by Terry Spear
So did she.
She fumbled to extract the gun from her purse. He ran across the parking lot to intercept her. Damn it! She knew she should’ve pulled the gun out already.
Her skin grew wet with perspiration. The breeze carried the smell of her fear to him. He’d like that. The notion that she was afraid of him always empowered him. She yanked the gun free.
His eyes wide, he froze a few yards from her. “Put the gun down, Bella.”
Dressed in all black, he was the picture of death. The breeze tugged at his raven-colored hair hanging loose at his massive shoulders. Everything about him was larger than life. His thick neck, angular jaw, huge chest, and large hands. Unbeatable.
She’d even considered that her memory of him wasn’t accurate. That because she’d been smaller, he’d seemed larger. But no, he was even bigger now that he stood so close again.
She swallowed, but the moisture in her throat had evaporated. “Leave us alone, Volan, and I’ll let you live.”
Smiling the most malevolent look she’d ever seen, he ran straight at her.
She staggered backward toward the safety of the club and bumped into the back of a van. She couldn’t fire the gun like she thought she could. Heart hammering, she turned to run.
His heated body grew so close, it made the hairs on her arms stand on end. Stomping behind her, he stepped on one of her heels. Then he struck her in the back of the head.
The blow sent pain streaking through her skull. She fought the blackness that filled her vision. Fought giving into the bastard. Stumbling, she fell to her knees. He’d knock her unconscious and secret her away. He’d rape her like he’d intended so many times before.
Shoving her onto her back beside a bright yellow sports car, he reached for her arms. She held them up to him, the gun shaking in her hands.
His face hard with anger, he stepped back. “Put the damned gun down.”
She squeezed the trigger. Twice. Silence.
A hideous chortle erupted. “You’re coming home with me, Bella. Then you’ll do what I say.”
Again, he reached for her.
Only this time, she’d unfastened the safety catch. Two shots to the chest, the bullets slammed into his heart.
He grunted and clutched his chest, pain replacing his arrogant look. Like a giant redwood felled, he stumbled backward and collapsed on his back between the cars.
Her hands trembled. She eased herself up. For as long as she could remember, she’d feared the beast. She couldn’t stop shaking, sure he would pummel her again. Her head still ached and she felt dizzy.
With her stomach crawling, she poked Volan’s boot with the toe of her shoe. He didn’t stir. He couldn’t hurt Devlyn and he couldn’t hurt her now, but she felt sick over what she’d done. Glancing around the lot in a panic, she saw Devlyn’s rental SUV. She tore over to it and yanked on the passenger door. Locked. Her heart and head pounded as loud as the rock and roll beat blaring from the club. Racing around to the driver’s side, she pulled at the door. It opened, and she nearly fell on her butt in surprise. Trying to get her nerves under control, she shoved her purse containing the gun into the backseat and then slammed the door.
Returning to Volan, she grabbed his arms and tugged. His massive body wouldn’t budge. She dropped his arms and paced briskly next to his head, rubbing the back of hers where his iron fist had slugged her. Oh, God, what was she going to do with him?
She seized his arms again and yanked, her back and arms straining. He was more the size of a grizzly than a wolf, and she couldn’t move him even a fraction of an inch. She paced again. What in the hell was she to do? Get Devlyn to help her and undoubtedly have to face his anger, or pretend it didn’t happen and get him to leave with her?
The headlights of an approaching car blinded her. She dashed into the din of the club.
Alfred and his buddies danced with human girls at the edge of the dance floor, too preoccupied to see her. Where the hell was Devlyn?
But then the song ended and Alfred and Ross headed for their table; the only sound now was the noisy conversation all around her. Her skin prickled for an instant, but she could barely glimpse them, so she figured she was pretty well shielded unless the ceiling fans in the place circulated her scent to them.
Nicol hurried to join Alfred and Ross. Alfred started speaking to them, his voice raised as he slammed an empty glass on the table. She moved closer to hear what the red leader was saying, but so many people congregated around her that she was still obscured from the reds’ view.
