Dreaming of the Wolf (Heart of the Wolf #8)(48)

She stiffened.

“Is it her, Tom?” the police officer asked.

“If the way Jake’s holding her still is any indication, it sure looks to be,” Tom said. “What do you want me to do with her, Jake?” He dropped a bundle of clothes down next to the wolf that was pinning her down.

Without a doubt, Jake was the wolf, which meant he had to be a werewolf. Newly turned like her? Had Ferdinand turned him, too?

No, no, Ferdinand had said he was all alone. That he didn’t want to be alone. She was sure that’s why he had turned her.

She stared at Jake in disbelief. She’d never get used to any of this. How many were there really?

Jake slowly released her, but she didn’t move. His eyes told her to stay still. Dark concerned eyes. He sat up, but he was still way too close. She was certain that if she tried to bolt, he’d pin her right back down.

Tom put his hands on his hips. “Two of the men who went after her got away. They could be looking for her now. Should we take her home with us?”

But she hadn’t seen Jake since she’d been turned. He couldn’t have known unless Ferdinand had told him. None of it made any sense. Maybe Ferdinand hadn’t been making any sense to her that night.

And maybe all of these men were in with Ferdinand Massaro. Or maybe only Jake. The others might be clueless about what Jake had been doing in Breckenridge.

The wolf stood and kept a wary eye on her. She finally moved to a sitting position, figuring she didn’t have much choice about where she was going. Surely, these men meant to protect her for now, which had to be a good thing. Until she could shift, grab some clothes, and run.

Tom motioned back to the road. “We’ll take you with us. Don’t run, Alicia. Jake will chase you down if you try, and we’ll have to resort to other measures. We’ll give you protection at our home. You won’t get a better offer.”

Offer. The kind that no one could refuse. Jake had no intention of letting her go. Just like Ferdinand, if he hadn’t been murdered, had planned to keep her for his own.

She would probably shift again before long, and then without clothes to wear, what was she to do?

She stood, more shakily than she wanted to let on, then trotted back toward the road. Jake kept pace beside her, brushing her shoulder and hip with his as if to remind her he wasn’t going to permit her to deviate from her path. But his touching her was also a reminder of the intimacy they’d shared and which seemed odd now that they were both wolves. She wouldn’t have thought she could feel that way about him in this form. Yet, the deep feelings of longing for him stirred in her blood just like they always did when he was with her, either for real or in her dream state.

She didn’t try to move away from him, too aware of the way his heated body felt touching hers, making her desire him something fierce. She craved that closeness and wanted to renew their friendship, to make love to him in the flesh again and rekindle the bond that came of the sexual contact. And that made her hate herself for allowing herself to be taken in by his dark seductive ways. For wanting a wolf. But he wasn’t just a wolf. He was Jake. The man of her dreams. The man who had swept her off her feet the minute she’d laid eyes on him in Breckenridge that first day.

She glanced at him and couldn’t help but admire the beautiful way his dark brown fur masked the hairs between his eyes and ears, the fur dark red down his nose, and the same dark red coloring the curve of his ears, while he had beige fur underneath his chin and on his throat and chest. Dark brown fur covered his back like a saddle. He looked—distinguished, intelligent, his darkened brown eyes looking back at her, watching her expression as if he was trying to read what she thought of him. And in an instant, she remembered him from before. Remembered the way the wolf had growled at the two men who had accosted her on the trail where she’d left the wreath for her mother. This wolf. Jake.

She barely breathed as she thought about it further. About how the wolf had run off, then Jake appeared shortly afterward on the path. It had been Jake, coming to her protection.

That again tied him in with Ferdinand Massaro, didn’t it? He was a werewolf like Ferdinand, so they had to have a connection. That he and Ferdinand both were gunning for Mario. But when the men had come after her, definitely Mario’s men, Jake had once again stepped in to ensure her safety. She didn’t want to think of Jake like that. She didn’t want to believe he’d just been using her.

Breaking into her dark thoughts, Jake nuzzled her face, and the feeling was akin to the caress of a soft cheek against a soft cheek, only in this case, fur against fur. But her whiskers were extremely sensitive and his touching hers was pure delight, no matter how much she attempted to rally against the feelings he stirred in her.

He licked her face, then continued to run beside her, sticking close, touching, endearing, reassuring. Like when he’d held her cold hand in the restaurant, letting her know he was there for her when the menacing thug was ordering her from the place, Jake was here for her now. But it seemed unreal to feel these things for him as a wolf when he was also one.

Maybe he did truly care for her, but the fact he had been with Ferdinand ruined any chance she and Jake would have ever had.

“Peter can drive if you don’t want to shift back,” Tom said to Jake. “Or I can. I’ll let Darien know we’re headed back to Silver Town.” He pulled a cell phone off his belt and flipped it open, then punched a button. “Hey, Darien, we’ve found Alicia Greiston. The little lady’s a pretty gray wolf. We’re headed back to town now.” He paused and looked at Jake. “Yeah, Jake’s a wolf right now, too. All right. See you in about an hour,” Tom said into his cell phone, then snapped it shut and shoved it back in its pouch.