Circle of Desire

Chapter Ten

"I'm coming with you."

Ethan's response was almost automatic. There was nothing he could do that Mark and Benton couldn't, beyond finding scents. And this thing left as little in odours as it did clues.

But it was better than standing here. Better than wondering if the soul sucker would follow the pattern it had set so far. Wondering if, in three days' time, they'd find Janie's body, sucked dry or mutilated.

Benton stabbed a finger his way. "You take one step toward that house, and your ass is in the nearest jail cell."

"Captain — " "I'm serious, Morgan. Keep your nose clear." Benton glanced at Mark. "Let's go."

Ethan looked at his partner, and Mark nodded at the unspoken request. The two men walked out the door. For several minutes, Ethan stood there, weighing his need to follow them against the wisdom of staying put for the moment. He swore and locked the door then headed into Gwen's cabin.

Gwen was at the small table, staring into her crystal ball.

He sat beside Kat on the sofa and gently touched her neck. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. Sore." She shrugged. "It's to be expected."

At least most of the bruising and swelling had gone down. Those herbs were definitely miraculous — either that, or Kat had supernatural self-healing abilities, which he'd seen in werewolves, but never before in a human.

"Where's your boss headed?" she continued.

"Another kid has gone missing."

Her hand caressed his and squeezed gently. "We'll find her. Before the three days are up, we'll find her."

His smile was grim. "I wish I shared your certainty."

Wished he could share it with Luke. But he'd learned the hard way that some promises were never meant to be, and he wasn't about to inflict false hope on his brother. Not when they both knew the reality.

She touched his face, forcing him to meet her gaze.

"Believe it," she said softly, "because it's the truth."

He stared deep into the green depths of her eyes and for a moment was totally convinced. Then his gaze flicked down to her lips, and before he knew it he was kissing her. Urgently. Hungrily. She responded in kind, her fingers so warm against his cheeks it felt like she was branding his soul with her touch. He released himself to the simple pleasure of being close to her. Of kissing her without caressing her, of feeling the closeness of her body, smelling the sweet aroma of heated desire that was both his and hers.

"Wow," she murmured at last, her pupils dilated and body trembling.

"Wow, indeed." He leaned his forehead against hers for a second and wondered what the hell was going on. He'd never felt anything like this before, not even during the moon fever.

Maybe it was just this case — and the stress of Janie's disappearance — coming out in the most natural form for a werewolf. Especially with the moon rising. Yet he had a sneaking suspicion the answer was not so simple. And that was something he had no intention of exploring. Not now. Not ever.

He rose and walked over to the window. He felt the flash of her confusion and anger, and thrust his hands into his pockets. "How long is your grandmother likely to be scrying?"

"However long it takes." Kat's voice was calm, despite the turmoil he could feel within her.

He frowned, wondering why he was catching her emotions so clearly. While that particular gift ran in his family, it was never one in which he'd shown any ability.

"If another kid has gone missing, why didn't she see it?"

She shrugged, something he felt rather than saw.

"Scrying is not a perfect science. It shows some possibilities, not all of them."

"Has this Seline of yours come up with any answers about the soul sucker?"

"No, but it's obviously an extremely ancient spirit we're chasing, which means the Circle have to go through all the old texts that have not yet been transcribed to computer. It takes time."

"Time we haven't got."

"I know that. Gran knows that. Even Seline knows that."

She hesitated and he tensed, knowing her question even before she asked, "Why do you keep running, Ethan?

What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not running. I'm not doing anything more than simply enjoying a moment."

"And that's all we are? A moment?"

He closed his eyes. "Yes."

"Are you sure of that?"

"Yes."

The swirl of emotions that had surrounded him died abruptly. It was as if some door he couldn't see had slammed shut. The sudden stillness felt cold. Lonely.

"You're wrong, you know." Her voice was soft, detached.

With the emotive eddy locked down, he couldn't read what she was feeling, but in many respects, he didn't need to.

"No, I'm not." Because he'd given his heart long ago, and there was nothing left to him now but moments. "I warned you before we started this that I wanted nothing more than a good time. Nothing we share is going to change my mind."

No matter how good it felt. No matter how right.

She shifted, her movements full of controlled anger. If he had any sense, he'd walk away now, before this got messy. But he couldn't. He needed these two to find Janie.

They were his best hope, he was sure of that. And he couldn't deny his need for Kat. The moon's spell was far from over, but he had no desire to find another partner right now. He wanted her. Only her.

