Claimed by the Beast Bundle (46 page)

Chapter 13

“Home away from home,” Guntar announced after they’d walked their motorcycles more than a quarter mile into the forest.

Crystal looked around and sniffed the air. She could smell the pollen in the air from the budding trees and it tickled her nose. She caught a musty smell and tracked it back to an area where the ground dipped down between rocks into some minor ledges. She caught another scent mixed in that made her perk her ears ahead. Somewhere nearby there was an animal. She didn’t know what type, but she could smell its breath on the wind.

“Leave the bikes here,” Guntar said and found a rock to put his kickstand on top of so it wouldn’t sink into the ground. He waited for the others to rest their motorcycles safely and then led them down one of the small ravines.

The ground was wetter in the small gullies. It wasn’t a marsh or a swamp, but a few small streams wound through the area. The temperature dropped from the rock walls around them stifling any breeze or sunlight during the day. Crystal focused on the rustle in the brush ahead of them and caught a glimpse of short brown fur bolting away from them.

She tensed and made ready to pounce by lowering herself. The others kept moving but turned to watch her. Ember grinned and Hank shook his head. “Fox,” he said. “Don’t bother.”

“No fire tonight,” Guntar explained.

“If we shifted we wouldn’t need to cook it,” Ember offered.

Crystal straightened and stared at her. Ember licked her lips and laughed. “I’m kidding, relax.”

“She is, but she’s not,” Adrian said while staring at Crystal. “You can eat raw meat if you need to.”

Crystal snorted and shook her head. The thought of eating raw meat made her stomach twist.

“Not because you’re a wolf,” Hank added. “But it’s easier to do it when you’re shifted. It’s because every shift will fix your body. Diseases and colds only stick around if you don’t shift.”

Crystal growled and shook her head. No way would she ever reach that point.

Guntar pointed to a hollow beneath one of the rocks. “We can stay here.”

Crystal opened her mouth to speak and let out a soft howl. She’d gotten used to walking as a wolf and forgot she couldn’t talk! Gwen glanced at her and lifted her jowls in a wolfish grin. She turned her head back to the hollow and walked over to check it out. It was damp but there wasn’t any standing water on the ground, at least.

They were supposed to stay here? No electricity or heat or food? How? She opened her mouth and then clamped it shut again. She felt so natural and comfortable, it was hard to remember she was on four legs instead of two!

“Looks like it’s cuddle time again,” Ember said while taking her clothes off. She placed them on a ledge and shifted.

Just like that? Crystal growled and almost endured the pain of shifting back so she could talk. She hesitated long enough for Ember to walk over and rub up against her. Crystal circled, watching the red-streaked wolf to make sure she didn’t try doing anything outrageous. What, she wasn’t sure, but she couldn’t stop herself from being worried that Ember was going to try to smell her butt.

Ember winked at her and turned away to bump up against Gwen. Crystal looked away and saw the three men were stripping their clothes off and stashing them in dry spots off the ground. She watched Hank as he exposed himself and licked her lips.

“We’ll rest here tonight,” Guntar said. “Tomorrow we’ll make plans and head out.”

Adrian grunted. “The cop first?”

“That’s my plan.”

Adrian nodded and shifted. Hank and Guntar followed and moved into the dark hollow. Crystal followed Hank and waited until he laid down to rest before she snuggled up next to him. She missed feeling his skin against hers but the regular rise and fall of his chest soothed her worries and her excitement.

The thrill she’d felt when she smelled and then saw the fox had left her heart racing. It was calm now, but she remembered the surge that made her ache to give chase. It was nothing like she’d ever felt when she’d been a normal person. The thrill of a hunt. Not for a boy or a grade, but for dinner. For survival.

She felt Hank stir and press against her and returned the favor. Knowing she could hunt and take care of herself was almost as good as knowing that Hank was there for her. She rolled a little and rested her head on his shoulder. The position seemed like it should be awkward at best, but it wasn’t. She was comfortable, which explained some of the strange poses she’d seen dogs and cats sleep in over the years.

Warmed by her fur and by the press of wolves taking refuge in the den, her thoughts and worries were floating away from her and she dozed off, safe and secure with the people who had come to care for her the most.

