Primal Law (Alpha Pack #1)(28)
He'd been nuts to kiss her, much less make demands they weren't ready for. Who was he kidding? He'd never be ready to settle down with any woman. Not after-no. She was a nightmare he would not revisit. The only purpose Beryl served now was as a fitting reminder of why he was alone. Why he would stay that way?
He'd take back what he said to Kira about staying away from other men. Tell her it was a mistake, which was the truth. It was as though someone else's mouth had been saying the words, but he hadn't been able to stop them.
But this itching under his skin was abominable. He had to find sexual relief ASAP. And not from his own hand. He needed to bury his c**k in a hot, willing sheath and f**k until he couldn't breathe any longer. It wouldn't be Kira, no matter that the idea made his wolf whine in distress.
Any woman would have to do. Today, tomorrow night at the latest, he'd call on Jacee. She had never turned him away, and probably never would. He didn't need Kira, just a sleek body, and he'd remind himself of that soon.
"Jax, are you with me?"
Jerking his head up, he found everyone's attention on him. Great. Meeting Nick's gaze, he schooled his face into a cool mask. The man saw far too much. "I'm sorry. I missed what you said."
After shooting Jaxon a look of irritation, the older man started over. "We've got two cases Grant dropped on my desk early this morning. The first is a string of murders that have happened around Cody. Or more accurately, the bodies were dumped outside town, but the victims were killed elsewhere. The second is a guy who's been hanging around the cemetery not far from where the bodies were found and is doing a bang-up job of making the locals nervous. Whether or not he's responsible for the killings or knows anything about them, we don't know, but we're going to find out."
Zander spoke up. "Why'd we catch this? Sounds like a job for the sheriff's office."
Ryon smacked his friend on the back of the head. "Why do ya think, idiot? These aren't just any bodies and this dude is no ordinary drifter. Otherwise, Grant wouldn't have become involved."
A few snickers ensued before Nick continued. "Correct. There have been four bodies discovered in shallow graves on the northeast border of the Shoshone, all within a few yards of one another. After the sheriff's office and forensics went over the area, the county coroner was called out. He immediately ascertained what the cops suspected-all four bodies were in varying stages of decomposition, the most recent one dead only a few days."
"They found a dumping ground," Jaxon guessed.
"Right. All were men, approximate age range early twenties to early thirties. No IDs, and no men have been reported missing from Cody or the surrounding areas. In layman's terms, the men were tortured to death. It appears they were kept in captivity-ligature marks on the wrists and ankles-and were malnourished. Scalpel marks and missing tissue from several areas of the body suggest they endured some kind of medical procedure."
"Jesus," Ryon whispered. At first Jaxon thought his friend was reacting to what Nick said. But his eyes were closed and his face had paled, his skin gray and clammy. "I don't know what you want. I don't understand."
"Crap, somebody bring him back," Aric blurted. It always unnerved the normally brash wolf when Ryon's spirits came to call.
The sole Channeler and Telepath on the team, Ryon was often sought out by the dead beseeching him for help he didn't know how to give. Like now.
Jaxon would take his ability as a RetroCog any day. He had no control over events that had already occurred, but at least he wasn't barraged by dead people, and that suited him just fine.
Leaning close, he gripped his friend's shoulder and shook gently. "Hey, buddy. Let them go, come on back." The blond's eyes fluttered open. "Ryon?"
"God, I hate when they blindside me," he rasped. "Why can't they get that there's not a damned thing I can do to help them?"
"How many this time?" Nick asked, frowning.
"Two. They were yelling at me, but as usual, the words were garbled. One kept pointing at you, like he was all worked up by what you were telling us."
"One of the four victims?"
"Maybe. I don't know. You got photos?"
"Not yet. Grant is sending them by e-mail shortly."
"Okay." Ryon rubbed his temples.
"You all right?"
"I'm fine. Not gonna toss my cookies or anything. Sorry about that, guys."
Hammer thumped him on the back. "Give yourself a break, man. It's all good." From the quiet one of the bunch, it was practically a speech.
Nick got the meeting on track again, keeping a wary eye on Ryon. "So the coroner determines cause of death. Imagine his surprise to discover the men weren't human."
Aric whistled through his teeth. "Let the fun begin."
"No shit." This from Zan.
"Shifters?" Jaxon wondered aloud. His mind drifted to the suspicions Kira had shared with him and Nick, and the gene/DNA report she'd read. Nick's eyes met his, and Jaxon knew his boss was thinking the same thing, though how they could be related was a mystery.
"Bingo. To say the coroner got excited is an understatement. Thank Christ Sheriff Deveraux is in our loop and got to the man before he had the chance to blab the news to everyone he knew. Deveraux called Grant, and now we're 'assisting' the sheriff's office in the investigation. Off the record, of course."