A SEAL Wolf Christmas

if he’d been listening.

Nathan laid the phone on his lap and stared out the windshield.

“Is everything all right with Jessica?” Bjornolf asked. He was full of worry for Anna, but he was also concerned about Jessica, should Everton turn on her.

“It’s all my fault,” Nathan said.

“No. It isn’t,” Bjornolf said sternly. “We’re here because we’re trying to uncover a couple of murders. It appears Everton is involved in this murder business, and it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

Nathan shook his head. “Not about that. Jessica texted me when we were shopping earlier. She’d spoken to her father about coming to our place for dinner. He wanted to know where we were so he could talk to you. She said she could tell he was angry, but he was trying to hide how he was feeling from her. She asked which store we were at, hoping that you and Anna would convince him it was fine that she had dinner with us. He must have gone to the store, saw us leave in the Land Rover, and followed us to the drugstore.”

What the hell was going on with Everton? Bjornolf wondered if he suspected they were not Nathan’s relatives, that they were there to investigate the murders. Hell.

“Where’s Jessica and her mom?” Bjornolf asked, attempting to sound in control of his emotions when he was about to have a meltdown. He thought it best that both of the women be away from the farm, immediately.

Nathan studied him. “Her mom was in Portland for the day. Jessica’s by herself.”

“Is Jessica’s home near the Christmas tree farm?”

“On the property. Behind the gift shop. There’s a road that skirts around to the back of the shop. The house is set back, surrounded by pine trees that tower over the place.”

Bjornolf ground his teeth. He wanted Jessica to stay put until they arrived, reporting to them if Everton and Anna showed up. On the other hand, she would be safer with one of the wolf-pack families until they could sort the situation out. He didn’t trust that Everton would not harm her if he knew she’d learned what he was up to.

“We could have a wolf pick her up and take her to his home, but it would take longer. Or we could tell her to drive to one of the family’s homes, but she might not feel comfortable doing that. Her father might catch her trying to leave,” Bjornolf said.

“We’re half an hour from there,” Nathan said. “Everton’s got at least ten to fifteen minutes head start on us. But we don’t know if he’s really going to the tree farm or not.”

Nathan called Jessica back. “We’ve got friends on the way, but it will take some time for them to get there.”

“He was angry, Nathan. I’ve never heard him so mad.” Tears choked Jessica’s voice.

“Okay… okay, um…” That was one thing Nathan couldn’t handle. Women’s tears. Worse, he couldn’t think of what to tell her to do to stay safe.

“He said that your aunt and uncle weren’t really your aunt and uncle. He thinks they’re trying to steal me away.”

“What? That’s crazy! You don’t believe that, do you?” Nathan meant about the stealing part. He’d have to explain that they weren’t really related, though.

“He said… he said he caught them sneaking around the property like they were trying to find a way to break into the house. He told me he didn’t call the police on them because he knew they were friends of yours, and I care for you.”

“Do you believe him? That they were trying to break into your house?”

“No. He lied. No one was anywhere near the house but my mother and father and me. Well, and you when they weren’t around.”

Nathan took a settling breath. “Okay. Bjornolf and Anna aren’t dangerous, alright? They’re like my godparents. They—”

“He’s back,” she said in a strangled whisper, sounding scared to death.

“Anna? Is Anna with him? Jessica, answer me!”

“He’s… he’s opening the trunk.” Her words shook.

Nathan barely breathed.

Bjornolf’s heart was racing so hard that Nathan could hear it. Bjornolf couldn’t drive any faster without getting himself and Nathan killed on the road, but he was pushing it as hard as he could. Nathan knew Bjornolf was straining to hear what Jessica was saying. He didn’t want him to hear the truth if Anna was no longer alive.

“Oh my God. He’s carrying something in an old army blanket,” Jessica said.

“Like a body, Jessica?”

“He’s putting the… the… oh God, I see a hand. A woman’s hand. He’s tossing her body into the bucket of the backhoe.”

“Jessica, listen to me.” Nathan’s blood pounded so hard that he could hear it throbbing in his ears. “Jessica, I want you to leave. Now.”

“He’s taken the keys to my car. I looked. They’re gone.”

“Open the back door to your house. Remove your clothes and shift into a wolf.” He felt Bjornolf glance in his direction, but he didn’t say anything.

“Jessica, listen to me. I know you’ve done it before.” Nathan suspected she must have shifted a few times since she’d reached puberty. He spoke forcefully, urging her to break through her fear and take care of herself in a wolf way. “We can’t see it because of the clouds, but the moon’s full. You must feel it. You can shift again. I can also. Bjornolf and Anna are just like us. Get out of the house. Hide in the woods until help arrives.”

He heard a door squeak open and his heart plunged. Was it her father, returning after disposing of Anna?

“Jessica?”

“All right. All right. Promise me you’ll come for me.” She stifled a sob. “I love you. I have to go,” she whispered.

He listened into the phone. He heard the rustling of clothes, and then the scrambling of wolf claws on the tile floor before the sound of the backhoe’s engine growled in the distance, moving away from the house and into the woods.

Nathan gripped the phone so hard that he was surprised he hadn’t crushed it. He couldn’t look at Bjornolf, couldn’t tell him that they could be too late for Anna. Her first Christmas… and her last. Hot tears filled his eyes.

“Turn wolf as soon as we get there,” Bjornolf suddenly said.

Breaking free of his thoughts, Nathan glanced at him. “What?”

“You’ll run faster. Howl for the pack. One of us needs to remain in human form. I’m trained to take down the enemy as a human. You aren’t. You’ll do better protecting Jessica with your wolf teeth.”

“We go after Anna first, right?” Nathan asked.

He wanted to protect Jessica, but he knew she could hide from her father, while Anna was the one who needed rescuing pronto. He yanked off his sweater, then began tugging at the buttons on his shirt.

“Yeah. But you can’t bite Everton unless we have no other option. Then you find Jessica. Keep her safe until the troops arrive.”

He prayed that Anna wouldn’t need the troops. That he and Bjornolf would save her before it was too late.

Chapter 17

Shit.

Anna hated shopping, but as soon as she’d spied her favorite dark chocolate mints—the sole thing that made her take notice of the holidays—she felt a gun poke her ribs.

With a quick twist of her head, she’d looked up into the mottled red face of one very angry Everton.