“Yeah. I chased you away.”
“Bullshit.” He glowered at her. “I wasn’t scared. And I wasn’t chased. I chose to leave.”
“Because I attacked you. I’m really sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”
“You knew last night. You called it lust.”
She winced. “Yes. But I don’t usually lose control like that. My inner wolf seems to be unnaturally strong all of a sudden.”
“You can feel the wolf inside you? I always thought you were either human or wolf, not both at the same time.”
“The wolf is always with me.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “But I’ve never felt it so strongly before. It— it’s very strange.”
He regarded her silently for a while. “Maybe it’s because the moon is almost full.”
“I . . . I suppose.” Though she’d never experienced this before when the moon was waxing. “I thought it might also be because I’ve returned home. The wolf is very excited about that.”
“I guess you’ll have to turn tomorrow night?”
“Yes. I won’t have any choice. For ordinary werewolves like me, we have to turn on the first night of the full moon. The two nights after that, we can choose to shift or remain human. Alphas like my father or Phil can shift or even partially shift whenever they like.” She gave him an apologetic look. “I won’t be able to help you tomorrow. Sorry.”
He waved that aside. “Don’t apologize for what you are.”
She recalled the words he’d said the night before. He liked her just the way she was.
He took another sip from his bottle. “And don’t apologize for last night. I was . . . flattered.”
She glanced at him, then back at the road. “You were?”
“Of course. I hope someday we will make love.”
Her heart jumped up her throat. He did want her! She clenched the steering wheel as her heart pounded.
A question popped into her mind. If he wanted to make love, why did he turn her down last night?
“Okay, here’s the town.” He motioned to the lights up ahead.
She parked in front of the emergency clinic and accompanied him inside. In a matter of seconds, he had the receptionist’s mind under his control and she gave them the news. No one had been admitted in the past two weeks with bite marks or a low level of blood. No unexplained deaths.
They went on to Greybull, Manderson, and Worland. No victims there. Brynley headed east to Ten Sleep.
Bingo.
The receptionist nodded, glassy-eyed. “Yes, we had a patient last night. Dead on arrival.”
“What can you tell me about it?” Phineas pressed.
The receptionist tilted her head. “It was very strange. No sign of trauma, but somehow he had bled out.”
“May we see his file?” Phineas asked.
Brynley leaned close to read the page detailing the victim’s personal information. Earl Giddons had worked as a cowhand on a nearby ranch. “See this?” She pointed at Nate Carson’s address.
Phineas nodded and closed the folder. “Looks like we’ll be visiting your old friend after all.”
Chapter Thirteen
“What can you tell me about Nate?” Phineas asked as Brynley drove toward the Carson ranch house.
“He’s a really nice guy. A mortal. Served in the army. He would never get involved with the Malcontents.”
She was quick to defend him, Phineas noted. “If Corky’s taken over his mind and his ranch, then it doesn’t matter how nice a guy he is.”
Brynley winced. “I hope he’s all right. He’s been through so much already, poor guy.”
Another twinge of jealousy pricked at Phineas. “If he’s a mortal, how did you meet him? At college?”
She shook her head. “Rodeo circuit. I used to do barrel racing.”
“You raced barrels?”
“No, my horse and I raced around them.” She gave him an incredulous look. “You’ve never been to a rodeo?”
“They’re not big in the Bronx.”
She snorted. “Well, they’re a lot of fun. You should see one sometime.”
“I’m surprised your dad let you hang out with a bunch of mortals.”
“Well, he wasn’t very happy about it. When I first started, I thought I was being so clever, that I’d found a way to get away from him and make some money of my own. But I soon realized that the rodeo had plenty of werewolves, and they were reporting everything I did to my dad. He could have ordered them to bring me home whenever he wanted. My freedom was only an illusion.” She made a face. “Still, it was a lot better than being at home. It was one of the happier times in my life.”
“And this guy Nate was in the rodeo, too?”
“Yep. He and his brother were into team roping. Kyle was the header, and Nate was the heeler.”
“What—”
“Kyle would lasso the head of the calf, and then Nate would manage to lasso the hind legs. It’s really amazing to watch.”
Phineas frowned, picturing her gazing at Nate in amazement. “So it takes two guys to tie up a little cow?”
“The calf is moving at the time.” Brynley shot him an annoyed look. “And they’re on horseback. It takes a lot of skill, and they manage to do it in a matter of seconds.”
“Okay. So what was the problem with Kyle?”
Brynley waved a dismissive hand. “It was no big deal. He kept pestering me for a date and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Nate told him to leave me alone.”
Phineas strongly suspected that was the sanitized version of what had happened. He recalled her fear of being attacked from behind. “Did this Kyle hurt you?”
“No. It wasn’t that bad.” She glanced at him. “Really. It was never bad enough to make me quit the rodeo circuit.”
“Then why did you quit?”
Her hands gripped the steering wheel, and he heard her heartbeat speed up. He’d touched on something, but he wasn’t sure what.
They rounded a hill, and some bright lights came into view in the distance.
“Nate’s house.” She motioned ahead. “Do you really think Corky could be there?”
Phineas winced. The house looked more like a mansion. Nate had to be rich. And he probably had a thing for Brynley. “Corky would definitely prefer this to a cabin in the woods. And she would have some handsome cowboys here to nibble on.”
Brynley snorted. “Not all cowboys are handsome.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He checked the knives he had hidden in each of his boots and the automatic in his shoulder holster. “You have the silver chains I gave you?”
“Yes.” She patted her jacket pockets.
“If we see her, I’ll grab her. You get the silver around her as fast as possible.”
“Got it.” Brynley turned into the long driveway. “I’m glad you included me in the plan.”
“I’m grateful for your help as long as it’s safe. But if we come under attack, I’m teleporting you out.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not helpless, you know. I’ve fought in a few of your vampire battles.”
“Yes, but you were in wolf form.” He gave her a wry look. “Which makes you even scarier than usual.”
She scoffed. “You’d better believe it, bloodsucker.”