"So, who is the woman who captured your heart and left you unable to love?"

Surprise rippled through him. Had she read his mind, or did she know a lot more about werewolf lore than he'd presumed? "It doesn't really matter, does it?"

"It does to me, especially if she's still around."

"I didn't lie to you, Kat." His voice was grim as he stared out into the star-bright night and tried not to remember.

But pain rose regardless. The pain of betrayal. Hurt. "And she's definitely not still around."

"Did she die?"

He snorted softly. "No." She was living in Denver with her very normal husband and three kids, and probably didn't even remember the lives she'd destroyed when they were both still teenagers.

"Then why — " Gwen groaned, and he'd never been so grateful for an interruption in his life. He didn't want to relive that moment of his past, not even briefly. Whoever it was that said time heals all wounds was wrong. Time only made them more unforgivable.

He turned and watched Kat tend to her grandmother. The older woman was pale and shaking, her hands locked into a claw-like position. He grabbed the oil off the coffee table and sat down next to her.

"Let me massage these for you." He poured the oil into his hands and began to rub hers gently.

Gwen's smile was tremulous. "Thanks."

He nodded. "Did you see anything of use?"

Kat sat down opposite him. He was aware of her gaze but didn't meet it, keeping his focus on easing the tension from Gwen's knotted hands. Right now, he didn't have the energy or desire to answer Kat's questions.

"I saw a couple of things," Gwen said. "First off, your boss is chasing a wild goose. That murder has nothing to do with this case. It's a custody battle gone wrong."

Just as well he hadn't followed instinct and gone after them, then. "You sure of that?"

She nodded. "It doesn't follow the pattern. They'll discover that as soon as they get there."

"Do we need to rescue the kid anyway?"

Gwen shook her head. "No. The cops will get the father soon enough, and the little boy is safe. But there is another kid you have to worry about."

His gut clenched. Not Janie, he thought. Not this soon.

Please…

"The soul sucker?" Kat rose and moved over to the phone table.

"Yes," Gwen said, rubbing her temple with her free hand.

"Here, in this town, sometime tonight."

Kat retrieved the local street directory and plopped it down on the table. "Where?"

"Forest Road. Some place called The Pines."

"Out of town," Kat said after a few minutes. "And not all that far from where the soul sucker killed the old man."

"I found a cabin full of zombies up that way," he said, suddenly remembering them. "About a twenty minute run north from the old farm."

Kat gave him a long look. "And you didn't think to mention it before now? Or were you simply planning to do a little solo exploring later on tonight?"

"Neither," he said, ignoring the sarcasm in her voice. "I didn't remember because I had more important things to worry about."

He held her gaze. After a few seconds, heat touched her cheeks, and she dropped her gaze to the directory again.

Gwen pulled her hand free of his and flexed it lightly.

"You have a nice touch, wolf. And you didn't tell us you were empathic."

He put the lid back on the oil bottle. "I'm not."

Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then why do you seem to be catching Kat's emotions?"

He kept his face expressionless and raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think I'm catching Kat's emotions?"

Her cheeks dimpled. "Because I'm a nosy old witch who can sense these things."

"Well, in this case, the nosy old witch is way off course."

He rose to put the oil back on the coffee table. "We going to call in the sheriff on this one?"

Gwen studied him a second longer, her expression a mix of amusement and concern. Still trying to figure him out, obviously. He had a feeling he'd better be long gone before she did.

"No," she answered. "We won't need to if we can stop the Mara before it gets to the kid." She looked at Kat and added, "Did you manage to make those charms earlier?"

Kat nodded and disappeared into the bedroom. Gwen grabbed his hand, her strength surprising him. "Be honest with her, wolf," she whispered, her voice as fierce as her expression, "or I'll make damn sure you regret it."

She was half his size and half his weight, but he had a sudden feeling this fierce old woman could take on a hundred men his size and still come out on top. "I've been nothing but honest with her."

"Then be honest with yourself, or it's going to cause problems."

"I have no idea — " "You have every idea," she said angrily. "Don't you lie to me."

Anger rose, a tide so strong the effort to control it left him shaking. "I haven't lied to anyone," he said, his voice surprisingly calm. "And she's a big girl who doesn't need her grandmother's protection."

Gwen snorted and released his hand. He resisted the urge to flex his fingers as she leaned back in the chair.

"Who says I'm trying to protect her? You're the one who's going to regret it if you don't wake up to yourself."

