Heart of the Wolf (19 page)

What else might she overhear between the reds? Who murdered the girl?

Alfred released Ross and sat back down. “Get us some more beers. I’ve got to figure out a way to eliminate this sorry gray before it comes to a real fight.”

He wouldn’t fight fair
— that’s what raced through Bella’s mind. And she began to think that leaving the area might be the best thing after all. Then she smelled a trace of Devlyn’s scent and turned. From the direction of the restrooms, Devlyn stalked, his eyes full of fury, his face hard.

Until he saw her.

Surprise registered and then anger again. Legs shaking, she strode toward him, still fighting with her conscience which course of action to take. Get rid of Volan’s body or just leave him dead in the parking area and sneak out the back way with Devlyn. She wasn’t the sneaky type normally. But this was one of those times when she felt her life could depend on it.

Devlyn seized her wrist and pulled her toward the entrance. “What the hell are you doing here, Bella?”

“I came to... to tell you I’d be your mate, but... “ She balked at going out the front way for an instant, still trying to decide what to do.

He stopped. “You agree to be my mate? Despite Volan?”

She nodded, tears threatening to spill.

“All right. You don’t have to worry about Volan, Bella. He’s a dead man. Just remember that.” He pulled her tight against his chest, warm and loving, which made her feel even worse about what she’d done.

“I... we have to talk... outside,” she managed to get out.

“What’s wrong, Bella?” Devlyn grunted. “As if I didn’t know. You’re still worried Volan will beat me.”

How could life be so damned complicated? She walked him outside but noticed a man and a woman standing where she’d left Volan’s body between the two cars in the lot. From where she and Devlyn stood, they couldn’t see Volan, but by the way the people were bending over, she figured they were checking him for vital signs.

She yanked Devlyn back inside the club. Too late to hide Volan now. “Too dark outside. Maybe too dangerous.”

“I didn’t see any sign of him, Bella. Volan, I mean. Listen,” Devlyn said, pulling her toward a table, “after I had a chance to cool down, I thought about my actions. Killing him as a human is a foolhardy proposition. Wolf to wolf is the only way to resolve this. Since we’re both here, why don’t we stir the reds up a bit? See if we can make any more headway with them.”

“I... I think we should leave.”

He pulled her onto the dance floor and held her close. “I’ll protect you, Bella. He can’t hurt you here. Just play along with me on this and then we’ll go home.”

Volan would never return to hurt anyone again. Devlyn would take over the pack. End of worry. But she couldn’t shake the fear of getting caught. Not by the police, but by the one she cared for more than anyone else in the world, her true love who would hate her for what she’d done. But he’d be alive, she reminded herself. He’d be alive even if he couldn’t love her anymore.

The crowd shimmied to the heavy rock beat. Red, blue, yellow, and green lights swirled overhead and across the waxed dance floor. Women’s flowery perfumes and men’s spicy colognes couldn’t disguise the perspiration covering the humans’ skin while they worked their bodies to the music. But then the faint sound of a siren wailed in the distance. Bella’s heartbeat kicked up a notch.

She caught sight of Alfred again, dancing with a blond. Ross danced nearby with a brunette. Nicol, however, was nowhere in sight. The rear exit was clear. An easy escape.

With the music winding down to a slower paced dance, Devlyn pulled Bella close. “What’s wrong, Bella?” He moved slowly, drawing her into the mating madness. “You’re shivering.”

“I... “ She swallowed hard and moved Devlyn toward the rear exit.

He smiled and kissed her cheek. “I’m supposed to be the one leading, Bella.”

Heart thundering out of control, she stared at the entrance, watching for the police. “I wish,” she said against his ear over the sound of the loud music, “that you and I had no cares in the world.”

“We won’t, Bella, soon.” He kissed her cheek and moved his hands casually up her back and then to her bottom. Wedging his leg between hers, he pressed her against his hard thigh.

She rubbed against him, shamelessly, wantonly. The silk of her dress slid over her thighs when his leg stroked her most erotic spot. “I said I’d be your mate. Let’s go home.”

He cupped her buttocks with his large hands and lifted her slightly against his firm arousal.

“We’ve garnered the reds’ attention. We have to see how far we can take this.”

