Dance on the Wilde Side: Cannon Pack, Book 2 Read online

  Tala glimpsed her reflection in the mirrored door of the microwave and widened her mouth to expose long, sharp fangs.

  I’m shifting. And it’s about time. Glorious elation filled her and she lifted her head and howled.

  Startled, Skanland brandished the knife at her. “Damn bitch is trying to shift again.”

  What’s he mean, trying to shift? Tala caught her image in the glass of a large picture hanging on the wall. Fur grew in tuffs all over her human-shaped face, but didn’t cover the entire area. Her mouth, however, was contorted enough to make room for the fangs protruding over her lips. Still, not much else had changed. Oh, come on, already. What’s a girl gotta do to get a little hair on her chest?

  She studied the claws bursting from the ends of her fingers, but the rest of her body remained human and unchanged. Why can’t I get the hang of this?

  “I should have killed you when I had the chance.”

  Torn from her disappointment, Tala looked up in time to deflect Skanland’s thrust as he tried to stab her in the chest. She roared, both from fear and anger, and instinctively struck out. Skanland flew across the room, banging against the wall with enough force to rattle the pictures. He scrambled to his feet with the butcher knife still clutched in his hand.

  At least I’m getting stronger. Tala leapt over the injured dog and grabbed Skanland’s wrist, driving his knife-wielding arm over his head. His putrid breath hit her face, making her stomach revolt, but she held on and squeezed.

  His eyes widened at her strength and a small cry escaped him. Although he tried to throttle her with his other hand, she thwarted the move, bending his arm behind his back. She howled, delighting in her power.

  “Talk about Call of the Wilde. Want some help?”

  Tala glanced over her shoulder at Devlin, Conrad and Brutus standing in the doorway. Her gaze fell on Conrad’s leg. “Are you okay?”

  “What? Have you thrown me over for the big lug? Don’t care to see if I’m okay?”

  “You look like you’re okay.” She almost laughed at Devlin’s jealous tone. “Didn’t you notice his gunshot wound? Conrad got shot.”

  “Aw, it’s just a flesh wound.” Conrad passed his tongue over the area and wiped away the blood. “See? It’s almost healed.”

  Devlin nodded toward Skanland. “Good enough. But now that we’re sure Conrad’s going to live, do you want a hand with him or not?”

  She hurled Skanland’s body at them. “Yeah. You can take care of him.” The hunter flailed, trying to regain equilibrium yet failing. His body landed against the two waiting wolves.

  Devlin caught one arm while Conrad twisted his other. “You want to do the honors?”

  Conrad’s eyes glittered with delight. “Thanks, Dev. Don’t mind if I do.” Snarling, he dragged the struggling man into the other room. “Come on, asshole. Let’s give the lovers a little privacy.”

  Tala turned to the dog lying on the floor. She hurried to her side and knelt down to examine her wounds. “Damn, this looks bad.”

  A touch of fur skimmed the side of her arm as Brutus lay down next to his mate. His pitiful whimpers cut a slice through her heart. “Don’t worry, boy. We’ll do everything we can for her.”

  Devlin fell to the floor beside her and returned to human form—very naked human form. Very naked, sexually erect human form. The familiar lurch in her abdomen brought an image of Devlin pumping his long hard cock into her, her legs wrapped over his shoulders. She licked her lips and turned toward him before reality finally stopped her. “Devlin, this isn’t the time or the place.” Oh, you are such a hypocrite.

  He saw where she was looking and cupped his hands over as much of his shaft as he could. Jutting his chin toward the female, he broke the hold his manhood had on her rapt attention. “Will she live?” Yet before she could answer, he pulled her closer. “Are you all right? Really all right? Damn, I’m glad to see you.”

  The concern, the worry she heard in his voice made her search his face. His arm around her sent warm tingles racing down her spine while an overwhelming impression of reassurance filled her soul. She had to admit the sensation was as wonderful as having sex—maybe even better. He loves me.

  “Uh, I know. I can tell you’re glad to see me.” She giggled, the light titter of a girl in love.

  Snuggling against her, he whispered in her ear. “Kind of hard to hide my happiness in my present condition.”