"You can't hurt what you haven't got," he said bitterly.

"Oh, you have it, wolf. You're just too blinded by the perceived hurts of the past to realize it."

He clenched his fists and took a step toward her, then realized what he was doing and walked across to the window. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't I?"

Gwen's voice, though soft, still reached him easily. And though his hearing was naturally better than any human's, he had a vague suspicion there was something supernatural — or magical — in the fact that he was hearing her now. And that Kat obviously wasn't.

"In the meantime," she continued in that same soft but angry tone. "I'll just leave you with a warning. If what is freely given is rejected, it is never offered again. We Tanners tend not to forgive nor forget."

"What the hell is going on in here?"

Ethan glanced around sharply. Kat stood in the doorway, her gaze jumping between him and Gwen.

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Nothing.

We were just talking."

"Yeah. Right. Tell that to someone who can't feel the tension."

His gaze slid to Gwen's. The older woman only raised her eyebrows, as if daring him to deny the possibility. He turned away from them both and stared out the window again. He couldn't explain why the old woman seemed to be catching his emotions any more than he could explain him catching hers.

"Are we going to go save this kid or not?" he said without looking around.

"We will as soon as you put this on." He heard the air stir and raised his hand, instinctively catching what she'd thrown. It turned out to be a leather thong threaded with three stones. He looked around. "What's this?"

"It's a necklace. You put it around your neck." She didn't even glance at him as she began tying an identical strip around hers.

Two of the stones felt warm against his palm. One felt colder than the aortic. "I mean, what is it meant to do?"

"Protect you."

"How are three stones supposed to do that?" He tied it on regardless, then grabbed his shoulder harness and strapped it on. He'd left it in here earlier, and it was just as well. If the captain had realized he still had his gun, he would have been in real trouble.

"The red stone will stop the Mara from sensing your presence unless she's in your face. The green stone provides a shield that'll help stop her from entering your mind to take control."

"And the blue stone?" he asked when she hesitated.

Heat touched her cheeks, but her gaze met his defiantly.

"It's a last minute warning that the Mara is about to steal your soul."

Anger stirred through him again. "She's never going to get that close."

Her eyes mocked him. "But the moon is full, and you're a werewolf in heat. Who knows what'll happen if push comes to shove."

He knew. No matter how much the fever raged in his blood, he would never lie with the Mara. No matter what form she took. "Are we going or not?"

"As soon as I change into jeans." She disappeared into their cabin and did that, then grabbed her coat from off the sofa and went over to kiss her grandmother's cheek.

"Be careful. Use the warding stones until we get back."

"It doesn't know about me yet. Its attention is still caught by you two." Gwen's gaze ran past Kat and met Ethan's.

"Concentrate out there or it could be fatal."

"The wolf doesn't rule me yet," he said grimly and walked out the door.

Kat took a candy bar out of her pocket and unwrapped it.

The wind was almost unbearably cold, and the smell of rain touched the air. The bright light of the moon had long ago been blanketed by the heavy layer of clouds, and the night seemed unnaturally dark. But lightning flashed in the distance, an indicator of the storm she could feel approaching.

She bit down on the candy and wished she had something more substantial to eat. Chocolate might be one of the five essential food groups, but right now she could have done with something a whole lot more warming. Like a good thick stew. Or even a meatloaf.

As she munched, she studied the house that sat in the small clearing below. It was a big, old ramshackle building that had seen recent renovations and was absolutely beautiful. What wasn't so beautiful were the two Dobermans who roamed the confines of the main house's fenced yard — a fact they'd found out the hard way when they'd first tried to get near the house. Both she and Ethan had barely gotten back over the fence in time, and the ruckus the dogs had raised had brought out the weapon-bearing house owner.

But dogs certainly wouldn't stop the Mara, which meant they had to stop it before it got anywhere near the house and the dogs.

She moved her gaze on, studying the line of trees to her right. Ethan was in there somewhere, padding through shadows as restlessly as the dogs in the yard. He'd barely said two words all night, and she'd long ago decided she was going to have a long talk with her grandmother when they got back. Gwen didn't usually interfere in her relationships, be they casual or not, so to do so now meant Ethan must have said something or done something that had raised her protective hackles. Even so, Kat had a feeling that any interference from her grandmother could prove deadly to any hopes she had of a relationship with him.

She frowned at the thought. He'd made it clear from the beginning he didn't want any relationship beyond sex, so why did she keep thinking of them in terms of something more permanent?

