Bite This! (8 page)

T
he cool air
outside made Darcy’s skin tingle. Gratefully she sank into her wolf.

The world receded visually as her other senses opened up.

The scents of hydrangea, sex, the blood of her mate, food, and the pup’s fear slammed into her consciousness at once.

Chirping crickets and the beating of her own heart filled her ears, as loud as a marching band.

Darcy shook herself until her skin rolled loosely over her muscles, and she could boil down the sensory overload to the scents and sounds she needed.

Then she took off after the thin yellow trail of the pup’s fear.

It felt good to run, her muscles sang with the joy of bunching and stretching. Gone was the ache of her dislocated shoulder. The sensation was so pleasurable she had to remind herself to stay focused on her pup.

My pup, my mate.

It all felt so simple when she was in wolf form with none of the delicate layers of human complication.

Good luck with that when she shifted back again.

The pup’s trail was easy to follow. He’d run like hell for a while, then circled back.

The little one had been frightened, but he wasn’t like a human child running into the woods. Wolf pups were strong and brave and the woods were home to them as much as any house. Darcy was secretly proud that he had hidden himself in the trees and not come slinking back to her. If there had been real danger he would have protected himself from it just as a wolf pup should do.

Darcy enjoyed the chase, the earthy smell of the soil that was released as her paws struck the natural debris of the forest floor.

She could sense tiny insects scurrying out of her way. An owl hooted angrily as she thundered past. She could hear the full song of the forest in her wolf form.

Really letting out all her speed, she sailed over the fallen logs and saplings in her path. She could tell the pup had gone around the obstacles in a few places but he had been traveling quickly for one his size. Another pang of pride shot through her.

The scent grew stronger, so she slowed to a trot, not wanting to frighten him as she approached.

His scent blossomed in a lush thicket.

She lowered her muzzle to snuffle softly to him. He would have heard her approaching by now but he might not be sure it was her.

When he didn’t bolt out, she nosed her way in.

He had flattened himself to the ground, ears down, tail between his back legs.

She came close, nuzzled him, and examined his little body for injuries.

There were none. Good boy.

He calmed and she nudged him harder on his little chest.

He rolled onto his back and she licked his belly with her scratchy tongue.

He scampered onto his feet, ears up, tail droopy but no longer curled under.

Good.

Darcy flopped herself down and paid him no mind, allowing him to accept her presence on his own terms. The cool grass felt amazing on her glossy pelt.

The pup crawled right up to her and curled himself into the curve between her front and back paws, resting his head on her haunches.

Visceral pleasure soaked down to her bones instantly. The immediate rightness of feeling the pup pressed to her side, in the circle of her protection, was almost startling.

My pup.

She lowered her muzzle to the grass, one ear swiveled out in case of danger, the other listening to the peaceful beat of the little one’s heart.

She drifted to sleep, content in the knowledge that she would joyfully murder a village to protect this pup.

D
arcy awoke
to the sounds of the woods in the morning.

Birds sang, ants crawled through the grasses, and the pup curled up at her belly stretched himself, unfurling his small pink tongue in a satisfying yawn.

Unceremoniously he hopped to his feet, shook himself soundly and began briskly licking Darcy’s face and ears.

He was hungry. Also happy to see her, but licking mama’s muzzle was a sure sign of hunger.

She hopped to her feet and nudged him toward the opening of the thicket.

He scampered out into the dappled light of the forest and she followed him.

He waited for her on splayed paws, rear slightly elevated.

Oh, so he wanted to play, did he?

Darcy took off like a bat out of hell, dashing through the trees with exaggerated leaps. She was not actually going as fast as she could, of course. Wolf pups had to be encouraged, and the best encouragement was
catching
something.

When they had almost reached the arbor back at the cabin, she slowed enough that he was able to tackle her.

Darcy flung herself onto her back in mock defeat.

Luke scampered around her happily, his tail buffeting the air, tongue lolling out of his mouth. He leapt onto her belly and playfully grabbed one of her ears in his mouth and tugged.

She nudged him and he fell over and she grabbed his little scruff gently.

She was still boss.

He smiled up at her, ears down.

Good boy.

Darcy raised her muzzle and closed her eyes for one last taste of the trees.

