I sat and wiped the tears that hadn’t managed to stop in spite of his caresses. “You know I would never do that to you.”

Aric’s jaw tightened. “Then why is his rancid scent against your skin?”

I reached for my shirt, unable to look at him. The day hadn’t started well. Fate had propelled it in a dreadful direction. And now it ended with an insolent slap. I pulled my shirt back on and attempted to bind the pant string. My sobs rested close to the surface, and the lump in my throat ached with a throbbing tightness. My hands trembled so badly I abandoned the ties and buried my face into my palms. Aric didn’t trust me. Was he so blind to my love? Couldn’t he see that I’d die for him without thinking twice?

“Celia. Why do you carry his scent!”

My hands fell away from my face. “Misha came to see me at work today uninvited. He grabbed me against him. I wasn’t expecting it—”

“I will f**king kill him!”

“No. You won’t.” I took Aric’s hands in mine. “He didn’t hurt me, Aric. He just surprised me. I made it clear we were together and that he needed to respect our relationship.” My eyes burned and my vision blurred. “I told him that you . . . that you mean everything to me. And that I couldn’t picture my life without you.”

Aric didn’t say anything, although I waited. And then finally I couldn’t wait anymore. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and curled into my body.

Aric seized me against him. In his arms, against his thrumming heart, I choked on the honesty of my revelation. He murmured to me in French and soft wolfish sounds similar to those that Miguel had used to help Sandra through her torment. There was one major difference between them and us. Miguel and Sandra were forever, whereas I held on to Aric by my bleeding fingertips.

• • •

Lights flashed. Again, and again, like an obnoxious strobe light against my tired lids. I sat up abruptly in bed in time to hear something fall off the roof and see Aric’s gray wolf form leap through the screen. I scrambled out the window and landed in a crouch on the front lawn.

A midnight wolf soared from Taran’s window, followed by a brown one racing from behind the house. They charged through the wooded path where Aric had disappeared. I tore after them, blocking out Koda’s deep shout. “Celia, wait!”

The soles of my feet padded through the cold forest floor. I paid no mind to the sharp rocks, bits of bark, or the cold wind biting through my scrubs. The trail led to the main road and also served as a shortcut to the beach. I’d almost reached the end when I encountered Liam, the brown wolf, clenching a camera by the torn strap with his fangs. “Liam, where’s Aric?”

He ignored me and then blocked my body with his when I tried to advance. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”

I shifted, and surfaced behind him, only to have Koda grasp my arm. He wore only jeans. He must have shoved them on before chasing me. I was surprised he also didn’t go wolf, but I supposed he didn’t want to garner more attention than necessary.

Koda held tight when I tried to shrug him off. I glared at his hand, then at him. The day sucked. And the night hadn’t taken a turn for the better. I’d fallen asleep in Aric’s arms, exhausted and miserable. I didn’t want to fight with Koda, but I needed to ensure Aric’s safety. “Koda, let go of me.”

Koda shook his head. “Aric wants you to stay put. Don’t worry, he’s not alone. Gemini’s other half is with him.”

I jerked my arm free. “Paul wasn’t alone, either.”

“They’re hunting a were,” Koda said in response. He lifted the camera from Liam’s maw and hit a few of the buttons.

I glanced toward where Aric’s scent quickly faded in the wind . . . along with the smell of the wereweasal. Oh, crap. My head whipped toward the camera. Shit. Shit. Shit. The sneaky bastard had photographed us again. My feet dug into the earth, ready to lurch forward and ditch the wolves.

Koda kept me in place through reason I know longer believed I possessed. “Try to understand, Celia. Aric’s had a rough day and needs to regain some control.” His growl ended the conversation as his tumultuous brown eyes fixed on the camera’s digital screen. I stood on my toes and peered over the crook of his arm.

My lids peeled back. Each flick of the button revealed images of me and Aric together—dining at restaurants, standing on the porch the first night we’d made love, walking through Incline Village, jogging along the beach . . . and lying in bed. I stumbled back, shock, humiliation, and anger forcing my fangs to protrude. The number in the corner of the screen stated the camera held sixty-five images. Were they all of me and Aric?

