HOTSHOT BROTHERS: Coyote Shifters

by Hunt, Sabrina

  Ben’s face twisted even more. “Are you insane?” he barked, and I flinched. Swallowing, he spoke again, his voice lower. “Do you know how easily you could get lost in these woods? There’s no one around for hundreds of miles!” His pulse flicked rapidly in his throat. “And no, Quickfoot and Stealth are taking your Professor. I’m in charge of you, Ms. Pemberton.”

  “Quickfoot and Stealth?” I asked, baffled, then I bristled. “Well, thank you, Mr. Ofreo, but I don’t need anyone to be in charge of me. I’ve navigated the jungles of the Amazon, the Taiga of Siberia, and looked upon Gangkhar Puensum Mountain. If anything, I could give you a few tips.”

  I turned to walk away, but Ben got in front of me and held up his hands. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” He had the decency to sound abashed. “It’s just that Sil asked me to look after you and the team. She wasn’t pleased when she realized you’d left without me.” He paused, then blurted out, as though trying to change the subject, “Stealth and Quickfoot are Wes’s and Cree’s nicknames.”

  I wasn’t having it. “Just go back and tell Sil I’ll be fine on my own. No need for me to take up any of your precious time. In fact, you should tell her you’ll merely be a hindrance.”

  For a moment Ben stared, then he threw back his head and laughed. I stared at him in shock. His laughter had that warm, rich note that was missing from his voice. It slipped into me, stoking back the fire I’d so desperately tried to put out.

  “You are something else,” he said, looking at me, and for a moment his eyes softened.

  Forcing myself to look away, I shook back my hair and pushed past him. “I’d like to get there within the next hour. So if you’re coming, let’s get moving.”

  “Alright then, I’ll follow your lead,” Ben said and I could feel his gaze on the back of my head.

  For the next twenty minutes, we walked in silence, and with each step, my annoyance with Ben began to grow to mammoth proportions. He kept letting out soft sighs and after the fourth one I snapped and turned around. “No one is asking you to be here! If it’s that much of an inconvenience, you can go!”

  “Excuse me?” Ben asked, raising one eyebrow, and looking for a second like the boy I thought I’d known. “Something the matter?”

  “You keep huffing and puffing back there,” I fumed, glaring at him. “I’m so sorry you’re stuck with me, but like I said, you can go. Perhaps one of your mates will switch with you. I’ll take Cree, he at least has a sense of humor.”

  A dark look crossed Ben’s face and he said icily, “Sorry, dear, you’re stuck with me. It’s my punishment alone.”

  I sucked in a breath as though I’d been slapped. Unable to come up with a retort, I swung around and tried to march off. But then my foot slipped on a mossy rock and I tumbled backward.

  “Hey!” Ben cried out, then two warm hands caught me around my bare elbows, and I looked up into his face. “Are you alright?” Concern flickered in his eyes. “Geez, you’re freezing – do you have a jacket? You know it’s barely fifty degrees out, right?”

  The pressure of his hands increased slightly and a fizz of nerves spiraled through me. Our breath mingled for a moment, then I tried to squirm free.

  “Let me go.” I ordered. “I don’t need your rubbish help.”

  “Fine.” Ben said and dropped me.

  I fell hard onto my back and glared up at him. “Are you mad?” I gasped out, then I sneered, “Quite the gentleman, aren’t you?”

  Ben raised an eyebrow at me. “I tried to be, but I know when a battle is lost.” Then he stepped around me as I got up. “And the reason I was sighing is because I didn’t know how to tell you we are going in the wrong direction.”

  “What?” I spluttered, getting up, and brushing dirt from my pants. “We are not.” Pulling out my compass, I checked for North, then pulled out the map, gazing from it to the compass, and frowning. “What? No…”

  “It’s easy to take the wrong trail around here, especially in the fog.” Ben was squinting up at the sky, almost looking bored. “We took two wrong lefts and one right.” He looked at me. “Can I lead the way now? Or do you want to wander all the way into North Dakota?”

  Biting my lip, I looked at the map, and then shoved it away into my pack again. “Fine.”

