by Terry Spear
“Yeah,” Thompson said, nodding. “I’m sure I got a glimpse of this fellow right before he hit me. He’s the one all right.”
Devlyn wrapped his arm around her waist, glad that the zoo man could help corroborate their story, made up as it was. Now the problem was, if the police did arrest Volan, they’d have no proof. Plus imprisoning Volan wasn’t the solution. Like any lupus garou, if he were exposed to the full moon when it shone in all its glory, Volan’s wolf coat could appear. No way could they risk Volan’s imprisonment. To secure Bella’s freedom, Devlyn had to kill Volan.
“You need to make a statement to the police about what he did to you, Miss Wilder,” Thompson said.
She shook her head.
Thompson turned to Devlyn. “Can I talk to you for a moment, alone?”
Devlyn embraced Bella and then released her. “Yeah, we can talk out back.”
Bella frowned at him. Devlyn had every intention of keeping the zoo man on their side. One less problem to have to deal with. Or at least he hoped.
He joined Thompson on the covered brick patio, and the two sat on a pair of cushioned, high-backed rockers. The rain had slowed to a pitter patter, but Devlyn felt damp through and through.
Thompson said, “I’m sorry about the little lady, but she needs to report this to the police. I can see she’s terrified of this man.” He shook his head. “I don’t know why your family wants to keep this under wraps, unless it’s to protect the family name. But Miss Wilder shouldn’t have to fear for her life.”
Thompson paused as if lending weight to his lecture, allowing Devlyn to soak in his words of wisdom. “I can tell she believes you’ll protect her no matter what, but you can’t kill him. Let the police handle this.”
“I didn’t mean I’d kill Volan for real.” Of course Devlyn would kill him. It was the only way to save Bella. “It’s just a saying. I’m not the killing type.”
“Anyone’s got it in them if there’s enough at stake.” Thompson glanced back at the house. “I’d say that the little lady is pretty high stakes.”
The highest. “There can’t be any leak of her address to the media, Henry. She’d be a ready target if that happened.”
Thompson folded his arms. “You think if I tell the police, they’ll question her, need her address, and somehow this Volan will find her?”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I think.” But more than that, the reds would locate her. And the killer of the female humans could, too, if he wasn’t one of the pack. In any event, as soon as Thompson vacated the premises, Devlyn was taking steps to move Bella to another location to keep her safe.
Thompson reached underneath his jacket and Devlyn’s back stiffened. “Got something I want to read to you,” Thompson explained when he noticed Devlyn’s reaction. He pulled out a newspaper clipping and shook out the folded paper. “This was in the Mail Tribune about Wolf Creek and some trouble they were having. Namely, a barbecue that was held in the neighborhood there. A nonprofit wolf sanctuary that takes care of abandoned and abused wolves once raised by humans was negotiating the purchase of the Golden Coyote Wetlands, one hundred acres of land near Wolf Creek. One of the men threatened to use the wolves for target practice.”
Devlyn’s neck muscles tightened.
Thompson took a deep breath and proceeded. “The thing is, people have painted over their signs, caused lots of other vandalism at the current facility, and even attacked the founder’s home. These people who take in wolves to raise as pets have the best intentions. Or maybe not always, but they take in a wolf thinking that it’s different and they can handle it. Then they find out they can’t. The abused animals have no place else to go. My point is that, if people like the one who was threatening to kill wolves learn that a red wolf is running through the woods, releasing Rosa into the wild will get her killed.”
Devlyn nodded. What else could he do? Lupus garous generally knew to stay out of the human’s way when they took a run in the wild, except in Bella’s case. He figured she had been distracted when she sensed other reds nearby. He didn’t like it that people were mistreating real wolves, but he didn’t want to sound too interested. “The founder’s name?”
Thompson refolded the paper and shoved it under his jacket. “Probably best if you didn’t know it.”
