Circus Wolf

by Lynde Lakes

  He glanced at her bookcase, one special made for traveling folks. It had a see-through screen and doors on sliders. “Ingenious,” he said. “I’d like to build one of those for myself. Am I allowed to make improvements to my abode?”

  “Sure. Just run your plans by the big boss. I’ll tell him it’s a good idea.”

  “Interesting collection of books for a tiger trainer.”

  She laughed. Her choice of reading material always surprised people. They didn’t understand why most of her books centered on crime and police science. “I suppose I acquired my interest in police procedures from Grandy. He came from a family of policemen.

  Hugh’s gaze fixed on the title of one of the books: An Introduction to Forensic Science and Criminal Investigation. “Knowledge of such things could come in handy. You are a multi-faceted lady. Just when I think I have you figured out…” He glanced at a chair but didn’t sit down. “Have you read all those books?”

  She laughed. “Most of them.”

  “Well, being friends with a woman exposed to such information could be helpful in our adventure tonight.” He gestured with his mug full of coffee. “To success. I’d love to relax and discuss your choice of reading material further, but I have a feeling we’re only seen the beginning of this storm and the sooner we head out the better.”

  She nodded, drained her cup, and then opened a tiny closet. She pulled out two London Fog raincoats; the larger had belonged to Grandy.

  “These will keep the worst of it off of us and might block some of the wind. It gets cold in caves very quickly.”

  “Right,” he said.

  She’d learned in the short time since they’d set down stakes in San Bernardino that it didn’t matter how high the temperature rose in the day time, it always cooled at sunset, and on a stormy, dark night such as this one the barometer-drop chilled clear to the bones.

  She gathered a flashlight, matches, a couple of energy bars, bottles of water, a few small plastic bags, and a six-by-six plastic medical kit and tucked them into a knapsack.

  “Good thinking,” he said.

  A grin pulled at the corners of her mouth at his praise. She shoved a pair of thin plastic gloves into her pocket for good measure.

  He helped her into her coat and when he lifted her hair and tucked it into the hood, she felt a tingle of warmth slide down her spine. “Thanks,” she said past the constriction in her throat.

  Dear God. I’m starting to care more for Hugh than is healthy for either of us. Everyone she’d allowed herself to care for was dead; what if by allowing this affection to grow, she was signing his death warrant? After tonight, I must cool things down!

  ****

  Hugh always prided himself on being a good tracker. When he turned north instead of south Tigra sent him a questioning look. “The front entrance is the other way,” she said.

  He winked and continued leading the way through the dimly lit arcade into the blackness at the rear of the grounds. “If we leave by the back way, we have a better chance of not being seen.”

  “It’s fenced.”

  “I’ll help you over.”

  Tigra sent him an over-my-dead-body look. She broke ahead of him and took off for the furthest corner of the chain link fence. Why? Is she afraid of having me touch her body? Afraid of her own reactions? Conceited fool, you’d like to believe that, he told himself.

  Before he could catch up, she climbed the chain link fence like a monkey, then putting her hand on a support post, she swung herself over the fence like a gazelle. Hugh knew she was part tiger, but he hadn’t known, that like him, she had the attributes of a whole damned zoo. He followed suit and they ran into the hills. He grabbed her hand. When she started to pull away, he said, “We need to stay together for safety’s sake; it would be easy to get separated on a stormy, dark night like this.”

  She nodded.

  Great affection welled up inside him. He was finding it difficult not to fall in love with this tiger-woman. He tightened his jaw against the agony. Once he made things right and made sure she was safe, he had to back off.

  ****

  Tigra fought a troubled giddiness. Like Hugh said, we’re only holding hands to stay together. But it felt so right. Trying to ignore the warmth and strength of his big hand clutching her smaller hand, she combed the outline of the hills, watching for a dark indentation that might indicate a cave. She wanted to find a cave not only to search it for the golden arrowhead but also to seek shelter from the menacing lightning arcing too close for comfort.

