Vivian Arend - Wolf Line

Panic rushed through Keri like a shot of neat tequila, numbing even as it loosened her tongue. “I didn’t take anything.”

Tessa frowned. “Of course you didn’t. But we need to figure this out. I don’t want to have to call in the police at any of our ports of call. There’s the shifter-only issue, plus the cruise line doesn’t need any negative publicity.”

Keri backpedaled fast. “Definitely not. No worries. I mean, yes, worries, but we can deal with this. I mean, I’ll try. I mean…”

Babbling. Not good.

Her friend raised one brow high, suspicion all over her face. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Me? Nothing. Everything is fine. Thanks for the run and, gee, look at the time.” Keri snapped her wrist up in front of her face.

She wasn’t wearing a watch.

Tessa snorted. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had a hot date or something. You sure are acting weird.”

If she was going to get out of this without the legendary cat curiosity pulling everything out one secret at a time, Keri needed her best academy performance, and now.

“Sorry. It’s nothing…” Time for a new tactic. Redirection. “…but can I say how impressed I am? It’s as if you’re a different cat than the one who nearly shook me apart that first day. I’m proud of you for not panicking.”

“Thanks, but I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve become resigned to the trip being a disaster and I’m simply ‘whatever’, or if I’ve reached a magical point of nirvana and just trust it will work out.”

Keri pointed out the window at the crowds playing and relaxing on the deck below them. There were couples reclined on deck chairs, sipping drinks. People lawn bowling. A group of wolves in furry form batted a ball around while a half-dozen big cats lay draped over railings and in specialized hammocks, their enormous paws twitching as they slept.

“That doesn’t look like a disaster to me. Looks like a lot of people having fun, thrilled to be here. We’ll deal with the thefts, I promise.”

Tessa lifted her hand, knuckles outward. “You’re the bestest.”

Keri returned their usual salute, making a huge effort to appear perky and positive. “Let me know what else you hear, okay? I’m going to grab a shower. See you at supper?”

“Save you a seat.”

They left the track area in opposite directions, Tessa toward her office, Keri supposedly toward her room. But the instant she rounded the corner out of her friend’s sight, she turned. Raced down a side stairwell that led to the lowest levels of the ship and the crew quarters.

What the heck was her mate up to? Was he really a thief?

She stared at his cabin door for a full minute debating what she was about to do. It wasn’t breaking and entering—she had full permission to access the staff quarters on the ship. But the fact she was going in because she suspected he’d…

No. She wasn’t even going to think it. She wasn’t. It was bad enough to wonder how they would manage everything else, like where to live and meeting each other’s families, and which pack to join and what all, without also speculating if her mate was used to spending time behind bars.

Keri screwed up her courage and knocked loudly.

When there was no answer, she glanced both directions down the hallway then used her pass card and slipped into his room.

First impression—her knees nearly gave way as his scent hit her fully for the first time in days. The lingering aroma made her mouth water, and all her beaten-down lusts sprang up with an energizer-bunny enthusiasm.

She clung to the wall and closed her eyes as she brought her body back under control. This exploration of his room was for not only their sakes as future partners, but Tessa’s as well. If Mark was stealing, she could replace the items as soon as possible, and they could move on from here. She’d tie his ass to the bed for the duration of the trip if she had to—and didn’t that lovely mental image bring on more hot flashes—but she’d keep him out of jail and allow the cruise to finish up positively.

It took a moment, but Keri pulled it together. Surprisingly, it was her wolf who provided the strength she needed. The beast was chomping at the bit to get out, but instead of frustration the strongest sensation was approval. A sense of peace poured from the beast at being enveloped with her mate’s scent. Keri breathed out slowly, and her wolf rumbled in satisfaction, content for the first time in days.

Like she was waiting.

Keri shook her head. Being a shifter was cool, but confusing. The wolf was her, and she was the wolf, but there were times the lupine side made no sense to the human brain.

A quick peek around the room showed nothing unusual, so Keri moved to explore more thoroughly. She opened the closet, surprised to find how little clothing hung there. The green Crocs she’d seen him wear were on the floor next to a brand-new gym bag. The threadbare jeans he’d looked so yummy in that first day hung next to a shirt. A price tag from the ship’s shop dangled from the sleeve.

There was nothing else. No coat, no extra clothing. Keri opened dresser drawers and found a couple packages of underwear, a package of socks and a T-shirt, also tagged from the onboard store. The receipt lay next to them, and she looked closer at the sale items listed.

One pair of pants, the shirt, a pair of runners. Toothpaste and toothbrush. Package of razors. Shampoo and soap. A gym bag.

Had he not brought a single thing onto the ship with him?

She remembered the running man back on the dockside, and once again considered if Mark could have been him. But why had he stayed on the ship?

The lack of clothing was suspicious, but as she searched further, there were no signs of any jewelry. Nothing hidden anywhere—with so little in the room that detail was simple enough to ascertain.

He wasn’t the thief, or he’d hidden the items elsewhere. Regardless, there was something fishy going on.

Keri looked longingly at the bed. The sheets were rumpled, his half-assed attempt at straightening the covers leaving it borderline messy. She gave into her longings and ditched her shoes. Her own scent was everywhere so he would already know she’d been in his quarters. Maybe a clear message would be enough to make him smarten up if he was involved in something illegal. A “don’t look now, but I’m watching you” message.

Oh, bullshit. She wasn’t trying to pass on any warning, she just wanted to root around in his bed for a minute to drive herself crazy. She crawled under the top sheet and pulled it over her head, surrounding herself in his scent like a kid diving into a swimming pool. The itching, aching, pulsing need of her wolf soothed and heated at the same time. She needed to have him come and strip her down. To bury his face between her legs and lick her until she screamed. Needed to feel him mount over her and take her, to feel his teeth sink into her flesh as he claimed her.

Keri let the sensation overwhelm her as she lay panting with desire. Only one minute more, then she’d pull herself away and get on with her search for the thief.

Jared cursed as he attempted to wiggle farther under the sink. Stupid cruise ships with their teeny tiny bathrooms. Stupid fucking cruise ships with their never-ending list of maintenance jobs, of which he seemed to get all the shitty ones—and he knew exactly who to thank for that.

Three days. He’d been stuck on this ship for three bloody days, and so far there hadn’t been any decent chance for him to escape.

The first time they’d made port he’d been tangled up with another couple of the crew repairing the pumps on the swimming pool, which luckily he knew how to fix. Unluckily, he was the only one who did, so it wasn’t as if he could abandon the other guys and flee to shore. Even though it was tempting to escape and book a ride back to Haines on a speedboat—heck, he’d buy himself a boat to get home if he had to—the others in maintenance were on the ship for a real job. They needed the money, and he wasn’t going to make them lose needed wages.