Terry Spear’s Wolf Bundle (9 page)

“Your outside lights are on,” Devlyn said, his voice worried.

“Security. They automatically come on when it grows dark. Park around back. We can hide the SUV in the garage, but we’ll have to open it from inside. I don’t have my garage door controller with me.”

“Your vehicle is still in the Cascades?”

“Yeah. Next to the cabin I own there.”

They shut the vehicle’s doors as quietly as they could, and then he hurried with her to the front door. “Let me go inside first.”

Slipping a key from a vine-covered trellis, she handed it to him, appreciating his concern. “Be my guest.”

As soon as he opened the door, he took a step inside, lifted his chin, and sniffed the air.

“Smell anything?” she whispered.

A slow smile crept across his face. “Yeah, you, Bella honey.”

She pushed him into the house and locked the door. “You’re supposed to be keeping your mind on business. Let’s move the SUV into the garage; then we can plan our next—”

“Sleep. We haven’t had enough sleep to keep us going.”

She noticed then the darkened skin beneath his eyes. “All right.” She motioned to the kitchen. “Door to the garage is that way.”

“Be right back. Undress and I’ll meet you in bed.” He waited for her to agree.

“Still worried I might bolt?” She folded her arms and lifted a brow.

“No. Not now that you want to catch the killer.” He sounded annoyed.

“Then you can sleep on the couch.”

“In your dreams.”

She chuckled and intended to go to the bedroom when she noticed how wilted her houseplants were and made a detour to the kitchen. She swore that as soon as she gave water to the ficus trees and the winding ivy, they perked up right away. Then she entered her bedroom and glanced out the window at her greenhouse. Chrissie would have made sure everything was well watered, she was certain. It seemed like eons since she’d been here last, not just a few days.

Sighing deeply, Bella felt safe for the moment and overjoyed to be in her own home again. She yanked off her sneakers, determined to climb into bed and fall asleep before the big gray wolf returned and gave her other notions. Then she formulated a plan.

After crossing the room, she dug in her linen closet and pulled out a spare set of sheets and a pillow. Dashing back down the hall, she hurried to the floral sofa. She laid the sheets and pillow on one end and strode back to her bedroom.

Once she removed the rest of her clothes, she heard the garage door grumble shut, and then the kitchen door leading to the garage opened and closed. She climbed into bed, pulled the green velvet spread under her chin, and closed her eyes.

For several minutes, she lay still, listening for Devlyn, but when he didn’t come to the bedroom, her heart sank. Playing games with him when they were young inspired her interest in him. Didn’t he realize she was teasing him about sleeping on the couch?

She was too tired to care.

After another couple of minutes, she tossed onto her side and growled.

The shattering of glass on the tile kitchen floor sent a spike of adrenaline racing through her veins. She bolted from the bed, tugged on the sweatshirt, and ran down the hall. All she could think of was protecting Devlyn, yet when she approached the kitchen, she realized she had forgotten the gun, even though the silver bullets were meant for Volan, should he ever find her.

She peered around the cabinets to see into the kitchen.

Standing in front of the refrigerator, Devlyn stared at the collage of pictures hanging from the door. Broken glass rested at his feet.

“Devlyn,” she said under her breath, her heartbeat thundering.

He looked at her. “Who sent the pictures of us to you?”

Holding her breath, she rubbed her arms as a chill fluttered across her skin. She didn’t like the accusation in the tone of his voice or the anger in his eyes.

“Who, Bella?”

Without answering him, she turned to a cupboard, but before she could grab the broom and dustpan, he crossed the floor and seized her arm. Pulling her to face him, he asked again, “Who, Bella? Who in the pack knew where you were and for how long?”

“Let go of me,” she growled and tried to free herself from his iron hold.

He pressed her back against the cupboard and gripped her shoulders. “You didn’t really leave the pack permanently, did you? You kept in touch. Someone sent you our photos. The colored pictures more recently, black and white for some years earlier, sepia before this. Who’s been corresponding with you about us?”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. If she hadn’t been so tired, if one of her own kind hadn’t killed a woman, if she hadn’t been incarcerated in the zoo, she could have handled Devlyn’s harsh accusations better. She missed them terribly, nearly every one of the pack…her family. But she wouldn’t be Volan’s. And if she returned, she’d have no choice.

