by Kimber White
“Well, that’s fine with me. As long as you promise to take me like that. Again and again. God, Derek. It’s dangerous though, isn’t it? For a moment there I felt so vulnerable. Like the entire Kentucky pack could have surrounded us and I wouldn’t have cared.”
A shadow darkened Derek’s face. He sat up and rummaged through the backpack. I’d thrown an extra pair of jeans in there at the last minute, thinking it might come in handy. I laughed as he found them and slid his legs into them. Yes, I could see where traveling with extra pairs of pants would be essential when on the road with my shifter love from now on.
“We have to keep moving,” he said. “We’ll keep heading east. Portsmouth isn’t too far.”
“Will you call your pack now?” My heartbeat skipped. I wasn’t sure I was ready to share Derek with anyone else yet. If only we could stay here and make this our own private sanctuary from the rest of the world.
“Not yet,” he said. “I want to get further north. It’s still too big a risk of leading them into an ambush. Call your father, though; see if they’ve made it to Indiana.”
He tossed me the backpack. I set about finding my own clothes. Once dressed, I called Dad. Derek paced the perimeter, sniffing the air as I did it. Each step he took made fear snake its way back into my heart. This wasn’t sanctuary. We were still very deep in enemy territory.
“We’re good, darlin’.” Grammy’s voice made my heart soar. “Stopped to let the dogs out for a few minutes, but we’re back on the road. Haven’t seen any signs of trouble. You?”
I bit my lip, hesitant to tell her what had happened to the Hummer. I decided there was no point. We’d survived it. “We’re okay,” I said, waving to Derek as he raised a brow and looked at me. “Everything’s right on schedule. Just take care. We’ll see you real soon. I love you. Tell Daddy too.”
Grammy made a smacking sound as she kissed the air. If she’d clicked off right then, things might have ended differently. But, she didn’t. She must have put the phone in her lap or somewhere close beside her. That’s when I heard it. A distant howl at first. Derek heard it too with his extra sensitive werewolf ears. He crossed the distance between us in a blur of motion.
He took the phone from me and pressed it to his ear. He didn’t have to tell me what he heard. His pulse quickened inside of me. The yelp on the other end of the phone cut through me like a dagger. Then, Grammy clicked off, or someone ripped the phone out of her hand.
“The dogs,” I said, my mouth running dry. “That was Brutus. Something’s hurt her. And they aren’t foolish enough to stop to let the dogs take a piss, Derek. I think she might have been trying to tell me something.”
He gave me a slow nod. “We have to move quickly. It might already be too late.”
The pain in his voice cut through me. We might already be too late. My fault. Our fault. If only we hadn’t stopped. If only the other wolf hadn’t caught us in the middle of the highway. The instant I thought it, Derek did too.
“It might have been a decoy,” he said. “Son of a bitch. They knew I’d think they’d come after me first. They’ve probably been after your father all along.”
“Derek?” I grabbed his upper arm. “Oh, God. Derek. You can’t let them hurt him. You can’t let them take her again.”
His eyes went dark as he looked at me. “I swear to you, as long as there is breath left in my body, I’ll do whatever I can.”
I nodded and grabbed the rifle. “Do you even know where to go?”
We were already on the move. Derek took my hand and led me through the woods. “I have an idea. For once, I think your grandmother is going to be glad she bears that mark. This time it just might save her life.”
Chapter Sixteen
Derek moved with purpose, menace, and threat. I flagged down a passing car, and one golden glint from Derek’s wolf eyes and the driver was only too happy to donate to the cause. When Derek tried to get behind the wheel I stopped him.
“No offense, but I don’t need anything shifting behind the wheel except fourth gear. You ride literal shotgun.” I tossed the rifle to him. He grunted at me but got in.
“Head west. I can hear them all the way from here. They can’t be that far. Twenty miles, maybe.”
Twenty miles. My heart dropped. Twenty miles! Anything could happen in the time it would take to catch up.
“Are they moving? Can you tell?”
