Know thine enemy. It was a theory his father subscribed to in his pack and business dealings. To Corey, the presence of the Enforcers at the family home indicated something nefarious and he intended to act with caution.
The tour bus pulled up at the park entrance and the tour guide took care of the admission fee. Finally, after zigzagging all over the country, he was arriving back at Yellowstone.
And, for the first time in his life, he’d dressed to blend and appear like an average tourist. He stared down at his faded blue jeans and his white button-down shirt, the emblem of a New York baseball team on the pocket. He’d teamed them with a new pair of sturdy boots, a cap and a pair of dark sunglasses. The cap helped cover his hair, which was still an unnatural black after his last dye job. R.J. would probably chuckle when he saw him, if he wasn’t too pissed with Corey for turning up unannounced.
His hair would lose its color once he had an opportunity to shift—
Corey slammed the brakes on his thoughts, a shocked gasp emerging. Treason. That was treason. Shifting without possessing formal paperwork was illegal, punishable by death. Yet the forbidden called him, the idea of running across the land seductive and appealing.
“Can you see something?” the tourist sitting beside him demanded. “An animal? I want to see a wolf. Did you see a wolf?”
“No, I thought of something I forgot to do.” He wanted to see a wolf too. Somehow he didn’t think they had the same beast in mind.
“Oh,” the Austrian said. “You should concentrate on the scenery. You might miss something.”
Up ahead, the tour guide broke in on her spiel about the history of the park to point out a herd of bison. Immediately everyone craned their necks in the direction she pointed. Cameras clicked and whirred and the three children near him jumped up and down, letting out piercing shrieks of excitement. Corey winced and he wasn’t the only one.
“Can I get past?” the Austrian asked. “I’d like to take a photo.”
“There are some on this side,” Corey said, pointing.
“Where?”
“To the right of those two rocks. See them?” Crap, he’d forgotten his eyesight was better than average. The drugs in his system weren’t doing much to dim his wolfish senses.
“Where? Oh! I think I see them. You have good eyesight.”
“My mother made me eat lots of carrots,” Corey said. The man wasn’t listening, too busy fiddling with his camera.
Corey sat impatiently through the many photo stops on the way to Old Faithful and the point at which he intended to leave the tour. Finally, they arrived. Corey collected his bag of art materials and waited for everyone else to rush off before he had a quiet word with the tour guide.
“I’ve decided I’d like to spend longer here than a day.”
“We don’t give refunds,” the tour guide said in a sharp voice.
“I don’t require a refund,” Corey said. “I didn’t realize how much there was to see. Is there a phone number I can call to book a place on a tour bus out of here?”
Slightly mollified, the tour guide gave him a business card.
“Thanks,” Corey said and walked off, excitement bubbling like a thermal mud pool inside him. He couldn’t wait to see R.J.
First, he took care of business, dropping by to check in with the places he’d left his artwork.
“Corey!” The manager of the first shop greeted him in delight. “Have you brought more paintings? I sold out in a few days.”
“I have two.” He handed them over, slightly embarrassed when she praised them so highly. Apart from Gerald and his friends here, everyone in his life treated his interest in art with indulgence. “I haven’t had time to do more.”
“Make time,” the woman ordered. “I can sell them.” She wrote him a check and handed it over. Corey stared at the amount for a moment, stunned because for once in his life he possessed more money than he could spend. It gave him independence, options.
“What’s the easiest way to get to Tower-Roosevelt village?” Corey asked.
“If you don’t mind waiting, I can give you a ride later tonight,” the woman said. “I want to check the stock in the shop up there.”
“I’m meeting a friend,” Corey said. “I’d hoped to get there by this afternoon.” The impatient push from his wolf confirmed the urgency thrumming through him. He wanted to run through the forest as much as he wanted to eyeball R.J.
“A woman?”
Corey shrugged at the flirtatious smile. “Yes,” he said without blinking. R.J. would be amused to learn he’d suddenly changed sex.
“Ah well. Can’t win them all. I still want more pictures, young man.”
“Thanks.”
