Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  Saturday morning we climbed into his old pick up and headed up to the mountain. We stopped at the first picnic area we encountered on the way up and parked the truck. He got out his side and started stretching, working on loosening his muscles so that he wouldn’t pull anything. I got out my side, which luckily was on the far side from the road, and started to strip; I folded my clothes neatly and set them into the bag I had brought for them. I didn’t want someone to pull up and see a pile of clothes on the seat of the truck; that would have raised some questions. Once I had all my clothes off I put the bag in the floorboard before closing the door and bending to shift. It only took moment to feel the tingling that told me I was shifting and in another minute or two it had passed.

  In wolf form I walked around to the driver’s side of the truck and looked up at Devon. I wondered briefly it would work before projecting *You ready?*

  “Sure, let’s get started.” He said, walking out to the side of the highway that stretched up the mountain and curved not far ahead. He started at a light jog and I easily padded along beside him, as he sped up some and I had to move up into a trot to keep up with him.

  *You call this a workout?* I taunted, easily keeping up with his pace.

  “It will be when we keep it up for five miles... or more.”

  *Ok, you got me there, I’m not used to distances*

  “You’ll get used to it, but you need stamina and endurance not just speed,” he said. I had to admit, he probably knew what he was talking about. Devon might not shift, but he grew up among the Kindred. He really did still know more about what I am than I did.

  I heard a car coming up the mountain behind us and I sent to Devon, *Car, I’ll hide. You keep going, I’ll catch up,* and I darted into the forest surrounding us. I found a hollow to lay in where I couldn’t be seen and I waited until I heard the car pass. I waited a few moments longer, until I was sure it was the only one before I got up and headed back toward the road, angling up the road some as I made the trip so that I would come out of the forest further uphill than I had gone in, and hopefully closer to where Devon had made it by now.

  It wasn’t until I reached the road that it occurred to me, how would I know if Devon had been here or not? Was he in front of me or behind me? I stood for a minute or two, looking one direction and then the other, trying to decide what to do before it dawned on me. I could just look for his scent; that should tell me if he had been through here yet. I tentatively bent and sniffed the pavement, not really sure it would work, but I was going to try it anyway, especially since there was no one here to see me and how ridiculous I looked if it failed.

  I put my nose to the pavement and took a deep breath, thinking to pick up as much scent as possible. I overwhelmed my nose. I picked up the scent of tar and rubber so strong it burned the inside of my nose and I spent several more minutes snorting, trying to blow the strong odors from my nose before I could try again. The second time I tried to pick up Devon’s scent I was more careful, I held my nose above the pavement and took short careful sniffs, trying to peel back the layers of scent. I could smell the rubber from all the tires that regularly drove over the pavement, and the scent of warm oil and coolant from the car that had just passed by, but under that, I caught Devon’s smoky personal scent, the faint scent of pack that he still carried and the stronger scent of the sweat he was working up.

  Now that I knew he had been by here and I turned and headed up the mountain. I was soon running to catch up with him; I found that I loved the feel of the wind in my face, blowing my ears back as I ran. I ran up mountain, maybe a quarter of a mile, my confusion and scenting error had given him time gain some distance on me. I rounded the next curve, at a dead run and found that he was just up ahead, maybe 200 yards. I slowed as I approached him and fell into the steady jogging pace he was keeping.

  *So, how far have you made it?* I asked.

  “You haven’t been keeping track?” he replied with a question of his own.

  *Nah, I cut across off road, more ups and downs, more fun, less boring,* I responded.

  “It’s not boring, It just gives you time to think about other things.”

  *Boring...* I intoned with a mental laugh.

  “It’s been about a mile and a half, you still have a while to go...” he laughed in response.

  *I can make it more entertaining...*

  “Oh really? How?”

  *You keep your same pace and I’ll run circles around you.*

  “Well, duh, we know you’re faster than me. You could beat me easily.”

  *I didn’t mean I would beat you,* I said, speeding up a bit and started circling his still running body. *I said I would run circles around you*

  “Show off!” he told me, and I could hear laughter in his voice. The warm timbre of his laugh sent curls of contentment through me, never before simply making someone laugh felt so good.

  I stopped circling him and started investigating the scents around us. I caught the scents of the cars that regularly drove up and down the mountain, the squirrels and chipmunks that regularly cross the road, and the occasional deer that roamed through the area. I picked my head up and noticed that Devon was a ways ahead of me. I caught back up with Devon where he was still as though I had never stopped.

  “Having fun?” he asked, his breathing was slightly labored, not enough to keep him from talking.

  *Yep, I was just investigating the local scents.*

  “Find anything interesting?”

  *Meh, lots of cars, squirrels, chipmunks, even a deer. Interesting? Sure, earth shattering? No.*

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  *No big deal. Just thought I’d see what I could pick up. I’m still learning to identify a lot of scents.*

  We continued up the mountain in silence for a while. I was seeing his usually slight limp become more pronounced the further we ran up the mountain.

