Page 65 of Wolf's Mark

Sadly, the lurid images bolting through my mind had to be shoved away. This is where I knew I could come clean or lie.

I chose the path of least resistance.

Lying.

“That was Mattie for real. I need to get back to my car and return home. Britney is having terrible nightmares and Mattie can’tcalm her down. She’s gone through this on and off since being forced to move. It’s been a while, but I’m the only one who can stop her panic attack.”

He touched my shoulder and the electricity was enough to jerk at my breath. “Don’t worry. We’ll leave in a few minutes. Is there anything I can do?”

“No. Sometimes a little girl just needs her mommy.”

“Understood. I’ll get dressed.”

Secrets. Lies. I’d told myself a long time ago I’d never do that to anyone. I’d been the victim of a man who excelled in creating the most perfect lies.

While I felt bad, I also knew there was no other choice at this point.

I only hoped if he discovered my little white lie he’d forgive me.

CHAPTER 18

Sedona

This had horror movie written all over it.

Middle of the night—check.

Quiet and bleak morgue with a flickering fluorescent light—check.

Working on a cadaver that could return to life becoming a monster that might decide to eat me—double check.

Jax hadn’t asked me any questions, remaining silent as he drove me back to my car. There weren’t any promises for the future or plans made. But he had cupped my face, kissing my forehead.

I could swear the man read minds.

His subtle butterfly kiss felt like I was being chastised. Later I’d be punished for lying to him.

As I removed samples of tissue, I was completely cognizant the agent was watching me intently. That added to the eerie factor ofthe work I was performing. I’d made a mental list of chemicals that could enhance the DNA, but it would be tricky getting my hands on them. At least not without answering a significant number of questions I couldn’t answer.

The stench this time was more powerful than before. Not just death and the coppery scent of blood but also of the earth. Dirt and sweat. Moss. Yes, a scent like the forest. Maybe that’s where he’d been half eaten alive.

I had noticed their faces hadn’t been attacked. Maybe Ihadbeen watching too many movies. Or maybe they’d been told in some crazy language to leave the faces intact. I was chasing rainbows and unicorns at this point with my unstructured thoughts.

Daphne would be proud of me for looking outside the box.

I made a few notes, trying to concentrate on the condition of the man’s skin.

There were similar claw marks on the man’s body. The addition was a bite mark that had ripped skin from the man’s abdomen. As I handled the remaining organs, I gathered a sense the kill had been about food this time. I had no reason to make that assumption at this point, but it seemed logical given half his intestines were missing.

I’d expected, perhaps hoped the agent would be squeamish, but she’d surprised me by keeping a bland expression the entire time.

Something else to irritate me.

She remained in my leather chair, sipping on coffee as I poked and prodded at the man’s abdomen.

“Subject appears to have a bite mark from a large canine, the animal’s teeth approximately five inches in length. Approximately one half of his upper and a portion of the victim’s lower intestines were ripped out, bite mark indicating by sharp canines.” Why was she sitting there studying me as if I was the body on the slab?

It was entirely too unnerving.

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