by Michelle Fox
He began to run in ever widening circles, sweeping past every inch of the forest until he came to the sand dunes that ran along the beach. Instead of pine, he smelled the dry, dusty scent of hot sand and still no Nick.
Where could he be?
Tao thought hard. What would I do if I were Nick?
His brother told Audrey he wanted to bite more people, which meant Nick was looking for victims. Tao growled at himself. He’d been an idiot, searching the remote woods instead of focusing on areas with people.
I was thinking like a wolf, not a madman.
His feet swift on the ground, he headed for the lake. Outside of town, the beaches held the highest concentration of people and the sand dunes provided good cover with their reed-like beachgrass. All Nick had to do was hunker down, wait for the right target, dash in for the bite and then run back to the safety of his hidey hole.
The only question was, which beach would Nick pick?
Chapter Nine
Audrey pulled into the parking lot at work and parked her truck. Before she stepped out, she looked around carefully in case Nick was lurking nearby. She even sniffed the air, but while she could smell the water, she didn’t have the super sharp senses that Tao and his brother did. She couldn’t identify people by scent. Not yet, anyway.
Hand on her gun, she jogged to the entrance of the park ranger station.
Jay greeted her at the door, the expression on his narrow face tense. Wasting no time, he said, “We’ve officially shut down the beaches and are working to sweep them clean of tourists.”
She nodded, relieved that he hadn’t decided to ignore her. She’d been concerned he would change his mind or treat her like the girlfriend he’d never quite respected versus the professional she was. “Good.”
He poured a cup of coffee and handed it to her. “Here. You’ll need all the caffeine you can get. We’re working round the clock until we hunt this wolf down or don’t spot him anywhere in the vicinity for the next twenty four hours.”
She took the coffee and added sugar and cream. “Thanks.”
He motioned her to follow him. “Come into the conference room, we still need you to set the search perimeter.”
She trailed after him and blinked when she entered the building’s small conference room. Everyone was there. Normally the rangers worked in shifts of four, so it was like spotting one of Conspiracy Bob’s dune aliens to see everyone in one place.
Jay gestured for her to stand at the front of the room. “Tell us what to do, Audrey.”
She went to stand where he indicated and cleared her throat as dozens of eyes looked at her expectantly. “Yeah. Okay. Let’s start at the Glen Vine beach, that’s the location of the last known visual on the wolf. We’ll sweep north, south and east of that location.” Her hand went to where her gun sat in its holster at her waist. “He’s rabid and aggressive. Shoot him on sight.”
Her co-workers exchanged worried glances and a quiet murmur went through the group. They all knew she’d been bitten and no one wanted to be next.
Jay joined her at the front of the room. “Okay, I’ll send you guys,” he pointed to four of the rangers, “to Glen Vine. Split into groups of two and start hunting. The rest of us will start sweeping from the other end. Christine, you’re on phones. Stay in touch with the police and let us know their position.”
Christine nodded, her brown eyes wide. “Yes, sir.”
Jay looked at Audrey. “You’re with me. The beaches should be clear, but if any of you see tourists, send them packing. Hopefully, that’ll get this done sooner as opposed to later. Any questions?”
When no one spoke up, Jay gestured to the door, “Then get cracking. Let’s get this wolf.”
The park rangers filed out of the conference room, talking quietly amongst themselves. There’d never been an operation like this in the park’s history.
Once they were the only ones left in the room, Audrey said, “Thanks Jay.”
He gave her a crooked smile, one that used to melt her heart. “For what?
“Listening to me.”
Jay shrugged. “Just doing our jobs, right?”
“Yeah, but you could’ve said no.”
He frowned. “Are you crazy? With you bit already by this wolf?” Jay shook his head. “No way. We’ve got to find this wolf and put him down. Come on, we’ll take my truck.”
They drove out to where the dunes rose too high for humans to access the lake, let alone a wolf, even if he was big. Driving right on the beach, they slowly cruised down the shoreline.
“See anything?” he asked.
