“Hank?”
Metal crushed under his hand.
“Hank? What are you going to do?” Melissa asked. “I—”
“Shut up, Melissa,” he said, his voice low. He turned away from her, dropped the flowers and the ruined phone to the floor, and began to walk to the master bedroom.
The edges of his vision were blurry and bright white. A pain slashed at him, and he pushed it deep inside him. It was like the last time he was betrayed. No, it was worse. Because this time, it was his mate that had betrayed him.
His dragon wanted to come out and claw at everything until the hurting stopped. Even now he could feel it. His skin was starting to turn scaly, and his hands were forming into claws.
No!
He channeled the rage and balled it up, until it died and he felt nothing, and he was hollow like a shell.
Outside, the sky began to darken. There was crack of thunder and then lightning filled the sky, setting it ablaze. An early fall thunderstorm. How appropriate.
The door opened slowly, the sound of wood creaking on metal piercing his ears. The air in the room grew heavy and cold as he realized who it was.
“Hank?” Riva asked as she stepped in.
Fists balled at his sides, he stood up and faced her.
“Oh, Hank, you won’t believe what I’ve been through today.” She walked to him and wrapped her arms around him. When he stiffened, she pulled away and eyed him. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sure you’ve had a tough day,” he said, bitterness in his voice. “Being with your boyfriend and all. Tell me, did he even spring for a motel room or did he just fuck you in his car?”
She gasped.
“Oh, you’re not even going to deny you saw him?”
“It’s not what you think!”
“Oh really? That man’s hands all over you, his hands between your legs…what was I supposed to think?”
“That’s not how it happened!” she protested. “Please, Hank, listen to me!”
“I don’t want to hear your lies anymore. I saw it with my own two eyes.”
“How?” she asked, shrinking away from him. “What did you see, exactly?”
He seized her arm and pulled her back. “I saw pictures of your little tryst. Now, should I call the FBI? You are associating with a suspect on the run,” he spat.
Her eyes blazed with anger and her face turned defiant. “Are you having me followed? Don’t you trust me?”
“Why, have you given me any reason to? This just shows that I can’t trust you.”
She wrenched her arm away from him. “I thought…I wasn’t…”
“What? Are you going to try to explain what you were doing in that parking lot with your boyfriend?”
She hesitated for a moment, but continued. “You obviously don’t even want to believe me.”
“Believe what? Tell me what other lies have been spewing from your mouth? Did you even enjoy sleeping with me? Or were you thinking about him while you fucked—” A crack rang through the air and it this time wasn’t thunder. He didn’t even see Riva’s hand as it connected with his cheek. It stung, but he didn’t move.
“You’re a monster!” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I thought I…” She turned her back to him.
“What? Were you going to take over Lennox? Was that the plan? Were you—”
“Shut up, Hank,” she interrupted. “I’m not going to stay here and defend myself to you. I’m your wife, and I shouldn’t have to!” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, really I am. You’re a good man, and Andrea and Harrison ruined you. But maybe, once you find out the truth for yourself, you’ll decide you can trust me. Hank…” She reached out to touch him, but he flinched. “I’m going home. To my father back in Verona Mills. We can talk once you’ve calmed down enough to see reason.” She turned around and left the room.
Was she insane? He huffed. Did she think he would change his mind? That after her betrayal, he’d come crawling back to her. He stomped over to the bathroom, yanking the door open. He’d never trust another woman with his heart. All of them were the same. Two-faced liars.
Chapter 11
Hank drowned himself in alcohol, downing every bottle he could get his hands on. Melissa had tried to talk to him, to find out what happened, but he roared at her to leave him alone. He locked himself in the library with his liquor, unable to stand being in the bedroom where he’d made love to Riva. His mate. Who betrayed him.
By around nine p.m. he was sufficiently buzzed. Damned shifter metabolism. He could get drunk but it took a helluva lot of alcohol.
