by Jane Godman
“I can imagine. Leave it with me. I’ll see what I can find.”
They ended the call with an agreement that Madden would escort Maria to Lowell’s house as soon as she was discharged from the hospital. He walked slowly back toward her room, trying to keep his errant mind on the logistics of the case. Too often, it kept straying to Maria herself. His thoughts had a tendency to fix on how she felt when he had held her. Her slender body was frail, but her weight in his arms felt right. So right. It was as if, when Maria laid her head on his shoulder, Madden had found something he didn’t know he had been searching for. He had found a sense of peace and belonging he hadn’t known since . . . well, he couldn’t remember ever knowing those things. They scared him because he had gotten used to who he was. Grown used to knowing he was an outcast. His inner lone wolf rebelled against this new feeling. This isn’t me. I don’t do feelings.
When he reached Maria’s room she was sitting up in bed frowning over a notepad in her lap. There were several crumpled pieces of paper on the floor. She looked up when she saw him, her face breaking into a smile and something in his chest snapped. Just broke free from its moorings.
Big trouble. That’s what you’ve got. If she can do that to you with a smile, what could she do with a kiss? You need to get a grip and do it fast.
“I’m trying to draw him, but my hand isn’t cooperating.” She grimaced. “You don’t realize how much you need your little finger until it’s gone.”
He was amazed that she could speak of her ordeal so calmly. But that had struck him all along. That incredible inner strength. He supposed it was what had helped her through the ordeal of her captivity. The Cage Killer had kept her alive longer than most of his victims. It meant he had spread out her torture over a longer period. The psychologists would need to get to work on that and try to unpack why, but Madden thought it might have something to do with Maria herself. That the Cage Killer didn’t want to dispose of her too fast. He liked her too much. The idea made him clench his fists hard.
“How did you keep going?” he asked. “In that cage and in those caves? How did you survive it?”
She gave it some thought. “What was the alternative? I did try to fight him at first, but he was too strong for me.” The words made her pause and she wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. “That seems strange because, when I saw him, he wasn’t very big or strong.”
“What do you mean?” Madden got the feeling what she was saying could be important.
“That the guy who came in here didn’t look as big as the one who abducted me.”
“But you didn’t see the one who abducted you,” he reminded her.
“No, but I sensed him. I lived with the reality of him every day. Beating me, torturing me, following close behind me through those caves. I got a good impression of his size.” She sat up straighter. “Even though he smelled the same and said the same things, I don’t think the guy who came in here was the same man.”
Chapter Four
“It’s possible we are looking for more than one killer.”
Madden faced his team at the end of the briefing, scanning their faces as he gave them the latest piece of news. Including him, there were nine full-time officers on this case. It was an unprecedented number, a response to the outcry caused by the murders. The Cage Killer had struck terror into the hearts of the Alaskan public. As news emerged of the way he abducted his victims, kept them in a cage, torturing them before he killed them, statewide panic had ensued.
Now the Alaskan Frontier Force, with Madden at its helm, was under increasing pressure from the politicians who funded it. Eighteen months and this killer was still at large. Newspaper editorials were critical of the lack of results. There were daily predictions about where he would strike next. Gun sales had rocketed. Vigilante groups were being formed. There had been several instances of attacks on innocent citizens who had been mistaken for the Cage Killer, usually because they appeared odd to their neighbors or work colleagues, or had been seen acting suspiciously.
The weight of responsibility on Madden’s shoulders grew heavier with each passing day. His job was made harder by the fact that he couldn’t tell anyone on the force the full extent of his suspicions. He was in a roomful of dedicated professionals. Every person on his team was totally committed to catching the killer and was prepared to do anything it took to make it happen. But if Madden told them the truth, or what he believed to be the truth, he knew the esteem and trust in which he was held would disappear. As soon as he mentioned werewolves, he could wave goodbye to his role as the respected leader of this squad. His dignity would last as long as it took to get him kicked off the force on mental health grounds.
Callie Monroe glanced around nervously before raising a hand. Madden nodded in her direction. “Isn’t it possible our victim might be confused?”
Madden didn’t want to allow his partiality for Maria to affect his judgment. Callie had a point. They were dealing with a woman who had been through the sort of ordeal most people could only imagine. Of course her thinking could be muddled. Did he think that was the case? No, he didn’t. He believed Maria knew what she was talking about when she said the man who had climbed through the window of her hospital room was not the same man who had abducted her and held her prisoner.
“Yes, she could be confused. She has been kept in a cage for two weeks, during which time she was tortured. But I want us to keep an open mind on this. Maria Delgardo is the only person who has survived being in contact with this killer. She says we are dealing with two different men, so let’s not rule that out.” He had delegated tasks to the four units within the team. Callie and her partner, Paul Crozier, were checking out the gallery connection. “Contact these other artists Maria was working with. Whoever snatched her from the gallery steps that evening knew her routine. He knew she had stayed late, even though that was unusual for her.”
