Guntar glanced over to the thrown dirt on the ground from Rebecca’s tires. “Was that girl right? Was he a soldier?”
“What? Oh, Old Man Brown? Yeah. He’s been honored a couple of times for being the only survivor left in the county from the soldiers who took the beaches on D-Day. He’s a little crazy, too, though.”
“He’s probably close to ninety years old,” Hank said.
“Yeah, probably,” she agreed.
Guntar nodded. “I wonder which beach,” he mused aloud and then shook his head. “The men who fought back then were special. I don’t doubt for a moment that he’s still a deadly shot.”
Crystal shivered. “Too deadly, if you ask me.”
Hank grunted his agreement.
“Well, you and Hank can be the bait we use to lure them out. That will keep you as safe as possible and let us do what needs to be done.”
Crystal frowned. “Promise me you try to convince them to leave us alone.”
Guntar’s eyes narrowed and the others all watched with interest. “Remember who’s the leader of our pack.”
Crystal dropped her eyes and felt the heat in her face. She nodded and lifted her gaze back to his. “Um, I do. Sorry. I’m learning as fast as I can.”
“And you’re a fast learner,” he admitted. “But I don’t answer to demands from others.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again and wished she could slip behind Hank.
“I’ll do my best,” Guntar said after a moment of thought. “But I make no promises.”
“Thank you,” Crystal said and then bit her lip. She glanced around at the gathered pack and added, “Thank you all. For everything. I’ve lost count of how many times you’ve saved my life.”
“We’re a pack—we look out for each other,” Gwen said.
“Perhaps you’ll be returning the favor someday soon,” Ember said and winked.
Crystal’s nostrils flared as she remembered the scene she and Hank had painted in her imagination a few minutes ago. She stuck her tongue out at the redhead and earned a laugh.
“It’s late,” Hank said. “And now that someone knows Crystal’s with us, news will spread. We should leave.”
Crystal nodded. “I have to let my mom know I’m all right. Shit—my phone—and my purse. Everything’s gone!”
“Your purse is in our trailer,” Hank said.
“What? How? I lost it when Chad tackled me.”
Ember smiled. “I tracked you that far,” she said. “Found your purse and your dress, all shredded and bloody. Wasn’t your blood, though.”
“Chad,” Crystal breathed.
Ember shrugged. “It was a man and it was definitely tainted blood. I could tell that much from the smell.”
“Oh my God!”
“Leave your mother out of this,” Guntar said. “Until it’s safe, that is. They will use her against you if they can. They’re probably watching your house, hoping you’ll go back to it.”
Crystal shook her head but it didn’t stop the world from spinning. “This is insane,” she muttered.
“Go get ready,” Guntar said and turned to head back to his trailer. He called out over his shoulder, “We’ll ride out in fifteen minutes.”
Crystal watched Adrian and Ember turn to leave and asked, “Where?”
“We have a backup camp,” Gwen said. “Not much there, but we can survive a little while until this is over.”
Crystal nodded and let Hank pull her around and head her back towards his trailer. Wait, their trailer. Had he really called it theirs? Sure, it was only a lousy little camp trailer, but he really meant they were together! She found herself smiling and whispered, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening!”
Hank chuckled before saying, “It’s cute how you do that.”
She craned her neck to look up at him. “Do what?”
“That’s your signature saying. Your catchphrase. ‘Oh my God!’”
Crystal opened and then clamped her mouth shut. “Oh—wow, you’re right. And I almost did it again!”
“It’s okay,” he said. “Like I said, I think it’s cute.”
Crystal blinked a few times and shook her head again. Here she was in the midst of a bitter fight for survival and he was finding ways to distract her and make her feel cherished. She grabbed his hand and pulled it up to her lips. “I love you so much!”
She felt his chuckle and, more importantly, felt him pull her against him in a hug that made its way all the way to her heart.
