“I don’t believe you.” Her arms and hands were noticeably trembling. He wasn’t sure if it was from fear or anger or a combination of the two. “Show me,” she demanded. “Show me your wolf.”
Reece pushed off the sofa, keeping his movements slow and even. He didn’t want to spook her any more than she already was. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I need to see for myself.”
“Just remember,” he told her as he unzipped his jeans and shoved them down his thighs, “I won’t hurt you.” He kicked his pants aside and embraced the change.
Holy shit. Holy shit.
What had she done? She had to be out of her mind.
Then Reece was naked in front of her and thinking was impossible. His chest and torso were chiseled. His abs were hard slabs of muscle, his legs thick and strong as tree trunks, and his shoulders impossibly wide. Somehow, naked, he seemed even more formidable than when he was dressed. It was as though with the polite coverings of society removed, only his true essence remained.
He was a strong, powerful predator. He was a wolf.
And she’d all but demanded he shift.
He kept his gaze on her, and his form began to blur before her very eyes. Fur pushed out from under his skin. His hands and feet morphed into paws. His jaw cracked and reformed and his forehead flattened. He fell forward, and where only seconds before a man had stood, now there was a wolf. A very large wolf.
Covered in brown fur, he stood much larger than a regular wolf. Her heart leapt into her throat when he quietly padded toward her. She clung to the promise he’d made her. That he wouldn’t hurt her. It struck her that she trusted him to keep that promise.
She might not know much about Reece, but it was becoming apparent he was a protector at heart. It was as basic to his nature as his wolf was. A half-breed werewolf who could shift. According to everything her father had told her over the years, what she was seeing was impossible. But there was no denying the evidence before her own two eyes.
He sat right in front of her and simply stared at her. She easily recognized his blue eyes. They held both intelligence and compassion. She wanted to believe in him and what he was telling her.
Her hand shook when she held it out. Not surprising since the one and only werewolf she’d ever been this close to was her father. And he’d been out of her life for years.
Reece held still as she slid her fingers over his shoulder. He closed his eyes and sighed when she scratched behind his ears. It occurred to her that he had to be just as starved for contact with one of his kind as she was. Yes, he had a pack and a family, but they weren’t here.
“You’re spectacular.” The compliment slipped out before she could stop it. His eyes snapped open and he sat a little straighter. She bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. Her wolf was proud of himself.
Her wolf? When had he become her wolf?
Her hand fell back down to her side, and Reece canted his head to one side as if to ask her what was wrong. She shook her head so he stepped away. She didn’t want him to go. She wanted to keep touching him. It was easier to stroke him and be with him when he was a wolf.
Reece backed away and began to change once again. This time the process went in reverse, but was no less fascinating. Fur receded and limbs reshaped. His jaw shortened and his features became recognizable once again.
He grabbed his jeans and pulled them on. She tried not to notice how aroused he was, but her gaze was drawn to his erection. Her entire body yearned to get closer and she found herself leaning toward him.
He stared at her for a long time. “Remember I was asking you if you understood about mates?”
She nodded, not sure she wanted to hear what he had to say. She had a funny feeling she knew what was coming next and it partly thrilled her and completely scared her to death.
“You’re my mate, Hannah. You’re the one who is meant for me.”
* * * * *
The killer stood on a rooftop half a block away from Hannah’s apartment and peered down the street. It was dark and there was no one around, but he wasn’t taking any chances. There were always too many damn lights in the city.
He was still angry about this morning. The little bitch had stuck him with a knife. A knife. He should have killed her instead of playing with her.
He’d gotten what he deserved. But now everything had changed.
He couldn’t just kill her. She had to pay for what she’d done to him. He was her superior in every way. She was a watered down version of his kind. Weak. An insult. She had to die.
He’d called the hospital earlier, pretending he was a concerned friend, and been told by the switchboard operator that there was no one in the hospital with Hannah’s name. That meant she’d been treated and released. He’d hurt her, but she was part wolf, and that meant she most likely had superior healing skills.
Over the years, he’d discovered half-breeds had werewolf traits in varying degrees. Some had the same ability as a full-blood when it came to enhanced hearing or sight, some had superior strength, and still others had excellent healing abilities. It was rare for one of his victims to be strong in all areas. He had no way of knowing where Hannah’s strengths lay.
If she wasn’t in the hospital, where was she? She certainly wasn’t at work. He’d checked, even though he knew she’d never show up there. As hurt as she’d been this morning, there would be way too many questions asked.
She was probably inside her apartment, curled up in fear. He liked that idea. It was fitting considering how much pain she’d caused in his life simply by being born.
He had to know.
The killer made his way to the side of the building and swiftly climbed down the fire escape ladder. The last rung ended about ten feet from the ground. He silently dropped, landed in a crouch, and listened. He waited and watched to make sure the police weren’t around and then crossed the road. He worked his way around to the back of the buildings and walked down to Hannah’s.
