As Luke put away the frying pan, Freddie stormed back into the kitchen with fire in his eyes. Luke almost admired the man’s daring. Not many would be brave enough to get in an Alpha werewolf’s face, but Freddie Dodd had a great big pair of brass balls on him. Had to, Luke supposed, to attract a female like Rissa and claim her as his mate.
Still, Isabelle was Luke’s and no one was going to stand in his way. He pointed at the man before he could say a word. “Don’t interfere.”
Freddie snorted. “You can take that shit and shove it right up your hairy ass, Wyland. We’ve already been through this. Izzy is my sister. I’ve got a few things to say and you’re damn well gonna listen.”
Anger snapped through Luke, but his wolf was swayed by the human’s familial claim. Pack was everything.
Through gritted teeth, he said, “Keep your voice down. Isabelle has a protective streak a mile wide when it comes to you. If she hears us arguing, she’ll be out here in three seconds flat.”
Quieter, Freddie said, “As hilarious as it would be to see her ring your bell again, she doesn’t need to be here for this.”
“I like that Isabelle fights for her family. She has claws.” Luke grinned, slow and devilish. “It’s a turn-on, actually.”
The scowl on Freddie’s face brightened Luke’s day. “Watch it, asshole. That’s my sister you’re panting over.”
“Say your piece”—Luke held up a hand—“but don’t press your luck.”
“Whatever, dickhead. You can’t treat Izzy like just any other female werewolf.”
“Why? Because she grew up with humans?”
“That and—” Freddie sighed and shook his head. “Izzy’s been through a lot. Hell, too much, man. Way too much. I mean, any kid who winds up in foster care is gonna be dragging some extra-large trunks of emotional baggage. But Bess and Izzy? They showed up at our house lugging a tractor-trailer’s worth of crap behind them. They never told me much about what their lives were like before they went into the system. But it was crystal clear that foster care was the best thing that ever happened to them.”
A cold knot formed in Luke’s gut. “Why?”
“After their parents died, the girls went to live with their grandmother. They didn’t talk about her. Ever. But there were a lot of nightmares. The kind where you wake everyone in the house with your screams.” Freddie rubbed his eyes. When he looked back at Luke, his expression was bleak. “They have scars.” He swallowed convulsively. “Both of ’em. Burn marks, too. Like a fucking brand!”
Dear goddess.
The salty, acrid scent of grief followed Freddie as he paced. “Guess I should say Izzy has scars. Bess... I was home on leave and Bess was supposed to come over for dinner with the family. When she didn’t show or answer her phone, Dad and I went over to her apartment. She was an artist—photography, sculpture, painting, you name it. Sometimes she’d lose track of time when she was working. Turn off her phone so she wouldn’t be disturbed. It drove Mom freaking nuts.
“Bess had this loft in a converted meatpacking plant on the South Side. Dad hammered on her damned huge metal door. I’ll never forget that sound. Stupid, huh? All the horrible shit from that day, and that’s what sticks with me, the thing that fucks me up at night. Dad callin’ Bess’s name, bangin’ away on that big, old gong. Of course, we knew something was wrong. You just know sometimes.”
Luke nodded. He remembered that feeling, too.
“Dad didn’t have a key,” Freddie said. “Because sharing that much of herself would have been too fuckin’ much for Bess. Guess I know why now, huh? So I had to go roust the manager. Good thing the guy lived in the building because Dad was about to get the tire iron from his car to bust the door down.
“The instant that door opened—” Freddie choked and Luke squeezed his shoulder. “She used an old Smith & Wesson revolver. A .38. God, the mess.”
Luke couldn’t imagine that horror. He knew what it was to see someone you loved dead, but finding your sister, your daughter...and knowing that she’d done it to herself.
“Izzy thinks she’s a monster,” Freddie said, his voice rough as bark. “What Bess did cemented that belief for her.”
Monster. That word again. A chill ran down Luke’s back. “How so?”
Freddie sighed. “I loved Bess, but she could be a real bitch. She called Izzy on a video chat where she not only confessed to losing control of her wolf and killing a man, but showed Izzy the freaking body.”
