He stopped when he stood two arm lengths away, the same distance most men ever dared to approach. But then he surprised me by taking another step closer, followed by another. Oh, yeah. I don’t scare this wolf one bit.

“Let me take you home, Celia. There could be more infected vampires. You’re covered in blood; you’ll be easy prey.”

I liked the way he said my name, like he’d known me forever. My legs moved without permission and my words formed without thought. “Okay. Thank you.”

I trudged alongside Aric, careful to avoid any debris that would slice my feet. The strength of my beast toughened my skin, but it had its limits. My soles waved figurative white flags and begged for a good soak. I sighed the moment my toes touched the walkway, relishing the small amount of relief the cool concrete provided.

Aric scratched his head. “Do you, uh, want me to carry you?”

He’s offering to carry me….I blushed like an idiot. “Um, no. Thanks. I’ll manage.”

“I’m parked three blocks away. You can wait here while I get my car.”

The last thing I wanted was to remain in the company of weres. Aric had kept them from attacking, but his absence might make them reconsider. “I’m fine to walk.”

We hiked up the small hill, past a local bakery with a wide door. The lingering scent of fresh-baked croissants was a welcome aroma compared to the sour stench of blood and death. “How many humans died tonight?”

I hadn’t noticed Aric watching me until I glanced in his direction. He paused for a few beats, likely debating whether to tell me. “Nine,” he finally said. “All women. All inside the city limits.”

I nibbled on my lip, but didn’t like the taste. Something had splattered on me. I just hoped it wasn’t Tommy’s insides. “All from bloodlust?”

Aric nodded slowly. “You seem to know a lot about what’s going on.”

“A friend—” I stopped. Misha was hardly a friend. “Someone I know mentioned what was happening.” I skipped away from Misha territory, careful to avoid Aric’s questioning glance. “How many infected vamps were involved?”

“Three. All in varying degrees. The one who attacked the women in the alley drained seven of the victims.”

Good Lord. “Are you sure?”

Darkness shadowed Aric’s face. “Yes. Their throats had been devoured in the exact same way. The other two weren’t as sick, but they sure as hell were on their way.”

I froze suddenly. My tigress eyes replaced my own, searching the street for signs of movement.

“He’s not out there, Celia.” Aric’s gaze locked with deep fascination onto my face. “I killed him.”

I blinked my beast side away. Aric cocked his head. He didn’t comment on my unique ability to manage my inner animal. He also didn’t appear disturbed by it. I focused on his chest. The blood from his other shirt had soaked through to his tee. I wasn’t sure what changes a bloodlust vamp underwent during the different stages of the infection. But the women in the alley had been ravaged. Whatever Aric fought must have been chilling as all hell. “Did you kill him on your own?”

Aric nodded. “My students tried to help, but the thrill of the hunt made them careless. I ordered them to stand back.” He pushed his long hair from his eyes. “I finished him. But not before the prick took a chunk out of my thigh. While I healed, I sent them to search for more victims.” He stopped to face me. “Had I known my wolves would attack you, I never would have allowed them from my sight.”

The fire to Aric’s irises returned and the scent of his anger hit my nose like a tangible force. The urge to calm him consumed me. Instinctively I reached to touch his face. Aric watched my hand slowly inch toward the increasing warmth of his skin. But then common sense bitch-slapped me upside the head and I jerked my hand away. What’s wrong with me?

I took off, humiliated by my reaction.

Aric, of course, easily caught up. “Celia—”

“Why are you so pissed at your wolves for attacking me?”

“You’re innocent,” he answered simply.

My steps slowed as if the walkway had transformed into sand. I focused ahead and tried to ignore the sins from my past that rushed to the forefront of my mind. “You don’t know me, Aric. You’re wrong to think I’m innocent.”

“No. I’m not.”

I tilted my head to gauge Aric’s face. His tone sounded severe. Yet his strong masculine features held nothing but kindness. It seemed surreal for such a powerful being to be so compassionate. Except there was no doubt he meant what he said.

“Any other being would’ve killed those boys, Celia. You spared them at a great expense to yourself.”

Perhaps. But I’d refrained more for myself than for them, and namely because I didn’t relish killing anything.

Aric inched closer, sending his body heat to flicker across my skin in a playful caress. A small, sexy grin spread smoothly across his face, stealing my breath.

