by D. M. Turner
The delay in finding the big cat was good, though. It had given Brett time to recover fully from his injuries. The last time she’d seen him on the deck, he’d appeared strong, much to Kelly’s relief.
Colin had leaned against Tanya and nuzzled her the couple of times he’d been back to the house, but time had been far too short. She hadn’t seen him in two days, and the more time passed, the more worried she got. If someone had been seriously injured or killed, the pack would’ve returned to the house, right?
“Staring out the window won’t make them return any faster.” Kelly bumped her shoulder lightly, playfully, as she stepped to the window. “They’ll get back when they get back.”
She cast the woman a sideways glance. “Can you honestly say you’re not worried about Brett?”
“I didn’t say that. I just said staring out that window won’t make them come back any faster.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I saw firsthand what that cougar is capable of. Of course, I’m worried. We just have to trust them to take care of each other. The fact they care about one another is the only reason I’m not out there right now, defying orders. If this pack was like my father’s, nothing could stop me from being at Brett’s side.”
Kelly had a point. Ian, Brett, and the others would watch over Colin, just as he’d watch over them. They wouldn’t allow each other to get hurt, if there was any way to prevent it. However, there was always the chance something unpreventable would arise.
“Come on. Sit down with us. If you keep yourself occupied, the time will pass more quickly.”
Tanya sighed and nodded.
A flicker of movement at the edge of the trees caught her eye.
She focused on that spot and waited a moment longer.
More movement soon followed and increased.
Ian trotted out of the forest, Brett close to his side. The rest of the pack followed. Three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine…. Two missing?
She sorted through the furry mass to figure out who.
The pack had moved closer to the house when the remaining two emerged from the trees.
“Thank you, God.” Hand over her heart, she sent an earnest prayer of gratitude toward the heavens.
Ian hopped onto the porch and looked back.
Kelly opened the door to admit the pack, who filed in one-by-one and headed for the hallway that led to various bedrooms. All of them bore signs of a fight. No obvious wounds, but blood tainted their coats and muzzles. A lot of hot water would be used that evening.
The two bringing up the rear were Graham and Colin, both of whom were covered in blood. Graham limped slightly. Colin’s gait was steady and sure. Ian followed them inside and went straight for his room.
Kelly followed Brett’s wolf-form into the hallway.
Donna knelt and hugged Graham, who rubbed his face across whatever parts of her he could reach.
Tommy joined in the greeting, apparently unbothered by the blood on the wolf’s coat.
With a brief glance, Colin summoned Tanya to follow him.
She closed the sliding glass door behind the last wolf then followed her mate up the stairs to the bedroom. The moment she closed the door behind them, she dropped to her knees at Colin’s side, looking him over for injuries. A series of claw wounds on one side had scabbed over, but he appeared otherwise free of injury. She hugged him. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”
He nuzzled her then pulled back and licked her nose, merriment dancing in his eyes. Then he turned and trotted into the bathroom. Minutes later, the shower started.
Rather than wait for him, she stripped and followed him.
He glanced over his shoulder then turned to face her when she opened the glass door and stepped into the shower. A slow smile curved his mouth.
She ran her fingers across the gouges along the ribs of his right side.
“I’ll be fine. He got in a lucky shot. Didn’t penetrate the ribs, and they’re healing well.”
“And Graham?”
“He took a crack to the shoulder. Jeremy will look at it, but I don’t think anything’s broken.” He gripped her chin and pulled her gaze to his and away from the claw marks in his side. “I’m fine. If we’d been much further from the house, I’d have been completely healed by the time we got back. As it was, we caught him about a half-mile from here.”
“Is he dead?”
“Considering the number of pieces he’s in, if he’s not dead, we have a real problem.” He flashed that half-grin she loved so much.
Tanya threw her arms around his waist and clung close. “Don’t ever go off without me like that again. I hate waiting here to find out if you’re alive or dead.”
“I can’t make a promise about that, since I don’t know what the future holds.”
Warm water flowed over them, washing away the scent of blood and anger Colin had carried and the stench of fear Tanya couldn’t hide. He was home and alive. That had to be enough. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
She pressed her lips to his chest and her hips to his then craned her neck to look up into his eyes. She wanted more than mere contact, needed to know to her core that he was safe. “I need you.”
“Now that I can do something about.”
* * *
Friday, October 16, 2015
“Well?”
“Deep subject.” Colin half-grinned.
“What?” Then Tanya realized what he meant and rolled her eyes. “Don’t play word games with me.”
“I should think you’d like word games. You are an English major, after all.”
She stared at him without further comment. He’d promised a surprise a week before, and he’d yet to deliver. Given all that had transpired since that morning, she didn’t blame him for that, but she’d been patient enough.
He chuckled. “Alright. Fine. Come on.” He gripped her hand, retrieved their coats from the foyer closet, and led her to one of the vehicles in the garage.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise.” A full grin emerged.
