Blood of Eden: A wolf shifter romantic suspense (The Guardians Book 1)

by JJ King

  Chapter Four

  The drive was intoxicating. British Columbia really was an absolute paradise when it came down to it. Untouched landscapes, mountains, trees, and all the wildlife she could ever want. Not that she thought about wildlife often.

  No, Katherine mostly preferred her steaks medium rare over an open grill, smothered in a rich sauce and accompanied by garlic potatoes, grilled asparagus, wild mushrooms and a glass of well-aged Merlot. Knowing that had little to do with also knowing that once she changed from human to wolf the scent of every little animal with blood pumping through its veins would entice her to distraction. She wouldn’t deny her instincts when that happened. She seldom denied her instincts, though sometimes she had to put them off for more appropriate times and locales. No, Katherine knew that when the time came she would dash after some poor rabbit or elk with no sense of hesitation or disgust. To err is human, to hunt is nature.

  The cool end of summer wind assaulted her face as she sped along the highway, northbound to wilder climates. It felt refreshing and exhilarating, especially since she had been cooped up for so long with this case, all of her attention focused solely on freeing an innocent man. At the moment, however, thoughts of her victorious case were far from her mind as she simply enjoyed the freedom of a fast car and beautiful scenery. For the first time in months, Katherine stopped thinking and just drove.

  An hour and a half outside the city she saw a small dirt road leading from the highway, and she pulled off following its winding path until she reached a small clearing nearly three miles in. The area was deserted though Katherine could see that it must be a logging road during the day.

  The moon spilled light onto the hood of her convertible as she raised it and locked the doors, careful that her transportation remain safe on the far-fetched chance that some hoodlum this far north and in the middle of nowhere act with nefarious intent.

  Katherine glanced up at the moon, barely a quarter full and wished that it were whole. Her desire had nothing to do with the endless werewolf stories of full moons and howling monsters. She just wanted to feel the full light of that shining globe on her fur as she ran and hunted. A wolf’s life was always closely connected with the moon and the night. The darkness was a friend to a being that most believed didn’t exist.

  Twigs snapped under her hiking boots as she took to a nearly indiscernible path that had probably not been used for close to ten years. Safer to stay away from the well-used paths as one could never be entirely certain that one was truly alone. Since she was changing by herself and not in the presence of her family and friends at Wild River, Katherine had to be overly cautious of her safety. There was nothing of humanity lingering on the thickly crisscrossing branches and fixed spider webs that she pushed through.

  She hiked for nearly forty minutes before reaching the perfect spot. The ground was mossy and green and it smelled like damp earth even to her human nose. She smiled, letting herself give in to the building excitement over what had, at first, been an annoyance and obligation and began pulling off her clothes.

  Ever fastidious about neatness, Katherine folded her pants and shirt and placed them atop her boots then stepped naked and proud onto a patch of undisturbed moss. She could feel the limited light of the moon caressing her skin and felt a sort of kinship with nature that she hadn’t felt for a long time. She kneeled, rotated her neck muscles and settled into her bones, focusing her mind on touching that part of her that she mostly kept hidden and suppressed.

  Katherine closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the instant pain. The air cracked with her transformation, ancient magic and evolution filled the night around her. Her bones shifted and lengthened, pulling her skin taunt, and she let loose an agonizing sound that was a part scream, part howl. Even though she’d done this countless times in her near three hundred years, Katherine still felt every agonizing searing pain as her muscles ripped and repaired, her bones fell into place, and her body sprouted a thick coat of luxurious dark red fur.

  The transformation took less than a minute but to Katherine, that minute felt like a lifetime. After living in human form for so long, she felt the change even more acutely than usual. After all, she hadn’t assumed a lupine form in a few years, and she wouldn’t have now; not unless it was truly necessary. She, unlike most of her family, felt that her wolf was a part of her to be cherished and respected, but that it didn’t need to be a part of her everyday life. She was a wolf, yes, but she was also Katherine LaFlamme, and Katherine had a life to live; a human life.

  She gracefully stepped over her discarded clothes and lifted her nose into the midnight air. She breathed deeply of the scents around her; scents that, even with her unnaturally keen sense of smell, were normally hidden from her. She could smell everything: the coming weather, the salamander hiding under a nearby rock, any human within a five-mile radius. The smells did not bombard her, but they were rather a knowing inside of her, an awareness of the world around her.

  In wolf form, Katherine could communicate with her own kind, especially her close family and friends within the pack, as long as they, too, were in wolf form. Theirs weren’t the only voices she heard as a wolf, though, which is part of the reason she had wanted to step away from her other self for a while.

  Being in her human body allowed Katherine to maintain a barrier against the pack mind. As a wolf, there was a constant hum, like the buzz of electricity, which floated at the back of her mind. It wasn’t that way for every wolf in existence. No, it was a special attribute that Alphas and their offspring were gifted with.

