JJ’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t seem to make her feet move. As if she somehow understood, Gracie grabbed hold of her arm and tugged her.
“Come on. We’ll find you a nice little private glade so you can change.”
As they walked deeper into the woods, others already began yanking off their clothing. Impervious to the cold, several naked men dropped to the forest floor and began the process of becoming wolf.
JJ stared, fascinated. When Gracie tugged at her again, she wrenched her gaze away.
Ahead of them, several large wolves bounded off to begin the hunt.
“It’s time.” Excitement rang in Gracie’s voice. JJ could see that her inner wolf obviously battled for release.
“You go ahead,” JJ assured her. “I’m going to go that way and find a semiprivate place. I’ll meet you on the hunt.”
“Thank you.” Her voice almost a growl, Gracie hurried away, shedding her clothing as she went.
JJ turned. All around her were people in various states of undress, and wolves. Lots of wolves—more than she’d ever seen in one place.
Growls and grunts and the occasional whine filled the air. Together in small groups, they loped off into the forest, joining larger groups. They’d hunt, working together, no doubt bringing down several deer. They’d feast on their kills, sharing equally. And when they were done, they’d return to this place and shift back to human.
After that, she could only imagine what would happen. Naked plus arousal equaled...
Panic jabbed her. She didn’t want this. Not now. Not ever. She simply couldn’t do it. Spinning on her heel, she took off at a dead run for the parking lot and her car.
Chapter 15
Eric couldn’t stop thinking about JJ, stripping off her clothes to change in front of a bunch of strangers. Her smooth, pale, freckled skin, the lush curves her clothing only hinted at, on display for anyone and everyone to ogle. Another man would hold her close, breathe the slight sweetness of her lavender scent and run his hands over her curves. Eric didn’t like it, not in the slightest, though he was well aware he didn’t have a right to protest.
Though bears rarely hunted in groups like wolves, he’d done group hunts, too, though not recently. Not in years, in fact. Those had occurred only in his younger, more rowdy days. He well remembered the uninhibited group sex that always followed those things. He’d thought of mentioning this to JJ, but figured she had to know. Everyone—without exception—experienced sexual arousal after reassuming their human form.
His body stirred just thinking about it. Resolutely, he forced his thoughts away.
Because he hadn’t wanted to be alone in the house with Rhonda, he’d packed up Garth and headed to his shop. He’d been spending a lot of time there, setting up his tools and his office. All Garth’s things were there, too: his playpen, stuffed animals and brightly colored toys. Eric had brought only a few things to Rhonda’s place. He couldn’t wait until JJ’s house was fixed. Luckily, she’d said the contractor would be starting work on Monday.
He stayed at the shop until his growling stomach forced him to go in search of food. Most of downtown Forestwood appeared to be shut down—he guessed they were all at the hunt. Finally, he found a small Chinese restaurant and scarfed down some delicious sweet-and-sour chicken.
Since Garth had already eaten and had played most of the day, he slept through dinner. Eric suspected he’d lucked out with such a calm baby. He counted his blessing there.
When he finished up, he reluctantly went back to Rhonda’s. He wished he’d kept the hotel room. With lights turned down low, she had several scented candles lit in the dim room, filling the air with something that smelled like pears. Watching TV in the living room, she offered him a beer and invited him to watch with her. Though tempted, he didn’t want to have to fend off any advances, so he claimed exhaustion and retreated to his room. At least he had a good book to read. Settling back against his pillow to do so, he fell asleep almost immediately, waking later to shut off the light and climb in between the sheets.
* * *
The morning after JJ’s communal hunt, Eric went to make coffee shortly after sunrise. He’d taken to rising early—Garth woke up at six, anyway—and showering, planning on having coffee and breakfast before anyone else got up. When JJ strolled into the kitchen midway through his first cup, he greeted her warily.
“Did you have a good time last night?” he asked, dividing his attention between her and his coffee mug.
“I did.” Her sleepy smile made his man parts twinge. “At first, it was a bit weird,” she continued, shaking her head. “Interesting, watching so many people so comfortable with themselves they could shift next to virtual strangers.”
“Did you like it?” he asked, unable to help himself, the intensity in his voice revealing feelings better left hidden.
“Not really.” She swallowed. “I finally realized it wasn’t my cup of tea and left. I was too embarrassed to come back here, so I went into town and had a drink at a bar. Downtown was pretty deserted. Mostly only humans there, but it was all right. As for the hunt, I think they were planning to bring down a couple of deer.”
Fierce joy bloomed inside him. She hadn’t done it. He couldn’t imagine her passing up the chance to take down a deer. The bear inside him woke at that, shaking off the last of his sleepiness with a rumbling yawn. He himself needed to change and hunt, the sooner the better. Except then he’d have to ask JJ to watch Garth. Part of him still balked at that.
Still a bit stunned, he wasn’t sure what to say. Should he commiserate with her or congratulate her? He settled on simply nodding and saying nothing.