  Adrenalin of a hormonal kind flowed through her, racing her heart. Visions of Devlin sucking her tits, stroking her, pulling her on top of him made her ache with need. Yet it was the next images of Devlin holding her close, cuddling against her through the night, that made her head reel and her soul soar. Oh what you do to me.

  Another stronger whimper came from Brutus, coaxing her to return to her patient. Smiling, she pulled away from Devlin to examine the female’s injuries.

  Keep your mind on the dog, Tala. This is no time to think about jumping Devlin’s bones. But later…

  Her tongue touched the tip of a fang, reminding her that she was still in wolf form. Or, at least, partial wolf form.

  “Is she a friend of yours?” If she’d asked this question about a dog before meeting Devlin, she’d have thought it a joke. But not now.

  “Yeah, you could say so.” Devlin reached out to put his hand on the dog’s head. “She’s hurting a lot.”

  “I know. I can sense it.” She placed her hand on his arm. “We need to get her medical attention right away or she won’t survive. Go find something to wrap around these wounds to stop the bleeding.”

  Devlin nodded and moved away. She knew he wouldn’t fail her or the dog. Murmuring soft words of comfort, she held her palms over the worst wounds and waited for his return. Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long.

  “Here.” Devlin dumped a few rolls of bandages and tape on the floor beside her. “The hunters had a first aid case in the bathroom. Seems only right we’re using it on the dog and not wasting it on them.” He started tearing off a strip for her. “Besides, I don’t think there’s enough bandages in the world to put them back together.”

  She gritted her teeth at the sudden fury inside her, nodded at the dog, and started bandaging the most severe wound. “As if I’d want to.”

  “How’re you two doing?” Conrad stood over them in clothed human form, worry etched on his face as he studied the injured dog. He dropped a wet cloth and a pile of clothes onto Devlin’s lap. “I thought you might need these.”

  Devlin rose, wiped the bloody signs of the fight off his body and started pulling on his jeans. “Good thing we stripped before we came to the rescue.”

  Tala couldn’t stop a groan. “Hey, don’t cover up on my account.” Behave, girl. For now.

  Devlin flashed his any-time-any-place grin and finished getting dressed. Growing somber, he glanced from Tala to his friend. “Did you take care of the hunters?”

  “Yeah. They won’t bother anyone ever again.”

  “What does that mean?” Tala checked each of the men. Their expressions sent cold chills down her spine.

  “It’s not a pretty sight. Are you sure you want to know?”

  The sadness in his eyes gave her the answer. “Not yet. I think I’ve seen enough for today.” Swallowing hard, she shook the gruesome feeling away and focused on the dog. She wrapped the last of the bandages around the dog and wiped her bloodied hands on a cloth. “Let’s get this poor girl some medical attention. In fact, let’s take her to my office at the zoo. It’s closer than my clinic.”

  Moving with the utmost tenderness, Devlin slipped his arms under the wounded dog. As he lifted her, his eyes found Tala’s and shot her a pointed look. “You might want to go to full human form before we get to the zoo. I’m not sure how you’d explain those teeth and your patches of hair to your coworkers.”

  “Yeah, you look like you mated with a poodle.”

  Conrad’s booming laughter heightened her frustration level. Why was this so funny? She snarled at him
and followed Devlin from the room. “Tell me why, Devlin.” But he didn’t answer, instead nodding at his friend to lead the way.

  Conrad ran ahead of them, opening the front door, then the gate with a set of keys. “I bet one of these goes to the hunters’ car.” He tossed them at her and she caught them with one hand. “I think you’d better drive, don’t you?”

  Cradling the dog, Devlin slid into the back seat with his fellow shifter piling in after him. Tala jumped into the front and looked into the rearview mirror in time to see her fangs recede into her mouth. Her hands, human hands, gripped the steering wheel.

  Devlin cradled the dog in his lap. Brutus, standing alone in the yard, raised his head and yelped a few short sad barks. “We need to come back for him as soon as we can.”

