Wolf's Soul (15 page)

“Callum, those were the wolves that hurt you.”

“Not particularly those bastards but yes. A Blood Robber wounded me.”

“Atos.”

Callum nodded. “He has been after me for a long time now.”

“Good. Now I don"t feel bad for what I did.”

“You like me that much, huh?”

Marisol"s cheeks turned bright pink. “Well, you"re my dad"s friend and you kiss nice.”

“I"ve been told.”

A shadow of annoyance crossed her face. “Who told you?”

“So and so. Jealous?”

155

“Why would I be?” She turned and mumbled something about lobbing someone"s head off. “I don"t even know you.” Marisol lifted a finger stopping him from replying. “And don"t tell me that you can smell my heat. That just sounds so icky.”

He wanted to laugh but thought better of it. After witnessing how good she was with her sword, he"d better learn to curve his tongue. Although, he had better ideas on how to use his tongue on her. He eyed Marisol who continued to stare at his motorcycle as if it was a newly found specie. Dressed in sexy low hip hugger jeans and with her sword in a leather scabbard she carried on her back, she looked so hot. Like a modern day warrior. Mark fashioned the straps so Marisol could carry the beautiful weapon comfortably like a holster. He wondered what she would look like in leather.

“What if we get pulled over? How are you going to explain my sword to the cop? Or should I just lob his head off?”

“You worry too much.”

Marisol hitched a black backpack on her shoulder. “Why couldn"t we use my car?”

“Baby, a bicycle would go faster than your old Subaru.”

“Sweetheart, thanks for the compliments. You just earned my heart,” she answered with sarcasm. Her mouth was set in annoyance.

156

Callum coughed in his fisted hand. “Are you sure you got everything you need in that backpack?”

“No, but you told me to pack light.”

“We"ll stop at the store later. We"d better get going. By night fall, this place will be swarming with Blood Robbers.”

“Why is Atos after you? Did you cut his tail or something?”

“I wish. He"s after all of us Midnight Howl.”

“And me.”

“Yes. So we have to go.”

“How did you guys manage to hide from us? I mean, it"s not like there"s only a few of you roaming around. You have a clan for crying out loud. But I"ve never heard anything about you on the news.”

“We"ve made it on the news. But you"re government and military are good in covering stories they couldn"t explain. When something inexplicable happened, they know how to cover it up. We cover our tracks, too. We have Cleaners to pick up our mess that"s why you don"t hear about dead wolves or weapons lying around.”

“Wow. You have maid brigades to clean the ashes and blood in my house?”

“Yes. I already placed a call. They"ll be here in a minute. When we come back here, you won"t see a trace that wolves died in your barn.”

157

“What if the Cleaners couldn"t make the cleanup right away? What will happen then?”

“We use our connections. Like a Midnight Howl working in the government or hospitals. And other humans who knew about our existence. Now, enough talk. We have to get going, babe.”

Marisol looked back at the barn with a wistful look on her face that stabbed at Callum"s heart. He understood her sadness. She"d never lived anywhere else but here. “This is temporary, baby. You"ll be back here. I promise.”

“You like giving promises?”

“Only the ones that I can keep.”

“I was really looking forward to seeing the kids. They"ll be disappointed to hear their field trip is cancelled.”

“They"ll hear worse if we don"t leave now.”

“True. Well, I bet everyone in town has heard about a naked man in my house. The parents might not want their kids coming here anyway. And Miss Bode will probably not believe my excuse for cancelling the field trip.”

“What did you tell her?”

“I have a sore throat.”

“That"s a lame excuse.”

158

“What would you rather have me tell her? That I have to leave because Shape-shifters are after me? You know how that would sound, right?”

Callum just shook his head. When Marisol rambled on like this, he learned to keep quiet.

“That I totally lost my mind.” She went on. “Sheriff Davis thinks that I pulled a prank on them because I want attention. Imagine that. As if I"m a deprived little kid. If I tell the teacher about the Blood Robbers and Midnight Howl, she"d probably send someone from the insane asylum to come here and put me in a straight jacket.”

“No. At least you could have said you eloped. Looks like that"s what we"re doing right now. You have your backpack and I"m taking you to my place. We"re running away. That"s more believable—I think.” Marisol merely stared with an arch brow. “Okay, elopement is a bad idea, but better than a sore throat.”

“I should have let you talk to her. You"re good at coming up with excuses.”

“Not as good as my brothers.”

“You have brothers? Do you all look alike?”

“Kind of. Why?”

“Nothing. So you mean to tell me that there are more men out there who look as perfect and handsome as you. I hope they"re not as bossy and vain like you.

159

Callum grinned. Marisol just complimented him and yet she called him vain and bossy. “My brothers are worse. If you"re lucky, you won"t have to meet them. I doubt it though.”

“Lucky me.”

He straddled his bike. “Babe?”

Marisol sighed then sat astride behind him. “Yeah?”

“We got to run.”

“Okay. Please be careful. I hate skinned knees. Remember, poultice doesn"t work on me.”

The spunk in her voice was gone now. She looked and sounded so melancholy. He hated taking her away from her home but it was something he must do. “Don"t worry, baby. I have Band-Aids at home.”

“Ha. ha.”

“Hang on. We"re going to fly.”

Marisol"s arms wrapped around his waist. The feel of her body pressed against him was a comfort he needed. The whole time he was fighting against the wolves, his thoughts were on Marisol. He couldn"t believe how afraid he was.

Never in his life had he felt so afraid. Yes, she held her own. She had the skill without a doubt. Still, fear of her getting hurt gnawed his insides.

