Chapter Ten

N icole rolled onto her back without opening her eyes, reaching out beside her for Jaryn. However, instead of the warm male body she desired, she found cool cotton. Her lashes slowly lifted, and she turned her head to look at the clock on the bedside table. Considering the glowing blue numbers, she smiled, upon noticing that the room was darker than expected. She rolled to her right and scooped up Jaryn's pillow, pulling it close. She inhaled his scent from the fabric. How considerate of her mate to activate the smart-dimming windows in their bedroom. He'd quickly realized that nothing bothered her more than waking up to a face full of blinding sunshine.

Nicole curled herself around Jaryn's pillow, reluctant to leave the haven of their bed, knowing that by now Jaryn was already in the air on his way to the Northwoods. Fear threatened to consume Nicole when contemplating the dangers he would face when he got there. But time waits for no man or woman, and there was a lot to do while Jaryn was gone. Not the least of which was to find out exactly who'd been following her.

She rolled across the expanse of mattress until she reached the edge and pushed until she sat up. Her feet dangled over the side of the mattress and the cool air made her bare skin chilled. The weather had become decidedly colder, and Nicole swore she could scent snow in the air. They were predicting another winter storm to hit in the next twelve hours. When she'd chatted with Landon upon her arrival in town back in September and he'd mentioned the town turning white, Nicole hadn't been quite prepared for exactly what he'd implied. Stonepass' snowfall already exceeded her typical winter experience. When she'd asked Jaryn, he'd laughed and told her that their quaint little town averaged somewhere around seventy inches a year, and it wasn't unheard of for there to still be white stuff on the ground come St. Patrick's Day. She'd been a little shocked, but then logically thought that, as wolves, her mate and his pack probably weren't that fazed by the winter conditions. However, why the humans settled here still bewildered her. In her opinion, mornings like this called for a hot shower then a snuggly place in front of a roaring fire.

A few steps and Nicole found herself in the master bath Jaryn had designed. After taking care of her morning needs and brushing her teeth, she eyed both the shower and the sunken tub. While a hot soak did sound nice, she knew only the pounding jets of shower's multiple heads would wake her up.

She tapped the screen of the control panel outside the enclosure to bring it out of hibernation. "Activate for Nicole."

The sound of water hitting the smoothed floor of the stone filled the space, and she stepped under the spray. Nicole felt every single drop of water pelt her skin, and while she'd been hoping for a soothing morning wake-up, the antsy feeling that had plagued her all week seemed to increase.

Over the last several days, she'd tried to hide from Jaryn just how unsettled she was. She tried to talk herself into believing that it was nerves about her mate raiding a compound run by a sadistic wolf, but something deep inside argued. Nicole had even found herself talking out loud, and occasionally she could have sworn she heard a voice answer her back.

She got out of the shower as quickly as possible and hurriedly dressed in a pair of jeans she'd broken in from the wardrobe Jaryn had bought her when she first arrived. At the time, she'd specifically told him all she needed were a few pairs of jeans and some tops until she got settled and figured out what she was going to do for a job. But Jaryn had spent a fortune, in her estimation, on a full wardrobe he'd bought from department stores on the world network. She smiled as she remembered the time shortly after their mating when she'd come into his home office to find him perusing a lingerie store using the 3D virtual modeling feature and an uploaded scan of herself. Now she thoroughly appreciated not only her mate's generosity, but his taste for good quality clothing.

She went out into the great room and headed for the kitchen, needing her morning infusion of caffeine. The stimulant probably wouldn't help her nerves calm down, but she was a creature of habit.

"There's some coffee already made on the stove."

Nicole jumped and clutched her hand to her chest. "Holy shit, Cooper! Don't startle a woman like that."

Cooper bowed his head and took a step back. "My apologies."

She felt bad about the sharp exclamation. Jaryn had explained to her that the other wolves in the pack now looked at Nicole as being the Alpha female, and as such, would actively seek her praise. Yelling at Cooper probably gave him the impression that she was displeased with him, which was not at all the truth.

She went over to the window where Cooper stood and placed her hand on his arm. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not much of a morning person and for some reason today that seems to be doubly the case. Thank you for making the coffee."

