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  I squirmed and clawed at my lover, my mate, and he snarled and pinned me fast to the bed. Our sensual experience turned into an animalistic orgy as we sought release from our human bodies and our indescribable sexual thirst. I felt my stomach tighten as my orgasm washed over me, and I leaned back my head and let out a great howl. Luke soon joined me and together our cries echoed through the night. They would do that countless more times as we rutted our way until morning, and then collapsed into each others' arms.

  Chapter 13

  I woke up groggy, covered in dry sweat, and aching in parts of my body I didn't know existed. There was a limp body atop me and the sheets were twisted around my ankles. My cheeks blushed when I realized the limp form was Luke, and we were both very much naked. Memories from the night before flashed through my mind and it looked like a commercial for aphrodisiacs and shavers. I lifted one of my hands and was relieved to see it wasn't a paw. I was back to my human self.

  Luke's face was tucked into the covers beside my bed, but I was pretty sure he was asleep. I tried to squirm my way from beneath him, but I froze when his muffled voice drifted through the sheets. "Getting up so soon?" he muttered.

  I rolled my eyes. "It's probably almost noon," I pointed out.

  "Probably, but after a night like that I thought you'd want to sleep until evening," came his muffled reply.

  "That would be you, lazy bones, now let me up." I pulled at his shoulders and managed to slide my way out of his sphere of influence. I gathered up a sheet and wrapped it around myself as he sat up and turned to me.

  He had a mischievous smirk on his face, and he didn't bother to hide his nakedness from me. "Surely you're not shy with me. Not after last night," he teased.

  "Especially after last night. I don't want to give you any more ideas," I countered.

  "Any idea is worth a try," he replied. He stood and held out his arms to me. Did I mention he was naked? "But come back to bed. We have an hour or two until the train leaves and-" there came a knock on the door. I was saved.

  I bolted for the dresser while Luke scowled at the door. There was another persistent knock while I scrambled to put on clothes. "They sound pretty impatient," I remarked.

  We found out how impatient when the door burst open and a large werewolf jumped into the room. It whipped its head over the room and snarled at each of us, but particularly Luke. My fully-dressed self yelped and stumbled back only to fall on my sheets on the floor. The beast sprang for the weak link, which meant me, but Luke followed the intruder's spring with his own quick sprint across the room. The werewolf was nearly on top of me when Luke slammed his shoulder into the beast and knocked it against the wall.

  A deaf man could have felt the vibrations from that collision and it alerted the whole inn to the trouble. The werewolf stood on all fours and shook itself, and Luke moved to shield me from the intruder. There was a commotion in the hallway and our new friend decided it didn't want to stick around for the welcoming party. The werewolf turned tail and raced out of the room. It took a hard right and dove out the window. Luke chased after it and I chased after him with one of my sheets clutched in my hand.

  We reached the window in time to see the werewolf race across the carriage house and over the rear side that faced the woods. The only proof it was ever there was the broken window, bits of fur, and some blood. Other guests, Alistair, and Burnbaum hurried up behind us. I turned to Luke and gestured to where our intruder had gone. "That is why you shouldn't sleep in so late. You'll end up on the wrong side of the coffin lid."

  Luke's serious face didn't crack a smile, but I noticed something that had a crack. He was still naked, so I used the sheet to hide his indecency. Alistair and Burnbaum lay at the head of the worried brigade. "What happened?" Burnbaum asked us.

  Luke turned to him and plastered a fake sheepish smile on his face. "Just an accident. I tried to open this window to get some fresh air and it broke."

  Alistair raised an eyebrow, and Burnbaum glanced suspiciously between Luke and the window. "This window outside your room?" he wondered.

  "Yes. The hallway felt stuffy," Luke replied. I rolled my eyes at that lame excuse, and Luke noticed and stuffed me into our bedroom. "If you wouldn't mind coming in here, Alistair, I need dressed. Mr. Burnbaum, you may want to send your cleanup crew to manage your grounds," he suggested. Luke hurried inside after me with Alistair close behind. Alistair righted the door and knocked it shut.