  *That leg is really bothering you isn’t it?* I asked. He was starting to lose control of his breathing, he was almost gasping for air, but I wasn’t able to tell if it was from the exercise or the pain. *Don’t try to talk, just think your responses and I’ll try to pick them up, I promise not to nose around in there.*

  *Ok,* I heard his voice in my head. *I’ll try. Yeah, it’s bothering me more than I thought it would.*

  *How long’s it been since you went running?* I wanted to know.

  *A couple of days, I run all the time, uphill is another story, I haven’t run long distance uphill since before the accident.*

  *I wouldn’t want to suggest that you aren’t capable, but I think it’s probably best if I go back and bring the truck up to you instead of your trying to run all the way back to it.*

  *You’re probably right,* he admitted. *But can you drive a standard?*

  *Puh-leese, I grew up driving farm equipment and Dad made me learn to drive a standard before I was allowed to drive an automatic. He used to tell us that any monkey could drive an automatic. So yeah, I can drive a standard.*

  *Ok, I believe you, it’s just that so few people can these days, even men.*

  *This is true. Did you lock it?* I asked.

  *Yeah, but it’s old enough it actually has a key. There’s a spare key in a magnetic box attached on the back of the rear license plate. You have to reach under the bumper and around to the top of the plate, it should be resting on a ledge under there,* he explained.

  *Great. It shouldn’t take me long to get back to the truck and change, and even less time to get back here. I should be back in ten or fifteen minutes.*

  *That’s fine,* he said.

  *It’d be best if you kept moving, but not running, until I get back, walk around some, stretch again. I don’t want that leg to get too stiff on you before I get back, it’s going to be bad enough by the time we get down the mountain.*

  *I know. I’ll keep moving till you get back. Now go,* He shooed me as I turned and headed down the road.

  I ran down the straight stretches of the road, but when the ro
ad would switchback on itself I would cut across country and make the distance, and the trip, shorter. I had to duck and hide a couple times as vehicles passed but I soon made it back to the picnic area where we’d parked his truck. I had just reached the truck when I realized I had to shift and get the key before I could unlock the door and get dressed. I listened carefully for a moment to make sure there were no cars coming before I bent and shifted. I quickly moved down to the rear of the truck and I had to get onto my knees to reach under the bumper and find where the key was stashed. The rough gravel of the parking area dug into my bare knees while I felt around for the box. I found the small box, quickly removed it, and moved back around to the passenger’s side of the truck, the side away from the highway, so that if someone came by it wouldn’t be obvious that I was naked.

  I opened the box and removed the single key from inside while I moved to the door to unlock it and get my clothes only to discover that there was no exterior lock on the passenger’s door. Oh shit. That meant I was going to have to go around to the driver side, still naked, to unlock the truck. Once again I listened closely for the sounds of cars on the road before moving around the truck to the driver’s side and unlocking the door. Just as I got the door unlocked I heard a car approaching so I quickly opened the door and climbed in, I pulled the door closed behind me. I stretched across the seat, grabbing the bag with my clothes in it and pulled out my shirt. I slid it on over my head as quickly as I could so that it would appear to anybody driving by as though I was dressed and sitting in the cab of the truck. Once I had my shirt on I pulled the bag closer and dug the rest of my clothes out of it so that I was ready, and as soon as the car passed I turned sideways in the truck seat and slid my underwear and shorts on. Not bothering with my shoes, I started the truck and pulled it out on to the highway up the mountain to pick up Devon.

  It only took a few minutes and I was pulling alongside where he was standing, leaning against the rocks that had been cut away to make the road. I stopped the truck and hit the button on the driver’s door panel to unlock the doors. He climbed in and I started forward again, the road was too narrow to turn around, we’d have to continue up the mountain to either the next picnic area or a pull out in order to turn around.

  “Obviously you found the key, did you have any trouble?” he asked, settling into his seat and buckling his seatbelt.

  “No, it was right where you said it was,” I replied. “But those rocks are sharp, especially when one has no clothes on…”

  “Yeah…that occurred to me just after you left... Your clothes were locked in the truck and you needed your hands to get to the key and unlock the truck,” he said, chuckling.

  “Not to mention the fact that the passenger door doesn’t unlock from the outside…”

  “Oh, shit. I totally forgot about that.”

  “Thankfully, I have superior hearing and was able to tell well in advance if a car was coming. So I was able to move around and open the door without being spotted.”

  “Oh, to have seen that,” Devon said with a wistful tone. I took one hand off the wheel long enough reach over and smack him with the back of it. “What?” he asked innocently.

  “You know what.” I replied, continuing up the road. “You want to go on up to the top, see what the lake looks like, or do you want to head back down and rest, maybe take a dip in the hot tub, see if that relaxes your leg some?”

  “I’d like to go on up and at least get a look at the lake, I haven’t been up there in years. Then we can go back down, and I can try the hot tub. I haven’t been in there yet and it will probably help with some of my soreness.”

  “Up it is.”

  “Do you want me to drive?”

