Mating Games

by Nikki Jefford

  Again, Sydney stopped speaking. With all the patience she could muster, Jordan asked, “And then? Did he run off? Leave you?” Jordan demanded.

  Sydney went still. “I know where he went.”

  “To the city?”

  She shook her head. “He knew it was too dangerous.”

  “Then where?”

  “He said there was a great big world out there, and he wanted to see a tiny bit of it—just for a few days. He wanted just a couple days of freedom without the elders or council telling him what to do all the time. He told me to go back to the glade and tell Jager we’d heard humans and that he’d told me to hide while he got a closer look. He said he’d come back after a few days and tell the pack he’d been following the humans during that time to make sure they weren’t coming into the hollow. But now, it’s been over a week, and he’s still not back.”

  “Sydney!”

  The girl narrowed her eyes at Jordan’s tone.

  “You should have told us the truth immediately.”

  Sydney’s upper lip curled. “I’m no tattletale.”

  “No, but clearly you’re still a child incapable of understanding you put both your partner and pack members at risk by not telling the truth from the beginning. Raider, Ford, and Garrick went looking for David. They could have been killed. They nearly were.” Jordan had to tighten her arms around her chest to keep from shaking Sydney the way Palmer had earlier. Foolish pups—her and David both.

  Her gross lack of maturity was confirmed a second later when Sydney burst into tears. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “I tried to be a good partner.” She dashed off the trail and into the woods, yanking her dress over her head as she took off. “I’m going to get David back. I’m going to make everything right again.”

  “Syd—” Before Jordan could finish her sister’s name, she’d fallen to her knees and begun her shift. “Sydney, wait!” Jordan yelled, but as soon as the shift was complete, her sister tore off through the forest.

  “Damnit!” Jordan ran into the woods after her, pulling off her jeans—and nearly tripping as she did—before freeing herself from her clothes to shift.

  Sydney had gotten a head start, but not by much, and Jordan was fast, but somehow her little sister managed to remain ahead, running as though rabid wolves were snarling at her hind flanks. The girl was determined. Or maybe she thought she could outrun another scolding. That seemed more likely.

  Sydney could prolong the pack’s censure, but she couldn’t avoid it forever. If Jordan could just catch up to her, she’d grab her by the scruff of her neck and drag her back to the glade to face the council. From there, they could decide what to do about David. Best-case scenario, the boy had lost track of time or decided to extend his sojourn outside the hollow. Worst case, karma had circled around to get him, and he’d stumbled upon humans, vulhena, or a mad wolf.

  It was possible they’d find a corpse up in the hills. Jordan shuddered.

  Sydney evaded her over and over, streaking ahead like a cloud across the sky on a blustery day. Jordan’s wolf hadn’t rested in two nights. She’d run circles around the area surrounding the knoll without so much as a nap. Nights had been given over entirely to physical pleasures, and Jordan was paying for it now.

  Not everyone would be on patrol yet. The first meal was still finishing up and shifters on the second meal might still be snoozing, but if Sydney ran near enough to any of them, they would hear her and investigate. Jordan could use the help corralling her sister.

  But Sydney managed to avoid running into any of the patrols and shot through the forest straight to the Manama River. The pounding of Jordan’s heart and rushing of the river thundered in her ears. She managed to get within a foot of Sydney’s tail before her sister charged ahead, out of reach.

  Jordan snarled in warning. Ignoring her, Sydney raced across the river—her lithe body appearing to cross the surface without sinking a step. Water sloshed over Jordan’s paws as she crossed. Her breath was ragged and her body aching as she pushed it to exhaustion.

  The moment she caught up with Sydney, she was going to knock her onto her back and snarl in her face until she whimpered in surrender. With each step, the spanking Palmer had threatened Sydney with earlier sounded like a pretty damn great idea.

  Sydney darted through the trees on the opposite side of the Manama and huffed straight up the mountain.

