Wild Things (BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance): Shifter Lovers Romance (13 page)

He
pulled her into his arms. “I have the sense even if I tried to leave you, you’d
find a way to follow me.”

She
stood on tiptoe, kissing him. “And I would. You are stuck with me, Gabriel. For
all times.”

“For
all times? Then we should begin what happens next. They will send more men, and
the aliens are always a danger.”

He
took her by the hand, leading her into the small building. From there, they
went deeper into the buildings, into what were clearly homes. He was silent,
and she followed, letting him move through each space. In one room, he opened a
door, revealing clothes.

“Find
something. I think your silks have reached the end of their usefulness.”

She
took another woman’s clothes, took the most utilitarian items she could find:
cloth leggings, leather vest, long white shirt. Leather belt, head-scarf. The
fabric was coarse, but soft. And clean. She turned to Gabriel.

“Would
it be too much to ask for a bath?”

He
grinned. “If it can be quick. There is still water in the cask outside. Your
wounds need dressing.”

In
a few minutes, she had a basin of water, a bar of soap, a wash rag and a towel.
And in a glorious few minutes’ use of soap and a washrag, she felt clean,
refreshed. Gabriel appeared while she was half-dressed with a leather bag and a
tin of ointment.

“Here…let
me.”

She
sat and he began dabbing a pungent smelling orange goo on her wounds. It made
her wrinkle her nose. “What is that?”

“Calendula
and plantago, and other things.” With gentle fingers, he smoothed the stuff
onto her cuts and scratches, rubbed it gently over her shoulder. “It helps
heal, helps with the pain.” He put the cover back on, dropped it into the bag.

“Finish
dressing, take some extra clothes. I’ll gather what I can for food and water.”

“What
about you? Your wounds?” She reached for the tin, but he was already moving
away.

“I’ll
heal quickly. It’s part of being a shifter. One of the benefits. We heal much
faster than humans.” He gave her a smile. “Don’t worry about me.”

She
finished dressing, pulling on the unfamiliar clothes, wondering what woman wore
these. She rummaged through the closet, taking out more clothes, adding them to
the leather bag. She thought about all the silks and dresses she’d left behind.
None of that mattered. She had Gabriel. That was enough.

Gabriel
lead her through a complex maze of buildings, paths, and ledges, up ladders,
until they’d emerged on top of the cliffs. They were in a stand of scrubby
brush, strange grasses rising around them. She thought she heard the sound of
trickling water. She was lost, disoriented.

“Where
are we?”

Gabriel
led her to the edge of the cliff, pointed. Looking down, she saw nothing but
the bottom of the canyon, the wide circular area.

“You
were there.” He pointed to the side. “And then up there.”

“I
can’t see anything.”

“As
it should be. We were always well hidden. Something—or someone—spent a long
time looking for this place. This is the spring that channels into the village.
It’s brackish here, but as it goes through the rocks it becomes drinkable, very
sweet.”

“Like
magic.”

“Desert
magic, yes.”

Something
rustled behind her. She spun around, raising the small dagger Gabriel had given
her. But he put out his hand.

“Don’t.
You’ll kill our transportation.”

“What…”
But as she watched a shaggy head rose from the grass, followed by a big body on
long legs.

“It’s
a camel. How on earth?”

“They
feed here. They’re able to drink the water.” He moved away, walking slowly
toward the animal. It eyed Gabriel, but didn’t do more than grunt. She saw it
wore a colorful braided halter. Gabriel said something in a language she didn’t
understand, reached out, grabbed the halter. From his pocket, he pulled out
something, held out his palm. The camel sniffed it, then ate whatever he’d
offered.

“Sweets.
We ate them as children, then learned the camels love them, too. Come here.” He
held out his hand. She saw he had a small yellow square in his hand. “Feed him
one, and he’ll follow you anywhere.”

She
took the small cube, then held out her hand as Gabriel had. The camel came
forward eagerly, a little too eagerly, almost knocking her down. It sniffed,
then with its thick rubbery lips took the treat. It snorted, nosed her hand,
then extended its neck, sniffing her rather aggressively. Gabriel laughed, pulling
on the halter. The camel snorted once more but stopped sniffing her.

“Come.
We should go. I want to be away from here as quickly as possible. There is
another spring not far off. It’s almost dark, we can rest then. It’s cooler, and
it might be harder for them to track us.”

