Beneath a Darkening Moon (24 page)

“What?” Savannah and Cade said together.

“That’s illegal,” she added. “All wolf births have to be registered. The reservation’s fined by the government otherwise.”

“Law or not, it happens. Merron’s a big reservation, and the government head counters never see half the people living there.” He paused to cough, and winced in pain. When he continued, his voice was a little hoarser, but he squeezed her hand reassuringly. “The head of the council is crazier than your old man, Sav, and has a thing against half-breeds. If you’re not pure, you’re not a wolf, so he doesn’t believe they should be registered.”

“But even human births have to be registered!” Savannah said.

“He doesn’t consider them human, either, but rather an abomination.”

“Oh God, you’re not saying he condones infanticide?” This time, there was horror in her voice.

“Let’s just say that those who keep their half-breeds are not supported by the council in
any
way.”

“But how do you know this?” Cade asked. “It’s certainly not something I’ve heard, and we’ve handled several investigations out at Merron.”

Ronan’s gaze met Cade’s. “A friend of mine grew up there.” He looked back at Savannah. “Mikel. It might be worth talking to him.”

“I will.” She looked around as the EMTs approached, then squeezed Ronan’s hand again and released him.

“Meeting like this is getting to be a habit,” the first of the men said cheerfully as he bent over Ronan.

“One I hope to break.” Her voice was dry as she stepped back to give him more room.

Cade rose and stood beside her. His arm brushed hers—only lightly, yet little shocks of electricity seemed to run up her arm and tingle down to her fingertips.

“Steve needs his ass kicked for letting you out,” she said, without looking at him.

His grin was something she felt deep inside—a warmth that spread like wildfire through every nerve. “I threatened to charge him with obstruction if he didn’t move.”

“Not even the IIS can make a charge like that stick.”

“So he said. I asked him if he wanted to risk it. He apparently didn’t.”

“You don’t play nice.”

His expression was hard. “I’m not paid to play nice.”

“And do you not play nice on all your missions? Or are there some that tempt you to do more than you should? Want more than you should?” She raised her eyebrows, silently challenging him to answer honestly.

He studied her long enough to make her think he wasn’t going to answer. Then he smiled somewhat sadly and said, “There was one that became more than a job.”

“How much more?”

He shrugged and looked away. “It doesn’t really matter.”

“It does to me.”

“Ronan’s in the ambulance. We’d better get moving.” He walked away from her, heading away from the truck, but she grabbed his arm and tugged him back. “I’m driving. And why won’t you answer the question?”

“Why did you run from Rosehall?”

“I’ve already told you. I was afraid.”

Which was a lie. She hadn’t been afraid. Not back then. She’d fully intended to commit herself wholly to Cade once her promise to Jontee had ended, but then Cade had done what he’d done, and she’d learned altogether too much about Rosehall, Jontee, and Cade himself. Was it any wonder she’d run?

She unlocked the truck and opened the door for him. He climbed in awkwardly, wincing a little when he put weight on his injured leg.

“If that starts bleeding,” she added, “you’re going straight back to the hospital.”

“Not before we catch this killer.” And as she climbed into the driver’s side and started the engine, he added, “If you really did love me, you would have stayed.”

She swung into the traffic, heading toward Summit Street. “Let’s try a little reverse psychology. Let’s say you were eighteen and just beginning to explore the boundaries of your sexuality. You fall for a much older woman—”

“Six years is not
that
much older.”

“When you’re eighteen it is.” She grinned, but it faded quickly. “So, you thought you loved that woman, but then she turned around and did something your upbringing tells you is abhorrent. You’re left thinking there’s no way she could have done that
if she’d felt even the tiniest bit of real affection for you.” She glanced at him. “Would you have stayed, or would you have run?”

His gaze raked her, but his expression gave little away. She was tempted—so very tempted—to just ease into his mind and uncover his thoughts, but that was something she’d sworn never to do. Not without good cause, anyway. And no matter how badly she might want to know what he was thinking, he had the right to his privacy.

