“Damn.” Doc jumped up and followed the man out the door, but Bella paused.
“It’s the Mexican Gray wolf I’ve been telling you about.” Taking off her cone hat, she dropped it to the table. “Her first litter and she’s apparently having trouble. I hope I’ll be back before the party’s over, but if you’re ready to leave before I come back, go ahead and take the car. I’ll get Doc to drop me off.”
“Don’ worry about Bella.” Norman swayed toward me as my twin rushed away. “Doc takes care of her. Real good care.”
I glanced after Bella, wishing I were with her. I should have volunteered to boil water for them. Anything to keep from being left at Norman’s mercy.
I almost chuckled as I thought what Bella’s answer to that would have been.
As if you’ve ever been at anyone’s mercy.
****
The next morning, Chase Holliday knelt nearby as the strange wolf in the isolation cage attacked the bars. His fascination with the species stirred in his gut. This one was a real beauty. Powerfully built, long and sleek, it obviously had never seen captivity before. But how had it gotten inside the heavy duty fence surrounding the Safari Land property? And how had it found its way inside the compound’s enclosure without anyone noticing?
Shutting his eyes, he drew a long breath. Sometimes he could catch a scent from the wild ones.
There it was. The nearly unnoticeable underlying odor that meant she hadn’t been eating the vitamin enriched meat provided by the park. She was wild.
As he waited, his eyes burned. He tried to blink the sand from them, but long hours of helping Sheba safely deliver pretty much guaranteed that wouldn’t be happening. Not today, anyway.
Bella left the delivery room to wander over. Dark shadows beneath her eyes were evidence of just how exhausted she was. “Why do you have that wolf locked up?”
At least she’d washed off the ghastly makeup and changed out of her froufrou costume before she’d gone into the delivery room. Otherwise, Sheba might have become really upset.
“It—” He took a second glance—”
she’s
not one of ours. Wandered into the compound last night. Aren’t her eyes an odd shade of green? I don’t think I’ve seen a wolf with eyes that color before.”
As Bella looked at the wolf’s eyes, her face paled. She must be exhausted, too. “So what’s she doing in there?”
“She had Norman treed on top of his car. After he rescued Norman, Tony put her here until he could find out what to do with her.” With a chuckle, he looked again at the wolf who’d stopped attacking the bars and was now in a low crouch. Growling. “You should tell your sister about that. She’d probably get a laugh out of it.”
Bella blinked a couple of times then glanced at him. “Yeah, I’ll do that. Next time I talk to her.”
“Next time? I thought you two lived together.”
She nodded then flipped her hands, palms up. “You know how it is. The life of a fashion consultant is almost as hectic as a Safari Land veterinarian’s. We live together but don’t see each other much.”
“And I imagine she dates quite a bit.” Damn, why had he said that?
The wolf chose that moment to stop growling. Sitting back on her haunches, she howled.
“She goes out some, but hardly ever with the same guy twice.” Bella glanced at the wolf, letting her gaze linger.
He thought about the woman he’d met the night before, waiting her turn at the bar. Her shoulder-length hair gleamed, even though the room was practically dark. Her eyes had been huge and tipped upward at the edges. But it was her costume that had made it hard for him to breathe. The top had been snug with only the knot between her breasts holding it together. The skirt hung low on her hips and was made to look as if the hem had been torn in several thigh revealing rips. Her legs had been long and tanned, and he was fairly positive they rose all the way to paradise.
He had to swallow before he could speak again. “Tell me more about her.”
“Well—” she drew out the word while making the dimple low in her cheek indent— “we’re twins, but not identical.”
“So that means you know what she’s thinking, but just can’t hear her thoughts?” he teased.
She chuckled then nodded. “Something like that.”
“Wish I could do that with my brothers.” How could he find out what he wanted to know without actually asking?
“It comes in pretty handy for us, but it’s almost too much for my dad. He moved out for a while when we were two, but I don’t really remember it. He was back for our third birthday.”
He couldn’t put it off any longer. “So, is Jazzy engaged or dating...?”
Bella smirked that women-have-intuition-and-men-drool smile. “No, there’s no one in her life. Never has been, at least for very long.”
“Why not?” he asked before he considered his words. “With her looks and body, I’m surprised she’s not married or something.”
Bella’s superior smile disappeared as her brows drew together. She shook her head, then, more concerned than he’d ever seen her, she shrugged. “She just hasn’t found the right—uh—man. But when she does, I have a feeling she’ll never let go.”
Bella’s words warmed him inside. “Do you think she’d mind if I called her?”
All but laughing, Bella turned away from the wolf to focus on him. “Why’s that? Do you think one of your brothers might be interested?”
Surprised by her question, he frowned. “One of my brothers?”
“Well, yeah. I know
you
wouldn’t have time for a woman. You’re too busy with your research to actually spend time with a female. A human one, at least.”
He shook his head at her teasing. “I went to your party last night.”
“For how long? Fifteen minutes? Thirty?” Folding her arms, she chuckled. “And that’s probably the longest you’ve spent in a social setting in months.”
“Hey, my work is essential. Wiping out that gene is way more important than spending time at local watering holes, sniffing for a mate.”
“If you say so. But there are millions of singles out there who wouldn’t agree with you.” She pursed her lips. “You never did tell me exactly what you were doing in your research.”
He glanced away for a moment as he thought about how much he should tell her. “I’m trying to isolate the Syzygia Gene. It’s relatively obscure, so most geneticists haven’t heard of it. Humans coming into contact with an animal affected by it usually understand the need for its destruction.”
When Bella nodded, he forced a grin. “That and five dollars will get you a good cup of espresso.”
“I could use one right now.” Bella yawned then waved at the wolf. “So what are you going to do with her?”