  Jordan stopped to catch her breath and watched in disbelief as Sydney progressed up the hill.

  Her sister was a moron—utterly without reason. Jordan had always suspected she wasn’t altogether there, but her actions now went beyond logic or instinct.

  She wished she could turn around and get help, but it was too late for that. Sydney would be long gone by the time Jordan ran to the glade and back. The girl shouldn’t be on her own outside the hollow, and there was no way Jordan could leave a pack member to fend for herself, especially when it was her younger sister.

  Sydney had said she knew where David was, but the only place she could know for sure was the last place she’d seen him at the top of the hills. That must be where Sydney was headed. Where she’d stop. That’s where Jordan would find her, grab her, and drag her back to the glade.

  Knowing in her bones that Sydney would be waiting up top, Jordan took her time walking up the mountain. She wanted to preserve some of her energy for the way back and any struggle Sydney might put up. They weren’t going to search for David together. No one even knew where he’d gone. It was reckless and stupid, and Jordan was starving.

  With her nails scraping over the rocky portions of the bluff and sinking into loamy sections, Jordan slinked her way up the mountain. Sydney wasn’t waiting at the very top. Jordan spotted her further down the ridge, jogging slowly away. That little bitch! Jordan’s growl echoed along the mountainside, but still Sydney moved steadily westward.

  She should let the reckless, stubborn she-wolf run off heedlessly into whatever fate awaited her. Sydney was no pup. She knew the rules and the danger she was putting herself and Jordan in. Jordan had tried to stop her. She’d chased her across the whole damn hollow and beyond the border. She’d done her best to keep up, but Sydney was determined to ignore reason.

  Jordan snarled in her sister’s direction. Her fangs dug over her lips, and blood dripped onto the ground by her front paws.

  Sydney slowed, stopped, and looked over her shoulder.

  I’m done chasing you, Jordan said with her next snarl.

  Sydney’s whole body shivered. Fur, snout, and ears receded until she was left crouched naked on the ground. Lifting her head slowly, she got to her feet and stood waiting.

  Jordan would have no trouble catching up to her now. She ran over and as soon as she did, Sydney had the audacity to start walking away.

  Jordan shifted. She needed human lungs to scream the words raging inside her swelling brain.

  “Do you see it?” Sydney yelled before Jordan could get out her first curse. Sydney jumped up and down then raced forward.

  “See what? Stop moving so I can strangle you.”

  Jordan ran after her sister, who stopped abruptly with her face flushed and eyes bright as she stared down the ridge toward a patch of tall trees off to the left side.

  “There!” she yelled triumphantly. “There’s his backpack.”

  “What backpack?” Jordan squinted. “How did he have a backpack when the two of you ran up here as wolves?”

  “We found it,” Sydney said impatiently, as though it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. “If his backpack’s here, he must be, too.” Sydney surged forward just in time to narrowly avoid Jordan’s hands as her arms shot forward to grab her. “He’s probably hunting for breakfast. He must be on his way back,” Sydney called over her shoulder with excitement.

  Jordan caught up and jogged at her side. If David had returned, she might as well drag b
oth their asses back to the glade. David was more to blame than her sister and should share in the public reprimand.

  “David!” Sydney yelled. “David!”

  Jordan took up the cry. “David,” she bellowed at the top of her lungs.

  They stopped and stood quietly, listening, but there was no answer. Sydney ran forward. “We should check his pack.”

  Jordan huffed. “What’s that going to do? We should shift and find him—better yet, you should wait here while I shift and find him. Don’t leave this spot.”

  Sydney shook her head. “No. We need to check his pack.” She walked toward it, arms swinging.

  “Forget the pack,” Jordan snarled.

  Sydney stopped near the pack and turned slowly, her eyes narrowing. “We have to get the pack,” she insisted.

