Cold Mercy (Northern Wolves) (10 page)
But even inside she could hear the eerie song rising out of the forest.
A knock sounded at the door and both Eden and Kennedy jumped, startled squeaks sounding from both of them. White knuckled, Eden gripped the armrest of her couch, only to hear the sharp rap of knuckles again. “It’s probably Rowan,” she said, but her legs still trembled as she rose and headed for the door.
For the first time, not a single dog barked. They’d all huddled together in a heap in the spare room and not even the sound of someone arriving managed to lure them out. Not that Eden could blame them. She was still fighting the urge to hide under a blanket like she had when she was a child trying to convince herself that monsters didn’t really live in closets. After tonight, she wanted to give in to the hysterical urge to laugh. What had her parents known?
Her nine-year-old self could have been right. She hadn’t known monsters lived in the woods outside her house until just recently, so maybe they really had lived in her closet and under her bed. Nothing would surprise her anymore. Flipping open the locks, Eden opened the door and let a surprised Rowan inside.
“Dee gave me the weirdest phone call ever. But I brought pizza as asked, which I exchange for information.” Rowan lifted the box, but when the scent of food did nothing to rouse either woman, she frowned. “What the hell happened?”
Eden angled her head in the direction of the couch. “Sit. I’ll spill.”
Rowan shoved the box onto the table and headed for the sofa, her appetite obviously forgotten. Eden sank down next to her and relayed the afternoon. Her head slumped back against the cushion when she was done. “I don’t even know what it was. A monster. Fuck. But I’m too old to believe in shit like that, but I’m
not
making this up.”
“I saw the footprints,” Kennedy said voice soft and Eden dug out her phone, only to pass it to Rowan.
“Damn.” Her friend whistled.
“The wolves started howling after that. We’d just moved all the dogs inside too and I could see them pacing out along the edge of the forest—”
“Your dogs are inside?”
“Ro they’re not going to bother you, they haven’t even gotten up—”
“Jesus. You’re not kidding. I’ve seen your dogs barking their fool heads off at bears wandering into your yard. Nothing scares those lunatics.” She shoved off the couch and Eden watched as she poked her head into the hall in the direction of the guest bed room. She turned back to them. “I mean I believed you, but damn.”
Rowan slumped back against the wall, her face angled so she could look out the window. “Did you report it? Wait. Never mind. Who do you even report loose monsters too? And not end up in a straight jacket getting fed little blue pills?!”
Eden couldn’t help the smile that stole over her lips then. Despite the shared horror stretching between them, there was still enough energy in the room to crack jokes. “Ghostbusters,” Kennedy said, her eyes closed but she was smiling too.
Eden chuckled. “I think the things we’re dealing with are a bit more solid in the flesh. But I’m thinking of investing in some really big bear traps.”
The three of them glanced between each other and Eden had never been more thankful for her friends. Rowan raked a hand through her hair and shoved away from the wall. “So, any chance you can kick the dogs off the bed and find us some blankets?”
“We’ll bunk,” Dee said with a shrug.
They weren’t going to leave her. Not without knowing what was out there. They had each other’s backs, and in the end, they were all in this together. And for the first time that evening, Eden felt safe again.
***
Smuggler woke her, his wet tongue swiping over her knuckles before he nudged at her hand. Insistent. The puppy gave a half-hearted whine and Eden finally jolted away, blinking blearily into the still-dark room. She let out a groggy groan and slid off the bed, wincing at the cold bare floor under her feet. The pup whimpered again, his small body leaning in the direction of the door, and she sighed.
Potty break. The joys of puppyhood.
It probably wasn’t even morning. She scrubbed at her face, trying to get up the energy to walk across the freezing floor and take the dog outside into even colder weather. “This is why you normally sleep outside,” she muttered and ran a hand through her snarled mass of hair.
