Page 84 of His to Claim

As I curled up against his chest, closing my eyes, I envisioned the face of my father. What if he was a monster? What did that make me?

Images flashed in my mind, brutal and cold in nature, forcing me to cling to Stone as if he was my lifeline. Every one of the visions contained a wolf. I was so tired, exhausted from the events of the last few days, unable to think clearly.

But a shadow remained in my mind’s eye, a creature more terrifying than any other and he was beckoning for me.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

CHAPTER14

Stone

Risk.

I’d heard the term of risk versus reward more than once in my life. Right now, I was beginning to understand the full meaning. Vanessa was finally sleeping, her head resting on my chest, her arm positioned around me. She’d tried to absorb everything I’d shared with her; the story of the Wolfen, the rules the pack was required to follow, and the wretched disease and curse that continued to plague us.

While she’d asked questions, she’d seemed even more disturbed while attempting to process the details. Hell, I didn’t blame her.

I rubbed her arm, staring at the blank wall, trying to make the pieces of the puzzle fit together. They didn’t, no matter how I attempted to shove them together.

The pounding on the door was jarring but not surprising.

I sat up slowly, every muscle in my body tense, the feel of Vanessa’s grip on my arm producing instant adrenaline. My keen senses were immediately on high alert.

Someone else was dead, murdered in cold blood.

The dread and anxiety kicked me hard in the gut, my emotions riding high. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that the situation with the wolf was escalating. I’d already felt that the night before, the LaRue beast teetering on the edge of madness.

His hunger was off the charts, his need to feast similar to my own. And we both desired the same thing.

Vanessa.

“What’s going on?” she asked, struggling to sit up, her eyes open wide with trepidation.

“We have a visitor. Stay here.” I climbed out of bed, yanking my jeans from the floor. I purposely kept my back to her, easing the drive I’d found in her purse into my palm. While she’d given it to me sometime in the middle of the night, she didn’t need another reminder of the plausible danger.

And I had no doubt everything was coming to a head.

Another hard pounding made me hiss. I glanced at the clock, groaning under my breath. It was already the afternoon. I wasn’t going to apologize for needing time with her, not to anyone including Max. She deserved my attention and my care.

The last thing I wanted to do was to face interruptions, no matter the reason why, but I could already sense Max’s anguish. Whoever had died meant something to him.

“Be careful,” she whispered.

“As I told you, we’re safe.”

“We’re not safe anywhere, Stone.”

Her words were as chilling as they were unexpected.

I jerked on my pants, finally making my way toward the front door, slowly opening it. “Max.”

His grim face confirmed what I already knew, the sight of his full uniform another dead giveaway. “There have been two additional murders.” His statement was said without inflection, but I could see the haunted look behind his eyes.

“Two. Fuck.” I raked my fingers through my hair, noticing his face held a pained expression. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“One of them is a cop, a decorated detective who was about to retire. God damn this shit.” His eyes flashed his wolf, his chest rising and falling.

Max rarely lost his cool but today I could tell he was heavily rattled. For a cop to be taken meant the wolf had no fear, the most dangerous kind of creature.

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