The wolves followed their leader while I found a large boulder to sit on and wait. This could take anywhere from minutes to an hour. Too bad I hadn't brought a book to read. My eyesight was good enough to challenge that of any werewolf. The darkest night couldn't hinder me from using my senses in my surroundings.
The forest slept around me. Damp, musky air tainted everything from foliage to night creatures. An owl hooted hundreds of feet away in the safety of its perch. The smell of pine-filled moisture lingered on the dead pine needles scattered on the ground. A rabbit hopped across the same path we trampled and stopped. It stiffened, head in the air, testing the environment for dangerous predators. I stiffened too, unwilling to scare him away. Sensing nothing out of place, he continuing through the underbrush. Beyond the woods, several miles away, a car that needed a new muffler drove down a road. The smallest scent of gasoline reminded me that civilization would always be there, imposing on pack territory.
A shotgun blasted the peacefulness of the night. Birds scuttled out of overhead trees and my heart pounded in my chest.
Not thinking, I jumped to my feet and took off in the same direction the rest of the pack had gone.
Another shell blast.
My nose sniffed the air until I located the pack's scent. The gunshots came from the same direction. Smashing through the forest floor, I tore around trees and charged through shrubbery to find my people.
Chapter 28
A shot whizzed passed my ear.
I dove to the ground for cover and rolled out of the way. My eyes panned the thicket.
Three hunters hid themselves behind a thick set of chaparral over a hundred feet away. A rifle barrel pointed through the shrubbery.
"You asshole!” I shouted, hoping they were human enough to identify the language. “Stop shooting! Did you hear me? I said—"
"Yeah, we heard ya!” a voice yelled back, laced in a thick southern accent. “What the hell are you doin’ out here?"
"If you drop your weapons, I might lower myself to give you an explanation."
Movement ruffled the shrubs. Two men rose, followed by a third who was putting something in his pocket. Keeping up my part of the deal, I stood and brushed myself off before edging closer.
A stout man turned his red cap around so that the brim faced forward. The hat hid a receding, reddish-blond hairline. He kept his gun low to the ground in an unthreatening manner. A skinny computer geek flipped his flashlight on in my direction, blinding me for a split second. That scrawny nerd would probably hightail it at the sound of a woodpecker. The third man had more of a brash edge to his sunken face and empty eyes. He wore a blue cap and carried his rifle pointed straight up in the air, hence the brashness.
"What on earth are you doin’ out here?” red cap asked, closing the distance. “Do you realize we could have shot you? You're wearin’ all black."
"I was out walking my dog,” I lied. “He got away from me, so I went looking for him. What are you guys doing out here?"
Blue cap came up to his friend's side. “What the hell do you think, lady? Does it look like we're whitewater rafting?"
"Do I look like I know about the hunting? Do I look like I even care about hunting?” I'd slug him the moment he lost control of what little civil tongue he had left. And here it was everyone thought werewolves were savages.
"Look ma'am,” red cap said, “we didn't mean any trouble. We're only doin’ a little campin’ is all. A few beers and a deck of card to git away from the wives. Nothing more. We normally go huntin', but we brought the rifles for protection."
What does that mean? Doing a little camping was like being a little pregnant? They brought the tent and didn't bother with the sleeping bags? No, I've got it. They brought the rifles to shoot the fish and left the poles at home. Bullshit. I knew a hunter when I saw one.
"How did you see us from back there?” the geek asked. “You don't have a flashlight and that has to be at least a hundred feet away."
"Twenty-thirty vision,” I quipped, and turned my attention to the other two men.
Red cap waved his friend off before he could ask another question. “Have you seen anything strange out here?"
"Other than you?"
He chuckled. “It's nothin. We thought we saw a pack of large dogs roamin’ around. You may want to find your own dog before one of those monsters gits a hold to him."
"I'll take that under advisement.” I started walking away.
"Hey, wait,” blue cap said. He grabbed my arm to stop me. “You sure you don't want an escort back to wherever it is you came from?"
A low growl rumbled from a nearby brush. Shuffling followed. I smelled several wolf scents in the updraft as the pack watched things unfold.
