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  As part of his training as a vet, he was required to take a few hours in human anatomy and medicine as well, so he knew he could handle a head injury. And he knew that in a case such as this as long as there was no internal bleeding, Josie would be fine as soon as she woke up. But something inside him hoped she would lose her short-term memory and be unable to recall what she had witnessed last night.

  He watched her sleep and wondered what had come over her yesterday. She had been like a woman driven by lust, something he had never seen in her before. Except once. Their one night together. He pushed her hair back from her face and tried to think back to high school. She had done the same thing then. He remembered her being the least happy cheerleader he had ever seen, but then sometimes, she would change, be outgoing, flirtatious, almost to a maddening state. When the other girls were busy jumping up and down, she was dancing to a seductive rhythm of her own making.

  Jake had watched her back then. A lot more than he'd like to admit. He had almost forgotten how soft and shiny her hair looked and how all he could think about during prom was how it would feel to loosen it from its restraints and have it spill all over his pillow. He could almost feel the silk winding in his fingers then as he danced with his date.

  And her dress. It had been a short black number that tied behind her neck. He remembered watching the velvety fabric sway and stretch. He got hard now just thinking about how perfect she had looked then. How stupid he had been. If he hadn't been so busy trying to score with every girl he saw, he might have had the guts to challenge her boyfriend. He might have been able to erase that awful past.

  And then it had happened. He couldn't recall the day of the week, but it had to have been under the light of the full moon. That was the only explanation for what had attacked him in the woods. But what he didn't understand was how Josie was connected to all this. If Brian had been attacked under a full moon by the same creature that attacked him, then it made sense that Josie was the key to everything. She had been with them both and had been here tonight. And by the look of lust in the other wolf's eyes, she was the intended target.

  He didn't believe in fate, but something was forcing him to think about second chances and destiny. Something with cornflower blue eyes and long brown hair. Something that looked incredible in a sundress and even better in khaki shorts. And something that was starting to stir in his bed.

  Chapter Seven

  Josie's head ached as soon as she became aware that she could feel again. Her entire body felt so cold, so out of sorts, as if she had been submerged in a strange dream. She snuggled into the warmth that surrounded her, wondering where it had come from all of a sudden. Then she felt the hand on her forehead, big and strong, strangely calming. When her eyelids fluttered open, she saw Jake staring down at her, his mustache covered lips turning up into a crooked smile.

  "Good morning."

  "Morning?"

  "Yes. How are you feeling?"

  "Fine," she tried to sit. "Where am I?"

  "You're in my bed."

  She groaned when his hands held her firmly against the mattress. "Let me up."

  "You need to take it easy. You fell and hit your head last night. I don't want you to move too fast."

  Struggling against him took too much effort, so she gave in and rested against the pillows, his hands still on her chest. "Did I sleep here last night?"

  "Yeah, you did. But you're okay, so don't worry. Your honor is still intact."

  "Somehow I doubt that." She remembered what had happened last night, and her honor had very little to do with it.

  "Well, trust me. All is well. Do you remember last night?"

  "Of course I do. I made a fool out of myself and you rejected me." She avoided his eyes as she spoke, not wanting to admit to what she knew was true. If Jake had wanted her, he would be lying in bed next to her right now.

  "I didn't reject you."

  "No?" She folded her arms, not believing him.

  "No. I told you, you fell and hit your head."

  "Even worse. A girl can't even attempt to seduce someone without turning it into a big deal."

  He laughed, low and long. The seductive sound vibrated all through her body. "Seduce me, eh? Is that what you were planning?"

  "I thought it was obvious."

  "I'll tell you what's obvious." He sank onto the bed next to her, the heat of his body a welcome invitation.

  "I'm a big girl. I can handle the truth."

  "Can you handle that somebody tried to kill you last night?"

  "What are you talking about?" Her heart began to hammer in her chest. Kill her? Who would want to kill her?

  "I'm talking about last night. You and I left my office and went to the holding cells for the lions. And then somebody came in there, something came in there and...."

  "Wolves...." The memory was vague, as if it had happened in a dream. But she did recall seeing two wolves challenge one another. One was gray and the other was golden blond, the color of Jake's hair. "There were two wolves."

  She watched as he swallowed, the lump going all the way down his throat. "Yeah, there were some wolves."

  "And, oh God...." She pulled away from him as quickly as possible. "You were one of them!"

  Jake moved toward her, his eyes focusing on her just as they had last night when he had lunged for her, threatening to rip her throat out. "Josie," he held out his hands, trying to calm her.

  "No! Don't do that! Don't treat me like a fool. Who are you? What are you? And what do you want with me?" She refused to cry, refused to become a victim to his sick game. Before he could answer, she reached for the door, determined to escape whatever madness it was that had taken over him.

  "You aren't going anywhere," his hand closed over the doorknob before she could grab it.

  "Are you going to kill me now?" She would not let him see her terror.

  "I'm not here to kill you. But something out there is. And I think it's tried more than once. You've got to listen to me. I can protect you."

