by RJ Blain
I heard Jake call my name, but I didn’t slow. The bark scraped my hands and tore at my nails, but the pain was minor in comparison to the stabbing in my shoulder. Clawing my way upward, I didn’t stop until there was nowhere left to go. With a whimper, I clung to the trunk, closed my eyes, and waited for the wolf to lose interest.
Jake was somewhere far below, and he was laughing at me. “How can someone so terrified of heights be so good at climbing trees?”
“The wolf’s going to eat you,” I hissed.
“No, she’s not. Really, she’s not going to eat me.”
“How do you know it’s a she? It’s a wolf, and it’s hungry.”
“What makes you think she’s hungry?”
“Bared teeth, no snarling. Hunting wolves are quiet. They growl or snarl or snap their teeth when they’re warning away other predators or driving wolves from their territory. If their pack is around, they’ll do it when they’re inciting their prey to run. It was obviously waiting for its pack so we couldn’t escape. It didn’t want us to run too early.”
Jake snorted. “So you abandoned all sense and climbed a tree, leaving me to get eaten by a wolf.”
“I’ll miss you, Jake.”
“You are such a bitch, Karma. First, you sacrifice me to your mother, now you’re trying to sacrifice me to a wolf? Is that all I am to you? A living shield?”
If he wanted to play those cards, I had cards I could play, too. “When you’re not serving as my living shield, you’re a ridiculously handsome sex object—mine, in case you weren’t certain. I need to get full value for my investment. It’s not my fault you’re too stupid to run from the wolf!”
“Wow, Karma. I’m not even sure what to say to that. On one hand, I’m never sure my pride will recover from such cruel objectification. On the other hand, I’m very, very interested in the benefits of being your ridiculously handsome sex object. Too bad I can’t write ‘Sex Slave’ on my business cards. I’m strangely okay with being your sex slave. Will I be well rewarded for being very good or very bad?”
“You will never know because you’re about to get eaten by a wolf.”
Jake laughed. “Before I’m terribly mauled, could you at least explain why you climbed up a tree?”
“Wolves can’t climb trees,” I hissed.
“Yet you, who is absolutely terrified of heights, climbed up that tree like you were born in one. I’m actually awed. I had no idea you were that agile.”
“When I’m running away from a wolf determined to eat me, you better believe I’m agile.”
“You’re making assumptions. First, you’re assuming the wolf is hungry. She’s really not. She already had dinner. Second, she doesn’t want to maul me. She adores me.”
I could only think of one reason for Jake to be familiar enough with the wolf to know if she was hungry or not. “Sweet baby Jesus, Jake. Who have you been feeding to the wolf?”
“How the hell did you jump to that conclusion?”
“How else do you know if she’s hungry unless you’ve been feeding her?”
“Shouldn’t you be asking what I’ve been feeding her instead of who?”
“That’s a confession. You’ve been waiting to take me to a secondary location so you could feed me to a wolf.” I wiggled closer to the trunk, wincing when the branch I was straddling creaked. “Oh, sweet baby Jesus. My partner is going to feed me to a wolf. I hate wolves. I hate them. Their breath is disgusting, they can’t keep their tongues to themselves, and they eat foxes.”
“I’m not even sure where to begin. I’m not going to feed you to her or any wolf. I spent far too long hunting you down to feed you to a wolf.”
“Wait, you lured me to a secondary location so you could eat me?” I wailed.
“I hunted you down so I could marry you, you idiot!”
“Who are you calling an idiot, idiot? You’re the one who’s still down there where the wolf can eat you.”
“Son, would you please explain what is going on here?” Jake’s father asked.
I groaned, bumping my forehead against the tree’s rough bark. “Why? Why? Not only did he lure me to a secondary location, he brought in someone who could help him hide my body. I trusted you!”
“Damn it, Karma! I’m not going to feed you to a wolf. Why do you think a wolf is going to eat you?”
