Orders shot out of my mouth as I went to my duffel bag and yanked out a t-shirt. I pulled it over my head and noticed Brian was still standing in the doorway.

“Go. I’m right behind you.”

He nodded once and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

I went to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. It opened immediately, a sign Ricki had been listening to whatever was being said.

“I have to go. There’s trouble and our alpha has disappeared, which means I’m in charge.”

Her expression gave away nothing of her thoughts. “I understand.”

I needed to hurry, so I decided to go the blunt route. Stepping into her space, I used her hair to tug her head back so that she looked into my eyes. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, but I want you here when I come back.”

Something flashed in her eyes, a mixture of defiance and an emotion I didn’t recognize. “You can’t-”

I kissed her hard then, nipping her bottom lip sharply. When I lifted my head, she didn’t try to speak. “Please.”

Her only response was a nod.

Releasing her, I moved to the edge of the bed and pulled socks and boots onto my feet. Her eyes stayed on me the entire time. I went to the door, opened it, and paused. Facing her, I said, “Try to sleep, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

I didn’t wait for her response. I stepped out, shutting the door behind me, and took off down the hall toward the staircase. If I had known what I would find when I returned later, I wouldn’t have left that fucking room, even if the house was burning down around me.

After Calder left, I took a long, hot bath in the huge tub. As I dried off, I glanced in the mirror and froze, my mouth falling open. I knew Calder had been rough with me, in fact, I’d gloried in it, climaxed because of it. However, I wasn’t prepared for the marks that covered my body. I had beard burn, love bites, a few small bruises, and TWO hickeys. I turned slightly to see if there were many more and giggled when I saw ten little bruises where his fingertips had dug into my ass.

A thrill ran through me. He was the first man I’d been so open with about what I wanted and needed. It surprised me how comfortable I was with Calder though I barely knew him. Somehow, we just seemed to be in sync.

My lips twitched when my thoughts about syncing led to me hearing Bye Bye Bye on a loop in my head. Feeling silly, I wrapped the huge bath sheet around my body, dried my hair, and went back into the bedroom. I felt tired and deliciously sore. I decided to take Calder at his word and sleep in his bed.

I hesitated at the dresser, not wanting to invade his privacy, but also not wanting to sleep naked in case someone came looking for him in the middle of the night. The house was full of vamps, weres, and witches and I really didn’t want to be in my birthday suit if someone showed up.

Deciding that I’d rather be clothed and risk annoying Calder than flashing an unsuspecting stranger, I yanked open a couple of drawers until I found a neatly folded stack of t-shirts. I shook one out and pulled it over my head.

A wave of fatigue hit me hard enough to have me swaying on my feet. A glance at the clock told me it was nearly two a.m., well past my usual bedtime. I flicked on the bedside lamp and switched off the overhead lights. I drank a little water and tried to keep my eyes open while waited for Calder, but it was a lost cause. Within minutes, I drifted off.

Something jarred me from sleep. I lay still for a few minutes, trying to figure out what woke me. Down the hall a door slammed, followed by another. That was probably it. Blinking to clear my vision, I glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost six a.m.

Rolling over, I reached out, thinking maybe Calder had returned without waking me. The other side of the bed was cold and empty. He’d never come back. Crazy thoughts assaulted my mind, worries that he was hurt or in trouble. Heart pounding, I climbed out of bed and yanked on my snug leather pants. Without the aid of the baby powder I’d used earlier, it was tricky, but I managed it.

Slowly, I opened the door to the hall and peeked out. I wasn’t sure why I was trying to be so quiet. I was an invited guest, a friend of Donna’s. Then again, all that partying the night before might have made some of those vampires hungry. Rolling my eyes at my own wild thoughts, I walked down the hall, my bare feet silent on the carpet. I reached the staircase and took a couple of steps down when I heard the quiet murmur of voices.

Instinctually, I crouched down on the steps, partially hidden by the railing on the stairs. God, I was being silly, acting as though someone was going to chase me down and throw me out if I was seen. I recognized the low rumble of Calder’s voice.

Happy he was back, I smiled and was about to push to my feet when I heard a woman’s low, flirtatious laugh. I froze. What in the hell? Craning my neck, I watched as Calder walked into view, shirtless and barefoot, his back covered in scratches that looked like….were those fingernail marks? The woman appeared a moment later, wearing only a miniscule pair of lace panties and sheer matching bra.

Oh, shit, shit, SHIT. My stomach twisted painfully as she rose on her toes and pressed a light kiss to Calder’s cheek. The ache faded into numbness as I watched his hands curve around her waist to the small of her back.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying over the roaring in my ears, but their body language said it all. Their attire, the way he was touching her, only a blind fool wouldn’t know what had happened. Considering I’d become adept at reading signals much more subtle than those during my teenage years and, later, when I dated a series of compulsive cheaters, this was like a slap in the face.

When the roaring finally subsided, I heard Calder say, “I need to get upstairs, I have someone waiting for me.”

The woman chuckled. “Lucky girl. Before you go, I do need to give you one more thing.”

Calder didn’t reply verbally, but that wide, wicked grin I’d seen so often last night spread across his face as he followed her out of sight.

Feeling as though I was going to vomit, I crept back up the stairs on my hands and feet. When I reached the top, I stood and swiftly walked back to Calder’s room. Though I just wanted to leave, to get the hell away, I didn’t want him coming after me. I went to the desk in the corner, grabbed a pen and paper and scratched out a quick note. I wanted him to understand that I was gone and I wasn’t coming back.

When I finished, I left the note on the nightstand and grabbed my boots, shirt, and corset. I was back out the door and moving toward the staircase on the opposite end of the house at light speed. I only stopped long enough to snag my purse and keys out of the mudroom off the kitchen where I’d left them. Somehow, I managed not to run until I was out of the house and in the driveway.

My bare feet slapped on the cement as I dashed to my car, unlocking it with shaking hands. As quickly as possible, I shoved my key into the ignition. I didn’t even clasp my seatbelt until the car was rolling toward the front gate. The guards at Conner’s were well-acquainted with me and my sporty little Mustang, so they merely waved at me and opened the gate.

As I drove home, Donna’s words about staying away from the werewolves echoed in my mind. I had barely given them a thought last night while I’d been naked against the library wall or in his bed, but now, they were all I could focus on. She tried to warn me, but, as usual, I acted impulsively. I’d actually thought that Calder wanted more than a one-night stand. He seemed interested in me and not just for the sex. I enjoyed our verbal sparring and his smart-ass remarks. His request that I wait in his room for him, sleep in his bed, it seemed so sincere. Just like all the things my father said to my mother and my lying, cheating exes had said to me.