She
didn’t ask
who
would be tracking them. It was easier not to think about
being trailed through the desert by the Ottway’s men or aliens. Or maybe even
her father’s men.

“Then
we should leave.”

“This
isn’t the best…we should have a saddle. They are all gone. When they left, they
must have taken them.”

“Then
we just make do, yes?”

“Yes.”
He turned to her suddenly. “Senna. I love you. I will always love you, with
everything I have, with every part of me.”

He
reached out, pulled her into his arms. His lips found hers, the passion of the
kiss echoing his words. When he let her go she was breathless, and more than a
little dizzy.

“I
love you too, Gabriel. With everything I have, with every part of me.”

He
got the camel to lower itself to the ground, its legs folded beneath its body.
She climbed on top with no little effort. Gabriel handed up the leather bags,
and she slung the straps over her shoulders. Gabriel pulled himself up, seating
himself in front of her. In words she didn’t understand, he got the camel to
rise, rocking back and forth, all in all, a rather violent event.

“How
do you know where they went?”

Gabriel
made a sound, and the camel began walking. “I don’t know, for certain. I know
where I would have gone, if I were here. I can only try to find them, by
thinking like them.”

Senna
wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but there was no one else she trusted more
than Gabriel. This had been his land, his people. She wrapped her arms around
him, rather awkwardly, the back of the camel nowhere near as comfortable as her
carriage had been.

Then
he turned the animal, the last rays of the setting sun on their shoulders,
heading into the desert. Heading into the unknown.

“Senna,
wake up.”

She
opened her eyes, and for a moment the world tilted sideways. Instinctively, she
tightened her grip around Gabriel.

“Where
are we?”

The
sky above her was dark pearl gray, the color of early dawn a sharp slash of
pink in the east. But around them, the air was still dark, cold and still. The
last thing she remembered seeing were stars, pinpricks of brilliant light in
the blackest of skies. Then...she the oddly soothing gait of the camel must
have put her to sleep, despite the chill in the night air. That, or the sheer
exhaustion that she felt in every cell of her body.

“I
think we’re only a short distance from some kind of camp. I can’t tell from
here who or what it is.”

She
stiffened. “Aliens?”

“No.
They live underground, in strange burrows. They’re human. But which humans, I
have no idea.”

“Then
how...”

There
was a sudden noise near them, and the camel jerked to the side, breathing out a
loud snort. Senna grabbed at Gabriel, but she lost her hold, and made a graceless
fall to the sand. She landed on her backside with a loud groan. Something large
landed in the sand beside her, and she rolled out of the way of one of the
camel’s feet as it ran past.

“Senna!”

Blinking
dirt out of her eyes, she could just see the outline of the camel a short
distance away, a dark shadow that blotted out the sky in a camel-shaped form.
There was more snorting and Gabriel’s swearing. She struggled in the soft sand,
finally getting to her feet.

“Gabriel.
Here.”

She’d
no more gotten the words out than she was pushed back to the ground. Landing
face first, she had sand in her mouth, in her nose. What she thought was a foot,
came down on her back, holding her in place. Spitting sand, she tried to push
herself up. But the foot or whatever it was held her down.

“Who
are you? And what are you doing here?” The voice was male, muffled by
something. Definitely not an alien. But were they from the Ottway’s camp? Or
had her father already sent a search party? If she didn’t answer, maybe she
wouldn’t give away her identity.

Something
sharp poked her between her shoulder blades. “I said, who are you? I have no
patience with not getting answers to my question.”

From
nearby, she heard Gabriel, his swearing louder now. There was another voice,
another man, and she tried to see into the dark, to see if he was on the
ground, if someone had a weapon on him as well.

“She’s
with me. Let her up. She is...with me.”

Gabriel
sounded breathless, and there were the sounds of running footsteps. Then the
foot and the sharp thing were taken away from her back. Someone grabbed her
arm, pulling her to her feet.

“Gabriel?”

“It’s
alright, Senna.” Gabriel’s voice was close by. A moment later there was a soft
metallic sound and she was standing in a circle of pale yellow light. The man
holding the lantern looked at her with dark eyes. They were all dressed in long
white robes, faces covered to the eyes, heads wrapped in scarves. One man
stepped forward, a huge man, tall and broad-shouldered. She thought he was the
man who’d had his foot on her back. He reached up, pulling the scarf away from
his face.