  Mother Moon above, her sister was stubborn. Jordan slunk over to her side, afraid to startle her. If Sydney hadn’t been so hung up on the pack, she’d probably shift and go racing down the mountainside—all the way down to the damn wasteland. Jordan had to stop her before she did anything more stupid than she already had.

  Senseless. Stupid. Foolish. Thoughtless. Reckless. These were the words on Jordan’s lips. Sliding down her tongue. Lifting up her throat.

  But despite Jordan’s raging mind, her instincts to protect kicked in as she closed in on Sydney. She was about to tell her to stay put while she shifted and searched for David, but when she reached Sydney’s side, something in her sister’s expression changed. A gleam came over her eyes, and her lips curved into a smile full of malice.

  It wasn’t Jordan grabbing Sydney, but Sydney grasping—no—pushing Jordan in one great big shove toward the backpack.

  Even the mad wolf in the woods during patrol hadn’t startled Jordan this much. Her heart lurched into her throat, and her mind raced in confusion as she tumbled toward the backpack. She threw her hands out to catch herself and braced for impact, but when she touched the ground it gave way and swallowed her, only to spit her out.

  chapter nineteen

  A net made of thick rope closed around her, and she was hoisted into the air, dangling from a tree branch. Tarnished silver plates were woven into the upper reaches of the net, reflecting sunlight in multiple directions.

  With her mind reeling, Jordan scrambled to sit upright.

  Sydney watched from below, eyes wide with fascination.

  She’d pushed her, but why? Had she simply been impatient for Jordan to look at the backpack or had she known it was a trap? That made no sense. How could Sydney have known, and if she had known and pushed Jordan—

  Jordan’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach. She didn’t want to follow that thought through.

  Jordan forced herself to speak in a calm voice, even though she wanted to scream. “Syd, I need you to run back to the hollow as fast as you can and return with help.”

  “They want a female.” Sydney’s knees bent and her fingers stretched toward the earth.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Now David won’t be alone.” Sydney crouched on the ground.

  “Sydney! What are you doing? I need your help.”

  Ignoring Jordan, Sydney shifted.

  “Sydney!” Jordan screamed in one last futile attempt to get through to her sister.

  She watched in shock as her sister raced off on four legs, back down the mountain and out of sight.

  Jordan’s heart raged. She thought of screaming some more, because she wanted out of this damn net, which quivered and shook as she gripped the woven rope, pulling herself to a stand. The twisted branch overhead groaned. Jordan jumped up and down, forcing the rope above to strain against the thick branch every time she landed. She wasn’t suspended far enough off the ground to risk more than a couple of bruises if she could force the branch to break, but she still needed to free herself from the net. When Jordan next landed, the ropes swung below her feet and pushed her backwards into the side of the net. Her knees bent as she steadied herself then tried again. It was impossible to land steadily on two feet, but that didn’t stop her from jumping and jerking at the net.

  She was still struggling when a human male roughly her father’s age crested the hill carrying a long rifle at his side. Cold horror chilled her, as though she’d awakened inside a nightmare.

  Jordan tried to calm the galloping stallion of her heart, but it had been spooked.

  The man smiled with a friendly grin yet Jordan trusted him no more than a rabid wolf or a vulhena.

  “I’m not here to harm you.” He kept the rifle pointed at the ground. “Are you a friend of David’s?”

  “Where is he?” Jordan snarled.

  The man’s grin didn’t falter. “Back at the cabin. He’ll be happy to see you. Now, I’m going to get you down, but I need you to remain in human form. Fangs put me at a disadvantage, and if I see you flashing any I’ll have to use my rifle. Trust me, the last thing I want to do is put a bullet in you.”

  Jordan studied the human. She didn’t want to speak to him, but in the end morbid curiosity won out.

  “And why’s that?”

  “We need your help. I’ll explain everything back at camp, but we have to go. Are any of your packmates nearby?”

  Despair tunneled down Jordan’s throat. The closest shifter was Sydney—long gone and, from all appearances, a traitor. Jordan was still trying to piece it together, because she couldn’t believe her own flesh and blood would purposely serve her up to humans.

