Chapter One
An ear-splitting crack echoed through the still of the night.
A gunshot? Heart pounding, Lisa jumped into her car and waited until Maddie, the woman she’d come here to rescue, got into the passenger seat. Then Lisa slammed the car into gear and took off along the narrow road, away from Glenlogie Lodge.
“You’ll be safe now,” Lisa said, trying to reassure herself as much as Maddie. “I promise. I’ll get you somewhere safe. Nobody will hurt you. I won’t let them.”
“I don’t understand,” Maddie looked confused, still half-asleep after Lisa had woken her and dragged her from the house.
“You will.”
Lisa wasn’t sure how to explain it all. For months now, she’d been working for a secretive organization, the Knights of St. Francis. She’d done some research on the MacDonald family, who they suspected of being the last pack of wolf-shifters in Scotland. Everything Lisa had discovered pointed to them being correct. She’d spied on the family for months, gathering information about their home their habits, the history of the family…
When she discovered her colleague, Maddie, was a potential shifter’s mate, Lisa had inadvertently landed her in danger. The Knights had tried to kill Maddie but Finn MacDonald, the pack alpha, had swooped in and taken her for himself. Lisa had no idea what would happen to Maddie but she was sure it wouldn’t be good. So she’d come out here, to the MacDonalds’ estate in the middle of nowhere, without backup to try to rescue her. If they could make it to the main road, she might succeed.
As they sped along the road, neither woman spoke. Lisa gripped the steering wheel to keep her hands from shaking. Suddenly a large canine form appeared from the shadows in front of them. Lisa slammed on the brakes. Her heart pounded as she looked into the gleaming eyes of the wolf that stood on the road ahead, blocking their escape.
“Go around it!” Maddie shrieked.
Lisa shook her head.
“I can’t.”
She was utterly transfixed. She stared straight ahead, into the darkness, as the wolf moved toward the car. Before she could so much as blink, her door was ripped open and she was pulled from her seat. A tall, broad-shouldered man she recognized as Ross MacDonald picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Fear held her so tightly in its grip, she barely registered he was completely naked. He’d transformed from wolf to man. She’d always believed it and now she had proof—shifters did exist.
Ross carried her toward the house and she suddenly realized how much danger she was in. Wriggling furiously, she tried to escape his grasp. She kicked out, hoping he would drop her. It was useless. He was far too strong. As he opened a door and began a long descent into darkness, the thought crossed her mind she might never see the light of day again. Terror took hold and tears began to fall. Nobody was coming to her rescue. She was completely at this man’s mercy.
A high-pitched electronic bleep that signaled the unlocking of the door brought Lisa back to the here and now. Although she could see nothing with a thick blindfold pressing against her eyes, a quiet hum told Lisa a light had been switched on. She lifted her head to listen as someone came into the room. The footsteps told her it was a man and the sudden lurch of her stomach told her it was Ross MacDonald. A cool breeze wafted in from the corridor behind him to caress her bare flesh and she couldn’t suppress a shiver. Damn it! She didn’t want him to think she was afraid, even if fear was the predominant emotion swirling inside her right now.
As her captor drew nearer to the bed she sat on, Lisa caught a whiff of his manly musk on the air. The masculine energy he exuded was intense, overwhelming, and despite her intention to remain stoic, panic surged through her. Tugging sharply, she fought to free her wrists from the metal shackles that pinned her to the rough stone wall.
“Stop that!” a stern voice commanded. “You’ll hurt yourself.”
She doubted he’d care if she did. The man who’d stripped her bare, bound her with arms stretched painfully overhead, and left her without so much as a blanket to ward off the cold wasn’t likely to worry about her chafing her skin. Binding her like this had been completely unnecessary but every move he made was clearly designed to reinforce the power he held over her. There’d been no reason to take her clothes other than to humiliate her and chaining her up so securely when the door was locked anyway was just one more reminder she was his prisoner.
