Wolf Mate by Natalie Kristen

Rebecca,”
Melynda wheezed through gritted teeth. “I'm here for you.”
    Dax was watching the images
intently, his expression grim. His gray eyes flicked from Rebecca to
the man, carefully watching their changing colors and their actions.
Melynda knew he was assessing the accuracy of Rebecca's memory,
watching for inconsistencies or improbabilities. He was a lawyer,
and he never allowed his emotions to interfere with a case. That was
what made him such a good lawyer.
    A good lawyer, but a lousy
mate.
    Melynda shook her head. He
was not her mate!
    Dax Ferro would never take a
mate...again. Never again.
    He had serious trust issues,
but that was his problem, not hers.
    Melynda narrowed her eyes and
focused on her job. She felt Rebecca's hardening resolve and
determination to defend herself. The woman wanted to live. She
would not let the brute kill her. She would not let him take her
life!
    Rebecca's image became even
sharper as she twisted in the man's grasp. Biting and scratching,
she fought to free herself. Her hands scrabbled desperately on the
floor, searching for something, anything that she could use to fight
back. Her fingers closed around a pair of scissors and she grabbed
it. When the man hauled her up and raised his hand to slap her, she
lunged forward. He dodged, and the scissors merely grazed his
shoulder. He wasn't in the least bit hurt, but his face twisted
savagely when he realized what she had done. She had fought back.
She had tried to hurt him. The bitch!
    With a roar, he dragged her
into the kitchen and slammed her against the wall. Again and again.
    The images grew hazy, but
still Melynda could see the man attacking Rebecca.
    Then the scene shifted.
    This time, the man bore the
wounds and scars of his torture at the hands of a blood demon lord.
He had been confined to a psychiatric hospital after his torture, but
he had escaped. Melynda saw him through Rebecca's eyes. This time,
his image was weak and yellowed around the edges. Rebecca no longer
felt any fear or hate towards him. To her, he was simply a relic of
her past. She was divorcing him and picking up the pieces of her
life, a life he had tried to destroy. Melynda saw Levi and Rebecca
sitting side by side, holding hands and just talking. She saw the
smile on Rebecca's face, saw the security and safety she felt with
Levi.
    And then the picture of calm
and tentative happiness shattered.
    Melynda saw the man chasing
Levi and Rebecca from her home. He was slashing at the air with a
long blade as he pursued them. When Rebecca stumbled, Levi picked
her up and carried her over his shoulder. He continued running,
trying to get Rebecca to safety and avoid a bloody confrontation with
the man. Melynda saw them run for miles, and as they neared the
beach, the man hurled himself at Levi's back, dragging his blade down
his back. Rebecca scrambled away as Levi shifted into his bear form
to face the man.
    The man might look human, but
his eyes revealed that there was no trace of humanity or rationality
left in him. There was only murder in his eyes. Levi sought only to
defend Rebecca. The bear didn't want to wound or kill the man.
Seizing on Levi's hesitation to attack, the man flew towards Rebecca
and grabbed her. She fell with him, hitting her head against the
rocks. The images began to flicker, and Melynda saw the man stab her
repeatedly until Levi smashed into him. Levi roared and crouched
over Rebecca to shield her. There were flashes of red and blue, and
Melynda glimpsed police cars through the pulses of blinding light.
Then everything went red.
    Just before the images snapped
off, Melynda saw the man again. This time, she saw him in her mind,
not as a projected image. The man was glaring at her, his red eyes
boring into her mind, her soul. He bared his teeth and hissed, “You.
Die.”
    She gasped, and he was gone.
    Melynda collapsed to the
ground, utterly drained, shaking and sobbing.
    She felt Dax holding her, and
she leaned into his arms, resting