The team dispersed and Madden snatched up his jacket and cell phone. Today was the day Maria was leaving the hospital. When she made the journey to Fairbanks, he would be at her side. Rather than spending the whole day driving, Madden had decided an hour’s flight would be less tiring for her. There would probably be some questions from the politicians about how he had prioritized public resources, but if anyone pushed him far enough, he would happily offer to use his own money. He was a werewolf, loyalty and devotion to duty came naturally to him, but sometimes being a public servant tested those traits to their outer limit.
When he arrived at the hospital, the first person he encountered was Dr. Lambert. “Detective Madden.” Her expression told him she meant business. “I need to speak to you.”
“Can this wait? I have a busy schedule today.”
“It can’t wait.” Without pausing to see if he was following, she walked into the room she had led him to during their previous meeting. Once he had closed the door behind him, she turned to face him. “I am very concerned that the test results I spoke to you about, the ones belonging to Maria Delgardo, have gone missing.”
Shit. His human conscience immediately went to war with his werewolf self-preservation instinct. He could do without this right now. Sebastian and the samples were long gone and Madden needed to keep in mind the importance of shielding Maria from any further anxiety. The last thing she needed was for this well-meaning, but misguided doctor to start running more tests on her. Madden decided that his human ethics would have to take a backseat today.
“I take it your internal systems cover this sort of situation?” He turned on his most professional manner. “Or are you asking me to undertake a police inquiry?”
The doctor looked flustered. “I don’t . . .” She collected herself. “You are the only person I spoke to about those test results. You are the only person who knew I had concerns about them.”
“What are you suggesting, Doctor?” Madden felt a pang of guilt as he injected a note of coldness into his tone. After all, this woman was doing her job. It wasn’t her fault she had stumbled across a secre
t that would rock the medical world to its foundations.
She shook her head. “I’m not suggesting anything. I was going to ask if you knew anything about the disappearance of the samples.”
“Sorry, I can’t help you.” He consoled himself that it wasn’t exactly a lie. “Now, if you’ll excuse me . . .” He moved to the door.
“Wait. I need to retest Maria before she leaves.”
“That can’t be done,” Madden said. “We have a plane to catch. If Maria agrees to any further tests, I’ll arrange to have them done in Fairbanks.”
There was no way any human doctor was going to be doing any further tests on Maria, not until he knew for sure whether she was a werewolf or not. If she was, what happened next was Maria’s decision and no one else’s. Right now, all that mattered was getting her out of here and to safety.
And seeing her again. Suddenly that mattered more than anything. Madden quickened his footsteps. Dr. Lambert had delayed him, and he needed to hurry. That was the excuse he was going to use if anyone asked why he was practically running along the corridor toward Maria’s room.
* * *
Callie Monroe had been to Maria’s apartment and packed up a suitcase with some of her belongings. Wearing her own clothes again felt like a breakthrough, although she had lost so much weight they hung off her. She felt like a child dressing up in her mother’s garments.
When she had boarded the airplane next to Madden, the normality of the situation had almost overwhelmed her. The people around her had no idea who she was and what she had endured. A soft, felt hat covered the emerging stubble on her head and the bruises on her face were beginning to fade. Her hands might have been bandaged for any reason. She had felt like a normal person. I am a normal person. She said the words to herself with a fierce pride. It was what she wanted. She wouldn’t let him—them?—damage who she was.
Now, having left the airport, they were driving to the place where she was to stay and she turned her head to look at Madden. She was struck again by the sheer perfection of his features. He was breathtaking. It was unfair that one individual should be so magnificently put together.
“These friends of yours, are you sure they will be okay with this?” she asked.
“They will, but there is something you should know before you meet them.” He kept his voice low, and she thought how much she liked that. Just the two of them. Quiet and intimate. Like being in bed. The thought sent a shiver through her. A warm pleasant feeling, and she grabbed at it. I can still get turned on. She didn’t know why the thought should surprise her, but she had been scared that her experiences might have destroyed some fundamental feelings. Right now, one fundamental feeling was reasserting itself toward Madden in a very determined way. She wanted this man with a fierceness that took her breath away. After everything that had happened to her, the feeling was unexpected, but intensely pleasant.
“I told you that I’m an Arctic werewolf, right?” She nodded, fascinated. This stunningly handsome man sitting right next to her was seriously convinced he was an Arctic werewolf. Okay, I can go along with that. See where this conversation takes us. “Lowell, the friend whose house we’re going to, is also an Arctic werewolf.” He studied her face. “Does that bother you?”
She gave it some thought. “I’ve stayed in worse places recently.”
He winced at the reminder of what she’d been through and the gesture intrigued her. Madden was a cop, yet he genuinely seemed to have real empathy for her and for her ordeal. After the killer had gotten into her hospital room Maria had issued a demand that he should be the one to stay with her, he had done his best to accommodate that wish. She might almost believe he cared about her over and above his duty.
Careful, Maria, your time at the hands of a madman has made you delusional. Either that, or you are trying to make this into something it’s not because you have a thing for the handsome cop.
Of the two options, she decided the second sounded healthier. Wouldn’t most women in her situation would fall for their handsome rescuer? It was a temporary thing. It would soon be over. Maybe she should even try to enjoy it?
