by Karen Kelley
Darcy knew the doors were locked because she’d been here before. If her mother ever found out, there would be hell to pay. Ohmygosh, her daughter had been near bad guys who were locked away because of the crimes they’d committed.
Usually the only crimes committed around here were minor. This wasn’t the big city. Summerville was only fifty thousand in population. It did have a nice country club and a few really good restaurants. But hardened criminals? Pftt… no.
“It’s like the receptionist at the doctor’s office,” Surlock said as he looked around the department.
“Similar, but with much different jobs.”
The glass window slid open. “I’m here to see Eddie,” she told the dispatcher.
“I’ll buzz him,” she said, then slid the glass closed again.
“What do they do here?” Surlock asked.
“They maintain order. Make sure the town is safe and secure.”
He nodded. “My brother Kristor does that.”
They looked at each other. “You remembered something.” She grinned. “That’s great. If your brother maintains order, then I bet he’s in law enforcement, and I really doubt you’re one of the bad guys.” She noticed he looked relieved by her observation. So was she.
There was a loud click and the heavy double doors opened. Eddie smiled at her. He was a nice-looking man. Tall, with bright orange hair, but the color seemed to suit him.
“Hey, Darcy, I haven’t seen you in a while. How’s it going in the P.I. business?”
She grimaced. “It isn’t.” Just as quickly, she brightened. “Until now. Surlock is my first case. I’m trying to help him find out who he is.”
Eddie nodded. “Oh, this is the guy you walloped.”
She inwardly cringed.
“I scared her,” Surlock spoke up. “She had a reason to knock me out. Next time, I’ll make sure I don’t step out suddenly in front of someone.”
Eddie laughed. “I don’t know, there are a lot of guys around here who wouldn’t mind if Darcy hit them over the head, especially if she nursed them back to health.”
“Are you one of them?” Surlock asked conversationally, but there was a rigid set to his jaw.
And the testosterone flowed. Sheesh.
“Nope, my wife would kill me if I looked twice at another woman. Not that I would. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Surlock looked at Darcy with a question in his eyes. She realized he didn’t know the term wife. “A wife is like a … a mate. They’re bound together by love.”
Surlock relaxed and they went to the back. The light was dim, and apparently the prisoners had been cleaning because there was a distinct smell of disinfectant in the air.
Eddie stopped at a desk. “I’ve got everything ready. I’ll get the prints, then call you when the results come in. Now, if we were in the city, this wouldn’t take long at all, but our equipment is a little dated. Still, it shouldn’t be more than twenty-four hours.”
Eddie took Surlock’s hand and inked a finger, then pressed it on the paper. When he finished printing all his fingers, he handed Surlock a tissue. “That’s it.” He closed the inkpad and casually asked, “You going to be around for a while?”
“Yes, I have nowhere to go.”
“Good.” His gaze met Surlock’s. For a moment they just stared at each other.
Darcy looked between the two and knew they were taking each other’s measure. Eddie suddenly smiled, relaxing. Apparently, Surlock had passed his test.
“As soon as the results come in, I’ll call Darcy,” Eddie repeated, then walked back to the heavy doors and opened them. “Take care, Darcy. Surlock, it was nice meeting you. We’ll do everything we can to help.”
They left the sheriff’s office and walked back to her car. Surlock was quiet.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
He stopped at the passenger door. “No, it wasn’t bad at all. I liked your friend.”
She grinned. “His wife is very nice, too.”
“What?”
“You were jealous.”
He frowned.
“Do you know the word?”
“Yes.” He opened the door and got in. When she was inside, he glanced across the seat. “I was jealous until I knew he had a mate.”
She hadn’t expected him to admit it. It was kind of nice knowing that he cared. “Want to get something to drink?”
“Yes.”
A man of few words. She eyed him as she backed out of the parking space. But sexy as hell.
There was a Sonic a couple blocks over. She drove to it, then pulled into a parking spot, and rolled the windows down before turning off the key. “What would you like?”
“I don’t know.”
She pointed to the menu. “This is what they have.”
He moved closer to her, close enough that she could feel the heat coming off his body. Their gazes met and held for a moment. She saw his mouth move, but her brain was in a fog and she didn’t hear what he’d said.
“What?” she asked.
His grin was slow and lazy.
Ass.
“I asked what was good,” he repeated.
She drew in a deep breath, but caught his earthy scent. She quickly turned to the menu. “I like the lemon-cherry slush.”
“Then that’s what I’ll have.”
She cleared her throat. “I just need to give them our order.” She quickly leaned out the window and pushed the button.
“Welcome to Sonic, I’ll take your order whenever you’re ready,” a pleasant voice announced over the speaker.
Darcy gave the girl their order. Surlock had already moved to his side of the car. A shame. She didn’t mind a bit that he’d been in close proximity. It had been very nice.
Damn it, she just had to discover Surlock’s identity. She sent up a silent prayer that he would turn out to be one of the good guys. But wouldn’t she know if he was bad? She hoped her instincts were that good.