With her head pressed against his chest, she couldn’t see who watched them, but when she tried to separate from him to look, he held her tight. His hands roamed down to the small of her back. “We don’t want anyone to know we’re putting on this show for them, Bella. Just stay nice and close.”

Annoyed, she bit his shoulder.

He laughed. “Of course it’s not
really
a show. You know how I feel about you. I’d make these dance moves with you anywhere. In a subtle way, I’m trying to monitor the reactions of the reds.” “We should go, Devlyn.”

“I’ve never seen a pack of
lupus garous
observe anyone so intensely. You sure have them worked up.” “You have me worked up, Devlyn, but I really want to... “

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “You can feel what you’ve done to me.”

“That’s why I’m ready to go to the SUV. To... to relieve some of your tension and mine.” She moved her hands from his waist to his backside. “Are the reds angry?”

“Rabidly entranced. As if you were doing a striptease in front of them. If any one of them is the killer, I imagine you’re unraveling his resolve to keep his murderous intentions under control.”

“Devlyn, I’m really ready to take this to a more private location.” She rubbed against his steel-hard arousal, trying to induce him to agree.

“A little while longer.” His voice sounded husky and strained. He shook his head. “Damn, one’s coming in for the kill.” “Devlyn?” Bella said.

Nicol joined them and, in a ragged voice, said, “I know you’ve claimed her for your own, although you told me you already had a mate.”

Devlyn moved his hands to Bella’s hips and parted slightly from her. “I had made my intentions toward Bella clear years ago. Except I had to convince her to agree with me first. But, she is my chosen mate... no other.”

“You both have agreed to this?” Nicol asked.

“Yes,” Bella said, and Devlyn leaned over and kissed her mouth. Responding with equal enthusiasm, she wanted there to be no doubt in the reds’ minds that she wanted Devlyn and no other
lupus garou.

“May I ask her to dance?”

Devlyn hesitated and then asked, “Bella?”

“I think we should leave, Devlyn.”

For a second, he stared at her, as if he finally realized something big was bothering her. He whispered in her ear, “If we make any headway, we can end this here tonight.”

She glanced back at the entrance. No police, no more sirens.

Before she could respond, Devlyn kissed her lips and then left her with Nicol.

Disheartened, she held Nicol apart from her while Devlyn made his way to the table where Ross and Alfred sat.

“You must know, Bella, you’re about to give our pack leader a stroke the way you dance with the gray. I’ve never seen his face redder.”

“We can’t help it. We’re in love.”

“It’s evident.” He studied her for a moment, swallowed hard, and switched topics. “Another gray arrived here earlier. He spoke with us and then left. He appeared to be pretty angry he missed you.”

Her heart pumped in overdrive.

“Something wrong? You look like you’re getting ready to faint. We’ll eliminate the gray, Bella, if he’s a problem. You don’t have to worry about him. He said you arranged to meet him here, but we told him you left with another gray. He didn’t seem pleased. After he left, Alfred said you had told him an older man planned to see you. Not someone who appeared to be in his thirties.”

“Argos. The man you saw wasn’t him. Volan serves as the gray pack leader and intended to have me as his mate.”

Nicol stiffened.
“He’s
the one.”

“Yes. He sent a message to me pretending to be Argos. We didn’t learn of the deception until we returned to my apartment.” She noticed the flicker of interest in his brown eyes. If the red wolf pack searched for her themselves, they wouldn’t be looking for a house, but an apartment complex instead. Still, she clenched her fists, irritated that Alfred hadn’t used his men to eliminate Volan when they had the chance. Then she wouldn’t be in the hellacious bind she was in now.

“Alfred still wants you.” Nicol stated the words matter-of-factly.

It was as though she had no choice in the matter. She’d selected a mate, and it should have been a done deal, but the reds wouldn’t allow her to choose the gray. “But I’ve chosen Devlyn for my mate.”

“He’s not from here and he’s a gray. As far as Alfred’s concerned, the gray has no legitimate claim to you. You know, ancient law of the pack.”

When she didn’t respond, he took it that she didn’t know about it. “The ancient law, you know. Where an unmated pack leader can take a lone red wolf for his own if she enters the reds’ territory. Of course, the same applies if he has a mate already and one of his pack members needs one.”

She took a steadying breath. The sooner she and Devlyn left the red
lupus garou
territory and the sooner they got out of the club, the better. “What about you?”

