Autumn's Blood: The Spirit Shifters, Book One (17 page)

She managed to catch her breath enough
to speak. “Where the hell are we going?” So far, they’d been
heading out of the city, and now only the occasional house broke up
the street. They’d either have to find a car and get onto the
freeway to get away from the city, or else head into the miles of
forests and State Parks which stretched out for thousands of miles
either side of the city.

The two men exchanged a
glance.

“I only know of one place where we
might be safe,” said Chogan.

Blake’s lips thinned to a line. “Oh,
no. I’m not going back there.”

“Where?” she asked, looking between
them.

“He’s talking about going back to the
reservation.”

“People there will be able to help
us,” Chogan insisted. “They’ll understand.”

“I’m not going back.”

Chogan grabbed Autumn’s arm. “Fine,
but I’m taking her with me.”

Autumn laughed in surprise, though her
reaction wasn’t due to humor. “Err, I don’t think so! I go where I
want, not where I get taken.”

Chogan let go and folded his arms. He
looked at her from beneath his dark brows. “Fine. Ask him if he’s
got any better plans. Both of you have your faces plastered all
over the news. If you stay in public, these people who are after
you will find you.”

“If you hadn’t gone near the
government building, they’d never have found us anyway,” she
snapped.

“Yeah? Don’t you think someone would
have reported you eventually, like that chambermaid?”

Autumn remembered the woman passing
them in the corridor, and then again when they’d been searching for
an escape. Chogan was right, and after all the commotion at the
hotel, they’d be more visible than ever. “Perhaps Chogan is right,”
she said.

Blake reared back as if she’d slapped
him. “What? You’re taking his side?”

“I didn’t realize we had sides here. I
thought we were all on the same team.”

Chogan offered her a smile, but she
didn’t miss the way his gaze darted, self-satisfied, over to Blake.
“Do you have any other ideas, Cuz?”

“We’ll head into the forest, but if
there’s any sign of anyone following us, we don’t go near the
reservation. I won’t bring these assholes into innocent peoples’
lives.”

Chogan’s face lit up. “So does that
mean we’ll shift?”

“
We’ll be faster as
wolves, and, of course, they’ll never be able to track
us.”

“But what about the girl?”

Autumn bristled at the
word
girl
.

Blake glanced over at her and she felt
his eyes travel across her body. Unconsciously, she found herself
standing taller, sucking in her stomach. “She’ll have to
ride.”

All the air exploded from her lungs.
“Ride? What do you mean, ‘ride?’”

“Exactly what I said. I’m plenty big
enough to carry you on my back when I’m in wolf form.” A smile
touched his lips. “I think I’m big enough to carry you when I’m a
man as well.”

A blush colored her
cheeks, a mixture of fear and excitement coursing through her. He
couldn’t be serious? She’d witnessed his extraordinary change.
Surely she couldn’t
ride
on him.

“I should take her,” interrupted
Chogan. “If she’s so important. I’m a lot faster than
you.”

Blake glared at him.
“You’re not taking her, even if you
are
faster. I’m the one who’s
stronger.”

“When you two have finished your
who’s-got-the-most-testosterone competition, I’ll tell you who is
going to take me. Blake, I’ve seen you as a wolf; I’ve known you
longer. I trust you.”

He bowed his head. “Thank
you.”

As they walked, the density of the
buildings began to thin. Ahead, the trees thickened, leaving the
city behind. There was a certain peacefulness about the forest now
night had fallen. Moonlight peeped between branches, casting eerie
shadows on the forest floor. Small animals rustled in the bushes
around them, an owl screeched overhead.

They reached a clearing. “Here?” said
Chogan.

Blake nodded. “Yes, this will do. He
looked over at Autumn. “Are you ready for this?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

She stepped back, giving the two men
space.

Giving each other a
modicum of privacy, the men turned their backs on each other.
Chogan pulled his shirt over her head and Autumn realized what was
about to happen.
Oh crap. They’re both
going to get naked.
Her heart rate picked
up, her eyes darting between them. Though the night was dark, there
was enough moonlight to catch the planes and curves of their
bodies. Enough light to be able to compare the two.

Chogan pulled the band from his long
hair, allowing the thick, shiny black locks to fall around his face
and down his back. His body was smaller than Blake’s, his skin a
shade darker and without the tattoos, but still with perfectly
formed abs, his waist narrowing in to a thick patch of dark hair
…

She forced her eyes away, down to the
ground, but she couldn’t help herself and found her gaze drifting
back up. She felt drawn to them, to both of them, and she couldn’t
not watch this extraordinary thing that was about to
happen.

Blake followed suit, tugging his
t-shirt up over his head. His tattoos were shadows in the darkness,
their sharp edges blurred, but he still looked
beautiful.

Chogan shed his shoes and jeans, so he
stood naked in the night air. He lowered his head, his back,
shoulders, and neck straining. The first crack of bone breaking was
like a muffled gunshot in the night, and nearby animals scurried
away in a burst of movement.

Blake threw the rest of his clothes
away. She saw him close his eyes, and then his head flung back and
he howled into the night.

She stepped back, frightened, her hand
clutched to her mouth. Was this really happening?

All over Chogan’s body, fur began to
appear, a different shade than Blake’s, though the exact color was
difficult to distinguish in the poor light. His limbs jerked in
uncomfortable angles, one way and then the other, though the man
made no sound.

In contrast, Blake voiced his anguish,
roaring and snarling like an animal being attacked. The shapes of
both men began to change, their limbs lengthening and growing
thicker, their backs stretching. Their shoulders became more
prominent, necks extending. But of course it was their faces which
changed the most. Where one moment she’d been standing beside two
men, both beautiful in their own way, with so many similarities,
now two amber-eyed wolves stared back at her.

