Of Wolves and Men (3 page)

“The heart’s been cut out.” Charlie held his hat, tired, and anxious to get out and hunt down the culprits. “She’s going to do a proper check and will get you the report, Sheriff.”

“We have never had this problem in these parts,” Sheriff Kenmore said, “I’m not happy about it. You hear about this bullshit happening, but not up here.”

Butch shifted uneasily. “Boss.” He got Vernon’s attention. “I’m going to do some night watch up there.”

“I am too, boss.” Charlie put his hat on.

“You both need to eat,” Connie said, pointing to the kitchen. “Go on. Wash your hands up.”

Butch headed to the kitchen, tossing his coat and hat on a chair. As he rinsed is hands at the sink, Charlie could hear the low murmur of conversation from the other room. “We’ll do shifts.”

“All right.” Butch wiped his hands on a dish towel. He picked up a bowl and filled it with chili from the pot on the stove.

“Two hours each with the four of us. That’ll cover the night.”

“Good luck getting Goat up there.” Butch sat down with a chunk of corn bread and began eating.

“He’ll go.” Charlie joined Butch at the table. “Just don’t start shooting at anything that moves.

All right? It ain’t bear huntin’ season.”

“I ain’t lookin for bears!”

Charlie held up his hands to calm him. “Ya can’t kill people either. Just hold em, and call us.

Okay?”

“Yeah.”

Charlie rubbed Butch’s shoulder to comfort him.

Butch looked at him and gave him a slight smile, but Charlie knew how upset this event had made Butch. It did him as well.

Chapter 3

When Charlie and Butch returned to the living room, the sheriff had left. They walked to a cabin that Butch, JP, and Goat shared and knocked. JP answered. “We need to set up a watch for a few days,” Charlie said. “Butch offered to go first, two hours each. I’ll take the late shift, midnight to two am. All right? You two figure out how to split the rest up.”

Goat said, “Alone?” “Take Harley,” Butch said sarcastically. “You have a shotgun, Goat.”

“Ya wuss.” JP pushed Goat playfully.

“I’ll go up the mountain after Butch,” Goat said, “Then I’ll wake you, Charlie.”

“All right. Good,” Charlie said, “Just for a few days. Then everythin’ will be back to normal.”

Butch and Charlie left the two men behind. “I’ll do three hours, Charlie. Goat’ll come knocking at your door soon enough, so get sleep now.”

“You just watch yourself up there. Ya got a cell phone, use it. If there’s a lot of them morons, just call and we’ll get the cavalry up there. Don’t be no friggin’ hero.”

“I know.”

Charlie watched Butch walk to the barn. Ever since he had seen the mutilated deer carcass, he’d been ill at ease. That kind of thing didn’t happen here. Never had.

He walked the winding path to his own cabin. Exhaustion began to hit him. The stress of not knowing what was really going on in those woods was worse than any physical exertion.

Before he closed his door to his cabin, something flew by the door. It sounded loud, like a large bird’s wings. He thought about the big crow from earlier, but was too tired to dwell.

He took off his clothing, showered and went to bed. ~

A heavy knock at his door woke him. Charlie knew who it was and why. He shouted, “I’m awake, Goat. Hang a sec.” He dressed quickly, putting on his heavy coat, then his hat and boots.

He grabbed his cell phone and keys, opening the door to see Goat’s red puffy face.

“It’s fucking cold up there, Charlie. I froze my ass off.”

“Did any of you see anythin’?”

“Not a fucking thing.” He sighed loudly. “Fucking quiet. Seriously quiet. I didn’t even hear an owl. I think we may have a one off deal, ya know?”

“Hope so. Thanks. Get some sleep.” Charlie patted his back and walked to the barn while Goat headed to his cabin.

He heard the soft nickering of horses and opened Spirit’s stall. “Come on, boy. I know it’s late.”

Spirit blew out, flapping his lips at Charlie.

The chill in the air woke him up a little more. The sleepiness had left him and he felt wide awake. He saddled the horse and made sure the shotgun had twelve gauge shells loaded, but wasn’t cocked.

He placed two blankets over the saddle in case the cold temperatures seeped through his jacket.

With his gloves on, he hoisted himself up in the saddle and began the trail ride to the area where they had repaired the fence and found the deer.

It was crisp and clear. The dark sky was covered in stars, far more than anyone near a city could see. As he rode, his horse’s hoof beats were the only sound for miles. Charlie realized Goat was right. Nothing seemed alive around him. Usually the songs of night birds or movements of nocturnal hunters were audible. Not tonight.

