Scarlet (11 page)

The odd-shaped blade slipped easily from the strap on my calf. I held it up, twisting it in the darkness. The blade looked more like metal teeth than a knife. I shrugged. Who was I to question orders?

I slashed, cutting the man's throat. Blood welled, but didn't flow. I flipped him back over. Done with the job, I made a quick dash to my vehicle. It only took a moment to open the shuttle door and toss the gun behind the seat. I slid behind the wheel and started the engine with a press of my palm.

The shuttle purred to life. "Let's get out of here," I murmured. I hit the pedal and felt the maglev power slam me back against the seat, pressing my body into the memory foam. One click of a button and the window opened with a hiss. The warm desert air smacked my face, leaving a fine powder of dust behind.

The air felt good against my suddenly muddled head. I looked around, more than a little confused. A blip on the dashboard showed me where I was and gave a projection of how long it would take me to get back to IPTT I punched in the coordinates and gave the area one last look.

I couldn't remember how I'd gotten here or why I'd come. The only thing I knew for sure was that it was imperative I get out of here. Urgency ate at me, fraying my nerves, causing my lungs to constrict. I panted as something close to fear trickled over my skull, leaving my short hair standing on end.

I drove faster than I'd ever driven before. The shuttle swerved, tilting wildly as I took a corner too sharp. It screeched, sending shivers down my spine. Somehow I managed to keep it on the road and out of the sandy ditch.

I glanced in the rear viewing screen. There was no one behind me. At least no one I could see. The vast desert spread for miles and miles in all directions. It looked empty. But I knew they were there. Lurking in the darkness. Soon they'd be coming like a force of nature. Scouring the land. Looking for clues to my identity. There were none. I also knew something else.

I'd just gone from being the hunter, to the hunted.

chapter eight

Red stood in the middle of the valley near the edge of the dead woods. Her clothes sat at her feet, folded into a neat pile, while she allowed the warm desert air to bathe her skin. It was strange being out there without Morgan's support. It was strange being in Nuria, period, without him. If she tried, she could almost feel him lurking in the woods. She glanced toward the dead forest. Nothing moved. Stop playing mind games with yourself, she chastised, then got back to the task at hand.

She'd finally shaken the earlier encounter with the odd man at the food dispensing station. She still didn't know who he was, but she was glad that he'd gone without further incident. The last thing she needed was more trouble.

Red shook out her arms and legs, then inhaled deeply, allowing her muscles to loosen. She needed this change. Needed desperately to feel the wolf emerge. It was the only thing in her control at the moment, so why wasn't it cooperating?

"Don't you desert me, too," she murmured. "I need you now more than ever."

Red pictured its canines and felt a blast of white-hot power shimmer beneath her skin.
Come to me,
she willed as it playfully nipped at her consciousness before scurrying off. She growled in frustration.

"Get back here, damn you," she shouted, dropping to her knees. Tears that she hadn't been able to shed in town flowed freely. Her shoulders shook as she cried out of frustration, pain, and loneliness. She glanced at the sky through blurry eyes and tried to imagine Morgan doing the same.

"Where are you?" she asked, her gaze following a shooting star. "I need you."

Raphael Vega stood in the woods, watching Red fight the change. He could sense the struggle inside of her, feel her need and her fear in equal measures. He stared at her naked form, taking in her small breasts and long legs. Hunger rose in his veins, beating at his temples. His fangs extended along with his shaft. What he wouldn't give for just one taste of her.

He knew it was wrong to look upon her that way. Morgan was his friend, despite their differences over the years. But the wolf inside of her was growing in strength. Soon he wouldn't be the only male fighting its call. It might've started already. She was ripe for the taking. Forbidden fruit. Sweetness scented her skin. His mouth watered and his fangs began to ache.

Raphael thought of the man in the food dispensing station today. Morgan had picked a hell of a time to leave his mate. She was vulnerable. Particularly now, standing naked for the world to see.

His gaze caressed her length, following the thrust of her upturned nipples and the slope of her concave stomach. She had firm thighs. The kind of thighs that would grip a man tight when he entered her. He'd seen her legs plenty of times clad in uniform issue pants, but bare, they took on a whole new light. He followed the long line up to the soft curls that hid her moist center.

Raphael ran his tongue over his teeth as his hunger increased. How he longed to bury his face there until she forgot all about Morgan and her previous lovers; until it was his name and his name only that she cried out during completion. The urge to seduce and take rode Raphael hard. She was so near.

What would she do if he stepped out of the woods? With Morgan having abandoned her for a ghost, would she welcome him with open arms and legs? Raphael's lips quirked and he laughed to himself. Knowing Red, she'd shoot him on sight. That was only one of the things that made her a perfect mate for his friend. There were many others.

He allowed himself to take one last longing glance, then turned away to adjust the discomfort in his pants. He needed to
get out of here before he did something supremely stupid like act upon his primal urges.

Raphael doubted his old friend would be understanding when it came to Red. He'd never seen the alpha wolf so entranced. But even knowing that didn't stop Raphael from longing for the woman he should never have—
could
never have. The fact that his attraction to the she-wolf went far deeper than lust was all the more reason to stay away from her. He couldn't afford an emotional complication. At least that's what he told himself all the way back to town.

