Cloaked

by T. F. Walsh

  I took her hand and kissed it before placing it on my thigh. “Sorry, I got carried away.”

  When I glanced across to Daciana, the expression in her eyes was adorable … Soft, sexy, and somehow innocent all rolled up together. “Don’t be. I wanted this to happen. I want us to happen outside your work.” She reached up and placed a hand on my arm. Her touch was on fire. “If you’re interested.”

  Was I ready to move on? It had been months since I split from Michaela, but there were many days where the wounds still felt fresh and raw, the pain real. I sighed. “Look, my life, it’s kind of messed up right now. I want us to spend time together, but I had a bad breakup recently and need to know this isn’t me rebounding. That wouldn’t be fair to you.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe I want to take it extra slow, become friends, trust each other first.”

  “Oh.” And then she drew her hand away, falling silent for the rest of the trip.

  My chest splintered at pushing her from me, but until I signed the divorce papers, I wouldn’t drag Daciana into my life. If she and I were to give this a real shot, then I intended to start fresh and be open about everything. But, obviously, I had no control, or I would have stuck to that plan from the beginning.

  After half an hour, the van turned onto a one-way street—straight into the woods. The same road I’d used to visit the institute.

  “He’s going to hunt more animals.” Her voice was soft and stoic.

  I didn’t say a word, but pulled back, cut the lights, and parked at the end of the adjacent street, not turning in yet. The van floored it toward the forest and, before long, drove over the curb and into the open entrance. With no cars nearby, I swerved onto the street and followed the van, my lights still off.

  Once in the woods, the dirt road stayed straight for a while, so driving slowly and using only the moonlight glowing on the path did the trick. But once the path started winding, I flicked on the low beams.

  “There’s only one road this way with a few short deviations,” I said. “We’ll find whoever is in the van.”

  Daciana simply nodded and rolled down her window, allowing a rush of freezing air into the car. She leaned against the door and stared into the darkened woods for a long while. I swore she sniffed the air. In that split second, I almost burst out laughing. She reminded me of a bloodhound trying to pick up the van’s tracks. Nah. Must be my lust-addled brain making me delusional.

  We jostled around in the car along the bumpy track. When we passed the institute, there was no sign of the van. The dirt road was often used by hikers because several parking lots were farther up ahead. We passed them. Still no sign of the van.

  “The road splits into two,” Daciana said. “Turn right.”

  “How do you know where the van’s gone?” She obviously knew this track better than me, but then again, I rarely traveled beyond the institute.

  She didn’t look my way as she spoke but stared out of her window. “I thought I glimpsed taillights through the woods in that direction.”

  Concentrating on the path to keep the car steady, I didn’t ask questions.

  Half an hour later, we hit a T-intersection and no sign of the van. Shit. Had we lost them? But there weren’t many places for them to go up here. The dense forest wouldn’t allow the van to leave the road. Up ahead, several deer sprinted back into the woods along with a wild boar.

  “I think the van went right,” I suggested. “The road looks worn in that direction.”

  “Turning right will bring us to a dead end at the forest ranger’s post. Nothing else in that direction. I think there’s some old shack to the left I saw ages ago when I was in this part of the woods.” Daciana glanced over her shoulder at me with a strange expression on her face, as if ready to jump into an argument if I disagreed.

  “I’m sure the forest ranger won’t want to be disturbed in the middle of the night, anyway,” she added. “Let’s go left.”

  “Well, if we don’t find anything, we might need to pay the ranger a visit. I guess I can always question him tomorrow. We go left.”

  We drove up the next slope and spotted an old wooden shack shrouded by trees. The white van was parked outside. Killing the low lights, I let the car crawl closer before turning the engine off.

  What was this place?

  I kept my voice low. “Stay in the car while I scan the place. Lock the doors once I’ve left. If you see anyone, duck down. If anyone tries anything or I’m not back in ten, use my radio to call for help.”

  She didn’t say a word at first but kept her gaze locked on the house. “This place is perfect for hiding cubs. No one would hear them cry.”

