“Do you hear it, too?”

With a whoosh, Shay's chest filled with air. She gasped in, quick shallow painful breaths. Jason's aura was strong, bright. Chasing away the darkness in her eyes as she hung on to him.

“I'm afraid something … in the walls is making me sick,” she confessed.

“It's going to be all right. I'll take care of you,” he said, and before she could respond or even contemplate his words, Shay was up in his arms, cradled against the too-good-to-be-true stranger's warm chest. She didn't know if the whispering had stopped or if she was so consumed by his body heat and by his heady, earthy scent that she no longer heard the disturbing whispers. She breathed Jason's scent deep, holding it within her, as if it alone could protect her from the darkness …

Many years ago, CYNTHIA COOKE lived a quiet, idyllic life caring for her beautiful eighteen-month-old daughter. Then peace gave way to chaos with the birth of her boy/girl twins. She kept her sanity by reading romance novels and dreaming of someday writing one. With the help of Romance Writers of America and wonderfully supportive friends, she fulfilled her dreams. Now, many moons later, Cynthia is an award-winning author who has published books with Mills & Boon and Steeple Hill Books.

Running with Wolves

Cynthia Cooke

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This book is dedicated to my good friend

and critique partner, Kelly Keaton!

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Epilogue

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Shay Mallory felt the sensation of being watched as she walked down her long driveway, her tennis shoes crunching on the sparse gravel. Late morning fog hovered in the branches of the tall redwoods forming a canopy above her. She breathed deep the briny scent of ocean air and willed herself to relax. Not an easy task.

A twig snapped behind her. Tensing, she peered over her shoulder at the deep shadows lengthened by the soaring trees, but saw no one. She was being jumpy. There was no one there. Nothing to be afraid of, and yet she was. Fear clung to her back, digging its long sharp claws into her shoulders, a constant reminder of its needling presence.

She’d spent her whole life jumping at imaginary threats, constantly moving until one town blurred into the next. But her paranoid father had been dead a long time now. For years, there had been just her and Grams in these woods, and no reason to be afraid. No reason to jump.

A whimpering sounded behind her. Smiling, she stopped and turned.

“Hey, Buddy.” She squatted next to the large husky that had been shadowing her and rubbed the thick brown fur on his cheeks. He looked more like a wolf than a dog and had been her only companion since Grams died last year. If it weren’t for him, she’d be completely alone. She brushed off the thought and the sense of deep sadness that came with it. Until she figured out what was going on with her, spending less time around people would be better anyway.

Buddy sat and she patted his head. “You can’t come with me, Buddy. You know that. You scare people.”

The dog whined and, lying down, dropped its head onto its outstretched paws, looking absolutely adorable. “I know. They’re idiots. Stay here. I’ll be right back. Promise.” She stood and, with a lighter step and a pat to her pocket to make sure she had her iPod, she hurried down the road.

She knew she should move closer to the city and try to find a job in a design firm. Home-based graphic design businesses could be tough to get off the ground since it seemed as if everyone and their brother could design a website these days. But there weren’t too many places she would be able to live with Buddy. He needed room to run, to stretch his legs, to be free where some gun-happy yahoo wouldn’t mistake him for a wolf and shoot him. She’d find a way to make the money to fix up the old house and stay right where she was.

In her home.

As Shay considered her options, she crossed Highway 1, and headed toward picturesque Main Street. Thank goodness, with the onset of school and the cooler weather, most of the summer tourists were gone and she encountered no one on her way. She passed through an alley between two buildings and walked into the hardware store.

“Good morning, Shay,” Mr. Henderson said from behind the counter. “You know, it’s not sunny out.”

Shay smiled and took off the dark shades she never went without these days. She couldn’t take the chance. Without them she’d be distracted and sometimes scared by the colors, but Mr. Henderson was okay. She already knew what his colors were, yellow and blue and happy.

She took a deep breath and looked around her. Luckily no one else was in the store. “I need another tube of Spackle.”

“More? What are you doing up there?” Astonishment raised his voice, and his grayish-green eyes bulged a little under salt-and-pepper brows.

“Grams’s place must be on a fault line. Cracks keep forming in the walls, especially on the east side of the house.”

He crinkled his already heavily lined forehead, creating fissures as deep as the ones in her walls. “You might want to get someone out there to look at the foundation.”

“I will,” she said to appease him. And she would as soon as she got the money, which wouldn’t be anytime soon. “Thanks, Mr. Henderson.” She took the Spackle and headed toward the door.

“Let me know if you need any help out there, okay?” Concern softened his voice.

She smiled, and wished not for the first time that Grams could have seen how much he’d cared for her, that they could have spent her last few years together. No one should live their life alone like Grams had.

Shay waved, slid the glasses back on and placed her iPod’s earbuds in her ears as she left the shop and hurried down the street to Annie’s Fresh Farm Grocery Store. Like so many stores in the village, the white clapboard two-story was adorned with flowers and antiques that made the building look charming instead of old and run-down. Annie’s was a little overpriced, but it was better than driving to the large chain store down the highway. Besides, how much did one girl and her dog need?

