Phantom Wolf

Chapter 10

Sweet gum, elephant’s ear and mango trees peppered the wooded hillside, but the brush slowed them down. Cutting through the overgrown bushes frustrated Shay. He itched to move faster, get to higher ground. Too many threats. Though he spared the amount of cuts he made, he knew they’d left behind a trail obvious as a billboard.

Sam only hoped the peasants trailing them were more desperate than skilled.

“Am I slowing you down?”

He flicked away a mosquito. “We’re doing okay.”

His first concern was getting Kelly to safety. And that meant risk.

She’s survived just fine without you these past years, his inner voice mocked.

Burning curiosity made him ask the question. “What happened after you left the estate?”

He had to know. All those nights roaming the forested mountains out West, his heart shattered, he’d never ceased worrying about her. When the stars came out, he’d lie down in a grassy meadow, hands fisted beneath his head, and gaze skyward. Wondering if Kelly saw the same stars, felt the same desolate loneliness.

Finally, he’d shifted into a wolf, trying to forget his pain. Forget Kelly, the sweetness of her mouth on his, the feeling of absolute peace after they’d made love and lay tangled together like entwined branches.

He’d shifted into a wolf because he’d lost not just his family, but her. And then he’d gone feral. Losing control to the animal side of his wolf finally dulled painful emotions.

Stupid. It hadn’t made him forget. Instead, he’d turned into a phantom roving in wolf skin. Not living, just existing.

Kelly ducked beneath a low branch. “I headed south to Florida. Drifted from job to job for a while until I knew what I wanted with my life. I settled in Miami and opened Sight Finders, hired staff and we began rescuing Mages who needed help.”

“It takes financing to start a nonprofit. You had the money I gave you to start over again. Did you use it to start the agency?”

“I gave your money to another charity. I had to do it on my own.”

Perspiration coated the machete’s handle. Sam raised and lowered the honed blade with a vicious downstroke. Had to watch himself, if he didn’t want to cut his thigh.

“I gave you the money to take care of yourself, Kelly.”

“The money tied me to you, Sam. Things were so completely severed between us that I felt like a hypocrite using it.”

Guilt stabbed him. Lowering the machete, he took the silver triskele between his fingers, feeling the humming power in the pendant. “But you kept this. My gift to you.”

Her expression blank, she tugged it away and then removed the necklace, pocketing it.

“I kept it as a memory to cherish what we once had. Not as a reminder of what we’d lost. And that we separated for good.”

Despite the sweltering heat, she looked pretty and achingly sexy, her red hair hidden by the bandanna, Rosa’s shirt plastered to her breasts and flat stomach. Even sexier was her relentless spirit, that damn refusal to give up and the drive to keep going despite the incredible odds.

Sam admired stubborn people who persevered. He had the same ability, and it got him through the intense training all SEALs endured.

But hell, he’d never intended for Kelly to face hardship.

This damn heat, it was sucking out every drop of moisture. Or maybe it was emotion turning his throat dry as desert dust.

“We’re together now,” he said. “Until I remove the bond, I’m taking care of you.”

“It’s not necessary,” she began.

Shay put a finger to her lips, feeling their warmth and softness. “It is.”

Grimly he focused on blazing a trail. Concentrate on the mission. Nothing else mattered. No emotions. Forget what you once shared.

It worked for a while. Sam used his intense concentration to forge ahead. These woods seemed safe. Dark, but unused.

An odd, foul stench filled the air. Suddenly a hissing sound came from their right. The bushes parted as a creature jumped from a low-lying mango branch and landed on Kelly’s head.

Don’t scream. Screams would echo through the hills, alert whoever stalked them. Bile rose in her throat as she fought the creature pecking at her head, its claws raking into her skull.

The stench closed around her throat like a fist. Bending over would enable her to see it, but the claws sank deep, making her eyes water from pain.

“Stay absolutely still.”

Kelly struggled against the impulse to fling away the creature clawing at her head. Sunlight glinted off the pistol Sam pointed at her head. Her blood pressure plummeted. If he missed...

“Trust me,” Sam told her.

Closing her eyes, she did.

Slime splashed over her face and shirt. The creature’s claws sunk into her skull. Sam came over, helped her pull it free and flung the remains to the ground. He squatted down and examined it. Once it had been an ordinary black crow, but now what was left of the bird had daggered claws and a nasty hooked beak.

“Ilthus?” he asked, glancing up.

She nodded, studying the gun he held with practiced ease. A tube protruded from the barrel.

“Why the hell did you put away the triskele? It couldn’t have hurt you if you wore it around your neck,” he scolded.