She’d intended to spend her 300th moon as a wolf, in order not to lose her wolf forever.

But the boy needed her help and so did Finn. And that meant handling human business.

So maybe this would be her last moment as a wolf, happy in nature.

The breeze caught her fur and she pulled awareness from every part of herself: the cool ground beneath her paws, the sound of birds from miles away, the scent of trees and stream, and her pup.

Then she opened her eyes and rose up into her human form.

Looking down, she offered Luke her hand.

Would he shift again?

He cocked his head, and then closed his little eyes.

A moment later, Luke the boy was standing beside her.

He took her hand and they walked back to the cabin.

“You did such a good job, Luke. You are one fantastic wolf,” she praised him. “Finn’s not here anymore and I’m going to explain about what you saw. But I want you to know that you’re safe. Do you understand? I will always keep you safe.”

He gazed up at her with solemn eyes and nodded, squeezing her hand in both of his.

Good enough.

They entered the cabin in silence. She started the shower for him and gave him more clothes to put on.

Finn was gone. She had known he would be. She just hadn’t thought how empty it would make her feel.

But there was no time for sadness. She had a pup to protect and a mate to save.

Between the shadow demon, Draven, and his cronies at the casino, Finn had made a lot of enemies on Darcy’s account.

Now she was going to take them down, one by one.

If it was the last thing her wolf did.

F
inn studied
himself in the fogging mirror as he got ready for a much-needed shower. He’d spent the whole day sweating on a plastic chair in the overheated emergency room.

He’d told the hospital he was bitten by an animal while training for his act.

Fortunately, he was up on all of his shots. He just hoped the kid was, too.

The hospital staff seemed skeptical at first, but the casino had excellent benefits, so he got past the desk.

And once he took off his shirt in the exam room and did a bit of sleight of hand for the nurses they were cooing over him like mad.

He’d spent a lifetime being fussed over by his gaggle of sweet sisters, and then the legion of women he’d so casually disrespected once he left home.

Leave it to Finn to fall hard for the one woman who was always too busy walking away to spare him half a glance.

He examined the wound in the mirror.

He’d had worse.

And chicks dug scars.

Besides which, it would heal up nicely. The doctor had even praised Darcy’s stitch job. She’d said Darcy had obviously done it before.

Finn was freshly amazed and humbled at the awesomeness of the woman he could not pin down.

There was something special about her, something magical about their connection. He had to find a way to be worthy of her.

Help her
, a voice inside him said.

But how, when I don’t even know where she is?

He grabbed his phone off the counter.

Darcy had been pretty clear about the fact that she wanted him to stay away. And it was for Luke’s sake, too. The boy was obviously really afraid of him now. How could he help? Should he call?

His musings were cut short when the phone started ringing in his hand.

U
nknown Caller

F
inn picked up immediately
.

“Finn, here,” he answered.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Butler.”

The icy sweet voice of the woman on the other end was all the identification he needed.

The woman in pink - Miss Sharp.

“What do you want?” he asked carefully.

“I have a proposition for you,” she said, her saccharine tone raising caution flags.

“Not interested,” he cut her off.

“I think once you hear what I have to say, you’ll be very interested, Mr. Butler,” she chirped ominously.

D
arcy ran
a hand through her hair, trying to find the words to thank Mr. MacGregor for bailing her out.

Again.

This leaning on people thing was becoming a habit. And Darcy didn’t like to rely on anyone outside her family for help.

She looked over from the passenger seat, but he was concentrating on the road in front of them.

Luke sat in the back, looking out the window with interest. He seemed to be doing well, although the warning shout had been the last word he’d uttered.

He was currently surrounded by books - it looked like a library had exploded back there. Darcy figured that her old History teacher must toss books back there when he’d read them, the way some guys tossed old coffee cups in the backseat.

She hoped he didn’t actually read them while driving.

“Thanks,” she said softly.

“That’s what being in a pack is all about, Darcy,” he replied. “Always knowing that someone has your back.”

Mac was deliberately not using an
I-told-you-so
tone, but Darcy recognized his words.

She knew she was officially a member of the Tarker’s Hollow pack. But she had her own pack: her foster family. And they weren’t all wolves. She didn’t really want to be part of any club where her siblings weren’t welcome.