Chapter 12
The wind tugged at Crystal’s hair and made it snap back and sting her in the face. She’d been too caught up in daydreaming about Hank to remember to pull her hair into a ponytail. She kept her face tight against Hank’s leather jacket and narrowed her eyes to slits to protect them. She knew she should be paying attention to where they were going but all that really mattered to her was being alive and with Hank.
Her mom and her friends were safe, as long as she stayed away from them. It was harsh, but she was okay with that. She had someone else to be with. A new family. Her pack. Well, Guntar’s pack, but she was coming to realize she was as much a part of it as any of them were. Even if she was too much of a wimp to fight like they did.
Except she wasn’t a wimp! She wasn’t afraid; she just thought there had to be a better way. She’d never understood how anybody could hate someone or something else so much they needed to kill it. Terrorists and tyrants she’d heard about in history classes were beyond her. She couldn’t make herself feel that way. Maybe in the heat of the moment, like when Chad had threatened her or when the deluded paladins tried to kill her. But even that was only a maybe.
“Hey,” Crystal called out loud enough for Hank to hear.
“Yeah?”
“Why does Adrian hate them so much? The paladins?”
“I don’t know the details,” he called over his shoulder, “only that they killed somebody important to him.”
“Wow,” Crystal breathed. “Like a wife or family or something?”
Hank shrugged. “Ask him.”
She nodded and realized he couldn’t see the gesture. “Maybe I will. What about Guntar?”
“What about him? Why does he hate them? Because they hate us.”
“No,” she said. “I mean when he asked about Mr. Brown, the farmer. He wondered about what beach he was on in World War II.”
“Oh, he was there,” Hank said. “Him and Adrian both. They were both on Utah.”
“Utah?”
“Beach,” he said.
“Oh.”
They rode in silence for several seconds before Hank said, “I wrote a historical romance set in World War II. Guntar and Adrian gave me a lot of insight into how things were back then.”
“I can’t believe they were alive then. I mean, look at Mr. Brown!”
“The man who shot you twice with a shotgun at over a hundred yards? While you were running?”
“Yeah, so?”
“That’s a tough shot for just about anyone. If he could do it two out of three times, that makes him pretty special.”
“Special like us?”
Hank chuckled. “No, not that special.”
Crystal lapsed into silence as they rode. She thought about what he said and then picked her face up from the shelter of his back. “How do you know so much about shooting? You don’t even own a gun, do you?”
“None of us do. We don’t need them,” Guntar said. “But I’ve had to go to ranges a few times and learn how to do it. Research for my stories.”
“Oh. That’s cool.”
“You want to go sometime? Kind of a redneck date, if you ask me.”
Crystal grinned. “Sounds like fun!”
“My kinda girl, but I already knew that.”
She squeezed him tighter and fell silent so she could enjoy the rest of the ride. It was short-lived. They pulled off to a drive that led into a national forest and stopped to check in to the guardhouse.
“Are
we going camping?” Crystal asked. “We didn’t even bring tents, did we?”
“We’ll be okay,” Hank said. “Hang tight.”
Crystal watched as Guntar and Gwen dismounted and went to talk to someone at the gatehouse. A few minutes later, they returned to their bike and started it back up. They rumbled ahead slowly, starting the procession and leading them into the preserved forest ahead.
Crystal turned her head back and forth, admiring the trees and natural beauty. The overhead coverage blocked what setting sunlight was left but she could see well enough to still be impressed. They drove past a pair of women loading camera equipment in a Subaru at a pull-off with a trail into the forest and then rolled on a paved road through the wilderness. The road and their bikes were the only evidence of civilization they encountered.
Guntar pulled off to the side as the road curved to the right. Crystal peered into the woods and frowned. “There’s nothing here,” she commented.
“It’s hidden,” he said. “I’ve never been here. I’m not sure where, exactly.”
“Hidden?” Crystal repeated while she watched Guntar and Adrian force their way under a large tree with limbs at shoulder level.