  “If this is the right place, then we’ll get those responsible. But don’t get your hopes up. It might simply be a holiday home for someone working at the store.”

  Neither of us spoke further. We both stared at the shack in the distance with a faint glow of light from the side window. Despite my words to comfort Daciana, I couldn’t help but wonder about the coincidence of the white van just like the one on the zoo video footage.

  Even without a warrant, I had enough reasonable doubt from the white van to check out the place. I grabbed my gun and badge and opened the door. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  I shut the door and hurried forward, keeping to the shadows with my gun in hand. The hairs on the back of my neck rose with an instinct that told me something wasn’t right. Or perhaps I’d let Daciana’s suspicions taint my thoughts.

  We’d know soon enough.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  DACIANA

  Once Connell slipped out of sight, I opened the car door and got out, nudging it shut with my hip. The wind hissed through the trees as a cold chill settled in my bones. My head still buzzed from the way Connell had pulled away from me, but if he’d recently broken up with someone, it made sense. Sure, I’d discovered the chink in his armor. But desperation and despair had ripped through me when he said the word “friend.” Was that how he saw me? The way he had touched me in his Audi said differently.

  And I’d thrown myself at him like a wolf in heat. I sucked in a breath and couldn’t release it … Was it possible to suffocate from embarrassment?

  After my one-year rohang, I would return to the pack, and time with humans wouldn’t be possible. So nothing could come from being with Connell. Shoving the thoughts away, I crept closer to the house, focusing on the present issue.

  Whoever had driven the van here had taken the cubs. I was convinced. The white van, the tanning smells at the institute and zoo, a shack in the middle of the woods … They all pointed to someone’s guilt, someone who probably lived here.

  The breeze grew colder, bringing with it the wet-fur scent of a wolf. I scanned the area. Several paces to my right, the animal stepped from amid the shadows and trees. A growl rumbled from its throat, wolf eyes glinting in the moonlight.

  “Get away from this place, boy.” I released a deep snarl, rolling it through my throat to frighten him away. Most wolves didn’t travel alone. This fellow was a regular wolf, not a shifter like me, but I didn’t stand a chance of beating a pack of them back.

  Another figure moved toward me—from the shadow of the house. I froze.

  “I told you to stay in the car.” Connell stepped in between me and the wolf, his gun and attention aimed at the animal.

  “Stop.” I pushed past Connell and approached the creature, stretching my hand out for him to smell my scent.

  The wolf backed up, hair on his neck bristling, but he sniffed me. He released a guttural whine before turning and sprinting back into the woods.

  “How did you do that?” Connell whispered, now standing alongside me, staring into the dark of the night.

  “Sometimes kindness can be more effective than aggression.”

  “Okay. Now please return to the car.” His tone lowered an octave. He was acting protective and all that, and it turned me on. Goddess, just the memory of our time in the c
ar had my pulse charging. I craved Connell, and every molecule in my body insisted he was mine.

  “I’m coming with you. I don’t care what you say.”

  The night concealed his face, but from his clipped voice, I bet he frowned. “It’s dangerous. Please, Daci, go to the car. I can’t risk you getting hurt, not to mention this is my job.”

  “Daci?”

  He shrugged. “Sorry. Daciana.”

  “No, I like Daci. Let’s find out what’s going on.” I brushed past him and approached the side of the house. A flicker of light bounced around inside the edges of the window farther ahead.

  Footfalls closed in behind me.

  Connell huffed and crept ahead of me, taking the lead; his posture curled forward, and he stayed close to the building.

  The wind had become brisk and howled around the corners of the building and through the trees. Branches grated against each other, and dried leaves swirled in the air. Toward our side of the house, the grass reached my thighs. Vines were halfway up the walls. Stand long enough in the woods, and the plants and Mother Nature would take over. Mowing the lawn back at the pack house was my responsibility, and I loathed it. Hadn’t missed that task these past couple of months, and I bet Radu cursed me each time he cleared the land.

