The Heat by Heather Killough-Walden Page A

carry a certain scent so that a werewolf can recognize one when they meet one. Danny probably caught yours right away and made up his mind on the spot.” She sighed deeply. “Accept it, Lily. You’re meant to be his.”
    “His?” Lily suddenly felt angry. She wasn’t sure which crazy direction the anger was coming from, there were so many to choose from. But something was rubbing her way wrong. This whole situation was abrasive in the worst way. “I’m meant to be mine , Tabitha. I don’t belong to anyone else.”
    “I’m sorry,” Tabitha hurried. “I didn’t mean it to sound that way-”
    “And what if this… Dormant, or whatever you call it, doesn’t want to be a mate? What if she falls for a human instead and doesn’t want to give birth to a litter of puppies?” Lily went on.
    Tabitha blinked. “Are you tellin’ me you don’t want Danny?”
    “No!” Lily answered, her cheeks burning red. “I’m not telling you that. I just don’t think it’s right for someone’s fate to be mapped out like this. Doesn’t a person have some sort of say over what they do with their own lives?”
    Tabitha sat back and eyed Lily for a moment. Then she stood from the bed and began pacing. “As far as I know, there isn’t a mate in our history who hasn’t wanted to become one. Maybe if you’re not meant to be with someone, you just won’t feel anything for them. And you definitely have feelings for Danny. Don’t tell me you don’t.”
    Lily threw her friend an exasperated look and then turned away to look at the floor. She pulled the sheets even tighter around herself and could actually smell Daniel’s cologne on them. A wave of anticipation washed over her, tightening her belly. It was powerful. Too powerful. Everything Tabitha said made loads of sense. It was mind-blowing.
    “By the way, he wanted me to tell you he was sorry,” Tabitha said.
    Lily blinked and looked up at her.
    “For the way this went down, no doubt.”
    Lily considered that a moment. In the end, she realized she didn’t have anything to say to it. But her chest felt heavier now. “So why am I here?” she eventually asked. “Why did he kidnap me and bring me here and put this – whatever it is – on my arm?” She looked down at the vivid blue knot on her arm. Again her stomach tightened. Warmth flooded her and pooled between her legs.
    Tabitha didn’t seem to notice. In fact, when Lily looked up at her friend, it was to find that Tabitha had gone very pale. “Lily, you know that author you like so much? Malcolm Cole?”
    Lily nodded, frowning.
    “He’s a werewolf too. And, somehow, he knows about you. He’s come here to claim you and he’s a very smart, very powerful werewolf.”
    Lily recalled everything that Daniel had told her about Cole that morning. “Daniel said he was a killer.”
    “Yes. He’s killed countless times. But by clan law, if you don’t catch a werewolf in the act of killing, you can’t bring him to justice. He knows how to cover his tracks so that humans never suspect him. And of course human law is just not adequate for dealing with our kind. So he goes scot-free.”
    The warmth that had engulfed Lily only moments ago was slipping away, and in its place settled an uneasiness. It almost made her queasy. “Why does he kill?”
    “For his books. And because he can.”
    “Oh my God.” Lily thought about how much she’d enjoyed his work, how much she’d gotten into it, and she really did start to feel nauseated. “He’s a monster,” she muttered. “Christ, I’m a monster. I love his books.”
    “No, Lily. He’s a monster, and he’s also a good writer. Why do you think he’s sold so many books? Why do you think he’s so famous? What you need to concentrate on right now is protecting yourself from him. He can’t come into Daniel’s home. They’re both alpha males and can’t cross into one another’s territory. That’s why Danny brought you here. And he marked you because as long as you