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Rand couldn't help thinking how easy it had been tonight, the emotions and affection displayed around Fane's table, compared to how mercurial and sometimes combative Cai could be. He completely understood why Cai was like that, he did, but...he wished Cai would come with him. Could run with them.
"But I can't." A muscle twitched in Cai's jaw. He backed up a few steps. "Go, wolf. I mean it."
"I'll find you at dusk."
"Do what you got to do." Cai pivoted and strode away, disappearing in the shadows of the forest.
Damn it. He hadn't handled that well. Rand sat up, rubbing a hand over his face. He wanted to fix it, but he wasn't exactly sure how. More of that aforementioned mercurial shit.
More howls split the air. They were calling him. Cai might not accept anything else from him tonight, but they would. And maybe Rand could find some answers to the confusion of feelings he had about the vampire, the loss of his family, and the way things were changing inside him.
Actions would speak louder than words. At twilight, Rand would find the vampire, no matter that Cai thought Rand was abandoning his ass. But in the meantime, Rand would give himself this, the perfect ending note to an evening with great meal and mind-blowing sex.
Rand shifted. When he came to a raised berm over a ravine, he lifted his head, scenting the air. On a whim, he put his nose to the sky and howled, long and deep.
He was answered by an enthusiastic chorus that hit him like a shot of pure adrenaline. He ran through the forest, letting the wolf have him once more, though he had to moderate his pace since the climax had drained some of his stamina. The vampire knew how to work a man over, that was for sure.
Rand followed the howls, the inviting yips, and caught up with them. They were running through the forest purely for the joy of it. Cilya nipped his shoulder flirtatiously as he joined the pack. He rolled her in playful answer and they were all up and moving together, running, stopping briefly to sniff and take a different direction. Flushing out a mole, Todd gulped it down in one swallow, an after-dinner snack.
If they'd been hungry, if they'd been with him when he ran down the stag, they would have hunted as a pack. They would feed in order of hierarchy, unless there were new pups just starting to eat raw meat who needed to feed first, to ensure their strength. Then the alphas, Fane and Lynn, then the beta, Stalker. Then the others.
Rand, if he was part of their pack, might be recognized as a beta ranked over Stalker, because Fane would acknowledge his contribution to protecting and caring for the family, and offer his respect to Rand for not challenging Fane's domination of the group.
Though they identified strongly with wolves, there were key differences between wolf shifters and actual wolves. Like most wolf packs only had the one female, the alpha female. And she'd be the only one to get pregnant. In contrast, Rand suspected Lynn was hoping rather strenuously for grand-pups from Sangra and Idris. Todd and Zelda might or might not ever have children, but Rand didn't see Fane or Lynn discouraging the couple from being together. Sometimes you just had to let things happen. And hope for the best.
It'd been awhile since he'd let himself have that kind of optimism about families. Attributing it to the pleasure of running with a pack, he left it at that.
When they ran themselves to near exhaustion, he flopped down next to Cilya. She rubbed against him affectionately, the two of them mouthing one another's muzzles in play, though it stopped there. Rand saw the speculation in Lynn's dark eyes, but he knew Fane would tell her. It was different when he was a wolf; he could flirt and play, and enjoy that, but actual consummation outside wolf form...not so much.
He and Sheba had consummated as wolves because it was easier for him that way. Perhaps for her too, with her memories of Sylvan as a human male, holding her in their bed, touching and kissing her. Her heart had still belonged to her dead mate, all the way to the moment she joined him in that afterlife.
He envied her that, far too much. He thought of Dylef, every intimacy shared, even daily irritations, the grind of work, farm life, dealing with the pups, and those blissful moments at the end of the day when they could lie in bed together and wake the same way. It had been a life, a good life. And it was gone.
He thought of Cai, warning him about thinking of another male while they were together. The idea of being wanted, needed...claimed, wasn't bad. But that could be fleeting, if the other part wasn't there, if there was no potential for it. Intimacy, companionship, sharing the daily stuff.
