by Radclyffe
“What happened to baby daddy?”
Cam shook her head. “Don’t know. Whatever went down, he took off and never came back.”
Kara smiled, her green eyes lighting up. “I like her style.”
*
He dropped his bags on the living room floor and looked around. His needs weren’t great, and thank goodness. The house was tiny, dirty, and cold. When his buddy Junior Petro offered him the place free of charge, he’d jumped at it. The location couldn’t have been more perfect. Junior had neglected to mention it was a dump.
Then again, if all went as he planned, he’d only have to be here a few days. That’s all he needed to accomplish his goal.
First things first, though; he couldn’t even sit down in this place until it was clean. He left his bag on the floor and jumped back into his SUV. He’d seen a grocery store on the way in.
Three hours later, the small house was scrubbed clean. Except for the bedroom. He had no intention of ever coming into contact with what passed for a bed in there. He would throw his sleeping bag on the disinfected floor in front of the fireplace and sleep.
Now he could relax.
Now he could go about finding her.
Sitting at the table, he took an MP3 player from his pocket and pulled up the most recent file he’d downloaded. Reverend John Sizemore’s voice filled the small room, his words of righteousness touching his heart. The reverend shared his wisdom on marriage, the sanctity of one man and one woman. Everything the reverend said calmed him and strengthened his resolve. He was doing the right thing. The only thing.
As the sermon went on, he spread a topographical map on the kitchen table and studied it closely, knowing that somewhere within the hills and mountains she waited. He would find her and he would save her. What she was about to do wasn’t just wrong, it was a sin, and he couldn’t allow her soul to be damned.
Twilight began to fall and the light dimmed. From his bag he pulled a lantern and switched it on. Electricity was another of the items Junior had neglected to mention. The house didn’t have it. Not a problem. In fact, darkness was what he waited for. It was his time.
When the sun finally dipped behind the mountains and shadows engulfed the house, he snapped the lantern off. He stood and stripped, the air cool against his dark skin. The taut muscles of his stomach twitched with anticipation. His long, black hair hung loose against his back.
Naked, he stepped outside and tilted his head to the sky. Stars were sprinkled across the inky blackness, and a creamy moon glowed. He inhaled deeply and called the change.
*
Cam hung up the phone, staring at the handset for a long moment. Her father’s call was disturbing on a number of levels. Not just because it threw a wrench in their wedding plans but also because it was just plain wrong.
Out back on the patio, Kara sat in front of the gas fire pit with her feet propped up on an empty chair. The gate was open, giving them a perfect view of the dam where water poured clear and clean into the river. She looked beautiful in the moonlight, her red hair curling around her face and her eyes bright. Cam didn’t think she’d ever tire of watching her.
“What’s wrong?” Kara asked. “Not getting cold feet, are you?”
Cam laughed. “Hardly. No, my dad called. Right after we made the decision about the dresses, I called him and asked him to bring Pine Leaf’s elk tooth dress to me.” She pulled a chair close to the fire pit and sat beside Kara.
“He doesn’t want you to wear it?”
“No, that’s not it. He was thrilled just like I knew he would be. The problem is the dress is missing.”
“I thought you said it was in the tribal museum.”
“It was.”
“Oh.” Kara drew out the single word. “That can’t be good.”
Cam’s thoughts exactly. On loan from her family, the dress had been part of an exhibit in the museum for years. The only two people who had authority to move the dress were Cam and her dad. So where was it? Better question—who moved it?
“No, it’s not good at all. It should be in its case at the museum.”
“Maybe they moved it for cleaning or they’re changing the exhibits around?”
“Or maybe someone stole it. The dress is incredibly valuable even without the history behind it.”
Kara put a hand on Cam’s arm and then leaned over to kiss her. “It’ll turn up,” she said against her lips. “And if not, you can wear a pretty white wedding gown too.”
Cam laughed, her eyes crinkling. “That’ll be the day.”
*
In the daylight, the cottages on the ridge overlooking the dam were lined up like tidy soldiers. Each was a little different, but all were pieces of a bygone era meticulously restored and maintained. Hers was larger than most of the others and closest to the dam. With a wide front porch and a fenced backyard, it showed the unmistakable signs of life while the others appeared to be unoccupied.
Last night his run had brought him right here. Her scent had been strong and he’d had no trouble tracking her. He’d been confident she would be easily located. He knew her scent so well, and beyond that, their connection was strong. A few miles of separation was not enough to crack it, let alone break it.
The other one came out the front door, and through his high-powered binoculars, her short red hair glowed like a stoplight. His hand shook, blurring her face. How could she? God decreed one man and one woman, and beyond that, this woman was not one of them. It was wrong in every way.
He would make it all right and in the end, she would thank him. This had been decreed by God, and his heart was filled with the light of righteousness. Soon everything would be as it should. She would belong to him and they would begin their life together.