Outside, the storm raged. The wind shook the windows, making them rattle hard as the rain batted against the glass panes. It was a perfect mirror to his emotions.
She hadn’t even tried to defend herself. He’d waited, wanting to know if there was any other explanation. But she had none.
Or she didn’t want to, a voice inside his head said. She shouldn’t have to. She’s your mate. You should have trusted her.
He muffled the voice with another swig of bourbon. The burn was brief, but it was enough to dull the voice and the pain.
An insistent knock on the door jarred him out of his thoughts. He stood there for a moment, blinked, then walked to the door when the knocking became louder.
“I said I didn’t want to be disturbed!” he shouted as he yanked the door open.
James stood on the other side. Beside him was Sheriff Meacham. Meacham was a panther shifter and had been Blackstone’s Sheriff since last year. He was holding something dark in his left hand, but Hank couldn’t see what it was exactly.
“What do you want?” he asked, his mood darkening. He did not want to deal with town politics right now.
“Hank, you should sit down,” James urged, as he entered the room. Then he saw the bottles of liquor on the table. “What the fuck is going on here? Why did Riva run away?”
“I don’t want to hear that liar’s name,” he said in a deadly voice.
“Hank, she’s your mate.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” he raged. He grabbed the bottle of bourbon and took a drink. “That bitch betrayed me. All this time, she’d been seeing her old boyfriend. Daniel Murphy.”
James and Meacham looked at each other. “Hank, take a seat please,” Meacham advised.
“Whatever it is you have to say, just say it and go.”
The Sheriff nodded at James. “Hank, there’s been an accident.”
Meacham raised his left hand. “Do you recognize this, Mr. Lennox?”
Hank frowned and reached out to grab the object. It was a coat. A woman’s coat. Riva’s, to be exact. She had been wearing it when she came into the room. It was sopping wet, like it had been dunked in water. “I don’t understand.”
Meacham took off his hat. “Mr. Lennox, we found that washed up along the river about an hour ago. At around five p.m., we got a call from someone driving up to Blackstone. He said that he saw a dark-colored sedan drive straight off the road. The barriers weren’t strong enough and the car went over the edge and into the river. We haven’t recovered the car yet, as the storm’s been rough. We sent one of our guys down there to check for survivors and he found the coat.”
Glass shattered into a million pieces. The shards bounced off the wooden floor and a few pieces jabbed his foot. But he didn’t feel it. Blood roared into his ears and made them start ringing. The emptiness that was inside him was now filling with heavy dread.
“Hank?” James asked. “Are you all right?”
He let out a deep growl. “No. I mean, it’s not…you can’t…” He was grasping for an explanation. Something. Anything. She wasn’t…she could have survived, right?
“There’s something else, Hank,” James said somberly. “The FBI. They’re waiting downstairs.”
“What? Why?”
“Riva called them. She told them that a fugitive had come into contact with her today. Daniel Murphy.”
&nb
sp; “I don’t understand.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I saw it…the pictures.”
“Mr. Lennox!” A cry from the doorway made the three men’s heads turn. “Mr. Lennox, please. I need to tell you something.”
James turned to the young woman. “What is it…”
“Meg,” she said. “Is it true? Mrs. Lennox…is she gone?” Her eyes darted to the coat in Hank’s hands and she began to cry. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault!”
“Meg, calm down,” James said. “What are you talking about? Just tell us.”
“Mr. Walker…Mr. Lennox…I swear, she said she was going to fire me if I didn’t do it.”
“Do what?”
“I…I told her about your fiancée…and I put the picture where she would find it.” Tears streaked down her cheeks. “The other Mrs. Lennox told me to do it. And then when that didn’t work, she said I had to tell the staff we were all getting fired so they would hate her.”
“Wait…Melissa told you to do that?” Hank asked. “Why?” He grabbed her by the shoulders and began to shake her.
“Hank, stop,” James said. “You’re scaring the poor girl.”
