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Chapter 26
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Wolf Tales Chapter 27
I've lost my fucking mind.That was all Riley could think, the phrase replaying in his mind as he drove through the streets of Calderwood to his house. He didn't usually have hot, scorching, incendiary sex with a woman scant hours after he'd met her. That wasn't his style. But, with Lia, it was almost as if he hadn't had a choice.Come see my house.Take off your clothes.Let me slide my cock into you and never take it out.Jesus. Just holy Jesus!At thirty-five, he had certainly been with his share of women, some of them for long periods, others short-term relationships. But none of them had ever affected him right at his core, right smack in the middle of his heart, of who he was, like Lia Popescue. He wondered fancifully if she was a witch who had cast a spell on him. Not that he believed in witches, although since accepting the reality of Mike Volka as a shapeshifter, nothing was off the plate.All he knew was, since he first saw her, touched her in the library, every fiber
Wolf Tales Chapter 28
They headed away from the library, riding in an unexpectedly comfortable silence. Riley wondered again what the hell he was doing. He tried to examine what had happened rationally, but it seemed sanity had nothing to do with this. He thought of the old adage about an unstoppable force and realized that was exactly what had happened here. From the moment he'd laid eyes on Lia Popescue in the library, it had all been out of his hands. Five minutes with her and he had to accept that she was the one, the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. How weird was that? To be as successful as he was as a detective, Riley had to be rational, sensible, logical, all those things. And none of them applied to what was happening here.Don't fight it, he told himself. Sometimes you just have to accept what Fate brings you, especially if it was woman like Lia Popescue who rocked him to his core.He knew, however, the conversation they would have shortly could have a dramatic effect on their sit
Wolf Tales Chapter 29
She was telling him the truth. If this thing between them that had blasted out of nowhere like a space capsule and hit them both with the force of a runaway train was to work, then the Volkas would need to accept her. She hated to think what would happen if they didn't. It wasn't only Jamie's misgivings that had to be set to rest. She needed to know if Mike Volka was indeed wolf and which pack he descended from.Settling herself in her chair, she lifted her glass of wine, needing the drink to settle her nerves."To us." Mike touched his glass to hers.His smile alone settled her. "To us," she agreed.They kept the dinner conversation light, discussing the kind of movies and books they liked, the activities they enjoyed, things like that. But when dinner was over, they carried the dishes into the kitchen, and Mike refilled their wine glasses yet again and guided her back out to the patio. The sky was the bluish-slate color of midevening, the moon an emerging silver slice against the
Wolf Tales Chapter 30
Lia relaxed, her hands, still held securely in Riley's. It would happen, she told herself. Maybe not as fast as she would like, so she needed to exercise some self-control. Maybe some of the material she'd studied in the library would help, too. She'd learned a lot about packs, how they formed, what the power structure was, and how they interacted with other packs. At least it would give her the background she needed and hadn't had up to this point. The ramblings of her grandparents had hardly been enough to give her a cohesive picture.Riley trusted her, and now she would trust him to handle this and get her the information she needed. If there was one tiny bit of hesitation, it was the worry Mike's family history might identify him as a member of the pack that had destroyed hers. She'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it."All right. I leave it in your hands. They're your friends, and you know how to approach them." She lifted her face to his. "Can we seal it with another
Wolf Tales Chapter 31
Riley's night had been long and tense, and the condition of the victim had imprinted itself on his mind. How, he wondered, could one human being be so brutal with another? Leslie Finnegan had suffered both a broken arm and cracked ribs, a concussion and severe bruising and tearing in the vaginal area. He was sickened by the medical report and more determined than ever to find this piece of scum who had invaded the peaceful environment of his town. The worst part of it was they had no leads whatsoever. Today, after he managed to catch an hour or two of sleep, he and his partner would start the door-to-door canvas in the neighborhood to find out if, hopefully, someone had seen something out of place."He may not live in the neighborhood," their lieutenant had cautioned them. "Or even in Calderwood."That was true. But Riley and his partner had been cops long enough to know predators like this often went hunting in their own backyards. They were egotistically confident no one would susp
Wolf Tales Chapter 32
By late afternoon, Riley was more discouraged than when they'd started. He met his partner, Charlie Ramos, on the sidewalk. They'd decided, after the first couple of hours, to split up somewhat. They'd alternate houses on each block. That way, they'd finish up faster and could compare notes."Anything?" he asked when they met back at their vehicles.Charlie shook his head. "Nada.He'd make it a point to stop by and see Jamie and Mike before he went home tonight. They needed to have a straight and honest conversation. Electric chemistry between them aside, Riley sensed no threat to anyone from Lia. He was relying on his cop instincts here, and they had never failed him. So the questions now were, would Jamie and Mike talk to her, and what was her real motive for her search?But that was for later. Right now, he had a rapist to identify, and the prospects so far were less than nothing."Okay," he said to Charlie. "We've worked the streets closest in proximity to where the attacks to
Wolf Tales Chapter 33
"This is either really bad," Mike said in a tone only half-joking, "or very good. Come on, Riley. Don't keep us in suspense.""Okay, here's the bare bones of it. And the reasons why I think you should talk to her."He told them about his lunch with Lia and the afternoon they'd spent together. Told them her reasons for wanting to meet Jamie and ask about the book. He gave them his assessment of her as a person and why he did not think she was a danger to them. As delicately as possible, he hinted at the connection they'd instantly made, hoping his friends wouldn't either laugh him out of the house or be pissed off that he was pursuing a relationship - and what a mild word that was for what he felt - with someone they found suspicious.When he told them he'd brought her home to stay, they didn't seem to be nearly as shocked or angry as he'd expected."Why aren't you shouting at me?" he asked. "Or telling me I'm out of my mind?""Finish your story," Mike said, "and then I'll answer y
Wolf Tales Chapter 34
Lia sat with her hands clenched together in her lap, knowing Riley was waiting for her to open her car door and get out. She was trying to control the worst case of nerves she could remember having in a very long time."It's okay," he assured her yet again. "I promise they won't kill you.""That's not funny," she said. "There are some things worse than death.""Well, this won't be it. You have my word. Come on, they're expecting us."By the time she undid her seat belt and gathered her purse, Riley had jogged around to her side of the car and opened the door for her. He reached a hand out to her, and she put one of hers into its blessed warmth. When he circled his fingers around it, she drew strength from him.This was so not like her. She was usually fearless, never afraid of anything. But this was so important, on so many fronts. It would be a turning point in her life."Trust me," he told her.She let out a long breath. "Okay. I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."He kept h
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