“Gabriel!”
The man’s face broke into a huge smile. Gabriel breathed out a sound between a
laugh and a sigh, and then she found herself engulfed as the man swept her and
Gabriel into a hug.

“It
has been a long, long time Gabriel. Too long.”

Gabriel’s
words were muffled against the big man’s chest. And she was having a hard time
breathing. Finally, the man released them, and she staggered back, taking a
deep breath, slipping in the sand. Gabriel caught her arm, pulling her into
another hug.

“Senna,
this is Talok. He is my...what? Uncle, even though we are not family. Our
fathers were best friends.”

“That
is close enough to family for me. And this woman...she is your wife?”

Senna
felt her face grow flushed, and she was glad for the dim light. But Gabriel
smiled, pulling her even closer. “If she will have me, I would make her my
wife.”

Her
heart stopped beating for a second, then began pounding so loud she was sure
everyone could hear it. But then Gabriel let her go, putting his hand on the
Talok’s arm.

“But
we have brought trouble with us. It’s a long story, but we are being followed,
by both aliens and others. We need to find a place to hide. And we cannot bring
that trouble to you.”

“Nonsense.
You will come with us. We are in the ravine ahead. We have guards...we can
protect ourselves. And you two as well.”

“How
is that possible. There is no place here for a village...”

They’d
turned toward in the direction Talok pointed. The light was stronger now, and
she could see the ragged mountains in the distance. Between those mountains and
where they stood was an area covered in big rocks, cut by ravines.

“We
are not a village anymore.” Talok’s voice lost any sound of happiness, the set
of his shoulders dropping. “You were riding one of the camels from the village.
You know that we had to leave quickly. We were attacked by the aliens, riding
with shifters. We climbed out the old secret passage to the springs. But many
were killed on our run across the desert. Those of us that are left have become
nomadic.”

“Are
you still being attacked?”

Talok
shook his head. “The attacks have become fewer, less intense. Only the aliens.
They’re either losing interest, or they have what they wanted.”

Senna
was confused. “But what could they have wanted in the canyon?”

Gabriel
stopped, his hand on the older man’s arm. “It was not what was in the canyon.
It was the canyon itself.”

“Why
in the name of all that’s holy, why would aliens or anyone but us want the
canyon?” Talok frowned, hands on hips.

 Senna
stared between Gabriel and Talok, her confusion mounting. And then it was clear
to her, as clear as the sky overhead. “They are storing fuel in the canyon.”

Talok
turned to her. “Aliens? Or the shifters?”

“It
might have been a storage depot for either or both.” Gabriel grabbed Talok by
the arm. “Listen. We have to move quickly. Senna was on the Ottway’s train, to
become his wife. It was all a ploy, though, to cover the Ottway giving fuel to
the aliens.

“It
was a political move, to marry me to a horrible man, to bring the two kingdoms
together.”

Talok
turned to look down at Senna. “But...then how did you...” He turned back to
Gabriel. “And you stole her from the Ottway? Man, are you insane?”

With
impatience, Gabriel shook his head. “She was to be left as a hostage, or
diversion. Or both. I don’t know that...we don’t know that. But...” Gabriel
reached out for Senna’s hand. “I love her. I’d have followed her to the ends of
this world to get her back. It wasn’t until the train stopped and the aliens
attacked...”

“They
uncoupled the car I was in. They were going to leave me.”

Both
men turned to look at her. For a moment, she expected to be dismissed, as she
had been by so many other men. But Gabriel pulled her closer, and Talok shook
his head.

“To
do that is unthinkable. To leave a man behind, at least he would have a
fighting chance. But to leave a woman...”

Before
he was finished, Gabriel began to laugh. “Talok, if you had seen her fight, you
would know she is just as brave as we are, as any man. She may be a woman, but
that is not a weakness.”

Talok
threw his head back, roaring laughter to the sky. “Gabriel, you have found a
woman who is your equal. It is a wise man who values strength. Come, it is
getting light...too light to be out here.”

Putting
two fingers to his lips, Talok whistled. It sounded like a night bird, like the
birds who sang at dawn at the palace. One of the men brought the camel, another
carried a long spear. Then, out of the shadows, several wolves appeared,
slinking quietly toward them. For a moment, Senna’s heart thudded in a horrible
way, and she clung to Gabriel. But he patted her arm.

