by Bianca D’Arc
“I heard there was going to be some kind of ritual nearby tonight. I know for a fact that paganism runs rampant in this town, and I’m pretty sure that goes with the noises I’ve been hearing in these woods from my house.” She knew her chin went up in defiance, but she couldn’t help herself. She decided to face him head-on. Showing fear to a wolf would only end in disaster, so she had to be strong.
But Sexy Shane just shook his head. “Professor, there’s nothing happening up here tonight, or any other night. I don’t know where you’re getting your information—or misinformation, as the case may be—but you should probably ask yourself why someone sent you way out here on a wild goose chase.”
“If it’s such a wild goose chase, why are you here?” She suspected he was trying to throw her off the scent, but she wouldn’t be so easily dissuaded.
“Just responding to a phone call about you roaming on private property, like I always do. Part of being the sheriff in this small town is answering people’s concerns.”
“You’re implying that someone sent me out here to wait in the dark for nothing to happen?” She folded her arms, mirroring his stance.
“Or maybe they lured you out here for some other reason.”
A chill ran down her spine as his eyes narrowed. He looked as if he didn’t like the sound of his own words either, but why he should care about what happened to her, she didn’t know.
“I see you’re getting the idea now. Is somebody interested in harming you, professor? Maybe getting you alone in an out-of-the-way place?”
She gulped. “Not that I know of.”
She had to admit, if anyone was going to try anything, this would be the place for it. Desolate. Isolated. She could scream her head off, and nobody would hear. Her house, which was on the very edge of town, was more than a mile away, over a ridge too steep for even her old Jeep to drive down safely. She’d come down the steep hill on foot, carrying her gear, and left the vehicle parked behind some trees on the ridge.
“All the same…” He straightened and unfolded his arms. “You probably ought to go back to your house and sit tight ‘til dawn. Although, as I recall, old Lulu’s place is pretty isolated.” He scratched his chin, frowning. “How exactly did you come by the information that led you up here tonight?”
She really didn’t want to admit to her slightly shady methods, but now, it looked like her safety might be at risk. She needed an ally, and unlikely as it seemed, Shane seemed to be offering to help her figure out what was going on. He probably knew the people around here better than she did—at least, he knew the shifters better than her.
She knew some of the townsfolk from her visits, but she’d never really met any shifters before inheriting the house. Lulu had told her wild stories about the people in town just before she’d died, but Maria hadn’t really believed any of it until she’d moved in. Maybe she’d been a little too obvious in the ways she’d reacted? It had been shifters she’d overheard talking about tonight’s ritual. She was almost positive about that.
“Um… I sort of heard some people talking at the diner,” she admitted.
“What people? Did they tell you directly or did you just happen to hear what they were talking about?” His gaze was all too knowing for her comfort.
“I can’t be sure,” she said hesitantly, feeling like a naughty schoolgirl caught smoking in the bathroom. “They weren’t talking to me, but they were loud enough that I heard them from where I was sitting in the next booth.”
He shook his head. “Honey, if they were loud enough for you to hear in the next booth, then they were probably doing it on purpose, baiting you.” His brows drew down in increased concern.
“Why would anyone want to lure me out here? I’m not doing any harm. I just came—”
“To spy on people,” he cut her off rather rudely. He blew out a gusty sigh. “I hate to say this, but if someone’s after you, for whatever reason, you’re probably not safe at Lulu’s right now, isolated as it is. Not until we figure out what’s going on.”
His statement rang in the quiet of twilight, making her shiver. Was someone really out to make trouble for her? And if so, what chance did she stand against a shifter? They were fast, strong, and deadly—or so Aunt Lulu had claimed. Maria had some defensive skills, but she’d never been tested against someone who had the enhanced senses of a wolf.
“You really think I’m in danger? Maybe they just wanted to send me on a wild goose chase so they could laugh at the gullible academic?” She could hope that was all it was, but something told her nobody would go to all the trouble of sending her out into the middle of nowhere for a simple joke. She was starting to think something else was going on, and it gave her the creeps.
He looked around pointedly. “There’s nobody out here to laugh at you right now, except maybe a few raccoons and a family of deer.” He looked off into the distance. “How long were you planning to sit up in the tree?”
“My information was that the ritual would start at moonrise. Tonight, that’s at about nine o’clock. I got here way early to set up because I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that after dark. I was just going to stick around for the next few hours until moonrise and see what happened.”
“Hoping nobody would discover you before then,” he finished her thoughts for her. “Did you have a backup plan if you were spotted?”
She didn’t want to tell him, but he seemed to have figured out the bare bones of her game plan already, anyway. Sexy Shane was proving to be rather irksome that way.
“I left my car behind some trees on the ridge.” The small ridge that separated her backyard from these lands. It was farther away from where the supposed ritual would take place than her current position, but she might still be able to see something from the higher elevation with her telescope. And she could always claim to be out there stargazing. It was a plausible excuse. Sort of.
Shane sighed again, the look on his face speaking of annoyed resignation. “Let’s go to your vehicle, and then, we’ll figure out what to do about your situation.” He didn’t have to look so thrilled about it, she thought rebelliously. Nobody had asked him to butt his big wolf nose into her business.
