Cloaked (9 page)

Sam scrambled off me, the sound of foliage snapping nearby. I rolled in the opposite direction and landed on the goggles.
Score.

I slipped them on as I attempted to push myself to my feet, but the world kept spinning beneath me. My cheek throbbed, my throat stung, and something trickled down my chin. I tasted the metallic tang of blood on my lower lip.

With the goggles on, the world was muted in shades of green, except for Sam and Connell, who glowed in yellows and reds. Up on my feet, I took a deep breath.

Connell was running through the woods toward us, gun in hand. He wore goggles, too. Smart.

To my right, Sam was stumbling deeper into the woods and tripped over a dead log. Despite the nausea settling in my gut, I staggered after him and kicked him in the ribs. He groaned, dropping his knife.

“That's for being the fuckin' devil.” Another two hits to his side. “And for stealing the cubs and touching me.”

“Enough, Daci,” Connell said, about ten feet from our position now.

Sam rolled onto his side, attempting to get up, so I drove my foot into his groin. He moaned and started crying.
Baby.

I lurched toward Connell, unable to hold back the smile of seeing him.

“Are you all right?” His voice held a ragged edge I hadn't heard before. He took me into his arms, my face nestled in the curve of his neck. The warmth of his skin and the repetitive thump of his heartbeat were reassuring and calming.

I pulled back, and the tenderness of his caress across my cheek reaffirmed he liked me.

As the wind rustled through my hair, I caught a whiff of wolf. Dog smell mingled with fresh soil. I recognized the odor—Sandulf, my alpha. I jounced around, scanning the woods.

His massive wolf figure pounced out from the bushes behind Sam. Sandulf snatched Sam by the ankle and bolted, dragging the man after him.

“Fuck!” Connell pushed past me, his gun raised.

I shoved myself into Connell, standing in his way, blocking his aim at my alpha. “Don't. You. Dare.”

What was Sandulf doing here anyway? Had he been observing Sam and his atrocities, or was he following me? I didn't care to uncover which, because I was on my
rohang
and intended to enjoy every last minute in the city and away from the pack. I'd deal with any issues once I returned home. If I returned home. After all the shit that had just gone down, I wasn't ready to contemplate that decision yet.

Sam's blood-curdling screams reverberated around us. When I whirled around, his body bounced against the forest floor, growing smaller in the distance. Within seconds, they vanished from sight.

“What the fuck was that?” Connell's voice teetered on blinding disbelief.

Facing him, I said, “That was karma.”

“Let's head back.” Connell grabbed his cell and punched in a number. “Chief, can you hear me?” His voice roared into the phone. “Hello?” He stared at the screen. “Damn reception.” He frantically typed a text message.

We emerged from the forest behind Sam's wooden shack. The fluorescent lights from inside lit up the backyard, and my sights fastened on the three cages sitting beneath a great pine tree, exactly where I'd last seen them before Sam attacked me.

Cries of
mor-mor
echoed against the tranquil backdrop of the Carpathian Mountains, though in this house, I doubted anything could be called peaceful, considering the number of animals that would have lost their lives here.

I made a mad rush toward the metal cages and fell to my knees in front of them, my stomach fluttering. I unlatched the door on top of an enclosure and reached in, retrieving a cub that nipped at my hand. The cub was covered in coarse brown fur and had large caramel-colored eyes. The poor baby couldn't weigh more than fifteen pounds, and he felt so light, so fragile in my grasp. I drew him against my chest, snuggled him under my chin, and inhaled his sweet, grassy scent. The same one I'd smelled in the tanning store that led me to find him. These were the cubs from the institute, all right. The third one had to be from the zoo.

“You're safe now.”

If anything had happened to them …
Stop thinking like that.
No one would harm them again, not while I was around.

Connell stepped alongside me. “Backup is on the way, along with an ambulance and animal control. Don't go anywhere, I'll be back in a sec.” He vanished into the house, but I had no plans to go anywhere. Not when there were adorable cubs to cuddle.

