by Kate Douglas
Tinker suddenly veered off track and headed toward the shed. Lisa followed and realized it was the large bowl of fresh water that caught his attention. They both lapped up their fill. Lisa almost lost her little transmitter, but she managed to tuck it back in the pouch in her cheek.
What now?
Tinker tilted his head and looked at her. She could almost swear he was laughing. I take it you’re asking if I’ve got a plan?
Lisa growled.
Tinker took another drink, then trotted off. Lisa followed. Now we wait until nightfall, he said, and get out of here. Then we contact the authorities and let them know about Dunlop’s little project. He’s got other big game on the premises. I smell large cats and possibly a rhino. Not sure about that one. Only smelled one once before on an assignment in Kenya.
Where are Luc and Tia? I haven’t heard from them for a while.
I did, while you were asleep. They’re on four legs, cutting cross-country right now, headed this direction. I think they distracted a guard and slipped in through a security gate.
Is it safe?
Safer than trying to come in as humans. Tinker lifted his nose to the air and sniffed, then whirled around. Bill, the man he’d attacked, stood just outside the chain-link fence.
Lisa snarled and backed away from the fence. Tinker stood his ground. He growled, a low, menacing sound that raised the hackles on Lisa’s back.
Bill’s knuckles were practically white, he’d clenched his fists so tight. He didn’t say a word. Just stood there and glared at Tinker.
You rotten bastard. Dunlop thinks he can keep me away from you. Damned fool. You’re gonna pay. Nothing goes after me like that and gets away with it.
Lisa jerked her head in Tinker’s direction. Did you hear that? He’s practically shouting in my head.
Hear what? Tinker glanced back toward Bill, then looked at Lisa. You can hear him? Mindtalk?
I did. Not right now, but he was really clear. He was threatening you.
Missed that. Tia can hear some humans as well, but Luc can’t always pick them up.
Whatever. I think he’s planning to do something to hurt you. Be careful.
C’mon. Let’s move to the other side of the pen. There’s only access along this front section of fence.
The two of them turned as one and trotted back across the pen. Bill stayed where he was, staring at them until they disappeared behind the small group of trees.
I wish we could have brought the receiver. Tia trotted along behind Luc, following him through the thick forest.
Yeah, that would have looked really cool. Two wolves carrying a GPS receiver. Explain that one to Dunlop’s guards.
Are you sure we’re going the right direction? I didn’t think it would take so long.
Luc’s laughter echoed in her mind. Tia nipped his flank in reply when he said in a whiny, child’s voice, Are we there yet?
I’m worried about them. Tinker hasn’t answered me.
They’ll be fine. Keep trying to reach him. Try Lisa, too.
Tia didn’t answer that she’d been trying, but neither one had responded. She worried they might be going away from the area where the two were held, but without the receiver, they couldn’t know for sure.
Suddenly Luc stopped. He sniffed the ground in a small clearing they’d just entered and looked back toward Tia. She stopped beside him and shuddered. The grass was beaten down and covered with dried blood. Bits of hair, boot prints. A wolf had died here, in the not too distant past.
It hadn’t died cleanly. There was evidence of thrashing and torn earth, as if the animal had been in horrible pain. Luc shook his head. Not all hunters are good shots.
We have to find them. Why couldn’t we just call the authorities?
We have to protect our Chanku identity, and besides, we need more proof. Dunlop has a lot of powerful friends. I imagine more than one congressman has hunted here as a guest.
That’s disgusting.
Luc turned and licked her muzzle. Sweetheart, that’s life. He whirled around and took off in a ground-eating lope with Tia right behind him. She continued calling out to Lisa and Tinker.
It felt as if they’d traveled for miles and raced for hours, and by the time they finally reached the compound without any word from the other two, even Luc had begun to show signs of worry. A muffled snarling caught their attention. Luc glanced back once at Tia and carefully worked his way through the heavy brush surrounding the pens with Tia close behind him.
