COYOTE SAVAGE (10 page)

getting involved. It could be all it takes to get those permits pulled.”

Talon cupped her chin. “The refuge won’t mean anything if we don’t have you to share it

with.” He blew out a long breath, praying he wasn’t going to scare her to the point she’d run

from them. “We meant everything we said last night. We love you…have for years, ever since

we first saw you and knew you were the one.” He stepped closer, nuzzling his nose on hers. “We

want you as our mate, and if we have to lose the refuge to obtain that, it’s what we’ll do.”

“Talon—”

“He’s an ass for letting it slip so soon, but he’s also telling you the truth.”

They both turned as Caden stepped through the rubble, stalking to Rebecca’s side. He ran

his hands along her arms, his face masked with worry.

“Are you okay? What the fuck happened?”

Talon stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. “The cougar came back for another

round.” He stopped further questions with a hard stare. “I’ll fill you in later, as soon as Rebecca

gets it through her thick skull that we’re a team.”

“Fine. I get the whole group thing, but I can’t let you throw everything away for me.” She

shook her head when they both tried to reason with her. “Look, I’ll make you a compromise.

You can drive me over to the Carson ranch, but—” She pointed a finger at them. “You have to

promise to stay in the truck unless things get ugly.”

“Deal.” Talon escorted her to the door.

“I’ll call Bobby on the way…have him meet us there. I just hope I’m right, or we’ll all be

looking for a new place to live.”

Chapter Seven

Rebecca walked up the pathway to the Carson’s house, Deputy Blake at her side. She

wasn’t certain what she was going to say to the mayor, or to Darrin, but she wasn’t leaving until

she got some answers. She only hoped they were the ones she wanted.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Bobby looked back over his shoulder at the growing

darkness. “It’s just my word against Darrin’s, and I can’t prove the carcass was ever there.”

“The fact Darrin hid evidence from you is grounds enough. Besides, I have a feeling

they’re getting desperate. Just be ready.”

“For what?”

“The unexpected.”

Bobby gave her a guarded nod and they stepped onto the porch. Bobby moved forward

and rang the bell, tapping his foot nervously on the frozen wood as they waited for someone to

answer. When everything remained silent, Bobby rang it again, following with two loud raps to

the door. A noise sounded from the back and he looked over at her in expectation.

Rebecca weighed the choices, reluctantly nodding at Bobby. He gave her a tight smile

and bounded down the stairs, stumbling through the snow toward the back of the house. She

didn’t like splitting up, but she didn’t want to risk not catching the men in the midst of falsifying

evidence. She tried the doorbell one more time, peeking through the glass when the snow

crunched behind her.

She turned, gun already drawn as she watched the magnificent cat halt on the path, its

green eyes shining in the dim light. The full moon illuminated it from behind, casting a long

shadow across the snow.

She straightened slightly, hoping she hadn’t just made a huge mistake. “You know,

Darrin, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were ashamed of your human form. Or are you

just worried that I can beat you if you’re not armed with claws?”

The cat hissed, its tail swishing across the snow, billowing up a small cloud of powder. It

snarled at her then jumped, landing on the edge of the porch in one, smooth movement. Its

muscles rippled and stretched, shifting and changing until she was staring at the man behind the

beast, his eyes just as cold as the cat’s had been.

He snagged her gaze and held it, his lips curving into an evil grin as he rose, seemingly

oblivious to the cold wind that buffeted the land. “Very good, Rebecca. Though I suppose my

little stunt at the station was a bit too obvious. But I had to do something to remove the stench of

those Brady boys.” He chuckled. “Fear is an excellent agent to cleanse the body of its other

scents.” He glanced down toward the driveway, sniffing the air. “I suppose they’re around here

somewhere, the cur that they are.”

“This is police business. But I didn’t come alone.”