“You might catch a ride with Melvin. I think his next delivery is in that direction.”
The doorbell tinkled and a large bear of a man pushed through carrying a box of fresh fruit. “I have more to unload. Do you want me to come through the side door?”
“Please,” the woman said. “Corey needs a ride to Tower. Do you have room for him?”
Melvin considered Corey. “You’re not a chatterbox?”
“No, sir.”
“Corey is an artist. He painted that picture of Yellowstone you liked.”
“You’re welcome to a ride,” Melvin said.
“I can help you unload,” Corey said. Anything to reach R.J.
R.J. arrived back from yet another run, physically tired yet wired at the same time. None of the activity killed his yearning for Corey. If anything, the longing was worse.
He rushed at his cabin door and almost flattened his nose when the door didn’t give. Damn. Locked. The werewolf fugitives were a suspicious lot.
Next week a group of students were arriving so they wouldn’t have any relatives staying again until the students departed for home.
“It’s R.J.,” he said in a gruff voice. “You going to let me in?”
The door cracked open a scant inch.
“It’s me,” R.J. repeated impatiently. Part of him understood the need for caution. But the insight didn’t soothe his short-tempered wolf that missed Corey and didn’t understand why they couldn’t stay together.
The door opened another inch, far enough for R.J. to see the blonde woman on the other side. “You’re a pain in the ass.”
“A live pain,” the woman said, opening the door only after she’d scanned the vicinity again. “Being neurotic helps me stay alive.”
“Maybe, but it’s a hell of a way to live.”
She shut the door behind him and turned the lock with a loud click. “You smell.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
She cocked her head. “Sarcasm? Why? It’s the truth. You stink.”
“That’s why I’m here, to get my stuff for a shower.”
They both heard footsteps outside seconds before someone rapped on the door.
“Who is it?” Emma’s words were scarcely audible.
“Probably Hal.” R.J. moved toward the door.
“Hey, R.J., you in there?”
Corey? Ignoring Emma’s protest, R.J. unlocked the door and yanked it open. He stared at Corey for an instant, uncertain of how to react. God, he wasn’t dreaming. “Corey, what are you doing here?” Hell, that hadn’t come out the way he meant it to. He dragged Corey inside and slammed the door. The next instant he hauled Corey into his arms and kissed him. Their noses clashed and his teeth mashed against Corey’s bottom lip. Instinctively, he softened the contact and their connection flowed through him in a soothing wave.
Corey was here. He didn’t know how or why. Didn’t care. All he wanted to do was kiss him, hold him.
When they finally parted, they were both breathing hard.
“Are you pleased to see me?” Corey gripped his shoulders, seemingly unable to release him. Not that it worried R.J. “I thought you’d tell me to piss off.”
“Well that was enlightening,” Emma said.
Every muscle in Corey’s body tensed. �
�You have a woman in your cabin.”
R.J. ignored Emma’s roll of the eyes to focus on Corey. He couldn’t tell him the truth. It wasn’t his place for a start. “Emma is Hal’s cousin. She’s staying here for a couple of days.”
“Why is she in your cabin? There are others.”
Part of R.J. enjoyed Corey’s jealousy. The other part recognized Corey’s presence brought problems for all of them. He’d have to explain things to Hal. Emma wouldn’t keep what she’d seen quiet.
“You’re not together?” Corey’s confidence faltered and R.J’s heart twisted at the pain in his voice.
Emma sniffed. “Do you think he’d kiss you like that if he was interested in me? If he and I were involved and I witnessed him kiss someone else like he kissed you I’d bash him over the head.”
“I wouldn’t spend time with a viper-mouth like you if someone paid me to,” R.J. snapped.
“Ah, but someone is paying you,” Emma retorted sweetly.
Corey looked confused. “Huh?”
R.J. ignored Emma. “What are you doing here?”
“Aren’t you glad to see me?”
“Yes. Very glad, but why are you here?”
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” Corey paused and bit his bottom lip in obvious indecision.
“And?”
“My father told me to make a decision. Work for him or art. I chose art.”
