“They?”
“The four spirits who’d turned me. I heard chanting, then they were there. They’re Native American, and they were shamans. I never saw them the first time. They were dressed in traditional clothes and looked young and in their prime. They said they were proud of what I’d done as the Werewolf Defender.” Calan paused and met Jerrica’s gaze. “They also said I’ve been alone long enough. They said it was time for me to take a mate and that I already knew who she was.” He paused again. “It’s you, Jerrica.”
“I’m your mate? They told you that?”
“Yes. They also gave me another gift—one that will allow us to have a future together. They gave me the ability to turn you into a werewolf like me. One bite on your neck where it meets your shoulder while I’m in my wolf form, and it’ll be done. You’ll be as immortal as I.”
“As in…live forever?”
“Yes. We can be Werewolf Defenders together. You’d never have to worry about a zombie biting you ever again, because you’ll be immune. You’d also be able to travel with me, do what you’ve always dreamed.”
Jerrica sat silent for a few seconds before she asked, “Is it something you want? Forever is for a very long time.”
Calan cupped her face. “God, yes, it’s what I want. I never realized how lonely my life was until you came into it. I doubt I could go back to the way it was. I love you. I don’t want to ever lose you, not even to death. The big question is whether you want to become my mate and be turned. I won’t force it on you. I can’t say I regret not being given the choice. If I had been and turned it down, I never would have met you. I would have been turned into a zombie like the rest of my family was.”
“I want to give you my answer now, but this isn’t a decision I can make without first letting my parents know.”
Calan gathered Jerrica close and sat her across his lap. “I figured you’d want to. It is a big decision. A life-changer. Take as much time as you need. In the meantime, I’ll have to watch myself around you when we kiss.”
“Why?”
“With the gift to turn you, it gave me the urge to bite you, to make you mine. If I get carried away, I’m liable to turn you before you’re ready. The wolf part of me wants you as much as the human one. It doesn’t understand why I haven’t bitten you already.”
Jerrica put her arms around his neck. “Tell your wolf he won’t have to wait for too long. I promise. I know what my answer is, and it’s what you want, but I can’t go forward with it until my parents are okay with the whole thing.”
Calan kissed Jerrica deeply until the urge to bite her rose inside him. “Once you tell me yes, that’s when I’ll bite you, even though you basically told me that’s what your answer is. And you don’t have to worry about us leaving the settlement right away. I’ve already decided to stay a year. That way we can get married.”
Jerrica’s brows drew together. “What about you not being allowed within the walls? You can’t live in this cave for an entire year, especially during the winters. They’re harsh around here.”
“If I have to, I will. As a wolf, I’m protected from the elements. Plus, you have to stop thinking as me as a normal human, because I’m not. I’m immortal. I can’t die from the cold.” Calan looked into Jerrica’s eyes. “I’m willing to go through anything if it means I get to stay with you.”
“I love you,” she said.
He smiled. “I know. Now let’s finish our dinner before it’s ruined.”
Calan passed Jerrica her plate, then picked up his own. As they ate, he couldn’t seem to stop smiling. She loved him as he loved her, and she was willing to let him turn her. His future was no longer a lonely one. He’d have a mate at his side—forever.
Chapter Eleven
After Jerrica and Calan finished eating and packed up the basket, they sat talking in the cave until it was almost dark. She still had a hard time believing that his feelings were as strong for her as the ones she had for him and that they could have a future together.
Jerrica was already set in her mind that she’d allow him to turn her, so she’d be a werewolf and immortal like him. The hard part of it all would be leaving her family behind. For once Calan bit her and they were married, they’d eventually have to leave. There were other settlements that needed help with zombies just as much as hers did. That was what he’d been created to do.
Calan put out the fire. Once the flames were completely extinguished, he shifted to his werewolf form in a bright flash of light. Jerrica climbed onto his back and held on to the basket. Her bow and quiver were slung across hers. He walked out of the cave.
Jerrica looked at the sky through the tops of the trees. It was much darker inside the woods. She was glad Calan had excellent night vision, because hers wouldn’t cut it. If it were left up to her, she’d be lucky to even be able to find her way out of the forest.
Calan unerringly picked his way through the trees then they were at the start of the fields. He walked around one until he reached the grassed area that led to the well-worn path to the gates. He came to a stop about a hundred yards from them. Jerrica slid off his back.
He looked at her. “This is as far as I should go. I don’t want the guards to have a fit if I get too close.”
“I understand. So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be here. Tell your mom I enjoyed the food, and thank her for me. I’ll try to get some game for her soon. You or your dad will have to bring it to your cabin since I can’t.”
“We’ll figure something out. I’d better go before it gets too late.” Jerrica wrapped her free arm around Calan’s neck and buried her face in his thick fur. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too. I’ll wait until you’re behind the walls before I head back to the cave.”
Jerrica let him go, turned then headed toward the gates. She looked once over her shoulder to see Calan sitting, watching her. She set her gaze forward and stopped when she was close enough to look up at the walls and see the guards on top of them.
