There. There it was. The trail of the asshole who’d tried to hurt what was his. Lee took off, following it, trusting Danny and Heather to be at his heels, to be close enough for Gabe to protect their back trail.
He ran, the tracks clear now. The wolf he followed wasn’t in the best shape, had a few too many pounds on him. He ran with a limp on one side, the right front foot, which rang a little bell in the human part of Lee’s head, but that wasn’t the part he was really thinking with.
When the trail led him into a copse of trees, Lee skidded to a stop, not wanting to fly right into a trap. The scent trailed off there, which was weird as hell. Danny padded up beside him, tongue lolling, nose twitching. A soft bark from Heather told Lee that she thought the whole thing was messed up too.
Where the hell had the guy gone, and why was the scent trail just nonexistent now? Gabe nosed his hindquarters, growling a little, wanting to run. Wanting some kind of action. Lee agreed. Damn it, where was the asshole?
The crack of a rifle shot made them all scatter. A sharp yelp from Gabe indicating a hit of some kind. Lee whirled, biting Danny so hard that Danny yipped and ran, his inexperience showing. It was just what Lee wanted, needing Danny to get away. Heather gave him an agonized look, then took off after Danny, just like she was supposed to, leaving him and Gabe to face the threat.
Lee moved into the shadow of a tree, his senses so attuned that he could hear every crackle of movement, from the rabbit that ran past at twenty feet to the wheeze of Gabe’s breath.
There was no sign of the shooter, though, and no sign of the werewolf who had led them there. Nothing.
Lee waited, even though patience wasn’t his strong suit, hiding out to see if anyone came after Gabe, which would be logical since he was the wounded prey.
No one came.
Lee went to see to Gabe, who lay in the small clearing, on his side, blood spattered around him. When Lee got close though, Gabe sprang up, shaking like he’d been doused with water. They stared at each other, Gabe’s head tilting, for long moments before Lee scented the air one last time and turned tail, heading out after Danny and Heather, needing to make sure they were safe.
Whoever this guy was, he was not only a coward, threatening Lee and his mates. He was endangering the whole pack by enlisting some very human help. If Lee had thought it was a matter for Logan before, now he knew he had to make Logan aware of this new development as fast as he could.
Every single one of them was in danger when regular humans entered the picture.
Epilogue
Sun. Sand. Heather in a bikini.
Danny had never imagined he’d be so glad to see spring break come. The second full moon had passed since that first attack, and things had gone from bad to worse.
Two werewolves had died since whoever it was after them had shot at Lee, Heather and him, and they were no closer to finding the culprit. Shit, in a place like Mystic U and Wolf Creek, it should have been easy as pie, but it just wasn’t.
Logan was about to foam at the mouth.
Simon had been the one to suggest that they all go to the beach for spring break, and Lee had agreed wholeheartedly. Danny hadn’t really realized how much stress they had all been living with until they got to Padre, settling into their rented condo with the private pool.
Now Lee and Heather were looking happy and tanned and… horny, if the way Heather was kissing Lee was any indication. Danny watched for a moment, fucking blown away by how pretty they were together.
Then he got up and went to join them. He was never really one for self-denial.
The moment Danny’s hands landed on Lee’s skin, he got a moan, and two sets of hungry eyes stared up at him. “Hey, baby. Gonna join us?”
“Mmm. Only if we go in where there’s a bed.” Chaise lounges left waffle weave prints on his ass.
“Sounds like a plan,” Heather said, grabbing his arm to lever herself up. She kissed the side of his mouth, humming a little. “You look a lot happier, honey.”
“I feel it.” He loved Wyoming and Mystic U, but he hated feeling like a hunted animal. “This is good.”
“It is.” Lee rose too, putting one hand on his ass, the other on Heather’s. “Hopefully it’ll all be over by the time we get home.”
“Yeah. Hopefully it will.” If it wasn’t, Danny was worried that Lee would do something stupid to draw the guy out. They needed to avoid that at all costs.
For now, though, he was going to forget all about Wolf Creek and the moon and people with rifles. Heather in a bikini and Lee in nothing but some coconut oil were just impossible to resist.
Julia Talbot
Julia Talbot has been assimilated by Texas, where there is hot and cold running rodeo, cowboys and smoked brisket. A full time author, Julia has been published by Torquere Press, Suspect Thoughts, Pretty Things Press and Changeling Press. She can most often be found in coffee shops and restaurants, scribbling in her notebook and entertaining other diners with her mutterings.
Visit her website at http://thegates.net/juliatalbot
