by Terry Spear
When Faith's mouth gaped, Leidolf explained, "Fish only on Fridays. There never was any sign of wolf attacks. Just a human claiming, under torture, that he was a were wolf. His story changed so many times that who knew what to believe. He was found guilty of lycanthropy and witchcraft and burned at the stake. So it's interesting to note that in one place in France, the president of the court didn't believe in lycanthropy and in another, he did."
"But he really wasn't one," Faith said.
"No, he wasn't. In another case, a man in Russia was accused of being a werewolf, and he told the court that he and his werewolf pack killed demons. He was sentenced to ten strikes with a whip for idolatry and superstition, then released."
"Was he a werewolf?"
"No. If he had been one, he wouldn't have admitted it. None of us would ever willingly give our kind away. Remember that. But now it seems we have a group who believe we exist, maybe who have even seen our kind shapeshift, and are killing them. They are trying to start a cell in Portland. That's why I'm here. To get at the root of the evil. Eliminate it here and stop them from causing trouble in my region."
"And Kintail knows this?" Cameron asked. "I wouldn't think he'd like your interference."
"He doesn't have to like it. I'm here to get the job done, then return to my pack, not before that."
"Then what if you help us and we help you?" Cameron asked.
Leidolf studied Cameron, then glanced over at Faith, who was watching his expression closely. Could he be trusted?
"You want me to help free your friends from Kintail's pack?" Leidolf asked.
"That's the gist of it," Cameron said.
Please, please say yes, Faith said silently to herself.
"I can't." Leidolf leaned away from the table. He exuded confidence in his mannerisms, the way he smiled, the intensity of his look, all alpha, and just as arrogant. He might seem relaxed, but Faith was quite certain if he was threatened, the man would be the devil to deal with. And that's why she figured having him on their side would help significantly in confronting Kintail and his people.
"It has to do with pack politics. I'm here about my own situation concerning danger to my pack. It has nothing to do with Kintail or his people. I can't interfere with his pack or how he runs it."
"But he's taken Cameron's friends hostage! They weren't part of his pack and he can't claim them." Faith scowled at him. "We'd help you!"
Unruffled by her outburst, Leidolf bowed his head slightly. "If you located the men who are doing the killing, you would help yourselves. Any of us are at risk. And if you want to get right down to it, both of you belong to Kintail's pack."
"Because his wolf bit me," Cameron said.
"Right."
"But Cameron bit me," Faith said, still frowning at Leidolf.
Leidolf smiled a little. "Then it seems you're Cameron's, if you're agreeable. Or if not, Kintail will surely want you. As for Cameron? I suspect Kintail doesn't want him or he would have taken him into the pack right away once one of his people bit him."
Faith looked over at Cameron, not liking any of this one bit. Cameron was masking any reaction, making her feel he wasn't part of this, or was afraid to show what he was truly feeling in front of her.
Leidolf cleared his throat. "Mate with her, and she's yours. If you don't, she's considered available. If you do mate with her and Kintail or one of his people desire her, they'll have to kill you before they can have her."
"That's barbaric." The more Faith heard about the pack rules, the more she thought they needed major revamping.
"We mate for life. The wolf's instinct is ingrained in us. It's our way." Leidolf rose from the table. "I'm going to do some exploring in the woods, then return to Millinocket for a time. I think that's where these men are from. Either of you want to come with me?"
"As a wolf?" Faith asked, hoping not, but expecting the worst.
"As a wolf."
Faith gripped her mug tightly. "I haven't changed before. And I don't plan to if I can help it."
Leidolf appeared mildly amused, then he looked at Cameron. "You?"
"We're returning to Millinocket. Charles wants us out of here." Cameron got up from his chair and joined Faith. "Good luck on your hunt." He offered his hand to Leidolf and they shook on it.
"Thank you. Good luck on yours." Leidolf headed out of the cabin and shut the door.
Faith wished Leidolf would have helped, figuring he knew the wolf ways a lot better than they did. But since it wasn't an option, no point in worrying about it.
