Freeing His Tiger: Hidden Realms: A Hot Paranormal Fantasy (Weres and Witches of Silver Lake Book 6)

by Vella Day

  Bolts of electricity lit her up, not to mention how her blue sparks glowed. He was right. She’d never last, not with the way her body was in such need of him. Anna grabbed his shoulders and hung on tight, and with each flick of his tongue, he took her higher. When he moved to the other side and kneaded the first nipple between his fingers, Anna almost came right there.

  “Please, Dalton.”

  Instead of doing what she’d asked for, he dropped lower and licked her clean. As waves of delight washed over her, she bucked her hips upward and dug her nails into his scalp. His blue orb grew larger and larger and soon matched hers. His groans and moans ratcheted her desires higher. Reaching out to him, she tugged on his shoulders. Dalton must have understood this hint because in a flash, he was once more on top of her with his big cock at her entrance.

  “Kiss me,” she begged, as she opened her lips to receive him. And receive him she did.

  Not only did his tongue delve into her mouth, he slid into her, igniting her to the core. Pulses of incredible lust shimmied up her body, the sparks flying, and her glow expanding even faster. Their tongues twisted, and his scent filled her. Anna wanted to be connected with this man in every way. With each thrust, her desire grew. Dalton’s eyes glowed a beautiful amber color, and his dark hair became sprinkled with white.

  Her tongue scraped along his teeth, and a tinge of blood floated in her mouth. Dalton broke the kiss. “Oh shit. I’m sorry. I got too excited.”

  “That’s okay. I’m good.”

  Anna didn’t want to break the high she was on, so she pressed her feet into the mattress and met him thrust for thrust. The overwhelming desire to be connected to him stole her breath. Lowering his lips to her neck, she marveled at how their blue orbs overlapped. As he drove into her once more, his sharp teeth sunk into her neck, catapulting her into a new realm of pleasure, while a white light arced between them, forming what looked like a figure eight. Stunned at the beauty of it all, her yearning intensified.

  Her climax rushed in and overtook all of her senses. Lights swam in front of her eyes as a cocoon of love surrounded her and held her.

  Dalton’s chest heaved as he spilled his seed. At that moment, they became one. All sound seemed to disappear as she absorbed Dalton’s goodness.

  Their blue glows slowly receded, and her body lost all energy. As she collapsed back onto the bed, he kissed her forehead, her nose, and then her lips. “That was life altering,” he said.

  “Are we mated?” It sure as hell felt like it.

  “We are.”

  “Can I shift now?”

  He chuckled then rolled over, taking her with him. “You’ll have to wait for the white moon.”

  “Why?”

  He shrugged. “The first time a person shifts, it’s always on the white moon. After that, it can be whenever they choose.”

  That didn’t sound so bad. “Will you teach me?”

  “Of course. We’re a team now.”

  Anna had never felt so complete. “Team tiger.”

  Dalton laughed. “I like it, but you can’t tell people that.”

  “Not even Jillian?” Surely, there were no secrets from his sister.

  “You can tell Jillian or any other shifter, as long as you’re discreet.”

  Anna hoped she could control her exuberance. This was all so wonderful. “I’ll try.”

  He tapped her butt. “You’ll do more than try.”

  Anna grinned, loving life right now. Dalton pulled her closer and glanced over her shoulder at something on her back. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Checking out your Wendayan marking.”

  “My vine?”

  “Yes, but now it has the paw of a tiger underneath it.”

  Excitement raced through her. “Really? It changed? Why?”

  “That’s what happens when the mating is complete.”

  This was too good to be true. “Did yours change too?”

  He rolled her off then turned to show her his back. “Well?”

  She traced the marking. “It’s beautiful. I love how the paw print and vine are now one. How did this happen?”

  He faced her. “It’s magic.”

  *

  So far, Dalton’s morning had sucked. First thing he had to do was fill out a warrant for Meredith Wilson’s arrest. With the ballistic report in hand, Judge Hollars had no issue signing it, though he wasn’t happy about being disturbed before he’d had his morning coffee.