“What about my tree stand?”
She didn’t really care one way or the other about the device she’d struggled to put in the tree. It had stopped being her friend about a half hour ago when she couldn’t get it rigged properly. She’d been tempted to chuck the whole thing into the nearby stream after having to re-rig it three times, but it had finally gone up, and she’d given it a reprieve.
Getting it down out of the tree, though… That would require more patience than she had at the moment. As far as she was concerned, it could stay there permanently.
“There’s probably not enough time to get it down and packed up before nightfall, and I want you off the ridge before it gets too dark for you to see. Leave it for now, and I’ll come back and get it down for you later,” Shane said, sounding entirely too reasonable.
She wanted to be pissed at him, but she was beginning to realize he’d probably saved her an uncomfortable—and potentially dangerous—night up a tree. What had she been thinking? She wasn’t some warrior-huntress. She was a sociology professor on sabbatical from the nearby university while she settled her aunt’s estate.
“You had better be telling me the truth about there not being a ceremony tonight,” she muttered, suddenly wondering if she could trust him. She’d thought she could trust the conversation she’d overheard at the diner, but what if it was Sexy Shane who was selling her a bill of goods and hustling her away before the festivities started?
“I swear to you, there is no ritual tonight. Or tomorrow. Or any other night. If there were, I’d know about it. I am the sheriff, after all.”
Did she believe him? Hmm. She gave him a sideways glance, weighing the situation in her mind.
Shane looked way more reliable than the shady guys who had been sitting in the booth at the diner. Based on appearance alone, she
would much rather trust the sheriff in front of her than the two in the booth.
“A bird in hand…” she mumbled to herself, shaking her head as she gave up and walked toward Shane. “Okay. I’ll trust you on this. You’ve run me off, Sheriff, and I won’t darken your door again.”
“I’ll go with you,” he said, falling into step beside her. She didn’t want to admit how safe he made her feel. Now that she’d agreed to leave, she wanted to be rid of him—and the embarrassment of being caught—as well, but some instinct warned her that there really might be danger out there looking for her. She settled into a quick walk up the slope to where she’d left her vehicle.
It wasn’t a long trek, though the terrain was steep. She had to concentrate on her footing, so there wasn’t much time for talk, thank goodness. She felt so sheepish, being escorted off the property by the sheriff.
She was confused, too. Confused by him. By her reaction to him. By his words of warning and by the whole situation. Was she being bamboozled? Or was she truly in danger? Neither option held much appeal, to be honest.
When she broke over the ridgeline and spotted her trusty old Jeep, she made a beeline for it, but Shane’s arm shot out and blocked her path. It dawned on her that if she went forward into the open area between the trees, she’d be silhouetted against the sky.
What was going on? She looked over at him and saw him frown as he looked back down the slope toward where they’d come from.
Night was falling fast, and it was already too dim for her to be able to make out much of anything, but she thought maybe she saw some movement down there. Her blood turned cold. Had some miscreants really come after her?
Shane stepped closer to her under the cover of the trees. He dipped his head close to hers so that she could feel his hot breath against her ear and neck. She shivered, not entirely from fright.
“Go up a bit more and skirt the clearing. We’ll stay in the tree line ‘til we get to your vehicle. You have binoculars in the car?”
She took her cues from his low-tones and turned to face him. She nodded and mouthed the words. “Telescope. Night vision.”
He smiled, and the impact of his grin at close range was nuclear.
The man was potent, and her lady parts stood up and took notice—at the worst possible time. She wanted to know if some assholes had set her up, and her traitorous body wanted to play with Sexy Shane instead. Down, girl.
CHAPTER THREE
Maria did as he suggested and walked the more circuitous path through the cover of the trees to her trusty, rusty friend, the WWII vehicle she cherished. She’d set up the telescope in the back before she’d left, so all she had to do was step up, uncover the lens and look through the eyepiece.
Sure enough, there were the two assholes from the diner, destroying her brand-new tree stand. “Those bastards!” she whispered as she watched.
Shane tapped her on the shoulder, and she reluctantly stepped down so he could take a look. She watched his face, noting the way his lips tightened into a grimace as he saw what was going on farther down the slope.
He stepped away, and there was a scowl on his face. It was the most troubled expression she’d seen from him yet.
“Do you know who they are?” she whispered low, aware that werewolf hearing was way better than hers.
He nodded and spoke quietly. “I recognize them. Russ and Jon McCarthy. Believe me when I say, you want nothing to do with either of them, or most of their family.” He moved toward the car again. ”Let’s get you away from here,” he rumbled so low she barely heard him. “Get in and steer. I’m going to push us part-way so they don’t hear the engine.”
She would have asked more questions, but he positioned himself as if he expected her total compliance, and there was no point in arguing, anyway. She wanted to get away from the two degenerates who had tricked her into coming out here and putting herself in harm’s way. She also wanted to ask Shane a hell of a lot more questions, which she couldn’t do right now because those two jerks might hear with their super-sensitive shifter ears.
