by Marla Monroe
It didn’t mean she could have them though. The world had changed to the point that once all the destruction, disease, and death had settled down, there were far fewer women left alive than men. It meant that women were fought over, stolen, and treated like possessions instead of the humans they were.
She thought about her brother and why he’d died before she slammed the door on that memory. It hurt too much to remember. Then she’d ended up in yet another bad situation where the fact that she was a woman meant she lost some of her rights and couldn’t go where she wanted. It was the final straw when he’d told her she would move in with him and the other single women until a family was chosen for her. Vella refused to allow her brother to die in vain. He’d given his life because he wanted her to be free and safe and happy.
She shook the memories off and sat up, thankful for the ridiculously long T-shirt so that she could stretch without revealing anything. The boxers were almost more trouble than they were worth, but she wasn’t about to walk around without anything on under the T-shirt. That was asking too much of both men when she was sure it would be pretty obvious beneath the white shirt. Even now she was self-conscious about her breasts feeling so exposed.
Vella shimmed out from under the blankets and straightened them so that they would be ready for bed that night. She wandered closer to the fire that they’d allowed to die down some and found a covered pan. She peeked beneath the lid and smiled. Inside was what looked like some type of stew. When she looked around, she noticed a squirrel pelt spread out to dry on a rock just inside the cave.
“Squirrel stew. I can eat that. Too bad I don’t have a way to make biscuits.” Vella smiled as she dipped the yummy looking food into a bowl.
She’d just taken a quick taste when a noise near the front of the cave snapped her eyes that way. At first she didn’t see anything, and then a slight movement near the side of the cave entrance caught her attention.
Holy hell. Is that a wolf? It’s huge!
She didn’t move, staying as still as she could, keeping her eyes down from the predator’s so as not to challenge it. Vella kept his paws in her sights, so she knew when he started walking slowly toward the inside of the cave, ignoring the dying fire as if it didn’t worry him in the slightest.
What was she going to do? She didn’t have anything to fight a wolf, if that was what it was. Where was Lance? If she screamed, it would startle the wolf and might make him attack. If she didn’t scream to get Lance’s attention, the wolf might still attack.
Vella remained still as the wolf slowly made its way inside the cave. It didn’t move closer to her, but stalked over to where the rabbit stew remained at the edge of the fire to keep it warm. He nosed it then jumped back when it burned him. He whined, looked toward her and tried again.
It upset her to see him hurt himself in an attempt to get food. He looked a bit thin. Without thinking, Vella moved closer to the fire and the animal, still not meeting its eyes. She watched his paws and shoulders for any sign he might lunge for he.
When she’d gotten close enough to the pot to touch it, the wolf backed up a step, then another. It gave her the courage she needed to pick up the folded cloth and pull the pot from the fire. She opened the lid and carefully stuck a finger into the liquid to see if it was too hot for the animal. It wasn’t, so she pushed the pot of rabbit stew toward the wolf using the handle. Once she reached as far as she could go, she pushed it a few more inches with her fingertip then slowly inched her way back to where she’d left her bowl.
The wolf didn’t move at first, so Vella picked up her spoon and started eating, still keeping an eye on his whereabouts. After a minute, the wolf eased toward the pot and sniffed it then dipped its head into the stew, and all she heard after that was the sound of his tongue lapping at the delicious food.
By the time she’d finished her bowl, the wolf had finished as well and was lying next to the pot watching her. It didn’t look in any hurry to leave. Great. What was she going to do now? What about when Lance returned? He’d been gone long enough now that she was beginning to worry. Had something happened to him? Had this wolf hurt him? She looked but didn’t see blood anywhere on the fur she could see.
Suddenly the wolf stood up and stretched. She sighed. He was going to leave now. He had only been resting after he’d eaten before moving on. Only, instead of moving toward the cave’s opening, he slowly stepped closer to her.
“Nice wolf. Easy there. Don’t hurt me. I just gave you food.” She couldn’t believe she was talking to it.
