headed to the first address. He was skeptical about the blood thing, especially since they couldn’t tell him the killer was able to smell it, but he agreed it was too much of a coincidence to overlook.
As they worked their way through the list, they asked each man the same questions. Have you seen anyone hanging around, checking you out, watching your house or your routine? Has anyone talked to you about your exercise regimen or what you do for a living? Have any of your family or friends mentioned seeing anyone or asking them those same questions?
Checking names off the list made for a long day running around the city from one possible target to the next, but as much as Clayne hated admitting it, he liked spending time with Danica. She was fun to be with, dammit. On the downside, being trapped in the car with her meant he couldn’t avoid inhaling her scent. He tried putting his window down, but without sticking his head out like a dog, it didn’t do any good. He had to sit there and deal with it.
The sun was already well down behind the trees as they pulled up to an apartment complex in the El Dorado Hills. The next guy on their list lived in a unit toward the back, where the buildings butted up against the rolling hills that gave the community its name. Danica had just parked in one of the visitor spaces when Clayne caught sight of movement off to the right as he got out of the car. He jerked his head in that direction, eyes narrowing.
He caught the shifter’s scent at the same moment he saw movement near the separate garages that lined the back of the complex. The shadowy figure of a man dragging something—make that someone —toward the hills behind the apartment buildings.
Clayne gave Danica a shout before he sprinted across the parking lot. He couldn’t shift completely in the middle of the apartment complex, but that didn’t stop him from growling softly. The shifter must have heard because he froze, his gold-green eyes wide in the semidarkness. He cursed and dropped his prey, taking off.
Clayne paused long enough to make sure the man on the ground was alive before going after the shifter again. The guy was out of it, but otherwise didn’t seem hurt. Footsteps echoed behind Clayne, then stopped at the exact spot where he’d left the shifter’s would-be victim, just as tires squealed on pavement. Clayne knew without looking back that Tony was the one on foot, while Danica had sped past him into the hills so she could try to get ahead of the killer. It was a herding technique they’d used before. Good to see Danica remembered it.
Once he got behind the garages, he fought the urge to shift completely and let the wolf take over. But in this case, having long claws and fangs wasn’t going to help him. He only needed the superior sense that came with a partial shift. The darkness disappeared around him, and he knew that if someone saw him, his glowing yellow eyes would freak them out. Luckily, his enhanced sense of smell and hearing never came with any physical changes. He would have hated having furry ears and a long snout.
He cleared the eight-foot privacy fence that surrounded the apartment complex and took off at a run the moment he landed on the other side. Even with his natural night vision, he couldn’t see the other shifter ahead of him in the trees. But he could sure as hell hear him, smacking aside branches and kicking up rock. That’s right, asshole, see how it feels to be the one getting chased for a change.
Clayne heard a thud behind him, quickly followed by a whole lot of cussing. Apparently, Tony wasn’t having such an easy time with that fence. Clayne felt bad for the fed, but not bad enough to slow down. He wasn’t about to let the shifter get away. Besides, it was better if Tony was otherwise occupied for the moment. Having to explain to the fed why he could clock speeds of twenty-five miles an hour over rough ground might be a little difficult.
He tried to use both his sense of
As they worked their way through the list, they asked each man the same questions. Have you seen anyone hanging around, checking you out, watching your house or your routine? Has anyone talked to you about your exercise regimen or what you do for a living? Have any of your family or friends mentioned seeing anyone or asking them those same questions?
Checking names off the list made for a long day running around the city from one possible target to the next, but as much as Clayne hated admitting it, he liked spending time with Danica. She was fun to be with, dammit. On the downside, being trapped in the car with her meant he couldn’t avoid inhaling her scent. He tried putting his window down, but without sticking his head out like a dog, it didn’t do any good. He had to sit there and deal with it.
The sun was already well down behind the trees as they pulled up to an apartment complex in the El Dorado Hills. The next guy on their list lived in a unit toward the back, where the buildings butted up against the rolling hills that gave the community its name. Danica had just parked in one of the visitor spaces when Clayne caught sight of movement off to the right as he got out of the car. He jerked his head in that direction, eyes narrowing.
He caught the shifter’s scent at the same moment he saw movement near the separate garages that lined the back of the complex. The shadowy figure of a man dragging something—make that someone —toward the hills behind the apartment buildings.
Clayne gave Danica a shout before he sprinted across the parking lot. He couldn’t shift completely in the middle of the apartment complex, but that didn’t stop him from growling softly. The shifter must have heard because he froze, his gold-green eyes wide in the semidarkness. He cursed and dropped his prey, taking off.
Clayne paused long enough to make sure the man on the ground was alive before going after the shifter again. The guy was out of it, but otherwise didn’t seem hurt. Footsteps echoed behind Clayne, then stopped at the exact spot where he’d left the shifter’s would-be victim, just as tires squealed on pavement. Clayne knew without looking back that Tony was the one on foot, while Danica had sped past him into the hills so she could try to get ahead of the killer. It was a herding technique they’d used before. Good to see Danica remembered it.
Once he got behind the garages, he fought the urge to shift completely and let the wolf take over. But in this case, having long claws and fangs wasn’t going to help him. He only needed the superior sense that came with a partial shift. The darkness disappeared around him, and he knew that if someone saw him, his glowing yellow eyes would freak them out. Luckily, his enhanced sense of smell and hearing never came with any physical changes. He would have hated having furry ears and a long snout.
He cleared the eight-foot privacy fence that surrounded the apartment complex and took off at a run the moment he landed on the other side. Even with his natural night vision, he couldn’t see the other shifter ahead of him in the trees. But he could sure as hell hear him, smacking aside branches and kicking up rock. That’s right, asshole, see how it feels to be the one getting chased for a change.
Clayne heard a thud behind him, quickly followed by a whole lot of cussing. Apparently, Tony wasn’t having such an easy time with that fence. Clayne felt bad for the fed, but not bad enough to slow down. He wasn’t about to let the shifter get away. Besides, it was better if Tony was otherwise occupied for the moment. Having to explain to the fed why he could clock speeds of twenty-five miles an hour over rough ground might be a little difficult.
He tried to use both his sense of
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