Animal Instinct

by Paige Tyler

  “The guy who kidnapped me grabbed Heidi, too,” she explained. “He took her up to the state park.”

  Shit.The bastard must have been just waiting for him to leave, so he could get to Heidi. He should never have left her there. He should have realized it was a set-up. “Which part of the park?” he asked. “Do you remember?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, but I’m not good with directions. I’ll have to go with you.”

  “Definitely not,” Luke said firmly. “It’s too dangerous. Just give me a general idea of where he took Heidi. I’ll be able to find them.”

  Sukie lifted her chin, a stubborn look in her dark eyes. “No, I have to show you,” she insisted, then added, “I’ll stay in the SUV the whole time. Promise.”

  Luke hesitated. While he didn’t want to put Sukie in any more danger, he didn’t want to waste time arguing with her, either. Heidi was in danger.

  “Okay,” he finally said. “Get in.”

  Hoping he wasn’t making a huge mistake, Luke walked around to the driver’s side and climbed in. Starting the engine, he put the SUV in gear and pulled out of the parking space.

  “Which way?” he asked, glancing over at Sukie.

  “Toward Glenn Road.”

  Luke turned right out of the parking lot. He looked at Sukie again. “How did you get away?”

  “Heidi helped me. She distracted him so I could get away,” the dark-haired girl said. “I didn’t want to leave her, but she said I had to get help. She told me to find you.”

  “You did the right thing,” he told her. “How did you get back to town?”

  “I hitched a ride with some tourists,” Sukie said.

  If Luke hadn’t been so worried about Heidi, he probably would have lectured Sukie on the dangers of getting into cars with strangers. Right now, he was glad she had. “The guy who kidnapped you,” he said. “Did he hurt either of you?”

  To his relief, Sukie shook her head. “But he was saying some really weird things.”

  Luke frowned. “Like what?”

  She shrugged. “That he wanted Heidi to be his mate.”

  Luke glanced at her sharply. “He used that word? Mate?” What the hell else did he say in front of the teenager?

  Sukie nodded. “Yeah. He said some other stuff, too.” She sat up straighter in the seat and pointed. “Turn at that road up there.”

  Luke did as she directed, not surprised to see it was one of the access roads that the park service used.

  “There’s his truck!” Sukie said excitedly.

  The pickup looked empty, but Luke parked about a hundred feet behind it just the same. Turning off the engine, he pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Sukie.

  “I’m going to go after Heidi. Call your parents and tell them that we’re on the access road near River Trail,” he told her, reaching for the door handle.

  “Are you going to turn into a wolf?” she asked as he opened the door.

  Startled by the question, Luke swung his head around to look at her in disbelief. “What? No!”

  Sukie regarded him thoughtfully. “The guy who kidnapped us said you were a werewolf. Heidi, too.”

  Shit. Well, that answers the question about what else the bastard said in front of her.“Call your parents,” he told Sukie. “And stay here.”

  She opened her mouth to reply, but he slammed the door before she could say anything. He moved quickly up the trailhead before he turned back to see Sukie sitting in the SUV watching him. Man, he hoped she did as he’d told her and stayed put. Because regardless of what he’d said, he was most certainly going to change into a wolf. It was the only way he could get to Heidi fast enough. His blood ran cold at the thought of the other werewolf. After finding someone as perfect as Heidi, there was no way he was going to let anyone take her from him.

  * * * *

  Heidi paced back and forth across the small pantry, her fear for Luke just about driving her insane. Tears suddenly stung her eyes. She should have told him that she loved him before he’d left to find Sukie because now she might not get the chance. Stop thinking like that. She was going to get out of here and warn Luke that he was heading into a trap. As soon as she figured out how to get through that damn door. She smacked her hand against the wood in frustration. God, she felt like a trapped animal!

  She paused in mid-step, the words echoing in her head. That was it. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it before. Her best chance for escape would be to turn into a wolf. Ryan would never expect it. And when he opened the door, she could bolt out before he even realized what was going on. But could she actually do it? She had no idea. Luke had said it would take her time to learn how to control it, but she didn’t have a choice. She had to try.

