Falling for a Wolf Box Set

by Mac Flynn

  "That may be the case if you continue your noise-making," he pointed out.

  I cringed. "Damn. Forgot about that. Must be the cold freezing my brain."

  "We will remedy that if you will let me carry you," Adam offered.

  The brambles stared at me, daring me to ford through them. "For once I think that's a really good idea," I agreed.

  Chapter 9

  Adam easily lifted me in his arms and over the brush on our journey through the trees. The dirt path vanished behind us, replaced by rocky, uneven ground. The way grew rockier and the hill grew closer. "Are we going backwards?" I asked him.

  "In a slight curve," he admitted.

  In another minute the ground transformed into a mess of rocks, and the trees parted to reveal a landslide from days of old. Boulders the size of small houses lay piled on top of one another and against the hillside. Smaller bits of crushed rock and gravel covered the area in a slippery slope of slippitude. Among the gray hues I caught a glimpse of Adam's backpack. It was nestled inside a cave created by the house-size boulders, and the cave itself was the size of a small bedroom. We slipped through the entrance and Adam set me down on the crushed-rock floor.

  The low ceiling forced even me to hunch over, and I quickly sat down to ease the back pain. "Not bad," I commented.

  "It will be better once I start the fire," he promised. He piled some of the floor into a ring and slipped outside.

  In a moment he returned with his arms full of wood, and in a second there was a crackling fire between us. The flames cast tall shadows behind us as the weather outside grew worse. The sun completely vanished and the air dropped below freezing. A few warning flurries fell from the sky, and I shivered and inched closer to the fire.

  "You think this'll last very long?" I asked him.

  "It's difficult to tell. If the wind arrives the storm will be worse, but shorter," Adam commented.

  "So blizzard material," I commented. I shivered at the thought of being stuck in a cave in the middle of a valley with the word 'lost' in its name. My feet were sore, my stomach growling, and somehow I already had sap on my clothes. "I just had to walk on my own, didn't I?" I grumbled to myself.

  Adam scooted himself so he sat beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "Don't blame yourself. The distance to the end of the road was greater than even I anticipated."

  "Well, if push comes to shove you can always eat me," I quipped.

  He chuckled. "I would rather it be the other way around, but I must warn you human meat isn't especially tasty."

  I cringed. "Speaking from personal experience?"

  "Unfortunately, yes. There was this one gentleman doctor in England in the eighteen-twenties who vehemently believed in werewolves. He managed to catch one of my kind, a young woman newly transformed, and was intent on dissecting her for science."

  I snorted. "Sounds like someone we know, minus the urge to drink tea."

  Adam smiled. "Only the professions were similar. This man was not as kind as Doc to even his fellow humans, and it was quite difficult to infiltrate his estate and rescue the she-wolf. I'm afraid I had to bite the man's arm off when he attempted to shoot us with a pistol full of silver bullets."

  My face dropped and my eyes widened. "Seriously?"

  He chuckled. "Seriously."

  I frowned and buried myself deeper in my coat. "How come you're telling me the cool stories when I don't even have a pen and pencil with me?" I grumbled.

  Adam leaned down and nuzzled the back of my ear. "To distract you from the cold," he teased.

  He just had to remind me, especially when the storm outside took a turn for the worse. A gust of wind blew past the opening to our little stone sanctuary and the flames of warmth flickered in the fire pit. I shivered and scooted closer to him. "Bad timing," I told him.

  "So it seems." He began to remove his shirt, and I leaned away and blinked at him.

  "I think it's even worse timing for that," I commented.

  "This is the perfect time," he countered.

  I leaned close to him and raised an eyebrow. "I don't mph-" A large clump of fur sprouted from the smooth skin on his side and I received a face-full of the fluffy stuff. I pressed my hands against the fluffy fur to tame it and leaned back to spit out a few hairs that were lodged in my mouth. "You could have warned me."

  He chuckled. "This was much more amusing." I rolled my eyes and snuggled up against his fur as compensation. A memory came to mind that made me giggle through my chattering teeth. "Are you doing well?" Adam asked me. He sounded like he was worried about my mental well-being.