Shay picked up a dozen fresh organic brown eggs and placed them in her basket, then perused the spinach and tomatoes before adding them to the eggs. As she picked up an avocado and gave it a gentle squeeze, the small hairs on her nape prickled—the telltale sensation that someone was watching her again.

Without making it obvious, she glanced around her, holding her breath and hoping she was wrong. For the past couple of weeks, she’d barely been able to leave the house without running into some kind of problem. Not just the uncomfortable sensation of someone’s attention, which usually meant trouble, but suddenly people glowed. Everyone was surrounded by colors, some bright, some dull, some black. Black was the color she was afraid of the most. But the worst part was the noise. People’s brains hummed and if a person was excited enough, their thoughts would burst right through the hum.

Shay really didn’t want to know what people were thinking.

Mostly she heard a low buzz, all the time, everywhere she went. When it first started, she’d thought she’d go mad, but she’d learned to block it out. To never leave the house without her sunglasses and an iPod. It had been three weeks since the weird buzz and lights had started. Three weeks, and still they hadn’t gone away. No one was paying much attention to her. No reason to warrant the nape prickling.

She took a few more steps when the soothing caress of warm energy brushed up against her arm. Gasping, she jumped back, almost dropping her basket. One of her earbuds popped out of her ear. She choked on the breath still caught in her throat and saw the man standing next to her. He was tall and slim with strong arms and snug-fitting jeans. Real snug. Real nice. Thick brown hair curled around his ears and astonishing pale blue eyes stared at her in concern.

“It’s okay, I’m fine.” She slapped an open palm to her chest to get the air flowing again and nodded, trying to look normal—when nothing about this situation, about this man, was normal. The most beautiful colors she’d ever seen surrounded him. Colors so bright she could even see them through the dark glasses. She couldn’t recall ever seeing those particular shades of blue and purple before. Air burst out of her lungs and a feeling of calm settled over her. Better yet, the buzzing noise was gone. Her mind was completely at peace.

She turned off her iPod. Yep, not a sound was coming from him. How was that possible?

“I think that one is ripe. Probably even bruised by now,” he said with a cocky grin.

She stared at him, stupefied, then embarrassment kicked in and she dropped the avocado into her basket.

“I—I don’t think I’ve seen you around town before,” she stammered, searching for something to say. He was awash in extraordinary colors. She could see right through the dark lenses of her glasses and it left her breathless and amazed.

“That would be because I just got here. I’ve been hired to oversee the remodeling of a new shop opening in the village—Tamara’s Candles and Incense.”

“Oh, nice,” she murmured as her tongue thickened in her mouth. Obviously, it had been too long since she’d talked to people. Especially men. Drop-dead gorgeous men.

“You realize there’s no sun outside,” he said, staring at her glasses.

Geez, was it really that dark out? Preparing herself, she slipped off the glasses and dropped them into her basket. The man’s aura was more startling than she’d first thought, and he had the most incredible bluish-gray eyes she’d ever seen.

“You have beautiful eyes. You shouldn’t hide them,” he said, staring into them with such intensity that a warm flush filled her face.

No one had ever said anything like that about her eyes before and she didn’t quite know how to respond. So she didn’t. She kept her mouth shut and her foot out of it.

“You don’t happen to know where I can find a short-term apartment?” he asked, his voice rippling through her in an unusually intoxicating way.

She was staring, overwhelmed by the colors shimmering around his head and the fact that she couldn’t hear his mind working. Not even the slightest buzz. Though for some reason he was affecting her body temperature. She let out a deep breath.

Amusement danced in his eyes.

“I’m...uh...sorry? Did you say something?” she asked, certain flaming-red must be filling her cheeks.

“An apartment?” he repeated.

“There is a real-estate office right down the street.” She pointed in the direction he should go.

He had such a wonderful earthy smell, something she could almost place. What was it? Cedar? Cinnamon? Apple? All of the above mixed together in a cornucopia of goodness.

“Thanks, was hoping not to have to deal with leases and finder’s fees and all that, since I won’t be here for very long.”

“Right.” What was he talking about? An apartment? Maybe she should...? No. She couldn’t. She wasn’t used to being around men who made her feel so jittery and tongue-tied. Or like a complete idiot. No, she was better off keeping to herself. And she knew it. Just like she knew she was a complete and utter chicken.

Keep your head down, Shay. You never know when they’ll find you. Her father’s warnings rushed through her mind. Not that she ever knew who they were, why they were looking or even what they wanted.

But for this man, she could easily forget her daddy’s warning. Mercy! With his dark hair streaked with a rebellious red, high cheekbones and wide, promising lips... She sighed. Not to mention strong shoulders that stretched from here to eternity. He was built and looked as if he could easily carry her and the world, and fight off whoever they might be.

And then she noticed his hands—large, strong hands. How she loved hands. Some girls liked chests and others liked butts. She loved hands. And his looked solid and capable. A warrior’s hands. She sighed again.

“Well, hope to see you around,” he said, after the long awkward pause she just realized had happened.

“Um, yeah. Right,” she murmured, but too late. He was already gone. Yep. Way to make a lasting impression, Shay. Not!

