The Finding (26 page)

Kellen regained
his footing and rushed forward, launching himself at Hugh.
“No!”

The thug fell
backwards at the sudden addition of Kellen’s weight hanging off his
arm. He let go of Sandy and she landed on the coffee table.

There was a
crashing sound and Kellen had a vague impression of Sandy sitting
on the floor surrounded by bits of wood, but most of his attention
was focussed on Hugh. He gripped the man’s wrist with both of his,
but it made little impression. Hugh had him by the throat and
merely laughed, wrapped his fingers more tightly and began to
squeeze.

Kellen thrashed
and struggled, but the man was no match for him. He fought to
breathe, spots beginning to dance before his eyes. His fingers
clawed at Hugh’s hands, but to no avail. The world started to turn
grey and a growling sound filled his ears. Strange... Wasn’t it
supposed to be a roaring sound?

*****

Cassie looked
up from where she lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. Her whole
body ached from its impact with the coffee table and her vision
seemed blurred. Shaking her head she tried to focus on what was
going on around her. The sound of grunts and heavy breathing met
her ears. She blinked and the blurred images before her became
clearer. The huge blond thug had Kellen by the throat! Kellen was
fighting back, but it seemed useless, his blows having no impact on
the man’s mammoth body. Hugh’s face had a wild look about it, his
lips drawn back, his eyes over bright. It was almost as if he
relished squeezing the life out of someone.

She struggled
to her feet, not sure what to do, but knowing she had to try to
save Kellen. Staggering, Cassie made her way over to where the two
men were fighting and pounded on Hugh’s back, yelling for him to
let go. Her blows were ineffectual. Kellen’s face was turning
colour; deep red, purple, blue...

Icy fear washed
through her veins and there was a buzzing in her ears. Oh God,
Kellen was going to die! Her mind flashed back to that night three
years ago; the sight of her uncle falling to the ground, a bullet
hole in his forehead. She saw Mr. Aldrich fighting against the
werewolf, blood running from his throat. Now another person was
going to die in front of her!

“No!” A scream
ripped from her throat. The air around her shimmered. Her skin
crawled. It was just like when Bryan had caught her this morning,
only worse. She gripped her head with her hands, trying to fight
the feeling, but it overwhelmed her. Her muscles contracted, an
unbelievable tension filling her, squeezing her until she was
gasping. Half pain, half pleasure she hovered on the edge of
something, fearful to take the final plunge yet knowing it was
inevitable. Something called to her, urging her to move forward.
She hesitated, fearful, but unable to resist the pull. A flash of
light seemed to explode behind her eyes, the bubble of tension
finally bursting and she found herself plummeting back to
earth.

She was on the
ground, the world around her seeming inexplicably strange. The
images were sharper; the scents and sounds more acute. Sounds!
Kellen was still struggling with the man, though his arms were only
moving feebly now. A horrible rasping noise came from him as he
fought for air. Hugh was laughing... She rushed to her feet and
lunged forward, feeling clumsy as if her body wasn’t her own, but
intent on doing whatever she could to save Kellen.

A strange
sound—a snarl—erupted from her throat and she found herself
clinging to the man’s back. Digging her fingers in so she wouldn’t
fall, she bit at the back of his neck, only vaguely wondering why
such an action would seem natural to her. Hugh screamed and
released Kellen.

Blood gushed
into her mouth and she gagged, but bit down again intent on
ensuring the man didn’t resume his attack on Kellen. Vaguely she
was aware that Kellen was free now, lying on the ground, gasping
for air.

The man hit and
kicked at her. She yelped in pain. Yelped? What...? Looking down
she saw that she wasn’t on her hands and knees as she supposed.
Thin legs covered in brown fur were where her arms should be.

Panic washed
over her. It had happened! Despite her years of precaution, she’d
turned into a wolf! A gurgling sound caught her attention and she
realised she was looming over the thug, his blood dripping onto the
floor.

Oh God! Oh God!
She was just like the beast that killed her uncle’s lawyer!
Horrified by her actions, she backed away. Her claws made
scratching sounds on the floor, reinforcing the fact that she was
an animal, a ravaging beast and she’d just attacked someone.