  Thinking of the pack, I’d almost died when Connell had suggested we visit the park ranger in the middle of the night. Me showing up with a human policeman on my pack’s doorstep would not go down well with Sandulf.

  Focus on the current problem.

  Once we reached the window, Connell stopped in front of me and peered inside.

  “What do you see?” I asked softly. When he didn’t respond, I stepped around him, wading through the thick grass.

  Ignoring his sigh, I lifted my head to peek inside. Two Chinese takeout containers sat on the table in the center of the room along with a lit candle. If we hadn’t been following a potential animal thief, I might have mistaken the scene for a romantic dinner. Disfigured shapes from the candlelight morphed across the walls plastered in animal pelts—wolves, bears, foxes, deer, lynx, and polecats. My throat parched, and every inch of me quivered.

  Staring closer at the wolf pelt on the wall, the one with the gray brindled fur and head intact, I froze. It was the same one from the shop. Bastard store owner.

  A hand on my shoulder made me flinch. I turned to Connell as shadows galloped across his face, partly concealing his scowl.

  “The wolf pelt is from the store. Has the same white ear tips and fur pattern.” My hands curled into fists. The faintest footfalls reached me from the back of the shack. Then a tiny snap of a twig. Connell didn’t react or glance away. He hadn’t heard it.

  He wrapped a hand around my wrist. “I’m going inside. You return to the car.” His voice was barely a whisper.

  I pulled free. “My cubs might be in there.” I sidestepped him, but his arm shot out across my stomach, drawing me to his side.

  Rage burned the back of my throat and blurred my vision with tears. What gave people the right to take an animal’s life for sport, for adventure, for decoration? Nothing. And hell if I wouldn’t make whoever was inside pay. One way or another, I’d make them experience what it was like to be hunted.

  “Daci, look at me.” Connell’s voice lowered, his breath warm against my cheeks. “I don’t want you hurt. I’ve got this and won’t let them get away. Please return to the car and stay there. Will you do this for me?”

  Not trusting my words, I nodded.

  “Good.” He guided me back toward the pebbled driveway and put his car keys in my hand. He nudged me forward. I had to do this on my own, so I walked toward his Audi.

  Several footsteps later, I glanced over my shoulder. Connell sprinted into the shadows toward the front door of the shack. The faint creak of the door reached me, meaning he’d headed inside.

  I spun and bolted back to the building, careening down the side, toward the back. I’d make sure the culprits didn’t escape. They might have a gun or blade, but I had speed. Thank the goddess I retained some of my abilities, even if faint, outside the full moon.

  At the rear corner, I halted, though my breaths were racing so fast, my pulse resonated in my ears.

  In the dark yard, only a faint light streamed out from the rear of the shack. In the distance, a man hunched over a tree stump away from me. His ponytail fluttered in the breeze.

  I knew it! Sam was involved in the kidnapping. Monster!

  He stood and half turned, sharpening his knife with a metal rod. The grating sound of metal on metal made my skin ripple with shivers.

  A half grunt, half cough came from behind Sam. I tilted my head, staring into the darkness, and spotted three boxes near a tree. No, not boxes. Cages about two feet in height and length. The familiar mor-mor sound of the bear cubs made my heart bleed. My cubs were in there and still alive.

  Before I could stop myself, I tiptoed out from my hiding spot. The crunch of twigs beneath my boots froze me on the spot. Shit.

  The man jerked around to face me, his scowl twisting his features. “What are you doing here?”

  I scanned the ground for any kind of weapon. A branch, an ax, anything.

  A scuffle resonated from inside the house, along with a loud thud.

  “Ted!” Sam yelled. “What you doing in there? We have company.”

  Another thump, as if someone crashed into a wall. Goddess, please keep Connell safe.

  “Lady, you better turn around and run for your life.” Sam stepped closer. He was a frightening figure, tall and solid, wearing the night for a disguise and swinging his pointy blade wildly in my direction.

