“What?”
“This woman is dangerous. Why do you have to go?”
“Because,” Pete said, pulling on his jeans, “Kelan is the alpha here in Wolf Creek. It’s his job to deal with any shifter problems in town. And I’m his beta. It’s my job to help him when he needs it.”
Tony’s frown deepened. “I didn’t understand a word you just said.”
Pete grinned. “Christ, I keep forgetting how little you know about wolves. I’ll explain everything later, but right now I really have to go and help Kelan.”
“I’ll come too,” Tony said.
“The hell you will!”
“What? Look, I don’t know what you think of me exactly, but I’m not some pathetic weakling, okay? I know how to take care of myself.”
“I don’t doubt that Tony, but we’re talking about shifters here. Do you really think you can protect yourself from a fully shifted wolf? It’s not the same as getting into a fight with a human. We’re strong and we have weapons.”
“Weapons?” Tony asked, the confusion on his face evident.
Pete shifted his fingers into claws and Tony gasped.
“Jesus,” he whispered.
“We can partially shift without being in wolf form,” Pete said. “You have to understand that shifters are dangerous to humans and this woman is out for revenge.
“She’d think nothing of hurting you. In fact, she’d probably enjoy it.”
Tony was still staring at Pete’s hand when he shifted it back to its human form.
“We’ll have a long talk about everything when I get back, but can you please just stay here? I can’t risk anything happening to you when we find this woman.”
Tony sighed. “Okay, fine, but can you promise me one thing?”
“Anything,” Pete said with conviction.
“Promise me that you’ll be careful.”
Pete pulled a shirt over his head then crossed the room and took Tony’s jaw in his hand.
“That I can promise you.”
He pressed their lips together gently.
“Now I need you to promise me something,” Pete said after he’d pulled back.
“Okay.”
“Promise me you won’t open the door to anyone while I’m gone. Now before you say anything, I know how that sounds and I promise you I’m not treating you like a child, but I won’t be able to stop worrying about you until we’ve caught this woman.”
Tony smiled. “I like that you worry about me and I promise I won’t answer the door, okay?”
Pete chuckled. “That’s good enough for me.”
Chapter Fourteen
Tony took a shower after Pete left to meet with Kelan and stood under the spray for a long while, letting the hot water soothe the stress out of his muscles.
His stomach was in knots.
He hadn’t revealed to Pete just how worried he was because he knew Pete would have enough on his mind, but he was terrified something bad would happen and he’d never get to see Pete again. The thought made bile rise in his throat.
He wouldn’t be able to cope with that.
It was incredible how important Pete had become to him in just a couple of days. When he’d returned to Wolf Creek, the last thing he’d expected was to meet the person he would spend the rest of his life with. Just a few short weeks ago that thought would have seemed ridiculous, but now he couldn’t think of anything he wanted more.
He roughly towel-dried his hair and body after he climbed out of the tub then pulled on some clean clothes before heading downstairs to put on a pot of coffee. He’d just sat down at the table with the cup raised to his lips when there was a knock on the front door.
He practically jumped out of his seat and spilled coffee all over himself.
“Jesus!” he hissed and put the mug down, shaking the hot liquid off his hands.
He stared at the kitchen door and worried his bottom lip.
What the hell was he going to do now? He got up from the chair and tiptoed through the hall. There was no spy hole in the front door so Tony slipped into the living room and peeked through the small gap in the drapes.
Jake was stood on the porch, his hands shoved into his pockets.
Tony heaved a sigh and went out to answer the door. Jake grinned at him as he pulled it open, then turned and waved. When Tony looked past him, Cody was pulling away from the curb.
“What are you doing here?”
He moved aside to let Jake in.
“Charming,” Jake replied dryly. “I thought you would have missed this gorgeous face of mine.”
Tony snorted and led the way into the kitchen. “Get over yourself.”
Jake grinned and took a seat at the table. “Kelan told me he was getting Pete to meet him at Seth’s, so I asked Cody to drop me off. But, if you don’t want the company…”
Tony chuckled and poured Jake a cup of coffee. “I appreciate the gesture.”
“Well.” Jake leaned forward in his chair. “Spill it!”
“Huh?”
“Oh for God’s sake,” Jake said with a roll of his eyes. “Details. I want details. How are you and Pete getting along?”
Tony couldn’t hold back the grin.
“I knew it!” Jake exclaimed. “Did he claim you?”
Heat flooded Tony’s cheeks when he thought back to their lovemaking just a few hours before and the bite that had cemented their bond.
“I am not answering that.”
Jake’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “That’s a yes. What are you going to do now? You moving here or is Pete going with you to New York?”
Tony placed a cup of coffee on the table in front of Jake then sat down next to him.
“How come you didn’t tell me about any of this, Jake? Didn’t you trust me?”
Jake placed his hands around the cup and sighed.
“I dated a shifter back in college. He, uh… He broke my heart,” he said with a shrug. “Just wanted to forget about him, I guess, and, even though he hurt me, I’d made a promise to never tell anyone his secret, so I didn’t.