It had also been pointless to blindfold her when she already knew who he was, but it was yet another means of stripping away her defenses. Making her so acutely aware of her vulnerability was his way of ensuring her compliance and, for the most part, the tactic was working. The last thing she wanted was to fight the man who held her captive. She’d done extensive research on Ross MacDonald and his family, or should that be his pack? They were, after all, the last wolf-shifters in Scotland.
Ross was the beta, the family enforcer who carried out whatever dirty work his powerful cousin, Finn, needed him to do. He was capable of committing acts most men would flinch from and Lisa was painfully aware Ross would hurt her without a second thought to protect his alpha’s interests. She wasn’t sure how she was going to play this yet, but she planned to avoid aggravating him at all costs.
As his hand brushed her cheek, Lisa stiffened. His touch was almost tender, and that threw her off balance. His fingertips trailed lightly over her skin, mapping the contours of her face. He cupped her cheek as a lover would, then slid his hand behind her head. He curved his fingers around the back of her neck and his breath whispered over her lips as though he was about to kiss her. Lisa froze, waiting for his mouth to press against hers. Instead, he took off the blindfold and moved away. Assaulted by sudden brightness, Lisa blinked furiously. Her eyes watered as they adjusted to the harsh fluorescent lights.
Eventually, Ross came into focus. He was sitting on a wooden chair, drawn up close to the bed. His pose was relaxed but his eyes were sharp, alert to danger. He was stunning; no other word would do him justice. She’d seen him many times before, but only at a distance. She’d photographed him, documenting his movements, and then put his picture up on the wall in her home office. Like some love-struck teenager, she’d spend hours admiring every inch of his impressive physique. The man filled a Savile Row suit better than any runway model.
She’d allowed herself to imagine being taken by him. She’d fantasized about him barging into her office and fucking her over the desk. In the dead of night, she’d used her fingers to make herself come as she pictured him stripping off her panties and sliding his cock into her. Nothing had prepared her for the fierce jolt of arousal she experienced seeing him up close for the first time, though. When he’d dragged her from the car last night and brought her to this room, it had been dark, and she’d caught only glimpses of him. Now, though, she took her time to note every detail.
It was the luminescence of his skin that surprised her the most. The man practically glowed. Between that and the boyish mop of hair that said he didn’t give a shit about appearances, he looked younger than his thirty-five years. The apparently casual style was no doubt the result of careful grooming. Lisa doubted there was anything haphazard about the man. His shirt and pants fitted perfectly, confirming her suspicion they were tailored especially for him, and he wore a beautiful gold watch on his left wrist. His perfect bow mouth was twisted into an arrogant smirk, but his dark eyes were so soulful it would be easy to forget what a dangerous creature he was.
While she examined him closely, his eyes raked over her in turn. She wished she could cover herself. She wasn’t exactly the stuff of male fantasy with her small breasts and skinny hips. More than one boyfriend had complained about her lack of curves in the past. It was hardly her fault she was so thin. She ate like a horse and rarely exercised but nature had built her this way.
A frown formed on Ross’s face as he stared at her woefully small breasts. Imagining the cruel thoughts going through his head, Lisa scowled until he finally raised his eyes to meet hers.
“Are you ready to talk to me now?” he asked.
Lisa nodded. She had nothing to hide and, in all honesty, if he’d given her the chance to talk when he first dragged her down here, she’d have been happy to answer his questions. Although it was likely to be an uncomfortable conversation it would have been preferable to sitting down here alone and in darkness wondering if he was ever coming back.
“If you promise to be a good girl, I’ll untie you.”
Good girl? That made her want to tell him where to shove his offer, but her arms were aching, and she desperately needed to be freed from these restraints. She nodded again, not yet ready to test out her voice. With such a dry throat, she doubted she’d manage more than an embarrassing growl.
She sucked in a breath as Ross got up and leaned over her to unfasten the metal shackles. Her nose filled with his masculine scent and a shudder of desire rippled through her. If the self-satisfied chuckle he gave was any indication, he knew she was affected by his presence. Her cheeks reddened. He was unlikely to reciprocate the attraction she felt for him. She was no match for the glamorous women she’d seen him with.
