but didn't have the strength to unbutton even the first one. As weak as she was, she wasn't sure she could even shapeshift.
Where the hell was Ural? He could rip away the gunman's life in a flash. She'd be safe---or safer. But she didn't trust Ural's motives either. If he found her weak and unable to resist, he could return her to the pack. Damn him.
Wincing, she closed her eyes, trying to will away the pain.
Had the shooter targeted Lelandi because she looked like Larissa? Or did he assume she was here, trying to discover who had killed Larissa?
She swore a gray had murdered Larissa, angry that the leader of the grays had mated with a red. Or had her ruthless pack leader Bruin located Larissa, pretending that he hadn't? Now Lelandi wasn't so sure.
Then she thought she smelled Ural. Please, Ural, come and bite the bastard! But he didn't show himself, didn't attack the gunman. Maybe it was powerful wishful thinking.
"Larissa!" Darien shouted from a good half mile away.
Here! No, not Larissa...Larissa was dead. Lelandi! Here.
Lelandi closed her eyes. A whisper of a breeze caressed her face and strands of hair tickled her cheek, but she couldn't gather the strength to shove them away. And the pain. Oh, god, the pain.
Someone shuffled only feet from her. She squeezed her eyes tighter and barely breathed. How had he gotten so close without her hearing? Her mind drifted. Keep alert! If he was wolf and downwind of her, he could smell her spilled blood. He could hear her heart pumping at a furious rate.
She heard his beating rapidly, his heavy breathing, the grinding of his teeth, his fingernail scraping the metal of the gun. Then he moved farther away from where she curled up in a fetal position, trying to conserve energy and the heat of her body, trying to make herself smaller and unnoticeable.
Others took up the call, shouting Lelandi's name as they spread out and drew closer. She frowned. How would they know her name? Larissa would have kept her family a secret so the grays wouldn't learn she already had a pack---and a mate.
The gunman tromped farther away, stealing her attention, but he was still too close.
The breeze suddenly shifted and Darien's brooding brother Jake shouted, "This way!"
She watched for them, nearly quit breathing in anticipation, not to mention the pain grew so sharp she could barely focus on anything else.
But her rescuers didn't come.
Darien paced back and forth in the thick of the woods in front of thirty of his men, every one of them now armed. Although normally they hunted in their wolf coats, the pack had always kept guns---their way of dealing with human troublemakers over the last one hundred and fifty years in the area.
"We thought we smelled her perfume several times, but the damned wind isn't cooperating! So where the hell is she?" Darien asked.
"We need to turn wolf," Jake said.
"Can't for three more days," Sam reminded him.
"Hell, I know that, Sam. I was just saying..." Jake didn't say anything more, just poked the toe of his boot in the pine needle--covered dirt, his hands shoved in his pockets, his face dark with a mixture of concern and annoyance.
"We've searched for hours. Where the hell is she?" Darien asked again, voicing his own irritation.
They hadn't found anything---her hat, glasses, nothing---as if she'd vanished in thin air like a puff of mist on a hot, sunny day. He rubbed the pounding in his temples, the thought stirring his blood that she was Lelandi, wounded, hurting, waiting for him to come to her aid, and not her sister. For now, she was one and the same, and he'd protect her with his own life. For now. Once he found her and she'd healed, he'd send her home to her pack and out of his life for good.
"She doesn't know these woods. She could easily get lost without her wolf senses," Jake warned.
Darien stared into the wilderness, remembering a time when he dashed with his mate through the woods as wolves, running until they were exhausted, mating, then collapsing like two half-spent dogs. He shook free of the immobilizing memories.
"What if he got her?" Jake asked, a question Darien was sure everyone else was thinking. "What if he took her body in a vehicle and planned to dispose of her somewhere else?"
Darien wouldn't consider that scenario.
Mason rubbed his bearded cheek, his hair whipping in the breeze. "We've searched all night. We're dog-tired. If they're just regular bullets, she can't die from them. Why don't we get some rest and try again in a few hours?"
"She saved Tom's life." The muscle ticked in Jake's jaw like it did when he was on the verge of striking someone. "I'll keep looking until some of you get rest and relieve me."
Having every intention of hunting for her until he dropped from exhaustion, Darien slapped his brother's shoulder with approval. "We'll do it together."
If she'd been one of the pack, his men would have continued searching for her. Without her being one of them, he couldn't ask them to give up any more of their energy without getting some rest. He was glad his brother had offered, despite the fact he had distanced himself from Darien the last couple of weeks. Probably because of the foul mood Darien had been in since his mate died.
The smell of Silva's feminine scent wafted in the air, and the men turned to see her stalking toward them dressed in tight jeans, hiking boots, gloves, and a short-waisted corduroy jacket. "I'll help ya." Her expression and tone of voice were as determined as Darien felt.
"No women," Darien said, his voice harsh, annoyed she'd offer to join them.
"Why? Think I might want to kill her, too? Or maybe you're a tad worried about little ol' me? But I can handle myself." Silva smirked. "The woman's got spunk and she deserves our help."
Considering his options, another body that would fill the gap couldn't hurt. "Stay with one of the men at all times."
"Jeez, Darien, I would almost think you have a thing for me." She blew him a kiss and sidled up to Sam. "Want to be my team mate?"
"Okay, those who want to continue the search, do so. The rest get some sleep. Let's get moving." Darien took off with a lengthened stride, determined to find her before the night was over.
"What do you think is going on?" Jake ducked under the branch of a spruce.
"Gunman's human."
"Why go after our brother? Why go after the red?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Darien stopped to sample the breeze. The scent of other grays, a deer, a rabbit, pinesap, fall, nothing else. "He wasn't after Tom, I suspect. Just the red. Except Tom was following her and would have protected her."
"You still think your mate committed suicide?"
Yeah, and it was his damned fault. Whirlwind romance, although she'd seemed uncertain about becoming his mate, worried his people would revolt over her being a red, but anxious about something deeper that he could never get her to reveal. Maybe if he hadn't pushed her to be his mate. But hell, she was his soul mate, the one he'd dreamed about for months. And she'd finally revealed she'd had the dreams about him, too. How could he let her go?
He shook his head. "I don't know what to think." Darien still harbored the same deep-seated feelings---that she'd committed suicide. He finally admitted, "She'd tried before."
Jake's mouth dropped. "When? Why didn't you tell me?"
"She was sorry. Told me she wouldn't try again and begged me not to tell the others."
"A pack leader has to have a strong mate, Darien, pack rules. You should have at least told me."
"I promised her."
And it got her killed. Maybe if he'd deep down listened to what was bothering her. Sleepless nights, medicine to aid her sleep, but still she kept waking, fearful, exhausted, out-of-sorts. Hell, when she managed to kill herself this time, he never doubted it was for real.
"Why did she try before?"
"She wouldn't say. She was a private person. She was overly tired, distraught---"
"Pregnant."
Darien's face heated, anger and regret warring with his emotions. Yeah, pregnant with their triplets. Which made the whole damned thing even more of a travesty. But if she couldn't deal with life before the triplets were born, how would she have been able to handle the stress afterward?
"I understand why you think she might have committed suicide then, but don't you think this business with her sister sheds a different light on it?"
"Maybe."
Although he couldn't see that it did. Unless someone coerced Lelandi to write the suicide note. She hadn't been enthusiastic about having the babies, in fact seemed even more depressed about it. If anyone had coerced her, he didn't think it took much convincing, yet if anyone had, they'd die at his hand.
Shots rang out a mile away, and Darien cursed under his breath. He charged in the direction, but Jake quickly caught up to him and grabbed his arm. Darien whirled around in fury, but saw Jake's concerned expression. "What?" he whispered.
"Listen."
He stood as silent as a frozen lake in winter and listened with his wolf's hearing.
A heart beating farther away, slow, too slow, and then a groan.
"Lelandi!"
Jake glanced at him.
Darien gave him a feral look and yelled, "Larissa!"
They searched the area again, Darien and his brother in closer proximity to each other this time, trying not to miss her. He paused. "Larissa!"
THROUGH A FOG-FILLED HAZE, LELANDI FELT PRESSURE ON her throat as if a snake encircled her neck, squeezing tight. She struggled for breath, her mind blackening. She tried to smell the snake, but all she sensed was the strong odor of decaying leaves.
Then a gruff, impatient male voice shouted for Larissa, nearer now.
A low, threatening growl sounded.
Ural?
The pressure on her throat ceased, and she gasped for air, unable to catch her breath. She couldn't focus on anything, where she was, who he was, what had happened to Larissa. The snake moved quickly away, slithering through the brush, hiding from imminent danger. The pungent odor of humus departed with it. But a new scent drifted in the air. Her cousin's.
"Ural," she tried to say, but his name stuck in her throat.
He slunk close to her, licked her cheek---warm, wet, welcome. She wanted to hug his neck, but she couldn't move.
"Larissa!" the male voice shouted, growing closer, his footsteps sending a sliver of a tremor through the ground, and another, not far away.
Lelandi, she corrected him silently. Even her parents, her brother, and the pack members constantly mixed up their names, to her utter annoyance. She swallowed hard, her throat sore, the pain in her chest radiating throughout her body, agonizing, punishing. Where was she?
Ural nudged her face, then backed away.
Was he behind her? Protecting her?
Cold numbed her joints, her skin, her bones. She couldn't sit or lift her head. But the darkness was beginning to grow light.
"Larissa!"
She opened her mouth to speak, but the snake had stolen her voice. She squeaked out something inaudible. Taking a deep breath, she shut her gaping mouth, and stared in the direction of the footsteps.
Small rocks, twigs, and leaves slid down the hill in advance of the marauders, hurrying down the steep incline toward her, nearer and nearer. They'd found her! But the elation was overshadowed by what they'd want to do with her next.
"Over here!" Darien's rich baritone voice sent shivers of expectation through her torn-up body.
His hair was tangled by the wind, his brown eyes nearly black, his mouth grim and set.
Then she remembered. Larissa---she was...was dead. And Tom---shot. Was he all right? And Ural! If the grays catch him...
"Over here!" Darien shouted again, and soon another man crashed through the thick brush. Darien jerked his leather coat off and wrapped her in it.
Jake appeared, yanked a phone off his belt, shouted coordinates into the phone, and gave orders to keep searching for the gunman. "Shit." Jake paused as whoever he spoke to must have finally got a word in edgewise. "Sam was shot."
Darien stopped unbuttoning his shirt. "Is he..."
"Hit in the arm. He'll live."
"What about Silva?" Darien removed his shirt and started to unbutton Lelandi's jacket.
"She's shook up, but fine. The gunman's dead."
Darien looked up at Jake. "Anyone question him?"
"He's dead."
"Hell, Jake, I know that. But did anyone question him before he died?"
Jake shook his head and hung up the phone, then he lifted his nose and sniffed. "Do you smell a hint of a red?"
"Can't as much perfume as she's wearing." Darien pulled up her turtleneck.
The cold air chilled her already frozen skin. He muttered an ancient wolf curse, then tucked his body-warmed flannel shirt against her wounds---smelling of him---all hot and spicy male.
Her mind drifted until he spoke again. "Who killed him?"
She stared at his bare chest, lightly haired, muscled, bronzed, beautiful. Who said men's bodies couldn't be beautiful? Every inch of him looked incredibly lickable, kissable, real.
"Not sure who killed him, Darien."
"Damn it. The gunman should have been questioned." Darien pulled her shirt down with tenderness, warming her, and then he used the same gentleness to close her jacket. "First off, who the hell are you?"
So much for the tenderness.
Through clenched teeth, she tried to growl, "Lelandi, and you know who the hell I am," but her voice was too hoarse. Her eyes were so heavily lidded, she could barely keep them open, except to stare at his magnificent chest.
But why was the rest of him dressed? Naked, that's the way he appeared to her in the dreams, his corded muscles rippling as he moved, every part of his sculpted anatomy ready to pleasure her. And why was she dressed? When she was always bared to the skin, waiting for his hungry touch?
He cursed. "God of thunder! My mate's dead, so what the hell do you think you're trying to pull?"
She lifted her gaze from his chest. Darien's stern face shook her loose of her fantasy. Unable to fathom what he was talking about, she knew his mate---Larissa---was dead. She choked on a sob.
He lifted her off the cold ground and the sight of his naked chest, square set jaw, darkened eyes---everything---faded away.
"Woman," Darien called out to her from a million miles away, his steely voice cloaked in concern.
She heard him, but couldn't focus, couldn't open her eyes. Her body floated, jostled over the rough terrain while the big gray carried her.
"How many times did he shoot you?"
Too, too many.
"What did he look like?"
Who? Her eyes fluttered open briefly, then slammed shut.
"Speak to me. At the tavern when you went to the restroom, what did the ladies do to upset you?"
Crowded me. Not since she had martial arts training had anyone messed with her. Took a near human rape to convince her she needed a way to protect herself as a human. Too bad she couldn't have used it to disarm the gunman. But he hadn't been close enough. If only she'd had her gun.
With a ragged sigh, she soaked in the heat of Darien's body, the strength of his arms wrapped securely around her, the smell of his masculinity, the smell of his sex. No matter how harshly he acted toward her, no matter how disinterested he pretended to be, he couldn't restrain that part of himself. He couldn't hide the telltale signals that he wanted her, like any alpha male lupus garou craved a female. The sexual chemistry between them sizzled, sending a volley of heat sliding through her. She moaned and he tightened his grip on her. Larissa must have delighted in mating with such a rugged figure of a man, much, much bigger than a red.
"Larissa," he said, commanding her to respond.
She frowned and opened her eyes. Jake gave her a look as grave as Darien's as they climbed up the side of the ridge.
"Lelandi," she said on edge, with barely the breath to breathe.
Darien's grim lips scowled further.
She wrinkled her brows in concentration. "Three."
Darien stared at her. "Three what?"
"Maybe she's answering your previous question, how many times had she been shot?"
She nodded her head limply.
Jake ran his hand over his scruffy whiskers. "She's pretty out of it."
"That's why I'm trying to keep her talking. Ask her something."
"Where are your parents?" Jake's voice was as demanding as his brother's.
She swallowed hard, tamped down the pain in her heart, in her brain. Dead.
"We need to send her to her own people, let them take care of this," Jake said.
"Whoever tried to kill her came into our territory. It's our jurisdiction, our matter to handle."
"But what if this had nothing to do with Lelandi?" Jake asked.
"Larissa," she said, correcting him, this time angry. Couldn't they get their names straight?
Darien ducked with her underneath the branch of an oak. "What if this does have to do with Lelandi?"
"Larissa," she said again, her voice becoming unduly agitated.
Hugging her closer, Darien climbed over a fallen log. "She's sure not following the gist of our conversation."
The aroma of bacon, sausage, and ham cooking in houses at the edge of town wafted in the air, and a rush of voices and footsteps headed her way. A hawk glided on the wind in search of its own breakfast that morning, and clouds were building. A hint of an early snow on the breeze added to the chill in her bones, while the pain in her chest and back spiraled out of control.
Coveting the heat of the gray, she wanted to lean further into him, but she felt as limp as a rag doll, unable to control her destiny. Taking another deep breath, she tried to smell his sex again. Every man's was different and most she never paid much attention to, but his was driving her mad. Virile, strong, musky, hot as a heated oven in summer, tantalizing. Had his special scent caught Larissa's attention?
Lelandi never figured she'd be drawn to the same male as Larissa. Must be the gunshot wounds screwing up her sense of smell.
"Hold on, Larissa," Darien said, his voice darkly soothing. "Doc will fix you up."
The look he shared with his brother cast doubt on his words.
"Get Doctor Weber," she managed to croak out.
The silent glance that passed between Darien and Jake meant they had other plans. But Doctor Weber was one of the reds. He'd know what to do. He'd removed bullets from her flank when hunters had shot her as a wolf, resuscitated her when she'd nearly drowned.
"They're bringing Sam in," a guy said, crowding in with several others, hurrying to join Darien.
Sam? Oh, the bartender, devious smile, rugged, mountain-man type.
"Is he wounded badly?" Darien sounded gloomy.
"Not as bad as the little lady appears to be." The man's beer breath made her wince when he squeezed in close to get a look.
"Sam was shot in the arm, nothing vital struck," another said. "But you know him, he'll be serving drinks by this evening, boss."
"Lupus," she whispered and Darien's eyes grew wide.
Before she uttered another sound, he leaned down and kissed her, but the kiss didn't stop at silencing her words. His lips pressed deeper, promising more, willing her to agree, and then his warm mouth tantalizing hers faded away.
"Larissa," he called out, drawing her forth from the darkness.
Darien's dark eyes gazed at her, pensive, pained.
Several of the men chuckled.
"The ladies will be clamoring for a kiss that would make 'em pass right out." Silva's voice was silky soft, dreamy, wistful.
Vehicle doors creaked open, and Lelandi closed her eyes, wanting to say something more to force the gray to kiss her again, but she couldn't come up with anything, her mind focusing on the way his lips touched hers---hungry, desirous, feral.
"Sure they weren't a bullet?" someone asked, his voice hushed. special kind of
"No. She's lost a lot of blood. The cold's taken a toll on her, too. Riding with her, brother?" Jake asked.
Darien released her and she reached out to him, wanting his warmth, his comfort, another of his mind-numbing kisses. He seemed torn about showing any further affection.
Lying on something long, flat, and hard, she felt the blankets covering her, but the bone-chilling cold renewed after losing the heat of the big gray's body.
"Meet you over there." Darien's voice sounded gruff and unreal, like he was trying to put on a show for his pack, trying to distance himself from her. "Got to check out Silva and Sam's story."
Feeling rejected, she wanted more of his touch, scowling at her, paying attention to her, anything. Yet, on another level, she shouldn't feel any of these things.
"I can give you a report," Jake offered.
Again, there was a prolonged hesitation. "No, I'll check on her later."
Darien's rejection cut deep, and she turned her misty gaze away so she couldn't see the hardened look in his eyes.
"I'll go with her, Doc." Jake climbed in beside her and the vehicle rocked like a boat adrift in turbulent water. He smelled different, not as sexual as Darien. Maybe because he wasn't attracted to her like she sensed Darien was.
Heaven forbid. A gray. Her dead sister's mate. And torn emotionally because of losing her. Yet, Lelandi couldn't stop craving his touch.
"Wait up!" Silva said. "I want to ride with her."
Darien put a hand on her arm, stopping her. "I need to talk to you first, Silva."
"Can't it wait, boss? Sam saw everything anyway. Uhm, as much as there was to see."
Again, there was a long pause before he responded.
"Got to take care of the little lady," a white-haired man said.
"All right, Doc. But I want to hear what happened out there soonest, Silva."
Pack business. Nothing else counted. Certainly not Lelandi. Only the shooter who killed the gunman mattered. She gritted her teeth against the pain in her heart.
"Yes, siree, boss," Silva said, her voice like cotton candy.
The ambulance jiggled some more, and Silva's slight feminine fragrance scented the air.
The doors slammed shut and the woman smiled at Lelandi, her expression wistful.
"You sure shook that big gray out of his doldrums, sugar." Silva turned to Jake. "So what in the world happened out there?"
"I could ask you the same, Silva. Why the hell did the gunman have to die before he talked?"
Lelandi croaked out, "He had to die. No witnesses."
AS SOON AS LELANDI'S LOOK-ALIKE SISTER HAD INVADED his favorite Friday night getaway since the death of his mate, Darien knew there'd be trouble. His men were sure he wanted her to replace his dead mate. The women were already jealous he'd be interested in another red. Despite the fact he'd made every effort to show no interest in her.
Except for the kiss. Hell, he'd only done it to silence her words. Yet, the kiss hadn't just stopped at prohibiting her from speaking, nor had he wanted it to, which was absolute madness. Worse, he made her pass out, not because of his passionate kiss either. She was severely injured for Odin's sake. What the hell was the matter with him anyway?
Letting his breath out in exasperation, he stood in front of Hastings Bed and Breakfast and examined Sam's flesh wound, seeing where the bullet had grazed his upper arm.
Sam was telling his story again, probably for the fiftieth time, relishing every second of his moment of glory while the townsfolk crowded around, listening in. "The gunman was following us, but Silva was chattering as usual and must have distracted me. He fired before I could get a shot off. Whoever killed the man hid in the trees on a ridge. Have no idea why he hasn't joined us to get a pat on the back."
"Probably worried Darien would be pissed at him for not hitting the gunman somewhere less fatal." Mason slanted Darien a look.
Humans, curious about what had happened, mingled with his people, so Sam and the rest of Darien's people were cautious about what they revealed. Which made Darien think again about the kiss. Hell, he couldn't have the little red wolf, half out of her head, talking about lupus garous.
"Let's get you to the hospital," Darien said, breaking up the show.
"I'll take him." Mervin still wore his old-time barber clothes, vest, red band around the arm of his white long-sleeved shirt, red bow tie, and the straw hat seated on his nearly black hair. "The sheriff's cutting his vacation short and headed back here, Darien."
"Good. I want a meeting at two this afternoon with my team."
Once he'd seen the injured transported to the hospital, Darien returned to where the dead gunman lay. Two of his men rifled through the man's clothes. His black eyes were lifeless, a scraggly two-day growth of black beard covered his face and his long hair was unkempt.
"No ID." Mason removed his hand from the guy's jacket pocket.
Not that Darien expected he'd have any. Not a local, but a human, and a good shot with a gun. A hired gun? Or his own job?
Mason jerked his thumb at the dead man. "The shooter killed him with one fatal shot to the head. Sure knew what he was doing. This guy used a 9-mm; powder residue on his hands and jacket, proving he fired the gun, silver bullets in his right side pocket."
Darien shifted his perusal of the gunman to Mason, who shrugged. "The bullets in the chamber are regular. The ones in his pocket would have killed your brother and the little lady."
"He didn't believe." Swamped with relief, Darien realized how lucky the woman and his brother had been.
Mason handed the bullets to Darien. "So a lupus garou killed him. How much you want to bet the silver's from our mine?"
"Might tie into the missing silver." Darien's attention shifted north where two of his men headed in his direction, John Hastings, owner of the hardware store and B&B and one of the founding fathers of the town, and Deputy Peter Jorgenson.
They both shook their heads, confirming they hadn't located the other shooter.
Deputy Jorgenson's amber eyes were nearly black, although he was never easily riled. "We found gunpowder residue and took pictures of where he'd stood and tramped down the grass."
"Any trace of his scent?" Darien asked.
"So many of us were in the area, it's hard to tell. Even Sam's and Silva's scents were drifting on the breeze up that way."
Darien motioned to the gunman. "Take him to the morgue. I want Doc Featherston to conduct an autopsy and give me a report ASAP. Have a ballistic test run on the bullet and a comparison made on every lupus garou's gun out here today."
"I'll get right on it," Deputy Jorgenson said.
Mason walked back to town with Darien, his face scrunched up in thought. "You think the shooter was a red or a gray?"
"I think he was one of us or the shooter would have left a red scent. Easy to detect."
"I smelled a red scent," Hastings said, half of his gray hair, loosened from the leather strap, now whipping about his shoulders in the breeze. "Faint, but it was there."
Darien glanced in the direction of the dead man and the deputy organizing a party to carry him. "Now that you mention it, Jake said he thought he smelled one near Lelandi. And we heard a couple of howls. Why didn't Peter mention smelling any?"
"I was the only one who caught a whiff of it in the breeze. He discounted what I smelled. Said my sniffer wasn't as keen as it used to be. I'll give him that, but I know what I smelled." Hastings shook his head. "Young whippersnappers."
"Darien, wait up, boss!" Deputy Jorgenson shouted, chasing after him. "We've found evidence a red was in the area."
Darien gave Hastings a knowing look.
Hastings snorted. "Yeah, my sniffer's out of whack."
Deputy Jorgenson handed a patch of red fur to Darien. "Found it stuck to some brambles and definitely smells like a red lupus garou."
Darien looked up at his men. "It's fresh. Hell, he's got to be a royal."
"Same one I smelled." Hastings gave the deputy a pointed glower.
"Post guards for the woman around the clock," Darien said.
"Yes, sir." Deputy Jorgenson took off running toward town.
"That young man's got what it takes to be sheriff some day," Mason said.
"Only if he listens to his elders," Hastings clarified.
Darien continued toward town. "Another sixty or so years, I'm sure Uncle Sheridan will give up his job."
Hastings shook his head. "He'll want to retire once he learns all hell broke loose while he was on vacation for the first time in ten years."
Mason snorted. "He'll be in hog heaven---ordering folks around. We haven't had this much excitement since that mental patient broke out of a loony bin, killed his family, then hid out here."
"One reason not to allow humans to live in our town," Hastings said.
Darien didn't agree. "Keeps us on our toes. Otherwise, we'd get careless."
A large gathering of men at the edge of town were talking about the crimes committed. Most lupus garou societies blended with human-run towns. Silver Town was different---run and controlled by lupus garous since its inception when the first settlers moved west, and Darien's family had opted to keep it that way.
When they reached them, Mervin spoke to Darien. "The red sure stirred up this quiet little town. Don't imagine it's going to settle down none for a time, either."
"The lady's going home, soon as I explain how her sister died."
Several cast sideways glances at each other.
"As soon as she's well enough to travel," he added.
Some nodded, but he could tell they didn't believe him. The only way to prove his word was to send her packing, and he would, just like he said.
"See you boys later."
Darien stalked up the street to his SUV. Lelandi hadn't been in her grave three weeks, now this. But another thought puzzled him. If she'd cut ties with her family, how had Larissa learned about her sister's death?
If she hadn't been his soul mate, he would never have gotten involved with a red who had family, not without her parents' and the head of her pack's permission. He damn well suspected now she hadn't been a loner, giving up her pack, like she'd said.
Climbing into the vehicle, he took a deep breath and smelled the new car leather. The vehicle was supposed to be perfect for a family, this one having four doors to accommodate the triplets. He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the steering wheel hard. Several had warned him not to take the red for his mate, yet he couldn't get her out of his system, vivacious and spirited as she was. But he should have known she wouldn't have been strong enough to be a pack leader's mate.
When he parked at Silver Town Hospital, he noted the large number of vehicles there. Probably some of Sam's kin come to check him out. And Uncle Sheridan's sons, the twenty-four-year-old quadruplets, were there, too, probably looking in on cousin Tom. Darien blew out his breath. Keeping the community calm after the incident was going to be some job.
He stalked into the hospital. With some reservation, several of the women and men greeted him in the waiting area. He could see he was going to be in the doghouse until he settled the matter.
Wearing hearts and flowers--decorated scrubs, Ritka glowered at him with her good eye. The other was half-shut and turning green and yellow. "That bitch is in room four. If Doc wants someone to take care of her, he'll have to hire someone else."
"What about Cecilia?"
"Off today."
"Call her in."
Ritka's jaw dropped. "But---"
"Call her in, or I will. You don't want me to have to do it."
Snapping her mouth shut, Ritka shoved her brown hair behind her ears. "All right, but she's not going to like it."
Ritka grabbed the phone and hit a button, then tapped her long nails on the checkin counter. "Cecilia? It's me, Ritka. Get your butt in here. We've got three patients with gunshot wounds, and the boss is calling the shots." She tilted her head to the side and gave Darien another dirty look. "Yeah, no shit. Three gunshot wounds and Darien said to get in here now." Ritka hung up the phone and folded her arms. "You can put up with her next, and believe you me, she won't treat your new fancy any better."
"Keep a civil tongue where the woman's concerned, Ritka. She's a patient under my protection," Darien growled.
Her brown brows jerked upward.
"Yep," he said for her ears only. "She's one of ours until I can send her home to her own pack, so mind your ps and qs. I won't have anyone treating her poorly. You can tell your friends I said so."
"Well, well," Silva said, slipping in on the conversation. Darien swore she had hearing that beat anybody's. "So she's an official member of the pack already."
"Unofficial. And you can spread the word." If anyone could, it was Silva.
"Will do, boss." Silva winked. "She doesn't look too good. Been asking for a Doctor Weber. Figure it's her pack doctor. Kind of out of it. I don't think she realizes she's not back home, wherever that is."
"Where's Doc Oliver?"
"Stitching up Sam." Silva glanced at Ritka. "Doc says if you want to keep getting a paycheck you'd better get into exam room number three, now."
Cursing under her breath, Ritka shoved past her and stalked down the hall.
Darien shook his head. Silver Town wouldn't be considered civilized by big town standards. He headed for room number four and glanced over his shoulder when Silva followed behind him. "Don't need an escort."
"Is that an order?"
Ignoring her, Darien walked into the white room, where the smell of antiseptic was overwhelming. Larissa blinked her eyes. The railings were locked in place to keep her from falling out of the bed. Her wrists were restrained. Her face was ghastly pale in stark contrast to her black hair, stretching down to her waist over the white sheets. How could one little red lupus garou walk into town and turn it upside down?
"Why is she restrained?" Darien drew closer to the bed, wanting to touch her, to assure himself she was real and well on the road to recovery.
"Ritka said she tried to climb out of bed, but she might have restrained her out of spite."
"Nope," Doc Oliver said, walking into the room. "Little lady tried to leave when I showed up instead of some Doctor Weber." He folded his arms and observed her. "She's Lelandi's twin, isn't she?"
"Yeah," Darien said. "By the name of Larissa."
"She's got tenacity. Even as bad off as she is, four of us had to restrain her. She's on heavy-duty medication, and even so, she's fighting it."
Her eyes were no longer blue, not as amber as Lelandi's but more green. "She must have been wearing contacts."
"Took them out," Doc said.
"Can you do anything about the hair?" Darien asked, half-joking.
"Melba can strip the color, try to make it more like the color of her eyebrows. She does human hair all the time," Silva said.
"I'm not serious."
Silva touched Larissa's hair. "The dye won't hold anyway once the change takes place. Hmm, there's your solution, boss. In three days, she can change into the wolf, and it'll zap that hideous dye job from her hair."
"She won't be here that long, if I can help it."
"Three days." Doc stroked his whiskerless chin. "Not sure she'll be ready to leave that soon."
"She's that bad off?"
"She's pretty weak. Doc Mitchell gave her some blood. So did Jake. Three days is pushing it."
Darien shook his head. The longer she stayed in Silver Town, the more trouble she'd be.
Doc cleared his throat. "No one knows what this is about. Is there another gunman? Just the one? Did someone hire him? Will there be another hit? Lot of folks are pretty angry that the gunman wounded two of ours and no word why or who is behind the whole thing. Sending her away isn't the solution, until we know what's going on. What if Lelandi didn't commit suicide?"
In disbelief, Darien stared at Doc. "You said she'd committed suicide, and Doc Featherston certified it. Besides, my uncle said the same thing. As sheriff, he investigated the matter and---"
"And came to the same conclusion. But, Darien, you're pretty persuasive when you want to be, and you were so hell-bent on believing she'd committed suicide we went along with it."
"For Odin's sake, Doc, if the three of you believed it was murder, you would have said."
"Well, yes, but---"
"Then don't blame it on me!" Darien glanced at Silva to see her take on it.
Her dark brows raised a notch.
"Don't tell me you had reservations, too."
"I'm just the barmaid." Silva threw her hands up in an exasperated gesture. "No one listens to anything I have to say."
"Well?"
"Truthfully?"
He growled.
"Hell, Darien, truthfully, I don't know. But something's not right, now that her sister comes along and gets the whole town shot up."
His mate's twin sighed deeply. She blinked a couple of times, but didn't focus on anything.
"She's got to be here for three more days, then, eh, Doc?" Darien asked.
"In town, yes. She shouldn't travel a great distance. But she can stay somewhere else for the next couple of days. Tonight, I want to keep an eye on her. She'll need someone to look after her once she leaves here."
"You're the boss, boss," Silva said, "but Sam can do without me a couple of days. I'll look after her. I'm just about the only female in town who liked Lelandi, so maybe I can do her sister a favor."
"What if someone's still aiming to get Larissa?" Doc asked.
Darien considered her groggy state. "Peter's making sure she has around-the-clock protection."
"Have Trevor do the inside surveillance, won't you?" Silva winked.
Uncle Sheridan stormed into the room, looking like a stuck bull. "What in the Sam Hill is going on?" His voice boomed, though at six-four, everything about the man seemed overbearing and loud.
"You're in my hospital now, Sheriff," Doc said. "Keep your yelling down to a low roar."
"You haven't heard yelling, Doc. Gone two days of a ten-day vacation and what happens? Where were those two worthless deputies of mine?"
Silva cleared her throat. "Trevor was busy overseeing the clearing of a landslide on the highway, Sheriff. Don't know what Peter was doing."
"Peter was with us," Jake said, walking into the room. He glanced at Larissa. "Should we be discussing this here?"
"She's the cause of it, Ritka told me," the sheriff countered, motioning at Larissa.
"She'd certainly say so." Silva folded her arms and gave the sheriff a disgruntled look.
"Well, isn't she? The woman started stirring up trouble at the tavern. Next thing you know, three people are shot. I want to know what the hell's going on."
"It's your job to find out." Darien didn't bother to curb the acid in his voice.
Doc put Larissa's chart back in the folder. "Got some other patients to see to. Need to speak to you when you can spare a moment, Darien."
"My..." Larissa paused. "My sister...was...murdered," she stammered, then shut her eyes.
Everyone stared at her in stunned silence.
Darien had figured that's what Lelandi's sister must have thought. "Since she doesn't have any family here, I want you to sit with her for a couple of hours, Silva."
"Sure, and miss out on the fun stuff." Silva pulled a vinyl-covered chair next to the bed. "Have Trevor run by my place and pick up one of my novels, will ya? Give me something to do while I'm babysitting."
"I'll ask him," Jake said.
The sheriff yanked off his Stetson and waved it at Jake. "Hold on here just a blamed minute. He works for me, and I've got an investigation to conduct."
Darien raised his brows at his uncle.
The sheriff's brown eyes darkened and narrowed. "Well, hell, if it only takes a minute, I guess I can spare him."
Jake added, "Tom's asking to see you, Darien, and he wants to take a peek at Larissa to see for himself that she's all right, but Doc says he has to stay put for the time being."
"All right. Come on, Uncle Sheridan. We'll fill you in on all we know, though it's not much." Darien ushered everyone out of the room.
Larissa looked small, pale, the spitting image of Lelandi, except for the hideous black hair, now that the contacts, glasses, earrings, and hat were gone. His heart lurched when her eyelids fluttered open, and she caught him gawking at her. He refused to get caught up in the bewitching enchantments of his dead mate's twin.
She closed her eyes and released his gaze.
Crap, she was as much a lure as her sister. Best to keep distance between himself and the temptress.
He caught Silva's smug smile, his body heated to boiling, and he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.
Boots tromped down the hospital hall, then everything grew quiet. The medicine took hold, the tranquility drawing her into another world, and Lelandi's heart lightened at the scene before her.
Mist filled her vision, and he came to her.
Naked. His bronzed body glistening in the brilliant light of the full moon. Proud, determined, his mission---to ravish her---again.
So what took him so long?
Tall with broad shoulders, his chest magnificently muscled, moving with the grace and ease of a wolf, he stalked toward her. Whereas most of her kind were shorter and the ones in power, squatter, more bull-like, this man was Adonis reborn.
She still couldn't see his face, doused in shadows, teasing her, making her strain to see his features. Her eyes shifted to his chest. Lower. To his erection. He was ready for her. Always ready, his sex jutting upward surrounded by sable curls.
She breathed in deeply, trying to smell his unique scent, wishing she could locate him in the real world upon waking, but her keen wolf senses couldn't pick up his manly scent---not in a dream.
Reclining on the grass on her side, she watched him as he strode toward her, every hard muscle rippling with his gait. Yet, just the vision of him five months ago had been enough to bring her into her first wolf heat, way long overdue. How could a fantasy lover have brought that about?
She wanted to call out his name like a lover would her mate, but she couldn't fathom what it was. The warm summer breeze stirred the Douglas firs, casting dancing moonlight across his body. His lips turned up slightly, bemused. His mouth, his sturdy jawline, his shoulder-length sable hair ruffled by the breeze. Show me more! She wanted to see his eyes, his nose, the rest of his face---but as much as she strained to see them, she couldn't---the rest of his features remained hidden in the black void.
He towered over her, took in a deep breath, and tried to smell her. She saw the intake of his breath, knew what he was attempting to do. A queer feeling of unease washed over her. She squashed the unwelcome worry. He was not real. Just the most consummate lover a dream could conjure up.
He lay down beside her, and she ran her finger over his brow, finding it furrowed. For the first time since their union, he seemed contemplative, unrushed, as if he wanted more than the sex they shared.
Leaning over, he nuzzled her lips with his mouth, licking them, smiling. Positioning himself closer, he rested his head on his hand and appeared to study her. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words would never come. He touched her hair, ran his fingers through the strands, held them to his nose and took a deep breath.
Could he smell her scent when she couldn't sense his?
He traced her arm, down to her hip, his heated touch stirring a fire across her sensitive skin. She drew close, pressing her breasts against his chest, took his face in her hands, and moved her lips against his in a searing kiss. She swore she heard him growl this time, but then he glanced over his shoulder, as if something in the woods had distracted him. Danger?
He shook his head and gave her a lusty smile. Knowingly, she returned the expression, her nipples already taut from touching his lightly furred chest, her short curly hairs damp with need, her core aching for his penetration.
In a heartbeat, he moved her onto her back, pushed her legs apart with his knee, and thrust his rigid shaft deep inside her. His mouth on hers, he conquered her, and she gave into the rush of heat, the burning desire he stirred within her, the flickering flames consuming her as she climbed toward the ice-white moon.
Their bodies slick, they slid against each other, panting, thrusting, deepening the bond until she felt the mind-shattering release, the orgasm crashing through her like a heated summer storm.
Muffled voices farther down the hall invaded Lelandi's private, scattered thoughts.
Her dream lover slipped away into the shadows, vanishing, the moon winked out, and the sun took its place, peeking through the blinds. She wished she were back in the woods with her fantasy lover, no cares in the world but of being pleasured by him and pleasuring him in return. Groaning, Lelandi tried to run her hands through her tangled hair, her skin sweaty from her romp with him.
But something held her down---him?
LELANDI OPENED HER EYES AND BRILLIANT WHITE LIGHTS flooded her vision. Where was the ceiling fan in her bedroom? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to orient herself. The odor of antiseptics filled the air. Her eyes popped open. White sheets, railings caging her in on an elevated narrow bed. What the...
She tried to reach up, to rub her temple as her thoughts spun out of control, but she couldn't. Leather restraints wrapped around her wrists pinned her to the bed---not the man of her dreams.
Her sister. Oh, God, and her parents, too, were dead.
Tears filled her eyes and her heart lodged like a lump of stone in her throat. She sobbed with a strangled whimper and a teary haze blurred her vision. Yanking at the restraints, she fought the mounting frustration, her body heating by degrees.
Closing her eyes, she licked her dry lips. What she wouldn't give for an icy pink lemonade. Summer heat had returned with a vengeance, and she felt like she'd been burned to a crisp under the broiling sun like she had at the beach in South Padre Island a few years back.
A rustling noise caught her attention---Silva searching through Lelandi's purse.
Silva smiled, her ruby lips glistening with fresh gloss, a coating of brown eye shadow emphasizing the darkness of her coffee-colored eyes. "No driver's license. How'd you get to Silver Town? No rental cars unaccounted for. Deputy Sheriff Trevor checked the cars parked around town, and none belong to a Larissa Catterton."
It finally dawned on Lelandi. Her sister had switched first names with her. What a mess. "Catterton?"
Silva tsked. "So that wasn't Lelandi's last name."
No, and Lelandi wasn't her first name either, although no one had listened to her the times she'd corrected them before.
"So what is your real last name?" Silva poured a cup of ice water for her, then set it on the table.
With her wrists secured, Lelandi couldn't reach the water. "Lelandi." She wasn't about to reveal her real last name. "I'm...I'm burning up."
Silva's eyes widened, and she hurried over to the bed. Her long, icy fingers touched Lelandi's forehead, instantly sending a chill streaking down her heated nerves. "You're burning up."
"I already said that," Lelandi whispered, annoyed.
"Okay, okay, I'll get some help."
"Can you unfasten my chains," Lelandi said sarcastically, "help me to sit up, and give me some ice water to drink?"
Silva shifted her worried gaze to the wristbands confining her. "I'll get the doc."
"Doctor Weber," Lelandi said, firmly.
"Uhm, you're at the hospital in Silver Town, sugar. I'm sure Doctor Weber wouldn't want to come all the way here from wherever you know him for one little ol' patient."
Lelandi yanked at the leather wrist bracelets to no avail.
If it had been a regular hospital, they probably would have used Velcro restraints, and those she could have tugged loose. She pulled at the restraints again, rattling the bed railings, but her movements were dulled and of no use, making her skin heat even more.
Satisfied Lelandi wasn't getting loose, Silva left the room. Within minutes, her worried voice echoed down the hall while she spoke to someone about the fever. But before she or the doctor returned, a woman wearing blue scrubs walked into the room.
"I'm Nurse Grey." The woman's face was matronly, with kindly gray eyes and lips that were pale, but slightly turned up. "Looks like you've been rather cantankerous."
"Not me," Lelandi mumbled.
The nurse chuckled, the sound good-hearted, while she read Lelandi's chart. "Busy girl. Heard some wild rumors. You're looking into your sister's death and already stirred up a heap of trouble."
Lelandi had made a royal mess of it, but whoever had killed her sister was bound to slip up. When he did, she'd make him suffer for what he'd done. She closed her burning eyes.
"Seems a lot of trouble for a little red lupus garou to get into first time in Silver Town."
Although the woman seemed nice enough, Lelandi didn't trust her. Lelandi was probably giving their pack leader prime grade heartburn, and she wasn't going away. Some would be wary, some outright rude, and some, sweet like Sam, Silva, and this Nurse Grey, but only on the surface. Deep down, pack mates stuck up for pack mates, and she was an outsider investigating them. Tom was another story. He definitely indicated he had the hots for her, but she wasn't biting.
"If you'll behave, I'll remove the restraints." After Nurse Grey took her temperature, she frowned. "Hundred and three." She changed her antibiotics and removed the restraints.
Lelandi let out a low growl, and the woman smiled. Yeah, wolves didn't like confinement, and she was ready to bite anyone who'd helped restrain her, including Ritka and the doctor.
"Doc wants you to drink fluids, but slowly. You might feel nauseous from the surgery and pain medication."
"Nurse Grey," Silva said, walking into the room. "I thought you were off today and tomorrow."
The nurse shrugged. "I thought so, too. Seems we had some trouble during the night."
Lelandi hid a smile, then sipped cold water from a straw, shivered, and slumped back under her covers. If she didn't get more energy soon, she'd scream.
"She sure isn't like Lelandi." Silva studied her as if she could see her insides, too.
Nurse Grey refilled Lelandi's water cup. "Looks the same, except for the hair."
"Can you imagine Lelandi taking on Ritka and her gang?"
The nurse smiled. "Guess I ought to go to the Silver Town Tavern more often. Sam said when he saw her walk into the joint, he knew it would shake Darien out of the pit of despair he's been wallowing in."
"Yeah, but in a good way, or bad?" Silva raised her brows to punctuate her statement. "You should have seen the way he kissed her."
Nurse Grey glanced at Lelandi. "Already?"
"Hell, he wanted to kiss her in the tavern, but he was trying to keep up appearances." Silva pushed her hair back over her shoulders and placed her hands on her hips. "She started talking about lupus garou, and he had to stop her. But the kiss lasted longer than necessary and made her pass right out. I'm sure when the other eligible bitches hear about it, they'll be fuming."
Nurse Grey's eyes sparkled with intrigue.
"So, is she going to be all right?"
"When are we not? She'll be fine. However, the fever makes it more of a setback. I notice on the chart, Doc says he'll release her tomorrow. Might be too soon."
"She should be in jail for popping Ritka in the eye," a dark-haired man said as he strode into the room, his eyes black, his police khaki uniform perfectly pressed, a jacket slung over his shoulder. His Stetson shaded his eyes, giving him an even darker-tempered appearance.
Silva smiled at him. Well, more than smiled at him, nearly melted in his presence.
Truly smitten. Lelandi wondered if the same love bug had bitten him or if it was only a one-way street. He didn't show the same kind of moonstruck attraction when he looked at Silva.
"Why, Trevor, you done with that mess on the highway?" Silva asked, her voice sweet as spun sugar.
"Sheriff chewed my butt for not taking care of her mess." He jerked a thumb in Lelandi's direction. "Said shootings take priority over mud slides. Hell, they needed someone to reroute traffic. Four accidents out there. Six injuries."
"Silva stuck up for you when she didn't need to." Lelandi glowered back at the deputy. Silva's mouth dropped open. "Seems you owe her thanks. No one else bothered to defend your actions."
Trevor shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to glare at Lelandi. "Who was the man who shot you?"
She closed her eyes. Question the bastard! How would she know who he was?
"He shot you in the chest twice---"
"Three times," she said, her breathing still ragged, "but who's counting?"
"You're one of us, well, kinda, and you can see as well as we can in the dark, so who was he?"
Silva tsked. "Can't you question her later, when she's not so bad off?"
Trevor's face reddened. "That's another thing," he said, his voice elevating. "Who the hell shot him dead, and why didn't anyone question him first?"
Silva cleared her throat. "Trevor, we've given the sheriff our statements. Someone shot him from a distance. We never saw who it was, and after he did the deed, he never came down to see if Sam was all right. Unless he did, but just blended with the men who came to investigate the shots fired. The word is Darien might be so mad at whoever the shooter was for not just wounding the gunman, the guy's not telling."
"Yeah, anyone would be afraid Darien would be pissed, especially the way he's been acting lately."
"Did anyone tell you that you'll be guarding us at my place?" Silva asked, her tone sweet and innocent.
Trevor scowled at her. "Babysitting?"
"Never know. Trouble seems to follow her. You could be in the thick of it this time."
Nurse Grey shook her head. "You can't mean the young lady will be going to your town house, Silva. She needs to remain here."
"I think Doc's worried the hospital isn't secure enough for her."
"Jail cell will do the job." Trevor shoved his hat back and crossed his arms over his broad chest.
"Ah, Trevor." Silva furrowed her brow at him.
"Hell, I saw how she beat up Ritka."
Lelandi smiled. The woman couldn't have been more outraged when paramedics wheeled Lelandi into the hospital. Luckily, the doctor ordered two men to watch over her, making sure Ritka didn't finish what the gunman had begun.
"Hell, look at the way she's smiling about it. No remorse or anything. Criminal behavior if I ever saw it."
"They started it," Silva argued. "Three against one, and every one of them is bigger than her."
"Ritka said this one started it to prove she's after Darien, like her sister had been."
"Ha! Darien did the chasing. Hell, Lelandi didn't stand a chance."
Trevor's face grew crimson again. "I've got work to do, straightening out this mess. Then I guess I've got babysitting duty later."
Lelandi swore he looked hopeful something bad would happen so he'd get in on the real action this time and be able to prove to his boss how important he was.
He stalked out.
"I've got to check on Tom, but if she needs anything, just holler," Nurse Grey said, then left.
"Guess it's just you and me, kid." Silva sat in the vinyl chair against the wall. "You look like you can barely stay awake. Why don't you get some sleep?"
"My sister didn't chase Darien?" Lelandi squeaked, hating that her voice was so out of control like the rest of her.
"Hardly. Darien doesn't like women who chase him. He likes to do the pursuing." Silva leaned back in the chair and rolled her sun-streaked chestnut hair between two fingers.
She really was a striking woman and Lelandi wondered why Darien didn't seem attracted to her.
Silva smiled. "So if you're interested in getting his attention, don't go hunting him down."
"Wouldn't think of it." Lelandi wanted to roll onto her stomach, the way she normally slept, but she couldn't with the IV in place. Plus, she had a sneaking suspicion her wounds would give her fits if she tried.
"On the other hand, if you want him to leave you alone..."
Lelandi stopped struggling with her thin white cotton blanket and looked over at Silva.
"Act really interested in him."
"Not happening." This time Lelandi's words came out loud and clear, to both her surprise and Silva's amusement.
"Uh-huh, well your choice."
"Listen." Lelandi's voice did the raspy, hoarse bit again. "I'm here for one thing only. Finding out who killed my sister and why, and terminating him. I'm not interested in some alpha gray pack leader who just buried his mate who happened to be my triplet. End of story."
"Triplet? Ohmigod, don't tell me there's another one of you. The news will put Darien in an early grave for sure."
"My brother, and if he were here, he'd search for our sister's killer."
"Oh, he must be a rogue, an alpha male, and must have left your pack. So, where is he now?"
Lelandi's eyes misted and she shrugged, wishing to hell her brother or even her uncle, who was seven years older than them, would help her.
Silva chewed on her bottom lip. "What if the dead gunman killed your sister?"
"He didn't."
"You sound so certain. How do you know?"
Darien walked into the room, making both Silva and Lelandi gasp. How long had he been listening in on their private conversation?
"How do you know he wasn't the one who killed Lelandi, assuming she didn't commit suicide?" he asked, his voice harsh and accusatory.
"She told me."
Darien's jaw tightened. "Don't tell me. You had secret triplet communication."
"If you mean she sent me a letter, yeah, she did." Lelandi swore he looked sicker than she felt, which had to be pretty hard to do the way she was feeling.
"You okay, boss?" Silva asked.
An alpha male did not faint. But his face had turned paler than her sheets, and she figured he was on the verge.
He gripped the doorframe for a minute, then growled, "Where's the letter?"
She wanted to fold her arms to prove she wasn't afraid of his alpha wolf posturing, but she thought better of it when she remembered the IV. Instead, she closed her eyes and listened to the hammering of his heart against his ribs.
"Tell me, damn it! Where's the letter?"
His voice grew closer, his breathing hard. She might have been afraid of him if it wasn't for the medicine making her loopy. Opening her eyes, she tried glaring at him when he gripped her bed railing, glowering at her as if he wished to kill her himself, but she wasn't sure she was sharing her meanest look with him the way her eyelids kept drooping. She hadn't an ounce of energy to spare.
"She's in a bad way, Darien. Let her rest and you can question her later."
"Now, damn it. I want some answers now."
As a wolf, she could imagine his teeth would be dangerous, but as a human, they were beautiful, straight, white, clenched, and...
She yawned and closed her eyes.
"Damn it, speak!"
A small laugh sounded. It wasn't from her, but when she opened her eyes, both Silva and Darien were staring at her. She realized that it was from her, after all.
GOD, SHE WAS EXASPERATING, AND BEAUTIFUL. BEAUTIFULLY exasperating. But Silva was right, the woman was barely out of surgery, pumped full of dope, and scarcely able to keep her eyes open. Yet she could manage a pitiful laugh at Darien's expense.
Darien gripped the bar tighter on her bed, then released it and stalked out of the room. Seeing his uncle questioning some others, he motioned to speak to him.
"Yeah, Darien, what's up?"
"Search Larissa's room. She must have been staying at Hastings Bed and Breakfast since she was headed in that direction when the gunman shot her. If she got a letter from Lelandi, bring it to me."
Pack laws ruled, no search warrants needed.
"And, pack up her things. She's staying at my place when she leaves the hospital. But until then...hell, I'll go with you."
"Not falling for another one of them, are you?" Uncle Sheridan's voice reflected stormy censure as they walked outside the hospital.
Darien rebuffed his comment with humor. "Not this time. Hell, I don't care for women who chase after me."
Uncle Sheridan shook his head. "Good thing she doesn't know any better." He cocked a dark brow, but his expression was still scornful.
Darien wasn't getting involved with the woman!
When they arrived at the Queen Anne Victorian bed and breakfast, Mrs. Bertha Hastings hurried to greet them, wearing one of her more colorful floral dresses. Didn't matter the time of year, she always dressed in flowery patterns. Told everyone who would listen she was probably a garden fairy in another life. Even now her lobby and checkin counter were filled with bouquets of flowers, ivies trailing down plant stands, and small ficus trees cuddled next to the big windows, leaning toward the sun, making it appear she'd brought the great outdoors inside.
"Is the young lady going to be all right?" Mrs. Hastings handed them a key to room five.
She shook her head before Darien could respond. "I know, I should have told you right away when she arrived. At first, I didn't recognize she was Lelandi's sister. But I caught her without the glasses and hat, and then I could see the obvious resemblance, despite the rest of the disguise. Oh, and her voice of course. Same sweet tone. How's she doing?"
Darien cleared his throat. "After a couple of days, she should be fine."
"Good. Tell her I'm saving her room for her."
He was going to tell her Larissa was leaving here for good, as soon as he found her pack and they came for her. But Uncle Sheridan beat him to it.
"She'll be going home to her pack as soon as she's well enough."
Mrs. Hastings's mouth dropped slightly. She hurried to pluck dead flowers from a vase of mums. "I'm sorry to hear it. I'd hoped..." She quickly glanced at Darien, but didn't say anything further.
That he would take Larissa as his mate? He shook his head. "Did anyone come here looking for her?"
"Deputy Trevor already asked. Some guy accosted her behind the house. I had my phone ready to call for backup when he grabbed her arm, but she swung her arm down and around, freeing herself. Just as quickly, she kicked up her knee like she was going to hurt him you know where. Looked like kung fu or something. Anyway, before he began to sing soprano, he jumped back, and that was the end of the confrontation. He stalked off toward Mervin's barbershop, and she headed for the tavern to see you. At least I presumed that's why she asked where you'd be on a Friday night."
Uncle Sheridan gave a derisive snort, his expression mirroring his response. "Chasing after you like you said, Darien." He pulled out his notepad. "Can you describe what the guy looked like?"
"Maybe five-foot-eight or so, lanky. He was wearing jeans, hiking books, a copper-colored coat. His hood was up, hiding his face." She shrugged. "Couldn't see much more."
"Copper coat? That should be easy to spot." Darien hoped they might finally have a lead.
"I haven't seen the guy again since the incident out back. And I don't recall having seen him before." She sighed.
"You figure Larissa knew him?" Darien asked.
"Yeah. I was repotting some flowers in the shed out back and heard her squeal. I peeked out the window and saw him draw close to her, and then heard them exchanging angry words. So I assumed they knew each other."
"A red from her pack."
"That's what I figured. You know, this girl's as sweet as her sister, but a mite more..." Mrs. Hastings smiled. "Spirited. More of a tigress at heart. Be careful of this one. She may look like her sister, but she's not the same. Danger seems to follow her."
If that wasn't the understatement of the day. "Did Trevor search her room?"
"No. He talked to one of the twin girls staying here, but that was all. I asked if he wanted to search Lelandi's sister's room, but he said he had more important things to do, and he'd return later. He hasn't come back and that was a couple of hours ago."
Uncle Sheridan swore under his breath. Darien was going to tell his uncle to find out what Trevor's problem was, but the stormy look on his uncle's face told him he didn't have to.
"If you remember anything more, let us know."
"Sure thing." She poured water into a pitcher. "She's not leaving right away, is she?"
"Not until she's well enough to travel."
"Good." She gave him a sugary smile and went back to watering her plants.
Darien and his uncle headed down the hall.
"So what do you think?" Uncle Sheridan asked.
"Pack member for sure giving her a hard time for entering another pack's area without permission and getting herself into trouble. Maybe boyfriend. Doubt it's the brother she mentioned because if he was and suspected Lelandi had been murdered, he would have come instead of Larissa."
"Unless he is her brother and doesn't believe Lelandi was murdered."
Darien shook his head. "She indicated she didn't know where he was." The way she seemed so tearful, he believed her. "I bet the patch of fur we found in the woods was this guy's. He's probably hanging around near the hospital, somewhere out of sight."
Darien stuck the key in the door lock, but a window slid open inside. "Someone's inside." He unlocked the door, but something blocked it, and his blood instantly heated. "Around back."
They raced through the hallway and Mrs. Hastings scrambled out of the way, spilling the pitcher of water. Darien and his uncle dashed into the kitchen and banged the back door open. No sign of any intruder, but footprints had been left in the manicured lawn shaded by firs that edged the forest. They dashed to the back side of Larissa's room. The window was now locked and curtains pulled closed so they couldn't see a thing.
Uncle Sheridan grabbed a flowerpot and broke the glass with a loud crash, sending dirt, golden mums, and bits of clay pottery flying.
Mrs. Hastings would have a fit.
They cleared away enough of the glass, climbed through the window, and found the place neat as if the maid had just cleaned up, except for the dresser shoved against the door blocking it, and the mess his uncle had made.
Darien shook his head, figuring the intruder had come for the same piece of evidence he was looking for. He and Sheridan searched the lace-covered canopy bed, underneath it, the dressers, and bedside tables, the closet and the small bathroom and found nothing. Not a toothbrush, comb, bag, article of clothing, or anything else.
Then a slight elevation of the mattress on the right side of the bed caught Darien's eye. He strode over to the bed and yanked up the coverlet. The mattress rode high in one small spot. Shoving his hand between the mattress and box spring, he felt the grip of a pistol. His heart pounded harder. Pulling the 9mm out, he checked the safety, then removed the bullets and studied them.
"Silver," Uncle Sheridan growled as he examined them more closely. "That's grounds for throwing her in jail. Possessing a firearm with intent to kill a lupus garou. Hell, Darien, she's a loose cannon."
Darien tucked the gun in his belt and shoved the bullets in his pocket. "She's not a threat any longer."
Uncle Sheridan groused under his breath some more.
After moving the dresser out of the door's path, they returned to the lobby to see Mrs. Hastings, her face ashen. She scooted a mop around on the wood floor, soaking up the water she'd spilled when he and his uncle nearly ran her over.
Darien handed her the key. "Someone was in the room and had blocked the door. We had to break the window. Just charge it to my account."
Mrs. Hastings took the key and moved around the counter. "The poor little thing really isn't safe." She glanced at the gun tucked in Darien's belt, and her eyes widened. "She was packing?"
"Was there anything else you can recall about her?" he asked, not wanting to get into it with his uncle over the gun again.
Mrs. Hastings pointed to the stairs winding up to a loft. "You might check up there. One of my teenaged guests told me a woman was reading a letter and crying. When I investigated, it was Lelandi's sister. She must have wiped away her tears, and I didn't see any letter."
Uncle Sheridan hurried up the stairs to the loft.
"Do you remember anything else? Nothing was in her room to indicate she'd ever been there," Darien said.
"Emma cleaned up the rooms after the guests left for the day. She didn't mention anything." Mrs. Hastings looked at the gun again.
Uncle Sheridan stomped down the stairs and rejoined them. "Nothing."
As Darien suspected. The woman was as much a mystery as her sister. "Come on, Uncle Sheridan. Let's talk to the little lady again."
Tension filling every pore, Darien hovered over Larissa's hospital bed while Uncle Sheridan stood nearby, his arms folded. Sorely vexed with Trevor, Uncle Sheridan still couldn't locate him.
With her face cloaked in sleep, Larissa looked like a sweet, innocent angel. Yet in that petite body, the heart of a warrior beat.
When she groggily opened her eyes, Darien tried to keep a grip on his temper, but his voice verged on a low, menacing growl. "Where...is...the...damned...letter?"
His shock of white hair ruffled, Doc walked into Lelandi's hospital room. "I ordered bed rest, not constant interrogation of the young lady."
Darien gave him a disgruntled look. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew the doctor was right---but when it came to sorting out this situation with Lelandi and her sister, he needed answers and now!
If Lelandi had possessed the strength to smile, she would have. The white-haired man looked like a taller, older version of her cherished uncle. Too bad he'd left the pack when she was little and become a rogue, too much of an alpha to put up with the leader, but not strong enough to take over. Yet, Doc looked like he could stand his ground, and had a compassionate side that made him lovable like her uncle.
His eyes were the same color---dark amber. He had a manly chin and large hands. The same cheerful expression. Except when he confronted Darien. The doctor stared him down. Who would win the confrontation this time?
"You're the boss, but if you want to be the doctor, too, have at it. Otherwise, let the woman rest."
"I need some answers," Darien growled.
"Get them in the morning." Doc stood firm, his hands on his hips.
Darien motioned for Silva to leave.
Silva cast him an annoyed look, walked over to the bed, and patted Lelandi's hand. "I'll see you in the morning, sugar. Don't let the big bad wolves scare ya none."
Lelandi tried to manage a smile, but her body seemed beyond her control.
"Talk to you tomorrow, Uncle Sheridan," Darien said, dismissing him, too.
"Get with you if I have any late-breaking news." The sheriff inclined his head and gave the doctor a peeved look, then headed out of the room.
Darien took the seat where Silva had been sitting.
"Your brother's sleeping soundly. Finally got Sam to shut up. Think from the way he talks he'd been fighting World War III single-handedly. But she's been injured the worst of the bunch and needs to rest."
Darien glowered at her. "I hear you, Doc. But I have to know what we're up against."
Lelandi was sure she smiled that time, and Darien caught the look. She couldn't help it. Who'd ever think a gray could make the leader back down?
Darien crossed his arms and this time he gave her an evil smile back.
The doctor took a deep breath. "Peter's got guard duty. Trevor will follow him."
"Fine. Close the door on your way out, will you?"
The doctor nodded and retired from the room.
Darien glared at Lelandi, his brown eyes filled with fury.
She closed her eyes, unable to keep them open any longer. They burned, along with her skin, and the fever created an earth-shattering pounding in her head, like the time she went to a human rock concert---too much noise for a lupus garou's sensitive hearing.
An hour later, she woke to rustling. Darien was searching through her purse. Lipstick, hairbrush, wallet loaded with cash, no credit cards, no driver's license, no name. She could have told him that.
He caught her eye, dumped her purse on the table and frowned, but he didn't question her. Man of his word. Good trait for a pack leader.
She must have drifted off to sleep again, because his low voice woke her when he spoke to the deputy in the hall. The smell of strong coffee reached her, then everything faded.
Until someone screamed, something crashed on the floor, and a slew of curses followed.
Lelandi's eyes popped open. Holy crap! Shapeshifting in her delirious state, the IV jerked out and dangling over the floor, the blasted hospital gown in between her front legs, Lelandi lay on her side in her wolf form. She hoped whoever cleaned bedsheets were lupus garous, because if not, humans would wonder why a patient shed red fur.
Darien and Trevor rushed into the room, instantly looked at the mess Ritka made on the floor, and then at Lelandi, drowsy red wolf extraordinaire.
"Odin's wounds, she's a royal," Darien said under his breath.
"Hell, Darien, if the word gets out, she'll have a whole mess of suitors. But if she's going to shapeshift without warning, she should be at the vet's," Trevor said.
Silva poked her head in.
"Get in and shut the door," Darien barked.
She scurried in, closed the door, and smiled at Lelandi. "My, my. She's a royal. Knocked that dye job right out. Told you so, boss."
"Shapeshift back," Darien commanded Lelandi.
Right. Just as soon as she had the strength. She yawned, stretched her legs, closed her eyes, and fell back to sleep.
When she managed to open her eyes again, she was in her human form, dressed in the hideous hospital gown, an IV stuck in her arm. Darien was sitting in the chair, his eyes glued to her as if he was waiting for the dawn to break, or maybe to ensure she didn't shapeshift back.
He'd grill her about the letter again, although she wondered why he hadn't found it concealed in her jacket yet. Unless she'd lost it. A deep-seated sadness slipped through her.
She shut the sight of Darien out and slept, but the squeaking of the door woke her when Nurse Grey entered the room to check her vital signs. The woman held her finger to her smiling lips and pointed to Darien, dead to the world, sitting upright in the chair. The nurse left her alone again, and Lelandi watched the gray. Proud, angry, his stern face almost saintly. In a heartbeat, she wanted to know what being his mate would be like, to feel his impassioned kiss against her mouth again, and so much more. Her heart sank when she realized how futile that notion was.
In sleep, the woman of Darien's dreams stood naked in a birch grove, watching him, her green eyes reflecting sadness, her hair stirred by the autumn breeze, dangling past her creamy hips.
Lelandi, his redheaded goddess.
He stalked toward her, her face lighting with desire. She twirled a red curl around her finger, tantalizing him all the more, although even without any encouragement, he was ready to take his fill of her.
Lelandi, he wanted to call out. But he had no control over the speaking part of the dream. He couldn't hear the birds in the trees or the breeze whistling through the leaves. He couldn't smell the pine needles or spruce or whether they were due for a shower, although the thunderous clouds building in the night sky indicated they would get a burst of rain soon. All he could do was feast his eyes on the vision before him, touch her, feel her soft as silk skin beneath his, the texture of her satiny hair, her heart beating beneath his...but he couldn't hear it, as if more than half his wolf senses had lost touch with reality.
She melted in his arms, her head resting against his chest, her arms clinging to him as if she never wanted to let go. He sensed she needed more, too, as if the dream was the most fragile connection, the tentative bond they shared never enough. How could he still find her here in his fantasy world, when in the real one she was gone? Forever, gone. He stroked her hair, kissed her head, wished he could smell the sweet fragrance cloaking her, smell her aroused state. Her nipples rubbed against his chest, kissable, tight, rose-colored nubs.
Lelandi, he mouthed against her cheek. Her gaze turned up, focusing on him. Her eyes had grown so big and green---greener than...than Lelandi's eyes? He combed his fingers through her hair, the strands shimmering in the moonlight. Redder than Lelandi's?
No...no, she was Lelandi. She responded to the name. She was the one he'd mated, the one he loved. He'd prove it to her once again, even if she was no more than his fantasy lover. He bent down and kissed her mouth, gently at first---but it wasn't enough. Touching her like this was never enough. He wanted to bury himself deep inside her, wanted to claim her, wanted to be part of her forever.
His tongue swept across her lips, and she parted them, inviting him in. He took advantage, deepened the kiss, pressed his mouth harder against her soft, velvet lips, tangoed his tongue with hers. His hands held her shoulders as he felt her falling away, so caught up in the kiss. His mouth smiled against hers, loving how she melted under his simple kisses. Thumbs caressing her shoulders, he let himself go, every molecule absorbing the feel of her, the heat coursing through his veins, the sweet softness of her calling to him.
Lelandi. But how could she be this real and no longer part of his life?
She moaned, encouraging him, her body slipping down to the sweet bed of grass beneath their feet. He took control, her eyes and mouth willing him to continue. God, she was so beautiful.
Pressing her legs apart, he quickly entered her before his fantasy lover vanished. Her fingers swept over his backside, pressuring him to delve deeper. His mouth tackled hers again, and he weighed her breasts, lifting, caressing the hardened nipples, loving the way she responded so promptly to his touch.
"How could I have lost you...," he whispered against her lips. "When all I ever wanted was to keep you safe."
It was him, really him. Lelandi loved the way he made her feel---loved, special, his. She opened her lips to speak, but when she couldn't say anything, he tongued her mouth again, his erection spearing her deeper and deeper. She arched her pelvis, wanting to reach the moon and back.
Why couldn't she see his face clearly? As if the dark side of the moon cloaked it in blackness. Why couldn't she hear his name when he knew hers so well? As if he controlled the dream---the alpha male in charge. Why couldn't she have him in the real world when the night faded and the day renewed?
"Ahh," she moaned, her body shuddering with climax as he filled her with his seed, and she wanted it to be real. She wanted to find him and be with him forever, not just for fleeting moments in her dream world.
Then a horrible pain radiated through her chest, and she tried to ignore it, tried to concentrate on her lover's lips, the only part of his face she could see. They were parted, grim, as if he recognized the pain she felt.
Lelandi, his lips mouthed.
She tried closing her eyes and pretending the pain wasn't shrieking across every nerve ending, her head ready to explode.
Lelandi, he said again, more vehemently, and his hard body began to fade away.
She couldn't lose him. Not now when she needed his comforting touch. But he was fading...fading...
"No!" she cried out.
DARIEN HOVERED OVER LELANDI, REACHING FOR THE NURSE'S call button, his other hand on hers. No, she wouldn't take any more pain medication and become a zombie again, despite how much the pain filtered through every nerve ending with acute clarity.
Nurse Grey walked into the room and looked from Lelandi to Darien with a questioning gaze.
"She's hurting pretty badly," Darien said.
"No." Lelandi shook her head. "I can manage."
"No sense in putting up with it." Nurse Grey reached for the IV line. "Might as well be comfortable."
"No." Lelandi narrowed her eyes, giving the nurse and Darien a dagger of a look and tried to pull away from the IV. "I don't want any more."
Both Darien and Nurse Grey gave small smiles.
She wanted to jerk her hand out of his, and in fact she thought she'd tried, but he kept her hand hostage.
He looked down at her with such concern, a hint of confusion, even a touch of desire, she wasn't sure what had come over him. Gone seemed to be the need to make her confess about who she was and everything about her.
She swore his hand tightened on hers even though she felt her body slipping away, the pain medication zipping through her veins. Fine. Damn it. She'd find her fantasy lover. Somewhere. Forget...the...real...worl...
Frustration filling every pore, Darien wanted his mate back. How could her sweet body torment him in his dreams still? Even now as he checked on Jake waiting to speak to him about the silver mine in the hall outside Larissa's room, he felt distracted, ill at ease, like a part of his soul had been ripped away. She had been a drug he couldn't get his fill of, and though six eligible females existed in his pack, only one would do---the petite woman of his dreams---and now she was dead.
Lelandi.
Jake studied him, then frowned. "Another bad night?"
Darien gave him a look like he'd better not go there.
Jake shook his head. "I'll get on with the business at the silver mine." He muttered under his breath as he stalked off, "Better there than here. Got to find another mate, brother, and give up the ghost. She's gone. You have to own up to it sometime."
Gone.
Would finding another mate stop the dreams?
He snorted. Even when he'd been with Lelandi, the dreams had continued. The fantasy, so much better than the real thing.
He glanced at Deputy Peter Jorgenson sitting on a chair, pulling guard duty. "Need a break?"
"Thanks, boss. Trevor just relieved me. I'll be here for another two hours."
Time to go home and try to get some much needed sleep. But if Darien could find Lelandi in the woods, even if it was only in his dreams...he'd forgo sleep for an eternity.
The next morning, Lelandi sat up in bed, her head partially cleared, no restraints, although the medication still dulled her senses. Otherwise, she would have sensed the brooding man sitting in the room. Jake's eyes opened wider when it registered she was awake. Darien must have given up and gone home.
Jake stroked his whiskered chin for a minute. Finally he spoke, his voice condemning. "He doesn't want you. He sees you as her."
Nobody had to tell her Darien saw her as Larissa. Swallowing hard, Lelandi hoped at least her vocal cords had returned to normal after the snake had strangled them. She still didn't feel she had any energy, but at least she felt no pain. Her throat dry, she noticed her water cup was empty. The water pitcher was too far away to reach, but she wasn't asking grumpy to get it for her. The other solution was to hit the nurse call button. If Ritka was manning the desk, she might dump the water on Lelandi, or ignore her completely. Besides, Lelandi was used to fending for herself.
"He's already been through the wringer enough over your sister without having to go through the same thing with you. Damn it, woman, he needs to heal."
Like she didn't? Jake was talking about her sister! She'd loved her just as much as Darien had. Why else did they think she was here? To avenge her sister's death, damn it!
Lelandi twisted her mouth, her throat feeling drier by the second, probably because of the medication she was taking. Indecision caught hold. Should she try to go back to sleep, or get the water herself?
"He should have mated Trevor's sister. Hell, none of this would have happened if he had."
She ground her teeth. Trevor's sister? No wonder the guy didn't like her. But she would not give in to Jake's challenging her. Jake knew she wanted some water, but he made it clear he wasn't about to help her. Fine, she didn't need a gray's help anyway.
"I told him to leave her alone. That she wasn't right for him. He doesn't need you messing with his head, too."
Lelandi glowered at Jake. She had no intention of "messing" with Darien's head. Leaning over, she reached for the water pitcher. A cold draft sent shivers down her back where her gown opened up. Her head filled with fog, and she paused, nausea filling her belly, dizziness washing over her. Slow. Take it nice and slow.
The chair scooted back across the industrial-strength carpeting covering the floor and footsteps hurried in the direction of the hall.
She closed her eyes to shut out the dizziness when Jake said, "Get Ritka. The woman passed out."
What woman?
Lelandi opened her eyes, her thoughts still fuzzy. She had to get off this blasted medicine that made her feel so out of control.
Jake stalked back into the room. "Lie still. Go back to sleep."
Ignoring him, she tried for the water again. As soon as she leaned over the bed railing, her stomach and head started dog paddling, and she felt herself quickly going under.
"Damn it, woman." Jake laid his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back, his touch gentle, his stern face anxious.
Nurse Grey stalked into the room. "What's the matter?"
"She needs those restraints back on."
Lelandi glowered at him. "Water." She limply lifted her hand and pointed to the container.
"She passed out twice and was about to do the same again."
"Trying to get the water herself?" Nurse Grey asked, her tone annoyed while she took Lelandi's temperature.
He shrugged. "She didn't ask."
"And you weren't going to offer. Take a seat, and roll up your sleeve."
"What...?"
"Come on, tough guy. The little lady needs more of your blood. That's why she's passing out."
"Hell, I already gave her a river's worth."
The nurse tsked. "A big alpha male like you can give a little more."
Lelandi wished she were feeling more with it, able to respond, as she dearly would love to laugh out loud at the look on Jake's face. More than disgruntled. Every bit of blood she'd get from him was spitting fire.
Good. Maybe it would give her some energy.
After getting some sleep and feeling somewhat better, Darien walked into Larissa's room, saw his brother giving her blood again, and came to a dead stop. "What the hell's going on?"
Jake scowled at him. "You could have given her blood when you were here last. This is the second go around for me."
Larissa's face was still ghostly pale. "Feeling any better?" He sure as hell hoped so or he'd never get the truth out of her.
She nodded, but she seemed to be nearly as out of it as the night before. He guessed he shouldn't have insisted she got more pain medicine when she'd objected so strenuously. Still, hearing her groaning in the middle of the night...
"I gave her some more pain medication about an hour ago. It seems to be kicking in," Nurse Grey warned.
"Can I ask you a question?" he asked Larissa in the most sweet-mannered way he could manage.
Jake raised a brow.
Larissa headed off Darien's question. "Room broken into."
Her voice was clearer, not as raspy, but she sounded weary. "So Uncle Sheridan came by already and talked to you about it."
"An hour ago," Jake said as Nurse Grey released him.
Now he looked a little peaked.
"Come on, Jake. You can lie down in room five until you feel more yourself." Nurse Grey helped him up.
"Good thing we can manufacture blood more quickly than humans." Jake gave Darien another dirty look. "Next time, it's your turn."
"Wrong blood type." The nurse held Jake's arm as they walked out of the room.
"Good excuse," Jake said. "Hey, we're triplets. He's got the same blood..." His voice trailed off down the hall.
Darien pulled the chair closer to the bed. "The guy who broke into your place must have stolen your bag. Did Uncle Sheridan tell you that?"
She took slow, shallow breaths. "Gun."
"I found your gun. What had you planned to do? Shoot someone you thought killed your sister? You can't take matters into your own hands, damn it."
She stared at the ceiling for a minute as if trying to remember what had happened. Her eyes drifted to the bed, then she closed them.
"What's your family's name? Where are your parents?"
She stared straight through him. "Lelandi. Parents..." She swallowed hard. "Killed, accident."
"I'm sorry to hear it." But he hadn't even known his mate had a family, and he still wasn't sure Larissa had been telling the truth so he was having a tough time feeling any sympathy. "What did the letter say?"
"Lupus blackmailing her."
Darien's heart nearly stopped. "What, who---"
She studied the blanket, her fingers twisting the thin fabric.
"Yours or mine?"
Larissa looked up at him, her eyes revealing confusion.
"Do you think it was one of my grays or one of your reds?"
She didn't answer, which made him suspicious. "Why would anyone blackmail her?" Darien considered Lelandi's nightmares, her reluctance to discuss her past with him. It fit. When he opened his mouth to question Larissa, she had shut her eyes again. "Larissa?"
She didn't respond and appeared to be sleeping. He growled under his breath, swore he would not tell anyone to give her any more pain medication if she needed it, and took his seat again.
Two painfully long hours later, Larissa opened her eyes, and immediately Darien launched in with his questioning, determined to get the truth out of her this time. "What about the man who accosted you outside of Hastings?"
"Gunman?"
Being evasive on purpose? Or confused again? "No, the hooded man in the copper coat."
Instantly, her already pale face turned whiter.
"Larissa?"
She scowled. "No one."
He clenched his fists. "If he's from your pack and he followed you here, angered you'd be investigating this, it might be something."
Closing her eyes, she shook her head.
"Fine, when we catch the bastard, we'll find out all we want to know." He paused, waiting for her to give in. When she didn't, he started in on her again. "He broke into your room, got physical with you---"
"I...I don't think he broke into my room."
"How do you know?"
She didn't respond.
"Got physical with you then." Darien barely curbed his rage. Why did she protect the bastard?
"Little angry."
Darien paced across the floor. "He was a little angry? I'm a little angry. Who the hell is he? And where is that damned letter? In your bag? Did you even have a bag?"
Deputy Peter knocked on the door and poked his face in. "A deputy sheriff's here who picked up a red lupus garou matching the little lady's description, hitchhiking. He's from Green Valley. Want to talk to him?" Peter's expression said there was lots more, but he didn't want to say in front of the patient.
Darien cast Larissa a smug smile. "Yeah, I sure do."
Silva sneaked a peek in the room, waving a bag from Chipper's Donuts like a white flag, the aroma of glazed icing, chocolate, and pastries filling the air. Silva smiled at Lelandi. "I brought some chocolate iced donuts. Sounds like we need some cheering-up food in here."
"Ask her who the guy was who accosted her behind Hastings before she came chasing after me at the tavern." He smiled at Larissa when her face reddened, then stalked toward the door. "Where's this witness at, Peter?"
"Doc's office. He said you could question him there."
"Good. Now maybe we'll get some answers." Darien left the room and headed down the hall.
"You know, sugar, you sure have him wrapped around your little finger. I've never seen him so out of control when he's around you. I'd say he can't decide whether to strangle you or kiss you." Silva set a donut on Lelandi's tray. "Coffee?"
Definitely he wanted to strangle her. And the feeling was mutual. "Milk?" Lelandi asked.
"Sure, darlin.' Be right back." Silva walked outside the room. "Want some donuts, Trevor?"
"What's she done to rile Darien this time?" Trevor grumbled.
Jeez, couldn't the guy ever say something nice to Silva?
"You know him when he hasn't had enough sleep. He's always a bear."
When wasn't he a bear?
Silva waved at Lelandi. "Off to get your milk."
Lelandi took a deep breath and allowed herself a self-satisfied smile. Darien could question the deputy sheriff from Green Valley all he wanted, but she didn't tell him a thing about herself that he could trace back to the pack.
She lifted her donut off the tray when Ritka walked in, her bruised and swollen eye back to normal---too bad.
"You're supposed to be eating the breakfast Doc ordered for you." She jerked the donut out of Lelandi's hand and dumped it in the trash.
Stunned into inaction, Lelandi's mouth gaped, and she stared at the wastepaper basket.
Ritka took her temperature. "Ninety-nine, point nine. Heard you had a breakin at your room last night. No suitcase. Just a gun---with silver bullets. But the most interesting news? That deputy sheriff who picked you up and gave you a ride here? He took your picture on his cell phone and scanned it through his database. Seems one pissed-off pack leader is looking for you and has offered a reward for your immediate return. A big reward." Ritka sneered at her. "Guess you won't be staying here long."
Lelandi's heart skipped several beats. If that bastard Crassus got hold of her, she'd have to kill him because he wasn't beating on her again. Ever.
Ritka got into her face. "What do you think about that?" She straightened and plastered a faux sympathetic expression on her face. "You look a little pale. Don't want to go back? Too bad. Now you can't have Darien, bitch."
Silva walked into the room with a glass of milk, her face scowling. "Finished with nursing business, Ritka?"
"You're a visitor, so stuff it. I can have your butt kicked out of here just like that." Ritka snapped her fingers.
"Larissa, you okay, honey? You don't look too well." Silva hurried over to the bed.
Tears rolled down Lelandi's cheeks. She couldn't help it. Probably was the pain medication. Maybe it was the fact she didn't have the strength to fight or flee. This was so not like her!
"What did you say to upset Larissa?" Silva accused Ritka, her voice angry.
"Lelandi," she sobbed. At least they could get her name right!
"You're just a dumb barmaid who reads literary books to try to make yourself feel smarter. Probably don't understand most of what you read. But you're a---"
Lelandi yanked the IV out of her arm and gritted her teeth against the pain. The medication had to go. It was making her say things she was sure she shouldn't. It was making her lethargic, dopey, and now weepy. It was keeping her in bed when she had to run. But most of all she wanted her damned chocolate donut back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ritka screamed, grabbing Lelandi's arm.
Pain stabbed through Lelandi's arm and chest. She swung her free arm and poked her fist into Ritka's other eye, then everything faded to black.
Darien walked into Doc's office and found Deputy Sheriff Smith, a tall, lean, uniformed man, sitting on the leather love seat, reshaping the brim of his Stetson. He quickly rose and crossed the floor to shake Darien's hand.
He motioned for the deputy to take a seat, although Darien remained standing. "Tell me what you know."
Smith explained how he'd run a trace on her, worried she might be in trouble. Being that she was a pretty red loner lupus garou, he was afraid someone might grab her. "Before I knew it, here comes this frantic request for any information on the missing girl. The pack leader said his name was Leidolf."
Darien should have been pleased to hear that Leidolf was her pack leader and wanted her returned at once. So why the hell did Darien want to dismiss it as a case of mistaken identity?
"Did Deputy Peter Jorgenson tell you anything about what's going on here with Larissa?"
Smith bowed his head once. "I understand one of her own people, or one of yours, might have shot the woman. The assistant mayor of Green Valley, Chester McKinley, was here at the time of the shootings and being that he is also a licensed P.I. and concerned for the lady's welfare, he asked I keep this just between you and me. By the way, the name the leader gave for her was Lelandi."
Darien's stomach clenched into knots, and he looked at the floor as the feelings of desolation swamped him again. "He doesn't know she's dead."
"Apparently not. But I didn't find a similar request for a girl who looked identical to her. Probably misplaced."
"Where's he from?"
"Portland, Oregon."
In astonishment, Darien raised his brows. Why in the world had the two women come all the way to Colorado?
"Surprised me, too. I got the impression she was a local girl. I was trying to find out where she was from and started mentioning some of the wildflowers native to Colorado. She offered me the names of others she'd seen. I asked if she was from down South, but she said, 'No, Denver.' So when I got the notice some guy in Oregon is claiming she's missing from his pack, I was pretty darned surprised. What do you want me to do?"
"Sit on it. I need to find out what's going on before she goes home." Darien couldn't believe he said it. But something didn't ring true about this Leidolf character. And Darien wasn't letting her out of his sight until he found the shooter. "If you hear anything more, let me know."
"Sure will." The deputy gave him a sly smile. "I wouldn't let her go either, if I were in your shoes."
Darien let the comment slide, figuring the deputy didn't know the situation well enough to understand. As soon as Smith left, Darien called Peter in. "I know how difficult it is to locate packs or anything about them as secretive as we need to be, but I've got a lead. See if you can find a Leidolf out of Portland, Oregon. I want to know everything about him and his pack."
"Yes, sir, will do."
Intent on learning what Doc needed to speak to him about, Darien headed to the lounge where three of his cousins were talking to the doctor. As soon as his cousins spied him, everyone stopped speaking.
"Every time I walk into a room it gets awfully damned quiet. Someone planning a hostile takeover?" Darien only half-joked. If enough of his members got fed up with his leadership, one of the bolder males might just feel the need to end his role.
Before anyone could respond, a petite blonde wearing a black business skirt and jacket leaned over the checkin counter and raised her voice. "Listen, Angelina, I've given you my résumé and I just want to talk to the doctor about a job."
Angelina gave a snort. "Doc's not the one you have to convince. Darien Silver's the most important one on the hospital board, and he's calling the shots."
Now what? Darien sure as hell didn't need to deal with this right now.
"Come into my office, Darien. You might want to sit down when I tell you the latest," Doc said.
"Wait!" The blonde ran after Darien and Doc and stopped in front of them.
Holding out her hand, she gave them a broad smile. Totally faked. Human, pretty, with the biggest and clearest blue eyes Darien had ever seen.
"Hi. You might not know me, but Doctor Oliver set my broken leg when I was ten after a whitewater rafting accident and after that, I always wanted to be a nurse. I earned a nursing degree in Denver, and here I am."
Hoping to nip this in the bud from the outset, Darien didn't shake her hand. She quickly dropped hers to her side, her smile fading. "I'm not new at this. I trained well before I returned home." Her voice had taken on a tinge of annoyance. "My parents still live here. Dad's a carpenter. Mom has a home business and sells pottery crafts. I've never wanted to work anywhere else, but the lady at the front desk won't give my résumé to the doctor." The blonde shoved her résumé at Darien. "I'm Carol Wood, by the way."
Darien didn't take the résumé. "Check with the school. They can use a nurse. Just tell them I sent you."
The perky woman's face fell to the floor. "But..."
"The staff's full here. We don't need anyone else."
She folded her arms. "I've heard there's been a lot of trouble. Gunshot victims. More people moving in. You'll need more staff. At least, try me."
"Apply at the school. If someone quits here..." Darien shrugged. "You might get lucky."
She glanced at Doc, but he confirmed Darien's decision. "Mr. Silver is right. We don't need any more nurses for the time being." He motioned for Darien to follow him.
"See the school principal, Miss Wood." Darien headed with the doctor down the hall.
The woman's blood pulsed at a quickened pace, and she wasn't happy with his decision. He highly suspected that wasn't the last he'd hear of it either.
Doc led Darien into his office and shut the door.
The lingering aroma of chocolate donuts filled the air and a paper plate with remnants of chocolate glaze sat in the middle of his otherwise neat oak desk, everything in its place as usual, the heavyweight brass caduceus sitting on a stack of medical notes he'd transcribe later.
"Carol Wood sent me letters before she finished nursing school. I didn't mention it to you before because so many of the students drop out before they finish their programs. She's persistent, if nothing else."
"We can't have a human working in the hospital. Not when our people heal so fast."
Doc sat down at his desk. "What about assigning her to human cases only?"
"Too much of a nightmare to keep up with. What if she checked on a lupus garou patient like Larissa because the rest of the staff was busy? Can you imagine what she'd think if she saw the injuries, then Larissa leaves the hospital so soon after? If Larissa had been human, she would have died from the massive injuries she'd sustained." Darien shook his head and looked out the window at the majestic mountains. "Having one of their kind on the hospital staff isn't feasible." He took a deep breath and switched topics. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Because of her injuries, I ran tests to see if she was pregnant. She wasn't. Then I examined her to see if she was a virgin."
Knowing damn well why he was checking, Darien scowled at him. He wasn't mating with the red.
"She is a virgin. Which means she doesn't have a mate."
Although he fought feeling anything about the situation one way or another, Darien felt relieved. He told himself it was because he didn't want to have to deal with her irate mate if he came looking for her.
Doc leaned back in his leather chair. "The other news is someone tried to strangle Larissa after she'd been shot."
Darien felt he'd been kick-dropped off a cliff. "Why the hell didn't you tell me this before?"
"She needs rest more than anything---not a lot of questioning. I've already asked her if she saw who did it. But she was probably unconscious or nearly so and didn't remember anything. She said a snake strangled her, then slithered away when she heard voices. Yours and Jake's."
"A snake? We don't have anacondas or boa constrictors here."
"Her barely conscious imagination. He left bruises on her throat. Since she was wearing a turtleneck, you wouldn't have seen the marks. She was so battered from her fall, you might not have noticed now that she's wearing a hospital gown. Either he thought he had finished her or he heard you and Jake approaching and vanished."
"Hell, Doc, I need the area we found her in combed for evidence. I thought only Jake and I had been there with her. If we can find other footprints, size of shoe, scent, anything..."
"I asked your uncle to investigate, but not to tell you until I had a chance to discuss this with you."
Darien would not have this insubordination! No one withheld information from him that was this important! He opened his mouth to say so when Ritka shrieked from the direction of Larissa's hospital room.
SILVA AND RITKA FOUGHT WITH EACH OTHER NEXT TO Lelandi's bed, as she tried to ignore the yelling. Jake leaned against the doorframe, shaking his head.
Until Darien and the doctor stalked into the room and Darien shouted, "Enough! What the hell happened?" He appeared somewhat rattled, his face slightly drained of color, and he studied Lelandi a little too closely. Her neck actually.
She took a deep, settling breath. Good, peace and quiet now that the boss man has arrived.
"She hit me!" Ritka screamed.
Yeah, and if they hadn't restrained me, I'd do it again!
"We can see," Darien said calmly. "I want to know why."
Lelandi fought to find the words, but the IV was hooked up to her arm again, and she figured heavier duty drugs were pouring into her veins because she could barely concentrate on what was being said, let alone keep her eyes open.
"She ripped out the IV and when I tried to stop her, the bitch hit me."
"You grabbed her sore arm and yanked her back so hard, pain filled her face. That's why she hit you," Silva scolded. "Haven't you ever heard of a good bedside manner?"
"Yeah," Lelandi said, slurring her word.
Without taking his eyes off Lelandi, Darien said to Ritka, "What did you say to her?"
Ritka shrugged. "Nothing of consequence."
"I just bet." Darien glowered at her like she was next on the head-chopping block. "Why isn't she any better, Doc?"
"Low-grade fever. She needs to stay until tonight at least. I'll see then how she's doing." The doctor motioned for Ritka to leave.
She glared at Lelandi, then stomped out of the room.
"Did Larissa say anything to you, Jake?" Darien asked.
"Not a word."
"Talked...'bout...you...an'...me." Lelandi tried to scowl at Jake.
Darien shifted his attention to his brother, whose ears immediately tinged crimson. "You and I'll speak later. Did she say anything to you, Silva?"
"Nope. And whatever Ritka said to her happened before I arrived. She looks pretty glassy-eyed, Darien. Don't think she's really with it."
"What did she say to you?" Darien reached his hand out to touch Lelandi's, but then he seemed to think better of it and shoved his hands in his pocket.
"About...green...dep'ty."
Darien's eyes rounded. "She told you about the deputy sheriff from Green Valley?"
She managed a slow nod.
"Shit." He looked back at her neck and shook his head. "A snake, huh?"
Lelandi closed her eyes and hoped she'd be able to keep her mouth shut until they took her off the pain medication. Otherwise, she'd have to make up wild stories to mix in with whatever else she said.
Then she remembered her damned donut and lifted her finger at the wastepaper basket. "Donut," she mumbled.
After she fell asleep, Darien motioned to Jake to come with him. "I want to know what the hell you said to Larissa."
Jake shook his head. "She's a wildcat. Where Lelandi was too much of an angel, this one has the devil in her."
They walked into Doc's empty office to talk.
Jake shut the door. "But I really don't think she should go to our home."
"It's the safest place for her for the time being. But that's not what I want to talk about. What did you say to her?"
Looking defiant, Jake shoved his hands in his pockets. "I told her you've already been through hell with her sister. You don't need to have to deal with her, too. As for taking her to the house, you know how the rumors will fly."
"I'm not interested in having her for a mate, but it's my business, not yours. I'll deal with her as I see fit. Understand?"
"Yeah," Jake said grudgingly. "So what's the deal with this deputy sheriff from Green Valley and snakes?"
Darien explained everything, and how their uncle was investigating the crime scene where they'd found Larissa. "Did you see or smell anything when we were with her?"
Jake shook his head. "I was concentrating on alerting the rest of our pack that we'd found the lady, and then we learned Sam had been shot."
"Could the guy who strangled her be the same one who shot the gunman? Distance-wise, do you think he could have made it up there in time?"
"We don't know when he left her."
Darien frowned in thought. "Probably when we were drawing close. He heard our voices."
"Then there must be two of them."
"Great." Darien ran his hands through his hair. "Now that I recall, I distinctively smelled the odor of decomposing leaves, but no smell of any lupus garou in human form, just that god-awful perfume Larissa was wearing. Do you think the perpetrator was wearing human's hunter spray to disguise his scent?"
"I'll have Uncle Sheridan check out the location and see if rotting leaves were in the vicinity. Now that you mention it, I smelled it also. But remember the red I got a whiff of?"
"He was in wolf form and couldn't have strangled her."
"True. What about this Leidolf? Are you sure we shouldn't contact him?"
"We don't know who he is really. Peter is looking into it. What I want to know is did she have a bag and if so, was it stolen?"
Jake stared out the window at the mountain view where clouds perched on top in a mist, coating the peaks like whipped topping. "Trevor questioned Mrs. Hastings who said her grandkids were visiting when Larissa checked in, so she was distracted and didn't see if Larissa had a bag or not. She paid in cash and---"
"What name did she register under?"
"Melanie Weber."
His eyes narrowed, Darien thought about the name. "The name sounds familiar." He rubbed his chin as he thought back to her earlier comments. "She kept asking to see a Doctor Weber. He's got to be real." Darien glanced at Doc's medical degrees and other certificates displayed across the wall, updated periodically over the decades to make it appear Doc wasn't as old as he was. "I want you to find anybody by that name in the state who's a practicing physician."
"But Leidolf says she's from Portland."
"Deputy Smith said he was sure she was from Colorado. Another thing, Larissa said she received a letter from Lelandi before she died. It wasn't in her purse. If it was in her bag, it's gone. Apparently, a lupus was blackmailing Lelandi."
Jake swore under his breath. "One of ours?"
If it led to her death, whoever had been blackmailing Darien's mate was a dead lupus garou. "The letter didn't say."
"Larissa told you this when she was out of it?"
"She seemed pretty lucid, but she might not have been. Hell, I don't know."
"Where else could the letter be?" Jake asked.
"Maybe she burned it in the fireplace, or hid it somewhere else at the B&B. Mrs. Hastings mentioned Larissa was holding a letter in her lap in the loft and a teenaged guest said Larissa had been crying. It must have been the letter."
The answer struck them at once. "Her clothes," they said simultaneously.
They hastened back to her room where Larissa was still sound asleep, and Darien jerked open the metal locker. Empty.
"I'll find out what happened to them," Jake said.
Apparently eavesdropping from the hallway, Silva walked into the room. "I took them home to wash."
"Silva," Darien said, annoyed.
She smiled. "Sorry, bad habit of mine. Used to overhearing conversations in the bar. Guess because my life is dull at times."
"Her clothes?"
"They were bloody so I took them home to wash. Cleaned her jeans. With the bullet holes in it, the shirt was a total loss. She'll need a new peach lace bra to match her panties, if anyone's interested." Silva paused for effect.
Darien could have wrung her neck, although she got the result she wanted. The image of Larissa's lace bra and the creamy mounds they had confined came to mind. He knew damn well what she'd looked like beneath the turtleneck, and he didn't want to be reminded.
"I cleaned the lining of her leather jacket, too, but it'll need some patchwork. Oh, and I washed your shirt, too."
"The letter?" he asked, too angrily.
Smiling, Silva pulled an envelope from her pocket. "I had to soak up the blood, so the letter's a little hard to read in spots. Found it in a hidden pocket inside her leather jacket. It crinkled when I was mopping up the blood on the lining, otherwise I probably would have missed it."
"Why didn't you mention it before?" He stretched his hand out for the envelope.
She withheld it. "I was waiting for you to be in a better mood. Appeared that wasn't going to happen anytime soon."
Darien seized the letter from her.
"You might want to sit down when you read it."
"Larissa already told me what it said." He yanked the letter out of the envelope, barely aware Jake stood breathing down his neck to get a glimpse of it.
"Then you already know your mate had a living husband."
Darien jerked his head up and stared at Silva, not believing her words.
Silva folded her arms and looked smug.
Hell, he knew it. His worse nightmare realized. Lupus garous didn't divorce. They mated for a lifetime and only mated again if they lost their lifemate, if they found someone else they couldn't live without. That meant a female was a virgin when first mated unless she was widowed, or in rare cases had been with a human. Lelandi hadn't been a virgin. Too hung up on her to learn anything he didn't want to know, he hadn't questioned her.
He sat down hard on the chair next to Larissa's bed, hating that Silva knew how horrible the news hit him. So was it a red blackmailing Lelandi for mating a gray when she was already mated to a red? Or a gray who'd learned the truth, blackmailing her so that he wouldn't tell Darien? But why kill her?
Staring at the letter, he couldn't make himself open it. Now he wondered if the man who had accosted Larissa had been Lelandi's mate.
Her nightmares were now becoming his own.
Jake stood next to the chair, waiting.
Pack leaders had to keep their packs together. No matter what, Darien had to get through whatever life dealt him. Clenching his teeth, he opened the letter and began to read.
Dear Lelandi,
He glanced up at Jake.
"So the letter's from her," Jake said, jerking his thumb at Larissa. "It's not from her sister."
If you're reading this, I'm dead. Might as well say it like it is. You know me, that's the way I always could be with you. No one else. Just you, sis.
"Hell, no, it can't be from her," Darien said, waving his hand at the hospital bed. "Not if the letter is supposed to be from the dead twin."
"Then Lelandi was Larissa and Larissa was Lelandi? I'll never get it straight."
Darien felt a colossal pool of tension collecting in his temple. The more he found out about his mate, the more he realized she wasn't who he thought she was. "Seems that way."
"That's why she kept saying she was Lelandi when we called her Larissa. I thought her confusion was a direct result of her wounds, and then later from the medication."
So what else had his mate lied about? Having a family, a pack, a husband, her name. Part of him wanted to know, but part of him wanted the secrets kept buried. What difference did it make to know all the sordid details now?
I could never be what you thought I should, the good daughter, the perfect wife, but you always forgave me as a sister. You tried to steer me right a million times, but I finally had to find my own way. Who would have ever thought little ol' me would end up with two husbands living at the same time, eh? Sorry, L. Just like the rest of our family, we don't exactly go along with pack rules. In our blood, I guess.
If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't have been born. Honest.
I wanted to be just like you. Hope you don't mind too terribly. Didn't try to cause you any trouble. Don't ever get hooked up with the wrong wolf, and then find the right one.
But if Darien was the right one, why was she so unhappy? None of it made any sense.
One of the lupus found out. He's been blackmailing me. Been getting death threats, too. If Darien learns about my other mate, he'll be wishing I'd died the first time around.
The fear she'd be found out---that's what made her so inconsolable.
I've made a real mess of things. Like I usually do with my life.
Give Mom and Papa my love. I know they're white-haired by now over all of my shenanigans. Love you, sis. Find the happiness I was never meant to have. Larissa
He looked at---Lelandi, still sleeping soundly, wondering how the hell Larissa had sent her the letter after she had died.
"Maybe we ought to let him have some private time?" Silva said to Jake.
"You need anything, Darien?" Jake asked.
He shook his head, feeling like his whole body had sifted through a grinder. Leaning back in the chair, he closed his eyes. He'd wanted his mate to tell him what upset her so.
Now he almost wished he didn't know.
Later that afternoon, Jake poked his head in the room while Lelandi slept soundly and said to Darien, "We've got problems with one of the leather tanning machines, and I really need help on this one."
Darien figured he didn't, but wanted to get his mind off his troubles. As it turned out, it took more than an hour to fix it and Darien was thankful for the diversion.
Returning to the hospital, Jake opened the back door. "I can't believe anyone could screw up the leather tanning machine that badly."
"At least no one was injured," Darien said, "like the last time."
Ritka sleeping at the nurse's station caught his attention. She could be a real bitch, but she always worked hard, never slacking off.
"What the hell."
Jake gave her arm a rough shake. "She's out cold."
Darien's stomach clenched, and he glanced down the hall. A janitor was passed out next to a bucket of mop water, and Deputy Peter lay sprawled on the floor next to his chair in front of Lelandi's room.
"Shit." Darien bolted down the hall and slammed Lelandi's door open, the force banging it against the wall. Lelandi was gasping for air, a black plastic bag covering her face, suffocating her.
"Odin's teeth!" In a couple of bounds, he was beside her bed, digging his fingers into the bag, trying to rip it open, his heart thundering.
Before Lelandi was fully conscious, she felt she was suffocating, the room pitch black, yet with her wolf vision, she should see clearly. She tried to move her hands, but her wrists were bound again. She could barely breathe as something pressed against her face. Something clinging and black. No oxygen. Blacking out. Where were her guards? Inside room? Outside...
Holes began to appear in the plastic as someone frantically tore at it and finally ripped it away. She gasped for air. Darien's anxious face and the blinding lights of the hospital room appeared before her, while he continued to tear at the bag.
Filling her lungs, she tried to reach out to him. He paused while ripping the tape off around her neck, and took her hand and squeezed tight. "Jesus, Lelandi." He didn't say anything more, just held onto her hand and gazed into her eyes.
Jake rushed into the room. "What the hell." He grabbed her wrist. "Her pulse is frantic."
"Find out who all was at the hospital, who had access to the coffeepot in the common area, whose fingerprints are on it. I want to know how many were drugged and if everyone's all right." Darien finished removing the tape and bag from her neck and head.
Still holding her wrist, Jake remained beside her. "Pulse is more normal."
Darien seized the leather strap tying her right wrist, and Jake grasped the other and yanked it off.
"I want her home with us until we get somewhere with this investigation."
Lelandi breathed deeply, unable to comprehend what had happened.
"Did you see who did this to you?" Darien brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, holding her hand again with a firm but tender touch.
The nightmare she was living was getting worse. "I must have been sleeping. I was pretty groggy. What happened?"
"It appears somebody laced the coffee that the staff and visitors drink with heavy-duty sleep medicine."
Even Sam was sound asleep in the chair next to the wall.
"Just to get to me?"
Darien ran his hand over hers. "Looks that way."
"Doc said she could be released?" Jake asked.
"Yeah. Check on the others, will you?"
"Sure thing." Jake rushed out of the room.
"Why didn't you tell me you were Lelandi?"
She frowned. "I told...you. No one would listen."
"Tell me who she was mated to."
Lelandi looked away.
He wasn't used to being disobeyed and her actions thoroughly compounded his irritation concerning what her sister had done. But it wasn't Lelandi's fault, and he attempted to curb his temper. "I have to know who's got it in for you. Maybe knowing who she was mated to doesn't matter at this point, but I can't help but wonder if he had contracted someone to shoot you. Was that who accosted you behind Hastings?"
"No."
"Lelandi---"
"It wasn't!"
Taking a deep breath, he nodded. Her eyes held his hostage, and he couldn't believe how much he yearned to have her, like he'd wanted her sister. He looked down at his sweaty hands. She made him feel like a pup vying for a female's attention the first time around. She wasn't even in a wolf's heat, yet he desired her like he had no business wanting her.
He took another deep breath and looked at her. "Until I find some answers, you're staying with my brothers and me."
Her lips parted, but she promptly closed them.
He expected her to object, or say something. But she seemed so withdrawn, he wondered if the attempted murderer had drugged her also. "All right?"
She nodded.
"Silva cleaned your jacket and jeans, but I'm afraid your shirt and..." He glanced down at her breasts covered in the thin hospital gown, her nipples pressed against the fabric. He raised his brows. "She picked up a couple of items for you to wear."
She gave a tentative nod.
"Did one of the nurses give you more medicine?"
"I...I don't remember."
Before Darien responded, Silva pushed a wheelchair into the room. "Jake's really uptight about something, but he wouldn't say what. He told me to hurry this down here. What's going on?" She glanced at Sam. "Boy, I've never seen him sleep on guard duty before." She lifted the ripped-up black plastic sack off the table next to the bed. "What's this?"
Lelandi shuddered.
"A death mask," Darien said. "Get her dressed. She's going to my place, ASAP."
Darien shook Sam's arm and woke him. Blurry-eyed, he glowered at Darien.
"Come on. Let's get some caffeine into you."
"What...what the bloody hell happened?" Sam growled, rubbing his head, his eyes squinting. "I feel like I've pulled an all-nighter and have a lupus-sized hangover."
"You've been drugged." Darien helped Sam out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
"Who did this?" Sam bellowed. "I'll kill 'em."
"What in the world happened?" Silva carefully helped Lelandi to the edge of the bed.
"Someone put something in the coffee and knocked everyone out. Guy tried to suffocate me."
"Ohmigod, it's a good thing I don't drink coffee. I ran home to get another book to read, thinking you'd be here a while longer. But when I returned, I found Jake trying to wake Ritka and a janitor. Jake yelled at me to get a wheelchair for you and wouldn't say what was wrong. Was the person who tried to hurt you a guy or a woman?"
"I...I don't know."
"Darien's got to catch the bastard."
Although Lelandi was healing well, considering she'd been shot the night before last, she was sore and weak. Silva took her arm and helped her down from the bed, but Lelandi's head began to swirl into darkness, and Silva pushed her back onto the mattress.
Silva's hands trembled. "Sit. Uhm, I'll get Nurse Grey to help. You're less stable on your feet than I thought."
She hurried out of the room, but Lelandi didn't need half of the people at the hospital dressing her. She meant to climb off the bed, steady herself for a minute, then get dressed. But as soon as her feet touched the floor, her mind and stomach began floating out to sea and the table started to tilt. Except the table wasn't tilting, and she grabbed for it when she started to black out, pulling it crashing down on top of her.
Where the edge of the table landed, dull pain hit her thighs. So much for dressing herself. New bruises for sure, but at least she didn't hit her tender wounds. If she wasn't so groggy she would have screamed bloody murder for her ineptness.
Darien and Jake rushed into the room, their expressions horrified. Crap.
"Odin's knees," Darien said, and Jake echoed his sentiment.
He and his brother hurried to pull the table off her.
"We should leave her in the bed, restrained." Jake offered her a wry smile.
Lelandi managed a low, feeble growl.
Jake raised a brow and Darien had the gall to smile, although she didn't know what he thought was so damned funny. If his arm wasn't so far away from her teeth, she'd bite him.
"Oh no...oh no," Silva said, hurrying into the room. "I shouldn't have left you alone for a second. Nurse Grey's coming in a minute. She was trying to revive Doc, who's passed out in his office."
"Is he all right?" Darien lifted Lelandi off the floor, but one of his hands slipped inside the gown opening at the back. His heated fingers pressing against her naked skin sent her temperature soaring, and the look he gave her made her sure it unsettled him as much as it did her. He set her on the bed and adjusted her hospital gown to draw the skimpy fabric lower, past her knees. "Leave, Jake."
"What?"
"We're getting her dressed and out of here."
"I'm staying at your place." Silva pulled clothes out of a pink bag from Lacy Garments & Accessories. "She'll need me to help her dress and shower. So, plan on a slumber party, boys."
Jake shook his head and closed the door.
"You know, Silva, you can be a real pain in the ass." Darien slipped on Lelandi's sock, his back to her while Silva pulled off her gown.
"You love me anyway, boss." Silva winked at Lelandi. "I couldn't find a pretty lace bra to match your panties. This crummy place isn't very style conscious, though Lacy Garments & Accessories has some nice see-through nighties. If we wore such a thing. But I thought this white lace bra was pretty and cut a little lower so it wouldn't touch your wounds and irritate them." She drew the bra up to cover her.
Darien paused before he put on her other sock, and she wondered if he wanted to look to see how low-cut the bra was. It was low. Nearly exposed her nipples, and it was a push-up.
"Looks nice, sugar, although you really didn't need anything pushed up."
Darien's heart beat harder, and she could smell his sex again.
Silva was pushing the poor gray over the edge. "I bought you this nice, loose, button-down shirt so that it would be easy to dress."
Darien growled low. Or moaned. Lelandi's hearing wasn't what it should be either because of the medication.
"Help me get her jeans on, boss, and she'll be ready to go. She doesn't need to put her boots on. We have to wheel her out to your SUV, and I'll follow behind in my car."
Darien focused on the shirt, and then his gaze shifted to Silva, who shrugged. "Ready to help with the jeans?"
His eyes strayed to Lelandi's new panties, and she wished she could see what made them seem so appealing to him. He was having a time helping her into her jeans, although she imagined he'd be a whiz at taking them off. Why she was even thinking such a thing, she hadn't a clue.
The jacket was last, and it was heavy and cumbersome because she felt so weak. Once she sat in the wheelchair, Darien pushed her out of the room where Jake waited beyond the door.
Walking beside Darien, Jake said, "Everyone's slowly waking from the drugged coffee---Doc, Ritka, the new janitor, parents of a patient, Peter, Sam, and Uncle Sheridan. But, man, was Uncle Sheridan hotter than a summer heat wave. Even in his half-groggy condition, he's ordering Trevor about, taping off the break room. He warned us the attempted killer probably didn't leave any fingerprints behind. Sam's throwing a beer and pizza party at our place later."
"What?"
"You missed the leader's meeting because you were investigating the shootings. Figured now that you're taking the lady to your house, you'll want to have the meeting. And," Jake said, "since his barmaid will be there, she can serve, like always."
Silva gave him a disgruntled look, although the annoyance appeared faked. Lelandi figured she loved being the center of attention in a room full of men. Or at least tried to be. Or was it that she secretly had a yearning for Sam?
Jake shoved his Stetson on his head and pushed the side door to the hospital open. "He said you've got to earn your keep somehow."
"Like I don't work lots of overtime so the guys can drink longer? Ahem, is Trevor going to be working guard duty?" Her voice sounded suspiciously hopeful.
Lelandi wanted to kick the deputy next time she saw him act disinterested in Silva when she wanted so much to please him. Why did women chase after men who showed them no affection in return?
"What are we going to do about the sleeping arrangements?" Jake asked.
Silva looked back at Darien. "Yeah, boss, who gets to sleep with whom?"
Lelandi held her breath, waiting for Darien's word, feeling a mixture of hope he wanted her, and at the same time wishing he'd want to steer clear of her. She had a mission to accomplish. She didn't need any more of his kisses. And she sure as hell didn't want them.
Her tongue traced her lips, just thinking of the way he'd kissed her, and she closed her eyes and moaned. Could any other man make her feel like that? And if he could, she wanted to find him next. Forget about looking for her damned rogue brother.
She opened her eyes and found everyone watching her.
Darien's brows lifted slightly. "Lelandi sleeps alone."
She let out her breath, and he cast her a smile.
"I don't want anyone bumping into her wounds in the middle of the night. Unless one of my brothers wants to give up his bed to you, Silva..." Darien tilted his head to the side as if to ask if she had any objections, yet finality censored his words.
Silva frowned back at him. Obviously, she wasn't interested in his brothers.
"Not my bed. I stayed up most of last night and gave enough blood, I'm ready for a good night's sleep," Jake said.
"You've got guard duty from four to six in the morning, Jake." Darien wheeled the chair outside to the SUV.
"I can handle it." Jake said to Silva, "Guess you can sleep in whoever's bed isn't occupied during guard duty." He opened the passenger door for Darien. "What about Tom? He's doing pretty well, but you don't plan on having him serving on guard duty, do you?"
"He's champing at the bit to pull it. Think he's in love."
Jake frowned. "Tell him he'd better find a new girl."
Silva chuckled. "Yeah, this one for darned sure's already taken."
Lelandi stifled a growl. Once she found out who the blackmailer and killer were, and heck, found her gun and took care of them, she was out of here.
She caught a glimpse of her cousin Ural watching from across the street at some old movie theater, the sign faded like most everything else in Silver Town. Her heart nearly stopped. He wore his hood up, hiding his face, but everyone was sure to be looking for him, and that coat was like an orange prison jumpsuit on an escaped convict.
Damn him for hanging around. If the grays caught him, they'd crucify him, figuring he had something to do with her sister's death and the shootings. Plus, Mrs. Hastings had seen him manhandle her, and Darien was pretty hot about that. They wouldn't use kid gloves on him either, not like they did with her when they were trying to find out the truth. All because he wanted her home before the pack leader found out where she was, or maybe he wanted her to run away with him. She wasn't really sure what he had in mind.
Quickly, she looked away so no one saw what had caught her attention, but Silva saw, and Jake, too. Then Darien.
JAKE CURSED AND TOOK OFF RUNNING AFTER LELANDI'S cousin.
Her heart hammering, Lelandi tried to climb out of the wheelchair, pain filling her chest. "Leave him alone!" she screamed.
"Calm down before you hurt yourself further," Darien ordered, and lifted her flailing body out of the wheelchair and into the backseat of his SUV. "Get in, Silva, and make her stay put."
"But I was going to follow behind and---"
"Get in!" he snapped, trying to keep Lelandi still. "Hell, drive the vehicle. I'll keep the hellion in her seat."
Lelandi struggled to get free when someone opened the other passenger door to the backseat of the vehicle and grabbed her arm.
She cried out. "Tom," she croaked.
The poor guy's head still bandaged, he gave her a toothy grin, but it looked like his struggle to calm her pained him, and she ceased fighting him. What did it matter anyway? She wasn't going anywhere, and Jake was sure to catch her cousin since he was longer-legged and had a lot more strength in his movement than the shorter red.
Darien leaned over her and locked her seat belt in place. The strap pressed against her injuries, and she gasped.
"Sorry, Lelandi." Darien's eyes turned to midnight as he motioned to Silva. "Drive."
Pressing her back into the seat, Lelandi slipped her hand between the seat belt and her chest, trying to avoid contact with the shoulder strap. Darien began to move it aside for her when Jake cornered Ural next to a fast-food pizza place. She willed her racing heart to slow, but her body wouldn't obey.
Darien shouted, "Pull into the pizzeria's parking lot!"
"No," Lelandi screamed and tried to tear off the seat belt.
"Quit it, Lelandi. We won't kill the guy."
Yet his icy look told another story. Darien attempted to brace her against the seat, his big hands pinning her shoulders back. She bit into the leather jacket covering his arm, but it protected him.
Pinning her left arm down, Tom chuckled.
Silva slammed on the brakes in the parking lot. "He got away."
Looking like the devil was after him---and for now he was---Ural dove down a side street, and Jake took chase again. Lelandi was impressed. She didn't think Ural could outmaneuver the gray in a footrace in their human form. But he was a wiry little guy. If he could turn into the wolf, he'd do even better.
"Drive us home," Darien said to Silva, pulling his cell phone out. He punched in a number and moved a tress of hair away from Lelandi's cheek. She scowled and turned her head away. "Uncle Sheridan, get your men to the pizzeria, south on Silver Maple Street, suspect wearing a hooded copper coat. Jake's on foot chasing him. Yep, same guy who accosted Lelandi behind Hastings B&B. No, Larissa was my mate. The guy in the copper coat is small, most likely a red. Gotcha." He looked at Lelandi, his expression one of deep satisfaction.
Despite what a jerk her cousin could be, she didn't want the grays to harm him. She gave Darien her meanest glower and would give him more hell as soon as she could.
Darien had every intention of putting Lelandi to bed when he got her home. But after what had happened with the guy in the copper jacket, he didn't trust her to stay put without a guard. And he didn't trust that the guy wouldn't come for her again.
He planned on securing her in the guest bedroom, but he was awfully tempted to put her in his bedroom suite to cut down on the amount of guards posted. Hell, as light a sleeper as he was, she'd never be able to slip away if she had a notion to. He didn't care how his people would view his actions either---they'd adjust, but he did care how Lelandi felt about it. To that end, he wasn't sure.
Although she sure as hell kissed him back when he kissed her. Which meant? She was probably half out of her head after being injured so badly. Or was that the reason she had clamored for his kisses? Then passed out. Yeah, it had to be the blood loss screwing up her brain.
But another thought took hold. The woman from his dreams was Lelandi. He stared at her. She refused to look at him. A sickening feeling instantly swept through him. Hell, he'd mated the wrong woman.
When they pulled into the circular drive of his wooded estate two miles from town, Darien had every intention of showing Lelandi she was his soul mate, but her injuries...he'd kill the bastard who tried to murder her.
"Tom, you have guard duty from twelve to two. Get some rest before then."
"I've been sleeping most of the day, Darien. I'm fine."
Darien lifted Lelandi out of the SUV, the fight out of her now. Soft and pliable, she looked damned kissable again, but when she groaned, he squashed that notion. "Watch her in the living room until Trevor gets here to guard her."
"Yeah, sure, Darien."
Darien had the greatest urge to carry her straight up to his bedroom, lay her in his bed, and ravage her. And he would, once she was healed, and he convinced her she was the one meant for him. Did she have the same dreams he did? If so, why hadn't she recognized him? Or had she, but she didn't want him now because he'd taken her sister as his mate? Hell.
With that damning thought, he carried her to the living room, the craving to have her growing with every step he took. Already he was as hard as granite and the friction from his jeans was making the situation worse. Her eyes widened and he was certain she could smell how turned on he was by touching her.
Clenching his teeth, he set her down on the longest velour sofa, nearly six feet in length. "Silva, can you get a spare pillow and blanket from the linen closet in my bathroom?"
"Got it." Silva hurried off.
"Tom, you can get her some ice water. Doc said the fever's abated, but she still needs to drink plenty of fluids."
"Yeah, I'll get it." Tom headed for the kitchen.
Lelandi wouldn't look at Darien, but held her chest lightly.
"Are you hurting?"
She nodded.
He touched her cheek and although she was still cool to the touch, the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips burned him. Hating how much the siren ensnared him, and he couldn't do anything about it, yet, he pulled away. "I'm sorry for being too rough earlier."
"My fault." Tears glistened in her eyes.
He felt like he'd shrunk to half his size. "Lelandi."
She quickly looked away. "I'm sorry for what my sister did. It must hurt to learn she'd..." Her voice broke and a wave of commiseration washed over him. Her lower lip quivered. "I'm sorry. I loved my sister and I wish she hadn't been mated to him. That she'd found you first and loved you like you both deserved. She would have been happy and...and no one would have hurt her."
He took Lelandi's hand and rubbed his thumb over her fingers, her skin silky soft, her hand small like her sister's. "It wasn't your fault, and I assume she had good reason for doing what she did, in her own way. Besides, it was partly my responsibility." He crouched in front of her and rested his hands on her knees. "Silva was right. I wouldn't let Larissa be. I pursued her and she repeatedly said no, but not why. I figured she was playing hard to get, maybe reluctant because she feared the grays wouldn't accept her like I did. I thought she was the one for me. When we mated, I discovered she wasn't a virgin. That she had a living mate never crossed my mind. I guess I was too proud to consider such a thing. Why didn't you tell me we've been together in our dreams?"
Her eyes widened.
He knew it.
She shuttered her eyes. "I...I don't know what you're talking about."
"What I'm talking about is this." He pulled her from the couch and with one arm wrapped around her so she couldn't step back, he kissed her mouth with a gentle sweep of his lips. Her eyes fluttered closed, her heartbeat quickened, and she fell under his trance. She wasn't as immune to him as she let on. The tension in her body melted, and he pressed further, his mouth caressing hers, his fingers touching her cheeks, the heat of her body setting his on fire. God in heaven, she was his soul mate.
She parted her lips slightly to take a breath, but the invitation was too great. He explored her mouth with his tongue, and her hand clutched his shirt, her eyes searching his. "You are she," he whispered thickly.
He pressed his heavy groin against her mound, showing her how much he wanted her. How much he always wanted her. "Lelandi," he said hoarsely with need, then bent his head down to touch her forehead with his.
Confusion reigned in her gem-quality eyes. "You are she," he repeated, kissing her cheek.
She winced and bit her lip.
He cursed silently. "Are you in pain?"
She seemed torn between telling him the truth and living with the discomfort to avoid being medicated. He helped her sit back down, then saw Tom standing with the glass of water, having witnessed the whole affair. A slight smile curved Tom's lips, and he raised his brows a hair.
"Silva's got Lelandi's pain pills. Get them for her, and check on Silva to see if she got lost," Darien said.
Lelandi smiled a little, but the same soulful expression Larissa had filled Lelandi's eyes, too. He wondered what had happened to the sisters to make them hurt so.
He helped her out of her leather jacket and stared at the shirt Silva had bought for her. Vixen. Matchmaker deluxe. In the soft glow of the overhead light, the scrap of lace pushing up Larissa's breasts showed through the blouse.
When Tom came downstairs with the medicine, Silva, the blanket and pillow, he meant to tell Tom to bring him one of his flannel shirts for Lelandi.
The doorbell rang thwarting him, and Sam barged in, his arms loaded down with pizza boxes. "Got tons of pizzas and beer, if anyone wants to give me a hand."
Darien covered Larissa with the blanket. "Sit with her, Silva."
"Sure thing."
But when he and Tom brought in an armload of drinks, he noticed Silva had helped Larissa remove her jeans, now folded on the arm of the couch. He silently groaned, imagining seeing the rest of her nearly naked underneath the blanket.
When Darien disappeared into the kitchen with his brother and Sam, Silva pulled a chair closer to the couch and asked Lelandi, "How do you do it? Man, oh man, I thought Darien would take you right there on the couch. I sneaked back up the stairs before Darien noticed me. Tom's gawking in surprise was audience enough." Silva grinned. "Darien's pants get so tight in the crotch when he's around you, he's probably strangled. But I can't get Trevor to feel anything for me."
Lelandi knew damn well Darien was projecting her sister on her, and she felt Silva's pain. Yet, she couldn't help wanting his heated touches. Nothing was worse than a lupus garou wanting another who didn't share the same feelings. Yet, she knew from past experience and from her other wolf mates that Silva would have to learn this on her own. No one could tell her what Lelandi and most, she was sure, could already see. Trevor was a bastard, knowing that Silva wanted him and giving her the cold shoulder, taking pride in having her salivating over him when he had no intention of showing her any affection in return.
As far as Darien was concerned, Lelandi wasn't Larissa and never could be. He'd have to find another mate. Not someone who looked like her.