Audrey shook her head. “No, not yet.”
He sighed. “So, I was thinking about heading into Traverse City for dinner on Friday. You want to come?”
She frowned at him.“Um, what?”
Jay flushed. “I thought maybe we could try again.”
Audrey made a non-committal noise and debated what to say. Jay was nice enough, handsome even with his tousled hair and cocoa brown eyes, but he’d turned out to be hypercritical of her appearance. He’d wanted her to lose weight and suddenly started dragging her on ‘train for a marathon’ dates. When she balked at that, he offered to pay for Weight Watchers. “You’d be so pretty if you lost weight,” he’d said. That had been the kiss of death as far as she was concerned.
“Audrey?” Jay prompted.
“I’m not interested in changing,” she said. “That seemed to bother you last time.” The truth was, diets didn’t work for her. She’d tried them all and long ago decided to focus on being healthy instead of thin. As far as Jay went...well, Audrey wanted a man who loved her as she was and, while Jay had many great qualities, he wasn’t that guy.
“Well, about that,” he paused, clearing his throat nervously. “I was kind of an ass. I’m sorry, Audrey.”
She stopped looking for Nick and turned to stare at Jay, shocked by his apology. “What?”
“The truth is, I like you. I don’t care how much you weigh. I should have never made our relationship about your weight. I was wrong. I hope you can forgive me.” He stared straight ahead as he spoke as if afraid to meet her eyes.
“Why the change of heart?” she asked.
“When that wolf attacked you, I guess I kind of woke up. I was really worried about you and that made me realize how much I cared for you.”
“Oh, well, thanks for the apology.” She turned to look out the window again, unsure of what else to say. The conversation made her uncomfortable and filled the air in the truck with thick tension.
Jay cleared his throat. “So, dinner? Will you think about it?”
Audrey nodded, but didn’t say anything. Words failed her. She had no interest in Jay anymore and she couldn’t commit to a relationship when she was about to become a werewolf. But he was still her boss which meant this had to be handled delicately. Only…damned if she didn’t know how that was supposed to go.
Jay turned on the radio, covering the strain between them. Country music blared and she winced. Aside from honky-tonk, Audrey didn’t much enjoy twangy country music. That was another thing about her and Jay that had never worked.
Her thoughts went to Tao. Jay didn’t make her heart go pitter-pat, but the big, dark wolf sure did. She wondered where he was, if he was okay and whether he’d found Nick. Audrey dreaded to think what would happen if the park rangers had to face the big wolf. They might end up all bit and howling at the moon together. As much as she liked her job, and mostly liked her co-workers, she had no desire to be in a wolf pack with them.
Goodness no. Anything but that!
Audrey grimaced as she imagined office politics spilling over into a wolf pack. Not a pretty thought. And what would they do at the office after a full moon? Pretend they hadn’t just seen each other buck naked as they shifted from one form to the next? Add in the torch Jay seemed to carry for her and...ugh.
Yikes. Let’s just hope everyone’s a good shot.
The park service issued guns but, unlike poli
ce, had pretty lax training standards, which made sense in a way. Park Rangers didn’t bust up meth labs or gangs. They rarely had the need to even take their guns from their holsters. Now, that might come back to bite them...literally.
But bullets are still stronger than monsters, right?
Something moved in the corner of her eye, something white and fast that loped close to the ground, almost blending in with the sand as it went. Audrey whipped her head around to track it. Raising a hand, she said, “Slow down. I think I saw something.”
Jay hit the brakes and peered in the general direction of Audrey’s gaze. Holding her breath, she narrowed her eyes. When nothing moved, she rolled down her window and sucked in the fresh breeze rolling off the lake.
Maybe she didn’t have full wolf senses yet, but she’d caught something of Nick’s scent back at the restaurant. Just the memory of blood mixed in his essence made her shudder. She sniffed again, but if the bastard was out there, she couldn’t catch him with her nose.
“I’m getting out.” She moved to unfasten her seatbelt.