The lower branches of the tree hung down, making it difficult for them to make their way through. They were flushed with bright green new spring leaves. On the other side of the bushy branches she saw the two pack elders team up and push against something. After a few grunts, they moved forward and she made out a large rock they rolled out of the way.
“I could’ve helped,” Hank said loud enough for everyone to hear.
“I was afraid you’d toss it somewhere,” Guntar said after clapping the dirt off his hands. “We need to put it back when we’re done!”
Crystal laughed at Hank’s red face and climbed off the back of his bike. She turned and saw Ember coming up beside her from where she’d ridden at the end of their small convoy. Ember’s eyes dipped to take in her outfit and she winked at her.
“Stop it!” Crystal hissed at her. Ember’s grin made her decide to add, “If you love me so much, you could have gotten me a longer skirt.”
“That’s plenty long,” the redhead said. “You’re just too tall.”
Crystal glanced down at her skirt and blushed. She looked back up, ready to make a joke about Ember’s being short even though she wasn’t. Shorter than her, at least. At least she was able to wear something instead of riding through the countryside naked. Having bare feet was bad enough; she doubted anyone they passed would notice that like they would if she didn’t have a top on!
Ember beat her to the punch. “Besides, I bet Hank doesn’t mind you showing a little skin?”
“A little?” Crystal scoffed. She turned and saw Hank’s eyes taking in her exposed skin and he nodded.
“Very nice,” he admitted. “You should borrow her clothes more often.”
Crystal groaned and slapped him on the arm.
“Get your bikes off the road,” Guntar barked at them from the head of the pack. Gwen was standing near the tree, holding back some of the branches. Guntar pushed his bike off the road and ducked to keep from getting his beard or hair hung up in any of the branches that Gwen couldn’t reach. Once he was through, he called out to them, “Trail’s rough, but we can make it.”
“I’m going to help,” Crystal glanced at Hank and said before she rushed ahead and crouched to get in and gather the branches Gwen pointed out to her.
Adrian pushed his bike through next with little more than a grunt of thanks. Hank and Ember followed, both smiling and thanking the women. Once they were through, Crystal followed behind Gwen and picked out the trail they were walking on. It was easy to see now that four bikes had been pushed along it.
The brush cleared out as they walked, making it easier going even as the ground rose slightly. Gwen and Crystal both jogged ahead to their respective mates and walked beside them. Crystal opened her mouth to say something when she saw Gwen pull her dress over her head and slip it into one of the saddlebags on Guntar’s bike. She turned away and lunged forward, shifting into her wolf before she landed on the ground.
“Oh!” Crystal gasped. She grinned and pulled her almost too-tight clothes off. Hank cursed as he got distracted and ended up laying his bike down on its side. He looked back up at Crystal, red-faced, and grew a darker shade of red when she couldn’t stop her laugh. “See something you like?”
“Yes,” he growled and twisted the handlebars of his bike so he could get his legs in position to muscle it back up.
Crystal waited and slipped her clothes into one of his bags before she took a deep breath.
“Let’s see it,” Ember called out from behind her.
Crystal nodded and fell forward, shifting as she did. The forgotten pain burned up her spine and through her skin. She let a short scream out before the shift choked it off. Her muscles tried to cramp but the shift forced them to reshape and relax. Nevertheless, she ended up crashing to the ground and writhed a few seconds as her body finished contorting itself into a long and lean white-furred wolf.
“Are you okay?” Hank asked. “It takes practice getting used to it.”
Crystal rolled onto her belly and picked her paws up so she could put them over her snout. Hank snorted and Ember laughed. Her only consolation was that in her current form, her fur wouldn’t turn as red as her face would have normally.
Chapter 13
“Home away from home,” Guntar announced after they’d walked their motorcycles more than a quarter mile into the forest.