“Jesus,” Luke said. “Who was it? How—”
“I don’t know, man. Izzy doesn’t know either. All I can tell you is there was no one else in her loft. No sign there had been anyone else killed there. Whoever cleaned up after her did a real thorough job. The cops didn’t find any sign another body’d been there either.”
“Wait. Are you saying Isabelle saw her sister commit suicide?”
Freddie swallowed like he had a lump in his throat. “Yes.”
“Jesus,” Luke whispered. How many nightmares did his mate have to deal with every night? This morning there’d been dark circles under her eyes. Perhaps her pallor wasn’t due entirely to her diet.
“They were twins, you know,” Freddie said as he sank onto a stool. He looked and sounded exhausted, too. Trauma did that to you. “Identical. In everything but personality. From the moment I met them, Izzy was always the one who went out of her way to make things go smoothly. And Bess...” He shook his head. “Let’s just say that Bess got her jollies juggling dynamite.”
“Wild child, huh?”
“Trouble with a capital T.” A sad smile tipped Freddie’s mouth. “And troubled. Lots of school suspensions, fights, lost jobs. Now that I think about it, the fights were the one thing that made Izzy lose her cool with Bess. Guess I know why now.”
“Guess so. Anger and adrenaline can trigger a change, especially without any training or support to fall back on.”
Freddie nodded, a faraway look in his eyes, as if he were lost in a memory. He seemed smaller than he had moments ago, and Luke’s heart ached for this man who’d become part of his pack.
“I’m sorry about Bess,” Luke said. “But you have to know I’d never hurt Isabelle. She’s my mate.”
“Maybe not intentionally. But you can’t deny that things are less than kosher around here. Murders, disappearances. Rissa’s wound so tight, she practically squeaks when she walks.”
It sucked when Freddie was right. Still, “I’ll protect Isabelle. With my life.” His wolf snarled in agreement, fangs bared. Goddess help anyone who tried to harm her.
“I know you’ll do everything you can to protect her physically. But you can’t promise nothing will happen. And being here, around other weres, around you... You’re pushing all sorts of buttons. The kind that trigger mushroom clouds.”
“She’s my mate,” he repeated. How could that be a bad thing?
“I know,” Freddie said, and the pity in his eyes made the wolf pace a furious loop in Luke’s head, lip curled, skin twitching. “Whatever the hell is going on, though, it’s dangerous. It might be more than Izzy can mentally handle.”
“What do you want?”
“You can’t make the choice for her.”
“What?”
“You might have to let her go.”
Inside, Luke and his wolf roared.
“If she chooses, you have to. Or it might destroy her,” Freddie said, digging the knife deeper.
Never! Stalking across the kitchen, Luke dug both hands into his hair. “You’re asking the impossible.”
“I know.”
A door opened down the hall and part of Luke’s heart closed, slammed shut by the knowledge that for his mate, he might have to give up everything he’d ever longed for.
* * *
Can I take care of myself? Grrr.
Izzy screeched to a halt in front of her bedroom door. Great, now she was even growling like Luke did, the domineering asshole.
Obviously, he thought it was his duty to take care of everyone and everything. Including her. Well, she’d be damned if she’d be anyone’s obligation. Besides, depending on someone like that was a good way to get blown out of the sky.
She rubbed her gritty eyes. He’d made her breakfast, damn it. Hell, he’d been...sweet. Kind of. Why couldn’t he just be an ass all the time?
Not that her own behavior where he was concerned was anywhere near rational. Last night, she’d tried to convince Freddie he was in danger. Werewolves were absolute predators and could turn on him at any moment. Then she got all hot and bothered by the freaking Alpha wolf.
When Luke entered a room, her senses sparked like a live wire. He terrified her with his glowing eyes and rumbling growl. Incited her to violence with his high-handed ways. God help her, he made her want to wrap herself in his strong arms just to breathe him in.
For chrissakes, she hadn’t even known him for twenty-four hours.
Izzy sighed. Feeling something more than complete indifference for a man was a novel experience. But an Alpha werewolf ranked pretty low on her fantasy date list—somewhere near stalkers, terrorists, and Green Bay Packers fans.
