Lydia was on a roll now. She began to work in earnest, her mind on her project.
* * * *
Barack stood a few feet from Lydia's tent. He could smell her. Her fragrance was of herbs and florals. But underlying all of that was her womanly perfume. Her musk.
And Barack wanted her.
But she hadn't accepted him in his human form. Maybe she would be more interested if he were a wolf. She seemed to be studying the animals.
Barack began the change, his body shifting. Soon, he was on all fours, the clothes in a heap.
Barack shook himself, ruffling his fur. He stretched, front paws out in front, rear end up in the air. It felt good to be an animal, he thought, silently padding closer to the tent.
His senses were heightened. Vision sharper, sense of smell acute. True, as a vampire, his senses were beyond human comprehension, but as a wolf everything took on such a wildness.
Barack had only been shifting into the wolf form during the last century. An old vampire had taught him how. Now it was one of the sweeter things in his lengthy existence.
He paced around her tent, watching her shadow play on the canvas. She was sitting on her bedding, hunched over doing something. There was barely any sound, except for a quiet clicking noise.
Time to make his presence known.
Barack padded to the entrance of the tent and lay down a few feet in front of it. He panted, hesitating. Then he let out a soft whine.
*
Lydia's head jerked up. Her fingers froze over the keyboard. What was that? she wondered. It had sounded like an animal.
Another whine broke the stillness of the night.
Lydia shoved her keyboard away and swung her legs down over the side of the cot. It was an animal, all right. It had sounded like a dog's whine. Like it was in pain. Lydia approached the tent door. She hesitated, straining to listen.
There was something out there. She could hear it breathing. Panting. Then another whine.
Lydia bit a fingernail. Indecision warred within her. It could be a wolf. That was a good possibility. She had heard them howling and Eric had warned her about them. If it was, she could be in danger. But she also wanted to see it.
Her eyes scanned the interior of the tent. She hadn't brought a gun. She didn't believe in them. But she did have some pepper spray in her pack. She dashed over to it and got the small canister out. She turned off the safety and gripped it in her hand. Slowly she went back to the door of the tent.
The animal was still there. She could hear it out there. She bit her lip. Should she?
She glanced at the light hanging from the center pole. It also had a flashlight beam as one of its features. She unhooked it from the pole.
Grimacing, she unzipped the door to the tent, the sound loud in her ears. When she got it completely unzipped, she thrust the light through and poked her head out.
Lydia played the beam of the light in an arc. Directly in front of the tent, something flashed in the light. A pair of eyes. Lydia's heart began to race as she stepped through the door, pepper spray raised and ready for action.
She took a step away from the tent, focusing the light on the animal.
It whined, sounding very pitiful.
"What'sa matter," Lydia crooned, moving toward it. She could see it was lying on the ground. Then, she caught its eyes in the light. They were yellow and glowing. It was a wolf! Lydia smiled.
Caution thrown to the wind, Lydia approached the wolf, trying not to be intimidating.
The wolf lay on the ground, panting, watching her steadily. It made no move to attack.
Lydia crouched down about four feet away from it and laid down the light. It still pointed in the direction of the animal. She kept the pepper spray gripped in her other hand, ready if she needed it.
The wolf glanced at the hand with the pepper spray, then looked her directly in the eye.
Lydia immediately looked down, breaking eye contact. She knew well enough that looking an animal in the eye was taken as a challenge. She sure didn't want to challenge this wolf. Especially if it was injured.
The wolf started to approach, head down, sniffing as he got closer.
Lydia began to sweat. Fear laced with excitement spread through her. Her heart beat a fast rhythm and her mouth started to go dry. Stop it, she told herself. You don't want to show any fear.
The wolf was inches away now. Lydia glanced up. The wolf cocked its head, looking at her.
