by Melissa Haag
“Hold on,” I called loudly over my shoulder.
“Faster!” She punctuated the command with an unnecessary slap to my back.
I’d twisted the throttle and gained some speed when another shape flew into our path. I leaned left and made a swift, deep swerve around the second one. Thankfully, Bethi moved with me, keeping our balance as she clung to my back and panted in fear.
A small, distressed sound escaped her a moment before her arms tightened around my waist and the strap cut into my chest. One of them had her. Releasing my hold on the bike, I let her captor have us both.
The bike continued forward, slipping out from between my legs as I reached back, wrapped around Bethi, and severed the strap. We landed just seconds after being unseated. I quickly got to my feet as the bike glided for a distance then fell onto its side on the gravel shoulder.
In a glance, I took in the competition and crouched defensively in front of Bethi. Since this was an unsanctioned challenge in a public place, these two were unlikely to play by the rules and come at me one at a time. From the looks in their eyes, they meant to kill me to get to Bethi.
The dark grey wolf behind us surged to his feet and shook the severed bag from his mouth. The black wolf counter paced his grey partner. They studied me, waiting. Two against one left the odds in their favor, but they were smart not to rush in.
“Go,” I said, giving Bethi a nudge. I didn’t want her to see what would happen next and preferred her safely away from the fight.
“No, thanks.” She picked herself up off the ground and moved several steps back but didn’t leave.
The two tensed, sensing an opportunity, and I knew there wasn’t any time left to argue with her.
I loosened the tight hold I had over the change and let my claw and teeth burst forth as I leapt forward. Both wolves crouched and sprang for me. Twisting in the air, I reached out toward the grey while swinging out my legs to the black. My foot connected with a chest as my fist drove into a muzzle. As I landed fully transformed and on all fours, the black wolf stopped his backward slide on the road and the grey one shook his head.
Both exuded anger and resentment. I truly did empathize with them. I’d felt the same way when I heard Gabby showed preference to the quiet, backwoods Clay. However, I never thought I had the right to kill one of my kind to get to her.
When the grey wolf lunged at me, I twisted and deflected a viciously aimed bite. The black one used the distraction to try to move in. Spinning, I savagely ripped into his face. With my teeth and jaw locked in a firm hold, the mutt had no chance of shaking me free. He tried, though, as the grey one attempted to circle us and find an opening. I shadowed the grey’s moves and kept his friend between us.
I’d learned the secret to fighting two against one long ago. Don’t try to fight them both at the same time. Disable one, then move on. The trick was disabling the first challenger without giving the second opponent an opening to disable me.
A rock sailed over me and hit the mongrel smack in the head. He yelped like a pup. Blood dripped, and I knew it was my chance to end the fight.
While the grey one dwelled on his own pain, I twisted my hold on the black’s muzzle and dropped my hind legs. Using the momentum of a roll, I heaved the wolf onto the stunned grey, then went for the black’s throat. He couldn’t even manage a yelp through the wet gurgle he made.
The grey struggled under the weight of the dying wolf. He knew what would come.
“Yield,” I growled, wanting to avoid an unnecessary death.
His defiant gaze held mine as he pulled back his lips to show his teeth.
To protect Bethi, I took a second life. I didn’t move until he stilled, and I knew the threat was gone. Behind me, Bethi’s pulse jack rabbited. She’d seen me kill. What would she think of me now? I turned to her.
She stood several paces away, pale and shaking. She glanced at the wolves and paled further as they shifted back to their skin.
Still in my fur, I moved toward her. She jumped slightly and swung her terror-filled wide eyes to me. I wanted to comfort her but would need to shift to do so. Dealing her yet another shock by standing before her naked wasn’t an option. Neither would I leave her alone with two dead bodies just so I could run into the woods to dress.
Settling for compromise with a shake of my head, I trotted over to her bag. Seeing a naked backside was less threatening than a front side or being alone. Ensuring my back was to her, I shifted to my skin.
She made a small squeak.
“Turn around,” I said, not moving.
“Ha! No way.”
I scowled back at her then reached into her bag for my hoodie and a pair of her pajama pants. She giggled when I put the pants on. I couldn’t blame her. The tiny fairies on the pants truly represented how I felt in them. That they bound in the crotch and ended several inches above the ankles only made them more ridiculous.
I picked up the bag, went over to her, and held it out. Sheer terror no longer glazed her eyes, but there was still plenty of fear in her scent.
“We’ll need to stop for new clothes,” I said with a wry grin, trying to lighten the moment.
She giggled, but her gaze held no amusement as it swept over my face. Reaching into the bag I still held, she pulled out another shirt. At first, I thought she meant me to try to wear it. But she didn’t speak or hand it to me. She gravely lifted it to my face and wiped the material across my mouth. When she pulled it away, I saw blood. Her hand shook.
I gently took the shirt from her fingers, put it back in the bag, and went over to the bike. I needed to get her somewhere safe. My girl desperately needed some peace.