A chill rose to his skin, but it was under his jacket and not from the cold. He had never believed in supernatural mumbojumbo. Didn’t pay attention to local Indian legends, and certainly never believed in ghosts.

He drew near the area where he and Butch had repaired the fence. It was intact just as they had left it.

The ground was freezing up, and Spirit’s hooves snapped brittle twigs and made heavy clomps on the solid soil.

A whimper caught his attention. He stopped Spirit and listened.

A sensation stronger than chills hit him. It was borderline terror. He jumped off Spirit’s back and held the reins. After a few yards, Spirit refused to keep walking with him, rearing up but not in a violent way, just being stubborn. Charlie trusted his horse’s instincts. He stopped too.

Another whimper, in a very human voice, shocked him. Spirit would not move with him, so he dropped the rein and hurried towards the sound.

In the dimmest of the sliver of moonlight, Charlie found a man, naked, in the fetal position, shivering.

“Sonofabitch!” He spattering him. “Talk touched the man’s arm.

Immediately the man’s brilliant green eyes met his.

“Hang on! Hang on!” Charlie rushed back to Spirit who was looking nervous, the whites of his eyes showing. “Calm down, buddy. Don’t you go crazy on me now.” Charlie took a blanket off the saddle and hurried back. He wrapped it around the shivering man.

“What the hell you doin’ out here in this cold? You’ll get hypothermia.” Charlie tried to warm him.

“F…f…freezing…”

“No wonder!” Charlie tucked the blanket closer around him. “I need to get you out of here.”

“No…no police…”

“Look. I just want to get you warm, all right?”

The man nodded.

“Where’s that blood comin’ from?” Charlie began to check the man over. Though he was thinking only of the man’s wellbeing, this guy was at least six feet tall, and built like he had weight-lifted at a gym all his life. His hair was jet black and his jaw had dark designer stubble covering it. He looked like a city boy, out of his element.

Charlie tucked the blanket high on the man’s chest and inspected his legs for some kind of wound. His thighs were wide and muscular, his pubic hair was as black as the hair on his head, and the glance Charlie got of his crotch was enough to know this man was big everywhere.

“Come on, partner. I got to get you warm. Can you stand?”

The man nodded, struggling to sit upright.

“You got a name?” Charlie hauled him to his feet, feeling his weight leaning heavily on him.

rushed to his side and found blood to me! Where’re you hurt?” Charlie “Roman. Roman Burk.”

The man’s teeth chattered.

“How on earth did you get here and why?” Charlie walked Roman to Spirit.

The horse backed up, snorting as if in fear.

“Hang on. He’s all spooked.” Charlie grabbed Spirit’s reins and had to drag him closer. “What’s with you, boy! Calm down.”

The horse shifted like a nervous colt, not staying still for a second. “Spirit! Hold on. Hold on, boy.” Charlie dragged Spirit closer to Roman by the chin strap, angry the horse was making a bad situation worse. “Come on, Roman. You climb on. Just step into my hands.”

Roman and Spirit seemed to lock gazes. It was the oddest thing Charlie had ever seen. “Come on, Roman, he’s all right.”

Clinging to the blanket, Roman seemed as reluctant to get on Spirit as Spirit was for him to ride him. “Will you both calm down?” Charlie had no idea this would be an issue. He yelled at the horse, “You gonna’ make me call and wake someone up? Now behave.” He reached out to Roman. “Come on.”

Roman moved closer.

“Climb up. I got you.” Charlie cupped his hands for Roman to step into and get on the saddle.

Spirit was about to protest, but Charlie jerked his bridle to prevent it. He swung up behind Roman and put his feet into the stirrups. It took some persuading but finally Spirit began heading back down the trail.

Charlie felt Roman leaning against him, so he held him close with one arm. “Why are you up here? You know, you picked a bad time to be getting lost naked in the woods, Roman. There’s some mighty odd things goin’ on lately. You’re lucky I found you when I did.”

“Thank you.”

It was so softly spoken, Charlie just caught it. Roman’s hair brushed his lips as they rode back.

“Thank you, Charlie.”

“I’ll take care of you…” Charlie blinked. “I don’t remember tellin’ you my name.”
Did he? He
must have.

“I know. I know you will, Charlie. You’ll take good care of me.”

“Have we met?” Charlie felt a strange sensation in his body. “I’m so cold.”

