Doe and the Wolf (Furry United Coalition, #5) (4 page)

Darn it.
She’d escaped.

With night falling and Tom surely freaking, and, don’t forget, a monster on the loose, Everett had to call the search off. He wasn’t quitting though. Not by a long shot. The little doe needed to be found and not just because of the bounty on her cute head.

No one messes with the big, bad wolf.
Time someone taught an impertinent doe that lesson.

It took him the rest of the afternoon to make his way back to the parking lot where he’d left the SUV parked. He arrived limping, tired, cranky, and hungry, which made the sight of Tom, sitting in the passenger seat snoozing, all the more irritating.

He banged on the window on his way to the trunk. Opening the back, he snagged some of the clothes he kept in a gym bag.

“About time you came back. The cooler’s empty and I was getting hungry.” Tom craned in his seat and cracked a huge yawn.

“Thanks for your concern.”

Tom raised a bushy brow. “You were only gone just over sixteen hours. Not unusual for you when you’re on the trail of something. What happened to ‘don’t get worried unless it’s been a week?’”

Everett grimaced. “That was before I ran into a ginormous mutant lizard who almost crushed me to death before dropping me off a cliff and then got captured by a deer who tied me to a bed.”

Tom ogled Everett. “What?”

Ignoring his query, Everett scrounged around in their truck for something to gnaw on. Not finding a T-bone steak, he settled for a stale granola bar he found squished in the glove compartment.

“What happened out there?”

“Oh-ho. So now he wants to know. Where should I start? With the monster who, by the laws of science, shouldn’t exist?”

“As if. Start with the girl. The one who tied you to a bed. What did she want? She didn’t, you know,
force
you, did she?” Tom’s question sounded half hopeful, half jealous.

I wish.
“Get your dirty mind out of the gutter. She tied me up as a safety precaution. Apparently she worried I might eat her.”

“Oh, so it was a human then who caught you while in wolf form.”

“No. She was a shifter, and I was in my man shape when I came to, naked and tied to a bed.”

Tom practically drooled. “So, what did she want you for?”

He shrugged. “Nothing. She found me half dead on the side of the river and somehow managed to get me back to some abandoned cabin where she cleaned me up before abandoning me.” He couldn’t help a note of disgruntlement. It still irked him she’d just gone and left him there.

A choked snort escaped Tom then a full-out belly laugh. “Oh my god. You’re peeved because she didn’t fall for your charm. That’s priceless. And probably a first.”

“Not every woman falls under my spell.” Married ones, some of them at least, tended to have an immunity.

“I wish I could have met her,” Tom said, still chuckling. “But back to the first part of your trek. You say you found the mutant lizard? Did you kill it?”

“No. Damned thing nearly killed me. And it wasn’t just any lizard, but the gecko on the list of creatures FUC wants us to find. The thing’s a freaking monster, though. I’m going to need a gun, a big one, before we go after it again.” Maybe even a flame thrower. Or, like a dragon, would its skin prove impervious to flame? At this point, nothing would surprise him.

“Want to call in some backup?”

And admit he’d run into something he couldn’t handle? He scratched his balls reasserting his masculinity. “No. I won’t need it because I am not chasing the lizard.”

“What do you mean? We can’t just let it roam around.”

“I know. I know. But first we’ve got to find someone else.”

Tom caught on quickly. “Not the girl? Let her be. She didn’t want you. It’s not the end of the world.”

“One, I am going after her for her own good. It’s not safe in the park right now. And two, if I’m not mistaken she’s also on the list of fugitives FUC wants back. She needs to be caught.” And, no, this wasn’t about his wounded male pride. Okay, maybe just a little.

D
awn waded up the creek, without a paddle or a boat, not too far though. While the water would mask her trail, it also slowed her down and right now, speed was of the essence but so was covering her tracks. When she did step forth from the bubbling brook, she had her Ziploc bag with its pre-scented booties ready.

From a young age, those on the low end of the food chain—in other words deer, which were considered a yummy delicacy by carnivores—learned how to protect themselves. Odor was the biggest issue. As her dad had explained to her during one of his rare moments of parenting, if a predator got her scent, short of shooting it dead, once they got on her tail, she was no better than buttered toast. Or as Grandma used to say, “You’re more screwed than a bunny in heat.”

