“I can’t let you do that,” Roy said. Then he hit Colton with the baseball bat.
Finally—changed! As a wolf for the first time in months, Jewel yearned to tear off over the rocky terrain, thrilling to the feel of the hard-packed earth under her sensitive paws. Spirit soaring, she stretched her muscles. Her wolf body felt strong, right, though too long unused.
But the man was too important to her. She’d seen the shock and terror on his handsome face. Even as wolf, she’d felt a pang.
He had to understand. This was too important.
She crept closer, keeping her body low to the ground, in the subservient position so he’d know she wasn’t a threat.
Instead, he stumbled backward, one hand out as if to ward her off.
She paused. Cocked her head. Inhaled. The sharp tang of perspiration colored with fear filled her sensitive nose.
Fear? Colton was afraid ofher?
She whimpered, trying to communicate. No matter the body, she was the same soul. But he didn’t understand and took off, away from her, away from the mobile home. Out into the rolling hills, exactly where she wanted to be.
First, she kept pace with him, willing him to touch her, to call her to him. But after awhile, the sensations were too much for her. The myriad scents and textures of this new wilderness called to her animal nature. Too long denied, she finally veered away from Colton, heading out on her own.
The dry grass felt prickly under her paws, and in the hot wind she caught a whiff of smoke. Somewhere, a fire burned. But not here.
The sun beat down, warming her fur, making her lift her muzzle to the sky and bare her teeth. Chancing across deer spoor, she sniffed, following the herd’s trail up the rocky mesa, were she could see for miles.
Forgetting Colton, forgetting everything of the human world for a few joyful hours, she reveled and played, ran and rolled.
Grass, sky and sun. What more could one ask for?
She was wolf. Finally at home in her body again. Free.
With no way to keep track of time, after an hour or maybe six had passed, she felt pleasantly tired. Her stomach rumbled with hunger.
Now, she would hunt. She scented and trailed a wild pig, bringing down the small boar and ripping his throat out before eating her fill. She forgot to be on the watch for danger. Sated, happy, she grew careless.
Cardinal rule of shifters—always remain alert for danger. If one eye closed, keep the other eye open.
She nearly stumbled upon Bettina, crouched and hiding in a small grove of leafy trees. The wind blew in the wrong direction, carrying Bettina’s scent away from her. If the woman hadn’t made a sudden move, Jewel would have walked into a trap.
Disbelieving that she’d actually seen the woman before she’d scented her, Jewel backed quietly away to hide in tall grass and watch. The wind shifted and now she caught Bettina’s scent, wrinkling her snout at the mingled odors of perfume and perspiration. As a wolf, her sense of smell was forty times that of a human.
She crouched low to the ground and hid under a group of bushes, watching. Bettina! The woman who’d claimed Colton had beaten her to within an inch of her life.
The woman was up to no good. As a matter of fact, even as a wolf, Jewel realized Bettina’s presence could only mean one thing.
Somehow, Leo had found her.
As wolf, Jewel wanted to take Bettina down. She readied herself for the leap, tensing her strong leg muscles, glad of her lithe, sleek strength.
But, at the last minute, she hesitated. The human side of her, in charge for so long, held her wolf-self back.
She stumbled. Leaves rustled.
At the sound, Bettina spun. Too late, Jewel saw the tranquilizer gun in the woman’s hand. She knew an instant’s sharp pinprick of pain as the dart struck, then nothing.
Colton saw the bat coming and dodged, just enough for the blow to glance off his shoulder rather than his head. He staggered back, thinking fast. “What the hell, Roy? Why are you doing this?”
“Because of what you did to Bettina, you bastard.” Roy came at him again.
Colton dodged. “I don’t even know her.”
