The Heat

  “Okay,” Lily said softly. “I’m listening.”

  Tabitha sat back down. “All right, now bear with me. I never thought I’d have to explain our entire existence to someone one day.” She seemed to collect herself for a second. Then she said, “Werewolves have existed for thousands… oh hell, probably hundreds of thousands of years. I don’t honestly remember, to tell you the truth. Gramps once told me some of our history, but I was a teenager and I ignored him like all good teenagers do.”

  Lily hugged the sheets closer, wishing she had a comforter to go with them.

  “Only the males get the gene. It’s utterly unfair. Sort of. I mean, along with their powers comes a price.”

  “What powers?” Lily found herself asking.

  “Well, they’re very strong. I mean very strong. We’re talkin’, lift-a-car-with-your-bear-hands kind of strong. And they’re fast. Some werewolves can move so fast that their forms blur to the human eye. They don’t age as fast as humans do, either. Once they reach their optimum age – usually around twenty-seven or twenty-eight – they get older about half as fast as humans do. Sometimes even slower.”

  She bit her lip as if trying to remember everything. “They heal really quickly. A cut only takes a few minutes to heal up. I was really jealous of Danny for that one. I was always scarring up my knees when I was little and Danny hasn’t a scar anywhere on his damned body.” She scowled at that and then blinked and continued. “Their kiss can have several effects, dependin’ on what they wanna do. As you most likely learned, it can steal your strength, sap it right out of you. They can put you to sleep with their kiss. And….” Tabitha blushed suddenly, as if she wasn’t sure she should say any more on the subject.

  But Lily pinned her with her gold-flecked gaze. “Go on.”

  “Well…. They can make you feel, you know… good.”

  It was Lily’s turn to blush now. That would explain the orgasm she’d had as she’d fallen into unconsciousness.

  “Ah. You know about that one too.” Tabitha nodded, pulling her lips in to keep from smiling. “Okay, moving on.” She adjusted on the bed a little and continued. “They’ve got great senses. They can hear and smell and even see better than humans or even wolves can. It’s not a natural thing at all. They can also change any part of their body between human and wolf form whenever they want to. When I was six and Danny was ten, he went as a vampire for Halloween and everyone just thought he had these great make-up artist fangs on. But they were real. He loved it.”

  She paused then and chewed on her cheek. “Of course, sometimes they can’t control all of these changes. There are sicknesses that only hit werewolves; human illnesses don’t affect them. When Danny was sick with a bad fever once, his fangs stayed out the whole time. Our parents kept him home from school, as you can guess.”

  Lily noticed the shadow that crossed her friend’s features at the mention of her parents. They’d been killed when Tabitha was eight. Murdered on a camping trip they’d taken to celebrate their anniversary. No one had ever found the killer.

  Lily reached out and took her friend’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Tabitha looked up. Their eyes met and it seemed to give Tabitha the strength to go on. “Only a few things can kill a werewolf. Like the Highlander, if they lose their head they’re a goner. I think the same thing goes for fire. And werewolves can kill each other; their wounds don’t heal but at a normal pace. That’s why it’s against clan law for a werewolf to attack another of our kind unless in self-defense or in the defense of family.” She glanced down at Lily’s arm. “That includes defending mates.”

  Lily took another shaky breath and let go of Tabitha’s hand. She turned to stare straight ahead for a minute, attempting to smooth everything out in her head. To compartmentalize it and make sense of it all. To her, it sounded a lot like Tabitha had just told her that Daniel Kane was from planet Krypton.

  “Is there anything a werewolf can’t do?” she asked softly.

  “Well, there is one thing.”

  Tabitha’s tone was so soft that Lily couldn’t help but turn to look at her again. “What is it?” Lily asked.

  “They can’t get anyone pregnant – anyone but their chosen mate,” Tabitha told her solemnly. “And until they find that mate, the need to track down that one special person can drive a werewolf mad. That’s the price I was talking about.”

  “And you think that I’m Daniel’s mate?”