  I waved off his concerns. "I'm fine, I was just remembering that story Doc told me about you getting electrocuted at his place. I'm really glad your fur doesn't smell singed."

  "I would be glad to make you thankful for many other things about me," he teased.

  A sly smile slipped onto my lips. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing." I raised myself a few inches and captured his lips into a warm, sensual kiss. His arms wrapped around me and my entire body reveled in the feel of his soft fur tickling my neck. My hands grasped his fur and my fingers tangled in the thick, luxurious tendrils of hair.

  After a moment Adam pulled away and his teasing eyes gazed down at me. "You know, we only just met a few weeks ago," he reminded me.

  I grinned. "Really? It feels like we've known each other forever." We leaned toward each other and our lips locked in another passionate, demanding kiss. My body warmed to his touch. I felt on fire as I was engulfed in the feeling of him against me. My only thoughts were to tear off my clothes and let him have his way with me.

  Adam yanked his head away so fast my face fell flat against his furry chest. I sputtered and freed myself from his fur, and glared up at him. "If you didn't want to kiss you could have-"

  "Shh," Adam whispered. His voice and face were strained, and he leaned one pointy ear toward the entrance to the cave.

  "What is it?" I whispered.

  "Voices," he explained.

  He pulled away from me and crawled to the opening. A light skiff of snow lay on the ground, and he scooped a handful and doused the fire with the cool water. The cave went dark and I tried not to breath as I listened for the voices that I almost hoped were in his head.

  I heard them. Two voices. They were far-off, but getting closer. A large dog howled and another joined. Footsteps crunched in the falling snow. Adam had returned to the opening, and I slunk up beside him. We had a good view of the rock pile beneath us, and fifty yards through the trees we glimpsed a couple of tall, ungainly shapes with lithe dog-like shapes beside them.

  "Ah told you Ah heard somethin', and the dogs have found somethin'," a voice spoke up. There was a distinct twang that warned me this wasn't a rescue party. This was the Owens brothers with a couple of dogs.

  "Maybe yer just getting paranormal, Clem," the other figure, who I deduced was Clyde, retorted.

  "That's paranoid, ya idiot," Clem snarled.

  "Well, whatever it is yer it because Ah don't see nothing around here except snow," Clyde growled.

  "And ya think the dogs found just snow?" Clem countered.

  "Maybe they found a skunk. We could use some more of that scent."

  "They don't howl with skunks, ya idiot, now get pushing through these damn bushes." Clem shoved Clyde ahead of him.

  I let out a small yelp when Adam grabbed the scruff of my coat and pulled me deeper into the cave. He stared me straight in the eyes and I noticed his eyes held a distinct yellow color to them. "I will lead them away, and when they've gone you return to the trail and follow it back to the dam."

  "I will," I promised.

  He smiled and clasped my chin in his hand. I noticed it was more claw than human hand now. His thumb stroked my cheek. "Be safe."

  "You, too," I insisted.

  Adam nodded and slunk from the cave. He scurried down the rocky slope and was as quiet as an elephant in a bubble wrap factory. At the bottom he tilted back his head and le
t out a piercing howl. The dogs loosed their own howls and bolted forward, dragging their owners with them on their leashes.

  "What the hell's gotten into you mutts?" Clem yelled at them.

  Adam took off leftward and in a moment the brothers and dogs broke through the brush and trees. The dogs were large rottweiler-doberman mixes. Saliva dripped from their large mouths and they bared their teeth in hideous growls. The hounds put their noses to the ground and caught Adam's scent at the bottom of the rocks. They yanked the brothers after Adam, and in a moment everyone had disappeared.

  I waited until the noises died to nothing and made my way down the slope with my backpack on my back. The snow fell around me in large, soft clumps of wetness. I hit the end of the rocks and raced into the trees following the trail blazed by Adam and the brothers. In a few minutes I stumbled onto the snow-covered ATV road. The brothers' vehicles sat in front of me with baskets for their dogs.

