by Gale Stanley
"You're outside every day. Why do you have to sleep outside, too?"
Jonas still needed convincing. He didn't like the whole camping thing, and if he said no, well, that would be it, and all her plans would go down the drain. She looked at Jude and pouted.
"What is your problem, bro?" Jude wanted to do this as much as she did. She just hoped he would stand up to Jonas for once.
"I just think it's a bad idea," Jonas repeated for the fifth time.
"Tough. We're going anyway."
Yes!
Jonas turned red. She could practically see steam coming out of his ears.
"Go ahead then. But I'm holding you responsible for her."
"Nothing is going to happen. You already dog-proofed the damn fence, and she'll be in my ever-loving arms all night."
Jonas clenched his fists, turned on his heel, and stomped out of her bedroom.
She ran to Jude and hugged him. Jonas didn't bother to chain her when he or Jude was with her. She played her part well, and they trusted her to behave while they were around. Acting the willing participant wasn't difficult when it came to sex. She enjoyed it way too much. Being a docile pet the rest of the time provoked her last nerve. She had no choice. She had to play their game.
They weren't stupid. They might think she'd been tamed, but they still added electrified wire to the chain-link fence. She was nothing more than premium livestock, to Jonas anyway. Jude turned out to be the soft touch. Thank Gods one of them could be manipulated. She'd be out of here tonight if all went well.
Jude's arms tightened around her, and she squeezed him back.
"Don't worry about Jonas." Sable kissed him. "I'm glad he's not going. It'll be more fun with just the two of us."
"Damn right. I'm gonna go pack some stuff." He got a sheepish look on his face. "I better put the cuff back on till I get back."
She gritted her teeth and sat on the bed. Thank the Gods she wouldn't have to put up with this much longer.
* * * *
"Let's find a good spot."
"What's wrong with this one," Jude asked.
"I can see the house," she whined. "It ruins everything. I want to feel like we're really camping.”
"Okay, but not too far. All this crap is heavy."
"Want me to carry it." She knew the weight didn't bother him. He still feared she might try something.
"No, I can manage it."
They followed the irregular property line until the house disappeared behind a stand of trees.
Too busy thinking about escape, she walked right into her second worst nightmare—an elaborate, silken snare. The gauzy strands clung to her face. She brushed them away frantically and spotted a large black spider literally hanging by a thread.
Gasping, she stepped back and fell over a tree root, landing heavily on her backside.
Jude came to her rescue. She waved her limbs around so much he could hardly get his arms around her.
"Shhh. It's okay, I got you." He held her until she calmed down. "What happened?"
"Spiders," she said it without thinking. She didn't like to reveal her weaknesses.
He didn't laugh or make fun of a wolf that was afraid of spiders. He held her gently and brushed the hair from her face. "Tell me about it."
They sat in the grass, and she clung to his shirt while she poured out the story.
"You poor baby. No one is going to hurt you here."
She felt lost and confused. Why was she telling him this? She tried to push him away. "You're lying, Jude. You're a hunter, just like the men who killed my parents."
"You're wrong, Sable. I hunt animals, not people."
"Animals like me," she spat.
"No. You're not an animal." He cupped her chin and turned her face so she had to look in his eyes. "Maybe I thought that once, but not anymore. People change. I changed. Listen to me. I know what it's like to lose your parents. Mine were killed when I was about the same age you were—by wolves."
She looked at him, stunned. "That's why you hate me." She shook her head adamantly. "My people kept to themselves. They stayed away from the humans."
"I know that, baby. They were just timber wolves." He touched his forehead to hers. His voice turned husky. "I don't hate you."
"We're natural enemies."
"It doesn't have to be that way."
She shook her head sadly. "You can't help yourself, Jude. Every time you look at my wolf, you see the animal that killed your parents. Every time I look at you, I see the humans who killed mine."
