Crazy Over You

by Wendy Sparrow

  But if he’d just told her the time…

  Hell, he could have cc’d her on the pack-wide email.

  When she left the house, it was there in the air. Not nearby, but definitely there. Her brother’s scent made her chest hurt. So much for repression. She tracked him slowly and methodically, like Ross had taught her. Block out the other scents as if they were background noise. Focus on the scent as if it were a visible trail and follow it. It wove all over as if her brother had wandered around many of the properties of the pack. She found more of the owners of the clothes he’d taken. No Ross. Only his scent taunting her.

  Maybe she was imagining it.

  What were the odds?

  Probably slim.

  Her brother was dead to her either way.

  Finally, as the sun started setting, she went back to Travis’s place. Her clothes were there. It made sense. Plus, she needed to check her email. Logging on to his computer was almost too easy. She ran a virus scan while she was on there and scanned his search history before deleting it…because you never knew who might access your computer.

  She packed up everything in her car so she could leave if there was nothing here for her anymore when the challenge ended. That might be true regardless of how well Travis did.

  Travis’s search history had been downright boring. He spent so much time on science sites…no wonder he was sexually repressed. Then it looked like he also sometimes helped kids with their homework online. And this was what he did in his off-hours. When he wasn’t out saving the world from criminals. Criminals like her. She’d been so far past three strikes even before she’d killed a man in cold blood.

  The scents of the crime scene sometimes hit her in flashbacks. She avoided the meat section in the grocery store because the scent of blood there made everything hazy. It would be humiliating to have one of her naked running spells in the cereal aisle.

  Then there was the scent of death. Even roadkill sometimes ripped her insides up, and she had to pull over so she could hyperventilate safely.

  What could she have done, though? What might she have done differently? He’d deserved to die for what he’d done to that family.

  Maybe she’d inherited her dad’s animal side, because she’d never felt remorse. Shouldn’t you feel that when you take a life?

  Travis probably would have felt guilty.

  He’d probably feel guilty if, for some reason, he had to kill Troy tonight, even if that porn-addicted creep had started this whole thing.

  A long shower helped her relax…a little, other than all his soap and shampoo smelled like him. Now she smelled like him. It was like wearing his shirt all over again.

  At six p.m. she drove over and waited outside Merilee’s house. Of all people, she’d be the easiest one to track. The woman reeked of hormones, like she was oozing sex. And her whole house smelled like it, too. She could tell Troy made regular stop-bys. If she’d whiffed even the slightest hint of Travis there, she might have gone ballistic—even if that made no sense.

  At fifteen minutes to seven, Merilee flew out of her garage, driving like a speed demon. Hopefully these things never started early. They arrived at a large lodge with five minutes to spare, but she parked farther from the place and walked toward it cautiously. There were a lot of cars. Thirty.

  Whoa. How bad of an idea was it to show up uninvited? Three dozen angry Lycans might be ugly. It didn’t matter. She deserved to know what happened tonight. If Travis really saw her as a mate and an equal, she would have been invited…it boiled down to that. Hell, if he even saw her as pack, she would have been invited. Her heart ached. It was just as well she’d loaded up her stuff and was ready to go.

  She was quiet and kept to the shadows as she approached. Lights flickered on the other side of the lodge, and she circled to find there was a clearing the size of a baseball diamond with citronella torches circling it. Around forty people her age were gathered in a circle, talking.

  The back door of the nearby lodge slammed, and Travis stalked out. The circle parted to let him through, and the group hushed and bowed their heads. He was shirtless, and his tattoo was glowing in the flickers from the torches.

  She wrapped her arms around her waist and kept back. Her heart felt like it was stuttering and dying. What if he lost this? He couldn’t, though.

  Suddenly, Travis turned and looked at her, and she shrank back even farther. Of course he could see her. He was a Lycan. Ross had always told her how much better they could see in the dark. Travis looked behind him and nodded in her direction.

  Okay, so maybe this was a bad idea. Hopefully the Lycan version of a bouncer didn’t kill her.