With the bears free from their prisons and in my arms, I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Okay, perhaps finding them earlier would have helped, but their safety was all that mattered. And Sam … Well, I didn't feel one ounce of remorse for his demise.

A grunting huff came from the house. I flinched and turned to find Connell dragging a stumbling Ted outside by the collar, his hands behind his back. Blood smeared his cheek and dripped over his chin.

“I ain't done nothing wrong.” His voice gurgled. “This is police brutality.”

Connell shoved him off the porch, sending him reeling forward and crashing to his knees. “Careful not to trip,” Connell said mockingly. “And make sure to tell the judge how very innocent you are.”

Connell momentarily glanced my way, his lips curling upward, the hardness in his eyes softening before he stepped off the porch and grabbed Ted's arm, pulling him to his feet. “You are never going to hurt another animal again.”

I cleared my throat. “Thank you.” I wasn't sure what else to say to the man who'd helped me track down the cubs, who believed in me, and who had grown on me so much that I couldn't imagine myself without him. But I wasn't 100 precent convinced he felt the same way about me after our earlier conversation in his car.

CONNELL

Daciana perched on the edge of a gurney as the paramedic finished bandaging her cuts.

I couldn't leave her side. She'd thrown herself into danger for the bear cubs, fought a criminal, and almost got herself killed. Either she was a true animal activist or completely insane. Probably both.

Or maybe it was me who was completely insane—for starting to fall for her. Considering she had ignored me about staying away from Sam's Tans, should I have been surprised that she didn't follow my instructions to remain in the car? But if I'd lost her tonight by putting her in jeopardy … I shook away the crippling thoughts. Never again.

What the hell happens now?
Was it right for me to drag her into my tragic life? Pizza and beer nights at home alone were as exciting as it got for me.

“The cuts aren't deep and don't require stitches.” The paramedic's voice snapped me out of my reverie. “You're lucky. The blade only nicked you.”

“Thanks.” Daciana winced as she attempted to smile with her swollen lower lip.

“Replace the bandages daily and apply the antiseptic cream I gave you twice a day. There shouldn't be any scarring.” He picked up his first aid box and returned to the ambulance.

“Are you sure you're all right?” I closed the distance between Daciana and me and reached over to caress her cheek, but thought better of it. “The bruises look painful.”

When she shrugged, her shoulders curled forward and her face scrunched up with agony. My first reaction was to lean in and kiss away the pain.

“If it hurts to move, then don't,” I suggested. “This is my fault. I should never have brought you up here.”

“Don't blame yourself. I refused to stay in the car.”

I huffed. “Stubborn?”

She wore a devilish smirk that had my pulse racing. “The cubs are safe and those bastards caught, so I'd say my stubbornness is an asset.”

And more. “The chief is organizing a search party at first light for Sam's body.”

Daciana didn't bat an eye at the idea of Sam being found dead. Her response about the wolf taking Sam being karma surfaced in my mind. I wasn't sure how I felt. People should pay for their wrongs, but I didn't believe in the death penalty.

“Did Ted reveal what he and Sam had planned for the bears?” she asked.

“Selling their fur and bones on the black market for supposed cures and aphrodisiacs. We found several passports under different names. We're following up on that now. Looks like it might be connected with my previous animal smuggling case after all.”

“That's great. I'm so glad he's been caught.”

“Ted was one of the leads we were following using Vasile's friend. If your boss hadn't told his friend about the cubs, the kidnapping might never have happened.”

Her posture straightened. “Oh. Interesting.”

“So I guess you won't lose your job after all.”

She nodded, her gaze focused on me. “Thank you for not arresting me for trespassing and believing something was up with Sam.” Her stare softened. “It means a lot.”

A cold breeze blew past, throwing strands of her dark hair across her bruised and battered face. I pushed a few hairs that stuck in her lashes behind her ear and traced the side of her face with the back of my hands. Part of me imagined myself leaning close and tasting her lips again. The way her eyes met mine, her mouth slightly parted, I suspected she had the same idea. But police were everywhere, and the chief was in the house. Daciana and I had had a brief encounter, and until I got my shit together, it was better to keep it that way. Better we got to know each other first.