Hank put his hands down. “Go call my dear sister-in-law,” he instructed the girl. “Now.”
Meg nodded and scurried away. Minutes later, Melissa walked in, dressed in a sleeping robe.
“Hank, what’s the meaning of this?” she asked in an annoyed tone. “I was in bed when that maid hauled me out and told me I had to come to the library now.” She looked at James and Meacham, her face confused.
“Why did you want Riva to find Andrea’s picture?” Hank asked, stepping toward her. “And why did you have her followed by a PI?”
“I told you,” she said. “I had a bad feeling about her. I knew that—”
“Stop lying!” he roared and the air plunged in temperature and grew thick like a heavy fog. He raised his arms, which had turned scaly as long black talons ripped from his fingertips. “Tell me the truth.”
“Hank, I…”
“Now!”
Her face turned from calm to fright, then anger. “Because I wanted that bitch gone! Can’t you see, Hank? We should have been together after Harrison and Andrea betrayed us. I could have had your dragon babies and provided you the heir you needed!”
“Melissa…” Hank felt bile rising in his throat. “You planned all of this.”
“Yes! Because you’re a fool! You didn’t even know about Harrison and Andrea, but I’d known for months!” she screamed. “He didn’t know I knew either, and one night he came to me, out of guilt. He said he’d been in love with Andrea since the first moment they met, when you brought her to dinner to introduce to your father. He claimed she was his mate and he’d been denying it for years because he loved you and didn’t want to hurt you.”
The bottom of his stomach dropped. “No.”
“Oh, yes. That bastard! I was so mad. He said he couldn’t live with the lie anymore and that he was going to tell you. Ha!” Her eyes turned crazy. “I wasn’t going to let them ruin my life! Everything I’d worked for! And so I thought there was still a way. You and me, Hank. We could be together and continue your family’s legacy. But we had to get rid of them first.”
“What are you saying?”
“I did it. I cut the brake line of Harrison’s car. I didn’t know Andrea would be in there with him, but what a bonus, right? And now, your slut wife is gone too, and we can be together. I found her ex-boyfriend, and of course that little weasel would do anything for some cash, even force himself on her—argh!”
“Hank, no!” James shouted.
But it was too late. Hank already had his hands around Melissa’s neck and was slowly squeezing tight.
“Hank!”
He screamed in pain and let go when James shifted into his grizzly form. Large paws with razor sharp claws grabbed at him and pulled him away from Melissa.
“But…I did it for you….” she choked out.
“You bitch! You did it for yourself. You killed them!” Hank shouted. “Did you cut Riva’s brake line too?” Melissa’s eyes filled with tears and she nodded. “Sheriff, I want her arrested!”
“With pleasure,” Meacham said, hauling Melissa to her feet and carting her away.
A series of pops and bones breaking told Hank that James had shifted back. “Hank? What are you going to do?”
Despair and grief tore at his heart and he picked up the discarded coat. “I can’t…she can’t be…” And as quick as his feet could move, he ran out of the room.
Chapter 12
Well, this certainly is a predicament, Riva thought as she opened her eyes. Raindrops fell from the sky, pelting her face. She quickly sat up, coughing up the river water that she’d swallowed as she escaped from the car.
It had all happened so fast. Her vision was blinded with tears as she drove and the rain didn’t exactly help. Then, as she maneuvered a curve, the brakes suddenly stopped working. She screamed as the car tore through the barrier and into the river.
The car was washing away downstream. She didn’t have a choice—she rolled the window down and slipped out before the car filled with water. Her heavy wool coat was dragging her down so she shucked it off and swam to the bank. Thank God she was a strong swimmer and in relatively good health. Even so, she barely made it, collapsing with exhaustion on the bank.
And now it was dark and the rain continued to pour down. Have to get out of here, she thought. Go back. Go to the road and maybe catch a ride into Verona Mills. Or call her father. She’d sent him a text message that she was coming home. He’d be worried for sure.
