Wild

by Meghan O'Brien

  “I should have been there sooner.” The guilt in Selene’s voice was palpable, far out of proportion with any reasonable sense of responsibility. “I wish I’d known sooner.”

  “You can’t blame yourself,” Eve said. For some reason, this one minor injury shook her more than all the other cuts and bruises combined. “I was the idiot who decided to walk alone in Golden Gate Park at sunrise.”

  Selene pulled Eve into a tight hug that should have made her claustrophobic. For the second time that morning, her body was trapped against a stranger’s. But discomfort was the last thing she felt about the subtle, luscious joy of being in Selene’s arms.

  “You’re not an idiot. What happened wasn’t your fault.” Selene placed her hand against the center of Eve’s back. “He shouldn’t have done that.”

  It was true. It was exactly what Eve would tell the victim of a violent crime, regardless of the circumstances. But that didn’t make it any easier to believe. “I know better than to blame myself. I’ve helped investigate dozens of homicides, and not once did I ever think someone deserved to be victimized. It’s different when it’s me, I guess.”

  Selene pulled back from their embrace. “You work for the police?”

  Eve wasn’t entirely surprised to see a slight reticence in Selene’s eyes. Women rarely met her choice of profession with enthusiasm. “I’m a forensic pathologist for the medical examiner’s office. I deal with a lot of murders and accidental deaths.” She stopped there, not about to tell Selene about her minor celebrity within the forensic world, the result of having helped identify one of the most twisted serial killers San Francisco had ever seen. That tidbit would almost certainly alienate her from a woman she wanted to get to know.

  “That’s fascinating,” Selene said. She appeared interested, but Eve could feel her unease. “Do you enjoy your work?”

  “I do.” Blushing, Eve stepped backward into the bathroom. “I should change. And if I could use your phone to call the office and let them know I’ll be late…”

  “You’re going to work?” Selene searched her eyes. “Maybe you should go home and get some rest.”

  Eve shook her head. “I can’t. He has my purse, my keys…” At Selene’s look of alarm, Eve said, “I’ll call a locksmith from the office. And I’ll tell the police what happened. It’ll be fine.” She wasn’t sure she believed that, but saying it helped. Worry remained etched across Selene’s face.

  “I…have an appointment in about a half hour. Or else I’d offer to let you stay here—”

  “Oh, no.” Eve laughed nervously. It was clear the offer was sincere, but Eve couldn’t help feeling that she should leave. Whatever drew her to Selene was like a drug, and she already worried about the withdrawal. Eve didn’t want to depend on Selene for comfort, because she would be left with no resources of her own when Selene was inevitably gone. “I need to get to work. Corpses to examine, paperwork to fill out.”

  Selene nodded politely, and a sick feeling of disgust flared in Eve, then quickly vanished. Another foreign, fleeting emotion, so unlike anything Eve had ever felt before. It was enough to make her feel crazy and, even worse, illogical.

  “Will you call me tonight and let me know that you’re okay?” Selene handed her a cell phone. “That’s all I ask.”

  Eve’s face heated as she took the phone. “Sure.”

  “You calling a cab?” Selene looked down at her feet. “I wish I could give you a ride, but with my appointment—”

  “You’ve done more than enough for me,” Eve said. Tentatively, she placed her hand on Selene’s arm. The simple touch sent desire shooting through her body to pool between her legs. Shocked, she pulled back. “Really. Thank you. A cab is a good idea.”

  Selene lifted her gaze and stared, then stepped back. “I’ll let you change. And make your call.”

  Shaken by the way her body and thoughts no longer seemed under her control, Eve nodded and quickly shut the bathroom door. She tossed Selene’s shirt on the counter, then shrugged out of her torn top. Taking a deep breath, she looked into the mirror. The pathetic sight of herself, scared and half-naked and bleeding, made her finally break down and cry.

