“And I’d rather you didn’t lie to me. But don’t kid yourself, mister. I want the answer.” Kendra crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and stared him down.
It was obvious this was some sort of test. It was also obvious that she wanted to know if he would force her to go. If he took the choice from her, it would make him or those on his team no better than the madman who had kidnapped her in the first place.
Galen sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “My orders are to bring you in, no matter what.” He shook his head and looked off into the distance. “But I can’t. If you won’t go with me willingly, I won’t have any choice but to take you to your home and stay there with you until I know you’re safe.”
“Why would you do that for me?” She bit her lip. “Why would you go against your orders for a woman you just met?”
He stared at her for a moment, silently taking her measure. What did she want to hear from him? Did she also feel the same attraction he did?
Was there something crawling deep in her insides that told her they belonged together? Or was it only something he felt as he stared deeply into her eyes and wondered what it would feel like to have her luscious curves pressed tightly against him?
Was the urge to mate riding her, too? Was there something deep inside Kendra telling her that he was special? God, he hoped so.
Perhaps there was something inside her, inside them both, drawing them closer and closer to each other.
Why? Maybe it was something about her scent, her beauty. Galen was certain of one thing. She was the one he’d been waiting for all this time. She was the one woman the universe had made to live and die by his side.
According to the legends of their people, there was one man for every woman and one woman for every man. His parents had always told him that he would know when he had met his mate.
They had been right. He had known Kendra was the one for him the moment he’d seen the video where she’d lashed out and kicked one of her assailants in the head during her abduction.
His most fervent hope was that she wouldn’t get angry enough over the next few days to turn that anger and expertise against him as well.
Chapter Eleven
Feeling sick to her stomach, Kendra rested her hand over her middle, wishing she’d been able to lose that last thirty pounds when she’d gone on her diet. But the stubborn last thirty that had stuck to her hips and thighs just wouldn’t go away.
What was it about her rescuer that made her heart rate increase? She couldn’t stop looking at him now, as she wondered what she should do. She didn’t know him at all. He could be a sexual deviant for all she knew.
How could she just consent to leave here with him when she knew nothing about the man other than he was tall, good-looking and had a body she could drool over? Hell, she even liked his beard and she usually wasn’t attracted to men with facial hair.
She sighed when she realized that one thought had taken on a new meaning, now that she could shift her shape into a dog. She’d probably drool unapologetically on everything now.
“And if I agree to go?” She wouldn’t agree if he wasn’t going with her. It didn’t matter that she didn’t really know him. Some strange new inner sense urged her to spend some time with him and see if the peculiar feelings roiling inside her developed into anything more. “Who would take me? You or someone else?”
“I would take you. Many of the other team members will remain behind and search this lab before they destroy it while others would eventually accompany us as protection.”
“Would we drive or would we fly?” She didn’t like flying. She’d flown only once in her life and it had scared the living daylights out of her.
“We’ll have to drive. Otherwise, we would have to leave the vehicles here.”
“Ah.” She grinned, not minding a bit. “Never get between a man and his truck.”
“That’s not it, at all.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “It’s just that it would be unfair to have to send someone else out after them when we could just as easily drive them back ourselves. Besides,” he said as he moved closer and lifted his hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “It will give us a chance to get to know each other better on the way.”
“I—I think I want that.” Kendra tilted her head and Galen cupped her cheek in his palm. Reaching up, she covered his hand with hers. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s just something about you.”
Something changed in his expression when she admitted that. He held her gaze with a look so intense Kendra was certain he would kiss her. He leaned closer, his eyes searching hers as his expression grew serious.
Just as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back for his kiss, a horn honked, and she heard the unmistakable sound of tires sliding across the sand-covered pavement.
“Damn,” Galen whispered as he dropped his hand and moved away from her.
I could say the same, mister. Kendra watched as Galen moved to the gate and ripped the padlock and chain off the latch without opening it.
Eyes widening, Kendra’s mouth dropped open. “You just ripped the lock off that gate!” She’d known he was strong by the way he’d handled himself in the lab, but she hadn’t realized how strong until just then.
“Didn’t I tell you we have superior strength?”
“Uh... no. I don’t believe you did.” She fought the urge to lift her hand to her heart. Not only was he handsome and strong, but he had a code of honor to rival that of a knight of old. Maybe she was dreaming after all. Chivalrous men like Galen didn’t really exist... did they?
Galen strode out to the large white SUV and opened the driver’s door.
“Go inside and pass on a message to the MacDonald brothers and Jackson. Tell them I said to follow us back to Wolf Lake as soon as they’re done inside. They have my number. Have them call me when it gets dark if they haven’t already caught up to us by then, and I’ll tell them where we’ve stopped for the night.”
He wrapped his arm around Kendra’s waist and guided her to the passenger side of the vehicle. “We’ll stop and get you something new to wear, as well.” He held the door while she climbed in, shutting it when she fastened her seatbelt.
