by Unknown
Silence flooded the group. Ian searched the vampire’s face for any signs of him joking. Nope. He was dead serious.
“Nobody wants to return home with their tails between their legs so I suggest you get your shit together. Only the best will graduate this class. Are you the best?”
A few mumbled answers.
The vampire halted. “Are you the best?” He shouted so the windows rattled and Ian’s ears wanted to bleed.
“Yes.” They shouted back as one, but Ian could smell the lies, including his own. He had no home. Where would he go but here? The only answer was not to finish last.
“Team leaders report to me.” Pallas rattled off some names. “…Clare, and Ian.”
He blinked. He was a team leader? When had he volunteered?
Clare crossed the group, head held high, and accepted a red bag filled with similar colored bandanas. They’d be rivals.
He accepted a blue bag from Pallas. The vampire had separated them on purpose.
“Pick your teammates one at a time, starting with Ian.” Pallas strolled to the scorched front porch and sat on old wooden chair.
Ian turned a slow circle, taking note of the other leaders. Good, none of them were in his small group of friends but Clare. To win, he’d need skilled people. “Blain.”
The mostly blind wolf pushed his way to Ian. How he could find Ian was still a mystery to everyone but he had the best nose in the group.
Clare shot him a sharp look. She didn’t want to go home either. Could they work together? Pallas could disqualify them and he wouldn’t put it past the vampire to send both teams packing.
One after the other, each leader picked a shifter. Clare got both Darrell and Penny among four others Ian didn’t know well. Besides Blain, Ian picked six other shifters—including Yanis and Luke. He recalled them being among those who didn’t complain during the fourteen mile hike. If he made it through this challenge, Ian promised to acquaint himself better with all his teammates.
Blue team gathered around close, all eyes on him. After an exchange of names, he opened the map. “Anyone pay attention in class?”
“Shit, Ian.” Blain hung his head. “I can’t read a map and unless I know what I’m scenting, I can’t track.”
“So Blain’s useless.” One of the others offered.
“We don’t know that.” Ian met the other’s stare until he dropped his gaze. His alpha had taught him that dominance must be established early and swift to maintain order. Who would have guessed the asshole had something to offer Ian. “We have seven sets of good eyes among us. Blain’s the only one with the super nose. Got it?”
His team nodded.
“Times up for planning.” Pallas shouted. He pulled out a gun, not some fancy starter pistol, but a magnum hand canon, and shot into the air. “Go.”
Ian startled and raced for the forest with his team. That was all the time they’d get? No, once in the trees he’d stop them and make better plans instead of running like fools.
“We could follow Clare’s team,” whispered Blain.
“Dude, I knew there was a reason I picked you first.” He clapped his friend on the shoulder. The dark made it difficult to run. Their night sight was better than humans but still limited by things like hidden branches and stones. A broken leg or twisted knee would slow them down, and every member of the team had to finish, but Blain didn’t need any light. He saw with his nose.
The shifter led the team, tracking Clare’s scent until he stopped dead. Four flags hung limp from different trees. The red one was missing and a set of cut ropes lay on the ground below the tree.
Ian knelt next to discarded pile. What the fuck? Clare’s group hadn’t been carrying rope. The flags weren’t set high enough to need rope.
Two of his team members moved toward the blue flag. Their flag.
Ian picked up two ends of the rope. They’d been cut. Darrell always carried a knife. “Wait,” he shouted and reached out to his teammates to stop them.
From the ground a trap sprung, this one not made of ropes but of wooden spikes, impaling Luke in the calf.
“They’re booby trapped.” He dropped his hand and circled to the injured male, giving a respectable berth to the other flag areas. It took two males to pull the spring loaded spikes out of his leg while the others supported their teammate’s weight. “Shift so you can heal.” He took the offered blue flag and stuffed it in his pocket. “Fucking vampire.”
Blain had his nose to the ground, tracking something. “Clare’s group split up.” He walked a circle. “And she went alone in that direction.” He pointed east.
