He only rested a few hours last night, sleeping in the clearing where he brought her that day; and had awakened while it was still dark, moonlight filtering through the branches above. The temptation was immediately there, to go to Leanne.
I need to see her.
Nausea gathered in the pit of his stomach. Why would any human want anything to do with him after knowing what he was? That thought sent agony through him. I need to release my beast. There was little reason for humans to venture into the forest at night, yet he was careful, inhaling deep several times and waiting. When his wolf’s instinct sensed only animals and shifters, he took a deep breath, head heavy as he allowed the beast to come forward. His claws shot out, pain in his mouth as his fangs elongated. Removing his tee shirt and jeans, he dropped to all fours, ready for the next stage of his change. That dull pain traveled to every part of his body, and as his beast became stronger he grew in height, muscles expanding as flashes of his wolf appeared on his skin. Take me, wolf. He relinquished his hold on the beast, fur spreading across his body and becoming thicker, until his transformation was complete. Starting from a crouched position he jumped, running fast and far, leaving the problems that plagued his human form behind. As he ran from thoughts of Leanne, his surroundings became a blur, the sensation of being released rushing through him. Running under the glorious light of the moon, he no longer cared about humans or their irrational fears, which kept his kind leashed. When his toes pounded against the soft earth, making leaves and twigs fly around him, the anger at being forced into suppressing and denying his own nature disappeared; because for now he was free. He did not stop until he returned to the clearing, exhausted. Resting, he waited for his wolf to retreat, until the next time. That familiar pain spread to every part of his body as the fur subsided and his tanned human skin became visible. A few minutes later he pulled on his clothes and then lay under a tree, eyes closed.
Leanne. I want you.
“WHERE THE FUCK HAVE you been?” Shaken out of his stupor, he looked up to see Tyr glaring down at him, dark hair uncombed and blue eyes full of concern. “I’ve been camped outside your apartment, waiting for you to turn up.”
“How did you find me, Tyr?” A forest was the obvious place a wolf would go to let off steam, but how did his brother sense him in this exact spot?
“Obviously not through telepathy, seeing as you had a hand in having us injected, blocking our abilities.”
Trust his brother to not let go of any chance to have a go.
Rex touched the back of his neck, where his own crystal was injected. The procedure was no more invasive than a vaccination, the inhibitors undetectable to humans. The decision was made a few years ago, perhaps the most difficult one he had been involved in since joining GCB. Beasts were free to use telepathy until a few decades ago, when human technologies developed at an unprecedented speed, and brought the concern that telepathic signals might eventually be intercepted. The Council’s Key Members of the time brought in a regulation, ordering shifters to use human technology for communication, and limit telepathy to emergencies. But the ability continued to be overused until GCB took the controversial decision of injecting their kind with inhibitor crystals.
“How did you find me?” he asked again, “Has your sense of smell had an overhaul or something?”
“It wasn’t difficult to find you.” Tyr shrugged his shoulders. “You brought me here a few times, and we ran together, remember? After dad’s death?”
How the fuck had Tyr, who constantly forgot to pay credit card bills, remembered a location he saw as a kid? Time to find another place to hide. “Leave me alone, Tyr.”
“No way. Look at the state of you. When’s the last time you fucking shaved?” Before he met Leanne. Rex ran his fingers over the short beard that gave him a wolf-like appearance even when his beast was held back. Worry marred his brother’s handsome features. “Your eyes … you haven’t been sleeping?”
“It’s nothing.” Rex stood, dusting himself down.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Tyr was a dog with a bone sometimes, but it was Rex’s own fault for never being tough enough with him. After the sudden death of father he took on the role as head of the family when mother was too broken to, indulging his younger brother as much as he himself had been tried. Tyr, the pain in the ass, stepped closer. “It’s a female, isn’t it?” When Rex said nothing, he grinned. “Who would have thought it? My big bro finally falling for someone—and pretty badly, it seems. So what’s the problem?” Concern flitted across Tyr’s face. “She’s not already mated, is she?”
The beasts were led by their instinct to choose a mate. Not that different from humans, who had a similar inclination and even made a big deal out of finding a soul-mate, but often ignored it in favor of practicality. “No chance of that.”
“Just as well, because there’s no way you want to come between two mated beasts.” Tyr raised his eyebrows. “What is it, then? She just doesn’t fancy you?” He sniggered. “She’s not a human, is she?” When he did not reply, Tyr’s smile faded. “She’s not a fucking human, is she?” His brother better not go off on one. “What the fuck? After what happened to dad?”
Rex had also wasted a lot of energy hating humans for what those bastards did to father, who was running in this very forest at the time. A strong wolf, the hunters fired bullet after bullet into him, until he fell. For a few hours of fun those humans devastated their family. Mother never recovered from the trauma, not really. It took years for him to accept that not all humans were like those hunters, many of them risking their own lives to help those not of their own species.
“I’m staying away from her,” he said. “I’ve only met her once, anyway.”
“And that’s got you this worked up?” Why wouldn’t he leave it alone? Tyr released that low whistle that indicated a light bulb moment. “This just gets better. You’ve had sex with her, haven’t you?”
