"h.e.l.l." Thompson fell beside him, his eyes shut tight in sleep, and he began to snore.
Leidolf and his men hurried forth to check on Ca.s.sie, while his wayward lupus garous licked her face, whimpered, and pawed at her feet, trying to get her to stir. Then the sound of crashing through the woods garnered all their attention. Leidolf readied his rifle, but it was only Fergus, his face red with exertion.
"Got trouble..." Fergus stopped speaking and stared at the red wolf. "Is she one of us?"
"Yeah." Leidolf jerked off his coat, then tugged his shirt free and tied it against the wound on her shoulder as best as he could manage. "What"s the trouble, Fergus?"
"The hunters who shot her, I suspect, are on their way here."
"All right. Let"s get her out of here." Leidolf yanked his jacket back on and then lifted Ca.s.sie off the damp earth. He gave his new pack members a scowl that said he"d deal with them later. He had to get his pack members to work together as a bona fide pack. It was the only way they"d ever survive and flourish.
"What are you going to do with her?" Elgin asked, looking hopeful that he"d keep her.
Leidolf"s wolf half said that he rescued her while she was in his territory and that she as much as attempted to seduce him when he wasn"t able to respond, which meant she wanted to be his. His human half warned him to get used to disappointment. "She stays at the ranch until we learn why she was out here."
"But are you going to make her one of us?" Elgin asked.
Leidolf raised a brow at him. Everyone in the pack had to know he would be interested in Ca.s.sie if she was free to mate. But did they think he"d stoop so low as to force her to join them?
"What about them?" Fergus asked, motioning to Thompson and Joe as Leidolf carried the injured wolf away from the zoo men.
"The hunters can take care of them. Just be thankful that Thompson and Joe didn"t see us. But how is anyone going to explain the appearance of two male reds and the female in the area?"
Not to mention Leidolf"s own run-in with the men from the zoo.
Leidolf let out his breath. "They"ll think a whole pack of reds have moved into the woods around here. No more hunting in our wolf coats here now for a long d.a.m.n time. But something else concerns me. The wolf I smelled earlier was a different one. Had Ca.s.sie been alone? Or had she been with another?"
Elgin rubbed his chin and frowned. "If another unattached lupus garou female is in the area, you"ll have a fight on your hands for sure."
Over only one of them. This one for d.a.m.ned sure was his to pursue.
As they stalked in the direction of the turnout where they"d parked the SUV about four miles from there, Ca.s.sie slept soundly in Leidolf"s arms, and he held her closer. Then she stirred. He"d expected she would remain asleep until after they got her in the SUV, or even better, until they got her back to his ranch, but she wriggled a little more.
Leidolf shifted his hold on her, tightening his grip in case she became combative. A wolf was a wolf, whether it was a feral lupus or a lupus garou, and either could be a handful if it took exception to being transported in this manner, especially one that was wounded.
Elgin frowned. "She"s waking."
No s.h.i.t.
And she was waking fast. Again she squirmed, struggling to get free, as if she didn"t like being confined by him. She hadn"t opened her eyes yet and appeared to be sleeping still.
Fergus drew closer. "Want me to hold her muzzle so she doesn"t try to bite you?"
Before Leidolf could respond, Ca.s.sie shape-shifted. Right in his arms. She barely gave any warning, just growled low and jerked her head up as if she was going to bite him. She didn"t bare her canines, but her green eyes narrowed as she looked up at him, a strange flicker of recognition, and then... she shape-shifted...
... into a soft, naked, beautiful woman.
"Holy cow," Fergus said, jerking off his coat.
Elgin was shedding his, too, and quickly draped it over her nude body. He lifted his brows and his lips slightly. "Hot d.a.m.n, she truly is the woman I saw running through the woods yesterday. No wonder you danced with her until way past closing this morning."
Leidolf ducked his head underneath a tree branch and hid a smile. His look would have been pure wickedness had he allowed his pack members to see it as he tightened his hold on the curvaceous woman. One hot, red lupus garou in the flesh. He took a deep breath of her sweet, s.e.xy scent, all woman and wolf, and enjoyed the softness of her body, her heat pressing against him.
"Everyone said she pulled you onto the dance floor and wouldn"t let go until the wee hours of the morning. And you did say she approached you yesterday at the lake, right? And she acted real interested in you?" Elgin continued, a twinkle in his eye.
It was the first time Leidolf had seen this side of Elgin, more at ease, the conversation more lighthearted.
His expression neutral, Fergus watched Leidolf to see his reaction. Leidolf refused to react in front of his men.
"Since she hung around you when you were drugged until we arrived, I"d say there"s something there." Elgin seemed coolly amused. "We"ll have to ensure she sticks around this time and doesn"t run off again."