With a whimper
she turned and tried to run, but stumbled, her legs uncoordinated.
Uncaring that her movements were less than graceful, she pulled
herself up and out of the house, staggering and weaving until she
eventually found her stride.

How could she
have done that? How could she ever face herself again? Horrified
and ashamed she retreated from the reality of what she was while
the beast inside surged to the foreground. It was taking over,
exultant at finally being free. Cassie briefly struggled to regain
control, but then gave up; what did it matter now? She’d lost the
battle; her life was over...

*****

Bryan parked
his rented car a block away from Cassandra Greyson’s house and
turned off the engine. He drummed his fingers on the steering
wheel, pondering what approach he should take this time.

Walking up to
her with a friendly ‘hello’ hadn’t worked and the scene at his
motel... Well, that had proven to be a fiasco. He reached up and
touched the spot on his head where she’d whacked him with the lamp.
It was a bit tender, but healing rapidly. Feisty little rogue. If
he wasn’t so exasperated with the girl, he’d applaud her ingenuity.
She’d played her cards perfectly, allowing him to think she was
subdued by his authority and then attacking when he turned his
back.

No, it wasn’t
the accepted way to treat your Beta, but then again, she didn’t
seem to recognize that he
was
her Beta. Her inner wolf was
aware of the fact, but as for her human half... There was some sort
of block there, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. It was as
if the two halves of her weren’t communicating. They were aware of
each other, but functioning at cross-purposes. Well, from the
little he had gleaned of her early life, she’d been raised
exclusively among humans, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she had a
few quirks.

Rubbing his
chin, he considered the situation. It could prove interesting,
trying to integrate her into a pack. Mel would be of some help,
having only discovered her own werewolf heritage a few years ago.
She’d be able to relate to the girl and offer some tips on pack
life. That is provided she ever forgave Cassandra for scaring her
half to death in the middle of that phone call.

When he’d come
to on the floor of the motel room, Mel had been shouting into the
phone, wondering what had happened to him. Upon learning that the
Greyson girl had knocked him out when he turned his back, Mel had
been both furious and remorseful; mad at the girl for hurting him
and angry with herself for interrupting.

Finally, she’d
calmed down and he’d discovered why she’d called. The news had come
as a shock and he hadn’t been able to offer as much help as he’d
like to. Something was off with the situation and he’d told her as
much which seemed to assuage the worst of her fears; further
investigation was definitely needed before she did anything
drastic. He pointed out that Ryne was the one she should really be
talking to, but she’d protested that until she knew more, she
didn’t feel able to broach the subject with her mate.

Bryan could
understand her point of view, even if he didn’t totally agree. And
after all, who knew what he’d do in a similar situation, not that
it could ever happen of course. Finally, he’d suggested talking to
Daniel since he’d have more background knowledge about the subject.
Reluctantly, Mel had agreed to involve another pack member and
they’d ended the conversation with her promising to keep him
abreast of the situation as more information became available. As
he hung up, he wondered how Ryne would take the news and was
half-glad, half-disappointed he probably wouldn’t be there. His
Alpha’s reaction would be something to see.

Putting the
matter aside, he concentrated on the Greyson situation. According
to the Finding clause, she was the pack’s responsibility. Should
she ever reveal herself to a human or attack someone, the blame
would be directly on their heads for not controlling her. Left
alone, who knew how long she’d manage to control her wolf before a
situation arose. If one did, all hell could break loose. An
untrained werewolf could unknowingly do a lot of damage in a short
period of time.

With a weary
sigh, he got out of the car, and began walking towards her house,
idly noticing the changes wrought by last night’s rain. The smell
of the soil was different, richer and more pervasive, and splashes
of colour were starting to appear as the desert plants that dotted
the front yards sent out blooms. If he wasn’t so busy thinking
about Cassandra it would have been interesting to study the changes
a rain could bring about. However, he had more important things on
his mind than desert flora.