After fetching her own cup of coffee, she pulled out the chair across from him and sat. “I start my new job tomorrow. That is, if my new boss, Gracie, isn’t mad at me for disappearing. The bookstore is a couple of blocks away from your new shop. Maybe we could have lunch together sometime?”
Her earnest expression made him smile. “I’d like that,” he said. “Once you get settled in, we’ll decide on a day and a place.”
At his response, her entire body sagged with relief.
Surprised, he cocked his head. “Are you all right?”
“I am now. I’ve been worried about our friendship, especially after I asked you to hunt with me.”
He swallowed hard. “Please don’t mention that again.”
Though her lovely green eyes widened, she nodded. “I won’t. I just wanted you to know I’m glad we can still be friends.”
Friends. He still wanted so much more. About to comment, he closed his mouth when Rhonda strolled into the kitchen.
“Morning, you two.” Her cheery voice made him wince.
“Good morning,” he and JJ answered in unison. Surprised, they looked at each other and laughed.
Rhonda stared. “Did I miss something?”
“No.” Shaking her head, JJ continued smiling. “We were talking about me starting my new job tomorrow.”
“In the bookstore, right?” Rhonda worked in the large bank downtown as a loan officer. She, too, worked close enough to have lunch with JJ. Though tempted to point this out, he held his tongue. If JJ wanted to invite her friend, she could do it herself.
Walking to the pot, Rhonda poured herself a cup of coffee and carried it to the table. After she’d taken a seat, she scooched her chair closer to Eric. It took every ounce of self-restraint he had to keep from moving away.
“Working in a bookstore sounds kind of boring,” Rhonda commented.
Her expression shocked, JJ shook her head. “That’s only because you don’t like to read.”
“How do you know?” Rhonda countered, taking a long drink of her coffee.
“Because you don’t have a single book in the house, at least that I can tell.”
Glancing b
ack toward the living room, Eric realized JJ was right. He hadn’t noticed, but not even a coffee table book graced the room.
Rhonda laughed. “I only read e-books.”
“Oh.” JJ’s face turned pink. “I didn’t think of that. I read e-books, too, but there’s nothing like the feel of a real book in your hands.”
When Rhonda shrugged, Eric changed the subject. “I finally have all my stuff stored in my shop until the house gets repaired. Do you have any idea how long that will take?”
Before she could answer, the front living room window shattered.
* * *
JJ screamed. Rhonda whirled, growling and baring her teeth. Eric leaped for the baby, aware only of the need to protect his son.
“A brick.” Outrage in her voice, Rhonda stalked toward the window, her shoes crunching on shattered glass. She picked the brick up, holding it high as though she was considering lobbing it back out the window.
“There’s a note or something tied to it.” Still snarling, Rhonda jerked loose the small slip of white paper. “Freakin’ cowards.”
Eric raised his head, still sheltering his son with his body. He cursed, an unintelligible Norwegian word he remembered hearing his grandfather use.
“Get him out of here,” JJ urged.
She was right, but he hated to leave both women unprotected. “JJ, you take him and go to the back. Please.”
After a second’s hesitation, she nodded. Crossing to him, she grabbed the baby carrier and hurried off toward her bedroom.
Frowning, Rhonda watched her go before handing the note to him. “I don’t understand what this means,” she complained. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Scrawled in red ink were three words. Abomination. Valor. And Sacrifice.
* * *
Only once the Forestwood PD arrived did JJ feel safe enough to venture from her bedroom with the baby. They took Rhonda’s statement, and after handing Garth over to Eric, JJ helped her sweep up shards of glass. Rhonda passed her the note and together they puzzled over the meaning of the words.
The police left after taking the report and a photo of the note, promising to make sure to patrol the area more frequently. They’d also taken photos of the footprints in the snow out front, just in case. Meanwhile, the room had grown cold, with frigid air coming in through the broken pane.
“We’ll need to nail plywood over that,” Eric commented. Both JJ and Rhonda looked at him.
“I’ve got some in the garage,” Rhonda said. “If you’ll help nail it up, I’d appreciate it.”
“How big is it?” he asked. “If you plan to nail it, it’ll have to be big enough to cover the entire window.”
“It is.” Rhonda sounded surprisingly upbeat, considering someone had attacked her home.
“Sure. If JJ will agree to watch Garth for a few more minutes.”
Tempted to tell Rhonda she’d help nail up the plywood, JJ took the baby instead. She watched as Eric followed Rhonda to the garage to retrieve the plywood. Though it took only a few minutes to locate it and move it into place, the interior temperature felt like it had dropped another twenty degrees. JJ had taken Garth into the bedroom and left him there. She’d closed the door to keep the heat in.
Finally, they had it up. When they came back inside, Rhonda was shivering, telling Eric in a wounded little voice how cold she felt.
If she’d been hinting at him in the hopes he’d warm her up, Eric didn’t appear to notice. JJ read the note again, out loud this time.
“‘Abomination, valor, sacrifice.’ Does anyone have an idea what that means?”
Scowling, Rhonda shook her head. “No clue. But when I find out who’s messing with me, they’d better be careful. I don’t get mad, I get even.”