"It should be done brewing by now, since I started boiling the kettle when I heard you activate the shower."

Nicole smiled. "Come have a cup with me?"

Cooper nodded, and they went into the kitchen together. Nicole sat at the table while Cooper brought over the carafe and mugs. He seemed to enjoy doing this for her, and while it went against the training her mother had given about being a proper hostess, at this moment and with this man, it felt right.

"I'd like to go visit Jaryn's parents today. I promised Charlie the other day that I'd help him with his science project."

A grin arched the corners of Cooper's mouth, but he quickly covered it with the rim of his mug.

"Better watch out. That pup will have you twisted around his little tail in no time, and you'll find yourself doing most of the work."

Nicole laughed and, for the first time in days, a lighter emotion filled her heart. "You forget I was a teacher. I know all the tricks kids pull to get out of an assignment. Don't you worry about me."

"We'll have to contact them to make sure they're home. I won't leave the house without express knowledge that we have a secured location waiting for us. Also, we'll take the back way through the pack lands. The main roads may not be safe."

"I leave myself in your capable hands. So now that we have that out of the way, I'd like to revisit our discussion that was so rudely interrupted the other day. Are you seeing anyone?"

Cooper rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I don't believe that was part of our discussion."

"Oh, come on. I'm going stir crazy here. I need some gossip to keep my head from rotating on the axis of my neck."

"No, what you need is a target to focus all that restless energy on, and I have just the thing. Follow me." Cooper got up from the table and walked into Jaryn's home office. He sat at Jaryn's desk and powered up the E-sphere.

Nicole sat in the chair beside Cooper. It was a little weird to see Cooper sitting at Jaryn's desk, but obviously whatever task he had in mind required the use of her mate's computer. Nicole eyed the wall and watched as Cooper opened the word processing document she'd written, listing all the inhabitants of Adam's compound that she could remember.

"We're going to go through this list and examine who we think are the most likely suspects for our watchers."

"What good is that going to do?"

"If I know who I'm fighting, then I can get the information I need to know how to fight them."

"All right, let me think."

Nicole closed her eyes for a moment. She let her mind drift back to Wisconsin. It would most likely be an inhabitant that volunteered to be a part of Adam's pack, or one of the security detail. It simply made little sense that Adam would send shifters that were prisoners. That certainly narrowed the list down, as there were only a handful of individuals in Adam's intimate circle. There was Greg, but he was a huge bear shifter. Not exactly built for blending in and shadowy observations. There was Frank, a lynx. He was most definitely capable of silently stalking his prey. But Frank was as cold as they came. He'd given Nicole the creeps from the moment they met, and the voices they'd overheard sounded more innocent and inquisitive than sinister. But in reality, it could be anyone. Adam had those people so completely under his control that there was no telling who he would have sent. She wouldn't put it past him to threaten one of the prisoners' loved ones if they didn't come to Stonepass and report Nicole's every move. Adam was a master manipulator. He could give the world's scariest interrogators a run for their money.

"Coop, there're so many possibilities. It could be any of them. Hell, it could be someone that I don't even know exists. I had more freedom than most, but I didn't have access to all parts of the compound."

"Okay, then tell me about all of them."

She stared at him, as it was evident that she was now dealing with the Sheriff or possibly even Lieutenant Tessen. There was little resemblance to the smiling jokester who'd made her laugh a couple of days ago. Nicole examined the list, trying to decide where to start.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash from the living room. Cooper was up from the chair and out the door before Nicole could process his hurried order to hide somewhere safe. She looked around the office. Under the desk would be too obvious. The closet wasn't an option because it was full of shelving. She looked to full curtains draping on either side of the wide window, but she'd seen enough horror movies to know that intruders always looked there. There was really only one option.

Nicole pushed open the window and climbed out. It's a pity that she didn't find herself trapped on the other side of the house. She could've sneaked out one of the French doors leading to the stone patio. Instead she had to pretend she was a teenager trying to sneak out of the house in the dead of night once again. Nicole managed to slip through the window quietly with ease.

Guess I'm not as rusty as I thought.

