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“You mean I belong to you, right?” she chided. “That’s what you really believe. I was actually attracted to that for some crazy reason, a dominating man. That isn’t like me in the least. Now I realize that you really believe you have some magical power and that I’m required to mate with you. You can’t imagine how much that turns my stomach.”
I knew she had to hate me in her effort to fight off the truth she’d seen with her own eyes. “I meant what I said. I care about you and intend on protecting you with my life.”
“And I meant what I said. I can handle myself just fine around assholes and monsters.” Her face flushed the moment she said the words.
“Fair enough.”
Another awkward silence settled in.
“The wolf followed me that night in the park, didn’t he? He was going to kill me then. And you fought him. That’s how you got the scratches on your neck.”
“Yes.”
“I know I shot him twice.”
I nodded. “You did, but that did little to slow him down. We fought. He got in several hard punches.” I laughed bitterly, wishing everything could be different.
Her brow furrowed, her eyes shifting. “If I’m truly your mate, that’s why he wants to kill me. That’s why you took me from my own house.”
“Yes.”
She inhaled, her gaze shifting up and down the length of me.
“Can you handle remaining as my partner until we finish this?” I finally asked.
Hesitating, she stared into my eyes, remaining unblinking. “Yes. But after that, I don’t care what you told me, there is nothing wrong with me. I will never see you or this place again.”
“If you are entering into the transition, you will feel nauseous at first, your body temperature increasing. You will feel as if you have the flu.”
“Then maybe that’s all it will be,” she challenged. “The flu. Then what, I turn all furry at the hint of a full moon?”
“You read the pages in the book, Kathleen. We aren’t forced to turn. Unfortunately, until you can control the change in your body, you will be incredible hungry, your desire for red meat increasing. You will need more rest at first as well. What you will require is someone to mentor you on curtailing the urge to change.”
“Let me guess, you’re that person.”
I wasn’t going to argue with her. Perhaps I was wrong and the scratch had come from another source. I knew better. I’d sensed it before but had refused to believe I could be so careless. “We will need to handle the murder like the others without giving anything away.”
“Trust me, Max, for whatever reason the Wolfen… pack has an enemy, I will treat the case as diligently as I would any of my others. That is my only promise to you. I’m going to change clothes.” She headed for the stairs then stopped, not bothering to turn back in my direction. “This ancient burial site. Is it really true that if it’s disturbed some horrific curse will be unleashed as you call it?”
“That’s what our elders all believe.”
“And you have no idea of the location?”
“No one does. Why?” I asked, able to tell she’d shifted into detective mode.
“Just curious. While you can buy this wolf creature is on some grandiose power trip, there’s always a reason. People are greedy and tend to do things for money and clout. That would account for the reason that there just might be several people working behind the scenes, willing to give up their decent way of life. Money and lots of it. Something for you to keep in mind.”
I watched as she stormed up the stairs, realizing she had a very good point and one that hadn’t been considered. The horrific scheme could be about a method of obtaining our land. The best method of doing so? Hire a wolf.
* * *
The bloody murder scene was more troubling as the morning light dawned. The poor girl’s eyes remained open, her mouth twisted as if in the moment of death. She was also naked, claw marks covering a portion of her body. The murder had been done in a fit of rage. If I had to guess, I’d say it was because the killer hadn’t been able to capture Kathleen. The killer had taken the time to pull together piles of underbrush and thorns, the scene reminiscent of something far too religious.
As if taken directly out of the ancient book, which was equally troubling.
The fucker was toying with us. I glanced around the perimeter, noticing Josh remained on duty as he’d been for hours.
He studied Kathleen before finally walking closer. “There hasn’t been anyone here since she was found.”