Not exactly the best neighborhood, but that was to his benefit. Most people minded their own business and security was almost always low-tech. Still, it didn’t pay to be stupid. These days almost everyone had a cell phone, and they were always snapping pictures to post to their social media accounts.
He growled and his wolf clawed to get out. He clamped down hard on the beast, promising it he’d let it out very soon. His wolf demanded blood. Her blood.
He was still castigating himself for making a grab for her this morning. He simply hadn’t been able to resist. If he’d been able to catch and disable her long enough to carry her away, he’d be enjoying her right about now. He hoped she was one of the quick healers. Much more fun for him.
He had thick chains in the back of his SUV and a cage, the kind used to capture bears. The combination worked very well for half-breeds. Over the years, he’d perfected his approach.
The only mistake he’d ever made was with her.
He found a back door to the building. It was locked but he turned the handle and exerted enough strength until the cheap metal snapped. He let himself inside and closed the door behind him. He was wearing soft leather gloves so he wouldn’t leave any prints behind. He could elude police if he had to, but there was no sense giving them anything that would point in his direction.
He smiled as he climbed the stairs to her apartment. He was a respected member of a wolf pack, with investments handed down to him from his parents and grandparents that allowed him a degree of freedom not accorded many others. None of the humans he’d dealt with ever suspected him of being different than they were. He’d perfected his disguise over the years.
With them, he acted like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Unthreatening. Until it was time to pounce.
He paused outside her apartment door and listened. Nothing. Not a rustle or a sigh. He hesitated for only a second and then wrapped his hand around t
he handle, turned it and shoved, putting steady pressure on the door. Wood snapped as the metal locks held. The frame gave way and he pushed inside.
He sniffed the air and stilled. There had been several other people here recently. The killer moved into the apartment and shoved the door closed as far as it would go. He sniffed again.
There’d been another werewolf here. He could scent the wolf. His own wolf wasn’t happy and growled. It took a matter of seconds for him to determine that most of her clothes were missing from the closet and Hannah wasn’t here.
Fury roared to life inside him. He longed to rip her bed to shreds, to destroy her bookcases and dishes. He hung on to his composure by a thin thread. He needed to think. The last thing he wanted to do was make noise and have a neighbor call the police.
That wouldn’t do.
He strode over the daybed and grabbed her pillow. He brought it to his nose and sniffed. His entire body hardened. Hannah Burdette. The reason for his suffering. He inhaled her lingering scent.
Snarling, he tore off the pillowcase and stuffed it in his coat pocket. Then he turned his back on the room and walked away. When he was safely on the sidewalk, he focused his thoughts.
Who would have been inside her apartment? Who would she have trusted? She didn’t have a pack. He hadn’t been tracking her movements long, but she hadn’t had any visitors. That meant the new wolf was most likely a stranger to her.
He shook his head at his first deduction. Could it really be that simple? Could the unknown wolf be a cop?
That was unusual. It wasn’t often anything really piqued his interest these days. Now he had Hannah and a werewolf cop.
Yes, this was the challenge he’d been seeking. Life was beginning to look up after all.
Now that he had a direction in which to search, he knew it wouldn’t be long before he found this cop. Depending on what the man had to say to him, the killer would either let him alone or destroy him. It would be interesting to discover if one of the cops was indeed a wolf, or if there was some new player in the game.
He was almost hoping the cop was a wolf and was hunting him. He’d never killed an actual werewolf before. That would definitely be a challenge.
He pulled out his disposable phone, looked up the number for the local police and dialed. “Yes, I witnessed a brutal attack early this morning on a young woman. I’m ashamed to say I was so shaken by the whole ordeal I left rather than speak to the police. Whom do I speak with about the matter?” He’d found over the years that humans responded well to politeness. They were ever so eager to give him all the information he required.
The helpful person on the other end gave him two names. “Detective Sean O’Malley or Detective Reece Gallagher. Where can I find them?” He texted the address to his email account and then deleted the text from the phone. “Thank you.”
If he was wrong and Hannah had run, he’d find her. In the meantime, he had more research to do. He needed to know which of these men, if either, was the werewolf and where he lived.
Humming softly under his breath, he strolled down the busy sidewalk. He crushed his phone in his hand and methodically dumped pieces into various garbage containers as he made his way back to his motel.
Chapter Nine
Hannah shook her head, denying Reece’s claim that she was his mate. It couldn’t be. She didn’t want it to be. Did she?
“You’re a werewolf,” she reminded him.
“So are you.” He seemed so calm she wanted to shake his composure.
“Not like you.” She was beginning to think there was no one like Reece. She had to think, and she couldn’t do that when she was around him. “I’m going to bed.” It struck her that there was only one bed in his apartment. “I mean I’m going to lie down. I’ll take the sofa, you take the bed.”
He was already shaking his head. “No, you take the bed. I need to make some phone calls and take a shower.”
The thought of him naked in the shower, with water running down his sculpted chest made her body overheat. The sweater she’d needed earlier for warmth was suddenly way too heavy. She caught the hem in her hands but stopped herself from flapping it back and forth to create a cooling breeze.
