by Grosso, Kym
“Good morning, peeps!” she chirped, walking in with a large tote bag. “Kalli! You’re up. Oh my, I didn’t expect you to be walking around today. Are you sure you’re all right? Did these he-men drag you out here for another interrogation? Um, I mean questioning,” she corrected, shooting both Tristan and Logan a questioning look.
“No, they’re fine. Um, I’m fine, thanks,” Kalli responded, purposefully moving away from Logan.
“Well, let’s get down into your room. I want to check your vitals. Brought you clothes too, which I’m quite sure you’ll appreciate. You’re already at a disadvantage around these two. And being naked won’t help you. Maybe them, but definitely not you,” she said with a wink to Tristan. Looping her arm around Kalli’s, she led her down the hallway.
“What. The. Fuck?” Logan snapped, once the girls were out of earshot. He’d heard Tristan growl a million times, but rarely was it directed at him and never over a woman. Spending his life protecting the guy kind of earned him that privilege, to talk to him the way he just had. Logan was the only person in the world that when push came to shove, Tristan would allow to call him to the carpet.
“It’s nothing,” Tristan protested.
“Denial must be a great place to be, Tris. Seriously? Over her?” he pressed.
“All right. I’m sorry I, uh…growled. Let it go. End of discussion,” Tristan replied, aware that he’d momentarily lost control.
“Yeah, okay,” Logan agreed looking down at his phone, reading a text. “Hey, the artist is here. Mira’s bringing him up.”
Logan needed that clearance report on Kalli stat. He prayed it came back clear. She was alluring, no doubt, both physically and intellectually. But his sole purpose was to defend his Alpha and pack; something said he couldn’t trust her. Not yet. He planned to stick close to her until he had something on her, and even closer to Tristan. Clearly irritated with his territorial nature over Kalli, Tristan had shut down. Logan backed off, knowing he needed space to get it together.
The Alpha was being sucked into the vortex of the mystery woman, and he suspected he knew the cause. Logan wished he could spare him from it; but like all things in life, it was the natural cycle of things. Fate was a coldhearted bitch. It didn’t make sense to him how the Goddess would bring a human to mate his Alpha. Perhaps she wasn’t the one. His visions weren’t clear, but being around Kalli, seeing her face, her mannerisms, he felt more and more certain she’d been the one in his dreams.
Chapter Ten
Tristan took a deep breath, centering himself. He had to remain in control; so many people depended on him. He couldn’t wait to get the sketches done. Not only would he share them with Marcel and Chandler, he planned to send the drawings over to Tony. They might help on his end. Tony Bianchi, Sydney’s former partner, still worked homicide in the city police department. Since the fire had been ruled as arson, Tony wasn’t working the case, but he was the only one Tristan trusted on the force.
P-CAP, the Paranormal City Alternative Police, was aware of the fire, but since no supernaturals were murdered, they wouldn’t take the case. Tristan didn’t want them involved anyway; given that Alexandra had vamps entrenched in their organization. The previous month, when a serial killer had been stalking young women, Kade had assigned himself to P-CAP in an effort to expedite the case. At the end of the day, pack business would be handled from within; he would mete out justice, not leave it up to the police.
But Tony could put out a city-wide bulletin on the suspects, or perhaps get a name on them prior to his meeting with Chandler. It was a long shot that Jax would even know the wolves who’d set the fire. And even if he did know them, Tristan wasn’t certain that he’d cooperate. Working all angles was prudent given the lack of information.
Logan tapped in the code, allowing the ever-polished-looking Mira to saunter into the room. She wore a smart pink plaid dress suit with black pumps, her hair pulled neatly into a French twist. He smiled to himself, thinking how she could go from looking like a business barracuda one minute to a purring kitten the next. And had she ever purred for him last night.
A disheveled man, carrying messenger bags, followed her, stumbling into Logan.
“Logan. Tristan. This is Mr. Mathers. He will be doing the sketch. And before you ask, yes, I checked his badge,” she stated, walking over to Tristan first, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
“Please, sit,” Tristan requested, gesturing to a guest chair in the living room. “Do you need anything to work?”
