Chapter One Hundred–Sixty–One
QUINN
When Thunsons and I arrive at Dobson’s cabin, the first thing that I notice is the sweet smell of sugared Blac. It’s faint, just a whisper in the air, but the scent is so deliciously templing that I find myself trotting through the busted doorway of the cabin in search of its source. The place is completely empty, save for a few cans of soup and an assortiment of tools. Following the shadow of an aroma that has suddenly grabbed a hold of my balls, I find myself in the middle of the foom with my nose to a moldy old couch. My eyes catch on a bright yellow scarf that peeks between the cushions and I drag it out with my teeth. Nestling my muzzle into the soft fabric for a moment, I realize this scarf belongs to Lilac. Whoever she is. The odd desire to take the thing with me has my ears twitching hat I ball the damo thing up anyway and tuck it behind my jowls. Timmons les into the spice in his human form, his eyes dark with disappointment.
“It looks like they skipped already,” Timmons says, stepping toward a discarded pair of night goggles and a radial listening device. “There are a good amount of traps around the place, but they’ve all been spru
I shift into myself, my brows furrowing and I reroll the scarf and tuck it under my arm. “That’s weird,” I supply, ducking outside as my senses fire on the familiar scent of my blood.
I walk into the trees and right away I see it. A large double spring steel bear trap that is fairly coated in my blood.
“Jesus, Timmons gasps. “Guess that’s one mystery solved. We must have been out here last night. Probably around the same time Gayle
was.
I pod, leaning down to finger the jagged steel teeth! Poachers and hunters don’t just up and leave this kind of equipment. It’s not cheap and judging by the state of this cabin, these guys aren’t rich. They’ll be back. I’ll bet my next blow job on it.
“I’d almost take that bet if I didn’t know you were talking about the one that divorcee cougar gives you every Friday.”
I flip him off, smirking as 1 stand up and prepare to shift. “That cougar you’re talking about, can make taking a whole dick look like a magic trick, and sing a song while she’s at it.”
Timmons cracks up as the two of us shift and race into the thick of the woods heading for Port Orchard at about fifty miles per hour. To some that might not seem very fast, but try moving at that speed in a forest dense with trees and brambles. I can promise it will feel a whole lot quicker once you’re weaving and dodging and scouring the forest floor for evil steel teeth.
Right at the point we would normally cut left, the scent of sugared lilac wafts toward me and I slow my steps. Creeping low, behind a few bushes, I wait for Timmons to catch up before I slink toward the open dirt road. My eyes catch on someone hiking toward the creek. I race through the trees, passing the stranger so that I can get a good look at Lilac as she comes up on the downgrade of the hill. The moment ! pause between two evergreens and still myself to observe her, she freezes.
Huh. Weird. She shouldn’t have been able to see me. I was moving fast and low. Maybe she heard me….
Tuming in a slow circle, she scans the woods warily. I study her face as she does this, keeping low to the ground just in case she pulls a weapon. But from what I can tell, she’s clean. Not even a hint of gunpowder on her. Weirdly enough, she doesn’t look scared as she surveys the woods, but thoughtful. Like she is trying to figure something out. Or maybe… she’s wondering what is stalking her and planning a better layout for her traps. Suddenly, she stills, her body turned in my direction. Raising my head and creeping in closer, I align myself with an older fir. Its trunk and my coat are nearly a dead match and I know she would have to be a Shifter to spot me.
Right then, I get my first real look at her and although this might seem weird, my dick goes rock hard. And yes… I mean that dick. The overgrown tree branch, currently located between my hind legs. My fangs tingle and heat flashes across my chest as the wildly exotic, hazel blue of her eyes reflect a thin sliver of sunlight that filters in with the breeze. Her gaze is arresting in the most hypnotic way, her irises shining like twin blue gems, studded with tiny opalescent fragments of green and gold. I’m completely fixated on her, walking my eyes over her petite, yet wildly curvaceous form while my tongue drops halfway out of my mouth and I pant for air. An unintentional growl rumbles through me, almost like a reflex, when she suddenly turn back around and her hair shimmers around her like flames of a wildfire. The long, fine tresses flow down her back in waves of gold and red, bouncing with volume as she resumes walking again
Shit. If that’s what the poachers are looking like these days, I may as well that planning my capture now. I’m not opposed to chains if she’s the
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Chapter One Hundred–Sixty–One
one pulling them.
With an exasperated sigh. I let myself down gently. I am as likely in tap that, as 1 am to tap Old Bob from the docks Pocher females definitely fall into the category of NO WAY NEVER. Even for non discriminating shuts like myself
Tuming away from her and stalking toward Timmons, I bid my lovely tac a silent farewell. That’s when she decides to speak to me and both Timmons and I now stand routed to the forest floor.
k this way or not, but if I do, I’ll be sure to pick up some perside and
Tm heading into town Wolfie! Not sure if 111 be coming back handages to tend to your paw!”
Peroxide and bandages? For me? She knows about
ΠΟΥ
y hurt pow
at least, she thinks she does.
But how? And why would she want to tend to me if she is the one who caught me? Unless… she wasn’t the one that caught me. Gayle did say that it was two males and a girl. Maybe it’s only the men that are the poachers and Lilac is only along for the ride. Maybe… she’s dating one of them. Or…both of them.
No. Stop it. Reach up into the clouds and drag yourself back down here to Earth.
Still unable to head toward home without figuring out a little more about Miss Lilac, I lead Timmons toward the creek. This time keeping far enough away from her that we can avoid any chance of her hearing or seeing us. As we crest over the bottom of the hall, my mind wanders back to a couple of hours ago. When the twelve of us first came out of the forced shift and a gaping hole seemed to be carved right into my heart. I told everyone that I felt strange, like I was missing something. Maybe what happened with Lilac last night was the cause of it, or maybe it was something else.
There is only o
one way to find out and I am going to do so. Whether Lilac is a poacher or not.
Once we reach the creek, Timmons and I dip behind a couple of boulders that mark the northern fork of the stream and keep out of sight as we listen to the fiery female attempt to take a shortcut across the shallows. I don’t notice anyone else at first, although I most certainly should have. Maybe I’m still in a sort of deep seated trance, brought on by discovering that poacher DOES NOT mean troll. Or maybe the constant churn of the rapids cloaked the sound of soft padded footsteps. Whatever the cause I had no idea that Gayle was even among until I heard her angry snarl of warning, followed by the predatory rumble of her attack growl.
Fuck! What the hell is Gayle doing?
She probably wants revenge. If it were any other scenario, I wouldn’t worry, But Gayle and Gryffin lost their mother to poachers years ago and everytime they show up, one or two go missing.Shit! I can’t leap over to save her as my wolf if I do, there are no guarantees that Gayle will stand down. BIL…
Shifting into my naked self, I face Timmons. “Go and get Goose!”
Timmons disappears into the trees across the creek and I hop over the boulders to land in a four foot pool of water, directly behind Lilac.
Aside from the sudden feline aggravation that etches across Gayle’s face, and the bone shattering scream that erupts from Lilac as she is doused with a splash of ice cold rapids – I’m thinking my day is off to a good start. Because, not only am L-being forced to step in and save the little red hunter, but I get to play the hero in my all time favorite outfit with my Louisville Slugger on full display.
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