  Keeping one eye on the door, Heidi stripped off her T-shirt and wiggled out of her jeans, praying that Ryan wouldn’t decide to come in while she was naked. Or worse, while she was in the middle of changing. Not even wanting to think about that, she took off her bra and panties, then got down on her hands and knees.

  Remembering what Luke had said about focusing on his inner wolf whenever he wanted to change, Heidi took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to find that fluttering sensation she had felt in her stomach right before her first change. But concentrating while she was worried that Ryan was going to open the door at any second wasn’t easy to do. She was so keyed up that she found herself jumping at every little noise she heard.

  This isn’t working. I have to try something else. She needed to find something that would help her relax. An image of Luke immediately came to mind. That would work. Closing her eyes again, she pictured herself lying in his arms as he slowly ran his hands up and down her body, kissing her and whispering soft words of encouragement in her ear like he had last night.

  As she let the images wash over her, she felt herself becoming more and more relaxed. She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there like that, but after a moment, she suddenly realized she could feel that familiar fluttery sensation in her belly. There it was. Now all she had to do was let it envelop her like Luke had said.

  But when she tried to lock on the sensation, it began to subside. Terrified it was slipping away, she stopped trying to reach for it and just let it come to her. To her relief, the sensation began to get stronger again. She let herself go with it. A moment later, she felt the cramping and stretching in her arms and legs that had preceded last night’s change. It was working.

  Heidi gritted her teeth, ignoring the momentary pain that came with the change. This time, she actually reveled in it knowing that soon she would be able to get to Luke. She gritted her teeth, almost feeling the fur as it grew along her back and side. She was almost there.

  When it was done, she was left panting on the floor. Afraid that she might just have imagined the change, Heidi slowly opened her eyes, and was relieved to see big paws where her hands used to be. She had done it! She was so excited that she almost let out a howl.

  The sound of the lock being opened brought her head up sharply. Heidi tensed, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched the doorknob turn. This was her chance. She got to her feet. She couldn’t blow it. She didn’t give Ryan a chance to come into the pantry, but barreled through the door the moment it swung open.

  “What the…” he began as she ran into the outer room. “Oh, fuck!”

  But Heidi barely heard him as she raced across the cabin. She hadn’t given much thought to what she would do once she got out of the pantry, but now that she was free, she instinctively headed for the nearest window. Knowing it was the only way out, she leaped into the air, closed her eyes and smashed through it. The sound of breaking glass was deafening in her ears, but she paid no attention to it as she landed on all four feet on the soft grass outside a moment later.

  Yes!

  Heidi paused just long enough to look over her shoulder and see Ryan hurrying over to the window before she started running again. Deciding her best bet would be to go back to the way they had come, she h
eaded in that direction.

  She ran as fast as she could, but she was unfamiliar with the area and wasted a lot of time getting turned around on the network of trails that crisscrossed all over the place. Damn. She had to hurry. Ryan wouldn’t wait forever before he changed himself and came after her.

  Just then, she came to the part of the trail that ran along the ravine that she had pushed Ryan into before. Good. That meant she was almost back to the road. She picked up her speed, only to hear Ryan crashing through the forest behind her. Though she was running as fast as she could, he was gaining on her quickly. Oh God. He was going to catch her before she got back to the trailhead, she knew it.

  Abruptly, a huge gray shape burst from the trees to leap over her and slam into Ryan. Startled, Heidi skidded to a stop to see Luke getting to his feet. He was bigger than Ryan, and more heavily muscled, too, and Heidi held her breath as the two of them squared off. While she was relieved to see Luke, she was also petrified he would get hurt.

  They growled at each other for a moment, then suddenly, they both charged. Terrified, Heidi could do no more than watch as they viciously fought. Part of her wanted to help Luke, but the rest knew that she’d just get in the way. So, she forced herself to stay where she was.