  I barely had time to notice there were three ATVs when a shadow leapt from the trees on my left and grabbed me. The figure clapped their dirty hand over my mouth and the smell of chemicals wafted into my nostrils. "Don't move or I'll snap your neck," the voice, a man's, growled. His free hand wandered over my waist and at my sides. He tore off my backpack and pushed me to the ground beside the ATVs.

  I had my first good look at him and had no idea who he was. He was about forty with spectacles on his thin, long nose. His dark hair was slicked back and his heavy clothes were spotted with stains. He rummaged through my bag, keeping one eye on me and one eye on what he was doing. When he was finished he tossed the bag into the brush and stood over me.

  "No badge or gun, so who are you?"

  I crawled backward until my back hit one of the vehicles. "J-just a hiker," I told him.

  He leaned down at stared at me with beady, unblinking eyes. "Hiking in the middle of winter?" he pointed out.

  I shrugged. "We-I didn't know it would snow," I replied. The slip made him raise an eyebrow.

  "'We?' How many of there are you?" he questioned me.

  "Just me, but I thought I saw two other guys around here. They had some dog, and I thought they were hikers, too," I replied.

  He grabbed my arm in a tight grasp and yanked me to my feet. "You're a worse liar than those idiot brothers, but I'll get you to talk." He pulled me to farthest ATV, but I struggled in his grasp.

  "What are you doing? Let me go!" I demanded.

  The man pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it against my nose and mouth. I barely had time to comprehend it was chloroform before the world went black.

  Chapter 10

  I knew nothing until a hand whacked me across one cheek. I started awake and my bleary eyes registered I was no longer on the path. My surroundings now consisted of a wooden shack made of slabs of clapboards. In front of me was the thin door, and on my left was a kitchen of sorts with a wooden counter and sink. On the right were three cots. There was only a single window on each wall, and a weak light bulb hung from the ceiling above me. I sat on a chair with my hands tied behind the back.

  Two feet in front of me stood a backward facing chair, and in the chair sat the stranger. On either side of him stood the brothers, and their slimy smirks told me the bespectacled guy was the least of my worries. One of the brothers stepped around the chair and leaned into my face with his own.

  "She's a perdy little thing, ain't she?" he commented. His breath could have stunned a yak. For me it only caused bile to climb my throat and I turned my face away from him.

  "Get yer dumb face out of hers, Clyde," Clem ordered his brother.

  Clyde glanced over his shoulder and sneered at him. "Why don't you get yer dumb face out of here and see if you can't find that scent that got away?"

  The stranger sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Quiet, both of you," he ordered them. They continued to scowl at each other, but shut up. The stranger turned his attention to me. "You said you weren't alone, but my-shall we say, partners followed another trail. Where is your companion?"

  I shrugged. "I don't know. He left me."

  "Ah told you there was somebody. It's probably that feller who lives near her," Clem hissed at Clyde.

  "Why did he leave you?" the stranger continued.

  "He got scared by the dogs," I replied.

  "You're lying again," the stranger scolded me.

  "How can ya tell, Mark?" Clyde asked the stranger.

  Mark rolled his eyes. "Because she doesn't look at me when she's lying, that's why."

  "Ooh, that's pretty neat," Clyde chuckled.

  Mark returned his attention to me. "What were you two doing in the woods?" he questioned me.

  This one was craftier than the other two, though that wasn't exactly a compliment. I'd need to answer truthfully, and yet not. "Hiking. My companion's a wolf and he wanted a really long walk," I replied.

  "A wolf?" Mark repeated.

  "He's a hiking wolf," I commented.

  Mark raised an eyebrow. "You were hiking with a tame wolf in this weather?" he countered.

  I shrugged. "I would've liked a nice summer day, but the weather didn't want to cooperate."

  "You're trying to obfuscate. Tell me why you and your 'wolf' were in the woods. Was it because you were following the ATV trail?" he persisted.

  "It's either that or the brush," I quipped.

  Mark ground his teeth together. "I'm asking you for the last time: why were you out here?"

  "Hiking," I answered.