“No.” And maybe that had him in this state. He just needed to get her out of his system. “Anyway, I’ve had sex with plenty of humans. So have you.”
“It’s one of the few things they’re good for—but none of them have put you in this condition before, that’s the point.” He released a sigh, exasperated. “Fuck it, Rex. How could you be stupid enough to fall for a human?”
“I haven’t fallen for her.” He was getting seriously irritated.
“And now what do you plan to do? Roam around being miserable?”
“I’ve got past worse than this.” He would get over it, he had to. With his responsibilities, he could not allow an infatuation to sidetrack him.
“Have you looked at your eyes?” Tyr asked. “They’re burning, like the eyes of wolves do for their mates.” Mate? Impossible. Like other beasts he did have sex with humans, plenty of it, but never became emotionally involved; ultimately waiting for the one he would be with forever. A human for a mate? Ridiculous. Talk about cultural differences—and what about the fact shifters had a longer lifespan?
He walked away from his brother. “You don’t know jack shit, that’s your problem Tyr.” He got past the murder of father when just a teenager, taking care of mother when she did not want to go on without her mate. This was nothing in comparison.
“If you didn’t feel something for her, you wouldn’t be in this fucked up state.” Tyr blocked his way. “If you do want to be with her, you must turn her. You know that, don’t you?”
Turn her? “Fuck, Tyr! What’s wrong with you?” The wolves were one of the shifter species that could transform humans into their kind—through a bite drawing blood—but the Council banned this and for good reason. There were ethical issues to consider and in any case, these days there was a huge risk attached. Humans were already speculating if the existence of shapeshifters was limited to novels and fantasy movies. All that social media did not help. Rex’s head became heavy, and he knew his eyes had flared up, a warning to his brother that he had gone too far. “This conversation is over.”
Tyr lifted his hands in a gesture of defeat, stepping back. “Okay, I’ll keep out of it. But at least come and see mother. She’s worried about the time you’re spending in the forest.” He smirked. “She’s concerned your wolf might be getting too strong, when the real danger is a flimsy human female.” He tilted his head to the side, speaking before Rex could warn him. “But if you have fallen for this human, then think about what I said.”
He quickly walked off before Rex reached out for him. He loved his brother, but he was a provocative pain in the backside sometimes. Did Tyr think he would do that to her? Turn her?
Yes, he wanted Leanne. But as she was.
CHAPTER FIVE
* * *
AS SUNLIGHT STREAMED IN THROUGH the bedroom curtains, Leanne turned over to her back, adjusting to being in her bed. She could practically feel the ground underneath her body and see the trees above her, as the smells of the forest invaded her senses. She had been dreaming about Rex again. That ice-blue gaze, the touch of his fingers on her skin, inside her. I want you. Now in agony, she moved her hand to between her legs, imagining his body on top of hers, pushing into her. Her fingers could never feel as good as his, and as she pressed them in deeper, she became even more frustrated. Two weeks since that day and he was still on her mind, constantly. Why the hell hadn’t she gone for it and had sex with him when she had the chance?
Because he is not human.
She took a shower with the temperature turned down, the cold water on her skin bringing relief, but was shivering by the time she came out of the bathroom in a towel. She opened the wardrobe and decided that yep, that knee-length flared red skirt would go perfectly with the floral print blouse she picked up last week. After getting dressed, she checked for something to wear over the outfit. Rex’s jacket hung among her clothes and she trailed her fingers over it, before going for the black cotton one next to it. As she tied her hair back, she wondered if he still thought of her. Not likely. Someone like him would have a fair share of women fawning over him. They were both thrown together that day, in a unique situation, and she had practically begged him to get physical. Heat shot through her as she remembered how keen she had been to give herself up to his skillful touch.
Why the hell did he have to be a bloody beast?
He stayed on her mind, refusing to budge for more than a few seconds, as she left her apartment and walked to the station. Even when she was pushed against passengers on the train, her crankiness did little to disperse the desire that rushed between her legs each time she thought of him. At work she ignored the mindless chatter around her, opening her inbox as she tried to push sexy thoughts out of her head. Emails, emails, emails … Rex, Rex, Rex … sex … Stop it.
He lingered in the background even as she forced herself to focus on her emails. Exorcisms and vampires. Photographic evidence finally proving the English elite were indeed reptiles. She paused. Another piece from Harry about shapeshifters, even though she had asked him to investigate other subjects. A couple of hunters savaged by a wild animal in a forest in North England? The story was over two weeks old, but the authorities had concealed it from the media; apparently, Harry did a lot of digging to obtain the details. There was one survivor of the trio that had been hunting a pair of foxes and according to his account, the animals ran through the forest for over an hour before the hunters managed to bring down the male. And then the female turned on them. He swore it was not normal, the way she went for the hunters, even after her deep wounds. She killed the other two members of the group and the only reason he survived was because the fox died before getting to him. He was claiming she shifted to human form for a few seconds before her death, but when he returned with help, the bodies of both the animals had disappeared. Leanne opened the photos attached with the article, clicking through the images of two dead hunters; young men with their stomachs ripped open. Nausea gripped her insides. Rex was such a beast, and she had been fantasizing about him all morning.
