“You can run, but you can’t hide.” His twisted pleasure made her stomach queasy. How many women had he hunted and killed?

  His luck had run out.

  “Wanna bet,” she yelled back. She darted toward the woods. It left her exposed for a few seconds, but it would get the shooter away from the house, away from Aaron.

  Dirt kicked up at her feet. She kept going.

  “This is going to be fun.” Ignoring the taunt, she dragged her shirt over her head and dumped it. Ducking behind a large maple, she kicked off her shoes and peeled down her jeans.

  “Lookie here. You getting naked for me? Why don’t you come on out? We can have some fun.”

  Oh yeah, it was time for some fun. Just not the kind he was expecting. Jesse embraced her wolf. The shift happened faster than it ever had before. Fangs erupted from her gums. Her limbs and head reformed, reshaping themselves. Fur pushed out from beneath her skin.

  Leaving her clothes, she kept low, the pads of her paws making no sound as she moved into a better position.

  “Now where did you get to? Don’t make me chase you. I’ll find you, and it will be all the worse for you. I’m thinking I’ll play with you awhile, considering the trouble you put me to.”

  He was irritated, not nearly as cocky as he’d been. He was used to his victims being afraid, stumbling blindly in panic, consumed by fear and making mistakes. She almost snorted. She’d been hunted her entire damn life. This was nothing new.

  Stalking her prey, she circled, putting herself between him and Aaron. She turned her head toward the house, barely suppressing a whine. She wanted to go to him, but she had to eliminate the threat first.

  The last attacker she’d left alive. That had been a mistake. Not this time.

  “Fuck, you running around naked?”

  He’d found the rest of her clothes. She silently watched him from between a gap between two pine trees. He was just under six feet tall with a lean build. Dark blond hair was pulled back in a tail, framing an unassuming face. He looked young and harmless—the perfect camouflage for a killer.

  He held a lethal-looking handgun and had a rifle strapped to his back, along with a pack. Knives were strapped to both legs. This guy was seriously armed.

  But he was no match for a wolf.

  “Maybe you think you really are a witch. You think some ritual is going to save you?” For the first time, there was a hint of nervousness in his voice. Then silence descended. He was listening for her.

  “If you won’t come out, maybe I’ll head on back and check on your friend. Maybe he’s not dead yet. I’m killing someone today. If it’s not you, it will sure as hell be him.” He turned in a circle, looking both high and low. That showed his experience. Most people didn’t think to look up. They looked down and around.

  Jesse lifted her paw and purposely pressed it on top of a small branch, letting her weight fall on it.

  Crack!

  “Gotcha.” As he ran in her direction, she skirted around, keeping low, her black fur blending seamlessly with the shadows. When he reached where she’d been, he spun around. “You want to play games, do you? I like games.” Taking off like a shot, he ran back toward the house.

  No! She bolted after him, gaining on him with each leaping stride.

  He skidded to a halt, swiveled around, went down on one knee, and aimed. His eyes widened and his jaw fell, even as his finger pulled the trigger.

  Jesse dropped to the ground. The bullet whizzed over her right shoulder, so close it ruffled the fur.

  A bloodcurdling roar ripped through the air. Aaron practically flew, his big body hitting the gunman and taking him down. Blood covered his shoulder and upper arm. His eyes glowed with anger. His lips parted on a growl. He looked like something out of a horror movie.

  She’d never seen a better sight in her life.

  The two men rolled across the forest floor. The human tried to bring the gun around, but Aaron knocked it out of his hand. He went for a knife. Aaron grabbed his wrist and slammed it to the ground so hard a bone cracked. The man screamed.

  “Are you hurt?” Aaron turned his head and looked her way. Rising to her feet, she trotted toward the man who’d come to kill her. When she was beside them, she shifted to her human form.

  Her assassin’s face turned a pasty white. “What the hell are you?” he whispered. “Witches aren’t real.”

  “Oh, they’re very real. I was raised by one, but I’m not one.”