  Mark narrowed his eyes and jerked his head to the two brothers. "You want me to let these imbeciles have their way with you?" The two imbeciles perked up at the thought of getting a hold of me. "Believe me when I tell you you don't want me to do that. The consequences would be most. . .tragic." My mind came up with a lot of horrible images, but none of them came to pass because a red-colored light bulb over the front door blinked. Mark turned in his chair and scowled at the light. "Someone's in the compounds. Go check it out," he ordered the brothers.

  "Clem, you check it out. Ah'll stay here," Clyde offered.

  "Hell no am Ah leaving ya with all the fun. You go, ya idiot," Clem insisted.

  "He told yato go."

  "No, he said go check it out, so you go."

  "No, you!"

  "You!"

  "Enough!" Mark stood and slid his chair at the boys. It knocked into their legs and caught their attention. "I will go with the dogs. You two idiots stay here with the girl, but don't touch her until I get back," he commanded them.

  Clyde furrowed his brow. "What are we supposed to do with her?" he asked Mark.

  "I don't know, feed her or something, just don't let her go," Mark insisted. He stomped from the room and slammed the door shut behind him. In a few moments I heard the bay of the hounds, and the noise receded.

  The brothers glanced between each other and me. "So what do we do with her?" Clyde wondered.

  Clem shrugged. "Ah don't know. He took all the fun outta staying here by telling us we couldn't touch her."

  While the two brothers tried to figure out what to do with me my mind and eyes furiously worked at an escape plan. I allowed my gaze to wander over the room, and my eyes fell on a cast-iron frying pan sitting on the stove. A brilliantly devious idea hit me, and I returned my attention to the brothers.

  "Hey, boys," I cooed to the arguing brothers. My sultry voice caught their attention and they turned their eager eyes on me. I batted my eyelashes and smiled at them. "You could untie me and let me cook for you."

  Clyde shook his head. "No sir, Mark told us not to let you go."

  "Oh, but you wouldn't be letting me go. You'd just be untying me. Besides, I'd really like to get out of these wet clothes." I pushed my chest out for ample effect and strained against the ropes that chafed my wrists. "Of course, if you don't have any spare clothes I could make you some nice dinner in my underwear."

  The boys couldn't climb over each other fast enough to get at the ropes around my wrists. In a thrice I
was free, but in the process I was pawed by their greasy hands. I slipped from their over-eager grasps to stand between the kitchen and the door, and tried not to shudder.

  Clem, who appeared to be the smarter of the two idiots, frowned and his eyes flickered between me and the front door. "Ya better not think about escaping," he growled.

  I wiggled my finger in front of them and stepped backward toward the kitchen. "Now, now, don't be suspicious, boys. I'm just going to get the food cooking and I'll get these clothes off."

  "And it better be good, or else," Clyde threatened me.

  "Oh, it'll be good," I promised. I grasped the frying pan and glanced around. The salt and pepper sat on the makeshift counter two feet from me. "Could you boys pass me the salt and pepper?"

  The brothers pushed and shoved their way to me, eager to assist so I would disrobe myself. Clyde reached the counter first and grabbed the pepper. Clem caught the salt in his hand. They presented them to me with wide, proud grins. I rewarded them with a whack across their faces with the frying pan. Their heads made distinct gonging sounds and they dropped to the floor still wearing those stupid grins.

  "I've decided I'm not hungry," I quipped.

  I grabbed my bag by my chair, hurried to the front door and peeked outside. Night had fallen and the snow had stopped. I slunk down a few creaky stairs and glanced around. The area around the wood house was a compound of sorts measuring fifty-by-fifty square yards. There was no fencing, but the thick brush provided natural protection. In front of me was a field of tall marijuana plants hidden from view by tall, ancient pine trees left standing to block any prying eyes from helicopters or mountain tops. Hot, glowing lights stood on tall posts and shined down on the tall, green-colored crop. The lights above the crop melted the snow and kept the plants alive in the snowy weather.

  I glanced left and right. To the left was a large, empty kennel with dog houses, and to the right stood a power pole. On the pole was a fuse box and judging by the sounds the hot lights used a lot of electricity. I pondered for a moment about wrecking the box and their crop when the lights went out, but beyond the pole lay the ATV road along with the three vehicles parked close by. The road disappeared behind the right side of the field, and that was my ticket to safety.