Jay put a hand on her shoulder, holding her back. “I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”
She gave him a cross look. “I’ve got my radio and my gun. Plus, I was just inoculated against rabies last week, remember?” Audrey held up her arm, showing off the bandage covering Nick’s bite. “I’m safer than anyone else you could send out.”
When his hand didn’t move, she gave an impatient shake of her shoulders, forcing him to let her go. “You can’t drive up that way, Jay. It’s protected habitat. You know it makes sense for me to go on foot and you to patrol the shore.”
His thin lips dipped down in a frown. “Are you sure you saw something?”
“Sure enough to try to chase after it.” She shrugged off her seat belt and opened the door. “I’ll be fine.”
Still he hesitated. “You sure?”
She gave a confident nod. “Yeah.”
“Radio me the second you find anything, okay?”
Audrey raised her hand to her head in a salute. “Yes, boss.”
Jay drove off, leaving Audrey alone. The wind tossed her hair while the lake gently puttered to the shore with a soft hiss as it hit the sand and seagulls screamed in a high-pitched soprano. Even during tourist season, the beaches of Northern Michigan weren’t very busy. The area was still a hidden treasure and crowds weren’t the norm, but now, with no one else there, Audrey felt cut off from the rest of the world. Almost as if she was on a different planet.
And she felt like she was being watched. An unseen pressure pressed between her shoulder blades. Whirling around, Audrey thought she caught a glint of yellow in the tall beachgrass dotting the dunes in an organic fringe. The yellow gleam of a wild animal lying in wait.
For all that she’d assured Jay she would be fine, she couldn’t help but be nervous. The truth was, she might be immune (relatively speaking) to rabies, but there was no vaccine that could stop Nick’s ability to compel her to do whatever he wanted.
She could only hope he wasn’t able to talk in wolf form.
All the more reason to shoot first and don’t talk to him at all. She took a deep breath, pulled her gun from its holster and headed toward the spot where she’d seen that predatory yellow gleam.
Chapter Ten
Sand sunk under her feet as she navigated the sloping dune that rose up above the beach. The seagulls had fallen silent, and, if there were any other animals around, they were quiet too. Even the wind went slack, barely strong enough to move her hair now.
It made Audrey tense. Her breathing quickened, both from the exertion of her walk and from anxiety.
“Are you there, Nick?” she called out. “Come out. I’m alone.” Audrey tucked her gun behind her leg so it wouldn’t be visible.
The silence stretched around her, impossibly tight and ready to snap.
“Nick? You don’t have to hide. It’s just me.” She attempted to sound friendly.
Ahead of her, something rustled in the tall beachgrass and there was the scuff of feet in the sand. Audrey froze, using her ears to hone in on the noise’s location. The large growth of beachgrass she identified as the source was thick and more than enough to hide a wolf of Nick’s size.
Swallowing hard, she edged toward it.
Approximately ten feet away, something large and hairy leaped at Audrey, hitting her square in the shoulders. She went down hard, unable to brace herself against the impact. Sand was soft enough when walking, but hitting it full force felt more like being rammed into a punching bag.
Air whooshed out of her as she slammed into the ground, denting the sand but not feeling any benefit from its natural give. Her gun flew from her hand as she went and hair from the wolf that toppled her filled her mouth.
She pushed against the hairy beast whose razor sharp claws pricked her skin even through her clothes. As she struggled, she finally had time to process what the wolf looked like. Blond and big. In other words, Nick. Well, she consoled herself, at least it’s not some new werewolf. If only he would stop sitting on her stomach, which, while not exactly flat, didn’t have enough bulk to hold the enormous wolf’s weight without impairing her ability to breathe.
“Get off me!” Audrey turned her head and spat out wolf hair. Strands of it lined her mouth and as quick as she got them out, more came in. He shedded worse than a dog.“You’re going to suffocate me with a hair ball.” She heaved her body and went...nowhere.
Finally, exhausted, she sank into the sand, going limp.
