“We have to get to her, Calan, or Becca isn’t going to make it.”
“I know. We won’t let that happen.”
Calan and Jerrica reached Becca just as three zombies quickly changed direction and zeroed in on her. Still the other girl did nothing to run away, and her screams didn’t stop. Jerrica shot one of the zombies at close range as Calan took out another with his teeth by ripping its head off. Becca’s screams rose in volume.
Calan had taken out the third undead when a fourth seemed to come out of nowhere. Jerrica didn’t have time to nock an arrow. It was all up to Calan. With Becca in between him and the zombie, he did the only thing he could. He took hold of Becca by the back of her shirt with his teeth and flung her out of the way to land sprawled in the dirt. The other girl no longer an obstacle, he made short work of the creature that’d been close to ending Becca’s life.
Jerrica quickly looked around with her bow raised and an arrow nocked. “I can’t see any more.”
Calan sniffed the air. “And I can’t smell any. I think that’s all for now.”
Jerrica slipped off Calan’s back and went to Becca, who’d pushed herself into a sitting position with her left arm cradled in her right. She was crying. “It’s okay now, Becca.”
The other girl flinched away as Jerrica tried to help her stand. “Get away from me,” Becca said, her voice shrill. “Don’t touch me.” She looked at Calan. “Keep him away from me.”
“Calm down. If you don’t want Calan close to you, I can help you walk to the gates.”
“No. I don’t want either one of you anywhere near me.”
Jerrica and Calan followed Becca as she walked toward the settlement. They kept some distance between them and the other girl. Mathias met them halfway and put his arm around Becca’s shoulders as he helped her the rest of the way.
Once they arrived at the gates, Calan came to a stop. Jerrica did the same. He looked at her. “You get behind the walls. I have to get rid of the remains of the zombies.”
“All right. I’ll wait for you just inside.” She paused. “I didn’t ask you earlier, but what would you think about us having dinner together, just the two of us, at your cabin?”
“I’d like that, but I don’t have any dishes or cutlery. I don’t have much of anything, to be honest.”
Jerrica smiled. “Don’t worry about that. I already talked this over with my mom last night after you left. She’s going to pack us a basket with food and everything else we’ll need for our meal.”
“In that case, sure. I’d like that. I won’t be long.”
Calan rubbed the side of his furred head along Jerrica’s cheek, something he did quite a bit while in wolf form, then turned and ran back to where the downed zombies lay. She turned as well and headed for the gates with a smile.
After she was behind the walls, she met up with Mathias. “Calan’s just getting rid of what’s left of the zombies. How’s Becca?”
“He does clean up after himself,” Mathias said with a smile. His face grew serious. “Becca is still a mess. The guards on the walls must have informed her father about what happened with the zombies. He came and took her to their cabin. She hurt her left wrist, but from what I saw when I looked it over, it isn’t anything serious. Just a sprain, I’d guess, thanks to you and Calan. She won’t be working in the field until it’s better, though.”
“We’ll have to see if she does come back. She was terrified. She might be too scared to go out there again. I’m almost positive that’s the first close call Becca has ever had.”
“I think you might be right. It wouldn’t surprise me if John pulls her and finds something else for her to do.” Mathias looked at something over Jerrica’s shoulder. “Your boyfriend is here. The two of you did great out there, by the way. It was actually amazing to see.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell Calan what you said.”
As Mathias left her, Jerrica turned to find Calan in human form, walking toward her. Their gazes met. The way he looked at her, she felt as if there were no one else in the world for him but her. It gave her a warm feeling inside. Not once had she regretted her decision to accept him as her boyfriend instead of Austin. Though Austin still hadn’t given up the hope that one day she’d be his girlfriend, and he’d reminded her of that fact every chance he’d gotten over the last couple weeks. She knew she’d made the right choice in Calan.
Chapter Nine
Calan opened the door to his cabin, then stepped aside for Jerrica to walk in ahead of him. “It’s a bit dusty, but I’m not one for cleaning. And it’s not as if I spend much time here, anyway.”
Jerrica smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”
He handed her the basket her mother had given them, which he’d carried. “You hold on to this while I clean the table, then we can eat.”
She stood off to the side and watched Calan work. Once he was finished, she put the basket onto the table, opened it and took out the items inside. Her mother had thought of everything. The hot food was packed in separate metal containers. Jerrica opened each one to see there was fried chicken, home fried potatoes and peas. Wrapped in a towel were some biscuits, already buttered.
“That smells delicious,” Calan said as they sat at the table. “Your mom is a great cook.”
“She is. It’s too bad I didn’t inherit her cooking gene. She keeps telling me I’d better find a husband who can cook, or the two of us will starve.”
Calan chuckled. “Since I’m the closest thing you have to a husband, you won’t have to worry about that. I’m actually quite passable when it comes to cooking. I can’t do anything elaborate like your mom or anything, but my food is more than edible. Being on my own and traveling from settlement to settlement, I pretty much had to learn.”
“I bet.”
They fell silent as they ate their food. Once they were finished, Jerrica packed up the remnants of their meal. Calan washed the dishes before she put them into the basket as well. That done, he led her to the only other piece of furniture in the cabin—his bed.
He gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry I can’t offer you any other place to sit, except for the floor, which isn’t exactly clean.”
“I don’t mind sitting on the bed.” Jerrica sat. “I guess I don’t have to worry about messing up the covers, since there aren’t any on it. You should have said something. I’m sure my mom has extra she could have given you to use.”
Calan sat beside her. “It’s all right. I don’t need them. I can only sleep in my wolf form since I was turned.”
“Ah. The sheets would be overkill then.”
“Yes,” he said with a smile. “My fur keeps me warmer than blankets would.”
“So if I was to sleep in the same bed with you—and I only mean to sleep and nothing else—I’d have the wolf next to me all night long.”
Calan met her gaze. “Yes. Would that bother you?”
“No. I guess it’d be like having the family dog sleeping next to me,” Jerrica said, finding it hard to keep a straight face.
“This isn’t the first time you’ve compared my wolf to a dog. I think I’m insulted. Maybe I should make you pay for saying that.”
Before Jerrica realized what Calan intended, he’d turned toward her and tickled her sides. Being very ticklish, she couldn’t stop her laughter as she tried to hold him off. That had him tickling her even more and finding all her weak spots.
They ended up laying on the bed with Calan practically on top her. They seemed to notice the positions they were in at the same time, as they stopped laughing and stared into each other’s eyes. Jerrica held her breath as he lowered his head and kissed her. She’d never get tired of the sensation of his lips moving over hers. It made her yearn for things she couldn’t name.
Jerrica put her arms around Calan’s neck and played with the ends of his hair. The kiss became deeper. A wolf’s growl rumbled out of him. He left her mouth and trailed his lips down along the side of her neck. Once he reached where it and her should
er met, he nudged the collar of her shirt lower with his nose. He growled again and dragged his teeth across her skin. She turned her head to the side to give him better access as shivers ran through her. She sighed.
Calan stiffened. He pushed himself away and rolled onto his back. Jerrica looked at him. He stared at the ceiling. The kiss was the first that he’d ended so abruptly, as if they’d gone too far.
“Did I do something wrong?” Jerrica asked.
He turned his head to look at her. “Absolutely not. It’s me. I was getting a little out of control. I liked it too much. I let my wolf get too close to the surface.”
She smiled. “I didn’t mind. I know it’s a part of you.”
Calan’s face grew serious. “You’re not ready for it yet.” He ran the backs of his fingers across her cheek, then sat up. “Maybe we should head to your cabin. I can stay with you for a little while longer, but I want to go out hunting a little earlier. After I do a full circuit of the walls, I’m going to range farther out than I normally do to see if I can spot zombies who’re headed toward the settlement. It’ll be very late by the time I get back.”
“You need to sleep, you know,” Jerrica said as she sat up. “You’re only getting four hours a night as it is.”
“I’ll be fine. I just don’t want another repeat of what happened today. That was too close with Becca.”
“I know.”
Calan stood, then held out his hand. Once she put hers in it, he pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go to your place.”
Jerrica nodded. On the way out, Calan picked up the basket they’d left on the table. They held hands as they walked to her family’s cabin. The lingering sensation of his mouth on hers still played on her lips. She smiled to herself. Every time he took her into his arms and kissed her, it felt right. Perfect. Only he made her feel as if he were the other half of her that’d she been waiting for. She was falling in love with him, but she was too afraid to tell him. They hadn’t gotten beyond the ‘like’ stage when they talked about their relationship. And she didn’t want to be the first to say those three little words.
* * * *
The next day at the fields proved uneventful. As Mathias had thought, Becca had been pulled from working there because of her injured wrist. Jerrica found she could breathe easier without the other girl around. She didn’t have to risk getting cornered by Becca and having her take potshots. The whole mood of the rest of the workers seemed a little lighter as well. It proved how much of a pain in the ass Becca actually was to everyone who had to be within any distance of her.
Calan and Jerrica split their time between practicing with the targets and patrolling the fields and orchard. They also worked on her getting onto his back on the fly. It’d been hard to manage it repetitively at the start, and she’d had a sore ass that night from landing too hard or the wrong way, but now she didn’t even have to think about it.
By the time Mathias called an end to the work day, Jerrica was more than ready to get into some shade. It’d been a scorcher, one of the hottest for that summer. She didn’t know how Calan had been able to stand being in his wolf form with all that fur. She hadn’t been able to help laughing at him when his tongue had come out and he’d panted like a dog would when it became overheated. As a wolf, he couldn’t sweat, the same as any canine. He hadn’t found it as funny as she did, and he’d gently nipped her on the butt for it.
Once Jerrica and Calan cleared the gates, he shifted to his human form. And that was when she saw the six individuals standing a little away from them, looking right at them as if they’d been waiting for their return. John, four other men who were friends with the settlement’s leader, and Jerrica’s father made up the small group. Her dad didn’t appear very pleased about something. He met her gaze with a sad look in his eyes.
As they came closer and John stepped forward, Calan stopped, and said, “John. Did you want me for something?”
“Yes. I want to talk to you about what happened to my daughter yesterday.”
