Kill them! His wolf goaded, snarling even as their faces paled because of the lack of air flowing to their lungs. Kill them now.
Their eyes rolled back into their skulls and Wyatt let them fall to the ground. No. He told his wolf. I’m not going to kill them.
They had no right to touch her, to threaten her. Kill them now. We have to make sure they never try to hurt her again.
Dead bodies are more trouble than they’re worth, he countered. Dropping their dead weight to the ground, Wyatt watched intently for the slight movement of their chests that told him they were still alive. Pleased with his control, he strode away from them ignoring the calls of his wolf. He might be half feral but he still had enough of his humanity left to know that dead bodies attracted attention and warranted people searching for the killer.
Satisfied that his work was done, Wyatt turned to leave but fell to his knees, clutching his head in agony.
What do you think you’re doing? his wolf snarled loudly. You want to let the men who hurt our mate live? Are you insane? Kill them right now or let me out and I’ll do it.
I’m not the crazy one here. You are. Our mate is dead.
I never saw a body. She’s alive. She was just here!
Emily was human. She had a human life and died a human death.
No, the wolf roared. She disappeared. That doesn’t mean she died. It means you didn’t look hard enough for her. When she went missing you should have done more to look for her. Just be grateful that we’ve found her now.
I was just a kid. There was nothing I could do.
Well you’re not a kid anymore. Now what’s your excuse? They hurt her, kill them.
His eyes flashed white, all colour draining from the bright pupils as Wyatt fought to stay in control. Long moments passed before he was able to get to his feet and even then it was a struggle.
“Our mate is dead,” he spat.
Every step away from the gunmen was a struggle and by the time Wyatt reached the door he was covered in sweat. He pushed the door open, fully expecting to continue his long internal battle into the night. There was no way he could take his other form when his wolf was so intent on murder. Stepping outside he dragged in a long breath of air, bracing himself for a night of internal warfare. His heart stopped as the scent of candy floss settled into his lungs. His mind instantly tried to write it off as the remnants of his sweet treat but it was too strong, too strong to be anything but the scent of a person and there was only one person in the whole world who smelled like sugar and light. His mate.
“Emily,” he gasped. His eyes scanned the area, his nose tracking down the source of the delicious scent. “Impossible,” he told himself even as he tottered on unsteady feet towards the source of the scent. The closer he got to the lone car in the diner’s car park, the thicker her scent became until he could take no more and he ran the distance separating them.
“Emily!”
The muscles in his arm tensed as he prepared to rip the door off its hinges to reach her but there was no need. Wyatt found himself growing at her complete disregard of personal safety. He’d only just found her again, he wouldn’t lose her just because she didn’t realise how dangerous the world around her was.
“I’ll take her home to the clans. I can protect her there.” He muttered the words to himself as he fell to his knees beside the car. Hands shaking, he reached for her carefully. His claws refused to retract, his body ready to protect her from any threats. Taking care not to break her fragile skin with his deadly claws, he eased her unconscious body out of the car and into his arms.
“Emily.” He crushed her against his body, marvelling at how perfectly she fit against him.
His fingers trembled as he eased her thick hair away from her face. It had been so long since he’d seen her beautiful face but he’d never forget it. He pulled her hair back and froze. While the face tucked against his chest was beautiful it wasn’t Emily. The moon came out from behind a cloud, the bright rays revealing the waitress’ red hair in all its luscious glory.
Ours, his wolf sight in pleasured contentment.
This is not our mate. A quick glance at her nametag confirmed it. Her name is Kassandra not Emily. She isn't our mate. His heart broke all over again as he said the words.
You can smell her as well as I can. This is our mate.
Listening to the wolf try and plead his case, Wyatt sighed. “They were right. I am insane.” He glanced down at Kassandra feeling a curious sensation in his chest the longer he looked at her.
Snarling, he pushed the strange emotion to the back of his mind. “My mate’s name is Emily. There’s only one explanation for her smelling like my mate. She knows where I can find her. Kassandra must have seen her recently. She can lead me to her.”
There isn’t another one, his wolf snapped. This is our mate. If you hurt her…
As long as she tells me where I can find Emily I won’t lay a finger on her. If she doesn’t tell me what I need to know then God help her…because I certainly won’t.
Ignoring the wolf’s vocal protests Wyatt bundled Kassandra into the car and drove off. It had been more than fifty years since he’d found a clue about his mate; he wasn’t about to let it slip through his fingers now. He was crazy, he’d accepted that fact long before today but if it meant seeing his mate again he’d happily give up any chance he might have to regain his sanity. For her own well being Wyatt hoped that Kassandra just told him what he wanted to know, otherwise things would go from bad to worse for the pretty waitress. It was never a good idea to come between a wolf and it’s prey and Wyatt would happily give her a hands on demonstration as to why.
Chapter Two
Kass knew the moment she opened her eyes that she wasn’t at home. As the events of the previous night rushed to the front of her mind, it was a struggle to stop her heart from racing again. The opulent golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling told her that she was most certainly not in a hospital and as she couldn’t remember anything after the second gun shot it was obvious that she hadn’t brought herself here. That left her only one other option. Suddenly she wished she was back with the gunmen.