160

In a short period of time, the woman hanging on tight behind him became too important in his life. He knew the moment he touched her that he was a goner.

Why did Mark’s daughter have to be so beautiful?

“Where are we going?”

“The Honey Moon Cabin.”

Callum took the long and narrow road of Marrowstone toward the south end. The Honey Moon Cabin is located near Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. Sitting in the middle of six acres, towering firs and cedar trees surrounded his cabin. He could see unwelcomed visitors coming from different directions. It offered sanctuary. Perfect for hiding. More so, it was private.

Signs of a new day began to peak behind the mountains. The shoreline view would be spectacular, but today wasn"t the right time to admire the scenery.

There"d be another day for that. For now, Marisol"s safety was important. With the sword or not, the two of them were no match against Atos and his cronies. He needed to call for help.

The sun had already painted the sky orange and purple by the time they reached his cabin. He parked the bike on the graveled driveway and waited for Marisol to release her hold on his waist. She didn"t. Her hands were cold to touch.

161

“Marisol, are you okay, baby?” She didn"t move. “We"re here.” Lifting her hand to his lips he blew on it. “Talk to me.” She didn"t say a thing.

He quickly got off his bike and faced Marisol. He grinned at the sight of his black helmet on her. Flicking his finger on the visor, he waited for her response.

She didn"t give him one.

“Babe?” He raised the visor. Marisol"s eyes were closed and her cheeks were wet from tears. Shit! She"d been through a lot the past few hours. Poor baby. Her feistiness was gone now. He"d seen grown Shape-shifters collapsed on their knees from grief when they made their first kill. He understood. He took the helmet off of her and dropped it on the ground. With the pads of his thumbs, he wiped her tears. “Want to talk?”

Marisol shook her head, but kept her gaze on the ground.

Callum didn"t like seeing her looking so defeated. He"d rather listen to her constant gabbing and incessant questions. “I didn"t think a woman who could wield a sword with deadly precision would be a crybaby, a snot-nosed—”

Marisol punched him in the gut. “I"m not a crybaby. I"m upset. When I"m upset I cry. What do you do when you"re angry and couldn"t do anything about it?

She sniffed.

“I find something to hit. I spar with my brothers but I never cry.”

“Well, it makes me feel better to cry.”

162

He figured what she just said was female logic so he didn"t comment on it.

“You need to rest. Maybe coffee? We didn"t get a chance to have a cup this morning.” He picked her up, carried her inside the cabin and into his room. He had his guestrooms prepared all the time because his brothers had a bad habit of dropping by unannounced, but for some odd reason he wanted her in his room. It seemed that Marisol belonged there. What a freaking strange feeling. The woman in his arms was beginning to muddle his way of thinking.

As soon as he lowered Marisol in bed, she curled up in a ball and buried her face in his pillow. He should leave her alone, but he remained standing beside the bed.

“Need anything? Tea, coffee, hot chocolate?”

Marisol shook her head no.

“I"ll be outside. Howl if you need me,” he turned to leave.

“Callum,”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you.”

He was back on the side of the bed in an instant. The overwhelming need to comfort her filled his chest making it hard to breath. “Baby, I should be the one thanking you. For saving my life with your poultice and for coming to my aid. You did great tonight. Mark would have been proud. Maybe my presence is not enough 163

to make you feel safe, but you should know, I meant it when I said I"ll protect you.

I owe you one, babe.”

“You don"t owe me anything. Anyone who found you would have done the same thing, Callum.”

Callum doubted it, but kept the thought to himself.

“I"m sad because I know I won"t be able to go back to my home, to my old life. From now on, things will be different. I killed Atos"s brother. Unlike my parents, I have blood in my hands. Worse, I know now that Shape-shifters exists.

My life just made a big turn.”

“I don"t know what kind of power runs in my veins, but I will do everything to restore your life. Maybe not right away. Eventually, you will be able to go back.

About what happened in your barn, remember, they killed your parents. If they were still around maybe they are looking for someone to victimize. A child, woman, anyone. They deserve to die.”

“Without being tried?”

“This is an ugly business, baby.”

“And it"ll get uglier. I"m probably on the Blood Robbers bite-to-kill list.”

“Below mine.”

“That"s not comforting.”

“I"m trying to be funny.”

164

“Wow. You suck at it.”

Callum smiled. Marisol would be okay. “You need to sleep.”

“Will you stay with me?”

“I’ll end up making love with you if I stay.”

“Would that be so bad?”

Callum grinned. “You can use thought transference.” The bed dipped a little when he sat on the side. Barely touching her skin, he combed back her hair.

“I don"t know how it happened. When I was facing the first wolf, I heard him talk to me. And then something inexplicable went though me. I was able to use telepathy and block my thoughts but penetrate his.”

“Welcome to my world, baby. As to making love with you, no. It wouldn"t be so bad.”

“You wouldn"t do it. You, you refrained when I offered myself to you last night.”

“Because it was your wolf"s blood dictating your body. I didn"t want you to feel regretful after your human blood knocked sense into you.” It was partly true.

His main reason for not touching her lies on the code he followed.

“Wolf"s blood. I thought mine is diluted, watered down.”

“Diluted on not, Youven"s blood is still in you. Your ability to read minds and use telepathy is a proof of that. This is great, babe.”

165

“And when I begged you to make love with me, you think it wasn"t my human self talking.”

“Hard to comprehend, huh?”

“You know, I read somewhere that wolves mate for life. That they stay together for as long as they live. Is it the same with the Shape-shifters? Do you wait until the right one comes along?”