Harlequin Nocturne March 2014 Bundle: ShadowmasterRunning with Wolves

by Susan Krinard

  “Oh, my God! How is that possible?”

  “It’s the Gauliacho. They’ve found us.”

  Chapter 11

  They ran out of the chamber and had just cleared the rocks outside the cave’s entrance when Shay heard the crack of a gunshot. A piece of the rock flew into the air, barely missing her. A wave of fear slammed into her. She scurried to the edge of the clearing toward Jason. Another shot came dangerously close. She hurried down the hill following after him as fast as she could with Buddy right on her heels.

  “Change!” Jason demanded, disappearing into the thicket.

  “Change?” Just like that? She couldn’t. She ran after him. He must have heard the hesitation in her voice, for, as she passed a fairly large tree, he was standing on the other side waiting for her.

  “You can do it,” he said, taking her hand.

  “I know I can. I just don’t know...how.”

  “Focus. Concentrate.”

  A twig snapped off to the right. “Jason, those men were shooting at us.”

  “I know. You need to hurry.”

  She turned and saw a man in the distance coming toward them. Abatu or wolf? She didn’t see a gun, so she had to assume Abatu. “Jason,” she warned as panic crawled through her.

  “It’s okay, Shay. Take off your clothes and close your eyes. I’ve got you.”

  Take off her clothes? Feeling extremely vulnerable but knowing she had no choice, she did as he said, quickly looking around her as she stripped out of her clothes. The Abatu’s footsteps were getting closer. She pushed aside her fear and the overwhelming instinct to run and instead put her trust in Jason’s words, in the strength in his tone, in the security in his touch.

  “Focus on your heartbeat right here.” He placed his hand over hers and then rested it on her chest. “Focus on the breath filling your lungs and then leaving your mouth. Think about last night. About how it felt to run through the trees, the cool night air against your face, the scent of the forest deep in your nose.”

  She did as he asked, letting his soothing voice wash over her.

  “Think about all those things. Picture them in your mind and then run.” She opened her eyes and then, hand in hand, they started running down the hill. She focused on the blood racing through her body, on the breath rushing through her mouth, on the forest around her. And soon, she wasn’t thinking about her nudity or about the Abatu behind them, or even about the man with his gun. She was running on all four legs, loping through the forest, a feeling of exaltation bursting through her chest.

  With Buddy next to her, she followed Jason, giving a joyous bark as they brushed their faces against each other. Soon the sounds and the scents of the forest overwhelmed her and she no longer thought about why they were running or where they were going. All she could see was the beauty surrounding her and the multitude of hiding places for all the different kinds of burrowing animals, animals she wanted to chase and catch and eat.

  In the distance she heard the rush of water. Compelled, she wanted to run toward it, to jump in and see what she could find. The scent was intoxicating. She started to turn, to run that way when suddenly Jason was by her side, nipping at her neck, pushing her forward, keeping her on the path. Right. Yes. For a wonderfully blissful moment, she’d forgotten about everything but the forest around her. And for that brief time, everything had been perfect.

  For a long time, she ran next to Jason down the mountain. After a while, they stopped near a river and took a long drink from the crystal-clear, icy water. It tasted wonderful and soothed her raspy throat. But before she could finish drinking, something quick and dark skirted past her, brushing against her skin.

  A shadow. Her nerves tensed, her heart quickened. It was only a shadow, but was it? No. It moved, a cloud of darkness, darting through the trees. The sound of the wind, pulling at the bushes and rustling the leaves, changed, turning into the echo of a whisper. A chanting that raised the hair on her skin. Low voices in discord, all saying the same thing.

  Abomination. Abomination.

  Fear, dark and menacing, grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. Shay turned to Jason. Anxiety had his lips quivering, his snarl low in his throat. She whimpered, but before they could move, two men stepped into the clearing. Immediately, Buddy started barking, but the men still continued forward.

  Buddy lunged toward them. One of the men rushed forward and kicked him viciously out of the way. Buddy flew against a tree and landed in a heap below it. Instinct taking over, she sprang forward, hurling herself at the man. He kicked at her, too, but missed. She lunged, leaping for his neck.

  He grabbed hold of her, trying to wrap his arms around her, to squeeze her like the other had done Jason, but she snapped at him, feeling her canines rip into his skin, tasting his blood as it seeped into her mouth. She wouldn’t let him get his arms around her. She saw what had almost happened to Jason before. She fought with even more ferocity, twisting this way and that, when burning pain sliced through her side.

  She yelped and fell to the ground, licking her wound. The man came at her again, a bloody knife in his hand, a demonic smile on his face. She turned to Jason, but he was savagely fighting off the other man. She wanted to scream but all she could manage was a bark and whimper. He couldn’t help her any more than she could help him.

