Reach for the Sky (Wolffe Peak Book 1) (4 page)

Wyatt’s heart burst from his chest at the sound of Sky’s chilling shriek.

He bolted out of her bedroom and rushed down the stairs, feet clomping on each step. “Sky!”

Midway down, he heard a resounding thump, and his heart suffered another palpitation. After the scene he’d stumbled across in her bedroom, he feared what awaited him on the main floor. Gripping the stairwell, he leapt over the banister and landed in the corridor, then rushed through the living room and into the kitchen to find Sky huddled in a dark corner.

“Skylar?”

Wyatt slowed to a walk and inched toward her. The woman hardly acknowledged his presence, her gaze fixed on the wide-open doorway. That was when he scented it—the light undertone of male werewolf. He’d caught a whiff of it in her bedroom as well, hidden beneath the cloying stench of blood and death.

It seemed his first instincts had been correct. Sky was the next target.

And
damn
if his fingers didn’t sprout claws at the thought.

The wolf in him demanded that he take chase and rip the sick bastard limb from limb. His lip curled with the thought. If there was one thing he couldn’t abide by, it was someone preying on the weak. Not that Sky was weak. She’d proven the opposite when she’d nearly knocked his head clear off, but he couldn’t abandon her to go hunting. The acrid stench of her fear burned a hole in his nose; he couldn’t leave her in such a state. Not to mention that she would be vulnerable if the asshat made another attempt. The thought of staying, though, went against every bone in his body.

Hands clenched, he paced the length of the room, now and then shooting a furtive glance down at the frozen woman. The killer couldn’t be picking women at random—they had to know their attacker. “Who is he, Sky?”

“I don’t know.”

Frustration coiled within him. He wanted this over tonight. Delaying self-gratification wasn’t his thing, and the sooner he could slap a body bag around the freak, the better. “You have to know something,” he growled as he stalked another lap around the kitchen. “You can’t expect me to believe—”

Lurching to her feet, she stood flush against him, her head reaching his chin. “Believe what? That I would lie? The man has only made the past year of my life absolutely miserable. But, no, apparently that’s something I would keep hidden!”

Wyatt arched a brow.
The past year
? There was more happening here, more than she was telling. “Well, you weren’t being too forthcoming in the park, so I could only assume—”

She threw up her hands and released a frustrated grunt as she turned to stare out the kitchen window. “Excuse me for trying to protect myself.”

“Protect yourself? From what? Me?”

“For starters.”

Ouch
.

She sucked in a weak breath and then a steadier one. Before his eyes, she gathered herself, and he watched as her spine and shoulders straightened. Really, she was a marvel. He didn’t know many women with such backbone, and though he’d never admit it aloud, he admired her right now.

“Skylar, tell me what’s going on.”

A brittle laugh scraped past her lips. “Really? Haven’t you figured it out already?”

The pieces were slowly falling into place, but he needed the jigsaw finished. “Listen, three women are dead. Three women who bear a striking resemblance to you.”

“W—What?” She whirled around, her mouth parted as the blood rushed from her face.
Ah hell
, he’d done it now. Her eyes welled, tears shimmering in those brilliant blue depths. For a moment, he thought she’d lose it, but the woman astounded him once more by pulling herself together at the last moment. “Three? And they look like me?”

Wyatt stiffened. Skylar needed someone here with her, but he needed answers.

“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered as she sucked in another cleansing breath. “I’m normally stronger than this.”

And he believed it. She’d proven that in spades tonight. With a groan, Wyatt realized he’d pushed her past her breaking point. The woman needed protection, not further harassment. Stuffing his discomfort down deep, he strode across the kitchen and looped his arm around her shoulders. At the sound of a soft hiccup, he drew her into his chest and let her cry it out. Whatever was happening here, it went beyond murder—Wyatt felt it in his bones.

Once her tears were spent, she pushed away from him and wiped the evidence from her cheeks with the heels of her hands. “Did you find where that smell is coming from?”

Ah, shit
. After her meltdown, the last thing he wanted was to discuss the scene he’d found upstairs. “I did.”

She turned shimmering eyes up to him, and his stomach twisted. “And?”

“And don’t worry about it.”

Sky blinked. “Don’t worry about it?”

Regardless of the steel hardening her backbone, he couldn’t tell her what he’d found. It would break her, and he wouldn’t be the one responsible for that. He might be a bastard, but he wasn’t a prick. Wyatt ignored her question and instead fished his cell out of his jeans pocket. The most important thing was getting Skylar somewhere safe. And that meant calling in a few of his pack as a guard detail. Then he needed to phone the sheriff, because if he wasn’t mistaken, Skylar’s bedroom was the murder scene of the third victim.

“I see you have a bag already?”

Glazed eyes dropped down to the pack at her feet. “I came in here to get it, and when I turned around, he was standing in the doorway.”

“You sure it was him?”

Sky shivered against him, a fine tremor that ran from his chest down to his hip. “Yes. I know his scent. I would know it anywhere.”

“But you don’t know who he is?”

She shook her head, her blonde hair brushing against his skin.

“All right—well, it’s something. An identifiable feature. Perhaps there’s something to his aroma that we can use to track him.”

Unfortunately, thanks to the wind, the man’s scent wouldn’t lead them beyond the stoop. They’d have to rely on good old-fashioned clues to find the bastard.

“There’s someone I think you should speak with,” he finally told her.

She tipped her head back, her all-too innocent eyes sucker punching him. “Who?”

“Sheriff Shane Colton.”

She blinked, then wiped the few stray tears from her cheeks. “How do you know Shane?”

Wyatt frowned. “How do
you
know Shane?”