"We can't leave here," Faith said, tugging at Cameron's hand. "What about your friends?"
"Like I said, we return to Millinocket. We can use the Internet there and I'll get in touch with Gavin. I'll find David and Owen and get them back. I don't need some red's help."
She wasn't so sure they couldn't use Leidolf's help. And she noted she was left out of the equation, but she figured as soon as she shapeshifted, and Cameron was assured she was an Arctic werewolf like him, he'd change his mind. Maybe it was fate that threw them together, or maybe it was a total mistake. But the idea she'd return without Cameron and live like this on her own, well, hell, he needed her as much as she needed him and she had no plans to return home alone!
She started to pack her bags, then considered throwing out the items that Lila had sprayed with urine. Yeah, no sense in taking them with her. Nothing that she couldn't replace. She dumped the trash bag on the floor next to the door. "I'm ready, Cameron. Let's go."
She hoped they wouldn't encounter Kintail or his people on the ten-mile trip to the trailhead and have even more difficulties again. But the way things were going for them, she halfway counted on trouble.
Leidolf's words rattled around in Cameron's brain, over and over again, like a computer program attempting to make a connection. Cameron had bitten Faith. She was his. That much he got, whether Leidolf had said so or not. But no matter how many times Cameron told himself Faith was as much his to keep and protect, he didn't like her being with him. Although there was nothing he could do about it for now. He had to get her safely to Millinocket. And from there, he hoped to get her to Bangor and on a plane for home. Werewolf killers and mate-hungry bachelor werewolves all made it too dangerous for Faith to stay here. Later, he'd hook up with her, and they'd work something out. But for now, the priority was leaving and getting a safe place in Millinocket.
Faith was too quiet as she packed up her snowmobile, and he figured it had something to do with the fact she was just like him now. The concept still hadn't completely sunk into his own brain that he was now a werewolf. He could imagine how she was feeling. Or maybe not. Being a woman, she might feel a little differently. Especially the part about how a bunch of werewolf males might be after her, and Kintail was leading the pack at that.
Before Cameron could say anything to her, she got on her snowmobile, pulled her ski mask up and her ski glasses down, then headed down the road toward the trailhead.
All he could think of on the way here when they first ventured to the resort was how he wanted to ensure his friends were all right. Now he was pretty sure they weren't. He was a werewolf, the woman he'd traveled with was one, too, and werewolf hunters had killed two of his kind. He shook his head at the whole nightmarish and unreal concept and hurried to keep pace with Faith. At least this time, they weren't traveling in a blizzard.
But only a few miles from the resort, Faith suddenly sped off into the woods. That's when he saw that a tree had been felled across the road. Hell. Cameron veered into the woods to follow Faith. She'd slowed down some to maneuver between the trees. And that's when he heard the snowmobile in pursuit of them.
What next? Kintail's men? The Dark Angels? Only one thing he could think of to do, set a trap to stop their pursuers. He slowed his snowmobile, turned it around, wished he could flip off the headlights—but he dared not turn off his engine and waste even more precious time—and waited, hoping Faith wouldn't get too far ahead of him. The sound of the eng
ine grew closer, the halo of light widening in scope.
After removing his outer gloves, he readied his gun— time to terminate the pursuit. Thankfully, he had plenty of bullets. At least enough to put an end to this madness. Not that he wanted to kill anyone. A minor injury would be enough to make his pursuer cease and desist. At least he assumed.
But then the sound of two more snowmobiles pelted the vicinity, much farther off, headed this way. Cameron ground his teeth. Damn. Well, he could get rid of the first driver and then take down the next two. Good thing they weren't any closer to the first one. All three at once could take some fancy maneuvering. The sound of the snowmobile's roaring engine drew closer. And closer. He aimed his gun straight ahead.
The engine sound grew louder. The vibration in the ground sent shimmers of the stalker's pursuing vehicle through Cameron's snowmobile and up through every one of his nerve endings. He responded by tightening his grip on his weapon, his finger poised on the trigger.
