He muted his appearance, blending with the mist until he was directly in front of them, sending a swirl of mist ahead of him so that he could emerge naturally out of the fog. Both looked up at him.
"Fen, what are you doing out so late? You want a drink?" One held out the flask.
"You're Enre," Fen greeted. "Do you live far?" He projected his voice directly at the two men, although there was really no hope that the pack wouldn't know Tatijana was in the forest. He had known, from the moment the werewolf pack leader had given his hunting cry and the others had answered that the rogue pack was close by and hunting. To them, he would smell human.
"Gellert here, too," the other said drunkenly, opening his eyes and removing the flask from Enre's hand. "What are you doing here?"
"Let's get you two home," Fen encouraged. "It's too cold to stay out all night. Your families will worry."
"My woman kicked me out," Gellert said, his words slurred. "She said I drink too much." He was indignant. "I don't drink too much. She accused me of sleeping with the barmaid, Faye."
"You did sleep with Faye," Enre said.
Gellert took a long pull from the flask. "There was no sleeping," he said slyly.
"He's staying with me," Enre admitted. "I've got no family."
He didn't sound quite as drunk as he had been earlier. He struggled to his feet and reached down for Gellert. Gellert groaned and let both Fen and Enre help him up.
"You shouldn't have let your friend talk you into attacking the lady," Fen said to Enre.
Enre shrugged. "It was all just talk. I wouldn't have attacked her. I would have just given him a good clout upside the head and dragged him home if he'd really gone through with it."
"The redhead wants me," Gellert slurred. "She comes back night after night, and dances for me."
"The redhead is my woman," Fen said. "It isn't a good idea to say those kinds of things in front of me."
Gellert peered up at him with red, runny eyes. He burped loudly, the smell wafting toward Fen like a green cloud. "Sorry man. Didn't know. Come on, Enre, let's get on home."
A sound broke the night. Chilling. Close. Too close. The howl of the werewolf on the hunt. Enre, the more sober of the two, shivered and looked around warily. That joyful, frightening note floated on the wind, full and round-bodied, different from that of a normal wolf, far more unnerving.
"We have to go now," Fen urged, gripping Gellert on one side while Enre took his other arm. "Tatijana, leave us now while you can. Defending against a pack, even for one such as you, is not easy."
She lifted her chin, but her eyes stared out into the night. Like Fen, her senses had reached out far beyond the immediate area in an effort to locate the pack individuals-something he knew would be impossible. "I will not leave you to this fight alone. They won't be of any help." She indicated the two men with a jerk of her chin, still not looking at them.
"Do either of you have a weapon?" Fen hissed. He glanced toward Tatijana. They weren't going to make it out of there without a fight. Depending on the pack size, they could be in real trouble.
Above them, a large owl landed in the branches of the neighboring tree. He folded his wings for a moment, surveying the small group below him. A burst of mist rose around the tree and out of it, a man emerged. He strode toward Fen, tall, his shoulders broad, and his eyes every bit as piercing, intelligent and ice-cold blue as Fen's. Hair as black as midnight flowed down his back, and he moved with a smooth, fluid step.
Fen stepped forward and they clasped forearms in the centuries-old greeting of warriors.
"Kolasz arwa-arvoval-may you die with honor," the tall warrior greeted. "I would not want to miss such a battle with you, ekam-my brother."
"Kolasz arwa-arvoval-may you die with honor, Dimitri, ekam-my brother," Fen said. "You are most welcome to this battle."
Chapter 3
"We fight together then," Fen agreed. He held out his hand to Tatijana. "This is my lifemate, who remains unclaimed and quite happy about it. Tatijana, my brother, Dimitri."
Dimitri's gaze, glacier-cold, swept over her. "You are Dragonseeker."
Tatijana's answering nod was regal. Fen hid his grin in spite of the graveness of the situation. She looked like a royal princess.
"Have you ever battled the werewolf?" he asked Tatijana, already certain of the answer. She'd given him enough of her history to know she had no practical experience.
Tatijana made a face at him. "Of course not. I've been locked in ice my entire life, but I can help. Just tell me what to do."
"They mask energy easily. You will not feel the attack before it is on you. They move as fast as Carpathians and they cannot be killed without a special silver stake or bullet. Heads are removed and bodies burned."