Dark Wolf

by Christine Feehan

  If they catch up with us, I don't want you to try to fight them. If we can't escape, you and Josef must leave us. Paul and I are human. They probably won't harm us. Their stupid silver won't do the damage to us that it has to you. If you and Josef escape and you get to full strength, you can come back for us.

  No.

  Skyler sighed. That was an absolute. Dimitri rarely gave her that tone, but he meant business when he used it. No one dared disobey him when he spoke like that, including her. He would never harm her, but he would use whatever means available to him to ensure obedience--and he had quite a few options.

  She ran along the path, determined not to get caught--to put as much distance as possible between the pack and them. If they managed to reach her safety zone in the clearing, the pack wouldn't be able to touch them.

  We can't start a war, Dimitri said. Make certain Josef and Paul don't shoot unless we have no other alternative.

  He wouldn't mind killing a few of the Lycans. Some were unnecessarily cruel. He had his suspicions about them and their motives. But there were others who clearly were uneasy about the council sentencing him to Moarta de argint. They had avoided him, averting their eyes. A few brought him water and shook their heads, but didn't speak. Only Zev talked to him and encouraged him. He seemed to be actively trying to reach the council members who were in the Carpathian Mountains with Mikhail, the prince of the Carpathian people. Cell phones weren't working very well where they were, and he had been unable to reach any of the people in power who could reverse the death sentence.

  Twice Dimitri had heard Gunnolf talking with a group of Lycans, and he referred to Dimitri as Zev's pet. He was deliberately undermining Zev's position with the Lycans. Some seemed to agree with him, but many did not and they walked away in disgust.

  He didn't want to be the cause of a war between Carpathians and Lycans, but if it came down to protecting Skyler, war it would be.

  Skyler glanced at him over her shoulder. Her face was very pale. We're coming up on Josef, and the Lycans are on our trail. I feel their footfalls as they run toward us.

  Tell him to get moving. Not to wait.

  You need blood. Fear crept into her voice, even as she tried to hide it.

  Have him run with us. If we get the opportunity, then he can give me blood.

  Dimitri felt calm the way he did before any battle. This was his life and even as weak as he was, he was a dangerous man in a fight. He ran, not for himself, but for his lifemate. Had he been alone he would have eluded them, gone to ground and waited until he was at full strength. Still, he had no doubt that even now, should they attack, he could take a few of them down.

  Josef. Skyler sent the call ahead of them.

  Merged as he was with her, Dimitri heard every word.

  They're coming up on you fast, Josef warned.

  Don't fire at them. Dimitri wants you to run with us so if it's possible you can still give him blood.

  There was a questioning note in her voice, and Dimitri realized her plan had been for Josef to take Paul and get away if anything went wrong.

  If we get into trouble, csitri, he will still be able to get away, Dimitri assured.

  Josef leapt out of a tree, landing lightly, just behind Dimitri, matching their pace. We're in this together by choice, Sky, I'm not going anywhere. We just have to make the clearing and we're home free.

  She ran as fast as she dared, Dimitri, for all his weakness, matching her pace with no problem. She tried not to panic, knowing that would make things worse, but they were still some distance from their safety zone. The ground beneath her vibrated with the footfalls of the Lycans. They were incredibly fast, streaking toward them from different directions.

  She had heard they were fast, but hadn't conceived of such a pace. Already they had fanned out in hunting formation. They were attempting to circle around and get in front of them. If they managed to do that, they would have to fight their way through that line in order to gain entrance to the sacred spot waiting to protect them.

  She was tiring. She didn't have the physical stamina the other two did. Even with Dimitri in such bad shape, he wasn't faltering. Her lungs were already screaming.

  Paul's just ahead, Josef said. In those trees.

  Call him down, Dimitri instructed. I need to know exactly where the clearing is, what's there and how far away it is.

  Skyler showed him the information in her memory, but she was trying to puzzle out how the Lycans knew which direction they'd taken. They ran silently, Mother Earth making certain there was no scent to follow. Their footsteps were muffled. There had to be something she was missing.

