Fuller obeyed, dropping his fists to the snow at his sides. His chest heaved as he tried to draw in air. His frantic gaze met Nathan’s. “Can’t . . . stop.”
“We’ll try to get you help,” Nathan promised. But he had a feeling they weren’t going to get Fuller out of this field. Madness filled the other man’s eyes, and Nathan didn’t trust that Fuller would stay down if Emma let him go.
But he was staying down now, so Nathan asked, “Did you kill those women? Rape them, and leave them off the highway?”
As if in ecstasy, Fuller’s eyes rolled back into his head. He ran his tongue over the grin that stretched his lips. “They were . . . so good. Want more.”
Emma’s snarl echoed Nathan’s own rage.
“And what were you planning to do here?”
Fuller raised his right hand. “Knew . . . you’d find . . . fingerprint. Knew . . . you’d stop me. I can’t - don’t - want to stop.”
Nathan shook his head in disbelief. No, he wouldn’t have found a match. Fuller had never been charged or booked. His prints wouldn’t have been in the system.
Emma shifted her grip on his throat. Fuller’s voice rose an octave, took on a sing-song rhythm. “But when I came to your house, I smelled her. Oh, Miss Letty, Letty, Letty—”
Emma tightened her jaw, cutting off the sick refrain.
“Hold still,” Nathan ordered.
Fuller lowered his hand again, but his other hand moved beneath his waist, pulling out—
“Gun, Emma!” Nathan shouted. “Get back!”
Her jaws clamped around Fuller’s neck as she twisted away. The rip of flesh was drowned by the roar of a gunshot.
Emma yelped. Nathan shoved her to the side, stomped his boot into the bloody cavity she’d opened in Fuller’s throat. He aimed between the bastard’s eyes and fired.
Nathan whipped around. Emma lay on the ground, blood spreading over and melting the snow beneath her.
“Emma, Emma, Emma.” He fell to his knees, lifted her head onto his lap, stroked his hands over her fur, searching. It was a belly shot. Bad. Really bad for most wolves. “Tell me you’re going to be OK.”
He heard the crack, felt her ribs bulge beneath his hands. “Jesus Christ, Emma.” He tore out of his coat, covered her with it, held her through the transformation. As soon as she lay panting and sweating in his arms, he said,
“I just meant for you to nod your head.”
She laughed breathlessly, showing him her pale stomach. Blood stained her skin, but the wound had vanished. “Nice trick, huh?”
His relief grabbed him by his throat, and took away any response he might have had. He hauled her up, sealed her mouth with his kiss, let her feel every emotion rushing through him. She clung to him, returned everything he gave.
He stood and swung her up against his chest, her bare legs dangling over his arm. They stared down at Fuller’s body for a silent moment, then Nathan began carrying her towards the house.
He took a long breath. “So, in a little while, once we’ve got everything settled, maybe you’ll take a risk with me.”
She lifted her head to look at him. “Marry you?”
His stomach dropped, but there wasn’t a bit of him that didn’t like the idea. “Well, that too. But I’m thinking more along the lines of you . . . biting me.” He brushed his lips against her mouth which had fallen open in surprise. “I’d like to run with you.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes before she buried her face against his neck. “Yes,” she said. “Of course it’s yes. We can be our own little pack.” Her lips kissed his skin; her teeth followed it with a nip.
He laughed, pressed his lips over her hair. “Let me get you home first.”
“I’m with you,” she said simply, and her arms tightened around his neck. “So I’m already there.”
The Dream Catcher
Allyson James