“Bella,” Devlyn said, his voice gentler as he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, “you cared about us, didn’t you? Even though you have more pictures of me than any of the others in the pack.”

She wiped her eyes, attempting to avoid the implication. “He sent more of them to me.”

“Who?” He laid her down in the bed and then unbuttoned his shirt. “You have mine more prominently displayed.”

“There were more of them. I already said so.” Her voice was sterner than she meant it to be.

His penetrating gaze clouded with lust and he yanked off his shirt.

She tugged her sweatshirt off and tossed it on the floor and then pulled the covers up.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He unfastened his belt and pulled his zipper down. His gaze took in her furnishings, but before he could look at her nightstand, she grabbed the picture off it and shoved it under her pillow. No sense in giving him the wrong idea.

But he caught her in the act and his eyes turned black. “A secret admirer? A human male?” His voice was couched in anger. He sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. After pulling off his boots, he stood and removed his trousers, dropping them on the floor.

Her gaze shifted to the dark curly hair between his legs and his prominent erection. He was ready to mate if she were willing, and the overwhelming animal urge instantly prepped her for his penetration.

“Who sent the photos to you?” His tone turned lighter, more conversational rather than demanding.

She glared at him, still annoyed with his earlier bullying. “It’s none of your business.”

He hit the bed with his fist, shocking her at seeing his temper flare so quickly. She jumped, irritated with herself for reacting instead of remaining calm, unflinching.

“Damn it, Bella. I’ve searched on and off for you for years.”

Her eyes grew big as her heart leapt. Then she realized he’d followed pack orders—Volan’s command to have her returned to him. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “Yeah, so you could return me to Volan.”

His brows knit tightly, but he didn’t say anything; then he jammed his hand underneath her pillow and yanked out the cherry wood picture frame. A smile simmered on his lips.

Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she tried to think of a reason for having his photo next to her bed. Unable to come up with a plausible explanation, she turned her back to him and closed her eyes. “Good night, Devlyn. Pleasant dreams.”

He jerked the covers aside. She turned and glowered at him.

Smiling appreciably as he gazed at her naked body, he took in a deep breath. “Feral like the redwoods, sweet as wild roses.”

She recovered herself.

He wiggled his dark brows. “It’s a picture of me.” He glanced back at the photo he’d set upright on her nightstand. “Great image, too. One of my better pictures.”

“What of it? It was too big to fit on the fridge. I told him not to send any more that size because they’re too big.”

Devlyn pulled the back of the frame open, and she knew he’d discover the truth.

“You’ve had this one enlarged. Gives a photo ID on the back, a local Oregon printer. You had a smaller version of the same photo on the fridge, probably the one he sent you.” He cast her an elusive smile.

She pursed her lips.

Pulling the covers back down, he exposed her breasts to the cool air in the bedroom. Instantly, the nipples turned into pert red peaks. He leaned over and kissed one and then the other, making them throb with need.

But she couldn’t mate with him, as much as her body readied itself to accept his virile strength. She’d endanger him too much if she gave into her primal instincts, her deep-seated cravings for the gray. She touched his whiskery cheek. “You were supposed to sleep on the couch.”

“You’ve been keeping my image close to your bed. Now you can keep the flesh and blood me
in
your bed.” He climbed into bed next to her and touched her cheek. “Tell me how much you love me, Bella. Tell me how many times you wrote to whoever it was, asking about me.”

“He didn’t tell me you searched for me.”

“
Who
didn’t tell you?”

She sensed the tightness in his voice, the way he barely curbed his anger. “It’s late. We need to sleep.”

He ran his tongue down her belly, forcing a quiver of anticipation. “I won’t quit asking until you tell me. Who was it?”

Giving up the guarded secret, she sighed heavily and admitted, “Argos.”

Devlyn stilled his actions and growled, irritated that the old wolf hadn’t told him the truth. How he had longed to know what had become of Bella all those years. When he’d spoken to Argos, the sly old wolf had assured him she’d be all right. He should have known Argos knew what had happened to her. “Damn him.”

“I shouldn’t have told you. I wrote to let him know I was safe after I ran away. I couldn’t let him think I’d died. From then on, we corresponded.”

