LustUndone (29 page)

Ric, who had been standing by the chopper with his cell
phone clapped to his ear, snapped the phone shut and walked over to them in
time to catch the tail end of the conversation. “Stafford worked all that out
with the governor. But what about the sheriff?”

“I already called him,” Bobby said. “When I got here I sent
him photos from my phone. He doesn’t want to touch this at all, believe me. I
don’t think he’ll sleep very well after seeing what I sent him. So just do your
thing.”

“And get out of here, right?” Sophia grinned weakly.

He shifted uncomfortably. “You know, under other
circumstances—”

“It’s okay, Bobby. We’re good here.”

I just hope this puts an end to it.

But she didn’t give voice to her thoughts.

* * * * *

What with one thing and another it was almost nine o’clock
in the morning by the time the three Night Seekers and Clint dragged themselves
back to the motel. The night had played out like the remnants of some horror
movie. Rebecca and Logan left to get breakfast, Ric crashed in his room to get
some shuteye before flying them home in the helo. That left Sophia and Clint
standing in her motel room, looking at each other.

“I have to go,” she said bleakly. “Back to Texas. Today.”

“I know.” He pulled her into his arms. “So let me ask you
something. That’s a pretty big helicopter you guys have. Think it’s got room
for one more passenger?”

“What?” She tilted her head back and looked up at him in
astonishment. “Are you saying you want to ride back with us to Texas? Like, for
a visit?”

“Maybe for more than that.” He ran his hands up and down her
back, his touch soothing after so many hours of stress. “Maybe to stay there.
What do you think? Would I fit in with the team? Your friends?”

“Absolutely. Especially since most of them are also
shifters.”

“Good, because I have a little plan to discuss with you
later.”

“A plan? But…what about your life here? What about Frenchy?”

“Frenchy’s back to normal. He doesn’t really need me
anymore. There’s nothing to hold me here except him and we’ve already talked
about this.” He cupped her chin in his palm. “We’ve both waited a long time for
me to find my mate. Surely you didn’t think I’d let you get away that easily,
did you?”

“Oh, Clint!” The emotional enormity of what he was saying swamped
her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him as if he might suddenly disappear.

“B-but your home,” she stammered. “Here. What about—”

He touched his finger to her lips. “Home for me is where you
are,
chere.
Things have a way of working out, you know.”

A warm rush of happiness engulfed her. “Do you know that you
suddenly made me happier than I’ve been in a long time?”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

Before she could say anything else his mouth found hers in a
scorching kiss and she sank into the warmth of him. He was right. This was
home.

Epilogue

Sophia opened her eyes slowly, awakened by the sun streaming
in through the window. Her body felt fully sated after a night of incredible
lovemaking with Clint and she smiled as she remembered the erotic hours in his
arms. They’d made love in ways she hadn’t even dreamed possible. She reached
out her hand now to touch him but he wasn’t next to her. The bed was empty.

“Clint?”

A soft growl answered her. She looked down to see a huge
black wolf curled comfortably on the rug next to the bed and she laughed.

“Have you already been out playing with your new friends?”

Another growl and the wolven lips curved in what she was
sure was a smile. She was so grateful at the ease with which the Night Seekers
had accepted Clint and taken him in as one of their own. The night after they
arrived he’d run with the others and she knew some kind of bonding had
occurred.

“Well, playtime’s over,” she told him. “We’re all having
breakfast together this morning and Craig Stafford’s going to call so get your
act together.”

The air around the wolf shimmered and in an instant Clint
stood before her gloriously naked.

“Are you sure playtime’s over?” He sat on the edge of the
bed, pulled the sheet down and cupped her breasts.

“Yes.” She batted at him. “Business first, buddy.”

He frowned. “Am I already losing my appeal?”

Sophia laughed. “After fucking my brains out last night you
can ask that? Come on. Maybe I’ll let you frolic in the shower a little but
we’ve got to get dressed.”