She didn't know. All she knew was that she liked him. A lot. And while they were dynamite together sexually, it was more than that. There was an empathy between them.

Just beginning but there nonetheless. She'd never felt anything like that before, and she had a feeling it could be a whole lot deeper, a whole lot stronger, if only he'd let it.

And that was the problem. He was never going to let it be anything more — because of the woman who'd stolen his heart long ago.

The chocolate lost its taste, and she shoved the half-

finished candy bar back into her jacket pocket. Rising, she brushed the dirt from her jeans then headed through the trees. Lightning flashed, closer than before, caressing the air with electricity. Underneath her jacket, the hairs along her arms rose on end, then the aroma of evil hit her so strongly it snatched her breath and left her gasping.

She pulled a white ash stake from her jeans pocket and ducked behind the nearest tree. The wind was coming from the right, blowing the sounds of heavy footsteps towards her. Zombies. At least five of them, if those steps were anything to go by. She crouched down and studied the barely visible sweep of trees. Ethan was down there, moving away from the sounds. Obviously, the wind was snatching away the scent of death long before it reached his nose. She couldn't call to him, couldn't warn him, and in some respects, didn't want to. If the soul sucker had snatched Janie as a means of keeping a leash on Ethan, it meant she considered him a major threat. If the Mara knew he was here, she might go after him rather than the kid. And while they were here to save the child, she wasn't about to risk his life to do so. Because if Gran and she failed, he might be Janie's only hope.

The heavy steps drew closer. She closed her eyes for a minute, gathering strength, then rose and stepped from the cover of the tree.

The dead stopped, surprise flitting across their decaying features. The Mara was in the lead, her gown as flimsy as smoke and revealing more of the woman than Kat ever wanted to see. Obviously, it wasn't only the child the soul sucker hunted tonight.

"Sorry, folks," Kat said, raising the stake. "But kid and soul are off the menu for tonight."

The Mara screamed, a sound that sliced through the night. Her form began to melt into air as the zombies crowded forward. Kat hit them with a wide beam of kinetic energy, thrusting them on their bony backsides as she ran at the soul sucker.

Smoke condensed and began to slither away. Kat slashed it, and the soul sucker screamed in pain. She raised the stake to strike again, but was hit from behind and thrust face first into the ground.

She grunted, battling for breath and spitting out dirt as bony knees pressed into her back. The zombie chuckled, his breath washing dead things past her cheek. Bile rose.

She swallowed heavily and hit him kinetically. Before she could rise, something else grabbed her and dragged her upright. Kinetic energy surged again but a second before she released it, she realized the smell had changed, had become the scent of freshly cut wood combined with the tang of earthy spices. Ethan, not one of the zombies.

"Go," he said, his face grim as he pushed her toward the house. "Stop the Mara."

She didn't argue, just ran hell-bent for leather down the path toward the house. The dogs were barking furiously, and the owner was out, gun in hand, but yelling at the dogs to shut up.

She skirted the fence line and climbed into the yard on the opposite side of the house. The Mara was at the window and beginning to seep inside. Kat lunged forward, slashing the smoke with the stake. The soul sucker screamed, and blood as black as the night sprayed across the glass.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kat saw movement. She spun and raised the stake, then saw it was the dogs not a zombie. She hit them kinetically, tossing them across the picket fence. It wouldn't stop them long, but her only other option was hurting them, and she wasn't about to do that.

The Mara had seeped through the window. Kat swore and hit it kinetically, but drew the glass backward rather than pushing it forward and spraying the room. Inside, a child began screaming — a terror-filled sound that was quickly cut off.

Because the soul sucker had her.

"Don't you be moving, little lady." The harsh warning was overridden by the sound of a rifle being cocked.

Kat swore again and hit the man kinetically, thrusting him onto his ass. The gun went off, the shot blasting the house dangerously close to her head. Wood splintered, tearing past her cheeks. She dove through the window, hit the carpet and rolled to her feet in one smooth movement.

Neither the child nor the Mara was in the bedroom, and the trail of evil led into the hall. A nightie-clad woman was hurrying towards the bedroom, but she froze, eyes widening in fear when she saw Kat.

Kat threw out her hands to show she held no weapons.

"Did you see anyone run past here?"

The woman's gaze flickered. In that instant, Kat realized someone was behind her. She spun, but it was too late.

Something smashed into her head, and the lights went out.