She glanced around the small store once more before walking toward the cash register. Her handsome warrior must have slipped out. Feeling foolish and distracted, she paid for her groceries, loaded up her tote bag, then walked out the door and collided into someone walking in.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, looking up into a black fathomless gaze.

Shay’s heart slammed against her rib cage. She’d been foolish enough to walk out the door without putting her glasses back on or her earbuds back in her ears. An angry buzz filled her head, growing louder by the second. She shook her head, trying to dispel the distracting noise. Color—or the lack of color, more like a muddy darkness—surrounded him. Head down, she pushed past him. Gooseflesh raising her skin where she’d touched him.

Just go in the store, she thought. Go in and leave me alone.

She should have known that would be too much to hope for.

The man turned and followed her. Fear twisted and turned in her stomach as bile rose in her throat. They are coming, Daddy. They’ve found me. She quickened her step, trying to put distance between her and the man. It didn’t work. He kept after her. What did he want?

She hesitated at the mouth of the alley between the two buildings that led into the parking lot and the quickest way back to her house. To Buddy. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to go in there. And worse, beyond the alley, beyond the parking lot, she would be at the highway and once crossed, there was nothing but woods. She’d be alone. Where no one would be able to see her. Or hear her.

She screwed up her courage and spun around on the sidewalk to face her pursuer. Hoping he wouldn’t be there.

But he was.

“Excuse me,” she said in what she hoped was a strong, steady voice.

His clean-shaven face held no expression. With his dress pants and polo shirt, he looked like any other tourist up from San Francisco. He certainly didn’t look like something evil. But he was. She could tell by the dark shadows circling around his head and the slightly bitter, metallic way he smelled.

His nostrils flared as he sniffed the air around her, then he moved closer, his eyes a black void of nothingness.

“Can I help you with something?” she asked, a slight quaver shaking her voice as she took a step back from him.

He didn’t answer. Just moved closer, uncomfortably close. She stepped back again and found herself at the mouth of the alley. She squared herself, planting her feet in a wide stance. All those years with her paranoid father teaching her everything from judo to how to shoot a revolver came rushing back. She dropped her tote bag, raised her hands, leaned her body weight slightly forward and loosened her knees.

“Turn around and get away from me,” she demanded. “Now.”

He stared at her with those obsidian black eyes that held no soul, and smiled. It was that smile, dripping with evil, that scared her more than anything he could have said.

What was he?

“What do you want from me?” her voice squeaked. She tried to stop looking at him. She didn’t want to see the dark, shifting shadows encircling his head or what was moving within them. What was that? She could have sworn she’d seen teeth. And claws.

A violent shudder shook her.

He grabbed her arm. “This way,” he snarled through a clenched jaw, and pushed her into the alley.

Fear, white-hot and molten, surged through her. She forgot her fighting stance, forgot every move she’d ever learned as her brain flooded with adrenaline. “Let me go!” She screamed, pulling and twisting, trying to break free from his grasp. But he was too strong.

He continued to push her forward, toward the large black van parked at the end of the alley. And she knew once they reached that van, once he got her inside, no one would ever see her again.

“Please,” she cried and pried at his fingers, trying to loosen his grip on her arm.

“You heard the lady. Let her go.”

The calm voice surprised and confused her. She looked up and saw the man from the store. Her knight in shining armor with the warrior hands stood not four feet away, watching them. Relief filled her, weakening her knees to the point she wasn’t sure she could continue to stand. She tried to pull free once more, but the crazy loon still wouldn’t loosen his grip.

What was wrong with him? There was a witness. Someone to help her.

Her rescuer set down his bag, took off his brown leather jacket and laid it neatly across the bag so it didn’t touch the ground.

As if in a dream, she watched him, unable to comprehend what was happening. All she knew was that she no longer felt so afraid.

“You should do as she says,” he said, walking toward them, and planting one of his hands on her attacker’s shoulder and squeezing.

She looked up at the man still holding her arm and could see the fear and anger surrounding him; it puffed up as a red cloud within the muddy darkness. Without looking at her, he dropped her arm, shrugged out of her savior’s grasp, turned and walked away. As if he’d never stopped, as if he’d never touched her.

Shay stared after him, astonished.

“Does that happen to you often?”

She turned back to the man from the store, blinking. “No, but it’s been happening more frequently lately.” That man wasn’t the first person with a black aura to take an unusual interest in her. But he was the first one who’d ever touched her. “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

“I was actually looking for that real-estate office you told me about. Luckily, I couldn’t find it.”

Luckily for her, but she might not be so lucky the next time. And somehow she knew there would be a next time. And like this time, she wouldn’t be able to handle it alone. “How long did you say you’d be in town?”

“Hard to say. Anywhere from four to eight weeks, depending on how quickly I can get the job done. Why, have you thought of someplace?”

“It’s not much and it’s been sitting empty for a while, but I sure could use the money.”

“No lease?”

She smiled. “No lease.”

“Great. I can pay you by the week.”

“Sounds fair. But don’t you want to see it first? Then we can discuss price.”

“Sure, should I drive? My truck’s right down the street.”

