Amber

by Sherry Foster

  “Me? Are you nuts? I don’t trust people. People are assholes.”

  “Gee thanks.”

  “Not you. You’re not people.”

  “What am I and how deep are you planning on digging that hole before you stop talking?”

  See! This why you listen to me. She tell you stop talking. She not tell me stop talking.

  That’s only because she can’t hear you. Now hush, I gotta figure out how to get us out of this hole.

  I not in hole. You idiot. You in hole.

  “Do you talk to your wolf much?”

  “Wha—?” Dylan looked up to find Amber staring at him in amusement.

  “I said, do you talk to your wolf much? Because you keep zoning out with that I am arguing with my wolf and losing look so many of the guys get on their face.”

  Dylan’s lips tightened in annoyance. “Sometimes.” He shrugged, “I don’t have a pack so mostly it is just me an myself out here. I read out loud too much. His conversation tends to mimic certain books sometimes. It can be frustrating.”

  “You read out loud to your wolf, which is just another aspect of you, and as a result the wolf is what, more intelligent?”

  The red flush on his face got deeper and Amber saw his shoulders tense. “Something like that.”

  “But, that’s amazing.”

  Dylan snorted. “Not if you are on the receiving end of one of his flights of imagination.”

  “I didn’t think the wolf could have an imagination. I thought, I mean I understood that they are more a creature of impulse grounded in reality. If that makes sense.”

  He shook his head, “It doesn’t.”

  “I mean, I thought they acted on instinct, sometimes without thinking things through, but always acting as nature intended them to act.”

  “They do. Mostly. But Joseph is a bit different.”

  Amber shook her head, “Excuse me? Who is Joseph?”

  Dylan refused to meet her eyes. “He doesn’t care for Dylan this month. He wants to be called Joseph.”

  “Is that normal?”

  “NO! No it isn’t. If you would like to explain that to him I wouldn’t mind.”

  “I, uh, think I should make that phone call now.”

  Dylan gave a start of surprise and started laughing. “Do you know, beautiful, my wolf just realized you must not like the name Joseph so has decided he will be the other half of me. Like he should be!”

  “You’re different.”

  “Different can be good.”

  “Yeah, unless you are in a stranger’s home and he has a split personality. Then different isn’t exactly a desired trait.”

  Dylan’s lips twisted and he gave a shout of laugher. “I think you will find that most shifters, yourself included in a few days, have split personalities. After all, think about it, you have two different halves of yourself in one body. You said that I had that look on my face shifters got when they argued with their wolf, and lost. Well, I just happen to talk to my wolf more than most. At least, I think I do. So continue with your story. We will not interrupt you again. After you told the dead guy no what happened?”

  This time it was Amber’s turn to give a start of surprise and she looked at the top of Dylan’s head in shock. “How did you know?”

  “Know what?”

  “That I killed him.” Amber tensed up as she gave voice to her fear.

  “No! Did you? Well that’s disappointing. I wanted the pleasure of killing him for hurting you.”

  “I mean, I don’t know if I killed him. I ran over him with his car and left. He could be still alive.”

  “You ran over him with his car?”

  “Yes. And I would do it again.”

  Dylan looked up at her with a twinkle in his eyes, “I believe you would. So tell me how that came about. How did you end up running over the man with his own car?”

  “Well, we went back to the festival last night and he had a tent set up, just like he promised. We got back before everyone had gone to bed so I got to meet a few people and I had a great time. We went to bed, that’s when I found out the same tent was for both of us. He told me he couldn’t protect me if he stayed somewhere else. It made sense. So we went to bed. We figured we would have till at least nine or later before anybody found us if Amber ratted us out, longer if no one thought to ask her or if she stayed quiet about where we went. I thought those few hours were worth it. But things changed when we went to bed. He told me he loved me—” Amber squealed and tried to slid backward at the sound of velcro tearing loose as Dylan was replace by his wolf.

