Wolf Tales 12 (42 page)

Adam glanced at the bear. The hulking beast was barely visible, but the sound of crunching bones echoed off the high walls as he fed on the ram. “You could have fooled me. Did you see the claws on that thing? You could understand him okay?”

Sunny shrugged, but she turned and watched the bear, too. “A little. Enough to know that he fell off the cliff about two months ago, and it’s been feast or famine ever since. He can’t get out and the only food he gets is what he can catch that comes in through the narrow canyon. When those three injured sheep showed up this morning, he hadn’t eaten for many days. He knows the seasons are changing and he hasn’t built up enough fat reserves to make it through the winter.”

She smiled at Ig. “He thought you were here to steal his food. I told him you were here to help him get out.”

Ig smiled at her. “Okay, sweet one. And how do you expect us to do that?”

“Well, I thought maybe Tinker could use his helicopter to lift him out. Can it carry something as heavy as a bear?”

Adam made a funny choking noise. Ig glanced at him and lost it. Sunny flattened her hands on her hips and glared at both of them. “Want to tell me what’s so funny?”

“Just trying to figure out how we’re going to explain all this to Tinker. He’s a bit protective about the chopper.” Adam slung an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s head home. Your buddy has plenty of food for now. We’ll see if we can get him out of here in a day or two.”

“Well, okay. But I need to tell him we’re going.” She stepped away, but Adam wrapped his fingers around her arm before she had time to shift.

“He’s eating. He’s a bear. He’s already forgotten the conversation. We’ll come back as soon as we can. Trust me.”

She wondered if Adam was just patronizing her, but she looked into his dark eyes and realized he was deadly serious. Both of them were. They were also both heavily aroused.

Not nearly as much as she was.

This need for sex after shifting was no joke. Last night Ig had been there to take the edge off for her, but tonight . . . she found herself imagining all sorts of combinations that included the three of them. Felt her body growing damp and needy.

The idea of both of them joining her for . . . well, crap. Adam had a wife and new baby waiting, so that was probably out. Sighing, Sunny dragged her thoughts away from the desire growing in every cell of her body. “Okay. As long as you promise not to forget him.” She gazed at the bear for a moment. “I feel sorry for him. He’s all alone here and he’s afraid.”

Adam looped an arm over her shoulders. “He’s okay. He’s got plenty of food and water, and I promise you we’ll come back for him.”

“Okay.” She glanced from Ig to Adam. “What now?”

“Now we hunt,” Adam said. “Though actually, I think we can just look for something that didn’t survive the fire. No need to kill when there’s so much food available. I’m hungry and I’m tired, and it’s late. The people food will all be put away at the cavern. C’mon.”

Sunny trusted him completely. She shifted.

Adam headed across the meadow and out through the narrow canyon. Sunny and Igmutaka followed close behind. It amazed her, how well she could see in what had appeared almost total darkness to her human eyes.

The sound of the bear’s noisy meal, his growls and the crunching of massive teeth against fresh bones eventually faded as they traveled along the small creek. Once they popped out of the cleft in the rocky hillside, the night opened up to millions of stars and a cool breeze blowing.

They’d left the stench of burned meat behind them, and the smell of the fire wasn’t as strong here. It got worse as they dropped lower. Rain had stopped the flames’ progression up the mountain, but Sunny, Ig, and Adam were moving downhill toward the main cavern and the ruins of Anton’s house.

Adam continuously sniffed the air for other predators. The animals were all on edge, frightened, disoriented, many of them suffering burns and other injuries from the fire. Creatures in pain often acted totally out of character, which made the forest a dangerous place tonight.

It didn’t take long after they’d reached scorched trees and blackened shrubs to come across a dead doe lying near a shallow pool of clear water. The animal was fresh, the body untouched, though badly burned. Adam sniffed the air, searching for other predators before settling down to eat. All he could smell was burned wood and partially cooked deer. The smell of the meat made him salivate. Sunny didn’t hesitate. She attacked the animal’s haunch, while Ig tore at the belly.

Adam ate slowly, savoring the taste of a fresh kill, though he’d had no part in the hunt. He watched Sunny, fascinated by the girl, by her willingness to accept so much change in her life. He still couldn’t believe she’d been able to shift into a bear when she’d only been taught to become a wolf.

