The Finding (24 page)

Using the
sleeve of his shirt, he wiped the spit from his face and grimaced.
“That was really rude, you know. Didn’t anyone ever teach you not
to spit at people?”

She didn’t
answer, but he was sure he saw a flash of regret in her eyes before
she hid it with a defiant thrust of her chin. Oh, she was feisty
one, he thought to himself, forcing a smile of appreciation. But,
even though he liked some spirit in his women, she’d have to learn
respect if she was going to survive in the pack; Ryne wouldn’t put
up with that sort of crap. Deciding to capitalize on the situation,
he pressed his point, keeping his voice deep and implacable.

“Your attitude
had better change once we get back to Canada. Our Alpha will be
taking you to task himself if you even try a stunt like that on
him.”

“Canada!” Her
voice squeaked as she spoke the word.

He nodded,
pleased she was at least talking now, rather than cowering in fear.
“Uh-huh. That’s where the pack is located. Under the Finding
clause, you’re now a member. We’ll be heading back just as soon as
I can finalize the arrangements.”

“Finding
clause? Arrangements?” The words came out as little more than a
bewildered whisper.

“Yep. Rogue or
lone werewolves such as yourselves can cause a lot of trouble so
when one is found we usually hunt them down—” His cell phone rang
at that moment interrupting his explanation. He patted his pocket,
before realizing it was on the dresser. Leaning forward, he found
he couldn’t quite reach and grunted in frustration.

For a moment he
hesitated, eyeing the woman beneath him. The phone rang again and
he sighed heavily, then issued a warning in his sternest voice
before climbing off her. “Don’t do anything stupid like trying to
leave because if you do, I’ll just track you down again and the
consequences won’t be pleasant. Stay right here while I get my
phone.” She didn’t move when he stood up, only her eyes followed
his progress as he backed towards the phone, reluctant to let her
out of his sight. For some reason he didn’t trust her sudden
acquiescence.

He picked up
the phone without even looking to see who was calling. “Hello?”

Mel’s voice
sounded in his ear. “Bryan?

“Yeah? What’s
the matter? I’m sort of busy right now.” He answered her
absentmindedly, his thoughts more on the girl before him than his
Alpha’s mate. Cassandra Greyson was a bit of a puzzle, scared yet
defiant. How had she survived for three years on her own? Keeping
her wolf in check with no one around to guide her couldn’t have
been easy...

“Oh, I’m sorry.
I...I’ll call back later.” Mel’s voice sounded wobbly, as if she
were on the verge of tears. That grabbed his attention and snapped
him back into focus.

“No! Don’t hang
up! What can I do for you, Mel?”

“Oh Bryan,
I...” She paused and sniffled.

A sound from
the bed caught Bryan’s attention and he looked up to see Cassandra
was now sitting on the edge of the bed. She had her arms wrapped
around herself and was staring at the floor. Her whole demeanour
projected a feeling of defeat. He grimaced, thinking he’d been too
harsh with her. The girl had had a rough go of it, no doubt. Being
a lone wolf was no fun...

“Bryan? Are you
still there?”

“I’m here Mel.
I just got distracted for a minute. What’s upsetting you?” He
turned his body slightly away from the bed, in an attempt to help
himself concentrate on Mel.

“You know how
you saw me at the computer the other day, and I was acting sort of
strange?’

“I remember.” A
quick glance over his shoulder revealed that the Greyson girl
hadn’t moved. He relaxed a bit and listened intently to Mel, trying
to think of what the problem could possibly be. Mel wasn’t the sort
to fall apart over nothing, though since she’d gotten pregnant her
moods were a bit unpredictable.

“Well, I’ve
been getting some correspondence from—”

A sound behind
him had Bryan starting to turn towards the spot he’d left Cassandra
when pain exploded in his head. He gave a brief cry, felt his knees
buckle and then the carpeted floor seemed to rush up to meet
him.

*****

Cassie stood
frozen, staring at the results of her actions. Bryan was lying on
the floor, a thin trickle of blood seeping from a cut on his cheek.
She couldn’t believe she’d actually knocked the man out! Sure it
always worked in the movies, but this was real life. Using the lamp
had been an act of desperation and now that she’d been successful,
a queasy feeling was filling her stomach.