  She struggled to her feet, watching the man come toward her with the knife, trying to think of a plan. But she couldn’t think. Couldn’t focus. He wanted to kill her. He would kill her, if she let him. They circled round, him stepping forward, her stepping backward, only to lunge forward and snap at his feet. If she could get her jaw around his Achilles tendon, if she could bring him down, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

  He pivoted, a move she didn’t see coming. Pain shot through her shoulder. It was a shallow wound, but he came at her again. This time, she jumped up, throwing all her body weight into him, knocking him off balance. He faltered and she lunged again. No holding back. No thinking as she went for his neck.

  He threw up his hands to guard his face, the bloody knife still clutched within his grasp. He thrashed it back and forth, trying to stab her. She couldn’t get the upper hand. From out of nowhere Buddy came rushing forward and bit down on his leg. The man screamed, flailing out with the knife. She bit his arm, wrenching with her razor sharp teeth, and tore into his skin. The knife flew out of his hand.

  Before she could move, Jason was there; his steel-trap jaws locked around the Abatu’s thick neck. Not taking any chances, she ran toward the knife, picked it up between her teeth and turned back to Jason. He stood watching her, her attacker lying on the ground, not moving.

  Jason turned and ran. She and Buddy were close behind him. They were a good ways away from the men when she finally dropped the knife from her mouth. The cuts and bruises she’d sustained hurt, but not enough to stop her or even slow her down. She wouldn’t think about those men, about what they’d done to them or the salty taste of blood in her mouth.

  Or the black shadow that had raced by her, preceding the attack. She knew on some instinctual level what it had been, what had finally come through the walls. What had led the Abatu to them.

  The Gauliacho.

  After a while, Jason slowed. He stopped by a large redwood with an opening within and slipped inside. A second later, he came back out and stood in front of it, gesturing for her to go in. She and Buddy went inside the hollow. Jason whimpered and she had the impression he wanted her to stay put. She dropped to the ground and placed her head on top of her tired paws. Buddy followed suit.

  She watched until Jason disappeared into the trees then closed her eyes and tried to listen to the sounds around her. His soft footfalls could barely be heard above the racket of the birds in the trees and the cacophony of insects. But she could smell his fear, his sense of frustration and sadness. A low keening wail escaped her lips. Buddy
pushed himself against her, and she dropped her head once again. By loving her, by saving her, Jason had risked so much.

  After a while he returned. He stood before her, naked and beautiful with the last of the sun’s rays shining on his beautiful body. She looked up at him and knew in that instant that she wanted to spend a lot more time with him, getting to know him. All of him. He had done so much for her, had risked everything just to save her. She walked out from the hollow and approached him. His large, warm hand brushed the top of her head.

  “It’s all right. We’re alone. You can change back now.”

  She focused on his touch, on the warmth of his hand on her head, and remembered what it had felt like on her skin. Touching her. Caressing her. And then she was standing in front of him, wishing he’d touch her again.

  He pulled her into his arms and ran a gentle touch along the shallow knife wounds on her shoulder and her side. “You’re hurt.”

  “They’re not bad.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You keep saying that but it’s not your fault.”

  “I just wish all this was over and that you were home in The Colony and safe.”

  She smiled, trying to imagine it. Trying to imagine being home with him. As they reached the truck, he walked forward and she couldn’t help watching the strong line of his back, down to his incredibly well-defined butt. No man should look that good. He crouched behind the back bumper and pulled a hide-a-key box out from beneath the truck bed. Soon the door was open and he was rummaging in the backseat for a T-shirt, shorts and a pair of boxers. He handed her her duffel.

  “The last of my clothes,” he said. “I’ve lost a lot more clothes than I’d expected to on this trip.” He quickly dressed, covering that gorgeous body. She sighed, sorry to see it go, but as he said, they would be at The Colony soon enough. A hot shower and his bed was definitely something she was looking forward to. She pulled on a T-shirt then slipped into a pair of jeans. She was getting low on clothes herself.

  “Would it be too much if I mentioned I was starving? It seems to be a constant state these days.”

  He smiled as Buddy barked in agreement. “Sorry, no place to grab something to eat between here and The Colony.”

  She reached into the back and scooped a handful of dog food out of the bag and into Buddy’s bowl. Buddy devoured it instantly. “How long till we get there?” she asked, giving Buddy another scoop of dry food.

  “Shouldn’t be too long. Depends how many more complications we run into.” He put the truck into gear and headed back out across the meadow toward the dirt road.

  “I’m not sure I can take any more complications,” she said truthfully.

  He looked at her, his gorgeous pale eyes locking on to her and causing a quickening in her chest. “You’ve been...great.”

  They sat in silence as the truck barreled over the uneven ground. Shay held tight to the handle above the door to keep her teeth from rattling. Then very slowly became aware of a heavy sensation pushing down against her chest. Pushing so hard she was having trouble catching her breath.

  Wide-eyed, she turned to Jason. “What’s happening?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, turning to her, looking all relaxed, like he didn’t have a care in the world. But she knew better. The oppressive sensation of anxiety was rolling off him and onto her with such force that she felt as if she might be pushed through the truck’s floorboard.

  “Why are you so afraid?” she asked. “After everything we’ve already been through, what else could happen to us?”

