Outside the window, darkness had fallen. It was, indeed, time. “Do you want me to stay up here?”
Lily bit her lip and studied Jayne intently. She couldn’t tell what was going on behind the blue eyes. “Do you really want to see?”
She did and she didn’t. Jayne was incredibly drawn to this petite beauty despite resenting her presence so very recently. It was amazing what a few hours could do to a pissy attitude. She couldn’t help but wonder if the pleasant warmth brought on by that attraction might fade if she witnessed her change from human to canine. “Yes,” she finally admitted. “I do.” And she meant it.
Lily gave her a single nod. “I need somebody to hold my robe.”
“It would be my pleasure.” It wasn’t a lie. She’d hold her robe any day of the week, even if she wasn’t about to change into a wolf.
Together they walked downstairs and out the back door. The last of the daylight had fled since she’d brought the food up to Lily, and now moonlight brightened the backyard and the fields that bordered the fringe of pine trees and the river beyond. The air was clear and cold, the breeze light. She shivered and crossed her arms. No taking off clothing for her. Putting another layer on was more likely.
Lily stood on the bottom step with her head tipped back. She breathed in deeply and slowly blew out the breath. For probably a full minute neither of them said a word. Jayne didn’t want to disturb whatever ritual Lily was performing. The calm was over the moment Lily stripped off the robe and handed it to Jayne. She was gorgeous but, she reminded herself, for how long?
At first Lily moaned low in her throat, and as the moments passed, her moan turned into cries. Her body twisted, and it appeared to Jayne she was in severe pain. It was all she could do not to go to her and tell her to stop, that it wasn’t worth the agony. Before she could say anything, Lily dropped to the ground and, like something out of a special-effects lab, ceased to be human. Instead, a wolf, lean and gorgeous, rose from the ground. Its great head came up and sniffed the air. In the blink of an eye, it was off and running into the night.
Stunned by what she’d just witnessed, Jayne stood motionless and stared. Damned if that wasn’t the coolest thing she’d ever seen.
*
Bellona’s paws hit the cold ground hard, and a surge of energy roared through her entire body on contact. Behind her Little Wolf, Adam, and Eve raced, growling and rolling, their joy clear. Her wolf gloried in the beauty of the pack, relishing what had been denied to her for so many years. There was nothing that compared to running as one. Her kind was never meant to exist in the solitude forced upon her century after century.
The moon continued to rise overhead, spilling golden light on their playfield. She ran to the river and dipped her head low, savoring the sweet taste of the icy water on her tongue. Eve splashed into the shallows next to her, and she growled as she grabbed the scruff of her neck and hauled her back out of the water. Eve yipped and then dropped and rolled. Nothing, not even the reprimand of the alpha, could dampen the young wolf’s enthusiasm. Eve was a joy to behold.
She turned and swept her gaze over the nearby hills and the thick trees that would afford them cover. It was only then she realized Little Wolf was gone. Again. Bellona raised her head and howled. Adam and Eve raced to her side, her call bringing them in as it should Little Wolf. Eve nuzzled her face, the worry bringing her close.
Her howl did not bring Little Wolf back. Once more she lifted her head and roared. When it had the same result, she began to run. Her paws barely touched the earth as she raced between trees, over fallen logs, and up and up until she stood on the ridge looking down upon the valley below. Adam and Eve, panting and happy, waited behind her.
Her howl from high above did not bring a different result. Little Wolf was once again running rogue. It was not pack protocol. Discipline would be forthcoming. She could not allow disobedience or chaos would result. Every pack had rules.
Likewise, obedience should be rewarded, and thus Bellona would not take away the adventure from her more compliant pack members. Adam and Eve were, as they should be, waiting for her lead. She would not disappoint them. They had earned this night, and they would have it.
She kicked with her back feet, gave a little yip, and then began to run swiftly along the ridge. Adam howled and took off running so fast he passed her, his tail straight out behind him. Eve yipped again and again, signaling what Bellona understood to be her sign that she was happy.
