by Desiree Holt
“I’m still amazed they let you see him.”
Her mouth twisted in a grimace. “They did so only because I threw such a screaming fit. I also demanded to see the pictures they took at the scene.”
“They’re pretty gruesome,” he pointed out.
“It’s my brother, damn it.” She slammed her hand on the table and the water glass jumped. “I wanted to know everything.” She blinked at the tears gathering in her eyes and tightened her hands into fists. “But what about Lisa? There’s no trace of her. What happened to her? How did she just disappear?”
Again Dante chose his words carefully. Explaining the theory Night Seekers put together was almost too outrageous to accept, but he had to tell her what they’d surmised. What their findings had led them to believe.
Regan stared at him, clearly appalled. Finally something he was sure she hadn’t known or expected.
“Are you serious? Combining different DNA? And kidnapping humans to use theirs? That’s insane. What kind of nut job would do that?” She blinked back more tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “Do you think that’s what happened to Lisa?”
“We do. Unfortunately.”
Regan lifted the coffee mug but her hands were shaking so badly, some of the liquid spilled over the rim.
Dante eased the mug from her fingers and mopped up the spillage with a napkin. Jesus, just touching her again set off an erotic explosion in his body. He gritted his teeth, nearly cracking his molars, and forced the feeling back. “Why don’t you let me get you something?” he asked in a soft voice. “A glass of wine, maybe. This is a lot to try to absorb.”
“No, I don’t—” She blew out a breath. “All right. Maybe wine would be good.”
Dante left her in the booth and headed toward the long bar.
“How is she?” Clint asked. “She looks like she’s about to pass out.”
“Same shocked reaction we all had the first time. I hope a glass of wine will help settle her and put a little color in her face.” He paused. “Although…”
“Although what?” Clint prompted.
“There’s something going on here. Something more than the usual reactions.”
“What do you think it is?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know but I plan to find out.”
Sophia walked over. “Anything I can do to help, Dante?” Concern was written in her eyes.
“Maybe. We’ll see. Let me get her this wine first.”
“Just remember. We’re all here for each other.” She squeezed his arm.
The wine put a little color back in Regan’s pale face and the hand holding the glass was a little steadier.
“Thank you,” she told him with a shaky little laugh.
You’ll need more than that wine when we drop the shifters on you.
“We all dealt with similar shock when this abomination invaded our lives. Everyone on the team. But Craig Stafford, the man behind the team, is investing a lot of money to find out where and how these creatures are being bred, and why.”
Regan fiddle with the stem of her wineglass. “How do you handle it? All of you? If each of you has lost someone to this…this…creature, how do you deal with seeing new bodies over and over again?”
“I promise you, it’s not easy.” He pointed to Sophia, working across the way in a booth. “Sophia’s one of the original members of the team. She and her sister Rebecca, who just joined us, lost twin nephews to the devil beast. They recently worked a case back on their home turf, where they had to relive the horror.”
Sympathy washed over her face. “And now you have to remember what happened with your wife. How on earth will you do that?”
He could tell this was more than just a polite question. She seemed to be waiting for something from him. Without conscious thought, he reached across the table and took one of her hands in his. And there was that crackling spark again. He did his best to ignore it, even as he saw the narrowing of her eyes and felt the tension in her muscles. Whatever was happening to him was happening to her as well. How in the hell would they deal with this?
“Because I believe that in finally eliminating the beast, I’ll be able to make peace with what happened.”
He was surprised that she didn’t try to pull her hand away. Instead she looked at their hands then back up at his face. Her eyes held a baffled look and a frown creased her forehead. Then she said something that stunned him even more.
“This is going to sound really off the wall, especially because we just met, but I feel like there’s some kind of weird connection between us. As if fate meant for us to meet. Crazy, right? Especially since I didn’t want to come here in the first place.”
Dante’s pulse kicked up a notch. “Not so crazy. As a cop, I saw a lot of things I couldn’t explain. And now, since I’ve been part of Night Seekers, hunting the Chupacabra?” He shrugged. “I’ve learned not to discount anything.” He squeezed her hand gently. “Please don’t freak, but I got a sense of the same link. Or whatever we call it. I haven’t felt any kind of connection at all with another human being since my wife was…killed. I thought maybe I was imagining it, but…” His voice trailed off.
What were they talking about here? The electricity that was so high-voltage he could almost see it? Shared pain? Desperation for answers? Or was it—Jesus!—lust?
Damn, Dante. You should lock yourself in a closet.
He sensed her looking at him and lifted his eyes, locking his gaze with hers.
“Don’t ask me to tell you why,” she began slowly, “but I have this…feeling you’re going to help me get through this. I’ve been so angry and outraged and scared for the past few days. And the police are no damn help.”
“I agree. But that’s because it’s beyond the realm of believability for them. Look. Clint Beltaire, who owns this place, is married to Sophia. Let me introduce you to them. We can all be a support group for you.”
“All right. And I want to be involved in this,” she insisted. “Every bit of it.”
“Regan—” he began.