  “How about I call a friend of mine who’s great with animals? I’ll have him come and pick Brutus up.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Their gazes met in the rearview mirror and a silent message zipped between them. Why can’t I change all the way?

  The look in his eyes softened, changing from a hot desire to comforting warmth. “Don’t worry. You will. But for right now, concentrate on getting all the hair off your face.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tala and Devlin slid into the front of the car.

  “So? What’d your coworkers say, Tala?” Conrad leaned forward in the rear seat.

  “I didn’t give them time to ask. Besides, Devlin’s presence intimidated them so much they couldn’t get a word out, what with their chins sitting on their chests. But they’ll take good care of our friend.”

  “Yeah, I thought old Jim was about to keel over from a heart attack when I snarled at him. The lightweight.”

  Tala slapped him on the arm. “You didn’t have to be so mean, you know.”

  Devlin laughed and buckled his seatbelt. “Maybe not, but I couldn’t resist.”

  “Yeah, right.” She hid her grin—why encourage him?—and pulled the car onto the road. “Boys, we’ve got some unfinished business to deal with.”

  “Like taking care of a certain disgruntled ex-employee?” Devlin followed his words with a low rumble in his throat.

  “Exactly. Now if only I knew where to find him. I can’t remember George mentioning any friends.” She paused, then snapped her fingers. “Wait a sec. I remember the guys at the zoo joking around about George’s fascination with strip joints. And one strip joint in particular called The Lucky Lady.”

  “I know the place. It’s a hole-in-the-wall joint downtown.”

  Tala’s bemused glance caught Conrad’s innocent one in the mirror. “Are you a regular there?”

  “Hey, a dude’s gotta do what a dude’s gotta do. I sometimes troll for willing females, uh, women there.”

  “Willing females?”

  Tala started to ask more, but Devlin held up his hand, stalling her. “Don’t. You do not want to go there.” She caught his meaning and dropped her questions. “Well, I’d say the strip joint’s as good a place as any to hunt down old George. He’s probably already there celebrating getting us skinned alive.”

  “Then let’s get our own party going.” Tala laughed. “Except he’ll be the one getting skinned alive.”

  “That’s my girl.” Devlin high-fived her.

  Tala steered the car toward downtown, following directions from Conrad. Before long, they’d managed to park and make their way inside the hovel of a bar.

  Tala swallowed, hoping to siphon a little air in through the gunk circulating around her. A dense layer of smoke, stale air and cheap perfume threatened to enclose her in a shell of bad smells. She wrinkled her nose and peered through the blanket of smog at the dimly lit stage where one stripper worked the pole and another gyrated at the end of the platform. Neon signs promoting various alcoholic drinks hung on walls of an indeterminate mud color while topless waitresses cruised around the room with trays expertly balanced on one hand. A long bar, filled with male customers, ran the length of the wall on the opposite side of the room.

  “Wow.” Devlin crooked his head to the side, following the stripper’s act as she held her body upside down on the pole, then spiraled clockwise. “How does she do that?”

  An uneasiness clenched Tala’s stomach. Recognition of the sensation dawned on her, stunning her in its passion. She was jealous. Plain and simple. Green-eyed, hot-tempered, stay-away-from-my-man jealous. “Uh, yeah. She’s limber and strong. I think we’ve established as much.”

  “Limber and lusty. Just the way I like ’em.” Conrad scooped a drink off the tray of a passing topless waitress. When she started to protest, he flipped a twenty-dollar bill at her and her glower morphed into a practiced smile.

  He and Devlin stood side by side, transfixed by the two women on the stage. Neither one’s attention left the dancers, except when a third stripper swayed out from behind the stage curtain.

  “Okay, boys. Let’s keep our eyes on the prize.” Tala had to tug on Devlin’s sleeve twice before he noticed her. “Our ball’s in play.” She winced at his chuckle. “You know what I mean.”

  “Um, sure. Whatever you say. I only have eyes for you anyway.”

  A derisive snort from the other shifter didn’t help her deteriorating disposition. “Don’t forget, guys. We’re here on a mission, remember?”