“No wonder he knew it was you in that news report. I figured he had some kind of a sixth sense. But all along
he knew you lived in the area.” He studied her eyes, tired and wary. The annoyance he felt that Argos had kept the secret about Bella faded into wry amusement. “You wanted to know about me, about how I fared.”

“Don’t be so conceited.”

Knowing she disguised the truth, his lips curved up. His intense craving to mate with her filled him with an ache he longed to fulfill. He threaded his fingers through her satiny hair and licked her throat. She moaned. His erection pulsed with renewed gusto. His instincts were right concerning her. She wanted him as much as he lusted after her.

He pressed his arousal against her soft body. “You know how much I desire to have you, Bella. Tell me you want me, too.”

Shaking her head, her eyes misted.

He growled at her stubbornness. Then he nuzzled his cheek against hers, enjoying the delicate ivory fragrance she’d washed with, hoping she’d succumb to his advances. He ran his finger over her firm nipple. “I won’t let Volan have you. We’ll return to the pack and then—”

“No. He’ll kill you. I don’t want you for a mate. Don’t you understand?” She tried to pull away from him, her voice heated with anger. “I don’t want you.”

But he recognized from her words and actions that it wasn’t true; he’d use every trick he knew to convince her to tell the truth.

B
ELLA RECLINED AGAINST HER BED AND SNIFFLED
,
HER
tears undoing Devlyn. “I just wanted to know about the family, that’s all, Devlyn. That’s why I wrote to Argos.”

Wanting to force the truth from her, he knew she loved him, even if she denied it. “We’re both tired.” He pulled her hair away from her face and kissed her wet, salty cheek. “Let’s sleep.” Having every intention of making her see his way once they were well rested, he gathered her against him and inhaled the essence of her. “I want you, Bella.”

“You can’t,” she sniffled again.

“Sorry, from the moment I rescued you from the wildfire, I’d claimed you. Now you just have to agree to be my mate.” Yet the question still nagging him slipped out again: “Why do you hate Volan so?”

Early the next morning, Devlyn stretched out on the mattress, annoyed that Bella had tensed and turned away from him the night before, avoiding his question about Volan, even though he’d forced her to curl up with him anyway. No way could he sleep next to the wolf siren and not touch her. Now his fingers itched to have Bella in their grasp, but not locating her, his eyes shot open.
Tearing the covers aside, he dashed out of the room and down the hall.

Unable to curb how furious he was that she’d run off, he stormed into the kitchen, his blood on fire. She’d cleaned up the broken glass, but otherwise there was no sign of her.

“Damn it, Bella!” he roared. How could he have trusted the vixen? He should have realized she wouldn’t have stayed put.

Suspecting the worst, he yanked open the kitchen door to the garage. The SUV was gone and the garage was empty except for cardboard boxes stacked up in a corner.

He rubbed his stubbled chin, formulating his next plan of action. But where in the hell would she have disappeared to?

The SUV’s engine suddenly purred in the driveway, his skin grew sweaty with anticipation, and the garage door rumbled open.

He still couldn’t curb his irritation that she would have left him, even for a short while. What if she’d been seen?

When she had parked the car, Bella smiled at him from the driver’s seat, a devilish glint in her eyes. The image of her naked in bed with him came instantly to mind. Folding his arms, he frowned at her until the woman sitting on the passenger’s side caught his attention. Her mouth dropped wide open and her eyes grew as round as the full moon while she gaped at him. Well, not at him exactly, but at a particular lower part of his anatomy that, on seeing Bella return, had already risen to greet her.

Slamming the door on his rapid retreat into the kitchen, he cursed all of the way back to the bedroom, the fire burning in his veins. How could he have thought Bella would run? Because she would, when the time was right. Who the hell was that other woman? They needed to use secrecy.

He yanked his jeans on.

Secrecy.
Hell, he’d been the one caught stark naked, making a permanent impression on that shocked woman’s mind.

Light footsteps hurried down the hall. He turned.

Bella leaned against the doorjamb, her posture relaxed, an impish smile tugging at her mouth. “My next-door neighbor went home and skipped having a cup of coffee with me.” She wet her lips in a slow sensual sweep and then crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “Hmm, you sure gave Chrissie something to dream about, though I don’t think I’ve ever seen her quite that speechless before.” Her smile spread across her face.

