Unmasking the Wolf (7 page)

Tears pricked her eyes. Despite their different opinions, she was very much her father’s daughter. Stubborn to a fault, and very determined. “He has an odd way of showing it. He hasn’t tried to call once.”

“He’s upset. You know he only wants the best for you.”

“Marrying me off to a complete stranger isn’t what’s best for me.” Gina was tired of the same old argument. “I didn’t ask to be the alpha’s daughter. It’s not fair.”

“Nothing in life is fair. We take our lot in life and make do.” Ever calm and reasonable, Angela’s voice turned cajoling. “Come home. Do you need money for the bus?”

“I’m not coming home yet. I like being here. It’s the first time I’ve had my own life.”

“What’s so wrong with your life in Clinton?”

Gina sighed. “Nothing. I just don’t want to repeat the cycle that’s plagued our family for centuries. Dominic left. Why is it so wrong for me to?”

“You’re the . . . ”

“Yes, I know,” Gina interjected. “I’m the alpha’s daughter. I
know
, Mom.”

“Well.” Angela cleared her throat. “Give my love to Dominic. I’ll call you in a few days.”

Gina tossed aside the cell and fell back against the pillows. Why was everyone in her family so determined to butt into her life? All she wanted was time to make her own choices, to get away from the wolf life being forced down her throat.

She must’ve drifted off because soon she was jolted awake by her actual alarm. She turned it off and slid out of bed. A brisk shower helped revive her. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a light sweater. Winter would be upon them soon. There was a chill in the air that hadn’t been there yesterday.

Dominic was in the kitchen making breakfast. She peered into the pan. “What you cooking?”

“Egg white and spinach omelet.” He expertly flipped it with a spatula. “Do you want one?”

She grimaced and shook her head. “I’ll get something at work.”

After breakfast, Dominic dropped her off at Vino’s. She walked in the door, right at eight, and headed for her apron. A line had already formed, and Vino seemed to have his hands full. “What can I do to help?”

“Run the register if you don’t mind.”

She set to work, her mind occupied by the morning rush. She took in money and made change for several hours. It was nearly lunch when a lull finally arrived. “Do you have any plans for the weekend?”

Vino seemed surprised by her question. “Not really. Usually I hang out with my buddies and ride my bike.”

“Cool. I didn’t know you had a motorcycle.”

He shrugged. “It’s just a hobby.”

The day passed pleasantly. Despite how busy they usually were, Vino was a good boss. He let her go a few minutes before closing. She tried Dominic’s cell, but he didn’t answer. He wasn’t due to pick her up for twenty minutes, so she decided to walk to Mason Building and meet him.

The snooty receptionist wasn’t at her desk. Relief filled her. The last thing she desired was to cross swords with her again. She tried Dominic’s office first, but he wasn’t there. Pulling out her cell, she called his number again. Still no answer.

Damn.
She hoped he hadn’t already left. Perhaps she should go check to see if his car was in the parking garage. She turned to do so, but encountered a large form behind her.

“I’m sorry.” She glanced up and whatever else she’d been about to say trailed off. “Luke!”

Tenseness lurked in his eyes. It looked like he hadn’t had a good night. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. Certainly nothing like the blazer and nice slacks he’d had on yesterday. She preferred the casual look on him. The bulky muscles of his chests and arms strained the seams of his shirt.
So hot.

Her voice returned. “Have you seen Dominic?”

“Not in a few hours.” Worry darkened his blue eyes. “Was he supposed to meet you?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “I got off early. I walked over to meet him, but he’s not answering his phone.”

“He’s probably in the lab. It’s normal for him to get wrapped up in research that he notices nothing else.”

“What is he working on? He doesn’t talk much about it with me.”

A curtain seemed to fall across Luke’s face. His gaze grew shuttered. “It’s classified.”

What kind of research were they doing? Now her curiosity was truly stroked. “I’d better go find him before he leaves. If you see him, will you let him know I’m here?”

“I’ve got a better idea. I’ll look for him with you.” Luke put his hand against her back and guided her down the hall. The heavy warmth of his palm seeped through her thin sweater and heated her from the inside out.

