by Terry Spear
She gave a low growl. “You’re right. I can be awfully possessive.”
“All right by me.” He carried her down the hall to the bedroom and deposited her in the bed. “You shouldn’t have gotten dressed.”
She touched his zipper and instantly his arousal strained against the denim. No wolf could ever get him worked up as fast as Bella.
Knocking at the back door interrupted them and sent a ripple of anger shooting down his spine. “Now what?” Devlyn growled.
“If it’s Chrissie, I’ll take care of it.” Bella sounded grumpy and climbed off the bed.
Knocking sounded again, louder this time.
“Maybe we should ignore her. I told her I was taking a nap with you.”
Bella’s lips turned up. “What did she say to that?”
“I think she didn’t believe we were going to nap.”
“Not with her pounding on the door every few minutes.” Bella swept her hair out of her face, and he wanted to kiss her pursed lips.
“I’ll take care of it.” Devlyn stormed out of the bedroom, figuring an annoyed male might persuade the woman to vamoose more easily than his mate would. Before he could make it to the back door, Bella’s feet tromped on the carpet behind him at a hurried pace to keep up.
When he turned to look at her, she smiled. “Didn’t want you to be too brusque.”
“Not me.” But he had the feeling that, if Bella weren’t so tired, her neighbor might see the darker side of Bella’s persona. Yanking open the door, he tried to quell the ire building in his own blood.
Chrissie gave a nervous smile. “Uh, I’m sorry, folks, to disturb you again.” Twisting a piece of her dark hair between her fingers, she looked quickly from him to Bella—who stood slightly to the left of his shoulder—and back to him again.
Wary that something was seriously the matter, he motioned to the living room instead of sending the woman packing. She glanced at Bella, as if asking if she approved. Smiling wearily, Bella nodded.
Devlyn linked his fingers with Bella’s and followed Chrissie into the sitting area.
“I’m sorry, Bella, Devlyn, but something’s been bothering me.” Chrissie took her seat on the couch.
Devlyn and Bella sat on the loveseat opposite her. Immediately, Bella rested her head against Devlyn’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and squeezed.
“Henry told me not to say anything to you, but I think he mentioned it to me, hoping I would tell you. He really admires the way the two of you seem so much in love. He knows that Devlyn is only trying to protect you, Bella. But, well, something about your story didn’t add up.”
Bella kept her head on Devlyn’s shoulder, but her whole body tensed.
“What did he say, Chrissie?” Devlyn prompted, wondering if he would have to take Bella back to Colorado earlier than planned and forgo solving the red lupus garou killer mystery. Bella’s safety was tantamount, above all else.
“Can I have a glass of water?” Before anyone could respond, Chrissie hopped up from the couch and headed into the kitchen. “Sorry,” she hollered. “I’m a little nervous.”
Bella shook her head.
Devlyn kissed her forehead and gave her another squeeze of reassurance.
“Yeah, like that,” Chrissie said, pointing with her index finger wrapped around a glass of water. “He saw how caring you are toward one another. Refreshing to see.”
“What didn’t add up, Chrissie?” Devlyn asked, trying to curb his irritation.
She sat back down on the couch. “It was the zoo scene. Volan has never been sighted anywhere. At the hospital, the zoo, nowhere.”
“At the dance club,” Devlyn reminded her.
“Yes, yes, of course. But that’s the first time.”
Devlyn attempted to look unruffled by the revelation. “Henry said he remembered Volan struck him.”
“That’s the problem. You and Volan are similar in build and have similar coloration.”
“No,” Bella said. “Devlyn’s hair is brown and Volan’s hair is black.”
“Devlyn’s hair is dark brown, and inside it looks nearly black.” Chrissie sipped some of her water. Her gaze shifted from Devlyn back to Bella. “The thing is, Devlyn is the one who’s always in the picture, not Volan. Then there’s you, Bella. But he’s trying to protect you. Henry understands that. He said he’s sure you told the truth about Volan as far as being afraid of him and what he’d do to you. But it’s the other part of the story that doesn’t fit.”