The cool air was refreshing, the scents of the woods as intoxicating as alcohol. The wolf in her gloried in this night and all it had to offer. Simply to run together with her new family filled her with excitement and joy, despite her unhappiness with Little Wolf for so blatantly disobeying. But she refused to allow that to taint such a glorious run. For hours, the three of them ran, jumping and rolling, and letting the night fill their hearts.
Later, Bellona stood on the back porch wrapped in a thick, warm robe. Adam and Eve, both exhausted and happy, were in their rooms asleep. The night’s run had been long and energetic and exactly what they all needed. She’d hoped that somewhere along the line Little Wolf would have joined them. It didn’t happen, and Little Wolf still hadn’t shown up.
A flicker of movement near the barn made her groan. God, this woman was going to be the death of her. While she loved her energy and her spirit, she hadn’t been joking around when she told them earlier to lay low. The Jägers were nothing to take lightly. They were dangerous and their methods deadly. They could not afford to draw attention to themselves.
She walked down the back steps and across the yard to the door of the barn. A light was on inside, and she could hear a low moan. Damn it, she’d done it again despite everything she’d dictated. “Little Wolf,” she barked as she swung the door open and walked inside.
Little Wolf was sitting on a pile of straw. A woman was stretched out on the ground with her head in Little Wolf’s lap. She was stroking her head and almost cooing. “It’s going to be fun, my pretty one. You will be one of us soon.”
“What the hell have you done?” Bellona snapped. Rage had her almost seeing red.
Little Wolf looked up and smiled. “She’s so pretty. What could I do? She had to be part of the family. Look at her hair. Have you ever seen such a beautiful color?”
“Sweet Lord, did you not hear a word I said tonight?”
Shrugging, Little Wolf didn’t even bother to look sheepish. “Yeah, well, I figured that speech was for Adam and Eve.”
“It was for all of you.”
“Hey, this is my place after all. I should be able to do what I want.”
With her hands on her hips, Bellona shook her head. “It’s for all of us. This kind of attention will get us killed if we’re not careful.”
This time Little Wolf did have the good grace to look chastised. “Sorry. I just can’t help it sometimes. I get so happy, and well, I want to share this excitement. You know what I mean?”
Unfortunately she did. There was a time when she was Little Wolf, and only by the grace of a good teacher had she survived. She was trying to do the same thing for her now, only this student wasn’t paying much attention to the lesson.
She kneeled down next to Little Wolf and her newest recruit. The woman’s hair was a most amazing shade of strawberry blond, and she was drawn in to run a hand over the silky strands. “This has to be the last one until we can get rid of the Jägers.”
“Okay.” Little Wolf stroked the woman’s cheek.
“I mean it.”
Little Wolf looked up, smiled, and leaned in to kiss Bellona. “I’ll be good. I promise.”
Bellona kissed her back. “I’ll hold you to that.” Or, she didn’t add, I’ll have to kill you.
Chapter Twenty-two
Lily often forgot how freeing it was to be the wolf. Her feet carried her across the ground as though she were running on air. It was unlike anything in the world and impossible to describe to those whose existence was completely human.
&
nbsp; Now she searched the air and the ground for a hint of the missing woman. She’d gathered Willa’s scent from her apartment and knew she would be able to catch it if it was there to be found. First she had to make her way closer to the apartment so that she had a starting point. Under the cover of darkness she benefited from a certain amount of safety. Still, it paid to be cautious so she only went as near as necessary. She didn’t have to go all the way into town, just close enough to pick up Willa’s scent, which she did quite quickly.
It was all around her on the outskirts of town, and that meant this was Willa’s safe zone. She was comfortable in the area and moved around freely. What she had to do now was work out from the concentrated area to try to find the trail that would hopefully lead them to the killer.
