Hungry Like a Wolf (Claws Clause Book 1)

by Jessica Lynch

  Huh. Looked like he found his snitch.

  There was a newspaper at the end of his driveway. Since he hadn’t lived in this house in three years, he knew it had to belong to his neighbor. He took it anyway, just because he needed a few more moments before he went back inside the house and looked for Evangeline. He clung to those moments, like a drowning man trying to stay afloat in a sea of denial. She couldn’t have run out on him again. Her ankle was still tender, he reminded himself. She promised to stay—

  Deep down, he knew she was probably already gone. No matter. He’d find her, and he would have to be quick about it, too.

  The clock was back to ticking. Maddox either needed to be bonded to Evangeline by the time Wright came back, or they had to be in the wind until he could get her to remember him. Either way, he made his decision at that moment. Evangeline had to remember him. If the house wasn’t going to do the trick, he would have to turn to the more drastic Plan B.

  Sorry, Colt.

  Looked like they didn’t have the time to go all that slowly any longer.

  25

  Maddox walked back into the house, tossing the stolen newspaper onto the table by the door. His hands were shaking.

  Okay. The whole exchange with Diaz and Wright couldn’t have been more than ten minutes. If Evangeline still didn’t remember her time with him, then she wouldn’t know the path to take out of the back door to get very far. No way she went out through the front. That limited her possibilities. He could track her.

  He would track her—

  Maddox drew up as he caught sight of his dark-haired angel sitting at the kitchen table with her head bowed. So certain she was gone, he never even tried to sense if she was still in the house. It was probably the first time since he was a pup that someone had caught him off guard.

  “Angie!”

  Her head jerked up. Her expression was strained, a sad smile tugging on her lips. “You sound so surprised. What? Didn’t expect to see me here?”

  Maddox blinked quickly, afraid to shut his eyes for even a split second in fear she’d disappear. His answering grin was crooked, full of relief. “I’m not gonna lie. In my head, I was already halfway out the back door after you.”

  “Smart.” She sighed and leaned back in the chair, resting her head as she tilted to look up at the ceiling. “I was going to run.”

  He wanted to be grateful that she hadn’t escaped, but… well, he had to know. He’d expected her to run, too. “Then why didn’t you?”

  “The perfume.”

  “Perfume?”

  “Right after you went to answer the door, I hobbled behind you. I wanted to see who was out there, and then I was going to sneak out the back once I saw they were safe and you were preoccupied. But then I heard Adam… that was Adam Wright out there, wasn’t it?”

  Maddox didn’t want to cringe when she said that name, but he couldn’t help it. He started to pace the lengths of the kitchen, keeping an eye on the table. If she tried to get up, he’d be on her in a heartbeat.

  “I won’t let him come back for you,” he grunted. “I don’t care what he said out there.”

  “I couldn’t believe him—”

  “He thinks he can take you from me.”

  “When I heard him say—”

  “He knows you’re my mate and he’s still trying to come between us.”

  Evangeline huffed. “Jeez! Can I just say something?”

  “I’ll fight for you first, Angie. I promise, I—”

  “Maddox.”

  That word, that one single word on her lips… it was enough to stop him in his tracks.

  She said his name. She finally used it.

  His grin came back. And it was even wider than it had been only moments ago when he realized she hadn’t left him.

  “Finally,” Evangeline muttered. “You’re just as bad as he is. If you don’t want to hear what I was going to say, maybe I should leave after all.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

  Letting that sweetheart slip past her unmentioned, she sighed, unsure what to think. In the last couple of days she had had so much thrown at her—but there was one thing she was sure of and that was Adam Wright. She was absolutely positive that he would come for her eventually. Only she thought it was because he wanted her, not because he wanted to keep her from someone else.

  Looking back on the past five weeks, how much of it was a lie? Twenty minutes ago, she was questioning her sanity when it came to the force of her response to a shifter who had kidnapped her, for goodness sake. She refused to even entertain the idea that any of his crazy story could be true.

