Troy came into the living and joined her, swung an arm around her shoulder. “Told you this place was all right.”
For a minute, she snuggled against him, unable to resist the temptation. Yeah, her resolve was melting like winter snow in Florida. But for now, she enjoyed the closeness and the feeling of being home.
Even if this could never truly be her home.
Troy swept a hand across the air. “Everything here is something each Lupine in the pack contributed. Artwork, vases, lamps.”
She flicked a finger at a table lamp fashioned from deer antlers. “Trophy lamp from a hunt?”
He chuckled. “More likely something someone bought from the store.”
His laughter died as Aiden, Darius and Dale walked into the living room, the alpha looking serious and his head of security equally so. Immediately Troy sat up, withdrew his arm. Tension flickered through the air, despite the alpha’s smile for Jenny.
“What’s wrong?” Troy sat up straight, all alert. “I can see it in your faces.”
“We’re expecting a visitor. No ordinary visitor.” Dale studied the front door.
A knock at the door warned the visitor had arrived. Time for her to leave. But before she could jump to her feet, the sofa that ate you alive prohibited any kind of jumping, Dale was opening the front door. He ushered in a man of medium height, with wispy light brown hair and sharp brown eyes that had an odd gleam in them. The man was fidgeting as Dale offered a seat.
Judging from his scent, definitely human. Skin.
Aiden did not smile as he introduced the Skin as Professor Eric Perry, who taught at the college where Beth took classes. Unease tightened her stomach as she caught Troy growling low in his throat. So low no one could hear it.
No one other than a Lupine, anyway.
“I won’t take up your time. Thank you for seeing me.” The professor sat on a chair and leaned forward, legs splayed, quite comfortable despite the obvious hostility in the air. “As your wife told you, Mr. Mason, I’m part of a conservation group concerned with protecting endangered species, but also balancing that with protecting livestock on local ranches. Mr. Mitchell, since your spread is one of the largest in the state, and borders a forest where a known wolf pack lives, I want your permission to camp out on your land to study the wolves.”
Liar. Jenny watched the throbbing of his carotid artery, knowing the others did as well. For her it wasn’t merely the physical signs of lying, the man smelled of it. His aura too…
Black and gray.
Good thing no one other than Troy knew of her unique talent to read auras of Skins. It came in handy now. Troy shot her a questioning look.
She knew what he wanted. Jenny nodded and studied the professor.
Suddenly his aura faded, and beneath the pleasant smile and the earnest expression she saw death.
A grinning putrid green skull, flickering in and out beneath his face.
Instinct warned this Skin was evil at his core. His scent turned as dark and disgusting as raw sewage.
Gorge rose in her stomach. She wanted to run screaming out of the room, shifting as she ran, deep into the forest. The instinct battled with another one – to find a blade and sink it into his evil heart.
He doesn’t want to study wolves.
He wants to kill them.
Not just wolves. Us too. He knows something.
Deep inside, she felt something flare to life, as if a long-buried instinct had surged. Jenny struggled against it. Not again. She thought she had this under control.
Now was not the time for a little demonstration of magick. Not magick known to Lupines or these odd powers that flickered on and off like a sputtering light.
Sam told her she could control her powers. Jenny focused on Troy and breathed deep, seeing only him as she wrestled to leash her magick.
Glancing sideways, she saw Perry staring at her. As if he sensed what she had uncovered…
But he turned his full attention once more on Aiden.
“Camp out on our land? We’ve already extended the courtesy to one professor from the college, Mr. Perry.” Aiden gave the man a hard stare, ignoring his professor title in an obvious insult. “If you wish to study wolves, you’ll have to consult with Professor Carson. I’ve granted exclusive rights to him. If he tells me you’re okay, then you have my permission.”
“Mr. Mitchell, I’m more than qualified. Much more than Professor Carson. He’s inexperienced and brings few skills to the table.” Perry leaned forward, hands on his splayed knees. “I’m prepared to offer handsome compensation for camping on your land and I promise my team and I will not interfere with your ranching business.”
Darius snorted. “No one interferes with our ranching business, period. Those who try find themselves missing a few teeth.”
Aiden held up a hand, quieting his beta. “I told you, consult with Professor Carson.”
“You are denying my request?”
“I am. No one is allowed on my ranch and my land unless I gauge them to have good reason.”
“I have good reason, Mr. Mitchell. I only wish to protect your livestock and your livelihood while protecting the environment. Is that not enough? Surely a balance can be found.”
Jenny’s gaze snapped back and forth between the two. Aiden fairly bristled with hostility, though the professor still smiled, as if they indulged in social pleasantries. As if he were a calm and reasonable man making a reasonable request that any reasonable businessperson would grant.
But she had seen the evil beneath the man’s smile and knew it was a farce.
He didn’t come onto the ranch to ask permission to camp. He wanted to assess the alpha and his powers.
Judging from the sly skull grin beneath the man’s skin, Perry found Aiden’s weakness. He wasn’t immune to reason.
And that could be the alpha’s downfall, because she suddenly knew Perry would find any way possible to nudge his way into the heart of the Lupine pack. Once he gained access, he would mow them all down as
