Among Wolves (22 page)

Roman didn't answer, but Charlie knew it took
everything both he and Roman possessed to not shift into a wolf and
kill something.

~

Butch hung his head and felt sick.

It was as if he were hung-over or feverish.
He tried to clear his vision and wake up from whatever had a hold
of him. He went to touch his face and jerked at his arm. His wrists
were tied behind his back. Butch sat up in alarm, wide awake now.
He was bound to a heavy oak chair, his wrists behind his back and
his ankles to the legs. His chest began heaving with fear and he
looked around the dark room. It was so dim he was struggling to see
and had no clue where he was or how he had gotten there.

"Roman?" he called.

A mist materialized in front of him making
Butch shift back in the chair, getting a sense of how heavy the
weight of the wood under him was. He tried to scoot back and
couldn't.

"You are now mine."

"Oh no.
Ohhh
, no." Butch shook his
head side to side adamantly. "No way!"

The muscular man leaned forward, smiling at
him, the sword strapped to his back.

"Git away from me!" Butch tugged at the
bindings and tried to get loose.

The big Alpha male eyed him hungrily.

"I ain't yer dinner or yer mate!" Butch
panted for air and clenched his fists. "Lemme go!"

The Alpha walked leisurely around him and
smiled.

"You…" Butch caught his breath as he felt his
skin prickle. "You know how much trouble yer goin' to be in?
Kidnappin's a federal offense. And Roman, well, he's an ATF
agent."

The big man touched Butch's chin
affectionately. Butch turned his face away and arched his back to
avoid it.

"There are no rules."

"I'm afraid there are. An' you broke a ton of
'em." Butch tried to see a door, a window, something. He had no
idea where he was.

"Mm." The man crouched down and leaned on
Butch's lap.

Butch shrunk back and felt his heart beating
madly in his chest. "Why're you doin' this to me? Huh? What did I
ever do to you?" He cringed as the man leaned forward and licked
his cheek.

Butch fought the terror of not knowing if he
was dinner or a sexual conquest. "You…you gotta name?"

"Montague." The man caressed Butch's cheek,
wiping the spot he had dampened.

"All right." Butch nodded, trying to remain
calm which was growing impossible. "I'm Butch. Butch Crowell."

"I know."

Butch stared at Montague's mouth. "Why when
you talk is yer voice outta sequence with yer lips? I have to tell
ya, partner, that's just plain weird."

Montague sat on Butch's legs, straddling him.
"Mmm…"

Butch tensed up and tugged at the rope on his
wrists.

The big Alpha male began nuzzling Butch's
neck, sniffing and licking his skin. "You smell so human."

"'cuz I am human! An' I intend to stay that
way!" Butch shifted under the weight but could not move. "Don't
bite me. Ya got it? Last thing I want to be is one of you!"

Montague began nibbling his throat and Butch
closed his eyes in terror. "Don't bite me. Don't." His flannel
shirt was torn open, the buttons scattering. "Oh, God." Butch
glanced down as his coat and shirt were pushed wide, exposing his
chest. "I'm only twenty-one, okay? I need more time."

Long wet tongue laps ran over Butch's chest,
his neck, his jaw.

"What do you want? Huh?" Butch asked, leaning
away from the aggressive advance.

"I have you…then I will have the mate of the
black wolf, and then…I will kill him."

"Kill him?" Butch tried to catch his breath.
"Kill Roman? No way. You will not kill him."

Montague licked his way to Butch's mouth.

Butch clenched his teeth and leaned back. A
tongue ran across his lips lightly.

Butch turned his face aside and tried to use
his shoulder to wipe it. "Look, Monta-fuck or whatever you want to
be called- Ya can't kill Roman. Okay? Not only is it illegal and
wrong, I love him."

Montague leaned back and snarled at
Butch.

"Uh…" Butch could see the fury in Montague's
amber eyes. "Love you too, buddy!" Butch added, gulping. "Don't
bite me."

The big Alpha got off Butch's lap and
growled.

Butch panicked and tried to get free. "No.
I'm sorry. Okay? I was kiddin'. I'm yers. See?" Butch tried to
wriggle free. "If I agree to be yer whatever, will ya just let the
other two alone?"