Darrin laughed, waving her words off as if they were flies. “Deputy Blake? Please. I

could snap his neck in a second. He’s nothing like you, sugar. You’re feisty. I hope you’ll be this

hard to tame in bed. I want my time with you to be memorable.”

“Then you shouldn’t have shifted back, because in this form, I hold the power.”

“Why? Because you have a gun? Even if you hit me I’ll just change and be on top of you

before you get a second chance. You might want to consider that and decide what fucks you—

the man or the cat.” He took a step forward.

“Darrin! That is quite enough.”

Darrin halted in his tracks as his father rounded the far corner of the porch, his footsteps

echoing his tone. A low growl drifted along the air and the mayor glared at his son.

“Don’t you growl at me. If I’d left you to your own devices, you’d have been arrested

long ago for your perverted acts and would be stuck in a cell somewhere.” He walked up to his

son, staring down at him as if he were a petulant child. “Now go finish your job while I deal with

the good Sheriff.”

“I’m not some guard dog you can boss around, father. Besides, the Sheriff and I have our

own business to attend to.”

“Can’t you ever think past your dick?” The mayor slapped Darrin in the back of the head.

“Now stick to the plan, and I might let you play with the lady before the night is through.”

“Not this time, Carson.” Rebecca held her ground, her gun still aimed at the two men. “I

know it was Darrin who killed your sheep and made it look like a coyote attack. Bobby found the

poor animal he’d butchered in the back, and took pictures on his phone to prove it. What did you

do, steal a dog from the shelter then release it so its tracks would be left on your property?”

Carson smiled a toothy grin. “Touché, Sheriff. You’re smarter than I gave you credit.

Your old man always did brag about you, but I never thought you were as good as he claimed.

Too bad you didn’t care enough to come a bit sooner. With you watching his back, I might not

have had the opportunity to kill him.”

He paused, but she didn’t allow herself to react to his revelation. She’d suspected his

involvement and knew showing any emotion would only shift the power to him.

He sneered at her apparent lack of interest and just continued rambling. “But your effort’s

a bit late. I’ve already got Deputy Blake in the barn. Once Darrin does his thing and we pawn it

off as a coyote kill, there’ll be no saving your lovers’ ranch.” He smirked at her. “Oh, we know

all about your sleepover last night. Darrin was there—watching. Funny how we never put

together that those boys were shifters.”

“Then you know that they’ll never let you get your hands on their ranch. Besides, it’s

protected land. Even if you did get their permits revoked, it’d be turned over to the park’s

department.”

“My dear, Rebecca. There’s always another way, if you have enough money. And once I

get my hands on their ranch, I’ll have more money than I ever dreamed possible.” He scowled.

“Those boys have no idea what they’ve got. All they see are those wretched animals…but I

suppose they share a certain bond with the vermin.” He laughed. “All this time they’ve been

sitting on a fortune of diamonds, if only they’d had the balls to do something about it.”

“You have money, but you’re still a cold hearted bastard.”

He tsked. “Now, now, Sheriff. Language.”

She ignored him, turning her attention to Darrin. “So this is all about money? I had you

pegged for something much more interesting.”

Darrin grinned at her, petting his cock as it bounced between his legs. “I’m only in this

for one reason, sugar. And since you seem to have a thing for shifters, I’m betting you’re going

to enjoy all my games.”

He took a step forward, but Carson grabbed his arm.

“You’re playing into her taunts. Do you really think she doesn’t have some sort of plan? I

bet she’s taping this conversation for starters. Too bad it’ll never see the light of day.” He smiled,

drumming his fingers on his chin. “On second thought, Blake can wait. Why don’t you show the

lady how charming you can be?”

“With pleasure.” Darrin took a step forward.

She fired, hitting him in the shoulder.

He flinched, staring at the dart sticking out of his arm. “What the fuck?”

She backed up, knowing she needed just a few more seconds. “I came prepared. It’s like

you said. Bullets won’t put you down.”

