Page 43 of Taming the White Wolf
“You can’t possibly think I had anything to do with it?” The brutality and quickness of the violence was shocking. Her entire body was trembling from the adrenaline rush.
He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck and shook his head. The deadly glow faded from his eyes. “Not intentionally.”
“I’ve been with you the entire time.”
“Not quite.”
“I took a shower and packed up my stuff.” That wasn’t all she’d done. “I turned on my phone. Oh God, I turned on my phone. I was going to check my email but decided against it. This is my fault.” Their location had been compromised because of her. “I didn’t think. It never occurred to me anyone could trace my phone.”
“Why would it? We need to leave. That wolf had to have been nearby to get here so quickly. More will be coming.”
“Wait, you used your phone. Maybe they found us through you.”
“Mine is heavily encrypted, and I change my number often. It’s possible someone might track it, given enough time, but not this soon.”
“I’m so sorry.” Because of her, he’d had to kill another of his kind.
He was already halfway up the stairs. After giving the open window a glance, she followed. As much as depending on another person for safety grated at her independent soul, she wasn’t stupid. She didn’t have the skill or strength to fight werewolves. Pietro had been toying with her. She saw that now. This wolf had meant business.
Her bags were open, her laptop and phone on the bed. He grabbed the small device, cracked it in half and dumped the pieces in her bag. She cringed, wondering how long it would be until she could replace it. When he reached for the laptop, she threw herself at him and grabbed it.
“No! Remove the battery. That will work, right?” She held it to her chest. “No one can trace it if it’s got no power.” It was stupid. Her work was backed up on the iCloud and saved on an external hard drive and could be easily retrieved, but her laptop was a tangible sign of the business, the life she’d worked so hard to build.
Claws extended from his right hand. Had she pushed him too far? She slowly backed away until she hit the wall. Rather than reach for her, he grasped the computer with his left hand and pulled. She held on briefly and then let it go. It wasn’t worth her life.
Sharp claws dug into the heavy plastic casing and popped open the back. Seconds later, the battery was out. He tucked both back into her bag and closed it.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she tugged on the ends of her sweatshirt. “I won’t use it.” She couldn’t afford any more mistakes. Devlin was the sole reason she was still alive. If he decided she was too much trouble…
He started to shoulder their bags, but she put her hand on his forearm. The muscles turned to stone. There was no way she could stop him from doing anything. She was physically outmatched. He stilled and met her gaze. “Let me carry them. My bruises are almost healed.” Except for the ones she’d gotten being thrown to the floor, but he didn’t need to know about those. “You need your hands free to fight. Face it.” She slung one strap over her shoulder. “Of the two of us, you’re the most qualified. It doesn’t take skill to haul bags.”
Taking his continued silence as agreement, she gathered her purse and second bag and then reached for his. “Lead the way.”
A muscle in his jaw flexed. “Stay close.”
Yeah, that wouldn’t be a problem. The thought of facing another of those creatures on her own lit a fire under her. She hurried down the stairs behind him. The wolf was still there. “What about the body? And the mess?” Wind whistled through the broken window.
“Wait here.” He turned off the alarm and went through the door that led to the garage.
She bit her lip to keep from begging him not to leave her. There was no doubt the wolf was dead. Why then did she keep expecting it to raise its head and growl? Too many late-night horror movies. She was officially crossing them off her list for all future viewing. No need to watch what she was already living. Fiction was fun, but when it was reality, it sucked.
She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The bags grew heavier as she counted off the seconds. At three hundred, panic crept in. She was beginning to wonder if he’d decided she was too much trouble and had left her behind when he finally returned with a black tarp tucked under his arm.
It wasn’t for the window. He spread the heavy plastic on the floor beside the body. She wanted to look away but couldn’t. It made her think about Pietro. “I thought you said the bodies disintegrated.”
“They do.” He wrapped the tarp around the wolf and secured it with a long piece of rope he’d also brought in with him. “I’ll have to contact someone to fix the window and deal with the mess. There can’t be a dead wolf here.”
Of course a wolf couldn’t be found here. Just because she was getting used to the idea such things were normal didn’t mean the rest of the world wouldn’t freak out. The safety of this sanctuary had been shattered by violence. She had to be smarter. Actions mattered. Things that she would’ve thought nothing about doing—checking her phone, going out for a walk, even working—were now too dangerous.
Everything in her life had changed. If she wanted to survive, she had to adapt.
In one easy motion, he hefted the heavy bundle over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Getting a better grip on their luggage, she followed.
…
Devlin cursed himself for the dozenth time. His distraction, his inattention to details, had almost gotten Zoe killed. Now he had a dead wolf lashed down in the back of his truck and Zoe was frightened—not only of whoever was after them but also of him. He should’ve cleaned up and changed his shirt before getting on the road. He couldn’t afford to get pulled over by the cops.