It made him wonder if they’d all locked themselves into the wolven form. Could he become a bear? An eagle, like Alex? Was there no limit to the Chanku ability to shapeshift?

He’d think about it another time. Exhaustion was beginning to set in. He’d gone most of the night without sleep, had depleted his energy healing Jake, helping Liana. Healing the animals today had taken more out of him.

He checked in with Liana, linking to her sleepy mind. She was just lying down, preparing to sleep. The kids were fine. The baby was sleeping but she’d nursed well. All was as it should be. Then she added a postscript to her sleepy message.

She thought he should spend some quality time with Igmutaka while he had the chance. And Sunny, too . . . if the poor girl was up to the chore of dealing with the two of them. Liana’s soft laughter faded from Adam’s mind as, belly full, he backed away from the body of the deer and shifted. The blood and dirt fell away from his human skin, but he still felt hot and sticky. The woodland pool beckoned.

He left Ig and Sunny still feeding and waded into the water. It was cold and invigorating and surprisingly deep in the center, coming almost to his waist. He dipped down, dunked his head, and then scrubbed the sweat from his face. When he stood up, Sunny was wading in beside Igmutaka.

She laughed, a nervous sound that surprised him.

“What’s the matter?”

“I was just thinking of watching a movie about people swimming in a pool in the mountains. They got out of the water and had leeches all over their legs. Yuck.”

Adam threw back his head and laughed.

“What’s so funny?” She leaned over and splashed her hands in the water, though she’d only waded out deep enough for it to reach her knees.

“You faced down a full-grown male grizzly today and you’re afraid of leeches? Think about it, Sunny.”

She stared off in the distance, almost as if unwilling to meet his eyes. Her silence unnerved him. “Sunny? What’s wrong?”

“Just that. I turned into a bear today. I didn’t know I could do that, but I wanted to and I did. I’ve been a wolf. I’m walking.” She glanced at Ig as he stepped into the pool beside her. “I’ve had sex for the first time, so I’m not a virgin anymore. I can feel things. Eat things. Everything’s different. I think . . . I think . . .” She covered her face and sobbed.

Ig wrapped his arms around her. Adam lurched up out of the water and stood in front of her. He pulled her hands away from her face and forced her to look at him. Her eyes stared at him out of a pale oval in the dim moonlight; her tears sparkled like diamonds on her cheeks.

“It’s okay, Sunny. Don’t be embarrassed. You’re such a natural at all this, we forget it’s entirely new to you. Do you have any idea how amazing you are? How terribly brave you’ve been? Good Goddess . . . you arrived just when we as a species were going through so many unexpected changes. You’ve been caught up in this mess and you’ve just rolled with it, changed with it, adjusted to it. Don’t cry, please. Don’t be afraid, don’t be uncomfortable. Don’t let it overwhelm you. Just keep doing what you’re doing, because we’re all pretty damned impressed with you.”

She sniffed. Blinked back tears. Sniffed again and shivered.

“Are you cold?”

She shook her head and took a deep, shuddering breath. “No. You nailed it. Overwhelmed. And horny.” She choked on her laughter. “I had no idea what sex felt like until last night, and now it’s all I can think about. I feel as if my body is ready to explode, as if all my nerve endings are on fire. Is it always like this? Do you guys feel it, too?”

Adam glanced at Ig. The spirit guide stared at him.

They both exploded into laughter.

Sunny frowned and then stared at both men. Adam felt his cock rise even higher. Still laughing, he said, “Hey. The guy likes an appreciative audience.”

“What?” Sunny barely spit out the word. She slapped a hand over her mouth.

Ig didn’t say anything, though he dunked down in the water and washed himself off with his hands. Then he waded out of the pond. “Follow me.” He shifted and stared impatiently at them.

Adam shrugged. “The man says we need to follow him. C’mon.”

He and Sunny both quickly rinsed off and shifted as soon as they reached the edge of the pond. Ig was already trotting along the trail, heading at an oblique angle from the house.

Sunny turned and sent a questioning glance in Adam’s direction.
I haven’t got a clue,
he said.

