Ginger’s heart leaped to her throat, choking her. Loch wanted her. And he didn’t want any other man to even come near her.
“I wasn’t going to fool around with anyone else,” Ginger said. “I only want you.” As soon as she said it, she bit her lip. She hadn’t even realized she was going to say it, hadn’t even realized that she meant it, until she heard herself saying those words.
“I mean…”
He took another deep breath, clearly struggling for control. “We need to go out to the dig site right now and deal with the missing professor. Can we talk about it after that? Please?” The normally dominant Alpha was begging her, in a low, sexy growl.
Ginger’s panties suddenly were soaked with the juices of her desire. She squirmed in her seat and bit her lip. She could feel desire pulsing between her legs and jolting through her body.
“Yes,” she said huskily. “We can talk about it whenever you want.”
“Good God, woman. You have no idea the effect you have on me. Can you try not to talk in that sexy voice?”
“Umm…” she lowered her voice to a comical bass pitch. “Is that better?”
He threw back his head and laughed. “Much better.”
They drove to the dig site, where several patrol cars were parked. Jax was standing with a group of deputies, glaring at Montgomery. Montgomery was pacing back and forth like an angry cat. A dozen other panther shifters were milling about, and they were clearly angry.
“Sheriff,” Jax said. “There are ATV tracks leading from the site into the woods. We were waiting for you before we follow the tracks.”
The sheriff nodded. He glanced at Montgomery. “We’d appreciate if you’d accompany us, Montgomery. To ensure that we don’t accidentally encroach on your territory.”
Jax glowered, looking as if he were about to argue, but then his shoulders sank in defeat and he shrugged angrily. “Fine,” he muttered.
“I’ll be back,” the sheriff said to Ginger. “Wait here for me.” She nodded her assent.
The men all strode to the edge of the wood, and then shed their clothes, leaving them in piles. She watched as they shifted, sinking down on all fours, snouts lengthening, fur sprouting, tails lashing, and then dashed into the woods.
The students were milling around uncertainly, not sure what to do. Some of them sat inside a tent they’d set up, drinking bottles of water and muttering among themselves.
About half an hour later, the shifters returned, shifting quickly and changing back into their clothes. The panther shifters left immediately, headed into the woods, and the sheriff and his deputies trotted over to where Ginger sat inside the tent with the students.
“The ATV tracks lead into panther nation territory,” Loch said. “Unfortunately we have no authority there.”
The students let out a chorus of protest. “We need to find the professor!” “They murdered him!” “That’s not fair!”
“I’m going to go back to speak to Montgomery tomorrow to see if I can convince him to let us come onto their territory, after he’s had a chance to calm down,” Loch said, shooting Jax a dark look. Jax scowled at the ground. Clearly, Jax had exchanged words with the leader of the Panther Nation, and clearly, it had not been well received.
“Does he admit they murdered him?” Brenda’s eyes were glittering with tears.
“No. He denies any knowledge of the professor’s whereabouts. He says he was unaware that the professor came onto their territory until just now, when we saw that the ATV tracks led there.”
“So you’re going to just give up?” Tallulah wailed.
“No, we’re not going to just give up. My men are going to need to take statements from all of you. I’m also going to have to go through the professor’s room to see if there’s any indication as to why he’d go into Panther territory when he knew the consequences,” Loch continued. “And if I need to, I can contact the Panther’s shifter council to see if they’ll intervene. But we’re not there yet. Montgomery can be reasoned with as long as he’s approached respectfully.” He fixed Jax with a hard look before turning away to head back to his patrol car.
It was hours before Loch had finished taking statements and searching the professor’s room.
Ginger went back to the sheriff’s office and finished up the filing, while the sheriff sat in his office and fielded phone calls from North Florida University where the professor taught, family members, the mayor, the town’s newspaper reporter, and others.
Loch confided in Ginger that the last time the professor had used his phone had been about half an hour after he left the boarding house…and it had been right outside the Panther Nation’s territory. According to cell phone tower signals, the person who answered the phone had been inside the Panther Nation.