Running with the Pack: Cannon Pack, Book 3 (13 page)

Conflicting emotions swept over his face, confusing her until, at last, his expression hardened again. “But you didn’t help her.”

“No. I didn’t have time. She died a few minutes later.”

“And if she hadn’t died? If you’d had time, what would you have done?”

A flicker of anger swept over her face. “What you’re thinking is correct. I probably wouldn’t have done anything. I wouldn’t have known what to do.” She glared at him, as angry at herself as she was at his probing questions. “I went home that night and spent the rest of the weekend thinking about her. I thought about what I could’ve done to help her if I’d realized that John and the rest had fed me a bunch of bullshit. What I figured out was that, although it was too late for her, I could help other shifters in the future.” She stuck out her chin, challenging him to call her a liar. “And I have tried to help.”

He paced to the door as though to leave, then confronted her again. If only he’d tell her what he was thinking. Instead, he studied her, his brows dipped between his eyes.

“I know what I did, Daniel, and, if I could, I would take it back. I wish I hadn’t listened to John, but I did. Yes, I killed, but I’ve changed. I’m not a killer.”

“Torrie was the werewolf you killed.” He shook his head, as though trying to rid his mind of an unbearable thought. “She was the one you helped kill.”

“Torrie?” She inhaled, realizing that he’d known the wolf she’d shot. “What was her last name?”

He swallowed, a tenderness replacing the harshness in his face. “Cannon. Her name was Torrie Cannon.”

The shock hit her and she clasped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, no. Please, Daniel, tell me she wasn’t your sister.”

“She wasn’t.” Yet before the relief could wash through her, he told her, “Torrie was my mate.”

Her face paled and she buckled. If he hadn’t caught her, she would’ve slumped to the floor. He took her by the arm and led her to the bed. At first, the world swam around her and she thought she might faint. She darted her gaze around the room, avoiding his until he caught and held hers.

“I didn’t know, Daniel. How could I have known?”

“Would it have made a difference?” He wrapped an arm around her, hugging her, making her feel better. But how could he comfort the villain who’d taken his adored Torrie from him?

“If I’d known her name before the hunt, then, yes, it might have. If I’d know about shifters before that night, it definitely would have.” She clutched his shirt. “You have to believe me. Knowing her name would’ve made all the difference in the world. I never thought about shifters having names, much less being someone’s wife.”

“Torrie was my mate. But it’s the same thing as being my wife.”

Lauren let go of him. How could he still want to touch her? “Please forgive me, Daniel. I was ignorant and…” She leaned away from him. “No, that’s no excuse. I did what I did no matter what the reason and I deserve any punishment you want to give me.”

Daniel stared across the room as though seeing to another time and place. “Torrie was sweet, willing to forgive, and I have to wonder what she would think of you. I know she would’ve believed you. But could even Torrie forgive the hunter who’d killed her?” He leaned farther away from her, breaking her heart more than she’d thought possible. “I can’t… I don’t know what to think right now. I’ll think about your punishment and let you know.”

She bowed her head, ready to acquiesce to whatever he decided. “Whatever you decide, please try to forgive me. Can you do that, Daniel? If not now, in the future?”

He rose, standing beside the bed, then, without a word, strode from the room.

Lauren paced from one side of the room to the other. She’d killed Daniel’s mate. What had been the worst day of her life, the day she’d taken a life, had suddenly grown even more appalling. A bang against the outside wall jolted her, sending her scurrying to the far corner.

Was Daniel coming back? Had he decided her fate? Yet another day had passed with no word from him. Was the longer he took to make a decision be a good sign or a bad one? Now that he knew she was the one responsible for his mate’s death, he was bound to hate her. Although she would accept any consequence Daniel wanted to dole out, she couldn’t help but wish for a reprieve.

She took a deep breath, assuming the guards had hit the door by accident. Or did they purposely keep bumping against the walls to frighten her? Was that the first of many mind games they had planned? Or did she dare hope that Daniel could forgive her and convince the rest of the pack to set her free?