  A moment later an embarrassed Dylan was putting his pants back on. “I am sorry, love. He took me by surprise too. He promises to be good if you will finish the story.” He leaned forward and whispered, “He is undoubtedly lying but I will try to keep him from doing that again.”

  “It is okay. My heart will start beating again soon, probably.” She gave him a wary look but took the story back up, “So I told him I loved him—” Another squeak, this time she stared in disbelief at the wolf in front of her before pointing her index finger at his face and demanding, “Stop that right now. Bad wolf! You are going to give me a heart-attack. Stop it! Do you hear me?”

  The wolf stared at her for a moment before licking the finger in its face. Seconds later an embarrassed Dylan was again putting his pants back on.

  “You can’t be saying things like that.”

  “Like what? Bad wolf? News flash, you can’t stop me.”

  “No. Things like he said he loved you and you said you loved him.”

  Amber looked at him strangely for a moment as she tried to work out why it would matter, shrugging she gave up. “Okay, I am going to try this one more time and if your wolf interrupts the story again I am done.” She glared at Dylan who gave a small whimper.

  “He will be good.” He told her, followed by a muttered, “I hope.”

  “I heard that!”

  Dylan just gave her a lazy smile and shrugged. He looked down at her feet and back up. “You are all bandaged so I am going to step outside and let you get some dry clothes on. Please call me when you are dressed and I will carry you to the couch where I will absolutely keep the wolf leashed so you can finish your story. You are starting to shiver.” He stood up and walked toward the door.

  She rushed to peel the wet clothes off and used one of the towels to dry off so she could dress. Afterward she tried to towel dry her hair more before wrapping it in a towel and standing up. She made it two steps before she yelped in pain. The door was shoved open and Dylan was scooping her up before she could lose her balance.

  As he strode from the room, with her once again cradled in his arms, he told her, “I don’t understand why you would try to walk on those feet. Did you see them? I told you I would carry you. I don’t mind carrying you.” He lowered her to the couch and reached for a blanket. As he wrapped it around her she took time to look around the room.

  “You must really love books. I have never seen so many book shelves in a house before in my life.”

  “Yes, well, I don’t belong to a pack and I have to do something to keep myself entertained. Are you comfortable? Warm enough? I put a cuppa on the table beside you but I didn’t know if you wanted milk or sugar or, well I don’t know how you like your tea.”

  Amber added a little cream and sugar to the steaming cup before taking a sip. “Mmm, perfect. Thank you. May I have some water also? Do you have anything to eat?”

  “If you will talk while I work I can fix you something to eat. As long as this storm doesn’t kill the electricity. I do have a generator if that happens though so you won’t starve.” Dylan headed for the kitchen as he talked. Amber heard the rattle of pans and settled back in the couch cushions, the cup of hot tea cradled in her hands and tried to remember where she left off.

  “Alright, so we were laying in the tent and he said he loved me,” Amber paused when she heard the yelp of a wolf and crashing dishes. She shook her head. Her lips tilted
upward in amusement. She didn’t know who this guy was, but he was entertaining. “So when I told him I loved him, he said, well I don’t remember what he said but something about us being mates. I laughed at him. I thought he was pulling one on me. He was serious. I mean, really, that would be like mating my brother if I had one. Seriously gross. He didn’t think it was gross so I told him I wanted to go home and then he, he…” Amber started crying as she thought about what happened. In seconds Dylan had rushed back into the room and scooped her up in his arms and sat down on the couch with her on his lap. After awhile she noticed he was whispering nonsense and she lifted her head.

  “Are you seriously singing children rhymes to me?”

  “Um, I think your breakfast is burning.”

  Amber’s stomach choose then to rumble and Dylan eased her off his lap and sprinted for the kitchen. She heard him swearing and more banging pots and dishes and she waited to see what this strange man would do next. She wiped her tears and straightened her shoulders. He surprised her when he came out of the kitchen a few minutes later with a tray. He used his foot to pull the coffee table closer and set the tray down. She eagerly reached for it.