His scent wrapped around her. As always, it left her confused. Her body reacted instantaneously to him, something that had never happened before. “You’re probably busy. You don’t have to babysit me.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her. “Babysit? Relax, I don’t mind. I like spending time with you.”

Her pulse tripled. She liked spending time with him too.

How in the hell was he going to stop from taking her in his arms?

The more he was with her, the more he experienced overwhelming lust. He’d never imagined the mating urge would be so strong despite the tales he’d been told. If he hadn’t taken L-12, what would her response be? Would it be as encompassing for her? God, he hoped so.

Downstairs was almost deserted. The lab was located in the bottom floor of the building. Only security personnel, Luke, and Dominic had access to the basement. The actual laboratory was barred even from security. They patrolled the basement, but couldn’t physically enter the room.

Inside the elevator, he wondered if he was making a mistake bringing Gina even this far. He couldn’t allow her to go inside the lab, but he was reluctant to let her out of his sight. Protective instincts he’d thought died with Laura rose to the surface. It was imperative he protect this woman.
His
woman, even though she didn’t know it yet.

He glanced over at her. Her attention was on the elevator’s LED screen, watching as the floors they passed lit up. A catchy pop tune wafted out of the speakers and she hummed softly along. The fluorescent lighting lit her upturned face. He took a moment to study her while she was distracted.

Thick red hair was tied back at the nape with an elastic band and fell to the middle of her back in a mess of jumbled curls. He wondered what it would look like spread out against a pillow . . . his pillow. The blue sweater she wore brought out her brilliant eyes. The pert nose and rounded chin softened her features, yet stubbornness was apparent in the arch of her eyebrows and tight jaw. For the child of an alpha, she was delightfully feminine and so fucking gorgeous it had to be a crime.

The elevator dinged as they reached the basement. He touched her arm as they exited. “Wait right here. I’ll go and see if Dominic is in the lab.”

She glanced around the stark white area. Trepidation filled her gaze as he landed back on him. “Can’t I come with you?”

The hair on the back of his nape lifted in response. Something wasn’t right. Obviously, her wolf senses were picking up on that too. He inched closer to her, slowly moving his gaze up and down the narrow, long hallway.

The lab was at the very end. It appeared to be dark. If Dominic wasn’t there, where was he? There were four other doors, one for night security, two for the bathrooms, and another for a file closet. Someone was hiding in one of the rooms, but which one?

Not wanting to risk Gina’s safety, but reluctant to leave the lab unprotected, he turned to her and whispered, “I need you to go upstairs.”

Defiance lit her gaze. “Absolutely not. Dominic may be down here. I’m not leaving without him.”

“He’s not here.”

“How do you know?” She sniffed the air, her nostrils delicately flaring.

She must’ve caught the scent that had been plaguing him. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t human . . . or wolf. “You’re right. He’s not. But someone is.”

“Exactly. That’s why I need you to leave now.” He shoved her toward the elevator a moment before the bathroom door to their right banged open.

A man appeared, holding a deadly-looking knife in both hands. A loud gasp let him know Gina hadn’t left.
Shit.

Grabbing her arm, he pushed her behind him. No matter what happened, this fucker wasn’t going to hurt her.

He studied the intruder carefully. Despite the weapons, the man wouldn’t be much of a match for him. In wolf form, he could take him down in an instant. As a man, there would only be a brief struggle. Checking to make sure Gina was still behind him, he called out, “What do you want?”

The man smiled, his teeth sharp and pointed.
What the hell?
His words lisped across red lips. “I think it would be obvious.”

Anger filled Luke. It did have to do with L-12. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to spell it out for me.”

“Gladly.” In a lightning swift move, the man tossed a knife at his head.

Cursing, Luke ducked to the side, toward Gina. The blade missed them both by a few inches and sank into the plaster of the wall behind them. “Whatever you do, stay behind me,” he whispered in a fierce rush.

Gina’s eyes were wide with fright, yet adrenaline made the pupils take on a bright glow. The blue of her iris contracted until nothing but luminescence was visible. God damn it. She was going to shift.

“No!” he commanded in a dark undertone. “Don’t fucking shift. Do you hear me?”

