Secret of the Wolf (12 page)

“Thanks, but I can handle myself.” Keira smiled. She seemed nice enough, Tori supposed. Not at all uppity like a lot of fey she ran across.

“Would you please just tell me what you saw tonight?” Tori fixed her gaze on Finn.

He shrugged broad shoulders. “I’m sure it’s nothing you don’t already know. The pixies started it, really, flirting with the vamps and then backing off and taking up with werewolves.” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “I guess the vamps didn’t like that too much.”

“And the humans?”

“Just a gaggle of drunken idiots.”

“Who staked the vamp?” She’d already been told one of the humans had done it, but she wanted to see what these two would say. Knowing Finn, he’d tell her a werewolf had, just to play with her.

“A human did it,” Keira chimed in. “But in all fairness, it was in self-defense.” When Tori looked her way, the elf added, “But that was all I saw.”

“You’re sure?” Tori studied her closely.

“Positive.”

“All right.” Tori looked at Finn again. “Anything else you’d like to share?”

His eyebrows lifted. “Not that I can think of.”

Tori narrowed her eyes. He kept an innocent look plastered on his face. She huffed a sigh. “Fine. Thanks.” She lifted a hand in farewell and turned back toward the club.

Almost everyone had gone. There were a couple of patrol officers wrapping up witness interviews and several bystanders milled around. The combatants either had been allowed to leave or had been taken into custody. She was glad to see Dante was still there. She walked over and sat beside him on the bumper of his truck. “So, I got a call from Ash early this morning,” she said. “There was another attack up in quadrant four.”

He looked at her. “A turning?”

“Probably. I haven’t heard yet.” She heard a rumble of thunder and hopped up. “Why don’t we get in your truck where we can actually sit down?” When he hesitated, she added, “Or we can go sit in my car.”

He stared at her Mini. “Uh, no, thanks.” He fished out his keys and unlocked the doors.

Once they were inside, she told him, “One person was killed in the attack and the other, a woman, was bitten. I thought you’d like to know in case you talk to your counterpart in quadrant four.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Dante switched on the ignition and fired up the AC. Cool air circulated through the truck from the vents in the dash. He reached out and adjusted the one by the driver’s door so that it blew on his face. The hair at the back of his neck curled over his collar, damp with sweat from the heat and humidity.

Staring at the curls, Tori imagined running her fingers through them. She squeezed her hands closed to keep from giving in to her desires. She swallowed hard, trying to control her thoughts.

“When can we get together again to look over that device?” He twisted in his seat to face her, one long arm resting along the upper curve of the steering wheel. He turned away to look through the windshield.

She loved his strong profile. He really was a handsome, masculine man, though his eyelashes were beautiful and long. “Just about any time is good for me. As long as Rand isn’t home.” A thought struck her, and she said, “Monday night would be good. Rand’s planning on being out, and after I take care of a…thing, I’ll be available.”

His brows dipped and he glanced at her again. “What thing?”

“You remember Barry? From the grocery store?”

“Yeah, I remember. It was just a couple of days ago.” His lips twisted in a wry grin. “Senility hasn’t quite set in yet.”

Tori grimaced good-naturedly. “No need for sarcasm.” She brought her left leg up onto the seat, her knee bumping against his thigh. When she met his gaze, she saw his eyes had darkened. She had no doubt that he wanted her and sooner or later he’d realize that love hardly waited for convenience. She hoped it was sooner. “His punishment for biting the human was to be bound in silver for thirty days. He can’t shift,” she added in explanation when Dante seemed a little bewildered.

“Ah.” He gave a nod.

“I promised I’d be with him the night of the full moon.” She watched him closely for his reaction.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “You mean you’ll be sitting outside his cell, right? You’ll still be able to shift.”

