Chapter Nine
“You cannot be serious.” Isabella glared at Griffin.
Did the woman have any idea just how sexy she was when she glared? Probably not. And Griffin didn’t think this was the best time to clue her in to that fact.
“You are going to leave me in a den of werewolves?”
“It’s the safest place for you.”
Her jaw dropped. “In a den of werewolves? How is that possibly safe?”
His fingers curled under her chin. “I’m alpha. You’re my mate. No one here would dare hurt you. They’d give their very lives to protect you.”
“That’s bullshit. They won’t save a vampire.”
“That’s werewolf law. Their job is to protect the alpha’s mate. Always.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. A mistake because when he tasted her, he wanted more. “Why do you think I became alpha?” he rasped against her soft mouth. “To protect you.” Griffin made himself step away from her. He had a job to do—and a bastard to hunt down. “Dawn will come soon. I can’t risk having you out in the open when you do your vamp thing.”
Her eyes glittered. “My vamp thing?”
“Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.” They were alone in the bedroom. “When daylight hits, you’ll be dead to the world.”
“I will not be dead! Vampires aren’t dead! We’re undead.”
He stared at her. “My bad. You’ll be sleeping very heavily.”
She blew out a hard breath. “I’ll be weak. That’s what you mean.”
“And as your mate, it’s my job to protect you when you’re weak. I’ll leave werewolf guards here. No one will get to you. You rest and by the time you open your eyes, I’ll have Felix.” That was a grim promise. “No one hunts better than a werewolf. The bastard will pay for his crimes.”
She turned from him and paced away from the bed. The windows had already been covered with heavy draperies, by Griffin’s request. She paused in front of one of those windows, her shoulders stiff. “What if he has a vampire working with him? What if we’re right about that part?”
“All the more reason for me to hunt during the day.”
“The vamp’s weakest point,” she said, not glancing back at him.
“Yes.”
“I hate having this weakness.” And he could hear the frustration in her voice. “I want to help you.”
You have, sweetheart, and you don’t even realize how much. You’ve changed my world.
She spun to face him, her hands going to her hips. “You’d better come back without so much as a scratch on you, do you understand? Because if you get hurt, I will be pissed.”
He laughed, the sound erupting and catching him off guard.
“I am serious.”
His laughter faded. “Careful, Isabella, or you’ll make me think you care.”
Her chin notched up the smallest bit. “That’s the problem, wolf. I think I do. I don’t understand how things happened this fast, but… I do. And I don’t want anything happening to you, so bring that furry butt of yours back to me, got it? You also need to promise to let me have a run at Felix. He’s been playing with my life, and I want to know why.”
Griffin couldn’t promise to keep the bastard alive, not when Felix had been targeting Isabella, so he just gave her one last smile and turned for the door.
“Your real smile shows your dimple.”
He stilled.
“It flashes every now and then. I saw it when you laughed.”
Griffin glanced over his shoulder.
“I like the real smile.” She gave him a small smile of her own. “I like the real you.”
Could you ever love the real me?
Lust comes first…then love?
“Come back to me—without a scratch.”
“I will.” And he hoped like hell that he wouldn’t have to break that promise.
***
She didn’t like staying behind. An hour had passed since Griffin had left her. Isabella could feel the power of the rising sun. Lethargy had swept over her. Her body felt sluggish and heavy, and she hated that feeling. She wanted to be with Griffin. Hunting.
Not sleeping.
Clothes had been brought to her. Jeans that fit like a glove, a loose t-shirt. Shoes. Even a bra and a pair of silk panties. They’d all come courtesy of Griffin.
The guy was looking out for her, and he was getting beneath her skin. And into my heart?
The door to her bedroom swung open. Isabella turned to find a young, red-haired woman just…walking right into her room.
The woman drew up short when she saw Isabella. “Oh! Sorry! I thought you’d already be asleep.”
“What?”
The redhead glanced over her shoulder, seemingly nervous. “I’m not supposed to be here.”
“Right…it’s probably a bad idea to waltz into someone’s bedroom unannounced.”
The woman edged closer. “I’m Shelly.”
“And I’m—”
“The vampire,” Shelly said dramatically as her gaze swept over Isabella.
Isabella lifted a brow. She was freaking exhausted. Standing up was an effort, and now the redhead in front of her was staring at Isabella as if she were a freak. So much for that promised werewolf protection.