The thoughts she shouldn’t be having about a man who was holding her prisoner were pushed to one side as Ross freed her wrists and she was able to move again. The muscles in her arms had seized and as she lowered them she grimaced in pain. To her surprise, Ross perched on the edge of the bed and rubbed her shoulders until she felt less stiff. The considerate gesture confused her, and she suspected that was his intention. He would try to confound her expectations until he got what he wanted from her.
“Is that better?” he asked.
Lisa nodded and cleared her throat.
“You need a drink?” Ross reached over to a low table by the bed. Picking up a small carton of apple juice he must have brought in with him, he poked a straw into it. He held it to her lips, and she took a long sip. It was just what she needed. “Okay?” he asked solicitously as he took the juice box away.
“Yes, thank you.”
He flashed her an indulgent smile and handed her a granola bar with raisins. It wasn’t her food of choice, but grateful for any sustenance, she took a bite.
“So, what’s your story, then?” Ross asked conversationally as though holding a naked woman captive was nothing out of the ordinary. He settled back on his chair and tilted his head as though trying to work her out. “A werewolf killed your family and you’re out for revenge, is that it?”
His mocking tone told Lisa not to expect any further kindness from him.
“What?” she asked as a stalling tactic while she tried to work out what to tell him.
“Come on, Dr. Hunter, let’s not mess about. You saw me shifting before I dragged you out of your car and you didn’t seem shocked. I’ve also known about you for some time. I’ve been in your home and I know all about your little surveillance operation. So, I’ll ask you again, what’s your story? Why are you looking to hurt us?”
“I’m not,” she protested. “I’m just an academic. I have nothing against shifters.”
Ross narrowed his eyes and she knew he didn’t believe her.
“If that’s true, how did you get involved with the Knights of St. Francis?”
Lisa looked up at him when he mentioned the organization she’d managed to get herself entangled with.
If she’d had more sense, she’d have sent Simon and Mark packing the moment they first approached her. Ever since she was a child, she’d heard stories about the Knights and their mission to eradicate wolf-shifters. Some of their tactics seemed a bit extreme to her but she’d agreed that people like Ross had no place in the modern world. The men had made her uneasy—Mark, in particular—but she hadn’t thought they were dangerous, so she’d listened to what they had to say.
“And?” Ross’s tone was impatient.
“They approached me as an academic.”
“Ah, yes, you’re a folklorist, right?”
“Cultural historian,” she corrected, “but yes, most of my research is in folk belief.”
“So you’re an expert on werewolves, are you?”
“I know a bit.”
Actually, Lisa knew a lot, but it wasn’t the main focus of her work. Her academic expertise was in ancient stories about faeries, but she decided not to tell Ross about that. He wouldn’t be the first person to mock her fascination with those otherworldly beings.
“Go on.”
“My grandfather wrote a book about wolf lore back in the seventies. They admired his work and thought I might share his interest.”
“Your grandfather?”
“Archibald Scott.”
Ross snorted derisively and she knew immediately he’d heard of her grandfather, who’d written a lurid history of shapeshifters. Her grandfather had speculated about werewolves roaming the hills around Glenlogie and that they had been responsible for a terrible massacre here in the Middle Ages. His suppositions had been widely ridiculed.
“So you grew up with tales of murderous wolf-shifters?”
“Yes.” Lisa grimaced. “The book ruined my grandfather’s academic reputation and he tended to rant about it. I’ve always known people like you existed, but I’ve never condoned violence against your kind.”
“Yet you still joined the Knights of St. Francis?”
“I didn’t join them. I just agreed to do some work for them. I thought what they wanted me to do was interesting from an anthropological point of view and they were offering a lot of money…”
“They paid you?”
The disgust in his voice was clear and Lisa’s spine stiffened with indignation.
