“Baby, we will get through this. I know it’s a lot to take in. We’ll do this together.”
“Blake, I don’t know if I can do together. I have been alone for so long.” She stared into his beautiful pleading caramel eyes. “I’m not used to people being in my head. And it’s your pack, not mine.” She reminded him.
Blake shook his head. “No, it’s your pack, too. But, they can’t hear you, only when you connect with them, and only when you allow them to hear. I only hear you because we are mated.”
“I don’t want you in my head.” She wanted to look anywhere but at his face. But he wouldn’t allow it and his hands softly framed her face.
“I will do my best to stay out of your head, and be there only when you invite me in. But I can’t help hearing if you broadcast. You can block, I can teach you how if you allow me to.”
Amber stared at him with her chocolate brown eyes, the yellow specks shimmering as she looked deep into his eyes. “I made a horrible mistake. I shouldn’t have done this. I should never have mated!” she told him, tears in her eyes. “I have killed you and your pack.”
“What do you mean, Amber?” He shook his head, with a frown. He could see how distraught she was. “Please, baby, let me help you,” he pleaded.
“You were able to change today because of me.”
“OK, I figured as much. How is that killing me and our pack?”
“Until my wolf saw you in the truck, I have not been able to control my changes. I don’t always know what my wolf is thinking. I was in wolf form when you had your wreck. When she was in such a hurry to get down the hill, I thought she was going for a free meal.”
“So that was you!” Blake said excitedly. “And you were going to eat me?” He moved away long enough to pull the other chair around the table to sit in front of her. He rested his hands on her knees and looked intently at her face.
She nodded regretfully, looking down in her hands as she wrenched them together. “My wolf is strong and emerges when she wants to. I am learning, but can barely hold on long enough to get somewhere safe when she emerges. That's why I rented this place. I don't want to run the risk of being in public when she wants out. Until I saw your face and connected the scent with you, I have never been able to force my wolf to allow me to return. She is usually in control of the shift to and from.”
“We were destined to be together. You are my mate, Amber. I felt it when we first met.” She started to interrupt, but he didn't give her time and continued. “You were not ready, yet. So I had to wait. Now that we are together again, your wolf recognized me. When your wolf led you to me at the wreck, she wouldn’t harm me because she scented my wolf. That’s why she backed down. She knew I was in trouble and only your human form could help.”
That made sense to Amber, but she was still unsure of what she should be doing. She was so used to being alone. She had let her guard down, and Blake had slipped through.
“Blake, I know what I am, but I don’t know all the rules and,” Amber was still distraught and worried, so she waved her hands in the air, “all the crap that goes with being in a pack. All I know is what my mother taught me and I’m learning now, that was not enough to understand what really happens in the wolf world.”
“Did you know Adam and I couldn’t catch your scent when we were outside the cabin? When you opened the door, I was able to scent you, but he never did.” Blake frowned with a shake of his head. “We should have been able to tell that this was your territory by your markings, especially since you have run the woods.”
“I have run the woods plenty of times, but have no explanation I can give you.” She did, but she wasn’t ready to share with Blake, that the stone around her neck was the reason they could not smell her scent. “One thing I do know is that when I changed before, it hurt like hell. It’s normally very painful and I feel like I‘m being ripped apart. This morning, I just thought about it and it happened, completely effortless and absolutely no pain at all. I can just think of changing,” she held her arm out and showed him the fur that rippled across her forearm, “and I start changing.”
He watched as the fur appeared and disappeared just as quickly. He nodded in agreement. “It was the same for me this morning.” He held his arm out and just as she had done, the fur emerged on his arm and quickly disappeared with just a thought. “This is great!” he exclaimed in amazement and laughed.
“It doesn't make sense, though, Blake.” Amber smiled patiently while Blake changed his right hand, then his left, back and forth a few times. “Just because we mated, doesn't mean either of us should change at-will.”
