She nodded.

“Head hurt, princess?”

She shook her head.

Richard knelt in front of them, his ice blue eyes soft as he looked at the trembling woman. “I promise you, Parker will not lay a finger on you while you are under my protection.”

Sheri looked up at the huge man. She bit her lip, uncertainty in her eyes as she stared at him. “May I see you?”

Adrian started, his Puma snarling. “Seeing” Richard meant nose to nose, not something he felt comfortable with.

Richard looked at Adrian, then looked back at Sheri. “I can understand your nervousness, considering it was Wolves who attacked you. If it will make you feel more comfortable, by all means, um,” he frowned, slightly confused, “see me.”

Adrian sat back and forced himself to allow his mate to get close to the big, bad Wolf.

Sheri stared at the large red-headed man in front of her and tried to remember that he was there to help.

The fact that he smelled of Wolf didn’t help much. His coldness and his power only made her more afraid.

But when he’d knelt in front of her and tried to reassure her she’d known he understood. He only seemed cold. Every instinct she had told her that this man would sooner gnaw off his own paw than hurt a woman. She didn’t know how she knew that, she just did.

Maybe it was in his scent, or the way he immediately grasped her problem and tried to fix it in the only way he knew how. By opening himself up to her examination he allowed her teeth and claws dangerously close to his unprotected eyes and neck, something he would never do if he felt threatened in any way. It reassured her in a way nothing else could have.

She leaned in close and allowed their noses to almost touch. She felt Adrian’s tension and knew he wouldn’t appreciate it if she actually made contact with the other man.

Pale blue eyes stared at her from a battle-worn face. The initial layer of frost hid a nature more deeply compassionate and caring than any she’d ever seen before, mixed with a fierce determination to protect those he considered under his care. It was easy to see. She’d seen it in Adrian’s eyes once too often to mistake it.

But it was different in this man. Where Adrian was content to slide through until his special abilities were called for, this man was always “on”, always aware of what was happening with and to those people he considered his. If her mate hadn’t had the threat of Parker to fuel his power, he’d have been groaning right alongside Gabe.

“I can see why she is your mate now,” he said, staring into her eyes. What he saw there, she had no idea, but it seemed to reassure him just as much as what she saw reassured her. “She sees deeply, more deeply than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“But I was still fooled by Rudy.”

He went cold again, hiding himself behind icy eyes. “Just because you can see deeply doesn’t mean you always think to look.”

He stood up, towering over them, and stared at their joined hands. “She’ll be safe with us. Go get the other female.”

And he turned and walked into the kitchen without a backward glance.

Sheri tapped her fingers nervously on her legs. She was watching television, trying to distract herself until the others returned. Richard’s utter stillness wasn’t helping, either; it wasn’t relaxed at all. It was the stillness of a predator waiting for his prey to come within striking distance. He stayed away from windows and doors, making sure she did the same, and he kept between her and the doors and windows the few times she moved. He inspected every room she went into before she entered it. He’d detailed his Marshal and men to outside guard duty. His Marshal had agreed, as he felt it was his job to guard them both. In short, he acted the perfect bodyguard. Gabe was outside with the other Wolves, since he was familiar with the wooded territory behind Adrian’s house and they weren’t.

Her cell phone rang. An amused chuckle came from over her shoulder as he heard her ring tone.

“Where did you find that?”

“On a website that had Looney Tunes sound waves,” she answered as she dug her phone out of her purse.

He chuckled some more as Sylvester the Cat’s voice said once again, “You’re darn tootin’, Buster. You did see a pussycat!”

“Hello?”

“Hello, Sheridan.”

She felt her blood run cold as Rudy’s soft, growling voice filled her ears. She looked up at Richard, hoping he could see the expression on her face, but his back was to her. “Hello, Rudy.”

“I hear you’ve been a busy, busy girl, Sheridan.”

She licked her lips as Richard moved to look out one of the kitchen windows. “Yes, I have.”

“I’d love to get together, discuss what you’ve been up to. Do lunch, maybe.”

“Sorry, my social calendar is booked full through two thousand sixty. Maybe some other time.”

“Really? Because Giordano would just love it if you joined us.”

She froze. “Adrian’s not with you.”

“No? Have you spoken to him since he left for the hospital?”

Richard turned back to stare at her but was too far away for her to see his expression. “No, I haven’t.”

“Tell you what, Sheridan. I’m a generous guy. You get on the phone and call him, see how he’s doing.

I’ll call back in five. Just to see if you’ve been able to get a hold of him.”

The connection cut off.

With shaking hands and voice she filled Richard in as she dialed Adrian’s cell. No answer. She tried Max’s, and then Simon’s.

No answer.

Her heart pounding with fear, she started to dial Emma’s number. When the cell phone rang again she jumped. She fumbled it open. “Hello?”

“Well, Sheridan? Were you able to get in touch with any of them?”

“No,” she whispered, terrified beyond belief.

“That’s odd, because I could have sworn I heard his cell phone ringing.”

The gloating triumph in his voice sent shards of terror straight down her spine.

“What do you want?”

“Hmm. Well, my men are getting hungry. Are you sure you won’t join us for lunch?”

She whimpered. Wolf packs in the wild had been known to eat lone pumas.

“I tell you what, sweetheart. I’ll arrange it so you can get away from the Neanderthal who thinks he’s guarding you. You leave the house, come quietly with me, and maybe I won’t feed Giordano to my packmates. Deal?”