Secret of the Wolf by Cynthia Garner Read Free Book Online Page A

Dante.”
    “What’s up?” The rhythm of her voice didn’t change, so he had no idea what her mood was. She seemed glad to hear from him, but considering the schizoid way he’d acted at the crime scene, he couldn’t be sure.
    “I just got a call from Rivera in District Four. He asked me about our guy from this morning. He’s wondering if maybe he’s the same one who’s attacking people up north.”
    “I don’t think so.”
    Dante heard voices in the background, then some snarling. What the hell? “Where are you?” he asked.
    “At council headquarters, waiting my turn to file my report.” She lowered her voice. “They’re not too happy with the liaison from the north quadrant. They expect instant results and it’s impossible in this case without viable forensic evidence. I feel sorry for him.”
    “So…he’s the one who’s snarling?”
    “No, the snarlers are a couple of werecats being fined for drunken and disorderly conduct. They’re not too happy, either.”
    Dante shook his head. If he lived to be ninety, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to this new world he lived in. It was like being in a never-ending episode of The Twilight Zone . “So, about our guy this morning,” he said, putting the conversation back on track. “Rivera tells me any DNA that’s at the scene is too degraded for testing.”
    “I really don’t think Barry is responsible for the attacks in District Four. He said he wasn’t, and I believe him. He may be dumb, but he’s not stupid. He attacked the man this morning unintentionally. The attacks in District Four are full of intention. And foresight, obviously, if the suspect is doing something to degrade his DNA.” She sighed. “They’re calling for me. Look, I’ll talk to the other liaison.” Voices filtered over the line, people walking close by her, and her voice went husky as she lowered it. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
    “Okay. See ya later.” Dante disconnected the call and sat back in his chair. God, that voice of hers touched places in him he hadn’t known existed. He knew things with Tori could get complicated fast. She was a pret, a werewolf. He couldn’t ignore the fact that she could break his neck with the flick of a wrist. He supposed it would make having sex with her very interesting. All things considered, it might be worth the risk.
    It was just…the timing sucked. He had to keep things platonic between them. At least for now, when his attention was needed elsewhere. Maybe down the line he could learn to follow his feelings.
    Only today was not that day.

Chapter Four
    T ori slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and started toward the big double doors of the main chamber where the council members waited. She couldn’t go in and face three of the most powerful preternaturals in the region with fantasies of Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy floating around in her head and playing havoc with her libido. She drew a deep breath and blew it out, trying to clear her mind of everything Dante. As she passed the liaison coming from the room, she murmured, “Ash, I need to talk to you. Can you hang around for a while?”
    His normally blue eyes held flecks of amber. “Why the hell not? It’s not like I’m actually doing a job or anything.”
    She scowled. She wasn’t going to take any crap from him. From anyone. “Don’t take your ass-chewing out on me.”
    He pinched the bridge of his nose and grimaced. “Sorry. Sure.” When he looked at her again, his eyes were their usual hue. “I’ll be in the kitchen. Come get me when you’re done.” He glanced inside the chamber. “Hopefully, they’ve gotten their nasty mood out of their system.”
    Tori watched him walk away. Her phone buzzed, and she dug it out to find an e-mail from the hospital. Opening the attached report, she read that they had indeed verified that the victim from this morning was bitten by a werewolf and not a vampire. She heaved a sigh. Poor Barry.
    Her name