Keeping as still as possible, she glanced around the room cautiously trying not to alert whoever had brought her here that she was awake. As she took in the furniture of the room and the non-existent restraints she breathed a sigh of relief and sat up. Her head fell into her waiting hands and a relieved smile came to her soft lips.
“One. I’m alive. Two. I’m not tied down and three I wasn’t shot. It could be a lot worse.” She chuckled softly to herself. “Hell, it has been a lot worse.” Being inside a luxurious bedroom was definitely a step up from being tied down to a medical gurney. She’d take her current surroundings over her previous ones any day. She was sure of it, until her eyes locked with a pair of glowing golden orbs coming from a dark corner of the room. As the eyes moved closer she scooted back on the bed until her back hit the headboard with a soft thud.
“Stay away from me,” she said softly, holding her hands out to defend herself from any attack.
The eyes kept coming closer until they were in the light and she could see the face attached to the strange orbs that looked like they wanted to devour her whole.
“You. You were at the diner.”
Cracking his bloody knuckles, Wyatt couldn’t help but sigh in disappointment when he saw her brown eyes. At the back of his mind he’d hoped that his wolf was right but now he knew he really was going crazy, his wolf had just descended into madness first. The woman in front of him was not his mate and he would do well to remember that, particularly if he she didn’t tell him what he needed to know. It went against every protective instinct he possessed to even be contemplating hurting the fragile creature in his bed but there was nothing he wouldn’t do to reach Emily. Her name a talisman in his mind, he strode forward until mere inches separated them. Her scent was still clouding his mind, making his wolf mad with the need to touch her, kiss her and claim her. Unbidde
n, his eyes fell to the soft looking skin of her throat, his wolf filling his mind with images of their mark resting there.
“Stop it,” he scowled.
“I haven’t done anything,” Kass said carefully.
She didn’t know anything about this man except that he looked dangerous. The long hair hanging around his shoulders was as thick and unkempt as his beard and neither made him look peaceful. His arms bulged with muscle and the tips of his nails looked like they had been filed into sharp points. His eyes made her nervous, the shifting colours in his golden orbs warning her that he might not be wearing contacts as she had first thought. Until she found out exactly what he wanted, it would be wise not to anger him.
Growling, Wyatt pulled away from his wolf and focused on the woman in front of him. The quicker he got the information from her, the quicker he could be on his way to finding Emily.
Recognition made Kass’ eyes widen. “You. You saved me from those men.”
Wyatt nodded in agreement, stopping just short of the bed. To move any closer to her was to put himself at risk. He’d fought his wolf ruthlessly while he’d waited for her to open her eyes. The suite was large but with her smell tempting him relentlessly it had been a struggle to even be in the same room as her. His wolf was obsessed with touching her body, kissing her lips and tasting her skin and it had taken everything he’d had to stop himself giving into the wolf’s demands.
“Where am I and why have you brought me here?”
“I found you in your car, the door wasn’t locked.”
Wyatt’s wolf growled at the reminder, pacing anxiously at the back of his mind. Even though it was what had helped him find her, his mate had put herself at great risk by not locking the car. If it had been anyone else but him…The wolf howled in anger.
“That doesn’t explain why you brought me here. You don’t know me. I could live in my car.”
The wolf’s emotions were spreading and despite himself, Wyatt moved closer and leaned over her until only inches separated them. A fragile creature like her deserved to live in the lap of luxury not in the backseat of her run down old car. Winter was coming fast; she’d freeze to death if she had to spend it in the tin shell he’d found her in. “Do you live in your car?”
Unnerved by the anger in the simple question Kass shook her head vigorously. “No,” she managed to croak. The swirling depths of his amber eyes were entrancing and she found herself watching the shifting colours that moved about in his golden gaze. The colour wasn’t human but she found herself strangely comforted by the heat in his stare. Just as she felt her body begin to relax, he spoke and ruined everything.
“I brought you here so I could ask you some questions. Where is Emily?”
Her body tensed, suddenly on full alert. There was only one reason he would be asking about Emily. He knew her secret. The safety she’d found so fleetingly evaporated in an instant. She had to get out of here as quickly as possible. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” She gave him a shaky smile and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Thanks for saving me from those men. I have to meet a friend, she’s expecting me. If I don’t get there soon she’ll worry and call the police. I don’t want them to waste their time looking for me.” Just breathe, she told herself as she got to her feet. Her eyes met his and her heart stopped. The tenderness that had been in his eyes had disappeared and now savage fury poured from his gaze.
“Liar.”
His hand was around her throat before she could even try to defend herself.
What are you doing! his wolf roared, the sound making his ears feel as though they were about to burst. Get your hands off our mate or I’ll find a way to kill you myself.
She’s lying. She knows where Emily is. You can smell the lie as well as I can. “I know you’re lying,” Wyatt growled. Pressure built in his temples, the wolf straining against him, until he was forced to drop her back to the bed. “Tell me where Emily is.”