  Chapter Four

  Heart racing, Selene turned from the bathroom and tried to ignore the pain, sorrow, and lingering desire emanating from behind the closed door. She had always been sensitive to human emotion, but never had she experienced such a deep empathetic connection with anyone. Not even her first love, Carla. Something about Eve literally called to Selene, a force that had almost certainly spared Eve from a terrible fate.

  Selene had first received a powerful wave of fear. She’d just hung up the pay phone after leaving an anonymous tip about the body in the park, and the transmission had knocked her back a step when terror seized her gut. For a moment she’d worried she was finally losing it. The years of keeping secrets, of worrying about what her beast-self was capable of doing, were crashing down around her. Right in the midst of a moon-hangover. In public. As she tried to catch her breath against the rising panic, she concentrated on staying in control and in human form. Strong emotion had once triggered her to shift, a terrifying moment she never wanted to repeat.

  Then her perception of the fear had changed. Though Selene experienced it with every bit of her self, she wasn’t the source. The source, she realized, was back in Golden Gate Park. And Selene had to go to her. She had no choice.

  As she had sprinted into the park, tracking that fear with an accuracy she never doubted, she realized if someone had discovered that dead body, that might cause her to feel this intense terror. However, it should have ignited a brief flare-up, not the sustained, soul-wrenching horror that rolled through her in waves. It was, however, possible that the woman she’d murdered had been found. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to run in to help.

  The possibility hadn’t stopped her. She needed to find the source of the fear. Nothing else mattered. Knowing she was drawing close, she had slowed long enough to study her surroundings. Finding nobody within eyesight, she’d shed her clothing and, still moving, shifted into a wolf. It was her go-to shape and would hopefully be intimidating enough to repel a threat. Not knowing what she would find, she wanted to stack the deck in her favor.

  As soon as Selene had seen that man on top of Eve, using a viciously sharp-looking knife to toy with her, she had known that shifting was the right choice. She had broken her cardinal rule without thinking, but as Eve’s relief at the interruption hit her square in the chest, Selene had no regrets. Well, except that Eve was almost as afraid of her wolf as she had been of the attacker.

  Now that she had a quiet moment in the safety of her apartment, Selene reviewed her fight with the man. He had been afraid of the wolf, too. She could smell it on him. Though his fear was strong, his anger about being interrupted was far more potent. Selene didn’t want to imagine what plans she’d ruined.

  Selene hadn’t wanted to let Eve’s attacker go but had craved to chase him, to make him pay somehow. But Eve’s turbulent emotional state held her back. The woman she had saved, the one who had called her, was on the verge of falling apart. So Selene had slunk into the trees, found her clothing, and dressed so she could run back and care for Eve as a human being.

  Now she wondered if that had been the right choice.

  Eve was dangerous, no doubt about it. Not only because she was beautiful, the first woman in years to whom Selene couldn’t control her attraction, but also because of her profession. She was practically a cop and would probably be the one who examined the dead woman from the park, maybe as soon as later today. Dissecting Selene’s handiwork, she would try to puzzle out how an animal that size had found its way into Golden Gate Park.

  Selene shuddered. More than being found out, she hated to imagine Eve seeing her as just another killer. She’d known the woman for only twenty traumatic minutes, but already she cared about what Eve would think.

  This was exactly why she’d given up sex: too much emotional attachment. But
with Eve, sex wasn’t necessary. Selene already felt strangely attached.

  Selene turned around at the sound of the bathroom door opening. Eve stood there wearing her shirt and glasses, doing a very good impression of someone who wasn’t holding on by a very thin thread. Selene put on a friendly expression and tried to be calm. She sensed that their empathetic link was a two-way street, which had to feel strange to someone not accustomed to the supernatural. Deciding it was probably in her best interest to control her emotions, in case Eve dwelt too long on the notion that Selene was somehow different from other women, Selene centered herself.

  Taking a deep breath, she said, “Feeling better?”

  “Much.” Eve closed the distance between them and handed Selene her cell phone. “The cab will be here in about five minutes.”

  Relief flooded Selene, then guilt. She was relieved that Eve would be gone before Renee returned to pick up the other half of her money and guilty that she had to worry about that potentially awkward moment at all.

