“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Theo says, walking over and putting his giant hand on my shoulder. “We all make mistakes. We live with those demons.”
“Thanks,” I say, turning back toward Toshi. “So, who do you guys think is behind this? I mean, I thought we had it on lockdown at the hearing. I thought all loose ends were tied, that they wouldn’t be able to find out about her.”
“I think it was someone in the council,” Toshi says. “Someone that somehow got a picture or a video or something from the lab.
We didn’t think about cameras, but I know Issa and that fucker were paranoid for good reasons. Cats don’t even trust other cats.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” I say under my breath.
“Anyway,” Toshi says staring over at me. “I think I have some contacts we can go through to get more information.”
“Okay,” I reply. “What are we waiting for?”
“Someone has to stay here and look out for Clarissa,” Theo says carefully. “I’m too big to go unnoticed. We don’t trust the cat.
And you and Toshi can’t be anywhere together for five minutes without fighting.”
“So, you want me to stay and look out for her.” I sigh.
“You don’t have to talk to her. Just watch out for her,” Theo replies. “She is tough, and hopefully those idiots don’t come back looking for her.”
“Fine, but I need you to report to me what you find.” I look at Theo. “It’s important that I’m in the know so I can stay protected.”
“I will,” Theo says. “Just keep her safe.”
“And check the closets this time,” Toshi says, turning and walking from the room.
I growl, watching Theo turn and walk out too. I lean back against an old piece of machinery and think about what happened. I had been too selfish. I had let my instincts get the best of me. I knew something had happened. I sensed it, but by the time I got there, perched on the hill above the farm still as my wolf, all I could see were cop cars and Clarissa laying in a pile, surrounded by her family, still wearing that wedding dress. I knew I had to go back and protect her now, but my guilt was almost too much to bear.
I WANT TO SCRATCH MY ears off with my own claws. Even standing up on the hill looking out on the farm I can hear her cries, her distraught tears, her soul ripping in half. My wolf vision is keen, and even in the darkness of the night I can see into her barely lit bedroom. She is laying there on her bed, her arms wrapped across her chest, her knees pulled up, sobbing into her hands. She is devastated, even more so than I expected, but then again, I had heard what it was like to lose your mate, and Kyle was hers. I want to help her, take the pain, be there for her, but she made it clear to stay away from her. This is as close as I can get, far enough to keep my scent away but close enough to help if she needed it.
She stays in her room all the time, sometimes pacing, sometimes sleeping, and sometimes sitting at the window staring up at the moon. The vibrant life I love about her is draining from her eyes with every passing day. I love her. I will always love her and watching her like this is tearing me apart, especially since I am the reason she is in so much pain. Slowly, I sink down onto my butt, resting my arms on my legs and reaching for my pack. I pull out some jerky and tear at it, my eyes still closely surveying everything in the area.
“Watching her won’t get her back,” a woman’s voice teases from behind me.
I jump up and turn around, crouching and growling. I look back and forth into the night trying to figure out where she is.
“Who’s there?” I growl.
“Hee, hee.” She giggles as I watch something scurry across the ground and into the bushes.
Slowly I start to walk toward the bush, my claws beginning to form on my hands. As I approach, the bush begins to shake wildly, hissing and squeaking sounds coming from it. I stop and look wildly at the bush as a woman begins to rise, completely naked, her bottom half still covered by the leaves. She is short and curvy with long brown hair, specks of dark grey throughout. Her nose still wiggles in her face, and her small sharp teeth slowly morph back into their human form. She steps out from the bush and leans down, pulling a bag out.
“Who are you?” I say again. “What do you want?”
“Calm down, wolfy,” she says, pulling on a black low-cut shirt and a pair of short spandex shorts. “I’m not your enemy. I’m a friend really. My name is Penny.”
I sniff the air as she pulls on her boots, zipping up the side before running her fingers through her hair. Her eyes flash in the light from the moon, and I immediately began to tingle.
“Opossum.” I snarl. “Never can be trusted.”
“I guess you aren’t going to make this easy.” She sighs, flashing her sharp teeth and hissing.
I howl and lunge forward, attempting to grab her and tie her up.
She is quick, scurrying to the side on all fours, giggling as she goes. I turn and show my teeth, running straight for her, but she jumps, flipping over the top of me and laughing as she k
icks me square in the ass. I fall forward but catch myself, glancing back as she pays little attention to me, celebrating her small victory. I swipe my leg around and catch her in the ankles, watching her fall back, hitting her head hard on the ground and immediately going limp.