Wolf Tales VI (2 page)

She sat up on the edge of the bed, her mind filled with thoughts of Adam. She missed him. Damn, she hardly knew the man, yet the image of his tall, rangy body filled her heart and her mind. Made her body anxious and miserable with wanting.

Did he feel the same? Had he missed her over these three long weeks? Would he come to her? Why should he? Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. He’s just found his sister and his mother, and a new family in the Montana pack. Why would he come after me?

She glanced toward the window. Through the slightly parted curtain she saw the cherry ‘51 Ford pickup parked outside her room. Black and shiny beneath the parking lot lights, it gleamed with lots of chrome and expensive paint. The truck had been a loan from Anton Cheval, but he wanted it back by July 20, in time for his packmate—and lover’s—birthday.

Stefan’s birthday was just a little over a week away, and Eve still wasn’t sure why she was even here. She really didn’t want to go back without finding out what had drawn her to Florida in the first place, but she’d promised Anton she’d return the truck.

Unless, of course, she couldn’t. Maybe because it wasn’t running?

Grinning broadly, Eve grabbed a fresh cotton gown and slipped it over her head. She went outside, lifted the hood on the truck and stared at the myriad bits and parts of whatever made the darned thing run.

She shrugged, looked around to see if anyone was watching her. Then she reached inside and pulled a few wires loose. For added measure, she tugged a couple of unidentifiable things completely free and tossed them inside the cab. Then she went back inside her motel room and placed a call to Montana.

Adam threw an extra pair of clean jeans into the sports bag and zipped it shut just as Oliver walked into the room. He glanced up. “Are you ready, Ollie? Got your bags packed?”

Oliver shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed. Small and dark, yet always meticulous in both dress and action, he took a moment before answering. “Are you certain you want me to come? I invited myself along when you said you were going after Eve. I did it without thinking, but I don’t want to intrude.”

Adam shook his head, but he couldn’t hold back the laugh. Damn, he was going to see Eve again whether she wanted him or not. Of course, if she’d called Keisha to say the truck wasn’t running, she must have known who would be sent to fix it.

“You’re going with me, bud. We’re taking the Jeep and someone needs to drive it home. I’ll be traveling back with Eve. I’m not letting her out of my sight once I find her.”

“You’re certain?” Oliver sat a bit straighter.

“Of course. That is…do you think Anton will let you go?”

Oliver smiled. “Unlike my first master, Anton doesn’t own me, but I checked to be sure. He said he and the others will manage without me. However, he didn’t sound happy about it.”

“Who’s going to cook?” Adam sat next to Oliver and bumped his shoulder companionably. Oliver quirked one perfect eyebrow. Adam grinned, imagining the somewhat pompous magician and his pack dealing with the intricacies of Oliver’s household duties. “They’re all going to starve.”

“I hope not. Stefan volunteered to cook. I’m hoping he knows what he’s getting himself into. They can always shift and feed in the forest. The woods are full of game this time of year.”

Adam flung his arm over Oliver’s shoulders and felt the smaller man stiffen, but he didn’t pull away as he might have a couple weeks ago. Adam wondered if Ollie would ever grow used to the touching and closeness that was so much a part of the Chanku pack. Having lived as a eunuch most of his life, Oliver had held himself apart from everyone. The adjustment to his new sexuality, to full status within the Chanku Montana pack, couldn’t be an easy one, but of all the things Adam had been able to fix in his lifetime, returning Oliver’s manhood had been the most fulfilling. “I want you with me, Ollie. I wouldn’t think of going after Eve without you beside me.”

Oliver merely nodded. Adam wondered if this wealth of feeling was as hard for Oliver as it was for him. He felt his throat tighten and sucked in a deep breath. A burst of emotion washed over him and he struggled for control. This past few weeks had changed everything Adam had ever known, ever believed, about his life and his own sense of who and what he was.

It had also given him the first true friend he’d ever known. A friend and a lover. Not only had Oliver brought him into the pack, he’d been the one to recognize that Adam was the missing son of one of the newest Chanku, Millie West.

