Brink Of Passion (Alpine Woods Shifters) (17 page)

Baby steps.

Chapter 9

Laurie collapsed on the white leather sofa, sweat pouring down her face and back. Despite running up and down Manhattan for the past eleven hours, restlessness still plagued her. All night, she’d tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position. Once the sun had crept under the blinds shading the room, she’d decided she’d had enough pretending to sleep. She’d gotten dressed, left a note for Max, and took off with no destination. All she’d known was she couldn’t sit still. Couldn’t get comfortable.

So, she’d run. For hours. Exhausting her body and mind. And it had worked in that regard. Laurie wanted nothing more than to take a shower, eat a giant steak or a gallon of ice cream, and go to bed. But her churning gut told her it would be a useless endeavor. Sleep wasn’t on the agenda. Her skin itched. Her eyes burned. And her blood raced.

Antsy.

What was wrong with her? It had been almost a month since she’d arrived in New York City, but this was the first time she felt truly uncomfortable. Ryan had come home from the hospital the week before, but his memory had yet to return. The doctors warned that it may never happen. Things had more or less gotten back to normal. The new normal. So why couldn’t Laurie rest?

Whatever bothered her, she couldn’t fix it until she figured out what caused it. Her stomach growled loudly, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since the hot dog three hours ago. At least there was one thing she could take care of. There was still a chicken breast in the fridge left over from dinner the night before, unless Max had taken it for lunch.

With a sigh, Laurie stood. Only one way to find out. If not, she’d order a pizza and snack on deli meat until it arrived.

A pang in her stomach made her double over. Laurie closed her eyes against the light that was suddenly too bright, piercing daggers into her eyes. She reached out as her knees gave way beneath her.

Something crashed to the floor from the coffee table, but she couldn’t open her eyes to find out. The pain was too intense.

Her wolf rose to the surface in her mind.

Angry.

So angry.

Realization slammed into her. Her anxiety this morning, her pain now, all made sense. Her wolf rebelled against being locked away inside her for too long. She could run as much as she wanted in human form, but hunting with her wolf was different. Her wolf hadn’t run free since before the conference in Tucson more than a month ago. Much too long. The beast was fed up and taking it out on Laurie.

She tore at her clothes, hearing seams ripping as she pulled them from her body. But her wolf was eerily still, as if sensing the end of her confinement. No sooner had the last stitch of clothing hit the floor than the noise started. Harrowing cracks and pops filled her ears before the shift took over her focus. She sighed in relief as her bones began to break and reform. As terrible as it sounded, the shift felt like a good stretch after a long nap. She winced at a particularly painful moment, reinforcing her belief that she’d waited too long between shifts.

How did the cats do it? There was nowhere in the City to run. Central Park maybe, but even late at night, a wolf or a leopard roaming around would stand out.

Thinking about it, she realized they must have something planned soon. A group hunt of some kind. As far as she knew, all shifters felt the undeniable urge to run and hunt. Back home, her brothers hosted biweekly pack hunts. The leopards might not need it as frequently, but they had to still feel the need.

In less than a minute, it was over. She got to all four feet and shook, starting with her head and rolling the movement through her body. Each shake felt more comfortable than the last as her brain made the connections between movement and cortexes required with each form.

Glancing around the room, she noted with surprise that very little had changed. The monotone white colors of the room made it difficult to see the difference between beast and human vision. The only noticeable differences were in the paintings on the walls.

She leapt over an ottoman, her wolf cheering at even that small amount of exercise. But what about the rest? How was she going to pull this off? Even if she could make it the couple blocks to Central Park without being seen, unlikely at any time of day but especially early evening, it wasn’t like she could go running in the park without issues. Where was she supposed to find enough land to truly stretch her legs?

The treadmill was always an option, she supposed. The wolf grumbled at the thought. She wanted to smell the grass, to feel the dirt beneath her feet. She wanted a real playground, not a metal one. But where?

Anxious to begin, she paced across the large living room. At each turn, her speed increased until she was running from one side to the other and back in a giant circle.