And the other one? He smiled as he thought about what he had planned for her.
*
Kara handed Cam the phone. “You’re gonna want to listen to this.”
Cam frowned, put the phone to her ear, and listened to Jake Ford, Kara’s supervisor in the Park Service. “Seriously?” she questioned when he finished.
“Yeah,” Jake confirmed. “I had three calls last night from folks sighting a white wolf.”
“There are no white wolves in this area. The only pack in the vicinity is up near Springdale, and they’re tracking them pretty damned close.”
“I know that and you know that, but apparently this albino wolf doesn’t know that.”
A chill crept down her spine. “Let me make some calls,” she told him. “I’ll let you know what I find.”
She put the phone down and stared out the window. It couldn’t be.
Kara’s hand on her arm made her turn around. “What is it, Cam? All of sudden your face went white, and that’s a pretty good feat for you. Is it the wolf sighting?”
Cam nodded. It was much more than that, though. “I have a bad feeling about this wolf.”
“What’s so special about this one besides its color?”
“It might not be a wolf.”
Kara frowned. “You think we have another werewolf on our hands.”
The werewolf that had killed innocents in the park a year earlier wasn’t an issue any longer thanks to Kara and her powers. No, she wasn’t worried about the return of a bloodthirsty werewolf. This was something much different and a whole lot scarier.
“No, I don’t think that. I’m more concerned that it’s another Crow shape shifter.”
“Yeah, but you know all the shape shifters, so no problem, right?”
She shook her head slowly. “Big problem if it’s who I’m afraid it is. Think crazy stalker crossed with violent shape shifter.”
Kara whistled. “Oh shit.”
*
He waited and watched. The pattern of their daily life was what he was most interested in. Knowing what they did, how they moved, where they went—those were the keys to making it all happen.
The same capacity for endless patience was how he got here in the first place. No one really u
nderstood him or what he was trying to achieve. In the old days things were simpler, and he would be the one to bring those days back. Between his vision and her blood right, they would restore the nation to the glory it once had. Together, they would be unstoppable.
Everything had its order, and he was beginning to formulate his plan. The sun rose until it was directly overhead. His stomach growled. Still, he kept the binoculars trained on the house. The red-haired one came out again, carrying a mountain bike. She snapped on a helmet and rode up the hill that led to Riverside State Park.
He pulled the binoculars from his eyes and set them on the ground. His clothes followed. Though it was forbidden to change during daylight hours, he didn’t care. He was rewriting the rules.
Calling the change, he ran down the hill and across the bridge. He paid no attention to the stares of the few drivers who crossed his path. They didn’t matter.
*
“Dad, are you sure?”
“I talked to the hospital personally. Then I called the sheriff. He’s gone, and nobody knows where.”
“How?” Her voice rose. “How in the hell did they lose him?”
“Million-dollar question, sweetheart. Sounds like he’s been planning his escape for a quite a while. Pulled it off without a hitch.”
“Somebody has to know something.”
“You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But apparently, he planned and carried it out all by himself. Didn’t say a word to anyone.”
“This is a disaster.”
Her father’s voice was dire. “This is more than a disaster, this is dangerous. He’ll be coming for you.”
“Yeah, I know.” The dread that wrapped around her heart was dark and deep.
“I’m on my way and I’m bringing help.”
Usually she’d tell him to stay put. She was a big, strong woman, capable of taking care of herself. The problem was this wasn’t just about her. By association, Kara was neck deep too. She’d take his help.
She knew Dad was expecting a fight. He didn’t get one. All she said to him was “Hurry.”
After she put the phone down, Cam started to pace. The second she’d heard Jake’s description of the white wolf, she’d had a sick feeling. She supposed that in the back of her mind she’d always harbored the thought that he might come back. They’d done everything they could to stop him and from all appearances were successful. The problem was he was smart and powerful.
And crazy.
The legal issues were handled. The medical issues were handled. The crazy issue? Not so much. Someone that smart and that disturbed wasn’t easily stopped. Yes, he was confined in a maximum-security psychiatric ward, and for most people that would be enough. He wasn’t most people.
When they were children, Philip was her best friend. While her father, as the only doctor on the reservation, healed their people, Philip’s father took care of the ranch. The two kids were together every day.
She couldn’t remember exactly when she noticed something was different about him. Maybe she’d always known, but because he was her best friend, she ignored it. So what if he was odd. He was the one who was always there for her and had her back. At least until she shared her most secret of secrets.
They were both eighteen, and she was more than ready to come out of the closet. She didn’t have a single doubt that he would support her. Even now it astonished her how wrong she’d been. When she came out, it was as if it pushed him over some invisible cliff. What once was eccentric behavior morphed into something dark and dangerous.
His lack of support saddened her. She knew her truth would alienate some, she just didn’t expect him to be one of them. And she really didn’t foresee how it would change him.