“Which legend?” Ross asked, his eyes wide. Nicol pressed closer to the table. “You mean the one about the gray?”
“Yeah, just what I mean. The gray ousted our leader, what, close to three hundred years ago?” Alfred said, his voice heated.
Ross tossed down the rest of his drink. “Oh, yeah. Your great-grandfather.”
“Hell, yeah. So what if this is a case of déjà vu? What if this bastard is going to try and take me down and ‘cleanse’ the pack?”
Nicol shook his head. “He probably doesn’t even know about the legend.”
“He doesn’t need to know about the damned legend to do what happened before, damn it!” Alfred cast him an annoyed look and then leaned closer to his pack members. “Grays are not to be trusted, period. Particularly when one is after the pack leader’s chosen bitch.”
Nicol’s lips turned up slightly.
“What?” Alfred bit out.
“She hasn’t agreed to be your mate.”
“She doesn’t have to. Ancient pack law states that a lone rufus female in a red’s territory is game if the pack leader doesn’t have a mate.” He tilted his chin up, waiting for anyone to challenge him.
Ross nodded. “Yeah, he’s right about that. But if the rest of the pack begins to think of the legend ... it could go bad for you. You know, they could worry that the scenario might have the same outcome. Gray wolf kills red pack leader and removes the bad seed from the pack because the reds couldn’t do it.” He gave a slight sneer. Alfred moved so quickly that no one had time to react. He seized Ross’s throat and growled, “Better hope not, because if he kills me, you’ll still want the little red wolf, and the big gray will eat you alive.”
Bella’s skin chilled, and although she wanted to leave, she felt frozen to the floor. She hadn’t heard of the legend they spoke of—probably because the tale was relevant to the ones who lived here and the story hadn’t carried farther east. But it showed that the gray’s arrival concerned them in a deeper way than she had suspected. What else might she overhear between the reds? Who murdered the girl?
Alfred released Ross and sat back down. “Get us some more beers. I’ve got to figure out a way to eliminate this sorry gray before it comes to a real fight.”
He wouldn’t fight fair—that’s what raced through Bella’s mind. And she began to think that leaving the area might be the best thing after all. Then she smelled a trace of Devlyn’s scent and turned. From the direction of the restrooms, Devlyn stalked, his eyes full of fury, his face hard.
Until he saw her.
Surprise registered and then anger again. Legs shaking, she strode toward him, still fighting with her conscience which course of action to take. Get rid of Volan’s body or just leave him dead in the parking area and sneak out the back way with Devlyn. She wasn’t the sneaky type normally. But this was one of those times when she felt her life could depend on it.
Devlyn seized her wrist and pulled her toward the entrance. “What the hell are you doing here, Bella?”
“I came to ... to tell you I’d be your mate, but ...” She balked at going out the front way for an instant, still trying to decide what to do.
He stopped. “You agree to be my mate? Despite Volan?”
She nodded, tears threatening to spill.
“All right. You don’t have to worry about Volan, Bella. He’s a dead man. Just remember that.” He pulled her tight against his chest, warm and loving, which made her feel even
worse about what she’d done.
“I ... we have to talk ... outside,” she managed to get out.
“What’s wrong, Bella?” Devlyn grunted. “As if I didn’t know. You’re still worried Volan will beat me.”
How could life be so damned complicated? She walked him outside but noticed a man and a woman standing where she’d left Volan’s body between the two cars in the lot. From where she and Devlyn stood, they couldn’t see Volan, but by the way the people were bending over, she figured they were checking him for vital signs.
She yanked Devlyn back inside the club. Too late to hide Volan now. “Too dark outside. Maybe too dangerous.”
“I didn’t see any sign of him, Bella. Volan, I mean. Listen,” Devlyn said, pulling her toward a table, “after I had a chance to cool down, I thought about my actions. Killing him as a human is a foolhardy proposition. Wolf to wolf is the only way to resolve this. Since we’re both here, why don’t we stir the reds up a bit? See if we can make any more headway with them.”
“I ... I think we should leave.”