  But now—

  “The perfume,” she murmured. That stupid perfume in the signature purple bottle. Then there was Adam’s insistence that she put it on daily, and the satisfied way he told her that the girl who sold it to him guaranteed it. Purple—the official color of the witches. How hadn’t she seen that? She shuddered. Her gut had warned her against wearing the perfume. Had she listened? Nope. “It had to be in the perfume.”

  “What do you mean, Angie?” His voice was calmer than it had been, the amber-colored sheen that rolled over his glowing eyes dimming down to a simmering gold. “What about the perfume?”

  “Adam gave me perfume on our first date. He told you he found a way to cover my scent—it had to be the perfume. He made me put it on every day, always making sure I wore his gift. I thought it was his way of showing he cared, but it wasn’t about that at all. He was covering my scent on purpose long before we met at Mugs…”

  Her voice trailed to a close. It was hard, working out what that could mean when she was still so lost. The truth was standing there, staring her right in the face, a gorgeous brute of an alpha wolf shifter who said he wanted to be with her forever. But hadn’t Adam done the same?

  Evangeline could feel the beginning of one of her headaches pulsing in the back of her skull. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to finish her thought.

  “If he had the perfume made… then that means that he already knew that there was a reason he would need it. That I would need it. He knew about you.” Evangeline’s chin wavered, but she would be damned if she gave in to the emotions rushing through her. Or the pain. God, it hurt. She raised her hand, probing at the back of her head as she turned to look up at Maddox. “How?” she asked. “How did he know? That’s why I stayed. I couldn’t leave without asking you because...”

  Maddox waited to see if she would continue speaking. Good luck. Evangeline didn’t even know what she was trying to say right then.

  Clearing his throat, his voice coming out as a hoarse rasp, Maddox said softly, “Because?”

  “Because I’m beginning to wonder if…” She shook her head. “If…” She sighed, defeated. “I don’t know.”

  There was no way in hell that Maddox was going to leave it at that. He tread carefully, knowing that one wrong word would have her shutting down. Her scent had taken on a darker edge and he couldn’t tell if it was a physical hurt—or an emotional one.

  Sometimes betrayal could be more painful than anything else.

  Except for a shot from his claws, he amended. Because when he got his paws on Wright and confirmed Evangeline’s suspicions about the perfume, Maddox was going to do a lot more damage than wounding the cop’s pride.

  But that was later. This moment was for Evangeline. For his mate.

  He could feel it. This was important. They were on the edge of something big and, if he fucked this up, it could set him all the way back. They didn’t have time for that.

  “What’s on your mind, Angie? Listen to me. You can tell me anything. You have to believe that.”

  She gulped. Maddox tracked the movement of her throat, barely daring to breathe. “I… I think I’m beginning to.”

  He wanted to roar in triumph. Good thing he knew better than to do just that. Evangeline was clearly vulnerable, but she was there. For the first time since he found her, he began to believe they’d get
their forever back.

  For the first time, he thought she might be ready to actually listen to him.

  Crouching down at her side, Maddox took her hand in his. It was cold and clammy. Wrapping his fingers gently around hers, he offered Evangeline his warmth.

  “I told you. You’re my mate. It wasn’t luck that I found you at the coffee shop that day. I was already looking for you.” He took a deep breath. A tinge of salt in the air, that terrible sadness again, interspersed with a jagged line of pain. He felt his gut twist. An echo of that ache hit him as he realized how much she cared. “He hurt you.”

  “He betrayed me. I thought Adam cared about me—” She shivered. “All this time, he was just keeping me from you. Why would he do that? I don’t get it. And I need to understand.”

  Wright’s hatred for Maddox was deep. It wasn’t new. This went back well before his time in the Cage. There was jealousy, too, of course there was, but the hatred… Maddox had a sudden suspicion.