“No. There’s no room for argument here. It’s my brother and my almost-sister-in-law. I can’t move forward with my life until I get some kind of answers.”
He understood her determination but there seemed to be a little something more behind it. One way or another he’d dig it out of her. Maybe if he couldn’t, he’d take her to the ranch and some of the others could help him figure out the puzzle.
And inside his head, a little voice whispered that taking her to the ranch would be a way to spend more time with her.
Stop it!
This was nuts. Just nuts. Maybe his body chemistry was out of whack. He had a mission here, and an unwanted, unexpected sexual attraction had no place in it.
“Okay. Let’s start by introducing you to Sophia and Clint. Then, if you don’t think me too forward, let’s get out of the bar and take this someplace else.”
“Will you tell me everything you know about what you’ve discovered? All the cases you mentioned? Every detail?”
“If you’re sure you can handle it.”
“I can. I promise you. But first things first. I had a mess of a time getting out of my house, what with all the media camped out. Do you think you can get me back in without running a gauntlet?” Her smile had little humor. “That would really impress me.”
“I just might be able to do that.” As he guided her across to where Sophia sat, he pulled his cellphone from his back pocket.
Chapter Three
Regan was startled to see that Dante had actually accomplished what he’d promised. No, shocked was more like it. There wasn’t a reporter in sight. Instead, all she saw was a single black SUV parked across the street. Leaning against it was a man she guessed to be at least six foot six, with broad shoulders and an unsmiling face. Clad in jeans and a leather jacket, hair as dark and long as Dante’s, he looked more formidable than anyone she ever remembered seeing in her life. Arms folded across his chest, he had an attitu
de that plainly said Don’t fuck with me.
She pulled into her carport and turned off the ignition. Dante parked in the driveway and climbed out, nodding to the other man, who dipped his head in acknowledgment. Then, with a loose-limbed grace that reminded her of an animal, the other man got into his vehicle and drove away.
“Do I even want to know who that was and how you accomplished this?” she asked.
His smile said she might be better off not asking.
“That’s Jonah Grey. Part of our team. And you don’t really need the details.”
A shiver raced along her spine, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of Jonah Grey or the man standing on her porch with her. A man who exuded so much leashed power, it vibrated in the air and surrounded her. Regan had heard that sexual attraction could be so strong as to be nearly visible, but she hadn’t believed it until now.
When she had walked into The Black Wolf earlier, the only emotions she’d felt were despair and pain. But the moment Dante Martello had approached her booth, every erogenous zone in her body thundered to life in response. All those other feelings were shockingly blunted by an unexpected, incredible explosion of chemistry between her and this dark, brooding man. The entire time they’d sat in the booth she’d had to force herself to focus on what they were discussing, completely undone by the erotic feelings whirling through her.
Had she taken leave of her brain? Of her senses? Her brother had just died in a horrific way, allegedly destroyed by a creature usually found in nightmares. Lisa—his fiancée and Regan’s best friend—was missing and, if Dante could be believed, had been taken by the very creature Reed had been researching.
Yet here she was, lusting after a stranger. And how could she possibly even justify it when the pain of loss was still so sharp? She wasn’t looking for a man. She was looking for answers. And vengeance.
But his lean, muscular body, thick black hair and even blacker eyes lit a flame deep inside her that she couldn’t ignore. There was something so sensual about him.
My god! What’s the matter with me? This is so bizarre. I just met this man. I’m in the middle of the most nightmarish crisis of my life, and all I can think about is getting him into bed. It must be some crazy hormonal reaction to all this weird Chupacabra business.
She took out the key to her front door, hand shaking slightly, totally aware of the very masculine man standing behind her. Damn!
For some reason she was having trouble fitting the key in the lock, maybe because her hands were trembling. Strong, masculine fingers closed over hers as Dante eased the key away and slipped it into the lock himself.
“Thank you.” Embarrassed, she could hardly look at him.
As he followed her inside, she moved through the rooms, turning on lamps to soften the lowering darkness and dispel the gloom settling in the house. The late-afternoon air outside had turned nippy and its chill seemed to follow them into the house.
“I think a fire would be nice, don’t you?” She rubbed her hands together in a nervous gesture. Eventually she’d have to tell him about Reed and Lisa’s research. And the little fact about herself she hid from almost everyone.
How would this dark, mysterious man standing in her living room react? Would he be revolted? Think it was a joke? Peg her as insane for even saying such a thing?
Or would shifters also be within the realm of believability for a man who believed in and hunted the Chupacabra?
At the bar, when she shook hands with Clint Beltaire, a blaze of awareness had stunned her. Wolf! Just that small touch was enough to let her know he was a shifter. Had he sensed that with her, also? Would he say something before she was ready to let people know? Were there other shifters at Desolation Ranch?
Maybe she was having a bad dream and any minute she’d wake up. Things would be back to normal, if she even knew what normal was. Her head ached with all the questions she had no answers for, running around in her brain.
Dante took her hands in his, coasting his thumb over her knuckles.
“I think a fire would be great,” he agreed. “How about if I put it together for you?”