“He’s been handling my case for the past year. We’ve become friends.” Sky gave a watery chuckle.

Her case? What the hell had this woman gotten herself into?

She reached for her cordless phone. After a few long seconds, she shook her head, picked up the handheld, and dialed. Seemed Sheriff Shane was the first on her speed dial. Wyatt swallowed that particular bit of poison with a grimace. Why should he care what the sheriff meant to her?

“
Oh, my God, Skylar! Where have you been? I’ve been calling you for the past hour
.” Shane’s voice came clear through the phone. Wyatt made no attempt to give her any privacy.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Shane…he was here. I—I was in the kitchen, and—”

“
I’m already on my way. You were supposed to wait for the patrol car at the airport! They called and told me they couldn’t find you
.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I saw a cab and thought it’d be all right.”

Wyatt’s mouth crooked at the sound of Shane cursing.

“
Don’t move, all right? I won’t be long. There’s something we need to discuss
.”

He had to give it to her, she held herself together. Shoulders square, she lifted her head and murmured an agreement into the phone.

“
Lock the doors until I get there, all right? Don’t ask why. Just do it
.”

“It’s all right,” Sky murmured. “I’m not alone.”

“
What do you mean you’re not alone? Who’s there with you?
”

“His name is Wyatt. He’s—”

“
I know who he is. All right. If he’s there with you, you’re safe. Be patient. I’ll be there soon. Can I bring you anything?
”

She sniffled. “Just you.”

Shane’s chuckle rankled Wyatt. There was no reason for him to feel jealous. It was clear that she and the sheriff had a relationship, and hell, he’d only met her tonight. But that didn’t stop the green-eyed monster from pointing and laughing at him.

“
All right, hun. Sit tight
.”

She hung up the phone and turned back to Wyatt, the phone clutched to her chest. “He’s on his way.”

“So I heard.”

“You two know each other?”

Wyatt’s head dipped in a slow nod. “I’ve been helping him on this case.”

Her eyes creased. “You mean, the d—deaths?”

He nodded once more.

For the first time since she’d sacked him, she looked up at him with brutal honesty. “I should thank you. Tonight is the first time he’s gone this far. If you hadn’t been here…” She shivered, a far-off haze dulling her eyes.

The sheer defeat in her words made him want to kill someone. Namely the prick who was the cause of all this. Then Skylar’s words punched through him. “Wait, what are you talking about, gone this far?”

Mouth a grim line, she turned and stooped over the sink, her pack slipping down to her elbow. In that moment, Wyatt realized the full extent of all this.

Sky wasn’t only his next intended victim. She was his obsession.

Time to call in the cavalry
.

***

So close.

So
fucking
close!

His fingers curled into a fist and he pounded it against the wooden floor of the tree fort he’d taken refuge in. The feeble deck shuddered, the planks creaking as they strained to support his weight.

He’d frightened her.

The sharp, blood-curdling scream had startled him more than her. He’d lifted his hands, hoped to placate her, but then he’d heard the alpha rush down the stairs, as much a brute as ever.

He hadn’t meant to frighten her, hadn’t intended on approaching her. After tonight’s chase, he’d thought it best to give her space. But her scent had been far too tempting to ignore. He only wanted to show her how much he loved her. He should have known that she was terrified. Should have slowed down, whispered her name. Should have taken caution, shown discretion. Should have
known
that bastard was in the park and in the house with her tonight. Should have, should have, should have…he raked his fingers over his scalp and pulled on his hair. What he wanted was to scream, to let loose the rage festering within. Every time he got close, she slipped farther away.
So fucking close
!

All he’d wanted was to touch her. Was that so terrible? She was his mate, and all he wanted was to
touch
her.

Anger blazed through his gut, and he pounded his fist a second time, uncaring when the floor teetered.

Next time, he’d take the appropriate steps to prepare her. Rushing into her kitchen in the middle of a windy night hadn’t been wise. So much had gone wrong tonight. But he had her phone now. He had full access to her schedule. So he’d leave notes, flowers, candy…anything it took.

The sound of his cell ringing deep in his pocket renewed his sanity. While reaching for it, he pushed his wolf down deep and reminded himself to remain patient—a sentiment he anxiously repeated. The beast prowled the darkest recesses of his mind, slathering for a chance to mate with her.
Soon
, he promised his wolf. Then, it would be the two of them. And nothing would stop him from having his way with her.

Soon
.

***

Skylar listened half-heartedly as Wyatt phoned in backup. From the muted conversation, it seemed he’d invited his three best men to join the party. Then he’d phoned Shane back, and they’d had a deep discussion that she hadn’t been privy to. Deep down, though, she was grateful Wyatt was here, even if he had turned her into a blubbering mess. Her jaw tightened as she stared out the window onto the dark street beyond. She couldn’t believe she’d wept in front of him. No, she hadn’t simply wept. She’d gone off the reservation and full on ugly-cried. The snively, running nose, blubbering sort of crying, right in front of the alpha of the local pack.

She hadn’t lost her cool like that in front of anyone since she was a teenager. After that pitiful event, she’d sworn to herself that no one would ever catch her in such a weak state again. She’d held true to that oath too. Until tonight.

Ugh
. She bowed her head toward the sink until the embarrassed flush left her cheeks.

She’d believed she could handle this. But every time she thought of that skeevy pervert, he proved her wrong.

Wyatt ended his call with a terse farewell and then turned to lean against the counter next to her. Millimeters away…her stomach warmed with the thought, but touching him was a giant hell no. Everything about him screamed
back off
, from his crossed arms to his ever-so-personable attitude. Was the man physically incapable of smiling?