Lydia smiled. It almost looked like an inquisitive dog, but much larger. This wolf, now that she saw it close up, was huge. It had strangely familiar yellow eyes and a coat of black and silver. It was well fed, no ribcage showing through its pelt, and a healthy way about it. Lydia hadn't seen it limp, so she didn't think its legs were injured. Now she was puzzled about why it had been whining. It didn't appear to be hurt.
Slowly Lydia raised her hand, palm up, toward the wolf. She watched it through her eyelashes, not wanting to meet its gaze. It was a male, she could see. She wondered if it had a pack to run with. Its howls had sounded awfully lonely in the night.
The wolf strained its neck forward, sniffing. Suddenly, it shook as if it were wet.
That startled Lydia and she let out a yelp. Then she waited to see if she had angered the wolf with her outburst. Her hand was still offered, but her arm was growing tired from holding it in the air.
The wolf approached. Lydia almost jerked her hand back as it ran its cold nose over her palm, getting her scent. She held her breath, hoping the wolf didn't decide to take a bite out of her. She had seen its fangs and they were unusually long and sharp, even for a wolf of that size.
The wolf glanced at her. Then to Lydia's surprise, he ran his tongue over her palm, giving her a wet lick.
Lydia smiled, the sensation tickling her. She didn't pull back though. She wanted to see how friendly the wolf would get.
Before she realized what was happening, the wolf had run his head under her hand and was now licking the side of her face. Lydia lost her balance and fell backwards onto her bottom, the wolf following.
"Hey," she said, swiping at the wolf slobber on her cheek. The wolf looked at her, panting. It leaned forward and licked her cheek again, then sat down beside her and leaned against her.
"Well," Lydia said, hesitantly touching the wolf's back with her hand, "You're awfully friendly for being wild."
The wolf swung his massive head toward her and met her eyes.
Lydia stroked his muscular back, the fur thick and soft. It felt almost as if someone had been taking very good care of him, as if he were a pet. Odd. Wild animals didn't usually feel as though they had just had a bath.
And those eyes. They were so familiar. She felt she had seen them before. She continued to pet the wolf, enjoying the closeness of this massive wild thing.
Lydia stretched her legs out in front of herself, trying to get more comfortable. She lay the pepper spray on the ground, but left it within easy reach.
"So, what were you out here whining about, hmm?" Lydia said, scratching behind the wolf's ears.
He surprised her by laying his head in her lap.
Lydia laughed. She wished this was on video. No one was going to believe her. A wolf, lying in her lap in the middle of the Maine woods. Yeah, they'd believe her, all right. About as much as if she told them she had taken a vampire as her lover.
"What the hell are you doing?" a voice boomed from out of the darkness.
The wolf immediately shot to his feet, hackles raised.
Lydia grabbed her pepper spray, unsure of how the wolf was going to react.
It began to growl, low and threatening.
Eric walked from out of the darkness into the beam of the light. He glared at the wolf, challenging it with his eyes.
"Eric, don't look him directly in the eye. He might attack," Lydia warned. She scrambled to her feet.
The wolf bared his teeth at Eric, muscles tensed.
Lydia reached out, laying her hand on the wolf's ba
ck to soothe him. She felt his muscles relax a little but he was still in full attack mode.
"Lydia, get away from him," Eric said, coming toward her.
"Eric, what are you doing?" Was he crazy? "You're going to get hurt."
"No I'm not," he said, crouching down directly in front of the wolf.
The wolf gnashed his teeth but didn't bite.
Lydia felt like she was going to pass out. "Eric, what is wrong with you?" she said through clenched teeth. She still had one hand on the wolf's back but the other was ready to spray the pepper spray. Only thing was, Eric was now in her line of fire too.
"He won't hurt me," Eric said, leaning forward. "Will you?"
The wolf licked his lips.
"Go!" Eric commanded.
The wolf growled one more time, then shot off into the darkness.
Lydia wanted to strangle Eric. Not only for putting himself in such danger but also for running off the wolf. She felt lightheaded, the adrenaline rush from the action subsiding. She sat down on the ground before she fell down.
