“Because they tore out some pages in the middle—including all the contacts listed under the letter M.” He took a deep breath. “Lana, they have your parents’ address. They know where you’re staying while you’re here in Dallas—or at least where you were staying.”
She frowned. She didn’t understand any of this and the confusion was frustrating the heck out of her. Her heart was thumping like mad and every noise around her was beginning to sound way louder than it should. “Why would they care where I’m staying?”
Max grabbed hand, squeezing it tight. “Lana, I think the people who killed Denise did it because they thought she was you. Once they realized she wasn’t, they tortured her to figure out where you were. With all the tranquilizers in her system, I doubt she told them very much, but now that they have those pages from her address book, it doesn’t matter. They know where to find you.”
She shook her head. “That’s crazy, Max. Why would anyone come after me? I’m a recent college graduate with fifty thousand dollars in student loans. And what does any of this have to do with animal tranquilizers?”
For a moment, Max looked like he was at a complete loss for words, which only made her worry more. What could be so bad he couldn’t even say it?
“I never wanted it to come out like this.” He sighed. “Once I realized you had no clue how special you are, I was going to wait until later, when I could bring it up in a way that wouldn’t freak you out.”
If Max thought he was helping her understand what was going on, he was wrong. She appreciated that he thought she was special, but right then she wasn’t interested in romantic terms of endearment.
She fixed him with a look. “Max, if there’s something you’ve been hiding from me, now is the time to say it.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking around helplessly. Still holding on to her hand, he led her down the street and into an alley.
“Max, please tell me what’s happening,” she pleaded.
He looked around again, as if he was worried someone might overhear. “Lana, what I’m about to tell you is going to sound insane, but you have to believe me. You’re special, and the people who killed Denise are willing to kill you because of it.”
She cupped his face in her hand. “I love that you think I’m so special, but there’s absolutely no reason for anyone to come after me. I’m not a witness to some kind of major crime and I’m not hiding some deep, dark secret worth millions of dollars. I’m just a recent college graduate with a cop for a dad…and a cop for a boyfriend.”
Max’s mouth curved slightly at that, but then he turned serious again. “This isn’t about something you’ve seen or a secret worth a lot of money. This is about what you are. It’s something these people—these hunters—are willing to kill you for.”
Lana didn’t say anything. She was too tired to keep chasing after the secret Max seemed to be working toward.
He must have figured that out, because he took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye. “Lana, you’re a werewolf.”
She blinked, waiting for the punch line that had to be coming. When it didn’t, she realized Max was serious. Or he thought he was.
“You’re kidding, right?” she said. “That’s—”
“Insane,” Max interrupted. “Remember, I told you it was going to sound insane. But that doesn’t mean it’s not true. You’re a werewolf, Lana. I know that because I’m one, too.”
Lana felt her anger flare. Denise was dead, murdered in the most horrible way possible. Some other guy she’d never met was dead, too, and Max was playing games talking about stupid werewolves. She never would have thought he’d do something so juvenile and thoughtless.
“I need to show you something, and I don’t want you to be scared.” He tugged her a little farther down the alley, away from the street. “I won’t hurt you. I’d never hurt you. But you have to see this so you’ll believe what I’m telling you.”
She snorted as he released her hand, about to ask him what the hell he was planning to do—grow fangs and a snout. But before she could get the words out, Max changed right in front of her eyes. His jaw broadened and filled full of teeth, long canines descending over his lower lip, even as his eyes went feral, seemingly lit from within by a yellow glow.
Lana wasn’t the kind of woman who normally freaked out. Heck, bugs, rats, and snakes didn’t even bother her. But at that moment, she freaked—and screamed.
Max took a step toward her, lifting his hands as if trying to calm her down. That’s when she saw the long claws extending from his fingertips.
Long, sharp claws, a mouth full of teeth, and glowing eyes.
Her boyfriend was a frigging werewolf.
She screamed again. Why the hell was she doing that?
Then her Max was back, standing in front of her looking as gorgeous as he’d ever been. No fangs, no claws, no glow-in-the-dark eyes. But no matter how normal he looked now, Lana couldn’t forget what she’d just seen.
She didn’t realize she was backing away from him until she saw the pain in his eyes. But she couldn’t stop herself. There was something wrong here. Something wrong with him.
“Lana, calm down,” Max said gently. Thankfully, he didn’t come any closer. “I promised I wouldn’t hurt you, and I meant it. But you needed to see that, so you’d understand what I am…what you are. The people who killed Denise are werewolf hunters. They travel the country killing any of our kind they can find. That’s where the animal tranquilizer comes in. It’s tough for a person to take out a werewolf, but the heavy-duty drugs slow us down long enough to allow them to do it. These people know you’re one of us, and they’re coming for you.”
Lana refused to listen. She had no idea how Max was able to do what he’d just done. She was too smart to believe in monsters—especially werewolves. She knew one thing for sure—she was nothing like him.
