“That’s crazy. After all this time.” Anny’s distress was evident in her tone. She turned to her mate. “The authorities thought I was confused, that it was a dog that attacked me. And even if it was a wolf, they’ve stated that the animal would be long gone. Why would the hunters bother after all this time?”
They all knew it hadn’t been a real wolf that had attacked Anny but Armand’s father. Armand lifted her out of her chair and onto his lap.
“Honestly, I don’t think they expected to find anything,” Louis told them. “I think they were just as surprised as I was, but they now believe they saw a wolf.”
“Fuck.” Jacque rubbed his temple. “That’s all we need. Locals running around the woods shooting at one another…and us.”
“What happened after you were shot?” Gwen asked.
“I tried to find a place to hide,” he told them. “I knew I needed some time to heal.” It had been an intense few minutes of him racing through the woods, knowing if he didn’t find somewhere to hunker down, he might not make it.
“I’d stopped to rest for a minute.” No need to tell the women just how bad it was. Maybe that was chauvinistic. He preferred to think of it as being protective. But the men understood. If Louis had stopped it was because he hadn’t been able to go on.
“A dog found me.” He shook his head. “No, not a dog. Part wolf, part German shepherd.” A smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“Did the dog have an owner?” Jacque’s golden gaze sliced through him and Louis nodded.
“Gray Everson.” He turned to Anny. “She’s the artist renting your place.”
“How much does she know?” Jacque’s flat tone had Louis bristling.
“She is under my protection.” Louis was ready to challenge his brother if that’s what it took to ensure her safety. No one was going to hurt his woman. “I was in my wolf form, but she came right up to me, got me on my feet and her and her dog got me back to the house.”
“She’s crazy,” Jacque muttered.
“Brave,” Louis corrected, even though he’d thought the same thing about her actions at the time. “She got me inside and then went back out to try to destroy any tracks that led to her place. The hunters were getting closer.”
He closed his eyes as he remembered the agony of pushing the bullets out of his body as he lay in a pool of his own blood. “She got me into the bedroom, cleaned up the mess and then confronted the hunters when they came to call.” He was still in awe of her courage even as he wanted to lock her away somewhere safe.
Gator swore. “Did they hurt her?” They were all protective by nature, but Gator was vibrating with barely suppressed anger. It wasn’t that long ago that his mate had been in danger. Sylvie placed her hand on his arm and Gator settled somewhat.
“No, but she was smart and contacted the realtor who’d rented her the place, and he called the sheriff’s office. I shifted and kept an eye on things, but I couldn’t confront them bloody and naked, not unless I wanted to have to kill them.”
Jacque nodded his understanding. “We don’t need trouble with the law.” Werewolves tended to keep to themselves as much as possible.
“The hunters were aggressive.” And it chapped Louis that he’d had to stand there and do nothing. “She had her dog to protect her, but I thought for a second they might try to shoot him.” It had been close. “The law showed up in time and sent the hunters off with a warning. Nothing else they could do. No proof they’d actually been doing anything other than target practicing.”
He closed his eyes and took a sip of coffee. He could still see the hunters’ expressions as they’d left. “I think they’ll be back. Neither hunter liked the fact she’d called the law.”
Jacque nodded but didn’t say anything. Louis knew his brother was waiting for him to finish his story. “I shifted in front of her.”
Everyone froze. Secrecy was drilled into them from the time they were born. You never, ever let a human see you shift.
Jacque began to growl. Louis jumped to his feet and slammed his hands down on the table. “You will not hurt her.”
Jacque shot to his feet, even as Louis saw the hurt in his brother’s eyes. “I’ll do what I think best for the pack.” Power radiated from his very pores, but Louis didn’t back down. The others tensed. They’d never fought among themselves, not seriously.
“Why?” Jacque asked. His brother brought his anger under control through pure willpower. “Why did you do such a thing?”
Louis knew he was about to turn their already tumultuous world upside down. “Because she’s a half-breed.”
Cole whistled almost silently while Gator started to grin, but it was Gwen who spoke first. “Really? Why didn’t you bring her with you?” And that was one of the reasons he loved her so much. She was so giving and caring, embracing her role as alpha female.
Cherise looked worried. “She’s out there on her own.”
Louis knew she was remembering her own time alone and on the run. Cole took her hand in his and held it tightly. “We won’t let anything hurt her, chère.” Cole promised as he glanced at Jacque for confirmation.
Jacque shook his head and sighed. “Of course we won’t.” He glared at Louis. “Sit down.”
Louis lowered himself back into his chair. He was more tired than he wanted to admit. He needed more food and a couple hours rest.
“Why didn’t you bring her with you?” Jacque asked.
Louis motioned to all of them. “She had no idea what she was until I told her. Gray was freaked out enough. It was all I could do to get her to promise not to run.”
“Maybe one of us should go over and talk to her,” Anny suggested. “We could put her at ease and watch out for her at the same time.”
Unease ate at Louis. “I don’t know.” He didn’t want Gray to think he’d betrayed her. “She might run if she feels threatened.”
“She’s already being threatened,” Jacque pointed out.