“If we frolic we’ll never make it to breakfast,” he told
her. “But tonight…” He let his voice trail off and winked at her.

Heat crept over her body. “Tonight,” she nodded.

It was a rare moment when all the Night Seekers and their
mates were eating breakfast together at the huge table in the sunny kitchen.
But Logan, Sophia and Clint had arrived in the middle of the night and the past
forty-eight hours had been fractured what with wrapping up details of the
situation in Maine and pulling together the report for Craig.

“I think a meal together would be good,” Ric said and set
the alarm in the comm center to notify them if a message came through from
Craig Stafford. Anything else could wait.

Sophia looked around the table. Victory had been a brief
celebration. Every person sitting here was well aware that this wasn’t
finished. Twice before they thought they’d killed the devil beast only to have
another one appear. Silently they agreed that there had to be a breeding ground
somewhere and they’d never be able to rest until they found it. And destroyed
it.

And found Melinda
.

No one said it aloud but Sophia knew everyone was thinking
it.

But in the meantime life continued as normally as possible,
under the circumstances. With two Night Seekers now married and the possibility
of more of them mating in the future, Craig Stafford was continuing to build
individual housing for the couples. Originally Jonah and Dakota Grey had lived
in an expanded wing but as Craig had pointed out, “You can only enlarge a house
so much.”

So they ate to the sound of hammers and power tools in the
area beyond the main building. Clint had been welcomed as easily as Dakota and
Chloe, especially since it meant adding another shifter to the ranks.

The big surprise for Sophia was Clint’s announcement to her
the night before about his plans. Just moments ago he’d shared it with everyone
else.

“The military was good to me,” he told everyone then looked
at Sophia. “I earned damn good pay and hardly spent any of it. When I knew
Sophia was my mate and that I had to be wherever she was, I started surfing the
internet. There’s a bar for sale in the little town near the ranch. And the bar
business is what I know.”

“You telling us you plan to buy it?” Ric asked.

Clint nodded. “Maybe your boss could help me through all the
paperwork and licensing?”

“No problem. I’ll get on it with him as soon as we finish
breakfast.”

He reached for Sophia’s hand and smiled down at her. “And
one more announcement. Sophia and I plan to be married just as soon as we can
get
that
paperwork taken care of.”

Both pieces of news were greeted with cheers and jubilation.
Everyone pushed back from the table and began hugging Sophia and shaking
Clint’s hand. But then a sharp warning bell cut through the noise of the
celebration.

“That’s a call coming in,” Ric said. “Probably from the
boss.”

They hurried into the comm center and gathered around the
big screen while Ric answered the video call. In a moment Craig Stafford’s face
filled the screen.

“Good morning, everyone. I understand we have a new addition
to our growing family.” He smiled. “Sophia, congratulations. And Clint, welcome
to the team.”

“Thank you, sir,” Clint said into the mic Ric indicated. “We
plan to be married as soon as possible.”

“Excellent. Let me know when you have a date and I’ll be
there.”

“Clint’s going to need your assistance with a little
project, too.” Ric went into detail about the proposed purchase of the bar.

Craig nodded. “No problem. Get all the information together,
Clint, and Ric will hook us up with a video call. Happy to do it.”

“Thank you,” Clint repeated. “I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure. It will be nice for the team to have a place
to hang out and relax and not feel uncomfortable.”

“Thank you again.” This from Sophia.

“Good job in Maine, all of you. My scientists are working on
the body as we speak and I’m hoping to have new information before too long.
But you all realize the truth of the situation, right?”

“That there are more of them and they’re breeding
somewhere,” Jonah said finally. “Or someone’s breeding them.”

Sophia nodded. “I’d say that’s apparent. There has to be a
pack of them, and what an unholy thought that is. But we’ve had all these kills
and we’re still not finished.”

“Any idea how and where these creature might be
reproducing?” Sam Brody asked.

“Unfortunately, no. There’s still so much we don’t know
about it. Like what different forms it can assume and how it leaves a scene
with no tracks or trace of it having been there except for a body.”

