Wolf's Den - A BBW Shifter Romance Novel (26 page)

The day was a busy one and after I was sick, I felt better. Yeager bought my story about being tired and anxious. It was true, after all. I just left out one important detail. We readied the Jeeps, filling them with supplies and some weapons. It would be a long haul so we turned in early that evening, no running for us though it might have done me some good. Sleep was more important, however.

The following morning, before the sun was even up, Yeager woke me. “Hey, fur ball. Time to get up,” he said as he gently shook me.

“Already? It’s not even light yet,” I complained. Yeager kissed me on the cheek and rolled out of bed.

“This was your idea, remember?” he joked.

“Don’t remind me. My ideas haven’t turned out all that well lately,” I told him as I crawled from under the covers and was met with a hot cup of steaming coffee.

“Don’t go there, fur ball. If I thought going to Colorado was dangerous, I wouldn’t have agreed to go. I wouldn’t have let you go. Don’t blame yourself. Lady Violet is the villain here,” Yeager told me. I nodded.

“Yeah, yeah. That sounds nice but I still can’t help feeling responsible for all of this,” I said.

“Maybe a hot shower will help. There’s enough water in the tank for a short shower,” Yeager informed me. That sounded heavenly.

“Enough room for two?” I asked.

“Your insatiable,” Yeager teased.

“I promise you, I’m not in the mood for that. I just want to be close to you,” I told my mate. He smiled warmly at me.

“Drink some coffee and meet me in the shower. I’m sure we can both wedge ourselves into it,” he said and dropped the sweats he had slept in and walked out of the small bedroom. I took a big gulp of coffee, set my cup aside and undressed to go join my mate in the shower. We did manage to wedge ourselves into the tiny stall but we were all but forced to wash one another in the tight quarters. I didn’t complain.

Afterwards, we dressed and met the rest of our party outside. The previous evening, Edie and Agnes had chosen to sleep in one of the big tents on cots that provided a better night’s sleep than the lumpy pull out bed in the motorhome. Amp and Sprocket were ready to go, seemingly excited about the whole trip. The rest of us, especially Agnes and I, were less than exuberant. I wasn’t thrilled about returning to Wolfsbane Ranch and I just hoped everything went as planned. Exactly what that plan was I wasn’t entirely sure.

Getting there was the easy part. Amp had found us a backdoor, so to speak, and I knew the location of the small village that housed the residents of Wolfsbane but nobody knew what we might find there. Would the residents be welcoming or would they resist our overtures? Would they simply capture us and return us to Violet’s clutches? It was risky but if it might avoid a larger war between Violet’s loyal shifters and our friends, then it was worth it.

“You two can ride with me,” Amp offered Yeager and me. Agnes and Edie went with Sprocket.

“I like these odds,” Sprocket said referring to riding with two women. I looked at Edie and smiled.

“You do realize we’re lesbians, right?” Edie informed the smaller man. Sprocket took the news in stride, however.

“Even better,” he said and winked at the girls. Edie shook her head but she couldn’t help but smile. Agnes giggled. Yeager wore a silly grin as well.

“You like that too?” I asked him.

“Oh no, not at all. I don’t want to watch you have sex with another woman before I join in. Yuck!” Yeager said, tongue firmly in cheek. I simply shook my head.

“If you all are finished discussing your sexual fantasies, we should get on the road,” Amp told us. Just then, Murphy walked up.

“What?” he asked catching the end of the conversation.

“Nothing. Just men being men,” I informed him. He chuckled.

“I see. I’ve been accused of that myself once or twice,” Murphy replied. Others came to join us, wishing us well. “Stay safe. We need all of you to come back. If things turn bad, get out of there. Sacrifice is noble but not in every circumstance. This ain’t one of them,” Murphy advised us. I hugged him and then he shook the men’s hands and Edie and Agnes hugged him as well. We climbed in the Jeeps and moments later, we were on the road. I watched our camp disappear in a cloud of dust behind us and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever see it or the people there again.

~~O~~

We found the trail that would lead us to the backside of Wolfsbane Ranch an hour before dusk. We’d left early and didn’t need to press hard, staying off the freeways, keeping to smaller highways and back roads. We stopped for breakfast and again for lunch, just a couple of Jeeps traveling the highways of Utah and Colorado. Despite our low profile, we were still wary. Lady Violet’s minions were searching for us but the southwest was a big place and it was easy to get lost if one wanted to.

We saw nothing and none of us caught any scent that caused us concern. But now we had to navigate the trail, miles of suspect dirt road that only vehicles like Amp and Sprocket’s Jeeps could traverse. The road began as a wide, graded road but quickly narrowed and became strewn with ruts and rocks. The Jeeps made quick work of the trail, however, since they were purpose built for this kind of travel.

“We’ll make good time if the road is like this the entire way,” Amp informed us. I sat in the passenger seat and Yeager sat in the back. I held on to the grab handle to keep from being jostled around in the cab too much. I hoped he was right but I knew how this kind of thing went. Something told me it wouldn’t be that easy.

“I hope so. I’m eager to get this over with,” I replied optimistically.

“I don’t blame you but don’t you worry, little lady, Sprocket and I, Yeager too I suspect, won’t let anything happen to you,” he said.

“I appreciate that but remember what Murphy said, Amp. If things go bad, we leave,” I reminded him.

“You’re no fun at all,” Amp teased.