  The rain fell in torrents. Lightning scrawled zigzags across the sky and illuminated the outline of the hills. The dripping trees and bushes were a mass of black shadows, seemingly crouching like demons ready to strike.

  Another arc of lightening flashed over the hills. “Look,” Hugh said, “a cave, ahead to your right.”

  “Yes, I see it.” An eerie feeling sent a prickle through the roots of her hair.

  As they ran into the darkness of the cave, a boom of thunder exploded over the top and echoed through its tunnels. Another arc of lightning lit up the entrance. Hugh pulled her back from the arcs. The brightness sent wicked lights and shadows flickering across his steely features. Thunder struck again and when she jumped, he drew her close. His faint aroma reminded her of wet redwood. She loved the smell of wood. To keep from putting her arms around him, she dug through the bag for the flashlight.

  She heard a low growl and inhaled wet fur. “Oh, no. I think we’ve invaded a wolf’s den.”

  A pair of glowing eyes peered out at them from the darkness.

  “Don’t turn on the flashlight. I’ll handle it.”

  Tigra heard what sounded like the swish of a discarded raincoat and then the angry growling of more than one wolf. She suspected Hugh had morphed. Icy with fear and burning with curiosity, she went against Hugh’s instructions and flashed the light on the wolves.

  One was black with bold, silvery marking and the other gray. The black wolf with starling, silvery markings was Hugh. As if he didn’t want to harm the slightly smaller wolf, he got down on all fours and met the animal’s gaze. His apparent attempt at hypnosis and creating a telepathic bond didn’t scare off the beast. The wolves faced each other, lips curled, incisors bared, and growling. Hugh’s feral Gray eyes blazing with wolf ferocity. Hugh bristled his fur, then he stood up on his hind legs, throwing a giant shadow onto the wall. The wolves began to circle. The glow from the flashlight highlighted her alpha werewolf’s ferocity. Her heartbeat quickened. Unidentified emotions rushed through her, but she didn’t have time to sort them out. She had the urge to help, but he seemed to have things under control. She kept an eye on the battling wolves, watching for a shift of power. Hugh crouched low and issued a throaty growl. His eyes glowed like hot coals. The wolf, which was only protecting his den, lunged for Hugh’s throat. She gasped, caught in a riveting sense of rising panic. She didn’t want either of the wolves to be hurt, especially Hugh.

  Hugh whipped around and counter attacked. Fully engaged by Hugh, the threatening wolf curled his lips, his gleaming incisors bared. He leapt at Hugh again. Hugh thrashed about to stop the enraged wolf from closing his jaws on his throat. While her alpha werewolf fought the wolf, muzzle to muzzle and blocked bite for bite, she shrugged off her clothing and morphed into her Tiger form. Growling, she jumped on the back of the wolf with her claws extended and dug them and her incisors into his shoulders and neck. The deafening rumble of the three of them growling echoed through the cave. The wolf thrust himself against the cave’s wall and knocked her off his back. Terrified, she watched for a chance to get back into the action.

  The shadows on the wall reflected the fierceness of the battle. She smelled blood. She leapt onto the gray wolf’s back again. He shook her off onto the hard rock floor then fixed his piercing gaze on her. As she edged away, he leapt and tried to close his incisors on her throat. She dodged and slinked out of his reach. Hugh used the distraction to attack again. He went for the throat
. The wolf twisted and Hugh bit into his shoulder. Blood gushed out.

  The wolf let out a pained whine. The injured animal glared at them—tiger and wolf—then as if feeling out-numbered and out maneuvered, it retreated and disappeared deeper into the bowels of the cave.

  She froze, listening, afraid to move.

  A gust of wind whistled through the cave. It smelled musty…like death.

  Ahead was a dangerous, injured wolf and behind was…what? A vampire…a serial killer?

  Tigra shivered, struck by the eerie feeling she was in a never ending nightmare with a duality of evil, slinking toward them from two directions, ready to attack.

  Chapter Fifteen

  After shifting back to her human form Tigra glanced over at Hugh who had also shifted. He put his finger to his lips and drew her into his warm arms. They huddled nude and silent in the shadows for about five minutes to make sure the immediate peril was over then Tigra scrunched her brows and whispered,” You’re bleeding.” She fought the effect of his heat mingled with her lingering apprehension.

