by Jane Jamison
Her mother pulled her arm back and, once again, began tearing up another napkin. “Did you know that chupacabras are supposed to live in Texas? That some people around the state have seen them?”
Tasha looked at the tracking device, then to her mother’s arm, then up to meet her gaze. “Is that why you’re back in Texas? Because you think there are others like you? Do you think other people have been attacked and changed into those things?”
“Tasha, please—”
But anger had pushed her past simple irritation. “What are you planning on doing, Mother? Are you planning on starting your own chupacabra pack? Or is there already a local chapter you can run?” Venom dripped from her tone. “This whole thing is ridiculous.”
“I’m telling you the truth. You have to believe me. Honey, you know I’ve never lied to you and I’m not lying now.”
“This is pure bullshit.” But she’s right. She’s never lied to me before.
“You believe me. I can see it in your eyes.”
“No.” And yet? She laughed her mirthless sound even as she fought against believing. “Shit. You’ve got me acting like this is real.”
Is insanity contagious?
“Please, honey, even if you don’t want to believe me, take the tracking device. Please. I want to know that if—when—something happens to me that you’ll find my body. That maybe, just maybe, you’ll give me a proper burial.” She lowered her chin, her gaze going to the table. “I know I wasn’t much of a mother to you or your brothers, but I’m asking you to do this one last thing for me.”
“This is insane.” Was she just as crazy to pick up the device and put it into her purse? Yet, she couldn’t find it in her to turn her mother down. “I’ll take it, but only because I don’t want to argue.”
“As long as you have it, then I’m good. You’ll be able to pick up my signal from miles away.”
“I don’t believe I’m asking this, but who is the they you’re talking about, Mother? Are you in some kind of trouble?” At least, that was something she could understand. Her mother’s work dealt in very confidential information. She’d often wondered if her mother’s work could be considered dangerous.
Her mother ignored her questions. “Thank you, honey. Just know that I’m going to be going a remote area of the state. I need to…get away.”
“You’re talking about disappearing, aren’t you? Into the middle of nowhere? Come on, Mother. You’re not the type to be without a five-star restaurant nearby.”
“I’m different now, but—” Her mother’s gaze slid over Tasha’s shoulder to the door beyond. Her face paled. “I have to go now,” said her mother in a harried voice. She grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth.
“But where exactly are you going? You can’t just throw this shit on me and then leave. Tell me what’s going on? Is someone threatening you?” She hurried to follow as her mother dashed away, not to the front door but toward the rear the building. “Where the hell are you going?”
Her mother glanced back once. “Don’t follow me.” She paused long enough to turn back. Her fearful gaze met hers. “If you don’t hear from me in a week or two, use the tracking device. Go northwest toward a town called Forever. I won’t be in the town, but close by.” Her gaze slipped behind Tasha, and her eyes widened. “I have to go now.”
“Where are you going? What’s in Forever? Who are you running from?” She’d never heard of the town. But then again, there were a lot of small towns in Texas that never made it on a map, much less known to everyone in the state.
Her mother pushed through the rear door and ran out into the alley. By the time Tasha made it to the door and shoved it wide open, her mother looked back again then disappeared around the side of the dumpster. She couldn’t think of anything else, any other way to keep her mother from leaving, so she shouted, “Show me. You said you’d show me.”
Her mother’s voice came from behind the Dumpster. “Two weeks, then find me.”
“Damn it. Show me or I’m not doing a fucking thing.” She wondered if her mother would chastise her for cussing. Her criticism was one of the few things Tasha remembered about her. “If you want me to believe this bullshit, you have to show me.”
Surely, that’ll put an end to this nonsense. Checkmate, Mother.
Tasha had so many unanswered questions swirling around, but they were all lost as her mother stepped out from behind the Dumpster. Tasha narrowed her eyes, unbelieving what she was seeing.
Her mother’s body began to change. Clothes tore apart as limbs broke. In shock, Tasha stayed where she was, unable to move as her mother fell to all fours. Within a minute, a canine-like creature with sharp spines running down its back lifted its head and growled.
The creature was exactly as her mother had described it. Deadly fangs and claws broke through flesh. Hair was lost, fading away to a strange leathery skin. It crouched, ready to attack.
Tasha fell against the wall, too stunned to stay upright. Everything inside her told her to run, but she had no strength. Instead, she slumped to a sitting position.
The creature that had been her mother advanced on her slowly. Red eyes blazed at her as it opened its mouth to bite. Saliva dripped from its jaws.
Mother? Oh, God. Mother.
“There it is.”
Tasha couldn’t take her eyes off the creature until the creature turned its blazing eyes toward the entrance of the alley. Two figures hidden in the darkness stood at the entrance. With a growl, her mother spun around and dashed out the other side of the alley.
Tasha remained where she was, unable to move, unable to help her mother. Would they help? Or would they do to her what they’d probably wanted to do to her mother? The questions remained unanswered as they hurried away.
* * * *
One week later
Tasha checked the tranquilizer gun one last time. She’d become obsessive about making sure the rifle was ready to use. Fortunately, she’d come to shooting naturally and had required very little instruction on how to use the weapon. As she slid into the seat of the ATV, she placed the rifle in its holder.