“Very funny, Mr. Campbell.”
“Well, you need to be patient, Mrs. Campbell.” He shut her car door and went around to climb into the driver’s seat.
When they went through the inner perimeter gate, she cast him a curious look. Which he pointedly ignored. Long before they reached the outer gate, the road cut in three different directions. She’d noticed it before, but they’d never taken the other two roads. Colin turned onto one of them.
Ten or fifteen minutes later, they came to a twenty-foot wall and gate like those protecting the house. After a few seconds, the gate opened to admit them.
Colin drove through, following a dirt road as it wound through the trees.
The road abruptly ended at a stand of trees.
He parked the car, shut off the ignition, shrugged into his coat, and got out.
She put on her jacket, hat, and leather gloves. Apparently they were going for a walk.
When he came around and opened her door, he gripped her hand and tugged her gently to her feet.
“Where are we?”
“You’ll see.” Colin smiled and led her into the trees. A short distance in, the trees cleared to reveal a meadow.
“It’s beautiful.” She could imagine what it would look like in the spring, covered in grass and flowers.
“This section is about half the size of the land the main house sits on. It has more natural barriers than manmade fence since the surrounding area is rockier.” He led her across the meadow.
Trees closed around them again. The underbrush was thicker than she’d become accustomed to, so it was more difficult to keep up with him. She stumbled over a narrow log hidden by ground-cover.
When he realized she was struggling, he slowed down.
They came to a tall rock formation.
Colin climbed partway up it and turned to give her a hand in following him. He led her to the top of the rock then
pointed. “Look at that.”
She turned and gasped. They could see most of the canyon, including the main house and another house in the distance that she’d never seen before. She pointed to it. “Whose house is that?”
“Brett’s. He has a wolf sanctuary there.”
“How appropriate.” She scanned the entire area. “It’s so beautiful here.”
“And almost directly below where we’re standing, there’s a small cave similar to the one on Dad’s land that you call Sanctuary Rock.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “We can run here this coming full moon. I already got Dad’s permission. If you want to, that is.”
“Just the two of us, running together with no one else?”
“Yes.”
Tanya smiled slowly. “I like that idea, but where would we Shift?”
“I’ve got that covered. Come on.” He led her back down from the rock and went around it.
A three-foot-high crevice appeared near the backside.
He dropped to his hands and knees to crawl through.
She followed him into a cave that could easily fit four or five adult wolves, if they huddled together. A stack of wood sat to one side of the entrance.
“I can get a fire going to warm up the inside of the cave, and we can Shift here. Our own private Sanctuary Rock. Surprise.”
“You found this place for me?”
“For us.” He sat next to her and hugged her close. “I wanted someplace we could retreat to when we wanted to run without anyone else around.”
“I love it, and I love you.”
“I love you, too.” His eyes narrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
“What?”
“It’s too cold to do what I really want to do at this moment.” He nuzzled her neck.
Tanya grinned. “Well, there’s a perfectly good bed in a warm room back at the house.”
“That’s so far away,” he groaned without lifting his head.
“We could give your fire idea a trial run.”
Colin raised his head and grinned. “I love the way you think.”
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” - Gen. 2:23
Campbell Wildlife Preserve
Somewhere outside Flagstaff, Arizona
Friday, October 9, 2015
BRASSY, brash, arrogant little harpy. Who did she think she was, getting in his face like that? Brave little warrior. Pah! She was nothing more than a frightened, bratty child playing tough, courageous soldier in hopes of scaring others off. Like those annoying little dogs some people were so fond of that yapped themselves into a foaming-at-the-mouth frenzy while they trembled in terror. If she’d really meant to hit him, that blow would’ve landed. He couldn’t have stopped it with so little effort.
Still… he’d wanted her. Brett groaned. He’d gone years, decades even, without wanting anything from a woman. Better women than this upstart Irish/Scots mongrel had tried to gain his favor, and he’d barely given them the time of day, much less a moment of his life. Sure, he’d had a few in his bed for one-nighters over the centuries, or at least hotel beds since he’d never taken them home. In moments of weakness, when he’d been certain God had cursed him and he was bound for Hell no matter what he did. Since he’d gotten right with God, he’d steered clear of such entanglements.
The night air blowing through his partially open window did little to cool his temper, or his libido. He’d come so close to casting aside his principles, sweeping her off her feet, and taking her right there in the middle of the floor. If Ian hadn’t reminded him that they had an audience…. He grimaced. Since when was he so desperate for female companionship? He’d done just fine without it for a good long while. He’d be fine without it when she left.
As for the conclusion everyone seemed to have reached that he and Kelly could be mates? Were they out of their ever-loving minds? He’d never wanted a mate. That hadn’t changed. Even if it had, he’d never settle for that one. No harpies need apply.
A scream ripped through the canyon and reached through the open window, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Not a scream. Though it had sounded like a woman, Brett knew that cry. Mountain lion. Colin had said something over dinner about there being one within the Preserve boundaries.
