Chapter Six
“What the hell are you wearing?” Brynley demanded.
“Polite, as always,” Phineas muttered. Thirty minutes had passed, and he’d returned to the main office at the Dragon Nest Academy to pick up Brynley.
He glanced down at his stylish new clothes. Maybe a little too stylish, but Leroy of Leroy’s House of Class had personally selected his new Western wardrobe with assurances that he looked one hundred percent authentic.
He hooked his thumbs into the snakeskin belt that sported a huge buffalo-shaped brass buckle. “I’m dressed like a cowboy now. I thought it would be best to fit in—”
“Where? On stage at the Grand Ole Opry?” Brynley moved closer and skimmed her fingertips across his white silk shirt. “Fringe?”
His chest expanded in response to her touch, so he stepped back, out of her reach.
Her gaze lifted to his head. “Oh, God help us. Your hat is . . . sparkly.”
He removed the black Stetson. All the cowboy hats at Leroy’s House of Class had sparkled. Some had sparkled all over. He’d thought he’d done well, selecting a plain black hat with a narrow band of red sequins. “I went with the understated look. It seemed more buck.”
Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?”
“No. The black hat matches the black fringe on my shirt, and the red sequins go with the embroidered red roses. But Leroy wanted me to pick the red hat, because it had lots of sequins and some feathers—”
“Enough!” She snatched the Stetson out of his hands, ripped the red sequined band off, then tossed the hat onto the desk, where it landed next to her plain leather handbag and duffel bag. “Maybe I can find some scissors to cut off the fringe.” She rummaged in a drawer.
Phineas frowned. “Is it that bad?”
“Do you want to live through the night? If we go into a bar with you looking like—”
“Why would we go into a bar?”
“To ask questions. We’re hunting for Corky, right? You go around looking like that, and I’ll have to break some arms.”
He stiffened. “I can take care of myself.”
“Not during the day. You’ll be totally helpless.”
“I’ll be sleeping in the basement during the day. And my clothes won’t be a problem.” He gave her a pointed look. “I won’t be wearing any.”
She gulped.
Damn but he enjoyed shocking her.
“Well.” Her cheeks blushed a pretty pink as she slammed the desk drawer shut. “You’ll still have to wear clothes when you’re awake, so I’ll run up to my brother’s room and see if he has anything you can borrow.” Her gaze drifted over him once again. “You look about the same size. Actually, those . . . jeans you’re wearing will do just fine.”
Was it his imagination or did her eyes linger on his groin area a little too long? “Are you sure? I didn’t know if I should go with a zipper or a button fly. I’ve got a zipper here—”
“You’re fine!” Her blush deepened. “I’ll be right back.” She rushed from the office.
He took a seat, smiling to himself. There was something about Big Bad Wolfie-Girl. He was always tense with excitement around her. Part of him longed to touch her. The other part urged him to run. Fast. No doubt, that was the part controlled by his brain. Unfortunately, his brain never worked well around her.
She was part animal, that was the problem. It gave her a wild, aggressive nature, and that appealed to a primitive need inside him. An ancient and raw caveman need to possess her.
But the civilized part of him knew Brynley was not the kind of woman who should ever be possessed. She was a free spirit. A wolf. A princess.
She would always be beyond his reach.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. In the last thirty minutes, he’d zipped through a bunch of tasks as quickly as possible. He’d stocked an ice chest full of bottled blood, then he’d teleported it to the cabin.
It had been a few years since he’d been to Phil’s cabin in Wyoming, and a quick inspection had left him pleasantly surprised. Phil had modernized the place into a vacation home for himself and Vanda, and it now had electricity and running water. A bathroom and utility room had been added onto the back of the cabin.
It was still basically one room—combination den and kitchen with a table and chairs, and some furniture arranged around a large stone fireplace. A trapdoor led to the basement, which was now furnished with a king-sized bed. A second bed was in the loft above the kitchen, which could be reached by climbing a ladder.
He made several trips to the cabin, teleporting back and forth from Romatech. He brought a laptop and Internet card, plus a stash of weapons and ammo from the security office. Then he raided the cafeteria for food to stock the refrigerator and pantry. Brynley was doing him a big favor, agreeing to go with him, so he wanted to make sure she was comfortable.
