He stumbled back, cursed, and tried to regain his footing.
But what happened next, chilled Tessa to the bone. Two wolves charged into the room, while the man with the cart brandished a large carving knife and taunted Hunter with it.
"Damn it to hell. They're royals," Hunter said.
The heavier-set wolf jumped onto the bed. Tessa grabbed one of her crutches. Swinging it at the wolf, she hit him in the side of the head with a whack. He yelped and jumped off the mattress and landed with a thud on the carpeted floor.
The other leapt up next, while Hunter seized hold of the food cart and rammed it into the knife-wielding menace. Tessa swung her crutch at the white-faced wolf, the one who had bitten Ashton, but he dodged her blow. And then he dove in again.
Unable to move the crutch fast enough, she dropped it and instinctively threw her hands to block him from ripping out her throat. She grabbed hold of his neck, his teeth snarling and snapping, but she was losing her grip.
Leidolf threw open the adjoining door when the wolf bit Tessa's arm. Hunter yanked the knife out of the gray's hand and plunged it into his neck.
For an instant, everyone seemed to stop in mid-motion. The man collapsed, holding his jugular, blood spilling all over the carpeted floor. The two wolves dashed out of the room. Hunter turned to Tessa.
Tears blurred her eyes and she held her bloodied arm.
He hurried to her and gave her good arm a squeeze. "I'll get a towel. Call 911, Leidolf."
"He's dead," Leidolf said, feeling the man's pulse.
Hunter let out his breath, grabbed a towel from the bathroom, and wrapped it around Tessa's arm. "Do you feel any differently?"
"Sick to my stomach." Tears trailed down her cheeks. "My arm hurts. And I twisted my ankle some more." But what distressed her the most was the sight of the dead man in their room. Why couldn't the men have left her alone?
Sirens sounded as emergency vehicles headed down the street toward the hotel.
"Guess someone else called the crisis in," Leidolf said. He pulled some yellowed newspaper clippings out of the man's pocket. "Are you sure you don't want to give her up to me?"
Chapter 15
AS SOON AS HUNTER SMELLED THE GRAY WHO'D BEEN wielding the dinner cart, he knew they were in for trouble. But he never expected the three brothers were royals.
"He might not have changed Tessa," Leidolf said, as Hunter paced in the jail cell across from him. "You can't worry about things you have no control over. Besides, she'll be all right anyway since there's no moon out tonight."
"What about the brothers of the gray I killed? What if they locate her?"
"The police said they'd watch her. So quit worrying."
Quit worrying. Like that was a possibility.
"When you called your lawyer, how long did he say it would take to get us out of here?" Hunter still couldn't believe the human police arrested them. It was clearly self-defense, but some witness, probably one of the brothers, had stated otherwise.
"Soon. Don't worry. My people will be at the hospital with Tessa and they'll take good care of her."
"Including the two bachelors who want her? Admit it, Leidolf. You want her. What were those newspaper clippings about? Anything important?"
"Yeah. One was a news story written in 1865 about a confrontation between Caleb McKnight and Seth Greystoke, stating Seth had stolen his gold."
"Caleb McKnight?" Hunter rubbed his chin, then swore. "Hell, that was the other man in the photo with Seth, my great-grandfather, and great uncle when they were panning for gold in California."
Leidolf leaned against the wall and peered out the bars at Hunter. "The other news article was written twelve years ago about a John Anderson who had killed Caleb McKnight in self-defense over a gold dispute. Said John's grandfather had stolen the gold from Caleb's grandfather. But of course, it would have been Caleb himself. Guess who he left behind? Three sons by the name of Yoloff, Ren, and Andreas."
Hunter shook his head. "The three brothers who have been stalking Tessa. So there was more to it than Yoloff just wanting Tessa for a mate. The possibility he'd get her land and the gold supposedly hidden somewhere on the property. How much you want to bet the other three grays are all tied into this?"
"They're a pack from La Grande. If they could get rid of you so the one could have your sister and your property, possibly have killed Bethany to have hers, and now are trying to take Tessa and consolidate her lands-- they'd have amassed quite a bit of expensive property. Not to mention the gold, wherever it is, and two females to add to their all-male pack."
The sound of footsteps distracted them, and Hunter let out his breath when he saw the guard walking toward them. It was about damned time. He didn't want Tessa alone without his protection for one more minute.
The guard unlocked Leidolf's cell. "You're free to go. The other one..." The hefty man shrugged. "Your lawyer said it'll take more time."
"Leidolf," Hunter roared. "What did you tell your lawyer?"
Leidolf waved at him as he headed down the hall with the guard. "We'll take good care of her until you're sprung."
Hell, Hunter should never have trusted a red pack leader. But he didn't have a gray lawyer in the area yet either. "I want to make a phone call!" he hollered to the guard as he led Leidolf out. "Now!"
Her skin frigid with fresh apprehension, Tessa sat in the waiting room of the hospital where she had gotten her ankle x-rayed earlier. After a couple of stitches, her arm was bandaged. She was beginning to look like Hunter after he fought his battles.
Supposedly, some of Leidolf's pack were coming to get her and watch over her until Leidolf and Hunter could come for her. Damned police! Why wouldn't they listen? Hunter killed the gray in self-defense!
But what if the people coming to get her were not Leidolf's people? What if it was her stalker pretending to be one of his pack members? She had no way of telling.
She closed her eyes as the pain in her ankle and arm intensified. Had she been turned? She didn't feel any differently. Wouldn't she feel like stripping off her clothes and turning into a wolf? But then again, Meara said there was no moon so they couldn't do that. Or maybe she wouldn't feel any different until then either. But her stalker and his one brother had turned into wolves. How?
The one whose leg had been broken was all healed up, too. Although she wasn't sure who was who.
"Miss?"
She opened her eyes and looked up at the fatherly looking cop, Allan Smith, his hair salt and pepper, his cheeks round and jovial, and his eyes the prettiest crystal green she had ever seen. Thankfully, he was guarding her until someone came for her. He handed her his cell phone.
"Hunter Greymere wants to talk to you."
She grabbed the phone and tried to steady her voice before she spoke. "Hunter, where are you?"
"Jail, still. I can only make a quick phone call. Leidolf's on his way there to pick you up. His people will be there soon also. I may be here for a while, unless I can get hold of someone on my own to get me out."
"You killed the man in self-defense."
"I know, but I'm not sure what Leidolf told his lawyer. In any event, I'm going to need help getting out. Meara's number is 431-110-5629. Don't go with Leidolf. Tessa, I've got to go."
"No, wait!"
The phone died. She felt like her lifeline had just been ripped away from her. "How can I get Hunter out of jail? He's innocent," she said to the cop.
"I've got a friend I can call." He winked, then punched in the number. Holding the phone to his ear, he waited for someone to answer and said to Tessa, "I don't think the wolf turned you."
Tessa closed her gaping mouth.
He smiled. "You didn't know I'm one, and if you'd been changed, you would."