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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Scent of Murder

  Copyright 2015 by Cara Carnes

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-930-5

  Cover art by Fiona Jayde

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

  Look for us online at:

  www.decadentpublishing.com

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  A Wolf’s Promise

  Dear Readers,

  For one year and thirty-five plus books with over twenty authors, we have journeyed with the Tao pack as they returned from the brink of destruction thanks to one mad Alpha thanks to the return of Drew Tao. Drew’s not the perfect Alpha, nor is he the perfect man, yet he remains committed to his pack and to making the Black Hills a fantastic place for them to live and thrive once more.

  The four-book mini-series includes novels by Cara Carnes, Cam Cassidy, Rebecca Royce and Heather Long. Though each is designed to stand alone, they tell a cohesive tale that is enriched by reading them in order.

  Book 1 – Scent of Murder

  Book 2 – Scent of the Hunt

  Book 3 – Scent of his Woman

  Book 4 – Scent of Madness

  We’ve seen changes in the pack, healing, and a rebirth hope and generosity of spirit. It is true that every journey faces a trial by fire, and this is the crucible, which will forever change the Black Hills Wolves. I invite you to join us as we rediscover what it means to be pack when murder comes to Los Lobos.

  Heather Long

  A Note from the Author

  I’m so thrilled to be a part of the Black Hills Murder saga. This merges my love for paranormal romance and suspense into an already rich world I’ve had the privilege of playing around in.

  Dani and Thane were such a treat to craft I almost hated stopping. I hope you enjoy their story as two reunited lovers find a way to bridge the gap their past created.

  I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a note at [email protected] and let me know what you thought about Scent of Murder and what you think about the Black Hills Wolves.

  Happy reading

  Cara Carnes

  Dedication

  Thank you to Rebecca Royce and Heather Long for inviting me to participate in this adventure. I’m so thrilled to be a part of the Black Hills Wolves world.

  Black Hills Wolves Stories

  Wolf’s Return

  What a Wolf Wants

  Black Hills Desperado

  Wolf’s Song

  Claiming His Mate

  When Hell Freezes

  Portrait of a Lone Wolf

  Alpha in Disguise

  A Wolf’s Promise

  Reluctant Mate

  Diamond Moon

  Wolf on a Leash

  Tempting the Wolf

  Naming His Mate

  A Wolf Awakens

  The Wolf and the Butterfly

  Infiltrating Her Pack

  Omega’s Heart

  Rebel’s Claw

  Claiming the She-Wolf

  Worth Fighting For

  Dangerous

  Uncaged

  Promiscuous Wolf

  Disquieted Souls

  A Cougar Among Wolves

  Long Road Home

  A Mate’s Healing Touch

  Winter Solstice Run

  Wolf’s Holiday

  Winter Magic

  Winter Secrets

  Winter Solstice Ménage

  Wolf in Winter Clothing

  Murder in Los Lobos

  Scent of Murder

  Scent of the Hunt

  Scent of his Woman

  Scent of Madness

  Also by Cara Carnes

  A Wolf’s Promise

  Phoenix Rising

  Phoenix Crossing

  Scent of Murder

  A murderer strikes Los Lobos…

  Heartbreak and hardship have returned to the Taos pack. Even though survival is a rote course for Dani, a woman can only handle so much. Her brother’s mate has been murdered and he’s missing. The pack Alpha was left for dead at the scene. Oh, and her ex-lover has been tasked with finding her brother.

  Thane returned to make things right with the healing pack and the female he left behind. Leaving had been the only option that kept Dani safe. Now he’s back and not about to let her or the pack down again. Despite the tense situation, his wolf refuses to ignore the woman determined to “help” find her estranged brother. One way or another, she’d be his.

  Dedication

  To Rebecca and Heather for creating this fantastic world and letting me play in it.

  Scent of Murder

  A Black Hills Wolves Story

  Murder in Los Lobos

  By

  Cara Carnes

  Prologue

  Breath. Hands locked on her throat silenced her. The blood in her veins slowed. The pain would be swift, but over. The frenetic beat of her heart and the frantic claw of her hands—if only she’d stayed asleep.

  Silence.

  Retribution.

  Agony.

  The warring emotions collided in him as he lowered her to the ground, careful to lay her on her side. Rising, he slid his hands into his pockets. Cold metal greeted him. She looked so peaceful against the snow, her eyes closed. He’d come to turn in the abandoned weapon hunters left in a shack on the edge of their territory…he couldn’t leave it there for children to happen upon. He’d missed the pack meeting, but found her…. She shouldn’t have been out alone. Humans didn’t belong in the Tao Pack.

  A crunch behind him, and the familiar scent of his alpha invaded his senses. His wolf roared, and he pulled the gun, pivoted, and shot him in the chest—three times. The world narrowed as blood sprayed crimson on the white snow.