"I"ll do whatever I can to help," Fergus said, serious-like, but Leidolf noted a slight lift to his lips.
Tightening his hold on her, Leidolf didn"t reply. h.e.l.l, this was his business, not pack business. He took a deep breath of her scent. He was more than ready to win over the little red wolf who seemed more interested in real wolves than her own kind.
He meant to win.
Following the wounded wolf"s trail, Alex paused when he heard men"s voices. Then they faded. He continued looking for signs of the wolf until he shoved aside a pine branch and stopped dead. Two hunters lay deathly still on the ground, blood soaking the leaves beside them.
He hurried to the two men, hoping he"d find them still alive. That"s when he spied the dart in the b.u.t.tocks of the one man. Tranquilizers? What the h.e.l.l?
Alex crouched over the smaller of the two men and grasped his wrist. A tired pulse. He checked the other man and found the same result. Relieved they weren"t dead, he examined their rifles, outfitted with tranquilizer darts also. One recently fired. At each other? But only one had been fired.
Before he checked for identification, Alex searched the area, looking for signs of where the wounded wolf had managed to limp off to, a.s.suming that the blood was hers. All he found were snapped twigs, men-sized boot imprints in the muddier areas from the recent rain, men"s tracks leading to the scene from several directions, and men"s footprints leading away from the scene all in one direction. And wolves" tracks. Two sets of wolves" paw prints running beside the men"s boot treads.
Staring at the trail left behind, Alex rubbed his stubbly chin. It appeared other men had shot the now sleeping men with tranquilizers and taken off with the wolves. Probably the same men he"d just overheard talking. From the distance they"d been from him, he hadn"t heard their conversation. Thank G.o.d, he hadn"t arrived at the scene a few minutes earlier, or he imagined he would have been sleeping beside these men.
Again, he considered the wolf paw prints. The wounded female wolf and one other that hadn"t been shot appeared to have moved through the area. He examined the muddy soil further. No. Two wolves had come in from a different direction than the one the wounded female had traversed, as evidenced from the trail of blood she"d left behind. So one of the men was carrying the wounded female?
Animal rights activists?
Alex walked in the direction they had taken for several yards and discovered patches of guard hairs. The wolves were still wearing heavy winter coats, and they were also red wolves, not grays. Three red wolves together in a pack? In Oregon? My G.o.d, what a find!
If the tracks had been of one woman"s smaller-sized prints, he would have sworn Ca.s.sie had hooked up with a wolf pack and had herself carried the red female off to safety. She couldn"t have lifted a female and carried her any distance, and there were no signs of her tracks at all.
Which was more than bizarre since he"d pursued her tracks for hours headed away from her pickup and then lost them. To wolf tracks. And those led him to the one female red wolf. At least the shooter who had wounded her didn"t seem to be venturing in this direction. Probably afraid he"d be facing hunters with bullets. Still, he worried about Ca.s.sie and where she"d disappeared to. And that the men who had shot the wolf might run across Ca.s.sie and shoot her also.
Alex searched through the men"s pockets and found the bigger man"s driver"s license. Henry Lee Thompson of Portland. And the other, Joe Smith, also of Portland. And ID cards for the Oregon Zoo. Hunters, but the kind who put wild animals in a zoo.
Alex leaned over and tried to wake the men. "Henry," he called out, shaking the bigger man"s shoulder. "Henry Lee Thompson." No success. Then he tried with Joe, first attempting to pull him to a sitting position and then shaking him a little, but the guy"s head fell back, his mouth dropped open, and his eyes remained closed. "Joe, wake up."
Having no luck with either of the men, Alex pulled out his cell phone to call 911.
But what the h.e.l.l was he supposed to say? Two men down, tranquilized. One wounded red wolf missing. Two more wolves--red wolves, of all things--running through the area with a pack of men. One female biologist had vanished. Two murderers on the loose, one in bad shape, maybe suffering a concussion. And a woman"s body was somewhere out in this location, maybe hauled off by a cougar? Or some very abbreviated version.
Alex knew one thing. His report wouldn"t include his name.
Chapter 10.
Snapping her eyes shut, Ca.s.sie groaned, feeling like c.r.a.p. Her shoulder hurt like the blazes, and Leidolf"scarrying her was jarring her way too much to be appreciated. The tranquilizer was still making her brain fuzzy, and her thoughts drifted from memories of studying Arctic wolves in the frozen Canadian Arctic to checking out the red wolves in hot, muggy Florida. And then a flicker of memory that she"d so longed to suppress--her home and her uncles" homes all ablaze, choking smoke filling the air, as she hid in the woods nearby, unable to save them, unable to do anything but save herself. And the horrible guilt she always felt that she"d lived and they"d died.