From life on the streets to this beautiful, palatial Montana home, from a solitary existence without family or loved ones, to an emotional reunion with a mother and twin sister he’d never known. A sister whose existence he had sensed for most of his adult life. Sometimes, when he thought of all that had happened over the past few weeks, Adam was overwhelmed by the wealth and complexity of change.

And then there was Eve. A strong, beautiful woman who fulfilled him in ways he’d never imagined. For a few short days their relationship had been intense and satisfying, almost frightening with the power of their connection. She’d loved him, linked minds with him, but not bonded. Even so, she’d given Oliver his first sexual experience. She’d given Adam even more.

A sense of the future, of possibilities and promises, without ever saying the words. Then she’d moved on to deal with her own inner demons. The wolf was only a small part of Eve Reynolds. She still had to come to terms with the woman.

The very complicated woman.

And so she’d gone. She’d taken Adam’s heart with her, but he’d known he would find her again. Still, the connection now seemed almost dreamlike, too amazing to be real. Sometimes it was almost too much to comprehend.

Oliver made it real. For all the pain in his life, Oliver was a survivor. Castrated when he was still very young, sold into slavery, denied his rights not only as a man, but as Chanku, he’d still maintained an unwavering optimism, a hope for the future that Adam envied. When Adam managed to find a way to help Oliver gain the manhood he’d never known, it had seemed only right the two of them would feel a special bond, but it went beyond the fact Adam had been able to fix what was wrong in Oliver’s life.

Oliver, in some inexplicable way, completed him. Adam couldn’t explain the feeling, but he needed it. Needed Oliver, almost as much as he needed Eve.

When Oliver turned, almost shyly, and pressed his lips against Adam’s throat, there was no hesitation. They weren’t planning to leave until morning. There was no reason not to share a bit of passion tonight, especially after running.

Shifting definitely had an amazing affect on a man’s libido. Arousal thrummed in Adam’s veins. It was always this way after racing through the forest, two wolves on the hunt, sharing a kill. A connection unlike anything else, that sharing of warm meat and fresh blood.

It would be so much more powerful with Eve, once they bonded. He was sure of it, though they’d never even run together as wolves. She’d made the change a day ahead of Adam, shifted and run with the others, and then she’d packed her bags and run away. He thought he understood. He’d certainly wanted to believe Anton when the wizard said it wasn’t Adam that Eve was running from.

It was her own life she was running to.

Whatever it was that left Eve incomplete would have to be fixed before she could give herself over to another. Anton had cautioned patience. He’d given Eve the vehicle, the money, and the blessing to figure out what she needed, and he’d given her a reason to return.

There had been no doubt in Anton’s mind that Eve would come back to Montana. Until she did, until she was able to bond freely to him, Adam wouldn’t experience the mind and body connection of two wolves as one, their every move and thought in sync. He wanted that feeling, that connection. He wanted it with Eve. Sighing, thinking longingly of the woman he already thought of as his, Adam kissed Oliver and lowered him gently to the bed.

The second day after her assault, she was still every bit as sore as she’d expected, but at least the bruises were fading, thanks to her Chanku genetics. Eve crawled out of bed before seven and showered before throwing on shorts and a tank top. She stepped out of her motel room into the suffocating heat, and stared at the truck. Then she walked across the parking lot and headed to the closest store. She couldn’t take the truck. No way was it going to work after she’d stripped so many wires out from under the hood.

There was a little convenience store half a block from her motel and the coffee was good. She’d even grown accustomed to the egg and sausage sandwiches she could stick in the small microwave she’d bought for her motel room.

The clerk behind the counter waved and smiled, proof Eve had been staying in the same place much too long. She grabbed a newspaper and poured a cup of coffee, then studied the various sandwiches wrapped in plastic.

Staring at the selection of croissants and bagels and rolls, she let her mind wander west to Montana and the sun-dappled forest she never realized she’d miss so terribly. What she wouldn’t give for a nice, juicy rabbit!

A frisson of awareness skittered across her neck and down her spine. Little goose bumps prickled over her arms and Eve blinked herself back to the present. She glanced toward the cold case where the beer, soft drinks, and lunch meats were kept. A young woman stood in front of the frosted doors. Her long, coal-black hair swung past her hips like a curtain of silk. She was tall and slender, her jeans torn and dirty. They hung low on her slim hips and her skintight, pale blue cropped tank was badly faded and stained.