  The wolf salivated as his life essence seeped into the compacted ground. Tonight was everything he’d dreamed of, so many times. She slept, forever at peace, but she wouldn’t sleep alone. A cry in the woods, a mournful shrieking howl split the night air.

  He bolted.

  Chapter One

  Gloomy mist shrouded the old barn, as if forewarning entrants of the darkness there. Thane had vowed never to enter the area again, but he owed Ryker. Given the circumstances tonight, he wouldn’t be leaving Los Lobos anytime soon.

  No self-respecting wolf would turn tail and run when the entire pack’s existence had just been upheaved. They’d been through enough—a hell of a lot more than Thane had expected. Somehow the new alpha, Drew, held them together, healed old wounds.

  Dread roused long-forgotten protective instincts. He’d abando
ned them all, torn out for parts unknown when they’d needed him most. Yeah, he’d been a rotten son of a bitch. He hadn’t hung around, handled shit like the man trudging silently beside him.

  Unchecked rage drifted from Ryker. Thane knew better than to cross the enforcer now. Though they’d been friends for decades and suffered under the former alpha together, he had no business trying to contain the man’s reactions to the grim scene awaiting them.

  The two warriors on the other side of Ryker remained silent as well. He didn’t know either wolf well. Then again, he didn’t know many of the pack. Shit had been bad back in the Magnum era, so he’d kept to himself. He’d intentionally erased those memories as best he could. Besides, he’d avoided interacting with most of the pack then.

  Drew’s dad had been a rotten, evil bastard on good days—and there’d been few of them. The maniacal prick had almost single-handedly destroyed the pack. Somehow, the venomous deeds of the father hadn’t been passed to the son.

  Thank fuck.

  Ryker had spent the past couple of hours catching him and the other returning wolves up—recounting events which had led to the pack’s latest growth era. To think, while Thane had listened intently to how his people thrived, some son of a bitch had slain an innocent female.

  And damn near killed Drew.

  A generator hummed in the distance. Haphazardly strewn lighting illuminated an otherwise inky night. Dirt and rock crunched beneath his boots. A reminiscent stench radiated from the building as they approached.

  Jesus, the smell. The foul stench of the past fused with the cloying remnants of the evening’s massacre. How much of the residual scents of blood and death had Thane been responsible for, under the guise of duty? How did Ryker handle the constant reminder of the shit they’d done? Hell, the enforcer did a lot more for Magnum than Thane had.

  Pure fucking steel. Ryker exuded gritty determination and rage as his gaze swept the scene, no doubt missing nothing. A fresh coat of paint covered the barn. Aside from the gleaming red illuminated by floodlights cast into the otherwise shadowy interior, not much had changed in the years since Thane left.

  Silence cloaked the area. Fear, dread, and shock saturated the workers as they darted cautious glances toward Ryker, no doubt latching onto his strength. Yet fearful for what lay ahead of them.

  Everyone sidestepped their group as they made their way into the interior of the ancient structure. The damn thing should’ve been condemned the moment Magnum took his last breath, but Drew wanted to keep it—a symbol of new times. With a bit of renovation, it’d be salvaged.

  Much like the pack gathered in the distance. Their fear and confusion fed the turbulent rage resonating from the man beside him. As Enforcer, their safety fell on him until….

  “Any word on Drew’s condition?”

  “You’ve been with me all night. What do you think?” Ryker regarded the area before focusing on the crime scene. His voice echoed in the barn. “Secure the perimeter. No one leaves pack lands.”

  A couple of men who’d stood sentry within the structure left, their hurried steps stirring dust at the exit. Gee walked up with a grim expression. The ancient bear shifter waited for Ryker’s attention.

  “They’re looking to you for direction. Don’t coddle. Not now with their alpha clinging to life.”

  “What do we know?” Ryker growled.

  Thane crossed his arms and regarded the scene. Traces of carbon, sulfur, and nitrate drifted in the air. Scents from today’s pack meeting mingled with past death and torment trapped in the seeping ground and rotting wood. Blood—past and present—saturated the area and, although he’d tracked through many conditions, he couldn’t imagine finding a discernible trail.

  “Best we can tell, Drew came across Sonya’s killer. Damn near bled out before patrol came across the scene. Bastard shot him point blank to the chest. Repeatedly.”

  A feral rumble rose from the enforcer when he glared at Thane, Brogan, and Colt. “Find the bastard and bring him to me. Alive.”

  “Charles and Sonya were real loud earlier tonight, got into it right after the pack meeting. She stormed out, and he chased. No one seems to know what the row was about, but his scent is all over her.” Gee crossed his arms. “Hard to imagine anyone in the pack doing this.”