Raising her knees, she leaned her head on them and took deep breaths. "You have no idea what you just did," she said, not looking at Eric. "You could have been seriously injured and I don't think I could've gotten you help in time." She looked up to meet Eric's eyes. "He could have killed you."
Eric met her gaze with a flash of his eyes. "You have no idea what kind of danger you were in," he said. "You could have lost your soul."
He moved to sit beside her on the ground. Lydia started to shiver. The night air was cooling and her nerves weren't the best at the moment. Eric slid his arm around her shoulders. Lydia shrugged it off, glaring at him. "How could you just barge in like that and run off the wolf? Do you realize how rare it is to see a wolf, let alone get within touching distance?"
Eric wrapped his arms around his knees and shook his head. "That was not a wolf."
Lydia frowned. "What?"
He looked at her. "That was not a wolf."
"Okay, fine," she said, slapping a hand on her knee. "Just what the hell was it then? A wild pig?"
"It was a vampire."
Lydia stared at him. He was serious. Dead serious. A tickle of fear shivered through her. "A vampire? I thought you were a vampire."
"Believe me, he was a vampire." Eric took one of her hands in his. "You've got to listen to me on this. That wolf was a vampire. The man you met earlier, Anthony Barack, was a vampire. The wolf and Barack are one and the same."
Lydia let out a huge laugh. "You're kidding me. You've got to be kidding me."
Eric leaned in her direction. He smiled widely. His teeth glittered in the light of the lamp. "You think I'm a vampire, don't you? Then why is it such a stretch for you to comprehend that the wolf and Barack are the same?"
Lydia drew her arms around herself. "I don't know what to think anymore," she said softly. "If you weren't the man I've dreamed of meeting, I'd be running screaming through the woods. I already feel like maybe I've lost my mind here. And it's getting stranger by the minute."
Eric put his arm around her shoulder and drew her closer. "I love you, Lydia. I don't want to see him get his fangs in you."
Lydia breathed in the scent of him, her body responding to his touch, coming alive with a certain hunger. "I love you, too. No matter what you are. I have a connection with you that I've never had with anyone else. But I just can't believe the wolf is a vampire, Eric."
"You're going to have to."
"No." She pushed away from him. "This is just too much. I need to think." Lydia rose from the ground, brushing off her bottom. She looked down at him. Her heart swelled in her breast. She wanted him badly but she needed to sort some things out. "Why don't you go on back to your camp or wherever it is you stay?" she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Eric stood. He traced a finger down her cheek. "Don't push me away."
Lydia lowered her eyes. "I'm not. I just need to digest all of this."
"All right. But promise me that you'll keep your distance from the wolves. Not just that one but all of them."
Lydia met his gaze. "I will. For now."
* * * *
Eric looked down into those deep blue eyes and wondered why he just didn't tell her he wasn't a vampire. In his mind, he knew why. If she knew he was a hunter, a member of the Unkindness, Barack could possibly read her mind and gather information that Eric wasn't a true vampire.
Then they would both be dead. Or worse.
Eric leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. Her mouth was so inviting, he almost didn't pull away. But he'd give her the time she wanted. He'd just have to stay close and watch. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said, letting her go.
Eric turned and walked out of the pool of light and into the darkness.
Now he was going to have to deal with Barack and that little confrontation that they'd had. Barack had backed down. Eric was slightly surprised by it. Of course, if Barack was trying to seduce Lydia, knowing she would be drawn to this wild animal, he wouldn't attack Eric in front of her.
Eric would have to watch his back.
He moved through the woods, scanning for Barack.
He couldn't pinpoint him. Eric headed for a higher vantage point. He'd deal with Barack later.
For the rest of the night, he was going to keep an eye on Lydia.
And make sure no other wolves approached.
One of the things worrying Eric was if the two females, Alison and Susanna, got wind of Barack's interest in Lydia, they would attack out of jealousy.