Thankfully, as a shifter, she possessed more brains than a simple doe. No staring into approaching headlights for her or, in this case, waiting for a wolf’s bite. Her daddy taught her well—and her grandma even better. Right after her escape from the FUC facility, she’d not just clothed herself before hitting the woods. She’d also grabbed some airtight sandwich bags, some fabric booties, and the strongest raccoon pee the local outdoor store sold. A spritz of it on her body and a soaking of the slippers, which she pulled over her feet, meant when she left the cleansing water of the creek, she left behind a scent trail, just not her own.

Follow that, Mr. Wolf.
She didn’t doubt for an instant the virile male she’d left behind would escape his bonds, and when he did, he’d probably come looking for her. Wounded pride would force him. Also, despite his claim he didn’t work for FUC, she couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing in those woods. Coincidence or not? She’d never found out how he got injured, but judging by the bruises and contusions before they’d healed, she’d guess he’d battled something big. Given these forests weren’t known for rampaging bears or wildcats, she could only assume he’d run into the psycho gecko whose trail she’d crossed a few times in her ramblings.

Thus far, the creature, an experiment just like her, had left her alone. Solidarity perhaps because of their past history as prisoners? Or something more... Joey always did show more of an interest in her than she liked, both behind bars and when in the supposed FUC safe house.

She suspected a crush, which, while not returned, might just protect her stubby tail from the gecko’s wrath. However, she doubted the wolf’s tango with the giant lizard would go unreported. The wolf was sure to call in its presence once he achieved freedom and found a phone, which meant her hiding spot was compromised.

Time to find a new place to go, but here was where she ran into a problem.

Hundreds of miles of protected forest land meant great hiding, but, with no supplies, she’d soon starve. Not to mention, she needed shelter. Fall was waning, which meant winter approached with icy footsteps. Foraging in human or deer form wouldn’t be possible for much longer. She needed to get out of these woods and find somewhere to hunker down.

She didn’t dare exit from the main entrance to the national park. Chances were good Mr. Wolf waited for her there. However, there was more than one way out of the forest. Hitching her bag higher up on her back, she set off west, knowing it would take at least a day, maybe more, for her to traverse the miles between her and the hamlet bordering the one lane highway leading to nowhere.

Seriously. The places the government put roads sometimes. It boggled the mind, but suited her purposes. The farther from civilization she got, the less chance she’d run into someone working for FUC—and shifters who might recognize she wasn’t quite all she appeared.

So it was, more than forty-three hours later, grimy, tired, hungry, and with sore feet, that she emerged from the forest. Not quite where she hoped. The town remained a mile or so north of her, but the tarmac proved a welcome change to her stumbling feet. At least now she didn’t have to contend with hidden roots tangling her up, branches slapping her in the face, and the sensation that something watched.

It had occurred to her more than once to change shapes, her doe more surefooted for this kind of terrain, but the occasional shots of poachers, their gunfire echoing all around, was a grim reminder that not all dangers came on four legs. As she had little desire to end up on the mantel of some eager hunter, she put on her brightest top and stayed a human.

The wee town, when she trudged in to it, was barely existent. One tiny grocery store, a post office, hardware slash clothing boutique, and a greasy spoon. Her tummy rumbled as the welcome scent of home-cooked fries, bacon, and ground beef wafted out to her. Ever since her change, she’d migrated from her lifelong vegetarian diet to one that now included meat. Cooked meat, thank goodness, but still. She tried not to think of how the animals got onto her plate but couldn’t stop the saliva from pooling in her mouth at the thought of sinking her teeth into a juicy beef burger—pink on the inside.

With just over forty dollars to her name, she needed to make a choice. While the greasy spoon would fulfill her immediate hunger pangs, it would deplete her reserves. She sighed. Much as it sucked, she opted for the grocery store where she could make her dollar stretch further.

She didn’t quite make it. From behind, an arm snaked around her waist, and a gruff, yet velvety, voice murmured in her ear, “By all the unshaven hairs on my chinny, chin, chin, look at what I found. Hello, little doe. Happy to see me?”