With the cabin ready, he turned his attention to himself. The MacKay uniform of khaki pants and navy polo shirt wasn’t going to blend in. He needed to remain as inconspicuous as possible. Freemont told him there was Western wear at Leroy’s House of Class, so he made a quick trip there.
Freemont also remembered there was a great pair of cowboy boots in the wardrobe closet at DVN, so Phineas teleported there to grab them. Back at Romatech, Laszlo had embedded a tracking device into one of the boots while he packed a duffel bag with underwear, socks, T-shirts, jeans, toiletries, and his fancy new shirts from Leroy’s House of Class.
He teleported the duffel bag to the cabin, then back at Romatech, he went over all the job details with Freemont one more time.
“It’s all right, dude,” Freemont assured him. “I got it covered. Besides, you’re just a phone call away.”
“I can’t be sure I’ll always get a connection,” Phineas warned him. “I’ll be out in the middle of werewolf country.”
“With Big Bad Wolfie-Girl.” Freemont snickered.
Phineas winced. He shouldn’t have shared that name with his little brother. “This is a business trip.”
“Yeah, but I know what kind of business the Love Doctor’s into.” Freemont slapped him on the back. “Just don’t let her bite you.”
Phineas groaned inwardly as he waited in the school office. He had to be crazy, taking Brynley with him. He glanced at his watch. She’d been gone ten minutes. Maybe she’d changed her mind about going. To his surprise, that thought didn’t bring him relief, but a twinge of sadness.
He enjoyed being with her, looking at her beautiful sky-blue eyes, creamy skin, and mane of wild hair. He even enjoyed the way she prodded and poked at him. It was a challenge to keep up with her. And fun.
A smile tugged at his mouth when he recalled how she’d given LaToya a shock. She’d been outrageous, calling him back to bed, claiming he made her scream. He’d known, of course, that she was joking, but his groin had still responded. Now he had to wonder—why had she come to his defense? Had she felt angry on his behalf?
No, he pushed that thought aside. She hated vampires. She’d made that clear many times in the past. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder. Had she objected to his clothes because she enjoyed picking on him, or was she trying to protect him? And if she was concerned about protecting him, was she doing it out of a sense of duty or because she actually liked him?
He sighed. He needed to stop looking for emotions that didn’t exist. He’d wasted two and a half years imagining that LaToya actually liked him. How pathetic it would be to make the same mistake twice.
He heard footsteps approaching and rose to his feet.
Brynley entered with a few shirts draped over her arm. Behind her, a group of women hurried into the room. Toni, Caitlyn, Olivia, Marta, Vanda, and Sarah. They greeted him as Brynley dropped the shirts on the desk.
He nodded at them. “Hello, ladies.”
They exchanged looks and giggled.
“I told you he’d say it,” Sarah whispered.
“He sounded just like he does on TV,” Marta added.
Olivia smiled at him. “We really enjoy your commercials, Phineas.”
“Okay.” Brynley shook out a plaid shirt and gave the women an annoyed look. “You heard his sexy voice. You can go now.”
Sexy voice? Phineas studied her, not sure what to think. One time she’d told Connor and Marielle that he had a tight ass, but he could never figure out if she was complimenting him or insulting him.
“Try this on.” She handed him the shirt.
He glanced at the blue plaid shirt, then at the other women. They showed no sign of leaving.
“Come on, guys.” Brynley waved her hands to shoo them away. “You’re embarrassing him.”
“How could he be embarrassed?” Vanda asked. “He has a great chest.”
“And he has to know it,” Marta added. “Why else would he show it off on television?”
He frowned. Did people think he was an exhibitionist? “I’m sure the clothes will fit. Brynley and I need to get going.”
The women all moaned with disappointment.
“Please, Dr. Phang,” Sarah whined. “We’re your biggest fans.”