Chapter14

“This seems like a really bad idea,” Crystal said over the roar of the bike and the wind. Her contentment from last night had left as soon as she woke up hungry the next morning. She wasn’t as cold as she’d expected, thanks to her fur coat, but she hadn’t eaten more than a bowl of soup in the last several days.

They’d shifted back and set out, finding some cheap thong sandals at a gas station and then a diner to eat breakfast at. Guntar had explained his plan for dealing with the sheriff and now Crystal and Hank were driving around more or less randomly.

“Nobody had a better one,” Hank responded. “Trust Guntar and Adrian. They’ve been around a long time. They know how to deal with these people.”

“How’s that?”

Hank took a moment before he answered. “They’ve hunted paladins before. A lot of times, actually.”

“A lot of times? Wait, why?”

“Adrian and Guntar go way back, remember?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, we run into these guys from time to time. They’re looking for us, after all.”

Crystal leaned back in her spot behind him and considered her boyfriend’s words. Hank was right; they were looking for them. She knew that from what she’d heard the paladins who captured her say. But Hank said Guntar and Adrian hunted paladins before.

“I nev—”

“Hang on, there’s a cop car!” Hank interrupted her.

Crystal looked around his right shoulder and saw a cop car approaching on a crossroad. A field with shoots of green corn breaking the surface was all that separated them. She held on to Hank and tried to look as casual as she could.

The police car slowed, allowing them through the four-way stop first. The officer driving turned and followed after them.

“We got him,” Hank said to her. “Let the others know.”

Crystal pulled her phone out from where she’d tucked it into the waist of her too-tight skirt and unlocked it. She ignored the thirty-seven unanswered text messages and twenty-four missed calls or voicemails and started a quick text to Ember. “Crap, where are we?” she looked up and asked.

“Just passed Davison on Dixon, headed east,” Hank informed her.

Crystal was about to respond when the officer turned his lights on and she saw the red and blue flashes reflecting off the mirrors and chrome of the bike. She sucked in her breath and typed as fast as she could, ignoring when her fingers fumbled and autocorrect tried to make her message clearer. She hit Send and then deleted it before slipping it into the pocket of Hank’s leather vest.

“Get ready to run,” Hank warned as he slowed down and pulled over. “We have to stall him as long as we can. It could be a few minutes until help gets here.”

“Hank, I saw the officer. It’s not the sheriff!” Crystal warned.

Hank lowered the kickstand and turned his bike off. The heat from the air-cooled engine rose without any wind and made Crystal feel like her leg was on fire. “He’s on the radio now, calling us in,” Hank said. “You can bet that sexy butt of yours backup’s on the way.”

Crystal grinned in spite of herself. “No bet,” she said.

Hank turned to share his confusion with her. “Why not?”

“I don’t want to risk winning and be forced to not let you have it.”

Hank’s grin faded when his eyes shifted from Crystal to look behind her. She didn’t need to turn to hear the door open on the police cruiser. “Here he comes.”

“Baby, can we get off the bike to meet him?” Crystal wondered. “I’m burning up back here.”

Hank leaned forward. “Yeah, that should be fine. Don’t do anything to freak him out, though. No telling what he might know.”

Crystal climbed off and pushed her skirt down her legs as far as it would go after inadvertently giving the cop a quick flash. She stepped away so Hank could dismount and then she leaned against the passenger seat and put her hands in her lap to offer a little more modesty.

“Nice day for a ride,” the officer said as he walked up to them with his hand at his sides. His eyes dropped to Crystal’s feet and rose up her long legs until they paused at her tight shirt. Eventually they made it to her face but he shifted his focus to Hank almost immediately.

“It was,” Hank agreed while Crystal blushed. She forced herself not to look down; she knew what he’d seen when he’d stared at her chest. She could feel her nipples itching where they poked against the thin fabric. Why did Ember have to dress like such a slut?

“Not exactly proper riding attire your girlfriend’s got, is it?” the cop asked.

“I didn’t know there was a law for that,” Hank delayed.

“No law, just common sense,” the officer said. “Oh! That is, unless she’s under twenty-one. Tell me, miss, how old are you?”

Crystal wanted to hand her driver’s license over and be done with it but she knew they had to delay. “Why? I’m old enough.”

His smile faded. “You have to be twenty-one to ride a motorcycle without a helmet. I’m going to need to see your license.”