“If she stays calm while she’s in there, we’ll release her somewhere off the property.” He gazed at the wolf, trying to get a handle on what it was that roiled in his gut. After a moment, he gave up with a shrug. “We don’t have the right to keep her locked up for very long. There’s something about her that’s different from our Safari Land wolves, and I’d hate to see her lose that.”
****
Cool air stirred my hair, tickling the back of my neck and down my spine as I slowly drifted toward consciousness. I was a bit light-headed, and my eyes were all but glued shut. And the really bad part, my mouth tasted as if it were full of downtown Dallas dirty cotton.
The morning was fragrant with a light scent. Wildflowers? Unable to imagine where I was, I rolled over then stretched the kinks out of my arms.
Another breeze wafted over me, swirling over my naked breasts, down my belly and along my thighs.
“Jazzy?”
Hearing Bella whisper my name, I was tempted to pretend I was still sleeping. “Um?”
“Jazzy, look at me.”
After working a moment, I was able to open my eyes. I tried to look at Bella, but her face kept going in and out of focus behind the bars.
Bars?
Abruptly I sat up, my head swimming at the sudden motion. “Bella?” I practically coughed the word, my throat hurt so.
Her gaze was filled with concern. I hated that look, as if as the moments-older twin, she was responsible for me. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay.” I paused to control the bristle prickling down my spine. Then I whispered between my clamped jaws, not bothering to use telepathy since there was no one around. “What am I doing here?
Naked?
”
She reached through the bars to brush back my hair, now at its longest length, so she could touch my shoulder.
I jerked away. “Answer me. Where am I? Who put me here, and
where are my clothes?
”
As her anger flamed to match mine, she narrowed her eyes. Not a good sign. “You’re in the isolation cage here at Safari Land. And I don’t know where your clothes are.”
“
Who put me here and why haven’t you gotten me out?”
I would have shouted, but my throat hurt too much. That should have been a clue, but I couldn’t begin to imagine it.
“Tony locked you up until the zoo officials could decide what to do with you.” She lost all her anger, then looked to her right and left. “And you aren’t out because this is quarantine. Doc has the only key.”
Although I’ll never admit it to Bella or any of the rest of my family, a werewolf’s adjustable hair length isn’t always a good thing, at least for me. When I let my hair out to its longest length, I’m not always the sharpest stiletto on the shelf. When I draw it in all the way, I get a little fuzzy minded, so it all evens out as Grandma used to say. Today was one of those dull stiletto days. But like Lady Godiva, I needed the hair on my head to be long at that moment for modesty’s sake. “Why did Tony lock me up?”
“You treed Norman on his car.”
I tried to comprehend her words. And I have to be honest, it took a moment. Or two. “I’m sure he deserved it.”
As she nodded, her face clouded until I thought she was going to cry. “Tony thought you were a wild Mexican Gray.”
“I must have had Jose Eber go too heavy on the highlights the last time.” I gave a quick shrug. “It could have been worse. He could have thought I was an Arctic.”
That infuriated her. “How can you make jokes at a time like this?”
I have to admit, my temper was a little short this morning. “What do you want me to do? Bite someone?”
Then we heard voices.
Bella’s mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide with horror as she looked around. “Doc’s coming back and Norman’s with him. You’d better go primal. Quick.”
As if it was that easy. I couldn’t just wiggle my nose like some TV witch—I had to allow myself to release. And after a lifetime of learning control, that wasn’t easy.
I took a moment to settle myself, to find my center. Arranging my hair so I was well covered, I got to my knees then sat on my heels. “You know, last night, when you and Doc abandoned me, Norman became a huge pest. He kept at me, wanting me to dance with him.”
Bella’s “Um,” irritated me. Annoyance tingled my exposed skin, running along my collarbone and down the insides of my arms.
“He wouldn’t leave me alone. It was so gross.” I straightened as angry lightning strikes marched down my back.
“Then he
insisted
I finish my drink because he wanted to buy me another. Bella, I thought I was going to have to decapitate him to get him to leave me alone. I decided to just take off and let you find another way home. But after I finished my drink—and I only had the one Doc bought me—I don’t remember anything. It’s as if I got lost in the night.”
I gathered my fury like a fiery orb in my chest. “You
know
I never have a memory lapse except during a blood moon phase or if I lose control. I wasn’t that angry.”
A simple full moon hadn’t done that to me since I was three years old.
“That son of a cur must have slipped me a roofie. Why else would I have been out of control?” I allowed my rage to explode as I thought about the man putting a date rape drug in my drink. My body stung as the bristles burst through my skin, but I exalted in the sensation as my face narrowed, then lengthened. I loved the feeling of my body shifting from human to wolf shape. There’s never anything better than the power surge as it filled my muscles. It’s exhilarating.
That morning, the only downside was the sharpening of my senses. I could smell Norman a long time before I saw him. He smelled of his breakfast, last night’s strong cologne and sex. The only odor I picked up on Doc was soap and fresh coffee.
At that moment, I could have killed for a cup.
Focusing on my need for caffeine, I lifted my chin to howl. When I stopped for a breath, Norman stood directly in front of me, staring. I howled again—a bloodthirsty wolf who’d scented prey.
Then I rose to my four paws and stormed the length of the enclosure. When Norman stepped closer to the cage, I hurled myself at the bars.
“Good morning again, Bella,” Doc said softly.
“Good morning,” she answered as she turned to walk away.
“Don’t leave on account of us.” Norman was such a dweeb.
As cool as January in Aspen, Bella shook her head. It was easy for her to be cool since I was the one who’d gotten the Lycan blessing. The worst thing she’d inherited was straight hair. “I’ve got to go. I have some things to take care of.”