Wild Heat (Wilding Pack Wolves 3) - New Adult Paranormal Romance (6 page)

“This is Officer Kaden Grant,” Terra said. “He’s taking good care of me.”

“Well, I’m so pleased to hear that.” Sally stepped forward and extended her hand. “Terra is a jewel, a rare talent, and you absolutely
must
do everything you can to protect her.” The creepiness of before was lessened by her obviously genuine concern for Terra.

At least they shared that. “The best way I can protect her is to minimize the amount of time we’re here today.” Kaden tipped his head to Sally. “No offense, Ma’am.”

“None taken.” But she dropped his hand and stepped back. “But of course we should transact our business quickly.” She turned to Terra. “Your new patron is awaiting you in the back. Follow me.” Then she whisked away, her ballet-slippered feet silent on the concrete flooring. She quickly disappeared around a partition, heading through the maze toward the back.

Kaden stuck close to Terra again as they followed after.

Terra tipped her head back and whispered, “Please excuse Sally—I think she hits on every man who walks through the door.”

That forced a grin on his face. “Is that what she was doing?”

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you didn’t notice her checking you out.” Terry gave him a small scowl that had his body reacting far too much.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Terra rolled her eyes, but they had to stop speaking because they had reached the back. Sally ushered them through a white door that blended seamlessly into the wall. On the other side was the storage part of the gallery with wrapped paintings and stacked boxes lining the walls of a cavernous warehouse. A man stood a dozen feet away in a trim, tailored suit—Kaden immediately pegged him for some kind of money. Mid-30s, well-muscled but lean, piercing blue eyes and dark hair—and the kind that seemed used to getting the things he wanted.

Kaden instantly disliked him.

Sally introduced him. “Terra, this is Julius McGovern. He comes highly recommended by the mayor. It seems they share quite an appreciation for your work.”

Julius smiled, and his eyes raked over Terra in a way that set Kaden’s teeth on edge. Then the man crossed the concrete floor and swept Terra’s hands into his own. His gaze roamed her face like it was a piece of art he was inspecting, then he leaned in and kissed her quickly, once on each cheek.

Kaden had to stop his immediate impulse, which was to throw the guy across the room. His violent need to keep this asshole from touching Terra was so strong it shocked him—and that surprise held him in place more than anything else.

Terra seemed startled as well. Just as Kaden was about to shut that shit down, Julius spoke up. “Please forgive me, my dear Terra.” His smile was oily and pretentious. “I’m a little awestruck by your beauty, and your art has already entered my heart and rendered me senseless.”

Terra seemed to relax, but that bullshit just set Kaden even more on edge. Was this how they talked in the art world, for fuck’s sake? It sounded borderline stalker to him, but what did he know about art collectors? Maybe he was just a normal fan. Kaden took his cue from Terra, who seemed to glow under the man’s praise.

“I don’t quite know what to say to that,” she stumbled. And Kaden had to admit the blush on her pale cheeks was more than a little attractive.

Julius seemed to notice too, and Kaden practically growled out loud when the man lifted his hand to her cheek to lightly stroke the blush there. “What a treasure you are,” he said softly. Thankfully, he backed off after that, dropping Terra’s hands and opening a little space between them.

Kaden’s rage response ratcheted down a notch.
Fuck.
Either he was reading this all wrong or his hair-trigger protective instinct with Terra had a reason for wanting to rip the guy’s head off. Either way, he was glad Julius was backing the hell off.

“Obviously, I’m a tremendous fan of your work.” He flicked a look to Kaden but seemed to dismiss his presence as irrelevant and turned back to Terra. “And I have a proposal for you, my dear, if you’d be so kind as to hear me out. “

“Of course.” Excitement filled Terra’s voice. “I’m already grateful just to have this excuse to get out and discuss art again. You have no idea how much of a relief it is.”

Julius clapped his hands together with delight. “Even better!” He leaned forward and dropped his voice. “I’ve been thinking that this whole nonsense with the videos and the Wolf Hunter must be setting you terribly on edge. And I thought to myself, Julius, what can you do to help this poor young woman in this terrible situation? And the answer came to me in a flash of insight.” He snapped his fingers in the air. “I hope you’ll indulge me for a moment while I explain.”

Terra nodded eagerly. “I’m very intrigued.”

Julius gestured vaguely to the wrapped-up artwork around them. “Your previous work is astonishing and brilliant—you shine a light on the darker side of Seattle and bring out this tremendous vibrancy. Even those of us who know and love the city already have had our understanding deepened by it, but for those outside of Seattle, you’ve created an image for the city, a beating heart of humanity, that it didn’t have before. It’s a sign of the depth of your talent that you’ve been able to capture the imagination of so many. But now, with this new revelation of the shifters among us… and all the rampant hate and prejudice that has flooded into the public sphere… I can’t help thinking that you,
especially
as a shifter artist, are uniquely positioned to explore that new aspect of our community.”

Terra’s dark eyes lit up. “How do you mean?”

Julius beckoned her with a single crooked finger, and she eased closer. Kaden’s alarm levels went up again when the man dropped a hand on her shoulder.

“I would like to commission some work from you,” he said.

Kaden had to hold in his growl. “What sort of work?”

All three of them—Sally, the gallery owner, Julius, the sleazy art patron, and Terra—whipped startled looks to him, as if he wasn’t expected to speak during this entire enterprise.
Of course.
He was just the hired muscle. But dammit, he was here to make sure she stayed safe, and Julius seemed like trouble waiting to happen. It wasn’t simply because every time Julius touched her, Kaden wanted to flatten his pretentious face.