“Hannah?” He carefully caught one of her hands in his. “Everything will work itself out.”
“You can’t know that.” She knew all too well that there was no such thing as a happy ending, at least not for her. She had too much on her mind without having to think about this whole mate thing, especially when she didn’t really believe in it. It was fine for full-blooded werewolves, but that wasn’t her.
“I have faith.” The deep timbre of his voice settled some of the panic welling inside her.
“I can’t press charges.” She’d been thinking about her attacker and what she needed to do. “You know I can’t.”
Reece shook his head. “Too late for that now. You gave a statement in front of Sean.” He gave her a gentle tug to get her feet moving and led her toward the bedroom. “Just go over the basic facts and leave it at that.”
He knew as well as she did that her attacker would elude police. They had no idea what it was they were really hunting, and there was no way either she or Reece could enlighten them. No one would believe them, and it would only put both of them in jeopardy. Their heritage was a secret they shared.
He didn’t bother turning on the light in the bedroom. Not that either of them needed it. Plus, there was more than enough light from the hallway to illuminate the space. “Why don’t you settle in? I’ll come check on you in a little bit.”
“What am I going to do?”
He put his arms loosely around her waist and peered down at her. “You’re going to rest and get stronger. In the morning, we’ll talk about your options.”
She already knew what he wanted her to do, but going off with a man she’d just met wasn’t exactly smart. Of course, she was about to crawl into that same man’s bed, so what did that say about her intelligence?
“Get some rest and stop worrying. At least for tonight, you’re safe,” he reminded her.
There was that. For the first time in years, she didn’t have to be the one on guard, the one sleeping lightly and listening for trouble. There was something about Reece that made her trust him. She’d always relied on her instincts and they’d never led her astray.
“Just for tonight.” She was still in charge of her life and that wasn’t about to change.
He leaned down and brushed his mouth over hers. She sucked in a breath but he was already moving away. “I’m going to catch a shower in a little while. I’ll try not to wake you if you’re asleep.”
When he left the room, she sat down hard on the bed. Her lips still tingled and she touched them with her fingers, as if trying to keep the warmth from his kiss.
She was losing her mind. No, she was avoiding the mess that was her life. Much easier to focus on the hot man who’d offered her sanctuary.
Hannah rubbed her fingers over her forehead. She had to find a way to pack up her belongings and either store them or ship them somewhere. She didn’t have a lot of things, but she had the basics. It would take a chunk of money if she had to buy dishes, sheets, towels and other normal household items again. Plus, she liked the things she’d managed to accumulate.
She might have to temporarily run and hide, but eventually she’d set up housekeeping again. Storage would be best. She’d go online tomorrow and check out her options. Surely she could find something that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. If it was too costly, she’d let her belongings go and start all over again somewhere else. She’d simply replace them with thrift store finds in order to keep her costs down.
Thankfully the utilities were included in her rent. All she had to do was put in her notice. She’d lose her security deposit, but it couldn’t be helped. She had a tidy sum in the bank but that was earmarked for her
future plans. She’d only use it in an emergency.
She shook her head and gave a sad laugh. If this didn’t constitute an emergency, she didn’t know what did.
Hannah dug her toothbrush out of her tote bag and dragged herself to the bathroom. Once she was finished in there, she pulled off her jeans and socks and crawled into bed. She kept her panties and the cashmere sweater on. The sweater fell around the top of her thighs like a short nightshirt. Now that Reece wasn’t around, she was cold again.
She tugged the covers around her and formulated a plan. First, she needed to see about either getting her things packed and put into storage or donated, whichever option was most viable. Then she had to give a very basic statement to the police. She wanted to visit David and the rest of her friends at Coffee Expressions, but it wasn’t safe for her to go back there. She’d have to email or call.
This was the part she hated about having to move so much. She liked being around people, but she spent much of her time alone.
She listened intently to the sounds of Reece moving around in the kitchen. Then she heard the low rumble of his voice. She wondered if he was talking with his partner or if it was someone else.
It wasn’t polite to eavesdrop so she tugged the covers around her ears. She couldn’t get any more involved in his life than she already was. Tomorrow she’d figure out where she was going to go. Maybe down south. Possibly out west. Sadly, this was a big country and there were many places where she could lose herself.
* * * * *
Reece ended his call with Sean and his boss. Neither of them were happy with him. He’d told them he’d bring Hannah in to make a statement in the morning and then he was done. He was taking his unused vacation time in lieu of working out his notice. His commanding officer had been shocked and tried to play on his sense of pride. When that hadn’t worked, he’d tried guilt. Then had come the threat that Reece would never work in law enforcement again.
What his boss didn’t understand was that was exactly what he wanted. He was tired of it all and wanted a simpler life. He’d made a difference in the world. Had brought murderers to justice and helped victims of violent crimes find some sense of closure. But it took a toll on a man, especially when just being here forced him to live a lie.
Wolf in her Soul: Salvation Pack, Book 8 Page 10