Eric did not want to deal with two scorned female vampires.
* * * *
Lydia slept fitfully the rest of the night, dreams of men, vampires and wolves haunting her. She awoke with the dawn and decided to start her day. She wasn't getting any rest anyway.
After taking care of her morning routine, Lydia shouldered her pack and took off in the direction of her truck. She wanted to go to town and pick up a few things, find a place to take a long hot shower, and talk to some of the local people.
She wanted to get their opinion on the wolves. And the moose, she thought as she walked. Mustn't forget the reason you're here. You're here to study moose.
Lydia came up a small rise, then came to a dead stop. Below, in a shallow gully, was a moose.
Dead.
Lydia made her way down into the gully, and stopped a few feet away from the carcass. She unshouldered her pack and got out her digital camera. She wanted pictures of this.
Swatting flies away, Lydia snapped pictures of the moose's thick neck. There was no sign of an animal attack, other than four puncture wounds in the neck, directly over what would be its jugular vein. Lydia leaned in close to get pictures of the wound. She had to show this to someone. If she could find someplace that would allow her Internet access and a way to download the camera, she could email the photos to Dr. Taylor and get his opinion.
She wanted to know just what she was dealing with here. If she could prove the existence of vampires without somehow endangering Eric, she would be famous.
Because this moose, this 1200-pound moose, did not have one drop of blood in it whatsoever. Something had drained it completely.
The first thing she thought of was Eric. Could he have done this? Or maybe the man, Barack. It wasn't the bite of a wolf, she could tell. A wolf would have torn the throat out. No, this was something that wanted the blood only. What amazed her was that the moose showed no other signs of struggle. Lydia was sure that it wouldn't have just stood there and let someone or something bite its neck. Moose were very powerful animals.
Lydia shook her head. The world had gone completely bonkers and she was right in the middle of it.
She spent the day in the little town just outside of Paper Land. She had found the use of an Internet connection at the tiny library but hadn't been able to find a way to download her pictures from her camera. Not unless she wanted to drive two hours to the next town. She wasn't prepared to do that. Instead, she emailed D
r. Taylor and informed him about the moose she had found. She stopped just short of telling him she had intimate knowledge of a real vampire. Then she stopped at the truck stop a few miles past the town, one that serviced the logging trucks that hauled everything in and out of Paper Land, and took a much-needed shower.
Feeling fresher and in a hurry to get back to camp, Lydia drove down the gravel road leading to the entrance gate guarding the road that cut through Paper Land. There was a check-in station there, so Maine Paper could keep track of who was inside their holdings and also, in case someone got lost going through to the other side. Lydia pulled up to the gatehouse and stopped.
Sam, the gate attendant, came out of the gatehouse, hitching up his pants. Lydia anxiously drummed her fingers on the steering wheel while he moseyed to her. The day was waning and she needed to get back to her camp before the sun went down. She didn't want to get caught out in the dark. Just in case whatever attacked that moose decided she looked tasty.
"Hello, Miss Cross," Sam said, his voice a gravelly rumble. He rested both hands on her open window frame. "You goin' back in?"
"Yes, Sam. I'm kind of in a hurry too. I don't want to have to hike in the dark," Lydia said, one hand on the steering wheel, one hand on the gearshift.
"A-yuh. Don't want to do that."
Lydia smiled. "By the way, have you ever heard of an animal that will kill for blood?"
Sam grimaced, his wrinkled face dancing. "What'd ya mean?"
"Well, I found a moose this morning over by my camp. Something had attacked it. It was bitten in the neck and there didn't seem to be any blood left in the carcass. You ever hear of such a thing?"
Sam's eyes widened a bit. "Nobody been talkin' about it much. But I heard some things. A-yuh. I been hearing that there may be strange wolves out in the land. Don't eat the meat they kill, but drink the blood."
Eric The Guardian - Book 2 of the Raven Series Page 7