Taking a deep breath, Lelandi advised, "Find someone else, Silva." She truly meant it, although she had to be a little more devious in her plan.
Silva's eyes widened.
"I don't mean for real. Convince someone to help you make him jealous, but be sure you make it clear from the beginning that you're only trying to get Trevor's attention."
Silva's whole face lit up. "I know just the guy."
"Make sure he knows why you're doing it. You don't want to give some poor guy hope when you don't really mean it."
Nodding vigorously, Silva loosened some of the curls piled on top of her head.
"So, who are you targeting?"
Silva grinned. "Sam. He's perfect. Ten years older than me, but he can really put on the charm when he wants. And he's used to my flirtations."
"I can see you turn on a lot of wolves."
"Yeah." Silva fingered her loose curls. "I kind of have a teasing personality. Guess I should tone it down."
"Not necessarily. Just channel it." To the right guy.
The fact Silva wanted Sam's help made Lelandi wonder if there wasn't some underlying interest in him that Silva couldn't recognize because she was so infatuated with Trevor. Plus if Sam was interested in her, the way she mooned over Trevor would be a dead turnoff. But if Silva gave Sam half a chance...
If Lelandi could, she would help show Trevor a thing or two before she had to leave. And maybe if she could win Silva over, she might be willing to share more pack secrets that could lead to Lelandi's discovering who murdered Larissa.
"What did you want to do about the little lady?" Sam asked in the kitchen, as Darien welcomed his men to the leader's pack meeting.
Sam was talking low, but Lelandi could still hear him, although the medicine was making her groggy again while she reclined on the couch.
"She needs to be taken up to the guest bedroom," Darien said. "She needs to sleep and get her strength back."
"Tom's got a slew of problems to discuss. Is he feeling all right to present the issues?" Sam asked.
Ice clunked into a container.
"Yeah. He'll be fine."
"Heard Jake lost that guy in the copper coat near the bank."
Lelandi breathed a sigh of relief. Her cousin was the runt of the litter---a beta. No true family loyalty. But if he took her home to Bruin, the leader would undoubtedly force her to mate his brother, Crassus, the bastard. One Wildhaven wouldn't be enough.
"I was Larissa's friend," Silva said to Lelandi, her voice whisper soft. "The only female friend she had. Although Nurse Grey was always nice to her. But I don't think Larissa trusted her or anyone else. Larissa wasn't an alpha, but she was sweet, had an innocence about her. She didn't lead Darien on, but I could tell she wanted to know what it would be like with someone who wanted her so badly and really cared for her. Darien seems hard, but he's still grieving for her. But...she told me some things."
Silva paused when the chatter in the kitchen died down. Her lips curved up slightly. "Let's move to the guest bedroom, sugar. Darien won't want us to hear boring pack business."
Jake slammed the front door and stalked into the living room, casting a glance in Lelandi's direction. He looked pissed. Guess because he hadn't caught Ural.
Lelandi's lips rose slightly despite willing them to remain still. He shook his head at her. Hearing Darien's voice in the kitchen, he headed that way.
"Well?" The sound of Darien's voice indicated he already knew his brother's answer.
"The guy got away. But Uncle Sheridan and a bunch of our men are searching for him. We'll get him." Jake sounded more like he was telling Lelandi the news---a warning.
"Trevor arrived. Take Lelandi up to the guest room, and he can guard her. Afterward, we'll start the meeting," Darien said.
"Will do."
Jake stalked back into the living room. When he lifted Lelandi off the couch, she noticed no one spoke in the kitchen. She was dying to hear what Silva had to say about her sister and bet Darien was, too.
Jake carried her upstairs and she admired a score of photographs on the walls, featuring clusters of mountain wildflowers. Beautiful, colorful, vivid---lavender columbine peeking out from the base of an alpine grove, pink, showy milkweed like starbursts, purple thistle, and golden mountain dandelions. "Who's the photographer?"
Jake's dark face brightened some. "Me."
"Oh." She thought maybe Darien had taken them. Despite feeling she shouldn't care, she wanted to know more about the gray, who had taken her sister for his mate.
"Darien doesn't have any real hobbies," Jake explained as if he read her thoughts. "Too busy keeping the town going, running two businesses, taking care of the pack. That's a lot of responsibility for one lupus garou."
"He has a whole pack to assist him."
Jake gave her a smug smile and carried her into a room. Vases of roses and wildflowers cluttered an antique dresser and one of the bedside tables, scenting the air with the most delightful summertime floral fragrance despite being autumn. He glanced at the flowers and shook his head, then laid her in a king-sized, canopied bed of white eyelet. Fit for a princess.
Silva hurried into the room with Lelandi's medicine, jeans, and the extra pillow. "Nurse Grey, Bertha Hastings, Tom, and a few others sent the flowers. Four secret admirers also." She pulled a card off a vase of wildflowers and handed it to her. "From me."
To one hell of a fighter! Go get 'em, girl! Next margarita's on me! Your friend, Silva.
Lelandi managed a groggy, heartfelt smile. "Thanks, Silva. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all you've done for me."
Jake headed for the door. "Holler if you need any of us."
"Will do." Silva handed Lelandi another card as Jake shut the door. "This one's anonymous. Your secret admirers probably hope Darien decides he doesn't want you and you'll be interested in one of them."
He didn't really want her. He wanted her sister.
Her heart in her throat, Lelandi read the card out loud. "You sure shook up the town, little lady. You'll make a first-class mate. From someone who would like a chance at being more than a friend."
Silva handed her another. "The anonymous guys probably called the flower orders in. I'll find out from Rosie who sent them."
"After I discover what happened to my sister and take care of the bastard, I'm leaving to find my brother." Lelandi glanced down at the card.
"I've been keeping myself for the best. Wanna tango, baby? Loving you."
She gave a short laugh. "I could never tango."
"I'm more of a rock and roll kind of girl." Silva placed her hands on her hips. "I haven't a clue who any of these guys could be." She waved at a dozen red roses. "I'll let this guy give you his card in person."
"Who?"
"Tom. These burgundy and gold mums are from Bertha Hastings. She says,
'You kept your room as neat as a pin, until Darien and Sheriff Sheridan broke in and made a mess of it. To cheer you, here's a pot of flowers they didn't manage to break. Get well, young lady. Your room will be ready once you've recovered. Free of charge. Bertha Hastings.'
She's a sweet old lady. Really was worried about you." Frowning, Silva touched her finger to her lips. "Hmm, one vase of flowers is conspicuously absent."
"From whom?"
Silva wiggled her brows. "Darien. He probably didn't want to order any without raising any more speculation about you and him. Rosie would have told the world."
Lelandi took a tired breath and put her hand on her waist. "Jake didn't send me any either."
Silva laughed out loud. "He's too cheap. Woe to the girl who ever tries to win his heart."
"He could give her a framed photo of wildflowers. They're really lovely."
"Don't tell him you think so. That's why they're hidden on the staircase and not displayed in the living room for all to see. He loves doing it, but he doesn't like for anyone to know."
Except for Lelandi. She smiled at the contradiction.
"Hmm, the vase of carnations are from a couple of girls who are staying at Hastings Bed and Breakfast. Caitlin and Minx. They said they worried about you when you were in the loft and hoped you were okay. I heard they're sixteen and want to join the pack."
Lelandi sighed. "How sweet of them to send me flowers." She wondered which of the twins had found her crying over her sister's letter that night. But she couldn't help feeling touched that they cared enough to send her the carnations.
"Another anonymous guy. You sure made a stir." Silva handed the card to Lelandi, then ruffled through another vase of flowers. "I don't see who this one is from."
"Stay around and get to know me, why don't you, honey? I'll be seeing you. A fun-loving lupus garou,"
Lelandi read out loud. "I'm surprised these guys showed any interest."
"It's the alpha in you. Turns them on." Silva bent down to retrieve a card off the floor. "Here it is." Her brow furrowed and she cast Lelandi a condemning look. "I thought you said your parents were dead."
EXPECTING TREVOR TO CATCH EVERYTHING SILVA AND Lelandi secretly discussed while he was listening at the guest bedroom door, Darien sat in his favorite leather chair in the living room and motioned to Tom to get on with the abbreviated meeting.
"Uncle Sheridan called and said he's reconstructing the crime scene over the coffee-drugging incident at the hospital. And Doc Oliver hasn't fully recovered from the coffee," Tom said. "One of the lab technicians discovered it was that date rape drug, GHB."
"Crap. Any fingerprints?"
"Tons. Problem is everyone uses the coffeepot."
"All right. What have you got for me?" Darien asked as Sam served up the pizza.
"Carol Wood wants to work as a nurse at the hospital, but I heard you told her no. She asked if I'd try to sway you."
"I still say no. If she doesn't like working as a school nurse, she can move to another town."
Jake lifted a slice of pizza from his plate. "She'll be trouble. I'll bet my paycheck on it."
"Other news, Tom?"
"The town is gearing up for the fall festival. Uncle Sheridan is pretty mad that he has to be here again during the activities. That was one of the real reasons he took a vacation," Tom said.
"He can concentrate on the shootings."
"Yeah, but he says his men will be so busy with the influx of tourists..."
Darien motioned to Mason. "I need you to coordinate a thirty-man call-up police force for backup."
Mason raised a can of beer in agreement. "Will do, Darien. I know you didn't want to have the fall fair again, but it brought in around seventy-five thousand dollars to small business owners when revenues are way off this time of year. Good for the bank, too." He grabbed another slice of pizza. "Until we have our first good snowfall and the ski slopes open...we need to do something. The Silver Town Train Ride through the mines hasn't brought in much in the line of profits this summer either."
Darien didn't like the sudden swell in the human population. Too many things could go wrong. But he did believe in his peoples' say in matters that affected their well-being also. Not all pack leaders would agree.
Tom cleared his throat and flipped over another page from his notepad. "A family of five wants to join the pack."
Darien took a swig of beer. "Why are so many wanting to move into the town?"
Tom shrugged. "What do you want to do?"
"Has Uncle Sheridan checked them out?"
"They came in during the evening of the shootings. I figured that might change their minds, but they still want to be considered for inclusion in the pack."
"What's the breakdown of the family unit?"
"Father, mother, brother of the head of household, and sixteen-year-old twin daughters."
Jake gave a small smile. "As long as it's not any more cantankerous young males?"
"Yeah. Have Uncle Sheridan find out what they expect to work at here, their former job skills, training, any past records of problems, why they want to join our pack in particular. Where are they staying in the meantime?"
"Hastings B&B. Bertha knows the drill. She's taking notes and having them watched when she can't. What do you want to do about the Woodcroft boys?" Tom asked.
"I thought Uncle Sheridan was taking care of it."
"He deferred the decision to you about setting the punishment."
"Have the boys paint the school walls. Carpenter Myers can oversee the job to ensure they do it right. Mason, I want you to arrange that."
"Will do."
Tom waited further word, but Darien shook his head. "Should be enough. Did Uncle Sheridan explain to the boys that their parents didn't pay taxes to support the school? That only the humans pay them and the silver mine subsidizes the rest?"
"Some have grumbled that they want their kids to go to the school instead of homeschool them," Tom said.
"No. Just like with a human nurse working at the hospital, a testy lupus garou teen trying to prove something to one of the humans could get out of hand. We school our own. Several families are happy to teach the kids of other families who are too busy working."
Tom made a note. "We've got another gray wanting to learn all he can about the operation of our town."
Darien finished his beer. "Why all the interest? We've had three in the last month."
"Word's getting around we're a model town," Jake said. "How many leaders do we know who can boast running their own towns since their inception without human interference? Even though we try to maintain our shabby look to discourage too much interest, some alpha pack leaders want to build something like we have."
"All right, same as with the ones who want to join the pack, Tom. I want the guy watched. Do a background check on him. Report anything suspicious to either Uncle Sheridan or me. With this situation with Lelandi and her sister, we can't be too cautious. Any other business?"
Jake raised a finger. "Rosie delivered twelve vases of flowers for Lelandi, but she told me secret admirers sent four of them."
Darien snorted. "Hell, what next? Have the anonymous buyers traced."
"And then?" Jake asked.
"I'll talk to them."
Tom chuckled, but quickly coughed to cover his response when Darien gave him a sharp look.
Trevor hurried into the living room, his face hard. "I thought her parents were supposed to be dead."
Darien stared at him. "What? Who?"
"Silva said Lelandi got flowers from them."
Lelandi stared at the card signed: Love, Mom and Dad, typical order called in and signed at the flower shop. "It has to be a sick joke." Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked up at Silva, but disbelief filled her face. "Bruin's deputies told me my parents had died in a car accident. He put me under guard, but I escaped shortly afterward. They murdered my parents because Larissa ran away. I kept wanting my parents to move, but they wouldn't budge. I knew our pack leader would take revenge."
Silva pulled a chair over to the bed and took a seat. "What if your parents' deaths were faked? What if this Bruin character wanted you to look for your sister, then he'd know what became of her? Maybe he had you followed? The guy wearing the hooded copper coat, maybe?"
"He put me under armed guard. He said he'd have me mated to his brother after he declared...my sister was dead."Bruin? Oh hell, she'd let the pack leader's name slip.
"Her husband? Bruin's brother?"
Why did she have to mention his name? Great, just great. "What do you know about my sister?" Lelandi asked, before she gave away her whole frigging past.
She had to get off this pain medicine for good. Although she was surprised after Ritka had said that the Green Valley deputy knew who she was, Darien never mentioned it to her. Maybe it was a hoax.
"I'd never tell anyone else what Larissa told me in private. But I thought you should know. She was really worried someone would find her. I assumed it was her red pack or her family. That they wouldn't approve that she'd taken a gray mate, although she said she was a loner and had no living family." Silva glanced at the card in Lelandi's hand. "I never in a million years dreamed she might have been mated and the guy was still alive. Do you think he's the one who put a contract out on her?"
"But someone was blackmailing her before this. That makes me think it was someone else who knew she was mated, and she didn't want him to tell Darien."
"Yeah, that's a pretty low blow for a pack leader. So," Silva said, her eyes round, "was the other guy she was mated to high up in the chain?"
Lelandi ignored the question. "He's abusive, drinks too much. I...I wanted my family to leave---to find my brother. To settle somewhere new. But...they wouldn't."
Silva patted her hand. "Ties too strong to the pack?"
Lelandi didn't say anything. They had no ties to the pack---usurpers. Just a connection to the land. But revealing too much wasn't a good idea. As if she hadn't already.
When she didn't respond, Silva took up the slack. "Darien said he's returning you to your pack. But I figure the way he kissed you means he's changed his mind. You don't want to return to them, do you?"
Lelandi's face heated. "They killed my parents! I'm not returning. The pack leader will force me to mate his brother. I won't go back."
"You can't run off on your own on some wild lupus garou chase looking for your brother either. What if you never find him? You could be found out, hurt, killed. What about this guy in the copper coat? Is he a family member, or one of the pack?"
Lelandi shook her head.
Silva took a breath, then abruptly changed the subject. "I tried to get Larissa to tell me what was bothering her. I thought maybe it was the pregnancy. Hormonal imbalance kind of thing. "
Her sister had been pregnant? Lelandi stifled a cry and tears pricked her eyes.
Silva's eyes widened. "I...I thought you knew. Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. I'll get you a box of tissues." She hurried into the attached bathroom and opened a cabinet.
Lelandi couldn't believe her sister had been pregnant when she couldn't get that way with Crassus. Had she been taking birth control measures behind his back? No wonder Darien was so devastated. Not only had she died, but his offspring had as well. Oh, god, the travesty of it.
Silva returned to the bedroom and put the box of tissues on the bedside table. "Something about Darien and your sister's relationship was all wrong. Do you believe in soul mates among lupus garous?"
"No." Lelandi dabbed her eyes with a tissue. No. She didn't believe in such a thing even if a hunk of a lupus garou had invaded her dreams for the last several months. Alpha pack leaders often decided who could mate. But she'd never heard of their kind finding their own soul mate. Silva studied her so intensely, Lelandi finally opened up as she pulled the covers to her chin. "I've had really vivid dreams, and I sure wish the guy was real."
Silva's eyes widened. "Omigosh, you've been dream mated with...with..." She looked down at the floor, then gave an almost imperceptible smile.
"What?"
Silva's gaze shifted to Lelandi. "Dream mating. That's what Julia Wildthorn, the romance writer, calls it. When soul mates can't locate each other in the real world, if one has the ability he or she can reach out to the other, offer the bond that unites them. If the other accepts, they're dream mated."
"I don't understand how she can make all that stuff up. She says the lupus garous talk like humans in their wolf forms, stand upright even, and worse? Their clothes vanish when they shapeshift into the wolf's form and reappear on their human form without any effort."
"She can't reveal our true nature," Silva huffed. "Besides, I love how her lupus garous find meaningful, heartfelt relationships. We deserve something like that. Your sister said Darien told her he dreamed of her---that's why he pursued her. Except she didn't live up to his expectations in real life. Rumors abound that Darien's grandfather, father, and a couple of his uncles were dream mated." Silva took a ragged breath. "What if that's the reason he went after her? Only she wasn't the right one. What if you were? What if your sister realized this, too?"
Her heart racing, Lelandi stared at the bedcover, her thoughts in turmoil. What if everything Silva said was true? But she never saw her dream lover's face. Never heard his voice. Couldn't smell his scent.
Silva stood and looked out the window. "What if she was so depressed because she didn't want Darien to learn you were the right woman, and she probably wouldn't want you to know either? On top of that, she was mated to the beast before she met Darien, and she couldn't let Darien know about that either? Damn, I could see why she was so depressed."
Her sister couldn't have done this to her. How could she? But to get away from Bruin and Crassus, Lelandi could understand why Larissa had left. She deserved to be loved.
Silva turned to Lelandi. "What did he look like? This guy in your dreams?"
"I..." She shook her head. She wasn't sure.
"Maybe Darien isn't the guy." The elusive smile was fixed once again to Silva's lips. "Another thing is..." She let her breath out. "I think Larissa had some affection for a gray working in the silver mine."
In disbelief, Lelandi stared at her. Her sister couldn't have been having an affair with someone else.
Silva dropped into the chair. "What if that had something to do with her depression? She'd found the real guy of her dreams, and she couldn't have him. Three living male lupus garous at once who pegged her for their own is just not done."
How could Larissa's life have gotten so screwed up? Lelandi closed her eyes, fighting tears. "The medicine's making me sleepy."
Silva didn't move for what seemed an eternity, and then she stood. "All right, honey. You get some sleep." She strode to the door and closed it behind her.
If Larissa had had a lover, who else had known? How could she have done this to Darien?
In the hall, Trevor talked to Silva in a hushed voice. "Darien can't believe in dream mating. Damned hogwash if you ask me. That's why he mated the red?"
"Sounds to me like it," Silva said. "But I think he got the wrong girl."
Then everything grew deathly quiet.
Lelandi's head was spinning out of control. The damned medicine? Or Larissa's unbelievable sordid tale of the double mates, and a lover to boot. But was Lelandi really Darien's dream mate? What if she wasn't and she fed into his delusions that she was? She'd be no better than her sister, and she couldn't do that to Darien. Not after all he'd been through.
The medicine slipped through her blood, and Lelandi fell into another world, always the forest, near the creek where the water flowed over rounded stone in a never-ending, steady stream, crystal clear, but silent.
"Lelandi," her dream lover whispered to her while she read his lips. Why couldn't she see more of him? Speak with him? Know him. She pressed her fingers to his mouth, and he kissed them.
No, no, she wanted to read his lips. "Say something," she implored, but he took one of her fingers and sucked.
Her skin heated with desire, but she shook her head, pulled her finger free, and tried again. Pressing his fingers to her lips this time, she said her family name, "Wildhaven."
But he didn't repeat the word.
"What...is...your...name?" she asked. Could he see her face when she couldn't see his?
He kissed her lips, licked them, pressed his tongue into the seam, but she was determined to learn who he was. She pushed at his chest. "No. Tell me. Who are you?"
He shook his head. Not understanding? Or not willing to tell her? Did he already have a mate?
Oh, this was so ridiculous. He was just a fantasy lover.
She turned away from him, wanting him to be real, not some made-up illusion. He ran his hand over her shoulder with a tender caress, tickling her. She closed her eyes. He melted her annoyance, stirring a flicker of flame deep inside her. He licked her shoulder, touching her bare hip, not pressuring, using the most sensuous of tactile explorations. Trying not to give in to the lust, she clenched her teeth, lifted his hand from her hip, and moved it to her mouth.
"No," she mouthed against his hand.
She wanted him to communicate to her. But instead of helping, he pulled away...and vanished.
"No!" She felt the soft bed in the guest bedroom beneath her, and saw Tom sitting in a chair watching her, his look startled. She sat up taller in bed and frowned at him. "Are you all right?"
Although she felt remiss in not saying something earlier, it was the first time she'd even thought about asking him about his injuries. Then again, she hadn't been herself with all of the medication she'd been on. For the first time since the incident, she felt clearheaded, without any chest pains, just some strange prickling where her healing properties were busily taking care of the injured areas. Maybe by morning, she'd look and feel as good as new. Then again, maybe not.
Tom smiled at her finally, and she imagined he'd been half-asleep, he was so slow to react. He touched his temple where the bandage was gone. "Just a scratch and it's nearly healed. Head wounds bleed a lot, so I had to get a little blood. Jake wouldn't give me any. Said he'd used all he could spare on you." He winked, the most devilish twinkle in his light brown eyes. "Pretends he doesn't like you, but his actions tell another story."
Pulling her covers higher, she gave a ladylike snort. "Right. Nurse Grey forced him to give blood the second time. Probably the same the first time around, too."
"He's all show."
She didn't believe it for a minute. "He didn't like my sister, did he?"
"He didn't like that Darien was upset about what to do concerning her. She was deeply troubled, but she wouldn't let anyone close enough to find out what was wrong. Jake doesn't like the silent suffering type. Get it out in the open and deal with it. That's his motto. I figured whatever nightmare she was living, she couldn't handle on her own, but she didn't feel confident enough in herself even to tell Darien. Considering how she was mated to a red, and someone was blackmailing her to keep quiet about it..." He shrugged. "She hadn't known Darien that long. Probably was afraid he'd want to kill her for what she'd done."
The thought sent a shiver sliding down Lelandi's spine. "Would he have?"
Tom raised his brows.
She wasn't sure how to respond to his reaction. What if Darien knew she had a lover? Would Tom tell his brother she asked? Her whole body warmed with mortification. Tom didn't seem to mind her being here, and now she'd blown it big-time. But the truth of the matter was, what her sister had done could push some lupus garous over the edge. Being that Darien was the leader of his pack and could get pretty angry---
"I should be asking if you're all right. You've been talking a lot in your sleep. Nightmares?" Tom asked, consoling.
"What...what did I say?"
Sheesh, Larissa never wanted to stay in the same bedroom with her because Lelandi walked and talked in her sleep when she was overly tired and stressed out. But she hadn't done that in a long time...that she knew of. Of course, after Larissa had moved in with Crassus, no one would have known of Lelandi's clandestine nighttime activities, although her father scolded her for finding him in the den late one night watching an X-rated movie. She wouldn't have known if he hadn't yelled at her and woken her up. From then on, she guessed he knew better and sent her back to her room without waking her, or else he made sure she didn't catch him watching the movies in the den anymore.
Tom shook his head. "You didn't say much that made sense."
Thank god. She looked at her hands clenched into fists and let go, smoothing the comforter to release the tension filling every muscle fiber, while she listened to the voices downstairs, some heated, some calmly speaking, but none of which she could make out clearly.
Tom eased out of the chair and handed her the card from his roses. "From me."
She read the card.
You saved my life and I owe you mine. Love, Tom.
"You're...you're welcome. But it was all my fault that the gunman came after me. If you hadn't been with me, he wouldn't have shot you. Heck, if you hadn't been there, you wouldn't have called for help, and no one would have known what had become of me. So you saved my life."
Tom leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Then it means you owe me." He glanced toward the door. Someone was coming. "Looks like my relief."
Despite saying he felt fine, he looked weary.
The door opened slowly and Darien stepped in, first looking at Tom, who gave him a lopsided grin, then at Lelandi. Surprise reflected in his expression to see her awake. "Feeling pain?" A frown collected across his brow.
"No. Just woke up."
Darien turned back to Tom. "Are you doing okay?"
"Yep, fine as can be. I'll join the ruckus downstairs, and then retire."
Darien listened to the noise drifting upstairs. "Tell them to keep it down."
"Yeah, will do."
Secrets? She was certain whatever the grays wanted to discuss was not to be shared with the rest of the grays in the pack, and certainly not with her unless Darien said so.
"See you in the morning, Tom." Darien waited for him to leave.
Tom gave Lelandi a nod and a smile. "'Night, Lelandi."
"Good night, and thanks for watching over me," she said, with a hint of sarcasm.
She knew damned well they were not only making sure Ural didn't get to her again, but she had a sneaking suspicion they didn't trust her to stay put either.
Tom's smile broadened, then he closed the door behind him.
Darien opened his mouth to speak, but paused when Tom hollered halfway down the stairs, "Keep it quiet down there!"
To her surprise, Darien crossed the floor and touched her forehead, then used the back of his hand to feel her cheek. "No fever." He seemed somewhat relieved, yet the wrinkle in his brow didn't fade.
"I'll be ready to run laps by tomorrow morning."
A trace of a smile formed. "Wouldn't surprise me." He remained in place, hovering over her, and she wondered what he wanted now. He glanced at her water cup, still full. His gaze returned to hers. "Need anything?"
"Nope, thank you."
"All right." He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it.
Whatever was bothering him was starting to bother her. He seemed glued to the patch of carpet next to the bed, and she assumed he wanted to interrogate her.
Glancing down at the comforter pulled up to her chin, he said, "Doc's orders, we have to change your bandages every four hours."
Lupus garous were not shy around others. So why did she feel nervous? Her skin grew a faint coating of goose bumps. Maybe because he was acting anxious. Silva had already changed her bandages twice earlier in the day, no big deal. Yet, it seemed a big deal when the male gray leader wanted to change them. Maybe it was because he was waiting for her to say it was all right, when Silva charged in like she'd been trained as a nurse before she began waitressing, knew what she was doing, and had no qualms about it. Or maybe because every time Darien got near Lelandi, she felt the sexual tension in the air between them sizzling like exposed live electric wires, smelled the scent of his sex, could nearly taste the craving he had for her.
"Doesn't need changing."
Folding his arms, he lifted a brow. "Doc said the wounds weep until everything's healed. If the bandage gets too wet, you could get chilled again. That's what Doc said. Change it every four hours to keep it dry and free of infection." He glanced at the clock on the bedside table to emphasize the time. "Been four hours." He looked back at her, waiting for her to agree.
"I'll take care of it." She pulled the comforter away so she could get out of bed and go to the bathroom where she could use the mirror to see what she was doing. Big mistake.
The flannel shirt Silva had helped her into earlier that night had ridden up to her navel, exposing her nakedness all the way to her toes. She was sure her skin had turned as red as her short curly hairs, especially when she saw him taking in his fill.
She jerked down the shirt, and his gaze shifted from her bare legs to her eyes. He shook his head tightly, but she noticed that he shifted in his stance then. A glance at his crotch gave her the reason. Hard as a rock.
"Why don't you let me help you?"
"I don't need your help."
He pulled the comforter up to her waist. "Might as well get this over."
He began to unbutton her shirt, his shirt, but it felt too much like he was getting her ready for sex, and she quickly brushed his hands away. "I can do it."
"Just trying to be helpful."
She frowned when he watched. This was worse than if he unbuttoned the shirt. Problem was, his touching her was making her way too hot. But his watching her had the same damned effect. "Can you do something else? Read a book or something?"
"Just pretend I'm the doctor."
Oh, god, yeah, playing doctor and patient. She gave him a dirty look while he attempted to hide a saucy smirk.
When she finished unbuttoning the shirt, she grumpily said, "It's done."
He rubbed his hands together like he was excited to get started, and she frowned at him.
"Getting my hands warmed up. They're cold." Gingerly, he peeled back her shirt, exposing her left breast and the bandaged wounds. "Tell me if anything is sore or hurts." His demeanor was professional, well, maybe a little anxious.
She cringed, afraid it would hurt as much as it had before.
He pulled off the tape around the pads, and considered the wounds with considerable scrutiny. "How does it feel?"
"Itching, burning some."
He nodded and dumped the used bandages in the wastepaper basket. He applied some salve on the bullet holes with such a light touch that it tickled. She couldn't help smiling, although she fought it. No way did she want to show she wasn't mad at him.
He caught her look and his mouth curved up. "Guess it's not hurting."
She pursed her lips. "Tickling."
"Be done in a minute." He situated the new pad over the wounds, brushing her already taut nipple with the edge of his hand, and taped the pad in place.
"It's getting cold," she said, tersely.
"Looks like you're healing well. After Jake pulls guard duty, I'll change it again."
She pulled the shirt closed and began buttoning it. "Maybe Silva will be up by then."
"She's a late sleeper. Used to staying up late at the bar. And Jake doesn't have an ounce of doctoring sense. Tom will probably be asleep still, but even if he isn't, he'd probably forget what he came in here to do. Doc said you might be getting edgy about not healing faster. He wanted you to know it's because of the severity of the injuries. If you'd been human, you'd be dead. And if by some miracle you'd lived, Doc said it would take several months to heal. He said you might be feeling all right by the end of the week."
She gave him a disparaging look. "I'll be up and about tomorrow."
Darien shook his head. "You're not anything like your sister. Need anything? Something to eat?"
"No, thank you." She closed her eyes, hoping he'd go away, but he took a seat in the recliner and leaned back, making it squeak.
She tried hearing what was being said downstairs, but the conversation was too low. She was too keyed up to sleep while Darien watched her. The image of his bandaging her, the way he looked at her, the feel of his hand against her nipple made her ache for his touch again. She ground her teeth, willing her mind to crush the thought so she could sleep.
Darien could tell from the way she licked her lips and swallowed hard, then ground her teeth, she wasn't sleeping. He squirmed to get comfortable, his erection springing to life again, just from visualizing her naked supple body under the covers. He hadn't expected to get an eyeful when she pulled her covers aside. The problem was he had to see for himself she was healing adequately. He didn't just want Silva's word for it. Not when he had to prove to Lelandi she was the one meant for him.
But being more than just a lupus garou with a raging hard-on, he was a pack leader that needed some damned answers if he was to take her for his mate.
"We found your bag." Darien's voice sounded harsher than he intended.
Lelandi's eyes popped open.
He motioned to the tapestry bag sitting by the dresser. "It looked like you planned to stay for a while. That guy in the copper coat had taken it. Had his scent all over it, inside and out."
Her eyes grew big.
"Which means the guy had broken into your room when Uncle Sheridan and I were trying to get in. What kind of a pack leader would allow two of his females to run off? First your sister, now you? At least now I know his name is Bruin. Or maybe that's your cover. Maybe his name is really Leidolf."
Her mouth gaped, but she quickly clamped it shut.
That got a response. Although he wasn't sure what her response meant. "And your parents are alive."
Darien wanted to send word to her pack concerning her whereabouts, and he wanted to set things straight with her sister's mate---the honorable thing to do. Plus, this time he was getting the father's permission to take the woman for his mate. But he still didn't know who her pack leader really was, and he couldn't be sure that her pack was innocent when it came to the harm done to either Lelandi or her sister.
He folded his arms and leaned back into the recliner. "Why don't you tell me the truth now?"
HOW IN THE WORLD HAD DARIEN LEARNED HER BROTHER'S name? Lelandi was dying to ask, but she couldn't. Better to leave Darien confused about who her pack leader was. Did he know where Leidolf was living now? Maybe Silva would, if Lelandi could ask casually without arousing suspicion. Right.
Ignoring Darien, Lelandi pretended to sleep. More than ever, she had to avenge her sister's murder and leave. The longer she stayed, the higher the risk Bruin would locate her. Probably Darien would want to contact the leader and tell him what happened to her sister and Lelandi. Sense of honor. Then Bruin would force her to return home.
After a couple of hours, Darien left the room and thank god, for a change, he didn't post a guard inside. She climbed out of bed and paced. She had to discover if her parents were alive. But how was she going to do anything when he had her guarded always?
Footsteps raced up the stairs. "Are you staying with her for a couple of hours?" Trevor asked.
"Yeah. Darien went with Jake and Tom to question the hospital staff," Sam said.
She slipped back into bed and pulled the covers to her chin.
Sam walked into the room, smiled at her, and shut the door. "Still awake?"
"Going to sleep." At least she hoped so. After all the time she'd spent lying on her back, the urge to run in her wolf form made her restless and irritable. She wanted to stretch her legs and take a run on the wild side, soon.
Darien finally went to bed, but was too angry to sleep. Unable to learn anything about who drugged the coffee at the hospital, he racked his brain for alternative solutions. At nearly two in the morning, he had to get some sleep, but he couldn't stop thinking of Lelandi. The way her nipple had firmed when his hand had brushed it. The way she barely breathed when he was removing the soiled bandages. The way she smiled when the salve tickled her skin, but tried to hide that she wasn't scowling at him even for a second. He could have woken Silva to have her change the bandages, but he had to see for himself that Lelandi's wounds were healing properly.
He shoved his arm underneath his head, his body craving the change. He wanted to take a run in the woods, the urge growing as the moon's appearance neared. A jaunt through the forest, hunting alone or with a few members of his pack, racing each other, the wind ruffling their fur, enjoying nature at its best.
He closed his eyes. Unable to visualize anything but Lelandi's gaze challenging him in his mind's eye, he tossed his covers aside and grabbed his jeans. The woman tormented his every waking hour no matter how much he tried to ignore his cravings.
He stalked into the guest bedroom, not sure what he had in mind, but when he saw the empty bed, he gave Jake a questioning glance. His brother motioned to the bathroom. The toilet flushed and the sink water ran for a few seconds, then shut off. When she appeared, she looked like the redheaded goddess of his dreams. The startled look on her face when she saw him standing in the bedroom, gaping at her, endeared him all the more.
Jake wore an amused expression and shrugged.
"Leave us, Jake," Darien said, without taking his eyes off her.
His brother cleared his throat and walked over to the door. "'Night all." He closed the door on his hasty retreat.
His shoulders straight, his bare chest muscles taut, Darien crossed the carpeted floor and joined Lelandi standing like a statue. She couldn't move from the spot, knowing he wanted her. She couldn't draw on the courage to shove him away, to stop the yearning she had for him.
He cupped her face and raised her lips to his. The flecks of gold in his dark brown eyes disappeared as they darkened to black. He leaned in, his eyes closed, and he pressed his lips against hers. Lightly, like the flutter of an eyelash against a cheek. She'd never expected such a gentle touch to shatter her composure, but it did. His whisper-soft touch sent a message straight from her brain coursing to every part of her body. Take me, it shouted.
The only men she'd ever allowed to kiss her were her family members, in a strictly family way. Yet she lusted for Darien like she never had for any man except for her fantasy lover. She wanted to strip off her clothes and ravish him. Every inch of her warmed, and if she'd been wearing panties, they'd be soaking wet now, guaranteed.
No, no, this is wrong. His tongue probed her mouth with a murmur of a touch. No, she couldn't let him in. If she did, she'd give herself to him completely. She couldn't, not after what her sister had meant to him.
She opened her mouth to tell him no, her hands gripping his arms to push him away, but she gave him the wrong signal. His tongue parted her lips further, penetrating her deeper. He pressed his body firmly against her, his erection hard against her waist, her back against the wall. His heart pounded with a thunderous beat as fast as hers, lulling her under his spell with a soothing rhythm, encouraging her to take part in the mating dance. She should have shoved him away, stopped this nonsense, made him realize she didn't want this. Not from him. Not from a gray. Her dead sister's mate.
So why the hell was she touching his tongue tentatively with her own? Bringing a smile to his smug lips? To his heavily lidded, lust-filled eyes? He hesitated for an instant, then delved deeper, intensifying the kiss, and she let him! Kissed him back even. Pressed her body harder against his erection, wanting to feel what she had done to him.
No, no, damn it! He was feeling Larissa in his grasp, and Lelandi served as her sister reincarnated. Nothing more.
Despite the streaks of pleasure rifling her body, his hands shifting from her arms to her breasts, feeling the change in her nipples as they begged for more, the way her core ached for his penetration, she knew he didn't feel the same for her. She was not Larissa. She was Lelandi and not his to be had.
With the utmost reluctance, she pushed him away.
He looked chagrined, his lips parting, his dark brows furrowing. Then he swore under his breath, shook his head, and guided her back to bed. Covering her with the comforter, he used a tender touch. He hesitated to leave, his eyes still clouded with desire, and then he turned and retired from the room. Left her unguarded. Well, sure there was a guard at the door, but...
Footsteps drew close. The door opened, and Jake gave her a smug smile while he buttoned his shirt. "I'm back. Thought I had the rest of the night off, but..." He shrugged. "Darien will be hell to live with in the morning."
She would be hell to live with in the morning if she couldn't quit thinking about what she wanted with her sister's mate and couldn't have it.
Darien couldn't believe how Lelandi stirred him up. How could he have given in to her so quickly, so completely? She-devil.
For an hour he tossed and turned, furious with himself for losing control. He should never have kissed her. But he couldn't get the kiss he'd shared with her out of his mind either. Everything inside him felt alive again with her touch, and he craved having her, no matter how many times he told himself he couldn't until she was ready.
He ran his hands through his hair, more frustrated than ever. Until two pairs of footsteps headed in the direction of his bedroom, and he lifted his head off the pillow. Slow footsteps, deliberate, not hurried. If anyone wished to disturb him at this hour, it would have to be an emergency, and yet the footfall indicated otherwise. Like an assassin's sneaky attempt at slipping in undetected. He reached for his bedside drawer, opened it, and pulled out the gun.
The footsteps stopped at his door. Forever it seemed, as whoever they were contemplated what to do. He considered telling them to get on with whatever they were there for so he could take care of them. Then a slight tap sounded at the door. Before he could respond, the doorknob twisted, and Jake slowly pushed the door open. Lelandi stood in the doorway in Darien's flannel shirt, her red hair dangling past her hips, her eyes fixed, staring straight through him.
"Sleepwalking, like Tom when he's overly tired. Tom said she was talking in her sleep earlier. I wondered where she was going," Jake's voice was hushed. "So I allowed her to leave the guest room."
Darien slipped the gun back in the drawer. Lelandi walked slowly to the bed. The side he always slept on. All the moisture in his mouth evaporated. She lifted the covers.
He looked back at Jake, who shrugged. "Doc said never to startle Tom when he's sleepwalking. Guess the same goes for Lelandi."
Darien slid over so Lelandi could climb into bed. He pulled the covers to her chin, and she closed her eyes.
"Guess you have guard duty the rest of the morning." A coy smile fixed to Jake's lips, and he shut the door on his way out.
Lelandi didn't remember much except jumping on Crassus's back when he readied his fist for Larissa's face again. And the pain when Crassus hit Lelandi in the head, and more pain when he jerked her arm behind her back. But she hadn't saved her sister and now she was dead. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
But then he came as a wolf, distinguished, beautiful, his amber eyes studying her, his ears perked up. Her dream lover. Her silver knight. Her fantasy. Why could she see the whole of him as a wolf, but not as a human?
Changing from the wolf into his human form, he wrapped his arms around her, held her close, chased away the night terrors. Crassus's and Bruin's cruel, hard faces faded in the mist. The pain and suffering vanishing.
Her lover kissed her head, caressed her arm, her face, made her feel safe, protected, loved, but he didn't initiate anything deeper. He moved his lips lower, kissing her cheek and sweeping across to her mouth. She opened her lips to him, felt his body harden, pressing against hers, his tongue slipping inside her mouth, the feel of his heart pounding furiously against her chest, his hands stroking her hair, and she wanted him deep inside her, thrusting, claiming her. But he wouldn't make a move to take her.
"Sleep," he whispered against her mouth, his voice husky.
She moaned, separated her legs for him, and he slipped between them, his erection pressing at her mound. But still, he would not take her. His lips smiled against hers, but he slid out of her grasp and pulled her back against his chest.
"Sleep, vixen," he said, his voice hushed, his arms tightening around her in a bear hug of an embrace. And in the warmth of the cocoon he provided, the woodland world faded away.
Later that morning, Darien woke with his arms around Lelandi, her head on his chest, her breathing shallow, her silky red hair caressing his bare skin. God of thunder, how he wanted her, but not like this. Not when she didn't know what she'd gotten herself into. Hell, he'd have to let everyone know now she walked in her sleep, if Jake hadn't warned them already.
Not wanting her to wake and find herself in his room, in his bed, and most of all, in his tight embrace, he carried her back to the guest bedroom, and nodded to Peter who would watch over her until she woke. Peter's brows rose so slightly, if Darien hadn't been observing him closely, he would have missed the subtle change in his expression.
At least the deputy wouldn't tell the world which bed Lelandi had slept in last night, although before long, she'd be in his bed every night once he had his way. He kissed her cheek, then covered her with the eyelet comforter. Still not believing she was a sleepwalker like Tom, he headed down to the kitchen and greeted his brothers. "Morning, Jake, Tom."
His beard even scruffier this morning, Jake flipped sausages and bacon in the frying pan and casually said, "Morning, Darien. Trevor mentioned something about dream mating."
Tom glanced up from the toaster. "Morning, Darien. Good sleep last night?" He gave Jake a conspirator's look.
Darien grabbed the pot of coffee and poured himself a mug. "Slept well enough." He would not rise to his brother's inquisitive nature. "What does Trevor know about dream mating?"
"He overheard Silva talking to Lelandi. She told her you were convinced Lelandi was your dream mate."
Serving up a plate of toast, Tom's mouth curved up. "Hot damn. The trait is inherited. Why didn't you tell us?"
Jake snorted. "What next?"
Darien plucked toast from the plate. "Maybe."
"No maybe about it. Dad had the ability and so did Granddad and two of our uncles." Tom beamed. "Means Jake and I have a good chance at having the ability."
Jake set the platter of sausages and bacon on the kitchen table. "Don't believe in soul mates."
"Our distant cousin, Devlyn, found his soul mate," Tom reminded him, lifting his refilled mug. "And Bella's a red, too."
Darien would definitely have a word with Trevor. He'd never said a thing to Darien last night about "that" part of the conversation Silva and Lelandi had.
"What else did Trevor say?"
Jake gave Darien a small smile. Yeah, he knew Darien would give Trevor hell soon.
"Nothing else. In other news, that Chester McKinley wants a word with you when you can spare a moment."
Darien looked up from his eggs. "Who?"
"The assistant mayor of Green Valley, checking out our town so he can go back to his own and recommend changes."
"What does he need to speak to me about? You know I don't have time to micromanage every little thing that goes on in Silver Town."
Jake poured himself another cup of coffee. "He says he runs a first-rate private eye operation and thought you might like to hear his advice."
"About what, Jake? Quit beating around the bush."
"About Larissa and Lelandi."
Darien frowned. "What does he think he knows?"
"He wouldn't say." Jake took his seat and speared a slice of bacon. "Said he'd talk to you about it though."
Tom grabbed three pieces of toast. "Uncle Sheridan said the guy is legit. He checked with the mayor of Green Valley already."
Darien swore their youngest brother could eat triple what they ate and still not gain an ounce. "I've got Uncle Sheridan and both of you checking things out. I'd rather keep it in the family."
"Never know when another mind or two can help give us a lead," Jake said.
Darien ignored his brother's comment. All he needed was for the details of this mess to get out to other gray packs. "Anything else I need to know about?" Darien stabbed a sausage with his fork.
"Fall festival starts today. Are you going to open the ceremony like you did last year?"
Darien gave Jake a dark look.
Jake's lips curved upward slightly. "Everyone expects you to be there. But it's your call."
With everything else that had gone on, he'd forgotten about it, and he wasn't interested. But running the town brought responsibilities he couldn't ignore. "What time?"
"Ten o'clock."
"I've barely had time to supervise the factory since the shootings began. And I haven't had a chance to check in at the mine at all."
"Everything's running smoothly," Tom said. "Both Jake and I have been keeping an eye on things. Everyone's doing what needs to be done."
Thank god he had brothers who could be counted on.
His eyes sparkling with humor, Jake cleared his throat. "Do we need to inform everyone who serves guard duty about Lelandi's nighttime excursions?"
Tom's brows shot up. "What exactly did I miss last night?"
Darien swore Tom already knew, but wanted him to reveal more of the details. Which he wasn't about to do. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tom and Jake's attention switched to the entryway from the living room. Darien turned around and saw Lelandi, his long flannel shirt reaching thigh-high, her legs and feet bare, her hands locked as if in prayer.
His gaze shifted to her hair, the sensuous curls garnering his full attention. He was unable to tear his gaze away from the beauty of her silky tresses. Even more red than her sister's, less golden, more like the woman's in his dream. How could he have not realized she was the one? Because of the switched names and that Larissa had lied about the dreams, damn it.
"Ahem." Jake said, breaking the spell.
She looked sweet, innocent, edible, her lips parting to speak. "I smelled the food and thought if I ate something, I'd feel more energetic."
Tom hurried to escort her to his side of the table. Jake got her a plate and piled it high with eggs and sausages. Darien stared at her rumpled, shiny hair. No matter how much he didn't want to show his feelings for the woman, he couldn't block the emotions. Already he was hard as a rock, and he shifted uncomfortably under the table.
Lelandi sat in the seat Tom pulled out for her, and then he returned with a mug in hand, the coffeepot in the other. "Black?"
"Cream and sugar," she said, her voice so demure, Darien suspected something was brewing in that pretty head of hers, and he bet he wouldn't like it.
"I want to go to the fair."
Not expecting that, Darien sat back hard against his chair. "Absolutely not."
She furrowed her brow at him. "I feel one-hundred percent better, and I want to get out. I told you I'd be ready to run laps today."
Tom grinned and saluted her with his coffee cup.
"Not after all that's happened to you," Darien said.
"That guy in the copper coat is still running loose," Jake reminded them. "Mason thought he saw him running near here as a wolf last night."
Darien frowned. "The answer is no. You'll stay here and continue to recuperate."
Sam called out from the foyer. "Everyone decent?"
Even Darien managed a small smile at the comment, although he was trying to maintain his hard line with Lelandi.
Sam stalked into the kitchen and cast Lelandi a broad smile. "You're looking good." He handed Darien a stack of mail. "Is Silva around?"
"Upstairs sleeping in my bed," Jake said. Sam looked a little bothered. Jake added, "We're playing musical beds. I had last guard duty. She slept in my bed while I was pulling duty."
"Oh. I need her for the big opening ceremony. Free sodas for the first fifty customers."
"First bedroom on the right," Jake said. "We woke her and made her move six times last night. I don't want to disturb her again, so be my guest."
Sam hesitated.
Lelandi stood. "I'll get her."
"Sam can. Eat and get your strength back." Darien lifted one of the envelopes off the table and frowned.
Lelandi plopped back down on the chair. "For what? So I can stay here and watch soaps all day? You won't even let me go to the fair."
"She could help Silva and me hand out the free sodas," Sam offered. "We'd watch over her."
"Sure, that would be fun." Lelandi cut up her sausage. "I can serve drinks in between Silva and Sam. You wouldn't have to post a guard for me for a few hours."
"Where will you be set up?" Darien asked Sam, then lifted the envelope to his nose and breathed in deeply. His heart nearly exploded when he smelled Larissa's scent on it.
"The tavern. I can make sure only the front door is accessible. Lelandi can stay behind the bar with me."
Looking for a return address, Darien flipped the envelope over. None. He glanced up at Jake, who was watching Darien with concern. "All right. I want a guard on the place just in case."
"Mitchell will do it," Jake said.
Lelandi's face brightened and Darien hoped to hell he wasn't putting her in any more danger. But seeing her expression, he figured she'd feel better and heal faster if she got out of confinement for a while. He considered the envelope again, typewritten, so no clue there. But the postmark indicated it had been mailed from Wildhaven.
"Anything wrong, Darien?" Jake asked.
"Tom, get me a map of Colorado."
"Sure thing." Tom cast a questioning glance at Jake, missing out on what was going on.
"If you hear screaming and things being tossed about, you'll know Silva wasn't happy I woke her." Sam grinned and then headed out of the kitchen.
"Where's Peter? He should have come down with you when you joined us," Darien said to Lelandi, his voice dark.
Lelandi shrugged and waved for Jake to get her some more coffee.
As much as Jake had acted annoyed with her, Darien was surprised to see his lips lift slightly, while he refilled her coffee mug. For being such a petite little thing, she sure had everyone wrapped around her will.
"Poor deputy was bone tired," Lelandi said.
Jake gave her the coffee and headed for the doorway. "I'll take care of it."
Lelandi frowned at him. "Don't be too rough on Peter. You're overworking him."
But Jake just stormed out of the kitchen.
"I'll talk to that McKinley fellow and tell him you're too busy to see him, Darien," Tom said, returning with the map, but waited while Darien looked up the cities listed in the index. "What's wrong?"
Darien looked up at Lelandi. "I got a letter postmarked Wildhaven. I wondered where it was and who might have sent the correspondence."
"Wildhaven? Never heard of it," Tom said.
But Lelandi looked peeked. She glanced at the envelope and dropped her fork on the table.
Darien seized his knife, slipped it underneath the envelope flap, and ripped.
Jake rejoined them. "I've spoken with Peter." His gaze switched to the envelope and the map spread over the table. "What's up?"
Pulling the letter out, Darien barely breathed. The paper was hers---a light rose color, her scent, her handwriting. "Larissa," he said under his breath.
Dearest Darien,
If you're reading this, I'm no longer of this world, and I regret I've brought you so much sorrow. I beg your forgiveness for lying about my family, about saying I had dream mated with you. I wasn't your soul mate, but I wanted to care for you like you desired me, a love I didn't have in my first mating. I wished with all my heart to be who you thought I was. When I found the right man, it was too late for me to take back what I'd done to you. Now, all that matters is that you know the truth. My sister came into her first wolf's heat after she was dream mated. Since you think it was me, I believe you'd truly seen my sister. Ask her, Darien. Don't lose your true soul mate for what I've done. My sister will seek you out to avenge my death, and I plead with you with all my heart, if you ever loved me, you will protect her. She doesn't think she needs your protection or anyone else's, but she'll be in grave danger as soon as I'm dead.
Whatever you do, do not turn her away. She had nothing to do with what happened between you and me, but I have harmed her greatly with what I have done. If nothing else, I pray you will protect her for my failings. I craved to be her, free, unattached, until you took me in. But now she'll pay for my crime if you don't help her.
Love me in death as you did in life by taking care of my blood, my sister, Lelandi.
Your mate, Larissa.
DARIEN STARED AT LARISSA'S LETTER IN DISBELIEF, HIS whole body numb. He reread the note, trying to fathom the hidden meaning of her message.
He rose from his chair and walked out of the dining room. How could he have been so blind? The woman he'd mated had loved another? Who? He'd kill him.
Darien didn't remember walking into his office, or sitting at his desk. He stared at the letter, and then clenching it, he hollered, "Jake!"
Jake entered the office, a look of confusion crossing his face.
"Get Lelandi in here, now."
Jake's brows raised, he quickly nodded, then closed the door.
Tom entered a minute later, his eyes wide. "What's wrong, Darien? Jake says you're ready to kill someone. Want me to sit in on the little talk?"
"No."
"But---"
"No!"
His neck muscles tightening, Tom gave a brief nod. "You're the boss."
Jake ushered Lelandi into the room. She looked pale and her eyes quickly shifted from Darien to the floor.
Darien motioned to the love seat in his office, then gave his brothers a look that meant one thing. Get out and stay out! Although he had no doubt they would loiter beyond his office door in case things got out of hand.
They both glanced at Lelandi as she took a seat, looking like they wanted to rescue her, then finally obliged by leaving the room and shutting the door.
Folding his arms across his chest, Darien tried to settle the fury in his blood before he spoke. "Tell me about Wildhaven, Bruin, your parents, the whole deal."
She clenched her teeth and glowered at him. "Wildhaven's my family's name."
"It's the name of a town."
"It's my family's name," she reiterated, indignant.
"Then you're a pack leader's daughter? The Wildhavens settled the area? And both you and Larissa disobeyed him? Terrific. Then tell me about your family. All of it."
Lelandi pulled the shirt lower, which drew his gaze to her bare legs. Instantly, he wanted to take her, confirm that she was indeed the one of his dreams, his soul mate. But her soft voice penetrated his lust-filled thoughts. She looked at the letter in his hands, then tilted her chin up.
"My father was a pack leader when I was a child but his people had died in flooding and mudslides that wiped out his town. A few, who were not relatives, took off to join other packs. Father was devastated, living like a mountain man for ten years with my mother, brother, sister, and me, until he felt the call of the pack and joined my mother's reds. She was the pack leader's daughter, and had fallen in love with my father at first sight. She tried to heal his inner self after the tragedy had struck his pack while we lived amongst her reds. But when her father died, a new and ruthless leader took over. Most of her pack fled, and Bruin's flourished. Father had been injured in the mudslide, a spinal injury, the kind that can permanently damage a lupus garou. And so he was confined to a wheelchair. He couldn't fight for the pack, but he stubbornly refused leaving the land that was his ancestors'."
"Being a born leader is hard to give up," Darien said, the fury quieting in his blood. But he couldn't believe how her father would have cared more about the land than his own family.
"He challenged the leader, yet couldn't lead. The natural disaster in his town hadn't been his fault, yet until he died, he blamed himself. The pack leader's brother wanted either my sister or me for a mate. We were descendents of the first leader lines of Wildhaven, and since our pack leader, Bruin, was already mated, his brother took Larissa for his own. Bruin figured it would get my father in line if he gave up one of his daughters. My father assumed my sister was the best choice because she was a lot more...even-tempered than me. He feared if Crassus bullied me, I'd attempt to kill him. And I tried, once."
Darien opened his mouth to speak, but she shook her head. "It was a foolhardy venture. Do you and your brothers have a...well, a connection?"
Darien frowned. "I'm not sure what you're asking."
"I could sense when Larissa's emotions were out of control. When she was angry, or hurt, when she was terrified. We shared the ability to detect extreme emotions in the other. Every time Crassus beat her, if she was within a fifty-mile radius of where I was, I knew. Can you imagine knowing someone is beating your sibling half to death, and you can do nothing to stop him?"
Thor almighty, and he'd considered sending her back to her pack? He'd kill the bastard first. "Lelandi---"
"Four times, I allowed it. I told my father, but he could only speak to Bruin, who denied his brother's cruelty. The fifth time I felt my sister's pain, her emotions running from sheer terror to hating the bastard, I couldn't allow it to go on any longer. But I wasn't prepared to face him. I barged into their home and found my sister's face bruised and battered. Sobbing, she looked up at me, her eyes filled with pain and horror. Horror because I'd be next to suffer the brute's beatings. Jumping onto the bastard's back when he took another swing at her, I yanked at his long hair and reached around and gouged his face. I tried to strangle him. But I don't remember what happened afterward. A few days later, I woke to find myself at home in bed with a concussion, a broken arm, and collarbone."
She lifted her eyes to Darien, but they weren't filled with tears as he'd expected. Hatred burned brightly in the jade gems. And he couldn't blame her. His blood craved revenge. No lupus garou would ever touch a woman like that in his pack and get away with it. She looked so vulnerable he wanted to pull her into his arms, and for a minute, he hesitated. If he attempted to console her, he feared she'd quit talking. And he needed to hear her whole story.
Hell, he couldn't bear to look at her and not do something. He rose from his chair, and she looked ready to bolt. With a couple of lengthy strides, he crossed the floor and took her hand, then sat down beside her. He wanted to embrace her hard, give her his strength because she looked so peaked, but her back remained rigid. He sat beside her on the leather love seat, opting to hold her hand instead.
"Tell me all of it, Lelandi."
"She shouldn't have suffered such cruelty at the hands of the beast. Crassus told me if my sister died, he'd take me for his own. I didn't perceive the threat lightly. But my father didn't believe Crassus would kill Larissa to have me." She pulled away from Darien, her eyes sad as her gaze dropped to the floor. "For a couple of weeks, my sister seemed to tolerate the forced marriage. I think Bruin had told him to lay off because I was a witness, and he'd pummeled me so badly also. Like a sickness he couldn't control, Crassus beat her again a week later, and she told me she had to find herself."
Darien swore softly under his breath. He had meant to tell her pack where she was as a goodwill gesture, but now he had every intention of crushing the brute who'd made the women suffer.
"When I asked what she meant, she said, 'You know, get a hobby or something.' She meant to run away. I didn't realize that until she'd been gone several weeks. Crassus hid the fact she'd run away, probably figuring he'd find her before anybody knew she had left him for good."
"He won't hurt you again, Lelandi. I promise. But if Bruin was your pack leader and Crassus was Larissa's mate, who's Leidolf?"
Lelandi's eyes widened. "My brother. How did you learn about him?"
"Deputy Sheriff Smith from Green Valley said your leader was looking for you."
"Leidolf's a pack leader? Where?"
"Portland, Oregon."
"Did you tell him I'm here?"
Darien shook his head. "No. I didn't know who the hell he was."
"Oh."
"Do you want me to tell him?"
She hesitated. "He'll want me to join his pack."
Darien leaned back into the love seat. "You're not going anywhere."
She took a deep breath and toyed with the hem of the shirt, her fingers skimming her bare skin. "You might as well hear everything I've got to say about my pack. Bruin kept his pack in line and didn't tolerate any rebellion. I feared he'd seek revenge against the rest of us when Larissa ran away. Then my father and mother died in a fiery car accident."
"Murder."
She gave a little hmpf. "No doubt."
"But you received flowers from your parents."
"Someone's sick joke. Bruin kept me under guard, stating he would declare Larissa dead and have me mated to his brother. I received the letters from Larissa, one for me, and the other for you, and escaped the night before I was to be mated with Crassus, dropping the letter for you at the post office on my way out of Wildhaven."
Darien threw Larissa's letter to him onto the coffee table. Lelandi's eyes lit on it. "Why the charade? Why did she claim to be you?"
"She was mated; I was not. She probably thought if she took my identity, no one would find out who she was, but if they did, they would discover Lelandi wasn't mated. But she fell in love. You were obviously good to her when Crassus wasn't. She wanted what others had, what our parents had had."
He grunted. "She wasn't in love with me. No bond existed between us. Now she's dragged you into this mess."
"Knowing my sister, she probably thought you'd want me like you wanted her. Then you could take care of me, and I'd be good for you." Lelandi shrugged. "That's what I figure anyway. She was more of a dreamer than me. I tend to be totally realistic."
"Uh-huh. So you're saying you and your sister didn't cook this whole scheme up so you could be my newest mate." After all that her sister had pulled, he didn't know what to really think.
Lelandi stood up from the couch so suddenly she wavered a minute, but then her eyes glowed with fury and her face flushed. "You may think all women are after you, Darien Silver, you...you arrogant bastard. But I have no desire to mate with you or any other gray."
She turned and stormed toward the door. Yanking it open, she gasped to see his brothers in the doorway, then shoved past them.
"Watch her, Tom." Darien motioned for Jake to come in, grabbed the letter, and walked back to his desk.
Sitting in his chair, Darien still couldn't believe his mate had been the daughter of leaders on both her mother's and father's sides of the family, a rare and highly prized quality in a mate. Which made him wonder why one of the pack members hadn't already claimed Lelandi. He also considered the despicable possibility that the sisters' parents had been murdered. One thing he knew, Lelandi wouldn't be safe until he figured out who killed his mate. And Lelandi was his whether she believed she was his soul mate now or not. Plus, he would deal with this Crassus sooner or later. The bastard would come for Lelandi, if he assumed she'd be his mate. The red was a walking dead man. His pack leader brother, too, if he interfered.
Darien let out his breath in exasperation. "Did you check into the factory's accounts, Jake?"
"Yep, like you suspected. Larissa was siphoning off money."
"To pay a blackmailer."
"Most likely."
"How much?"
Jake pulled out a notepad and flipped to a page. "Nine-hundred and fifty-two dollars the first month. Tried to make it look like a strange amount to fit in with some of the purchases for supplies in the tanning processes. A thousand, sixty-five the next month. Went up to eleven-hundred and some change. Each month it went up, until her death, and then the withdrawals stopped. Hosstene said your name was on the checks so she never considered anything was wrong with them."
Darien shook his head.
"Can I see the letter?"
After passing it to his brother, he watched as Jake read it slowly.
"Do you think it's just a matchmaking venture?" Jake asked.
"What with the attempts on Lelandi's life? Nope. Then we have the stalker in the copper-hooded jacket to consider. The blackmailer won't want to get caught. Find out if anyone had been getting some extra monthly pocket money. And if anyone's been throwing around more money than usual, or has let anything slip."
"What about this business with Larissa's former mate?"
"He's a dead man."
Jake nodded. "The red pack won't like it that you took his mate, then want to fight him for Lelandi."
"Then they shouldn't have allowed the bastard to beat on their women."
Jake set the letter on the desk. "Larissa says there's someone else---"
A rapid knock sounded on the door.
"Come in," Darien said.
Tom shoved the door open, his eyes excited. He grinned.
"Why aren't you watching---"
"Uncle Sheridan caught that copper-hooded guy skulking around the leather goods factory again. He sure didn't get far."
Darien nearly knocked his chair through the wall he got up so fast.
Tom quickly added, "You can't talk to him."
"Why the hell not?"
"He's a real fighter and the boys got so riled when they tried to subdue him, they knocked him unconscious. Doc said it would be several hours before anyone could question him now."
"Can't anyone do anything right? Who's watching Lelandi?"
"Sam's watching her."
"Whatever anyone does, don't let her know we caught the guy."
Tom's face fell. "Mason told both Sam and me in front of her."
"Shit." Darien stormed out of the office, expecting to find a hysterical Lelandi like she'd been in the car when they'd first gone after the man. Instead, he found her quietly sitting on the couch, staring at the coffee table. Which worried him more than when she was misbehaving.
Darien crouched in front of Lelandi, trying to use his most persuasive tone of voice. "Who is he?"
She looked up at him, eyes glaring. "He's my mate."
Swearing under his breath, Darien rose to his full height. "Doc examined you and found you're a virgin, so try another story."
Sam and Darien's brothers chuckled, but Lelandi's cheeks grew sunburn red. "Who the hell gave him permission to examine me?"
"Doc doesn't need permission."
"You arrogant bastard! You thought I wanted you and so you made sure I was available?" she screamed at him.
Everyone was deathly quiet. How could one little woman change the whole scenario around so that he was defending himself now?
"Like hell I did," he growled.
"Well, sorry if I don't believe you." She rose from the couch, shoved him out of the way, and headed for the stairs.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"To get dressed!"
Darien stalked after her. "You'll tell me who the guy is who accosted you."
"Ask him, if he comes out of the coma your men put him into!" She stomped up the stairs.
Blowing out his breath, he stomped up the stairs after her and followed her into the guest bedroom. Lelandi stiffened her back, whipped around, and glared at Darien.
For a moment, it was a standoff, Darien standing in the doorway, face red with barely repressed anger, and Lelandi's feelings just as hot. Then he closed the door and a trickle of fear ran through her veins.
He had the look of a feral wolf---angered, cornered, only she was the one he was backing into a corner when he stalked across the carpeted floor in her direction.
His eyes darkened, his gaze intent, determined.
"I won't tell you who he is no matter how much you try to intimidate me."
His grim lips almost seemed to smile, but they didn't exactly either. She wouldn't give in to him though. The powerful gray pack leader had a lot to learn about a stubborn red female.
"Back off," she growled as soon as he invaded her personal space.
He grabbed her shoulders, watched her expression intently. Did she look as terrified as she felt? Or did she put on a good enough show to hide the way her insides shook?
She knew what he wanted, what she assumed he'd craved the first time he saw her, to touch her, to kiss her, to love her---but not her, damn it. Rather, her sister.
"You don't want me." She meant to speak firmly, angrily, but the words came out breathlessly, almost desperate.
"You're not mated, Lelandi." His thumbs kneaded her shoulders in a sensuous caress, his fingers still gripping her. He leaned over and nuzzled her cheek with his smooth face. "Larissa was mated, wrongly, but still mated, and she was not the one I dreamed of loving under the pale light of the moon, naked in the woods."
The feel of his heated skin against hers set her blood on fire, but the realization he made love to her sister, calling her by the same name...
"Don't fight me," he whispered against her ear, his breath warm, his tongue tickling the sensitive lobe. "Tell me about your dreams."
LELANDI MEANT TO SHOVE DARIEN AWAY, BUT SHE TOUCHED his waist tentatively instead, wanting to rip off his shirt and run her fingers over his bare chest, his face, to caress every inch of him while he touched her---just like the man had done with her in her fantasy world. She wanted to be sure he really wasn't the man in her dreams.
Yet liquid heat pooled between her legs and fire filled her belly. No lupus garou had ever smiled so sexylike; none had ever set her blood afire like he did.
"It's..." She meant to tell him it wasn't right. He didn't really want her, just wanted to recapture the love he'd lost with her sister.
But he covered her mouth with his and stopped her objections. Kissed her---like she was the last woman on earth and he'd been deprived for years---greedily, hungrily, unabashedly.
Her heartbeat quickened. Now that she was no longer in pain or on medication that dulled her senses, she recognized the feel of him, the firmness, strength, the subtle way he touched her, claimed her, only it was so much more real. The beating of his heart sounded in her ears, the heat of his body burned at her soul, she tasted the sweetness of his lips, smelled the musky scent of him. He was her lover, his face no longer hidden in the shadows of her dreams, but genuine, his expression filled with hope and sexual craving.
Touching his tongue to the seam of her mouth, then penetrating, exploring, teasing her tongue with his, he pressed his advantage. And she let him, cherished the feel, but couldn't give in to the lust. His fingers roamed over her arms, tracing the skin, sending trails of tiny caressing sensations up and down, while her fingers remained cemented to his waist. She was afraid to touch him further, afraid to lead him on when she knew what they were doing was wrong and no good would come of it. Bruin and Crassus, her brother even, would not permit the union between the gray and her.
He maneuvered her away from the wall toward the bed. Not good, yet she didn't want to stop him. Her reluctance to encourage him didn't seem to faze him. He kissed her jaw, then swept his tantalizing mouth down her neck, licking a trail to the hollow of her throat.
She melted. Not being able to stand, she collapsed on her butt on the bed. "We shouldn't..."
He pushed her knees apart making her feel vulnerable, exposed to his desires. He moved between her legs and reached for the first button on her shirt, but she seized his wrists.
"I want to make sure you're healed, Lelandi."
"I am," she said, still holding tight, having to stop this madness.
He smiled and the look was pure devil. "For what I want to do."
She frowned. "I meant, I was healed. That's all. You don't have to look."
"Doctor's orders." The devilish gleam intensified in his darkened eyes.
"Liar!"
"Why didn't this Bruin select a mate for you earlier?" He pulled his hands free and finished unbuttoning the shirt, then slipped it off her shoulders.
His gaze focused on her nudity, an appreciative gleam in his eyes, and her skin flushed. "I told you. He thought my temper was too volatile."
"Try again." Darien pushed her back against the mattress. Straddling her leg with his, he leaned against her, his arousal hard against her thigh as his finger outlined the tip of her breast, then the other.
Her body tingled, her nubs peaking to the barest of his touches, and a moan welled up from deep within her throat. She couldn't fight the attraction she had for him even if she wanted to.
"Tell me the truth. You'd never come into a wolf's heat, had you? Not until we mated in our dreams. Not until you became mine. Come to me, Lelandi, like you do in my dreams." Darien kissed her forehead and waited, watching to see her reaction.
She studied his heavily lidded eyes, the look of lust filling them. "It was only a dream," she insisted. "But Larissa knew I'd had the dreams of...of a man who was Adonis reborn."
"Adonis?" He gave her a wicked smile.
She pursed her lips. "He's extremely handsome."
"He looks like me." He unbuttoned his shirt, leaving it hanging open.
She looked at his chest, and yes, the corded muscles, the smattering of dark hair stretching down to his waistband, the bronze skin that took her breath away whenever she spied him in the woods of her dreams...She wanted to reach out to touch him, to feel his skin sizzling beneath her fingertips.
"Why didn't you tell me we've been dream mated?"
Her gaze shifted to his eyes. "I never saw his face."
He frowned, cupped her face, and thought for a moment. "Ah. Because I'm the one who has the gift. But you pick up on some of it because you're my soul mate." He pressed her hands firmly against his chest. "Do you remember the beating of my heart? The way I feel? The way my mouth feels against yours? Lelandi, you were always the one. The first time I came to you, someone had called your name and in your dream state you had mouthed your name, trying to make sense of it, unable to wake fully. You said your name against my mouth again. But I could never learn your last name."
He was the one. So why was she still reluctant to give herself to him? Her sister. She couldn't break free of the notion her sister had meant something to him.
He pulled Lelandi from the bed into his embrace and held her tight. "What I'd had with Larissa didn't feel right, but she'd told me she didn't have any family. And she used the name I knew you by. I assumed the dreams I shared with you were fantasy and making love with you in the flesh wasn't supposed to be as erotic."
Her sister had lied. She'd duped him and...and he hadn't meant anything to her as Lelandi had feared.
She touched his chest with trembling fingers, wanting what he offered, the sexual connection she'd shared with him upon sleeping, but afraid, too, of the consequences. "There's...there's no going back."
"As if I'd give you up for anything in the world, Lelandi. You're the one I've searched for every night, longing to be reunited with you. The one who haunts my dreams until we're together again. It's you."
Right or wrong, she pressed her lips against his, giving herself willingly to him and was immediately transported to the dream. Except it was no longer a dream. This time he captivated all of her senses. His sexual pheromones filled her nostrils like an aphrodisiac, his essence overwhelming her senses.
"There's no going back," she repeated, her voice soft, worried.
She'd defy her pack and her family's wishes. But she wouldn't be like Larissa. Her mating would be final, like it was for other lupus garous. No other would come between them.
He stroked her hair with loving caresses. "You couldn't come into a wolf's heat until I reached out to you. You are mine."
Like a feral wolf who caught his prey and claimed her, he kissed her greedily, possessively. No more gentleness, waiting to make sure she agreed. And she loved it. His hands tangled in her long hair, and he grabbed handfuls, his smoldering gaze raking over her nakedness. But she couldn't take her eyes off his face, the chiseled features, the predatory look, the face she'd so wanted to see, but couldn't in her dreams.
Releasing her hair, he slid his hands down her shoulders to her breasts, his palms massaging them. His thumbs caressed her nipples, teasing them to beg for more. His tongue plunged into her mouth, melting any denial she might have that he was the one. Tremulous shivers of pleasure sizzled across her bare skin. His rigid erection pressed against her waist, urgent, hungry to batter down her virginal barrier.
She maneuvered around him so that his back was to the bed, then using his shirt to hold him hostage, she pushed him onto the mattress. His mouth curved up and his eyes sparkled with dark delight. She pressed his legs apart and moved in between them. This time she was in charge, uninhibited like in her dreams.
Intending to work up nice and slow and torture him, she already craved flopping on her back and letting him take her. So much for her wanting to be in charge. She reached down to unfasten his belt, and he folded his arms behind his head and watched her struggle. But she couldn't unhook the belt no matter how much she tried. Finally, he chuckled low, quickly stripped, then pulled her on top of him, bare skin to bare skin.
He was gorgeous---every buff, corded muscle tensed in anticipation. The smattering of dark hair covering his chest trailed down toward the curly hairs between his legs, and she considered the way his erection was already ramrod stiff, thick and readied, poking her in the belly. This was the way she remembered him in the pale light of the moon, the look and feel of his hard muscles, the touch of his soft skin, the way his nipples pebbled with her mouth and tongue grazing them. He swept his hands down her arms, sending a rush of tingling straight to her core, a thousand times more pleasurable than in the dreams.
She ran her fingers over the muscles in his chest, and his arousal jumped. She smiled and looked up at his face, his eyes glazed over, his lips curving up slightly. She shifted, straddling him, her knees bent, spreading them outward, wanting to capture the pike poking between her legs. Hot and wet and way past ready.
He groaned and rolled her onto her back, then leaned against her. She loved it when he took charge. He was like her dream lover, but the feelings were richer, his touch more arousing, every sense on high alert as she smelled his sexual desire, heard his heart pumping pell mell, and felt his aroused breath against her cheek. Pure eroticism stoked every nerve ending.
Clutching handfuls of his shoulder-length hair, she arched her pelvis against him, seeking gratification, her body screaming with unfulfilled need. Responding to her, he rubbed his heavy groin against her folds and elicited a soft, deep-throated moan from her.
But he refused to enter her yet. Instead, he smiled and flicked his tongue against her sensitive nipple, his gaze focused back on hers. She bucked against him, wanting him to enter her, to make her his mate, to complete the bond that would last forever. But he wouldn't hurry no matter how much she desired him to, and instead, swept his fingers down her waist, then lifted his body off her slightly, touching the erotic zone at the apex of her thighs. He stroked her hard and fast, and she could barely take the delicious pleasure of his touch. Slipping his fingers lower, he inserted them deeply inside her.
Hoarsely, he said, "You're wet for me."
She bit his shoulder with a mock nip, and he thrust his head back and laughed. Of course she was wet. As soon as he'd advanced toward her in the bedroom with that hungry, feral look in his eyes, the moisture had gathered between her legs.
He thrust his fingers deep inside her, simulating what he would do with his engorged erection, soon, she hoped as he wrung out every emotion, pumping up her craving, just a thread short of completion. Then her internal muscles convulsed with orgasm and a wave of heat surged through her. His fingers stilled inside her, he gave her a satisfied smile.
Oh heavens, she'd come with just his fingers inside her. Sweet passion spiraled through her and with a soft moan, she called out his name, loving that she could now say it, no longer silenced like in the dream.
Darien's expression filled with deep satisfaction, and she loved seeing how much he enjoyed giving her pleasure. But they weren't done, not until they'd truly mated.
"Finally," he whispered in her ear, "you know me. And now, it's my turn." His eyes held a roguish gleam. And she was ready.
God of thunder, Lelandi was beautiful. Darien wanted to laugh when she took charge, then quickly ceded, melting to his strokes. And now he had her where he desired her, the vixen.
For the first time, he wanted to go slow and control the outcome, not wishing to hurt her when he broke through her barrier. He spread her thighs wide and entered her carefully, stretching her to accept his engorged erection.
"You...are...huge."
He smiled, but slowed his penetration. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, but I was supposed to be in charge."
He chuckled, his voice drenched in lust. "You were taking too long," he rasped, then paused to take her nipple between his teeth, scraping gently.
Her inner muscles clenched him tightly, but he gently pushed forward. For a moment he paused, then he watched her face, flushed with arousal, and with a sudden thrust, he breached the maidenhead. She opened her eyes and he worried he'd hurt her.
"Are you all right?" he asked again, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
Her muscles clenched again, and she nodded. "I've...I've never felt anything like this...not even in the dreams."
He gave a wolfish grin and brushed her hair away from her cheek. "I don't doubt it. Not when you were a virgin."
With slow, deep thrusts, he plunged into her over and over again, loving every inch of his dream mate in the flesh. She was his, now and forever.
Lelandi couldn't catch her breath as Darien pushed her toward the peak. Julia Wildthorn was right. Sex with a lupus garou who was your soul mate was nothing short of miraculous.
Darien's heated gaze swept over her again, his body desiring her with an urgency she felt, too, and she wanted to heighten the pleasure as her body shouted to reach climax again. But he pinned her shoulders down, claiming her, possessing her, making her his for as long as they both lived. She loved what being lupus garou meant---the intensity of the lovemaking, the unbreakable bond between them, stronger even than the familial one, the craving so great, it couldn't be denied.
"Thor almighty," Darien groaned, filling her womb with his hot seed, spasms of orgasm rocking her body, washing through her like a rogue tidal wave. For a moment, he lay heavily against her, his and her breathing hard, their hearts pumping at breakneck speed. "Life will never be the same," he said, huskily, trying to lift his weight from her, but she held on tight. "I'll crush you." His eyes smiled.
"You feel so good against me, I don't want you to ever let go."
He kissed her cheek and let out a tired breath. "It's about time you knew where you belonged."
She bit him on the shoulder, hard this time. He laughed and moved off her, then pulled her on top of him and caressed her waist with a gentle sweeping touch. She cherished the way he could be so loving.
But then he was back to business. "What did you talk about with Silva last night?"
"Didn't Trevor tell you everything?" Lelandi asked, feeling peeved.
They were supposed to cuddle for a while, luxuriate in the feel of one another, the bond they'd just created. She realized tangling with a pack leader meant business was a heartbeat away.
Darien could see convincing Lelandi that as soul mates there would be no secrets between them, he would have to wear her down on that issue, too. But as much as he wanted to hold her tight and enjoy her heated little body, he had to protect her from harm. That meant knowing all he could about Lelandi and her sister. "I'd rather hear it from you."
"I don't remember. Must have been the medicine."
Darien humpfed under his breath. "Guess you're as good a liar as your sister."
Lelandi gave him a half smile and licked Darien's nipple.
He'd expected her to come out fighting. He was quickly learning she was like her sister---totally unpredictable. It sure as hell kept him on the edge of his seat.
"He's going to miss the opening ceremony," Jake said downstairs in the living room, loudly enough for Darien and Lelandi to hear.
"Considering the importance of what he's doing, don't you think this takes priority over the fair?" Tom asked.
"Hopefully, he won't be so grouchy anymore," Jake added.
Tom laughed.
Glancing up at the canopy over the bed, Darien rolled his eyes.
Lelandi kissed his cheek. "I'm sure Sam's waiting for me to go with him to serve drinks."
"I'd rather keep you here with me for the rest of the day."
"Was it...was it better for you than in the dreams?"
He twisted a curl of her hair around his finger. "You have to ask? I can't begin to describe how it made me feel, like a joining of our souls, the consummation of a lifelong search, the dream I've been trying to make real for months."
She sighed heavily. "The same for me. Only I thought you'd be less---big."
He chuckled. "The real thing feels more..."
"Real."
"See you at the opening ceremony," Tom hollered, and slammed the front door.
Darien groaned. "Got to go. But we're leaving the festivities early so we can return here. Sure you don't want to stay here until I return?"
"Nope, you've promised to let me out of confinement, and I'm going to the fair."
"I want to keep you safe, Lelandi."
"I'll be safe, and thinking about the festivities after the ceremony."
Darien rose from the bed and looked down at Lelandi's nakedness. "You're beautiful. Absolutely god sent."
"You're not half-bad yourself."
"Adonis, remember?" he said grinning.
"I hear them stirring, Sam," Jake said. "But if they don't hurry, you can take Silva to the tavern, and I'll bring Lelandi later. Unless Darien has decided to skip the opening ceremony."
Darien shook his head and dressed while Lelandi watched. Her eyes held his hostage and he growled. "Come back early, vixen." Then he gave her body another long look of approval, groaned, and shut the door on his departure.
The smoldering gaze in Darien's eyes made her want to tackle him and return him to bed, forget about the fair or her freedom for a few hours.
Silva soon joined her, her face unreadable, although Lelandi thought something was wrong. Then Silva said, "Darien must have woken on the wrong side of the bed again. First, he ordered Jake to take Peter to task for sleeping on guard duty. Then Darien told me I had to give you a more decent shirt than what I bought you to wear." She shrugged. "I don't see anything wrong with what you were wearing." She gave a sly smile. "But I guess he doesn't want the rest of the guys to see. I really can't believe he's letting you out of the house to work with us."
"I think he's feeling better now. I guess he trusts Sam to keep a good eye on me."
"He will." The look Silva gave and the way she said the words was a warning. Don't plan on slipping away.
Lelandi pulled a cashmere sweater out of her bag. "He found my suitcase."
Silva stared at the bag. "Who had it?" She walked over to it and smelled it. "The guy in the copper coat."
"It smells like several grays." Lelandi finished dressing. "Even Sheriff Sheridan's paws have been on it."
"They should be. He's the sheriff. Ready to go, sugar? Sam's waiting downstairs. Doc Mitchell, our local veterinarian, will be the guard on duty."
"Veterinarian?"
"Yep, horse doctor during the Civil War. He's been a practicing vet forever. Does a super job when we're in our wolf forms. And he's one of the best shooters we've got."
"Like, good enough to have killed the gunman from a distance?"
"Among the grays quite a few are like that."
Great.
"What the hell's holding you up, Silva?" Sam shouted from the bottom of the stairs. "We've got to get a move on."
"Yes, sirree, boss." Silva led Lelandi down the stairs. "Didn't want to leave our star guest behind."
Sam motioned to a gray-bearded man, his eyes black and beady, but sharp as a wary wolf's, taking in every inch of her, his mouth expressionless.
"Doc Mitchell," Sam explained. "He's riding shotgun."
The vet patted the gun in the holster at his hip. Wearing a leather vest and denims, cowboy boots, and a weather-beaten Stetson, he just needed chaps and a horse---though the distinctive odor of horse clung to him---and he'd be right at home in the part of a grizzly old gunslinger.
He tipped his hat in greeting.
"Nice to meet you, Doctor Mitchell," Lelandi said.
"Mitchell---no need to be formal, miss." He motioned to the black Suburban parked in front of Darien's house.
Lelandi smelled snow in the air and wished she'd managed to steal away with some of her warmer clothes.
Silva sat next to Lelandi in the backseat, then her mouth curved up in a wide smile. "Ohmigod, Darien and you..." She squeezed Lelandi's hands and didn't say anything more.
Sam pulled out of the driveway and headed back to town while Mitchell watched out the front windshield and mirrors for signs of trouble.
Silva said with a smirk, "Unofficially, I'd say you're a bona fide official member of our pack."
Sam glanced over the seat while Mitchell looked in the rearview mirror. "Why?" Mitchell asked. "Did Darien say something to you?"
"Nope," Silva said. "It goes a little deeper."
Mitchell glanced over the seat at Lelandi. She was sure her face was crimson as hot as it felt.
"Whoa, I take it the boss will officially announce this soon?" He shook his head and watched the road again. "Going to be some pissed-off bitches. Although we knew where this was headed."
Yeah, and Lelandi was ready to deal with every one of them to keep her dream lover at her beck and call.
When they drove into town, Lelandi stared at the transformation. Colorful banners hung from every covered porch, and arts and crafts and food booths crowded all the wooden walkways down the main street. Even the shabby building across from the tavern was decorated in silver and red banners, proclaiming it to be the first hotel in Silver Town, haunted since its inception. Souvenirs of Indian arrowheads and other old western artifacts were on display. The aroma of sausages and turkey legs grilling filled the air, and Victorian music wafted in the chilly breeze. But the costumes of the townspeople garnered Lelandi's attention most. Dressed in Victorian era clothing, they wore sunshiny smiles and seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Lelandi took a deep breath. "I remember wearing the cage when I was a young girl. I can't imagine dressing like that again." And the awful corsets, too.
"Sure. It's part of our heritage, our history. Even before we started the fair, we had a Victorian Era Day to celebrate the beginning of our town. A train ride winds up through the mountains, too, and anyone dressed in period costume gets on half price. Looks like a lot of the tourists came prepared this year. Hosstene, Darien's accountant at the factory," Silva said, pointing at a stall, "is renting costumes for the day for those who don't have one and want to fit in." Silva patted Lelandi's arm. "But, you don't need to rent one. I've got just the dress for you."
"Good, because I wouldn't pay any money to that woman," Lelandi said, recalling their confrontation in the tavern's restroom.
Mitchell snorted. "There's already a welcoming crowd waiting for their free drinks at the tavern. Give anything away free and it's a madhouse. Waste of money, I say."
"Like when you spay and neuter cats and dogs for free once a month to avoid unwanted pets, right, Mitchell?" Sam asked, humor coating his words. "Got a ton of business last year by offering a few free sodas. Before we knew it, everyone was ordering the harder stuff and we made a bundle." He turned to Lelandi. "Just a warning, this is the one day of the year that humans are allowed to enter. Otherwise, it's a private club."
"But you let me in that one day."
Sam smiled. "Private as in only lupus garous are allowed. I didn't know you were Larissa's sister at first, but I recognized you were one of us."
His brow furrowed, Deputy Trevor waved at them from the tavern as they pulled into a parking space.
"What's he doing here?" Mitchell grumbled.
"Darien's orders to ensure we get the little lady into the tavern safe and sound," Sam said.
The crowd parted to make way for Sam to unlock the door, but he relocked it after he, Silva, Lelandi, and Mitchell entered the establishment.
A shudder ran down Lelandi's entire body, remembering her apprehension when she'd first visited the tavern, and what transpired after she left.
Silva squeezed her hand and led her to a room off the bar. "Here's where we store our costumes. We celebrate Blow Me Timber Pirate Day, Viking Day for those of us who were from the Norselands, and Celtic Day for the Scots-Irish among us. German Fest is filled with German foods, song, and drink. We never advertise the events, but the word is spreading and we're getting more tourists every year. The guys will change in another room."
Shelves filled the large room and two doors led into a walk-in closet where costumes hung on poles. Silva pulled out a drawer in a chest at one end of the closet. "Time to return to an earlier era when men wore the pants in the family."
Lelandi shook her head. "They think they still do." She slipped out of her sweater and unfastened her bra. She'd never thought she'd wear a corset again after she'd ditched hers in the Victorian Age.
Lelandi fingered the gowns and pulled out a brilliant blue satin one.
Silva dangled a pair of garters. "Remember these?"
"Nobody will know what I wear under the gown."
Silva smiled. "Darien will."
"I bet he doesn't dress up for these occasions."
"Ha!" Silva said. "He's the one who insisted on it. And he was the one who started Pirate's Day. I swear he was an ancient Viking, but he isn't old enough. Here are your drawers."
"Crotchless. Those were the days." Lelandi laughed.
Silva slipped a sleeveless, knee-length cotton chemise over Lelandi's head. She lifted a robin's egg blue satin corset, heavily boned with whalebone out of the drawer.
Lelandi folded her arms. "Not the corset."
"Got to have something to hold you up. You know what they say about women who don't wear their corsets."
"They're loose women, but..."
Silva laced up the ties, but not too tightly. Then she pulled the crinoline cage out and opened it up. "Better than the five or six petticoats we used to wear to give our skirts shape." She slipped a camisole over Lelandi's head.
"I remember how long it took us to dress."
Silva fitted a simple petticoat over the frame. "And how we needed help getting into all this. For most, it didn't matter, but for us, trying to shed our clothes when the moon first made its appearance..." She shook her head. "What a chore. I ripped more petticoats trying to ditch them." She layered an intricately embroidered petticoat over the plain one. "Now for the finale." She helped Lelandi on with the gown.
The neckline dipped low, the mere strap of a sleeve rested off the shoulders, and Lelandi felt more exposed than usual. "Do you have anything that's cut a little higher?"
"Nope," Silva said with a knowing smirk. "Besides, for serving in the tavern, it seems appropriate."
"Ha! They're Victorian ballroom gowns." Lelandi fingered a peach one. "Not what the serving wenches would have worn."
Silva pulled the peach gown out. "High-classed tavern in the New World."
Lelandi helped Silva dress and they pinned their hair up, then fastened hats covered in feathers to each other's hair. "We'll skip the gloves," Silva said. "I tried them last year, but spilled a tray of customers' drinks, and Sam said enough with the authenticity of the period."
Behind the counter, Sam was pouring drinks, wearing a swallowtail coat and black satin knee breeches tight over high boots.
"Wow, Sam, you sure look dashing." He gave Lelandi a broad smile. Doc Mitchell was wearing a dinner coat without tails and a satin vest. He tipped his head in greeting. Lelandi smiled back at him. "You, too, Doc. I feel like I've definitely traveled back in time." Especially since the place still seemed part of the Victorian Age.
"Ladies." Sam kissed each of their hands in succession. "You look divine. But if Darien knew how striking Lelandi looked in that blue gown, he'd send her home."
"Here's hoping no one will spill the beans." Silva motioned to the glasses stacked underneath the bar. "Bring them out and I'll fill them."
Sam motioned to Mitchell to open the door. The crowd surged forward and within minutes, the place was filled with humans and lupus garous. Laughter and conversation quickly filled the silence.
Dressed in a tweed suit, Joe Kelly, the miner who'd paid for her bottled water the first time she'd been here, walked up to the bar with a smile. This time he was clean, not a speck of grime on his baby-round face. His gaze focused on her low-cut bodice, which sent a prickle of anxiety sparking across her skin. No matter how many times she'd tried to pull the bodice higher when she crouched to get glasses from beneath the bar, the darned thing wouldn't budge. And Sam had caught her in the act every time.
"Can I have a beer?" Joe asked.
"Sure." Lelandi filled a glass.
"You look a lot like your sister."
Triplets often did, she wanted to say. "You were her friend?"
His eyes darkened and his mouth curved down.
He didn't like being thought of as Larissa's friend? Maybe he'd stalked her and she'd turned him down. Maybe he'd hired the killer or did the job himself.
He lifted his gaze slowly. "Will you...leave with me? I...I don't want you to get hurt, too."
She assumed he'd cared for Larissa. A gut instinct. "Do you know what happened to my sister?"
Sam moved closer to Lelandi. He didn't look at her, just continued pouring drinks, but he had no reason to close in on her, except to hear what was being said. For her protection? Or was there more at stake?
Joe slid Lelandi a piece of paper. She considered stuffing it in her bodice, but when Trevor showed interest in the note, she opened it. Joe bowed his head and took his beer back to his table.
The paper was blank. Trevor seized it and Joe gave her a satisfied smile. The deputy shot Joe a blistering look. Joe lifted a shoulder.
Trevor asked Lelandi, "What did he say to you?"
"Why don't you ask Sam? He's been eavesdropping."
Sam gave her a reserved smile.
Trevor's expression darkened. "Because I'm asking you."
Having dealt with his kind before in her pack, she shrugged off his attempt at intimidation. Given a little power, it would go straight to their heads.
"He wanted a beer. I gave him one. He worried for my safety. Considering what happened the last time I left this tavern, his concern probably is justified. Oh, and he said I look like my sister. No real revelation there." She raised a brow, waiting for Trevor's response.
He glanced at Sam who nodded, confirming she'd spoken the truth. The deputy crumpled the note and tossed it on the bar, then walked off. Before Lelandi could grab the note, Sam did. Why? Did he think there was some secret communiqué written on the paper in invisible ink?
Sam shoved the note in his pocket. She hoped if Joe had written anything to her in secret, he wouldn't get in trouble for it. Unless he had a hand in her sister's death. As much as she thought he was okay, she couldn't rule out anyone yet.
The stocky bitch who'd pulled Lelandi's hair in the restroom the night she was shot sidled up to the bar. Silva was carrying a tray of drinks to a table, Sam was filling more glasses, and Lelandi set more drinks on another tray, trying to ignore Angelina.
"Got you tending bar, I see. Earning your keep?" Angelina snarled. "Three bullets weren't enough to keep you away, were they? What will it take?"
LELANDI WANTED TO SHUT ANGELINA'S MOUTH FOR HER AS she leaned haughtily against the bar. In mixed company, lupus garous were careful about what they revealed. But this woman was too angry to care.
"Three bullet wounds?" a blonde human female asked, her blue eyes round. She wore jeans, snow boots, and a tight-fitting ski sweater that showed off her ample breasts while she sat on a heavy-duty parka---not into the Victorian-era festivities it appeared. "She's not the one everyone is talking about, is she? The one people said looked like death had claimed her?"
"Superficial wounds." Lelandi gave the lupus garou bitch a warning look.
"You should have died." Angelina grabbed a glass of Coke off the counter, and took a seat with Ritka and Hosstene. Guess Hosstene had found someone else to man her costume rental booth for the day.
"Angelina's a pain in the ass." Silva left the empty tray on the counter and grabbed another full one. "It's rumored she fears tackling you again." She carried the tray to a table.
"My name's Carol Wood." The blonde stuck her hand out.
Lelandi's parents had taught her not to make friends with humans. Close human involvement could cause a world of trouble---period. In all these years, she had heeded their advice and was thankful for it. The woman reminded her of a reporter, eager for a headline that would propel her into an overnight news sensation. Lelandi wiped off her hands on a dish towel and shook the woman's hand.
"I love your costume. I didn't realize people were dressing up. Next year, I'll get something. But an early snow's coming so I was dressed for that."
The weatherman had said nothing about an early snow, although Lelandi and her kind could smell it coming. She wondered how this woman knew.
Carol took a seat at the bar. "Chablis, please. So you're...Larissa, right? The sister of Darien's deceased wife?"
"Yes, but I'm Lelandi. My sister was Larissa."
Lelandi moved away from the woman, but caught the eye of a dark-haired guy sipping a soda, watching every move she made. He wasn't wearing a costume either, just a sweater and turtleneck and a pair of denims. But it was the intrigued way he observed her that gave her pause. She took a deep breath and breathed in his scent. A gray. And he'd been listening to her conversation with Carol.
His expression remained serious, and he finally set his glass down and leaned against the bar closer to her. Joe raised up out of his chair, but one of his companions seized his arm and shook his head. His face scowling, Joe retook his seat.
"Nothing is as it seems, miss. Just watch your step." The man's voice was friendly, but dark.
Trevor came up behind him and growled low, "Move along."
The man's lips rose in a coy way, then he bowed his head to Lelandi, and took his glass and headed to one of the tables.
"Who is that?" Lelandi asked Sam in a hushed voice.
He glanced at the table where the gray sat. "Chester McKinley. He's checking out our town so he can make recommendations to his mayor of Green Valley. Why? Was he bothering you?"
"No."
Chester still observed her with a cool, appraising expression. As much as she tried to ignore him, even when she went back to filling another tray of drinks for Silva, Lelandi noticed he was still studying her.
Trevor had moved to a position near the restrooms and watched the tavern's patrons. Mitchell stood near the front door doing the same thing as if he and Trevor were bouncers who usually served on duty. At any rate, she felt safe.
"So is this your regular job?" Carol moved a barstool closer to where Lelandi worked.
What was she doing here? She was supposed to find her sister's murderer. Now she'd joined with her sister's widowed mate and the word would soon spread throughout the pack. She'd intended to find her brother next. But at least Bruin was out of the picture. Or she assumed he was. She knew he'd retaliate against her and her parents when Larissa ran off. But she didn't think he'd try to take Darien on for mating her.
"I guess you were paying your condolences. I'm so sorry about your sister. I had one who suffered from severe depression. Hers was an organic thing. She finally slit her wrists and well, no more depression." Carol offered a weak smile, but tears filled her eyes. She stared at her empty wineglass, then frowned. "Sorry. That didn't sound very nice the way I said it. I loved my sister, but my parents doted on her, trying to 'fix' her, trying to placate her. Me, I was upbeat no matter the hardships that came my way so my parents acted like I never needed a support system whenever anything horrible happened in my life. My sister had nothing to complain about. Always ticked me off that she was so jealous of everyone when she had everything. But...I guess I'm still angry with her for ending her own life." Carol handed Lelandi her empty glass. "Another Chablis?"
"I'm sorry about your sister." Lelandi poured another glass of wine.
"We were really close when we were little. Then..." Carol hurriedly wiped tears away. "So...what do you normally do when you're not filling in?"
"Taking care of my father."
That left a bitterness in Lelandi's mouth. She hadn't really considered what she would do beyond looking for her sister's murderer and finding her brother. If her mother hadn't worked and needed Lelandi home to take care of their father, she would have worked as a...well, maybe a psychologist. Everyone used her as a sounding board for their troubles. Maybe she would be good at that. Yet, becoming Darien's mate left her unsure of her next move.
"Oh. Is your father sick?"
Lelandi looked away. "He's dead."
She wondered who could be so cruel to send her flowers, saying they were from her parents. Yet a crumb of hope nagged at her. What if they were truly safe? But how?
"Oh. I'm sorry. What are you going to do now that you have no father to look after?"
"I'll figure it out later," Lelandi said, not willing to reveal anything else about herself, particularly to a human. "So, what do you do?"
"Ohmigosh, let me tell you." Carol leaned forward and whispered, "Can you keep a secret?"
Right, as if this woman had anything to tell her that would be worth her time. "Sure," Lelandi said, doing her faux bartending psychology work and leaned over the counter. "What?"
"I'm psychic, sometimes. It comes and goes," Carol said, her voice still hushed, then she straightened and grinned.
Lelandi stared at the woman. She didn't believe in that stuff. Just like she figured the haunted hotel across the street was part of a big hoax, and soul mates didn't exist. Except after making love with Darien, she was reevaluating her stance on that.
"I don't know why I mentioned it to you, but you seemed the sort that wouldn't tell the world. And, well, maybe because we both lost a sister to severe depression. Means we have a connection, sort of. Plus," Carol said, shrugged, and added, "you're probably not planning on sticking around. Kind of like telling a stranger on an airline flight about your wildest sexual fantasies, and you'll never see that person again."
Lelandi's mouth dropped open. "You've done that?"
Carol laughed. "No, but I've wanted to."
"So what does being psychic mean for you?"
What if the woman could envision humans turning into wolves under the full moon or something else that could really cause problems if anyone believed her?
"I've seen...things. Have since I was a little girl. Really strange things. But you don't want to hear about that. Most importantly, I'm a trained nurse---trained in surgery. But the only opening here is for the school nurse. I want to work at the hospital, except that woman..." She waved her half-full wineglass at Ritka's table. "...the shorter, fat one, Angelina, she wouldn't give my résumé to the doctor." Carol shook her head. "Darien Silver is on the hospital board and apparently he has the final say about hiring staff. Said I could work at the school. Sure enough, they said they'd hire me. That the old school nurse, and believe me she looked ancient, was ready to retire. But I'm trained in surgery. Why would I want to work with kids with runny noses? Waste of my training."
"The hospital's staff must be full," Lelandi said, understanding why Darien wouldn't hire her.
"Can I see your wounds?" Carol pointed to Lelandi's stomach.
Lelandi gave her a faked smile. "Sorry. If I begin exposing body parts, the guys will think they're in a strip joint."
Carol laughed out loud and slapped the bar. "Strip joint. That's funny. Here? A strip joint? This place is as backward as they come. I don't even know why I left Denver after I got my training."
"Why did you?"
"My parents. I'm the only daughter they have left, and I wanted to be here for them." Carol finished her drink. "Let me tell you, I'm not easily dissuaded." She handed her glass to Lelandi. "Another Chablis?"
"Forgive my asking, but do you usually drink this much?"
Carol gave her a lopsided grin. "I missed the fair last year. What are celebrations for if you can't have some fun? Fill 'er up."
Lelandi poured the wine into the glass and deposited the woman's cash into the register. The tavern was so packed, Silva was getting way behind on service. Hoping she wouldn't drop a tray of drinks, Lelandi grabbed the next one and meant to carry it to a table full of gray males. Maybe because Darien and his brothers weren't around or because the five men had a little too much to drink, they were making fools of themselves, trying to get her attention---grinning, wolf whistles, a few comments she couldn't make over the din of noise in the place. Before she reached the table, Ritka shoved an empty chair into Lelandi's path.
The back of the chair knocked the tray into Lelandi's chest, giving her heart a jump start and a dull thud radiated outward. Before she lost the drinks, Chester McKinley leapt from his chair and seized the tray. He set it on the men's table, while Ritka gave Lelandi an evil smirk. Lelandi grabbed the chair, her knuckles straining with tension, but fought the urge to knock Ritka's teeth down her throat. Yet, the male grays waited to see how she handled the situation. Alpha females didn't back down, although she had to curb her natural lupus garou instincts because of the humans in the establishment.
"Are you all right?" Chester seized Lelandi's arm and moved her away from the impending fight, as she warred with her natural instincts. "Did she hurt your injuries?"
"Thanks, no, I'm all healed." Maybe a new bruise though. Lelandi cast Ritka a warning look that she'd deal with her later. "Thanks for helping out."
"I admire a woman with spunk. Your courage reminds me of my sister, around the same age as you. She's gotten herself into predicaments that have forced me to rescue her a few times."
Deep inside she wished her brother had been more like Chester and stuck around to help her family. "What did you mean about me watching myself?"
"Darien's too close to this situation concerning your sister. I've been there before. He needs an outsider. Someone who isn't as easily influenced by family or long-time friendships."
"Someone like you?"
"I've been a P.I. for a number of years. The cases I've worked I'm not emotionally involved in. That's all I'm saying."
"What do you know about this case?" Lelandi hoped he could give her something to go on.
"Nothing. Darien's people watch me day and night. I'd need his permission to investigate."
Lelandi folded her arms. "You've got my permission."
Chester smiled. "You're really cute, you know?" He shook his head. "Darien has to approve."
"All right then. What do you suspect?"
"Plenty. But I need Darien's approval. Right now, his brother tells me Darien's too busy to speak with me."
Lelandi frowned. "I'm investigating my sister's death even if he doesn't like it."
Chester let out his breath. "Better let the grays handle this. They may not get to the bottom of this as quickly as I might, but you don't need to get yourself shot up again."
She hadn't intended to. But then she realized she needed to find her gun. Where could Darien have secured it? His office? His bedroom? "How long are you staying?"
"I'd planned on being here for just a couple of days and report back to my mayor about Silver Town. But when I saw you shot to hell, I decided to stick around longer. Maybe you'll need me. And maybe you can change Darien's mind in the meantime. In any event, you stay---"
Trevor stormed toward them, gave Chester the evil eye, then continued on past.
Chester raised his brows, his gaze following the deputy out of the tavern. He squeezed Lelandi's hand. "Get me a beer, will you? I have a feeling I'll be tossed out of here shortly for being an outsider talking to you. Although I imagine any of the guys in this place who attempt to speak with you would torque him off."
Trusting her wolf instincts, she felt Chester McKinley might be able to solve the mystery of the killings. What was wrong with Darien to brush his offer of help aside? As soon as she saw Darien, she would try to convince him to capitulate.
Her spirits lifted as she imagined that they might discover the murderer sooner with Chester looking into it. She returned to the bar and got him a beer. Before she could take it to his table, Silva seized it.
"Don't need any more 'incident's.' As soon as Trevor tells Darien that Chester McKinley was molesting you, there'll be hell to pay." Silva gave Lelandi a broad smile. "You sure know how to do it, sugar. I haven't managed to do anything with Sam to make Trevor jealous."
"Maybe your heart isn't in it?"
"No...no. Sam was totally agreeable. Said he'd do anything for a good cause, and I do want to give it a try. But..."
"You don't want to make Trevor jealous. You're afraid it may backfire."
"I guess you're right. Trevor's got a hot temper. I guess I'm afraid he might take it out on Sam."
"I wouldn't worry about it." Lelandi brought out some more glasses. She figured Trevor wouldn't react because he wouldn't care what Silva did, truth be told.
Silva took the beer to Chester's table and handed it to him. He smiled and thanked her. Returning to the bar, Silva grabbed another tray of drinks. "Chester seems a likable sort. Hope Darien's not too hard on him."
"He wasn't molesting me, by the way."
"As an outsider, he was getting way too friendly." Silva took off with the tray of drinks.
"Another refill?" Carol asked Lelandi, lifting her empty wine glass. Her eyes glassy, she appeared as though she'd had enough, a drink or two ago.
Lelandi handed her a bottle of ice water. "Your head will thank me in the morning." She hoisted another tray of drinks and headed for a table of humans when Ritka shoved Angelina's shoulder.
That was all the cue Angelina needed, and she rose from her seat and rushed to get in Lelandi's face this time.
"Getting all the guys hot and bothered now, eh? Not enough that you've got Darien panting for you? Even some damned outsider can't keep his hands off you. You're just like your sister."
If she hadn't been holding a tray, Lelandi would have slapped the bitch in the face, but the place got awfully quiet. Instantly, Lelandi saw the reason. Darien, flanked by his two brothers, was on the warpath. God, he was gorgeous. Dressed in a coat with long tails and a gold paisley brocade vest, he outshone everyone else in the tavern. But his brown eyes turned even darker when he saw her, his measuring gaze taking in every inch of her bodice---way too exposed.
Now, if nothing else would, the cut of her gown would force him to return her promptly to his secure lair. Fine. She'd search his house for clues concerning her sister's murder while everyone was enjoying the fair. And locate her gun. She wanted to read her sister's letter to him also. If she'd thought of it earlier, she could have stayed home and done so already.
Jake targeted Chester, who was promptly asked to leave. Darien motioned to Ritka and the other woman and mouthed the word, "Out."
Tom yanked Angelina out the door before she could utter a word. Darien took the tray of drinks from Lelandi, delivered them to the wrong table, then led her behind the bar.
Carol rested her chin on her hands. "How romantic. Why can't I find a hero like you to rescue me? All I need is a job as a nurse at the hospital." She waved her arm toward the door and nearly fell off the barstool. "Maybe I could replace that nurse who rammed a chair into Lelandi when she was trying to serve drinks."
His brow furrowed, Darien looked from Carol to Lelandi. "Did she hurt you?"
"Ritka? No."
He didn't look like he believed her. "What did Chester McKinley say to you?"
"He wants to aid in the investigation. I said he could."
Darien's dark expression lightened, and he even managed a small smile. "What did he say to that?"
"I'd have to talk you into agreeing."
"Damn right. And it isn't happening. From now until you want to return home, you're staying behind the bar. Got it?"
She frowned back at him and lowered her voice when she spoke so Carol wouldn't hear. "If he can help us locate Larissa's killer, then we should hire him. I know pack leaders don't like interference from lupus garous from other packs, but if he can aid us..." She gave Darien a look like she meant for him to agree or else.
He rubbed his hand over her bare arm, as though he was contemplating something. Taking her home? She thought so. But then his expression turned devious, his eyes darkening even more, a slight smile curving his lips. He took hold of her arm and led her into the room off the bar and closed the door. "Silva has the devil in her when she dresses you to entice me, but she doesn't need to make the effort."
"What do you think you're going to do?"
"This." He kissed Lelandi's lips, hungry, demanding, his hands on her bare shoulders, caressing, and just as needy. He broke the kiss, his breathing and hers labored. "I haven't told my people officially yet that you're mine." He growled under his breath. "Until I have done so, more than half those yahoos out there think you're still available."
Although she craved having him, she gave him her meanest glower, wanting the situation with Chester resolved. "I doubt it, Darien. But I still want Chester on the case."
He growled again and tackled her mouth. "You're too damned enticing for your own good." He rubbed his fingers over the satin fabric covering her breasts, let out his breath in exasperation, then reached lower to lift her skirt.
"What are you doing?" she squealed, holding her gown down, startled, but loving how much he wanted her, his wolfish possessiveness, his urgent craving. "I want Chester on the case."
For a minute, he stared at her, his expression stormy. "Lelandi, this is something I have to do as a leader, and I don't want investigators from outside our pack. As for you..." He took a ragged breath. "You are mine. I will remind you of this. I don't want any lupus hitting on you." He looked down at the cage around her legs. "I have never done this before when a woman was wearing this metal contraption. How do I remove it?"
She seized his hands. "We have to discuss Chester."
As focused as he was on wanting to ravish her, she realized after his hearing rumors that other "hitting" on her, he was giving into his more primitive wolf instincts. Compelled to show her he was hers and she was his, that no one else had any right to her, he seemed determined to satisfy this basic need.lupus were
She sighed. "We talk about Chester when we get home, or else."
He gave a sharp nod, although his eyes were so smoky with desire, she wasn't sure he was listening. But she meant what she said. Either they talked when they got home, or she took the case into her own hands.
He yanked off the lightweight steel crinoline, tossed it aside, then slipped her bodice down, exposing her breasts. Her body heating with the compulsion to mate, the frustration over his leader stubbornness melted. She cherished the sensation of his hands on her breasts, the way he massaged and lifted, bent his head over one and kissed the nipple, making it pucker and tingle. She slipped her fingers through his hair, felt a tinge of icy dampness. Snow.
He slid his hand down her waist and pulled the long skirt up again. He had a one-track mind. But her fingertips chased away the frown across his temple, and she kissed his mouth, stopping him momentarily.
A shudder shook him and he quickly pressed his hand between her legs, finding the opening in her crotchless drawers and gave her a lusty smile. "Hmm, Lelandi, you're hot and wet for me."
Always, whenever he observed her with that lascivious look in his eyes. He slipped his arms under her and laid her down on the wooden floor. "Just think, September 19th is Talk Like a Pirate Day. You'll be my sea wench and I'll plunder your treasures."
She slid her hand down to his trousers and rubbed the bulge already hard and readied for her. "I'll be the Pirate Captain, sir, not the treasure."
He laughed.
"You laugh, but I'm serious. I could be the Viking pirate Princess Sela or Princess Rusla."
His eyes sparkling, he kissed her again. "You've already stolen my heart, princess. Now I'll steal yours."
Lelandi tugged at his trousers. "Fine. Hurry, Darien."
His fingers parted her feminine core as his tongue touched hers. "Heaven on earth, love. That's what you are."
"It's not fair that my breasts are bare and my skirts are tugged up to my waist so you can have your fill of me while you're dressed to the teeth."
"Complaints, complaints, woman." He moved her hand from his waist to the crotch of his pants. "Release me and end my pain."
She unbuttoned his pants and reached inside and touched his rock-hard erection.
"It's all yours, madam."
"Then send me to the moon, sir. Make me climb the peak." She stroked his member, long, hard, faster, soliciting a groan from deep within his throat, his eyes glazed over with lust.
"Enough, you vixen."
He centered himself between her legs, then entered her, easing in at first, then thrusting hard.
His hand closed on her breast, massaging the mound as his mouth sought her free breast, his lips suckling at the nipple.
She arched against him, reveling in the feel of his hard thrusts, her pelvis meeting his with as much enthusiasm, her eyes closed so she could concentrate on the feel of his penetration, and of his tongue licking at her sensitive nipple. His heartbeat thundered in her ear, mixed with the sound of her own heart pounding. He gripped her bare shoulders as she slipped her hands underneath his waistcoat and yanked his shirttail out of his trousers. His eyes fluttered opened and he grinned, wicked, amative.
She traced his abs, the muscles flexing beneath her fingertips. Closing her eyes again, she breathed in the wild, spicy scent of him, of the piney woods and spruce, and felt suspended in time between now and the past, the centuries bridged.
"My princess," he mouthed against her lips, "my goddess."
His chest rubbed against hers, the satin fabric of his vest, teasing her nipples, and then the power of Niagara Falls washed over her in a rush of heated passion, carrying her over the edge, sweeping her toward...toward...
She moaned as a second wave stole her thoughts, his hot seed filling her womb. "Adonis," she gasped. "In the flesh," she breathed in his ear.
He nipped her chin and squeezed her breast with one final thrust. "My...dreams...have...come...true..., love." His head sank next to her face, his hand cupping her breast. "I have died and gone to Valhalla."
Her fingers caressing locks of his damp hair, she gave a contented sigh. "I never want to move from here."
He chuckled. "Next time we'll do it with fewer clothes. I would never have lasted with you in the earlier time. In truth, I'm glad the days of long gowns and the like are gone." He swirled his tongue around her nipple as if he was licking the ice cream on a sugar cone. "Though I like the cut of this gown on you." His gaze shot up to hers. "But not for everyone in town to see. Silva is absolutely the devil."
He rolled off her, adjusted his pants, and tucked his shirt back into his trousers. He helped her stand. Pulling her bodice up, he covered her nipples, his thumbs rubbing the sensitive nubs underneath the lace-trimmed satin. Focusing on them, he let out a low growl. "Wear a shirt over them until they settle down."
Lelandi laughed. "It's all your fault, Darien."
He kissed her lips, his tongue penetrating her mouth, his hands wrapped securely around her waist. "I love it when you call me by name, Lelandi, for all the times we made love together, and you didn't know who I was." He kissed her forehead and brushed his hand down her waist until his fingers reached the apex of her thighs. He cupped her mound through her skirts and rubbed and let out a husky breath. "Hurry home and I'll join you."
"Hmm," she moaned in response, then smiled and pressed her lips against his, nipping his lower one. "Don't make me wait long."
"I won't," he said with lustful promise and escorted her out of the storeroom.
Sam stopped filling a mug and looked from Darien to Lelandi and gave a knowing smile.
Some difference from the first time she'd been here, sitting at the table in the corner, an outsider in disguise.
Darien kissed her cheek and left her behind the counter. "No more serving drinks to the tables." He glanced at the table where the grays had been trying to get her attention. "I'll have to keep you under lock and key," he muttered under his breath.
"Right," she said. "As if that's ever happening."
Trevor walked back into the place, but Tom and Jake took seats at an empty table also.
"Killjoy," she said to Darien.
He gave her a smug look. "It's for your protection, Lelandi. I've got some business I have to take care of. Let Jake know when you want to return home."
The humans talked like nothing had gone on. But every gray in the house watched Darien, and when he left, Tom and Jake would observe them next.
Silva gave her a big smile. Lelandi tried to fill a glass, but it dropped from her grasp and Sam caught it.
"You can put out some chips." He gave her one of his wolfish grins.
Silva joined her behind the bar and tsked. "Boy, you sure have a stranglehold on that man. I keep trying to learn from your example, but I'm not sure what it is you're doing to garner his attention. Just when I think he's going to confine you at home, he takes you in the back room and ravishes you." She sighed. "Now half the grays in the tavern had their eyes on that door, just waiting to see what the two of you looked like when you came out."
Feeling sated, Lelandi poured chips into a bowl.
"Darien's chest was so puffed out, he looked like a peacock strutting out of there. And you, well," Silva glanced down at Lelandi's bodice and sighed heavily again. "A fresh bloom to your cheeks and lips, your hair tousled in the throes of passionate lovemaking, and you've even lost your hat. In the olden days, that would have been utterly scandalous." She laughed.
"For humans," Lelandi reminded her, speaking low so only Silva could hear, although she imagined Sam was eavesdropping as well. "Not lupus garous."
"Ah, but most of these yahoos didn't know you and Darien were mated yet. Besides, he's the pack leader. Whatever happens in regards to him is important to them. When he's happy..." Silva shrugged. "Makes him easier to live with."
Lelandi glanced in the mirror on the back wall. Most of her hair hung to her shoulders in curls, no longer bound.
Silva gave her a hug. "I want to know all your secrets. Julia Wildthorn has nothing on you."
Lelandi smiled, brushed a curl of hair away from her cheek and returned to the counter. Conversation renewed and she could just bet the topic of conversation. Red wolf strikes again!
Silva ran her hand over Lelandi's arm. "Everyone's glad for the two of you. Darien's come out of his dark mood, except for the other deadly business. Soon you'll be carrying his babies and the pack will be well on it's way to mend."
"Triplets." Carol raised her nearly empty container of bottled water, eyes glittering, but her expression was deadly serious.
Lelandi stared at her, her heart nearly stopping. What had the woman overheard? Could she really see the future? More importantly, did she know about the lupus garous?
WAS THE WINE TALKING OR DID CAROL WOOD REALLY SEE things that others couldn't? Lelandi wanted to question her further---alone, but Silva stuck close to her at the bar.
Lelandi gave a disgruntled sigh and handed her two bowls of chips. "Darien won't let me serve anything to the tables or I'd help you out more."
Silva gave her a smirk. "I'm used to the crowds. Think nothing of it."
As soon as Silva skirted around the bar, Lelandi leaned over the counter and asked Carol, "Do you...see this for real?"
"What?"
Lelandi pursed her lips. "Do you see that I have triplets?"
Carol waved her hand at the tavern. "Multiple births abound in Silver Town. Darien's a triplet. You're a triplet. So sure, you'll have triplets, too."
"How did you know I was a triplet?"
Carol looked cross-eyed, then her blue eyes straightened. "Don't you have a brother, too? I thought someone said you did." She shrugged and rested her elbow on the counter, then leaned her head against her hand. "I think."
Lelandi poured chips into another bowl.
"Your sister was pregnant with triplets. But you'll be feeding yours at your breasts, juggling one after another when the time is right."
Sam had moved closer and although he hadn't looked in their direction, Lelandi was certain he'd heard. "You're probably right, statistically speaking," she said, not wanting anyone to know if Carol truly had psychic powers. But could she know anything about the tragedy that had befallen her sister? She had to find out when the woman was sober, and without big ears listening in on their conversation.
Silva came behind the bar and cast a glance in Trevor's direction. He was looking their way, but Lelandi was certain he was watching her, not Silva. But Silva coyly smiled, then made her move on Sam. She kissed him on the cheek. Nothing too risqué or noteworthy, but Sam seized her arm, pulled her into a bear hug and started kissing her like they were in bed, getting ready for the big bang.
At first, Silva seemed taken aback, stiff, but when Sam kept working on her lips, Silva melted in the big guy's arms, giving him as much as she was getting.
Lelandi glanced around at the now quiet tavern, saw Trevor watching, but no scowl marred his expression. Everyone else was rabidly entranced. Some amused.
Jake shook his head and slugged down some beer.
Tom took his eyes off Silva and Sam and smiled at Lelandi. Her body warmed with chagrin.
"Man," Silva said, her voice low but because Lelandi was close enough she heard her words. "You never told me you knew how to melt a lady's core."
"Just needed the right woman to do the kiss justice." Sam patted her rump. "Now get back to work."
With a grin stretching across her face, she grabbed up another tray. "Hmm-hmm."
Belatedly, several of the guys in the tavern whooped and cheered.
Silva's face turned crimson.
"Wow," Carol said. "Now, I wouldn't mind a hunk like that kissing me either."
Then her head sank to the counter.
Lelandi shook her head and motioned to Jake, who hurried to the bar. "You want to go home now?"
"Carol Wood needs a ride home."
Jake waved at one of the grays at a table. "Take Ms. Wood to her place."
The guy looked pissed, but nodded and carried Carol out of the tavern.
Right after that, a husky human male walked up to the bar and handed Lelandi a note. "Guy outside asked me to give this to you."
Before she could take it, Jake pulled it out of the man's hand. "Thanks. I'll give it to her."
Jake stood his ground as the man looked from the note to Lelandi. Finally, he shrugged. "All right. Whatever." He gave Lelandi a sly smile, then sauntered over to one of the tables.
Jake opened the note, then shook his head. "Time to go."
"It's a note from..." She started to say, Darien, but then she realized Jake would have given it to her. Ural. She rounded the bar as if she planned to go with Jake, then snatched the note from his hand.
He could have taken it back, but instead gave her a superior smirk while he watched her read it. Ural. She'd recognize his scrawl anywhere. I'm coming for you, Lelandi. Be ready.
But he was in jail.
Jake motioned to Trevor, talked to him for a minute, then the deputy went to a table of grays. All six rose and headed outside.
"What if I wanted to stay longer?"
"I can tell you it isn't going to fly with Darien." Jake took her arm, and he and Tom led her to his SUV.
"How did Ural get out of jail?" she asked.
"Apparently he had help," Jake said, his voice dark.
When they saw Trevor and the other grays outside of the tavern, they shook their heads at Jake's questioning look. Maybe this time Ural had the sense to return home without her and leave well enough alone.
On the drive back to Darien's house, Jake wore a perpetual smile and Lelandi finally asked, "What's so funny?"
"You, for putting Silva up to kissing Sam at the bar. Won't work, you know. Trevor won't fall for it."
"That's the whole point, isn't it?"
He glanced at her, his brow perplexed.
"Trevor's not the right one for her."
Tom laughed. "We have a matchmaker in our midst. Sonja said she's getting too old to do it anymore. Now we have her replacement."
"Ha!" Jake responded. "Everyone was relieved when she quit matching bachelors up with their intended mates."
"The bachelors you mean were relieved," Lelandi guessed.
"Well, I for one am ready for a mate," Tom said. "Human girls don't have what it takes." He winked at Lelandi.
Having no plans to become Silver Town's new matchmaker, she rolled her eyes. "I'm taking up psychology."
Jake glanced at her. "You've okayed this with Darien?"
She folded her arms and stared out the windshield. If she wanted to become a psychologist, by god, she was going to do it.
Jake shook his head. "Let us know when you talk to Darien about this so Tom and I can be at the factory or mine for the day."
She hmpfed. "I hope you weren't too hard on Chester McKinley."
"Trevor said he got intimate with you. I don't think I've seen Darien so mad. Not only that, but when we checked into it, we discovered he was one of the ones who sent a vase of wildflowers to you, anonymously."
Her mouth dropped slightly, then she recovered. "I'm not a member of this pack officially yet, and I damn well can do as I please. If I want to talk to Chester, it's my business. And for your information he wasn't intimate with me."
"We know you mated with Darien. It's the real deal," Tom said. "And that's as official as it gets."
Lelandi glowered at Tom over the back of the seat.
"Did you find out who the other anonymous guys were who sent flowers to her?" Jake asked Tom.
"They were much more discrete. Seems Chester McKinley wanted us to discover who he was easily enough. But I did find out that Joe Kelly was another."
"Hell, what's he up to?" Jake asked.
"Found out he bought Lelandi her first drink when she arrived at the tavern, too. Sam finally told me. Said it had slipped his mind because of the shooting incident."Tom chuckled darkly. "Darien better let everyone know she's his soon or he's going to be rescuing her from every bachelor's clutches in the area."
Boy, that would really make her popular with the pack.
When they arrived at the house, Jake sequestered Lelandi back in the guest bedroom. She guessed since Darien hadn't officially declared they were mated, no one would put her in his room without his order. It really didn't matter where she was. She just wanted to be free to see her sister's letter to Darien and locate her blasted gun. But Jake stayed with her and so that was the end of that.
He finally brought her downstairs for dinner, but Darien was noticeably absent. And Tom and Jake were keeping a real close eye on her. Because of Ural?
