To Tempt A Wolf Part 13

She reached for her cell phone and called Jace. "Hey," she said, when he answered. "My car's stopped. I don't have a clue what's wrong with it. It won't start."

"Where are you?"

"I just pa.s.sed the big farm that has the horse weathervane on the barn."

"The Dixon place. I know where you are. I'm about fifteen minutes away. I just came from giving the Buells an estimate for an addition to their house. Hold on, babe, rescue's on the way."

"Thank goodness," she sighed then turned at the sound of an approaching car. "There's a car coming. They're stopping." There was a moment's silence. "Oh no. Jace, it's that man. The one who broke into my house."

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h," Jace breathed. "Hayley, there's a big stand of woods right there. Run, baby. Hide in the woods. I'm coming. Do you hear me, Hayley? Run!"

Hayley stood frozen for a moment, staring at the man who'd promised to make her pay for humiliating him. She considered the possibility of taking him on until his two friends got out of the car. A cramp of pure terror twisted her stomach. One look at the odds was all she needed. She ran.

Behind her, she heard the sounds of shouting. The ordered curses to stop did nothing but encourage her to run faster. She made it into the woods and began dodging through the trees. Having managed to hold on to her cell phone, Hayley struggled to dial 9-1-1. A single thought kept repeating in her head. There was no way she was letting Jace face these three men on his own. Afraid to stop, afraid to even slow down, her divided attention cost her. She tripped over a low-lying tree branch.

Hayley scrambled and barely managed to keep her feet. Hands outstretched to catch a nearby tree branch, the phone went flying into the thick underbrush. Shaking, scared and angry, she held on to the branch until her knees regained their strength. She debated on trying to find the phone when a nearby noise caught her attention. With a whimpering growl of frustration, she ran. Her panicked flight took her deeper and deeper into the woods. She ran until a hitch in her side caused her to slow and stop. Crouching down, she tried to catch her breath, being as quiet as possible.

In the distance she heard the sound of raised voices. It almost seemed as though the men were arguing amongst themselves. She didn't know why and didn't care. It afforded her more time. Time for her to rest, time for Jace to get there. The voices became fainter until it was quiet. Ominously so. Hayley s.h.i.+vered, squelching the sudden need to run, to get away as fast and as far as she could.

Her body began to shudder. At first, she was able to convince herself it was shock until muscle and bone began straining in a way that was foreign and frightening. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she dropped completely to the ground and lay on her side, riding out the pain, rocking back and forth, her mind a mora.s.s of fear and confusion.

Something was moving inside her, something was coming alive, struggling to break free. Unfamiliar thoughts and images were forming in her head. Her senses were suddenly opened, as though released from a m.u.f.fling cloak. The smell of the earth, gra.s.s and leaves wafted into her nostrils. A squirrel had recently pa.s.sed over this ground and the thought produced longing. Longing to chase, to play, to hunt.

A fresh blaze of pain burned through her and she whimpered, helpless to keep the sound from leaving her straining throat. With the pain came stubborn determination. She would not be conquered. She was wild and free. This was her place, her turf, and no one would humble her. Slowly the pain began to ease.

Ears straining to catch any sound, she realized what it was to be prey and her psyche rebelled at the thought. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes began to glow. This was wrong! This was all wrong! She was the hunter, the predator. Why was she running? Breathing deeply, pus.h.i.+ng the pain away, she rolled to her hands and knees then froze.

"Thought you could hide from me, did ya?"

Her enemy stepped from behind the trunk of an ancient oak. Hayley tensed.

"I told you I was gonna make you pay, b.i.t.c.h. Stay right there on your hands and knees. You're gonna gimme what you owe."

Warily, she watched as he approached, his hands working open his belt buckle. Hayley felt a growl forming in her chest. Softly she gave vent to the sound, her lips pulling back to show a hint of white teeth. When he opened the top b.u.t.ton of his grimy jeans, she sprang. Taken by surprise, he went down under her attack. Biting, scratching and kicking, Hayley instinctively inflicted as much damage as she possibly could.