“Yes, but that’s by human hunters. She feels more secure dealing with them than with us.” Louis was torn. He wanted her here with him but didn’t want to betray her trust. He wanted her to come to him when she was ready, but he also wanted her protected.
“It’s my house,” Anny pointed out. “Armand and I will take a quick trip over and look around, invite her over for dinner.” She looked at Jacque, who nodded.
“You’ll take Gator with you when you go,” Jacque instructed. “We won’t put you in danger, Anny, and we still have enemies of our own out there.” His brother looked at him. “Well? It’s your call.”
And that’s what made Jacque a better alpha than their father could ever hope to be. He wasn’t afraid to let someone else have an opinion or even power. Jacque had enough faith in himself and the rest of them.
“Okay. Don’t go over right away. I don’t want her to feel pressured.” He pushed away from the table. “I’m going to crash for a few hours. Don’t let me sleep any longer than that.”
Gator jumped up from the table. “I need to get back to my kitchen. I have things to prepare if we might be having a guest for dinner.” He glanced at Anny. “You baking dessert?” The two of them had a friendly kitchen rivalry that never failed to amuse the rest of them.
“I might be persuaded,” she told him. She came around the table and gave Louis a hug. “Don’t worry. We’ll take care not to spook her.”
Louis hoped she was right. Because if Gray ran, he knew he’d be chasing after her until he caught her.
Chapter Ten
It was early evening and all the chores were done. The laundry was all clean and put away and the bed was remade. What hadn’t come clean in the wash had been dumped in the garbage, and Gray had made a list of the items she had to replace. Right now, it was at two towels and a blanket as well as a new mop.
Surprisingly, she’d gotten some work
done too. As the hours passed without the reappearance of the hunters, Gray had started to believe Louis was mistaken and they’d leave her alone.
“Probably off having a beer somewhere,” she told Shadow. Her faithful companion simply thumped his tail in agreement. He’d certainly lived up to his name today, never straying more than a few feet from her side.
“These sketches are pretty good.” She held up the sketchbook to show the dog. He tilted his head and looked at them. Gray laughed and rubbed his head. Some people might find it strange that she talked to her dog, but he was the perfect friend, always attentive and almost always in agreement.
She had some ideas for several new paintings. The pictures she’d taken before the shooting this morning, along with the sketches she’d done gave her enough to work with. “I’m going to break out one of the canvases I brought with me and start sketching tomorrow.”
She shut the sketchpad and set it on the low table that sat alongside the Adirondack chair she was currently lounging in. She’d stayed inside most of the day, but the heat and the lure of the outside called to her. It really was beautiful here. It was too bad the hunters had tainted her stay.
It hadn’t been all bad. Images of Louis popped in her head and she groaned. “Not again.” She’d been thinking about him on and off all afternoon. She’d even done a couple of quick sketches of him, both as a human and a wolf. Because, really, he was the epitome of male beauty.
She smiled, knowing he’d hate to be called beautiful. Yes, he was rugged and masculinity personified, but there was a primal beauty to him that called to both the woman and the artist inside her.
Short-cropped brown hair, high cheekbones and dark brown eyes with long, thick lashes were etched in her memory. Add to that his broad shoulders, huge biceps and washboard abs—not to mention his other impressive male attributes a little lower—it really wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t resist sketching him.
She was reaching for her sketchbook to add to one of her drawings when Shadow went on alert, his eyes fixed on the driveway. Gray stood and pulled her phone from her pocket. Louis’s number was there, but so was the sheriff’s office. She’d programmed it in earlier, not wanting to be caught depending on someone else to contact them for her.
A black truck came into view. “Come,” she told Shadow. The big dog kept growling but followed her to the front door. At the last second, she remembered her sketchbook and grabbed it off the table. It had sketches of Louis, but more importantly, there were drawings of him as a wolf. If it was the hunters and they saw them, they’d know she’d seen the creature.
“Crap,” she muttered. What had possessed her to draw them? She should have waited until she was away from here and back home. In her defense, it had been second nature for her to sketch what she’d seen. It was what she did. What she’d always done since she was a kid.
The truck rolled to a stop and a big man climbed out of the passenger side. Definitely not one of the hunters. He was around the same size as Louis with black shoulder-length hair and deep-brown eyes. But it was the scars on the left side of his face that drew her attention. She took a step back and hit the door.
The phone was still in her hand. She was about to press the speed dial to contact the sheriff when a slender woman started to climb out of the truck. The big man reached for her and helped her down. They were such a contrast. Him big and strong and the woman slender and fairer in coloring.
The woman glanced her way and smiled. “You must be Gray.”
She started to relax. Word got around fast in a small town when a stranger came to stay for a while. “I am.”
The woman strode forward with the man right behind her. “I’m Anny Conrad.”
Gray frowned. Why was that name familiar? Anny had long brown hair and blue eyes and her gaze was direct.
Shadow stepped in front of her and Anny stopped in her tracks. Fear flashed across her face but was quickly gone. Gray put her hand on Shadow’s head. “He won’t hurt you,” she promised them.
It was then she remembered where she’d heard the name. “This is your house.” This was the woman who was attacked by the wolf, or at least by some wild animal.