Blake gave himself a shake, his silver
fur rippling around his body. He trotted up to Chogan and the two
animals touched noses.

Autumn watched, her breath caught in
her chest. Both animals were massive, though Blake was bigger than
Chogan by at least six inches all over.

Blake trotted over to where Autumn
stood trembling. Slowly, he lowered his body to the ground and lay
down. He tossed his head toward his back, and she understood what
he wanted.

She forced her legs to move and
approached the wolf. In the background, Chogan stood, his head held
high, ears pricked, alert for any sounds or movement around
them.

She stood close enough to smell the
musky scent of wolf, to feel the heat of his breath against her
skin. She reached out and gingerly touched his fur. He was real.
This was real.

“Are you sure you want me to do
this?”

As an answer, he swung his massive
head back around and nosed her in the butt, almost lifting her off
her feet. She gave a squeal of surprise, not sure whether to laugh
or scream. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she leaned up
against his shoulders and leaned across to wrap one arm around his
neck. He nosed her again, pushing her up, and she swung one leg
over his back, her arms around his neck, her thighs locked behind
his huge shoulders. She lay flat, her face pressed against the
thick, coarse fur, digging her fingers in, like sinking her hand
into warm sand. Where she’d previously been cold and wishing they’d
allowed her to pick up her thick overcoat before being hustled from
the government building, she no longer felt the chill. Heat
radiating from the powerful animal’s body warmed her.

Blake got to his feet and she clung on
tighter, remembering a few horse riding lessons she’d taken as a
child and using her thighs to stop herself from sliding from his
back. He leapt forward and took off at a run. She gasped as she
seemed to leave her stomach behind her, holding on to his neck for
all she was worth, hoping she wasn’t hurting him. By scooting
herself farther forward on his back, she found she could nestle
between his shoulder blades, so reducing her chances of
falling.

They ran far and fast, the wind
tearing through her hair so it streamed in whipped curls down her
back. Blake’s fur rippled in the wind. Somewhere up ahead, Chogan
led the way, covering mile after mile of forest terrain, leaping
over small streams, from boulder to boulder, soaring over fallen
tree trunks.

Though she could feel Blake’s wolf
body heaving beneath her as his lungs labored for breath, there
seemed to be no slowing to his stride, as though his speed and
strength were endless. On occasion, Chogan slowed and gave a small
yip or growl, and then they’d change direction a fraction,
something Autumn came to realize was them sensing humans or some
other potential threat up ahead.

Though she never would have thought it
possible, after a couple of hours, the warmth and galloping motion
of the powerful body beneath her lulled her to sleep.

Chapter
Fifteen

MIA WALKED TO the apartment window,
pulled back the drape, and peered onto the street below. Night had
long since fallen and a light drizzle fell, misting beneath the
orange glow of a street lamp. She knew she needed to leave the
safety of the apartment and go to the police station to report what
had happened in Thatcher Woods, but she couldn’t quite bring
herself to walk out. She’d been hoping Autumn would come home so
she’d be able to run the incident past her and get her thoughts on
it, but so far that evening she’d seen no sign of her
friend.

It wasn’t like Autumn to get home late
and not let her know. She knew she wasn’t Autumn’s mother, but the
other woman normally called or texted if she was going to be home
late.

She’s probably gone out
with the cute guy from work.

But her internal reassurances didn’t
ring true. Autumn didn’t exactly go on many dates, and if something
like a guy asking her out had happened, Autumn would have texted
her at the very least.

Mia chewed on her lower lip and peered
out at the street again. Someone stood on the sidewalk, a figure
looking up at her window.

She frowned, an uncomfortable crawling
sensation creeping over her shoulders. A car swept past, blocking
her view of the other side of the sidewalk for a moment. When the
vehicle passed by, the person had gone.

The events of earlier that day had
left her understandably paranoid. She shook her head at herself.
She felt like an old clucky hen sometimes, worrying about other
people. Sometimes she felt like she’d completely bypassed her
twenties and gone straight into middle age.

That’s what happens when
you center your whole life on worrying about other
people.

The buzzer sounded, making Mia
jump.

Autumn! She must have forgotten her
key.

She pressed the buzzer, unlocking the
main front door. “Hey,” she spoke into the little intercom. “I was
starting to get worried about you.”

No answer came and that same chill
worried down her spine. Damn, she should have at least asked who
was there. Not just assumed.

Stupid, stupid,
stupid!

A gentle tap came at the front door
and Mia froze, her heart thumping. Where was her phone? She patted
herself down and located the item in the back pocket of her jeans.
She would call the cops if needed.

Quietly, she made her way to the door,
as if she might somehow still be able to pretend she wasn’t in,
despite having already spoken through the intercom. It was locked,
thank goodness, so at least she didn’t need to worry about someone
bursting in. She stood on tiptoes and peered through the small
circle of the peephole. The distorted figure of a man in a smart
suit stood sideways to the door. He had a strong, handsome profile,
with short blond hair and square jaw. At least he didn’t look like
a serial killer.

“Hello?” she called though the painted
wood. “Can I help you?”

“Miss Henderson?”

“Yes, who are you?”

The man fished something out of the
top pocket of his suit jacket and held it up to his side of the
peephole, just close enough so she was able to make out the
identification. “My name is Calvin Thorn. I’m with a team of
government officials involved with trying to locate your roommate,
Doctor Autumn Anderson. I wondered if I could have a few moments of
your time?”