“That was incredibly smart.” He shook his head. “You’re a stronger alpha than I am. I’d have probably tried muscling my way out of the compound and gotten myself killed for it. I don’t like fighting.”
That startled her. “I’m no alpha. I’m a coward.” She made herself add the worst part. “And a murderer.”
His gasp didn’t surprise her. He was a deeply honorable man. She’d once been an honorable woman, too.
“Bullshit,” he growled.
She looked at him in shock.
He spared her a quick glance. “Who did you kill—Roehm?”
“No.” She fidgeted with the placket of her shirt. “Roehm promised the pride an all-night bash. He also invited a New Mexico wolf pack he wanted an alliance with to come party with them, meaning he’d have to deactivate the magic perimeter wards. Couldn’t have some drunk wolf stumble into them and get fried. I saw it as my last opportunity for escape because I was getting too fat to run.” She twisted her fingers together over her belly. “Everything went according to plan until Ruben caught me dressed for the escape, loading the motorcycle’s saddlebags with everything I’d stolen. He hit and kicked me, but he was so drunk, he could barely stand. I pleaded with him to just let me leave, but all he could talk about was the reward from Roehm. He fell on his hands and knees. Before he could get up, I pulled the bowie knife out of his belt sheath and slit his throat from ear to ear.” She took a deep breath to let out the tension. “I left him on the ground, bleeding out, and rode out like a bat out of hell. The only thing Roehm was ever afraid of was the Shifter Tribunal in Chicago, so that’s where I plan to go. They might take my illegal shifter child away, but at least they’ll look into Roehm’s activities.”
Trevor growled deep in his throat. “There’s no such thing as an illegal shifter child.”
“Right, just like there’s no auction for humans with shifter-mate potential.” She shook her head. “I know most of the stories I heard from Roehm and his degenerates are a load of crap, but there’s no way a shifter judge would let an ordinary human keep and raise a leopard-shifter child.” She couldn’t stop the tears. “I’ve tried so hard not to get attached, because either she was going to auction or some proper shifter family, but I love her.” She dropped her head back on the seat and let the tears flow. “I love her so much.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Trevor’s voice penetrated the downward spiral of her misery. “Where’s a fucking turnoff when you need one?”
His male impatience made her smile a little. She pointed to his clipboard. “Ask the magic map.”
She took a deep, watery breath and let it out with an audible sigh. Trevor’s hand appeared before her, holding a wad of tissues. She took them and used one to blow her nose. She half smiled when it sounded like an out-of-tune trumpet. One of her mother’s perennial jokes.
The truck slowed. She looked up to see a sign for a wildlife viewing area ahead. She wondered if mountain-dwelling shifters pranced around for the tourists, just to give them something to talk about.
Luck was with them, because the dirt road was easily wide enough for his truck, and bonus, it had a lone portable toilet standing at one end of the split-rail fence.
She sealed up her jacket against the ever-present wind, then opened the passenger door. Before she could move, he was standing on the running board and scooping her into his arms, then stepping down to place her on the ground. “I know you need to go, but we’re talking when you get back.” The wonderful man handed her a roll of toilet paper.
Jackie snuggled into Trevor’s lap, feeling guilty for enjoying it so much. “We can talk while you drive, you know.” They sat on the long, narrow bed in the cab’s sleeping compartment that she hadn’t known was behind her.
He tightened his arms around her, and sound rumbled from his chest. “Not for this, we can’t.” He kissed her temple. “First things first. You’re not a murderer, any more than a captured soldier is a murderer because he kills the enemy. End of fucking story.”
“Uhm, okay. But I still killed a man.” She couldn’t bring herself to feel bad that Ruben had died, but she’d remember the wet, gurgling sound for the rest of her life.
“It was you or him. I’m glad you won.” He kissed her head again. “Second, you are definitely an alpha. The best alphas know when to use their minds instead of muscles. There’s always someone who can beat you in a fight, or can outthink you, but damn few who know the right time to use each or both. That’s you. Anyone can die. It takes tremendous heart and courage to live.”