Charlie held him tighter. It was the best he could do with one arm. He didn’t know where he was going. The hospital? Vernon’s house?

“Your cabin. Please.”

“Are you reading my mind?” Charlie laughed, slightly rattled.

“Please.”

“You don’t fret. I’ll take care of you.”

“Thank you, Charlie. I know you will. That’s why I chose you.”

Charlie imagined the cold was making Roman slightly delusional. He heard hypothermia did that. Made you hallucinate.

He rode to the barn, dismounting and helping Roman do the same. He tightened the blanket around Roman and quickly got the saddle off Spirit. Spirit was still acting like a mass of nerves, staring at Roman like Charlie had never seen him look at another human before.

He shut off the lights in the barn and held Roman around the waist as he hurried with him to his cabin. “Almost there.”

“I know.”

Charlie opened his door and locked it behind them. “I’ll get the fire going, you go take a hot shower, ya hear me?”

Roman dropped the blanket, standing naked before him.

Charlie gulped audibly. “You…you need me to show you where everything is?”

Roman stalked him.

Charlie backed up near the fireplace. The blood spatter was in a strange pattern. Light, as if Roman had been standing beside something else that was shot or cut. But Charlie kept being drawn to Roman’s eyes. The intensity of the green color, the power of his stare was hypnotic.

Roman put one hand against the cabin’s exposed wooden beams over Charlie’s head. He brushed his lips lightly against Charlie’s.

“Sweet mother of God, I got me another gay boy.” Charlie gulped and his cock went thick in his jeans.

Roman opened the buttons of Charlie’s coat, pushing it off his shoulders. He took Charlie’s cowboy hat off, tossing it to the sofa.

“I only had one guy, Roman. He sucked my cock back in October.” Charlie stammered, “I…I don’t know… I don’t know if…”

Roman ran his fingers down Charlie’s chest to his jeans. “If?”

“Either I’m crazy, or you are. I…I just took you off a mountain, freezing to death…you got blood all over ya.”

Roman pressed his mouth against Charlie’s. Charlie moaned in desire and wanted to touch Roman.

As if he knew, Roman whispered against Charlie’s mouth, “Touch me.”

At the invitation, Charlie wrapped his arms around Roman. “You warmed up quick. You feel like an inferno.”

Roman unbuttoned Charlie’s shirt, then his jeans, all the while using his tongue to explore Charlie’s mouth.

I’m dreaming. I’m still sleeping and this is one helluvah dream. I knew I wanted a man. That day
with Joe in the truck, well it was fate. He showed me it was what I wanted. And now I’m
dreaming I found a naked beauty in the woods. Right? I’m dreaming. Wow. I don’t want to wake
from this one
.

He heard Roman’s rumbling laugh, but couldn’t tell if he was reading his thoughts.

“This is
my
dream, right?”

“Yes. What do you want to do in ‘your’ dream?” Roman removed Charlie’s shirt, smoothing his hands all over his chest.

“You’re already doin’ it. Is this a dream?” Charlie wasn’t sure any longer.

Roman knelt in front of him, helping Charlie remove his boots, socks, jeans and briefs. When he was naked, Charlie looked at his own cock. It was stiff as a rod.

Roman enveloped it into his hot mouth.

“I like men. Oh, yessir, I like men a whole lot.” Charlie widened his stance and dug his fingers through Roman’s jet black hair. He glanced down to watch and when Roman opened his eyes and connected to his stare, Charlie felt his breath catch in his throat. He’d seen those eyes before.

In the woods earlier. He thought it was a wolf or a cougar. “Wow, this really is a crazy dream. I sure hope it don’t turn into a nightmare and you’re one of them satanic nuts.”

Roman stood, holding Charlie’s hand and bringing him to his bedroom. The cabin was tiny, unlike the one the other three hands shared, but Charlie preferred the privacy. It was two rooms; one open area containing a kitchen with a small table and chairs across from a sofa and love seat, and a second room with a bed and bathroom.

Roman lay down on his back and opened his legs.

Charlie stopped at the foot, staring at a man who had the most incredible body and face he had ever seen. Everything about Roman turned Charlie on. He was completely overwhelmed by lust.

Crawling from the bottom up, Charlie ran his mouth over Roman’s legs as he advanced. He stared at his balls and erect cock and licked his lips. “I don’t know what I want to do.”

“Yes, you do.” Roman gave his own dick a tug to entice.