by Terry Spear
“Natural causes. Let it be by natural causes.” But she knew it wasn’t, knew it had to be the killer she’d tried to track in the Cascades. She recognized his scent right before zoo man Thompson had caught her on her jaunt through the woods. Was it one of the two wolves she saw watching her at the stream? She couldn’t be sure. The breeze had shifted and it might have disguised which of them it was. Or it might have been another, one she hadn’t seen, hidden in the woods.
The sound of shattering glass in a room down the hall incited Devlyn to surge forward, but as an afterthought, he turned to her. “Stay here…and don’t leave.”
She nodded, realizing he wanted to keep her safe, but her blood heated that he’d think she’d run out on him when their situation only grew bleaker by the moment.
The strong odor of incense filling the living area overwhelmed the faint odor of blood emanating from what she assumed must be the bedroom.
Everything in the place appeared immaculately clean, as though a maid had just tidied up, except for a patch of…
She drew closer to the pale blue sofa. Coarse brown hair, reddish at the tips, clung to the back. She reached out to collect it.
Devlyn rushed out of the bedroom. “Let’s go, Bella.” His stern face allowed no argument. He seized her wrist and jerked her toward the door. “Now, Bella, now!”
“What happened?”
After pulling her from the apartment, he slammed the door. “A woman around your age, murdered in bed.” He rushed Bella back to the SUV. “We have to risk driving. We can’t be caught here.”
“How was she killed?”
He banged her door shut and ran to the other side of the vehicle. As soon as he started the ignition, he turned to her. “A wild animal ripped out her throat.”
“Lupus garou,” she whispered. “They’ll think it’s us.”
“They’ll think it’s a wild animal. Werewolves are fanciful legends concocted by our human ancestors, remember? But it fits. He killed her before the waning moon completely faded.”
“But the sound of the glass shattering—”
“He must have been living here for the last couple of days. By breaking into the place, we startled him, and he busted the window and took off. The window must have been stuck tight.” Devlyn sped out of the parking lot.
“They’ll think the killer is Rosa, the freed wolf…me, because she’d be the only wild wolf loose in the city.”
He pursed his lips and pinched his brows in a frown. “Possibly. If zoo man Thompson gets hold of this news, he may think the woman had something to do with freeing Rosa, that she kept her in the apartment, or maybe they’ll think it’s another wild wolf.”
“We have to stop him.”
He glanced at her, his dark brows lifted. “I have only one mission and that’s returning you to Colorado and the pack.”
She shook her head. “He’s one of mine.”
Devlyn stared at her like she’d lost her mind.
“He’s a red.” She raised the clump of hair she’d hastily plucked from the couch. “We have to stop him before he exposes the legend for what it really is—fact.”
“No. Humans are already hunting us.”
“You didn’t…didn’t kill Thompson or the cops, did you?”
The look Devlyn gave her made her wish she had never spoken the cutting words. Dark-seated hurt flashed across his eyes. He clenched his jaw and turned to watch his driving. “We’re being hunted because you and I freed a little red wolf from the zoo and because I liberated you from the hospital, knocking some officials out in the process. I’m sure they consider me armed and dangerous. I’m not sure what they think of you, considering you were naked and nearly frozen.”
“I’m sorry, Devlyn. This whole thing’s kind of gotten to me. Lupus garous don’t kill humans without good reason.”
“This one did.”
“Yes, and we have to make sure he doesn’t again.”
“Not us. His own pack, Bella.”
“Then we have to make them aware that he’s doing this.” She wouldn’t stand by and let it continue, though her own investigation hadn’t turned up much. But the scent of the one in the apartment definitely matched the smell she had caught a whiff of in the woods. Was he one of the ones she saw at the zoo? She’d been only able to catch the smell of one of them because of the way the breeze shifted at random. She couldn’t have identified which one the scent had belonged to. But at least one was in the clear.
Concentrating on his driving, Devlyn didn’t say anything for a moment. “No, Bella, we’re not contacting the reds.”
Taking an exasperated breath, she reached over and touched his hand. “We have to.”
“Damn it, Bella, you’re going to get us both caught and in a hell of a lot more trouble.”
She folded her arms. “We have to,” she growled. “We owe it to our kind.”
Again, a shimmer of something elusive crossed his face. For several more minutes, he remained quiet, and she knew he was coming to a decision. He finally let out his breath. “All right.”
Relief shadowed with worry skittered across her skin. “Thank you.”
“I hope we don’t live to regret this,” he groused, “but it’s about time you realized where you belonged.”
For a second, she didn’t respond, wondering where the hell that came from. Then the realization struck her—she’d given up lupus garou to live with humans and now wanted to help her own kind. That’s why he agreed. Hoping what? She’d give up the notion of finding a human male to mate?
Figuring he had made a concession and might change his mind if she ticked him off, she bit her tongue before she made a hasty retort. “Did he urinate in the apartment?” she asked instead.
Devlyn studied her for a moment, took a long breath, and nodded.
“His territory. Do you think he wanted her, and she grew terrified when he changed into the wolf?”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe not? Does he just want to kill humans?”
Devlyn gripped the steering wheel tightly.