“I had to see you for myself,” Shelly added as her eyes flared wide. “What’s it like?” She crept even closer to Isabella. “I mean, I couldn’t believe it when I heard that you were the new alpha’s mate. A vampire. I thought the wolves hated anyone who wasn’t a perfect predator like they were.” There was a strange mix of pain and disgust in her voice as she said those words.
Isabella tried to focus on the small werewolf. Well, she’d assumed the woman was a werewolf. Now that she knew Griffin, Carter, and a few of the others, Isabella had realized that werewolves tended to carry a wild, woodsy scent. That scent was missing from the woman before her. “What are you?”
Shelly flinched. “Million dollar question.”
One that the woman hadn’t answered.
Shelly clenched her hands into fists. “Can you turn me?”
What? Shelly was about five foot four inches tall, and built along small, delicate lines. Her face had a pale, almost otherworldly beauty. And she just looked fragile. Hardly fierce werewolf material.
And the chick just asked to be turned.
“Werewolves can’t be turned.” The words slipped from Isabella. “That’s what I’ve always heard, and Griffin told me the same thing recently.”
Anger flashed on Shelly’s face. “Just because you’ve always heard something…doesn’t make it true.”
Isabella’s knees wanted to buckle. The sun is rising. “I—”
“Shelly!”
Carter was in the doorway, glowering. He marched into the bedroom. “What in the hell are you doing in here? How’d you get past the guards?”
Shelly just laughed, but it was a sad sound. “I don’t think they even noticed me. No one in the pack ever does.”
Carter’s face hardened. “Shelly, you need to leave, now.”
“Story of my life. I just wanted to see the vampire for myself.”
Carter curled his hand around her arm and led her to the door. “Alpha’s orders. Isabella isn’t to be disturbed today.”
“Because she matters.” Shelly glanced back at her. “The mate.”
“Shelly…” A warning edge cut in his voice.
“I’m gone. Don’t worry, it will be like I was never even here.” Shelly laughed. “Isn’t it always?” She walked slowly from the room.
Isabella grabbed the edge of the bed. She was weak, and she did not want to show the extent of her weakness in front of Carter.
But he still noticed it. “You okay?” he asked her, frowning. “I’m sorry about Shelly. She’s harmless, like, literally. I’ll make sure that the guards know never to let her back in again.”
She didn’t exactly have a whole lot of faith in the guards. “I’m fine.” Total and complete lie.
“Get some sleep,” Carter said gruffly. “When you wake up, Griffin will be back.”
He’d better be.
She didn’t move, not until Carter had left the room. He shut the door after he exited, but that wasn’t good enough for Isabella. Not when she kept having unexpected—and unwanted—company. She lurched across the room, then she grabbed the edge of a table that was near the door. Isabella shoved and shoved, and she got that table positioned right under the doorknob. Not much protection, but it would slow down any other visitors who might try to come her way while she slept.
Then, utterly spent, she turned back toward the bed. Every step was like trudging through quick sand. She was almost there. Almost…
She fell to the floor. Then Isabella decided—screw it. Sleeping on the floor would work for her.
***
His office had been torched. Griffin glared at the scene. Firefighters were still there, surveying the charred remains of the building. Cops were close by as they made notes and did their show of investigating.
And his office was gone. A blackened shell was all that remained.
Griffin inhaled, pulling in the scents of ash, water, sweat. Fear.
Humans were all around, gaping at the scene. On his way to the building, Griffin had wondered if Felix could be in the crowd, watching, waiting.
But the bastard wasn’t there. Griffin paced closer to the building. The fire and ash were so strong they obliterated most scents. He had no doubt that Felix had been there—but the guy was gone now. He stayed long enough to destroy my business.
“What’s next, alpha?” The question came from one of the werewolves Griffin had picked for his hunting team.
Griffin smiled at the wolf. “Now I make a call.” Easy enough. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed the number that Felix had given him the first time that bastard had sauntered into his office.
Don’t look into her eyes. If you do, she’ll take your soul.
The phone was answered on the third ring. “Griffin?”
Yeah, that was Felix’s pompous ass voice. And the guy had sounded surprised.
“I found Isabella,” Griffin announced. He turned his back on the fire scene and stalked toward his waiting motorcycle. All of the wolves had come in on motorcycles. “Only you neglected to mention a few important facts about her to me.”
Silence. Griffin let that silence stretch. He needed to keep the guy on the line—
“I didn’t expect you to just…call me.” Now Felix seemed confused.