A shiver trailed up her spine. Who was here now who would have freed Ural? Had to be someone from her pack. And no doubt, to get into the jail, several had arrived. Which meant Bruin and his thugs must have found her. All of a sudden, she didn't feel safe.
She asked again, "When's Darien coming home?"
"Soon," Jake said. He didn't try to humor her, although Tom had tried to lighten the mood.
Finally, Jake motioned to the stairs. "It's getting late."
"I want to wait up for Darien."
"He'll come to you when he's done with business."
Exasperated, she retired to bed. But soon, Jake left her alone. She listened for any sounds outside the door. A guard would be posted.
She closed her eyes and listened, waiting for someone to come into the room. Then she inhaled deeply. Darien would come to her and wrap her in his heat. Then, nothing else would matter.
Something woke Lelandi from a deep sleep. She listened closely. Branches scratching at the window. She stared at the midnight blue comforter and wondered what happened to her forest green one. Realization hit her with a sick thud that she was in Darien's home and not in her family's, that her parents and sister had died, that Bruin might be here.
The scratching started up again and she glanced at the chair where someone sat during guard duty. No one still. Bathroom break?
A gentle rapping at the pane forced her heart to leap into her throat. She climbed out of bed, then peeled back one of the blue velvet window panels.
Standing on a ladder with his nose pressed against the glass, his hood up protecting him from the blowing snow, her cousin Ural scowled at her, motioned to the glass, and mouthed the words, "Open the damned window!"
"Ural," she said under her breath.
One of his eyes was swollen shut, his lower lip was covered in dry blood, and he had a gash across his brow. She cursed and unlocked the window, then shoved it up.
"Took you long enough," he growled, climbing inside. He shook off the snow from his coat and slipped his hood down.
"How did you know which room I was in? How'd you get out of jail?"
"Woke up and the door was open. Walked right out."
Her skin grew clammy and she wrung her hands. "T---this is a setup."
"Come away with me. I'll take you somewhere safe." He reached for her hair.
She stepped back. "Leave before they catch you."
"You can't mate with a gray. And when Bruin learns you're here he'll send a delegation for you. You won't stand a chance. We can go across country where he can't find us, start our own pack."
Fearing he'd fly into a rage, she wasn't about to tell him she'd mated Darien. "I'm staying here and finding out who murdered my sister."
"See what hanging around grays got your sister? Someday you'll thank me." He pulled out a hypodermic needle.
"Ural, no!" she cried out.
He lunged for her, sending the bedside lamp crashing to the floor. She could have managed him herself and would have as she held his wrist, keeping the needle from jabbing her. But the bedroom door slammed open, and Darien, his brothers, and Deputy Trevor poured into the room like a river run amuck.
Jake pulled her free and rushed her out of the room as she tried to remain there to ensure the guys didn't kill Ural.
"Let me go, Jake," she screamed, but before she could twist free, he lifted her off her feet and hurried her into another bedroom.
She figured it was Darien's room because she could smell his scent more heavily here, and she noted the pale blue comforter and seascapes hanging on the wall. Her sister's favorite color and wish to live by the sea.
Jake dumped her on the bed. When she tried to bolt from it, he blocked her. "Stay!"
"I don't want him killed."
"We're not barbarians."
But she knew better. Pack laws. A rogue lupus garou had infiltrated another's territory and tried to interfere with pack business. Even more than that. He tried to steal the pack leader's mate, which meant he could be terminated. Law of the wild prevailed. Might not have looked civilized to outsiders, but it had been their way for centuries, the way they had survived.
"I don't want him killed," she said again when Darien walked into the room, his face flushed.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Where are you taking him?"
"Back to jail."
She folded her arms. "You set him up."
"You wouldn't tell us who he was. Now we know who and what he wanted."
Darien motioned for Jake to leave. "Send Silva up in a few minutes."
Lelandi didn't like the look in Darien's eyes. Feral, dark, and intense, making her believe he was ready to lose control in response to Ural's actions. She rose from the bed and tried to brush past him, but he grabbed her arm and dragged her close. "This is your room from now on. Anyone tries to get to you in the other room, they'll get a surprise. I've got to talk to Ural, then speak with Uncle Sheridan about some other matters. Try to get some sleep. I'll wake you later." His mouth sealed the promise with a kiss, but she was too mad to take the bait.
And she hadn't even had a chance to make it clear she wanted Chester investigating her sister's death either. She looked as cross as she could. "If you hurt Ural, you might as well sleep in the other room---by yourself."
Darien laughed and gave her another quick kiss on the lips. "In your dreams, Lelandi." Then he stalked out of his room, and Silva walked in, shaking her head.
With Deputy Trevor, Uncle Sheridan, and Darien's brothers looking on, Darien sat in the jail interrogation room across the table from the red, and growled, "If you'd stuck Lelandi with that needle, you'd be a dead man. So who the hell are you, and what do you want with her?"
"Name's Ural. What would I want with the dead sister? I came for Larissa."
Darien glanced at his brothers. Both shook their heads.
"Why did you want to return Larissa home then?" Darien asked, drawing Ural into the trap.
"She belongs to the pack leader's brother. You can't have her, too."
"So Lelandi wasn't mated."
"No, she wasn't mated."
"Why not?"
Ural shrugged, but winced.
"How about guessing why not?" Darien said, his voice growing lower, more of a growl again.
The red's split lip curled up. "She's pretty headstrong."
"So you're saying Lelandi wouldn't accept a mate."
"Not Bruin's brother. Besides, Larissa would never have mated another when she was already mated to the leader's brother."
"I see. There's one problem with your story. Larissa gave me a letter stating she was mated to a red and hoped I'd forgive her for mating with me also."
Ural's jaw hung open.
"Furthermore," Darien said, "our local doctor examined Lelandi, the living sister. She'd never been touched. Got another story?"
Ural tapped his fingers on the table, then crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back in the chair, and gave Darien a conceited look.
"Time's up, Ural. Why did you come to take Lelandi back with you?"
"She doesn't belong to your kind. Neither did her sister. Hell, you had to have known the woman had already been mated." Ural leaned into the table and gave Darien a steely-eyed glower. "One of your people killed Larissa and now they'll succeed with Lelandi if I don't take her somewhere safe."
"The man who set up the murder could have been Larissa's prior mate."
"Nope. I saw the shooter."
"Like hell he did. This guy probably shot the gunman!" Uncle Sheridan roared and advanced on Ural, who looked like he was ready to have an early heart attack. "Hell, he probably is his pack's clean-up man and was ordered to come here and take care of this mess."
Ural cast a nervous glance at Uncle Sheridan, breathing down his neck like a giant grizzly ready to make a quick meal of him. "I saw her," Ural spit out.
Not sure what to believe, Darien wondered if Ritka, Angelina, or Hosstene had managed to sneak by them and kill the gunman. They were the only women who might have hired a killer, since they hated Larissa and Lelandi both.
Uncle Sheridan gave a half smile. "A woman? Really."
Ural stuck his chin up, but wouldn't look at Uncle Sheridan. "A woman from your pack."
"You know her? To see her, you can identify her?" Darien asked, sitting on the edge of his chair. He wasn't sure he could trust Ural, but if the red had been a witness to the shooting---
"Yeah, I'd know her." Ural gave a satisfied smirk and wiggled his brows. "For a gray, she has one hell of a sweet ass."
Before Darien could stop him, Uncle Sheridan hit Ural in the head with his fist so hard, he knocked him out cold, and Ural fell to the floor in a ragged lump.
"Damn it, Uncle Sheridan!" Darien jumped to his feet and waved his hand at Ural. "What the hell did you do that for!"
"He had the nerve to talk lewd about one of our women. Son of a bitch."
Darien placed his fists on his hips and glowered at his uncle. "Trevor, get some water to splash on Ural. Tom, call Nurse Grey in, just in case Uncle Sheridan did some major damage to Ural with that iron fist of his. Jake, take a break."
The three hurried out of the room and Jake shut the door.
An intimidating figure even when he didn't mean to be, Uncle Sheridan stood taller and towered over Darien by four inches. But even so, Darien could have knocked his uncle out he was so mad. "We nearly had something to go on!" He ran his hands through his hair. "Why don't you...check out some more leads on the blackmailing scheme."
Uncle Sheridan had the nerve to look unremorseful and for a tense minute, he stood his ground. Then he bowed his head slightly. "As you wish. But I'm not sorry. Tell that son of a bitch if he says anything more about our women, I'll hit him harder." He stalked out of the room and slammed the door on his way out.
Jake peered in through the small window in the door and knocked.
"Come in." Darien crouched next to Ural and felt his pulse. Thank god, he had one.
"Do you think Ural's making it up?" Jake leaned over Ural with a cold pack and applied it to the side of his head.
"I thought so briefly. But if he wanted to make something up, why not say it was some guy he didn't know? I think he was up there, saw her, and knows who she is."
"Silva was the only woman there."
"Maybe. Maybe not. What about Ritka or one of her two girlfriends?"
Jake's eyes widened. "Ah. Yeah. Good candidates. Although I doubt with the way Ritka's eye was swollen, she could have seen well enough to shoot. But Hosstene and Angelina, that's another story."
"See if either of them have an alibi. And question everyone who might have smelled the women's scents."
"Will do."
Tom knocked on the door. Darien rose from his crouched position and waved at him to come in. Trevor followed him in, carrying a bucket of water.
"Nurse Grey's on her way." Tom shook his head. "Uncle Sheridan's in a real snit."
"He's been like that ever since he had to cut his vacation short." Trevor splashed some cold water on Ural's face.
The red didn't move.
Darien swore under his breath. "No one is to beat on him any further, understand? I want to know who shot the gunman."
"I'll question some folks like you asked," Jake said.
"I'll stay with him and see if he comes to," Tom offered.
Nurse Grey walked into the room and looked at Ural passed out on the floor, his shirt, face, and hair wet. "What happened now?"
Silva sat on the edge of Darien's bed and gave Lelandi a small smile. "Sugar, don't worry about the red they've got in jail. They won't kill him, although that was a pretty stupid thing he pulled. How was he going to ferret you away after he pumped you full of drugs?"
"He never was much to think things out ahead of time." Lelandi stretched on the bed, dressed in her jeans and sweater again. "If Darien or any of his men kill him, I won't be staying."
Silva's eyes grew huge. "Oh, honey, you can't mean that. You're mated to Darien now. You can't leave him." Then she narrowed her eyes. "The red's related to you, isn't he?"
"Do you know what became of Chester McKinley after Darien made him leave?"
Silva tilted her head to the side. "Why?"
"I thought he could help us solve Larissa's murder."
"After the incident at the tavern, Darien sent him packing."
Damn Darien. Fine. She'd take matters into her own hands then.
"Will you be all right? I have a date with Sam tonight after we close the tavern."
"For show, right?" Lelandi hoped she was wrong and that Silva finally realized Sam was right for her.
Silva gave her a slip of a smile. "Sure, just for show until Trevor gets the point. I'll tell you how it goes. Can you sleep?"
"No."
Silva turned on the television and flipped through the channels. "Ah, here's one of Julia Wildthorn's romances made into a movie. Want to watch it?"
"Sure."
"See ya in the morning, sugar."
"Have a good time."
"Thanks, 'night."
Silva left the bedroom and greeted Darien on the stairs. "Lelandi is going to watch a movie."
Lelandi ground her teeth.
"Are you going back to work?"
"Yes, sirree, boss. Just as soon as I move some of my clothes from the washer to the dryer. Sam will be firing my butt if I keep using Lelandi as an excuse."
"Tell him Lelandi takes priority." Darien entered the bedroom.
Lelandi folded her arms and glowered at him. "What did you do with Ural?"
"He's staying in jail for a while. After what he pulled with you, that's the only place he's going." Darien gave Lelandi a hug, but she tensed. "What movie are you going to watch?"
"One of Julia Wildthorn's werewolf romance novels made for television, By the Light of the Moon."
"Hmm." He nuzzled her cheek and rubbed her shoulders, and she began to dissolve under his insistent touch. "After I discuss business with my brothers and Uncle Sheridan, I'll show you what real lupus garous do in the name of love."
He kissed her lips, his hands massaging her breasts through her blouse and was really getting worked up when Jake shouted, "Uncle Sheridan's here. And Tom's just arrived."
Darien let out a husky growl. "Be back in a bit."
"I'll be ready and waiting." She gave him a sweet smile and leaned back against the pillows.
As soon as Darien shut the door, she flew into action. Somehow, she had to sneak into his office downstairs and see if she could find anything of importance there. But first, she searched through his bedside tables, and her heart did a flip when she spied Larissa's letter. She grabbed the letter and read through it, and nearly quit breathing.
I wished with all my heart to be who you thought I was. When I found the right man, it was too late for me to take back what I'd done to you.
Her sister had another lover? My god, no wonder Darien had been upset when he read the letter. But it confirmed what Silva had said about Larissa seeing some miner. Then the sickening thought swamped Lelandi. What if the triplets weren't Darien's?
Hospital records. She had to get into town and search for Larissa's records and know for sure. Maybe the doctor said something about her depression, or gave some other clue that might aid her investigation.
She opened the bedroom window, letting in a gust of snowy wind, and peered out. A rose trellis clung next to the brick wall. If it could hold her weight, she'd make it. She searched in Darien's closet and found a well worn leather jacket that smelled of him, and she took a deep breath and inhaled his sexy essence. He'd kill her for slipping away. But she was damned tired of being confined and kept in the dark. And if he was going to ignore her wishes to have Chester on the case...
She shoved on her boots and Darien's leather jacket, the size overwhelming her. After searching through his closet further, she couldn't locate any gloves.
Car keys.
Rummaging through Darien's chest of drawers, she found spare keys for his SUV and something metallic hidden under a pile of socks. Shoving them aside, she gasped. Her gun! And the bullets. She reloaded it and made sure the safety was on, then tucked it in one of the big pockets of his jacket.
Looking out the window, she considered the drop from the second story. As long as nothing dangerous was hidden in the snowdrift beneath the window, she should be fine. She climbed onto the windowsill, then swung around, grasping the wooden trellis. The flimsy redwood gave way with a snap, her heart flew into her throat, and she fell on her butt in the pile of snow. She was having a very bad feeling about this.
The powdered snow cushioned her fall, and she let out her breath in relief. Once she was able to plow her way out of the snow pile, she rushed to reach his SUV. The door locks were frozen and it took longer than she liked to get the driver's door open. After climbing in, she slammed the door, hoping Darien and his family hadn't heard.
She planned to return before Darien even missed her, although she'd have to come in the front door, but at least she'd learn what she could about her sister.
As soon as she drove out of the drive and hit the road, she realized how bad the visibility and treacherous the conditions had become. Darien's country home provided more privacy for lupus garou gatherings, but right now the two-mile stretch of country road seemed more like fifty. But she was free and she couldn't stop now.
The wipers swiped across the windshield at full speed, but the snow piled up so fast, she couldn't see a thing and wondered if she was even on the road any longer. Sheesh, that was an awful thought.
The SUV began to slide. Turn the tires into the slide? No, away from the slide. Hell, who could remember? The next thing she knew, the SUV sailed into the woods. She held her breath before the vehicle lunged into a steep embankment, taking a nosedive into something solid. The impact threw her hard against the steering wheel. Pain radiated through her chest. Bang! Something exploded. A blanket of white filled her vision.
For a moment, she sat dazed. I'm in heaven. Except for the pain in her chest and her throbbing head that jolted her back to reality. The air bag deflated like a parachute that had lost all its wind, but the scene in front of her was still cloaked in white. The snow blew through the windshield crumbling in a spider web of glass crystals, courtesy of the force of the air bag.
Snow swirled around inside the SUV, and a cold wetness dribbled down her forehead. Reaching up, she felt a gash on her forehead. Blood painted her fingertips red. Great. Just great. How was she to do her sleuthing? Not to mention Darien would really want to murder her now for turning his SUV on its nose in a pile of snow or rock, or whatever it had managed to slam into.
"Well, there's bound to be hell to pay anyway," she muttered under her breath, and jerked her seat belt free, then struggled to open the door. Wedged tight, the frame had crumpled with the impact. Super. She eased herself over the console and tried the passenger door. Same result. Growling under her breath, she leaned back in the seat and kicked through the remaining broken glass.
After crawling out of the SUV's window, she slid over the hood, still warm, the snow quickly melting into a frozen glaze, which left her jeans wet. The cold wind whirling around her, turned the denim fabric into ice. Blowing snow blinded her. But she was probably closer to town than to Darien's house at this rate anyway. No sense in trying to hike back. Although survivalists said, "Stay with the vehicle." But town couldn't be very far. And she had a mission to accomplish. She was certain the doc would have written about her sister's frame of mind during the pregnancy, maybe some clue about what was going on. And after reading her sister's letter about the affair she'd been having, Lelandi couldn't block the feeling something more was wrong.
A little snow and cold wouldn't stop her now.
Darien shook his head at Uncle Sheridan, while Tom and Jake looked on in the living room. "We're not making an example of Ural. If he has accomplices intent on coming for Lelandi, they'll come. We'll deal with them then. For now, he's fine where he is. What I want to discuss is who was blackmailing Larissa, how she died, and who hired the gunman to kill Lelandi. But first, any word on Ural, Tom?"
"Still out cold. Nurse Grey had us move him to the hospital. He's confined and Trevor's pulling guard duty. Charlotte said she'd let us know when he came around."
Looking unruffled, Uncle Sheridan set his pad of paper on the coffee table. "Here's what I've learned so far. We've run ballistics tests on all guns purportedly taken out in the woods the day the shooter killed the gunman. No matches. Which means either the test rules out it was one of our men, one of them had a second gun and gave us the wrong one to test, or the shooter was one of our men, except none of us knew he was out there."
"Or," Silva said, walking into the living room, carrying a load of laundry, "...it was a woman."
Darien wondered how Silva had learned of the news so fast. But she always knew the gossip well before anyone else did. His brothers and Uncle Sheridan gave him shakes of their heads or shrugged a shoulder, indicating they hadn't told her. Trevor. "Only woman out there was you. And you were with Sam the whole time."
Uncle Sheridan snorted. "As if any of our women could shoot that far or accurately."
Silva's back stiffened. "I did."
Hell, what now? Darien motioned to a chair. "Have a seat, Silva. Tell us what you know."
She plunked down next to Tom. "I didn't say anything before because I knew you'd be mad that I'd killed him. I did it by accident. I swear it. We were sure the gunman was stalking us. So Sam told me to take his gun and go up on the ridge. If the bastard came after me, I was to shoot him. But he went after Sam and although Sam tried to tackle him first, the guy got a shot off, hitting him in the arm instead. I meant to hit the guy's gun arm, but he bolted when Sam dove for him, and I struck the gunman in the head. I swear I didn't mean to. When Lelandi said she figured the shooter killed the guy to tie up loose ends, I got scared. Sam didn't want to say anything either because you'd given orders that we were to stick together. He assumed you'd learn who the guy was who hired the gunman without involving me. But it seems you already know the shooter's a woman so..." She shrugged.
"Sam knows better." Darien blew out his breath. "Did you have Sam's gun checked, Uncle Sheridan?"
He looked peeved. "Hell no. The lunatic shot Sam. I thought he and Silva had stayed together. At least that's what they led us to believe. I would never have guessed she killed the gunman."
"Run a ballistics test on Sam's gun. I want to know right away. And Silva, next time, tell the truth."
"Yes, boss. I'm so sorry. I well, I couldn't let you think some shooter was out there still gunning for her."
More likely she figured she was about to be found out when Ural came to. "Damn it, Silva," Darien said. "You knew how important this is."
"I'm sorry, boss."
"When you were up on the ridge, did you sense anybody else up there? Smell anyone, hear anyone?"
"I didn't smell or see anyone either. But I was pretty worried about the gunman and Sam so I might have blocked everything else out. Once I shot the guy, I hurried down to check on Sam and see if the guy was alive."
Uncle Sheridan said, "You made a fine mess of it. And although you're probably not involved in this, it sure can make tongues wag."
"I only meant to wound him. All right? I'm...I'm late getting back to the tavern. Can I go?" Silva asked Darien.
He bowed his head, but he still couldn't believe Silva was the one who'd killed the gunman.
Looking dejected, Silva hurried to the front door. From the foyer, she yelled, "Have you guys seen how bad the storm is getting?"
Darien and the others joined her and considered the whiteout conditions. "You'd better stay the night. Call Sam and tell him I said so."
She sighed. "All right. I'll be in the den watching a show. If anyone needs me to fix something to eat later, just holler." Silva headed for the den.
Itching to return to Lelandi and smooth things out with her, Darien and the others retook their seats in the living room and he asked, "Anything else?"
Uncle Sheridan flipped through his pad of notes again. "Mason reviewed bank accounts to see if anyone had received large amounts of money before Larissa's death. No one had. Which could mean that whoever was blackmailing her kept bank accounts somewhere else. So that was inconclusive. Jake found out some more stuff though."
Jake took a sip of his beer. "Since we couldn't find money in a local account, Trevor and Peter questioned folks to see if anyone bragged about receiving lots of money. Mrs. Hastings's aunt died in a neighboring town. She received a substantial inheritance and put in the outdoor sauna and enclosed the deck to expand the bed and breakfast."
"She's above reproach," Darien said.
"We thought so, too, but we had to double check every story."
Tom walked back into the room with a Coke. "Then there's Ritka."
Darien sat up taller. She'd certainly hated both Larissa and Lelandi, and she definitely could be suspect.
"She bragged she won at the tables in Las Vegas. Angelina and Hosstene vouched for her, but you know how thick they are."
"Did the amount she won match up with how much was stolen?"
"Her winnings amounted to about a fourth of what the blackmailer had received."
Deep in thought, Darien rubbed his chin. "What if the three women were in on it together?"
"We had the same idea. If Angelina and Hosstene got any extra money, they hid it somewhere, aren't spending it, and aren't telling," Jake said.
Darien mulled that one over. "Anyone else have any suspicious money dealings?"
"Nope." Uncle Sheridan flipped to the next page of his notepad. "Concerning the family who wanted to join our pack, they'd heard you were a fair pack leader. As far as training, the man is a lumberman by trade. His brother is a male nurse. The mother makes jewelry and is a renowned artist in her trade. The girls are in school. One wants to be a lawyer someday. The other hasn't decided. Both girls want to help out when the ski lifts are running."
"And the reason they left their former pack?"
"The leader, who was highly respected, died. Another took over and they couldn't live with his rule."
"We could really use the brother who's a male nurse. If we learn the family is troublesome in the future, we can release them from the pack. But for now, they can stay," Darien said. "What about the smell of rotten leaves at the site where we discovered Lelandi in the woods?"
Uncle Sheridan nodded. "It's kind of a hollow and lots of leaves have collected there. Wet and shaded, it's the perfect environment for making compost."
But Darien figured whoever the attempted murderer was had to be wearing one of those hunter sprays that either made his scent invisible to others---even to bloodhounds, which could pick up the more subtle scents more so than any other animal including lupus garous---or he was wearing that humus type spray to blend in with the smell of the forest.
Jake cleared his throat. "Carol Wood keeps asking to speak to you about adding another nurse position."
"Tell her it's not possible."
"She'll have a fit when she learns we added another when we said no to hiring her," Jake said.
"Tell her he was hired some weeks ago but just got here, if she asks. The woman will have to learn that when I say no, I mean no. What about the other two vases of flowers sent anonymously to Lelandi?"
"Still haven't discovered the identity of the buyers. But the flowers her parents supposedly sent?" Tom said. "Ural bought and paid for them."
Darien swore under his breath. "Doesn't he know how upsetting that is for her? Giving her false hope that her parents are alive?"
"That's another thing," Uncle Sheridan said. "Chester McKinley informed me he located them."
"What? Where are her parents supposed to be?"
Uncle Sheridan's face darkened. "He wouldn't say. If you want to hire him as a P.I., he'll share his information."
"Damn him anyway." Darien lifted his beer mug. "All right, schedule a meeting for a couple of hours from now. Anything else?"
"Nothing else. I'll check Sam's gun."
"Think you can make it out in this weather?"
"No snowstorm has ever kept me homebound. Call you later." Uncle Sheridan grabbed his jacket, shoved his hat on, and left.
"I'll see you both when Chester gets here," Darien said to his brothers.
Intending to show Lelandi how lame Julia Wildthorn's romance stories were compared to the real thing, Darien headed up the stairs. He couldn't help how annoyed he was with Silva and Sam over the shooter incident though. How many man hours had his men spent on the case, wasted now that they knew Silva was the shooter?
A man and woman were getting it on with all the moaning and groaning he heard on the television in the bedroom. He hoped Lelandi's movie had gotten her in the mood for some real lupus garou sex and that she wasn't still miffed with him over Ural. He gave Peter a nod, then opened the door to the bedroom and closed it.
She wasn't in bed, no sound came from the bathroom, and the window was wide open. A willful breeze blew in snow all over the carpet. His blood running cold, Darien raced over to the window and peered out. Two of the rungs on the rose trellis were broken and the imprint of a body had impacted with the snowdrift.
"Peter! Jake! Tom! Lelandi's gone!" He didn't see any sign of a struggle, but it didn't matter. If her past history was any indication of her current situation, she could be in real danger.
Peter flung the bedroom door open.
Jake yelled, "I'll call Uncle Sheridan."
"Tell him to notify Trevor since he's taking care of the prisoner if she has a mind to try and free him." Darien ran down the stairs with Peter on his heels.
"If she does try?"
"Trevor can throw her in a jail cell until I get there, damn it!"
Tom offered, "I'll call reinforcements to search the town for her."
"The woman is an absolute menace to herself!"
Darien swore he'd tie her to the bed, and there she'd remain until he eliminated Larissa's killer.
NORMALLY, LELANDI COULD SEE IN THE DARK, BUT THE blowing snow was blinding her. She trudged in the direction in which she smelled smoke from a chimney. More than half of the time, she stumbled knee deep in snowdrifts, and although she tried to keep her bare hands in her pockets, she constantly had to brace herself to keep from taking a nosedive. She was certain she'd been at it for over an hour, and she wasn't sure if she was getting any closer to finding the town. Autumn definitely was her time of year. Winter was for the Arctic wolves and polar bears. Sheesh.
A blood-curdling scream pierced the frigid air. A girl's.
Lelandi's insides froze. "Hello?" she shouted.
The scream had seemed ethereal, everywhere and nowhere at the same time. She stood still and listened. The wind howled through the spruce, haunting her, but she was certain the scream came from a girl.
"Hello!" Lelandi called out.
"Here!" a girl screamed. "Oh god, help us!"
Tears sprang to Lelandi's eyes, and she ploughed through the thick, wet snow, hoping she'd reach the girl and whoever else was in trouble in time. "What's happened?"
"It wasn't my fault!" a boy said. "How did I know the storm was going to worsen?"
"Oh, our parents are going to kill us," the girl said tearfully.
They didn't sound very young, probably teenaged. Lelandi opened her mouth to speak, but another boy said, "If you hadn't talked us into this..."
Jeez, how many were there?
"Hello!" Lelandi hollered again, sure she was getting closer to the sounds of their voices.
"She's coming!" a different girl said.
"A woman. Just great. Like she could help us," the first boy said.
"Listen, Cody, anybody would be welcome. Even Darien. Although he's going to be pissed. Maybe the woman's got a cell phone," the other boy said.
Darien. They were probably lupus garou teens. A cell phone. Wish she'd had one, but hers was still back at her house in Wildhaven, and she hadn't had time to grab it when she made her escape. Although she wasn't sure where she was. Or where the teens were. So calling for help might not have brought anyone to their location anyway.
"Hello!" all of the kids shouted.
Sounded like four of them, their voices muffled in the snow and wind. But she was sure she was nearing their location.
A branch snapped several feet away, and she whipped around, but saw nothing in the white bleakness except trees laden with snow, their heavy branches dipping toward the drifts, making them look like weary old men.
A deer might have made the sound. Her wolf instincts remained on high alert.
"Hello!" the kids shouted again, but Lelandi didn't budge. A shiver shook her but it wasn't only the cold that created it.
She moved cautiously forward, listening for any other sound that might indicate someone was tracking or hunting her. The wind howled and the blowing snow blurred visibility down to a couple of feet, but even so she watched and strained to see or hear anything else.
"I think she's not coming," one of the girls said, her voice frightened.
"Over here!" a boy shouted.
I'm coming. I'm coming. But if someone was following her, Lelandi didn't want him to know where she was. She wrapped her frigid fingers around the pistol grip, and the knowledge she had it, helped.
Then something raced in her direction. A lupus garou in wolf form? It charged at her and she aimed her gun. But as soon as it emerged from the blanket of white, she exhaled a tentative sigh. A buck. As soon as he saw her, he dodged off and disappeared into the woods.
A second passed before she realized something must have startled it in her direction.
"She's lost," one of the girls said.
Lelandi moved more quickly now, although she couldn't shake loose of the feeling a predator had spooked the deer. But if she could reach the kids in time, if someone was stalking her, he would have too many witnesses, and he would most likely stay clear of them.
"I think I hear her!" Cody shouted.
"Hello! What's happened?" Lelandi shouted back, keeping her gun at the ready.
If worse came to worse, the kids could turn wolf if they were lupus garou now that the moon was out again. As long as the teens had an adult chaperone it would be acceptable. Their wolf coats would protect them from the cold, they could run faster, and find their way to town more easily.
"We're here!" one of the girls shouted. "She's getting closer!"
Nearly there, her legs weary from the trek and her body trembling with cold, Lelandi waded through the last of the drifting snow.
"We're here!" the four teens responded again.
"But don't come much closer or you'll be down here with us," the boy named Cody warned.
Lelandi froze in place. "Is anyone hurt?"
"I think Caitlin might have fractured her leg," the other girl said, her voice breaking.
Lelandi tucked the gun inside the jacket pocket, then got down on her hands and knees and tried reaching out for solid ground, hoping to god that no one would sneak up behind her and shove her off the cliff. Her hands were so chilled, she couldn't feel anything.
"The snow was banked up against the trees, and then the whole side of the mountain gave way," Cody said. "Anthony's sprained his wrist. But Minx and I are okay."
If they were lupus garous, it wouldn't help the injured kids to shapeshift. Not if one of them had a sprained wrist and the other a broken leg.
"I'm coming to you, but I'm not sure where the drop-off is yet."
"You're getting close," Anthony said.
"We lost two of our sleds down the mountainside, but there are another two up there somewhere," Cody said.
Winded, Lelandi took another deep breath, the frigid air burning her lungs. "We can use one to take Caitlin out of here."
"It's awfully steep and I'm not sure either my brother or Caitlin can climb," Cody said. "I can't either without a rope."
"But we can't leave anybody behind!" Minx sounded on the verge of hysteria.
Lelandi drew closer and felt the land give way. Her heart thundered as snow cascaded down the cliff and the girls screamed.
"Back up!" Cody shouted.
As if she wasn't already! Scrambling backward, she moved away from the edge. "Everyone okay?"
"Yeah!" the teens shouted.
The two sleds were wedged up against a tree, both wooden, both had long ropes attached. "We're not leaving anyone behind. I've found the sleds."
For a minute, she surveyed the forest, looking to see if anyone watched her, took a deep breath, and tried to smell anyone. Nothing, but the fresh, frigid air.
Fighting the numbness in her fingers, she managed to slip one of the sled's ropes around a sturdy oak near the edge of the drop-off and tied a knot. "Okay, I'll slide the sled over the edge. Let me know if it reaches you."
"The rope's too short by about ten feet," Cody shouted.
Lelandi dragged the sled back up and again studied the forest. Still nothing.
For several painfully excruciating minutes, her frozen fingers worked on untying the rope from the other sled, then she fastened it to the rope from the first.
"Are you still there?" Anthony hollered.
"Combining ropes from the two sleds," she said. "Okay, here the sled comes again."
"It's long enough!" Minx shouted after a few minutes.
"But you couldn't pull any of us up," Cody said. "You're just a woman."
She rolled her eyes. Male teen lupus garou for sure. "First, everyone take off their belts and anything else that you might be able to use as ties, scarves, whatever. Then tie Caitlin onto the sled. Can you make secure knots?"
"Boy Scouts," Anthony and Cody yelled.
Unless the lupus garou had their own Boy Scout troop, she feared they were human kids. Which could be bad news for Caitlin's injuries and the frostbite they may have suffered.
"Once she's secure, I'll need you, Cody, to use the rope. I've tied it securely to the tree. Once you're here, we can ease Caitlin up together."
"Okay, I'm coming."
Her body shivering endlessly, Lelandi waited, her hands shoved in her pockets, her right hand gripping the gun just in case. When Cody's rainbow-colored jester hat crested the top, she got on her belly, reached down, and helped him climb the last few feet. She took a deep breath, then smelling his scent, she was relieved in part. At least the boys were lupus garou.
"Man, that was awesome."
"Let's get Caitlin out. Then you climb down and tie Anthony on the sled. With his bad hand, he won't be able to climb or tie secure knots."
"That'll leave Minx by herself."
"I'll survive," Minx shouted. "Just get my sister out!"
Lelandi and Cody pulled while she prayed the teens had tied Caitlin securely to the sled. Every few inches Caitlin groaned or cried out, but they finally got her to the top, and Lelandi and Cody hurried to untie her. Lupus garou, too, thank god. She recognized her as one of the twins staying at the Hastings Bed and Breakfast, the one who'd come to check on her in the loft when she'd been crying over Larissa's letter.
With care, they transferred the girl to the bigger sled, too cumbersome to lift up the mountain with a body tied to it. "Now, take these belts and scarves back down and tie Anthony securely."
While Cody climbed down and he and Minx secured Anthony to the sled, Lelandi rubbed Caitlin's arms. Her lips were as blue as her hand-knit beanie. "Hold on, honey. We'll get you help soon."
Tears filled her eyes. "I'm...I'm pregnant."
In stunned silence, Lelandi stared at her. No one mated an underage lupus garou without facing severe consequences. "One of the boys?" She motioned to the cliff, dreading Caitlin's response.
Caitlin shook her head.
"Who?"
She wouldn't say.
"How far along are you?"
"Five months."
"Are...are you feeling any pains in your abdomen?"
"Just my leg."
Thank god. "All right, honey. We'll get you to the doctor as soon as we can. He knows about this, right?"
Fat tears rolled down Caitlin's cheeks. "No," she whispered.
Lelandi frowned. "Do your parents know?"
Caitlin closed her blurry eyes.
"Caitlin, they have to be told."
She sobbed. "They know."
Lelandi imagined they were pretty upset with her. Shamed. Was that the reason they'd left their pack and moved here? She had a sneaking suspicion Darien didn't know.
"Ready!" Cody said. "I'm coming up."
Lelandi squeezed Caitlin's hand. "I'll be back after we get Anthony up." She returned to the edge to watch for Cody.
When he finally reached the top, he was huffing and puffing, trying to catch his breath. He didn't say anything about it being awesome this time, but when Lelandi gave him a worried look, he grinned. "Let's bring my brother up so we can fetch Minx."
Because of Anthony's heavier weight, the rope cut into Lelandi's hands, and she gritted her teeth against the pain of the burning cuts.
"Hey, brother! Next time eat fewer eggs and sausages for breakfast and only one ham sandwich for lunch instead of three, okay?"
Anthony laughed. "Good thing you ate so much. You've probably burned it all off by now."
"Two hours ago, I'm sure."
When they got Anthony to the top, they hurried to untie him.
Lelandi peered over the edge. "We have a choice, Minx. Either you can climb up using the rope, or we can tie you to the sled."
Anthony looked at Lelandi's bloodied hands. "You can't do any more. Let me." He handed her his ski gloves.
"You can help with your good hand. But I'll use Caitlin's gloves."
"I don't know which way to come up," Minx said, her voice desperate.
"I'll tie her to the sled," Cody said. "I don't think she can make that climb. It's pretty icy and the hand and foot holds are a long reach for someone who's smaller."
Before Lelandi could say a word, he disappeared over the edge.
Anthony gave a worried chuckle. "He's the adventuresome one. Always gets me into trouble."
"I heard that!" Cody shouted. This time it took him longer to secure her. But then he tugged on the rope. "I'm coming up. Hope the rope isn't fraying."
Lelandi leaned over the edge and watched Cody's jester hat shaking, the bells jingling on the four tassels.
Cody collapsed next to them and Anthony, sounding frustrated that he hadn't helped more, urged, "Come on, let's get Minx."
"Let me catch my breath, will you?" Cody gave him an annoyed look. "Okay, let's do it."
With all three of them pulling, and because of her slight weight, they had Minx up in half the time it took to bring up Anthony. "She must not eat nearly as much as you, Anthony, thank Odin," Cody said, hurrying to untie her. "We were headed for a cabin not far from here. Do you know where it is?"
Lelandi shook her head. "No, I'm new here."
Cody stared at her for a minute, then took a whiff of the cold air. "Oh, oh, you're the red who got the town all shot up. The one Darien wants."
Caitlin moaned and Lelandi hurried over to her. "You'll tell Darien, won't you, since you're going to be his mate?"
"No, I won't tell him, but he needs to know."
"We were going sledding, but the truck got stuck in the ditch. The boys still wanted to sled, but the snow got too bad." Minx wrapped her arms around Lelandi and gave her a big hug. "Thanks so much for rescuing us."
Lelandi shuddered to think the kids could have been stuck on the rocky ledge for hours if she hadn't found them.
"Let's get to the cabin," Cody said. "Who needs a ride?"
"Let's take the other sled, but we'll pull Caitlin for now. If anyone else gets worn out, we'll use the other sled." Lelandi tried to give Caitlin's gloves back to her, but she shook her head.
"I'll keep my hands in my pockets. You'll need the gloves to make it through the snowdrifts." Caitlin bit her lip as if another shard of pain sliced through her leg.
Lelandi nodded and brushed snowflakes off the girl's cheeks.
"Let's get moving. Standing here, we'll be frozen statues before long," Anthony said.
"What were you doing out here?" Minx asked Lelandi.
Lelandi wrapped her arms around herself, attempting to get warm. "Trying to get to town. I had an accident."
"Oh, that's why you have a gash on your head. Do you know the way?"
"Before I heard your voices, I smelled chimney smoke from that direction." Lelandi motioned into the stark, white bleakness.
"There's the cottage!" Cody pointed in a different direction, and stumbled toward the blurred outline of a log cabin that seemed to appear out of nowhere like a lake mirage on a desert island.
Part of the roof was gone, and the icy wind whipped through the dilapidated building with a vengeance. Lelandi had hoped it would have been a safe haven, walls and a roof to keep the wind and snow out, a place to build a fire. No such luck.
"We can't stay here." Minx rubbed her arms. "It's too cold and our dad will skin us alive when he learns we're missing. We've got to get Caitlin to the doctor."
Caitlin shook her head. "We're going to get grounded for sure."
"Hope Darien doesn't make us do anything like he already did," Cody said.
"What did he make you do?" Lelandi peered into the snow, trying to get her bearings, smelling the air.
"Paint the school, because we wrote on the walls. Nothing bad. Just that our parents shouldn't have to pay school taxes when we can't go to them."
"Were they paying school taxes?" Lelandi tied Caitlin more securely to the sled.
"No. It was all Cody's fault. He's always getting us into a mess."
Cody grinned, not in the least remorseful.
Minx asked Lelandi, "Will you get in trouble for the car wreck?"
Lelandi offered her a small smile. Most likely.
"She's the pack leader's chosen mate. Dad said. She won't get in trouble," Anthony said.
"Oh yes she will. Dad said someone was supposed to guard her at all times because somebody tried to kill her." Cody banged his gloved hands together, shaking off some of the snow. "She shouldn't be out here by herself so that means Darien's going to be pissed."
"So why are you out here alone?" Minx asked. "You weren't running away, were you?"
"Oh, she couldn't do that. She belongs to Darien and the pack now," Cody said, matter-of-factly. "Dad said."
"I was taking a drive into town, but I hadn't realized the snow was so bad. And Cody's right. I'm Darien's mate and I'm not going anywhere." Except to the hospital, if she could make it.
"I suggested we could turn wolf," Cody said.
Minx frowned at him. "Our parents would kill us if an adult wasn't chaperoning us."
Cody pulled his gloved hand out of his parka pocket and waved at Lelandi. "We have a chaperone."
"Minx and Cody, go ahead and shapeshift. With his good hand, Anthony can pull the sled carrying our clothes. As a wolf, Cody can pull Caitlin. Minx will stay with the rest of you while I scout ahead. Stick close together so we don't lose anyone. If you sense anything that will help us find the town, just holler or howl."
Lelandi didn't think any of them could trek for miles in this snow as humans. If the situation became too dire, she'd have Anthony and Caitlin shapeshift, and they'd huddle together until the storm let up.
Lelandi helped bury Caitlin under Minx's and her own coat, while Minx and Cody quickly shapeshifted. Then she helped tie Cody's coat over Anthony's shoulders to give him some extra warmth. Afterward, she tied Cody to Caitlin's sled, while Anthony gathered the rope for the sled carrying their clothes.
Lelandi stripped off her clothes, tossing them on the other garments. Man, was it cold. Her face and body began to shift, but it wasn't until the fur began to cover her body before she quit shivering.
Everyone watched her, waiting for her to make the first move. She considered Caitlin and Anthony, who appeared bundled up enough. She listened, smelled the air, then headed south. At least Caitlin and Anthony were dressed in ski bibs, snow boots, parkas, hats and gloves---much more prepared than Lelandi had been.
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Caitlin asked for the hundredth time.
Lelandi was quite a distance from the teens when she spied the glint of amber eyes watching her from deeper in the woods. Crap.
As a red female, she'd never be able to fight a male gray and as big as he was, he was male. Her only hope was getting back to the kids because she was certain he wouldn't want witnesses, or to have to kill them, too. She was the target.
He growled low and the hair on her back rose. Tail straight, she whipped around and raced back to the sleds, prepared to fight the gray if she had to.
"What's wrong?" Anthony asked, as soon as she drew close enough.
"What's the matter?" Caitlin asked, unable to see from the sled.
A cow mooed in the distance. Their salvation. She hoped.
Anthony waved his arm. "It's got to be Doc Mitchell's ranch. He's the vet. He can set Caitlin's leg until we get into town."
Great. Doc Mitchell would not let Lelandi out of his sight once he saw her, just like when he guarded her in the tavern during the fair. She stuck close to the sled, but made them stop as soon as she spied the house's snowy silhouette. Hating to shapeshift in the blizzard again, she didn't have much choice. As quickly as she could, she changed and then hurried to dress.
"Doc Mitchell will get you warmed up and notify your parents. I've got to go back to the SUV and wait for Darien."
"But it's way too cold out here," Caitlin said. "And you might get lost."
Anthony frowned at her. "You should come with us and get warm, too. Doc Mitchell will call Darien for you also."
Lelandi gave them each a hug. "I'll be fine. Hurry to the house. And, Caitlin, honey, your parents need to talk to Darien."
She nodded, although she didn't seem happy. "Keep my gloves, all right?"
"Thanks. I'll return them first chance I get. Take care. I'll see you later."
When they wouldn't leave her, Lelandi motioned for them to go. "Hurry."
"If you're not going to come with us, take Cody's coat. It's warmer than yours."
She looked at Cody and he bowed his head in acknowledgement.
"All right, thanks." Cody's white parka would blend in better with the snow and it would be much warmer. Lelandi threw Darien's jacket on the sled and yanked on Cody's coat, figuring Darien would be pissed about this, too. If Cody realized he was wearing the pack leader's leather jacket, he was sure to tell all his friends, and he'd be the hit of the day.
The teens disappeared in the snow in the direction of the house, and Lelandi headed for the freshly plowed road. The wind hadn't let up any when she saw a sign declaring it was Silver Town and another posting the speed limit.
But it wasn't long before she sensed the wolf following her, hidden in the woods. Running wasn't an option. He'd chase her down and kill her. She turned and stood her ground, although she knew she didn't stand a chance. But there wasn't anything else she could do. And wolf to wolf was a better end than human to wolf. She yanked off Caitlin's gloves and shoved them in Cody's coat pocket.
The wolf's fur bristled, his ears erect, staring her down, angry. She wished she could smell him, know who he was, before he attacked, before the end. His lips curled back, showcasing his killer canines, and he snarled. She fumbled with the buttons on the coat. He was waiting, allowing her the chance to change, a contest between wolves. Some contest. Bastard.
Suddenly, his tail straightened out, parallel to the ground, signaling danger. She felt the road tremble with an approaching pickup headed toward town, its headlights a warning. Her heart racing, she threw on the gloves and ran, waving at the truck to stop, hoping he'd see her in the white coat in the blinding snow. Despite being thankful her rescue was imminent, if it was one of Darien's men, she was sunk.
That's when she heard the wolf growl and knew the bastard risked killing her in front of a witness, closing in on her fast. The pickup sped up and veered off to the side of her, its brakes squealing, the tires spitting snow. She dodged away from the truck and fell into a snowbank.
The wolf yelped and darted out of the truck's path in the opposite direction.
"Hey, little lady, get in! Hell, that was close. Looks like you had an accident. I'll take you to the hospital."
She took a deep breath. Human. She managed a frozen smile and murmured a thanks.
"I've never seen a wolf attack a human in these parts. I'll have to contact the police and let them know. Might be rabid."
She stared out the window, keeping an eye out for him, wishing she knew who the lupus garou was who had attacked her.
The grizzled old man kept talking, but all she could think of was the teens telling Doc Mitchell she'd been with them, he'd alert Darien, and they'd know her last whereabouts soon. Which meant she hadn't much time.
DARIEN PLOWED THROUGH ANOTHER SNOWDRIFT, GLAD Tom's four-wheel drive monster truck could handle just about any road conditions, but he still wasn't letting either of his brothers drive, figuring if he had a wreck it would be his fault, no one else to blame.
"We've been driving for an hour in this mess and have barely made any headway," Jake said. "How was Lelandi acting before you came down to talk to us?"
"Pissed off about Ural. She probably headed to the jail to make sure we didn't kill him." He could barely see the road, or whether they were driving on it, the shoulder, or in the ditch. The only thing he could make out were the trees on either side of the road. Darien squinted, but it wasn't helping.
"Wait, Darien! I think I see something," Tom shouted from the backseat.
"Where?"
"To the right...looks like the tail end of a green pickup."
Darien stopped the truck and they got out. "It's the Woodcroft boys' truck. I recognize the crunched right side where Cody backed into their mailbox by accident when he was learning to drive last year." Now, stuck in the ditch, half-buried in snow and ice. He rubbed the snow off the driver's side window. No sign of anyone. "Call their dad. See if they made it home, Tom."
Tom pulled out his cell phone while Jake and Darien scouted around the truck for tracks. "If they hiked out of here on foot, the blowing snow covered their tracks already," Jake said, rubbing his gloved hands together. "Hope they were dressed warm."
"Hi, Anthony, this is Tom. Are your boys at home?" he yelled into the phone above the blowing wind.
Darien pointed to a couple of trees nearby. "Branches are broken. They walked this way, marking a trail at least. That abandoned cabin is located half a mile west of here. They'd know about it. Maybe they went there seeking shelter."
Jake made a disgruntled noise. "Hell, the whole thing might have blown down in this storm. But it's worth checking if their dad says they're not home."
They looked at Tom, whose face puckered into a frown. "I'll let Darien know. We found their truck and it looks like we've discovered the direction they're headed." He paused. "A mile south of Darien's place and the truck's stuck in the ditch and buried in snow." Tom looked at Darien. "Yeah, Lelandi's still missing. All right. Let you know if we find anyone." He pocketed his phone. "Anthony, Sr. said they went sledding and were late in arriving home. Peter called him to help in the search for Lelandi, so he's heading out, but his wife will be home waiting on news of the boys. Not only that, but the sixteen-year-old twin girls that joined our pack were with the boys."
"Hell," Darien said. "Grab some flashlights. They might be able to see them. We'll check that abandoned cabin. Call Uncle Sheridan and tell him we've got some missing teens out here now, too. He'll need to report the girls are with the boys, have abandoned the vehicle, and are on foot somewhere in the woods. And call Bertha Hastings and tell her to start the alert roster calls to account for everyone else."
With heartfelt thanks, Lelandi climbed out of the Good Samaritan's truck and headed for the hospital entrance. Glad to have made it, she felt a sliver of relief, knowing she still might get caught before she discovered anything.
What of the receptionist? Lelandi hadn't thought about how she could get past her if that blasted Angelina was on duty. With trepidation at being discovered, Lelandi opened the hospital door and let in a blast of cold, but the heated air inside welcomed her like a hot blanket.
A woman she didn't recognize manned the front desk and was talking to a human mother. The woman's son was coughing nonstop. While the receptionist was busy, Lelandi slinked on past in her wet clothes down the hallway.
The smell of antiseptics brought a flashback of her stay at the hospital. She shivered, not wanting to think about it. Doc was talking to someone in one of the exam rooms and when she passed it, she saw Ritka adding something to a patient's IV in the next room.
Ohmigod. Deputy Trevor was peering into a hospital room, his back to her.
Two more hospital rooms to get by and she'd reach Doc's office at the end of the hall. She hurried past the deputy and into Doc's office, then shut the door behind her. Her hands shaking, she took a steadying breath. Immaculately neat, everything was in its place. A brass caduceus sat on a stack of papers in the center of the mahogany desk, and she removed Caitlin's gloves, shoved them in her pocket, then flipped through the papers. Current patient notes, nothing old enough to relate to Larissa's case.
Certificates decorated the walls, and a portrait of a white-haired, elegant-looking woman and a distinguished-looking Doc was hanging on one of the walls opposite his desk over a file cabinet.
Trying the top drawer, she slid it open. Files of current patients. Files of more patients filled the second drawer also. No Wildhaven here though. No, it would be under Darien's name, Silver.
And there it was. Lelandi Silver, DECEASED. Lelandi's skin prickled. She slipped the file out of the drawer and opened it, her heart fluttering at a quickened pace.
9/6 Lelandi cut her wrists as a plea for help.
Her sister had attempted suicide? Hating how much her sister had to have suffered, Lelandi sat down hard on the doc's chair.
She must have known she couldn't die in that manner. I've tried speaking with her, but she won't tell me what's going on. Nurse Grey spoke with her at some length, but couldn't determine the cause of depression. Probably brought on in part by fluctuating hormones from the pregnancy. Suspect underlying reason, but can't say without further information.
Lelandi's eyes pricked with tears, and she wiped away a couple rolling down her cheeks. How could she not have been here for her sister?
9/8 Released Lelandi from the hospital. She seemed more upbeat and I had Doctor Craighton visit her from Green Valley. He'll be seeing her once a week for a month to work with her through her psychological issues.
9/12 Lelandi seemed somewhat less distraught. Silva has made friends with her as well. I'm hoping that she'll adjust to life here with the pack sooner than later as the pregnancy progresses.
10/6 Darien spoke to me about Lelandi's crying spells. They're much more pronounced than for a normal pregnancy. The only thing I can attribute it to is the possibility that the babies aren't Darien's. I don't want to speculate further about that.
Lelandi reread the entry. Did Darien know? What about the rest of the pack? Silva. Maybe Larissa had told her. Or as bad as the news was, maybe not. No wonder Larissa was so distressed.
10/20 Lelandi had to be hospitalized for dehydration. Darien says she's not eating properly. Too ill with morning sickness.
10/24 Autopsy revealed cause of death: broken neck from strangulation. Deemed a suicide, considering suicide note found in patient's handwriting, past history of severe depression, and previous suicide attempt.
10/26 Autopsy of fetuses indicate the DNA does not match Darien's.
Tears streaked down Lelandi's cheeks, and she quickly brushed them away. How could her sister have done this to Darien? To the family? She'd shamed them all. It was bad enough that she'd mated another wolf when she was already mated, although Lelandi could forgive Larissa's transgressions considering how cruel Crassus was. But how could Larissa have conceived someone else's babies?
And who was the villain who seduced her sister? Silva said Larissa was seeing a miner. The only one she knew was Joe Kelly. If not him, would he know her sister's lover?
She couldn't believe how bad the situation with her sister was turning out.
"Doctor," Ritka said from down the hall, jarring Lelandi from her morbid thoughts. "Mrs. Waverly wants more medication, but she's had enough morphine to put a cow under."
"Mrs. Waverly's bone cancer has spread to many of her vital organs. She doesn't have long to live. She's entitled to whatever pain medication helps ease her suffering. Anything else?"
"Just Willy Wilkerson. His lungs sound like they're full of fluid. Might be pneumonia. And Ural seems to be regaining consciousness."
Ural was here? Unconscious! Lelandi ground her teeth. That's why Deputy Trevor was here. Damn Darien and his men.
The doctor and Ritka walked past the office and Lelandi didn't stir.
Once they'd reached an exam room, Doc Oliver said, "Mrs. Wilkerson. We'll have Willy on medication and better in no time."
Lelandi refiled her sister's health records and made for the door. Whether Trevor liked it or not, she was going to see her cousin and find out what they'd done to him.
The door eased open and Lelandi's heart nearly quit. But it wasn't Doc.
Joe Kelly hurried inside and shut the door. Snow covered his coat, hair and whiskers, and his eyes had a madman's look. "Searching for Larissa's file?" He pulled a gun out and motioned for Lelandi to back up against the wall.
A sickening feeling rippled through her. Her gaze shifted from the gun to his grim face. "You were the father of her triplets, weren't you?"
"We thought Darien knew. But he either pretended not to, or was too arrogant to believe someone else had captured his mate's heart. All that crap about dream mating."
Hoping for a distraction, Lelandi backed toward the desk where she could reach the caduceus paperweight. Then she recalled her gun. Hell, she could have used it on the wolf stalking her. Slipping her hand into her pocket, she realized with a sinking heart she'd exchanged jackets with Cody. Oh, god, an underage lupus garou had her gun filled with silver bullets. Darien would kill her if this lunatic didn't beat him to it.
Joe waved his gun at her and spoke in a hushed voice. "Silver bullets, Lelandi. So don't try me. She was my one true mate. She told me everything about that abusive red mate of hers, how she couldn't stand Darien's touch, but went along with the mating so he'd protect her against Crassus. Not to mention that Darien insisted she was his because he'd seen her in the damned dreams. When I saw you, I figured you were the one he dreamed of."
"What...what are you going to do?"
"Clean up loose ends."
Which meant? He'd kill Doc because he'd known about the pregnancy. She lunged for the heavy brass paperweight, but Joe grabbed her arm, and they fell to the floor with a thud. "Shit, woman. I'm not going to kill you. I have to get rid of the medical records."
She didn't believe him for an instant. She and Doc knew about her sister's babies. Why wouldn't Joe kill them both? Hell, he had silver bullets in his gun. Why would he even be armed if he didn't intend to murder someone?
She tried to squirm loose, but Joe kept her effectively pinned down.
"Listen, I'll get the records for you and you can leave," she coaxed.
"Nice try, Lelandi. What would prevent you from telling Darien everything you know? Even if you tried to keep your promise, he could force you to tell him the truth. I've made arrangements with your cousin Ural to take you away from here, and I want to stay with the pack. So you'll have to leave," he whispered against her ear.
And Doc? She wanted to ask him what he intended to do to Doc, but she had a pretty good idea. She feared Joe would be desperate enough to do anything to cover up his deeds.
"Okay, I'll go quietly with you. Let's get the files." She hoped she could come up with a plan before anyone got hurt.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Ritka hollered down the hall at someone. "Visiting hours are from ten to five, and as far as I know you don't have any relatives in the hospital."
"I need to see the doctor. It's an emergency."
Carol Wood?
"Oh, no you don't. Darien already said you can't have a job here."
"It's urgent and has nothing to do with working."
Joe pulled Lelandi off the floor and motioned for her to brace the wall. Then he began shuffling through the files.
"You can't go down there to see him! He's with a patient right now!" Ritka's footfalls pounded after Carol Wood's.
Then a thud sounded against the doctor's door. Carol swore, but the door banged open, and she fell into Doc's office, landing on her hands and knees.
Lelandi and Joe froze.
For a heartbeat, both Ritka and Carol stared at Joe and Lelandi, then Ritka shouted, "Deputy Trevor! Breakin in progress!"
Joe whipped the gun around and fired two shots at Ritka, the gunfire exploding in Lelandi's ears. She leapt at Joe and seized the weapon as Ritka crumpled to the floor. He thrust Lelandi aside. Carol screamed and scrambled to her feet, but Doc Oliver appeared in the entryway, blocking her escape. Joe fired at Doc. Clutching his chest, his eyes round, he collapsed. Carol dashed out of the office, and Lelandi dove for the brass weight.
With a lightning reaction, Joe struck the butt of his gun against her head and sent her sprawling. Flashes of pain streaked through her skull. Momentarily, she saw nothing but blackness, heard nothing, felt nothing. But then files crashed to the floor while Joe ransacked the file cabinet, until he found Larissa's. He shoved it inside his jacket, went to the window, and jerked it open.
A mixture of snow and ice blew into the office, chilling her. She blinked her eyes, trying to clear her head.
Where the hell was Deputy Trevor? And what if Doc Mitchell arrived with Caitlin and became embroiled in this mess. And the other teens, too. She could see Cody and Anthony trying to rescue her.
Doc Oliver groaned. His face was sickly pale. Lelandi crawled over to him. Ritka was out cold, and Carol had vanished. Lelandi ripped open Doc's shirt and meant to dig out the bullet with her fingers, but Joe grabbed her hair and yanked her back. Pain shot through her scalp. "Time to go."
"No!" she screamed, wanting to save Doc, and clawed at Joe's fingers to free herself.
Joe seized her arm and wrenched her to the window.
"You hadn't done anything wrong before this. Why now?" Lelandi struggled to break free of his iron grip, trying to control her tears. She couldn't fall apart now.
Carol peeked through the doorway with a cell phone to her ear.
"Get the bullets out of the nurse and Doc! They'll kill them. Don't wait for help!" Lelandi shouted, hoping the bastard wouldn't shoot her, too.
Joe shoved Lelandi through the window, and she fell into a blanket of snow. Before she could move, he climbed after her, then aimed through the window at Carol. Her heart in her throat, Lelandi scrambled to her feet and jerked his gun arm upward. The gun went off with a bang, and the bullet struck the ceiling. Bits of plaster and paint snowed down on the desk. Carol screamed and ducked down the hallway.
"Damn it, woman. I ought to kill you."
Lelandi believed he would anyway. "Why shoot Ritka and the doc?" she sobbed. She hoped Carol could save their lives.
"Doc knew about your sister's pregnancy. Larissa was certain of it. He'd have told Darien, and by pack law Darien would terminate me." He yanked her toward a pickup.
Lights flashing and sirens wailing, several vehicles surrounded the hospital.
"Shit." Joe took off running, pulling Lelandi into the woods.
Hell, not again. "You can't outrun all of Darien's pack," Lelandi said as Joe nearly pulled her arm out of the socket, tugging her over the rough terrain.
She stumbled knee deep in a snowdrift, and he yanked her up. She growled. He gave her a slight smile, then they scrambled down a steep incline, half-sliding, half-falling until they reached the bottom of the ravine. He pulled her across a brook, the icy water freezing her to the core again. The snow was still falling so heavily and the wind blowing it so hard, she could barely see.
"Where are you taking me?"
Joe dragged her up the mountain on the other side. "Climb," he hollered at her.
She balked.
He pointed the gun at her temple. "Darien can't save you here. If I put a bullet in that pretty head of yours, they wouldn't arrive in time to get it out. So climb. It's your only hope."
Clenching her teeth, her hands numb from the frigid water and her wet clothes sticking to her like icy Saran Wrap, she struggled to make the climb.
"Keep going straight up," he ordered.
She looked up, but couldn't see where he had in mind to take her. They couldn't climb mountains all day. Unless...She glanced back at him. He was to the right of her, resting while she did.
"Go!"
Unless a cave was up here. She began climbing again. Maybe a secret hideaway where he'd taken Larissa? Lelandi wanted to empty her lunch and kill the bastard for shooting Doc and Ritka.
Men shouted on the ridge from the direction of town. Darien and his men were coming for her. Her heart lifted, but Joe's expression turned darker. "Move!"
She tried to make it appear she was too weak to climb quickly, although as frozen as she was, it wasn't all pretense. He drew closer and struck her in the shoulder. She gasped and nearly fell. Her heart pounding furiously, she clung to the rugged rock face, her fingers so numb she couldn't feel the jagged edges, wishing she could have put Caitlin's gloves on.
"Move, damn you! Quit stalling. Larissa wasn't half as capable as you, and she made it up this ridge twice as fast as you're going."
"I'm half-frozen," Lelandi snapped back.
She moved at the same pace as before, hoping she wouldn't fall to her death on the icy mountain, until she saw the ledge he pointed to. He yanked her up the last few feet and pulled her into the cave. Hopefully, someone in Darien's party knew about it.
"Was this a silver mine?" She tugged Caitlin's gloves out of the pocket and shoved her icy fingers into them.
"Until it played out seventy years ago. Then it shut down." He grabbed a lantern and lighted it, despite not needing it. But even the flicker of flame radiated a tiny glow of heat she welcomed. Inside the cave, it was slightly warmer than the blowing snow outside, and he handed her a hardhat. "Put it on."
He was going to shoot her in the head with a silver bullet, but now he wanted to protect her from falling rocks? That was the least of her worries though as they traveled deeper into the bowels of the cave. The walls drew closer, the passageway narrower, the ceiling shorter and Lelandi began to feel hemmed in. "Does this open up pretty soon?"
He shook his head.
"They came this way!" Darien shouted.
Lelandi's spirits soared when she heard Darien's voice. But it was so far away, she imagined they hadn't even begun the climb up the mountain.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked Joe, raising her voice, hoping her words would carry through the cave and back down the ridge.
"Shut up!" Joe yanked her deeper, and she gave a hopeful smile, thinking Darien might have heard Joe's yelling if her words hadn't carried that far.
Water glistened off the granite walls and dripped on her hat, and she jerked her head to look up. The place smelled like wet earth and the air turned colder. She shivered.
"Forty-four degrees down here no matter what the temperature is outside," he said.
Still, it was warmer than the raging blizzard outside. But her wet clothes made it feel colder.
The ceiling sank so low, they had to crawl. The rough stone tore at the gloves, and her jeans were no protection for her knees, bruising with every inch she traversed. The place reminded her of the time she got lost in a cave of tunnels, playing hide-and-seek with her brother and sister, then fell into a small hole she couldn't get out of. Boy, were their parents mad. But since then, she cringed whenever she had to go into small places, even as a wolf.
Joe forced Lelandi to go first, and her breathing grew more labored. She attempted to steady her breathing, calm her racing heart, ignore the tightness in her chest. But nothing was working. Time seemed to slow and the fear of dying in the tomb-like tunnel escalated.
She paused for the third time, trying to get her anxiety under control, hating that she couldn't manage it.
"Don't tell me you're claustrophobic," he snarled.
"Well, I am, damn it. Larissa wasn't. She could hide in the smallest caves back home, curl up in one and wait my brother and me out when we were playing hide-and-seek, but I can't do that."
"Why?"
As if she'd tell the bastard.
When she didn't answer him, he laughed. "Doesn't matter. Just suck it up. Now move!" He shoved at her butt and she kicked back with her foot, connecting with some part of him...probably his head as it was so hard.
He yelped. "Damn it, Lelandi, you're asking for trouble."
Rocks tumbled together from up above, but the cave was so narrow at this point, she couldn't look back to see what had happened. The sound of falling rock sent chills racing across her skin. Buried alive in a rock tomb came to mind.
"I have a little surprise waiting for them."
What was this maniac planning? As she reached the opening into a large cave, the mountain shook and rumbled.
"What have you done?" Her heart nearly stopped. Darien? His men? What if...what if anyone was badly hurt or killed in the rock slide?
She scrambled into the cave and Joe followed her out of the tunnel, her boot's imprint on his forehead.
"I made some assurances that if anyone tried to come in here when Larissa and I were having our special time, they couldn't tell anyone, and if they did manage to survive, they wouldn't be able to locate us."
He was crazier than she suspected. "But you've locked us in a tomb."
"Don't be ridiculous. Two more tunnels lead out of here that are never used."
Another rumble of rocks shook her. She looked back at the tunnel they'd come from. Joe seized her arm, but she jerked free, her teeth clenched, tears filling her eyes. She'd found her soul mate only to lose him? "If you killed Darien, you might as well shoot me and get it over with."
"And if I haven't? Would be a shame if he found you dead, too."
He was right, the bastard. If Darien found her dead, he might not get over the grief. A clear plastic bag drew her attention, a pile of furs folded inside.
"I brought them here for Larissa and me, except she died before we had the chance to use them. I tried to convince her to come away with me, but she was afraid Darien would come after us. He still thought the triplets were his. He would have killed me and taken her back if he'd had to tear the world apart looking for her."
He grabbed Lelandi's arm again and yanked her toward another tunnel. "This one's shorter, not as narrow. After we make it down the mountain, we'll backtrack to town, pick up my truck, and be on our way."
"You don't need me. Darien won't care what happens to you if you leave me behind."
"Darien took Larissa from me. Now you'll be her. Just like everyone thought in the beginning anyway."
"But he'll look for me, just like he would have searched for Larissa. He'll never quit coming after us."
"If I'd risked it last time, maybe Larissa would still be alive."
As much as she didn't like the idea, Joe might be right. If Larissa had left with this man, whoever wanted her dead might not have bothered to kill her.
"You said you were taking me to Ural. That he knew where my parents were. Were you telling the truth?"
BLOCKED FROM HIS BROTHERS AND THIRTY OF HIS MEN. MORE stones rained down from the initial explosion that rocked the mountain. Darien choked on the dust and rubbed his eyes so he could see the mess he was in. The rocks barricaded the tunnel entrance and no one had made it inside but him.
"Everyone all right out there?" he yelled, hoping to hell no one had been caught in the slide.
Jake hollered, "We're fine. You?"
Highly pissed. "Fine here."
He listened, trying to hear any sounds indicating where Joe Kelly and Lelandi were. Nothing. At least Darien could still go after them.
Sam shouted from the other side of the blockage, "We could move the rocks, but it will take hours, boss. Mason and I used to come in another way. Less hard on the knees."
"Show the men," Darien growled. He'd kill that son of a bitch as soon as he got his hands on him. If he'd done anything to Lelandi...
Jake hollered, "We'll meet you around the other side, but damn it, Darien, don't get yourself shot in the meantime. Those bullets are silver."
Darien had no intention of waiting for his men to reach him while Lelandi was in Joe's clutches. "How long will it take?"
"When I was younger, about half an hour. Maybe longer now," Sam said. "The way's easier once you're inside, no low crawling, but to reach the cave, the climbing's much harder."
"See you in half an hour."
"Wait for us, Darien, damn it," Jake said again.
Darien was sure everyone knew he wouldn't. He raced through the sections of the tunnel that he could, but soon came to an area where he had to crawl. The slight scent of Larissa and Lelandi remained in the tunnel. He ground his teeth when he smelled Lelandi's fear. Joe was letting off a panicky scent also. Good. Darien hoped he was sweating fear. Damned cowardly male lupus garou who had to use a weapon to fortify himself. The notion Larissa had been here with Joe curdled Darien's stomach though.
Down on hands and knees, he traversed the narrow, low ceiling tunnel, and he envisioned Lelandi's skin being torn up by the rough-edged rocks. Damn that Joe. How could Larissa have managed? He would have seen any injuries she'd incurred. Unless they'd usually come in another way. Sure. Sam said the other tunnel was easier to maneuver. But this time since Joe was trying to outrun Darien and his men, he had used the cave closest to town.
When Darien finally reached the cave, he climbed out, but saw no sign of them. Except for fur blankets packed in a plastic case. His stomach and fists tightened. Two more tunnels opened out of the cave, and he hurried to one, walked in a couple of feet, but could find none of Lelandi's or Joe's scent. He raced across the cave to the other tunnel. But the sound of footfalls from two individuals approached him, making him stop dead. What the hell was Joe up to?
"How would I know the damned cave-in would trigger one over here? Or maybe someone set off the cave-in a couple of weeks ago," Joe growled.
"What about the other tunnel? What if we're trapped?" Lelandi sounded desperate, her voice shaking.
Darien wanted to dive into the tunnel, snap Joe's worthless neck, and hug Lelandi in his secure embrace to prove she was safe and loved and the likes of Joe would never harm her again.
"Shut up! Don't get hysterical on me. The other tunnel's fine. It's a little trickier getting out through that one, but we'll manage. You have to watch for the pits. Drop something in them, and you never hear it hit bottom. Lost my hardhat down the first one once. Must have stood there twenty minutes or more waiting for it to hit rock bottom, or water, or something. Nothing. Just went on forever."
Don't worry, Lelandi. You won't be traversing any damned pits with this maniac. Darien stripped off his jacket, then shirt and ditched his boots, careful not to make a sound.
Lelandi and Joe's footsteps echoed off the tunnel wall as they drew closer. "He'll...he'll come after you. You know he will. If you just leave me behind---"
"Shut up! I told you you're going to replace my Larissa."
"I can't be like her."
"You look just like her. That'll be enough for now. You'll grow on me."
You'll never have the opportunity, Joe. Darien peeled out of his jeans and stretched his arms above his head, physically and mentally preparing for the change. His face elongated into a silver snout, his teeth growing into killing weapons. His body became furred in a silver pelt and his claws extended, readied for a fight. Dropping to his pads, he waited, preparing himself for the leap that would separate Joe from his mate, his teeth itching to sink into his blood, to kill the man who would endanger his mate's life.
"Damn it to hell! This one's blocked, too!" Jake said on the outside of the cave at the tunnel entrance. "Is there another way, Sam?"
"One other tunnel. But that way's too treacherous without climbing ropes."
"I'll get some," Mason said.
"I'll go with you," Deputy Peter added.
"How long will it take to get to that tunnel, Sam?" Jake asked.
"About forty minutes straight up. When I was younger."
"Let's get going."
Joe gave a sickly laugh, the sound echoing off the walls. "We'll get through the tunnel way before they do."
"But they said we needed climbing ropes," Lelandi warned.
"I've got some. You wouldn't think I'd be unprepared, would you? Now come on, quit dawdling. Wouldn't want them to reach the tunnel entrance before we've made our getaway."
You'll never even reach the tunnel entrance, Joe. Rest assured.
Joe shoved Lelandi out of the tunnel into the main cave. At once her eyes lighted on Darien, and for a minute, she looked like she was trying to figure out which wolf he might be. He bowed his head in greeting. She took a deep breath and her eyes widened. Yes, Lelandi, your silver knight in wolf pelt.
As soon as Joe stepped into the cavern, Darien leapt. No waiting for the miner's recognition that he was face-to-face with the pack leader. No long-winded staring down scenes to show who was the boss. The gun loaded with silver bullets precluded that. He couldn't risk Joe getting a shot off and possibly hitting either Lelandi or himself and leaving her in even more danger.
Joe's gun hand went up and he fired at the ceiling, a smattering of pebbles and dust raining down. He fell back with Darien's pounce, hitting his back and head against the unforgiving rock with an oof. Darien's teeth sank into Joe's jugular. The man never had a chance to utter more than a gurgled cry, his amber eyes wide.
Lelandi collapsed to her knees, and Darien released his grip on Joe, then swung around and nuzzled Lelandi's arm. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed. Hell, he needed to be in his human form to comfort her best. He quickly shapeshifted and pulled her up. Her clothes were damp, and she was trembling hard from the cold.
"I...I was so afraid he'd killed you, your brothers, or some of the rest of your people in the rockslide."
Darien crushed her to him, warming her body, rubbing her arms, kissing her cheeks and her lips. "We're all right. Everyone's all right." The left side of her temple was swollen and red and a gash cut through to her eyebrow, the blood dried now along its seam. "That son of a bitch," Darien said, smoothing away her hair from the injuries.
She didn't say a word, maybe in shock. He held her close to his body and tried to warm her, although the chilly cave was beginning to get to him. Then he noticed the glass in her hair. "Hell, Lelandi, did Joe hit you with a glass?"
She looked like she was going to be sick. "With his pistol." She paused, her eyes focusing down. "I...I had an accident before that."
"You wrecked the SUV?"
She nodded, her eyes glassy with fresh tears. He let out his breath and hugged her tight again. "All I care about is what happens to you. We didn't see the vehicle anywhere in town and we'd trekked through the woods to locate the teens that you'd found. I never thought you might have been in a wreck. Why didn't you stay at Doc Mitchell's place?" He threw up his hands in resignation. "Forget it. You were too busy trying to get yourself killed."
"I'm sorry about the SUV. It's probably buried in snow off the road somewhere."
"Odin's teeth, Lelandi, I don't care about the damned vehicle. You...your safety, that's all that matters to me." He pulled her close and she sighed against his bare chest. "It'll be a while before my men can get us out."
"But Joe said there were climbing ropes for us to use."
"I wouldn't trust anything he said. Will you wait here?"
She wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked so forlorn, he gave her another hard embrace. "I want to get rid of his body."
"In one of the bottomless pits?"
"Yeah, he can join his hardhat."
"I'll...I'll go with you. I don't want to be left behind."
He squeezed her hard, then released her. "Let's get this over with." He yanked Joe's lifeless body off the floor and tossed him over his shoulder, then took Lelandi's hand. "Are you all right?"
"Now that you're here, yes. How are Doc and Ritka?"
Lelandi didn't look all right. She was pale and shivering uncontrollably. Darien tightened his hold on her hand. He didn't want to tell her the news, not while they were still stuck in the cave, and after all that had happened to her.
"They're dead," she said under her breath, her voice tearful.
So much for not telling her. "Even if Joe hadn't taken you hostage, he'd signed his death warrant for killing Doc and Ritka."
"Carol couldn't get the bullets out in time?" Lelandi asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Doc was old. He couldn't withstand the silver in his heart. By the time Carol had put on gloves, found the proper tools, and removed the bullet from Doc, then dug the two bullets from Ritka, she didn't stand a chance either."
Lelandi's body sagged and Darien released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Lelandi, honey, we'll be all right."
"He died because of me," she sobbed.
"No, he died because Joe killed him. Because Joe had mated with Larissa. Because the babies were his and not mine. And because Doc knew it. Ritka was just a bystander. None of this has to do with you." He kissed her cheek. "Do you want to wait for me here while I get rid of Joe's carcass?" The sooner he could get rid of the bastard, the quicker he could take care of Lelandi.
She shook her head and stood straighter. "Doc was like an uncle I dearly loved."
He moved her farther into the tunnel. "Doc was a good man. His mate preceded him in death a decade ago, and he had no offspring, but he treated us all like his sons and daughters."
Lelandi looked up at Darien, tears clouding her eyes. Darien smiled at her. "Even me. Didn't matter that I was no longer just another pup but now pack leader. He was like a revered advisor when it came to anyone who was injured or sick in the pack."
"I'll miss him," she said quietly.
"We all will." Darien pulled her to an abrupt stop. "The first of the pits. Wonder if this is the bottomless one Joe mentioned. I'd hate for it not to be."
"Only one way to find out," she said, with a bitter edge to her voice.
Darien lifted Joe off his shoulder. "This is as much of a burial as you deserve, Joe, you bastard." He tossed him into the pit, then he took Lelandi's hand and walked her back to the cave.
She sniffled and wiped away another cascade of tears. "Don't you want to see if he hits bottom?"
"No. I want to warm you up."
She glanced at his hard, nude body, and he smiled back at her. Her eyes met his. "Your people will be here soon."
He shook his head slowly back and forth. "Not as long as it takes to return to town and back again with the ropes. By the time they reach us, we'll even have time for a quick nap."
She clung to him and nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. "I...I am cold."
"I love you, Lelandi." He swept her up in his arms and held her hard against his chest; the heat of her body mixed with his, helping to warm them both.
When they reached the encased furs, he set her down, then ripped open the plastic covering and spread the faux polar bear skins out. No scent of Larissa or Joe on the skins, thank god. Lelandi took a deep breath and started to pull off her pullover sweater. Darien quickly worked on her belt. She looked so contrite, he was certain she felt sorry for having slipped away from him at the house, endangering herself and upsetting everyone. But she had rescued the kids from the cliff and the word of her good deeds was already spreading throughout the pack.
"I'm sorry for what my sister did to you, Darien."
"Don't be. It's all in the past." His mouth tasted her cold lips. "Just be glad we found each other."
He finished helping her undress, her body trembling from the frigid air. Then he quickly sandwiched her in between the soft furs and himself.
The furs felt comforting, dry, and warm against Lelandi's back, the contrast of Darien's lean hardness resting on top of her. He rubbed her arms, then her shoulders, and with a devilish smirk plastered on his face, his hands shifted to her breasts, heating her up. She still envisioned him in his wolf form, self-assured, feral, beautiful, her protector. She should have known he'd be the one to come for her.
She dragged her fingers through his satiny hair and his teeth grazed her neck, sending a thrill through her. She swept her hands down his back, the muscles tensed with need. "I love you, Darien," she mouthed against his ear.
His eyes glazed over, he growled low. "Never ever leave me like that again."
She stiffened, her hands stilled on his waist. "I won't quit trying to find out who killed my sister."
"Lelandi..." He groaned and circled a nipple with his tongue, then kissed the tip. He lifted his gaze to her eyes. "I can't ever lose you. Promise you'll let me handle this."
She pressed her lips tightly together. It didn't matter that she was the female alpha leader in the pack now, as much as it mattered that she took part in avenging her sister's death. And she would, one way or another.
"Damn it, Lelandi, I won't have you getting yourself into dangerous situations like this while you're searching for your sister's killer."
She raked her nails down his back and caressed his buttocks, squeezing and releasing. He gave out a husky moan and instantly capitulated. "All right. Ask me when you want to investigate something or someone, and I'll make sure you're properly guarded."
Smiling inwardly, she loved him all the more.
The wet tip of his erection poked against her mound, and he gave her a lusty grin.
At first she rubbed against him, his eyes darkening, and he reached up to caress her breasts. "Hmm, Darien, you could hire out as a masseuse."
"Only one body I'd be interested in massaging," he said, his voice ragged. "Are you going to torture me much longer?"
Before she could respond, he pressed his fingers between her legs, parted her folds, and sank his fingers deep. His wet fingers rubbed her sensitized nub with exquisite strokes pushing her to the edge while his tongue danced across her nipples, teasing them into submission.
Every move Darien made heated her further.
He swept his lips over her closed eyes, down her cheek to the corner of her mouth, then brushed across her mouth in a warm, tantalizing caress. His heartbeat pounded in sync with hers, and his warm breath fanned her cheek.
"Lelandi, my love." His smoldering eyes took his fill and his lips curved up in a feral way while he continued to ply his strong strokes, and she forgot what she'd intended to do to him, her body enraptured by his touch. If she didn't slow him down...no, keep...keep going.
Oh, oh, heavens. She felt her body elevated, her spirit soaring, elation and...and a gush of warmth flooded her, her system filled with white hot completion. The orgasm rocked her body, sending pleasurable ripples of heated passion through her, and she moaned in ecstasy.
His sizzling gaze pierced her, and he didn't wait for her next move. Slipping into her swollen folds, he plunged his thick cock deep, lifting her hips so he could drive into her inner core as if seeing her body come, he was pushed nearer the edge. His eyes heavily lidded and his face flushed with pleasure, he stretched her, thrusting hard and deep and fast.
Never while she'd made love to him in their dream state had she enjoyed sex this much. "Oh, oh, faster, harder." She dug into his buttocks. "Don't...stop...now," she growled, not believing she could come again so soon after.
He chuckled and drove harder, his hands planted beside her head, and gave a final thrust, a warm bath heating her deep inside. Sinking on top of her, their bodies slippery and hot and satiated, he let out a gratified growl. "Thank...Odin...you...were...all right."
"Just all right," she whispered against his cheek.
"This side of heaven." He rolled off her and pulled her on top of him, his arms wrapped securely around her while he tugged the fur that had slipped off them back in place. "Don't ever leave me again like you did."
"Hmm." She cuddled against his hard, sweaty chest. "Thank you for rescuing me. Some rescue, by the way."
He growled, nipped her shoulder, and forced her head down on his chest. "Don't forget that whatever happens, I love you, Lelandi, and would never let any harm come to you."
She snuggled against his chest and licked his nipple, making him groan. "Better not, or I'll give you a hard time."
He grinned. "You already do, honey. A really hard time. Rest. We'll be out of here soon, but we have a long, difficult trek ahead of us."
Hearing footfalls a couple of hours later coming from the tunnel of pits and the shorter one that was supposed to be more navigable, Darien opened a sleepy eye and hugged Lelandi tighter against his chest, her breathing shallow, her eyes closed in slumber.
"Hell, Darien." Jake entered the cave with ten men from the shorter tunnel, and Tom and another twenty men came from the other. "I thought you were dead."
Glad everyone was okay, Darien gave him a small smile. "Thought so, eh?"
"Nah, not me," Tom said. "I knew you'd be all right. Jake's the worrier in the bunch. Kept hurrying the guys to move those boulders and loose rubble, afraid we wouldn't reach you through the other tunnel in time. It was taking so long for Mason and Peter to get back with the ropes. So..." Tom looked around at the cave, spied blood on the floor and took a deep whiff of the air. "Where's Joe?"
"Still making his peace with the devil in the center of the earth," Darien said.
Tom snickered. "Pit burial, eh? Perfectly appropriate."
Jake motioned to Lelandi. "She all right?"
"Yeah, she'll be fine. Give us a moment and we'll get dressed."
Mason dropped a bundle next to Darien's clothes. "Some gloves, snow shoes, and a heavy-duty parka for the little lady, more her size. The blizzard's whipping up pretty hard out there." He gave Jake a stern look. "Which is why it took us so long to get back to the mountain. It had nothing to do with my age."
Tom laughed and slapped Jake on the shoulder as the men hurried out through the short tunnel. "See, what'd I tell you? Here we are slaving away to protect Darien's ass, and he's cozied up with his mate in a love nest of furs."
"Yep, pack leader thinking." Jake headed out with Tom.
"I still can't believe you moved those boulders to clear the passageway," Sam said, inside the tunnel.
"I didn't want Lelandi to have to take the hard way out. Blizzard's going to be difficult enough to get through," Jake remarked.
"Good thing we have those ropes," Tom said.
Jake chuckled. "Yeah, so we can all get lost together."
Wanting to get Lelandi home safely, Darien kissed her ear to wake her. "Honey, time to get dressed."
"Hmm, maybe everyone should stay here in the cave until the storm blows over," Lelandi murmured.
"Not enough furs to keep everyone warm."
"We could all turn wolf."
"I'd rather be in the privacy of my bed with you. Come on, sleepyhead. Time to get up and get dressed."
"It's so warm here, and so..." She shivered. "So cold out there." She pointed one finger outside the furs.
He kissed her finger. "I'll help you dress faster." Darien slipped out from under the covers, threw his clothes on, then slid his cold hands under the furs to Lelandi's feet.
"Oh heavens, Darien. Your fingers are like ice."
"By the way, Cody gave me back my favorite leather jacket. He warned me it had a gun in the pocket and figured you took it with you to protect yourself." He tilted his chin down and gave her an exasperated look.
"He offered me his parka so I'd stay warmer."
"And for that," Darien said, helping her into her clothes, "I was grateful. But sheesh, Lelandi..."
"I didn't remember the gun was in your jacket pocket until Joe pulled his on me."
"Thank Odin for that. I could imagine you shooting each other and neither of you making it."
He bundled her up to her neck in the winter parka, although he wished it was a bright color and not white where he could lose her in the blinding snow.
"We could return as wolves," she said.
"The climb is too steep on this side of the mountain. Better suited to a mountain goat...or humans with climbing gear."
After what she'd already been through, that didn't bode well.
THE GUYS ALL GAVE LELANDI SURREPTITIOUS SMILES WHEN she walked into the tunnel with Darien. Yeah, here they'd been busting their butts, trying to save their pack leader and his mate, and what do they find?
But heck, if any of them had been stuck in a cave with their mate, they would have done the same!
The wind whipped snow in through the opening where there had been none when Joe forced her through the tunnel before. If the snow wasn't blowing so hard, she would be elated to see the sight of the mountains, but all she could see was a white blanket, disguising everything in its path.
Many of the men had started down the mountain, some waiting at various points along the trail, some down at the bottom wearing their wolf coats. If the climb hadn't been so steep, she would have welcomed shapeshifting.
Jake handed Darien a rope already attached to Sam and Mason and several others who were partway down the steep incline.
"It's gotten really icy," Mason warned.
Darien tied the rope around Lelandi's waist and kissed her lips hard. "Take it easy. The guys down below will stop your tumble if you slip. I'll hold you from up above. Just concentrate on getting good toe and finger holds, and you'll be down at the bottom before you know it."
"Thanks, Darien." She glanced at Jake and Tom. "And to all of you who came to my rescue."
Jake took the rope that Darien had tied to himself. "All in a day's work. Think nothing of it."
Tom grinned. "Hey, we were rescuing Darien, too, but he'll never admit it."
Darien chuckled, his icy breath mixing with the blowing snow. "I didn't think you'd arrive in time."
He crouched down on the ledge and helped ease Lelandi over it. Her stomach iced with fear. Climbing up, no problem. But this side was much steeper, and the hand and foot holds were so far apart, much better suited to the grays' long reach, that she had to slide down partway to reach the next toe or finger hold. Every time she did, Darien held tight to the cliff face to ensure she didn't pull him and the others off the mountain. Sam and the others below waited until she caught hold of something.
"How's it going?" Tom shouted from several feet above Jake.
"Slow," Jake said.
"She's getting tired." Darien's voice showed concern.
She wished he hadn't said that because although every muscle ached with fatigue, she didn't want it advertised to every gray out here. What would they think about her ability to be the female leader?
"Wait up, boss." Sam began to climb back up. "She can't reach a foothold."
She wanted desperately to jump down to the bottom of the cliff, wishing the snow would cushion her fall.
"Try to grasp onto anything, Lelandi. Sam will help you."
Everyone waited while Sam climbed below Lelandi, the wind-driven snow buffeting her, threatening to pull her from her tentative grip on the jagged rocks. But she couldn't make a move down or to either side. She wondered if Larissa could have come this way. How could she have managed? But maybe the snow and ice made the difference.
"Put your right foot in my hand, and I'll guide you to a shelf," Sam coaxed.
"I'll pull the rest of you off the mountain." Lelandi's voice wavered, although she was trying to keep it together for Darien.
A pack leader's bitch was strong. Not a panicked weakling. But her arms and legs were growing wearier by the second, and her fingers and toes were already dead from the cold. If she could have had viable foot and hand holds all the way down, she'd be at the base of the mountain by now.
"Lelandi, concentrate on what Sam's saying. As petite as you are, you weigh nothing. The rest of us are fine."
She reached out her foot, not believing she could stretch that far, and touched Sam's hand.
"Good. Now put your weight on my hand and lean to your right. I'll move you to the ledge. It'll be slow going. Easy does it. One inch at a time."
Sam crept across the rock face while helping her. "Okay, here you go." She grasped a rock and pulled herself to the ledge. "There's enough room for two, Darien."
Darien was down in seconds, standing on the ledge with Lelandi, holding her body against the rock face, warming her. Jake and Tom moved farther down. The rest who were tied to the rope waited.
"You can make it." Darien kissed Lelandi's cheek, heating her icy skin.
"I...I wish I were a lot taller."
"I wouldn't wish you any other way." He squeezed her hand. "Let's get you down from here. The longer we're in this cold, the harder it will be."
"I'm sorry I'm holding everyone up so much. They'd all be warm in their beds by now if I wasn't so slow."
"Lelandi, believe me when I say everyone here wants nothing more than to bring you back safely. You're one of us. Don't worry."
"Okay...I'm ready." But she wasn't. She figured that however long she had to climb was going to be as difficult as the many feet she'd already traversed. She was wrong.
Darien eased her down over the ledge, and she found her first good foothold she'd managed to find in the last half hour. Sam waited before he moved back down. Probably a good thing because if she got stuck like the last time, he'd have to waste more energy climbing back up to her. Poor bartender. She hoped Silva would give him a really good backrub when he made it back to town.
She reached for another rock, but couldn't grasp it, and made a slight jump for it, like she'd done so many times before. But the rock was icy and she lost her grip and slid.
"Hold on!" Darien shouted, and everyone braced themselves as Lelandi fell below Sam, the wind twisting her until she was dangling upside down.
She was nearly eye level with Mason, and she offered him a frozen smile. "I just found a faster way to get down."
He grinned at her and began to climb up, tugging at her until he was able to get her feet below her body and one planted on a sturdy rock jutting out. He looked up at Darien and Sam. "She's secure. One hell of a trooper, Darien."
Man, the pack would be laughing about this for eons. Yet no one looked like they thought she was ready for a clown suit. Instead, everyone looked like they worried she'd never make it. But damn it, she would make it. Even if she had to go down headfirst to get there. At least she'd made some more progress!
Sam made his way past her and then men on either side of her roped together with their own lines, reached for her to move her down another few inches, and then another few, while Darien and his group hung on tight to the cliff every time she slipped.
"I'm at the bottom!" Mason shouted. "You're almost here!"
Thank god. Lelandi was frozen to the bone, and she didn't think she'd thaw out until summer.
Sam shouted next, "I've got you!"
But although he reached for her, two other men brought her down to the base of the mountain, and she sank in the deep snow.
Darien was beside her in the next instant and untied the rope from her waist. "Can you shapeshift, Lelandi?"
Peter shouted from somewhere deep in the white bleakness, "Got a sled, boss! We'll tow her in."
"I can shapeshift," Lelandi objected, not wanting to show how inept she was, yet when she tried to take a step, her legs were shaky and to her mortification, she stumbled.
Darien grabbed her arm and pulled her tight. "Everyone down from the mountain?"
"All down," Tom confirmed.
"Let's see that everyone gets in safely."
Peter and his sled came into sight, pulled by a dozen wolves. Lelandi smelled their lupus garou scent and gave a tired smile. Several of the men deposited their clothes on the sled and shapeshifted, then spread out on the way to Darien's place.
"Little lady okay?" Mitchell asked from somewhere in the mist of snow.
"Yeah, Doc, cold, but we'll have her home and warmed up in no time."
"You shouldn't have slipped away like you did after leaving the kids off at my ranch," Mitchell said, his gruff voice scolding. "The kids were upset when they heard the same maniac who took you hostage murdered Doc and Ritka."
"Are they going to be all right?" She hated how guilty her voice sounded.
"Yeah, they'll heal in no time."
"Caitlin...is she..."
"She's fine. But I need to talk to her parents."
Apparently, Darien was still in the dark about Caitlin's pregnancy.
"I take it Joe is no longer a problem," Mitchell said.
"Pit burial," Tom piped up from some feet behind, sounding proud as he yanked off his gloves.
"Better than what he deserved," Jake grumbled.
Peter said, "Several of our men wanted to know if they could pull guard duty. Despite the weather, six reds drove into town."
All at once, Lelandi felt sick to her stomach. It had to be Bruin and his brother Crassus looking to return Larissa and her home. Darien rubbed her back.
"One of them said he was Larissa's mate. The other was named Bruin, the guy's brother and pack leader at Wildhaven. He says Lelandi now belongs to Crassus, and he wants both women returned to the pack at once. So our guys want to know if you need them for guard duty."
"Yeah, I do."
Darien shielded Lelandi from the blowing wind while she removed her clothes and shapeshifted. Stretching her arms above her head, she welcomed the painless change. Her face elongated into a nice-sized feminine snout, the red furred mask reaching the length of her nose, and the underside of her chin and chest---an elegant white. She stretched her legs out, her tail straight and proud. Her eyes looked more amber than green when she was in her wolf's pelt, and she took a deep breath.
Darien smiled at her wolf form. "You're beautiful, you know."
She nudged his leg and he hurried to strip and change. Once he had, she stuck close to him, but kept examining the other wolves. Trying to learn who they all were? Eventually she'd know the whole pack, but unless she could smell them, she wouldn't be able to recognize who they were unless she'd seen them change.
He rubbed her muzzle with his face as they trotted to his house, a couple miles away. Even so, she seemed wary, the way she pulled her ears back, her body snug against his so she'd keep her bearing as they moved, but she kept looking around at the other wolves. He wished he could ask her what was wrong. Attempting a calming signal, he turned his head and licked the back of her head. She whipped her head around, and he nuzzled her face. Her narrowed eyes softened. Several of his pack watched her behavior, knowing something was wrong. He wished she'd told him what the matter was before they'd shapeshifted.
As soon as they arrived at Darien's house, Sam began making coffee and hot chocolate for the men, while Darien and Lelandi shapeshifted and dressed in the den, then he ushered her toward the stairs to take a hot shower. "What was the matter in the woods?"
"A gray attempted to attack me earlier."
"Hell, Lelandi. Why didn't you tell me? I take it you didn't get his scent."
"No."
"Can you describe him?"
"Gray and big. Really big."
Jake pulled a sweater over his head. "That describes more than half of our men."
"I know, Jake," she said, her voice irritated. "If I saw him in wolf form again, I'd probably know him." She let out her breath. "What about Bruin and his men?"
Trevor sauntered into the living room and gave her a disgruntled look. "They've been put up at Hastings Bed and Breakfast. They didn't like that they couldn't see you right away, Darien, especially since she's one of their pack. He's a pack leader so should be treated accordingly."
Darien's jaw tightened. "Any pack leader who allows his males to abuse the females has my condemnation, not respect."
"The sheriff is keeping them occupied. He's got another four guys down there, watching to make sure no one gets out of hand. Bruin's brother, Crassus, a subchief, demands the release of his mate from our custody."
"Did you tell him she had a proper burial?"
Trevor skirted Darien's comment. "He said Lelandi is his mate."
"Guy's a bold-faced liar," Tom said.
"Bruin said that it's a pack law, if a mate's life was ended and a sibling was available, if the male wished her to replace the dead mate it was up to him, the pack leader, and her father."
An ancient law. Great.
"Convenient since the pack leader's his brother," Darien said, his face tight, his eyes narrowed.
Trevor lifted a shoulder. "And her father is dead. He said he did the mating ritual with her in absentia. It's an ancient ritual. But it's valid."
She'd never heard anyone actually use it in contemporary times, but Darien wouldn't go along with it, so it was a moot case.
"Not as far as we're concerned." Darien gave Lelandi's hand a squeeze.
"Is this a fight we want to get involved in?" Trevor asked.
"Have to. You say the sibling has to be available?"
Trevor's lower lip dropped. "You're not thinking of---"
"One way to claim a mate permanently."
"She has to be agreeable." Trevor glanced at Lelandi.
"I'll have to convince her, then, won't I?" Darien moved Lelandi toward the stairs. "I'll start your shower."
Trevor's eyes couldn't have widened any further.
"Guess you didn't get the word. They're already mated." Tom gave Trevor a slap on the back. "So, where were you while the rest of us were rescuing the lady?"
"Hell, I was with the sheriff, trying to sort this red pack business out. It would have been helpful to know that Darien took her as his mate."
"He'll have to tell the pack leader the news," Tom said. "He hasn't had time to tell the rest of our pack yet. But I'm sure after the cave incident, the word will quickly spread."
"What happened at the cave?"
Jake laughed. "You should have been with us. Much more interesting I'm sure than what you were up to."
Darien smiled and kissed Lelandi as he walked her up the stairs. "Guess I've been a little remiss in letting the pack know you're one of us."
"You don't have any regrets, do you? I mean, you're not afraid I can't deal with the fallout, are you?"
He pulled her into his bedroom and shut the door. "Like what? That you won't be loved by my people? You will be."
"Not by everyone."
"The women who wanted me as a mate?" He laughed and pulled off her sweater and dropped it on a chair. "I'm sorry about Ritka. I never said so before because
I was so upset about Doc. But I really am sorry. She didn't deserve to die either."
"I know, Lelandi." He took a deep breath and slipped her boots off. "This will cause us trouble."
"Bruin will want to fight you, don't you think?"
Darien gave her a brilliant smile. "No. Well, maybe. But the outcome won't be what he'd expect. No. I was thinking about the staffing at the hospital. With Ritka gone, Carol Wood will insist that she's hired on at the hospital. I've got a real problem with that."
"I don't have any nurse's training, but I'll do whatever I can to help."
He placed his hands on her face and tilted her head back. "I'll send human patients to other hospitals in nearby towns until we get it sorted out. Don't worry about it."
She frowned at him. "What happened to Ural? Why was he in the hospital?"
Darien sighed deeply. "I didn't authorize it, but Uncle Sheridan knocked him out when Ural made a crude comment about one of our female grays."
"What did he say?"
"She was the shooter."
"And the sheriff nearly killed him for it?"
Darien lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "I didn't authorize it. Uncle Sheridan took it upon himself to knock Ural out."
"Before Ural revealed who the shooter was?"
Darien stared at her for a minute, then shook his head. "I know what you're implying, but Ural just pushed Uncle Sheridan's buttons."
But had Ural pushed Sheridan's buttons or did he have something to hide?
"So is Ural all right?"
"He's fine, back in jail with a swollen cheek, but Silva told us herself she was the shooter."
Lelandi couldn't believe it.
"Long story. I'll tell you later about it." He pressed her lips with a warm, hot kiss and her whole body liquefied.
"Hmm." She sighed deeply. He was trying to get her mind off the problems the pack faced, but she couldn't quit worrying about it. "What about Nurse Grey?"
"She can handle a lot of the cases---mostly lupus garou. But she'll be shorthanded for anything major. Although we have Matthew now, too." He unfastened her belt.
"Doctor Weber!"
Darien lifted his head from kissing her throat and gave her a questioning glance.
"He's a lupus garou from my father's original pack. We have to bring him here."
"He's a red."
She gave Darien an annoyed look. "I'm a red."
"That's different." He kissed her lips, forcing her to kiss him back. She couldn't resist and probed his mouth with her tongue. "What I mean is he might not want to join a gray pack."
"He will. I know he will."
"I'll send the correspondence offering him a job." He sighed heavily. "I don't want you digging into this mess concerning your sister on your own anymore." She tried to pull away, but he held her firm. "I mean it."
She glowered at him. "What am I supposed to do?"
He raised his brows and gave her a wickedly provocative look.
"Oh, no, I'm just supposed to be your sexual playmate?"
"Works for me," he teased. He grabbed handfuls of her hair and touched his nose to the strands. "You smell like the great outdoors, wild and sexy."
"Hmm." She licked his lips. "You taste feral and sinful." With a fever that couldn't be quenched, she wanted him. She grasped his hand and tugged him toward the bathroom. "You were going to help me with my shower. Right?"
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back tight against his chest. Leaning over her, he rested his mouth next to her ear, and slid his fingers into her jeans, then touched her between the legs. "Hmm, nice and wet."
"It's all your fault." She wriggled against his fingers. Oh man, she'd never make it to the shower at this rate.
His cock had grown rock hard and was prodding her backside. "If I don't get you into the shower now..." He slipped the lace of the low-cut bra down, exposing her breasts. Turning her around, he leaned down, licked a nipple, and blew on it, sending shivers streaking across her skin. Instantly, the cool air made the nipple pucker. He smiled and licked the other with his tongue in a circle, then blew on it, too.
He tackled her jeans, his breathing heavy, his heartbeat accelerated.
Lelandi unbuttoned Darien's shirt and slid it down to his elbows, then held him hostage, his chest and shoulders bare. Strong and virile, he was a lupus garou in his prime, and all hers. Leaning down, she licked his nipple and gave him the same wisp of breath to tease him. His nipple pebbled, and he groaned low with need.
"Hmm, like that, do we?"
He nipped her chin with a playful bite. Lelandi laughed and licked his other nipple. He shivered and the craving for satisfaction swept her up in the feel of him, his satiny skin, tangy velvet against her tongue. He held Lelandi's arms tightly and nuzzled her neck with his mouth, and took another deep breath, no doubt smelling her musky scent of arousal. She tilted her head back, her crotch tingling because he touched her throat so exquisitely.
Whispering in his ear, "I love you," she licked inside, then nibbled the lobe.
Growling, he swept her off her feet and carried her into the bathroom. He set her down, reached into the shower, and turned on the water. "I want you, Lelandi. Now."
The feeling was mutual, and they shed the rest of their clothes. She reached for the peach body wash so she could run her fingers over every inch of him with the light sweet scent.
As soon as the water was hot, he lifted her into the tub and sprayed the silky water all over her body, then aimed the pulsating nozzle between her legs. She squealed and laughed.
He soaped her breasts and she flicked her nails over the soft soap coating his nipples. They quickly moved their hands lower, his sweeping erotically between her thighs, while she enjoyed scrubbing his erection and watched fascinated when it jumped in her hands.
He chuckled darkly and hurried to rinse them off. "You will be the death of me."
"Seems appropriate since you wring out my emotions, too," she said, kissing his throat.
But he didn't comment, except to give her a smoldering smile, then lifted her against the tile shower wall, wrapped her legs around him, and thrust deeply into her slippery sheath.
"Adonis," she moaned against his shower-kissed skin. He was so hot.
He smiled. "My redheaded goddess."
The pleasurable assault of his kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her throat, drove her toward the peak of pleasure while he buried himself inside her. Plunging deep and slow and hard, the tension in his face eased, he let out a tired groan, and a wash of heat filled her. His hot kisses teased her mouth to open for him, his tongue tangled with hers, and her body exploded into a million earth-shattering pieces of pleasure. She collapsed in his arms and wanted to cuddle with him in bed for all eternity. After drying and slipping into bed, they slept.
But their sleep was cut short when Jake hollered from downstairs, "Darien, Uncle Sheridan's here and so is Chester McKinley."
NOT PLANNING ON BEING LEFT OUT OF ANY MORE BUSINESS concerning her sister, Lelandi nearly leapt out of Darien's arms and headed for her discarded clothes in the bedroom. "I'm sitting in on this, Darien." But she wondered what had changed his mind about talking to Chester.
"I guess I have no say in the matter." He yanked on his jeans, his expression lightly teasing.
"Nope. I'm not a beta wolf." Lelandi quickly buttoned her shirt.
Darien walked over and rested his hands on her shoulders, his lips pressing against hers. "You're an alpha for sure. For now, I'll allow it...as an alpha male." He rebuttoned her shirt.
"Better put on a sweater or I'll have to kick Chester McKinley's butt out of here, because no doubt he'd take a longer look at you than I'd care for."
She jerked on a pullover sweater and slipped into a pair of jeans. "Despite whatever anyone told you, he was a perfect gentleman."
"I'll be the judge of that." Darien zipped her jeans for her. He lifted her chin and gazed into her green eyes sparkling with fire. "I have no intention of keeping you out of the picture if you're going to look into this by yourself and put your life in more danger. I understand as an alpha you can't wait for others to do everything for you." He leaned his forehead against hers. "Together, we'll solve this."
She threw her arms around him and squeezed tight, her head pressed against his chest. "I love you, you big gray."
Cheered to see her feeling better, he tousled her hair, then led her downstairs to the living room.
Upon seeing Lelandi, Uncle Sheridan raised his brows in question.
"I'm staying for the meeting," Lelandi said.
"When women start ruling things, that'll be the end of life as we know it," Uncle Sheridan said.
"We'll improve it, I'm sure," Lelandi said.
Uncle Sheridan gave her a disparaging look.
Darien couched a smile and sat down with her on a sofa, then motioned for Chester McKinley to get on with the news.
"I know you don't want an outsider sticking his nose in your business, Darien, but I do this kind of work all the time and what I discover goes no farther than this room. If you want to reveal to your pack what we find, that's up to you. Nobody will hear it from me."
"Fair enough. So what's your plan?"
"Make a list of everyone who would benefit from Larissa's death and all who had grudges against her."
Darien rubbed Lelandi's hand. Although she seemed determined to be part of this, she shivered, and he thought she wasn't holding up well. But he couldn't blame her. "We've done this."
Uncle Sheridan handed the paper to Chester.
He perused the checklist and nodded. "Normally a blackmailer continues to milk the victim for all it's worth. So there wouldn't be any reason to kill the victim and get rid of an easy source of income."
"Unless the blackmailer feared getting caught. What if Larissa had recognized who the blackmailer was?" Lelandi asked.
"Bingo. Of course, it could be there was a killer and a blackmailer and neither had anything to do with the other, but I'm betting they're one and the same."
"Why?" Darien asked.
"Thirty years in the business."
"I'd like more solid evidence than that," Jake said.
"All right. So we have a shooter who kills the gunman so he can't talk. And---"
"Silva, the waitress at Silver Town Tavern, says she shot him, although she was only protecting Sam, our bartender, and didn't mean to kill the gunman," Darien said.
Glancing down at the checklist, Chester rubbed his beard. "Is she on the suspect list?"
Lelandi frowned. "Of course not. She was friends with my sister and has been my friend ever since I first arrived."
"Right. And oftentimes a perpetrator is the one you least suspect."
"She's not a suspect."
"The thing is, Lelandi, even you are a suspect," Chester said.
Lelandi's mouth dropped open, then she snapped it shut. Darien shook his head. "Watch what you say, Chester McKinley."
After a minute of silence, Lelandi said, "Of course, Chester. I see what you mean. I came here to chase after Darien, but I had to get rid of my sister first."
"Exactly. My point being that even Darien's brothers are suspect. Darien himself also, if you want to go that far. What about Sheriff Sheridan? He hasn't taken a vacation in ten years and then he suddenly ups and goes on one?"
"Wait a blamed minute," Uncle Sheridan said. "I earned that damned vacation."
"Not to mention Uncle Sheridan wanted to get out of town before the second annual fair arrived," Jake said.
Chester raised his hands in conciliation. "I'm saying we can't look at only the ones we suspect, but those who appear to be above suspicion. Keep an open mind. I have to in this business. But it's easier for me since I'm not connected to anyone in town."
"I'm not investigating Lelandi, my brothers, or Uncle Sheridan and if this is the kind of bull---"
Chester raised his brows. "You want solid proof." He dug around in his jeans pocket and pulled out a bullet and bullet casing. "I found the bullet casing up on the ridge."
"The shooter's," Tom said.
"I found the bullet several feet short of where the dead gunman's body had lain. Now, what if Silva's bullet fell short, but someone else fired at the same time? Did anyone hear separate shots fired?"
"Yes. The gunman shot Sam in the arm first," Darien said.
"But at least two more shots were fired. One that hit the gunman, fatally wounding him, and the other that missed its mark."
Uncle Sheridan put the bullet and casing into a plastic evidence bag. "I'll get these checked right away."
"You might want to ask Silva if she heard another shot fired or anyone moving around near her. Smelled anyone, sensed she wasn't alone."
"I've already asked her and she said no," Darien said. "What about Lelandi's parents?"
Lelandi's eyes widened.
"Sorry, I meant to mention that first. Her cousin Ural and I had a nice, long chat. He learned your parents were being targeted for termination so that your father couldn't object to your mating Crassus. Ural moved them to Oregon, somewhere safe, then staged the car accident. When he came back for you, he discovered your pack leader had already posted a guard. So Ural waited until you escaped. He followed you here, discovered your sister had died, and wanted to take you with him to see your parents."
"Jeez, why didn't he say so? Do you have any proof they're alive?" Lelandi asked, her face growing red.
Chester handed her a letter. "Your mother's handwriting, correct?"
Lelandi's eyes misted as she read the note. "It is." She choked up. "My mother says my father wants me to join them, and that they're with my brother and uncle."
"You'll stay with me." Darien tightened his hold on her hand. "They can live with our pack."
She shook her head. "Knowing my father, he wouldn't want to live with a gray pack, no offense."
"As long as you don't mind..." He watched her, waiting for her response.
"I want to see them. Do they know about Larissa? They must if Ural has talked to them." She sank into the cushions, looking drained and Darien wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Sam hollered into the house from the front door. "Sorry for the interruption folks, but there's a Miss Carol Wood here to see Lelandi. Is she free to speak with her?"
Lelandi closed her eyes, then opened them, so not wanting to talk to the poor lady. First this business about her parents---she couldn't be more pleased they were safe, but she knew how badly they must feel that Larissa was dead. And Carol---she must be feeling horrible about losing both Doc and Ritka, despite their deaths not being her fault.
"I'm not hiring her at the hospital if she thinks she can win you over and try to get to me." Darien patted Lelandi's leg. His chin was down and his eyes were narrowed, conveying a guarded threat.
"You have nothing to worry about." Lelandi rose from the sofa and the men all stood.
Carol and Sam remained in the chilly foyer waiting for her, Sam's expression solemn, Carol's even grimmer. Her vivid blue eyes, wearing a wealth of worry, watched Lelandi, then she turned her attention back to the living room that was hidden from their view in the foyer. None of the men talked and Lelandi wondered if that was making Carol uncomfortable, or if it was the way Sam, as big as he was, continued to chaperone them.
Lelandi took a deep settling breath and reached for Carol's hand. She didn't want to make friends with a human. Keeping the lupus garou secret precluded that, but she had to know what this was about. "Let's go to the sunroom. Even though it's pretty cold out, someone probably started a nice fire. If it's not comfortable enough, we can find some other spot to sit."
"I...I didn't mean to disturb you after what happened, but we have to talk."
Lelandi led Carol through the living room where the men all stood up from the couches and chairs. "Ladies," Darien said, his expression hard.
As if he had to warn her not to get too friendly with a human. She gave him an annoyed look back. Carol noticed; her anxious expression didn't waver.
They walked to the back of the house and Lelandi opened the door to the sunroom. Two men she didn't know were talking inside, but as soon as they saw Lelandi and Carol they both made their excuses and left the room. Lelandi shut the door and motioned to a couch that faced the fireplace and a floor-to-ceiling window that showed the winter scene outside.
"Unusually early snow," Carol remarked.
But Lelandi knew Carol wasn't there for chitchat. She wasn't sure how to approach a human about human frailties. But she could be a good listener. So instead of saying anything, she sat in the chair close to the end of the pale green couch where Carol perched herself.
Carol spoke low. "I'm sick with worry for your safety."
Lelandi tried to hide her surprise, but she was afraid she'd failed.
"I...I felt terrible about Doctor Oliver and Nurse Ritka. I...I didn't save their lives." Carol quickly brushed away tears.
Lelandi reached over and took hold of her hand and squeezed. "You did everything you could for them. I know you did."
"Do you believe in fate? That our lives are predetermined? That nothing we do will change our fate? Do you?" Carol pulled her hand away from Lelandi's and pushed her fingers through her wind-tousled blonde curls. "I saw Joe Kelly shoot Doctor Oliver."
"Yes, of course you did."
"No...no. I saw it happen before it happened. Don't you see? I have these damned psychic abilities, and what do they do for me? Nothing. I couldn't save him, could I? I came to stop Doctor Oliver from confronting Joe. But instead I got him killed."
"No." Lelandi moved to the couch. She put her arm around Carol's shoulders and realized how much it was like when she comforted her sister after her mate beat her. Regret filled her with a sense of loss, knowing she could never comfort her sister again. But she wanted to help Carol get through her troubles now. "Joe intended to kill Doc. He told me so."
Carol pulled a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. "You're not safe with them."
"With Darien and his brothers?" Lelandi had a very bad feeling about this.
Carol's eyes glistened with fresh tears. "You don't know what they are. But if you stay with them, they'll make you one of them."
Lelandi's heartbeat did double time, but she tried to keep the panic hidden. If a human learned the truth about the lupus garous, Bruin discretely terminated them. A car accident, drowning, whatever it took to make it appear the human had met his end accidentally. But she couldn't be sure Carol knew about the lupus garous either.
"What do you mean?" Lelandi asked as innocently as she could manage.
Carol studied her face for what seemed an eternity. Lelandi's hands grew sweaty.
"You're not one of them already, are you?" Carol looked down at the floor as if she was considering something, then her head rose quickly, and she looked at Lelandi's face again, her own filled with horror. She jumped up from the couch, then offered a fake smile, her body trembling slightly. "I've got to get home and feed my cat. I forgot to leave food out for him."
Lelandi had to stop her from leaving. She had to know the truth. Did Carol realize what they were? With the gentlest of touches, she reached out to Carol. "You're right, I'm in a lot of danger. I don't have anyone to talk to because Darien doesn't want me involved. But I am involved. Will you listen?"
Carol glanced back at the door like a rabbit looking for a quick escape from the little red wolf.
"Carol." Lelandi resumed her seat on the overstuffed chair next to the couch, trying to put some distance between them so the woman wouldn't feel so cornered. A secret for a secret? She had to know what Carol suspected. "Someone was blackmailing my sister."
Carol hesitated.
"Maybe you can help me find out who with your special abilities." She raised her brows. "I don't know if this person was the one who killed her or not, but..."
Carol sat down on the couch, leaned forward, and patted Lelandi's hand. "Do you have any suspects?"
Lelandi's heart filled with hope that Carol might be able to help her, but she shook her head. "No one that I have any evidence on. But Ritka and her girlfriends hated Larissa. With her out of the way, they had a chance to..." She almost said mate. She wasn't used to having a human confidant. Rubbing her arms, she let out her breath. "Darien would be available to marry again. Maybe one of them was the blackmailer. Maybe they thought he'd divorce her if...oh, I don't know."
"No," Carol said with certainty.
"No?"
"All three."
Lelandi closed her gaping mouth and stared at the petite woman.
"I'm just supposing here, but the three of them were Super-Glued together. If one did it, the others were bound to know. But the others would want a share, too. What would they blackmail her about?"
"She was already married."
"Oh. You're a prisoner here, aren't you?"
"Darien is determined to keep me safe, but I want to find out who was blackmailing my sister and who killed her."
"You're not one of them, are you?" Carol asked again, her expression hopeful.
"No, of course not. I'm not from here and---"
"I've seen things that no one should ever witness. Unnatural things."
Oh, god, no, no, Carol, don't say it.
Carol glanced back at the door, then turned to Lelandi. "They're part of some cult. When the moon appears, they strip off their clothes, then cover themselves in animal skins and run around in the woods howling."
Lelandi barely breathed. "You've seen Darien and the others do this?"
"Well, no, not for real."
"Are they like nightmares?"
"You can say that again. It's always dark and difficult to make out what's happening because the cool night air mixes with the sun-warmed earth, creating a screen of fog. Some of the men and women have sex in the wilderness like they're a bunch of wild animals. You know, the men mounting the women from behind."
"In animal skins?"
"Yeah." Carol looked at her curiously. "You wouldn't do that, would you?"
"Sounds a little kinky. Although I recall you saying you wished you could tell someone you'd never meet again about a sexual fantasy of yours."
"That's definitely not one of them." Carol shook her head a little too vigorously.
"I'm certain Darien and his family and friends aren't a part of a cult. He's too busy running the factory and silver mine."
"You're probably right. But some of the people living here are in it. You have to believe me."
"Are your psychic powers ever wrong?"
"Sometimes I have difficulty sorting out what everything means. I saw an injured girl and felt the pain in her leg, saw her washed in a blanket of white mist. I guessed later it was the girl you rescued in the woods during the blizzard before Joe kidnapped you. But I couldn't see where she was, who she was, what happened to her, who was with her. The visions are not all that clear most of the time."
"Like a nightmare? Where the dreams are mixed up and run together with the oddest images?"
"Maybe," Carol said, but she sounded like she didn't think so, that she figured Lelandi didn't believe her. "I...I felt bad when Joe took you hostage. I hadn't seen that happen. I don't know why I can see some things and not others."
"What do you see now? Anything in my future?"
"A man threatens to take you back home. He's a redhead, not as tall as Darien, but heavyset. And he has a savage streak."
Lelandi's heart fluttered. "Crassus."
Carol stood and began to pace. "But there's someone else. A man. I can't see who, but I sense he holds a lot of anger, directed at your sister, then at you. You're not only the embodiment of Larissa, but you're trying to find her killer---him. He's frustrated because he hasn't been able to get to you. But he's someone Darien trusts."
Chill bumps erupted on Lelandi's arms. "You don't know who he is?"
"No."
"Do you know how he plans to kill me?"
"I don't know." Carol tried to smile. "I really admire you. No matter what, you stand up for yourself. I wish I could be more like that."
"I think you are, Carol."
"Yeah, and I still don't have a job at the hospital. But you never give in. If I see anything else, I'll...I'll let you know."
Lelandi stood and took Carol's hand, but Carol gave her a warm hug back. "Somehow we've been thrown together...maybe because our sisters both died and were so depressed. I don't know. But I...I have to help you if I can."
"Thank you, Carol. Maybe with your abilities, you can." But how in the hell could Lelandi help Carol? If anyone learned she might be seeing lupus garous mating in the woods on moon-filled nights, the powers-that-be would eliminate her.
"I've got to get home," Carol said. "I really did forget to feed Puss this morning. He'll be roaring by the time I return."
"I'll walk you to the front door. If you learn anything more..."
"I'll call you."
Lelandi shook her head.
Carol ran her hand over her arm. "I'll drop by. They'll be listening in on your phone conversations, won't they?"
Lelandi snorted. "Probably. They think everyone's suspect."
"Rightly so. First, that guy shot you, then Joe took you hostage, then...why were you in the blizzard with the girl who'd been injured?"
Lelandi smiled. "Searching for evidence about my sister. I escaped the house." Her smile faded. "But it won't happen again."
"I can see why not. You could have died out there." Carol opened the door to the sunroom, and they headed to the living room.
The men stood. Darien's face looked dark and his brothers and the others---Chester, Sam, Uncle Sheridan---all looked as concerned. Had one of them listened in on Carol's conversation with Lelandi through a vent or some damned thing?
"Can I have a word with you, Miss Wood?" Darien motioned to the sunroom.
Carol looked like she was ready to have heart failure.
Lelandi's whole body chilled with fear, and she felt sick to her stomach.
Jake said to Lelandi, "I need to talk to you. Do you mind?"
Torn, she didn't know what to do. She wanted to protect Carol from her mate when she should have been totally loyal to him and to the pack, to all lupus garous, first and foremost. Darien gave her a look like she better do what was expected of her.
That's when Lelandi snapped.
"Sure, but I want to see what Darien has to say to Carol first." She gave the men all her sweetest smile, faked to high heaven.
"Fine." Darien didn't sound like it was fine with him.
The three of them walked into the sunroom. Carol looked pale and as uncomfortable as if Darien and his family had just pronounced she was a witch and at any moment the inquisition would burn her at the stake. Lelandi didn't feel much better.
None of the men looked happy with either Lelandi or Carol. But Lelandi didn't care. If Carol hadn't wanted to help her, the woman wouldn't be in this untenable situation now.
Darien waited for them to sit and then gave his full attention to Carol as if Lelandi wasn't there. "I'm concerned about Lelandi's health," he said smoothly.
Carol glanced at Lelandi, her look one of disbelief. Lelandi was sure she appeared as astonished. What the hell was he up to?
"We're afraid someone plans to kill her, and that's why she's constantly under guard. She wants to learn who blackmailed her sister and murdered her. But I can't let her run around town on her own. You know what's happened to her already. In that light and because you're unhappy with your job prospect as a nurse at the school, I'm offering you a job as Lelandi's personal nurse. If anything should happen to her, your medical knowledge could save her life. Your salary would be commensurate with what you would earn at the hospital, but you would only need keep Lelandi company when she wishes it."
"But I have a cat and..."
"Jake will see to the cat's care. Doc Mitchell will board him until you're ready to return home."
Lelandi felt cornered into making a decision. But she was certain if she didn't agree, Carol's life would hang in the balance. "Until you can catch the bastard who murdered my sister, I think it's a perfect solution, Darien. Of course, if you agree to it, Carol."
Carol didn't appear comfortable with agreeing to the conditions of her new employment. "Would I be free to go and---"
"No." Darien's face remained stern, determined. He would have his way, one way or another.
"If I don't?"
He shrugged. "You're free to go. It's up to you. I would hope that you'd consider my terms favorably for Lelandi's sake though. If you don't stay here around the clock, however, there's no sense in you being here. Who knows when the killer will strike again?"
"Can I go home and get some clothes?"
"Tom will take you."
"All right." Carol offered a smile, but the warmth didn't reach her eyes. "I'll do this for Lelandi. And hope to god I can make a difference if need be." She rose from the couch.
"Good." Darien motioned to the door and when he opened it, he said, "Tom, take Miss Wood to her place to get some clothes. Jake, you can take her cat to Doc Mitchell's for boarding until we get this situation cleared up with Lelandi."
Carol still looked like she thought they were going to burn her at the stake.
"I'll see you in a little bit," Lelandi promised. "I haven't baked anything in eons with my sister. Maybe we can whip up something."
"An apple pie?"
Darien looked somewhat mollified with Lelandi's response. "Run her by the grocery store and get whatever ingredients they need."
Carol's expression brightened and she had more of a spring to her step when she left the house with Darien's brothers. But as soon as the door shut, Darien gave Lelandi a look like she'd overstepped her bounds. He took her hand and led her up the stairs without saying a word and although everyone watched them, no one said anything either. She was in trouble now.
She had no good reason for getting on Darien's bad side either. If Carol knew they were lupus garous, she put them all at risk. Lelandi had no business covering for her.
When they reached the bedroom, Darien released her and shut the door. She felt small and unworthy under his steely gaze. She didn't say anything, not sure how to respond, and he finally blew out his breath. "What the hell was that all about?"
"She wanted to warn me I was in danger. We all know that. So what's the big deal?"
"Lelandi." Darien ran his hands up and down her arms. "She's dangerous. How long have you known she has psychic abilities?"