“Oh, sure, Lauren. No problem. Daniel will just forget about his dead mate, then pat you on the head and turn you loose. Girl, you are such an idiot.” If she’d given up hunting after the first hunt, after killing Torrie, she wouldn’t have ended up in this mess. But could she have turned her back and walked away without at least trying to help other werewolves? The answer came quickly enough: no way. Not even if she’d known how her decision would change her life, ending up a captive of the pack.

If only Daniel would come and talk to her again, give her a chance to explain. She hadn’t seen him since he’d rushed out of the room. Had he left her at the mercy of the other werewolves? If so, would they keep her safe? The alternative crept in, chilling her. Had he left the house, thus giving them time to do whatever they wished to her?

The noise outside her door grew louder and with each bump she jumped a little higher. Her stomach churned, queasy from the food she’d eaten. Why didn’t they get it over with? Not for the first time since she’d last seen Daniel, she silently urged the shifters on the other side of the door to come and get her. Anything was better than suffering this endless wait.

Even so, when she saw the knob start to turn, she swiftly missed her solitary existence. She squashed a nervous giggle.

Tucker threw open the door and grinned at her. “Hi, darlin’, how ya doing? Hey, watch it, man.”

Daniel brushed past the massive white-haired man and, without thinking, she rushed toward him and jumped into his arms. “Daniel!” She wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him as hard as she could. His aroma, a mix of forest, wildness and masculinity wafted over her. “I’m so glad it’s you.”

“Damn, Daniel. I didn’t realize you and the little hunter were such good friends.”

Lauren untied her arms from around Daniel’s neck and slid to the floor. Peering around him, she smiled shyly at Tucker. “I’m just really happy to see him.”

“I didn’t expect to get that kind of a welcome.”

“I didn’t expect to give you that kind of a welcome.” His indefinable expression left her wondering and his lack of warmth unsettled her. Was he here to seal her fate? Was that why he seemed so…different? “Why haven’t you come to see me?”

Not that she couldn’t guess why, but she wanted him to confirm her suspicions. If he came to tell her what he planned to do to her, then let him get on with it.

“Tucker, send the others away and take a position outside her door.”

Tucker paused for a moment, then answered with a curt nod and stepped outside. With a voice commanding and forceful like Daniel’s, he ordered the guards away. Daniel closed the door, then faced her. Lauren blew out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d held in check.
Oh, my God. He’s going to tell me. Please, God, don’t let it be too painful
.

“I stayed away because I had a lot of decisions to make. But the more I thought about what you told me, the more questions I had.”

Maybe she shouldn’t have brought it up, but the words were out before she could stop them. “You mean about Torrie? About my part in her…demise?”

He laughed, but his laugh held no humor. And yet, she didn’t sense any anger, either. “Demise? Don’t you mean her murder? Demise sounds too…nice. Too clean. Like she died in her sleep.”

“I’m sorry, Daniel. I wish I could change things and bring her back to you, but I can’t. If I’d known how shifters really were, I’d have never gotten involved with hunters in the first place. Please. I hope you believe me when I tell you how sorry I am. If not now, maybe you can later. After…you know.”

He quirked his head at her, the familiar gesture bringing a light to her chilled heart. “After what?”

Irritation made an unexpected visit, threatening to make her say foolish things. She struggled to keep her temper in check. “Please don’t toy with me. In fact, just do it now and get it done.” Lifting her chin in a brave gesture she didn’t feel, she quipped, “The least you can do is to make it quick.”

“Make it quick?”

Why was he playing dumb? To make her suffer more? If so, he’d miscalculated. Instead of drawing out the inevitable wait, he was pissing her off. However, she had to play nice. What choice did she have? “Yeah. I know I don’t have the right to ask for any favors, but I’d appreciate it if you’d handle the deed yourself. Get it over with as fast as humanly, or should I say, as fast as shifterly possible.”

“I don’t think that’s a real word.”

His guffaw made her feel worse, but she wasn’t about to let him put her down. Not even in death. “Gee, I can’t tell you how happy I am that my death is providing amusement for you.”

“Your death?” He gaped at her. “Oh, that’s what you’re talking about. No, Lauren, I’m not going to kill you.”

“You’re not? Then what? Are you planning on torturing me? Maybe holding me captive forever? Turning me into a sex slave?”

