by Crissy Smith
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know you had company…again,” he commented.
“Cameron, it’s not…” She trailed off. It wasn’t what? It wasn’t what he thought, sure, but how could she tell him that? She’d only recently told him about her gifts. He wouldn’t like to know that Clint had known since they were children.
“I was just leaving, Special Agent,” Clint said, standing. “I’ll see you tonight at seven, Katy. I’ll pick you up at your house.”
And with that he left the office, leaving Katy to face Cameron alone.
“Plans?” he asked in a low, calm voice.
“It’s just dinner, Cameron. Nothing more,” she told him, standing from her desk.
“Dinner?” he asked.
“Yes, just dinner,” she assured him.
He stared at her for a couple of minutes. “Everyone’s here. Shall we get started?”
He walked away before she answered.
“Damn, double damn,” Katy cursed. That was exactly the reaction she was afraid of. Clint meant nothing more to her than a friend. They had old unfinished business to talk through, but that was it.
That was all she wanted. Cameron was it for her now. She knew that. She’d told him her deepest, darkest secret and he hadn’t run. Instead he had told her how much he loved her. He’d shown her body how well they fit together.
So she hadn’t been completely honest with him. Well, if truth be told, he wasn’t being completely honest with her either. She knew he was hiding something. Oh, it wasn’t the same kind of secret that she’d kept, but there was something he wasn’t telling her. She could see it every time he looked at her. When he opened his mouth but changed his mind.
But she had the right to see an old friend for dinner and say goodbye. Cameron would just have to get over his jealousy. Mind made up, she followed him out the door.
* * * *
After the tension throughout the day, Katy was glad to be on her way home. Cameron and Ryan had left to head to their room ten minutes before. Cameron hadn’t even looked at her.
She had known he wouldn’t be happy with her going to dinner with another man, but she hadn’t expected him to freeze her out.
He was angry and hurt? Well, so was she. Did he really think she would jump from his bed to another man’s? If he did, he really didn’t know her.
A headache was just starting to pound and she would barely have enough time to shower and change before Clint got there to pick her up. She took the curve five miles from her house and reached for some aspirin in the centre console. She picked up the bottle and shook it. Damn, empty.
Up ahead on the road, a vehicle-shaped object loomed, lit by her headlights.
“Shit!”
She slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel hard. The brakes didn’t work. She tried to straighten out the wheel but it was too late. The car sped to the side. She grabbed the emergency brake and pulled up and cursed again as the SUV flipped then rolled down the side of the road.
Cameron paced the inside of his room at the local bed and breakfast, cursing Katy and himself. He should have talked to her. Told her what he was thinking, told her what he had wanted to say when they’d been in bed together.
She had shared her secrets and it was time he did the same. He had planned on telling her. Maybe tonight. He’d thought about it all last night as she lay beside him.
It wasn’t fair that she’d bared her soul and he still held back.
It had been about three in the morning when he realised why he was putting it off. He was still afraid. He didn’t think he could watch her walk away because of what he was.
She hated her gift so much that he doubted she would look at his in a positive light. But for him, being a shifter was a wonderful thing. He had a family, an entire Pack, a place to belong. He could offer her that. He could introduce both her and Allysa to people who would welcome them and their gifts.
But what if Katy didn’t want him because of his abilities? She could use that as an excuse for why they couldn’t be together. Still, he’d made the decision to tell her. Lay all of his cards on the table. Let her decide so they could get to work on their future.
As soon as they case was over, they could be together, forever.
Now instead of that, she was at dinner with another man. An old lover, he was sure.
It was stupid. She should be with him.
He grabbed his car keys off the dresser and left his room. He would go for a drive.
He knew where he was headed immediately. Katy would probably already be gone on her date, but he would just wait for her. Allysa would probably be home. And if she wasn’t, he would move on to plan B. As soon as he thought of it.
The word ‘obsessed’ floated through his mind but he tried to push the thought away. She was his mate—he just hadn’t claimed her yet. She would have been his a year ago if she hadn’t run. He’d thought she had just needed time, and he had been hurt when she had told him she didn’t love him and she was leaving. Prior to that, she had put in a transfer, found another job, and packed her apartment, all before she’d let him know.
He drove past the Sheriff’s station before turning off to take the rural road to her house instead of going through the town. It would wrap around and take him longer but he had time to waste anyway. Needed to think how he was going to tell her he could shift into a wolf.
It shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise. She had hinted that she had some idea he was different. He should have told her then but he was more worried about getting her to admit she belonged to him. It had calmed the wolf inside when she’d finally said the words.
He’d let his wolf peek out as he had taken her. Luckily their position hadn’t allowed her to see his eyes, which he was sure had started to glow.
He slowed upon reaching Katy’s lane and drove up to the house. It was lit up and he saw a Jeep and truck in the drive. He hadn’t thought that Allysa might have company of her own. He really didn’t want to bother her.