"I've only met her once before."
"And she told you then?"
Tears filled her eyes. "I...I don't want her killed."
He held her tight and kissed her forehead. "We have to do what's right for the pack. In days gone by, we could have someone institutionalized if they'd seen one of us turn wolf. But we can't do that anymore. If she does have visions that involve you and whoever this maniac is, I want her here. And I want to know about it immediately. We'll put her talent to good use and take it from there."
"And when she's not of any more use...?"
"I'm sure we can work something out."
Lelandi didn't think he would. The pack took priority. Lupus garou took priority. One human woman was of little consequence.
"Do you believe she sees us as humans wearing animal skins, howling at the moon?"
"She says it's dark. And it would be for her. We can see at night. She wouldn't be able to."
"And there's a fog. Yet, she seems to see a hell of a lot despite it being nighttime while the cultists run around in a fog."
"What are you implying?" Lelandi asked.
"I'm implying that she sees us as wolves, not as humans wearing furs. She was testing your reaction, seeing how you responded to the news."
"Because she's afraid I'd think she was crazy?"
He kissed her cheek. "Or, because you're one of us, and she wanted to see if you'd betray this."
"Does she think I am?" Lelandi asked.
"What do you believe?"
"At first, I don't believe she thought I was. Then something made her reconsider. In the end, I felt she wasn't sure. Maybe she trusted me. Until you said she had to stay here."
"For your safety and hers. If anyone found out she might be able to identify whoever murdered Larissa, Carol would be a dead woman." Darien paused for a minute, letting the seriousness of the situation sink in.
"Oh, I hadn't thought of that."
"If any of the lupus garous of the pack discovered she might be able to tell the world about us, one of them might not wait for me to make a decision concerning her disposition."
"I understand fully."
He hugged her tightly, wanting to keep her safe from all the evils of the world, but already he was worrying about Carol and her abilities to see the lupus garous as they were, and what he would have to do if things got out of hand. He knew if he didn't handle the matter right, he'd end up driving a wedge between himself and his mate.
AFTER SETTLING IN, LELANDI AND CAROL MADE TWO APPLE pies, while Tom and Jake took Darien aside to speak to him privately in his office. He figured there had been more trouble with their new live-in guest.
"Carol tried to sneak a gun into her bag, but I told her you and your men were the only ones who would be armed. She didn't like it, but finally gave in," Tom said.
"She's going to be a problem. But maybe she can use these abilities of hers to warn us before whoever murdered Larissa strikes at Lelandi again," Darien said.
A rapping at the door sounded.
"Yes?" Darien asked gruffly.
Lelandi opened the door, her face strained.
"Where's Carol?" Darien asked, already leaving the office. He was sure the woman would attempt to flee if given the opportunity. She didn't appear to be the fighting sort.
Lelandi grabbed his arm. "Darien, Silva's here helping her with the pies. But Carol had a...premonition. A group of men are coming to see you. They're angry, but they're not the real problem. Another group is planning on slipping into a bedroom to steal me away. She doesn't see what happens afterward, just that we've got trouble coming soon."
Darien's phone rang and Tom grabbed it off the desk. "Yeah?" He looked up at Darien, his expression darkened. "Uncle Sheridan says he couldn't keep the reds at Hastings B&B. They're on their way here."
When everyone glanced at Lelandi, she lifted a shoulder. "Carol sees things sometimes. I guess she really does have psychic abilities."
He was having a hard time believing it, but already adrenaline was coursing through his veins, getting him ready for a fight. "Tom, tell Uncle Sheridan I want him and both his deputies here." Darien took Lelandi's hand and kissed it, hoping not to show how anxious he was about her. "I want you and Silva in the bedroom."
"And Carol?"
Jake said, "She can't be allowed to see what happens when we have to fight. She'll be traumatized."
Everyone headed out of Darien's office.
Carol would be more than traumatized. Tension filled every muscle in Lelandi's body. She wasn't worried that the grays would beat the reds. Well, maybe a little. Bruin and his brothers could be pretty underhanded and brutal. But she was worried about Carol and Silva, too.
"Uncle Sheridan's getting his deputies and a few others to guard the place," Tom said. "Do you want me to watch Carol?"
"You'll be with Jake. Are you ready to play the alpha leader again?"
Jake gave him an evil smile.
"What about Carol?" Lelandi asked, her blood growing cold.
"Ask her. I'm sure she knows what's going to happen already." He led Lelandi toward the kitchen. "Have both Silva and Carol go with you to the bedroom. You'll watch something on television, pretend like nothing is out of the ordinary."
Uncle Sheridan barged into the house with Peter and Chester McKinley.
"Where's Trevor?" Darien asked, his tone annoyed.
"He's on his way."
"I want to help even though I'm not one of your pack, if you'll let me," Chester said.
Darien glanced out the front window. Several gray wolves were positioning themselves around the estate. "All right. You stay with Jake and Tom."
Darien amazed Lelandi at every turn. Normally, a pack leader wouldn't want interference from a wolf he didn't trust and know well when a serious crisis was at hand.
He kissed Lelandi's cheek. "Go, move the women upstairs."
"Hope the pies are done." She hurried off to the kitchen, praying Darien knew what he was doing concerning Carol and that no one would hurt her in the impending fracas.
"The reds arrived in the drive," Tom warned.
"Carol, Silva, how far along are the pies?" Lelandi asked, her pulse pounding.
Silva gave her a knowing look. "We brought them out to cool."
"Super. Why don't we go up to one of the bedrooms and watch some TV?" She motioned toward the living room.
"Sure, sugar. Sounds like a great idea."
Carol offered a wary smile. "Love to until the pies are ready to eat. We need to make sure we get some before the guys scarf them up."
"You're right about that." Lelandi waited for Silva and Carol to leave first. She tried to keep the panic from her voice, but she was sure both women noticed.
On the way to the stairs, they headed toward the men gathered in the living room.
Darien grabbed Jake's shoulder. "Are you sure you can handle this?"
Jake's face lit up with a sinister cast. "You bet, Darien. They won't know what hit them."
"All right. Uncle Sheridan?"
"All set. Go protect the little lady. You know they'll pull something sneaky to take her out of here."
"Chester?"
"I'm with you. Thanks for trusting in me."
"Sam?"
Sam patted Tom on the shoulder. "We'll take care of Jake in case anything gets out of hand."
"Where's Trevor?" Silva asked.
"Late. I'm sure he has a damned good excuse though," Darien said, his words sarcastic.
Lelandi thought Silva had given up on that worthless Trevor. What now? "Is Jake going to be all right?"
"Jake will be fine. Every time I have to leave town, he takes over." Darien looked at Peter. "Ready?"
"Yes, sir."
A knock sounded at the front door and Darien took Lelandi's hand and rushed her up the stairs with Silva and Carol following, and Peter bringing up the rear. "You were supposed to be upstairs already," Darien scolded.
But as soon as Darien and Lelandi reached the landing, he shoved her against the wall, and she smelled the reds' scents, too. "They're here," he whispered. "Must have slipped in before my guards were in place on the property."
Carol's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head. Silva and Lelandi breathed in deeply and listened, trying to sense where the reds were located.
Darien nodded to Peter and they both began stripping out of their clothes.
"Where do you want us to go?" Lelandi asked Darien, knowing he planned to shapeshift and soon couldn't tell her anything.
"Where do you need to go?" Darien deferred to Carol.
She looked too stunned to answer.
Lelandi shook her hand. "Carol. Where do you see that we need to be?"
"We're in a big blue bedroom with a sitting area."
"Darien's bedroom." Lelandi led Carol down the hall with Silva trailing behind.
"A security monitor is in the room. Hit the green switch for the living room. We should be able to hear the conversation," Silva said.
Carol glanced back at Darien---both he and Peter were now naked. Lelandi pulled her into the bedroom so she wouldn't see them shapeshift. No smell of the reds in here. They must have broken into Jake's or...or maybe the guest bedroom, thinking she was still staying there.
In their wolf pelts, Darien and Peter loped after them and Carol cried out.
"Good pet wolves," Lelandi said, patting Darien on the head.
Carol hadn't seen the men transform, but she did see their clothes lying on the floor in the hallway, and Darien and Peter had vanished. She knew.
Lelandi closed the door and Peter sat next to it, his ears perked up, listening.
Silva motioned to one of the two chairs. "I'll put something on. Like comedies?"
Carol nodded heartily, but her attention was glued to Lelandi who flipped on the monitor switch, then took a seat on the bed. Darien jumped up on the mattress and nuzzled her hand with his nose.
She scratched his head and smiled. "Want me to rub your belly, too?"
Peter and Silva glanced back at them.
A wolf that would bear his belly to another showed his complete trust in the other, but Darien pushed his nose into her crotch and sniffed. Smiling, Lelandi shoved his head away. Silva chuckled and turned on the television.
Peter observed Darien and Lelandi for a minute more, then when Darien laid his head on her lap, Peter concentrated on the door.
"I'm Bruin Stillwater," the red pack leader said to Jake downstairs.
Even hearing Bruin's dark voice sent chills streaking down Lelandi's spine. Carol watched the monitor with rapt attention. Silva turned the TV lower.
"I'm the pack leader of Wildhaven."
"Darien Silver of Silver Town. I understand you already know Larissa died," Jake said, his tone conciliatory with a hint of gruffness.
"One of your people murdered her, you mean," Bruin corrected.
"We don't have conclusive evidence either way. It's possible even a red murdered her for mating a gray when she was mated to your brother already. Which of these gentlemen is your brother, Crassus?"
"I'm Crassus."
Lelandi's skin crawled. Whispering, she said, "That's not his voice."
"Then he intends on coming for you," Silva said.
"Crassus," Carol whispered. "The one I saw in the vision."
Lelandi had figured the bastard would come for her. Afraid someone else would fail. And, too, she assumed he wanted to show her how she couldn't escape him. He'd find so much more satisfaction in returning her home if he did so himself.
"As I've already relayed to you through the sheriff, Lelandi belongs to the pack. Now that her sister is confirmed dead, Crassus will mate her. Has in fact---in absentia---as is our right."
"When was this done?" Jake asked.
"You question my honor?"
"I mated her as soon as she arrived here," Jake lied. "You see, we were dream mated. For months we'd made love in our dream states, and she came into her first wolf heat when we met. So you see, we're soul mates. And we won't be separated."
Lelandi glanced at Darien. He had told Jake about her wolf heat? If he'd been in his human form, she would have slugged him.
"You stole Crassus's mate from him. You will give Lelandi back or else..."
The sound of growling came from the hallway. Carol jumped from the chair she was sitting on. Lelandi and Silva rose. "They can't open the door," Lelandi said under her breath. Then she belatedly realized they hadn't locked it and dashed for it.
The door slammed open, throwing her against the wall. She recognized the two reds right away. Carruthers and Connors, the black-haired twin cops from Wildhaven, the two lupus garou that had guarded her back home before she escaped, looking smug, their lips curled up slightly, their amber eyes revealed a small sense of delight in bringing her the news. "You're coming with us. Bruin says."
Then all hell broke loose. Darien lunged for Carruthers and Peter went for Connors. But three red wolves dashed into the room. Carol screamed. Silva grabbed for a lamp while Lelandi searched in Darien's sock drawer. He hadn't put her gun back here. Damn it. Why didn't he tell her where it was? Too late. She and Silva could shapeshift, but Lelandi wasn't any match for a male, gray or red. She was sure Silva wouldn't be either. She seized the other bedside table lamp.
"Get into the bathroom and stay there!" Lelandi shouted at Carol.
But Darien had one of the wolves by the throat, pinning Carol into a corner.
Then Crassus stalked into the room like he owned the place, his strawberry blond hair unbound, his dark eyes challenging her. For an instant, she felt an inkling of terror. He could snap her neck in two and end her life easily. But even worse, he could claim her for his own if he could kill Darien.
Lelandi moved in Carol's direction, her lamp readied, her eyes challenging him back. Cowering before the son of a bitch was not an option. But her heated blood ran cold now. He was bigger, stronger, and meaner than she could ever be. He wouldn't hesitate to take her.
Like most of the reds in his pack, he wasn't tall, but he was bulky, like a football player in his prime and was always itching for a fight. His older brother, Bruin, was the only one stronger, more deadly.
The sound of fighting was going on downstairs, and she hoped Jake and the rest would win against Bruin and his men. More than six reds had come into town.
As if he had no worries, Crassus folded his arms, and his lips rose in a gloating sneer. "Your father wouldn't give you to me. I suspected it had to do with your temper. Would have made our mating much more---challenging. Or it might have been because you hadn't come into a wolf's heat yet, and he was afraid you wouldn't be worth having." His eyes as cold as ash, he added, "But Larissa is dead and you will now be mine."
His words cut through her like an icy blade, but she tried to act nonchalant and waved a hand at Darien who was tackling another wolf. "Meet my mate. You're already too late, Crassus. Live with it."
He reached out to touch Lelandi's hair, but she slapped his hand away. He laughed from the gut, sinister, cruelly. But before she could react, he grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against the wall. A streak of pain slid down her spine, and she dropped the lamp. "You hoped Bruin would give you to another pack member---another subchief, even though your father insisted, but Bruin wouldn't. Not unless I told him I didn't want you. You can't have a gray. You're mated to me, albeit in absentia. But we'll get to the good part after we rid ourselves of the grays."
She struggled to twist free, his meaty hand tightening on her throat. Her vision darkened, she gasped for air, then Darien chomped down on Crassus's arm.
Darien's focus had to remain on the wolves in the room first, more deadly with their powerful bites, more of a threat than any of those in their human forms. But as soon as Crassus grabbed Lelandi's throat, Darien had to get rid of the wolf he was fighting, then he aimed for the bastard. No contest existed between a wolf and a human, and he'd hoped the beast would have changed so he could take care of him wolf to wolf.
As soon as Darien bit Crassus's arm, he screamed and released Lelandi. He ripped off his shirt, though his swarthy face exuded pain, and he struggled with the effort, his arm dripping with blood.
The twin cops who had entered the room initially, quickly turned wolf to deal with Peter now that the other reds were dead. Darien bit one of them while he waited for Crassus to change.
Lelandi was still clutching her throat, trying to draw air into her lungs when Carol cried out. She slid to the floor, her eyes dazed, her throat dripping with blood from a nasty gash. Lelandi skirted around the four wolves battling each other and reached Carol, her hand on her throat, stemming the blood. "Ohmigod, Carol. You'll be...all right." Some reassurance. It didn't matter that Carol's death would be the easiest solution now that she knew they were lupus garous. Lelandi desperately wanted her to live.
Silva was already on the phone. "Angelina, call Nurse Matthew right away and dispatch him to Darien's home. We have multiple injuries." She clicked off the phone and punched in numbers. "The new male nurse is on his way," she said to Lelandi. She paused. "Charlotte? It's Silva. Come right away to Darien's house. We've got casualties, but the fight's still ongoing."
Silva hung up the phone and climbed over the bed to get to Lelandi, while Crassus ditched his trousers and shapeshifted. "Is she going to live?"
Lelandi yanked a pillowcase off one of the pillows and applied pressure to the wound. She didn't think Carol was going to make it. The woman's heartbeat was fading, and she was bleeding too much. "I...I don't know what to do."
"I'll get some of that leftover bandaging Doc gave me to use on your wounds." Silva climbed back over the bed and raced into the bathroom.
Standing as a wolf, Crassus bared his teeth at Darien. Crassus looked so damned arrogant. Didn't he know he was no match for a gray alpha pack leader?
The two circled each other while Peter and the remaining red stopped to watch the fight between a leader and a subchief. Silva returned with the bandaging and she and Lelandi bound Carol's wound. Darien lunged at Crassus, but the wolf twisted away so hard to avoid Darien's snapping jaws, he fell on his butt, then quickly retreated.
"Hell, there's more of them!" someone shouted from downstairs.
Lelandi took her eyes off Darien and Crassus to look at Silva. She looked as worried as Lelandi felt.
"No, they're going after the reds."
Lelandi's mouth dropped slightly. What reds in their right mind would fight Bruin and his pack here? Then anger welled up to volcanic proportions deep inside her---not her emotions, but her brother's, the symbiotic reaction she had when her sister or brother's feelings ran high. Leidolf was here.
Darien took a chunk out of Crassus's ear, and he fell away in a panic, his ear bleeding. But Darien didn't wait for another run. He cornered the red, bottled him between the sofa and the wall and leapt in the air.
Crassus yelped before Darien planted his teeth into his neck. It was the last sound the bastard would ever make as Darien's canines snapped the wolf's neck in half, then released him.
"Where are you, Lelandi, Silva?" Nurse Grey cried out from downstairs as lamps and tables crashed downstairs.
"Upstairs, end of hall, Darien's room. Hurry!" Lelandi shouted.
Darien eyed the lone red wolf standing next to Peter, but he tucked tail and lay down on his stomach.
Nurse Grey and Matthew bolted upstairs with a medical kit. "Oh my, what's happened?"
"Can you take care of her?" Lelandi asked, holding Carol's hand.
"Yes, let me get in there and I'll see what I can do."
"I'll...I'll be right back." Lelandi dashed out of the room and down the hall.
"Lelandi!" Silva shouted. "No, wait!"
Darien chased Lelandi down the stairs, and she was sure if he could, he would force her back into the bedroom to keep her out of harm's way. But her brother was in the thick of it, and she couldn't let anyone in Darien's pack kill him, mistaking him for the enemy.
"No!" she yelled, trying to get beyond the grays to get closer to her brother, but one of the grays snapped at her, keeping her away from the reds battling each other. Her brother was fighting Bruin, and the grays were letting him? Then she saw another familiar red, her uncle, tearing into Bruin's youngest brother, Cindon---as mean-hearted as Crassus and Bruin. It was rumored their father was a real psycho and bullied them until they became just like him.
Her uncle turned his head in her direction briefly. He shielded bared teeth instantly, his look shifting from her to Darien standing next to her, his stance protective. Her heart lifted to see both her uncle and brother back together again. But then she cringed when Bruin knocked Leidolf on his hip.
Leidolf quickly recovered and dodged the heavier wolf's lunge. Bruin weighed at least forty pounds more than her brother, was shorter and stockier and thicker necked. But Leidolf had a regal way of moving, swiftly, silently, dangerously. He'd taken down a stag without a sound, killed a bear that had attacked her mother when they were living in the mountains, and now he seemed even more serious, determined, deadly.
Darien watched, as if he was ruler of all the land, and the tournament was for his and his courtiers' sport. Everyone's tongues panted from exertion and blood tinged a fair amount of the wolves' pelts. A couple sat down. The rest stiffly observed, wary of the fight, promising to take on the pack leader and his brother if the reds who fought them lost the game. Old Mr. Hastings, who had shouted that her brother and uncle had arrived, was the only one in human form.
Darien glanced up at Lelandi and licked her hand. She crouched down next to him, wrapped her arm around his neck, and gave him a hug. "Thanks for avenging my sister's tormenter." She spoke loud enough for Bruin to hear.
He jerked his head in her direction, and Leidolf slammed into him, knocking the pack leader off his pads. He crashed into a table and broke one of the legs. Leidolf growled low at Bruin, then savagely attacked his throat. Bruin bit back, but Leidolf held on for dear life, growling. After several seconds that felt like hours, Bruin sank to the floor, dead.
Uncle Hrothgar seemed to smile, then he tackled Bruin's last living brother, biting him in the face when Cindon turned his head to protect his throat. None could be left standing if they were to oust the red pack from their lands.
Two more of the grays sat down, the fight nearly ended.
Silva came down the stairs and gave Lelandi a somber nod. But Lelandi didn't know how to take the message. She wanted to check on Carol, but she had to see her uncle win against Bruin's brother.
Leidolf watched their uncle for a minute, then turned his attention on her. He was heaving with weariness, but anger still filled his soul. His gaze shifted to Darien. He knew. He understood she was his now, and she sensed he didn't like it. He didn't have to like it. He'd left them to fend for their own, and she'd found her soul mate.
Uncle Hrothgar pounced again at Cindon, this time snapping his neck in two like Darien had done to his brother, Crassus. For several minutes, no one did anything, the grays watching what the red wolves did next, and the reds eyeing Darien.
"My brother, Leidolf." Lelandi stood and motioned to the red wolf standing next to Bruin's dead body. "And Uncle Hrothgar." She motioned to the other.
Darien panted, then licked Lelandi's hand and ran up the stairs. Still, no one moved, waiting for Darien's word.
A few minutes later, he returned dressed in his jeans, while he yanked a shirt on, a trail of blood running down his chest. "Leidolf," he addressed Lelandi's brother first. Then he bowed his head slightly at Uncle Hrothgar. "Welcome to my pack."
The two considered Lelandi, then loped out through the front door.
Darien gave her a weary smile and kissed her cheek. "Change, and get this place cleaned up," he said to his pack. He looked around and frowned. "Where the hell is Trevor?"
Uncle Sheridan jerked on his clothes and gave a disgruntled growl. "I'll check into it and let you know." He took off for his truck.
Darien still couldn't believe Lelandi's brother and uncle had arrived so unexpectedly, but he suspected Ural must have sent word to them.
Tall for a red, a man walked back into the house, his chestnut hair tinged red, his eyes as jade as Lelandi's, narrowed, wary. Darien suspected his height had to do with his royal heritage and the fact he was directly related to the first lupus garou---a gray. His body erect, wiry, ready for confrontation, a proud and sturdy jaw, angry lips and brows deeply furrowed defined him. Again he looked at Lelandi like she belonged to him, and he wanted her back. Lelandi's uncle walked in afterward, somewhat older, same height, more cautious, a lot less cocky.
"She's mine," Darien growled, unable to welcome the intruder like he'd intended, unable to curb his feral possessiveness when it came to his mate.
Leidolf cocked his head slightly, his lips curving upward a hint.
Lelandi stood stock still, not saying a word, but her eyes were wide and expressive. She appeared worried that Darien and Leidolf would fight.
Darien took the aggressive red male's cue though, and bowed his head as Tom and Jake flanked him. "She is mine," he reiterated, not about to make any flowery speeches.
Leidolf kissed Lelandi on the cheek, and she appeared to be holding her breath, pale and unsure of herself.
"So it seems," Leidolf said, his voice a deep, threatening timbre. "I had planned to bring Lelandi home to my pack."
Lelandi let out her breath. "To Wildhaven? You'll lead them now?"
"No, in Oregon. Mother and Father have joined me there. Uncle Hrothgar will take on the pack in Wildhaven. Will you come with me?" He lightly took hold of her arm as if to persuade her to follow his lead.
"No, Leidolf." Her cheeks reddened and she jerked her arm out of his grasp. "You left us two years ago! We could have used your help! You think you can waltz in here and dictate to me because now you're a pack leader? That would be the day."
"Then, that's settled. Several prime-aged reds joined the pack and were looking for a mate and were very much interested when I said my sister was available, but..." Leidolf gave a shrug and cast Darien a seething look.
So, had Leidolf already promised his sister to a pack member? When a pack had a severe shortage of females as many do, bringing in eligible mates could improve a new leader's standing, not to mention it tied more of the clan's loyalty with the bond created. Darien folded his arms, trying to appear relaxed, but if Leidolf grabbed Lelandi's arm again...
"I'm not available. I'm mated. And this is where I'm staying."
Loving seeing Lelandi's ire unloaded on her brother after what he'd pulled, Darien agreed.
Leidolf shook his head. "I don't approve."
Darien ground his teeth. If Leidolf had any intention of taking Lelandi with him, Darien would shapeshift and change the red's mind.
"But what's been done, can't be undone under our laws. If your mate should ever expire and you want a home with us, you'll be welcome, Lelandi." Leidolf turned to Darien. "If you'll permit me, I'll take Ural off your hands. He'll return with me to my pack."
"Gladly," Darien said.
She kissed her brother on the cheek. "Be safe, my brother. I'd like to visit you and your pack soon." She squeezed his hand, released him, then wrapped her arm around Darien's waist. "With my mate."
The phone rang and Lelandi gave a little start. Tom grabbed the phone half-buried under the sofa. "Yes, Uncle Sheridan? I'll tell Darien you haven't located Trevor yet. Darien wants Ural released into the red's care and they're leaving. Leidolf will meet you at the jail."
"Would you stay and share a meal with us at least, brother?" Lelandi asked.
"Some other time," he said, his eyes still challenging Darien.
Darien pulled Lelandi out of the red's path, glad her brother was leaving. Jake finally moved aside, his posture stiff, his gaze intent on Leidolf.
Leidolf smirked at Darien. "You're lucky you had brothers. Sisters can be so much trouble."
Darien could imagine.
Turning to Darien, Tom asked, "Should I go with Leidolf?"
"No need," Leidolf dismissed him with a wave of his hand, then stalked toward the front door.
Darien was glad Lelandi didn't have any airs.
Leidolf yanked open the door and turned to Darien. "Take care of her, better than you did our sister Larissa." His conveyed the deadly threat with a look of contempt.
Darien wouldn't be tested, but Lelandi jerked free from him and slugged Leidolf in the shoulder. "You're a real bastard. We had to fend for ourselves. You should have protected Larissa from Crassus's brutality. You! And you should have forced Mother and Father to move before the demon took Larissa as his mate."
Leidolf's darkened eyes softened. "If I had, Larissa would have been alive, granted. But you would have been mated to one of my reds, and not to the one you've given your heart to." He bowed his head and stalked out the door.
The phone rang in Tom's hand, and he lifted it to his ear. "Uncle Sheridan? Sure."
He handed the phone to Darien. "He's steaming."
"That son of a bitch knocked Trevor out and already freed Ural from the jail. Trevor's tied up like a calf, fuming, ready to kill a couple of reds. But he's all right. What do you want me to do?" Uncle Sheridan asked.
"Release him."
"Leidolf?"
"Trevor."
Leidolf and her uncle got into the Humvee and Ural waved out the window. "See ya later, Lelandi. Don't be a stranger," Ural shouted.
Darien pulled Lelandi into his embrace and hugged her hard. "Whenever you want to see your family, I'll take you."
"You're my family now. But I'd like to see my parents. Oh...oh, Carol."
Darien motioned to Jake. "See how she is."
Darien moved Lelandi back into the living room where the furniture had been righted and the table with the broken leg removed. Bruin's body and his brothers' and the rest of his men's had been taken from the house. "Where's the red who gave up the fight?" Darien asked Peter.
"He took off when Bruin died."
Jake ran down the stairs. "I'm taking Carol to the hospital. Anybody else need patching up, come along with me. Nurse Grey and Matthew will take care of the injuries."
"Is she...she..." Lelandi swallowed hard.
Jake scratched his stubbly chin. "You know how a little lupus garou genetics help with the healing process."
"She's...she's turned?" Lelandi asked.
Darien took a deep breath. "That solves one problem."
"Like hell it does," Jake said, scowling. "She's already bitching about wanting to be a nurse at the hospital...again."
And there would be more trouble inherent with a newly turned lupus garou in the pack---particularly a female. Which of the wolves had so savagely bitten her? A red, because she was easy prey, or a gray to get rid of the threat to their kind. "Who bit her?"
Jake snorted. "One of the reds. Seems red females are going to be overrunning the pack."
"Hmpfh. Guess you'll have to get used to it." Looking up at Darien, Lelandi tightened her grasp on his hand. "Now can she be on the hospital staff?"
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, LELANDI TOOK A DEEP BREATH AS she and Silva headed for Carol's hospital room, hoping Carol would be awake this time.
"Nobody's turned a human in the last one-hundred and thirty years in Silver Town," Silva said, her voice hushed. "I can't even imagine what she might be feeling."
"Angry maybe. Frustrated. Probably scared. I still can't believe the bite turned her instead of killing her since she lost so much blood."
"Carol's a fighter." Silva sounded proud of her.
"Good thing, too." Lelandi was grateful Carol had survived but worried about how she would accept all the changes.
Guarding Carol's hospital room, Trevor looked pissed.
Silva straightened and put on her hopeful-smiley look, and Lelandi wanted to slap her. Trevor didn't look at Silva once, but glowered at Lelandi.
"No visitors," Trevor snapped.
"Try and stop us," Lelandi said.
Silva turned her head to conceal a smile.
Immediately, Trevor rose to his six-foot height. "The sheriff said no visitors unless Darien approves."
"Considering the circumstances, he means no human visitors," Silva contradicted him.
"Or, maybe he's concerned for her safety, but we're not a threat," Lelandi said.
Trevor stood firm, his hand resting on the pistol at his hip.
Not wanting to delay seeing Carol and tired of this macho bull, Lelandi stiffened. "Move, deputy, or I'll call Darien. You don't want to explain to him why you won't let his mate see the patient."
His eyes flashed murder, but he shoved his hand at Silva, stopping her from entering. "You're not authorized."
"She's my bodyguard today, Trevor. Don't make this hard on yourself."
He didn't budge.
Palm up, Lelandi extended her hand to Silva. "Phone?"
Silva dug around in her suitcase-sized leather bag. Trevor still wouldn't move, but as soon as Silva found her phone, Trevor growled. "I'll report this to the sheriff."
"Do," Lelandi said with a lift of her chin. Jerk.
Grudgingly, he half-moved out of the doorway so that Lelandi had to brush past him to get into the room. She thought about shoving him out of the way, but rather enjoyed pushing his buttons in a more feminine way. Silva shut the door after them.
Carol watched them from the bed. Sitting up, her face was glum and she turned away. Her neck was bandaged and a light stain of red colored the cloth. Her skin was pale, her blonde curls tangled around her shoulders as if she'd had a bad night's sleep.
Her skin was icy; Lelandi hated being in unfamiliar settings. Dealing with a newly turned lupus garou made her particularly uncomfortable, no matter how hard she tried to shake loose of the feeling. But she couldn't leave the poor woman in isolation either. She wished Silva would help her out, like she usually did in a tense situation, but Silva seemed as unsure as Lelandi as to what to do.
"Carol, we came by to...sit with you for a while," Lelandi said.
"He won't let my parents see me," Carol said softly, blinking away tears.
"Darien?" Lelandi pulled a chair close to the bed.
"Who else?"
"He...he's afraid you'll tell your parents what happened."
Carol gave a derisive laugh. "My parents would have me certified. Just as crazy as my sister. That would really go over well."
"Would you like to see your parents?"
Carol's dull blue eyes sparkled.
Silva wrung her hands.
"One of us will have to stay with you while they visit," Lelandi warned.
Carol quickly nodded.
Silva let out her breath. "Are you sure Darien will approve?"
"Only one way to find out." Lelandi called his cell phone, but there was no answer. Carol's jaw tightened. Lelandi smiled. "Always another way to get around the big boss." She punched in another number and was instantly rewarded.
"This is Tom."
"Lelandi here, visiting Carol at the hospital. She's pretty down. Can you authorize her parents' visit if I stay in the room while they're here?"
"Silva can stay, too," Carol hurriedly said.
Silva smiled and pulled up another chair.
"I'll check with Darien and get back with you." Tom sounded so concerned, she wondered what was up.
"Where is he? I tried calling, but there wasn't any answer."
"The silver mine. An accident occurred with one of the tourist cars on the train."
"Is anyone hurt?"
"I probably shouldn't be telling you this, Lelandi, not until Darien approves. But, Angelina and Hosstene were on the car that Darien said was rigged to break free. The car tumbled down several hundred feet, striking a number of trees before it impacted with a boulder."
Lelandi stared at Silva in disbelief. "Were...were they injured badly?"
"Hosstene was decapitated. Angelina is on her way to the hospital now."
"Why would they have been riding on the train? Only the tourists take that trip, right?"
"Meeting someone? We don't know."
"Murder."
"Seems that way. Darien suspects Angelina, Hosstene, and Ritka were three of the ones blackmailing your sister. He believes whoever rigged the accident is the fourth and wants to eliminate his partners in the crime."
Lelandi sat down hard on the vinyl chair next to the bed. "How bad is Angelina?"
"Several broken bones. Internal bleeding. Not sure of the severity of all her injuries until a doctor takes a look. Darien didn't want to tell you until he was more certain of the women's guilt. Let me speak to Doc Mitchell, will you?"
Lelandi's face warmed. "He's...well, he had to check out Mrs. Fennigan's dog who was having symptoms of a stroke."
Tom didn't say anything for a moment. She was in trouble now. "Who's watching you?" Tom's voice was deep with barely repressed anger, and he sounded like Darien, except he would have sworn.
"Silva."
"Damn it, Lelandi. The murderer is still out there and someone has to watch you at all times. Why the hell didn't Doc Mitchell call in someone else? Forget it. He would have. But you didn't wait. Who's watching Carol's room?"
"Deputy Trevor."
"Fine. Stay there until I can get someone else to the hospital to escort you straight home after your visit."
Not liking that she had to be constantly watched, Lelandi clenched her teeth. "Will do. What about Carol's parents?"
Tom grumbled, "Darien will go ballistic when he learns you've been running around without protection. I'll make arrangements for her parents' visit. But don't you leave there until I have a security detail for you."
"Yes, sir." She smiled and hung up the phone.
"I could hear Tom's voice all the way over here," Silva said.
Carol was frowning so hard, Lelandi took her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Tom will make the arrangements."
"You...you risked your life to be with me?"
"Nonsense," Lelandi said.
But Silva disagreed. "Yes, she did. We were all set on coming here when Doc Mitchell got the emergency call. Peter was supposed to meet us at the house, but when he didn't show on time, Lelandi insisted we get to the hospital. She worried about you and didn't want to wait any longer, assuming Trevor would be here in case anyone threatened her."
"You shouldn't have risked it," Carol scolded.
"How are you feeling?" Lelandi hated that everyone worried about her like she was a child who couldn't deal with adversity.
"My throat still hurts. Tom gave me blood and I'm feeling a little better, but..." She laid her head back against the pillow, her eyes soggy, dark circles coloring the skin.
"Do you...want to talk about it?"
Carol inhaled deeply. "It's driving me crazy. Like Silva, I heard everything Tom said over the phone, he was so angry. I heard him say Hosstene was dead. And Angelina's in a bad way. That Darien thinks they were in on the blackmail. That the car they were riding in was sabotaged. I can even hear your heart beating rapidly. The smell of antiseptics in the room is overwhelming and burning my eyes. Even when the lights were out last night, I could see as if it were daylight. Although it wasn't exactly like daylight. More like a dark day when the clouds are getting ready to dump rain."
"I'm sure it'll take getting used to." Lelandi wished she could give her better advice.
"Is this how it felt when you were turned?" Carol asked.
Silva shook her head. "We were born as lupus garous. In fact, you're in the presence of a royal." Her voice full of pride, she motioned to Lelandi with a bow of her head, and Lelandi rolled her eyes at her.
Carol's eyes grew big. "A royal?"
"What Silva means is I'm a direct descendent of the original lupus garou. We believe he was a Norseman, although no one knows exactly how he contracted the lupus garou condition."
"Some say a wolf bit him but instead of dying, his blood fought off the infection by mutating," Silva suggested.
"I didn't think Lelandi was a werewolf because she's so small compared to the rest of you."
"We're gray wolves." Silva sat taller. "Lelandi's a red."
"Are...are there Mexican werewolves, too? Other kinds?"
"Mexican wolves are really grays," Silva said. "In the Southwest they call them Mexican wolves. And in the Northeast, timber wolves are also grays."
"I don't know about other kinds of lupus garous." Lelandi motioned at the window. "Normally, we don't go searching for other packs unless someone's looking for a mate, and even then, many find rogues instead. But we don't write down the histories about our lines either. Too dangerous. All we know is what's passed down orally from generation to generation."
Carol touched the bandage on her neck. "What kind am I?"
"A red bit you. So now there are two of us in the pack." Lelandi smiled.
"The pack. I'm one of you now?" Carol seemed unsure as to whether this was good news or bad.
"Yes. As long as you wish. Some become loners, rogues. Most stay with a pack for protection."
"What about real wolves? Do they get you mixed up with them?"
Lelandi chuckled. "One time a female wolf in heat lifted her tail and was trying to entice my brother to mate with her. My sister and I couldn't stop laughing. Except the next day, a male loner wolf tried to mate me. Then it wasn't so funny. Leidolf went after him and that was the last we saw of him in our territory."
Carol laughed, then her expression turned contemplative. "I've read a lot about wolf behavior. How once they've chosen a mate, they'll copulate with them several times over and over again, then back up to them, sometimes even putting their leg over them to protect their mate."
"A defensive measure, sure." Lelandi smiled. "But lupus garous are a little more civilized."
"So reds were the first kind of werewolves?"
Silva laughed.
Lelandi looked at her, surprised at her reaction. "Yes, Carol, a red was the first lupus garou."
"A gray." Silva bit her lip, suppressing another giggle.
Carol's brows and lips raised. "The problem with oral history? I thought since Lelandi was a royal and a red, the first must have been a red."
"She's a royal because she has ties to the original, this is true. And she's had very few human influences afterward, but my ancestors say the first was a gray who mated with a petite redheaded Celt. One of her sons mated with another. And so on until eventually a line of reds was born."
Lelandi frowned. "Not true. The first was a red. One of his daughters mated a gargantuan of a berserker, a king of the Norsemen. That's where the first gray line began."
Carol grinned. "I can see living with a gray pack, but being a red, is going to cause me problems already."
Lelandi patted her hand and whispered conspiratorially, "The reds came first. That's all you have to remember. I'll fill you in on the rest later."
Silva gave her a devilish smirk. "I'll bet Darien's never heard that version before. Wonder what he'll think."
"He'll agree with me." Lelandi turned to Carol. "But I have a question for you that's been nagging at me. Darien said you must have seen what happens when we ditch our clothes and mate in the woods. That you didn't see humans wearing animal skins like you said."
Carol's cheeks blossomed with color, and she began playing with her thin blanket. "I...I did see you as werewolves. I was trying to find out if you were one of them. I...I wanted to protect you. I knew it was too late for me."
"Too late for you?"
Carol looked steadily into Lelandi's eyes. "When I had the vision, the scene was set in the woods at night, but I could see as if it was a cloudy day. Just like last night in the hospital room. Which could only mean one thing."
"When the scene you envisioned finally occurs, you would be one of us," Lelandi said.
"Wow," Silva said. "You really can see into the future?"
Sam burst into the room, slamming the door against the wall, his look feral. "Darien read the riot act to the pack. You are not to go anywhere unescorted," he directed at Lelandi.
Silva got up from her chair, sauntered over to Sam, and ran her hands over his sweater-covered chest. While Trevor was watching from the hall, she kissed Sam on the lips. "I missed you, too."
"You know, Silva, you'd think you were afraid of letting our relationship go too far, the way you get me worked up in public, and cool it when we're in private." His hands cupped her face like she was a precious porcelain doll, then he kissed her lips, gently at first, then building up the momentum until her hands pressed against his back, encouraging him to go further.
Lelandi smiled. Trevor looked disgusted and closed the door.
Sam broke the kiss, his breathing labored, and so was Silva's. "Next time, we'll get a room," he promised with a caddish wink.
"Who says I'd be your mate?" Silva's lips curved up a hint, her eyes sparkling.
He chuckled darkly, released her, and motioned to the door. "I'll be right outside while you visit Carol." He gave Lelandi a warning look, then stiffly walked out of the room and shut the door.
"As to your question, Silva, yes, I see glimpses of the future," Carol said, smiling. "You won't be getting a room."
Silva frowned. "Meaning?"
"You two were some of the...pack members I saw in the woods that night."
Lelandi laughed. "Good, that means Trevor's out of the picture."
"That one's dangerous," Carol warned.
"What do you mean?" Lelandi asked. "Do you see his complicity in all this?"
"Can't you hear the threat in his voice? I wouldn't trust him one iota." Carol sipped some water. "Has he ever been treated as a suspect?"
"No." But Carol's comment made Lelandi think of Chester's words. What if it was someone Darien trusted? Someone close to him. "I doubt Darien would suspect him of wrongdoing."
"Was he ever noticeably absent when you needed help?" Carol set the empty cup on the table.
Lelandi refilled it. "When Darien fought Bruin's brother. But my brother had tied him up at the jail cell to free my cousin, Ural. So Trevor was truly all tied up."
"What about when you were shot? Was he with any of the search parties? Also, what about the shooter who killed the gunman? Was Trevor's gun checked?"
"Trevor was taking care of mudslide victims on the highway. And...uhm, I was the shooter," Silva explained.
Carol gave her a puzzled look.
"Long story," Lelandi said. "Silva can tell you about it later. But Chester McKinley discovered another bullet and casing. He thought your bullet fell short, Silva."
Silva's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."
"He gave it to the sheriff to check out."
Carol frowned. "I don't remember reading about any mudslides on the highway in the Silver Town Express. The shooting was important and would make the headlines, but if anyone was injured in the mudslide, it would have been mentioned. What about when that maniac took you hostage? Was Trevor looking for you with the rest of the pack?" Carol asked.
"He was helping the sheriff watch my old pack at Hastings Bed and Breakfast," Lelandi said. Although he'd had perfectly good excuses every time, the feeling there was more to the story made her skin tingle.
"I don't know. I wouldn't trust him."
"Thanks for the warning, Carol. Believe me, I don't."
Silva didn't say anything for several seconds, then she abruptly stood. "Will you two be all right? I'll ask Nurse Grey when Carol can be released."
"Sure." Lelandi exchanged a look with Carol.
Silva gave one of her faked smiles, attempting to hide her anxiety and hurried out of the room. "Be right back, Sam." She closed the door, and her boots clicked down the hall.
"Something's wrong, don't you think?" Carol asked.
"Yeah. Like Silva suddenly became suspicious of something."
"Considering Trevor, right?"
Lelandi took a deep breath. "Since she's had such a crush on him, I think so. She constantly kept tabs on him, until she switched her affections to the one who really counted."
"Sam," Carol said, dreamily. "She couldn't do wrong by him. I have another question though."
Lelandi figured she'd never hear the end of them, although she couldn't blame her. She hadn't even given Carol the spiel concerning the semi-immortal part. And she figured Carol wasn't a virgin. But Lelandi had to warn Carol that she couldn't have casual sexual relations with a lupus garou. That if one acted interested in her---and with shortages in most packs she'd have lots of interest---if she responded in the same way toward a male, she could be mated and it would be a done deal, for life. But this wasn't the time or place to talk about it.
"The bullets that killed Doc Oliver and Ritka were silver, weren't they?" Carol asked.
"Yes."
"But how are werewolves able to work in the silver mine? I mean, they do, don't they? Wouldn't it kill them?"
"No. It's only deadly if it strikes the heart or brain and isn't removed immediately. Silver doesn't bother us otherwise."
"I'm sure you're going to get tired of all my questions."
"Carol, this is such a big change for you. Feel free to ask me anytime. Darien will want you to stay with a pack member until you adjust. The moon's out and whenever it is, the pull to shapeshift can be strong. But since you've been only recently changed and are still injured, you might not experience it for a while."
"Oh, I have to shapeshift then even if I don't---"
"We're here to see our daughter, Carol Wood," a woman said beyond the hospital room door, sounding brusque and noticeably upset.
Lelandi patted Carol's shoulder. "Will you be all right?"
Tears misting her eyes, Carol nodded. "Darien gave me a cover story."
He would. Although Lelandi trusted Carol not to tell her parents what she'd become, she had to stay with them in the room until they left. But she was dying to see what Silva was up to. And she wanted in the worst way to question Angelina.
Sam opened the door and allowed Carol's parents to enter. Their eyes widened when they saw Lelandi with Carol.
"Nurse Grey said you couldn't be seen at first, and we thought you were really bad off. She told us we can't visit for long." Carol's mother grasped her hand, her blonde hair as golden as her daughter's, her eyes as blue. Her father towered over them, but didn't say a word, his rail-thin body bent with weariness, his dark eyes worried.
"You'll be all right, dear?" her mother asked.
Carol managed a small, tearful smile. "I'm fine, Mom. I'll be out of here soon." She motioned to Lelandi. "This is Lelandi. I'm sorry I don't know your last name."
"Silver," Lelandi said.
Carol's mouth gaped. "You married Darien?"
Her mother and father looked as shocked.
"When things aren't so hectic, I'm sure he'll make the announcement." Lelandi hated that part of fitting in with human society. Their kind didn't do the wedding bit. Their mating meant more than any kind of ceremony could mean. They stayed with their spouse until one died. Or at least that's the way they normally lived their lives.
Finally finding her voice, Carol said, "Oh, sure, I knew it would happen sooner than later. I'm so very happy for you. This is my mother, Lori, and my father, Christopher Wood."
"My pleasure," Lelandi said.
"I don't understand. Aren't you the one who was shot a few days ago?" Mrs. Wood took a ragged breath. "Kidnappings, more shootings. And all of it revolves around you." Running her hand over Carol's hair, she said, "Nurse Grey told us a wild wolf bit Carol and it's been destroyed. But why's Deputy Sheriff Trevor Osgood guarding her room? And Sam? What in the world is going on?"
Carol paled even further.
Lelandi realized living with a pack that didn't associate with humans had its advantages. "They're here because of me," she lied.
Mrs. Wood's eyes narrowed. "Then you shouldn't be here. If danger follows you wherever you go, I want you out of here. Now."
Mr. Wood cleared his throat. His wife looked sharply at him. "Honey, if Carol wants Mrs. Silver's company, then don't you think she should have her friendship? Mr. Silver does run the town, and Carol hasn't made any friends since she returned home."
Mrs. Wood looked like she could strangle him with her glare.
"Dad's right. Lelandi made friends with me as soon as I met her." Carol gave her a warm smile.
Lelandi wondered how Carol had ever gotten that notion, but she was glad to be her friend now.
"She's even convinced Darien I should work at the hospital. You know how much I've wanted to."
Great. Put me on the spot, why don't you, Carol?
"I couldn't have asked for a better friend," Carol said. "We're so much alike. I can't even say how much so."
Nurse Grey walked into the room. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask everyone to leave so I can change Miss Wood's bandages. She'll be released tomorrow afternoon."
"Then...then it's not as bad as we expected?" Mrs. Wood asked.
Nurse Grey checked Carol's vital signs. "She'll be fine, but she needs to rest."
"Come back and see me soon," Carol said to Lelandi, her expression mournful.
Lelandi gave her a cheerful smile. "I'll be back later. Behave yourself until then."
"As long as you take Trevor with you."
"I will." Lelandi left the room and snagged Sam's arm, then walked him down to Doc's office. "Tell Darien he needs to remove Trevor from guard duty for Carol."
Sam folded his arms. "He'll want to know a reason."
"Carol's a target, too. Darien knows the specifics as to why. She doesn't feel safe around Trevor. Give her some peace of mind, okay? See if maybe Tom or Jake will watch her in the meantime. I'd do it, if Darien would let me."
Sam gave a snort. "You are supposed to be guarded, not guarding others."
"Right. Or otherwise I'd kick Trevor's butt out of here."
Sam shook his head. "You'd try, too."
"Are you going to make an honest woman of Silva?"
A smile lit Sam's face, but he didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed Doc's phone and made a call. "Darien? Sam here."
Lelandi slipped into the hallway. As soon as she saw Peter guarding a room, she headed in his direction. "Who's in here?"
The deputy quickly stood. "Angelina Mavery."
Lelandi's heart skipped a beat, the idea sinking in that whoever had tried to kill Angelina would try again and now she had to have a guard posted, too. "Do you mind if I see her? I won't take long."
IF PETER DIDN'T HURRY AND ALLOW LELANDI INTO Angelina's hospital room, any number of people---Darien, top of the list---would stop her. Peter looked down at his Stetson in his hands, and then his gaze rose again.
"Peter, please."
"Jake told me you stuck up for me when I fell asleep on guard duty, ma'am."
She wanted to tap her foot in impatience. Time was of the essence, and if Sam discovered she was not with him..."Yes, because you were pulling too many hours."
"Trevor was supposed to have relieved me halfway through the night, but he never showed up."
Ohmigod. "Did you tell Jake?"
"Yes, ma'am. I didn't want to get Trevor in trouble, but I couldn't have Darien firing me for not protecting you." Peter motioned with his head toward Angelina's door. "The way I look at it, you deserve some answers. If Angelina had anything to do with my own sister's death..." His eyes took on a menacing cast. "Go right in."
Lelandi hesitated, then reached up and kissed Peter's cheek. "Thanks. Darien will make you sheriff when his uncle wants to retire, if I have any say in it."
Peter's face turned crimson, but his lips turned up slightly. "Thank you, ma'am."
She slipped into the room and closed the door. Angelina's face was bruised and bloodied, the skin around both eyes blackened---her gaze glowering at Lelandi. A bandage was secured across her forehead, a long, jagged line of blood tinting it red. Her neck was in a brace and her arm and leg were in a cast.
Lelandi started in on her. "You were blackmailing my sister, you bitch."
Angelina cast her a simpering smile. "Your sister was a whore. Three men! Three men she was fooling around with that we know of, and Darien should never have mated with her."
"Who else was in on this? You're not clever enough to mastermind it. And since your two compatriots are dead and the fourth undoubtedly wants you the same way---"
"Think what you will."
"Darien will discover you're involved. Then what?"
"He'll find his darling mate was depositing money in an account meant for her and her lover to make their getaway. Had nothing to do with me." She jutted her chin out, her brown eyes black, a couple of stripped leaves sticking out of her muddy-colored hair.
"You're saying Joe Kelly and Larissa pretended there was a blackmailing scheme?"
"They had the perfect motivation. Joe was stealing from the silver mine also." Angelina shrugged and winced.
"No. You, Ritka, Hosstene, and the mastermind blackmailed my sister. Except Joe shot Ritka before you could pin the blackmailing crime on him. Seems ironic. Then the fourth person wanted both you and Hosstene dead."
Angelina's eyes misted.
"Why would he or she want to kill you if you had nothing to do with the blackmail scheme and murdering my sister? Can he get to the money that all of you hid?"
Angelina's mouth turned down even more.
"Now who should get out of town before you end up dead like your friends?" Lelandi asked, playing on Ritka's words telling Lelandi to leave town before she ended up like her sister. "I normally don't want to see people dead. But in your case, I'd make an exception."
"Go to hell," Angelina spat.
"Whoever your mastermind is will kill you. Seems a shame you'll die and the murderer will get away with not only eliminating your spiteful hide, but abscond with the money."
Angelina glowered at her, the flecks of gold in her amber eyes like burning embers.
"Who's your accomplice? Who tried to kill you?"
Angelina crinkled the bed linens in her good hand. "I don't know who it is. Ritka dealt with him."
Lelandi's heart missed a beat. "But it's a he?"
"Yes. He orchestrated the whole setup. At least I'm pretty sure it's a he." Angelina glowered. "Your sister was despicably weak. We all knew it. She should never have been the pack leader's bitch."
Lelandi opened her mouth to retort, but Darien entered the room and shook his head at her, his look dark, but sympathetic. "Let my men and me question her, Lelandi." He ran his hand over her shoulder and down her arm, taking hold of her hand and kissing it. "Silva wants to talk to you at the nurse's station."
Lelandi kissed Darien's cheek, and quickly wiped away a tear rolling down hers. "She admitted to blackmailing Larissa. Another orchestrated the whole sorry affair. She said Joe stole the silver from the mine." Before she gave in to her darker wolf instincts and broke Angelina's other arm for good measure, Lelandi stormed out of the room.
Standing beside Peter, Sam growled. "I was supposed to be watching you."
"Peter had the job. I'm going to speak to Silva. Right down there. All right?" She glanced down the hall at Carol's room. Tom guarded her now. "Where did Trevor go?"
"He's helping the sheriff with the train derailment," Sam said. "This town's never going to be the same."
"You didn't get any flak, did you?" Lelandi asked Peter.
"No, ma'am."
Sam ground his teeth. "I did, for not knowing where you were when I called Darien."
Lelandi smiled at the rough and tumble bartender and patted his shoulder. "You can handle it." Then she joined Silva at the unmanned nurse's desk. "Did you find out anything?"
"Nurse Grey said no one was brought in for injuries sustained in a mudslide during the night of the shootings."
"Which could mean none of the injuries were severe enough to require hospital care."
"Right. So I checked with the Silver Town Express staff. None were aware of the mudslide, but because of the shootings they had concentrated on that news."
"What about the guys who have to clear the roads during a storm?"
"My next thought exactly." Silva waved a slip of paper, showing each of the points she'd checked off. "I called the road-clearing crew supervisor. On the night the gunman shot you, no mudslides had been reported, but several of his crew were searching for you in the woods. All were on call, so if a mudslide had occurred, they would have been notified."
"What about when Trevor was supposed to be with the sheriff at Hastings Bed and Breakfast and didn't show up to help in the fight against my red pack?"
"One way to find out." Silva grabbed the phone off the nurse's desk and punched in some numbers. She handed the phone to Lelandi.
"Hastings Bed and Breakfast. This is Bertha Hastings. How may I help you?"
"Mrs. Hastings? This is Lelandi. Was Trevor there when the reds came to take me home?"
"The sheriff sent him on an errand. When he didn't return, Sheridan left some men to watch the reds, and he searched for the deputy. He found him and had him guard the prisoner at the jailhouse." Mrs. Hastings paused, then added, "Many thought Darien would take Trevor's sister as his mate, but then he made it clear he was looking for someone outside the pack. Rumors began to circulate that Darien had a dream and the visions changed his mind. Trevor's sister left Silver Town, joined another pack, and mated with a beta male. Too loyal to the pack, Trevor won't leave, but he resented Larissa because his sister didn't share the bed of the alpha pack leader. His position would have been elevated if Darien had taken his sister as his mate. Trevor figured he'd be sheriff when Sheridan retired."
"Do you think he could have masterminded blackmailing my sister?"
"I doubt it. He might not like that your sister stole Darien's affections, but he's not that underhanded. He huffs and puffs and can be disagreeable, but that's as far as it goes."
"When the gunman shot Tom, Sam, and me, there had been no mudslide, no injured victims. He said he was taking care of that mess instead of searching for me."
Mrs. Hastings took a deep breath and exhaled. "Obviously, he's guilty of a dereliction of his duties. Ask him. Whatever I can do to shed any light on this, please, anytime, call me."
"I will. Thanks." Lelandi hung up the phone. "If Trevor was not doing his duty and tried to cover it up, what was he doing?"
The sound of footfalls headed in their direction and they turned. Darien stalked toward them with Jake at his side. Neither looked happy.
Darien slipped his hand around Lelandi's arm, escorting her in the direction of the front doors while Jake shadowed them. "I'm taking you home."
"What did Angelina say?"
"She doesn't know who the mastermind is. Ritka knew, but wouldn't say. Since Hosstene was my accountant at the factory, she cleared Larissa's checks without a word to me."
"If Ritka was the only one dealing with this guy, do you think they had sexual relations?"
"Doc Featherston conducted an autopsy and confirmed she wasn't a virgin, yet officially, she'd never been mated."
Lelandi let out her breath. "So he might have been her lover, too. But no male seems to be unduly upset at her passing." She glanced back at Silva, looking abandoned. "Can Silva come with us?"
"Later. I want her to stay with Carol for now and keep her company. She needs someone to talk to until she can settle into her new life."
"Hrumpf," Lelandi said. "She'll brainwash her."
Darien stared down at Lelandi as he walked her to his new SUV. "Brainwash her?"
"Sure, tell her that the grays were the first lupus garous."
Darien laughed. "I'm staying out of this one."
"Can Trevor guard the house?"
"Carol thinks he's involved. She told Tom all that she suspected. I have Uncle Sheridan checking Trevor's story out, and in the meantime, he's got jailhouse duty."
"I think he's being set up. Why not have him guard me, and you can have someone watch him just in case. When you're not around."
"What are you up to, Lelandi?" He helped her into the SUV.
"I just want to talk to him."
Jake climbed into the backseat.
"I was seeing his sister," Darien said, sounding tired.
"I know." She took his hand and kissed it. "But then you had a vision. But not exactly a vision."
"The dream where I first found you. I knew then I had to have you, no other. Trevor was angry, his sister heartbroken. He didn't care so much about how his sister felt, but that he would have had more leverage with me had I mated her. When Larissa came to Silver Town and we were mated, Annie took off for Green Valley and mated with a gray there. I understand she's happy and due to have twins in the spring."
"Do you think Trevor could have been blackmailing Larissa?"
"Anything's possible."
Surprised Darien would permit it, Lelandi sat on one of the sofas, waiting for Trevor to join her in the sunroom, ready to question him about his mudslide story. The snow fell steadily outside the windows and a fire blazed in a rock fireplace centered in the room, giving it a homey, comfortable ambience---which didn't fit the mood of what she was about to do. Trevor's face couldn't have been any stonier and his icy glare held her gaze when he stalked into the room. But she steeled her resolve while Jake remained outside within earshot.
"Please, have a seat."
Not removing his jacket, Trevor shoved his hands in his pockets and ignored her.
Fine. "You lied about the mudslide when Tom and I were shot. You said you were taking care of accident victims."
Trevor continued to glower at her.
"Deputy, I don't believe you did anything malicious to contribute to my sister's death. I know you hated her. That you wanted Darien to marry your sister, hoping she could convince Darien to make you sheriff some day and not Peter."
"You have no authority questioning me. You're just Darien's bitch."
"Yes. And Larissa was my sister. You're right. You don't have to tell me anything. But how long do you think it'll be before Darien discovers you lied about the mudslide? Do you want to die for someone else's crime?"
"I was seeing someone," he mumbled under his breath, his gaze shifting to the fire.
Ohmigod, no wonder he hadn't been interested in Silva. He was already hung up on someone else. But why keep it a secret? "Someone Darien didn't approve of?"
Trevor refused to look at her.
"Someone who was already mated?"
He jerked his head around and cast her a chilling glare. "No, damn you. Just because your sister hooked up with three different mates, doesn't mean any of the rest of us do."
Needing his cooperation, Lelandi stamped down a hasty response. She hated the shameful way her sister had carried on with another male when she was mated to Darien, yet she couldn't help feeling Larissa was the victim of her circumstances. If her people had allowed for divorce, she would have been fine. "Then who?"
"You don't need to know who she is."
"You'll need her alibi."
"Why? Silva was the shooter. Ritka and her friends were the blackmailers."
"But Silva wasn't the shooter."
Trevor's eyes widened.
"Who was the mastermind who killed Hosstene?"
"You can't pin that on me. I had nothing to do with it."
"What happened to you when you were supposed to aid Darien in his fight against my red pack?"
"He had me replace Wilkerson pulling guard duty at the jailhouse. Later, I heard Darien said I was supposed to be at the house protecting you. But no one ever told me. Then here come two blasted reds, taller than any I've ever seen. They knock me out, tie me up, and free the prisoner. I'll tell you another thing, the sheriff told Darien he was looking for me as if he had no idea where I was. Hell, he sent me to the jailhouse."
Miscommunication? Or was Trevor lying again? "You said there were only six males from the pack who arrived. But there were several more."
"That's all I saw. Apparently, more sneaked in without our knowledge."
"Who told them about the guest room where I was staying? That's where they entered the second floor."
"I knew you were staying with Darien by then."
Lelandi was beginning to wonder about Darien's uncle. "Did the sheriff know I had moved to Darien's bedroom?"
"You'd have to ask him."
Trevor yanked his keys out of his pocket, but before he could leave, Lelandi asked, "What happened to you at the hospital when Ritka and Doc were shot? You were guarding Ural. Or supposed to be. Ritka screamed for you, but you never came."
The tips of Trevor's ears reddened. "I don't need to explain anything more to you." He stormed out of the sunroom.
Jake immediately peeked in on Lelandi. Assured she was all right, he lifted his phone from his belt and shut the door.
Lelandi took a deep breath. Next, she had to have a word with the sheriff. She was certain that would go over as well as the talk with his deputy. But she had to ask Darien if he knew what had happened to Trevor when Joe killed Doc and Ritka.
An hour later, Darien arrived home and Lelandi, anxious to get an audience with his uncle, dropped the salad fixings in the bowl and hurried to see her mate while Tom was preparing lasagna in the kitchen. She blurted, "Can you arrange for me to speak with Sheridan?"
Tom served up the lasagna and Jake finished the salad and set it on the table, both casting them a sideways glance. She assumed it was a sore subject.
Darien kissed Lelandi's mouth, then smiled and hugged her tight. "Let's eat."
She frowned at the dismissal. "What about your uncle? He might be the key to knowing what Trevor was doing the night he said he was working a mudslide."
Darien pulled out her chair. "We'll discuss it later. This afternoon, we'll have a memorial service for Doc."
"What about for Ritka?" Tom asked.
Darien cast him an annoyed look like he shouldn't have mentioned it. "Her family wants a private ceremony. Immediate family only."
Jake and Tom exchanged glances but neither said a word.
Lelandi hated it when the brothers knew something she didn't and were bent on keeping it from her. "Okay, so why do they want a private ceremony? Is this done regularly here?"
Back home pack members buried their kind. No one had a simple, family ceremony, although humans were excluded. She assumed humans would come to Doc's funeral since his work had impacted so many in the community.
"That's what the family agreed upon," Darien said casually, giving her a look like he wanted her to leave it at that.
"But it's not normal. Which means something. Care to speculate?"
"No."
"It means," Lelandi said, clenching her teeth, "since Ritka was involved in my sister's death, her family's too ashamed to have the pack witness the burial."
None of them said anything.
"Right?"
"It means the family wanted it. Nothing more to it than that." Darien's voice had a warning edge to it.
"Sorry, if I don't agree."
Darien let out a harsh breath. "They feel your sister contributed to her death."
Lelandi's jaw tightened and she fought tears welling up deep inside.
"They know they can't exclude you from the funeral without offending me, but they look at you and are reminded of Larissa. So they are having a private funeral. Most likely she was involved in the blackmail. But we have no hard evidence to support this theory."
Lelandi got up abruptly from the table. "There's no need. You and the rest of the pack can go. I wouldn't want to deprive them of their leader's presence."
Darien seized her wrist and made her sit back down. "They made their decision. Under the circumstances, it's best for all concerned."
Because Ritka was involved in Larissa's death.
"All right," she said, "so tell me---when Ritka screamed for Trevor at the hospital, why didn't he stop Joe?"
Jake and Tom concentrated on their lasagna while Darien placed his fork on his plate and leaned away from the table. "When Joe saw Trevor was guarding Ural, he knocked him out."
"Really," Lelandi said, rolling her eyes.
"He had a concussion, Lelandi. So yes, really."
"And my brother and uncle conveniently got the better of him in the jail. Maybe Trevor needs a different job."
"Uncle Sheridan counseled him."
"Hmpf. He needs a heck of a lot more than counseling."
"As to another matter," Darien said, "we'll have a Thanksgiving feast for the pack."
She figured the feast was a tradition they'd always carried out like so many people did across the States until she saw the questioning glances on his brothers' faces. "Why?" she asked, because Jake and Tom wouldn't, and she figured something more had to be up.
"A feast to give thanks that I have a mate. Is that not reason enough?" Darien's expression was lighthearted, but the façade didn't hide the darkness brewing beneath the surface.
She offered a smile. "I'm sure everyone will enjoy a feast, no matter the reason. Free food puts everyone in good spirits."
"Where did you want to have this feast?" Jake asked, his voice shadowed. "The civic auditorium? School gym? The tavern, perhaps?"
"Here." Darien lifted his cup to his lips.
Lelandi suspected the worst. Darien knew who killed her sister, and he needed the majority of the pack together. The feast was the battleground. Or at least the beginning. The battle would take place in the woods, secluded from town, perfect for a fight between wolves.
Her eyes filling with tears, she sat back in her chair. Ever since she'd learned her sister had died, she'd had this overwhelming ache to right the wrong, to avenge her sister's death. And now Darien knew who it was? But he would have told her right away if he'd planned to. Which meant he was keeping it a secret. Anger and upset bottled up inside threatened to spill out. She fought the emotions, trying to maintain a cool, alpha stance. "Who is it?"
"He'll reveal himself when the time comes."
She ground her teeth, attempting to stay calm, but her blood was running hot.
Jake scraped his empty wineglass across the oak table.
"What, Jake? You know how much doing that annoys me."
"Does he know you suspect him?"
"Who?" Lelandi asked in exasperation. She quickly brushed away insolent tears that dared streak down her cheeks. She was not a wilting damn flower.
Darien looked torn between comforting her and being the indomitable pack leader and setting up the rules. "I'm not sure, but I won't openly speculate. Too much of that has been going on of late. Several pack members have unduly ostracized Trevor because many think he had a hand in Larissa's death. At the feast, the murderer will reveal himself. That's all I'll say."
"I'll organize the men to cook the turkeys beforehand at the school," Jake offered.
"Tom, I want you to get the word out to the pack about the feast."
"Will do, Darien. I can coordinate the efforts of those making the vegetables."
"Good." Darien turned to Lelandi.
She couldn't stand his seeing how teary-eyed she'd become. Looking down at the table, she swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Lelandi," he said softly, "maybe you, Carol, and Silva can make some more of those apple pies that everyone loved so much?"
Her heart aching to the core, she glowered at him. "You know who it is, don't you?"
"Leave us," he said to his brothers.
"We'll make the arrangements at once," Jake said.
Tom inclined his head slightly to Lelandi, then the two brothers hastened to leave the dining room.
Darien didn't move from his chair, but just studied Lelandi.
Why did he have to keep her in the dark? Why?
He rose from his chair and walked around the table to join her, touching her cheek with his fingertips in a gentle caress. "If I tell you who I suspect and I'm wrong, you'll harbor a mistrust of the individual. But more than that, I know how you are. You'll confront him without regard to the danger you'd put yourself in. I won't have it. In two day's time, we'll know once and for all."
"Then you'll fight him to the death."
The phone rang and Tom hurried back into the room to get it. "Tom here." The look of shock on Tom's face made her suspect something awful must have happened. Jake poked his head in.
"Now what?" Lelandi asked.
Tom looked at Darien, waiting for him to allow him to speak in front of Lelandi.
He seemed indecisive about allowing it or keeping her further in the dark. Then he finally gave a slight nod, his gaze hard as he caught Lelandi's eye.
"Angelina's dead," Tom said.
"How?" Darien asked.
"Heart gave out."
"Natural causes or was she helped along?"
"Coroner won't be able to tell us for a few days."
Lelandi closed her eyes, not believing the killer could have struck again. She felt hands on her shoulders and looked up to see Darien rubbing them. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.
"Did he kill her, Darien? Did he get to her, too?" She choked back a sob.
Darien shook his head and said to Tom, "I want the report soonest. Jake, I need you and Tom to talk to everyone. Find out who was serving on guard duty when she expired and who went in to see her." He squeezed Lelandi's shoulder. "You've had enough excitement to last a lifetime and it's getting late. Let's go to bed."
But she couldn't brush her worry away, and when he led her upstairs, she felt drained, as if she wasn't even there. Would the killer truly be revealed at the feast? Or would he try for her again before then?
Two days later, Lelandi read over the coroner's report in Darien's office while he watched her. Death due to asphyxiation. "Murdered," Lelandi said under her breath, although she wasn't surprised.
"Her room was at the back of the hospital. Someone had unlocked the window, an inside job. Anyone could have slipped in, murdered her, and left without anyone being aware," Darien said.
"But it was a man who killed her, right?"
"Most likely, and she bit him."
Lelandi glanced up from the report. "It doesn't say that."
"Doc Featherston told me. He found remnants of blood around her teeth, but the blood wasn't hers. He didn't want the word to get out."
"Oh hell, Darien. By now the bite marks could have healed and disappeared."
"Maybe not. Mandatory dress is short-sleeved shirts for the men for the feast today. Only my brothers, Doc Featherston, and the killer will know the real reason."
"Couldn't he do a DNA test on the blood?"
"Not enough for the test."
"What if the murderer doesn't show up today?"
"He will. And the game will be over."
Later that afternoon, and with the tension running high, Darien welcomed Lelandi's family in the sunroom while Lelandi baked pies with Carol and Silva in the kitchen. He gave Lelandi's mother a hug, seeing the resemblance to Lelandi, the red hair, petite features, green eyes and riveting smile. He shook her father's hand as he sat in his wheelchair, looking proud, but with a weariness lingering in his features. His dark amber eyes assessed Darien with a wolf's guardedness.
Lelandi was unaware Darien had invited her family so that he had a chance to meet them first, and welcome them like a pack leader would before he switched roles to greet them as family. Darien shook Leidolf's hand next, then her Uncle Hrothgar's, and Ural's last.
"I'm sure you suspect the reason I've invited you here," Darien said.
"To ask permission to have my daughter after the fact," her father growled, banging his fist on the arm of his wheelchair. Lelandi's mother rested her hand on his shoulder.
Although it had never been his intention to ask for Lelandi since he'd already mated with her, Darien bowed his head with respect.
"You have my permission," her father said, his voice gruff, but admiration shown in his eyes.
Everyone else waited quietly for Darien's next words, tension filling the room. "The killer will be exposed today, the fight will follow, and the celebration feast afterward."
Her father inclined his head. "This is acceptable."
"We've heard rumors Lelandi may be with triplets," her mother said, her voice hopeful.
"Mrs. Wildhaven, it's too early to tell."
"Please, call me Eleanor."
"Certainly. But I wish to discuss another matter. We've lost our doctor and Lelandi has her heart set on Doc Weber of your pack joining us. Would this be agreeable?"
Hrothgar cleared his throat. "I, of course, would prefer he stay at Wildhaven with my pack."
"But," Eleanor said, "having triplets can be difficult for even lupus garous. Because Lelandi has a fondness for Doc Weber and he has for her..." She spread her hands, palms up.
Darien waited for Hrothgar's approval as Wildhaven's newest pack leader. Hrothgar gave a stiff nod.
Turning to Leidolf, Darien said, "I know you want to avenge Larissa's death. I ask that you allow me the honor since it is my pack, she was my mate---no matter how wrongly that came about---and the villain is one of my pack."
"As much as I'd love to tear the bastard from limb to limb, I acquiesce. Should you not succeed, I won't wait for either of your brothers to jump into the fray."
"Agreed." Darien looked at Jake and Tom, both who reluctantly nodded. "Settled then." He motioned to Tom, who opened the door and Mrs. Hastings and several other ladies hurried in with apple cider, shrimp, and cheese dips with crackers. "I'll tell Lelandi you're here."
He had every intention of delaying the inevitable, feeling an insatiable urge to prove to her that she wanted to remain with him and not return to her family no matter how much he told himself the notion was too ridiculous to consider.
BUSINESS AS USUAL. THAT'S THE WAY EVERYONE PLAYED their roles as Sam organized the drinks in the dining room, Tom coordinated the side dishes, Jake managed the deliveries of the turkeys, while Lelandi, Carol, and Silva finished baking the pies. The aroma of roasted turkey and gravy filled the air, making Lelandi's stomach rumble, although she didn't think she'd be able to eat, she was so uptight.
Carol peered out the kitchen window where the table sat in an alcove. "Snow's still falling. This will be the best ski season Silver Town's had in five years."
Silva cast a questioning look in Lelandi's direction, but though she caught it, she didn't acknowledge her concern. Everyone was wearing polite smiles, the conversations centering around the weather, a hunt, some whispered speculation about Sam and Silva, but nothing about the reason for the feast. Lelandi was sure the conversations about that had already been held behind closed doors.
Darien walked into the kitchen, stretched his arms above his head, and smiled at Lelandi.
Silva stammered some excuse and hurried out of the kitchen. Carol took longer before it sank in that the alpha leader needed a moment alone with his mate. Her face suddenly flushed and she quickly made her excuses and hurried after Silva, shutting the door behind her.
"Why didn't you say something to me?" she scolded outside the kitchen.
Darien rested his hands on Lelandi's shoulders. "You smell of cinnamon, apples, and brown sugar. Good enough to eat." He kissed her lips, not waiting for her approval, slipping his tongue into her mouth. "Hmm, taste like brown sugar, apples, and cinnamon, too."
She melted like the dabs of butter she'd spread on top of the lattice-work pie crusts. "Have...have you seen anyone with bite marks?"
He groaned. "Lelandi..." He shook his head. "I'm afraid either Angelina didn't bite her attacker hard enough or the scar has already healed. No matter. We've got him where we want him. I've felt the distance between us when we've made love the last two days. I know you feel hurt that I wouldn't tell you who I most suspect. But I have to do this my way, knowing you the way I do."
She lifted her gaze from his chest to his eyes. "I love you, Darien, but I don't want to be kept in the dark."
He kissed her lips again, his fingers pushing a couple of buttons through the buttonholes on her silk blouse. He slipped his hands inside her blouse and fondled her breasts through the lacy bra.
"Ahh, Darien, you taste of apple cider, the good stuff." She tangled her tongue with his for another spicy taste.
Voices drew nearer the kitchen, but suddenly stopped and footfalls moved discretely away. Lelandi suspected Silva and Carol were warding everyone away in lieu of a "Don't Disturb" sign.
Darien tackled Lelandi's belt, but she stilled his hands. "What are you doing?"
"I'm feeling testy."
He captured her mouth with his, kissing her into submission and moved her hands away from her belt, then unbuckled it. "We'll enjoy the meal more after we relieve some of the tension between us."
She suspected there was more to his need to make love to her than he was admitting. She recognized his craving to prove she was his and couldn't understand what had triggered it again. Unless it was to confirm to his gathered pack that he had claimed her. No, it seemed to run deeper, like when he felt his pack members were hitting on her at the tavern, and he had to show she was his and only his.
He rubbed his hand between her legs, his fingers pressing the jeans and satin panties between her feminine folds, stealing her thoughts, eliciting a soft moan from her.
"Say you want to wait and we will," he whispered into her ear, his voice husky with desire. He leaned his hardened erection against her and rubbed. "Say you want me, Lelandi."
She could no more resist him now than she could in her dreams. Seizing the buttons on his shirt, she nearly ripped them off in haste. She ran her hands over his bare chest, her fingernails flickering over his already pebbled nipples. With a groan, he yanked down her jeans and panties in one fell swoop. Leaning her against the kitchen table covered in flour, granules of brown sugar, and speckles of cinnamon, he shoved away mixing spoons and a sieve that clattered to the tile floor.
He dipped his hand in a bag of brown sugar, then sprinkled it on her bare breasts and stomach. Lelandi smiled. "You're supposed to eat your meal, before you get dessert. Didn't your mother ever tell you that?"
"I was more of a red meat kind of guy---although all of that's changed."
He shrugged out of his jeans and pushed her legs apart. But before he penetrated her woman's core, he licked the sugar off her breasts and stomach, sending streaks of pleasure rifling through her. She needed this as much as he did. She wanted the closeness, the loving, the solidarity, before he had to fight. And if it gave him strength, all the better.
She combed her fingers through his hair, luxuriating in the feel of the satiny strands and of his velvet tongue lapping at her skin. His fingers slipped down her stomach, tracing the slight swell in her belly, lower, to her short curly hairs, combing through them to discover the dewy opening between her thighs. Stroking her nub, he triggered flames of desire to sweep through her, a delicious torment, begging to be appeased.
She dug her fingers into his back, the toned muscles of the lupus garou tensing with her touch, and she prodded him to penetrate her. She listened to the soothing sound of the thunder of his heartbeat, his heavy lusty breath, and her heartbeat pounding beneath his.
Darien plunged deep inside of her, his stiff cock thrusting with feverish intent, his pelvis rubbing her mound until every nerve was ready to explode.
"I love you," she mouthed against his lips, remembering the dreams when she couldn't hear her words or his. For the first time since he'd made the announcement about having the feast, she felt one with him again. Then an earth-shattering release compelled her to cry out, her body trembling with satisfaction, but Darien muffled her voice with another erotic deep kiss, his tongue probing her mouth.
Groaning, he filled her with his seed, but thrust twice more until she'd milked him dry, the orgasm rippling through her.
He closed his eyes and rested on top of her. "You are something else, honey."
"I could say the same about you." She combed her fingers through his hair. "Now you'll want a nap."
Chuckling, he licked her lips. "Now I want a feast. And then dessert again."
He rolled off her and a few granules of brown sugar sparkled on his chest. She licked them up, then he helped her off the table and wiped the flour from her back. "We're a mess," she whispered, her skin flushed with exertion.
He cast her a wolfish grin. "You got the brunt of it." He brushed flour out of her hair and she groaned. "At least the granules of cinnamon disappear in the color of your hair."
She gave him an annoyed look. "Next time, I'm on top. You can be covered in flour, sugar, and cinnamon."
Chuckling, he helped her into her clothes. "I'm game."
He touched her belly. "I understand Carol believes we'll have triplets."
"Conjecture."
"Right. But she won't tell me what sex they are."
Pleased that Carol thought she was pregnant, Lelandi still couldn't believe Carol could really know such a thing. She shook more flour and sugar out of her hair.
He kissed her forehead. "I invited your brother and uncle and parents to the feast. They dragged Ural along."
Lelandi stared at Darien, then slapped his shoulder. That's why he had been so intent on making love to her. It had nothing to do with his pack but all to do with worrying she might want to return to her family.
He grinned. "I thought you'd be pleased."
"You didn't have to prove anything to them. I would have stayed with you."
He took her hand and kissed it. "You're an alpha pack leader's mate, and you have the heart of a lion. Let's get the feast under way."
Lelandi was sure the fight would come first, but only after she dealt with her father, who wouldn't like it that she hadn't gotten his permission to mate Darien.
Darien escorted Lelandi into the sunroom where her parents were sitting, visiting with some of the members of his pack. Her brother and uncle were talking to Jake, and Ural sat in a corner looking unhappy. Probably still mad because of his incarceration and Darien's people's treatment of him. But he shouldn't have hung around.
"We'll leave you alone for a few minutes to get reacquainted," Darien said to Lelandi. Everyone remained stiff and formal until Darien gave Lelandi a searing kiss on the mouth, grinned, and then winked at her. He squeezed her hand and reiterated, "The entertainment begins in a few minutes."
The grays who were speaking with Lelandi's family rapidly left the sunroom while Lelandi kissed her mother and father, then her brother, uncle, and cousin.
"Triplets," her mother said, her face beaming. "I'll stay with you during the last trimester."
"Will...will you be living with Leidolf all the way out in Oregon?" Lelandi's voice betrayed her sadness.
"Heaven's no. Not with my grandkids coming and Hrothgar now in charge of the pack at Wildhaven." Her mother patted Uncle Hrothgar's arm. "Your father's little brother is now in charge and our land is saved." She glanced at Leidolf. "When are you going to give me some grandkids?"
Leidolf looked annoyed and folded his arms. "I need a mate and none are available, right now."
Eleanor tugged at Uncle Hrothgar's arm. "You'll need a mate, too. I did see a red female in the house earlier. What is she doing in a gray pack?"
"Carol? A red from Bruin's pack turned her. But she's an only child now and has aging parents here so I don't think she's interested in leaving."
Leidolf shook his head. "I wouldn't take a newly turned lupus garou. Too much of a responsibility. They don't know our ways and would need constant supervision."
"As if you can be that choosy, dear brother."
"And there's our line to think of."
"You mean because we're royals?" Lelandi rolled her eyes.
"It never meant much to you, but someone has to keep the line going. And not by mixing up with a gray either."
Their mother smiled. "Just like the old days. I forget how much you two fought." She sighed. "Your mate is motioning for this event to get under way. Save your teeth and claws for the one who deserves your wrath, if Darien should fail in his mission to avenge Larissa's death."
"He won't fail," Lelandi said with confidence. But she sure as hell wanted to know who he was going to be pitted against---who had killed her sister.
In front of his gathered pack and their guests, Darien raised a glass of cider, his free arm around Lelandi's waist. "We're gathered here to celebrate the mating between our clans of Silver Town and Wildhaven. Lelandi is not only a royal," Darien said, pausing until the gasps died away, "but the daughter of pack leaders on both her paternal and maternal sides. So we are much honored to welcome Lelandi and her family into our embrace."
"Hear, hear," a chorus of grays and reds responded.
He raised his hand for silence. "Now for the grievous news. A pack bands together as a family, a united front against all others. But when one of our kind deviates from acceptable pack behavior, the individual must be dealt with swiftly and harshly. A death for a death, although in this case the murderer has killed more than one. But we can only mete out justice once.
"Normally, I would challenge the murderer and face him in our way, wolf to wolf. But I ask my Uncle Sheridan, sheriff of Silver Town, to fight on my behalf."
Low conversation filled the room and Lelandi glanced at Darien. He pressed her close and whispered in her ear, "I know what I'm doing."
Sheridan stood tall, a small smile curving his lips. He glanced at Trevor.
"He has agreed to fight Trevor."
The room was deadly silent.
Red-faced, Trevor stood his ground.
Lelandi looked up at Darien, tears in her eyes. Trevor wasn't the killer. How could Darien have made the mistake?
"Trevor admitted he lied about taking care of mudslide victims on the night of the shootings. Why? He wouldn't reveal the answer. But Uncle Sheridan knew. Trevor had hired the gunman who shot Lelandi, Tom, and Sam. He appeared on the ridge and killed the gunman before anyone could question him. The motive, you ask? He wanted to be sheriff. He thought his sister's mating with me would secure that position for him in the future. But some might have heard rumors Larissa's offspring were not my own and when Ritka revealed this to Trevor, he dreamed up this blackmail scheme. Through the sheriff's diligence, he discovered the money in a bank account in Green Valley in Trevor's name."
Trevor shot a dagger of a glare at the sheriff.
Darien motioned to Chester. "Acting on our behalf, P.I. Chester McKinley helped to uncover this treachery. All the puzzle pieces fit together. Trevor was a condemned man living on borrowed time." Darien's spine stiffened and his eyes held a feral gleam.
But Trevor didn't look like a condemned man, which made Lelandi suspicious that Darien and he had cooked up this whole charade.
"Except for one thing." Darien waved at Carol. "I wouldn't have revealed Carol's special gift because it's her choice, but she's agreed to save a man's life."
Carol nodded.
Lelandi stared at her. She knew, too? And didn't tell Lelandi? Inwardly, she growled.
"Carol has second sight."
Muffled conversation renewed.
"She saw not Trevor in the vision, but another man, who shoved the chair out from under Larissa's feet, allowing her to strangle until she was dead."
Darien held onto Lelandi when she felt ready to collapse, but she had to remain strong as the pack leader's mate, and she bit back the tears, willing them to stay at bay.
"Carol's visions aren't clear all the time, she explained to me. But one thing was---he wore a police uniform."
"Trevor," Sheridan said, his voice booming.
"At first, that's what Carol thought since all evidence pointed to him. But she touched the rope the murderer had tied into a noose. That man was you, Uncle Sheridan. You went on vacation, thinking you'd committed the perfect crime---murdered my mate, who was a disgrace to the pack because she was already mated and now having another gray's offspring. But you hadn't planned on Larissa having a family. A sister, who would come to avenge her. Ritka must have notified you when she was at the tavern that Lelandi had arrived, and you hurried home to take care of the mess."
"But Trevor's gun fired the fatal bullet that killed the gunman. He was the shooter," Sheridan said.
"My brothers and I investigated your house when you searched for evidence at Trevor's. We had already inspected his home first and found nothing to connect him with the crimes. However, at your home, we discovered the hunter's spray that makes an individual smell like decaying leaves. At Angelina's home, we found the kind that makes a person invisible to other animals. Why would either of you need hunter's sprays to hide your scent?"
Sheridan gave a coy smile. "I have no idea why Angelina would have such a thing, but the stuff I have was evidence."
"Hidden underneath your bathroom sink? And the GHB? Used to drug so many at the hospital? We found it in the same location."
"More evidence. I couldn't keep it at the jailhouse. Trevor might have destroyed it. Besides, I was drugged, too, remember?"
"Conveniently, yes. To counter suspicion. And you were the one in charge of so many of the investigations. You could 'find' whatever suited your purposes. If you had 'found' the GHB used in the crime at the hospital, why hadn't you reported it? We checked the area where we discovered Lelandi after she'd been shot. No decaying leaves like you'd said."
Lelandi shivered, realizing how close she'd come to death at Darien's uncle's hands.
"I must have gone to the wrong location. At the time of the shooting, I was at a hotel---"
"We investigated the hotel already. You checked in, but you disappeared in a hurry. One of the maids said you left several items in the bathroom and on the desk. You grabbed your bag, threw it in the truck, and roared out of there like the devil was after you. Even the manager said she noticed because you nearly hit another vehicle and the driver laid on the horn," Darien said.
"So I left in a hurry. Mason called me and said several shootings had occurred, and I needed to return at once."
"He called you on your cell phone well after you'd left the hotel. Time enough for you to have heard from Ritka, hired a gunman, and return so you could strangle Lelandi."
Uncle Sheridan turned his murderous glower on Trevor. "He has no alibi for the night of the shootings. He lied. And if I was strangling Lelandi, who shot the gunman?"
Darien offered a sinister smile. "You admit there had to be two of you? That the time was such that someone else had to have shot and killed the gunman? Only Jake and I knew this."
Sheridan's jaw ticked in restrained anger.
"True, Trevor lied about where he was. But he does have an alibi. He's been having an affair with an underage lupus garou."
Ohmigod, was it Caitlin?
Sheridan looked smug. "Then the girl lied. To give him an alibi,"
"Her mother told me about her daughter's condition. She found them in bed together in a hotel on the outskirts of town. She was giving them the riot act for an hour at the same time when the shooting of the gunman occurred. Angelina used Trevor's gun to murder the gunman. You and she are without alibis."
"She's conveniently dead so she can't defend herself. But then again, she hated Larissa and Lelandi, so maybe she did hire the gunman. She did have the blackmail money."
Darien snorted. "You said Trevor had it." He waved a diary in the air. "Ritka was your lover. Doc Featherston examined the body and learned she'd been mated. Ritka wrote how you'd set up the blackmail scheme and when Larissa discovered you were the mastermind, you killed her. You were obsessed with keeping the pack line clean, and Ritka feared you, although you continued to come to her night after night. She was your partner in crime, along with Hosstene and Angelina, who you conveniently disposed of. But, you, damn it, you are my own flesh and blood."
"Your mate was a whore and brought shame to both the pack and our family's good name. It was only a matter of time before she took off with Joe. He'd been stealing from the silver mine so he and his lover could leave here. You would have gone after her, killed Joe, and brought her and her bastard children back to the pack as your own, while she remained the female pack leader, weak and disloyal. With her lover dead, do you think she would have changed her ways? Bah! She would have been more depressed, bringing the whole pack down with her. I couldn't allow it." Uncle Sheridan tore at his shirt. "You want me to fight Trevor, I will."
Lelandi hated Sheridan, but his words tore at her heart. He was probably right about everything he said. The pack would have suffered. But she couldn't agree her sister should have died because she had loved the wrong man.
Darien grunted. "No. I only wanted to draw the truth from you. You've shamed the family and our pack. You'll fight me."
Several of the pack members patted Trevor on the back, although some gave him dirty looks. Taking an underage lupus garou was unacceptable in their society, and Lelandi wondered again if it was Caitlin. She glanced at Doc Mitchell and his gaze met hers. Caitlin's parents were absent. In fact, no underage lupus garou were present. When Bruin had such a gathering, everyone from the pack, regardless of age, was required to attend.
Darien kissed Lelandi's lips. "I'm sorry, Lelandi. I had to be sure."
"You've always done right by me. You will for Larissa as well."
Darien took a deep breath and nodded. "It ends here and now." He turned to face his pack. "To the field."
The battlefield.
AS SOON AS LELANDI SAW SHERIDAN IN HIS WOLF COAT, SHE knew he was the one who'd stalked her in the woods. Too bad the pickup hadn't run him over on the road.
Nearly everyone loped out into the winter setting in their wolf forms where the upper crust of snow was crisp and giant snowflakes fluttered earthward. Wolves have the advantage over larger animals on deep-crusted snow, although Lelandi figured Sheridan wouldn't fall through the snow like a moose or elk might, slowing him down, despite his heftier size. Though she could hope.
Carol, not ready to join the wolf pack to watch another killing fight, didn't shapeshift. Maybe because she was afraid to turn wolf or the fear another wolf would attack her again. Lelandi's father, who remained in his wheelchair, watched out the sunroom window with Carol at his side. Since the accident, he hadn't been able to shapeshift, and she knew he felt like less of a lupus garou and battled depression, wishing often he had died with his people. Although she was certain he wanted desperately to be the one to avenge Larissa's death.
Both grays and reds alike formed a circle while Darien and his uncle faced off. Sheridan was taller by four inches and stockier built, but Darien had youth and strength on his side.
Leidolf crouched, ready to pounce, but Uncle Hrothgar growled at him, and her brother bowed his head slightly and straightened. For an eternity, it seemed Darien stared Sheridan down. Their wolf coats kept the chill out, the second dense coat keeping the snowflakes from touching their skin and melting. Everyone patiently watched for the showdown to begin while neither panted, just watched each other, their tails stretched stiff behind them, their thick hair standing at attention, ears perked, waiting for the other to move.
Lelandi's mind worked over the past events, and she realized how easy it had been for Sheridan to cover his tracks since he was always in charge of the investigations---even to confirm Larissa had committed suicide.
Darien turned and walked in a circle toward his uncle, who immediately moved away.
Sheridan continued to avoid Darien, but the pack leader was quickly closing the gap. Inwardly, Lelandi darkly smiled. The first test and Sheridan had failed. The bastard. Sheridan tried to turn, but he wasn't agile enough and Darien bit him in the flank.
If Lelandi hadn't been in her wolf form, she would have cheered Darien.
Sheridan yelped and dodged before Darien took another bite. He wouldn't kill him quickly, she figured. Not after Sheridan had murdered her sister, two pack members, and tried to murder Lelandi.
His people and hers would want justice---lupus garou justice, but drawn out enough to make it count.
Sheridan tried to hide his limp from the wound, but he continued to circle around the inside of the group, keeping away from Darien. By the way his tail drooped slightly, Sheridan was already showing signs of defeat.
When he neared Leidolf, her brother snarled at Sheridan, his teeth bared, his tail straight---readying for the attack.
Lelandi's fur stood on end. Let Darien take care of it, she prayed. But Sheridan snapped back at Leidolf, so close Lelandi nearly died. Leidolf's blood was running hot, the way the anger swelled deep inside him and she, being so connected with her triplet's emotions, felt swept into the maelstrom.
In the blink of an eye, Leidolf responded to Sheridan's taunt and attacked, sinking his teeth into the bigger gray's side.
Sheridan could kill her brother for being such a hotheaded fool as soon as the bigger gray shook him loose. But she didn't expect Sheridan to free himself from Leidolf's grip, then bite into Leidolf's neck, since Darien was more of a threat.
Instinctively, Lelandi went for Sheridan's throat and grabbed hold. She felt Darien brush against her side, trying to get to Sheridan, but she couldn't let go for fear the gray would kill her next. As fast as it took a bolt of lightning to strike the ground, Sheridan released Leidolf and seized Lelandi's throat. He would kill her like he murdered her sister, and if he did, he would destroy Darien's reason to live.
She didn't have time to panic, or feel Sheridan's jaws clamping down tighter, stopping the air from flowing, before Darien grappled his uncle's neck with his powerful jaws. Biting down hard, he crushed the bone and the life out of the gray.
Sheridan's mouth loosened on Lelandi's neck, and they both collapsed. When she fell on her side, she lay still, trying to catch her breath. But it was worse than that, and she couldn't help being totally humiliated. Darien quickly changed into his human form despite the cold and held his hand over the wound on her throat. "Carol!"
His own neck bleeding, Leidolf nuzzled her face.
Darien lifted Lelandi from the snow and hurried her into the house.
"Lay her there, Darien. I...I've never taken care of an injured wolf," Carol said, opening a first aid kit.
"They can be testier than in their human forms, but in Lelandi's case, I'm not sure that's always true," Darien said, a slight smile curving his lips.
Lelandi growled.
Doc Mitchell stalked into the house, zipping up his jeans and grabbed his bag. "Came prepared for any eventuality."
"Why isn't she changing back?" Carol asked.
Jake threw on a pair of jeans. "Too tired, loss of blood, trauma."
Carol's gaze strayed to Leidolf, yanking on a pair of olive drab khakis.
"I'll take care of Lelandi," Doc Mitchell said. "You look after Leidolf."
Leidolf buckled his belt. "I'm fine. I don't need looking after."
"Sit, son, and do it for your mother. She's already lost one of you, and she's looking a little pale," his father said.
Leidolf grumbled, then sat on a chair, his face scowling while Carol wiped away the blood on his throat, and then bandaged him.
Lelandi studied the way her brother treated Carol with such annoyance and the gentle way in which she ministered to his wounds. Possibility?
"Lelandi, honey," Darien said. "Can't you change back?"
Mitchell bandaged her neck. "Sheridan didn't have a chance to dig in deep enough so the bite marks aren't too bad. She'll be fine in a couple of hours." He gave her a shot for the pain, which she didn't want, and growled again. The medication spread through her veins, heating her blood.
Her mother wiped away tears from her own cheeks, then leaned over and patted Lelandi's head. "She'll be all right in a little bit, won't you, dear?"
Lelandi closed her eyes, hating that she would fall apart now. How did this look to the whole pack? She groaned.
Her mother sighed. "It's the shock of nearly losing her brother."
"She did not nearly lose me!" her brother snapped.
Her mother ran her hand over Lelandi's back. "She's been under a lot of strain. That was the last straw. Remember the time when you almost drowned?"
"Mother," Leidolf growled.
"Well, remember? She finally managed to get you by the neck and pull you to shore, but she was in shock over the ordeal. Took her three days before she could turn human again."
Leidolf gave an evil grin. "Yeah, I remember. She was awful to live with."
Lelandi growled low. She had no control over the connection she had with her siblings and their emotions. But she had been the only one who felt her siblings' emotions so severely she could put herself into such a state over them. She growled again.
"Fine." Darien lifted Lelandi off the floor. "Enjoy the feast. We will return when we return." He carried her toward the stairs.
"What about Uncle Sheridan?" Jake asked.
"Unmarked grave. The devil can take him."
Darien carried Lelandi up the stairs to their bedroom, then laid her down on the mattress. "You need peace and quiet, love."
She wanted to eat. To celebrate their union and the destruction of the gray who had murdered her sister. And she wanted to be human to do it! Damn it.
But because of the strain and extreme weariness creeping through her body from the pain killer, she drifted off to sleep and found her silver knight waiting for her.
"Lelandi, love."
She reached out her arms to him, and he took her into his hard embrace and willed him to love her.
The rush of adrenaline flowed through her, filling her with orgasmic pleasure, and Lelandi blinked her eyes and stared up at Darien. He smiled back at her, his cock buried deep inside her as hot lava filled her to the core.
"Hmm," she hummed. "When did I turn human?"
He arched a brow and slid off her, then pulled her onto his damp chest. "Before I ravished you." He chuckled. "You don't remember?"
"You came to me in a dream."
"Ah. You fell asleep and shapeshifted. I replaced your bandage, but as soon as I pulled you into my arms to snuggle, you had other notions. Started kissing me and stroking me. I thought you were awake."
She smiled and touched his taut nipple. "I am now." Then she frowned. "He's really dead, isn't he?"
"Yes, Lelandi. I'm so sorry he was the one." He stroked her hair. "My own flesh and blood."
"How...how did you know about Ritka's diary?"
"Carol had a vision that Ritka had hidden it in Doc's office, where no one would suspect it---buried behind deceased patient files. We didn't know if she had written anything incriminating, but she must have feared Sheridan might turn on her."
"I'm sorry for interfering in the fight."
He touched her throat below the bandage. "If you had tried to protect me and had gotten injured, I would have been perturbed. But I understand that you have this emotional tie to your siblings that can't be walled up. Although..." He kissed her eyelid, then the other. "...you got in my way when I tried to tackle Uncle Sheridan while he still had hold of your brother. I don't blame Leidolf for attacking him either. Both of you had every right."
"Your people aren't mad at me, are they?"
"They're eating and having a merry time of it. But they're looking forward to us joining them."
She nuzzled her cheek against his chest. "I'm hungry."
"Good. I'm starving and if I don't eat my main course, I won't get any more dessert." A sexy smile tugging at his mouth, he rolled out of bed, then jerked on his jeans. "And I'm hungry for dessert, again."
Sitting before the fire in the living room, Sam's bearded face glowed in the light of the embers while he told another story of their ancestors' exploits of long ago. Darien wrapped his arm around Lelandi and pulled her close on the couch, and for the first time ever, she really felt part of the pack. Leidolf was sipping another beer in one of the chairs, studying Carol as she sat on the floor next to Tom, enraptured with Sam's tales, her blue eyes wide with awe. Silva served another tray of drinks, and Lelandi's father nodded off in his wheelchair.
Doc Mitchell and Chester McKinley played a game of chess nearby while Mason supervised. Eleanor and Nurse Grey made turkey sandwiches for everyone. The Hastings sat together on a love seat, cuddled together as if they were young lovers all over again. Jake took a seat on the other side of Carol and offered her a bag of chips. She smiled at him like she was in love, and Leidolf took another swig of his beer, his expression annoyed.
Peter looked happy and relaxed now that he was the new sheriff of Silver Town and gave Lelandi a satisfied smile. Trevor had vanished, and she wondered if he'd left to see Caitlin.
Darien rubbed her tummy absentmindedly and it made her warm and tingly inside.
She glanced at Carol. She didn't want her to leave Silver Town after they'd become friends, but what if she could be the one for her footloose brother? Lelandi frowned. Carol had wanted to be near her parents, and Leidolf now had a pack of his own to lead and couldn't abandon them.
She kissed Darien's cheek and snuggled closer. Leidolf could figure it out on his own.
Now that Lelandi was Darien's, life couldn't get any better. Although he still had to deal with Trevor's behavior concerning sixteen-year-old Caitlin. Her parents were agreeable the two were now mated, and she would move in with him, but his inappropriate actions had to be punished. Deviating from acceptable pack behavior couldn't be tolerated.
As for Leidolf, itching to return to his pack in Portland, Darien couldn't be more glad. The farther her brother was away from Lelandi, the better, considering how her emotional state was tied to his.
Carol was another issue. Dealing with a newly turned lupus garou was problematic. As soon as he could, he needed to have her mated so that her mate would keep her in line. He rubbed his chin as he considered Leidolf, who seemed aggravated over Darien's brothers' attention to Carol. Maybe Leidolf was the solution to Darien's problem.
He leaned back on the couch and pulled Lelandi closer. Larissa would never know how much of a nightmare she'd created, but in her death, she'd brought Lelandi into his life. Because of that, he could forgive Larissa.
But the families of those who'd died---Ritka, Angelina, Hosstene, and Uncle Sheridan---wouldn't be so easily appeased. For them, although they recognized their family members had committed grave injustices, many felt their actions somewhat justified. If Larissa hadn't been mated already, then had an affair with Joe, most likely none would have committed the crimes. Some had voiced their dissent, and he assumed they might leave the pack.
He glanced at his cousins, Uncle Sheridan's four grown sons. For some time now, they'd been conspicuously absent from any of the pack goings-on. Had they known about their father's complicity?
Connor, the most lighthearted one of the bunch, looked Darien's way. For the briefest of moments, he appeared sad, but he quickly hardened his expression and turned away.
Yep, ripples of dissent were already stirring, but Darien had dealt with problems like these for years. He'd deal with these, too.
Lelandi looked up at Darien and smiled, not in a sweetly innocent way, but in one that said she wanted some alone time with him. He rubbed her arm and leaned over and gave her a kiss.
Sam quit orating a story and Darien looked up and found every eye in the room on him.
"Lelandi's feeling tired."
Several smiled.
He rose from the couch with Lelandi. Loving every bit of her, the feral and the tame, he swept her up in his arms to whoops and cheers and headed to the stairs.
"You are so subtle, you know?" she said in a harsh, low voice.
He grinned. "You should be proud of me. I didn't say I was taking you to bed to ravish you."
She groaned and he laughed.
Several downstairs laughed and Sam began telling another story. And Darien, well, he was going to make sure Carol's prediction came true. In nine months, he'd be cradling an armful of triplets. God, how he loved Lelandi. His dream had finally been realized.
"About Carol," Lelandi said as Darien deposited her on the bed.
He growled low. "Now is not the time to discuss pack business." He straddled her, his rock-hard erection straining for release, and she gave him a coy smile.
"This is pack business," she reminded him.
"Believe me, from now on I'll be taking care of a lot more of this kind of business."
"Darien, I was thinking. I want to be a psychologist."
"No."
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
"You'd have to go away to college. So no." His dark eyes challenged her as he quickly divested her of her clothes.
"I can take it online. When Larissa needed help, a psychologist had to come from Green Valley." Lelandi ran her fingers through Darien's silky hair, but she could tell from his hard expression, he wasn't buying her pitch.
"I still say no." He jerked off his shirt.
"Why?"
He climbed off the bed and ditched his boots and jeans. "I don't want you talking to crazy people." Returning to bed, he leaned next to her, and massaged her breast. "They can become infatuated with their doctor, believing the doctor loves them because she listens to their concerns, she cares about them. And one as attractive as you..." He shook his head.
"I could help people deal with grief and all kinds of different anxieties. I need to have something to do."
His hand shifted to her belly, and he caressed her with a gentle touch. "You'll have plenty to do."
She growled.
He grunted. "All right. Get your degree online, and then you can see female patients, only."
She laughed. "I can just hear what your people will say."
"Our people. If a guy wants to see you, he'll have to request an audience with either me or one of my brothers first."
"That'll cut down the number of male patients I get."
He offered a devilish smile.
She touched his face, then leaned over to kiss his lips. "Hmm, Darien, my dream lover. Make the dream come true again."
"It already has, sweet Lelandi. It already has."
With that, he swept her into their own private world, vowing to take her for a romp in the woods in their wolf states later that evening to fulfill Carol's prediction that men and women dressed in wolf skins made love beneath the pale light of the moon.
The End
Acknowledgments
To my mother, daughter, and son who cheer me on and believe all my books should be made into movies. And to my editor, Deb Werksman, who inspires me every step of the way. Thanks to all the help my Rebel Romance Writers give as they encourage my writing daily. And to my fans who write to me and encourage me to continue creating more wolfish tales.
Copyright © 2009 by Terry Spear
Cover and internal design © 2009 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover photo © Jupiter Images
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems---except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews---without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
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I dedicate To Tempt the Wolf to the veterans who have served their country, to my son, who will be joining their ranks, to my father, who had been a prisoner of war and retired with the USAF, to his uncle, who died as a prisoner of war, and to my mother and all other women who have also served their country.
SUCKING UP OXYGEN, THE FLAMES SPREAD OUTWARD, devouring thirsty timber and underbrush, perfect fuel for the firestorm. The winds picked up force, and Tessa Anderson's adrenaline surged again as she snapped the last of the photos for the magazine. The summer drought had continued on through the fall and winter, leaving the California forests desert-dry, and now either a careless camper or an arsonist had turned the woods into a fiery inferno.
What in the world was she doing risking her life to photograph this disaster?
Coughing, her eyes filled with smoke, she reminded herself she needed the money to help defend her brother. Then in the haze, the silhouette of a wolf appeared---gray, like the smoke, a phantom. Watching her. Stalking her? Wild animals knew better than to linger with danger threatening. Only a human would be dumb enough to stay put.
His uncharacteristic actions made her back toward her vehicle. Having been fascinated with wolves all her life, she knew his behavior wasn't natural.
A tremor stole up her spine. He looked just like one she'd seen before. The one who'd attacked before.
Snapping a picture of the wolf, she bumped against the passenger's side of her Escort. As soon as she fumbled for the door handle, he crouched, readying to spring like a coiled snake.
Heart thundering, she jerked her door open and jumped inside. Before she could shut the door, the wolf's hulking body slammed against it, knocking it closed. She jumped back.
Snarling, he bared his wicked canines. She scrambled over the console and twisted the keys in the ignition, her skin prickling with panic. Tires spun on gravel as she whirled the car around and headed for the main highway.
A half mile later, she came across a home in the direct path of the fire. An SUV was parked in the driveway. Its trunk lid was open and the back filled with boxes. Reassured that the occupants were leaving, she tore on past.
Her main concern now was returning to her brother's trial and praying he would be found not guilty.
Hunter Greymere shoved four more suitcases in the SUV while his twin sister rushed out of the house with another box of dishes, her face and clothes covered in soot.
The air was so thick with smoke, Hunter choked, fighting to draw in a breath of fresh oxygen. "Meara, enough! Get in the vehicle. We leave now!"
Black plumes of smoke spiraling upward indicated fire had claimed another of his pack member's homes and was growing ever closer to his own. Ash rained down like a light gray snow flurry. The smoke blocked out the sun, but the flames lit the sky with an eerie orange glow.
Meara shook her head and dashed for the house. "We have to get the safe."
Seizing her arm, Hunter pushed her toward the vehicle. "Get in the SUV! I'll grab the safe."
The look of mutiny on her face meant she would disobey him. He didn't have time to make her listen. Running in a crouch so he could breathe, he grabbed the steel box from his bedroom closet and carried it through the hazy living room. He crashed into Meara, stooping low, her arms filled with another box.
"Out, now!" he growled.
The blaze crackled, incinerating the old forest and homes in its path. The emerald green woods, already rusty with trees that had died from insect infestations and drought would soon be blackened. And the home they had lived in for two hundred years would vanish in a roaring ball of fire. No time for regret now.
The super-heated gases singed Hunter's throat and lungs, and he chided himself for staying as long as they had. After climbing into the vehicle, he turned the fan on high, but the car was already so filled with smoke, his eyes and throat burned. Meara's amber eyes glistened with tears as she covered her mouth and nose with a wet towel.
"We'll be all right, Meara." Hunter gunned the accelerator and sped toward the highway that would take them to Oregon, nearly hitting a Ford Escape in the fog-like smoke in front of them. The driver apparently had the same notion, but was not driving fast enough for Hunter's liking.
"Hell, who is that?"
"Oregon plates. Some idiot human camping out here? Who knows."
"A woman? By herself?"
He peered harder into the smoke and made out a crown of flame red hair cascading over her shoulders. Intrigued, he wondered if her face was as enchanting as the waterfall of red curls. But then he scowled. She shouldn't have been here in the first place.
He followed her as she hightailed it out of his territory in an attempt to keep ahead of the eye of the firestorm, and him. And for an instant, he felt like a predator stalking his prey. "At least we got all our people out."
Meara didn't reply.
She didn't adjust well to change. Moving from the Scottish Highlands over two hundred years ago to the untamed California wilderness hadn't set well with her. But change was inevitable for the lupus garous. Meara had been lucky they hadn't had to move as much over the years as many of their kind, hiding the fact that once they reached eighteen, they aged only a year for every thirty.
"Where are we going?" she asked, staring out the window at the vast ancient pines that would soon suffer the fate of their steadfast companions.
"To Oregon. Uncle Basil called earlier this morning while you were helping others pack. He's retiring to Florida. The cabins on the Oregon coast are ours now."
"Florida? Are there any of our kind there?"
"Real red wolves on St. Vincent Island off the Panhandle of Florida."
"Real red wolves?" Meara snorted. "I didn't think he liked mixing it up with red wolves, period. But real wolves?"
"He said he found a pack of gray lupus garous near the Everglades."
She shook her head. "So what's he going to hunt there? Alligators?" She let out her breath. "I don't want to move to the Oregon seacoast."
Hunter didn't respond. It didn't matter where they went. Unless it was back to their home in the woods, she wouldn't be happy. Not until she had time to settle in. Hopefully, it wouldn't take as long as the last time.
Hunter finished his shower at Uncle Basil's home, nestled in the woods overlooking the rugged Oregon seacoast, but couldn't get the smell of smoke out of his nostrils, and his eyes and lungs still burned. Nothing had gone as he'd planned. Not only was Meara refusing to speak with him---as he expected---but his people had mutinied as well.
As soon as he joined his uncle in the living room, he realized the day wasn't going to get any better. Not the way his uncle gave him a warning look.
Once Hunter assured himself Meara couldn't hear them from the laundry room, he settled on the leather couch. "So what didn't you tell me when you offered this territory for my pack?"
Uncle Basil sat on his suede recliner, looking like he had aged ten years since the last time Hunter had seen him, his hair grayer, longer, his beard shaggier, his amber eyes tired. Which meant his uncle must have had some real trouble.
"You have a problem you'll have to deal with. One of your neighbors has been taking pictures in our woods. It wouldn't do for her to catch you shapeshifting. I tried to buy her out, but she won't budge. First her grandparents, and now she and her brother live in the house about twelve miles south of us on the coast. You'll need to make her understand she can't trespass on our land any longer. Of course, if your pack doesn't return from where they've scattered, it'll be just you and Meara enjoying the area in your fur coats. But when you lease the cabins to other grays, the risk will become greater. Up until recently, the place has been a safe haven for them, but this woman..." Uncle Basil shook his head.
Hunter knew damn well his uncle normally wouldn't hesitate to eliminate her if she could expose their kind for what they truly were. "You mean, the woman will be at risk." When Uncle Basil didn't say anything in response, Hunter swore under his breath. "You couldn't do it, and that's why you're retiring?"
His uncle avoided looking at him.
Hell, as if Hunter didn't have enough troubles to contend with. "All right. I'll take care of it. Are you going to have supper with us before you leave?"
"I already ate. Got a ticket on the next flight. I left a couple of salmon steaks out for you. Place is stocked with food so you won't have to shop for a while." Uncle Basil stretched his six-foot-two frame. "Looking forward to sunshine warming these old bones. Hips are bothering me something fierce. Figure the cold dampness might have something to do with it."
Then he leaned forward. "Your mother and father would have been proud the way you've managed to keep the pack safe all these years. Your people will return. Give them time. Just be sure and take care of the woman. Her brother most likely is going to prison for murder, but the woman's still a threat, unless she decides to move. Tessa Anderson's the name. Take care of it. And soon."
He stood and gave Hunter a fatherly embrace, then said his good-byes to Meara. Hunter waved as his uncle left in his old pickup, wondering why he hated to buy new vehicles as much as Meara hated to change where she lived.
Hunter walked to the picture window overlooking the Pacific Ocean and stared out at the gray day, the cold, fog, moisture---in stark contrast to the dry, burning heat and smoke of their abandoned home. Regret and relief warred with his emotions.
Meara slipped up next to him. "I don't like being here."
"You'll get used to it."
Knowing full well she wouldn't appreciate any attempt to console her, he headed into the kitchen and tossed the salmon steaks into a frying pan. He was determined to enjoy their newly acquired cabins, even if his sister didn't like it. Not that they'd had much choice. Settling with the insurance company would take forever and most of their savings were tied up in mutual funds.
"It reeks of fish here. How Uncle Basil could have ever stood it...I didn't remember why I hated this place whenever we visited. But that was it. The strong odor of fish and rotting seaweed." She opened a kitchen cabinet door, peered in, and then slammed it closed, rattling a couple of others.
"Eventually, you won't even notice it."
She opened another cabinet door and pulled out a can of spinach. "I want a mate! How am I going to find one way out here? You've made sure there are no other lupus garous in a four-hundred mile stretch of land."
So that was some of the trouble. Not that he'd had much luck finding her a mate in California either because she'd been so choosy.
"That's a bit of an exaggeration. Besides, when we rent the cabins, the grays will come from all over the country and you can find a mate."
He hoped. Never having discussed Uncle Basil's clientele with him, he assumed his uncle advertised on the Internet and in magazines that would help draw a crowd from all over. All Hunter had to do was tweak the ad to let alpha male leaders who were without a mate know his sister needed one.
Hunter flipped the steaks, seared them for a minute, and then tossed them on the rose china that had been passed down two generations. "What did you want us to do? The arsonists destroyed the forests and moving north to Oregon was the best thing we could manage."
She didn't reply and he sighed. "So, five members of our pack moved into the vineyards in southern California. What kind of a life would that be? We're used to hunting in woods during our nighttime excursions. No other lupus garous live in the area, so no worry about encroaching on another pack's territorial rights. Besides, Uncle Basil decided it was time to retire and was glad to gift us the land and cabins. It couldn't be more perfect."
"So what's this really about? Uncle Basil never once mentioned he wanted to quit the business," Meara said.
"We were happy in California. He knew unless something like this happened we wouldn't have moved a foot out of there."
She peered out the window. Her spine straightened and her mouth dropped. "I'll be right back." She flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulders and headed outside.
He strode to the window and looked out.
"Hell."
It was the woman. Had to be. Tessa Anderson, the photographer. Petite, swallowed up in a white parka, she trudged toward their house with a camera strap slung around her neck. The camera bounced between her full breasts, which were accentuated by the snug fit of her pale blue turtleneck. Her jeans outlined curvy legs, and suddenly he had the most lascivious thought, wondering what was wrong with him at a moment like this, to be envisioning this woman naked with her long legs wrapped tightly around him.
A pink ski cap hid her hair, but her brows were red, her green eyes sparkled with fire, and her cheeks and pert nose were rosy from the cold. Full, sensual lips shimmered with pink gloss that begged for a man's caress. Her eyes garnered his attention again. Expressive, vibrant, full of life, yet a subtle sadness marred them.
Why was she wandering the woods alone when the night would soon cast her into darkness? Why here? Unless she had made friends with Uncle Basil and had come to see him.
Hell. No wonder he couldn't get rid of her himself.
Meara quickly confronted her, and Hunter raised the window to overhear the conversation. Even though he planned on talking to Miss Anderson, it didn't hurt for Meara to tell the woman the error of her ways. At the very least, giving Meara some control over their lands would make her feel more at home here.
Meara raised her hand to the woman in her path. "You're trespassing."
The woman's eyes narrowed and her brows knit together in a tight little frown. "Uncle Basil said I could take pictures out this way during the winter because he didn't have any B&B guests this time of year."
She had Uncle Basil's permission? What was the crafty old wolf up to?
"Uncle Basil?" Meara asked, her voice rising.
"That's what he told me to call him."
So, Uncle Basil had a relationship with the human female after all. Which wasn't like him.
"Well, his real niece and nephew have taken up residence, and Uncle Basil has moved to Florida. The rules are different now. Find somewhere else to take your pictures. Don't come here again."
The woman glanced at the house. Looking to rescue Uncle Basil? Or maybe she hoped he'd come out and save her from Hunter's sister?
Facing Meara, she offered her gloved hand. "I'm Tessa Anderson, a professional photographer. I live down the coast."
Meara folded her arms. "Then you must have plenty of photo ops on your own land."
Tessa stiffened and Hunter could see now the woman wasn't going to be easily persuaded. Her jaw tightened and her eyes flickered with inflexible resolve.
"Every area along the seacoast is different. And it changes as the tides pummel the coastline. It varies with the seasons also." Tessa tilted her head to the side. "Uncle Basil never said anything about moving. He isn't ill, is he?"
Hunter shook his head. He admired tenacious lupus garou women, but a human female like that could cause real problems. So why was he checking out her package again---the way her turtleneck caressed her breasts, the camera strap pressing between the sensuous mounds, outlining them further, and lower to the jeans accentuating her long, curvy legs.
Lifting his nose, he took a deep breath. Because of the shifting breeze, despite the smell of pines and the sea air overwhelming all else, he caught a whiff of the woman's scent---of peaches and...tequila and margarita mix?
His eyes widened a bit as he smelled something else, something that generated an age-old need---a desire so strong that it could only mean her pheromones were triggering his craving. What the hell? She wasn't a lupus garou---didn't have their distinctive scent, yet sexually, she served every bit as much a magnet for a male lupus garou.
His gaze fastened on her eyes, now narrowed a little, sharp and full of mistrust.
"Did he always keep you posted on his plans?" Meara asked Tessa, being her usual snarky self.
"I was supposed to have dinner with him." Standing taller, Tessa considered the house again. "Do you have a number where I can reach him? Or an address?"
Dinner? Had Uncle Basil forgotten? Or conveniently avoided it, which would explain his warning---although cryptic---about Tessa before he left. Hunter let out his breath in exasperation.
Meara snorted. "Leave, now, or I'll call the sheriff. Don't come back here."
"It was nice to meet you, too." Tessa glanced once more at the house as if to say she wouldn't be thwarted from seeing Uncle Basil. Her breath mixed with the cold air in a puff of smoke, she lifted her chin a little, and then whipped around, and headed back into the woods.
The urge to hunt the minx filled Hunter with a craving so strong, he had to remind himself she was a threat to their existence. If she'd been a lupus garou, that would be a different story. He would have shown just how interested he was and worn her down until she felt the same for him, if she didn't automatically. But a human like her was nothing more than tempting forbidden fruit---one taste would never be enough. Best to buy her out and remove the menace from the area.
Meara stalked into the house, saw Hunter at the open window, and gave a half smile. Then she frowned. "Don't you go getting friendly with that woman, too. Jeesh. I heard you and Uncle Basil talking about her. You know, the lower your voices go, the more I listen in." She shook her head. "No wonder Uncle Basil couldn't get rid of her. Sweet and innocent. Miss Red Riding Hood in a white parka." She raised a brow. "And by the way, as petite as she is, her boobs are silicone---have to be."
No way was the woman anything but the real thing, every bit of her, and he wanted to prove to himself they were in the worst way. Hunter shut the window. "You made Tessa Anderson suspicious. She thinks we've buried Uncle Basil in the backyard. So now I'll have to take care of it." And he would, starting tonight.
"Hmpf. What about the rest of our pack?" Her spine stiff, Meara stirred the spinach heating on the stove and refused to look at him.
"The seven who took off for Portland will return when they get tired of city life."
"So they moved to greener pastures, and we're stuck in Timbuktu?" Meara's amber eyes flashed with irritation, her lips turned down.
"We'll rent only to lupus garous, like Uncle Basil did. We'll entice eligible alpha males to visit, and you'll put them under your spell." He failed to understand how she couldn't see the beauty of the area. If she would just take a run with him in the woods, work out some of her frustration, she would feel better. "We're not a city pack. The rest will tire of it before long."
"And then?" She yanked out her chair and dropped into it, fixing him with another chilling look.
"They can join us here. Plenty of game for hunting on moonlit nights. Oregon has laws to protect wolves. We won't have any problems."
"I want to go to the city." She looked up from her salmon and although she kept her expression stern, her eyes glistened with tears.
Ah, hell. What really was the matter?
"A red pack already resides in Portland."
Her mouth parted.
Hunter clarified, "Leidolf is the pack leader. I met him last spring when you wouldn't come with me to see Uncle Basil. He seemed a nice enough lupus garou for a red. As nice as one can be when he's dealing with a gray pack leader, but he won't like it that some of our pack are encroaching on his city."
She folded her arms. "Fine. You're bigger than the reds. Push them out and we can start over there."
Leaning back in his chair, he studied his sister's stubborn expression. She'd always been so predictable, so agreeable. What was wrong with her now?
"Quit looking at me like I've lost my mind. I'm in my first wolf's heat and I...want...a...mate! Damn it. Don't you ever feel the pull? No, of course not. You have one-night stands with human women who want the same thing and then you're satiated, for a time."
But he suspected her first wolf's heat wasn't the only thing making her so unreasonable. Damned if he could figure it out.
"Of course I want a mate. Nevertheless, you know as well as I do the males outnumber the females in any given pack. If I can't find one of our kind..." He shrugged. "I'll have to find my pleasure elsewhere."
Not that he had been with a woman in a very long time, or was often with one. Running a pack took priority and searching for an eligible lupus garou female was impractical since he didn't have a subleader who could watch over his people in his absence. He couldn't even trust Meara for now.
"I miss Genevieve and the others," she said softly, avoiding looking at him.
So that was the problem. "They'll come back, Meara. Trust me in this."
"And I miss our home." She poked at her food, then she looked up at him. "You're right about one thing, dear brother. I should fetch a pretty important alpha male, don't you think?"
Important? Try more headstrong than his sister, or her mate would never have any say in their relationship.
Hunter gave her a small smile. "That's what I've been saying."
"So find me one." Her gaze sharpened along with her voice. "Or else I'm joining the others."
Hunter's twin sister was his to protect until he could find a suitable mate for her. Meara was not going anywhere without him. The pack would return. Damn it. And he wasn't about to chase after them.
Already past midnight by the time his sister fell asleep, Hunter threw open the front door and took a whiff of the breeze. Winter, pine, the smell of the sea. Fish. And sea kelp. Time to mark his territory, indicating he was taking the area over from his uncle, and check out Tessa Anderson's place. Not only that, but running through the woods---seeing them alive and green after the flames had devoured the California forests, leaving ashes in their wake---he hoped it would settle his troubled thoughts. At a wolf's pace, he would reach Tessa's home in a couple of hours, less if he ran. Although he needed to leave his scent along the way.
Painlessly, he allowed the change to come over him, stretching his limbs, feeling the power fill his legs and body. His face elongated into a snout, his curved canines extending until they were deadly weapons that could crush bone, if he'd felt in the mood for a hunt. A double coat of banded gray fur covered his skin, keeping out the bitter cold as he loped outside in his wolf form and headed into the forest, his black nails digging into the pine needle covered floor.
At once, he enjoyed the oneness he felt with the wild out-of-doors, instead of being an intruder on the land the way he felt when he was in his human form. Now, he was a predator, more in tune with the feral side of his nature.
Yet, he felt a trifle unsettled as he headed south on their property.
Maybe Meara was right. Moving was harder than he'd expected. Part of him enjoyed the newness of being here at his uncle's place a couple times a year, but part of him longed for his familiar hunting grounds.
Time to put aside regrets and concentrate on business.