That the road had remained quiet throughout the encounter was an unusual twist of fate. One I wasn’t going to tempt. We needed to leave the area quickly. Lifting the bike, I found several long scratches in the paint on the tank, dings in the chrome, and scuffs in the leather. The owner would likely want to finish the job the two in the road had started. As soon as I had the engine rumbling, I waved Bethi over.
While she mounted behind me, I tucked the bag with the broken strap under my thighs. Without the bag, she would need to hold on.
“No falling asleep,” I said as she wrapped her arms around me.
Seven
When we reached the next town, I stopped at the first public restroom I found. Bethi didn’t say anything when I parked, just got off the back and disappeared into the ladies room. I didn’t like how pale she still looked or the sour tang of her scent.
Frustrated with the issues we kept having, I took the torn bag with me to the men’s room. A man I passed on the way in gave me an odd look. Since most the blood was off my face when I checked the mirror, I figured it was the pants. Running the water, I rinsed my face, neck and hair, then washed my hands, removing any trace of blood. After wrapping the bloody shirt in paper towel, I tucked it deep into the garbage then left.
Bethi was already waiting by the bike when I stepped out. The vacant way she looked around her worried me.
“I’m sorry,” I said softly, coming up to her.
“For what?” She tilted her head to look up at me, but her gaze didn’t meet mine. Her focus drifted to the people around us.
“No fourteen year-old should witness death like that.”
“Seventeen,” she said absently. “And don’t worry about it. It’s not the first death I’ve witnessed. Are we going?”
Seventeen? I tried not to let my delight and shock show. She didn’t appear that old. No, not true. When I looked into her beautiful eyes, I didn’t see youth. I saw the pain of a lifetime.
“Clothes next,” I said, getting on. She nodded and resumed her position behind me.
As I drove around looking for a store, I started rethinking our future. Her age changed some of my plans while some remained the same. To provide for her, I’d need to get a job, which I’d already planned on doing. Now, though, I would have less than a year to save enough money to get us out of the Compound becaus
e to keep her safe until we were Mated, we’d need to live there. Living with her, seeing her every day, and waiting to allow her to Claim me would be a challenge. Even now I couldn’t ignore the way she leaned against me.
Turning into a strip mall, I parked the bike and waited for Bethi to dismount. We walked together toward an apparel store.
The clerks inside had a good laugh at my appearance. I smiled good naturedly as I selected two pair of pants, shirts, socks, and new shoes. Bethi followed me, saying little. When I went to the woman’s section, she rolled her eyes but picked out a warmer top. I grabbed some leggings to go under her pants and also added a new bag to our small pile before we made our purchases.
Deciding it was wiser to change elsewhere, we left the store with our purchases and found another restroom.
I handed her the leggings and top and took the rest in with me to repack in the new bag.
It didn’t take me long to change. I went outside to wait for Bethi and called Joshua.
“Where are you?” he said in lieu of a greeting. “My friend said you didn’t show.”
“We ran into some trouble. I need to report two dead.” Death during a challenge wasn’t unheard of but discouraged because of our low numbers.
“Human?” he asked in concern.
“No. Two of ours. They were after Bethi. They must have caught her scent somehow.”
“Ah,” he said, sounding disappointed. “Yes, finding a human potential mate is rare. Her scent likely caused them to challenge you. Others will be interested in Claiming her as well.”
Just the thought of any male showing interest in her caused my hackles to rise. If two could find us, it was only a matter of time before more did. Especially as we neared the Compound.
“Can you tell them to stay away?”
“Has she Claimed you?”
“No, but she has shown interest.”
Joshua exhaled heavily. “I wish I could, but you know the rules. Until an Elders witnesses the interest, everyone is free to approach her.”
Approach and challenge. That made traveling even more dangerous.
“We still need a car.”
“Perhaps, given what’s happened, it would be better to meet in a more populated area.”
He laid out his new plans and wished us well.
Bethi emerged from the bathroom after I’d tucked the phone into my front pocket. A bit of color had returned to her face, and her eyes no longer looked as glazed.
“Who did you call about a car?” she asked.
“An Elder. I told him about the attack. He’s changed plans with his contacts and suggested we come to a more populated area.”
“What’s an Elder?”
As we walked side by side, slowly making our way to the bike, I tried to think of the best way to describe Elders. Mostly they were a pain in the ass. But, they wouldn’t be to someone like Bethi. To her, they would be her protectors until she came of age, and I didn’t want her disliking her protectors.
“They are the keepers of our kind. Everything they do, they do in our best interest, unlike pack leaders.” I couldn’t help adding that last bit. It was a lesson my father had drilled into me.
“What do you mean?”
“Pack leaders want to control their members. Elders want to guide them.”
“Why have pack leaders, then?”
“Exactly,” I said. If we had Elders looking out for us, why was there ever a need for a leader? It was only a position for power hungry pricks. “That’s why I don’t follow a leader. The Elders aren’t so bad, though.”
Once we sat on the bike, we used the new bag as a harness. She didn’t try to bite me again as I started the bike and pulled onto the road. After learning her age, I did feel a twinge of disappointment. Not that I thought she was suddenly old enough. I just didn’t want her losing interest in me.
Since she didn’t slump against me, I knew she was awake. We had a fair distance to travel before meeting up with Joshua’s friend again, and I wondered how long she’d last before we needed to stop.
