by Morgan Fox
Is he trying to make this as difficult as possible on me?
His body still glistened with the wetness of their shower. His chest rippled with muscles, and his waist was so tightly sculpted she wanted to run her tongue over every square inch. Shit!
Stop, she groaned to herself. I’m in so much trouble…
“Let’s talk,” he said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Let’s not,” she told him, pointing at his towel. “You need to get dressed first.”
His brow furrowed. “No, I’m comfortable the way I am. Besides, I don’t like wearing clothes when there’s a beautiful woman trapped in my bedroom.”
Silence stood. A wall of nerves plummeted in her stomach. “I’m not trapped in here with you, and you can keep those sexual ideas confined in that brain of yours.”
He grinned, and his eyes shimmered with more gold than she’d noticed before. “Look, it’s simple. My grandmother was a witch. She was madly in love with my grandfather, who was a werewolf. They mated and had little half-breeds. My mother and father were human, but the sweet little lycan gene showed up in my blood, and poof, a half-breed wolf pup was born.”
Squinting, she ran a stiff hand through her damp hair. “But that still doesn’t explain why I couldn’t sense you, or why anyone else can’t for that matter.”
He shrugged. “Like I said, my grandmother was a witch, and she cast a spell to take away the curse. It was easy because I’m only part wolf, and technically it’s not exactly gone, just dormant.”
Silence paced the room as she made sense of his words. “So this spell only makes you appear human. You can still change on a full moon?”
“No, I feel sick on the full moon because I don’t change, but that doesn’t happen often, so I’m good.”
Silence sat on the edge of the bed, her knee brushing against his. “If you’re a lycan, why hide it from those like you?”
He gazed down to look at the family ring on his middle finger. “It wasn’t my idea. My family was a little freaked, and since my grandfather had died, there was no one to help me through the change. My parents thought it was best.”
She gazed up at him, her heart beating just a little different. “Do you want to be a wolf now? Is that why you bit me?”
With amazing speed that only a lycan could possess, Walker had her wedged beneath him on the bed. “I bit you for one reason, Silence. I’m in love with you and have been since we were kids. I’ve always known I wanted you. I simply wasn’t sure if you wanted me, too.”
All the air seemed to be sucked from the room as she gazed up at the man she had longed to hear those words from. “Oh, Walker,” she breathed. “This is all so much. I don’t know what to think.”
“Don’t think, just feel.” He took her hand and placed it over his heart. “I know I should have talked to you sooner about all this, but when you came to me as you did tonight, I couldn’t help but think that you wanted me to take you the way I did. It felt so right between us. Something happened, and I instinctively claimed you.” He lowered his eyes, looking everywhere but at her. “I’m sorry if I sensed things wrong. I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Oh, Walker,” she breathed again. “I’m not ready to tell you I love you, but I can tell you that I wanted you to do exactly what you did to me. I felt the instinct, too, and I craved it.”
His eyes rounded as he stared down at her. “You craved it?”
“Yes, I wanted you to take me the way you did, and I want…”
“What? Tell me.” The desperation in his voice spoke to her with more than words. She could feel him as if he were a part of her—a piece of herself she had lost long ago, but miraculously found.
She licked her lips. Her heart beating so incredibly fast she was sure he could feel it as he lay pressed against her. She admitted, “I want you to do it again.”
Chapter Five
Walker cursed under his breath as Silence’s cell phone rang. If she chose to answer it, he was tempted to tear it from her fingers and chunk it across the room in hopes that it would shatter into a million pieces. He’d gladly buy her a dozen new ones later if he didn’t think she’d kick his ass for being an overbearing prick. He constantly had to remind himself that she was a tough-as-nails, independent woman. Knowing that destroying her phone and stripping her of her independence was a terrible idea, and nothing good would come of making a choice for her, he decided to let her make the decision on who was more important, him or the mysterious caller.
Sadly, at three in the morning, he didn’t need to see the name of the caller to know it was someone needing her as the town sheriff. With all that was going on around them, with menacing thugs roaming the city and now this wolf attack, how could he have expected anything less? However, things were different now. His heart told him so. He’d finally claimed the woman he’d always desired, and he had every intention of making love to her once again to prove just how much he wanted her—needed her—until the annoying ringing of her phone interrupted them. The responsibilities of her job were becoming a nuisance.
He groaned as she reached between them to grab her cell from out of her pants pocket. He knew she’d chosen that damn contraption over him, and instantly he felt cheated. For the first time in his adult life, he felt the prickle of heat claw up his back and wrap around his throat as if the wolf deep inside him tried to choke him. His fingers and hands contracted, gripping tightly into the sheets beneath their bodies.
He lowered his forehead to touch hers and practically growled as he begged, “Don’t answer the phone, Silence.”
She frowned. “I have to. It could be my sister. I left her and a few others to handle things with Lance Hickman, and something could’ve happened. They might need my help.”
She was right, and he hated it. She was the town sheriff, but if she’d let him take care of her, she’d never have to work again. Damn the person who called her, because their timing really sucked.