She gave a short laugh. “No need. I cheat.” She picked up a metal wand from an end table beside the couch, pointed it at the fireplace and pressed a red button. Instantly flames danced behind the glass screen.
“Neat and clean,” he agreed. He took the remote lighter from her and set it back down on the table. “Why don’t you make some coffee, we’ll bring it in here and I’ll tell you everything I can. Answer your questions.” Golden lights danced in the blackness of his eyes. “I warn you, a lot of it will be hard for you to believe and much of it is liable to give you a good scare.”
“After looking at Reed’s body, I’m not sure there’s anything left that can scare me.”
“Don’t say that.” He locked his gaze with hers. “At The Black Wolf, I barely scratched the surface.”
She shuddered. “It’s fine. I want to know everything you can tell me.”
“You may regret it but okay. You put on the coffee, we’ll sit in front of the fire and talk.”
In the kitchen, she gathered the things she needed—ground beans, filter, sugar. But again her hands shook so badly she dropped everything in the sink. She leaned on the counter, trying to settle herself with deep breaths. She’d never met a man she was so instantly attracted to. That her body responded to with such longing. And she had no idea what to do about it.
Then warm hands closed over her arms and shifted her to the side.
“Let me.”
Those same hands moved everything to the counter then closed over her arms again, turning her to face him. They were so close, his breath was a warm breeze on her skin. For a long moment she was sure he could hear the thundering of her heart and see the rapid beat of her pulse at the hollow of her throat.
Time froze as their gazes locked and she saw heat flare like a roaring fire in his dark, dark eyes.
“This is nuts.” His words were like ice chips hitting glass.
“It is.” She could barely hear her own voice. And yes, it was crazy, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.
She saw the emotional struggle wash across his face, the clenching of his jaw, the tightening of his facial muscles.
But then, as if they’d both known it would happen, he pressed his mouth to hers in a gentle kiss.
His lips were warm and firm, his touch much gentler than she’d expected. He licked the seam of her mouth with the tip of his tongue, a soft caress that made her nipples harden to painful points and moisture flood the crotch of her panties.
His tongue circled the outline of her lips, licked gently at each of the corners before pressure urged her to open for him. Once he swept into her mouth, she was lost, her own tongue dueling and dancing with his. His lean and muscular body was hard against hers, and nothing was harder than the heaviness of his cock pressing against her cunt. Even through the layers of their clothing it was impossible to miss.
Her mind emptied itself of everything except this thunderstorm of sensation rocketing through her and a need more intense than anything she’d ever felt in her entire life. The kiss didn’t just burn with erotic lust. It carried with it an unexpected feeling of intimacy that flooded her with need.
When he lifted his mouth from hers, the look in his eyes burned itself into her body. His fingers, hot as branding irons, tightened on her arms. For a moment she felt like hurricane survivors do, swept up in the aftermath of the winds. Then his grip loosened and he moved back an inch.
“I want to say I’m sorry but I’m really not.” He closed his eyes for a moment, his breathing choppy. “I don’t—I haven’t—I can’t…” He shook his head as if the appropriate words escaped him. “This is wrong.”
She bobbed her head like a marionette. “Yes. Wrong.”
“We should be focusing on the tragedy we’re in the middle of.”
“Yes,” she repeated. “We should.” Why couldn’t she put a coherent senten
ce together?
Finally, with obvious effort, he stepped away from her. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t—”
She was still catching her breath. “I’m not sure we had a choice. It just…we just…”
He pulled himself together with obvious effort. “Let’s fix the coffee, Regan. And talk.”
Okay. Talk.
About her brother? The beast? The kiss?
Unable to string enough words together to make sense, she kept silent while Dante helped her measure and spoon and pour. There was so much sexual tension in the kitchen, Regan was sure they could have just touched the coffeemaker and it would turn on. When the coffee was brewing, he turned back to face her, this man who electrified her senses, tilting her chin up with one strong finger.
He said nothing, simply studied her eyes for what seemed like an interminable moment. Her heart raced so fast she thought it would pound itself out of her chest, and just that one point of contact made her breasts ache for his touch and liquid flood her panties. Even the muscles in her cunt spasmed.
Holy god!
She tried to draw in a full breath but her chest felt constricted. Her throat was so dry she couldn’t speak, couldn’t do anything but stare into his eyes, consumed by the heat blazing in them.
His body shuddered with the visible effort to control himself and he finally took a step back.
“We’re going to talk,” he said in a rough-edged voice. “I’m going to answer all your questions. And maybe you’ll answer a few of mine.”
“Y-Yours? What can I possibly tell you?”
“I don’t know, but you’re keeping something back.” His irises, unbelievably, grew even darker. More intense. “If you want me to help you, we have to lay it all out on the table. Both of us.”
He waited. Finally, she dipped her head just once.
“Good. After that I’m going to make arrangements for you to come out to the ranch tomorrow. Then, if I’m smart, I’ll tell you good night and leave here.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “But I can’t promise you I’ll be that smart. I may not be able to keep myself from doing something incredibly stupid. Just giving you fair warning.”