  “Alright then.” Ben continued walking, soon angling off down a trail I barely could see, and I had to almost jog to keep up with his long strides. Walking behind him, I couldn’t help but notice the way his muscles moved under his shirt, or the tight slope of his lower backside, or his wide shoulders. “You know,” he said, interrupting my thoughts, and I flushed, annoyed at myself. “You really should have a jacket on. Summer in these mountains is not like summer elsewhere.”

  Rubbing my arms, I made a face at him. “It’ll warm up. Besides, I don’t care for jackets. I’d rather be cold than constricted.”

  “If you say so,” he muttered irritably, angling down another, even less distinct path.

  Another long interlude of silence went by before I plucked up the nerve to speak up. “So you just know where we’re going? That’s pretty incredible. You must have spent a lot of time in these woods to be able to navigate without…” He stopped suddenly and I almost walked into him. “What?”

  Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at me, then shook his head. “I’m not interested in small talk.” Then he continued on, as I gaped at him. “And save your observations for the cave.”

  Once again, stung into silence, I followed Ben and tried to ignore the sharp ache in my chest.

  Chapter 6

  I am a monster.

  That was the thought that had been running through my mind since I’d pretended not to recognize Hazel yesterday. Now I’d seemed intent on continuing to feed the fiend, treating her rudely, and saying cruel things to her. Wincing, I couldn’t even bring myself to look over my shoulder. It didn’t matter, though. I could still see her face from yesterday.

  It’s you. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.

  A shocking wave of warmth had gone through me at her words. But then terror had swamped me, realizing she was here, and what she knew about me. And so those impulsive words tumbled out of my mouth before I could even stop myself.

  Have we met?

  The pain that flashed in her eyes at that remark, and the way her face suddenly was erased of joy, cheeks paling and lips trembling, haunted me. I’d lain awake all night torturing myself with it.

  But I didn’t know what else I could have done. Sworn her to secrecy? Explained everything? What if Rayner had heard? He already suspected something, that much was certain.

  And then today, how she’d taken off on me without a word. I had to admit, she was every inch that fiery, intelligent girl I’d met all those years ago. Back then in that cluttered office, she’d arrested me the moment she’d turned, her golden-brown hair swinging around her, and sapphire eyes lighting up the dim room.

  I remembered I’d been so flustered, hiding it with lame quips and offhanded remarks. Even to this day, my face burned when I thought of them. Hazel must have thought I was such an ass.

  Well, now I’m just proving her right, I thought bitterly, hating that I had to keep her at arm’s length. If I was a normal man…

  But I stopped myself right there. I wasn’t. And I could never be.

  So no matter how I felt about Hazel, no matter how much it killed me to treat her like this and be so cold and rude to her, I had to do it. Otherwise, my brothers could be exposed, never mind how livid they’d be with me, and most importantly of all, Hazel would be put in peril.

  We all knew what happened to humans who encountered Ash Walkers.

  Finally, we made it to the steep hillside next to the cave. A river, almost a waterfall, tumbled in a rush down the land, deep and filled with whirlpools. One side was strewn with loose earth that had fallen in the landslide and the other slick with wet rocks. I eyed the terrain with unease. I hoped that Hazel and the rest of the fools exploring this ca
ve would know to keep away from the other side.

  “Stay away from that rocky area on the far side of the river, and down there, I can tell all that ground isn’t stable.” I barked over my shoulder.

  Hazel didn’t respond and I turned to look at her. Gazing at me, utterly expressionless, she half-raised her eyebrows and nodded. But her lips were pinched together and a pang of misery tore through me. That last comment had done it. She hated me now.

  Sighing, I continued on, carefully picking my way down along the steep bank, and then up to the gash in the hillside. While Sil and the others called it a cave, it was really like a crack in the earth’s surface. It was a bit like what I pictured the Deadlands Gate might look like.

  “Oh, how interesting,” Hazel murmured. “I wonder if this used to be an open basin, but the land was unstable, and so it slid down, covering everything…” She trailed off, lost in thought.

  “Watch your step,” I said immediately, watching her stare off into space.