“Ah, no. Just the witness. I’m going to do the sketches. Afterward, I can send them to whoever you wish,” he explained. Pulling out an oversized tablet and stylus, he situated his equipment. “It may be easier for me to work at the dining room table. Do you mind?”
“No, not at all. Mir, can you get him set up? I’m gonna go get Kalli,” Tristan told her.
Kalli exited the bathroom, dressed in hip-hugging jeans and a tight yellow cotton short-sleeved t-shirt. Brushing her hair aside, she gratefully accepted a pair of beige ballet flats from Julie and slipped them onto her feet.
“Thanks again. I promise to get this stuff back to you once I get my clothes from my apartment. It feels good to finally have some clothes on again. I almost feel normal,” she declared, smiling.
“No problem. I have to say that I’m pretty amazed at how quickly you’re healing. You sure you’re not feeling any more dizziness?” Julie asked, intrigued by how quickly she had recovered from her blood loss.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little tired, but no dizziness. I must have a strong heart,” she suggested, knowing it was her wolf genes that helped her heal so quickly.
“Well before ya go, do you want to talk about these?” Julie held up the tiny bottle that held her pills.
“Um, well, they’re just something I take to help keep me on an even keel. Helps control muscle spasms. It’s kind of experimental; something I’ve been working on,” she lied somewhat.
She hated deceiving Julie; the woman had been so nice to her. She’d always heard that if you had to lie that you should do it by sprinkling the fib into a story that was mostly truth. Muscle spasms? Well, technically that is what happened when she shifted. And being undetectable as wolf definitely was good for her mental state. As long as no one knew her true identity, she had been able to relax. Her old pack couldn’t find her.
Kalli slipped the container into her purse, and rummaged around for her makeup. Finding a small tube, she pulled it out and slid the light pink gloss over her lips. As she dropped it back into her bag, she noticed Tristan by the door, watching her with the same heat he’d shown when they kissed. She smiled over at him, hoping that she’d be able to trust him soon with her secret. She felt guilty not telling him everything. He deserved to know the truth, but should she put her life into his hands?
“Can I take a break?” Kalli asked, after the first sketch was finished.
“Well, I really suggest we keep going. I need to get back to the station,” Mr. Mathers replied, clearly annoyed that she wanted to stop working.
“Well, okay then, but it might be more productive if I just take a small break to refresh myself,” she persisted.
Her face began to flush as she approved the first drawing. It brought back the reality of her situation. She was not going home or back to work. No, she’d decided to stay with strange wolves, when she had spent the past ten years trying to stay away from them.
Looking at the drawing of the wolf over and over again was enough to send her into a full-blown panic attack. Seeing his face reminded her that she’d been living on borrowed time. If they found her, they’d drag her kicking and screaming back to South Carolina. And if they decided not to kill her on sight, she’d be subjected to monthly rapes by the men who weren’t worthy of breeding. Oh God. I can’t go back. At the thought, her chest tightened; it felt as if she had an elephant sitting on top of her, making it difficult to breathe. Air, I need air. Her throat began to constrict. She put h
er head into the palms of her hands.
Tristan was talking to Logan and Mira about the latest acquisition when he heard Kalli gasping. Alarmed, he ran to her, pulling her into his arms.
“What did you do to her?” he yelled at the artist, who was tapping away on his tablet.
“Me? Well, nothing. I mean, she wanted a break, but it works better if we just keep going while the details are fresh,” he explained nervously.
“Idiot,” Tristan mumbled under his breath. He stroked Kalli’s face with his hands, in an effort to get her to breathe normally again. “Time for a break. Come on, baby, it’s okay. Breathe. That’s it. Just feel me.”
Tristan led her over to the sofa and lifted her onto his lap. He sent calming waves to her, hoping that his powers could be felt by a human. She cuddled into his warmth, trying to concentrate on his words. Hearing his breaths and strong heartbeat, she focused on matching her own to his as if they were one.