Nicol smiled. “A pack leader can lose his position if a new alpha male emerges.”

She raised her brows. He didn’t seem to be the emergent leader type. A follower, like Ross — that’s how she had both of them pegged. “Like you?”

He shrugged. “There’s been no incentive... until now.”

That definitely could capsize the boat.

“And Ross?”

“He’s been brooding of late. No telling what’s going on in that dark mind of his.”

“He and Alfred were dancing with human females when we first arrived. They both looked happy enough.”

“That was before you showed up with the gray. As soon as you reappeared, they quit dancing and joined me at the table to watch.” Nicol tightened his grip on her hand. “I want you to dance close to me like you did with the gray.”

“I’m Devlyn’s mate, no other’s.”

He shook his head. “A red belongs with a red... not a gray. No one here will sanctify your choice. As far as Ross goes, he puts on a good show. But, frankly, I wouldn’t trust him.”

“If you’re thinking of ousting Alfred as the leader of the pack and taking over, it seems to me
you’re
the one who can’t be trusted.”

He gave her a sardonic smile. “No one is to be trusted, Bella, with a rare red female in our midst, who looks good enough to eat. No one.” Taking a deep breath, his eyes darkened.

She assumed he could smell how Devlyn had aroused her, and Nicol’s own hormones would be thrown into turmoil. She glanced back at Devlyn, who sat speaking to Alfred and Ross but kept his gaze focused on her and Nicol. Devlyn’s face looked red and hard. If Nicol got too fresh with her, Devlyn would be at her side in a flash.

Right before the dance ended, Ross made his move.

Fearing she would have to dance with every one of the reds, each trying to see if they could stir the same kind of interest in her that Devlyn did, she knew the police would stalk in any minute and arrest her, as guilty as she must look.

Nicol kept hold of her hand, reluctant to give her up.

“Will you dance with me?” Ross asked her, ignoring Nicol.

“Of course, but remember, I’m Devlyn’s mate.” Glancing over at Devlyn, she frowned.

Ross’s nostrils flared slightly as his eyes burned with hatred at the mention of Devlyn’s name. Nicol snorted at her comment and then joined the others at the table.

“I thought the brunette you danced with was quite attractive. Have you known her long?” she asked.

Ross’s thin lips tightened and his brown eyes darkened to nearly black. “You have no business taking up with a gray.”

Her stomach constricted. Instinct compelled her to shove him away and tell him where he could go. She had every right to select a mate, and if he were agreeable, she and Devlyn would consummate the relationship, thereby making it a mating for life. Squashing her more violent wolf nature, she attempted instead to learn whether Ross was the killer. “I’m sorry there aren’t more reds around for — “

“You won’t be a gray’s bitch, Bella.”

She didn’t care for his tone, ominous and threatening, but she fought telling him off. She already had enough problems with zoo man Thompson, the police, and one dead gray pack leader. Plus the notion of finding and stopping the killer. No way did she need three horny reds compounding her troubles.

Devlyn sat on the edge of his stool, ready to pounce on any of the reds should they take their actions with Bella too far. Although neither Ross nor Nicol had treated Bella other than with great caution, he still didn’t like them touching her. They desired her, just as he did. As any of their kind would. Touching that soft, warm body, even with the faintest of brushes, forced his loins to react. He knew the same thing happened to them when they drew close to her. Yet he had every intention of learning who the killer was as soon as he could so that he could take Bella home to the pack.

“I’m surprised you didn’t make a move for her earlier. She’s lived here for three years. Or didn’t you know?”

Alfred’s eyes rounded, and his face reddened. “Shit,” he said under his breath. “I thought... “ He shook his head.

“She’s pretty good at keeping inconspicuous, mainly from dodging Volan all these years.”

“She should have been mine all this time.” Alfred rose from the seat. “My turn.” He didn’t ask if it was all right with Devlyn. He strode from the table like a pack leader does, knowing that everyone had better follow his lead.

Struggling to keep his seat, Devlyn clenched his fists.

“Man, is Alfred pissed now!” Nicol chugged his beer and then grinned. “To think she’d been in the area all that time and no one knew it. We thought she’d been here only a couple of weeks.” He shook his head in disbelief. “She’s sure fine.”