“Not really.” Ryne watched as Aldrich’s finger flexed on the trigger again. The man was not quite as calm as he would have others believe.
“Mr. Taylor—”
A sudden scream from Melody cut him off. Both men turned to stare as she crumpled to the ground, her face twisted as if she were in agony. The air around her shimmered like waves of heat rising from hot pavement. Her form wavered in and out of focus and for a brief moment a wolf appeared in her place before shifting out of focus and returning to that of a young woman.
“Melody!” Heedless of the gun wielding man, Ryne rushed across the room and gathered her shivering body in his arms. Beads of sweat trickled down her face as she panted, barely conscious, while spasms wracked her body. Instinctively, she curled into a ball, wrapping her arms around her middle. He could only imagine the pain she was experiencing as her ill-prepared body tried to readjust to its changing form.
“What...?” Aldrich stared for a moment before seeming to gather his senses about him. “Well, well, well... Now, this does make things interesting doesn’t it? Hmm...” He rubbed his chin. “Might I speculate, Mr. Taylor, that the issue at hand is not so much photographing wolves as it is...werewolves?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Ryne smoothed his hand over Melody’s trembling form. “There’s no such thing as werewolves.”
“Mr. Taylor, I am neither blind, stupid, nor subject to hallucinations. As a matter of fact, something of this sort was actually one of my theories when considering Mr. Greyson’s avid interest in wolves, but I passed it off as too fantastical for serious consideration. I now see that I need to revise my thinking.”
Ryne kept his face bland, ensuring he did nothing to confirm the man’s suspicions. He slowly eased Melody to the floor. If Aldrich was busy speculating, then maybe he could...
“Ah, ah, ah! I know how your mind is working, Mr. Taylor. Lunging for this gun would be a serious mistake, especially since we have so much to discuss.” The man leaned back against the old potting table. “Now, let me see if I can figure this out. You took a picture of a werewolf and Mr. Greyson somehow realized this. Did you know your subject wasn’t what it appeared to be?”
Ryne quirked his brow and snorted derisively. “I’m a nature photographer, not some guy into Hollywood special effects, or an eccentric old man on the edge of senility.”
“Mr. Greyson will be seriously offended when he hears of your disrespect.” Aldrich mocked.
“I’m trembling with fear.”
“And so you should be. My employer is not a man to be taken lightly. But I digress.” Aldrich gave a tight smile before continuing. “Mr. Greyson is immensely curious as to where you took that picture. Now, I can see why. If we find that location, our chances of capturing a real live werewolf increase astronomically. The money that would be paid for such a specimen is mind-boggling.”
Ryne forced himself to not flinch or tighten his fists, despite the fury raging inside him. The man was talking as if his people were little more than animals to be bought and sold.
“The one thing that has me puzzled though, is how Ms. Greene fits into all of this. She’s obviously some form of werewolf herself. Why didn’t Mr. Greyson just use her? He chose her specifically for the job, so he must have had some knowledge of her background.” Aldrich stared at Melody with a furrowed brow. When he continued, he seemed to be talking to himself. “This requires further analysis before I make my next move. It’s no longer an issue of obtaining a report to keep Mr. Greyson happy. It’s a question of whether or not I tell him about what I’ve discovered.”
He smiled coldly. “Working for Mr. Greyson has opened a number of doors for me, but he also likes to believe he has me on a leash. With Ms. Greene under my control, I’ll be able break free.” Standing, he focused his attention on Ryne. “Tell me, does she do this changing thing often? Is it under control?”
Clenching his jaw, Ryne made no reply.
“Nothing to say? Is it that you don’t know the answers? Or possibly, you’re in shock yourself.” Aldrich paused and snapped his fingers, his eyes widening as if he suddenly came upon an amazing discovery. “That’s it isn’t it? You didn’t know your girlfriend was an animal until this very moment. I must say, you seem very calm about the fact.” A speculative look came over the man’s face. “Tell me, did you have sex with her?”
A growl threatened to escape Ryne’s chest as Aldrich’s gaze slowly went over Melody as if stripping her naked. How he wanted to wipe that leering expression off the lawyer’s face. Only the knowledge that any reaction on his part might further endanger the packs, kept him from reacting.