She looked toward his truck and shook her head. Her nerves were still too shaky to get into a stranger’s vehicle. And yet, here she was taking him to her home. But for a reason she didn’t understand, she trusted him. It had to be his aura, the warm vibrant colors surrounding him, so different from the muddy dark aura of her attacker.

“I really could use the fresh air, if you don’t mind. It’s not a far walk.”

He gestured forward with an easy smile that immediately set her at ease. “Lead the way.”

She took a step forward then stopped, turned back to him and held out her hand. “I’m Shay. Shay Mallory.”

His large grasp enveloped her small hand, surprising her with its warmth. “Jason Stratton.”

She turned and, for a moment, felt a prick of fear as she led him toward her home. An absolute certainty that everything was about to change.

Chapter 2

Jason was more than a little surprised when the woman offered her apartment so quickly. He wondered how long she’d been attracting the Abatu, men so lost and confused that it was easy for a demon to hitch a ride. Those types of lost souls were scary and bothersome, but were easily deterred. What would be worse was if the Gauliacho, higher-formed demons from the other side, found her. And from what he could tell, it wouldn’t be long now until they did.

They crossed Highway 1 and started up the gravel road in silence. Shay couldn’t have started her transformation too long ago. She wore dark glasses even though the day was overcast, so she could definitely see the colors. And he was fairly certain she was hearing the buzzing, too. Soon she’d be seeing and feeling a lot more. Her scent and the vibrations she exuded were strong, making it relatively easy for him to find her. Unfortunately, it also made her an easy target for the Abatu.

But what concerned him more was how little she seemed to know about herself. Her dad, Dean, would have made sure she’d been properly trained. And yet, she’d been genuinely afraid of the Abatu when she could have taken him in an instant. She was strong enough. She just didn’t seem to know it. Had Dean died before he had the chance to teach her what she needed to know? His stomach clenched at the thought. He hoped not.

They mounted the slight incline following a worn gravel road. Jason watched the gentle sway of her hips. Her snug shorts hugged her form nicely and showed off her long, strong legs. She was quite the beauty, and he had a feeling she didn’t know that, either. She had her mother’s bright blue, almost violet eyes. The effect of their deep color along with her long black hair was stunning. Her wide generous mouth drew his attention. On her mother, Lily, those lips had been easy to break into a smile, but on Shay, he wasn’t so sure.

She didn’t seem to have Lily’s carefree easiness about her. It was that, coupled with Lily’s bright smile, that had captured Dean’s heart and refused to let go. A pang of regret thudded through Jason for his old friend. Dean had been foolish enough to break all the rules, fall in love with a human and then get her pregnant. For that, they had all paid the price. Maggie’s smiling face and bright eyes slipped into Jason’s thoughts. He quickly pushed them back out, but still felt the sharp ache of his wife’s loss. He looked back at Shay and focused on her.

Dean’s daughter. What had her life been like? He wished she could have grown up in The Colony, but half-breeds weren’t allowed in the pack. They couldn’t take the chance. Once the half-breeds were old enough, some would turn, some wouldn’t. And if they didn’t, the pack couldn’t chance having humans living at The Colony, chance being exposed to the rest of the world.

It was one of the pack’s oldest rules and one he still hadn’t come to terms with. Family was family, human or not. Dean and Lily had been forced out on their own. A wolf living outside the protection of the pack didn’t stand a chance. And now it was Shay’s turn. She was changing, and soon her transformation would be complete.

As they walked silently through the woods, he considered asking her about her mother, but she didn’t seem to be the type for mindless chitchat. Nor was she completely comfortable with him. He could tell by the subtle pinching of her lips that she was second-guessing her decision to invite him back to her home.

But whether she knew it or not, she needed him and fortunately she seemed to sense that. He wouldn’t have long to convince her that she had to come with him to The Colony. He only hoped Dean or her mother had told her about them, about what she was, and prepared her for what was about to happen to her.

Shay stopped and picked up a large pinecone, twisting it this way and that. She was a beauty, every part of her from her slim graceful form, to her long black hair. Yes, Malcolm would be very pleased. For a second he felt a pinch of envy but quickly pushed it away. This she-wolf was for Malcolm. Her bloodline would ensure his continued leadership of the pack and silence those grumbling against him once and for all. Now that she was turning, all Jason had to do was get her to The Colony safely. Get her to Malcolm and let him deal with the fallout.

But to do that, he needed her cooperation. And he’d need it soon. As a small white clapboard house came into view, a large dog bolted through the trees toward them, breaking through the brush.

Shay stiffened beside him. “I hope you like dogs—”

Before she could finish, the dog, more wolf than Siberian husky, burst through the trees then skidded to a stop in front of them. It stared at Jason, its head cocked sideways, its large brown eyes studying him before it dropped whimpering to the ground. He lifted his massive front paw, up and down, up and down, as small little whimpers issued from his throat.

“Buddy?” Shay asked as she dropped to the ground next to her dog. “What’s wrong, boy?”

Jason crouched next to them and rubbed the dog’s brown-and-white head, letting him know he wasn’t a threat to the animal.

“I have never seen him act like that before.” Shay brushed the fur on the top of his dark ears. “Buddy, it’s okay. This is Jason.”