“Well, that would be downright cruel, wouldn’t it? Shapeshifters can control when and how often they shift, but during a full moon it’s agonizing if you don’t change into your animal form. And I mean agonizing.” She closed her eyes briefly, remembering all those years ago when she’d been clapped in silver chains, rendered impotent of her shifting abilities. She’d deserved the punishment. Barry didn’t. “It’s…difficult to get through. Anyway, he turned me down, but I want to check on him before sunset.” She couldn’t explain to herself why it was so important to make sure this one werewolf was as emotionally prepared as possible to get through this punishment, except that she’d been there. She knew how excruciating an experience it was, and if she could help, she had to.

“Why would you do that?” Dante’s eyes narrowed even further. “He’s not your responsibility. He’s there because of choices he made.”

She sighed. “I just…Wolves are pack animals, Dante. We’re not loners. We want our own kind around us, especially when we’re sick or injured.” She leaned toward him, trying to make him understand. “Barry’s not exactly an alpha male. He’ll have a hard time of it. The effect is not only physical but emotional, too.”

“And that’s your responsibility how?” When she shot him a glare, he held up one hand. “Look, I don’t mean any disrespect. I think what you offered to do says a lot about the kind of woman you are.” His tone suggested he wasn’t sure if he should admire her or call the men in the white coats. “But I…” He leaned forward and took her hands in his. “I for one am glad he declined your offer. I don’t want you to be in pain.”

He was the sweetest man ever. She’d known a lot of good men, but none had even come close to making her feel the way Dante did. Tori got mutant-sized butterflies in her stomach when he was near, and everything seemed brighter and full of hope when she was with him. With him, she felt like she was living, not just surviving like she’d done just about all of her life. She squeezed his fingers. “That means a lot to me, that you feel that way.”

“I appreciate your compassion, honey, I do.”

Her heart jumped at the endearment he didn’t seem to know he’d used. He also didn’t seem to realize his thumbs were sweeping over the pulse points of her wrists.

But
she
had noticed the action. With every sweep, her pulse skittered, her breath came faster, and everything feminine deep inside her softened with desire. With a soft moan, she leaned into him and pressed her mouth to his.

His lips opened beneath hers, his low groan lost in her kiss. He stroked his tongue along hers, tasting dark and all male. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer.

He trailed a path to her ear, giving her lobe a light nip, not hurtful but enough to send a shock of arousal jolting through her.

“Dante,” she moaned. She shifted her position, draping herself over him, flattening her breasts against his broad chest. She ignored the steering wheel digging into her rib cage. The small amount of pain was worth getting close to this man again.

With an oath, he wrapped his hands around her upper arms and lifted her off him. He set her gently on the passenger seat. His breathing came hard and fast, chest rising and falling. “Wait.”

“Wait for what, Dante?” She stroked her fingers down his cheek, but he stopped her. She whispered, “What if you’re about to pass up something beautiful, something right, because the timing doesn’t fit your schedule?”

Regret, stark and sharp, passed over his face. “I really like you, Tori. But I have so much on my plate right now, with a job that isn’t exactly a forty-hour-a-week thing, and my sister…” He blew out a breath and pressed her palm to his face, holding it there. “That’s not entirely it. I…I’m afraid of losing you. If I fall in love with you and then you get killed by some other pret…”

Her breath hitched. “You’re not alone in this, you know. You also do dangerous work and could get killed on the job.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He held her gaze. “One thing I know for sure, the first time I make love to you is not going to be in the cab of my pickup.”

She smiled, a slow build up to a full-fledged grin. “You are such a gentleman. What if I want it to be right here, right now? What if I’m ready to see what you look like naked?”

He shook his head even as his eyes darkened with desire. “You say the most romantic things.” When she didn’t laugh, he said, “Not here, because…”

“Yes?”

“When I have you stretched out under me, I’m gonna take my time.”

A shiver wracked through her. She had to admit that Dante was right about their bad timing. However, she couldn’t stop her mind from thinking of the possibilities when they did find someplace private. She swiped her thumb across his sexy lower lip. “I can’t wait,” she murmured. She withdrew her hand from his and opened her door.

“Why don’t you come over Monday night after you check on Barry? Lily’s going out with friends. I’ll fix dinner and you can bring the, uh, thing.”