“Not me personally. They paid for several research projects in my department. We’re a small university. We don’t get the big endowments other institutions do, and their money helped pay the wages for…”
“Okay, I get it,” Ross interrupted, his impatience clear, “you did it for the good of academia. Now, what exactly did they pay you to do?”
She took a deep breath. It felt so strange sitting here talking like this when she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing.
“They wanted me to go over my grandfather’s notes and see if I could expand upon the stories he included in his book. They also wanted me to do some research into what’s been going on in your family in more recent years. I didn’t see the harm at first.”
“And then?”
“Well, I read something about signs that mark a woman as an ideal mate for a shifter and I realized my colleague…”
“Maddie?” Ross interjected, as though there could be any doubt about who she was referring to.
“Yes, I realized Maddie fit the description. I’d always thought her eyes were an unusually bright amber, but I didn’t know that was significant until I saw something scribbled in one of my grandfather’s notes. When I mentioned her eyes to the Knights, they wanted to know more about her, so I told them where she lived, her work habits, things like that.”
It was after she’d told them about Maddie MacKinnon that she’d begun to have serious doubts about the men she’d got herself involved with. Their fanaticism had really begun to show. Lisa was horrified at the lengths they were prepared to go to. While she might support the idea of shifters becoming extinct naturally, she could never condone murder.
“Did they tell you to come here to snatch Maddie? Were they meant to provide a distraction while you crept in?”
Lisa had no idea what he was talking about. She’d come here alone to try to get Maddie to safety.
“No, coming to Glenlogie was my idea. I thought Maddie was in danger and I wanted to get her as far away from them, and you, as possible.”
“You thought we’d hurt her?”
Ross sounded insulted by the very idea, but Lisa had feared what they might do. Everything they’d learned about the MacDonald pack told her they were ruthless.
“Perhaps.”
“She’s my alpha’s mate,” Ross said. “We’ll protect her to our last breaths if we have to.”
The vehemence in his voice told Lisa he meant it and she felt a fool for coming to rescue Maddie from the place she was probably safest. In the process, she’d landed herself in danger.
“I notice you haven’t asked about your friends,” Ross continued.
“What?”
“The men you came here with last night.”
Lisa looked at him blankly. She’d come here alone. She’d heard some commotion toward the back of the house when she arrived, but it was nothing to do with her.
“I didn’t come here with anyone.”
“No?” The expression on Ross’s face told her he didn’t believe her. “So it won’t upset you to hear we killed them all?”
Lisa gasped. She didn’t know who the men were, but the casual way Ross spoke about killing them shocked her.
“I came here alone,” she said quietly.
“Not sure I believe you, sweetheart.”
This was bad. She had no idea how to convince Ross she was telling the truth. The fear inside her was making it hard to think straight. Was she going to meet the same fate as these men?
“What about me?” She tried to keep the quiver from her voice. “What’s going to happen now?”
“Depends on how good you can be.”
“How good I can be?” she parroted.
“Aye, if you please me, you’ll be rewarded.”
“And if I don’t?”
The smile that formed on his lips was unsettling. “Then I’ll have to punish you.”
She didn’t want to ask what punishment might entail, but now she knew he could do a lot worse than leaving her locked in a cell. “How exactly would I be able to please you?” she asked.
Ross leaned back in his chair and the bulge in his pants became apparent. Clearly toying with his stripped-bare captive was turning him on. Lisa almost laughed. Some men were so basic. Was that really all it would take to get on his good side? Steeling herself for what she was about to do, she eased herself off the bed and onto her knees on the floor between his feet.
Reaching forward, she unbuckled his belt and lowered the zipper of his pants. He raised his hips to help her as she freed him from his clothing. She took a moment to study his rock-hard erection. His cock was as impressive as the rest of him. Long and thick with a throbbing blue vein running along its length and a purple head, it seemed to radiate aggression. Lisa licked her lips. If she could tame this beast, she might just win her freedom.