Brett pulled the car to the side of the dirt road a few yards from the inner gate, shut off the ignition, and got out. Had the cat gotten inside the inner perimeter? If so, he should warn Ian and Colin to be on guard when leaving the house. They’d have to be watchful of Tanya if she went for runs, too. Though, chances were they’d already thought of that, given how Colin’s mother had died.
Stinking cat. What was it doing in their territory anyway? The next moon, the pack might need to go hunting. If nothing else, they had to convince the cougar to move on, though killing would be better. Then they’d know it wouldn’t sneak back at the first opportunity.
The call sounded again. Awful close.
* * *
Blasted man. Arrogant, bullying jerk. How had she let herself be attracted to such a Neanderthal? That moment in the living room, every cell of her being had wanted to make love to him right there on the rug. Was she really that desperate for a man her father would hate but be unable to conquer? Brett was such a man, no doubt.
Kelly put the car into gear and started down the driveway away from the house. She should’ve left before full dark. That road was downright creepy at night, winding through trees that cast weird shadows. The fact they were headed into a new moon, which gave only the faintest sliver of light, made the shadows darker and more foreboding.
Her shiver had nothing to do with the cold. Her father’s pack lived in the city, not the middle of nowhere. They had hunting grounds away from the city, of course, but they spent most of their lives blending in with city dwellers.
If she joined Ian Campbell’s pack, would she have to live in the woods? That house was certainly large enough for an entire pack, but she hadn’t seen anyone besides the four wolves she’d had dinner with.
Of course, if she joined the Flagstaff pack, she’d have to take a mate. Ian was out. No way was she marrying a pack alpha. He seemed like a nice enough guy, not at all like her father, but she had no desire to be the alpha female. Could she marry a lower ranking wolf that would fear her? The thought curdled her stomach. That left only one unmated male.
Brett Mitchell. History professor, pack second, and all-around jerk.
Kelly rounded a bend in the road.
A large, dark form appeared in the illumination of her headlights.
She slammed on her brakes, tires skidding on the dirt and gravel surface. She wouldn’t be able to stop in time.
* * *
Lights flashed Brett in the face, blinding him. He winced and turned away. Tires slid on dirt and rocks, and he glanced around just in time to see a car coming at him. It skidded against his knees. He slapped his hands on the hood to hasten its halt.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
Oh, great. The harpy. Exactly what a tense situation needs.
The car door slammed, and she came around the vehicle to stand in front of him. “I could’ve killed you. What are you doing, standing in the middle of a road at night?” She pointed to his chest. “Wearing dark clothes, no less. Do you have a death wish?”
“Shut up.”
“Excuse me?” Kelly reared back as if slapped.
“I said, shut up.” He brushed past her, not gently, and moved out of the beams of the headlights, listening for the call of the cat, sniffing the air, hoping to catch its scent.
It had gone quiet. Had they scared it off? Or was it even that moment stalking them? If he couldn’t smell it, it was almost guaranteed that it could smell them. Worry shot like lightning through him. He had to get her out of there. He couldn’t see another female die like Colin’s mother had.
“Get b
ack in your car and go home, pup.”
“Don’t call me that!” Hands on her hips, she planted her feet shoulder width apart and glared at him.
He stalked over to her, bending down to bring his nose level with hers. “Go. Home. The last thing I need right now is a little dog yapping at my heels and giving me a headache.”
Her eyes narrowed, anger rolling off of her in tsunami waves. “How dare you! I’m not the one standing in the middle of a dark road wearing black. I’m not the one who almost got himself killed. I’m not the one being a jerk.”
Brett snorted. “That’s debatable.”
Her nostrils flared, and desire rolled through him. Good grief. What was with him being attracted to this contentious woman? If he didn’t get her out of there, he’d do something they’d both regret. He growled and stepped back, reaching for her arm at the same time.
“Hey!” She tried to wrench free, but he held firm. “Let go of me!”
He dragged her protesting body to the driver’s side of her car then yanked the door open and pushed her toward it. “Get in and go.”
“You have no right to order me around.”
A low, harsh growl worked up from his chest. “Are you always so argumentative, woman? I’m trying to keep you from getting hurt.”
“By you?”
“No, not by me.” He pointed to the forest. “A mountain lion has invaded our territory. I was trying to figure out where it’s located based on the cries I heard. Until you nearly ran me over anyway.”
“Oh.” Kelly looked away, the starch going out of her. Then her shoulders straightened, and she glared at him again. “You could’ve told me that instead of playing dictator.”
Even when she was wrong, she didn’t back down. He growled low and long. “Just. Go.”
She slammed the car door. “Did it occur to you that I might be able to help?”
“Why would you? You aren’t pack. This isn’t your problem.”
Kelly scowled. “I could become pack. You don’t know what choice I’ll make. If I decide to stay, I won’t want that cat here any more than you do.”