Shit.

His heart rate increased. Seeing Kat cry had always done something primal to him. It wreaked havoc on all his senses. His inner wolf ravaged his insides, telling him to make her stop. To make it better. But damned if he knew how. He didn’t know why she was crying and the thought that he’d put those tears there cut him impossibly deep.

He quickly finished, then slipped into bed beside her, pulling her back close to his chest. She sniffled a few times but didn’t say anything, so he didn’t either. Hell, he’d already laid himself bare to her. He didn’t know what else to say, and if she didn’t want to talk, he would respect her privacy. Not to mention that his fear of pushing her away was too great. So he did the only thing he could. He held her.

Chapter 12

Fletcher tried to breathe through his mouth as the blond, blue-eyed man next to him slowly dragged on his cigarette before blowing out a puff of the nauseating smoke. “So what did these two humans do?” Fletcher asked, the first words he’d spoken since they pulled up to the biker bar on the outskirts of town. Apparently his killing spree for the day wasn’t done.

After the morning he’d had, he was curious what fucked-up logic this human would use in forcing him to kill these men tonight. The bartender he’d had to kill first had a criminal record—one count of fraud and another of criminal negligence—though nothing murderous. Hadn’t mattered to the man in uniform next to him. As long as his victims had records the guy didn’t seem to have any compunction about snuffing out their lives.

Who’s the monster now?

The guilt that rode inside him about killing the bartender seemed to be a never-ending wave eating away at him. Of course Fletcher didn’t feel guilty about the pedophile he’d killed that morning. The man next to him might be a psycho, but he hadn’t lied about his last victim’s crimes. If he had, Fletcher would have been able to scent the lie.

Wordlessly, the man who supposedly upheld the law pulled a thin manila folder out from under the armrest of the truck’s center console and handed it to him.

Flipping through the few pages, Fletcher read over the list of crimes, none of them pretty. Assault, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, sexual assault . . . The list just went on. Killing these two would actually be doing the world a favor. Still, he didn’t like being anyone’s slave. And he just wanted to be back with his mate so bad it was hard to control the rage inside him.

Each time he let it out he worried that he wouldn’t be able to rein it back in and would eventually turn into a feral wolf. The thing all shifters feared. “So you’re a vigilante?”

The man flicked a glance at him, his ice blue eyes narrowing. “You’re the monster. Why do you care?” Before Fletcher could respond—not that it would do any good—the man continued. “These two are hopped up on vampire blood. Will that be a problem?”

His eyes widened, surprise sliding through him like a fast-moving river. This human male didn’t seem to know much about paranormal creatures. Fletcher might be stronger than most humans, but he wasn’t invincible, and since he wasn’t an alpha in nature, going up against two humans on vamp blood . . . “We should target them one at a time.”

“Why?”

“I’m a beta.”

“And?”

He bit back a growl of frustration. This stupid human hated his kind enough to join the APL but didn’t understand what the term “beta” meant. “I’m strong, but vampire blood gives humans super strength. If they’re taking enough of it or if the blood source is particularly strong, it’s likely they’ll kill me.”

The human flicked his cigarette butt out the partially open window. “Guess you better think about that mate of yours. If you kill these two, I’ll let you talk to her tonight.”

His breath caught in his throat. It had been three days since he’d spoken to her. Three long days. At least they weren’t torturing or abusing her. From what it sounded like, they were holding her in a home of some sort. Just like him. She was at least being fed and well cared for even if she was a prisoner.

“I want to see her,” he demanded.

The man laughed, and the low, evil sound grated on Fletcher’s nerves. “You think I’m fucking stupid? She’s the only reason you’re on a leash right now.”

“She’ll be giving birth soon. How long do you expect me to keep up this . . . work for you?” Fletcher knew they never planned to let him go, but he played along like they did. If he could just figure out where they were keeping her or convince them to let him see her, he’d break free.

“Just another week or two,” the human said absently, staring at the front door of the bar as if he could will it to open. Almost as if by magic, it did, and the two humans they’d been waiting for stumbled out.

Fletcher’s body tensed and primed as they watched them walk around the side of the bar. To where their motorcycles were parked. They had punctured the tires of the two bikes earlier, so those two guys wouldn’t be going anywhere.

