by Mina Carter
The small amount of information the wolves had gleaned from the terrified soldiers indicated that Lillian had been collateral damage. Which meant the soldiers had thought to have a little fun with her. Now they were twisted and grotesque corpses littering the clearing around the cabin.
“Good.”
The scream echoed through the trees. High-pitched, it was the sound of fear and pain. A woman’s fear and pain. Jack’s head snapped up, a feral snarl curling his lips. Lillian’s voice. She was out there somewhere, hurt and scared. Someone was hurting his mate… He caught Nic’s pale eyes. They reflected his horror and rage.
“We’ll clean up.” She jerked her head toward the sound of the screaming. “She needs you. Go!”
He didn’t need to be told twice. He turned and ran. Taking three steps, he launched himself forward, changing in midair. His paws hit the ground, claws biting deep and driving him forward.
He ran like he’d never run before. He’d always loved the speed and agility of his wolf body, sometimes changing just for the thrill of running on four paws. For the exhilaration of pushing himself to see just how far and fast he could go.
There was no thrill and no enjoyment in his soul now. Speed was all that mattered. His heart thundered as his massive rib cage expanded to drag in more air, powering him forward ever faster. He twisted and turned, leaped over fallen logs and boulders alike, but saw none of it. Every second that passed was too much. Every second was another in which Lillian was being hurt or worse.
He lost her scent, but another scream spurred him on. Changing direction, he cut through the dense forest. He was close, so close he could hear male laughter and a woman’s sobbing.
There. Just up ahead through the trees. Lillian on the ground, a soldier on top of her, trying to force her thighs apart. Her pants were torn, the fabric ripped from waist to crotch. Already her delicate skin darkened with the beginning of bruises.
Anger slammed through him, stealing his breath and replacing the energy in his veins with a tower of rage. They were hurting his mate. He would kill them all.
A red mist bathed everything he saw as he crashed into the clearing, morphing into a hideous half-man, half-beast. On two legs, he charged, ignoring the two other men to tackle the one on top of Lillian, taking him to the ground next to her. Rearing back, he swung. His claws ripped into the man’s unprotected throat, tearing a gobbet of flesh free. His mate flinched as arterial blood sprayed her.
No time to see if she was okay. Leaving the dying man to choke his last, Jack jumped up on his misshapen feet. A rifle swung toward him. The finger attached to the trigger didn’t get time to tighten. Jack took the arm off at the shoulder. A swipe of his claws ensured the human had more things to worry about as his guts spilled to the dirt at his feet.
He kept moving, his claws alternately flashing in the moonlight and dripping blood. In less than a minute, he’d rendered the clearing into an open-air slaughterhouse. Bits of bodies, not men, littered the forest floor. An arm or a leg was distinguishable, but the rest was pretty much chum.
Chest heaving, he closed his eyes and dropped his head back as he fought to control himself. There were no more enemies, no one else to kill. There was just him and Lillian left. Just the thought of her snapped him back into focus.
Lillian. Was she okay, had that guy hurt her?
He turned, his clawed foot breaking something underfoot. He looked down, expecting to see a twig. It was a human thighbone, de-fleshed, its blood-splattered ivory surface gleaming in the moonlight.
Abruptly, he felt sick. What must Lillian think of him? She was human, he was an animal. An animal that had torn three men literally to pieces in front of her…less than pieces. Most of the remains could double as butchers mince.
The sound of her unsteady breathing, thick with tears, reproached him. She was terrified, he could smell it on the air. Hesitantly, he approached her. She’d curled into a small ball, arms and legs close to her body, like a child trying to shut out a world too cruel to cope with.
How could he even think of being near her…of touching her after this, never mind anything else? He wasn’t human. She was way too good for him and always would be. That he loved her, that his wolf howled at the mere thought of leaving her where she was on the forest floor, didn’t matter. He may be an animal now…but there was just enough of the man left in him to walk away. Maybe.
Until she sniffled and lifted her head. A pale hand pushing her hair out of her face, she looked about. The pale skin of her face went green as she caught sight of the slaughter, but she quickly looked on, searching for something.