“This is crazy. I’m just riding!” Crystal protested.

“Yours too, and your registration,” the cop said to Hank.

Hank sighed and turned to Crystal. He winked and said, “Excuse me, baby, my paperwork’s in that saddlebag you’re leaning on. Just hop up out of the way and I’ll get it out.”

Crystal narrowed her eyes as he glanced down at the leather bag between her legs. Hop up out of the way? Did he really want her to do what she thought he did? He’d said he would love showing her off. Crystal blinked slowly, trying to process what he was suggesting. Was it just for him to get a cheap thrill or was it to mess with the cop and slow things down? This was a police officer, after all. Shouldn’t he be professional and not pay attention to slutty behavior like that?

Could she get in trouble for that? Resisting arrest or something? She swallowed and was about to step away when she remembered what they were doing. Resisting arrest was the least of her problems. Surviving through the day, on the other hand, was another story. She lifted her eyes up to Hank’s and saw a flash of concern. He nodded just enough for her to see it. She took a deep breath and offered him a quick smile before putting her feet on the running board and lifting herself up to sit on the seat.

“Move slowly,” the officer said as he repositioned himself to have a clear line of sight to the bag. His eyes widened when Crystal spread her legs so Hank could unfasten the buckle and open the flap up.

She kept her eyes on his while her face burned. She didn’t know what he could see but she knew it was a lot more than she wanted him to! There was a difference between being naked and having clothes on but letting someone see parts of her they shouldn’t be seeing. Granted, she’d only been naked around her pack and the jerks who tried to kill her, but still.

“Hold this up, baby,” Hank said as he lifted the flap and covered her spread miniskirt.

She jerked her eyes down and grabbed it, holding it in place and ruining the show for the cop. Her heart hammered in her chest and she wanted to hug Hank for doing that. Sure, he’d put her in that position in the first place, but he did it because they needed to keep the cop distracted. Now he was protecting her, or at least what modesty she had left.

He fumbled around in the saddlebag for several seconds until, at last, he grunted and pulled out a plastic sleeve. Inside it was his registration. Crystal made out the state name of Nevada on it before he turned and handed it to the officer.

“License?”

“Oh, sorry.” Hank dug into his vest pocket and pulled out a clip with a few bills and some plastic cards tucked in it. He fished his license out and handed it over.

“Bike’s registered in Nevada and you live in Illinois?”

Hank nodded. “I get around.”

The officer glanced at Crystal. “Sounds like it. You from Illinois, too, miss?”

“Oh!” Crystal gasped. In all the excitement and confusion, she’d forgotten that he wanted her license too. She let go of the flap and slid down until her feet were on the ground again, her miniskirt riding up her thighs in the process. “You wanted mine, too. I’m sorry.”

Crystal turned and walked around Hank’s bike to the other side. With her back turned to the man, she bit her lip and planned her next move. She was committed and determined. She loved Hank and the others were her family. Their lives were as important to her as hers was. She’d do anything for them, even if it meant—

She let the thought go unfinished and took a deep breath before she bent over at her hips to unbuckle the other saddlebag. Over her own heart, she heard the officer’s sudden intake of breath. It was working! She opened the flap slowly and exposed her purse. The strap had been broken and it was scuffed up, but it still had all her things in it. She unzipped it, still bent over with her back arched and her butt thrust almost obscenely behind her. She wondered how much of her thighs he could see. Or worse, had the skirt ridden up high enough he could see more?

Crystal felt her face heat up even more. She dug her wallet out and yanked her driver’s license out. She didn’t feel like showing off anymore, even if it meant a little bit more time wasted. What was a few seconds, anyhow?

She spun back around and thrust it at him. The officer shook his head and jerked his gaze up to her face before he looked down at the card in her hands. “Um, thanks,” he mumbled as he took it from her. He turned and walked back to his car, moving a little more stiffly than he had before.

“Oh my God!” Crystal hissed.

Hank nodded. “Yeah, don’t ever do that again.”

Crystal’s heart leapt out of her chest. He was protecting her! “Never?”

“Well, you can do it for me,” he admitted. “But be careful. I can’t promise I won’t be able to stop myself from making a scene!”

Crystal bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Remind me to show you how much I appreciate you when this is over.”

“Same here, baby,” he mumbled. “Same here.”