Wild: Devils Point Wolves #1 (Mating Season Collection) (2 page)

"Easy brother. You're going to scare her away if you jump her now."

Diego, his brother and one of three co owners of Club Diablo with him eased behind the bar next to him.

"She's hurt."

"Yes, she is. That's what I came to talk to you about. Dante found her outside sobbing in her car."

He jerked, turning to his brother. "What happened? Tell me quick."

A small smile quirked at the edges of Diego's mouth. "Says she was attacked by a wolf out on the bridge. Apparently, she thought she hit him with her car and when she got out to investigate, he attacked her."

The wolf inside Damien pushed at his control. He wanted out and he wanted out right now. "Who?"

"Don't know yet. Doesn't smell familiar at all."

He didn't like the sound of that. "Rogue? Here on the island."

Diego nodded. "Appears so. Just what we need right now."

"No shit." He turned back around and watched Faith wind her way through the crowd. Her usually pale skin looked even more pale and he detected a slight tremble at her lower lip. She had no business being in here right now. Not with this randy crowd.

As of the new moon, Club Diablo had temporarily changed over to a different clientele for mating season. Instead of the usual female dancers, this week they had all male dancers, which drew in a lot of women from neighboring towns and every non-mated wolf within scenting distance came in right behind them.

Which meant the club was an overload of pheromones at the moment and Faith's fear wasn't going to be much of a deterrent.

"We need to get her the hell out of here," Damien said, gaze still glued on the approaching woman. Each lush inch of her pulling at his wolf as well as the man. He had no idea why she hid her curves under baggy clothes so he could barely make out the curve of her hips or the swell of her high and full breasts. Although for once he was grateful. Diablo clientele had plenty of flesh to ogle at the moment between the men on the stage and the over active women vying for attention in the crowd.

"Where's my sister?" Faith stopped in front of him, keeping a comfortable distance between them when she did.

Damien raised his brow, amused by her demanding tone. "You're hurt." He nodded toward the bandage at her wrist.

She quickly swung her arm behind her back. "I'm fine. It's my sister I'm worried about. She hasn't returned any of my calls in days."

"Rebel has the night off. As you can see we've got a different group of dancers in."

Faith turned her head and curled her lip at the men and women near the stage. "So I see."

"You don't approve?" He couldn't resist the question. For some reason he couldn't pass up an opportunity into goading this woman.

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter whether I approve or not. People do what people do. It's human nature."

He swallowed a laugh. She might think she knew about human nature from her studies in Forensic Science and Sociology at the University of Washington, but she had no idea what really lurked in the world. At least not yet. It seemed his young temptress was headed for a rude awakening.

"Did you try the motel? If anyone knows where she is I'd bet Mavis or Bud would have the answer."

Faith jerked her gaze from the stage and focused her big blue eyes on him. "I came here first. It was closest. Plus I assumed my sister would be working tonight. She loves to dance."
 

The scent of fear surrounding Faith deepened. Damien reached out and covered her hand. "You're scared. Tell me why?" He needed to hear the story in her own words.

She pulled her hand free and shifted her gaze toward the floor. "It doesn't matter anymore. It's over. Now I just need to find my sister so I can go home."

"Then I will take you to the motel and together we will find her." Rebel was probably sleeping off her bender. Dante had reported in on her earlier and mentioned a half empty bottle of Tequila. She was not taking the news about shifters and mating season very well at all.

"It would be great to find her tonight. The sooner I do, the sooner I can get away from here."

She was definitely scared. He hated that he was going to be the one to break the news of her current predicament. Specifically, that she wouldn't be leaving the island anytime soon.

Chapter Three

Faith didn't want to look at Damien right now. The attack had left her feeling vulnerable and the strange way he treated her left her even more unsettled. One minute he looked at her like she was something special and the next like something he couldn't get off his shoe. The mixed signals from him drove her nuts on a good day. Today? She couldn't handle it.

Right now all she could think about was being back in the safety of her secure apartment building where there was no reason for her to drive through fog and certainly no wild animals to run in front of her car and then attack her when she tried to help them.

Except getting back to said apartment involved climbing in her car and returning the way she came. As far as she knew there was only one way on or off this stupid island.

When she didn't say anything else, Damien frowned and turned, walking toward the door. She got the distinct impression he just assumed she'd follow him.

Every bone in her body wanted to stay put and not follow him anywhere but her worry for her sister took precedence over her discomfort. She grabbed her wrist and rubbed it a few times,
 
trying to dull the burning pain that continued to flare up around her wound. The first thing she needed to do when she got back to the mainland would be rabies shots.

Damien led her out of the bar and to a big, black SUV with dark tinted windows that loomed in front of her. A Hummer in fact that had to be three times the size of her little car. He held the door open for her and even offered her a hand climbing in.

"I'm surprised you don't have a ladder to get into this thing. We could just take my car."

"I need a vehicle that I actually fit inside. Unlike that thing." He purposely pointed to her mini knowing full well it belonged to her.

He was probably right. Of course his reference to his size inevitably led her brain down an entirely different path. As she buckled her belt she watched him walk around the car admiring every step he took.

They didn't make men like him and his two brothers in Seattle that's for sure. At six foot something (a lot of something for sure), broad shoulders, narrow hips and thick thighs currently encased in black pants obviously tailored to fit him like a glove, he was certainly a sight to behold. And if that wasn't enough there was the rest of him. Thick, dark hair he kept combed back from his face, chiseled jaw covered with enough hair to be sexy but not so much to be lumberjacky. Even his bushy eyebrows looked sexy where on anyone else they would make her think unibrow.

