The reporter checked his notes. "And that would be the gatehouse down the road that's being renovated?"
Elsa's heart raced. What was this reporter up to?
"Yes, that's it," Greta answered.
Elsa nudged her aunt with her foot.
Greta leaned close and whispered, "He's trying to help you."
With a frown, Mr. Pelton dropped his pad of paper into his portfolio and removed a few pages of paper. "I can see you need further convincing." He set the papers on the table. "This one is a copy of yesterday's paper, and this one is from this morning's paper."
Elsa saw the big headline "Madman Attacks Bleddyn" and the photo of Howard seizing a man by the tie. The man had to be Rhett Bleddyn, the nasty werewolf who hated Howard. She studied the photo. Rhett had shoulder-length black hair and dark eyes. His mouth was twisted into a smirk. The article made it look like he was innocent and Howard was a crazed criminal.
The second paper said that Rhett had gone missing and authorities suspected Howard. She recalled his words in the cabin. I'm going to destroy Rhett.
"So you still can't tell me where Howard Barr is?" the reporter asked.
Elsa swallowed hard. "No."
Her aunts shook their heads at her.
Mr. Pelton scowled at her. "A detective from the Anchorage Police Department is arriving tomorrow morning to investigate Mr. Barr. I suggest you cooperate with him."
A chill ran down Elsa's back.
"Oh, she will," Greta assured the reporter.
"Here's my card if you change your mind." Mr. Pelton passed a business card to Elsa.
When she took it, her hand brushed against his. An instant burst of heat exploded from her birthmark. With a gasp, she dropped the card on the table.
The reporter narrowed his eyes.
With a forced smile, she grabbed the card. "Sorry. I guess I shouldn't have eaten the chili cheese fries."
He nodded. "Good evening." He strode toward the exit.
A berserker. Elsa watched him leave. She'd bet anything he wasn't a bear like Howard and his cousins. No, Mr. Pelton was probably a werewolf. Like Rhett Bleddyn.
She glanced down at Rhett's photo in the paper. The article had clearly been biased in his favor. Was the paper owned by werewolves? Was Mr. Pelton working for Rhett Bleddyn?
She waited until she was alone in her hotel room before she texted Howard.
A REPORTER FROM ALASKA, MR. PELTON, IS LOOKING FOR YOU. AND A POLICE DETECTIVE FROM ANCHORAGE WILL ARRIVE TOMORROW MORNING. MR. PELTON IS A BERSERKER.
A text came back from Howard.
STAY AWAY FROM THEM. THEY PROBABLY WORK FOR RHETT.
She showered and sat up in bed, reading the articles once again. Apparently, the photo was taken at Harry's memorial service. And since Rhett was the one who had killed Harry, she couldn't blame Howard for attacking him. The article also mentioned how Howard had been arrested for killing a girl twenty years earlier.
She tossed the paper onto the bedside table. What was the truth behind that? She really wanted to know, but how could she text Howard and ask him if he'd killed his high school sweetheart? As hard as she tried, she couldn't come up with a nice way to ask him about it.
The next time she saw him, she'd show him the papers. Then he could explain.
With that settled in her mind, she turned off the bedside light. Aunt Ula was already asleep in the second bed. Aunt Greta had the room next door. She was probably polishing her guns.
Elsa snuggled under the covers and rubbed her birthmark. She would need to shake hands with the detective from Anchorage. If her suspicions were correct, he would make her mark burn.
She tossed and turned most of the night, not fully falling asleep until the wee hours of the morning.
A beautiful man came to her in the night. Large and powerful, he covered her body with his. His big hands roamed over her skin, setting her on fire. She wanted him. She cried out for him. She burned for him.
His hands were magic. Skimming the length of her legs. Fondling her breasts. Stroking her neck. Tightening their grip.
Choking her.
She thrashed against him, but he was too strong. Too powerful.
His face, half hidden in shadow, twisted in rage. Transformed. He roared like an animal.
She gazed up at him in horror. In the flicker of firelight, she caught a glimpse of his head.
A bear.
She slapped at him. Clawed at his face. No, not her lover!
Words slipped from her mouth, then echoed in her mind.
"I curse you and your kind for all time!"
