Sanctuary
Page 1
Table of Contents
Sanctuary
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Sanctuary
BY
Teresa Gabelman
Sanctuary
Copyright 2017 Teresa Gabelman
All rights reserved. The right of Teresa Gabelman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This is a work of fiction and any resemblance between the characters and persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Gabelman, Teresa (2017-7-30). Sanctuary
Editor: Hot Tree Editing
Chapter 1
“Gemma, I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Larry shook his head and then spat a nasty wad of tobacco over his shoulder.
“Obviously.” Gemma snorted but didn’t take her eyes off the wolf who was staring intently at her. “Just be ready to slam that gate open.”
“If I were a betting man, which I’m not… anymore…” Larry’s voice carried toward her. “I’d be betting on that wolf beating you to this here gate.”
Gemma rolled her eyes but kept the rest of her body absolutely still. This was no wolf-dog she was standing in front of. This beautiful creature was a full wolf, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. How it ended up in Ridge, Kentucky, she had no clue unless the Department of Fish and Wildlife were totally wrong and wolves were making a comeback.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Gemma said calmly to the wolf. Its slanted eyes watched her so intently she was afraid she was going to lose her nerve and run for the gate. She knew her limits and didn’t go far into the enclosure, but close enough to show the wolf that she meant business and that she wasn’t afraid. That was a total lie; she was scared to death and knew the wolf could smell her fear. Yet there she stood, face-to-face with the magnificent creature, and because of her love of the species, she would stand her ground. The wolf was hurt, and she needed to gain its trust to see just how bad he really was. She needed to prove that she was alpha, but deep down she knew the truth, and she was truly afraid the wolf knew it too.
She took a small step. The wolf lowered its head as it continued to glare at her through his slanted eyes.
“Gemma, can’t you wait until someone else gets here?” Larry asked, his tone edged with concern, which wasn’t like Larry at all. “I really don’t want to be the one explaining to the sheriff how I watched you become wolf food.” And there it was, concern, not for her, but for himself and what he would say about her demise.
“Larry, if you can’t be quiet, then leave,” Gemma all but growled. She noticed the wolf tilted his head at her tone, but only slightly. Okay, that was something at least.
She heard the other wolf-dogs around them barking and howling, but her attention was strictly on the task at hand. She had tried to feed him, but he didn’t show any interest in the raw meat she had tossed in. As for the water, it didn’t look as if it had been touched either. With the howling and barking going on around them, the wolf grew restless and began pacing side to side, but never once took his eyes off her.
“Dammit, Gemma,” Larry said harshly. “I’m seriously about ready to shit my pants out here. Now come on and get out of there. That’s enough for the day.”
In all honesty, Larry wasn’t the only one who was about to crap themselves. Gemma could tell the wolf was getting more and more agitated; she also knew she should go ahead and step out. Did she listen to that little voice in her head telling her to back off? Of course not. Instead, she pushed as she always did because she knew this wolf needed help, and she was determined to do just that, in spite of her own safety.
Without thought, she took another step. The wolf lowered its head more this time and gave a low warning growl. His lip curled showing large, sharp teeth. Yeah, maybe not listening to that voice telling her to get the hell out would be her downfall. It was obvious this wolf didn’t want help, especially from her.
******
Eric Jackson’s keen eye spotted the woman standing in front of the caged wolf before his car came to a complete halt. Shutting off the car without taking the keys, he was out and passing the sheriff who he had followed into Stone’s Wolf Sanctuary lot.
“What in the hell is she doing?” Eric didn’t pause as he quickly made his way to the man who stood ready to open the gate.
“With Gemma, you never know.” Sheriff Brennan rubbed his rounded stomach with a shrug. “She marches to her own beat, especially when it comes to her wolves.”
Eric didn’t even listen to what the sheriff was saying, didn’t take the time to care. His main purpose was to get this foolish woman out of harm’s way. Heading to the gate, his eyes still on the agitated wolf, he knew without a doubt he didn’t have time to get between it and the woman by casually walking through the gate.
Without hesitation, he took off at a run, jumped up on the high enclosure, and climbed until he reached the top. He then propelled himself between the two just as the wolf was ready to make its move. Eric landed lightly but stayed in a position of intimidation eye level with the wolf. Eric showed his dominance immediately. When the wolf didn’t flinch, Eric knew this was going to be a test of alphas, and he’d be damned if he lost that battle.
“Who in the hell are you?” He heard the woman’s shocked voice as she took a step toward him.
“Get out of the cage, now,” was all he said, his no-nonsense tone making his meaning clear, or at least he thought his meaning was clear. But it seemed this woman had a death wish.
“No, you get out of the cage. I don’t know who you think you are, but this is my property, and you need to leave.” The woman took another step, which set the wolf in motion, straight through him toward her.
“Shit!” Eric leaped at the wolf, his arms catching the huge beast, and they both hit the ground hard.
The woman’s scream had echoed before she shouted, “Oh my God. Don’t hurt him.”
