“Excuse me,” I called out. The group largely ignored me. “Excuse me,” I said louder but only those near me paid any heed.
“Shut the fuck up! The lady wants to speak,” Amp bellowed and the group was immediately silent, looking at me. I looked and Edie had her hand in the air as if she was about to do that same thing on my behalf. “There you go,” Amp said. I thanked him and hesitated for a moment before speaking. This wasn’t anything I’d done before. I mean, I ran the Rusty Skillet back in Gold Canyon and I had to deal with all the customers there but this was different.
“Um...I was thinking. Phillip, the doctor from the ranch, mentioned something and...um...well, it got me thinking,” I began. I explained my reasoning that the people of Wolfsbane Ranch weren’t part of Violet’s plot, not wittingly anyway. I told them that maybe we could appeal to them and stop this before it started. I explained that if a few of us went to speak with them, there was a chance we could save a lot of lives. I finished and for a moment, no one spoke. They just stared at me.
“So you’re saying we should go back there to talk?” Agnes asked me skeptically.
“You heard what Phillip said. Can you dispute that?” I asked her.
“No, not really. He was right, I suppose. Many of those who’ve come are just looking to be part of something and be amongst their own. They didn’t come to fight some war but that doesn’t mean they’ll listen. And what if they discover us there or the people there inform Violet?” Agnes asked. She made some good points but her knowledge of specifics about the ranch was limited. Violet didn’t include Agnes in the details of her plans or the ranch.
“I’m not saying they will support us but how do we know if we don’t go ask? It’s worth asking, isn’t it?” I posed. The group whispered amongst themselves.
“Well, that’s all well and good, Cassie, but who’s going to go, as if I don’t already know the answer?” Yeager asked me. I smiled at him and told him what he already knew.
“You and I will go,” I replied. I knew his question was his way of telling me he supported the idea and that he was behind me.
“Somehow I knew that was part of the deal,” he said and took my hand. I squeezed it in return. I could tell he thought I was crazy to go back to the ranch but he was going to follow me there anyway.
“I’ll go,” Agnes said. Edie’s mouth fell open.
“You can’t. You can’t go back there, Agnes,” Edie implored. Agnes smiled at her warmly.
“I have to. I feel responsible. I know I’m not, Edie, but I need to do this. If it can help, I need to do it,” Agnes told her.
“Then I’m going too. I can’t become a wolf but I’ll do what I can,” Edie said and then hugged Agnes. The black girl embraced her mate back.
“We’ve got a problem,” Amp said.
“What?” Murphy asked.
“Three chicks and one dude? That’s not right. I guess Sprocket and I need to go too. We can take the Jeeps,” Amp offered. Murphy, our unofficial leader, thought it over for a moment.
“So, I guess that’s settled,” Murphy announced. “If they’re willing to go, I don’t see any reason not to let them try. If I’m being honest, I’m not chomping at the bit to fight with anyone,” he added. That was that, I suppose.
“Thanks, everyone. I appreciate you coming with me,” I told them. It was my idea after all. It was crazy. I proposed going back into the lion’s den, maybe the wolf’s den was more accurate. I didn’t know what we’d find and I only had what Phillip had told us to go on. If what he said was true, we might find allies there. If not, we might find those people hostile or it might even be a trap. I wasn’t too worried about the latter. I doubt Phillip would have come to us just to lure us into a trap knowing the consequences but then again, Violet didn’t seem the type to play things straight up or to balk at such a sacrifice.
Suddenly I felt woozy. It had been an eventful few days. “You OK?” Yeager asked me.
“Yeah, I’m just tired. I’m fine,” I assured him. He glared at me. “I’m serious. This is all just a bit overwhelming,” I told him. He narrowed his eyes but he nodded and let it go. I wanted to lie down but I didn’t want anyone to worry. I was sure it was just the stress and I could deal with it. Amp was playing with his cell phone but with a purpose.
“Here, look,” Amp said and shoved his smart phone in front of us.
“What?” I asked looking at the aerial map.
“That’s Wolfsbane,” Amp said pointing at the cluster of buildings in the corner of his screen.
“OK, but where are the homes behind the ridge?” I asked of no one in particular.
“It’s probably an older map,” Sprocket suggested.
“There are a few cabins or something over here,” Amp showed us. The resolution wasn’t ideal considering that the Ranch was out in the middle of nowhere.
“Yeah, that’s about where they were, I think, but there were dozens of them,” I told them as I remembered Violet showing me the village from a distance the morning she took me captive. Amp zoomed in with his fingers for a closer look.
“No, they’re right here. Camouflaged. Looks like sod roofs or something,” Amp said looking to me.
“I see them. That looks like it,” I assured him.
“Then look here,” Amp told me.
“What?” I asked. I wasn’t good with maps. They just confused me.
“That trail. It comes within a mile of that area. It originates on the other side of that peak. We can get the Jeeps up that trail, save us a ton of walking and no one will ever see us coming,” Amp told us.
“Is it safe?” Yeager wondered.
