by Unknown
Slowing again for another corner, Cam let a long, slow breath hiss from between his teeth. The streets were abandoned. Apparently his citizens had enough sense to stay in out of the rain. Thank heaven for small favors.
Primal instinct demanded he stay with his female, protect JJ at all cost, but, thanks to the arsonist’s latest bit of handy work, Cam’s sense of duty as an officer of the law demanded he leave her, even if only for a short time. He’d also had to process the scene in her attic. He hadn’t wanted her there for that, hadn’t wanted her to see that room again until he’d had a chance to clean up the mess. But he couldn’t leave her alone. A small, begrudging smile nudged its way to his lips. She’d argued, claimed she didn’t want to bother anyone. She could clean the mess up on her own, she’d insisted. She’d be just fine. Oh, she’d stood her ground, and he couldn’t help admire her courage…even if she had been ten shades of white and shaking with the last tremors of her flashback. But he’d won.
In the end, when it counted, he’d won.
He’d left her with Ginny to cluck and fuss like a mother hen over her. He hadn’t missed Ginny’s glare. What the hell had that been about? He hadn’t 298
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missed JJ’s parting scowl either. Ginny, he couldn’t do anything about, but he’d taken great pleasure in kissing JJ’s scowl from her lips, then he’d slipped out the door before she’d had a chance to regain her senses.
As she’d turned away, he’d caught a flash of the mark he’d left upon her skin, just below her ear. It had been all he could do not to simply toss her over his shoulder and carry her up the stairs to the nearest bit of privacy. Sheer dint of will had pushed him out the door and toward his duty.
That reminder lead him down another path, one he wasn’t sure how to handle. He had to tell her.
About himself, and about what he was. He had to tell her what he’d done, that he’d marked her as his.
She wouldn’t be happy, he’d wager. Not at first. He’d talk her around though.
Losing her wasn’t an option he could live with.
Cam eased his pick-up into the driveway beside Ginny’s battered relic of a truck and killed the engine. Drawing a deep breath, Cam scrubbed both hands over his face. Exhaustion nipped at his heels, but he couldn’t afford to let it catch up with him. He had too much to do yet, and a conversation that couldn’t wait any longer.
Cold rain pelted him as he slid from the truck and sprinted across the yard. He didn’t bother knocking on the door, just let himself in with a quick shout. “Ginny? It’s Cam.”
“Back here,” she called. By the tone of her voice, he felt it safe to guess she hadn’t let him off the hook…for whatever he’d done. A rustle of movement wafted to him from the back of the house. He wiped his feet on the mat by the door and followed the homey sounds of dishes clacking together as a little boy’s homework was checked down the hallway.
Stepping into the kitchen, Cam’s gaze went straight to JJ. She sat at the table beside a sleepy-299
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eyed, freshly scrubbed Tanner, a blanket tucked around her shoulders. Her face was chalky white around a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her hands clutched a steaming mug on the laminate surface before her, but she didn’t seem interested in drinking…indeed, she didn’t seem to be paying much attention to anything going on around her. Cam shot Tanner a fond, if somewhat distracted smile, ruffling the boy’s damp hair, on his way to JJ’s side.
“How are you, honey?” He drew the chair beside her away from the table, perching on the edge as he reached for her.
Expression blank, she blinked up at him, allowing him to draw her limp hands into his.
Cam frowned. His questioning gaze darted to Ginny where she stood beside the sink, wiping her hands on a small towel. Ginny gave a helpless shrug, shaking her head, and mouthed the words, “She hasn’t spoken much.”
Closing his eyes, Cam took a moment to steady his nerves. When he opened them, Ginny had set aside the towel and was crossing the kitchen. She leaned close to his shoulder and whispered into his ear. “She keeps asking where her car is.” Cold fear crawled into Cam’s belly. Was this what she’d meant before, when she’d spoken about not realizing she’d run until she was already on the road, driving away? Well, she wouldn’t be going anywhere. Not this time.
Not ever again, if he had anything to say about it. Nodding to Ginny, Cam turned his attention back to the woman at his side. He was relieved to hear Ginny speaking quietly to Tanner as she drew him from his chair, gathered up the papers and pencils before him, and led him from the room.
“JJ, honey…”
“Cam?” She blinked at him, frowning. “When did 300
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you get here? I can’t find my car, Cam.” Forcing a swallow, Cam pushed what he hoped was a reassuring smile to his lips. “I came in just a minute ago, honey. Do you know where you are?” She blinked at him and, frowning, glanced around the room. It took a long moment for recognition to sink in. Cam’s insides iced over as he watched understanding slowly fill her eyes.
Understanding and horror. Her breath came faster now. Tears trembled on her lashes. “Did I run? Oh God, did I run again?”
“No…shh. It’s okay, you’re all right. You didn’t run. I brought you here, honey. Do you remember?” She shook her head, a sob escaped her, and he drew her on to his lap, cradling her there like a lost child.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
She leaned against him with a muffled sob, melted into him, and he rocked her, murmuring against her hair until she quieted.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled against his damp shoulder, snuffled.