This whole
situation wasn’t turning out at all the way he’d planned. He’d been
enticed by the idea of the ‘thrill of the hunt,’ but instead it was
turning out to be more of a ‘pain in the rear.’ She was afraid of
him, but somehow he had to make her listen. Maybe if he approached
her at her own house, in broad daylight...

A blur of
chocolate brown fur ran past him and he spun around, stunned at the
sight. Was that a...? Dammit, it was!

A quick glance
around revealed that there was no one on the street, but just in
case, he ducked down behind a car to shift into his wolf form. Once
he transformed, he took off after the little female werewolf. She
was running as if the demons of Hell were chasing her. He sent up a
quick prayer that no animal control officers were around and that
she didn’t run across the road and get hit by a car!

He raced after
her, his longer legs quickly eating up the distance between them.
They were coming to the end of the road, a playground was straight
ahead. Bryan scanned the area, thankful no children were about,
then put on a burst of speed. He was almost upon her when she
started to veer to the left. Quickly calculating her path, he cut
across at an angle and leapt, slamming into her as she ran in front
of him.

The impact sent
them both rolling across the ground in a tangle of legs and tails.
A cloud of dust billowed around them and Bryan sensed rather than
saw her turning around, preparing to bite her attacker. Agilely, he
twisted away, the sound of teeth clicking together letting him know
he’d had a near miss. Before she could make another attempt, he
hip-checked her, knocking her off balance and then scrambled around
to straddle her. Gripping the scruff of her neck firmly in his
teeth, he issued a low, warning growl. Instantly, she froze in
response, only her heaving sides moving as she struggled to breathe
after her headlong flight.

His wolf was
excited to have her pinned beneath him and he flashed back to his
recurring dream. This wasn’t a forest, but in every other way, the
circumstances were the same.

We’ve chased
the female down and now she is ours!

Cautiously,
Bryan released the scruff of her neck and nuzzled her ear. She
whined in response, tilting her head and exposing her throat. A
rumble of pleasure sounded deep in his chest
.

She is
submitting to us! We should stake our claim and mark her!

He got up and
circled around, sniffing her thoroughly. The scent of arousal was
becoming stronger and the wolf in him fairly danced in excitement.
Moving so they were nose to nose, he nipped and licked at her face,
rubbing against her, marking her with his scent. She returned the
favour, her breathing turning into excited pants.

Her scent was
intoxicating and he couldn’t wait to get closer. She seemed to feel
the same way, standing and bumping her body into his. Licking her
muzzle, his human side wondered what it would be like to kiss her
full plump lips. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, than
he shimmered and changed forms, using the power of his own
transformation to pull her along with him. Before he knew it,
Cassandra Greyson was in his arms, kissing him passionately.

He sighed
contentedly. It was just as he’d thought it would be. Her mouth was
soft and responsive, her tongue grazing over his, teasing, then
retreating while little sounds of pleasure emitted from her throat.
He gathered her closer, gently pushing his hips against her. She
responded in kind and his arousal throbbed heavily between his
legs.

Cassandra
threaded her fingers through his hair, her nails grazing his scalp.
A shiver of excitement raced down his spine. Inhaling deeply, her
exotic spicy scent overwhelmed his senses, seeping into his every
pore, filling him with her presence. He wanted her, desired her,
needed her like he’d never needed anyone before.

Bryan slid his
hands up and down her back, marvelling at the feel of her warm,
silky skin. His questing hands reached the flare of her hips and he
paused, but she made no protest. In fact she moaned softly and
nestled in closer. His wolf’s elation at her nearness meshed with
his own; his heart pounding, his blood racing.

He slid his
fingers over the smooth curves of her butt, lightly tracing the
cleft between her cheeks before cupping her bottom and pulling her
more tightly to his aching erection. She felt so good in his arms;
he couldn’t wait until he too was naked and—

Whoa! Go back
and repeat that thought. Naked? She was naked? He stilled his
hands, shock running through his system. Damn, but she’d forgotten
to think ‘clothes’ when she shifted. Either that or she was a
half-breed. Whatever the case, they were in a public park and
Cassandra being arrested for public nudity was the last thing he
needed to deal with at the moment.