Maybe tonight is the night.
She hadn’t waited the two weeks as her mother had asked. Not after seeing those two figures in the darkness. She had no doubt that they’d been after her mother. No matter what she thought of her mother, no matter how complicated her feelings were, she couldn’t let them hurt her. Instead, she’d left town the very next day, using the tracking device to pick up her mother’s signal.
Still, she didn’t doubt the effectiveness of the device. If her mother said it would work, then it would. Yet, initially, she’d wondered if the unit had malfunctioned when the trail had crisscrossed the Texas landscape. At last, she’d finally ended up closer to Forever. But why had it taken her mother so long to get there? Why her mother told her to go to the small town if she hadn’t intended on going directly there was still a mystery. Had she been trying to get away from someone else? Had she done her best to hide her destination? Or had she simply changed her mind several times?
So far, Tasha hadn’t actually gone into the small town of Forever. Why should she? What was she supposed to do? Ask the people if they’d seen a chupacabra in the area? If she had, she wouldn’t have blamed them if they’d run her off. Instead, she’d stayed in the area, living in the small cramped camper she pulled behind a rented pickup. Taking time off from her job as a social worker hadn’t been easy, but because of her exemplary work record, her boss had said he’d cover for her. At least, for a while. But the time she’d been allowed to take off was quickly coming to an end. If she didn’t find her mother soon, she didn’t know what she’d do.
Could she leave and forget about her mother? Or would she regret not abandoning her mother for the rest of her life?
Damn it. She abandoned us. Why shouldn’t I do the same to her?
And yet, she couldn’t.
Riding across the Texas landscape at night was a foolish thing to do, but from the
research she’d done on the chupacabra creature, she knew her chances of finding her mother at night were better. The ATV’s engine roared underneath her as she pressed her foot against the gas pedal. Every so often, she’d glance down at the tracking device and check on the blimp that marked her mother’s whereabouts. Excitement filled her as she saw the blimp blinking faster and faster.
I’m getting close. Closer than I’ve been before.
Once she’d found her mother, she wasn’t sure what to do. She only knew that she had to find her before those two men found her first.
Would she take her mother home with her? Or would her mother refuse and run off again? Would her mother still be in danger at home? And even if she wasn’t, was there a cure? Would her mother know of others that might help? But if she’d had a solution, why hadn’t she sought their help? Who was tracking her? And why?
The questions came again as they had so many times before. She’d find the answers, someway, somehow, but for now, all that mattered was finding her mother.
The vehicle flew over the ground, lifting into the air with every leap over the next rise. She held tightly to the handlebars, but refused to slow down, no matter how dangerous it was. Another glance at the tracking device proved she was gaining ground.
She resisted the urge to check around her. If the two men were close by, she wasn’t sure what she could do to stop them. The only weapon she had was the tranquilizer gun. If they were armed, how could she defend herself, much less her mother, against them?
A dark form dashed across the path. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she pressed harder on the gas. Revving the motor, she took after what she hoped was her mother.
Again, the dark form rushed past her and down the gravel path. How had her mother circled back on her? Suddenly, the animal turned a sharp right and disappeared again.
No, I won’t let you get away.
She turned the corner going at breakneck speed. As soon as she did, she knew she was in trouble. As the ATV balanced on two wheels, threatening to tip over, she saw the three animals in the middle of the road. She slammed on the brakes, throwing up dirt and gravel. Her breath caught in her throat until the ATV landed again on four wheels and skidded to a stop.
What the hell?
She’d been searching for her mother, but it wasn’t her mother that stood in front of her. Three huge wolves barred the path. They stood side by side, almost as though they were intentionally forming a barrier.
Each was equally as broad, equally as huge as the others. Amber eyes stared at her, yet she felt no animosity in them. One was black, one brown, and the other more of a golden color. The ears were laid forward, a friendly gesture by canine standards. Their tails weren’t hung between their legs, but held upright as though in greeting. Yet they were wolves, predators of the night.
A strange sensation shook her, swiftly searing through her body. Instead of fear, she felt suddenly more alive than she’d ever had. She was drawn to them as though she’d known them all of her life.
For a moment, she actually considered getting out the ATV and walking over to touch them. Fortunately, she came to her senses.
She shook herself mentally and reached for her gun. Not that she could take all of them with one shot. But maybe, just maybe, one shot would be enough to scare them off. “Get out of here,” she said in a voice as firm as she could. If she couldn’t shoot all of them, then, hopefully, she could at least pretend to be in command. “Get out of here,” she repeated.
Surprisingly, she wasn’t afraid of them. Furthermore, she could see that they weren’t afraid of her. They stood their ground, not moving forward, yet not leaving, either. She glanced around quickly, unwilling to take her eyes off them for too long. But now that they’d blocked her way, had she lost track of her mother? One look at the tracking device told her she had.
Damn it. How’d she get out of range so fast?
But worrying about her mother would have to wait. She had to deal with the danger at hand.
The wolves returned her stare. It seemed that they were at a stalemate.
“Okay, nice wolves, let’s just pretend we didn’t see each other.” She kept her voice as soothing as possible.