  Dalton should be satisfied with a job well done, but something was still poking at him. He refused to believe it was Anna’s defense of the woman that had increased his doubt. Every criminal insisted they were innocent, so why should Meredith Wilson be any different? The report stated there had been no fingerprints on the gun handle, so it was possible Meredith was telling the truth. On the other hand, it didn’t take much to rub them off. Would she have taken the care to wipe away the evidence, and then stash the gun in her own glove compartment? That made little sense. Doubt rarely shadowed him, but this time it was looming big.

  Dalton’s conscience had no place in what he had to do next—which was to arrest Meredith Wilson. The facts demanded it. Regardless of the circumstances, she had been in possession of the murder weapon. Because there was no need for anyone else to witness her worst day, Dalton wanted to deliver the warrant before she went to work.

  He pulled in front of her modest home that needed some upkeep. Her husband must have been the one to cut the lawn since it looked as if it hadn’t been mowed in weeks.

  Here goes.

  When Meredith Wilson opened the door and saw him standing there with a paper in his hand, she clutched her chest, her eyes filled with resignation. “Officer?”

  His usual sense of gotcha never materialized. He genuinely felt sorry for her, until he remembered she might be a cold-blooded killer. Dalton advised her of her rights.

  “But the gun’s not mine. I never touched it. Can’t the lab tell that?”

  “No, ma’am. I’m sorry. You’ll have to come with me.”

  Her shoulders sagged. A voice sounded behind her, and then feet shuffled toward them. An older gentleman appeared in striped pajamas and placed a hand on her back. “Merry? What’s going on?”

  She faced him. “The gun was the murder weapon. They think I killed Crystal.”

  His shoulders straightened a bit, and he whipped toward Dalton. “She didn’t do it.”

  Denial was common. “I’m sorry, sir, but this paper says I have the right to take her in.” He handed it to him.

  Both read the contents. “I’ll find a lawyer, sweetheart,” the husband said.

  Dalton waited until the embrace ended and the tears slowed. Merry clearly loved her husband, but that might be more reason for her to stop the sale of the bookstore from going through.

  She said little as he drove her to the station. Once he processed Merry, Dalton headed back to his desk to determine if she had been framed. A good lawyer might be able to go after the reasonable doubt defense, which meant Dalton either had to find the person who framed Meredith Wilson, or prove she did it.

  The first step would be to recheck the other suspects—their motives, their alibis, and if they had any past criminal records. He was in the middle of a background check on Tom DeLuca when Kalan arrived.

  “You’re here early,” his partner said.

  Not really. Kalan was unusually late. “You got the ballistics report last night?”

  “I just saw it.”

  That explained the lack of a phone call. “I was able to rouse Judge Hollars before he went into work.”

  “You arrested Mrs. Wilson already?”

  “Yes, but I really don’t think she did it. Call it my gut instinct.” Criminals were more arrogant and smug. Meredith Wilson acted stunned.

  Kalan pulled up a chair and leaned close. “What’s gotten into you? You’re never swayed by your instincts. You go strictly by the facts.”

  That made him sound so unfeeling. �
��Anna is a good influence on me.”

  “Anna?” Kalan stared at him for a moment and then smiled. “Don’t tell me you and Anna…you know.”

  They never used the word mate at work. “Yes. It’s official.” A brief smile stole across his face.

  “Congratulations, but you do realize things will become next to impossible real fast.”

  He didn’t like hearing anything negative. “Meaning?”

  Kalan glanced around to make sure no one was listening. Discussing anything relating to shifters was chancy. “Your need for Anna will be off the charts for quite a while.”

  “That’s not possible.”

  Kalan laughed. “That’s what I said. Just you wait.”

  His best chance of focusing then would be early in the morning after they’d made love the night before. No wonder his desire for her was already growing. “Great.”

  “Now that the case is more or less closed, what are you working on?” Kalan asked nodding to all the papers neatly stacked on his desk.