“I don’t think so,” Derek said. He gripped the dashboard; his knuckles buckled. He was so keyed up, I could sense his wolf stronger than ever. Again, having me drive might be my best idea yet. “I think they’re pinned down. I can’t sense your grandmother the same as you. Just her general location, and only if she’s close.”
I pressed my foot to the floor. The car lurched in protest.
“Figures,” Derek said. “It had to be foreign. You should have let me bite the guy.”
Ten miles felt like an eternity. My body thrummed with Derek’s pulse. Though he kept his wolf in check, aggression poured off him. On high alert, my skin seemed to crackle with energy. I knew then a little of what his urge to shift felt like. A tightness, an overpowering need to tear loose and run wild. My new mark throbbed. When I brought a hand up to cover it, I felt the edges already healed. He’d left a perfect crescent-shaped scar there.
“When we get close, I want you to hang back,” Derek said. “Keep the rifle ready. You’ll know when I need you. If I need you.”
“Derek, you’ll need me the whole time. How many wolves can you take on?”
He shook his head. “It would be different if I were facing a whole pack with their Alpha. That’s not what this is. This is a bunch of splintered wolves with no real leadership. Unless the Kentucky Alpha’s come this far north himself, it won’t be so bad.”
“That’s not an answer. How many, Derek? You don’t have eyes in the back of your head. You said before it could be hundreds.”
He pounded a fist against the car door. “I just wish I had time to call my pack.”
“How far away are they?”
“Southern Michigan. They’re waiting at an outpost we have near Ann Arbor. They can’t get down here in time to do much more than put themselves in danger if Kentucky’s got a force closer to the border. Let’s just focus on getting there. I’ll do the rest.”
I went another two miles when I felt Derek’s heartbeat slow. He made a gesture with his hand. I downshifted and slowed the car to a crawl.
“There,” he whispered. “Northwest, eleven o’clock.”
I saw it. A flash of white. Rapid fire. Dad’s AR-15. I pulled to the shoulder and threw the car in neutral. There was nothing out here but mostly flat farmland. The sky clouded over. Shadows everywhere. The flash came just over a small rise. A hollowed out red barn stood about a half a mile to the east. The graying farmhouse beside it caved in on itself. Another burst of gunfire. Howls rose beyond the rise, but I couldn’t see anything.
“Hot damn,” Derek said. “Tinker’s putting up a fight. That means he thinks he can win.”
“Or he plans on going out in a blaze of glory. I know him better than you do. Grammy’s probably made him promise to put a bullet in her head rather than let that pack take her again.”
“Stay here,” Derek said. “In the car. Keep it running. No matter what you hear. If I need you, you’ll know. But, I want you ready to drive out of here as fast as you can.”
More gunfire.
“No way!” I whisper-shouted. “We do this together. I’m not helpless, remember? I managed to put you down when I needed to.” I lifted the barrel of the rifle. Derek gave me a murderous look and clenched his jaw.
A scream in the distance ended the debate. I started to run toward it. Derek swore behind me, but in a flash, he’d shifted and gotten out ahead of me. It occurred to me Derek might be in a hell of a lot more danger than I was. Dad was out there fighting for his life with Grammy at his side. If he caught sight of Derek’s wolf, he might shoot first and worry later. It’s sure
as hell what I would have done.
“Do you see them?” I called out to Derek. His answer filled my head, startling me enough to make me lose my step.
“Stay low.” His words tore through me, and my mark burned hot.
“You could have warned me,” I thought.
“Later,” Derek’s voice answered in my head. “It’s a little different for everyone. I didn’t know I’d be able to do it this fast.”
“Handy,” I said out loud as I struggled to keep up with Derek’s wolf. He slowed, crouching low to the ground. He looked back, eyes flashing a warning. Stay out of sight.
Then, I saw them. Three sets of eyes weaving near the tree line on the other side of the abandoned barn. More gunfire from inside the barn. Dad was inside or behind it.
“Derek!” I whispered. “They’re everywhere!”
But Derek could already see. Three more gray wolves came from the east behind the house. Growling from the north. Six wolves, all surrounding my father. Far more than Derek could take on alone. And Dad might run out of ammo.