  Luke strode to the center of the room and paced the floor at the foot of the bed. His sheet billowed behind him like a strange bathrobe. I plopped myself down on the end of the bed and watched him work away at the wood floor with his feet. "What was with that cleanup crew business?" I asked him.

  "Our friend Burnbaum has his own private policing force. It's a precaution against unruly guests," Luke explained to me. "He'll send them to track down our furry friend."

  "Isn't this something the were-police should take care of, or is this a human town?" I wondered.

  He stopped his pacing and smirked at me. "This has always been a bi-species town. As for the police, I have more faith in Burnbaum's guards than any uniformed officer. If anyone can find the intruder it will be them."

  "So why do you really think that wolf tried to make sushi out of us?" I wondered.

  "For the same reason the train was derailed," he answered.

  "That they love you so much here that they want you to be buried in the local cemetery?" I quipped.

  "It does appear to be a smothering love, doesn't it?" he mused in answer to my playfulness.

  "Would you care for breakfast or lunch, sir?" Alistair spoke up.

  "Clothes first, and then lunch," Luke replied.

  Luke dressed, Alistair packed our luggage, and Burnbaum himself brought us our food. He was his normal jolly self until the door was secured behind him, and then his face blackened. "The cursed traitors mean to drive business from me!" he exclaimed as Alistair set the table in the room.

  Luke stood close by the bed and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

  "My guests do not want to stay here with such noise! They flee to Simpling's monster. That tall, new building near the station." That was the gaudy building I'd seen from the train car as we pulled in.

  "Why that one in particular?" Luke asked him.

  "They smell war and trouble, and think he is good force to stop. They support him through his business-"

  "-and Simpling earns his ill-gotten gold from scaring them himself," Luke finished.

  "Yes. It is maddening. Can you not do anything about this?"

  Luke pursed his lips together and glanced over at me. "I can't make any guarantees, but I'll pull what strings I can with some acquaintances at the meeting. With other matters dealt with I won't be distracted at the meeting and taken unawares a second time."

  "Third time," I corrected him.

  "The train hardly counts," he protested.

  "Yes, it does."

  "No, it doesn't."

  Alistair coughed and gestured to the table. "Lunch is served," he announced.

  "Shouldn't we test the food to make sure it isn't poisoned?" I suggested.

  Burnbaum chuckled. "I beat you to it and watched the food cooked myself. It is okay and delicious."

  "Speaking of danger, have you had your guards trail the intruder?" Luke wondered.

  "Yes, but the trail was very hard to follow. Many scents in town with all the people going to meeting," Burnbaum replied. A dark shadow fell across Burnbaum's usually happy face. "They follow his scent to the police station and-" The conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door that caused it to collapse into the room.

  A tall man in a policeman's blue uniform stood in the doorway. He wore a white cowboy hat and dark sunglasses, and walked into the room with a confident, insolent gait. "Good afternoon, folks," he greeted us.

  Burnbaum stepped between us and the cowboy stranger. The inn owner glared at the man. "What are you doing here?" he gruffly asked the man.r />
  The stranger smirked and took off his glasses to show off a pair of golden eyes. I figured that made him a werewolf, and when his furry scent hit my nostrils that confirmed my suspicions. "Don't be like that, Burnbaum. I just heard about a bit of trouble some of your guests had here and wanted to see if there was anything I can do to help."

  "No, now you leave," Burnbaum demanded.

  The man didn't listen, but instead strode about the room and stopped at our table. "Nice setup you got here. Mind if I join you?"

  "Actually, we'd prefer-" Luke began, but the man took the fourth chair and invited himself to our meal.

  The man rocked his chair back and forth, and picked at the soles his heavy black boots. "Mind telling me what happened to that window?" He nodded his head to the broken window through the open door.

  "I broke it," Luke repeated his lie.

  "Ya broke it?" the man repeated. Luke didn't deign to reply a second time, and the stranger raised an eyebrow and looked Luke over. "You're that one lord, aren't ya?"

  "One of many," Luke quipped at the vague question.

  "I meant that one from the country, Lord Laughton," the man rephrased.

  "I am he, but I don't believe I know who you are," Luke countered.

