The Wolf Within (Purgatory #1)(56)

It looked like he didn’t have much of a choice. “Holly’s safe.” Not a question, a demand.

“Yes! I left agents at her place to keep an eye on her. She’s protected, okay?”

A light scent teased Duncan’s nose. Sex and honey. In hell. He gave a sharp negative shake of his head.

“What?” Pate barked. “What is it?”

“Holly.”

“She’s—”

“Here.” His snarl. Pate had betrayed him for the last time. He would cut the bastard open.

“That’s not possible!”

“I smell her.” Not just her sweet scent, but also her fear. Holly was there, and she was terrified.

Footsteps echoed, the tread coming toward him. The prison guard that Pate had spoken of?

A growl built in Duncan’s throat.

“Let him take you into the general population,” Pate whispered. “Do it. Dammit, I’ve got a mole in this prison, and he told me we don’t have much time.”

“Why didn’t he tell you who was behind the setup?”

“Because he’s a weak werewolf, the runt of this joint, and he doesn’t have that kind of power.”

Duncan inhaled again on a deep breath. “Holly.”

“Are you f*cking sure?”

The guard was almost on them.

Duncan nodded.

“I’ll get her,” Pate promised. “I’ll search the prison, and I’ll get her out, I swear. Just do this mission. You can’t even imagine how many lives are at stake.”

He could imagine plenty. Only right then, there was only one life that mattered to him.

Holly’s scent was coming closer because the guard was coming closer. The guard had been near her. Near enough for Holly’s scent to recently rub off on him.

My senses are even more enhanced.

Duncan held Pate’s glittering stare. “I’ll get her,” Duncan said, “and I’ll end this f*cking mission.”

Pate wouldn’t use him again.

Pate didn’t get a chance to reply. The door opened, and the guard came in. A middle aged, balding man, he froze when he saw the broken bars—and Duncan.

“It’s all right,” Pate said. The director had a gun in his hand. When had he pulled that out? “I have him contained. Just collar him, now.”

With trembling hands, the guard hurried forward and snapped a collar around Duncan’s neck. When the guard lifted his hands…that was when Duncan noticed the fresh puncture wounds on the man’s neck.

Holly’s scent was coming from those wounds.

Just what was his vampiress doing?

“S-supposed to collar him,” the guard said. “Bring him in…”

Was it his imagination or did the guard look dazed?

The collar snapped in place. Even though the silver was glowing, Duncan didn’t feel a burn. “Come with me,” the guard said, lifting the collar’s remote.

After one final look at a tense-faced Pate, Duncan followed the guard out. They walked through a series of hallways, past heavy, silver doors. Duncan caught the salty scent of the ocean, drifting in to him from the windows high above.

“Werewolves aren’t allowed out during full moons. So you’ll be locked up tight then,” the guard told him.

The full moon had just passed. Duncan had survived that night. Well, partially, and he wasn’t exactly planning on hanging around the prison until the full moon came calling once more.

“The werewolves are housed on the south side. The vampires on the north.”

Since he was supposed to be some combination of both, where did that put him?

“But you’re due for an infirmary check first. Got to make sure your collar’s strong enough to last, but not strong enough to kill you.”

Uh, yeah, that was good.

Then the guard was motioning with his weapon. Pointing toward a door on the right. “Ten minutes in the infirmary.”

Was this standard protocol?

“The doctor’s waiting,” the guard muttered, looking away.

His doc?

Duncan shuffled forward. The door to the infirmary opened, and she was there. Wide eyes. Red lips. Face so f*cking beautiful that she’d haunt him forever.

“Is he secure?” Her voice was flat.

“Y-yes…” The guard stammered.

She turned those deep eyes on the guard. “Then stand outside the door. Don’t let anyone in while I’m with the prisoner.”

She reached for Duncan’s arm. Pulled him inside. She shut and bolted the door behind him. The guard didn’t say a word.

Then her mouth was on Duncan’s. Just the touch of her mouth against his seemed to ignite a firestorm inside of him.

He’d thought he’d lusted for her before, but now every sense was heightened. Every emotion raged out of control.

He wanted to bite her so badly that his teeth ached.

Her tongue thrust against his. He loved her taste. Would never get enough of it. Couldn’t get enough of her.

Mine.

The beast was still inside him, but that claim came fully from the man.

Holly pulled her mouth from his. “I was afraid I’d lost you.” Her words were hushed. He could hear the whisper of pain in her voice. Her gaze was stark as she stared up at him. “I’m so sorry, Duncan.”