Logan and Mira both gaped, taken aback by the scene, as Tristan took the human to his breast. He acted so protective of her, as if he was mated. Yet he didn’t know it. They both felt slightly voyeuristic but couldn’t help but be drawn to the sight before them. Mira was more than astonished, she was irritated. How could this happen? She was human.
“I’m okay,” Kalli reassured Tristan, lifting her head up and pressing a palm to his chest. “Oh my God. I’m so embarrassed. Really it was just a tiny panic attack. I’m fine.”
“Don’t be embarrassed. You’ve been through a lot in the past seventy-two hours. You’re overcoming blood loss. He was a jerk. You asked, and he didn’t listen. No worries, chére.” Tristan felt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest seeing Kalli so stressed over these pictures. He fully understood what they represented, but her face was as pale as if she’d seen a ghost.
Realizing that everyone was staring at them, Kalli attempted to get away from Tristan. She couldn’t afford to show weakness in front of his wolves; they’d eat her alive.
“Hey, where’re you going? You sure you’re okay?” he asked, refusing to let her up. He held her tight, not caring what anyone thought.
“Thanks, I’m fine. You’re right. It must be the blood loss. I think I’m okay now. I’ll use the bathroom and be right back,” she told him, hoping he’d let it go.
“Okay.” Tristan released her, watching as she tore down the hallway. It may have been panic, but he could sense the sheer terror coursing through her body. She was afraid of something. Perhaps the wolves she’d been sketching scared her. But he got the distinct feeling she was not telling him the truth. It was just a matter of time before he found out what the hell was going on with her. Giving Logan a look, he gestured for him to come over to the sofa.
Logan complied. “What’s up, boss?”
“How’s the clearance going? Anything yet?’ he asked impatiently.
“Not really. All we got so far is criminal records, which didn’t tell us much. No arrests. Not even so much as a parking ticket. Pays her bills on time. Been on staff at UVH for two years. Still diggin’. Should have more information this afternoon.”
“I want to know as soon as you hear from our guy. And I mean as soon as you hear it. No delays,” he directed. “She’s hiding something, and I damn well want to know what it is.”
Mira overheard their conversation from across the room and came over to see what was happening. Tristan’s intimate display with the human woman troubled her on a visceral level. What the hell did he see in her? Mira wasn’t usually a jealous woman. He’d fucked lots of women over the years. He’d even been serious, holding long-standing booty calls with detective Sydney Willows. He’d even asked her to move in with him, but she had the good sense to turn him down.
But this woman had insinuated herself into his life in less than twenty-four hours. The only way that could ever happen would be if he met his mate. Mate? No fucking way. No Alpha had ever mated with a human. Besides, she would have known if he’d found a mate. Logan would know. The entire damn pack would know. They’d all feel it. And knowing Tristan, he’d be broadcasting it over a satellite. There was something about this human woman that was all wrong, and she was determined to find out what it was. In the meantime, she planned to make her life a living hell, even if Tristan had decided she was staying with him.
“Hey, what’s up?” she asked innocently.
“Nothin’. Just talkin’ to Logan about running a security clearance on Dr. Williams,” he explained.
“Doctor, huh? Looks like she’s the one who needs to take a pill if you ask me. And while we’re all sharing, why the hell were you chasing her all over?”
Logan rolled his eyes, hoping Mira would know when to stop.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tristan grinned, trying to get her to lay off the subject. “I’m just givin’ her a little sweet Alpha love medicine. You should know all about that, Mir.”
A chuckle came from Logan. The man had mad lines. He could talk the pants off a nun.
“Yeah, well, you’d better watch yourself, Tris. She’s human. Not to mention that you barely know her,” she warned.
“Thanks for your concern, chére, but I assure you that your Alpha can take care of himself.”
“But you can’t seriously be thinking of letting her stay here,” she interjected, raising her voice.
“Already done. She’s staying with me, in my home and will not stay with anyone else,” he remarked, looking at Logan, remembering the incident earlier in the day.
