by Eve Langlais
“My parents.” Her face went through a few expressions: sadness, regret, determination, resignation. “How are they? No.” She shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. Listen, it was nice running into you.” Here came the brush-off. “But I have to go.”
“An excellent idea. This town ain’t a good place to be sticking around.”
“Kind of a shabby endorsement considering you live here.”
“Trust me when I say it’s not the right kind of place for someone like you.”
He knew he’d said the wrong thing the moment she stiffened.
“Like me?” she snapped. “As in, not normal. Weak. Defective.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean, Derek?” She planted her hands on her hips and looked about as dangerous as an angry chipmunk.
“I meant not safe for our kind.”
“You’re staying here,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, and in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m almost a hundred pounds heavier than you and mean in a fight.”
“You don’t think I can be mean?” She arched a brow, and he’d never seen anything sexier. Five foot nothing of cockiness and all woman.
“We both know you wouldn’t stand a chance against someone like me.”
“You’d be surprised,” was her dry reply. “Or don’t you remember what happened around the time I left?”
She referenced a past that no one clearly understood. The morning after she left, there was babbling about a creature with great big fangs and a pup missing an ear. Adding to the panic was the fact that no one could locate Claire.
“Is that why you ran?” he asked. “Did the monster in the woods that night scare you?” A monster never seen again, which made many wonder if the pups hadn’t just gotten too rambunctious amongst themselves.
“A monster?” she repeated. “Is that what Clive and Jeremy called it?”
“According to them, it was eight feet tall and mean. Slapped them around. Bloodied them pretty good. Clive even lost an ear. Folks thought it got you, too, until you called your parents.” The alpha had initially accused Clive and Jeremy of making up the story to cover up the fact Claire was missing and they were involved. Good thing she called to tell them she’d run.
Which was a relief in a sense that she was alive, but in another, a harsh slap to a pack that hadn’t realized how their words and actions made her feel. Not her fault she was different. They should have been more accepting. Hell, he should have done more to make her understand. He didn’t care if she was cute and cuddly when she shifted. She was also cute and cuddly in human skin too.
A mask dropped down, and her face went blank. “I remember nothing of a monster.”
“Then why run away?”
Her lips twisted into a wry smile. “Do you really have to ask that?”
He wanted to say yeah, I gotta ask because you left, and it bummed me out. Being a man in full possession of his balls, he instead mumbled, “You pussied out.”
“I would have said hopped while shaking my cotton ball tail, but whatever.”
Did she seriously joke? He caught a twinkle in her eyes, and her smile turned genuine. “You should see your face, as if I said a dirty word. And see, that’s why I left. You’re all serious and feeling sorry for me. But don’t you see, I didn’t want or need that. I moved on to give us all a chance. Me especially. I made a new life for myself.”
“Can’t be much of a life seeing as how it’s missing your family.”
Her lips turned down for a second. “I made new friends that I consider family. Speaking of whom, I’m supposed to be calling Lana in like three minutes, and if I don’t, she’s liable to send Jory to fetch me.”
“Who’s Jory?” he grumbled. And why did he have an urge to punch a stranger?
“Big Viking dude. Pretty much married to Lana, although she prefers to call it living in delicious sin. I swear she’s gone from prim and uptight to let’s not wear panties under a skirt.”
He blinked as she babbled.
“Any-hooo, so nice catching up. Looking good by the way. You been working out?” She patted his forearm as she walked past. “Best of luck with your job.” She blew him a kiss over her shoulder and sauntered off, a little wiggle in her step. Her butt a heart-shaped thing of cock-hardening perfection.
Tiny and supposedly harmless his ass.
That woman was dangerous.
A good thing she was leaving town.
What was bad for him? The phone call he had to make. Keeping to the shadows, he pulled out his cell and dialed a number he knew by heart.
A familiar voice answered. “Derek? Everything all right?”
Given he’d only called a few times since leaving, he could understand the query. “I saw her.”
“Saw who…” A pause then a harsher, “You saw Claire? Where? Is she with you?”
“Not exactly. She’s in town. I ran into her by accident on the street.”
“How is she? How did she look?” The questions came at him fast and furious from a man who’d lost his daughter and craved nothing more than to see her again.
“She looks good.” Better than good. However, that wasn’t the kind of thing you said to a woman’s father.
“Hold on, you said she’s in town. She can’t stay there,” Garret barked.
Garret was well aware of the missing shifters because Derek kept him informed. Between the two of them, they’d managed to warn and move most of those remaining. But a stubborn few just refused to budge.
“I told her it wasn’t safe. She won’t leave.”
“Won’t?” The word seethed through the earpiece. “Make her. She can’t stay in the area. She’s too delicate to handle what’s happening.”
Not entirely the word Derek would have used given the bold way she stood up to him, the way she teased. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Not good enough. We both know you can’t watch her twenty-four-seven.”
No, he couldn’t. He had a job he couldn’t quit. “What do you want me to do?”
Silence for a moment. “Did she ask about her mother?” Garret had too much pride to ask for himself.
