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“Wolf with me, stay close,” Leven said quickly. “At least I’ll know you’re safe. Callum is watching over Daniel, and Antonio will check feeds once we leave.”
Nodding, I started stripping out of my clothes. Leven cleared his throat and Carlo turned away as I threw them aside and shifted quickly. As soon as I was in wolf form, Leven followed and ran through the open door. I trailed, right on his heels, nose to the ground as I tried to find the creep’s scent.
Just as we circled by Leven’s house, I caught it, letting out a little yip to get his attention. Leven circled by me, scenting the air as it led through the yard and around to the back of the house. From the trail, he brushed against the garden beds before heading inside. My heart sank and Leven shifted on the spot.
“Grandpa!” he yelled out as he ran inside, leaving me alone. He’d kick himself for that later, but I could hold my own. I hurried in after him and followed a much different path. The trail went upstairs, and through every bedroom. He didn’t stay long, the trail faint in each one and I knew he was searching for my space. Abandoning that lead, I went down to my room, shoving my shoulder into the door, heart pounding when it swung open easily instead of closed tightly like I’d left it after my shower this morning.
He lingered here. His scent hung heavy in the air, especially on my bed. My skin crawled at the thought and I had an overwhelming urge to burn everything I owned.
I shifted, pulling on clothes before searching slowly through my belongings, making sure everything was here. When Leven found me, I had my picture album in my lap, staring down at a picture that was missing, the spot a glaring empty sleeve.
“What is it?”
“He searched through the house for me, barely stopping in each room. So I came here and he was here a while,” I admitted. “My bed especially. Then I found this.” I gestured to the spot and he frowned.
“He took a souvenir?” he questioned. “A picture of just you?”
“No,” I admitted. “It wasn’t even of me. The picture was just of Meira. My sister.” In my mind I could see the image perfectly. It was her sitting on our porch, smiling sweetly into the camera. Her cheeks were flushed from a bit too much wine, but her expression was light and full of laughter. “Why would he take that? She’s dead…”
“To fuck with you, Vanya,” he guessed, sitting down and pulling me into his lap. I went easily, melting into his huge frame and letting him ground me, hold me together when I wanted to scream and break things and cry at the same time.
“It’s fucking working,” I said bitterly, tossing the photo album aside.
“You’re not staying in here or sleeping alone anymore. You can pick one of us or alternate, whatever works for you, but this can’t go on now that he’s escalating,” he prompted.
I nodded to show I understood since my voice wasn’t working at the moment. But one thing I knew, was that this wolf would stop at nothing to destroy me, and I hated to admit that I was shaken to my core. But just as Nyx pointed out earlier, nothing he does can be taken at face value.Nothing.So the real question was what did the tracker have to do with my sister? And what did hereallywant with me?
ChapterEighteen
Vanya
“Wake up, Vanya.” Leven nudges me, his voice gentle but loud enough to rouse me from a dead sleep. My eyes blink open and I wince at the light that’s shining brightly down on me.
“What the fuck?” I mumbled, shielding my eyes with an arm. For a moment I was startled at the unfamiliar room, then I remembered he’d made me share his last night so I’d feel safe. Well, it really didn’t take much convincing after that scare, falling asleep in Leven’s arms was exactly what I needed.
“There was a body in town again,” he sighed. My heart pounded as I bolted upright. “Callum is calling us all in again.”
“Who was it?” I asked quietly. “Why is he hurting people to get to me?”
“He’s desperate,” Leven said, avoiding my question until I glared pointedly. “It was a waitress from the diner.”
“Oh gods. This is all my fault.” My panic was stopped swiftly by Leven picking me up from my position on the bed and standing me upright on the cold hardwood floor.
“No, it’s not. You didn’t kill them and had nothing to do with this. This is all on him and we are doing our best to find him. You’ve already helped us narrow things down,” he said firmly. I nodded, trying to squash my guilt down, but today it was impossible. I pulled on an outfit without really looking and threw my hair in a messy bun. He was already dressed so he rushed me out of the house and across the neighborhood to the security office. We took our seats and the others trailed in.
“How’s Daniel?” I asked Callum as I sat, reaching over and giving his hand a squeeze. He looked like he’d gotten no sleep in days. And after the last few days, it wasn’t shocking.
“He’s stable and on the mend, but I’ve ordered him home to heal for a few days,” Callum said. “My contact at the sheriff’s office called me in. The waitress was found on the hood of her car, throat slit. Same ‘weapon’ as the bouncer.”
“What do we do from here? He can’t just pick off one after the other of the entirety of Dixon,” Leven asked.
“Give me to him,” I mumbled. Neither of them thought it was funny, but I wasn’t joking.
Nyx, Antonio, and Carlo walked in a few moments later and Callum explained again for them.
“Give me to him,” I said more firmly this time. “Set up a trap and let me be the bait. If I go stand out there and yell out at him, he’d come.”
“And likely kill you. No deal,” Leven said angrily. “This isn’t a martyr situation, Vanya. Your life isn’t less valuable than anyone else’s.”
