Cynthia Cooke - Running with Wolves

What was he?

“What do you want from me?” her voice squeaked. She tried to stop looking at him. She didn’t want to see the dark, shifting shadows encircling his head or what was moving within them. What was that? She could have sworn she’d seen teeth. And claws.

A violent shudder shook her.

He grabbed her arm. “This way,” he snarled through a clenched jaw, and pushed her into the alley.

Fear, white-hot and molten, surged through her. She forgot her fighting stance, forgot every move she’d ever learned as her brain flooded with adrenaline. “Let me go!” She screamed, pulling and twisting, trying to break free from his grasp. But he was too strong.

He continued to push her forward, toward the large black van parked at the end of the alley. And she knew once they reached that van, once he got her inside, no one would ever see her again.

“Please,” she cried and pried at his fingers, trying to loosen his grip on her arm.

“You heard the lady. Let her go.”

The calm voice surprised and confused her. She looked up and saw the man from the store. Her knight in shining armor with the warrior hands stood not four feet away, watching them. Relief filled her, weakening her knees to the point she wasn’t sure she could continue to stand. She tried to pull free once more, but the crazy loon still wouldn’t loosen his grip.

What was wrong with him? There was a witness. Someone to help her.

Her rescuer set down his bag, took off his brown leather jacket and laid it neatly across the bag so it didn’t touch the ground.

As if in a dream, she watched him, unable to comprehend what was happening. All she knew was that she no longer felt so afraid.

“You should do as she says,” he said, walking toward them, and planting one of his hands on her attacker’s shoulder and squeezing.

She looked up at the man still holding her arm and could see the fear and anger surrounding him; it puffed up as a red cloud within the muddy darkness. Without looking at her, he dropped her arm, shrugged out of her savior’s grasp, turned and walked away. As if he’d never stopped, as if he’d never touched her.

Shay stared after him, astonished.

“Does that happen to you often?”

She turned back to the man from the store, blinking. “No, but it’s been happening more frequently lately.” That man wasn’t the first person with a black aura to take an unusual interest in her. But he was the first one who’d ever touched her. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

“I was actually looking for that real-estate office you told me about. Luckily, I couldn’t find it.”

Luckily for her, but she might not be so lucky the next time. And somehow she knew there would be a next time. And like this time, she wouldn’t be able to handle it alone. “How long did you say you’d be in town?”

“Hard to say. Anywhere from four to eight weeks, depending on how quickly I can get the job done. Why, have you thought of someplace?”

“It’s not much and it’s been sitting empty for a while, but I sure could use the money.”

“No lease?”

She smiled. “No lease.”

“Great. I can pay you by the week.”

“Sounds fair. But don’t you want to see it first? Then we can discuss price.”

“Sure, should I drive? My truck’s right down the street.”

She looked toward his truck and shook her head. Her nerves were still too shaky to get into a stranger’s vehicle. And yet, here she was taking him to her home. But for a reason she didn’t understand, she trusted him. It had to be his aura, the warm vibrant colors surrounding him, so different from the muddy dark aura of her attacker.

“I really could use the fresh air, if you don’t mind. It’s not a far walk.”

He gestured forward with an easy smile that immediately set her at ease. “Lead the way.”

She took a step forward then stopped, turned back to him and held out her hand. “I’m Shay. Shay Mallory.”

His large grasp enveloped her small hand, surprising her with its warmth. “Jason Stratton.”

She turned and, for a moment, felt a prick of fear as she led him toward her home. An absolute certainty that everything was about to change.

Chapter 2

Jason was more than a little surprised when the woman offered her apartment so quickly. He wondered how long she’d been attracting the Abatu, men so lost and confused that it was easy for a demon to hitch a ride. Those types of lost souls were scary and bothersome, but were easily deterred. What would be worse was if the Gauliacho, higher-formed demons from the other side, found her. And from what he could tell, it wouldn’t be long now until they did.

They crossed Highway 1 and started up the gravel road in silence. Shay couldn’t have started her transformation too long ago. She wore dark glasses even though the day was overcast, so she could definitely see the colors. And he was fairly certain she was hearing the buzzing, too. Soon she’d be seeing and feeling a lot more. Her scent and the vibrations she exuded were strong, making it relatively easy for him to find her. Unfortunately, it also made her an easy target for the Abatu.

But what concerned him more was how little she seemed to know about herself. Her dad, Dean, would have made sure she’d been properly trained. And yet, she’d been genuinely afraid of the Abatu when she could have taken him in an instant. She was strong enough. She just didn’t seem to know it. Had Dean died before he had the chance to teach her what she needed to know? His stomach clenched at the thought. He hoped not.

They mounted the slight incline following a worn gravel road. Jason watched the gentle sway of her hips. Her snug shorts hugged her form nicely and showed off her long, strong legs. She was quite the beauty, and he had a feeling she didn’t know that, either. She had her mother’s bright blue, almost violet eyes. The effect of their deep color along with her long black hair was stunning. Her wide generous mouth drew his attention. On her mother, Lily, those lips had been easy to break into a smile, but on Shay, he wasn’t so sure.

She didn’t seem to have Lily’s carefree easiness about her. It was that, coupled with Lily’s bright smile, that had captured Dean’s heart and refused to let go. A pang of regret thudded through Jason for his old friend. Dean had been foolish enough to break all the rules, fall in love with a human and then get her pregnant. For that, they had all paid the price. Maggie’s smiling face and bright eyes slipped into Jason’s thoughts. He quickly pushed them back out, but still felt the sharp ache of his wife’s loss. He looked back at Shay and focused on her.

Dean’s daughter. What had her life been like? He wished she could have grown up in The Colony, but half-breeds weren’t allowed in the pack. They couldn’t take the chance. Once the half-breeds were old enough, some would turn, some wouldn’t. And if they didn’t, the pack couldn’t chance having humans living at The Colony, chance being exposed to the rest of the world.

It was one of the pack’s oldest rules and one he still hadn’t come to terms with. Family was family, human or not. Dean and Lily had been forced out on their own. A wolf living outside the protection of the pack didn’t stand a chance. And now it was Shay’s turn. She was changing, and soon her transformation would be complete.

As they walked silently through the woods, he considered asking her about her mother, but she didn’t seem to be the type for mindless chitchat. Nor was she completely comfortable with him. He could tell by the subtle pinching of her lips that she was second-guessing her decision to invite him back to her home.

But whether she knew it or not, she needed him and fortunately she seemed to sense that. He wouldn’t have long to convince her that she had to come with him to The Colony. He only hoped Dean or her mother had told her about them, about what she was, and prepared her for what was about to happen to her.