“Oh, Goddess, no,” I whispered, rolling away from the sightless eyes of one of my pack.
Crab walking backward, my back hit the stone wall. Looking around, my gaze landed on mangled bodies and a blood-filled room. My once pristine gown and body were now bright red and sticky. The copper-scented space made me gag. I pressed a fist to my mouth, holding the sound inside. I held still, opening my senses, and knew it was too late to save anyone in the hall.
My parents were in the clearing. With a destination in mind, I rose and kept against the wall until I could see out the door leading to where I’d last seen them. There stood the dozens of wolves with a few who’d shifted to men. My mother knelt next to my father’s form. From a short distance, I could see he wasn’tmoving, and my mother’s once beautiful gown was stained a deep crimson.
I couldn’t hear the men’s words to my mother clearly. I only saw her shaking her head, then saw her hand shift into that of her wolf. Before any of the men surrounding her could stop her, she used the razor-sharp claws and slit her own throat.
I screamed. The sound escaped before I could call it back. The men’s focus turned to me. As one, they all lifted their heads, but I’d ducked back inside. My entire world disappeared within an instant. Gone.
“Catch her,” the leader growled.
No way could I outrun them. My feet slipped in the blood, my red hair came free from the braid, yet I didn’t let it slow me. I exited the hall on the opposite side, hitting the woods lining the edge of the property. The feel of my wolf rising up comforted me. Fear lent me strength, and my wolf seemed to understand I needed her. I closed my eyes, allowing the animal to take over. Pain hit. Bones shifting, changing, becoming something else—and then I was running on four paws. The sound of men’s voices and shouts blended into the background along with the other animals in the forest. I blocked out all sounds, focusing on escape. My wolf was in charge, and I let her take the lead. Nothing could harm me while in my fur.
“Damn it, LeeLee, wake up,” Slater yelled.
The feel of his hands running over my flanks made me whimper.
Chapter Two
Iclosed my eyes in relief when LeeLee opened those stunning blue ones. Damn, how the hell had I fallen for the little wolf? Of course, she was a shifter. A shifter stuck in wolf form, but I had no clue what she looked like in her human form. No idea what her likes were. What she sounded like. For all I knew, she could be six feet tall, hate hockey—which would be a no-go for me—and drink nothing but coconut water. Another no-go. I liked beer, hockey, and women who were smaller in all areas. Call me a chauvinist. I admitted my faults and made no apologies for them. Hell, who was I kidding? I gloried in my attributes. Most women loved me. This little wolf couldn’t seem to get away from me fast enough, and it pissed me the fuck off.
A glance over my shoulder—my completely human and freezing shoulder—and I could see the wolves were shaking off their injuries, tails tucked, and leaving, except for the ones my mate... whoa, slow your roll, buddy, I admonished myself.
I ran a hand over my red hair as I knelt next to the bloodied wolf. Damn, my gut clenched at the sight of her fur coated in blood. I looked up at the darkening sky. We’d run for hours. I still didn’t know how I’d lost her. Being one of the best trackers, it confused and pissed me the hell off—and turned me on, which was completely inappropriate given the situation.
“What the hell am I gonna do with you, LeeLee?” I asked, hoping for divine intervention.
Her pitiful growl made me smile. “Well, since you can’t do much more than that, I’d say you are at a disadvantage. Ofcourse, so am I in my skin.” I shivered. “Wish I had old fire breather’s powers right about now.’
She blinked up at me. Keanu Raine had been a member of my smokejumpers” team until he retired to marry Cammie. It had been a shock to find out he’d been a fire elemental. The man could create fire out of thin air or take most small fires within himself and put them out. Yeah, I would totally be down for a little ball of fire right about now.
“Stay put while I see if I can’t find some dry wood to build us a fire. Maybe someone will come looking for us.” Doubtful, what with everyone at the hospital with Cammie having the baby and all, but I wasn’t going to tell LeeLee that.
I’d been heading to visit my cousin Laikyn O’Neil and her mate Kellen. I’d met Kellen years before when I’d bought my SideWinder and needed it jacked up. They owned one of the most exclusive auto-customizing shops catering to those who could afford it. As I gathered up wood, my mind locked onto my alpha, Niall Malik. We had the help of the Fey, and if I were lucky, my alpha would be able to send help.
“Slater, what the hell, man? I didn’t expect to hear from you for a while. What’s up, the Iron Wolves not treating you right?” Niall’s shocked tone nearly made me drop the wood in my arms.
“You’re not going to believe this, but I never made it there. I was chasing a female wolf, and we sort of got lost in the woods up here. She’s injured and...” I trailed off, showing Niall where we were through our link.
“Let me see if Jenna can help get you both. She’s a little drained, so it might be a while. Do you think you and the female will be okay for a couple of hours?’
I looked at the steady rise and fall of LeeLee’s sides. Her breathing didn’t seem labored. “Yeah, but not too long. We are in the wilds, man. I don’t want to freeze my balls off.’
“Why don’t you shift back?” Niall’s question was simple, but how could I explain that I was afraid I’d want to hump an injured wolf? Yeah, best to stay human and let the female stay wolf. Two different species kept me in check.
A chuckle came through our link. “I can see where that would be a problem. You need to work on your walls, man.’
I sent him the image of the jackbird, the action of me pumping my fist and then flipping Niall the bird, making my alpha laugh even harder. “Nah, you’re not my type. I’ll let you know when Jenna is coming. In case you haven’t met her, you might want to brace yourself. She’s sort of an acquired taste. I’m thinking the alpha of the Iron Wolves is still cursing her.’
“I’ve met Kellen a few times. I’m pretty sure he can hold his own against any female,” I laughed.
“You say that now. Wait till you meet her.’
I shivered. “Could you let Kellen and Laikyn know that I’m not gonna be coming their way after all? At least not for a while.’
“Consider it done. Remember what I said about the Fey. She’s a force to be reckoned with, but someone you definitely want to have on your side.’
I was going to ask what the hell my alpha meant, but my skin was beginning to turn a nice shade of blue. I was pretty sure that wasn’t good. With a quick agreement not to piss off the Fey, I promised to keep Niall updated.