JJ chanced a glance at Eric. A muscle worked in his jaw and the bleak, haunted fury in his eyes told her he might have an idea what those words meant. Clearly, she’d have to ask him privately.
His next words surprised her. “I think Garth and I need to move out.”
Both JJ and Rhonda gaped at him. “Because of the brick?” Rhonda narrowed her eyes. “You know what the note means, don’t you?”
Instead of answering, he took Garth from JJ and headed toward his room. “We’ll pack immediately. Thanks for the hospitality. If you have a deductible or something, I’ll be more than happy to pay it.”
Once he’d gone, JJ looked at Rhonda.
“Do you know, too?” Rhonda asked.
“I have no idea.” JJ’s heart pounded and she took a deep breath. “But I’m going to try and find out.”
Determined, she hurried down the hallway, hoping Rhonda wouldn’t follow her. When she reached Eric’s room, she knocked on the closed door.
He opened it a crack and peered out. “What?”
“Can I talk to you?”
“I don’t want to discuss it,” he replied, and started to close the door.
Surprising herself, she stuck her foot in the gap like she’d seen in the movies, keeping him from shutting it. “Please.”
To her relief, he let her in. “Just you, no Rhonda, right?”
She glanced back over her shoulder to make sure. “Right.”
He closed the door behind her and turned the lock. He had his duffel bag on the bed and had clearly been throwing in clothes.
“You’re really leaving?”
Meeting her gaze, he nodded. “It’s not safe here anymore. Garth’s safety has to come before anything else.”
“So the brick really was aimed at you? What’s going on?”
“The less you know the better.”
“No.” She moved closer, until they were standing toe to toe. “I’m involved already, whether you like it or not. I can’t help you if I’m not in the loop.”
His eyes darkened as he gazed down at her. “It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got time.”
Another heartbeat passed with their gazes locked. Finally, he exhaled. “Come for a drive with me.”
“Where are you going?”
“My shop. I’m going to stay there. It’s got a rudimentary kitchen and bathroom. The security is much better, too, since I installed cameras and an alarm system. I’ll just need to find someplace to take showers.”
“I’m sure you can use Rhonda’s house,” JJ offered.
He shook his head before she even finished speaking. “Not happening.” His tone told her not to ask why.
Once he’d packed everything, he did a double check of the room to make sure he hadn’t left a single piece of clothing before putting on his parka. “Come on,” he said.
“Okay.” She followed him out into the hallway. As they went past the living room, Rhonda jumped up to intercept them. Her gaze immediately went to his loaded duffel bag.
“You’re really leaving?” The alarm in her voice had JJ eyeing her.
“Yes.”
“I wish you wouldn’t.” Somehow Rhonda managed to get in between them and the door. “If you go, you’ll be leaving both JJ and me completely unprotected.”
He froze, and then shook his head. “This attack wasn’t about either of you. Once Garth and I are out of here, no one should bother you again.”
Rhonda’s eyes widened. She looked at JJ, who nodded.
“Are you going, too?”
With all her heart, JJ suddenly wished she could say yes. “No. I’ll be back.”
Eric started moving again. When he opened the front door, he looked back over his shoulder at JJ and then continued walking away.
As JJ started after him, Rhonda grabbed her arm. “Don’t go.”
Jerking herself free, JJ snagged her coat off the rack and headed after Eric. “I’ll be back, I promise.”
Outside, she hurried to catch up
with him. Buckling the baby into the infant carrier, he looked up and inclined his chin toward the passenger seat. She got in and clicked the seat belt.
As they pulled away, she watched him, waiting for him to speak. Instead, he stared straight ahead, hands tight on the wheel, silent. Most likely he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to involve her in any of this.
“Well?” she finally demanded, when he showed no sign of wanting to talk. “What was all that about?”
Jaw still tight, he barely glanced at her. “My son is in danger. The Pack Protectors want me to go into a sort of witness protection program with him.”
She swallowed, shocked. Noting her reaction, he nodded. She couldn’t believe how incredibly painful she found the idea of never seeing him again.
“Are you?” Clearing her throat, she tried once more. “Are you considering doing that?”
“I’d prefer not to,” he admitted. “But I’ve got to consider what’s best for Garth.”
“What kind of danger? I assume the Protectors are looking for the person who’s a threat to you two?”
“They are. But until then...” The bleakness in his tone told her he’d already considered the alternative.
“What did that note mean? Abomination, valor, sacrifice? It doesn’t make sense.”
“For reasons I can’t go into, they consider Garth both an abomination and apparently full of valor. They want me to give him up, to sacrifice him to their cause.”
“Sacrifice?” Horrified, she tried to comprehend. “I’m struggling to make sense of your words, but I can’t. I just don’t understand. The idea that anyone wants to kill a sweet, innocent baby? What kind of monster would do such a thing?”
“Oh, they don’t want to kill him,” he said. “They want to take him from me and eventually test him to see if he carries a particular gene mutation. If he does, they want to try and breed him, so they can get more of the same type of mutation.”
His words puzzled her. “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” she began.
Her Guardian Shifter Page 15