  “I don’t think it, Lily. I know it. You dreamed about him – you saw him – changing into his true form. You were born to be mated to an alpha werewolf and I shouldn’t have hidden you from Daniel all of these years. It’s just that…” she trailed off, becoming irritated. “Well, you were fourteen and I could just see my best friend, at fourteen years old, walking around with a belly the size of a whale and I had no one else, Lily. The thought made me sick. So, I…” She sighed. “I told him to stay away from you.” She looked back up at Lily again and her expression was apologetic. “And he did.”

  Lily stared at her friend with wide eyes. All this time, she’d just figured that Daniel wasn’t interested in her. Didn’t want her because she wasn’t easy. Or maybe because she was too plain. Or something. But whatever it was, she’d assumed she just wasn’t Daniel’s type. And then she’d come back to Baton Rouge and suddenly his attitude toward her was worlds different.

  “He’s not staying away now,” she said absently.

  “No,” Tabitha agreed. “He’s not. He’s always wanted you, Lily. I could tell it drove him crazy that he had promised to leave you alone. And when you came back? Well, he probably took one look at you and threw his promise out the window. And then there’s the scent thing-”

  “What scent thing?”

  “Dormants carry a certain scent so that a werewolf can recognize one when they meet one. Danny probably caught yours right away and made up his mind on the spot.” She sighed deeply. “Accept it, Lily. You’re meant to be his.”

  “His?” Lily suddenly felt angry. She wasn’t sure which crazy direction the anger was coming from, there were so many to choose from. But something was rubbing her way wrong. This whole situation was abrasive in the worst way. “I’m meant to be mine, Tabitha. I don’t belong to anyone else.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tabitha hurried. “I didn’t mean it to sound that way-”

  “And what if this… Dormant, or whatever you call it, doesn’t want to be a mate? What if she falls for a human instead and doesn’t want to give birth to a litter of puppies?” Lily went on.

  Tabitha blinked. “Are you tellin’ me you don’t want Danny?”

  “No!” Lily answered, her cheeks burning red. “I’m not telling you that. I just don’t think it’s right for someone’s fate to be mapped out like this. Doesn’t a person have some sort of say over what they do with their own lives?”

  Tabitha sat back and eyed Lily for a moment. Then she stood from the bed and began pacing. “As far as I know, there isn’t a mate in our history who hasn’t wanted to become one. Maybe if you’re not meant to be with someone, you just won’t feel anything for them. And you definitely have feelings for Danny. Don’t tell me you don’t.”

  Lily threw her friend an exasperated look and then turned away to look at the floor. She pulled the sheets even tighter around herself and could actually smell Daniel’s cologne on them. A wave of anticipation washed over her, tightening her belly. It was powerful. Too powerful. Everything Tabitha said made loads of sense. It was mind-blowing.

  “By the way, he wanted me to tell you he was sorry,” Tabitha said.

  Lily blinked and looked up at her.

  “For the way this went down, no doubt.”

  Lily considered that a moment. In the end, she realized she didn’t have anything to say to it. But her chest felt heavier now. “So why am I here?” she eventually asked. “Why did he kidnap me and bring me here and put this – whatever it is – on my arm?” She looked down at the vivid blue knot on her arm. Again her stomach tighten
ed. Warmth flooded her and pooled between her legs.

  Tabitha didn’t seem to notice. In fact, when Lily looked up at her friend, it was to find that Tabitha had gone very pale. “Lily, you know that author you like so much? Malcolm Cole?”

  Lily nodded, frowning.

  “He’s a werewolf too. And, somehow, he knows about you. He’s come here to claim you and he’s a very smart, very powerful werewolf.”

  Lily recalled everything that Daniel had told her about Cole that morning. “Daniel said he was a killer.”

  “Yes. He’s killed countless times. But by clan law, if you don’t catch a werewolf in the act of killing, you can’t bring him to justice. He knows how to cover his tracks so that humans never suspect him. And of course human law is just not adequate for dealing with our kind. So he goes scot-free.”

  The warmth that had engulfed Lily only moments ago was slipping away, and in its place settled an uneasiness. It almost made her queasy. “Why does he kill?”