  He stared at her for a moment, his gaze examining her face before his eyes widened with surprise. “You can feel my emotions that strongly?”

  “I’ve never felt you so afraid. And I’ve never felt your emotions...physically. In here.” She touched her chest. “Just tell me what’s going on,” she insisted.

  “Yes, it’s true I’m worried, but there isn’t anything we can do about it until after we talk to your grandparents.”

  “Will they help us?”

  “I’m not sure. I just hope they’ll understand.”

  “About?”

  “About us.”

  “Of course they’ll understand. How could they not?”

  He smiled. “Exactly.”

  She still didn’t understand, and he still hadn’t told her much, but after a moment the uncomfortable tension dissipated and she relaxed. “How much of my emotions can you feel?”

  “Not a lot,” he admitted. “Only when you’re highly stressed or emotional do the feelings break through.”

  “Are you highly stressed, then?”

  He looked at her, his eyes thoughtful. “No. Not really. Not enough for you to have noticed them. You might be extra sensitive.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know. Some people are. There’s no reasoning. You are part human. That will make you different. As we grow closer and spend more time together, this connection between us will strengthen.”

  “I’m not sure I like the sound of that,” she admitted.

  “For me, it was the hardest transition to make. Knowing I wouldn’t be able to hide my feelings from the person I was connected to. It is a loss of privacy. But I learned how to block it, and you can, too. I’ll show you.”

  “Is that what you’re doing with me now? Are you blocking your feelings?”

  He hesitated then admitted softly, “Yes.”

  “Then perhaps you should tell me what you are so worried about. Who was shooting at us and why? I don’t remember the Abatu having guns but those men you were talking to did.”

  “They work for Malcolm. I knew Malcolm sometimes crossed the line in his pursuit for power, but I never dreamed he’d go this far. Shooting at us goes against every tenet of the pack. We have rules against this. Extreme rules. If what they did was discovered, all those involved would be banned from The Colony and not allowed back in.”

  “Where would they go?”

  “Out here. To the outside world.”

  “But the demons...”

  “Exactly. That’s why we take our laws very seriously. We don’t last long out of The Colony on our own.”

  “And that’s what happened to my dad? He was sent away?”

  Jason turned to her, his eyes heavy with sadness. “He chose to leave. But knew that once he married your mom, he could not stay.”

  Anxiety pinched her insides. “Then why would my dad do it? Why would he fall in love with a human and take that chance?”

  “Sometimes you can’t help who you fall in love with. He loved your mom more than he feared the Abatu. He thought he could outrun them. He believed he could find another sanctuary where our kind could be safe.”

  “That must be why we kept moving.”

  “Yes. It was always unimaginable to him that there would only be one spot on this planet that had the right combination of elements to protect us. He wanted to form another colony, one where humans and wolves could live together side by side.”

  “Sounds ambitious.”

  “Yes. Unfortunately, most thought he was crazy.”

  “We never found such a place,” she whispered.

  “I know. But I’d always hoped he had.”

  “You didn’t know he’d died?”

  “Not for sure. Though I assumed. Letters and pictures stopped coming a long time ago.”

  They sat in silence for a moment as memories of her childhood flitted through her mind, bringing with them the fear and loneliness she had always lived with. And then his hand found hers and tightened around it as they pulled out of the meadow and back onto the dirt road.

  “We’re going to be okay,” he said. “We’re going to make it.”

  “If you say so,” she grumbled. Blocking or not, she knew he was
lying. Between the Abatu, the Gauliacho and the wolves gunning for them, there was a strong chance that they wouldn’t make it to The Colony.

  Buddy whimpered again and jumped into the front seat and sat next to her, pressing against her side, taking most of the space. His body trembled and she realized he, too, could sense her emotions. She hugged him tight and willed the fear growing inside her to ease.

  Easier said than done.

  “Okay, tell me the game plan,” she said.

  “The game plan?”

  “Yeah, what we plan to do when the big bad wolves out there or demons attack again? If we’re a team now, you need to start sharing your plans with me. You need to start being honest with me. Otherwise, I’m just sitting here suffering through your anxiety attacks and not able to do a damn thing about it.”

  The corner of his lip tilted up. “Have you always gotten this grumpy when you’re hungry?”

  “My hunger pangs aren’t the issue here. Just answer the question. What’s the plan?”

  She didn’t wait for him to talk, but forged ahead with the thoughts swirling around in her mind. “What do we tell the others about what happened on the mountain? If we can get these men kicked out of The Colony, then they are going to need to make damned sure we don’t get there to tell anyone about what they’ve done. And if that’s the case, won’t this Malcolm person have people waiting for us?”

  “Johnny works the front gate. He always has. He is not one of Malcolm’s men.”

  “Maybe not, but do you really want to take that chance? If you were Malcolm, wouldn’t that be the best place to wait for you? He knows you’re coming back. You have to. You have no choice.”

  Jason stared at her, contemplating her words. “I hate to think Malcolm would go that far.”