While he was traversing the area for a few miles, the chilly, crisp air ruffled his fur, and the sound of the ocean crashed down below the rocky cliffs. The sweet fragrance of fir trees looming overhead mingled with the fishy odor of the ocean and the seaweed rotting on the beach, nearly masking the scent of a rabbit nearby. But then another smell came to his attention---not a welcome odor, either.
He twisted his head to the south. Male gray lupus garous---three of them---their smell wafting in the air. And not any of his pack either. These three shouldn't be here.
Listening for any sounds of them, he paused. Nothing. Yet the adrenaline surged through his veins, preparing him for the confrontation.
He had marked his territory well, brushing his tail and face against tree trunks and branches. Even his toes pressed against the earth left his unique scent, showing beyond a doubt he had claimed it, as his Uncle Basil had before him. What gray would be fool enough to trespass on another's lands without permission in the dark of night?
Meara! In her wolf's heat, she must have caught their attention.
Hunter sprinted back toward the cabin. The closer he drew to his quiet home, the more his chest tightened. The grays had been here and could still be here. The transformation swift and painless, he quickly changed from wolf to human form and stood naked on the front porch where the door was still wide open. His blood burned so hot, the cold didn't touch him. "Meara!"
The door to her bedroom was open. The smell of the three males lingered heavy in the air. A deathly silence pervaded the place.
Hunter stormed into Meara's bedroom. She was gone. His heart racing, he roared, "Meara!"
Her bedcovers were tossed aside, but it didn't look as though there had been a struggle. Bile rose in Hunter's throat. Had the grays forced her to leave with them, or had she gone willingly? He couldn't be sure, the way the wolf heat---particularly the first one she'd had to experience---was making her so crazy.
Either way, they were dead men. Nothing less than a gray alpha male of his choosing would do for his sister. And no one would steal her away in the middle of the night without facing the devil over it.
His face extending into a wolf's snout and his torso and limbs changing as fur covered his body, he became a wolf once again and raced out of the cabin. He smelled the intruders' scent on the turbulent sea breeze and followed them as they headed south.
Once he found them, he would deal with them wolf to wolf, teaching them to take care when stealing a leader's sister.
Hunter's breath mixed with the air, an ice storm threatening.
Mile after mile he tracked the three of them and his sister. They were either so arrogant they didn't worry about him, or just too stupid to care. They left a trail a brand-new Cub Scout could follow---broken branches and clumps of fur rubbed against trees; two even urinated a few times as if taunting him---or maybe they had weak bladders.
He growled low.
When the sun illuminated the gray clouds, brightening the day just a little in the early morning hour, he sensed the wolves had marked this new territory for their own. Trespassing or not, he wouldn't allow them to stop him from freeing Meara and taking care of the menace.
Out of the mist, a blackened pine tree, like a soldier bitterly scarred, stood at the edge of a cliff that gave way to the ocean below. Like the forests devoured in flames they had recently escaped, except this silent soldier had been here for a very long time, the remaining forest again green.
Branches rustled west of Hunter, and he whipped around. Three hefty grays stared him down, their tails straight, the hair on their backs standing up. Hunter took a whiff of the breeze. They weren't the ones who had taken his sister. And there was no sign of her now. But the way the leader of this group crouched low and curled his lips back, exposing his teeth, Hunter had no choice. He wasn't backing down. If they were protecting the others who had taken his sister, they'd pay, too.
Fresh adrenaline charged through his system, preparing him for battle as he growled low, stiffened his tail like a flag of warning, and rushed the biggest of the three wolves, his muzzle wrinkling as he bared his killer canines.
The Oregon temperature was thirty-one degrees, but the knowledge Tessa Anderson's brother might not go free made it feel colder still. On top of that? An ice storm was imminent.
Her back rigid enough to cause it to spasm with the building tension, she sat on the wooden bench in the courtroom, her fingernails biting into her palms. She clenched her teeth, fighting tears as she waited for the foreman to make the announcement.
She prayed she and Michael could return to their cabin on the coast and weather the storm like their grandparents had. Only this time, she feared her prayers would go unanswered.
The look Michael cast Tessa pleaded for her to save him from this nightmare. He appeared pale and gaunt in his black suit, the same one he'd worn to his last art exhibit in Portland. How had their lives turned so upside down?
She, who had always gotten her younger brother out of scrapes since their parents had died five years ago, felt like an avalanche was crushing her heart. She'd spent all her savings and some of their inheritance trying to prove his innocence and only wished the rumors that gold was buried on their property was true---and that she could find it---to use to help save her brother.
She let out her breath. Michael was innocent. Damn it.
God, please, oh please, find him not guilty. Set him free.
"Michael Anderson, on the count of first-degree murder of Bethany Wade, the jury finds you guilty."
Barely audible, the words melded and faded. The breath she'd been holding whooshed from Tessa's lungs, and her head grew fuzzy. The bright lights in the courthouse blinked out.
The next thing she knew, her head was resting in a stranger's lap and a man and woman were shaking her. "Miss Anderson? Miss Anderson?"
Her mind cleared and she looked around at a sea of concerned faces. Her heart began racing again. Guilty. The jury had found her brother guilty.
The police were escorting her brother from the room in handcuffs.
She hurried to mouth the words, "I love you, Michael. I'll get you out."
His green eyes filled with tears, he gave her a slight nod. He knew she would try. No matter what, she'd exhaust every avenue before she let her brother rot in prison for the rest of his life for a crime he didn't commit.
A new lawyer, new evidence, appeals. Where could she find a good lawyer to start all over again?
Her heart encased in ice, she realized the only way to prove him innocent was to find the real murderer. Unfortunately, in the Oregon coastal community, the sheriff believed in only one suspect, Michael. Now that the jury found him guilty, no way was the sheriff's department going to look any further into the matter.
Her family's home, the townspeople, the community---all the things she held dear since her parents perished---now meant nothing. No one she knew had sat with her to offer solace during any part of the trial. She felt betrayed, isolated from those who had been her friends.
She stumbled to her feet. Her legs were like melted wax, but she clutched her purse and headed for the courtroom doors, her head held high. A weariness crept through her, as the adrenaline rush from her anticipation of the verdict fizzled into oblivion.
People quickly moved out of her way as if avoiding a communicable disease. Some of them watched her, their eyes narrowed in contempt, acting like she was the reason for the crime in their once secure and sleepy little community.
A tall, thin man observed her from the other side of the room. His dark brown hair curling about his shoulders, the angular planes of his narrow face, the way his shoulders stooped forward, made him seem somehow familiar. He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced at the exit. But when his gaze zeroed in on her again, this time she caught his eye. He quickly looked away as if he couldn't decide what to do---approach and offer condolences or scowl at her, too.
Another of Bethany's relatives? He might have been. She'd been dark-haired, too, and tall and willowy. Plus tons of her cousins from back east were here for the trial.
Bethany's parents hesitated at the entryway as if wanting to say something to Tessa, but then, maybe thinking better of it, Mr. Wade quickly escorted his teary-eyed wife outside.
Tessa blinked back her own tears. But as soon as she left the courthouse, a lone newspaper reporter targeted her with a photographer in tow.
She groaned inwardly. Rourke Thornburg. Once an on-again/off-again boyfriend in high school who had tried to renew their relationship after she'd finished college and returned to the coast, now just an annoying waste of time.
As usual, his dark gray suit was impeccable and his manicured hair had not a strand out of place---making him appear like a big-time-news-reporter wannabe. From the high-school paper to this---his first big story in the coastal town---other than reporting the weather, new storm rolling onto the coast, or crab season's arrival.
She hurried down the courthouse steps and headed for her Ford Escape, hoping to avoid the inevitable.
Like a used car salesman with the deal of a lifetime, Rourke dove in front of Tessa. "Any statements, Miss Anderson, now that the jury found your brother guilty of first-degree murder?"
Taking a stand, she drew taller and looked Rourke squarely in the eye. "My brother is innocent. He loved Bethany. The murderer thinks he got away with the crime, but I won't give up until he or she has been brought to justice."
She shouldn't have said anything to the press. She knew it, but she couldn't stop the words.
"Do you think the sheriff's department is guilty of a cover-up?"
Out of the corner of her vision, she saw Sheriff Wellington watching her, his blue eyes hard as ice. "I think the sheriff only saw Michael's involvement with Bethany, overlooking the possibility someone else was the killer. I wouldn't say it was intentional."
"How do you propose to find the real killer, supposing Michael is innocent?"
"You'll be the first to know." She squelched the tears, unable to offer anything close to the truth.
Rourke knew her better. However, she also realized he wouldn't let go of the story. So what would he do? Report on her progress, sensationalizing her failures to bring the true murderer to justice to make a name for himself? She could see the report now: Sister Seeks Killer to Free Her Brother. When Will She Recognize the Truth?
Rourke motioned to the cameraman to quit taking pictures and walked Tessa to her car, his hand supporting her elbow.
She wanted to jerk away from him, to show she wouldn't allow his attempt at placating her, but too many people were watching. For now, she had to be the proverbial pillar of strength for her brother. Anything less would show defeat.
"I know how upsetting this has to be, as much as you care for your brother, but the jurors were right."
Without responding to Rourke's remark, she unlocked her car door and climbed in. But then she reconsidered. Maybe, just maybe, she could solicit his help. Who else did she have? Nobody.
"If you really want to be a reporter, you might investigate this case yourself. Look at the guys who dug into the Watergate mess and how much dirt they uncovered. No one else did. Ever think you could put your talents to good use?"
A spark of interest flickered in his gray eyes, but he was far from being convinced. Like everyone else, Rourke believed Michael was guilty of the crime. End of story.
He leaned against her door and sighed. "All right. Here's the deal. You and I can get together over dinner, and you can tell me what makes you believe Michael didn't do it, other than the fact he's your brother."
"How about you look into it, and when you discover some other leads, you give me a call. Then we'll do dinner."
"Shrewd." Rourke offered a coy smile. "Not one person could verify Bethany was seeing some other guy. Michael made up the whole story. No evidence points to anyone else."
"Not if you don't bother looking for it. Gotta go, Rourke. Later."
Nearby, Sheriff Wellington gave her a warning look as if to say she had better not stir up any more trouble. Nevertheless, to prove her brother's innocence, she'd do whatever it took.
Mist covered the winding coastal road on the long drive home, and although Tessa usually felt comforted by it, late this afternoon it seemed gloomy, warning of impending disaster. The last time she felt an overwhelming sense of doom, she had learned her parents had died in a car accident earlier on a day just like this one, her last year at high school. She shuddered, despite telling herself the disquieting feeling didn't mean anything.
When she finally pulled into the curved driveway at her redwood home overlooking the rugged coastline, she couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. A winter-chilled breeze played music on her wind chimes as the contorted pines stretching next to her house stirred. She glanced at the gray clouds. As cold as it was, if it rained, it would turn to sleet or snow or a mixture of the two soon.
She climbed out of her car, shivered, and locked the doors. The place looked foreboding now that her brother was gone. Not the welcome refuge it had always been.
She hurried into the house, the air as chilly inside as it was out, and rushed to change in the bedroom.
After laying her wool coat on the cedar chest at the foot of the bed, she turned on the floor heater, and pulled off her black dress. Black as if she were in mourning. Which she was all over again. The house seemed so empty without her brother's presence, his laughter, the sound of his video games playing in the background as he fought another epic fantasy battle before he settled down to paint.
Now, except for the howling wind and the waves crashing on the beach down below the cliffs, everything was quiet. Too quiet in the isolated cottage. For the first time ever, she felt---spooked.
There wasn't any other way to explain the reason goose bumps rose and the hair stood on end on her arms.
She kicked off her pumps, slipped out of her panty hose, threw on a pair of heavy socks, black denims, and a turtleneck. If she didn't quit imagining all kinds of horrible scenarios, she would lock herself in the house until the storm passed. She wasn't normally a cowardly person, but she had never felt so alone before, like she'd fallen into a parallel world where she had no family or friends. And now even her good friend Uncle Basil was gone. But she couldn't believe he'd leave so suddenly without a word. First chance she got, she was checking further into the matter.
An animal howled in the distance. A shudder stole down her back. A wolf. Had to be.
She peeked out the window, but didn't see anything except tree branches swaying briskly in the growing wind.
She wanted to believe it was just a dog. But she knew better. Wolves from Idaho's reserve had crossed the Snake River and were roaming the northeastern part of the state. Visitors to the Wallowa Mountains and the Eagle Cap Wilderness area had also reported sightings of wolves. She'd even snapped a picture of one near La Grande and more recently, a hunter killed a wild wolf there. So why couldn't a wolf have made it to the Oregon coast?
Despite there not having been any sightings, she was certain a wolf had been roaming the area. Worse, she couldn't explain how she felt compelled to discover the truth, but on the other hand was afraid of learning any were living here. Neither her underlying fear of them or compulsion to seek them out made any sense to her. Except as she stalked them, she was sure they stalked her. Which was plain crazy. Or was it? She'd had more than one experience like when she'd been taking pictures of the California wildfire. A phantom gray watching her, waiting, an unnatural standoff between man and beast. And then the sudden unprovoked attacks.
She yanked on her snow boots. After slipping her favorite pink ski cap on her head, covering her hair, still pinned up in a bun, she threw on her parka and grabbed her gloves.
She had nothing to fear. Nothing---except the fact someone had murdered Bethany Wade, her brother was going to prison for it, and the real murderer was on the loose.
But worse than that?
She had challenged him---which would now be in the local newspaper, no less---that she would uncover who he was and clear her brother's name.
She glanced at the bedside table where she kept her gun and took a deep breath. "Firewood, or else you'll go without."
If an ice storm knocked out the electricity, she would be in a world of hurt. A quick walk on the beach to gather driftwood for a fire would have to suffice. She shouldn't have put it off so long, but all she had thought of lately was how to get her brother cleared of the charges. She needed a new lawyer. Someone who was a lot more determined. And a new private eye, someone who would find something that would help Michael, instead of just running up a bill.
After locking the back door---although normally she wouldn't have bothered, but she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching the place---she traversed the narrow and steep path through the woods and boulders down to the small sandy beach below.
From one of the mills up north, lumber floating on the current piled up on the beach, littering it. No sense letting the wood go to waste. She shoved some over on its side and considered how wet it was. Very wet. All of it would take too long to dry. But if she didn't hurry and the rain began, it wouldn't matter what she gathered---the wood would all be too wet to burn.
She trudged through piles of seaweed---hating the smell and unsightly mess it made as the storms churned it up on the beach---and made her way around a cluster of boulders where she spied a stack of wood. Far enough from the tidewater, it would have had more time to dry.
Skirting around to the other side, she figured the timber would be the driest there. But what she saw next made her gasp and her heart nearly quit beating.
The body of a veritable Greek god lay naked on his stomach, his skin, slightly blue, stretched over tightly toned muscles, his dark, wet hair draped across his face, his eyes sealed shut.
Not dead. Please, don't be dead.
BEFORE TESSA REACHED THE MAN LYING DEATHLY STILL on the beach, certain he was dead, she thought one of his fingers twitched. Her heart went into overdrive.
Not dead. Ohmigod. He's alive. Maybe.
She rushed forward and pulled him onto his back. Big. Naked. Blue---she reminded herself. And badly battered---his face, body, limbs.
She yanked off her glove and held his wrist. No pulse that she could feel, although her blood was running so fast, she figured it overrode feeling his pulse, if he had one. Not breathing, she didn't think, because her warm breath was turning into puffs of smoke in the chilly air and there was none escaping his parted lips, full and sensual, but purple.
"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?" She jerked her glove on, and then fumbled to remove her parka. Covering his torso with her heavy white coat, she tried to remember her CPR training. "Fifteen pumps to the chest. Breathe two times into his mouth. Then repeat. No, clear his passageway first."
With hands trembling, she crouched next to his head. His wet hair dragged the sandy beach, his eyelids sealed shut. She tilted his head back and made sure nothing obstructed his airway. Moving back to his torso, she pushed the coat lower to expose his chest---muscled, sculpted, dark curly hair trailing down to her parka, speckled with sand, the best shape she'd ever seen a man in close up---which meant he was too hardy to die on her. She prayed.
She pressed her gloved hands together against his hard chest and began compressions. Counting under her breath, she hoped to God he didn't die on her. If the wind and cold weren't bad enough, sleet began sliding down in gray sheets, crackling and covering everything in a slick icy sheen, plastering her turtleneck and jeans against her frigid skin. She worked harder, faster.
The blood pounded in her ears, blocking the sound of the wind and sleet and waves.
"Fifteen!" she shouted, and then moved closer to his head, yanked off her glove, and felt for any sign of a pulse in his neck.
No pulse, or so faint she couldn't feel it. And no breath. He wasn't breathing.
Her heart in her throat, she pinched his nose shut and leaned down to cover his mouth with hers. Before she could blow air into his lungs, his eyes popped open. Amber, intense, feral. Her mouth gaped.
With a titan grasp, he grabbed her wrists, flipped her onto her back and straddled her, the parka wedged between them as the weight of his body restrained her.
"No!" she screeched, right before he kissed her---pressed his frozen lips against hers, his mouth firm, wanting, pressuring with uncontrollable need---like a man used to dominating---sending her senses reeling.
Instantly, the cold left her, his body heating every inch of her to the core, her heart pounding. And in that moment, she wanted him---as insane as the notion was.
He lifted his mouth from hers and glowered at her for a second, his eyes smoky with desire. Speechless, she stared back at his chiseled face, the grim set of his lips, his dark silky hair curling down, dripping water on her cheeks. Then his fathomless, darkened eyes drifted closed and his tight grip loosened on her wrists.
"No!" she shouted, right before he collapsed on top of her in a faint, his dead weight pinning her to the beach.
"Hey!" she yelled, her hands on his shoulders, shaking him. "Wake up!" She couldn't budge the muscled hunk, but if she didn't revive him and get him to some place warm, he would die for sure. "Hey! Wake...up!" She pushed and shoved, trying to roll him off her. But he was too heavy---solid muscle and bone.
"Get...off...me!"
He moaned and lifted his head, his glazed eyes staring at her, his beautiful white teeth clenched in a grimace, but he didn't seem to comprehend.
"Can you move? I'll...I'll take you up to my house and call for help."
For the longest time---although it probably was no more than a second or two, but with the way his heavy body pressed against hers, it seemed like an eternity---he watched her.
Then he groaned and rolled off her onto his back. She hurried to recover him with the parka, yanked off her knit cap, and stretched it over his head. More heat was lost through the head than any other body part, she recalled hearing from a survival show. Odd the things that would come to mind in the middle of a crisis.
He observed her as the sleet continued to pelt them---an expression without feeling, icy cold like the storm, a face devoid of fear, unlike the way hers probably looked.
"Okay, listen...we're both going to catch our deaths here on the beach in this weather. We need to get you up to the house. Can you move?" She pulled on her glove.
His gaze drifted to her soaking wet turtleneck. But otherwise he didn't move or speak. Tugging at him, she finally managed to help him sit. She slipped behind him, wrapped her arms around his chest with her body hugging his, braced with her knees, and tried to pull him up. She couldn't budge him.
"You've got to help." Her voice exasperated---not with him, but with herself---her frosty breath curled around his ear.
He finally leaned forward, pressed his hands against the sand, pushed himself up, and moaned. The sound of his pain streaked through her like a warning. He was in bad shape and could still die if she didn't move fast enough, didn't do the right things.
As soon as he stood, he grabbed hold of her shoulder and swayed.
Her heart lurching, she seized his free arm. He leaned hard against her, ready to collapse, and a new thrill of panic swept her. If he pulled her down with him, she'd be where she was before, trying to lift the veritable muscled mountain off the beach.
She hung her parka over his broad shoulders and wrapped her arm around his trim waist. "Okay, it's not too far to climb."
Although it was, considering the injured man's shaky condition.
They stumbled up the rough path, and she glanced down at his poor feet, taking a beating on the icy rocks. Every step could be his last, she worried, while he clung to her as if his life depended on it.
Which it probably did.
When they reached the short path to her back door, she intended to rush him inside, call for help, get him warm---not necessarily in that order---but instead, she froze in place several feet away from the edge of the small brick patio.
The back door was standing wide open, the wind banging it against the house.
"I locked it," she said under her breath. "I know I locked it."
Despite the overwhelming panic that filled her, she had to get the injured man into the protective shelter of the house. With trepidation, she walked him the rest of the way, and once inside, she led him through the kitchen. No sign of an intruder. But her spine remained stiff with tension.
The injured man lifted his nose and smelled. He tilted his head to the side as if he was listening for the same thing she was---sounds of the housebreaker.
She hurried the man to the velour sofa where he collapsed in a ragged heap, his expression slightly dazed. She had to get him warmed up. But she had to make sure no danger could threaten them inside the house. Glancing toward the hall and the three bedrooms, she listened. No sound of anyone rummaging through any of the rooms.
Sleet continued to pour on the roof, the sound a loud roar, which could hide the presence of someone moving around inside. She grabbed the wool afghan at the end of the couch and covered the injured man's lap, the parka still draped across his shoulders and pink ski cap stretched tight on his head.
"I'll turn on the heat and get some more blankets for you," she said to him, without taking her eyes off the hallway to the bedrooms.
First, she was calling 911 and getting a knife for protection. She patted his shoulder. "Stay here. I'll be right back."
She didn't wait for his response. Instead, she hastened to the kitchen, yanked open a drawer, and pulled out her largest carving knife, although it was about as dull as her butter knives. Too bad she couldn't get to her gun. With weapon in hand, she grabbed her phone, punched in 9--1--1, and lifted the receiver to her ear. No signal. She tried again. Same thing. Hell, what else could go wrong?
Shivering in her wet, icy clothes, she shut and locked the back door. When she turned, she gulped back a scream. The battered man was standing in her kitchen, looking even bigger, taller, nude again, and still blue. He moved as silently as the cat she had once shared the house with until it took off for parts unknown.
"My god, you need to rest on the couch and...and I'll turn the heat on and..."
His indomitable gaze lowered to the knife in her hand.
Mouth dry, her heartbeat quickened. "I...someone broke into my house. I think."
Without a word, he stalked off, his step more sure, although he had to be in terrible pain, as bruised and beaten as he was. She followed him, her gaze shifting to his butt, firm, muscled perfection with every step he took. He glanced over his shoulder with a glower, but when he caught her checking out his derrière, his mouth curved up a hint.
Her cheeks on fire, she raised her brows and stood taller.
Realizing he couldn't dissuade her from following him, he grunted and moved forward, checking out her brother's room first. The navy velvet curtains flopped in the breeze, framing the shattered window. She sucked in the chilled air and stared at the jagged window, now a gaping hole into the black void outside. A shudder shook her to the center of her being. He could return anytime.
She examined the carpet closer. No glass, which meant the intruder had broken it from the inside, not outside to get in. This further meant he must have entered through the back door and hadn't escaped that way like she was beginning to think.
The injured man crossed the floor to the window, peered into the dark, standing in the icy breeze as if he was made of pure marble and the cold couldn't touch him. Then he turned, shaking his head slightly.
Her gaze dropped from his furrowed brows, narrowed eyes, and the set of his grim mouth to his ruggedly sculpted abs, and then lower to the dark patch of curly hair at the apex of his sturdy thighs and his incredible...size.
Her eyes shot up. He was injured, for heaven's sakes, and probably suffering from frostbite and a concussion. Yet, she swore lust clouded his eyes.
Ha! More likely the onset of pneumonia.
"Let me, uhm, get you some of my brother's clothes."
She hurried into the closet, grabbed Michael's fleecelined navy sweats and a pair of his sneakers, and exited. The man was gone. She glanced at the wind and sleet coming into the room, wetting the beige carpeting. Wishing she could tack something up in the meantime, she knew they didn't have a shred of canvas. Although even if she did, it wouldn't prevent the intruder from coming back in that way.
Clutching her brother's things to her chest with one arm, the knife readied in her free fist, she rushed into the hall and nearly collided with the naked man. A gasp slipped from her lips before she could hide her unsettled reaction.
"You're going to hurt yourself with that." His words sounded husky and wearied. His colorless lips lifted slightly. "Or me."
The way he said, "Or me," sounded suspiciously like he didn't believe she could hurt him. As wired as she was, her hands trembled with the notion she might have accidentally stabbed him.
His icy hand touched hers, almost reverently. Was he worried she was scared to be unarmed? She was more fearful that she might have caused him further injury.
Despite how cold they both were, his flesh sent a volley of warmth sliding through her, his eyes never straying from hers. Heat, passion, and a knowing look as though he could read the way she was feeling showed in the glint of his amber eyes. And then he slipped the knife from her grasp, his fingers leaving hers and the cold returned.
He had to be chilled to the marrow of his bones. She was and she wasn't even nude in the icebox of a house, although wearing wet clothes had to come in a close second for making a body cold under these inhospitable conditions.
"No one in any of the rooms," he assured her, his voice cloaked in darkness, his gaze steady, penetrating.
Something unspoken tied them together, although she couldn't sense what. The way he considered her as if she was important to him somehow---not as his savior exactly, but more like his...captive, his prey.
Before her frozen mind made anything stranger of her reaction toward him, she shoved the sweats at his chest. "Here, get dressed and I'll---"
"Turn on the heat?" He cocked an arrogant brow, his lips neutral.
One of her medieval romance novels could have featured him as a brooding, striking---albeit a bit battered---hero. Or the villain. What did she know about him, after all?
"I would have already," she said, storming back down the hall, "if an intruder hadn't been in the---"
"The electricity isn't working."
She stopped, turned, and stared at him. It would be dark soon. And even colder. Hell, she hadn't even gotten one load of firewood from the beach yet.
Now, she was stuck in the middle of the ice storm with no electricity and no phone...with a total hunk of a stranger still standing in her hallway naked.
The man slipped her brother's sweatpants on, but the corded muscles of his chest were exposed, his skin tan, no longer blue, but bruised and cut. He yanked the sweatshirt over his head. "I checked the heater while you were getting the knife. Light switches, too. There's no electricity." He pulled on the pair of sneakers.
"Then I need to gather wood for the fire." Tessa shuddered involuntarily, both from the cold and her wet clothes. But also from the fact she would have to trek back down the hill alone when the prowler might still be out there hidden in the woods, watching, waiting.
The injured man swept his hair back away from his chiseled face, the planes edged in marble. "You need to slip into something dry. I'll get the firewood."
"But you...you were half dead."
"I heal quickly."
"Good." Her voice conveyed she wasn't convinced.
No one could heal that quickly---probably trying to sound macho to appease her. She took a deep settling breath and watched him deposit the knife on the tiled kitchen counter with a clunk. His hands were big and rough. Not an artist's hands like her brother's, but strong enough to pin her to the beach, not allowing her an inch to struggle. An annoying sliver of eroticism stoked a fire deep inside her, just thinking about the way his body had pressed against hers. He'd been delirious, for heaven's sakes, and didn't even realize what he had done.
"I'm going with you, just in case you begin to feel badly. You probably suffered from a concussion and should go to the hospital. But the road will be too icy and---"
He pulled the back door open.
"Wait! Let me get my parka, and I'll get Michael's field jacket for you."
She rushed into the living room, grabbed her coat from the couch, and pulled it over her wet clothes. The turtleneck and jeans clung to her skin like pieces of cloth soaked in ice water, and again she shivered. She would have changed clothes if he had given her a couple of minutes. But if they didn't get wood in a hurry, it would be soaking wet. Forget a warm fire then.
After retrieving her brother's jacket from the hall closet, she joined the stranger in the kitchen.
"I'm Tessa Anderson, by the way, and you are?"
His forehead wrinkled slightly and his jaw tightened. "Hunter's the name, although...I can't seem to remember anything else. My tumble in the ocean probably had something to do with it."
"You don't remember a last name?" Her skin prickled with fresh unease. A naked stranger without a last name washed up on her beach and no way to get outside help in the event he was unsafe---
"I'm sure it'll come to me after a while." He threw on the jacket and headed outside.
"Wait! Gloves!"
But he was already halfway down the trail. She grabbed a pair of her brother's fur-lined leather gloves from the hall closet and rushed after Hunter. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was more afraid of staying alone in the unsecured house, than with chasing after a stranger. Even so, she sensed the driving power inside him, the danger inherent, something about him that made her think of---she wasn't sure.
"Wait! Here are Michael's gloves!"
Moving too fast on the icy ground, she slipped. Her heart tumbled and she threw her hands out to brace her fall on the rocky path. If Hunter hadn't leapt forward and caught her wrist, pulling her into his hard embrace, she would have landed on her face.
Heat suffused every pore, and the stranger showed more than a spark of interest. His gaze smoldered with passion as he looked into her eyes, lower...to her lips.
Her chest pressed against his, his heart beat as fast as hers, maybe faster, and for an instant, he didn't seem to want to let go, his arms holding her tight, lots closer and longer than necessary. More than that---he acted like he wanted to kiss her again. Although she knew the first time had to have been a mistake---a deliriously, delicious mistake. And for an instant, she envisioned the kiss. Possessive, demanding, and oh so hot. And she, too shocked to respond, but wondering if she had, how would he have reacted?
His gaze drew back to hers. His whiskey-colored eyes---like the wolf's.
A strange awareness crept through her---like she was looking into the eyes of a predator. But then he averted his attention and released her. "The path's icy."
"Right." As if she wasn't aware of the obvious. But that wasn't half as dangerous as what had just occurred between them.
So what had occurred between them?
Trying to keep up, she hurried down the path after him.
She didn't know him. He didn't know her. Hell, he didn't even know himself. Yet there was something about him that was driving her crazy. Almost like animal magnetism. Which really was nuts. She didn't believe in primitive sexual attraction, although her brother had always teased her that she would know when she finally met the right man---a sexual draw so compelling would exist between them, she wouldn't be able to resist.
That would be the day.
"You should have stayed behind." The stranger's gruff voice snapped her right out of her sexual fantasies.
He slipped Michael's gloves on and continued down the path to the woodpile where she had first found him.
A thank you would have sufficed, she grumbled silently to herself.
Even though he appeared to be all right now, his jaw tightened when he leaned down and lifted an armload of wood, and again when he straightened his back. As injured as he was, she wished he hadn't had to help. Gathering up as much timber as she would have in three trips, he returned to the path leading up to the house.
A little ways up the hill, he stopped, cast a glance over his shoulder, his dark brows pinched together, his eyes watchful while he waited for her.
She stumbled up the path with an armload of timber, miniscule compared to the load he was carrying.
He grumbled, "I told you that you should have stayed in the house."
"Yeah, well, we need all the firewood we can get if we're going to be stuck here without electricity. Besides, I do this all the time without anyone's help."
Although that had been the case only since her brother had been incarcerated. Otherwise, he had always been the one to get the firewood and do the other more manly chores around the place. At the thought she might not see him here again for a good long while, her eyes filled with tears and she sniffled.
But she wasn't going to sit in the house, worrying whether the stranger might reinjure himself on another trip to the beach or back alone. So he was stuck with her, whether he liked it or not. Besides, staying there and worrying about the intruder's return wasn't an option either.
He shook his head, yet the corners of his mouth turned slightly upward.
He walked the rest of the way to the house, moving slower this time, as if making sure she didn't slip again or fall too far behind. At least that's what she assumed. Unless he just hurt so much, walking was difficult.
They headed inside and he set his firewood on the rack. Taking the wood from her arms, he stacked it with the rest. Then like a good Boy Scout, despite looking too roguish to be one, he set up a perfect fire. Slowly, the flames began to crackle and throw off a curl of heat.
Crouching in front of the fireplace, he frowned up at her, his darkening gaze drifting again to her turtleneck. "Why don't you get into something dry."
"I'll be fine." She couldn't admit she was afraid to be by herself.
"Your clothes are soaking wet. You're shivering. The house is freezing. You're not fine. Lock the bedroom door, if you're afraid."
She clenched her teeth. She wasn't afraid of the veritable god. Well, maybe a little. She yanked off her wet gloves and parka, tossed them on the coffee table so they'd dry by the fire, and then returned to the bedroom and locked the door---as a precaution. She tried the phone; still no dial tone. She glanced at her bedside table. The gun.
She jerked the drawer open. Her heart skipped a beat. No gun.
Blind rage filled her. Feeling violated, she collapsed on the edge of the bed. If someone used the gun to commit a crime, the police would trace it straight to her. Not to mention she couldn't count on it for protection now.
How had the man known where to find it? What else had he taken? Nothing looked like it was out of place.
Focus---get warm and dry before pneumonia sets in. Shaking violently from the cold, she stood, peeled off her wet clothes, and dumped them on the floor.
She shoved on a pair of emerald fleece sweats, matching heavy-duty socks, and her fur-lined boots. Feeling a little warmer, she hurried down the hall and dumped her wet clothes in the dryer, her thoughts centered on the naked man.
Did he really have amnesia? Or was it just a ploy to keep his identity a secret? He seemed so dangerous, maybe because he was so powerfully built. Her brother and the men she had dated were scrawny compared to this guy.
She twisted the dryer dial to turn it on high. No response. Damn, no electricity.
Grumbling, she yanked her wet things out of the dryer and hung them in the shower to drip dry. But then a dark thought crossed her mind. What if the ice storm hadn't knocked out the electricity? What if the intruder had done something to it?
She hurried to the coat closet to check the circuit breaker, glanced in the direction of the living room and noticed the fire had caught hold, its golden flames throwing off some heat. But Hunter was gone. Her heart fluttered with fresh apprehension.
She rushed to the back door and saw him trudging up the hill with another armload of firewood as big as the first. Curbing her annoyance that he would sneak out and chance injuring himself further without her being there to rescue him, she glowered.
Even her brother couldn't carry that much, certainly not if he had had been injured like this man. He reminded her of a Highland warrior, his brow creased with determination, his face dark and brooding, his body hard and ready to win any battle no matter how much his enemy had beaten him beforehand. A kilt was all he needed to complete the look. A kilt, and nothing else.
He caught her eye and offered her a hint of a smile. Hell, she'd been ogling the poor man---again.
"Do you have anything in the house to eat?"
Walking past her while she locked the door, he smelled like the sea, pines, wind, rainwater, and a rugged outdoorsman. If they could bottle his scent, the cologne would drive women crazy. With a clunk, he deposited the wood neatly with the rest, shaking her loose from her insane thoughts.
"Uhm, let me check one thing." She returned to the coat closet and pulled the door open. She yanked on the light switch pull and then shook her head when the bulb didn't come on. When would she get it through her brain there was no electricity?
Before she could get the flashlight, he placed another log on the fire and said, "I already checked the circuit breaker."
He was way ahead of her. "You think the ice storm has brought down the lines?"
"Since your unwelcome houseguest didn't mess with the circuit breaker, that's what I assume."
She took a settling breath. If the intruder had shut off her electricity, it probably would mean he'd return. Hopefully, this meant he'd only come for the gun. Unless he realized she was alone and would return later to steal more. The newspaper had covered the press on her brother's story for weeks. Everyone knew she was by herself now. Instantly re-chilled, she rubbed her arms and returned to the kitchen.
"I have a rack that we can put over the fire and grill some steaks," she offered.
"Rare." He walked into the kitchen, sure of himself, no hint that he'd been mostly dead a half hour ago.
Her brother's sweats would never look the same. Whereas they hung off her brother's slim frame, they hugged this guy's muscled body.
She tried to get her mind off the man's physique and concentrate on dinner. She had never attempted cooking anything in her fireplace. Would it work? Or be a total disaster?
"Garlic? Lemon and pepper seasoning?" Wishing it was at least defrosted, she pulled the meat out of the freezer.
"However you prepare it is fine with me. As long as it's rare."
"What do you think happened to you?" She handed him the rack for the fireplace.
"Not sure. My skin feels tight, like I soaked for hours in a tub of salt water, so I imagine I took a swim in the ocean."
"Did you want a shower?"
"Would you have enough hot water?"
"Probably not."
She seasoned the steaks and carried them into the living room. "I've got candles and flashlights in one of the kitchen drawers, if you want to get them for later."
It wouldn't be dark for another hour or so, but if the electricity didn't come back on, she wanted to be prepared before nightfall.
"I'll watch the steaks."
"All right. Medium. That's the way I like mine."
She returned to the kitchen and rummaged through the drawers, looking for the emergency candles.
"Is anything missing from your house?" he asked.
She headed back into the living room with an armful of lighting paraphernalia.
A shadow of dark stubble covered his square jaw, and his eyes looked haunted. No wonder, after all he had been through. His coffee-colored hair hung to his shoulders and dripped water. She needed to get him a towel.
"He stole my gun." She set two flashlights, two camp lanterns, and four candles on the coffee table.
The man's eyes widened. "You know how to shoot?"
"Of course. I have a concealed weapon license. Someone broke into our house a couple of times before because we're so isolated."
He flipped the steaks. "Where's your brother?"
Tears cascaded down her cheeks before she could stop them. "He went to prison for a murder he didn't commit." She grabbed a tissue from a box on the coffee table. Almost empty. Again.
Hunter studied her for a moment before saying anything. A hint of compassion showed in his eyes. For her? Or her brother? Or was she hallucinating?
"Have any proof?" He flipped a steak onto a plate. Barely cooked.
"No. He didn't do it. And I'll find the killer if I have to. Michael's girlfriend was seeing someone behind his back. What if he was the one who killed her? Usually the murderer knows the victim."
Hunter looked like he didn't believe her.
She cast him an annoyed look. After she saved his naked butt, the least he could do was pretend he believed her.
"I've got some rolls and canned asparagus we can eat cold."
She stalked down the hall to the guest bathroom, grabbed a fresh bath towel from the linen closet, and returned to the living room. "Here, to dry your hair."
He had a plate in one hand and was turning her steak with the other. She hesitated. If he'd been a friend, she would have offered to dry his hair. But he wasn't. Still, the house was cold, except for the part of their bodies directly exposed to the fire, and...
He tilted his head back and looked up at her, his mouth curving slightly upward. "Maybe you can towel-dry it. Icy drops of water keep rolling down my neck."
Rife with indecision, she stood next to him. The fire flickered light off his eyes, like a wolfish predator, tempting her to draw closer into his web of seduction. What was there about him that turned her insides into mush? No man had ever made her feel that way with just a look.
The thought of drying his hair seemed so...intimate.
Taking a deep breath, she moved closer, leaning over him, sliding the fluffy towel over larger clumps of his dark hair, trying to dry it quickly. To not get caught up in the feel of him, the way his body's heat reached out to her, the way he smelled so masculine, so intriguing. But then she separated his hair into smaller sections and wrung the shiny strands as dry as she could to prevent his getting chilled. He leaned his back against her legs, relaxing his posture, and she couldn't help wanting to melt against him, too.
He looked up at her, his expression half gratitude, the other half pure tantalization, his eyes clouded with desire. She cleared her throat, switched her attention to his damp hair again, and massaged his scalp.
"Hmm, your hair is a little wet, too," he said under his breath, his rigid body relaxing as he set the plate down and reached up and touched a wet curl dangling over her shoulder.
She swore the heat from his touch could dry her hair in a flash.
"Thanks, Tessa. That feels much better. Got another towel?"
"Uh, you're welcome." She touched her sagging bun, damp trails of curls trickling down her turtleneck. "I'm okay."
"Bring me a dry towel."
How could he sound so sexy when he commanded her to do his bidding? If it had been anyone else, she would have stood her ground. Her hair wasn't that wet; she was fine. But she headed for the bathroom and hung up the wet towel in the shower and grabbed a dry one.
On the way back to the living room, she dropped the towel on the leather footstool. "I'll get the rolls, first."
"I can warm them." He poked at her steak again.
"So...how do you think you ended up taking a swim in the Pacific in the middle of winter?" she asked from the kitchen.
With the package of rolls in hand, she returned to the fire and handed them to him.
"Haven't a clue."
"Without any clothes?" Her cheeks heated, just thinking about how he'd looked in the raw---male perfection, buff muscles, dark curling hair trailing down his chest, tantalizingly seductive, his stomach flat and his butt---which she would die to have---toned and provocative.
His mouth curved up slightly.
Even though he said he didn't remember anything, she had the distinct impression he knew more than he was letting on. But then again, what did she know about amnesia cases? Nothing, except about some isolated cases she'd read in the news.
"Who was seeing your brother's girlfriend?" He turned the rolls.
"Michael didn't know. And the police couldn't locate him."
Hunter gave her a skeptical look and served up her steak and the rolls.
"My brother couldn't catch her with him, but he knew she was seeing someone else." She took a deep breath. "I'll get the asparagus."
After she returned and served up the asparagus, but before he began to eat his meal, he scooted behind her while she sat cross-legged in front of the fireplace, as if they had known each other forever. His legs stretched out beyond hers way too intimately, caging her in, and yet to be able to keep her arms from being pinned, she rested her elbows on his knees. She had never known anyone she could get this close to so quickly and feel just right.
He removed the pins from her hair, gently, careful not to pull it.
"Your dinner will get cold," she admonished, feeling out of her element. No man had ever let her hair down and the experience was just as beguiling as the rest of his moves. "And if nothing else, you need a good hot meal after the ordeal you've been through."
"I'm feeling pretty hot." His deep baritone voice penetrated her defenses, offering protection and silky seduction. Warmed by the fire, his chest pressed against her back. "How about you?"
Sizzling, as in having one of those hot flashes her mother always talked about. But it had nothing to do with the fire, and all to do with the Greek god warming her backside.
He stroked Tessa's hair with tender caresses, and she suddenly wasn't hungry. Instead, she wanted to turn around and kiss him. She was pretty sure his kisses could melt the polar ice caps the way he looked at her and touched her, heating her from the top of her damp head to her boot-covered toes. The way his first kiss had done.
Despite the circumstances that brought them together, she felt a sense of relief that he was here. Well, more than a sense of relief. Here, she could have been sitting in the chilly house alone, without any electricity, still trying to get a fire going, worried that whoever broke into the house was lurking outside. She would never have imagined cooking a meal over the fire either, even though Michael had done so outside a number of times while she'd watched. If she'd been on her own, she probably would have fixed a tuna fish sandwich and sat in the cold, eating it while a flashlight illuminated the place, poking into the dark with a faint light, the rest in shadows. Worrying that the intruder would return.
Hunter stroked her hair some more with the towel, then leaned over and kissed the back of her head, his groin pressed hard against her backside. He was totally aroused and she was getting herself into hot water. What if the guy was married? He didn't remember anything about his past. He wasn't wearing a ring, but maybe in his occupation, he couldn't. Or maybe he was the kind of man who refused to wear a ring, because it stifled his sex life. Like her father.
"Thanks so much for drying my hair." Her tone was formal, an attempt at keeping her distance.
"A natural redhead." He combed his fingers through the strands, inspecting it as if he had never seen anything quite like it, caressing, awed.
And for a minute in time, she felt adored, when no one had ever treated her that way. But then she shuttered her heart, reminding herself it could all be a show. He might be a womanizer extraordinaire and it was his nature to beguile women with his irresistible magnetism.
He moved his long legs and rose.
Instantly, the heat his body had generated faded from hers and the loss of their touching affected her profoundly, when her mind told her she shouldn't feel a thing. But with her brother gone, the house so empty---hell, what was she telling herself? Hunter was the first man who'd made her feel like a real woman ever. It had nothing to do with her brother or an empty house and all to do with an empty life. The only thing that kept her busy was taking care of her brother, and photographing anything and everything for a living.
One look at Hunter and the lustful expression in his gaze, and she knew he wanted her. Or at least he was fully aroused and needed release. She figured any woman who was readily available would do.
He lifted a brow and she wondered what he was reading in her expression. Skepticism? Interest? He would be right on both accounts.
He gave her a small smile, then grabbed his plate and sat next to her in front of the fire, his knee touching hers. Did he practice seduction? Or did it just come naturally?
"You could hire a detective to look into your brother's situation."
"I have. He charged me lots and didn't find anything."
Hunter nodded.
"Michael's innocent," she said, her voice harsher than she intended.
He didn't respond one way or another, and she knew there was no sense in trying to convince another disbeliever. He devoured his steak as if he hadn't eaten in ages, but worked slower on the rolls and asparagus, and then gulped down two glasses of milk. When he snagged another roll, she studied his face again. She swore when she first saw them, the bruises were dark purple and cuts were deep and bloody in places. But now they looked like they were fading.
"Does your head hurt? Or anywhere else? I don't have anything really strong but I've got headache and backache medicines."
"No, I'm feeling better already."
Now it was her turn to look at him unbelievingly. "Why would you have been swimming in the ocean? You must have some idea."
"Two possibilities. I was pushed or I jumped off one of the cliffs up the coast. Probably drifted to your beach."
Pushed? She couldn't imagine him being the type to jump.
First, she'd put out the word she was going to locate Bethany's killer, now an intended murder victim was staying with her? Bad things come in threes, her grandmother had always said. Michael was found guilty, the electricity was off during an ice storm, and she found a near dead guy on the beach. Oh, and a guy had broken into her home and stolen her gun. That was four in her book. Now was past time for something good to happen.
"You don't remember anything? Except that you like your steak rare?"
He smiled a hair. "I guess that's instinctual."
"Well, it's a good thing you didn't lose all your memory, including how to walk or talk like some do in really bad amnesia cases. Do you at least remember where you live?"
"No." He finished another roll and sat back against the leather footstool, his knees bent, his legs spread, his posture openly sexual, stating he was available if she was, while he studied her with that intense way of his as though he could look into her soul. "So what were you and your brother doing living way out here?"
"Our grandparents gifted us the house when they died. I'm a professional photographer." She motioned to the wall opposite the fireplace where around thirty framed photos picturing wildlife, both flora and fauna hung. "And my brother is an artist. He loves to paint the Oregon Coast in all its moods. His work is now in several galleries across the country. You might have seen a couple of his paintings in the hallway and in the dining room."
"Both of you are very talented. I love the way you capture nature in all its beauty." He observed her photos from where he sat, but the light was fading too much for him to see them well.
Maybe he had gotten a closer look at them earlier when she was changing.
"The way the light plays off the storm-driven waves. The deer eating undisturbed in the sun-mottled forest. Even the seals basking on the rocks near the caves below the cliffs. As if you were an unobtrusive observer preserving nature at its best with one click of the camera," Hunter said, motioning to them.
She could tell he wasn't just making small talk, that their work really touched him, which confirmed what she had assumed about him---he was a rugged outdoorsman. Probably a hunter. She didn't see him as the fisherman type.
Yet something else flickered in his expression. A darkness, or concern. She wasn't sure what.
"What are you going to do now that your brother is gone?"
"Find a way to get him out of prison. I have to discover who Bethany Wade was seeing behind Michael's back. I really believe he's the clue to this."
"If you're right in thinking someone had anything to do with her death, it's too dangerous for you to look into."
What other choice did she have? Not that she would personally chase after a killer. That would be way too risky. She'd hire a good detective who could discover the truth.
"I'm not giving up."
Hunter folded his arms across his chest and speared her a look that said he would have his way or else. "Here's the deal. I need to find out what happened to me. If someone pushed me off a cliff, I don't want whoever did it to know I'm still alive, yet. So I need a nice out-of-the-way place to stay. You require some protection. Michael's window is broken and needs to be repaired. And if you think you locked the back door, then someone used a key to get in. You'll need your locks changed, and I can assist you. In the meantime, I'll snoop into Bethany Wade's death."
Tessa's mouth gaped.
He added, "For room and board."
"But if you can't be seen, how can you investigate?"
"I'll manage."
Again, she had the feeling he knew more about himself than he was letting on. He sounded like he was an undercover operative used to slipping in and out of dangerous situations, unseen and unheard. He certainly was built like a man who physically trained all the time. Plus, he exhibited an unswerving confidence, bordering on out-and-out male arrogance, as she assumed someone in the Special Forces or Rangers would act.
"All right. You can sleep in the spare bedroom."
"I'll sleep wherever you bed down for the night."
That left unbidden thoughts of rugged sex with a mountain man blazing across her brain. She clamped her mouth shut, blinked, and managed to reopen her mouth and say, "Pardon me?"
IF EVERY MUSCLE HADN'T ACHED SO MUCH---THE PAIN slicing all the way through to the marrow of his bones---the incredulous expression on Miss Tessa Anderson's face would have made him smile. But the situation was too dire to make light of it. He might not remember his whole name or what had happened to him, but one thing the concussion had not robbed him of---his wolf instincts.
They warned him whoever had broken into the house and stolen Tessa's gun had also lain in her bed---on the side of the mattress where she always slept---rolled in her scent and carried it with him. Which meant only one thing. The perpetrator wanted her for his own---and since he was a lupus garou, that was bad news.
Worse than that, she triggered a craving in him to such an extent, he was having a hell of a time tamping down the feelings, and remembering why he had to keep his interest to himself.
Her hair cascaded over her shoulder blades, thick, soft red curls he longed to plunge his fingers in again. Her clear green eyes were tinged blue, not a speck of amber: bright, expressive, not wary as he expected, being that he was a stranger without any memories and here most likely due to foul play.
And the frumpy emerald sweats she wore, although designed to hide a woman's sensuous shape, did nothing of the sort. The swell of her generous breasts, the curve of her thighs, her rounded ass, all were perfectly outlined by the soft attire. No belts or buttons to hinder their removal either.
He took a ragged breath and sat taller, absorbed the heat from the fire, which helped to ease the ache in his bones, and raised his brows. "I'll stay with you wherever you make your bed. The house isn't secure. Either we sleep here by the fire, or if you have enough blankets for your bed, we stay in your room."
If it was up to him, he would have opted for the comfort of the mattress, but most of all snuggling with the woman. But her scent, her pheromones, the feel of her silky hair, the way her soft body had pressed against him---and the kiss---had aroused him to such a degree, everything about her was throwing him off kilter. A one-night stand with a human female was one thing. But he was certain one tumble with her wouldn't satisfy the carnal urge. And since he needed to stay longer to protect her, it was better to keep their relationship as platonic as possible. Yet, the wolf part of him was already heading down a dangerous, forbidden path.
She licked her lips and turned her gaze to the fire. His groin tightened. The light sparkled off her eyes and her moistened lips glistened. He'd been in a half-aroused state ever since the woman had manhandled him on the beach in her tight black denims and breast-hugging turtleneck, dampened by the sleet, her hardened nipples teasing his chest when she had tried to revive him. Even half-conscious, the wolf side of him had been aware of her special scent, sensed her fear---not of him, but for him. If she learned what he was, what he was capable of, she would fear him.
"I guess we could sleep here. By the fire. It would probably be warmer." Her gaze shifted from the flames to him.
The look in her eyes said she'd be safer curling up next to the fire. Less intimate than sleeping with him in her bed. Yet there was a hint of something else. Desire to be with him? But she seemed to be waiting for him to make a decision. Which couldn't help but please him. His sister was so testy of late, seeing a female bow to his leadership was much appreciated.
Sister? Where the hell had that memory come from? He tried to dredge up more, but came up blank.
"Don't you think?" Tessa asked, when he didn't respond.
Jarring him back to the situation at hand, he rubbed his right arm, the muscle caught in a spasm. He should have said she was right, sleeping by the fire was a good choice. Safer for both of them. But his animal needs were getting the best of him. He took another deep breath of her scent, sweet and musky. He wanted her, no matter how much he tried to persuade himself it would be a mistake.
"That would be fine," he said slowly, his gaze never leaving hers, all the while judging her reaction. "But already I'm stiffening up pretty badly. Maybe I will take something for the aches and pains."
He wasn't lying, but normally he would suffer rather than let a woman know how he felt.
Tessa's face grew shadowed, and she hurried to take the plates. "Oh, oh, of course. You must be feeling awful."
She rushed into the kitchen, and he almost felt guilty. But he liked her maternal instincts, and no matter how much he knew he should shove his baser needs aside, he wanted to share the bed with Tessa. She was a grown woman after all, and he, a grown...well, man of sorts.
He glanced at the living room window, the curtains drawn.
Had the gray been watching them when they climbed to the house from the beach? The sleet was coming down hard, cleansing the air. He couldn't have smelled him if the lupus garou was being careful. Not a true alpha male then. If he had been one, the wolf would have made his presence known, indicated up front that he had laid claim to the woman. As a beta, the wolf would have rolled in her sheets before he saw Tessa hauling an injured gray up the hill. The lupus garou must have observed them, hiding in the trees, loathing him.
If the thief got anywhere near the house, he would regret it. But even a beta lupus garou could be a dangerous proposition for a lone human female.
Tessa returned with a glass of water and a couple of white pills. "This should help. I'll be right back." She whipped around and headed for the kitchen, then banged inside the cabinets.
He took the medicine, finished off the water, and rose from the floor. Not meaning to, he groaned, and she caught him in the act.
Her brows furrowed deeper as she tightened her hold on a stainless steel saucepan. "You're really hurting, aren't you? Why don't you lie down on the floor next to the fire, and I'll rub some liniment into your muscles. I'll warm this water over the fire, and you can wash the saltwater off your skin. When the electricity's back on, you can shower properly."
He meant to conceal his satisfied expression, for her sake, but he couldn't help it. She was eating right out of his hands.
She twisted her mouth and set the pot on the fire. "I'll be back."
After watching her walk down the hall to the bathroom, and seeing nothing amiss, he returned to the living room, stripped out of her brother's sweats and reclined on his stomach on the carpeting next to the fire. He rested his head on his arms, but even that movement sent a streak of screaming pain from his arms to his back.
Tessa stepped into the room and he heard her intake of breath. Her eyes grew big and her lips parted, but she had already seen him nude.
"I hope that stuff works." He attempted looking as innocent as an alpha gray pack leader could manage who was already fully aroused, his voice way too husky.
"Uhm, you're awfully cut up. Let me get some antibacterial cream, too." She set the tube of liniment next to the fire and left. Down the hall, she rummaged around in some drawers.
She returned posthaste, carrying a handful of creams, his salvation. In anticipation, he relaxed his stiff muscles.
After leaving the creams on the coffee table, she knelt beside him and dipped a washcloth in the water. She slid the hot wet cloth over his shoulders, her touch gentle, and he gave a raspy sigh. "Got hot fast."
"Too warm?"
"No, feels just right."
"The faucet still had some hot water. The pipes would be cold and it takes forever for the bathroom water to heat even on a warm day, but you might be able to take a fast lukewarm shower."
He needed a cold one to keep his libido in check with the woman touching him so tenderly. "This is fine." Better than fine.
She washed his right shoulder and arm and before he could grow chilled, she patted the skin dry with a towel. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her ministrations. No one had ever treated him with so much kindness that he could recall. Hell, his sister would have shoved him in a tub of cold water, not wanting him to soil the sheets with the odor from the sea.
Again, an elusive memory of his sister. But he couldn't dredge up anything further.
Tessa probably couldn't smell the fishy odor on his skin like his kind could, but the scent was pretty pungent. He felt like he had been dropped in a vat of freshly caught fish off the coast. Not that it bothered him. Getting skunked was about the worst odor any wolf would have to contend with. Although he had been a pup when it happened, too curious for his own good, his parents wouldn't let him inside the house for days. Thankfully, the weather had been mild and the moon out so he remained a wolf the whole time, foraging in the forest, no chores to do.
Again, a memory. But even so, he couldn't recall what had happened to his parents or anything else about the incident.
After Tessa washed his neck, she left. Hating to admit it, he wanted in the worst way to drag her back, beg her to finish, then make love to her. He opened a sleepy eye, wondering what she was up to.
With a slight blush to her cheeks, she stood over him holding the afghan. "You must be cold." Before he could tell her she was heating him up just fine, she covered the lower part of his body with the soft blanket, and then started to wash his back, her touch methodical and soothing. "You sure took a beating."
She might have talked further, but he couldn't be sure. His thoughts had drifted to his current predicament and how he'd gotten here. If he had a sister, were they in a pack? He had to be the leader. He couldn't imagine serving in any other role. But what of his people? Were they from this area?
The lupus garou skulking around Tessa's place didn't remind him of anyone he knew. And then another concern: if his pack thought he was dead, one of the emergent alphas---if there were any---would try to take over. Well, he would remedy that when he got back.
"I had a premonition something bad was going to happen," Tessa was saying.
He opened his eyes, turned his head, and stared at her.
"Oh, I'm not psychic or anything. I just have these---bad impressions sometimes. Anyway," she said, scooting the afghan down to the tip of his spine, "sometimes I feel like something is wrong. When my parents died, I felt that way. Before they arrested Michael, it hit me again. Now tonight. I just couldn't pinpoint the feeling, but I couldn't squash the sensation of being watched."
Yeah, by the gray. He assumed the man had been stalking her for some time before he finally made a move.
She finished washing his back, slipped the afghan higher, covering his back and shoulders, and began washing his lower extremities. "Are you all right? Not getting too chilled?"
More than all right. In heaven, as much as he could be, the way he was so bruised and every muscle ached. "It feels good to have the salt washed off my skin," he said, his voice muffled in relaxation.
"Tell me if I hurt you and I'll quit."
He would suffer anything as long as she kept touching him.
When she began to work the liniment into his shoulders, the way her fingers massaged the muscles sent a sizzling heat through every fiber. He groaned with pure pleasure.
She stopped. "Am I hurting you?"
"Only if you quit."
She chuckled.
Despite how good she was making him feel, he couldn't prevent his mind from working over the problem with the gray wolf intruder. "Who would have a key to your house?"
She hesitated and then began to rub his lower back. "Michael, of course. Bethany had a key." Her fingers rested on the tip of his spine.
Move lower, he silently pleaded.
"Ohmigod, what if the killer had taken it off Bethany?
What if he was looking for evidence Michael might have against him, except my brother was unaware of it?"
What if the whole scenario was a setup to get rid of Michael so the lupus garou could have a free shot at Tessa? What if it had nothing to do with Bethany Wade?
It would make sense that a sneaky beta was seeing Bethany behind Michael's back, cagey enough not to get caught, but giving Michael an alibi he couldn't prove. Oh, hell, if a lupus garou killed Bethany, no way could he expose him for the crime. If the killer went to prison, the moon's appearance would eventually force the man to turn wolf. But to get Michael off, they needed to catch the murderer and have him convicted.
Hunter let out his breath in exasperation.
"Did you want to turn over, and I'll wash the rest of your skin?" she asked.
He didn't think she could handle what she had done to him with her sweet touch, but he was more than ready and rolled over. He groaned with the effort and any fear she might have had that he would want to take their relationship too far seemed to fade as her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. Not that he couldn't make love to her despite the way he ached. Dealing with that torture would only help alleviate other discomforts she was now making worse.
She covered him quickly, although the afghan couldn't hide his full-blown erection, and her cheeks blushed anew. "I don't believe anyone else had a key to our place."
He studied her face as she washed his chest, her lashes hiding her eyes as she concentrated on her work. He wanted to ask her if she was seeing anyone regularly. The scent of several different males filled the house, but they might have been her brother's friends. He hoped they were her brother's friends. But if he asked if she was seeing anyone special, she might make more of an issue of his question than he intended. Still, being an alpha he couldn't skirt around the situation. What if a suitor turned up and found Tessa and him sleeping together?
He didn't want to ruin her relationship with a guy if it was important to her. He couldn't claim her for his own. He didn't believe in changing humans, and he hadn't known anyone personally who had ever done so. At least that he could remember.
Certainly, he couldn't imagine anyone doing it in this day and age. Although he supposed if the two were mutually agreeable...he mentally shook his head. It wasn't possible without the wolf telling the human what they were, which wasn't allowed. And even if a lupus garou did explain the situation, how could a human truly understand the ramifications of the change? He or she couldn't.
Tessa lowered the afghan and then worked on his stomach, her hair caressing his belly. Tickling, tantalizing. He itched to take handfuls of her hair and lower her fascinating mouth to his and kiss her again. Only this time with a lot more stamina.
When she began washing his legs, she avoided looking in the direction of his erection staking the cover in the form of a mountain peak.
"Tessa," he said, raising up on an elbow, "are you seeing anyone regularly?"
Wide-eyed, she looked at him.
He sure as hell didn't mean it like it sounded. "I don't want to ruin your relationship with a man if you're serious about one while I'm staying with you, and he was to drop by unexpectedly."
"We could say you're gay."
He raised his brows. Not only did he not care for the idea, he didn't like that she had a boyfriend. "Then you're seeing someone?" He hated how gruff his voice sounded. He meant to ask casually, not like he was ready to rip the guy's head from his shoulders.
She shrugged, but avoided looking at him. He smiled. She wasn't seeing anyone, but was afraid to admit it---maybe embarrassed that she didn't have a guy, or maybe she thought she could prevent her houseguest from getting too frisky with her in the event he wanted something more.
He leaned back again, his head resting on the crook of his arms while she washed his feet. From the moment he'd found himself half frozen and hurting beyond belief on the beach, he'd never thought an angel would be the one to save him, or tempt him like she did.
"What about you? Do you have anyone?" She set aside the wet washcloth and applied ointment to a cut on his shin.
Hell, he'd never considered that. What if he did have a mate waiting at home for him? There were too few to leave widowed, before another male would jump to claim an unattached female.
Tessa rubbed more antibacterial ointment on a deep scrape on his inner thigh, stirring his erection. But he couldn't quit worrying if he had a mate. Surely if he did have one, she'd wait for some time before giving up hope on him.
When he didn't respond, Tessa looked up at him. "Do you?"
Tessa felt Hunter's pain, the poor man. He couldn't even remember if he had someone special in his life. But it was probably good she brought it up, to put a halt to whatever he was thinking might go on between them. He was way too aroused for her to believe he was interested in only protecting her. And she couldn't help but notice his irritation when he thought she might be attached to a man.
She glanced at the dwindling fire. They would need the dry firewood for tomorrow's heat and breakfast if the electricity didn't come on during the night. She wasn't sure if taking Hunter to bed with her was a sound idea, but it would be warmer under the covers if they couldn't have a fire all night long. And the mattress was definitely preferable to the carpeted floor.
"I'll get some fresh sweats for you to wear. You look worn out. Maybe we should go to bed now."
He attempted to look serious, but his eyes and mouth hinted at humor. Yeah, he had suckered her right in. He might have been dead tired, but the way he regarded her with such fascination---her hair, her clothes as if he could see right through them, the way he captured her gaze, holding her captive---he was way too interested in her.
"But remember," she said, grabbing a camp lantern, "you're gay, so no funny stuff or you'll be sleeping on the floor."
This time he gave her a smug smile and a little chuckle. "As you wish. Thanks, Tessa, for taking me in."
"I'd say we both benefited." She tried to sound businesslike, as though she ran a first-rate hotel for half-drowned victims who earned their keep, and hurried down the now dark hall. But then she thought she heard someone in Michael's bedroom. She had closed the door to keep the freezing wind blowing through his window from chilling the rest of the house, but she was sure a drawer opened and shut.
Maybe the wind had made the noise. Still, she listened and couldn't force herself to reach for the doorknob.
"Tessa?" Hunter walked up behind her, this time wearing the afghan slung low over his hips.
The effect was nearly as erotic as when he wasn't wearing anything. She would never look at the blanket her grandmother had made the same way again either.
He seized the doorknob and jerked the door open.
She held her breath.
He stalked into the frigid room, and she hurried to give him the lantern. He peered into the closet, and then walked inside. She half-expected him to bring the intruder out, with an arm locked around the culprit's neck. But instead, Hunter carried a bundle of sweats. Then he went to the window and looked out.
"See anyone?"
"No one's there." He turned to face her, the breeze blowing his hair across his cheeks, softening his dark expression. "What do you think you heard?"
"Someone opening a drawer."
Hunter dumped the sweats on the mattress and peered under the bed. He set the lantern down, and then crossed the floor to the dresser. When she saw what he was about to do, she hurried to help him move the furniture. His muscles strained as he did the majority of the work, and she cringed to think he might injure himself further.
After they had blocked the window with the heavy mahogany dresser, he grabbed the sweats and lantern.
"He won't be getting in that way again."
"Do you think I really heard him? Or do you think I imagined it?" she asked, hoping the intruder hadn't slipped back in as she led Hunter into her bedroom.
"Could have been the wind. I'll board up the window in the morning and replace it once we pick up a new one."
Brother, here she worried about him getting too amorous with her in bed, and he was saving her butt again. The long-standing distrust of men she had didn't help. Not after her father had been one of the worst womanizers in the small community. How her mother had put up with him and his philandering ways she could never fathom.
"I'll leave this lantern on in the bathroom in case you need something in the middle of the night." She noted he had put on a pair of pale gray sweatpants, but not the sweatshirt. "Aren't you going to be cold?"
He cast her a small smile and her cheeks heated. Since he was so comfortable showing off his nudity, he probably usually slept in the raw.
"I'll leave a spare toothbrush on the bathroom counter for you. Be right out."
"Thanks, Tessa. I'll lie down until you're through."
But he glanced at her bedroom window, and she bet he wanted to check outside for the intruder. "You've got to be exhausted, Hunter. Don't worry about him. I'll be quick."
As much raw sexual energy as he exuded, she wasn't sure sleeping with him was such a good idea after all.
But when she exited the bathroom, expecting to find him lying on the bed, half-asleep, she found the room empty. Sitting by the remnants of the fire then?
Cinching up her velour robe, she hurried down the hall with lantern in hand to let him know the bathroom was free, but there was no sign of him in the living room. She rushed to the picture window and peered out. He couldn't be out in this awful weather.
Not anywhere in sight. Hurrying to the back door, she halfway expected him to trudge up the hill with another enormous load of firewood.
"Looking for someone?" he asked behind her, his voice dark and husky.
She squeaked and whirled around. "My god, Hunter. Where were you?"
He held up a shaving kit. "I found it in the guest bathroom. I hope your brother won't mind if I shaved."
His skin was smooth as satin and she wanted to run her hands over his face, feel the velvety skin, smell the citrus spice aftershave, but more than that, she wanted another of his soul-piercing kisses. She chastised herself. He probably had a wife.
"He won't mind that you've used his things while he's...away. He'll be glad you were here to watch over me. And that you've offered to help me find Bethany's killer so we can free him."
A subtle shadow fell over his face, and she wondered if he'd changed his mind. Well, she hadn't. "If you don't need anything else..."
He moved out of her path and bowed his head slightly.
The frigid air wasn't the only thing that chilled her to the bone. She had quickly become used to the idea she'd have a real man on her side to help her locate Bethany's murderer.
She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up.
Tessa grabbed the tie to her robe, then apparently thinking better of it, she climbed into bed dressed in fluffy pink socks, polka-dot pink and green pajamas, and the emerald robe. He had never seen a woman so clothed in bed. He stifled a chuckle. The big bad wolf would not eat her all up, unless she chose it and he was free to do so.
She kept her distance, staying near the opposite edge of the soft queensized mattress, which was understandable since he was a stranger. But she needed someone to hold her tight after her harrowing day---the trial, the intruder, finding a near dead man on the beach. She cast wistful looks at him when she didn't think he could see her in the dark.
He took a long-suffering breath. Patience was definitely not one of his virtues, but he needed a place to stay until he could sort out his situation. The best thing he could do was ignore his cravings when it came to the woman who stirred his desire with a smile, a touch, and the scent of her subtle aroused state.
Forget patience or the right or wrong of it. "Join me, Tessa. The room's too cold. I promise I'll behave." At least that was the plan.
"You're injured."
He'd suffer anything to have her in his arms. "I'll let you know if I'm hurting."
Silence. He smiled. She was thinking on it. He waited, anticipating enveloping her soft body in his. She shook her head. He groaned inwardly.
"I'm fine. If you get too cold, throw on Michael's sweatshirt. You can get some of his sweaters, socks, whatever else you need to stay toasty."
"If you change your mind and want me to warm you up, just slide over here."
Forever, he waited for her to come to him. The wind whipped around the house in a howling frenzy while the rain continued to pelt the roof and windows. Every bit of the cold seemed to have made it inside her home and the bedroom was icier than her freezer. But still, he would not bundle up in tons of clothes when he had a perfectly good woman to snuggle with.
Then her leg jerked. Her arm twitched. She was asleep. She rolled over. Was she joining him?
Her foot shot out and connected with his knee. Pain flared through the tendons and surrounding tissue. Hell, he already had a bruise the size of a melon there. Before he could pull her into his arms, she rolled over again. Night terrors? Nightmares? He reached over to rub her back, to comfort her, when her elbow jabbed him in the chest.
Not what he had in mind after frolicking in the ocean, battered against the rocks in the icy water. Then the sound of distant gunfire caught his attention. As a lupus garou, shouldn't the shots grip him with terror? Adrenaline flooded his system, but he wasn't afraid. In fact, for whatever reason, he felt the oddest urge to take up a gun and retaliate.
If the shooter was nearby, Hunter would make him move so he wouldn't wake Tessa. Time to see if the gray who broke into her home was wandering around outside at this hour also.
Careful not to wake Tessa, Hunter climbed out of bed, covered her up, observed her hair splayed across the pillow, her lashes twitching, her alluring lips parted slightly, inviting another kiss. He took a deep, settling breath. A mermaid from the sea, and just as alluring. He groaned to himself, seized Michael's shoes and sweatshirt, and hurried from the bedroom.
He thought of changing by the shed, but he couldn't risk Tessa catching him shapeshifting. With Michael's field jacket and gloves tucked under his arm, he found a plastic garbage bag to stick them in to keep them dry while he searched for the gray in his wolf form.
At least it seemed like a good strategy. But the way things were going for him lately...
He'd had enough bad luck to last him at least one human's lifetime.
In the middle of the night, the sound of gunfire in the distance woke Tessa. She jerked her head around and stared at the empty bed. No Hunter. Her heart raced and she practically flew off the mattress. Grabbing the lantern from the bathroom, she hurried down the hall. "Hunter?"
No answer.
She half-expected him to be asleep on the couch because she'd been tossing and turning so much, her usual mode of sleep since her brother had been incarcerated.
"Hunter?" She peered into the living room.
No sign of him. She headed back down the hall to the guest bedroom. He wasn't there either. Michael's bedroom would be way too cold.
Where was he?
Another shot rang out.
It was January and no one should be hunting big game along the coast, and not this early in the morning for game bird hunting either. Two more shots were fired. Then silence. She barely breathed.
Michael's field jacket was gone, so were his gloves and her ski hat.
"Hunter," she said under her breath.
The back door jerked open, and she squealed. Hunter frowned at her as he stalked inside with an armload of wood. "You should be sleeping."
"It's the middle of the night. Didn't you hear that maniac shooting out there? He shouldn't be hunting, but what if you'd gotten in his line of sight? What if he was a poacher?"
Hunter dumped the firewood on the dwindling stack, yanked off the gloves, and her hat. "Four more hours until it's daylight. Electricity is still off."
She relocked the back door. "Hope that idiot hunter doesn't shoot anymore. I hate it when they come into the area."
He looked in the direction the gunshots had been coming from and shrugged. "He probably ran out of bullets."
"Like they ever do."
"Miss me?"
She rolled her eyes as they returned to the bedroom. "The gunshots woke me."
He reached up and massaged the tension from her shoulders. Man, did his fingers work magic on her tension-filled muscles---she felt like dissolving into the carpet.
"Then after you woke, you missed me. Admit it. Having me warm your bed hasn't been so bad after all, has it?"
She hmpfed. "Now you're icy and will make the bed cold." She climbed under the covers while he slipped the field jacket off his shoulders, and then stripped out of the sweatshirt.
He reached for the sweatpants, then seeing her mouth drop and probably thinking better of it, he joined her in bed still wearing them. "You're right. I'm cold. I promise I won't do anything you don't want. I'm...gay, remember?" He gave her a devious smirk. "Just come over here and warm me. I gathered enough firewood to keep us toasty for most of the day, didn't I?"
Although a hint of pleading was evident in his tone of voice, his words were still more of a command.
She knew this was a very bad idea. But she always seemed to be helping others. Why not get something good out of the experience, even if it didn't last? He was the kind of guy that wouldn't stay in a long-term relationship, she would bet. One minute, he would be there for her, and the next, gone. Especially once he learned who he was and where he belonged. Probably had a good paying job, certainly a family, and a home somewhere. But heck, as long as she didn't get stuck on the guy, what did it matter if they warmed each other for the rest of the morning?
As macho as he was, she expected him to join her, but maybe he was too honorable, waiting to make sure it was okay with her. She sighed and moved close to him. His cold feet left an icy imprint on the back of her legs where her pajamas had drawn up, and she swore under her breath. "Damn, Hunter, your feet are ice cold, and now I'll never get warm."
He chuckled low and pulled her into his heated embrace. And she did warm up, way too much, but he seemed honor-bound. Maybe because he was concerned he still had a wife or fiancée or special woman in his life. Too bad. She sure could get used to a guy like this. Once she'd returned home after college, pickings had been slim. Rourke, the reporter, wanted to renew old acquaintances, but he was the last one she'd want to be stuck with on a desert island. The sheriff's son, one of Michael's best friends, was another, but those were the only two single men she knew still living in town after finishing high school who were close to her age. Everyone was eons older, younger, or married. But, Hunter, although she wasn't sure about his age, seemed perfect.
His warm breath teased the back of her head and his arms wrapped around her in a loving embrace. His erection stiffened against her back, and she sighed. Too bad he didn't know who he was. If he wasn't hooked up with anyone, they could have had a nice fling---not that she was into that sort of thing, but with someone as hot as him---why not? It was about time she let loose, had some fun, and did something for herself for a change.
Hunter kept Tessa still. He had never known a woman who tossed and turned so much in bed. At least, he didn't remember anyone like that. What night terrors was she dealing with? After she had beat on him, the only way he was returning to bed with her was to hold her tight, give her solace, and keep her from kicking and hitting him any further.
At least the hunter wouldn't be shooting any more for a while. Not until he purchased a new rifle and found another location to hunt in. If Hunter hadn't needed to remain in hiding for the time being, he would have turned the bastard in for attempted murder. He hoped Tessa wouldn't see the hole in her ski cap and question him about it.
How would he explain how he could run faster than a normal human being? He was just fortunate the second bullet had only grazed his upper arm. He'd even forgotten about it when he pulled the sweatshirt off, but thankfully, she didn't see the wound the way he was turned slightly away from her toward the dark. With any luck, she wouldn't see the bloody mess before it healed.
The man swore he thought Hunter was a black bear attacking him. As if Hunter looked anything like a bear. At least, the maniac's rifle wouldn't do him any good, even if it survived striking the rocks below and landing in the ocean. The only thing Hunter regretted was the fact he had littered.
He took a deep breath of Tessa's scent, knowing he shouldn't. When he shared one-night stands with lonely human females, that he recalled, he kept it strictly business, pleasuring them, and experiencing the joy it brought him. But he never attempted to memorize their scents, or make anything of the relationships, like two clouds passing each other in the night, barely touching, and then disappearing.
He was already too wrapped up in worrying about Tessa, her brother, and the gray lupus garou who had set his sights on her.
He brushed one of Tessa's curls tickling his cheek away and grunted when the bullet wound sent a shard of pain through his arm.
Tessa stirred. "Are you hurting a lot?" She reached over and touched his arm and felt the moisture. "My god, Hunter. What..." She stared at the blood tingeing her fingertips in the lantern's soft glow from the bathroom. "You've been shot."
"It's not anything," he said, frowning. Leave it to a human female to make a big deal out of nothing.
"You're bleeding." Her face contorted with worry. She pulled out of his grasp, climbed out of bed, and rushed to the bathroom. After opening and shutting several drawers, she returned with gauze and tape. "Is the bullet embedded?"
Ah hell, he hadn't wanted her to see the evidence, or worry her. "Just grazed the skin, really, Tessa. No big deal."
"You need to charge him with attempted murder. He shouldn't be allowed to get away with this. Why didn't you tell me you were hurt? No, I'll tell you. You're too macho to let me know, damn it."
He hid a grin. Her alpha posturing triggered his primal craving for her all over again.
She wiped away the blood, but it pooled up more. She clamped the gauze on it and the frown returned to her brow. "Hold this while I cut the tape. So what happened exactly?"
"I was gathering firewood. I guess he thought I was a new species of game bird."
"He wasn't supposed to be shooting in the middle of the night." She finished taping the gauze to the wound. "Are you really all right? Have you had a recent tetanus shot?"
"Yes, to both."
She stared at him for a second, her look concerned again, and touched his arm, a jolt of electricity heating his blood. "I can't afford to lose you before you help me find Bethany's killer."
He raised a brow. "And here I thought you had a hankering for me."
"Humpf." She jerked Michael's sweatshirt off the floor and waved it at Hunter, her face stern, but he could see she was half-teasing. "You're only borrowing my brother's clothes. I expected you'd give them back in the same shape you received them."
"I'll try to run faster next time."
She shook her head. "I can't imagine you running from anyone."
She had that right.
She returned to the bathroom and rinsed the blood out in the sink, and then the shower curtain rings slid across the rod. A dripping sound in the bathtub followed that.
When she climbed back into bed, Hunter leaned down, kissed the top of her head, breathed in her heady sweet scent, and pulled her into his arms. And wished he could have her, that she was one of his kind, and she'd want him in return.
"I'll try not to get any more of his things shot up. And when I'm able, I'll buy him replacements. Sleep, Tessa. Or we'll have to take a nap in the middle of the day to make up for not sleeping half the night."
"You have to report this to the sheriff's office."
"The shooter said he would."
She turned and stared at Hunter. "You talked to him?"
He tightened his hold on her, keeping her soft body pressed against his chest, her bottom seated provocatively against his arousal. "Don't worry about it," he said, his voice growing ragged with need. "It has nothing to do with you."
"He shot you on my property so it has everything to do with me. What did he say? That he was going to report how he'd shot you?"
"More like that he was going to tell the sheriff how I destroyed his brand-new rifle."
Her eyes grew even bigger, the blue specks highlighting the green gems. "What...what did he look like?"
"He said I stole Michael's clothes. He had shoulder-length blond hair, stood a little shorter than me, talked big, but was shaking in his boots."
"Ashton Wellington."
"Who?"
"The sheriff's son and Michael's best friend. Great. His father can be a real pain in the butt when it comes to protecting his son."
"I wouldn't worry about it too much." He wrapped a curl of hair around his finger and examined the color and texture. "After all, the guy shot me, not the other way around."
"Yeah, but you destroyed his gun." She frowned at Hunter. "How?"
"I tossed it in the ocean. Figured he'd wake you up, and he shouldn't have been shooting that close to your house anyway."
She groaned and hugged his arms wrapped around her chest, drawing him into her silky embrace, making his blood sizzle---siren.
"Expect the sheriff's visit early in the morning," she warned.
He nuzzled his face in her hair, smelled the fragrant peach scent, wanted to lick every inch of her skin to see if she tasted just as sweet. "What role do you want me to play?"
"Cousin from back east. You're staying with me until we clear Michael of his crime."
His hand stilled on her hair. "Gay cousin?"
She snorted. "Like anyone would believe that."
He smiled and rubbed her arm with a slow, stroking caress. "Good. Not that I care much for being a cousin either, too easy to get caught up in a lie."
"What then? My lover?"
He chuckled darkly. "Works for me."
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING BEFORE TESSA WOKE, HUNTER searched through her house for any reason a lupus garou would have specifically targeted her other than the fact her pheromones undoubtedly had something do with attracting him and soon found something he couldn't comprehend. Wolf pictures filled three desk drawers in the guest bedroom. Since lupus garou wolves looked just like regular wolves, he couldn't tell if they were real wild wolves, or his kind. Not unless he could smell them. Against a wall, shelves housed several books on wolf behavior also.
But why she'd have tons of photos and books on them, and why her scent attracted him to such an arousing degree---
A sepia photo half-hidden by the wolf pictures caught his attention, and he pulled it out. "Seth."
Sitting next to a woman with a baby on her lap, Seth appeared more youthful than Hunter remembered him, his handlebar mustache curled high, his pale eyes as serious as the rest of the expression on his face. Hunter recalled seeing him in a photo panning for gold in California with his great-grandfather and great uncle, the three of them the best of friends. But he didn't remember Seth having a mate before a rockslide had taken his life.
Hunter glanced at the back of the photo. No identification. Why would Tessa have a photo of him? And how come Hunter remembered who Seth was, when nothing else was clear?
In the closet, Hunter found a bunch of half-finished paintings, the focal point of the pictures, wolves---gray, red, Arctic.
He frowned. Maybe Tessa's brother used the wolf photos to create the paintings. But why not finish them? Why hide them away?
Tessa stirred in her bed in the master bedroom. Hunter shut the closet door and left the guest bedroom to make the fire and start breakfast, but he had a lot of questions to ask the little lady.
When Hunter's arms had been wrapped tightly around her, Tessa felt warmer and more secure than she had in months---since the time the sheriff told her that her brother was suspected of murder.
Except for Hunter nuzzling his face in her hair in the middle of the night, and rubbing his cheek on her shoulder another time, he hadn't made any overtures that amounted to wanting something further. Probably because he didn't know if he had a significant other, which made her appreciate him even more.
After finding her father making out with different women on three occasions at home when her mother was gone, Tessa didn't think any man could be faithful. Well, maybe she did. For a while. Until she began dating and then she knew the truth. Most men she'd known didn't care who they were with as long as the woman agreed to have sex.
Hunter's warm embrace had been comforting, and Tessa wanted to bask in the feel of him, the masculine smell of him, the heat of his body all night long, but she finally had fallen into a deep slumber.
When she fully awoke, she wasn't surprised to find Hunter making eggs, sausages, biscuits, and coffee over the fire. Another load of wood was stacked neatly on the log rack. He seemed at home under the circumstances, which again made her wonder if he was an undercover operative or a Navy SEAL or something.
Navy SEAL. She snorted. Yeah, that nearly drowned in the Pacific.
Part of her hoped he'd remembered something about his former life, mainly that he wasn't attached to anyone. But part of her was afraid he would recall too much, and he would leave her for his old life pronto. Right now, she needed him, if nothing more than for moral support, well, and protection.
If someone had tried to kill him, she had no doubt he would want to square things with the person also. She still couldn't believe Ashton Wellington had shot him.
"Morning. I'll get dressed and be right back," Tessa said.
"Morning." Hunter's masculine voice heated her through and through, his eyes capturing hers.
She smiled. "You're a sight for sore eyes." Cliché, right. But god, he was---crouching before the fire, an elusive smile on his lips, his windswept hair curled about his shoulders, a shadow of a beard darkening his square jaw, a look of seduction as the fire flickered in his eyes.
"Ditto, Tessa."
She waved in the direction of the bedroom. "I'll be right back." Yet she didn't want to leave. Never before had she wanted to be with a man 24/7. It wasn't that she felt like moss that clung to a stone, rather, she just enjoyed his company---a little too much.
In the bedroom, she slipped into a pair of jeans and a red turtleneck and sweater, then threw on a pair of warm knee-high socks and suede slipper boots. After washing her face in the icy water in the bathroom, she applied foundation, darkened her red lashes, and brushed her hair. She stared at the sink. Hopefully, the pipes wouldn't freeze.
She glanced at her brother's sweatshirt hanging in the shower, the hole visible.
Ashton was the reason her brother had gotten into so much trouble over the years. The sheriff always said Michael was the instigator. But he wasn't. Michael was a born follower, Ashton, always the leader. So it didn't surprise her he would pull something like this. Well, maybe a little. She didn't think he'd do something so dangerous. What in the world had gotten into him? Drinking. Maybe. He could get crazy then---as she well knew.
She padded down the hall into the living room where Hunter still hovered over the fireplace. He seemed so contemplative as he flipped the eggs and sausages, she didn't want to disturb him, but he turned and smiled. The look was more smug than sweet, almost as if he had known she'd been quietly observing him.
"I hope you don't mind." He served up the eggs.
She laughed a little under her breath. "What woman would complain? If Michael had ever made breakfast before I got my lazy bones out of bed, I would have been elated. And in shock."
Hunter would make some woman a darned good husband. But he seemed more like a mountain man, rugged, capable of living alone in the wilderness, yet he had a wonderful tender touch, too. He was perfect. If he wasn't already attached.
He handed her a plate. "I found some planks to board up the window, but wanted to wait until you were awake before I began banging around."
"Oh. Great. Thanks. I'll help you."
His expression said he didn't need assistance, but she owed him and she wasn't about to let him do all that work himself.
They took their meals to the dining table and sat down.
"It's still sleeting, a stalled storm front. I can manage without your help."
She raised her brows. "I bet you tell all your girlfriends that."
The forkful of eggs stopped midway to his mouth and his lips turned up a little, his amber eyes reflecting amusement.
"We're playing the part of lovers, remember?"
"Ah. I wasn't sure we'd agreed on that. I imagine people in this community might find that hard to believe."
She took a sip of her coffee. "You're right. They would, so when the sheriff comes, he'll be our first test subject."
"Not sure he'll make it in this weather. I'm surprised his son was able to get here."
"Or the intruder." Tessa set her mug down, a lump lodged in her throat. "I never considered it before, but what if Ashton was the person who broke in? He was in the area, could have gotten a key from Michael---he'd been at the house plenty of times---and it would explain why he was still out here."
"What is Ashton's relationship with you?" Hunter asked, super casual-like, but the undercurrent of edginess to his voice couldn't be missed.
And why not? The bastard had shot him. "I'm Michael's annoying sister."
He looked skeptical. "Ashton appeared to be close to your age. Are you sure there's not something more to it than that?"
"We're both twenty-three. Went to high school together. Michael met Ashton at a town fireworks display. My brother is two years younger and always looked up to Ashton. So no, Ashton has never shown any interest in me. He's been in all kinds of trouble ever since we were kids. Senior high pranks, junior high pranks. You name it, he was always the ringleader. His dad was a police officer, then deputy sheriff until he was elected sheriff. He always covered for Ashton and blamed Michael for leading his son astray."
"Hmm, so then I must have led him astray last night when he shot at me."
"Shot you," she corrected, her voice bitter. "Even if the bullet only grazed you, he still shot you." That's when she caught a glimpse of her ski cap...and the hole. "What...what happened to my hat?"
Hunter shrugged and finished his eggs.
Her heart raced lickety-split. "He didn't shoot at you twice, did he?"
"He missed me the one time, Tessa. Don't worry about it. I'm sure we have an understanding now."
"Ohmigod, he could have killed you! You have to tell the sheriff."
The expression on Hunter's face indicated it was no big deal, and he wasn't mentioning it.
"All right, fine. I'll tell him." She jerked their dirty plates off the table. "The sheriff won't be able to use my brother as a scapegoat for his son's actions any longer."
"Let me handle this, Tessa." He leaned back in the chair, his expression serious. "Not to change the subject, but I was looking for a phone book, to see if I recognized any names or addresses. Didn't find one, although I came across a bunch of wolf photos in the desk drawer in your guest room."
Tessa's heart hitched. How could she explain how she and her brother were incurably obsessed with wolves? She shrugged, then rinsed the plates.
He took a deep breath, studying her, as if he was trying to catch her in a lie. Of course, she only felt that way because she was trying to hide her reaction.
"I saw the paintings Michael did, too. Wonderful job. So where were the pictures taken?"
"At wolf reserves or zoos. Michael and I do a fair amount of traveling so we can paint or photograph what we need to." She stuck the dishes into the dishwasher.
"Ah. And the books on wolf behavior?"
She hesitated, and cleared her throat, hating the way her hands had grown clammy. Hunter probably had some hang-ups, too, so what was the big deal? "Some good wolf photos in them."
"For Michael's paintings."
"Yes." She wanted to see Hunter's expression, but she busied herself with scrubbing the cooking pan. Did he believe her? She didn't think she sounded believable. And she didn't think he sounded like he was convinced.
"What about the old-photo with the guy and the woman and baby?"
She glanced back at him. "What?"
He was so coolly noncommittal, it was almost as though he was hiding his own emotions. Which didn't make any sense. "It was with the wolf pictures. Caught my eye because it was sepia, and I wondered if it was an old-time photo of a wolf. So it seemed out of place with the others. Who's the family pictured?"
Why would he ask? She didn't know any guy who was interested in genealogy. "My great-grandfather, great-grandmother, and grandmother."
Unblinking, he stared at her.
"You seem a little surprised."
Hunter joined her at the sink and massaged her shoulders with deep, comforting strokes and she relaxed.
"I thought he looked like someone my great-grandfather panned for gold with. But I must be mistaken."
"Do you have a photo of them?"
"Only of Seth Greystoke and my great-grandfather, but the photo's gone---lost in a fire. But he couldn't have been your relation." Hunter straightened. "About this situation with the sheriff, I'll take care of this, man to man." The dark threat to his voice indicated he meant it.
She wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of Hunter and the sheriff's confrontation. She relaxed a little. "My great-grandfather's name was Jeremiah Cramer. So you're right about them not being the same man. As far as the sheriff goes, if you don't tell him everything, I will. Had Ashton been drinking?"
"No." Hunter gave her shoulders a warm squeeze and headed for the living room.
"Wait! Where are you going?"
"To board up the window." He tossed on Michael's field jacket, the ski cap, and gloves and was gone.
The frying pan could wait. She rushed to get her snow boots, parka, and gloves on. Why in the world would Ashton have shot at Hunter twice if he'd been sober? Was he the one who was seeing Bethany behind Michael's back? He had plenty of opportunities and motive, jealous that he couldn't get a girl like Michael could and that her brother had become so popular because of his artwork.
Tessa hurried outside to help Hunter, when she saw a figure dressed in a gray parka trudging and slipping along the winding road headed in their direction. She stared at him, trying to make out who the familiar figure was.
Hunter cast a glance in the man's direction. "You sure have a lot of visitors way out here as isolated as it is and as bad as the weather has gotten."
He began pounding a plank over the broken window.
"It's not---oh, hell, it's Rourke."
Hunter paused and looked at her. "Rourke?"
"The newspaper reporter."
Hunter raised a brow.
"An old boyfriend from high school."
"From high school." He pounded another piece of wood in place.
Tessa grabbed the next board for him. "He's looking into Michael's claim someone else was seeing Bethany. At least if he wants dinner with me, he will."
"A date." He took the plank from her and nailed it up.
"I told him to use his investigative skills and find out something useful concerning Michael's innocence."
He stopped and studied her. "So he believes Michael's innocent?"
"No. He just wants dinner."
Hunter smiled, but quickly masked the expression and took the next board from her.
She frowned at him. "I'm not interested in Rourke."
"He's simply a means to an end."
"Right."
"Ho!" Rourke hollered from a distance after picking himself up from the roadway a second time.
"Hey, Rourke! What brings you way out here?" Not wanting to get her hopes up too much, she prayed he'd found something that would help her brother's case.
His cheeks red, Rourke drew closer and wiped his runny nose on a handkerchief. He gave Hunter a long, hard look, although Hunter continued nailing up boards and didn't spare Rourke another glance.
"I worried about you being alone in this ice storm. An eighteen-wheeler plowed into an electric transformer. I tried calling, but ice storms brought the phone lines down. I see you had some storm damage." He looked around. "Good thing you were able to hire a handyman to board up the window this quickly. Guess someone dropped him off."
"Where's your pickup?" Tessa asked, not wanting to explain who Hunter was when she wasn't even sure herself.
Besides, if Rourke knew the story, he would propose taking Hunter into town to see the doctor and get him away from her, then where would she be? Probably Rourke would offer to stay with her in Hunter's place, as if he could be the kind of help Hunter was. She imagined Rourke had never cooked anything over an open fire for one. And replace a window? Never. He'd offer to keep her warm during the night, but she wasn't interested in him like that.
"My truck's up that way." Rourke waved in the direction, and then looked Hunter over really good. "Slid off the road and couldn't get any traction. Figured since you were alone, I'd stay with you until the ice melted."
How could she say no, if he was stuck? But she still didn't want to explain Hunter.
"I'll help you get on your way." Hunter's voice was low and gruff.
Rourke was sure to not like Hunter's suggestion. He raised his brows, and then turned to Tessa. "Let's go inside. I'm chilled to the bone. I see you have a fire going."
Tessa looked back at Hunter. He still needed to nail up three more boards.
"I'll manage," he said to her.
She waffled. She'd promised to help, but she didn't want reporter Rourke snooping through her things if she told him to go inside and get warmed by the fire while she helped Hunter.
He cast her a glance. "I'm nearly done. Go, Tessa. I'll be inside in a minute for another cup of hot coffee. If you wouldn't mind making us some more."
Rourke glowered at Hunter.
"All right," she said to Lord Hunter. She felt she should be curtseying to him. Handyman, hell. He was the rooster that ruled the henhouse. Her henhouse.
"You know, Tessa," Rourke said, as he escorted her to the front door, his hand on the small of her back, "you let people walk all over you too much. Take the hired hand, for instance, he should be doing the job you're paying him, and you shouldn't be in this awful weather helping him."
She thought she heard Hunter growl when Rourke touched her, and she could have strangled Rourke for speaking loudly enough for Hunter to hear.
"I don't like it," Rourke continued, as he walked inside with Tessa and shut the door. "You're by yourself and the company this guy works for just let him off at your place? What if he's some kind of criminal? You never know who these companies hire. He could be on a prison work release program."
Tessa swore Hunter was pounding the nails into the boards twice as fast as before while she warmed up by the fire and peeled off her gloves. "Did you find anything concerning Michael's case that will help?"
Rourke removed his gloves and shoved them in his coat pockets, and then pulled off his wet parka in front of the fireplace. "Yeah, but it doesn't go any further than this room."
Her heart skipped to overdrive to hear Rourke's news.
He handed her his coat and rubbed his hands over the fire. Even in this weather, he was dressed in one of his impeccable gray suits. At least he was wearing sensible snow boots for the icy conditions. "Bethany was seeing some other guy."
Her heart nearly stopped. Maybe finally the break they needed. "I knew it. Who was he?"
"You won't tell anyone else, right?"
Hunter opened the door and looked from Rourke to Tessa. "Coffee ready?"
Jeez, Hunter, not now!
"Who was Bethany seeing, Rourke?" She hoped he wouldn't clam up with Hunter listening in.
Rourke's expression turned blank, and he shifted his attention to the fire. He shrugged. "The DA's office proved no one was seeing her."
Tessa could have shaken him and screamed bloody murder.
"Nice suit," Hunter said to Rourke, and then gave Tessa a knowing look. "On second thought, I'll check on your truck and see if I can move it." He headed back outside.
She hung up Rourke's coat and her own, and then set the pot of water on the fire, anything to busy herself so she wouldn't hurt Rourke. "Who was it?"
"Who is that guy? He doesn't act like a handyman."
"Rourke, who was seeing Bethany besides Michael?"
"I said too much already. It doesn't matter. What's done is done. You'll never be able to prove Michael didn't murder her."
"Who...was...seeing...her?"
"The sheriff's son. But it can't leave this room, Tessa. I swear it."
Ohmigod, she knew it. Her bones dissolving, she collapsed on the couch.
"Are you okay, Tessa? I probably shouldn't have mentioned it to you."
"No, no, I'm all right." As right as could be expected to know her brother's best friend could be the murderer. Bastard. And how would they prove it when his father was the sheriff?
"You promise you won't confront Ashton about this, right?"
"I'll hire someone really discreet to investigate it further."
Rourke sat next to her on the couch and patted her hand. "We can have dinner together now, right?"
Dinner? Sheesh, one track mind. But she promised. She pulled her hand away from him.
"Sure, but there's no electricity so it would have to be some other evening."
Like a couple of months from now. Her mind flipped through different scenarios, remembering all the times Ashton had been to the house, smiling and joking with Bethany and Michael. Why hadn't Tessa noticed what was really going on between Ashton and Bethany? Maybe she had, but she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself.
Rourke waved at the fireplace. "It sounds like the water's ready for the coffee."
Still in disbelief about Ashton, she gathered her composure and rose from the couch. But then again, Ashton could have murdered Hunter last night. And he had been hunting with a rifle since he was too young to do so. Not that Bethany was killed that way, but it could prove Ashton was capable of committing murder, couldn't it?
"So who's this guy really who was fixing your window?" Rourke asked.
Hunter stalked back inside, catching Rourke's question. "Tessa's lover," he said, with a smirk and the look of the devil sparkling in his eyes, his cheeks slightly red from the chill.
She could have socked him. Rourke's jaw couldn't have dropped any lower.
"Handyman, cook, personal masseur, whatever she needs me to be. So who else was Bethany seeing?"
Rourke turned slightly green.
"Who?" Hunter asked again, his voice threatening as he helped Tessa with the coffee mugs.
Rourke swallowed hard. "Ashton Wellington."
"Good. I drove your truck into the driveway. But why don't you stay with Tessa for an hour or so while I take a walk in the woods."
To investigate? Please, God, don't let Ashton be wandering in the woods armed again.
Rourke frowned and she knew it was because he didn't like Hunter ordering him about.
"As a favor to Tessa. I'll be searching for the stalker who's been breaking into her house."
"Stalker?" Rourke looked at Tessa.
"He stole my gun last night."
Rourke ran his hand through his wind-ruffled hair. "Sure, right."
Hunter quickly drank a cup of coffee, kissed Tessa on the cheek, and gave her a sexy smile. If Rourke hadn't been here, she would have snagged Hunter's arm and made him kiss her on the lips like he really meant it---like he had on the beach---only this time proving for real she hadn't dreamed it. As if he read her innermost thoughts, he raised his brows slightly, dimples appearing in his cheeks as his smile broadened, and her cheeks blossomed with heat. Not just her face though as the heat soon spread all the way to her toes.
He winked, the cad. "Be right back." Then he gave Rourke a quelling look as though he'd better behave where Tessa was concerned, and stalked outside. She prayed he wouldn't run into Ashton again.
Rourke looked from Hunter to Tessa and frowned. "Who the hell did you say he was?"
"Loser beta male," Hunter grumbled under his breath as he headed deeper into the woods, the branches dipping under the weight of the icicles clinging to the pine needles.
At least he didn't have to worry about Tessa's interest in the man. He could tell she could barely stomach the guy as a lover.
So maybe Hunter had it all wrong. If the intruder---the gray---was only after Tessa, maybe the sheriff's son did the killing. That would solve everything. All Hunter had to do was prove it. But at least once he did, Ashton would go to prison for the murder, Michael could go free, end of Tessa's problem. As for the gray---that's who he was hunting now.
He wondered too about the sepia picture of Seth and the woman and baby. Maybe it wasn't Seth. A werewolf couldn't have children with a human, and Tessa definitely wasn't a lupus garou. Or maybe the picture wasn't of her family like she thought. But why she would have it then---
Gunshots rang out across the woods. Crazy hunters. Hunters. Hunter. He paused, trying to recall the rest of his name. Nothing. Damn it. His borrowed snow boots crunched on the frozen ground as the coastal pines shielded him some from the sleet. If he had been in his wolf coat, no one would hear his approach. But for now, he wanted them to see him coming so they didn't shoot him by accident.
He narrowed the distance between him and the two shooters. The shorter, bearded one lowered his gun. "Hell, man, wearing a green field jacket makes you blend right in with the woods. You're supposed to be wearing orange so we don't shoot you."
"I'm not a hunter." At least not the kind that used bullets, and normally he preferred blending in with his surroundings no matter the form he took. He guessed it was natural, instinctive.
"Well, hell, if you don't watch out, you'll be one of the hunted."
"Why don't you move farther north?" The way Hunter proposed the question, there would be no doubt he'd issued an order.
"Why don't you mind your own business?" the taller of the two men said, sizing Hunter up.
Don't go there. Cool macho hunters. Tough guys. But neither was a match for him. Which made him wonder if a gang of thugs had gotten the better of him. Had to have---or else he wouldn't have taken a dip in the Pacific.
"Private property," Hunter said.
"Yeah, owned mostly by the timber companies," the bearded of the two men said.
"This land is privately owned. And you don't have permission."
The two men cast each other looks.
"We'll get permission and be back." The bearded man spit on the ground. "If you're still wandering through the woods, blending in like you do now..." He shrugged. "Wouldn't be our fault."
"Happen to be a good friend of the local sheriff's." Hunter gave him a steely-eyed glower---the same kind he would use during a wolf-to-wolf confrontation when he needed to make another back down, tuck tail, and leave. If that didn't work, he added, "Don't think you want to go there."
The two men seemed a little ruffled at the revelation, or maybe it was the look he gave them that changed their minds as the one stamped ice off his boot, and the other fidgeted with his rifle. They finally cursed under their breaths, but headed north.
"Find a place a good five miles---at least---from here to hunt," Hunter added.
They both glared at him and continued walking.
Hunter searched for clues to where the gray wolf had been, the trails he had taken, any evidence he had gotten into a vehicle that left tire tracks behind. Although as a wolf, the lupus garou could travel a great distance, his thick coat protecting him from the cold. Hunter located several paths the gray had walked, found where the agitated hunter had paced, snagged strands of gray fur on a couple of branches, rubbed his scent on several trees.
Was he a rogue or did he live with a pack? The fact he had a key to Tessa's place didn't fit. Was he someone she knew? Another one of Michael's friends? Or one of hers?
Not locating the intruder, Hunter assumed he was sleeping off his nighttime activities, and he would be back again tonight. What if Hunter moved Tessa somewhere else? Somewhere safe? But where? If he had a place, he could relocate her there. He didn't have a clue where it could be though.
"Hunter?" Tessa hollered from deep in the woods.
Hell. Didn't he tell her to stay with Rourke at the house? He hurried toward her voice.
"Hunter?"
"Coming!" Then he heard them. Two sets of footfalls. They had better be Rourke's and Tessa's.
When he saw them, the adrenaline rush began to drain off.
Rourke looked annoyed and out of breath.
Her frown fading, Tessa seemed guardedly relieved, her hair blowing in the breeze, her skin glowing with the cold, her full red lips pouting, begging to be kissed. "I was so worried about you. We heard the gunfire and I told Rourke how Ashton had shot you. We thought maybe he'd killed you this time."
"Take more than that to get rid of me. We couldn't have that now, could we? Not until I can at least locate Bethany's real murderer and put him behind bars." Hunter managed a smile as he wrapped his arm around Tessa and walked her back home.
She felt warm and soft and his thoughts shifted to dangerous notions of getting naked in bed with her. He attributed some of his feelings to wanting to claim her in front of her old high-school boyfriend. Some of his problem was just being attracted to the minx---more than he thought he'd ever been toward any woman, either human or lupus garou. He kept telling himself it was just because she'd rescued him from the beach, and it was nothing more than appreciating the tender care she'd given him. On the other hand, he might have often felt this way toward women. Hell, maybe he was a real Casanova.
"He's the guy you're hiring to look into this?" Rourke asked, his voice incredulous.
"Yeah. He's an ex--Navy SEAL." She looked up at Hunter with adoring eyes.
He thought she was playing her role a little too obviously.
"A Navy SEAL?" Rourke looked sick again.
"Yep." She patted Hunter's arm. "Can't you tell by the great shape he's in?"
"Why is he an ex--Navy SEAL?"
"He got tired of being away from home, the secret missions, unable to settle down and start a family, right, Hunter?"
Rourke watched them like an investigative reporter looking for another juicy story.
Hunter sighed deep inside. He didn't like making up tales that were too far from the truth, but then again, what if his cover of being an ex--Navy SEAL put the fear of God in the sheriff and his bad seed? It didn't hurt for Rourke to think so either. Hunter imagined the word would soon get out about his "former occupation" since Rourke was a reporter. Hmm, then he would probably investigate him. One good thing about being an undercover operative---Rourke couldn't learn anything.
"Hunter..." Rourke waited for a last name.
Hunter knew only that he was a gray lupus garou. Wolf? Grey?
Grey. That rang a bell. Not quite right, but it would do.
"Grey. And we haven't been properly introduced."
Tessa's eyes widened as she stared at Hunter and she missed a step. He tightened his hold on her. Wishing he had better news, he gave her a subtle shake of his head, warning her he didn't know for sure.
"Rourke Thornburg," the reporter offered and stuck his hand out.
Hunter gave his hand a firm shake, firm enough to let him know the power behind the man.
Rourke's eyes watered and he quickly pulled his hand away. Message received.
Tessa pursed her lips. "Did you see the man who was shooting in the woods?"
"There were two of them. I told them to find game somewhere else, farther north."
"They must have loved you," Rourke said, chuckling.
"They didn't argue and moved along."
"Thanks," Tessa said. "But I don't expect you to chase off all the idiot hunters in the area and risk them shooting you accidentally."
"They're too close to your---" As soon as they came into view of the house, Hunter saw the back door standing wide open. He felt Tessa crumple slightly against him. Tightening his hold on her, he knew she wouldn't have left the house unlocked. The intruder was once again warning them he could come and go as he pleased. Maybe not such a beta after all.
Rourke's chill-bitten cheeks instantly lost their red color. "I saw you lock the door."
"Someone's got a key." Tessa's voice shook.
Hunter gave her a reassuring squeeze, but until he could eliminate the threat, nothing he did would alleviate her concern and for good reason. The stalker was a real danger.
Rourke rubbed his gloved hands. "Who?"
"We don't know. Ashton maybe. But whoever it was got in last night when I went to get firewood from the beach," she said.
"Ashton?" Rourke asked.
"No," Hunter said, not wanting Tessa to fear the wrong man. "Someone else. Wait here with Tessa. I'll check out the place first."
Tessa looked like she had a million questions to ask Hunter, but with Rourke here, the inquisition would have to wait. Hunter stalked inside, monitoring Rourke and Tessa's conversation as he checked the rooms.
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Rourke asked Tessa on the porch, sheltered from the sleet and wind.
"Hunter was here. He can take care of it."
"Hunter was here all night?" Rourke asked, his tone not hiding his surprise or irritation.
Hunter couldn't help smiling, figuring Tessa hadn't meant to let it slip. Good to let Rourke know he had no chance with her.
"Good thing that he was."
Glad she felt he was an asset despite the fact he hadn't gotten rid of the stalker, Hunter smelled the bastard's scent where he had rolled on Tessa's sheets again. Hunter growled low.
"And the window he was boarding up?" Rourke asked Tessa.
"The intruder broke it."
"Hell, Tessa, you should never have said you were going to locate the killer and clear Michael's name."
Headed back down the hall, Hunter stopped in his footsteps, not believing Tessa would say that to a reporter. Then again, he could, as angry as he imagined she'd been.
"Did you print the interview?" she asked, her voice accusing.
"Damn right I did. Best news I've had in a long time. But I didn't think anyone else was guilty of the crime except your brother so I didn't believe there was anything to worry about. If I had thought differently, I would never have printed that story."
Hunter wanted to kill the reporter.
"All clear," Hunter said, rejoining them on the back patio. He gave both Tessa and Rourke a hard look. "Looks like nothing's been disturbed." At least as far as he would let Tessa know for now. The gray had returned to find out where Hunter had slept for the night and returned to mark his claim to Tessa. Sorry to disappoint him. "What's this about an interview?"
Tessa swore Hunter had the hearing of a cat, although she had hoped he hadn't heard what Rourke revealed about the interview. "I was angry." Not that she felt she had any need to explain the way she felt to Hunter.
Did he remember anything more about his past? She knew Grey wasn't his real name. Not if the way he had shaken his head at her earlier was any indication of the truth of the matter. She only wished Rourke would go away soon so she could ask Hunter what else he had recalled and why he was so certain the intruder wasn't Ashton.
A shiver crawled up her spine. She felt she could deal with knowing it was Ashton, but if it was a total stranger...No, it had to be someone she knew because he had a key. But still, not knowing who made it more frightening.
Rourke pulled off his wet coat and handed it to Tessa. "I'm staying for dinner."
Her mouth dropped. Now, she remembered why the guy had been an on-again/off-again boyfriend in her youth. He decided things for her, which were not in her best interests. She meant to remind him the electricity was off, but Hunter cut in.
"Sounds good. Why don't you stay the night, too?"
Tessa glared at Hunter. Of all the damned nerve!
Ignoring her threatening look, Hunter continued, "The roads are too slick. You might not get very much farther down the road and be in the same predicament. If you got injured, we wouldn't be able to forgive ourselves."
Her mouth gaped open. The thing was, Hunter was right. But whose house was it anyway? Shouldn't she have a say?
For the first time since the two men had met, Rourke seemed to change his attitude about Hunter. He gave him a serious nod. She could tell he was damned thrilled to get Lord Hunter's invitation for the slumber party.
She hung up Rourke's coat on a wooden peg near the back door. "You know, guys, it would be nice to ask the hostess her opinion. The electricity's still not on and---"
"I'll fix the food," Hunter said, and before she could object further, he added, "Rourke won't mind cleaning the dishes afterwards." He gave Rourke a conspirator's wink.
"Not at all," Rourke said, jumping in, ensuring he got a bed for the night.
"I might not have enough food to eat for the three of us, especially since we have to cook so primitively."
"I saw a tenderloin roast in the freezer. Looked to be big enough for the three of us."
She scowled at Hunter. "What if I was saving that for---"
"I'll buy you another. A couple more."
Hell, he didn't even have the clothes on his back. How was he going to replenish her fridge?
"I'll buy you another, too," Rourke said, cheerfully.
She groaned inwardly. She wasn't winning this battle. But she realized Hunter wasn't worried about Rourke's welfare, so much as he was about hers. Her irritation melted some.
"So," Rourke said, taking a seat on the couch, "I'm an only child, Tessa has a brother. What about you, Hunter? Have any siblings?"
Hunter cast Tessa a look, and then started working on building up the dwindling fire. "A sister."
Ohmigod, he remembered who he was? Maybe he did have enough money to buy her another roast. But did he have a girlfriend or wife?
"I've never seen you around town before. Where did the two of you hook up?"
"The beach," both Hunter and Tessa said at the same time.
Rourke laughed. "Figures, being he's a Navy SEAL. Ex--Navy SEAL, rather."
"That's what I thought," Tessa said, under her breath. Having Rourke stay the evening when it was barely afternoon was going to make for an incredibly long day and night. "I suppose I have to feed everyone lunch also."
"How about tuna fish sandwiches?" Hunter suggested.
Jeez, when did he take an inventory of her food?
"Then you can make a list of all the men who have been in the house over the last few months."
"You mean Michael's friends," she said, spearing Hunter a dark look.
"Any male, Tessa, who has been in the house for the last few months. Deliverymen, repairmen, anyone." "Old boyfriends," she said, sarcastically as she proceeded to the kitchen.
"Yeah, all of those, too."
"None of them should have had a key to the place." She yanked two cans of tuna fish out of the cabinet.
The doorbell rang and her heart hitched. Rourke announced, "Sheriff's here."
Tessa accidentally dropped the can opener on the kitchen floor and swore under her breath. She'd hoped the bad weather would keep him at bay a while longer.
She hurried into the living room, but Hunter was already nose to nose with the sheriff at the front door.
HUNTER GLOWERED EVERY BIT AS FEROCIOUSLY AT THE sheriff as he did back, but he couldn't quit thinking about Tessa and her interview with that jackass reporter. How could Rourke have printed her threat? What an imbecile.
Rourke was pretty rattled---he'd used her interview and now someone had broken into her house. Too late for regrets. The damage was done.
"I'm Sheriff Wellington," the man said, who looked like an older version of Ashton, same blond hair, only his was graying at the temples, and the same blue eyes. "You're the one who destroyed my son's rifle?"
"Ashton must have been mistaken, Sheriff. After he shot me, he was so shaken that he might have killed me, he dropped the rifle over the cliff side. It's probably still there, if anyone wants to chance climbing down to get it." Although Hunter had thrown it far enough, the rifle butt cracked on the rocks, and then the weapon flipped into the briny sea.
The sheriff glanced at Tessa with murder in his eyes. Hunter steeled his back, fighting the urge to show the sheriff how much he didn't like his posturing. But then the sheriff caught sight of Rourke. His gaze quickly shifted to the truck parked out front. Recognition dawning? Yep, reporter here looking for another story.
"He didn't shoot you." The sheriff's voice was so harsh, he sounded like a lupus garou trying to persuade another of his mistake.
Hunter couldn't help but admire that aspect of him. Definitely alpha material. Hunter reached for his sweatshirt sleeve and intended to yank it up, but the sheriff raised his hand and stopped him.
"All right, let's say it happened like you said. What were you doing wandering around in the dark?"
Like that was a crime? He wanted to tell the sheriff it was none of his business and would have if he'd been on his own property. But since he didn't know where his own property was located, he acquiesced.
"Gathering firewood." Hunter motioned to the fireplace. "That's our only source of heat for the moment. Hadn't planned on letting us freeze to death. And I didn't expect to get shot in Tessa's backyard." He raised a brow.
"Ashton said you charged him."
Hunter smiled inwardly. Yeah, he had. Like a wolf with a mission. Hunter lifted a shoulder. "He shot at me twice. I got closer so he could see I wasn't game."
Tessa raised her ski cap off the coffee table and poked her finger in the hole. Seeing the way she did it, made him think of things he shouldn't be thinking.
"I'd say Hunter could press charges against Ashton for attempted murder," Tessa said, her expression indignant. "If he'd managed to hit Hunter in the head, it would have been murder. With the lines down and my Escort unable to navigate in the icy conditions, we would never have been able to get help for him."
The sheriff's eyes bulged. He rubbed his chin and looked like he'd finally been put in his place. "Who the hell are you?"
"Hunter Grey, Tessa's boyfriend. Tell Ashton to hunt somewhere else from now on."
The sheriff narrowed his eyes and looked like he could shoot Hunter himself for telling him what to do, especially concerning his son. "If you're Tessa's boyfriend, why weren't you at the trial, giving her moral support?"
"He's been away," Tessa said. "Just got in late yesterday afternoon."
He glanced back at Rourke, then warned Hunter, "Watch yourself. The community's had enough bad publicity over Michael's criminal activities. Don't let me hear that you're causing any more trouble."
Hunter wanted to retort that as long as he didn't keep Ashton's company, he would be fine, but he kept his mouth shut.
"Hunter's a celebrity," Rourke proudly exclaimed, his chest puffed up twice its size.
All eyes turned toward him.
He raised his brows and smiled like he had the greatest news of the century. "He's an ex--Navy SEAL. You probably noticed the great shape he's in."
The sheriff's narrowed eyes grew rounder.
Rourke nodded. "Yep, a real celebrity in our sleepy little community."
Her expression still fierce, Tessa motioned to the sheriff. "Tell him about the intruder."
Hunter hadn't planned to mention the gray. He would take care of the lupus garou. But he didn't have much choice now. "The guy broke into Tessa's place twice and knocked out Michael's window the one time."
"You're not suggesting---"
Hunter shook his head. "No, Sheriff. A man broke in, but it wasn't Ashton."
Tessa folded her arms. "The guy stole my gun."
"File a report at the office when you have time." The sheriff gave Hunter a warning look. "Heed what I say, Mr. Grey. Watch your step. I keep a safe district."
Right. That's why Michael is in jail, the killer is on the loose, your son is shooting innocent people in the middle of the night, and someone's stalking Tessa.
"Did you know Bethany Wade was your son's lover behind Michael's back?" Hunter asked casually, watching to see the effect the news had on him. Did the sheriff already know? Or was he as clueless as everyone else?
Rourke's skin turned colorless. Tessa appeared just as pale. The sheriff's expression grew crimson, and he looked like his head was ready to explode. Hunter wasn't sure if that meant the sheriff knew or not. To his credit, the sheriff didn't say anything, whipped around, stalked off down the walk toward the patrol car, slipped on the ice, landed spread eagle, and swore a few choice words. Hunter smiled and closed the door only to face Rourke and Tessa's angry expressions.
"What? It's true, isn't it? He needs to be aware his son isn't the angel he appears to be. If he even appears to be that."
Tessa groaned. "You just made an enemy of the only man in the county who can make your stay---and mine---a living hell."
Rourke ran his hands through his hair and collapsed on the sofa. "You've really done it now."
"Good thing you were here, Rourke. I'm sure the sheriff would have made more of a scene otherwise," Tessa said.
"Thanks. I think. You should've told the sheriff you were a Navy SEAL, Hunter." Rourke gave him a devious smile. "He listens to that kind of talk. Set him back a peg or two. If he thought he could bully you, he lost his nerve."
"Yeah, but according to the rumor mill, the sheriff's known to hire ex-cons to get his point across," Tessa warned.
"Maybe we should hang a sign out that says ex--Navy SEAL lives here." Hunter feigned annoyance as he headed into the kitchen.
"Hey, I imagine you're used to keeping your former occupation secret, but for now, I'd say it could save your ass." Rourke followed him into the kitchen and cast him a warm grin, as if he was honored to be on Hunter's good side.
"Can't hurt. The sheriff will tell Ashton for sure. He won't want his only son getting hurt if Ashton thought to mess with you again," Tessa agreed.
Hunter opened one of the cans of tuna fish on the kitchen counter.
"Oh, for heaven's sakes, let me do that. I can at least make lunch." She pulled a jar of mayonnaise out of the fridge.
"At least if he calls in heavy muscle, they won't want to mess with an ex--Navy SEAL either." Rourke grabbed the jug of milk from the fridge.
"Unless they have something to prove. Badge of honor, best one of the government's finest," Tessa warned.
Hunter leaned against the counter and watched Tessa poke a butter knife into the mayonnaise jar. Her hips wiggled slightly as she worked on the sandwiches, which made his body tighten with need.
Attempting to get his mind off her sweet ass, he thought about his supposed Navy SEAL training. He had learned a few maneuvers over the centuries that could help him deal with just about any scenario, which he could pass off as Navy SEAL expertise. Some martial arts training, taught by some of the best, too. At least he thought that's where he learned all his lethal moves as a human. And why he remembered that but not his last name, he hadn't a clue.
Tessa finished making sandwiches and they sat down to eat, but all Hunter could think of was retiring to bed with her. The way she pushed her hair out of her face, licked her lips, smiled, raised her brows at him in question, made him want her all the more. Not that his wanting to go to bed with her only had to do with the craving he had for her---to get along in a human's world, lupus garous adjusted to daytime activities and slept part of the night, since they still participated in nighttime activities. Which meant naps during the day were often a necessity. But napping with her was even a greater necessity.
After they ate lunch, Hunter snagged Tessa's hand, the heat from her touch making him wish he knew whether he had a mate or not all over again. "Why don't you clean up, Rourke, while Tessa and I take a nap? We didn't sleep very well last evening. You can pull guard duty for now. I'll be staying up some of the night to watch for this guy's return. I figure he'll be lurking in the woods nearby."
Initially, Rourke looked annoyed that Hunter was taking Tessa to bed. But when Hunter mentioned guard duty, recognition reflected in Rourke's gray eyes and his expression turned to concern.
"All right?"
"Yeah, of course. I don't have all the training you do, but I'll think of something."
Hunter was pretty sure no one would mess with them during the day. "Just holler if anyone intrudes. I'll come running."
"Sure. I can do that."
Hunter stalked toward Tessa's bedroom, hauling her with him. Her hand tightened on his as she rushed to keep up with him.
"Are you in a hurry?" she asked, her words laced with amusement.
"I feel like a tired old dog. Don't you?"
"Speak for yourself. A sleepy cat maybe, but a tired old dog?" She smiled up at him, her sparkling green eyes and shiny red hair a tantalizing combination. "Never."
"A cat?" He chuckled, slipping his fingers through her silky strands. "Sounds like we could get into quite a tangle."
"Yeah, and I'd come out on top."
"On top? Not underneath?"
She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks turned crimson. "I meant as in winning."
When they walked into the bedroom, she stared at her floral sheets thrown in a bundle on the floor. "He did this?" she whispered.
Hunter had forgotten he had removed the sheets. "No. I did. I'm sorry, Tessa. I didn't want to mention it, but the bed smells like him."
Her eyes grew huge. "He got into my bed?"
"Do you have any other sheets?"
"Yeah. But he really got into my bed?"
"Yep, he did." The bastard.
She pulled out a fresh set of blue and white striped sheets from the linen cabinet, and Hunter helped her remake the bed. "Why would he do that?" she asked, her voice threaded with worry.
"He's a sick bastard."
She paused as they were pulling the blue velvet comforter back in place. "It's someone I know, isn't it?"
"Probably. But maybe not anyone you know well. He might be someone you met just once, but I believe he's fixated on you."
"A stalker?"
Worse. "Something like that."
"Great."
"I'll take care of him tonight." He yanked off the sweatshirt, and Tessa's eyes shifted to his bandaged arm. The wound felt like it had nearly healed, but the bandage sported dried blood so it looked worse than it was.
"I'd better change that bandage." She reached out to touch his arm.
He wrapped his hand around hers. "Come, sleep. I can't function properly tonight without getting more rest."
"How much do you remember about yourself?"
She looked so hopeful, he hated to disappoint her. "Just bits and pieces."
"You don't really remember your last name, do you?"
He shook his head and began pulling her turtleneck up, his desire to see more of her wreaking havoc with his need to keep his distance. Her smile was contagious and although he thought she might try to stop him, considering the way she'd been dressed the night before, she didn't.
"You don't remember if you're married or have a significant other?"
"No, sorry, Tessa. I wish I did, but those memories still elude me." However, he hoped that the fact he couldn't recall, meant he didn't have a mate.
Tessa's brows raised. Yeah, she was wondering where he was going with this. Not that he didn't wonder himself enough for the both of them. He stared at her white lace bra, her nipples darkened against the fabric, mesmerizing him.
She unbuckled her belt and slid her jeans down. Teasingly tiny, white lace bikini panties showed off a wealth of silky skin. Every inch kissable.
He wanted to take her right then and there. But he couldn't. Not until he knew for certain whether he was mated. Until that time, he was free to pleasure human women. But once he was mated with a lupus garou, the bond was for a lifetime. No divorce. No ending the mating unless one of them died.