  “For his books. And because he can.”

  “Oh my God.” Lily thought about how much she’d enjoyed his work, how much she’d gotten into it, and she really did start to feel nauseated. “He’s a monster,” she muttered. “Christ, I’m a monster. I love his books.”

  “No, Lily. He’s a monster, and he’s also a good writer. Why do you think he’s sold so many books? Why do you think he’s so famous? What you need to concentrate on right now is protecting yourself from him. He can’t come into Daniel’s home. They’re both alpha males and can’t cross into one another’s territory. That’s why Danny brought you here. And he marked you because as long as you bear the mark of one alpha, you can’t be claimed by another.”

  Lily’s head was spinning. “You think that Cole would come after me?”

  Tabitha made a bewildered face, but nodded and shrugged. “It seems like a bit of a coincidence – you here at the same time that he is.”

  A pregnant silence stretched. Finally, Lily asked, “If I’m marked, then I’m safe. Why should I have to stay here?”

  “Just because you’re marked doesn’t mean you can’t be kidnapped. And being marked has its nasty side effects where other alphas are concerned I’m afraid.”

  Lily’s gaze narrowed. Her teeth felt like they were vibrating in her skull. “Like what?” she ground out.

  “Well….” Tabitha sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed again. “Just stay here, okay? If you leave, all bets are off.”

  “Jesus, Tabitha! How freaking long am I stuck here for?”

  “Until Daniel can figure out a way to deal with Cole.”

  Lily’s heart sank into her stomach. “And how long will that be?”

  Tabitha shook her head, her look sullen. “Cole’s been searching for a mate for more than seventy years. He’s got a few on Danny and, like I said, he’s a real bright man. He’s probably real damned determined too, so this could take some time.”

  “Did you say he was seventy years old?”

  “No, I said he’d been searching for a mate for seventy years. He’s at least ninety years old.”

  “He looks Daniel’s age,” Lily said in wonderment.

  “Didn’t I tell you? They age half as fast, remember? Some lucky ones age even slower; about a third as fast as a human, maybe less. He’s one of those lucky bastards. He’s a very powerful alpha, Lily.” Tabitha shivered and added, softly, “He scares the bejesus out of me.”

  Lily noted the shiver and tried to swallow, but her dry throat wouldn’t work past the lump. She grabbed the glass of water beside the bed and took several big drinks. Then she replaced the glass. “Tabitha, how does Cole even know I exist? How did he find me?”

  “I don’t know, girl. I was wondering about that too. But he’s resourceful. And Dormants are rare these days. I guess he found a way.”

  The two fell into a companionable silence then, each with their own dark thoughts. The room filled up with quietness until finally, Tabitha stood once more and ran her hands nervously over her jeans.

  “Look, are you hungry? It’s like five o’clock. You must be starving.”

  Lily thought about it for a moment. The truth was, she was so shocked that food sounded somewhat repulsive to her. But she knew she should eat. It wouldn’t do to begin starving herself when her body might need its strength more than ever.

  “Yeah, I guess I could eat.”

  “Okay. Daniel doesn’t eat at home, so…. There’s a Subway just three houses down. I’ll get us some sandwiches and be right back.” She paused at the door. “Stay inside, okay?”

  Lily nodded and Tabitha left.

  It was a while before Lily finally dropped the sheets from around her and crawled off of Daniel’s bed. It seemed to pull at her, to want her to stay, and she knew that she had it bad for him.

  And he’s a werewolf.

  She shook her head to clear it. Then she stood and walked to an adjoining door against one wall. It was either a closet or a bathroom, and she was hoping for either one. She had to relieve herself and she was also cold enough that she felt no shame in stealing one of Daniel’s sweaters.

  It was a bathroom. She used it and then found the closet, which was a walk-through wrap-around, connected to the bathroom. It was nice. She was jealous. He didn’t have enough clothes or shoes to fill up even a quarter of it.

