The Lost Wolf's Destiny

Chapter 6

As he slanted his mouth over hers and breathed in her scent, he dimly realized he didn’t know how she’d react. If she was truly intent on spiraling out of control, she could fight him, in which case he’d immediately withdraw.

Or she could freeze. Shut down. Turn all that wild fury and panic inward, into self-regret and loathing.

In fact, she did none of those things.

Instead, she focused all of that passion toward him, singeing him so badly he thought they might both go up in flames in a blaze of heat.

Damn. Aroused, on fire, aching, he desired her, this woman he barely knew but with whom he had shared the most intimate of acts—the change from his human form into his wolf.

And now he wanted more. More than wanted, craved.

So, of course, he pushed away from her, crossing to the other side of the room and struggling to get his breathing under control.

“What now?” Color high, eyes wild and hair tangled, she taunted him. “I need this. I need you. Hard and fast and deep. Now.”

Even as her words inflamed him, he knew he had to stay strong. Instinctively he knew that having sex with her would change things for him forever. He’d been content living his life alone. Safe. Furious with himself and with her, he reined in his temper and his need.

“No.” He lifted his head, letting her see in his face how much letting her go had cost him. “This isn’t the time or the place. You’re hurting. You’re fighting feeling powerless. I refuse to take advantage of that.”

For a moment, the thudding of his heart in his chest was the only sound he could hear. He thought she might argue—she looked spitting mad as she eyed him, almost as if she wasn’t sure if he was serious or completely insane.

Then, just like that, all the air and bravado and anger went out of her. Deflated, she sank back onto the bed and covered her face with her hands. “What are we going to do?” she asked, her voice so low he could barely make out the words. “What on earth are we going to do?”

He thought fast. “I think a confrontation might be in order.”

“What?” When she raised her face, twin tear tracks shone silver on her pale cheeks.

Ignoring the sudden tightness in his chest, he continued. “Give old Jacob a call. His biggest weakness is his own ego. Play to that.”

She cocked her head, considering. “You might have something there. If I do it right, I might be able to waltz back into Sanctuary under the guise of repentance.” Her voice rose with excitement as she gained momentum. “He might even let me see my daughter. Or at least I could find out where he’s hiding her.”

Horrified, he stood stock-still, frozen, unable to believe her words. “No,” he said. “Absolutely not. There’s no way I could let you face down the monster who still haunts me all by yourself. Even if I thought you’d be safe, and I don’t, there’s no way.”

“It might be our only hope.”

Exasperated, he shook his head. “That’s not what I meant when I said force a confrontation. I meant a call only, to see where we stood. Then we could figure out where we need to go next. Maybe a meeting with the two of us, on our terms.”

“He’ll never agree to that.” Stubbornness coloring her expression, he saw that she’d made up her mind.

“Listen, you don’t know what he’s capable of.” Desperate to stop her, he gave her as much of the truth as he could. “He’s already killed—I saw him do it. I was there.”

Rather than swaying her, his comment only appeared to strengthen her resolve. Lifting her chin higher, she met his gaze. “All the more reason for me to try to get in. I’ve got to get Hailey away from him.”

“But—”

“No buts. I’m going to try it. Either you’re with me or against.” Though her voice echoed with bravado, he saw the raw hope darkening her eyes.

Though he had a sinking feeling, he finally nodded. “We can try,” he said. “Maybe a phone call will be enough. At the very least, maybe you can learn where they all disappeared to.”

As her head cleared from the blind desire, Blythe wished Lucas had been right. She wished she’d only been looking for a channel for her mixed-up, crazy emotions. That was part of it, true. But Lucas made her want him, made her want to lose herself in him. Lucas. No other man would have done.

At least that had led to this. Her idea—to contact Jacob and see if she could worm her way back into Sanctuary—was not only more productive, but made more sense. When the idea had occurred to her at first, she’d wanted to reject it out of hand. It was just too risky, too crazy. There wasn’t the slightest chance Jacob would believe she wanted to rejoin his little fold, not after she’d busted out the window and called the police.

“I have to give it a try. I don’t have my daughter, don’t even know where they’ve taken her, so I have absolutely nothing left to lose.”

When he didn’t respond, she glanced at him, noting his set face and clamped mouth. He wasn’t happy with her decision, but then he didn’t have a daughter who’d been taken prisoner.