He chuckled again, then finally noticed her irritation. “Sorry. I hadn’t thought of any of those things. Although the sex slave idea is interesting.”

Daniel’s sex slave? Yeah, it was definitely an interesting—and appealing—idea.

“So if you’re not doing any of that, are you letting me go?” Had he forgiven her? Would he really turn her loose? She didn’t want to, but she allowed a brief spark of hope to thrive.

His smile died. “No. But I still haven’t decided what to do with you. Like I said, I have more questions.”

“More questions? How much more can I tell you?” Her heart plummeted to the floor and then, almost as quickly, lifted again at the idea of spending more time with Daniel. “Never mind. Fire away.” She blanched. “Oops. I’m sorry. Poor choice of words.”

He waved off her apology. “How did you become a hunter?”

She scoffed at the memory. “How else? By being stupid. I met John in a bar and, like anyone who’d spent her life studying and working, I thought he was dashing and dangerous. Then when he started talking about shifter hunting, I couldn’t believe this other world existed. I mean, compared to the other men I’d gone out with, he was Indiana Jones and Han Solo all rolled into one. Then once I accepted that werewolves actually existed, the hunting part seemed adventurous, even glamorous.”

“I guess people can convince themselves of anything if they want to.” Daniel moved to gaze out the window. “You started going on hunts?”

“Not right away. John had to spend a month lecturing me about shifters, how awful they were, how hunters were doing God’s work in wiping them out. We spent every night together, talking about werewolves and how to kill them.” She willed him to turn around so she could see his face, see if what she told him made any difference.

“In other words, you were indoctrinated first.”

His tone was flat and unemotional. She wanted to touch him, but was afraid to. “More like brainwashed, now that I look back on it.”

“Then you went on a hunt.”

He’d fed her the next line to her tale. “That’s right. After a couple of lessons teaching me how to fire a rifle, John said I was ready for a hunt.”

He whirled to face her, scaring her again. “And that was when you killed Torrie.”

She nodded, her speech failing her. Could he understand how stupid and trusting she’d been? Did he realize she knew better now? That, had she known, she wouldn’t have killed his mate?

He shook his head, the movement so tired and so sad. “It’s strange. I should hate you. In fact, I should’ve already ordered your death or killed you myself. But I can’t.” His face closed up, confusion etched in the lines of his face. “The problem is that I can’t help thinking that Torrie would have forgiven you.”

“She would have?” Tears formed, threatening to fall. Instead, Lauren thrust out her chin, defying the tears to disobey her. “Torrie must’ve been a very special woman.”

He cleared his throat, emotion flitting across his features. “She was. Which makes my decision that much harder. I keep thinking about what Torrie would have done.” He laughed that mirthless laugh again. “This has caused me to rethink everything. Your punishment. Taking the pack on the offensive. Even what I believe about hunters.”

“I’m sorry.” What else could she say? If she could bring Torrie back, she would. How else could she bring him peace?

“Do you realize how long I’ve dreamed of avenging her death? How long I’ve daydreamed about killing the hunter who took my mate from me?” He raked a hand through his hair and groaned. “I never expected her killer to be someone like you. In many ways, you remind me of her. Like you, she was kind. She was always going out of her way to help someone in trouble even if that put her in danger. Always wanting to believe the best of people, to right the wrongs she saw in the world.” He laughed a little lighter this time. “And like you, I sometimes had a hard time understanding her.”

“I remind you of her?” She wished she could have known Torrie. Could she be as forgiving? “I’m honored that you think so.” The thoughtful look he gave her warmed her to her core. Unexpected wetness flowed between her legs.

“Torrie looked a lot like you, too. In human form, of course.”

“She did?” She was intrigued by his late wife and found herself wanting to be like her.

“Yeah. She was your height, your weight.” His gaze slid over her, taking in every inch. “But more than that. Hell, if one of my men had attacked her, she would’ve forgiven him right then and there, just like you did. She also had spunk like you.” A cloud darkened his face. “That’s part of the reason she was in the city. A friend of hers needed her help and I had too much work to do to go with her. I warned her not to go alone.”

Lauren reached for him and was thrilled when he let her take his hand. “But she went anyway?”