“Sorry, you’ll have to play war some other time,” I joked. Amp and Sprocket were decked out for battle. Each wore body armor, boots and tactical clothing. Amp wore a handgun on his hip and knife as well. I looked back at Yeager and then the black rifles secured in the cargo area of the Jeep. I hoped it wouldn’t come to using those but we had to be prepared.

“Well, don’t you worry. I know the rules of engagement. This is a peace offering,” Amp assured me. As we bantered, the trail became more and more rugged. Soon we were at a crawl, the Jeeps climbing over large boulders and straddling large ruts. We climbed the back side of the mountain behind Wolfsbane Ranch slowly. This time of year the sun went down early so we had plenty of time but I wondered if we would even make it up the trail if it got any worse.

But Amp and Sprocket picked their way up the rugged road with skill and determination, their bright off road lights turning night into day. Often, Amp would speak with Sprocket on their CB radios, telling his friend about what to expect up ahead. Other times, Sprocket would spot our progress from behind to let Amp know if he was getting into trouble. They worked together like a well-oiled machine and we made progress although it was slow.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Sprocket shouted over the CB at one point.

“What’s up?” Amp asked, slowing to a stop.

“Something snapped,” Sprocket said. Amp checked his GPS.

“We’ve only got a few miles to go. Can you make it?” Amp asked.

“No, I think it’s my rear axle,” Sprocket said.

“Sit tight,” Amp replied as he brought his Jeep to a stop and then turned to regard us.

“We might have to continue alone,” he said and got out. Yeager and I followed him to go see what was wrong. We found Sprocket examining his Jeep. Edie and Agnes stood by watching. Amp crawled under the Jeep and after some discussion, the two men determined it was the axle shaft.

“So what do we do now?” I asked.

“It will be tight but all of you can fit in Amp’s rig,” Sprocket said, already digging in the back of his Jeep.

“What about you?” Edie asked.

“I’m going to get this thing up and running while you guys go on ahead. I’ll be along,” Sprocket said and produced a spare axle from the back of his Jeep and a tool box. I looked at Yeager and then Amp.

“We come prepared, little lady. He’ll be fine. We should go,” Amp told us.

“Are you sure?” I asked. I’d called the Auto Club to help me change a flat tire but Sprocket was going to change his axle shaft by himself in the dark?

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be along. This won’t take long,” Sprocket told us as he jacked up the rear of the Jeep. I shrugged as Amp led us back to his black Jeep. I took the front seat again and Yeager sat between Edie and Agnes. He looked rather pleased with himself.

“You all better behave back there,” Amp said before I could make a comment, then he laughed and we were off again. Soon, Sprocket and his orange Jeep had disappeared around a bend as we traversed the rocky road. “Don’t worry about him. He’s a good mechanic. This kind of thing happens all the time doing the kind of wheeling we do. We’re prepared,” Amp assured us.

“Well, I just hope we don’t need him,” I replied.

“Me too, little lady, me too,” Amp said taking his eyes off the trail for a moment to regard me. We continued on, the road becoming easier again as we neared its end. It had been a little more than an hour since we left Sprocket when he informed us he was finished with his repair over the CB. Even though we’d been gone an hour, we only traveled a couple of miles.

“We’re almost there. Follow us and sit tight, provide cover and watch our six,” Amp told him.

“10-4,” Sprocket replied.

“That was quick. I thought he’d be there all night,” Agnes observed.

“Naw, the rear axle shafts are pretty easy to swap out,” Amp told us.

“For you guys, maybe,” I replied. Amp chuckled. Minutes later, we parked on a broad saddle where the road petered out. In the moonlight, I recognized the general area. We were above the ranch and beyond the rise before us, we would find the village where the people of Wolfsbane resided.

“It’s about a mile. Edie and I will follow you,” Amp told us as he climbed out. He went around the rear of his Jeep and opened the back. He pulled out a case and opened it, handing something to Edie.

“Night vision. You and I will wear these. Can you shoot?” Amp asked my best friend.

“Yeah, why not?” Edie said though she had been pretty handy with a shotgun when Agnes and I made our escape. Amp chuckled. He pulled out a rifle, a military looking firearm all in black with a cylinder at the end of the barrel. He quickly showed Edie how it worked, the safety, how to load it, then how to drop the magazine and slap in a new one if necessary and finally how to charge the weapon to put a round in the chamber.

“You don’t shoulder this unless I tell you, got it?” Amp told her and then added, “Or put your finger on the trigger...or release the safety...just don’t do anything until I tell you, Ok?”

“Yeah, OK,” Edie said. She looked a bit nervous but I could tell she was excited too.

“You three go as wolves. You’ll see better than we can with night vision and you can scent better too. If only I could figure out how to carry a rifle while I was a wolf. We’ll stay behind you, and cover your escape if needed. Hopefully, these folks will be more receptive of other shifters than they will be of two gunmen,” Amp told us. He then added, “I’ll carry your clothes in my pack.”

“Good, I don’t want to get stuck standing outside talking in the cold naked,” I told him but I wasn’t sure how this would go. We might not have the opportunity to dress at all or we might be received well and Amp could bring our clothing. I guess it was a good idea to be prepared for anything.

“I figured,” Amp replied. With the immodesty of shifters, Agnes, Yeager and I undressed. Once you’d seen someone as a wolf, seeing them naked just wasn’t a big deal. Wolves were naked despite their fur all the time. Yeager finished first.