Leaning back in his arms, she accepted the napkins he’d filched from the small, plastic holder shaped like a little boys hands in the center of the table. He regarded her silently as she mopped at her face, and, when she was done, he drew her to her feet. “Let’s go home, honey.”
“I can’t…Cam, he was there again. He was inside my house again. I can’t go there—”
“My place, JJ,” he cut her off, cursing himself for the quick spear of panic flashing in her eyes. He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her gaze to his. “We’ll go to my place tonight.
Tomorrow we’ll get some of your things, figure out where to go from there, but for now…from tonight on…you’re staying with me.”
He’d expected an argument, braced for one. He’d 301
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already practiced logical arguments, perfected his reasoning. Relief washed through him when she simply offered a grateful smile and nodded.
The drive home was treacherous. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when he pulled into his own driveway without incident. The wind was kicking up, swirling through the streets. Cam sent JJ back to the bathroom for a long hot shower while he set to work in the kitchen. He was starving, and, chances were, she probably hadn’t had anything to eat since this afternoon when she’d gone to Maggie’s.
Aw, hell…
Now Ginny’s glare made sense. They’d seen the mark, and they’d realized that he hadn’t explained anything to JJ. Maggie had chewed a couple layers off his hide over that one when he’d bumped into her earlier. By Ginny’s glare, he was due to lose a few more layers before it was all said and done.
Cam carried a loaded tray of food into the living room and set it on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. The lights flickered as he straightened.
Blinked on, and then cut out completely.
“Damn it,” he muttered, searching for the box of matches on the mantle. He made short work of starting a fire, and made his way back to the bathroom. The rush of water ceased as he knocked on the door. “Honey, are you all right in there?”
“Yes, what happened?”
“I’m betting we lost a power line somewhere. I’ll call in and check. Do you need a flashlight?”
“No…I’m fine. I’ll be out in a minute.” Cam drew his
cell phone out and made a series of short calls. The big tree in Emerson’s yard a few blocks away split beneath a lightning strike, tangling itself up in the power lines at the intersection. Emma assured him she was on top of things, urging him to stay home. There was no need for him to come in, she’d insisted. He’d been there all 302
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day, after all, and it wasn’t as if he didn’t have capable help. Duly chastised, he hung up and returned to the living room as JJ stepped in front of the fireplace to warm her hands. Her wet hair dampened the soft material down the length of her back.
That T-shirt had never looked so good on him.
Miles and miles of bare, shapely legs peeped from beneath the hem. Her bare toes curled against the thick rug beside the hearth. Warmth glowed to life inside his chest, building with every moment he stood in the doorway mesmerized by her. At last, when the pressure in his chest threatened to choke him, he cleared his throat and stepped inside the room.
She beamed a smile over her shoulder. He was more than a little relieved to see her color had returned.
Then a shadow fell over her brow as she eyed the phone in his hand. “Do you have to go back in?”
“No, Emma threatened she’d shoot me with my own gun if she saw my face before nine a.m.
tomorrow.”
“I’m glad. I was hoping you’d stay with me.” She caught the edge of her bottom lip between her teeth as she turned back to the fire. Her hands twisted together, and he didn’t think the motion had anything to do with seeking warmth now. “I…I didn’t want to be alone.”
It had been a difficult admission. He could see that from the troubled lines forming between her brows, the ridged set of her shoulders. Vulnerability would be tough for JJ to face. Instinctively, he sensed an admission of that vulnerability was monumental. He closed the distance between them, rested his hands on her shoulders. The pressure in his chest increased when she leaned back of her own accord, leaning into him.
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He slipped his arms around her waist, rubbing his cheek against her hair. Even beneath the scent of his soap, his shampoo, the essence of her was still there, tugging at his insides. At length, he drew her down onto the sofa beside him, tucking her against his side. She snuggled in with a grateful murmur, curling her legs up under her. Cam swiped a throw off the back of the sofa and tossed it over her, wrapped her in his arms, pulling her against his chest.
Having her here like this felt right. He’d always had a certain restlessness inside him. Could barely sit through a whole game on the TV without having to get up and just move, work on some project or other. Maybe that was why he’d spent so much time at the office, spent so much time on remodeling projects. But now—cuddling with her by the fire—he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
The small heirloom clock on the mantle, a precious inheritance from his paternal grandmother, quietly ticked away endless minutes as they snuggled and shared the mountain of food Cam had brought in earlier, conversing in muted tones. Her nerves had settled. Her voice was stronger with every word she spoke. It pleased him that—though she seemed to have gotten over the shock, and was well onto getting over the fear—she continued to recline in his arms, continued to draw warmth and comfort from him.
“Cam…”
“Yeah?” He pressed his lips to her temple, toyed with the damp ends of her hair.
“I…” she fidgeted with a button on his shirt,
“never mind.”
“What?”
“Well, I… Ginny said I should talk to you about it, but I don’t see as how you would have any answers.”
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“Talk to me about what, honey?” Frowning, he held very still.
“I…” Her voice trailed away, as if she waged some inner argument. Heaving a sigh, she tipped her head back so she could look into his eyes and admitted, “There’s a wolf in the woods. He comes to see me sometimes.”
Cam’s entire body went rigid. His mind raced.
