Devlyn stilled his actions and growled, irritated that the old wolf hadn’t told him the truth. How he had longed to know what had become of Bella all those years. When he’d spoken to Argos, the sly old wolf had assured him she’d be all right. He should have known Argos knew what had happened to her. “Damn him.”

“I shouldn’t have told you. I wrote to let him know I was safe after I ran away. I couldn’t let him think I’d died. From then on, we corresponded.”

“No wonder he knew it was you in that news report. I figured he had some kind of a sixth sense. But all along he knew you lived in the area.” He studied her eyes, tired and wary. The annoyance he felt that Argos had kept the secret about Bella faded into wry amusement. “You wanted to know about me, about how I fared.”

“Don’t be so conceited.”

Knowing she disguised the truth, his lips curved up. His intense craving to mate with her filled him with an ache he longed to fulfill. He threaded his fingers through her satiny hair and licked her throat. She moaned. His erection pulsed with renewed gusto. His instincts were right concerning her. She wanted him as much as he lusted after her.

He pressed his arousal against her soft body. “You know how much I desire to have you, Bella. Tell me you want me, too.”

Shaking her head, her eyes misted.

He growled at her stubbornness. Then he nuzzled his cheek against hers, enjoying the delicate ivory fragrance she’d washed with, hoping she’d succumb to his advances. He ran his finger over her firm nipple. “I won’t let Volan have you. We’ll return to the pack and then — “

“No. He’ll kill you. I don’t want you for a mate. Don’t you understand?” She tried to pull away from him, her voice heated with anger. “I don’t want you.”

But he recognized from her words and actions that it wasn’t true; he’d use every trick he knew to convince her to tell the truth.

Chapter Six

Bella reclined against her bed and sniffled, her tears undoing Devlyn. “I just wanted to know about the family, that’s all, Devlyn. That’s why I wrote to Argos.”

Wanting to force the truth from her, he knew she loved him, even if she denied it. “We’re both tired.” He pulled her hair away from her face and kissed her wet, salty cheek. “Let’s sleep.” Having every intention of making her see his way once they were well rested, he gathered her against him and inhaled the essence of her. “I want you, Bella.”

“You can’t,” she sniffled again.

“Sorry, from the moment I rescued you from the wildfire, I’d claimed you. Now you just have to agree to be my mate.” Yet the question still nagging him slipped out again: “Why do you hate Volan so?”

Early the next morning, Devlyn stretched out on the mattress, annoyed that Bella had tensed and turned away from him the night before, avoiding his question about Volan, even though he’d forced her to curl up with him anyway. No way could he sleep next to the wolf siren and not touch her. Now his fingers itched to have Bella in their grasp, but not locating her, his eyes shot open.

Tearing the covers aside, he dashed out of the room and down the hall.

Unable to curb how furious he was that she’d run off, he stormed into the kitchen, his blood on fire. She’d cleaned up the broken glass, but otherwise there was no sign of her.

“Damn it, Bella!” he roared. How could he have trusted the vixen? He should have realized she wouldn’t have stayed put.

Suspecting the worst, he yanked open the kitchen door to the garage. The SUV was gone and the garage was empty except for cardboard boxes stacked up in a corner.

He rubbed his stubbled chin, formulating his next plan of action. But where in the hell would she have disappeared to?

The SUV’s engine suddenly purred in the driveway, his skin grew sweaty with anticipation, and the garage door rumbled open.

He still couldn’t curb his irritation that she would have left him, even for a short while. What if she’d been seen?

When she had parked the car, Bella smiled at him from the driver’s seat, a devilish glint in her eyes. The image of her naked in bed with him came instantly to mind. Folding his arms, he frowned at her until the woman sitting on the passenger’s side caught his attention. Her mouth dropped wide open and her eyes grew as round as the full moon while she gaped at him. Well, not at him exactly, but at a particular lower part of his anatomy that, on seeing Bella return, had already risen to greet her.

Slamming the door on his rapid retreat into the kitchen, he cursed all of the way back to the bedroom, the fire burning in his veins. How could he have thought Bella would run? Because she would, when the time was right. Who the hell was that other woman? They needed to use secrecy.

He yanked his jeans on.

Secrecy. Hell, he’d been the one caught stark naked, making a permanent impression on that shocked woman’s mind.