  “Right you are.” Conrad coughed and pointed toward the bar. “Check him out at two o’clock. If I’m not mistaken, that’s our little squealer making a meathead sandwich between two big blobs of silicone.”

  Tala scanned the bar, but with the crowd as thick as it was, she couldn’t find George. “You mean next to the blonde waitress?”

  “Blonde?” Conrad narrowed his eyes as though seeing the woman for the first time. “Oh, hey, yeah. I guess she is blonde.”

  Of course, all he’d noticed were her gigantic breasts. “Urgh. Men are such animals.”

  Devlin slid his arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Some more than others. But in a good way, huh?”

  Both Conrad and Tala rolled their eyes and spoke at the same time. “Oh, pulease.”

  Grinning, Devlin shook his head. “You guys are getting too chummy for my comfort.”

  She and his friend exchanged a telling look and all three of them, in sync, turned toward George. He raised his head from between the woman’s breasts and took a swig from his drink. Tipping the glass, he poured a few drops of the clear liquid onto the blonde’s large boobs, grabbed the breasts and plunged his head back between them. Men on either side of him cheered and slapped him on the shoulder, urging him on.

  Tala shuddered, a wave of nausea shooting up from her stomach and into her mouth. And to think I used to think he was an okay guy.

  “Tala? You okay?”

  Devlin’s velvet tones broke through the bad thoughts and she waved away his concern. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just thankful I don’t have to deal with that asshole any longer. At least, not after tonight.”

  “Well, okay then. Let’s get the creep before he hires the bitch for a backroom session.”

  “A backroom session?” Tala cringed, already guessing what it meant.

  “You don’t want to know.” Devlin started toward George with Conrad and Tala following on his heels.

  The wall-mounted television flickered, replacing the scene of a football game with one of Tala’s public service messages. Her face, smiling at her from the set, unnerved her even before George added his two cents.

  Pointing at the screen, he shouted in a loud and drunken voice. “Hey, there she is. The Bitch of the Beasts.”

  A few men guffawed and the blonde waitress took the roll of bills George clutched in his hands. She peeled off half of the roll, stuffed the rest into his shirt pocket and waved for the bartender to refill his glass.

  “I’m telling you guys, stay away from her. She may look hot, but she’s as cold as ice inside. Even if she is great in bed. The broad can suck the skin right off your dick and you’ll love every minute of
it. But then when she talks, nothing but shit comes out.”

  Tala stopped, frozen with shock. Damn him to hell and back! He’s telling lies about me. And worse, lies about me having sex with him. Numb, she stared at him, unable to think beyond hearing his words repeated in her head.

  His audience responded with titters and jeers. “And to top it off, she loves animals. Especially the big wolves. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if she got some doggy action once in a while. If you know what I mean.”

  He gyrated, pretending to hump an invisible Tala, and a roar of laughter exploded around him. Grinning, he downed the rest of his drink and called for another.

  “Too bad she’ll never get the chance. ’Cause right about now she’s giving it up for some friends of mine. And it’s going be the last time she ever spreads her legs. For anyone.”

  A fat, balding man next to George scanned Tala from top to bottom. Soon, a slow leer slid across his blubberous features. Nudging George, he stuck a chubby finger toward her and asked in a voice loud enough to be heard above the raunchy music. “Think again, man. Looks like the animal lover’s tracked you down.”

  George moved in slow motion, his bleary eyes socking into Tala. “Tala? How the hell did you get away—”

  Devlin’s fist connected with his mouth, dissolving his next words into howls of pain.

  ƒ

  George’s head jerked back and forth like a jack-in-the-box. Blood ran out of his nose, staining the front of his paisley shirt. “Argh!”

  Devlin, Conrad and Tala formed a semicircle around him, trapping him against the bar. The men and women around George scattered, unwilling to get involved in the dispute.

  George snatched several napkins from the counter, clutched them to his nose and held up his other hand, begging them to stop. His eyes bugged wide and he stammered, trying to get keep Devlin from attacking again. “Wait! Hold on.”

  Devlin snarled and drew back his arm for another blow. Tala, however, hooked him by the arm, keeping him near her. “No, Devlin, you can’t beat him up.”