  “This is crazy. Maybe I’m asleep at home.” He blinked heavily, his breathing coming so fast he began to hyperventilate.

  “Who hired you?” When he couldn’t catch his breath, she slapped her hand over his mouth. “Look at me. Calm down.” It didn’t escape her that Aaron had disarmed and disabled the man but was following her lead.

  His pupils practically swallowed the hazel color of his eyes. The gasps finally slowed until he was panting heavily and no longer in danger of passing out.

  She removed her hand and tried again. “Who hired you?”

  “You’re a witch.” His expression was one of disbelief and horror.

  “I thought you believed in witches. You hunt them, don’t you?” How many of his sick games had he played with the innocent and unsuspecting? All for money and twisted pleasure. “That’s what your little group pretends, isn’t it? But it’s all an excuse to hunt defenseless women.”

  A calculating gleam came into his eyes. “She’s a witch, man,” he appealed to Aaron. “I’m sorry I shot you. If I’d realized you were under her spell, I wouldn’t have hurt you. Let me help you. If we kill her, you’ll be free.”

  She had to hand it to him for thinking on his feet.

  Aaron shifted to his wolf and growled, his thick, sharp fangs only inches from the man’s face.

  A terrible odor filled the air. The human had pissed himself. She wrinkled her nose. Not pleasant.

  He shifted back. “It’s not her you have to be afraid of.” Giving a growl, he frisked the man, emptying his pockets before stripping the pack from his back.

  She opened the wallet and pulled out a license. “It says he’s Blaine Bishop from right here in West Virginia.” Opening the knapsack, she rifled through it. “Food, more weapons, a cell phone, a laptop. That could be interesting.”

  “You stay out of my things.” His voice was weak, but he hadn’t quit, in spite of his fear.

  “Why? You don’t need them anymore.” Her words seemed to sink in, and he began to shake.

  “You can’t do this,” he argued. Sweat rolled down his temples.

  “Why not? You’d planned to kill me. How many women have you personally killed?” She picked up the phone. “How do I access this?”

  Aaron took it from her. “Facial recognition.” He held it over the man. “And thumbprint. Serious stuff.” He grabbed the man’s hand and shoved his thumb on the screen.

  The killer took advantage of Aaron’s momentary lack of attention and threw his weight to the side to dislodge him. On his stomach, Blaine lunged for one of the discarded knives, his fingers closing around the handle.

  Aaron dropped the phone, hooked his arm around the man’s neck, and twisted. There was a hard snap and the body went lax in his arms.

  “He wasn’t going to tell us anything.” He sighed and lowered the body to the ground.

  “It should have been me.” He’d been forced to kill a man for her. Granted, he was a very bad one in need of killing, but that wasn’t the point. This was her mess. He’d been here for her. Aaron had been collateral damage.

  “No.” He caught her face in his hands and turned her head away from the body. “It’s my job to protect you. I didn’t exactly do a bang-up job of it.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.” No way was she letting him take the blame for this. “I got careless and let down my guard.”

  “We both did.” A tiny grin played at the corners of his lips. “Bast is going to demand salmon every day for the rest of her life.”

  “She’s earned it.” The cat’s warning had likely saved them. Even if it hadn’t, it had given them time to react. Without it, they’d have been sitting ducks. It was likely pure fluke Blaine had been positioned so they hadn’t caught his scent. She eased out of his hold. “What do we do about him?” It wasn’t the first dead body she’d seen and likely wouldn’t be the last.

  “I’ll take care of it. There’s an old mine shaft back in the hills behind the farmhouse.”

  The scent of his blood filled her nostrils, a grim reminder. “You were shot.” She started to throw herself at him, but stopped. Biting her bottom lip, she reached out and gently touched his shoulder.

  He caught her hand and kissed it. “Minor injury. Bullet is already working its way out. I’m damn hard to kill. I’d have been here sooner, but I hit my damn head on the corner of the step. Knocked me out cold for a second.” He seemed more pissed than hurt.