He pulled Tessa into bed, determined to bury his lustful intentions until he knew for certain whether he was attached or not. Covering them with her comforter, he held Tessa tight, her back against his chest, breathed in the smell of the wind in her hair, the fragrant scent of her skin, her soft heat captivating him. Although he only planned to sleep, her titillating touch aroused a throbbing need he couldn't fulfill.
Tessa saw the longing in Hunter's gaze, knew he wanted her. And she wanted him also. But she loved the way he was reluctant to take the relationship further until he knew for sure if he had someone. Maybe he wasn't attached, and with the way his memory was returning, it might not be long before he knew the truth.
She melted in his heated embrace, snuggling closer. She swore he let out a muffled groan against the back of her head as he tightened his hold on her, his hard and aroused body fitting snuggly against hers. She had never felt so protected in her life, and she didn't want the sensation to stop.
"Rourke really respects you," she said under her breath. "He doesn't have many friends, mostly because he always sees a story in anything anyone does and it either irritates people or makes them nervous, which causes them to shy away from him. But he really likes you."
"He's all right."
"Hmm, well, I can tell you like him, too. He might not be of the same caliber as your rough and tumble Navy SEAL friends but he's not so bad."
"Oh?"
"Not for me---as a boyfriend. But as a friend for you. That's why you invited him to stay."
Hunter grunted. "To watch over you while I look for the intruder. I couldn't leave you alone unprotected, worried he'd sneak into the house while I was searching for him outside."
That's what she thought, but she wanted to hear him say it. She kissed his arm. "Night." Even if it was midday.
"I wasn't a Navy SEAL."
"Maybe not, but you are now. And the way you react to situations, cook like you're used to living out of doors, have such an uncanny awareness of danger and how to deal with it, you must have trained in military or police operations. So you might as well be a Navy SEAL. It fits with the beach scene anyway. Maybe you're really an Army Ranger or Special Forces or a member of a specialized SWAT Team." She shrugged. "Doesn't matter."
"Would to me if I were trained in one of the other fields."
She turned her head, his lips curved, and she gave him a small smile. "But it doesn't suit our first meeting half as well."
He ran his hand over her hair, then combed the strands with a silky touch. "Do you think a Navy SEAL would have ended up where I did? Flat on my back, half dead?"
"You were flat on your stomach, half dead." She sighed, loving the feel of his fingers sweeping through her hair and wished they could take the relationship further. "Only a Navy SEAL or some other highly trained professional in survival tactics would probably have endured the ordeal."
His hand drifted to her breast, his touch blazing a trail of heat across her skin.
Her nipple tightened, begging for release from the lacy bra. She'd never known anyone as sexy as Hunter, so sure of himself, but sensitive, too.
"I wish I knew for certain if I had a significant other, Tessa." He wrapped his arms around her and growled. "You're way too intriguing."
"Hmm, I hope you're unattached, Hunter." She closed her eyes and breathed in his masculine scent, coveting his heated embrace. And I hope you plan to stick around for a long, long time. But she feared the way her luck was going lately, there wasn't much chance at that. Even now she envisioned a wife and a couple of small kids sitting by a fire, waiting for Hunter to return home. She groaned inwardly.
No way did she ever want to be a home breaker like her father had been.
After he'd been sleeping for a couple of hours, Hunter's fingers swept across Tessa's breast. Just a whisper of the most tantalizing touch. Was he asleep? Oblivious to the way he was sending her heart into overdrive? Making her wet in anticipation? Her nipple tingled, but she didn't move a muscle, listening, trying to discern if he was awake and had felt her up on purpose, or was asleep and it was just an accident.
His hand rested on her breast this time, the palm in contact with her taut nipple, his caress tormenting her. He was awake, the cad. Then he moved his hand lower, rubbing his thumb across the sensitive nub in a slow, sensual caress.
Lulled into sweet ecstasy, she didn't respond, afraid he'd stop if he knew she was awake. He stroked her breast, and then as if the sensation couldn't have been more erotic, he slid the lacy cup down, exposing her. She took in a sharp breath. His hand molded to her breast, and she wanted to scream, "Take me, oh godly one!" She didn't even know him! He didn't even know himself, for heaven's sakes.
Did he remember he wasn't attached to another woman? Please, make it so. She took his roaming hand and kissed it.
"I knew you were pretending to be asleep," he said, the timbre of his voice dark and seductive.
Her body heated with chagrin. Caught in the act. She smiled to herself. "I thought you were asleep, at first."
She was dying to ask if there was someone special in his life, but was afraid to learn the truth---that maybe he still didn't know, but he was too horny to care, or he did have someone, but he was still too horny to care.
"I can't promise anything," Hunter warned, pressing a kiss against her hair with a featherlight touch.
His action sent a shiver of expectation down her spine. "Are you free?"
"There's no one."
She let out a heavy sigh.
"I still can't promise you anything long term."
"I'll take whatever I can get," she teased, but she was afraid he might have heard the regret in her voice. She tried again. "Really slim pickings around here."
"You haven't been with a man in a long time," Hunter said, as if he knew her whole blamed, pathetic lifestyle.
But she couldn't lie to him. She figured he would see right through her.
"I'll try to be gentle. It's been a good long while for me, too," he admitted, his voice already husky, his fingers encircling her breast in a slow caress.
As much of a hunk as he was, she didn't believe it for a minute. But forget gentle. She wanted him to devour her whole.
His hand shifted to her shoulder, and he rubbed her with a tender motion, as if he was waiting for her to make up her mind.
"I'll try to be gentle, too," she said.
His lusty chuckle heated her blood. Boy, had she found a pile of treasure when she went to gather wood on the beach yesterday afternoon.
Hunter unfastened her bra, and then slid the straps down her arms, every move he made deliciously sensual. No man had ever undressed her before, and the sensation sent a delectable heat skittering through her. He brushed aside her hair, exposing her neck, then licked the supersensitive skin, his warm breath fanning her. He turned her around, his gaze hot with wanting. And then he bent his head, pressed his mouth lightly against hers, his fingers tracing her arms downward, the skin tingling with his action.
She placed her hands against his naked chest, noting the tension in his hard, lean muscles, his skin tan, no longer bruised or cut, the smattering of dark, curly hair trailing to the waistband of the sweats---enticingly provocative.
Although the room was icy cold, his touch heated an internal flame so white hot, she wanted to ditch the covers and expose every delectable inch of him for her viewing pleasure. But he made no move to pull the covers aside, instead dipping his fingers underneath the top edge of her panties, teasing her skin, back and forth.
He brushed his lips against her mouth, making her want more, and drew his fingers upward across her stomach, blazing a trail to her breast. All her bones dissolved as she melted to his touch, his fingers kneading her swollen breast. A wet ache between her legs commenced, and she tugged at the drawstrings on his sweats. Not waiting for his reaction, she jerked the pants down to his thighs.
His arousal sprang free and he half-groaned or growled. And lost control of his slow and measured seduction, as if she'd finally given her mountain man permission to ravish her like a woman in need and not treat her like she was a delicate flower.
He kicked off the sweats and slid her panties down her hips and lower, his tongue penetrating her mouth, conquering, decisive, as if the invisible bars of the cage holding him back had vanished. Pressing his knee between her thighs, he opened her to him, his fingers slipping downward through her short curly hairs, all the way to her womanly folds. His smoldering expression changed subtly, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.
Yeah, she was ready for him. Had been ever since he'd pinned her to the beach.
His mouth moved to her throat, and he licked a trail to her breast. Then his warm lips latched onto her nipple, suckling, his fingers dipping deep inside her folds. A shiver of need streaked through her, and she arched her pelvis against him, never having wanted sex this bad, or for it to feel so damned good.
His wet fingers stroked her swollen nub, and she grabbed handfuls of his dark hair, his heated breath on her neck as he kissed her there. Every touch felt more erotic than the last and her nerve endings drew in the sensations.
She wanted him inside her, stoking her needs while fulfilling his own, but she didn't want him to stop what he was doing either. Oh, what the hell. If he didn't like that she wanted more, that was his problem. "I want you inside of me, now."
He pressed his leg between hers again, raising up until he connected with her mound and rubbed. She was ready to burst into flames. She groaned, well, kind of whimpered.
Which seemed to spur him on. His fingers worked faster, stroking her, drawing her to the peak, while his mouth did sweet things to one breast and then the other, her fingers digging into his shoulders, then releasing and sweeping down his firm sides. His hot tongue tasted, teased, his teeth grazed her reverently, sending delicious chills exploding across her skin.
"You smell of peaches and cream, and an enticing scent that's all you," he murmured heavily against her cheek.
Before she could respond, his fingers brought her to the edge of the world and she came, shattered into a million sparks of wonderment, the first time she had ever felt such a sensation, her insides quaking with ripples of orgasm.
Her heart thumped rapidly, her breath shallow as he took her in his arms, his eyes smoldering with hunger.
"You still want me?" he asked, his voice raspy and tight.
"Hmm," was all she could manage. If he quit now, she'd strangle him.
He laughed under his breath and pulled her onto her back. "I don't mean to brag, but you're pretty small, and I'm pretty---"
"Huge," she finished for him.
His amber eyes and delicious mouth smiled. "Just thought I'd warn you."
"Appreciate the warning, but you're wasting time." She still couldn't shake the feeling that any second now, he would just vanish in a puff of mist, like a genie recalled to his bottle.
He captured her mouth with his, not slowly, or sweetly, but like he hadn't had a woman in a very long time, and he couldn't wait a second longer. He smelled of the wind in the pines, and hot-blooded male, his gaze clouded with lust. His hands captured her hair and squeezed.
Her heart couldn't beat any faster as he centered himself between her legs. She might have found her treasure on the beach in the form of the hunky naked guy, but Hunter was about to plunder his own treasure as he eased inside of her.
No matter how much Hunter had tried to deny his craving for the woman, he knew it would come to this. Thankfully, he had been able to control his wolf's desires long enough to remember he didn't have a mate. Still, hooking up with Tessa was not a good idea. She was too damned needy and should have had a decent guy who would care for her, one who wanted to stick it out for the long run. Someone who wouldn't hunt on moon-filled nights in a wolf's coat.
He eased deeper into her tight sheath and began massaging her breasts to loosen her up. He could tell she hadn't been with a man in a very long time and the notion pleased him. He was even more convinced than before---if she had been a gray lupus garou, he would never let her go.
Her sweet, musky scent had all but undone him when he first stroked her breast, triggering her arousal. And thinking of the way she had touched him---rubbed his muscles with such finesse, cleaned the salt from his skin with tenderness, covered his injuries with the faintest of touches---every sensation was permanently etched into his brain.
He embedded himself inside her to the hilt and slowly began to withdraw. She smiled in a way that would heat any man's blood. What was worse, he already wanted her to smile at only him like that. The problem? Not enough lupus garou females to satisfy the male population.
He meant to draw out the lovemaking, take it slow and easy the first time with her. But she combed her fingers through his hair in such a sensual way, and then her fingers drew higher and began to massage his scalp, he felt he would lose his seed before he could make it very much farther.
He plunged in deeper, harder, fulfilling his raw need to conquer, to possess her. And she was worthy of being his, but he would not go there.
He watched her expression as he pumped deep inside of her, her sparkling eyes observing him, challenging him to give her everything he had. He felt the end coming and with one last hard thrust, he filled her with his seed. Sweet heaven, she was a gift from the gods.
Sexually satiated, he kissed her upturned lips, and then rolled onto his back, pulling her into his arms, loving the way her soft body molded against his hardness. "I wasn't too rough, was I?" he asked, his voice raspy against her ear, although it was a little too late for asking.
She shivered and touched his extended nipple. "Just perfect. I've never taken a nap that's been so---stimulatingly satisfying."
He chuckled. "Health experts say a nap a day can add years to your life."
"I believe it. Well, especially while napping with you."
He could have snuggled with her until nightfall, although they managed to sleep for an hour, but Rourke began stirring in the living room. More than stirring. He was banging around, probably tired of Tessa and Hunter "sleeping" together.
Hunter gave a ragged sigh and kissed the top of Tessa's head. "Let's get up. I need to gather more firewood and start that roast if it's going to be ready by dinnertime."
"You'll be careful tonight when you go looking for the thief, won't you?"
"Yeah, but you and Rourke stay together and don't leave the house this time."
"Do you remember everything about your life? Where you're from, where you were born?"
"No. It's coming back in annoying fragments." But he hoped he would soon remember what had happened to him before he ended up in the Pacific. Then he would take care of that little matter, too.
The tension ran high the rest of the evening. Rourke seemed perturbed Hunter had slept with Tessa earlier in the day and would again for part of the night. And she couldn't quit worrying about Hunter's safety tonight. Something seemed to be bothering him also. Another recollection? Maybe concern that they shouldn't have made love this afternoon. If he left tomorrow, she would have no regrets about what they had done. Well, no. She wasn't being honest with herself. She doubted she would ever find a man who was quite like Hunter. No one would ever measure up to him.
But something was going on with him. He kept watching her, his look so dark she couldn't fathom what was the matter. If Rourke hadn't been there, she would have asked. But she didn't want to in front of him.
Rourke noticed Hunter's ominous mood, too. Even though he was pissed about her and Hunter's relationship, he wasn't saying a word about it. But she bet he would if Hunter hadn't looked so lethal.
"You didn't make that list of names for me," Hunter finally said to Tessa, fixing her with a piercing gaze as he shoved his empty plate at Rourke.
Although Rourke was supposed to do the dishes, he wasn't finished eating, and he cast Hunter an irritated look.
Tessa had forgotten all about the list of suspects. "I'll do it after I finish dinner."
She realized then, the change had come over Hunter after he'd left to gather firewood earlier. She frowned. Although she knew she shouldn't bring it up, she wasn't used to burying problems. "Did you discover anything when you went down to the beach to get firewood?"
Rourke glanced up from his roast.
"You said Ashton wasn't anything to you. You said he only saw you as Michael's annoying sister. What the hell's going on between the two of you? Is he your lover? Former lover? Is that why he shot me?"
A sickening flood of fear washed over her. He watched the emotions playing across her face, his hard look instantly changing to a hint of compassion. How did he come up with the conclusion that she and Ashton were lovers?
The...the incident in the shed out back? How could he know about that?
"Don't lie to me, Tessa."
His voice was so stern she might have cowered if she had done something wrong.
But she hadn't, damn it. She hadn't even known Hunter back then. What right did he have bullying her?
No longer hungry, she rose from the table. "You want a list of possible suspects, I'll give you a list. But beyond that, go to hell."
She swore his lips turned up a fraction before he stood like one pissed-off giant grizzly.
He tossed a pair of her shredded silk panties on the table. "Want to talk about it?"
"Where...where did you get those?"
"In the shed."
Rourke looked anxious, like he wished he hadn't agreed to stay the night. Some hero he would make. On the other hand, he looked like he wanted to know what the panties had to do with Ashton Wellington. Good news for the morning paper?
"It was my fault," she said, gathering her composure. Once she told Hunter the truth, she figured he would want to kill Ashton, so somehow, she had to minimize the seriousness of what had happened.
"So tell me. Did you seduce him in the shed, Tessa?" He advanced on her. "Did you? Or did something else go down?"
She fought fleeing to her bedroom to avoid the topic. She had never told anyone about it. How could she? No one would ever have believed her. But Hunter had instincts that were more attuned than anyone she had ever met. She didn't think she could get away with outright lying.
"What business did you have in the shed?" She tilted her chin up and glowered right back at him, but wondered again where the panties had been that she hadn't found them.
"The intruder had been there. I was looking for clues when I found those." Hunter motioned to the incriminating evidence.
Oh, hell, the stalker.
"Ashton had been drinking, okay?"
Hunter's face turned even more hot-tempered. "He forced you? Damn it, he raped you?"
"No! He tried to get me to do it with him, but I...I knocked him out with a shovel and when he came to, we never discussed the incident. All right?"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Why? No one would ever have believed me! Ashton can do no wrong! I tried to tell my brother, but he wouldn't hear of it. I'd seen Ashton smoking out by the shed. Michael was still at the art gallery at one of his special exhibits. I thought it was a good opportunity to tell Ashton to go to hell."
"Like you did me?"
"Yeah, well, you deserved it. I told Ashton I didn't want him seeing my brother any longer. He was a bad influence, but it was my fault for confronting him. I shouldn't have interfered. Not when I saw that Ashton was drunk. He left before Michael came home, and we didn't see him for a couple of weeks. He wasn't pleasant to me after that, but he kept his distance."
Rourke whistled. "Hell, a shovel, eh? Good thing you didn't crack that worthless skull of his in half. Not that he wouldn't deserve it, but you wouldn't have deserved the consequences either."
Hunter took Tessa's hand, but she jerked free and folded her arms. "Next time you want to ask me a question, do it in a nicer way, and not with a reporter in audience, all right?"
Rourke shook his head. "I swear, Tessa, on my mother's grave, I wouldn't breathe a word of this to anyone. I swear it. Although that worthless piece of shit deserves the bad publicity."
Hunter took Tessa's arms and unfolded them. Holding onto her hands, he scowled, "I don't often apologize for my actions, but finding the evidence in the shed made me a little crazy."
She wanted to say for someone who didn't want to make a commitment, what was the big deal? But she bit her tongue, because somewhere deep in this mountain man's psyche, he seemed to be fighting with himself over wanting to be with her longer.
She gave him a wry smile. "Apology accepted. But don't you dare kill that tapeworm."
"I can't make any promises." He cast Rourke a look like he better not print a word of any of this.
Rourke threw his hands up in capitulation. "Secret's safe with me. But you can't bind me to any oath either if that bastard gets in my way after what he's pulled."
She wanted to laugh. As if Rourke would ever get more violent with a body than shoving a recorder in his face to do an interview. Hunter smiled, as if he were thinking along the same line.
"You're making up to me tonight for this," Tessa warned Hunter, poking her finger against his solid chest.
He learned over and cupped her face, gliding his lips over hers, then captured her mouth and gave her a searing kiss that promised much more. He bowed his head slightly, touching his forehead against hers. "I'll do my best to apologize more, later."
Her lips tingled with heat and pleasure, and she wished Rourke hadn't been here. "Hmm, you'd better."
He grabbed her hat and Michael's jacket and gloves. "Got to take a look around now that it's getting dark. Keep her inside the house no matter what, Rourke. Even if you hear gunfire, don't let her out of your sight."
"Be careful," she said, her heart in her throat, because no matter how capable he seemed, someone had already nearly killed Hunter, and she was having awful feelings about this. Just like before.
WHY HUNTER HAD JUMPED TO THE CONCLUSION HE had concerning Tessa, he didn't know. Well, yeah, he did. She had really gotten under his skin and one thing he didn't like was being lied to. When he had found her panties on top of a shelf of some old paint cans, an unreasonable rage had filled him. But seeing her expression made him realize he had gotten the scenario all wrong, and he wished to hell his wolf instincts had played more of a role in his handling of the situation.
He meant what he said. He would make it up to her. Hopefully, she was being honest when she seemed to understand his anger and didn't hold a grudge against him for it. But maybe if she stewed about it for a while, she would be mad at him all over again. He wouldn't blame her. Why he had brought up the matter in front of Rourke was another thing.
What had gotten into him? Damn it.
He'd fallen hard for the woman---that's why. For some inexplicable reason, he wanted her for his own, despite the fact she was human, which went against all that he stood for. He took a deep ragged breath, trying to focus on the business at hand. He had every intention of locating the gray tonight, assuming he would be in his wolf form. Hunter figured that as badly as the gray had the hots for Tessa, there was no persuading him to cease his stalking. The lupus garou wanted her for a mate, and if Hunter didn't kill him, he was sure the gray would try to change her. If she didn't go with him willingly, he would murder her.
Hunter's blood heated even more. The gray wouldn't get the chance.
Movement in the woods caught his attention. He peered into the dark and saw a rifle poised in his direction and the bastard holding it. But as soon as Ashton Wellington realized Hunter had spied him, he raised the gun in surrender. Hunter charged toward him, his temper red hot.
He reminded himself the reason he had to get rid of Ashton was to ensure he could tangle with the gray, wolf to wolf, without witnesses. But as angry as he was with Ashton concerning Tessa, he couldn't control the urge to put the sheriff's son out of his misery, quickly.
Ashton stood his ground, although his face had turned as pale as the snow now falling.
"Didn't I tell you to stay away from here?" Hunter growled, using his most lethal voice and glower.
Ashton shivered, and Hunter figured it was due in part to the cold, in part because of his threatening posture.
"I promised Michael I would watch out for his sister, damn it. I already told you that."
Hunter balled up his fist and punched Ashton in the jaw. Pain streaked through his knuckles. Ashton fell back against a pine tree with a grunt.
"That's for attempting to rape Tessa." Hunter readied his fist again.
Ashton dropped his rifle in the accumulating snow and held up his hands in submission. "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I was drunk. Angry. I know it doesn't excuse my behavior. Michael has been the only friend I've ever had and when his sister told me to get lost and leave her brother alone because I was a bad influence, something inside me snapped."
Hunter grabbed the rifle, intending to send it over the cliff, but Ashton yelled, "Wait! Hear me out. You wouldn't listen to me last night you were so riled, but someone's stalking Tessa. I thought it was you. Dad gave me hell about being here late last night, but I told him Michael wanted me to promise I would look after Tessa. And I'm going to do it, damn it. I owe her for the way I behaved, and I owe Michael."
He sounded sincere enough, but the guy was always in trouble, according to Tessa. Why couldn't he be lying?
"What about your seeing Michael's girlfriend, Bethany Wade? If you're such a good friend of Michael's, why would you do that?"
Ashton's face darkened. "You don't know the half of it, Hunter. Why did you have to bring that up to my dad? He gave me hell for that, too."
"Maybe you ought to come clean with me, before I throw your worthless carcass off this cliff."
Ashton looked like he was ready to pee his pants. Despite trying to put on a tough guy act, the smell of fear cloaked him. "I didn't kill Bethany. I went to see her that night. The one when I was so drunk. I'd been feeling sorry for myself because Michael had a talent I didn't have, and he was so successful. His painting had nothing to do with me, and I felt left out. While he was getting all his accolades during the showing, I drank too much. After Tessa beaned me with the shovel, I finally came to my senses, somewhat."
He took a deep breath. "I went to see Bethany, although I halfway suspected she would be at the art gallery with Michael. Hell, Tessa was supposed to be, too, but she had stayed home because she had a bout of the flu. Which she gave me also! Anyway, Bethany had been drinking, too. She felt like I did. Michael had a new circle of friends, and we didn't fit into his new lifestyle. She hated all the women who threw themselves at the great artist. His works were beginning to appear all over the states at museums and in books. We knew before long, he wouldn't have time for either of us."
"So you screwed his girlfriend and---"
Ashton's shoulders slumped. "At first, it was because we were mad at Michael. A sneaky form of revenge, I'll admit. But we became really fond of each other. I think we were falling in love. Michael was spending more time with his artwork and exhibits and less time with us, so what difference did it make?"
Hunter growled, "He was your best friend! You could have had the balls to square it with him first."
"Yeah, and lose his friendship?" Ashton shoved his gloved hands in his pockets. "After Bethany died---"
"You're trying to tell me you didn't kill her over a lover's spat and frame Michael for it?"
"Shit, Hunter. I didn't kill Bethany. I figured Michael had done it. Sure, I had been seeing Bethany behind his back just like he said, only he didn't know who it was. We'd been supercautious so no one could ever prove it. I figured he murdered her because he knew she was seeing someone else. Who else would have killed Bethany?"
Hunter shoved the rifle into Ashton's chest. "I don't want you coming around here any longer. I told you that last night. I won't warn you again."
Ashton rubbed his jaw, his blue eyes piercing Hunter with a frigid glower. "I promised Michael. Someone's stalking Tessa. I'm not breaking my promise."
"I'm looking out for her."
"As much as I hate to admit it, I'm glad. But you'd better let me in on this. My dad's contacted two ex-cons, extortionists, murderers, although they weren't convicted on the last count since the DA's office couldn't locate enough evidence. Believe me, they wouldn't hesitate to eliminate you. I told my dad you're good for Tessa's protection. But he was so mad about the rifle and everything else, he wouldn't listen. I'll help you."
"If you didn't kill Bethany, I'd say you don't really have it in you."
"Maybe, maybe not. You've solicited that idiot Rourke's help, and he definitely won't be able to protect her."
Hunter glanced back in the direction of the house. "All right, but make sure your dad is agreeable. Let him know we're in on this together. You get yourself killed, I don't want your dad thinking I'm the one who did it."
Ashton bobbed his head up and down. "Okay. You got it. Are you sure you don't want me to stick around a little longer? What if the guy's out here?"
"He probably is. But I don't want your ass out here until your dad agrees. All right?" Hell, when had Hunter become such a damned softy? He ought to have thrown the rotten cuss over the cliff with his new rifle.
"Yeah, agreed." But Ashton looked like he wanted to stay.
"Now, Ashton. You don't want to see me when I'm really pissed. Your dad might have mentioned I'm an ex--Navy SEAL."
"Yeah, yeah, he did."
"Well, we're trained to eliminate any threat no matter how small, so just remember that. Got it?"
"Yes, sir. I'll be back."
"Not before tomorrow. And come to the front door of the house, only if you get your dad's okay."
Ashton vigorously nodded and waited for Hunter to move out of his way since he had his back wedged up against the pine tree.
"Be back tomorrow," Ashton promised.
Hunter shook his head and stalked off in the direction he smelled the gray's scent. The stalker was back and had probably listened to their whole blasted conversation. Hunter should have thrown Ashton over the cliff, if for nothing better than to prove to the gray he wasn't a damn pushover.
The doorbell rang and Tessa looked at Rourke, both of them standing in front of the fire, rubbing their hands, trying to stay warm. Tessa didn't think the stalker would come to the front door. Maybe the sheriff had returned? Or perhaps he had sent some of his minions to rough Hunter up a little. But in front of witnesses? Probably not.
She headed for the front door, but Rourke bolted in front of her and grabbed her arms, his gray eyes wild. "What if it's him---the stalker?"
"What if it isn't?"
"I'll check." Rourke released her, hurried to the door, and peeked out through the peephole. "No one there."
Before she could tell him not to open the door, he unlocked it and swung it wide. "Holy crap!"
Rourke jumped away and tried to shut the door, but something knocked him flat on his back. Tessa stared at the large, pale gray wolf as he stood next to Rourke lying unresponsive on the floor. The wolf turned his attention from Rourke to Tessa, his amber eyes feral. In disbelief, she stood frozen in place. He...he was the same one who lunged for her in California?
Couldn't be.
Heart racing, she dashed for the fireplace and grabbed the cast-iron tongs. The wolf leapt halfway across the living room, barely missing the coffee table, and landed only feet from her. She swung the tongs at the animal's head, connecting with his nose in a loud whap, and the tongs flew from her grasp. He yelped and shook his muzzle.
She dove down the hall and reached her brother's room, the blood pounding so hard in her ears she couldn't hear the wolf following. But as soon as she grabbed the door and tried to slam it shut, the wolf lunged. Like a replay from the incident in the woods in California, the animal snarled and snapped, only this time he blocked her from shutting the door.
"Tessa!" Hunter yelled from the living room.
"I'm in here, Hunter! Watch out for the wolf!" Except she was the one still fighting with the wild beast, his paws against the door, his teeth snapping at her.
"I'll take care of it."
The wolf turned its head and she knew he would attack Hunter next.
"Stay there. Don't come out until I holler it's all clear," he shouted.
She slammed the door closed. "Hunter, be careful!
The wolf's probably rabid."
What if it bit Hunter? And what about poor Rourke?
Furniture crashed. Her heart jumped. Growls sounded. She raced through Michael's room, searching for a weapon.
More crashing noises. More growling.
"Hunter?"
Hunter tore off the field jacket and then kicked off the sneakers as the wolf slinked around the sofa, snarling at him. Thinking to kill Hunter as a human? It would be easier for him. Hunter jerked off the sweats and hurried to shapeshift. The gray was dead meat. Rourke was out cold, thankfully, and Tessa couldn't see Hunter's new look, standing as a wolf, waiting for the stalker's approach. He just hoped to god she stayed put, but he didn't trust her one bit.
The lupus garou skirted around the overturned table, the brass lamp on the floor, the bulb shattered. He inched forward, slowly, cautiously, his tail straightened, his eyes focused on every movement Hunter made, from the twitch in Hunter's ears to the tautness of his tail. The gray's nose was bleeding and Hunter made the connection with the bloodied fireplace tongs. Tessa. He was certain Rourke hadn't used the tongs on the gray and then fallen by the door.
Had the stalker listened to Hunter's conversation with Ashton before he approached the house? Attempting to judge Hunter's strengths and weaknesses? Hunter hadn't thought he'd had much in the line of weaknesses when it came to human dealings. Then again, maybe he didn't usually come into contact with them. He couldn't recall.
Hunter surveyed the furniture in the way, hampering their ability to fight well. He needed to get the wolf out of doors, away from the humans.
The wolf snarled and then charged. Hunter swiftly retaliated. Both growled fiercely and struck with such force, neither made any headway. They dropped back to their pads and separated.
Hunter hoped Tessa didn't hear all the noise they were making, or she would be trying to figure out why there were now two wolves, but the instinct was so inborn, he couldn't stop it. Growling was like a war yell for a fighter in battle---a need to frighten the enemy into submission or inaction, and he would use every means necessary to eliminate the threat.
The gray was an equal match in size and agility. In his wolf way of thinking, Hunter was glad he had a worthy advisory, which would make it that much sweeter when he destroyed him. The two clashed again, their powerful jaws snapping, their teeth connecting. Hunter tasted both his blood and the gray's.
They landed on their paws, their chests heaving. They truly were matched. But Hunter couldn't work him toward the door. The lupus garou probably wanted to stay near the woman he intended to claim.
The gray dove in again, biting at Hunter's neck. Hunter tore the gray's cheek, exposing the muscle. He yelped, retreated, waited. Hunter charged him, grabbed for his throat, but the lupus garou turned, and Hunter bit him in the flank instead. Another yelp.
Rourke groaned.
The distraction caught Hunter off guard, and the wolf went for Hunter's throat again. Hunter shifted the weight of his body to avoid the wolf's bite and ran into the damned leather footstool. The stalker's teeth sank into his shoulder. Pain radiated through the wound. Hunter growled.
Rourke moaned.
The wolf glanced at him as he began to stir, and then the stalker leapt toward the door. With another bound, he was outside.
His shoulder bleeding and hurting like hell, Hunter bolted after him. This ended, tonight.
Rourke weakly hollered, "Tessa? Tessa?"
Her nerves wired, she opened Michael's bedroom door and peeked out. No more growling. "Hunter?"
No reply.
Irritated she couldn't find a weapon in Michael's bedroom for protection, she called out, "Rourke, are you all right?"
No answer.
Her spine tingling with apprehension and feeling vulnerable without a weapon in hand, she crept down the hall toward the living room.
The place was deadly quiet except for the wind blowing through the open door. She feared the worst---Hunter was dead or unconscious and the wolf was waiting for her. The adrenaline in her system was running high, her heart pounding hard. If she could get to the fireplace tongs or the poker...
She peered into the living room. No sign of the wolf. Both brass lamps had crashed to the floor. Blood was spattered throughout. Tan, pale, and darker gray fur clung to the edges of the couches and love seat. Rourke had again passed out by the front door. The clothes Hunter had been wearing were strewn all over the place.
She gasped, her hand to her mouth, her eyes tearing up. The wolf must have killed Hunter and dragged his body off. But what if he hadn't? Then again, what if the wolf came back? She grabbed the fireplace poker and rushed to the door. Except for drops of fresh blood on the porch, she didn't see anything in the blowing snow.
"Hunter!" she screamed. If she'd had a gun, she would have gone after the wolf and shot it.
Rourke groaned, and she quickly closed and locked the front door. "Rourke, Rourke, wake up. I...I think the wolf killed Hunter. But if it didn't..." She wiped tears from her cheeks. "Rourke! Wake up! We need to save Hunter."
The gray was racing through the woods as fast as he could while Hunter kept track of him in the blowing snow. Where the hell was he fleeing to? Maybe a getaway vehicle. He had the tenacity of an alpha. Yet some of his posturing, like escaping through the forest, indicated he was more of a beta. It didn't matter what he was because the gray served as a threat to Tessa either way.
For three miles, Hunter chased the lupus garou, the icy air whipping across his open wound, making it burn like the devil. Stop and fight like a wolf, damn you!
Another two miles after that. At least Tessa and Rourke were safe now that Hunter had the gray on the run. Hopefully, Rourke had only suffered a bump on the head and nothing more serious.
The wolf suddenly slowed. Tiring? Weak? He was bleeding, too, leaving a trail of blood in the fresh snow. But he didn't smell like he was afraid, which confused the issue. Maybe he was mad. Some lupus garou were crazy, just like their human counterparts.
Another smell---another wolf. No two. Damn it, Hunter was in a pack's territory. Something seemed familiar. He glanced at the cliffs. One blackened pine stood naked in the snow at the edge of the outcropping of rocks. Oh hell. Here's where he was thrown from the cliff.
He smelled the air. They were the three who'd fought him. That's how they had gotten the best of him the last time. But why had they attacked him?
Which made him wonder if he had tried to take over the pack, or had targeted one of their females as his own. Yet since this one wanted Tessa, had they thought Hunter would discover her and want her also? No matter how he tried, he couldn't remember.
One of the males moved around to his right flank, the other behind him, while the one he had already fought stayed where he was, panting, dog tired. Hunter almost felt the same way, but fresh adrenaline surged through his veins again, preparing him for the fight. He imagined the injured wolf was feeling complacent now that his buddies were here to bail him out.
He had a whiter mask on the underside, except for the blood caked on his nose and cheek. The one to Hunter's right was a darker gray. The one behind him was a little heavier, but they all had a similar scent, way of moving, overall look. He guessed they were brothers, triplets. Packs protected their members, but family could be even more ferocious in taking care of their own.
His tail stiff like a flag of warning, Hunter kept his eye on the stalker, but listened with regard to the other two. This time someone else, preferably three someone elses if he could manage, would be taking a dive into the ocean, over the cliff side. And then he would make sure Tessa didn't return to her beach for a good while afterward. No sense in her dragging home any more wounded, naked lupus garou males. Or finding their remains if they didn't survive.
The wolf behind him moved forward, his pads crunching on the upper crust of snow. The one on the right stepped toward Hunter, trying to box him in. Hunter didn't budge. He might as well put some of that supposed Navy SEAL training to use. At least if nothing else, he wouldn't be pushed toward the edge of the rocks. And he knew just who to target this time. The weakest link. He dove after the stalker.
For an instant, the wolf's ears flattened. Hunter smiled inwardly. The stalker was afraid of him. That's why he brought Hunter here. To get his brothers to back him up. He probably thought he could take Hunter down initially because of the way he was so "humanized."
The wolf fled. Hunter whipped around so suddenly, he caught the wolf chasing him off-guard. Hunter immediately lunged at him and bit the gray's snout. He yelped and dove away. The remaining wolf attacked. Hunter aimed low at his front right leg. With a snap, he brought the wolf down. The wolf howled. Hunter again turned, prepared to take on the other, but he and the stalker had disappeared into the blinding snow like a couple of gray wraiths. Calling for reinforcements? Hunter knew his limits. He couldn't fight a whole pack of grays.
The wolf with the broken leg lay panting on his side. Hunter knew he should kill him. But he still couldn't remember why they had thrown him from the cliff. Maybe he had been the one in the wrong. Not concerning Tessa though. No matter what, the stalker had no right to claim a human, and Hunter wasn't going to allow it.
He growled at the injured wolf. The gray closed his eyes in submission. Probably readying himself for the killing blow. Hunter glanced back in the direction of Tessa's house. What if the other two wolves went back for her?
Hell. He dashed back the way he had come, mile after mile. A quarter of a mile from the house, he heard Tessa calling, "Hunter!" Her voice was filled with tears.
Crap. Was Rourke with her? She wasn't supposed to leave the house. Somehow, he had to return to the place, get dressed, and...No, he couldn't risk her being out here in the event the other lupus garous were coming for her.
With the pine trees still shielding him, Hunter shapeshifted into his human form. He'd suffer frostbite for sure. If Tessa and Rourke had just stayed in the house, he could have gotten much closer before he'd had to change.
Racing into their line of view, he found Rourke wielding the fireplace poker and Tessa ready to swing the bloody fireplace tongs.
"Ohmigod, Hunter." Tessa's gaze shifted from his face to his bloody shoulder as she rushed forward. "Ohmigod."
He dashed toward her and grabbed her hand, pulling her back toward the house. "You shouldn't be out here. I told you to keep her in the house, Rourke. Didn't I?" The threat in his voice was real, but Rourke was smiling. Probably because of Hunter's state of undress.
So much for his ferocious image.
"I kept telling Tessa we would find you in pretty good shape." Rourke threw his parka over Hunter's shoulders. "I told you he'd have wrung the wolves' necks and would bring their tails home as souvenirs."
Now that was a barbaric notion. Tessa wrapped her arm around Hunter's waist as they hurried to the back porch. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she didn't say anything more.
Rourke wouldn't shut up and handed Hunter Tessa's ski cap. "Sorry. We didn't think of bringing any of your clothes. We should have thought of it, but all we had in mind was attacking the wolves that had dragged you off, and the best weapons for the job. But I kept telling Tessa you would be all right. That we'd find you alive."
"None of this is to be reported to the newspaper," Hunter warned.
"We have an obligation to warn folks that wild wolves have taken up residence in the woods here. We can't allow them to kill people."
Tessa was shaking so hard when they reached the back porch, she dropped the keys. Rourke retrieved them and unlocked the door.
"No reporting any of this." Hunter used his most threatening voice as they walked into the living room, his arm tight around Tessa.
Rourke stared at him. Tessa finally pulled away from Hunter and hurried down the hall.
He handed Rourke his parka and slipped the sweatpants back on.
"You can't mean it, Hunter. What if one attacked Tessa? It would have, too, if you hadn't come and saved us."
"It wasn't a wolf. All right, Rourke? Just drop it."
Tessa returned to the living room with rubbing alcohol and bandages. "It was too a wolf." Her voice was shaky and her body slightly trembled.
When she applied the alcohol to the wound, Hunter clenched his teeth. Hell, he hadn't hurt this much since the time he was wounded in the Mekong Delta. Again, a distant memory, but nothing else came to mind except the excruciating agony he was in.
Her gaze caught his. "I'm sorry." Her skin was as white as the gauze in her hands and her eyes glistened with tears.
"It's no big deal," he said between gritted teeth. He sure as hell didn't want her to worry that he was dying when he would heal within a few days and be as good as new.
She set the bottle of alcohol down and applied the gauze to his shoulder. "I saw it, Hunter. If it wasn't a wolf, what was it?"
"A wild dog that looked like a wolf."
"We still have to report it. A wild animal that attacks humans has to be destroyed," Rourke said.
Tessa taped the gauze to Hunter's shoulder and shook her head. "It was a wolf. I have a photo of one that looks exactly like him. And not only that, but he had almond-shaped eyes. Dogs have rounded eyes."
He stared at her for a minute, then recalled all the books she had on wolves. Hell, now what? Hunter collapsed on the sofa, the adrenaline fading and weariness settling in. He wanted to tell them he had destroyed the animal, but he couldn't because the stalker would undoubtedly return, maybe this time with his two buddies once everyone had healed sufficiently. Hunter didn't want Tessa and Rourke believing they were perfectly safe. But he didn't want to create a mad scene of hunters shooting every wolf throughout Oregon either. And they probably would, even though wolves were a protected species. They couldn't kill the lupus garou that way, but they could kill the real wolves, and for wolves and lupus garous it would be one long nightmare.
"Can I see the picture?"
She nodded and headed back down the hall.
Hunter ran his hand through his damp hair. "Listen, Rourke, I'm going to ask you for a big favor on this. I know what I'm doing. Believe me. I'll destroy the wolf---"
"I thought I heard two of them fighting in the house," Tessa said, returning with the printout of the photo.
"Two fought one another. So you see if we announce this, hunters from every crack and crevice in the state will be here shooting everything that moves. Everything. You know how it goes. Then even Tessa wouldn't be safe getting a load of firewood from the beach."
"She's got you and me for that now," Rourke said, as if he were staying for the long haul.
Actually, it probably was a good idea---for the time being.
Hunter considered the photo while Tessa hurried back down the hall. It was the gray all right. But the trees weren't correct. A hint of memory eluded him. He recognized the forest. Not here, but where?
Rourke whispered, "Did you kill it already? I could see you didn't want to say in front of Tessa."
Before Hunter could reply, she returned and frowned at them. He figured she heard Rourke's loud whisper.
She carried a man's flannel shirt and a pair of big fuzzy sock slippers. Kneeling at Hunter's feet, she pulled on one of the slippers, and then the other. He hadn't realized how icy his feet were until she warmed them. But what heated him even more were her tender ministrations and thoughts of returning to bed with her and snuggling.
He considered the picture of the lupus garou again. "Where did you get this photo?"
"I took it in California. Right before he lunged at me."
"When you were on that photo shoot for the magazine?" Rourke asked. "Hell, Tessa, I told you not to take the job, but---"
"He looks just like the one that knocked Rourke out," Tessa continued, ignoring Rourke's scolding. "But he couldn't be."
Hunter lied, "They can all look the same." Well, to an untrained eye, they could. He and his kind easily distinguished the differences. A change in the colors of the masks, or the patterns of coloration on the body and head. Sometimes subtle between wolf siblings, but still anyone who observed them closely enough could see the difference. Personality-wise, they'd be totally dissimilar.
"That's what I thought." Yet something in the way Tessa looked at him and her tone of voice, indicated she wasn't being totally honest with him either.
He wanted to know what made her suspect he wasn't speaking the truth, or that he at least didn't understand the truth. She couldn't know this wolf was the same as the one she'd seen in California.
But that he had followed her from California showed how determined he was to have her.
"Have you seen the wolf that attacked us here before?" he asked.
"In La Grande. I'm pretty sure. I took a photo of him, but he was turned sideways, and I didn't get a good shot of his face."
"Has to be another wolf," Rourke said. "Don't you think, Hunter? That's a long ways for one to travel."
"Yeah." Hunter knew better. When looking for mates, they'd travel for miles. "Do you have the photo?"
She sighed. "Sure, but we need to take you to the doctor to see about your wound. The animal was probably rabid." She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering like emeralds awash in tears.
Her upset cut straight into his soul. He didn't think a human had ever touched him the way she did. Although if he had much to do with them, he probably wasn't usually this beat up around them. He touched her face and would have leaned down to kiss her as she crouched in front of him, but his shoulder hurt so much, he couldn't bend if his life depended on it. She stood and helped him into the flannel shirt.
Then she kissed his lips, her touch velvety soft, heating his chilled blood. "I'll find some blankets for you, but we need to make plans to get you to the clinic."
He grasped her hand and squeezed tight. "I won't deny I'm bone weary, Tessa, but the animal didn't have a case of rabies. I'll be fine in a day or two."
She glanced at Rourke as if looking for his support.
"She's right, Hunter. That wound's pretty nasty. It's going to need some sutures."
Hunter released Tessa's hand. "No." He closed his eyes and groaned as he tried to get comfortable. She hurried to help him stretch out on the sofa in front of the blazing fire. "Just make sure everything's locked up," he said. "If we drove in this icy snowstorm, we could run off a cliff."
"We have to get to a doctor," Tessa whispered to Rourke.
Hunter opened his eyes and scowled. Since when did his word not mean the law? "No! I'll be fine. I heal fast. Just let me sleep."
Tessa brushed away tears and then rushed back down the hallway. He only realized then she had been fighting them all along. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but he didn't need doctors messing with him. Not that they would discover what he was. Thank heavens the lupus garou genetics precluded that. As a wolf, they had only wolf genes and as a human, human genetics. But he still didn't want anyone seeing how fast he healed. Although as bad as the bite was, it would be a couple of days, maybe more, before it healed properly.
Rourke tried his phone, but shook his head. "Still no reception."
Tessa returned with an armload of blankets, a pillow, and the other wolf photo.
Hunter studied the two photos. Hell, it was the same lupus garou. "How long ago was this taken?"
"A month ago."
"Have you seen any wolves around here since then?"
"I thought I'd...I've heard howling up north." "When?"
"About a month ago. Well, the first time. I've heard it on and off since then."
The bastard must have seen her at La Grande and tracked her here. Had he caught a whiff of her? Her special scent that ignited his own cravings?
Or had he taken objection to her photographing him? The fact he was rolling in her sheets meant he wanted her. He was taking her scent back to his wolf mates, declaring she was his and no one else's.
"I thought maybe he'd been owned before." She pulled the soft blue blanket up to Hunter's chin.
"Owned before?"
"Yeah. He doesn't act like a normal wolf. Well, I mean he does, with the snarling and chasing and all. But---he stares me down like he's trying to remember a past life, like maybe he was once someone's pet and I look like the owner, or something." She gave Hunter a couple of pills.
Rourke shook his head. "No way was that wild animal someone's pet, unless he already ate his owners."
Hunter gave him an annoyed look. He wasn't helping his cause. His shoulder feeling like it was on fire, Hunter offered Tessa a pained smile. "Why would I need a doctor when I've got Miss Nightingale?"
Her lips lifted a little, but he could tell her heart wasn't in it.
He closed his eyes and listened to Rourke and Tessa move to the kitchen where they discussed him and how they would get him to the clinic in town despite what he wanted. He let out an exasperated sigh.
Tessa was not normally a wimp, but she'd fought collapsing when she first saw Hunter's muscle torn to the bone. He had to have medical attention and soon. But he was right about the driving conditions. She would never normally chance driving in this kind of weather. Anyone with an ounce of sense wouldn't either. But infection could set in and he couldn't heal properly without getting some stitches no matter what Hunter said about it. Yet she wondered if he practiced some kind of mind-over-body meditation that helped him heal faster because all the injuries he'd suffered from his swim in the Pacific had healed.
How he could have survived the cold for so long before they reached him, she couldn't imagine. It was almost as if he'd holed up in a nice warm cabin for a while. Except there were none close by, and he had been too injured to have gone very far.
Rourke let out his breath. "I don't know what to do, Tessa. He needs a doctor for sure. My phone still isn't getting a signal or I'd call for an emergency crew to come get us."
Tessa looked out at the accumulating snow---already drifts had piled up half a foot around the back of the house. "I'm afraid we wouldn't make the six-mile trip into town. If we ran the truck off into the woods down one of those steep embankments---if we survived---we could all be injured so badly we might not be able to crawl back to the road. Then what? And if we just got stuck, we'd have to walk in these freezing conditions the rest of the way into town. I don't think Hunter can take any more of the cold as badly injured as he is. But I'm also worried about infection and continued bleeding. And although he says the wolf wasn't rabid, how does he know? What if it was? The way the animal came into the house and headed for me, he acted more like a rabid wolf than not."
"Agreed." Rourke glanced at his watch. "It's already midnight. One of us will need to keep a vigil on him all night. If he begins to run a fever or gets violently ill, either we can attempt a run into town, or we can wait out the storm and try then. The alternative is I can go by myself and try to get help."
Tessa shook her head. "I'd worry about your safety. What if you didn't make it? And then, too, the stalker could still be out there. Oh, hell, I hadn't thought about it since it happened, but remember, someone rang the doorbell and then disappeared? Do you think the wolf killed the person and dragged him away?"
Rourke collapsed on the dining chair. "Hell. We've got to report this as soon as we can. It's our civic duty, despite what Hunter says."
Rourke was right, but what kept running through her mind was the strange way Hunter had considered the photographs. The concern etched in his face and actions, the questions he'd asked---all led her to believe he thought the same as her, despite his words to the contrary and how insane the notion could be. The wolf was the same one she'd seen on the three separate occasions, and he was stalking her.
FOR TWO HOURS, TESSA SAT WITH HUNTER, HIS HEAD RESTING in her lap as he slept fitfully on the couch. Her nerves raw, she wanted to take him to the hospital in the worst way, to have medical personnel---who knew what they were doing---care for him.
Rourke had finally fallen asleep on the other sofa, snoring softly. The fire crackled and cast a soft glow into the room, but the lamps remained on the floor where they had fallen. Not wanting to disturb Hunter's rest, she'd clean up later. Battling to stay awake, she kept vigilant, watching for any sign Hunter's condition was worsening.
"Meara," Hunter mumbled and groaned. "Meara."
Tessa's soggy eyes widened, and she strained to hear him speak again. Was he remembering something more? Of course he was. But about a girlfriend or his sister? Her heart skittered with the thought.
She brushed the hair away from his forehead, the shadow of a beard giving him a rugged, sexy appearance, but his cheeks seemed flushed. She touched his cheek, her fingers recoiling at the feel of his skin. No, no. He was burning up.
She hurried to move out from under him, removed his blankets, and went to the kitchen. Pouring water into a glass, she glanced out the window to see how bad the storm was. Maybe they could chance taking him into town.
Half-hidden in the shadows of the shed, the security light revealed a wolf sitting, watching the house.
A shiver stole up her spine. Was it the one that had knocked Rourke out and come after her? No, this one didn't have any blood on his nose. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look. Its darker gray fur blended with beige and its snout had the same pretty beige on top, white underneath. Was he the one that Hunter said attacked the other then?
Maybe Hunter was right. She wouldn't want anyone to shoot a good animal.
She opened the window and tried to get a closer look. The animal's ears twitched and his eyes focused on her. He didn't seem vicious, but he was still feral.
She closed the window and returned to the living room with the medicine.
"Hunter," she said, trying to wake him.
He looked up at her, his eyes glassy. He closed his eyes and moaned.
"No, Hunter, take this medicine. We need to bring down the fever. Hunter!"
Rourke touched her arm and she nearly dropped the glass.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice ragged with sleep.
"He's burning up and I can't get him to take anything for it."
"Here, let me." Rourke helped Hunter sit up and forced the pill down his throat, but Hunter growled and bit him. Rourke jerked his finger free. "Hell, Hunter, I'm only trying to help."
"Let me get some antibiotics for that. Jeez. What next?" Tessa asked.
"I just hope to hell the wolf that bit him didn't have rabies." Rourke helped Hunter lie back down and joined Tessa in the kitchen. "He seems to be sleeping all right."
"Restlessly." She washed Rourke's finger in the sink and glanced out the window. No sign of the wolf. "Hunter broke the skin."
"I noticed. Here I get off pretty easily by surviving the wolf attack, resulting in only a lump as big as a melon on the back of my head and one hell of a headache, and the ex--Navy SEAL bites me instead."
"You can write it in your memoirs some day." She coated his finger in antibacterial ointment and then wrapped a bandage around it. "At this rate, I'm going to have to buy a whole lot more medical supplies. By the way, I saw one of those wolves out back." She got Rourke a couple of pills for his headache.
He leaned against the sink and peered out the window. "I don't see anything but snow."
"He's gone now, but it's not the one who attacked us. He had a bloody nose. This one didn't have a mark on it."
"If they were fighting, how did he get away without a scratch?"
"Maybe it was hurt somewhere I couldn't see. I just know it wasn't the one that came after us. Can you get back to sleep?"
Rourke took the pills, drowned them with a glass of water, and followed Tessa into the living room. "Why don't you try sleeping for a while? I'll watch Hunter and the house for a couple of hours."
She ran her hand over Hunter's temple, his face flushed and sweaty. "I hope the roads are clear enough in the morning. No matter what condition they're in, we're going to have to chance taking Hunter to the clinic."
Everyone was fast asleep when the doorbell rang at six in the morning. Déjà vu. Immediately, Tessa bolted upright from the sofa opposite the one Hunter slept on. Rourke opened a sleepy eye as he lay back on the recliner. Hunter continued to sleep, his face still red.
She studied the door. "If there's no one there, I'm not opening the door."
"I'll get it," Rourke offered, pulling the blanket off his lap.
"No. Last time you did, it was a disaster. Are...are you okay? You look a little feverish."
The doorbell rang again.
Tessa rushed to peek through the peephole. "Oh, hell," she whispered. "It's Ashton and he's got a rifle."
Rourke hurried to join her. "Since Ashton got here safe and sound, maybe we can take his truck and get Hunter to the hospital."
"He's got a gun!"
"He won't know what hit him." Rourke bolted across the living room, grabbed the fireplace poker, and then rejoined Tessa at the front door. "Okay, open it."
"You're not going to hit him with that, are you?"
"I'm just going to persuade him to let us use his truck so we can take Hunter in for heavy-duty antibiotics and sutures."
Ashton rang the doorbell again.
"Hide the poker behind your back and don't hit him. I'll try to convince him to agree to help us."
"Hey! Hunter! It's me, Ashton! I got my dad's permission to be here."
Tessa glanced at Rourke. He shrugged. "Let him in."
Her heart pounding hard, she unlocked the door and opened it. Ashton was more cheerful than she had seen him in months. His blue eyes sparkled with humor and his grin couldn't have been any more friendly, but his jaw was slightly bruised.
"Where's Hunter? I told him I'd help him locate the stalker. He made me get my dad's approval first. Dad and I went around and around about it late into the night, but I finally wore him down. Hey, you look a little ill, Rourke."
Tessa looked at him. "Oh, Rourke, your face is as red as Hunter's." She clapped a hand on his forehead. "You're burning up, too."
Ashton peered around them at the mess in the living room, and his mouth gaped. "What the hell happened? Did the stalker break in? I knew I should have stayed."
"A wolf attacked Hunter. We've got to get him to the clinic. Can you get us there?" She closed the door.
Ashton swore under his breath. "He's got a fever."
"The animal might have been rabid," Tessa warned.
"I sure hope the hell he wasn't. Hunter bit me!" Rourke raised his bandaged finger to show Ashton.
"I'm not sure I want to know how that happened." Ashton set his rifle down. "Let's get Hunter to the truck. We'll go to the hospital emergency room. I have chains on my tires, so we should be able to make it."
"Thanks, Ashton," Tessa said, relieved that he would help without resorting to Rourke's tactics. She wondered if Rourke had wanted to clobber Ashton though, for what he'd pulled with her out by the shed.
"It's nothing. Rourke, can you help me? Or are you too sick?"
"I'll help."
Tessa got the front door and then the truck door while Ashton and Rourke carried Hunter to the extended cab. As strong as Hunter seemed, she couldn't believe how sick he was. Which was ridiculous. As torn up as he was, infection had to have set in. He was only human after all.
She threw on her parka and grabbed blankets, a pillow, and her purse. Rourke yanked on his parka and gloves, and they climbed into the truck.
"So what the hell happened?" Ashton pulled out of the frozen driveway.
Tessa knew her vehicle would never have made it. Rourke's either, since his had slipped into a ditch even before the storm had worsened.
"A wolf knocked Rourke unconscious and came after me. Hunter was searching for the stalker."
"Oh."
Ashton sounded so guilty, she immediately became suspicious. "What?"
"He found me looking for the stalker instead."
Ashton rubbed his jaw. "I guess I distracted him from his mission for a time. Sorry, Tessa. I had to tell him I was there to protect you. I'd promised Michael."
"You did? Thanks, Ashton." Maybe the jerk was salvageable after all. She hadn't thought he could ever be.
"I shot Hunter because I thought he was the stalker."
She barely breathed. "Have you seen the guy then?"
"Yeah. He's tall like Hunter. Dark-haired, too. It really was an honest mistake. I have to tell you, I couldn't go to the trial, Tessa. I thought Michael was guilty of murdering Bethany. I thought he did it because she was seeing some other guy, and he found out."
"You were the other guy," Tessa said, her voice bitter.
"Yeah. But he'd asked me, begged me to watch out for you. I promised him I would. Believe me, I really didn't think there was anything to worry about concerning your safety. That first night I was out there, I saw someone peeking in the windows. I think Michael already knew there was someone, but like with me seeing Bethany, he couldn't catch the guy in the act. Anyway, I hollered at the Peeping Tom. Asked him what the hell he was doing. He took off running. Really fast dude. Just like Hunter when he charged up the hill toward me the other night."
"He was getting firewood. He was wearing Michael's clothes."
"He wasn't getting firewood when I saw him. He was naked."
Tessa closed her gaping mouth and stared at Ashton in disbelief.
"He began yanking Michael's clothes out of a plastic sack and jerked them on. I didn't recognize the sweats. But I did see the familiar eagle on the back of the field jacket and knew it was Michael's. So I thought maybe he'd gotten into the house and stolen some of Michael's things."
She cast a glance over the seat. Hunter was sound asleep, the blankets tucked under his chin. What in the world had Hunter been doing undressing and dressing in the bitter cold? Unless Ashton had been drunk, like she'd suspected, despite what Hunter had said.
"So I didn't know what to think. After Rourke said Hunter was an ex--Navy SEAL, I realized what he was doing. Hardening himself for the worst conditions he would have to face. That way he could survive anything. If I'd done what he had, I would have double pneumonia."
But Hunter wasn't an ex--Navy SEAL. If he hadn't been gathering firewood, she figured he would have been searching for the intruder. He wouldn't have been naked.
"Okay, I give, Rourke. How'd Hunter bite you?" Ashton asked.
He didn't respond. Tessa looked at him. He was sleeping, his head propped against the cold window. She wished she had brought some more pillows. At least they had plenty of blankets if they got stuck. Although she hadn't considered taking them for that reason.
"Long night for all of us," Tessa said. "I was trying to get Hunter to take some fever-reducing medicine, but couldn't wake him enough. Rourke finally got the pill down him, but Hunter clamped his teeth on Rourke's finger. Broke the skin even. I'm really worried that wolf was rabid. What if Hunter and Rourke have rabies now?"
"Hunter's bite was pretty bad, huh?"
"Tore the muscle all the way to the bone." Tessa shuddered.
"They'll get the shots and be fine. But if they don't, rabies in humans is fatal. The doctor will have to decide. But if we can kill the animal and bring him in, the medical personnel can check out his brain and know for sure. No sense in Hunter and Rourke having to go through the painful ordeal if it's not needed."
"Hunter doesn't want the wolf shot. He said it didn't have rabies, and he'd take care of it himself."
Ashton smirked. "I love his style. Get rid of the offender personally. Of course, when I was on the receiving end of his drive to right the wrong, I felt a little differently. But Hunter's all right. I mean, if the roles were reversed and some dude shot me, I probably would have killed him. On the other hand, I doubt I would have had the balls to charge up the hill after a guy who had his rifle sights on me. That took a hell of a lot of guts. It was as if he knew he'd shake me up so much, I wouldn't be able to get off another round. And he was right. I couldn't twitch a muscle, shoot, run, nothing. Must be his training."
Ashton shook his head. "I talked to my dad about going into the Navy SEALs. He's all against it, said I couldn't live with having my hair cut. But after we get rid of this stalker and Hunter reassures me he's sticking around to keep you safe...oh, hell, I promised Michael. Okay, here's the deal. I'll help Hunter find whoever murdered Bethany, and then once Michael's set free, I'm checking into the Navy."
Rourke lifted his head from the window. "I'm helping also. Maybe between the three of us, we'll discover something."
"Four of us," Tessa corrected him.
"I thought you believed Michael was guilty, Rourke," Ashton said.
"I did. I changed my mind. Since we now know he wasn't lying about someone seeing his girlfriend behind his back, what else was he being truthful about?"
"You think it was me?" Ashton asked, his voice growing hard.
"No. Someone else who knew all of you."
"The list. I've got to write that list of possible suspects," Tessa said.
"Of possible murderers?" Ashton asked.
"No, of stalkers. Hunter thinks it's someone who was in the house before he broke in that one night. Someone we knew."
"A gray," Rourke muttered under his breath as he rested his head against the window again and closed his eyes.
"A what?" Tessa asked.
But Rourke had fallen back to sleep.
"Why don't you get some sleep?" Ashton said. "You look pretty worn out."
"Who's going to watch your driving?"
Ashton gave her a small smile. "It's going to be slow going. This two-hour-long trip will probably be more like four."
The blowing snow made for whiteout conditions and the windshield wipers swept away the building snow, but it continued to shower down on them---huge white flakes. Thank God the truck's heater was working fine, and the cab was toasty warm.
Tessa closed her eyes and slept for a while. Until the truck jerked to a stop. Her eyes popped open. Ashton swore under his breath, yanked the door open, jumped out, and slammed the door shut. They were in the middle of nowhere still, surrounded by forest, no traffic, nothing but cold, wet snow and a gray bleakness. So what was the problem?
The truck was leaning at an odd angle. In the ditch? Great. Tessa pulled on her gloves to investigate.
Ashton threw open the door and jumped back into the cab, shoving the door closed, his face ashen despite the chill in the air.
"How bad is it?" Tessa asked, afraid to know the answer.
"I left my rifle at your place, damn it."
"What?"
"My rifle! I left it at your place."
"What has that got to do with getting stuck in a snowdrift?"
"Rourke and I probably could get the truck out, but three gray wolves were watching me from the woods. They looked hungry. Maybe the one that attacked you was one of these?"
A shiver sped down her spine as she peered into the blowing snow, but saw nothing.
"They're wild dogs," Rourke said softly, peering out the window.
"I don't see them," Tessa said.
"Those are wolves," Ashton reiterated. "Wild dogs, my ass."
"We can't just stay here. What if the snow piles up behind the muffler?" Tessa glanced behind them.
"It will," Ashton warned.
"Okay, well, then we'd have to stop the engine, and we'd freeze."
Ashton rubbed his gloved hands together. "After what happened to Hunter, I'm not sure trying to move the truck while those animals are out there is a good idea."
"I'll move it." Hunter pushed the blankets aside and groaned.
"Oh, no, you don't." Tessa gave him a look like he had better not even think of it.
His brow furrowed. "I told you not to take me anywhere. I would have been fine in a day or two."
"Hunter, you're sick. We're taking you to the hospital and that's that."
"We're stuck in the middle of nowhere and not going anywhere fast."
"How are you feeling?"
Hunter glared at her. "Fine."
"Right. You look like you're still burning up with fever."
"The dogs won't attack us, will they, Hunter?" Rourke asked.
"They shouldn't."
"Shouldn't is the key word," Ashton said. "The wolf
shouldn't have entered Tessa's home and bitten you either. Which means it has to be rabid."
"I'll try to move the truck," Rourke said, albeit reluctantly. He cast Hunter a dirty look over the backseat. "You stay here. You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do."
"Wait! Let me try my phone." Ashton pulled out his cell phone. "Maybe we'll have a signal here."
Everyone watched as Ashton punched in a number. He shook his head. "Nothing."
"I'll help." Tessa buttoned her parka.
"No, you stay and try to drive us out of the mess. Rourke and I'll stack up some wood under the tires, and then we'll push while you drive," Ashton said.
"I'll help," Hunter growled.
"No," Tessa said. "That shoulder of yours is too badly damaged. You're not going anywhere."
"We can't stay here, Tessa. I'll help. Then you can take me to the hospital and get me patched up. All right? But without my assistance, we may not be going anywhere." Before she could object, he added, "Three hulking men should be enough of a deterrent for the dogs. I don't want anyone else bitten."
"But your shoulder. You shouldn't do anything physical. And the fever. You shouldn't be out in this cold. What if you drove the vehicle, and I helped the guys?"
"No," all three men said at once.
Hunter pulled on the ski cap. But she hadn't brought Michael's field jacket for him because she didn't figure he could get into it with as bad as his shoulder was, and she hadn't thought he would be leaving the truck except to be wheeled into the hospital.
Ashton tossed his parka back to Hunter. "You owe me."
"Hell, he really owes me," Rourke grouched.
Rourke didn't elaborate, but she figured he was still pissed off at Hunter for biting his finger and worried he had rabies. He was sick with a fever, too. Working in these winter conditions couldn't be good for any of them.
Tessa started to remove her parka. "Here, Ashton, take mine."
"Size petite? Wouldn't fit over my broad shoulders." He rolled them back to make them appear larger. He wasn't half as broad as Hunter.
The men headed outside while Tessa moved into the driver's seat, wishing she could do more. The dogs must have been hiding or had run off. She didn't see any sign of them, although the guys kept casting glances at the woods while they were working. As soon as the men had piled up enough branches under the tires, Ashton motioned for Tessa to drive out. With them pushing and the truck tires finally getting some traction, she managed to pull back onto the road.
Ashton and Rourke whooped and hollered and she was glad, too, but afraid Hunter might have done more damage to his shoulder as quiet as he was.
With snow covering his long hair and sweater, Ashton helped Hunter into the truck while Hunter groaned. She knew he shouldn't have helped with the truck. Probably did most of the work, too, knowing him. Rourke climbed in and Tessa moved over to the center of the front seat. Once everyone was settled, Ashton put the vehicle in drive and began the remainder of the slow trek toward the hospital.
Tessa peered over the seat. "Are you okay, Hunter?"
He buried himself in the blankets and mumbled, "I'm fine."
She shook her head, imagining he could have broken every bone in his body and his response would be the same---I'm fine. "How about you, Rourke?"
"I'm fine."
She raised her brows. "Good. Then the hospital staff won't have much work to do when they check the two of you over. How about you, Ashton?"
He smiled broadly. "I'm frozen to the bone, I skinned my knuckle, and I pulled my calf muscle."
"An honest answer for once. What about the dogs? Did you see any sign of them?"
"Wolves." Ashton tightened his grip on the steering wheel as they plowed through another snowdrift. "They were watching. But like Hunter said, they didn't seem interested in attacking. Just curious, maybe. Pray we don't end up in the ditch again before we reach our destination."
When they reached the hospital later that afternoon, barely any of the staff had made it to work and unless patients had an emergency---like a couple of car accident victims, a baby delivery, and an elderly man who'd had a heart attack---most people stayed away. Woe to the patients stuck in the hospital whose families couldn't venture out in the storm to visit them.
Although Hunter hadn't wanted to be taken in on a stretcher, the hospital staff felt otherwise as soon as they saw his condition. Poor Rourke had to wait longer to be seen, but once they thought a rabid wolf might have bitten Hunter, they took Rourke right in.
As soon as Hunter was resting comfortably in a room after surgery, Tessa, Rourke, and Ashton went in to see him.
"Only family can see Mr. Grey," an officious nurse said, who had hovered over him ever since they had arrived. A striking brunette, tall, even more beautiful if she could manage half a smile.
Something about the woman irked Tessa. Maybe it was the way she cast Tessa condescending looks like she was beneath her, or maybe the way she'd taken charge of Hunter and dismissed them. Worse, a hint of recognition seemed to pass between Hunter and the nurse, and Tessa wondered if they had been lovers before. At once, she felt like an outsider.
"I'm his fiancée," Tessa said, her chin up, her eyes glowering.
The woman tucked a curl of hair behind her ear that had loosened from her bun. "I don't believe it."
How the hell would she know?
The nurse pointed at Tessa's unadorned fingers. "No engagement ring."
Tessa offered a fake smile. "Left it at home. But I don't really give a damn what you believe. The wedding's scheduled for the spring."
The woman laughed. "Right. And I'm the queen of England." She looked at Rourke.
"I'm his brother." He folded his arms. "Need any proof?"
"No. I believe you." She considered Ashton.
"Another brother."
Again, she laughed. "This is just too damned unreal. You've got fifteen minutes, and then visiting hours are over." She squeezed Hunter's hand like a lover would and brushed back a lock of hair from his forehead. Then she sneered at Tessa and left the room.
Hunter was sound asleep, and to Tessa's relief, the doctor said Hunter would have the full range of motion in his shoulder once he had gone through months of therapy after it healed.
Rourke pulled a chair over to the bed for Tessa and then turned to Ashton. "Can you get Tessa a cup of coffee? She looks a little peaked."
"Then I'll miss my fifteen minutes with Hunter."
Rourke raised a brow. "You don't really think we're going to allow that nurse to boss us around, do you?"
Ashton shrugged. "The thought had crossed my mind." He left the room.
"He'll be all right, Tessa," Rourke said. "He's a fast healer. And the rabies shots will ensure if the animal was rabid, Hunter will be fine."
"What about you? How are you feeling? You still look feverish."
"I received rabies shots and antibiotics, too. I'll be good as new soon."
"He didn't mean it, Rourke. He didn't bite you on purpose."
"Yeah, but you never know when one little bite can change your whole life."
She nodded and reached out to take Hunter's hand. "He's still awfully hot."
"The antibiotics and fluids they're giving him will make him feel like his old self before long. You were right to bring him here."
"Do you think that nurse knew him?"
"I got that impression. How did you and Hunter really meet? I never saw him before."
"The beach. We told you."
Rourke stared at him for sometime and then looked back at Tessa. "Naked? Injured? Tell me the whole story."
She hadn't wanted to say anything about how they had really met, not when they'd had such a good cover---at least up until now. But Rourke seemed to suspect the truth, and she really was a lousy liar.
HUNTER WOKE TO THE CLOYING ODOR OF HOSPITAL antiseptics with a roaring headache and his shoulder feeling like it was on fire. But Tessa had been right to bring him here. He would heal much more quickly after the surgery, enabling him to fight the grays again. The room was dark and quiet, and Tessa was sleeping in the chair, a blanket from the car wrapped around her. She looked like an angel. Not the kind of woman he thought he would want to have for his own.
He wanted to pull her into bed and hold her close.
He closed his eyes. Hell, he had bitten Rourke. It wasn't the human bite that did it either. Already Rourke was aware of the change, although they hadn't been able to talk about it, and he wouldn't realize exactly what he was. His senses would be on higher alert. The urge to shapeshift hopefully would come on more gradually. But Hunter's gut clenched as he thought of how he'd changed Rourke. Damn it.
The nurse walked into the room, a gray lupus garou itching to make trouble where Tessa was concerned. The woman's eyes rounded when she saw Tessa sleeping there. When she reached out to wake her, Hunter growled low, "You touch her and you'll regret it."
The nurse folded her arms, her dark hair coiled into a bun, her amber eyes challenging him as she gave him a wicked look. "How did an alpha like you become so badly injured?"
"Don't you have nursing duties to perform?"
"You can't have her. So what's the deal? Got anyone else lined up that you're interested in? I need a mate."
"What are you doing working in this place?"
"I wouldn't put up with my pack's politics. What are you doing with the woman and that other man?"
"Don't mess with them."
Her eyes sparkling with deviousness, she bowed her head slightly and then left the room. He didn't trust her. But he knew if he breathed one word of leaving to Tessa, she would have a conniption. Rourke would understand. Somehow he had to solicit his help. Ashton would agree because of the perceived thrill of adventure. Rourke was bound to him as a newly appointed member of his pack. Of course, Rourke wasn't exactly aware of pack traditions yet, but he was instantly gifted with a wolf's wariness. The part about self-preservation of their species and keeping their secret was tantamount.
Hunter let out his breath in exasperation. Damn Rourke for poking that pill down his throat. Chomping down on the intrusive finger had been instinctual, but what a mess. Thank God he hadn't bitten Tessa. Teaching Rourke was going to be enough of a pain. This was why wolves didn't change humans. At least with lupus garous who were born that way, all the rules were known from day one, while their lupus garou parents reinforced the lessons from the beginning.
"Hunter?" Tessa whispered, her eyes trying to study him in the dark.
"Tessa, why don't you get a hotel room and get some sleep?"
In fact, that was the solution. Ashton could take her there and stay with her. Then Rourke could sneak Hunter out of the hospital in the morning, and they could say the hospital had released him.
"Would the stalker have followed us?" she asked.
"In this storm? I doubt it."
But then again, what if he and his brothers had? The three who had watched them from the woods when they were trying to get the truck unstuck from the snowdrift were different. Yet...familiar, somehow. He thought he recognized their scent, but not their appearance.
Hunter took a steadying breath. If the brothers had managed to follow them here, Ashton wouldn't be any match for them. Although the one wolf's leg shouldn't have healed this quickly either. Hunter ground his teeth. Maybe staying put for a while longer was for the best.
With the blanket wrapped around her shoulders, Tessa drew the chair over to the bed. "Rourke's upset with you for biting him. I told him you didn't mean it."
Hunter grunted. "He shouldn't have had his finger in my mouth."
"He was trying to help you. Would you have bitten me?"
"If I had, you'd have given me hell for it."
Looking wiped out, but as beautiful as ever with her long red hair in tangles around her face, she sat in the chair. "Do you know that nurse?"
"No."
"But you both seemed to recognize each other."
He noted a hint of jealousy, but he didn't want her believing he knew the woman when he didn't---just that she was a lupus garou. "I thought she seemed familiar, but I've never met her before."
"What about Meara? Who's she?"
"Meara?" He frowned. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't recall.
"You said her name when you were delirious with fever. Is she your sister maybe?"
"Maybe, I can't remember."
Tessa reached her hand out to him. "Hunter, don't get mad at me, but Rourke realized our cover story wasn't true. I don't know what made him suspicious, but now he knows about your amnesia and how I found you on the beach. About the fact someone may have tried to murder you, too. He won't tell anyone. He's promised."
Rourke would know a hell of a lot more in a little while. "I figured he'd learn of it before long."
Her posture relaxed a little. "What about Ashton?"
"Not a word to him. I don't want to shatter his image of me."
Tessa smiled and rested her head on Hunter's lap, pressing against his groin and instantly he hardened. Despite the way his shoulder felt, she stirred his loins. Not only that, but her scent and the feel of her set his blood on fire.
"I wish we could snuggle together."
Just what the doctor ordered. Hunter patted the mattress. "It's small, but if we get really close, we should be able to manage."
She raised her head and looked at him. "But I don't want to hurt you."
"I'm feeling much better."
"If we get caught---"
"They can throw us out of here." He gave her a devilish smile.
"Yeah, but you need their help."
"I need you---more."
The smile on her lips said he won. She climbed onto the bed, one knee posed on the right side of him before she raised her other leg to cross over his waist. "Are you sure?"
"The anticipation is killing me, Tessa." With his good arm, he helped her get settled, groaning when her sweet body sank on top of his rigid erection.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"
Hunter wrapped his arm securely around her, holding her hot little body tightly against his before she bolted from the bed. "Pure torture, but not in the way you mean."
She chuckled softly against his chest and relaxed.
Feeling Tessa's heated body against his, he had the overwhelming desire to screw convention and turn her, claim her. Had he ever felt this way toward a woman? He couldn't remember.
But he wondered how he could ever give up the minx. And yet he knew he had to. No woman in her right mind would willingly become a lupus garou. He wasn't sure how he was going to cope with Rourke's change, let alone a female he'd make his mate. It wouldn't be fair to her, any more than it was to Rourke. But the deed was done and there was no going back.
She took in a deep breath and kissed his chest covered in the thin hospital gown. Her lithe body pressed against his heavy groin. He moaned inwardly. Already, he wanted her again, when he had no business coveting her. But everything about her made him desire her, the way her soft body felt against him, her fragrance, the way she cared so about his welfare.
Her breathing soon grew shallow, and he sensed she had fallen asleep.
Maybe he could take her to Rourke's place for a while. At least until he healed up sufficiently. The stalker's wound wasn't as severe, and he would be back to Tessa's house soon, probably with the brother who wasn't injured badly either.
Knowing sleep would help his body to heal more than anything else, Hunter willed himself to shut down his concerns.
But he didn't realize he had even fallen asleep until sometime later the sound of footsteps entered the room, waking him. Hunter opened his eyes and stared at the man dressed in scrubs, his dark hair curling down to his shoulders, his face covered in a shadow of a beard. He looked way too scruffy to be a male nurse. Hunter expected him to come closer, to make a comment about the sleepy redheaded goddess in Hunter's arms, to check his vital signs. But this wasn't a medical call.
Hunter got a whiff of the man's scent. One of the stalker's brothers. The one who hadn't been injured too badly, probably now completely healed. If he'd thought to slip in and steal Tessa away while Hunter was drugged and asleep, he was going to have a fight on his hands.
"Why does your brother want her so bad?" Hunter hoped to learn more about these men before he had to eliminate them. Maybe he could still convince the brothers to give up the deadly quest.
"You have to ask?" The man snorted. "She's as close to one of us as we can find, and my brother, Yoloff, will have her. If I'd seen her first, she would've been mine."
"Had he followed her to California?"
The man's grim face brightened a little. "He almost had her there. Several times he's nearly taken her. The hunt is as appealing as the mating. Then you came along and he had to solicit our help."
Hunter could envision how frustrated the lupus garou was, but the previous comment stuck in his craw. "What do you mean by she's nearly one of us?"
"Hell, you can smell her pheromones."
Which didn't make sense, but there wasn't any way she was one of them. "She's not a lupus garou."
"Say what you will, but she's garnering a lot of lupus garous' attention in any event. Only she'll be my brother's mate. You can either give her up nice and easy or we'll take her the hard way. You don't want her in any event or you would have already turned her, so you might as well just let us have her."
"Then there's only one way this is going down." Hunter reached for the nurse's call button.
Before he pressed the button, a female nurse suddenly entered the room. "Who are you?" she asked the faux male nurse.
"I work on another floor." He gave Hunter a sinister smirk. "Just checking on my buddy here."
She glanced at Hunter, her eyes rounding when she saw Tessa asleep with Hunter. "What...you can't---"
The stalker's brother gave Tessa another long look. "Just remember what I said." Then he left.
"She can't sleep with you in the bed. I can get another bed for her."
"The man who just left has been stalking Tessa. He'd planned on grabbing her while I was knocked out on pain medication. She's not moving from here."
The woman's face paled. "I'll call security and report him." She whipped out of the room and shut the door.
Hunter must have fallen asleep after that because the next thing he heard was Ashton's chuckle near the doorway. Hunter opened his eyes, his arm still wrapped securely around a sleeping Tessa. His shoulder was stiff, but not half as painful. Although the medication dripping into his veins could have had something to do with that.
"You have style, Hunter. Real style."
"Where's Rourke?"
"He's still sleeping at his apartment down the road. He was pretty wiped out, but before I left, I checked and his fever was gone. We were going to take Tessa with us, but found the two of you like this before we left. Guess Nurse Godzilla didn't bother you any longer. I asked about her schedule and she's gone home, but she comes back on duty tonight."
Tessa stirred. Her eyes opened and she would have jumped from the bed if Hunter hadn't held on tight. He kissed her good morning on the lips and wanted more, but she was squirming in an attempt to bolt, stirring him to high heaven, and he released her.
He gave her a smile, then said to Ashton, "I'm starving. When do they serve food around here?"
Tessa climbed off the bed, her cheeks blushing beautifully.
Ashton cast her a conceited smirk. "Never knew you had it in you to break the rules, Tessa."
She glowered at him and headed for the bathroom.
"My breakfast?" Hunter asked Ashton, before he ripped off the I.V. and wiped the smirk off his face.
"Food's on its way."
"I want sausage, bacon, and a mess of scrambled eggs. Biscuits, too. And three pints of milk."
"I'm not sure what they ordered for you last night," Ashton said.
"Tessa told me you were a real prankster in school. I'm starving. I need solid food to build up my strength. Go get me---"
Rourke poked his head in the door, his eyes blurry, his hair mussed up, dark whiskers covering his chin, not the look of a reporter on his way to work. "You could have woken me, Ashton."
"You needed your sleep."
"I'll get your breakfast," Rourke said to Hunter, and he headed down the hall.
"Wait up, Rourke! I've got to see this." Ashton rushed after him.
Tessa stepped out of the bathroom. "I'm taking a hot shower. Don't let anyone in the bathroom."
"I'll join you."
"Ha! You can't get those bandages wet."
"We could manage." He started to climb out of bed. "Don't you dare or I'll call a nurse." Tessa ducked back into the bathroom, shut the door, and started the water.
Hell, wet bandages wouldn't bother him. He was about to remove the I.V. when Rourke and Ashton walked back in the room, each carrying a covered dish.
"Ashton said you wanted both sausages and bacon. They came with one or the other. So we had to procure a couple of dishes to accommodate you." Rourke glanced at the bathroom and sniffed. He smiled and then frowned. "Surprised you're not in there with her."
"I would have been if the two of you hadn't returned with the food."
"You shouldn't get those bandages wet anyway," Ashton said.
Rourke gave him a get-real look. "You think that would have stopped Hunter?"
"Probably not." Ashton uncovered the dish of eggs and sausage. "Two poor patients will be without breakfast."
"The kitchen staff can make them more," Rourke said. "Come on, Ashton. Let's go to the cafeteria."
"What about Tessa?"
"She probably won't leave Hunter's side." Rourke gave him a pointed look.
Enough with the innuendos. Hunter knew she was becoming way too attached to him. But what could he do about it? He had to stay with her until he got rid of the gray threat and helped free her brother. Of course, his human side said to cool it with her. His wolf instincts told him she was the one for him. But those were deeper, more primal needs. They didn't take in account the horror she would most likely feel if he changed her. She could hate him. Probably would. She was close to her brother. How could she not tell him what had happened to her? Why she had to become a wolf for a jaunt in the woods sometimes during the moon's appearance, how she aged so slowly? Yet, if she were changed, she couldn't tell a human soul.
The shower shut off and Rourke grabbed Ashton's arm. "Let's get something to eat before anyone catches us in here with the stolen food and blames us for it."
Ashton laughed. "Hell, I thought you were as straight-laced as Tessa."
The two hurried back down the hall.
Tessa came out of the bathroom, wearing a towel on her head.
"Come," Hunter said, patting the bed. "Share breakfast with me."
"How'd you get two breakfasts?"
"Courtesy of Rourke and Ashton."
"Oh, brother." She peered down the hall. "Here come the food trays. Now you're in for it."
"It's your show." He grinned at her.
"Oh, great, so I have to explain this? The two Stooges left me with the evidence? I should leave you alone here to explain it yourself."
"I'm the innocent patient. I couldn't have left the bed." He shook his I.V.
She whipped the towel off her head, tossed it on the bathroom floor, and then stepped into the hall. "Here, I'll take Mr. Grey's breakfast for him."
Hunter smiled with satisfaction. If the circumstances had been different, they would all have made pretty decent pack members.
Tessa closed the door and carried the tray in to Hunter. He sniffed the air. "Do you like pancakes?"
"Sure."
"Why don't you eat them then."
She opened the lid. "How did you know?"
"Excellent sense of smell. Did the doctor talk to you about my condition last night?"
"Yes, he said it might take months of therapy to recover the full use of your shoulder."
"Won't take that long. What did he say about my release?"
"You just got here."
"I'm ready to leave."
She poured syrup on her pancakes. "You're not going anywhere, Hunter. You were in terrible shape when we brought you in. Even the doctor said so."
"All I need is you to take care of me. I'll heal ten times faster. Fever's all gone even."
She looked up from her pancakes and frowned. "Your face is still flushed."
"Nearly all gone then. I was thinking we ought to go to Rourke's place until I'm healed."
"He's got a studio apartment. No bedroom, couch makes into a bed. Kind of cramped."
"Oh. What about Ashton's place?"
Tessa licked the syrup off her lips and laughed. "He lives with his dad. Big house, but somehow I don't believe he'd appreciate it if we moved in with him."
"Still lives at home?" Hunter shook his head. "He does need to join the Navy."
"He's never held a job long enough that he could afford to live on his own."
"I wish I could remember where I live. That would solve the problem." Footsteps sounded down the hall headed in their direction. "Someone's coming. Probably the nurse."
Tessa flew into action. He hadn't planned on hiding the evidence, but Tessa took his empty dishes and stuffed them in the clothes cabinet. She sat back down on the chair, her face crimson.
"Good morning, Mr. Grey. I'm here to take your vital signs," the nurse said, smiling broadly at him, her long, dark curls bouncing as she walked with a spring to her step.
"I'm ready to leave."
She gave a breathy little laugh. "We try to get patients out of the hospital as quickly as we can, but---"
"Good. I'm ready. Just sign the papers."
"I'm sure you'll be here a couple of more days at least."
Hunter wasn't waiting that long. Not with the lupus garou nurse itching to destroy his relationship with Tessa and the rest of the grays still a real problem.
"The fever's come down quite a bit. The doctor will be here after a while to check on you. Do you need anything?"
"Just the release papers."
She chuckled. "We need more male patients like you. Just push the button if you need me." She wiggled her butt a little too much as she left the room.
"You can't leave until the doctor says so. Enjoy all the pampering. You deserve it," Tessa said.
Hunter was surprised she wouldn't be upset with the way the nurses were making fools of themselves over him. "Food's not as good as yours."
"Yeah, but you get three times as many dishes here." She motioned to the leftover pancakes.
Ashton and Rourke returned looking well fed. Rourke sniffed the air. "When did you get pancakes?"
Ashton laughed.
"Yeah, very funny, guys. I had to hide the other dishes," Tessa said.
Hunter pointed to the clothes cabinet. "I'm ready to go. I was trying to come up with a safe place to stay, but..."
"Snow's melting off the roadway," Rourke said. "Temperature rose to forty-five degrees."
Tessa shook her head. "He has to stay here until the doctor says."
Ashton folded his arms. "Yeah, I agree."
"My place is kind of small." Rourke rubbed the back of his head. "But you and Tessa could stay there for the time being. Place is well stocked. The electricity's back on all over the county. And phone service has been restored."
"What about the stalker?" Ashton sounded disappointed.
"Hunter can't mess with him for a while," Tessa said.
Hunter considered his options. But only one seemed viable. "All right. We return to Tessa's house. We need new locks, a window, and lots of food."
"And medical supplies. Bandages, tape, gauze, antibiotics. But you're not leaving here until the doctor releases you." Tessa gave Hunter a hard look.
"You've got your mission," Hunter said to Rourke.
Ashton's face brightened. "You've got it!"
The two vacated the premises pronto. Hunter took Tessa's hand and kissed it. "Want to snuggle some more? All that food made me sleepy."
She rolled her eyes. "I can just see the doctor catching us."
"Now there's an idea. Then he would release me, figuring I was well enough after all." But when she didn't make a move to join him, Hunter smiled and let go of her hand. "Wake me when he comes, if I don't get up before then."
Although it didn't matter if he got the doctor's permission or not. He couldn't stay much longer before someone discovered he was healing too fast for it to be normal and wonder why.
Wake Hunter when the doctor came? No way. Tessa was determined to keep him right where he was. Rourke should have had better sense. Ashton was being Ashton, impulsive, devious, loving to go against the rules whenever he could.
The time dragged on and she knew if the doctor didn't hurry, Hunter would wake. She didn't want Rourke or Ashton returning either and trying to convince the doctor to let Hunter go. Then again, she figured at least someone on the medical staff would say no.
When the doctor arrived, she wanted to shove him into the hall and talk to him privately. The blond-haired man looked like he had barely finished high school.
"Hi, I'm Tessa Anderson," she whispered. "Hunter wants to leave, but he needs to stay for a couple of more days, don't you think?"
"After being torn up by that Rottweiler? I'd say so."
"Rottweiler?"
"Yeah. His friend said the dog had attacked Mr. Grey, but that they were so close to the edge of the cliff, the dog fell to its death. Tide washed him out or we would have been able to run tests on him to see if he had rabies. But Mr. Grey and Mr. Thornburg are receiving the rabies shots anyway as a precaution."
"The dog looked more like a---"
"Rottweiler," Hunter said. "Ready to release me, Doc?"
"Where's the man who was bitten by a wild dog?" Sheriff Wellington asked down the hall.
Hunter's expression darkened. Tessa took a deep breath. Now what story would Hunter tell?
The sheriff stalked into the room like he owned it, glanced at the doctor, and then at Tessa. His eyes widened. He whipped his head around and stared at Hunter.
Hunter gave him an arrogant smirk.
"You were the one bitten?"
"It's me."
"Where's my son? He said he was coming to see you. If anything happened to him---"
"He went into town to get some supplies for Tessa's house. Doc's releasing me and we're returning to her place."
The doctor cleared his throat. Good, he would set Hunter straight. Even if he did look like he'd just graduated high school. The doctor took a look at Hunter's injury. "Hmm, looking better, Mr. Grey, but you'll be here for a couple of more days as bad as the wound is."
Tessa smiled at Hunter. She was glad at least the doctor had enough sense.
He wrote something in his chart. "I'll be back later to check on you."
The doctor walked out and the sheriff folded his arms. "I don't want you filling my son's head with glorified stories of how wonderful serving in the Navy SEALs is."
"Wouldn't think of it. The notion of joining them is all his idea, not mine."
"You could have told him why you quit. The downside of being in the Navy." The sheriff shook his head. "So what's the story about this wild dog? Are you sure it's dead?"
Hunter repeated the farfetched tale that Rourke had made up. Tessa couldn't believe it. Was he trying to protect the vicious animal? Or was it like Ashton had said? Hunter wanted to take care of the menace personally?
She watched his facial expression---the amusement in his lips and eyes---even though he was trying to keep a straight face while he told the story. What did she really know about him? Nothing. Except that he was super-protective of her, dependable when it came to survival instincts, a great handyman, a born leader, a damned good cook, and the greatest lover she'd ever had. But she still didn't know who he was, where he had come from, or how he had gotten there. What if he was a bad guy, but didn't remember being one? Could a person forget a past life of crime and become someone new? But when the memories returned, then what?
"Is that what happened?" the sheriff asked Tessa.
"What?"
He frowned at her. "Did it happen like Mr. Grey said?"
"Sure." She gave Hunter a scathing look. She didn't lie, normally, and she didn't appreciate being forced into one when she didn't have a clue as to the reason.
"We got the..." Ashton said, walking into the room, but quit speaking and stopped dead when he saw his father. "Hey, Dad."
"What did you see concerning this dog incident?"
"Nothing. When I arrived, the damage was already done. I just drove Hunter and the others here so he and Rourke could get medical treatment."
"When are you coming home?"
"We've got a job to do. Rourke and I are replacing Tessa's broken window and door locks. Then we'll scout around for that thief."
The sheriff grunted. But Tessa could see a hint of admiration in his face. He cast Hunter an ill-boding look, but again, it was more like it was to cover his true feelings. "You keep my son safe. He's a good shot with a rifle, but he's no ex--Navy SEAL."
"We picked up enough provisions to last a week," Rourke said. "When are we leaving? Some of the stuff needs refrigeration, although for now it's in cold storage in the truck."
"The doctor said a couple of days at least," Tessa said with great satisfaction.
"Call me and let me know what's going on with this intruder," the sheriff said to Ashton. "With car accidents and cases of asphyxiation due to the misuse of generators during the power outage, my investigators are spread pretty thin. But if you need anything, call me." He looked at Tessa. "And file the report on the gun as soon as you can."
"How about now, Tessa?" Hunter asked. "We're here, I'm stuck at the hospital for now. Ashton can run you in and bring you back. By then, we could share lunch." He smiled. The look was totally faked.
"I will, only because I'm afraid the thief might use my gun to commit a crime, and I don't want to be in trouble for it."
"What about the food?" Ashton asked.
"You can pick up Rourke in a little while and take it to---"
"Drop by my place after Tessa files the complaint. We can store the food there. No sense in driving the two hours to her place and back here again." Rourke looked at Hunter for approval.
He nodded.
"Good, let's get this done." Tessa figured when they were at Rourke's place, she would question him about this new dog story. Hell, the animal had knocked him unconscious. How would he have known what it was?
When she started to leave with the sheriff and Ashton, Hunter smiled. "No good-bye kiss?"
She gave him an annoyed look. He grinned. Stalking across the floor, she meant to give him a peck on the cheek---show him. He grabbed her with his good arm, kissed her thoroughly---mouth to mouth, tongue to tongue---which melted her insides, and she wanted a hell of a lot more. Her face suffused with heat, she pulled away.
He gave her a sly smile. He knew what he did to her, damn it! "Don't be gone too long."
"I won't be," she whispered, "because I don't trust you."
He laughed. "Good. Best to be alert always."
Ashton grinned, but Rourke looked annoyed. The sheriff had already left.
"Watch him," she said to Rourke. "Don't let him sneak out of the hospital." Then she thought about the food incident and added, "And don't you help him do that either."
Then she left, but she had a very bad feeling about the situation.
For a human, Tessa had pretty good wolf instincts. As soon as she was a little way down the hall with Ashton, Rourke got Hunter's clothes for him. Hunter pulled out the I.V. and then hurried to dress. "I take it you have a way to get us to your place until we rendezvous with Ashton and Tessa and head to her house."
"Taxi." Rourke got on the phone and called for one. He took the knife from one of the breakfast dishes and sawed through the hospital tag around Hunter's wrist.
"Can you occupy the nurse while I go to the lobby and wait for the taxi?"
"Got it." Rourke left the room.
Hunter waited until Rourke asked the nurse when the doctor was releasing Mr. Grey. Then Hunter stalked down the hall, found the stairs, and bolted down them. When he reached the lobby, he paced. Rourke soon joined him.
"It won't take long for them to realize you're gone."
"They can't hold patients against their will." Hunter glanced out the window. "Taxi's here."
"That was sure quick." Rourke raced after Hunter.
"Mr. Holloway?" the driver said.
"Yes." Hunter climbed in and Rourke shut his door and then ran around to the other side.
"Five-twenty-two Sycamore, right?" the taxi driver asked.
Rourke smiled as he entered the cab. "Take us to 1032 Redwood."
"You got it."
"I hadn't thought of giving an alias," Hunter said to Rourke.
Rourke motioned to an old guy standing in front of the hospital, leaning on a cane. "I told you I thought it was awfully quick for the cab's arrival. I think we took his."
Another cab pulled up.
Hunter watched out the back window. "Good. He took ours then."
"Hope he tells him a different address than my place."
When they arrived at the brick apartment complex, Rourke paid the driver and Hunter headed toward the front door.
"You've got a hell of a lot of explaining to do." Rourke fumbled for his keys as he joined Hunter. "Like why I can see in the damned dark? And why I can see things in the distance when I used to have to wear glasses. And hell, why that nurse smelled like a gray wolf---you, too. But also why I knew what a wolf smells like in the first place."
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't have stuck your finger down my throat."
"You tried to spit the pills out. I was trying to push them down farther so you'd swallow them. Wish I hadn't. Well in a way. I mean, I like some of these abilities, but I want to know what I've gotten myself into." Rourke shut the door behind them and turned on the heat. "Here, I'll make the couch into a bed, and you can lie down before Ashton and Tessa show up."
"The couch is fine. I'm feeling better already."
Rourke removed the bandage from his finger. No sign of a bite. "Okay, start talking."
Hunter meant to sit on the couch, but he was wearier than he thought. He reclined instead.
Rourke frowned. "Hell, I thought you were nearly healed."
"Not for a few more days. But I'm healing too fast to stay at a hospital any longer."
Rourke got him a pillow and blanket. "Need any pain medication?"
"Yeah, but this time, keep your fingers to yourself."
"Deed's already done, but believe me, I'll be careful when I'm around you from now on." He left and then returned with a glass of water and two white pills. "Start talking."
"We're lupus garou. Werewolves."
Rourke collapsed on the leather chair in front of the coffee table. "Holy crap. You can't be serious. But damn, you can't be making it up either."
"It's true. When we shapeshift we're like real wolves, except we still have our human reasoning. When we're humans---"
"We have the increased senses of the wolf. I already got that part since I smelled women's scents, pine needles, the shift in the weather from snow to drier conditions." Rourke rubbed the newly sprouted whiskers on his chin. "The antiseptics in the hospital were nearly killing me, they were so strong. And I heard people talking way down the hall---not just talking, but heard what they were saying when I shouldn't have been able to discern a thing. Then my finger began tingling like crazy, and it felt like it was healing at the speed of light. But I couldn't figure out what had happened to me---only that it had to do with you. You really don't remember who you are?"
"No. Only that I have a sister. I'm sure I lead a pack. And three grays pushed me off a cliff north of Tessa's place."
"Because?"
Hunter shrugged. "I might have deserved it. I don't know."
"So," Rourke said, easing back in the chair, "if we bite someone, we turn them?"
"Not always. And we can't when we're human. It would put a damper on our sexual relations with human women if we had to worry about changing them by accident."
"But you bit me! And gave me your condition."
"I bit you, yes. But I'd tangled with the stalker before that. Our mouths clashed a couple of times and I tore his ear. I bit the other two wolves also. Either it was their blood or the stalker's blood or saliva that transferred the genes. We'll never know."
"So you're saying, technically, one of them changed me."
"Technically yes. Because as a human, I couldn't bite you and transfer the condition, but since my teeth opened your skin, it helped the transmission."
Rourke relaxed. "Good, because I thought...well, I worried about Tessa."
"I won't turn her."
"But the stalker---he's a gray and he plans to, don't you think?"
"That's what Yoloff plans. I'm not giving him the chance."
"Yoloff?"
"Yeah, and he has two brothers. The one paid me a visit in the middle of the night, figuring he could slip Tessa out from under my nose. I broke the one's leg. He'll probably heal in about the same amount of time it takes me to get back to normal."
"Shit. They're not going to give up." Rourke combed his fingers through his hair. "So what are the negative aspects of being a lupus garou?"
"Having the uncontrollable urge to become a wolf when the moon is out, particularly strongest when it's the full moon, although it's not a constant craving. Once we fulfill the urge to hunt, we can manage several weeks without changing again. On the other hand, I've never personally known anyone who was changed by a bite, so it might be a little different for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Most of us were born lupus garou."
Rourke's eyes widened. "How many of you are there? I had the impression that a wild wolf had some kind of a weird virus and infected a few people."
"We have no idea how many there truly are of us. Since we live in secret, most of us only know about our local packs. Sometimes we learn of others while we're searching for a mate."
"A mate." Rourke perked up.
"Yeah, and that's one of the more important rules we have to live by. We don't turn humans."
Rourke made a disagreeable face. "Right. Very important to remember that."
"Yeah, otherwise we have to deal with the consequences." Hunter raised a brow.
"Like me."
"Exactly. That's another thing. You're part of my pack now."
"Just curious, but why wouldn't I be part of the pack of the ones who actually turned me?"
"Just a gut feeling, Rourke, but I don't think they're soliciting newly changed lupus garou pack members. I doubt another male would be accepted."
"Okay, not that I was interested since they'd tried to murder you, but I just wondered."
"Another thing---when we take a female for our mate, it's for life. We don't have marriage rituals, wear wedding rings---or any other jewelry for that matter---too hard to change into our wolf form quickly. We don't believe in divorce. It's for life. And we live very long lives."
Rourke's expression brightened. "For how long?"
"After we reach eighteen, our aging metabolism slows down. We age one year for every thirty we live."
Rourke whistled. "Man, oh man, what a deal."
"We can die early."
"Silver bullets?"
"Supposedly, if they're in the heart or brain and not extracted quickly enough. But we can drown, die in a fire, a snapped spinal cord at the base of the neck will do it. Probably other ways. Old age eventually, too. Although our bodies have an unusual capability to heal quickly, as we grow old, the ability wanes. So we're not completely invincible."
"Good enough for me. So what are you going to do about Tessa?"
ASHTON RANG THE DOORBELL AT ROURKE'S APARTMENT and although Tessa worried Hunter would try to steal away earlier than the hospital staff recommended, she never expected him to leave this soon or be resting on Rourke's couch.
"I can't believe this! What did the doctor say, Hunter? That you needed to be at the hospital for at least a couple of more days. At least! Didn't he? What happened to sharing lunch with you? What happened to..." She growled, whipped around, and stalked out of the apartment.
Outside, she shivered and rubbed her arms, her frosty breath filling the air. How could Hunter be so damned stubborn and illogical about this? What if he got sick again?
Rourke joined her outside. "He's got a horrible phobia about hospitals, Tessa."
In disbelief, she stared at him. Was he telling the truth or making up another Rottweiler tale? "Why?"
Rourke shoved his hands in his pants pockets. "I don't know. Maybe somebody special died in one. I don't think he remembers. He's doing really well physically. Psychologically, he couldn't handle the hospital stay any longer. If he starts running a fever, we can bring him back here. All right?"
"No, it's not all right. You didn't get the doctor's permission, did you?"
"I talked to the nurse."
"She doesn't sign the release forms."
"He can't go back, Tessa. Trust me on this."
"If he gets worse..."
"If he gets worse, I promise we'll return him to the hospital and chain him there."
"I don't like it."
"I think he's afraid of Nurse Godzilla's return also." Rourke winked.
Tessa frowned. "Not Hunter. I don't see him being afraid of anyone or anything."
"Maybe not, but that woman was scary. She'd definitely wear the pants in the family."
"Is Hunter well enough to travel?"
"Yes, Hunter is well enough to travel!" he roared from the couch. "And I want to arrive at your place before lunch."
Despite how annoyed she was with him, she smiled to hear his gruff voice. "Hmm, he's sounding better already. Grouchy and hungry." She returned to the apartment and glowered at him. "If you get sick again, we're bringing you back and chaining you to the hospital bed. Phobia or no phobia."
"Hell, Rourke, you didn't tell her about my phobia, did you?"
The devil shined in Hunter's amber eyes, and Tessa had the feeling he and Rourke were bamboozling her.
When they arrived at Tessa's house, she wanted Hunter to return to the couch, but he organized a search of the place to ensure the stalker wasn't there first. Always business first, although she felt Rourke and Ashton could have done the deed so Hunter could rest.
After Rourke and Hunter checked the rooms while Ashton stayed with Tessa, she made Hunter lie down on the couch and covered him with blankets. Rourke and Ashton hauled in the groceries and Rourke's bags. Ashton had brought his own. One big happy family. If only her brother were here. And here she thought she would be alone until she could obtain her brother's release.
What else could go wrong? If it hadn't been for her stalker and the wolf attack, Hunter might have made some headway into investigating Bethany's murder.
Disheartened at the turn of events, Tessa started putting away the groceries: meat, and lots of it.
"Rourke and I are going to replace the window now," Ashton said. "If you need anything, just holler."
"Thanks. I should have gone grocery shopping with you. Don't you guys believe in eating vegetables?"
They laughed and headed outside. When they began pulling the boards off the house over Michael's broken window, it sounded like a tornado was ripping the place apart. She hoped they didn't do more damage than the thief had done.
"I'll fix lunch if you don't need anything else," Tessa said to Hunter.
"I'm fine."
"Good. Just yell if you need anything."
She started preparing ham sandwiches for lunch and was glad that Rourke had helped foot the bill. When Ashton and Michael ate her out of house and home, it was bad enough, but at least Michael always brought in an income, too.
Hunter's shoulder seemed okay, but he appeared disquieted about something else. He and Rourke had shared a look between them after checking out the house, although it was fleeting enough it had been barely noticeable, but she suspected something was wrong. Had the intruder been here again? She suspected so.
Ashton was oblivious, happy to be one of the "gang." She guessed maybe one of his problems was he had never fit in with most anyone, and for whatever reason, he had latched onto her brother. Hunter was more of a leader figure, and Ashton seemed to need his kind of guidance.
"Tessa," Hunter called out.
She set the bread on the kitchen counter and hurried into the living room. "Are you feeling badly?"
Still looking weary, Hunter was sitting up on the couch.
"Why don't you lie back down?" she asked, touching his good shoulder.
His expression uncomfortably serious, he motioned to the couch. "We need to talk."
She didn't like those words. They were the same the sheriff spoke when he informed her he had arrested her brother for murder. She stood rigid.
Hunter took her hand and eased her onto the couch next to him. He draped his arm around her shoulders and his free hand held one of hers in her lap. "I've been so wrapped up in this business with the stalker, I haven't talked to you about some things I need to."
She barely breathed. Did he remember who he was?
"When I went after the wolf---"
"The Rottweiler?" she asked, her voice and brows arched.
"The wolf. I discovered the place where I was pushed off the cliffs. I need to return there, to discover clues of why I was thrown from there."
Her heart raced. "Do you know who did it?"
"I remember there were three men, but I didn't know them, and I don't know why they did it. I might have deserved it. I don't have any clue. I just wanted you to be aware of the fact I need to return there. Maybe seeing the place will help the rest of my memories return. I'll take Rourke with me, but I want you and Ashton to stay here."
"Not right now. You can't leave until you're perfectly healed." She hated how desperate she sounded. "You haven't seen these men again, have you? Is that why you need Rourke? Why don't you call the sheriff? Even if these men were mad at you, they had no right pushing you off a cliff. That's attempted murder."
"I'll deal with it, Tessa."
"You're not invincible, Hunter. When will you get that through your thick head?"
He smiled and melted some of the icy worry collected in the pit of her stomach, but she still couldn't shake loose of all her concerns.
"Listen, there's another matter Rourke and I were anxious about," Tessa said.
Ashton opened the front door and he and Rourke walked inside.
"Window's done," Rourke announced. "We're not interrupting anything, are we?" He almost looked like he hoped they had.
"I was just about to tell Hunter another of our concerns. About the guy who disappeared after he rang the doorbell. We opened the door and the wolf jumped on you. Had he killed the man first and dragged his body off?"
"The guy got away," Hunter said. "When I was fighting with the wolf, I saw the man looking scared to death in the cab of his truck. Then he drove off."
"And he didn't offer to help you?" Tessa asked, frowning, not believing someone could be that horrible.
"Some people are afraid of dogs," Hunter said.
Especially when it was a wolf. But still, couldn't he have done something to help Hunter? "So what did his truck look like? Who was he?"
Hunter shrugged his good shoulder. "I didn't get much of a chance to look. Phone lines were down or I'm sure he would have called for help."
"I saw another wolf on the back patio last night when I was getting a glass of water for your fever. He wasn't the one I'd hit with the fireplace tongs though."
Hunter frowned. "Can you describe him?"
"Darker gray and beige, white mask, no blood on nose. He was sitting, watching me as I looked out the window. That's it. I didn't see any wounds on him, but he might have had some somewhere. Where he was sitting was dark. Oh, and he was a little smaller than the one who bit you. Was that what the wolf looked like that fought the other?"
Hunter nodded. "Yeah."
But she could tell by the way he seemed to puzzle over the matter that he didn't think so.
"Lunch ready soon?" Ashton asked. "We're going to install the new doorknobs next."
"As soon as you're finished, the sandwiches will be ready," Tessa said.
"I'll help you in a minute, Ashton. Be right back." Rourke went out back and Ashton hurried to join him.
Hunter ran his fingers over Tessa's hand with a reassuring touch. "So where and how did Bethany die?"
"Oh, I guess you wouldn't know. Like you, she was pushed off a cliff. Right beside a burned-up pine tree, about six or seven miles north of here. But of course, she didn't survive the fall."
Hell. The same place the grays had thrown Hunter off the cliff?
They would probably come in a pack the next time. He didn't want Tessa out of the house, ever, until he took care of the menace. Now with this newest revelation about Bethany, he again wondered if the stalker, Yoloff, had something to do with her death to get Michael out of the way so he could go after Tessa.
"You look pale. Are you all right?" Tessa touched Hunter's forehead. "No fever, thank goodness."
"That's the same place where I was shoved from the cliff."
Her eyes grew big and her lower lip quivered. "No," she whispered. "Do...do you think the same guys who pushed you could have killed Bethany? We've got to tell the sheriff."
"No, we can't."
"But we have to so we can free Michael."
"They may not have been the ones who'd thrown her from there. Besides what would I tell the sheriff? That everything I've said is a lie?" Hunter ran his thumb over her hand, trying to pacify her, wishing he could reassure her. "Then what would he believe? Maybe I did it."
"But Bethany's murder happened months ago."
"Yes, and then here I was at the same crime scene months later. Who's to say I wasn't the one who did it, and then like murderers will often do, I came back to investigate the area where I'd committed the crime?"
"You couldn't have done it. You didn't." Her eyes filled with tears and his stomach clenched.
"You're right, I didn't. Three men pushed me off that same cliff. But I don't know who they were, where I'm really from, or what my last name is even. How will the sheriff believe any of it?"
She stiffened her back and folded her arms. "Why did you and Rourke lie about the wolf?"
Hell, what was he to say now?
"I'm an advocate for wolf rights. They cull out the weak and old, unlike human hunters who target the biggest and healthiest elk or deer. Humans kill the prime stock that would provide for more offspring. Wolves go after the easier prey."
"Like me? You?"
"That's different."
"But this one's so dangerous."
"Tessa, hunters won't discriminate. Believe me in this. They'd come here in droves, killing anything that moved, hoping to get a chance to take down the devil wolf. I'll take care of it."
"A Rottweiler." Tessa shook her head. "Dumbest story Rourke could have made up. He should have at least thought of a dog that looked more like a wolf---that had fur even! Let me finish making lunch, but we've got to figure out what we're going to do about clearing Michael so we can get him released from prison."
"Did Bethany have a cabin near that burned-up pine tree?"
"About a mile north of there."
"Rourke and I'll check it out. But I mean it, Tessa. You and Ashton have to stay here in the house at all times when we go."
"All right." As long as the two of them were together, Tessa figured they would be okay once Hunter had healed up.
She returned to the kitchen and finished the sandwiches. Looking out the window, she saw Rourke and Ashton talking and examining the ground. So much for replacing the back doorknob.
"After we eat, I'll look at your injury and see if the bandages need changing yet," she called out to Hunter.
He didn't answer. She peeked into the living room. The front door was wide open, letting in the frigid air. He was gone. Her heart in her throat, she rushed to the door and looked outside. Hunter was examining the work Ashton and Rourke had done on Michael's window.
"Jeez, Hunter, you about gave me a heart attack."
He smiled. "They did a super job."
"Come in here before you get sick again."
He saluted her.
"Wrong hand," she grumbled.
"Can't use the other. Shoulder's too stiff."
"Oh. I was afraid you'd forgotten how a Navy SEAL salutes."
"Navy SEALs don't salute. Not while they're on a mission and undercover."
"Ha! Like you'd know. So what are you, really?"
When Rourke and Ashton came back inside to eat lunch, Hunter could tell Rourke had some news for him. Somehow he had to slip away to speak to him in private without Tessa fussing about his injury. But after a nap. He was feeling weary again. Another nap with Tessa would definitely help.
"Find anything?" Tessa asked as she set out the sandwiches.
"Gray fur," Ashton said. "Rourke's got great eyesight. He ought to go into the Navy SEALs."
"Where had they been?" She sat down and everyone followed her lead.
"Everywhere. He found fur down on the beach clinging to driftwood, on the back porch, front porch, by the shed. Just everywhere," Ashton said.
Hunter finished off his food in record time and scooted his plate toward Tessa. "Got any more?"
"Why don't you let her at least eat her food first?" Rourke asked.
She smiled. "While Hunter's incapacitated, I don't mind babying him. But after that..."
Hunter gave Rourke a satisfied smirk.
Tessa glanced at Rourke's hand. "Your bite. It's all healed up."
"Guess it wasn't as bad as it appeared. The antibiotics helped, too."
She stared at his hand and then got up from the chair. "It looked terrible before." Taking Hunter's plate, she made him another sandwich and returned to the table.
Hunter gave Rourke an irritated look. Keeping a new lupus garou in line was a chore. He would have to tell him everything he could and couldn't do. Like remove a bandage only after a sufficient amount of time had passed to give the illusion the injury was still healing when around humans. Of course, the bandage scenario was sure to come up with Tessa again where Hunter's shoulder was concerned, but he would handle it with a lot more finesse.
Rourke looked a little sheepish and continued to eat in silence.
Ashton said, "We went to the cliff where you pushed the wolf off, but didn't see any sign of it."
"Tide had to have washed it out," Hunter said. "We'll take a look north of here and see what we can find."
"You're not thinking of exploring with Rourke this afternoon, are you?"
"Another storm's coming in," Rourke warned. "We've got to look around before that happens."
"When did you watch the weather report? I haven't heard a thing about it." Tessa finished her sandwich and sat back against the chair.
"At my place. Anyway, you can feel the air growing colder again and smell the wintry moisture in the air."
Hunter gave Rourke a warning look, but he wasn't paying any attention to him.
"I'd say we were going to get sleet and snow before nightfall."
"Now you're guessing?" Tessa began clearing away the dirty dishes. "I thought you got this from the weather report."
Hunter finished his lunch. "Why don't you show me what you found, Rourke? Ashton can stay with Tessa and change the door locks."
"I want to go, too." She shoved the plates in the dishwasher.
"Later, Tessa." Hunter left the table and grabbed Michael's field jacket. But when he couldn't put it on by himself, Rourke helped.
Tessa watched, her arms folded, her mouth a thin grim line. "You shouldn't be going out there."
"Come on, Tessa. You can help me with the doorknobs." Ashton grabbed a paper sack and headed for the front door.
"You got one for both the front door and back? He only seems to have a key to the back door."
"Just to be safe. And we bought security glass for the window in Michael's room. The guy won't be able to break it again. We can replace all of them with that glass if Hunter thinks it's a good idea, and you want to foot the bill."
Hunter figured once he got rid of the stalker menace, she wouldn't have any more trouble. He went outside with Rourke while Ashton occupied Tessa.
"What did you find?"
"Hell if I know. You're the expert lupus garou. I discovered dozens of wolves' scents, tons of wolves' prints, thousands of wolf fur fibers, and a smattering of wolves' urine in various places. So you tell me what it all means."
Hunter hadn't realized the smells would probably overload Rourke's new abilities. From birth, lupus garou filtered out the smells and sounds, but he guessed the sudden onslaught would confuse someone who had just been turned and at the same time, the enhanced abilities could be a distraction.
Hunter led Rourke down to the beach. "If you get injured, from now on, hide the fact you are, or keep the injury bandaged for longer than necessary. And don't show off your abilities to humans."
He thought that went without saying, but apparently not.
Rourke scowled. "I can't help it. I kept seeing fur everywhere. I forgot Ashton couldn't, and I didn't even realize how it might sound to him."
"You always have to remember what we are. When we're in a wolf pack, no problem. But around humans, watch yourself, always."
"I was just turned, remember? I haven't had much time to get used to this." Rourke looked up at the clouds. "I can't see it for the gray skies, but I can feel the moon's strong pull. I keep wanting to strip off my clothes and run naked through the woods. It's driving me crazy."
Hunter bent down to check out a piece of fur caught on driftwood. "Later tonight. You and I will take a run, and I'll show you what it's all about. That should break you of the urge for a while."
"What about your shoulder?"
"It won't be properly healed for a couple of more days, but the exercise will do it good, give it a stretch. Getting out of Tessa's sight for a couple of hours is the problem. I'll take a nap when we get back. We'll have supper, and then after she's gone to bed, we'll take a run."
Rourke motioned to the area. "So what do you make of all this?"
"I've counted six different gray wolves that have left their mark. The three I fought and three others who seem familiar, but I can't recall why."
"Great. Can we fight them all off?"
Two shots rang out from the front porch of the house.
"Tessa!" Hunter's heart pounded against his ribs as he bolted up the rocky path with Rourke hot on his heels.
Three more shots were fired and a wolf yelped twice before Hunter barreled through the living room, concerned Ashton might shoot them if they came around the side of the house.
Tessa was holding the rifle, getting ready to fire again, the weapon propped against her shoulder, when Hunter saw Ashton sprawled out on the front porch, his hand bloodied, his face pallid.
"Hell," Hunter said under his breath. If the damned wolf had turned Ashton...Hunter took the rifle from Tessa.
She was shaking so hard, he thought she might collapse, her own face flushed, but tears filled her eyes. She dropped to her knees and held Ashton's uninjured hand. "Ashton, can you hear me?"
Rourke took the rifle inside, and Hunter crouched beside Tessa. "He'll be all right."
She started to cry and her tears undid him. He wrapped his arms around her, her body still trembling.
"I...I think I hit the wolf twice. At least he yelped twice. But...oh, Hunter, he's got to be rabid."
"What are we going to do?" Rourke asked.
"Let's get Ashton inside."
"We have to take him to the clinic in town, or to the hospital in the city. He's got to be treated for rabies," Tessa insisted.
Hunter crouched to lift Ashton, but Rourke grabbed his arm and stopped him. "You can't reinjure that shoulder. I'll lift him."
"I'll help," Tessa said.
"You get the door, Tessa. I'll just use my good shoulder." Hunter hated playing the part of a damned invalid even if Rourke was right. He needed to heal so he could be prepared to fight again, as bold and rash as the lupus garous were getting.
Rourke lifted Ashton's torso, his gaze shooting up to meet Hunter's while Hunter carried Ashton's feet. Yeah, another ability. More strength. Rourke smiled. At least he seemed pleased with the change. Now Hunter had to deal with Ashton, damn it. What the hell was wrong with the lupus garou? Every time they changed a human who had family, it could cause problems. Although there was a slight chance the wolf hadn't turned Ashton.
"We've got to take him to the clinic at least." Tessa locked the front door after them.
"We've got the rabies vaccine and antibiotics with us." Hunter helped carry Ashton into Michael's room. "Rourke will give him a shot. If you'll get some soap and water for the bite, we'll take care of it."
Tessa hurried out of the room and down the hall.
Hunter rushed to wrap Ashton's hand in a towel to hide the bite from Tessa, although he was sure she had seen enough of the damage. When she returned, Hunter took the washcloth and water from her, then handed it to Rourke.
Ashton was scowling and alert. "Bloody damn wolf. Didn't even see him coming as I finished changing out the doorknob. Thank god he didn't get Tessa."
But most likely he was trying to. Hunter was sure they had frustrated the bastard because they had left the house the night before and were gone for so long, and now had another "guard" to keep Tessa safe.
"Come on." Hunter took hold of Tessa's hand. "You can't have slept well last night, and I'm feeling dog tired again. What about you?"
She looked back at Ashton as Hunter led her out of the room. "We've had this discussion before." Her gaze shifted to Hunter. "You're right, I didn't sleep well in that hard chair at the hospital, and when I rested with you, I kept feeling like the nurses would catch us. I must have dropped off right before Ashton walked in on us though. Wouldn't you know."
Hunter smiled at her. Even when she was tired, she was agreeable. Even when she was mad at him, especially when she was mad at him. She reminded him of an alpha then.
Mentally, he shook his head at himself. He had to quit thinking of her in those terms before he went down the path he knew he shouldn't.
"You locked the back door, didn't you?" Hunter asked, helping Tessa out of her sweater.
"Yes. You guys left it wide open. I'm going to have to start charging you for the high electric bill I'm bound to get." She helped Hunter ease out of the field jacket. "You seem really stiff."
"I need to work the shoulder out."
"You need to let it heal first."
He swept his hands down her arms and kissed her forehead. "You'll help to make it happen."
"No, Ashton!" Rourke shouted down the hall. The back door slammed shut.
Now what the hell?
Footsteps ran toward the bedroom, but Hunter jerked the door open and met Rourke midway down the hall. "What's happened?"
"Ashton said he had to take a...walk."
"Damn it." Hunter turned to see Tessa standing in the hallway, her eyes wide. "Why don't you take a nap? I'll join you in a few minutes. Rourke will stay here with you."
"But your shoulder."
Hunter didn't reply, just headed for the back door. No time to waste. "Did he take the rifle?" he hollered back to Rourke.
"Yeah, he did."
Good. Maybe Ashton hadn't been turned after all.
Maybe he intended to shoot the wolf that bit him. Not good, but better than if he'd been turned.
Hunter hurried outside, sniffed the air, then saw the rifle next to a patio chair. Damn it. He grabbed the rifle and handed it to Rourke. "I'll be back shortly."
Then he tore across the patio and headed for the woods. "Ashton, come back here this instant!" Hunter hollered in his most threatening alpha voice.
The wind howled back and he knew the storm would begin soon. But worse, Ashton was bound to get himself into a hell of a lot of trouble without a guide his first time as a wolf.
Tessa pulled her sweater back on, figuring she couldn't take a nap now. Not with worrying about Hunter and Ashton's safety. But she wondered now if Ashton had been infected and could carry rabies, which might account for his strange behavior. Yet she thought it would take longer for a person infected to react. She just hoped to God he didn't have rabies.
Trying to settle her upset, she meant to fix a cup of cocoa for her and Rourke and then replace the back doorknob. But when she walked down the hall, she felt the cold wind blowing into the house through the back door.
A chill sliced through her, and she ran toward the kitchen. "Rourke?" she yelled.
He didn't answer and Tessa felt as afraid as the day she came home from the trial and suspected someone was watching the house. She stepped onto the back patio and stared at where she thought the guys might have gone---north. She hollered again.
No reply.
With apprehension, she closed the door and locked it. She'd manage if she didn't let her fear run amok. Grabbing the new doorknob for the back door, she hoped to replace it before the stalker realized she was home alone, and tried to squash the nerves wreaking havoc with her stomach. She opened the door, her heart gave a jolt, and she squeaked out a scream.
Nurse Godzilla. Wearing her long dark hair down, she had on a jeans jacket, turtleneck, jeans, and snow boots, the only part of her outfit that looked warm enough for the weather.
The attractive woman smiled at her in a fake way. "Mr. Grey took a powder. The doctor reported his 'escape' to the police. The sheriff should be coming here soon."
"So why are you here? To warn him?" Tessa assumed the woman wanted to see him instead, try to ignite a flame between them, maybe outside the hospital setting.
"Sure, to warn him." She looked around the place. "Cozy, pretty forest green color scheme. Soft, like you." She took a deep breath. "Hmm, your other male friend's changed. Mr. Grey bite him, too?"
"No. Thank you for the news, if that's all...? "
"I'm Cara Woodson, by the way. Can I help you with that?" She pointed at the doorknob in Tessa's hand. "No, thanks. I can manage. Hunter won't be back for a long while. Maybe you could return some other time." How was she going to get rid of the pesky woman without just shoving her out the door?
"He won't stay with you, you know." Cara grabbed the Phillips-head screwdriver resting on the countertop. She began removing the old doorknob. "Why are we doing this?"
Barely hearing the question, Tessa was too wrapped up in the woman's comment about Hunter. "Why do you think he won't stay with me? Are you his former lover?"
