by Zoe Chant
Bunny or not, she’d make them regret that.
She was a little out of breath by the time the wolf’s trail crossed the trails of other wolves. There’d been several of them.
An entire pack of werewolves, she thought as the urgency in her grew. What is a werewolf pack doing here? And what does Desmond have to do with it?
There would be time to figure all of that out once she had found him. Once he was safe. Because by now, she was certain that he was in danger. She could not say how she knew, but the pull within her heart was growing stronger. At the same time, she felt that she was getting closer.
Be strong, mate, she whispered into the wind.
Then she slowed a little. She was crossing another field. The green stalks that grew in regular rows were high enough to hide her―and yet, her sensitive nose told her that wolves had passed by not long ago, and had not left the area. The air stank of them, and her heart was pounding with fear. Still, she made herself move onward.
Her brown fur was perfect camouflage in the fields. And if the werewolves had set a watch, they were probably not looking for rabbits. But even if the wolves had no idea that she was a shifter, she had no desire to attract their attention. After all, they might just as well decide that a rabbit would make a nice snack before dinner.
In front of her, she could now make out a building. An old barn, situated in the midst of the fields, not far from the river―but far from the road. Had the wolves chosen the barn as their lair? Lisa knew the fields well. They'd recently been sold, since the old couple that owned the farm they belonged to had grown too old for the hard work, and their only son had chosen a job in the city instead.
She wasn't quite sure who had bought the place, but she doubted it was the werewolves. Gossip spread quickly, and her mother would have called her weeks ago if there had been any newcomers to their small community. No, it was far more likely that the new owner of the fields was too busy to check on the barn, and the wolves had taken over meanwhile.
Lisa’s nose twitched again. Slowly, she moved closer. The scent of wolf was nearly overpowering. The air here tasted of danger, of sharp claws and cruel eyes and the metallic tang of blood.
But even though her heart was racing with instinctive fear, she crept ever closer, determined and stubborn. Her mate was in there. She could feel it. Desmond was inside, and he needed her help. And she'd be damned if she let a band of werewolf lawbreakers terrorize her home and harm her mate.
When she made it to the barn at last, she realized that this was the backside of the building. There was no entrance to be seen, only windows high up, where the bunny could not reach.
Carefully, she made it around a corner, ever ready to duck behind some of the trash that rested against the walls of the barn. She was just contemplating whether she dared to make it around the next corner as well when a loud crash warned her that someone was waiting there.
Were the werewolves all gathered here? Or had they only left a guard at the door?
There was no time to worry. A voice angrily called out a curse, and then the sound of boots crushing gravel warned her that someone was approaching.
To her left, where the wall met the ground, she saw a little burrow. She pressed herself into it, praying it would be deep enough to hide from the eyes of someone who was on the lookout for men and not rabbits.
Her heart was still racing, all the instincts of the bunny telling her to play dead.
But also… Her nose twitched. The earth in front of her paws was dry and loose. Perfect for burrowing deeper into.
Again she listened. There was still shouting, but the sound of the steps had stopped.
She began to dig.
She worked quickly. Earth piled up behind her as her paws worked relentlessly. Instinct and fear took over now, and even though Lisa had spent most of her life ignoring her inner bunny and had never burrowed like this before, it was as though her legs knew what to do even when she didn’t.
It took only a few minutes until she was completely beneath the wall. She could hear the wood creak above her; the barn was old, and the wood had split here. The gap wasn’t large enough to allow her to slip through, but a few more minutes of digging should allow her to pass beneath it.
Then, a loud bang came from the inside.
She flinched and pressed herself against the earth, ears flat against her body, trembling with instinctive fear. For a long moment, there was silence. She kept waiting. Then there were voices―an argument drifting her way through the gap in the wall.
“Better hope your Council buddies agree,” someone growled. “Cause I’m damn hungry, and if we aren’t gonna have lamb tonight, bear sounds just as good to me.”
Another man laughed. Lisa’s nose twitched again. Wolves. She could smell them: aggression and fangs and cruel yellow eyes, a scent that ran through her like a shock and whispered flee.
She forced herself to remain. She could feel that Desmond was close. The pull on her heart was even stronger now, as though all she had to do was reach out to touch him. And the werewolves had mentioned a bear. Desmond had to be inside the barn!
“I need a drink,” another man whined. “Come on. Boss makes us wait with this asshole and goes out to have fun? That’s not fair! The bear’s all locked up. He’s not going to fly away.”
“Shut up,” the first werewolf hissed back. “If Carter hears you, he’ll make you watch him all night.”
“Fuck him. Hey, there was some whiskey in the truck. You watch this asshole, I’ll be back in a minute.”
Slowly, Lisa inched forward. If she pressed herself as tightly as she could into the hole she had dug, she could see a small part of the inside through the gap in the wall. She couldn’t see Desmond―but there was one of the werewolves, tall and with shaggy, black hair, scowling at someone she couldn’t see.
“Like hell you will. I know you, asshole. You go out, you won’t be back, and I’ll be stuck here watching that bastard on my own.”