“I guarantee you a stay at Lowell’s place will be better,” Madden continued. She sensed he was trying to find the right words to explain something to her. “We are members of an elite werewolf fighting force known as the Brotherhood of the Midnight Sun.”
“That sounds very grand.”
A corner of his mouth lifted in a smile, and she wanted to kiss the place where it creased. Since he was telling her he was taking her into a pack of werewolves that probably shouldn’t be the thought that was uppermost in her mind. Focus, Maria.
“It’s very old. We are a team of seven. The seven bravest and strongest Arctic werewolves. Our job is to keep the peace in the werewolf world.”
“So you do the same job in both worlds?” Maria asked.
“I guess so.” He laughed. “I just use very different methods.”
“Tell me about Arctic werewolves.”
“True Arctic werewolves can only shift by the light of the midnight sun. They can also only be killed under its unique glow, although they can be damaged elsewhere. But the midnight sun means more to them.” The way Madden said the words made her think of an ancient creed or solemn vow. “It calls to them in the same way that the moon calls to other werewolves. It is theirs, creating a mystical, magical bond among them and between them. But the brotherhood was granted a great favor by the goddess Angrboda. She granted us—”
“Okay. Rewind. The goddess who?” She had listened to him talking about werewolves and brotherhoods. Now he was expecting her to listen while he also told her about a goddess?
He took his eyes off the road long enough to give her a sympathetic smile. “Angrboda, High Priestess of the Iron Wood and Mother of All Wolves. She is the goddess who is worshipped by all wolves.”
“Of course she is.” Maria shook her head unsure whether the gesture was one of disbelief or fascination. “What did she grant you?”
“Angrboda granted the brotherhood the ability to shift away from the light of the midnight sun. It was a huge change for us. It meant we could travel anywhere, but it also has a downside. We can be killed away from the light of the midnight sun. It makes us more vulnerable.” His face took on a faraway expression. “And, although we no longer need the midnight sun to shift, we still crave it. It’s what defines us, it’s in our blood.”
“Will I meet any of the other members of this brotherhood?”
“You will meet Samson. Until the Cage Killer is captured you will have a police guard. At present, I haven’t told anyone on the force that we may be looking for a werewolf hunter.” Again, he took his eyes off the road momentarily to cast a glance in her direction. “I’m sure you can understand why.”
Maria nodded vigorously. “I know how widely everything to do with the Cage Killer gets reported. I can picture the comments if this became a werewolf story. Most people are like me and don’t believe they exist, but I don’t want to figure as an object of speculation in all of this. Is she? Isn’t she? Will she get furry? Sprout fangs? It’s bad enough having that happening inside my own head. I don’t want the same thing going on, even if it only made it onto a few conspiracy theory sites.”
“Even so, we are dealing with a werewolf hunter. Maybe more than one of them. Which is where Samson comes in. He’s a member of the brotherhood, so he’s an Arctic werewolf, too, but in his human job he’s a security expert. He’ll be staying at Lowell’s place while you are there.” He sent a sidelong glance her way. “Each member of the brotherhood brings an additional talent as well as his or her strength and bravery. Samson is a skilled tracker. His intuition is outstanding. As well as following a scent, he can pick up on emotion and atmosphere.”
“And Lowell, the friend whose house you are taking me to? What is his special skill?”
“Lowell will tell you he’s a geek.” The corner of Madden’s mouth lifted. “In reality, he’s the world’s
leading expert on werewolves.” He paused. “There is nothing he doesn’t know, or can’t find out, about werewolf history or folklore.”
“I see.” She was quiet for a minute or two. “So he would be a good person to ask about my problem?”
“If you wanted to.”
Since she didn’t know how to feel about her potential werewolf status, she decided not to pursue it further. “Tell me about the others.” Listening to his voice as the car ate up the country road was soothing.
“Wilder and Jenny are a husband-and-wife team.” She raised a brow and he nodded confirmation. “Wilder has been part of the brotherhood for centuries. He was our leader when we got together recently after four hundred years apart. We tracked the werewolf god of destruction, Fenrir, when he escaped.” He laughed as she held up a protesting hand. “I know. Too much Norse mythology for one afternoon. Wilder’s organizational abilities keep the brotherhood on the move. Getting seven werewolves to where they need to be is no easy task, but he manages it. Jenny is one of the newest recruits to the brotherhood, and she’s our secret weapon.”
“What does that mean?”
“The bad guys don’t usually expect the female member of the team to be the best fighter.” Madden grinned. “But Jenny is incredible. Then there’s Vigo. He joined at the same time as Jenny. He’s a paramedic in his human job and is a gifted healer.”
“That’s five,” Maria said.
“You will also meet Sebastian. His unique talent is his ability to see a problem differently.” He drew a breath. “He’ll have some information for us.”
Maria knew, from the change in his demeanor, that this was important. “What sort of information?”
“When you first came into the hospital, the doctors took some samples. One of them, a Dr. Lambert, took me to one side and told me there was a problem with the samples. She told me your DNA was unusual.” Madden took his hand off the wheel and placed it on her knee. Maria didn’t want to analyze how easy and natural the gesture felt. “Almost that she might believe you weren’t human. That was why I made the assumption that you were an Arctic werewolf.”