Cara laughed. "Hardly. Although I'd like the chance to be his new lover."
"He's not interested." Tessa had no doubt he wasn't interested in her. But what if the woman plied her sexual charms on him? Any man would succumb eventually to a seductress.
"He's not interested in me yet because of you. But you're a temporary fling."
"If you don't know him, how could you think you know so much about him?"
"I just do. So, has someone been getting into your place without permission?"
"Yeah." Why Tessa said so, she didn't know. And afterward she wished she hadn't.
"He has a key? Someone you've known? An old lover?"
"I don't know who it might be."
Tessa began installing the new lock while Cara examined the old one.
"What if he didn't have a key to your place?"
Tessa glanced at her. "How could he not have?"
"What if he had a skeleton key? A lock-picking toolkit so he can get in anywhere he wants?"
Tessa felt sick to her stomach. If the guy could get in no matter the kind of lock they installed, she would never be safe until he was caught. Then what? He would get a slap on the hands? A restraining order? Then he would most likely be back to stalking her again.
"Is Hunter trying to locate the intruder?"
"Yes. But then he got bitten and..." Tessa shrugged.
They finished replacing the doorknob, and Tessa glanced back at the woods. A couple of inches of snow had already fallen. She turned around and found Cara watching her. "Since you came all the way out here, did you want some cocoa before you return to the city?"
"Sure. That would be grand." Cara pulled off her jeans jacket and slipped an envelope out of her pocket. "Thought maybe you'd like these since your insurance was paying for Hunter's accident on your property, and he left the hospital's care early."
Tessa glanced at them.
"The release forms. That way you weren't charged for Hunter's stay when he'd already left because he hadn't officially signed out."
"Thanks. I appreciate it." Truly she did, but Tessa was torn between being glad the woman was here so she wasn't alone while the men were gallivanting in the woods, and not liking that Cara would undoubtedly try her womanly charms on Hunter again as soon as he returned.
"So what does your intruder look like?"
"I haven't seen him, but Ashton says he's tall, dark-haired like Hunter, and runs pretty fast."
"Uh-huh. So what's Hunter going to do about it?" Cara grabbed up a couple of napkins like she was used to playing hostess, and when the cocoa was ready she took the mugs to the table.
Tessa grabbed a package of chocolate wafers and joined her. "He's going to turn him over to the sheriff when he catches him. He broke one of my windows and stole my gun."
"Gun. Oh. So you couldn't shoot him."
"Or so he can commit a crime. Listen, I don't want to keep you long in case the weather gets too bad. Aren't you working tonight at the hospital?"
"I called in sick." Cara smiled. "How did you know I was working tonight?"
"Ashton checked."
Cara's smiled broadened. "My, my. He's the cute guy with the long, blond hair? Sharp blue eyes? Muscular build, but not quite as much as Hunter? So he wanted to know when I was coming back on duty?"
Tessa laughed inwardly. Wouldn't the woman like to know the real reason Ashton wanted to know and what he really thought of her? On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt for Tessa to spark the woman's interest in Ashton if it meant she would leave Hunter alone. Ashton definitely deserved some payback after what he had pulled with her.
"Maybe you could take a look at his wound. Hunter and Rourke took care of it, but since you're a nurse, I'd feel better if you made sure it was really all right."
"I'd be happy to." Cara frowned. "Why did they leave you alone? Are they in pursuit of this guy?"
"No. Not exactly. Ashton took off for whatever reason. Hunter told Rourke to stay with me, but the next thing I knew, he'd taken off after them. At least I presume he had." Tessa pointed at the rifle. "They left that for me."
"You know how to shoot?"
"Sure. Why would I own a gun if I didn't? I got off a couple of rounds into the wolf that bit Ashton, I think." Cara's eyes widened. "Oh, well, good shooting." Tessa raised the mug to her lips to take another sip when the doorbell rang. Her heart skipped a beat, and she nearly dropped her mug.
"Shall we see who it is? Maybe it's the sheriff." Cara sounded perfectly fearless.
Tessa wished she felt as sure of herself. But the wolf attack that had followed the ringing of the doorbell earlier still had her spooked.
Tessa set her mug down and grabbed the rifle, just in case it wasn't the sheriff. Or maybe it was Hunter or one of the others. She had locked them out of the house.
But when she looked through the peephole, she saw a striking brunette, her amber eyes peering back at her. Uncle Basil's niece?
Figuring as irritated as the woman looked, she'd give Tessa some more guff, she opened the door. "Yes?"
Her eyes narrowing, the woman growled, "Where the hell is Hunter?"
HUNTER FOUND ASHTON'S CLOTHES DITCHED ABOUT a mile north of Tessa's house and swore under his breath. He removed his clothes, shuddered in the frigid air, ripped off his bandages, and changed into the wolf. But it wasn't painless this time. Sharp streaks stabbed through his injured shoulder, hurting more than he thought it would. All he wanted was to return to Tessa, nap, snuggle, and a hell of a lot more if she was receptive. He would kill Ashton.
For three miles he trotted after him, stopping to sniff at the scents in the air, checking the direction Ashton went. Ashton had marked "his" territory four times already. Idiot. If he came across the brothers Grimm, he would never be able to handle a wolf-to-wolf fight. Not as a newly turned lupus garou, Hunter didn't think.
Although if Tessa did manage to shoot one of them twice, he probably wouldn't be messing with anyone for a while. The one with the broken leg would be pretty incapacitated still. Hunter relaxed a little.
Until he heard a wolf howl somewhere in the distance farther north. Ashton. Maybe.
Hunter headed in the wolf's direction. The snow was falling heavier, the air colder, the flakes burying the evergreens, making them droop like white-bearded old men. The place was already looking like a winter wonderland again.
The pain in Hunter's shoulder seemed to grow incrementally every step he took. Going for a run with Rourke later was now out of the question. He hoped Rourke could hold off a while longer.
Something moved to the west, catching his eye. He whipped around. A cougar stood still, holding a rabbit between his teeth, his eyes wary as he watched Hunter.
His heart thundering, Hunter waited, twitching his ears back and forth, listening to the rapid beat of the cougar's heart. With any luck, the cougar would take his meal and go, but he stared Hunter down like any feral predator would. Messing with a wild cat when they were protecting their meal could be a dangerous proposition. One of his lupus garou pack had perished when fighting a cougar this big, and Hunter had no intention of tangling with him when he needed to protect that idiot Ashton.
A twig snapped west of them. The cougar bolted through the woods and the reason came into view. Ashton---his fur more of a beige, his snout a little darker, a dead duck in his mouth. If Hunter could laugh in his wolf form at the ridiculousness of it, he would.
Movement in the woods behind Hunter made him twist around. Pain sliced through his shoulder. Fury slid through his veins, setting his blood on fire as he found Rourke facing him. His fur a dark brown, he bowed his head slightly to Hunter.
Holy crap! He would kill the two of them. Hunter raced in the direction where he'd left his clothes, but even so it would take valuable time to get there, dress, and run home. If anything happened to Tessa, he would never forgive himself.
Even though he kept telling himself he should have left Ashton and Rourke to fend for themselves after what they'd pulled, he couldn't. Not by lupus garou laws. Once they were turned, they had to be somebody's responsibility and no one else was stepping up for the job.
Technically, Tessa wasn't his responsibility. So why was his human side casting away all his inborn rules? Damn it to hell. If anything happened to her...there would be hell to pay.
When he finally reached his clothes, he shoved them on, no longer feeling the pain in his shoulder because of the adrenaline spiking through his system. Ashton ran up beside him, the stupid dead mallard still in his mouth. Rourke ran ahead toward the house. No sign of his clothes, so he must have changed sooner after he left the house. Hell, hopefully, not in front of Tessa.
His heart hammering, Hunter sprinted for the house. A couple of hours had already passed since he had left Tessa, and he still had another damn mile left to go in the snowdrifts.
The brunette's amber eyes speared Tessa, then she turned her attention to Cara. "Where the hell is Hunter?" she repeated.
"Is he your brother? Uncle Basil's nephew?" Tessa asked, hoping the woman could trigger the rest of Hunter's memories and he would recall his past, praying the woman wasn't his girlfriend.
Cara raised a brow. "I thought you said his last name was Grey. It isn't?"
Oh hell. Tessa hadn't meant to tell the world, but if this woman knew Hunter..."Come inside. Hunter had a terrible accident, and he's lost his memory, but he's been regaining it in bits and pieces."
The woman's eyes widened. "Where is he?"
"He's...he's okay. Just taking a walk with a couple of other guys in the woods. But how do you know him? Please," Tessa said, motioning to the living room. "Come in and get warm by the fire. Would you like some cocoa?"
The woman pointed at Cara and growled, "Who's she to Hunter?"
Cara smiled in an evil way. "His personal nurse." She tilted her nose up and took in a deep breath. "And you're his sister?"
Having had the sinking feeling the woman might be his girlfriend, Tessa could now see the resemblance, the same dark hair, the same colored eyes, the well-defined cheekbones and aristocratic noses, and relief washed over her. "Meara?"
The woman frowned. "How did you know my name if he lost his memory?"
"He called it out when he was delirious the one night. He remembered having a sister, but not his full name or where he was from."
"How was he injured?"
The women followed Tessa into the kitchen where she refilled mugs with fresh cocoa. "He said three men pushed him off a cliff."
Her face colorless, Meara gripped the back of one of the kitchen chairs. "Uncle Basil said you were trouble."
Tessa didn't fully believe it when he'd been so kind to her, yet an inkling of self-doubt wormed its way into her system.
"Oh boy," Cara said, casting Meara a look. "Not good. A guy's been breaking into Tessa's house also."
"Figures." Meara shook her head. "Greymere's our name."
At least Hunter had half of his name right.
"So if you work at the hospital in the city, what are you doing way out here?" Meara asked in the same manner she spoke to Tessa, and she figured it was just her way. Or she didn't like women much.
Cara didn't seem to be bothered by the sarcasm in Meara's voice and shrugged. "Hunter left the hospital without being released first."
"Oh," Meara said, her brows knitting together. "He was in the hospital because of the fall?"
"A wolf bit him." Tessa served up the cocoa. "He said he had a phobia about hospitals. That he couldn't stand being in a hospital longer than necessary."
Meara cast Cara a look.
Cara smiled. The look was a bit devious, which made Tessa wonder what was up between them. Even though Meara didn't seem to care for Cara, a mutual connection seemed to exist, like between Cara and Hunter. Tessa shook her head, annoyed at herself for overanalyzing people's darker motives when there was probably nothing to them, as usual.
"Can you tell me why he has such a phobia?" Tessa ushered them into the living room.
"No."
No, as in she didn't know? Or she did and wouldn't tell Tessa?
Meara sat down on the couch, her eyes taking in every detail in the place from the fire in the brick fireplace, to the photos of wildlife on the wall. Tessa wondered what she was thinking, but the woman's face remained impassive. "How long has Hunter been here?"
"A couple of days."
"An overnight stay at the hospital also," Cara added.
"I'll take him off your hands," Meara said softly, changing her whole demeanor. "Where did you say he went?"
Tessa didn't want Hunter taken off her hands. She wanted to wrap him in her arms and stay there until spring. Already lack of sleep was giving her a major headache.
Cara gave Meara a small smile. "I think Hunter's way over his head on this one."
Both women looked in the direction of the kitchen seconds before someone banged on the door like he intended to break it in. Tessa grabbed the rifle and headed for the kitchen, but when she saw Hunter and Rourke at the door, she quickly set the gun down and unlocked it.
Hunter took Tessa into his arms and squeezed the breath out of her. "Thank god, you're all right."
And at once she sensed he really did feel something for her deep down, while she felt the same kind of incomprehensible bond between them.
He separated from her a little and gazed down at her. A hint of tears filled his eyes, and the sight of them touched her soul. He hugged her again. Wrapping her arms around him, she basked in his heated embrace, forgetting for the moment his sister was behind her, or that Nurse Godzilla would make a move on Ashton next. At least Tessa assumed she would.
Ashton entered the kitchen and set a dead duck on her counter. What...?
Rourke came up behind Hunter. "What the hell is the nurse from the hospital doing here? And who is she?"
That was when Hunter saw his sister and dropped Tessa like she was a burning ember. Not expecting to be coldly thrust aside, she felt a heartbeat of rejection, but then quickly reminded herself his seeing his sister had to be quite a shock. But would he remember her? And everything about his past life?
"Meara." He stared at her for a long moment and then hurried to hug her. "Meara."
Thank god, he remembered her.
"Dear brother. I thought I'd lost you. I've been looking for you for three days. Then I tracked you here. Tessa said you'd lost your memory."
"Hell, Meara, you'd taken off with..." He glanced back at Tessa, his eyes and face hard. "We'll be right back." He pulled Meara outside. "Who the hell were they and where the hell did you go?" He slammed the door closed.
So he did remember more.
Figuring the family reunion would go a lot better than that if her own brother had been returned to her, Tessa's mouth gaped in surprise. Apparently Hunter's seeing his sister did bring back memories, but that didn't seem to be a good thing.
Hunter escorted his sister far enough away from the house that no one could hear them. He glowered at her, waiting for Meara to tell him what had happened, the notion of her disappearing from the house in the company of the three gray males hitting him like an icy avalanche of bad memories.
"Quit looking at me like the devil's possessed me, Hunter!" She looked out to the ocean.
She was beautiful and any one of a number of males would want her, but her reluctance to choose a mate from the alphas she'd seen fit to date was one thing---running off with a bunch of horny betas quite another.
"I'm sorry," she finally said under her breath. "I...I came right home after the idiots talked me into running with them for a while. It didn't take much time for me to appreciate none of them would interest me for very long. I...I didn't realize someone would have tried to kill you in the meantime." She glanced up at him, her body shuddering in the cold wind.
He took her arm and pulled her into his embrace. "We've got to stick together, Meara. No matter what else happens with the pack, we're family."
"I looked everywhere for you, and then thought about this Tessa Anderson woman and how she'd intrigued you. I thought maybe you'd come here to be with her. I smelled your scent here, and sat on the back patio, hoping you'd look out and see me. But Tessa peered out the window instead. I figured you'd succumbed to her charms. I'd considered howling to let you know I was out back, but I was afraid the men I'd run off from might locate me. So I returned home. The next morning I drove here, but no one was here. I had no way of knowing you had been injured so badly." Tears glistened in Meara's eyes, and as much as she tried to hide her feelings, he knew she felt badly that her irresponsibility could have gotten him killed. But worse, she would have been left alone to fend for herself, and that made his stomach clench even tighter.
"Tell me what happened," she said.
He explained about the three brothers, the mess Tessa was in, and the problem with the two newly turned lupus garous. Meara had been quiet, taking everything in, until he came to Rourke's story. And then she laughed out loud.
"I never expected to find you---the great Hunter---in such a quandary."
"Yeah, well, hell, if you hadn't run off..." He said the harsh words before he could stop himself.
She focused on his chest, and he was afraid she was going to dissolve into tears. But then she raised her gaze, cast him an irritated look, and tried to put the blame on him again. Knowing her, she couldn't deal with the guilt.
"You know how important it is to keep our situation secret from humans. Isn't that what's drummed into us? Kill them if they get wind of the truth. Or change them only if the situation truly warrants it. What a mess. How are you going to fix all this, Hunter?"
"I should have been getting the cabins ready to rent out, waiting on the pack to tire of the city and join us." But even thinking of that, he couldn't believe how all the memories flooded back to him so quickly. The fire, losing their home, Uncle Basil's warning him to take "care" of Tessa Anderson, and the subsequent fight he'd had with the gray wolves when he'd gone in search of his wayward sister. He was certain his uncle hadn't quite had this scenario in mind when he gifted the properties to Hunter though.
"None of our people have returned yet." Meara pushed her windswept hair out of her eyes.
"I'm surprised Leidolf, the red pack leader in Portland, hasn't chased them off yet. Maybe our pack members are behaving themselves for a change." He shook his head. "I don't believe it for a second." He took a deep breath. "As soon as I resolve this situation with the gray who's stalking Tessa, I'll make the trip to Portland and force the pack to return."
"You can't stay here. You can't get involved with her."
"I am involved." He wondered if other pack leaders had this much trouble. "No more running after men I don't approve of." He tilted her chin up with the tip of his finger and looked directly into her eyes, warning her to mind him this time.
She nodded, her look angry, but then it softened a hair with a hint of a smile. "Can't afford to. You'll change half the population of Oregon if I leave you alone again."
He grunted and moved her toward the house. "You're staying with me until I take care of the gray."
She growled, and he knew the fight had only just begun.
"Family feud," Cara said, motioning to Hunter and Meara outside, then turned her attention to Ashton. "Went hunting, I see. I like duck, too."
Rourke rolled his eyes. "I'm getting a shower before supper." He looked at the clean kitchen. "You are fixing it soon, aren't you?"
"We just ate a little over three hours ago!" Tessa declared.
"That's long enough. I'm starving. So is Ashton." Rourke waved at the dead duck.
"Hunter, too, after all the exercise we had." He stalked down the hall.
"I didn't have a chance to have lunch," Cara said.
Well, Tessa wasn't hungry. She glanced out the kitchen window. "Looks like we're going to get snowed in. You might want to leave before that happens," she said to Cara. Tessa had no idea why she would want to save Ashton's butt. Although he cast her a grateful look.
"I'll hang around. I haven't been with...a lot of people...on a more social basis for a number of years. This is the most fun I've had in eons," Cara said.
Tessa couldn't understand what the woman was talking about. No one seemed enthusiastic about seeing her even. Why would she think anyone wanted to be around her?
"Did you lose your bandages, Ashton?" Cara asked, her voice sultry and sexy as she took hold of his injured hand. "Tessa, do you have some new ones? I'll fix him right up."
"Sure, I'll get them and the antibiotics." Tessa glanced at Ashton's hand, but Cara was holding it so that she couldn't see the bite wound.
When Tessa returned to the kitchen, Hunter and Meara had come back inside. For being reunited after losing her brother, and considering the ordeal he had been through, they scowled at each other and didn't appear grateful in the least. But worse, gone was Hunter's lustful interest in Tessa. At once she felt she was the center of the controversy and wasn't good enough for the family.
Well, he had said he couldn't promise her anything. Just that he would help her find Bethany's murderer and set her brother free. Tessa should have known when his memory came back, she would be history. But no matter how she tried to reconcile herself with the notion, she couldn't squash the dismal feeling he would soon abandon her.
"Here, Cara." Tessa handed her the bandages. "I guess everyone's staying for dinner?" She cast Hunter a questioning glance. She halfway expected him to say he was leaving with his sister for good now.
His brows still furrowed, his lips grim, he nodded. He gave Meara a hard look. She folded her arms and looked doubly cross at Tessa. So much for a lovely dinner when she wasn't even hungry. Cara was the only one who seemed to be pleased to be here, and the one Tessa really wanted to see leave.
Tessa pulled out a package of hot links. "Can everyone manage spaghetti with hot sausage, bell peppers, and onions?"
"Hmm, sounds good to me," Cara said, licking her lips while she bandaged Ashton's hand with tender loving care. He tried to jerk his hand away, but she held on tight and tsked.
"Anything you fix is fine with us." Hunter's tone of voice was terse.
Meara didn't have a choice?
Wearing a towel, Rourke came out of the bathroom and hollered from the hallway, "Fine with me."
How had he heard what she'd asked? She stared after him as he slipped into Michael's room to grab some clothes. What had gotten into him? She'd never thought he'd dress so scantily in front of a bunch of women.
"The snow's bound to make the road impassable again. Is anyone leaving soon?" She directed the question at Cara and Meara. "The food won't take long to fix so we can eat and let you get on your way."
"No work for me tonight," Cara said cheerfully.
Hunter grunted. "Meara's staying here with me for as long as I need to be here."
For as long as he needed to be here. Well, that said it all. Once he was done helping her, Hunter was out of here.
Fine with Tessa. "I guess you'll want to sleep with your sister then, and---"
Cara laughed. "A macho male like Hunter sleeping with his sister? That would be the day."
Tessa sure wasn't sleeping with Hunter under the current circumstances. "Okay, well, you and Meara can sleep together and---"
"I'll stay with Ashton," Cara announced, her eyes flashing with humor. "He might need medical attention during the night. Look at how pale the poor man is."
He had been, but now his face flushed crimson. Tessa had never seen him blush. She expected some objection from Lord Hunter, but he didn't say anything. She was really surprised Ashton wouldn't have nixed Cara's suggestion himself.
Tessa threw the fajita bell pepper and onion mix into the saucepan, added the sausage links, and then the tomato sauce. "Okay, then Hunter and Rourke can take the spare bedroom and Meara and I---"
"I sleep alone," Meara said, fire burning in her eyes.
Wearing a clean pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, Rourke walked into the room. More casual than she had ever seen him. In fact, the sweatshirt belonged to her brother.
"I don't mind sleeping by the fire. I can watch the rest of the house that way in the event anyone plans to break in," he said.
Tessa considered Hunter's expression, but it was still dark as ever. About the sleeping arrangements? Or something else?
She coyly smiled. "Hunter, you can sleep with Rourke by the fire and keep him company."
Meara laughed, a catty, annoyed kind of laugh. She stalked into the kitchen and began opening drawers. When she found the silverware, she set it on the table.
Guess she could be a little bit of help. Maybe Meara was mad at Hunter and not at her. Still, Tessa had every intention of cooling her relationship with Hunter because when he left, she didn't want to be upset over it for days, weeks, months afterward. Best to end this insane infatuation now.
Life had been so simple for Hunter after Tessa had found him on the beach: discover his identity, learn what had happened to him, deal with Tessa's stalker, and find Bethany's murderer so Michael could be released from prison.
Now he had to deal with two freshly turned lupus garous. And Meara. Unfortunately, she had been right concerning everything they had fought about.. All that mattered was the lupus garous' safety and secrecy. He knew that. As pack leader, he sure as hell didn't want his sister reminding him of the fact. He should have taken Meara, Rourke, and Ashton back to his cabin resort up north once he learned that's where he lived and pretended Tessa and her problems didn't exist.
Any other alpha leader would not have allow himself to be dragged into human affairs.
But he couldn't and wouldn't abandon her. Not yet. Tessa had taken him in and cared for him when she didn't have a clue as to who he was. If he left her alone, the stalker would change her against her will. Hunter wouldn't let him. Another alpha leader, given the same scenario, would take the gray to task also, if he had been in his territory, but beyond that, she would be on her own. For now, Tessa's property was in Hunter's territory---newly franchised.
He couldn't let her brother stay in prison for a crime he didn't commit. No other wolf would feel obligated to help out in a case like this---except in the event one of their kind did the killing. Dealing with the lupus garou would be the end of it though. No lupus garou would try to release an innocent human. In fact, he would serve to keep the lupus garous out of the limelight. But Hunter couldn't allow it, although how he was going to get Michael out of his incarceration eluded him. First of course, he had to prove the grays had committed the crime.
To complicate matters, Hunter had to force Meara to stay with him and keep her out of trouble. Her first wolf heat was making her crotchety and difficult to handle. Thank heavens he didn't have any more sisters and that none of the three wolves she had taken off with had forced a mating. She needed an alpha to spar with and keep her in line.
Tessa placed the spaghetti in the pan of boiling water, her back rigid. He took a ragged breath. His shoulder was killing him after running in the woods for so many miles as a wolf today, and all he could think about was making love to the woman who heated his blood as hot as the raging fires they'd left behind in California.
Sleep with his sister? That would be the day. And have Rourke sleep with Meara? She would bite him for sure and not in a playful way. Hunter was glad Cara was targeting Ashton as her love interest. He needed to remind him, though, if he mated her, it was a onetime deal. No fooling around a few nights, and then parting ways, although if she did mate him, that might be the solution to one of his problems. She would teach Ashton the ways of being a lupus garou and take him off Hunter's hands.
If Tessa thought Hunter was sleeping with Rourke in the living room, she could think again. For one, he didn't trust that the gray might not attempt to break her window and get in while she was alone. All he would do was bite her, and then come back to claim her later once she was a lupus garou. Hunter assumed the gray had intended to kill Ashton, and then bite Tessa, but when she brought out the rifle and started shooting, he gave that notion up in a hurry.
"Hunter," Meara said. "Gathering wool? We're all sitting down to eat."
Tessa had moved her plate to the foot of the table and had seated Meara next to him in her place. He smiled at Tessa's tenacity. Still, he was angry with himself for feeling more than he should toward Tessa and that Meara had to remind him of his duty to their pack, but most of all to their kind. Yet, he couldn't help but admire the spunky human female.
"They're getting married in the spring," Cara said, as the tension escalated in the dining room as thick as the snow was getting outside. "Won't they make a cute couple?"
Meara choked on her water. Tessa avoided looking at Hunter and cut up her sausage.
"She just said that so she could get in to see Hunter at the hospital." Rourke glowered at Cara. "Why are you here anyway?"
"To bring the hospital release forms for Hunter. So what do we do after dinner? Do you have any board games? Cards? Anyone want to play strip poker?"
"After we finish here, I need a word with Ashton, and then we're all going to bed. We've had quite a day of it. And we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow," Hunter said.
"Can I be in on this little adventure?" Cara asked.
"You can keep Tessa company. Both you and Meara. Rourke and I have some hunting to do."
"Can I go, too?" Ashton asked, looking chagrined.
Cara patted his arm. "We need you to protect us."
"Are you going to Bethany's place? They've removed the police locks, and I have a key if you need one," Tessa said.
"Yeah, we'll need a key."
Tessa's eyes filled with tears and Hunter couldn't tell if she was happy he was still looking into this situation for her brother, or was worried they wouldn't discover who really murdered Bethany.
Meara cleared her throat and patted Hunter's hand. "And if you see those three guys I was with while you're at it, don't kill them, okay, Hunter? We were just having some fun. Nothing more."
Hunter gave her a dark look. He wanted to bang those guys' heads together for stealing an alpha leader's sister right out from under his nose. They had to be some of the dumbest betas around. He thought his sister would have had better sense. He was surprised neither Ashton nor Rourke showed any interest in her. But maybe they were afraid of how Hunter might react---and for good reason.
After dinner, Cara and Meara helped Tessa with the dishes. Rourke and Ashton went with Hunter to get another load of firewood in case the electricity went out again. The wind was gusting higher and the waves were growing more violent. If the weather got much worse, the increasing storm would flood the beach, and they wouldn't be able to forage for firewood.
"Remember how I told the two of you that mating is for life? That's something that can't be broken except by death. It might be a hard concept for you to understand since you've always been human, but it's the wolf way and the lupus garou way."
Rourke grabbed an armload of wood. "What about Tessa?"
"She's different." Hunter didn't want to have to defend his actions to a subordinate wolf and wouldn't have if it hadn't been that Rourke was Tessa's friend and was sincerely concerned about her well-being.
"You mean, she's human so her feelings don't count." Rourke headed back up the hill.
"Damn it, Rourke, of course her feelings matter. We're both adults. We had consensual sex and that's all there is to it. As a lupus garou we can't have sex with another lupus garou unless we accept the female as a permanent mate. Humans don't live by the same rules, as well you know. And I've already explained to her our relationship can't be permanent."
"So if we want to party with a woman, she has to be a human." Ashton trudged up the slope with an armload of timber behind Hunter.
"Yeah, so that means you can sleep with Cara, but no sex. If you go all the way with her, you're mated---for life."
Rourke chuckled. "What if she forces herself on him?"
"In the case of a forced mating, the punishment for the perpetrator is death. Unless the victim chooses to accept the perpetrator as his or her mate. We don't tolerate the abuse of our lupus garous or laws."
Wide-eyed, both Rourke and Ashton stared at him.
"Hell, I knew it would be a lot of trouble teaching the two of you all the rules." Hunter gave Ashton a sympathetic look. "If you don't want Cara for a mate, just say no. Firmly! Don't waffle."
Rourke laughed out loud. "She doesn't look like she readily accepts taking no for an answer. Thank god she latched onto Ashton and not me."
When Hunter opened the back door, he heard Cara say, "If you want him---" She abruptly quit speaking, but he wished he knew who she had been talking to and who "he" referred to.
"Ashton, do something with that dead duck." Hunter motioned to the kitchen on his way to the living room. "Stick it in the fridge or something."
Then he walked into the living room and found the three women watching him. "Early morning, ladies. Let's get some sleep."
"Is he always this bossy?" Tessa rose from the couch, scarcely giving him a look.
"Always," Meara said.
"I'll get you some sheets and blankets, Rourke." Brushing past Hunter, Tessa headed down the hall.
Cara hopped up from recliner. "Need some bandaging, Hunter?"
Hell, he forgot he'd removed his bandages on the run, and Tessa was sure to wonder how come he was healing so fast as soon as she saw his naked torso when they went to bed. "Yeah, let's go to the bathroom."
In the hall, they passed Tessa carrying an armful of bedding, and she gave Hunter a scornful look. He was definitely in the doghouse, but he didn't know why. He closed the bathroom door behind him.
Cara located the bandages in a drawer. "You're going to have to turn her."
"No."
"The way you look at her, you could melt her heart. She'll accept our ways before long." Cara taped up his shoulder.
"She has a brother. Even in the distant past, lupus garous targeted those who had no families so they wouldn't be missed."
"All right, so change her brother, too."
"I've already got enough trouble on my hands in the form of two new lupus garous."
"Your wound is looking much better, but I bet it hurts after that run you took for as long as you were gone." She found some medicine and handed him a glass of water. "I want to join your pack."
He choked on the pills. "I thought you didn't like pack politics." All he needed was another female alpha upstart in the pack. Although they were always short on females, and she might entice some of the rest of his pack to return.
She smiled and wound a dark curl around her finger. "I didn't like my pack's politics. But I'm intrigued with yours. Besides, you need some help with these new guys. I don't think your sister is interested in showing them the ropes."
"Don't push Ashton too hard."
"Hmm, he's an awfully interesting candidate. The vote is still out on him. But I'll let you know one way or another what I decide."
"I mean it. He doesn't understand our rules, even though I've explained them to him. Don't force him on this."
"As in seduce him? I'll try not to."
Someone banged on the bathroom door. "Are you going to hog the bathroom all night, Hunter?" Meara scolded. "Why don't you use the master bathroom since you'll be sleeping in the master's bedroom anyway?"
Cara patted Hunter on the chest. "Yep, you could use my help."
Hunter opened the bathroom door, brushed past his sister, and stalked into the living room. Time to settle matters between him and Tessa and get a good night's sleep.
Tessa was speaking low to Rourke while she helped him make a bed on the couch. Hell, couldn't Rourke make his own damned bed?
She gave Hunter a cursory glance and then ignored him. He shared a look with Rourke that meant he had better not be getting any ideas about Tessa either.
Rourke quickly caught the message. "I can do the rest of this. Thanks, Tessa."
Hunter seized Tessa's hand. "We'll be leaving early in the morning, Rourke, so get a good night's sleep."
Before Tessa could object, Hunter hauled her down the hall.
Cara winked at her from the entrance to Michael's bedroom. "Sleep tight."
Meara was already running the shower in the guest bathroom, and Ashton had gone to bed. Hunter hoped Ashton could resist Cara's charms if he didn't truly want her in the event the woman decided to seduce him after all.
In Tessa's bedroom, Hunter released her hand and shut the door.
She folded her arms and glowered at him. "What, Hunter? What do you want from me? I'm not in the habit of having flings with guys I've just met. And since you've made it abundantly clear you're leaving as soon as you fulfill your promise, I don't want you staying in here with me any longer."
Hunter motioned to the window. "If I leave you alone, the stalker could try to break in. So I'm staying with you, end of discussion."
"That's it? That's all the reason you're giving for wanting to sleep with me?" Her eyes flamed hotter than a fire's blue flame.
"That's a pretty damned good reason."
She whirled around and headed for the master bathroom, walked inside, and slammed the door.
He raised his brows. If he didn't know better, he would think Tessa was going through her first wolf's heat. Women.
He yanked off his shoes, sweatshirt, and pants and climbed into bed. Why couldn't women be more like men? More...logical? Surely, she could see how he needed to be here for her protection after all that had happened. He pulled the covers to his waist.
She took forever in the shower and even longer drying her hair. The mattress in Michael's bedroom began to squeak, the bed frame banging lightly against the opposite wall. Hunter shook his head.
Tessa came out of the bathroom wearing a pair of pink flannel pajamas covered in red lips and pink hearts and a pair of fuzzy pink, red and white striped socks. She again folded her arms and gave him an icy look, although her bedroom attire ruined her angry effect. Not only that, but if she thought wearing pj's hid that sexy body of hers, she was mistaken.
Even now her nipples stood out against the soft fabric, and he was ready to tackle her, drag her to bed, and ravish her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Michael's bed banged violently against the wall, making her hesitate and glance in that direction. Hunter smiled.
She snorted. "Great. I hope that doesn't go on all night. Why don't you just move the dresser in front of the window like we did in Michael's room? Then you can stay with Rourke and you won't have to babysit me."
"Come on, Tessa. Get in bed. Heater's off. The room's cold. Join me under the covers and get warm."
"I'm warm enough." She jerked her covers aside and climbed into bed.
"Do you always wear such sexy nightclothes?"
She gave him a derisive hmpf back. He chuckled. "I thought all women wore Tshirts to bed."
"Have you been with a lot?"
As many years as he had lived, yes. But in the scheme of things, no. And certainly not recently. The worst was during the Victorian era. Although some of the ladies were daring enough to strip down to bare skin, some insisted they remain fully dressed in their long nightgowns while he satisfied them. Pj's were certainly no obstacle. "There's been no one for a long time, Tessa."
And never anyone as special as her.
"I wear pajamas in the winter because I don't like to waste electricity heating the place at night."
"Hmm-hmm."
"What? You think I'm just wearing these because you're here? I usually sleep alone and that's why I wear warm pj's."
"Snuggle with me, Tessa. Then we'll both be warm."
She didn't say anything. He waited for her to come to him like she had done before, but she didn't.
"I don't wear Tshirts in the summer either," she finally remarked.
Nude, that's the way he liked his women, but he didn't figure Tessa ever went to bed like that. "So if you don't wear pajamas in the summertime, do you slide naked into a bed of satin sheets?"
She offered a derisive chuckle. "Right."
"I'll have to visit you in the summer then."
She remained silent.
"Come on, Tessa. I'm getting cold."
"Put Michael's sweatshirt on then."
Fine. He took the initiative. He knew he shouldn't. She was right in trying to keep the distance between them. But he also recognized she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
He moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms, but she remained rigid. He tried to caress her hair, but a twinge of pain streaked through his shoulder, and he groaned.
The tension seemed to drain from her spine, and she melted in his embrace. "You shouldn't have carried that load of firewood up to the house. What were you trying to prove? How macho you are to the other guys? They weren't injured as badly as you. You could use some common sense."
He smiled and kissed the top of her head.
She turned slightly toward him, her brows pinched, her eyes narrowed. "Are you hurting really badly?"
"Some," he admitted, since she seemed to like him better when he was in pain or he would never have said.
"Well, lie on your back and I'll..." She took a deep breath. "I'll snuggle with you so you don't have to hurt your shoulder."
He was about to say something, but decided he would be better off not in case he ruined her generous offer. Instead, he rolled onto his back. He wanted to feel her against him, skin to skin, even though her flannel pajamas were soft and cuddly. At this point, he didn't figure he could push her to remove her clothes. She reached over to join him, brushing her fingers over his naked thigh.
She recoiled. "Where are your sweatpants?"
"You know, in situations where a person is hypothermic, naked bodies pressed together provide more heat than if they're clothed."
Her mouth gaped and her gaze narrowed again. "Well, I'm not hypothermic. Are you?"
Luckily, because of the dark, she couldn't see the way he was grinning at her. "I'm feeling chilled to the bone after chasing down Ashton and then getting a load of firewood."
"We could turn on the heat."
"Nah, waste of electricity." He reached over and unbuttoned her top button. "Come warm me, Tessa."
"Like Cara's warming Ashton?"
He was pretty sure Tessa's voice held a hint of sarcasm not hope.
Hunter didn't answer and when she didn't stop him, he finished unfastening her buttons and removed her top, taking a deep breath to see her breasts heavy and her nipples already hard.
Despite wanting to make love to her, he knew he had to leave the decision up to her. They both recognized it couldn't last.
At first, he took it slow and easy, sliding her pajama bottoms down her silky thighs. He forgot how much his shoulder hurt or how he shouldn't be making love with the woman again. All because she licked his lips, hummed her pleasure, and combed her fingers through his hair with tenderness. His arousal jumped, and she chuckled deep and sexylike. Again, he found himself wishing she were a lupus garou.
She leaned her supple nude body against his, heating his skin to the nth degree. "Cara said I should try to keep you for my own," she whispered against his lips, then licked them again. She slid over his erection and he moaned.
"Oh, sorry about your shoulder." She started to slip off him, and he grabbed hold of her lissome body, his hands cupping her buttocks, keeping her tight against him.
"Not my shoulder." But he couldn't conceal his annoyance with Cara that she would interfere in his affairs. She knew better than to encourage Tessa's further interest in him.
"Hmm," Tessa murmured, nuzzling her face against his cheek, "she said you're a real alpha male." Tessa slid her body lower and kissed his nipple.
The sensation sent a jolt straight to his rigid erection. He grabbed fistfuls of her hair and became mesmerized in the peach-scented, soft red curls.
"But of course, I already knew that." She swirled her tongue around his nipple and then teased the stiff peak.
Hunter groaned. She was killing him. A shiver stole through every nerve ending. No one had ever brought him so close to climaxing with such a simple, sweet touch.
"So then, how do I keep someone as wild as you, Hunter? How would I entice you to want me for longer than a fling?" She folded her arms across his chest and rested her chin on them.
Although he knew she couldn't see his face for the dark, she looked straight at him, her eyes challenging.
"I know for whatever reason, you don't want me," she said, her expression dead serious.
His hands stilled on her bare arms. Hell, where did she get the idea he didn't want her?
"So that's fine. We do it, and both satisfy some primal urge and that's it. No strings attached. I've never had it so good as with you. And so..." She shrugged. "I might as well enjoy it until the next guy comes along. Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll be just as good as you. Or, heck, maybe even better."
Hunter didn't say anything for a moment. Despite her goading him, she wouldn't get him to say that which was on the tip of his tongue---that he wouldn't let her be with anyone else. That he would be the only one for her. But he couldn't. "There won't be anyone better."
She smiled in the most devilish way. "Never know, Hunter. You just never know."
Forget the damned shoulder. He would show her how good it got. He pushed her onto her back, and she laughed.
"Vixen." Now it was his turn to tease her enticing nipples, his tongue laving over one while his thumb stroked the other, preparing it for its due.
"Hmm, what about your shoulder?"
"I'll survive."
She smiled as she ran her fingers over his whiskered cheek. "I could ride you."
"Too late for that. You had your chance." Ride him? Yeah, some other time, but for now he wanted to be on top, controlling, possessing her. No one could replace him. "I should give you one of those sexy rubs you gave me."
"When your shoulder's better."
He'd take her up on it. Massage everywhere, too.
He slipped his hand between her legs and pushed them apart. "Hmm, warm, wet, and willing." Hot, she was hotter than any woman he'd ever been with.
He wanted to take it nice and slow, but his shoulder was acting up too much. He gritted his teeth, centered himself between her legs, and plunged his erection deep inside her.
"You might be right," she whispered against his mouth.
"I'm always right."
She laughed and pinched his butt. "Always so modest and not in the least bit arrogant."
He growled, "No one will be better."
Hunter was sooo good, Tessa thought as he sank into her again and again, stretching her, rubbing against her sweetest spot, making her yearn for more. He lowered his mouth to hers as her insides burned a thousand fires, the hair on his chest caressing her nipples, sensitizing them even more, his body sliding against hers, intoxicating her.
She savored every bit of his hot-blooded nature, his wanting his way with her, his possessiveness, his protectiveness. She never wanted the lovemaking to stop because with it she felt complete, whole, satisfied, and a part of his life that she didn't care to end.
"Hmm, Hunter," she mewed, loving every bit of him, and he recaptured her lips as if to say he knew he did wicked things to her body no man had ever done---carried her to the heavens and back in a million shattered, ecstatic pieces. And here she thought the reason for her inability to feel anything for another man had all to do with her. That she couldn't inspire such passion.
Hunter rubbed her most sensitive spot at the juncture of her thighs, making her beg for more---for faster, harder, fulfilling completion. And then she reached the point of no return, a blast of heat washing through her, mind-numbing satisfaction as ripples of orgasm gripped her in the final throes of passion. He joined her, milky heat filling her womb, warming her like a hot bath, and he groaned with deep satisfaction.
He pulled away, but not separating from her, just rolling backward, keeping her close as he settled on his back, her leg resting between his, her arms wrapped around him and his around her tightly. To sleep with her in his cocoon of an embrace, his rapid heart thumping out a comforting rhythm in her ear, to keep the connection.
She wanted to say how much she loved him, not in a marriage kind of way, but because of all he already meant to her. No one had ever been so shielding, or considerate of her feelings, or so determined to take care of her in her time of need, without wishing anything in return. And the sex? Oh, yes, no man had ever made her feel so sexy and wanted her like she was an aphrodisiac he couldn't get enough of, or made her nearly climax with a seductive glance, touch, whispered word. And no man had ever wanted to keep her close after the lovemaking was done, showing her he wanted more than just the sex, but also the intimacy of sharing the same space, of maintaining the connection.
From his muscular arms that held her tight to his sculpted abs and the firmest butt she had ever seen on a guy this close up, Hunter was physically as beautiful as one of the Greek statues of gods. Deep down, he was all she'd ever hoped for in a man. And for the moment, he was all hers, although it wouldn't last.
But the tender memories would be hers forever.
SOMEONE POUNDED ON THE MASTER BEDROOM DOOR the next morning, jump-starting Hunter's heart. Tessa cuddled against him, her voice whisper soft as she nuzzled his chest. "Tell whoever it is to go away."
"Hunter! We need to talk!" Meara said. "Now!"
Hell, what now? Leave it to Meara to ruin a perfectly good morning wake-up.
He kissed Tessa's lips, gently at first, then building up steam as she wrapped her arms around him, leaning into his arousal. Instantly, he hardened.
"Hunter!"
Hunter growled under his breath. "Time for Rourke and me to check out Bethany's place anyway." With reluctance, he kissed Tessa's cheek, then left her warm embrace, dressing as she watched every move he made, licking her lips, purring, a slight smile curving her lips. Vixen.
"More, later."
"Promises, promises."
He gave the siren one last look, then took a deep breath and joined Meara in the hall and scowled at her. Giving him an equally disgruntled look, she motioned to the guest bedroom as he shut Tessa's door. He knew then what this was all about. Meara entered the room and waved at a stack of wolf photos spread out on the desk, the sepia picture of the man he'd thought was Seth taking center stage.
"What's all this?" She put her hands on her hips.
"Her brother paints wolves. Did you see his oils in the closet?"
"This!" she said, lifting Seth's photo. "Explain what an old-time photograph of Seth is doing here."
But it wasn't that photograph that interested him now, or the concern that she also thought the man pictured was Seth, but another photo lying underneath that caught his eye. Sepia like the other, but this one was of a group of gold miners---their great-grandfather included, and a great uncle, Seth, and some others Hunter didn't know. Although one seemed familiar.
"Where did you find it?" He studied it more closely, his heartbeat ratcheting up several notches.
"Buried at the bottom of the drawer underneath all these wolf pictures. So, what's going on? We both know Seth had a mate who died in Colorado and then he left his small son to live with his pack while he went to California because of the Gold Rush. But this woman isn't his mate, and he didn't have another when he died. So who is the woman and infant in the photo? And why does Tessa Anderson have the two photos?"
Hunter rubbed his chin in thought. "Hell, Tessa thought Seth, by another name---Jeremiah Cramer---was her great-grandfather and the woman, his wife and child."
Meara's eyes widened and she looked at the photo again and at the one with their great-grandfather in it. "I would say she's mistaken, or that this wasn't Seth, but the one with our great-grandfather proves he was." She stared at Hunter. "She's not a lupus garou and our kind can't produce offspring with a human."
"My thoughts exactly."
"So, what if he was fooling around with the human woman after his mate died, and this woman already had a baby?"
"Possibly, except for the fact that Tessa's as much of a magnet for male lupus garous as you are. Why? There's got to be a reasonable explanation."
Meara touched the baby in the photo. "She's not one of us."
"What if for the sake of argument, her grandmother had mixed parents. What if through some freak mistake of nature, her human great-grandmother conceived Seth's child?"
Meara shook her head as she studied the photo again. "We've never known a case like that in all the years we've lived. Never."
"So explain the photos, Tessa's fascination with wolves, and their interest in her."
"What about her brother?"
"The females have enough males to choose from. If they weren't so picky," he amended, giving his sister a pointed look. "Most lupus garou females wouldn't be interested in a male who had only a small percentage of lupus garou genetics running through his veins, I suspect. But Michael seems to be as drawn to our kind---well, wolves---as Tessa is."
"She doesn't have any of our senses. I know because she can't tell what we are."
"It's just a thought. I don't know how else to explain this."
Meara's stubborn streak was shining through. "She's not a lupus garou."
But if Tessa was in part, it would make it a hell of a lot harder for Hunter to leave her as she was. Word would undoubtedly spread about a mixed lupus garou female who didn't have a pack to protect her.
The back of his neck prickled, and Hunter rubbed it.
"Okay, Hunter, so if Tessa's grandmother was half lupus garou, who protected her from lupus garou suitors during her lifetime?"
"Probably none in the area so no one learned about her. Which makes me wonder if the woman was Tessa's maternal or paternal grandmother."
"Had to be paternal," Meara said. "Otherwise they'd have had another generation of females with the lupus garou pheromones."
Hell, did Uncle Basil know about this all along? "Do you have your cell phone?"
"Why?"
"I'm wondering why Uncle Basil befriended her, then implied I had to take drastic measures to eliminate her."
"Did he mean as in mating the woman? Making her one of our own?"
Hunter swore under his breath. It was one thing for it to be his own idea, but he sure as hell didn't appreciate his uncle setting him up.
Meara handed him her phone and folded her arms. "I knew he was up to something and that his sudden desire to retire was due to something lots more devious."
Yeah, Hunter should have known the way his uncle was so eager to leave, something was up.
When his uncle's answering machine came on, Hunter let out his breath and left a terse message. "What's the true story behind Tessa Anderson? What's her relationship to Seth? Call me soonest."
Meara raised her brows. "He's not answering?"
"I got his machine." He handed her the phone.
She snorted. "You should have been more cryptic. Said you'd run into troubles. Call back. ASAP. Better yet, get your butt back here and explain yourself. Once he sees what you're calling about, he'll undoubtedly let it slide until you resolve it one way or another on your own."
As if Hunter had any intention of worrying his uncle when there wasn't any need.
"You can't turn her," Meara finally said, her voice softened.
"I don't plan to." Yet the more things got out of control with Yoloff and his brothers, the more he was considering just that option.
The doorbell rang and the master bedroom door opened. Tessa.
Hell, she'd better not go near the door without his protection. His heart pounding, Hunter bolted out of the guest bedroom and gave her a warning look as she was going in the direction of the door. "I'll get it." He was certain his sister was shaking her head at his overreaction, but he knew it was only a matter of time before the grays tried for Tessa again.
The doorbell rang once more, and he heard Cara and Ashton stirring in Michael's bedroom.
Hunter opened the door to find the red lupus garou pack leader of Portland standing on the front porch.
Meara said under her breath, "Uh-oh."
His expression dark and menacing, Leidolf barged into the house. "Your people are causing trouble in my city. When I attempted to contact you at home where your pack members said you were living, I got your sister. She gave me this address. I want them out in three days, or I'll take care of the situation myself. And you don't want that to happen if you care anything about them."
Hunter slanted his sister an irritated look that she would give the red Tessa's address. Meara gave him a half smile.
Leidolf was bigger than most reds Hunter had seen. Although that amounted to only a couple of dozen over the years. But the man was as tall as Hunter, his chestnut hair tinged red, his eyes a slightly more olive color than Tessa's. But it was the dark brooding look that really defined Leidolf.
He glanced at Tessa, his eyes widening when he saw her. Surprised to see a human in a house full of lupus garous? Or was he interested in the redhead?
Irritated that Leidolf had seen Tessa, Hunter moved across the floor to block Leidolf's view of her. "I've got a situation here I need to resolve before I can go to Portland."
"With the woman?" Leidolf asked, his voice and brows raised.
"I'm Tessa Anderson, and you are?" She moved around Hunter to shake Leidolf's hand. She didn't look pleased Leidolf would treat her as some woman when the house was hers, or that Hunter would stand between them.
But Hunter didn't like that she would get near another alpha male. Where Rourke and Ashton were concerned, they seemed to know their place. Leidolf was an unknown quantity---and an alpha leader.
"Leidolf Wildhaven." He tilted his nose up and took a deep breath, his eyes darkening as he took her hand and held on longer than necessary, not shaking it, but restraining her.
For long enough that Hunter's blood heated.
Hell, if her pheromones were triggering Leidolf's interest---and worse, she seemed intrigued by him also and didn't pull away...
"Fascinating." Then Leidolf released her hand and saw the wolf photos on the coffee table. He motioned to them. "Who took these?"
"I did." Tessa sounded as ready to defend herself as Leidolf's tone was accusing.
"Let's go outside, Leidolf." Hunter motioned for him to take the lead and shut the door behind them before he gave in to his wolf nature and fought him over Tessa. "Like I said, I have a situation here, and I need to resolve it before I can leave."
"Concerning the woman? She knows what we are?"
"No."
"I smelled at least six different lupus garous in the house, and she doesn't have a clue what's going on?"
"None. A gray is trying to change her. I need to stop him before it gets that far."
"The one who's been in the house? The one in the photos? Hell, he's Yoloff and he and his brothers and three more of their pack members are from La Grande. All males. All looking for mates. They came sniffing around Portland, but we don't have any unattached red females, so the grays moved farther west. You're bound to have more trouble with them. I take it you want the woman for yourself?"
"I don't believe in changing humans."
"At least that's something we agree on." Leidolf offered an arrogant smile. "Yet two are newly turned, am I right?"
"Yoloff changed the one and the other was an accident."
"Ah. I don't blame you about the woman. I'm a royal and mixing our kind with a newly turned lupus garou doesn't appeal."
A royal? But Leidolf's attentions toward Tessa hinted at more than a little intrigue. Mixing his purer lupus garou line with a human just turned might become an option if the red got desperate enough for a mate.
"I'd guess she has a red in her family tree because of her hair color and as petite as she is."
Hunter snorted. "A lupus garou can't impregnate a human."
"In all of the years I've lived, I've learned one important thing: there are exceptions to nearly every rule."
Hunter snapped his gaping jaw shut, glanced back at the house, saw Tessa watching him through the picture window, and turned his attention back to Leidolf. In all the years Hunter had lived, he'd never seen a case like that. "You know someone like that?"
Leidolf motioned to the house. "Right inside. Maybe a couple of generations back. Maybe more. But she's got a lupus garou in her genes somewhere along the line. Got to have if she's chasing down lupus garous like Yoloff, drawn to us, curious, and we're just as attracted to her."
Hunter glanced back at the house. Tessa's brows lifted.
"She may not smell like us or have our enhanced wolf abilities, but she triggers your craving, doesn't she? I can see in your expression you don't believe me, but I met one other nearly a hundred years ago. A human female. She moved close to where my father's pack lived in Wildhaven. Several of our unmated males fought over her. Finally, a red won her over and that was that. But she had lupus garou pheromones that triggered quite a bit of testosterone between our males before the situation was resolved. A grandfather was the culprit."
"But the woman didn't interest you."
Leidolf shrugged. "I told you. I want a lupus garou who's close to being a royal. Why don't you bring the woman to Portland where you can keep an eye on her, and then you can force your pack to return to the coast?"
Bring her to Portland to watch over her? Or give Leidolf another opportunity to check her out? Only this time in his territory.
"If I don't resolve this by week's end, I might do that."
"Good." Leidolf looked back at the house and bowed his head to Tessa. "Too bad she isn't a red lupus garou. I imagine though, you wish she were a gray."
So Leidolf was interested in her. "She's human, and I intend for her to stay that way. But if she were part lupus garou, she would have gray lineage." Hunter made the comment as pointed as he could. He didn't want one horny red thinking he might claim her.
Leidolf perked up. "How so?"
"If it's true she has distant lupus garou lineage, her great-grandfather was probably Seth Greystoke."
Leidolf's eyes rounded. "The devil gray who beat Alfred's great-grandfather?"
Hunter frowned. "Who?"
"Alfred was the previous red pack leader in the Portland area. His great-grandfather was as much of a terror when he was the pack leader in the Oregon territory. Seth had come here with the gold fever. Made a mint. Then after he took down Alfred's great-grandfather, he returned to his home in Colorado. Seth's great-grandson, Devlyn, came here looking for a female red, Bella, and destroyed Alfred three months ago, after Alfred and some of the males in his pack had killed young women in the area."
"Seth." Hunter shook his head. "We'd heard he had a son."
"Yes, whose own son fathered three boys. But everyone died in a house fire set by vigilante humans, except for Devlyn. Being punished for disobedience, he was sleeping in a shed that night."
Hell, if Tessa and her brother were truly Seth's descendants, they were Devlyn's distant cousins. Which could be more of a problem, or Hunter's solution, depending on the way he looked at it. "Never would have figured Seth to oust a leader. He was in California when my great-grandfather met him."
"Earlier gold fever?"
"Yeah, guess he never did get over it."
Leidolf glanced back at Tessa. "I'll get word to Devlyn that he's possibly got a couple of distant relations still living. Never know. He might want to take her back to his pack---for safekeeping. Once others discover she's available, the stream of lusty suitors will never end. You know as well as I, a vulnerable human will soon succumb. As for your people, don't wait too long to get them." Leidolf climbed into his black Hummer, gave a wave, and drove off.
He'd had every intention of getting rid of Yoloff to protect Tessa, but if Leidolf was right and Seth truly had been her great-grandfather, the trouble would never end. So why not take the easy way out and hand her over to Devlyn? If he truly was family, he'd take care of her. Her brother, too. So why did that make Hunter want to fight to the death for her before anyone took her away?
His only other option as he could see it was to change her and claim her for his own. But not without her consent. So if he chose that path, how the hell was he going to get it if she knew what they were without using some damn caveman approach? And then there was one other nagging worry---that she might not be alpha enough to be his mate.
Hunter ground his teeth and headed back inside.
"What did he say, Hunter?" Meara's brows pinched together in worry.
"Nothing. Rourke, hurry up and finish eating so we can go."
Looking sour, Ashton shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can't I be the one to go with you?"
"You can shoot. Rourke can't. Stay here and protect the women."
Cara ran her hand over Ashton's arm. "Besides, we can take a nap later since we didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Wouldn't you like that?"
Ashton threw his coat on and stalked out back.
"Watch him, Cara. Make sure he stays here when we leave," Hunter warned.
She smiled. "That I will, Hunter. He's all mine."
He wasn't so sure. Ashton didn't seem to be taking the change well, unless something else was bothering him. Maybe he didn't like that Rourke seemed to be Hunter's favorite now. But it wasn't that. It really had all to do with who could use the rifle.
While Rourke was finishing off a banana, Hunter took Tessa aside, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her mouth, enjoying the warm, soft feel of her. Her tongue flicked against his lips, her arms reaching around his neck, her body screaming she wanted him to take her. And he sure as hell wanted to oblige. Some of it was the need to prove he was more to her liking than Leidolf was, damn him for interfering.
He took another deep breath of her uniquely heady scent and groaned inwardly. Afraid Leidolf was right in speculating Tessa was in part one of them and with him notifying Devlyn of the situation, Hunter knew he had to take drastic measures one way or another soon. "Don't take a nap without me."
"Wouldn't be half as satisfying."
He kissed her again and gave her another warm embrace, not wanting to let her go, but he had to take care of this matter with her brother. "Come on, Rourke. Let's get this done."
She gave Hunter a concerned smile. Afraid for his safety? Or that he wouldn't learn who Bethany's murderer was? She had a lot more than that to worry about.
He and Rourke headed outside and into the woods, wary of signs of danger in the form of three lupus garous. Although if Leidolf was right, there were six of them he'd eventually have to contend with.
Praying they wouldn't encounter any trouble, Tessa watched Hunter and Rourke until they disappeared into the woods. Cara coaxed Ashton inside. Tessa couldn't understand why he was behaving like a spoiled child.
Meara cleared her throat. "They'll be all right, Tessa. Let's go back in the house."
In one respect, Meara acted as though she wanted to keep Tessa safe. But on the other hand, she didn't seem to care for Tessa and Hunter's relationship. Although why it would matter to Meara was a puzzle.
Leidolf was another mystery, the way he tore into the house, roaring about like he was in charge, when if he'd known Lord Hunter at all he would have realized Hunter was always the one in charge.
Tessa turned to Meara. "What did Leidolf mean about Hunter's people being in Portland and that they had to leave? Was he talking about more of your relatives? Why does he act like he owns the place? Sounds like he's head of an organized crime ring in the city."
Her expression indifferent, Meara shrugged. "A couple of Hunter's friends must be causing trouble in Leidolf's business."
"What does he do?"
Meara paused too long before answering, which made Tessa suspicious.
"He has a...bar in town. You know, the guys probably have been drinking a little too much and stirring up trouble."
"So...why does Hunter have to take care of them?"
"They're friends from way back. You know."
Meara and Cara exchanged looks, and again Tessa felt like an outsider, while the women who'd never met each other before shared some dark secret. Fine. She'd ask Hunter when he returned.
Tessa unloaded the dishwasher while Meara and Cara put away leftovers from a hastily grabbed breakfast. Tessa thought she heard Ashton stacking more wood by the fireplace. But Cara suddenly dropped the napkins she'd gathered on the table and dashed through the house and out the front door.
"Damn, Ashton!" she yelled. "You come back here this instant!"
"We could go after him," Tessa offered, although why he was acting the way he was, she didn't have a clue. Unless he felt hurt that the "boys" were leaving him out. Probably didn't want to be tied down to babysitting the women.
With tears in her eyes, Cara closed the door and shook her head. "No, we can't leave. It wouldn't be safe for us."
Meara actually looked sympathetic.
"I can use the rifle, so don't worry." But of course Tessa did worry about Ashton. What if the wolf attacked him again? No. She had shot it and it was probably half-dead somewhere in a pile of snow.
Remembering she'd neglected to write the suspect list and glad for the diversion, she grabbed a piece of paper. Except for Michael, Ashton, Rourke, and half a dozen of her brother's artist friends, she couldn't think of anyone else that visited regularly. A man cleaned their chimney once. An electrician checked their heater when it kept flipping the circuit breaker. A plumber had to repair a frozen pipe. That was it.
"Hot cocoa, anyone?" Meara asked, while Cara watched out the front window.
"That would be great." Tessa considered her list. "The chimney sweep didn't look like the guy Ashton described---dark haired, same approximate build as Hunter. Michael had dealt with the electrician and plumber so I didn't get a chance to see either. I think I was selling photographs to shops in Portland at the time."
"Hell," Meara said in the kitchen.
Tessa dropped the list on the coffee table and hurried to join her. Ashton was pacing on the back patio. "What's wrong with him?" She had never seen him so agitated, except for maybe the time he was drunk and had attacked her.
"Uhm, Cara!" Meara said. "Ashton's back here. Why don't you take care of him?"
Cara raced from the front window to the back door. She bolted outside, slammed the door shut, and grabbed Ashton's arm, but he shook loose. Tessa couldn't hear their words, but his face was red, his brows furrowed, and he snarled back at Cara when she tried to calm him.
Then he started tugging off his clothes as if he had gone totally mad. Tessa's mouth gaped.
Meara seized Tessa's arm. "Come on, we don't want to watch this. Cocoa's ready."
But Tessa did want to watch. What if Ashton had rabies? What if Cara was in danger? "Wait, Meara. Cara could be at risk. We need to get her away from him."
"No, she'll be fine." Meara tried to yank Tessa toward the living room, but she was rooted to the floor. "Finish your list. I'll bring---"
Ashton stretched his arms upward toward the gray clouds, his face began to distort, elongate, and his naked lean body began to change, his back arching. Pale gray hair, no it was more like...fur, began to cover his body, the whole thing happening so quickly it was like watching a movie playing at triple speed or more in a blur. He dropped to his...his paws, no longer a man, but a gray wolf. A beautiful creature, wild and dangerous.
She barely breathed. If she hadn't seen the sudden transformation with her own eyes, she would never believe it. Even now, she had a hard time accepting it. Every inch of him looked like a real wolf.
Her heart pounding and her head swimming, Tessa's knees buckled. Meara was still holding her arm and when Tessa collapsed on her knees, Meara fell with her. "Ohmigod...did...did you see...what happened to Ashton?"
Meara watched Tessa with wide eyes.
"Cara! We've got to get her away from him." Tessa scrambled to her feet and peered out the window, clinging to the kitchen sink for support.
Shaking her finger at him, Cara scolded the wolf---Ashton. For a couple of seconds, he listened to her, but then bolted for the woods.
Turning, Cara saw Tessa watching. Her face turned pasty despite the fact her cheeks had been cherry colored from the cold. Tessa stepped away from the window, her heart thundering.
Cara was one, too. She had to be. Had she turned Ashton last night when she seduced him? Turned him? What was she saying? They were shapeshifters?
Tessa bolted for the door and locked it.
"Let me in, Tessa. I don't have my coat on and it's freezing out here." Cara half-coaxed, half-demanded, rubbing her arms with her bare hands.
Tessa couldn't find her voice. What if the wolf that had bitten Ashton was the culprit and not Cara? But then, why wasn't Cara surprised when Ashton shapeshifted?
Tessa didn't realize how much she was shaking until Meara touched her arm. "It's too cold out. We've got to let her in."
Tessa stared at Meara. She saw Ashton turn into a wolf. She observed the whole thing and wasn't surprised.
What if she was one? And what did Ashton say about Hunter? He saw him naked in the freezing weather before he dressed and charged up the hill after Ashton for shooting him. Why? Because Hunter had been shapeshifting beforehand? Ashton hadn't been drunk. She groaned.
"Tessa, we have to let Cara back in."
"You're one of them." Tessa's eyes misted. "You're one and Hunter is one and he bit Rourke. Leidolf is, too, isn't he? Everyone but me is." Her heart beating too rapidly, she backed up.
"Tessa, you're just imagining things." Meara took a step forward, cautious, concerned.
Where had Ashton left the rifle? In the living room?
Tessa dashed for it just as the back door squeaked open. Meara was letting Cara in.
The door shut and the lock clicked, but no one said a word. They didn't need to. They'd share one of those conspiratorial looks that said it all.
She grabbed the rifle and headed back into the kitchen where Meara was pouring Cara another mug of hot cocoa. "I want you both to leave, now. Get in your vehicles and drive away. I won't say anything to anyone. Hell, what could I say? Anyone would think I was nuts. But I want you out of here, now."
"We can't leave," Meara said, softly. "Hunter would kill us if we left you unprotected."
"He would kill his own sister?"
"In a manner of speaking. He'd be angry, and I don't want to go there. You know how upset he was with me for taking off with three other guys. Believe me, this would be worse."
"Do you want to know why, Tessa? Because that intruder who's after you is also one of our kind," Cara piped in. "We can't leave you to face him on your own. If he manages to get you alone now, he'll change you."
Tessa sat down hard on the dining chair. "The one who bit Ashton, was he the same man/wolf?"
Meara sighed. "I imagine he's the same one."
Everything that had happened in the last few days ran through Tessa's mind---Hunter being naked on the beach, the way he knew the man had been in her bed, and that it was him and not some other man. He knew things he shouldn't.
"Tell me what you are, exactly."
Meara shook her head. "You know too much already. In most cases, the pack leader would have two options. Kill you, or turn you. Hunter won't want to change you."
"Why not?" Not that Tessa wanted that option, no way, but death wasn't the greatest choice either. Not that she would go willingly either.
"He doesn't believe in it," Meara said. "We haven't known anyone personally changed by a bite. It's just something we prefer not to do."
Tessa gave a haughty laugh. "Yeah, right. He changed Rourke, didn't he?"
"By accident."
"So then he'll have to kill me. That's why he said the relationship would never work." Tessa swallowed a lump in her throat. "Will he at least get my brother free first?"
"I don't believe he'll want to eliminate you. But enough said. Like you mentioned, people will think you're certifiable if you breathe a word of this. So here's the deal. You don't ask questions or learn anything more about us, and when we free your brother, we all will..." Meara snapped her fingers. "...disappear. You'll never hear from us again."
"Unless Hunter wants to terminate me."
Meara took in a ragged breath. "We won't tell him." She cast Cara a warning look.
Cara bowed her head slightly.
In disbelief, Tessa stared at Meara. "Why?"
She shrugged. "He'd want to eliminate all of us for putting him in this bind. It'll be our little secret."
Keeping secrets from Hunter was like trying to drive a car across the ocean. Tessa knew she would sink and drown before she got anywhere.
"Want some cocoa?" Cara put on a fake smile and offered Tessa a mug.
Tessa had known something would go terribly wrong after she had come home from Michael's trial, but she never guessed the nightmare could get this bad.
Rourke looked over the edge of the cliff where the men had pushed Hunter. "I don't know how in the hell you managed to survive. The tide must have come in just at the right time."
Hunter examined the nearby trees, looking for signs of a struggle. Half a foot of snow had fallen, so the ground would yield no clues.
"Looks like you gave them a hell of a time." Rourke twisted a broken branch back and forth.
"I still can't figure out why they would have attacked me. If I came into a wolves' territory unannounced, the pack leader would either welcome me, or tell me to leave. The only way he would fight me with the intent to kill was if I had seriously violated pack laws, killed one of his wolves, tried to claim a female he had other plans for, or threatened to take over his pack. Maybe I was headed in the direction of Tessa's cabin and Yoloff, the one who wants her, got riled, thinking I was after her."
Hunter led the way to Bethany's log cabin. Like Tessa's place, the house sat cliffside with a view of a rocky beach, woods all around, and no sign of any other homes.
"Why she would live out here by herself is what puzzles me," Rourke said. "I can understand Tessa's situation. She and her brother lived together and had inherited the house. But Bethany?" He shook his head as Hunter unlocked the door. "She was kind of a loner, like...." Rourke stopped dead inside the house. "It's him, isn't it? The smell of Tessa's stalker."
"Yoloff, yeah. He's been here. His brothers, too. And recently. Did they have a key to her place also? No broken windows." Hunter checked over the two-bedroom, one-bath house. "She wasn't killed here."
"No, the coroner said she'd died when she fell to her death on the rocks."
"But why not here? Why a mile away?" Hunter searched through her bedroom drawers.
"She loved to take walks in the woods. That's what Michael said at the trial. He didn't like it that she was taking them alone. Of course, it sounded like a perfect alibi since no one could confirm that she was seeing someone behind his back. Either this phantom guy did it, or some stranger. Neither the sheriff or his deputies bought Michael's story."
"Sheriff's been here. So has Ashton. And three of the wolves that had been around Tessa's place? They've been here, too. Which meant they were tied into her death, or curious possibly."
"And a ton of other humans. Coroner, deputies. But I wouldn't know whose scent I'm smelling unless I got a whiff of them now." Rourke motioned to the house. "What did you want me to look for?"
"Any sign of anything out of the ordinary."
"You won't find her diary. The D.A. kept it as evidence. But there was nothing incriminating in it about Ashton. Or anyone else for that matter. Just Michael. They fought concerning her seeing someone else, but she never confirmed it one way or another."
"Ashton said he kept a pretty low profile," Hunter said.
They moved back into the kitchen. Rourke pulled open a cabinet door. "Yeah, he didn't leave any clothes in the house. Nothing personal to tie himself to her."
Hunter paused. "Don't you think that's odd?"
"What? He didn't want Michael to learn that he was here with Bethany on the sly. Ashton still valued his friendship, even if he wasn't showing it in a very loyal way."
"Unless he had some things here and got rid of them after he'd murdered her." Hunter pulled open another drawer.
"I thought you believed the grays had killed her."
"I'd considered it. The one might have wanted Michael out of the way so he killed Bethany, and then Michael was blamed for it. Tessa would be left unprotected."
"But why not just kill Michael?"
"The wolf's a beta. If he'd been an alpha, he would have killed Michael and taken Tessa. But he didn't. He's stalked her, waited, watched, for what? He couldn't get up the nerve. Maybe he cared for her too much and was afraid if he turned her and things didn't work out, he'd have to destroy her. On the other hand, what if the guy couldn't even kill Bethany? What if Ashton did it? But now Bethany's murder played into the gray's hands, and he had a chance to make Tessa his. Only he still stalked her, worried about her acceptance of him."
"Then you appeared on the beach."
"Right. And he got anxious. Started playing games. Showing how he could get in, leaving his scent on her sheets, wanting to claim her, getting more and more rash."
"And then he bit Ashton to...? "
"I believe at that point he wanted to kill Ashton so he could get to Tessa since you and I were gone. Even more desperate, he took a bigger chance, but when Tessa got the gun and started shooting, he tucked tail and ran."
Rourke shoved his gloved hands under his arms. "What if the gray did it? Or Ashton for that matter? We can't prove either did because they can't go to prison. Not when they're werewolves."
"We just have to find the evidence, and I'll sort it out from there."
Rourke took a deep breath. "All the evidence points to Michael."
"He didn't have an alibi?"
"Nope. He was supposed to be home sick with the flu, but nobody was there to verify he'd stayed home in bed either. Tessa had run to the city to get supplies and sell some more of her photographs. When she arrived home, the sheriff had already arrested Michael and taken him in for questioning."
Not that Hunter wanted to believe anything bad about Tessa, but his wolf's wariness instantly made him suspect anyone and everyone. "How long was she in the city?"
"Four hours." Rourke's eyes widened. "Oh, no. Don't you go thinking Tessa had anything to do with it. Between receipts and store personnel and surveillance tapes at the stores where she sold her work, she had an airtight alibi."
"For all the time?"
Rourke looked out the living room window. "Yeah."
"Not for all the time. You'd make a lousy liar, Rourke. Don't try it with me."
"All right. So she had enough time. But she wouldn't have done it."
Hunter smelled the air. "She's been here before."
"Sure, Tessa has. She was friends with Bethany, too, damn it, but she didn't do it."
"Did the defense think she might have?"
Rourke looked at the floor.
"Did they, Rourke?"
"Yeah. Michael's defense attorney said she had motive because the attorney was trying to cast doubt on Michael's supposed guilt. Tessa suspected someone else was seeing Bethany, too. That's what the defense attorney said. That as loyal as Tessa was to her brother, she could have killed Bethany in a fit of rage. Two police officers had to restrain Michael to keep him from hitting his attorney, he was so pissed. His temper didn't help his case."
"Did Michael always have a temper?"
"Not that he showed publicly. I always thought he kept pretty quiet, except for getting in trouble for minor infractions of the law. Breaking and entering, joy riding in a car once, but I figured Ashton was the mastermind."
Hunter returned to the bathroom and sifted through the drawers.
"What are you looking for?"
"I can understand why Ashton wouldn't leave anything incriminating here in case Michael came across it, but why wouldn't Michael have left anything?"
"He didn't like coming here, so he said at the trial."
"Why not? Seems to me it would be a great place to have private time with his girl."
Rourke gave a derisive laugh. "He thought it was haunted."
"Haunted?" Hunter shook his head. "I need to pay Michael a little visit at the jailhouse."
Rourke peered out the bathroom window. "The wind is really picking up. Holy shit!"
"The grays?" Adrenaline instantly flooded Hunter's system, preparing him for another fight.
"No, that idiot Ashton."
Hunter's blood heated several degrees. "I'll kill him." Although Hunter's sister and Cara were still at Tessa's house to protect her, if the three male grays tried to take off with Tessa, his sister and Cara could be in a world of trouble.
As soon as Hunter headed outside with Rourke on his heels, a patrol car drove into the driveway. Hell. Ashton in his wolf form judiciously moved away from the house, slinked deeper into the woods, and slipped out of sight. But Hunter and Rourke had a lot of explaining to do.
"Have you got permission to be breaking into Bethany Wade's house, gentlemen?" the deputy asked, as he climbed out of the car, his hand on his holster. He was a scrawny, sawed-off little guy and Hunter could have eaten him for a midnight snack if he gave them any real trouble.
"This is Deputy William O'Neal," Rourke said. "And, William, I want you to meet my friend, Hunter Grey. He's an ex--navy SEAL. He's done quite a lot of investigative work for the navy, and he's trying to dig up more clues concerning Bethany's murder. I'm doing an investigative report for the newspaper."
"You didn't answer me, Rourke. Did you get permission from her family first, or not?"
"They want this resolved one way or another. Got the key right here." Rourke dangled it from a heart-shaped key chain.
With his head turned slightly south, Hunter listened for Ashton. He better be in a dead run, heading straight back to Tessa's place.
"That's good. Then I'll call the sheriff and have him verify with her family that you had permission and you can run along." The deputy glanced around. "Where's your vehicle?"
Rourke shoved the key in his pocket. "We walked from Tessa's house, looking for any clues on the way over and by the cliff where she fell."
"In this weather? It's only going to get worse. After I clear this matter up, I'll drop you off at Tessa's place."
"Why don't you take us back to Tessa's house while you're verifying this?" Hunter asked. "The winds are whipping up more, and we don't want to get stuck here in whiteout conditions."
The deputy held the phone to his ear and he nodded at Hunter, but then turned his attention to the phone. "Hello, Katie. Is the sheriff there? Where?" He laughed. "Tell him to call me when he has a chance." The deputy shook his head and pocketed his phone. "Sheriff's seeing some new woman. After all those years of pining over his two-timing ex-wife, it's about time, but he's trying unsuccessfully to keep it under wraps. Climb in. I'll get you back to Tessa's."
The road conditions worsened by the mile. A violent gust of wind blew the deputy's car to the other side of the road. Between the slick conditions and the increasing wind, Hunter was surprised they weren't blown off the cliff.
"The sheriff will probably issue an evacuation order soon. We've never had winds this high. And waves cresting forty-five feet? Unheard of. Some fool kids were even trying to surf. If you can imagine," the deputy said.
"William and I played soccer together on the high school team," Rourke explained to Hunter. "We always said we'd blow this town when we graduated."
The deputy chuckled. "Yeah, look at us now."
The two continued to talk about old school days while Hunter watched out the window, hoping Ashton would get to Tessa's place and that Hunter's worries about the grays were unfounded. But he could still thrash Ashton for leaving the women alone.
At one point, he had to fight the urge to take over the deputy's driving, they were inching along so slowly. Hell, at this rate, Hunter could jog faster.
As soon as the house came into view, Hunter grabbed hold of the door handle. Once the deputy stopped the vehicle, Hunter threw open the door and bolted for the house.
"He's worried about Tessa," Rourke explained to the deputy. "Sheriff probably mentioned to you that she's had a couple of breakins. You drive safe."
"Will do. I'll let you know if the sheriff issues an evac order."
Rourke waved good-bye and the deputy drove off. Hunter tried the front door. Locked. He rang the doorbell. No answer. He and Rourke raced to the back of the house. Ashton's clothes were sitting half-buried in snow on the patio. Hunter stared at the kitchen window. If Tessa had been at the sink, she could have seen Ashton shapeshift.
Hunter bolted to the back door and tried the doorknob. Locked. He pounded hard enough he figured he'd break the door down.
"Coming!" Meara yelled.
He released the breath he had been holding. Everything sounded fine. But when Meara let him in, he sensed the tension in the air. Meara was the only one of the three women who hid her fear well. Cara reeked of it and he figured it had to do with the fact Ashton was still missing. Tessa stared at Hunter as if he had sprouted devil's horns, her back rigid against the dining room chair.
Ashton's disappearance was probably the reason why all of them were so fearful. Unless something else was wrong, like Tessa had seen Ashton change into the wolf.
"Have you seen Ashton?" Cara asked, her voice wobbly.
"He's coming." At least he hoped he was. Despite being angry over Ashton's actions, Hunter still felt responsible for him.
Rourke patted the snow off his gloves. "I'll take a look to see how far behind us he was."
Hunter nodded and Rourke exited the house, seized Ashton's clothes from the patio, and headed for the woods.
Cara grabbed her coat and gloves. "I'll go with him." She slammed the door shut behind her.
Meara looked like she wanted to search for Ashton also, but it wasn't in her nature. She was more the wait-and-see kind of woman. Except in Hunter's case when he disappeared. He figured she knew he would go after her "friends" when he discovered her missing and wanted to stop him from killing them. They were lucky Hunter didn't find them with her still.
Then he wondered if something else was going on with Tessa. "We didn't find anything incriminating, I'm sorry to say, that would automatically clear your brother of the crime, Tessa."
Her shoulders slumped and her jaw tightened.
He drew close and ran his hand over her arm, the muscle tensing. "We'll keep looking. I need to speak to Michael. When the weather clears up, I'll see him."
Her teeth were so tightly clenched, he assumed she was fighting tears. "Tessa, maybe we could---"
"No!" she snapped.
Meara grabbed her coat and gloves. "Maybe you could fix Hunter some cocoa? Warm him up a bit? I'll see what's happening with the others." She threw on her coat and hat and bolted outside.
Hunter stared after his sister. What the hell was up? Meara didn't want him to make anything of a relationship with Tessa, yet her actions were tantamount to proving otherwise. She wouldn't have cared about Ashton's welfare when the others were handling it.
Hunter crouched next to Tessa, lowered himself to her level so he wouldn't appear so imposing like a wolf who lay down before one who was standing---a nonthreatening posture.
She wouldn't look at him, but toyed with the full mug of cocoa, cold now.
"Tessa, I know you're disappointed that we couldn't find evidence to support your brother's case of innocence, but I've only begun to look into Bethany's murder."
Still, she refused to look at him. He wouldn't press the issue.
"When Ashton returns, will you take a nap with me?"
Her gaze shot up and he sensed her fear---the look in her eyes, the smell of it on her skin, the hint of perspiration on her brow, the tension in every muscle returning. He reached for her hand, but she pulled away from him. She remained seated as if the chair and table shielded her from his getting too close.
"What's wrong? Is it something other than Michael's situation that distresses you? My sister? Did she upset you in some way? She can be pretty unconventional at times."
Tessa choked on a laugh. "Unconventional." But the way she said the word was bitter, not with humor.
"Yes," Hunter said softly. He reached for her hand again and this time she didn't avoid him, but she didn't respond with tenderness either as if he had captured her, the reluctant victim, and held her hostage. "Tell me what's wrong. Did Cara upset you? Or did Ashton's actions worry you when he left the three of you alone?"
"I can shoot, Hunter. You know that already." Her eyes flashed annoyance.
Something else then. "Yes, you're a damned good shot."
"Yes." She looked like she wanted to say something more, but clammed up.
He rubbed his thumb over her hand, wanting to set her at ease, but she didn't relax. "So what's wrong? I promise I'm not going anywhere until I discover who murdered Michael's girlfriend."
The back door opened and Meara entered first. "You didn't say how bad the storm was getting. Jeesh, the winds must be topping one hundred miles per hour."
Cara and Ashton both entered after that, Ashton's arm around her shoulders, neither of them looking very happy. "Sorry," Ashton said to Hunter, slouching as if he thought he was about to be whipped.
"I'll have a word with you later." Hunter would not accept this kind of insubordination, not when it endangered others' lives.
Rourke closed the door behind him. "That shed's about ready to---"
A grinding metal sound and then a scrunching noise and a bang followed. Everyone went to the window to see what happened.
"Hell, there goes the shed," Rourke said. "We saw several trees uprooted when we located Ashton and if this weather keeps up, we're bound to lose the---"
The kitchen light flickered and died.
"Electricity," Rourke finished.
"The beach will be flooded so we can't get any more firewood," Hunter said.
"Makes for good snuggling weather." Cara tugged at Ashton's arm. "Right?"
"We've got enough firewood for a couple of days, if we conserve," Ashton said.
Hunter turned to speak to Tessa about the candles and flashlights for when it got dark, but she had left the dining room.
"What happened while we were gone?" Hunter asked his sister.
She shrugged. "Ashton left. Tessa wrote a list of suspects. We had cocoa. That's about it."
He didn't think that was all of it. "Where's the list?"
"Living room. Coffee table, I think."
Hunter headed into the living room and grabbed up the piece of paper. "As soon as the weather clears, I want every one of these men checked out. In the meantime, Ashton, Rourke, see if you can salvage anything from the shed before everything blows away."
"Will do." They headed out the back door.
Meara looked guilty as hell. Cara did, too, although he didn't know her that well, but in the short time he had been with her, he hadn't seen her so nervous---the way she avoided looking at him and chewed her bottom lip instead of challenging him like she usually did. Ashton was back safe and sound. So what was the problem? The storm?
"What's the matter, Meara?"
"Nothing. I thought you were going to take a nap with Tessa." She motioned to the kitchen. "I'm going to clean the cocoa mugs."
"I'll help you." Cara vamoosed to the kitchen.
A strange noise sounded in Tessa's bedroom. He listened, trying to discern what it was. A grating sound? A window opening?
He raced down the hall and grabbed Tessa's doorknob. Locked.
His blood chilled. "Tessa! Open up!"
No response, but the wind was blowing into the room, papers fluttering, curtains flapping, the frigid air seeping under the bottom edge of the door. "Tessa!"
Turning, he saw Meara watching him, wringing her hands. He didn't even want to know why at this point. He made a dead run for the front door and threw it wide open.
Tessa struggled with the key in her car door lock. His heart beat out of bounds, the thrill of the chase deeply ingrained in him.
She wasn't leaving him. Not unless he chose for her to do so.
He glanced at the key. Not making any headway on the lock. Frozen?
He stalked toward her, his footfall crunching on the glazed snow. She glanced up at him, held herself rigid, testing him with an icy gaze, but she shivered and looked like a rabbit caught in a trap. He gave her credit for not running away.
"Let's go inside and discuss this, Tessa."
"Like two human beings?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.
He couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips, but then he frowned at her. "If you stay out here, you're going to catch pneumonia."
"But you won't?"
"We can discuss this inside, now."
Her brows knit together, and she stormed past him. Meara and Cara watched from the front entrance, but quickly moved out of Tessa's path. Hunter gave Meara a look that meant he would have a word with her later. Cara closed and locked the door behind him. Ashton and Rourke came inside from the back way.
"Not much worth saving at this point." Ashton shook snow off his parka.
Everyone was glowering at Ashton, except for Tessa. Trembling, she knelt before the fire, her hands spread over the flames.
Hunter crouched beside her. "Ask me what you will."
She glanced at the others and then focused on Hunter. "You have two options as far as taking care of me. Make me one of you, or kill me."
HUNTER SUSPECTED THE WORST---THAT ASHTON HAD shapeshifted in plain view of Tessa and now he was faced with a new dilemma.
Rourke swore under his breath.
Hunter clenched and unclenched his hands. Damn Ashton. "Ashton, the window's open in the master bedroom. The door is locked. Go around the front and climb in, shut the window, and unlock the door, why don't you?"
"I'll go with him," Rourke hastily said.
When the men left, Hunter pulled off one of Tessa's cold wet gloves and then the other.
Meara said, "I'll make lunch."
"I'll help her," Cara quickly added, and the two disappeared into the kitchen.
"Tessa, what did you see?" Hunter's gut clenched with concern for what she was feeling.
If he could undo the last few days in a heartbeat to save her from what now had to be done, he would. He couldn't believe Ashton had caused so much trouble. No wonder changing humans wasn't a good policy.
Tessa swallowed hard and stared at the fire while Hunter rubbed her cold fingers. "Ashton was acting crazy, pacing all over the place, and then he went outside and stripped off his clothes in the snow. I thought he was rabid, and I was afraid he would hurt Cara. Instead he...he changed. Transformed into a wolf. Cara wasn't surprised. Your sister told me nothing had happened. And if neither of them was shocked, it meant they were whatever he was also. And you, too."
Wanting her, despite everything---her cousin, his own feelings about changing a human, the fact she had a brother, which would cause even more problems---Hunter unbuttoned her coat, knowing now he had no choice but to explain his world. "I'm sorry."
"That you have to terminate me now? I won't tell anyone." Her eyes glistened with tears. "How could I? They'd lock me away."
He let out his breath, unsure how to approach the problem. He didn't want to upset her any further, but he couldn't be dishonest with her at this point. "Letting you go, isn't one of our options." Their laws had kept them alive and their secret intact for this long, he wasn't about to break one of the most important rules they lived by.
She blinked away tears and looked back at the fire. "Will you at least help my brother get his release?"
Her tearfulness cut straight through to his soul. "Changing you was the other choice." Or giving her up to Devlyn Greystoke.
"Your sister said it wasn't an option for you."
He shook his head. Leave it up to his sister to be truthful at the most inopportune times.
Tessa's bedroom door opened, and Rourke stomped back down the hall. "What else did you need done?"
Ashton slinked in behind him.
"Rourke, why don't you take a nap in the guest room? Ashton, you take one in Michael's room. We'll need some sleep so we can pull guard duty tonight."
Rourke cast a sympathetic look Tessa's way and gave Hunter a hard look. Then he and Ashton headed down the hall.
"If I turned you..." Hunter said.
"I don't want to be crazy like Ashton."
"You'll be the same person you are now even after the change. Maybe he was already a little crazy." Hunter stroked Tessa's hand. "There are benefits for being what we are."
"What exactly are you?"
"Shapeshifters. Lupus garous. Werewolves. We normally don't associate much with humans, and we don't normally change them."
Tessa's eyes were so big, Hunter knew telling her the facts of life wasn't going to be any easier than it had been when he told the guys.
"You can't have been born this way."
"Yes, we're born this way. Normally, it's much easier to stay with our kind since we've grown up this way. Teaching a newly turned human can be a real trial. Both Rourke and Ashton have already made innumerable mistakes. If I could, I'd take them to my home and keep them there, isolated from humans until they more thoroughly understood how dangerous it is for us to let down our guard."
"Dangerous?"
"Yes. Can you imagine if people knew of our existence, what would happen? DNA testing, for one, to learn why we heal so quickly, how we can shapeshift, what makes us age so slowly."
"You...you don't have the life span of a human?"
"No. Although we can die." He pulled off her coat. She looked so petite sitting there, he again wondered if she could handle being his mate. "Think on it, Tessa. I won't pressure you into making a decision."
She snorted. "Death or life as a werewolf. No pressure. Right." She took a ragged breath and stared at the floor. "You wanted to take a nap."
And the fact she wouldn't look at him made him worry she was intending on trying to slip out while everyone was napping. "With you."
She looked so damned vulnerable, he didn't want to push her into accepting any of this until she could handle it. What was he supposed to do? Letting her know their secrets, but allowing her to live on her own as a human was not an option. But killing her wasn't either.
He ran his hands through her silky hair, wanting to bury his face in the sweet peach-scented strands. "In part, you and your brother are already one of us, if it helps any. It seems Jeremiah Cramer, your great-grandfather, was Seth Greystoke, a friend of my great-grandfather's. One of his great grandsons still lives. Which creates another situation. Maybe the solution, or not. Once Devlyn Greystoke learns of your existence, I'd be willing to bet, he'll want you to join his pack."
Tessa looked so distraught, Hunter took her hand and kissed it, and he noted how small her fingers were compared to his, just like the rest of her---petite, delicate, not tall like his sister or Cara, which meant she'd be a small wolf when she shapeshifted, and most likely unable to deal with the heftier grays if one of them tried her. But touching her turned his body into a torrent of need---the desire to claim her overcoming any rational judgment.
Trying to get his mind off what Tessa's sweet body did to his, he considered the matter of turning her further. He didn't object to making her one of their own for the same reason Leidolf did because of his roots, even though he and Meara were of royal lineage also, but having offspring who were not, didn't matter to him. Turning a reluctant woman did. But if she had wolf roots already and she was willing...
"You have a choice, Tessa." As much as he hated to admit it.
"You mean to go with some stranger?" She sounded slightly hysterical, her eyes wide, scared. "I can't leave. My brother---"
"As the last of his kin, I'm certain Devlyn would want to do whatever he could to help free your brother."
Although Hunter had every intention of freeing her brother himself, somehow.
Tessa's expression changed subtly---almost as though she thought family might be more of a help than he would be. And the notion irked him. He was her savior, no one else.
But then she squeezed Hunter's hand and his groin tightened. "What about you?"
Hell, he wanted her, but in reality, since Devlyn was a pack leader and her kin, by their laws, he should decide her future. Hunter chided himself. That was one law he wasn't willing to abide by---not when it came to Tessa's fate.
She bit her lip, her hands nervously rubbing her jeans. "What, Hunter? If it pertains to me..."
"Hell, Tessa." He tugged her from the floor and pulled her toward her bedroom. "If I was being perfectly honest with you, I'd tell you it's out of my hands. That according to our laws, your cousin would decide what would happen to you and your brother."
She slumped a little. "But...? " She looked up at him with a mixture of emotions---hope, worry, insecurity.
"I don't want to give up control." Well, a hell lot more than that. He didn't want to give her up, period.
Her lips twitched up slightly.
"Yeah, well, it's a natural curse when you're an alpha pack leader. Give no quarter."
"But...? "
"If I make you mine to prevent the other grays from having you, Devlyn might choose to fight me because of it---if I didn't get his permission first. All packs have female shortages. He may want to give you to one of his own sub pack leaders."
Not that Hunter wanted that, but alpha leaders didn't mate betas. Both an alpha male and female ran the pack. If Tessa wasn't alpha enough, she would never survive as his mate. Devlyn could pair her off with a subleader or a beta. If Tessa stayed with Hunter, there wasn't any way he was giving her to anyone else and that could put her in harm's way. He couldn't do that. But he didn't have the heart to tell her she might not be able to be an alpha's mate.
He took her into the room and shut the door.
She folded her arms and glowered at him. "Right, damn it. Like some guy I don't even know can come here and tell me who I have to marry."
"Mate. We don't marry."
Her brows rose.
"I have a lot more to tell you about us before you really know what you're getting into." Although he wasn't sure how much to reveal all at once.
For a moment, she looked annoyed, and he figured it had to do with not saying he'd fight for her. He had no qualms about fighting Devlyn for her, but the fact of the matter still remained he had to do what was right for Tessa's safety.
But then Tessa began unbuttoning her blouse. He recognized that devious look in her eyes that meant she was up to something. Get him so worked up he didn't want to give her up, perhaps. He didn't want to give her to anyone, but if it meant keeping her safe, he'd...well, he'd have to do what was right for her.
Hesitating, he didn't want to give her the wrong message. She gave him a wickedly sinful smile in response and that decided it. Talk about having no willpower when it came to the red-haired goddess.
She ran her fingers down Hunter's chest with a provocative stroke of her long nails and reached for his waistband. "What happened to your pack? Are they the ones Leidolf said were in Portland?"
What pack? Hell, his other head was thinking for him now.
He yanked her shirt down to her elbows, leaned over, and kissed her soft throat, his voice husky when he replied, "They weren't happy about losing their homes in California to the forest fire. They thought living in a city would be a nice change. But we're not urban wolves. Leidolf's pack is established in Portland. He has every right to defend his territory against encroachers."
"Hmm," she murmured, lifting her chin as he ran his mouth lower, trailing kisses over her collarbone, down to the top edge of the lacy bra covering the swell of her breasts.
Despite not looking to see where her fingers roamed, she dipped them inside his sweatpants and a shiver of need stole through him.
Lower, he silently pleaded, wanting her to stroke the itch she'd created. And she touched him, smiling when his arousal jumped in her hand.
Unable to restrain the urge to rip off her clothes and have his way with her, he reached down and attempted to unbuckle her belt, vowing she'd wear sweats like him from now on, less to remove and lots quicker.
She chuckled as he fumbled with the belt, and he growled. Somehow, despite his lust-soaked brain, he was able to remove Tessa's clothes without destroying them, baring all that luscious skin, her pert breasts, the nipples already peaked, but screened by her silky mane of red hair. She trembled in the frigid room, and Hunter scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.
"Then you'll have to go to Portland and bring them back."
Bring who back? Hell, all he cared about was Tessa at the moment. And he sure was rethinking the Devlyn situation, cousin or no, alpha leader problems notwithstanding. "I can't leave you behind while I deal with my pack."
He set her on the bed, then climbed onto the mattress and pulled the covers over them to keep the chill out. Trailing a finger around his nipples, she tortured his body, caressing with featherlight touches. "Why does the stalker want me for real?"
Jeez, she had to ask? Everything about her was sexier than sin---just to look at, to touch, to taste, to smell her special scent. But beyond that? She drugged him with her easygoing manner, her innocence, yet her strength to right wrong, to persist when everything told her the situation was futile, to risk her life to protect him. What more could a lupus garou ask for in a mate?
He gave a ragged sigh, hating that she'd garnered others' interest as well. "Your pheromones, looks, actions. You caught his attention, but he's cautious in taking you because he's a beta."
He kissed her lips, possessively, craving every inch of her, to hold, to protect, to keep her for his own forever.
"Ahh, betas, of course. Your sister and Cara are alphas, aren't they?"
He groaned inwardly. Some part of his brain realized it was important for her to talk about this, but he sure as hell wanted to get on with what his other brain felt was important. "Yeah."
"And Rourke and Ashton?" Her fingers slid over Hunter's arm, her gaze focused on the way his muscle tensed.
"Betas."
"What would I be?" Her eyes shifted to his, and he could see the concern there.
Hunter took a deep breath. "All that I want in a woman."
Her jaw tightened, her green eyes spearing him with a determined look. "I'm an alpha," she said, with great conviction. When he smiled, she pinched his pebbled nipple with a gentle squeeze. "You don't think so?"
He nuzzled her face, wanting to make love, but wanting to clear the air between them first. "Sometimes you're definitely an alpha." He couldn't lie to her and say she was always one, because he wasn't sure how she'd fare among the alpha of his kind, but he hated the way her brows pinched together, when he wanted to reassure her instead.
"A beta's not good, is it?"
He cleared his throat. Without betas, a lupus garou pack would constantly be in turmoil, alphas butting heads, what a mess. "Betas in a pack are fine. Alphas must lead the pack though."
"So if I were a beta and you turned me, I'd be stuck with someone like Rourke?"
Hunter tightened his hold on her. Hell, no way.
"Or someone of Devlyn's choosing," she whispered.
"We'll talk about it later." He ran his fingers over her smooth cheek and kissed her velvety lips, loving the way every bit of her felt to him, melding to him.
She parted her lips for him and touched her tongue to his, a sexy dominating caress, and then thrusting into his mouth, exploring, conquering, nearly undoing him.
He moaned and pushed her onto her back, her silky hair falling against the sheets, and he couldn't deny she was the most sensual and intriguing woman he'd ever met.
With a gentle push of his knee, he spread her thighs, opening her sweet body to him, her short red curls drenched, her swollen pink lips wanting. Her eyes half-lidded, she more than obliged, her hands tugging at his hips to join her.
Sliding his engorged arousal into her tight sheath, he savored the way her body stroked him as he thrust into her, clenching, tightening, wringing him to the nth degree, heightening the exquisite pleasure. He cupped her face and conquered her mouth with his, her lips and tongue fueling his desire. Tightening her hands on his back, she arched against him, deepening the bond, their hearts beating hard, their breathing heavy and ragged.
For the moment, she was all his, but it wasn't enough. It would never be enough unless he could have her for all eternity.
As if she felt it was her last chance at convincing him she wanted him to choose her for his mate, she wrapped her legs around his waist, her heels digging into his ass, pressuring him to deepen his thrusts. And he gladly did her bidding, diving deeper, craving completion, wanting to find release in the only woman he'd ever desired making his own.
She moaned, her orgasm gripping him with waves of pleasure, pulling him to the edge, and he quickly followed with a staggering climax that left him sated, but he knew it would never be enough.
Before he could roll off Tessa and pull her into his arms to enjoy the afterglow, someone pounded on the bedroom door as the wind roared over the house. Ignoring whoever it was, he shook his head and drew Tessa on top of him, wanting to snuggle and sleep, to recharge their batteries before they faced much more trouble.
"Hunter, I got through on the phone to the sheriff's office. Wind's are gusting up to one hundred miles per hour. Tessa's roof sounds like it's about to go. The sheriff's department wants everyone evacuated from the coastal areas," Rourke warned.
Tessa kissed Hunter's cheek, her hand caressing his chest. "Maybe it's time to go to Portland."
Hunter agreed. "Pack two vehicles, Ashton's pickup since it made it before, and Meara's SUV. We'll be out in a minute, Rourke."
He yanked the covers aside and grabbed Tessa's clothes and handed them to her, taking a long look at her tantalizing body, her breasts heavy, her nipples taut, a slight sheen of perspiration making her skin shimmer, and slightly red from all the hot friction they'd created. She gave him the same kind of salacious look, grinned at him when he caught her eye, and dressed.
When they entered the living room, something crashed outside and Tessa jumped. Ashton and Rourke ran to the front window and peered out.
"Ah, hell," Ashton said. "There goes my new truck."
Hunter shook his head, not happy about having to take Rourke's truck instead.
"We'd better hurry before another tree comes down." Rourke jerked on his parka. "Do we take my truck now?"
"Yeah. Ashton can drive if he's more used to the conditions." At least Hunter hoped so.
Rourke scowled as if Hunter had unmanned him. "No one can get 'used' to these conditions."
Tessa handed him an armful of blankets for the trip, and Rourke carried them out to his truck.
"Cara, you and Rourke ride with Ashton. He'll lead the way." Hunter turned to Meara. "You and Tessa will ride with me."
"Why two vehicles?" Cara asked. "Wouldn't it be better if we all stayed together in the SUV?"
"If one of us has trouble, the other can pick up the stranded passengers. Let's go." The way things had been going since they had arrived here, he had hopes for the best, but planned for the worst.
Shingles on the ridge of the roof flew off, and Tessa rushed to lock the front door. Then she and the others climbed into their respective vehicles.
Once they were on the road, Hunter hoped Rourke's truck would hug the road better with Ashton driving it.
"What are you going to do about our pack?" Meara stretched out on the middle seat, covered in blankets with a pillow underneath her head.
"Force them to leave the city. Either they'll return with us or they'll have to go elsewhere. Staying in Portland is not an alternative."
But only three miles from Tessa's house, Ashton slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching, the taillights coloring the snow cherry. The vehicle slid perpendicular to the road.
"Oh, oh," Tessa gasped.
His skin prickling, Hunter pumped the brakes and tried to avoid colliding with Rourke's truck. Tessa gripped her seat. The SUV slid to a halt. Rourke's pickup tore off the road, plowing into saplings down the steep incline.
"They'll be all right," Hunter said, his voice gruffer than he intended. At least he prayed they were all right. He cut the engine. "Stay here."
Tessa pulled on her parka. "You might need my help."
Not only did he not want her to see what had happened in case anyone had died, he didn't want her injured. Hunter grabbed her hand and shook his head, his look meant to make her obey. "Stay, Tessa. They'll be all right. We heal quickly, remember? If you become injured, we might not be able to get you any medical attention for some time. So stay." All he needed was for her to get hurt. No way was he going to permit it.
She pursed her lips, and then gave him a tight nod. He wanted to reassure her further, but time was of the essence and despite her noticeable reluctance, he was glad she'd listened to him.
Meara poked her head out from under the covers in the backseat. "What now?"
"Rourke's truck went off the road." The fact no one hollered up the hill to let them know everyone was all right furthered his disquiet.
"Oh, I'm coming with you." Meara jerked on her jacket, hat, and gloves. He could use his sister's help no doubt, although he hated to leave Tessa behind by herself.
She folded her arms and looked cross, her eyes narrowed, her brows pinched, a real hellion.
Hunter patted her leg, trying to reassure her. In a heartbeat, he would have taken her with him, except for the potential danger, and he really didn't want her to see the wreck if any of them hadn't survived. "We'll be right back."
He opened the driver's door and the frigid winds blasted him.
"Rockslide? What next. I told you we should have gone to the city to live or at least stayed in California where it's not so wet and cold," Meara grouched, then slammed the door behind her.
This was their home, for better or for worse. Hell, the forest fires were worse. Hunter closed his door, gave one last long look at Tessa, still feeling she was safer locked in the vehicle, and then at a rush, he and Meara headed across the road and down the hill.
Tessa rubbed her hands together. Now that the SUV's heater was off, the chilled wind quickly cooled the interior of the vehicle. She watched where Hunter and Meara vanished. This is ridiculous. She wasn't a fragile piece of glass that could break with the slightest motion. With her brother, she had hiked and climbed every trail into the wilderness and...well, this was just nonsense.
She buttoned her parka. Why should she stay in the car while everyone else was helping out?
She yanked on her ski cap.
Just because they could heal fast, Hunter thought she could never do anything, just to avoid being injured?
She jerked on one glove, then the other. As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw lights approaching from behind, glowing softly in the curtain of blowing snow. What if the driver didn't realize the danger ahead? Tessa dove back into the SUV and looked for the hazard lights button. Where the hell is it? There! She switched it on.
Glancing over the seat, she watched as the light blue pickup parked about twenty feet behind Hunter's vehicle. She shivered from the cold.
The truck's engine remained running. She waited, looking back in the direction Hunter and Meara had gone. Rubbing her gloved hands, she warmed her chilled fingers. Come on, come on, Hunter.
She sat on her hands and looked out the back window. The occupants of the truck didn't make a move. Did they think she was going somewhere, and they were waiting for her to do so? She climbed out of the SUV and shut the door. Stomping her boots to warm her feet, she shoved her hands in her pockets and stared at the tinted windows of the truck. Come on. Get out of your vehicle and either ask to assist, or turn around and leave.
The truck inched forward and slipped on the ice and snow. She waved her arms, trying to tell them to go back the way they came. All Hunter would need was to have this truck plow into his vehicle. Then where would they be?
The truck stopped again. Tessa glanced back at the trees Rourke's truck had plowed down. Hell. She had to help them. Hunter and Meara were taking too long. She turned around to look at the pickup. Fine. She would go to them.
She stalked toward them and slipped, nearly falling. Heat suffused every pore. She slowed her step to keep her footing, but halfway to the pickup, her spine tingled with apprehension. No matter that the air was frigid, her hands felt sweaty and her skin perspired.
Fearing the motorist was silly. After all that had happened to her concerning the stalker, she was becoming paranoid. But no matter how much she rationalized her fear, she still couldn't move. The driver could get out and ask her what the matter was. That's what froze her in place. If it was a woman, surely she wouldn't fear another woman. Which made Tessa worry the driver was someone more sinister.
The truck continued to idle, its exhaust leaving a wake of frosty smoke in its path. Fine.
"A rock slide's blocked the road," she hollered, motioning to the road ahead.
The driver didn't respond.
She whipped around, figuring she had done as much as she could to warn the idiot. Now it was high time she helped Hunter. She slipped on the ice-covered snow and nearly fell, her arms flailing to keep her balance. One of the pickup's doors opened. Another shiver stole up her spine. She didn't look back. Unable to shake free of the fear that gripped her, she walked as quickly as she could in the direction where Rourke's vehicle had disappeared, her heart racing faster than she could move.
Then running footfalls behind her, crunching on the crusted snow, warned her of the danger. Her heart in her throat, she tried to run, slipped, and landed on her butt. The person behind her was nearly at her back. Hoping her fear was unfounded, she turned. The man's ski-mask-covered face loomed in front of her before his fist slugged her in the forehead. She fell backward. Cried out. Knew at once this was the stalker. Had to be. And she was in a hell of a lot of trouble.
Amber eyes peered at her from the black knit mask. His lips turned up and she screamed, just before he clamped his gloved hand over her mouth and yanked her up from the road.
The truck inched closer. There were at least two of them. She tried to knee him in the groin, but he grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder.
She screamed, "Hunter! Help!"
"Tessa!" was the reply from down the hill.
He was too far away. Too deep in the ravine to come to her rescue. She struggled so hard against the man, squirming to get loose, he fell on his backside. Scrambling to her feet, she managed to jerk her arm free from his iron grip. The driver's door flew open and the one behind it, too.
Ohmigod, how many were there?
She dashed away from the truck and slipped on the ice, falling on her knees. Pain shrieked through her kneecaps.
"Get her, damn it," the man on the ground growled.
She jumped to her feet and took a step, but one of the men grabbed her arm, spun her around, and hit her in the cheek. Her vision blackened. She was doomed if she didn't do something---and quick.
Using her knee, she gave a hard, short jab to the man's groin. He dropped to his knees, clutching his crotch, swearing.
The first man seized her arm and dragged her toward the truck. She dug in her heels and tried to jerk free. With as quick a move as she could manage, she slipped her right leg in front of him, and he tripped and fell.
And pulled her down with him.
"Get in the damned truck!" the one yelled, who she had hopefully maimed for life.
She noticed then, the third man was standing next to the truck still, his leg in a cast. Thank god he couldn't help them.
A wolf howled, and then another. Her hope soared, Hunter would come to her rescue. The injured man ran with his hands clutching his crotch at a fast limp toward his truck, cursing violently. The other was behind him and jumped into the driver's seat. He shut the door as three wolves raced by Tessa and slammed their bodies into the truck, snarling and clawing. She was damned glad they were on her side.
Before she could react, the driver drove forward, ready to run over anyone in his path while he tried to turn the vehicle around. A new flood of adrenaline rushed through her.
With her heart in her throat, Tessa scrambled to her feet and dove off the road into the woods. Tumbling down the steep incline, she smashed into trees until she slammed into a giant fir. Upon impact with her right side, the breath whooshed out of her. Up above on the road, the truck roared off. Beyond the pain she was in, she prayed Hunter and the others hadn't been injured.
Her heart beating furiously, Tessa lay next to the tree, her face bruised, her ski hat snagged on a branch several feet up the hill. Icy snow filled her boots and gloves and clung to her hair. She couldn't stop shaking, wishing she'd had a fur coat and wicked teeth to deal with the brothers herself.
Three wolves peered down the hill at her from the roadway. "I'm all right," she hollered, feeling foolish to be talking to wolves, yet immensely relieved to see they were unharmed.
Two tore off down the incline toward Rourke's truck that was even deeper in the ravine than she had envisioned. Trees blocked her view of the truck. The biggest wolf of the three, a beautiful gray, his face masked in white, made his way slipping and sliding to her. And she wanted so to give him a big hug and kiss.
He nuzzled her hand and then her face where she hadn't been hurt. But she couldn't get over the fact that this big furry beast was a god in the flesh when he wasn't in his wolf suit.
"I'm...I'm all right. What about the others?" As if he could say anything more in response than woof. She sighed. Although she was damned glad he scared the men off, she was having a hard time believing Hunter and the wolf were one.
She tried to pull herself up, but as soon as she put weight on her right ankle, pain shot through it. She gritted her teeth and forced herself up. "Go. Help the others. I'll be fine." As long as she hadn't broken anything. But she wasn't going to be a burden to them. Not when two of them were still unaccounted for, and she imagined they had been badly hurt.
Hunter watched her struggle as she grasped at tree branches, trying not to put any weight on her ankle. She could crawl up the hill if Hunter wasn't observing her. He began to shapeshift, his gorgeous wolf form quickly shifting into the bronzed god she knew best. One minute, a feral wolf, and the next, a dangerously seductive semi-immortal.
"Jeez, Hunter, you're going to get frostbite."
Naked, he lifted her in his arms and hurried her up the hill to the SUV, his tight embrace heated, comforting, possessive, but still, she couldn't combat being annoyed with herself for her helpless condition when the others desperately needed Hunter.
As soon as he set her on the car seat, he commanded, "Stay. And lock the doors."
She didn't want to delay him, especially while he was standing naked in the frigid weather, but she had to know. "What happened to the others?"
"Rourke's unconscious. Cara's hurt. We can't get the doors unjammed. I'll be back soon." He kissed her forehead and locked the door, then shut it. Then he stretched, and began to shift, the transformation so fast, she couldn't get over how he could be a human in one moment and a wolf in the next. The change was fluid in its sensual elegance, powerful, seductive, and for a moment, she wanted to know what it felt like---exchanging skin for fur, brace-straightened small human's teeth for killer canines, having the speed and endurance and strength of a wolf instead of human frailties.
God, he was beautiful, no matter what form he took. Strong, gentle, protective.
A flash of a thought crossed her mind. What would she look like as a wolf if he changed her? Small, raggedy? Red?
Hunter loped off in his wolf coat and vanished down the hill.
Great. Just great. Here the others needed her and she was totally useless. Worse. A handicap.
She yanked down the visor to look in the mirror and see what a mess she really was. Cheek red and swollen. Matching knot on her forehead. Runny nose, red as Rudolph's. But her ankle throbbed worst of all. Although a pounding headache and aching hip came in for second place. Damn the stalker and his brother.
She peered out the window. How badly were Cara and Rourke hurt?
Headlights shone in the side mirror. She jerked her head around.
Ohmigod. It couldn't be.
The adrenaline in her system spiked again.
Had they been watching, waiting for Hunter and the others to leave her alone again? Or was it another truck that looked like the stalker's, pale blue, darkly tinted windows, slowly making its approach like before.
SEEING THE BLUE PICKUP APPROACH, TESSA INSTANTLY forgot all her aches and pains. Her heart beat with renewed dread as she watched the truck's progress. The driver paused again some distance from the SUV. It had to be them. She looked in the backseat for a weapon. Ashton's rifle! Relief washed over her.
Her hands shaking, she grabbed the weapon and then unlocked the SUV's passenger door. With the greatest care, she managed to climb out without putting any weight on her ankle and leaned against the SUV's icy metal. Aiming the rifle at the pickup's windshield, she hoped they would get the message and back off, turn around, and leave for good, no matter who they were without having to fire a shot. No way did she want Hunter and the others to come running to protect her when they needed to rescue Rourke and Cara.
The driver didn't back off. In fact, the truck inched forward. She fired a warning round in between the driver and front seat passenger, blasting a hole in the glass, the gunfire reverberating in the woods. The rifle butt recoiled against her shoulder blade, bruising it, like the last time she'd shot at the stalker, only in wolf form that time. The truck spun around, slid, stopped, and retreated. She let out her breath, feeling she'd had a reprieve.
"What the hell's going on?" Ashton hollered, carrying Cara across the road. Her head was bleeding, and she looked dazed, her eyes focusing on nothing.
"Oh, Cara." Tessa nearly dropped the rifle when she got the door for Ashton and stepped with her full weight on her injured ankle. Pain shot all the way up through her thigh, and she gritted her teeth, stifling a pathetic whimper.
"I've got my hands full," Ashton grouched. "I can't be carrying both of you at the same time."
"Oh, shut up, Ashton," Cara mumbled. "Give the poor woman a break."
Despite his scowl and the hint of sarcasm in his voice, he sounded upset to see Cara hurt. "You're bleeding to death, and you think I'm not shook up about it?"
Cara cast him a sardonic smirk. "It's one way to get rid of your mate in case you're already dissatisfied."
"You'll live." Ashton helped her into the SUV. "At least Hunter warned me you would."
Cara puckered her lips and blew him a kiss. "Hmm, the honeymoon's already over."
But Tessa didn't think so. Rather, the way he acted so tenderly toward her, despite his disdain, he seemed to suit Cara perfectly. A match made in werewolf heaven.
Tessa hurried to sit with Cara and slipped her hat over the head wound, wishing she had a scarf instead. She applied pressure and hoped Cara would be all right.
"Go help Hunter. Tessa's taking good care of me," Cara ordered Ashton.
He grunted, considered her for a moment longer and then checked to make sure the truck hadn't returned. "Stay in the vehicle this time," he said to Tessa, then closed the door, and took off across the road, disappearing down the hill.
As if she planned on going anywhere now. "Are you really going to be all right?" As big a gash as Cara had, Tessa figured she might need a blood transfusion and stitches.
"Yes. Don't look so worried. On second thought, continue to look worried. It's nice having a friend who's anxious over my welfare. It's not really part of our lifestyle. We get hurt. We get better. Life goes on. Everyone knows that in a pack. No worry."
"What about Rourke?"
"He'll be fine."
But the way Cara avoided looking at Tessa, she was pretty sure Cara didn't know the truth.
"Did you kill any of them? The men in the truck?" Cara asked, her voice hopeful.
"I was afraid it wasn't them. What if it was some other motorist with a pickup that looked like theirs?"
"It was them. The truck had the same engine rumble. Hunter couldn't leave Rourke's truck, as he was wedged in between the half-jammed door, trying to get it opened wide enough to get me out. Ashton was in the same predicament, and Hunter didn't want Meara leaving, figuring you were safe inside the locked SUV. But when you fired the rifle, he swore you'd never mind him if you joined the pack. Meara said you nearly unmanned the one guy, and if she'd gotten a hold of him, she would have done the rest. You got her vote. Guess you're an alpha after all."
"Sure." Like Tessa really believed that now, laid up with an injured ankle, unable to help anyone.
The sound of footfalls crunching on the frozen roadway caught their attention, and Tessa was relieved to see Hunter and the others, although seeing Rourke unconscious made her heart hitch.
"Here comes the rest of the crew. Help me into the very backseat, will you, Tessa? It's going to get a little crowded."
Tessa helped Cara into the backseat and was mad at herself for saying ouch when she pressed against her ankle. Cara and Rourke were the ones with the real injuries.
She smiled at Tessa. "Believe me, my head doesn't hurt a bit. I know what it's like to have torn ligaments or a broken ankle. It hurts. Nothing to be ashamed of. And if you hadn't dove over the cliff, that maniac might have injured you a hell of a lot worse."
Meara jerked the car door open, letting in a whirlwind of cold and snow. Hunter lay Rourke on the middle seat, his eyes shut, unresponsive.
Her heart hammering, Tessa leaned over the seat to touch Rourke's forehead. "Is he going to be all right?" He had to be. Didn't their kind have recuperative abilities? Yet, what if---
"He's got a concussion. We're returning to your place," Hunter said, his voice dark and strained.
"I'll sit with Rourke." Meara climbed in and lifted Rourke's head onto her lap.
Ashton got into the front seat with Hunter, then slammed the door shut.
"You didn't happen to get a license plate number off that truck, did you, Tessa?" Hunter backed away from where Rourke's vehicle had left the road and turned around.
"Before or after the one guy slugged me?" she asked. Hell, she was lucky to see that the truck was pale blue and had tinted windows in this snow. And now a bullet hole with a spider web of cracks trailing out from it in the center of the windshield. If they didn't replace it, she would recognize it anywhere.
Hunter chuckled darkly. "Yes or no would have sufficed."
"What are we going to do about them?"
"End their pathetic existence."
Rourke moaned.
"Can you hear me, Rourke?" Meara asked.
Tessa leaned over the seat again to get a look at him, keeping her hand still planted on the hat over Cara's wound to stem the bleeding. He focused his eyes on Meara and gave her a devilish smile.
Meara leaned away from him and folded her arms. "He's going to live."
Hunter looked in the rearview mirror and caught Tessa's eye. He hadn't thought Rourke would be all right. But now his shoulders relaxed, and he concentrated on the road again.
She took a deep breath of relief.
"Did you at least shoot one of them?" he asked.
"I shot the windshield. I wasn't sure the truck was theirs."
"It was them."
Rourke said, "I...got...a...call...just...before---"
"Shh, let Ashton tell the story," Meara said.
Ashton cleared his throat. "The Department of Transportation sent out the word that the coastal highway was closed because of downed electric lines, flooding, slides, and fallen trees and---"
Tessa looked up from pressing the cap on Cara's forehead to see why Ashton had quit talking.
Hunter pulled to a stop in front of a Douglas fir blocking the road. "Unless anyone thought to bring along a chainsaw, looks like this is the end of the road."
"How many miles left before we get to Tessa's place?" Meara asked.
"Two." Hunter shut off the engine. "Ashton and I can go back and grab your chainsaw, Tessa, and cut up the tree, then we'll drive home."
"No," Tessa said. Everyone waited for her to speak further on the matter. She had expected Hunter would just ignore her response. She straightened her shoulders. "We can't wait here like proverbial sitting ducks. Unless you think Cara and Rourke are too injured to move, and then we'll have to take our chances."
"Not me," Cara said.
"I'll be all right. Just someone help me up." Rourke tried to sit up with Meara's help.
"I'm thinking of you, Tessa," Hunter said.
"Well, I'm perfectly fine."
"We'll discuss this stubborn streak you have later. If everyone is agreeable, we'll all walk back to Tessa's place."
Both Rourke and Cara looked paler than normal, but they put on stoic faces and began the trek home. Tessa had planned to somehow walk on her own, but Hunter lifted her in his arms.
"You can't carry me all that way."
Everyone chuckled.
"If I didn't have a lupus garou's strength, you'd probably be right."
"I don't think I've heard anyone question Hunter's strength before and get off that easily," Meara said, her voice amused. Rourke stumbled and she took hold of his arm and kept glancing at him as if to make sure he was okay.
Ashton had his arm around Cara's waist, and she snuggled under his arm.
"About the driver of the truck, I couldn't kill him. I was afraid he might not have been the same guy who was stalking me. And even if he was..." Tessa let her words trail off. She couldn't have murdered him in cold blood. If he had tried to run her over with the truck again, she wouldn't have hesitated then.
Hunter shook his head. "The bullets wouldn't have killed him."
"Unless they were silver?"
"So legend says. I don't know of anyone who shot a lupus garou with silver bullets. But it could have happened. That's often how legends get started."
They all grew quiet. The snow fell around them, the wind still blowing hard, and they slipped as they walked on the icy road. After a mile, Rourke had slowed his pace even more, and he seemed to be leaning on Meara's strength. Ashton finally lifted Cara and carried her. But before they reached the house, Tessa saw a black Hummer parked in the driveway. Her heart tripped.
"Leidolf," Hunter said, his voice couched in annoyance.
"The red lupus garou is back for the redhead," Meara said. "Don't you think?"
"Back for me?" Not that there were any other redheads in their little party. "Red lupus garou?"
"There are red and grays," Meara explained.
"Better not be the reason why he's returned," Hunter responded.
Tessa didn't see any sign of Leidolf in the Humvee, then observed him looking out the picture window.
"How'd he get in my house?" Her frigid skin turned icier.
Leidolf opened the front door and came outside. "Back door was unlocked. Road was blocked by downed wires the way I was headed. Looks like you ran into some trouble, too."
Tessa felt sick to her stomach. At least she was pretty sure she had locked the back door. Unless someone had gone out that way and hadn't relocked the door.
"Rockslide our way. Then on the return home, a tree had fallen across the road," Hunter said.
Leidolf dropped his gaze to Tessa as if he had only now noticed her in Hunter's arms. "Is she injured badly?"
"No, she is not injured badly." Tessa frowned at him. He didn't have to act like she was a child or didn't exist.
He smiled and then looked at Hunter. "We need to talk about the woman."
Woman, as in her? Hunter didn't respond, just carried Tessa into the house and headed for her bedroom. The red lupus garou was so intolerably arrogant.
"I guess I'll play nurse," Meara said. "Not my favorite role, but I can muddle through." She followed Hunter into the master bedroom.
"I'm fine, Meara. Go take care of Cara," Tessa said.
"I'm sure Ashton will want to look after her," Meara said.
Hunter lay Tessa on the bed, and then pulled off her gloves. "I need Ashton to play guard, and I'll take Leidolf with me to cut up that tree so we can return with the SUV."
"What if they come after you?" Tessa asked, not liking this one bit.
"They won't mess with two alpha lupus garou males, guaranteed."
"Can you trust Ashton to stay put this time?" Meara asked.
"To protect his injured mate? I think so. Besides, I don't trust Leidolf to stay here with Tessa."
Meara laughed. "You know what, dear brother? I don't either." She headed down the hall and spoke in Michael's bedroom. "Here, Ashton, let me take care of Cara. Can you talk with Rourke for a minute? Make sure he's lying down in the guest bedroom? I'll see him after I bandage Cara's head."
"Did we really leave the back door unlocked?" Tessa asked Hunter. "I know for sure I locked the front door, but we were all busy getting stuff for the trip, I just don't know about the back door."
"Either we did, or we didn't. Don't worry about it, Tessa. They won't try to get in with as many of us as there are here now." He got her a glass of water and some medicine. "I'll be right back."
She leaned against the pillow and unbuttoned her parka, trying to ignore her throbbing ankle or the fact the house was frigid.
Hunter soon returned with an ice pack from the freezer. "Good thing you had this handy." He pulled the boot off her uninjured foot, and then carefully slipped the other off as she gritted her teeth in silent suffering.
"Broken or sprained?" she asked.
"Bruised and swollen. We won't know whether it's broken or sprained without an x-ray."
He placed the ice pack on her ankle, and then helped her out of her coat. Pulling the comforter off the bed, he moved it over her so that it didn't cover her foot. "Your socks are wet and cold. Let me get some dry ones for you."
As soon as he pulled open the top drawer, she opened her mouth to tell him where he should have gone. He held up a handful of colorful silk panties and smiled. "Wrong drawer."
She cleared her throat. "Try the one below that."
He pulled out a couple of pairs of pastel fuzzy socks and closed the drawer with his hip.
"They don't match."
He chuckled and pulled off her wet socks and then slipped on the dry ones. "The way to avoid spending hours looking for matching socks is to have all the same color."
"How dull."
"Works for me. It's either that or wear nothing at all."
She smiled. Yeah, she could see Hunter like that---in nothing at all.