  Eve winced. “I…I need to sit down.”

  “Of course.” Selene led her to the couch and perched on the arm, torn between staying close and keeping a safe distance. This confirmed Selene’s suspicion. Eve didn’t just transmit emotion, she received it and was tuned in to Selene. From Eve’s perplexed expression, Selene guessed that Eve had no idea what was happening. That was for the best. Selene redoubled her efforts to stay neutral.

  “You said you were planning to file a police report?” Selene marveled at the way Eve kept her face stoic even as she broadcast a wave of shame. “Is that correct?”

  “I don’t think I’ll have much of a choice.” Eve looked away. “My ex is a detective. Jac would never let me get away with not reporting this.”

  “Well, Jac’s right.” Selene spoke in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. She recalled Eve’s fear when she talked about her attacker having her purse. Selene didn’t like that fact, either. “It’ll be okay. They’ll find him.”

  Eve shook her head and shrugged as though it was a nice notion, but unlikely. She was probably right. “Well, I hope so. Unfortunately, I’m not sure they’ll have much to go on from me. Chances are they’ll have to wait until he tries again. Hopefully the next woman is as lucky as I am.”

  Selene’s jaw tightened as she flashed on what she might have found had she arrived at the scene only moments later. “Yes, let’s hope.”

  “I’m glad you heard me.” Eve raised her eyes and met Selene’s gaze shyly. “I was so afraid to make him angry, I didn’t think I’d called out loud enough to attract any attention. It’s a miracle you were so close.”

  Selene hadn’t been close at all. It had taken her a full three minutes of sprinting before she reached Eve. But she nodded anyway. “I’m glad I decided to take a walk this morning.”

  “I can’t say the same. But I am glad I met you.” Eve looked surprised as the words left her mouth, and Selene felt her embarrassment like a knife to the gut.

  “Me, too.” The cell phone buzzed in Selene’s hand and she picked it up without breaking eye contact. After a moment she hung up. “Your cab is outside.”

  Eve nodded. “Well…thank you again.”

  “Of course.” Selene resisted the urge to gather Eve into another embrace. As unnerving as it was to sense Eve’s mood so acutely, nothing had ever felt so right as holding Eve in her arms. “You be safe.”

  “I will.” Eve walked to the front door, then paused with her hand on the knob. “Maybe I’ll see you again?”

  It wouldn’t be wise, but Selene wanted nothing more than to say yes. Forcing a casual smile, she said, “Maybe.”

  Eve’s happiness washed over Selene, and she didn’t have to try so hard to keep smiling. “All right, then. Good-bye.”

  Selene stood at the open front door and watched Eve walk to the cab. She didn’t allow herself to feel the disappointment of knowing that seeing Eve again wasn’t a good idea, or worry for Eve’s safety. It wasn’t fair to burden Eve with any of the turmoil that churned in her stomach. As the cab driver pulled away from the curb, Eve gave her one last wave good-bye, which Selene returned politely. Once Eve was out of sight, she withdrew into her house and shut the door.

  Selene missed her already.

  Chapter Five

  He shouldn’t have hit her.

  That was Kevin’s first mistake. When he had come up with the Plan, the idea had been to leave the park immediately after he made the kill. Get away fast, don’t hang around to looky-loo. And certainly don’t end up in the background of any crime-scene photographs. Killers got caught like that, and he refused to let anyone stop him. That’s what the game was about: telling the world, but especially Dr. Eve Thomas, that he could do whatever he wanted, to whomever he wanted.

  All he had to do was stick to the Plan. Be logical. Stay calm.

  Today, on his first kill, he had completely and utterly failed. As Kevin had stood over his offering and stripped off the bloody sweatshirt and gloves he would burn before he went home, a dark desire took hold. Dr. Eve Thomas would begin her morning walk in a mere half hour. The kill zone was far enough from her usual route that he could hang around that area of the park another thirty minutes, if only to catch a glimpse.