  A moment later, a deep voice whispered from behind her. “Hey…you must be LeAnn.” He grabbed her upper arm firmly as he touched her back. “You’re okay. Travis sent me.”

  She twisted to see a giant muscled guy—holy cow…how was this guy not Alpha? At least he wasn’t Troy. That was good. He was tanned with dark hair and dark eyes, and she didn’t want to be intimidated, but she still swallowed audibly before she whispered, “I’m staying.”

  He smiled. “Of course you are. And you get to stick near me so no one bothers you.”

  “Oh.” She inhaled. “Oh, your clothes are in Travis’s guest room.”

  He drew her closer to the group as he said, “I was here earlier this week, helping him track. I’m Jordan. I’m the Alpha over the Glacier Peak pack.” He let go of her arm when they reached the edge of the circle. He leaned casually against a tree, but she noticed everyone was giving him a wide berth.

  The hum of voices picked up again as Travis looked at the ground and seemed to be mentally preparing himself.

  “He’s going to win, isn’t he?” she whispered to Jordan.

  Another guy about Travis’s size stepped forward on the other side of the circle. He was cocky and kept smiling and nodding at everyone in the circle. That was definitely Troy.

  “Yes,” Jordan said. “I once saw Travis take down a drunk-and-disorderly who was about twice his size and higher than a kite, too. And not like a sloppy drunk or a mellow high. This guy looked like he’d killed and eaten the last guy he’d faced off with. He attacked Travis the moment he saw him. Travis had his face to the pavement in under a minute. Guy never knew what hit him. And there Travis was reading him his rights while trying to wipe the guy’s blood out of his eyes. The idiot got a second wind and tried to swing at him, nearly broke his own arm in the process. And Travis growls at this ass…and slams him back down. They’d drawn a crowd by then, and they all jumped back at that growl. I was afraid I was going to be explaining why their local cop had turned into a wolf, but no, he was fine. Calm as could be…he kept reading him his rights, and the idiot on the ground was as quiet as a kitten after that.”

  “You were there for all that?”

  He nodded.

  “And you didn’t think to help at all?”

  Jordan grinned. “Well, I clapped at the end.”

  She thought she saw Travis smile slightly, but it might have been a trick of the light.

  Then everyone went still as Travis looked up.

  Everyone besides the other guy in the circle and Jordan lowered their heads.

  “Our hierarchy is pack, honor, Alpha, mate, self,” Travis said, speaking firmly with his back ramrod straight. “As your Alpha, it is my honor to lead you when I am the strongest among us. That honor has been challenged. As the good of the pack is of a higher worth than my own life, I choose to answer this challenge. Who challenges me?”

  “I challenge you,” Troy said, stepping forward. Yeah, she didn’t feel a bit bad about breaking into his place. Or kicking in his speakers.

  Travis stared at him. “You will abide by our laws and accept the outcome of the challenge even if it costs your life?”

  “I will.”

  Travis smiled…and it wasn’t a good smile. If she’d been Troy, she’d have said, “Just kidding,” about now. “Last chance, Troy,” he said in a compl
etely different voice, less formal, as he crouched into a fighter’s stance.

  Troy shook his head and dropped down, too. “You don’t scare me. Merilee could take you on a bad day.”

  Across from them, Merilee’s eyes widened and she shook her head slightly. Everyone had raised their head now—apparently you were allowed to watch the fight disrespectfully.

  “So…trash talk?” she asked Jordan—with raised eyebrows. It’d sounded like there should be tribal drums beating up until then.

  “We’re still men,” Jordan said, shrugging.

  Then, quick as lightning striking, both men shifted and Travis snarled and, holy hell, she jumped.

  Troy growled back, but it was nowhere as terrifying as Travis’s. If her guy’s bite was anywhere near as bad as his bark, there was no way Travis could lose.

  The two wolves circled, growling under their breaths.

  Her heart was pounding. This was insane. It was hard to believe she was even here—that this was even happening.

  “He’s going to win,” she muttered under her breath.

  “Of course he will. He’s Alpha,” Jordan said. He was standing there all relaxed and sure. She wanted to punch him for looking so calm.