“All right.”
“Becca came to harm. She hurt her wrist because of your carelessness. You’re no longer welcome in the settlement.”
“What?” Jerrica asked, unable to keep her shock from her voice.
John ignored her and continued to talk to Calan. “You’ve been deemed a danger. As of now, you’ll leave the settlement and will no longer be allowed behind the walls.”
Jerrica shook her head. “Are you crazy? If it wasn’t for Calan, Becca would have been bitten by a zombie. You would have lost your daughter because she couldn’t do the one thing we were taught as children to do when the undead attack. She didn’t run toward safety. She froze and screamed her head off. Calan saved her. So what if she ended up with a sprained wrist? That’s a hell of a lot better than being turned into a zombie.”
John turned his gaze on her. “There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind about Calan staying. He already threatened to harm Becca while in his wolf form—and now this.”
“And if I don’t go?” Calan asked.
“Then we will force you out.”
“How? By threatening to shoot me with an arrow? I’m immortal. You can’t kill me, and any wound I receive heals in a matter of seconds.”
John gave Calan a cold look. “We’ll throw your girlfriend out and keep her from reentering the settlement.”
Her father came to stand in front of John, fury written on his face and every line of his body. “Have you lost your mind? Jerrica is my daughter, and she has done nothing to have you banishing her from the settlement. You feel yours is threatened, so you’d send mine to a death sentence? Or worse, to become undead?”
“It’s the only way. We all know how the Werewolf Defender feels about Jerrica. We throw her out, he’ll follow.”
Beyond furious, Jerrica lunged at John, but Calan wrapped his arms around her middle and hauled her back against him before she could reach the settlement’s leader. “Stop, Jerrica,” Calan said into her ear. “It’s all right. I’ll go.”
She turned in his arms. “No. You did nothing wrong. He can’t force you out.”
He gave her a sad look. “He can, by using you. I won’t put you at risk.”
Calan kissed Jerrica, then released her. He took a step back before he took on his wolf form. She shook her head. “This isn’t right. Don’t go. Don’t leave me.”
“It’s okay,” Calan said inside her mind. “I’ll leave the settlement, but I’m not going far. I’ll be at the cave. I promise.”
“Calan,” she called, as he turned and headed toward the gates. “Calan,” she called louder.
Her dad came and put his arm around her shoulders. “Let him go, Jerrica. It’ll be all right. Let’s go home.”
Even though Calan had told her he wouldn’t go far, watching him leave through the gates, knowing he wouldn’t return to the settlement, brought a sheen of tears to Jerrica’s eyes. She couldn’t lose him, not when he’d started to mean so much to her.
Her father turned and took a few steps away with her once the gates closed. He stopped in front of John. “What you did today may have put your position in the settlement in judgment. I’d seriously rethink about what you just did and consider changing your decision. Look around you. I don’t think I’m the only one who witnessed what you did to the Werewolf Defender who isn’t pleased with you right now.”
Jerrica looked at the crowd that had formed around them. Her father was right. There were a lot of angry faces, all turned toward John. There were grumbled whispers as well.
John turned in a circle, looking at each person present. “I’m the settlement’s leader. The men of my family have been since it was formed. I only did what ensured our safety. If anyone thinks to overturn my decision in regard to the Werewolf Defender, you’ll join him outside the gates.” With that, he stomped away with his four friends following in his wake.
As she and her father headed for the road that would take them to their cabin, Jerrica said, “I
t’s not fair. Calan did nothing wrong.”
“I know. You have no idea how long I argued with John about it. The man is a fool. Calan has kept us all safe. His nightly hunts have taken out zombies that would have found their way to the settlement, putting the workers outside the walls at risk.” Her dad sighed. “I’m beginning to question whether this is a place I want to stay.”
Jerrica turned her head and met his gaze. “You’d actually leave here?”
He nodded. “For years there have been rumblings about John doing some pretty underhanded things. Some of us aren’t sure whether those families who left the settlement did so by choice. Plus, if we did pick up and go, we’d have the Werewolf Defender to look after us.”
“How do you know Calan hasn’t left for a new settlement?”
Her dad smiled. “He hasn’t. I bet he hasn’t gone very far. He won’t easily leave you behind. Calan loves you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching him. And you look at him the same way. No, Calan didn’t leave.”
Jerrica felt her cheeks flush. “I’m that transparent?”
“Not really. Only to those who know you best. So cheer up. You’ll see Calan again. Tomorrow I’ll speak to some of the others who have questioned John’s leadership as I have. We’ll see what we can do in regard to getting Calan back into the settlement.”
“Thanks, but I have a feeling John won’t listen. Becca has to be behind this. Yesterday, right after the attack, she didn’t want Calan or me anywhere near her.”
Her dad leaned in and kissed the top of Jerrica’s head. “We’ll get this worked out. At least given what Calan is, you don’t have to fear for his life. He’s used to being on his own out there in the wild with zombies.”
“I know, but that doesn’t make me feel much better. Since Calan was turned, he’s had a lonely life. He was afraid to get close to anyone because of being immortal.”
“Until he met you, that is.”
Werewolf Defender Page 10