  She did manage to find a thick, warm sweater, though, and she didn’t hesitate in pulling it on. The fleece brushed enticingly against her skin and it smelled like him. She closed her eyes and breathed him in. There was that warmth again. “Hell,” she muttered. “You’re making me nuts, Kane.”

  When she exited the closet and the bathroom, it was to the sound of her cell phone ringing. Hungry Like the Wolf buzzed through her purse in muted cell phone tones. When she realized what the song was and that she’d chosen it without hesitation, she began to wonder if Tabitha might be right. Maybe she was supposed to be with Daniel. Maybe she’d known all along, and somewhere deep inside, that she was tied to the wolfen world in ways just as complex and inescapable as the blue design now marking her inner arm.

  She unzipped her purse and pulled the phone out. The screen flashed an unknown caller. She opened it and placed it to her ear without thinking. “Hello?”

  “Well, hello luv.” Rupert Everett’s voice, deep and intoxicating.

  Cole.

  Horror gripped Lily and the world tilted on its axis. She reached out to steady herself, grasping the wall for support.

  “I want you to come to me, Lily. Right now. And so does Tabitha.” There was a pause on the other end and then Lily could hear muffled sobs. “Don’t you, Tabitha.” There was a muffled cry, as if someone was screaming through a gag, and then more sobs.

  Lily’s fingernails dug into the paint on Daniel’s wall. Her knees gave out and she fell to the carpet, barely managing to continue holding the phone to her ear.

  “Please,” she whispered weakly. She was having a hard time pushing air through her vocal chords. Terror had her so hard that she was dizzy with it. “Don’t hurt her.”

  “Bluebonnet and Hillmont, luv. You’ve got fifteen minutes.”

  And the connection went dead.

  Chapter Seven: Honestly Officer, I Only Had One

  Lily was thankful, at least, that she didn’t actually have anything in her stomach at that moment, because if she had she would have thrown it up.

  Fifteen minutes…. Fifteen minutes…. Bluebonnet and Hillmont…. “Fuck!” She’d been out of town for a while and her memory of the street layout was vague. She did a quick scan of the room and found no computer. She ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She clumsily pressed the #2 and the “Talk” button on her phone as she went. The call went straight to Tabitha’s voice mail. Lily reached the top landing, closed the phone, and hurriedly looked around.

  There were three rooms upstairs. One was Daniel’s bedroom – no computer. One was a weight room containing what looked like an impossible amount of weights. No co
mputer. The third was a guest room. Again, a bust.

  She stood and spun in place, closing her eyes and pressing on her temples with her fingertips. Her thoughts felt like scattering ants, entropic and impossible.

  “Bluebonnet, Bluebonnet, Bluebonnet….” She recalled that one fairly quickly. A larger road, headed South East off of Airline. “Hillmont, Hillmont…. Where the hell is Hillmont!” She vaguely remembered that name. Something to do with construction. Relatively new?

  “Rollerblading!” she exclaimed, recalling that the new roads around Bluebonnet in the newer construction areas were perfect for rollerblading, which she and Sherry had done often before Lily had left Baton Rouge years ago. Okay, so she had a general idea of where she was going.

  Now, how to get there?

  Her mind was working triple time. She was at Daniel’s house. He was driving a squad car. Which meant that the bike was either at the police station – or here in the garage. In an instant, she was running through the kitchen to the garage door. On the way, she ran by a front window and noticed the blue-and-white parked out front. Two young men sat inside of it. One was drinking a bottle of what looked like Nestea. The other was eating something in a white wrapper.

  She almost swore again, but saved her energy. Instead, she grabbed the garage door handle and flung it open. A cavernous darkness greeted her beyond. She searched along the wall for a light and finally found it, flipping it on.

  Long strings of fluorescent lights buzzed and flicked overhead until the room was flooded in harsh light. Lily blinked a few times and then focused on the two vehicles parked in front of her. One was a giant black pickup truck with big tires and dried mud all over it. The other was the Harley Night Train.

  Immediately, she began looking for the key. Surely, he would leave it here close by. Please let it be here and not on his key chain! And then she found it, hanging on a hook against one wall above a work bench. She snatched it off and headed for the bike.