The wolf stepped closer still. It was close enough now that it could lunge for her throat and she’d never be able to avoid it, but she was too scared to move.
“Easy, boy. I’m not a threat to you. Just turn around and go back outside now. You’ve had something to eat now.”
The wolf lay down, which gave her some measure of relief, until it began almost crawling toward her again. She started to scoot away, but it whined at her and Vella didn’t know if that was a plea for her to be still or a warning that she’d damn well better stay still. She played it safe and froze.
Inch by terrifying inch, the wolf drew closer until its muzzle was close enough to take a bite out of her. To her utter disbelief, the animal gave one last whine then dropped his head to her lap and sighed. It closed its eyes and relaxed into her.
What the hell? It’s going to go to sleep on me?
Maybe it wasn’t a wolf but at dog that lost its family. But if that was so, he’d be close to ten years old. He looked more like a three- or four-year-old to her. There were no signs of age, like greying fur or missing or ground-down teeth. Yep, she’d gotten a good look at them when he’d watched her with his mouth open in what could have been thought of as a doggy or wolfy grin.
Well, it looked like for now she was a pillow for a very large dog or wolf. She still wasn’t sure which. It looked a lot like a wolf. Maybe it was a hybrid mix. Either way, Vella was stuck sitting there until the animal woke and moved on or Lance returned and got rid of it. For some reason, the thought of Lance hurting it or driving it off had her heart stuttering a beat or two. Was she already attached to the thing? Feeding it hadn’t been the best idea after all.
“Vella? What is that on your lap?” Lance’s voice had the wolf or dog or whatever it was coming to attention, complete with a teeth-displaying snarl.
“Easy, there. Lance is my friend. He helped save me. Don’t hurt him,” she said, in hopes it would listen to her voice and know she wasn’t afraid of the man standing just inside the cave.
“Are you okay?” Lance asked, watching the wolf instead of looking at her. Vella didn’t blame him.
“I’m fine. I had some rabbit stew, and this came in to join me. He seemed to be hungry, and I’d much rather he eat stew than me, so I fed him. Now he seems to want to stay.”
“Fuck! How am I going to get him away from you without you getting hurt?” Lance asked.
I really don’t think he’s going to hurt me on purpose, but if you shoot at him, he might hurt me by accident,” she told him.
Vella tentatively laid a hand on the back of the wolf’s neck and stroked his fur. To her surprise, the wolf arched into her hand and made a contented sound, almost between a growl and a sigh. She continued to stroke his fur.
“See? I’m thinking this is a huge dog, or maybe a wolf hybrid. He’s alone, and scared, and hungry. Kind of like I was.” She watched Lance’s features as he realized she was attached to the thing. His frown said it all. He didn’t like it.
“We don’t know anything about it, and I’m not willing to risk your safety with it. I’m going to try to get closer so I can shoo him away. If it goes I’ll leave it at that, but if it turns to growl, I’m shooting it.”
Vella curled her fingers in the animal’s fur. She didn’t want Lance to shoot it. Before she allowed that, she’d draw him outside herself. The wolf or dog suddenly lunged to its feet and growled low and deep. Lance was moving closer to them.
“Wait, Lance. Let me try something,” she said.
“Don’t…” But she was already on her knees, wrapping an arm around the creature’s neck.
“Easy there, doggie, or whatever you are. This is Lance. He’s a friend of mine.” Vella held out the other hand and reached for Lance’s hand.
“What are you doing?” Lance asked. He held out his hand despite the thing growling a bit louder.
Vella was impressed that Lance wasn’t flinching at the sound of the fierce growl less than a yard from him. She managed to reach his hand and curled her fingers around his. Then she inched closer, pulling the animal with her until, if he stretched out his neck, he’d be able to sniff Lance’s fingers—or bite them off. She was counting on the first option. Lance probably was, too.