“Oh, get a grip,” Brynley fussed at them. “It’s just a chest. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”
Oh really? Phineas had a sudden desire to prove her wrong. He dropped the blue plaid shirt on the chair, then unbuttoned his fringed shirt with vampire speed and tossed it on the floor.
The ladies squealed and clapped, but he ignored them, focusing only on Brynley to see how she reacted. Her gaze darted over him, then quickly looked away as if she wasn’t interested.
With so many people in the room, he found it difficult to focus on her heartbeat alone, but he could swear that hers was the one that was pounding the fastest. And her cheeks were blushing again. She was affected, dammit. He could feel it.
His own heartbeat sped up as he put on Phil’s blue plaid shirt. Instead of buttons, there were snaps. A vision flitted through his mind of Brynley popping all the snaps open as she ripped off his shirt. And then they would get naked and it would be—
“A perfect fit!” Vanda announced.
He jumped. Oh, she meant the shirt. He pushed aside the vision.
“That’s wonderful!” Marta clapped her hands. “Now we can send you off to Wyoming looking your best.”
Toni stepped forward to shake his hand. “Best of luck to you and Brynley.”
“Thank you.” He was going to need luck. And a lot of cold showers.
All the women shook his hand and hugged Brynley. Vanda stuffed her husband’s shirts into a Dragon Nest Academy tote bag and handed it to him.
Brynley swung her handbag over her shoulder and grabbed hold of her duffel bag. “I’m ready.” She approached him hesitantly.
He slipped a hand around her waist to draw her closer. “You’ll have to hold on to me when we teleport.”
“I know how it works,” she muttered, then placed her hands on his shoulders while staring at a white button on his shirt.
“I’m up here,” he whispered.
Her gaze lifted.
“That’s better.”
“That’s debatable. Can we go now?”
He pulled her closer. “You need to hold me tighter.”
She made a face but slipped her hands around his neck. “Are we there yet?”
He glanced over at the ladies, who were still watching with smiles on their faces. “Good-bye, ladies.”
They waved as everything went black.
Brynley hung her shirts and jeans in the armoire in the loft. She’d packed light for this trip, knowing the cabin now boasted a washer and dryer and a fully stocked bathroom.
She had to admit she was impressed by how much Phineas had managed to do in thirty minutes. The pantry and refrigerator had food, and the kitchen table was covered with pistols, knives, two rifles, and ammo. She’d figured their first task would be a trip to the grocery store and gun shop, but it was all taken care of.
She climbed down the ladder to the ground floor, then peered through the open trapdoor. He’d gone down into the basement a few minutes earlier to settle in.
Since Phil and Vanda came here often on vacation, the basement had been made cozier for Vanda’s death-sleep. It now sported a real bed and bedroom furniture, two recliners, and a flat-screen television. Obviously, Phil spent a lot of time down there with Vanda.
“Need any help?” she asked.
“No, I’m almost done,” he called up.
“You took down the ladder.” She spotted it on the cellar floor.
“I don’t need it. I can levitate in or out.”
But she couldn’t. “You don’t want me coming down there to check on you?”
“No need. Once I fall into my death-sleep, I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re just afraid of what I’ll do.” She straightened with a smile. “I think I’ll draw a rainbow and unicorn on your chest with permanent markers. It’ll be so—”
“Don’t you dare,” he growled, suddenly behind her.
She squealed, jumped away from him, and teetered on the edge of the open trapdoor, her arms flailing.
He grabbed her and pulled her back against his chest. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
“No!” She spun away from him and shoved him hard in the chest. “Don’t ever attack me from behind!”
“I didn’t attack you. I rescued you.”
She glared at him, her heart pounding, her whole body trembling. Tears blurred her vision, and she blinked them away. Her inner wolf hissed. Dammit. She hated to show any weakness. “You teleported behind me. Don’t ever do it again.”
His eyes narrowed. “Okay.”
Damn. He was wondering why she’d freaked. She strode toward the kitchen area. Get a grip. “I think we should eat while we wait.”
He closed the trapdoor. “Wait for what?”
She exhaled with relief. He wasn’t going to ask why she’d freaked. “Transportation.”
She opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of blood for him and a cola for herself. “While you were busy bringing supplies here, I was busy, too. I called a few female friends who live close by, and they agreed to help us. They both have sons at Dragon Nest.” She unscrewed the top off her cola. “I have to warn you, though. If we run into any werewolf guys, you have to act like you never met these women. If their husbands find out—”
“They’d get in trouble for helping you?” Phineas stuck his bottle of blood into the microwave. “Why? Because you left home?”
“No, because of the Lost Boys at school. They were all banished.” Brynley took a sip of cola. “That means they’re dead to the pack, and their families can’t have anything to do with them.”
“That’s terrible.”
She shrugged. “It’s the way it’s always been. The dads go along with it ’cause it’s the law, and they don’t want to get kicked out, too. The pack is everything to them. But the moms—well, they tend to see things differently. No pack can tell them to stop caring for their children.”
Phineas nodded. “Good for them.”
Lights flashed outside.
“That could be one of them now.” Brynley rushed to the front window and peered through a narrow gap between the window frame and the curtains. She needed to make sure it was Sherry or Trudy before stepping outside. “If it’s one of my father’s men, I’ll hide in the laundry room while you go outside to meet him.”
She glanced back at Phineas. “Tell him you’re one of Phil’s friends, and he’s letting you stay here a few days. Don’t let him inside the cabin. He might pick up my scent.”
“Got it.” Phineas strode to the kitchen table and loaded a clip into an automatic pistol.
A pickup truck pulling a horse trailer came to a stop in the gravel driveway.
Brynley exhaled in relief as she saw a woman emerging from the truck. “It’s Trudy. Corey’s mom.” She rushed over to her handbag she’d left on the sofa, pulled out two envelopes, then hurried out the front door.
“Trudy!” She met her in front of the truck.
“Brynley!” Trudy hugged her, then stepped back to look her over. “You’re looking good.”
“Thanks. And thank you so much for helping us out.”
“It’s the least I can do. How is Corey?”
“He’s great. I saw him about thirty minutes ago and told him I’d be seeing you, so . . .” Brynley waved an envelope in the air.
“He wrote to me?” Trudy snatched the letter from Brynley’s hand and pressed it to her chest. “Thank you! I thank God every day that you were able to find a home and a school for my boy. Is he eating all right?”
“Of course. The food is great at Dragon Nest. I swear I’ve gained five pounds—”
With a gasp, Trudy stiffened.
“What?” Brynley turned to see what Trudy was staring at with such an alarmed look.
“There’s a man on the porch,” Trudy whispered.
“That’s Phineas. Remember, I said there would be two of us?”
“But he’s . . .” Trudy stepped closer. “Honey, he’s not one of us.”
“He’s a good guy, a friend of my brother’s.” Brynley glanced back at Phineas, who was staring into the woods, frowning. No doubt he could hear everything with his supersensitive vampire ears.
“But you’re alone here with him?” Trudy asked. “If your father finds out—”
“He won’t.” Brynley gave her a pointed look. “You never saw him. Or me. Just like we never saw you.”
Trudy took a deep breath. “Right.”
Brynley glanced at the horse trailer. “Your husband isn’t going to wonder why two of your horses are missing?”
“He was invited to your dad’s ranch in Montana for the monthly hunt, and you know he can’t refuse that. So he’ll be gone for a full week.”
Brynley nodded. Her father held a huge hunt every month at the full moon. No werewolf would dare refuse an invitation from the Supreme Pack Master. It was considered a great honor. “Have you seen my sister lately?”
“A few weeks ago.” Trudy gave her a sad smile. “You miss her?”
“Yeah.” Brynley looked away, determined not to get emotional.
“Well, let me get these horses into the barn for you.” Trudy strode to the back of the horse trailer. “And I brought some hay in case you didn’t have any.”
“That’s perfect. Thank you.” Brynley followed her, then noticed Phineas had come down the front steps to stand on the grass.
“Horses?” he asked.
“Sure.” She walked toward him. “In case we need to go off-road.”
“Isn’t that what four-wheelers are for?” He grimaced at the first horse being led out of the trailer.