“What doesn’t add up?” Devlyn asked again.
“Why didn’t Volan grab Bella at the hospital? If he’d already knocked out Henry and the cops, how come he didn’t get Bella? Where was he? The receptionist said she never saw the man. The police said they’d been knocked out from behind and had never seen who hit them.
“Henry believes it was you, Devlyn, fearing for Bella’s safety; you couldn’t explain the situation to the police adequately, so you knocked them out and stole her away.”
She paused, waiting for confirmation of what she said, but when they remained silent, she continued. “The real problem is the zoo. If Volan didn’t release the wolf and leave Bella in the pen naked, who did? Henry knows you wouldn’t have, Devlyn. You would never risk Bella’s life like that. The only conclusion he can come up with is that you’re protecting someone else. Maybe this Argos, your adoptive father? Maybe he’s a bit crazy and he—”
“No,” Bella said.
Devlyn rubbed her hand. “Why is Henry so sure Volan wasn’t at the zoo earlier? What proof does he have?”
Chrissie swallowed hard. “The police arrested Volan early this morning.”
Bella sat upright, her heartbeat racing.
Chrissie studied her. “He had airline tickets.”
Devlyn took a steadying breath.
“The airline verified that Volan’s flight was delayed in Denver, so he couldn’t have made it to Portland in time to free Rosa, the red wolf, or to leave Bella there. He was still stuck in Denver when someone rescued Bella from the hospital. Henry wondered if perhaps Volan had an accomplice. He figures if Volan flew to Portland and then showed up at the dance club, he really had come after Bella.”
“Is Volan still in jail?” Bella asked, her voice hollow. Already her cheeks had grown as pale as the fresh fallen snow of the Great Rockies.
Chrissie shook her head. “Once he could prove he had nothing to do with the zoo or hospital incident, the police couldn’t hold him any longer.” She sat forward on the couch. “Listen, I’ve known you for a long time, and I’ve never seen you so scared. I know what you say about this Volan guy is true. Henry believes it, too. But nobody can help you if you don’t go to the police and make a statement about what he’s done to you.”
Devlyn grunted. What had happened to Bella had occurred way before Chrissie’s grandfather was even born.
“Oh, and Henry knows Volan’s connected to the zoo somehow, because he’d tried to get Rosa transferred to the Denver zoo. That’s why Henry mentioned that maybe you knew of an accomplice Volan might have had working for him.”
Devlyn couldn’t think of what to say. Bella’s hand turned ice-cold, and he rubbed it, trying to warm it.
“No one gave Volan any indication where Bella lived, did they?” he fairly growled.
“Henry wouldn’t tell the police her address. He feared someone might leak it to the press, to Volan, or to his accomplice, because he must have one. Unless…” Again she swallowed hard. “Unless, the two of you freed Rosa and…” She shook her head. “But you wouldn’t have left Bella to freeze to death in the pen. So what really happened?”
Chapter Sixteen
BELLA GRIPPED DEVLYN’S HAND AS IF AN OCEAN current tugged her out to sea and she would drown if she let go. Her mother had always warned her to stay away from humans. They’d never accept the lupus garou’s ways. Now, so many years after her mother’s untimely death, those words haunted her.
Bella could never explain the truth to Ch
rissie. Yet she’d cherished her friendship with her…until now. But protecting her mate and the lupus garous took priority.
Immediately, she wanted to return home, to the grays that had taken her in, to a life where she could run with the pack and share the bonds that made them alike as well as the differences that made them unique. She wearied of hiding who she was, wanting nothing more than to be Bella, lupus garou, free to run on the wild side on moon-filled nights and enjoy the gifts being human meant, too.
On the other hand, the notion that Volan was confirmed to be perfectly alive, searching for her, and that he would kill Devlyn filled her with dread. Hell, after she shot him, he probably wanted to kill her, too.
Chrissie wrung her hands while the silence stretched between them. Devlyn waited for Bella to answer Chrissie’s question as to what had really happened at the zoo that night when Rosa escaped and Bella was left to freeze to death in the pen.
