But what, exactly, did she feel? And did she really want to acknowledge those feelings, given the fact he was leaving? Perhaps it was better not to know. Not to examine too closely. Otherwise she might just end up getting hurt.
The sound of bubbling water got stronger, and the car's bright lights picked out the old wooden bridge from the surrounding darkness. Betise slowed, easing the car onto the narrow bridge before stopping in the middle.
Stay here, behind the car, Duncan ordered. I'm going forward a little to see what she's doing.
Be careful. I don't like the feel of this.
Neither do I.
He padded forward, his silver coat blending with the snow, making him difficult to see. A second later there was a small splash, then the car began to creep forward again.
She's thrown something in the water, Neva guessed.
That she has. I'm going in to retrieve it. He hesitated. You want to keep following her? We can't afford to lose her right now.
Will you be all right? The water is freezing.
In wolf form I won't feel it as much. Go, before we lose her. Just make sure you keep out of sight.
Like she needed to be told that. Biting back her annoyance, she loped over the bridge and followed the tire tracks.
Betise made her way back to Main Street, turned left, then headed back to the undoubtedly of town. When she turned right onto Bunting Street, a sick sensation ran through Neva. She had a horrible suspicion she knew where Betise was headed.
Her place.
She swore softly, though it came out little more than a rumble of sound. She leapt the nearest fence, taking a shortcut across her neighbor's backyards, and shifted shape as she ran for her back door.
She thrust it open, kicked off her shoes and shucked her coat, then slammed the door shut and raced for the stairs. Lights gleamed through the living room windows as a car pulled into her driveway. She raced up the stairs, stripping as she went, throwing her clothes in a heap in the hallway before racing into the shower. Thrusting on the taps, she wasted a few precious seconds waiting for the water to warm up, then jumped in.
A second later the doorbell rang. She got out of the shower but left the water running, grabbed a towel and padded down the stairs. "Who is it?" she called, dripping water everywhere as she tucked the towel around her br**sts.
"Betise."
The other wolf's voice sounded slightly surprised, and a shiver traveled down Neva's spine. It was almost as if Betise hadn't expected her to be home — and that would only be the case if she'd suspected they'd been following her.
Neva opened the door. Betise's gaze slid down Neva's body, and her lips twitched as if in amusement. But it was an amusement at odds with the anger in her silvery-green eyes.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," Betise said, her voice warm, her eyes cold.
"Well, actually, you are. What can I do for you?"
"Is Duncan here?"
Neva clutched the door handle tightly. "Yes. Upstairs, having a shower. Why?"
"It's personal. Perhaps I should wait?"
"I really don't think — "
"It's important I speak to him. I'll wait in the kitchen, if you like, while you two finish your ... showering." She hesitated. "Unless, of course, you think my presence here might disturb your relationship with Duncan."
Neva wondered what in hell was going on in Betise's mind. As much as she'd first believed the older wolf's statements about her affair with Duncan, his contempt and loathing of her went too deep to be anything but true repulsion. One thing was obvious — whatever these two had been, they most certainly weren't soul mates.
"Duncan and I don't have a relationship, so I have nothing to fear." And certainly not from the likes of you. Which was an extremely bitchy thought, but one that was certainly true. "But we could be a while showering. Why don't I get him to phone you once we finish?"
"This is urgent." Betise crossed her arms, the anger and suspicion deeper in her silvery eyes. "Why don't you just go upstairs and tell him I'm here? I'm sure he'll come down to see me."
"Given the choice, I certainly wouldn't." Duncan's dry comment came from the top of the stairs. "What the hell do you want now, Betise?"