  “Like I said, I’m not sure it is closed. It’s possible Meredith Wilson was framed, so I’m doing background checks on all of the other suspects. That’s assuming our mountain friends aren’t behind this.”

  “They very well might be. Hand me some,” Kalan said. “It’ll go faster.”

  “Thanks.” Dalton gave him Ed Santaria, in part because Kalan had grown up in Silver Lake and might be more familiar with some of the Changelings. He also gave him Linda Darnell and Carlton Wedgewood. Dalton kept Meredith Wilson’s file, wanting to delve into her motivation, as well as Tom DeLuca’s. Last would be Julie Dominick, Carlton Wedgewood’s secretary.

  No sooner had Dalton finished gathering the sparse information he had on Tom than Jillian waltzed in, dressed in a sleek navy blue suit, white blouse, and high heels. With her contrasting blonde hair, he had to admit she looked great. From the way most of the men and women in the room stopped what they were doing and looked at her, they thought she was attractive too. Too bad the young officers didn’t seem to notice her engagement ring.

  “Dalton,” she said in a serious tone that he bet had earned her a lot of respect in the courtroom.

  “What can I do for you, sis?”

  “I’m here to speak with my client, Meredith Wilson.”

  His gut tightened. “You’re representing Meredith?”

  “Yes, is that a problem?”

  It shouldn’t be. They hadn’t discussed anything about the case so far. In fact, he’d barely seen his sister of late because she’d been spending all of her time with her mate. As much as he wanted to share his good news about Anna, now wasn’t the time. “Nope.”

  “Good.”

  At least Meredith would have a great defense, but he hoped that if Merry were guilty, his sister didn’t get her off on some technicality. As soon as Jillian headed off to speak with their lead suspect, Dalton put Tom’s paperwork away and ran Merry’s name in the criminal database once more but found nothing. To be thorough, he pulled up her marriage certificate for her full name, wanting to check under her maiden name. As soon as he spotted the name Carlyle, he stilled. That sounded familiar. Meredith Carlyle Wilson, he repeated to himself. Merry Carlyle.

  Could she be Mary Carlyle, Anna’s birth mother? Anna had said she’d traced her mom to Silver Lake. Pulse beating hard, he did a more in-depth search using Zabasearch, which showed the places where a person had lived. Hometown: Vista Lake, Montana. Dalton remembered Anna saying she was from Montana, but he hadn’t asked the name of the town.

  What if Merry were Anna’s birth mother? He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to finally find her, only to learn she was a murder suspect. Anna had said when she’d touched Merry’s arm, she’d envisioned a younger woman holding a baby, so it seemed possible that Anna was that baby.

  Fingers snapped in front of his face. Dalton looked up at Kalan. “Sorry,” Dalton said. “I found something and was trying to put the pieces together.”

  Kalan pulled over his chair. “Tell me.”

  He explained about Meredith and her possible connection to Anna. “I’m not sure what to do.”

  “How about asking Meredith if she ever gave up a child? I imagine you don’t want to get Anna’s hopes up by mentioning it and then find out it isn’t true.”

  That was sound advice, but there was a flaw in his thinking. “Why would she tell me anything? She sure as hell doesn’t trust me.”

  He shrugged. “I suppose you could ask Jillian to find out.” Kalan said. “You need to be sure first, but you better hurry. You can’t keep this news from Anna. She’ll find out at some point.”

  “That’s the problem. If I tell her, she’ll want to come in here and demand answers from Meredith.”

  Kalan shrugged. “It’s not like Meredith could harm her.”

  His partner was right. “I need to think more on it.”

  “Let me know if I can help.” Kalan pushed back his chair and returned to his desk.

  For the next half hour, Dalton dug into Meredith’s background. It appeared as if she came from a wealthy family. Not only did her father own several car dealerships, later in his life he’d become active in politics at the State level. If she were Anna’s mom at a young age, the parents might have insisted she give up the baby so as not to embarrass them. None of this information, however, was pertinent to the case. In fact, it indicated that Meredith’s ability to care for her husband wasn’t as dire as it seemed, if her parents were willing and able to help her out.