  “I’ve got it, unless you want to?”

  “Nah, I don’t mind. Onward and upward we go.”

  We drove the rest of the way up to the mountain so that we could see Riggs Lake. It was almost full from the snow melt, and when we got out of the truck, it was nice and cool out. It occurred to me that this would be a nice place to go for a weekend this summer. I’d have to see if someone wanted to come with me.

  Devon and I didn’t stay long. We looked around a little and discussed some of the changes that had happened over the last ten years. The boat ramp had been rebuilt, but the old one was at least thirty years old, and it had really needed replacing. There were a few new picnic areas and camping spots around the edge of the lake, but not much else. It would be a great place to spend a couple days and maybe be able to shift without being seen, but that would depend on how many people were around.

  We got back into the truck and started down the mountain. I offered to let Devon have the key back so he could drive, but he told me to. His leg was stiffening quickly and it would make it difficult to drive the old standard. The decent off the mountain always seems to be faster to me than the climb, it probably actually is. Soon we were almost in town and before I headed straight home I turned to Devon.

  “Do you need to stop anywhere before we head home?” I asked.

  “Let’s get some take out,” he said. “You have to be hungry after shifting and since you were kind enough to drive me up to see the lake it has been a while since then. You have to be about ready to gnaw my arm off.”

  “Not quite that bad, I knew I would be shifting and I ate a large breakfast this morning to prepare for it,” I laughed.

  “Learning a few tricks huh? Still, let’s get something to eat, then once we get back to the complex, I can change and get straight into the hot tub.”

  “That works for me... What do you want to eat?”

  “I don’t care, what sounds good to you?”

  “How about we hit the buffet at Super Wok? Or would you rather pick something up and take it home?”

  “Ohh...Super Wok is one of my favorites, let’s do that.”

  I drove the truck through town with no difficulty, though before I had gotten behind the wheel at the picnic area; it had been quite a while since I had driven a standard transmission. They’re uncommon these days and you have to special order them. I pulled into the small parking lot of the old family owned restaurant, and parked the truck.

  “How’s that leg feeling?” I asked.

  “It’s fine just sitting here, but ask again after I get out and walk on it a little.”

  I killed the engine and grabbed my purse before climbing out of the truck; I locked the door and tucked the key into my pocket, knowing that if he didn’t want to drive after the lake, then Devon definitely wouldn’t want to now.

  We went inside, where we were both recognized by the staff; apparently Devon was a regular here too. The place was almost completely empty, I guess there are some advantages to coming in at odd hours. They told us to sit where ever we chose and asked us both if we wanted our usual.

  “Yes, please,” I replied, while Devon smiled and nodded.

  I choose a table near the buffet, thinking Devon wouldn’t have to walk as far to fill his plate. We sat down and waited a few minutes while the waiter brought us clean plates for the buffet as well as drinks, I noticed that Devon’s usual was the same iced tea I was drinking. I left my purse sitting in the seat, I would be able to see it the whole time, and I grabbed a plate and got up, Devon turned in his seat and groaned as he tried to stand.

  “Is it bad?” I asked.

  “It wasn’t bad before we spent the last hour in the truck but it has stiffened up and it’s not liking having to move again.”

  “Would over the counter pain killer help? I think I have some in my purse...”

  “Not enough to make a difference, I just need to move around some and loosen up the muscles.”

  I held out one hand, offering to help pull him up but he waived it off and pushed himself up using the table and back of the booth for leverage. Once on his feet he turned and grabbed a plate off the stack sitting on the table.

  We circled the buffet tables, each taking what we wanted before we sat back down at the table.

&nb
sp; “Will the hot tub actually help?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it will, but I’ll still be sore.”

  “I hope you don’t mind but I asked Alexis if there was anything she could do to help you.”

  “You mean like heal me?”

  “Well, yeah, that’s what I meant when I asked.”

  “She can’t. I already know that, but thanks for the thought.”

  “That’s what she told me, but she also recommended a couple of things she thought might help you with the pain and help your muscles rebuild themselves. Especially since she can’t use her skills to do it.”

  “What did she suggest?” he asked, curious.

  “Heat and ice, but ice only when there’s swelling. Deep tissue massage, and she has had me doing some of that with some of the patients that come in, they heal faster but some not as fast as others and the massage helps them some. But fair warning, deep tissue massage is not relaxing like most massages, it really digs in and works those healing muscles, it can be painful during the actual massage. It’s not until it’s over that you really notice the benefits.”

  “I’ve had a few deep tissue massages, and they do really help, but when I moved back I knew that there is no place to get them, without making the trip into Tucson or Phoenix, and I decided that coming home was more important that the massages.”

  “I can understand that decision. If you could get them here, would you?”

  “Are you offering?”

  “Possibly,” I said with a mischievous smile at him. “Some days you irritate me enough that I want to hurt you...why not do so in a way that benefits you too?”

  “Yeah, that would do it for you. Find a way to hurt me and a way that I’ll ask you for, too...” he laughed.