Blue cap didn't hear a thing or he would have done more than lust after my body. Watching his thick, juicy tongue lather his bottom lip, I thought I'd puke on the spot. His eyes lingered on my chest before moving to my pelvic region.
I glanced at his hand on my arm. Either blue cap didn't get my nonverbal warning or didn't care.
"No, thank you,” I said, jerking out of his grip.
He stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “Well ... Maybe you should stay with us. We've got a nice warm fire and if it's not warm enough, then we can do something to get it warm.” He looked me up and down, licking his lips again. The pulsating blood vessel in his neck quickened while his breathing deepened.
"Get your jollies elsewhere.” I stepped around him. He moved in front of me again. I turned another way and he followed, still blocking my path.
"Leave her alone, Jack,” red cap said. “We've got things to do."
"Yeah, Jack,” I said. “Why don't you finish jacking off with that shrub you weren't too keen to leave?"
He snagged my elbow this time.
Matt's scent and others grew strong in a heavier gust of wind. They moved closer. Knowing how adamant we were about protecting our own, I knew they would kill the hunters if I stood by and did nothing. Try explaining that to the cops.
I thrust the heel of my hand at the base of Jack's nose. He let go of my arm and grabbed his face. I dropped to a crouching position, swept my leg around, and knocked his feet out from underneath him. Jack landed on his back still clutching his nose.
I smirked as my eyes fell on him. “Big, strong man like yourself must hate being shown up by a woman.” Slowly rising to my feet, I sauntered back into the wood.
When I moved out of the hunters’ range, I veered off towards Matt's scent. My heart throbbed to know if he was all right. I swore if those bastards had hurt him, I'd turn around and finish what I started.
As I searched the surroundings, a black beast galloped straight for me, tail high in the air. I dropped to my knees, my arms ensnaring Matt's canine head as he tackled me to my butt. Relief flooded my insides, relaxing the tension throughout my body. My face sunk into his warm, black fur while his tongue tried hooking slurps on my cheek. When I pulled away from him, his tongue jabbed me in the mouth with slimy, desperate kisses. His hot, putrid breath didn't matter as much as knowing he was okay. My fingers kneaded the silken stole around his neck until more wolves galloped out of the shadows and encircled us. Some poked their muzzles into my face, tongues looking for licks while others licked anywhere else they could find skin. Before I knew it, I had a bunch of wolves ganging up on me for kisses. For all their tackling, they were surprisingly careful not to crush me. I guess keeping hunters at bay made me of some use after all.
Seth's low growl grumbled from the shadows and brought the wrestling grunts to a halt. Stephan approached his Alpha from the side. They scanned into the woods, searching for signs of a something. Turning to survey Matt's magnificent body, I missed whatever signal Seth sent to his troops. Everyone bolted in the same direction, heading back to the den. I leapt to my feet and followed, wondering what Seth sensed that made him retreat. Keeping pace with the others, I flew through the woods at a breakneck speed, back to the safety of our home.
A gunshot cracked just over my shoulder.
Danielle tumbled head over heels in front of me.
I leapt over her spewing body at the last split second to keep from crashing into her. My feet skidded to a halt across the rotted leaves. I circled back and reached her first.
She tried standing, but her wobbly legs looked as though they would give out before she could breathe another breath. Blood leaked from her front leg, close to her shoulder. Matt and several others joined us, sniffing and licking around her wound.
Not waiting for orders, I hooked my arm behind her front legs and the other in front of her back legs. A tiny yelp escaped her mouth. In wolf form, her body turned into a soft, lumpy mass of muscles and organs. My knees shook as I pushed off the ground and regained my balance. With her dead weight in my arms, I couldn't help running at normal speeds. Several wolves shielded us from all sides, keeping pace with me. The rest took off in another direction, most likely hoping to split up our pursuers.
We came to a wide, deep gorge. Damn. It was so cold out here and the thought of that frigid water soaking my legs from the knees down ... I didn't want to think about it.