Why? Because Devlyn might try to release those wolves into the wild? Seal their doom? But he would discover the name soon enough. And then? He’d make a private donation. Maybe, with additional funds, the founder could find a place far enough away from civilization where the wolves could live out their days in peace, like the insurance company did for a couple of pairs of red wolves in North Carolina at the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.
Thompson waved Volan’s picture. “I’ll run this photo by the police station on my way home. I can’t promise anything about keeping Miss Wilder and you out of this forever, but for now, I’ll say I received an anonymous tip about your circumstances. No addresses, no statement.” Thompson shoved the photo inside his jacket. “In the meantime, I’ll ask the chief, a good buddy of mine, to pull the warrants for your arrest and trash them, as a case of mistaken identity. The fact that I swear out a complaint against this Volan Smith striking me at the hospital should get the ball rolling as far as getting him into custody.”
Somehow, Devlyn didn’t figure Thompson’s plans would fall into place so easily.
Thompson tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. “Then Miss Wilder and you can come forward with further charges. But remember what I said.” He rose from the chair. “Convince her to press charges. It’s the only way to put the bastard behind bars.”
Devlyn intended putting Volan six feet under, not behind bars.
He stretched his hand out and gave Thompson’s a firm shake. “Thanks for helping us.”
“Because of circumstantial evidence, I’ve pinned the blame on the two of you, and put you both at more risk. I’m the one who should be apologizing. If you need any further assistance, feel free to call me.” Thompson pulled a business card from his pocket.
“Thanks.” Devlyn hoped his movements didn’t appear too rushed as he grabbed the patio door and yanked it open. And he hoped removing Chrissie from the house wouldn’t take too much effort.
All he could think of was moving Bella. A cousin’s condo in Sacramento might be a good bet.
But would Bella agree to leave? He’d grown used to her unpredictable behavior. Thinking he’d have the situation well at hand, she’d surprise him. So, when he planned their next move, he had an inkling he’d have a fight on his hands.
Drawing himself taller, he entered the dining room as Bella sat at the table watching him, her face showing her concern. A paper napkin she’d been toying with lay in shreds on the tabletop. She quickly released the tortured paper and placed her hands in her lap.
Trying to reassure her that he’d take care of her, he smiled. He glanced at Chrissie, whose focus had returned to his bare chest where his shirt still hung open.
Thompson said, “Night, Chrissie. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Grinning at him, she twisted a dark curl around her finger. “Sure thing. I’ll be waiting.”
Devlyn let Thompson out and then locked the door. Now, for Chrissie’s removal.
He stalked back into the kitchen. For a second, it didn’t register that Chrissie had already left. He looked inquisitively at Bella.
She rose from her seat. “She told me to say good night to you and slipped out the back door. She figured we had more getting acquainted to do, and she needed to get some beauty rest for her date tomorrow with Thompson.”
“Bella, listen,” Devlyn said, drawing close. He rested his hands on her shoulders and leaned down and kissed her cheek. “For your own protection, you have to leave here.”
Chapter Fourteen
BELLA KNEW DEVLYN WELL ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE HIS intense, anxious posturing meant that he wanted to move her somewhere safe before he even spoke the words. She scowled at him. “You�
��re not going to hide me away while you search for the red killer and face Volan on your own. What kind of a mate would that make me?” In the worst way, she wanted to say that Volan was no longer a threat, that she knew Devlyn could handle the killer, but she squashed that notion right away.
She assumed Devlyn felt as hemmed in as she did. The closer it got to the moon’s reappearance, the more the wildness inside them screamed to be released. Just a run in their wolf coats would do the trick. Just a stretch through the wilderness would curb the urge to remain in wolf form for very long. She craved the wind in her fur, the smell of the pines, the damp earth, the crisp fresh water, the woodland animals—that further spawned the desire to hunt.
She took a steadying breath. Being together as wolf-mates for the first time would be a truly special experience they’d never forget.
