by R. J. Blain
“No murdering Frank,” he murmured, kissing the top of my mate’s head. “Good morning, Richard. Kept my little girl’s feet warm, did you?”
I yawned, showing Desmond all of my teeth.
“He was restless and changed in the middle of the night,” my mate reported. “He hopped onto the bed, curled up at my feet, and went right to sleep, so I left him alone. He did keep me warm.”
I turned my ears back at having woken her.
“What time?” Desmond asked.
Slipping by her mate and daughter, Wendy came into the room, sat on the bed, and dug her fingers into my fur, working her way to my neck. I stretched out for her, yawning again.
My mate echoed my yawn, leaning against her father. “Three-something. He woke me up when he was muttering curses in the bathroom. About twenty minutes later, he came out as a wolf. I went back to sleep. Not my wolf, not my problem.”
I was her wolf and her problem, but she’d discover that soon enough.
“Longer than I like, faster than I thought it would take him,” Frank grumbled. “Okay, fine. I won’t skin him. Richard, don’t do that. If you want to change, tell me first. You about gave me a heart attack when I woke up and realized you were a wolf.”
Wendy leaned down and kissed me between my eyes. “Stop complaining, Frank. His neck’s doing better from the feel of it. The swelling is down, and he doesn’t feel nearly so fevered anymore.”
“Good,” my mate’s father said. “I’ll go tell Henry he’ll need to get fur out of the room.”
I bared my teeth in a wolfish grin, lolling my tongue.
“I’ll tell him,” Wendy said, flopping across the bed to reach for the phone. She punched in a few numbers, and while she waited, she burrowed her toes into my fur. “Henry, it’s Wendy. Richard decided he wanted to shed in one of your rooms. Sure, I don’t see a problem with that.” Laughing, she hung up the phone. “He’ll be coming by in a few minutes. He wants to see Richard before we leave.”
Desmond chuckled. “I’ll pack Richard’s things. Nicolina, if you want to grab a shower, go use our room.”
“No way. I’m using the jacuzzi,” my mate grumbled, slipping out of her father’s hold to grab her bag and drag it into the bathroom. “Richard, if they try to stop me, eat them.”
I perked my ears and lifted my head, and with a single wag of my tail, I displayed my teeth for Frank and Desmond.
“The daughter has spoken,” Wendy announced, scooting across the bed to sit beside me, running her fingers through my fur. “Are you hungry, Richard?”
I shook my head, rolling over so I could rest my head on Wendy’s lap. When my neck finished healing, I’d eat everything in sight, but until then, I was too tired to be hungry. I guessed I would be ravenous in two or three days, and by then, the full moon would be on the rise.
We would hunt long and well in my woods, and once again, I would lead my pack.
“Don’t worry about it, Wendy. He’s always like that when he’s not feeling well. He’ll mope around and view anything edible as his arch nemesis. By the time we’re back in Yellowknife, he’ll be ready to take on a buffet by himself,” Frank said, crossing the room once more to stand at the foot of the bed, scratching behind my ears. “We should probably raid a grocery store or a butcher for some fresh meat and make sure he eats it, but he won’t be a problem.”
My mate’s father stared at me, frowning. “Fasting will slow your healing,” he warned.
“It’s already slowed, Desmond. Do you want him throwing up in your Mercedes?” Frank shook his head. “If he’s not eating by the time we’re back in Yellowknife, Alex will take care of the problem. He’s getting things ready for our arrival. With the full moon soon, they’re preparing places for you at the lodge and a room for Nicolina at the house. She’ll stay at the house the entire stay. After the full moon, he’ll open a room for both of you so you can be near her. As a general rule, no Fenerec are permitted at the house until the day after the hunt.”
I turned my ears back. My house was supposed to be where I got space from my mate, not spend more time with her. If she was going to be at the house, I’d stay at the lodge and do as much work as possible from there.
“I always thought it was a little weird Richard spends half of his time at his lodge and maintains a house, too.” Wendy flicked my ear. “You’re strange, Richard.”
