by Katie Reus
She couldn’t wait to end him.
Instead of racing toward the wall, she aimed for one of the ancient oaks and with her unsheathed claws she scaled the bottom half before releasing and turning on her would-be attacker.
Her timing was perfect as she landed on his back. It was a dirty move, but she wanted him to suffer before she finished him off. Her wolf was bloodthirsty. Ripping through his tail, she sliced through it until he screeched in agony and twisted, throwing her off.
The scent of his blood teased her nostrils as he tried to run away. He made sad little mewling noises that sounded almost feline.
Pathetic.
But she was done playing with her prey. Her paws had barely hit the ground before she leapt onto his back again. This time she was at the perfect angle to destroy him. Her teeth shredded through tendons as she sliced into his neck, completely taking his head. His blood was warm, and though she’d won, it tasted bitter as it coated her tongue.
It was over too fast. She hadn’t wanted him to run any longer, hadn’t wanted him breathing the same air as her, but it was like someone had sliced right through her middle. The pain at having her vengeance cut so short was brutal. Agonizing. Why didn’t she feel better? Wasn’t she supposed to feel more of a victory?
Her wolf howled, loud and long. She’d wanted him to suffer more. Just like she had.
Tossing his head to the side with a growl, she wanted to feel something, anything, as she stared down at his lifeless body. It didn’t matter what she did. Nothing could change the past. Nothing could bring back her former dreams.
He truly was pathetic. The monster who had haunted her nightmares for a year was dead. She couldn’t believe this piece of shit had kept her living in a state of fear for so long. That she’d been afraid to tell anyone what he’d done to her, what he’d taken.
She let out another howl, her cry of agony filling the night air. She didn’t care who heard her. Didn’t care what anyone thought.
“He can’t hurt anyone else.” Noah’s voice sounded a few feet behind her, but it was like he was at the end of a tunnel.
He must have shifted to his human form. She found him standing there, naked, his hands hanging at his sides. Turning away from him, she ran deeper into the darkness, away from him and the others. She could clearly see them with her night vision, but she used one of the trees as cover and flopped down on her belly.
Chris was dead. So what? It didn’t change anything. The ache was still there. Hollow and painful. She’d thought it might go away if he was finally gone. Nope. She’d still lost so much and no one could ever give it back to her.
“Erin?” Noah’s voice was soft, soothing as he made his way to her, slow and steady.
She ignored him.
“Are you hurt?” he asked again in that soft voice.
She wanted to be annoyed with him, but she couldn’t muster anything. Just sadness and hollowness. It welled up inside her like a geyser, taking over everything in its path. If she’d been human, she’d be bawling right now and she refused to let anyone see her like that. All weak and pathetic.
She’d just remain a wolf. She liked it better like this anyway. No decisions to make, no one to worry about.
Eat, sleep, and hunt. That’s all she needed in life.
Closing her eyes, she ignored Noah as he examined her body with his hands. His touch was gentle, but clinical as he searched for wounds. She wasn’t hurt physically. Her one wound had already healed. Chris hadn’t been a skilled fighter. Not like her. Not even close. Yet he’d taken so much from her and countless others because of his treachery and greed.
“Erin, shift back now,” Noah demanded, anger and worry in his voice.
Still, she ignored him. Her wolf was in control and she was fine exactly where she was. If she shut down her human side, maybe this hurt would vanish completely. . . .
Chapter 20
Noah took the pants Ian handed him gratefully. He didn’t care about nudity but he didn’t like his goods hanging out around so many vampires. Especially when one of the females was eyeing him like she’d like to lick him from head to toe. He wanted only Erin looking at him like that. Unfortunately she’d completely shut down and refused to move from her spot on the grass.
“What’s wrong with her?” Ian asked, keeping a fair distance between them after he’d given him the clothes.
Noah winced as he wiped his arms and torso with the cloth Ian had also given him. He tried to clean the blood off. The gash in his left arm was already knitting back together as were the slices along his back. He still ached all over though. Not that he gave a shit about any of that.
Not with Erin lying on the ground anywhere near the treacherous shifter she’d just killed. For a while she’d closed her eyes. Now she just stared at Noah with those gray eyes and all he saw was wolf. Not Erin. Usually he could see human awareness and intelligence looking back at him, but not this time. He understood why. “She shifted in a highly emotional state. Her wolf is more powerful than mine or most of my kind and it took over. My guess is, she’s happy right where she is and doesn’t want to become human again.”
“You mean . . . ever?”
Noah would never let that happen. “No.” Or he hoped not. “I think once the adrenaline wears off, her human side will take over again.” Man, he hoped so. He was just guessing at this point and had no clue what to do. He wanted to call Jayce but didn’t know if that would be a mistake. Erin was a new enforcer and he didn’t want to mess up anything for her with Jayce or the Council. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her pain. She’d suffered enough for one lifetime.
“You think? As in, this has never happened before.” Ian sounded incredulous.
What the hell was Ian trying to do to him? Noah grunted. He wasn’t going to get into this with a vamp he barely knew. He started to ask him about the vamps inside when Ian spoke again.