Her mind went blank for a moment, then she started sorting through all kinds of items he might be meaning by “the thing” before she finally landed on the rift device. “Oh. Right. The thing.” She smiled again. “I actually have a council meeting, a sort of meet and greet for new prets in town, at seven. Is five o’clock too early to come over?”

He shook his head.

In a throaty voice she murmured, “I’ll see you then.” She climbed down from the cab of his truck, grinning at his mingled look of desire and dismay. It wasn’t often Dante MacMillan could be knocked off his stride. She couldn’t wait to do it again.

Finn leaned against the corner of the building and watched Tori get out of the human cop’s truck. Things had been getting interesting, and for a minute he’d thought they were going to make out right there in the parking lot. Not only would it have been entertaining, it would have given him something to throw into Tori’s face whenever she got too big for her britches. But to his disappointment they hadn’t.

“So you’re also a voyeur,” a lilting voice said from behind him. “Good to know.”

He turned his head and looked at Keira as she walked up to stand beside him. “I spy on people only when it might lead to something useful.”

She cast him a sidelong glance. “Do you play Peepin’ Tom much, then?”

Finn shrugged. “I lurk. That’s what I do.” He shifted his position, leaning his back against the wall. “And just what do you mean by ‘also a voyeur’?”

Her smile was a slow dance of pure wickedness. “Oh, you’ve quite the reputation.” She drew one finger down his shoulder, leaving a trail of sparks he could feel even through his clothing. “Playboy. Ladykiller.” Her expression sobered. “Ne’er-do-well.”

“Oh, a ne’er-do-well, really?” He crossed his ankles, bearing his weight on his heels. Shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, he said, “Now you’re just flattering me.”

“Do you think so?” Keira reached into her purse and pulled out some sort of plastic hair clip. Holding it between her lips, she lifted her arms and gathered her long hair up off her neck, then fastened it. Stray strands fell around her face, curling in the humidity of the approaching dusk. Without thinking he reached out and scooped several strands behind her ear.

She drew in a startled breath but her expression didn’t change. “You have an odd opinion of yourself then.”

He made note of her reaction and determined some day, and someday soon, he was going to get that reaction from her again. “I’m a demon,” he said, figuring that was explanation enough. He glanced around the nearly empty lot. “What’re you doing here?”

“Oh, meeting new people.” She gave a dainty shrug. “Gettin’ the lay of the land. You know.” She moved a little closer, tilting back her head to look up into his face. “I’m findin’ that Scottsdale’s an interesting place.”

She didn’t know the half of it. He heard a car start up and peered around the edge of the building to see Tori’s tiny piece of tin she called a car pulling out of the parking lot. For God’s sake, who ever heard of a werewolf driving a Mini Cooper?

Not him. As much as he hated to leave Keira’s side, he had to keep an eye on Tori and her family. He’d been hearing things, things that surprised him and piqued his interest. He turned back to Keira. He hated to bail on this gorgeous woman, but he needed to see what Tori was up to. He had reports to file, and the lord of demons didn’t like to be kept waiting. “I’ve gotta go, sweetheart. Catch up with you later?”

“Sure.” She adjusted her purse strap on her shoulder. “You know she has her eyes on that detective, don’t you?”

“Who?” He frowned. “What’re you talking about?”

“Tori.”

“I’m not…” He stopped. “It’s complicated. And not what you think.”

The lifting of her eyebrows was both regal and skeptical.

“Seriously.” Finn pulled his keys out of his pocket. “I’ll see you.”

“Sure.”

He felt her gaze on him as he walked around the back of the club to his motorcycle. As he pulled on his gloves, he watched her walk toward a neon-green Beetle. He scowled. What was it with the women around here? His frown lightened when she went past the Volkswagen and unlocked a black BMW M3. He admired her choice of vehicle—it was small enough for good maneuverability yet had a big enough engine for excellent acceleration.

He made sure she got under way before he left the parking lot and headed after Tori. Something was going on in this town, something not good, and he had a feeling she knew what it was.

T
hings were quiet for the next couple of days. Dante and Tori handled a few minor skirmishes here and there, both of them glad that things seemed to be calming down. Even the attacks in quadrant four had stopped. Tori hoped the rogue was finished but her instincts said otherwise.