  Relief flooded her.

  “Are you okay?” He visually scanned her from head to toe, reminding her she was stark naked.

  “I’m fine.” But she feared she’d have nightmares about this day for years to come. Strangely enough, not because of the dead man. She had zero remorse about that. No, it was watching Aaron fall to the ground, seeing the blood on his chest that would haunt her.

  He could have been killed.

  “Grab the wallet, will you?” He slung the rifle over his shoulder and tucked the rest of the weapons in the pack before pocketing the phone. “We’ll take the laptop and phone and dump the rest. I’d send you home, but I don’t want you there by yourself. Not until we’re sure this guy came alone or we figure out if he told anyone where he was going. Someone hired him. It was probably Alain, but we need to be sure.”

  Dragging her fingers through her hair, she nodded. “I need my clothes.” Leaving him to handle the body, she backtracked, putting on each item as she passed it until she was dressed.

  Aaron was beside her, big and silent, in full protective mode, his eyes scanning the area. Taking her cue from him, she went on hyperalert. “Which way?”

  “Follow me.”

  Watching his back, she stayed slightly behind him and to his left, making sure no one witnessed their passing.

  ****

  Alain Rollins pushed his plate away and licked his lips. The family restaurant they’d stopped at made damn good burgers. He and his three friends had taken a table in the corner. The people seated nearby had hurriedly finished their meals and left. He drank the last of his coffee and smiled. He enjoyed making humans uncomfortable.

  “Anything else?” The waitress was sweating, her eyes downcast. Another time, he might have made the point of waiting for her when she got off her shift. She was pretty enough. But he had more pressing business.

  “The bill. We’re in a hurry.”

  She ripped the page off her order pad and put it on the table. “Pay at the cash on the way out.” Turning, she scurried away.

  “How much further?” he asked David. They’d been friends since boyhood and had shared many such adventures. Unlike his own self-righteous brothers. One had died young. The other had left the pack. Screw them both. They’d always thought themselves better than him, but he was the one who inspired fear in the hearts of others.

  “About ten hours if we drive right through. That would put us in the area right before dawn.”

  Maybe it would be smarter to stop for the night, but this had gone on too long. “We push forward. I want this done.” The reminder of his mistake needed to be wiped from the earth. He didn’t need a son. He had two daughters, both of which were mated to males of his choosing. They’d give him grandsons. That was all they were good for.

  When he stood, the rest of the men did the same. They filed out, David stopping long enough to pay. They piled into the truck with Alain behind the wheel. “I’ll take the first shift.”

  He pulled out of the parking lot, his mind already on the hunt.

  Chapter Eleven

  What a clusterfuck. What had begun as a relaxing sexual interlude and picnic had ended in death. Aaron lowered his head and let the hot water from the shower beat down on his body. He flexed his left arm. The bullet had worked its way out of his shoulder about ten minutes ago, and the internal healing had begun.

  He’d always been a fast healer. All the men in his family were.

  He’d trained his entire life, honing his body and mind for battle. Today, he’d put all those skills to use and killed a man. There was no remorse. Only a sense of a job well done. He’d protected his mate, taking out the threat to her.

  Groaning, he tilted his head back and reached for the soap. She’d pretty much saved herself by the time he’d gotten there. Who’d have thought the crack to the head would put him down. His mother always said he was hard-headed. He’d have to tell her she was wrong. Or maybe not since he’d only been out a couple minutes.

  If Jesse wasn’t as smart and resilient, the outcome could have been different.

  He lathered the soap and rubbed it over his arms and chest, removing the last of the blood and sweat from his skin. That done, he cleaned his hair. The slight lump on the back of his head had disappeared. Whatever damage he’d done had been repaired.

  He was reaching for the taps when his senses tingled.

  “You okay?” Her voice was higher pitched than normal. A slight edge of nerves threaded through it.