“I heard some of what that guy said. Did he really try to kill her when she was pregnant?” There was a note of horror in Ian’s voice.
Noah didn’t blame him, but he also didn’t respond. He didn’t want to talk about Erin with anyone. He just wanted her back in her human form. Damn it, why wouldn’t she shift? “What’s up with the vampires inside?” he asked, his gaze still on Erin. Her reddish coat was slightly matted, but she was unharmed. Physically at least. Her blades lay on the ground ten feet from her. Frustration punched through him that she was just lying there.
“They’re talking to my people. Seems Barrett and the dead vampires inside were all involved in this blood ring. The vamps working for them knew about it, but weren’t directly involved. None of them are mated or bloodborns anyway, but they knew and said nothing. My bosses are pissed.” Ian shook his head.
“What about the mates of the dead vamps?” Noah didn’t care that much since he had a feeling vamps would be handing out the punishments for anyone remotely involved.
Ian shrugged. “That’s still up for debate. They’re sequestered away at one of the other’s homes. They’ll all be interrogated.”
Yeah, Noah really didn’t want to know about all that.
“Hope you guys didn’t need the shifter inside for anything.”
Noah finally turned away from Erin at that. His eyebrows rose. “You killed him?”
“Not me personally, but he went after Sekani—one of my warriors.” There wasn’t a flicker of emotion in his words.
Good. Erin’s other attacker was dead too. All Noah cared about was her, though. Shift, shift, shift. He tried to silently order her to change forms. He hated that they had a fucking audience for this. “Can you clear everyone out of the yard?”
Ian sighed, then nodded. “Yeah, we’ve got a ton of cleaning to do inside anyway.”
As he started to leave, Noah stopped him. “Can I use your phone?”
With a flicker of surprise, Ian handed him his cell. Noah texted his father and told him to stay away from Barrett’s house. They didn’t need any more people drawing a
ttention to this place. The vamps could be in charge of cleanup duty. He was sure Erin wouldn’t mind and he definitely didn’t.
Once the yard was clear, he knelt down next to Erin, then laid down. He stayed on his back and turned so that their faces were side by side. She sniffed him a couple times, then nudged him with her nose, as if telling him to give her space.
Yeah, not gonna happen. Ever. “I’m not going anywhere, short stuff. I’ll stay here all night and all day or all freaking year if that’s what it takes.”
She sniffed in what he could only describe as a sound of disdain.
He continued. “Maybe I’ll even buy this place. You can be my pet wolf. My guard wolf. You can keep intruders out.”
She let out a snarl and shoved her nose into his shoulder. Now he could see a flicker of Erin looking back at him, not her wolf. She was agitated.
“I’ll get you a pink collar and take you on walks around the neighborhood. I bet all the neighborhood kids will love you. You can give them rides like a pony. I could even charge admission—”
With a yowl of indignation she shifted back to her human form in a flurry of breaking bones. Breathing hard, she crouched on the grass, naked and glaring at him. Her gray eyes were so dark they were almost black. “Pink? You’d get me a pink collar?”
“I say I’m going to collar you and let little kids ride you like a circus animal and that’s what you focus on.” He let out a bark of laughter, almost light-headed with relief.
Sighing, she wrapped her arms around her chest but remained kneeling. She was silent for a long moment, then said, “Thank you. My wolf didn’t want to give me control back.”
“I figured.” Thank God that was all it had been. He’d been terrified she’d stay that way, but somehow he kept his words nonchalant as if he hadn’t been dying inside. “Good to know all I have to do is threaten to collar you in the future.”
She rolled her eyes, but then her gaze strayed to Chris’s body. She took in a ragged breath. Sadness rolled off of her in potent waves. “I thought he’d be a better opponent. Harder to kill. I thought I’d feel better about killing him, that I’d feel relief or something. Instead I’m just . . . sad and exhausted.”
He wanted to reach out and hold her but he was afraid she’d push him away. Since she’d shifted back, he didn’t want to make any moves to freak her out. Especially since her control had to be fragile right now. He couldn’t risk her wolfing out on him again. But he could give her words. “You faced your demons in a way most people never get to. And you saved countless future victims. The world is a better place because of you. The females you saved and their families will be forever grateful. You reunited females with their mates and in some cases, their children. This is your first job and you kicked ass, Erin.” Noah stared at her and couldn’t stop the feeling of pride welling up inside him. He hated what had been done to her, but . . . “Chris Tyson might have hurt you once, but you beat him and you’re stronger for it. Don’t let him take away all the good that’s been done. All the good you’ve done.”
“I couldn’t have done any of this without you.” When he started to protest, she shook her head and just said, “Don’t.”
She started to say more, but the sound of his father’s voice startled them both. He was stalking across the lawn from the direction of the main entrance. Three pack members were behind him, but Noah scented more nearby hiding in the shadows.
“What’s going on?” Angus demanded. He tugged his shirt off as he reached them and handed it to Erin without looking at her.
Noah stood, frowning. “Didn’t you get my text?”
“It wasn’t your number. Didn’t know if it was a trap.” He glanced at the headless body on the ground. “Damn, son, nice work.”
“I didn’t do that.”