Suddenly, legs appeared in her path. She put on the brakes, but the slick wood floor hindered her. Too fast for her to slow down. She slid, crashing into him and bouncing off to roll away.

She turned with a snarl at the sound of a chuckle behind her. Max crouched down until he was close to her level.

“What do we have here?”

Even her wolf melted at his smile. How was that fair? Why didn’t she have such a weapon against him?

“Colin says he ran into you on the elevator and you’ve been running all day? Yet, I come home to find more running. Feeling anxious, puppy?”

Laurie curled one side of her lip at the endearment, showing her fang. ‘Puppy’ sounded condescending.

Max laughed. “Don’t like that one, either, huh? Why am I not surprised?” He pulled his phone from the holder on his hip. “Tyler?” he said after a moment. “I’m taking Laurie to the cabin. Can you and Colin watch things around here for the weekend?”

“No problem. Ryan?” Tyler asked from the other end.

Laurie tilted her head to the side, pondering the question.

“Keep the guard on him. Only those on the approved list.” Guard?

“He won’t like it.”

“Tough. And watch your own back, too.” Max disconnected the call, then turned his gaze on Laurie. “As much as I’d like to hustle you away as you are, you’d probably be mad with the lack of clothes once you return to human.” His lips quirked up in one corner. “Might be worth it, but I’ll pack a bag anyway. Give me a couple minutes, then we’ll head out.”

She padded after him as he ascended the stairs and entered the bedroom. Questions buzzed through her mind, but none she could ask while in wolf form, and she doubted her wolf would relinquish the reins of control so quickly. A snarl in her mind confirmed as much.

He’d mentioned a cabin, but where? The words
cabin
and
New York City
sounded oxymoronic. But she supposed she’d find out soon enough. Her wolf was willing to wait if the reward meant somewhere to run.

Max caught her gaze as he placed her jeans and a couple shirts in a backpack.

“The leap co-owns a large stretch of land in Vermont with a few other shifter groups headquartered in the city. We all have our own cabins with a small area around them that belongs solely to our leap, but the land between belongs to the consortium and allows us to hunt and run over a large area.”

Laurie’s heart leapt. How many acres? Would she truly be able to let loose? She stood, her stance wide, and wagged her tail to show her enthusiasm. She lifted her lips into a smile, as much as her wolf form allowed. The glint in Max’s eyes made her think she’d gotten her point across.

“I got the impression you needed it.”

Her tail sped up.

*****

Max barely avoided the claw swiping in his direction.

He roared, but the little wolf simply turned her back on him and went back to her meal. He roared again, louder this time, insisting she pay him heed. The disdainful glance she threw over her shoulder did not count!

Stingy. That’s what she was. After all, he’d caught the first rabbit and placed it at her feet. Now, she wouldn’t share the one she caught. How was that fair? He butted his head against her thigh and heard a warning growl rumble from her throat.

Unbelievable. She really wasn’t going to share. Hissing, Max left her to her teeny tiny rabbit to search for bigger prey. This time, he’d take down a deer and eat the whole thing himself. Well, he’d at least pretend to withhold it from her until she whined and looked at him with those big brown puppy eyes. He swore he could at least hold out until then.

Pathetic. The little wolf had him totally wrapped around her paw. Maybe if he didn’t already know the fridge and freezer at the cabin were both fully stocked, he’d stick to his resolution. But he doubted it.

He heard Laurie munching on bones behind him. If he could hear it, so could everything else. He prowled farther away, his paws silent on the ground beneath him.

A stick cracked up ahead. He froze, one paw in the air, and listened. More chewing, but not Laurie. Soft munching rather than hard crunching. He narrowed his eyes, moving his head slightly until he had a clear view up ahead. A trio of deer grazed in the clearing. His shoulders hunched, lowering the rest of his body to the ground as he stalked forward.

He waited. Watched as the trio ambled around the grassy area. The one on the left seemed to favor one of his back legs over the other. He’d be easier to take down than the other two. Zeroing in on his target, Max prepared to attack.

