Werewolf in Alaska

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  He had a job to do. Taking the carving from the mantel, he sat down on her sofa and put it in his lap. Instantly he felt closer to her, as he had all those times when he’d stood beside his own mantel and gazed at her work.

  “She’s a great artist.” Lionel settled himself in an easy chair next to the sofa. “Nobody carves wolves the way she does.”

  “She has a gift, all right.” Jake looked over at him. “I don’t know how long this will take. You don’t have to sit here unless you –”

  “I’ll sit here.” Lionel’s dark gaze was troubled. “The minute you figure out where she is, we’re leaving.”

  “That’s if I find out.”

  “You will. You have to.”

  Jake looked at the kid, whose every muscle was tense with worry. “I know.” Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and spread his hands over the remembered grooves of the wolf carving. Rachel, where are you?

  At first he got nothing except a fuzzy transmission that could have been his own thoughts ricocheting around in his brain. He was easily as tense as Lionel. He forced himself to relax and try again. Rachel, where are you?

  Jake! I’m in an SUV.

  He sucked in a breath. Where?

  Alaskan Highway going south.

  The bastards had taken her! He gripped the wood. How long?

  About fifty minutes.

  Color?

  Black.

  Hang on, Rachel. We’re coming. Watch for my truck.

  Hurry, Jake.

  I damn well will. Opening his eyes, he stood and laid the piece of wood on the sofa. “Let’s roll.”

  “Where is she?”

  Jake filled him in as he headed for the front door.

  “Should I bring my gun, then?” Lionel followed close behind. “It’s in my truck. I have ammunition.”

  Jake debated for a second. He wasn’t a fan of guns, especially the exact rifle that had wounded him a short time ago. He would never shoot any creature. But tires…that was a different matter. “Yeah,” he said. “Bring your gun.” He walked out the front door with Lionel right behind him.

  “How about my red emergency light?”

  “Your what?” Jake had no idea what the kid was talking about, so he continued out the door and down the path to the parking area, moving fast.

  “Just an old one, the bubblegum kind.”

  “Why do you have it in the first place?”

  “Oh, you know. Something I picked up for fun, to scare my friends.” Lionel hurried to keep up. “You can stick it on the top of your vehicle and when you turn it on, at first glance you look like a cop.”

  “Isn’t that illegal?”

  “Well, yeah, but you can get away with stuff like that out here. Not too many cops to catch you doing it. Me and my friends, we play tricks on each other all the time.”

  “Okay. That might come in handy.” They reached the parking area and Jake started towards his truck.

  “I have a siren, too.”

  Jake looked at him and shrugged. “What the hell? Bring everything.” He didn’t know how this would all shake out, but he’d use whatever tools presented themselves. An emergency light and a siren might be just what he needed as a distraction.

  Moments later, they were heading toward the highway going way over the speed limit.

  Lionel glanced over at the speedometer. “See, here’s my thought. If we put the bubble light on top, we can fool anybody on the road into thinking we have a right to speed.”

  “Except a cop.”

  “Which is why I brought my fuzz-buster.” Lionel stuck it on the dash. “And my converter plug so we can run everything.”

  “Good Lord.” Jake kept his eyes on the road because he really was going way too fast, but with all of Lionel’s paraphernalia, they might get away with racing along like maniacs.

  Fortunately, the SUV they were pursuing would be driving at a very sedate pace. Whoever was in the car with Rachel wouldn’t want to be pulled over with a kidnap victim on board. But by the time Jake finished with them, they might wish it had been the cops who pulled them over.

  As they raced along, Jake tried not to worry about Lionel hanging out the window while he used his long arms to slap the bubble light on the roof of the cab. “Don’t fall out, okay?”

  “Hey, this is nothing! You should see me doing it while I’m driving!”

  “No, thanks!” That was the moment Jake realized he would have to work hard not to be an overprotective father when the time came. Maybe Rachel could help him with that and remind him that all kids, werewolf and human alike, needed space to grow.

  Lionel got the light working, and Jake took full advantage of the fact that cars pulled over to let him by. The emergency light was a brilliant concept. They were making excellent time.

  “Want me to crank up the siren, Mr. Hunter?”

  Jake glanced over at him and recognized the light of battle in the kid’s eyes. “Sure. Let’s give ’em all we’ve got.”

  “Awesome.” Lionel added the siren to the mix, and cars pulled over even quicker.

  Jake slammed the pedal down, turned the big V-8 loose, and the truck screamed down the highway. Apparently luck was smiling on them, because they didn’t pass a single cop car as they hurtled along. Jake factored in the speed of the SUV compared with his speed, and when he thought they might be getting close, he told Lionel to keep an eye out for a black SUV.

  “We might see more than one, you know,” Lionel said

  “I guess.” Jake thought about that. “But I have a feeling I’m going to know it when we see it.” He couldn’t explain the emotion burning in his chest, but the closer he got to Rachel, the hotter the flame. Those bastards had Rachel, and they were going to rue the day they were born.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  From the moment Rachel had made telepathic contact with Jake, she’d had trouble sitting still. She knew he was coming for her. She could feel it.