This was the opening he’d been looking for.
But the very thought of telling her scared the living hell out of him.
‘She keeps asking where her car is,’ Ginny had said. What if she wasn’t ready to hear this? She’d dealt with so much already. What if this were the last straw? What if she couldn’t accept—
“He’s tame, Cam. I swear he won’t hurt me.” Her frantic words tumbled out, fast and furious, as she pushed up, peering into his eyes with a worried frown. “I don’t want you to go after him, or hurt him.
Please, Cam, promise me you won’t let him be hurt.” Shit. Screwing up his courage like a man about to walk the plank, Cam leaned forward, took both her hands into his. Would the waters be warm and inviting, or filled with blood-thirsty sharks? “Baby, that wolf would never, ever hurt you.” The delicate arches of her eyebrows crunched together. Her eyes narrowed on him, and he could read the confusion in their beautiful depths. “But I…
How do you…”
Drawing a deep breath, Cam leaned forward, brushing his lips across hers in a whispered plea for understanding. “Honey, I have something I need to tell you…something you’re probably going to need to see to believe. I don’t want you to be frightened. Can you please do something for me? Can you try to remember what happened with you and the wolf…how protective he is of you…how he kept you 305
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safe from the bear? How he walked with you in the woods? He’d never hurt you. I’d never hurt you.” Her eyes clouded; her skin went cold beneath his fingers. “The bear…how did you know about the bear? I never said anything about—”
“Honey, have you heard the tales…the stories about the protectors?”
Frowning, she nodded slowly. “Yes. That Ms.
Potter started to talk about it at the hardware store…then Ginny got all weird and shoved her out the door.”
“What did she say?”
“Cam, I don’t understand. What does that have to do with my wolf?” She tried to pull back, pull away from him. He held her fast. Fear dug icy finger holds along his spine even as her proprietary attitude over his other form fed his ego. Her face had gone pale again, but he couldn’t stop now. She needed to hear this.
She needed to hear it from him.
“There are a lot of legends about the woods of Sutter Hollow,” he began. Dear God, where to start?
“A lot of them are wrong. A lot of them talk about monsters, beasts that prey on the innocent. I guess part of that was true…a long, long time ago, but not the way some mean now.” He squeezed her hands gently, stared hard at her. “Back then, according to Winneoten legend, a brave warrior stepped forward, dedicating his life to battling the evil that had invaded the woods of his ancestors. He was brave, crafty but honorable. Strong and loyal. His tribe had been attacked, over and over. Many innocents were defiled and killed, their bodies ravaged and drained of every last drop of blood. Soon after a particularly gruesome attack, in the light of the full moon, he prayed to the Great Spirit. He prayed for the power to stop the demons.”
She remained silent, her head tilted slightly to 306
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the side, absorbing his words with a curious frown.
“The Great Spirit came to him in a vision, granting him…special skills. He was to become the protector of his tribe. His descendents would bear the responsibility of his prayers, of this…this special gift from the Great Spirit.”
“A protector…” She fidgeted, lifting one hand to brush it across his shirt, resting her palm just over the mark he bore beneath the cotton, beneath the badge. “Your tattoo…you said that was a symbol of a protector, right?”
A slow smile spread across his lips as he caught her hand, pressed a kiss to her palm. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Ms. Potter claimed…” She trailed off, frowning again.
“What did she say, JJ?”
“It’s silly, really.” She lean
ed back against the cushion, tucking her legs back up beneath her, absently tugging a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
He captured her hand again, squeezing insistently.
“Okay. She claimed…she told me the same story you did, or one very similar…only she claims this warrior’s descendants still roam the woods, protecting the town even now. Cam, I think that old woman needs help. She’s…she’s convinced there are Werewolves in the woods. That this warrior’s descendants run around…slipping into wolf form at will. She said they were…um…fiercely protective and possessive…and loyal. She claimed that I met one of these protectors. She claimed that my wolf was one of them, one of these Werewolves. She even implied that he’d formed some kind of…of an attachment to me. That he was my protector.”
“Shit,” he muttered, barely suppressing the urge to close his eyes and snort in self-disgust.
Here he’d been going around all this time, smugly thinking he’d been so damned successful at 307
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keeping the truth under wraps, when apparently all you needed to do was go sit down and have a nice little chat with the cat-lady to find out all about Winneoten legend, and all about his pack. And the scariest part of all, she had all the facts terrifyingly straight. Someone had to have given her this information. There was just no way for her to know all this any other way.
“Honey,” his cheeks puffed out as he blew out a long breath, then he took the leap he’d been dreading, “she’s right.”
“What?” The scowl on JJ’s face expressed—
eloquently—that she didn’t appreciate what she perceived as a tasteless joke on his part.
“She was right. There are Werewolves in Sutter Hollow. But they would never harm the innocent, never ever hurt you. They are protectors. And, once they find their mate, they are loyal unto death. You have to believe you are safe…I guarantee you are safe. I wouldn’t ever let anything harm you. You have to believe you are safe with me, safe with the wolf.” He gripped her hands tight when she would have pulled them away. “And she was right about the wolf. He has formed…an attachment to you. Just as the man has.”