“Can I borrow your phone?” she asked. Lucas handed it over without commenting. “You said this is untraceable, right?”

“Yes. Keep it.” Gesturing to his backpack, he gave her a grim smile. “I have others.”

“Okay, then. Thanks.” Taking a deep breath, she dialed the number the police dispatcher had given her. It must have been Jacob’s direct line, because she didn’t have to go through a secretary to get to him.

He answered with a curt hello.

“Jacob, it’s Blythe Daphne,” she began.

“I see you broke into my house,” he said, without preamble. “First you damage a window and leave, then you sneak back in the middle of the night, in your demon form, and roam the halls of my house.” He might have been making a political speech or preaching a sermon.

A chill skittered up her back. She’d much rather hear a genuine emotion—whether fury or glee. Something, anything, other than this phony banter.

Then his words registered. They’d been wolf when they’d gone back to Sanctuary. Obviously he must have had security cameras.

“You mean as wolves? That’s irrelevant.”

“Is it?” he asked smoothly. “Then you won’t mind telling me about your companion? That particular beast looks very familiar.”

As if he could hear them, Lucas shook his head in warning. She inclined her head to show she’d understood. “That’s none of your business. Where is Hailey? What have you done with her?”

“Are you upset?” He sounded genuinely surprised. “I don’t understand. I told you I would heal her and that’s what I’m doing.”

“Not without me,” she began. “You had her removed from my room while I was showering, without my permission.”

“You’re the one who broke out of Sanctuary,” he spoke patiently, as though addressing a rebellious child. “We would have brought her back to you after she’d finished with her first treatment.”

Of course, she knew he was lying. “First off, you don’t lock guests in their room. Second, I just plain don’t believe you. Bring her back to me now. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want you to heal her.” Since she was trying not to alienate him, she had to bite back the rest of the words trembling on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t want him anywhere near her. In fact, she’d didn’t want him even breathing the same oxygen as her daughter.

For the space of one heartbeat, then two, there was only silence on the other end of the line. Then he laughed, a dry, humorless sound that made her throat tighten.

“What kind of a mother says something like that?” Now anger—no, righteous indignation—rang in his voice. For the first time she wondered if he was playing to an audience. Or worse, if he was recording their conversation.

“A mother who is worried about her child. Who you’ve kept from her child, and lied about to the police. You have no right to do anything to Hailey without my permission.”

Again the dry laugh. “You gave your permission, remember? Back when you signed the documents consenting to her care.”

“I’ve signed nothing,” she said. “So stop acting as if you’re in the right.”

“But you did,” he told her, the smug self-righteous tone making her grit her teeth. “Right after you arrived at Sanctuary. Ginger asked you to read and sign some papers.”

“I didn’t sign them. And this is irrelevant. Don’t try to confuse me. There’s nothing you can say that makes me lose sight of my position on this. I want my child. Give her back to me.”

“I honestly wouldn’t understand your selfishness, if I didn’t know you were a demon.” Now Jacob’s deep voice was tinged with both hurt and self-righteousness. “Either way, I thought we were in sync with this. You want the best chance for your daughter to live. I’m going to make sure she gets it. Are we in agreement on that, at least?”

“I no longer feel you’re her best chance. In fact, you might be her worst.”

Silence greeted her words. Belatedly, she realized she might have gone too far.

He sighed. “It seems we have a difference of opinion on this. I can—and will—help her. And you do have a choice, you know. You can come back. Let me save you, too. You have a chance to be the kind of supportive mother Hailey needs.”

She was too horrified to find her voice. Had Jacob already begun trying to save Hailey in the way Lucas believed he would? If he had, then he’d already started to torture her little girl.

Resolve strengthened, she knew she had to play her part to the hilt. She didn’t have to try too hard to sound shocked. “Come back?”

“It’s your choice.” He sounded so earnest, she almost believed him. Only a monster could come across as being concerned when he was possibly torturing her baby. Now he was offering to torture her, as well.

Swallowing back her revulsion, she played along.

“If I came back willingly, would you keep me locked in?” she asked, trying to sound tearful and repentant, as he seemed to expect.

“It’s for your own good.”

On the verge of losing patience, she managed to rein herself in. She was close, so close, to getting a chance to be near Hailey. “I am not your prisoner.”

