His Wolf (Wolf of My Heart) (4 page)

"Oh thank God." Naked and dirty, I moved my head from side to side to knock out the kinks in my neck. "
Ow
!"
Whiplash?
Probably.
That had been one wicked ride down the ravine. I raised my arms and stretched to the ceiling before slowly bending down to touch my toes. Damn, but it felt good to stand on two legs, even if they were hurting. I checked out my injury, pulling back the gauze now wrapped too tightly around my wrist. Yikes.
That
was a cut. I probably needed stitches or at least some tape to hold the jagged edges of skin together. But not before I borrowed Erik's shower. Assuming he had one.

I quickly took stock of my surroundings. The bare walls were made of the flat side of the logs on the outside and had white chinking between each, giving them a striped look. I saw exposed rafters and beams, a rustic wooden floor, some throw rugs, and matching curtains. The place had a cozy feel I loved.

I felt of my hair, which was a nasty mess--damp with leaves and probably muddy. My nude body looked muddy, too. Or were those dark spots bruises? Oh God. They were. No wonder I felt like I'd been run over by an army tank. Yeah, a hot shower was definitely in order. But first I wanted something else to eat.

Just as I turned toward the fridge, the front door swung open. Erik stomped into the cabin, freezing when his gaze landed on naked me. I screamed. He yelped. I darted behind a corduroy recliner a couple of yards away.

"Oh my God…oh my God…oh my God…" That was me.

"What the hell?" That was Erik, now wide eyed and staggering against his kitchen table. His knees buckled just as he got to a chair. He sort of dropped into it, almost missing. "Who the heck are you, and where's my dog?" He pointed toward the rug on which I'd lain.

"I'm a wolf, not a dog, idiot. And I'm definitely not yours."

Chapter Three

Erik shook his head as if to clear it, his gaze glued to me. "Look, lady. I don't know what's going on, but you're trespassing, and you need to leave.
Now
."

I immediately back pedaled. "Don't be pissed, okay? I know how this must look. My name is Bronte
Hannigan
.  I'm a--" I caught myself. What I said now might mean the difference between staying and going. I really needed to stay. "I'm a shapeshifter."

Erik's jaw dropped.

I straightened a little, testing to see if the chair I'd chosen as cover would hide my C cups if I didn't bend my knees, which had begun to ache. Deciding it
hid
enough of them, I gratefully repositioned myself. The color of Erik's eyes went from milk chocolate to dark. Or was that my imagination?

Now
I
was doing the head clearing. "I know this sounds completely crazy--"

"You have no idea."

"But I do! Honest. The thing is
,
I'm a descendent of an Irish Goddess named Danu. We can shift from human into animal, in my case the wolf you rescued this morning. Thanks for that, by the way. I didn't know how I was going to free myself." I pasted a smile on my face.

He didn't smile back.

"I swear I'm telling you the truth."

"Sure you are."

"No, really.
I am. Think about it. The wolf is gone; I'm here. What else could possibly have happened?"

Erik snorted a laugh.

"Think, Erik. Please."

His face paled even more. "How do you know my name?"

"You said it when you were bringing me here. And I know that you're a photographer, too--"

He glanced down at his camera. "Good call."

"--and your fish is named Gilda. Oh, and you have an uncle named
Greger
."

Erik stood and began to sidle toward the kitchen. "Now you're freaking me out."

"Do you think I don't know that? And I'm as freaked at you, okay? I'm also freezing my ass off. I don't suppose you have some clothes I could borrow until I get my bag out of that log…"

He yanked open a drawer and pulled out a butcher knife.

I
huffed
my exasperation.
"Oh, great.
You're going to stab me now?
Like I'm not in enough pain already."
I held up my right arm, the one with the neon green bandage cutting into my wrist.

He sucked in a shocked breath.
"Oh God."

"Exactly."

Erik's gaze swept me. "Are those…bruises?"

I automatically looked where he looked and realized I'd moved a little to the left, which meant more of naked me was showing than I realized--hopefully none of the good parts. I scooted back in place.
"Wrecked my truck last night."

His gaze now clashed with mine. "Are you okay?"

Finally.
The guy with the heart of gold had regained control. "Sore.
As in all over.
And warmer now, thanks to you. So I'll mend, I guess.
Can't say that about the truck, though."

Erik began to pace the cabin as if he'd suddenly forgotten me, talking with his hands one second and then pressing them to his temples the next.
"Holy shit.
The books and movies have it right. Gods, goddesses, and shapeshifters exist, and if
they
do--" He stopped, his gaze on the window that looked out towards the encroaching woods. "What the heck else does?"

