Chapter 13

 

 

Gaby glanced around the landscape. She wore a long white gown and a red cloak that looked straight out of the Middle Ages. A pristine forest surrounded her. No birds or insects sang. No roads or signs of humans. Yet, up on the mountain stood a castle. The one Kane described in a dream. Odd. Could she have entered his dream? A howl broke the silence. The call echoed. Distant. Alone. She recognized him. Her mate.

She cupped her hands over her mouth and called, “Kane!” The howling ceased.

A shadowy gray body flashed through the trees. A wolf, her wolf, approached. He trotted toward her. Big magnificent, confident, fearless.

He shifted to human form. Kane, naked and glorious. He smiled. “I thought I lost you.”

Gaby blinked. Within seconds of shifting, he wore a black uniform of sorts. The front shoulder of the coat displayed the same stylized wolf graphic tattoo on his arm. Tall black boots gave him even greater height. “Where are we?”

He took her in his arms and tenderly kissed her forehead. “Home.”

“Which is where, exactly?”

He furrowed his brow and scanned the area. “The forest looks and smells familiar. Yet, I can’t remember.”

“I think I’m in your dream or are you in mine?”

He took her hand in his and met her eyes. “The blood bond. We are dreaming together.”

“Seriously?”

Kane chuckled. “My wolf informed me when you shared your blood, our souls connected in the spirit land.”

“Since I’m in your territory, why don’t you give me the grand tour?”

“This feels like home, but I don’t know where to begin the tour.”

“Maybe here we can find out who you are.”

He frowned. “I know who I am, your husband and mate.”

Part of her liked the idea of him calling her that, yet, she, being human, preferred wife. Actually, girlfriend would have been fine. Had the rushed Las Vegas wedding been too much too soon? His primal conviction convinced her they were meant for each other. She could not imagine being with another man. Gaby smiled. “Yes, werewolf and wolf charmer, let no man put asunder.”

He laughed. “If said man or wolf wants to live.”

“We might be talking about your pack family, so be nice.”

He drew her in and kissed her with the passion she’d grown so used to. The kind in epic romance novels.

“Prince Steele.” A woman’s voice interrupted their kiss.

They turned toward a tall attractive dark-haired woman with silvery streaks running through her long hair. She was perhaps late twenties or early thirties.

“Lunara, this is my mate, Gaby.”

“With all due respect, my prince, she is your wife by human law, not ours.”

“Says you.”

“No, my prince, I believe you feel Gaby is your soul mate, but what we believe or not doesn’t matter.” She furrowed her brow. “Perchance, through some cosmic accident she is. What matters is only King Conan can authorize your union.”

Gaby curtsied. Not sure why, but then felt awkward. Maybe the titles bantered around did it. “Does Prince Steele already have a mate?”

“No. But he was promised.”

“Oh?” So much for the Las Vegas wedding.

Kane paced. “If I was promised, obviously, that promise is broken.”

“You are required to attain your king’s permission. Or your pack leader, Rylee.”

He blinked as if in recognition. “Is Rylee a white wolf?”

“Yes,” said Lunara. “The head of Team Greywolf, the special forces part of the Lycan Intelligence Agency.”

“You have to be kidding me,” said Gaby. “A werewolf version of the CIA?”

Lunara turned to her. “Steele is an important alpha commander.”

He shook his head. “Then why don’t I remember specifics?”

“Not important. What is important is bringing you home. Only then can I better guide you back to us.”

“If I bring Gaby, promise her safety.”

Lunara lowered her head. “I can’t. Gaby is a wolf-segen, an enemy of our kind.”

“Based on an archaic law.”

“You must understand how their sight nearly wiped out our kind. The law dictates we kill them without question.”

Kane held her tight. “No one will harm my mate.”

Three armed men led by a beautiful raven-haired woman walked out of the forest. She ordered the men. “Shoot the human bitch.”

Lunara turned. “Leave, princess. I am close to reaching him.”

“King Conan commands the wolf-segen’s death.”

Kane shielded Gaby with his body. “Then you need to kill me.”

Lunara stepped between them, blocking the raised rifles.

Kane growled, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Gaby ran with him. Shots fired and she wondered if Lunara had been hit. She stumbled and her back felt wet. Warm. Blood.

“Gaby. No.” Kane knelt and held her tight. “Don’t move, my love.”

 

Kane sat ramrod straight in bed and so did Gaby. He wrapped her in his embrace, scanning for wounds. None. He inhaled the scent of her hair. Listened to her pulse. Unharmed. Safe. Fucking nightmare. Daylight streamed through the curtains as they stared at each other. Perspiration dotted her brow. “You were with me.” His heart still raced. “Did we experience the same nightmare?”