Once she'd pulled herself together and got over feeling sorry for herself, Red stood in the middle of the valley for another hour chasing a wolf that refused to be caught. She'd tried bribing it, coaxing it, pleading with it, and threatening it. Thus far, no tactic had worked. She stared down at the one lone claw protruding out of her right hand. The same claw that came out every time she'd tried to make the change.

Why couldn't the rest of them be as cooperative as this one?"

"Is that the best you can do?" she shouted and kicked the ground, sending dirt flying into the air. The wolf inside her ignored
the outburst.

She waited for her body to repair the damage, then gathered her clothes. It was getting late and she wasn't accomplishing anything tonight other than losing sleep. She thought about Morgan and wondered, not for the first time, if he was still alive. Would the lab notify them if he'd died or would they just recycle his body and be done with it?

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. He had to be okay. She would accept nothing less. She dressed slowly, dreading her return to Nuria. Things in town were getting worse. The people wanted a leader-—a leader who was one of them. That left her out of the running, even though Morgan said otherwise. How long would they continue to listen to her before they rebelled?

Red decided at the rate she was going, it wouldn't be too much longer. She'd heard the rumbles and the whispers circulating like a dust storm over the valley. They wanted Morgan back. Failing that, they wanted a new alpha in his place. They'd have a fight on their hands before she'd allow the latter to happen. There wasn't anyone she knew of beyond Raphael who was strong enough to be considered a potential alpha, and there was no way the Nurians would pick a vamp to lead. It didn't really matter. She doubted very much Raphael would want the job.

She yanked on her clothes and shoved her feet into her boots. She was lacing them up when a crack sounded in the valley. Red squinted as something blue flashed a half mile or so away. She stared for a few seconds, but it didn't come again. Probably just heat lightning, she thought as she stood. It was always threatening to rain, but rarely did. And when the sky did let loose, it was best not to be out in the downpour. The acid burned skin and flesh right off bones.

She drove back into town. It was late and there didn't seem to be anyone around, for which she was grateful. Red stopped at the sheriff's station to make sure there hadn't been any calls from Morgan. There hadn't, according to the vid-com on Maggie's desk. The sinking feeling that started in the valley now threatened to drag her under completely. She flipped off the lights and stepped out the door, nearly colliding with Maggie Sheppard and Jim Thornton.

Maggie dropped Jim's hand when she saw that it was Red. "What are you doing here so late?" she asked.

Red glanced at the couple. Jim's eyes twinkled and his thick lips split into a wide smile.

"I just got back and thought I'd check to make sure all was quiet," Red said, shutting the door.

"Back from where?" Maggie asked.

"The valley." Red pointed over her shoulder.

"Was anyone with you?"

What was with all the questions?
Red's eyes narrowed. "No, why do you ask?"

Maggie shrugged. "Thought I saw Raphael Vega heading out that way earlier."

Red kept her expression neutral. She hadn't seen Raphael, not that she would've if he didn't want to be seen. She recalled the sensation of being watched. Had she imagined it?

She was just being paranoid. Feeding off Maggie's suspicions. Raphael hadn't followed her. He was probably off visiting one of the women that lived on the fringes of town. "What are you insinuating?"

Maggie shrugged. "Just that you and Raphael seem a lot cozier now that Morgan's no longer in the picture."

"I had lunch with the man. He's my friend."
My only friend.
Red thought. "I haven't seen him tonight. And for the record, Morgan isn't out of the picture. He'll be back soon. You should probably keep that in mind."

"Unlike some people, I never forgot." Maggie lifted a brow and sniffed haughtily. "What you do with your time is your business."

"You're right. I suggest you remember that the next time you accuse me of wrong doing." Red's hackles rose.

"I'm sure Morgan will be interested to know who you've been spending time with in his absence. As I recall, Raphael was the reason for his last major breakup."

Red's gaze narrowed as the wolf inside her snapped its jaws. "Are you threatening me?" she asked, her voice dropping an octave to a guttural growl. "Because I think he'd be just as surprised by
your
actions." Appointing you to second in command was done as a courtesy. It doesn't give you the right to usurp my authority or to question my judgment."

Jim stepped forward and pulled Maggie back. "Calm down, no one is accusing you of anything," he said. "Are you. Magpie?"

Maggie's eyes widened and she blushed. "I told you never to call me that in public," she hissed.

Jim kissed her on the side of the head and Maggie's expression softened. "We'd better get going," he said. "Nice to see you, Red. Have a good night."

"Yeah, you, too, Jim." Red strode back to the share space, cursing under her breath. Maggie had some nerve to all but accuse her of cheating on Morgan. She might be attracted to Raphael—there weren't many women who were immune to his charms—but she'd never act upon her attraction.
Would she?
No, definitely not. But if she did, it was her business. She wasn't the on

e who'd left.

Red opened the door to the share space and found three of the recruits drinking at the bar. Takeo Yakamura, Demery Wilson, and Juan Sanchez looked up as she entered. "Gentlemen," she said in way of greeting. Olson and Jones must've been staying at a different sharespace.

"Care to join us?" Takeo asked.