Something those at that academy of his never thought to mention.

“If I have to answer honestly, then I don’t know. I’m not you, Vannah. I will never react to a situation the same way you would.”

“So you’ve never been in love?”

“No. And I don’t believe you were, either. I read your thoughts, remember? Or raided them, as you keep insisting.”

“You read
some
of my thoughts,” she refuted softly. “My shields are constructed in interwoven layers rather than the straight levels of power that you have. It works better, simply because it’s harder to break through.” She glanced at him. “You have only three levels. I have nearly eight.”

Incredulity touched his eyes. “Why would any telepath need so many?”

“You try living in a pack that’s totally telepathic! It’s a requirement, believe me.”

“But I thought your pack didn’t believe in raiding another’s mind.”

“We don’t. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”
She hesitated, then said, “Was Rosehall the job that became more?”

“You know it is.”

“No. If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking. You gave me nothing, Cade. Well, nothing except fantastic sex.”

“I gave you three days.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

He blew out a breath. “I had a job to do and a time in which to do it. I missed that deadline by three days, simply because I was afraid of the consequences. And because of that, another person died.”

As the lights ahead changed from green to red, she slowed and shot him a glance. “You can’t be held responsible for that.”

“If I’d done what I was there to do, when I was supposed to do it, that person might not have died.”

“And you might not have caught Jontee if you’d gone after him earlier.”

He shrugged, and she asked, “What other consequences are you talking about?”

“Jeopardizing the first piece of happiness I’d found in a long, long time.” His gaze held hers, seeming to burn right through her, until it felt as if he were reaching into her very soul. “You were more than a job to me, Savannah.”

She licked her lips, her throat dry and her heart pounding unsteadily. Not from fear, not from excitement, but rather from an uneven mix of the two. Because what he was admitting wasn’t a guarantee of a future, nor was it an admission that he cared now. But he
had
cared, even if only a little. And for now, that was a good place to start.

“And yet you still invaded my mind.”

He nodded, his gaze still intent, still burning deep, as if he were trying to make her see past his words and make her believe. But believe
what
was the question—and one she wasn’t sure she should ask. Not yet. Not until they’d cleared the air.

“Eighteen people had already died. In the end, duty
had
to take precedence over my own desires.” He hesitated. “I never meant to hurt you—not emotionally, and not psychically—and I’m sorry if I did.”

Something inside her melted. “So why didn’t you just ask?”

A car beeped behind them, and she glanced ahead to see that the red light had changed to green. She drove on.

“Because of Nelle,” he said. “And your relationship with her.”

“Nelle was my friend.”

“Your friend probably gave you away last night at the club.”

She shook her head. “It doesn’t make any sense. If Nelle was in town, she’d contact me.”

“Not if she thinks you were partially responsible for Rosehall’s downfall.”

She shot another glance his way. “Nelle is not behind the murders.”

“Which murders are we talking about? Rosehall’s, or these?”

“Both. Besides, she hated the taste of blood.”

“And you know this because she told you?”

She hesitated. “No, I witnessed it. She cut herself once and wouldn’t suck the wound to clean it. Said it was unclean.”

“Which is the exact reason Jontee gave for committing
these murders. He said the victims needed to be cleansed of their taint so their souls could move on freely.”

She stared at him for a moment, a mix of disbelief and horror running through her. “Really?
That’s
why he was killing them?”

“Yes.” He paused. “So why did you warn her about the raid later that night?”

“Why do you think I warned her?”

“You were the only other person besides me who knew about that raid. Why else would she have run?”

“If you were so afraid of my relationship with Nelle, then why tell me in the first place?”

“Because I didn’t want you caught in the net. I owed you that, if nothing else.”

Something inside her softened. He’d gone against all the rules to let her walk away. That one action spoke far louder than words. If only she’d had the sense to realize it at the time, her life might have turned out differently.

“So why did you warn Nelle?” he repeated softly.

She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Nelle came into my room not long after you’d left.” She hesitated, her thoughts drifting back. “I was packing to leave, and I was so hurt, so angry. She asked me what was wrong and I told her. It just all came pouring out.”