"How's that feel?"
"Much better." Awful, really, but maybe the medicine would kick in soon.
"You're a terrible liar. Don't ever play poker."
"I play poker very well, thank you."
"Not with me. I'd insist on strip poker and I'd have you naked in record time."
She laughed.
"I'll be back after a little while."
She saluted him.
"Wrong hand. You'd never make it in the Navy SEALs."
"They don't salute when they're undercover. Remember?" She raised a brow.
"I'll take care of her," Meara said, walking into the room. "Cara's sleeping. Rourke is lying in bed. Ashton's working on a fire. Go talk to Leidolf."
"I'll be back." Hunter kissed Tessa on the lips, hot and wanting, pressing for more, until he pulled his mouth away with reservation, and she wanted to drag him back and devour him whole.
"Don't allow her to move from the bed, Meara."
"The one guy had a walking cast on," Tessa said, as Hunter was about to leave the room.
"Yeah, I saw. He had a broken leg."
"I thought you healed up quickly."
"Instead of six to eight weeks, it would be more like a week. Rest. I'll return soon." He winked and left.
Meara pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down. Tessa opened her mouth to speak, but Meara raised her finger to her own lips and raised her brows.
In the living room, Hunter said, "Come on, Leidolf. Let's get a workout on that downed tree. Watch the others, Ashton."
"Yeah, you can count on me."
The front door slammed closed.
Meara took a breath. "I hope Hunter doesn't get into a fight with Leidolf over you."
"You can't be serious." Unable to quit shivering, Tessa pulled the covers to her chin.
"Two alpha males interested in the same woman? Hell, you saw what happens when one beta wants you. You better believe now that you have to be turned; Leidolf's interested, and there will be trouble between him and my brother. Not only that, but this business with Devlyn Greystoke is bound to cause problems. Hunter told me Devlyn lost all his family in a fire. Any family connection, no matter how slight, would most likely interest him. Which leads to the real problem."
Tessa tensed, not liking the warning in Meara's voice.
"Because of the shortage of females in a given pack, a leader who can entice a female to join his pack---particularly if it's his relation---can offer her to another member, strengthening his bonds with his pack."
Finally finding her voice, Tessa said, "That sounds like some medieval barbaric ruling. The king decides which of his wards weds and whom. Why didn't Hunter already tell me this?"
Meara shrugged, but Tessa could tell she wasn't saying all there was about the subject. "All right, so what about Leidolf? He doesn't know anything about me."
"Right. But for lupus garou, pheromones have a lot to do with the selection process. We're attracted to someone's looks, but also to the sexual scent each of us gives off. It's subtle, not noticeable to the human population. Since the lupus garou males outnumber the females, males are always on the lookout for a female. But what entices one male might not another. It's like having a craving for chocolate and entering a shop full of spicy pickles. Kills the desire. Walk into the store next door where a pot of hot chocolate is brewing, the male is in love."
"Pickles and hot chocolate?"
Meara chuckled. "Okay, maybe peppermint and hot chocolate?"
Ashton poked his head in. "Interesting discussion. Fire's going good. Did you want to move in there? This room is awfully cold."
"Sparks will fly if she's moved in there by the fire and Leidolf gets close to her when he and Hunter return," Meara warned.
Ashton gave her a devious smile. "No television, radio, nothing else better for entertainment. Besides, it's freezing in here and Tessa's shivering."
"Tessa?"
"It is awfully chilly in here. With the ice pack on my ankle, it's making me even colder."
Although she intended to walk with Ashton's help, he lifted her from the bed. "Can you bring the comforter, Meara?" Ashton asked. "Unfortunately, all the blankets are either in my truck or your SUV."
"Oh, well, hell, I never thought of it," Meara said. "At least when the guys come back, we'll have some of the blankets. Is Cara warm enough?"
"After we get Tessa situated on the couch, I'll check on Cara."
"You can stay with her. I'll be the guard for a while."
Ashton lay Tessa on the couch. "Hunter will be pissed if I'm not guarding."
"I'll take care of him." Meara waved her hand and then covered Tessa with the cover. "Go. Keep Cara warm."
When Ashton retired from the room, Tessa asked, "He really won't be mad at him, will he?"
"Probably. But, we can come up with a good story."
Right. As if Tessa could bluff her way through anything where Hunter was concerned.
With the incessant frigid wind blowing, Hunter trudged through the snow back to the SUV with Leidolf at his side, carrying the axe while Hunter held the chainsaw Ashton had rescued from the demolished shed.
"You haven't turned the woman. Yet, I imagine as cozy as you are with her, she knows what we are by now," Leidolf finally said.
Hunter knew the red was interested in Tessa, and he couldn't help but be irked by it. Hell, he had enough problems already. "It's my business to take care of. Where are my people, exactly?"
Leidolf ignored his question. "She's a petite redhead. If she's turned, she'll be more like a red wolf than a gray."
"She'll be a gray. But what's your point?" Hunter was trying to keep his temper, but he knew exactly where this line of reasoning was going.
"Two bachelors in my pack are seeking mates."
Well, not exactly what he expected Leidolf to say. "And you're not?"
"I'm a royal. I already told you that. The woman wouldn't interest me."
Hunter knew better, just the way Leidolf observed Tessa when he thought Hunter wasn't looking, the way he pretended disinterest when he looked at her and knew Hunter was watching.
Leidolf swung the ax as if fighting an unseen enemy. "But since you're not interested in changing her and two of my men are, it seems we could come to some kind of agreement."
"When the weather breaks, I'll go to Portland, strictly to take my rowdy pack members off your hands, and speak with Tessa's brother in prison at Salem on the way up there. Tessa will stay with me for her own protection."
"So you haven't eliminated the stalker yet."
"You noticed Tessa's injuries? The stalker did that. Or one of his brothers."
Leidolf's expression turned stormy. "And they still live?"
"For now. As soon as the storm quits pounding the coast, we'll be up to your place. You might have noticed Tessa lost her shed, part of the shingles on her roof, a couple of trees came down on her property, one on Ashton's truck, and she has no electricity."
"No electricity in parts of Portland either. Our winds haven't reached the levels yours have, but we've suffered a lot of devastation from this system."
"So where are my people?"
"I've isolated them in one of my barns."
Hunter stiffened his spine and glared at Leidolf.
He cast him a smirk. "Teach them to run out on their pack leader. Give them worse conditions than they're used to and they'll beg to return. Although I'll admit, two escaped to Washington State."
"Have you ever had problems with your pack of this sort---that you would admit to?"
Leidolf grinned. "No, I've never had your kind of trouble. But then again, I'd been a loner for a number of years before I came here. Some in my pack believe I have special powers."
Hunter bit back a laugh and with the most serious face he could muster, asked, "Do you?"
"Some say I do."
"Doesn't seem like it to me." Hunter hoisted the chainsaw over the other shoulder.
"Maybe it's because we're both alphas and the magic only works on betas."
"Or maybe because we're both royals."
Leidolf stared at Hunter for a minute. "You're a royal, but would take a human mate?"
"I wouldn't have, had the circumstances been different. But not because I'm a royal."
"Ahh, so keeping the lines pure doesn't mean anything to you."
Hunter shook his head. "No, changing a human is the only thing that makes the difference, only now it seems I have no choice."
"We always have choices. You can give her to me."
Hunter laughed. "You, or the two males who want a mate?"
"To me, my pack, for one of the males who wants her. Don't you think three newly turned lupus garous in one pack will be a little much to handle?" Leidolf asked, avoiding the issue.
"You live in the city. How could you manage?"
"I'd keep her at my ranch in the country."
"Why don't you take Rourke or Ashton off my hands?"
Leidolf laughed. "I need females, not more males." He shook his head. Then he tilted his chin up with a gleam in his green eyes. "I contacted Devlyn Greystoke in Colorado to let him know about his distant cousin, as a courtesy."
Courtesy, my ass.
"As soon as the weather clears, he's flying out here. He wanted me to give you a message since I didn't have your phone number. Don't touch her."
Hunter attempted to shrug off the annoyance that another leader was dictating to him, even if he was distantly related to her. "And you still want Tessa?"
"Let's just say whatever happens before he arrives, happens. I wouldn't have a problem dealing with him. Not after he slipped Bella out from under my nose when she was living secretly in my territory and she's a red."
So that was why Leidolf told Devlyn about Tessa? Not out of some admiration for the gray who'd fought the murdering red alpha leader, or because he felt it was his duty. Hell no. Leidolf wanted to get back at Devlyn for stealing Bella, in the event Hunter took Tessa for his own.
Leidolf stopped dead and stared at the tree blocking the roadway around the bend. "You didn't tell me it was that big."
"OUCH," TESSA SAID AS A STAB OF PAIN SHOT THROUGH her ankle while Meara helped her settle on the couch in front of the fire.
"If Hunter changes you, it won't take as long for you to heal." Meara sat down on the chair opposite her.
"I thought you didn't care for me much." Although if Cara had spoken the truth, Meara admired Tessa somewhat and had given her stamp of approval behind her back.
"I really have no choice, do I?" Meara offered her a wicked smile.
Tessa couldn't tell if she was teasing or being truthful. Maybe a little of both.
"Hunter will be changing you. Then you'll be our pack leader's mate. So..." Meara shrugged. "I'll have to live with it, or give you a hard time. And believe me, I'm very capable of it. Just ask Hunter. Are you alpha enough to take it?"
"I'll have to be, won't I?"
"So you're going to be one of us?"
"I don't see that I have much choice." Yet if Tessa could have had a semi-normal life with Hunter, she would have jumped at the chance. Marriage meant getting along with the relatives though, but mixing it up with the personalities of a werewolf pack?
The doorbell rang and Tessa glanced back at the door. Please be Hunter and Leidolf.
"I'll see who it is," Meara said.
Tessa's heart sped up. "Wait, let me come with you." She tried to stand.
"No, you can't walk on that foot."
"You stay put, Tessa," Ashton said, hurrying into the living room, zipping up his jeans, his chest bare.
Meara crossed the floor and peeked out the security hole. "Oh, hell."
"Who is it?" Ashton asked.
"Uhm, three guys I know. If Hunter catches them here, they'll be dead meat." Meara opened the door. "Go home before my brother finds you here."
"Come on, Meara. We're planning on heading up to Idaho for a change of scenery. Come with us."
"Leave," Ashton said, joining Meara at the door, his voice as threatening as Tessa had ever heard it. "Now."
He might be a pushover when it came to Cara, which made her wonder if Bethany had had the same effect on him. But when it came to most men, except for Hunter, he could get pretty physical.
Tessa couldn't see the other guys, but she was dying to get a look.
"Are you going to make us? One lone male?"
"Two," Rourke said, looking pale still as he made his way to the front door, a little unsteady on his feet. "Oh hell, they're three of the ones Hunter and I smelled down by the beach. Why don't you leave before the two alpha pack leaders return and rip you guys to shreds?"
One laughed. "Like there'd be two alpha leaders chumming together."
Her head bandaged, Cara walked into the room and grabbed the rifle. "Here, Ashton. Want to go hunting?"
"Hmm, maybe you'd like to go with us," another male said.
"I've got a mate. He's the one now holding the loaded rifle," Cara said. "So maybe you ought to run along like everyone says."
"Do they know anything about the gray Ashton saw? My stalker?" Tessa asked from the couch.
"A stalker, you say, little lady?" one of the men said. "We might know something about it. Got some beers?"
"Oh, no. You guys just get out of here," Meara warned. "If my brother catches you after you encouraged me to leave our cabin, no telling what he'll do to you."
"If any of them know about my stalker, I want to talk to them," Tessa said, trying to make it off the couch. "So let them in."
"No, we can't." Meara shook her head at Tessa. "Believe me, you don't want to see what Hunter will do if he finds them here."
Tessa sat on the arm of the couch and scowled. "Let them in now, or else."
"It is her house," Cara conceded.
"Then I'm leaving." Meara folded her arms. "I won't watch Hunter kill them."
"I'll go with them, we'll talk, and then return. All right with everyone?" Jeesh, Tessa couldn't believe she would have to leave her own house to interrogate possible witnesses.
"Then Hunter would really kill them," Meara said. "No way are you leaving with them."
"She's not one of us?" one of the men asked, trying to look around the wall of people at the door.
Tessa caught a glimpse of the man who appeared to be in his midtwenties, black beard and shoulder-length hair, dark brown eyes. Cute. No wonder he had enticed Meara to go with him.
He whistled. "I've never heard of a human in a lupus garou pack."
"Come in and tell me what you know about my stalker," Tessa commanded and would have dragged him into the house, if it hadn't been for her blamed ankle.
No one moved. Meara and the rest still blocked the three guys from entering. Ashton still held his rifle ready.
"Fine." Tessa hobbled to the front door. "Let me out and I'll speak with them on the front porch."
Rourke grabbed her arm so she could lean against him. "You don't even have your coat on."
"Well, someone get it for me."
"Oh hell, let them in." Meara raised her hands in resignation. "If they're too stupid to recognize the danger..." She shrugged and returned to the living room and collapsed on the recliner.
"Are you sure?" Ashton asked, still keeping the men at bay on the front porch.
"Let them in," Tessa said. "It's my house and my business. Besides, if Hunter learns you sent them away and they had information about the guy who's trying to turn me, he'd be even more furious."
The black-haired guy nodded. "I told my friends I thought that was what this was all about. Either that, or a pretty lupus garou female lived here on her own. Although we smelled a human female and suspected the gray got himself hooked on one of them instead."
Rourke lifted Tessa in his arms and carried her back to the couch. "Might as well let them in, Ashton. Tessa's right. If they know something about this gray and his brothers, and we chase these guys off, Hunter's bound to be furious with us." He cast Meara a sympathetic look. "Guess we'll just have to hope he doesn't kill them afterwards."
"Maybe we can get whatever information they have out of them quickly, and they can be on their way," Cara suggested, sitting beside Tessa on the couch.
Ashton motioned with the gun. "Get inside. You're letting all the cold air in."
"Like it's our fault," the black-haired guy said. "Jessup's the name. These are my friends, Redmond, on account he's got a red lupus garou in the mix way back when, otherwise he's all gray. We try not to hold the other against him." He gave Redmond a sly smile. "And Butch, cuz he chopped off all his hair, although we haven't figured out why he would do that now in the dead of winter."
Looking cross, Meara cleared her throat. "Now that you've made your introductions, tell us what you know about this guy and his brothers and then get your butts out of here."
Redmond stood next to the fire, warming his backside and grinned at Tessa. "I can see why he's got the hots for you. So, are you the one who's getting her?" he asked Rourke.
Meara gave a haughty laugh. "He might want her, but my brother is the one who's claimed her. Quit changing the subject and tell us what you know."
"Thought we might have a beer while we're talking." Butch's pale green eyes speared Tessa.
"No." Tessa wondered why the guy seemed so familiar. The courthouse! His hair was cropped short now, not long like when she had seen him at the trial, she was pretty sure. And he stood a little taller now, not as sloop-shouldered. But the eyes...she was sure they were the same eyes that had watched her so closely. "No alcohol in the house." Tequila, but not for the likes of them. "What do you know about my stalker?"
She noticed Rourke surreptitiously taking pictures of the three men using his phone. She knew if he put his heart into it he would make an excellent investigative reporter.
"He and his brothers aren't from around here," Jessup said. "Like most unmated males, they're looking for a female. He saw you sometime and decided you were the one for him."
"Have you met them? Talked to them? Know who they are?"
Jessup tipped his head to the side. "Yoloff is the one who wants you. The one with the broken leg, he's Andreas, and Ren is the other. They're from Arizona, not looking to settle down here. Too wet. I talked to Yoloff. He didn't say what he was doing here exactly, but I knew it had to be over a woman. They plan to return to Arizona once they've finished their business here."
Or Hunter finished with them. Tessa looked over at Butch. "How come you were at my brother's trial?"
He stared her down as if he was trying to intimidate her, then finally shrugged. "Why would I be at a human's trial?"
"I don't know. Why?"
Waiting for his response, everyone watched him. Either Redmond and Jessup didn't know their friend had been at Michael's trial, or they pretended innocence.
Butch gave her a smirk. "Don't know your brother, why he'd be on trial, or where it was held either. You must have mistaken me for someone else."
"You wouldn't have been at my house at some time or another, would you have? As an electrician? Plumber?"
He didn't say anything.
Then Rourke jumped into the fray. "The three of you were at Bethany's house. Why?"
Butch smiled in an evil way, turning his attention from Rourke to Tessa. "I thought we were discussing your stalker, Miss Anderson."
"Seems you might know something about Bethany's murder, too," Tessa said, her blood stirring. "Where do you live? Why have you been in the area? Seeking mates, too?"
"Always." Redmond winked at her. "Can't blame us. When the urge hits us...Human females are one thing, but they're not quite as feral as our own kind. No offense, miss."
She wanted to say that Hunter seemed to be attracted to her even if she was human. And so was this Yoloff. But maybe Hunter didn't really want her. Sure, he had said that all along. Not permanently. She would scratch an itch, but not in the long run. She could never be as wild as their kind. It wasn't in her nature. Look at her bedroom attire even---soft, cuddly pajamas, or slinky nightgowns in summer, but he was probably used to his women naked. Not that she was inhibited about sleeping nude, but it just seemed...weird. Especially since she was alone. Well, even with a guy unless they were making love.
Everyone was waiting for her response. She was sure her cheeks were rosy red as hot as they felt.
"Okay, so what about my other questions? Where do you live? Around here? I've never seen you in town before."
"Farther west," Jessup said.
"So what brought you here?"
"Looking for mates. Redmond already said so. But we couldn't find any. Not until we caught Meara's scent. We were curious about you, too, because Yoloff wanted you. So we've been hanging around, trying to catch sight of you."
But Tessa knew it wasn't true because Butch had been at the trial. "Did you see Hunter fighting the other gray?"
"No, but if we had, we would have come to his aid."
She didn't think Jessup or his friends would have helped Hunter. Why would they? When he was sure to keep them away from his sister.
Unless that's why Jessup and his buddies were hanging around here. To get rid of Hunter and it had nothing to do with Tessa. Sure, and then one of them could claim Meara. Or try to, if she was all alone.
Although he would probably have a fight on his hands. But if Hunter had died and she was so distraught over losing him, Jessup or one of the others would come to comfort her. He might have gotten his way with her then.
Jessup cast a glance at his buddies, looking a little uncomfortable when Tessa didn't respond to his remark about coming to Hunter's aid when he fought the gray.
"What about Bethany?"
"We were curious about what had happened to her. Sometimes the police can't pick up clues that we can," Jessup said.
Rourke stood taller. "Why would you care?"
Jessup raised a black bushy brow. "We wondered if they had the right murderer."
"Why?" Rourke asked again. "If you're not from this area, and the killer wasn't part of your pack, what difference would it make to you?"
He shrugged. "Just curious. Like I said."
Before Tessa could ask them another question, everyone but her turned their attention to the front of the house. She didn't hear anything, but she assumed they must have.
The door slammed open and Hunter stood in the entryway, his face dark as he considered the three new men standing in Tessa's living room. Leidolf stalked in beside him and his expression was just as lethal.
Jessup, Redmond, and Butch's posture changed from arrogantly sure of themselves to ready to run out the back door as they moved closer together and took a step backward.
"Meara?" Hunter roared, although he kept his eyes on the three men.
"Uhm, I told them they'd better hightail it out of here, but your future mate insisted they come in for a chat, since they know something of Tessa's stalker," Meara said, her voice a little shaky.
Tessa imagined not much shook her up.
Hunter's expression changed subtly as he looked at Tessa, not as angry, but she couldn't grasp what he was feeling. He jerked his attention back to the three grays. "Start talking."
His voice vibrated with raw anger and a shiver even streaked up Tessa's spine.
"We already told her who the stalker is. Yoloff."
"So which one of you killed Bethany?" Hunter asked, his voice still threatening.
"You got it wrong, mister," Jessup quickly said. "Sure, we went to her house and checked the place out. We were looking for valuables. She wasn't there any longer to care."
"Thieves? You three are thieves?" Tessa asked, her voice rife with disbelief.
"We had nothing to do with her death," Redmond said. "We were curious about who might have killed her though. So we looked around for any evidence the police might have missed. But we'd never met the lady."
Tessa pointed to Butch. "Why was he at my brother's trial then?"
Hunter focused on Butch, and he shrank under the harsh scrutiny. "The lady is mistaken," he quickly said. "I told her so already. I wasn't there. Don't know anything about it."
"Police car just drove up in the driveway," Leidolf warned.
Someone yelled from the driveway. "Hello!"
"Deputy William O'Neal," Ashton and Rourke said at the same time.
"I'll take care of him," Rourke said.
Before he made it to the door, the deputy poked his head inside. "Is everyone all right? Sheriff got a call that Rourke's truck careened down a hill. We didn't find anyone so assumed everyone made it out all right, but I had to make sure."
"We're a little battered," Rourke said, "but otherwise okay."
"Good, glad to hear everyone's all right. I'll let the sheriff know. Road's still blocked the way you were going, but north of here has been cleared."
"Thanks, Deputy." Jessup inched toward the front door, keeping his distance from Hunter. "We'll be running along then."
"You were going to stay awhile and explain some other matters to us," Hunter said, with a warning look.
"Later. Got to run." Jessup gave Meara a long look and then rushed out of the house.
Redmond and Butch followed him, although Butch glanced back at Tessa. She was sure he had been at the trial. But why?
Hunter took a step toward him, and he dodged outside.
"We've got road crews clearing the rock slide and the rest of that tree, but it'll probably be another day or so before it's cleaned up. Is your electricity still out?" the deputy asked.
"Yes, it is," Tessa said.
"We're going to Portland," Hunter announced. "At least some of us are. The rest are going to my cabins up north of here. They've got generators at least."
"Oh and by the way, Bethany Wade's parents confirmed they had asked you to check her house for any evidence that would lead to finding the right murderer. They never believed Michael had done it. So you're welcome to go there anytime," the deputy said.
Tessa closed her gaping mouth. Hunter and Rourke smiled.
The deputy looked at Ashton. "Your dad wants you to report in, let him know what's going on. See you all later." He returned to his vehicle and backed out of the drive.
Meara took a deep breath. "Who's going where?"
"Can you handle Ashton and Rourke?" Hunter asked.
"No moon for a few days," Meara said. "They should be fine."
"I promise I'll protect the women," Ashton said.
Rourke seconded his promise.
"Okay, then. I want the four of you to go to our place. Meara, we have a couple of rifles there, plenty of food, and the generator will keep you warm. Tessa and I are going with Leidolf. We'll drop by the prison to speak with Michael and then head to Portland."
"You trust me to not run off?" Meara gave her brother a wicked smile.
"Yeah, since you know what a problem this is if I can't rely on you."
"You can count on me. So, when are you going to change her?" Meara asked.
"When the time's right. I can't now until the moon reappears, for one."
Meara gave Hunter a get-real look.
Tessa wondered what that meant, although she again assumed Hunter wasn't interested in being saddled with her. Why didn't he just "give" her to Leidolf or Devlyn then? Not that she wanted to be handed off to another lupus garou pack either, and she wasn't sure she could handle becoming a werewolf in any event. She hadn't any family anywhere else that she could run to. Still, if she could get Hunter to help free her brother, she might be able to disappear and...
But she couldn't leave her brother. What a mess she was in.
Hunter carried Tessa out to the Humvee. When he had her settled on the seat, he propped her foot up to ease the swelling and covered her with a blanket. Watching him change from hostile when it came to dealing with Jessup and his friends to tenderness when handling her, she wished he could've been a regular guy. But then again, the fact he wasn't was probably why she loved him so much. Love?
"Let's go," Hunter said.
He and Meara moved some of the gear to Leidolf's vehicle and after Hunter locked Tessa's place, they all loaded into the two vehicles.
Hunter motioned to Ashton to take off. Meara waved as they headed out.
"Are you sure dividing our forces is such a good idea?" Tessa asked, as Leidolf drove out of her driveway.
Leidolf chuckled darkly. "A lupus garou would know never to question the alpha leader's decisions."
Talk about male chauvinists. Tessa folded her arms.
Hunter smiled at her over the seat. "She'll learn."
"You and your kind may live in the Dark Ages, Hunter, but I'm not going there."
"Are you sure you don't want me to take her off your hands?" Leidolf asked.
During most of the drive, Hunter had seemed to be brooding about something, but Tessa didn't want to ask what the matter was in front of Leidolf. When they arrived in Salem, the sun had already set and visiting hours at the prison were over. If it hadn't been for all the ice and snow, they might have made it in time. Tessa brushed away useless tears, hoping to hide her distress. Both Leidolf and Hunter caught her action though.
Leidolf drove them to a nearby hotel. "Two beds, one room for safety sake?" he asked.
"Two adjoining rooms will suffice," Hunter said. "But drop by the hospital first, will you?"
Leidolf cast a questioning glance Hunter's way.
"To get Tessa's ankle x-rayed."
Leidolf found the hospital and when he parked, Hunter skipped getting a wheelchair for her and carried her in. Once a technician had taken her in for an x-ray, Leidolf took a seat in the empty waiting room while Hunter stood nearby.
"So what was that all about?" Leidolf asked.
Hunter looked over at him. "What?"
"Not wanting to turn Tessa until the next moon appears. You're a royal. You can shapeshift anytime it suits you, moon or no."
"I want her to be ready for it."
Leidolf shook his head. "She'll never ask you to change her. The idea of confronting Devlyn bother you? If I were you, I'd have doubts."
"I'm not turning her over to you and your pack, Leidolf, so quit suggesting it."
Leidolf smiled and sat back in his chair. "She's too petite to be a gray. She couldn't handle your pack when you're away, could she?"
Hunter looked back at the hall where Tessa had disappeared.
"Three newly turned lupus garous all in one pack make for an awful lot of trouble. What are you going to do about her brother? Ashton's father, the sheriff? What about Rourke? Has he got any family?"
Hunter tried to ignore him, but the truth of the matter was he had no idea how he was going to handle any of it.
"Ashton might not be very close to his father, which will help some, although his father seems to keep tabs on him. But, Tessa, you can tell she's really close to her brother."
Hunter would deal with it, damn it. All of it, somehow.
The sound of a wheelchair rolling along the floor down the hall drew closer and Hunter's spine stiffened.
A nurse pushed Tessa into the waiting area, but all that Hunter focused on was Tessa's smiling face as she held onto a pair of crutches, her enticing lips beaming, her green eyes sparkling, the dimples in her cheeks endearing. His frown evaporated and he let out his breath as he hurried to join her.
"The ankle's not broken," she said. "Just a bad sprain."
"Good show. I'll take her," he said to the nurse and wheeled Tessa out of the hospital.
"Want to get something to eat?" Leidolf asked, walking them to the Humvee.
"It's late and it's hard for Tessa to get around. We'll get room service."
Leidolf opened the back door for Tessa. "Sounds good to me."
When they returned to the hotel and got the rooms, Leidolf dropped off their bags and leaned Tessa's crutches next to the bed while Hunter deposited her on the mattress.
Leidolf bowed his head slightly. "See you both in the morning."
Tessa frowned. "You don't want to have room service with us?"
"No," Hunter said, and then gave Tessa a half smile as soon as he realized how harsh he sounded. "Leidolf drove all that way. I offered to relieve him while you were sleeping, but he won't let anyone drive his Humvee. So he needs his rest."
"I'd take you up on sharing a...meal with you, Tessa, but I believe Hunter is feeling a bit possessive." Leidolf shrugged. "It happens to the best of us from time to time. If you have any trouble in the middle of the night, don't hesitate to holler for my help. Just keep the adjoining doors to our room unlocked, and I'll come running. Good night." He slipped into the hall and closed their door.
"You should have let him eat with us," Tessa chastised.
The lock to the adjoining door clicked open.
Wanting to be alone with Tessa and not about to change his mind, Hunter removed Tessa's parka and didn't comment.
"Aren't you going to unlock our door for Leidolf?" she asked, her voice annoyed.
"Later." Hunter lifted the phone off the hook and called room service. "Two steaks, one rare, one medium, baked potatoes, everything on them, blue cheese dressing on the salad, water. Thanks." He hung up the phone. For a moment, he stared at her.
She folded her arms. "What?"
"Pajamas?"
"Of course."
He turned the heat on in the room and then he came over to the bed and began unbuttoning her sweater. "I like summer best."
"Why's that?"
"Fewer clothes to remove." He grinned at her.
Her cheeks heated. She could just imagine he would be half-naked---no totally naked---all summer long. "As if it matters to you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She smiled. "I can imagine you don't wear much at all in the summer."
"You'd imagine right." He kissed her forehead and then unwrapped Tessa's injured foot. "I'll get some ice in the bucket for it."
He unlocked the adjoining door, then grabbed the bucket and headed for the door to the hallway. When he opened it, Leidolf had his hand raised, ready to knock. In the other hand, he was carrying a full ice bucket.
"For Tessa." He handed it to Hunter.
Feeling annoyingly humbled, Hunter gave him the empty one. "Order your meal yet?"
"Yeah, a rare steak. It's on it's way."
"Bring it over to our room when you get it." Hunter closed and locked the door, and then turned.
Tessa smiled at him.
"What?"
"Nothing, Hunter. Well, except you're a paragon of mixed messages. I can't understand why your people left you."
"They were mad about losing their homes in the forest. They have some notion that if they live in the city, or in the case of the others, down in the California vineyards, they'll avoid this tragedy again. It's understandable to an extent. But we've always lived on forested land. I can't imagine making do anywhere else. However, I don't begrudge them their choice. Pack members can leave any time they want."
"Except for Ashton, Rourke, or me."
"That's different. You're right. You'll need plenty of supervision for the first year at least."
"I don't like to be supervised, I can tell you that right now. I've always been responsible for my brother, the one in charge, the one who's had to deal with everything."
"Then it'll be a nice break for you." Hunter set the bucket of ice on the bedside table.
"I won't give up my independence, Hunter."
Someone knocked on the door. "Room service!"
Tessa folded her arms. "It's not something I do because I've had to. I'm wired that way. And not you or anyone else is going to take that away from me."
Hunter shook his head, grumbled something about another Meara under his breath, and opened the door. As soon as he did, he hesitated to let the man enter with the food. To Tessa's surprise, Hunter tried to shove the door closed in the man's face. But the metal cart blocked him and with a hard push, the server rammed it into Hunter's stomach.
He stumbled back, cursed, and tried to regain his footing.
But what happened next, chilled Tessa to the bone. Two wolves charged into the room, while the man with the cart brandished a large carving knife and taunted Hunter with it.
"Damn it to hell. They're royals," Hunter said.
The heavier-set wolf jumped onto the bed. Tessa grabbed one of her crutches. Swinging it at the wolf, she hit him in the side of the head with a whack. He yelped and jumped off the mattress and landed with a thud on the carpeted floor.
The other leapt up next, while Hunter seized hold of the food cart and rammed it into the knife-wielding menace. Tessa swung her crutch at the white-faced wolf, the one who had bitten Ashton, but he dodged her blow. And then he dove in again.
Unable to move the crutch fast enough, she dropped it and instinctively threw her hands to block him from ripping out her throat. She grabbed hold of his neck, his teeth snarling and snapping, but she was losing her grip.
Leidolf threw open the adjoining door when the wolf bit Tessa's arm. Hunter yanked the knife out of the gray's hand and plunged it into his neck.
For an instant, everyone seemed to stop in mid-motion. The man collapsed, holding his jugular, blood spilling all over the carpeted floor. The two wolves dashed out of the room. Hunter turned to Tessa.
Tears blurred her eyes and she held her bloodied arm.
He hurried to her and gave her good arm a squeeze. "I'll get a towel. Call 911, Leidolf."
"He's dead," Leidolf said, feeling the man's pulse.
Hunter let out his breath, grabbed a towel from the bathroom, and wrapped it around Tessa's arm. "Do you feel any differently?"
"Sick to my stomach." Tears trailed down her cheeks. "My arm hurts. And I twisted my ankle some more." But what distressed her the most was the sight of the dead man in their room. Why couldn't the men have left her alone?
Sirens sounded as emergency vehicles headed down the street toward the hotel.
"Guess someone else called the crisis in," Leidolf said. He pulled some yellowed newspaper clippings out of the man's pocket. "Are you sure you don't want to give her up to me?"
AS SOON AS HUNTER SMELLED THE GRAY WHO'D BEEN wielding the dinner cart, he knew they were in for trouble. But he never expected the three brothers were royals.
"He might not have changed Tessa," Leidolf said, as Hunter paced in the jail cell across from him. "You can't worry about things you have no control over. Besides, she'll be all right anyway since there's no moon out tonight."
"What about the brothers of the gray I killed? What if they locate her?"
"The police said they'd watch her. So quit worrying."
Quit worrying. Like that was a possibility.
"When you called your lawyer, how long did he say it would take to get us out of here?" Hunter still couldn't believe the human police arrested them. It was clearly self-defense, but some witness, probably one of the brothers, had stated otherwise.
"Soon. Don't worry. My people will be at the hospital with Tessa and they'll take good care of her."
"Including the two bachelors who want her? Admit it, Leidolf. You want her. What were those newspaper clippings about? Anything important?"
"Yeah. One was a news story written in 1865 about a confrontation between Caleb McKnight and Seth Greystoke, stating Seth had stolen his gold."
"Caleb McKnight?" Hunter rubbed his chin, then swore. "Hell, that was the other man in the photo with Seth, my great-grandfather, and great uncle when they were panning for gold in California."
Leidolf leaned against the wall and peered out the bars at Hunter. "The other news article was written twelve years ago about a John Anderson who had killed Caleb McKnight in self-defense over a gold dispute. Said John's grandfather had stolen the gold from Caleb's grandfather. But of course, it would have been Caleb himself. Guess who he left behind? Three sons by the name of Yoloff, Ren, and Andreas."
Hunter shook his head. "The three brothers who have been stalking Tessa. So there was more to it than Yoloff just wanting Tessa for a mate. The possibility he'd get her land and the gold supposedly hidden somewhere on the property. How much you want to bet the other three grays are all tied into this?"
"They're a pack from La Grande. If they could get rid of you so the one could have your sister and your property, possibly have killed Bethany to have hers, and now are trying to take Tessa and consolidate her lands---they'd have amassed quite a bit of expensive property. Not to mention the gold, wherever it is, and two females to add to their all-male pack."
The sound of footsteps distracted them, and Hunter let out his breath when he saw the guard walking toward them. It was about damned time. He didn't want Tessa alone without his protection for one more minute.
The guard unlocked Leidolf's cell. "You're free to go. The other one..." The hefty man shrugged. "Your lawyer said it'll take more time."
"Leidolf," Hunter roared. "What did you tell your lawyer?"
Leidolf waved at him as he headed down the hall with the guard. "We'll take good care of her until you're sprung."
Hell, Hunter should never have trusted a red pack leader. But he didn't have a gray lawyer in the area yet either. "I want to make a phone call!" he hollered to the guard as he led Leidolf out. "Now!"
Her skin frigid with fresh apprehension, Tessa sat in the waiting room of the hospital where she had gotten her ankle x-rayed earlier. After a couple of stitches, her arm was bandaged. She was beginning to look like Hunter after he fought his battles.
Supposedly, some of Leidolf's pack were coming to get her and watch over her until Leidolf and Hunter could come for her. Damned police! Why wouldn't they listen? Hunter killed the gray in self-defense!
But what if the people coming to get her were not Leidolf's people? What if it was her stalker pretending to be one of his pack members? She had no way of telling.
She closed her eyes as the pain in her ankle and arm intensified. Had she been turned? She didn't feel any differently. Wouldn't she feel like stripping off her clothes and turning into a wolf? But then again, Meara said there was no moon so they couldn't do that. Or maybe she wouldn't feel any different until then either. But her stalker and his one brother had turned into wolves. How?
The one whose leg had been broken was all healed up, too. Although she wasn't sure who was who.
"Miss?"
She opened her eyes and looked up at the fatherly looking cop, Allan Smith, his hair salt and pepper, his cheeks round and jovial, and his eyes the prettiest crystal green she had ever seen. Thankfully, he was guarding her until someone came for her. He handed her his cell phone.
"Hunter Greymere wants to talk to you."
She grabbed the phone and tried to steady her voice before she spoke. "Hunter, where are you?"
"Jail, still. I can only make a quick phone call. Leidolf's on his way there to pick you up. His people will be there soon also. I may be here for a while, unless I can get hold of someone on my own to get me out."
"You killed the man in self-defense."
"I know, but I'm not sure what Leidolf told his lawyer. In any event, I'm going to need help getting out. Meara's number is 431-110-5629. Don't go with Leidolf. Tessa, I've got to go."
"No, wait!"
The phone died. She felt like her lifeline had just been ripped away from her. "How can I get Hunter out of jail? He's innocent," she said to the cop.
"I've got a friend I can call." He winked, then punched in the number. Holding the phone to his ear, he waited for someone to answer and said to Tessa, "I don't think the wolf turned you."
Tessa closed her gaping mouth.
He smiled. "You didn't know I'm one, and if you'd been changed, you would."
"Are...are you a gray or a red?"
"Gray. I don't know Hunter or Leidolf either, but I wouldn't let a red have a gray's selected mate." He paused. "Hey, Charlie? It's Allan Smith. Got a problem. Need to get a gray out of jail who was defending his chosen mate. Another gray was killed in the fight. The name's Hunter Greymere. No, not from around here. Alpha leader from the coast." He chuckled. "It gets worse. A red alpha leader from Portland is trying to claim her for his own. You ever hear about the gray devil wolf, Seth Greystoke? Hell, his grandson claims the little lady is his distant cousin, and he wants her."
The cop looked at Tessa and smiled. "No, human still," he said into the phone, then laughed. "Yeah, I'd say she'd be worth it, but then you'd have three alpha leaders at your throat. Better leave her well enough alone. Hurry it up though. I'll conveniently tuck Miss Tessa Anderson away somewhere safe at the hospital. Call me when you have Hunter released. Well, you owe me for getting your brother off for drunk driving---how many times? And you know me---I'm a sucker for beautiful, redheaded damsels in distress." He chuckled. "Talk later."
He clicked off the phone, lifted his nose and sniffed the air. "Shit. They're coming." He lifted Tessa up and hurried down the hall.
"Who?" Tessa whispered. "The reds or the brothers of the gray Hunter had to kill?"
Hunter wasn't often impressed with bureaucracy when he had to deal with it, but whatever Tessa had done had worked. And he was damned proud of her.
He considered the cop as he drove him to the hospital, who looked like he was suffering from ulcers or a very bad day, older man, graying temples, sandy brows, very big scowl.
"When will we get there?"
"Ten minutes." The cop glanced at him with a frown splitting his forehead in two. "What? You want me to run the sirens, too? Who the hell are you? The judge rarely changes his mind on a case. But just like that, one call and you've got half the force hopping."
"I acted in self-defense when the man came at me with a knife. But I guess it pays to have friends in high places in any event. Been a cop long?"
The man smiled as if reminiscing about the good old days. "Texas Ranger when the first unit was formed. Worked my way west into this lawless territory in the early ages. Changed my name numerous times, retired several times, had to 'die' a number of times to keep up appearances. But yeah, I've been one of the good guys for a few years. What about you?"
"In the army for a number of years, different sides, different countries, different wars, time periods, trained in some of the more specialized forces later, Navy SEALs for one."
"No shit?" The cop shook his head. "I always wanted to be one of those." His face turned stern again. "So how come you have to change the woman? Judge says she's one of us, kind of."
"Long story, major nightmare."
"Too bad. It's better when you both are willing. Happened to me, too, though."
"What happened?"
"She's still giving me grief." The cop gave Hunter a smirk. "As soon as they allowed women on the force, she became a cop also. Said she wanted to see what I did all day. But don't you believe it. She just wants to make sure I don't turn another woman."
"How long have you been together?"
"Ninety-eight years and counting." The cop pulled into the back of the hospital. "Let me call Allan Smith. He's a buddy of mine who's taking care of the little lady." He punched in some buttons on the phone and said, "Hey, Caruthers here. You got her?" He looked at Hunter. "The guy's here with me. He's a Navy SEAL. Yeah, that's why he got the jump on the gray with the knife. I'm sending him in the back way. The reds are there?" He smiled. "I'll tell him. Gotta go. See you this weekend to go fishing?" He laughed. "Okay, when it warms up a bit."
Caruthers shut off his phone. "Take the back stairs, third floor, Room 301. Let me tell you, pal, if I had it to do all over again, I'd turn my Greta in a heartbeat. There aren't enough females in the world to go around. Sometimes we've just got to take a chance and hope for the best."
Allan Smith tucked his phone into his belt. "I'll wait in the hall for your mate. All my best to you, young lady." The cop left Tessa alone and closed the door.
Sitting in a vinyl chair, she clenched and unclenched her hand. Now what would they do? She didn't think Hunter would want to return to the hotel. Not after the killing there. She sure didn't want to go there either. She shuddered. The look of death on the gray's face would haunt her forever.
"You must be Hunter Greymere," Allan said beyond the door.
Her heart gave a jump to hear that he'd arrived, and although she was relieved he found her before anyone else did, her stomach fluttered with apprehension.
"I'd claim her nice and official-like to set things straight with the red and before some distant relation tries to take her home with him, if I were you. The other gray didn't change her, by the way."
"Thanks, officer, for the advice, and the news," Hunter said, his voice gruff.
"Navy SEAL, eh? The guy must have been crazy to mess with you. I'll be right here, so take all the time you need."
Now that he had his memories back, had Hunter remembered truly being a Navy SEAL? It definitely suited his character. Or was he continuing the tale, enjoying it too much to give it up?
"Thanks." Hunter opened the door, closed it behind him, stalked across the floor to join her, looking like a warrior with a mission, his harsh expression a mixture of sternness and worry, and she had an inkling he intended to turn her. She definitely had mixed emotions about the whole thing.
"Navy SEAL? You really were one?" she whispered, raising her hands to offer herself to him, to take the plunge, to become something she couldn't begin to imagine being. Part of her welcomed the change, the chance to be with the man who heated her blood like no other had ever done, yet part of her wanted to remain as she was, still wanting Hunter for her own, but without the life-altering change.
"Yeah. You were right all along, Tessa honey. Meeting on the beach like we did was...karma. Although if I'd been more with it, I would have acted a lot more like one of the SEALs."
Her mouth slightly gaped. "How could you have been a SEAL as a werewolf?"
"We can be anything we want, if we're so inclined and have the aptitude." He winked at her and the sexy look slid a volley of heat through her.
And then she gave him a half smile. "Wonder what your SEAL friends would have thought if they'd known how we met."
"They would've been cursing my fortune that a beautiful woman had come to rescue me and not them." He lifted her from the chair, hugged her to his chest, tighter than need be as if he'd feared losing her and wanted to prove to himself she was all his---which suited her just fine---then carried her to the bed. "We've got to talk."
Talk? She felt the tension in his muscles, saw the way his eyes darkened with need, smelled the subtle change in him, indicating he was becoming aroused. She wanted him with all her heart. So why didn't his heated embrace make her melt against him? She stiffened instead, unable to hide a nagging concern. What if he changed her, then gave her to a beta wolf? "You don't think I'm enough of an alpha."
"You're an alpha all right. After you clobbered that gray with the fireplace tongs and tonight again with your crutch?" He gave her a small smile, set her on the bed, and tucked some of her hair behind her ear with a tender touch. "A beta female would have tucked tail and run. With your sprained ankle, if you'd been a beta, you would have easily given up. I saw you trying to keep Yoloff from biting you. If I could have, I would have ended his miserable life, too."
Hunter's fingers shifted to the buttons on her blouse, his urgent struggle making her smile.
But she still had to know---was he defying Devlyn? Taking her for his own? What were his intentions? Yet even so, she didn't stop him. She couldn't. Whenever he wanted her, she had no power to hinder him, just as she had no control over her own craving to have him. "I thought we were going to talk."
"I can't deny I'm uncomfortable doing this to you, Tessa. I don't want you to regret it. But I also don't want to bite you. Wolves do bite in playfulness, but as a wolf to human?" He shook his head and pulled her blouse off her shoulders.
So he was changing her. But that didn't mean he was taking her for his mate. Despite wanting to know the truth first, her body instantly responded to his touching her, flames stoking her insides, a wet readiness preparing her for sex---not change. Want and need replacing common sense. His gaze focused on her face---watching for any sign of hesitation?
The change. That's what he was concerned about. "I used to play tug-of-war with my Irish Setter when I had one. She'd sometimes go for my hand by accident." She hoped her lighthearted response would ease his concern.
Hunter smiled. "Want to play tug-of-war?" He pulled her blouse off the rest of the way. "I've got to do this. We don't have a choice."
She seized his hands and looked into his eyes. In that instant, he looked even more concerned, his mouth tightening, jaw clenched, brow furrowing.
"I'm afraid, which isn't being alpha like, is it? But I worry I'll change too much. But more than that, what are you going to do with me afterwards?"
Still looking stern, a hint of relief flitted across his expression. "You're mine."
She should be ecstatic to have that question resolved, shouldn't she? But she couldn't quit worrying about the change. Instead of addressing his claim, she said, "I thought you couldn't shapeshift unless the moon was out." Yet she recalled the look Meara had given him.
His sensual lips curved upward just a little as he started pulling off his clothes, revealing his beautiful body, rough hewn, rugged, capable of enduring great hardships, or giving her carnal pleasure. "I'm a royal and can do anything I want." He gave an arrogant smile. "Almost anything."
"So as a royal, you can shapeshift anytime?"
"That's the beauty of it."
"That's why you could be a SEAL. No worry about shifting while under water."
He chuckled. "No. And the group I was with---all royals, just for that reason."
She sighed. No scars marked his smooth as silk skin, every bit of toned muscles from his wide shoulders to his well-developed chest, flexing in anticipation. She looked lower, from his narrow waist and hips down to his full blown erection standing at attention amidst dark curls.
"I have to shift, but if you keep looking at me like you want to eat me all up..."
Her eyes riveted back to his lusty gaze.
"You might want to look away when I begin to shift."
"I've seen you shapeshift. You're gorgeous. What if I'm motley?" Again, she tried to make light of the situation, although her stomach churned with renewed apprehension.
"You'll be beautiful. But Leidolf and Devlyn will want you unless we're mated. Ready?"
She nodded. He looked like he wanted to kiss her, his gaze lowering to her mouth again and lingering there...but then he took a deep breath and began to shift into his wolf form. She couldn't get over how fast the transformation was. Would she shift just as quickly? If Ashton was any indication of a newly turned lupus garou, then yes, she'd change just as swiftly. Probably of a necessity, to avoid humans catching sight of them between forms.
She watched in awe, how his body changed gracefully, effortlessly, painlessly, from the muscled hunk to the healthiest specimen of a wolf she'd ever seen. Beautiful almond eyes captured hers and then before she could say a word, the wolf that was Hunter jumped on the bed and nuzzled her cheek.
She stroked his head. "Hurry and do it before I change my mind." Her skin perspired lightly and in the cold hospital room, she shivered.
His amber eyes remained fixed on hers and then he dipped his head and nipped her uninjured arm.
"Ow," she said, frowning. "Jeez, Hunter. That hurt like a hard pinch and you didn't even break the skin. But I'll have a bruise for sure there now."
If a wolf could look contrite, he did and tried again. His second bite was as lame as his first.
"Ah for heaven's sakes, Hunter. Another bruise. Hurry and do it right or I'm calling it quits." She hoped her words would make him stop worrying about hurting her. She'd heal quickly anyway, wouldn't she?
He bit again and broke the skin this time. Her eyes watered and she bit her lip. Blood trickled from the bite on her arm, and he licked it away. And waited.
Self-doubt filled her. Maybe he didn't turn her either, just like Yoloff hadn't. What if she was some strange anomaly and couldn't be turned? Maybe her great-grandmother couldn't be either and that's why she died of the fever? A sadness filled Tessa with the notion neither her ancestor or she could forever be with the one she loved.
But if the change had taken effect, what was she supposed to feel like? Except that her swollen ankle and arm where Yoloff had bitten her were tingling with the strangest sensations, nothing else was different.
Hunter continued to watch her, not shapeshifting. She hoped to hell he wouldn't have to bite her again.
"Too bad with all of your enhanced abilities, you can't talk when you're in your wolf form, too." She glanced at the door. "Someone's coming. You'd better hide under the bed."
Hunter didn't budge, just continued to observe her.
"I mean it. I...I hear several people." Her heart pumped harder.
"Howdy, folks," Allan said at the door.
"Did he do it yet?" Leidolf asked, his voice guardedly amused.
Leidolf. Her heart took a dive.
"It remains to be seen. I'm taking care of things here. Why don't you run along?"
"Tell Hunter four of his people want to return with him. The fifth wants to stay with one of my widowed males to be his mate. When Hunter's through here, he and Tessa can meet me at the hotel. Different set of rooms. Just check at the front desk. Dinner's on me."
Tessa relaxed. Leidolf didn't want her, thank God for small miracles.
"I'll let him know."
Tessa took a deep breath, smelled the air, and looked at Hunter in his feral wolf form, her eyes widening. "You're a gray. I mean, I smell a special scent that surrounds you. A wildness, like a fresh spring day, the woods, the great outdoors."
She swore his mouth curved up just a hair, before he began to shapeshift---his body straightening, his rich fur pelt vanishing, leaving behind bronzed skin over hard muscles. Until he stood before her, one gloriously built male stud.
He touched her face, his amber eyes gazing into hers, his expression concerned. "How do you feel, Tessa?"
She loved him for it, for being concerned about her welfare above all else. No one but her mother had ever treated her that way.
Tessa took his hand and kissed it. "Better. My ankle feels strange. Prickling and numb, but not sore any longer. And where you bit me, the skin's already sealed up. The bruise you gave me has gone away. Where Yoloff tore the skin feels ticklish, like when injured skin is scabbing over and new skin is created to take its place."
"How do you feel in here?" Hunter said, still frowning as he reached for her forehead with a whisper-soft touch.
"Oh. I don't think I'll know the answer to that question until I've experienced more of the changes."
He unbuckled her belt and then unzipped her jeans. "You're not upset?"
Her eyes grew big. "You're going to make love to me in a hospital bed?"
He leaned over and kissed her lace-covered breasts, stirring her craving to make love to him.
"You bet, alpha mate of mine. We do it often, whenever and wherever we can."
"Well, hell, Hunter. Why didn't you tell me that before?"
He chuckled darkly. "You'll fit right into the pack, Tessa."
"Are you sure about this?" She motioned to the room. "Shouldn't we go somewhere more private?"
"The room's well guarded with our police friend at the door. It's up to you, but until I've mated you, you're available to any unmated male out there who's willing to fight me for you. So yeah, I'm sure about this. You can't be out of my sight until then."
"But we've already made love. Doesn't that count?" Not that she didn't want to make love to him and like now, but it made her realize she didn't know all the rules of Hunter's world yet, and she could get herself into a lot more hot water. Well, more than she was already, until she understood what was going on better.
He shook his head, then brushed a kiss against her lips, mouth-watering, mind-numbing. Everything about him made her bones and muscles melt like lava beneath his heat. She knew he'd take her for another sensual ride like she'd never known with any man before him, and she was past ready for everything he could give her.
Wanting her like no other, Hunter quickly removed her clothes, desiring to claim her like any wolf would its chosen mate, male and female alike. He wanted the first time to be slow and leisurely now that she was a lupus garou. Making love to her all night long would have sufficed, but not with a bunch of reds breathing down their necks. Or Yoloff and his brother still on the loose. And Devlyn would soon be a problem.
Tessa had already covered herself with the thin hospital blanket, her skin raised with chill bumps. As usual, the hospital room felt like a refrigerator.
"Next time I make love to you, we'll have a well-heated room and no huddling under the covers," he said, his brow raised.
Tessa's infectious smile heated his blood, sparking his desire.
He jerked the cover aside and climbed on top of her, then pulled the blanket over them and molded to her soft body, pressing his arousal against her mound. "Not much room, but it should suffice."
"Hmm," she said, yielding to him, wrapping her arms around his back, her embrace every bit as possessive as he felt about her. "Seems like the right amount of room to me. You just need to put that well-honed lance somewhere where it's not so dangerous."
He chuckled darkly.
Everything seemed to fade in the room, the noises in the hospital, the cold air circulating about them, the odor of antiseptics.
Take me, her expression silently pleaded. She moved her legs apart, giving herself completely.
"I know just where to sheathe it."
"Do." She licked his lips. "Mate with me so I'm all yours."
That was all Hunter wanted to hear, yet he couldn't help saying what he knew was in his heart. "You're all mine, anyway."
She cast him one of her impish smiles that said he was being full of himself as usual, which stirred his compulsion to have her even more. He pressed his lips against her sensual mouth, his hand kneading her soft breast and then ran his thumb over her nipple, the rosy crown peaking. Not enough. He could never get enough of tasting or touching her. Of breathing in her subtle arousal.
Her gaze soft and sultry, she turned her head toward the door.
He wanted to groan out loud at her distraction. "You'll learn to ignore the sounds that aren't important," he whispered, then turned her head back to his, lost himself in the exotic sparkles of blue against green in her languid eyes.
He slipped his erection into her wet folds, the heat of her body sparking flames in his. Wanting to fully mate her, possess her, claim her like he'd craved from the first moment he'd seen her checking on Uncle Basil, her determination, her concern for him, her friendliness toward his sister even when the feeling wasn't reciprocated. No matter how much he'd tried to reconcile himself with the notion that he couldn't have a human for his mate, he'd wanted her.
"Ahh," she said, pressing her pelvis against him, working him as he deepened his thrusts. Her eyes closed, her tongue licked her swollen lips, and he captured it, sucked on it, making her mew.
Claiming her felt more than right, like they had been meant for each other since the dawn of time. He'd worried he would notice a difference, that she wouldn't be feral enough, not lupus garou enough to satisfy some primal need. But she was perfect, her hot, supple body molding with his, her moves every bit in sync, deepening the bond, the feelings, the ecstasy. Just as driven to satisfy her sexual needs---and his---to consummate their relationship, to delve into the unknown and conquer it.
She was alpha all right, but not in the same way as others were. Better---his.
His fingers fanned through her hair, the satiny mass a tactile delight as she stroked his back with greedy fingers, her heart pounding, her body trembling with the adrenaline rush of passion and arousal and sex racing through her veins.
Her nails dug into his back, and he silenced her moans with a kiss, but he couldn't do anything about the darned creaky hospital bed. Every time he thrust, he figured all of the hospital staff would hear and know what was going on in the room. He hadn't expected that. But then again, his attuned hearing picked up what humans couldn't.
Thankfully, Tessa was so caught up in the heat of the moment, she didn't seem to notice.
"You're heavensent," she mouthed softly against his lips, "...a god from Mt. Olympus, my gold, my treasure."
And she was more to him, a priceless gem, the mother of his future offspring, his legacy, his unwavering and loving companion for life.
He thrust into her tightness, her body stroking him, drawing him to the zenith of pleasure. He groaned as he found release deep inside of her hot, tight body and sank against her. Kissing her mouth, he loved the feel of her velvety lips, but seeing tears glistening in her eyes, he abruptly stopped.
"What's wrong, Tessa?" he asked, too gruffly.
Already he was mad at himself for being overly zealous, too damned rough, pushing her when he should have seen she needed more time to absorb all the changes she was sure to be experiencing. Hell, what was the matter with him? He loved her more than life itself, and this is how he showed it?
"He can't have me now, can he?" she asked.
Uncomprehending, he stared at her. "Who? Leidolf?"
She shook her head and rubbed her hand over Hunter's arm.
And he relaxed some, figuring her upset wasn't with him. "Yoloff? No, he can't have you."
But he could if the gray somehow managed to kill Hunter, although he hadn't planned on that ever happening.
He maneuvered in the narrow bed until Tessa was lying on top of him. "You're mine, Tessa. Now and for always."
"What about my brother?"
He hadn't wanted to bring up that scenario yet, hoping with the change she would understand how important it was not to let humans know of their existence. But he and most of the others were born with the knowledge that their kind's safety came first. Some of the wolf's wariness was instinctive, but dealing with the brother, that was another matter. Her blood ties were apparently as strong as the wolf's instincts. On the other hand, her brother had lupus garou genes also.
"Hey folks," Allan said, knocking on the door. "I hate to interrupt, but I just got word the hospital staff is moving someone in here in just a few minutes. You can stay at my place if you like."
"Thanks, Allan. We'd love that." Tessa scrambled to get off Hunter. As soon as her bare feet hit the floor, she yanked on her clothes.
Not ready to give up the relaxed and satiated feeling that cloaked him, Hunter climbed out of bed, kissed Tessa's lips, and then jerked on his own clothes.
Just as they emerged from the room, an attendant wheeled a gurney toward them, carrying an old man buried under blankets.
"Patrol car's parked this way." Allan led them down the back stairs. "I've got tons of security on the house. 'Brother-in-law' sells the stuff so I get it wholesale. No one will bother you. Jacuzzi's in an enclosed porch. Great for unwinding after a hectic day." He winked at Tessa and sighed. "Never could find a mate after mine died ten years ago. You wouldn't happen to have a widow or two looking for a mate in your pack, would you?" he asked Hunter.
"One, but she's pretty cantankerous," Hunter warned.
"The red's got your people at the hotel. Some of his people brought them with them when they came to get Tessa. If you don't mind, I'll drop by there and say hello. Anything you want me to tell them?"
"We have three newly turned lupus garous in the pack, and they have an alpha female pack leader now, too."
Allan smiled. "So that's what you meant when you mentioned having a heap of trouble. Not concerning the little lady, of course. Three new lupus garous, you say?"
Allan grew quiet for the rest of the drive to his place. Tessa cuddled with Hunter in the backseat. Now that they were mated, he seemed different somehow. Less anxious, more...well, like he was riding on top of the world.
"You wouldn't need a cop in your area, would you?" Allan pulled into the driveway of a neat, little red brick suburban home.
"I know the sheriff. If you're interested, I could put in a good word for you," Hunter said.
Tessa wasn't sure the sheriff would want anyone working for him that Hunter recommended.
"Good. It's about time I left this area. I've been here ten years already. Maybe Caruthers could come, too. He and his mate, Greta. That way if anyone from your pack gets in trouble, we can circumvent the situation."
"In California, we lived away from civilization. But I can see where having backup in a more developed area can be beneficial."
"You bet. We have another four on the force here, so we wouldn't be leaving the department shorthanded as far as the grays go. Although Judge Graydon might be a little perturbed with me."
"The one who got me out of jail," Hunter said, squeezing Tessa tighter.
"Yeah. I'm always bailing his brother out on brawling charges. The judge will just have to train another gray cop to take care of his brother." Allan went to the car door and opened it for them. "I understand you're off to see your brother at the prison tomorrow. I'll put in a word for you before you get there."
"Grays work there, too?" Hunter asked.
Allan laughed. "No. But some of the guards were former police officers and friends of mine."
"How's your ankle, Tessa?" Hunter asked.
"A little sore still, but much, much better."
"Then you'll need a lift." He carried her out of the patrol car and she smiled at him.
"I'm not usually the type who likes to be babied, but when you're doing the babying, it's awfully nice."
Preceding them to the door, Allan unlocked it and turned off the security alarm. "Wine, music, guest towels are by the Jacuzzi. Make it a honeymoon. Knock yourselves out. See you in the morning."
"Thanks, for everything," Hunter said.
"No problem." Allan reset the security, locked up, and left.
Hunter headed straight for the enclosed back porch with Tessa cradled in his arms. "I'm feeling like a nice hot soak in the tub. You?" His eyes sparkled like the devil.
"You bet, as long as it's hot."
As soon as they entered the room, a blast of steamy air hit her and she sighed. Perfect for sultry, heated sex.
Hunter flipped on the enclosed patio lights with his elbow, although neither of them needed the illumination to see now, which made her think back to when she gave him the lantern when the electricity was off at her house. Cad.
The soft glow of light caressed the dark edges of the room, soothing and seductive. In sharp contrast to the silky ambience created by the soft light and warm wet air, Hawaiian trinkets dangled from the ceiling: plastic purple palm trees, orange flamingos, floral leis, rainbow-colored parrots. The rest of the room was outfitted with silk palm trees, ferns, and bamboo chairs and tables, making it feel like a retail store's version of the tropics. But it didn't matter as long as the hottest male around was firmly entrenched in the scene.
Hunter set her on a chair.
She grabbed his hand and helped herself up. "My ankle's fine. Just a little sore, but I can walk on it."
He drew her into his warmth in a bear-tight embrace and kissed the top of her head. "So you just wanted me to get more of a workout."
"Better you than me."
He grinned, his eyes already smoldering with deep-seated desire. "Sit, while I get some wine for us."
She loved how husky his voice grew when she turned him on. She tilted her nose up and breathed in deeply. And his sex, hmm, she could smell his arousal. She could really get used to her enhanced senses. Well, most of them. The chlorine in the Jacuzzi was a little overwhelming. "I'll get the music."
He gave her another squeeze and shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think you're ever going to listen to me."
As if any man, even one as sexy as Hunter, was going to dictate her every move.
He released her, crossed the tile floor to a full-sized bar, the glass shelves behind it covered in liquor bottles of every kind, then pulled out two wine decanters. "White or red?"
"Red." To go with hot-blooded men, a fiery sunset, and heated exchanges.
"Fuller-bodied, light, medium?"
"Hmm, the fullest." She glanced down at his crotch and smiled to see his arousal straining against the soft fabric of his sweats. "Definitely the heaviest."
His mouth curved up as he shifted his gaze from the way her tongue swept over her lips to the bottle, and then he hurried to open it.
She flipped a switch, turning on music with a sensuous beat. The flute and drums surrounded them in a tantalizing instrumental rhythm.
Hunter handed Tessa a glass of wine, took a sip of his, then leaned down to kiss her lips.
"I really like this wine on you." She licked his lips and slid her fingers down his sweatshirt, found the ties to his pants and gave a little tug.
He chuckled, drank a couple more swallows of his wine, and reached out to take her glass. She took another sip and handed him hers. Once he set them on one of the glass-covered tables, he ran his hands over her arms in an amative way. "You can tug on something else if you get the urge." He wiggled his brows.
"Ohh?" She trailed her finger down lower, until she traced his rock-hard erection through the soft sweats, making his arousal jump.
Pulling her back against his chest, he began to dance slow to the music, molding his body to hers, his groin pressing against her backside, his large hands caressing her breasts through her blouse, his heat warming her. She closed her eyes as her nipples tingled with his sensuous touch, her body sliding against his in a teasing caress.
He nuzzled his face against her neck. "You're beautiful, you know." He reached up to splay his fingers through her hair. "Every bit of you."
"You are, too," she whispered, caught up in the magic of the moment, pressing her butt harder against him, rubbing, tantalizing him to take it further.
He slipped his hands up her shirt, caressed her lace-covered breasts, tormenting the nipples straining for release. The crotch of her panties was already wet in anticipation, and she was ready to ditch her clothes.
His hands shifted to her belt, and he struggled to unbuckle it. "Ready to get wet?"
"Hmm, already there."
No more belts, she made a note to herself, wanting to shove his hands away and yank off the annoying leather hindrance herself.
He finally managed to unfasten the belt, unzipped her jeans, and slipped his hand into her panties, down lower until his fingers reached her cleft. And stroked.
She shuddered with need, the bones liquefying in her legs, and she slumped slightly against him, ready to collapse.
"Hmm, yes, nice and wet," he murmured against her neck, his arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from sinking to the floor as he continued to stroke her. "Just right."
Wriggling against his fingers to get maximum penetration, she rubbed against his arousal, and he groaned. She smiled.
"Vixen."
"Let's move this to the hot tub," she said, her voice drenched with lust. "But the water better be hot enough. After all the cold weather we've been through, I'm not getting in unless it's super heated."
"I'll warm you right up."
"Not in the water if it's not soupy."
He released her. "I guess you're not willing to take a swim in the Pacific with me from time to time then."
She turned around and traced his nipples through his sweatshirt. "Not unless it's by mistake."
Hunter laughed under his breath and walked over to the Jacuzzi and poked his hand in. Hot, but not as hot as Tessa was. He shook the water off his fingers and turned on the jets.
"Perfect temperature." He reached his hand out to her. "Join me."
"I thought I already had," she said, her voice like smooth satin.
She rested her small hand in his, and he pulled her close. He leaned down and kissed a corner of her sensual mouth, then brushed his lips across hers, and kissed the other corner.
"You realize you have to keep Meara and Cara in line whenever I'm not around, don't you?"
He slipped her blouse off and held her arms hostage. Dipping his head, he kissed her mouth, deepening the experience. Wet, wild, tasting of fermented grapes, sweet and delectable, rich and full-bodied.
Her heart beat harder and she barely breathed, enraptured with his touch as much as he was with her.
But then her fingers tackled his sweatshirt, and she hurried to wrestle it over his head. And he smiled.
"You didn't tell me all the details about what I have to do and can't do," she said, nipping his bare shoulder. "Not that it means you can tell me what I have to do and can't do, and I'll blindly serve."
"You can handle it. I have every faith in you."
He pulled her jeans down to her ankles, then ran his hands over her silky panties trimmed in lace. Her eyes were bright and expressive, her brows slightly elevated, her lips rosy and swollen. Already he was at full mast, ready to mate her again.
She yanked off his sweatpants and he kicked them free. "I believe," he said, stripping off her bra and panties, "you've had control over me since you dragged me from your beach."
She let out a lusty chuckle. "Dragged you. Right. It was only a show so you could get your hands all over me."
"Worked, didn't it?" From the moment she'd rescued him on the beach, he'd wanted just that.
He lifted her hot little body and carried her into the Jacuzzi, the steam enveloping them in a warm, wet caress.
"Hmm, after having been so cold, this feels just right." She sank into the tub, the bubbles bumping against the swell of her breasts.
"Better than right." He crouched at her knees and spread her legs, opening her up to him.
A smile percolated on her lips.
If anyone had told him he would've taken a human as a mate, that she would have been a siren in disguise, or he would be sitting with her in a gray cop's Jacuzzi for his mating night, he would never have believed it.
He licked the water off her neck, and she trailed her fingers across his muscles making his erection dance.
"You're all healed. No scratches, bruises, cuts---nothing but blemish-free, golden skin stretched over rock hard muscles."
"And you," he said, taking her hand and kissing it.
"Yoloff didn't bite me hard enough. Nor did you. Nothing remains of the bite marks."
He ran his hand down her leg to her ankle, his chest touching the water, his eyes focused on hers. "And your ankle is all right now?"
Tessa took a deep breath. "Miraculously, yes." She kissed Hunter's neck, her tongue licking a trail down his skin, her warm breath caressing as he gave in to the erotic sensation. His fingers played in her hair while she licked his nipple, then her lips pulled on it gently.
"Tessa," he moaned, trying to hold onto his last thread of restraint, wanting their lovemaking to last.
She looked up with the most innocent expression, and he cast her a devilish grin back. She was no innocent, the vixen, knowing damn well what she did to him with that sweet mouth of hers.
He bent his head and ran his mouth across her bare shoulder, and then the other, loving the feel of her water-speckled skin against his lips. She arched her head back, her lips parted, and moaned, offering herself to him, baring her throat, her body. He took advantage of her need, loving her eagerness that only matched his own, pulled her off the seat and switched places, settling her on his lap, her knees spread, readied for his penetration. And he was damned ready to oblige.
She leaned down and kissed his upturned lips, her hair falling around his face, his shoulders, the strands floating on the surface of the water like a mermaid's silky tresses.
He smiled inwardly---the Navy SEAL had ensnared his mermaid, or maybe just the opposite.
Their tongues mated in a ritual dance as he lifted her onto his rigid erection. Sweet torture as he penetrated her deeply.
With a seductive moan, she closed her eyes and rocked on top of him, her hands kneading his shoulders, her mouth and teeth nibbling his ear. Blazing desire raced through him, making him lose control of his measured moves.
Unable to last much longer, he kept his hands on her hips, directing her, every thrust he made, bringing him closer to climax. She was everything he'd ever wanted in a mate: clever, strong, determined, loyal. And sexy as hell---even in her pajamas and especially bared to him, skin to skin.
She arched her back and he sensed she was near completion, her lithe body attempting to rock harder, her breasts bouncing with a mesmerizing rhythm. He gave into her, drew her to the top.
"Oh, Hunter," she called out, no longer worried that anyone might hear her cry of jubilation.
He quickly followed, filling her with his seed. "Tessa," he groaned, unable to say anything further. Sweet ecstasy, she was perfect for him---and his forever, this, only the beginning.
She sank down on top of him, her head resting against his neck, and he kissed her flushed cheek. "Time to get some rest, sweet Tessa." He hit the button on the Jacuzzi, turning off the jets, then lifted her off his lap, her body limp with satisfaction, soft, wet, and sensuous.
The sly smile she gave him assured him they wouldn't get much sleep tonight.
Early the next morning, Tessa turned her head toward the front of Allan's house as she and Hunter grabbed a hasty breakfast. "A car door just shut." She seized her bagel and headed for the front window as Hunter poured himself another cup of coffee.
She couldn't believe how she could hear the slightest sounds, everywhere and anywhere. The heater turning on, a school bus picking up kids, although the bus never came down Allan's street, the whisper of a breeze stirring an oak's branches out front. She hoped she would soon get used to it because for now it was wreaking havoc with her sleep. Not that Hunter's wanting to make love with her throughout the night hadn't something to do with it also. Ahem, well, some of it was her fault also.
"A patrol car just arrived. It's Caruthers."
Hunter joined her at the window and rested his hand on her shoulder in a comforting way. "Time to see your brother."
Trying to squash her nervousness at seeing her brother in prison, she finished her bagel and looked up at Hunter. "Do you always get that much exercise at night?"
His sexy smile hinted he was ready for more. "Not usually."
She gave a ladylike snort. "Then you were just lonely and wanted to cuddle really bad, but things got out of hand?"
He laughed and ran his hands through her hair. "Not usually, as in with other women. But with you, I couldn't keep my hands to myself. Besides, your pheromones are a total aphrodisiac."
"Hmm, well, yours drive me crazy, too, but jeesh, Hunter, I'll be walking bowlegged today, and I'll be yawning the whole time."
"We'll take a nap later."
She shook her head. "Yeah, but will we sleep?"
His grin said that she would have a fat chance at that.
Caruthers knocked at the front door, and when Hunter opened it, the policeman offered them a big smile. "Greta and I are agreeable about leaving here and working on the coast. You might need some backup with three new lupus garous in your pack. Allan and the little lady who's widowed in your pack really hit it off last night. From the sounds of it, job or no job, he's joining you, too. I'll drive you to the prison." He relocked Allan's place and then escorted them to his car.
Hunter wrapped his arm around Tessa in a loving gesture.
She glanced up at him, her body warming with his touch, gladdened also that Caruthers and the others would join her mate. "You don't have to worry about your wayward pack. Looks like you've got a whole new one."
"The others will come back."
She couldn't see how he could be so complacent about it. To her way of thinking, they were too disloyal to trust any further. But then again, she hadn't been a lupus garou long enough to understand their way of thinking.
"I run a fairly democratic pack," Hunter said. "I'm not an autocratic leader like some are."
"Except when it comes to your sister."
Hunter grinned. "She's my blood relative. And you are my mate. Our offspring will have to mind also."
"Ah, so those you love best you keep under your rule."
He kissed her cheek and sighed heavily. "In a pack, it's called being protective."
Tessa glanced at Caruthers. "Is that what your pack would call it?"
"Absolutely. Whatever the boss says." Caruthers winked at her. "Man, does this bring back memories of when I turned Greta."
Tessa folded her arms and Hunter chuckled.
When they arrived at the prison, Caruthers parked in front and gave Tessa a compassionate look. "Just tell them Allan Smith and Jim Caruthers sent you. I'll wait out here for you."
Tessa shuddered. To think her brother was incarcerated in the massive place without any chance of escape unless she could bring the real killer to trial and make him pay for the crime. She hoped to God her brother could shed some light on the case.
WHEN THEY ARRIVED AT THE PRISON'S VISITING ROOM, Tessa introduced Hunter to her brother. She tried to keep the tears at bay, but Michael's eyes were as misty as hers, which didn't help. And he looked thinner than before, the orange jailhouse jumpsuit clashing with his red hair.
He scowled at Hunter. "Why the hell is he wearing my jacket?"
"He was in an accident, but needed a change of clothes. I'll explain later." Tessa pulled out Rourke's phone.
"What news do you have?" Michael took a seat at the table, opposite them, his voice threaded with hope and despair, although he glowered at Hunter again.
"Hunter is looking into the killing. We've got some pictures to show you." She handed Michael Rourke's phone. "Do you recognize any of these guys?"
Michael considered the photos of the three grays. He pointed to Butch, who had been at his trial, and at the one called Redmond. "They came to our house to check out the circuit breakers." He looked up at Tessa. "They knew what they were doing. They replaced the bad switch and charged us a hefty bill like electricians always do, and left." He rubbed his chin and stared at the table. "Although, they were interested in your photographs." He looked up at Tessa, his expression annoyed. "Not my paintings though. The one asked if you had ever taken a picture of a wolf in the wild."
Her heart hitched. "What did you say?"
"At the wildlife refuge, but never in the wild. You would have told me if you had."
Like she didn't. But as usual he had been too busy painting to pay any attention to her artistic endeavors.
"Did these guys have anything to do with Bethany's murder?" Michael asked.
"This one was at your trial when the verdict was read," Tessa said. "This guy called him Butch. The other you named was Redmond. And the one you don't recognize was Jessup. Butch came to the house with the two other men, and I asked him why he was at your trial. He denied having been there. His hair was long, but I know it was him. Why deny it? Why be there in the first place?"
"I wondered why he looked different. Why were they at the house?"
Hunter tensed and she figured he was worried she might say the wrong thing.
"One of them is interested in Hunter's sister. So he tracked her to my place and that's when I met all three of them." She took a deep breath. "I didn't want to tell you this, but you have to know in case anything can shed light on who the real murderer is. A man by the name of Yoloff has been stalking me. Hunter had a run-in with one of his two brothers and in self-defense, Hunter killed him."
Michael's gaze turned to Hunter, and he swore softly under his breath.
"I'm an ex--Navy SEAL," Hunter said, "trained to do work like this. The guy didn't have a chance even though he was armed with a knife. But his brothers went after Tessa, and I didn't have a choice."
Michael's eyes grew big. "Thanks for taking care of my little sister."
She grunted. He was her younger brother, but because he was several inches taller than she was, he called her little.
"My pleasure." Hunter took hold of her hand and squeezed. "We're married. I'll always protect her."
Michael shifted his attention to Tessa.
"Uhm, yeah, whirlwind romance." She hadn't thought Hunter would bring that up right now. Besides, they weren't really married as in the marriage license, wedding ring, or marriage vows kind of arrangement. Her cheeks heated and she tried to muddle through. "I found him washed up on the beach after the guy who was stalking me pushed him off a cliff and---"
"Whoa, back up to the guy that was stalking you. I worried someone was, but have you learned who it is?"
She noted her brother's concern for her, but not about Hunter's near-death experience. Michael was probably still pissed off because Hunter was wearing his favorite jacket.
"He broke into our house the day you were taken to prison. Hunter protected me from him. Anyway, Hunter thought maybe this guy wanted you out of the way, and so he murdered Bethany so you would be found guilty of the crime."
Michael pointed to the third man in the photos. "This other guy looks familiar also."
"Jessup's the one who's after Hunter's sister. Where do you remember him from?"
"The driver of the electric truck." Michael frowned and then looked up at Tessa. "I saw him at a number of my art exhibits. Of course, you begin to see the same people at the parties. Avid collectors, people who like mingling with others who enjoy the paintings, philanthropists, novice painters who want to learn how to sell their own works. I remember him because he kept watching Bethany. Do you think he was seeing her behind my back?"
Tessa gritted her teeth. She hadn't wanted to tell her brother Ashton was the traitor. But if any detail could help them solve the case, he had to know.
"Ashton..." Her voice broke. "Ashton's the one who was seeing Bethany when you were at your shows."
Michael's jaw clenched. "I know."
She stared at him. "You knew? Why didn't you say so at the trial?"
"Why? The sheriff would have covered for his son. Ashton would have gotten away with it, as usual, and it would have looked like I was lying."
"But what if Ashton killed Bethany?"
Michael rubbed his forehead, then shoved his hands in his lap. "I sure as hell considered it. What if she'd wanted to come back to me? Make it up to me? We'd fought that night. She said she'd done some things she wasn't proud of, although she wouldn't admit she was seeing someone else. I tried to get her to confess, but she wouldn't. She just kept protecting the bastard."
"Then you could have been angry enough to kill her," Hunter said softly.
"I was angry, but I didn't murder her. I could have thrashed the guy who'd been seeing her. But I wouldn't have hurt Bethany. I understood how she felt. I really loved her, but I didn't know how to remedy our relationship because the more popular my work was becoming, the more despondent she became over it. To sell, I have to promote. To keep my relationship alive with her, I'd have had to give it all up. But it was my livelihood, my worth." He shook his head. "I didn't kill her. She always walked along the cliffs when she was angry or frustrated. Supposedly, she went there after I left."
"Do you think Ashton might have done it?" Tessa asked.
"Why not? He was always getting away with his petty crimes. What if she had told him she wanted to go back to me and he was so angry, he killed her? He didn't say anything to me about it, but I knew he was jealous of my success."
"If you knew she was seeing Ashton, did you know if she was seeing anyone else?" Hunter asked.
Michael's eyes clouded with fresh tears and his shoulders slumped.
Ohmigod. Had Bethany been seeing someone else? A bunch of different guys?
Running his hand through his hair, Michael stared at the table and nodded. "Ashton wasn't the only one. At least one other guy was seeing her. Maybe two."
"How do you know?" Hunter asked.
"Hell, I don't know. I mean, I don't have any real proof."
"Is that why you said the place was haunted?" Hunter asked.
She couldn't understand why her brother had come up with such a ludicrous story.
"Yeah," Michael admitted. "I felt like a couple of people were watching her house. I thought I saw a man in the shadows of the trees one day at dusk. I wanted to check, but Bethany insisted I was seeing things. Later, I wondered if the guy was her lover, and she didn't want me catching him. It happened again a couple of weeks later. And then another time, I swear someone was actually in the house. A drawer opened in the kitchen. I was half-dressed, but even so I charged into the room and the back door was standing wide open. Bethany said we probably hadn't shut it all the way. So what could I say? Ghosts infested the place? I didn't want to make love to her there anymore. Let her stay with her damned ghosts."
"Did the guy or guys come to your house while she visited you?" Hunter asked.
"Not that I knew of. Why bother? They could see her anytime they wanted to at her place when she wasn't working her shifts at the Lobster Tail."
"If some other guy wanted Bethany and didn't like it that Michael was seeing her, why wouldn't he kill Ashton for seeing her also? Why only frame Michael for the crime?" Tessa asked.
No one had an answer.
"Okay, what about my stalker? He and his brothers pushed Hunter off the same cliff that Bethany had fallen from. Too much of a coincidence?"
Michael looked back at Hunter. "How in the hell did you survive?"
Finally, some reaction to poor Hunter's ordeal.
"Navy SEAL training."
"Oh."
Tessa cast Hunter a look of admiration, then focused on her brother. "Can you think of anything else? Anything that would help us figure out who did this?"
Michael snorted. "Yeah, the treasure hunters."
Tessa made a disagreeable face at her brother. Here he was incarcerated, they were trying to get him out, and he was being flippant about ghosts and nonexistent gold.
Hunter leaned back in the chair. "Treasure hunters?"
Tessa folded her arms. "You know how oral history goes. Supposedly, our great-grandparents had a huge stash of gold, and they hid it somewhere on our land. But it's just a myth, or if it really existed at some time someone else stole it. Our grandparents searched for it, so did our parents. And truth be told, even when Michael and I were younger, we dug all over the place out there, but none of us ever found it. Over the years, we've had tons of offers to take the house off our hands. I figured it had to do with the rumors about the gold."
"Yeah, and you think it was a coincidence our grandparents died in a car accident only a year after our parents did?" Michael asked, one red brow cocked.
"Dad was drunk as usual. And Granddad shouldn't have been driving, although we know Grandmother hated to drive so she was always giving him the wheel. The coroner said his heart had given out before they went off the cliff. So yeah, it's a coincidence, but totally explainable."
"The men who came to the house said they were looking to steal from Bethany's place. If they thought gold was hidden somewhere on your land, maybe that's the reason they were there," Hunter said.
Tessa couldn't believe he'd even be considering it, but then she wondered if he knew about the gold rumors all along. "Did Uncle Basil think there was gold on our property?"
Hunter's lips parted.
Hell, he had. So was that why Hunter had turned her? To get her property? "He kept trying to buy me out." She bit back the bitterness, making it difficult to swallow. Hunter reached for her hand, but she pulled away from him. "Is that why he wanted our property so badly?"
"Leidolf found a couple of newspaper clippings on the guy I killed, pertaining to a dispute Caleb McKnight had with your grandfather over stolen gold. The other was about John Anderson and his killing Caleb McKnight, father of triplets, Yoloff, Ren, and Andreas. So what if they had to do with your family's deaths?"
"I'll kill them," Michael said, his face turning as red as his hair.
The blood rushed from Tessa's face, and she reached across the table and took Michael's hand. "Don't even talk like that."
"I always thought Uncle Basil had some ulterior motive," Michael said. "You sure get to know who your friends are. And here he was insisting we didn't need to stay there because young people our age needed to be closer to the city, especially because of the work we do. Couldn't he see that nature is what inspires our work? Not city buildings and urban sprawl? Not people? But---"
"Wolves?" Hunter asked.
Michael looked from him to Tessa and she quickly said to her brother, "I didn't show him the paintings."
He glowered at Hunter. "Don't you know not to look at an artist's work that's not finished?" He ran his hands through his hair and stared gloomily at the table.
"I just came across them, by accident. Beautiful work, by the way. But back to Bethany's murder, tons of people had been in her house---the three guys who had to do with trying to take off with my sister, and of course the sheriff and his men, the coroner's office, Tessa, Ashton..."
"The sheriff," Michael said, emphasizing him over all the rest.
Tessa straightened. "Sure, because he's investigating a murder."
Michael shook his head. "He was always cleaning up after Ashton, remember? He's the one who reported the murder, except because he's the sheriff, no one considered he might have known who had done the real killing. A sheriff would be above suspicion. Hell, look at how that policeman killed two of his wives and because he was a cop, no one believed there was any foul play. Not until the second one came up missing. But even then, the police force denied he had anything to do with her suspicious disappearance. The family had to have their loved one's body exhumed so the coroner could determine if there was foul play. And of course, this time, the coroner said yes, she was murdered. So you don't think a sheriff could cover up his son's murder and get away with it? Especially when they have me---the perfect patsy for the job?"
"You asked Ashton to watch over me, even knowing what you did about him?" Tessa asked.
Michael took a deep breath. "I figured I kind of deserved it. Sticking with him when I knew he was bad news---getting me into scrapes, causing all that trouble for you. But I also know deep down, the guy's got some decency in him. Hell, our dad was bad enough with being the town philanderer and drunk. But after Ashton's mother took off with another man, his dad changed. Ashton kept reaching out, trying to get his dad to pay attention to him, in a negative way. In any way he could. He didn't have an older sister like you to help him out. And he's damned good with a rifle. He could protect you if need be."
"Because you knew there was a stalker. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to worry you."
She frowned at her brother. "You could have told me. And you could have warned me that Ashton was going to be gunning down anything that moved out by our house. He shot Hunter!"
Michael quickly looked at Hunter. "Oh, hell, I'm sorry, man."
"No problem. It was just a graze."
"What made you realize there was a stalker?" Tessa asked her brother.
"I saw footprints outside your window when I was clipping the hedges. And another time I saw someone peeking in the house when I came up with a load of wood, but I was too far away to catch him." Michael looked back at Hunter. "Hell, he looked a bit like you. Long dark hair, same approximate height and build."
"That's why Ashton said he shot him. But Hunter was with me when the man broke into the house on a couple of separate occasions."
Michael considered them both and shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. But I'm glad you've got someone who's combat trained to watch over you. I never thought you'd get married." He rose abruptly from the chair. "I've got to go. Write, will you?"
"I'll be back. We'll get you out, Michael. You just take good care of yourself."
He gave her a warm hug and she broke into tears, despite struggling not to. "You...you just take care of yourself," she reiterated.
Michael kissed her wet cheek. "I will." He shook Hunter's hand. "Don't let anyone hurt her. Take care of that stalker."
Hunter bowed his head slightly. "Will do."
Michael straightened his posture and gave a half smile. "I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden I began getting some special treatment in here. So don't worry, little sister. Things are already looking up."
"Why would Michael be getting special treatment in prison?" Tessa asked, as Hunter helped her into Caruthers's police car.
She was holding up pretty well, and he was damned proud of her.
"The judge had something to do with it. Maybe Allan and me, too." Caruthers shrugged. "We don't usually mess with humans who are incarcerated in the prison system. Most are there because they deserve it. But since you're one of us, we pulled some strings. Of course, no one in the place really knows why, just that there's a sneaking suspicion the kid's innocent, and he's got some pretty powerful friends in high places."
Tessa brushed away tears and smiled. "Tell Allan and the judge thanks for me."
"I'll do that. While you were inside, that red, Leidolf, came by. He said he'd meet you at The Olive Groves for lunch. He said the rest of your people would be there also. Want me to take you there now?"
"Let's go," Hunter said. "We'll see what Leidolf has to say."
Tessa looked at him.
He cast her an abbreviated smile. "I promise I won't tear into him." Too badly. Then he let out an exasperated sigh. "Why didn't you tell me you took a picture of a wolf in the wild and that he was shapeshifting at the time?"
"I didn't say so."
He snorted. "The look on your face revealed the truth. I told you that you couldn't play poker with me."
She'd never get anything past Hunter unless she wore a ski mask, and probably even then her eyes and voice would give her away.
"I'm not sure what it was. I thought it was a wolf. It was really foggy out. And then I saw a man. Or at least I thought so. The photo wasn't clear and no matter how much I tried to enhance it..." She shrugged.
"The man was naked."
"He didn't look like he was wearing any clothes. But it was a long ways off. I just figured my mind was playing tricks."
"He saw you."
"I don't know, Hunter. He was looking in my direction, but I was using a telescopic lens. He couldn't have seen me as far away as I was."
"Hell," Caruthers said. "if he hadn't wanted you so badly, he would have killed you."
The thought she had been living a life of danger all this time without his protection stirred Hunter's blood. "He saw you, Tessa. Believe me. How long before Bethany had been murdered had this taken place?"
"Two days. I showed her the photo and asked her what she could make of it. All Bethany saw was mist. I showed it to Michael also, but preoccupied with his painting, he didn't pay any attention. Said it looked interesting, but barely glanced at it."
But had Bethany's witnessing the photo led to her death?
In Caruthers's patrol car, Hunter and Tessa soon arrived at the Italian restaurant, although Hunter regretted that Tessa was so tense. She would have to see for herself that the pack would accept her as one of their own.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the hostess tried to seat them, but Caruthers motioned to a group of people, both Leidolf's reds and the rest of Hunter's pack, at a large rowdy table. "I'll sit with them."
The waiter escorted Tessa and Hunter to a private booth, and Tessa looked back at the table with his pack mates as if she wished they could sit with them and not have the confrontation with Leidolf. So that was what was worrying her.
Hunter gripped her hand tighter. "I promise I won't kill him for leaving me behind in the jail and going after you."
The smell of oregano, garlic, Italian sauce, and onions wafted in the air, and Hunter's stomach grumbled. Dishes and glasses clinked as servers cleared tables and conversation and Italian music drifted overhead. Nice setting for a romantic dinner for two if Hunter and Tessa could have enjoyed the meal without Leidolf chaperoning.
Leidolf leaned back against the burgundy vinyl seat in the booth at the end of the section, looking self-satisfied and smiled at them. "My lawyer was trying to have you released, but he told me you got yourself out by contacting someone who had a lot more clout. Pays to have a judge back you."
Unable to let go of the irritation, Hunter gave him a dark look.
"I missed you at the hotel last night, but I guess you found a safe place to hole up. Your people are returning with you, and they're dying to meet your new mate. You've got three cops leaving here to watch your backs on the coast, one who wants one of your widowed females, and she's ecstatic. Sounds like your pack is off to a good recovery. Not bad considering the mess you've been in recently." Leidolf unfolded his napkin and placed it on his lap. "Other packs usually don't mix it up much, but I've grown attached to yours, considering one of your people is joining mine. If you need my help any further, just let me know."
Hell, he was attached to Hunter's pack because Tessa still interested him.
"What did you say to the lawyer about me?" Hunter asked.
Leidolf laughed. "He holds a grudge, Tessa. Remember that." He sipped his water. "I told him just what had happened. You were wielding the knife that killed the guy. That's why he released me so quickly. I was only a witness to the whole thing. I'd planned to watch over Tessa until you arrived at the hospital. Imagine my surprise to find you had beat me to it."
Hunter squeezed Tessa's hand in her lap. "So you're returning to Portland?"
"I have to. I've got problems of my own. A red from Texas is stirring up trouble. Thinks he might have what it takes to run my pack. Can you imagine the nerve of the guy?" He winked at Tessa and turned his attention back to Hunter. "But I mean it. If you need my help, just say. I'll come to the coast and give you a hand."
Hunter bowed his head. "Likewise, Leidolf."
Tessa took a deep breath and her shoulders relaxed a little.
"I would have gone to see your brother, Tessa, but thought you might like to spend the time with him alone. With Hunter, of course. Are you any closer to solving the murder mystery?"
"The two who were in the house when you and Hunter came home after cutting up the tree had done some work on our circuit breaker. And Michael said that the guy called Jessup had been driving the truck, and he'd seen him at a number of his art exhibits." Tessa looked over at Hunter. "When Jessup said they'd been casing Bethany's house for valuables, I didn't think they were really thieves, but maybe they were. And maybe they were planning on ripping off the art gallery, but it had too much security so they hoped to find some of Michael's paintings in the house. Easier to break into. Butch was at Michael's trial. Why? To see if he really got time or if he was going to be released? If Michael had been found not guilty, we would have been home and it would have been harder for them to steal anything from the house."
"Or," Leidolf said, "he was calling ahead to the others, who were breaking into your house while you were at the trial. Once you left, he would warn them you were on the way home."
"Was anything missing from your house besides the gun?" Hunter asked.
"I didn't look. I figured Yoloff had only stolen the gun. I never thought anyone would be running around in that weather stealing paintings."
"Do you have anything else of value?" Hunter asked.
"Computers, electronics. My photographs. But again, I would doubt they'd be interested in any of that because of the weather. The ice storm hadn't started yet, but it was on its way."
"Searching for evidence of wrongdoing? Maybe they'd been involved in Bethany's murder, and they were afraid Michael had some proof against them that he didn't know about," Leidolf said.
"Michael mentioned the sheriff could have been covering up for his son, Ashton, also," Tessa mentioned.
Leidolf shook his head. "I'm glad all I have is a simple case of knocking some sense into a red's head if he thinks he's taking over my pack. Keep in touch, and I'll help any way I can if you need me. Your new cops won't be returning with you for a couple of weeks until they settle their affairs here. Your widow is staying with the one cop, but the rest are taking the Ford Escape, making it kind of crowded. I'm gifting you my Humvee, travels in any kind of weather."
"But---" Tessa said.
Leidolf held up his hand. "I've got another back at the ranch. I'll ride home with my people. Maybe Hunter won't hold a grudge against me about the jail situation for too long then." He grinned. "The last time I had to deal with a gray pack leader, Devlyn Greystoke had targeted a red he mated who reminded me of you. She was a redhead also. Bella was her name."
"Devlyn changed a human, too?" Tessa asked.
"No." Leidolf looked at the table for a second, then back up at them. "I was too late for her. She should have mated a red." He shrugged.
"Only a lupus garou would do, isn't that right, Leidolf?" Hunter asked.
Leidolf managed a smile. "Sure, that's right, Hunter."
But Hunter suspected it wasn't so. If he had given Leidolf the chance, he might have claimed Tessa for his own, especially since she reminded him of the last one he'd lost.
They finished their meals in silence, and then Leidolf paid the bill. Hunter kissed Tessa's cheek. "Are you ready to meet the rest of my pack?"
No, not now. But that wouldn't be very alpha of her. Yet, Tessa shivered internally anyway. What if they put her to the test? Tried to prove to her that she couldn't be their pack leader's mate? She didn't have a clue what she was supposed to do.
She stiffened her spine as she walked between Leidolf and Hunter. At least while she was wedged between the two alphas, she almost felt alpha herself.
Caruthers and a pretty brunette on his arm Tessa figured was Greta, both in their midforties, were sitting at a long table with several others. Allan, the other cop, and the woman he was interested in, a woman with chestnut hair curled on top of her head in swirls with a quick smile and sparkle in her amber eyes, sat next to them. And three other males, maybe in their late twenties, early thirties, all tall. One with black hair and eyes, who seemed too interested in Tessa, but quickly changed his posture to a contrite expression when Hunter gave him a quelling look. The other two had light brown hair cut short, dark brown eyes and appeared to be twins, except the one was slightly taller.
"Kenneth," Hunter said, motioning to one of the twins, "and Kensington." He waved at the black-haired man. "Adam." He smiled at the woman. "This is Genevieve who seems to have found her new mate. Everyone, this is Tessa, my mate."
All bowed their heads slightly.
"About time," Genevieve said, and hurried forth to give her a hug.
Greta did the same. The men didn't dare.
Hunter shook Leidolf's hand. "Thanks for the Humvee and the offer to help. We'll keep in touch. If you need any of my aid, likewise, give me a call. We have a long drive ahead of us, and I don't want to leave my sister in charge of a couple of new lupus garous much longer, so we'll be on our way."
Hunter shook hands with the police officers who would join them in a couple of weeks. Greta whispered to Tessa, "I've been where you are, honey. I'll show you the ropes."
"It's not exactly the same." Caruthers kissed his mate on the cheek. "She's an alpha leader's mate."
Greta grinned. "Like I said, Tessa, I'll help you all I can."
Caruthers shook his head, and Tessa gave Greta and Genevieve a hug, already feeling like one of the pack and it was a damned good feeling, too, but for her brother's continued incarceration. "I look forward to seeing you both soon."
Once Hunter's people were packed into the Escort, Hunter led them in the Humvee.
"I thought they might want to eat me alive, but they were really nice," Tessa told Hunter as he drove out of town.
"A couple of my males would have eaten you all up, but not the way you mean." He gripped the steering wheel tighter, then released it, but still seemed as tense as before. "What do you know about your great-grandfather?"
Here they went around about the gold again. "He was from Colorado originally, but got the gold fever. First he went to California and made it big, then came here. He met my great-grandmother who was working for her father's mercantile. Supposedly, he found a lot of gold here, too. Just had a real nose for it. But all the money in the world wouldn't buy him happiness. Shortly after finding the gold, my great-grandmother died of a fever, and he returned to Colorado. I couldn't find out what happened to him after that."
"What about your grandmother?"
"She was just an infant when her mother died. Her father couldn't take care of her. She went to live with her mother's brother and wife. But my grandmother said her father was generous and had left her aunt and uncle all the gold, enough to make them wealthy. Much of it was put into the bank later on, but some of it was hidden. They never had any children, and Grandmother eventually inherited it all and married a wealthy merchant. They settled where the house is now, where my great-grandparents had once lived in a shack. What happened to Seth?"
"He was killed in a rock slide. Apparently, he must have left your great-grandmother, returned to Colorado, but then rejoined my great-grandfather in California. Three of them died. My great-grandfather, Seth, and my father's twin brother. A fourth man, Caleb McKnight, was the only one who survived."
"The one in the news clippings."
"Right. Did your grandmother have any special abilities?"
"Like you do? Everyone used to tease her that there was no sneaking around Grandmother because she heard everything. She knew things, too. Like when the weather was changing. She explained it was due to her arthritis. As for her sense of smell? She definitely smelled things more acutely than we did. She seemed to always sense people's emotions also, whether they were scared or angry, even when they were hiding their feelings."
"She could smell their fear."
"Yeah, although I thought it was because she was super-observant."
"What about the gold?"
Tessa frowned at him. "There is no gold on the property."
"Seth told my father he'd stockpiled it somewhere in Oregon for people who needed it more than he did. Never in a million years would we have thought Seth had a child by a human. Did you ever find a marriage certificate?"
"No. Lots of records are pretty difficult to locate. No birth record for my grandmother either."
"Apparently in rare cases a human can conceive a child with a lupus garou. But in all the years I've lived, I've never met anyone like that, and Leidolf had only met one during his lifetime."
But what if her line had an affinity for getting pregnant by a lupus garou?
Hunter must have realized what she was thinking because he smiled at her and patted her leg. "Seth must not have changed your great-grandmother and that's why she died of a fever. Maybe she didn't want to be changed, or maybe he couldn't do it. But you're already one of us, and the babies you have will fully be lupus garous."
She'd never thought about that. How was she to deal with being a lupus garou and raising offspring like that when she was totally clueless about herself still? Tessa sighed.
Hunter slowed down as wrecking crews waved them past a rock slide. Tessa glanced back to see if the red Escort was behind them.
"Heavy traffic. About five vehicles slipped in between us, but I've given my pack directions if we get separated." He pulled back into their lane past the rock slide. "So what else do we know about Bethany's murder? How come the sheriff found her? Was there a 911 call made?"
"Bethany had made a call to the sheriff, stating that Michael had become violent and she was worried he might return. She said she was taking a walk along the trail by the cliff. The sheriff stopped by to check on her, but when he couldn't find her at the house, he went down the trail and discovered her body at the bottom of the cliff."
"Phone records verified the call was made?"
"Yes."
"What if Ashton had made the call from Bethany's house, told his father he'd killed her by accident, and his father covered up for him?"
"Truthfully, I don't think Ashton killed her." Tessa rubbed her clammy hands on her jeans. "Gut instinct. I think he really cared for her and if he murdered her in a fit of passion, I don't think he'd let Michael go to prison for it."
"Yet, he let him take the rap for minor crimes he was responsible for. On the other hand, what if your brother really did it?"
Tessa glowered at Hunter.
"What if he did? We can't discount that he might be guilty."
"He isn't! What if it's one of your kind?" Tessa choked on the thought. "You...you couldn't have a lupus garou convicted, could you? Once the moon appeared, he'd change and you can't have one incarcerated, can you?" Hell, even Ashton was one now.
"If we find one of them is guilty, we'll figure out a way."
She'd figure out a way. If she could just turn into a wolf and bite her brother in prison, the judge would have to have him released.
When they finally reached Hunter's house, Tessa figured someone would greet them, but nobody did and her heart began to race.
"Stay in the Humvee. Do not leave until I say so," Hunter ordered, his face dark and threatening.
Before she could respond, he slammed the door shut and strode to the front porch, then disappeared inside. She concentrated on the front door standing wide open and wanted to join him rather than worry about what was happening.
And then his face stormy, he stalked out to the Humvee and jumped in. "Jessup and his pack have taken them."
She hoped Hunter couldn't smell her fear, but she couldn't hide how she was feeling.
"We're to meet them at that burned out pine tree. I'm to hand you over to Yoloff and they'll release my sister and the rest."
Tessa looked behind them, but still didn't see any sign of the Escort.
"I left directions." Hunter pulled out of the drive and headed south on the coastal road.
"You can't face all five of them, Hunter. We should wait."
"They want us alone. I'll do what I can."
Stubborn damn alpha male. He was going to get himself killed and then where would she be? Just when she'd found the man she wanted to love forever. And what about Michael also?
Her skin crawling with anxiety, she looked into the backseat. No weapons. "What about the rifles at the house?"
"They must have taken them. None were there."
The closer they got to where the pine tree was, the more Tessa felt she could lose Hunter for good. She looked into the backseat again. Nothing. Leidolf was a neat freak. Not even a hint of dust. But what about the trunk? A tire iron?
"No matter what, you're staying in the vehicle. If they get the best of me, you leave."
"But your sister, and the others?"
"They won't harm them until they're assured they have you. You return to my place, gather the forces, call Leidolf. Hell, have him notify Devlyn of the problem. These guys won't be able to handle all that heat."
"But you can't charge in there and kill them all. Why can't you wait for the others?" She studied the tension in his face and frowned. "You don't think Jessup and the others will wait, do you? You think they'll kill some of them. Rourke and Ashton."
"I would have left you at my place, but I was afraid that they'd be watching and take you. So do as I say, Tessa. You're no match for any of them without having a gun."
They drove the rest of the way in silence and when they reached the designated place, Tessa couldn't stop shivering. She wasn't being an alpha, but she couldn't change into a wolf, which even if she could probably wouldn't have helped much against them. And without a gun, she was totally defenseless and useless.
Hunter pulled up and stopped. Yoloff and his brother stood as wolves near the burned up pine, watching them, waiting. Jessup stood farther away as a human, unable to shapeshift. He didn't have a weapon that she could see. Where were Redmond and Butch? Probably guarding Meara and the others somewhere else.
Hunter squeezed Tessa's hand. "Stay."
"Who are you targeting first? Jessup? He's their leader. If you take him out, maybe the others will tuck tail and run."
"Yoloff and his brother. They're the most dangerous in their wolf forms." Hunter opened the door. "Lock it after me."
Tessa climbed into the driver's seat and locked the door. Jessup motioned to her to come out of the vehicle, but she ignored him and watched Hunter strip off his clothes, sure of himself, muscular, ready.
Even though Yoloff and his brother stood their ground, she thought they looked a little nervous, their ears flattening and their tails drooping slightly. Hunter didn't take his eyes off Yoloff the whole time while he removed his clothes. Yoloff would die. She knew Hunter wouldn't allow him to live this time. Maybe his brother, too. But she was certain Jessup didn't intend to let Hunter rip him to shreds, if Hunter managed to best the brothers.
And then she saw the rifle leaning against one of the trees. Damn him. What if she could get to it while Jessup watched Hunter's fight?
Hunter shapeshifted, but no one moved until he targeted Yoloff. Then Jessup made a move toward the Humvee. He motioned for her to get out. Like she'd listen to him. Then she had another idea. Could she run any of them over? Probably not because of all the trees. Jessup could easily duck out of her path, she'd ruin the Humvee, and be stuck.
The tire iron. Surely, Leidolf would have one to use in case he got a flat and had to change a tire. Had to be in the trunk.
Hunter ran at Yoloff and Jessup's attention switched to the fight. Typical male. Forget the girl when there's a good fight going on.
She didn't want to take her eyes off the fight either, but she climbed into the backseat and looked into the trunk. Hell, if there was a tire iron, it must be hidden. She glanced back at the windshield.
Hunter and Yoloff clashed, their teeth bared and connecting, the growls reverberating through the woods. They fell to their pads and separated. Her skin prickled with anxiousness, her heart racing. She thought Yoloff's brother might attack next, but he seemed to be waiting for the fight to be decided first. He was probably thinking he wouldn't have to participate if Yoloff killed Hunter first.
But then Hunter did the unexpected. He whipped around and attacked Yoloff's brother, startling him so badly, he dashed off in the wrong direction, close to the edge of the cliff with nowhere to back up, nowhere to run. Hunter rose on his hind legs, his teeth snapping at the gray and with no room to maneuver, the brother slipped off the cliff with a yelp.
Shocked, Tessa stared out the window. Everyone else seemed as stunned. Yoloff didn't make a move toward Hunter and Jessup stood frozen in place. Yeah, bastard. After Hunter finishes off Yoloff, you're next.
She climbed into the trunk and began lifting the carpet, looking for the tire iron she hoped was here.
But then Hunter targeted Yoloff, and Jessup went for the gun. Oh, hell. Not finding a tire iron, Tessa scrambled over the backseat and then into the front and started the Humvee.
As soon as Hunter bit Yoloff in the face, Jessup aimed the rifle. Tessa couldn't reach him with the Humvee the way he was standing protected between the trees, but if she rammed the pines, she might be able to distract him enough. She threw the vehicle in drive and roared toward Jessup. He swung around and for a moment, she thought he might shoot her. But instead he jumped back, realizing he was protected by the trees, and turned the weapon on Hunter.
"No!" she screamed, and ran the Humvee into the pine. Because of the constant rain in the area, the roots were shallow enough that when she hit the tree, it toppled, but Jessup got off a round right before it fell.
Hunter yelped this time and she saw the blood on his hip. Ohmigod, no, Hunter. If nothing else, she'd wrestle with Jessup until Hunter destroyed---
Yoloff bit at Hunter and he retaliated, but they were too close to the cliff's edge. Back up, back up!
Jessup aimed the rifle again, and Tessa jerked the door open and lunged at him, throwing her body at him, trying to knock him off balance to give Hunter time to take care of Yoloff.
And then her heart nearly gave out when she and Jessup stumbled over the felled pine, falling to their knees as Hunter took another bite at Yoloff's face. Yoloff suddenly went for Hunter's leg. They were both too close to the cliff edge! She wanted to warn Hunter away from the drop-off, drag him from the danger herself. But everything happened so fast she couldn't react quickly enough to do anything.
Yoloff bit into Hunter's leg, and Hunter snapped at Yoloff's neck. But Yoloff's back paws lost purchase on the crumbling soil. He slipped off the edge, pulling Hunter with him.
"Hunter!" Tessa screamed and ran for him, but Jessup grabbed her arm and yanked her back. She kicked and thrashed back and forth, trying to break free, to save Hunter.
"Butch will be pleased," Jessup darkly said, and jerked her toward the edge of the cliff.
Only when she saw the direction he was going did she go willingly to see Hunter, to ensure he was all right. She prayed he was.
Down below, both Hunter's and Yoloff's wolf forms lay still as death. Yoloff's brother was gone. Her heart splintering, she stifled a sob.
"Come on. Time to clean up the last of the loose ends. You'll tell us where the gold is hidden on your property, and we'll let the others go."
With tears streaking down her face, she didn't believe it for a minute, although it wouldn't have made any difference because she didn't have a clue if there was any gold anyway. All that mattered was whether Hunter had made it or not.
Jessup tugged her in the direction of Bethany's house, but she fought him every step of the way, wanting to climb down the cliff to Hunter. He had to have survived the fall like before. He had to have. And she had to go to him.
But Jessup tightened his grip on her, cutting the circulation off in her wrist, her hand numbing. He hurried her faster to the house, forcing her to run to keep up. What about Hunter's pack? Where were they when they needed them most?
Jessup shoved the front door open and yanked her into the house. "She's yours, Butch. Just like you wanted."
"The others?" Butch asked, offering Jessup a beer.
Jessup forced Tessa onto the couch next to Meara and Cara, their hands and mouths bound, their eyes wild. Ashton and Rourke were bound, but unconscious on the floor. Meara looked at Tessa, trying to read her expression, but Tessa sobbed, attempting to appear so inconsolable that she was useless, and so that they wouldn't tie her up also, while she looked for another weapon. Not that her tears and upset weren't genuine, but she tried to keep a clear head until they were able to destroy the men before they harmed anyone else. And then she had to go to Hunter.
She spied a poker next to the cold fireplace as Redmond took a seat at the dining table. If she could just slip over to it.
"Hunter took care of Yoloff's brother first. Although he worked on Yoloff in the beginning. His tactics threw all of us. Especially, when Hunter forced Andreas off the cliff." Jessup took a swig of beer.
But then Tessa worried that if she got the poker, Jessup still had the rifle and three men against one woman wouldn't do. If she could free Meara, she could shapeshift, whereas no one else could. Tessa had to chance it. She moved closer to Meara and began working on her bindings.
"But Yoloff's gone also?" Butch asked.
"Yeah, Hunter got him, too, only he had the last laugh. He pulled Hunter off the cliff and both hit the rocks below."
"You're sure Hunter was dead? He survived before," Butch warned.
"Yeah, he was dead. Last time, he hit the water and managed to swim to Tessa's beach. Not this time."
Her heart in her throat, Tessa felt the ties loosen on Meara's wrists. Meara quickly yanked them free, then tugged her clothes off. Tessa dove for the fireplace poker and Meara shapeshifted.
As a wolf, Meara targeted Jessup, the leader, and Tessa went for the rifle, poker in hand.
But no sooner had Meara's teeth clamped down on Jessup's arm, making him drop the can of beer, than Butch dove for the rifle.
No, no! Tessa swung the poker at Butch's head and knocked him out cold. But somehow Redmond had managed to slip by her in the shuffle and went for the rifle.
Growling furiously, Meara lunged for Jessup's throat, while he grabbed onto her muzzle to keep her from killing him. Tessa froze as Redmond grabbed the rifle and pointed it at her. He could shoot her, but she wouldn't die. Yet, Tessa couldn't let go of the fear that Meara could. Meara was their only real chance at survival, and Tessa had to protect her. She prayed her lupus garou genetics would save her and leapt forward, swinging the poker at the rifle.
Her hands and mouth still bound, Cara had managed to slip behind Redmond and gave him a shove. The bullet fired into the carpeted floor.
Before Tessa could take another swing at Redmond, a different wolf growled low. She turned and saw Hunter, his hip bleeding. Alive! Tears filled her eyes and she wanted to rush to him, to hug him, proving he was really real.
His fur smelled foul, like he'd rolled in a bed of rotting kelp. He quickly targeted Jessup, and Meara swung around to get Redmond.
But even over the growling and the sound of a porcelain lamp crashing, Tessa heard a vehicle driving up. Finally, Hunter's people had arrived.
She ran to help untie Cara, but Butch came to and grabbed Tessa's ankle.
Redmond slid down next to her, his throat ripped out. Hunter didn't hesitate to make short work of Butch. Jessup was already dead.
"Hello?" a man called out.
Hell, it was the sheriff.
Still in their wolf forms, Hunter and Meara looked in the direction of the front door, then raced out back.
Tessa continued to work on Cara's bindings.
"What the hell," the sheriff said, his gun drawn.
"A pair of wolves saved us from these men," Tessa said, her voice and hands shaking.
"Ashton?" The sheriff ran over to help his son.
"These men knocked Ashton and Rourke out. They planned to kill the whole lot of us."
The sheriff stared at Butch and Redmond. "Hell, those two were seeing Bethany."
Staring at the sheriff in disbelief, Tessa untied Rourke. All the time he'd said Michael had lied and Bethany hadn't been seeing anyone. What if one of these guys had killed her?
Ashton moaned and rubbed his head. "I thought you said no one had been seeing Bethany, that Michael had made it up. How do you know they'd been here?"
The sheriff appeared flustered.
"How?" Ashton asked his dad again, his eyes slightly glazed, his tone threatening.
"Who the hell do you think you are, questioning me?" The sheriff glanced at the men and added under his breath, "The little whore."
Ashton's face lost all its color. "You were the one who discovered her body. No one questioned you because you were the sheriff. You said she'd called you because she worried Michael might kill her he was so angry. But she didn't, did she? You used her phone to make the call. You killed her. Why?"
Tessa's skin chilled.
"Because," Hunter said, stalking in through the back door with a limp, his pants leg bloodied, blood on his sweatshirt, his face bruised, his expression deadly, "Bethany reminded him of his unfaithful wife. Isn't that right, Sheriff? Didn't want a two-timing woman to hurt your own son?"
Dying to hold Hunter tight, Tessa's eyes filled with tears of joy that Michael could be exonerated. But the menacing look Hunter gave the sheriff warned her to keep her distance.
What about Meara? Her clothes were lying on the floor next to the couch. Cara's gaze followed where Tessa looked, and Cara left Rourke, grabbed Meara's clothes, and headed outside.
"You must have staged the phone call," Hunter said.
The sheriff reached for his revolver.
His look feral, dangerously challenging, Hunter asked, "What are you going to do? Kill all of us? It's over, Sheriff. Time to be a man and face the judge and jury."
SEARCHING FOR THE GOLD IN THE AREA BEYOND the house, Tessa tried to settle the way her stomach flip-flopped. Thankful Judge Graydon had obtained Michael's release and agreed to try Sheriff Wellington for Bethany's murder, she still felt badly for Ashton, who was torn between hating his father and still loving him. But now Devlyn Greystoke was speaking privately with Hunter inside her house about Hunter making Tessa his mate without her cousin's permission, and he was pissed.
Tessa hoped to God the two could settle the matter without bloodshed, but she was annoyed they'd dismissed her like she didn't have any say in the matter.
Although, secondary to all that was the fact Hunter was still perturbed with her for biting her brother and changing him. As if she'd go through life without sharing it with her brother.
She took a deep breath of the salty air and of the sea kelp rotting on the beach she normally despised. But if it hadn't blanketed the rock where Hunter had fallen, he probably wouldn't have survived. Where Yoloff and his brother had fallen, the tide had cleaned the rocks, leaving them bare and deadly. The police had eventually found Andreas's body on a different beach, thank God.
She poked around the tree roots of a massive pine, the water and unusually high winds having washed away a ton of soil, the snow long since melted away and something had drawn her attention. Metal? Something shining in the pale light of the moon.
The gold!
Footsteps approached, crunching on the fallen leaves and she looked up to see him---Devlyn. Their mutual great-grandfather, Seth Greystoke, was known in these parts as the gray devil wolf, and Devlyn had taken after him. Right now, he looked fearsome enough to hold the title. A strap of leather tied back his coffee-colored, shoulder-length hair, his equally dark brown eyes studying her, no hint of a smile on his stern face, as rugged as Hunter's, and he had the same kind of sturdy jaw. Tall and just as broad-shouldered, his unyielding posture gave her the impression he was a commanding alpha, not one to disobey.
His eyes raked over her and his gaze focused on her hair, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. But then the scowl returned. "It appears I'm too late to take you under my wing, dear cousin." His words were tight and terse.
She stood and brushed the dirt off her hands, faced him, her chin tilted up, although to look him in the eye, she had to anyway. "I'm Hunter's mate," she declared to make it very clear she had no intention of leaving him. Not that she guessed she could, according to what Hunter had said about their kind.
"In our way, I'd be compelled to deal with Hunter, wolf to wolf, for taking you without receiving my permission when he knew damn well I'd ordered him to keep his hands off you."
The thought anyone would have ordered that of Hunter made her smile inwardly, but outwardly with Devlyn, she steeled her expression. "I'm sure Hunter took your order under consideration, but my life was in peril and you weren't here to protect me."
Devlyn bowed his head slightly. "In truth, I didn't believe either Hunter---after what Leidolf told me about him---or you, would mind me. And now Hunter tells me you've turned your brother?" He raised a brow, his look still feral. He tsked. "I don't envy the task Hunter has cut out for him. But Bella is dying to meet you when she can travel. With triplets on the way, she's confined to her greenhouse and home."
Before Tessa could respond, Devlyn stalked toward her and hugged her soundly. "You and Michael are my cousins. If you ever need me or my pack for anything, we're family and you only have to call. Come see us. You're welcome anytime."
Family. The sound was like the caress of the waves stroking the beach, comforting, encompassing. First, Hunter and his family, and now Devlyn. "We'd be happy to visit with Bella and the rest of your pack."
Even though she hadn't been sure that she could fit in with the world of werewolves and their ilk, as long as her brother was along for the ride, and Hunter was her mate, she was one happy lupus garou. She glanced at the kitchen window and saw Hunter watching her, protective as ever. She guessed he and Devlyn had made tentative amends, but she could tell Devlyn wasn't totally satisfied.
Hunter kept an eye on Devlyn through the kitchen window, not liking that he'd hugged Tessa in a warm embrace, even if they were cousins. The word "distant," came to mind. Very distant. And his own mate was a redhead...so, Hunter just didn't care for it one bit.
"Come on, Meara. Change into the wolf so I can paint you," Michael said, following her into the kitchen.
"Hunter," Meara said, waving a magazine, "Uncle Basil advertised in this and said that's where he gets most of the reservations for the cabins. There's nothing in the advertisement encouraging alpha males to come here. I mean, there's no indication that they'll find me here. Hunter, are you listening to me?"
Hunter continued to watch Devlyn as he spoke further to Tessa. He'd expected Devlyn to be madder about him taking Tessa for his mate without first getting permission. But Devlyn had revealed how he'd gone after Bella, the alpha leader's chosen mate, and for the most part, understood Hunter's feelings. Although an undercurrent of misgiving was still evident.
"Was he very mad?" Meara asked Hunter.
"Devlyn? No. Everything is as it should be." As long as Hunter had Tessa, nothing else mattered.
"Not until you find me a mate, dear brother." She shoved the magazine at his chest. "Fix the ad or else I will. And you never know what I might offer."
Michael said, "Meara, just shapeshift for a little while. Please? An hour or two? I've never seen a wolf who's as beautiful as you."
She rolled her eyes. "Michael, give it a rest. I've got better things to do than pose for a painting for several hours. Take a picture of me the next time I shapeshift and paint that."
"It's not the same."
Ashton, Rourke, and Cara entered the living room and Michael whipped around, targeting them. "Will you change into wolves so I can paint you? Just think, immortalized forever and---"
"Come on, Cara," Ashton said. "My father's home is mine now. I need to take care of some business there."
"How do you feel?" Cara asked him, her hand stroking his arm.
"Like it's all so unreal. I guess deep down I suspected Dad knew I was seeing Bethany, but I didn't realize how much he hated her."
"That day when you ran after Hunter and Rourke and left us alone---"
"I had to know if they'd discover who the murderer was. I felt terrible I left you, Tessa, and Meara to fend for yourselves, but I had to know." He glanced at Michael and raised his brows. "Bring your paints."
Michael grinned from ear to ear. "You bet." He hurried off to the office.
"Watch them, Cara," Hunter warned.
Hell, having so many new lupus garous under several different roofs...He shook his head. Yet, with Ashton's father's arrest, Ashton had finally become more of a man. The notion of being a Navy SEAL was forgotten though. Cara liked his long blond hair way too much, but he was looking into becoming a police officer. And Cara seemed to love him all the more.
Rourke joined Hunter and Meara as the others left the house. "I've got to run by the newspaper office and leave off some reports. We're taking Devlyn to the airport, right, Meara?"
Meara nodded. "He says four of his male cousins are unmated and might like to vacation here." She cast Hunter an interested look.
He grunted.
She stood straighter and folded her arms. "He said they manage his affairs when he's away. Although, Tanner, the one he mentioned most, prefers redheads."
Hunter took his eyes off Devlyn. "He's not coming here."
Meara gave him a devilish smirk. "Uncle Basil called and said he'd heard about our bad storms, but couldn't get through. He wanted to know if you took care of Tessa."
"Eliminated the threat. Right."
"Yeah. To her. He figured once the two of you met, you'd keep her safe. Not like he could."
Hunter shook his head. "Uncle Basil could have been less cryptic." He yanked open the back door and headed for Tessa and Devlyn.
Devlyn stepped back, a knowing look on his face, acknowledging the possessive alpha male who wants another to stay clear, no matter the familial connection.
"I found the gold," Tessa said, her face beaming, her green eyes sparkling like crystal gems. "But the greatest treasure of all is finding family and becoming your mate." She reached to take Hunter into her arms, but he moved to do so first.
And with one fell swoop, he lifted her in his arms and headed back to the house. "Meara says your flight leaves soon," Hunter said over his shoulder to a bemused Devlyn. "Better not miss it. And by the way, if your cousins are alphas, they're welcome to stay at our resort. All except for Tanner."
A small smile brightened Devlyn's face, and he even managed a dark chuckle.
"Why not Tanner?" Tessa asked.
"He likes redheads."
Tessa said her good-byes to Devlyn, although Hunter hovered nearby, menacingly threatening. But once everyone was gone, the house was nice and quiet---time to show Tessa how important she was to Hunter.
She headed for the heater and turned it on. No response.
She rubbed her arms while Hunter flipped on a light switch. "Electricity's working." He opened the closet and checked the circuit breaker. "Circuit breaker's tripped." He flipped it back, but as soon as Tessa tried the heater again, it tripped the circuit breaker. Hunter growled. "The brothers Grimm fixed it, right? So much for their being electricians." Hunter lifted Tessa into his arms and stalked toward the bedroom.
"Shoot, Hunter, at this rate you'll never get me out of those pajamas---not until spring at least."
His chuckle was deep and dark and silkily seductive. "In your dreams, sweet Tessa. In your dreams."
The End
Acknowledgments
I want to thank my mother and son and daughter for all their help and encouragement. My mother was always first to offer help when I was stuck, except I would have to remind her that I'm writing a romance, not a werewolf horror story.
And thanks to my Rebel Romance critique partners who always help me over the rough spots---Vonda, Judy, Pam, Tammy, Randy, Carol, and Betty.
And I so appreciate Deb Werksman for being a super editor, for believing in my work, and being such a dream to work with.
Thanks also to my fans, who encourage me to keep on writing.
About the Author
Award-winning author of urban fantasy and medieval historical romantic suspense, Terry Spear also writes true stories for adult and young adult audiences. She's a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves and has an MBA from Monmouth University. She also creates award-winning teddy bears, Wilde & Woolly Bears, to include personalized bears designed to commemorate authors' books. When she's not writing or making bears, she's teaching online writing courses. Originally from California, she's lived in eight states and now resides in the heart of Texas. She is the author of Heart of the Wolf, Destiny of the Wolf, Winning the Highlander's Heart, Deadly Liaisons, Relative Danger, The Vampire...In My Dreams (young adult), and numerous articles and short stories for magazines.