“I was scared all the time.” She breathed in the soothing scent of him. “They smelled it on me.”
“You should have been scared. The difference was, you didn’t let it stop you. If I’m ever caught behind enemy lines, I want you with me, because I know you’ll get us out.”
“I appreciate your confidence.” She touched the side of his jaw, where his beard would grow if he let it. “If it’s all right with you, I’d like to avoid any wars.”
“Me, too. I like peace.” He moved to kiss her a third time, but she twisted so he kissed her lips instead of her temple. He tasted so very good, and the bed beneath them gave her ideas on how best to use the small space, but she wanted to hear what he had to say. She pulled back to catch her breath.
He cradled her face in his palm and caught her gaze. “Third, whatever else happens, I will fight with every resource I have so you can keep your baby.”
She was honored by the stubborn determination behind his pledge. “Thank you.” She knew life was never that simple, but it warmed the depths of her soul to know he’d be in her corner. She caught a whiff of smoke. “Is something burning?”
He looked past her, and his eyes widened. “The threat map!”
She pushed off his lap so he could lunge for the cab. With lightning speed, he grabbed a bottled water and doused the scorching paper.
She moved closer, so she could see what went wrong with her magic. Unfortunately, it was just physics. A new swarm of red, coming from Laramie, had converged with the Colorado swarm into a hot, moving mass that was only an hour behind them at best.
She scrambled into her seat and fastened her seatbelt. “How fast can this thing go?”
He started the engine and fastened his, as well. “We’re about to find out.”
4
Trevor muttered a litany of curses as he decelerated for yet another sharp curve that he couldn’t see around. It meant going slowly enough to stay in his lane, so as not to scare the life out of any oncoming traffic and cause an accident.
“The threat map says those three red ‘scout’ dots are really close. We should be able to see them soon.” She’d been alternating between watching the map and turning to look behind them.
Jackie sounded tense, but not panicked, which helped keep his bear from worrying about her. His mate was one hell of a magnificent woman. He wasn’t anywhere good enough for her, but he aimed to become so. If she’d have him. If they lived long enough.
With its big engine and no load, his truck had made great time, until the road narrowed and started winding. He didn’t remember the mountainsides being so steep and rocky the last time he’d been through there.
“Could I try an experimental spell on your passenger-side mirror? If it works, it’ll show us the first vehicles behind us, regardless of how far back they are.”
“Go for it.” The sun had been high in the sky, but now, it was tilting west and creating shaded sections on the road. The sharp contrasts dazzled his human eyes, so he borrowed a bit of his bear to compensate. Being an alpha, with the half-shift capabilities it brought, had its advantages, even if he had no clan to serve and lead.
A brief pulse against his magical senses came from Jackie as she rolled down the window and touched the big mirror.
“What the hell?” Her consternation was plain.
He slowed for another blind curve and ignored the temptation to take his eyes from the road. “What?”
“It’s three men on low-slung motorcycles, like right out of the old movie Easy Rider.”
A bus-sized recreational vehicle rounded the bend in front of him at a dangerously fast speed and veered into his lane. He cursed and steered his truck as far right as he dared. At the last possible second, the RV recovered and swerved back into its own lane. He was tempted to blast his loud air horn, but the jerk was already gone.
“The motorcycles just passed the ‘falling rocks’ sign. They’ll see us soon on one of the mountain curves.” She made a frustrated sound. “The map shows they’re a threat, but Roehm hasn’t done business with anyone in Wyoming.”
He took advantage of a comparatively long and straight stretch to accelerate. “Maybe they’re meaning to attack Kotoyeesinay, and we’re just in their way.”
“Maybe”—she pointed to the map—“but the town still shows bright blue. It should show red if it’s trouble for us.”