“Devlyn, listen. I want to be there when you make the murdering red pay. I want to be part of the solution, to make a difference in our world.”
“Bella, we do it my way,” he said again. “You’ll stay with my cousin in Sacramento. It’s fairly close by and I’d feel a whole lot better if you were out of harm’s way there.”
Ignoring his words and hoping he wouldn’t realize she was not about to go along with his new scheme, she slipped his damp shirt off his broad shoulders. “Let’s dance to the music this time. Nice and slow.”
Running her fingers over his chest, she traced the muscles that relaxed under her ministrations. Already his fingers yanked at her turtleneck.
His actions warmed her. “Chrissie really likes Thompson, but she wanted to know what you’re taking that makes you such a sexy hunk.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Devlyn’s mouth.
“She said she’s seen more of you out of clothes than in them. Although we kind of blew her mind when we both came into the kitchen from the garage naked.”
“Did she ask why?”
“She gave us an out. Said that we were really smart to dump our wet clothes in the dryer like that and not track all that water into the house. Not to mention, it saved us the trip running back out there with the wet clothes after we changed into dry things. She talks a lot when she’s nervous.”
Devlyn chuckled.
Before Bella could touch his belt, Devlyn pulled away from her, and her heart sank. Instantly, she felt she’d failed in her mission. She had no intention of going along with Devlyn’s plan to sequester her away with one of his cousins she didn’t even know. Disappointed, she realized her charms weren’t as powerful as she’d hoped.
He strode across the floor to her stereo and perused the selection of CDs stacked in a three-foot-high wooden shelf. The music.
Instantly tickled, she worked on removing her belt.
“What did Thompson think about our awkward state of undress?” he asked over his shoulder.
“He was interested in Chrissie’s reaction, I’m sure. If she were agreeable, maybe he’d try some moves like that with her in her garage.”
Shaking his head, Devlyn flipped through some of the CDs. “Hope she doesn’t have a compact.”
“She does, and with Thompson’s big frame, they’d probably blow a couple of tires.”
Devlyn glanced back at her, a grin plastered on his face. “Bad Bella.”
“What?” She unbuttoned her jeans and slid the zipper down. Already the ache between her legs filled her with urgency. She glanced at the bulge in Devlyn’s jeans. Although she meant for them to take it slow and easy, already she wanted to rip his clothes off and get on with the sensual dance moves that would drive her to the edge of the abyss.
“Thompson was so busy trying to get an eyeful of you, he didn’t see the big bad wolf’s temper rise.”
“Nah, you shoved me through the doorway too quickly. Besides, he probably saw only one bare breast, if that.”
“Even that would be more than I’d be willing to let him see.”
She dropped her jeans on the carpet. “What did you boys talk about?”
“Thompson’s going to leave us out of the picture for the time being.”
Bella let out a sigh. “Thank God.”
“Yeah, but he still wants you to report the attempted rape.” Devlyn’s eyes darkened in anger, yet compassion showed in their depths. “You should have told me, Bella. You shouldn’t have had to face Volan alone. No wonder you ran away three times.”
“Six, but who’s counting?” She wasn’t sure why she mentioned it. Maybe to show how determined she truly had been.
He growled and then stuck a CD in the player and turned the music up. The instrumental songs were perfect for slow dancing, with a beat in between for some jazzier steps.
“I would have protected you.” He stalked toward her.
She shook her head. “You would have gotten yourself killed. Then where would I be today?”
Placing his hands on her cheeks, he tilted her face up to him. “I would have thought of something.”
Silver bullets? No, Devlyn was too honor bound to have stooped so low. Not like she’d done. She closed her eyes, trying to erase the image of Volan’s dead body out of her mind.
Devlyn kissed her lips.
She took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
“You were too young. So was I. Nobody had the strength to fight Volan. Argos somehow found the power that one time, but he couldn’t have done it on repeated occasions.”