  The man lifted his chin and smirked. "The name's Sheriff Steve Brier." He leaned over the table toward me and his grin took on a more lecherous tint. I nearly lost what food I'd eaten. "And who might you be, pretty lady?" Luke stood up, but the sheriff was as fast as him. Brier pulled a pistol from his belt and pointed it at Luke's chest. "Don't go making stupid mistakes, boy. This gun's got silver bullets in it and I ain't afraid to dispense justice with 'em," the sheriff warned.

  "You do not understand. This woman is his mate, and no wolf should make love talk with another man's mate," Burnbaum gruffly told him.

  The sheriff shrugged, but stood. "Doesn't seem like I'm wanted or needed around here, so I'll just be going. Good day to you all." He tipped his hat and left us. Alistair secured the door behind the man, and Luke whipped his head over to our host.

  "Who was that guy?" he asked Burnbaum.

  "I am told he was elected sheriff last fall. I do not believe the election was fair," Burnbaum told us. "Other sheriff much better, but this one is friend of Lance and of man who attacked you."

  "And you were saying what about our attacker entering the police station?" Luke wondered.

  Burnbaum frowned. "The trail led to police station, but the sheriff and his men would not let my men inside. They come back and tell me, and sheriff must have followed them."

  Luke's eyebrows knit together and I jumped when he pounded the table. "Damn it, but he's been busy!" he exclaimed.

  "Busy doing what?" I asked him.

  "Gathering power around himself," Luke explained to me. "He positions his allies in important positions like a chess match, and when he strikes it may be check-mate for us."

  "Da, we have let him do what he wants. Now we will stop him and I am sure with such friends as we have here we can do that," Burnbaum encouraged.

  Luke's lips pursed together, but he sat back down. "Perhaps, but we'll need a miracle to keep alive, much less wrestle control from Lance."

  "I must go to my business. I will meet you later, and enjoy your meal," Burnbaum insisted.

  With that assurance we got comfortable and gobbled down the food. Burnbaum left to attend to his guests, and Luke insisted Alistair join us for the meal. "We don't have much time until the train," he pointed out. I rolled my eyes when I recalled how he'd wanted to return to bed with the excuse that we had plenty of time to have more fun.

  "Is that the only way to get up to this meeting place?" I asked him. I didn't want a repeat performance of the 1812 Overture's cannon part.

  "Other than walking, and the hike is quite grueling, even for a werewolf," he replied. I frowned and toyed with my food. Luke noticed. "Something wrong?" he wondered. My eyes dodged over to Alistair, and Luke took the hint. "Alistair, would you mind getting the car to take us to the station?"

  "Not at all, sir," Alistair answered. He rose and left us alone.

  Luke leaned over the table toward where I sat opposite him. "What's wrong?" he asked me.

  I tensed and avoided eye contact by staring at my interesting lap. "After last night I'm-well, I'm a werewolf, aren't I?"

  He nodded. "Yes, with all the benefits and drawbacks."

  "And those are what exactly?"

  "An increased sense of smell-"

  "So I have a powerful sniffer?"

  "Exactly, along with other heightened senses and physical abilities such speed, hearing, and strength."

  "And fur," I added.

  Luke smiled. "Yes, a lot more fur, but you won't need to shave more often."

  "So can I transform any time I want?" I asked him.

  "No. That requires practice and focus, and you need a lot of both," he commented.

  I scowled at him. "I had a lot of focus trying to escape you," I pointed out.

  "And now?" he wondered. I opened my mouth to give him a biting declaration of my intent to repeat the Great Escape, but a thought struck me hard in the head. I had no idea who, or even what, I was any more. A few days ago I'd just been an office girl with a lot of party-going friends. Now I was this werewolf guy's mate in a world I didn't understand, but now belonged to. Luke saw the dilemma in my eyes and sighed. "Your eyes show your regrets," he mused.

  I grimaced. "And there's no way to change back?"

  "No way."

  I sighed and slumped in my chair. "Oh goody."

  Luke raised an eyebrow. "It's not all bad, but if you won't take my word for it then remember what Abby told you."

  "I don't think she was forced into this," I argued.