"Let's get this over. Come to Daddy."
He hated the delay—every precious moment he idled his vehicle, the sound of Faith's machine faded away. "Come on, damn it."
The stalker didn't deviate from his course. Cameron gave a bitter smile. As soon as he appeared in his sights, Cameron would have his man.
Fearing whoever had felled the tree wished them harm, Faith tried to find a way back to the main road around the downed spruce, but the forest of trees didn't cooperate. The farther into the woods she drove, the farther it seemed she was headed away from the unplowed road. She glanced back for a second to see if Cameron was keeping up with her, but all she saw was her tracks in the snow, trees laden with the white stuff, and no sign of Cameron. Although she could hear him in the distance. She slowed to a stop and waited.
That's when Faith heard the snowmobile headed for her in the opposite direction. "Shit."
She glanced back Cameron's way. Still no sign of him. If she drove off in a different direction she was afraid she'd lose him, not to mention she might lose her own way. Navigating by street maps, no problem. Navigating her way through woods was not her forte.
The snowmobile in front of her grew closer. She reached into her pocket and gripped the pepper spray. And waited, praying Cameron would hurry up and join her.
That's when she heard a snowmobile behind her, but still too far away. And she thought a couple more were behind that one. Damn it, they were being hemmed in from all sides.
The snowmobile appeared in front of her, moving slowly, the driver male, tall, bulky, and if she wasn't mistaken… But no, the ski mask and hat hid his hair color and face. It couldn't be.
The man pulled in front of her with several feet separating them. She tightened her grip on the pepper spray still in her pocket.
"Faith, honey. What are you doing way out here? Looking for me?" His voice was deep, dark, and full of warning.
Hilson. Come a little closer. But she was afraid while he was wearing a mask and goggles that protected his face, the pepper spray wouldn't have any effect on him.
"Hilson?" she asked, trying to sound clueless, as if she truly didn't know who he was in his wintry gear. Although she didn't recognize the clothes. But then again, he'd never worn winter clothes like that before. Suits, yes, as a stock broker. In fact, he'd never worn anything much casual. Jeans were out. Sneakers? No way. She wondered now if he wasn't even a stock broker though, or something else.
Hilson fell for her ploy and drew the mask under his chin and pulled up his goggles to rest on his ski hat. "It's me, honey. In the flesh. Missed me, eh?"
At least her glower was hidden behind her mask and ski glasses. But she was sure her voice would give away her ire once she spoke. He had to know damned well that she was madder than hell at him.
"You weren't supposed to follow me here. I would have come back for you eventually. Didn't you get my note that said I would return in a couple of weeks? That I had some important brokerage deals I had to handle?" He folded his arms and leaned slightly back on his machine.
Thankfully, he didn't approach. Maybe because he thought she looked ready to bolt.
"I must have missed the note." She'd found it all right, but she hadn't seen it until she'd discovered he'd stolen her father's flash drive and hard drive. So she hadn't believed for a minute that he would return.
As much as she wanted to take another glance in the direction of the trail off to her right, she didn't want to give away that she was considering detouring in that direction. She figured if she kept heading that way, she'd end up at the frozen lake eventually. Probably not the direction she wanted to go.
"How did you manage to find me so quickly? Break into my computer? I left it there so you would know I was returning to you. But I hadn't expected you would learn my password. Kintail says you're an investigative genius."
She didn't care what Kintail said about her, and she didn't say anything in response, stalling for time, hoping Cameron would hurry and arrive with the backup weapon. Even though the bullets he had weren't silver. Not that she wanted Hilson dead, just stopped in whatever he had in mind to do.
"You've really caused some problems coming here, you know?" Hilson leaned forward, his amber eyes narrowed, the same look he'd give when he caught some guy hitting on her, and he meant business. "Lila wants you dead. Kintail wants you, period."