They broke through the thick underbrush and crept over freshly turned loam along the edge of a low fence until they could see the first of a series of pens. One wolf lay on its side in the pen, unconscious. Tia was almost certain it was Lisa. Another, just outside the enclosure, was tied to a short stake. A wire muzzle held its jaws closed while a huge man beat the wolf with what looked like an ax handle. The animal twisted and turned to avoid the blows, but with such a short line, it had nowhere to go.
There was no doubt the man was trying to kill Tinker.
Luc didn’t hesitate. He jumped the fence and went straight for the man’s throat. There was a single shocked cry, the gurgle of air from a slashed windpipe, and the man went down. Blood from his severed carotid artery painted a crimson arc as he fell. More blood continued to flow, spurting out now in slow, steady jets of red, staining the gravel around his body.
Luc stood over the body, growling low in his throat as the man died. Tia shifted. Naked, she raced to the pen and opened the unlocked gate. She grabbed Lisa by the front legs and dragged her across the gravel. Luc forcefully shook off his bloodlust and shifted. Quickly he unfastened the rope holding Tinker and removed the muzzle.
Tinker shifted the moment he was free. He helped Tia lift Lisa’s limp body over Luc’s shoulder. Still in wolf form, she hung loosely, eyes closed, mouth agape. Tia grabbed Tinker’s arm to help him, but he shrugged it off. It was all Tinker could do to walk, but it was obvious he intended to do it on his own.
He absolutely radiated anger. His body was bloodied and bruised, but at least he was alive. Tia glanced back and saw the man’s body lying near the pen, the bloodstained ax handle on the ground next to him. Killing prey for food was one thing. Killing a man was something else.
She shouldn’t have this sense of satisfaction to see him lying dead, but she did.
The three of them slipped around the edge of the paddock, keeping to the gravel to avoid footprints, and raced back into the woods. Not a word was said. No communication was necessary. There’d been no one around and very little noise beyond the solid blows of wood against bone and flesh, but the man’s body wouldn’t go undiscovered for long.
They’d gone close to a mile before Tinker finally spoke. He darted Lisa and me. Not too heavy a dose in mine, but Lisa went down hard.
Luc merely nodded at Tinker’s information and continued his quick pace. Tia shifted and raced on ahead. Her Chanku senses would alert them to any problems. She glanced back at Tinker. He walked like a man possessed, his hand resting on Lisa’s shoulder, his eyes glittering with anger. She had a quick thought: The man had been lucky Luc killed him as cleanly and quickly as he had.
She doubted Tinker would have been as thoughtful.
Charles Dunlop knew he was grinning like a Cheshire cat when he hung up the phone, but it was even better than he’d hoped. The senator and his party would be here within the hour, willing to pay top dollar to hunt a mated pair of North American timber wolves and unwilling to wait another day.
He grabbed his cell phone and keys and headed for the pens. Time to turn his little moneymakers loose and give them a good head start. The senator enjoyed a challenge. Dunlop liked the money. It made for a wonderful business arrangement.
“Hey, Bill? You out here?” Dunlop climbed out of the cab of the pickup and searched the area around the pens. The sound of flies and meat bees buzzing caught his attention. Slowly, he walked around the side of a pen. Bill’s body lay in a pool of drying blood in the noonday sun.
His throat gaped open. Insects had settled in the blood, and others buzzed around his body. Dunlop’s first thought was that Bill looked like a freshly killed deer he’d once seen, one they figured had been taken down by a wolf.
Dunlop fingered the pistol he wore strapped to his side. It had always been more affectation than necessity, but for once he was glad he carried it loaded. He tried to make sense of the scene. The rifle they used to dart animals was propped against the wall with a couple of empty syringes nearby. The bloodied ax handle, short rope, and muzzle told a big part of the tale. Bill had always had a mean streak. He should have known the idiot would try and get back at the wolf that bit him.
“Looks like the wolf won this one, Bill.” Dunlop circled around the side of the pens. Two sets of tracks coming into the compound? He knelt down and looked closer. One large, one small, running loose. The pair he’d captured, or another set? Dunlop stood up and scratched his head. There were no tracks on the gravel, but a long swath of disturbed gravel in the pen made him wonder if other wolves had dragged the female out.