“Probably not but don’t worry. Sprocket and I can get up that road. We’ve been worse places in the Jeeps,” he assured us. I didn’t doubt him. Their Jeeps, one orange and the other black, were tall with huge tires, roll cages and armor. Each had four doors. Sprocket’s orange Jeep had a hard top but Amp’s black Jeep sported a soft top.
“It’ll be fun!” Sprocket added.
“Somehow I believe you but not in this circumstance,” I replied.
“So, when do we leave?” I wondered.
“If we leave in the morning, we can get there by dusk, make the drive up the trail in the dark, probably a few hours, and then make our way to the village,” Amp told us.
“And we should move ourselves to stay one step ahead of that Lady Violet. We’ll move tomorrow, send you the coordinates of our new camp once were settled,” Murphy said. We all agreed and after that, everyone went silent. I wondered if this plan might save us from a fight we might not win or if we were walking into a trap. I found I didn’t care anymore. I wanted this over with. I was willing to die rather than submit to Lady Violet or let her follow through with her insane plans.
“You look green,” Edie told me.
“I’ll be back,” I said, got up and walked off. I found a cluster of boulders and behind them, I bent over, hands on knees and threw up. I felt better after that. I knew I was nervous, stressed and tired but I didn’t think it was that bad. I wiped my mouth and turned around. Agnes was there behind me.
“You’re pregnant,” she said.
“No I’m not,” I countered.
“Maybe you can’t smell it, but I can,” Agnes told me. I glared at her, confused, but then I understood.
“You’re a wolf. Of course you can,” I said.
“Maybe you shouldn’t go to the ranch. We can do it,” Agnes told me.
“I can’t not go. It was my idea,” I told her and then added, “I’ll be fine. Just don’t say anything to anyone, especially Yeager.”
“About what?” Edie asked as she suddenly appeared.
“She’s just tired, that’s all. Cassie doesn’t want Yeager to worry,” Agnes replied on my behalf and winked at me.
“Come on. Let’s go back. We need to get ready to go and get some sleep. I haven’t slept well in days,” I replied. Edie seemed to accept that. I felt bad for lying to her but I wasn’t ready t
o reveal that I was pregnant. I knew Agnes was right. I trusted her wolf senses and I sensed something was different. I felt it myself but I just didn’t know what it was. I had to deal with the idea, however, before I told anyone else.
Carrying a baby complicated things. This wasn’t the environment I envisioned for a pregnancy. In fact, this was the last place I’d have chosen. Worse still was the fact that now it just wasn’t me that was in jeopardy. I had a baby to worry about. That changed the math but it made it even more important that I stop Violet and end this. I couldn’t carry a baby, much less raise a child, running from Violet but now I wasn’t so eager to die in order to defeat her.
And if I was being honest, I wasn’t sure how Yeager would feel about a baby. I suppose I was just being silly but we hadn’t talked about it. Would he embrace being a father and adding to our pack or would he see it as a burden? I wasn’t even sure how I felt about it yet. I was happy, I suppose, but it was hard to tell considering the situation. In another time and place, I’d think I’d be elated but now my pregnancy just added to my anxiety.
The day was a busy one and after I was sick, I felt better. Yeager bought my story about being tired and anxious. It was true, after all. I just left out one important detail. We readied the Jeeps, filling them with supplies and some weapons. It would be a long haul so we turned in early that evening, no running for us though it might have done me some good. Sleep was more important, however.
The following morning, before the sun was even up, Yeager woke me. “Hey, fur ball. Time to get up,” he said as he gently shook me.
“Already? It’s not even light yet,” I complained. Yeager kissed me on the cheek and rolled out of bed.
“This was your idea, remember?” he joked.
“Don’t remind me. My ideas haven’t turned out all that well lately,” I told him as I crawled from under the covers and was met with a hot cup of steaming coffee.
“Don’t go there, fur ball. If I thought going to Colorado was dangerous, I wouldn’t have agreed to go. I wouldn’t have let you go. Don’t blame yourself. Lady Violet is the villain here,” Yeager told me. I nodded.
“Yeah, yeah. That sounds nice but I still can’t help feeling responsible for all of this,” I said.
“Maybe a hot shower will help. There’s enough water in the tank for a short shower,” Yeager informed me. That sounded heavenly.
“Enough room for two?” I asked.
“Your insatiable,” Yeager teased.
“I promise you, I’m not in the mood for that. I just want to be close to you,” I told my mate. He smiled warmly at me.
“Drink some coffee and meet me in the shower. I’m sure we can both wedge ourselves into it,” he said and dropped the sweats he had slept in and walked out of the small bedroom. I took a big gulp of coffee, set my cup aside and undressed to go join my mate in the shower. We did manage to wedge ourselves into the tiny stall but we were all but forced to wash one another in the tight quarters. I didn’t complain.