“So?” the other guy said. “Come along and get a drink yourself then. I ain't your nanny.”
She watched the shifter turn and glare at something out of her view.
“Maybe I will, yeah,” he said. “It’s not like our bear can do any harm in the cage.”
The other werewolf chuckled nastily. “Bet he’d like a drink too. Maybe you’ll get one before Carter shoots you!” he called out.
His friend laughed in response while Lisa felt terror grip her.
They had Desmond, and they wanted to kill him. What was going on here? How had Desmond even come to be involved with a pack of werewolves?
No, ask questions later, she told herself resolutely, forcing back the fear once more.
She waited until the two shifters had left. As soon as she heard the barn door fall shut, she resumed her digging, burrowing beneath the wall. The smell of the earth was comforting. Dark and a little musty, it spoke of safety and warmth to her bunny, and for the first time, Lisa felt a wave of gratefulness wash through her for this gift she’d been given.
Maybe it wasn’t the most practical animal to turn into for a woman running her own farm―but it certainly was damn useful now!
When she finally made it out on the other side, the view that met her quickly killed any feeling of accomplishment.
There was her mate―but they had locked him into a cage. Desmond stood gripping the iron bars, facing away from her, and even though she was small enough as a bunny that she’d be easily able to slip inside, that ability wouldn’t help him escape.
Outside, she could now hear a voice drunkenly shout a song. Then someone turned on a radio.
The barn was still empty. Her nose revealed only the scent of her and Desmond, and so she hurried towards the cage and then shifted in front of his eyes.
He stared at her, his eyes wide in surprise. She could see his fingers turning white as they clenched around the bars, but he didn’t make a single sound to give them away.
She wanted to scold him for ge
tting into this mess. She wanted to demand answers.
Instead, she pushed herself against the bars and wrapped her arms around him, and then she kissed him, desperately, hungrily. After a moment, she felt his arms come around her as well. He was warm against her naked body. The terrible pull on her heart was finally gone, replaced by the warmth of being reunited with her mate, an emptiness in her soul she hadn’t even been aware of now filled by the touch of his soul.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he whispered insistently as soon as they parted. “You have to hide, quickly! They’re dangerous.”
“I know.” She looked over her shoulder at the door. There was still music and the sound of laughter coming from outside. “We need to get you out of here. What the hell did you do? No, wait, no time for that. Is there a key for the cage?”
Desmond gritted his teeth and shook his head. “Greg has it. The tall one; long, dark hair. But he’s dangerous. Stay away, Lisa. Help is coming. It’s just blackmail; the Council is involved, and I’m sure that I’ll be out soon.”
“Just blackmail?” Lisa repeated in disbelief and then fell silent when the drunk singing picked up again outside. “Never mind. Stay silent. I’ll see if I can find those keys.”
“Lisa―”
Desmond reached out for her, but there was no time now for an argument. If there was something she’d learned while taking care of a herd of ponies and stubborn, bullheaded sheep, then it was that sometimes, you had to do what needed to be done and save the arguing for later, after all catastrophes were averted.
I wish our werewolves were weresheep, she thought and then grinned. Though weresheep probably wouldn’t have kidnapped my mate. Unless it’s to ransom him for access to more pastures…
She shifted quickly and hurried towards the door, her strong legs propelling her through the room in a few, fast jumps. Then she pressed herself against the wall once more, motionless as she listened. The singing had dropped off in volume, but the voices were noticeably slurred now.
She went back out through the hole she had dug. Desmond was still frantically gesturing at her to stay away, but she ignored it. It wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid. She was, in fact, completely terrified.
But she couldn’t abandon her mate to a pack of werewolves. And she had the advantage of being small and swift.
There’s nothing to fear as long as they don't notice me, she told herself as she slowly moved forward, staying close to the wall of the barn. Outside, the wind brought her more sensory information: the stink of the werewolves, the sharp fumes of alcohol, crushed grass and cigarettes. They were still shouting along to a song on the radio, and she used the noise to cover her approach.
When she peeked around the corner, she saw them sitting in front of the building, leaning against the side of a car from which the music was coming. They had a nearly empty bottle between them. She couldn’t see anyone else, although the entire place reeked of wolves.
Which meant that this was a chance she had to take. It might be her only chance. Right now, all she had to face was two drunk shifters. Better odds than one lone rabbit against an entire pack of werewolves…
She crept forward. She approached from the side, her heart pounding like a drum as she took step after step towards the wolves. The two shifters were still singing, although they stopped every now and then to drunkenly shout obscenities at the barn.
Every time, Lisa hastened forward another few steps. All the wolves had to do was look around―there was no high grass here for her to hide in. The yard in front of the barn offered her only dark gravel and spots of dry, dusty earth. With the color of her fur, she blended in easily―but that would not help her if the werewolves turned and looked.
Fortunately, they were too busy with what remained in their bottle, and Lisa breathed a sigh of relief when at last she had made it into the shadow behind one of the car’s tires.
Once more she gathered all her courage, and then she moved forward beneath the car.