Weaving a new story, like a black widow spider ties the silken strands together into a web full of holes and deceit…how could she spin another lie like that?
“I don’t know what to say.” Sometimes the truth was better off said.
“Henry told me you’re hiding the truth. That you’re afraid of more than just Volan. I’ve been your friend for a long time and I want to help. So does Henry.” Chrissie looked at Devlyn and then faced Bella again. She rose from the couch. “But Henry and I can’t help if you’re not totally honest with us.”
Henry and Chrissie couldn’t help even if they were totally honest with them. Despite liking the two of them so much, Henry and Chrissie couldn’t refrain from being terrified if they knew of the real existence of lupus garou. No, Bella and her Rosa, one and the same, would have to remain a mystery to Henry, Chrissie, and any other curious human. Although Bella contemplated telling Chrissie that she feared the killer of redheaded women was after her, to give Henry and his police friends another reason why she was so concerned, she worried their interference could delay Bella and Devlyn’s locating the murderer and ending his terror.
Chrissie sighed. “All right, if you change your mind, I’ll be next door as usual. Um, do you think I could borrow some flowers from your greenhouse to make an arrangement? Henry really loved the way your house is filled with plants—like an extension of nature’s beauty. He’s genuinely into that sort of thing.”
“Take whatever you’d like. And thanks for all of your help, Chrissie. We’re just really tired, and neither of us can think straight,” Bella said.
“Yeah, all those late-night movies,” Chrissie said, winking.
Bella looked at Devlyn. He smiled back at her.
“See ya.” Chrissie headed out the back door.
Devlyn pulled Bella from the couch. “Now, we get some sleep. But now I’m worried things are getting too hot around here for us.”
“We have to catch the killer.” Bella had no intention of leaving the Portland area until they did. Yet Devlyn had made no mention of her going to California with his cousin again, and she wondered—although she wasn’t about to bring it up—why he had let the matter drop.
Devlyn walked with Bella to the hall and then made a detour to the front window. He peeked out and then turned and faced her.
Her heartbeat quickened when she saw the concerned look on his face. “Company?” she asked.
“Yeah. Seems we have some guard dogs on our tail.”
“The police?”
“Plainclothes stakeout. Maybe Henry’s worried that Volan’s accomplice will show up unexpectedly. Or Volan himself.”
She swallowed hard at the thought that Volan truly lived and could arrive any time on her front doorstep and that the final scene would play out between Devlyn and him…
Devlyn crossed the floor to join her. Taking his hand, she enjoyed the strength, warmth, and size of it, knowing he’d always be there to protect her if he could. They walked toward the bedroom, their steps betraying the tiredness they both felt.
Bella yawned. “Henry must have assumed that the jeep pulled up in front of Chrissie’s house in the middle of the night meant trouble.”
“Yeah. He probably wishes he’d had someone watching us before this.”
They stripped out of their clothes, intent on getting sleep. Both considered the other’s body with interest. The knowing look they shared turned into grins.
Devlyn drew her into his arms. “Sleep. Then I’ll have something ready for you.” He rubbed his cheek against hers.
His touch triggered interest, yet she yawned again. Both chuckled. “Can’t wait to see what gifts you want to bestow on me.”
She wished, as they climbed into bed and snuggled together, that nothing else mattered. That the red who killed the women had already been caught and put out of his misery, and Volan, too. That they were again home with the pack and Devlyn now served as the leader. But none of those wishes would come true without a fight, and the fear that the one left standing might not be the right one sent a shiver down her spine.
Later that evening, Bella woke to find Devlyn gone. Lightning flashed across the darkened sky and distant thunder grumbled. A steady rain beat against the bedroom window at a slant, a perfect setting for snuggling longer under her down comforter. Listening for sounds of Devlyn in the shower, she touched her wet hair and remembered showering with him already. The memory of his large hands massaging her breasts, slippery with peach soap, heated her body. She tilted her nose up and smelled for any signs he was cooking dinner, although she vaguely remembered licking whipped cream and blueberries off his chest sometime earlier. Worried she might grow weak from lack of food, he’d enticed her to eat a bite. Heaven knows how her snack had ended up on his chest.