“But…”
He interrupted her before she could get another word in. She was overstepping her boundaries. Pinning her with his eyes, he forced her to drop her gaze in submission. “Drop it, Mira. Seriously, not another word. She’s in my care. She’s mine.”
He understood the implications of claiming her, the instant the word ‘mine’ left his lips. Looking at Logan and Mira’s faces he knew they interpreted it as much more than the context in which it was meant. As Alpha, all wolves were his. They were all his responsibility. Just because she was human, well, it shouldn’t make a difference. She needed his protection, and he needed her, for information only, of course. Sure, she was incredibly alluring and gave him an aching erection just about every time he talked to her, but it was just attraction, pure and simple. He’d have to be dead not to want to have sex with her.
As Mira and Logan gave each other quizzical looks, he narrowed his eyes on them. “What?”
“Nothing,” they both said at the same time.
Finishing up the description of the second wolf, Kalli waited for the artist to work his magic. She sat patiently, anticipating that he’d ask for her to confirm the sketch. The tall blonde had been shooting daggers at her ever since she’d returned from her room. Kalli stole glances over at Tristan and Logan working on the other side of the room and noticed the woman never left Tristan’s side.
Her business attire and laptop suggested she worked for Tristan in a formal capacity, but her intimate gestures toward both men indicated more than a professional relationship. Friends? No, her occasional touch to Tristan’s face implied more. Lovers? For some reason the thought of him having other lovers gave her a slight twinge in her stomach. She silently admonished herself for the feeling. She’d only known him for a day. So what if she was lusting after him like a bitch in heat? He wasn’t hers.
The phenomenon of physical attraction was undeniably compelling given the right chemistry between the right people. It could hardly be controlled. And then there was the very hard to ignore fact that Tristan was an Alpha who appeared to have made an art form of seduction, with the ability to turn on and off his intoxicating charm with the blink of an eye. Any woman who even looked his way would be hopelessly lost. She didn’t stand a chance.
She damn well knew that he probably had a stable of women, supernatural and human, ready and willing to warm his bed. What kind of idiot would get involved with an Alpha when she, herself, was pretending to be human and was on t
he run from her own pack? A fool.
But she could not deny that she wanted him sexually, and not in a nice hand-holding, missionary position kind of way. Visions of her gripping the headboard while he slammed into her hard, fisting her long hair in his hands was more in order. And she, screaming as the pleasure bordering on pain sent her plummeting into orgasm…oh yes, that was how she wanted him. Fast and hard. Biting and scratching. Animalistic.
Regardless, she couldn’t let these temporary lust-driven feelings cloud her judgment. She didn’t do jealousy. Perhaps what did bother her, though, was that this woman who didn’t even know her did not like her. Kalli didn’t understand why but then again, it didn’t really matter. And if she was reading things correctly, there was the possibility she’d also have to spend time with her over the next few days.
Not that she wasn’t used to dealing with cantankerous and even cruel pet owners from time to time; she’d become an expert at pulling down her professional aura, speaking to them in a dominant but calm voice. Articulately eviscerating pet owners who were abusive was an unfortunate reality of life in the city. She wasn’t the type to take shit from anyone when it came to protecting her animals. She reasoned that she could take care of the uptight blonde; it might not be pretty, but she wasn’t here to do pretty. She needed to stay alive and help Tristan find the wolves who’d killed that man in Louisiana and set his club ablaze.
Once this ordeal was over, she planned to go back to her life’s mission of healing animals and teaching others how to help them. She’d return to hiding as a wolf in human clothing. Maybe finally date a human who didn’t mind a brainiac who worked long hours and was covered in pet hair when she got home. A hot kiss, one that brought her to her knees, with a spectacularly gorgeous Alpha wasn’t going to change that very real outcome. She glanced over at him again, hoping he wouldn’t see her looking yet again. God, he is delicious. I could lick him up….
“How does this look?” the artist asked, jarring her from her carnal thoughts.