“Wolves are evil, that’s why. If they don’t kill you right away, they’ll drag you off, lick you until they get bored, and then they’ll eat you. That wolf is just waiting until she’s bored. Once she is, she’s going to eat you and your father. Why did you let him lure you to a secondary location, Mr. Thomas?”
“Good luck with her, son. You’re going to need it. ”
“Thanks, Dad.” Jake sighed. “Would you care to explain this? Is there a reason you helped terrify my wife up a tree? She’s absolutely hysterical, and I don’t mean in the funny way.”
Unable to stop it from emerging, I made a noise the blend of whimper and moan. “Just get away from the wolf before she eats you, Jake. I don’t want you to get eaten by a wolf.”
“Karma, she’s not going to eat me.”
“Not today at least,” Jake’s father added.
“I’m pretty sure you’re not helping, Dad. You drove her up there. Figure out how the fuck we’re getting her down.”
“I’m assuming we’ll climb up there, pistol whip her if she puts up a fight, and carry her down.”
“Why does your solution to every problem have to include pistol whipping someone?”
I sighed. Had the wolf caught me before I had gotten up the tree? Blood loss was the only reasonable explanation I could think of for my situation.
“Says the little shit who got written up for pistol whipping his partner across her ass.”
“Can we not do this right now?”
“It’s not my fault your mother wanted to see what your cute little vixen would do. I really didn’t think she’d actually climb a tree.”
“Let me see if I understand this correctly: Mom, you wanted to see what my partner would do, so you gave her your fucking fully automatic handgun and sent her out into the woods, where you then deliberately tried to scare the life out of her? Dad, you encouraged her to do it, didn’t you? Have you lost your mind?”
Jake’s father snorted. “Try to be reasonable, son.”
“You helped scare her up a fucking tree! I see no need to be reasonable.”
“You’re overreacting. The grounds are clear, and frankly, I’d really like to go on a hunt tonight. We’re taking your woman with us, so get your scrawny ass up the tree and fetch her so we can go on a hunt.”
There was a long moment of silence. Jake spluttered, “You want to what?”
“You heard me.”
“No, I’m pretty sure I did not hear you correctly.” Jake growled, and the sound was so wolf-like I shivered and clung tighter to the tree, every muscle in my body quivering from tension.
Why couldn’t I climb any higher? I whimpered, cracked open an eye, and examined the narrow branch overhead, wondering if it would support my weight. A little higher would help me stay out of the wolf’s clutches, as well as keep away from the two men insane enough to want to hunt with one.
“Family hunt. Now. Go fetch your woman. I’m hungry, and I’m tired of dainty British dinners. We’re going hunting, and we’re going hunting now.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The tree creaked and swayed. Reminding myself wolves couldn’t climb trees wasn’t enough to stop me from whimpering. My skin crawled as I imagined my final moments, which involved bouncing from branch to branch before smacking into the ground below.
“It’s just me, Karma,” Jake said, and his voice came from right below me. A moment later, he patted my leg. “It’s safe to come down, I promise. I’ll muzzle that damned wolf and lock her in a—”
“You will do no such thing, James Thomas,” Jake’s father barked.
“I’ll muzzle you, too, asshole!”
&n
bsp; “Don’t you start with me, you little shit. You have to come down from there eventually.”
“I’ll lock you both in a cage, and if you’re lucky, I might remember to feed you,” my partner bellowed.
“I do not understand why you’re being such a child about this.”
“You scared my partner—my wife—up a tree. How can you not see the problem with this?”
I mourned for the calm quiet of my life. “I thought being disowned was bad, but I married into a family of lunatics.” Sighing over my poor choices, I relaxed my hold on the tree, slumping in defeat. “I’m going to get eaten by a wolf. Of all the ways to die, it’ll be in Britain, eaten by a wolf. I’m so sad, Jake.”
“You’re taking this a little too far,” Jake complained. “Cut me some slack here. Look, I haven’t been mauled or anything.”
I risked stealing a glance at my partner. His head was beside my leg, and his face was wet. “Wolf slobber. On your face. She was tenderizing you for later consumption.”
“Could you please explain why you’re convinced you’re about to get eaten?”