“We’ll do it here,” the human said.

We? There was no we. Just him doing what he had to do. He wanted to argue that it was too public, but that would be useless. How could he argue when they had his woman? His bargaining power was almost nonexistent.

“I’ll bring them to you. Head for the line of woods behind the bar,” the human said.

The biker bar was on the outskirts of town, where there was very little lighting and no other civilian population. The cold January air surrounded him, seeping into his veins. He might have a higher body temperature than humans, but as a beta he didn’t fight the chill as well as his alpha counterparts. Not that it mattered. The chill he felt now went bone-deep and had nothing to do with the cold.

It was guilt. “Why these two humans? Just because they’re criminals?” he asked as he stripped off his shoes and sweater and tossed them to the floor of the truck. He’d keep his pants on until he got to the woods.

“They’re APL members, if you need another reason.” The human gave him an unreadable look, then stepped out of the vehicle.

He couldn’t stop the surge of surprise that shot through him. So that’s how the human was going to convince the two men to enter the woods. But why was he targeting members of his own group? Whatever the answer, it wouldn’t change the outcome of tonight or his choice to kill them.

Using his supernatural speed he sprinted for the woods. Once he breached the forest line he let the change come over him.

In this form, his weak human guilt washed away. Protect my mate. Protect my young. Those were the important things in life. Nothing more.

Through a crystal-clear gaze he watched the human who held him captive speak to the two human males cursing by their bikes. Though they were about fifty yards away, he could hear most of the conversation. The human was telling the other two humans that he’d been tracking a shifter and had him subdued in the woods.

The rage and anger rolling off the two humans on vamp blood was powerful. Good. At least he wouldn’t be attacking defenseless humans tonight. These two would fight back. It was the only thing that assuaged his ever-growing human guilt.

Guilt that he worried he’d never be able to erase. Would he stay in wolf form this time? Would he give in to his urges and become feral?

Growling low in his throat, he thought only of blood and rage as he crept back into the shadows. Tonight his prey was coming to him.

* * *

Kat opened her eyes with a start, then immediately relaxed. Jayce’s strong arms were wrapped around her, holding her close. No matter what, she knew he would always keep her safe if he could. By his steady breathing and equally steady heartbeat she guessed he was asleep.

She breathed out a slow sigh of relief. After last night—and a quick glance at the digital clock on her nightstand that said five a.m. told her the next day was officially here—she didn’t want to think about facing him.

First of all, he’d told her he loved her. Holy shit, she didn’t know where to go with that. At all. He’d said the words so casually, but the admission had pummeled through her with the intensity of a tornado. Then when he’d admitted he’d tried to sleep with other women but couldn’t because of her . . . she didn’t know where to go with that either. It hurt her with a vicious intensity that he’d even tried to go to another woman, but at the same time it warmed her that he hadn’t been able to.

Then she’d started crying last night. The horror of it made her cringe even now. Thankfully he hadn’t mentioned it. If he had, the floodgates would have opened and she’d never have been able to stop. She’d have probably told him she still loved him and would have hated herself in the morning for the admission.

She loosely grasped his wrist and slid it back and over her body. When he didn’t stir she eased out of bed and quietly made her way to the bathroom. It surprised her that he hadn’t moved, but she didn’t question it. After shutting the door she nearly sagged against it, but didn’t waste time. She brushed her teeth, then got into the shower.

Kat needed the strong jets pummeling down on her to ease some of her aches and stress. Usually a bath helped, but she didn’t have time for that now. If she was going to face Jayce with a clear head once he woke, she needed some time to herself.

As the water rushed over her, soaking her, her shoulders relaxed until she heard the quiet snick of the bathroom door opening. She should have known Jayce wouldn’t stay asleep for long.

Without turning around, she felt more than heard the shower curtain slide back. She stayed facing the tiled wall, staring at the luminescent glass backsplash that made the large enclosure seem to sparkle.

Big, calloused hands settled gently on her hips and Jayce pulled her close to him. The feel of his erection at her back was unmistakable and it sent a spiral of heat right between her clenched thighs.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” he murmured, that deep voice rolling over her skin like silk.