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Liam would be in human form, I wasn’t stopping to wonder. He was still a formidable threat. The only advantage was that if he wasn’t a wolf, tracking us would be slower.
“It came from near the house,” I whispered as we ran. “We should head for the road. Do you know where-?”
He answered by barreling past me. We ran for a few minutes, but I kept falling behind. He raced back to take up the rear.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I can’t see and I keep tripping-”
He cut me off with a grunt. I know. Just go.
I took the lead, letting Derek tap the back of my legs whenever I started heading off course. Finally, I could see lights through the trees. Derek prodded me toward them and-
“Making a helluva racket, ain’t ya, pup. ” Liam’s Texas drawl echoed through the forest.
Derek knocked me flying. I hit the ground hard, chin scraping the earth, dirt spraying into my mouth. I tried to rise, but Derek was standing over me. I ran my tongue over my teeth, making sure I hadn’t lost any.
Derek chuffed and prodded the back of my neck. I was going to interpret that as an apology, whether it was or not.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Liam sang.
Derek nudged me into a thicket so small we had to crowd in together and I got a mouthful of fur. When I tried to give him more room, he growled at me to be still. I sat down and he pressed against me, getting the rest of his bulk into the thicket, until he was practically on my lap.
He lifted his head to sample the wind. It was coming from the same direction as Liam’s voice, meaning he couldn’t smell us.
I closed my eyes to listen better. I could feel the pounding of Derek’s racing heart. Mine must have been beating just as hard, because he nudged my arm until I opened my eyes and met his, dark with concern.
“I’m okay,” I whispered.
He shifted, trying to take more weight off my legs. As he moved, my hand brushed a patch of wet fur. I drew back to see my fingers sticky with blood.
“You’re-”
He cut me off with a grunt. I’m okay. Now, shhh.
I tried to see how badly he was hurt, but he shifted again, this time keeping me down.
We sat there, silently listening. His ears swiveled, and every now and then they’d twitch, like he’d caught a noise. But instead of tensing, he began to relax.
“He’s moving away?” I whispered.
He nodded.
I settled in. It was hard to be afraid for your life when there was a two-hundred-pound wolf on your lap. It was oddly comforting. Between the heat of his body, the softness of his fur, and the beat of his heart I found myself blinking to stay awake.
“Is he gone?” I whispered.
Derek shook his head.
“How long should we stay-?”
Derek stiffened. I peered into the night, but when I glanced at Derek, he didn’t have that pointer-on-a-scent look. His head was still down. His eyes were wide, and he held himself completely still.
Then I felt it. His muscles were twitching.
“You’re ready to Change back,” I whispered.
He grunted, tense, worry seeping into his eyes.
“No problem. It always takes a while after the first sign, right? We’ll have time to get you back to the house. You can Change there-”
He convulsed, his front legs shooting out. He collapsed on his side, all four legs going rigid, head jerking back, eyes rolling wildly.
“It’s all right. This is better anyway. Just let it happen. ”
Not like he had a choice. I crawled over him, getting out of the way of those flailing claws. Crouching behind him, I rubbed his shoulders and told him he was doing fine, everything was okay.
His head lowered, then flew back with a bone-cracking snap. He let out a yelp, ending in a snarl as he tried to be quiet, but the convulsions kept coming faster and a whimper escaped with each fresh spasm. When he finally stopped, everything around us stayed silent. But I knew Liam had heard.
I leaned over Derek, whispering encouragement, hoping to block any sound of Liam, keep him from panicking. Soon, though, Derek’s head shot up and I knew Liam was coming.
Derek was well into his Change now, his muzzle shortening, ears moving to the sides, hair growing as his fur retracted. I leaned down to his ear.
“Just keep going, okay? I’ll look after it. ”
He stiffened and made a noise that I knew was a no. I rose. He tried to do the same, only to be hit with another convulsion.
“I’ll be okay,” I said, pulling out my knife. “I won’t do anything stupid. You’re almost finished. I’ll distract him until you are. ”
“No,” his voice was garbled, guttural.
I turned to go. He grabbed for my leg, but his fingers were still knobby stubs and I easily pulled away. Without looking back, I ran from the thicket.
Twenty-two
I RAN, GETTING AS far from Derek as I could. Finally I saw the figure of a tall, lean man with light hair, limping through the forest, cane in one hand. Liam. The limp explained why he wasn’t in wolf form. If Changing was as painful as it seemed, I could only imagine how bad it would be if you were injured. That injury also meant he had a grudge to settle. With me.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my galloping heart. It didn’t work. Too bad. I couldn’t let him get close enough to see or hear Derek Changing.
I ran as close as I dared, then pulled up short in his path. He stopped and smiled.
“Hello there, cutie,” he drawled. “I thought I smelled you. ”
“How’s the leg?”
His grin turned a little less friendly, more bared teeth than smile. “Hurts like a son of a bitch. ”
“Sorry about that. ”
“I bet you are. ”
He stepped closer. I stepped back.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I forgive you for the leg. I like a little spirit in my fillies. ” His look sent a shiver through me. “Makes them more fun to break. Now where’s that big ox of a boyfriend?” He raised his voice. “This is a coward’s ploy, pup, sending the girl out to distract me. About what I’d expect, though, considering how fast you ran away last time. ”