"What do you want, Hilson? I thought I meant something special to you." It sounded like Hilson had given up all claims to her. She desperately wanted to look behind her. Wanted to see if Cameron was nearly there. Had to stall Hilson before he did anything she'd regret.
"I know. Whirlwind romance. Three months of great times. You're lucky I didn't just eliminate your father. That's what we do when someone learns what we are. We terminate them or turn them. There wasn't any good reason to make him one of us."
Her father. She felt sick to her stomach. They hadn't killed him, had they? "My father," she said half angry, half choked with emotion.
"He's not the one to worry about right now. You know about us, don't you? Kintail says that prick Cameron told you." He sighed. "Damned newbie lupus garou. Don't know when to keep their mouths shut. It's supposed to be instinctual, preservation of the species type of thing." He shook his head. "I knew it would come to this eventually." He pulled off his ski mask and goggles.
"What are you doing?" She tried to sound scornful, but her armor was slipping. She guessed what he was doing, just as soon as he began unfastening his coat.
He was getting ready to shift. And then he would bare his teeth before the bite.
The snowmobile roared around the bend in the trees and slid some distance to a stop. Goggles and a black ski mask hid the driver's expression, but Cameron could pretty much guess the gun was a deterrent in the man's pursuing them. Cameron hadn't heard Faith's snowmobile in sometime now and hoped to hell he could locate her quickly once he dealt with their pursuers.
Then the driver of the snowmobile jerked up his goggles and pulled down his mask and grinned like a lunatic. Gavin. His red brows raised, he motioned behind himself, and Cameron instantly lowered his gun.
"Cavalry's coming. Where's the little lady?" Gavin asked.
"Up ahead."
"Let's set up a roadblock. They're not far behind." Gavin hurried off his idling snowmobile, and Cameron did the same. Gavin glanced at Cameron's shredded parka sleeve. "You all right?"
"Yeah." Switching the subject, Cameron warned, "No ax."
"Looks like we have enough fallen trees that together we can create a makeshift stopgap."
That's what Cameron always liked about Gavin. He was an optimist extraordinaire, and he could MacGyver anything together if he had the time and resources. Sometimes even when he had neither. Their current predicament reminded Cameron of some of the missions they'd been on.
"So what's she like, Cameron?" Gavin asked, as the two of them hauled a heavy tree onto the trail behind Gavin's snowmobile, but he glanced again at Cameron's torn coat, and Cameron figured h
e'd have to start making up stories to appease his friend, as much as he hated doing so.
Looking at the mess they were creating, Cameron hoped to hell they wouldn't have to backtrack this way anytime soon.
Gavin dumped another armload of branches on the trail. "Faith O'Malley, the woman you've hitched up with this trip. Believe me, I was surprised as hell. She must really be something."
"Faith O'Malley?" How the hell had Gavin already learned so much about her?
"When I arrived at the lodge where you stayed for the night, the clerk gave me an earful about giving the key to your room to a cute blonde, that she suspected you were now friends with since her room was across from yours. The clerk sounded a little wishful that she'd had the key to your room instead. Then I learned Miss O'Malley had some business with Lila Grayson and Kintail Silverman concerning Back Country Tours also. That made me wonder if it had anything to do with you calling and having me check out the license plates for a gray Ford pickup."
Cameron paused as they pulled another tree in place. "What did you learn?"
"It belongs to Back Country Tours in the name of Kintail Silverman. And since you were investigating the same outfit, I figured you might have hooked up together in the romance department. Although the way you were feeling about Marjory, I wasn't sure you'd take the plunge again so soon—even if it's been several months. So what's the story?"
The information about the registration for the pickup didn't help much, although it looked like Kintail had been following Faith's progress all along. Cameron was damned glad Gavin was here, but the realization hit him again that he couldn't explain all that had happened. He wanted to, as close as he'd been to his partners. But internal warning bells went off concerning what he was now. And instinctually he knew for the preservation of his kind, he couldn't reveal the truth to Gavin.