"No, you're wrong. I see Sable. A smart, beautiful woman who makes my heart beat faster. We can get past this. I admit I'd rather look at you the way you are now, but I want to be your lover, not your enemy. Can't we put this behind us and enjoy tonight?"
"Yes. We can." Why not? In a few hours, she'd be gone. For now, she could pretend he really meant what he said and have a special memory to take with her.
They walked a little further, and Jude stopped. "How's this?"
"Much better."
"Thank God." He dumped everything on the ground. "I'm not so sure we even need the tent. It's a beautiful night. No coyotes are gonna get past the fence, and I'm here to protect you anyway." He put his arms around her.
"But I want the whole camping experience." If Jonas should happen to look for them, it would take him longer to check inside the tent, and she wanted every extra second of getaway time she could manage.
"Okay, baby. Whatever you want." He started picking up rocks and other small debris. "If you're a happy camper then I'm happy."
She bent to help him. She'd slept in worse places and all alone. It was kind of fun doing this together. She almost regretted what she planned to do to him.
"Don't worry about the branches. We're gonna use them for the fire."
Jude spread a ground cloth over the clean area and unpacked the poles, stakes, and all the rest of the gear he needed. He had the tent pitched in no time.
"My hero." She looked at him with admiration.
"Come over here and give your hero a kiss."
"Uh, uh. Not until you feed me."
"Boy, you women want it all, dontcha?"
"I didn't ask for this."
"Hey, I'm just kidding." He came to her and put his arms around her. "I know you didn't ask to be here, but I'm glad you are. Can we make the best of it tonight?"
"Sorry. I'm really having a good time. But I'm hungry."
"Me, too." The look in his eyes said he wanted more than hot dogs.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Food first."
He laughed. "Okay, as long as I get dessert later."
Before long, he had a good fire going, and he showed her how to roast the hot dogs.
"This is absolutely the best part of camping." Sable ate her fifth dog and watched the flickering glow of the fire.
"It's only hot dogs and beans. Baby, I'm saving the best for last." He leaned over and licked grease from her lips. "But this is nice."
"Are you done eating already?" Sable looked at him in disbelief.
"I am." The sun was long gone, and he lay back, linking his hands under his head. "But you take your time. I like to watch you."
She ate the last dog, scraped the pot clean of beans and settled down next to him. Just a whisper of a breeze feathered her bare arms and legs. Lying back, she looked at the sky. Her brow creased in concentration, and she reached her arms up to embrace it.
"What are you doing?"
"Reaching for the stars." The tiny pinpoints looked close enough to touch.
"Reach for Orion, honey."
"You know their names?"
"You sound surprised. Do you think Jonas is the only Outlaw with any brains?" He looked hurt.
"I didn't mean that."
"It's okay. I don't know all of them." He hesitated. "My parents were killed on a starless night. The wolves came out of nowhere and surrounded them before they could get inside. After that, I couldn't stand the dark. Jonas used to tell me
stories about werewolves and vampires just to scare me. My grandfather told me that my parents were stars in heaven. That they watched over me with the other constellations. I thought Orion, the great hunter, was my personal protector." He stopped, embarrassed.
Sable looked at the sky intently. "Show me, Jude."
"He shines bright in the winter. If you still want to go camping in January, we'll find him."
She kept silent. She wouldn't be here in January.
"I never talk about that," he said suddenly.
"I never talk about my family either." She sensed him relaxing. He wasn't used to sharing secrets. Neither was she. She hadn't shared a secret with anyone since she was a kid. It felt nice.
"I won't tell anyone."
"Not even Jonas?" she asked.
"Not even Jonas. They're our secrets." Jude pulled a bag from the knapsack. "Hey, I almost forgot dessert."
"Yeah, right."
"Not that dessert. Marshmallows." He ripped open the bag. "Unless you're cold. Do you want to go in the tent?"
"Not yet." She sighed and savored the illusion of freedom.
"Okay then. You're gonna love these." He put one on a stick and browned it over the flames.