Something about her caught Eve’s attention. Maybe it was the cocky tilt to one hip, the way she glanced toward the clerk then quickly looked away. Maybe it was the sensual sway of her hair or something deeper, more profound. At the moment Eve couldn’t put her finger on whatever it was that made her watch. Made her concentrate on the woman while pretending to check over the choices on the morning take-out menu.

Had she not been watching, she might not have noticed when the girl slipped a package of sliced turkey into her purse. Might have missed the two candy bars that followed, and the small carton of orange juice.

If the girl had just left it at that, she might have made it out the door with no one but Eve the wiser, but she got greedy. Or maybe she was just so hungry she forgot about caution. About survival. She fingered a perfect orange on top of a stack of fruit on a table near the door, rolled it into her palm and quickly headed for the door.

“Hey you! Lady! Stop now! Ya gotta pay for that orange!” The clerk vaulted over the counter and reached for her arm. The girl spun around and grabbed the door handle, but the clerk, a young man with a long reach, barred the way.

Eve stood unmoving, watching to see what would happen next. The girl twisted and tried to pull free of the young man’s grasp, but he held on tight and pulled her back toward the counter, cursing her each step of the way. The girl struggled, obviously panic-stricken, but so far she hadn’t said a word. Then she curled her lip and snarled.

That was the only way Eve could describe the sound. It startled her into action. “Wait,” she said, reaching out to touch the young man’s shoulder. “I’ll pay for whatever she took.”

The clerk stopped and stared at Eve. “Why? You with her?”

Eve shook her head. “No, but I’ve been hungry enough to steal.” She looked at the girl, who held herself as far from the clerk as she could with him still hanging on to her arm. “Is that okay with you? I’ll pay for the things you took.”

The girl didn’t speak, but she jerked her head, a short, sharp nod of agreement. The clerk turned her loose and stepped around behind the counter.

“That orange’ll be a buck fifty.”

Twice what the sign said. Eve bit back a grin and set her own items on the counter, a couple of breakfast sandwiches and a cup of coffee. Without looking at the thief, she asked, “Okay, now what about the things in your purse?” She turned and stared at the young woman who at least had the grace to blush. The girl pulled the other items out of her bag and lined them up on the counter. The clerk glared at her while he rang them up. Eve pulled some bills out of her pocket and peeled off twice the amount of the total. “Keep the change. I appreciate your not calling the cops.”

“Thanks, lady.” He stared at the young woman. “Don’t ever come back here again, got it?”

She nodded. Eve took the bag from the clerk and turned to the girl. “You got anywhere to go?”

“No.”

“Ah. So you can talk. Come with me. I’m not staying all that far from here.” She held the door open and the young woman stepped out ahead of her. For whatever reason, Eve felt relaxed for the first time in weeks. She wasn’t sure how or why, but the little thief with the silky black hair seemed to hold answers.

Answers to questions Eve hadn’t even thought to ask. Smiling, clutching the bag of groceries against her chest, she headed back to the motel with her young charge in tow.

The microwave dinged. Eve pulled out the little round table from the corner of the room and set out napkins as place mats, put a warmed breakfast croissant filled with ham, cheese, and eggs on each one, then set the orange juice in front of the girl and the steaming coffee by her own. “Go ahead,” Eve said, when the young woman hesitated.

That was all it took. She practically inhaled her food, shoving big bites into her mouth and swallowing huge gulps. Eve ate at a much slower pace and studied her guest. Something about the young woman intrigued her. She wasn’t sure of her age—the girl could be anywhere from twelve to thirty—but for some strange reason, Eve felt as if she knew her. Could she be Chanku? That growl certainly hadn’t sounded human.

“What’s your name? I’m Eve Reynolds.”

The girl swallowed. “I know. I remember you.”

“What?” Eve sat back in her chair, shocked. “How?”

“The Bostick place. You lived there when I was real little.” She took another big bite and washed it down with a swallow of juice. “You kept the big kids from picking on me. By the time you left, I was big enough to take care of myself.”