  Troy leaped forward with a snarl, but Travis darted to the side and turned in time to bite Troy’s side. Troy twisted, snapping his jaws at empty air. Travis had already dodged out of the way and was circling again, fangs bared.

  Travis’s eyes were narrowed and hot. Up until then, she’d known that even if he won, Travis wouldn’t kill Troy, but she had her doubts now. That was some serious loathing in his eyes.

  Troy jumped forward again, going low, and sank his teeth into Travis’s leg, but Travis slipped away while still managing to bite Troy’s shoulder. When they went back to circling, she could see blood in both their mouths. Travis wasn’t limping, though—that was something. Of course it might be because he was too proud, but she didn’t think so.

  Snarling and feinting forward, Troy approached, but then danced back. It looked like he was taunting Travis into making the first move this time.

  Travis stopped and tilted his head.

  “You can almost hear him thinking, ‘Troy, you’re a dumb-ass,’” Jordan said.

  Troy charged forward, and the two rolled as they tried to get their jaws around each other’s throats. Travis broke out and jumped at a nearby tree, kicking and twisting on the return so he landed nearly on Troy’s back. He sank his teeth into Troy’s neck, but Troy bucked him off a second later. Troy dived at him on the ground, but Travis scrambled out of the way.

  “Bastard once used that move on me,” Jordan muttered.

  “Troy?”

  “No, Travis. He’s lighter weight—it’s almost not fair. He moves faster.”

  “Travis challenged you?”

  “No, it was before I was Alpha. He won that time, too. I’ve got a scar on my neck to show for it. Sneaky bastard. He started that fight if I remember right…it was over this girl named…” He glanced at her. “Uhh, never mind.”

  Narrowing her eyes, she stared down Jordan.

  He smiled.

  Troy growled and feinted forward again, drawing her attention back to the fight.

  Travis planted his feet and snarled.

  She jumped. Geez, Troy should run for it. He didn’t. He bolted straight at Travis, and they went for each other’s throats. They rolled and snapped, and she couldn’t make out who was winning. It was a flash of Travis’s tan fur and Troy’s darker brown coat, and she held her breath when it slowed and Troy had his teeth sunk into Travis’s shoulder. Travis tugged free and backed up.

  She exhaled. Good. That was good. Travis was going to win. He had to.

  “That’s it…tire him out…tire him out,” Jordan murmured.

  There were large patches of blood on both wolves, and she couldn’t tell how bad it was. Most of the blood might be Troy’s—she hoped it was.

  They went back to circling.

  Another snarl from Travis, and this time she was proud that she stayed cool, even if it made her mouth go dry.

  Troy couldn’t seem to wait out Travis, and he dived forward, but Travis was near a tree again and jumped off it onto Troy’s back. This time he didn’t get thrown off as fast, and he tore a deep wound into Troy’s shoulder that made him howl and buck frantically. When he finally tossed Travis, Troy was limping slightly.

  Jordan stared at them with narrowed eyes, and he shook his head. “Idiot is going to make Travis rip him to shreds.”

  Her stomach clenched. Okay, she couldn’t watch that. If that happened, she’d need to turn away. Hopefully everyone in the pack wouldn’t think she was a weak baby, but she couldn’t keep her lunch if she had to watch that.

  Three more lunges and rolls later, Troy was staggering unevenly, even if he’d torn a deep gouge into Travis’s side. And they were circling…and circling…and Jordan was right—Troy was going to fight until he was dead from blood loss.

  She glanced around, and most of the other watchers were frowning. Alanna was watching with a slight smile and her head tilted. Merilee had her eyes covered and was crying, and a few of the other women had retreated back from the circle. Aside from Alanna, they didn’t want this, but it was part of being a pack. They needed Travis to win, even if they didn’t want to see Troy suffer. They needed this to trust Travis.

  Troy lunged forward, and Travis jumped back. One moment, he was a wolf. The next, Travis’d shifted back and grabbed Troy by the upper body. Twisting, he slammed Troy’s head against the ground. Troy’s claws slashed his chest before he went limp.

