The Wolf You Feed Arc Read online

  Despite the ride, it was late when they entered Thermopolis. Dark shadows loomed along unfamiliar streets. A loud siren startled them and they hid in a doorway. A car sped past, followed by the police. Tore pulled Annike under his arm and held Nea’s hand.

  “It’s okay,” he kissed Annike’s hair. “I know somewhere safe, we can stay.” The noise of the city didn’t seem to bother him and the girls held onto him for comfort.

  They stopped outside a grand looking dwelling. “This is it,” Tore said.

  He left them in the shadows and jogged around to the back of the house. Nea trembled beside her friend. Strange sounds permeated the dark. Annike scented the air, “It’s okay. Just cats and dogs.”

  Tore reappeared and beckoned them. “Come on.” He held up a small key. “This way.” Behind the big house was a small cabin by a pool. Tore unlocked the door. “This belongs to a human I know from high school. We can stay the night. His folks are away for the weekend.” There was a light on at the main house. A man around Tore’s age waved. “That’s him. He’s called Andy, he’s cool.”

  “What did you tell him?” Annike asked

  “That we were going to Denver to a concert.”

  “A concert?”

  “It’s something humans like to watch. It’s fine, honest. Human kids do this sort of thing all the time and he’s gonna help us in the morning.”

  The cabin was small and neat, like the one they lived in at home. The room had a sofa and a couple of chairs with a bathroom leading off to the right. A door led to a small room with a twin bed against one wall and a dresser with a lamp on it.

  Tore grinned at the bed and winked at Annike. “You get the sofa,” he said to Nea.

  Embarrassed by his suggestion, Annike glared at him. Tore!

  He pulled her to him. What? We just ran away to be together and you think I’m gonna sleep on the couch? He raised an eyebrow and put his lips to hers. His hot mouth melted her resolve. Embarrassment disappeared as nerve endings tingled and her belly lurched in anticipation. When the kiss ended, his blue eyes were even more intense than before.

  C’mon Annike. Today we took the first steps into our new lives. We have left the clan to be together. So let us lie together, this night, and every other.

  ***

  Back at the clan, Erik strode moodily through the commune. Banging on David’s door, he scanned the communal areas one more time, hoping that any moment Tore would appear. David yanked open the door, tucking his shirt hastily into his pants.

  “What’s up Erik?”

  “Tore’s gone and he has taken Annike.”

  David grabbed his keys from a hook by the door. “How long?”

  Erik shook his head. “Who knows? I asked around. No one saw him at the Full Moon celebrations last night and he wasn’t around at breakfast.”

  They walked together to the parked cars. “I want that girl back, Isak gave her to me.”

  David nodded. “You check with her family? Her friends? She hangs out with that small dark haired girl; the really pretty one you said was Louisa’s cousin.”

  “Nea? No one has seen her either.”

  “What? You think he took both females with him?”

  Erik shrugged. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Taking a long drag he turned back to David. “Anything’s possible. Needless to say, Isak is not pleased. Get a group of your best trackers together and get out to Cody. Tore can’t have got that far, especially if he is dragging two females with him.

  4

  Annike woke naked, wrapped in Tore’s arms, breathing in his dark spicy musk. The morning sun had already climbed into the sky. He opened his eyes; his long lashes blinking at her. They sparkled a brilliant blue as he rubbed the sleep from them. A slow smile crept across his face and he pulled her in tighter. Kissing her forehead, he caressed her skin, trailing his fingers down to her waist. “Morning,” his voice was low and husky.

  “Good morning.” She snuggled into his warmth, relishing the feel of his skin on hers.

  “You look beautiful with your hair all mussed.” He ran his fingers through, messing it up some more, and sending shivers down her spine. Tore groaned. “I waited so long for this. Now that we’re mated, we’ll wake up every morning together.” He wrapped his strong arms around Annike and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe. “When we live as humans, people will call you my wife. I’ll give you my name and everyone will know you’re mine.”

