The thought of his father going anywhere near Neva made his veins boil. She was his to deal with, and no one was going to touch her except him.
'I'll take care of her.' Despite his best effort to remain calm, the hint of steel was evident in his voice.
Zeke raised an eyebrow. 'Be wary of the bait, Son. It might just turn around and snag you.'
'I know what I'm doing.'
Zeke leaned a shoulder against the wall and regarded him with amusement. 'So, what are you going to do with her--besides the obvious?'
'I'm going to force her to stay here for the next five days.' He took another drink of whisky. 'Then I'll push her, and keep pushing her, until she runs back to whoever it was who set her on me.'
'The sort of wolf who's willing to profit from the dance is not one who would easily break.'
'This one's new to the game. She'll break.' And hopefully soon. He had no taste for the game he was about to play.
'And in the meantime?'
He raised his hand, refusing his father's offer to top- off his drink. 'I'll start talking to people. See what I can dig up.' If this was some sort of revenge killing aimed at his brothers, then someone, somewhere, had to know why. As his father had said, a tribe this size held no real secrets. ' Did anything unusual happen before the first murder?'
'Not that I can remember. Of course, it's hard to keep a finger on every pulse.'
Duncan snorted softly. The day his father didn't know exactly what was going on would be the day death claimed him. And the fact he truly had no idea why these murders were happening only made them all the more mystifying. 'You've talked to my brothers?'
'As have you. I dare say the responses we got were the same.'
They were--he'd surreptitiously listened in. Rene's shields were not as strong as they should be. 'Will you be able to get a copy of the autopsy report? We'll see if Mariata's varies any from the previous three.' Zeke nodded. 'You do realize you may also be in their sights?'
'If that were the case, why put a watch on me? The mere fact that they have suggests they consider me some danger.'
Zeke snorted softly. 'Even the most insane wolf alive would consider you a danger.'
He raised an eyebrow, a smile touching his lips. 'And here I was thinking I've calmed down since my wild days.'
'You have,' his father said. 'But it makes no difference, because what you do now you do with a clear head.' He thought of Neva, of the reproach in her beautiful eyes. 'I do what I have to do,' he said, with a trace of bitterness.
'I know. And that's precisely why you're considered so dangerous by just about everyone who knows you.' Duncan finished the last of his whisky. It did little to erase the sour taste in his mouth. 'When do you think you'll be able to get your hands on that autopsy report?' Zeke shrugged. 'Tomorrow afternoon at the earliest. I don't want to push my source too hard, or he'll start getting a little jumpy.'
'Then I'll be back here tomorrow afternoon.' He strode from the room and made his way through the shadow-filled house. But when he reached the pavilion, he wasn't surprised to discover Neva had fled.
Chapter Three
Neva rose with the dawn and took a long, hot, scented bath, hoping to erase any scent of Duncan that might linger on her skin.
But she couldn't so easily erase the throbbing in her body, the needy ache that flicked fire through her veins. She wouldn't be surprised if his ears were burning right now, because she'd cursed him long and loud during the night as she'd tossed and turned, trying to find sleep. And yet she knew relief would not come tonight. Not if their second mating was any indication of his intentions. She sighed. That was exactly what she'd wanted--a quick, passionless rutting, easily forgotten once this phase of the moon was over. She could hardly complain now that she'd gotten her wish. And she probably wouldn't be, if he hadn't first given her a glimpse how truly extraordinary their mating could be.
She closed her eyes and pushed him from her thoughts. His pack belonged to the night, and that's where all thought of him should remain. She would not let him wreck her days as well.
Besides, she had far more important people to worry about.
She reached out, carefully touching her sister's thoughts. Though there was no response, the sensation of death hovering all too close had fled. And pictures were beginning to unroll through the darkness of her sister's mind, like fractured images of a violent movie viewed through a broken projector. Relief surged, and tears blurred Neva's vision. Savannah was going to live. And she was beginning to remember what had happened. Maybe consciousness wasn't that far off after all. Neva hoped so. She didn't like this endless silence. Didn't know if she'd want to go on without having Sav's warm, cheerful presence in her mind.
She dressed, swept her hair into a ponytail, then clattered down the stairs to grab a quick breakfast of toast and coffee. Then she snagged her leather jacket from the arm of the chair and made her way outside. The day had dawned crisp and clear, but the smell of rain was in the air. The weather could change so quickly up here in the mountains, especially in the early days of spring, and it had caught many a tourist by surprise. Not that Ripple Creek was anywhere near as popular with humans as nearby
Aspen--but then, most of the wolf packs who lived here didn't want it to be.
Her pack was the exception. Her father even headed the 'bring Ripple Creek into the twenty-first century' committee.
A smile touched her lips, but just as quickly faded. She'd have to watch her step around her parents today, or the shit really would hit the fan.
She thrust her hands into her coat pockets and made her way toward the diner. Her parents lived above it--as had she, until her mother's incessant nagging that she find a mate and settle down had grown beyond the joke it had originally started out to be.
Sav certainly didn't cop half the flack she got--but then, Sav had what her mother considered a worthwhile career. She, on the other hand, was simply another waitress in the diner. Which was a job she actually enjoyed doing and had no intentions of leaving.
A bell chimed softly as she pushed open the door. The rich aroma of omelettes and coffee filled the air, stirring her hunger even though she'd already eaten. 'Morning, Cub,' her father called from the kitchen.
She snagged an apron from under the counter, tying it around her waist as she pushed through the double swing-doors into the kitchen.
'Morning, old one.' She dropped a kiss on his leathery cheek.
He swatted her with his spatula, green eyes twinkling good humoredly. 'Enough of the old, thank you very much.'
She grinned and pulled herself up on the nearest bench. 'Where's Mother?'
'Still at the hospital.'
'No word from the doctors on Savannah's progress?' His mask of cheerfulness slipped a little. He sighed and thrust a hand through his thinning blonde hair. 'They said her vital signs were a lot stronger.
It's just a matter of waiting now.'
Waiting was the one thing she wouldn't be doing. 'Her thoughts are stronger, Dad. I don't think waking is that far off.'
He lightly squeezed her arm. 'Thanks. I'll tell Mother that.'
'Need anything done in here before I start setting tables?'
'I did it all last night. Couldn't sleep. You want an omelette?'
When she nodded, he slapped one onto a nearby plate and began making another. She shifted her leg and grabbed a knife and fork from the cutlery drawer underneath the bench, then dug in.
They ate in silence. When they'd both finished, she collected the dishes, throwing them into the dishwasher before pouring them both a coffee.