“Apart from Kelan, of course, and now you, but it’s different now that you already know. Besides, would you have believed something like that?”
Tony grinned and shook his head. “No way. I probably would have talked you into having yourself committed.”
Jake barked out a laugh. “Then it’s a good thing I know how to keep my mouth shut, isn’t it?”
“I guess so.”
“You didn’t answer my question. I know wolves would do just about anything to be with their mate, but Pete doesn’t strike me as the type of person who could be happy living somewhere like New York.”
“He doesn’t have to. I’m moving here.”
Jake raised a curious brow. “Really? I mean, that’s great and all—I’ve missed you, buddy—but somehow I can’t picture you living in a small town like Wolf Creek.”
“Why not?”
Jake shrugged. “I always figured you liked the bright lights and buzz of the city.”
“Yeah, well, a year ago I would have said the same thing about you.”
Jake nodded. “I can’t argue with that. You know it’s funny. I used to think I had a good life back in New York. I loved my job, I loved the clubs, the money, my apartment, but until I met Kelan I never realized how shallow my life was—how empty.”
“You left out your delightful attitude,” Tony said. “I gotta say this, Jake. You were a brat.”
Jake snorted. “Don’t sugar-coat it. I was an asshole.”
Tony’s mouth curved up into a smirk. “I guess it takes one to know one. I did some things myself over the years I’m not proud of.”
Jake shook his head. “You were nothing like me. When I look back? I hate the person I’d become. I had this superior attitude like I was better than everyone else. I treated people like crap most of the time.”
Jake met Tony’s gaze and held it. “I used people.”
“Please. You really wan
t to get into a pissing contest about who was the bigger dick?”
“No. Because I’d win.”
Tony’s retort was silenced by a light tapping noise coming from the other room. “What the hell was that?”
Jake frowned. “Sounded like someone rapping on the window.”
Tony’s eyes widened when he heard the noise again, slightly louder than before.
“Oh shit.”
“Don’t panic, it’s probably nothing,” Jake said. “Maybe Cody came back.”
“He would have knocked on the door, surely.”
“Let’s go check it out.”
Tony got up and led the way through the hall.
It was quiet again, but he had a bad feeling in his gut. Jake walked to the front door and put his hand on the handle when Pete’s earlier words came back to Tony.
Don’t open the door.
“Jake, don’t,” Tony whispered. “What if it’s Evelyn?”
Jake’s face paled visibly and he snatched his hand away as if he’d been burned.
“You don’t think she’d…shit.”
Tony slipped into the living room and crept to the window, taking up his earlier position. He steeled himself then peeked through the small gap in the drapes. He sucked in a sharp breath when he came face to face with a tall, dark-haired woman.
Her eyes were that of a wolf.
She grinned, long, sharp-looking incisors visible between her lips. She lifted her hand, the fingers of which were shifted into claws, and used them to scrape down the glass. The high, screeching sound sent shivers through Tony’s body. He glanced at her other hand just in time to see her flick on a Zippo lighter and hold it to the window frame. The wood must have been doused in some type of accelerant because it caught instantly and flames spread around the window at an alarming pace.
“Oh shit, we’ve got to get out of here,” Tony said, an edge of desperation in his voice. “The house is on fire.”
Chapter Fifteen
Pete parked at the curb then walked back a few yards to meet Kelan and Stefan, who were getting out of their truck.
“Gregory not arrived yet?” Pete asked.
Kelan shook his head. “I just got a text from him, he’s about fifteen minutes away. Deputy Clark will be here as soon as he can, too.”
“So, we gonna do this without them?”
“Yeah. Three of us should be enough to handle one woman, no matter how crazy she is.”
“You think her sister and nephew are involved?”
“I hope not,” Kelan replied. “They’re a nice family and Seth is a good kid from what I’ve seen. By the way, I just got a call from Jake. He’s on his way over to your place to keep Tony company while you’re gone.”
Pete raised his eyebrows at the news.
He waited for the pang of jealousy that thoughts of Jake normally produced but it didn’t come. It would seem that claiming Tony had eased the green-eyed monster inside him. Or maybe it was that Tony had accepted their bond and promised Pete forever. The thought caused a satisfying warmth to settle in his chest.
He couldn’t wait for this ordeal to be over so they could start their new life together.
“How’s Cody doing?” Pete asked.
Stefan nodded. “He’s doing okay. Actually, he seems to be handling all this better than anyone else,” he said proudly. “But I always knew he was strong.”
“And Luke?”
“Luke’s not so good. Losing the house has hit him really hard. But Mark is looking after him. Cary’s not taking it so well, either. I guess all this has brought back some painful memories for him.
“I think the fire at the house has reminded him of everything Gill put him through when he was in New York.”
“At least he has Aaron now,” Pete reasoned.
Stefan nodded. “Yeah. You know, I couldn’t ask for a better son-in-law than Cary. They’re good for each other.”
“I suppose we’d better get this over with.” Pete sighed and looked back towards Seth’s house, his eyebrows knitted together.
Kelan nodded. “Yeah, let’s do it.”
They were quiet as they made their way down the street.