“How many times did Volan try with you?” Devlyn asked, his words dark and incredulous. “I thought there had been only the one time.”
“Three. I knew he’d keep trying. The other times, pack members approached and he’d skulked off before they saw that he had attempted to rape me, afraid to show what a bastard he really was, I suspected. But I couldn’t stay. I’d always hoped you would be strong enough someday and that we could be together again. I felt terrible leaving you after you kissed me that day, terrified he’d killed you because of your kissing me. But unable to save you, either.”
She wanted to assure him that he couldn’t have helped her, nor could any of the pack members. That everything had turned out as well as could be expected under the circumstances. That he should have no regrets. But she also wanted him to know how badly she’d felt in leaving him behind to face the beast alone.
“You couldn’t have done anything for me, Bella.”
She touched his cheek, lightly covered in brown stubble. He was right of course. And had she interfered any further, it would have been worse for them both. She knew it in her heart, but she still couldn’t reconcile having left Devlyn behind to fight the monster.
“I ran, but I came back. I slipped into the village to learn that you were alive and our healers were taking care of you. Volan was searching for me, but I figured he’d never suspect I’d return to see if you’d made it all right.”
“I wish I’d known. I wish…well, but I understand how terrified you must have been…of him and what he would have done to you.”
She nodded, not wanting to relive the most horrible time of her young life. “Then I disappeared for good.”
“And you wrote to Argos.”
“As soon as I could. I wanted him to know I was all right. We agreed it was safer for you if you didn’t know.”
He growled again and then kissed her cheek. “He should have told me.”
They rocked slowly to the music, but she barely heard the tempo. His hands swept down her sides, heating her nerve endings. His gentle touch, not pressuring, heightened her anticipation of what would follow, stirring her faster than if he’d started quickly with stroking her already aching nub.
The music faded further into the distance. She concentrated on the feel of him, his rough fingers against her skin in whisper-soft caresses. The smell of his musky body mixed with the fragrance of sandalwood soap. The sound of his heavier breathing, as his heart beat rapidly against her fingertips, matched hers. She licked the hollow of his throat, tasting his slightly salty skin, eliciting a deep-throated groan from him.<
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Moving her hands lower, she fingered his belt buckle. He leaned down and fondled her breast with his mouth, not pushing for satisfaction quickly, instead increasing the sensitivity of her skin to his touch.
Taking it slowly was tantamount to getting her way in the scheme of things, but she didn’t believe she could handle his measured moves. Already she craved having him deep inside of her. Coupled together they were as one. No one could claim her then. She was his and he hers. Nothing else mattered.
She skimmed her fingernail down his zipper, stirring his rock-hard erection that was straining against the denim.
He growled when she ran her fingernail over his denim-covered arousal again. “Tease,” he whispered against her cheek. Leaning over, he took her nipple in his mouth and sucked hard.
Who was the tease? Already she was thoroughly wet from his touch and yearning for much more. She pulled down his zipper and watched his erection spring free.
This time she wanted to touch him but fought the urge, fearing she’d send him over the edge too quickly and he’d send her away. Slow and easy. Slipping her hands around his waist, she pulled him against her body, sliding her leg between his. Again they rocked to the beat of the music.
She pressed her bare skin against his arousal, rubbing at a gentle pace, and his growl was more a moan this time. Still partially clad in his denims, he raised his leg and grazed her nub with the well-worn fabric covering his taut leg muscle. The soft material brushed against her supersensitive spot, exciting her further.
Her own muted growl erupted.
“Remind me,” he said, licking her cheek, “to thank Thompson for capturing my little red wolf so I had the chance to free her and make her mine.”
“I wasn’t happy to see you at the zoo, you know.”
He smiled. “The smell of you, ripe and ready for mating, nearly drove me insane. That poor wolf they tried to mate you with must have been truly agonized. I know I was.”
“My heart nearly stopped to see you there. Then I realized you’d only come to take me back to Volan.”