  "No, she was born with the condition, but without lycanthropy her parents would have died in that wreck," he pointed out.

  I glanced up and blinked. "Lycan-what?"

  "Lycanthropy. It's the folk and medical term for being a werewolf," he explained to me.

  "Sounds like a horrible disease."

  "It's not so bad. Plenty of fur to keep you warm in the winter," he teased.

  I cracked a smile. "The fleas must be murder."

  He winced and scratched his arm. "Sometimes there is that problem, especially if you keep in the wolf form for too long."

  "Like the whole night?"

  "Like a few months," he replied.

  My mouth dropped open. "So werewolves can transform anytime they want for however long they want?"

  "Precisely, but delve too deep into the Beast and you lose your humanity."

  "The what?"

  "The Beast is the wolf instinct inside of us. It lets us transform, and helps us choose a mate."

  My eyes narrowed and I frowned at him. "I don't like your Beast."

  He laughed. "I thought you'd say something like that."

  I glanced down at myself. "So are these changes supposed to be immediate or is there a waiting period before I can jump into the deep-end of the werewolf pool? Because right now I don't exactly feel like She-Hulk."

  "Your body's already accepted the chances, but the abilities don't immediately manifest themselves."

  "So no instant butt-kicking?"

  "No."

  "Damn. That would have come in handy when that guy attacked us." Luke and I jumped up when there was a knock on our jammed door. He gestured for me to get behind him and his eyes trained on the entrance.

  "Who is it?" he called out.

  "Burnbaum, your lordship," came the jolly voice.

  Luke relaxed and smiled. "Come in."

  Burnbaum slipped inside, but kept the broken door open. "Alistair asked for car and I delivered. It is large enough for all of us."

  "All of us?" I repeated.

  "Aye. I go and cast my vote for leader," he replied.

  "Who are the rumors saying will win?" Luke wondered.

  Burnbaum shrugged. "It is hard to say. People are more worried about tensions
than voting."

  "They should be worried about both," Luke commented as he slipped on his coat.

  Chapter 14

  Luke helped me on with my coat, and Alistair came to fetch our bags. Our little group of four walked down the halls and outside to a long, black limo. My eyes widened and my mouth split open in a smile when I realized that was our ride. "I could get used to this," I spoke up.

  Burnbaum and Luke chuckled, and we were all stowed in the luxurious leather seats for the short ride to the station. When we reached the platform the area was even more crowded than the day before. People leaned over the edge of the platform and any slight jostling caused a ripple effect through the dense crowd. We waited in the car, but Luke and Burnbaum weren't idle. They scanned the crowd for danger, and glanced at the tracks in the direction of our destination looking for the train.

  Out of boredom I followed suit and noticed a man behind the station. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and dark gloves, and beneath the cuffs I glimpsed a white bandage. I tapped Luke on the shoulder and pointed at the guy. "Isn't that the same guy we saw yesterday?" I asked him.

  Luke looked to where I pointed, and his eyes narrowed. "Yes, it is."

  Burnbaum glanced at the stranger and frowned. "Do not touch him, Luke. That is a counting man for Lance. He came to the inn when Lance come through."

  "Counting man?" I repeated.

  "An accountant," Luke told me. "The Connor clan has a large enterprise, but I'm surprised he'd use his number lackey to give us that unfriendly warning," he mused.

  "They are desperate?" Burnbaum suggested.

  "Maybe it's because nobody would suspect a bean-counter of being an assassin," I spoke up. The three men glanced at me, and I shrugged. "I wouldn't."

  "You may have something there, but he's got a lot of confidence to be out in the streets without protection," Luke pointed out. His eyes scanned the crowd, and we all noticed the sheriff walk out of the crowd and over to the accountant. "That would answer my question. He has friends in higher places."

  "Da. The sheriff hid his friend and now he protects him to Sanctuary," Burnbaum guessed.

  Luke frowned. "I'll have to offer them a change of plans." Before any of us could stop him, he opened the door and stepped out. Alistair, Burnbaum and I followed him and he reached the pair by the station. "Good morning, sheriff," Luke pleasantly greeted the man.