She sat up and took the twig from him. "Trying to sweeten me up."
"You're sweet enough already, honey."
Her chest hitched, and she swallowed the knot in her throat so she could bite the spongy confection. It was just hormones. They'd taken her on a roller-coaster ride since she got pregnant.
"Oh! Hot."
"Let me kiss that tongue and make it better." Jude brushed a hand along her cheek and sent shivers down her spine.
She stuck her tongue out, and he wrapped his lips around it, sucked it gently.
A sudden burst of hunger raced through her body. She wanted him desperately. Her pulse quickened, and she made needy little noises.
He pulled his head back, and a wicked grin creased his face.
"Want something?"
"Yes, and I hope it's not as mushy as these marshmallows." She unzipped his jeans, and his heavy cock twitched in her hand. "Nope, it's hard as a baseball bat." She squeezed, and his grin disappeared.
She struggled out of his arms.
"Hey, come back here."
"Uh-uh. I refuse to fuck a man who's still wearing his boots." She pulled them off along with his socks and then got to work on his jeans.
"Your turn." He fumbled with her shorts while she yanked the T-shirt over her head.
He filled his hands with her breasts, and she leaned her head back, relishing his touch. Soon it wasn't enough, and she pulled him down to the ground with her. She trailed her fingers over his balls and lower, teased the puckered entrance but didn't penetrate him.
"Do you like this?" she murmured.
His answer was lost in a low moan of sexual pleasure. He squirmed and pulled her closer, took one brown nipple in his mouth.
"I guess that's a yes." One finger slipped past the ring of muscle and into the tight heat of his ass. She moved it in and out, and he groaned into her breast. She squealed when he grazed the pebbled nub with his teeth then soothed it with his tongue.
"I need more, Jude," she begged.
He sucked hard, grabbed her other breast, and rolled the nipple between his fingers.
They ground against each other like two teenagers on a tryst in lover's lane. At this rate they'd come much too fast. She wanted to make it last because she wouldn't see him again, but they were both too far gone. Her heart twisted. She wouldn't think about that now.
He released her breast with a soft pop and pulled back. "I gotta slow it down, or I'm gonna come much too soon."
She ran a hand up and down his muscular leg. Bending, she kissed the glistening head of his cock and licked the milky fluid leaking from the tip.
Jude let out a howl, and her breath caught. She loved knowing how she affected him.
"I want to be inside you, Sable." His voice sounded husky.
The words and her name on his lips thrilled her. He reached for her hips, and she straddled him. She grasped his cock like a horn on a Western saddle, stroking until it pulsed against her belly. Her eyes fluttered closed. She imagined him filling that empty place inside her that cried for him.
"Stop fucking around." Jude growled.
Laughing, she lifted her hips, guided him to her moist entrance, and impaled herself on his stiff penis. She rocked on his hips then withdrew slowly and sank slower yet. All the time his eyes blazed with wild heat in the starlight. The emotion in them made her breath catch.
He dug his fingers in her hips and set a harder pace. She met every thrust with one of her own.
"Kiss me," he hissed.
One last time.
She bent forward and planted her lips on his, afraid she might cry.
"Much better," he whispered into her mouth. Her body responded to his as if they were one, fused together by their combined heat. Being on top let her control the depth of his penetration. She writhed on his cock until he hit a spot that sent shock waves skittering along her nerve endings.
"I can't wait." Jude gave a last desperate thrust and rubbed her swollen clit to take her with him.
She screamed and shuddered over him then collapsed against his body.
Still joined, they rolled over on their sides. Jude held her close for a long time, silently stroking her back. Softening, he slipped out of her body but didn't move away, just rested his head on his arm and looked at her with an unfathomable expression.
"I want to do this again," he whispered.
"Fuck?" She smiled at him.
"Go camping, hiking, teach you about the stars."
"Hey. Look. A shooting star." She pointed up, silently thanking the lucky stars for a chance to change the subject. "It's so beautiful," she said, turning back to Jude.
