“Go sew up your face. I’ll check in with you two tomorrow and get your official statement.”
“Sounds good.” Eve brushed her lips against Jac’s cheek before withdrawing. “I owe you one.”
Jac shook her head. “Nah. Selene owes me.” When Eve cocked her head curiously, Jac said, “Obviously we could put her special talents to good use in certain investigative situations. If something comes up—”
“Well, that’s between you and Selene.” After spending a lifetime denying her gift, Selene might not be ready to use it for solving crimes on a regular basis. Then again, she did seem to have a natural talent for surveillance and tracking. “Give her some time to adjust to the fact that somebody else knows, especially somebody she isn’t acquainted with all that well.”
“Sure.” Jac gave her a toothy grin. “I’ll see you two tomorrow.”
Eve saw her out, sighing in relief when she and Selene were alone again. After she addressed her wounds, Eve planned to get some rest. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.
Chapter Thirty-seven
Selene startled awake, opening her eyes to stare at a painted white ceiling. Eve’s familiar warmth at her side provided a strange juxtaposition with the moon hangover that left her feeling slightly disconnected from reality. Her whole body ached. She was naked. Turning her head to the side, she exhaled shakily as she processed what it meant that she was in bed with Eve and not lashed to the steel table in her guest room. Confusion turned to horror when Eve rolled over to reveal a battered face and bruised neck. Selene gasped out loud at the long, ugly slice across Eve’s cheek held together by small, neat stitches.
Sitting up quickly, Selene threw the covers off Eve’s pajama-clad body and scanned her for further injuries. Last night she would have been capable of tremendous violence. If Eve had gotten away with only a few cuts and bruises, they were both lucky. But why Eve had stayed after being attacked was beyond Selene’s comprehension.
“You didn’t do this.” Suddenly wide-awake, Eve sat and grasped Selene’s arm, staring into her eyes. “Don’t panic. This wasn’t you.”
That didn’t exactly make Selene feel better. But it did stop her hyperventilation, which had threatened to send her into an emotional tailspin that would no doubt end in an uncontrolled shift. That was the last thing she wanted after the night she imagined they’d just had. “What happened? Did I get loose?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Eve patted the mattress beside her, projecting a calm strength that brought Selene’s tumultuous mood further under control. “Kevin Pike came here looking for you right as I was getting ready to leave. He…had intended to murder you, to punish me, I guess. He pushed his way inside and we struggled, and at one point I managed to break free and run into the guest room. I started to undo your cuffs but could only release one of your arms before he shot you. So then I tackled him and he started choking me. That’s when you broke free. Right in time to save me.”
Selene swallowed hard. On the one hand she was thrilled that her beast-self had acted instinctively to protect Eve, especially when Eve had trusted her enough to intentionally try to set her free. But on the other, she had a sense that Eve had witnessed unchecked brutality last night. It must have been a horrific sight, what she had undoubtedly done to the man who was hurting the woman she loved. Yet Eve still slept beside her, perhaps even when she’d been her beast-self. “Did I kill him?”
“Yes,” Eve said plainly. “I don’t think you had much choice. He was about to kill me. He’d already shot you. You acted in self-defense, to protect me, and you have no reason to feel ashamed about any of it.”
Truthfully, Selene didn’t feel half as guilty as she’d have expected. Maybe it’d hit her later. Right now she was just relieved that her beast-self had been cognizant enough of their connection to protect Eve—not harm her. Selene scanned Eve’s body again, less frantically this time. Besides the wicked cut on her cheek, her throat was covered with finger-shaped bruises, the skin below one eye was swollen and purple, and her right hand was bandaged.
“I didn’t do any of that?” Selene met Eve’s eyes. “You swear?”
“That was all Kevin, trust me.” A small smile broke across Eve’s battered face, seemingly genuine. “Darling, you’ve seriously misjudged yourself. Last night you were a giant, fiercely protective wolf-puppy who followed me everywhere I went.”
Selene blushed at the characterization, strangely embarrassed that what she’d always assumed to be a ferocious, murderous creature was really so docile. It seemed too good to be true. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well…” Eve’s good humor faltered and she exhaled, clearly nervous about what she was about to say. “Ask Jac. She can confirm that the only time you were anything close to threatening was when you thought I was in danger.”
Selene’s knees buckled at Eve’s comment and she finally accepted the unspoken invitation to get back in bed. Dropping her head into her hands, Selene closed her eyes, wishing she could remember what exactly had happened. “Jac saw me?”
“She realized I wasn’t at my apartment and called to check on me just as I was leaving. We were actually on the phone when I opened the door and found Kevin Pike on your front porch. She heard him attack me and rushed right over, naturally. By the time she got here you’d already taken care of Pike, but I hadn’t gotten the chance to hide you yet. So she walked in and found us in the hallway outside the guest room.”