She could see the keys from here. There, right in front of her, was a simple ring with three small keys on it, resting close to the bottle next to one of the wolves.
She gulped. There was only one thing for her to do now. But that meant moving so close that they’d be able to touch her. So close that even with her speed, she wouldn’t be able to escape. All they had to do was look down…
If I make just one sound, it will all be over, she realized with a shudder.
The senses of her bunny once more screamed flight―but she forced herself to move forward, step after step, putting down her paws carefully so she wouldn’t disturb even a single pebble beneath the car.
She paused beneath the hood. There was the key. An arm’s length away…
Now or never, she thought. This is the best chance I’ll get. And this is my home, not theirs. I won’t let a pack of werewolves move in and bully us!
She thought of Lancelot proudly knocking out a werewolf with a single kick and found herself grinning at the memory, her small mouth opening to show her bunny’s strong teeth.
If a pony can take out a werewolf, then a bunny can damn well outwit two of the lot!
Slowly she inched forward from beneath the car. The two shifters were still shouting along to the lyrics. One of them kept kicking pebbles against the wall of the barn. They clattered onto the ground, hiding any sound Lisa might make, but she still took care to move as silently as possible.
It felt like an eternity until she was finally in reach of the small ring of keys. Her heart was beating so loudly that she felt it vibrate through her entire body. Certainly the werewolves would hear her any moment now. Everything would be over if they looked down…
Lisa opened her mouth and closed it around the metal ring.
The station chose that exact moment to fall silent. Lisa thought her heart would stop along with the song. She waited, so terrified she could barely think… And then a new song started up with a loud boom from the car’s boxes.
“Yeah!” one of the werewolves shouted and punched the air. “Fuck the Council! This place is ours now!”
Lisa used the moment to quickly scurry back, the shifter’s shouting masking the sounds the keys made as she dragged them back. Once she was back in the shadows behind the tire, she paused, her heart nearly bursting from relief and fright.
She made herself breathe deeply and slowly. She couldn’t fail now, not when she had almost made it.
Again she waited, her pulse echoing loudly in her ears. Then the slurred singing started up again, and one of the men banged onto the hood in time to the beat.
She clenched her teeth around the keys once more and then bolted out from the back of the car, not stopping until she had made it back around the corner of the barn. She waited for a shout, for the sound of men―or worse, paws―racing after her across the gravel.
But everything was silent, except for the noise of the radio and the wolves trying to sing along.
I’ve made it. I’ve really made it, she thought, and only now realized that she was trembling. Almost done. Wait for me, Desmond. Don’t make a sound now.
Chapter Ten
Desmond
Desmond tightened his fingers around the bars and pulled until his muscles protested―but it was no use. The bars didn’t give.
“Damn it,” he cursed softly.
It had been bad enough to be locked up here when he knew that Lisa was all alone out on her farm with no idea that there were werewolves nearby. But having Lisa here with him, and worse, being forced to watch helplessly as she went out to go after the wolves with no weapon and no protection…
There was a soft rustle in the corner of the barn.
He watched with bated breath. After a moment, a small bunny peeked into the barn―and it carried a small ring of keys in its mouth.
He opened his mouth in joyful disbelief, but then clenched his teeth together. They had to stay silent. Any sound could give them away. Then, before his eyes, Lisa shifted, and he exhaled when he saw t
he familiar, beloved form in front of him once more: her sexy curves half hidden by the gloom of the barn, her hair long enough to brush the luscious breasts.
She blushed a little and looked at the door―but the door stayed closed. He could still hear dull strains of music played somewhere outside.
She hastened towards his cage. Impatiently, he watched as she tried one key, then another.
There was a clicking sound, and the door sprung open.
“Quick,” she whispered and pulled him out.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight for one terrified, relieved moment. She was safe. She was alive, and with him. No matter what, he’d protect her. He’d protect her with his own life.
“You have to go,” he whispered back. “Go back out through the hole and run back home.”
She frowned. “No way. I’m not leaving you.”
“Please. Don’t argue, not now,” he said and gave the door another nervous look. “There’s an entire pack of werewolves nearby. And their alpha could be back any moment. He locked me up to use as a hostage. I don’t plan on staying, but―”
“Damn,” Lisa cursed softly when she realized that he was right. “You can’t escape through the hole with me.”
“I promise I don’t want to be here,” Desmond murmured. “Believe me; I only went along with them because they said they’d leave you alone. But now that I know you’re safe―”
“What, you’re going to fight an entire werewolf pack on your own?” Lisa gave him a disbelieving look. “What’s this all about, anyway?”
Desmond took a deep breath. Time for the truth. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know―later. But I came here to deal with them. I work for the Council―the Council of Shifters. You’ve heard of them?”
Lisa shook her head. “After my grandparents died, we didn’t have anything to do with other shifters.”
“It’s sort of like a shifter government,” Desmond began to explain. “Anyway, this gang is a really bad lot. Wherever they go, they cause chaos and destruction. Livestock vanishing, shops robbed… and people wind up hurt. So I’m supposed to take their alpha in for questioning and trial.”