“No, but it could be to our advantage.” He became still and looked at her. “Do you realize that I am completely healed now? No aches, no pains? Since I was able to change this morning, my arm no longer hurts, all because of you.”
They both realized the cast was missing, fallen off when he had changed to his wolf form. They had been too intent on mating that his broken arm had been the farthest thing from their minds.
Blake was excited and pulled her to him for a quick kiss. Before his lips touched hers though, his head jerked towards the front door and he jumped up from his chair. “We have to go!” he ordered grabbing her hand and practically pulling her to the door.
Blake did nothing to hide his anxiety so she allowed him to pull her along behind him. He grabbed the keys to her Jeep he had seen parked at the side of the house and continued out the door.
“Adam has been attacked!” He informed her in a deep growling voice through gritted teeth. He stopped her before she could question him and continued pulling her along. “I can’t leave you behind.”
“I told you...I... this is not going to work!” she exclaimed jumping unwillingly into the passenger seat. He closed the lightweight door of the jeep and ran around to the driver side. Any other time she would have protested his assumption that he could drive her vehicle but let it go this time. He appeared to be hell bent on getting to his friend and driving would probably be a lot quicker than changing to wolf and trying to run there, wherever “there” was.
Amber’s mind rambled on, when she realized she had no idea where Blake actually lived. She had run the woods surrounding her cabin, but had not ventured too far when she had smelled several scents, some werewolf, and some local wolf. She had wanted to avoid any contact if at all possible with either kind. Now look at her, she was headed straight for his den.
Amber set her mouth in a grim line and stared out the window while he shoved the jeep into gear and quickly let out the clutch, spinning the tires in the grass and dirt. He cut the wheel and made a sharp turn to head the vehicle back towards the main road, away from what had been her sanctuary for the past month.
Amber sat anxiously, but remained quiet while he maneuvered the jeep skillfully through the winding dirt road. As he drove, she felt a nudge at her mind and knew that Blake was reassuring her without taking his hands off the wheel or his eyes off the road ahead.
Tentatively, she opened her mind and sought his, seeking to comfort him, as well. She glanced at his mouth, his matched the grim set of hers, but somehow she thought the determined look on his face looked sexy as hell. The profile of his face was strong and she wanted to run her fingers along his jaw, down his corded neck. Again, she realized her mind was wandering and remembered she had opened her mind to him so he had heard what she was thinking. His laughter filled her senses, but stilled when they both heard Adam’s voice through Blake.
Hurry, Blake, get her out of there, don’t know when, but they’re gathering to come for her. I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.
Blake cut his eyes over at her when he realized that she had heard Adam’s plea. He shook his head and stared back at the road.
“Blake, I am so sorry I got Adam into this.”
“What makes you think you got him into anything? Adam seems to find trouble when I’m not with him.”
“I don't know, but it always seems that people are get
ting hurt around me. And what does he mean? Is he talking about me? Who’s gathering and coming?” She stared at him, waiting for the answer she already thought she knew. The Council had found her.
He didn't respond. Instead, he slowed the jeep after a surprisingly short drive from her cabin. He veered off the road that exited to the left. If she had not been paying attention, she would have missed that they had taken another road. Other than the fact that they were being bounced around the interior of the jeep, they raced headlong down the isolated country road.
Yet another gravel and dirt road was nearly hidden by the trees. After turning onto that road, he made another sharp turn and the road smoothed out. The trees sat off the road, enough for the vehicle to pass through untouched. They provided a blended lattice work of leaves and limbs above, giving off a welcoming path that led to a gated fence.
As Blake slowed, Amber watched a young boy around nine or ten come out of the trees and open the gate. The boy’s bright red curls bounced when he ran with the gate, closing it behind them when Blake pulled slowly through the opening.
The boy ran up to the jeep’s driver side door and spoke in a high pitched, but deep southern accent. “Uncle Blake, Adam is on the porch and he’s bleedin’.”