  She almost felt sorry for the two werewolves in the front seat. They had no idea what they were dealing with. Their pursuer had faced down a grizzly to keep her safe. Taking on a couple of thugs like them would be a piece of cake.

  When she heard the siren and turned to see the flashing light on the top of Jake’s black truck, she had to clap her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing and shouting for joy. Now this was what she called a rescue!

  Mitch glanced in his side-view mirror. “What the fuck is that idiot doing?”

  He’s coming for you, Rachel thought with barely controlled glee. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

  “Just pull over and let him go by,” Karl said. “He’s probably drunk.”

  “Yeah, probably is,” Mitch said. “These backcountry types love to tie one on, don’t they?” He swung the SUV to the side of the road. “Go around, idiot!”

  The black truck didn’t go around. Instead it pulled up behind the SUV, its big engine rumbling. The siren stopped screeching and the emergency light switched off.

  “Mitch,” Karl said in a low voice. “I think you’d be wise to get the hell out of here. I smell a Were in that truck.”

  “When you’re right, you’re right.” Mitch gunned it, but the SUV didn’t get very far. Two shots rang out. Mitch started swearing as the car swerved, its two rear ties blown out.

  Mitch pulled the SUV to the shoulder and looked over at Karl. “You ready to fight Jake Hunter?”

  “Was that in the contract?”

  “Not the one I read.”

  Rachel unlatched her seatbelt and turned to watch Jake and Lionel get out of the truck. Maybe it was her imagination, but they seemed to radiate power as they approached the SUV, like a couple of gunslingers from the Old West.

  Karl turned to look, too. “One’s human.”

  “Yeah, and he’s carrying a rifle. That’s not good.”

  “You armed, Mitch?”

  “Not me. How about you, Karl?”

  “You know I hate the things.”

  Mitch sighed. �
��Then how about we give them the woman and call a towing service?”

  “That’s not going to make us very popular.”

  Mitch glanced in the side-view mirror one more time. “Hey, their plan didn’t work! Is that our fault? You know the rap sheet on Hunter. He challenged a grizz not long ago. And won. Personally, I don’t care to tangle with him.”

  “Me, either.” Karl unsnapped his seat belt and opened his door. “Hey, don’t shoot! You can have her! We surrender!”

  As Rachel scrambled out of the car, she realized two things. All Weres weren’t as courageous as Jake, and from this moment on, he’d have to pry her away from his side with a crowbar. Whether he wanted her or not, she was his forever.

  “Put your hands over your heads!” Lionel shouted, pointing his rifle alternately at Mitch and Karl. “This gun’s loaded, and I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot you.”

  “I can testify to that,” Jake said. “Come on over here, Rachel.”

  She didn’t have to be asked twice. Running to him, she accepted the protection of being tucked firmly against his side while he kept his attention on Mitch and Karl. “Thank you,” she murmured.

  “Don’t mention it.” He held her so tight, she wondered if he’d cut off the circulation in her arm. And he was trembling. He’d managed to intimidate the two werewolves who’d abducted her, but he was vibrating from the residual fear. For that matter, so was she.

  Even so, his voice was steady as he spoke to her captors. “We’ll leave with Rachel, now. Want us to call a tow truck for you?”

  “We’ll handle that,” Mitch said.

  “Your call.” Jake took a deep breath. “You might want to reconsider your choice of friends.”

  “Trust me,” Karl said. “I’m already doing that.”

  “Good. Come on, Rachel. We’re done here.”

  Lionel kept his rifle at the ready. “You two get in the truck. I’ll keep these two covered until you beep the horn.”

  “Thanks, Lionel.” Jake gave Rachel a squeeze. “Let’s go home.”

  “Do you mean that?”

  He hustled her toward the truck. “I do. In every sense of the word. I’m never leaving you again.”

  Her heart soared. Maybe getting kidnapped wasn’t such a bad thing if it could convince the love of her life that he belonged by her side.

  Once they were all in the cab with Rachel wedged between Lionel and Jake, Lionel was full of questions. “I never did ask why somebody would take Rachel in the first place. I mean, who were those guys? They seemed to know who you were, Jake.”

  Rachel decided to let Jake respond.

  “Turns out there was a plot to hold Rachel for ransom,” Jake said. “I guess they thought that somebody, maybe her folks, would be able to access her bank account.”

  Lionel considered that. “I suppose that makes sense, but how did you figure that out, Jake?”

  “They decided to use me as part of the plot. See, I’d decided to move back to Idaho to be with my extended family, and the kidnappers made it look like Rachel had gone with me, to throw everybody off until they were ready to make their demands.”

  Rachel smiled to herself. It was a flimsy story, but it might pass muster with Lionel. She hoped so, because Lionel must never find out the truth. She didn’t want him to carry the secret around for the rest of his life.

  “So are you going to Idaho, Mr. Hunter?”