Koda continued to scan through the images. My body shut down. My fangs changed back to my human teeth and my arms drooped to my sides. The wind increased in intensity, mussing my hair and flapping the sides of my loose-fitting top. I ignored it and Koda’s audible protests over the photos. What the hell could this idiot hope to gain? I’d dismissed him as just another supernatural critter interested as to what my sisters and I were, but now I wasn’t so sure.

Koda flipped open the tiny compartment housing the memory card and snapped the chip to shards between his large fingers. I stared blankly into the darkness where the last of Aric’s aroma dissipated. The were hadn’t just pushed his way into our lives; he’d violated our privacy. I wanted to scream. But I refused to give the little prick even that. He wouldn’t break me. And I’d be damned if I let him dirty the moments Aric and I had shared.

Soft fur found its way beneath my hand. Liam whined and rubbed his side against my ribs. I patted his head. “I’m okay, Liam. Thanks.”

He wagged his tail and gave me a wolfish grin, but the arrival of Aric’s beast made him immediately back away. Aric’s lips peeled back from a mouthful of not-so-inviting sunshine. Koda spoke into his shoulder, carefully avoiding his Alpha’s glare. “He’s been photographing you and Celia for a while. The images date back to as early as March when you met. Some are of you alone. Others show you sharing more . . . intimate moments. I destroyed the memory card after going through them. No one will see them now.”

Aric’s snarls ceased and his mouth snapped shut. Yet it was the hatred reflecting in his irises that made him appear more lethal than when he’d protruded his fangs. The wolves, including Gemini, who’d arrived behind Aric, circled out and away from him. I draped myself over his back and hugged his neck. “I’d woken to flashing lights a few times. But I dismissed them as dreams. I didn’t think to tell you. I should have known something was up.”

Aric curled against me and nudged me with his nose. Koda gave us his back, attempting to give us privacy and a moment for me to help ease Aric’s wolf. As the tension beneath Aric’s muscles lifted, Koda marched toward our neighborhood, his fist tight around the camera strap. Liam and Gemini flanked our sides. “Come, Celia,” Koda said with an edge to his voice. “Aric will do better once you return to the house.”

Maybe. The moment I released Aric his protective nature and his agitation returned, boiling over like a tub of acid. I kept my hand on his back. “It’s okay, love.”

My sisters waited on the front porch with Gemini. Taran tugged her robe tighter around her br**sts and followed me into the house. “Son of a bitch. If that a**hole shows his goddamn mug here again, you’re going to be scraping his charred remains off Mrs. Mancuso’s freak-ass lawn ornaments.”

Gemini must have updated my sisters on the latest debacle. He held Taran against him, his voice heavy with the credence of my family’s distress. “He’d be a fool to return now.”

“A dead fool,” Koda muttered. No one looked happy. Worry creased Shayna’s brow, but the way she clutched the knife at her side also demonstrated that rage didn’t linger far behind.

Emme threw her arms around me. “I don’t like this, Celia. Not one bit.”

“I don’t, either,” I admitted. My hold around her didn’t last. The fur prickling against Aric’s neck told me he needed the space that would only come from the sanctity of our bedroom. He trailed me upstairs without a sound from his massive form. I shut the window and the shades tight and drew the heavy drapes I’d never bothered to close.

I padded into the bathroom to wash my sore feet and redressed in a clean tank top and panties. Aric kept his wolf form. In a way I expected it. What I didn’t expect was for him to join me in bed as a beast.

I stroked the fur along his back and allowed the motion and his presence to soothe me. Aric typically slept with his back to the window. Not tonight. All four-hundred-plus pounds of him faced the large window, guarding and shielding me from the evils that prowled the night.

CHAPTER 19

“You sure you want to do this?”

It was hard to answer, considering Aric asked while he nibbled on my ear. “Yes, dear. Someone has to show your wolves how it’s done.”

Koda growled something about a jar of catnip and where I could stick it as he drove his mighty SUV. “Don’t you have bunnies to disembowel?” I shot back.