Her breath came in short gasps, her chest heaving and falling with the rapid intake of air. He gripped her arms and gave her a tiny shake. “I’ve got this, Gina. Just trust me.”

Spinning back around to face the intruder, he gave a cocky grin. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

As expected, anger made the man react hastily. He tossed the other knife, this one several inches off target. Now weaponless, it would be a more even match. Well, not quite even. How could the intruder know of Luke’s strength? Or maybe he did. Someone had certainly known about the research taking place in the lab.

The need to shift was so strong he ached with it. His skin felt tight, his ears buzzing with the blood flowing through his veins at a rapid pace. Like Gina, when faced with danger his wolf’s natural instincts took over. In a flight or flee situation, wolves never chose the latter. If it was a fight he wanted, a fight Luke would give him.

Gina’s scent lingered in the air, sweet, seductive, with a tang of her fear. He wished he could’ve gotten her away so she didn’t have to witness this. Praying she would stay out of the way, he lunged for the intruder.

The man anticipated his action. He rushed forward, his fists swinging in an arc toward Luke’s face. Luke caught his fist in mid-swing and clamped a grip about the man’s hand. Bones crunched as he squeezed.

“Oww,” the man cried out.

“Not much of a fighter I take it,” Luke goaded. Fury spread across the man’s face. He kicked out, his foot connecting with Luke’s knee. Holy shit . . . that was going to leave a bruise. Ignoring the pain, he punched the guy in the jaw. Still gripping with one hand, he landed several fast and furious hits to the man’s face. Blood spurted from the guy’s nose, but he didn’t give up.

Luke dodged his parried blows easily. The man was tiring, no match for Luke’s brute strength. Up close, he knew the man wasn’t human. He wasn’t sure what he was, but definitely more than
homo sapien
. The teeth indicated vampire, but the smell was off. It carried a whiff of something more, something familiar yet tainted.

The man wasn’t as durable as a vampire should be either. He had all the bells and whistles, fangs, muscular body, pale skin, but seemed disgustingly human. His blood even smelled human.

Landing another solid blow, the man went down like a sack of potatoes. Luke didn’t stick around to finish him off. Wiping the blood off his knuckles, he turned and stretched out a hand to Gina. “Come on.”

She put her hand in his, a jolt of electricity rocking him down to his toes, and hurried onto the elevator. He punched the number for the lobby. This time, there was no humming. Gina stood by his side, visibly shaken. “Who was he?”

“I don’t know.” He clenched his jaw.
But I’ll find out
.

Gina took a deep breath. “Do you think Dominic is safe?”

“I’m sure he is. He’s probably out looking for you.”

She seemed reassured, bobbing her head in a tight nod. “He wasn’t human. At least, not anymore.”

“I noticed.” Luke’s thoughts whirled. Why would a non-wolf be interested in his research? Vampires and werewolves had existed peacefully for centuries. Masking the scent of a wolf had no bearing on a vamp’s lifestyle. Or was he missing something important? “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Gina squeezed his hand. Suddenly, his attention veered to their linked fingers. Her hand fit perfectly in his, her palm soft and warm. His gaze traveled over her cotton clad arm, over the curve of her rounded shoulder, to the beauty of her face. She was pale except for her cheeks. A delicate pink flush stained the area beneath her cheekbones. The blue of her eyes had returned, but they were still brighter than normal.

He gave her a searching look. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She reached and gently touched his cheek. “Does it hurt? You have a bruise.”

“Not as much as my knee,” he answered with a grimace. The man’s steel-toed boots had certainly done some damage. “I’ll be fine. The important thing is getting you home.”

“And finding Dominic,” she reminded him.

Oh, right. Dominic. Her cousin, the man who would likely flay him alive if he even so much as breathed in Gina’s direction. Well, he’d better prepare for a fight because Luke was definitely thinking of doing more than breathing.

•●•

The ringing went on and on until finally Dominic’s voicemail picked up. She left a message, the third in the last few minutes, and put her phone back in the pocket of her jeans.

“Still no answer?”

She glanced over at Luke and shook her head. “Straight to voice mail. Where the hell is he?”

“Relax. I’m sure he’s fine.” Luke reached over and wrapped his fingers around hers.