“They’re
my clan. Don’t be afraid.”

“Ride
or walk, Princess?”

A
man came forward, holding the reins of the camel. She looked up at the beast,
then rubbed her backside. “I’ll walk, thank you.”

They
started toward the ravine at a run, and after a few minutes, Senna almost
wished she’d accepted the uncomfortable camel. Her breath came in ragged gasps
and a pain formed under her ribs, a knife stabbing her with each breath.

One
of the wolves ran ahead and disappeared. The man leading the camel followed,
and for all the world it looked like they were swallowed up by the earth. But
when they got closer she saw there were steps, cut into the rock, leading down
into the depths of a ravine.

“Careful...”

Her
boot slipped on the first step, and she grabbed for Gabriel.

“Are
you alright?”

“Yes.
Keep going.”

She
braced her hand on the slick rock wall to her left, watching every place she
put her feet. The stairs seemed eternal, and they descended from pearly dawn
back into night, gray shadows covering the steps, and then almost total
darkness. Someone ahead opened a lantern, and she watched the circle of light
descending further.

Finally,
they came to the end of the steps. There
were more lights, and she could see tents pitched in a rough circle.

“Where’s
the camel?” It had been lead down ahead of her, but it wasn’t in sight.

Talok
pointed back up the cliff. “There’s a wider ledge where we stable them. Not
ideal, but they refuse to climb stairs. Ornery beasts.”

Her
breathing was still ragged, the pain in her side still there but lessening. But
at least she could take a deep breath.

“Eat
and rest.” Talok was guiding them toward a tent. “And we will make a plan.”

The
inside of the tent was a cool, fragrant paradise. It smelled like incense and
spices and clean linen. For a moment, all she wanted to do was sink down on one
of the cots and sleep. But a woman was coming toward her, holding out her hand.

“Come,
lady. Let’s find you some clean clothes. And a bath.”

Gabriel
was beside her, and she turned to look up at him. “Go. We have time. There are
guards posted and if anyone...” She nodded, and then he turned and walked away
with Talok. Senna didn’t want to think about who, or what, those were out
there. No matter who they were, they were after her, and now Gabriel. Because
they were here, now Talok’s village was in danger. For a moment, she thought it
might be better for everyone if she just climbed back up the stairs and let the
desert take her.

But
the woman had her arm now, leading her toward the back of the tent. “Here.
There are clean clothes, and a basin of water, and towels. I’m afraid the soap
might not be what you’re used to...”

Tears
welled up in Senna’s eyes. She turned to the woman, overwhelmed with gratitude.
“Whatever you offer me is more than enough. I have brought danger here...”

The
woman shook her head. “You are with Gabriel, and that makes you one of us. What
we have, is yours.” She bowed her long braid trailing on the floor, then unhook
a tieback, letting a curtain fall across the tent, giving a semblance of
privacy. For a minute, Senna thought of Anacelia, and couldn’t hold back her
tears. She missed Anacelia more than she missed her father. It was a sad thought,
and she pushed it aside.

The
basin was deep and the water warm. Senna pulled off the clothes she’d taken
from the cliffs, folding them carefully. They were dirty, but they were still
serviceable. And frankly, she and they smelled of camel and sweat. It was
disgusting, and she grabbed the soap and a cloth. The smell of the soap was
pungent, but she didn’t care. It took away layers of grime and stench, leaving
her cleaner than she’d felt in days.

She
wanted to wash her hair, but there wasn’t enough water or time. So she dressed
again in another woman’s clothes. This time, it was a simple dress, long,
belted at the waist with a worn, but clean white linen shift to go underneath.
The simple fabric against her skin felt more luxurious than any of the silks or
satins she’d left in trunks on the Ottway’s train. A ripple of laughter ran
through her: for all his trouble, the only thing the Ottway had were trunks of
women’s clothing. No wife, no agreement with her father. Just silks and satins
and yards of useless fabric.

When
she was done, she pushed aside the curtain. The woman was sitting on a low
stool, and she rose. “You look a hundred times better. Refreshed.”

“I
smell a hundred times better, I’m sure.” She smiled at the woman. “Riding a
camel is a smelly adventure.”

The
woman laughed, then pointed to the stool. “Sit. We have food and wine. And then
you can rest until the men return.”