She blinked away tears and closed her eyes again, the drug making her feel loopy, out of control. She breathed in the masculinity of the virile lupus garou carrying her. She had to know where she stood with this pack and how much trouble she would have with having invaded their territory.
Yet it was their own d.a.m.ned fault. No one had been in the area in eons. No one had left scent markings to claim these particular woods. That much she remembered. Why was she running through the woods as a wolf during the day? Too dangerous: it wasn"t like her.
Her thoughts drifted again, back to Leidolf who held her tightly against his chest, as if already claiming her. Possession was nine-tenths of the law, right?
He squeezed her tighter against his hard body as if he was afraid he wasn"t holding her close enough. Any closer and she"d be joined to him permanently. Even now, she could smell he had the hots for her. His pheromones had kicked in, screaming he wanted her.
The aroma was so tantalizingly seductive that he triggered her own hormones to give her biological drives away. Which, for her, was just too bizarre to consider. She hadn"t felt like that toward any male lupus garou ever. Probably because she tended to stay clear of their kind of packs. Much safer to... her thoughts drifted again like a slip of scent in the breeze that scattered and disappeared.
He glanced down at her, his expression dark as he stalked through the woods, his men pulling branches away so he could walk unimpeded with his head held high, like the king. But his olive green eyes caught her attention, and his lips curved up a hint. He knew, d.a.m.n it. She couldn"t hide her physical reaction to him, not with them both being lupus garous. Not with their all too sensitive sense of smell.
He took in a deep breath, and his smile broadened, a killer smile that could entice any woman to strip off her clothes and scream, "Take me, oh G.o.dly one."
And she was ready to do just that, no matter what she stood for. For now, she hadn"t a clue what that was. She didn"t think she wanted to become any male"s mate. But the memory of dancing with Leidolf returned with a vengeance, loving the way he felt, the physical closeness she hadn"t shared with anyone in eons. And emotionally, it had felt just as satisfying. But staying with him didn"t fit in with her... plans.
Her gaze focused on his bare chest, sculpted abs begging her to explore every inch, to a light smattering of hair trailing down his chest and disappearing into... she couldn"t see. Exposing his torso, he wore a leather jacket left open. His stubborn chin, proud and set high, with a light stubble of reddish hair covering it, made him appear sinfully roguish. He looked down at her and smiled, slyly this time. Yeah, he"d caught her ogling him again, showing too much interest.
She moaned and shut her eyes, trying to block out the sight of him, the smell of him, the feel of him holding her close, the heat of his body, the hardness, the firm hold he had on her. His. That"s what his whole posture shouted. And for an instant, she enjoyed the feeling, even though she fought against it.
She tried to recall what had happened earlier, before she found herself in his arms. Why was Leidolf carrying her, where was he taking her, and what the h.e.l.l had happened?
Her mind kept drifting, preventing her from focusing on anything for long. She caught only scattered fragments that didn"t make a whole lot of sense--something about hunters and tranquilizers, zoos and veterinary clinics--and then the thoughts faded again, the streaks of pain the only thing that kept her thoughts from shutting down completely. And the smell and heat of him. He exuded danger, although she believed he meant to keep her safe. It was a different kind of peril. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she recognized the threat for what it was--her freedom, not her life, was at risk.
She glanced at the two red wolves running ahead of them and at the two older men keeping pace with the macho wolf who carried her. Every once in a while, the two men with him would look at her, smiles on their faces. They thought their leader had found his mate and were mightily pleased.
A big, black Suburban came into view, and two men hurriedly opened the doors. The wolves jumped into the very back seat. The other men waited, looking her over, smiling appreciably.
Elgin hurried around to the driver"s side of the vehicle. "Guess old Satros was right when he told us about her fishing for salmon earlier in her red wolf form."
Leidolf laid her gently on the seat. "Head for the ranch." He climbed in and pulled her into his arms so the other men could get to the backseat, while the last one climbed into the front pa.s.senger seat. Leidolf"s embrace was warm and comforting.
"Why didn"t anyone tell me Satros learned about her earlier?" Leidolf finally said, his voice irritated.
"I figured that she was just a wolf," Elgin said.
Fergus cleared his throat. "Ever since you became pack leader, Satros has made it his mission to locate a mate for you."
Leidolf raised his brows at Fergus. The man smiled back and shrugged. "He"s quiet, doesn"t ever say much, but he"s always had the pack"s best interests at heart. And that means making sure you"re well satisfied staying with the pack and having a mate to ensure we have offspring to carry the pack forward a generation or two."