  "You! You're one of them. And I don't even know what they are. This makes no sense at all! I know what I saw, Jake, and it's crazy." The tears were coming now. Even though she tried to swallow them, tried to ignore the stinging in her eyes, she couldn't.

  "It's crazy, but it's true. I am one of them. But I am going to protect you." His arms closed around her, and even though she tried to shake him off, she found herself giving in to his embrace. As the sobs shook through her body, she clung to him, as if he really could help her.

  "This can't be happening again."

  "Again?"

  "Yes. Again. I thought it had ended. But now, oh God. Now, I don't know anything anymore." The sobs interrupted her words, making it difficult to understand. How could she explain to Jake? How could she make him see what had happened, what she was? She pulled away from him and wiped her eyes on the back of her hand.

  "Josie, you have to tell me everything you know."

  She nodded. "I will. But first, you have to be straight with me about a few things, too."

  "Anything."

  "Would you have killed me last night?"

  "I would rather die than hurt you, you've got to believe that. But I think you're in danger. In fact, I know it, but the danger ain't from me."

  "What are you talking about?"

  "I mean that wolf last night, the other one, I think it knows your scent."

  Her head throbbed, unable to focus on his words, which really made no sense to her. She was a wolf's target? No. That wasn't possible.

  "Tell me how Brian died." The words slowly made their way into her system as she looked up to face the man who had uttered them. She didn't like talking about Brian, especially to someone like Jake.

  "I can't. What does he have to do with this?"

  "I think a hell of a lot more than you know. I need to know the truth, Josie. The truth."

  She swallowed hard, knowing Jake didn't get rattled over nothing. Something big was happening here, somethin
g she couldn't quite wrap her mind around.

  "He was attacked by wolves." The memory was as raw now as it had been for the past several years. It should have been her. Ever since that night, she knew it should have been her.

  "I thought so. What if I tell you I was attacked, too? After our first night together."

  "No. None of this is real." She shook her head, determined not to believe him. This couldn't be real. All those childhood dreams she'd had, they had all been dreams. Wolves howling at her window, scratching in the middle of the night. Claw marks on the bedroom door her mother kept locked tightly. Oh, God! What was happening?

  "It's all real and we have got to figure it out." His voice interrupted her train of thought.

  "It's never going to stop." The words came out before she realized she had said them.

  "What isn't?"

  "They want me. They've wanted me ever since I can remember. And now, they've taken Brian and you. I can't deal with this." She dragged herself from the bed, determined to fight, determined to do something about this weirdness that had situated itself in her life.

  "I am here to protect you. You tell me who's after you."

  Jake's arms were around her before she could stop him. She didn't have the energy to push away from him, even if she had wanted to, which she didn't. All she wanted right now was to fall into his arms and forget that any of this had happened, forget the past she had denied for too long.

  His blue eyes were her anchor, pulling her down, holding her steady, promising a future. But he was the one thing she had avoided, what she had sworn she wouldn't fall prey to.

  "I would never hurt you," he whispered against her hair. It was all the encouragement she needed. Pulling his head down, she tiptoed and brushed her lips against his. God, this was like coming home. It had been too damned long, and she could no longer fight the desire to hold him in her arms and give herself to him again.

  "Promise me that," she said when she broke the kiss.

  "I promise."

  Chapter Eight

  "This is going to sting." Jake tried to be gentle as he slid the needle into her arm, still he felt her body tighten as she winced.

  "It's okay. I'm okay."

  "I know, sweetheart."

  "So, this is going to tell us what we need to know?"

  He had lay awake all last night trying to figure this out. Holding Josie in his arms had given him more questions than answers, but sometime during the night, the pieces began to fall into place. Brian had been attacked by wolves, he had been attacked with Josie's scent on him. They were after her.

  All it took was a few minutes to get the answer he knew her blood would give them. Sure enough, the vial turned green, a sign that she also held the lupine gene.

  "What does it mean?" She bit her bottom lip as she asked.

  "It means you carry the gene. You were attacked by wolves."

  "No," she shook her head, her brown hair flying wildly as she moved. "I would remember it if I had been. There has to be another explanation."

  "There is only one other. I don't know of anyone in all my research who was born with the gene. You could be the first."

  "Wait. You know of others like this? Like you?"

  "Others who change with the moon? No, I don't know them personally. But I do have detailed records of sightings. Strange changes in mental patients who break loose at night. There's a long history of werewolves in this country. I happen to be one of them."

  He delivered the lines so calmly, as if he had practiced them. To tell the truth, this was the first time he had ever used the word "werewolf" in describing his condition. Until now, he had treated it as mere speculation. But now, God, he didn't know what was happening.

  "I never knew my father." She had wrapped her arms around her knees and looked like a child sitting there in her long dress and sweater. Everything inside him ached to protect her.

  "Does your mother...?"

  "She never mentioned him. I always assumed...." her voice trailed off.

  "Assumed what?"