He rolled his body to the side and lay on his back with his hands tucked behind his head, staring up at the ceiling, praying it was nothing and they’d soon be making love again.
She quickly snatched her phone out of her pocket. “Sheriff Foster,” she answered. Her face distorted with worry as he watched her. Her eyes scanned back and forth so quickly, he knew instantly that something wasn’t right. Of course something is wrong. Why would I even think I’d get my perfect night with her? “Shadow, what’s happened?” As he listened to the concern in her voice, he decided he better get dressed. She wasn’t leaving without him. He didn’t want her going anywhere alone, town sheriff or not. “Calm down, Shadow, and tell me what happened.” A moment later, Silence rose to her feet. “I’m on my way,” she said as she hung up the phone and slid it back into her pocket.
Turning to face him, she said, “I’m so sorry, Walker, but I’ve got to go. It seems the facility is under attack. Those lycans that attacked Lance want him back. It’s a freaking standoff at the clinic.”
He arched a dark brow. “And you think I’m going to let you out of here knowing you’re about to walk right into hell?”
She blew out a harsh breath and pointed a determined finger at him. “You have no control over me, and you couldn’t stop me if you tried. So please stop with the masculine bullshit.”
He raised his arms in surrender. “You’re right, but that now means I’m going with you.”
Her eyes widened. “No, it doesn’t,” she argued and all but chest bumped him as she stepped in close. “I’m not worrying about you, too. You need to stay put.”
He pulled his .40 caliber Beretta from the holster under his jacket and showed her.
Her brow furrowed, and the lines around her mouth deepened as she asked, “Walker, why do you have a gun?”
His smiled widened, giving her his best photo-perfect grin. “I might not have your full wolf strength and speed, but last time I checked, even animals couldn’t outrun a bullet.”
Her hands dug into her hips as she to
ld him through clenched teeth, “Bullets will only piss them off.”
He winked and said, “Not if they’re made of silver.”
She folded her arms over her chest, displaying that she was not happy with his sarcastic sense of humor. “I don’t like the idea of you going with me.”
He stepped in close to her and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her lips. “Cowboy up, sweetheart,” he said tersely. “Right now you don’t really have a say in what I do, and even if you did, there is no way in hell I’m going to let you march that cute little ass into that clinic alone.” He shook his head sternly, and his eyes focused on hers as the muscles flexed in his jaw. “Face it, Silence. You’re stuck with me.”
He kissed her hard once more and patted her ass before he left the room. Seconds later she was trailing after him, mumbling not so nice pleasantries under her breath. Damn, he loved his little spitfire. He only wished he was fucking her again instead of running toward the gates of Hell.
* * * *
Lance’s eyes sprung open to the sound of scrambling feet and slamming doors. The ruckus around him literally sounded as if the walls around him were about to crash down at any moment. Instantly, his heart surged with the rush of blood and adrenaline that charged through his veins as panic and curiosity rattled him.
Where am I?
He tried to sit up, but his body wasn’t exactly cooperating. He felt as if he had been left out in the sweltering sun to fry. Coated in sweat, he whipped off the sheet that covered his naked body.
Where are my clothes?
Then he smelled it. The divine scent filled his nostrils each time he inhaled. His nose and senses became overwhelmed. Need and hunger fired inside him. He wasn’t sure what that scent was, but it had him licking his lips to find out its exact location.
If not for the distraction, Lance may have cared why he was naked and now suddenly aroused. Focusing on the direction of the powerful aroma, he slowly hopped off the bed and made his way to the doors of the medical room. He quickly glanced through the window of the door to see that he was alone. No one loitered in the hall, but he could sense the presence of others. The sensation was unlike anything he’d ever felt. Somehow, he could actually feel their presences prickling along the skin of his neck and arms. Along with the scent of heaven that drove him in its pursuit, he could identify the unique odor of several males lingering nearby, as well as the sweeter fragrance of a woman.
Listening closely, he assessed that they were in the room down the long corridor on the other side of the double doors. Good thing the smell he sought to find was in the opposite direction.
Sure, he should probably care how and why he was in this medical facility, but honestly all he cared about at present was locating the succulent scent that had his body humming with awareness. The power of that aroma called to him, made his stomach growl as if he’d been starved and left for dead.
Stalking up the corridor with a purpose, he shoved his way into the frigid room. The lights were out, but his eyes could identify the shapes of several gurneys covered in white sheets, and a wall covered in what appeared to be safes. He scrambled to the side of the entryway to find the light switch. Once he found it, and the lights above brought the room to a bright-white glow, he nearly choked at the sight before him. He was standing inside a morgue.
The aroma that turned his body into a primal attack dog had sent him straight into the arms of death. “It’s not possible,” he muttered to himself. “I can’t smell the dead. Or can I?”
Lance dropped to his knees as the hunger that drove him down the hall roared to life once again in his belly. He clawed at the tile floor in front of him. Then he fell back against the door, staring down at the eight lines he’d created in the tile with his hands.