She swallowed
hard, forcing herself to look around for her shoes. Her purse was
by the door and she breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Bryan
had brought it along. All her ID was in there and even though it
was technically all fake, they were the only documents she had at
the moment. The irony of her thanking her kidnapper for not losing
her purse struck her and she gave a derisive snort before resuming
the search for her shoes. Even though he was unconscious now, she
didn’t hold out much hope that he’d stay that way for long. After
all, he’d admitted he was a werewolf and they were purported to be
quick healers. Heck, who was she kidding? She’d seen the phenomenon
herself; her own minor cuts and bruises always faded much faster
than would be considered normal.

The memory of
watching her skin knit itself back together before her very eyes
made her uneasy. She didn’t want to be a werewolf and anything that
reminded her of the fact was upsetting.

“Bryan?
Bryan!”

A voice—a
female voice—could be heard over the phone and Cassie paused in her
search for her shoes. Bryan had indicated he was popular with
women; was this one of his girlfriends? He’d called her Mel. Was
that short for Melissa or Melanie? Not that it mattered.

Cassie bit her
lip wondering if Mel was a human or another werewolf. If the other
woman was human, maybe she should warn her about her boyfriend. She
quickly dismissed the idea. Escaping was her priority at the
moment. Besides, the person on the other end likely wouldn’t even
believe her.

“Hello? Hello?
Is anyone there?”

Ignoring the
frantic sounding voice, Cassie peered under the bed, grunting
happily when her shoes came into view. Pulling them on, she stood
and stared at Bryan again. He was breathing steadily, so no real
damage had been done. Perhaps she should tie him up? Eyeing the bed
sheets, she decided against it. It would take too long and probably
wouldn’t slow him down significantly. The power of his body had
been more than revealed to her when he’d had her pinned to the bed.
Muscles seemed to cover every inch of the man. Muscles and... Her
gaze drifted to his crotch.

Their struggle
had aroused him. She’d felt the evidence pressing against her and
the beast inside her had responded, her panties growing moist. The
smell of his body, heated from their exertions, had filled her
nostrils and she’d had an overwhelming desire to nuzzle against him
and lick the strong column of his throat. Thankfully he hadn’t
noticed and she’d been able to project a defiant facade.

But a facade
was exactly what it was. The creature inside her was fighting to
get out like never before. Hot, wild thoughts kept racing through
her mind; images of naked, sweaty bodies twisting and writhing
together. Even now she could almost imagine what it would be like
to have her legs wrapped around his hips; to feel his hands
gripping hers...

The man on the
floor gave a light moan and Cassie jerked back to reality. Her
breathing was rapid and there was an ache between her thighs. Oh
God, this was crazy. Here she was contemplating sex with a
werewolf! With a cry of self-disgust, she turned and fled the room,
anxious to put as much distance between them as possible.

Once she was
outside the motel room, she looked around getting her bearings,
trying to calm herself enough to think logically. Luckily, the
place he’d taken her wasn’t that far from her house and it was on a
public transit route... And there came a bus! She sprinted across
the parking lot, arriving just in time to climb on.

Settling in her
seat, she breathed a sigh of relief. She could have walked home,
but this was faster and she wanted to put as much distance as
possible between herself and that werewolf.

His motives for
searching her out were puzzling. While she’d been more intent on
escaping than listening to what he was saying, a few of his words
had sunk in.

He’d said
something about finding her and that she was now a member of his
pack. And he was going to take her to Canada! She shivered,
thinking how just a few days ago she’d been contemplating the fact
that she’d need to move away from civilization before the animal
inside her caused any harm, but Canada! It seemed a bit
extreme.

She wondered
how he’d found her if he was from such a faraway place and, for
that matter, why he was even looking for her. It made no sense. She
furrowed her brow and then opened her eyes wide as she recalled his
arousal. Was he looking for a mate? Some of the websites she’d
visited had said werewolves hunted for mates, but was that true or
a myth? The idea frightened her human side, while the animal within
squirmed in delight.