Butch looked around and couldn't see Montague
any longer. "Where'd you go?" He tugged at the bindings. "Montague!
Git back here! I was only jokin'! Okay?" Butch listened but
couldn't hear anything but his own heavy breathing.

"Charlie! Roman!" he screamed, shaking the
chair side to side, trying to tip it. "Anyone! Can anyone hear
me?"

Dusk began to loom. Not only did it drop the
temperatures, it made searching harder.

The copter used a spotlight but even after
four hours, nothing was seen. Not a trace.

Roman was exhausted, hungry, and cold. He
stood at the SUV and leaned his butt on the fender, trying to
think, trying to sense where Butch could be.

Vernon had dragged the deer carcass down the
trail, JP and Goat had given up, also returning to the ranch to
help with the horses and chores, and Phil told the chopper pilot to
quit the search.

The two agents stood with Phil, telling Phil,
"We're done. We'll bring the evidence to the lab."

Charlie was close by, but still eyeing the
hills as if not giving up hope he would be able to detect Butch's
presence.

Roman looked up as the agents approached.
"We'll renew the search tomorrow, Agent Burk."

"Okay. Thanks." He shook their hands and they
got into their SUV and left.

Phil walked over to him. "I'm at a loss."

"I know." Roman reached out his hand.

Phil shook it. "First thing in the morning,
we'll be back at it. I'll make sure we have a larger team."

"Don't bring a cadaver dog." Roman squeezed
his hand.

"I got you and Charlie. I don't need a dog.
And stop thinking dismal thoughts." Phil gave Roman a slow motion
'punch' on his jaw and called out, "Charlie, let's go ...Come on,
Roman, I'll drive you back."

"No." Roman stood off the SUV. "You go. I'm
going to hang out a little longer."

"Hell no." Phil shook his head as Charlie
approached. "Get in the car. I'm not leaving you two out here alone
in the dark."

"And I'm not going back to the cabin without
Butch."

Charlie, hands deep in his jacket pockets
said to Phil, "Me neither."

"Guys!" Phil threw up his hands. "We had
nearly a dozen people searching with a helicopter as well…go eat,
sleep, and we'll start again at the dawn."

"No." Roman walked away from Phil.

"Charlie, talk some sense into him. You two
change? Get stuck naked and frozen to death. Or worse, that Alpha,
or cult gets to you…then what? Huh?"

Roman glanced back at Charlie.

"I can't." Charlie shook his head. "I can't
go back without Butch."

"Fuck!" Phil crossed his arms in
frustration.

"Go." Roman tilted his head to Phil.

Phil put his hands on his hips, completely
conflicted.

"It's okay." Charlie touched Phil's
shoulder.

"Damn you, Burk!" Phil threw open the door of
the SUV. "If you two vanish or I find your frozen corpses up here,
I will get even!"

"Love you too, Agent Dean." Roman threw him a
kiss.

"Fucking idiot." Phil slammed the SUV door
and backed up, turning around and heading down the trail.

As the truck lights and noise faded, Charlie
stood beside Roman to watch.

Quiet surrounded them.

"Where is he, Roman?" Charlie asked looking
up at the last glow of lavender daylight behind the western
landscape.

"We find the Alpha. We find him." Roman
sniffed the air.

Charlie put his arm around Roman's waist, and
they headed into the dark woods.

~

There was no new place to look.

Charlie stood at the edge of the brown
circle, which was nearly thirty feet in diameter. The wind shook
the snow from the tree limbs and as it hit the dirt ground, it
immediately melted even though the temperatures had dropped so
much, that the surface of the snow was now a hardened crust.

His inhaled the air for scents, his eyes able
to see in the darkness. Roman touched the trunks of the big
evergreens, walking slowly as if trying to get the trees themselves
to tell him their tale.

A noise made Charlie look over his shoulder.
Roman had heard it too and stopped to listen.

Something red…something glowing…was in the
gloom.

"Ophelia…" Roman breathed out as he spoke,
like a warning.

Charlie's skin prickled and he braced
himself, getting into a fighting stance instinctively.

The red witch was coming.

Immediately Charlie could see black shrouded
figures in a line behind her.

He backed up, trying to stand near Roman as
if they were indeed going to fight. "You change on me now, an' I
will never forgive you," Charlie whispered out of the side of his
mouth to Roman.