“Please get off me?” she asked, calmer now.
The wolf watched her with hard, emerald eyes. Dipping his head, he sniffed her neck and then licked the spot where her pulse jumped. With a low growl that sounded like a warning, he stepped off her and loped up over the crest of the dune.
Audrey scrambled to her feet and retrieved her gun. She ran after Nick as fast as the sand would let her, but she lost him within seconds. All she could do was head in the same general direction and hope she could catch up. Recalling the area from her habitat restoration work, she knew there would be a parking lot up ahead. She could rest there, catch her breath and get her bearings.
But there was no rest to be found. The parking lot wasn’t empty. A van carrying a family of five had navigated past the blockade the park service had set up to prevent access to the park. The tourists were just in the process of unloading their beach gear from the back of their van when Audrey burst onto the asphalt.
She stumbled at the change in terrain. Her body had become accustomed to pushing against the sinking sand and now used too much strength to launch her across the smooth parking lot. Correcting her gait, she raced toward them, waving her arm.
“The beach is closed. You have to get out of here.” She scanned the area, looking for Nick and didn’t see him. He had to be close though. Probably hiding and plotting his next move.
The family huddled together, their gazes fixed on the gun she held in one hand. The mother, a tall, slim woman, pushed her kids behind her as the father, a wiry man, stepped forward, his eyes narrowed and fists clenched.
“I’m a park ranger,” Audrey panted, still running. She pointed to the badge on her uniform and slowed down, unable to keep running. Bending over, hands on her knees, she sucked in air. “The park’s closed,” she said between gasps. “It’s not safe to be here.”
“Excuse me?” The father frowned at her. “What do you mean closed? It’s a public beach, you can’t close it.”
Audrey glared at him. “What? You thought the blockade you had to push out of the way to get in here didn’t mean anything?” She paused to breathe for a second. “You need to leave now or I’ll have you arrested.”
“John,” said the mother, her tone placating. “We should go.” She herded the children back into the van.
“We drove eight hours and paid a fortune to rent a house up here. We are damned well going swimming,” John yelled.
Audrey pulled out her cell phone to
call the sheriff. She was in no mood to argue with entitled tourists. Nor did she have the time now that she was hot on Nick’s trail.
But before she could dial the sheriff’s number, a howl froze her in place. It came from the corner of the parking lot, and when Audrey turned to follow the sound, she met Nick’s green eyes. He was already there. Had been there...waiting. Instead of crossing the lot, he’d bolted to the side and found more beachgrass to camouflage his presence. Now, it seemed, he wanted to be seen.
“Get in the car,” Audrey screamed as she took aim with her gun. Naturally, the father moved between her and Nick so she couldn’t get a clear shot.
“You can’t order us around like that. Our taxes pay your salary.” He stabbed an angry finger in the air, either oblivious or not caring about the wolf.
“Well, your taxes won’t bring back your children if they die out here,” she snapped. “Get in your car and get out of here. It’s not safe.”
With that, she ran past him and pulled the trigger, hoping to get lucky. Unfortunately, the shot went wide. Nick didn’t even blink. The discharge of her weapon did, however, galvanize the tourist family into action. Car doors slammed and tires squealed as they made a quick exit.
Which left just her and Nick.
He gave a gruff bark, no doubt unhappy that she’d scared off people he considered prey.
Audrey squeezed off another shot. This one came closer, burying itself in the sand to his right.
She thought he would run away then or at least try to evade her, but instead, he walked toward her. His body shifted as he went, morphing from beast to man. Like his brother, Nick was large with a physique that was hard not to admire, even if the soul it housed was dark as sin.
“You will not shoot me,” he said. His thighs flexed as he crossed the parking lot to take her gun.
Unable to defy him, Audrey didn’t even protest as he discharged the remaining bullets into the sand. Then he wrapped his hand around the gun and squeezed. After a moment, he threw it to the ground.
Audrey gasped. The weapon was now a twisted lump of metal, completely destroyed by his bare hand.