The wolf looked up at her then slowly stretched out and sniffed at first hers then Lance’s entwined fingers. It looked at her again, then Lance. To her relief, the wolf licked their joined hands then walked closer and rubbed his head beneath their clasped fingers. She released Lance’s hand so he could run it down the animal’s fur. She smiled at him when he did, and the wolf sat then lay down between them.
“Hell. I can just hear Carver when he gets back. He’s going to tear me a new one over this.” Lance didn’t sound too worried though. Instead, he scratched behind the animal’s ears and smiled at Vella.
“Sorry about the stew. Did you get any at all?”
“I’d already eaten. I was just keeping it warm for you when you woke up,” he said.
“You had to have gotten up early to find it, kill it, dress it, and then cook it.”
“Oh, Carver killed it and dressed it. Left it for me to cook though. He isn’t much of a cook.” Lance made a gagging face that had to be exaggerated. Surely the man’s cooking skills weren’t that bad.
The wolf whined as he looked up at Lance’s terrible expression. Vella laughed and ruffled the animal’s fur. Lance stopped playing around and did the same. Their fingers brushed, and without the tension of trying to get the wolf to accept Lance, the touch was much more intimate and personal. All of her girly bits tightened, heated, and grew wet. She couldn’t believe how wet her pussy was just from that light touch. She pulled back and busied herself gathering the dishes.
“I’ll get those. You don’t need to go outside away from the heat yet. I think the wolf or big-assed dog will keep you safe while I’m gone.”
“But you just got back. You can do them later. Sit by the fire and warm up some first. Your fingers were like ice cubes,” she said, feeling suddenly shy.
Vella quickly lowered her eyes when Lance’s grew dark with desire. She couldn’t mistake that look if she wanted to. Neither could she act on it—at least not yet. She needed to know more about the two men before she gave herself to either one of them. Maybe she was old-fashioned considering how things were in their new world these days, but falling into bed with one man was bad enough. She had the feeling it would be with two, which was twice as bad.
“I’ll sit with you for a few more minutes, and then I need to wash these up so I can be here when Carver gets back. We don’t know how he’ll react to the mutt and how the mutt will react to him. He’s a bit more, um, dominant than I am. If this really is a wolf or wolf hybrid, it won’t like being challenged. Carver will definitely challenge it.” Lance looked between them at the now-dozing animal.
She had no doubt he wasn’t completely asleep. He’d be aware of everything going on around him despite his eyes being closed. Animals had that built-in sixth or seventh sense where danger could be around.
“How long do you think it will be before he makes it back?” she asked. She was pretty sure it was close to one in the afternoon now.
“I figure another four, maybe five hours. It all depends on how many of the houses he has to search to find something close enough to your size that it will be comfortable to you. Plus, he’s going to look for another pair of boots. He said one of yours had a hole in the toe.”
She sighed. She’d been ignoring that little irritant in hopes she would be able to make it all the way there before it got to be a problem. Going through houses wasn’t her favorite thing to do. There was too big of a chance someone would catch her that way. When she had to have shelter because of rain or even snow, she’d checked the place for everything possible she might could use and still be able to carry it in her pack.
“I hate that I lost my pack. It’s causing you and Carver to lose a lot of time. I don’t like being a hindrance to anyone,” she confessed. “It makes me feel guilty even though I’m not entirely to blame.”
“You’re not to blame at all, Vella. You were trying to survive. The only other choice you had from what you told us was to surrender to them, which would have been stupid and dangerous. Jumping in that swollen stream was the only other logical choice.” Lance smiled at her. She watched as he absently scratched the wolf’s fur as they stared at each other.
“Are we going to head toward Yellowstone tomorrow?” she asked. “I hate to wait any longer with it threatening snow.”
“I don’t know. We’ll talk with Carver about it when he gets back. He may need a day to rest, and I’m really not convinced you’re well enough to travel yet. It’s only been one day since you’ve been awake enough to move around well.” Lance got to his feet. “I’m going to go clean up the dishes. I’m taking one of the guns with me in case I run across another squirrel or even a rabbit. Just so you don’t panic if you hear a shot.”