Cars went down the street, and each time, she ducked behind shrubs and trees. It was frustrating and the wolf wanted to howl. She didn’t dare. Too dangerous. Finally, she worked her way to the grocery store at the edge of town, where she still had the scent, though it was growing weaker as she moved. Even as it weakened, she still had it and knew that all she had to do was keep it in her nose and she’d have the wolf who took Willa.
Except it didn’t work out that way. All of a sudden at the edge of the store’s parking lot, the scent disappeared. One moment it was there and the next gone, as if she’d never been there at all. This time she couldn’t help it. Her howl was deep though short. Even the wolf knew why: Willa had gotten into a vehicle. She cut off the howl before it drew too much attention and raced away into the darkness. She could do no more here and so she ran instead.
Over the deepening hours of the night she ran through the woods, up the hills, and around the houses that dotted the countryside. Dogs barked, cattle stomped nervously at the ground, and horses whinnied as she passed. Hopefully somewhere she would once again pick up Willa’s scent. As time passed and the miles beneath her paws increased, she grew more frustrated. She picked up nothing. It was as if Willa had vanished. Finally, she made her way back to the big house where lights still shone out the windows.
For a moment she sat and panted, unwilling to shift back to her human form. It felt good to be the wolf. It felt natural, as though this was how she should always be. The draw was intoxicating and hard to resist.
But resist she did. As much as she relished these times and as much as the wolf spoke to her spirit, her soul was that of a woman and a warrior. Her job was to save those who couldn’t save themselves, and that meant embracing the part of her that was human. Taking one long, last draw of the night air, she closed her eyes and let the change take over. Soon, she came up from her crouch and stood once more on two feet. Cold air washed over her skin, bringing goose bumps up on her arms and legs. The air felt good because it made her feel alive and human.
She was back.
And she knew precisely nothing.
Jayne came racing out the back door, Lily’s robe in her hands. When she got to Lily, she reached both arms around her to wrap her in the warmth of the robe. Their bodies were close, Jayne’s head next to hers. Instead of pulling away, Jayne drew even closer, her breath warm on Lily’s cheek. Slowly, their lips met, the kiss soft and gentle.
But not for long. Lily wrapped her arms around Jayne as the robe fell to the ground. Her kiss was hot, her body even hotter.
“What did you find?” Jayne whispered against her lips. She didn’t move away.
Lily sighed. As wonderful as she felt right at this moment, she wished she had something positive to share with Jayne. “I lost her trail near the edge of town. The edge of the grocery store parking lot, to be more precise.”
This time it was Jayne who sighed. She kissed her again quickly on the lips and then leaned down to grab the forgotten robe. She wrapped it around Lily and then put her arm across her shoulders as they walked back toward the house. “Near the road?”
“Yes. I’m afraid so.”
“She got into a car.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
Inside the house, Lily ran quickly upstairs and slipped into jeans and a sweatshirt. She could say one thing about the twenty-first century, the clothes sure were more comfortable than what she’d grown up in. She’d take jeans any day over a heavy brocade gown. Back in the kitchen, Jayne waited, a bottle of wine in the middle of the table. “You want a glass of this or shall I make you some tea?”
It was, as she often heard people say, a no-brainer. “Wine, please. Now that the shift is complete, it won’t interfere with anything.” Besides, she could use a little numbing effect. Losing Willa’s scent and not picking up anything important was a heavy burden on her heart. She was one of the best or, if she listened to Senn, the best, yet she had nothing to help bring the girl back home. That was unacceptable.
“Now you’re talking.” Jayne poured a generous amount into a glass and handed it to Lily.
The first sip sent a flood of warmth through her system. Not quite as pleasing as what she’d felt when Jayne wrapped her arms around her but not too bad either. After a second sip, she looked up at Jayne. “We’ll find her.”
A shadow flitted over Jayne’s face and was gone as soon as it appeared. “We will.”
