Scent of Salvation coe-1

by Annie Nicholas

  A small muscle ticked along her jaw. This mutt didn’t need to remind her of her impotence. She was quite aware of it. “And who exactly are you?” Especially since he knew so much about her.

  Fur melted to tanned skin. The male kept his muscular shape as his animal nature faded and he changed to his civil form. His muzzle and ears reshaped, leaving a rugged, angry face. A pale scar ran across his face to the corner of his lower lip, giving him a perpetual frown.

  He didn’t cover his nudity. “Sorin, alpha of the Apisi.” His untidy silver hair hung down his back to his hips.

  The female who tumbled down the hill gasped, her tight grip on Kele’s hand weakening as her eyes rolled back. She crumpled to the forest floor.

  Kele blinked at the prone body at her feet. What had happened? Did she just die? She knelt, pressed her fingertips to the female’s throat and found a steady, strong pulse.

  The ground vibrated with the rising sound of growls.

  The alpha had crossed the line and squatted across from her. “Is she hurt?” Sorin brushed a loose strand of hair from the female’s cheek. Concern flashed across his face—so quick Kele wasn’t sure if she’d truly seen it. Dark circles and worry lines made Sorin appear older. Her gut said the female wasn’t the cause of his premature aging.

  Ahote went down on all fours behind Sorin. The fur along his spine stood on end, and his bared fangs dripped saliva. He crept closer.

  “Wait!” She raised her hands to stop the attack but a second too late.

  Sorin twisted in time to meet the assault but her guards were in feral form, and the alpha was outnumbered.

  She heard the crack of flesh hitting flesh, and the scent of fresh blood masked all other smells in the area. The fight didn’t last long. Her guards stood over Sorin’s prone, unmoving body and panted.

  “You better not have killed him!” The idiots. Her father had no tolerance when it came to trespassers. They were usually beaten and returned to Temple land as a warning. Repeat offenders became omegas of her pack.

  But Sorin was an alpha. She shook her head. This was different. Kele had heard the stories about the Apisi, a small pack to the North—too small to be a threat and too crazy to absorb into her pack Her father barely tolerated their existence. She didn’t want them to retaliate over something so insignificant as young males fighting over a female. “Toss him back to neutral ground.”

  Ahote returned her stare with his sharp blue eyes. “You sure? Your father may want to speak with him first.”

  “About what? It’s not like his pack has anything we want.” Trading for the return of a trespasser was a common practice. Someone had to pay the price of breaking pack law. As an alpha, Sorin should have brought a nice bounty, but she knew his pack was poorer than dirt. She ground her teeth. She wouldn’t risk displeasing her father either. He might protect her from others but he didn’t have a problem tanning her ass. “Fine, bring him.”

  She regarded the prone female.

  Ahote knelt on the other side of her.

  “She fainted. Sorin frightened her, I think.” Kele kept her laughter in check. “I don’t care if the Goddess sent her or not. That’s not a good way to leave an impression on an unmated female.”

  Her first guard ran a gentle fingertip over the female’s unmarred cheek. “She acts like she’s never seen a shifter before. Have you ever heard of a hu-man?”

  “No.” Kele bent closer to examine the inside of the female’s mouth. “No fangs. Her canines are too small and dull for a shifter.” She rolled her onto her side. “No wings, tail or fins.”

  He leaned closer. “The light?”

  “That’s why my father sent us.”

  “Do you truly think she came from the Goddess?”

  “She doesn’t work so openly, Ahote.” She rose to her feet. If the female came from the light, she’d need to question her before anyone else questioned her. Maybe she held the key to freeing Kele from the curse of remaining in civil form.

  She assessed the female’s slim shape, a shape that contained a nice touch of extra curves that Kele lacked. “You’ll care for her? Not let these dogs abuse her?”

  A snarl escaped Ahote. “But I’m not interested in a permanent mate.”

  Kele fought to control a grin at his expression. Ahote could use a little humility. “I know. That’s why it has to be you until I find out more about her.”

