In the Smoky Mountains he almost never killed. Especially since the wolves had descended.
But the redhead made his mouth water for more than a taste. He wanted to have her over and over. Could he do it?
The only thing he could think to do at the moment was lure her farther away from civilization until he could come up with a plan.
His mind was practically fuddled as though she held him under a spell instead of the other way around. He’d needed time to think. Get control of his urges so he didn’t drain her in the heat of passion. He’d intended to take her during the night, but hadn’t quite felt he could do so without killing her. Perhaps if he sucked the blood of several animals before he went to retrieve her again, he could gain some control. Maybe a larger animal than usual was called for this time.
He surely had one more night before humans, and wolves, would start looking for her. A hiker on her own out traipsing around in the mountains wouldn’t be missed by anyone yet. It usually took at least two days before someone missed them. Stupid on their part. Played out fantastically for Keeton though.
The light had been a brilliant idea. He’d led her quite a distance last night with a lantern. Always staying just far enough away to make her believe she could find other people if she could reach the light. He’d experimented with his ability to control her, confuse her. And it had worked. Several times she’d turned all the way around, stared up at the sky with a frown on her face. She even mumbled out loud about those damn stars reorienting themselves in the darkness.
He laughed, remembering his game of cat and mouse that had lasted the entire night. His voice echoed off the cavern walls, scaring a few bats and sending them scattering through the darkness.
His brow furrowed. The bats should be migrating away from the area by now. He’d hoped to use the caves to keep his lovely mate safe for a while. He didn’t want to run the risk of her getting rabies. Plus, there was a ban on humans entering the caves and abandoned mines in the Appalachians because the bats were infected with white-nose syndrome. The disease was killing hundreds of thousands of bats. It wasn’t dangerous to humans, but the sexy redhead would probably be reluctant to enter their habitat.
He intended to find some caves that were bat-free to sequester his woman in for a while.
For now, he needed to sleep. He’d left her under a tree, exhausted after the long trek. With a slight push in her mind, he’d convinced her to lie down for a while. It bought him some time to rest as the sun began to rise.
Hopefully, he’d enthralled her enough to keep her asleep all day. If not, he could track her scent anywhere.
As long as those damn wolves didn’t get to her first. Those fuckers had been a thorn in his side since they decided to move into the area ten years ago.
Bastards think they own the place.
Ha.
He smirked and let his eyes close. He really needed some rest.
Chapter Three
Sergius stripped off his clothes and stuffed them in the pouch he always had on him. It wasn’t the most ideal situation, since he had to carry the bag in his mouth through the woods, but he’d yet to figure out a method that worked better.
If he could just find a way to harness something onto his back, that would be perfect. But how was he supposed to attach the pouch alone in wolf form? And what would people think if they happened to spot a wolf running through the woods wearing a backpack?
The air was cool against his bare skin. The day would warm up significantly later, but this morning it was overcast and still chilly.
With a deep inhale, Serg closed his eyes, tipped his head back and listened to the sounds of the forest around him. Birds, leaves rustling in the breeze, insects buzzing. In moments he would be one of them, a part of nature.
He let the change take over his body. Limbs popped, stretching and shrinking into place. He dropped down onto all fours while his face elongated and his fur grew from his pores to cover bare skin. In seconds he was an oversized red wolf.
The reintroduction of the red wolf into the Smoky Mountain National Park in the last decade had made the area a perfect spot for Sergius and his brothers to settle when they reached adulthood and set out on their own. Their parents had been killed by poachers in Virginia when the brothers were cubs. Nearby relatives took them in and raised them. At twenty, twenty-two and twenty-three respectively, Micah, Jaxon and Sergius had headed south to the Appalachians.
Now, ten years later, they were enjoying a quiet, peaceful life, raising thoroughbred horses to make a living and staying out of the public eye. Sergius was Alpha and the oldest, but none of the three had much interest in mating and raising families. They’d seen firsthand the destruction humans could wreak on shapeshifters and hoped to enjoy each other’s company and finish out their days at one with nature, a three-man pack.
That was until today. Today, the world had tilted a fraction on its axis when Sergius climbed into that police cruiser and got the first deep whiff of his…mate. Damn.
His brothers were not going to understand. Hell, Juliana wasn’t going to understand. If he even found her before that fucking vampire sank his teeth into her.
Serg’s stomach rolled at the combination of the vamp’s presence and a lost hiker—and not some random lost hiker. The need to find her and get her to safety made his fur stand on end.
McKinney’s tracking skills were at least as good as a wolf’s, if not better. If he was anywhere near this area last night…
With a brief howl of frustration, Sergius took off toward Chimney Tops Trail.
James had dropped him as close as possible. It would take only minutes to run the half mile through the trees to the junction where she’d left her friends.
Without pausing to breathe, he loped between the trees and overgrowth off the beaten path until he reached his initial destination, the junction of Road Prong Trail and Chimney Tops.