  He had told himself that’s all he wanted. A glimpse.

  He had burned to see Eve stroll through the park unaware of what had just occurred, having no idea that he was watching from behind a tree. Would she be frightened later when she realized her proximity to the time and place of the crime? Angry? More determined to catch him?

  The thought turned him on. To leave Eve the body of a woman who could have just as easily been the good doctor herself, having met a terrible fate so close to where she walked every morning, was a masterstroke. A grand gesture from a killer who wouldn’t let science or psychology outsmart him. Kevin loved grand gestures. It was probably the one part of his Plan that was flawed. But what was the point of showing the world you could do whatever you wanted if you didn’t want to do anything big?

  And what was the point of challenging somebody if you were afraid to get near them?

  That thought had made him deviate from the Plan. He could do whatever he wanted, and what he had wanted then was to see Eve one last time before their game really began. During the weeks he spent learning her routine, he had watched her from a distance, fascinated. They had a connection now. And he wanted to experience it one last time before she became his adversary.

  At first he told himself he just wanted a quick look to satisfy his curiosity. To take a mental snapshot, something to remember later. No big deal, certainly nothing that would jeopardize their game.

  That had been the new Plan until the moment she walked into view.

  Instead of satisfaction, he felt rage. Arousal. Excitement.

  She thought she was so clever. Why? Because she’d helped catch a serial killer? Charles Dunning had been an amateur, an embarrassment. He was sloppy, and that’s why she’d discovered his patterns.

  Not like Kevin. Nobody would stop him, especially not Dr. Eve Thomas.

  He didn’t remember consciously deciding to attack her. One moment he was crouched behind the tree, then the next he was pulling on his ski mask and running to intercept her. When he drew back his fist and punched her in the face, he genuinely shocked himself. That hadn’t been in the Plan, and yet there he was, improvising.

  Back in his apartment, Kevin winced and touched his arm where the wolf’s teeth had punctured the skin. Improvising. That was exactly the kind of idiot move that would get him caught. Precisely the type of misstep he always criticized guys like Charles Dunning for making.

  Yet seeing the fear in her eyes had thrilled him. It was the most delicious emotion he had ever witnessed. Certainly the best he had ever caused. Not only was she a worthy adversary, but no one had ever given him such pure, succulent terror before.

  Already he wanted to experience it again.

  That was a problem. Though he’d been
angry about the wolf at first, now that he was home safely, he wondered if the interruption had been a sign that he had gone too far, that he was straying from his meticulously crafted plans. Maybe the universe was trying to protect him from his own impulses and keep him on the right path.

  How else to explain something so bizarre as a goddamn wolf in Golden Gate Park?

  It was too late to change what he’d done. Now he could only wait and see how his actions would affect the Plan. He’d grabbed her purse as he fled the scene, not because he needed anything inside it, but because he hoped she might dismiss her assault as a simple mugging. Realistically, he knew that threatening to fuck her and make her cry had probably negated any step he could have taken to make his motive look like robbery. Stealing her purse served a dual purpose, though: Not only might it introduce doubt about his motives, but it would also shake her up even further. Frighten her.

  Kevin liked that idea a lot.

  To be safe, he’d dumped it in a garbage can at the edge of the park. No way would he hang on to it. He didn’t keep trophies. On a day when he had broken so many rules, he remained steadfast about the stupidity of trophies. If the cops discovered evidence in your home, you’d practically confessed. Kevin didn’t want to find notoriety as a captured serial killer. He preferred an air of mystique, like the Zodiac Killer.

  Kevin sighed and picked up the book on his coffee table. Listening to the Dead: Forensic Science and the Serial Murders of Charles Dunning. By Dr. Eve Thomas. He flipped to the first page, ready to give it yet another read.

  The book was his bible, his blueprint. It was his secret weapon in the battle to outsmart Eve Thomas.

  And, he hoped, it would help him forget about how much he’d enjoyed tracing his blade over her bare skin, how badly he wanted to do it again.

  She was his opponent, not his victim.

  At least not yet.