And how the hell had she forgotten about subbing for Freddie while he was on his honeymoon? Forgotten. Ha! More like shoved it out of her lousy mind. Denial wasn’t just a river in Egypt.
She checked her watch. No more time to stomp around, wallowing in doubt and fear. She had a job to do. Hefting her backpack onto her shoulder, she left her room and headed out Freddie’s back door to wait for him by his SUV.
The rising sun bathed the towering mountain range to the west in hues of gold, and the sky was a soft pink, brightening to blue. A new coat of snow glittered on everything like fairy dust. On the second-to-last porch step, her leg went out from under her and the world tilted. Strong hands snatched her arms and hauled her upright against a solid wall of warm stone.
Her mouth went dry—not stone. Not a wall either. She looked up into Luke’s clear green eyes.
“Are you all right?” he asked. Demanded.
She tried to push him away and ignore the little voice in her head telling her to pull him closer. Failed. His clean, grassy scent filled her head. “Yes,” she said, a little breathless.
He looked her over. “Are you sure?”
“Fine. I just slipped.”
Finally, she got a grip on her sanity and shook off his hands. He let her go and she brushed past him to walk to the SUV. No need to turn around to know that Luke followed right on her heels. All the hair on her body had risen as if drawn to him like a static charge. If she kept playing with him, there was no doubt she’d get a nasty shock. Hadn’t she had enough of those? Hadn’t Bess shown her exactly what happens when you get complacent around werewolves?
She opened the back door and tossed her backpack on the floor.
“Isabelle.”
She turned and sucked in a breath, stumbling back against the car. Luke stood less than a foot away, but it was the pain in his eyes that turned her knees to rubber.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning. “I can smell that you’re upset. What is it?”
“That’s just creepy, you know. Scenting out my feelings like some bloodhound.”
He didn’t respond to her taunt. “Is it your stomach?” He reached for her hand, which was, of course, pressing against her aching middle. “You shouldn’t fly today. I’ll call Sarah out here to give you an exam.”
“Screw you,” she said without much heat. Why wasn’t she angrier? If she wanted to be bossed around, she would’ve stayed in the Army.
Luke leaned even closer. His minty breath brushed over her cheek, raising goose bumps. “With pleasure, sugar.”
“I meant yourself.”
“Not nearly as much fun.”
She bit the inside of her cheek to not laugh. “Maybe I’m not being clear. I am not one of your flock, Alpha. I don’t take your orders.”
On either side of her, he pressed his arms to the roof of the SUV, caging her with his body. He leaned into her, searing her from chest to thigh. “I told you before, sugar.” He sniffed her hair. “I’m a wolf. Not a dog. Definitely not a sheep.”
Her heart pounded. “A predator.”
Baring bright white teeth in a slow grin, he made every inch of skin on her body flush with tingling heat. “Hunter,” he agreed. “I love to chase things.” She shivered and his grin widened. “Told you that before, too.”
Oh, jeez. The weird buzzing started in her head again.
What the hell was happening to her?
The back door slammed hard enough to rattle the windows, and Izzy jumped. She’d been so focused on Luke, she’d forgotten where they were. He sighed and eased away from her as Freddie clomped down the porch steps.
“Careful there, Dodd,” Luke said, his pupils ringed with gold. “You’ll break something slamming doors like that.”
Freddie shot him the kind of sneering glare that started bar fights. “That’s the plan.” He looked at Izzy. “Ready to go?”
“Uh, sure,” she said.
Face set like stone, Luke said, “Have a good flight.” Then he took a step away from her. Another. As he did, his frown deepened and Izzy felt as if all the heat had leached from her body.
She opened the SUV door and slid into the passenger’s seat. “I’ll see you when you get back,” Luke said. He stroked a finger down her cheek then closed the door, leaving her twitchy and confused. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t raring to fly away.
As she buckled her seatbelt, Freddie put the car in gear, shaking his head. She felt Luke’s intense gaze follow them down the driveway.
Why did it feel like she’d left something behind?