Jason gave the dog a pat on the shoulder then stood. As he did, Buddy stood, too, all his anxiety gone as his large tail beat the back of Jason’s legs.

“Don’t worry,” Jason said. “Dogs like me.”

“I guess so,” she said, though she looked doubtful.

She was staring at him openly now, trying to figure him out. She could stare all she wanted, but in the long run, she wasn’t going to like what he had to tell her. About him. About her parents. About herself. She pulled her arm back and chucked the pinecone, sending it soaring through the air. At full speed, Buddy took off after it. When they reached the house, they found Buddy sitting on the porch, the pinecone mangled between his paws.

Jason was mildly surprised not to sense anyone else inside. “Do you live here by yourself?”

“Yes. There’s a small apartment above the garage. I haven’t been in there in a while. It will probably need some dusting.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” he answered automatically, and wondered where her mother was. If perhaps she was in another home nearby. He’d like to know how Lily had fared all these years without Dean. If she’d found happiness.

Or if, like him, she was more comfortable alone, preferring not to remember their past.

They walked toward the garage separated from the house by a small covered walkway and went up the stairs. He tried not to watch Shay’s backside as she climbed the steps, tried very hard, but she offered such a nice view. He hung back as she opened the door and walked in.

Shay gasped as she stood in the doorway, her hand fluttering to her throat. Alarmed, Jason stepped past her into the room and stilled. Buddy, who had followed behind him, whined, turned and ran back down the stairs.

Jason stared wide-eyed at the large cracks fissuring the walls facing the house. They left long gaping fractures in the Sheetrock.

“I am so sorry,” Shay said, walking farther into the room. “We live on a fault line that has been extremely active lately. I’ve been having the same problem in the house. I just bought more Spackle today.” She lifted her tote bag. “I’ll take care of these right away.”

Jason stiffened, trying not to show his reaction to the voices whispering behind the walls and echoing through his head. The Gauliacho. Couldn’t she hear them, too? No. Not yet. But they made her uncomfortable. As they should. These weren’t simple cracks. These were openings, gateways to the other side. Soon they would be wide enough that no amount of Spackle in the world would be able to stop them from coming.

He couldn’t stay there. And neither could she. Not another day longer.

* * *

Shay stared in horror at the cracks shredding the wall of the apartment. They were much bigger than the ones in her house. These ones were almost big enough to see through, but instead of wisps of pink insulation or even a glimmer of studs behind the Sheetrock, all she could see was darkness. She inched forward, clutching the Spackle in her hand, but as she took that first step, fear, unreasonable and unexpected, swept through her. Whispers filled her mind, unrecognizable and yet somehow familiar.

She froze, her limbs stiff and unyielding as she listened harder, trying to grasp the sounds. Were they words? Yes. But how? Then the sounds became clearer, the syllables running together.

Abomination.

Fear strangled her throat, squeezing it within its fist to the point that she couldn’t swallow, couldn’t breathe.

Abomination. Abomination. Abomination.

Walls don’t speak! Dizziness swam through her and she faltered. She tried to breathe, to force open her mouth and gasp a breath, but she couldn’t. The room spun, nausea roiled through her stomach. Darkness filled the edges of her vision. And then Jason was touching her, holding her arm. Steadying her. She turned to him, her mouth opening but emitting no sounds, the question burning in her eyes.

Do you hear it, too?

With a whoosh, her lungs filled with air. She gasped, quick shallow breaths. His aura was strong, bright. Chasing away the darkness as she hung on to him. He didn’t say anything and an awkward silence lingered between them.

“I...uh...I’ll have to fill the cracks before you can stay here,” she said, glancing back at the wall. “I’m afraid something in the walls is making me sick.”

Even the air felt off and it didn’t smell right. It seemed darker somehow, bleaker, and the scent of sour earth filled her nose. What was happening to her? She must be coming down with something. Tea and perhaps a nap and she’d be right as rain, as her grandma used to say. “The insulation must be toxic,” she continued, muttering, babbling as she faltered again.

“It’s going to be all right. I’ll take care of you,” he said, and before she could respond or even contemplate his words, she was up in his arms, cradled against his warm chest. She didn’t know if the whispering had stopped or if she was so consumed by his body heat, by his heady, earthy scent that she no longer heard the disturbing whispers. She breathed his scent deep, holding it within her, as if it alone could protect her from the darkness.

She didn’t know why, but she no longer felt sick or scared. She nestled close to him as he carried her out of the apartment, down the stairs and into the yard before he set her back onto her feet. She stood there, leaning into him, her hands on his chest, feeling his warmth beneath the palms of her hands. She didn’t want to let him go. But she had to. She didn’t even know him.

Once she stepped away and was standing on her own, embarrassment took root and spread quickly through her. She had never been one of those needy women who couldn’t take care of herself, who needed a man around her. And yet that was what had just happened.

“I’m so sorry about this.” She stammered, “I—I don’t know what came over me.”

He looked down at her, smiling. Which made it even worse.

“I really should get these groceries in the fridge.” She patted the tote bag still slung over her shoulder then turned and quickly walked toward the house. After a second, she realized he wasn’t following her. She turned back to him and found him standing in the same spot, staring after her, a look of concern on his face. Heat warmed her cheeks and quickened her already frayed nerves. “You want to come in for a cup of coffee?”