Him. Her dark gaze latched onto him. He fought the urge to step back, hide his hideous misshapen form in shadow. Any moment now he expected the dazed expression on her face to dissolve into horror and for her to start screaming again. His heart pounded, the fight or flight syndrome firmly switched to flight. He couldn’t face her seeing him like this and turning away in disgust.
She didn’t scream. Instead she scrambled to her feet and, in a move beyond his wildest dreams, launched herself into his arms.
“Oh my God, Jack. I thought you’d never come. They were…they…” Her voice cracked as she buried her face into the fur that covered his body and wrapped her arms as far around him as she could. Her petite frame shook with the force of her trembling. So hard he was surprised she didn’t break her own teeth. He pulled her closer and buried his lupine muzzle into the softness of her hair.
She took a deep breath and looked up, right into his face. He winced, not sure how she’d take his appearance. She barely batted an eyelid, her hands soft as she wound her fingers into the thick ruff on his cheeks.
“They were…” She couldn’t complete her sentence, her full lower lip trembling as she looked around. Her face paled again as she looked around the scattered remains. Fear struck his heart as she flinched and looked away from the carnage, burying her face against his fur again. She thought he was a monster. How could she think anything else?
“I thought I was was going to die. That I’d never see you again. That I wouldn’t get a chance to tell you—” She was talking again, her words muffled until she looked up, a soft flush on her cheeks. “I know it’s probably a little early, but…I love you, Jack. Fur, claws and all.”
His heart leaped, his anger draining away, leaving just relief and something else in its wake. Hope for the future, and love. Jack sighed as the emotion burst forth from his heart and swelled throughout his mutated body. He loved her so much the sun, moon and stars wouldn’t be enough to prove it. She was his mate, the other half of his soul, the light to his darkness…he ran out of clichés and just held her.
She was his. She was safe. That was all Jack needed to know.
Chapter Twenty
Lillian couldn’t stop the shivering. It pervaded every part of her body, right down to her damn fingernails. How pathetic was that? She wasn’t even hurt, apart from the injury to her dignity. Still she clung to Jack, reveling in the feel of his soft fur and the strength under her hands. Absently, a part of her brain was still yammering away that she was stood, half naked, in the woods hugging an extra from The Wolfman. She ignored it.
The body holding her started to shift. The snick and pop reached her ears at the same time the fur she’d been holding retreated back under smooth, warm skin. It was the first time she’d been touching him as he changed. A small giggle escaped her lips as she flattened her hands over his chest.
“What?” He had a curious smile on his lips as soon as he reached human form. “What’s so funny?”
Leaning in, she breathed his scent in deep, filling her lungs with the essence of him then rubbed her cheek against his chest like a cat. She’d know him anywhere, just from his smell. It wasn’t that it was obvious, or bad, just unique to him.
“You vibrate when you change. All over your skin. It feels funny.”
He laughed a rich sound of unhurried amusement and delight, as though they were a couple out on a d
ate, rather than standing in the middle of a clearing in the forest surrounded by the remains of people who’d tried to kill them.
He was beautiful. She didn’t have any other description for it as she looked up into his smiling face. The grin that curved his full lips and the sparkle in his deep blue eyes…just beautiful. Love surged through her in a steady stream, overflowing from her full heart.
“If I didn’t know before, now I do.” He bent his head to claim her lips, teasing her with soft brushes of his. “I love you.”
I love you.
Those three little words wiped the slate clean. Her shivering stopped as she lifted on her toes for another kiss and then clung to him like a life raft in a stormy sea. She never wanted to let go, her entire body shaking so much her teeth rattled. The sound of someone clearing their throat made her lift her head. They were surrounded by the wolf pack.
“Fuck me, there’s a foot up there.”
Nic looked up with awe and amusement on her face. Lillian followed her gaze. Sure enough, nestled in the fork of a branch like a grisly Christmas decoration was a lone boot. Still laced up, the ragged edge of bone showed stark against the grays around it. Blood dripped drop by slow drop.