“Devlyn?”
Through clenched teeth, he said, “She was a redhead, Bella. He’s a red lupus garou looking for a mate. There must be a shortage of eligible females in the area.”
Bella’s throat felt parched as if she’d crossed the Badlands without a lick of water.
Devlyn continued, “He must have convinced her he loved her and then risked changing to turn her. Only she would have been terrified. Humans can’t deal with what we are, Bella. Can’t you understand that?”
This wasn’t about the woman. She figured this was about Bella wanting a human male.
“You see now why I didn’t want you involved?” he asked. “If he catches sight of you…”
He shook his head.
Rubbing her temple, she tried to figure out a way to alert the killer’s pack. “The two men at the zoo are probably related to the killer’s pack. We have to send word to them. Find them somehow.”
“How do you propose to do that when we’re on the run?”
“Take us to Tigard; it’s south of Portland. That’s where I live, and we can use it as our base for the time being.”
He scowled at her. “The things I do for you.”
“Yeah,” she said huskily, “like relieving my…tension.”
He glanced at her, granting her a wicked, wolfish smile that said he wanted to eat her all up, and she wondered then if he’d want to do more to relieve her tension the next time. But a police cruiser passed them by, and she shrank in her seat, remembering the danger they were still in.
Thirty minutes later, they reached Bella’s house without incident, thank the stars. But until they’d hidden the rental SUV, she still didn’t feel safe. And if her neighbor saw her coming home in a different vehicle than the one she’d left in, the questioning would begin in earnest.
Good-natured Chrissie was truly a friend, but she was also too curious for her own good.
At four in the mo
rning, the area remained blanketed in black, except for two security lights highlighting the entryway of the peach stone two-bedroom house.
“Your outside lights are on,” Devlyn said, his voice worried.
“Security. They automatically come on when it grows dark. Park around back. We can hide the SUV in the garage, but we’ll have to open it from inside. I don’t have my garage door controller with me.”
“Your vehicle is still in the Cascades?”
“Yeah. Next to the cabin I own there.”
They shut the vehicle’s doors as quietly as they could, and then he hurried with her to the front door. “Let me go inside first.”
Slipping a key from a vine-covered trellis, she handed it to him, appreciating his concern. “Be my guest.”
As soon as he opened the door, he took a step inside, lifted his chin, and sniffed the air.
“Smell anything?” she whispered.
A slow smile crept across his face. “Yeah, you, Bella honey.”
She pushed him into the house and locked the door. “You’re supposed to be keeping your mind on business. Let’s move the SUV into the garage; then we can plan our next—”
“Sleep. We haven’t had enough sleep to keep us going.”
She noticed then the darkened skin beneath his eyes. “All right.” She motioned to the kitchen. “Door to the garage is that way.”
“Be right back. Undress and I’ll meet you in bed.” He waited for her to agree.
“Still worried I might bolt?” She folded her arms and lifted a brow.
“No. Not now that you want to catch the killer.” He sounded annoyed.
“Then you can sleep on the couch.”
“In your dreams.”
She chuckled and intended to go to the bedroom when she noticed how wilted her houseplants were and made a detour to the kitchen. She swore that as soon as she gave water to the ficus trees and the winding ivy, they perked up right away. Then she entered her bedroom and glanced out the window at her greenhouse. Chrissie would have made sure everything was well watered, she was certain. It seemed like eons since she’d been here last, not just a few days.
Sighing deeply, Bella felt safe for the moment and overjoyed to be in her own home again. She yanked off her sneakers, determined to climb into bed and fall asleep before the big gray wolf returned and gave her other notions. Then she formulated a plan.
After crossing the room, she dug in her linen closet and pulled out a spare set of sheets and a pillow. Dashing back down the hall, she hurried to the floral sofa. She laid the sheets and pillow on one end and strode back to her bedroom.
Once she removed the rest of her clothes, she heard the garage door grumble shut, and then the kitchen door leading to the garage opened and closed. She climbed into bed, pulled the green velvet spread under her chin, and closed her eyes.
For several minutes, she lay still, listening for Devlyn, but when he didn’t come to the bedroom, her heart sank. Playing games with him when they were young inspired her interest in him. Didn’t he realize she was teasing him about sleeping on the couch?
She was too tired to care.
After another couple of minutes, she tossed onto her side and growled.
The shattering of glass on the tile kitchen floor sent a spike of adrenaline racing through her veins. She bolted from the bed, tugged on the sweatshirt, and ran down the hall. All she could think of was protecting Devlyn, yet when she approached the kitchen, she realized she had forgotten the gun, even though the silver bullets were meant for Volan, should he ever find her.
She peered around the cabinets to see into the kitchen.
Standing in front of the refrigerator, Devlyn stared at the collage of pictures hanging from the door. Broken glass rested at his feet.
“Devlyn,” she said under her breath, her heartbeat thundering.
He looked at her. “Who sent the pictures of us to you?”
Holding her breath, she rubbed her arms as a chill fluttered across her skin. She didn’t like the accusation in the tone of his voice or the anger in his eyes.
“Who, Bella?”