“Can you open the gates, please?” she called. When she got no response, she shouted louder, “Hey, can you hear me up there?”
A torch then a face appeared over the top and looked down at her. “We can hear you.”
“Then let me in.”
“We can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t?”
“We have orders from John to no longer open the gates once night comes.”
“What? Are you crazy? That’s idiotic. Drew, you know who I am. It’s not as if I’m a stranger. And I’m sure as hell not a zombie, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“I wish I could, Jerrica, but those are John’s orders. He said if any guards disobey him, he’ll throw us out of the settlement as he did the Werewolf Defender. John knew you went somewhere past the field with Calan. He specifically said you wouldn’t be allowed back in until the morning.”
Jerrica panicked a bit at the thought of having to spend the night outside the protection of the walls. She turned to look for Calan and saw he’d left his spot and had almost reached her.
Once he did, he shifted to human form and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side. He whispered, “Calm down. I can hear your heart pounding. You’ll be fine.” He shouted up at Drew. “I heard everything you said to Jerrica. Are you sure you can’t let her in?”
“I’m sorry, Calan. I can’t risk being kicked out. The thought of having to survive out there with the zombies scares the crap out of me. I wouldn’t make it. I know I wouldn’t.”
Drew was Hunter’s age and was a friend of her brother. Jerrica had known about Drew’s fear of leaving the safety of the settlement. That was why he was given the duty of guarding the walls. So it stood to reason John knew about his fear as well and obviously played on it to keep her out.
“I understand. Can you at least do me a favor and send word to Jerrica’s parents so they know what happened here? Also tell them
Jerrica will be safe with me. I’ll bring her back in the morning when the others come to work in the fields.”
“I can do that,” Drew said. “I’ll send my younger brother over to their cabin with the message. He’s here right now.” He looked at Jerrica. “I’m so sorry about this. At least you have Calan to protect you.”
“Yeah, I do.”
Calan turned Jerrica around and walked them away. “John has gone too far this time. Something has to be done about him.”
“It’s as if he’s suddenly gone crazy. He’s never thrown his position in the settlement around like this before—or at least not publicly. My dad is now questioning whether some of the families who left here did so because they wanted to or if they were kicked out on the sly.”
“I have to say it was the latter. As for John acting like this now, I think he feels threatened by me being here. I have a higher standing with the settlers than he does, and he knows it.”
“This is going to set my father off again, and my mom will be worried sick.”
“At least they’ll know you’re with me. The not knowing where you are would have made it worse. I won’t be hunting tonight. Let’s get back to the cave. I’ll start another fire and keep it going through the night.” He looked at her. “I guess you get to sleep with me while I’m in my werewolf form.”
“Can I use you as a pillow? I have a feeling lying on the hard ground isn’t exactly going to be comfortable.”
Calan kissed Jerrica’s forehead. “Of course you can. We’d better go. I don’t like you being out in the open like this when it’s dark.” He shifted then she climbed onto his back.
After they’d arrived at the cave and Calan had shifted to human form, he made short work of getting the fire going again. He left her for not very long while he collected enough wood to last them through the night. Even though Jerrica knew he wasn’t that far away, her gaze kept straying to the cave’s entrance, afraid to find a zombie standing there, ready to go on the attack. She’d never slept outside the walls before. As far as she knew, none of her family had either.
Calan returned, dumped the wood he carried in a pile near the fire pit, then crossed and sat next to her. He pulled Jerrica against his side, his body heat soaking into her. She felt safe.
“I heard your heart pounding again when I was out there,” Calan said. “You don’t have to be afraid.”
“I can’t help it. I feel better when you’re with me. Unlike you, I’ve never spent the night out in the wild before. And everyone knows zombies tend to travel in the dark more than they do during the day.”
“The undead can’t pick up your scent when I’m a wolf and you’re close to me. We know that. You’re going to wrap yourself up in the blanket that’s inside the basket then I’m going curl around you. The fire will keep the wild animals away from the cave.”
“I guess you’ve thought this all out,” she said with a smile.
“Yes. You mean everything to me, and I’ll look after you.”
“I know you will.”
Once Jerrica grew tired, she took the blanket out of the basket and wrapped herself in it as Calan put more wood on the fire. He shifted and lay close to it. She stretched out on the ground on his side with her head pillowed deeply into his warm fur. Even though she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to get much rest, the sound of his heart beating under her ear lulled her to sleep.
Calan lifted his head off his outstretched paws and turned to look at Jerrica. Her eyes were closed, and her breaths had evened out in sleep. He smiled inside. It wasn’t a good situation she’d found herself in, but having her with him wasn’t something he’d regret. And there would come a day when she’d sleep next to him like this every night.
He settled back down and stared at the jumping flames of the fire. Calan hadn’t expected John to pull something like this by not allowing anyone into the settlement once darkness had fallen. And what made it worse was the man had known Jerrica was out beyond the walls with Calan. It was no coincidence John had decided tonight, of all nights, to decree that the gates couldn’t be opened until morning.
