He sniffed the air. Son of a bitch. She cried out when he grabbed her and flung her to the sofa seconds before a wolf sailed through the window she’d tried to escape through. It landed on the wood floor and skidded sideways, its claws screeching along the way. Within moments, the wolf shifted into a man. He was a big man, as most lycans were. He had stringy hair and pale blue eyes. And since he’d just shifted from wolf form, he was completely nude.
Brent’s fangs lengthened and claws pushed through his fingertips. He was older and able to partially shift. Younger lycans were only capable of complete change. Partial shifts had to be mastered as a werewolf matured.
The man focused on Rindy, who was sprawled on the couch, and sneered. “I see you’ve started the party without me.”
Brent growled in warning. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you know that this woman is not meant for you. You also know it is forbidden to harm her in any way.”
The man laughed. “Is that so?”
“Yes.” Rage began Brent’s blood boiling. “And I’m telling you the woman is mine.”
Anger contorted the younger lycan’s features. He looked at Rindy, then at Brent, and back at Rindy. He shifted to wolf form in seconds and lunged for Rindy. But before he made it, Brent tackled him in midair. The wolf yelped as Brent’s claws sunk into its side, through flesh, and broke ribs. The wolf snarled and clamped its jaws around one of Brent’s forearms. Brent raised his arm until the wolf was dangling by it from his teeth and slammed it to the floor.
The wolf let go of Brent’s arm. Brent reached for the neck, intending to snap it, but an instant before he reached his target, the lycan reared up and clamped down on his thigh, taking him to the floor. Brent blocked the pain from his mind and pinned the wolf between his legs. He squeezed until his thigh was released, and the raspy breaths left the wolf’s lungs for the last time.
Brent took the wolf’s limp head between his hands and gave it one quick twist, breaking the neck. The wolf slowly shifted back to a man.
“Oh, my God! Is he dead?” Rindy sat on her knees and clutched the ratty arm of the sofa.
Brent turned to her. His thigh and arm burned like a mother, but they would heal quickly. “Yes. I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“A-are you hurt?” She looked at his arm and thigh.
“I’ll be okay. We need to get out of here in case there are more in the area.” He held his hand out to her. “Come with me, please.”
Apprehension marred her lovely features. He took a deep breath. “Surely you can see that I’m not going to hurt you, and that I will in fact protect you with my life.”
One tear slid from the corner of her eye. “I don’t know what to think.
I’m so confused. I can’t trust you. You’re what I’ve been running from for what seems my entire life.”
He took her pixie-like face between his hands and marveled at how small it looked cupped there. “You have not been running from me. There are good lycans and bad lycans, just like there are good and bad people.
Unfortunately, you’ve only met bad ones. I am not one of those. Please, give me a chance to show you that I will not hurt you. Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to be somewhere that you knew you were safe for a change?”
He knew he had her. She was tired of running. He’d seen it in her eyes.
“Where is it that I will be safe?”
“I have a place in Michigan. Come with me. Give it a try. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.” He wasn’t exactly lying. He’d let her leave if she was truly unhappy after giving it a real chance. He just omitted the part that if she did choose to leave, he’d go with her.
“How are we going to get there? I don’t have a car or anything.”
“I do.” He watched her worry her bottom lip with her teeth. She was exquisite. He didn’t deserve her, yet he’d gladly get on his knees and thank God every single day for making her just for him. He just prayed that one day she’d give thanks that he’d been made just for her.
He knew he was getting through to her. The prospect of being someplace safe, someplace she didn’t have to look over her shoulder constantly was too appealing to turn down. Which was a blessing for him, as the alternative would be to carry her kicking and screaming against her will. And, as stubborn as his little Rindy seemed, he figured she’d be able to hold a grudge for a very long time, possibly forever. He didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that.
After several silent minutes, she shrugged. “Fine. But if you so much as look at me wrong, I’ll kill you.”
He grinned and watched as she pulled a backpack from a tiny closet by the front door.
She turned to him. “Are we going or what?”
“Yes.” He checked outside the doorway before he let her walk through it.
“And stop grinning at me like a fool before I kick you in the balls.” She huffed.
He stopped smiling on the outside, but on the inside, he continued to smile like the fool she’d accused him of being. He’d found her. She was beautiful, tough, and . . . perfect. He felt joy course through him. He wouldn’t be alone any longer. He’d have a mate to love, to cherish, to protect. He’d have someone to hold at night, to hug, someone to talk to.
He’d have someone to run with in the woods . . . maybe. He’d been so excited over finding her, he’d never thought of her reaction once he told her he wanted to change her.
Human lives were extremely short compared with those of lycans, and if she wasn’t changed, he’d lose her when she died and face possibly hundreds of more years without her. That, he could not endure. He would convince her somehow. If she didn’t agree, could he do it anyway? Could he live with the hatred she would no doubt have for him for forcing her to become the one thing she’d hated for years? He didn’t think he’d have it in him to make her become what he was if she refused. If it came to that, he’d love her until the day she died. Then, he’d follow her into death. One way or the other, he’d spend eternity with her either as a werewolf or in the afterlife.
Chapter Four
Rindy had been following Brent for several blocks now. She didn’t miss the way he glanced over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure she was still behind him, although if what he said was true about her scent, she doubted he’d have any trouble finding her again if she did run. And why should she doubt him? It explained so much—why she’d never quite managed to get away from the werewolves chasing her and how no matter where she went, she’d once again find herself being pursued.
She looked at Brent’s impressive shoulders. His back was wide and tapered to a narrow waist. His butt was not anything to dismiss lightly either.
He was an extremely sexy man. But she wouldn’t let that cloud her good judgment where he was concerned. He’d at least proved that he would protect her, and he obviously didn’t want her dead or to cause her any harm—at least not at her apartment. Was she being an utter fool? Was he leading her into a trap? Her muscles tensed up in a fight-or-flight reaction to that nasty thought.
Yet she was so tired, tired of running, tired of constantly looking over her shoulder. What if he was taking her to a safe place? The yearning she had to be somewhere she could relax and not worry about who was after her burned so deep that she was willing to take the risk. If she was wrong, maybe it would be better to face whatever fate had planned and be done with it. If she was supposed to die, so be it. She’d had enough of the hiding, of the constant fear that churned in her stomach. She wanted some peace. Was that too much to ask for?
She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to fully trust Brent, but she was absolutely certain of one thing. He was not like the other werewolves she’d encountered over the years. All the others had been instantly aggressive with her, just like the one had been that Brent had fought in her apartment. Brent, on the other hand, had been gentle with her, seemed to go out of his way to keep from scaring her. She just hoped she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life.