Bill had obviously managed to tie the male and get in a few good whacks, if the bloodied ax handle was any indication. Whatever happened, it was too late to do anything for Bill, but the senator’s hunt might not be a loss.
Dunlop grabbed his cell phone and dialed in the guards’ station on the western side of the property. “I want double patrol duty for the next couple days. Make sure the gates are locked and there’s no way a wolf can get off-site. We’ve got two, possibly four loose for a hunt right now. I don’t want them getting away.”
He flipped the phone shut without waiting for an answer and glanced back toward Bill’s body. The man was an idiot. Correct that—he’d been an idiot. The gene pool was suddenly much improved. Dunlop shook his head in disgust, aware now even more of the stink of death. He wasn’t quite certain why he’d even hired Bill Smith. Hell, he wasn’t even sure that was the man’s real name. No matter. It wasn’t all that difficult to dispose of a body. Not when you had big cats to feed.
What was more important was the senator’s hunt. Dunlop had no idea if other wolves had somehow gotten in, and he couldn’t imagine them smart enough to actually save the two who’d been captured. Somehow the bitch had freed herself, killed Bill, and freed her mate. It almost seemed a shame to hunt such a resourceful animal, but she’d definitely give his clients a run for their money.
Lots of money. Grinning over the amount he’d be collecting at the end of this weekend, Dunlop went to fetch the cart to haul Bill’s body away. He’d store him in the freezer for now, chop him up next week once the hunt was over. There were plenty of predators on-site, always hungry for fresh meat. Maybe he’d even check to see if the senator was interested in hunting any of the big cats.
They were damned expensive to feed. Whistling to himself, Dunlop dragged the cart across the yard toward Bill’s body.
“They’ve got the entire perimeter covered, as far as I can tell.” Whispering quietly, Luc knelt in the thick band of brush that ended about a dozen feet from the chain-link fence. “When Tia and I got in, there was only one guy guarding the gate, and we managed to distract him long enough to slip through without being seen. No way can we get past this.”
Tinker knelt next to him, shaking his head. “I agree. I’m not about to risk Lisa’s safety. We’ll have to find another way out.”
Lisa lay curled up in the grass beside Tinker. She still felt woozy from the strength of the drug that idiot had shot into her. She had no memory at all of Tinker’s beating, though the dark bruises and bloodied contusions that marred his beautiful skin made her glad Luc had taken care of the problem in his own manner.
Tia slipped into the brush beside them. Like Lisa, she’d remained in wolf form. She’d been checking the perimeter for the past hour, racing to the north and south along the western edge where they’d hidden the car. Now, though, she shifted to make her report. There was something almost regal about her, the way she held herself, the confidence and poise that was integral to her as either human or wolf.
“We’re stuck, guys,” Tia said. “They’ve cut a twelve-foot break between the fence and the forest, so there’s no cover at all. There’re a lot of guards at regular stations and cameras posted along the way. It’s obvious security has been increased, and I hadn’t even noticed before, but that looks like an electric fence. I suggest we rest until nightfall, get some sleep, and then try and slip out at one of the smaller roads where the gates aren’t as secure. All the gates are too well guarded to attempt anything in daylight. I found a nice spring and a small meadow. I think we’ll be fine there for now.”
They shifted and followed Tia back to the spring. Lisa walked behind with Tinker, moving at a slower pace. Even as a wolf, he moved as if every muscle hurt, and Lisa still felt groggy. Are you okay? Did he break anything?
Nothing’s broken. I’m just pissed off that Luc got to rip the bastard’s throat out. I’d love to have done it myself.
Maybe you’ll get your chance with Dunlop.
Tinker looked at her, and his laughter bubbled up in her mind. I kind of like the way you think.
Thank you. I kind of like you, too.
The meadow they found was cool and quiet, with fresh water from a bubbling spring. After they all drank, Tinker submerged himself in the clear water for a few minutes to ease the pain of his bruises. Lisa thought he looked a hundred percent better when he climbed out and lay in the sunshine next to her. His ebony coat gleamed with red fire in the sunlight.