  He looked down at her with thickly lashed eyes. “Just scratches and shallow bites. I can treat it later.”

  “Too dangerous,” she said, digging the medical kit out of her backpack. “The smell of fresh blood could bring the whole pack sniffing around.”

  “Pack? What makes you think there might be more than one wolf?”

  She gently touched his shoulder, stepped closer again, and said, “Nothing. Just considering all the possibilities.”

  He placed his hands on her nude waist and laughed softly. “We’re alike in that respect.”

  Heat and desire shot through her, but she forced herself to close her mind to his touch, his nearness, and concentrate on the likely danger waiting ahead.

  “Then you’ll appreciate my other reasons as well—vampires can smell blood for miles, and when we return to the circus, the odor of the fresh red stuff will stir up my tigers.”

  Fighting a relentless yearning, she smoothed antibiotic cream gently over his taut, firm skin and then bandaged his gashes, trying not to let his feral-manly scent or his breath feathering across her cheek distract her. If she looked up into his eyes again, she might do something stupid like draw his head down and kiss him. When he flexed his biceps hard and tensed under her fingertips, her heart quickened.

  What the devil is wrong with me? If he were seriously hurt, I could concentrate on the wound, but these shallow slashes and gashes won’t even require stitches.

  Earlier, his quick, alpha jump-to-action was controlled and agile—a performance that perhaps saved their lives. The potential for further danger is what I should be thinking about, not how much I crave having his hands on me, his body touching mine, and finishing what we started in the steamy pool.

  She stiffened her back. Determined to keep her goals and priorities straight, she forced herself to look up at Hugh.

  He leaned forward slightly, staring at her lips.

  Damn it. If he kisses me, I’ll melt like the San Gorgonio white caps under the searing summer heat.

  He took a deep breath as though needing extra oxygen and flexed his jaw. “We have a decision to make. My instincts tell me to risk going forward. What about your instincts?”

  My instincts are to jump your bones, Wolfman.

  Above the cave, the sky rumbled with thunder. “The storm is getting worse.” It was all she dared to say with her whole being zinging with longing. Then she reined in her insanity. “We’re here and if you’re okay, I say let’s go for it and thoroughly search the cave before moving on.”

  His hypnotic silvery gray eyes met hers. After a simmering moment, he nodded and said, “Even though it would be quicker to split up and search—with the unknown ahead and behind us—we’d better stay close together.”

  I’d like to be close enough to join as one, she thought. But all she allowed herself to say was, “No argument.”

  They redressed quickly and slipped back into their rain-wear to ward off the chill.

  With their flashlight beams circling, they inspected every indentation and loose rock along the way. Tigra didn’t know how long they’d been in the cave, but it seemed like hours. Their soaked London Fog raincoats gave little warmth and she couldn’t stop her teeth from chattering. What she needed was Hugh’s body pressed tightly to hers.

  As if he’d read her thoughts, he paused and drew her into his arms. “Let’s take a break and warm you up. You could get sick and then I’d have to finish the search alone.”

  She looked up at him, reveling in the warmth of his arms and fascinated by the way the shadows played across his face. “No way, Wolfman. Don’t even think of cutting me out of the treasure hunt. We’re a team.”

  Hugh’s eyes glinted and he smiled. “Okay then, the least I can do is warm you up some.”

  A smile tugged at her lips and her desire soared higher. Now the party was getting interesting again.

  He slipped off his coat and, over the top of her London Fog, he pulled his wrap tight around her shoulders.

  Darn, is that all he meant?

  Surprisingly, the wet cloth warmed slightly by his body heat blocked some of the chill. When he eased her down into a sitting position on the cold, stone floor, she shivered. “Thanks, but this is like sitting on a block of ice.” Unfortunately, it didn’t cool her ardor.

  “We’ll get you warm and toasty in a jiffy,” he said, gathering scraps of kindling wood and dried brush. He placed them into a pile to build a fire.