Sniffing the area, Ian tried to catch her scent. In the city, the stench of human kind masked everything. He’d learned to hunt with other methods besides his nose. Maybe in other challenges this would give him an edge, but not tonight. He could smell Clare, but wouldn’t have found it without Blain. Why would she go alone?
“What else are you smelling? Can you figure out how many teams they split into?” Clearing the area of the others, Ian let Blain examine the ground better.
“I smell four distinct tracks so I think they separated in four groups.” One for each marked spot left to collect. Divide and conquer, smart thinking and sounded like Clare except for one thing. It took more than one person to rescue their team member from the spikes. Ian suspected Pallas wasn’t holding back his punches.
He squinted at the map in the low moonlight. He could make out the important parts. She was heading for the furthest mark. “Can you find the scent trail leading northwest?” That spot was closer. He would split his team in two. They gathered around the map as he explained his plan. “Who else can navigate?”
Veronica, the only female on their team, lifted her hand.
“Ok, you take half the group and gather these two flags.” He marked her map. “We’ll gather the other two and meet back at the manor.” So maybe he’d been listening subconsciously to Pallas’ lecture.
“Who takes Blain?” she asked.
“I will but you can have an extra member.” That made a team of three and the other of five.
“I count as two?” Blain gave her a shit eating grin. “Remember that.” And winked.
Time slid through their paws. He held out his hand like they did in high school football. The other followed, placing their hands on top of his. “None of us want to go home. Go fast, be swift.”
They roared their assent. Not the quietest move, but they needed motivation. He couldn’t afford to come in last. “Come on, lover boy.” He shoved Blain forward. Using the map and a deer trail, Blain and Yanis followed him in silence.
Clare paused to catch her breath. None of her teammates could afford not to accomplish their tasks. Splitting the team up into four groups would decrease the amount of time to accomplish the task so if someone couldn’t retrieve their flag, she could return to help them. Being small and swift, she could avoid the rope traps easier. Being swift…
She hesitated. She should shift because she could run much faster as a wolf. When she reached her destination, she could shift again. It would leave her weary, but she could rest after they won. Being last wasn’t an option, she planned on being first. She stripped her clothes and set them in nice folded pile under a tree where she could find them later. Embracing her inner wolf, she allowed her more control. Some shifters hated the change. They found it painful and disorienting. Clare loved her wolf. They were one when it came to hunting. The only thing they disagreed on was mating Ian, but she understood her wolf’s attraction. He had an inner alpha he kept suppressed. With guidance, he’d rival her father. Not to mention he was a fantastic kisser.
And he cooked her food. Her father had never done that for her mother. She shook her wolf head. Win the test, think of her future later. She took off at full speed between the trees. The coolness of the night air flowed through her fur and her breath sang out of her throat.
The hunt.
It didn’t matter that winning would ensure her plac
e in the pack. A hunter’s moon hung in the sky, masked by the tree canopy, but it tugged on her soul and crooned to her as it did to her ancestors.
She’d heard the Vanguards’ propaganda that modern shifters had lost their way. Things like honor and justice had all but vanished from the packs. Maybe in the city packs, where human influence and temptation lay close, but they still existed in the one ruled by her father.
She slowed to a stop, crouching on her belly. Hidden by the ferns, she tasted the air. Nothing stirred in the surrounding area. She was alone and rose to her paws. Nose to the ground, she searched blindly for any trace or clue to where Pallas had tread when creating this game. Sharing this hunt with Ian could have broken the prickly barrier around her heart. When Pallas had named him as another team leader, she’d tucked away her disappointment.
Sitting on her haunches by a small brook, she stared at the starry sky. She could do this on her own. Depending on others would show her weakness. Alphas led, not followed.