Still in wolf form, Tia and Luc lay curled up together, probably still trying to figure out how to get out of here. Knowing the reason all of them were stuck within this fenced enclosure rested fully on her shoulders, Lisa could hardly look at them.
Guilt perched on her like a ten-ton weight, especially with Tinker covered in bruises, not blaming anyone but himself. Finally Lisa stood up. She couldn’t take it anymore. I’m sorry, she said, hanging her head in shame. This is all my fault. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. I just wanted to find out why the wolves were disappearing.
Luc raised his head. He looked every bit as regal as Tia when he was a wolf, his eyes gleaming, his coat shining. You did the right thing and made the right call. We’ll figure something out.
I guess Tinker was right. I should have had some sort of a plan.
Tinker raised his head. Can I get that in writing? Tinker was right?
Lisa snorted, but smiling felt great. Where’s that wizard of yours when you need him, eh? Her mental mumbling seemed to catch everyone’s attention.
What did you say? Tia sat up.
I said, where’s that wizard. He made Tinker’s cell phone work at my cabin, and cell phones never work there.
That’s brilliant! Without warning, Tia shifted and began to pace. Obviously, she needed her hands to make her point. Tall and lean and gloriously naked, she immediately had everyone’s attention. “Lisa, you’re new to the pack, so you weren’t part of my father’s rescue when he was kidnapped, but a bunch of us were able to make contact with Dad even though he was well over a thousand miles away.”
Lisa shifted. “How?” As far as she knew, mental contact of a few miles was exceptional.
“Anton Cheval, that wizard you just mentioned, he had us work together—”
Luc shifted and interrupted his mate. “He actually had us all get horny as hell together, but we couldn’t do anything about it. He wanted us frustrated.”
“Well, it worked, didn’t it?” Tia glared at him, but it was obvious she was enjoying the moment. “Besides, I love it when you’re horny and frustrated. You’re much easier to control.”
Tinker raised his wolven head, sighed, and shifted. “He’s never easy to control. He’s a pain in the ass.”
“Only when the sex gets rough.”
Tinker slanted Luc a suggestive look and stroked his cock. It immediately grew longer and thicker beneath his palm. “I thought you liked it rough.”
Luc laughed and Tinker shoved him in the shoulder. Lisa looked at Tia, and they both rolled their eyes, though Lisa was aware of a spike in her own libido, a sudden clenching in the muscles between her legs. How could she not react in a situation like this?
At the same time, her immediate reality slammed into her. She couldn’t believe she was sitting here, stark naked, in a quiet little meadow with three of the most sexually attractive people she’d ever seen in her life. Two gorgeous men, one of them who assured her he was her mate, and Tia, who took her breath away with just the slightest provocation.
People who were not only intelligent, beautiful, and sensual, but capable of shifting from human to wolf. Totally unbelievable.
Lisa was still contemplating the odd direction her life had taken when, giggling, Tia held up her hand and the laughter fell silent. “Okay, enough, guys. This is serious. What we’re talking about is a form of sex magic, if you will, but it worked. There’s no reason it won’t work for us.”
“You’re talking about contacting Anton, right?” Tinker’s gaze slipped from one to the other. “We let him know what’s going on here and he calls the authorities. There are enough threatened species on this property to gain some legal attention, and if there’s a hunt planned for the escaped wolves, so much the better.”
Lisa shook her head. “I still haven’t got a clue what you’re suggesting, but I’m all for trying whatever works.”
Tia stroked Lisa’s shoulder in a touch that was both comforting and inviting. It raised shivers along Lisa’s spine. “I think what works might be just the two of us. Luc, Tinker, and I are accustomed to sexual intimacy with one another. You’re new to the group, yet familiar with us through Tinker’s memories. Because you’re new, you bring a different dynamic to our mix, one both Luc and I are curious about. A dynamic we’re eager to experience.”
She leaned close and kissed Lisa, a gentle meeting of lips filled with promise. “I find you terribly attractive. So does Luc and we all know how Tinker feels. Now, imagine their frustration if they have to watch us explore each other, touching, kissing, tasting…”