Kendra watched as he walked around the front of the SUV. What was it about the man that drew her the way he did? She couldn’t help but stare as his long-legged stride carried him around the front of the vehicle as smoothly as a predator.
She waited until he opened the door and climbed in. “You really live in a place called Wolf Lake and you can shapeshift into wolves?” She shook her head. “I don’t believe this. Are you sure this isn’t all some fantasy?” It would explain a lot if it were.
“Yes. We all live around Wolf Lake, Michigan.” He put the still running vehicle in gear and hit the gas. “Don’t you think there is a reason why some places have been named after certain types of animals? There is Wolf Lake, Big Bear Lake, Beaver Hideaway, Deerhead Run, Mooseville .” He shrugged. “There are more, but I think you get my drift.”
“Are you saying that all of those towns harbor shape shifters?”
“No. At least, not that I’m aware.” He chuckled. “I’m saying someone named them for the animals who once lived there and provided some benefit for the local humans.”
“Oh. So you’re saying that Wolf Lake isn’t inhabited only by wolf shifters.”
“Of course it isn’t. There are a few cougar shifters, a couple of black jaguars, and some bears, if memory serves. I’ve even heard of grizzlies and polar bear shifters living nearby—along with some humans, of course.”
“What?” Kendra sat forward, aimed the air vent at her face and took several deep breaths. “I don’t know if I can accept everything you’re telling me.” Her hands trembled as she rested them against the dash.
They drove through the gate and headed out into the desert, the road stretching out before them like a long dark line drawn through the sand.
“You’ll get used to it.” After an hour or
so, he pulled out onto what must have been a main road, if the electric wires on poles stretching on for miles were any indication.
“I’m not sure I want to get used to it.” She didn’t want her life to change. She liked it just as it was. Well, maybe it would have been nice to settle down and have kids, but she couldn’t do that now. The center of her chest ached at that thought.
Kendra glanced at Galen from the corner of her eye. She couldn’t seem to stop looking at his dark good looks, his broad shoulders and trim waist beneath the V-neck t-shirt that revealed his washboard abs, thick biceps and what appeared to be a large winged tattoo that spanned the width of his chest.
Like beards, she usually wasn’t attracted to tattoos, but for some reason, on Galen, it looked sexy and made her want him even more.
Her stomach did that strange little flip that it had done in the compound, and she covered it with her hand again. She felt strange. Goosebumps covered her skin and the hair on the back of her neck stirred.
Things had happened just like her mother had said they would. A strange little bubble rose inside her that told her Galen was the one. Her heart pounded and her thoughts raced. Nothing would ever be the same again and Kendra hoped with all her heart that it was a good thing.
Chapter Twelve
If he knew women, and Galen thought he did, he knew Kendra wouldn’t want to wear those clothes of hers any longer than necessary. After wearing the same clothes on and off for four days, she’d probably welcome something clean and new.
“Kendra.” He rested his hand on her leg. He couldn’t help himself. He had to touch her, even if it was such an impersonal gesture. “We need to stop for gas, food and clothes. It’s time to wake up, baby.” He lifted his hand to her shoulder and jostled her gently. “We’re stopping at a store. Do you have to go to the bathroom?”
“Huh?” She opened her eyes and looked around. “What’d you say?”
It figured his asking if she needed to use the toilet would awaken her. He was certain she hadn’t used the facilities much in the lab. He couldn’t say he blamed her as no one liked an audience while taking care of their most private business.
“Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
“Uh...” She sat up and looked around, her expression clearing when she saw the big-box department store with the small fast-food restaurant attached. “Yes. Yes, I do.” She cleared her throat and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before smoothing her hair back. “Do you think I could get something else to wear?” It looked as though she was about to smile at the thought, then her face fell. “Never mind. I forgot I don’t have my purse with me. It’s probably still on the floor in the backseat of the doctor’s SUV where his henchmen dropped it during my abduction.”
“I’ll purchase whatever you need.” He couldn’t let her go on thinking he would make her wear the same clothing she’d worn since Thornton kidnapped her nearly five days ago. He didn’t know when she’d washed it last, but it looked more than a little worse for wear.
“I can’t let you do that.” She sighed and twisted her fingers together. “It’s bad enough you’ll have to feed me. I don’t want you to feel as though you have to buy my clothes, too.”
“It’s not an issue. Believe me.” Galen sighed as he watched her turn away and swipe her face with her arm. Now she was crying, damn it. He had to make her understand that he wanted to do this for her. “Look. I’m taking you to Michigan. It’s going to take us several days to get there. You’re going to need a few changes of clothes and if it’s any consolation at all, I’m not a poor man.”
“That doesn’t mean you should go around buying stuff for every woman you rescue from lunatics.” She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and then sighed.
“You make it sound as though it’s something I do every day.” He laughed out loud at the thought.
“Isn’t it?”
“Hardly.” Galen found that he liked the idea that she thought him so altruistic that he would spend so much of his time rescuing fair maidens.