“Thanks, Ben,” Blake responded with a nod and motioned for the boy to hop in the open back. As soon as the boy was settled on the seat and holding on to the roll bar, Blake spun the tires again taking off towards the house that was partially hidden by the trees.
Amber's first glimpse of the house took her by surprise. She didn't quite know what she had anticipated. It wasn't as large as some of the plantation homes she had seen around the South, but it was still spectacular.
She didn't have time to admire the home like she wanted to. Instead, she was tossed forward in the seat when the jeep came to a sliding halt in the driveway. She was glad she was wearing her seat belt and glanced in the back to ensure the boy had not been hurt when he fell forward. He was safe and sound, smiling at her with a big gap where he was missing a couple of teeth. She returned his smile and grabbed the door handle when Blake killed the engine.
Blake thought briefly that he should open her door for her. The thought was almost immediately wiped from his mind when she hurried from the vehicle, not waiting for him. He saw her staring at Adam on the front porch steps. Blake and Amber rounded the front of the jeep. Blake grabbed her hand and continued towards Adam.
Amber could feel Blake's anxiety and fear, but most of all it was his anger that almost overwhelmed her senses. Her wolf surged in annoyance, wanting to protect her mate. She fought to keep her wolf under control, soothing her as she skidded on the grass to keep from running into Blake when he stopped dead in his tracks. The boy was a few steps ahead of them and stopped as well.
Amber immediately sensed the stillness in the trees. The sun was shining brightly, but she felt that something was off, just not right. It was too still, too quiet. Something was hiding in the shadows of the leaves and bushes. The thickness of the forest provided perfect cover where it surrounded the house. Whatever, or whoever it was, lurked there, just out of sight. She sniffed the air and in an instant instinct drove her to protect her mate. Amber stepped in front of Blake the moment the boy dropped to the ground with a painful cry.
Her skin rippled as a gunshot quickly rang for the second time and landed with a thud in one of the trees next to the house, just feet from where they had just been standing. She felt Blake pulling her to the side, driving them both to the ground. Naturally, she tucked and rolled with the fall. Blake rolled with her and they both came up in the same crouching position, with him beside her. The move was smooth and looked like they had practiced together for years. They shifted in unison, ripping through their clothes as they changed.
They were already moving when the third shot rang out from the trees, again missing his intended target as the two wolves sprang apart. Their sensitive ears heard the muffled curses as the rifle jammed on the attempt to shoot a fourth shot. They heard the leaves rustling wildly as the shooter scrambled from his hiding position and began running through the thick bushes, running for his life.
Blake and Amber ran faster. They ran silently, making a wide circle and came at the gunman from opposite sides. They watched the man struggling to get through the thick brush, not making it very far. The leaves covering the hidden roots and the thickets hindered his escaped. The roots, as well as the tree limbs, appeared to reach out and tear at him when he tried to run away, causing him to stumble with each step he took.
Amber pushed her senses out into the forest, seeking other wolves in the area. Other than the ones who ran into the yard to help the boy, she and Blake were the only ones in this part of the forest. Amber’s mind sought Blake’s.
He’s alone, Amber informed him while they stalked the man from opposite sides.
Don't kill him, we need him alive, Blake told her when he saw her bare her large canines. She stalked towards the terrified man and gave a low guttural growl.
The man held the useless gun in front of him like he thought it would keep him safe, “Oh, man, oh, man, oh, man.” He stammered frantically looking from side to side when he saw the large growling wolves advancing menacingly towards him. He backed up, tripping over more of those blasted branches, barely catching his balance before he fell.
Amber feigned a run at the man and he swung the butt of the rifle at her. She veered out of the way before it impacted with her side. Blake's wolf seeing that the man was trying to hurt his mate lunged.
The wild swing took him off balance. In his haste he had miscalculated and felt himself tip. He watched as if in slow motion as the largest wolf he had ever seen came straight for him. The black and gray muscular wolf landed squarely on his chest, causing him to lose the grip on the gun when he landed hard on the ground.