  “Wife?”

  “Hmm.” He took hold of her left hand and lifted it to his lips. “Humans get married instead of mating. The man puts a plain gold band on this finger here.” Tore kissed her ring finger. “I’m not sure of the details, but they ask one another if they will love each other and stay together forever.”

  “That’s nice…do you love me, Tore? Will you stay with me forever?”

  “I do Annike and I will… do you love me? Will you be mine for the rest of our lives?”

  “I love you with all my heart and I want to be with you for eternity.”

  “I don’t have one of those rings but as soon as I can get one, it’s going on your finger.”

  “What about my name? Is it now Tore’s wife?”

  He brushed the hair from Annike’s cheeks and cupped her face. “No. You get my clan name. They will call you Mrs. Annike Vargr.”

  “That sounds nice,” she whispered.

  A purr slipped from her throat as Tore’s fingers wandered over her smooth skin, brushing the curve of her breast. “I like that sound even better, Mrs. Vargr.” He slid his leg between her thighs and leaned in for another kiss.

  “Tore, Annike!” Nea’s shouts broke their moment.

  Her voice sounded so flustered it bordered on panic. She pounded the door.

  I do not believe that girl! Tore leaped off the bed, pulling on his shorts in an attempt to cover his arousal. I’m already regretting bringing her, damn it.

  Annike giggled.

  Hurry up, Nea’s inner voice trembled. Something was wrong. Tore’s face turned serious.

  “Just a second, Nea, I’m coming.” He threw Annike her dress. You’d better put your clothes on, in case it’s the clan.

  She scrambled out of bed, yanking it over her head. “Could they have caught up with us so soon?” Tore pulled her to him. “Hey, don’t worry. Nea jumps at her own shadow. It’s probably nothing” He sighed and kissed her. “I so want to take you back to bed.” But there was no time for that. He grabbed her hand and opened the door.

  Nea stood behind the couch fiddling with the hem of her dress. She was staring across the room, pale and wide-eyed. As Annike and Tore appeared, her eyes darted to them then back to a young man standing by the door. The guy was smiling, his eyes amused by Nea’s reaction. When he saw Tore, he called out and walked over. They high-fived and he stuck his hand out to Annike. Tore winked at her and squeezed her shoulder. “This is Andy.”

  Annike’s heart pounded against her chest. It surprised her that the humans hand felt warm. His skin was no different from hers. From the tales at the clan, she’d expected them to be cold blooded. Managing a smile, she steadied her nerves. “Nice to meet you, I’m Annike.”

  Andy smiled back then waved at Nea. She nodded at him but didn’t move from behind the couch, her eyes still wide and terrified.

  Tore jumped to her rescue. “Thanks for letting us stay,”

  “No problem.” Andy winked at Tore and cocked his head towards Annike. They appeared to share a silent conversation. She wondered if humans used different thought frequencies to Lycans. She made a note to ask Tore how to tune into them, later.

  “Thought you might like some breakfast before we head out,” Andy said. “Just come over to the house when you’re ready.” He gave another friendly smile to the girls.

  “Cheers,” Tore said. “We’ll be over in a few minutes.”

  Andy went back to the house.

  “He seemed nice,” Annike said.

  Nea was still trembling behind the s
ofa, “D…d…do we have to go?”

  Tore went to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Yeah, we do. Look Nea you’re gonna have to get used to being around people. We’ll be living with them and you’ll have to blend in. If you’re gonna have a panic attack whenever one comes near you, then you should go back to the clan.”

  Nea mumbled an apology and disappeared into the bathroom. After she’d finished, Annike went to bathe and Tore snuck in behind her.

  What’s up with Nea? She looked like Andy was going to eat her? Tore looked bemused.

  I know it’s weird but you have to remember, she rarely left the commune. Your Dad discouraged us girls from mixing with humans.