  The two of them slammed into each other again and again, teeth and claws ripping at each other. Ryan was faster, but Luke was stronger, and he used that strength to continuously push Ryan further and further away from Heidi. She instinctively knew Luke was giving her a chance to get away, but there was just no way she could leave him. Instead, she stood there by the edge of the ravine holding her breath.

  Ryan was weakening quickly and bleeding from half a dozen gashes on his neck and shoulders, while thankfully, Luke only seemed to be getting stronger. Ryan took a step back, hesitating, and Heidi thought for a moment that he was going to give up. But suddenly, Ryan darted around Luke, not even trying to attack him. Instead, he came straight toward her, his teeth bared in a ferocious snarl. Heidi tried to backpedal, but she was already on the edge of the ravine and there wasn’t enough room. Before she could even think, Ryan’s teeth closed over the thick fur on her neck. Pain shot through her. Oh, God, he was going to kill her.

  With an enraged growl, Luke launched himself at Ryan, slamming his large shoulder into the smaller werewolf’s side. The force of the impact ripped Ryan’s teeth away from her neck, taking a good bit of fur with it, and tumbled him over the edge of the ravine. This time, his slide down the hillside was less controlled than it had been before, and Heidi watched as he bounced off several boulders and trees on the way down. He came to a stop to lay unmoving at the bottom.

  Luke glanced at her before making his way down the slope. Before he could reach Ryan, however, the other werewolf had already slowly started turning back into a human. Even as a new werewolf, Heidi knew there was only one reason for that to happen.

  Heidi watched as Luke walked over to cautiously sniff Ryan’s still form. After a moment, he climbed back up the hill and padded over to her. He touched his nose to hers and gave her muzzle a lick before taking a step back to change back into his human form. When he was done, he crouched down beside her and gently ran his hand over her fur.

  “I need you to change for me, Heidi,” he said, his voice soothing. “Do you think you can do that?”

  Heidi let out a little yip, hoping he would take that for a yes. She didn’t know exactly how to change back into her human form, so she was glad when Luke began to talk her through it. She was so exhausted that it seemed to take a lot longer to change back this time than it had the previous night.

  Opening her eyes after it was done, Heidi gazed at Luke for a moment, then threw herself into his arms. His went around her, holding her to him tightly.

  “It’s all right. You’re safe now, sweetheart,” he said softly. “Oh God, I was so worried about you.”

  She hugged him tightly. “I was worried about you, too. He said he was going to kill you when you came to save me.”

  “None of that matters now.” Luke pulled back to gaze down at her, his eyes searching her face. “Did that bastard hurt you?”

  She shook her head. “No. I got away from him before he could.” Her gaze slid to where Ryan still lay motionless on the ground below. She couldn’t suppress a shiver as she turned back to Luke. “Is he…”

  Luke’s mouth tightened. “Yes. I didn’t mean for him to go over the edge like that, but I had to get him away from you. He was going to kill you.”

  Heidi nodded. As much as she had wanted to get away from Ryan, she hadn’t wanted things to end this way. But like Luke had said, Ryan was going to kill her. Part of her felt sorry for Ryan, but another small bit also felt relief that he wouldn’t be able to come after her and Luke again.

  Luke reached up to cup her cheek. “Where are your clothes?”

  “At the cabin where he was holding me,” she said. “It’s not far from here.”

  Luke took her hand. “Okay. Come on then.”

  Heidi didn’t argue, but led the way back to the cabin. She had thought it might be difficult to find considering how turned around she had gotten when she’d fled before, but she surprised herself by taking Luke right to it. Once inside, she immediately went to the pantry and picked up her clothes.

  “What are we going to tell the police?” she asked as she pulled on her jeans.

  “We can’t tell them what really happened, that’s for sure.” Luke said, then shrugged. “Or at least not all of it. We’ll tell them that he locked you up and that when you escaped, he came after you. I went to look for you and found you running through the forest, trying to get away from him.”

  Heidi frowned as she put on her T-shirt. “But what are we going to say about what happened to him?”