Sighing, I stared at Jake. “Wolves are predators. They eat anything they can catch. When they catch foxes, they eat them. What sort of animal eats a fox?”
“A hungry one,” he replied.
“That’s exactly my point. When that wolf gets hungry or bored, she’ll eat us.”
“This might be even funnier than watching her on Demerol,” Jake’s father called out.
“You’re not helping, Dad.”
“It’s not my fault you picked a vixen. Not my fault at all. I was sensible and picked a good bitch. You? No. Despite all my best efforts, you’re going to spend the rest of your life fetching your vixen out of trees.”
“Did he just call your mother a bitch?” I blurted. Blinking, I thought over what Jake’s father had said. “And why is he calling me a vixen? That’s creepy, Jake. You should file a request for him to have a psychiatric evaluation.”
“If you come down, I’ll explain everything,” Jake promised.
“No way in fucking hell. There’s a wolf down there.”
“I know.”
“She’ll eat me.”
“She won’t eat you.”
I snapped my teeth together. “You’re lying to me.”
“I am not!”
“Prove it.”
“If you won’t come down, how am I supposed to prove it?”
Jake slid his hand up my leg and grabbed hold of his mother’s holster.
I snarled at him, but it didn’t stop him from taking the weapon. “You fucking bastard. Give that back!”
“If you want it back, come get it,” Jake challenged, descending out of my reach.
A whimper escaped my throat, and I closed my eyes. Without Jake blocking my view of the ground, it was a long, long way down. “I’ll die up here.”
“If you make sure the chamber is empty and dump the magazine, you could pistol whip her with it,” Jake’s father suggested.
“I married into a family of assholes,” I wailed.
“Wolves are assholes,” Jake’s father agreed. “But I don’t really like the taste of fox, so you’re safe, little vixen.”
“Wait, what?”
“Dad,” Jake protested, and his voice sounded weak.
“If you’re not going to be a man and tell her, I will.”
“What happened to easing her into this? Dad, this is not easing her into anything.”
“Don’t start with me, you little shit. Your mother didn’t even snarl. All she did was show a little teeth. Give me a break; it’s not my fault your vixen has an overactive flight instinct.”
“Dad, wolves eat foxes in the wild. We’re the ones being unreasonable here. Can you stop antagonizing her? Please?”
“Can we stop talking about this?” I shrieked. “Stop calling me a vixen.”
“So come down here and correct me to my face,” Jake’s father shouted back. “Bring it, if you can. If you can’t handle one little she-wolf, you’re not woman enough for my pup.”
“Little?” Fury burned at me, deep in my bones. I clacked my teeth, raging at the implication I wasn’t a good enough partner for Jake. I screamed my anger and frustration, my world narrowing to my desire to claw the man’s face off.
I had no recollection of climbing out of the tree, but my feet were on firm ground, and I launched myself at Jake’s father, fingers curled into claws, ready to gouge his eyes out with my nails. Plowing into me from the side, Jake wrapped his arms around me, pinned my elbows to my sides, and picked me up.
“I’ll kill him!” I screamed.
“If this is how she behaved when she was little, I think I understand better why Mrs. Johnson took the approach she did,” Jake’s father announced, his tone wry. “It seems foxes are just as territorial as wolves. I’m afraid you’re stuck with her, son.”
“Stuck?” Jake snarled, tightening his hold on me. Twisting around, I snapped my teeth at him in my effort to break free of his grip. Jake lowered his chin to protect his throat. “Karma, will you please stop? You can’t kill Dad. Maybe he deserves it, but you can’t kill him. Dad, stop making her want to kill you.”
“It’s like she has a little switch. If you flip it, she starts running on pure instinct. How do you turn her off?”
“How the hell would I know?” Jake bellowed.
A snuffling behind me had the hairs on the back of my neck rising, and I struggled in Jake’s arms. He held me so tight I could barely breathe. I squeaked.
