Claiming His Fire by Ellis Leigh Page B

ready to take on the world.
    Gates took the phone first, smiling down at the picture. “She’s lovely, Gideon.”
    I took my own look, nodding and passing the phone to Beast. “She’s beautiful. We’re going to do our best to find her.”
    Gideon sighed. “I just…I want her back. If I would have known—”
    Beast’s growl interrupted Gideon and had Killian jumping to his feet, ready to defend his packmate.
    “Motherfucker.” Beast swiped past a few more pictures. “I’ve seen her.”
    “What?” I stepped up behind him, looking at the pictures again. “When? Where?”
    “February.” Eyes wide, Beast looked up at his brother. “The sick redhead I saw that day you arrived. The one Aaric’s pack brought in.”
    “Are you sure?” Gates asked. “You only saw her for a minute and from far away. Are you positive it’s her?”
    “Absolutely,” Beast said with a nod. “That scene has played out in my nightmares a million times, but she always ended up replaced with Calla.”
    “Who’s Calla?” Gideon asked.
    “My mate.” Beast turned to Rebel, the two of them looking as if the pieces of some puzzle only they could see were suddenly coming together. “She was pregnant when I met her, and the father of the baby is the Beta of the local pack where she’s from. I was doing recon on them as I planned how to get her out of town safely when I saw the redhead. Aaric’s pack has your Kalie in North Dakota.”

TEN
Scarlett
    I paced behind the bar, obsessively watching the clock, waiting for Shadow to come out of Rebel’s office. I wasn’t sure why, but I couldn’t fight the need within me to stay close, to check up on him and make sure he was okay. To just be close to him.
    “You’re seriously stressed.”
    I spun, finding Julian sitting on one of the pleather barstools. He stared at me, his sunglass-covered eyes focused over my shoulder. Blinded in a car accident, if I remembered right. Sad, especially for such a young man.
    I nodded, even though I knew he couldn’t see me. “There’s some scary people running around.”
    Julian shrugged. “So? You can handle yourself.”
    “What are you talking about?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
    Julian shook his head. “I’m blind, not oblivious. I know you can do things most people can’t.”
    My mouth fell open, but the words wouldn’t come. How did this boy know anything about me? Before I could answer him, a man walked into the denhouse. Tall, blond, and delicious, but with an air of anger about him. Dangerous, almost. Hot as fuck and pissed as hell, wrapped up in one pretty package.
    “Where’s Shadow?” he asked, his eyes barely pausing on me long enough to acknowledge my existence.
    “That seems to be the question of the hour,” I replied, pointing toward the back. The man glared at me before turning and heading toward Rebel’s office. I huffed and grumbled under my breath, “Well, isn’t he just Mr. Sunshine?”
    Julian giggled. I rolled my eyes and went back to pacing the length of the bar, even more nervous now that tall, light, and deadly had joined my…whatever Shadow was. My nothing. My something. My possibility of something? Damn it, this red thread shit was confusing.
    Minutes later, the sound of booted feet rushing toward the bar had me spinning on my heel. Shadow came around the corner of the hall first, his eyes roaming the room until they landed on me, took me in, practically caressed me from the opposite side of the room. My breath rushed out, and my back relaxed as the tension I’d been holding dissipated. He was safe. But oh, the serious expression, the way he looked at me. Like he needed me, like he wanted me. Like he’d been just as worried about me as I was about him.
    Shadow hurried over, grabbing my arms gently and walking me backward until he had me pressed against the wall beside the bar. Covering me with his body.
    “I have to go,” he whispered, his lips so close, they nearly brushed my cheek. “I’ll be back