It was a good thing Selene was already sitting down. “She’s lucky I didn’t kill her. To walk in right after something like that—”
Eve wrapped an arm around Selene’s middle, pulling her close. “We had a bit of a standoff when Jac pointed her gun at you and you felt threatened, but I was able to de-escalate things. Unfortunately, that required telling Jac that the giant wolf was actually you. And that you’d saved my life.”
Burying her face in Eve’s neck, Selene closed her eyes. The idea that Jac knew her secret—Jac, who flatly didn’t like her and who had every reason in the world to want her out of Eve’s life—made Selene’s stomach churn. Already she was mentally packing her bags, picking up and leaving San Francisco behind. Maybe Eve would come with her. She didn’t know how she could go otherwise.
Eve pressed her uninjured hand between Selene’s shoulders, holding her close. “Stop panicking. Jac won’t tell anyone. She and I had a serious talk, and I can promise you that. Your secret is safe.”
“Why? Jac hates me. Why would she agree to cover up something like this?”
“Because she knows that telling anyone would end our friendship.” Drawing back, Eve caressed Selene’s face tenderly. “She knows what you mean to me, and that you’re the only reason I’m alive right now.”
Selene blinked away the emotion that rose at Eve’s solemn words. Never had she imagined her beast-self doing something heroic. In the past twenty-four hours her worldview had changed completely. After years of honoring the same paranoid routine, terrified of what might happen if she made even one mistake, now Selene no longer had to fear the worst. And she didn’t have to face the future alone.
“I don’t know what to say,” Selene said quietly. “I’m in uncharted territory now.”
“Isn’t it wonderful?”
She didn’t have to think about that one. “Yes.”
Eve pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “Let me check your wounds. I tried to clean them and dress them as much as possible last night, but the fur complicated things.”
Chuckling, Selene pulled back and glanced down at her chest. “I’ll bet.” The gauze and tape that covered a small area right above her breast was clearly the result of a makeshift patch job. She peeled away the dressing, curious what she would find beneath. The wound had nearly healed over, leaving only a small, angry pink mark. “Oh, that doesn’t look too bad.”
Eve’s jaw dropped open. She grabbed Selene’s shoulder and tugged her forward, then peeled another bandage away from her back. “That’s unbelievable,” Eve
murmured. “You were shot last night. Entry and exit wound. Today it looks like you got a couple of severe paper cuts, maybe.”
Selene shrugged, both sheepish and proud of Eve’s awestruck reaction. “I heal fast.”
“That’s an understatement.” Touching her face, clearly self-conscious, Eve said, “Wish I could say the same. I’m pretty sure he left me with a nice scar.”
“Doesn’t make you any less beautiful.”
Eve raised her injured hand, frowning at the bandages. “And unfortunately, my dominant hand is out of commission for a while.”
“Shame. We’ll work around that, I promise.” Selene very carefully put her arms around Eve and hugged her as tight as she dared. “But otherwise you’re okay?”
“I’m okay. Kevin Pike is dead, our Golden Gate Park killer case is closed, and I’m lying in bed with the woman I love.” Eve gave Selene a playful pinch on the hip, guiding them back against the pillows and pulling the comforter over their entwined bodies. “I’ve got to be honest, I’m more than okay.”
“And we’re okay?”
“We’re perfect.” Licking gently at Selene’s lower lip, Eve said, “Well, except for the fact that I’m too beat up to make love to you this morning.”
Selene shook her head. “Honestly, there’s nothing I’d rather do right now than this right here. Just holding you, loving you.”
“Good. Me, too.” After a brief hesitation, Eve said, “I should warn you that Jac is coming over later. She needs to get my statement about last night, about how Luna the Rottweiler attacked Kevin Pike after he broke into my girlfriend’s house.”
“Jac, huh?” Selene could think of better ways to spend her afternoon, but she supposed that she couldn’t possibly avoid Jac for the rest of her life. Now that their relationship had just become immeasurably more intimate, she would probably be wise to get off on a better foot sooner rather than later. “Super.”
“Who knows? Maybe one day you two will be friends. Heck, maybe even work together.”
Selene could tell from the buoyant lilt of Eve’s voice, as well as the cautious, nervous energy spilling from her every pore, that her curious desire was more than just idle hope. Clearly Jac had her own ideas about where this circle of trust left them. “We’ll see.”
“In the meantime, you’ve got all morning to kiss my bumps and bruises away.” Eve wiggled out of her T-shirt and tossed it onto the floor. She pointed at the smooth slope of her bare breast with a shy smile. “You can start right here.”
Obedient and eager, Selene didn’t waste any time doing exactly as Eve asked. “Yes, ma’am.”
About the Author
Born in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, Meghan O’Brien relocated to a small town about an hour north of San Francisco in 2005. As a relatively recent transplant, she’s enjoying the moderate weather and gorgeous scenery of the Bay Area. Meghan lives with her partner Angie, their young son, three cats, and two dogs. Yes, it can be just as chaotic as it sounds. In her free time (HA!), she enjoys playing video games, spending time with friends, and exploring the beautiful place where she lives.