The man was yelling, rolling on the ground, struggling to catch hold of some part of the whirlwind of fury that was literally tearing him apart. He managed to get his leg bent and kicked out, catching Hayley in the stomach. With a whoosh of departing breath, she was sent flying and landed with a solid thump against a nearby tree trunk. Stunned, she lay there, gasping for breath.

Catching his breath first, the man scrambled to his feet. He reached behind to the waistband of his jeans and pulled a gun. Scratched and bleeding, he pointed the gun at her. "You are one crazy b.i.t.c.h. I'm getting the h.e.l.l out of here. But you're not."

Just as he pulled the trigger, a huge shadow leapt between them. The black wolf clamped his teeth on the man's arm, crunching the bones in his powerful jaws. The man howled and once again was taken to the ground. The gun fell from his nerveless fingers as he slammed with jarring force against a fallen log. His head whipped back, impacting with the solid bulk of the tree trunk. Abruptly, his cries ceased as he was knocked unconscious.

A lifetime pa.s.sed in mere seconds as Hayley stared in shock and surprise. The black wolf turned his gaze to her and she gasped. The blue-green of his eyes blazed. Hayley recognized the man within. "Jace," she whispered.

The air blurred around him. Hayley was a.s.sailed by a rush of vertigo as a transformation took place that was incomprehensible to the human eye. Where the wolf had been, Jace crouched. His magnificent body was nude. He rose unselfconsciously to his feet. Making sure the gun was out of her attacker's reach, should he regain consciousness, he moved swiftly to her side.

"Hayley," he said, his voice husky with emotion. "Are you all right?" He reached out, gently touching her face.

"You're a wolf," she answered. Still dazed, she breathlessly blurted the words.

Jace gave her tentative smile. "The accurate term is werewolf, but yeah, I can become the wolf. He lives in me."

Before she could reply, a swift lance of pain sliced through her. Hayley bent double as the insistent s.h.i.+ft of bone and muscle again shuddered through her. Jace slid an arm around her shoulders. He was speaking softly. She strained to hear, to understand, but the words seemed almost alien to her.

When at last the pain receded enough to allow her to think, she looked at him, suspicion and accusation clearly written in her gaze. "What's happening to me?" Subdued, Jace met her eyes. "It's the change, Hayley." "What change?" her voice rose in panic. "You've got to calm down, honey. That's why it hurts. You need to relax. Don't fight it." Panting, Hayley growled at him, "You're not answering my question.What change?" "You're becoming a werewolf. Like me," he admitted.

Hayley was shaking her head in denial.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. It was an accident. I would never have done this to you without your permission. That's part of what I've been wanting to tell you. About me, about this other side of me."

Disbelief, shock, fear and sudden rage coursed wildly through her. Her mind seemed to fragment, her thoughts jumbled. Some were clear, others unfamiliar, primitive and incomprehensible. Before she could make sense of it and speak, Bryn arrived with a wolf at her side.

Bryn knelt at Hayley's side. "Are you all right? Hayley, look at me," she ordered.

Hayley looked up at the command in Bryn's voice.

"It's all right, sis. It's gonna be all right."

"You know about this?" Hayley whispered.

Bryn nodded. She drew Hayley's gaze to the wolf. "That's Logan."

"Oh, Bryn." Hayley shuddered. "I can't believe this. I don't know what to say, what to feel, what to do.

It hurts, it hurts so bad."

"You've got to let Jace help you," Bryn told her firmly.

"No! I don't want him. He did this to me. Make him go away!"

Stunned silence filled the little clearing.

Quietly, Bryn broke the silence. "Jace, Logan. Would the two of you give us some privacy? And take

that with you, please," she added, indicating the man on the ground who remained still and quiet. Logan transformed. He and Jace lifted the man to his feet and dragged him away. Bryn turned back to Hayley. "Have I ever lied to you?" "No," Hayley admitted in a shaky voice. "Then listen to me now. I want you to sit there and relax. Take deep, slow breaths." When Hayley did as she asked, Bryn continued. "You've been given a gift, Hayley." At Hayley's look of disbelief, Bryn smiled. "Oh I know. You don't think so now. But in time, you'll believe me. It's not like in the movies. You don't become an unthinking, killing creature at the rising of the moon.You control the change." Bryn pitched her voice to sooth and calm. "Anytime you want, you can become the wolf. It's like nothing you'll ever experience. To run so swiftly you feel as though you could fly. Your senses come alive. The very air holds secrets, but they'll all be yours just by taking a deep breath."