  As frustrating as this job was sometimes, he liked following the leads. The key to this case seemed to be financial. Once he obtained a warrant to search Meredith’s bank records, he would ask Daniel Goddard, the man in charge of forensic accounting, to delve into her finances. That would tell him just how desperate she was not to lose her job. It didn’t matter that her home implied she was strapped for cash.

  Putting off that task a bit longer, he studied Julie Dominick’s file. She’d been arrested three years ago for drunk and disorderly conduct, but that didn’t mean she was a killer. Wedgewood’s company website listed Carlton as CEO and CFO, a Raymond Dougherty as President, and Julie as administrative assistant. According to the site, she had a business degree from the University of Tennessee where Jackson went to school. It might be interesting to see what dirt his friend could dig up on her. Dalton was curious why, with her background though, she wasn’t a broker. Was she only interested in landing a rich husband, and thought the best way would be as Carlton’s assistant?

  Before he could search further, his sister’s heels clacked on the tile floor. With a stern look that would scare most jurors, she strode toward him.

  “Well? Do you think she’s guilty?” he asked.

  “You know better than to ask that. It’s client privilege.”

  His sister wasn’t here to play. “Fine. Just tell me this. What does your gut tell you?”

  “She didn’t do it. Why? As she told you, she went straight home after work and didn’t leave her home until the next morning. Her husband was asleep, which was why he can’t be her alibi. I will admit that she could have lied.”

  “I agree.” He had wondered why she hadn’t.

  “She told me that before she made supper, she was on Facebook and even PM’d a few friends.”

  “PM’d?”

  Jillian planted a hand on her hip. “Seriously? What rock do live under? PM stands for private message on Facebook. Have you heard of that?”

  “Yes, I have.” Her words stung nonetheless. They’d been similar to what Anna said about him being a workaholic. “If that’s true, it would give her an alibi. Will she let us check out her computer?”

  “Absolutely. You’ll see that she couldn’t be chatting with friends and killing Crystal Wedgewood at the same time.”

  That might settle it once and for all.

  “She also made two phone calls—one to her sister-in-law and one to her brother-in-law—but she wasn’t sure of the time. Sh
e’d called them because she was concerned about her husband’s health. I’m surprised you didn’t ask her these questions.”

  He was too. He must have been preoccupied with a certain delectable woman. “I’ll check it out right away. If what she says is true, I’ll have the arrest rescinded.” He waggled a finger. “But she can’t leave town.”

  Jillian shook her head. “She won’t. Now go find the evidence to free her. Then apologize to her.”

  Dalton hadn’t realized how bossy his sister was. “When this is cleared up, maybe the four of us can do dinner and catch up.” He was rather pleased with his smooth way of introducing the fact he and Anna were together.

  A small smile lifted her lips. “The four of us?”

  “You, Brian, me, and Anna.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She swiped a hand. “Erase that. Why didn’t Anna tell me that you two were together?”

  “Let’s say we made it official last night.”

  A grin split her face. “I am thrilled for you. Anna is a wonderful woman.”

  “You should be happy for her too.” He puffed out his chest. “I’m quite a catch, or so Anna says.”

  Jillian laughed. “She’ll have her hands full, that’s for sure.”

  Dalton slapped a hand to his chest. “I’m offended.”

  “Uh-huh. Go do your job and prove Merry Wilson is innocent, so we can celebrate.”

  Dalton saluted and his sister left. The women of the world seemed to be conspiring against him. He pushed back his chair and faced Kalan. “I’m going to do a little more research on Mrs. Wilson.” He explained about her being on the computer at the time of the murder.

  “She should have told us.”

  “Most people don’t think their computer time can be traced. It was my job to have asked.”

  “Good point. I’ll go see what Mr. Santaria is up to. I bet Jackson and his team would love nothing more than to find some dirt on that man.”

  Their hatred of the Changelings knew no bounds. “Amen.”

  Chapter Sixteen

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