The air rippled over him as he leapt, something zinging past. The ground where he’d been crouched moments before exploded in a puff of dirt. He turned and studied the ground for a moment, before instinct, followed by realization, had him moving. Another patch of dirt flew inches from his foot as he zigged left. Bullets hitting dirt. Someone was shooting at him.

Rage filled him. That this would happen, on leap property, infuriated him. Ryan’s words from the hospital floated through his mind unbidden. Could this be more than lost hunters? It had been two weeks since Ryan had woken, and nothing had happened. Why now?

He shook his head, dodging around trees to throw off the hunt. Now he sounded paranoid. More than likely, some hunters had spotted what they thought was a rare black panther and wanted its pelt. Unlike most leopards, Max had melanism, making his fur look black unless the sun shone directly on his coat.

Max dodged to the left, bullets trailing behind him. He wished there was a way to warn Laurie, but he refused to drag the hunters in her direction. He turned away from her location.

If he could get ahead, he could escape into the trees. If the hunters thought he was a jaguar, it wasn’t likely they’d look to the trees. Leopards weren’t exactly native to North America, so he doubted they’d be expecting him. All he had to do was climb and they’d be stymied. Then he could double back and bring Laurie to safety. Drag her, if he had to.

The bullets hit the ground fewer and farther between. The hunters must be flagging. But still not enough. His muscles stretched as he ran, jumping over branches strewn about his path. Still his pursuer managed to keep up. How? Even a fast human shouldn’t have been able to catch a shifter. Certainly not one in leopard. Yet, he’d been hunting for over an hour with Laurie, and leopards weren’t built for distances. In short bursts they were fast, but they tired easily.

Max swerved around a large tree and stumbled. Bark flew from the trunk, pelting him with wood, millimeters from his face. He roared, even as he instinctually turned and ran. If he hadn’t slipped in the mud, that bullet might have caught him.

No. He’d think about that later. Right now, he had to focus on surviving, and making sure the hunters kept far away from his mate.

Somewhere behind him, he heard a wolf howl. His blood froze in his veins. Laurie. Either responding to his roar, or merely seeking him. Whatever the reason, she sounded close.

He had to keep her out of this. Had to lead them away. No matter what happened to him, she could not be involved.

With a burst of speed, Max ran away from the wolf call. He heard his chaser pursuing him, their own stealth sacrificed in their haste. But he no longer wanted to lose them. Not until he led them as far from Laurie as possible.

The hunter swore behind him, the words a mere breath of a whisper. Not enough to distinguish between man and woman. Damn. If he survived this, he’d have to warn the other shifter groups who shared this land. Unless it wasn’t random.

His limbs tired, and the trees zipped past him slower than before. He might be one of the faster predators out there, but if he didn’t lose the stalker soon, he’d be in real trouble.

Up ahead, he saw one of the trees had fallen into another, creating a perfect ramp to the high braches above. He noted their location and passed by them. The hunter was close, but beginning to trail behind. He swung to the left to circle back around. If he did this right, maybe he’d even be able to catch of glimpse of his pursuer.

A few minutes later, he found the tree again. Using the last of his energy, he dashed up the branch, his claws extending to grip the limb. A few moments ago, he’d lost track of the hunter’s footsteps. He crouched on the branch, hidden by the leaves, and froze. His eyes scanned the ground beneath him, but nothing moved beyond the occasional breeze through the bushes.

Another wolf howl sounded in the distance, thankfully still a ways away. Indecision plagued him. His desire to pursue his attacker warred with his instinctive need to seek his mate, make sure she was untouched, and lead her to safety.

He turned toward the last direction he’d heard the hunter pursuing. If this had been what Ryan tried to warn him about, he needed to know what he was up against. Who he was up against. Laurie was strong. She could wait.

His feet wouldn’t obey the command to leap to the next tree. He turned to stare in Laurie’s direction. If the hunters went after her while he pursued them, it wouldn’t matter who they were. Nothing would matter if something happened to Laurie.

Max almost fell out of the tree at the thought, his imbedded claws clinging to the branch. Did he truly believe that? He searched inside his heart and found her planted firmly at the center. His eyes widened. Hot damn. He loved her. Both as man and leopard. The woman had firmly captured his heart.