She shoved at his shoulders, and his fur came loose in her hands. The bearskin fell off him, revealing her attacker in the firelight. Not her lover.
The berserker who hated her lover.
The wolf.
Elsa sat up with a gasp.
"Are you all right?" Ula turned on the light.
"It wasn't a bear who killed the guardian!" Elsa jumped out of bed. "It was a wolf!"
"A wolf?"
"Yes." Elsa paced about the room. "I think it's always been wolves. The guardian was in love with a bear berserker, and the wolves hated him for it. They killed her, making her think her lover had done it so she would curse the bears for all time."
"Then you think your Howard is innocent?" Ula asked.
"Yes! I think Mr. Pelton is a wolf berserker. He made my birthmark burn."
Ula stood up. "We must tell Greta." She rushed to the bathroom and got dressed while Elsa texted Howard.
YOU'RE IN DANGER! THE WOLVES ARE COMING FOR YOU.
When Ula left the bathroom, Elsa dashed inside. Five minutes later, they were dressed and ready to go. She rushed outside with Ula and banged on Greta's door.
Greta cracked it open. "It's awfully early. You should go away."
"I know who killed the original guardian," Elsa told her. "It wasn't a bear. It was a wolf!"
Greta's face turned pale. She mouthed the word, Go! Then suddenly she was pulled back. Mr. Pelton pressed a knife to her neck.
The door opened wider, held by a strange man who aimed a pistol at Elsa. Her heart lurched. Beside her, Ula gasped.
"You are correct, Miss Bjornberg." A man rose from the bed.
She recognized him from the photo. Rhett Bleddyn.
"It won't be a bear who kills you. It'll be a wolf." His mouth curled with a smirk. "Me."
Chapter Twenty-seven
"Come inside, Miss Bjornberg," Rhett said. "Rocky is a police officer and an excellent shot."
Rocky had aimed his pistol at Greta. "Come in, or I'll shoot her."
Elsa and Ula entered slowly.
Rocky handed his pistol to Rhett, then he closed the door and grabbed some handcuffs from the dresser.
"Leave their hands in front," Rhett ordered. "I want Miss Bjornberg to be able to use her phone."
Rocky snapped cuffs on Ula, then Elsa. She gritted her teeth when his touch set her birthmark on fire. He was definitely a berserker. He dropped her handbag on the floor next to Rhett.
"I'm sorry, Ellie," Greta whispered.
"Quiet." Mr. Pelton jerked her back, then sneered at Elsa. "Your aunt made the mistake of thinking I cared about your safety."
Rocky snapped cuffs on Greta.
Rhett scowled at her. "She hasn't been helpful at all. We asked her to call you here an hour ago and she refused. Even after we slapped her around."
Elsa winced. Poor Greta.
"Go to hell," Greta hissed.
"See how unfriendly she is. I certainly hope you will be more cooperative." Rhett aimed the pistol at Aunt Ula. "You care about your aunts, don't you?"
Elsa lifted her chin. "Let them go, and I'll cooperate."
Rhett chuckled. "Feisty, aren't you? I hope you put up more of a fight than Howard's first girlfriend. She was such a coward."
Elsa swallowed hard. "You killed his girlfriend?"
"The stupid bitch fell off a cliff. Well, I might have pushed her a little, but she shouldn't have run up there in the first place." He snorted with disgust. "We only meant to have some fun with her. She ruined everything."
He passed the pistol back to the police officer. "Here, Rocky. Shoot the old one if Miss Bjornberg gives us any trouble."
"Right, Boss." Rocky aimed the pistol at Ula.
Ula closed her eyes and murmured a prayer.
"Pelton, call our drivers. We'll take both SUVs."
"Yes, sir." Pelton murmured into a cell phone.
Drivers? Elsa groaned inwardly. How many wolves were there? If there were two SUVs, that meant two drivers. A total of five werewolves.
Rhett grabbed Elsa's handbag off the floor and removed her phone. "I want you to call Howard and tell him to meet you at the gatehouse." He pressed the phone into her cuffed hands. "Make the call or watch your aunts die."
Elsa nodded, ignoring the burn from her birthmark. She had to protect her aunts. With trembling fingers, she pushed Howard's number. Rhett stepped closer to listen in.
"Elsa, how are you?"
