Elizabeth Hanson tightened her grip on the silver shackles she’d attached to the killer’s wrist. Any day another menacing shifter was taken off the streets was a good day in her book.
“And you thought you’d get away with the kill.” She chuckled into Horace Stanton’s ear.
The stupid wolf had been standing over the dead woman when she found him, like a winner claiming the prize. That sweet taste of victory he’d been enjoying had cost him. One paralyzing dart into his ass and he’d dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks. What a schmuck.
“Who the hell are you?” He leaned in, almost tripping over his feet to get close enough to get a deep breath near her neck. His look was priceless. “What the hell are you?”
He crinkled his nose and tried to yank from her grip. “I know one of those stenches.” His lips curled up in a smile, giving her a glimpse of his blood-stained teeth. “You’re one of Boris’ bitches.”
Not only his, but she kept that secret guarded close to her chest. The big bastard was hard to forget. He’d been the only one who’d demanded to use his teeth to infect her with his shifter DNA. One bite and she thought her world would end. One silver bullet to the head and his did.
Within days she’d tracked the other shifters that had kept her prisoner, shoving needles into her arm and injecting their unwanted DNA into her veins. The joke was on them. They’d taken the reason for abducting her to their grave. Well, most of them did. A couple had heard the rumors that she was coming for them and considered her a viable threat. The smart ones had gone into hiding, and it was just a matter of time before she found them, too.
Boris’ savage mark and scent had faded over time, but the damage had already been done. Her future and happiness had been ripped from her in a matter of seconds. She would never have children and pass down her altered DNA, never have a mate, and never be human again. No matter how many shots the good Dr. Tanner gave her in an attempt to silence the beasts and return her to the normal life that she’d once lived. There would never be enough drugs to take her back.
The only plus side of the liquid shots he’d made, was that it altered the smell of the animals deep inside. The weekly medication was something she’d have to take for the rest of her life. If they’d known what she’d become, if anyone ever found out…she shivered at the thought. She was stuck between worlds, not a shifter, not a human, but something far more devious and deadly.
Colton Trapp had nursed her back to health and taken her under his wing. She’d turned her life around because of him. Her lust for blood was controlled; her only craving now was for justice against the breeds that had caused her hell.
Unluckily for the shifter in shackles, Hector’s name had been next on her list.
“Hard to be someone’s bitch when their sorry carcass is burning in hell, but try and pull away from me one more time, and I’ll send you to join him.”
Liz gave the shackles a hard shake and hurried the asshole down the long white sterile hall toward the empty holding cells. She ground her teeth to stave off any partial shift at the mention of Boris’ name. Her blood heated and warmed beneath her skin, her teeth ready to strike. Which animal would emerge was the question she was unable to answer. She always guessed wrong. The grinding calmed her temper, even if she had to endure another lecture from her dentist. It was worth the scolding. She unlocked his cuffs and gave him a little push inside one of the empty silver cells. The click of the door locking into place produced a smile on her face.
“Enjoy your stay, asshole.”
Horace wound his long fingers around the silver bars. Any other animal would have winced from the pain and retreated. Only the wolves were stupid enough to try. This guy was a douche. Of course, he tried. Pain etched his face, hardening his jaw. The stench of burning skin filled her nose, yet he hadn’t flinched. He held on tight and deepened his hateful glare. He wouldn’t be the first, or last, shifter that wanted to kill her. Welcome to the club, asshole. His eyes shifted from blue-green to the yellow of his animal and back again before he snarled.
“I’ll be seeing you, detective.” He gave a slow, calculating nod. “You can count on it.”
Liz stepped closer to the bars, refusing to back down. ‘Show no fear’ was her only motto now. Didn’t he know he was playing with fire? Stupid mutt.
She snaked her hand between the bars and gripped the shifter’s neck, giving it a nice little squeeze. His eyes widened as he tried to peel back her fingers. Her ridiculous strength was thanks to the experiment. Her ability to control her temper was not. “Be careful what you wish for, wolf. I may look like an easy kill, but I can assure you, I’m not.”
His face grew redder by the second, turning the shade of a ripe tomato in her old vegetable garden. His nails elongated, sliding out in a gamble to penetrate her skin.