I rummaged through the backpack and stuffed two magazines in my pocket. I could get the first shot off, no trouble. But, I couldn’t shoot more than one at a time. I didn’t figure the other wolves would just sit and wait their turn. If we could figure out a way to lure them to us one by one, we could pick them off.
I sensed Derek thinking the same thing. He turned and pressed his head against my shoulder. Again, his thoughts seemed to burst into my head fully formed. He wanted to try and flank the wolves to the east. We had no way to tell how many more might be waiting in the woods beyond that farmhouse. If we could just break their line on one side, it might be enough to let Grammy and my father make a run for it. Maybe we couldn’t kill them all, but between our firepower and Derek’s Alpha strength it might be enough to get away.
Derek pushed me down and went to his belly beside me. We were in blessedly tall grass. It would be a long, treacherous way, but if we had to commando crawl all the way to the side of the house, that’s what we’d do.
We got within fifty yards of the house before hell broke loose. First, Dad’s gunfire ceased. My heart dropped as I realized Dad must be running out of ammo. I had no way to let him know help was on the way.
“Thomas, do it!” Grammy’s plea tore at my gut. I was right. I knew what she wanted. She would have told him to wait until it looked like they had no other choice. And the wolves were closing in.
“We have to do something!” I tugged on Derek’s fur. “She’ll have him kill her. We’ve got to find a way to let them know we’re here.”
Derek acted quicker than I did. He tugged on my backpack. The wolf whistle spilled out of the side. He nudged it toward me.
“Won’t that take you down too?”
Derek pawed the ground. His words came into my head disjointed. He was far more beast than man now. Quickly. They’ll scatter. Get disoriented. Your dad. I thought I understood. The whistle might be enough of a distraction to break the wolves’ concentration. We just needed them to stop their advance long enough for Dad and Grammy to make a run for it. If Dad had his eye on the wolves closest to him by the tree line, he’d know exactly what happened. And he’d know we were here. I just prayed he still had enough ammo to make a difference.
I gave Derek a nod. He didn’t have to tell me with words or otherwise that I’d only have one chance and only as long as I could blow my breath. He nuzzled my leg and pushed me forward. I crawled a few more feet closer to the farmhouse, took the deepest breath of my life, and blew the whistle.
Derek whined behind me and tried to shake off the sound. But, he recovered, perhaps growing used to the sound having heard it once before. The wolves by the house dropped to the ground. It didn’t paralyze them like the Wolfkillers did, but it definitely scrambled their brains for a moment. I heard more whining toward the woods then laughter inside the barn.
“Hot damn, Mama,” Dad shouted. “Time to move!”
I blew as hard as I could and readied my rifle. Dad and Grammy burst out of the barn and made a run for it. Dad held his rifle high in one hand, Grammy’s hand in the other. Poor Brutus and Sofie ran out behind them and whizzed past us as if they understood to get as far away as possible. As I blew the whistle, I ran toward my father and tossed a magazine, watching it arc high in the air. He caught it and reloaded as the last gasp of air gushed out of me. Dad made it within twenty feet of me before the whistle dropped out of my mouth, fell to the ground and out of reach. It was no use to me now even if I had it in my hand. I couldn’t shoot all the wolves at once, and now they knew exactly what that whistle did. They’d tear my arm off before I could use it again. Plus, now that we were all out in the open, I needed Derek at full strength.
We were surrounded on three sides. Nine wolves. Derek moved even faster, protecting us from the rear.
“This way,” I called to my father. “Slowly. Back to back. If they start running for us, start shooting.”
Dad nodded. Grammy got to me and pressed her forehead against mine. No time for hugs. Dad put his back to mine and we started to walk sideways back toward the road. Derek circled us, his growl low, menacing. Tail high.
The wolves advanced. With each step we took, the less sure I became about the efficacy of our plan. It was still a long, long way to the car if we even made it inside.
One wolf grew braver than the others, or more stupid. He made a lunge for my father and got a bullet between the eyes. One shot in a million. It didn’t just paralyze him; it killed him instantly at that range. And it left eight wolves. Three to the right of us, three to the left and two coming straight on.
