One quick glance into the bedroom told him that Wallace wasn’t there. The bed was still made, a little ruffled from earlier when Gorgeous Eyes had pinned him down, and the room was empty.

  Winnie looked around. There had to be a way out of there besides the door. He didn’t want to get busted by his hall monitor. He searched the room for a good half an hour before finding the secret panel.

  A secret panel. How cool was that? Winnie shouldn’t be this excited, but he felt he was in some old mansion with secret passageways and possibly an old dungeon.

  He really did need to get a life.

  The panel clicked open when Winnie pressed his hand against it. It was dark inside, but he hoped this led him outside. Winnie would walk back to town if he had to, depending on where the flip he was.

  There was a handle on the other side, and Winnie used it to close the panel. Pure darkness. He had to use his hands to guide him down the steps, keeping his palms against the wall while tapping out his feet to make sure he didn’t tumble to his death.

  The deeper he descended, the colder the secret passage became. Winnie wanted to rub his arms but didn’t dare let go of the wall. Finally, after what felt like forever, he was at the bottom.

  Once again, Winnie pressed his ear to the wood. He seemed to be doing that a lot since he’d been brought to this house. There were muffled voices on the other side, but he could make out some of what was being said.

  “Who sent you?” It sounded like Wallace. “You’re not smart enough to pull this off by yourself. Who’re the brains behind the attack?”

  Silence, and then Winnie heard what sounded like skin connecting with skin. Someone grunted loudly.

  “Who sent you?” Wallace repeated.

  Winnie sat on the bottom step, curling his arms around his midsection. All romantic notions he’d conjured in his head about Wallace died. The guy was a savage brute, and Winnie needed to get as far away from him as possible.

  The interrogation went on for some time, the noises getting louder. A few times Viper screamed, but he didn’t tell Wallace what he wanted to know.

  Winnie closed his eyes and rested his chin on his bent knees, trying his best to block out the sounds that brought back too many painful childhood memories. Whenever his dad was drunk, he’d beat on Winnie’s mom. Winnie couldn’t count how many times he’d hid under his bed while his dad shouted for half the night and his mother had cried.

  Winnie had thought life would get better when his dad left, but it hadn’t. His mother had a string of boyfriends, some nice, some just as mean as Winnie’s father.

  He’d been so lost in thought that Winnie hadn’t noticed the noises had stopped until he looked up and realized how quiet it was. He wanted to check to see if everyone had gone, but Winnie remained seated. If he had to, he’d wait a few hours. If it remained quiet that long, then he knew the coast would be clear.

  Winnie leaned against the wall for what felt like forever before he was brave enough to check. He stood, dusted his bottom off, and gently pushed at the wall in front of him. It opened without a sound. He stepped out and saw large crates that blocked his view.

  They were the perfect cover if he wasn’t alone. Winnie ducked down and peeked around them. The man he assumed was Viper was seated in the middle of the room, tied to a chair, his face a bloody mess.

  It looked as though they were in some old wine cellar. The walls were made of dark brick, and wine bottles rested in slots built into the walls. Crates were stacked everywhere.

  There was just one problem. There was a large wooden door on the other side of the room. Winnie would have to walk past Viper to get to it.

  The guy’s eyes were swollen shut. Maybe if Winnie was quiet enough, he could sneak past without Viper knowing he was even there.

  He started to move then jerked back when the cellar door squeaked opened. Winnie tried to get a good look at whoever it was, but there were too many shadows that cloaked the person.

  “How the fuck did you get caught?” the stranger snapped. The voice sounded faintly familiar, but the person was talking too low and snarly for Winnie to make out who it was. “You were supposed to get out of town after the attack.”

  When Viper spoke, his words were slurred. Had his jaw been broken?

  “I was on my way out when Chapman caught me.” But it sounded like “I wash my wought when Cha’en caulk me.”

  How Winnie understood that was anyone’s guess. It was like trying to understand Boomhauer on King of the Hill. Oddly enough, Winnie had always been able to decipher what the cartoon character said.