He pulled up behind the Jeep and parked his rental car. He should go inside and ask what time Katy was expected back. He could wait in his car, but that was a little too stalkerish. Before he could make a decision the front door opened.
Allysa was waiting in the doorway. She raised a hand. Cameron sighed and cut the engine. Well, it was too late now. He exited the vehicle and walked up the pathway.
“Hey, Cameron,” Allysa greeted. “Is Katy behind you?”
Cameron shook his head. “No, she was going out to dinner with Clint. I just stopped by to see—”
“Clint’s still here. Katy hasn’t made it home yet. We figured something came up with the case and she forgot to call.”
Cameron had reached her by then and could see the anxiety on her face. He checked his watch. It was a little after eight. “Weren’t they supposed to go at seven?”
Before Allysa could answer, Clint stepped up behind her.
“Oh, it’s you,” the other man commented with a frown.
Cameron ignored him. “Have you called her cell?” he asked Allysa.
She shook her head. “We didn’t want to bother her. If she’s not at the office, why didn’t she come home?”
Fuck! He should have talked to her before he left. He was sure she would call if anything related to the case came up. Allysa grabbed his arm and pulled him inside as he reached in his pocket for his cell phone.
He followed the other two towards the kitchen while pressing the memory on his phone to where he’d saved Katy’s number. Her cell went straight to voicemail as he walked into the kitchen…
And saw them.
He snapped his phone closed and stared.
“When did those flowers arrive?” he asked in a rage-filled voice and looked to Allysa.
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t think now is really the time…” Allysa started to scold.
Cameron gripped his phone so hard he was surprised it didn’t crumble.
“Allysa, please!”
&nb
sp; She shrugged. “Earlier today.”
He glanced at Clint. Please God, let it be a coincidence. “Did you send them?” he asked the other man.
Clint shook his head. “Thought you did, man.”
Rage and fury raced through his blood stream. “Fuck.”
He threw Clint his phone. “Find Ryan Waters on that, tell him about the roses, and get him here,” he told him as he turned and ran from the room to the door.
He heard Allysa call out to him but he couldn’t take the time to stop. The killer had Katy. His Katy, and he was a few hours ahead of him.
He ripped his shirt over his head before he reached the front door. His shoes and jeans came off in the drive. He shifted before he reached the road that would take him towards town.
The wolf inside him howled his displeasure of losing his mate. Cameron fought to keep control of the animal’s mind. He couldn’t let the wolf take over completely. As savage as the beast felt right now, he had no idea what would happen if he lost control.
He ran over the distance with quickness and determination, his wolf chanting the word mate to him.
He smelt her blood still miles away. He picked up his speed and only moments later crouched next to her wrecked vehicle.
Chapter Ten
Katy blinked awake slowly. Her entire body hurt.
She tried to raise her hand to her throbbing head but found herself unable to move. She was lying on her stomach on a cold concrete floor. Her hands were tied behind her back and her ankles were bound.
Fear flooded every sense and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. There was no doubt where she was. Well, no, she didn’t know where she was, but she knew with whom. She had been taken by the serial killer.
Her body shook, she was so afraid. She took several deep breaths to try to calm herself. She needed to get control of the situation.
She wasn’t as unprepared as the other women. She had years of experience first as an FBI agent and then as Sheriff. She knew the killer’s M.O. She would fight until she could get away or be rescued. She wasn’t going to leave her sister alone.
Cameron would already be looking for her. She knew that with all her heart. He would not allow anything to happen to her. It seemed stupid now that she had ever thought she wanted to be away from him. She had wasted a year running scared from him.
So she wouldn’t ever give him the children he had mentioned. She was different, but while she was not sure exactly how, she knew he was as well. She vowed if…no, not if…when she got out of here, she would make it up to him. She would give him all of her heart, tell him her secrets, and share the rest of her life with him.
She was faced away from the door but she heard it open, followed by what she could only describe as the most evil laugh she’d ever heard.
Cameron struggled to keep his wolf under control as he raced towards his mate. The scent was weak but there was enough of it to point him in the right direction. The bond he shared with Katy did the rest.
They might not have mated, but they were connected. He’d marked her with his teeth. He had left behind his claim that anyone like himself would recognise.
At the time, he had just been warning everyone else away. Now he was glad he’d done it. That pull was what was going to get him to her.
Katy glared at the man who stood over her. In her experience, the worst people didn’t look like killers. This man was no different. He was quite ordinary. Dull, brown hair, average build, probably in his forties. If it wasn’t for his wild brown eyes and the hack saw he was stroking, she wouldn’t have felt such terror. Well…that and if she wasn’t tied up, unable to defend herself.
“I thought you would give me more trouble,” he taunted. “It was just so easy.”
“Well then, why don’t you untie me and we’ll see how easy it is,” she said. It was all false bravado, but he didn’t need to know that.