  Tore furrowed his brow. Putting his arms around Annike, he kissed her. Both of you are going to have to get used to things being different. Out here, the human women are…

  Are what Tore?

  I dunno, braver. They do things by themselves. They have jobs and do what ever they want. I want you girls to be like that.

  Annike reached up and kissed him. She loved this man so much.

  Nea banged on the door again, “I’m hungry.” Now that her stomach had woken up, she didn’t seem to mind braving human contact. Either that or she was intent on keeping Tore and Annike apart.

  Human houses were different from those at the commune. The girls were more familiar with cabins like the one they’d just spent the night in. Small, just a couple of rooms with only basic furniture; except clan homes didn’t have inside plumbing. They only used them for sleeping and shelter. Most of the time they spent outdoors, or in the social areas like the communal kitchen.

  Annike gazed around Andy’s house. There was huge furniture everywhere and all sorts of unusual things displayed on every surface. Most of which she couldn’t see a use for.

  They sat at a table and Andy placed plates of food in front of them.

  It looks like what we have! Nea sounded surprised.

  Of course it is. What did you expect them to eat? Tore did nothing to hide the laughter in his voice.

  After breakfast, Tore gave Andy twenty dollars to drive them to Casper.

  Where did you get that? Annike was surprised. They didn’t use cash in the commune.

  Hunting. I sold pelts and game in Cody to earn some beer money.

  “Come on guys, let’s go.” Andy handed Tore a map. “Here, this might help you plan your route, it’s a bit large scale I’m afraid.”

  “That’s great, thanks.”

  Annike and Tore poured over it in the back seat while Nea sat biting her nails next to Andy in the front.

  Once we reach Casper, we’ll hitch along the highways, until we reach Nebraska. Tore spoke on their common frequency.

  Can Andy hear us? Annike asked.

  Tore shook his head. Humans only communicate through speech. He traced the route they were taking. With Andy driving us, we’ll clear the clan’s territory faster than I expected and without leaving a scent trail. This will throw them off for weeks, maybe longer.

  ***

  That night, they hunted outside of Casper and found a quiet area down by the river to rest. The girls were feeling more comfortable now. They were well versed with life out in the open. It was more natural for them to live this way. It was the big conurbations that made them nervous.

  Tore felt more relaxed too. This far outside the clan’s territory felt safer. But he still wanted to put more distance between them and his brother. Even if they had crossed the two hundred mile exclusion zone, he didn’t trust Erik to keep his promise.

  The next day, they began their journey to Cheyenne. It took them several days and they arrived exhausted. Tore decided they should stay awhile. He wanted to earn some money and get their strength back. They stayed in a disused barn for a couple of weeks. They found work on a farm where the humans were kind and gave them a meal each day as well as money for their labor. It was familiar work. They’d grown up looking after animals, tending clan crops, planting, and harvesting.

  In the evenings, they returned to the barn. Tore and Annike waited until Nea was asleep and snuck away to make love into the night. By the time they left Cheyenne, it was no surprise that Annike found herself pregnant.

  “I’m so sorry, Tore. I know it couldn’t be worse timing, we have no money and…”

  Tore took her in his arms. He wasn’t mad, he was proud. “Hey if it’s anyone’s fault it’s mine. We’ll manage somehow.”

  They talked into the night. Convinced it would be a boy, Tore said “I can smell the testosterone already.”

  Annike laughed, “That’s not possible, and you know it.” But she hoped he was right.

  The next day, Tore woke with a plan.

  “But why south?” Annike lay on the grass looking at the map. Tore’s finger stabbed at a spot he’d picked out in Arkansas.

  “Why not?” He slid his body over hers and kissed her. “Hot Springs has a similar ecology and landscape to Yellowstone. It’ll feel like home. Besides, Felix told me that when Liam left he went somewhere around there.”

  “What? Liam is in Arkansas? But won’t your Dad think you’ll head there?” Nea said.