  She looked at him, “You aren’t going to eat?”

  “No, I ate before I set out this morning. I wanted to get a run in before the storm hit.”

  Thunder crashed and the lights went out just as she brought a piece of Dragon fruit to her mouth. She watched as Dylan headed for the windows and opened the blinds to let the weak light in. When she finished her eggs and bacon and the only thing left on the tray was a single bite of toast she groaned and returned the now, mostly empty, tray to the table and leaned back.

  “I think I ate too much. Thank you.”

  Dylan watched her eyes drift close and glanced toward the phone. She never made the call and even though he knew her family would be concerned and her Alpha would be furious he couldn’t find it in him to wake her up. He smiled, it wouldn’t do her any good right now anyway, not with out electricity. He didn’t own a mobile and she needed electricity to use the phone he had. He knew as soon as she made the call her people would be at his home within the hour and he didn’t want to let her go yet. His smile grew. He knew she didn’t realize what he was yet but her people would know, if they let him live long enough to explain. They weren’t going to be happy with him. Hell, Trevor had never been happy with him either so what did it matter if he pissed off another Alpha.

  Chapter Eight

  Edward growled. "What do you mean you found the car but no Amber? Find her!"

  I am trying. But the weather started howling here. The car has the scent of blood but whatever scent she left behind has been washed away by the rain. We can't see shit out here and tracking anyone is impossible. I have everyone converging on the location and I sent Fletcher back to you with Daniel. I don't know what he knows but he is upset about the blood and he is raging about his mate being lost. Something isn't adding up with his story though. We are going to spread out and see what we can find.

  "Do you need more people?"

  It wouldn't matter how many people we had searching. We have no clues and no idea where she could have gone after she left the car. She was heading the wrong direction to get home so she must have been running from someone. She ran out of petrol. I fear whoever was chasing her has her. But the car doesn't have any scent but hers and Fletcher's. Wait. Shit. Hang on.

  Edward snarled and put the phone down. He was close to breaking it in his rage. Julie was rubbing his back while Trisah paced back and forth. Amber's parents were huddled on one of the couches holding each other. Edward had forbade them leaving the territory to search for Amber. Maybe if they got an idea of what had happened but the last thing he needed was emotionally distraught parents who couldn't hang on to their wolves running around looking for their daughter.

  Edward?

  "Yeah?"

  Ace found something suspicious in the boot. Someone tied Amber up and stuffed her in a bag. The rain has washed away any clue the boot might have on the outside so we don't know who closed it with her inside, but the bonds have only her and Fletcher's scent. No one else. Unless someone forced him to tie her up and stuff her in the boot he did this.

  "That bastard. I knew something was up with his story. How long before Daniel gets back here with him?"

  They just left so it will be an hour or so. Probably longer, maybe twice as long. The rain is coming down and I have seen a couple of trees come down. I think, if he tied her and put her in the boot then she must have escaped. She is out here somewhere in the weather alone. The good news is, if we can't track her no one else can either. The bad news, she has been missing for a few hours. The engine was cold when we found the car just as the rain started. So it has been an hour, maybe longer since she left or was taken from the car. Fletcher didn’t know what time she escaped the alleged captors. He said he was out cold. I am thinking she left it here and started walking because if someone took her she would have fought and we didn't find any sign or scent of anyone inside the car but her and Fletcher and a fainter scent of Nadia in the back seat. The boot is filled with the scent of her terror. We found a bit of hair on the top of the boot, it was Fletcher's. I am thinking he must have hit his head.

  "He said someone hit him in the head and then ran over him with a car. He didn't say it was his car. What did he tell us? Whoever knocked him out ran over him. Fucking rain. I want him back here. If he locked her in the boot he will be dead by nightfall. The stupid bloody bastard. I told him she was not his true-mate. He insisted they would be happy anyway. Damn him. Keep me informed."