Meghan works as a Web developer by day, but her real passion is writing.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Wild by Meghan O’Brien. Shapeshifter Selene Rhodes dreads the full moon and the loss of control it brings, but when she rescues forensic pathologist Eve Thomas from a vicious attack by a masked man, she discovers she isn’t the scariest monster in San Francisco. (978-1- 60282-227-6)
Reluctant Hope by Erin Dutton. Cancer survivor Addison Hunt knows she can’t offer any guarantees, in love or in life, and after experiencing a loss of her own, Brooke Donahue isn’t willing to risk her heart. (978- 1-60282-228-3)
Conquest by Ronica Black. When Mary Brunelle stumbles into the arms of Jude Jaeger, a gorgeous dominatrix at a private nightclub, she is smitten, but she soon finds out Jude is her professor, and Professor Jaeger doesn’t date her students…or her conquests. (978-1-60282- 229-0)
The Affair of the Porcelain Dog by Jess Faraday. What darkness stalks the London streets at night? Ira Adler, present plaything of crime lord Cain Goddard, will soon find out. (978-1-60282-230-6)
365 Days by K.E. Payne. Life sucks when you’re seventeen years old and confused about your sexuality, and the girl of your dreams doesn’t even know you exist. Then in walks sexy new emo girl, Hannah Harrison. Clemmie Atkins has exactly 365 days to discover herself, and she’s going to have a blast doing it! (978-1-60282-540-6)
Darkness Embraced by Winter Pennington. Surrounded by harsh vampire politics and secret ambitions, Epiphany learns that an old enemy is plotting treason against the woman she once loved, and to save all she holds dear, she must embrace and form an alliance with the dark. (978-1-60282-221-4)
78 Keys by Kristin Marra. When the cosmic powers choose Devorah Rosten to be their next gladiator, she must use her unique skills to try to save her lover, herself, and even humankind. (978-1-60282-222-1)
Playing Passion’s Game by Lesley Davis. Trent Williams’s only passion in life is gaming—until Juliet Sullivan makes her realize that love can be a whole different game to play. (978-1-60282-223-8)
Retirement Plan by Martha Miller. A modern morality tale of justice, retribution, and women who refuse to be politely invisible. (978-1- 60282-224-5)
Who Dat Whodunnit by Greg Herren. Popular New Orleans detective Scotty Bradley investigates the murder of a dethroned beauty queen to clear the name of his pro football–playing cousin. (978-1-60282- 225-2)
The Company He Keeps by Dale Chase. A riotously erotic collection of stories set in the sexually repressed and therefore sexually rampant Victorian era. (978-1-60282-226-9)
Cursebusters! by Julie Smith. Budding-psychic Reeno is the most accomplished teenage burglar in California, but one tiny screw-up and poof!—she’s sentenced to Bad Girl School. And that isn’t even her worst problem. Her sister Haley’s dying of an illness no one can diagnose, and now she can’t even help. (978-1-60282-559-8)
True Confessions by PJ Trebelhorn. Lynn Patrick finally has a chance with the only woman she’s ever loved, her lifelong friend Jessica Greenfield, but Jessie is still tormented by an abusive past. (978-1- 60282-216-0)
Jane Doe by Lisa Girolami. On a getaway trip to Las Vegas, Emily Carver gambles on a chance for true love and discovers that sometimes in order to find yourself, you have to start from scratch. (978-1-60282- 217-7)
Ghosts of Winter by Rebecca S. Buck. Can Ros Wynne, who has lost everything she thought defined her, find her true life—and her true love—surrounded by the lingering history of the once-grand Winter Manor? (978-1-60282-219-1)
Who I Am by M.L. Rice. Devin Kelly’s senior year is a disaster. She’s in a new school in a new town, and the school bully is making her life miserable—but then she meets his sister Melanie and realizes her feelings for her are more than platonic. (978-1-60282-231-3)
Call Me Softly by D. Jackson Leigh. Polo pony trainer Swain Butler finds that neither her heart nor her secret are safe when beautiful British heiress Lillie Wetherington arrives to bury her grandmother, Swain’s employer. (978-1-60282-215-3)
Split by Mel Bossa. Weeks before Derek O’Reilly’s engagement party, a chance meeting with Nick Lund, his teenage first love, catapults him into the past, where he relives that powerful relationship revealing what he and Nick were, still are, and might yet be to each other. (978- 1-60282-220-7)
Blood Hunt by LL Raand. In the second Midnight Hunters Novel, Detective Jody Gates, heir to a powerful Vampire clan, forges an uneasy alliance with Sylvan, the Wolf Were Alpha, to battle a shadow army of humans and rogue Weres, while fighting her growing hunger for human reporter Becca Land. (978-1-60282-209-2)
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Wild Page 33