The man felt the massive weight of the wolf slamming him to the ground, forcing the breath from his lungs. The gunman fought to breathe while staring in horror at the wolf’s teeth that were bared in a snarl, spittle dripping from its snout onto his face.
We need him alive, remember? Amber reminded him, laughingly. Her adrenaline was pumping and she could hear the man’s heart as it beat an erratic pattern in his chest. She could hear him struggle to breathe as Blake's solid frame pinned the man to the ground. It would be easy to step forward and rip the man’s throat out.
Sensing her train of thought, Blake swiftly shifted and sat with his knees on the man’s chest. Shifting back to his human form had distracted Amber long enough to interrupt her thoughts of tearing the man’s throat out. He heard Amber’s laughter once again in his head, following where her eyes were looking. Glancing down at himself, he realized that he was sitting on top of the man in all his glory.
Blake shot an amused look at Amber and would have laughed himself if the situation were not as severe as it was. His wolf still raged at him to kill the man who had shot at them, who had endangered the woman he loved. He sent a calming push to his wolf to assure it that his mate was safe.
“Can I trust you not to eat him?” Blake asked her out loud, for the benefit of the man on the ground more than anything. When Amber growled her response, Blake chuckled and quickly jumped to his feet.
The man was frozen in terror, not daring to move as the black wolf came closer. He stared wide-eyed as it curled its lip and bared its teeth at him and continued emitting a low menacing growl.
What are you doing? Amber asked when Blake ran off through the trees.
I keep clothes hidden, so when I’m out running, I’ll have them when needed. He returned a couple minutes later wearing a pair of faded jeans, old tattered sneakers and a t-shirt.
Amber's wolf had not moved and continued guarding the man as he lay stiffly, but quiet, on the ground. She backed away with an incline of her head. Blake pulled the frightened gunman from the ground with one arm, his other hand once again wrapped firmly around the man’s throat, lifting him with little effort.
&
nbsp; Grabbing the man by his shoulders, twisting him around, Blake shoved him in the direction of the house. He wanted to interrogate him right then and there, but he needed to know that Ben and Adam were both all right. Sure, the mental connection with his pack told him they were, but he wanted to see for himself. So he would know how severely he should punish the man for harming his pack members and putting his mate in danger.
Amber remained in her wolf form since she didn’t want to change and be naked in front of the stranger and the pack members she would soon be meeting. She spotted the discarded gun and padded over to it. Wrapping her mouth around the butt of the rifle, she picked it up with ease and loped to Blake’s side.
Blake took the gun with one hand while his other remained on the man’s shoulders, where he could still feel him shaking in fear any time the black wolf came close, or even looked at him. When he started to say something, Blake slapped him on the back of the head. “Keep moving and keep your fucking mouth shut!” The man hung his head in defeat and did as he was told.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Contrary to popular belief, wolves are not color blind, Amber thought as she sauntered alongside Blake. In fact, colors appeared more brilliantly. Walking quietly, Amber’s wolf looked through the forest towards the house, noting the colors of the forest, how vibrant they were. She paused slightly when they exited the wooded area. The colors she had noticed were nowhere near as stunning as the woman’s hair who was attending the boy on the ground.
Her hair matched the bright red of the boy that she bent over, murmuring urgent words of prayer. Amber quickly assumed that the woman had to be the boy’s mother. As they approached, Ben's mother pulled him to a sitting position from where he had fallen onto the soft grass of the front yard. When Amber saw the boy’s tear-streaked face, her wolf responded with a growl, snapping at the man’s hand in renewed anger that he could have hurt a young child like this.
Her bite took off the tip of the forefinger of the man before he could pull his hand out of the way. The man jerked his hand to his chest and grabbed it with the other, screaming in pain. He stared in fear at the wolf, afraid of it biting him again. He watched her spit the finger out of her mouth like the taste of it disgusted her. She stared intently at the man for a long moment before turning away. In the process, she stepped on the severed finger and calmly walked away from where he stood trembling.
No Remorse Page 9