“Yes.”

He released her. “How much detail?”

“I saw Lunara and the others.” Gaby swallowed. “Your intended mate ordered her men to kill me. I was shot in the back.”

He drew her in and hugged her. Rubbing her back as she shuddered. “I have no intended mate. It was a nightmare, nothing more.”

Gaby broke away from his embrace and sighed. “I don’t normally remember my dreams, but this time I do.” She stared at him. “And how can we have had the same dream?”

“The blood bond.”

“Huh?”

“Once I marked you as mine, our bond allowed shared dreaming.”

“Oh, another mate thing?”

“My wolf claims this only happens to wolf mates.”

“Last I looked, I’m human. Either your wolf is wrong or we are the exception to the rule.”

Kane laughed. “I like to think we are making our own rules.”

Gaby shook her head. “Or maybe our shared dream was because I’m a wolf charmer.”

He glanced at the clock, nine ten a.m. They needed to move. “We’re leaving.”

“You think they are still stalking us?”

He narrowed his gaze at the door. “My gut says the wolf shaman is honing in on our location during dreams.”

“How do we avoid that?”

“I plan to will myself to awaken as soon as she appears.” He stood, walked to the window and looked down at the parking lot.

Gaby got up from the bed and joined him. “We better start by getting a new car with California license plates.”

“My thought exactly.” He smiled. “Get us breakfast while I shower.”

“On it.”

He grinned. “Unless, you want to join me.”

“Tempted, but I better find a car dealership.”

“All right then.” He turned on the water. Cold to temper his arousal. Now would be a good time to go wolf. Despite the noise of the shower, he listened to Gaby talk to a car salesman. Then as he finished and toweled off, he stepped out to the delicious aroma of breakfast.

“Got you extra helpings of bacon and sausage.” She sat at a desk with her laptop opened.

“So I smell.”

She closed the laptop and poured two cups of coffee, and then sat to eat French toast and scrambled eggs. “I checked the news. No mug shots of us.”

Kane joined her. “At least from the public. My kind and Avery’s group obviously prefer to hunt us without civilian intervention.” He frowned. “I’ve been thinking.”

She stopped her fork mid-flight. “Yes?”

“We may never be able to stop running. At least from my kind.”

“How about we find an island an ocean away?”

“Why not?” As much as he liked the idea of some tropical paradise with Gaby, he sensed, this team of operatives led by the white wolf alpha, Rylee would never give up. Mention of the team brought back snippets of flights to foreign countries, deadly missions, and sophisticated surveillance equipment. Assassins. The directive to kill wolf-segens might take precedence over finding a rogue werewolf. He flinched as a sudden headache developed.

“Kane, are you all right?”

He rubbed his temples. “Every time I get a flash of memory, my head feels like exploding.”

She went to the mini bar and took out a bottle of water. “Drink.”

He smiled. “Yes, ma’am.” He twisted the lid off and drank to the last drop.

“Better?”

He glanced at his plate. “Should be after I devour my breakfast and several cups of coffee.”

“By the way, I made an appointment to check out a vehicle.”

“How soon?”

“In an hour.”

They quickly ate and then packed. He would have to be especially vigilant of werewolf scents.

 

Gaby kept an eye out for any witnesses. Kane dumped their car down a ravine. He covered it with branches and mud. No one would find it in the isolated forest. Earlier, he paid cash for a small RV camper. Compelling the salesman to forget details helped and all without cheating him out of the price. Kane thought they could blend in better as normal vacationers, and not worry about hotel surveillance cameras. They could live on the road until he found a place where they could hide indefinitely.

They drove past the small town of Trinidad, near Eureka, California, and found an RV campground between the ocean and a redwood forest.

Kane parked their RV and smiled. “Home, for now.”

They stepped out and inhaled the fresh combination of forest greenery and distant ocean air. It was crisp, but not like the cold of the Wisconsin woods. An owl hooted.

How could they hide forever from a pack of werewolves? Gaby shivered. “What if we let them find us and you convince them I promise not to reveal their kind?”

He took her hands and rubbed heat into them. “I don’t want to risk it.”

She hated to suggest it but it had to be said. “How about you go alone, then you can negotiate staying if they promise to let me be?”

“Leave my wife? No. Never. We share a bond.”

Her chest warmed, at his devoted commitment. “We can reunite once you convince them we’ll never part.”

“That will give them even more reason to kill you.”

“You are certain your kind is that cruel?”

“I’m certain the king is and perhaps, my commander, Rylee.”

She snapped a finger. “Africa.”

“What?”

“We can go to the Serengeti in East Africa. I can charm lions and elephants to stand guard against our enemies.”