  He grimaced. “Fine, but you can’t hold it against me if I play with her. This is your idea, not mine.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Chapter Three

  Something cold and wet nudged Susan’s face. Grimacing, she shoved it away. A dog must be loose. She blinked, trying to focus on the dark mass inches from her.

  Her blood pressure rocketed into the danger zone, and she slapped away the muzzle. She scurried to her feet, then searched her surroundings.

  The pale blonde woman who had rescued her nodded. “Are you better?”

  Huge werewolves, right out of a horror movie, surrounded them. Bipedal, they stood well over seven feet tall. Fur covered their well-muscled, human-like limbs, and they each bore a wolfish head. They had claws.

  And teeth.

  Sharp ones.

  Susan swallowed and then glanced at the top of the hill where she’d tumbled down head-over-heels. The silver-haired werewolf lay unconscious in his human form not far from where she stood. Ropes bound his wrists and ankles. “He changed shape.”

  The blonde approached her with two of the monsters flanking each side as if they were guards. “They can all shift from civil form to feral form.”

  “And you?” Susan straightened her jacket and attempted to brush off the dirt. Enough freaking out—she needed to deal. Panic never accomplished anything. She had wanted to explore other dimensions, and here she was. To begin, she needed to collect data. What kind of technology did these creatures have? Maybe she could rebuild DOUG and find a way to open the Gate again. She bit back a scream of frustration. It only had taken her ten years the first time around. Who knows—she could cross over to another dimension where the dinosaurs had evolved to be sentient.

  She was so screwed.

  Blondie’s eyes narrowed. “I cannot shift. Not yet.”

  The midnight black werewolf standing next to the blonde snorted and shook the thick mane of hair hanging around his neck almost as if he was laughing.

  She elbowed him hard in the side.

  Nice going. Susan had mocked her only ally. Maybe next time she should poke her in the eye first.

  Detonating DOUG had bought Susan a one-way ticket on The Twilight Zone express, and she was stuck here.

  These creatures spoke English. With a slight accent, but it meant the dimensional fold couldn’t be that far from her Earth. And what was with the werewolf thing? What happened in this planet’s history to make them? And hadn’t Silver Mane said something about vampires?

  Most importantly, where were the humans? Her gut dropped like an anchor. He hadn’t known what a human was. None of them seemed to have heard of one.

  “My name is Kele.” The blonde offered the inside of her wrist to Susan’s nose.

  She stared at it, having a sci-fi movie moment. “I’m Susan.” And returned the gesture.

  The blonde sniffed her wrist then pressed hers closer to Susan’s face.

  She sniffed it, not really smelling anything special. “Are you like them—a werewolf?” Susan pointed to the other beasts.

  “Yes, we’re of the Payami pack. We prefer being called shifters though. Werewolf is more of an ethnic slur.”

  “Oh, sorry. I’m not from here.” She tried to smile but her bottom lip kept trembling. It probably looked twisted and dim-witted.

  “I’ve noticed.” Kele slipped her petite hand around Susan’s. “The one who chased you is from another pack. You’ll be my guest.”

  Glancing at the four beasts accompanying Kele, she didn’t think she had much choice. “Is being a guest a good thing?”

  One
of Kele’s eyebrows shot up. “Would you rather spend the night in the forest?”

  “No, of course not.” She shook her head. Her situation kept getting worse, and she needed to stop the trend. She’d gone from one werewolf to five. “I never met any were—umm—shifters before. I’m still trying to figure out if I’m on the menu.” Could this all be some terrible delusion? A side effect from DOUG exploding? Maybe she was really in some mental institution, drooling on her hospital gown. “What about him?” She pointed at Silver Mane.

  “He’s a prisoner. Our alpha will decide Sorin’s fate for trespassing.”

  One of the beasts nudged Susan’s shoulder with its muzzle then slid it so his head rubbed against her.

  Stiff as a board, she remained planted to the spot. She didn’t know the rights or wrongs of this culture. Her dreams to explore other dimensions seemed naïve now. Or downright stupid. Up to this point everything she’d done led to disaster. It was time to go against sanity. Closing her eyes, she touched the soft fur on its head and stroked gently.

  A sharp snarl sounded from behind.

