The Finding (12 page)

The beast
inside raised its head, whining and prancing like a puppy wanting
to go for a walk.
Morning is the perfect time to run, to
hunt...

Cassie frowned.
Normal people didn’t have animals talking to them inside their
heads. She tried to ignore it, but found herself shifting back and
forth on her feet, fighting the urge to step into the backyard, to
give in to the call of nature.

Just for a
while. To feel the wind against our face, our muscles stretching
and straining, the ground racing by..
.
”
The
creature quivered in excitement.
“It would be such fun to answer
the call, to be what we truly are just this once...”

No! She jerked
herself back into her human mind, realizing she was actually
standing in the middle of the yard and... Oh God, her fingernails!
The air around them seemed to shimmer and for a moment they
appeared longer, thicker, almost like claws. Then the air quivered
again and they were back to normal. That had never happened
before!

Horrified, she
glanced around, fearful someone had observed what had just
happened. Of course, at such an early hour there was no one about.
Relieved, she stumbled back into the house ignoring the smell of
freshly made coffee and rushing to the calendar. Frantically she
searched the date and slumped in relief when she realized it was
still almost a week until the full moon.

Then she
stiffened again. If that was the case, then why...? Cassie pushed
down the panic that tightened her throat. The creature within her
was getting so much stronger. What was she going to do? What would
happen when she could no longer keep the animal suppressed? She
wrapped her arms tightly around herself as possible scenarios
played out in her head.

Images of
herself transforming into a werewolf filled her mind. She
envisioned herself as a snarling, snapping animal, attacking
everyone in sight, blood dripping from her jaws as she left a path
of destruction in her wake. First Kellen, then the neighbourhood
children...

Clamping a hand
to her mouth, she held back the cry that threatened to burst from
her. How long until that fateful day came? Until she became an
uncontrollable beast? And what could she do about it?

Cassie braced
herself against the kitchen counter, her gaze flashing around the
room. She couldn’t stay here. It was too dangerous to those around
her, but where could she go? Was there any place far enough away
from other humans where she wouldn’t be a threat? Shivers wracked
her as she contemplated her future; alone, always running and
hiding, fearful of what she might do...

A tear slid
down her face at the bleak life she saw ahead of her. She’d never
be able to have a home or a family, never fall in love, never be
able to relax or let her guard down. God, what had she done to have
such a fate thrust upon her? First she lost her mother before she
was even able to remember her, then her uncle was shot in front of
her and now she lived in constant fear of discovery... All she
wanted was a simple, ordinary life! Was that really too much to
ask?

The beast
inside whined pitifully, but she didn’t care. She hated the
creature. Hated herself! Turning, she caught sight of her
reflection in the glass door of the microwave. Her face looked
distorted. Gasping, she touched her cheeks, her nose. Had the
change already started?

She hurried to
the bathroom and looked in the mirror, then slumped in relief. No.
It was her usual image that greeted her, though her eyes were wide
and her nose was pink. Lines of tension bracketed her mouth and
even her hair was sticking out all over. She did look rather wild;
a short dry laugh escaped her.

Smoothing her
hair with her hands, she tried to force herself to relax, to think
rationally rather than panicking. She inhaled deeply, and then
exhaled slowly. Once she felt calmer, she headed back to the
kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.

All right.
Perhaps she was over reacting. This morning was just one little
slip; a...a warning that she needed to be more cautious. Yes, that
was it! She just had to guard her thoughts more, and not get too
caught up in the creature’s thinking. There was still time to find
a solution rather than running away. Maybe if she played with her
medication; increased the dosage slightly. It might only put off
the inevitable, but it would buy her some time at least.

Cassie held
onto the idea like a drowning woman. She wasn’t ready to leave her
present life. Staring around her tiny kitchen, she took in the
crocheted potholder one of her customers had made her, the lace
curtains she’d bought just a month ago, the ugly picture on the
wall that Kellen had given her...

