Rourke says we need an airboat.
Yes, that’s the only way in, unless you can fly. We’ve set up a wide perimeter around the main homestead we think she’s using, but it’s complicated. We’re trying our damnedest to keep the rabid wolves contained, but it’s taken all of our resources. The only thankful thing is that this place is in the middle of nowhere. Literally. We’re living cobbled together on little spits of land—which consist mostly of old tree roots—and held together with nothing more than magic. But the Made wolves are creeping closer and closer to civilization each day. We’ve been able to find a way to kill them, once we catch them, but it’s been dicey.
Naomi, the female vampire you met, flew over your area yesterday. I instructed her not to stop because none of your Pack know her, but she overheard a conversation that you were planning to swap yourself for some of your wolves. Please tell me that isn’t in the works yet.
I’ve tried to broker a deal, but so far she hasn’t taken the bait. The priestess is elusive at best. I have to find a way to stop it, including offering myself as ransom, because my wolves keep disappearing. Things have gone from bad to exceedingly worse in the last week. Five of my wolves have vanished into thin air, one a night for the last five nights. It’s unacceptable.
Have you had a chance to talk to Tyler? He’s on his way down from the panhandle.
Our communication has been spotty. I can’t get any tangible information from him. It’s been frustrating not being able to communicate with either of you.
I know, it’s been hard for us too. I realized in that moment how much I missed my father. I looked forward to reuniting with him—I felt the need to be near my Alpha. There was so much for us to catch up on. He had no idea what had happened to me over the last week, which had actually been three months on this plane. I’m not sure I’ll be able to talk to you once I shift out of my wolf form, but I promise we’ll find you. We’ll figure out the airboats as soon as we arrive someplace more inhabited. I have Rourke, Marcy, Ray, and Naomi with me, and Tyler and Danny are on their way down. I sprang over a small waterway, plunging after Rourke. He knew something was up and had slowed his pace a bit to allow me to better maneuver.
We will await your arrival. Send a vamp in to let us know when you get close. We’ll likely have to come out to meet you, as this area is tricky. There was some hesitation lingering in his voice.
What’s wrong? Hearing the hesitancy, I slowed automatically. Rourke glanced behind him and let out a small roar as he came to a full stop. He growled, his unease flowing through my veins. He was likely trying to talk to me and I wasn’t answering.
This entire thing is much more dangerous than we’d originally thought, my father finally answered. We figured that the fracture pack was buying the services of a voodoo priestess to achieve their agenda—which was getting rid of me—using her to create these abominations. But it seems the priestess has a mind of her own and she wants something so desperately she’s willing to fight us to the death.
What does she want?
Power of some kind.
A single voodoo priestess fighting a pack of werewolves was completely unheard of in our world. Priestesses were not stronger than witches, from what I understood.
And she thinks she can achieve that power through the Made wolves she’s creating? I asked.
Yes. She’s building an army.
Once I’d switched off with my father, I’d filled Rourke in.
We sped up, feeling the urgency of my father’s words. Hearing from my dad had been wonderful and much needed. Relief and gladness swept through me, making me slightly euphoric. We made stellar time and were almost to the two-hour mark.
I scanned the horizon for the vamps, but I didn’t spot any movement.
Jessica, let’s stop up ahead. There are a few trees in the distance. I can smell the cypress to the west now.
Sounds good. Surprisingly my body wasn’t tired, even after the long run. But I could use some food in a big way. My wolf clacked her muzzle at me and hinted we could hunt. There’s no way I’m eating a lizard, I told her. I was always hungry, still in my newborn stage, but I managed to compartmentalize it. If I didn’t, the constant hunger would make me crazy. In this form we burned even more calories, and my stomach felt hollow. It begged to be filled. My wolf growled. I know you have no issue with it, but I can’t eat a snake, or any reptile for that matter, so let it go. She angled her nose up at my stupidity.
I think we’re actually fairly close to a town, Rourke said, interrupting my wolf as he slowed to a stop. I’m picking up on human smells. The vamps should be here soon. I’m going to shift back before they land.
Because you don’t want them to see you? Other than these two times I’d shifted with my mate, no one had seen his true form in centuries. Keeping his nature cloaked had aided him well as a mercenary.
No, because I want to talk to them. He chuckled, which sounded like a series of small sneezes tickling my senses.
I hope Naomi was successful in snagging you some new clothing or it’s going to be a very one-sided conversation.
I’m sure she was. She’s nothing if not reliable. I hope she spotted some water channels with parked airboats from the sky as well. We need to move quickly.
He had stopped at the base of a very small, scraggly tree. If you could even call it a tree. It had a branch. He lay down to begin to shift back, and I joined him. Hopefully we were close enough to our destination so we didn’t have to change back and run.
By the time I finished, Rourke was already up scanning the area.
I stood and walked over, running my hands over his very naked back. He turned and growled low as he pulled me into his arms. “We don’t have much time,” he said, nuzzling my ear, “but what I wouldn’t give to be able to whisk you away someplace private. It frustrates me I don’t have the power to take you out of here.”
“I know,” I murmured, leaning into his lips. “We only have a few minutes at most to ourselves, but since we can’t go back to Rum Cay, I’ll take what I can get right here.”
The kiss was blistering and urgent.