Pete hoped there wouldn’t be any trouble when they found Evelyn. But he didn’t expect her to give herself up without a fight.
Not after everything she’d done.
“So, how are we going to handle this?” he asked. “We gonna just walk right on up to the house and knock on the front door?”
Kelan shook his head. “It’ll be better if we have the element of surprise. We’ll go around the back to the yard and see if we can see anything through the window.
“Seth should be in work at this time of day so that just leaves Evelyn and Marie.”
As they approached the house, an elderly woman in a blue floral dressing gown was standing on the doorstep of the house next door. She stared at them all as they passed, before walking down the steps to greet them.
“About time you all showed up,” she said, her face contorted into a scowl.
Pete glanced at Kelan and Stefan but they looked as confused as he felt. He scented the air, surprised to discover the woman was human.
“Excuse me?” Kelan asked.
She frowned. “You’re not with the police department?”
“Uh, no, ma’am,” Kelan replied. “Is there a problem?”
“I should say so,” she replied. “Damn neighbors are at it again. I thought all the bother there would be over now that they’ve gone and taken her husband away, but I guess some folks were born to make trouble.”
Pete looked to the house then back to the woman. “What exactly has happened there, ma’am?”
She shrugged. “Shouting, screaming, throwing things around. Damn noise is driving me crazy.”
“Best if you go back inside your house and wait for the police, Mrs…”
“Delaney,” the woman offered.
“Mrs. Delaney,” Kelan repeated. “We wouldn’t want you to get caught up in anything. We’ll go and check, make sure no one is hurt. We’re waiting for the sheriff ourselves, as it happens.”
She pressed her lips into a thin line and gave a curt nod before traipsing back up the path in her slippers.
“Jesus, we better get in there,” Pete said.
Kelan nodded. “I don’t like the sound of that. I hope Marie and Seth haven’t been hurt.”
They took the path that ran parallel with the drive and followed it around to the back of the house. The side gate was unlocked and opened to the backyard. They edged along the wall, ducking below the first window they passed. Whatever had gone on inside seemed to be over. There were no sounds from within. A few feet ahead there was a set of patio doors that looked out onto the yard.
Kelan took a peek inside.
“Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed. “Quick. Help me.”
He pulled on the door handle but it was locked.
Pete stepped around Kelan and looked in through the window. He sucked in a sharp breath at the scene inside.
“Oh fuck.”
The doors looked into a large dining room.
It was a mess.
Chairs were upended, the large wooden table was on its side and Seth and his mother were lying on the floor in the far side of the room in a pool of blood.
They both looked to be unconscious…or worse.
“Step back, Pete,” Kelan instructed.
When he moved out of the way, Kelan threw a large rock through the glass in the door then reached in to open the lock. Pete entered after Kelan and ran to Seth’s side to check his pulse. Stefan did the same with Marie. Seth looked as if he’d taken a knock to the side of the head and he had claw marks on his cheeks and neck.
“Seth is alive,” he said, breathing a sigh of relief. “But his pulse is weak.”
He looked to Stefan for confirmation, but the wolf shook his head, his lips set in a tight line.
“Fuck. I’ll check the rest of the house for Evelyn,” Kelan said
.
“I’ll come with you.” Pete stood up and started to follow. “You going to be okay here, Stefan?”
He nodded. “I’ll call an ambulance.”
Pete stepped over pots and broken plates as he followed Kelan through the kitchen and out into the hall. A quick glance in the living room told them it was empty. So was the downstairs bathroom. They raced up the stairs, but even before they checked each of the bedrooms, Pete’s senses told him Evelyn wasn’t in the house.
“Jesus, we must have just missed her. Where the hell did she go?” Kelan asked.
Pete was about to answer when Stefan called out to them.
“Kelan! Pete! Get down here quick!”
When they got back to the kitchen Seth’s eyes were open, but he looked dazed and weak.
Stefan’s face was grim.
“Mates,” Seth croaked.
“What’s he talking about?” Pete asked.
Stefan met his gaze. “Evelyn said she’s going after the mates.”
The confusion that clouded Kelan’s eyes lifted at the same time that Pete realized the implications.
“Go,” Stefan said. “I’ll take care of things here.”
Pete raced out of the door after Kelan.
The idea that he’d left Tony alone and unprotected made him feel sick to his stomach. If Evelyn had harmed a single hair on Tony’s head, he’d kill her with his bare hands.
Chapter Sixteen
“Get away from the window!” Jake shouted. “The glass might blow.”
Panic like nothing he’d ever experienced before engulfed Tony, but he tried to swallow it down. He followed Jake out into the hall, but he didn’t know which way to turn. And he couldn’t get Evelyn’s creepy grin out of his mind. When Tony saw Pete’s eyes shifted it had excited him, but looking at that crazy woman’s eyes had left him chilled to the bone—especially as he knew the things she was capable of.
There hadn’t been a trace of humanity in her eyes.
Nothing but anger, bitterness, and hatred.
“What the fuck are we going to do? If we stay here, we’ll burn to death or die from the smoke, but as soon as we go outside she’s got us. We’re screwed either way.”
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