He pulled her onto the dance floor and held her close. “I’ll protect you, Bella. He can’t hurt you here. Just play along with me on this and then we’ll go home.”
Volan would never return to hurt anyone again. Devlyn would take over the pack. End of worry. But she couldn’t shake the fear of getting caught. Not by the police, but by the one she cared for more than anyone else in the world, her true love who would hate her for what she’d done. But he’d be alive, she reminded herself. He’d be alive even if he couldn’t love her anymore.
The crowd shimmied to the heavy rock beat. Red, blue, yellow, and green lights swirled overhead and across the waxed dance floor. Women’s flowery perfumes and men’s spicy colognes couldn’t disguise the perspiration covering the humans’ skin while they worked their bodies to the music. But then the faint sound of a siren wailed in the distance. Bella’s heartbeat kicked up a notch.
She caught sight of Alfred again, dancing with a blond. Ross danced nearby with a brunette. Nicol, however, was nowhere in sight. The rear exit was clear. An easy escape.
With the music winding down to a slower paced dance, Devlyn pulled Bella close. “What’s wrong, Bella?” He moved slowly, drawing her into the mating madness. “You’re shivering.”
“I ...” She swallowed hard and moved Devlyn toward the rear exit.
He smiled and kissed her cheek. “I’m supposed to be the one leading, Bella.”
Heart thundering out of control, she stared at the entrance, watching for the police. “I wish,” she said against his ear over the sound of the loud music, “that you and I had no cares in the world.”
“We won’t, Bella, soon.” He kissed her cheek and moved his hands casually up her back and then to her bottom. Wedging his leg between hers, he pressed her against his hard thigh.
She rubbed against him, shamelessly, wantonly. The silk of her dress slid over her thighs when his leg stroked her most erotic spot. “I said I’d be your mate. Let’s go home.”
He cupped her buttocks with his large hands and lifted her slightly against his firm arousal.
“We’ve garnered the reds’ attention. We have to see how far we can take this.”
With her head pressed against his chest, she couldn’t see who watched them, but when she tried to separate from him to look, he held her tight. His hands roamed down to the small of her back. “We don’t want anyone to know we’re putting on this show for them, Bella. Just stay nice and close.”
Annoyed, she bit his shoulder.
He laughed. “Of course it’s not really a show. You know how I feel about you. I’d make these dance moves with you anywhere. In a subtle way, I’m trying to monitor the reactions of the reds.”
“We should go, Devlyn.”
“I’ve never seen a pack of lupus garous observe anyone so intensely. You sure have them worked up.”
“You have me worked up, Devlyn, but I really want to ...”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You can feel what you’ve done to me.”
“That’s why I’m ready to go to the SUV. To ... to relieve some of your tension and mine.” She moved her hands from his waist to his backside. “Are the reds angry?”
“Rabidly entranced. As if you were doing a striptease in front of them. If any one of them is the killer, I imagine you’re unraveling his resolve to keep his murderous intentions under control.”
“Devlyn, I’m really ready to take this to a more private location.” She rubbed against his steel-hard arousal, trying to induce him to agree.
“A little while longer.” His voice sounded husky and strained. He shook his head. “Damn, one’s coming in for the kill.”
“Devlyn?” Bella said.
Nicol joined them and, in a ragged voice, said, “I know you’ve claimed her for your own, although you told me you already had a mate.”
Devlyn moved his hands to Bella’s hips and parted slightly from her. “I had made my intentions toward Bella clear years ago. Except I had to convince her to agree with me first. But, she is my chosen mate ... no other.”
“You both have agreed to this?” Nicol asked. “Yes,” Bella said, and Devlyn leaned over and kissed her mouth. Responding with equal enthusiasm, she wanted there to be no doubt in the reds’ minds that she wanted Devlyn and no other lupus garou.
“May I ask her to dance?”
Devlyn hesitated and then asked, “Bella?”
“I think we should leave, Devlyn.”
For a second, he stared at her, as if he finally realized something big was bothering her. He whispered in her ear, “If we make any headway, we can end this here tonight.”