Smuggler whimpered again and she couldn’t refuse him. If she went back to bed he’d pee on her floor and the only person she could blame then was herself. Eden dragged herself out of bed and followed him out into the hall. One quick peek into the guest room and she spotted Rowan and Dee amidst a few of the dogs, still snoring away with the early morning.
The rest of her pack was sprawled out across the living room floor, not a single one so much as flicking an ear her way as they passed. She glanced at the clock over the TV. Just past six. Considering she’d pulled the dogs inside almost twelve hours ago, Eden couldn’t help but be surprised the little guy had managed to hold it.
She leaned down to scratch behind his ear before she shoved her feet into her boots, grabbed her jacket, and hustled them both out into the chilly morning wind. Drawing her coat tighter around herself, Eden followed the pup off the back steps and into the yard. “Hurry up.”
God it was cold.
But despite the frosted landscape and the merciless bite to the morning wind, it was beautiful. The view from her porch was fully capable of stealing her breath right out of her lungs. Dawn leeched out over the sky, the first tendrils of sunlight slipping between the barren treetops. It lent the fresh fallen snow a blueish tint, and the doghouses were all haloed with fog. An eerie quiet stretched over the yard.
Smuggler glanced at her over his shoulder and whined, his raccoon-style mask heartbreaking as he trembled and Eden sighed. “What?”
The pup darted towards the woods a few steps and paused, tail tucked. An image of Lassie barking flickered through her mind and Eden ignored it. Real dogs didn’t do things like that. “Go potty.”
Sometime today. Before I freeze to death
. She shivered into her coat and started to wander the yard, her gaze flitting over dreary morning landscape. The doghouses looked creepy, empty as they were. Ro and Dee’s cars were parked beside hers. The dim lighting off the barn swathed the area in a thick haze, like ghosts stretched out over the yard. The wolf lingered amongst the dim light, a pale eidolon in the morning, standing just outside of the forest watching her. Eden froze, her heart pounding, fear making her chest clutch.
Shit.
Real dogs didn’t play Lassie, but they damn well knew danger when they saw it. She swallowed. The wolf staggered, wobbling and for a moment, Eden expected to see a splash of red on the white fur. The canine’s head was held low, ears folded back, and the animal’s mouth was opened wide...gasping?
“Smug,” she whispered, but the pup wasn’t running scared back to her. No, he was creeping closer to the wolf, his tail still tucked under his belly. Stupid dog. “Smug!”
She said his name sharper this time and he paused, his little head twisting back to look at her. He whimpered. Eden pointed at the ground in front of her, knees quaking. She wanted nothing more than to bolt back inside the house and grab her rifle. But she’d be damned if she could leave a puppy for mincemeat. “Come here.”
She glanced up at the wolf and fear fanned through her like a flash fire, molten and hot, and suddenly her legs wanted to give out underneath her. It was trotting closer. In slow, sloppy strides that had the oversized wolf tripping in the snow—nothing like the graceful creature that had attacked her in the forest.
Different one then
, her brain decided. This one was probably sick.
Shit. Did possibly hallucinated or mythical creatures get rabies? She checked the mouth, hysteria bubbling away in her chest. No froth. God. That wasn’t the only symptom of rabies, but she couldn’t think beyond that. The only thing she knew was that there’d be no running to the door now.
Predators liked prey. And running was a damn fine way to get herself killed. So was screaming. Eden scanned her surroundings, looking for anything that might be feasible as a weapon. Max’s house was less than ten feet to her right, and the one-inch thick metal chain might be handy. If she could pry it loose. Eden edged a step to the right.
Smuggler had dropped to a belly crawl, whining as the wolf made its final approach.
Please don’t kill him
, she begged silently, her hand finding the frozen metal. It felt rough against her palm, sharp shards of ice pricking at her fingertips as she ran her hand over the latch that connected the chain to the doghouse. The wolf seemed to shiver as it slowed, ears pricking forward as Smuggler came into range.
“Hey!” Eden called out, her voice faltering a little. She tried again, the word stronger this time. The wolf looked up at her. The animal’s sides heaved, and she could see the violent puffs of breath that rushed out between pearly teeth.
