Werewolf in the North Woods (37 page)

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Authors: Vicki Lewis Thompson

BOOK: Werewolf in the North Woods
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Yesterday he would have used this moment to kiss her, but that was before she’d bounded out of his bed early this morning and told him she couldn’t handle their long good-bye. Now he was probably reluctant to reach for her, in case she still felt that way.
“We should probably get going,” he said.
“Wait.” She had one chance to make her request before they joined the others. “Please take Earl with you in the helicopter when you relocate the Sasquatch, Roarke. Surely you could squeeze him in.”
He frowned, clearly not comfortable with the idea. “You know I’m going as a Were.”
“Yes, but now that he knows you can shift, that wouldn’t matter. It would be the thrill of a lifetime for him.”
“I suppose, but I—They’re really smelly.”
“He wouldn’t care. Please, Roarke. He’s dreamed of these creatures all his life.”
Roarke massaged the back of his neck. “Abby, you’re the only human I’ve interacted with as a Were. I’ve adjusted to that, but to deal with Earl while I’m a wolf . . . I just don’t know.”
And then she understood. Her big, strong hero was reluctant to interact with a human who’d never seen him in wolf form. Riding in a helicopter with two huge smelly creatures didn’t sound like her idea of fun, but for Earl to be there, she would need to be there, too, for Roarke’s sake. “Do you have room for both Earl and me?”
His expression warmed, but he shook his head. “You don’t want to go.”
“Sure I do.”
“No, you don’t.” His gaze held hers and he smiled. “But you’ll go if you think that will convince me to invite Earl.” He reached out and stroked her cheek. “You may be really sorry you offered, because I’m going to take you up on it.” “Good.” She was thrilled for her grandfather, and she’d survive just fine. The original plan of watching from a distance had been far more appealing, but she was beginning to understand that for Weres, who’d been hunted for generations, appearing as a wolf to a human was loaded with anxiety. “Thank you, Roarke.”
“You probably won’t thank me when everything you’re wearing stinks like the spray from a thousand pissed-off skunks.”
She laughed, and that brought another smile. He’d been way too serious recently. She stood on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss, because it was obvious he wouldn’t kiss her. The touch of his lips was achingly familiar, but she didn’t allow herself to linger there. “It’ll be fun,” she said.
 