  Her eyes popped open and she jumped straight up in the air. Glancing back, she came face-to-face with the midnight black shifter. She’d done something to piss him off.

  Stalking around her, the dark beast shoved the one she had petted away from her and knocked him to the ground.

  Kele yanked her out of the way then led them through the forest ferns as the dark one leaped with teeth bared and claws exposed to attack.

  The other two beasts followed, carrying Sorin between them. They swung their heads back and forth in slow arcs as if scanning the area for potential danger. What would be fool enough to harass them?

  Susan glanced over her shoulder. She’d never seen anyone attack another person—beast—whatever before.

  The large, black shifter pinned the other to the ground and held it there. His bright blue eyes met hers and sent a cold shiver down her spine.

  “Don’t encourage them, Susan.”

  She twisted to face her hostess. “I didn’t mean to. Why are they fighting?”

  Kele raised a delicate eyebrow again. “Do you have a mate?”

  “Mate?”

  “A lover? A male?”

  “No!” She didn’t have time for men and wasn’t any good around them, especially the really hot ones.

  “You’re unclaimed and young—”

  “And pretty,” an accompanying guard commented.

  Glaring at the beast, Kele continued, “They’re showing off for you. Especially Ahote, the dark one. He plans to court you.”

  Susan stopped midstride and was almost trampled by a guard. “What does court mean among your people?” The idea of being given over to a male made her stomach sour. She’d been ready to die to protect DOUG from military abuse. Was she ready to die to avoid her own abuse as well?

  “I can smell your fear. It’s thick in the air. You’re going to need to control it if you want to survive.” The petite blonde caressed the closest beast. “None of them would ever take you against your will.”

  “We’re not Apisi dogs,” someone mumbled under his breath.

  “None of that. Now that the old alpha is dead, the Apisi will change. Sorin has promise.” She pointed to Silver Mane’s unconscious form.

  The midnight-black shifter approached the group, not a scratch on him from what Susan could see. “Didn’t look that way to me the way Sorin chased this one down the hill. She could have been hurt.” He placed a huge, clawed hand over his chest. “I’m Ahote.” He nudged her to continue walking. “Our home is close but it’s still dangerous to be in civil form in the forest. Keep moving.”

  Had the black beast won the fight? She searched for the beast she initially petted.

  He straggled behind, his head hung low. Glancing at her, he shrugged.

  Ahote, the winner, dwarfed her with his shadow. Any of these beasts did. Human boyfriends were difficult to deal with. Why would she want a shifter? She didn’t even like body hair. But how did you refuse a guy who could eat you for dinner?

  She drew closer to Kele as they reached a path and swallowed with a mouth gone dry. A scientist lost in a primitive world. Maybe she could learn to garden? She snorted, and Ahote’s hungry gaze fell on her. He didn’t look like an herbivore.

  A thirty-minute walk later, the ground inclined toward the side of a worn mountain with a cave mouth yawning at the base.

  Susan’s heart sank even lower into her gut as they headed straight for the cavity. She’d be living the rest of her life in a cave. Kele’s well-made cloak had given her hope that they had some kind of civilization. The shifters should be beyond the Stone Age. At least, she had hoped they were.

  Time should run at the same pace no matter what dimension DOUG bridged. She should be in the same historical period, since time travel was not possible within her theories. The only explanation was that technology hadn’t developed at the same rate as in her dimension.

  The group stopped, except Ahote, who approached the mouth of the cave. Two unseen guards appeared from the cliff face above, their gray-brown fur camouflaging them well. Words were exchanged but she couldn’t make out what. Then Ahote signaled for them to continue forward.

  On Kele’s heels, Susan did her best not to press against the female. Susan had spent her whole life in cities. Hell, her parents had never even sent her to summer camp. The closest she had to wilderness was the park she crossed on her way to work.

  Deeper and deeper, they traveled into the tunnel. Darker and darker, the light faded until she couldn’t see her own hand waving in front of her face. She stopped and reached out. “I can’t see.”

  Silence answered her.

  She pivoted, her heart aflutter. “Hello?” Her voice hit a high pitch. Shame be damned, her dignity had vanished the second she tumbled down that hill.

