I stayed a few paces back so as not to scare him further and called the sheriff’s department. As I quickly explained what had happened, I watched Daphne unsuccessfully try to coax George down from the tree. The cat was just out of her reach...but not mine.
I hung up and went to her side. “Want me to give it a try?”
She grimaced, but I could see the gratitude in her eyes. This was traumatic for her too, and she needed to hold her cat to know that he was fine. “But he’ll scratch the hell out of you, Travis.”
I shrugged. “You’re worried about him and that’s all that matters.”
Sheriff Alverse Aldrich arrived a short time later as Daphne was massaging some healing lotion into the scratches on my forearms. Getting George down from the tree had turned out to be tricky as hell. I probably should’ve used gloves or something, but love is blind and hindsight is twenty-twenty.
The sheriff was a bald, broad-shouldered bear shifter with a bushy mustache, and colorful sleeve tattoos.
“Causing trouble again, son?” he asked, referring to the altercation I’d had with the vampire tourist in Nightmare Alley as he clapped me good-naturedly on the shoulder.
“Trying the fuck not to.”
A low, menacing growl emanated from George’s cat carrier as the sheriff walked past.Must not like bears either.
As the sheriff sniffed around the suite, Daphne snatched her undergarments from the TV and shoved them into her open suitcase.
“Do you have any valuables?” he asked her. “Is there anything missing?”
After rescuing George, we’d found the evil spell book still safely stashed in her beach bag on the closet shelf.
Daphne gave me a pointed look that said,Should we tell him about it?And I gave her a look back that I hoped said,Your call.
She flashed me a quick, tight-lipped smile. Good. It seemed as if she understood me.
“I was worried about George, so I haven’t really checked. But I don’t think so. I don’t own much jewelry or keep any cash around.”
Without warning, the sheriff shifted into his bear form. Daphne jumped and made a sound of surprise. I set a hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the way as the large brown bear lumbered around her villa and out into the courtyard. At some point, she slipped an arm around my waist,making my wolf very happy. He loved to protect her and puffed with pride that she turned to me to feel safe.
I kissed the top of her head. “Doing okay?” I whispered.
She nodded and nestled closer.
After the sheriff sniffed in every nook and cranny, he morphed back into his human form and stood in the middle of the room, chewing on a toothpick. “So, tell me about this Date-A-Wolf contest?”
“What do you want to know?” I asked, my tone suddenly guarded. Some folks on the island thought the contest was nonsense. And I had too. I only agreed in order to keep the ranch out of my half-brother’s greedy hands. But if not for Date-A-Wolf, I’d have never met Daphne, so my opinion had done a 180.
He tapped his nose and looked around the room. “Clearly, another werewolf has been here.”
I tensed. “Yes, and...”
“Could this have been carried out by a disgruntled former contestant? From my understanding, you sent home a werewolf the other night.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Daphne sputtered, looking stricken.
Alverse gave a little shrug. “It’s just a question.”
“You’re referring to Sarah, and no, she would never do something like this.” She put her hands on her hips. “She’s a good friend of mine.”
“Are you sure? How well do youreallyknow her?” The sheriff was relentless. Like a barbed hook, he wouldn’t let go of this line of questioning.
“Well, for one thing,” Daphne said, “she didn’t even want to be in the contest, but her family made her.”
“Or so she says.” The sheriff lifted a bushy brow.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Alverse,” I said, pulling Daphne closer and rubbing the curve of her hip. “If Daphne said her friendSarah didn’t do this, she didn’t do it. Plus, I know her scent and this wasn’t her.”