  Travis waited by the other Lycan’s body, staring.

  “I’ll be damned. I’ve never seen that before,” Jordan whispered. “There’s no way I could keep my wolf’s instincts reined in enough to think of that in a fight. Travis has an almost sick level of control.”

  Merilee looked up and sniffed. The clearing was quiet other than Travis’s thick breaths as he stood watching Troy.

  Troy drew in a breath, but didn’t move.

  “Knocked him unconscious,” Jordan said, tilting his head. He nodded at the two. “He should kill him.”

  Travis reached out a hand and pressed it against the wolf’s neck. Then he stood up, looking somber, and went back to where his pants were and pulled them on. “Liam, when he comes to, make sure he’s gone by tomorrow.” He twisted his arm to look at a gash on the back with a scowl.

  “I would’ve killed him,” Jordan said, still looking at Troy.

  “Why?” she whispered.

  “He’s vindictive, and he enjoys seeing things suffer. He’s got no place in a pack, because he’s got a mean streak that he doesn’t mind feeding.” He clenched his teeth. “He’s like a dog that’s got a taste of blood so you have to put it down. That’s Troy.”

  She shuddered. Her ex had been like that. Someone should have put him down. “I can understand that. I can’t see Travis ever doing it, but it makes sense.”

  “You okay?” Jordan asked her.

  She nodded. Her relaxing muscles felt shaky from how tightly wound she’d been. The adrenaline crash from this was going to be nasty. But he’d won. And that was all that mattered. “He did good.” She was sorta proud of her man.

  “Told you he’d win.”

  She smiled halfheartedly. It was over.

  It felt good to see the pack so subdued, and she could almost feel them pulling together to get beyond this…to get over this. It did feel like family—it felt like when Ross had pummeled her ex to protect her. You did what you did to protect the people you cared about, and sometimes it was violent. This made sense.

  “Do you need that stitched up?” Alanna called to Travis, who was wiping the blood from his mouth while examining the gash to his side.

  LeAnn wanted to tear into the woman. Even if she was a doctor…no…just no…

  Jordan chuckled softly, and Travis went still.

  “What?” LeAnn muttered.

  “
You growled,” Jordan said, clearly amused. “I take it you and Alanna aren’t BFFs?”

  “I’m fine,” Travis called over his shoulder. He spit out blood from his mouth and shook his head, as if trying to clear it.

  “That wasn’t a bad growl,” Jordan said. He inhaled. “Travis tells me you said you’re not a Lycan.”

  “Of course I’m not,” she said, still watching Travis. She saw Alanna look up and stare at her. What the hell was her problem?

  “He said that, too,” Jordan said.

  “That I’m not?”

  “No, that you’re a lot of fun.”

  She turned and squinted at Jordan. Was that supposed to make sense?

  Everyone went still as Travis tossed down the towel he’d been wiping the blood from his mouth on. He turned toward the circle. Everyone lowered their heads, except her…and Jordan. She bit her lower lip. Maybe she should bow her head. If it was a sign of respect…

  “My place as Alpha stands. My will is law,” Travis said. “LeAnn is my mate and is pack, and she’s not to be harmed.”

  Even if no one was looking at her, she felt their eyes on her.

  Then Travis looked up and stared at her, and he was livid. He had not wanted her here. The force of his anger hit her hard—like a hurricane. It knocked the breath from her lungs and made her chest ache. LeAnn looked down—not from shame, or from respect, but because she’d seen that look before in a man’s eyes, and she hadn’t wanted to see it in Travis’s. She’d disobeyed him, and he was furious. She wasn’t his mate—mate implied they were partners, equals. She was his possession. And he’d told her to stay away. She wasn’t in this damn pack. Actions were louder than words. So that was that.

  “I take it you were told not to come?” Jordan said quietly.

  She felt the moment Travis turned away, and she glanced up to see Alanna smirking at her from the other side of the circle. She’d been chastised in front of someone who was begging to have her eyes clawed out. Fan-freaking-tastic. The knife Travis had rammed into her heart twisted.