Crystal looked around and sniffed the air. She could smell the pollen in the air from the budding trees and it tickled her nose. She caught a musty smell and tracked it back to an area where the ground dipped down between rocks into some minor ledges. She caught another scent mixed in that made her perk her ears ahead. Somewhere nearby there was an animal. She didn’t know what type, but she could smell its breath on the wind.
“Leave the bikes here,” Guntar said and found a rock to put his kickstand on top of so it wouldn’t sink into the ground. He waited for the others to rest their motorcycles safely and then led them down one of the small ravines.
The ground was wetter in the small gullies. It wasn’t a marsh or a swamp, but a few small streams wound through the area. The temperature dropped from the rock walls around them stifling any breeze or sunlight during the day. Crystal focused on the rustle in the brush ahead of them and caught a glimpse of short brown fur bolting away from them.
She tensed and made ready to pounce by lowering herself. The others kept moving but turned to watch her. Ember grinned and Hank shook his head. “Fox,” he said. “Don’t bother.”
“No fire tonight,” Guntar explained.
“If we shifted we wouldn’t need to cook it,” Ember offered.
Crystal straightened and stared at her. Ember licked her lips and laughed. “I’m kidding, relax.”
“She is, but she’s not,” Adrian said while staring at Crystal. “You can eat raw meat if you need to.”
Crystal snorted and shook her head. The thought of eating raw meat made her stomach twist.
“Not because you’re a wolf,” Hank added. “But it’s easier to do it when you’re shifted. It’s because every shift will fix your body. Diseases and colds only stick around if you don’t shift.”
Crystal growled and shook her head. No way would she ever reach that point.
Guntar pointed to a hollow beneath one of the rocks. “We can stay here.”
Crystal opened her mouth to speak and let out a soft howl. She’d gotten used to walking as a wolf and forgot she couldn’t talk! Gwen glanced at her and lifted her jowls in a wolfish grin. She turned her head back to the hollow and walked over to check it out. It was damp but there wasn’t any standing water on the ground, at least.
They were supposed to stay here? No electricity or heat or food? How? She opened her mouth and then clamped it shut again. She felt so natural and comfortable, it was hard to remember she wa
s on four legs instead of two!
“Looks like it’s cuddle time again,” Ember said while taking her clothes off. She placed them on a ledge and shifted.
Just like that? Crystal growled and almost endured the pain of shifting back so she could talk. She hesitated long enough for Ember to walk over and rub up against her. Crystal circled, watching the red-streaked wolf to make sure she didn’t try doing anything outrageous. What, she wasn’t sure, but she couldn’t stop herself from being worried that Ember was going to try to smell her butt.
Ember winked at her and turned away to bump up against Gwen. Crystal looked away and saw the three men were stripping their clothes off and stashing them in dry spots off the ground. She watched Hank as he exposed himself and licked her lips.
“We’ll rest here tonight,” Guntar said. “Tomorrow we’ll make plans and head out.”
Adrian grunted. “The cop first?”
“That’s my plan.”
Adrian nodded and shifted. Hank and Guntar followed and moved into the dark hollow. Crystal followed Hank and waited until he laid down to rest before she snuggled up next to him. She missed feeling his skin against hers but the regular rise and fall of his chest soothed her worries and her excitement.
The thrill she’d felt when she smelled and then saw the fox had left her heart racing. It was calm now, but she remembered the surge that made her ache to give chase. It was nothing like she’d ever felt when she’d been a normal person. The thrill of a hunt. Not for a boy or a grade, but for dinner. For survival.
She felt Hank stir and press against her and returned the favor. Knowing she could hunt and take care of herself was almost as good as knowing that Hank was there for her. She rolled a little and rested her head on his shoulder. The position seemed like it should be awkward at best, but it wasn’t. She was comfortable, which explained some of the strange poses she’d seen dogs and cats sleep in over the years.
Warmed by her fur and by the press of wolves taking refuge in the den, her thoughts and worries were floating away from her and she dozed off, safe and secure with the people who had come to care for her the most.
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