  Wait. Wait. Skyler breathed the words. Just for a moment, we have to stop. While we do, Josef, give Dimitri blood. Not too much, you have to be at full strength.

  Dimitri put his hand on her shoulder, urging her forward as she began to slow down. Not yet, Skyler. We can't be caught out here on the trail.

  That's the point, they already know exactly where we are. How?

  They're Lycan. Hunters.

  There shouldn't be a trail for them to follow, yet they know our location, Skyler insisted. She halted abruptly and turned to face Dimitri.

  "Clever, clever Lycans," Josef said aloud, extending his wrist to Dimitri. "I offer freely," he added the formality. He tried not to stare at Dimitri's burned body, but it was difficult to look away. He took a deep breath, let it out and got back to the business at hand. "They must have put a tracking device on their prisoner, and it's been activated."

  Dimitri took the offering, knowing they had very little time. He bit down and allowed the rich Carpathian blood to flow into his starved body.

  "We have to find it, Josef. You can take it in another direction and buy us time. The moment they get close to you, drop it and take to the air. Don't let them see you," Skyler cautioned.

  While Dimitri drank, Skyler searched through the rags of his clothing and came up with a tiny bug that had been placed in the pocket of his trousers.

  Josef reached for it with his free hand. "I'll bring Paul down from the tree and get moving, and then see if I can lead the pack away from you." He winked at her, his grin wide.

  "Be careful, Josef," Skyler cautioned. "Don't play hero. This isn't a game."

  Dimitri closed the wound on his wrist, but retained possession. He looked Josef in the eye, his gaze icy. "You will not take any chances, do you understand me? You're not expendable, not matter what you think. You are our family and we stick together."

  Josef swallowed hard and nodded. "I'll be careful."

  "Get back to us the moment you can," Dimitri said. "We'll need you." Reluctantly, he released Josef. The boy did think himself expendable. Skyler hadn't come to that realization yet, but Dimitri saw it in his eyes.

  "I'll get Paul. You start running." Josef took to the air before either of them could say anything else.

  Skyler set the pace again, a steady, but fast speed, Dimitri on her heels. She tried not to think about what she'd gotten her friends into. If they hadn't found Dimitri when they had, he would be dead. She knew that with certainty, but she didn't want to sacrifice Josef or Paul for her own happiness.

  Josef set Paul down directly behind Dimitri on the narrow path that muffled their footsteps. Without another word, he veered away, moving fast, taking the tracking device with him.

  At first, Skyler was certain the ruse wasn't going to work. The pack seemed to stay on course. Her heart accelerated and she felt her mouth go dry. She wasn't going to be able to get Dimitri and Paul to their safe haven. She'd chosen the meadow for the richness of soil. Nothing had disturbed it in centuries. The earth was rich with minerals and healing agents, everything Dimitri would need when he went to ground.

  Ordinarily, it might take weeks to heal his terrible burns, both inside and outside his body, but they didn't have weeks. Mother Earth would see to it that her son was in the best shape possible for fight--or flight--if Skyler could just get him there.

  Abruptly,
she felt the shift of the pack, moving away from them, circling around, following the tracking device they'd placed on Dimitri. Josef was leading them away. He'd veered closer to the Lycan pack then she would have liked, obviously to make certain he had their attention, but now he was in full flight, giving them the opportunity to make better time and reach their goal.

  Do you know how many there are? Paul asked.

  Dimitri glanced at the boy over his shoulder. No, not a boy. Paul had turned into a man. He was family to the De La Cruz brothers, some of the most lethal of Carpathian hunters. They swore fidelity to the prince and Dimitri didn't have any doubts that all five brothers would defend him with their lives, but they answered to the eldest, Zacarias. His reputation was well deserved. He was a dangerous predator, untouched by civilization, a hunter renowned for his skill and relentless pursuit. These were the men mentoring Paul.

  Too many, Dimitri said.

  So basically an entire army. There was a faint note of humor in Paul's voice.

  You could put it that way, Dimitri agreed. I didn't realize you were telepathic.