“You know I like to work alone,” she said noncommittally.

“Well, I’ve got to be honest with you, Darcy. This may be too much for you to handle on your own, and I don’t say that lightly,” Mac explained. “I did some digging after the…
scene
at the diner. These guys are bad news. They’ve crossed the federation before, trying to recruit shifters for some special project. The federation has forbidden members from having anything to do with them. We thought that put an end to them, but it looks like they just went underground.”

“Who else knows?” Darcy asked.

“Right now, no one,” he told her. “I was waiting to hear from you.”

“Let’s keep it that way,” she suggested.

“We really should take this to Ainsley.”

“She and Erik have their hands full. I’ve got this.” She couldn’t drag the pack leadership into this, they had enough - too much - to deal with already.

“Darcy…” MacGregor groaned.

“Look. I won’t do anything crazy. And if I get into any trouble, I’ll call for backup,” she added quickly.

Mac pressed his lips together and kept his eyes on the road. Darcy didn’t need her wolf senses to know he was unhappy.

“I promise,” she assured him.

He kept driving and didn’t argue.

Darcy owed Mac a lot. He’d always stuck up for her. He was the one who had intervened with Michael Connor, the old alpha, to have her accepted into the pack right after high school.

As much as Darcy enjoyed her independence, there was something undeniably appealing about being a part of something greater. Maybe that was just in her nature as a wolf.

Memory transported her suddenly back to the thicket, curled up with Luke, the scents of the forest wrapped around them both.

Luke was a wolf too. Who did he have?

As a wolf the answer had been simple last night: he had Darcy, he was hers.

Now that she was back in human form, she had to face the hard facts. Although she might feel a connection to the boy - no, fuck that, it wasn’t just a connection, she felt
maternal
- whatever she felt, it was just her own emotions. The truth was that he hadn’t actually appeared out of thin air to become her son. He had a family, a family who probably adored and missed him on a level Darcy couldn’t imagine. And if she loved him, really loved him, the best thing she could do was help him find his way back to them.

Besides, she was single, worked around the clock, and drove a motorcycle. She was the last person who should ever be thinking about being a mother.

So why did her heart beg her to empty her savings account - buy a house, a mini-van, and a puppy, even if it was only until they could find his parents?

She glanced back at him.

He met her gaze worriedly.

Oh god, was he reading her emotions?

She deliberately slowed her heart rate and smiled gently at him.

He smiled too and leaned his head back against the seat.

She turned back to MacGregor, determined not to upset the boy.

“Is he a… relation?” Mac asked carefully.

Darcy explained quietly about finding him at the casino. She gave Mac the true version that included busting Luke out of the casino.

When she explained Finn’s magic, Mac’s handsome mouth went thin again and his grip on the steering wheel turned his knuckles white.

“Magicians can’t be trusted, Darcy,” he said.

“Better not let Ainsley hear you say that.”

“It’s not the same thing,” he argued. “I’m talking about someone who makes their living tricking people.”

“Finn can be trusted,” she said firmly.

Instead of arguing, Mac turned the radio up.

“I
love
this one,” he said, before bursting into song.

It was a Jocelyn Wilde girl-power break-up song. And Mac sang it
really
well - high notes and all.

Luke giggled in the back.

Mac showboated by trying to sing along with the rap interludes, too. He was not as good at that part. Luke
really
enjoyed that.

By the time they turned into the gravel drive of Harkness Farms, even Darcy was laughing and singing along.

When he pulled up under an elm tree to let them out, she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“What was that for?” he asked, flushing slightly. Darcy wasn’t given to displays of affection.

“Thank you for helping me,” she said. “You’re always helping me even though I never listen to you.”

“Welcome to the life of a History teacher,” he rolled his eyes dramatically. “Just don’t start a land war in Asia. And remember, you made me a promise to ask for help when you need it.”

“
If
I need it,” she corrected him. “C’mon, kiddo,” she said to Luke. “There are some awesome people here I’d like you to meet.”

They stood under the elm tree and watched Mac pull away.

Darcy took a deep breath, grabbed Luke’s hand, and led him toward the old stucco farmhouse.