The wind shifted. On its wake traveled the faint scent of the vampire. Dry and dusty with an edge of cinnamon. The fur on her spine stood on end. She’d never eat apple pie again. She tread carefully. The first trap had gotten two teammates at once. She had to find and disarm the trigger. Following the faint trail, Clare moved among the foliage with care not to make noise and alert any other shifters to her presence. She couldn’t be the only one who thought to split their team. Someone may have reached this far point already. In the far distance, she heard a yelp as one of the promised traps was sprung.
She’d been raised hunting mule deer in the Colorado mountains, but her father neglected to teach her about evading traps. In a convoluted way, this was probably the point of the exercise. Learning to think like prey.
Pallas’ scent, though two days old, led her straight to a grove of birch trees with no flags. A note was nailed where the scent trail ended. Written in elegant script it said Did you think it would be that easy?
She snorted. Yes, she had. Nose to the ground she searched for another clue. She should have brought the map but couldn’t use it in wolf form. The best tracking device was her nose as the vampire had claimed. How had his scent stopped right smack in the middle of the grove? He could have backtracked on his trail. It was a simple trick, but one that most people would forget unless they were shifters. He knew a lot about her kind, which raised many questions.
According to the map, the spot with the flags was east. She glanced at the unfamiliar night sky between the branches. If she read the stars correctly, she was still heading east.
A breeze set the branches to sway and she spotted a flag tied to the top of the tallest birch. She spun a slow circle. The tricky son-of-a-zombie-whore had left the note to misguide. Keeping an eye on her prize, she padded across the grove. She couldn’t climb the tree in wolf form so she’d shift again.
Her paw bushed something metallic. She jumped to the left as she heard the snap of a trap closing where her paw had been. She panted, tongue lolling from the side of her muzzle. He used bear traps? That would have broken her leg. She retreated from the metal jaw. That had been close, but she’d been faster.
The ground under her feet gave way and she plunged into water.
Chapter Fourteen
A twig snapped ahead of Ian’s team, followed quickly by a thump and a yelp.
Bent low to the ground, they moved toward the noise and found a rival teammate hanging upside down from a tree. A rope had snared his ankles together, leaving him to rock back and forth in the air.
A sympathetic noise rolled in Ian’s throat but he turned his back on the wolf. The other shifter had teammates who should come rescue him in time. It was foolish for a wolf to go after a flag on their own. He ground his teeth. Clare had done the same thing. Would her team come to her rescue? She had Darrell and Penny. They’d sworn to cover each other’s backs. Why had they followed her harebrained scheme? Because she had alpha tendencies and none of these wolves had the spine to stand up to all five feet of her.
Together, he, Blain and Yanis worked to spring the trap around their flag. It still almost got Blain as a pit opened up under their feet filled with water. They stared at the hole.
“Holy shit, Pallas means to kill us,” Yanis whispered.
“We’re here to become living weapons, not learn how to pick daisies. Of course, he’s trying to kill us.” Ian sounded more confident than he felt. It was one thing to place his life on the line, but he didn’t want to be responsible for the other two shifters. “Blain, stick close. Hold onto the back of my t-shirt if you need to.”
“I’m doing fine on my own, boss. I can follow your stink anywhere. I don’t need to touch you as well.”
One more flag then they could head back to the manor and see how the others were fairing. Taking things up a notch, Ian took them jogging over flat terrain. Sweat trickled along his back even though the cool fall night caressed his heated skin.
Blain tugged on Ian’s shirt hard enough to choke him to a halt. The blind wolf pulled him and Yanis into the underbrush. “I smell gunpowder.”
Ian gut ached, right where he’d been shot. Hunters. “Which way?”
The blind wolf pointed to the east. “The wind is blowing toward us so they could be far.”
“Stay here.” Ian stayed to the darker shadows. Unless the hunters had night vision goggles, they wouldn’t spot him. He didn’t have time to deal with them, but he couldn’t leave armed humans with the pack running loose in the woods. The last time he faced hunters, he came away the loser, but he hadn’t been willing to harm them. Things had changed. The townsfolk had enough warning that shifters had moved into the manor. If they were coming to find trouble, then so be it.