She put her hands on his muscular thighs, leaned forward and took an inch of him into her mouth. He tasted fresh, soapy, as though he’d showered before coming down here. Beneath the citrus scent on his skin she detected something altogether more primal that made her shudder with dread and a hint of excitement. She took more of him into her mouth and ran her tongue along the underside of his shaft.
As she lapped at his turgid flesh, she felt her own arousal begin to build. She sucked enthusiastically and stroked a hand along his leg. A frown formed on her face as she realized he wasn’t responding to her ministrations. Where were the moans of pleasure? Risking a glance upward, she found bemusement on Ross’s face and she knew she was doing this all wrong.
She was about to renew her efforts when he suddenly got to his feet. His cock popped out of her mouth, leaving her with a surprised look on her face. Before she could utter the words of regret that swirled in her mind, he put a hand under her chin and drew her up until she was kneeling at the right height.
“Open,” he instructed.
Lisa immediately did as she was told. Ross slid his cock over her lips, pushing farther into her mouth than she’d taken any man before. Her cheeks puffed out and she had to breathe in through her nose. Her eyes widened as she fought to hold back a rising panic.
“Relax.” Ross’s tone was reassuring. “I’ll not hurt you.”
As he began to move, sliding his shaft toward the back of her throat, Lisa tried to work out what she should do. Was she supposed to suck? Lick him? Where should she put her hands?
“Stop thinking.” Ross had clearly picked up on her anxiety.
He sounded irritated but it wasn’t going to be easy for Lisa to obey. Every time she’d been with a man, she’d worried about whether she was doing things properly. She’d read every book on sex she could get her hands on over the years. She could probably pass any theory test but when it came to the practical, she seemed to flunk every time. Trying to tune out her inner critic, she concentrated on the moment. Breathing in through her nose, she inhaled Ross’s masculine scent and that somehow put her at ease. He was the strong, dominant type, a man used to being in control. She could sit back and let him take his pleasure.
As Ross’s movements sped up, she squeezed her lips around him, and he groaned. Her own heartbeat increased, and a pulse beat between her legs. Was it possible to be turned on by this? She put her hands on the back of his thighs and pulled him even closer. Loosening her jaw, she took him deep and he moaned in appreciation. Finally, she was doing something right.
She dug her nails into his flesh and his control slipped. He jerked his hips and then stilled, emptying his seed into her mouth. The taste wasn’t unpleasant, but Lisa couldn’t claim to like it either, so she swallowed quickly. As Ross withdrew from her mouth and stepped back to sort his clothing, she looked up at him hopefully.
“Can I go now?” she asked.
“On the strength of one mediocre blowjob? You’ve got a nerve.” Ross headed for the door and then turned back to her. “Make yourself comfortable. You’re here for the long haul.”
As he locked the door behind him, Lisa bit back a curse. That couldn’t have gone any worse. Ross had completely humiliated her. No, that wasn’t entirely true; she’d been an active participant in embarrassing herself. She clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to work some of the tension out of her body. If she wanted to improve her situation here, she had to figure out how to make Ross happy, and fast. Her jaw tightened as she clambered up onto the bed. Breathing deeply to soothe her anger, she curled into a ball and tried to get some rest.
[divider]Chapter Two
Ross was more than a bit confused when he walked upstairs from the basement. Last night when he pulled Lisa Hunter out of her car and flung her over his shoulder, he would have sworn he felt a connection with the woman. The moment he touched her, it was like being struck by lightning. A primal lust had surged through his veins. He’d been ready to claim her on the spot, so strong was the desire to possess her. At that moment, he’d known she was his. The fates had decreed they should be together. He would have thought their first sexual encounter would be incredibly hot but what happened in that room just now had been lackluster to say the least. When her soft lips had wrapped around his cock, he’d expected fireworks or something. What he got was disappointment. There’d been no heat, no spark between them.
Perhaps he was being too quick to assume the worst. Lisa had no doubt been frightened. It was clear she was also inexperienced and that was easily remedied. With time, she could be taught to please him. If he decided to keep her, that was. He needed to be sure he could trust her first.
