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A few yards down the sidewalk, he swore, changed direction, and stalked back to her building. He was taking a chance she’d make good on her threat to call the cops if she saw him. He’d just have to make damn sure she didn’t see him. Gaining entrance was easy enough with the busted lock. He took the stairs two at a time.
Fury bubbled up inside him when his gaze landed on the claw marks scarring her door. He shoved it away. Emotions clouded thinking and led to mistakes. Control was the mantra he’d lived by his entire life.
Rather than knock—no way would she let him in with things as they stood—he placed his hand on the panel and listened, filtering away the outside noise. Once he was sure she was safe, he’d take some time to regroup and be back by nightfall. That was the sensible thing to do.
Her heartbeat was rapid, her breathing thready. Frowning, he hesitated. He could detect no one inside the apartment with her. A thin cry of terror pierced his heart.
The doorknob turned easily under his hand. What the hell! It wasn’t even locked. He shoved it open. “Zoe.” Asleep at her desk, she moaned. A nightmare held her in its grip. “Zoe,” he called again.
Shoving the door closed, he crossed the short distance to her side.
Her eyelids flipped open, awareness kicking in. He caught a brief glimpse of a fist heading straight toward his head, ducking before it made contact. Undaunted, she flew at him, beating at his chest and shoulders. He grabbed her upper arms and lightly shook her. “Zoe, it’s me.” He wrapped his arms around her, to keep her from hurting herself…and him.
Trapped in her fear, she was unable to hear him. If he was human, she’d have done some damage. As it was, all she did was hurt her hands and wear herself out.
“Stop it,” he snapped.
She brought her knee up sharply, aiming for his balls. He twisted, barely blocking the blow. Damn, she was out for blood. Gripping her hands in one of his, he took her to the floor, making sure he took the brunt of the fall. Turning her onto her back, he threw one of his thighs over hers, pinning her legs to prevent her from using them to inflict further damage.
She bucked beneath him, her eyes spitting fire. “Let me go.”
“Not until you settle down.”
Every muscle in her body stiffened. A muscle flexed in her jaw. “I’m calm.”
She was anything but calm, but she’d leashed her emotions. The speed at which she accomplished it told him she’d had practice.
He released her and rolled away in case she decided to try to unman him again with her knee. Immortal he might be, but he was also a guy. Getting hit in the balls would hurt like a son of a bitch.
“Get out of my apartment.” Using the chair, she pulled herself upright. Her hair was mussed, several strands stuck to her forehead. There were dark circles beneath her eyes. She was pale and shaky but trying to hide it.
He held up his hands, got to his feet, and slowly backed away. Nothing he said was going to paint him in a favorable light. “I wasn’t going to bother you. I wanted to check on you and heard you cry out. You were having a nightmare.”
“That’s not your problem.”
No, it wasn’t. At any other point in his life, he’d have already walked away and left her to her fate. Oh, he’d have used her to try to catch the wolf hunting her, but he wouldn’t have worried over her personal safety. Irritation made him snap. “No, it’s not, but for some crazy reason I care if you live or die.” It went far deeper than that. He wanted to seek and destroy anyone who meant to harm her. “You left your damn door unlocked.”
She dragged her fingers through her hair. “Shit, the phone was ringing when I was coming in. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.” She grabbed her phone. “I warned you. Leave or I’ll call the cops. For some crazy reason,” she tossed her words back at him, “I don’t want to get you in trouble. Look, I get you believe werewolves are real, but they’re not.” Her features softened slightly. “There are people who can help you.”
Great, she was back to thinking he was mentally unstable. Nothing he said would change her position. Like many humans, she denied the existence of the paranormal. It was too outside her worldview to accept. But sticking her head in the sand did nothing but leave her vulnerable.
“Our paths crossed for a reason.” He tugged on the ends of his hair. “We share the same coloring, the same eyes. I’ve never come across another woman like you.”
“That’s genetics. Nothing mystical or magical about it.”
She might think that, but he was beginning to believe otherwise. “What about the marks on the door?”
The color had flowed back into her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her heart rate more normal. “It was a wolf hybrid or some kind of dog breed I’ve never seen before. I doubt it will be back.”
There would be no changing her mind. Not with her dead set on believing the story she’d spun for herself. Picking up a pen on her desk, he jotted down his number. He’d never given it to a woman. Not even the worldwide alpha network had it. They contacted him through an email account. “If anything happens, if you feel scared, call me. You’re in danger and not from me.”
There was nothing more he could do. She looked so small standing there, so unlike the ball of energy he’d come to know. Her light had dimmed. His wolf growled, eager to hunt and destroy whoever was behind this attack. “Lock the damn door behind me.”
“Goodbye, Devlin Moore.” The door closed and all the locks shot home.
He snorted. Let her believe whatever she wanted. They were far from done. Back on the street, he glanced up at Zoe’s window before he made the turn around the corner. It was empty. Swallowing his disappointment, he kept going. He needed to rest and regroup if he was going to be of any use to her.
In a perfect world, they’d have curled up together on her narrow bed—the only other major piece of furniture in her apartment besides the big wooden desk. It wouldn’t comfortably hold them, forcing her to lie on top of him. His wolf practically purred. Yeah, he didn’t disagree. He’d love to have her sprawled over him, preferably with him buried inside her as they made love.