Suddenly, Lillian was very glad she didn’t have the same sense of smell they did as the stench of the bodies washed over her. The smell of fresh meat and opened intestines. Stronger than smelling salts, guaranteed to make a girl lose her lunch, or kill her appetite if she hadn’t managed to eat. If she were a vampire, she’d be fine. Plenty of blood around to snack on.
She gasped as she remembered Darce. How could she have forgotten? He was still out there somewhere with that Blood creature.
“Jack—”
He wasn’t listening, his hand held up sharply for silence. Around them the wolves dropped silent, their bodies taut with tension and their faces intent as though they were listening for something. A frown creased her brow as she stilled. There, on the edge of hearing. A mechanical sound…
Thumpthumpthumpthump.
“Gunships!” Jack yelled as the first one came into view over the tree line. “Fur on, bug out!”
The group around her scattered. Without asking, Jack grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder as he changed. His shoulder went from human-broad to massive and furred in a heartbeat. She gasped and tangled her fingers in his soft fur. There was no thought of arguing her independence. Any pride disappeared as the gunships opened fire and the clearing once again became a battlefield.
Bullets slammed into the ground around them, explosions spewing dirt and worse into the air making them dodge. She screamed in terror and hung on for dear life.
Nic was three steps behind them, running low and fast to avoid becoming a target for the guns above. She looked like a goddess of war, covered in blood and her ice-blue eyes inhuman in the spotlights. Lillian stared as she took three running steps and launched herself into the air. Hands forward and her body a graceful arc, Lillian thought she was going to crash into one of the broad treetrunks they passed.
She didn’t. Instead her body changed in mid-air. The human form collapsed in on itself and the wolf-woman exploded out of it like some kind of organic origami. Using the trunk as a springboard, she veered off to the left, howling a warning.
Bullets slammed into the trees as Jack sprinted through them, changing direction to follow Nic. The wolf-woman’s slender figure wove and dodged through the trees, with the rest of the pack following her.
They were surrounded. Searchlights stabbed through the trees from all directions. The gunships hovered, trying to get a clear shot at them through the thick branches overhead. Shouts and yells accompanied smaller caliber bullets as they flew and zipped from everywhere. The wolves yipped and danced as though they were being harassed by hornets.
They were being herded somewhere. Panic filled Lillian’s chest. She could see where this was going. They would herd the wolves into a clearing, a killing ground, and wipe them out. The fact that she’d be in the middle of the slaughter made no difference. Her encounter with the soldiers had made it clear that, if they got hold of her, she was a dead woman. But her heart ached for the wolves. They’d done nothing wrong, other than serve their country, and look where it had got them. Hunted down like dogs.
“Left, left!” she yelled, pointing at a gap through the trees as Jack swung around. Just beyond a small group of soldiers sat the distinct shape of troop vehicles. Armored Humvees painted black. Unbidden amusement swam up. Add some bling wheels and they wouldn’t look out of place on the streets. But she wasn’t interested in the wheels—she was interested in the heavy-duty gun mounted on the top of one.
The pack wheeled as one. Fear and terror showed in the eyes of the soldiers as the wolves broke away and ran the gauntlet instead of taking the easy option they were being herded toward. Lillian’s lips quirked. Served them right for treating the wolves as dumb mutts when they were anything but.
Bullets meant nothing as the wolf pack slammed into the line with a ferocity that would leave survivors with nightmares for the rest of their lives. If there had been any. Within seconds, the wolves had rolled through, rendering living, breathing soldiers to bloodied remains.
“Nic, Sanders! Designated drivers!” Jack speed-shifted to human and yelled as the team swarmed through the gap they’d made in the human forces. Instantly the two wolves broke off and ran toward the trucks. By the time they reached the doors, they were both in human form. Hardy as their other forms were, paws were useless for driving.
“Richards, man the gun. I want those ships gone!”
As the sergeant vaulted into the back of the second vehicle, Jack wrenched the door to the first open and put Lillian down in the passenger seat as Nic fired it up.
