For months after parting ways with her old pack, she’d lived in a constant state of fear, but with the passage of time, she’d slowly started to relax. Her logical mind believed an active search for her was over, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
Her cell phone rang and she glanced at the number before answering. “Hello, Mr. Aldrich. What can I do for you?” She furrowed her brow and pressed the phone closer to her ear. The man’s vocal chords had been severely damaged during a wild dog attack three years ago and as a result, he could be difficult to understand.
“Yes, the Estate appears to be in good order ... No, Franklin had no news about the missing items. Of course, given his age, I still suspect the inventory was faulty. Perhaps, we should reconsider my suggestion of conducting another? ... All right, we’ll discuss it when I get back ... Yes, you’ll be with the nurse. I’ll see you after your session with her.”
She ended the call and gave a self-satisfied smile. Perhaps Aldrich was finally going to start listening to her suggestions. It gave her hope that she might actually be able to snag the fussy old goat. Jeffries served his purpose on a purely carnal level, but Aldrich had what she really wanted. The lawyer was well on his way to gaining control of the Greyson estate and there was no way she was letting him, and all that money, slip through her hands.
All that was needed was to ensure that Cassandra Greyson didn’t reappear too soon. The waiting period for missing heirs was almost half over. Through some skillful snooping, she’d learned that Aldrich had a plan in the works to ensure that significant portions of the estate ended up in his own coffers.
She stretched sinuously, taking a moment to appreciate the fine leather interior of the vehicle, the small bar and entertainment centre. She was enjoying the perks that came with being Aldrich’s personal assistant. Once she convinced him to marry her, she’d be able to gain access to even more. Then her life would be perfect.
Not really, her inner wolf murmured. We’re alone, without a pack.
Marla scowled at the faint discontent that filled her. Having a pack didn’t matter, she tried to assure herself. She was independent and soon to be wealthy. So what if there was no one to curl up with at night, no one to go running with? She didn’t even enjoy those activities. Sniffing, she wrapped her arms around herself and lifted her chin only to stare sightlessly at the passing scenery as memories of youthful frolics with pack mates danced before her eyes.
Chapter 3
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA...
Cassie sat down in the employee’s lunch room, ready to enjoy the relative peace and calm the small space provided. It wasn’t much to look at; some old furniture, a refrigerator, and an array of notices posted on the wall, but at least it was a place to rest away from the constant beeping of the price scanner and the rattle of grocery carts. She’d awoken with a headache, after spending a restless night listening for Kellen to come home, and was finding it hard to maintain a pleasant facade for the customers.
Exactly why she had wasted time listening for Kellen, she didn’t know. Her feelings towards him ranged from anger to disappointment to sorrow; none of them suitable for sharing in the middle of the night without inviting a fight. Yet, underneath it all, she still cared for him. So, she’d tried to stay awake, wanting to know he was home and safe; some of his gambling friends seemed more than a little disreputable and she worried about him, despite his failings.
When sleep had finally claimed her, strange dreams had dominated her rest. Kellen had been there, but when she tried to reach his outstretched hand, he’d backed away; his figure slowly fading into a cool, grey mist. Frustrated, she’d run towards him, but strong arms appeared out of nowhere, and held her tight despite her struggles to free herself. Slowly, but inexorably, she’d been drawn backwards farther and farther from where Kellen had disappeared. The arms around her waist loosened and then eased her around until she was facing a broad, muscular chest.
For some reason she had been more curious than panicked, somehow sensing this person meant her no harm. But who was it that held her? And why was he keeping her away from Kellen? When she’d looked up, the man’s features were lost in the shadows. He didn’t speak, but his hands began to stroke her, calloused fingers trailing over her skin in a hypnotizing rhythm that had her eyes drifting shut.
As she’d relaxed against him, his lips feathered over her forehead, across her cheek and finally brushed her lips. Over and over again, he’d teased her with butterfly kisses and soft touches that brought every nerve ending to aching awareness. Need built inside her and she’d pressed closer to him; straining to wrap her arms around him, to pull his head down for a deeper kiss. Yet, even as she’d reached out, he began to fade away leaving her achingly alone.