“You know, I’m sure what I’m about to say will sound pretty
farfetched,” Jonah broke in.

“Are you kidding?” Logan snorted. “With this creature
nothing is farfetched. Bring it on.”

“We’ve already discussed the fact that it’s probably a
shifter of some kind, some evil hybrid that a madman is breeding somewhere.”

“And?”

“If someone’s experimenting with crossing genetic
boundaries, what if he’s found a way for this creature to also shift into a
bird? A hawk or an eagle.”

“That doesn’t sound any more absurd to me than anything
else,” Sam told him. “And it would explain why there are never any traces left
at the scene of a killing.”

“A-anything about Melinda?” Chloe asked in a tremulous
voice.

“I wish I could say yes, honey,” Craig told her in a voice
filled with compassion, “but no, nothing yet. That’s why I think it’s time to
assign two Night Seekers to the hunt full time. While others follow up each new
report, that’s all these Night Seekers will focus on.” His face looked grim.
“Especially since I have new information that just came in an hour ago. And you
won’t like it.”

Tension zinged through the room like the vibration of a live
wire.

“Another killing?” Ric asked at last.

Craig nodded. “This time in your territory, Logan. Montana.
It seems that once again, we kill one monster only to have another one pop up
someplace else.”

“It’s like the Hydra,” Dante Martello muttered. “You cut off
one head and more grow.”

Logan clenched his fists, obviously working to get himself
under control. “I’d like that assignment, sir. And the opportunity to search
the state to see if there are others up there, too.”

“The first priority is getting up there and doing what you
just did in Maine,” Craig reminded him.

“I hope the cops up there will be a little more receptive to
our presence,” Sophia grumbled.

“I’m doing my best to pave the way for you,” Craig told
them. “But it seems the farther north we go the more resistant people are to
understanding the Chupacabra.”

“Will someone be going with me?” Logan wanted to know. “The
first two situations we ended up sending a second team member and this time it
worked really well having two of us there.”

A slight smile crossed Stafford’s face. “As a matter of
fact, yes. I’ve had a request from someone to join the team. That person will
partner with you.”

“Join the team?”

The Night Seekers had each been carefully selected by Craig
Stafford. There wasn’t exactly open enrollment.

“I didn’t think we were looking,” Sam Brody said.

“We aren’t. But this person is very familiar with us and has
my complete endorsement.” He glanced at his watch. “In about three hours one of
my planes will deliver Rebecca Black to Desolation Ranch. I expect you all to
welcome her.”

Shock and excitement raced through Sophia. “My sister? She
asked if she could join the team?”

Craig nodded. “I figured you’d be pleased. She has every
qualification we need as well as knowledge of both those of us
with…special…abilities and of the Chupacabra. Ric, hook up a video call as soon
as she gets here so we can begin making plans. Meanwhile, all of you get on the
computers and pull up everything you can find about this recent killing. And
Logan? I assume you’re good with this partnership?”

“Yes sir. Thank you very much.”

“Okay, I’ll be talking with all of you again in a few hours.
As soon as Rebecca is up to speed the two of you need to get ready to leave.
I’m sending you all the information I have right now.”

The screen went dark and one of the computers dinged to
signal emails coming through.

Logan turned to Sophia. “Are you okay with this? With
Rebecca being here?”

“Of course. Having my sister here will be the best.”

“And teaming up with me? Are you good with that?”

She hugged him, ignoring the curious glances of the other
team members. “I have a feeling the two of you will be pairing up for more than
a trip to Montana.”

He kissed her cheek, chuckling when Clint moved possessively
to her side. “I hope so.”

“And Logan? I couldn’t have picked out anyone better for her
than you. As Clint said yesterday things have a way of working out.”

“All right, everyone.” Ric’s voice broke in. “Let’s clean up
from breakfast and get busy. We’ve got work to do.”

His unspoken words hovered in the air.

We have to destroy this beast before it destroys us.