Wolf Creek Enforcer (2 page)

“Keep in touch.  I want calls or text telling me what you find,” Rafe growled, pounding his back also. 

“Yes, mother.  Which reminds me, where are Mom and Dad?  I can’t believe they’re missing this sendoff,” Ian said.

“We didn’t tell them you were going.  Since they don’t live in the castle anymore, we thought you’d prefer the less said the better,” Rafe told him.

“Thanks, Mom would just worry about me.”

Lisa hugged him next.  “If this were just a regular trip, we wouldn’t be so worried.”

Ian got in his truck and started the engine
.  Backing out, he heard Lisa’s parting comment.

“Don’t pick up any ho’s on the road!”

“I can’t promise anything!” Ian yelled out the window, smiling as he pulled away.  He saw them all laughing when he looked in his rear view mirror.

Ian was on a two-lane highway le
ading out of Wolf Creek.  As he headed west toward Dallas, he wondered if he would find the woman there.  Dallas was a big city and he hoped that was not where this compulsion led him.  Ian preferred the woods of East Texas where his home was.  There was too much noise and concrete in the city.

Nearing Sweetwater, he exited to find a gas station and some food. 
After filling his pickup, he asked the cashier if there was a good place to eat that wasn’t a fast food chain.  He directed him to a small mom and pop place saying their food was really good.

The café was a small, whole in the wall
place tucked into a strip mall.  Surprisingly, the chicken-fried steak reminded him of his mom’s cooking.  

Ian lingered over his coffee, giving the sun time to set over the horiz
on so he wouldn’t be staring into it while he drove west.  He had no intention of stopping until he absolutely had to.  Pulling out his wallet, he left his payment with a generous tip on the table.  He pulled his leather jacket on as he strode out the door.  Most people who weren’t from the area, thought Texas didn’t have cold weather.  They were wrong.  Depending on which part of the state you lived in, it could me anywhere from mild to freezing cold.  Thankfully it was just a little chilly and not freezing in Sweetwater.  He left his jacket hanging open as shifters body temperatures ran pretty warm anyway.  Climbing into his truck, he drove back towards the interstate. 

A couple more hours saw him passing Midland and Odessa.  This was th
e Texas most people pictured.  Dirt, tumbleweeds, and drilling rigs.  Off in the distance he could see small mountain ridges.  He knew he still had over four hours until he reached El Paso.  He kept hearing that old saying in his head, “The sun has risen, the sun has set, and here I am, in Texas yet.”

By the time he made it to El Paso, he decided to rest for a few hours.  He was on Interstate 10 now and could see the shantytowns across the Rio Grande River in Juarez, Mexico.  Seeing a sign for a Comfort Inn, he took the exit. 

After checking in, he showered and plopped down on the bed.  Being behind the wheel for so many hours was tiring.  He’d never understood how long distance truckers did it for a living.  It had to be brutal.

Relaxing on top of the comforter, Ian closed his eyes and concentrated on the vision Lisa had shown him in his head.  He felt like he was getting closer, and he was on the right track.  The urgency had let up somewhat so he knew he would find her soon.  He fell asleep trying to get a clearer picture of the woman.  It didn’t work.

After a quick breakfast a
t the hotel, Ian was on the road again.  Highway driving is monotonous.  He put his radio on scan trying to find anything to listen to.  No stations lasted very long and they faded out or had too much static. 

He was in New Mexico now west of Las Cruces when he felt the pull to exit.  He ended up on a two-lane highway having no idea where it was leading him.  He drove on, knowing he’d find her soon.  He stopped at another gas station since he had no idea how far the next one would be and didn’t want to run out of gas.  After filling up and buying a drink and some snacks, he took off again.

Chapter 2

Melanie walked along the highway with her hands in the pockets of her jacket.  It was a little cold but not miserable.  She had her blue jeans on with her thermals underneath.  She wore a bright pink t-shirt simply because she liked pink.  At her last pedicure she chose neon pink for her toes.  Pink was her favorite but any bright color would do. 

Her backpack was a tad heavy but she was in good health and walking never hurt anyone. 
She knew she could have driven, but for some reason felt she should walk.  Melanie always listened to her intuition.

  The pack had
all her essentials tucked away inside.  Her parents were concerned when she told them her plans, but knew that her abilities would keep her safe.  They understood what drove her.  She wasn’t an orphan or some poor, put upon relative of mean cousins.  She was actually quite wealthy.  This trek was just something she knew she had to do. 

She had left Albuquerque three weeks ago to walk south toward Las Cruces.
When you didn’t have a deadline or exact destination in mind, you could enjoy the world around you.  New Mexico is a beautiful state and walking was hard work but well worth it.  Not everyone could do this, but Melanie was different.  She had abilities she could rely on in case of danger or if the weather turned bad. 

There weren’t a lot of towns to rely on for food or supplies so Melanie would stock up whenever she could.  She also depended on the kindness of others.  A
couple had picked her up south of Albuquerque and shared their lunch with her.  They’d had a cooler with lunchmeat and drinks so they ate their meal sitting under a roadside tree.  She had cheated a little by sending a small urge to the couple compelling them to stop for her.  She knew they were curious when the car slowed down as it passed by.  Knowing instantly they were good people, she’d sent them an urge to stop with a feeling of well being so they wouldn’t be nervous about picking up a stranger.

That had been yesterday and she
’d left them with a little bit of magic to keep them safe on their trip.  Now she trudged down the road, knowing something miraculous was going to happen soon.  She couldn’t wait.  This feeling that had pulled at her to hit the road was coming to fruition.