Kelly flushed and put on the necklace. His gaze softened.

“You’re bleeding.” He holstered his weapon and fished out first-aid supplies from his pack. Sam steered her over to a swath of sunlight. He wiped her face, removing the creature’s slime, and then packed away the stained gauze. Sam gave her an apologetic look as he soaked fresh gauze with antiseptic.

“This’ll sting. Sorry. But you can’t risk infection.”

Kelly winced as he swabbed her wound. “Good point. Always when wounded by something that smells like a sewer, apply disinfectant. A gallon should suffice.”

He smiled as he dabbed the lacerations. “The cuts aren’t that deep. How long do you need sunlight to heal?”

“Not long. Good thing you’ve got a steady hand. I must admit it was a little nerve-racking, having you point a loaded gun at my face. Of course it’s not as scary as the stench that thing emits when it gets really going. If I had to keep breathing that, I’d have wished for you to shoot me instead.”

Pinching her nose with a thumb and forefinger, she made a face.

A quiet, deep laugh from Sam. “Kelly Denning, you’re something else.”

She touched her head, feeling the wounds starting to knit together beneath the sun’s healing rays. “Your gun doesn’t make much noise.”

“Ah, the suppressor. Sweet little tool. Keeps everything nice and quiet, so no evil overlords can hear.”

“And their little smelly minion nasties.” She gave a brittle laugh. “No evil overlord would be complete without one or two. I guess we know for sure they’ve got my trail.”

Kelly hesitated. “Maybe you’d be better off heading out without me. They’re after me, not you. Break this spell, Sam. Untie us. It could be your only chance of rescuing the children.”

He tapped her nose. “Nice try, Denning. I’m not breaking the bond. You and I are stuck together.”

“Sure you want to be stuck with me, Sam?” she whispered. “You don’t know what lies ahead.”

“We never do. All we can do is adapt and survive. We’ll get through this. I’ll see to it.”

Confidence burned through him. For so long, she’d been on her own, shouldering heavy responsibilities. It was incredibly tempting to let him carry the load.

With a sigh, she leaned back and let her weary body absorb strength from the sun. Posture military erect, Sam stood guard, scanning the woods. So strong and assured, a hardened warrior. He hadn’t even blinked at the ilthus, just took the shot.

Fear threatened to claw up her spine again. Too much danger in these woods, too many threats lurking behind the dense brush. She began humming a favorite song.

He glanced over one shoulder. “You still like to sing?”

“Chases away the boredom of waiting to heal. I’m not very patient. Can’t sit still for very long.”

Sam turned and grinned. “You should try recon. Stinking hot and thirsty, waiting for hours for that scumbag target to move so you can take the building.”

“Staying still for hours? You? Mr. ‘Let’s go, let’s do something, move it now’?”

“I can be very patient, especially if the reward is worth it,” he said, green dancing in his suddenly hot and hungry gaze, his intent clearly shifting from scumbag targets to something deeper and more sexual.

Flushing, she refused the bait. Legs feeling like jelly, she stood and brushed off her jeans. “We need to get going. I can’t guarantee another mutant bird thing won’t attack. Or a zombie. Never know when the zombies will surface. Though I think I can fend off a zombie attack. All they care about are brains, and according to Elementals, Arcanes have none.”

Sam gave her shoulders a gentle shake. “Chill it, Kel. No more talk of Elementals or Arcanes. It’s just us, and we’ll get through this.”

“I can’t bear for anyone else to get hurt because of me,” she whispered.

He laid a finger across her lips, his touch gentle. “They won’t. I’m a trained navy SEAL, and if this doesn’t work—” Sam gestured to the weapon holstered at his side “—then I always have this.” He pointed a finger like a gun and aimed at a tree. “Bam. Magick bullet. All zombies are all dispatched, milady.”

Warmth filled her as he kissed her hand in a gallant gesture. Kelly managed a small smile. “I’ve missed you, Sam. I’ve missed us.”

Sam’s expression shuttered. “I need to bury this.” With the toe of a boot, he poked at the dead ilthus. “I can’t risk drawing more attention by frying it with magick.”

Hiding her small hurt, she helped him dig. Bury this.

When he really wanted to bury old feelings.

After they finished, he gave her a critical look. “That thing found you because it picked up your scent. We need to disguise your smell.”

She touched her sticky hair. “I smell more like dead ilthus. Any chance we can find that river again? I heard water up ahead.”

They pushed on through the forest until reaching a tributary that fed into the river. Kelly walked along the edge until reaching a deeper pool. Then she dropped her pack on the bank and ducked her head into the water, scrubbing away the slime. But if these things had her scent...