Rand seemed unusually quiet. He hadn’t asked about the rift device since that day in her bedroom. She didn’t know for certain if he’d looked for it again, though she thought he might have searched her closet. A couple of her shoes were askew on the shoe rack, shoes she hadn’t worn in several weeks and didn’t remember touching. She kept the incident to herself because she didn’t want to draw attention to the device at all. She started thinking again that maybe Dante was right—she needed to get it out of the house. She just wasn’t sure where to put it, and she hated to admit she couldn’t keep it out of Rand’s grasp. It hurt her to think that she was unable to trust her own brother. As soon as she got the chance, she’d talk to Dante about it. It seemed like his gun safe might be the best place for it after all, but she couldn’t help but think about Lily. She would be in danger just by virtue of the fact that the device was in Dante’s home.

At least as werewolves, Tori and Rand had a fighting chance against anyone who might come for the device. Lily would be helpless.

Unsure of a good hiding place, she took it out of the flour canister and put it in her fanny pack. She always wore it to work, anyway, so no one would think anything of it. Despite the new location, she still carried the damn thing everywhere she went, even into the bathroom, where she stashed it in her box of tampons while she showered.

As she took off her clothes, she thought about the meeting at headquarters, which she really wasn’t looking forward to. The new prets didn’t like being put on display under the auspices of introductions to the council and its liaisons. Tori supposed it was a necessary evil. This way, when the newcomers got themselves into trouble—which most of them invariably did to one degree or another—Tori and her colleagues knew with whom they were dealing.

After her shower, she dressed in a flowing sky-blue skirt, a two-toned silk tank top, and a bright pink short-sleeved jacket with high-heeled sandals to match. She fitted the fanny pack in place, grimacing at how it ruined the look of her outfit, and made sure the jacket wasn’t caught under the straps. She left a note for Rand, letting him know she’d see him at the meeting, and drove to Dante’s.

As she drove up the winding driveway, she admired the natural landscaping of prickly pear and saguaro cacti, mesquite, and palo verde trees. When she pulled up in front of the house, she put the car in park and turned off the ignition, sitting for a few minutes to look the place over. It was a one-story adobe ranch house with a long front porch and roofed with Spanish tiles. Potted flowering plants lined the walkway leading to the front door. She couldn’t see Dante taking the time to plant flowers, so no doubt they were Lily’s handiwork.

A separate barn sat about twenty-five yards away from the house on the south side, complete with a corral that, at the moment, was empty. His horses must be in the barn.

She got out of her car and slammed the door, hitting the button on the remote to lock it. She drew in a breath and smelled various scents—the flowering bougainvillea and oleanders, horses, hay, and the pungent odor of manure. The sound of hooves stomping, low nickers, and the aroma of fear wafted to her from the horses. They smelled her, and they were afraid. She pressed her lips together. Sometimes she regretted what she was, and this was one of those times. She’d love to be able to get close enough to the horses to really appreciate their beauty, but she’d probably never be able to.

She headed toward the house. As she reached the front door it swung open and Dante stood there, a wide smile on his face. “You made it. Any trouble finding the place?”

“Nope, none.” She entered the house. “Nice,” she commented, seeing how it reflected his masculinity from the oversized leather recliner and matching sofa in the living room to the décor in various shades of browns and greens. There were a couple of pillows on the sofa that had splashes of red in them and a few decorative pots on the hearth of the beehive fireplace in the corner that suggested a woman’s touch. Again probably due to Lily.

“Thanks,” he said. “I can give you the tour a little later, if you’d like.”

She followed him through to a large country-style eat-in kitchen, complete with a distressed pine table that seated six. There was also a formal dining room off to the left of the kitchen with another large table, this one a darker wood.

“I know I said I’d fix dinner,” Dante said. “But since you can’t stay long, I figured we should spend most of the time working on the device instead of eating. So…” The doorbell rang and he held up one finger. “I ordered pizza. Have a seat,” he said, motioning toward the kitchen table. “I’ll be right back.”

