Rick's Reluctant Mate
Lupinville
Book 4
Alice Cain
Copyright 2014
Chapter One
Twelve
months ago…
"I'm not a threat," the man said
as Rick opened the front door of his home. He had his back to Rick and was
currently addressing two snarling wolves as if he knew they were people in wolf
form and not wild animals. Rick almost fell backward when the brown wolf bolted
past the huge man and put its furry body between Rick and apparent danger. "I'm
not here to hurt anyone, but I need Ricky's help."
"Jordan?" Rick asked the wolf at
his feet, needing to understand why the werewolf was here and not in
Lupinville, and why he and his
companion considered the man on his porch a threat.
The man finally turned around and Rick
narrowed his eyes when he realized who he was looking at.
"You're Adrian Alateeka," he said.
"Why on Earth would you want my help?"
The man's surprised reaction wasn't all that
unexpected. They'd never met, but when Rick's dad had described Adrian to him,
and explained the reason the man had been looking for him—because Rick had
created a rather powerful computer algorithm they apparently wanted—Rick had
been curious enough to look the guy up. He'd been keeping as close an eye on Alateeka
Protection Services as they apparently were on him.
"Our resident computer genius has gone
rogue on us," Adrian said, glancing at the wolf at Rick's feet. Jordan was
barring his teeth aggressively and Rick was a little disconcerted to realize
Adrian wasn't actually afraid of the wolf. Rick's dad had suggested that Adrian
Alateeka might also be a werewolf, but the guy seemed way more confident than
that. "We need you to shutdown the guy's online role playing game."
The other wolf had apparently decided Adrian
wasn't a threat, but Ricky was more than a little surprised when it pushed past
Jordan and went into the house.
"Please, Ricky," Adrian said
quietly, "people are dying. We need to shut this site down."
Rick dropped his hand to the head of the
wolf at his feet, nodded, and then moved back to let Adrian in. "I'll do
what I can."
It didn't take long to find and shutdown the
game Adrian showed him, so the man was there for less than a half hour.
"Thanks," Adrian said, handing
over his business card. "If you ever need anything, please call."
Ricky glanced down at the card, then over to
Cali sitting on his couch and currently wearing his clothes, and the wolf still
pressed against his legs. "I seem to be well protected," he said in a
tone that couldn't really hide his annoyance, "but you know where to find
me if you have more computer problems."
"I'm sorry that we needed to involve
you, Ricky," Adrian said. The man sounded very sincere.
"I'm not," Rick said, glaring at
the brown wolf when he made a sound of disapproval. "The world is a
dangerous place, Jordan. You know that better than most, and if I can do
something to make it a little safer, then that's exactly what I intend to
do."
"We'll try not to call on your skill
again before you've finished college," Adrian said, "but if you're
still interested in a couple of years, we have a place for you on our
team."
Jordan growled, and for one tense moment
Rick thought Jordan was going to attack, so he dropped his hand back onto the
wolf's head and spoke in a firm tone.
"Thanks, Adrian. We will stay in touch."
The brown wolf growled again when Rick
closed the door after Adrian without letting Jordan leave the house.
"Hell, no," Rick said.
"You're not leaving here until I understand why you and Cali are here in
the first place."
Jordan turned his furry head in Cali's direction and made a sound that had the girl
grinning in response.
"I'm on his side," she said to the
wolf, "so you may as well change into human form and explain it all."
Cali actually laughed when Jordan bared his
teeth and growled low in his throat.
"If you want to leave, all you have to
do, Mr. Bossy Paws, is change into your human form and open the door."
Lupinville
Book 4
Alice Cain
Copyright 2014
Chapter One
Twelve
months ago…
"I'm not a threat," the man said
as Rick opened the front door of his home. He had his back to Rick and was
currently addressing two snarling wolves as if he knew they were people in wolf
form and not wild animals. Rick almost fell backward when the brown wolf bolted
past the huge man and put its furry body between Rick and apparent danger. "I'm
not here to hurt anyone, but I need Ricky's help."
"Jordan?" Rick asked the wolf at
his feet, needing to understand why the werewolf was here and not in
Lupinville, and why he and his
companion considered the man on his porch a threat.
The man finally turned around and Rick
narrowed his eyes when he realized who he was looking at.
"You're Adrian Alateeka," he said.
"Why on Earth would you want my help?"
The man's surprised reaction wasn't all that
unexpected. They'd never met, but when Rick's dad had described Adrian to him,
and explained the reason the man had been looking for him—because Rick had
created a rather powerful computer algorithm they apparently wanted—Rick had
been curious enough to look the guy up. He'd been keeping as close an eye on Alateeka
Protection Services as they apparently were on him.
"Our resident computer genius has gone
rogue on us," Adrian said, glancing at the wolf at Rick's feet. Jordan was
barring his teeth aggressively and Rick was a little disconcerted to realize
Adrian wasn't actually afraid of the wolf. Rick's dad had suggested that Adrian
Alateeka might also be a werewolf, but the guy seemed way more confident than
that. "We need you to shutdown the guy's online role playing game."
The other wolf had apparently decided Adrian
wasn't a threat, but Ricky was more than a little surprised when it pushed past
Jordan and went into the house.
"Please, Ricky," Adrian said
quietly, "people are dying. We need to shut this site down."
Rick dropped his hand to the head of the
wolf at his feet, nodded, and then moved back to let Adrian in. "I'll do
what I can."
It didn't take long to find and shutdown the
game Adrian showed him, so the man was there for less than a half hour.
"Thanks," Adrian said, handing
over his business card. "If you ever need anything, please call."
Ricky glanced down at the card, then over to
Cali sitting on his couch and currently wearing his clothes, and the wolf still
pressed against his legs. "I seem to be well protected," he said in a
tone that couldn't really hide his annoyance, "but you know where to find
me if you have more computer problems."
"I'm sorry that we needed to involve
you, Ricky," Adrian said. The man sounded very sincere.
"I'm not," Rick said, glaring at
the brown wolf when he made a sound of disapproval. "The world is a
dangerous place, Jordan. You know that better than most, and if I can do
something to make it a little safer, then that's exactly what I intend to
do."
"We'll try not to call on your skill
again before you've finished college," Adrian said, "but if you're
still interested in a couple of years, we have a place for you on our
team."
Jordan growled, and for one tense moment
Rick thought Jordan was going to attack, so he dropped his hand back onto the
wolf's head and spoke in a firm tone.
"Thanks, Adrian. We will stay in touch."
The brown wolf growled again when Rick
closed the door after Adrian without letting Jordan leave the house.
"Hell, no," Rick said.
"You're not leaving here until I understand why you and Cali are here in
the first place."
Jordan turned his furry head in Cali's direction and made a sound that had the girl
grinning in response.
"I'm on his side," she said to the
wolf, "so you may as well change into human form and explain it all."
Cali actually laughed when Jordan bared his
teeth and growled low in his throat.
"If you want to leave, all you have to
do, Mr. Bossy Paws, is change into your human form and open the door."
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