She’d turned round in a circle searching for the man, then calling out for Kellen, but no one had come. Despondently she’d sunk down on the ground and curled up in a ball feeling lost and abandoned in the cool grey fog. Tears had dampened her cheeks as she wondered why she’d been abandoned. Everyone she loved was gone. Kellen, her uncle, the mother she never knew, even Franklin and Cook...
We aren’t meant to be alone, the creature inside her had whimpered. We have to find him. But she’d stayed where she was, too afraid of the unknown to go searching. Danger lurked in the shadows that surrounded her. It was best to stay where she was. Yet even as she’d pressed her forehead to her drawn up knees, the illusion of safety slipped away. The greyness darkened to black, the fog thickened and pressed down on her, threatening to crush her with its oppressive weight. Too late she realized staying curled up was more dangerous than moving. She’d tried to crawl away, but the darkness invaded her body, choking her with its evil. Opening her mouth, she’d tried to call out, but the sound stuck in her throat. Her vision blurred, she’d fought to breathe, and then finally, mercifully, she’d passed out.
When morning came, she’d awoken feeling spent and disinclined to face the day. Unfortunately, hiding under the covers wasn’t an option. Work awaited and she’d had to face Kellen as well; she’d heard him moving about in the kitchen and decided to get the initial meeting over with. The encounter had been purposely low key; she decided there’d be time enough for talk and recriminations later. Scheduled to work the early shift, she had little time to waste listening to his explanations and excuses.
With a sigh, Cassie decided that she needed to think of something else. Replaying earlier events over and over in her head wouldn’t change what had happened. She rolled her shoulders, trying to ease the tension that had settled there, then kicked off her shoes and propped her feet up on a nearby chair. Giving her toes a wiggle, she closed her eyes and rested her head in her hand. For just a moment she’d rest.
Forcing her body to relax, she kept her breathing deep and rhythmic. Randomly, the image of soft grass popped into her head; lush vegetation, tall trees, a gentle breeze ruffling her fur as she lapped from a cool stream... It was so peaceful. A contented smile spread over her lips, before she gave a start and scowled at her wayward thoughts.
Darn! The full moon was approaching and the beast inside her was growing stronger, pushing to come out, to gain control. Determinedly, she sat up straight and took a juice box out of her lunch bag. She sipped the contents with forced enjoyment, ignoring the chemical taste of artificial colours and flavours. This was what she drank, not stream water. She wasn’t an animal, no matter what the troublesome creature inside her might believe.
And it wasn’t as if she didn’t have enough real trouble to deal with. Her thoughts returned to Kellen, his gambling and the pile of unpaid bills on the kitchen counter... again. What should she do about it? If she asked for advice, people would likely say she should cut her losses and move on. But move on to what?
Kellen was all she had. And he’d been there for her, helping her when she had nowhere else to turn. She couldn’t just walk away, could she? As she tried to imagine such a scenario, her heart ached. Despite his faults, Kellen had her loyalty; he was her pack...
er...family. Cassie grimaced at the animalistic term that had inadvertently slipped out.
The creature inside stirred again. It—she—both of them—had been restless lately. It went beyond the approaching lunar event. The need for something more was causing an emptiness inside her, a void that clamoured to be filled through bonding with someone. She’d been hoping to ease the feeling by reconnecting with Kellen, trying to deepen their relationship, but after last night... Cassie shook her head at the folly of that move.
The sound of approaching footsteps caught her attention moments before the lunchroom door swung open. Another cashier, Debra, entered. The slightly plump redhead paused by the fridge to take out a can of iced tea and then plopped down on the old brown sofa that stood near the wall.
“Feet sore?” Debra quirked her eyebrow and nodded at Cassie’s feet before taking a long drink.