Tori went over to it and pulled out a chair, admiring the Southwest pattern on the padded seat. Dante came back in with a couple of boxes in his hands. The smell of pepperoni and pizza sauce wafted her way, as well as the spicy aroma of barbecue.

“Got some wings, too.” Dante flipped open the boxes and grabbed a couple of plates from a cabinet. He placed one in front of her and handed her a paper towel. “You want beer? Soda?”

“Soda’s fine,” she said. “Since I have to drive.”

“Okay. Soda it is.” He grabbed two cans from the fridge and handed one to her. Taking his place in the chair across from her, he said, “Dig in.”

She took two slices and put them on her plate.

“Get some wings, too,” he urged.

“In a minute,” she said around a mouthful of food.

Once she’d scarfed down her pizza, she started on some wings. After a few minutes, Dante reached over and swiped his thumb across the corner of her mouth, letting it linger on her lip. “You had some barbecue sauce there,” he said, his voice husky.

In reflex, she swept out her tongue, the tip sliding over the pad of his thumb. His indrawn breath flared his nostrils. He rubbed across her bottom lip and leaned closer. “God, you’ve got the most beautiful mouth.” He bent his head, his lips closing over hers.

He tasted like pizza sauce and pepperoni with an underlying tang of heated desire. He ate at her mouth like a starving man and she was just as voracious. When they pulled away for air, they both breathed heavily. Dante’s eyes were heavy-lidded, the brown of his irises almost black with passion.

As much as she wanted to say to hell with the rift device, she had limited time to work on the thing, and they needed to get results. She stroked her fingers down his cheek, thrilling to the catch of his breath, the flare of his eyes. He must have read the intent on her face, because he husked, “Why don’t I clear the table and we can take a look at that device?”

She cleared her throat. “All right.” As he put the leftover pizza and wings in the fridge, she gathered up the plates and used napkins and set them on the counter. Then she unsnapped her fanny pack and took it off, pulling out the rift device and placing it on the table.

“We have to figure out how to check this thing out without alerting that guy who keeps asking for a password.” Tori blew out a sigh.

“Did you bring the schematics with you?” Dante asked, standing next to her to look down at the small device.

“Yeah.” She pulled the paper out of her fanny pack and handed it to him.

“Ah, excellent.” Dante unfolded the document and spread it out on the desk. He bent over it, studying it in silence.

Tori got closer to him to look it over as well. She was able to pick out the various parts that made up the radio component, but anything more than that left her confused. She drew in a breath, struck by how good he smelled—like soap and hot, virile male. Holding it in a moment, she trapped his scent in her lungs. After a few seconds she exhaled. If only they had more time…for now she’d keep things directed toward the job at hand. “We make a good team,” she murmured. “You know computers and I know radio communications.”

“Mmm.”

His focus was so intent on the schematics she doubted he’d really heard what she’d said. Pursing her lips, she decided to put it to the test. “My brains to your brawn. Your ability to bullshit with my unwavering search for the truth.” Only it wasn’t so unwavering these days, was it? There was still that small matter of finding out if her brother was involved with the werewolf attacks. She pushed that aside for the moment. “You look good in pink while I tend to stick to more muted colors.”

“Right.”

A slight smile curved her lips and she shook her head. Typical male. Able to focus on only one thing at a time. While in bed, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; outside of it could be damned frustrating. For now, though, she was having too good a time to be irritated with his one-track mind.

“All right, so we determined last time that this doohickey is the processor running the works. And if I’m reading these schematics right…” He picked up the device and turned one of the small dials on the top. Another dial, the one that Tori had been using to turn the device on, he twisted to the right.

Slight static came across the speaker. Dante fiddled with one of the antennae and the static faded.

Tori carefully sat down, trying not to make any noise, and waited for the guy on the other side to ask for a password. After a minute or so of silence, she glanced up at Dante. “Well, this is new,” she whispered.

The speaker crackled. She tensed and bit her lip, shooting a chagrined look at him. He shook his head, finger to lips, but humor danced at the corners of his eyes.