  The hum was there, an old familiar enemy or friend, whichever she deemed it at any particular moment. Her brows drew together and she frowned, aware of the overarching negative emotions running through the bond between her and the pack. Her brothers had been right. Something serious was happening and the pack was scared. She focused on her family and opened up her mind to her siblings, who were also out enjoying nature in their wolf forms. Their happiness at connecting with her opened mind was palpable. She felt it like a wave of delight running over her fur and she, momentarily, regretted her time away. She sent them each a sense of longing to reconnect.

  Each of her three brother’s sent their love and cautioned her to be careful on her solitary hunt. Katherine’s lupine face grinned, her bright pink tongue hanging out in an almost human smile, as she sent back her own message. “I’m still older than you little brothers and besides, I’m a better hunter than any of you!”

  She pushed her brother’s voices and the quiet hum of the pack to the side of her active mind, pulled her muscles together and, in one swift and utterly graceful motion, leaped into the air. It had been too long since she had felt the breeze against her fur, the forest floor against her paws. Running like this, in her animal form, was freedom in its fullest. Katherine felt her blood course through her veins as she pushed her body to its fastest.

  Then she caught the scent. Instantly springing forward Katherine breathed deep the overwhelming scent of the deer. She instinctively knew that it wasn’t far away from her, but far enough to warrant a good chase. She knew she would hunt, and she would kill, and the knowledge filled Katherine with a sense of urgent excitement. She lifted her nose into the air and felt the direction of the wind then walked west so that the deer would be oblivious to her presence, that is, until she wanted it to know she was there. Katherine’s eyes shone deep amber in the dark, as she stealthily crept forward. There it was, a beautiful buck. Antlers broad and proud, it stood majestically in the night. Its fur gleamed softly, and it seemed almost too beautiful to kill, almost. Katherine stepped into the wind and grinned her toothy grin. It took only a split second for the buck to smell her, to raise its head in a gesture both proud and fearful. Katherine knew she’d met a fighter and was glad for it. The chase was on.

  The buck ran at a dizzying speed, straight through the forest. Its antlers leaned back so as not to tear a path through the thick trees or slow it down. Katherine followed at a slower
speed; content to allow the buck time to find the place where it would decide to fight, not run. Katherine was a huntress, but she was far from a murderer. She would fight, yes, and kill, yes. But she would never kill without first allowing her prey to put up a fight. Katherine followed the buck’s trail to a clearing in the forest and, stepping out into the moonlit area, she saw the buck standing, watching her as she watched him. His breath blew steam from his nose into the cold night air, and she could see that he was more thoughtful than scared. This was a worthy opponent, she mused, more warrior than an animal.

  Silence filled the clearing. Katherine circled to her left, carefully watching the bucks eyes and front paws. As she stepped left, the buck stepped to his right. He too watched her. He was big, a full set of mature antlers spanned his head, and as he watched, he lowered that deadly weapon in preparation for her attack. Katherine breathed deeply and sprang forward, throwing her body at the last minute in the opposite direction. The buck, momentarily thrown, hurled its antlers to where it thought she would be and knew, in an instant, defeat. Katherine hurled herself at the buck’s throat and clamped her jaws down over its fur.

  Hot, coursing blood filled her mouth and it took as much strength to let go as it had to attack. Katherine backed away quickly, out of the range of those deadly antlers and watched her opponent weaken. It was sad and beautiful at the same time. In those quiet moments, Katherine watched the mighty buck understand its fate, and accept it. Lowering itself to the ground, the buck rested its head on the moss and breathed deeply. Each heartbeat sent blood coursing out of its neck and onto the already crimson ground.

  Katherine approached slowly, knowing from instinct as old as wolf kind and the lessons taught to her by her father, that a hurt animal is not to be trusted. She watched the buck’s eyes glaze softly, as the pain it felt from her bite subsided. Katherine listened as its heart slowed, beating quietly in the night. She lay down before the buck on the cold ground and rested her head by its nose. She lay there silently and waited with the buck until its eyes saw no more and its heart finally stopped.

  Then she feasted.

  ♀♀♀

  She must have fallen asleep after eating her fill because the moon was on its way back down when her eyes opened. The sky was a softened blue with a promise of the sunlight that would soon overpower the night sky and take its place with a fury of heat. Yawning and stretching her muscles, Katherine assessed her hunger and found it abated enough to last until she returned home and cooked herself up a normal human meal. Making that decision wasn’t as easy as it would be if she had been wearing the skin of a human as her wolf instinct still worked its sneaky way into her subconscious begging her to find another animal to hunt, another opponent to kill. The approaching sun helped stem her urges, mostly because a leisurely hunt was always more fun than a forced one. Time was of the essence today. She had to catch a plane later today, after all.

  She had finished the hunt close to a body of running water where she now bowed her head for a thirst quenching drink. Finished, she snapped her jaws at a few mosquitoes that buzzed around her head and prepared herself for a bodily shock. With one great heave and a sound that seemed surprisingly like a young child’s call of glee, she threw herself into the water and dunked beneath the surface. The cold water sluiced over her body, barely affecting the heat she naturally exuded. It simply wouldn’t do to be pulled over by a cop on her way back to the city if she was covered in deer blood. Explain that one.