"He wasn"t wearing his wolf coat when he was trying to track down my mate earlier then, was he?" Leidolf gave Ca.s.sie a devilish smile.
She closed her eyes. The old wolf must have been watching her when she was at the creek fishing, but she"d never caught sight of him. And she had news for Mr. Overly Confident One... she was not his mate. She sighed. Just because she danced with him all night long, and just because she couldn"t quit gawking at him at the lake or said what she did to get him on his feet when he was drugged didn"t mean she wanted Leidolf for a mate now.
"Old Satros didn"t say," Fergus said. "He and five of our men are still looking for Sarge."
Leidolf ground his teeth, and Ca.s.sie was sure he figured the old man had been wearing his wolf coat earlier today and didn"t like it. Or maybe Leidolf"s annoyance had something to do with whoever this Sarge was, most likely a real troublemaker.
"Did you see the female red? Had she been with you?" Leidolf asked Ca.s.sie, his tone gentle. She still heard the hint of command in his voice, as if he was so used to being in charge that he was having difficulty switching roles to being a concerned male. On the other hand, he probably didn"t want his men seeing him in the role of besotted male.
She rested her cheek against his bare chest, his skin warm and his muscles hard, and she vaguely wondered why on this cold spring day his chest would be naked, while his arms were covered in leather. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting way.
She lifted her head to take another look at him, but the movement sent another sharp pain digging into her shoulder. The last thing she remembered was dropping her head hard against his firm chest and hearing him curse under his breath.
Seeing the number of vehicles at his ranch house as Elgin drove up to the front walk, Leidolf suspected all his pack members had arrived to see Ca.s.sie. Wanting to be alone with her until she was better, he growled, "Who called the pack meeting?"
In the Suburban, no one said a word as Fergus hurried to get Leidolf"s door for him and Elgin let Pierce and Quincy out of the back of the vehicle. Both jumped out and bounded to greet Leidolf as if they hadn"t seen him in ages, maybe attempting to get into his good graces again after this latest fiasco.
Leidolf carried a sleeping Ca.s.sie to the house, but Elgin"s and Fergus"s jackets exposed too much of her long shapely legs in front of the rest of his men to his liking, despite the fact they were used to the nudity issue when shifting. But changing form occurred quickly as a means to prevent humans from catching them in the middle of a shape-shift. This wasn"t at all the same. At least that"s how he rationalized his not liking his men seeing Ca.s.sie so exposed.
Then this business of Elgin calling the pack together irked him. Leidolf cast him a harsh look.
Elgin didn"t look cowed. He should have, for once! In fact, if Leidolf had to describe his expression, he"d say his sub-leader looked rather pleased with the turnout. He couldn"t help but be satisfied that Elgin was showing some real leadership qualities.
Leidolf wasn"t about to let Elgin know it, though, in the event his sub-leader entertained the notion of pulling another stunt like this. "Elgin?"
"I told Laney we were bringing in the injured woman, the wolf biologist you took to the club last night. She must have called the alert roster."
"Why? This isn"t an emergency where all our pack members need to be present. It"s like crying wolf." Leidolf raised both brows to emphasize the importance of his comment.
"Laney must have misinterpreted what I told her." Elgin shrugged, not looking in the least bit worried.
Leidolf glanced at a smiling Fergus as he got the door, but the man quickly hid the expression. No one came out of the house to greet them as Leidolf headed toward the front door with his precious bundle of soft and supple woman. But Leidolf noticed some movement in at least three of the windows.
He buried an exasperated sigh. The woman wasn"t his. Yet. He certainly intended for her to be. He didn"t need his whole pack to coerce her to stay; he planned to do his very best in that regard.
Fergus moved out of Leidolf"s path. To Leidolf"s relief, only a couple of the men greeted him in the great room with serious expressions, nods of heads, and nothing more. Everyone else stayed out of sight. Probably afraid he"d really be p.i.s.sed if they crowded him when the woman was injured.
Laney hurried out of the kitchen. Elgin quickly shook his head at her as if to warn her Leidolf wasn"t pleased with what they had done. She ignored her husband"s warning and hurried after Leidolf.
"Is she still bleeding?"
"No. She"s lost some blood though."
"We need to get her a transfusion. Can"t we take her to the hospital?" Laney asked, hurrying behind him as he stalked toward his bedroom.
"She"ll build it back up. We have no medical staff at the hospital, as you"re well aware. And we can"t explain the bullet wound." He glanced back at Laney, who was wringing her hands, and he realized that, for the first time since he"d known her, she was rattled. He softened his tone. "She"ll be all right in our care." Then he frowned. "You didn"t need to call the alert roster for this."