Angus’s gaze flicked to Erin who was now covered with his shirt.
It hung to her knees and even though it was irrational, something territorial flared deep inside Noah at the thought of any other male’s scent on her. Even his own father who’d been happily mated for centuries. Damn his inner wolf.
Erin’s soothing hand on his forearm stilled him. “I’ll change as soon as possible.”
He blinked, surprised she’d read him so easily. He was also surprised by the speculative look in her gray eyes. She was watching him intently and there was something in her gaze he was trying to put his finger on, but just couldn’t. It was as if something had changed between them. He grappled with whatever it was, trying to figure it out, but couldn’t. Whatever was going on with Erin, her words had their intended effect. His animal immediately calmed.
She gave him a soft smile, then turned toward his father. “We’ve eliminated the two shifters responsible for taking the pregnant women. They’re dead and their only partner is likely dead by now too.”
“He is,” Noah’s father said.
That didn’t take long.
“Ian and his vampires are inside cleaning up the mess,” Noah said to his father.
Angus was silent for a long moment as he looked at the dead body then back at him and Erin. “Now that your job is done how long will you be in town?” he spoke to Erin, but Noah was under the impression he was asking him.
Erin looked at Noah with raised eyebrows. He could read exactly what she was thinking too. He gritted his teeth and looked at his father. “We’ll have loose ends to tie up, so maybe a few more days.”
Angus nodded, but didn’t respond.
Noah took a deep breath and forced himself to extend the olive branch he really didn’t want to. But Erin had been right. His own pride was no reason to lose a relationship with his father. He cleared his throat. “Maybe Erin and I can come over for dinner with you and Mom before we go.”
“And maybe you guys can plan a trip to North Carolina to visit us,” Erin interjected smoothly.
Surprise flashed in Angus’s eyes but it didn’t last long. He just nodded once, abruptly. “Sounds good. I’ll talk to you later. If you guys don’t need us, I want to check on the females brought in.”
“How are Brianna and Angelo?” Erin realized Angelo was still waiting at the house the Tyson brothers had used as their prison.
Angus pulled out his phone as he spoke. “Once Brianna got all the females to safety she headed back to wait with Angelo. I’ll call her and let them know they can come back now.”
Noah nodded and once his father was gone, he pushed out a long breath. He looked at Erin. “So what now?”
She shrugged. “We help clean up this mess, then head back to our place. I’m tired, hungry, and dirty. I just want to shower and sleep for two days.”
Noah was all those things, but sleeping was the last thing on his mind. He might be tired, but his brain was also going into overdrive where Erin was concerned. She’d fought and killed vampires and a shifter tonight. And she’d done it lethally and with an impressive amount of skill. He might not have officially claimed her, but that was his female that had done that and he was so damn proud of her.
He still wanted to hold her, though, if only to convince himself that she was okay.
Erin sat on the edge of her bed, completely naked. After helping Ian and his crew clean up everything, she’d decided to let him take the remaining vampires who had worked for Barrett into their custody. Her only job had been to stop any more pregnant shifters from going missing and to find and eliminate the culprits. She’d done that. The vampires would dole out worse punishment than she or her Council ever would. Shifters just killed wrongdoers. If you were guilty and deserved it, you died. Simple. Vampires . . . tortured. And probably relished it just a little bit too much.
There were still a few more things to iron out with Ian and even the Brethren, but that could wait a couple of days. Once Ian had gotten all the information he needed from the vamps they’d taken, he’d be information sharing with not only her, but Jayce and their Council. They wanted to know if this was widespread. Their current intel didn’t suggest it was, but now that they
knew what pregnant shifter blood could be used for, they planned to keep a much more vigilant eye on things.
None of that was her concern at the moment. Right now she was trying to figure out how to face Noah the way she needed to. No, the way she wanted to. She desperately needed to explain some things to him, but the thought of his rejection when she admitted everything she’d been holding in . . .
Screw it.
Pushing up, she didn’t bother with clothes. He’d told her that he was going to take a shower when they’d arrived back at their place and she could still hear the faint sound of water running. She knew he wouldn’t reject her physically, but when she told him all that other stuff. . . . Stop thinking, she ordered herself.
She opened her door and headed across the common area with the combined kitchen and living room. No surprise, his door was unlocked. The bathroom door was open a fraction. She could see steam rolling out of the opening. Taking a deep breath, she pushed it open and stepped inside.
He had to have scented her, but he didn’t say anything. He was probably waiting and letting her make up her mind about whether she wanted to do this or not. The shower had a glass-and-stone enclosure just like the one in her room. She could see his powerful outline as he stood under the rushing water. His body was distorted though and she wanted the real thing.
Her strides were silent as she crossed the tile. When she stepped into the shower behind him, his entire body tensed. All his muscles pulled tight and taut, begging her to run her fingers and mouth over every inch of him. First, they needed to talk.
Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her breasts and the side of her face against his back. He shuddered under her touch. Immediately his hands covered hers, strong and reassuring.
“I thought I’d lost you when you wouldn’t turn back to your human form.” His quietly spoken words surprised her.
For a little while, she thought she’d lost herself. “I’m glad you didn’t.”