He roared and leaped at her, changing in mid-air but landed in a heap at her feet as the

serum took effect, not fully human or cougar. Carson yelled and aimed something at her, but

didn’t get a chance to fire when a blur of gray raced toward him, knocking him down. The man

screamed, his arm clamped in Talon’s jaws as the coyote growled, pinning him to the deck.

Rebecca ran forward, kicking Carson’s gun away and drawing her other, pointing it at his

chest. Her hands shook as she stared at the creep, her finger half compressing the trigger. Talon

held firm, waiting, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t think past her anger, knowing she had her

one chance to atone for her dad’s death. The cold wind howled around her as she stood there,

wanting to kill the bastard, but not sure if she could. Carson begged for his life, tugging against

Talon’s hold, but nothing registered until Caden’s voice whispered in her ear.

“He’s not worth it, darling. Let it go.”

She shifted her gaze slightly and saw the pained look in Caden’s eyes. He didn’t ask for

the gun, just stood there, watching her.

She sighed and lowered the pistol, tossing a pair of handcuffs to him. “Cuff him, before I

change my mind.”

Caden smiled and her stomach somersaulted. She watched him flip Carson over, handcuff

him and drag him away, Talon yipping at his heels. A war of emotions battled inside her, and it

was all she could do not to run out and howl at the hunger moon. But she held back, silently

walking toward the barn. Just a bit more paperwork and she could close two cases. But solving

her father’s murder meant she was free to move on—go back to the city and her old life.

A desolate hollow opened in her heart at the thought, and she knew she had a decision to

make…one that would shape the rest of her life.

* * * *

“All right, Rebecca, this is it. Last chance to back out before you make a complete fool of

yourself.” She stared at her reflection in the rear-view mirror, wishing the nagging voice in her

head would shut the hell up. She’d already gone over all the scenarios, and she’d finally realized

it only came down to one thing—love.

She got out of her Jeep and took a fortifying breath. Cold air filled her lungs as she made

her way up the driveway and across the porch. Her hand shook as she reached for the doorbell,

hesitating for only a moment before pressing the button.

The chime sounded in the house, but she didn’t hear any footsteps. She sighed and

turned, wondering if she’d waited too long. If the boys had decided she wasn’t their mate after

all. Panic flared inside her, making her stomach roll. She moved over to the railing and stared at

the waning moon. Just a sliver was missing, but it mirrored the growing emptiness in her heart. If

only she’d returned last night.

Rebecca headed for the stairs when a flicker of movement caught her eye. She looked up,

instantly pinned by the sight beyond the fencing. A large coyote stood on a small rise, its head

tilted up as if staring at the moon. Another waited off to its side, equally magnificent, but with its

head lowered toward the ground. She squinted, searching for something to confirm if it was

Talon and Caden, when the first coyote started to sing. A rich, mournful howl echoed through

the night, its melancholy tone misting her eyes. The second animal joined in, its voice adding

harmony to the song. It was heartbreak and love rolled into one and she knew they were singing

to her.

Tears pooled and fell as she listened to her lovers pour out their hearts, wishing she could

go to them. She took a step, the wood creaking beneath her feet. The song cut off as the coyotes

turned, their bright eyes glowing in the darkness. She stood there, holding their gaze, not sure

what to do when they barked and charged the fence. Long, powerful strides propelled them

across the snow, and she held her breath as they jumped, clearing the eight-foot wire and landing

in a puff of white on the other side.

Her heart jack-hammered in her chest, beating twice its normal rate as the animals

crouched low, their bodies shimmering into the familiar curves of their human partners. Her

pulse pounded in her ears as the men rose, their skin gleaming in the reflected light of the moon.

The air felt charged as they closed the distance, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

Rebecca backed up a few steps, giving them room to move onto the porch. They followed

her retreat, but stopped an arm’s length away, neither speaking. She could see the uncertainty in

their eyes as they watched her, not unlike their brothers still sitting beyond the fence. She’d