The Shifter and the Dreamer by Crissy Smith Page B

me.”
    She trembled and blinked back tears. This man was more obsessed with Cameron than any of his victims. “You brought him here to…” she trailed off, not wanting to finish.
    “To watch the woman he loves die. To know that no matter how good he is at his job, he is not better than me. To drive him slowly insane knowing he couldn’t save you.”
    Katy dropped her head down. That was exactly what would happen if she died. Cameron would never forgive himself. She braced herself to fight. To conserve her energy. She couldn’t let Cameron down.

Chapter Eleven
     
     
     
    Cameron knew he was close but the scent of his mate had faded and mixed with others around it. He was just outside the city, close to where the first victim had been found. He didn’t know the lay of the land well enough to recognise the places where Katy could be.
    He stopped running and raised his head to the moon. He silently prayed to the gods and goddesses to lead him in the right direction.
    Thinking about his actions now, he knew he should have waited for back up. He couldn’t change back to human form since he didn’t have any clothing; he had no way to contact his partner or anyone who might have an idea where around the area Katy might be kept.
    He opened his mind and thought about Katy. He brought her dark hair and bright eyes into his mind. The way her nose crinkled when she laughed. Once he could picture her fully, he opened every sense—magical and otherwise—to her.
    It was several minutes before anything happened but finally he felt the faint pull from her. She was still alive, though afraid. He could feel her heart beating like he could his own.
    In the back of his mind, he could feel another presence trying to break in. He continued to concentrate on Katy but acknowledged his partner.
    Ryan must be following his scent because his partner was close. Holding onto the thread he was connected to Katy with, he once again howled to let his partner know where he was.
    He moved more slowly towards Katy once he’d notified Ryan his of location. Ryan would be able to follow him.
     
    Katy sucked in a breath as big, heavy fists gripped her arms. She tried her best to keep from crying out as the man holding her started to beat on her back, his evil laughter ringing in her ears.
    She thought about Cameron and Allysa …anything but what was happening to her body. She’d stopped trying to dodge each strike after too many landed on her face. Her own blood tasted metallic as it dripped from and into her mouth. Several well placed punches to her kidneys, and she finally broke her silence.
    That only made her abductor laugh harder.
    As her vision began to darken around the edges, she heard the faint howl of a wolf.
    She would have thought she had imagined it, but it grew louder. The man above her must have heard it also because he paused and she felt him tense.
    That was the moment before all Hell broke loose.
    One minute she was being held down, the next the window above her head broke as a large black wolf jumped through. The wolf landed on the man and he went down to the ground. The wolf was growling and she could hear the sound of flesh being ripped. The stench of blood assaulted her nose and she had to fight not to gag.
    The horrible sounds of a human dying only lasted seconds but even after all was quiet, she could still hear it in her head.
    She flinched when the wolf raised his head. Blood dripped from his muzzle, making his dark fur mat. Katy raised her eyes and gasped.
    She knew the moment her gaze met that of the wolf’s exactly what Cameron’s secret was.
    “Oh crap,” she managed before she finally passed out.
     
    Katy didn’t want to open her eyes. If she did she would have to acknowledge everything that happened to her and what she had witnessed.
    “Come on, baby,” Cameron encouraged her. “Open your eyes.”
    She could feel his hard but comforting body around her. Her hands were free and he was rubbing her