  “Dad doesn’t know. Felix found out by accident. He ran into a human girlfriend of Liam’s in Cody. She’d heard from Liam a few years after he left. He sent her a postcard from somewhere in Arkansas. Felix told me, but I never mentioned it to Dad or my brothers. You know what Isak was like, we weren’t allowed to speak about him and so I kept it to myself. I’m not sure if Liam is still there, but I know he was a few years ago. When we get settled, I’ll try finding him.”

  They didn’t discuss it any further. Other cities never entered their heads. Hot Springs just became the plan.

  ***

  “What do you have Henrik?” David poured over the map of Omaha, trying to decide where Tore might be heading next. The fugitives had been steadily limping east, but he couldn’t imagine them continuing until they got to the coast.

  Henrik was breathing heavily, he’d run across town with the news for David. “One of the trackers picked up their scents.”

  David’s mouth fell open in disbelief, “Fresh?”

  Henrik nodded, “An hour or so old.”

  David tapped the map. “Show me where.”

  He couldn’t believe their luck. After seven months of crisscrossing back and forth across the states, following leads that ended up nowhere, he had honestly thought this one was no different.

  Henrik pointed out an area about a mile away. David looked closely. “You have to be kidding me?”

  Henrik shook his head.

  “Damn it. That’s a huge freight station and if they get on a train we’re stuffed. They could head out in any direction, including back the way we’ve come. How the hell am I gonna tell Erik about this?”

  When David and Henrik met up with the other trackers, they were walking up and down the lines, about two minutes out of the loading area.

  “Well?” David didn’t really need to ask, the expressions on their faces told it all. Tore had evaded them once more. “What nothing? You don’t know which way they headed?”

  They shook their heads. An older Lycan stepped forwards. “Their scent stops here. They boarded a train sometime in the last couple of hours. A lot of trains leave this place every hour David. It’s impossible to say which one they got onto. But we do know one thing; they’ll be traveling slower. Judging by the changes in scent we have been picking up, both females are pregnant.”

  David spun around and kicked out at a pile of trash. As plastic containers spun across the grass, he cursed. “Well this is gonna piss Erik off, no end.”

  ***

  As the months passed, traveling became more difficult for Nea and Annike. With their pregnancies inching closer to full term, the need to find somewhere to settle became a priority. In January they arrived in Hot Springs, Arkansas. They were a long way south now, and had to be careful. It wasn’t safe for them to be seen hunting as wolves in this area. The
girls were both tiring easily and traveling any further, was out of the question. Their options were running out.

  Although Hot Springs wasn’t the perfect location, the mountains provided a safe and secluded environment for the birth. After Tore scoped out the city further, he was happier with the location. The town was a thriving holiday resort, so there was plenty of casual labor.

  The national park itself was reminiscent of their home back in Yellowstone. The game was plentiful, even though it was winter. They ate well most days, even though they could have survived in their wolf forms for a couple of weeks without feeding. Despite them being safe, well fed, and comfortable, the closer the girls came to giving birth the more tense Tore became.

  What’s the problem, Tore?

  He pulled her close, rubbing his hand across his face. Just nervous about you giving birth.

  Why are you worried? It should be me being anxious not you.

  I dunno. When you first told me the news, nine months seemed a long way away, but now there are only three or four weeks left…Annike, what if something goes wrong? We don’t have a clan midwife to help.

  I know, Tore, but both Nea and I have been around plenty of births. All the older girls help out with them.

  They do?

  Yeah, course we do.

  So… what happens, I mean…he looked away blushing.

  What?

  Well, it’s gonna sound stupid but I never really knew. He looked away again.

  Come on, get it out. What do you want to know?

  He lowered his voice. When you give birth, do you…do you do it in your human or wolf form.

  Annike tried not to smile. Wolf, because the babies are born as pups, yeah?

  He blushed, Yeah, I thought they were…

  So, we usually go into our wolf form a few days before they are due and stay that way for a week or more after the birth.