  “I’m alone,” Jordan answered bitterly.

  “You won’t be for long.” The man went to work freeing her.

  He didn’t leer at her. It was almost as though he was immune to naked females, but once she was free, his body tensed, and he lifted his rifle to his side.

  “Precaution only,” he said, following her gaze. “Go ahead and find yourself some clothes from the pack. We filled it with dresses in several sizes.”

  Jordan blanched, but she’d rather wear a dress than nothing at all. She unzipped the pack, yanked out the dress on top, and wrenched it over her head and down her body. It came down to her ankles and sagged in the middle, but she wasn’t about to go through the pack and play dress-up in front of this human.

  “Now, put the pack on. We head down the mountainside. You first.”

  Jordan slipped the straps of the pack over her arms. “Where are we going?” she asked. “The suburbs?”

  “You’ll see.”

  The human urged Jordan down the south side of the hills. About halfway down, he instructed her to take a westward path. At least they weren’t heading to the wasteland or to the suburbs and city beyond them. Terrible things happened out there. If this human was on his own, Jordan would have a better chance of getting away, especially if he was truly taking her to David. Two against one. She liked those odds.

  “How many of your kind are out here?” she asked. “Are you going to take me into the city?”

  The man spat on the ground. “We ain’t never going back to that cesspit.”

  A kernel of hope formed inside Jordan’s chest. The human looked genuinely disgusted by the city. Perhaps she could reason with him or trick him into letting her and David go. First, she needed to get to David. She was the hollow’s one chance of bringing him back home, and she wasn’t about to waste it by making a run for it.

  The trees were sparse and the terrain rocky. Jordan could have navigated it a whole lot better on four legs.

  “Take the trail down,” the man said.

  A cabin loomed in the distance. “Is David in there?”

  “He is.”

  Jordan hurried forward. “David,” she yelled. “David!”

  Another older human male with messy brown hair and a crooked nose stepped around the cabin’s outer wall, his firearm lifted.

  “You can put down your weapon, Kirk.”


  The one named Kirk lowered his weapon, his eyes bugging out as he stared at Jordan. Gaping at her, he said, “David, you can come out.”

  Jordan held her breath, releasing it when David rounded the bend, his eyes bright with excitement, smiling as though it was the best day of his life. It really was him—the hollow’s lost packmate. Although they were both captives, excitement filled Jordan. She hadn’t expected to see the boy alive again.

  David ran straight for Jordan. As he did, she noticed he was missing half his left arm. Her heart gave a sickening lurch as David ran the rest of the way to her and threw his good arm around her.

  “Jordan! I’m so happy to see you!”

  Jordan gave him a light squeeze and tried to step back, but David held on. “What happened to you?”

  “Got him in the same trap I caught you,” the human said. He gave a chuckle. “Didn’t think we’d get lucky twice.”

  Jordan pulled away from David and growled. “What happened to his arm?”

  The human who had caught her frowned. “He tried to escape. I had no choice.”

  Horror crashed over Jordan with gale-like force. Bile burned up her throat. It filled her mouth and clogged her stomach. Jordan pulled away from David forcefully and snarled at the human. “What do you want with us?” Her gums ached as her fangs quivered with yearning to replace her molars and rip the human’s arms to shreds.

  The human who had caught her nodded. “We need you, Jordan. You and David.”

  She narrowed her eyes, recoiling at the sound of her name on his lips.

  “And in exchange for helping us, we’ll provide everything you need: food, water, shelter, and protection.”

  Jordan had all that and more in the hollow. Plus, back home she had the most important thing of all: free will.

  The man who’d caught her looked at the one named Kirk. The hard lines on his face softened. “Where’s my sister?”

  “Not far. I sent her to pick blueberries after you left. I didn’t want to get her hopes up.”

  “Good. I’ll get her. Give these two space.”