  As we approached the cave entrance, I shook my head, wondering if she should have spelunking equipment, or maybe just other qualified personnel on hand. It didn’t seem like a safe idea to go in alone. Glancing over, I saw Hazel was pulling on a helmet with a light and gloves.

  “You can wait out here,” she said, barely glancing at me, as she flicked on the helmet light.

  “Like hell, you’re not going in there by yourself,” I snapped, then tried to block her way. “You should wait, shouldn’t you? Is that enough equipment? What if something goes wrong?”

  Hazel gave me a cold, appraising look. “Isn’t that why you’re here?”

  Groaning, I followed her in as she dropped her pack by the entrance and slipped in. Following her, my eyes instantly adjusted to the darkness, and I could see Hazel gazing around. Then as we walked in further, the cave widened out, the sound of the rushing water dimmed, and she let out a gasp, which echoed around the room.

  Stretching up into shadows, every inch of the walls was covered with drawings. Animals leaped, humans danced, mountains reared up, trees grew, and symbols swirled around them all.

  “I thought this was a rock shelter cave, but I think it may actually be a deep cave. Perhaps our entrance is merely a crack in its back wall. So that would mean there must be another entrance.” She glanced to the right and her flashlight was instantly lost in the shadows.

  “We can’t go deeper in!” I hissed in alarm, as Hazel seemed more than capable of marching straight into the bowels of the mountain.

  “I know that.” She rolled her eyes back at me, then lifted up her camera and started taking pictures. For a moment I watched her, seeing the way her damp hair curled at her forehead and at the ends, the way she licked her lips as she clicked through the viewfinder.

  Once again, that indescribable longing went through me. I had to grit my teeth and look away, but not before the desire to capture her mouth fired through me. To weave my fingers into her soft hair, pull her against me, taste her salty skin…

  “Hm, I wonder what these represent?” Hazel said, and I buried those longings immediately. “Some deity or a monster…”

  Following her line of sight, I looked at the wall and froze. “It can’t be,” I muttered as my feet darted forward.

  On the wall, lurching from the black outline of flames, was an Ash Walker.

  Its spindly form, roughly chalked on the wall, was unmistakable. Then I glanced around and saw that there was a moon drawn above it. Coyotes circled the moon and the monster. A series of symbols were etched in long lines underneath it. Hundreds of them.

  “Oh, have you seen this before?” Hazel asked, stepping up next to me.

  “Maybe, in a book or something,” I muttered, cursing myself for speaking out loud. “So, uh, do you think you can understand this?” I gestured at the symbols.

  No wonder why Sil had brought in experts. Here could be the clue we’d needed all along. But she clearly didn’t want to get our hopes up. That explained why’d she pulled me aside this morning and asked me to keep my mouth shut about the cave for now.

  “That’s what I intend to find out,” Hazel said firmly, setting her chin, and I almost smiled.

  An hour later, we re-emerged, and the sky was starting to clear. Blue could be seen through the torn clouds and I pulled in a deep breath of the fresh air.

  Hazel had taken about a hundred photos, if not more, and already I could see her eyes were distant with millions of ideas behind them. It was something I’d noticed in that brief meeting of ours – the way she got carried away by dreams. And just like then, it enchanted me.

  No matter how hard I struggled for it not to.

  After a quiet lunch in a small clearing next to the Rockfall Cave, I stretched out and let my eyes drift shut. Hazel was sitting a little ways off from me, her head in a book, and her pencil scratching across the page. The breeze had picked up and she was downwind of me, carrying her scent across my face, and I drowsily let myself breathe it in, unaware my face had relaxed into a smile.

  Next thing I knew the roar of an engine jerked me awake and I leaped to my feet. Staring around, I saw Hazel looking at me in surprise, and then Cree revving an ATV. He was grinning as he shut it off and swung down. By the position of the sun in the sky, I’d been asleep for almost two hours.

  “Napping on the job?” Cree laughed. “Shouldn’t have gone on a fifty-two-mile run yesterday.”

  “You ran fifty-two miles?” Hazel spoke up in surprise, looking at me for the first time in hours without a trace of disgust in her eyes.