“What’s wrong, dove?”
She quickly closed her inbox and looked up at Bill, who had appeared from nowhere in his typical ninja-esque manner and now hovered behind her. “N-nothing.”
“Missing Dave?” To be honest, after seeing those photos she did miss the reliability—and safety—of being with someone like him. “I’ve got awesome news. He called and left a message for you this morning.”
“He what?”
Bill was smiling as if he had personally achieved something significant. “He tried to get you on the mobile but no network.”
“I must have been in the underground station,” she mumbled.
“Well, don’t keep him waiting. He seemed keen to talk.” And with that, he headed back to his desk, leaving her stunned. What did Dave want? She made a point of no personal calls during working hours, but this was an emergency. Time for a loo break. In the ladies’ restroom, she checked the cubicles were empty before bringing up Dave’s contact on her mobile. As the phone rang, she was tempted to hang up, but just then he answered. “Leanne?”
“Erm, hi Dave.”
“Thanks for calling. It’s probably more than I deserve.”
Damn right it was. Trying to keep her voice casual, “Any particular reason for contacting me?” After not bothering to check in, not once in two weeks, to see how she was getting on after he broke off the wedding—and left her to deal with all the shit.
“Are you free to catch up today? At lunchtime?”
Catch up? The last thing she had expected. “I’m not sure—”
“It won’t take much time, promise. I can come your way.” Dave putting himself out for her? This was new. “Shall we meet at Foodies? Your favorite cafe, isn’t it?”
He remembered? Tempted to tell him to piss off, but curiosity getting the better of her, she said, “Yes, okay then.”
When she returned to the office, Bill stared at her from his desk, eyebrows raised. She just shrugged her shoulders, a million thoughts running through her head. Dave seemed pretty keen to meet her, but why? Perhaps he wanted to get back together with her? Not that it made a difference because there was no way she would go back to him after what he had done … no fucking way.
REX LEANED BACK IN THE ARMCHAIR, positioned next to a window looking out over the busy street. He glanced across the road, at the building where The Alternative was based. Perfect. The pub was a great location from which to investigate the company responsible for landing his kind in a mess. The waitress gave him a wide smile, placing another beer on the round wooden table in front of him. “Anything else you would like?” she asked, pouting her red mouth. The young woman obviously hoped he might be tempted by more than the food items on the menu.
He waved away her childish attempt at flirting. “No, thank you.”
Her lips set into a thin line, a feat that should have been impossible considering the full pout of a few moments ago. She headed to the next table, occupied by a group of city workers resembling a designer corporate wear ad; leaving him to sip from the beer glass as he checked emails on his mobile. The spacious venue seemed to be a popular place. With its exposed brickwork, bright yellow walls and expensive ornate mirrors, it resembled an upmarket bar more than a traditional pub. Although not to his taste, he understood the attraction. As expected, a few employees from The Alternative had already been in to eat or grab a lunchtime drink.
He was forced out of the forest by a Council message, according to which Representatives were to be on call until further notice. Much to Tyr’s relief, he cleaned up and threw himself back into GCB business, soon learning the reason for the sudden pressure. A shifter fox had taken down a couple of humans just over two weeks ago, after they killed her mate. She also fell during her revenge and before she died, a surviving human witnessed her change. The GCB clean up team retrieved the shifters’ bodies before the authorities got to them, but a leopard who worked high up in the intelligence service had forwarded disturbing information—the mystery of the perished men and missing dead foxe
s meant those online stories were being taken seriously. An investigation was being launched to determine whether shapeshifters might exist, which was about as fucked up as it got. Government agencies were currently following up every report on The Alternative’s site and interrogating witnesses. Was it just a coincidence that the online portal had stopped putting out articles on shifters, after the subject dominated its website for months? No more shapeshifter reports would have meant one less thing to worry about, if the stories had not been pulled all of a sudden. The Council had put him in charge of investigating the organization and after monitoring the output of the site, he agreed it was strange that recently there had been stories about all kinds of shit—djinns, zombies, vampires and reptiles—but not a single one related to shapeshifters.
There was a reason for everything so he put a GCB investigation team on the case, which discovered that someone from the security service had visited The Alternative’s offices. The team could not verify what had been discussed, only confirming the officer was someone important. Right now, the Council team was investigating the backgrounds of employees at the online portal, and he expected that report soon. What else were the human agencies up to and was The Alternative involved in any way?
Until he knew any different, he would be spending lunchtimes in this pub. The tongues of humans were often looser outside their place of work, so there was no knowing what he might pick up. In fact, some woman Pam and her colleague Bill had sat behind him for the last half an hour, gossiping about other staff at the company—but the whole of the nonsensical conversation related to the personal lives of individuals they worked with, so no useful information there. Rex’s senses were suddenly on full alert. His eyes shot to the large entrance doors of the building he was monitoring, just as Leanne walked through them. What the fuck was she doing there?
The Wolf's Bride (Shifters Unleashed Book 1) Page 5