Pack Justice (Nature of the Beast Book 1) (14 page)

“Kentucky? That’s a long way from here. Keep me posted. I hate the cross state cases. They’re always stupidly complex.” Once again, Ramirez stood and leaned over her desk to get a better look at me. She sniffed, and her eyes widened. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

Alice grinned. “Would I do that, ma’am?”

“Get Dan in here—”

The door opened, and Marcello’s brother stepped in, carrying a cup of coffee, which he set on the captain’s desk. “You called?”

Ramirez pointed at me. “You’re fucking kidding me.”

I flattened my ears, baffled by their conversation. What had I done to evoke such a reaction?

“Andrea, you’re the best person to confirm it,” Dan said, holding his hands up in the universal gesture of surrender. “I just found him and decided he was about as natural as Captain Ramirez flirting with Judge O’Mallory.”

“Do you want the graveyard shift for the next six months, Albano?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Then be quiet. Andrea?”

“Why are you bringing me into this?” the defense attorney grumbled.

“If you do, I’ll give you the hangover medication,” Captain Ramirez replied.

“You’re a terrible person.” I heard Andrea groan and the leather of Ramirez’s couch creaked. “Dogs don’t like me, you know that.”

“This one will.” Captain Ramirez grinned at me. “He sure is pretty. I’ll take him if you don’t want him.”

“I don’t think O’Mallory would appreciate that, ma’am.”

“Nonsense.”

Andrea leaned over the arm of the couch to get a look at me. Dark circles ringed her eyes, and her hair was matted with tangles. Instead of her usual blazer and skirt, she wore a ratty t-shirt I was pretty certain belonged to one of the police officers.

Her nose flared, and my wolf identified her inhaling to catch my scent. With her eyes wide, she made a strangled noise in her throat.

In court, Andrea kept her movements graceful, calm, collected, and cool. Rushing led to mistakes and gave a sense of insecurity. In the time it took me to draw a single breath, she scrambled off the couch, hit the ground long enough to gather herself, and launched towards me. Her full weight slammed into me, pinning me to the wall. Her face pressed against my neck, and she drew several long, deep breaths.

Dan burst into laughter, whipping out his cell phone to snap pictures. “I’d call that a confirmation.”

“I’m inclined to agree with you,” Captain Ramirez replied, and a laugh slipped out of her. “You might need to rescue him.”

Alice hopped up on the captain’s desk to sit and joined in the general laughter.

Andrea buried her fingers in my fur, shaking so much I worried she’d fall to pieces. My cheetah’s anxiety surged at the woman’s reaction to me.

I could feel her tears wetting my fur, though she sobbed in silence. I whined, uncertain what to do.

Andrea wasn’t supposed to cry, not over me. There was no way she could know who I was. I was a
wolf
. I was a wolf who had been a man bonded with a cheetah. She didn’t belong with me.

I wasn’t free yet. The memories I had forced away rushed back, and I trembled as much as the lithe defense attorney.

Idette knew what I was, and she’d come after me. If she discovered Andrea, the woman I had dreamed of so many nights would be hurt, too.

The stress of fleeing from Idette and making my escape across the United States caught up with me. It started as a faint tremble, escalated to full-body shudders, and ended with me slumping against Andrea, who made a panicked noise in her throat. Her death grip on my fur kept me from oozing to the floor in a limp mess, and she held up all my weight without complaint.

Her worry soured the relief in her scent.

“Sean?” The way she whispered my name, all of her attention focused on me, pleased my cheetah and soothed me as nothing else had since Idette had torn my throat with her fangs. Another shudder coursed through me.

I didn’t want to remember.

“Easy, Andrea,” Captain Ramirez soothed. “You know how this works. You need to stay calm so he stays calm. The first thing we need to do is find out what that girl has been feeding him and make sure he gets a proper meal. If she’s been following the directions on the labels for a regular dog, he’s probably half-starved. Dan, go find your brother and figure out where he’s been, what he’s been doing, and anything we need to know.”

“On it,” Dan replied, heading for the door.

“What do you want me to do, Captain?” Alice asked.

“Fetch a blanket. See if you can find a bowl so we can give him some water and bring a glass for Andrea, too. Give O’Mallory a call and tell him to bring his SUV to the station.”

“What about the girl who had him?”

“Make excuses to keep her at the station while I make some phone calls. Get me her full name, see where she’s actually from, and why she ran. Most importantly, find out why she came here with him.”

“On it.” Alice left, closing the door behind her.

Shifting her weight under me, Andrea worked my neck over her shoulder, stroking my fur as she held me. It was difficult to keep my eyes open, but I stared at Captain Ramirez, wondering how it was possible any of them had recognized me.

No one knew of my affiliation with my cheetah. No one, not even me, had known Idette was a werewolf. Yet, Andrea had recognized me with a glance, and there was no doubt in the way she had spoken my name, just concern.