“Well…” Julius arched an eyebrow at Kaden, but then quickly directed his gaze back to Terra. “I would like you to create a series of works. It would be something like “The People of Seattle.” Only instead of photographing humans, in these works, you’ll be examining
shifters
—but not in their human forms.”

Terra frowned. “You mean photographing shifters as wolves?”

“Exactly!” Julius shook his finger at her. “I’m very sensitive to the fact that shifters do not want to be outed right now. You are suffering yourself from the fact that everyone knows you are not only an artist, but also a wolf. But don’t you see how that makes you the perfect artist to create this piece? There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of other ordinary people—the kind you already feature in your work—who are secretly shifters. I have no interest in exposing them, but if you could photograph them in their shifter form and speak to how these wolves are actually people…”

Terra’s whole body enlivened. “Yes! The very title—
People
of Seattle—would humanize them. It would be the contrast between the title and the image—human and wolf—that would give it life. And if a story were attached to it, the story of their lives…” She drew in a sharp breath that was excitement personified. “It would drive home their humanity.”

Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes glittered, and a smile quirked around her mouth. If this was what Terra’s art did to her… well, he liked it.
A lot.
She was already beautiful, and this made her come alive in a way that was singing to him deep inside.

Which only made him want to shove Julius away from her even more.

“It’s brilliant!” Sally declared, interjecting for the first time. “Absolutely brilliant! Terra, my love, you
must
let me exhibit this the moment you are finished. Others will be clamoring for it, but please, I beg of you, let me be the first.”

Terra’s smile was lighting up the entire warehouse. “Of course. I’d be honored.” To Julius, she said, “I’m in love with this idea, but it would require…” She looked over her shoulder at Kaden, doubt clouding her eyes. “It would require me getting outside, among the shifters. In the city.”

Kaden was already backtracking on his assessment of this. He shook his head.
No fucking way.
“Terra—”

“Of course,” Julius interrupted him. “Your safety would be paramount. At all times. That is what your bodyguard is for, is he not?”

The sharp need to punch Julius in the face was slicing through him. Kaden barely held back. “I am not a bodyguard—”

“Or,” Julius cut him off again. “Maybe this level of protection is insufficient.” He gestured vaguely at Kaden but directed his words to Terra. “I’m more than happy to provide you with whatever security you need, my dear. Just let me know. If you need a battalion of armed guards, you shall have it!”

“No!”
Kaden and Terra both said at the same time. She gave him a look of puzzlement, then turned back to Julius. “That won’t be necessary. Besides, my subjects become uncomfortable when there’s more than just me and my camera. I need them to lose themselves in their environment and their situation in order to open up to me and really reveal their inner light. I can’t do that with a battalion lingering in the background.” She frowned at Kaden. “Even one guard will be problematic, but I’m sure that Officer Grant is more than capable of ensuring my safety.”

A warm spread through his chest to hear those words from her lips, and he had his own reasons for not wanting additional security—namely, that he didn’t trust anyone else, including the other people in this very room.

“Of course,” Julius said, and he didn’t seem too disappointed. “I’ll leave it to your discretion about the best way to create your art. But I have to say, I’m tremendously excited to see what you do with this.”

Terra seemed to struggle for words for a moment… then she threw her arms around Julius’s neck and hugged him. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “Thank you so much for this.”

Kaden gritted his teeth as Julius’s hands got a little too friendly with Terra’s back while returning the hug, but they broke apart before Kaden could object. Or punch something.

Fuck,
he was so messed up around this. Around
her.

His ragingly strong protective instinct aside, this whole thing was a tremendously bad idea. Once he had her alone again, he would talk her out of it. But, for the moment, he was outnumbered. And she wasn’t listening to him anyway.

“Looks like we’re done here?” Kaden directed his question to Terra.

She backed away from Julius, a smile on her face. “Yes, I think so. Thank you again, Julius.”

“No, thank
you,
my dear.” He smiled wide. “Please let me know as soon as you have any works to share. I would love to see the evolution of your process with this.” He handed her a small white card with just a name and a number on it.

Terra took it and thanked him again. Kaden ushered her away, leaving Sally and Julius in the warehouse, as he shepherded Terra back through the partitions in the gallery.

“I don’t like this,” he said, quietly. He was leading her back toward the car. “Roaming around the city—what part of that makes any sense to you? It’s insanely dangerous.”

She gripped his arm, pulling him to a stop. “It makes sense because it means I can do something important with the time I have left.”

Kaden squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, then open them and drilled a serious look into her deep, dark eyes.
“The time you have left?
Terra, I am not letting anyone—”

She stopped him with a raised finger. “There are no guarantees. Not of waking up in the morning. Not of living another day. Not in this life. I know you’re trying to protect me, but if death is coming for me, it will find me one way or another, no matter what you do. You have to let me do this. It makes everything worthwhile.”

Death was coming for her?
Jesus. He was shaking his head, but he didn’t have any words to fight this. “Terra, please don’t do this.”

Her expression softened, the anger fleeing. “I
need
to. Besides, I know somewhere safe we can go—somewhere I’ll be safer than any other part of the city. Come on. I’ll show you.” Then she turned her back on him and strode toward the underground parking lot.

Kaden hustled after her. This was a tremendously bad idea, but he had no idea how to stop it, short of physically wrestling her into the car and driving her back to the safehouse. And she would fight that, fang and claw. Which he could handle, but still… she would complain directly to the mayor and get him pulled off this detail before he could blink.

And then she would be even worse off.

Goddammit.
This was a mess.

Wherever she was dragging him off to, he would simply have to do everything possible to minimize the danger. He would defend her with his life, if he had to. And not just because it was his job. Or because his protective instinct was in hyper overdrive. But because she was actually trying to do something good for the city and
all
its people, including shifters.

And he’d be damned if she wasn’t right—that made everything worthwhile.