He nodded, an eager smile lifting his lips. “I think coffee would be a great idea.”

He was concerned about her. Why? He didn’t even know her. She climbed the steps up her porch and hurried into the kitchen with Buddy close on her heels. She went right to the sink and busied herself filling the carafe of the coffeemaker with water. Still trying to determine what had just happened. She’d become so lightheaded, she’d almost fainted and this man, this stranger, had caught her in his more-than-capable arms and she hadn’t wanted him to let her go. She sighed. To make matters worse, this man who had shifted her libido into overdrive was sitting at her kitchen table.

She tried not to think about that. Or about the fact that she felt so comfortable around him. Sometimes he looked at her as if he knew her. As if she knew him. Crazy. And the way she felt when he touched her... She had definitely never felt like that before—all tingly and aware. She glanced at him, sitting in one of her kitchen chairs, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He looked good there. He looked...comfortable.

Once the coffee began brewing, she put a kettle of tea on for herself. Jason stood and perused her pictures on the wall. Photos of herself with her parents back before Dad had died and everything had become so hard for them.

“Your mom and dad?” he asked. His words were casual, but there was nothing casual about the tension in his shoulders. Why was he looking at them like that?

“Yep,” she said and filled her grandmother’s antique cream jar with milk and set it on the table with the matching sugar bowl. She used the set every day, trying to feel closer to her so she wouldn’t miss her so much. Some days it worked; some days it didn’t.

“Where do they live now?” Jason asked.

Was there more than idle curiosity in his voice?

“They aren’t. Living, that is,” she said more harshly than she’d meant to.

Confusion wrinkled his forehead. “Oh. I didn’t know. Sorry to hear that.” And he looked it, too. Much more than he should for someone who had no idea who she or her parents were.

Anxiety twisted through her as it hit her again that she’d invited a man she didn’t know into her home. She was alone with a complete stranger. A too-good-to-be-true stranger.

And no one knew.

“I know what it’s like to lose your family,” he said as sadness filled his eyes. “To be alone.”

She gave herself a strong mental kick for being so paranoid. Here was this nice guy, who had done nothing but help her and try to make small talk, and she was thinking the worst of him.

“I’m sorry about the apartment,” she said, deciding the best thing to do would be to change the subject. “I’m afraid Mr. Henderson was right and I’ll need to get the foundation checked. I don’t think it’s inhabitable.”

For a moment he didn’t say anything, just sat at the table as she placed the steaming mug of coffee in front of him. She dropped into the chair across from him and added milk and honey to her tea.

“I am a contractor. I do remodels for a living and I don’t believe the problem is with your foundation.”

She perked up at that news. “Really? That would be great news because, honestly, I can’t afford that kind of extensive repair.”

She took a deep drink of the soothing chamomile. At first it hit the spot, but after a second her stomach flipped over on itself, sending a painful cramp slicing through her abdomen. She grabbed her middle and bent over.

Jason stood. “Are you all right?”

She tried to straighten but was in too much pain. She wanted to assure him that she was fine, but another racking wave shot through her. “I’m sorry. I must be coming down with something.”

“You should lie down.” He reached for her, his hand on her arm, pulling her out of the chair.

“Oh, I couldn’t. We still need to discuss....” Sudden weakness and a spike in her temperature killed the words on her lips. But she had to say them. They had to talk. How could she sleep with a strange man in her house? And what was she going to do with him? He couldn’t stay in the apartment, foundation issues or not.

“I insist.” He slipped his hand around her waist, helping her walk. And once he did, once she stared up into those gorgeous pale bluish-gray eyes of his, she knew she couldn’t fight him. But more than that, she knew she didn’t need to fear him. Though, for the life of her, she couldn’t imagine how she knew.

He led her into the living room and over to her large comfy couch. “Just for a little while,” he said as she fell into the deep cushions. He pushed the hair back from her face and it took all the effort she had not to tip her head into his hand. To seek comfort from him.

“I’ll check out the cracks in your apartment to see what needs to be done, then we’ll talk.” He looked around the room, noticing the cracks she’d tried to spackle on the wall above the TV.

Before she could respond, she started to drift off. She felt the warm familiar threads of her grandmother’s afghan being pulled up over her shoulders, and heard him softly whisper in a deep, commanding voice, “Buddy, stay.

“You’ll be safe for now,” he whispered, and she couldn’t help thinking what an odd thing for him to say, but before she could determine what he meant she succumbed to the dark.

* * *

Jason left the room with Buddy keeping watch over Shay and walked outside. The afternoon was growing late. With the shortened days of fall, soon it would be dark. He walked back down the road toward town and his truck, which he’d left parked outside the small grocery store.

His wolf scent was much stronger than hers. But with the crystals on his wrist, he had another day’s protection from the Abatu before the stones stopped working. Then he’d attract the demons himself. If only it hadn’t taken him so long to find her.

He had hoped he’d have more time to build her trust before he had to drop the truth on her and explode her world. But time was a luxury they no longer had. From the size of those cracks on her walls and the way the change was affecting her, they would need to get on the road first thing in the morning or risk what would be coming through those walls after them.