He heaved a sigh and closed his eyes as Cilya propped herself against his side and started fencing muzzles with Chad over him. It was as Cai had said. They'd both likely be dead soon, so rather than wish for what once had been, Rand would enjoy what he had right now. That would have to be enough.
Chapter Thirteen
After a time, Fane's family returned home for the night. Rand stayed out through sunrise. He prowled the woods, doing some advance scouting around the area Fane had showed him. He didn't go too close to the Trad camp, however. He was well-aware both his human and wolf form might not be able to restrain himself if he saw the girl in distress, and then their plan would be blown before it even started. This was a fight one wolf could not win.
Restless and dissatisfied, he went to find Cai. The vampire had gone to ground before the sun rose, but now that he knew what he was looking for, Rand tracked him to a mound of earth artfully concealed by debris and a stand of saplings. Their shadows provided some additional cover but didn't have a deep root system to inhibit digging a man-sized hole. Rand curled up on top of the mound of earth, deciding to spend the first part of the day sleeping. It was going to be a long night.
When twilight came, Rand felt the vampire stir. He padded a few feet away from his resting spot to lie down again. Cai rose and stretched, eyeing him without comment, and moved to the nearby spring to wash up. Rand realized he must have petitioned Giles for replacement "pajamas," similar to what Cai had had, since he was wearing a worn T-shirt and jeans so faded they were almost white. Rand cocked his head, curious, as Cai changed into his daywear.
Bugs don't get you?
"Nope." Cai grunted as he pulled on his heavier weight cotton T-shirt. "They crawl around me but seem to avoid contact. And yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking, but it's not my repulsive personality. Most vampires are bug repellants."
Rand sneezed, and Cai gave him a narrow look. Thankfully any lingering tension or unspoken words from when they'd parted hours before seemed to be gone, for both of them. Now there was only one task ahead, one focus.
Done dressing, Cai finger-combed his damp hair, a partly rakish, partly boyish gesture that appealed to Rand more than expected. The vampire didn't seem to notice the reaction, thankfully.
"Why don't you take the lead?" Cai asked. "We both know where we're going, but your nose has a better memory of the best way to get there than my brain. We'll split up the way we planned when we get closer."
In answer, Rand rose and took off. After shouldering their backpack of belongings, Cai followed with an easy jog. Rand wondered if he was concerned about Goddard taking the backpack from him, causing them to lose the chance to use Brian's tools. However, the only thing the vampire unloaded as they drew closer to their destination was the gum that would eliminate a blood tracer on a vampire, and the sedatives for Dovia.
Cai took a couple of the pea-sized gumballs from the tin, but put the rest of it in a sealed plastic bag, which he buried and marked with a trio of flat rocks.
"Will you be able to find it again, even in the bag?"
Rand gave him a mental nod and Cai rose. Rand understood Cai's intent. If they both had access to the substance, whichever one of them managed to get her out of there could give her the gum, and then the sedatives, when she was safe. She was the priority.
They resumed their journey in silence. Maybe because they saved their energy that way, or because they had an extra dose of nerves for the coming challenge, neither was winded after they covered the last couple mil
es. Rand slowed and dropped into a silent stalk. The vampire adjusted off to his right, a shadow slipping through the woods.
When they were close enough to the camp, in mutual accord, Cai circled around to scout one side, Rand the other.
As Rand peered through the trees, screened to invisibility by their cover, he examined the Trad camp. A sturdy cabin, a couple nearby outbuildings. A well. Surprisingly tidy and clean, but he remembered what Cai had said about Goddard's military illusions. He ran his camp organized, the way a commander would. With one notable exception.
Rand quelled the rumble in his throat. There were two humans here, the shift of the wind bringing their unwashed, sickly odor to his nose and fueling his anger.
Two women. They were chained by their throats and wrists to the well, one on either side so they couldn't reach one another or easily communicate. They were naked, huddled against the sides of the rock to gain what meager warmth they could from the shelter as the mountain evening cooled.