Whoa.

My mouth parted and I smiled back. It was easy. I liked how it made me feel. No. I liked how he made me feel.

But then Aric stopped smiling and cleared his throat. “My car’s just ahead.”

What?

It took me a moment to follow, unsure what I’d done to ruin the moment. Then again, I’d probably imagined the whole moment. God, I was pathetic. The small beep from his key fob finally made me move. I crossed the street to where his shiny black Escalade hugged the corner near a bridal boutique.

Aric kept his back to me and his breath came out slow and controlled, as if working to calm down. I thought he’d changed his mind about taking me home until he wrenched open the car door. “I’ll help you inside.”

“No. I’ll manage.” His rebuff hurt me, although I wasn’t sure why. I’d only just met the wolf. His actions shouldn’t have bothered me.

But they did.

I held on to my injured arm and used just my legs to climb into the monstrous hybrid. My flexibility and strength made it easy. Yet my injury caused my usual grace to falter. My backside fell into the seat, but it was the bounce off the tight leather cushion that sent a rush of pain up my arm and into my shoulder.

Damn it. I grimaced, but managed to swallow back a grunt.

My eyes remained shut when Aric’s warmth enveloped me. Slowly I opened my lids. I stared, mesmerized as his gaze locked onto mine and he held out his hand. “Don’t move,” he whispered. “Let me take care of you.”

Aric reached for my injured arm, careful to touch the sleeve of my dress and avoid my bare skin. His movements were measured and cautious, as if he held a delicate piece of crystal rather than the powerful arm of a tigress. I wanted to protrude my claws—just to prove I wasn’t weak. But the effort would have left me howling in pain, defeating the purpose and making me appear more stupid than strong.

So I kept still, and for once allowed someone to take care of me.

Aric gently slid my arm through the seat belt. His steady, gentle movements anchored time. He continued to manipulate my arm in a graceful dance until he finished working the seat belt around me and clicked it into place. Without a word, he shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

Aric paused before opening his door, once more taking in slow, deliberate breaths.

Several long seconds passed before he climbed in and cranked the engine. “Where do you live?” he asked, his tone low and gruff.

I gave him my address, though my voice shook as I spoke. Aric punched the coordinates into his GPS and took off. It was only when we crossed the Nevada border and were into California that he finally spoke again.

“I saw you earlier tonight, and at the beach.”

“I know.” I glanced down at my hands, which were filthy and caked with dried blood. My body tensed as I waited for him to explain this unusual draw between us. When he didn’t, I questioned him about the night. “Are you a cop?” Aric seemed to oversee the investigation, but that didn’t clarify why he had students.

“No. I’m a teacher and Chancellor of Students at The Den.”

“Den?”

Aric smiled, allowing his tight grip on the steering wheel to loosen. “It’s a private school for wolves. We just opened one in Squaw Valley. It’s where my kind learns the normal school curriculum and the skills they’ll need to protect the earth.”

I nodded, but it didn’t explain his presence in the alley. “So why were you the one in charge tonight?”

Aric stopped smiling and focused on the road. “My duty as a were obliges me to fight evil. Those in law enforcement will care for the victims and notify their families, but I’ll continue to manage the situation as a Leader of our kind.”

Leader? My throat went dry. “So you’re like…royalty?”

Aric’s face reddened. “I’m a pureblood werewolf, Celia. I come from generations of were-only family members.” He shrugged. “Purebloods are just held in higher regard, that’s all.”

Oh. Is that all? And I was a mutt by supernatural standards. No wonder he’s so guarded.

“Is this your street?”

“Yes.” I pointed toward our house. “It’s the light blue custom Colonial with the white door.”

Aric pulled into our driveway. The moment he put the car in park, I released my seat belt, careful not to let it swing back and hit my right side.

“Celia, wait.” Aric unfastened his seat belt and twisted his body to face me. “Tahoe’s head witch has the power to heal. I’ll call her so she can tend to your injuries.”

We’d had a smackdown with the local witches when we first moved to Tahoe. I didn’t trust them. I didn’t like them. And I sure as hell didn’t want them touching me. I shook my head. “No. That’s okay. I can wait.”

Aric frowned. “I can’t leave you like this. It’s either magic or I take you to the emergency room.”