Roarke longed to remind her of that statement two hours later as they rode in the helicopter, skimming the tops of the trees in search of the cave where Roarke had left the Sasquatch pair. But Roarke could no longer communicate in words. He had his nose out the open window, and when the stench rose from a spot below them, he glanced back at Abby. Sure enough, she was wrinkling her nose.
Earl, seated beside her and looking like a kid going on his first roller coaster ride, didn’t flinch at the smell. He’d been glowing with excitement ever since Roarke had invited him to go on this trip. Earl had been driving to the airport at the time, and he’d almost swerved off the road.
But he’d pulled himself together and had been extremely cooperative about everything ever since. He’d promised that no matter what he saw and heard on the relocation trip, he would never discuss it with any human other than Abby. His voice had trembled with sincerity, and Roarke believed him.
Once at the airfield, Roarke had shifted inside the helicopter before Earl and Abby boarded. Then Earl had climbed into the helicopter, greeted Roarke with quiet dignity, and taken his seat.
But Roarke couldn’t imagine this trip without Abby. Earl obviously was trying to treat his first werewolf experience as no big deal, but he looked a little nervous. At first Roarke had been incredibly self-conscious with Earl there, but Abby’s calm acceptance of the situation had done the trick. Gradually Roarke had relaxed.
Knox Trevelyan, the pilot from the Seattle pack, obviously wasn’t happy to be transporting two humans with knowledge of the Were community, but he’d been reasonably polite to Earl and Abby. Other than the unhappy pilot, the arrangement had worked out well.
While Earl, Abby, and Roarke tended to the Sasquatch problem, Aidan had sent Donald to San Jose aboard the corporate jet, thus eliminating another takeoff and landing for the queasy Aidan. Roarke pictured his brother relaxing in a comfy chair somewhere, sipping a vintage wine, if that was available, and talking to Emma on his BlackBerry.
Aidan liked his creature comforts. Roarke couldn’t imagine Aidan trekking through the jungle or riding a camel across the desert. But he could imagine Abby doing both. Her sense of adventure matched his. She might not be eager to take part in this Sasquatch relocation, but that was common sense. Only a Bigfoot nut like Earl would think this was the experience of a lifetime.
Roarke glanced over to see if Knox had caught the scent. Obviously he had, because he’d begun scanning the terrain for a decent landing spot.
The moment the chopper started its descent, Roarke sent a telepathic message to the Sasquatch pair. He offered them support, but he also alerted them to the presence of two humans who would ride with them in the helicopter. He promised that they were good humans.
Blades whirling, the helicopter rocked gently as Knox set it neatly down on a grassy spot in a small clearing. Roarke envied Knox his flying ability and made a note to ask about taking lessons from him someday in the future. Roarke was almost ready to solo in the Learjet, and the chopper would present a great new challenge.
Knox backed off on the controls, but kept the blades turning slowly. Then he leaned over and opened the door for Roarke. Once Roarke was out, Knox would go back and open a cargo door in the rear to accommodate the sizable bulk of the Sasquatch.
All that assumed that Roarke could get them in this machine. He glanced back at Abby and Earl. Earl looked fine, but Abby appeared ready to puke. Yet she met his gaze and managed a weak smile.
Roarke had seen Abby in many situations—hiking through the rain while her muscles cramped, enjoying orgasms in a lantern-lit cave, laughing with him inside a tiny tent, and driving like a maniac to save his ass from some ferocious Weres. He’d loved every one of those moments, but in this moment, he loved
her
, the woman who’d willingly braved this awful smell to give her grandfather the experience she knew he desperately wanted.
Roarke vowed to tell her of his love at the first opportunity. His love wouldn’t come with any strings attached, though. She wouldn’t be required to do anything as a result of his declaration. But to love someone the way he loved Abby and never tell her would be a crime against nature.
Leaping from the helicopter, he set off to bring back the incredibly odious Bigfoot pair. One thing comforted him, if only a little. Abby’s sense of smell wasn’t as finely developed as his, so maybe, just maybe, she’d suffer slightly less.
Chapter 26
 