She didn't even want to get started on the green eyes she currently couldn't see. Not when she couldn't tear her eyes off the shape of his ass as he walked in front of the vehicle. Jesus. What was wrong with her? She was acting like some sort of sex starved idiot.

Well...

Maybe she wasn't exactly starving but she certainly had a nice dry spell going when it came to all things sex. Because who had time for that when school consumed ninety eight percent of her time and the other two percent were taken up with things like sleep, food and sister troubles.

When they reached the small downtown area she looked around marveling how adorable it seemed. There was a small coffeeshop/bakery sandwiched between an auto mechanic shop and a tiny police station with honey buns in the window that made her mouth water, reminding her she’d forgotten to eat lunch and dinner today.
 

She stared at an unmarked building that kind of looked like it might be an apartment building based on the balconies at each unit a few with portable grills and plants before they passed a small library that also seemed to serve as some sort of town hall according to the signs outside.

At the end of the main drive sat the one and only motel that served the island and was little more than a row of rooms and a blinking soda machine sitting outside the main office.

Damien pulled into the lot and parked in front of the room marked #7, coincidentally her sister's favorite number. Rebel put faith in all things odd and had a real thing about making your own luck by following her little rituals.

There were no cars parked out front and she wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or not. Her sister didn't have a car at the moment after selling her last one. Claimed she didn't need one here on the island and said her boss let her borrow one if she needed to go off island.

As soon as Damien got the car parked, Faith opened the door and jumped down, ignoring the pain shooting up her arm. She knocked on the door and tried the knob at the same time only to discover the darn thing locked.
 

"Rebel, open up. It's me." She waited a few heart beats hoping her sister would answer her before knocking again. This time she put her ear to the door and listened. She heard something… Was that snoring?

"I think I hear her." She banged harder on the door and yelled. "Rebel, open the door already!"

Damien looked a little annoyed standing next to her, which must have gotten old quick as he walked to the office and disappeared inside. Moments later he reappeared and held up a key.

"They just gave you a key?"

"Of course. Everyone knows everyone on this island. In fact, Billy said he saw her a few hours ago all alone and drunk as a skunk. He thinks she’s probably sleeping it off."

This news did not comfort her at all. Rebel had a wild streak a mile wide and certainly was no stranger to alcohol. But drinking alone in a motel room instead of at a party? That didn't sound like her at all.

"Then something’s wrong." She grabbed the key from him and shoved it in the lock. "My sister does not party alone. Ever."

She shouldered the door open and gasped at the sight that greeted her. Her sister was indeed passed out on the bed, snoring, and the room not only reeked of alcohol it looked like it had exploded. There were clothes, shoes, pictures, pretty much everything in the world her sister owned thrown all over the room. Not a single clear surface.

"What the hell? Rebel, wake up." Faith went straight for her sister and shook her shoulders. When she got nothing more than a mumble she turned back to Damien. "What happened to her? Why is she like this?" She pointed at the lump still lying in the bed not moving. She feared the worst. "My beautiful, vibrant sister does not drink herself to a stupor. Ever. She takes things in stride and keeps going. She has more will and strength than anyone I know. Not even when our parents died. While I was falling apart she took care of everything." She could feel the hysteria rising or maybe it was the lack of food or the wolf bite. But she was about to fall apart.

"We really should talk." He touched her shoulder and she flinched before whirling on him.

"We need to talk? Does that have something to do with her? What the heck is going on?" There were so many unanswered questions she didn’t know where to start.

He grabbed her hand again and gently touched the bandage at her wrist. "It has to do with this mostly? And yes, your sister."

"You know why she is like this don’t you? You need to spit it out because I literally cannot imagine what you could say that would make me understand this."

"Faaiitthh, is that you?" her sister slurred.

"Yes, Bel, it's me.” She used her favorite old nickname from when they were little hoping it would get through all the alcohol soaked brain cells. “What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Youuu realllly shouldn't be heeerree. Not safffe."

Faith's body tensed, the hair on the back of her neck bristling. "What do you mean not safe? What are you talking about?" She brushed her sister's usually gorgeous but now matted and sticky hair out of her eyes. "Talk to me, Bel."

"Werewolves on the island. Not safffe," Rebel repeated.

Faith shook her head. "You've definitely had too much to drink, sis. You’re kind of right though. There are wolves on the island. I had a bit of a run in with one earlier." She held up her bandaged wrist.

Her sister's eyes widened. "Faith, you're not listening," she whispered. "Not just wolves. Men who change. I saw it with my own eyes."

"I'm sure you did." She patted Rebel on the shoulder and then rounded the bed to go to the bathroom. Her sister needed some water to drink and a cold rag. Under other circumstances she might suggest coffee to sober her up, but this was extreme. The best thing for her at this point would be sleep.

Out of sight of both her sister and the man who made her feel off kilter whenever she was around him, Faith grabbed her head and winced at the throbbing pain. She wasn't feeling too hot either and didn't even get to blame it on an alcohol binge like her sister.

While she dug through the bathroom drawers searching for some aspirin to go along with the glass of water, Damien appeared in the doorway.

"We need to–" He didn't finish his sentence before he rushed forward to catch her when she swayed sideways. "You're not feeling well are you?"

She shook her head. "I'll be fine. Just a little light headed is all. I skipped lunch and haven't had dinner yet."