Yes, our mate!
And a pack in the wilderness!

Cassie grimaced
at the creature’s excited response and squashed the beast down. She
needed a clear head right now, not crazy thoughts about...mates; a
shudder of distaste ran through her at the very idea.

Nibbling her
lip, she considered the situation. Possibly, Bryan was somehow
connected with the werewolf in Chicago. Most definitely, he wasn’t
the same wolf she’d seen on the estate. That beast had been a dark
haired man before it had shifted, but perhaps Bryan knew this other
werewolf? There’d been mention of a pack, but Canada and Chicago
weren’t that close together... Her head began to pound as the
situation became more and more muddled.

She gave up
trying to figure out the how and why of Bryan finding her. It was
more important to plot her course of action. Having escaped him
once, she wasn’t sure she could do it again, so running was
essential. All the money she’d saved for an emergency was going to
be put to use now.

As soon as she
got home, she’d pack a few things and head to the bank. She’d close
the account, go to the airport, and get a seat on the first flight
out. It didn’t matter where it was headed. Any place would do.

But what about
Kellen? Cassie clenched her hands in her lap. She couldn’t leave
him behind, despite her earlier anger over his gambling. It was too
dangerous and Kellen was her family. The werewolf knew where she
lived. He’d find Kellen and most likely kill him, assuming she’d
shared the secret of werewolf existence.

Well, she’d
take Kellen with her. Hopefully he’d be willing to go. Given the
debt he’d run up locally, she didn’t believe he’d protest too much.
A fresh start would be good for him.

Cassie crossed
her fingers, hoping Kellen wouldn’t question her impulsive desire
to relocate. He liked adventure, so maybe it would appeal to
him...

The bus was
approaching her stop, so she gathered her purse and made her way to
the door. It only took a few minutes to reach her house. Vaguely
she noted the day was clear and hot, much warmer than was typical
for Las Vegas at this time of year. The sun was high in the sky, so
it must be about noon. Kellen should be home from wherever he’d
spent the night. If he wasn’t, she didn’t know what she’d do. She
couldn’t just leave him behind to face Bryan’s wrath, yet how would
she find him?

As quickly as
she could, she walked down the street not wanting to draw attention
to herself by running, but eager to get home so her escape plan
could be set in motion. Over the years, she’d played out a scenario
similar to this so she’d be prepared if the time ever came Of
course, she hadn’t expected to be kidnapped by a sexy werewolf, nor
thought of Kellen possibly not being home...

Her house was
before her. She trotted up the walk, grabbed the front door, and
breathed a sigh of relief as the door knob turned under her hand.
Kellen was home. There’d be no need to try to track him down. The
door swung open and she stepped inside.

“Kellen?
Kellen, where are you? I’ve got something to tell you...”

Cassie dropped
her purse on the coffee table, peeked into the kitchen, then
hurried down the hall towards the bedrooms. Kellen’s door was ajar
and she could see him standing by the dresser, staring at a piece
of paper. She ignored it and looked at him instead.

“Kellen, I have
a surprise for you.” She’d decided to tell him they were going on a
vacation, that one of the women at work had to back out of a trip
and she’d taken over the tickets. It wasn’t a very strong story,
but she hoped he’d be too excited to question her. Once they got to
wherever they ended up, she’d probably have a better story
concocted. Right now getting away was the most important thing.

“Hmm?” He
looked up at her distractedly. “Oh. Sandy. Good. I was hoping you’d
be home early from work. I need to ask you something.”

Damn! She’d
forgotten all about work. Mr. Bartlett wouldn’t be happy that she’d
missed her shift and not called in. Oh well, if she was leaving
town, she supposed it didn’t really matter.

“You can ask me
later, Kellen. I’ve got great news. We’re going on a vacation
today! I got tickets really cheap, but we need to get to the
airport right away. Just grab the bare essentials and we’ll head
out.” Cassie infused her voice with an excitement she didn’t feel,
talking quickly, and giving him no chance to ask questions. She saw
a duffle bag on the floor and tossed it at him. “You start packing
and I’ll gather up a few of my things. Won’t this be exciting?”