Brynley smiled slowly. “You’ve never ridden a horse before, have you?”
“Never wanted to,” Phineas muttered.
The horse pranced about, clearly upset.
“I don’t think he’s too happy about it, either,” Phineas added.
“She,” Brynley corrected him. “That’s a mare. And she’s probably nervous because she’s picking up your scent. It would be different from ours.”
“Right,” he grumbled. “Because I’m not one of you.”
She winced. So he had heard Trudy’s remark. “I’m afraid werewolves tend to be a bit clannish.”
“A bit?” he asked wryly.
She shrugged as she watched Trudy lead the mare and a gelding toward the barn. “We’ve learned over the centuries that it’s best to stick together. It’s basic self-preservation.”
“Why would a horse get upset over my scent?” Phineas asked. “Don’t you guys smell like a pack of wolves? How do you even keep horses and cows? It’s like a fox guarding the chicken coop. Seems like they’d get one sniff of you and run away.”
Brynley grinned. “My father’s been ranching for over a hundred years. The animals are used to our scent. Come on, help me get the hay into the barn.”
With Phineas’s superior vampire strength, he had no trouble transporting whole bales of hay to the barn. Brynley introduced him to Trudy, then brought her up-to-date on her son’s progress at school while Phineas finished moving the hay.
A Honda Civic pulled up next to the pickup truck, and Brynley and Trudy strode from the barn to greet the driver.
“Sherry!” Brynley hugged her. “Thank you for coming.”
“No problem.” Sherry handed her the car keys. “It’s all yours for a week. And the tank is full. How is Gavin doing?”
“He’s great.” Brynley retrieved the second envelope from her jacket pocket. “He wrote a letter for you.”
“Oh thank you!” Sherry grabbed the envelope. “I can’t thank you enough!”
“That goes for both of us,” Trudy said.
Sherry’s gaze shifted to Phineas as he emerged from the barn. “Is that young man staying here with you?”
“Young is right,” Trudy murmured. “I think he’s only about twenty-three.”
“Well.” Sherry’s mouth twitched as she regarded Brynley. “Are you a wolf or a cougar, girl?”
She gritted her teeth. As far as she was concerned, she didn’t look any older than Phineas. Sure, she was thirty, but as soon as werewolves reached maturity, their aging process slowed to a near halt. That was how they managed to live for five centuries.
And although Phineas had been transformed at a young age, that was a few years ago. They had to be fairly close to each other’s age now.
With a start, she realized she was mentally defending herself and Phineas as a couple. And they weren’t. They couldn’t be.
Sherry’s eyes widened as she caught Phineas’s scent. “He’s not one of us.”
“I know,” Brynley ground out.
“A shame,” Trudy said. “He’s incredibly strong. You should have seen him tossing around those bales of hay.”
“Hmm.” Sherry gave Brynley a pointed look. “Great stamina, too?”
“I wouldn’t know about that,” she muttered.
“Yet,” Sherry added, then she and Trudy snickered.
Brynley sighed. They thought Phineas was her mortal boy toy. A logical mistake, since werewolves tended to be highly sexual creatures. “This is a business trip.”
“Right,” Trudy murmured. “Because there’s so much business going on around here.”
Brynley glanced over at Phineas. He was standing by the barn, pretending not to listen, but there was a definite glint of amusement in his eyes.
She turned back to the women. “Thank you for helping us. And remember, you didn’t see us here.”
Sherry nodded. “I understand.”
“Ready to go?” Trudy asked her.
“Yep.” Sherry climbed into the passenger seat of the pickup, then Trudy drove off, pulling the empty horse trailer behind her.
“All right.” Brynley waved the car keys in her hand as Phineas approached. “We’ve got wheels.”
“And horse power.” Phineas glanced back at the barn, frowning.
“So what’s our first move?” Brynley asked.
“We track down the guy who was bitten.”
“I thought he didn’t remember much.”
Phineas shrugged. “I can use vampire mind control to take a look inside his head.”
Brynley grimaced. She hated the way vampires could manipulate people’s minds. “Bloodsucker.”
The corner of his mouth curled up. “Snout-Face.”