“Either way, Ms. Daphne. Your choice. You can come back to Sanctuary and oversee your child’s return to health, or stay away. If you come back, I promise I will give you regular updates.”

Stunned at the way he made everything sound perfectly reasonable, she found herself at a loss for words. If she spoke, she might wind up making it more difficult to get to Hailey because she was on the verge of announcing her intent to rip this guy’s throat out.

“One more thing,” he continued. “Your wolf companion. Bring him along. It’s been too many years since I’ve seen him.”

Caught by surprise, she gasped. He knew? How had he recognized Lucas’s wolf after all these years apart?

“Take all the time you need,” he said soothingly. “Then call me and let me know what you decide.”

While she was still trying to gather her thoughts so she could make a coherent response, he ended the phone call, his chuckle echoing in her ears.

Staring at the phone, her throat so tight she couldn’t speak, she told herself to just breathe. Her eyes filled with tears. Turning away, she rubbed them furiously, not wanting Lucas to see her cry.

“What did he say?” Lucas asked, coming up behind her to put his hand on her shoulder. She almost let herself lean into the touch. Almost. Instead, she moved away, turning to face him and lifting her chin.

“A lot of nothing really,” she said, then relayed the rest of the phone call. “I got a feeling he might have been playing from a script or recording the call for his own protection.”

“That’s possible. Though he generally thinks he’s invulnerable, he believes he’s doing the right thing. That’s what makes him so frightening.”

Frightening didn’t even begin to cover it. Jacob Gideon—people like him—terrified her. They operated from their own, twisted agenda, and viewed anyone who didn’t see things the same way as evil.

And he knew they were Shape-shifters. This made him even more dangerous, especially to Hailey. Blythe realized she’d been hoping all along that Lucas was wrong, that Jacob didn’t really believe her little girl to be a demon.

“Now what?” Twisting her hands together, she tried to think of another plan, but came up with nothing. “I’m thinking I should return to Sanctuary. At least there, I’ll have a chance to get Hailey out.”

“I’m pretty sure they’ve abandoned the place,” he said. “Other than one armed guard, that is.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. He did invite me. Why would he do that if no one was there?”

“Good point.” Now Lucas began to pace, reminding her of a caged wolf. “What do you want to do?”

He wasn’t going to like what she had to say, but she had to say it anyway. “I’m going to have to go back and pretend to agree with his agenda.”

“You do realize this means you’re going to be tortured?”

“I have no choice if I want to get close enough to Hailey to have a chance to save her,” she shot back.

“Call in your Pack,” he said, letting her know the full measure of his desperation. “If any situation ever called for you to need their help, it is now.”

“I can’t,” she swallowed. “If I do, they’ll want to take her. She’s special. The Protectors have tried to make the parents of her kind agree to turn their children over to them.”

He gaped at her. “Explain.”

“Not now.” Impatient and tired, she waved her hand. “I’ve made my decision. I’m going in.”

“Then I’m going with you.”

“What?” Staring at him as if she wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly, she cocked her head. “Have you lost your mind?”

“No. I’ll go in wearing a disguise.”

She crossed her arms, glaring at him as if she thought he might be joking. “He’ll recognize you,” she said. “He already said something about your wolf looking familiar.”

From the narrowing of his eyes, she figured she’d surprised him.

“I’ll make sure to avoid him. He’s got an entire army working for him. Security guards, cooks, housekeepers. I’m sure he doesn’t take the time to acquaint himself with every single employee.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” she told him.

“No. I’m not.” He dragged his hand through his thick hair, wincing. “I’ll shave my head. Wear eyeglasses. That ought to be enough.”

Still she shook her head. “Come on. Stop it. You know he’s going to figure out who you are.”

“I doubt it.” Bitterness colored his voice. “The man’s so self-absorbed he rarely looks at others. I think it will work.”

“And if it doesn’t?” she asked softly. “Are you willing to take the chance?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not.” She sighed. “I really appreciate the offer, but I can’t risk it. If you fail, you’ll jeopardize everything. I’ll go back, alone. Once he knows I came back willingly, I’m hoping he won’t see a need to keep me locked up. I’ll find Hailey, contact you and you can show up and take us away from there.”

“That’s an awful lot of what-ifs,” he said.