“It wasn’t a long conversation.”
“I should fetch her ass and bring it home.”
Derek shifted the phone to his other ear. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Let me talk to her. See if I can figure out what’s been happening with her.”
“I want to know where she’s been. What she’s been doing.”
“I’ll do my best to find out. Oh, and check your email. I sent you a picture.” Snatched without her knowing, her lips curved in a half smile as she skipped, swinging a bag from a bakery that specialized in sweets.
There was a rustle as his alpha fumbled his phone to check. He heard a sigh. “She’s all grown up.”
“It’s not too late, though,” Derek added.
Words that weren’t just for his pack leader, but for himself.
Could he have a second chance with the girl he’d fallen for back in high school?
Chapter 4
Leaving Derek, I wondered if I’d see him again. Especially since I’d be sticking around.
No way was I leaving town now, not when Derek practically confirmed the fact something hinky was occurring in the area.
Dangerous to shifters. That was what he said, and while his warning might not be related to my quest to find the people holding Lana’s parents, it was kind of my duty to find out more. To perhaps raise a warning to my kind so that they weren’t placed in danger.
Super altruistic, I know, and super frightening, too. Bunnies weren’t supposed to hop to the rescue. We ran. Fast.
The new me, the braver Claire, wasn’t about to hide in a burrow waiting for danger to pass. However, making the decision to find out more did not give me immediate answers. I didn’t have the slightest clue what Derek meant. Who targeted my kind? Where should I start looking?
In retrospect, I should have as
ked more questions. Pounced on Derek, pinned him with my body, and tortured the information from him.
With my fingers digging into his flesh.
My lips teasing his.
Teeth nipping.
Um. That sounded more like a recipe for seduction than something that would force him to talk. Beth would totally approve. With her succubus tendencies, she always advised sex for the win.
However, I didn’t do casual sex, which might explain why I’d only ever had three real boyfriends and none of them shifters. I went for safe guys. The never aggressive, always passive types who didn’t raise their voices even when someone cut them off in traffic.
Boring. I know. Nothing like the excitement of Derek, who oozed menace. Who, with a single dark look, soaked my panties.
Oh no. I was a cliché. Lusting after the classic bad boy. Except Derek wasn’t a bad boy, not when I knew him at least. High school jock, yes, but unlike the Clives and Jeremys of the world, he was never mean. To me at least.
He was my first crush, and apparently old feelings didn’t die. Seeing him again brought back the same pulse-pounding, fluttery excitement. He was so familiar and yet, at the same time, a stranger.
An impossibility because, despite how he made me feel, my situation hadn’t changed. I was still a freak of nature, which meant, no matter how many sparks flew between us, we could never be together.
The keycard to my room turned the light on the handle green, and I entered, only to freeze. A smell lingered in the air. One that wasn’t there before. My nose twitched as I tested the air, sifting the different scents, putting aside the ones I knew to focus on, those that did not belong.
Cologne. Something cloying and not mine. Could be the motel staff doing some kind of maintenance. But didn’t they usually warn a guest first?
I also caught the faint whiff of cigarette. Gross.
It occurred to me that, in that moment, I couldn’t be sure the intruder had left. Perhaps they were still here.
Watching me.
Eek.
My bunny heart fluttered, a rapid beat that threatened to explode from my chest as my gaze darted from side to side. My nose twitched even faster, and my ears were tuned to the slightest sound.
The heating unit for the room kicked in with a banging wheeze, and I squeaked, only barely holding on to my bladder. I’d gotten better about not peeing myself when scared.
I forced myself to take a deep breath. Then another. Reminded myself the odors were faint. Whoever came into my room was probably gone, but just in case, I should check.
Except my feet appeared glued to the floor. I cursed. “Fiddlesticks and cobwebs.” Strong words, I know, but they helped snap me out of the fear freezing me. I forced myself to do a circuit.
Nothing pounced on me from the bathroom or closet. No hands grabbed me from under the bed.
The room was empty. I’d scared myself for nothing. Especially since more sniffing revealed whoever had entered my room must have been human—animals, even shifters in human form, had a special smell to them. Whoever entered my space left no unique scent other than the lingering burnt nicotine and cologne.
My stuff appeared untouched, my clothes still spilling out of my bag, my bed perfectly made—because I’d let the maid do her thing earlier that day. It didn’t seem as if I’d been robbed. A good thing since I didn’t have much to start with. I preferred to travel light.
Never knew when you might have to run in the middle of the night to escape something with a taste for tender bunny flesh.
Paranoia. It was what separated survivors from victims. I couldn’t have said if it was my bunny nature or the fact I ran away at a tender age, but I tended to be overly cautious with my safety. Which made the fact I’d even volunteered to come on this mission mind-boggling to those who knew me.
They didn’t understand how much I needed to do this.
For all my bouncy and happy outlook, I led a very simple life. Work, home, friends. I carried mace wherever I went. Even on my jogs. I didn’t accept rides, candy, or pats on the butt from anyone.