  As soon as i know something you will know. Later.

  Edward looked around the room. "All we can do is wait. As soon as Daniel gets back with Fletcher I will see what he knows but I don't believe he is going to be much help in finding her. You heard Dennis. She was tied up in the boot and apparently escaped. Possibly she is the one that knocked Fletcher out and escaped in his car. I don't know why she was headed away from the territory but I will find out. We will get her back. We will find her and if anyone hurts her they will die."

  Someone knocked on the door and burst into the room. Edward had gone to Amber's parent's house so they would have the familiarity of home around while he waited on word from his Beta about what was happening. Nadia, drenched to the skin and sobbing wildly rushed to Amber's mom who opened her arm and took her in. Amber's dad just scooted over on the couch to give the girl a bit of room and kept his arm firmly around his mate. Edward felt the pain of the three clear to his soul. The best and worst of being an Alpha was feeling so much of what his pack felt. In happy times the joy felt like a warm blanket, but in times like this the grief and sorrow tore at his soul and staying calm was a struggle he couldn't afford to ever lose.

  The phone rang again and Edward reached for it. "Yeah, whatcha got?"

  We found some evidence he had been planning this for awhile. He had receipts for the tent he used at the festival. Kane just called from Maidenwell. He found the tent just before the rain hit. He didn’t smell any shifters around and now the rain is coming down in buckets so he can’t keep looking. The only people in the tent were the two of them and her terror is all over the inside. He said their scent was mingled on the bed, no sex. So at some point they were both on the bed and it reeks of her terror. Going by what Kane found I am going to say they had a fight, he tied her up, put her in that bag and carried her to the car. I found papers in the car showing the house we picked him up from was rented by him months ago. So, without knowing the whole story I am just guessing but, best guess, he kidnapped her from the festival, she escaped and attacked him when he opened the boot. I guess she stole his car and ran him over when she fled. We are looking for her, no rogues involved. My suggestion is kill him. He won't know anything anyway.

  "Bloody bastard. Keep looking for her. I will take care of things on this end. If we have no rogues involved I will send more of the pack out to look for her. Someone should
be able to, shit."

  What?

  "I was going to say someone should be able to reach her mentally if we send out enough people but she isn't oath bonded to the pack yet. Shit shit shit. Find her! I will be there to help as soon as I deal with Fletcher.”

  Alright.

  Edward looked around the room, then sent a call out to the pack. I want every male old enough to drive at my house in ten minutes.

  He gave one last look around the room before he headed for the door. “I will be back as soon as I have given everyone their instructions. We will find her.”

  Trisah slid her arm around her sister and squeezed. “Your future mate is so much like his brother it is freaky. But that’s a good thing. He will move the world to locate Amber. Come on, let’s go see what they have to eat in this house. We need to lead by example and that means keeping them fed even if they don’t want to eat.” The two walked arm in arm into the kitchen leaving the three grieving pack members on the couch behind them. Trisah sent word through the bond to Nadia’s parents that their oldest daughter was safe at Amber’s house in case she hadn’t told them where she was going.

  Chapter Nine

  Dylan watched Amber sleep and wondered how long it would take her pack to find her and if they would give him time to explain anything before they acted. Edward wasn’t known for being calm or reasonable when it involved his pack. She hadn’t finished her story so he still didn’t know how she ended up so close to his home and so far from her territory. If she had been at the festival what had happened to send her so far north of the road home? What had Fletcher done to her when she told him no. She ran him over, but where? At the festival? If that was the case the authorities were even now probably looking for her. How many people could have seen her run the guy over? Were the authorities even now searching the festival for clues? Was the man alive? Was a murder charge pending? Did they have his body? Would they examine it too closely and notice too many things about him screamed something other than human? Was their anything the authorities could detect that would make them think the man wasn’t human? He had questions and the only person who could answer him was the woman currently asleep on his couch. What was he going to do if they came looking for her for murder?