Light footsteps hurried down the hall. He turned.

Bella leaned against the doorjamb, her posture relaxed, an impish smile tugging at her mouth. “My next-door neighbor went home and skipped having a cup of coffee with me.” She wet her lips in a slow sensual sweep and then crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “Hmm, you sure gave Chrissie something to dream about, though I don’t think I’ve ever seen her quite that speechless before.” Her smile spread across her face.

He stalked toward Bella, backed her against the wall, and placed his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. “I thought you’d left me.” His voice was husky and more desperate than he wanted it to sound.

“Her car’s in the shop, and she needed milk for her kids.” Bella’s gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips.

“Hell, her kids were in the car?” he asked, his voice darkening with concern.

“No, they’re at school.” Running her finger down his stomach, she sent a surge of electricity straight to his groin.

He let out his breath, her touch wreaking havoc with his need to control. “Really, Bella, you have to be more careful. We can’t afford to get caught.”

She tilted her head to the side and scanned his whole body with a naughty look. “It seems you made more of an impression on her than I did on anyone this morning.”

Growling, he plundered her mouth, dominating, conquering, not willing to let her fight him, if she had any notion to do so.

She squeezed his denim-covered butt, tangled her tongue with his, and pressed her heavenly breasts against his bare chest. “She wanted to know who the iron man hunk was standing naked in my kitchen entryway.”

“I didn’t expect you to bring company home with you. In fact, I didn’t expect you to return home at all,” he growled, only it came out more like a wolfish groan. He tangled his fingers in her hair.

“She was glad to have the opportunity to meet you. Said something about maybe having a barbecue.”

“No.”

She stroked his shoulder blades, the muscles taut. “It’s okay, Devlyn. I told her you were all mine. A friend from my youth, renewing an old friendship. Just seeing the way you were dressed... or rather not... “ She grinned. “Well, I think she got the point.”

He raised his brows and inclined his head.

“Oh, did I forget to mention, she’s divorced and looking for husband number two?”

Ignoring her comment, he swept Bella up and carried her to the bed, having every notion of showing her how alpha he could be.

“We have work to do, Devlyn. Catch a killer and — “

He laid her on the mattress, struggling to keep his desire in check. “We have some other business to take care of, Bella. And you’re not talking me out of this.”

She tucked her arms behind her head, her red curls spread out against the green sheets.

Reaching down, he unbuttoned her shirt; their gazes locked in shared appreciation.

“What do you have in mind? You know what Volan intends to do with me.”

“He can’t have you. I want you. Always have. I told you already. You just have to say you want me, too.”

She furrowed her brows at him, her lips poked out in a sultry pout. “You know I can’t.”

“Because you’re afraid I can’t win against Volan.” The notion that she felt this way about his abilities soured him. If he couldn’t change her opinion of him, she could never love him fully. She’d proved herself an alpha female, being a loner and surviving so many years on her own, but he had to prove he could be an alpha male or lose the battle.

“I don’t want you even trying. If we mate and he learns of it, he’ll kill you.”

Devlyn shook his head, his temperature rising. “If I don’t kill him first. Have you no faith in me?”

“He’s a brute. I’ve seen what he’s done to others — maimed or killed them outright. He’ll destroy you.”

“So, by looking for a human mate, you’re doing what? If Volan finds you with one, he’ll kill him like he did the boy. Would you find that any more acceptable?” he growled, unable to control his exasperation. He yanked off one of her shoes and then the other and tossed them to the floor with a clunk. She bit her lower lip.

Leaning down, he kissed her lips tenderly, his tongue stroking the full curves, the taste of wild blackberries flavoring them, feral and sweet like her. “Maybe you wouldn’t care as much because you couldn’t really love a human like you love me.”

“You are so arrogant.” Her voice teased, turning him on faster as his groin ached with need.

He yanked off his trousers and dropped them on the floor. “That’s what you love about me... about our kind. You don’t really want some human. Believe me, if you got hold of one, he’d never satisfy you.”

She cast a raking glance over his nakedness. “The way you can?” A gleam in her eye and the smile on her lips was invitation enough, an unmistakable challenge.

He growled, “You better believe it.” Every fiber of his body was ready to prove it.