Jayne’s voice lacked confidence, and Lily had an urge to buoy her. Usually she worried very little about what law enforcement felt. She always came in with the intention of doing her job and leaving the area safer than when they arrived. She still wanted to leave Colville safe from the ravages of a preternatural creature who threatened the lives of those who called it home, but the way she felt about law enforcement was different. Or more specifically, how she felt about one particular law-enforcement officer.
Something about Jayne pulled at her. Yes, she excited Lily in a very primal way, and if that’s all it was, she’d jump her bones and call it good. Except that wasn’t it. Whatever she was feeling toward this woman went much deeper and, in a way she didn’t understand, was far more exciting than simple lust. This was just about the last thing she’d expected when she drove into this pretty town. No, that wasn’t right. It was very much the last thing she’d expected.
Lily looked down at the glass full of ruby wine and turned it in her hands for a moment. When she looked up, she met Jayne’s eyes. “I promise you, one way or the other, we will bring Willa home. I hope we will bring her home safely, but in any event we will bring her back.”
Jayne’s gaze stayed on her face for a long time before she nodded. “Yes, I believe you will.”
“You can take it to the bank.”
That brought a smile to Jayne’s face. “Somehow that just sounds funny coming from you.”
“I’ve been around a while and have picked up every cliché ever uttered. I can rattle them all off for you, if you’d like.”
Jayne held up a hand. “Not necessary. In my line of work you pretty well hear them all, along with every excuse under the sun for criminal behavior.”
Lily smiled thinking about Jayne listening to criminal after criminal recite a story too fantastic to be true and yet expecting her to believe them. “Of that I have no doubt whatsoever. Hey.” She paused and looked around. “What happened to Ava and Kyle?”
*
Kyle was sprawled on his bed wearing nothing but boxer shorts featuring a popular superhero. He couldn’t sleep. It bugged the crap out of him that he hadn’t been able to draw out more information from Clinton. The fact that Ava was able to create a spell that let him call Clinton from beyond the grave, beyond the flames, was incredible. Until he’d seen it with his own eyes, he’d not even known it was possible.
That wasn’t saying much. His experience with witches was pretty slim. Ava was the only one he’d spent any time with at all and certainly the only one he’d witnessed practicing her craft. It was all so fascinating and helpful. The protections she could weave were so powerful, no one could penetrate them. Today, she had ripped back the veil between the living and the dead, effectively supplementing his powers to a degree he didn’t even realiz
e was possible.
As if he wasn’t already loving everything about Ava, she kept amazing him until he could hardly concentrate on what he was here to do. He felt like he was spinning his wheels and should be making more ground toward finding the killer. What good was he if he couldn’t get any helpful information from those he brought back? He had to figure a way to pull his weight.
Maybe he should put on some pants and go downstairs. A few minutes ago he’d heard Lily come in, and it was possible she might have learned something during her run. Actually, it was more than possible; it was likely she’d discovered some piece of helpful information that would lead them to those who were missing and the werewolf causing the problems.
He didn’t move. Instead, Kyle continued to lie on his back and watch the shadows as they danced across the ceiling to a silent symphony. The performance was soothing and captured his imagination. He figured if he relaxed something might come to him. So that’s what he did.
When the door to his room opened, he vaulted from the bed, all traces of the hard-won relaxation gone. Shock smacked him as Ava slipped inside and shut the door behind her. Without a word, she walked over to him and sat down on the edge of his bed. He sank back onto the bed next to her and, with her hip, she nudged him. “Move over.”
His voice still seemed to be down somewhere he couldn’t reach. “Okay,” he squeaked as he shifted on the bed. She stretched out next to him and pulled him down with her. As he lay back, she put her head on his shoulder and an arm across his bare stomach. He managed not to gasp, though he was so tense he was surprised she didn’t say anything. He was so not cool.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she said with a sigh.
“I’m having the same problem.” He didn’t add that her snuggled up tight against him wasn’t helping to solve the problem either. Now he was more wide awake than he’d been five minutes ago, and that was saying a great deal.
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