  “He hates me for being your mate when he wants you, but I’m betting there’s more to it than that. I think... I think he blames me for the accident,” Maddox admitted. “Why wouldn’t he? You were so close to death— shit, Angie, I spent three years convinced you were dead. I think he blames me for taking you away in more ways than one.”

  She glanced down at him, her expression bewildered. “The crash? How is that your fault? I… maybe I should go talk to him. Adam might have an explanation. Maybe he can explain this better so I understand.”

  “No!” Maddox barked. Evangeline flinched and he tried to hide his sudden surge of anguish. “Let me. You don’t need that cop, not now, not ever. You want to know why he blames me? Probably because I was with you when you crashed.”

  Evangeline’s answer—“No, you weren’t”—was swift, and it was wrong.

  Maddox nodded.

  She hesitated. When he expected another denial, she surprised him by saying softly, “That was you?”

  His heart gave an unexpected jolt. A tinge of fear filtered into her scent and she quickly squashed it. He was glad; he much preferred her fire and her anger to his Angie being afraid. She was looking at him differently now, as if seeing him for the first time.

  Maddox chose his words carefully. “Do you… do you remember the accident at all?”

  “Yes… no—I don’t know.” Evangeline seemed to finally realize that he was holding her hand like a vice. She slipped out of his grip before raising her fingers to cover her eyes. “Something is going on here that I don’t understand. Between what happened in the bedroom, and the dreams…”

  Maddox found it charming that she blushed crimson behind the shield of her hands at the mere mention of the bedroom, but shoved it aside at the mention of her dreams.

  That was the important thing. Paranormal bonds—especially when the Para was a shifter—were a source of magic. And magic traveled through dreams.

  Could it be that he was finally opening her consciousness in some way, coming one step closer to getting her to see the truth? “What about them?”

  “I don’t remember you. I… don’t. But there’s been a hole in my memory so long, I can’t tell you what else I don’t remember. But—I’ve dreamt of you, I think.” She was blushing even harder now. It was fucking adorable. “It had to be you. Those golden eyes were always so familiar. And when I dream about the accident... You say you were there and maybe you were. Because I know this: I wasn’t alone. They tell me I was, but I’ve never believed it. Not really. I came out of the accident alone, but someone protected me when we went over the side.”

  “That was me,” he murmured. “I wrapped you in my arms when I heard the tires skid. I could take a lot more damage than you could, but it knocked me out anyway. We were separated by the time I regained consciousness at the scene. I would never have left you alone, Angie. They told me you were dead, that’s the only reason why I took this long to find you. The bond was gone. I didn’t know.”

  She went on as if she hadn’t heard him. “What happened to me?” Evangeline took a deep breath and impulsively met Maddox’s heated gaze straight on. “I feel like everyone knows the truth but me. You. Adam. Her. Why don’t I remember?”

  “You have to believe me when I tell you this. This… this thing between us, it isn’t new. We were mates before. Remember, Evangeline,” Maddox pleaded. Pride? What pride? He was so fucking close. He growled low in his throat, an order. “Remember us. Remember me.”

  Evangeline scrunched up her face. “I’m… I’m trying.”

  Even though it was the one thing he didn’t want to bring up to her, he pounced on the only advantage he had. “You said you remember someone with you the night of the crash. Tell me about that. What exactly do you remember?”

  “In my dreams, I’m not the one driving. I… We were going somewhere. I remember I was happy. Excited. And then…”

  “What, Angie? What?”

  Maybe he pushed her too hard. Maybe she wasn’t ready to see what happened after all.

  All Maddox knew was that, as he waited desperately for her answer, the only one he got was Evangeline’s sudden scream. The jagged line of pain he sensed inside of her blossomed into a crevice that nearly split her in two.

  Her hands flew to her temples, her eyes screwed shut as she cried out once, then curled up in the chair as if trying to protect herself.

  Maddox’s only thought was to protect her from the unseen threat. He jumped to his feet, his heart thudding so loudly he expected it to burst free from his chest. Leaping to her side, he was there as Evangeline’s body gave a jerk before she went completely limp in her seat. If he hadn’t moved as fast as he had, she would have crumpled to the floor.