  He cranked off the water and shoved the shower curtain aside. As he stepped out onto the mat, he grabbed a towel. Jesse was leaning against the doorway on her side of the bathroom. He’d insisted she shower first while he’d stood guard. They had to assume there were others coming, if not already out there.

  She looked none the worse for wear because of her ordeal. “A meal and some rest and I’ll be back at a hundred percent. You?” While she hadn’t sustained any physical injuries, her mental state concerned him. She’d been quiet and withdrawn since the incident. He feared she was trying to shut him out.

  He wasn’t going to allow it. They were in this together.

  He rubbed the towel over his head and then down his body. Her gaze followed his movements before returning to his shoulder. He circled his upper arm. “It’s good. No damage.” The last thing he wanted was for her to worry.

  He’d hated dragging her up to the old mineshaft, but leaving her alone was not an option. There’d been no hysterics or accusations. Not from Jesse. She’d easily kept up with him, securing the electronics and using the phone to take pictures of all the identification before returning it to the wallet. He’d placed the wallet back in Blaine’s pocket, strapped the weapons and knapsack back on him, and dumped the body—making sure to wipe everything down to remove any fingerprints as he went. If anyone found him at some point in the future, they’d likely assume he’d gone exploring, fallen into the shaft, and broken his neck.

  He doubted the body would be found anytime soon, if ever.

  Tossing the towel over the rod, he strode into his room. She followed him. He pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a shirt before tossing an empty duffel bag on the bed.

  “What are you doing?” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

  “Packing. We have to get out of here. The house has been compromised. We have to assume it’s no longer safe.”

  “This is my fault.”

  Dropping a stack of T-shirts on the bed, he caught her by the shoulders. “You didn’t ask to be hunted.”

  “Doesn’t change the outcome. You killed a man today.” Her throat rippled when she swallowed. “Now you’re losing your home.” She bit her bottom lip, her blue eyes troubled.

  “Protecting you is my job.” He pressed a finger against her lips before she could object. “I’m a male wolf. We might not have formalized things, but I consider you my mate.”

  Her eyes widened and a flush rose up her cheeks.

  “This place has served its purpose. It gave me a place to figure things out.” Removing his finger, he replaced it with his lips, grazing hers. “It gave me you.” As much as he wanted to take her to bed, now was not the time. “The land isn’t going anywhere.”

  Leaving her, he went back to packing, making short work of it. He hadn’t brought much with him beyond his clothes, phone, and laptop. The furnishings and some kitchen stuff had come with the place. What he’d needed, he’d purchased. “If we want to come back when this is over, we can. In the meantime, we need to go somewhere safer.”

  “You want to go to Salvation.”

  It wasn’t a question, but he nodded. “Yes.” He stuffed the last item in the bag and closed it. He didn’t bother with his toothbrush or brush or any of his toiletries. His room at home contained everything he needed.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  He pulled on his boots, then grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Why not?” It was the safest place he could think of.

  “Why not?” She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “Your family is there.” Back to him, she stared out the window. “My being there will put them all in danger.”

  And she’d sacrifice herself before putting anyone else in jeopardy. If she’d been male, she’d be a pack enforcer, ready to do whatever it took to protect those she cared about. They were very alike in that way. She’d never had a pack before. Now she had him. Whether she realized it or not, she’d bonded to him. Otherwise, she would have taken off and left him to fend for himself.

  “We can handle it. Besides, you think Alain won’t show up there.”

  She spun around. “Why would he? He doesn’t know about you or us.” Damn, her hands were trembling. She was shakier now than she’d been during the attack. Her fear of her sire was palpable. He was the monster under her bed, the bogeyman waiting to destroy her.

  Aaron growled and dropped the bag. “If Blaine told him how to find you, he’ll come here. If there’s no one here, he’ll check the town records. What do you think he’ll do when he finds out the name on the land deed is Aaron LaForge? He’ll head straight for Salvation whether we’re there or not.”

  All the color drained from her face. She dropped down onto the bed.