He climbed into the truck and drove it back to her house, parking in front. He had all the necessary supplies he needed in the back—rope, knife, flashlight, water, extra food, extra clothes. He just hoped he wouldn’t need to use any of them. But she was changing fast and from what he could gather, she had no clue who she was or what was happening to her.

How could Dean have been so careless? He knew the danger a fledgling wolf faced. How could he not have prepared her or at least told Lily what to tell her? He ran a hand over his face and wondered when Lily had died. Maybe they hadn’t had time. That was the only explanation that made sense. Maybe they’d died too soon, when Shay was still too young to understand.

Grief tugged at his insides and he wished once more that Dean had chosen to stay at The Colony. Obviously if he had, he’d still be alive today and there wouldn’t be as much dissention in the pack.

Malcolm was a good leader. A strong leader. But there had been grumblings about his methods, his integrity and honor. Not something anyone would ever have said about Dean Mallory. Dean had been as honorable as they came, which was why he’d left to marry Lily when she’d become pregnant. It was the right and honorable thing to do. The only thing to do.

As Jason sat there staring at the little house, thinking about Dean’s daughter inside, he couldn’t help wondering if Lily had known the truth about them. Had he ever told her? Or had he gone to his grave never letting the love of his life know his true nature? That he wasn’t like everyone else. That he wasn’t human.

Jason shook his head as the magnitude of what Dean could have done hit him. Had he really loved Lily that much? Had he made sure she never had to make the choice to give up her humanity, to give up her ties to her mother, to the outside world only to have to spend the rest of her life with wolves? That’s when Jason knew the truth of his thoughts. Yes, he’d loved her that much and more. Only now his daughter would pay the price of his silence. Dean had gambled on the fact that, as a half-breed, Shay would never make the change, that she’d stay human. He’d been wrong.

Now it fell on Jason to have to tell her the truth about herself and her heritage. He would be the one to tell her it was time to give up everything and everyone she knew and move to The Colony with no forewarning of what was to come. Of what her future would bring, her responsibility to the pack and her need to marry Malcolm, the pack’s leader.

He only hoped she’d come with him peacefully.

Chapter 3

Jason breathed in deep the salty ocean air. It had been a long time since he’d been able to enjoy the beach, the crashing of the waves, the sand between his toes. They were so close, he wished he and Shay could have even an hour together to walk along the shore and get to know one another better before he had to tell her about The Colony and about Malcolm.

It was imperative that she understood how important she was to the pack. Her marriage to Malcolm was the only way to bring peace to The Colony, to stop the grumblings and whispers of war. She was Dean’s daughter; she was next in line as successor. As Malcolm’s wife, they would rule together. Side by side, they could bring peace.

Jason walked back into the house. Shay was still sleeping as her body struggled to adjust to the changes going on within her. He sat in the chair next to her, watching her sleep while contemplating the best way to tell her she’d have to leave everything behind.

The crystals twined into the rope on his wrist began to prick his skin. He rubbed his wrist then noticed the faint scent of sulfur drifting into the room. He stood, his gaze immediately going to the cracks in the wall. Dammit, he’d thought he’d have more time. He hurried into the kitchen and, one by one, began pulling family pictures off the wall and placing them in the canvas tote bag Shay had used for her grocery shopping. She would want these and it would be a long time before she would be able to return to get them. If ever.

With the bag slung over his shoulder, he hurried back into the living room. It was time. It was almost dark and the whispers coming through the cracks were getting louder and almost...comprehensible. He sat on the sofa next to her and gently shook her shoulder. “Shay, you have to wake up. We need to go.”

“Huh? Go?” she muttered, trying to rouse herself from a deep sleep.

“Yes, it isn’t safe here.”

“Not safe?” She sat up, rubbing her eyes and staring at him, her face crumpled with confusion. “What do you mean? Where do we need to go?”

“To The Colony.”

“Where?”

Buddy whined at her feet.

He knew what was coming. The dog had enough wolf in him that he could smell the acrid scent filling the room, a cross between sulfur and vinegar, a sign of the demons getting closer, of barriers being breached.

“Where have I heard that name before?”

“The Colony? Hopefully from your dad. He used to live there. In fact, he sort of ran the place.”

“What? When?” She started to stand but, unsteady on her feet, she quickly sat back down again. “I’m confused. Is that where you’re from? This colony?”

“Yes, I’ve come to get you.”

“But what about the candle shop remodel?”

“It can wait,” he lied. “What’s important is getting you to safety.”

Her concern grew to fear as she came fully awake. He could smell it in the subtle shift of her scent. Could see it in the tensing of her shoulders and the way she kept moving her hands across her thighs.

“I didn’t know I was in danger,” she said, her voice soft enough to almost be a whisper.

“I’m sorry. I know this must seem strange, coming out of the blue like this from someone you’ve never met—”

“That’s putting it mildly.” She got to her feet and walked into the kitchen and toward the coffeepot. She took down a clean mug and poured herself a cup, then popped it in the microwave.