She glanced back at the entrance. No police, no more sirens.
Before she could respond, Devlyn kissed her lips and then left her with Nicol.
Disheartened, she held Nicol apart from her while Devlyn made his way to the table where Ross and Alfred sat.
“You must know, Bella, you’re about to give our pack leader a stroke the way you dance with the gray. I’ve never seen his face redder.”
“We can’t help it. We’re in love.”
“It’s evident.” He studied her for a moment, swallowed hard, and switched topics. “Another gray arrived here earlier. He spoke with us and then left. He appeared to be pretty angry he missed you.”
Her heart pumped in overdrive.
“Something wrong? You look like you’re getting ready to faint. We’ll eliminate the gray, Bella, if he’s a problem. You don’t have to worry about him. He said you arranged to meet him here, but we told him you left with another gray. He didn’t seem pleased. After he left, Alfred said you had told him an older man planned to see you. Not someone who appeared to be in his thirties.”
“Argos. The man you saw wasn’t him. Volan serves as the gray pack leader and intended to have me as his mate.” Nicol stiffened. “He’s the one.”
“Yes. He sent a message to me pretending to be Argos. We didn’t learn of the deception until we returned to my apartment.” She noticed the flicker of interest in his brown eyes. If the red wolf pack searched for her themselves, they wouldn’t be looking for a house, but an apartment complex instead. Still, she clenched her fists, irritated that Alfred hadn’t used his men to eliminate Volan when they had the chance. Then she wouldn’t be in the hellacious bind she was in now.
“Alfred still wants you.” Nicol stated the words matter-of-factly.
It was as though she had no choice in the matter. She’d selected a mate, and it should have been a done deal, but the reds wouldn’t allow her to choose the gray. “But I’ve chosen Devlyn for my mate.”
“He’s not from here and he’s a gray. As far as Alfred’s concerned, the gray has no legitimate claim to you. You know, ancient law of the pack.”
When she didn’t respond, he took it that she didn’t know about it. “The ancient law, you know. Where an unmated pack leader can take a lone red wolf for his own if she en
ters the reds’ territory. Of course, the same applies if he has a mate already and one of his pack members needs one.”
She took a steadying breath. The sooner she and Devlyn left the red lupus garou territory and the sooner they got out of the club, the better. “What about you?”
Nicol smiled. “A pack leader can lose his position if a new alpha male emerges.”
She raised her brows. He didn’t seem to be the emergent leader type. A follower, like Ross—that’s how she had both of them pegged. “Like you?”
He shrugged. “There’s been no incentive ... until now.” That definitely could capsize the boat.
“And Ross?”
“He’s been brooding of late. No telling what’s going on in that dark mind of his.”
“He and Alfred were dancing with human females when we first arrived. They both looked happy enough.”
“That was before you showed up with the gray. As soon as you reappeared, they quit dancing and joined me at the table to watch.” Nicol tightened his grip on her hand. “I want you to dance close to me like you did with the gray.”
“I’m Devlyn’s mate, no other’s.”
He shook his head. “A red belongs with a red ... not a gray. No one here will sanctify your choice. As far as Ross goes, he puts on a good show. But, frankly, I wouldn’t trust him.”
“If you’re thinking of ousting Alfred as the leader of the pack and taking over, it seems to me you’re the one who can’t be trusted.”
He gave her a sardonic smile. “No one is to be trusted, Bella, with a rare red female in our midst, who looks good enough to eat. No one.” Taking a deep breath, his eyes darkened.
She assumed he could smell how Devlyn had aroused her, and Nicol’s own hormones would be thrown into turmoil. She glanced back at Devlyn, who sat speaking to Alfred and Ross but kept his gaze focused on her and Nicol. Devlyn’s face looked red and hard. If Nicol got too fresh with her, Devlyn would be at her side in a flash.
Right before the dance ended, Ross made his move. Fearing she would have to dance with every one of the reds, each trying to see if they could stir the same kind of interest in her that Devlyn did, she knew the police would stalk in any minute and arrest her, as guilty as she must look.