“Mmm. I was standing all morning.” Cassie leaned forward and massaged her arches before sliding her feet off the chair. Pasting a friendly smile on her face, she attempted to make small talk. “So how was your weekend?”
Debra shrugged. “Okay. Bill called again, but I told him there was no way I was getting back together with him.”
Cassie pulled a container out of her lunch bag and made non-committal noises. Debra loved to share the drama of her personal life and Cassie knew that the next fifteen minutes would likely be filled with more details about the other girl’s life than she really cared to know.
Surprisingly, Debra didn’t elaborate on the incident as she usually would have. “What about you? How’d your anniversary go?”
“Okay.” Shrugging, Cassie took a bite of her sandwich, not wanting to reveal the whole debacle and wondering how she could turn the conversation away from herself.
“Just okay?” Debra looked disappointed. “So it wasn’t all romantic and full of hot, steamy sex with the oh-so-good-looking Kellen?” Her expression shifted into a mischievous grin. “You know I’d switch to the night shift just to work with him, if he wasn’t already spoken for.”
“Debra!” Cassie rolled her eyes and threw a wadded up paper napkin at the other girl, not really jealous, but knowing it was the proper response. No one knew the true nature of her relationship with Kellen and she planned to keep it that way. As much as possible, she kept her conversations at work general. Mentioning the anniversary dinner had happened by chance, when Debra questioned why she was buying flowers and candles.
The celebration had been part of a failed attempt to kindle a spark between her and Kellen. With the creature becoming more and more restless by the day, Cassie was starting to grasp at straws in an effort to placate its needs. Of course, the dinner hadn’t worked; Kellen had seen to that, but even if he had been receptive, the beast inside her would probably have balked at the last minute.
The animal’s attitude made no sense to Cassie. Throughout their relationship, Kellen had been her protector, her teacher, a big brother figure... Her face softened as she recalled their first year together.
When Kellen had found her, he’d immediately taken her under his wing. They’d shared a meal and, discovering she had nowhere to stay, he convinced her to use his apartment as a temporary base. There’d been no pressure on his part; Kellen gave her the bed and slept on the couch. When she’d awoken that first night, screaming in terror, he’d comforted her, gently encouraging her to tell her sorry tale.
It had been an abridged version—no mention of werewolves, lest he think her crazy—just that she’d seen her uncle shot, another man killed and now the murderer was probably after her. He’d wanted to go to the police, but she’d cried and begged him not to, until he relented. Kellen, it turned out, had a tenuous relationship with the authorities himself, so he wasn’t too hard to convince.
Instead, he helped her start a new life. The next day, she’d emptied her bank accounts and withdrawn the maximum amount on all her credit cards. Using some of Kellen’s dubious connections, she’d acquired fake ID and established a new identity as Sandy Grant.
In gratitude, she’d paid off his gambling debts and they’d moved to the suburbs. She’d suggested a new city, away from the temptation of gambling, but Kellen had connections in the area and, if the man chasing her ever found her, there were people here he could turn to for help. It made sense at the time, so they’d stayed and Kellen had spent the next year teaching her how to function in the ‘real’ world.
Cassie had been amazed at how sheltered her upbringing had actually been. Cleaning, doing laundry, cooking, even buying groceries, or using city transit... Kellen had laughed himself silly over some of her mistakes and she had joined him in it. She smiled thinking of the laundry incident with suds pouring from the washing machine, and the time she’d nearly asphyxiated herself by mixing cleaners. The ruined dinners Kellen had bravely tried to eat...
Kellen said it was like the story Pygmalion only in reverse; bringing her down to the common level, rather than elevating her to the status of refined lady. His Professor Higgins accent had been hilarious...
“Earth to Sandy! Where’d you go, girl?” Debra’s voice interrupted her reverie and Cassie jerked herself back to the present.
“Sorry, what did you say?” She blinked at the other girl, wondering what she’d missed.