"Not as beautiful as you, baby." He watched her instead of the sparkly show in the sky. "Did you make a wish?"
She shook her head. "My wishes never come true.”
"Go ahead, make a wish. Maybe this time it'll happen."
"Okay." She shut her eyes. She didn't have to think about it. "Now, let's have a nightcap." She took a bottle out of her bag. "Only the best. It's Jonas’s private stock." She laughed.
"You little devil. You took this from his desk."
"So what?" She shrugged. "He shouldn't have left his drawer open."
"Do you even like this stuff?" He took the bourbon and lifted the bottle to his lips.
"I don't know." She shrugged. "Bring it inside with us, and I'll try it." She took one last look at the night sky and crawled into the tent.
* * * *
"What's the matter, baby?" Sable crooned. "Am I too much for you?"
"No way, I'm just getting started." Jude's eyes were at half-mast.
"Sure, but let's lay down for a few minutes." She helped him into the sleeping bag and crawled in with him.
"I just feel a little queasy and light-headed."
"You drank too much, that's all. A little nap and you'll be good as new." She held him in her arms and almost decided not to go—almost. Had she given him too much of the drugs she took from the lab? She never meant to hurt him, just put him to sleep. She wouldn't leave until she was sure he wouldn't choke.
He snuggled up to her, and in fifteen minutes, he was out.
Sable slipped out of the sleeping bag and snuck out of the tent. She scooped up her clothes and sneaks and withdrew silently, heading for the fence. She hadn't had much opportunity to check out the new wiring, but she had a plan.
She followed the perimeter, picking up a stick along the way. When she reached a corner, far from the house and the tent, she stopped and hurriedly put her clothes on. Regretfully, she left the sneaks. She could climb better without them.
Crossing her fingers, she jammed the stick into a bundle of hot wires connected to the fence.
A shower of sparks signaled a short circuit.
Whoo-hoo!
Concentrating on her fingers and toes, she tried to make her nails grow. She'd never been able to do a partial shift, but it was worth a try. Claws would make climbing the fence a hell of a lot easier.
Warm breath grazed her back. The hell with claws. She threw her body against the chain link and scrabbled up like a monkey.
Chapter Twelve
In one smooth motion, Sable grabbed hold of the top of the fence, pulled herself up, and vaulted over. She had the righting reflex of a cat, and she landed elegantly on her feet.
Her heart lurched as she hit the ground running. Freedom! And no time to enjoy it. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw only the empty enclosure. She'd been so sure one of them found her. Fear made her imagination go wild. It also set her adrenaline pumping. She ran faster.
Pine branches lashed her face and snagged the thin material of the T-shirt. The scratches would heal. The wounds inside were another matter. Tears blurred her vision, and she swiped at them with the back of her hand. She should be ecstatic. So why did she feel as if she'd left part of herself behind? As if what she wanted most in the world was still back at the ranch. Idiot. She actually made a wish on a star and asked for a life with Jude. As if that could ever happen.
She'd been alone for two-thirds of her life and gotten along just fine. Maybe not fine, but she survived. She'd been on her own too long, she had no idea how to live with someone. Especially a human someone.
She'd tried it once with Malcolm. He was Lycan, and look how that turned out. The short time she’d spent with him they'd both been miserable. He'd only been with her out of some misplaced sense of duty and guilt. The whole time he wanted someone else—Karin. He must have been miserable. Now that she knew what it felt like to give up your true mate, she could sympathize.
Still, doubts crept in. Sometimes she suspected that Kweo engineered her capture to bring her together with her mate. But these men would never accept her as an equal. Jonas treated her like a pet. Jude pretended she was human. He ignored her wolf. He thought as long as it didn't come out, it didn't really exist.
She couldn't wait around hoping they would change, she had the baby to think about now. Funny, she never wanted a baby, but now every possessive instinct in her surfaced. She would protect this child with her life.