“So you both decided to leave?”

“All I know was that I left. I wasn’t really sure what Nelle planned to do. She did say she had things to finish.”

He flashed her a frown. “What things? She was just another of Jontee’s women, wasn’t she?”

Savannah shook her head. “She never slept with him. She was more of a mother figure, and she handled the day-to-day running of the place. Jontee was never in the real world long enough for that.”

“And yet you were quite happy sharing a dance with him?”

She looked at him. Though his expression was flat, his eyes seemed to burn with a navy fire.

“He was an amazing man,” she said. “A gentle man, a man who wasn’t always there mentally, but still a very good lover.”

“He was a killer.”

“Yes, but I didn’t know that at the time. Only later.” And those murders were the only reason Cade was at Rosehall, and the reason they’d met.

“But you loved him.”

“I’ve already said I didn’t.”

“Yet you did love me?”

His disbelieving tone made her raise an eyebrow. “Look, I’m not denying my actions gave lie to my words. But at least try to understand where I was coming from. I was eighteen, and I had escaped a very strict upbringing to explore my sexuality. I didn’t want, or expect, to find love, and it scared the hell out of me when it all went so wrong.”

He scrubbed a hand across his eyes. “If you love someone, you’re faithful to them. It’s as simple as that.”

“Love is never simple. It’s different for every single person. And you’ve no right to judge my actions until you’ve fallen in love yourself.”

He didn’t answer, and that made her even angrier. She turned onto Summit Street and slowed. There
was a blue truck in the driveway of a house four doors down from the burned wreck of Lana Lee’s old house.

“Well, well,” she said softly. “Look what we’ve found.”

“No proof it’s the same truck. But pull over.”

She pulled in behind an old Ford wagon and stopped. The window curtains of the house in question moved slightly. “We’ve been made.”

“So she’ll run?”

“Maybe not. After all, she must have been pretty sure that she wouldn’t be recognized if she tried to run Ronan over in broad daylight.” She glanced at him. “Did you get the plate number?”

“Same false plate as last night.”

“Which she’ll have no doubt removed by now.”

“No doubt.”

She leaned her forearms on the steering wheel as she studied the house. “How do you want to play this?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic-covered photo. “Go to a few houses and ask if they know this woman. Then go ask her. But before you show it to her, take it out of the plastic.”

“I doubt whether she’d be dumb enough to touch it.” She glanced at the picture. It could have been Candy’s sister. The only difference was that this woman had smaller, meaner eyes. “And in the meantime, you’ll be doing what, precisely?”

“Coming in from behind.”

“On one leg? I don’t think that’s wise.”

“A wolf has four legs, which gives me three to walk on.” He raised a hand and gently cupped her cheek.
“That woman just tried to kill Ronan. You’re not going to go anywhere near her alone.”

“You sound as if you care.”

“Maybe I do.”

She raised an eyebrow and said, “Are you sure it’s not the moon promise?”

His dark gaze rested on hers, and something inside her wanted to relax into his warmth. But all he said was “It might be.”

It wasn’t the declaration she’d been hoping for—though why she hoped, she had no idea. He obviously wasn’t a man who verbalized any emotion save anger. But it wasn’t an outright denial, either. And right now, she was happy with that. She opened the door and got out. A cool wind stirred her hair and sent a chill racing down her spine. She glanced at the sky. Dark clouds were racing toward them, and part of her hoped it wasn’t an omen of things to come. Then, thrusting the thought away, she zipped up her jacket and walked over to the nearest house. It just happened to be Rex’s.

“Morning, ranger,” he said, his eaglelike gaze flicking past her briefly. “Looks like there’s a hell of a storm coming. What can I do for you?”

She held out the photo. “Have you seen this woman?”

“Candy Jackson? Sure, she lives down the street, in seven—” He paused. “That’s a really bad photo of her though. She looks meaner.”

“That’s because it’s not actually Candy. Have you seen this woman around?”