“I said that from the look on your face, your anniversary was more than ‘okay.’ Your eyes got all dreamy and—”
The door swung open and the manager walked in. “Isn’t break-time over, girls?”
Cassie looked at the clock, gasped, and shoved her shoes back on. Jumping to her feet, she started to apologize. “Sorry, Mr. Bartlett. We were talking...”
“Don’t worry. You’re a hard worker. I can cut you some slack. Unlike other people who work here.” He looked meaningfully at Debra who just laughed. Shaking his head, he put out a hand to stop Cassie from leaving the room. “Before you go back to work, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Mr. Bartlett paused and stared meaningfully at Debra who sighed and got up.
“I know. I know. I’ll leave the room. Geez, you’d think I was a big gossip or something.” Debra grumbled. Gulping down the rest of her iced tea, she dropped the can in the recycling bin then left the room. As the door shut behind her, Mr. Bartlett turned to Cassie and stroked his greying beard.
“I hate to ask you this, but... Is Kellen gambling again?”
A flash of fear shot down her spine and around into her gut as she wondered what kind of a mess her partner was in now. Mr. Bartlett was aware that Kellen gambled, but had been willing to give him a chance. Cassie clenched her fingers and forced the tightness from her throat before speaking. “Umm... Why do you ask?
The manager avoided looking at her for a moment. It appeared he was regretting starting the conversation, but then drew a deep breath and continued. “Kellen’s been missing work, not showing up for his shift or arriving late. It isn’t fair to the other employees that have to do his share of the work. If he keeps it up—”
“I’ll talk to him tonight.” Cassie interrupted, anxious to prevent the man from speaking the dreaded words. Her mind was already racing; if Kellen lost this job, they’d be in big trouble financially. Yes, she had a large amount tucked away, but that was her emergency fund, in case the werewolves ever found them and they needed to run...
Mr. Bartlett was still speaking and she forced herself to focus on his words. “A man’s also been around, asking about you.”
“Me?” She squeaked in surprise.
“Uh-huh. The fellow wanted to know your name and where you lived, but of course we didn’t say anything. He showed up about a week ago and the other employees have noticed him hanging around the store. He tries to act like he’s shopping, but mostly he watches for you. MaryAnn asked him his name, but he wouldn’t say. Just paid for his things and left.”
Cassie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself at the thought of someone actually stalking her; watching her as she worked. Who was this man and why was he interested in her?
A horrid thought popped into her mind. What if it was the werewolf? The memory of the huge black beast with its snarling bloody teeth, made her feel faint and she grasped the back of a nearby chair to steady herself. Surely it couldn’t be. Not, after all these years...
“I just thought I should warn you, in case Kellen’s in debt and someone is thinking of using you as leverage.”
That statement grabbed her attention and swung her thoughts in an entirely different direction. Maybe it wasn’t the werewolf like she feared, but something to do with Kellen’s gambling. Cassie gulped. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire!
Fear continued to writhe in her belly as she contemplated this new scenario. Pressing her hands to her stomach she swallowed hoping to keep her lunch in its current resting place. She’d heard about loan sharks and what they would do if you didn’t pay up. Her skin prickled at the very idea. Oh God, who did Kellen owe money to and what would they do to her or him, if he didn’t pay?
This had never happened before, at least not since the first time she’d paid off his debts, but that had been when they’d initially got together. Since then, Kellen kept his gambling associates away from her, only taking her with him a few times in the early days and it had never been to anything high stake. He’d assured her he was done with gambling except for occasional small games at a friend’s home and that he never mentioned her around the gaming tables, knowing she wasn’t comfortable with it. Apparently that was no longer the case or someone had followed him and made the connection...
“Listen Sandy, I’m sorry to have upset you. Would you like to go home? I can get someone to cover the rest of your shift...?” The older man looked at her kindly, his bushy grey brows lowered in concern. A wave of gratitude washed over her. Mr. Bartlett was so nice to her, hiring her when she’d had no skills and then with only her recommendation, taking on Kellen.
The Finding Page 5