  “That he must have fallen down the ravine when he was chasing you.”

  Heidi said nothing as she shoved her feet into her sandals. She didn’t like the idea of lying, but there was no way they could tell the cops what really happened. At least the story sounded believable enough. Just enough facts to explain what had happened, but not enough to seem like a fabricated story. She just hoped that the cops believed them.

  “Ready?” Luke asked.

  She nodded, eager to get out of there. On the way back to the access road, they stopped so Luke could get his clothes.

  “The other were,” Luke said as he got dressed. “Did you ever meet him before?”

  Heidi nodded. “His name was Ryan Ackerman. He was a ranger up at the Girdwood station. I went out to lunch with him once when I first got here.”

  Luke looked up from tying the laces on his hiking boots. “And he thought you’d make the perfect mate for him.”

  Luke hadn’t phrased it as a question, but she nodded anyway. “I tried to let him know that I wasn’t interested, but apparently he never figured it out. He told me that he followed me that day so he could deliberately attack me. He was going to pretend to rescue me, but you interrupted him.” She swallowed hard as a disturbing thought suddenly occurred to her. “If you hadn’t come when you did, I might have actually believed him.”

  Luke took her in his arms and held her tightly. “But I did come, sweetheart.”

  Thank God.

  They stood like that for a long moment before Luke stepped back. “We should get going before Sukie comes looking for us.”

  Heidi’s eyes went wide. She’d almost forgotten the girl! “Sukie’s with you?”

  Luke gave her a sidelong glance as they made their way through the trees. “She said she wasn’t good at giving directions and that she had to show me where Ackerman had taken you. I didn’t buy it, but I didn’t want to waste time arguing, so I let her come with me.”

  Heidi shook her head. “Her parents must be frantic.”

  “I gave Sukie my cell phone and told her to call them,” he said.

  “Good.” Heidi sighed. “Sukie heard Ryan say that we’re werewolves. I think I was able to convince her that he was crazy, th
ough.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Luke said, holding a tree branch out of the way for Heidi. “Before I came to find you, she asked me if I was going to turn into a wolf.”

  Heidi groaned. “Oh, crap. What did you say?”

  “I told her that I wasn’t, then left before she could ask me any more questions.”

  Smart. Heidi doubted that would dissuade the precocious girl. When she and Luke got back to his SUV, she was sure Sukie was going to have all sorts of questions for them. Heidi was still trying to come up with something to say that would make Sukie believe Ryan had made up the whole werewolf thing as they stepped out onto the access road.

  It was a complete zoo. There were police cars everywhere and cops donning flak jackets and loading weapons. Sukie was the first to spot her and Luke, and the girl immediately ran over to them.

  “Heidi! I knew Luke would rescue you,” Sukie said, throwing her arms around Heidi and hugging her fiercely. After a moment, she pulled back to look up at Heidi. “You’re okay, aren’t you? That creep didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  Heidi couldn’t help but smile at the concern in the other girl’s voice. “No, he didn’t hurt me. Luke got there just in time. Thanks to you.”

  Sukie grinned. “I’ve been telling the police everything that happened. They were just going to go look for you and Luke.”

  At the mention of the police, Heidi glanced up to see half a dozen uniformed police officers standing with Sukie’s parents. Several others, including two detectives, were already making their way toward them with questioning looks on their faces.

  Luke put his hand on Heidi’s back, gently urging her forward. “Come on,” he whispered in her ear. “The sooner we talk to them, the sooner we can go home. Remember, keep it simple. The less details, the better.”

  Heidi knew he was right, of course, but that didn’t mean she was eager to talk to the cops. Especially since she had no idea what Sukie had already told them.

  The moment Heidi mentioned the cabin and Ryan Ackerman, most of the cops headed off into the woods with weapons drawn, while the two detectives stayed behind to take their statements. For the most part, the questions they asked her and Luke were all straightforward. Heidi told them about Ryan grabbing her and Sukie, then briefly described how she was able to help the younger girl escape.