Without answering him, she turned to a cupboard, but before she could grab the broom and dustpan, he crossed the floor and seized her arm. Pulling her to face him, he asked again, “Who, Bella? Who in the pack knew where you were and for how long?”
“Let go of me,” she growled and tried to free herself from his iron hold.
He pressed her back against the cupboard and gripped her shoulders. “You didn’t really leave the pack permanently, did you? You kept in touch. Someone sent you our photos. The colored pictures more recently, black and white for some years earlier, sepia before this. Who’s been corresponding with you about us?”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. If she hadn’t been so tired, if one of her own kind hadn’t killed a woman, if she hadn’t been incarcerated in the zoo, she could have handled Devlyn’s harsh accusations better. She missed them terribly, nearly every one of the pack…her family. But she wouldn’t be Volan’s. And if she returned, she’d have no choice.
“Bella,” Devlyn said, his voice gentler as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, “you cared about us, didn’t you? Even though you have more pictures of me than any of the others in the pack.”
She wiped her eyes, attempting to avoid the implication. “He sent more of them to me.”
“Who?” He laid her down in the bed and then unbuttoned his shirt. “You have mine more prominently displayed.”
“There were more of them. I already said so.” Her voice was sterner than she meant it to be.
His penetrating gaze clouded with lust and he yanked off his shirt.
She tugged her sweatshirt off and tossed it on the floor and then pulled the covers up.
A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He unfastened his belt and pulled his zipper down. His gaze took in her furnishings, but before he could look at her nightstand, she grabbed the picture off it and shoved it under her pillow. No sense in giving him the wrong idea.
But he caught her in the act and his eyes turned black. “A secret admirer? A human male?” His voice was couched in anger. He sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. After pulling off his boots, he stood and removed his trousers, dropping them on the floor.
Her gaze shifted to the dark curly hair between his legs and his prominent erection. He was ready to mate if she were willing, and the overwhelming animal urge instantly prepped her for his penetration.
“Who sent the photos to you?” His tone turned lighter, more conversational rather than demanding.
She glared at him, still annoyed with his earlier bullying. “It’s none of your business.”
He hit the bed with his fist, shocking her at seeing his temper flare so quickly. She jumped, irritated with herself for reacting instead of remaining calm, unflinching.
“Damn it, Bella. I’ve searched on and off for you for years.”
Her eyes grew big as her heart leapt. Then she realized he’d followed pack orders—Volan’s command to have her returned to him. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “Yeah, so you could return me to Volan.”
His brows knit tightly, but he didn’t say anything; then he jammed his hand underneath her pillow and yanked out the cherry wood picture frame. A smile simmered on his lips.
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she tried to think of a reason for having his photo next to her bed. Unable to come up with a plausible explanation, she turned her back to him and closed her eyes. “Good night, Devlyn. Pleasant dreams.”
He jerked the covers aside. She turned and glowered at him.
Smiling appreciably as he gazed at her naked body, he took in a deep breath. “Feral like the redwoods, sweet as wild roses.”
She recovered herself.
He wiggled his dark brows. “It’s a picture of me.” He glanced back at the photo he’d set upright on her nightstand. “Great image, too. One of my better pictures.”
Devlyn pulled the back of the frame open, and she knew he’d discover the truth.
“You’ve had this one enlarged. Gives a photo ID on the back, a local Oregon printer. You had a smaller version of the same photo on the fridge, probably the one he sent you.” He cast her an elusive smile.
She pursed her lips.
Pulling the covers back down, he exposed her breasts to the cool air in the bedroom. Instantly, the nipples turned into pert red peaks. He leaned over and kissed one and then the other, making them throb with need.
But she couldn’t mate with him, as much as her body readied itself to accept his virile strength. She’d endanger him too much if she gave into her primal instincts, her deep-seated cravings for the gray. She touched his whiskery cheek. “You were supposed to sleep on the couch.”
“You’ve been keeping my image close to your bed. Now you can keep the flesh and blood me in your bed.” He climbed into bed next to her and touched her cheek. “Tell me how much you love me, Bella. Tell me how many times you wrote to whoever it was, asking about me.”
“He didn’t tell me you searched for me.”
“Who didn’t tell you?”
She sensed the tightness in his voice, the way he barely curbed his anger. “It’s late. We need to sleep.”
He ran his tongue down her belly, forcing a quiver of anticipation. “I won’t quit asking until you tell me. Who was it?”
Giving up the guarded secret, she sighed heavily and admitted, “Argos.”
Devlyn stilled his actions and growled, irritated that the old wolf hadn’t told him the truth. How he had longed to know what had become of Bella all those years. When he’d spoken to Argos, the sly old wolf had assured him she’d be all right. He should have known Argos knew what had happened to her. “Damn him.”
“I shouldn’t have told you. I wrote to let him know I was safe after I ran away. I couldn’t let him think I’d died. From then on, we corresponded.”
“No wonder he knew it was you in that news report. I figured he had some kind of a sixth sense. But all along he knew you lived in the area.” He studied her eyes, tired and wary. The annoyance he felt that Argos had kept the secret about Bella faded into wry amusement. “You wanted to know about me, about how I fared.”