Breathing hard, Kass clutched her throat and stared up at the man that had once been her saviour. She’d been right, there was strength in those arms and he could kill her if that was what he wanted and right now it seemed like an all together likely possibility that was exactly what was going to happen. “Please, just let me go. I don’t know whoever it is you’re looking for. You don’t know me and I don’t know you. I’ll never tell anyone that I met you. I’ll disappear if that’s what you want. Just let me go.”
He leaned in close and Kass tried hard to widen the distance between them but it was pointless, there was nowhere for her to go. Closing her eyes tight, she tried to avoid his penetrating stare but his rough voice wormed its way into her ears, blocking out everything but his words.
“I know you’re lying. I can smell it. Tell me where Emily is and then I’ll let you go.” He cracked his knuckles torn between wanted to caress her face, wiping away the terror that was pouring from her skin and wanting to strangle her until she gave up her secret.
“I can’t,” Kass squeaked.
Roaring, Wyatt pulled back and punched his fist into the wall.
Terrified, Kassandra watched as he single handedly demolished the wall, mortar crumbling around him as he beat a vicious tattoo of rage into the brick. He’s going to kill me. It should have been impossible for a single person to create so much destruction but the man in front of her was proving her wrong.
Body shaking, Wyatt tried to catch his breath and turned to the woman who was intent on driving him mad. Her wide brown eyes turned his stomach. Memories assaulted him of how perfectly her body had fit against his as he’d carried her up into his hotel suite. She was tiny in comparison to his hulking strength but she had nothing to fear from him. A fragile flower like her should be protected; she should never be cringing in fear as though she expected him to strike her.
You’re the one that had your hand around her throat! Look at what you did to her. Look at the bruises you made on our mate!
The wolf’s words drew his eyes to the pale skin of her throat and the purple marks forming from his handling of her. She isn’t our mate, he retorted angrily. She can’t be. She looks nothing like Emily.
The last time he’d seen Emily, she’d been as tall as an Amazon and just as confident. The woman in front of him with her red hair, pale skin and tiny frame was nothing like his mate despite what she smelled liked.
She must be protecting her. She must be. I just have to calm down long enough to get her to tell me. “Look, I just want to know where she is. I’m not going to hurt her. I promise.” A sense of desperation washed over him and he fell to his knees. “Please, you have to help me. You can trust me.”
Blinking in disbelief, Kass fought the urge to laugh at his words. “You want me to trust you? When you look like you want to kill everyone and you’ve already had your hands around my throat? Please…just let me go.”
“I can’t.” His heart twisted inside his chest as he watched tears form in her eyes. The sight of them running down her face almost sent him over the edge but a quick glance at the wall he’d demolished reined in the worst of his anger. He couldn’t afford to lose control again if he wanted her to trust him enough to tell him where Emily was.
You could also try to at least look like what you know what it is to be clean. It’s no wonder our mate wants nothing to do with us, you look like a lunatic.
Running a hand over the coarse hair of his beard and knowing that his long hair was tangled and matted with dirt Wyatt couldn’t help but agree with his wolf’s description. “Kass?”
The sound of her name coming from his lips sent a shiver down Kassandra’s spine. Although her kidnapper looked like a wild man he did have a very sensual voice and as goose bumps appeared on her skin she couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like beneath all his hair. “How do you know my name?” she squeaked grabbing onto anything that wasn’t her unreasonable attraction to a man that clearly was on the wrong side of crazy.
Smiling, he pointed to her name badge. “It’
s on your chest.” His eyes drank in the gentle curve of her breasts, his wolf howling in appreciation at the soft bounty.
“Oh.”
“I need you to understand what’s going on so listen. I’m not going to hurt you but I need to find Emily and you’re the only one who knows where she is. So until you tell me what I need to know I’m not going to let you leave.”
“You can’t keep me prisoner here. People will know that I’m missing. They’ll come looking for me.”
He shrugged. “No one knows who I am so they won’t be looking for me when they’re looking for you.”
Her eyes flickered to the door, scanning the windows for any possible escape route and he growled at the thought of her getting away from him. Until he found Emily she wouldn’t be going anywhere without him. “I know what you’re thinking but let me tell you it’s a waste of energy. You’re not going to be getting away from me until I have the information I want. You can’t escape from here.”
“And where exactly is here?”
“A hotel.”
Her heart quickened at his words. Hotels meant people and if she could just get a message to the outside world she could get away.
Wyatt’s smile widened. Her face was so expressive he could see her every thought as it went through her brain. She was adorable. Emily will be just as loveable, he thought to himself as the treacherous idea came to him. “Just so you know I own this hotel.” Well the clan does. “No one here will help you. They’ve all been given strict orders to bring you back to me if they see you alone. Not that you’d be able to even get down to the lobby to make one of them aware of you. We’re on the top floor of the hotel and there are no stairs that lead here. The only way you can get to this floor is by using the lift and the only way to open the lift is with my fingerprint and retina scan.”
Her hopeful expression fell with his every word until completely dejected she sank back into the mattress.
“I can take you down to the lobby if you tell me where I can find Emily.”
A Wolf's Obsession Page 2