Liam shook his head. “Emme says I’m not allowed to do that anymore.”

I shrank back at his comment and glanced out the window while the other wolves barked out laughs. The sloping mountains and forest of Squaw Valley presented the perfect place to build a school for werewolves—and the best place to test their fighting skills. Paul’s death and that of the two weres demanded blood. Aric, his Warriors, and his Elders wanted to provide that opportunity. But the demon lord remained unknown. So did the extent of his power. Everyone needed to be prepared to fight and kill. Everyone.

Koda veered along the dirt path until the forest became too dense with vegetation to maneuver the vehicle. I hopped out the moment he stopped, and narrowly missed stepping into an overgrowth of ferns. The forest was lush and thick with the scent of magic. The Den students paced close by, their collective excitement and were magic piercing through the stratum of the beautiful forest. My tigress stretched within, vitalized by our surroundings.

Thick tree branches blocked most of the sun and infused the air with freshness tangible enough to taste. Aric strode beside me, carrying a box of supplies. We followed the wolves down a winding path that ended at a vast open field surrounded by more forest. I shielded my eyes from the bright sun. The clearing seemed to go on forever.

“Is this private property?” I asked Aric.

“It belongs to us. It’s part of the many properties we’ve acquired for Den use.”

We moved forward to where the students assembled in human forms, dressed in their school-issued navy and silver sweats. They parted as we approached. And while I’d initially been eager to meet them, they quickly unnerved me. The crowd of young weres scrutinized me with challenging gazes as I passed, some of them snarling. As an outsider, I’d expected some resistance, but not such blatant animosity, especially in Aric’s presence.

My tigress chuffed restlessly in anticipation of a fight. Aric dropped the box he carried and let out a growl that made the students immediately lower their gazes. “This is my Celia,” he snapped, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. “You will respect her.”

Aric’s declaration flipped my emotions. I went from alert predator to shy tween in under a second. Aric didn’t bother to retrieve the box. Instead he took my hand and rubbed my palm with his thumb before leading me through the now quiet crowd.

“You’ll also show proper respect to her sisters when they arrive,” Koda added, looking meaner than ever. “Now let’s begin.”

Gemini and Liam divided the students into four groups of varying ages and athletic abilities. Gem had just begun to explain the testing exercises when I spotted my sisters walking toward us on the wooded path. I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Sisterhood, especially in our respect, truly was powerful.

Taran scraped her sandal on the ground, dragging her foot behind her in an odd way. I wasn’t sure why until the breeze carried a foul scent to my nose. She kicked her foot harder. “Son of a bitch, I just stepped in deer shit!”

“I think that’s chipmunk poop,” Emme clarified.

“I don’t care what the fu—”

“Woo-hoo! Look, there’s Koda. Hi, puppy!” Shayna waved excitedly, then skipped down the small hilltop.

Aric and I exchanged glances and tried not to laugh at her ultracheerleader enthusiasm. His lips tickled my ear. “Being that peppy must be exhausting,” he muttered.

Shayna threw her arms around Koda and wrapped her thin legs around his waist. The collection of students gaped at Koda; I’m sure they were surprised he didn’t eat her.

Koda nuzzled Shayna’s neck. “Hi, baby. I’ve been worried. Did you get lost?”

“Just a little.”

Koda kissed her lips and set her down. Not that the students noticed. Their eyes locked on to Taran’s skimpy denim shorts as she sashayed her way to Gemini. She tossed back her ebony waves so they draped over the tiny white T-shirt hugging her br**sts, and gave him a “let’s have sex against a tree” smile. “What will you have me do?”

Gemini Hamamatsu. Beta wolf. Intelligent. Communicative. Eloquent. Usually. “Ahhh.”

The students burst out laughing, but Koda’s death glare quickly silenced them like an invisible slap. Despite his cuddly disposition with Shayna seconds before, his ferociousness returned with a vengeance.

Emme blushed sweetly when Liam jogged over and led her to his group. She’d stayed next to me, too timid to confront the crowd by herself.