  She enjoyed her swim immensely for a few moments, taking the time to catch a few fish that dared to swim too close to her ever ready teeth. Then she climbed the embankment and shook herself off, enjoying the very nature of the movement. She felt free and careless.

  She picked up the scent of her path and started trotting back in the direction of her clothes. She was nearly there when she realized that the whole purpose of her change hadn’t been fulfilled yet. Since waking she hadn’t heard a single voice in her head, which was kind of weird. Of course, it could be easily explained by the fact that she routinely kept other’s minds out of her head and was probably blocking any incoming thoughts as a matter of habit. She relaxed her mind as she had been taught as a child to do, mentally tuned into her family and, after a moment, was relieved to hear familiar minds. She listened quietly for a minute, picking out the distinctive voices that she heard.

  Her father’s voice was muffled as always in the manner and practice of the Alpha. His thoughts were too important and vital to be shared with any but the most trusted of confidants. Her brother’s voices were clear, though it was hard to pick them apart. They streamed together like the voices of agitated teenage girls, all vying to be heard above the crowd. Katherine picked out snippets from her brother Ronan, the middle son, in regard to rogue wolves and some sort of conspiracy. Agreement from Anthony and Damien followed quickly with a firmness and urgency that Katherine felt in her gut. There was also an almost overwhelming sense of urgency that cut deep into Katherine’s heart. Something was very wrong and she really needed to get back.

  Starting a discussion with them now would take much too long so that would have to wait until she got to Wild River. There was enough time, however, to listen momentarily to the general buzz of the pack. If there were widespread panic and worry then she would be able to hear it easily.

  She felt it immediately; a keen sense of unrest, fear, confusion and general discontent. She absorbed vague stories about rogue wolves stirring up public trouble and causing local authorities to become involved. The trouble was central to Canada, a fact that caused her more worry. No wonder her father was acting odd. His territory was being compromised.

  Katherine realized that it would be best if she contacted her brothers to let them know that she had done what was asked, that she had listened and now knew that her homecoming was necessary. She reached out and touched the familiar.

  “It’s me. I hear it. How many are there? And is everyone alright?”

  Ronan answered. It was his job to keep tabs on the rogue wolf occurrences, though his job was rarely necessary. Most wolves were members of a pack, registered and given protection by an Alpha.

  “Hey, Katherine. There have been reports of seven rogue wolves all coming from the central and eastern districts. There’s more, a lot more, to this story than the pack knows. Dad made us promise to let him tell you personally so we can’t fill you in on everything right now, but it’s bad. It’s real bad. We need you home.”

  “Kat?”

  The sound of her youngest brother’s quiet voice filled her head and her heart. He was a grown man now but she still felt the most protective of him out of all her brothers. As a woman who would rip apart anyone who threatened any of her brothers that slim distinction meant a lot.

  “Yeah, Teagan?”

  “We miss you. It’s going to be good to have you back here.”

  A suspicious cloud mist over her eyes and she blinked her heavy wolf lids to dispel the moisture.

  “I love you too, kid, all of you. But I have to go. It’s getting light and I have to drive back and pack before my flight. See you guys soon.”

  Katherine closed her mind just as she would click “end” on a phone and continued back to her clothes.

  Her mind was worried and reeled; new questions constantly popping up to replace the few ones that she had an answer to. The hike back to the car and the subsequent drive to the airport flew by in a haze of thoughts that she hoped would soon be answered.

  Chapter Five

  Packing for a trip to Wild River was a difficult task. First of all was the question of just how long she would be forced to stay with the family. If the problem really was on the verge of dire, then she would be staying for the indefinite future but if it were something a little more manageable then she should be home within a month. That meant that she would need to pack about a quarter of the clothes that she actually owned which, in total, constituted a collection that would rival any Diva in the world.

  Kath
erine flicked on the light to her luxurious walk-in closet and took a second to appreciate the treasure. Backlighting highlighted an entire wall of designer shoes that would make even Tyra Banks cry in ecstasy. Picking and choosing were always a difficult task for her because it meant leaving her other precious shoes behind. They were like her children really, or at least she loved them as much as was humanly possible to love inanimate objects.

  By the time she finished packing her clothes, shoes, and necessities, the clock was reading 2:00 pm. It took another two solid hours of working with her very capable personal assistant to clear her agenda for the next two weeks; two weeks that would cause her no small amount of exhausting trouble when she finally got back to her real life. She didn’t worry about the partners taking offense to her abrupt departure as it was her first time off in years and she’d told her assistant that it was due to a family emergency, which it was. The real trouble was going to be in the mountains of paperwork that would pile up every single day that she was gone. Give her court drama any day over paperwork.

  It was 4:12 pm when she finally closed the trunk of her car and got in. Experience had taught her that leaving her car in her driveway for an entire month was a great way to invite burglars and so she was planning on leaving her car at the airport for the entirety of her trip. That meant leaving an hour earlier than usual in order to ensure that her car was safely stowed.