Hungry Like a Wolf (Claws Clause 1)

Fucking hell, he was a witch. Which meant that he knew what he was talking about when he said Maddox was telling the truth before since most witches could sense a deception the same way that Maddox could scent emotions. Diaz probably also knew that every other denial about knowing Evangeline’s location was an out and out lie.

Shit.

“Officer, I—”

“I’m sure we’ll be back the second he gets his hands on that warrant. Wright’s a good cop and an okay guy, but to fuck with a bond? Humans don’t understand. I’ll stall for as long as I can. Do what you have to do.”

“Why are you helping me?”

Officer Diaz’s eyes were back to their black color as he studied Maddox closely. “Because you were telling the truth when you said you loved her.” He nodded over at Maddox. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you soon. Good luck, sir.”

Maddox stayed on his front porch until even he couldn’t see the tail end of the police car. He glanced around, feeling eyes on him. A blue-haired biddy across the street from him was peeping through her curtains. Maddox lifted a hand and waved, not even a little surprised when she dropped the curtains and disappeared from the window.

Huh. Looked like he found his snitch.

There was a newspaper at the end of his driveway. Since he hadn’t lived in this house in three years, he knew it had to belong to his neighbor. He took it anyway, just because he needed a few more moments before he went back inside the house and looked for Evangeline. He clung to those moments, like a drowning man trying to stay afloat in a sea of denial. She couldn’t have run out on him again. Her ankle was still tender, he reminded himself. She promised to stay—

Deep down, he knew she was probably already gone. No matter. He’d find her, and he would have to be quick about it, too.

The clock was back to ticking. Maddox either needed to be bonded to Evangeline before Wright came back, or they had to be in the wind until he could get her to remember him. Either way, he made his decision at that moment. Evangeline had to remember him. If the house wasn’t going to do the trick, he would have to turn to the more drastic Plan B.

Sorry, Colt.

The clock had already run down. They were completely out of time.

25

Maddox walked back into the house, tossing the stolen newspaper onto the table by the door. His hands were shaking.

Okay. The whole exchange with Diaz and Wright couldn’t have been more than ten minutes. If Evangeline still didn’t remember her life with him, then she wouldn’t know the path to take out of the back door to get very far. No way she went out through the front. That limited her possibilities. He could track her.

He would track her—

Maddox drew up as he caught sight of his dark-haired angel sitting at the kitchen table with her head bowed. So certain she was gone, he never even tried to sense if she was still in the house. It was probably the first time since he was a pup that someone had caught him off guard.

“Angie!”

Her head jerked up. Her expression was strained, a sad smile tugging on her lips. “You sound so surprised. What? Didn’t expect to see me here?”

Maddox blinked quickly, afraid to shut his eyes for even a split second in fear she’d disappear. His answering grin was crooked, full of relief. “I’m not gonna lie. In my head, I was already halfway out the back door after you.”

“Smart.” She sighed, leaning into the chair, tilting her head up so that she was looking to the ceiling. “I was going to run.”

He wanted to be grateful that she hadn’t escaped, but… well, he had to know. He’d expected her to run, too. “Then why didn’t you?”

“The perfume.”

“Perfume?”

“Right after you went to answer the door, I hobbled behind you. I wanted to see who was out there, and then I was going to sneak out the back once I saw they were safe and you were preoccupied. But then I heard Adam… that was Adam Wright out there, wasn’t it?”

Maddox didn’t want to cringe when she said that name, but he couldn’t help it. He started to pace the lengths of the kitchen, keeping an eye on the table. If she tried to get up, he’d be on her in a heartbeat.

“I won’t let him come back for you,” he grunted. “I don’t care what he said out there.”

“I couldn’t believe him—”

“He thinks he can take you from me.”