He stalked toward Bella, backed her against the wall, and placed his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. “I thought you’d left me.” His voice was husky and more desperate than he wanted it to sound.

“Her car’s in the shop, and she needed milk for her kids.” Bella’s gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips.

“Hell, her kids were in the car?” he asked, his voice darkening with concern.

“No, they’re at school.” Running her finger down his stomach, she sent a surge of electricity straight to his groin.

He let out his breath, her touch wreaking havoc with his need to control. “Really, Bella, you have to be more careful. We can’t afford to get caught.”

She tilted her head to the side and scanned his whole body with a naughty look. “It seems you made more of an impression on her than I did on anyone this morning.”

Growling, he plundered her mouth, dominating, conquering, not willing to let her fight him, if she had any notion to do so.

She squeezed his denim-covered butt, tangled her tongue with his, and pressed her heavenly breasts against his bare chest. “She wanted to know who the iron man hunk was standing naked in my kitchen entryway.”

“I didn’t expect you to bring company home with you. In fact, I didn’t expect you to return home at all,” he growled, only it came out more like a wolfish groan. He tangled his fingers in her hair.

“She was glad to have the opportunity to meet you. Said something about maybe having a barbecue.”

“No.”

She stroked his shoulder blades, the muscles taut. “It’s okay, Devlyn. I told her you were all mine. A friend from my youth, renewing an old friendship. Just seeing the way you were dressed…or rather not…” She grinned. “Well, I think she got the point.”

He raised his brows and inclined his head.

“Oh, did I forget to mention, she’s divorced and looking for husband number two?”

Ignoring her comment, he swept Bella up and carried her to the bed, having every notion of showing her how alpha he could be.

“We have work to do, Devlyn. Catch a killer and—”

He laid her on the mattress, struggling to keep his desire in check. “We have some other business to take care of, Bella. And you’re not talking me out of this.”

She tucked her arms behind her head, her red curls spread out against the green sheets.

Reaching down, he unbuttoned her shirt; their gazes locked in shared appreciation.

“What do you have in mind? You know what Volan intends to do with me.”

“He can’t have you. I want you. Always have. I told you already. You just have to say you want me, too.”

She furrowed her brows at him, her lips poked out in a sultry pout. “You know I can’t.”

“Because you’re afraid I can’t win against Volan.” The notion that she felt this way about his abilities soured him. If he couldn’t change her opinion of him, she could never love him fully. She’d proved herself an alpha female, being a loner and surviving so many years on her own, but he had to prove he could be an alpha male or lose the battle.

“I don’t want you even trying. If we mate and he learns of it, he’ll kill you.”

Devlyn shook his head, his temperature rising. “If I don’t kill him first. Have you no faith in me?”

“He’s a brute. I’ve seen what he’s done to others—maimed or killed them outright. He’ll destroy you.”

“So, by looking for a human mate, you’re doing what? If Volan finds you with one, he’ll kill him like he did the boy. Would you find that any more acceptable?” he growled, unable to control his exasperation. He
yanked off one of her shoes and then the other and tossed them to the floor with a clunk.

She bit her lower lip.

Leaning down, he kissed her lips tenderly, his tongue stroking the full curves, the taste of wild blackberries flavoring them, feral and sweet like her. “Maybe you wouldn’t care as much because you couldn’t really love a human like you love me.”

“You are
so
arrogant.” Her voice teased, turning him on faster as his groin ached with need.

He yanked off his trousers and dropped them on the floor. “That’s what you love about me…about our kind. You don’t really want some human. Believe me, if you got hold of one, he’d never satisfy you.”

She cast a raking glance over his nakedness. “The way you can?” A gleam in her eye and the smile on her lips was invitation enough, an unmistakable challenge.

He growled, “You better believe it.” Every fiber of his body was ready to prove it.

He unfastened her belt and unzipped her pants. Smiling sinfully, she never twitched a muscle to stop him. Although mating as a human could occur anytime and with relish, the wolf’s side demanded mating from January through April. And he intended to ensure that she was well satisfied for the rest of that time and beyond.

Suddenly, a deep male voice from the next room said, “You have mail, Madam.”