She got in, slipped the transmission into neutral and steered, keeping her foot hovering near the brake in case the vehicle picked up too much speed. They were heading down the other side of the ridge, and parts of the trail she’d taken to get up here were a bit steep.
Sure enough, when they hit one of the steep patches, Shane leapt into the passenger seat, making her jump. He was altogether too silent when he moved, and the sneaking-up-on-her shit had to stop.
“Coast from here if you can. Go easy on the brake,” he advised in a low tone just audible over the quiet crunching of the tires over the terrain.
Much to her surprise, they were able to make it all the way to the road without cranking the engine. When the old vehicle ground to a halt at the side of the ribbon of asphalt, she turned to look at her passenger.
“Is it okay to talk now?” she whispered, just in case.
“Yeah, but I recommend we don’t stick around here too long. I want you safe before I go after them.” She felt shivers go down her spine again.
“Wait. You’re gonna do what now?” She turned to face him fully in the confines of the roofless utility vehicle.
“Whatever their plans were for you tonight, they weren’t good, professor. That sort of behavior is unacceptable in this town, and they’re going to learn that lesson as soon as possible.” He seemed to get angrier as he spoke, but oddly, she wasn’t afraid of him.
On some basic level, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. His ire was directed at those who had tried to dupe her. So, really, he was protecting her. She had no idea what to say to that.
“Look. Just drive us back to your house. I want to make sure it’s safe—that you’re safe—and then, I’ll come back and deal with Russ and Jon. They’ll learn their manners if I have to pound it into their heads.”
“You’re growling,” she told him, unsure if he was aware of the evidence of his inner nature so close to the surface.
“I get that way when I’m pissed. Now drive, woman. The longer it takes for me to be sure you’re safe, the harder it’ll be to catch those two assholes.”
“So, go get them now. I can drive home by myself.” He was freaking her out a bit with his growly mood, but she found it sexy, too. She must be a little warped.
“No can do. Need to be sure you’re safe first. Just drive, Maria.”
It was his use of her first name that did it. She turned the key in the ignition and set off down the two-lane mountain road at a brisk clip, the wind whipping through their hair.
He wanted her safe? Had she just acquired a two-hundred-pound guard dog—or, in this case, probably a guard wolf? She might’ve laughed at the idea if she didn’t sense it just might be true. Something about her situation had sparked the sheriff’s protective instincts, and she knew just enough about these mysterious werewolves not to fight that sort of thing.
Maria might just have become part of Shane’s responsibilities, somehow. Maybe the jackasses luring her out into the woods to do who-knows-what to her had set off his instincts. Maybe he was starting to like her a bit. Or maybe some rare planetary alignment had caused his sudden concern.
Whatever the case, she wasn’t about to turn down his offer to make sure she was safe. She knew damn well she wouldn’t have stood a chance on her own against those two men in the woods. If they’d planned to scare her, or hurt her, or worse… She would have been completely at their mercy. That didn’t sit well with her, but she was realistic enough to face the truth.
It was too windy, and she was too busy with her racing thoughts, to speak with him during the quick ride to her place. Aunt Lulu’s house still looked as inviting as it always had, only there was nobody waiting inside to give her a smile and a warm hug anymore. The place was lonely without her aunt, though Maria was grateful to have been bequeathed the house where some of her fondest memories had been made. She’d loved her aunt and still mourned her loss.
Maria parked in
the driveway and cut the engine.
“Why are you sad?” Shane surprised her with the softly-voiced question.
“How can you tell?” She turned to look at him.
“It’s a gift,” he replied vaguely. “What made you sad, Maria?” He was like a dog with a bone, unwilling to let go of his question.
“Just thinking about my aunt. I love her house. And I love that she left it to me, but I miss her.” Maria stepped down from the car with jerky movements, unwilling to let Shane see even more of her vulnerabilities or private feelings.
When she would have stomped up to the front door, Shane stopped her, his hand gentle but firm on her arm. She looked up at him and saw how alert he was all of a sudden, then she looked back at the house. The front door was ajar.
“I did not leave that open,” she whispered. “I locked it before I left.”
“Stay here,” he said. “Better yet, get in the car and put the key in the ignition. If anyone other than me comes out of the house, hightail it for the police station. My deputy will take care of you until I can put a stop to whatever is going on here.”
She didn’t want to blindly obey, but Shane was very commanding, and he did have a point. She’d already acknowledged that she wouldn’t stand a chance against those guys in the woods, but she was very well able to run and get the cavalry. Come to think of it…
“Shouldn’t we just call in the troops now?”
“We could. Then again, I’m already here, and I can probably handle this on my own. We don’t have that big a department. Usually, we can handle most situations without getting too official about it. If I deal with this now, it’ll be fast and clean, and nobody will bother you again.”
She frowned. Was he saying he would kill them? Because she didn’t really want anyone to die over her. Not when she was essentially unharmed. Then again, she didn’t want to be harmed, and all things considered, Shane—as a fellow werewolf, because he just had to be one of them—probably knew how to discipline shifters better than the justice system, which couldn’t even get it right when dealing with regular people most of the time. At least, that was her opinion.