Ah, Kellen...
What would happen to him once she left? They had their rough
patches, but there were good times too and really, they only had
each other. She didn’t dare let anyone else get too close, and
Kellen only had his gambling buddies who came and went with the
tides of fortune, leading him into scrapes and then walking away.
She would battle the beast within as long as possible so she could
stick around and take care of Kellen. He was her family now and
that’s what family did.

A queasy
feeling stirred in her stomach as she wondered how long she’d be
able to keep control. Another month? Another year? She pushed the
thought aside, and wiped the dampness from her cheeks. Enough of
the melancholy. It wouldn’t help anything and besides, it was time
to get dressed for work. “Just like a normal person.” She spoke the
words firmly to the empty room as if saying them out loud would
somehow make them true.

*****

The garbled
sound of flight announcements washed over the buzz of hundreds of
voices and the distant drone of jets landing at the McCarren
International Airport in Las Vegas. Throngs of people pushed and
shoved, children cried, happy vacationers enthused. Bryan did his
best to ignore them as he made his way to the car rental agency. It
had been two days since he’d received the e-mail about a supposed
sighting of Cassandra Greyson and he was eager to discover if the
information was correct.

He smiled when
he arrived at his destination. Only one person was ahead of him in
line at the car rental desk so he’d be able to get on his way
quickly. Approaching the desk, he stood patiently waiting his turn.
The female attendant glanced up casually from her computer, then
gave him a second look over the shoulder of her current customer.
Her eyes brightened with obvious interest as she took in his
appearance. Bryan smiled to himself. While not conceited, he knew
the effect he had on women and at times used it to his advantage.
This might be one of those occasions.

Minutes later
he was casually leaning against the counter, chatting to the girl
as she processed his request. As usual, he’d managed to charm his
way into a nicer vehicle and a better deal than most customers
could manage.

“So, Bryan, how
long will you be in Vegas?” The redheaded woman looked up at him
through her lashes as she filled out the required forms.

“A week, maybe
longer.” He smiled at her, slowly letting his eyes move over her
body. She blushed, but smiled back at him.

“Well, if
you’re bored or have some free time—”

“I’ll think of
you.” Bryan grinned, finishing the phrase for her. As he reached
out to take the keys, her fingers entangled with his and a bit of
paper poked at his palm. He withdrew his hand and noted that a
sticky note accompanied the keys. Carefully he read the paper, the
corners of his mouth curving slightly; as he suspected it was her
name and number. He folded it and tucked it into his pocket, giving
her a knowing wink before walking away. She was easy on the eyes,
so maybe...

Bryan stepped
out of the terminal and was immediately hit by a wave of heat. God,
how did people manage to live in a place like this all year round?
The pilot had warned them just before landing that Vegas was in the
middle of an unseasonal hot spell. Apparently the man hadn’t been
lying.

Longingly,
Bryan thought of the cooler air and shadowy depths of the forest
back in Canada. Hopefully, he’d find the Greyson girl quickly and
be able to head back home before he died from the temperature.
Sweat was already forming on his brow just standing there, so he
hurried down the sidewalk, eager to find his car and put on the air
conditioning.

In a matter of
hours, he was settled in a motel room; not one of the large
casinos, but a smaller establishment closer to the suburbs. If
Cassandra Greyson was working in a grocery store, she probably
lived near the place so it made sense for him to be close his
quarry.

Kicking off his
shoes and removing his shirt, he dropped onto the bed, resting
against the pillows. He sighed as his body relaxed for a moment,
enjoying the feel of the cool sheets and the quiet of the room
before pulling his cell phone from his pocket. He’d check in with
Ryne first. Folding one arm behind his head, he propped the phone
between his shoulder and ear, absentmindedly scratching his chest
while waiting for someone to pick up.

“Hello?” A
breathless Mel answered.

“Hey, Mel! It’s
Bryan. How are you doing?” He shifted his arms and grabbed the
phone securely.

“Uh...fine...I
guess.”

“You guess?” He
frowned. Something must be wrong. Mel wasn’t usually that tentative
when she spoke.