“I’ll just have to be a really good actress. If I can convince him that I truly believe he’s my last hope for saving my daughter, gaze at him with unadulterated admiration, I think I can convince him.”

“And if you can’t?”

She looked away, not wanting him to see her unease. “Then you’ll have to figure out a way to rescue me.”

Without giving him a chance to answer, she hit redial on her phone. Jacob answered on the second ring. “Have you come to a decision?”

“I’d like to apologize,” she said stiffly, trying to force warmth into her voice. “I panicked and overreacted. More than anything I want Hailey healed. And I don’t want to be on the outside while you do it. I want to witness your miraculous healing myself.”

She hoped she wasn’t spreading it on too thick.

Apparently not, because when Jacob spoke again, pleasure resonated in his voice. Though for all Blythe knew, he could be playing her the same way she was playing him.

“I’m glad you came around,” he said warmly. “Now tell me where you are and I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

She thought fast. She didn’t want to give away her location—and the fact that she was with Lucas. Then she remembered the burgers. Lucas had said it was right around the corner. “I’m outside a hamburger place. Called Stripers.”

“Excellent.” He practically purred with satisfaction. “Someone will be there in twenty minutes.”

Without waiting for a reply, he hung up.

When she looked up, Lucas watched her intently.

“He’s picking me up at Stripers,” she said, oddly breathless, her heart fluttering like a hummingbird in her chest. “I’m going to walk there now. You stay here.”

He nodded, the narrow glint of his gaze telling her he didn’t like this one bit. “At the end of the parking lot, turn right. It’s around the corner, after the gas station. First, let me program my number into the phone.”

Once that had been accomplished, he handed it back. “Try to keep this with you,” he said. “I have the number, so if I don’t hear from you, I can call you later.”

She nodded. “Hopefully he won’t take the phone away.”

“Why would he? After all, you’re supposed to be his honored guest.”

Out of words, she nodded again and then turned to go.

“Blythe.”

She spun around, the urgency in his voice reflected in her jagged heartbeat.

“Do you know how to handle a pistol?”

Grimacing, she nodded. “I think so. Or at least I used to. I haven’t shot one in years, though, so I’m a little rusty.”

Crossing to his pack, he removed a small .22 and carried it to her, placing it in her hand. “Take this. The safety is on, but it’s fully loaded. Don’t be afraid to shoot if you have to.”

Accepting it, she turned the small gun over in her hands. The metal felt cool and despite its diminutive size, she figured it would do the job.

“What about you?” she asked. “I don’t want to leave you unarmed.”

“I’m not. I have two others, though they’re quite a bit larger. That one is more of a spare.”

“Thank you.” Since she didn’t have a purse or a backpack, she wasn’t sure where to put it. “Do you have a holster or something? It seems dangerous to put this in my pocket.”

Looking grim, he rummaged around in his backpack. “Here it is,” he said. “This is a leg holster. Your jeans will hide it. Unless they pat you down, they’ll never find it.”

She held out her hand. “Let me have it. I’ve got to get going.”

Instead of handing it over, he shook his head. “If you’ve never worn one, I need to show you how. Roll up your jeans.”

Without hesitation, she did, staring down at his dark head as he knelt in front of her and strapped on the holster. His fingers were long and elegant and the contrast of his tan skin against her milky whiteness made her feel dizzy.

“There. Let me have the pistol.” Once he’d placed the gun in the holster, he latched it into place and pulled her jeans back down. Finally, he stood up, moving back a few paces.

“All right. You’re all set to go.”

“Thank you. I just want to rescue my daughter,” she told him. “So be ready. Because if I can figure out a way to get her out of there, I’ll need you to help us escape.”

“I’ll be waiting for your call,” he said.

“Thank you.” Turning to go, she didn’t know whether to shake his hand, offer a hug or give him a quick kiss on the cheek. In the end she did none of them. Instead, she lifted her hand in a wave as she headed out the door.

Once outside, she felt exposed and wary. Every instinct on full alert, she forced herself to walk casually, just a regular person out for a stroll. Heading toward the hamburger joint, she had to forcibly restrain herself from constantly looking over her shoulder. She didn’t know what she expected—some sort of gangster execution?—but she still didn’t trust Jacob Gideon not to end her meddling permanently.