A snap of a branch behind spun him around.
Blain and Yanis had followed him. They gave him chagrinned looks. “We were worried.”
“I think there are hunters in the woods, and I have an idea of how to take care of them. Can you find them, Blain?”
“Sure, it would be impossible not to. They’re so fucking loud. Can’t you hear them?”
Ian exchanged a glance with the other shifter who shook his head. “No.”
Blain sighed. “Just stay close.” According to the map, he took them about a quarter mile off track before the hunters came into sight.
There were only two of them and both were downwind. Ian inhaled and recognized both Camo and Harold’s scent. They both were dressed in dark clothing with goggles on. So much for a sneak attack. In the distance, he heard the call of wolves. Fools, they had shifted. How were they going to manipulate the traps with paws?
“Did you hear that?” Harold’s voice held an edge of panic as he swung his rifle, scanning the forest. “There’s more than one. I told you this was a terrible idea.”
“Stop being such a pussy. They’re way off. All we need is one to prove to the sheriff they’re a danger to our town.” Camo knelt to the forest floor as if searching for something. “These tracks are fresh.”
Harold looked over his shoulder. “Track? That’s a shoe print.”
“Do you think they always run in the woods naked?”
Ian rocked forward, hands trembling. Clare ran alone in this direction. What were the chances they were following her? Knowing his luck…
“For all you know this person can be human.” Harold lowered his rifle. “Let’s go home.”
“No, you said it yourself. They’re dangerous and they’re not people. What if they got to your daughter? Would you grow a spine then?”
Ian signaled the two other shifters to stay low and quiet. Another plan formed while he listened to Camo. Taking them by surprise wouldn’t work, but he wasn’t as weaponless as he’d thought. Ian pulled out his map and pointed to their last spot, well away from Clare’s direction. With luck on their side, this might work. He slunk deeper into the woods away from the hunters and circled around. Out in the open, he made sure to leave obvious tracks for them to find.
“What ar
e you doing?” Blain whispered.
“Baiting them. Both of you, stay out of sight. I’ve dealt with these guys before. They mean business.”
“These the humans who shot you?” Blain grabbed him by the shoulder. “Ian, they might aim higher this time and get you where it counts.” He poked Ian in the middle of the forehead.
“I know. That’s why I need you to go back to the manor and warn Pallas.” The vampire could pull the other teams out or come rescue his ass again. Either would satisfy Ian. He didn’t plan on hanging out with the hunters for very long.
Blain and the other shifter hesitated.
“Go.” Ian imitated the tone Clare used when commanding others. It came out naturally for her. He had to work on it.
Both shifters dropped their gazes and backed away before running toward the manor. He should try that next time he pulled dish duty.
Ian waited until they were out of visual then raised his chin and howled. The sound traveled in the quiet countryside. He remained still, letting his ears pick out any unusual sounds. There. Panting and footfalls, as the hunters ran toward his noise. It had worked.
He grinned and waited. Waiting? It had worked. He should be running. Spinning around, he ran in the direction of their last destination. He prayed no other team would be retrieving their flag. It didn’t take long to out distance Camo and Harold but Ian made sure to leave obvious signs for them to follow. Checking the map while on the move, he found the spot. He skidded to a halt.
Three flags were left. That meant his team wasn’t last yet. He pumped his fist then slowly circled the blue flag tree checking for signs of a trap. Watch this be the only place Pallas hadn’t set one, but the vampire didn’t disappoint. In the moonlight, Ian spotted the thin thread leading to the trigger point. Carefully, he tramped through the hip high vegetation around the trap and removed the blue flag. Mission one accomplished. He then paused on the other side of the thread until Camo crashed through the underbrush.
He raised his gun, aiming at Ian.
Before he could pull the trigger, Ian took off in the opposite direction.