E
verett expected a scream. Maybe a bit of a struggle. He even tensed his abs for an elbow. What he didn’t expect was wry laughter.

“If it isn’t the big, bad wolf. I should have known better than to tempt fate and wear my red hoodie.”

He grimaced. “Talk about being cliché.”

Again, her laughter rang out, an all-too-pleasant sound. “Not intentionally. When trekking through the woods during hunting season, it’s always best to make sure you’re not mistaken for something else.”

“So long as we’re not reliving that annoying tale.” While Everett did enjoy quoting some of the more famous lines in the wolf tales, he always hated how, in the end, the wolf always got screwed. And not in a good way.

“Oh, I don’t know, didn’t the girl prevail in the end over the wolf? Seems to me, I like the way that story went.”

“I prefer the more modern version,” he said as he turned her in his grasp so she faced him. Her slight figure fit perfectly against him, a fact a certain part of his anatomy couldn’t help but notice.

She didn’t struggle which he took as a good sign. She peered at his face as she asked, “Which modern version?”

“The X-rated one where the girl in the red hood exclaims over what a big—”

His little doe slapped her hand over his mouth before he could say it. It didn’t stop his grin though. “Don’t you dare,” she threatened.

“Prude,” he mumbled against the palm of her hand. He couldn’t resist the temptation and gave her a lick.

A frown creased her face as she yanked her hand away and rubbed it against her pant leg, a not so subtle rebuke at his attempt to seduce. She angled her chin and threw him a haughty glance. “I prefer the term lady.”

“I’d rather call you by your real name. I’m Everett. Everett Johnson.”

He couldn’t help a growing interest south of his belt buckle when her pearly white teeth gnawed at her lower lip as she debated what to tell him. Would she lie and tell him her name was Bambi? She didn’t look like any Bambi he’d ever encountered, and he’d met quite a few during his support of local bars and their amateur dancers. Before judging, keep in mind the dollars he’d spent at the clothing optional locales helped many a young lady pay for college. Just doing his part to support education.

“Come on, don’t be shy. You’ve already seen my impressive man bits, the least you can do is tell me your name.”

“Impressive according to who?”

He took in a big breath, ready to get indignant when he caught the slight curl of her lip. The minx. She goaded him. Ha. He was more than a match for her teasing. “Huff and puff on it and I’ll show you.” He couldn’t help tossing her a wink and a wide grin.

How awesome the way she managed to redden brighter than her sweater. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“I can’t believe you blushed. Didn’t that kind of modesty go out with ankle-length skirts?”

“Someone needs to wash your mouth out with soap.”

“My mother tried that.”

“And?”

“She didn’t find the bubble I blew out my nose very entertaining. But we weren’t discussing how I became so awesome. You were about to give me your name.”

“No I wasn’t.”

“I’ll pants you in public if you don’t.” Ah, how cute. There she went turning red again.

“That is the most juvenile threat I’ve ever heard.”

“Yup, and yet, I’ll do it. Hope you shaved your girl parts, or we might hear some screams of ‘Sasquatch’.”

She sighed and shook her head. “I knew I should have used handcuffs.”

“Mmm, kinky. If you want, we can go back to the cabin so you can try again.”

With a roll of her eyes, she muttered. “You wish, wolf.”

“The name, as I mentioned before, is Everett, and you are...” He peered at her expectantly.

She sighed. “Dawn.”

“Dawn who?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Well, Dawn Doesn’t-Matter, can I buy you a piece of pie?”

“I’d rather have a cheeseburger and some fries,” she said wistfully.

“Deal.” Because, as it so happened, he could use a bite to eat too.

“Wait a second, deal for what?”

“I buy you all you can eat, and you tell me why FUC wants you back, dead or alive.”

“Dead!” She squeaked. “But I didn’t do anything.”

“Not going to deny you’re on their list of escapees?”

Her shoulders slumped. “Is there any point?”

“No.”

“Then I won’t deny it.”

“Come on, we’ll talk it over with some food.” Because there was no mistaking the grumble of her tummy. Dangerous fugitive or not, if he had to guess, he’d wager Dawn had missed one too many meals.