Their drinks came and she paid for them, then handed one to Surlock. After the carhop left, she showed Surlock how to insert the straw. “Now you suck on it,” she said, then demonstrated.
He tried and managed to get a drink. “This is good,” he said, taking another big swallow.
“I like them,” she said.
Suddenly, he set his drink down and grabbed his head.
“The humming? Did you bring the eardrops?”
“No, no, it’s something new. My head feels as if it’ll explode. The pain is almost unbearable.”
“No! This isn’t good. I’ll get you to the hospital and …”
He lowered his hands. “It stopped.” He looked surprised. “It wasn’t like before. There was no loud humming.” He reached for his drink.
She chuckled when she realized what had happened.
“What?” he asked.
“I think you’ve just experienced your first brain freeze.” When he still looked puzzled, she explained, “You drank your slush too fast. The cold rushed to your head, which created a brain freeze.”
“My brain froze?’
“Technically no. It feels like it, though. Drink the slush a little slower.”
“I like the taste.”
“So do I, but I hate brain freeze.”
He picked up his drink again and took a slower drink this time. His expression turned solemn. “Do you think when Eddie checks my prints, he’ll find something?”
“I don’t know.”
He nodded. When he looked at her again, he was smiling. “But I do remember I have a brother named Kristor.”
“Yes, you do.” She could see the worry behind the smile. She worried, too, but for more than one reason. There was a muted humming in her ears. Why, after so many years, had it returned?
CHAPTER 7
He was running. Surlock felt the wind on his face, but it was another’s face, another’s eyes he saw through. He felt free and alive.
“Hear me, Surlock, you know me.
I am Chinktah. Let me past the barriers you have erected. Hear me!”
Surlock sat straight up in bed, drenched in sweat, gasping for air. What had just happened? He looked around. The room was dark. He was in bed. A bad dream? It must have been. By the gods, it had seemed real. Too real for comfort.
He shoved the cover off and stood, his movements jerky. Rather than turning on a light, he went to the other room, to the French doors. He opened them wide, breathing deeply of the night air. The stars were out, the moon was almost full. He stepped to the patio and raised his arms, drawing strength from the orb in the sky.
What had he dreamt? It was fading away, but he needed to remember. He’d felt the wind on his face, but he was in someone else’s body. A voice had spoken, not his thoughts. Confusion warred within him. What if he was losing his mind?
The humming was back. He put his hands over his ears, trying to block out the noise, but it grew louder. “Stop,” he cried out. “I don’t know who or what you are, but leave me in peace!”
The noise didn’t abate. Surlock walked to the edge of the pool and dove in. Beneath the water, the noise lessened. Here was peace at last.
He began to relax as he swam beneath the water. Long strokes carried him to the other end of the pool and back. Blue and red lights shimmered around him, making it all seem surreal. He didn’t care—the noise in his head had stopped now, and that was all that mattered.
He surfaced, flinging his hair out of his face, and when he did, he saw Darcy at the pool’s edge, wearing a silky nightgown that left little to the imagination.
Did he still dream? If so, he didn’t want to waken. He needed her now more than he ever had. He needed the connection with another human being. He needed her to tell him he wasn’t going crazy.
As if she heard his thoughts, she grasped the hem of her gown and pulled it over her head, tossing it behind her, then laid a small package on the edge. When she straightened, she stood there for a moment, then slowly brought her arms up. He could only stare at the ethereal beauty before him. Her lips curved slightly upward, and then she pushed off the side, diving over his head. He turned, watching as she swam to the other side. She turned beneath the water and swam toward him, emerging in front of him. She pressed her naked body against his, and looked into his face.
“I dreamt you were running, but it wasn’t you. I came awake, sitting up in bed, and knew you needed me.” She stroked the side of his face. “What does it mean? Did it even happen? Are we … connected in some way?”
He shook his head, pulling her tighter against him. “It happened, but I don’t know what it means. I was dreaming, too. A voice spoke to me. Has a voice ever spoken to you?”
“No.” Her eyes were sad.
He hadn’t thought so. “I think I’m going crazy. I should leave. What if I’m putting you in some kind of danger?”
She placed her hands on either side of his face. “Look at me—you’re not going crazy. If you are, then so am I. Why else would I share your dream?” She wrapped her arms around him. “There’s some kind of connection between us. I felt drawn to you in the guest house that first day.”
“And it gets stronger each day,” he added.
“Yes,” she whispered close to his ear. “There’s more.”
“What?”
“I heard a humming sound in my ears when I was younger. My mother took me to so many specialists. None of them could discover the cause. She became so agitated that I finally woke one morning and lied to her. I told my mother the humming had stopped. Eventually, it did. Since you’ve shown up, it has started again.”
“I’m sorry.”
She leaned back and looked at him. “For what?”
“I’ve caused the noise to return.”
“I don’t think so, but I have a feeling once we discover who you are, and where you’re from, we’ll also know why we have the noises in our heads.”
“Are you scared?”
She hesitated, then said, “Not as long as I’m with you.”
He could see the fear in her eyes, but maybe she hadn’t lied because he felt better able to cope as long as she was with him.