“He is. While everyone knows where the lodge is, Richard prefers taking Normals up to his house if it’s near the full moon. You’ll have to trust Alex with her, I’m afraid. Richard simply won’t allow Fenerec near the house around the full moon. He’ll be anxious enough keeping the unmated males away from Sasha.”
“Will anyone else be at the house?” Desmond demanded.
“Yeah, every single Normal kid related to the pack will be there. They love it. Richard usually sets up a lot of pranks for them. It’ll be a madhouse. A few of the pack’s aunts, uncles, and older brothers and sisters will be helping watch the puppies. Applicants for joining the pack will make their proposals there as well. She’ll be in good company,” Frank replied, chuckling. “You might have a day or two to set things up if you want to help, Richard.”
I twisted around and nipped Frank’s hand, mock growling.
A knock at the door ended the conversation. Desmond turned around and opened the door. The Canadian shook hands with my mate’s father, and poking his head into the room, his gaze settled on me. “You’re looking good for a wild wolf, eh?”
I bared my teeth, thumping the bed with my tail. While the dark-haired, blue-eyed Fenerec didn’t belong to my pack, he did belong to one of my businesses.
If Marco ever slipped with his pack and opened up to subjugation, Henry would be the first I lured away for Yellowknife. I calculated my current chances, wondering if I could get away with it.
Frank grabbed hold of my ear and gave it a twist. Yowling, I snapped at his hand.
“No stealing Henry, Richard. I know that look. Sorry, Henry.”
With a deep-throated chuckle, Henry shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. He’s been thinking about it for years. I’d be worried if he wasn’t giving me the dirty eye. Marco offers his hello and says he’d rather not have to come kick your furry ass today, Richard. He says if you want, the trails to the private hot springs are open. You’re welcome to go have a long soak on your way home. He says it’s thanks for not stealing me into your pack this visit.”
Lolling my tongue, I bobbed my head.
Alberta had pockets of hot springs, though many of them were in government-operated parks. Banff’s pack had several springs on private property, but the best were near one of the upper trails. It’d add a couple of hours to our day, but it was worth the trip.
I hoped my mate would appreciate the view of the mountains as much as I would appreciate the view of her.
“I’ll need directions,” Desmond said. “We’ll make a pit stop for swim suits and towels on the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you face to face, Henry. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You’re not nearly as terrifying as I thought you’d be, Mr. Desmond,” Henry replied, winking at me. “Richard, Marco told me he has a cabin you’re free to use at Slave Lake for tonight so you can make the final leg up to Yellowknife tomorrow.”
With a low groan, Frank sprawled over me, resting his head on top of mine. “You’re a miracle worker, Henry.”
Henry grinned. “Thank Marco. He was the one who made the arrangements when he heard Richard was headed home. The cabin will be well stocked, and if any of you need to stretch your legs for a hunt, it’s secluded. It looks like you could use a good hunt, Richard. You’re scrawny.”
“I’ll be really surprised if he’s up for a hunt,” said my mate’s father, shaking his head. “He’s still recovering from a broken neck.”
“I heard that, but thought it was a rumor. How bad?” Henry asked, frowning at me.
My mate’s father and mother exchanged long looks. When no one spoke, Wendy sigh
ed and replied, “Bad enough. Our daughter says that’s how they were controlling him right up until he turned on them.”
Henry clacked his teeth. “No more than what they deserved. And your girl?”
Desmond pointed at the bathroom. “We’ve been informed if we interrupt her enjoyment of the jacuzzi, Richard will eat us.”
“Damn straight he will,” my mate called out, her voice muffled by the door.
“Just drop the room keys off at the front when you leave. The rooms are on Richard’s tab,” Henry said, heading for the door. “Make sure you detour to those springs, it’ll be good for Richard’s neck at the very least. I’ll leave the directions at the desk for you. Richard, when you’re settled at home, Marco wants to talk business.”
I warbled a complaint.
“Don’t you howl at me, Richard. You’re the one who skipped out on work for the past two weeks. There’s only so much we can do without you,” Henry replied, and with a final wave, he disappeared down the hall.