"If I knew I'd tell you, but I honestly don't. And maybe it's best not to know. Now if you don't mind, could we--"

He cut me off. "Fairies might be cool and elves, too, if they look like
Cate
Blanchett
or
Liv
Tyler. I'd love to meet a witch or wizard. Ditto a dragon, but I'll pass on trolls. By all accounts they stink.
As for vampires…
They've got to be myth, right? I mean someone somewhere would've spilled the beans by now if they weren't."

Did the guy read too much crappy fiction or not? "Hello?
Freezing here."

"Not that I'd pass up a chance to meet Bella Swan, well, after Edward turned her. Those red eyes of hers were wicked sweet."

"Oh-
em
-gee!
I'm one big goose bump. Got a T-shirt?"

He startled.
"Oh, um, yeah.
Sure." Still mumbling to himself, Erik walked right around me and my bare backside, apparently en route to his bedroom. He came back a second later, still looking a little dazed and confused. I reached for the maroon shirt; he handed it over, belatedly realizing we were face-to-face with me wearing nothing but freckles.

"Shit!" He pivoted so he had his back to me. "Sorry."

I just sighed and looked over the shirt, which had
Sasparilla
Sam's written on it in gold saloon style letters. "I could use some jeans, too.
And shoes.
I need to go get my things out of that stupid log."

Erik peeked over his shoulder and seeing that I was fairly decent in a shirt that came halfway to my knees, slowly turned. "No jeans of mine will fit you."

"Hm."
I picked soggy grass out of my ginger curls as I thought. "Are you sure? I mean, don't you have a belt or something that would keep them up at least
long
enough for me to find my bag?"

"I have some sweats with a drawstring waist." He clearly didn't think I'd go for it.

But that worked for me. "Perfect!"

"And some rubber boots.
Maybe if you wore a lot of socks."

I glanced down at his size
twelves
. Not in a million, but I wasn't going to admit it. "Great. Would you get them, please?"

Looking doubtful, he left me again, but soon returned with the sweats. I took my time pulling them on, tightening the drawstring, and then rolling up the hems about ten inches. I next took the socks he held, or tried to.

He wouldn't let them go. "Are you for real?"

I flicked his ear with my finger.

"Ouch!"

"Real enough for you?
Now give me the
freakin
' socks." Though the boots were still huge on my feet once I tried them on, they would just have to do until I reclaimed my Nike's. Hoping the sweats I'd stuffed into the tops would help them stay
on,
I tied the laces really tight and clomped toward the door.

"Where're you going?"

"To get my things."

"I meant where, exactly, are they?"

"About five feet from that stupid trap."

"Okay. I'll come with you."

"There's no need. I know you have stuff to do."

He shook his head and took the lead.
"Nah.
I'm in. Just
gotta
find my knit cap, which is what I came back for."

I think the walk back through the woods was even worse than the previous one to his house. Though Erik had loaned me a sweatshirt, I quickly chilled. He tried to give me his coat. I wouldn't take it.

The snow that was just a spitting flake or two when we left the house became a blinding flurry before we reached the halfway mark. I fell twice, the last time taking Erik down with me. Then I had to put on the boot that had done the tripping before he could pull me, moaning and groaning, to my feet.

But we finally found my log. Erik watched with interest while I dragged my backpack out and opened it, quickly digging around for my hoodie, which I pulled on over his shirt. I gratefully ditched the boots and then his sweats, slipping on my own things, while Erik stood by in silence. Lastly, I put on my Nikes only to take them off again and remove a couple of pairs of the socks so they wouldn't be too tight.

I crammed the sweats into the bag, but the boots wouldn't begin to fit. Erik wordlessly took them from me, knotted the strings, and draped them over his shoulder. I zipped up and started to hoist the backpack.

He nixed that, too, taking it from me and slinging one strap over his shoulder. "Where's this truck of yours?"

I looked around and then pointed. "That way, I think. I was a little confused, and it was dark."

Even with me wearing shoes that fit, it took a good thirty minutes to get to the truck. I did not remember walking that long before I shifted the night before, which made it a miracle that we found it. In daylight, it looked as if a giant had wadded up the vehicle in his fist and thrown it like a piece of trash. When I realized how close to death I'd come, I almost hurled. I honestly couldn't imagine anyone surviving to walk away.

"Wow," said Erik, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're one lucky girl."

"Yeah.
I can't believe I'm alive."

"Me, either.
You must have a guardian angel. Or maybe it was that goddess you're kin to. What was her name?"

"Danu."

"That's the one."

Since I'd claimed more familiarity with that ancient deity than actually existed, I doubted his theory. All I knew about Danu was what I'd read on the internet. But I silently thanked her anyway just in case. Wondering if I'd left anything I wanted in the truck, I made myself kneel to peek inside. No wonder I'd been claustrophobic the night before. The cab was half as tall as it had once been. I saw nothing I needed and backed my body out, only then noticing all the footprints around the truck. They were everywhere. Had I made them? If so, I didn't remember it. I placed my foot inside one to check. It was way huge.