Devlyn spun around, but seeing no one, he stormed out of the room to kill the intruder in her office.

Bella laughed and chased after him. “He’s my email butler, Devlyn.”

Staring at the monitor, he read the message Bella had posted on a local board.
Mystic Red seeks male interested in lifetime mate, who loves to hunt, free-spirited and wild in nature, Portland, Oregon.

“Damn it, Bella.”

Bella ran her hand down Devlyn’s bare back, trying to coax some of the tension out of his tight muscles.

“When did you post this message?” he growled.

“An hour after we fell asleep. I woke and couldn’t get back to sleep. I couldn’t quit worrying that the lives of other women could be at stake.”

He turned to her, his face stern, teeth clenched, jaw set. “So you decided you’d be the bait? Without asking for my input? I thought we were doing this together. What if he decides it’s a hoax? That you don’t really want him for a mate? That you only want to turn him over to his pack to determine his punishment? What if he tries to kill you?”

She traced his ribs with her fingernails, beguiling him. “I’ve never done anything useful in my life. I’m a website graphics designer, but I’ve never truly done anything that makes a difference—well, except for caring for childless human couples during my teen years by mutual arrangement. Several provided a home for me when I needed one badly. I acted the loving adopted daughter and took care of them when they grew too old to care for themselves.”

He caught her wrists to stop the sweet torture that her fingers did on his aroused body. “They never caught you slipping out of the house to take a run on the wild side?”

Shrugging, she admitted as much. “A couple of times, but they scolded me for sneaking out to see a fellow,
even though, of course, I hadn’t. In each case, I took care of the couples in their advanced years until they died. When I finally reached the age of majority and could live on my own, I did so, using the money and properties they had bequeathed to me. I moved from time to time so as not to alert others that I aged so slowly and to keep Volan from finding me.”

Rubbing her face against Devlyn’s whiskery cheek, Bella loved the feel of his scratchy stubble against her skin, undomesticated and wolfish. “But I’ve never done anything for our own kind. You saved my life once. You’re a hero in my eyes. I want to help stop a killer who could expose all of us for what we truly are before it’s too late.”

“It doesn’t matter to you that I don’t want you to do it?”

“Of course it matters to me. I want you to protect me.”

His darkened eyes sparkled with desire. “You want me to be your mate.”

“I don’t want you to die, Devlyn.”

“Damn it, Bella. I don’t want you to die either. You want me to allow you to jeopardize your life to save others, but you refuse to be my mate because you’re worried I’ll risk my neck? I’ve already gambled my life for you once. I wasn’t that powerful a swimmer when I was young and carried you across the swollen river. I was determined at all costs to save you. Even now, trying to protect you against this killer, I’m risking my life. So why not take the chance against Volan?”

Devlyn shook his head when she didn’t respond and searched through the thirty-two messages she’d received. “Lots of damned nutcases living here.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect to get that much of a response.”

“I think you’ve been too cryptic.”

When she ran her hand over his toned bare butt, the muscle tightened. He flicked an interested glance her way, but she tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. “What would you have me say, Devlyn? ‘Red
lupus garou
female seeks mate. Horny right now. Only a red
lupus garou
male need apply’?”

“You might have half of the
lupus garou
population in several states applying for the position. Lord knows how many are looking for a red.” Sitting down at the keyboard, he typed,
Little Red Wolf seeks mate. Preferably big gray wolf terminally in lust with her.

She hit his shoulder. “Be serious.”

Grunting, he deleted the words. “I
am
serious.” He typed,
Rufus lupus female seeks mate in Portland, Oregon, area only.

“A red wolf seeks a mate? The humans will think she’s a nut and—”

“The
lupus garou
will know she’s one of them, a loner, looking for a red wolf pack to join.”

“Okay, sign it as Rosa.”

“But what if Thompson—”

She combed her fingers through Devlyn’s shoulder-length brown hair, highlighted by the sun, satiny-smooth to the touch, soft, where the rest of him was hard. “He probably wouldn’t be looking at the personals for the local community. And if he did, he’d never figure it out.”

Devlyn rubbed his chin.

“Do it, Devlyn.”

He flashed her an annoyed look. “You sure are bossy.”