Free Branded by Lust: 4 (Night Seekers) by Desiree Holt Page A

long period of time. There was so much space to
explore here, so many places to look. But somehow if it strayed beyond a
certain area some trigger in its brain sent enormous jolts of pain through its
system. The beast would have to be very careful to stay within the pain-free
boundaries while seeking its prey.
    Now.
    Time to start hunting again.
    * * * * *
    Logan’s cell chirped just as they turned into a parking
space at the funeral home and he pulled it from his pocket. The readout had the
number of the sheriff’s office displayed. There had been a voice mail from him
but Logan hadn’t had a chance to return the call yet.
    “Tanner.” He answered brusquely, figuring despite everything
Danvers was calling to cancel the meeting. When he didn’t hear anyone he said,
“Hello? That you, Rance?”
    “Yeah. It’s me.” The voice was slightly unsteady. Unusual
for a man whom hardly anything could ruffle. There was the rough sound of him
clearing his throat. “I just went over all the files again. And I, uh, that is,
I did some research on the internet.”
    Now Logan knew why the man sounded so strained.
    “Interesting reading, isn’t it?”
    “Interesting? I’d say it’s enough to scare the shit out of
anyone. Have you looked at the body yet?”
    “Yes.” The image was still vivid in his mind. “It’s
definitely the work of this devil beast. Anyway, we just arrived back at the
ranch. What can I do for you?”
    “I’m not calling off the meeting, if that’s what you think.
Just the opposite. I’m thinking after what I’ve read we don’t want to waste
even one minute.”
    “Glad we’re finally on the same page. Okay, head on out.
We’ll be waiting for you.” He disconnected the call.
    Rebecca looked at him, curiosity stamped on her face.
“Danvers?”
    Logan nodded. “He surfed the web and got religion. Danvers
just pushed the meeting up.”
    He slid a glance in her direction. “I’m going to call Jade
later,” Logan told her. “And before you get a wild hair up your ass, I just
want to make sure she knows to be careful.”
    “It’s okay,” she told him, her voice soft and reassuring. “I
know you feel a certain responsibility for her and that’s okay.” She looked up
at him. “As long as that’s all you feel.”
    Heat surged through Logan. He did his best to force it away,
keep his mind on business. Until he met Rebecca Black he’d never believed there
was such a thing as an instant connection. An emotional bonding. All the stuff
his sister-in-law and her friends used to talk about. But with Rebecca it was
all different. He’d known from the instant Sophia introduced them she was the
one. He thought he might have a hard time convincing her but she’d felt it too.
That special something.
    Mate!
    His wolf called to her as it never had to any other human.
    He’d had a lot of reservations when that first coil of
attraction snapped between them. Until he joined Night Seekers he’d had little
experience with mating between humans and shifters. His parents had both been
shifters but for some undisclosed reason they weren’t affiliated with any pack.
In fact, when he thought about it, he remembered them going to great lengths to
avoid any contact. The closest he’d ever come was after they’d been killed in
an auto accident and he and his brother were going through their father’s
papers. A very brief letter, decades old, from someone who was obviously a
friend hinted at a battle between the elder Tanner and the pack alpha, with a
warning to stay far away.
    Their parents had told them from the moment they could
understand exactly what their heritage was and how to control it. They ordered
the special herbs they needed to keep the wolf under control, herbs that
thankfully Dakota Grey now grew in a huge garden at Desolation Ranch.
Researching their heritage after the discovery of the letter, he and Wade had
read about many battles through history for clan supremacy, often when a