  “The police know what you’re doing. They’re on their way.” Damn, I wished my voice didn’t tremble.

  He halted for a split second, a frown deforming his mouth. “Get the fuck outter here!”

  I crouched and tapped the ground for a branch. I found one the length of my arm, half the thickness, but it would work.

  Sam grunted and marched closer with hurried steps, his weapon by his side. I swung the branch, whacking him on the side of the head. The wood snapped apart in my hands. Oh, fuck.

  He didn’t even flinch. “Bitch, I remember you now. Sticking your nose in my business.” He thrust his arm forward, and the burning sting of metal bit my arm.

  I recoiled, but he slashed the air between us, catching me on the cheek and the side of my neck. The cuts stung, and a whimper escaped my mouth. Maybe my urgency to face him alone without a weapon was a mistake.

  I stumbled farther away, clutching my neck, and seized another stick off the ground, but this one was barely a twig.

  “Why give a shit if a few animals go missing? No one noticed until you got involved.”

  “I care, fuckhead. And you’re going to pay.”

  A scowl warped his expression.

  I slipped into the woods behind the house, allowing the night to conceal me.

  “You’re not going anywhere.” He retreated a few steps and picked up something from his tree stump. “I grew up in the Carpathian woods and know them with my eyes shut.”

  “Me too,” I said, my voice low. The breeze brushed across my face, filling me with his perspiring and leathery scent … The same one I picked up at the institute and zoo. Behind him, the light from the back of the shack glowed and Sam’s burly silhouette loomed as he approached.

  Get the knife out of his hand. Out of the full moon, my strength wasn’t superior to humans, but I had no intention of running away.

  Using the sliver of moonlight piercing the trees to guide me, I slunk deeper into the woods. The forest grew darker and denser with each step. Footfalls closed in behind me. I darted left, and an overgrown shrub brushed against me. I crouched down, not making a noise.

  Twigs snapped nearby. Go past me.

  After a few more paces, the steps halted close by my side. Darkness shrouded everything, and only the faded glow of the house in the far distance provided any kind of direction. I couldn’t even
see my hands in front of my face. Didn’t matter. Remember your training. Listen.

  The swish of air sounded, and before I could react, a thunderous blow whacked against the side of my skull. I grimaced and fell into the bush as a splitting pain cracked across my forehead.

  Sam clasped my ankles with iron fists and hauled me out of the tangle of shrubs. The rough terrain scraped across my flesh as my blouse scrunched up my back and gathered under my armpits. My head rocked back and forth from the foliage. The blistering pain intensified. He dragged me out in the open.

  “Shit happens when you get involved where you shouldn’t!” Sam’s voice rumbled.

  My arms sprawled outward, patting the ground for a weapon or to leverage myself away from this psycho.

  “No use trying to find a weapon.”

  How the hell could he see anything?

  He dropped me. I scrambled backward. When a punch connected with the side of my face, I collapsed. The hit reverberated through my whole body. I cupped my cheek and unleashed an agonized scream.

  Labored breaths infused with the scent of stale beer danced across my face. “No one will hear you.”

  The heaviness of Sam straddling my hips pressed down. My fists swung out but connected with a hard object on his face. The bastard was wearing goggles … Probably infrared. My fingers grasped the glasses and yanked them upward while my other fist collided with his head. I tossed the goggles away.

  “Bitch.” Sam gripped my wrists and scooted up my body. He shoved my hands under his knees on either side of me, and the iciness of metal pressed to my throat. The filth squeezed one of my breasts hard.

  “Shame you were such a busybody. Maybe I could keep you as a pet. I could take you back to the house and have you entertain my buddy and me.”

  I swallowed back the rage frothing at the back of my throat. “Sure, I’ll entertain you guys.” By ripping your throats out.

  He tsked and released my breast. “Except, I’d rather cut things.” The knife pinched my throat, and a trickle of warmth ran down my neck.

  A crunch of fast approaching footsteps sounded from the direction of the house. Please be Connell.