While I was tempted to howl, I rolled onto my back and lifted my paws in Wendy’s direction in a bid for attention. She smiled and complied, digging her fingers into my fur. With a contented sigh, I settled in to wait for my mate so we could get back on the road.
Two of Marco’s Fenerec were waiting for us at the base of the mountain. As soon as Desmond opened the back door of his Mercedes, I barreled out, bounding across the parking lot to the street to dive into the snow.
Powder flew up in my wake. I burrowed, turning to watch the others, my ears turned back. I wanted to roll and bask in the glow of having escaped the back of the SUV. Instead, I’d hunt Desmond, his mate, his daughter, and Frank, ensuring they enjoyed the crisp snow as much as I did.
My mate laughed. “What’s gotten into Richard?”
“Ignore him. He’s an idiot,” Frank replied.
Both of Marco’s wolves approached, their gazes fixed on the snow-packed ground. “We have snowmobiles ready take you to the top. Would you like a guide?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Frank replied, shaking his head. “I know the way up, as does Richard—if he decides to grace us with his presence. He might meet us at the top and blow off steam on the way.”
Relief altered the scent of Marco’s wolves. Handing Frank several sets of keys, they retreated to the station nestled between the road and a stone outcropping.
“Is that wise?” Desmond demanded, turning to face me. I kept still, letting the silver of my fur help me blend in with the gleaming snow. “Damn, where did he go? He’s hard to spot.”
“If you don’t end up eating snow at least once, I’ll be very, very surprised,” my Second replied, tossing Desmond and Wendy a set of keys. “Nicolina, who do you want to ride with?”
“I’ll go with you,” my mate said. “Can I drive?”
“No,” everyone chorused.
When they headed to the snowmobiles, I stalked after them. While they got the engines going, I crossed the distance and hopped up behind Desmond, curling up on the rack. My mate’s father twisted around. “Lazy,” he scolded, reaching back to rub my ears with his gloved hand. “Looks like I’m taking Richard.”
“Don’t count on having him for long. He’ll probably abandon you as soon as we get through the first stretch of the ride. He’d have to tail us to get over the ridge,” Frank replied, revving the engine of his snowmobile. “It’s about a twenty minute trip to the top. There’s a cabin next to the springs, and unless Marco’s changed things, there will be towels, robes, and an indoor spring in case it’s too cold out for comfort. There’s also a washer and dryer so we don’t have to carry wet suits back with us.”
“Nice,” my mate said, holding onto Frank’s waist. I turned my ears back, wondering if I changed back to human if Nicolina would ride with me on the way down. Maybe if the sky was falling and I was her absolute last option, she’d consider it. I sighed and pressed my back against the rack, ready to jump off the sled if Desmond proved as accident prone as my mate.
He didn’t. As soon as he cleared the trail up the ridge, I waited for him to slow before leaping off, thumping into the snow. If I went up and through the trees, I’d reach the lodge long before they did, climbing over outcroppings their vehicles couldn’t traverse.
It would be perfect for me to plan an ambush.
“Damned mutt, don’t run off on your own!” Desmond called out after me.
Among the trees, the snow deepened where the mountain winds blew it into drifts. Plowing through, I loped upward, drawing in the frigid air and savoring the way it bit my nose and throat. The bite of sulfur in the air warned me of the presence of the springs long before I caught sight of steam wafting through the trees. I approached the lower spring.
Ice accumulated on the edge of the pool, which was almost as large as Desmond’s prized koi pond. Digging my claws into the slick shore for purchase, I reached out with a paw to test the temperature. While warm, it wasn’t so hot it would burn. Satisfied, I turned to head higher up the slope to the other springs.
The ice creaked beneath my weight. As I scrambled for the deeper snow, the ice shelf broke and dumped me into the water. My startled yip ended in a gurgle when I submerged.
The water tasted even worse than it smelled.
Turning my ears back, I swam towards shore, warbling complaints as the water weighed down my thick winter fur, turning the otherwise simple task into a troublesome, exhausting endeavor. Time had worn away the stone, leaving few spots shallow enough for me to stand. Two laps around the pool and countless attempts to claw my way to freedom left me no better off than when I had plunged into the spring.