  When he squatted and struck a match, anticipatory warmth slid through her.

  Fascinated, she watched his soaked, skintight jeans mold over firm-looking buns. A thrill slid down her spine. Wolf or man, he was gorgeous.

  Within seconds, flames danced over the stack of kindling with hot abandon. If he were to make love to me, I’ll bet we could do the dance of passion with the same fiery abandon.

  As if in answer to her desire, he drew her into his arms and held her a few moments, rubbing her arms and back. Like a languid cat, she stretched, fully aware Hugh’s gaze was devouring the arc of her torso.

  “Thanks, Hugh. The heat is almost as warming as settling in that steamy pool again,” she said as they toasted themselves by the fire. And like at the pool, your touch is driving me wild.

  He opened his mouth as if to speak but said nothing. With thoughts of the steamy pool jetting between them, she wondered who’d speak first or make the next move. Minutes passed.

  Suddenly as though driven by some unknown emotion, Hugh turned from the fire and reached for her hand. “Are you warm enough to continue?” His voice was husky and his tone too deep and sexy to be merely referring to continuing their search of the cave.

  She nodded. Her quivering lips couldn’t form the yes. Trembling at his touch, she let him assist her to her feet. He threw dirt over the flames and doused them. “This narrow part of the cavern should hold the heat for a while and even filter some into the rest of the cave.”

  His wolfish nonchalance denied the tension charging between them. He grinned as though he suspected his effect on her. Which was not a surprise—he should be totally aware of it after their passionate sojourn in the steamy pool and then her mentioning it again. The heat rising in the cavern felt good, but the heat in her body terrified her. Think, she told herself, think only of the goals. We must find the arrowhead and stay alive.

  ****

  Disappointment washed over Tigra as they finished searching the first cave with no success. Outside, the wind whistled down through the valley’s sullen and rain-soaked landscape.

  “Want to give up for tonight?” Hugh asked.

  “How many caves do you think there are in this sector?” she asked past her wariness.

  “Without a geologist’s report, there’s no way to know. I can order a map tomorrow.”

  “The clock is ticking and people are dying. Maybe we’ll find the cave we need tonight and you won’t have to bother.”

  He laugh
ed. “Somehow I guessed you’d say that.”

  They walked side by side, their searching gaze alert for the blackened entrance of the next cave. He reached for her hand and closed his warm one over her icy one.

  “You could use some gloves,” he said.

  She had a pair of plastic ones in her pocket in case she needed them, but she knew he didn’t mean those kind of gloves. She laughed. “And Southern California is supposed to be the warm, sunshine state. If this bad weather continues, the circus could sink into the red.”

  He scoffed. “Don’t give me something else to worry about. I have my heart set on doing the full loop of travel with this circus.”

  “I pray your dreams come true. A close down would hurt a lot of people. The circus is all most of us know. It gets in one’s blood.” His expression softened and the gray in his eyes took on the hue of silver mist. “I pray for everyone’s sake the circus remains in the black for many years to come.” She heard the concern for others in his voice and couldn’t stop her heart for going out to a man who so deeply cared about his fellow man.

  She sighed. “I wish staying solvent was our only concern.” They circled a fallen tree limb lying across their path. “Now with an innocent girl murdered less than a fourth of a mile from the circus, maybe by a vampire, other customers in possible danger, and the police circling our grounds like hungry vultures, there is much more at stake.”

  He pulled her to a stop and pointed to an ominous circle of complete blackness. “Look. We almost missed this cave entrance.”

  She nodded, and followed him inside. She switched on her flashlight and looked around at the shadowy cavern, her mind still locked into their discussion. “I know about tigers and a little about wolves, but I don’t know much about vampires. You’ve had firsthand experience with vampires. What can you tell me about them?”

  He stared at her for a long, measuring moment. “A vampire can maintain complete physical evidence of its former existence as a perfectly healthy and normal human. Its rejuvenation is so convincing it can safely move to areas where it isn’t known and live an anonymous existence by day and create havoc with the living at night.”