Shelving that thought for now, he headed for his office. He found his cousin, Finn, sitting at his desk. Considering they’d dealt decisively with the men who’d attacked their territory last night and prevented his mate from leaving with Lisa, Finn didn’t look happy. In fact, the pack’s alpha male looked downright miserable.
“What’s wrong?” Ross asked as he took a seat across the desk from Finn.
“I’ve decided to let her go,” he said and then, as though clarification was required, added, “Maddie.”
“What?”
After all Finn had gone through to bring his mate here and keep her safe, Ross couldn’t believe he would give her up now.
“I’m letting her go.”
“Aye, I got that, but why?”
Usually Ross knew better than to question the head of the family on his decisions, but this seemed like a mistake. Ross might respect pack hierarchy, but he wasn’t about to let his alpha do something so drastic without at least trying to understand what he was thinking.
“She knows the truth about me now,” Finn explained, “and she made it clear she isn’t interested in being with me.”
Ross scrubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t want to criticize, but he’d thought from the start Finn was handling Maddie all wrong. Reluctant to tell her he was part wolf in case she ran for the hills, Finn had instead tried to get her to bond with him. As Maddie was an expert in ancient manuscripts, he’d left her to unravel the truth about their family from a medieval text he’d asked her to examine. He’d thought it would be easier to accept him if she found out about his heritage bit by bit. The plan had been doomed to failure but pointing that out wasn’t going to help anything.
“So you’re just sending her away?”
“Aye. I want you to take her home and make sure her house is secure. We eliminated a major threat last night but until we know there’s not more of them lurking out there, I want her kept safe.”
“I’ve got a guy who can handle it,” Ross said.
“An outsider?”
“Aye. We can’t spare Neil or Duncan and Jamie’s got Anna to worry about.”
Ross furrowed his brow as he studied Finn’s expression. His cousin didn’t seem happy with the idea of bringing someone from outside the family into this.
“I’ve used him before,” Ross assured him. “He’s reliable. She won’t know he’s there and he’ll make sure nobody gets near her.”
“Okay, then. So what about this Lisa Hunter? Have you questioned her yet?”
“We’ve had a conversation.”
“Did you get anything out of her?”
“I don’t know that there is anything to get out of her,” Ross replied. “I think she’s an innocent in all this.”
A look of skepticism passed across Finn’s face. “You said last night you felt something for her. You’re not letting that cloud your judgement, are you?”
Ross almost rolled his eyes. He wished he hadn’t said a word to his cousin about the feeling he got when he’d touched Lisa for the first time. He’d just been overwhelmed by the force of the pull toward her and had needed to get it off his chest.
“Of course not. It’s family first.” He looked Finn square in the eye. “If there’s anything we need to know, I’ll get it out of her one way or the other.”
Finn nodded, then turned his attention to the laptop screen in front of him in a clear dismissal. Ross got to his feet and moved toward the door but paused when Finn spoke again. “Any word on my sister?”
“Sadie?” Ross couldn’t help grinning as he thought about his feisty young cousin, who’d gone off to Italy to forge a life for herself. “She’s still dodging my calls, but I’ve asked Marco to look out for her.”
Finn bristled at the mention of Marco di Angelo. He’d never got on well with the leader of an Italian family of wolf-shifters, probably because their personalities were too similar.
“You trust him?” Finn asked.
“Not really.” Ross was sure when it came to business, Marco would cross them in a heartbeat. “But he’ll not let harm come to an innocent woman.”
Seemingly happy with that, Finn looked away again. Knowing it was best to give him space to lick his wounds, Ross made his way to the kitchen. He found their housekeeper, Anna, at the stove, busily frying bacon and eggs. As he leaned over her to snatch a piece of bacon, she rapped his knuckles with a spatula.
“Ow!” Ross protested as he popped the bacon into his mouth. “That hurt.”