Clambering onto one of the submerged shelves, I rested my chin on the spring-warmed shore and sighed. At least Henry had been right on one count; the water felt good on my neck.
All I needed to do was figure out how to escape the pool before anyone found me and took humiliating pictures of me stuck in the water.
The minutes stretched into an hour. I came to the conclusion I could either howl for Frank and the others or drown. With the water soaking my fur, I had no hope of clawing my way up the icy banks to freedom. There were no ledges shallow enough for me to lie down and rest, not without sinking below the surface.
I whined, pawing at the stone, bracing for the inevitable humiliation of begging for help out of the spring.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Desmond demanded from behind me. Yipping, I whirled to face him, slipped off my shelf, and plunged into the steaming water. Disoriented and exhausted, I sank deeper than I liked before recovering enough to struggle to the surface.
Desmond reached me before I had a chance to swim for shore. Grabbing hold of my scruff, he hauled me to the shelf, forcing his elbow under my muzzle to keep my nose above the water. “The things I do for you, Pup,” he growled. “Are you trying to drown?”
Too tired to even whine, I relied on Desmond to keep me afloat while I caught my breath. He sat on the shelf, pulling me onto his lap. “The good news? I left my cell with the snowmobile. The bad news? I left my cell with the snowmobile. Once you can breathe without sounding like a whistle, howl for Frank.”
If I wailed for help, Frank would never let me live down the fact I needed to be rescued from a hot spring. Gathering what little strength I had left, I clawed at the icy shore, digging my hind paws into Desmond in my effort to climb out of the pool.
“You just have to make this difficult, don’t you? You’re going to freeze solid if you get out and roll in the snow, idiot,” Desmond scolded.
Once I managed to scramble up onto his shoulders, I used him as a launching pad, flopping onto the ice. Spitting curses at me, Desmond shoved his shoulders under my rump and shoved upward, sending me sprawling muzzle first into the snow. Yipping in triumph, I scrambled away from the pool.
True to his threat, the snow clung to my soaked fur and froze.
Desmond had an easier time getting out than I did, and he shuddered from the cold by the time he
made it up the bank. “I’m skinning you for this, Richard.”
I staggered to Desmond’s snowmobile, wondering how I had missed the approach of something so noisy. He had left a snowsuit on the seat, which I avoided as I climbed onto the sled and sprawled in an exhausted heap on the rack. With chattering teeth, Desmond changed out of his soaked clothes into the snowsuit before turning the snowmobile on.
It took less than five minutes to reach the lodge. By the time we arrived, the cold had worked into my fur and froze me bone deep. Desmond sighed, shook his head, and picked me up. Grunting and staggering under my weight, he carried me inside.
My mate met us at the door, her eyes wide. “What happened?”
“He fell into the lower spring. Call Frank and your mother in, would you? Also, tell your mother I had to dive in after him so he wouldn’t drown.”
“He fell in?” she blurted in disbelief. “He almost drowned?”
“Don’t worry, I took a couple of photos for your enjoyment. Once I get him warmed up and dried off, you can mock him to your heart’s content,” he assured her. “While we wanted you to soak, Richard, it’s much easier to get out of the indoor spring or the upper pool. Idiot.”
My mate snickered, took her father’s phone, and made a call. “Frank? Dad just brought Richard in. He fell into the lower pool and tried to drown himself. Also—”
My Second screamed his frustration and hung up.
“He hung up on me!” my mate complained, dialing another number. “Mom, Father had to go for a swim to get Richard out of a spring…”
I didn’t catch the rest of the conversation, as Desmond’s solution to thawing my fur was to dump me into the indoor pool. Groaning as the warmth soaked in, I sprawled on the shallow ledge, a section of the spring meant for puppies to enjoy the water without the risk of drowning. Desmond peeled out of his snowsuit and tossed it onto the tiled floor before swimming to join me, digging his fingers into my fur and rubbing to restore circulation. “Can’t take you anywhere without you causing trouble, can I?”