It flashed into her brain that there was a wolf living nearby, but somehow she couldn’t picture Louis hurting a woman.
Anny hesitated and the man beside her stepped forward. “I’m Armand. Armand LaForge.”
Her stomach plummeted. Now she knew why he reminded her of Louis. Not only did they have the same last name but also the same animal magnetism rolled off him. She swallowed heavily. He was a werewolf. Did that mean the woman was?
She tucked the sketchbook under her arm, put her free hand on the doorknob and turned. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.” Shadow picked up her unease and began to growl.
A truck door slammed and another man strode toward her. If Armand was dangerous, this man was lethal. He was slightly shorter than Louis but he exuded pure menace. Tattoos covered both arms. He had short black hair and piercing blue eyes.
“There a problem, chère?” he asked Anny. He had the same accent as Louis. She’d been to Louisiana before and there was no mistaking it. It was light but it was definitely there.
Anny shook her head. “I’m fine, Gator. The dog threw me off for a second.”
What kind of name is Gator? Gray wondered, not sure she wanted to know how he’d gotten it. Her finger played with the button on her phone. One push and she’d be connected to the local law.
Anny held her hands out in front of her. “We don’t mean to frighten you.”
Gray’s gaze automatically flicked to Gator. Anny turned to the big man and patted him on the chest. “Why don’t you wait in the truck?”
Gray didn’t know what their relationship was, but no way would she order a guy like that around. He looked like he ate nails for breakfast. Surprisingly, he nodded and walked back to the vehicle. He didn’t get inside, but he did lean against it, crossing his arms across his chest.
“Why are you here?” It was blunt, bordering on rude, but Gray was too nervous to care.
“Why don’t we sit down?” Anny pointed toward the chairs.
Gray shook her head. “I’m fine where I am. You can sit if you’d like.”
Anny sighed. “I promised Louis we wouldn’t spook you and that’s exactly what we’ve done.” She rubbed her hand across her forehead.
Armand wrapped one big arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay, ma petite.”
Okay, maybe they weren’t here to harm her but they were still freaking her out. “Why are you here?” she asked again. “The agent said he had the right to rent the house, but I can be out and gone in ten minutes if that’s what you want.” Gray was beginning to think she really needed to get out of this town, and fast. She was beginning to curse the day she’d ever heard of the town of Salvation.
She heard Gator muttering and glanced over to find him on his phone. Maybe he was just passing the time, but she didn’t think so.
“No.” Anny shook her head. “Please stay.” Her gaze tracked over the house and yard and she looked wistful. “I loved it here once.” Anny shivered and Armand swore and pulled her closer.
Obviously, the trauma from her attack hadn’t left Anny. Gray felt sorry for the other woman. “Maybe you should sit down,” she told her, her tone softening under the woman’s obvious distress.
Armand flashed Gray a grateful look. “That’s not a bad idea.”
Anny shook her head. “No. No. I’m fine.” She reached up and patted Armand’s hand. “I was going to invite you over for dinner.”
Gray had the image of Little Red Riding Hood going off to her granny’s house to be the wolf’s dinner. She licked her dry lips and nervously inched back a step. “Thank you, but I think I’ll decline.”
“There’s no need to be afraid,” Armand assured her. “We m
ean you no harm.”
“No offense, but I only have your word for that.”
Instead of being insulted by her words, Armand smiled. “None taken.”
Gator pushed away from the truck. His restlessness was obvious when he began to pace. “If we meant to hurt you, there would be nothing you could do to stop us.”
“Gator,” Anny’s tone was sharp. “You’re not helping.”
He shrugged. “I’ve got steaks marinating and potatoes baking in the oven. You think Cole is going to remember to watch them?”
Gray knew her jaw had dropped, but she couldn’t help it. The guy was impatient because he had dinner cooking at home. It was so incongruous with his badass look and deadly vibe that she laughed.
He pinned her with a glare. “You think that’s funny?”
Once again, her nervous laughter had put her in an awkward social situation. She simply shrugged, not knowing what else to do.
“It won’t be funny when the potatoes burn to a crisp and the rest of them are bitching that they have to wait to eat.”
His petulant tone and attitude sent her over the edge and she began to really laugh. She bent over slightly at the waist and tried to contain herself, but it was really all so ridiculous.
A smile played at the corner of Gator’s lips. He suddenly looked more handsome than intimidating. That sobered her quickly. She was allowing herself to forget one big thing—these people were like Louis. They were werewolves. Or at least the men were. She wasn’t one hundred percent certain with Anny. The men, however, gave off that same deadly vibe that he did.
Gator cocked his head to one side. “He’s coming.”
Gray caught the sound of a vehicle fast approaching. She’d come here for peace and quiet and her yard was cluttered with people. A blue truck rolled into the yard, spraying dirt and rocks as the driver pulled up alongside the other vehicle. She recognized the driver. Louis was back and he was severely pissed.
His gaze fell on her and he ignored the others as he climbed out and strode toward her. The expression in his eyes made her shiver, but not in a bad way. Heat. There was so much heat, and it seeped through her until her blood warmed and her bones almost melted.
Wolf on the Hunt Page 10