Smuggler leaned in as close as his trembling body could stretch without taking a step, then he started to wiggle and suddenly the pup was jumping up at the wolf. A surprising yap of delight bounced from him. Eden’s hand caught over the chain as the wolf startled backwards, tripping over its own feet. She jerked at the metal, feeling the latch catch. Frozen. She yanked harder just as Smuggler’s front feet landing against the wolf’s shoulder. The animal staggered and shuddered, its head whipping around.
“Hey!” she screamed, hoping to startle the wolf into not eating her puppy, when two things happened at once: The chain tore loose from the latch and the wolf...
changed
.
Eden swallowed back a cry as she stumbled backwards, dragging the chain through the snow. Fur faded into bare, pale skin and ripcord, lean muscles. His brown hair was tousled and for a moment he crouched there naked, as if unable to move, then his body gave a violent shake and he tilted his head up.
Bay
.
Her breath caught at the panic fleeting through those green eyes. “Don’t scream. Please.”
Eden’s hand tightened over the chain and she kept blinking, as if waiting for things to roll back in time. Men didn’t change into wolves or visa-versa. But wolves also weren’t the size of bears and
things
like that creature last night didn’t exist.
“I’m going nuts.”
Bay gave a hoarse laugh. “So am I.”
He braced a hand on one knee and Eden jerked her head up. The naked part finally registering over the
holy-hell-he-was-just-a-wolf
part. A blush crept up her cheeks. “We should probably get you inside and into some clothes.” Not that she had clothes that would fit him. “Or wrapped in a blanket.”
“That’d be nice.” He gave a pained grunt and she jerked her eyes back to him, only to see his legs trembling as he forced himself to a stand. Smug went to jump on him and Eden leapt, catching the pup neatly by the collar, but suddenly she was staring up at his chest, all those firm muscles, sleek with sweat.
She swallowed a little roughly. Heat seemed to pour off of him and she wanted to step closer and lean in. And wow, she was totally way too close. Eden pulled back, half dragging Smuggler around to her other side. Bay took a step, the muscles in his thighs bunching, and his breath hitched a little. He pressed a hand to his stomach.
“You don’t look so well.” Then realization dawned and her eyes widened, her brain still half torn between
naked-hottie
and
werewolf
. “Was that why you were sick that day?”
“Kind of.” Bay shook his head and took another step, all the while looking ready to drop, and Eden sidled up next to him.
“Arm around me,” she said and he complied. Instantly she felt the heated line of his body pressed against hers. His skin was hot to the touch, clammy, and steaming with fever. And still he felt incredible.
Together she helped him hobble to the house, fully aware of every press of his body against hers. She let Smuggler go and the pup circled them, but thankfully didn’t try and jump on Bay again. By the time they got to the stairs Bay seemed to be getting stronger. His skin no longer burned under her touch. She reached for the door when she saw the light in the living room on.
“Umm.” She glanced back at him, butt-ass-naked and felt her cheeks flush. “I kind of have company over. Friends.”
Her gaze landed on his dick and she felt her face go hotter. Bay leaned against the rail, wincing a little as his skin touched the snow. Eden nearly groaned. She hadn’t meant he had to stay outside. “No. You can still go in. I was just warning you.”
Eden reached for his arm to pull him inside and found his skin cool to the touch. Dry. Smooth. Her hand slid up his arm and she glanced up, his eyes snaring hers. “You look better,” she whispered, her heart picking up speed. Much better. His face didn’t have that sallow, exhausted look to it anymore either.
“I feel better. Though it’s a bit chilly out here now.” One corner of his lips hitched up in a smile.
She was an idiot. She started to pull her hand away and reach for the door again when he caught her wrist. Bay blew out a long, slow breath as his eyes closed, as if he was warring with something. When he looked at her again, something flickered in those green depths, but he didn’t say anything. Just let her go.