“Stay,” he ordered, cupping her cheek with a gentle hand. Covered in blood, she looked terrified, her eyes wide and dark. “It’ll be okay. Nic will look after you.”
He shut the door, encasing her in its bulletproof cocoon. She’d be safe now, and he could concentrate on what he needed to do without worrying about a stray bullet taking everything that mattered from him. He rejoined the battle, leaping into the open back of the troop carrier to grab an unsecured rifle.
The Humvees roared to life, careening out of the clearing and through the narrow forest roads. In the other vehicle, Richards had the machine gun up and running. The heavy weapon spat death and destruction at the gunships above them as the rest of the pack dealt with the human troops. Jack didn’t spend too long looking. He had better things to do and, despite the fact that they were all easy with nudity, there was something about a guy firing a machine gun while butt-naked that was just wrong.
“Take that, you bastards!” Jack snarled, rifle tight into his shoulder as he took down soldier after soldier with the Project’s own weapons. They died easy. The lucky ones. They’d get a full military funeral with honors. Their names would be remembered with pride.
They wouldn’t be forced into a cage bed and infected, then used in experiments to satisfy scientific curiosity. They wouldn’t end their days with a bullet to the back of the head and be buried in an unmarked grave.
The breakneck chase through the trees didn’t last long. Richards was a man of many talents. Apart from his plumbing prowess, he was the best gunner among them. The big weapon danced under his hands, the bullets cutting through the air and branches alike, the former crashing down onto the men who tried to follow them.
The trees opened up, the air above them clear. Time slowed to a crawl as the gunships roared into view. A wordless war cry erupted from Richards’ throat as he wrenched the machine gun around. Bullets tore the air, lighting it up like a fourth of July parade. They traced a delicate line toward the helicopters. Jack held his breath. They slammed into the side of the first gunship, tearing metal up as they sought the blade motors.
He had to hand it to Richards—the guy didn’t waste time. No messing around trying to bust the bulletproof glass to get to the pilot for him. No, if he
needed a chopper out the air, he simply removed its ability to remain airborne.
Two blades shredded on contact. The gunship groaned and listed to the side, like a fly with its wings pulled off. The other one was too close, couldn’t move out the way quickly enough. The remaining blades on the crippled ship swung around, slicing through the metal of the second like a hot knife through butter. Both tumbled toward the ground, trashing trees as the troops in the back were flung clear like ragdolls.
Jack pounded on the roof behind him. “Incoming! Faster!”
The Humvee lurched under his feet as Nic put her foot down, the vehicle threatening to shake apart as she pushed it past its operational limits. She wouldn’t. Nic was an excellent driver, always able to coax everything from whatever she drove. Clinging to the side of the turret like the rest of the pack, Jack didn’t care even if she did trash the thing. It was a Project vehicle; he didn’t have to worry about paying the bills. All he cared about was putting distance between them and the tumbling, rolling mass of fire and death bearing down on them.
Locked together the gunships crashed into the trees. Metal screamed. Thump…thump…thump. The second ships blades still rotated, trying to pull away from certain death, even with its cockpit shorn in two and blood decorating the inside of the windscreen.
The valiant effort was for nothing. The nose of the first ship kissed the ground and caught. It tumbled, taking its partner with it. Both rolled, metal folding and fire blossoming in a hypnotic dance. Jack held his breath as a blade came loose, cartwheeled, and missed the second pack vehicle by a hairbreadth. Then they were free, the roar of the Humvees’s powerful engines carrying them into the darkness and to safety.
They escaped into the darkness of night. The powerful vehicles roared along the forest roads at breakneck speed, careening around corners and taking out smaller trees growing too close to the dirt tracks. Great. The Project wouldn’t need a tracker to follow their trail—even a kid could draw them a map. Standing in the back of the first vehicle, Jack closed his eyes for a second and let the cool air wash over him as they climbed higher, past the foothills and into the mountains proper. They needed to ditch the vehicles, and fast.