“Be careful, Lance.” She said it without even thinking but knew it was the right thing to say when his smile brightened.
Vella settled so that her back was against the cave wall and closed her eyes. She felt the wolf stand up, shake, then settle down again with his head and one paw in her lap. She cracked one eyelid and smiled to see him resting. His warmth seeped into her as her lap cradled his head. She hoped Carver would be okay with the animal. She liked him and hoped he would stick around.
Deep inside, she hoped the guys would stick around, too. She was pretty sure they would, but one thing the last few years had taught Vella was never to count your chickens before they hatched. Once they hatched, it still wasn’t any guarantee they’d stay in the barnyard either.
“I’d kind of like it if they would, fella,” she said, stroking the big animal’s head. “They’re nice, strong, and will be good providers.”
She smiled to herself, but continued talking to the wolf in her lap. He seemed to be a good listener, and she hadn’t really had anyone to talk to in several long months. Lance and Carver had been the first ones she’d come across that she didn’t believe might be dangerous since she’d first escaped the commune.
Love should fit in there someplace, but maybe her brother had been right. Maybe love could come later with the right person or persons. Maybe it wasn’t essential that she be in love with them before she made a decision on staying with them as their woman, as long as she was sure she would be safe. But how would she know if she was safe if she didn’t know that they loved her?
“I guess I don’t. I suppose I have to trust my instincts and step out on faith, huh, boy?” She smiled at the oblivious mongrel before leaning her head back and closing her eyes.
Thoughts of what it would be like to be kissed by Carver while Lance sucked on her nipples soon had her uncomfortably warm with a need to change her panties to a dry pair. Since she didn’t know when either of the men would show back up, Vella decided to wait and pray she didn’t leave a wet spot on the blankets. She couldn’t remember ever being this turned-on by just thinking about a man before. Maybe it was because she was imagining two men and not just one.
It really didn’t matter. Vella was anxious for both of them to return. She had a funny feeling in her chest that worried her. Something was going to happen. The big dog, or wolf, or whatever it was, felt it, too. He whined as he sat up, staring out the front of the cave. His whine turned into a low growl, and a shadow fell over part of the opening, making her wis
h Lance had built the fire back up before he’d gone. The crunch of a stick just outside the entrance caused her to jerk, unsettling the big animal next to her. He put himself between her and the cave’s entrance, but not before she saw someone peek inside, leading with his gun.
Chapter Seven
Carver was pretty pleased with himself. He’d managed to find everything on his mental list plus some at the first house he stopped. It was deep in the woods off of two secondary roads, so no one had found it to scavenge yet. The only unpleasant part had been burying the remains of the two people he had found in one of the beds. He figured them to be husband and wife, but since there was nothing left but bones and tattered material, he wasn’t positive.
Digging the grave and settling them into it had taken time and soured his mood at first, but he couldn’t leave them there like that. He was taking their things, so the least he could do was give them a semi-proper burial.
He’d located three backpacks in good shape and filled all of them with clothes that looked to have been made for Vella. To his surprise, there had been a stockpile of lotions, shampoo, and soaps that all smelled good but weren’t loud. He added those to his pile, along with a small nail kit and some hair things.
By the time he’d stuffed all three of the packs, Carver was sure he’d gotten everything she would need for a while. He tied the shoestrings of the boots he found her and looped them around his neck. He hooked one backpack to another and struggled into it before pulling on the third one in front. He carried the rifle in his hand, and the pistol was between his abdomen and the pack just in case.
It looked like if nothing came up, even with the extra weight on him, he’d be able to make it back around two or three. He’d gotten a good start that morning before the sun had even come up. When he’d gone out to relieve himself, the squirrel had been an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. After he’d skinned it and left it in a pot for Lance to cook, Carver had grabbed his weapons and started out at an easy jog.