She got down on all fours in the snow-covered field. Her jeans were quickly soaked and her hands became numb, but a minor discomfort was worth her life. Worse, though, was the wind. Her face felt as though each blast stripped layers of her skin away, and her hair whipped around her head to where it was actually difficult to see. She was very grateful in this moment that Jaryn kept the land around his home mostly in its natural state. The meadow had plenty of shrubs and rocky outcroppings for her to hide behind. She was making her way over towards the car when the front door opened and Cooper ran out, calling her name.

"Cooper!" She scrambled up to her feet and ran towards her designated protector. She threw herself at him and was very thankful when his brawny arms encircled her.

He ushered her inside and shut the front door. "Are you insane? There's a storm blowing in! I told you to hide, not commit suicide."

Nicole went over to the fireplace and kneeled in front of the flames, holding the red skin of her hands out. Tiny pins poked beneath the surface as they thawed. "There wasn't anywhere in the office to hide. Not anywhere that wasn't obvious, anyway. I was making my way to the car. It's not like I was stupid enough to take off without proper gear. And what the hell happened out here?"

"That was me, Nicole."

She spun around and found Jeff leaning against the door to the office. "What are you doing here?"

Jeff stared straight at Nicole. "I came to tell Cooper that I think I might have your watchers in custody."

"How did you get into the house? The system wouldn't have unlocked the doors for you automatically."

"The door wasn't locked," he said, arcing his eyebrow and looking back and forth between Cooper and Nicole, "I knocked but I guess the two of you were busy with something else." I knocked, but I guess the two of you were busy with something else."

Nicole stood and then strode over to push Jeff back into the wall. His eyes widened a little at the strength behind the shove. "How dare you imply anything inappropriate between Cooper and me! I love my mate, and Cooper would never be so disrespectful towards his Alpha—something I obviously can't say about you. Now inform Cooper of what you supposedly came to tell him and get out of my home."

Nicole turned her back on Jeff and crossed the living room to hers and Jaryn's bedroom. She slammed the door shut and paced around the room. Something about Jeff didn't sit right. Aside from his gross insubordination, not only towards Jaryn, his Alpha, but Cooper, his superior officer. Something about the man's eyes raised Nicole's hackles.

She stripped her clothes and donned dry ones. Part of her wanted to hide in the bedroom all day—curled up in front of the roaring stone fireplace just like the one on the other side of the wall in the living room. The other part of her wanted to storm back out there and confront Jeff by demanding answers to her questions.

Nicole had turned to make another circuit around the room when there was a quiet knock on the door.

"Nicole? It's Cooper. He's gone."

She walked over to the door and slowly opened it. When she saw it was, in fact, her protector, she let the door swing open. "Is it over? Does he really have the watchers in custody?"

Cooper leaned on the doorframe and crossed his arms. He frowned, and the pensive look in his eyes did not assure Nicole.

"He says he has two men in lockup. When I asked him on what charges, he told me he arrested them based on outstanding warrants."

"That makes no sense. I can, with almost complete certainty, guarantee then they aren't Adam's goons. Adam would have had his tech wizard Jasper wipe out any hint of a criminal record for the people who are there willingly, and for those who aren't… well, of those I actually met, they just aren't that kind of men and women."

"Even the most innocent appearing person can have a warrant out for their arrest. If any of them had outstanding speeding tickets, before their kidnapping, for instance. A fairly minimal charge, but if the fine wasn't paid or the person didn't appear in court, then the judge can automatically issue a warrant. Unpaid parking tickets will get you a warrant. It's not only hardened criminals the police are looking for."

"Well, damn. So what you're saying is, the men Jeff took may or may have nothing to do with Adam or our watchers."

"Pretty much." Cooper unfolded his arms, then rested a hand on Nicole's shoulder. "Sorry. Look, why don't I give the Chaunterels a call? I think we need a break from all this. You can go over for a friendly visit and relax for a few hours, and I can touch base with Jaryn and the task force."

Nicole nodded and smiled up at Cooper. "Thanks."

"Nic, you came!"

Nicole hugged Charlie for a second. "I told you I would. Now, where is this project of yours?"