  "I think she was raped."

  "Shit." He hadn't meant to open up a big can of worms, and he never wanted to see that stricken look on her face. She was made of steel, though, the way she held her head high when she said the word, not wanting him to know how much it affected her. But he could feel her. It was as if he had been living inside her head all day, feeling her ups and downs, her pain, her panic.

  "It's not a big deal, not to me anyway. I don't care how I got here."

  "But you do care who your father is."

  "Not particularly."

  "You can't lie to me, Josie. I can feel your stomach churn as you think about it." He rose and walked across the room and then knelt down in front of her. "I know your pain."

  "What, are you in my head now?"

  How could he explain to her that every breath she took seemed to flow through his body.

  "I am here to protect you," he repeated his earlier vow as he pulled her into his arms. "And I will, I swear it. With my life if I have to."

  She clung to him then, the tears she had refused to shed spilling down his neck and shoulders. As her body shook in his arms, he knew he had fallen in love with her. Hell, he had known it the second he first saw her after all these years. Now, the realization hit him in the chest. He loved her, and he would protect her.

  "Thank you, Jake. Thank you for telling me the truth. But now, I think I need to go. I've got some things to figure out."

  "I understand."

  "Thanks."

  "Meet me tonight. For dinner. I promise there won't be a repeat performance of last night's encounter with the wild man, okay?"

  "Okay."

  * * * *

  Josie had dreaded meeting with Jake. She took her time with the kids that afternoon, waiting with them for their parents. She usually let the individual teachers stay with them, but she had wanted to talk to Luke's dad about the snake incident and assure him that everything was okay. At least that's what she told herself. She really just wanted to put off her talk with Jake.

  It had nothing to do with going into his lab, seeing the object of her fear. It had to do with that other fear. The one that had started the other night with a kiss and had come full force today with that complete surrender of herself to him. Then there was that little matter of genetics and werewolves. Still, she couldn't quite wrap her mind around it all. It was too much to try to deal with. And her emotional state wasn't the best it had ever been.

  She had gone off the deep end where he was concerned. And she had to force herself to get back on track before she really lost herself in him, becoming too involved, losing herself completely ... like she had done with Brian. Like she had done with everyone before Brian. Her heart sank at the thought. She had always become completely wrapped up in whoever she was with. So much so that she didn't really know herself. She was thirty years old and had never done anything that wasn't just to impress someone else. For as long as she could remember, that had been the mode of operation. And she was suddenly sick of it.

  Something had happened to her since she found out about the genes and the change. And it had very little to do with their existence. It had to do with that man. That beautiful, incredibly sexy man who ... was walking this way.

  "We need to talk," the words were a low growl.

  Her eyes darted around, looking for something else to do other than talk to him, but all the kids had been collected, the teachers dispersed.

  "I know," she finally found her voice. She hadn't expected that lump in her throat to form and was even more surprised by her physical reaction to him. She could feel her desire for him, from the unwelcome tingling in her lips to the very unwelcome rush of blood from her head. She didn't want to be attracted to him. She couldn't deny the feeling she got when she looked into those blue eyes of his. Damn the man.

  "I don't suppose you'll come with me to the lab?"

  "I don't think so." She folded her arms, tried to act unin
terested in him. The last thing she needed was for him to know that it was taking all of her strength not to touch him.

  "Where? You have some place in mind?"

  His formality gave her caution. Why was he acting this way all of a sudden? Were those the same lips that had tormented her just a few hours earlier? "Not really."

  "Your place, then," he suggested, folding his arms.

  "I don't think...." she tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth, trying to think. Trying to do anything other than be mesmerized by those eyes.

  "I do. Either your place or the lab." He leaned toward her, and she practically jumped at his nearness. He smelled so good, so inviting. And she wanted nothing more than to lean into him and take a taste of that bottom lip that teased out from beneath the edges of his mustache.

  "Fine," she dropped her arms. There was no use arguing with him. And her place wasn't all that far from here. At least she'd be on her territory. And there was no danger of snakes there. Just the danger of a wolf lurking beneath his skin. Suddenly the snakes didn't seem so threatening. Dressed in his cowboy snake wrangler gear, Jake looked downright irresistible and completely hazardous to her health.

  "Should I drive?" he raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

  "No," she realized she had spoken too soon and flushed a little. "No," she said again, calming her voice. "Just follow me."

  It only took five minutes to get to her house. It was what Brian had called a "starter house," one that needed to be fixed up. They would move to a larger one when they got ready to start a family. Her heart sank, recalling her plans with Brian, the future that had been taken away from her so brutally. She would never have the family that they had spent hours talking about, planning for.

  Those children they had named wouldn't be hers. Someone else would have babies with bright green eyes. She might see them passing on the street and think of Brian. She shook the thoughts of him from her mind. She really did want to move on. Today was the first day that she had realized it. She couldn't very well have children until she knew what was going on with her body. She wanted something beyond this life that she had. This life that seemed so incomplete.