  Kele cleared her throat. “Your kind can’t see in the dark? Or do you have a—defect?”

  Breathing a sigh, she followed Kele’s voice. “Humans need some kind of light to see by.” She came in contact with fur. “Oh, sorry.” She jerked her hands away.

  A large clawed hand took hold of hers and set it back on the soft fur. “Hold onto me and I’ll guide you.” Ahote spoke close to her ear. His deep, seductive voice could melt iron.

  She clutched his silken fur and followed his lead. Blinking didn’t make her sight better yet she couldn’t stop. Every time she stumbled, Ahote caught her. “Do you live in the dark?” Her voice sounded frightened even to her own ears.

  A large hand snaked around her waist and pulled her close. “No, these tunnels are part of our defense system. From the time we’re pups, the paths are taught to us.”

  “So, they’re like a maze?” And something to prevent her from leaving. Guest, my ass.

  “Yes, not much farther until we exit.”

  She appreciated Ahote’s comforting words but not the hand stroking her hip. Like she didn’t have enough freaking problems. The darkness constricted around her, tightening its hold until she thought she’d snap in two.

  A faint light appeared ahead, and the vise of fear around her chest relaxed. She released the breath she’d been holding and shoved Ahote’s hand off her body. By quickening her steps, she crossed the threshold into the open before the dark shifter.

  She panted as if she had run a marathon, and sweat trickled along her spine. Her breathing became easier, and what she stared at finally registered in her mind. Touching her fingertips to her lips, Susan gaped around and above her.

  A hollowed-out mountain surrounded them. The sun shone through the open top, warming her skin and feeding the lush forest growing inside. Stone stairs were carved into the rock lining the walls. They stretched from terrace to terrace at least four stories high. Cave entrances with doors dotted the wide, wooden balconies, and rope bridges hung across at each level connecting both sides.

  They had built their home in an extinct volcano.

  “Beautiful, isn’t
it?” Ahote whispered as he passed.

  Susan rubbed her eyes. “Amazing.” If amazing described the small city then extraordinary depicted the people. Not a beast among them. Tall and muscular, they milled around the huge ground floor. Children ran and screeched, racing between the adults. Everyone wore bright-colored dresses or dark leather kilts. No one appeared armed or causing harm. Thank goodness.

  From what she could tell, a market of sorts was doing business in the distance, and some females strolled by with baskets of grapes in their arms. They smiled at Kele and one waved to the guards behind her.

  Susan glanced back and sensed her eyes growing wider.

  They’d changed—shifted—to men. Half-naked men. Half-naked, gorgeous men.

  She shook her head to make the thought stop skipping. Locked in her lab the past year, trying to get DOUG to work, had placed a kink in her social life. And her sex life. She eyed the men. Not a fuzzy hair on them now.

  A blue-eyed guard with black hair past his shoulders caught her attention. He pulled a leather kilt from his backpack and wrapped it slowly around his well-defined abs. Never breaking her eye contact.

  She swallowed. Way out of her comfort zone.

  One of the other men tossed a shirt at him. “Stop putting on a show. We all know you like her, Ahote.”

  Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

  Ahote was out-of-her-league handsome. She didn’t mind gawking at men that attractive but nothing more. Whenever she spoke with ultra-sexy men, her brain unhinged. It was a terrible thing to witness.

  While he pulled the off-white, long-sleeved shirt over his head, he sauntered toward her.

  She brushed the loose strands of hair from her face and found a dried leaf stuck to her head. What the fuck? Her French twist was a tangle.

  “I’ll take you for a tour.” He gave her a lazy smile and she sensed her IQ plummeting.

  “Don’t you have chores to do?” Kele, though smaller in stature, managed to look down upon him.

  He gave her a pointed look. “You were my chore.”

  “Well, Sorin is your present chore. He must be presented to my father when he wakes. I’ll tend his injuries after. Store him somewhere while I speak with Susan. My parents will want to meet her.” Kele eyed her and plucked another leaf from her head. “I should prepare her for the ordeal first.” She lifted Susan’s wrist up to Ahote. “Mark her.”