Feral Seduction (Feral Protectors 2) by Liv Brywood Page A

from him—he’s a feral animal.”
    Stunned by the ferocity with which he spoke, Brandy bit the edge of her lip. “He wasn’t mean to me at all. In fact, he was nothing but nice.” And sexy, and filled with angst and longing… of course, she kept that to herself.
    Ben said, “You can’t trust those things .”
    She sighed. “Can we put that aside for a minute? I have a much bigger problem. Someone shot at me.”
    “What were you doing in the forest, anyway? Why didn’t you drive here?”
    “I was afraid to take the road over the mountain. I thought he might be waiting for me to run. I snuck into the forest. I didn’t even realize he’d followed me until he found me in the cabin.”
    “What cabin?”
    “I don’t know. I got lost in the storm and found it. I took shelter there and that’s where I met Stryde.”
    His mouth turned down. “Are you sure the guy was tracking you and not that wolf?”
    “Yes, and I think I know who it is.”
    “Who?”
    “Hugo Lorenzo, Annabelle’s father.”
    Ben stopped pacing. “How do you know it’s him?”
    “Do you remember the way he looked at me all throughout the trial?” A shiver zigzagged down her spine.
    “He could hardly contain his rage, but that doesn’t mean he’s trying to kill you. Do you have any proof that it’s him? Did you save the message?”
    She shook her head. “I panicked and deleted it. I know I should have kept it, but I wasn’t thinking.”
    “Do you have any other evidence? A shell casing from the bullets?”
    Anger flooded her veins. “I couldn’t exactly stop to collect any while he was shooting at me.”
    He must have seen the rage in her face. He approached her and patted her shoulder. “All right, I’ll see what I can do about this tomorrow. Do you have a place to stay tonight?”
    “I was hoping I could stay here,” she said sheepishly.
    He looked away. “I’m sorry, but I can’t have you staying here if that wolf knows where you were headed. I don’t need that kind of trouble, especially now that Luna’s living with me.”
    “I don’t have anywhere else to go.” He wasn’t going to make her sleep outside, or in the woods, was he? She’d be safer back at that cave with Stryde.
    “I’ll get you a room at Ocean Front Motel. I’ll have a security detail make rounds tonight. In the morning, I’ll give Hugo a call and tell him to stop bothering you.”
    “He’s not just bothering me, he’s trying to kill me.”
    “So you say.”
    “What? You don’t believe me?”
    Her hands trembled in her lap. She couldn’t believe he was acting so nonchalant about the situation. This was a total nightmare, not at all what she’d expected. It was as if knowing she’d met Stryde had completely clouded his judgment.
    “You have to see it from my perspective. You have no evidence, not the phone call, not the bullet casings, nothing. I can’t go off half-cocked until I have more information. Don’t worry, you’ll be perfectly safe at the motel.”
     
    ***
     
    Brandy waved goodbye to Ben as he left the parking lot at the motel. He’d reassured her that he’d make some calls in the morning to see if the phone company had any record of the phone call. Even if they didn’t, he’d still call Hugo and talk to him.
    She closed the door and pulled the chain lock across. She also locked the deadbolt. The exhaustion she’d been fighting for hours finally overwhelmed her. The room wasn’t much, but it was clean and safe.
    She pulled back the comforter on the bed and although she wanted to climb right in, she decided a quick shower was in order.
    As she waited for the water to get hot, she undressed and hung the clothes on the hangers in the open closet. She didn’t mind the missing doors. It would give her stalker one less place to hide.
    Not that he could have known she’d end up here. She hated the sense of dread that clung to her like a second skin. She wanted to wash away the evil she’d felt when she was being