Up ahead, the mountains rose steeper. A curve revealed part of the road on the next hill, and two more cars coming down, including a vintage Jaguar that was zipping around the slower modern Cadillac. Fates deliver him from cretins in convertibles who thought narrow mountain roads were their own Grand Prix course. “Where is all this traffic coming from?”
“It’s the end of a summer weekend,” Jackie said. “And besides, didn’t you say the town has a casino? Rich people like to gamble. Barry sure did.”
The threat map showed the red swarm creeping closer. “Do you have a spell that can make us invisible?”
“No, sorry. I can’t hide something as big as your truck.”
He took the inside curve more slowly than he wanted because he didn’t trust the oncoming traffic would see him in time. Fortunately, the two cars went by without any trouble. He almost missed the small sign that said five miles to Kotoyeesinay. Encouraging, but a hell of a lot of road for trouble to catch up to them.
“Besides,” she continued, “if we were invisible, we’d be a worse traffic hazard than those Hell’s Angels wannabes behind us.” She leaned closer to her window to stare at the mirror. “Oh, shit. I recognize those vests. That’s what Wiley the coyote and his fur-butt drinking buddy wore.”
He cursed. “How did they find us?”
“Good question. Are the coyotes working with Roehm and his Mad Max rejects, or do they want something else? And how did Roehm find us?”
“Mad Max?” He downshifted and hugged the lane divider on the outside curve. His bear might be fine going down the side of a mountain, but his truck wouldn’t fare so well. Neither would his mate.
She made a rude sound. “Muscle cars with spike grills, Jeeps with harpoons on top-mount turrets, you name it. The pride has a chop shop in the compound where they break down stolen cars for parts. Their hobby is customizing the pride’s vehicles.”
“Great.” He slowed for a hairpin turn that would take them higher up the mountain. “The fates hate me.”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds. Roehm drove off the only talented mechanic they had. The rest of them barely know which end of a welder to point away from their face.”
“They can still cause us a world of hurt.” He glanced quickly at her before focusing on the road. “Does Roehm want you dead or alive?”
“Alive, because...” She swore a loud, vicious oath. “I’m a bonehead. I know how he found us. He’s using a purchased tracking spell to follow the ledger. I was going to turn them over to the Shifter Tribunal as evidence. I used my magic to hide them from sight in my saddle bags, but not from magical sight.”
She twisted and fished behind her seat as he navigated a hairpin turn. He felt her magic flare like a sensuous brush of velvet on his skin. “They’re truly hidden now, but it doesn’t help us much. They already know where we are.”
“Yeah, and they’ve probably guessed we’re going to Kotoyeesinay.” He punched the accelerator. “Our best hope is to get there first.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her lean forward toward the side mirror again. “The motorcycles just passed that big RV. One of them turned back to follow it.”
“Maybe they don’t know what vehicle they’re looking for, so they have to check the drivers.” He took the next turn faster than he should have, but he felt the pressure of their pursuit.
“Could also be a coincidence. We still don’t know how they’re tracking us.” She blew out a loud breath. “I wish I was better at magic. Princess lends me her strength, but that doesn’t help me think of better ways to use it.”
“Princess?” He understood even as he said it. “Your daughter.”
“Didn’t think she’d appreciate being called Junior any longer.” Her voice held a note of sadness in the humor.
He wished he could spare a hand to touch her, comfort her. Soon, he promised his whining bear. “We’ll ask her when she’s old enough,” he said firmly.
She was silent a long moment. “You really are a wonderful man.” Her voice had the watery quality that meant her tears were flowing again.
He forced himself to pay attention to his driving. “Can your magic mirror see how many motorcycles we’re dealing with? We know there are more than just the three men you saw before, right?”
“Yes, they’d have a lot more riders, to make that clump on the threat map. And no, I can’t see them. The mirror is a fixed view.” She sniffled as she grabbed the pen off his clipboard and tore a page off his notepad. “But I have an idea.”