It hadn’t actually made the slightest impact, but this was part of a game he and Anna played. He got a perverse kick out of driving the poor woman mad. Apart from Sadie, who’d flown the coop, Anna was the closest thing he had to a sister. She’d grown up on the Glenlogie Estate alongside the pack and was now married to his cousin, Jamie.
“I wish it had hurt,” Anna said with a grin. “It might stop your thieving.”
“Maybe I like you hitting me with your wooden spoon.” Ross waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Ever think of that?”
Anna snorted dismissively. “Did you just come in here to torment me or was there something you actually wanted?”
“Aye, there was. Can you make some breakfast for our guest?”
Anna arched an eyebrow at his description of Lisa.
“That’s what I’m doing.” She gestured toward the food cooking on the stovetop. “She’s not a vegetarian, is she?”
It had come as a surprise to them all to learn that Finn’s mate, Maddie, didn’t eat meat. Generally, it was assumed that a woman who might one day carry a shifter’s baby would be a carnivore.
“Nope.” Ross had snooped around Lisa’s house a few days ago when she’d first come to his notice as a potential threat to Maddie’s safety. He’d even checked her fridge and she had some leftover chicken in there. “Only one vegetarian around here and I’m about to take her home.”
Anna dropped the spatula to the floor with a clatter. “What?”
“Finn’s sending her home. Seems it’s all over for them.”
“But she’s his mate.” Anna’s eyes teared up. “They’re meant to be together.”
Ross shrugged. That’s what he’d thought. If he understood Finn’s reasoning, he would explain it to Anna, but the fact was, he had no idea what his cousin was thinking. So what if Maddie was a little put out now that she knew his deep, dark secret. He should keep her here and persuade her to accept who he was. That’s what Ross would do. On the face of it, at least, Finn was giving up incredibly easily.
“Anyway, while I’m gone, can you make sure Dr. Hunter’s fed?” he asked.
“Of course.”
“But send Jamie down with the food.”
If Lisa tried anything, Anna’s husband was more than capable of handling her.
“Okay.” Anna pursed her lips. She’d probably wanted to take the food to Lisa so she could check on her. Sometimes Anna was too kind-hearted for her own good.
Satisfied that Lisa would be taken care of while he was gone, Ross left Anna to finish cooking and went to find Maddie.
An hour later, they were in the car and heading back to the city. Although he could tell the silence was making Maddie uncomfortable, Ross did nothing to alleviate the tension. He was angry she’d hurt Finn and also that he’d been dragged away from the house to ensure she got home safely. He had more important things to deal with right now. His irritation wasn’t helped by the fact he was driving her car, a compact vehicle that was far too cramped for a man of his height.
“I could have got myself home.” Maddie seemed to have read his mind.
“You have a head injury.”
She’d collapsed last night when she learned the truth about Finn being a shifter and injured herself.
“It’s a scratch and I’m fine.”
She probably wasn’t impaired in any way, but Ross had orders to follow.
“Well, Finn wanted to make sure you got home safely. I need to check the place over to make sure it’s secure.”
“You still think I’m in danger?”
“You might be.” Ross kept his right hand on the steering wheel and used his left to fish a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket. When he found what he was looking for, he handed it to Maddie, who laid the crumpled flyer on her knee and smoothed it out.
“The Knights of St. Francis,” she read the logo at the top. “What is this?”
“It’s an organization that wants to wipe us off the face of the Earth. We dealt with some of them last night, but there may be more out there.”
Ross knew for a fact there were others but was sure they were all overseas.
“And you think they’ll come after me?”
“They might. They’ll never be able to get to Finn, so they may try to take you out instead.”
Maddie frowned deeply.
“But I’m not Finn’s mate. Whatever there was between us, it’s over.”
Ross gripped the steering wheel tighter. He didn’t like the certainty in her voice.
“I doubt they’d care,” he replied, his tone angrier than he’d intended. When he saw the look of fear on her face, he backpedaled. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ve handled it, but we’ll keep an eye on you just in case. Finn won’t allow you to come to any harm.”
Maddie nodded and looked down at the piece of paper on her lap. “Why St. Francis?” she asked.