"How?" Hayley whispered, shuddering as her body again sought to become that which it wasn't born to be.

"First of all," Bryn smiled. "You have to take off your clothes."

"Great," Hayley answered and Bryn smile widened into a grin.

She helped Hayley to her feet and out of her clothes. "Now, look into my eyes."

"You sound like a vampire. You're not going to bite me, are you?"

"Hey, that's just what I said to Logan! And no, I'm not going to bite you. Now do it."

Striving to put her fear aside, Hayley took a deep breath. Two pairs of silvery-gray eyes met. Almost immediately, Hayley felt her panic recede. Her body relinquished the remnants of its pain, flooding her with a feeling of peace and wellbeing. Deep in her sister's eyes, she saw the wolf. It stared back at her, claiming her, welcoming her, inviting her to join in the grace and mystery of its being.

Warmth enveloped her. Heat s.h.i.+mmered over her body and Hayley s.h.i.+vered with pleasure at the melting sensation that flowed over her. She shook herself then froze in shock. Instead of being face-to-face with Bryn, she was now at eye level with Bryn's thighs. She s.h.i.+ed away, moving back while looking up, then sat abruptly.

Bryn looked down at her with a grin. "You make a beautiful wolf, sister of mine. We are going to have so much fun running together. I think it's time we show Jace and Logan the new you."

At the mention of Jace's name, a mora.s.s of emotion went spinning through her. Longing, confusion, need, anger-they mixed and mingled in an incomprehensible jumble. She heard Bryn call for them and watched the two men appear. Her gaze arrowed straight to Jace and she attacked.

Here was the author of her pain, spoke the wolf, and yet her humanity reminded her of the love she felt. Her front feet connected with Jace's chest, knocking him off his feet. He landed with a thud on his back and she stood over him, her jaws mere inches from his throat.

Bryn and Logan both cried out. "No!"

Back and forth, Hayley's human and wolf halves argued within her. Thoughts of love, betrayal, grat.i.tude, hurt, longing for his touch and the need to inflict pain for pain raced through her mind as she stared down at the man at her mercy. Teeth bared, she growled at him in warning, daring him to move.

"Hayley, baby, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I..." Jace swallowed hard. "I know I don't have any right to tell you this now, but...I love you."

The wolf froze. Slowly she relaxed, letting her growls abate. She stepped back, one step, then another, as she watched one crystal tear slide from the corner of Jace's eye. Horror at her own actions rolled over her in a wave. She lifted her muzzle to the sky and howled out her grief and shame. Sending one more look his way, she whirled and ran.

"Hayley!" Bryn yelled.

"Go after her, Bryn," Logan ordered softly. "Take her home. Jace and I are going to clean up this mess."

Bryn sent a worried glance in Jace's direction. He'd sat up but remained on the ground, his gaze trained on the spot where Hayley had disappeared. His expression was blank, his eyes held a bleak and weary resignation.

"Talk to him, Logan. This can't end this way. We have to fix this," Bryn insisted, her voice holding something akin to panic.

Logan wrapped her in his arms. "I know, sweetheart, I know. First things first. Go after Hayley. Take care of her. I'll see to Jace. It'll be all right."

"I hope you're right," Bryn replied fervently. She quickly stripped out of her clothes, handing them to Logan. "I'll see you at home."

"Be careful," Logan insisted, giving her a scorching kiss. "I love you."

"I love you back," Bryn answered with a misty-eyed smile. She transformed and followed Hayley's scent into the woods.

Logan moved to stand near Jace. Without looking up, Jace murmured, "It's over."

