Embraced By Darkness

I stared at him for a moment, then rubbed my eyes wearily. "So what does this mean for you and me?"

Because it sounded like the shit was going to hit the fan again—emotionally rather than figuratively—and I really wasn't ready for another kick in the gut. Not after I was starting to pull it all together again.

"Right at this particular moment, it means nothing." He hesitated. "It's just that, like you, I have things I need to think about."

"What's the point of me coming to a decision if you're in the process of backing away?"

He took my hand in his again. "I never said I was backing away, Riley. I just said I needed to think a few more things through. You're not getting away from me that easily. Not after I've fought so long to pin you down."

And yet, despite his words, despite the warmth flaring across his lips and the tenderness in his bright eyes, part of me wasn't reassured.

He glanced at his watch, then said, "What time are you getting out of here?"

"I'm not sure yet. Rhoan's gone to find the doctor."

"Would you like me to come back and pick you up? Take you home?"

By home, he meant his place, not mine. And I wasn't sure I was ready for that after everything he'd just said. So I shook my head.

"There's a heap of stuff I have to do at home, and I haven't even unpacked from the holiday yet."

"So when do I get to see you again?"

"That depends on your definition of 'see.' "

"You know what my definition is." He kissed my fingers, his lips so warm on my skin. A tremor ran through me. I wanted to feel his lips all over me, kissing and teasing and exploring. I ached for his touch with a sudde

It was stupid, I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't get rid of this fear. What if I gave more of myself to this man, and he had more second thoughts?

Tuesday, I thought. I had until Tuesday to give him the answer. Which gave him until Tuesday to settle his thoughts and decide whatever it was he had to decide.

He glanced at his watch again. "I have to leave for a meeting. Promise you'll ring me if you get out of here tonight?"

"I'll ring."

"Good." He rose and kissed me good-bye. It was a light kiss, a gentle kiss. Like I was a porcelain doll that was so very fragile.

Only I had never been—and never would be—fragile. And if Kellen wanted that in a relationship—wanted someone he could protect—then he was chasing the wrong woman. Not that I didn't want someone to love and protect me. I just needed someone who could love me as I was. And that included the part of me that was a trained hunter. A trained—if somewhat reluctant—killer.

I might have told Kellen what I was, but until tonight it hadn't really co

Because I didn't want to lose him.

Chapter Eleven

It was another three hours before the doctor managed to drag his overworked butt into my room. After a quick check—during which he marveled over the pink scar on my leg and healing capacity of werewolves in general—he declared me fit enough to go home. To say I limped out of there in record time would be the understatement of the year.

Once in the car, I rang Kellen to let him know I was out. He invited me to lunch the next day, and I accepted happily. No matter what he might have said, he still wanted to be with me. Right now, that was all that mattered.

When Rhoan and I got home, I had a shower and something decent to eat. With body and belly happy, I went into Rhoan's room, grabbed his laptop, then hobbled over to the sofa.

Rhoan plopped a coffee on the table next to my feet, the heat of the cup warming the side of my foot even though it wasn't actually touching, then sat down on the sofa opposite.

"What are you looking for?"

"I asked the cow to do a full background search on Jorn and Yohan Duerr, the owners of Mirror Image."

"Do you think the man you smelled at the club was Jorn or Yohan in disguise?"

"Possibly. And if he was also the man Adrie

He frowned. "How?"

"Apparently she has a psychic gift that allows her to see images of the past or future when she touches people."

"Oh, that would not be a fun one to have."

"No worse than having ghosts wanting to sit around and chat." I rubbed my leg gently, wondering how long it was going to take for the ache to go away. "Jorn and Yohan apparently shipped over here a couple of years ago from England. I just wanted to know why they came here—whether they were ru

"If they were ru

"Convictions keep people out, not suspicions."

"True. And new identities are easy enough to get."

"I'd like to think DNA sca

"DNA sca

I grunted, looked into the eye sca

"I guess even if they are finally installed, the bad guys will have worked out a way to get past them."

"Always. Cops playing catch-up with criminals is the way of the world."

The laptop beeped, an indicator my file had been retrieved. "Well, well, well," I said, after sca

Rhoan raised an eyebrow. "Linked how?"

"Seems they were all last seen on the nightclub's premises." I scrolled past the full details of the victims. "The report says that the owners were very cooperative with the police, and handed over all available security tapes. Apparently Jorn and Yohan were never under serious suspicion, and the tapes showed each of the women dancing with a different man on the night of their disappearance. The disappearances were never solved, and the file remains open. Interestingly, the disappearances stopped once they sold the club."

He took a sip of his coffee, then said, "Odd coincidence that they've started up again here, and not long after opening another club."

"Neither you nor I believe in coincidences like that." I scrolled to the next page. "Oh, and it gets better."

"More murders?"

"One more. In Germany." I read the report quickly. "The twins were born in Germany. Their mom died young, and their daddy had a habit of bringing home new moms weekly."

"Whores?"

"Nope. Daddy was a doctor, and tended to float his boat amongst the well-off and comfortably rich. Wasn't too concerned about whether his conquests were married or not."

"Don't tell me, he slept with one married woman too many?"

"Even better. He slept with a rich young werewolf very close to the full moon."

"And she tore him apart in the heat of the moment." Rhoan shook his head. "Humans never seem to learn."

"You can't just blame humans. Us wolves have a responsibility of care, too, you know." After all, we knew how violent we could get.

"So what happened to the wolf?"

I hesitated, reading on quickly. "Nothing. The mating act was consensual, and the death itself was deemed accidental. She did minimum time."

"I take it the twins didn't take this too well?"