She took a deep breath. "Hey, Howard. How about meeting me at the gatehouse? We could have a picnic."
"Now? It's early."
"My aunts want to meet you. They're really sorry for misjudging you."
"They - they're all right with me now?"
Elsa glanced at Greta. "Yes, they know you're the good guy now."
Greta nodded, and Rhett snorted.
"So you'll come?" Elsa asked. "Right away?"
"Give me about ten minutes. I have to pack us some food."
"Okay!" Elsa said brightly. "See you soon, Howie! Kisses!" She hung up.
Rhett ripped the phone from her hands. "Okay, guys, let's go bear hunting."
Howie? Kisses? Howard stared at his phone. Even after two days of lovemaking at the cabin, Elsa had never called him Howie. And somehow, saying "Kisses" for good-bye seemed totally out of character for her.
He checked her last text, sent ten minutes earlier.
YOU'RE IN DANGER! THE WOLVES ARE COMING FOR YOU.
He smelled a trap.
And Elsa was luring him into it. He shook his head. She wouldn't betray him. She was being coerced. The detective from Anchorage and that reporter, Mr. Pelton, must have taken her and her aunts prisoner.
And they wanted him at the gatehouse.
A final showdown. And that meant one thing. Rhett Bleddyn had come for revenge.
Howard set the heavy picnic basket on the front porch at the gatehouse. Under a layer of cheese and crackers, there was a loaded pistol and an assortment of knives. He had another knife strapped to his leg under his jeans, and a pistol with silver bullets in a shoulder holster under his jacket.
He'd parked his SUV in the driveway after dropping off Phil, Carlos, and his cousins on the main road. They were going to hike in and position themselves for a surprise attack. As an Alpha wolf, Phil could shift at will. Carlos could shift into a were-panther whenever he wanted, and as were-bears, his cousins could, too. The Vamps would be sorry they missed the action, but they were all dead at the moment.
Howard tensed when he saw two black SUVs approaching. Rhett always traveled with a pack. The windows were dark, so Howard wasn't sure how many men were with Rhett. He probably had Elsa and her aunts with him. Threatening Elsa was the easiest way to make Howard submit. And threatening the aunts would keep Elsa in line.
Howard stepped into the driveway, lifting a hand in greeting as the two vehicles came to a stop. It might look like a friendly gesture, but he wanted to get as close to the SUV as possible.
When the drivers opened their doors, he lunged forward, slamming the door shut on the first driver. The man stumbled as Howard reopened the door. He grabbed the driver and tossed him into the woods. His cousins dragged him off to tie him up. Meanwhile, Phil and Carlos hauled the second driver away. Two down. And none of them had even needed to shift.
"Stop!" Rhett jumped out on the passenger side, pulling Elsa with him. He held a knife to her throat. "Attack any more of my men, and we start killing the women."
Two more men exited the SUVs, dragging Elsa's aunts with them. The women were all handcuffed. One of the men snapped an additional pair of cuffs on Aunt Ula, fastening her to the rear door handle of the first SUV.
Howard made eye contact with Elsa, trying to assure her that everything would be all right. She glanced up at the sky, then back at him. A quick look up and he realized what Elsa was trying to tell him. A line of birds was forming along the roof of the gatehouse. Greta was using her powers. No doubt Elsa would use hers, too.
"Rocky," Rhett called to the guy who had cuffed Aunt Ula. "Check Howard for weapons."
Rocky approached slowly, halting momentarily when Howard glared at him.
"Cooperate," Rhett growled. "Or I'll have Pelton slit Greta's throat."
The other guy, Pelton, pressed the tip of his knife against Greta's neck till a bead of blood formed.
"Fine." Howard lifted his hands.
Rocky removed Howard's pistol and the knife strapped on his leg.
"It's me you want," Howard said. "Let the women go."
Rhett snorted. "No way. I want to watch you suffer while I torture them."
"Only a coward picks on women. You hate me, Rhett?" Howard opened his arms wide. "Come and get me. A duel. One on one."
Rhett growled.
"I'm unarmed. It's your chance to tear into me. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"
"You bastard," Rhett hissed. "You've plagued me all my life! I should rip you to shreds."
"Try it." Howard motioned with his fingers. "Come on, you coward."