He clucked his tongue unhappily at her. “We both know I’m not going to do that.”
Deep breaths, she repeated over and over in her mind. Talk to him. “What are you going to do?” she asked. It wasn’t the best question in the world but it was all she could think of at the moment.
“You know what I’m going to do. You know how he will find your body,” he answered.
“He who?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
He laughed again. “You know very well who.”
His reaction pissed her off and pushed some of the fear aside. “Do I?” she taunted. “If you’ve been following me around then you know my love life is pretty complicated.” Okay, so it wasn’t really, but she wondered how long he had planned her abduction. And she needed to keep him talking.
He frowned at her. “That rich rancher means nothing to you. It wasn’t him you gave yourself to in your kitchen.”
Katy swallowed hard. Shit, he had been watching her for a while. Before she could comment, he continued.
“You’re no better than all of those other whores,” he spat at her. “You just want an attractive guy and then you fall all over yourself for him, never giving one thought about anyone else who might be better suited for you.”
Finally! Insight into his mind.
“Is that what happened to you? Someone rejected you?” She lowered her voice and added as much care as she could.
His reaction wasn’t what she expected. He smiled. “Can’t you do better than that? I was rejected—scorned by a woman, so I kill others that remind me of her?”
Katy would have shrugged if she could have.
“I’ll tell you this, Sheriff… I kill because I’m good at it. I like it.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “How do you pick your victims?”
“They call to me,” he told her, his eyes sparkling. “I see them and know.”
Katy bit her lip to keep from snapping at him. She knew better than to taunt the psycho, but God! He just saw them? That would explain the different victim types but made it even harder to protect the women out there.
“Why me? Why did you come here?” she questioned.
For the first time since he’d entered the room, he moved closer to her. Katy tried to back away but really, where was she going to go?
He didn’t stop until he stood next to her. Katy was beginning to think he wouldn’t answer, until he started to stroke her hair and replied with a soft voice.
“You are more special than any of the others. I was so intrigued by the man who hunted me. For the first time I had a worthy opponent, so I studied him as he did me. That is how I found you.”
Katy’s stomach clenched and her mouth went dry. How long had this man been after Cameron? It scared her that Cameron had been just as much in danger from this man as she was.
“I wasn’t with Cameron when you started killing in Dallas,” she told him.
He continued to stroke her. “You were always a part of him. Therefore you are a part of me.”
She trembled and blinked back tears. This man was more obsessed with Cameron than any of his victims. “You brought him here to…” she trailed off, not wanting to finish.
“To watch the woman he loves die. To know that no matter how good he is at his job, he is not better than me. To drive him slowly insane knowing he couldn’t save you.”
Katy dropped her head down. That was exactly what would happen if she died. Cameron would never forgive himself. She braced herself to fight. To conserve her energy. She couldn’t let Cameron down.
Chapter Eleven
Cameron knew he was close but the scent of his mate had faded and mixed with others around it. He was just outside the city, close to where the first victim had been found. He didn’t know the lay of the land well enough to recognise the places where Katy could be.
He stopped running and raised his head to the moon. He silently prayed to the gods and goddesses to lead him in the right direction.
Thinking about his actions now, he knew he should have waited for back up. He couldn’t change back to human form since he di
dn’t have any clothing; he had no way to contact his partner or anyone who might have an idea where around the area Katy might be kept.
He opened his mind and thought about Katy. He brought her dark hair and bright eyes into his mind. The way her nose crinkled when she laughed. Once he could picture her fully, he opened every sense—magical and otherwise—to her.
It was several minutes before anything happened but finally he felt the faint pull from her. She was still alive, though afraid. He could feel her heart beating like he could his own.
In the back of his mind, he could feel another presence trying to break in. He continued to concentrate on Katy but acknowledged his partner.
Ryan must be following his scent because his partner was close. Holding onto the thread he was connected to Katy with, he once again howled to let his partner know where he was.
He moved more slowly towards Katy once he’d notified Ryan his of location. Ryan would be able to follow him.
Katy sucked in a breath as big, heavy fists gripped her arms. She tried her best to keep from crying out as the man holding her started to beat on her back, his evil laughter ringing in her ears.
She thought about Cameron and Allysa…anything but what was happening to her body. She’d stopped trying to dodge each strike after too many landed on her face. Her own blood tasted metallic as it dripped from and into her mouth. Several well placed punches to her kidneys, and she finally broke her silence.
That only made her abductor laugh harder.
As her vision began to darken around the edges, she heard the faint howl of a wolf.
She would have thought she had imagined it, but it grew louder. The man above her must have heard it also because he paused and she felt him tense.
That was the moment before all Hell broke loose.
One minute she was being held down, the next the window above her head broke as a large black wolf jumped through. The wolf landed on the man and he went down to the ground. The wolf was growling and she could hear the sound of flesh being ripped. The stench of blood assaulted her nose and she had to fight not to gag.
