“I know.” Riel scooped the food onto two large platters. “She told me often enough that she wished she could disinherit them all and start over.”
Sam thought Ginny must’ve felt comfortable with Ry. She glanced up when Ry placed a plate piled with breakfast in front of her.
“Eat.” He had that really hot, panty-melting smile and sat down next to her. As if in agreement, her stomach grumbled.
It was still surreal that he’d cooked for her. A warm, soft feeling settled into her heart. Could it be possible things were looking up for her in the personal-life front, except for that dead dog issue? Maybe she was finally being noticed and wanted by the man she’d been going gaga over since she was a kid. The latter sounded good to her.
Chapter Three
Riel and Troy left together. Once they were back inside his home, Riel turned to his friend. “We need to figure out why that dead animal was left at Sam’s door. My gut tells me this was no prank.”
Troy pulled out his cell phone and pressed keys as he spoke. “I agree. It was dismembered. Not just dead. And that shows viciousness we don’t want to see from anyone. I’m sending a message to have Kane and Zeno checking into any previous boyfriends or relationships as well.”
Riel snarled. “She doesn’t have anyone. She’s been alone for years.”
Troy nodded. “I understand, but we don’t really know anything other than Sam has been away for five years. What if she picked up a stalker who volunteered with her in that time? We need to make sure. There’s too much we don’t know that we need to find out.”
Riel headed to the backyard. He knew Troy made sense, but to think of Sam with anyone else made his blood boil. She was his mate, and no one would lay a hand on her again. He stripped off his clothes and let the wolf free. Troy followed suit behind him. They pawed at the ground around her backyard where the dead dog had been lying. Riel dug his claws into the dirt. He took deep whiffs as he went. He was still able to communicate through his wolf with Troy.
“She told me she’s been with no one in years.” Riel sniffed the ground. He tried to find anything scenting different than the rotting smell the dead dog gave off.
“Years? That’s surprising. She’s beautiful.” Troy sniffed as well.
Riel stopped and glanced up at Sam’s window. “Yes. I’m not letting her go this time. She’s here to stay, and I’m keeping her by my side.”
“Don’t you think she has a say?” Troy chuckled. “I mean from what Nat keeps saying, women aren’t won over by being told what to do. She’s very loud about reminding me of that.”
Riel pictured the scene on Sam’s sofa. She’d come apart in his arms, and there had been enough heat in her eyes to make him want to beg her to let him make her his. “Hell no. She’s made her choice. If her body’s response is any indication, she wants me. I’m not waiting another five years. She’s here now, and that’s how it’s going to stay.”
Troy growled, and Riel moved to the spot his friend crouched by.
“It smells sweet,” Troy complained. “Like an overripe fruit.”
There were no fruit trees in Sam’s yard. Riel sniffed at the spot. “It’s not fruit. It’s perfume. A fruity type of perfume or maybe a body spray.”
Leaves crunched under their paws with each step they took, the sound louder to their sensitive animal ears. Once they returned to his yard, they shifted, dressed, and sat by the pool.
The lines of Troy’s face were pulled tight with concern. “I think there’s more here than just a prank, Ry.”
Riel thought of the sweet fragrance and memorized it. Something about it didn’t sit right. Women wore scents like that, but what woman would leave a dead dog for Sam? The ringing of his cell phone pulled him out of his musings. Sophia’s name lit his screen.
He grinned and answered quickly. “Sophia, you sexy woman. When are you going to leave that ogre you call a mate and run away with me?” Sophia was one of his favorite people. She was a little crazy and so much fun.
“I’m seriously considering it, Ry. Even if it’s just so I can get some sleep.” She laughed.
She sighed, which worried him. “Are you OK? The twins?”
Her chuckle sounded across the line. “Yes. You sound just like Chase. Actually the reason I’m calling is because I’m coming over with Shane and Selena. I want to talk to you about something.”
Riel’s brows lifted in surprise. Normally Sophia asked him to go to her, not the other way around. “Does Chase know you’re coming this way?”