He rubbed his forehead. “I’m not sure that would deter werewolves.”

“I doubt even your kind can get past a maddened group of elephants.”

“Spoken like someone who has commanded elephants.”

“A year ago, I was sent to Uganda. We took out a target, making it look like elephants trampled him.” She wrinkled her nose. “Although, I’d hate to be responsible for injured animals or worse, their deaths.”

“Definitely something to think about.”

“In the meantime, do you smell any werewolves around here?”

“No.”

“Then we can breathe at least for tonight.”

“I will shift and stretch my legs a bit.”

“Just make sure others don’t see a giant wolf roaming around.”

“Trust me, I can be quite stealthy.”

“Let me dig out some dinner for us.”

“Tonight, I plan to hunt.”

“Here?”

“Nearby.” He dug into his pocket. “I bought a whistle at the last truck stop. If you suspect trouble, blow the whistle and call 911.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not like we are the only campers.”

He took off his clothes, folded them and handed them to her. “Stay inside.”

“Okay, but don’t be long. There is a leash law.”

He laughed. “Got it.” He shifted.

Gaby went inside and locked the door. Not tired yet, she decided to check the news on her laptop. Her satellite picked up the nearest wi-fi immediately. The usual stories about the state of wars and celebrities. She cupped an elbow with one hand while tapping her lips with the other. Whatever happened to the whistleblower she’d warned. Had he gotten away? Nothing more showed on the news about the explosion of Project Sabertooth’s lab. Giles was dead, but Tomlin, Avery and others in the secret groups knew how to hide their mistakes. Those that knew too much had a habit of disappearing without a trace. She had a gut feeling the secret society of werewolves was no different.

 

Kane finished the fresh venison and then licked his paws. It felt good to be a wolf. He buried what was left of the buck and trotted back to the RV. The full moon broke through the clouds. A deep desire to howl almost overtook him. However, it’d be stupid to advertize a wolf’s presence. Campers and rangers talking about hearing a wolf in an area not known to have wolves would be a big red flag for anyone hunting them. The night remained silent. He must have frightened off the local wildlife.

Quietly, he approached the RV and cocked his head. Gaby slept, softly breathing. He didn’t want to disturb her. It would be nice to stay here for a few more days. He curled up behind the RV, his ears and nose on high alert.

Kane lifted his head and listened. A distant helicopter. Military. The Coast Guard? Unlikely if they were drawing closer. Danger.

He shifted and knocked on the locked door. “Gaby, get up.”

“What, huh? It’s three a.m.” She let him in.

“Helicopter.” He dashed in and dressed.

“I don’t hear anything.”

“You will in a few minutes.”

“What do we do?”

He started the engine. “Buckle up.” Just as they drove off, the sound of the helicopter drew closer.

“Now I hear it.”

He left the lights off and drove using his wolf night vision. Back on the road, he sped away. Not sure it would do them any good, but in the meantime, it bought them some time. “We were careless in Vegas.”

“You think it’s the werewolf special ops?”

“No. I recognize the helicopter that headed to Project Sabertooth.” If he were wrong, Gaby would be in a hell of a lot more trouble.

“I’m not too surprised. Assets don’t escape.”

“Don’t worry, sweets, we’ll set the record as the first to do so.”

Damn, the helicopter was getting closer.

The bright searchlight nearly blinded him. Shit. He veered and drove off the main road. Time to ditch the RV.

The helicopter drowned out her screams as it hovered feet above the RV’s roof. A male voice blasted. “Stop or we’ll fire. We only want Gaby.” The helicopter ascended as if waiting for their answer.

“If you let them have me, you can get away,” shouted Gaby.

“Not happening. Besides, the minute they take you, they’ll kill me.”

“So what do we do?”

He slowed the RV, made a U-turn, and floored it in the opposite direction. The helicopter followed. “Take your seatbelt off and sit on my lap.”

Immediately, she complied. “Okay, but if I get a scratch, it’s your ass.”

“Understood.” Suddenly, he swerved and headed down a wooded embankment. Not steep, just wooded. Halfway down, he flung the door open, and with Gaby in his arms, leapt out. He rolled, while covering her and making sure she’d didn’t feel the brunt of the impact.

The RV careened down the slope and landed upside down in a shallow river.

The helicopter hovered over the wrecked vehicle, then returned to the side of the road and landed. He sniffed. Six armed men. They didn’t bother hiding their human scent as they ran down the embankment. Laser sights lit up the forest.

He hid Gaby in the bramble and whispered, “Stay down.”

“Where are you going?”

“Going bad-ass werewolf on them.” Before, he shifted a high-pitch sound pierced him. He dropped to his knees in agony. Then blacked out.