  “Figure of speech,” said Cree quickly, smiling at her. “Only eight, I think.”

  She shrugged. “I had a friend who used to do Ultra Marathons who ran like twenty miles a day. Didn’t know if you were training for one.”

  “Only trainin’ is trainin’ for hotshot crews.” Cree stretched. “That’s brutal enough. So, Hazel, we’re done early because Whitsy decided to rest another day, but we got the cabin all set up.”

  “Oh great!” Hazel said, getting to her feet, and beginning to pack up her bag.

  “Cabin?” I asked swiftly, staring Cree down, who smirked.

  “Calm down, we brought enough supplies for both of you, and your stuff, Doc.” He said.

  “What?” Hazel and I asked at the same time, then we looked at each other, and back at Cree, who looked slightly alarmed.

  “Hey guys, don’t shoot the messenger. Sil said it was all set. You two are gonna stay in the cabin. Hazel, so she can be close the site and have a quiet spot to work, Doc so he can be close by if medical help is necessary, and to keep an eye on things.”

  “I never said I was staying in the goddamn cabin!” I gestured violently at Hazel. “I thought she was staying back at the main house. It’s not safe out here.”

  “I thought I was staying alone,” Hazel added quickly. “Trust me. I’ll be fine on my own. Better in fact.”

  “You can’t stay alone.” I turned and stared at her, completely incredulous. “It’s the middle of the woods, what if something happens?”

  “Like what?” She challenged, staring me down.

  “Like…” I trailed off, making a noise of frustration. Like demons of fire and corrupted humans.

  “So that’s settled; let’s go see the cabin.” Hazel said, and Cree gave me a funny look, then led the way down a trail along the river.

  It was just over a ten-minute walk. The cabin was situated in the middle of the deep woods, a break in the trees overlooking a faraway valley, and a deep, dark lake. This was one of my favorite spots on Earth, and also one of the most peaceful. I’d spent a lot of time here three years ago, reading and learning as much as I could to help us battle our foes.

  Seeing Hazel walking up to it, her curls bouncing on her shoulders, Cree chattering in her ear, was surreal. It was like the world had inverted itself.

  Wes was leaning against the doorway and gestured her inside. It wasn’t much, just a rough, sparsely-furnished cabin with a huge firep
lace, three bedrooms, a small kitchen, and outside shower which you could access through a door in the kitchen. No bathroom.

  If I thought that would persuade Hazel to go back to the main house, it didn’t. She just smiled and put her hands on her hips. “It’s perfect. I’ll be right back.”

  When she vanished, Cree looked at me and asked in a low voice. “Are you staying? ’Cause Sil seems to think you’re staying.”

  Of course she does, because I have no choice in the matter. She knows I won’t leave Hazel here alone, it’s too risky, and… Then a thought hit me and I swallowed hard.

  Did Sil know there was something between me and Hazel? Did she know that I…?

  Jerking my head in a nod, I said, “I didn’t know about it before, but it seems like as good idea as any. I’ll go tell Hazel.”

  As I walked out, I heard Wes ask Cree, “Is he okay?”

  Sometimes having brothers could be the absolute worst.

  Hazel was coming in and she frowned at me. Before I could say anything, she said, “I hope you’re not staying.”

  Wincing, I rubbed the back of my neck and nodded. “Hey, I deserve that. Listen, I apologize for earlier. I was out of line, even if I was tired and grumpy.” When Hazel said nothing, I sighed and continued. “You won’t even know I’m here, okay? Sil asked me to help out and it’s the least I can do for her. And you’ll be happy to know I’ll probably spend most of my days checking out a few other things for her, so you may never even see me.”

  At that, her lips quirked up in a reluctant smile. “Promises, promises,” she teased, before waltzing into the house, and I took a deep breath.

  Sighing, I wandered over to the ATVs, then Cree and Wes appeared, gazing at me.

  “How come Hazel doesn’t like you?” Wes asked bluntly, frowning at me.

  I forced a laugh. “What? Isn’t it too soon to call that?”

  “You know, Doc, you don’t have to be all cool and macho with her,” Cree said, hopping on his ATV and giving me a once-over. “Just be nice.”