  Josef exchanged blood with me. He enabled me to speak to Skyler and him. Otherwise, I'm not really, Paul admitted.

  But you do have psychic gifts after all. Dimitri made it a statement. Paul might have exchanged blood with Josef to start the process, but he was too good at telepathy not to have some natural talent. I knew you and your little sister had some jaguar in you, which can pass on psychic abilities, but I was told you didn't have them.

  Ginny is a lot like Colby, Paul said, sidestepping the issue. She has a gift with animals, not just the horses, but all animals. She can talk to them. At first I just thought she was a horse whisperer, but it's much more. She can communicate with animals, and they understand her just as much as she understands them.

  When did you first start noticing the ability in her? Dimitri did his best to keep Paul's attention away from the fact that they were running for their lives, and Skyler from thinking too much about Josef's safety.

  Still, Dimitri was genuinely intrigued. Gifts expanded or showed up as human children got older. Was that why Skyler was becoming so powerful? Was it her age? Or her acceptance of who she was and the acknowledgment of what gifts she actually wielded?

  She always had a way with horses, Paul said. But since we've been in South America, she's really thrived. This last year we all started noticing her abilities.

  Dimitri suddenly became aware of another heartbeat. He caught Skyler just as she paused. Paul ran into him, nearly knocking them all off the path. He signaled Paul to crouch low and go still. He slipped his arm around Skyler's shoulders.

  There is only one heart beating that I can hear ahead of us, he said. Probably a sentry left behind to warn the pack if he came across your trail. They know someone had to aid me.

  Skyler let out her breath, her hand on the path, pushed into the soil to gather more information. Just one in our way. He's nearly directly in our path. Even if we're super stealthy I don't see how we can get past him without detection.

  Dimitri could, but even if Skyler cloaked her breathing and muffled her footsteps, the Lycan was on high alert and he would feel them. Skyler tried to think of a spell, anything at all to misdirect the wolf.

  Dimitri's fingers went to the nape of her neck, massaging, easing the tension out of her. Give me a minute. I'll be back.

  Skyler caught his hand, shaking her head. No, the pack will know the moment he's down. They communicate through some kind of psychic network. Not telepathy, but when they hunt like this, they have some kind of ability to know where each member of the pack is. The formation is crucial to them. Give me a minute to figure this out.

  We don't have a minute. Josef can't run against them for long. Once the pack catches up to him, he's going to have to get out of there fast. Even if he takes to the sky, they leap impressive distances.

  Skyler bit her lip hard. Can you give him a sense of how high? Josef takes chances. I know you told him not to, but he always is proving something to himself.

  He doesn't yet have a sense of self-worth, Dimitri said. I can send him the information and caution him again that we need him.

  Skyler turned her attention to the task at hand. Creating a diversion to move the guard was the safest way.

  I call to the heart of a hunter,

  I call to the scent of blood,

  I call to the fox that is trickster,

  Use your cunning to lead them astray.

  They waited, crouched on the path. Skyler could hear the guard's heart now, through her connection with Dimitri. She was astonished at how acute his senses were. With her hands in the soil, she felt the movement of the fox, trotting out just a little way from the wolf, out of sight, but brushing his fur along a thorny bush.

  Instantly, the Lycan responded to the furtive noise the fox made. He moved with far more stealth, picking his way through the brush.

  Now, we've got to go now, Skyler said. Suiting action to words, she was up and hurrying along the green carpet, sending up silent prayers that the guard wouldn't return to the same exact location, but pick a spot away from their path.

  Josef, hear me, Dimitri said. You cannot allow the pack to come too close to you. You've given us a lead. They jump tremendous heights. He did his best to give an example in imagery, showing the elite hunters in battle. We need you with us as soon as you can come back.

  Josef knew the Lycans were gaining on him. He was a fast runner, and in truth, he wasn't setting his feet on the ground, but rather skimming just above it, because he didn't want the Lycans catching his scent. They hadn't been able to follow Dimitri's scent, but they had known where he was from the device they'd planted on him.