"It's not over 'til you're dead," Logan replied bluntly, drawing Jace's gaze to him. "You look very much alive to me. Come on, brother wolf," he reached down, extending his hand to Jace. Jace clasped his hand and allowed Logan to help him to his feet. "A lot happened here in a very short period of time," Logan told him. "Hayley was a.s.saulted and confronted with information that was more than just mildly shocking. She's going to need some time. Give her that time, Jace."

Jace nodded, saying nothing, but deep inside he felt lost. Hayley's first act as a wolf had been to attack him. Could she have expressed her feelings more plainly? He closed his eyes and raised a hand to his forehead as though physically trying to erase the memory. And that look in her eyes before she ran away. The pain he'd caused her. How would she ever forgive him?

"Logan, how could I have f.u.c.ked up so badly? I should have told her that first night I saw the change taking her. If I hadn't been such a coward-"

"Well, you can stop that bulls.h.i.+t right now. You are no coward, Jace McKenna. Just because you wanted to wait to be sure of Hayley's feelings? How long has it been? A few days? Come on, let's be realistic here. If this is what you're basing your idea of cowardice on, you don't have a leg to stand on. Now stop feeling sorry for yourself and help me with this b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

Jace's eyes took on a feral glow as his regard was drawn to Hayley's attacker. The unconscious man groaned and started to stir. "Why don't you go get our clothes and I'll walk this guy out to my truck."

Logan took one look at Jace's face. "I don't think so. You go get the clothes. I'll walk him out. And he rides with me to the sheriff's office."

"Sounds like you don't trust me."

"Let me put it this way. If this guy had attacked Bryn, I wouldn't trust myself. If that had been the case, would you trust me to be alone with him?"

Jace looked at Logan for a moment. "I'll go get our clothes."

"Smart man."

Jace remained in human form until out of sight, then transformed. Logan hauled the miscreant to his feet.

"You have no idea how lucky you are at this moment," he growled. "Come on. You've got a date with the sheriff."

Logan herded the scruffy, subdued man toward the road.

Hayley stared into the koi pond, watching the fish make their graceful yet lazy rounds. Her thoughts moved in slow circles that emulated their movement. While they seemed content with the motion, Hayley was lost. A week had pa.s.sed since she'd been attacked. Bryn and Logan had insisted she stay with them for a time. Her testimony, along with that of his two friends, had her a.s.sailant cooling his heels in jail. He was awaiting trial on charges of a.s.sault and attempted murder.

Any thoughts she had of her attacker and his part in the incident that took place in the woods was minimal. What held her attention most was Jace. Where he was, how he was, and how much she wanted to see him. But she didn't dare. Not after what she'd done, what she'd felt. Hayley was afraid. Ashamed of the way the way she'd nearly hurt him. There was nothing she could do but stay away.

At times her thoughts were still a confused tangle. She'd wake crying, unable to make sense of the mora.s.s of roiling emotions. Any peace she found was hard won but even so, inadequate. Happiness seemed a thing of the past, an emotion that might never return. She heaved a sigh and turned her head to see Bryn and Logan approaching from across the lawn. She moved over to make room for them on the stone bench.

"From the looks on your faces I see you think it's time for a talk. You may as well save your breath for all the good it will do," she told them, without looking up.

"Don't be a smarta.s.s," Bryn replied with some asperity. She knelt on the gra.s.s at Hayley's feet.

Logan seated himself on the bench beside her. "Haven't you brooded long enough?"

"I don't think so," Hayley replied with a tinge of annoyance in her voice.

"Too bad," Bryn answered. "It's time to talk."

"Bryn," Hayley began.

"No, I don't want to hear any excuses. I want to know how you feel. What's running through your head? Have you decided you don't love Jace?"

"Yes. No! Oh I don't know," Hayley returned forcefully. "You saw what I did. I attacked him. What

does that mean? If I truly loved him, how could I have done that?"

"Wait a minute. Is that what has you upset?" Logan asked.

"Well, of course it is!"

Bryn and Logan looked at each other. "We thought it was the whole 'being a werewolf' thing."