He skidded to a stop, panting. He could smell her, thank God. His wagging tongue could taste her essence. Juliana had definitely been here, and he trotted intently up the path, sniffing his way along where she should have hiked. The closed path gave him the edge needed to explore without running into any hikers. People tended to scream and run from him in wolf form. He didn’t like to test the theory any more often than necessary.
Pausing from his concentration on his mate’s scent, Serg lifted an ear. In the vicinity was a search team. They had started earlier. Arrived before him. He could hear someone calling out orders. The smells of about a dozen different humans wafted his way from maybe a quarter mile to the north.
Where was she?
A chill went down his spine as he contemplated the possibilities.
Nose to the ground, he resumed tracking her. Halfway up the path her scent ended, as far as the main trail was concerned. This was where she’d ventured into uncharted territory. The other searchers were farther up the path. They had no idea she hadn’t reached the end. Her scent stopped here.
Why? From what James had said, she was an avid hiker. No hiker left the path without a damn good reason. Besides getting lost, any sort of fate could befall them, ranging from snakes to poisonous plants to…vampires. Damnit.
In any case, it was easier to track her once she’d stepped into the forest. Her smell was not mixed with that of others. Trees and bushes all around him were covered with her scent.
About ten yards beyond the tree line, Sergius stopped and raised his muzzle to sniff the air.
Fuck. It was as he feared. McKinney was hot on her heels as well. Had that bastard actually singled her out from the crowd and led her astray? Or worse, dragged her body into the woods? How had he gotten away with either of those things with people all around and in broad daylight?
Nose back to the earth, Serg trotted forward with renewed haste. His hackles were up. He had to find her alive—no other alternative was acceptable. She hadn’t died here. That much he knew. How was it that Juliana and the vampire had met up in this spot for some reason
and the vamp hadn’t killed her? What was McKinney up to?
And why would fate put the woman in Sergius’s path if he wasn’t meant to have her? Decidedly angry now, Serg lit a fire under his own ass and loped off in the direction of his mate’s scent.
Within minutes he realized he was on the craziest wild goose chase of his life. What the hell? The woman had traipsed everywhere, north, south, east, west. All over the place.
Of course, if McKinney was somehow leading her, anything was possible. How on earth had he managed to string her along like this?
One thing he knew for sure—the vamp hadn’t simply dragged his mate into the woods and drained her on the spot as Serg had feared. There was no sign of a struggle. No blood anywhere.
Nothing made sense. It was as if he’d toyed with her. Played a game. Why?
Frustrated, Serg paused and lifted his muzzle into the air. Her scent was everywhere and her person was not. The smell wasn’t strong enough for her to be close by, and he had no idea which way to turn first. He would need to start circling the area in a spiral pattern to figure out which way she’d eventually headed.
Had McKinney purposefully staged this chaos?
Devious.
Think. It was time for the wolf to think like a human. Time was of the essence. He needed to stop wandering in circles, chasing her smell. It was hard. In wolf form, it was what he did best. Track.
Context clues. Broken branches. Trampled leaves. Footprints.
Head back to the ground, he changed his approach. In minutes he found footprints, dainty ones that belonged to a woman’s hiking boots. And they were facing southwest.
Naturally. If McKinney was going to lure his prey, he would want to lure her away from the most populated area. Southwest would do it. If he managed to get her to cross the Sugarland Mt. Trail without realizing it, he could lead her for several miles in a southwesterly direction until she was in the middle of nowhere.
Genius, really.
Sure enough, as soon as Serg separated from the hodgepodge of smells congregating in and around the place she’d left the path, he managed to find a new lead and was back on track.
McKinney had led her quite a ways. Her scent grew stronger with each passing minute.
The vamp might have gone to ground for the day, but what would he have done with Juliana in the meantime? Why hadn’t he killed her yesterday or during the night?
According to legend, vampires needed to sleep during the day, but Serg was suspicious of this idea. He’d seen evidence of McKinney’s presence in direct sunlight over the years.
A strong whiff of his mate made Sergius lift his head.
She was close. She was also alive. If he could have sighed audibly in wolf form, he would have. Even more important, McKinney was not nearby. His smell was still distant. As though he’d left her somewhere. God, could she be restrained somewhere in the woods while that bastard slept?
Serg ran. Fear of what he would find made his blood boil.
He pushed through a grove of trees and suddenly she was there, right in front of him, sleeping on a bed of leaves, curled up in a tight ball under a shiny Mylar cover.
He stood for several seconds, staring at her. His chest heaved from the mad dash to find her. He took a deep breath in and held it.
She was slight compared to him. Long, gorgeous, red curls feathered out in every direction, some covering her face.
The urge to lurch forward and nuzzle her made his front paws twitch.
He needed to shift and get her to safety, but he also wanted to burn this moment into his memory, the second he first saw his mate. His jaw clamped down on the pack he carried, his dry mouth reminding him of its presence.
Finally, he backed away from her several yards, hiding himself amongst the bushes he’d come through to let the change take him back to human form.
In two minutes, it was over and he was dressed. And this was why he always carried the cumbersome pouch.