"Um, well… you see, the thing is… I haven't exactly started it yet. I was kinda hoping you could—"

Nicole held up her hand. "Wait a minute, buster. I told you I would help you iron out the details, not do the project with you."

"Well, the details include how to get started." Charlie got down on his knees in front of Nicole. "Please," he begged.

Nicole chuckled and shook her head. "I bet your brother would love to see you at this moment."

Charlie blanched and spied Nicole's comm-unit attached to her wrist. He scrambled to his feet. "You… you're not recording this, are you? Oh shi… shoot, are you going to tell him?"

Nicole put her arm around Charlie. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. You know Jaryn loves you, right? He likes to give you trouble, but he'd do absolutely anything for you."

Charlie ducked his head. "Yeah, I know. It's why I tease him so much. I know that underneath all that Alpha-ness is simply my brother. He's always there when I need him."

"Well, that's all very true, but now you have me, too. I have an older brother, but I've never had a younger one. Think it'd be okay if I consider you my brother from now on?"

Charlie's smile lit up the room, and he hugged Nicole tight. "I'd like that. And eventually you and Jaryn will have an actual wedding, so I really will be your brother. In- law, anyway. By the way, does being your brother mean I get automatic A's once you teach again?"

Nicole hadn't given any thought to a wedding. After her and Jaryn's mating, she figured that was that. But the little girl inside her jumped up and down a little at the thought of walking down an aisle in a gorgeous gown to meet Jaryn all decked out in a tux and saying a set of vows in front of all her family and the pack members. Maybe they could do it in the lodge on the night of the Wolf moon in January. That would be rather à propos. Of course, that was only two months away. Not a long time to plan, but then she'd never really been one for the elaborate. She'd love to show off her new home to her parents and Cameron. She locked those thoughts away for the moment, because she would have to deal with Adam once and for all before she could focus on them.

"Okay, what's your idea for this project? Then we can work on an outline of the experiment and write up your hypothesis. We'll have to get the materials and designate an area for your work. Remember to write everything down. Observations are just as important as raw data. By the way, when is this due?"

"Um, three weeks. I found this cool idea on the network about studying how the rate of evaporation affects the final size of crystals."

"Nice. Three weeks isn't a lot, but it is do-able. What medium are you going to use, or are you thinking of mixing up a couple of different samples?"

"They suggested using sugar, salt, or alum. If I mix it up, won't that introduce too many variables?"

"Not necessarily. You could use all three mediums, use three different methods of evaporation, and as a bonus make predictions about the shapes of crystals before you grow them, based on their molecular structures and molecular geometry."

"That sounds cool, but where would I find that kind of information?"

"I can point you in the right direction, but the work has to be all your own."

"Thanks, Nic, I appreciate it. Oh, I was going to ask you, are you going to lodge for the pack run tomorrow? I know Jaryn's gone and all, but you're still welcome. I could show you the best places to stretch your legs. Jaryn showed me on my first shift."

"That's very sweet, Charlie, but I don't shift, remember? Plus, I don't know if my keeper will let me out to play."

"I heard that!" Cooper shouted from the kitchen.

"Damn wolves and their super ears," Nicole mumbled.

"Heard that, too!"

Nicole felt her face flush with embarrassment. Charlie started laughing when she childishly stuck her tongue out at the doorway leading to the kitchen. Unless the big bad wolf had eyes on the back of his head, Nicole figured he wouldn't catch that little dig. Charlie took Nicole's hand in his and pulled her towards the stairs.

"Come on, we'll go have some fun and let the old farts sip their tea and complain how the cold outside makes their bones ache."

"You'd better watch your smart mouth, or I'll give you some aching bones. Big brother's not around to protect you now, kid."

Nicole stopped and turned, expecting to see Cooper at the base of the stairs. Charlie had only been teasing—there was no reason to be confrontational. But there was no sign of him.

Charlie pulled harder on Nicole's hand. "Oh don't worry about him. Cooper's all growl and no bite. He's been throwing out empty threats since I was a pup."

Nicole followed Charlie up the stairs, still trying to figure out exactly what just happened.