Gasping, he turned his hands over to gaze at the elongated nails on his hands—dark, malicious fingernails that dug through the tile like a knife through butter.
What the hell is happening to me?
An explosion rocked him forward. The door he once sat propped up against shoved him effortlessly as if he weighed no more than an ounce, flinging him deeper into the morgue. Shaking off the ringing in his ears, he scrambled to his feet and instinctively charged in the direction of those he’d sensed earlier. He had to figure out what was going on and what they had done to him.
* * * *
“Did you hear that?” Silence whispered, and knelt so that one knee rested on the ground. They took cover beside a few cars in the clinic parking lot.
Walker placed his hand on the car on his left to help steady himself. “Hear it? I damn well felt it. What was that?” Just as he finished speaking, his slick cowboy boot slid over some shattered glass, making the explosion they’d just heard sound like a pin dropping.
She held her breath and listened to the noises around them. Walker Helmsley had absolutely no covert skills, and he was most likely going to get them caught. The first thing she was going to do when this was over with was buy him a nice pair of combat boots.
“Next time?” she muttered.
“What?”
Silence shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said as she moved beside her sister’s parked car toward the rear of the clinic. “It can’t be good.”
Walker came up behind her and bumped into her. “I thought werewolves used their claws and teeth to attack. Not bombs.”
“I don’t think these are normal lycans, Walker. The primal energy radiating around this place is off the charts.” She turned and locked eyes with him. “Can you feel it?”
She watched as his throat moved in an exaggerated swallow. The lines around his mouth tightened as he gruffly said, “Unfortunately.” He leaned closer to her. “Ever since we made love, I’ve sensed a great deal more things.”
Her tummy fluttered at the reminder of their unfinished evening. In that moment, kissing him was all she wanted to do, clumsy ass and all, but the smell of gas and smoke alerted her to more pressing matters. “Remind me later to have you go into more detail about just what making love to me has done to you.”
He grinned. “With pleasure.”
Smiling back at him, she said, “Now, stop being a flirting klutz and let’s find a way inside the clinic without getting ourselves blown up.”
Walker’s mouth hung open. “I am so not a klutz.”
She arched a brow and tried to hide the smile in her words as she said, “Whatever you say, billionaire cowboy.”
His eyes narrowed as he held her gaze. “I don’t find you funny in the least bit.”
“Good. I wasn’t trying to be funny. Now let’s go.”
Walker was on her heels as they made their way toward the far back of the clinic. He didn’t miss a step. His actions and movements suddenly became stellar and precise. Perhaps being told he was a klutz bruised his ego enough to have him step up his game. Either way, it didn’t matter to her. They had to get inside the clinic, and there was only one way she knew about that could have them walking inside without being seen. At least she hoped that was the case.
Her eyes scanned their surroundings as they moved deeper into the woods, moving further away from the rear of the building.
“Where the hell are we going?” Walker asked, his dark-brown boots scraping along the loose gravel path.
“It’s a secret. Now be quiet and follow me.”
Like Alice down the rabbit hole, she jumped inside what appeared to be nothingness and prayed Walker would have the courage to follow her with no questions asked. The private entrance had been a well-kept secret from everyone that wasn’t part of the council. The clinic had been a meeting place for emergencies. This underground lair not only had a giant boardroom equipped with computers and weapons, but also thick-steel prison cells to house lycans who were unable to control the change in the beginning. The clinic sat on top of this secret facility, keeping its true identity concealed from nearly all.
As Walker slid down the massive steel slide that lead into the secret location, she knew thi
ngs might get a little tense between her and the council once word got out that someone other than the council members knew about the location. Right now, she couldn’t think about those consequences. All she could think about was getting up top and finding out how best to help her sister and the men she’d left to watch over Lance Hickman.
Walker skidded to a stop on his ass and gazed up at her in wonder. “I can’t believe I just jumped into a dark hole beside the edge of a tree on blind faith. What the hell has gotten into me?”
Smiling, she extended her hand to help him stand. “You trust me, Walker, and believe me when I tell you that that means more to me than you’ll ever know.” She pushed to her tiptoes and kissed him. Her heart swelled with pride. “I couldn’t say anything to you before we did it for fear someone would hear. Lycans have exceptional hearing.”
Walker glanced back over his shoulder to look at the spot he had come through. “Can they follow us in?”
“Not without opening the secret passage first, and even if by some chance they figured out how to open the passageway, we would hear them before they got anywhere near us.”
Walker nodded. His expression was one of apprehension.
She took hold of his hand, the one not holding his gun. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. Just stay close to me. I know my way around here like the back of my hand. Shadow and I use to play here as children. We found secret hideouts and passageways I don’t even think all the members of the council know about.”
Following her down a long, darkened corridor, he asked her, “Your father was part of the council, wasn’t he?”
“Yes, and once he died, I was appointed in his place.”
Groaning, Walker said, “Lucky you.”
She stopped and turned to face him. “How do you know about the council?”
“Other than picking up a few tidbits of what you’ve told me tonight”—he paused with a grin—“I know a great deal about the council.”