  “No one except Thane, Brogan, and Colt are above suspicion. They were with me when this happened,” Ryker growled. “Everyone remains where they are until I release them. If anyone has issues with that, they deal with me.”

  Gee nodded and trotted off.

  “Find Charles. Now,” Ryker growled.

  “A scent trail doesn’t exist,” Brogan said. “Too many people here in the past few hours.”

  Not to mention the mingling stench of the past. Thane doubted Ryker wanted excuses. He demanded results. Shouts and growls rose from the distance.

  “Let me through!” A petite brunette kicked and screamed as Gee grabbed her about the waist. “Let me through!”

  “Gee.” Ryker’s voice sliced across the distance. The man released his hold on the agitated woman, who glared up at him defiantly before flouncing toward them. Her pixie-cut hair bounced around her ears. Arms pumping at her sides, she charged forward.

  Thane’s wolf rumbled his approval. Dani. All soft curves and a generous dose of attitude. His cock tightened as her eyes widened. She halted long enough to blink a few times, as if doubting his existence, then she continued her determined trot toward Ryker.

  Thane closed the distance between him and her and settled a hand on her waist. Vanilla and lavender drifted in his nostrils as his grasp impeded her momentum. A soft growl escaped her full lips as her mocha-colored gaze landed on him.

  “Thane.” She said his name in the same breathless whisper she’d always used. Every inch of him tensed beneath the intensity in her eyes. “You’re back.”

  “Yeah.”

  She swallowed. He tracked the movement then settled his focus on the flick of her pink tongue across her ruby-painted lips. “No one told me.”

  “No one was supposed to know.”

  “Oh.” She pounded her fist on his forearm. “Let me go, Thane. This doesn’t concern you. I have business with Ryker. It can’t wait.”

  Thane cast a quick glance over his shoulder. Ryker watched from a distance, a group of the pack protectors around him—no doubt offering what intel they’d learned.

  “Look around, Dani. You really think he gives a shit what you, the little sister of his primary suspect, has to say right now?” He lowered his voice and leaned in until the silky strands of her hair tickled his cheek. “Go home. Nothing you have to say will help Charles.”

  Colt settled on Dani’s other side. “We have a problem?”

  “Nothing I can’t handle,” Thane commented.

  “Charles didn’t do this! I must talk to Ryker.” She punched his arm and shoved forward.

  “He ran, Danielle. No innocent man runs,” Brogan commented.

  “She was his world. He wouldn’t do this. And he’d never, ever hurt Drew.” Moisture pooled in her eyes. “W-what if whoever did this took him? He could be hurt or worse.”

  A man would rather die than be taken away if his mate was slaughtered like an animal. The unspoken response hung in the air, as if the other warriors gathering around Thane and Dani believed the same.

  “He could be hurt or worse,” she repeated.

  “Until he’s found and cleared, he’s persona non grata.” Ryker closed the distance. “Go home and stay out of the way. This doesn’t concern you, Dani.”

  “He’s my brother,” she gritted out. “Everything about this concerns me.”

  Thane grunted. Last he’d heard, little Danielle Demay hadn’t spoken to her brother in years. “Why the change of heart? You two have been on the outs.”

  “Things change when years pass, Thane.” Her voice rose as her gaze narrowed to finely honed arrows. “You don’t know anything about me.”


  “That’s number one,” he whispered against her ear.

  “Huh?” she asked.

  “I’m giving you three jabs about my leaving the pack, and you. Then I’m responding.” He squeezed her tighter, until she gasped. “That’s number one.”

  “Let. Me. Go.” She punched his arm again. “This isn’t your business. You aren’t pack anymore. You’re nothing.”

  “Yeah, I’m nothing all right.”

  “Thane’s right. Last I recall, you weren’t close with your brother,” Colt commented. “And I’ve been here the whole time, Dani.”

  “He changed after mating Sonya. She was good for him.” She bristled under the accusation. Her scrutiny slithered across the group around her. “Besides, blood handles blood, even if there’s trouble.”

  “Didn’t sound like they’d been good for a while,” Ryker commented. “They fought right before she ended up dead.”

  “All passionate couples fight.” She sucked in her cheeks as if holding onto a bitter retort. “He wouldn’t be a Demay if he didn’t have a temper. We’re known for that, you know.”

  Oh, Thane knew all right. Little Dani had grown into a gorgeous woman— spitfire attitude and creamy mocha skin. She’d always been a tiny bundle of passion with a short fuse.

  “If you want him breathing long enough to answer questions about what went down tonight, stay out of our way, Dani.” Ryker stepped forward until he loomed over her. “And you’d better pray Thane, Brogan, or Colt finds that prick before I do.”

  Ryker focused on Thane and the other two men he’d put in charge of the hunt. “Get to tracking. Figure out what happened here. You see anyone out, take them down. No exceptions.”