"No promises, Charlie. Sorry." They stood
leaning shoulder to shoulder while the strange linear formation
approached.

As if the two men were not even present, the
parade of darkly clad individuals, all carrying candle luminaries,
moved to the perimeter of the sphere.

Charlie backed up to the trees with Roman,
not hiding, but certainly trying to keep out of their way. "Can't
they see us?"

"Yes. They can." Roman held onto Charlie's
arm, as if keeping them secure.

The red glow moved to the center of the brown
circle.

Charlie could see the painted face of the
witch; red and white and blue lines under her eyes wearing a wolf
headdress with a train of black feathers.

"Um." Charlie shifted in his boots.
"Shouldn't we call Phil or Vernon? Aren't these the ones
responsible for the ritual killin's?"

"I have no idea. Hang on." Roman squeezed
Charlie's arm tighter.

Once the ring was complete around the red
witch, she used a walking stick to draw into the dry dirt.

Charlie watched, seeing a five pointed star
appear. "Uh oh."

Roman moved closer to him, pressing against
his body.

A circle was drawn around the star and the
red witch reached up to the trees.

Charlie stared in awe as the tree tops began
shaking and leaning in towards her. "Holy shit."

Roman clamped down on his arm tighter, trying
to quiet Charlie.

The circle of dark-hooded sentries began to
chant. The hairs rose on Charlie's arms and the back of his neck.
He swallowed down his fear, sensing if he allowed it, he'd shift
into something else.

All at once, the entire coven turned to face
the opposite side of where Charlie and Roman were standing.

Roman perked up and Charlie caught a scent in
the wind. "He's here."

"Did she summon him?" Roman shifted
nervously.

Charlie tried to see over the line of candles
and dark cloaks. "No. He's growling at her."

"Shit!" Roman tugged Charlie's arm to urge
him to move, and they began creeping to the opposite side of the
human circle.

"…Her body is the earth…" the red witch began
chanting or casting a spell, Charlie didn't know which.

"Her breath is the air…" She reached out her
walking stick and the wind began to blow stronger. "…fire…" a ball
of flames flew from her fingertips, making the Alpha step back.

"Fire is her spirit…and water…" she called
out as the trees shook the heavy snow down to the ground. "…is her
womb!"

The big white wolf snarled and arched its
back.

Then, suddenly, the witch reached towards
Roman and Charlie, calling them with a silent cry.

Charlie's senses went crazy and he fought the
change and the dizziness.

Her actions alerted the Alpha and as if it
had not known before Charlie and Roman were there. He did now.

Roman snarled.

"Oh no." Charlie gripped Roman's arm.
"Don't!"

"…Child of the wolves…" she reached out to
Roman, beckoning him, "Offer protection and I shall protect
you."

"No. No way!" Charlie heard Roman gasp in
pain and saw him hold his stomach. Charlie yelled at the witch, "It
ain't fair! Y'all did this to him and now you want him to help
you?"

The white wolf began to stalk Charlie and
Roman. A low murmur from the black-cloaked group began to make
Charlie feel sick. They were repeating something, over and over,
like a mantra, but it was not meant to relax, it was meant to
invoke power.

Roman fell to the ground right beside
Charlie.

"Fuck!" Charlie panicked and with that terror
came his own pain and metamorphosis. "Help us find Butch!" he
shouted to Ophelia. "In return! Please!" Charlie held his stomach
as the ache increased.

"Water, air, fire, and earth…" the coven
chanted, their candles flickering in the dark, "Womb, breath,
spirit, body…"

"Roman!" Charlie hit the hard ground with his
knees.

On top of a pile of clothing, stood a huge
black crow. It stretched out its wings and opened its beak.

Charlie watched the large black bird lift off
and begin diving at the wolf. The white wolf shrank back and
snapped its formidable jaws at the bird.

"No! Oh hell no!" Charlie clawed the snowy
ground, trying to keep human, keep his senses, but the chanting was
overwhelming and clouding his thoughts. He screamed in pain and
fell on his back to the cold ground.

When he opened his eyes, he witnessed a
battle between a large black crow and a huge white wolf.

~

Roman used his talons to grab at the wolf's
snout. It leapt on its hind legs and bit at him, getting close to
snatching him out of the air. Another bird descended on the wolf,
coming from the opposite direction.