With my hand back at my sides, I took a deep breath of the frosty air and glanced around.
Walk away, man.
Except my legs refused to leave. Would it be so wrong to move forward and forget the past? An uneasiness stirred in my gut.

“Listen, I have to be here most of the night,” I said. “So I'll arrange for the paramedics to give you a lift home. Is that okay?”

Daciana's gaze never left me. Her expression of anticipation transformed into a furrowed brow. She dropped her attention to her hands as she studied her nails. “Sure.”

The whisper of guilt clawed through my gut.
Say something. Promise to visit her first thing in the morning
. The words refused to unhinge from my mind.

“See you, then.” I walked away and organized her ride home. The world stood still for those few seconds while I contemplated my next move. As much as I yearned to spend time with her in my arms, spoil her with pastries, and talk for hours about animals, perhaps a few days away would straighten my thoughts. She deserved a guy who had his crap together.

Despite the heaviness settling in my legs, I made the trek toward the house to complete the on-site investigation. I ignored the screaming in my head demanding I swing back around, wrap Daciana in my arms, and kiss her.

Anton emerged from Sam's house and strolled down the dirt track. His head lifted, and he spotted me. He was the last person I wanted to see right now. I pushed past him, our shoulders knocking as we passed. The ferocious winds whistled in the distance, throttling the trees, their leaves rustling around us.

“Connell.” Anton's voice sounded brittle.

I turned around to face him.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and focused on the ground. “I've put in a transfer request with the chief.”

“Good for you.” I didn't care if he moved to Saturn.

“I ruined your marriage, and I can't take that away. But if I leave, it might be easier for you to move on. And hell knows I need a new start where people trust me again.” He scratched the side of his head, messing up his short hair.

“Best of luck with that.” I turned away. Once a traitor, always a traitor.

“You too. Don't let my mistake ruin your life. Michaela wasn't a good person. Maybe one day you'll forgive me and listen to my side of the story.”

I took a deep breath and glanced behind me. Anton strolled away from the house with his shoulders curled forward.

I shouldn't have cared, and I didn't. But if Anton recognized his mistake and attempted to better himself, why was I holding on to the past? Especially when it would wreck my future?

• • •

A week had passed since we caught the bear kidnappers, and I still couldn't get Daciana out of my head.

My life over the last few months could be summed up in one word: fucked. I officially divorced my wife, lost Anton as my best mate, and came close to getting suspended from the police force. The rejection and betrayal by those closest to me had stung … Still did. Trusting anyone was out of the question.

Except, during the past week, now that the divorce papers were signed, I'd realized what an idiot I had been to push Daciana away.

I stood on her sidewalk late in the evening while the seasonal winds whipped around me, and a new kind of emotion whirred inside—warm and soft, reminding me of Daciana's kiss. Michaela didn't compared to the determination and love I'd seen in Daci. Like a fool, I'd thought my attraction to her was as a rebound.

But now I had to move forward for my own sanity.

From the back seat of my car, I picked up two shopping bags, locked the car, and headed to the apartment. Luckily, a young couple emerged from the building as I approached and allowed me to enter.

Once I reached the third floor, sweat was rolling down my back, and it had nothing to do with exhaustion or heat. No going back now. Time to man up.

Two knocks on door 302, and hell if my arm didn't tremble. Shit, I hadn't been this nervous since school, when I'd asked girls to a dance. I had no idea what to expect, but if I didn't try, I'd never forgive myself.

When I raised my hand for another knock, the door swung open.

Daciana stood there, gray eyes wide, a surprised expression fixed on her face. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. The wounds from the night of the bear cub rescue had completely healed within the span of a week. Maybe I needed whatever vitamins she took. She wore sweatpants and a pink tank top with the words “Suck It Up, Princess” printed on the fabric.