A man’s voice came from the device, speaking in the standard language of the other dimension. He seemed to be filing a report of some kind. Tori motioned for Dante to get her something to write with, and as soon as he fetched a long, thin pad and pen from next to the phone in the kitchen, she began transcribing the message. The man spoke for a few moments, and then the speaker went silent again.

Dante twisted the dials and turned off the device. “Okay, what’d he say?” He pulled out his chair and sat down.

“He’s reporting that they’re at twenty-four percent of goal and hope to be at or above fifty percent within the next two months. They should achieve maximum capacity by the target date.” She turned to look at him. “He suggests that we keep turning people into werewolves in order to further supplement our numbers.”

“Further supplement your numbers?” His face grim, he stared at her. “So now we know it’s not really a rogue, right? Whoever’s behind these attacks is following orders.”

“Looks like it.” Tori glanced into the kitchen and caught sight of the clock on the stove. “Oh, crap!” She stood. Grabbing the schematics, she started folding them up. If she didn’t leave now, she was going to be late for her council meet and greet.

“What?” Dante stood, too, alarm on his face. “What is it?”

“I’ve gotta go. I’m gonna be late.”

“Oh. Right.” He picked up the device. “Can I hold onto this? I can keep fiddling with it while you’re at your meeting.”

She hesitated. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Dante—she did. She’d trust him with her life. But Tobias had entrusted the device to her, and she was loath to let it out of her sight. She stared at the schematics in her hand and then looked into Dante’s face. “Here,” she said, and handed him the paper. “Hang onto them. We still need to know exactly what that thing is capable of,” she said, nodding toward the device he still held. She zipped her pack closed. “Thanks for dinner.”

He grinned. “Such as it was. Listen, why don’t you come over tomorrow night, and we’ll do a real dinner. Lily will be here,” he said almost apologetically.

“Sure. I’d love to meet her.” Tori walked through the kitchen toward the front door. She stopped in the living room and asked, “Can I bring anything?”

“Just your gorgeous self.” He opened the front door and followed her to her car. After she got in, he stood there, his arm along the top of her door. “Do me a favor, will you?”

“If I can.”

“I got a call earlier from a buddy of mine in Vegas. He said the number of prets moving into the city has more than doubled from last year. And he said a couple of his friends pretty much told him that the same thing is happening in Denver and Albuquerque.” His serious gaze held hers. “And that’s just the number of prets who register with the regional council. You know as well as I do that the real number could be a hell of a lot higher.”

“Yeah?” She wasn’t sure where he was going with this.

“Have you heard any numbers for the greater Phoenix area?” At her nod, he gave a sigh. “It might not mean anything, but I think an increase like this in our region needs to be looked into. Can you ask around, find out at the council meeting tonight?”

“I’ll see what I can turn up, but the councilors tend to keep things very close to the vest.”

“Just see if they’ll tell you anything.”

“I will.”

Dante bent down and gave her a kiss, his mouth lingering, promising at things to come. Then he straightened. “See you tomorrow,” he husked.

“Bye,” she said, her pulse fluttering in her throat. It took just one touch of his mouth on hers and she was rendered speechless. She kinda liked it.

As she drove away from him, her mind went back to what he’d said about the increase in pret numbers. She couldn’t help but wonder if that growth had something to do with the rift device. What if someone was positioning preternaturals in key areas in order to…what? Take over the world?

She dismissed that idea as soon as she thought it. That couldn’t happen. Prets were only ten percent of the overall population on the planet. Even if the number was double what was reported, humans still outnumbered preternaturals seven to one.

Of course, that would change with the next rift due to happen in just a few months. And in the meantime, there was a pret running around turning people into werewolves, adding to the fold.

Within twenty minutes, she pulled into the parking lot behind the council building. As she went through the back door and walked down the hallway she saw that one of the guards, dressed in his red-on-black security uniform, was posted in front of the main chamber and another was at the security desk near the front door. She knew at any given time there were at least two other guards patrolling the building or running errands for council members. Others were down in the basement, either protecting prisoners or taking it easy until they were called.