Mated by Desiree Holt Read Free Book Online Page B

knuckles.
    “If he did, believe me, we’ll find out. You can take that as a promise.”
    Brian swept all the reports into a pile again. “I think we need to check these guys as wolf,” he told Cale .
    “B-But how will you do that?” Linnea’s brain couldn’t comprehend. “You can’t just go wandering the streets in broad daylight. Can you?”
    Cale chuckled. “No, but the night is our friend. Trust me. We’ll get it done.”

Chapter Four
     
     
     
    Linnea was cleaning up after Brian and Regan had left when Cale came up behind her, swept her hair aside and kissed the nape of her neck.
    “I need to run,” he told her quietly.
    She finished scraping the plate she as holding and turned around.
    “Now? Well, okay. Let me change to my running shoes and I’ll go with you.”
    He rested his hands on her shoulders. “ Linnea . That’s not exactly what I meant.”
    “It isn’t?” She frowned, then awareness stole over her face. “Oh. Oh! You mean your wolf wants to run.”
    “Is that all right with you?”
    “Of course.” She brushed her mouth against his. “I just need to remember, that’s all.”
    His hand tightened slightly. “If all of this bothers you, now would be a good time to tell me.” His stomach twisted in anticipation of her answer. What would he do if she said it was too much?
    But she shook her head and smiled at him. “Not at all. It’s just a learning process for me.” She gave him another light kiss. “You’re what I want, Cale . Don’t doubt that, okay?”
    He let out a breath. “Okay, then. Good. So. I won’t be gone long. Don’t turn on the back lights, okay?”
    “No problem.”
    She watched, fascinated, as he stripped, folded his clothes in a neat pile and put them on the stool next to the counter, tucking his boots beneath it. Then he closed his eyes and willed his body to change. His wolf came out at once, needing this freedom. It had already been four days since he’d been able to run. He had to do this now before the wolf took charge at an inopportune time.
    He nudged the knob on the back door with his nose and waited while Linnea opened it for him. Looking carefully in both directions, he loped across the lawn and into the thick woods at the back of her yard. He turned his head once and saw her standing there, waved his tail at her, then plunged into the woods.
    It was a clear night with just enough cool in the air. He could smell the sharp aroma of every leave, every tree and shrub. The floor of earth and deciduous leaves were soft beneath his paws as he raced along, leaping over a fallen log here, ducking around an overgrown shrub there. Running like this gave him a freedom he never had in his human skin, and he wondered how people who couldn’t shift handled being restricted like that.
    As his wolf absorbed the night, his brain examined the situation with Cathy Porter. They would have to pick a night and, as wolf, track each of the three men. That meant hacking into their calendars to see what night would work the best, and that could be a little tricky. Also, while Gray Fisher and Brad Macintyre lived in large houses in areas where there were plenty of hiding places, Jim Franklin had a condo. They’d need to scope out that area to see where they could conceal themselves while checking him out.
    Cale was hoping the scent would do it for them. As wolf they had the peculiar ability to tell by a person’s odour if they carried guilt or not. The problem with these three men was , they were all guilty of something, so how would they identify which one was connected to Cathy?
    He was back at the edge of Linnea’s yard now, pausing to make sure no neighbours were hanging around outside before running to her back porch. She must have been watching for him, because she had the door open before his paws hit the porch. She stepped back to let him into the kitchen, then knelt to run her hands over his big head. He gave her chin a long swipe with his tongue and she grinned