After shedding her jeans, socks and sneakers, she waded in and submerged her entire body. Kelly sighed with relief as the cool water touched her hot skin. As she waded out, Sam stared at her.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked in a thick voice.

“Disguising my scent.”

A pulse ticked in his throat. “She should have given you a darker T-shirt. And panties, as well.”

Glancing down, she saw the wet fabric plastered to her skin. The soaked silk bra turned transparent, along with her lace panties, showing...everything.

Body taut, he clenched his fists, the green in his eyes flaring. Sam looked as if he struggled to contain himself.

“Cover yourself,” he ordered harshly.

Not moving, she gave him a defiant smile. “You look hot, Sam. The creek is nice and cool. Go for a swim.”

With a strangled sound, he removed his outer shirt and then tugged his T-shirt over his head. Whoa.

“Stop that,” she told him.

“Can’t go swimming with my clothes on.”

Sweat streamed down his back, and coated his face, the angles and planes glistening in the sunlight. The curve of his smooth biceps flexed as he tossed the shirt aside. Beneath Sam’s mocking, cheerful charm lurked an edge of controlled wildness.

Reaching for the zipper of his cargo pants, he met her gaze. She gave a small squeak.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Sam unzipped his pants and, in a swift move, pushed his pants and boxers down. Baring his body to all.

Her startled gaze met his heated one. Kelly glanced at the dark, curly hairs covering his sculpted chest, marching in a tempting line down his muscled abdomen to...

Not going there. She finally found her voice. “You don’t play fair.”

“Never did, sweetheart.”

“Sam, put your clothes on!”

“Do you really want me to?” he asked softly.

Need spiraled through her. Sam had been a tender, considerate lover.

He would not be so now. If they came together again, he would be primitive and possessive. Images shot through her mind: naked, tangled together, their bodies sweat-slicked as they surrendered to the overpowering desire and made love. Her gaze shot downward, past the ridge of muscle at his lean hips, down to his long, sleek limbs and then up to...

Whoa.

Straining upward from the dark hair at his groin, his thick penis was erect. Moisture gathered between her legs, her sex pulsing in natural response, her nipples tingling and hardened.

Oh, gods, she wanted him so badly.

The harsh sounds of his breath twined with the rush of the gurgling stream. Sam kicked off his pants and boxers and waded in. Her hungry gaze riveted to the smooth muscles of his taut ass.

Sam ducked beneath the water and turned over, his smoldering, predatory gaze riveted to hers.

Kelly’s heartbeat kicked into turbo as her breathing hitched. The space between her legs felt aching, open, her core pulsing in response to his naked body. She envisioned those strong hands holding her fast as his thick cock pushed deep inside her.

He wanted her, and she wanted him equally. Time had erased the emotions they had for each other, but it could not vanquish the searing heat. Circumstance and sorrow had dampened but not extinguished it. Now the same desire sparked into life once more.

All she had to do was shuck her clothes and join him. Their joining would be intense, passionate and blazing. Sam need only touch her and she’d have one shattering climax after another.... It had been so long since she’d had sex, too long since anyone had held her close....

Now Kelly did cover her breasts, hugging herself.

Not make love. Have sex.

Hot, steamy, deep-thrusting, clawing sex. Sex that would leave her feeling empty and alone afterward. The fire inside her died.

She couldn’t let this man grow close. Too much had happened, too much pain and regret. They would become lovers again, and then he’d hand her over to the Mages.

“Hijo de puta!” she snapped.

Sam stopped swimming.

Biting the inside of her lip, she found her jeans and quickly dressed, her back to the stream.

Water splashed behind her. Sam stood before her, droplets of water from his bent head falling on her skin like tears. His voice was gentle as he lifted her chin to meet his concerned gaze. “What is it, Kel?”

You. Me. We can’t do this. We’re not the same kids we were, innocent and carefree.

Emotion clogged her throat. She clenched her fists. “Are you ready? Because we’re wasting time.”

She fussed with her backpack, avoiding his gaze. A damp T-shirt dangled before her.

“Put this on,” he said quietly. “It’s rank, but it will cover your natural scent when your own clothing dries.”

The fabric smelled like leather and sage and Sam. Kelly held it close and inhaled his scent. When she looked up, the predatory look flared on his face once more, as if he liked his shirt, his scent, covering her.

“Let’s move on,” she said in a shaky voice. “It’s not safe here.”

Truth was, no place was safe, not with Sam at her side and the ever-burning flame still shimmering between them, ready to sear them both.