Gulping my pride, I started down the steep incline, easing my way through the moist dirt and dead foliage. My feet slipped out from underneath me and I fell on my butt. Danielle yipped as my arms tightened around her. I continued sliding down the side, dead roots scraping my butt. My feet broke the bubbling surface first. After regaining my balance and with Danielle clasped tight in my arms, I ran across, kicking up thigh-high water as I went.
When I got to the other side, I put Danielle down. She whimpered, her shaky legs bobbling up the side of the dirt-laden gorge, trying to find a foothold. I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, pulling her up the side. Tree limbs and roots became my lifeline as I latched on, tugging Danielle alongside of me. Her claws dug into the raw earth for all she was worth, determined to help save her own life. When we got within a few feet from the edge of the gorge, I hauled Danielle passed me, pushing her rump up the rest of the way. A set of jaws clamped down tight, on the fur at the scruff of her neck, towing her the rest of the way. Multiple sets of eyes watched me from above. Noses sniffed wildly around the edge. Whimpers urged me to keep climbing before—
A gunshot sliced the back of my right hand, lodging into the ground next to me.
I bit back a scream. Another gunshot hit the ground closer to the wolves. Dammit, they won't leave without me.
So I let go.
I tumbled down the cliff side and splashed into the frigid water below. I fought the urge to curl up in a fetal position to keep from losing anymore body heat. My hand flew up, followed by my head breaking the surface of the water.
Matt's dark eyes were the first I met. He wouldn't leave without me; that much I knew. Looking at the worried faces of the other wolves, I knew they didn't want to leave me either. Talk about feeling loved. But I didn't want one of them even getting hurt on my account. So I flailed my arms, insisting that they leave without me.
Seth nodded once and bumped into Matt, driving him into the woods. Several others had to force him back, too.
Scrambling to my feet, I ran to the overhung shelf on the gorge and hid in the shadows. Feet shuffled to the edge of the cliff right above my hiding place. Dirt and frayed leaves showered down, prickling my nose. I stayed quiet, afraid to move. The wind shifted and Jack's smell hit me. His friends weren't around to witness anything, but I still couldn't slay the bastard without becoming the prime suspect in his disappearance. So I waited. More leaves rustled the ground above me.
A guttural growl rippled above my head. Horrific screams stopped up my heart. Gunshots fired, but I couldn't tell where they went.
I leaned forward about to run for my life, when Jack's body flopped upside down splattering blood across my face. I choked back a screech and stumbled backwards into the shadows again.
The terror on his contorted face would haunt my dreams for a long time. Bits of red flesh and bony spine were all that was left after large slashes had gutted his throat. Blood flowed out of his mouth, pooling into his nose and leaking into his hair.
The beast snapped him back up before I could think anything else about the hideous corpse. I crushed myself against the dirt wall behind me. Panic hammered my chest. More leaves and twigs snapped, dirt snowing over the edge. Even with the crisp air blowing and turning my skin to ice, I imagined the monster's hot, bullish snout sweeping back and forth across the undergrowth, searching for any traces of me.
Closing my eyes, I remained quiet and concentrated. Slow your breathing, make it silent. This was my body and I needed absolute control. My heartbeat quieted, returning to a normal rhythm. Absolute control.
Minutes passed before the sounds of loping paws disappeared in the distance. My nose poked out a little and whiffed the air. Human blood saturated my surroundings, more potent than the vague lingering scent of the werewolf. As I leaned forward, water swishing around my knees, my nose tried to familiarize itself with the scent. When I reached my leaning limit, I darted to the other side of the gorge. A submerged rock caught my ankle and I fell. My entire body submerged under the frigid waters. Crap. Never let it be said that Atlanta in October wasn't like New York in October; streams were Arctic to my frail body despite the difference in geographical locale. I staggered out of the chilled waters and clawed my way to the top of the gorge in record time.
Sitting on the edge, I looked across the way. Jack faced me at an impossible angle. The beast had gutted and eaten away his entire abdomen. Bones with tattered pieces of flesh and muscle were all that remained. His limbs sprawled around him. The bottom of his foot faced me, too. Either his leg was broken and slung above his head or the beast had ripped it off and tossed it onto the ground next to him. I didn't want to know either way.