“Make love to me,” she said, running her hands over his back.
How could he not when he ached so much to do just that? He kissed her, his tongue stroking hers, feeling the heat, the need that rippled through her at his first touch. Knowing that he could make her tremble was a heady feeling. He wanted to make her do more than tremble. He wanted her to cry his name. He wanted her to need him as much as he needed her.
He cupped her breast, teasing the nipple, taking it into his mouth. She gasped, pulling his head closer. He picked her up and carried her to waist-deep water, then lifted her to the edge.
“I want to see all of you, taste all of you.” He parted her legs. She covered herself. He nipped at her hands, and she jumped. “Lie back. Please.”
She cast a wary gaze upon him. “I’m not sure I can,” she said.
“Please,” he repeated.
She hesitated, then lay back, but her hands still covered what he most coveted. He began to place tiny kisses on the insides of her thighs while his fingers lightly stroked her hands. He knew the minute she relaxed. He eased her hands away.
The light from the pool cast her body in a warm glow. By the gods, she was magnificent. He lightly brushed his hands through her curls, then ran his thumb over the fleshy part of her sex. He scooped up a handful of water and let it drizzle over her. She gasped.
He wanted her to feel more, and she did when his mouth covered her, stroking with his tongue instead of his finger. Loving her, tasting her musky scent, sucking her inside his mouth.
She cried his name, her breathing becoming labored. When her body trembled, he opened the small package she had brought and sheathed himself, then took her hands, bringing her into the water with him. He nuzzled her neck as he slid inside her. She wrapped her arms around him.
“Yes, I need you now,” she cried out.
“You’re beautiful,” he said close to her ear as he thrust inside her. He braced himself against the side of the pool when she wrapped her legs around him. He sank deeper inside the heat of her body.
In and out he plunged. Her body was hot, caressing him with her moist heat. He growled from low in his throat as the fire began to burn hotter inside him.
She cried out, clinging to him. Water splashed around them. He stiffened as spasms shook his body to the very core of his being.
When he could catch a breath, he leaned back and looked at her face. Tears ran down her cheeks. “Did I hurt you?’ he asked, fear filling him. Had he been too rough?
She shook her head. “No, I’ve just never felt like this with anyone else.”
Before his grin could form, his gut clenched. “Ahhh,” he cried out, grabbing his head. The humming was even worse than the last time they had mated. It grew stronger within him and it was all he could do to fight it.
“I am a part of you!” the voice screamed. “Do not fight against me! Accept who you are!”
“No, leave me be!” Surlock cried out.
He sank beneath the water. The noise inside his head eased, but he knew he would have to surface soon. He’d hoped the voice had only been part of his dream. But he wasn’t dreaming now.
The next thing he knew, Darcy was in front of him, stroking his hair. Somehow he knew everything would be all right. They came up for air, then went under again. They held each other, lightly caressing, letting the other know they would get through this.
And when the humming eased, they went to the guest house and curled up on the bed. They had gone through something together and survived.
The sun streamed into the room the next morning, waking Surlock. He stretched and yawned as the last vestiges of sleep drifted away, and remembrance of the night before came flooding back. He’d had a dream that he was running, but it hadn’t felt so much a dream as a memory. The humming in his head had gotten louder, becoming a voice.
&n
bsp; He sat up in the bed, glancing around the room. He and Darcy had made love in the pool, and once again, he’d felt as though something had tried to possess him.
Darcy had stayed with him. If not for her, he didn’t know what would have happened. But now she was gone. Did she regret agreeing to help him?
Nothing would drive him closer to the edge of losing his mind than if Darcy decided he wasn’t worth the effort. He scraped his fingers through his hair. He had to remember. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the moment before Darcy had hit him over the head.
There’d been a wolf. Darcy had said so. He remembered a wolf—vaguely. The humming grew more intense. Rather than fight it, he let it come. Colors and sounds swirled inside his head. He felt as if he was suffocating.
“Surlock.”
He stilled. Someone had spoken to him. This wasn’t the voice in his thoughts.
“Surlock, are you awake?”
His eyes jerked open. Had he only heard Darcy’s voice? Or had he heard another’s?
“I’m awake,” he called out.
The door opened. She grinned. “I told Ms. Abernathy we were going to have a breakfast picnic. You should have seen her scowl of disapproval.”
“Picnic?”
“I have everything set up on the private patio.” Her gaze lazily drifted over him. “Join me.” She opened a drawer in the dresser, tossing him a pair of lightweight pants. “Just in case we get interrupted, you might want to wear some pajama bottoms.” She left the room.
He could get used to waking up to her smile every morning. She made him feel whole. He grabbed the bottoms and slipped them on before making use of the bathroom. There was another set of French doors that led to a private patio. He walked out to it. She had breakfast laid out on the table.
“Better hurry, I’m getting hungry.”
“As am I.” But he barely glanced at the food. He would much rather look at her. When she raised an eyebrow, he assumed she had more than mating on her mind.
“We have a lot to do today,” she said.
“What would that be?”
“We’re going to re-create the scene where I hit you.” Excitement practically bubbled out of her.