  Then a thought struck him. Winnie held his breath. If the stranger had come into the cellar, that meant he had free rein of the house. Was he one of Wallace’s trusted employees? Did Wallace know there was a snake in his midst?

  Probably not. Gorgeous Eyes didn’t seem the type to let someone like that live. He peeked back around the crates, but he still couldn’t make out the guy’s face.

  Winnie clamped a hand over his mouth and moved back when the stranger curled his hands around Viper’s throat. “I can’t have you telling Wallace the truth. I’m gonna assume you didn’t talk since I’m still alive, so we need to make sure you don’t break.”

  Viper made some grisly choking sounds. Winnie knew the guy couldn’t fight back because he’d been bound to the chair.

  Too bad he couldn’t block out the sounds of Viper’s last breath. Tears sprang to Winnie’s eyes. He was pretty sure Viper was a bad man, but no one deserved to go out like that. A human being had just been killed, and Winnie wanted to vomit.

  He slammed his eyes closed and curled into a ball, praying the stranger didn’t discover he was there. If the guy had killed someone he knew, Winnie didn’t stand a chance if he was caught.

  Footsteps echoed over the floor, and then the cellar door squeaked open and closed again. Winnie let out the breath he’d been holding and pressed a hand against his stomach. He didn’t want to see Viper’s dead body, but if he was to get out of there, Winnie would have to walk past him.

  He stood and took a few deep breaths, shouldering his bravery before he stepped from behind the crates. Winnie looked straight ahead, refusing to get even a glimpse of Viper.

  When he made it to the door, Winnie listened. No sounds. He pushed the door open, wincing when it squeaked, and saw a set of stairs. Winnie climbed them and then listened again.

  The house was quiet.

  With a shaky hand, he opened the door and stepped into a large, beautiful kitchen. As much as he wanted to look around in awe at it, Winnie headed straight for the back door.

  He had nearly opened it when he spotted an alarm on the right side. And it read Armed. Fuck, if he tried to leave, the alarm would go off. Now what?

  Shit.

  Winnie ducked behind the island when he heard someone heading his way. Wallace’s one rule was not to leave the room, and Winnie had once again disobeyed the savage.

  But it wasn’t Wallace. Winnie eased around the island, keeping out of sight as he watched the pale butler punch in the code then open the door. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him without setting the alarm.

  Winnie’s heart thundered as he waited for the guy to shuffle away. He disappeared into what looked like a pool house. This was his chance to escape.

  Winnie shot for the door, wrenching it open, and took off, skirting around the large underground pool and headed for the expansive backyard. Beyond were woods, and Winnie prayed there was a road on the other side.

  But he’d made it only halfway across the yard before he spotted…what the fuck? Winnie shouted when he saw a Bengal tiger bearing down on him. Winnie flat-out ran, his lungs burning as he raced toward the trees.

  He was within reach of them when he was tackled and taken down.

  * * * *

  “Thank you.” Wallace rotated his arm as Gibson set the cup of tea on his desk.

  “Will there be anything else, sir?”

  “Nothing else,” Wallace said. “You can retire for the night.”

  “Very good, sir.” Gibson shuffled from the office, closing the door.

  Wallace sat back in his chair, thinking about Winfred. He’d gone into his mate’s room earlier to check on him, only to find him curled under his blanket, fast asleep.

  It had been wrong of Wallace to stay and watch him for a moment, but he couldn’t help himself. Winfred hadn’t been snarling and yelling, which gave Wallace a chance to really look at the guy.

  Fuck, that had sounded creepy as hell. Still, Wallace had stood there taking in his mate’s beauty. The guy was a knockout, and Wallace had stood there staring like an idiot while telling himself to leave.

  For a brief moment, Wallace had convinced himself that things could work out between them, that Winfred wouldn’t be used as leverage if anyone found out about him.

  He still didn’t know who had hired Viper. Flashes of last night that still bombarded Wallace, but one thing he knew for certain, and that was Viper didn’t have the intelligence to plan the attack. They were enemies, but peaceful ones.

  Someone had spurred him into action, and Wallace wanted to know who had been behind it all.