As he’d told Jerrica on the way to the cave, John had gone too far. It was time to put the leader of the settlement in his place. Calan had done what John wanted by leaving, and still the man had tried to put Jerrica in danger. He was no longer going to do John’s bidding meekly, especially when John purposely set out to try to hurt his mate.
Tomorrow John was going to find out exactly how forceful Calan could be when he wanted or needed to be. This would be the last night he slept outside the settlement until the day arrived that he’d leave. He no longer trusted John, and didn’t want to have Jerrica subjected to the leader’s whims without being there to protect her against them. Not only did he have to defend the settlers from zombies, but he now had to defend them from the man who was supposed to lead them, as well.
* * * *
The next morning Jerrica awoke with a stiff back. It was close to dawn, and the sound of birds chirping outside the cave had brought her awake. She sat up and stretched. Calan stirred, then slowly went onto his paws.
“Good morning,” Jerrica said through a yawn.
Calan shifted to his human form. He put his arms over his head and stretched as well. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”
“Not bad, considering my bed was the rocky ground of a cave.”
“At least you managed to get some rest. I’d offer you something to eat, but I don’t have anything right now. Plus, I think it’s best if we get to the fields before the workers show up, just in case John decides to try another stunt like last night. Until I’ve turned you, this is the last night you’ll sleep outside the safety of the walls, and I’ll be sleeping behind them as well.”
Jerrica unwrapped herself from the blanket and stood. “You’re going to force your way into the settlement?”
“If I have to, but I have a feeling it might not be necessary. If John has pissed off enough settlers by barring the gates against you, he’ll have no choice but to back down or face a riot. If your father was willing to talk to others who haven’t been pleased with John before last night, he might have taken it a step further while you were away.”
“That’s a possibility. My dad can be very persuasive when he wants to be. And I’ve lost count how many times people have come to him rather than John with their problems. My father has always been highly looked upon.”
Calan got a thoughtful look on his face. “Then maybe it’s time someone else steps into the leadership role—someone who won’t abuse it as John has. From what I’ve learned about your father from being around your family, I think he’d be perfect for the job.”
“I have no idea if he’d want it. Then there’s John, who I know won’t willingly step down. As he told you, the men of his family have been the leaders since the settlement was first built.”
“John won’t have any choice in the matter if enough settlers rise against him. He’ll be outnumbered. If he isn’t put in his place, he’ll soon turn into a dictator. In the early days of the zombies, when the living created new settlements, a few bad types—who were scum before the world collapsed—tried to form their own little dictatorships with those wanting shelter placed under their rule. They never lasted very long. The zombies were a bigger threat, and the people soon knocked the dictators off their pedestals—usually, with them being banished from their own settlement.”
“Well, we’ll see happens when we reach the fields.”
Jerrica packed the blanket away, picked up the basket and shouldered her quiver and bow. Same as the night before, she rode on Calan’s back while he was in wolf form. The sun was just cresting the horizon as they worked their way through the forest toward the fields. It was going to be another scorcher of a day. Already it was hot and a bit humid. She hoped it rained soon. They needed it.
As they came out of the trees at the fields, Jerrica saw that she and Calan were the first ones there. “Let’s wait closer to the gates,�
� she said.
“I’d already planned on doing that,” he replied.
Calan came to a stop about fifty feet away from the entrance to the settlement. Jerrica looked up and saw the guards who’d taken over the day shift duty peering down at them. She slid off Calan’s back as the gates opened. As soon as they were wide enough, her mother came running through them toward her. Once she reached Jerrica, she wrapped her in a hug.
“I’m so glad to see you’re safe,” her mom said. “You have no idea how worried I was, even though I knew you wouldn’t come to harm while you were with Calan.”
Jerrica returned the embrace, then stepped out of her mother’s arms. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s just inside the gates. He’s waiting for John to show up. After Drew’s brother came to the cabin with the message about what had happened to you, your father went to John’s place. He refused to see your dad and had his wife to tell him he’d come speak with him this morning before the workers went out into the fields. Out of all the years I’ve been married to your father, I’ve never seen him in such a rage before. It was probably for the best that John didn’t talk to him last night. At least he’s calmed down a bit.”
Jerrica looked at Calan, who nodded his lupine head. Silently, all three of them walked toward the gates. Just as they reached them, John arrived. His face darkened as his gaze landed on Calan.
John walked right by Jerrica’s father and came to block their way. “He’s not permitted inside the settlement.”
Jerrica stood her ground and put her hand on Calan’s furred neck. “Where I go, he goes.”
“Then you’ll remain outside the walls with him.”
“Like hell she will,” her father said angrily as he stomped toward John. “You still have to answer why you locked Jerrica out of the settlement last night, when you knew damn well she was out there with Calan.”
“Not that I have to justify any decisions I make to you, but I’ve decreed that the gates will no longer be opened for any reason once darkness falls until the following dawn. It’s for the protection of us all.”
Werewolf Defender Page 12