Griffin laughed. Isabella would have told him it wasn’t a real laugh. She would have been right. “We had a deal, didn’t we? I was supposed to find the woman you thought was killing innocent men. I was supposed to get you proof of her guilt.” He straddled his motorcycle, but didn’t start the engine. “Only, it turns out…she wasn’t the one killing.” He waited a beat. “You were.”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” Felix snapped. “After all, can you really trust a vampire?”
Yeah, I can. Tension had his muscles clenching. “I know about the other werewolves—the dead werewolves you left behind in your wake. And guess what, Felix? I’m on a new case now. I’m hunting again. Only this time, I’m hunting you.”
“Ah…you found your torched office, didn’t you?” Now Felix was pleased—and cocky. “Did that make you angry? I’m betting it did. I’m also betting that because of all the ash, you can’t catch my scent from that place. The big, bad tracker…with nothing to go on.”
Keep talking, asshole, just keep talking.
“You should be thanking me.” The guy’s taunt slid into Griffin’s ear. “I introduced you to your mate, didn’t I? I mean, you ran into that alley, and your whole life changed.”
The guy wanted a thank you? Not happening. But Griffin would go with, “Fuck you.”
“What I gave, I can take away,” Felix threw right back. “Actually, I will take her away. Let’s see just what that does to you. I’ve heard that once the bond is in place, if you separate the pair for too long, insanity follows.”
What? Griffin hadn’t heard that shit—
“At least, insanity for the werewolf. That’s one of the many reasons why the wolves stopped mating with vampires. If you go too long without your mate’s blood, without that sweet fix, you will plunge straight into madness. And won’t that be something to see?”
Felix ended the call.
“Uh…alpha?” One of the young werewolves with Griffin questioned. “What are we—”
Griffin lifted his right hand. “Hold the fucking thought.” Then he dialed again, quickly, his fingers too tight around the phone as he waited for this second call to be answered. Pick up. His contact picked up, and Griffin immediately said, “Tell me you got a lock on that bastard.”
“Absolutely,” Katie Fletcher told him. Sweet Katie—she was his contact at the Las Vegas PD. Katie had helped Griffin on more cases than he could count. Katie had a dozen grand-kids, a love for slot machines, and a very helpful job that allowed her to do a certain amount of side business for PIs in Vegas. Not that Katie’s bosses knew about her side job…
“Triangulated the call, got pings from the cell towers nearby…I can tell you exactly where the guy was when you contacted him.”
Griffin’s hold tightened on his phone. Damn straight. He didn’t need werewolf senses to track Felix. He had other methods. Had Felix forgotten Griffin was a freaking PI?
“Your target is heading out of the city, driving fast…” Katie rattled off coordinates, and when she did, Griffin felt his gut clench.
Oh, the hell, no.
***
“You look dead.”
The voice drifted slowly through Isabella’s consciousness.
“Do you feel this?”
And a sharp, white-hot pain pierced Isabella’s chest. Her eyes flew open, and she screamed—or tried to scream—but the sound just emerged as a weak cry. It took her a moment to realize—
There was a knife in her chest.
Shelly smiled down at her. “So that’s how you wake up a vampire. I’d always wondered.”
She’d wondered…so Shelly had stabbed her?
“But you are weak, aren’t you? Helpless.” Shelly pulled out the knife. Blood poured from Isabella’s chest. “I know what it’s like to be helpless,” Shelly added as her lips curled down.
You’re gonna know what it’s like to be dead. As soon as my strength is back…
Then Isabella heard thunder. Booming…
No, not thunder. Gunshots?
“Your mate should have stayed with you.” Shelly shoved the knife into Isabella’s chest once more. “Then we could have gotten you both at the same time.”
More gunfire. Blasting.
Shelly heaved Isabella up into her arms, and then the redhead tossed Isabella over her shoulder. “I’m stronger than I look.” She carried Isabella to the door. The table that Isabella had tried to use for protection was smashed into a hundred pieces. So much for that plan. “At least, I’m stronger now. It’s because I’ve been getting some upgrades.”
There were two werewolves in the hallway. Blood gushed from their chests.
“Silver bullets,” Shelly explained. Her steps never slowed. “I walked right up to them and pulled the trigger. Dumbasses didn’t know what hit them. Guess that will teach them to treat me like shit.”
Isabella tried to peer around the hallway. Where was Carter? Where was—
More gunshots thundered. It sounded as if they were under attack.
“Felix is outside,” Shelly told Isabella as the other woman carted her down the hallway. “It’s gonna hurt you like a bitch when the sunlight hits, huh?”
What?
And then…then Shelly was opening another door. Isabella could hear the creaking of the hinges. Sunlight fell on them, and Isabella began to scream.