Slowly, she reversed gears in the ATV and began to back up. The wolves didn’t move. Did she dare turn the ATV around and put her back to them? Yet she had no choice. She couldn’t back up all the way down the trail. Putting the vehicle into drive, she pressed on the gas and turned the wheel as hard as she could. Growls lifted onto the air as fear finally locked onto her. Straightening the wheels, she drove as fast as she could back the way she came.
She’d never seen one before, at least not in real life, but she knew these wolves were larger than most. Yet it wasn’t their size that had made them seem…different. They had an unusual manner about them, an almost a human-like presence.
Hunting my mother is starting to get to me.
Yet, as she pulled up to her camper, turned off the ATV’s engine, and checked around to make sure they hadn’t followed her, she knew it wasn’t the duration of the hunt that had made the wolves seem different. Those wolves weren’t ordinary wolves. They were somehow more. So much more.
But what?
Chapter Two
Paul Shiloh raced after the beautiful girl on the ATV. His brothers, Shane and Wick, ran by his side. After watching the woman for a few days, wondering what she was tracking, they’d decided to gain more information. With every day that passed, they’d dared to get closer to her. Then, once she’d begun heading down the path while going far too fast, they’d decided they had to keep her from hurting herself. She was lucky she hadn’t overturned the vehicle when she’d taken it around the corner on two wheels.
They hid in the shadows as she parked the ATV, glanced around, obviously wary of her surroundings. Her eyes widened in the same moment he felt the magical sensation hit him. Thrilled, he almost gave them away as he danced on his paws, eager to take her for his own. He’d never experienced the connection before seeing her a few days earlier, but he had no doubt that the feeling was real. Even if he hadn’t heard others describing the how they’d felt, he would’ve recognized it for what it was. What else could the electrical, stimulating sensation be except the invisible bond that flowed between a werewolf and his mate?
Once they were sure she was safely inside the camper, they ran back to their ranch house and shifted as soon as he was inside. Although he tried to remain casual, his excitement continued to grow. He was more certain than ever as he pulled on his clothes.
Beer in hand, Paul sat down on the couch, eager to talk. “Do either of you have any doubts?” As if he had to ask. They’d felt the connection with her the first moment they’d laid eyes on her. Keeping away from her, keeping their beasts in check had been the hardest things he’d ever done. But there was a mystery about her, and they had to know what was going on before they approached her.
Wick shoved a shock of dark brown hair away from his eyes. “No doubt as far as I’m concerned. She’s the one, all right.” His ever-ready grin came, lighting his face. “She’s our mate. God help her.”
Paul grinned at his brother. Wick was the humorous one of the trio. As the middle brother, Wick wasn’t as serious as Paul was or as quiet as Shane. “So what are we going to do? Isn’t it time?”
Shane was on his feet, pacing the room back and forth. He turned and confronted them. “Hell yeah, it’s time. If we wait any longer, she might light out and we’ll never see her again.”
Wick was already striding toward the door as he spoke. “I said I don’t have any doubt now. Never really did.” He paused at the door, his hand on the knob. “Get moving. I’ll drive.”
Paul wasn’t about to be left behind as they piled into the truck and headed for the camper. The terrain was rough, jostling them. She could’ve easily torn up her truck and camper going over the pot-holed dirt road. She must’ve been searching for a way into the pasture and gotten lucky to find the road. Even they
didn’t travel it often. But how she’d gotten there no longer mattered. She was all that mattered now.
He wasn’t sure what they’d say once they got there. But whatever came out, however it came out, they’d get to know her better.
Still undecided on what to say, he was the first one out of the pickup when they pulled up next to her camper. The lights were on, showing she was at home. Questions swirled. What kind of woman came out into the middle of nowhere in a camper? What kind of woman hunted in the dark? And what was she hunting for? So far, they hadn’t seen anything since they’d been so intent on watching her. Tonight, however, he knew she’d seen something. Judging from the way she’d driven the ATV, she’d been hell-bent on catching it. Obviously, she’d finally found her prey.
They stood outside the camper for a moment and studied each other. This was the moment they’d been waiting for almost all their lives. This was the moment they’d finally meet their mate.
Let’s do this. Now.
Paul couldn’t stand it any longer. He nodded then lifted his hand, fisted it, and banged against the door. He hadn’t meant to hit it so hard, but his enthusiasm had overtaken him.
“Take it easy, bro,” said Shane. “We don’t want to scare her off.”
“Which means we don’t tell her what we are right away,” added Wick.
“Maybe we should wait until tomorrow? During the day?”
Paul joined Shane in giving Wick a “what the fuck” stare? No way could he wait a second longer.
Besides, hadn’t they already discussed all of this? Now wasn’t the time to start changing their plans. “I’ve already knocked. Just let me take the lead.” He knocked again, this time a little lighter, yet still forcefully. Even now, with the door between them, he could feel the connection. He could sense her presence and know that she was so close by.
He had so much he wanted to tell her. So much he wanted to share with her. Not only his ranch but his heart. He wanted to let her know that they were her mates. For so many years, he’d practiced what he would say, yet when she opened the door, rifle in hand, he was suddenly at a loss for words.