Grandpa Earl reached over and squeezed Abby’s hand. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited about anything. I take that back. Waiting for Olive to walk down the aisle—I was pretty damned excited then, too.”
Looking into Grandpa Earl’s sparkling eyes, Abby felt as if she’d swallowed a gallon of sunshine. Thank God Roarke had agreed to bring him. Earl would cherish this for the rest of his life, and so would she, provided that she didn’t spend the entire time barfing.
Her grandfather turned to watch Roarke climb the wooded incline leading to the cave. “Roarke’s quite impressive as a wolf, isn’t he?”
“Yes.” Abby admired Roarke’s fluid grace as he moved toward the cave. “He’s impressive as a man, too.”
“He is, at that. When Gentry told me you two had run off to Vegas, I had a tough time imagining that you’d do that without telling anybody, but I wasn’t too upset because I think he’s the right guy for you.”
“I don’t know, Grandpa.” Abby was all too aware of Knox Trevelyan, who was able to hear every word. Knox had left the pilot’s seat momentarily to open the cargo door, but now he was back.
After meeting several Weres, Abby couldn’t help looking at the dark-haired, dark-eyed Knox and wondering what he’d look like when he shifted. She’d estimate he was about the same size as Roarke and Aidan, and if his dark hair was any indication, he’d transform into a wolf black as the night.
Obviously sensing her scrutiny, Knox turned to her. “I brought a bandana along for myself, but you can have it instead.” Pulling a blue-and-white patterned square from his pocket, he held it out.
The scent of mint wafted toward Abby, and she was sorely tempted to take the bandana. “That’s very generous, Knox, but I begged my way on this trip at the last minute, and taking that would be so unfair to you.”
“Would you rather have a barf bag?”
Abby lifted her chin. “I won’t need that, either.”
Earl turned from the window to look at her. “Take the bandana the young man’s offering, Abby. It’s a gentlemanly thing he’s trying to do, and your color isn’t so good right now.”
“But yours is fine,” she said. “Doesn’t the smell bother you at all?”
“Oh, I can tell it’s bad, and I’m sure once they’re in the helicopter it’ll be quite overpowering. But, Abby, I’m about to be within a few
feet
of a mated Sasquatch pair. The stink means nothing to me when I realize that.”
“Yes, but Knox isn’t looking forward to that experience. He deserves the bandana.”
Knox reached back and dropped the bandana in her lap. “This will be bad, but walking into the cosmetics section of a department store is worse for me, believe it or not.”
“I don’t believe it.”
Knox shrugged. “It’s true, though. These two will stink, but at least it’s an organic smell. It doesn’t burn my lungs like a big dose of perfume.”
“They’re coming out! They’re coming out!” Earl practically bounced in his seat.
Abby turned toward the window, and sure enough, Roarke descended the slope followed by two enormous, apelike creatures covered in long, unruly hair. The larger Sasquatch was a dark brown color, and the smaller one, who had a definite baby bump going on, was more reddish.
They seemed prehistoric, and yet strangely familiar. Their foreheads protruded in the same way Abby pictured cavemen and cavewomen must have looked. She’d worried that she’d be afraid of them. After all, they were capable of crushing her with a single blow.
But when she saw them coming down the hill, her fears evaporated. They were walking hand in hand.
Beside her, Earl kept muttering, “I can’t believe this” and his lanky body quivered with excitement. He gulped for air. “Look at them, Abby. They’re actually right there. Right
there.”
“I know, Grandpa. It’s amazing.”
“I knew they had to mate and have babies. I just knew it, but no one has ever . . . Okay, I’m blown away by this, but believe me, I’ll never breathe a word of it.”
Keeping her gaze on the Sasquatch, Abby reached over and patted his knee. “I know you won’t. Roarke wouldn’t have brought you if he thought you would tell.”
“I owe that boy so much. I swear, he could ask me to do anything—
anything
—and I’d do it in a heartbeat. Oh, God, they’re hesitating. Look, Abby, they’re pointing at the helicopter.”
Abby held her breath as Roarke turned back to the Sasquatch pair. They faced each other for what seemed like forever, but might have been only a couple of minutes. The Sasquatch couple put their heads together as if conferring. Then the female patted her tummy and took a big breath before motioning to her mate that they should continue. After another long pause, he took her hand again and they began walking toward the helicopter.
Emotion clogged Abby’s throat as she realized the courage required to climb into what must look like a monster machine to these creatures. But the combination of Roarke’s gentle persuasion and the pair’s devotion to their unborn child had won the day.
Abby didn’t remember the bandana in her lap until the creatures were only a few feet away. She’d been so caught up in the drama that the smell had become secondary. But once they were this close, the smell was all she could think about.
She tied the mint-scented bandana over her nose and mouth like an old-fashioned bank robber and made a silent promise to do something nice for Knox Trevelyan if the opportunity presented itself. Even with the bandana offering some protection, she fought her gag reflex as the Sasquatch couple boarded from the rear amid various grunts and groans.
The helicopter rocked with their weight and Knox hopped out and ran around to the back hatch. Abby had to assume Roarke got in, too, but she was so focused on not barfing that she didn’t turn around to look.
Knox had left the helicopter’s windows open, but that didn’t help much. When he climbed back into the pilot’s seat, Earl leaned forward and tapped him on the shoulder. Good old Grandpa Earl didn’t seem fazed by the stench.
“I don’t want to frighten them by staring,” he murmured. “Is there a possibility I will?”
“Just glance back there every once in a while and smile,” Knox said. “They might find that reassuring. Smiles are a universal language among humanoids.”

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