“I’m not your prey.” She spoke with venom in her voice. “You’re mine.” Her narrowing gaze turned everything red for a brief second, giving him a glimpse of her deadly dragon inside. Daggers stared back at her. Grinning, she shoved him, sending him flying into the back wall of the cage. His body collapsed to the floor as he rubbed his throat, gasping for air. The red marks around his neck, in the shape of her fingers, were already starting to fade.
“Hanson quit playing with the inmates.” Colton Trapp’s six-foot-seven body loomed at the end of the hall. His muscular arms crossed over his wide, big chest. She knew his beast. She’d witnessed his grizzly bear first hand. “In my office… now.”
“This isn’t over.” The wolf’s growl vibrated throughout the room as he eased off the floor, his claws sliding back into place.
“Suit yourself. It’s your funeral.” She whistled, leaving him to plot her demise, his measly threats cataloged with all of the other ones she’d accrued over time. Another one down. Her life might be a screwed-up mess, but damn, she loved her job.
The whistle died on her lips as she entered Trapp’s office. He’d folded his big body into the leather chair, his look anything but bemused.
“I didn’t hurt him,” she blurted out while plopping down in one of the seats. “The moron threatened me, and I warned him against it. That’s all I did. If you think about it, I did a good deed and saved his life.”
Trapp leaned back in his chair with his elbows propped on the armrests. His steepled fingers and menacing stare had softened into a look of curiosity. He remained quiet as if watching and waiting for her to trip on her words. Criminals had cracked under pressure from his look. She wouldn’t.
Her eyes locked on his, and her brow rose in question as she pressed her lips together. If it was a battle of the wills he wanted, she’d play that game.
Sweat beaded her brow the longer the silence lingered, every second tearing at her determination. The loud ticking of the clock hanging on the wall behind her mocked her. He was testing her resolve.
“Okay, fine. I may have issued my own threats back. But it was only in self-defense.”
His lips twisted at the corners, giving her little reprieve.
He sat forward, folding his arms on his desk. “Do you remember when I found you?”
“Is that a trick question?”
“I picked you up, brushed you off, gave you a new identity, and I’ve seen to your medical treatment. Not to mention I gave you a job, somewhere constructive for you to steer your anger in a more productive way.”
“And I appreciate that,” she answered, mildly agitated that he would bring up the painful memories. “Your point?”
“It’s time for you to return the favor. You’re going undercover to work a case in the last place on earth you’ve sworn to never live.”
Her eyes widened, and her heart quickened. Not the Glades, please don’t say the Glades. She’d purposely stayed away from the Glades. The shifter community, an hour away, was the last place she’d ever feel at home. Aw, hell, the twinkle in his eyes told her that he was about to ruin her day.
“The Glades.”
Like a knife shoved in through her heart, his confirmation was the final twist.
“There are dead bodies and missing people if it makes you feel any better.”
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Her foot tapped nervously on the ground. “Are you trying to get me to resign? All it’s going to take is one of those assholes sniffing me and then it will be game on. One wrong word and it’s not going to be pretty. You’ll have a bloodbath on your hands and end up throwing my ass in jail for murder.”
“You’ll manage.” He said it more as a direct order than anything else. He clearly believed in her self-control, more than she did.
Liz cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. She could do this. She might not want to, but she’d survive and handle the challenge. She owed him, and this was one hell of a request. “What’s the case?”
Trapp grinned for the first time since she’d walked into his office. He tossed a file to her side of the desk. “It’s all in there. Your mission, your cover, everything you’ll need.” He gestured to the door with a tip of his head, dismissing her. “You’ll be staying with my cousins. So play nice.”
“Sir?” She tilted her head. “Won’t that defeat the purpose of my cover?”
“No. They’re the ones that noticed the similarities in the disappearances. Read the file, pack your things, and report in the morning. Unlike the morons that abducted you, this time it’s both shifters and humans being abducted, and the common link so far is my cousins’ bar, Liz. We need to find out who’s behind it and stop them. Bring the fuckers to their knees. Do you understand me?” He pursed his lips. “Use any means necessary.”
Oh, she understood all right. Where she was staying sucked and her assignment wasn’t any better, but having full rein on her abilities was a bonus and an advantage. “Yes, sir.”