“Doesn’t explain why you’re here.” He hated the words emerging from his mouth, the harsh tone, but he needed to ask the tough questions. Other people relied on him to help keep them safe. Hal counted on him.
And he owed Hal big time.
Corey swallowed. He looked different. Younger. Too young for him, R.J.’s conscience taunted him. The eight years between them might as well be a lifetime.
“My father kicked me out of the pack.” A tremor shook him, and for a second, R.J. thought he might cry.
“Aw, fuck. Corey, I’m sorry.” Seeing the misery in Corey’s face made him forget Emma’s presence. He stepped close again and hauled the kid into his arms. The contact seemed to soothe Corey’s trembling. It certainly pacified R.J.’s agitated wolf. “Are you still taking suppression drugs?”
“Yeah.”
“When did you take your last one?”
Surprise darted across Corey’s face. “This morning.”
“Does your father realize you’re here?” Does he know about me?
“No. I flew to New York first and made my way here gradually.”
“Why would you do that?” Emma demanded.
“Because my father is a control freak. He’d take pleasure in seeing me fail, and I didn’t want to give him the opportunity.”
Maybe this wouldn’t be the big problem R.J. envisaged. “Does anyone know you’re here?”
“Only Teague. He was rooming with me.”
A flash of jealousy shot through R.J. “Teague.”
“We’re friends. He needed somewhere to live and I like him. He’s good company.”
R.J. let his breath ease out. “Okay.” He shot a swift glance at Emma. “I need to talk to Hal.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, you’d better stay here with Emma.”
“Why?”
“I’ll explain later.” Please let him follow the suggestion. R.J. worried about the conversation ahead. Hal was jumpy enough with the werewolves around. Corey’s presence was a complication they didn’t need.
R.J. headed straight for Hal’s office. He rapped on the door.
“Hal, there’s a problem.”
“What?”
“Corey Wilson has turned up.”
Clear horror shot across Hal’s face, followed by a scowl. “Why?”
R.J. explained.
“Fuck! Why now?” His eyes narrowed and R.J. fought the need to shift his weight from foot to foot. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Corey and I…” R.J. trailed off, panic surging through him. If he lost this job or Hal’s respect he’d have nothing.
Chapter Eleven
Corey stared at Emma, struggling to keep his jealousy from morphing into words that might haunt him at a future date. He might have feelings for R.J. but they weren’t returned. Their earlier kiss didn’t prove anything apart from sexual attraction.
His youth and inexperience crowded in on him, creating a knee-weakening surge of self-doubt. Yet he wouldn’t change anything he’d done to date. He refused to apologize for his actions.
“Look at you, kid,” Emma said, breaking into his mental agonizing, her mocking smile filling him with foreboding. “You’ve got the man in a tangle. You have power and you’re wasting it away.”
And she was a smart-ass, poking her nose in where she had no business. “Who are you? And why are you sharing a cabin with R.J.?”
“Why do you think I’m sharing a cabin with R.J.?”
Corey glanced at the rumpled beds. “Not for sex.”
“You sure about that?” A mocking smile flashed again, but it didn’t reach her eyes or cancel out the smart-ass sneer that seemed like her pre-set expression.
“R.J. didn’t shrink from kissing me in front of you. There are two beds in here. R.J.’s is tidy while yours shows signs of recent use.” Corey sniffed, knowledge blooming though him when his senses registered something else. “And your scent is nothing like R.J.’s. You’re not taking the suppression drugs and I’d guess you’re an unregistered wolf.”
“Quite the little detective, aren’t you?” She took half a step toward him, a fluid prowl intended to intimidate.
Corey didn’t move, not even a flinch. “There’s no need to threaten me. I’m not a blabbermouth.”
Her eyes narrowed in contemplation, head cocking to the side like an inquisitive bird. “I think I like you.”
“Yeah?” Corey gestured at her claws, clearly visible beyond the short, clipped fingernails. “You might want to put those back where they came from.”