“Yeah...” Her
voice lowered to a whisper and he mentally pictured her turning her
back to the room and cupping her hand over her mouth so her voice
didn’t project anywhere, but into the receiver. “Can I tell you
something? Something you have to promise not to share with
Ryne?”

“Well... That
depends what it is. He is our Alpha.” Bryan hedged his answer and
sat up straighter, wondering what information she felt she could
share with him, but not her mate.

“Right.” He
could hear her breathing heavily, maybe even sniffing a bit as if
she’d been crying. Bryan waited patiently for her to continue.
After a moment, she must have made up her mind, for she started to
talk again. “Okay. Here’s the thing... I had a message from the
Lycan Link. You know how they’ve been looking into my background,
trying to figure out who my father might be?”

“Uh-huh. Do
they have a lead?” He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees
as he tried to guess what she might have found out.

“Maybe...”

“Then why not
tell Ryne? He’d be happy for you.”

“Well... It’s
just that... Oh damn! Here he comes. Please, Bryan! Promise not to
say anything to him, please?”

Bryan exhaled
gustily, feeling torn, but deciding once again to placate her. He
didn’t like this business of keeping secrets from his Alpha, but
Mel’s parentage wasn’t life and death news; he supposed her could
cut her a bit more slack. “Okay. But I want an explanation next
time we talk, all right?” His voice held a bit of added sternness
as he uttered the last phrase.

He could hear
her breathing a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Bryan. You’ll understand
when I tell you.” Muffled sounds followed, then Ryne came on the
line.

“Bryan? Are you
making Melody cry?” The Alpha’s voice was suspicious.

“Who? Me? No! I
just started talking to her a minute ago.” Bryan didn’t have to
feign his nervousness. He didn’t want Ryne angry at him; the guy
was pretty laid back unless someone pissed him off or upset his
mate. Bryan had no desire to be that person.

“Huh.” Ryne
sounded puzzled and more than a bit frustrated. “It must be those
damned pregnancy hormones. Melody’s moods are all over the place
lately. I can’t keep up.”

Bryan laughed
softly imagining the man running agitated hands through his hair.
Ryne didn’t do female emotions very well which was why it was a
good thing Mel wasn’t like this all the time. “Maybe you should
talk to Kane? Elise has been pregnant twice. He might be able to
give you a few pointers.”

“Yeah, maybe
I’ll do that.” He sighed heavily before changing the topic. “So you
made it to Vegas all right?”

“Yep. Just
checked in. I’ll grab a bite to eat and then see if I can find the
grocery store where the girl in the picture works. With any luck
she’ll be there. If not, I’ll ask one of the other employees when
she’ll be in.”

“Be careful you
don’t sound too interested or they’ll think you’re some type of
stalker.”

“Hey, remember
who you’re talking to. I’m great at subtle.”

Ryne grunted in
acknowledgement. “Right. Give me a call tomorrow and let me know
how you made out. If it’s her, I’ll start to work on getting her
into Canada. And remember to be careful; rogues can be
unpredictable.”

Bryan rolled
his eyes. Ryne was really stuck on this rogue business for some
reason. Cassandra Greyson was just a kid. Handling her would be
easy. He kept his thoughts to himself however; he’d prove Ryne
wrong once Cassandra was part of the pack.

They continued
to talk for a few more minutes, going over the technicalities of
transporting a werewolf across the border then ended the
conversation.

As he hung up,
Bryan felt guilty for not telling Ryne why Mel was upset, but
reasoned that he didn’t really know for sure. Finding her father
was no big deal. Ryne was probably right; pregnancy hormones were
throwing her off kilter. Besides, she’d likely break down and
explain it to Ryne herself, long before he next spoke to her.

Putting the
matter aside as just another of the weird little interludes that
Ryne and Mel shared, he headed to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Travelling always made him feel grubby. Adjusting the water
temperature, he stripped and stepped under the pounding stream.

At first he
closed his eyes, revelling in the sensation of the hot water as it
pounded his shoulders and ran down his body. Steam rose around him
and he rolled his shoulders to ease the tension in them.