“Mom, don’t you dare even think about pouncing me from behind.” The snarls rumbling in Jake’s chest made me tense, and I stilled in anticipation of having to react, flexing my hands. “Damn it, what is wrong with you two?”
“I got her out of the tree, didn’t I?”
“Dad!”
“Well, I did.”
“It’s your fault she climbed up the tree in the first place.”
“Actually, it’s your mother’s fault. I just came along to watch. Who am I to tell your mother she can’t do something?”
“Karma’s right. You are an asshole.”
“Wait, what?” I demanded, my eyes widening. “What did you just say?”
“Dad’s an asshole. I’m sorry, Karma.”
“Not that.” A tremor ran through me. “The wolf belongs to your mother?”
Jake sighed. “No, Karma. The wolf is my mother.”
I had no memory of how I escaped Jake’s hold on me, but there was blood on my hands and the taste of it was fresh in my mouth. My entire body throbbed, and my shoulder hurt the worst. The need to run surged through me, and I panted in my effort to catch my breath.
There was no way Jake’s mother was a wolf. The impossibility of it partnered with my awareness I wasn’t alone in the woods and drove me on. Wolves couldn’t climb trees, but Jake could, and he had joined forces with wolves.
How could he dare side with wolves?
Once I made sure the wolves were gone, I was going to have a long talk with Jake about his choice of bad jokes. Then I’d bite him. Once I was done biting him, I had a lot of other ideas of what I’d do to him, and he’d probably enjoy them. I would.
My desire to drag him to bed confused me, filled me with lust and other conflicting emotions, and made me want to bite him even harder. The damned dreams were back again. That was the only explanation.
Whenever I dreamed of foxes, I wanted to bite. Ma had been right to beat the sin out of me. Biting led to nothing good.
I licked my lips, disconcerted the blood made me crave something more than running through the forest as a human. I wanted fur. I wanted to hunt. The dreams of hunting as a fox had infected me again, and the need to call for the skulk I didn’t have itched in my throat.
Neither human nor fox could withstand a hunting wolf. I clacked my teeth, sucked in a deep breath, and ran through the trees. I searched the shadows for a place to hide. With distance, any tree would do, though one with a th
ick canopy to mask my presence would help.
A stream, deep enough to wash away my trail and scent, was ideal. Deep, but not too deep.
The water would welcome me and hide me, but it’d also drown me if I let it.
I smelled the water before I saw it, an undertone of the rich loam of the forest. I sniffed in my effort to pinpoint its direction, slowing my stride. I chittered my annoyance, taking another breath.
A twig snapped behind me, and I spun, but not in time to prevent Jake’s father from plowing into me and slamming me to the ground. I shrieked and struggled beneath him, but he captured my wrists in one of his large hands, holding them over my head while using his legs to pin the rest of me down.
“Got you,” he crowed.
Instead of words, chattering cries burst from my throat.
“Vicious little thing, aren’t you? Quit struggling. It’s pointless.”
The man’s laughter stoked my fury, and I fought to get a hold of him with my teeth.
“You’re going to hurt yourself. I’ve been pinning that puppy of mine since he was old enough to put up a fight. Also, I bite back. Settle down. All struggling is going to do is tire you out, hurt your shoulder, and delay the inevitable. This is how this is going to work. Pauline’s going to come say hello, and you’re going to submit like a good little vixen. Once you learn she’s not going to eat you, we’ll figure out the rest. You may as well calm down and accept it.”
I panted, showing him my teeth in a promise to bite him as hard as I could once I was able to reach him. Running seemed like my wisest option, but Jake’s father had a grip of steel, and his knee jammed against my stomach hampered my ability to take deep breaths.
“You’re going to bite the shit out of me if I loosen my hold, aren’t you? Pauline? Our son picked a crazy one. I’m pretty sure this is your fault.”
I recognized the brindled white and gold wolf from my dream, and I tensed at her approach. When I had been a fox, protected by my thick winter coat, her size had frightened me. Trapped and unable to escape, cold terror swept through me and left me shaking.
Unable to run, my only option was to stay perfectly still, afraid to even breathe.