He concentrated on the road. He’d thought they were headed toward a summit, but it turned out to be the foothill to a much larger mountain. Its familiar look cheered him, because he’d been worried they’d somehow taken a wrong turn and were going the long way around.
The sustained flare of her magic caressed him like she’d stuck her hand down his pants. No one else’s magic had that effect on him. Apparently being around his mate returned him to the days of being a constantly horny shifter teenager.
“Okay, if this worked right, we have thirteen motorcycles after us. Two are really close, and one is heading back to the rest. The big clump is riding two-up.”
A clear view of a long stretch of empty curved road had him accelerating and crossing into the opposite lane to hug the mountainside. A small sign said two miles to Kotoyeesinay.
“There they are.” Jackie was turned, looking out the side window. “That’s what, a mile back?”
“About.” He couldn’t go any faster or they’d miss the turnoff. He couldn’t remember if it was left or right.
“One of them pointed toward us. They’re speeding up.”
Another curve meant he had to get back in his lane. He took a deep breath to release tension, but it didn’t help. The red on the threat map glowed like a raging wildfire.
“Coyote One and Two are gaining.” After a moment, she added, “Shit, the mirror just showed me Roehm’s spike-grill Charger.”
He suppressed a growl. “Do they have any long-range weapons? Guns? Grenade launchers?”
“They mostly sold handguns and rifles. I don’t know what a grenade launcher looks like. The coyotes aren’t wearing holsters or anything.”
Finally, he saw the turnoff sign he’d been looking for. “Left turn coming up fast. Hang on to anything that might go flying.”
He couldn’t spare her a glance because it took all his concentration not to tilt sideways as he slowed to take the turn. Big-engine tractor trucks depended on rear weight to keep them from being unstable land rockets on ten tires.
The road turned out to be wider than he’d imagined, and well paved. It also appeared to be headed around the mountain and down. He couldn’t remember how far it was to town. He sped up as much as he dared and watched for road hazards and traffic.
“Coyote One missed the turn, but Coyote Two didn’t. He’s on our tail.” She leaned toward the side mirror. “I think he’s got a CB radio, because he’s talking into a microphone.”
Trevor tilted his chin toward his unit on the console. “Use that and see i
f you can find what band he’s using. Try nineteen first.”
After some fumbling, she found the volume and channel dials. They both jumped at the sudden burst of static, then a man’s loud voice.
“...almost caught up. He’s got a female with him.”
“Right behind you,” came another man’s voice. “Get in front…”
A third, female voice interrupted. “Don’t be stupid. Pull off where you are. We’ll catch up.”
“But if he gets to Kotoyeesinay, we can’t touch him.” That was the loud man.
“We’ll petition the town council. He’s gotta pay,” the woman growled. “Don’t cross the border or hurt him on glade lands, or they’ll hurt us worse.”
The truck crested a hill, then began a steep descent. Trevor downshifted to keep the truck under control.
“Is it, uh, against the shifter code to tell me what’s going on?”
“No, but I have no idea why they’re chasing me.” Trees rose up around them as the road curved into what looked like a forested valley. It looked inviting and forbidding at the same time. “I didn’t do anything else to the two that jumped you like I wanted to.”
The woman’s voice came back on. “Watch out for that Jeep with the turret. Morgan got a whiff of lynx when they passed us. None of ’em can drive for shit.”
“The Charger just blew past us. About five more just made the turnoff.”
“If they’re after our bear,” growled the woman, “they’ll have to stand in line.”
A powerful wave of magic flowed over the truck and through Trevor. Reality wavered, and suddenly, he felt like he’d walked into a tuxedo affair buck naked, with everyone giving him the once over. The real world snapped back in time for him to hear Jackie gasp and curse. He’d forgotten to warn her about the border effect. He’d also forgotten to tell her his aunt’s instructions.
Shifter Mate Magic Page 5