  Wallace got up, knowing he shouldn’t indulge in caffeine, but damn if he didn’t need a strong cup of coffee. If he wasn’t in a constant vulnerable position, he would’ve grabbed a bottle of Red Spanking and gotten wasted.

  But in his line of work, that wasn’t an option. He had to keep his faculties at all times. He should just drink his tea and go to bed, but Wallace felt restless. He also wanted to return to Winfred’s room, but he wasn’t going to allow his tiger to urge him there.

  His heart seized when he spotted the kitchen door open. Worse, he saw his mate racing across the back lawn, Lucky bearing down on him.

  A violent snarl ripped from his chest as Wallace took off, racing out of the house. What in the fuck was going on? How had Winfred gotten out of his room without Chapman spotting him? Why was Lucky chasing him down in his tiger form?

  Wallace shifted mid-run, desperate to get to his mate. He roared when Lucky tackled Winfred, his heart freezing and his stomach clenching.

  When he reached his brother, Wallace slammed into him, knocking Lucky off Winfred. He wanted to check to make sure the human hadn’t been hurt, but instead Wallace took a stance over him, roaring at Lucky to back away.

  His brother shifted. “What the fuck are you doing, Wallace?”

  Winfred curled into a ball beneath him, his arms over his head. Wallace felt territorial, protective, and refused to shift and explain his actions. All he wanted right now was for Lucky to get the fuck out of there.

  His brother held his hands up, palms out. “Fine, protect the stranger who was running from the house, no doubt trying to rob you.”

  Adrenaline rushed through Wallace as his pulse pounded in his flattened ears. He would hurt Lucky if he took a step closer.

  “I’m outta here.” Lucky, naked as the day he was born, strode across the lawn and went inside. Wallace wanted to know why his brother had been there in the first place but didn’t shift to ask. Lucky had left hours ago. Why in the hell had he returned?

  Wallace looked down and saw Winfred had passed out. Fuck. He shifted and scooped his mate from the lawn, carrying his light frame to his own bedroom.

  Heads were going to roll for this. Wallace was so angry that his limbs shook. He laid his mate on his bed and went to his dresser for some clothes. When Winfred woke, shit was going to get dicey. Plus, Wallace didn’t want his mate to see his mangled bicep. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

  Winfred moaned and stirred just as Wallace pulled his long-sleeved dress shirt on. He didn’t have a chance to button it before his mate opened his eyes.

  Wallace crossed the room and reached out to examine his mate, but Winfred jerked backward, hitting the headboard. “Stay away from me!”

  “I need to see if my brother injured you.”

  “Something was in that chili, wasn’t it?” Winfred’s eyes were huge. “You drugged me, and I hallucinated that tiger. I hallucinated you changing into one.”

  “Your food wasn’t drugged.” Wallace sat on the side of his bed. “I’m a shifter.”

  The skin under Winfred’s eye twitched. “But that’s not possible.”

  “You saw it for yourself,” Wallace said. “And I’m keeping you here for your own safety. You’re my mate, Winfred. Fate handpicked you for me, and if my enemies knew you existed, they would use you to get to me.”

  “Get out.” Winfred covered his face with his hands. “Just get out.”

  Wallace wasn’t sure how to handle his distraught mate. He wasn’t used to coddling and comforting anyone. That was the sad truth about his life. He’d been raised to be heartless, but Wallace didn’t want to be that way with his mate.

  “I would, but you’re in my bedroom.”

  Winfred ground his teeth. “You have a million bedrooms in this house. Pick one and use it. And don’t call me Winfred. Only my father called me that. It’s Winnie.”

  “Fine, Winnie. You can go back to your room, but I’m not leaving this one. I’m keeping you safe whether you want that or not.”

  Winnie looked around. “But we’re in your house. Aren’t we safe here?”

  Wallace wished it were that simple. Lock his doors and the monsters stayed on the outside. If life only worked that way. “I trust no one. That’s why I wanted you to stay in your room. In my line of work, no one is above suspicion.”