The cold chilled her to the bone and she began to shiver. At least it distracted her from the pain in her chest, gripping at her like a vice. How could Hank think she could do that? And what had he seen, exactly? Obviously he didn’t see what happened after—that she’d pushed Daniel off her and told him to get lost. Someone had poisoned his mind against her, and she had a sneaking suspicion who. If she ever saw Melissa again…
Anyway, that didn’t matter. She’d said she’d wait for him to see reason, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized how naive that was.
Hank believed a picture over her word. He would never change his mind. He was stubborn as an ox. And to think she was foolish enough to fall in love with him. He obviously didn’t feel anything for her at all.
The ache in her chest bloomed as she thought of his cruel words, but she ignored it. She had to get help—that was her main priority now. Adrenaline was pumping through her veins, but once she calmed down the heat could quickly escape her body. Hypothermia was a real concern, especially with the temperatures dropping and her clothes still wet from her involuntary river dunking.
She finally reached the road, climbing over the barrier carefully. It was dark, with only the lampposts above giving her light. There was nowhere to hide from the rain, but even if she could find shelter, she shouldn’t stay still—moving would keep her warm. So she began to walk. Hopefully, a car would come by, see her, and stop.
What would she do now? Hank actually thought she’d been conspiring against him? With Daniel? Maybe he was unstable. Didn’t some shifters have weird brain diseases that made them go crazy?
Or he’s just an asshole.
Her heart sank. The look on his face as he spewed those words at her, full of hate and fury. Tears sprang to her eyes. It would have hurt less if he’d cut out her heart and tossed it away. But that was exactly what he did. He—
A loud roar made her jump and she stopped walking. “What the?” She looked up into the dark sky. “Oh dear Lord!”
A large gold creature was flying overhead, its scales glinting in the moonlight. Was that Hank? Who else could it be? What was he doing, flying out in this weather?
He looked magnificent, and her heart sank further. The creature circled, letting out a screech. Was he looking for something?
Hope fluttered in her. “Hank!” she screamed
, jumping and waving her hands. “Hank, please! I’m here! Look down!”
But it was no use. The dragon threw back its head, roared in fury and flew away. Away from her.
“No!” she cried. “Please…I’m here.” She was crying now, unable to stop the tears. Hank was looking for her! Right? She had to believe that. He’d changed his mind and believed in her.
She wiped the tears from her eyes. She had to go back to the castle. She looked around, let out a determined huff and began to walk up the road in the direction of Blackstone.
She walked for what seemed like forever, and her teeth started to chatter. Just as she’d lost hope, she saw headlights illuminating the road. Turning around, she held her hand up to her eyes as the headlights nearly blinded her.
The vehicle slowed down, then stopped beside her. It was a beat-up old Ford pickup truck and the back was filled with furniture, suitcases, and trunks all strapped down with rope. The windows rolled down and a woman stuck her head out.
“Miss! What are you doing all alone out here? Are you okay?” Kind blue eyes blinked at her.
“I’ve been in an accident,” she said through chattering teeth.
“Oh sugar, did you take a swim?” She reached behind her and opened the door. “Get in before you freeze to death!” She turned to the driver. “Clark, turn the heat up.”
Riva nodded gratefully and got inside. She was already much warmer. The light in the cab turned on and two curious faces looked at her.
“I’m Clark Caldwell,” the man in the driver’s seat said. “This is my wife, Martha.”
The woman smiled at Riva. “And that’s Nathan.” She nodded at the child strapped in the car seat beside her.
“I’m Riva, thank you for stopping,” she said. She gave them the short version of what had happened. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but could you give me a ride to Blackstone, if that’s on your way? Or anywhere’s fine. Or actually if I could use your phone, I could call someone and have them pick me up.”
“Not a problem,” Clark said. “We’re headed to Blackstone, too.”
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