Walking
along the blacktop, Melanie looked for a place she could sit and rest for a little bit.  Rock formations protruded up towards the sky, reminding her of the Garden of the Gods in Colorado.  Not the same red colors, these were more pink and beige, their spirals winding around showing the different colors in the sandstone.

As she leaned back against one of the pillars, she felt a sense of peace coming from the surrounding land.  She could understand why the Pueblo Indians revered the cliffs and rock gardens in the area. 
This place was sacred.  They reminded her of Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, one of her favorite places to hike. 

Slowly the air around her changed, an oppressive weight sliding up her body.  She felt as if the spirals cringed in empathy. 

Rising to her feet, she saw a car had parked in the gravel alongside the road.  If she knew her cars, and she did, it was a sixty-nine corvette stingray.  She loved the sky blue paint job and wished she could see the interior.  Nervously chewing her bottom lip, she waited to see who would step out of the car.  This couldn’t be good, she thought.  No way was this the monumental event she’d been waiting for. 

The passenger door opened while she waited in anticipation
, the tinted windows making it difficult to see the occupants.  Filthy boots hit the ground, followed by the dirtiest blue jeans she’d ever seen.  Seeing tattoos on both arms as he climbed out, the biker shirt came as no surprise.  His hair was dirty blonde, greasy enough to oil his car.  Stretching, he turned and smiled when he saw her.  Reaching back inside, he grabbed a jacket and pulled it on.

What in the world makes guys think dirty, stringy, hair is attractive, she wondered? 
    

She
waited as the driver opened his door and stood, casually resting his arms across the top of his car.

“Need a ride, sweetheart?”

He was the antithesis of the biker dude.  He was too pretty.  There’s just something about a man that you cannot trust when he’s prettier than you are.  Perfect white smile, long silky black hair blowing behind him, wide shoulders in an expensive light blue dress shirt.

She knew her clothes, and this was not from any Kmart blue light special.  And his eyes, my god, they were beautiful
, she thought.  From twenty feet away she could see they were cobalt blue, with long black lashes.  But there was something wrong with him.  An oppressive weight pulled at her chest and she could almost imagine slime oozing from his pores. 

He came around the car and she c
ould see his dress pants.  She knew those had to have come from a tailor, they fit his slim waist and long legs perfectly. 

He had no aura.  Melanie stood frozen, shocked as she realized what he was.  A wizard, he had to be
she knew.  Her mind was frantically sifting through all the different magical beings she knew of.  Some wizards could block their aura using black magic.  Had she not known this, she may have assumed he was fae.  He was just that beautiful.

She didn’t take the time to answer him.  Turning, she ran back to the rocks, intending to hide.  If she had to, she could
shimmy down one of the cliffs and hide there.

She heard the passenger
door slam shut, not turning back to look, she wound her way through the rocks, pressing up against one to catch her breath.

“Get her,” she heard.

Her brain was scrambling, trying to figure out how in the world she could run into a wizard out here.  Mathematically, the odds were astronomical. 

“Com
e out, come out, little witch,” Melanie thought it was the pretty one speaking, but couldn’t be sure. 

If he thought she was a witch, maybe she could use that.  She had magic, just not a whole lot of power on her own. 
Too bad her brother wasn’t here, she thought.  They could combine forces.  Two were much stronger than one.

Deciding to take a chance,
she peaked around the rock.  The black haired one was standing by one of the larger spirals, eyes closed with his hands pressed against it. 

He was trying to pull
power from the rocks, but this was a place for good, not evil.  Melanie knew she needed to do something.  She’d seen the biker dude standing next to him, seeming to wait for instructions. 

Melanie coul
d see that biker dude’s aura was black and slimy. She assumed he was probably an apprentice wizard, maybe his flunky.

Looking again at the real threat, she saw his sleeves were rolled up, showing off his
own tattoos.  There were long black swirls winding down his forearm to his wrist.  She could not tell what they were from her hiding place.

Now she wished she would have paid more attention when learni
ng about runes.  It looked like some grotesque misrepresentation of the beautiful runes she had seen in pictures. 

Looking towards the heavens, Melanie silently asked for the magic to come through her and into the stones.  Placing her hands on the rocks, she felt the magic pulse through her veins.  She concentrated on sending out a barrier to protect the sacred grounds. 

“Son of a bitch!” she heard him yell.

Th
e wizard was sitting on his ass, snarling.  He no longer looked so well groomed with dust and dirt covering his clothes.  His companion was slowly rising from the dirt also, looking around in confusion. 

“Krew, give me a hand, you idiot,” he yelled.

Melanie peeked around the stone as the guy, Krew, helped his boss up.  The magic had blasted him away from the rock, but she was still in danger.  She willed the rock to hide her, hoping it would work.

“Where are you, you little bitch,” he yelled.

Like I’m gonna answer, she sniggered.

Melanie clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she was slightly hysterical.  She kept chanting in her head, go away, go away, and praying he would just leave. 

Hearing him start to mumble, she braced herself, fearing his dark magic. Melanie backed up against the rock, trying to strengthen her shield for whatever magic he sent her way.

Abruptly, pressure pushed against her back, forcing her to her knees. 

Melanie fell forward with her palms on the ground, groaning from the force pushing against her head.  Afraid she was going to pass out, she wrapped her arms around her body and used every bit of magic she had to fight against the pressure.

“
You’ll be my queen, little kitten.  Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

Great, bat shit crazy wizard wants me
, she mumbled to herself.  Melanie had her back pressed against the wall, her knees pulled up to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible.   

Concentrating her magic on the rocks, she willed them to hide her, knowing she didn’
t have the power to fight them both.  She watched as they searched the rocks, moving closer to her hiding place.