  She looked like she was dead.

  Flashbacks of that night rushed through Maddox.

  “Evangeline,” he roared. “No!”

  He hurriedly scooped her up into his arms, holding her close as he fought his panic. His wolf howled its grief, wanting to nose at his mate’s cheek to see if she was all right. He refused the shift, needing to hold her close as she lay like a corpse in his arms. Corpse—no, he wasn’t going to think like that. She wasn’t dead. He couldn’t let her be.

  Closing his eyes, he tapped into his beast and relied on its senses.

  Okay. Okay. She was still breathing. He could hear her wheezes, soft and gentle. He flared his nostrils. The air surrounding Evangeline was a blend of her mouthwatering vanilla scent, the tickle of sweet baby powder, and a sharp tang that screamed pain. Whatever it was must have been agonizing to have such a flavor; it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Maddox was almost grateful that she was out. Unconscious, yeah, but that meant she wasn’t in pain any longer.

  That was a good thing.

  Now, if only he could convince himself that any part of what had just happened was good.

  It was the baby powder that he couldn’t get out of his nose. As he carried his mate from the kitchen to their bedroom, he left the stink of her pain behind him. But the baby powder clung to her, a faint overlay to her natural scent. He knew that smell. It was the smell of magic—it was the mark of the witches.

  There was only one way to know for sure. Leaning in, Maddox carefully lifted her left eyelid and stared. Because instead of the forest green he adored, a streak of vivid purple colored her iris before her eye rolled back in her head and she exhaled softly.

  Maddox let go of her eyelid before laying her on their bed and giving her space, his head whirring at his discovery.

  Evangeline was human. One hundred percent as way too many people had told him lately. But the essence of baby powder and the violet swirling in her eyes…

  Colt was right. Evangeline had been touched by a witch.

  Shit.

  26

  Colton knew he shouldn’t be there. He promised himself he wouldn’t return, no matter how loudly his wolf howled. No good would come of it. Besides, Maddox was relying on his help. How could he help his brother when he was too busy following his di
ck?

  He sat in his delivery van, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. The temptation to leave the van and head into the store was too strong. He’d always prided himself on his control. Sure, his temper was legendary and he tended to shift at the drop of a hat, but that was all part of who he was.

  What he wasn’t was some lovesick pup who sat in vans, mooning at displays of crystals, incense, and supplements all because he lost his fucking mind somewhere in Grayson.

  It was the stupid town’s fault, he decided. One chance encounter—one stupid delivery—and now he was cursed to hide among the Ants because he just couldn’t help himself.

  After accidentally stumbling upon Evangeline all those weeks ago, Colt never expected to have to come back. Except then Maddox sent him back twice more to pick up Evangeline’s scent. He hadn’t been able to, but that’s when he found her.

  It was supposed to be a job. Just another commission: a simple dresser that he might have painstakingly labored over for two weeks in between visiting Maddox in the Cage and securing his brother’s release. Then came the innocent brush of her hand against his arm as he attempted to deliver the dresser and the sudden shock of his first erection. It surprised him so much that he dropped the dresser, crushed his ankle, and probably scared the shit out of his client.

  His client, he repeated to himself. Because that’s all she was. That’s all she could be, no matter what his wayward dick thought.

  Colt yawned, leaning his head up against the headrest. He spared only a second to rub the fatigue out of his eyes before his gaze was locked on the shopfront again. He couldn’t look away, not until he got a glimpse of that inky black hair, that honest smile.

  Just a glimpse. Just a sign that she was doing okay and he could get back to searching for Cilla.

  When he got his hands on that wayward witch, it was going to be a struggle not to snap his teeth at her. Priscilla Winters was his last hope. He’d spent the last twenty-four hours calling in any favor he had, hoping he could track her down. Just because Luciana said that a witch wouldn’t be able to help, that didn’t mean Colt actually accepted that.