Eric wondered briefly if she meant him hurting the wolf or the wolf hurting him. He had a suspicious feeling she didn’t give a damn what happened to him and was only worried for the wolf, who was weaker than it should be, indicating that the wolf was injured already.
“Stop fighting me.” He spoke harshly as he gave the wolf a hard squeeze to show dominance. The cry the wolf gave told him exactly what he already knew. It was injured and cornered. He couldn’t blame the wolf for feeling the need to attack. The woman should have backed off. “You will not win.”
His eyes met that of the wolf’s and saw the crazed, injured look fade slightly. Something passed between them, and the wolf calmed, as did he. Cautiously letting go, Eric waited and watched as the wolf stood slowly, walking further into the enclosure, its head low, its eyes still on him.
Knowing it was safe, he turned on the woman with a rage that he couldn’t contain. “What in the hell is wrong with you, woman?” Eric paused for a second at the sight of the beautiful woman who stood glaring at him with her hands on her hips. “Do you have a death wish?”
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with me, asshole,” she shot back. “Everything was under control until you came jumping in here like a maniac. You better not have hurt him.”
Eric couldn’t believe she had not only called him an asshole for saving her but worried about the wolf being injured and not him. “You’re crazy, lady.”
“You don’t even know,” she sneered. She looked away from him to glance at the wolf who was now pacing behind him.
Not only was she crazy, but she was also beautiful with her eyes flashing fire at
him. It had been a long time since he felt any attraction toward a female, so his strong feelings for this woman not only shocked him, they sent his temper soaring. He didn’t have time in his life for attraction to a hardheaded female, no matter how cute she was.
“I told you it was a bad idea, Gemma,” Larry called out from the safety of the gate. “And if he hadn’t jumped in there, I’d probably be cleaning up body parts and putting them in a trash bag by now. I’d say you should be thanking him rather than cutting him with that sharp tongue of yours.”
Eric smirked at the man’s words and kept it on his face when the woman’s eyes jerked back to him.
“Larry, isn’t it feeding time?” The woman’s voice was barely controlled, the words coming through clenched teeth.
“Not yet, and I want to see what the sheriff and this guy here, who can climb a fence like nobody’s business, is wanting,” Larry countered.
Eric ignored the man who was staring at him as if he were going to answer how he climbed the fence. Instead, he watched the woman closely. Eric didn’t miss her flinch at the mention of the sheriff. He also heard her say “shit” through her clenched teeth. Very interesting. He turned to make eye contact with the wolf, which he now had dominance over. Eric was alpha, and the wolf knew it.
He turned his head once again to look at the woman who was staring at him. With the cock of his eyebrow, he grinned when she gave him a narrowed look, right before she turned away, heading toward where the sheriff stood waiting. His eyes automatically went to the sway of her hips. His grin grew because if she swayed those hips like that when she was just angry, he couldn’t wait to see them sway when she was enraged.
Chapter 2
Gemma stomped out of the enclosure after giving the stranger one more hard glare. Damn, he was handsome with his shoulder-length black hair, which sat in a wild tangle around his head. His brown eyes were oddly light with flecks of gold. Yeah, she glared at him that hard.
“We’ve got problems, Gemma.” The sheriff leaned against one of the empty enclosures, his always present toothpick in the corner of his fat lips.
“It wasn’t one of mine.” Gemma already knew what the problem was because that was the only reason the sheriff made his way out there. He never came when she called after someone trespassed on her property threatening her and her wolves. No, it was always when someone else had a problem with her.
The sheriff gave a loud sigh, then straightened up as if it took every ounce of energy to get his fat ass moving. There weren’t many people Gemma didn’t like, but Sheriff Brennan was one of them. He was the absolute worst sheriff, and he hated her. The feeling was mutual.
“And that’s what you say every time.” The sheriff narrowed his already squinty eyes.
“Seriously, don’t you have something better to do than to come around here and—”
“We have cameras.” Larry broke in, possibly saving Gemma a night in jail. “That’s proof that none of these here wolves got out.”
Gemma bit her lip, doing her best to keep cool. She really couldn’t afford a night in a cell again, and Brennan wouldn’t hesitate to take her in. After counting to ten, twice, she felt calm enough to speak without calling the sheriff an ignorant asshole who wouldn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground, which had in fact sent her to jail for a night in the past. Since he couldn’t arrest her for insulting an officer because of freedom of speech, she was charged with disorderly conduct. The ass.
“Who’s complaining this time?” Gemma said, keeping her voice calm, cool, and semifriendly.
“Lance Cutter had one of his bulls tore up,” Sheriff Brennan replied, a look of disgust flittering across his face. “Not many animals around these parts that can do that other than—”
“A pack of coyotes?” Gemma knew exactly where he was going with that and she’d be damned if he blamed any of her wolves. She knew the sheriff was going to argue by the look on his face, but she didn’t give him a chance. “We’ve had this conversation before, Sheriff, and it’s not my wolves.”
“What about that one?” The sheriff had a new party to blame as he pointed toward the purebred wolf that stood in the corner of the cage staring at them all.