I scrambled to my feet and tore off through the woods, following the pack's scent. Several times I strayed from the scented path because certain areas weren't meant for a human to trudge through. Twigs and shrubs slashed across my skin, fragile leaves disintegrating under each footfall. Anything that stood in my way, I went around. I cut a trail so fast that my eyes couldn't keep track of the trees, branches, and shadows swallowed up by my peripheral vision.
Something took my legs out from underneath me. My body thudded onto the ground, missing a jagged rock by inches. A dull ache worked its way into my left thigh. I rolled to see what had hit me. Matt stood over my head, still in wolf form. His eyes went wide, followed by a whimpering apology.
Twigs and undergrowth crackled as dark masses took the shape of humanoid figures. Seth and Vaughn stepped out of the shadows in the buff. That was too much for my female eyes. With plenty of exercise and a high metabolism, most werewolves had either lean bodies or muscular ones. Both men looked fitter than I'd imagined. Seth had a few strands of black chest hair to go with his beard and ... generous masculine features. A few muscles in just the right places added to his pale yet amiable physique. On the other hand, Vaughn had no chest hair, more muscles, and ... and ... Well, his endowments made me blush. His chocolate skin glistening in the quarter moonlight didn't help.
Matt licked my face, his equivalent to dousing me in a cold shower. Great. Why did he have to notice my noticing? Vaughn offered me a hand without saying a word.
"What happened?” Seth asked, giving me the once-over.
"Danielle's s-s-shooter is dead,” I chattered. Cold air sliced into my skin and made my shivering ten times worse. “H-h-he's ... by the gorge. I-I-I mean on top of the gorge. He's dead."
Vaughn reached for my sweater and began unzipping it. “You need to get out of those wet clothes."
"I can do it,” I said, sloppily pushing his hands away. My trembling fingers had the grip of a junkie going through detox.
Seth knocked my hands away and said, “You'll die of hypothermia by the time you get that off. Vaughn, take anyone who's changed back to that gorge. I want that hunter's body found before someone reports h
im missing."
Vaughn sprinted back through the woods. Seth, Matt, and I followed. We jogged another ten or fifteen minutes before breaking through the backyard copse. Several wolves thudded towards us, bouncing around and yipping, all happy to see me. The monstrous den loomed in front of us and made the yard go on forever. Fatigue settled in my bones as wolves wagged their tails and rubbed their fur against my thighs, throwing off my weak balance. Seth kept going. I stopped and bent over with my hands on my knees. Hot tongues licked around my face and bare stomach. My body quaked from head to toe, demanding a moment's rest before going on.
"What are you stopping for?” Seth asked.
"Tired. Just give me minutes,” I said slurring my speech. My sentence formation wasn't that good either.
Seth stormed across the lawn, grabbed me by the hand, and dragged me the rest of the way. “You need to get inside. Hypothermia is setting in."
"Oh."
When we got inside, Seth left me sitting in the lounge in front of a huge fireplace while he hurried to another part of the house.
I didn't care.
The only thing that mattered was what had happened tonight. My worst fears came so true that they slapped me in the face and I felt more than just the hurt. Dane couldn't turn a blind eye to this. His savage dog ripped apart one of the human hunters. Blood may have saturated the air, but I knew Decker's scent when I smelled it.
Chapter 29
My throbbing hand and shivering body forced my eyelids to peel open. Heated, black fur blinded me from my surroundings. I whiffed, wrinkling my nose. Matt cuddled close in his canine form and I lay egg-rolled in a cream colored chenille blanket. I snuggled into Matt's black silken fur, pushing my nose further into his side to warm my face. I moaned and smiled, relieved with my mind at peace. It wasn't be the first time I'd lain with him in wolf form. Naked, that is.
A huge crackling fire toasted the rest of the room, but something warmer and closer heated the rest of my body. I should have said some things. Warmth snuggled into my back. I lifted my head, looking around, and found dark brown fur at my back, a body curving around my backside. Propping myself on my elbows, I scanned the rest of the room. Eight other bodies crowded around us, some near my head and others by my feet. I had become the center of attention in a sea of sleeping, multicolored fur.
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