“Why don’t you want to be Claimed?” she asked from behind me as if she’d heard my thoughts.
I turned my head so she would hear my answer.
“I do want to be Claimed. Just not now.”
“I don’t get it. Why not? And don’t bother denying the pull you feel for me. I know you do.”
I shook my head and faced forward. The pull wasn’t the issue, but I knew pointing out her age would only start an argument.
She heaved a sigh but didn’t ask again. As we snaked our way through town, she slowly started to slump against me. Once we cleared town, her head touched my back, and I knew the moment she went under.
Before she could start twitching, I pulled the bike to the shoulder, loosened the strap, and reached behind me to pull her around to my lap. Even by human standards she was light.
“Come on, Bethi,” I said, tapping her cheek.
She blinked her eyes open and stared up at me.
“We’re never going to get there at this rate,” I said, more to myself than her.
“I’m not doing this on purpose.” She angrily struggled to get off my lap.
I’d thoughtlessly hurt her feelings. Instead of loosening my hold, I sighed and hugged her close.
“I know,” I said, kissing her hair.
She stilled then tipped her head to look up at me again.
“Why?” she asked. “Why won’t you let me Claim you?”
Her eyes held a hint of moisture, and her scent reeked of desperation.
“Because you’re afraid and think it’s the only way to help yourself.”
“And?” she demanded.
“And nothing. It’s not the way to make that kind of decision.”
“What is the way, then?”
Knowing she wouldn’t stop until I gave her a reasonable explanation, I offered that only one I thought wouldn’t cause a fight. One I held true.
“With affection, not fear.”
Her mouth dropped open. Was it so hard to believe I wanted my Mate to actually like me? What was I doing wrong? I bathed, shaved, didn’t shy from work, treated her respectfully—except for that one time. I quickly and gently lifted her from my lap. Best not to think about that one time.
She remained quiet as she took her seat once more.
“You’ve been without decent sleep for too long,” I said, changing the subject. “We need to hole up somewhere so you can get some rest. Then, maybe, driving won’t be such a challenge.”
“We can try, but I doubt it,” she said as I tightened the strap.
We’d barely reached the next curve in the road when she went under again. Letting her sleep wasn’t an option because she immediately started to twitch and jerk and cry out. No wonder she didn’t feel rested when she woke. I repeated the process of pulling over and waking her before setting out again.
Traveling any distance took far longer than it should have. If we were in a safer place, I would have held her in my arms and just let her sleep. However, the recent challenge made sitting on the shoulder of a quiet back road, unsettling. Likewise, the idea of driving on a highway at even greater speed with increased traffic unsettled me. I could imagine Bethi passing out and somehow falling off. Though I was fast and likely to prevent such a thing from happening, I wouldn’t take that risk. Stuck with our present course, we inched toward our destination.
By midday, I realized meeting up with Joshua’s contact would be impossible and started looking for another motel. When I found one, I had to use some money from the bag to rent a room for two nights. Bethi said nothing about the long stay. I’d woken her up too many times already that day, after she’d had a quality ten hours the night before, for her to wonder why.
As soon as we walked into the room, she took the bag into the bathroom and closed herself in.
I looked around the room, wondering what I should do. Without a doubt, the neatly made queen bed would see significant use. However
, I wasn’t foolish enough to approach it. Bethi’s attempts to Claim me were not due to affection, but because she thought it would stop her dreams. I very much suspected she would not welcome the idea of sleeping in my arms as a better solution.
Moving to the only chair in the room, I sat. Heavily cushioned with high arm rests, it would make a good place to stay until she fell asleep.
When she reemerged wearing the Tinker Bell pants and a thin long-sleeved top, I grinned. She was adorable. And slightly grumpy. She crawled under the covers and frowned at me as I sat back.
“I’ll be here,” I said, noting she’d also brushed her hair.
She sighed and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for the twitching to start. I kicked off my shoes and lay on the bed beside her. Gathering her in my arms, I pulled her close and kissed her forehead.
“Enough of that,” I said when she continued to twitch.
The dream that held her seemed to ease a little. Her twitching stopped but her breathing remained choppy and her eyes moved rapidly behind her lids.
I gently ran my hand down over her arm hidden under the blankets. It didn’t seem to soothe her. I didn’t understand why she wasn’t sleeping peacefully like she had in the past when I’d held her. Her head turned, and with her nose pressed to my shirt, she inhaled deeply.
The tightness around her eyes eased a bit. Deciding to try something different, I sat up and removed my shirt. After tossing it to the chair, I lay down once more and pulled Bethi to me. As soon as her cheek rested against the skin of my chest, she calmed and her breathing fell into the slow shallow breaths of someone who slept. The problem with that was each warm exhale brushing across my skin.
The exquisite torture increased an hour later when she shifted in her sleep and tossed an arm over my waist. Her fingers brushed over my lower ribs before stilling. I wanted to groan. When she kicked off the covers after dusk and settled her thigh over my groin, I was sure I was going to die.
Tremors shook the bed, and I forced myself to calm down.
It was the longest night of my life.