She was so still.
He crouched beside her. Her breaths were shallow, her face totally relaxed in deep sleep. He laid a hand on her shoulder. “Juliana?”
His fingers shook where they’d made contact with her warmth, shockwaves traveling up his arm even through the jacket and whatever she wore underneath. The urge to haul her into his embrace made him tense. He needed to know she was all right. Every bit of her.
She startled awake and bolted upright. “Ohmygod,” she gasped. A strangled sound left her throat.
Her gaze met his from only a few inches away, green eyes like deep pools of water reflecting her shock, her fear and her relief all at once.
“Are you okay?”
She smiled up at him, cute dimples forming on both cheeks. “I am now.” She inhaled, releasing it slowly.
Her heart rate slowed under his palm after the initial surprise. He could feel her pulse in her neck, the swish of blood as it coursed through her.
“Are you injured?”
“Only my pride.” Her pale face tipped back again, her cheeks now flushed. “How did you find me? Where am I?”
“You’re a long way from where you left the path, that’s for sure. Scores of people are combing the woods searching for you.” In a completely different direction. But she didn’t need to know that right now. “How did you get so far from where you started?”
“A man recommended I take a shortcut. When it got late I backtracked. I must have taken a wrong turn, because before I knew it, it was dark. I walked for a little longer and finally saw a light in the distance.” She dipped her head down, her face no longer visible to his perusal. “How embarrassing. I hike hundreds of miles every year. I’ve never gotten lost before. I-I’m not sure how this happened.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re okay now. Everything is going to be fine. Did you walk all night? You must be exhausted. Hungry.” He was rambling. He never rambled. She had him tongue-tied. No, he’d never acted like this even as a youngster. Wolves didn’t fall all over themselves quite like humans did. Not until they met their mates, apparently.
She giggled. The sweetest sound he’d ever heard. “I think I’m okay. Relieved you found me. Wasn’t sure what I was going to do if I had to keep walking all night again.”
Why had she chosen to travel by night and sleep by day? Sure, it was a better idea as far as warmth was concerned, but not many people would think of such a thing under stress.
Sergius stood and extended his hand to her. She rose alongside him, steadying her slight frame. But her grip sent his mind whirling. Every hair on his body felt electrified. His heart raced. And damn if his cock didn’t jump to attention.
Lord, she was half a foot shorter than his six feet. And might weigh one fifteen, one twenty, soaking wet.
He could feel the firm muscles on her arms where his hand had landed as they stood. She was strong, apparently both physically as well as emotionally. She hadn’t started crying as he would have expected and didn’t appear to have spent the night crying either. Her eyes weren’t puffy, but weary. Stress lines marked her face.
“Why did you walk all night?”
“Well, the light for one. I thought it was a campfire, but it always remained elusive. I was sure if I followed that damn light, there had to be people around wherever it led when I got there. The strange thing was it was like a mirage. It seemed to keep moving farther away the closer I got to it. Exasperating, really.” She chuckled. “Now it seems absurd. Maybe I imagined the damn thing.”
Her brow furrowed and she bent to examine herself and brush off the twigs and leaves sticking to her body.
Serg reached to pull a leaf from her hair and tucked the unruly strand back behind her ear. When his thumb brushed her cheek, a shock jolted him. She jerked her gaze up to his and sucked in a breath.
She was so beautiful, even with tangled hair and a streak of dirt across her chin. Her round face was pale against his darker hand, a light sprinkling of freckles above her button nose. Sergius let his thumb travel across her
cheek again, cupping the side of her head with his palm. His gaze traveled around her face, landing finally on her heart-shaped pink lips, which quivered as she licked the dryness away and tucked the bottom one inside, biting it between her teeth.
Her breath rate increased, in and out through her nose, while she dented that bottom lip with the tight grip of her front teeth.
Did he turn her on? He hadn’t been around mated couples for so long he’d forgotten what it was like when wolves met their mates.
His own heart was racing, threatening to pound out of his chest. He tried not to breathe too often or too deeply, because every inhale dragged more of her sweet essence into him, driving him crazy with the need to take her.
His cock was so stiff, rubbing against the zipper of his jeans. He’d picked a fine day to go commando. If he didn’t adjust soon, the tip was going to escape the top edge of his hip-riding pants and embarrass him to death.
Think, man.
If she were a wolf herself, he would strip her sexy little body down right now, force her onto all fours in a show of dominance, and take her from behind. Claim her instantly.
Heat raced through his body, seeming to rush from every limb and his head, to gather in his groin. His blood all flowed south, leaving his palm shaking against the side of Juliana’s face.
He jerked his hand away, needing to break the moment. Had it been just a moment? It seemed like he’d been staring deep into her eyes for an hour.
“Um, how far off the path did I wander? My friends must be worried sick.” She took a step back.
“Quite a ways. It’ll be quicker if we head this way instead of back the way you came.” Serg pointed southwest, the direction she’d been heading most of the night.
Rescue in the Smokies (Durham Wolves) Page 2