“Huh?”
“Why the Knights of St. Francis? Wasn’t he an animal lover?”
“So I hear,” Ross replied. He had no idea why they’d picked that name. They probably thought it sounded more impressive to make out they were on some sort of crusade. “He was supposed to have tamed a wolf once, but he didn’t kill it. Perhaps they don’t see us as animals or humans. Perhaps to them we’re monsters that need to be put down.”
He glanced at Maddie to gauge her response. If she agreed with that sentiment, it was probably best if she was out of Finn’s life. Giving little away, she mumbled something about him being right and turned to stare out the window. Thankfully, she didn’t try to strike up another conversation as they drove toward the city. He wasn’t really in the mood for inane chatter. When they pulled up outside her house, he switched off the engine and took the keys from the ignition.
Before getting out of the car, he turned to Maddie.
“I emailed the university pretending to be you. I said you needed time off for personal issues.”
Maddie nodded. She seemed to think about what he’d said and then frowned. “What happened to Lisa?”
Ross was surprised she hadn’t asked about the other woman before now. After all, Maddie had seen him carrying her colleague into the house after he prevented their escape from Glenlogie.
“Your friend was one of that lot.” Ross gestured toward the flyer Maddie still clutched in her hand. “Until I know she’s no threat to you, she’ll be staying with me.”
“You won’t hurt her?”
“No more than she enjoys.” Ross smirked in satisfaction as Maddie’s mouth fell open and her eyes widened. “Stay here while I check the house out.”
As he walked up the path to her front door, he sniffed the air. Nothing unusual. He unlocked the door using the keys that were on the same fob as the car keys and stepped into the hallway. It was a poky little house and he felt he had to hold his breath to squeeze along the narrow corridors. He’d been here before, to gather some of Maddie’s things on the night Finn took her and he didn’t much care for the place. Why would anyone stay here when they could be at Glenlogie? His family home sat on thousands of acres of beautiful countryside and the house itself was big enough that the whole pack could live in it comfortably if they chose to.
After a quick scan of the living room and kitchen and a glance into the cupboard under the stairs, he headed up to the first floor where there were two small bedrooms and a bathroom. Nothing was out of place. It didn’t appear anyone had been in the house. Leaning against the window that overlooked a tiny garden, he took his cellphone from his pocket and fired off a quick message to Callum Fraser, whose security firm he was going to entrust with Maddie’s protection. The other man responded moments later, and Ross was assured he would be leaving Finn’s erstwhile mate in good hands.
Ross took another look around the house, checking windows and doors before going back outside. Neil was now parked a few yards behind Maddie’s car, in one of the estate’s Range Rovers. Ross acknowledged his cousin with a nod, and then opened Maddie’s door. He retrieved her bag from the trunk, dumping it at her feet. Tempted as he was to issue some parting shot that let her know exactly how he felt about her leaving Finn, he held his tongue. Taking a pen from his jacket pocket, he grabbed the flyer from her hand and wrote the postcode for Glenlogie Lodge on the back of it. Maddie frowned as he gave the piece of paper back to her.
“So you can find your way back,” he explained.
Not waiting for a response, he turned and got into Neil’s car. They pulled away immediately, leaving Maddie standing at the roadside.
“He really let her go?” Neil asked.
“Looks like it.”
“That’s just fucking crazy.”
Ross couldn’t argue with that, but he wasn’t about to get into it with Neil. “Not our place to say.”
His tone carried a note of warning and the chastened look on Neil’s face told Ross he’d got the message. Lower ranking members of the pack didn’t question their alpha’s decisions.
“We heading straight home?” Neil asked.
“No, I want to go to Sycamore Drive first.”
“Dr. Hunter’s place?”
Ross nodded his confirmation.
“You’re planning to keep her then?” Neil asked.
“Aye, for now.”
Until he was sure he could trust her, Lisa was going nowhere. And, if it turned out she was destined to be his mate, he was never letting her go. She would be his whether she liked it or not.
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