Her expression was fear-filled, yet he could taste her emotions as clearly as he smelled her arousal, and fear played no part in them.
"This is the thanks I get for coming here to warn you?"
"We both know you're up to something."
"I'm up to nothing more than trying to get promises made to me fulfilled."
"I never made any promises to you, Betise, and I very much doubt René did, either." He thrust her backwards, sending her sprawling into the soft snow. She landed in an ungainly heap, flashing bare thighs and a thatch of golden hair. His gut turned. "Take your lies, and your much-used flesh elsewhere from now on. We don't want you at the mansion anymore."
He slammed the door shut on the rush of her fury and turned around. Neva was staring at him, her arms crossed and her expression a mix of relief and worry.
"That might not have been the wisest move, particularly if she is somehow involved with the killings."
"Right now, I don't particularly care." He had a suspicion time was running out, and the killer had just upped the ante. He took the stairs two at a time and walked into the bedroom, crossing to the still-open window he'd climbed through earlier. He closed it, then grabbed his clothes and began dressing.
Neva stopped in the doorway. "You never mentioned how René is."
"That's because I don't really know."
"Then he's not dead?"
"No."
"You're going up there now?"
"Yes." His voice was slightly clipped, and the growing tide of her annoyance washed around him. He ignored it and pulled on his boots. Right now, he didn't have time to waste. He had to get back to the mansion to help his father. "Are you getting dressed, or are you going like that?"
"I thought you'd class this as pack business and not suitable for outsiders."
She was no longer an outsider, even though she'd yet to acknowledge him or her feelings. Even if she never did. "If Betise is somehow involved in these killings, I'd be a fool to leave you here alone, especially after I've just tossed her out of the house."
"I can take care of myself."
"I'm sure your sister thought the same thing." He saw the glimmer of hurt in her green eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. "Just get dressed. I haven't the time to argue right now."
"Fine. Don't argue. But I'm not going."
"Listen — "
"No," she cut in. "You listen. If Betise is up to something, it's important we keep an eye on her."
"If she is involved, she's probably just raised the stakes. I don't want to risk you getting hurt."
She crossed her arms. "You have no say over what I do or don't risk. You and I are sharing a moon dance, nothing more."
He met her gaze. Saw her uncertainty and her determination. Realized then that she was still seeing him as the man he had been rather than the man he now was. And that was something he could not combat — not with words, and not in such a short amount of time. "Are you sure of that?"
She hesitated. "Yes."
"Well, I'm not."
Her eyes widened a little. "What do you mean?"
"What I said." He picked his coat up off the floor and walked towards her. She didn't back away, but the uncertainty in her eyes grew. As did the scent of her arousal.
He stopped so close her peaked ni**les brushed his chest with every breath she took. Heat sparked the air between them, fierce enough to draw sweat from his skin and hers. The desire to take her, to bury himself in the warmth of her willing flesh and let the rest of the world take care of itself, burned fiercely. But duty and his pack had to take priority. For now.
"I don't like the thought of you going after Betise alone."