He merely followed the cat.

Anton shut off the flat-screen TV the guys had carted into the caverns during their rush to salvage whatever belongings they could from the fire. He’d thought it fairly frivolous when Mik and AJ had carried the big thing down the stairs, but now he was truly thankful to have this link to the outside world.

The guys had set it up in one of the smaller caves away from the main room, but no one had had time to get it hooked up and running until this afternoon when Tinker and Oliver had gotten the satellite receiver set up in the ruins above. With the solar panels still generating power, they’d gotten a terrific signal.

And what a signal it was.

He took a deep breath and carefully set the remote on the table beside the screen. It took all his willpower to keep from doing a handstand and making an absolute fool of himself, but damn.

Just . . . damn.

Though many in the pack had already gone to bed, Anton had more than a dozen stalwart souls grinning back at him—his packmates who’d stayed awake for the late-night news. He’d been worried about Melissa Carole’s coverage. She could be a real bitch.

It appeared the bitch was on their side.

Hallelujah!

He’d turned on the TV set with his heart pounding in his chest, and fear for all of them clamoring against his sense of reason and hope for a fair shot.

Now he stood in front of his packmates with a stupid grin on his face. ALN reporter Melissa Carole had managed to scoop all the other networks with her story on the Chanku from their “undisclosed location in the wilds of Montana.”

She’d caught the pompous general trying to arrest Nick without a warrant, Anton’s private call directly to the president, the short yet dramatic tussle as wolves and men disarmed the soldiers.

She’d painted them as heroes, as good citizens who were unique and amazing, but still people. Still just like everyone else, with their love of family, their sense of fair play, their kindness, their good manners.

She’d not come right out and said anything about how good looking the men were, but the fact that the camera had lingered on Mik’s proud profile, on Tinker’s broad chest, on AJ’s beautiful smile spoke volumes.

She’d captured Liana’s comments about the men sharing labor and Anton’s humorous account of discovering just how hard it was to give birth.

She’d managed to show their respect for each other, their love of country, their fears for the future now that their existence was public knowledge. And then she’d done her best to assure the rest of the world that, other than the fact these were people who could shift into animals, they were still people, just like everyone else.

The same needs, the same desires, the same hopes for a safe and prosperous future.

Her interview with Luc had been fairly brief, but she’d found some old clippings of stories where Pack Dynamics had made daring rescues, found missing children, and saved lives.

Again, the Chanku were heroes. Good people. Neighbors. She’d ended her lengthy coverage with an open invitation to Anton or any of the others to come on her program, to tell the world about themselves. To bring their families if they wanted. And then she’d thanked them for giving her access to what she called “the most important story in the world today. Not only proof there are people from another world living among humans, but proof that they are good and decent people.”

Anton laced his fingers behind his back. “I think this calls for a toast,” he said. “Unfortunately, my bottle of Hennessey didn’t make it through the fire.” He sent a chagrined glance in Stef’s direction.

“Actually, it did.” Stef reached under his chair, stood up, and raised the bottle high. “The brandy snifters didn’t make it, but the bottle is just fine.” He pulled out the stopper and took a big swallow. Then he passed the bottle on to Anton. “Here’s to raising our children in a world that knows of us but doesn’t fear us.”

Anton took the bottle and stared into its amber depths. “I’ll drink to that, Stef. This is just one reporter with one opinion, but she’s preaching to those whose response we feared the most. Here’s hoping they’re listening to what she said.”

He took a sip and passed the bottle on to Oliver, and on it went. To Keisha and Xandi, to Mei and then to Luc, AJ, and Mik. Tala, pregnant with AJ’s daughter, passed on the toast and handed the bottle to Tinker, who shared it with Lisa. She gave it to Nick, who looked more relaxed than he had since the entire incident began. He took a drink and passed the bottle to Beth.

She gave it to Ric. Ulrich stared at the bottle for a long moment, took a swallow, and handed it back to Anton. “I never thought this day would come,” he said. “When I first met Tianna’s mother, I never dreamed there were more shapeshifters. After Camille’s sister’s death, we thought she was the last of her kind. After Camille died, I had no intention of telling our daughter of her heritage. It was too frightening.”