  Winnie scooted off the bed, on the opposite side from where Wallace was seated. He inched toward the bathroom then spun and ran inside, slamming the door behind him.

  Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Wallace’s arm was killing him. He cradled it against his body as he got up and went into the hallway.

  Chapman stood there, looking at the floor. “I have no idea how he got out, sir. I haven’t left my post. He didn’t get past me, I swear.”

  Wallace thought back but couldn’t remember if he’d locked their adjoining door. He must not have. That was an oversight he wouldn’t do again. Winnie must’ve found the secret panel. Damn, his mate was clever.

  But that meant Winnie had found Viper. The passageway led to the cellar. Wallace strode back into his room and locked the adjoining door. When he returned to the hallway, he told Chapman, “Guard his room with your life.”

  Chapman gave a swift nod before Wallace went to the wine cellar. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he opened the door, but a dead Viper wasn’t it.

  There was dark bruising around his neck. Wallace hadn’t done that, and the marks were too big for Winnie’s hands. Did he honestly think his mate had killed Viper?

  Wallace scrubbed his face and cursed. He had a mole in his house, and he was gonna flush the son of a bitch out.

  Chapter Five

  “People can’t change into animals. They just can’t,” Winnie said to himself as he paced his room. “They can act like animals. You should know because your father was a monster. But to really change into one?” He bit his nail as he walked to the window, turned, and paced to the dresser. “This is truly insane. No, no, no. I refuse to believe what I saw.”

  “That’ll only make things harder on you. Accept what happened and move on.”

  Winnie spun and took a step back when he saw Wallace standing by the bathroom door. “Either put a bell around your neck or find some other way to warn me when you’re in my room.”

  The side of Wallace’s mouth twitched. “If I asked to come in here, you’d say no.”

  They kept a deep and prolonged eye contact before Winnie looked away. “Don’t you ever sleep?”

  Winnie’s gaze was drawn back to Wallace’s soft-looking lips as he imagined what it would be like to be kissed by Gorgeous Eyes. He couldn’t get that nickname out of his head. His body ached to be held by Wallace, and Winnie couldn’t understand the needs surfacing inside him.

  “I get my fair share of sleep.” Wallace stepped farther into the room. “And to answer your earlier question about why you’re here. The moment you were brought into this house, your fate was sealed. I’m sorry I pulled you into this.”

  The air became electric. Winnie shivered. He rubbed his hands up and down his arms as a flush of heat coursed through him.

  “I have someone in this very house who is plotting against me.” Wallace stopped an inch in front of Winnie. “If I were to let you go now, you wouldn’t make it back to your home before an attempt was made on your life.”

  Winnie looked up and sank into Wallace’s gray-green eyes. “I never asked for any of this.”

  “Neither did I.” Wallace stepped to the side and walked to the window. “But we all have our paths to walk.”

  Winnie noticed Wallace rubbing at his arm. Although he knew he shouldn’t, he joined Wallace at the window. The backyard was bathed in darkness, except for the light of the moon that cast shadows over everything. His heart beat faster when he recalled being chased down and tackled by a tiger.

  Those sharp teeth clamped down on him. The hot breath pulsing against his neck. The deep snarl that rumbled through the beast’s chest.

  As if reading his mind, Wallace said, “I’m sorry my brother terrified you.”

  Winnie made a snorting noise. “No biggie. I get chased down by vicious animals at least once a day. Just a few days ago I had a puppy biting at my pant leg. I wasn’t sure I would survive the attack.”

  The guy actually cracked a smile. It stole Winnie’s very breath. “Yes, you work at a vet clinic. Chapman told me.”

  Winnie shrugged. “I clean out cages, keep the containment areas neat and tidy, and file charts. The animals are cute, most anyway. Some can be downright mean, but it’s just a job.”

  Winnie always knew he wanted more out of life, but until that very moment, he didn’t realize just how unfulfilled he truly felt. Dismal was more like it.

  “And now I’m here.” He backed up and spread his arms. “In this luxurious prison with a tiger that wants to eat me and a host who keeps me locked away like I’m some damsel in a white tower that needs rescuing.”

 

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