Afterwards, we dressed and met the rest of our party outside. The previous evening, Edie and Agnes had chosen to sleep in one of the big tents on cots that provided a better night’s sleep than the lumpy pull out bed in the motorhome. Amp and Sprocket were ready to go, seemingly excited about the whole trip. The rest of us, especially Agnes and I, were less than exuberant. I wasn’t thrilled about returning to Wolfsbane Ranch and I just hoped everything went as planned. Exactly what that plan was I wasn’t entirely sure.
Getting there was the easy part. Amp had found us a backdoor, so to speak, and I knew the location of the small village that housed the residents of Wolfsbane but nobody knew what we might find there. Would the residents be welcoming or would they resist our overtures? Would they simply capture us and return us to Violet’s clutches? It was risky but if it might avoid a larger war between Violet’s loyal shifters and our friends, then it was worth it.
“You two can ride with me,” Amp offered Yeager and me. Agnes and Edie went with Sprocket.
“I like these odds,” Sprocket said referring to riding with two women. I looked at Edie and smiled.
“You do realize we’re lesbians, right?” Edie informed the smaller man. Sprocket took the news in stride, however.
“Even better,” he said and winked at the girls. Edie shook her head but she couldn’t help but smile. Agnes giggled. Yeager wore a silly grin as well.
“You like that too?” I asked him.
“Oh no, not at all. I don’t want to watch you have sex with another woman before I join in. Yuck!” Yeager said, tongue firmly in cheek. I simply shook my head.
“If you all are finished discussing your sexual fantasies, we should get on the road,” Amp told us. Just then, Murphy walked up.
“What?” he asked catching the end of the conversation.
“Nothing. Just men being men,” I informed him. He chuckled.
“I see. I’ve been accused of that myself once or twice,” Murphy replied. Others came to join us, wishing us well. “Stay safe. We need all of you to come back. If things turn bad, get out of there. Sacrifice is noble but not in every circumstance. This ain’t one of them,” Murphy advised us. I hugged him and then he shook the men’s hands and Edie and Agnes hugged him as well. We climbed in the Jeeps and moments later, we were on the road. I watched our camp disappear in a cloud of dust behind us and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever see it or the people there again.
~~O~~
We found the trail that would lead us to the backside of Wolfsbane Ranch an hour before dusk. We’d left early and didn’t need to press hard, staying off the freeways, keeping to smaller highways and back roads. We stopped for breakfast and again for lunch, just a couple of Jeeps traveling the highways of Utah and Colorado. Despite our low profile, we were still wary. Lady Violet’s minions were searching for us but the southwest was a big place and it was easy to get lost if one wanted to.
We saw nothing and none of us caught any scent that caused us concern. But now we had to navigate the trail, miles of suspect dirt road that only vehicles like Amp and Sprocket’s Jeeps could traverse. The road began as a wide, graded road but quickly narrowed and became strewn with ruts and rocks. The Jeeps made quick work of the trail, however, since they were purpose built for this kind of travel.
“We’ll make good time if the road is like this the entire way,” Amp informed us. I sat in the passenger seat and Yeager sat in the back. I held on to the grab handle to keep from being jostled around in the cab too much. I hoped he was right but I knew how this kind of thing went. Something told me it wouldn’t be that easy.
“I hope so. I’m eager to get this over with,” I replied optimistically.
“I don’t blame you but don’t you worry, little lady, Sprocket and I, Yeager too I suspect, won’t let anything happen to you,” he said.
“I appreciate that but remember what Murphy said, Amp. If things go bad, we leave,” I reminded him.
“You’re no fun at all,” Amp teased.
“Sorry, you’ll have to play war some other time,” I joked. Amp and Sprocket were decked out for battle. Each wore body armor, boots and tactical clothing. Amp wore a handgun on his hip and knife as well. I looked back at Yeager and then the black rifles secured in the cargo area of the Jeep. I hoped it wouldn’t come to using those but we had to be prepared.
“Well, don’t you worry. I know the rules of engagement. This is a peace offering,” Amp assured me. As we bantered, the trail became more and more rugged. Soon we were at a crawl, the Jeeps climbing over large boulders and straddling large ruts. We climbed the back side of the mountain behind Wolfsbane Ranch slowly. This time of year the sun went down early so we had plenty of time but I wondered if we would even make it up the trail if it got any worse.
But Amp and Sprocket picked their way up the rugged road with skill and determination, their bright off road lights turning night into day. Often, Amp would speak with Sprocket on their CB radios, telling his friend about what t
o expect up ahead. Other times, Sprocket would spot our progress from behind to let Amp know if he was getting into trouble. They worked together like a well-oiled machine and we made progress although it was slow.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Sprocket shouted over the CB at one point.
“What’s up?” Amp asked, slowing to a stop.
“Something snapped,” Sprocket said. Amp checked his GPS.
“We’ve only got a few miles to go. Can you make it?” Amp asked.
“No, I think it’s my rear axle,” Sprocket said.
“Sit tight,” Amp replied as he brought his Jeep to a stop and then turned to regard us.
Wolf's Den - A BBW Shifter Romance Novel Page 20