The stalking started slowly. At first she didn’t realize what he was doing. When her first real girlfriend was attacked by a stranger, who was never caught, they all thought it was a case of homophobia. Montana wasn’t exactly a hotbed of gay tolerance.
When her next girlfriend’s tires were slashed, she began to wonder if something more was going on. By the third attack at a discreet club in Missoula, she knew she was the common denominator.
Then the phone calls started. The threats. The following. The tribal police were the ones who tracked it back to Philip, and when they did, he snapped. She touched the small scar at the base of her neck and remembered the night he’d held a knife to her throat. He’d taunted the police. Kill him, he’d kill her, they’d be together for eternity.
He cut her, all right, just before he was Tasered. It was enough to take him down. No fewer than three psychologists evaluated him. He never went to trial. He’d been in lockup ever since. Plenty of meds. Plenty of doctors. No change. His form of crazy just didn’t respond to help.
*
It took him a while to find her. The girl did have a pair of legs on her. She powered that mountain bike through the park like a boat gliding on calm water. If only she’d had the good sense to live according to God’s plan, she could have made some man a very good wife. Those legs wrapped around a guy would be incredible. But no, she had to defy nature, and now she’d pay the price.
Wasn’t his fault. She was the one who made this choice. She should have known what she was doing was wrong. Men and women belonged together. Period. When they tried to defy what was right, there were consequences.
Keeping to the high brush, he kept her in his sights. He had to wait for just the right place. His paws barely hit the ground as he ran in near silence. She would never know what happened. A bit of a shame really. He’d have liked her to realize her sin was sending her into the arms of death.
Then again, what did it really matter? She’d be headed to hell, and that would certainly be enough to make her realize she’d damned herself. While his mission was to save Camille, he had no love for this woman who tried to damage his one and only. She had to die for her sins.
He watched as she pushed up a trail that traversed a ridge. He followed and paused only long enough to gaze down. It was perfect. Below, rocks jutted, sharp and numerous. God’s plan in all its glory.
When she stopped, her legs straddling the bike, he was ready. She was gazing toward the river in the distance when he struck. He hit her full on and she rocketed off the ridge, bike and all. He pulled back, his paws scrambling for purchase. He didn’t need to follow her off the ridge.
As he steadied, he stared down. She was motionless on the rocks, her bike partially on top of her. The scent of fresh blood caught on the air. He waited and watched until he was certain she wasn’t going to move again and then he turned and ran.
*
Cam was frantic. Kara hadn’t come back to the cottage. Jake, down at the rangers’ station, hadn’t heard from her, and she wasn’t answering her cell. Something was very, very wrong.
The quickest way to find her was to change, except that went against everything. She couldn’t do it in broad daylight no matter how much she wanted to. Her time was the night, so for now, she’d have to go about finding Kara in the old-fashioned human way.
Like Kara, she had a high-end mountain bike. She grabbed it and started out. She didn’t know the park like Kara did, but she was motivated, and that had to count for a lot.
By the time she got back to the house without finding any sign of Kara, darkness was beginning to fall. Now she wasn’t just frantic, she was scared to death. If Philip had done something to Kara, Cam would find him and kill him.
The bike she threw to the ground had cost her an easy three grand, but she didn’t hesitate. She dropped it as if was worth nothing. Compared to the life of the woman she loved, it was nothing.
It wasn’t full-on dark and she didn’t care. She stripped off her clothes right where she stood, readying herself to call the change. She didn’t get a chance. Before she could even open her mouth, she heard a zap and then every muscle in her body started to spasm.
*
This had gone better than he could have imagined. Camille was so focused on her little redh
ead that she didn’t even hear him as he stepped around the corner of the cottage. By the time she heard the pop of the Taser, it was too late. She was all his.
He’d forgotten how strong she was. It took a little effort to get her into the car once he drove it around from its hiding place behind one of the other cottages. Her hands and feet zip-tied, she was effectively immobilized. She was still twitching as she lay across the backseat. He knew all too well how effective a Taser could be.
He ran a hand across her cheek. “Don’t worry, love, it’s almost over.”
She was probably trying to say something, but it came out as a cacophony of garbled noises.
“Shh, don’t try to thank me. It’s going to be perfect now. Just like it was always meant to be. You and me, Camille-girl, you and me.”
He was smiling as he pulled away from the cottage and turned onto Charles Road. Before he’d left the cabin earlier, he’d prepared everything. A fire was laid in the fireplace, his bedroll spread out before the hearth. Her dress was hanging on the door, waiting for her to slip into it. Before the sun rose, they’d be united in the eyes of God and their wonderful life together would begin.
She might be upset now. That would all change once the whole picture was revealed to her. He was protecting her, as he’d always tried to do. More importantly, he was protecting her soul. He was the only one with the power to save her from the evil ways that really weren’t her at all.