“You okay, Andrea?”

“I’m okay,” the defense attorney confirmed. “I’m not so sure about him, though. He’s shaking so much.”

“Can’t say I blame him. His eyes are glazed, and I’m not really sure anyone’s home right now. Just hold him. Once Dan and Alice are back, we’ll get him up on the couch and warmed up. Hopefully, we can get some food into him, but we’ll take it as we go. It’ll be easier once O’Mallory gets here.” Captain Ramirez got up and circled her desk to crouch beside Andrea. She lifted her hand and touched my muzzle, pressing her thumb against the tip of my nose. “He’ll be okay with some rest and some tender loving care. I’m sure you can help with that part.”

Andrea huffed and continued to run her fingers through my fur. “You don’t mind taking him?”

“I wouldn’t have sent for O’Mallory if I had a problem with it. I certainly don’t trust James with him.”

I had so many questions and no way to ask them, which frustrated a low growl out of me. What did James have to do with Andrea or me?

Instead of flinching away like a sane woman in the presence of a huge, growling wolf, Captain Ramirez smiled and scratched me behind one of my ears. “Welcome home, Sean.”

I had no memory of leaving the police station, nor did I recognize the rustic living room or leather couch I was sprawled on. My cheetah, however, recognized Andrea’s scent, which was partnered by the sweet cinnamon scent from the police station. My head was nestled on her lap, and she ran her fingers through my fur, pausing every now and then to flick one of my ears.

Captain Ramirez crouched beside me, digging her fingers into my fur. “He’s coming around, I think. Sean? You with us?”

I was amazed they recognized me, and hundreds of questions rattled in my head without any way to ask them. Shaking my head, I struggled to rise, but Ramirez pushed my shoulders down, and Andrea tightened her grip on me.

“Easy, Sean. Lie still. We’re going to help you, but you need to stay calm, okay? It’s going to hurt, but once it’s over, we can answer all of your questions. Stay still for Andrea.” Ramirez gave my ears a brisk rub. “That little girl you were keeping company started singing like a canary about an hour ago. She’ll be all right, and I had some strings pulled, but she won’t be going back to Kentucky any time soon, not unless she wants to.”

I turned my ears back, wondering how Ramirez knew I cared about what happened to Kimberly. Puzzled but unable to figure out a way to communicate, I relaxed against Andrea’s leg and sighed.

My cheetah was pleased by how close she held me, and my wolf was intrigued by the strength of my cheetah’s emotions.

“Hopefully, we won’t need the males for this,” Ramirez muttered, shaking her head. “Are you ready, Andrea?”

“Ready,” the woman my cheetah adored replied, digging her fingers into my fur and securing her hold on me. “Everything’s going to be fine, Sean. Just trust us.”

Worry and fear marred Andrea’s scent, and I whined.

“Here goes nothing,” Captain Ramirez said, and she, too, smelled worried and anxious.

While Ramirez’s touch was gentle, fire burned through me, and the pain of every bone in my body breaking at the same time seared away all thought.

It took an eternity for the agony of my bones shifting under my skin to subside, and when it did, I trembled. The presence of my spirit beasts had faded so much fear choked me. A shudder coursed through me. The fire in my bones ebbed, and as the pain receded, I shook, too weak to do anything other than fight to catch my breath.

The cool air bit at my raw throat and lungs, and the stench of my blood filled my nose. My cheek rested on something soft and warm, and the pleasant sensation intensified as my body recognized it no longer hurt.

A gentle touch on my brow woke me to the fact I had hair instead of fur. Without fur to protect me, the chilly air forced a groan out of me, and I curled towards the source of warmth near my head.

“That went better than I thought it would,” Ramirez said. I cracked open an eye in time to watch the woman drape a blanket over me. She knelt beside me, pressing her fingers to my throat to check my pulse, her gaze fixed on her watch. “Sean, first you need a soak, then we’re going to fill you in on what’s been going on. In thirty or forty minutes, you won’t feel so raw. It might take you a bit to remember how to talk in something other than growls. It’s normal.”

Nothing was normal about werewolves, and after swallowing several times, I said, “There’s nothing normal about this.” She was right about the growling; while I could speak, my words came out as a snarl.

Ramirez huffed before smiling at me. “You’ll get used to it. You okay, Andrea?”

It wasn’t until the police captain turned her attention to the defense attorney I realized my head was pillowed on Andrea’s leg. My cheetah wanted to purr, but the sound I made was far closer to a growl.

“I’m fine. I’m more worried about him.”

“Of course you are. You need a shower yourself. I should have some clothes that will fit you. Let Dan and his devil brother take care of Sean. Then we’ll get together for a talk.”

“Probably wise.” Andrea sighed. “Tell them to be careful or I’ll skin them for their pelts.”

“I’m sure they’ll be careful, but I’ll let them know. Don’t worry. They’ll take good care of him.”

Chapter Eleven