Unless, craving her adoration, he believed he could heal her, too. This was her one advantage, and one she needed to exploit to its fullest.

At the hamburger place, she lingered outside, checking her watch. No matter what happened, she’d soon be with Hailey again. Hailey must be so frightened.

When the black limo pulled up, she got goose bumps. The sight reminded her too much of the initial journey out here, when she’d still believed Jacob Gideon was on her side and only wanted to heal Hailey.

The uniformed driver parked and got out of the car. “Ms. Daphne?” he asked, his formal tone courteous and devoid of inflection. When she answered in the affirmative, he went to the back door and held it open for her.

Heart pounding, she climbed inside. She could do this. She would do this. She could do anything for Hailey’s sake. Anything at all.

When they pulled up to the iron gates, she watched as the driver punched in a code for them to open. She didn’t understand the whole gated-driveway thing at all. Since the rest of the ranch was not fenced, it didn’t make sense, at least from a security standpoint. Maybe it was more about appearance.

As they approached the house, Jacob himself, dressed in jeans and a button-down shirt, came out to greet them. She stared. For the first time since she’d met him, he wasn’t surrounded by his usual entourage.

Her chest tightened, but she fought to keep her composure. Everything depended on her convincing this man she truly believed in him and his ability to cure her daughter.

In a split second, she composed her face into a contrite and, hopefully, ashamed expression.

The driver jumped out of the car and hurried to open her door. She pushed herself up as gracefully as possible, and then rushed over to where Jacob stood waiting. For a heartbeat she debated throwing herself into his arms, but at the last minute she couldn’t do it.

“I’m so sorry,” she managed, choking up. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” With her emotions so close to the surface, worried she’d never see her daughter again, she began weeping.

“There, there.” Putting a fatherly arm around her shoulder, Jacob patted her back. “Everything is going to be all right now that you’re back. Little Hailey has been asking about you.”

It took every ounce of self-control she possessed not to tense up at the mention of her daughter’s name. Clenching her teeth, she nodded. “Thank you so much for giving me a second chance.”

He didn’t respond. Unwilling to risk letting him see the truth in her eyes, she kept her head down and reduced her crying to a few sniffles. Making a show of wiping her tears, she shuddered. “I’m so exhausted,” she said, sagging against him and hoping he’d take the hint.

“I understand,” he finally said. “You’ll need to get some rest before I allow you to visit with Hailey.”

“No,” she gasped, snapping her head up before she realized what she was doing. Belatedly, she reschooled her expression into that of a supplicant. “Please let me see her. I’ve missed her so much.”

Stepping back, he stared at her, his expression calculating. “We’ll see. She isn’t feeling her best. I’ll see if her attendants feel she’s up to a visitor.”

Her heartbeat sped up as fear mingled with rage and churned up her insides. What had he done to her baby girl? She wanted to launch herself at him, using brute force to make him take her to her daughter.

Instead, she lowered her head, as though passively awaiting his decision. She clenched her hands together, hoped he didn’t see them trembling. How would she react if he decided not to allow her to see Hailey tonight? Her acting abilities were wearing a bit thin.

“Come with me.” Turning, he swept back inside, letting her trail behind him. Two very large men—bodyguards—stepped from the shadows and moved into place alongside him.

This made her want to sneer. Did the great man actually feel so threatened by her, a petite woman with a slender build?

When he led her up the stairs to the same hallway where she’d been before, her heart felt about to explode out of her chest. Finally, at the doorway right before her old room, he stopped and turned to face her.

“We’re still repairing the window you broke,” he said.

“Please, send me a bill,” she told him, her voice purposely wobbling. “I’m very sorry I damaged your property.”

Briefly, his expression darkened before he nodded, opening the door. “This is your new room. You will be locked inside until someone comes for you. Do you understand?”

Locked inside. She didn’t move. No way was she going in that room without her daughter. “I want...” Swallowing, she remembered that demands had an adverse effect on this man. “Please, may I see my daughter first?”

“I’ll let you know,” he drawled, clearly relishing her discomfort. “You need a shower and a change of clothes. I can’t risk you contaminating her sickroom.”

“Sickroom? Hailey isn’t susceptible to contamination,” she said, her stomach lurching.

“She is now,” he told her, gesturing at his two bodyguards. Flanking her, each man gripped her arm and half dragged, half carried her into the room.