  “No, not anymore. I realized my life is here, with Rachel.” He reached over and laced his fingers through hers.

  She adored Lionel and was incredibly touched that he’d come along to help facilitate the rescue. But she had so much to say to Jake that couldn’t be said. She’d have to wait until they were alone and hope she didn’t explode from frustration in the meantime.

  The rest of the trip home was filled with a recap of the exciting chase and the satisfying ending. Lionel had obviously had the time of his life and could hardly wait to share his hero status with his friends and family.

  Rachel blessed that urge, because when they pulled into the parking space near her cabin, Lionel was fidgeting in his eagerness to leave.

  “I’m really glad you’re home safe, Miss M,” he said as he stood with his gadgets piled in his arms. Jake held his rifle for him.

  “Lionel, I can’t ever thank you enough for coming to my rescue.”

  He beamed at her. “You had to know I would. Jake and I, we knew we’d get you back. It was a given.”

  “It was.” Standing on tiptoe, she kissed Lionel on the cheek. “Now go party. You deserve it.”

  He blushed. “Thanks.”

  “Oh, and Lionel…do you happen to know any women who might be interested in Ted Haggerty?”

  “Mr. Haggerty? He likes being single! He said so a bunch of times.”

  “Well, he’s not quite as happy as he wants us to think.”

  Lionel nodded. “All right, then. I’ll see what I can do. See you in the morning, okay?”

  “You bet.” Rachel gazed at him with fondness. “By the way, is your carving in the woodshop?”

  “Oh, yeah. I left it there. We can talk about it tomorrow.”

  “I may pay it a visit before then.”

  “Aw, you don’t have to do that, Miss M. You and Mr. Hunter probably need…well, you know.”

  Jake wrapped an arm around Rachel. “We can take time to look at your art, Lionel.”

  Rachel didn’t think she could love Jake any more, but that comment made her full to the bursting point.

  “Well, see you two later.” Lionel dumped his gadgets in the passenger seat, took the rifle from Jake, and climbed into his truck. With a wave, he drove away.

  Rachel sighed and leaned her head against Jake’s shoulder. “Oh, my God.”

  “Yeah.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Let’s go see Lionel’s carving. If we don’t do it now, we’ll forget.”

  Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “Okay.” No one else had understood the dreams she had for Lionel, but Jake did. After a short walk through the midday sun, they stood in the workshop, arms wrapped around each other as they gazed at the piece of wood that she’d given Lionel to carve.

  She’d wondered if Lionel would choose to carve wolves because she did. But no. He’d wisely decided to take a different path. In his carving, a majestic eagle soared over a rugged mountain range. The rush of freedom he’d caught in the eagle’s flight took her breath away.

  “It’s good,” Jake said.

  “It is.” She tightened her hold on him. “Very good. He’s going to make it as an artist.”

  Jake was quiet for a moment. “I’m glad I’ll be here to see it happen.”

  She gazed up at him, so afraid that his choice would be painful for him, at least in the beginning. “Will you become a pariah because of me?”

  He gazed down at her, love shining in his eyes. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t give a damn. But I won’t. If there’s one thing werewolves understand, it’s the importance of finding a soul mate. I’ll have to eat some crow when I admit that my soul mate turned out to be you, a human female, and WARM will take a big hit.”

  “I hate that. It was your baby.”

  “I know, but thanks to this humbling experience with you, I realize the concept was too limiting. I have to expand my thinking, and there will be those who criticize me for waffling, but…it’s a small price to pay for being able to love you for the rest of my life.”

  “What about the Hunters?”

  A shadow crossed his features. “I’ll have to deal with them, no question. They’ve hooked up with some fringe group called the consortium, and I’ll have to report that to the Were council.”

  “Jake, I’m afraid I’ve made your life more complicated.”

  He laughed in that low, intimate way she loved. “Of course you have. I’ll have hell to pay, and MacDowell will be insufferable. But you’re worth it.” Still holding her, he turned so that they were face to face. “I humbly ask you, Rachel Miller, if y
ou will consent to be my mate.”

  She looked into those green eyes, knowing that they were the eyes of a creature she only partly understood. But she knew his heart, and it belonged to her. “Yes,” she said, “I will be your mate, Jake Hunter.”

  “You don’t want to think about it?”

  “Ever since you suggested that as a solution to our problems, I’ve thought of nothing else.” She smiled up at him. “I think I knew the answer then. Yes, Jake. Yes, yes, and forever after, yes.”

  But Wait, There’s More!

  Coming August 2018!

  When casino owner Luke Dalton agrees to help the lovely Giselle Landry track down her wayward brother, he never imagines he’ll uncover a world straight out of mythology in WEREWOLF IN LAS VEGAS, book six in the Wild About You series!

  Go wild with all the tales in the Wild About You series!

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  Praise for Vicki’s werewolf series

  “Sizzling as well as howlingly funny.”

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  “Enough heated sex scenes to satisfy any werewolf romance fan.”