He held the door as she slid out of the truck and then grasped her arm just above her elbow. “In fact, you’re the first.” That wasn’t entirely the truth. He had helped rescue other women, but she was the first he’d taken it upon himself to care for personally afterward.
“Right. Something tells me that nut keeps you guys busy rescuing damsels in distress.”
“I have stormed other labs, yes,” Galen said as he led her toward the store. “The pack’s foundation has several teams. However, you’re the first woman I have ever had the pleasure of escorting back to meet our Alpha.”
That much was true. The other labs had contained men the doctor had turned, but the raids he’d participated in didn’t have many women. Only one other lab had a woman and he’d gotten there too late to help her. She’d been dying of a self-inflicted wound when they had arrived. If only she would have waited one more day before harming herself, she might have been alive today.
“Okay. I’ll let you buy me some clothes, but I want to pay you back. I don’t know how long it will take, especially since I’ll be jobless at least for a while. If I’m not unemployed already, I soon will be.” She sighed again and pushed her fingers through her hair. “I can’t wait to take a shower and put on some clean clothes.” She tilted her head when she looked at him.
The doors automatically slid open for them as they approached and Galen led her through to the women’s department. “Don’t choose crap because it’s cheap. I don’t mind paying for your things and I don’t expect you to repay me. If I want repayment, I’ll have the foundation reimburse me.”
“What foundation?” Kendra asked almost absently as she rifled through a rack full of colorful blouses. She pulled a few off the rack and held them up to herself while still on the hanger before placing the hook back over the metal rail.
“Our people have just funded a foundation to further Dr. Thornton’s studies with volunteers.”
“Why would anyone volunteer for that?” She made a face. “From what I can see it’s not worth it. Why would anyone want to go through the pain? It hurts like hell. Not to mention the results.” Her brows drew tighter, and she thinned her lips. “No one has the right to do this to people.” She waved her hand in front of herself. “Not even your foundation.”
“Listen to me, Kendra. We don’t kidnap people and experiment on them. We aren’t trying to build an army. And unlike the lunatic who came up with the serum, we aren’t doing this to make names for ourselves.” Galen kept his voice low. The last thing they needed was for someone to overhear their conversation.
“Then why are you doing it?” Kendra scowled at him. “Because, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no good excuse for changing people into monsters.”
“So, now I’m a monster?” He shook his head. “Thanks, Kendra. Thanks a lot. Here I thought I was a good man, trying to help an equally good woman out of a tight spot.”
Tears streamed down her face and Galen felt like an ass all over again.
“We’re both monsters now.” She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. “I can’t go back to being a schoolteacher. Who wants a monster teaching their children?” Kendra shook her head. “Why did I think you were any different? I should have known that anyone who could kill so indiscriminately the way you did couldn’t be a good person.”
Galen looked around them to see if anyone had heard her outburst. They didn’t need someone calling the police on them because they thought he’d murdered someone. Well... perhaps he had, but not in the context that most people would think of after hearing Kendra’s complaints.
“Son-of-a-bitch, Kendra. You make me sound like an unfeeling monster.”
“Aren’t you one?”
Grasping her shoulders, he held her gently and waited until she looked up at him through her tear-ravaged eyes. “No, Kendra. I am not. First and foremost, I am a man. I am civilized.”
“You’re an animal,” she whispered. “You said it yourse
lf. You’re an animal.”
“I am a man who can shift his shape into that of an animal,” he replied keeping his voice low. “However, when I’m a wolf, I can still think like an honorable man. I still have the values of that man.”
Galen shook his head and sighed. Taking another look around, he pulled her into a corner where they could talk without her tears attracting unwanted attention.
“Tell me, did your thought patterns change when you were in the lab and you knew you weren’t human?”
Kendra’s brow creased. “I don’t think I know what you mean.”
“Can I help you?” A tiny blonde in a short skirt sidled up next to Galen and blinked her baby blues up at him. He felt Kendra stiffen but she remained silent.
“I think we’re good.” He glanced at Kendra. “Do you need any help, sweetheart?”
“I’m fine.” Kendra pressed her lips together and smiled stiffly before she turned to a nearby rack and searched the blouses for something in her size, he supposed.
“My name is Bobbi. Call me if you need anything.” She winked up at him and patted his behind. “Anything at all.”
“I said we’re good.” Galen stepped away from her, not wanting either of the women to get the wrong idea.
“Come on, lover boy,” Kendra said as she led him over to a family restroom in the corner before disappearing inside for a moment. “I don’t believe that some women actually do stuff like that.”
Was she jealous of the salesgirl? Galen smiled at the thought. If she was, maybe he had a chance with her after all.
Kendra reappeared a few moments later with her face and hair damp and a wad of paper towels held in her hand. “Where were we?” She frowned and then, “Oh. I remember. I had just told you I didn’t know what you meant when you asked if my thoughts had changed.”
Explaining didn’t bother him a bit. It gave him time to appeal to her rational judgement instead of succumbing to her emotions.
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