When at work—a strip club that paid above minimum wage with excellent tips—Lana chortled each time my ass got slapped because, for all my fear of everything, I didn’t tolerate disrespect. I always handled those inappropriate gestures with a pert and firm, “Please don’t touch my posterior or I will have the bouncer toss you out on your head. And yes, I will accept a tip as an apology.” I would add that I always delivered the rebuke with a smile and then a thank you as the befuddled man handed over some money.
I should have used my feminine wiles on Derek. Gotten him to spill everything he knew.
Like an idiot, I’d not thought to ask for his address or his phone number. All I knew was he lived somewhere around here.
Which gave me an idea.
It wasn’t only wolves who could follow a trail, although usually the prey didn’t stalk the predator. Smart bunnies avoided it.
However, he not only gave me a clue about the town having an underbelly, he was the reason I didn’t get the information I wanted from Larry. Namely, more details on what happened inside Chymera Tech. Was it a legit lab? Or did they run secret experiments and breeding programs to create impossible hybrids like Beth and Lana?
At least they became misfits on purpose, the doctors had intended to make them different. Me? I had a defective gene to thank. A gene I could pass on to a child and one of the main reasons why I panicked at the thought of being pregnant.
Since I had too much energy to sleep, I quickly changed into more appropriate clothes for skulking—black leggings, slim-fitting black long-sleeve shirt, and a dark cap to cover my blonde hair. Looking delightfully cat burglar-ish, I slipped out of my room. It didn’t take long to retrace my steps and find the spot I ran into Derek.
No mistaking the musky aroma of Axe cologne—and man. The very hint of it made me tingle. Probably in excitement at the hunt because I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend. And if I were, it would not be a wolf.
The scent he left behind might have been faint, but I managed to follow it—all the while hoping he didn’t get in a car and drive away. Lucky for me, he walked.
Across the street, then weaving in and out of alleys, a strange route, where I encountered no one despite there being plenty of residences. Along the way, I saw the lighted windows of people safe in their homes, the flash of light indicating a television was on. Open windows here and there emitted the murmur of conversation and barks of laughter. I only pulled out my can of mace once when a dumpster rattled. I held it out, ready to spray, only to heave out a breath when a cat poked up its head, rat in its mouth.
The times I hit the sidewalk, I didn’t see much traffic or pedestrians. Nighttime was a different beast than the day, especially in this area where there were no bars or restaurants.
It was only as I found myself about to cross the street to the motel that I realized he’d followed me home. A gentleman seeing me home safe, which led to a question.
Is he still trailing me?
I turned to glance behind and saw nothing in the shadows, but I was the first to admit I had terrible night vision.
On a hunch, I planted my hands on my hips and said, “You can come out now. I know you’re there.”
It took a second more of me wondering if I spoke to thin air before Derek stepped out of the pocket of murk he’d hidden in.
He shook his head, a rebuke if I ever saw one. “I can’t believe it took you that long to notice.”
Heat burned my cheeks because he was right. I’d not even guessed. Awkward. Which was why I huffed, “I can’t believe you stalked me.” I was angry, and happy all at the same time. What did it mean that he’d followed me?
He shoved his hands into his pockets and rolled his shoulders. “I wouldn’t call it stalking.”
I arched a brow.
He grinned. “Okay so maybe it was. I wanted to make sure you got to your place safe.”
“And then stuck around.”
<
br /> “Just keeping a friendly eye.”
“That was more than a friendly eye, Derek.” I might have chastised him, but inside, my tummy was doing Olympic-sized somersaults. What could I say? I thought his actions cute. Chivalry wasn’t dead, and it came wrapped in a six-foot-plus delicious package.
“This town ain’t safe,” he said with a drawl that had super powers. It almost dropped my panties.
“So you said. I want to know what you mean by that. How is it not safe? Does this have to do with the institute?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I think there’s something hinky happening at Chymera Tech.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.” His eyes shifted left, and I knew I had him.
“I want to know everything.”
“Nothing to tell. And I wouldn’t start shit with them or you’ll make folks angry. They bring a lot of business to the area.” He began to back away.
“Oh no you don’t.” I reached out and grabbed him by the arm. A big muscly arm. I might have given it a squeeze. “I’m not done talking to you. Come upstairs with me.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He dug his feet in.
Whereas I held tight to his arm and used all my weight to lean in the direction of the motel.
No surprise, he didn’t budge.
“Move,” I grunted, holding on to his arm with both hands and heaving.
“I have to go.” He pried my fingers loose.
He was going to leave. Suddenly desperate, I bounced into his arms, grabbed his cheeks, and kissed him on the lips.
Wow. Big mistake.
He kissed me back.
Which wasn’t the problem.
The fact that I was humming and loving the kiss was. I didn’t want to stop. He tasted divine. Felt even better.
He ignited things inside me that whooshed, and I knew he had what I needed to put out that fire.
Still…I wasn’t in the habit of kissing guys. Especially not so quickly after meeting them.