“You’re a vet?” Tristan asked, intrigued by her profession. Initially when she’d said she was a doctor, he thought she healed humans.
“Yes, I work in the ER.”
“Interesting. So you wouldn’t happen to treat reptiles at UVH?”
Her eyes widened. “Reptiles? Um, well, yes, I am more of a generalist, but I do treat reptiles now and then.” Her heart began to race. The boa. Please don’t let it be his…please don’t let it be his…please don’t let it be his.
He smiled, pinning her with his mesmerizing eyes. He could hear her pulse rate increase, smell her fear. Leaning forward, he placed his forearms on his knees and tilted his head.
“So you wouldn’t happen to treat snakes on a regular basis, then? You know, like a fifteen foot yellow boa constrictor, for example?”
Like a dam bursting, she couldn’t hold it in any longer, and the words began to spill forth. She wasn’t sure whether to beg for forgiveness or simply tell her story. And before she knew it, she’d done both.
“Please Alpha; you must know that I was going to have my nurse call the owners of that club. I swear to you. I am so sorry. At first I wasn’t sure who to call, and then I decided to have her call Eden and leave a message. But then I forgot. I’ve been so busy. And then I got kidnapped, but you know that part. And oh, I guess I should have started with this first, but yes, I do treat snakes, and she’s very healthy despite the smoke inhalation. A beautiful specimen, really. I promise that I will have her returned to you as soon as possible.”
Shaking his head, he held up the palm of his hand to silence her. Resisting the urge to go to her and hold her in his arms, he opted to pace over to the end of her bed. Grabbing the end of the sleigh bed as tight as a vise with his two hands, a serious look washed over his face.
“Look, Dr. Williams, I am not sure why you took the snake but I need to know everything, and I mean everything, about the day of the fire. Did you set the fire?”
Oh my God. He thought she set the fire. She cringed. If she told him about the wolves she had seen that day, he might ask her to identify them. If she identified them, it might somehow get back to her pack that she was alive. Or worse, they’d come after her and kill her. What a damn fine mess. She should have just kept walking that warm September day, but it wasn’t in her nature to stand by and do nothing. She was a doctor. A healer. And a fighter; she was no coward. She didn’t think twice about running into a burning building to make sure others made it to safety.
“Kalli,” Tristan said firmly, shaking her from her thoughts. He let go of the bed and circled around, stalking her like the wolf that he was.
“I was there the day of the fire,” she began quietly. Determined to keep her dignity, she stiffened, and stared at him. “There was smoke. Two men exited the building. No one was there. No sirens. Nothing. I had to go in, because I knew that animal was in there. I mean, I did call in before I entered, you know. But no one answered. And then I saw the snake. What was I supposed to do? Let it die? I couldn’t. So I ran in behind the bar and broke the glass, cutting myself in the process. But I managed to get her. I got the snake and left.”
He sensed honesty in her words and mannerisms but had to know the extent of her involvement. “Did you set the fire?”
“God no,” she gasped. “How could you think I’d do that?” It dawned on her that he didn’t know her, not to mention that she’d admitted taking the snake.
He moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed, mere inches from her feet. “Tell me about the men. Can you describe them? Were they human?” His voice was like steel, every bit the cold tone she remembered from her pack days.
“Yes, but…”
“Yes, you can describe them, or yes they were human?” He interrupted.
She swallowed her fear, refusing to be intimidated by a wolf again. “Yes, I can describe them. But no, they were not human. They were wolf,” she said in the most even voice she could muster.
“Describe them,” he ordered.
“Oh God, please don’t make me do this. It was just a fire. A building. No one was hurt. If I tell you, I know what will happen. You might find the wolves and begin some kind of a territory war, but I’ll end up dead. You and I both know they will find me,” she countered. Kalli inwardly shuddered, realizing how frankly she’d just told the Alpha to basically fuck off; also she’d revealed to him yet again her inner knowledge of pack society.
“Look, Dr. Williams, as a courtesy, I will overlook your insolence given that you are not wolf, but let me be perfectly clear. You will describe the men you saw. And pack business is none of your concern. Now tell me why you think these men were wolf,” he demanded.
“Fine, Alpha,” she drawled out the word, hoping he’d feel the anger in her words. “First off, I told you that I am a vet, which means I also understand human physiology. So unless a new trait for humans is to sprout claws, they were wolves.” She refused to tell him that even though she didn’t know their names, she recognized the two men as pack members from her old pack. But even if she couldn’t name names, Tristan would know that she was in danger.
“Secondly, if they were vampires, they’d be moving more like a flash rather than running.” She could feel emotion bubbling up like a fountain she couldn’t control. As grateful as she was to him for rescuing her, she was also scared of him questioning her like he was.
Tristan could see she was on the edge of bolting out the door, before she even knew what she was thinking. He decided to press on; he had to get answers.
“Did you know the men?”
“No, I did not know them,” she lied. She pulled her legs up to her chest and put her arms around them protectively. What if she was wrong about this Alpha? What if he was prone to violence like all the others she’d known? She needed to escape.
“Are you sure you didn’t know them? Did you speak with them? Did you see them set the fire? Did they see you leave?” Tristan relentlessly fired questions at her, testing her honesty. Everything she’d said rang true, but it felt like there was something she wasn’t telling him.
“I told you that I didn’t know them. And no, I didn’t speak with them or see them set the fire. I told you, I saw them leave and then I saw smoke. There was no one else around. I don’t know anything else!” she yelled, her eyes darting to the exit. What was that last question he’d asked her? Did the wolves see her leave? The realization that the wolves could have identified her felt like a punch to her gut. She’d worked so hard to build her life as a human. A life that she treasured.
“Oh my God, I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to get back to my life. My job. Please let me go,” she begged, as she threw her legs out of the bed onto the floor. After being held captive by Alexandra, she couldn’t take any more of his inquest. Her stomach rolled at the thought of being forced back into her old pack. She refused to let that happen. In a foolish attempt to run, nausea and vertigo overcame her; she was pulled toward the floor as if she had an anchor around her waist.
Tristan cursed, realizing that he’d gone too far. His desire for the truth had pushed Kalli into hysterics. Goddammit. He should have assured her of his protection. After surviving being a human pincushion over the past forty-eight hours, no human would have been this strong. He could tell she’d been thinking of running, but couldn’t believe she’d actually tried. Not only was she sick, she should have known there’d be no way she’d be faster than him. What sane person ran from an Alpha wolf? What was she thinking? She was thinking he was a total dick, and she was right, he thought to himself.