Domestic life with Devlyn was anything but domestic.
The email butler announced a new message. The office.
Slipping out of bed, she peered into the oval mirror hanging above her dresser. Her hair rested about her shoulders in a fiery-red, tangled mess. Well-loved…that’s the way she appeared. The image sparked a secret little thrill. Her left cheek wore a faint redness…the result of his nuzzling her with his scratchy stubble of a beard at sometime or another in their bedtime romps.
A telltale hickey graced her right breast. She quirked a brow, trying to recall when he’d done that.
Without dressing, she wandered into her office. Devlyn sat at the desk, staring at her computer, intensely reading the messages.
Running her hand over his naked back, she felt his muscles instantly tighten. He turned and pulled her into his lap. “Bella honey.”
“Find anything?”
He slipped his fingers between her legs. “Hmm-hmm, nice and wet, too.”
She chuckled. “I mean about the reds, or the killer or something. You sure have a one-track mind.” She was damned thankful she’d deleted Volan’s message to her earlier.
“You distract me something fierce. But no. And I don’t think we will either until—”
“The moon appears.” She’d hoped everything would be resolved in the next few days before that happened.
But the way of the wolf would dictate the final draw. Everyone waited for the day to arrive, or the night, rather, when the moon began its sliver of an appearance. The waxing crescent that would grow until the moon swelled into a full sphere…the phase that would send lupus garous running through the wild in their wolf pelts, anxious to feel the wind at their backs and the feral freedom their wolf forms presented them. The reds would make their final move.
Then…Volan would seek Devlyn out to make his kill. She shivered and ran her hand over Devlyn’s. He stroked her nub, and she arched her back when he worked her hormones into a delicious frenzy.
Yet the notion still plagued her: three more days and their fate would be sealed.
The next afternoon, Bella heard kids’ laughter and looked out the front window. Like a lumbering grizzly, Thompson chased after Chrissie’s kids on the front lawn as her son, Jimmie, tossed a beach ball to her daughter. Mary
missed the ball and Thompson feigned running for it. All squeals, Mary dashed after the rolling ball and grabbed it just before Thompson reached it.
Chrissie stood watching them, her face beaming.
Bella took a deep breath, and Devlyn moved silently in behind her and then wrapped his arms around her. “What’s all the racket about?”
“Looks like Thompson’s as good with kids as he is with animals.”
Devlyn shook his head.
Bella turned and nipped Devlyn’s chin. “I’ve been thinking.”
“I can tell this is going to get us into some tight places.”
“Yeah, well, you know me.”
He ran his hand up her sweatshirt and cupped a breast, quickly moving to the nipple and sending a spinetingling jolt straight through her.
“Yeah, I know you. What’s brewing in that one-track mind of yours?”
She gave him a small smile and pressed her mouth against his in a lingering kiss. He responded, wrapping his arms around her in a tight squeeze, and she felt his arousal beckoning to her. He nudged her back toward the bedroom.
“I’ve been thinking,” she began again. “If the murdering red was so fond of the girl he killed, why would he have found others and killed them, too? Then Nicol’s reaction to seeing the necklace bothers me also. He really looked sick when he saw it.”
“And?”
“I want to search his place. Find out if there’s any sign of a girl murdered there. Maybe we’re dealing with two killers, not one. Or maybe he knew the girl intimately before the killer murdered her. Maybe she was at his place before she was killed. I just want to discover how connected he is to what’s happened.”
“You want the truth before I take Nicol down.”
She took a deep breath and raked her fingers through Devlyn’s hair. “Yeah. I want to know that, if there was more than one killer wolf, we’ll find them both and get rid of the threat. What if we left the area after we eliminated one murderer, only to discover the killings continue?”
“Against my better judgment, I agree. Would you stay home on this one?”