The cabin door flew open, bouncing against the doorjamb with a loud crash. R.J. loomed in the doorway. “I’m glad to see you’re getting along well. I could hear you from outside. You won’t hurt him.”
“Chill. I have no intention of hurting him,” Emma said. “Besides, he doesn’t need you to baby him. He’s doing fine on his own.”
Corey spied Hal standing behind R.J. A frown furrowed the older man’s brow, his worry clear for anyone who studied body language. Was it his return to Yellowstone or something else? “Have I come at a bad time?”
“You might say that,” Emma said. “You guys going to come inside or do you want to attract curiosity from the daytrippers stopping by to book for the wildlife program?”
R.J. shot her a glare of dislike but stepped inside, away from the doorway, to let his boss into the cabin. Hal shut the door, making the interior shrink.
“Corey,” Hal said. “It’s good to see you again.”
Emma cocked her head, intelligence glinting in her dark eyes. “You’re not telling the truth. Why don’t they want you here, kid? You don’t smell dangerous.”
“Why does everyone have to call me kid?”
“Because you’re young.” Emma cast one of her mocking smirks at R.J. “Maybe not so innocent.”
“Corey, if you don’t mind sharing a cabin, there’s a spare bed in the one you stayed in last time,” Hal said. “Come and see me in my office once you get set. We need to talk.”
Hal and R.J. exchanged a glance that shot a bundle of nerves into Corey’s stomach. “I’ll dump my bag and head straight over to your office.”
“Only one bag?” Hal asked.
R.J. barked out a laugh.
Heat filled Corey’s cheeks. He deserved it. He’d behaved like a little shit on his arrival last time. “Just the one bag. I’m traveling light with one change of clothes and my art supplies.”
“Last time Corey visited he brought four bags,” Hal told Emma.
Her full lips quivered. “City boy, huh?”
Corey rolled his eyes and pushed past R.J. to get to the door. “Won’t be long.”
He stooped to pick up his bag and headed for cabin six. If they forced him to leave, he didn’t know what he’d do, not with his limited options. Go back to Los Angeles or start afresh somewhere else. Neither option struck him as palatable. At least they weren’t kicking him out right away. The fact eased some of his anxiety and his mood improved. If Hal didn’t want him there, he wouldn’t have offered him the use of a cabin.
Ten minutes later, he knocked on Hal’s office door. Hal and R.J. were already present.
“R.J. told me about your affair,” Hal said, getting straight to the point.
“Is R.J. in trouble? The last thing I want is for him to lose his job,” Corey said. “I’ll leave if that’s the case.”
“You haven’t arrived at a good time,” Hal said. “Did your father approve of you coming here?”
“He doesn’t know I’ve left Los Angeles.”
“He’ll want to find you and won’t have any trouble tracking you,” Hal said with certainty.
Corey frowned in confusion. Why would it matter? “My father gave me an ultimatum. Work for him or leave the pack. I decided to leave.” Corey’s scowl deepened when he remembered trying to say goodbye to his mother. The Enforcers’ presence wasn’t for a tea party. Their watchful attitudes indicated that. Not careful enough though. If they’d been waiting for him, they’d made a mistake in assuming him a naïve city kid. The label would have fit before he’d attended the Yellowstone camp. R.J. and Hal had taught him a lot. “I purchased a ticket to New York and flew there before making my way back to Yellowstone by a combination of bus and planes.”
“Why did you do that?” Hal’s tone was sharp.
“Instinct. I stopped by to see my mother and the presence of Enforcers worried me. I decided some of the rumors I’ve heard might have merit. It was a gut thing.”
Hal straightened abruptly. “What did the Enforcers want?”
“Did they see you?” R.J. asked, his brow furrowing.
“I didn’t approach the house in my normal manner. Something told me not to so I followed my instincts. When I saw them I decided to forget a visit.” Corey hesitated, wondering whether to tell them about his wolf and the suppression pills. Since being back in Yellowstone, he’d sensed his wolf even stronger than he’d felt him in L.A. The tablets they’d given him didn’t work any longer. Despite taking a pill this morning, he thought he could shift to wolf now without difficulty.
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