  Still, for all his speed, they were breathing down his neck. It was time to abandon his subterfuge and get out of there. He'd led them several kilometers from Skyler, Paul and Dimitri, and that had been his goal. He threw the tiny tracking device into the thick layer of vegetation on the forest floor and launched himself skyward. As he did, a Lycan burst from the brush, half man, half wolf and leapt after him.

  Claws hooked into his legs, terrible curved nails that ripped and tore his flesh. The Lycan refused to let go, trying to claw his way up Josef's body to his belly. Josef couldn't shift with the claws in him. The sheer weight of the Lycan pulled him back toward the ground where more of the pack waited eagerly. They jumped and snarled. One pointed a weapon his way.

  Desperate, Josef changed tactics. He couldn't shift his body, but he could his hands. He lifted his arm and brought his clenched fist, now made of solid iron, straight down on the Lycan's head. The crunch was sickening. Josef's stomach lurched, but the wolf dropped away from him, landing on top of two of the pack.

  Josef reversed direction, shifting as he did so, making his body too small for them to grab, the bird spreading its wings and taking off, making it to the safety of the canopy. Small droplets of blood streamed after him like a comet. He circled away from the pack and back toward Skyler and Dimitri.

  Get ahead of us, to the clearing, Dimitri directed. We're coming in fast.

  The pack knows, Josef warned. They're already spreading out and heading your way, trying to get in front of you and around behind you. I can see them from up above. They're fast, Dimitri, too fast.

  The pack knew the woods, and they were used to running flat out for kilometers without breathing hard. Now they were in a frenzy to reach Dimitri.

  I might have killed one of them, Josef confessed. I'm sorry. They're really stirred up.

  Dimitri dropped all pretense. "Run. As fast as you can. Don't look back, just go for the meadow. Don't follow the path anymore, Skyler, take the shortest possible route."

  What did it matter to hide their scent? The pack knew their direction and would use every means to cut them off. They couldn't know about Skyler's safe haven smack in the middle of the clearing, but they knew they were making for a specific destination and the pack was determined they wouldn't make i
t.

  Skyler picked up the pace, running hard. She couldn't imagine what this type of exertion would do to Dimitri. She already had a major stitch in her side and her lungs were burning. The trees began to thin, giving them less cover.

  Wolves leapt out of the forest just behind them--the guards left behind, converging together to make their attempt at stopping the escaping party.

  One raised a weapon. Dimitri dropped directly behind her, his larger body shielding hers. Skyler, undaunted, sent her plea once more.

  I call to thee, Mother, hear my call,

  Send that which is silver to stop their footfall.

  Bring forth that which is silver, now let it block,

  Use that which was hidden to protect and to stop.

  Beads of silver bubbled up from the soil and began to liquefy and extend across the ground behind and around them in a semicircle. Dimitri glanced back and down at the silver spreading so fast. His body gave an involuntary shudder.

  Lycans wear boots. This cannot stop them.

  Lycans wore thin gloves in order to handle the necessary silver weapons when going after rogue packs, and they almost always wore boots to protect their legs in the thick forest. The silver on the ground would not be a deterrent.

  It won't stop them, but it will slow them down. We just need time, Skyler assured.

  The silver began to rise in columns, much like dust devils or mini tornadoes, spinning rapidly as they rose and fell, always surrounding the fleeing escape party.

  The moment a Lycan came too close, the tiny beads shot out of the whirling twisters, peppering the wolves coming up behind them. Curses, growls and snarls rose, someone shot at them, the bullet whining through the rotating beads.

  Dimitri spun around as if he might attack them, but Skyler caught at him, jerking at his arm. No, no, we can't take a chance on starting a war, not if we have a chance to make it to the clearing. My blood was spilled there. The spell is strong. They won't be able to penetrate through the shield.

  He ran, but he didn't like it. Twice he tried to drop back and cover Paul as well, but Paul just slowed with him.

  Take care of Sky, Paul admonished. I'll be fine. If they keep shooting at us, I'm going to shoot back, war or no war. This sucks.