“No blood on him when I found him in the enclosure this morning,” Larry said with a shake of his head.
“How in the blue blazes can a wolf just waltz into one of these enclosures?” The sheriff grumbled, his eyes narrowing at the enclosure then back to Larry.
“You know, sheriff, I think you need to get your hearing checked because I’ve told you every time you come here accusing us of something or another that we leave food and water in this enclosure for stray wolves. Most of the time they don’t feel threatened and stay. It’s been that way since Gemma’s granddad ran the place, and it’s the same damn way now,” Larry spat out with disgust. “And once again I will tell you, we have cameras on this whole property and can prove it.”
“Lance isn’t going to be happy about this.” Sheriff Brennan put his hands on his hips and looked around. “He’s pretty riled up about these wolves you’ve got so close to his property. That bull was already sold and—”
“Not my problem,” Gemma added, not wanting to hear the same song and dance. “Give him my condolences, but my wolves had nothing to do with it.”
The sheriff leaned down close to Gemma, who stood her ground. As much as she wanted to back away from his obnoxious, sweaty smell, she held her stance. “You better watch yourself, Miss.” The toothpick in his mouth disappeared for a second before reappearing. “Things are getting really heated around here.”
“Yeah, it’s summer.” Gemma cocked her eyebrow, not giving him the satisfaction of thinking his undercurrent of a threat bothered her in the least. “You have a nice day now, Sheriff.”
She waited as the sheriff stared at her before he dismissed her then walked away without saying a word and headed toward his car. With a frown, she turned toward the stranger, who she found oddly attractive and it pissed her off. Where in the hell were these thoughts coming from?
“Your ride is leaving.” Gemma only gave him a glance before heading toward the enclosure to check on the wolf.
“He’s not my ride,” the man answered as he casually kept the gate closed with his foot.
“Then why are you here?” Gemma thought he had come with the sheriff. Who was this man? “You work for Lance?”
“No.” The man had crossed his arms over his massive chest, his eyes intently watching her.
There was something so intense about him, he actually reminded her of the wolves, which was odd. “Okay, I give.” She used her own foot to try to move his, but he wasn’t budging. “Who are you and what are you doing here? While you’re answering those questions, you can move your foot so I can get through the gate.”
“I’m Eric Jackson, and I’m an independent investigator here at the request of the Kentucky Wildlife Association,” the man replied without moving his foot. “You, Ms. Stone, are under investigation.”
******
Eric watched the emotions rush over her paling features. He almost felt sorry for her, but he had a job to do, and nothing would stop him from doing it. Not even a pretty face. His rush to keep her safe when he’d first arrived was unsettling. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t save a woman, or a man for that matter. No, it was the absolute horror of seeing her in danger. She was just a stranger, yet never had he had a reaction such as that.
“What?” He frowned so deeply in thought, he didn’t hear what she was saying, only saw her full lips moving.
“I said, under investigation for what?” she repeated, her voice even. Though she tried to sound strong, there was a shaky vibe to her tone indicating her nerves. “You know what, never mind that for now. I want to see your credentials.”
Thank God his phone rang at that moment. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it. “Excuse me, I have to take this.”
Eric walked away toward his SUV before answering. “Yeah?”
“Just got here.” Eric walked around the back of his SUV and opened the hatch. Pulling out his duffle bag, he searched for his fake credentials. “And thank Kile for making up these damn papers. You were right. She asked.”
Cole laughed loudly through the phone, making Eric roll his eyes. “When in the hell are you guys going to start figuring out I know my shit.” Cole finally calmed his laughing down. “You owe me fifty bucks.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Eric grabbed his fake ID as well as the papers Kile had made up for just this purpose. “You still owe me fifty so let’s call it even, asshole.”
Eric hung up in the middle of Cole telling him he was full of shit. Making sure he had everything, he shut the hatch of the SUV and started back toward the woman who watched him closely. He hoped to hell she didn’t call to check on his paperwork because, as smart as Kile was and the ease he could make anything fake look legit, the dumbass had used his real name. It was too late in the game now to change it.
As he made his way back toward her and the older man, Eric took a minute to look at her. His gaze traveled from her well-worn work boots, up her long, thick legs that could hold a man tight, and the overly large sweatshirt that couldn’t hide the lushness of her breasts. She was built, no doubt about that, just the way he liked women, but he had a job to do. He didn’t have time to wine and dine a beautiful woman, who by the looks of it, wanted to feed him to her wolves.
He handed her the fake paperwork and watched as she glanced over it, not just once, but three times. As she searched, her bottom lip slid between her teeth. His cock twitched at the innocent gesture, and he knew he needed to focus elsewhere and quick.
“If you need me to give you some blood, I’m willing.” He reverted to a smartass comment, not wanting her to look at his fake credentials too closely, and definitely not wanting to grab her in his arms so he could shove his tongue down her throat. Jesus, he was attracted to this woman who was definitely not dressed to impress and smelled strongly of the wolves she took care of.