“It’s easy to forget when I’m constantly in and out of my Lycan form.” That form was almost second nature to me now. It wasn’t the same as a full shift into a wolf, but it did give me a break from constantly craving a full change. “Do you think we’ll be able to talk internally when we’re in our animal forms?” We hadn’t shifted together since we’d mated and made it official.
“I would assume so,” he said, grinning over at me, “but we’re about to find out.”
Once I was down, almost instantaneously my back bowed and my arms and legs lengthened. It was a smooth, pain-free transition, and over before I knew it. Once we were done, we jumped to our feet. I’d forgotten how exaggerated everything was in this form. My hearing, sense of smell, and awareness were amplified. I turned my head toward Rourke. He was already up and it was all I could do not to cower. How did we forget how awesome he is in this form? My wolf howled and our muzzles lifted to the sky before I could rein her in.
The sound we made was beautiful as it echoed around the marshlands.
Rourke snuffed at us, turning his head north and nodding once. His fur was a beautiful dark gold with chocolate stripes flowing down his flank and over his legs. He was intimidating in this form, but now that we had coupled and had a bond, there was much less fear. His front incisors were curved and long, and as he lifted his head to roar, the ground shook.
He took off at a run and I followed without hesitation.
Rourke, can you hear me?
Yep, I can hear you loud and clear. Try to dodge the water and stay on higher ground. Do you scent the animals?
I raised my muzzle in the air. I did smell them. Over the smell of all the grasses, stagnant water, insects, and salt, there was an overlay of musky reptile. Several kinds from what I could detect.
When you smell one close, he said, go around it. We’re moving too fast for them to actually get a good bite, but if we surprise a large gator at the right moment, it’s not going to be pretty.
Got it. I don’t smell many, thankfully.
Me neither. I think the water down here at the southern tip is not deep enough. The true Everglades will be to our left as we head north. We need to be tactical about how we’re going to get there. Where did Naomi say the wolves were, exactly?
She didn’t say. But before we took off on the plane, she said they were in something like an abandoned homestead. I’m thinking that kind of place has to be deep in the Everglades, very remote.
I agree. That means we have to find a reasonable way to get around the swamps once we get to the edge.
Like what?
We’re going to need an airboat.
Okay. That sounds doable. We’re in a swamp after all. I’d put Marcy on it once we met up.
The pace Rourke set was fast. My wolf worked overtime to keep up with him. We hit scattered patches of swamp, but we were moving so swiftly, flying over berms and channels, I hardly noticed. When we did hit a deeper patch, the water went no higher than my flank.
After a half hour of solid running, the topography changed to sawgrass growing on a firmer landscape with less water. It was much easier to maneuver over and we made great time. There were no sounds of any planes overhead, and that made us both breathe easier.
After another fifteen minutes, Rourke slowed. I smell humans up ahead, Rourke said. We’re too exposed to keep going straight toward them. We’ll have to go around.
I came shoulder to shoulder with him, both of us still loping. I was a fairly big wolf, but I was dwarfed by Rourke’s massive frame. He was indeed a Big Cat. Which way has less water? I vote for that.
Let’s veer west. We’re supposed to do that in another fifteen minutes anyway. East will likely bring us closer to humans, so west it is.
We turned, heading left, and Rourke picked up the pace again. As we ran, I glimpsed the humans in a huge truck in the far distance. They were likely parked at the end of some lonely road that ran out here or had gone off-roading for fun. They couldn’t see us unless they had binoculars, but I could see them.
As we ran, we dodged the growing smell of more alligators and deeper swamp water. I shrieked internally as my paw hit something scaly, but we passed over it too quickly for me to see what it was.
Jessica, is that you? Are you in trouble?
Dad? I nearly skidded to a halt hearing my dad’s voice inside my head. It had been too long since we’d spoken internally. His voice was fuzzy, but I could make out most of the words. I can hear you! Where are you? Please tell me you’re okay. There were a million things I wanted to tell him, but I had to settle for the immediate concerns first.
Rourke sensed the change in my emotions and turned his head back to huff at me as we ran. I bobbed my head up and down and kept running. I didn’t want to switch off the channel with my father to tell him what was going on, so Rourke would have to wait until I was finished.
I’m fine. Good gods, Jessica, are you okay? I’ve been worried sick about you! Please tell me you’re not still in the Underworld. Not knowing where you are and what is going on has been killing me.
I’m not in the Underworld. We’re back, and actually heading toward you as we speak. There is so much to tell you, but in order to do that, I need to know how to find you.
It’s not going to be easy to find us. We’re in the middle of the godforsaken cypress swamp, deep in the Glades. There’s an entire area in here that’s mystically spelled. It can’t be seen by humans. It looks as though the priestess who’s been causing all the trouble has called this place home for more than a hundred years. There’s very little land and lots and lots of water.