We could do it. We could take them one by one if we had to. Maybe. But the closer they got, the more I realized the unlikelihood that all of us would make it out of this alive.
Derek jumped out in front of us. His thoughts filled my head, nearly driving me to my knees. This group of wolves had no leader. Derek picked out the most dominant one, closest to us. A red wolf with blazing green eyes. His fur matted with mange as if he’d been living out here for weeks, months. It made him the most dangerous because it felt like he had nothing left to lose.
Derek squared off with him while Dad and I kept our rifles pointed at the two groups of wolves on either side of us. If one of them managed to circle around and get behind us, we’d be done for. Derek advanced, growling, his snout low to the ground. He waited for the red wolf to make the first move, then he meant to rip his throat out.
The three wolves to the left of us broke free from the others. Derek dodged the red wolf and put his body between Grammy’s and mine, lunging for the other wolves. With no leader, the enemy wolves finally moved as a group. They descended on Derek all at once, driving him to the ground.
“No!” I raised my rifle, but the wolves piled on each other; fur and fangs flew. If I shot, I’d risk hitting Derek. And the three wolves to the right of us moved in for the kill.
Dad shot in the air first, trying to distract the wolves from their bloodlust. Derek killed one of them. I felt him rip through muscle and flesh. In that same instant, fangs sank into his leg. The pain of it tore through me, making me lose my step. I landed on my knees and tried to find a new target.
Grammy screamed as the other three wolves joined. They had him. They had Derek. He stayed on his feet, but he was surrounded. The enemy wolves snapped their jaws, and I took aim again. I could not, would not stand there and let them tear him apart. If I couldn’t save him, I’d be damn sure none of the rest of those wolves would walk out of here alive.
Then something happened. Three of the wolves leaped over Derek and tore into the others. They turned on the others, giving Derek a chance to get on his feet and out of danger. Derek wasted no time in pressing his advantage. He grabbed the red wolf by the hind legs and threw him to the ground. He snapped his neck. He stood shoulder to shoulder with the other three wolves, facing down the rest. Wolf on wolf. Fang to fang. Derek and the three turncoats tore into the rest o
f the pack, killing them where they stood.
When it was all over, Derek turned to me, blood dripping from his snout. His eyes blazed red with bloodlust. Then, he turned to the others, raised his head, and let out a howl loud enough to split the air.
Chapter Seventeen
We went back to the barn for shelter. Derek’s wounds were grave, but already starting to heal. Dad and I kept our rifles trained on the three wolves until we got inside. Derek ordered them to line up against the wall. They shifted, one by one. Where three gray wolves stood, now three men turned to face us with their hands in the air.
I went to Derek and wrapped my arms around him. He pulled me close and kissed my forehead. “It’s all right. We need to get their story, but I think these men might be friends.”
“The hell you say,” Dad said. He stepped around Derek and shoved one of the men toward the wall with the end of his rifle. “On your knees. All of you. Keep your hands behind your head.” So Dad lined them up like the POWs they were.
Derek kept his arm around my waist. His step faltered at first. He had a huge tear in his left quad muscle. My heart lurched as the blood freely flowed. “It’s okay,” he assured me. “A good night’s sleep and a hot meal. I’ll be good as new.”
Sunlight broke through the slats in the barn’s roof. Our three captors knelt, sweat pouring from their backs. They were good-looking men, like most shifters are. One had thick, wavy brown hair like Derek’s. The others looked alike enough to be brothers. Ginger hair with a dusting of freckles over their muscled chests. Pale blue eyes that stared right through me.
“Who are you?” I asked.
Derek stepped around me, wincing from the effort. But, he was getting stronger with each passing minute. “Answer her,” he said. He grabbed an old bench from against the wall and pushed it in front of the men. With a grunt, he sat down on it and stretched his injured leg out straight.
“I’m Liam,” one of the ginger-haired men said. He knelt in the center of the others. He made a gesture with his hands. Derek nodded, and Liam brought his hands down. Liam spoke with a thick Kentucky drawl.