He’d spooked her. “I know how this sounds, and I wish I had more time for you to trust what I have to say, but I made a promise to your dad that... I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you. I’m not about to break that word. We have to go, and we have to go now. Take only what you absolutely need. You have ten minutes, tops, to get your stuff together.”

She stared at him with incredulity filling her face. “You didn’t know my father. You’re too young. How dare you tell me you promised him? I’m not going anywhere with you. Now I think you should leave.”

He stepped toward her then stopped as fear widened her eyes and she backed up against the cabinets.

“I don’t know why your parents didn’t tell you about The Colony or about yourself, and I’m sorry for that, but I don’t have time to explain it all to you now. Those cracks in your walls aren’t caused by fault lines. They are doorways splitting open and leading into a demon dimension. Soon they will be wide enough for the Gauliacho to get through. Trust me, you don’t want to be here when they do.”

“Demons! Are you listening to yourself?”

“I know it sounds crazy.”

“It doesn’t just sound crazy. It is crazy.”

“It’s the truth. You heard the whispering. You breathed their air and it made you sick.”

She stared at him wide-eyed and began shaking her head back and forth. “No. It’s. Not. Now get out.”

* * *

How could Shay have been so stupid? She knew better than to invite a stranger into her home. But she’d been distracted by his good looks and tempted by his cold hard cash. Idiot. Never before had a smooth-talking handsome man fooled her, and the one time one had....

And then she noticed the pictures that were missing off her kitchen wall and her fingers froze at her sides. “What have you done with my photos?”

He held up her tote bag. “I packed them. We’re taking them with us. You shouldn’t need them to prove who you are, but it wouldn’t hurt. Bring your papers, too—birth certificate, driver’s license and anything that might have this symbol on it.” He pulled up his sleeve and showed her a tattoo on his forearm of a large swirling circle with five claws sticking out from the sides.

Shay gasped as her knees weakened. Coffee forgotten, she dropped into a chair at the table. The tattoo was exactly like the one her father had worn. Her hand fluttered to her neck, to the amulet hidden beneath her shirt as she recalled her father’s words the night he’d given it to her.

You’re a big girl now, Shay. Big enough to wear a big girl’s necklace. Do you see this symbol? Her dad had swung the obsidian amulet in front of her. This is a symbol of a very special place. A place where your daddy came from. If anyone ever comes to you and they have a symbol like this, you must trust them. You must go with them. Never take it off. Promise me, pumpkin?

All these years and she’d kept her word. She’d never taken it off. And now someone who had a symbol just like hers was here.

You must trust them.

But how could she?

“I’m sorry I don’t have time to explain everything that is happening to you. Please trust me when I tell you that you are in danger. We both are. What happened in town today was just the beginning. We have to get out of here. We have to get you back to The Colony where you will be safe.”

“Why?” She didn’t understand. How could she? “Why this colony? Where is it?”

“The demons can’t sense us there. It’s protected.”

Shay stood on shaky legs. “And you’re saying that once I go there...” She couldn’t finish the words.

“You might be able to leave. Like I can, but only for short periods of time. Most choose not to.”

Unbidden tears filled her eyes. She didn’t know why. She didn’t believe him. She didn’t have to listen to him, even if she could still hear her father’s voice echoing in her mind. But it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true. “This was my grandmother’s home. It’s my home. Buddy and I love it here. We can’t just leave. We won’t leave.”

Jason sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. “What has been happening to you, the colors you’ve been seeing—”

A chill swept over and wrapped around her. How could he know about that?

“Have you started to hear the buzzing yet?”

She stared at him, unable to move. To breathe. Was it possible that he was telling her the truth? How else could he know these things?

“It’s part of the change. Your body is transforming, and that transformation is what is attracting the demons. Soon it will draw the Gauliacho, too. They’ll come through the walls, through the cracks. We can’t be here when that happens. Please, Shay, pack what you absolutely must have and do it quickly. We have to go.”

She shook her head. “Maybe you know some things about me that you shouldn’t know, but that doesn’t mean I am going to give up my home and run away with you. I don’t know anything about you. I don’t believe what you’re saying. I just... I won’t go.”

Silence thickened the air between them and she was finding it hard to pull in a breath. He was angry, she could see it in the bunching of his muscles, could hear it in the sharp intake of his ragged breath.

“I don’t think you understand,” he started again, his face tense, his eyes dark. Energy pulsed around him, making him look bigger than he was, stronger, more lethal.

How could she have invited him into her home? Why hadn’t she seen this side of him? How big he was? How dangerous? And yet, he had the tattoo. And she had the echoes of her father’s words playing around the edges of her mind. You can trust them.

“I...I just can’t run off with a perfect stranger,” she said again, though she wasn’t sure if she was saying it for his benefit or for hers. No sooner had the words left her mouth than a rumbling shook the kitchen. A long crack split the wall where her family’s pictures had once hung, forming a long gaping fracture.

Jason stood so fast his chair crashed to the floor behind him. “You have no choice, Shay. We have to go. They’re coming! Hurry!”

Fueled by his fear, and her own, she ran to her room at the back of the house and pulled a duffel down from her closet. What was happening? She didn’t know, and yet she started throwing things into the bag without much thought of what she was grabbing until it was overflowing. How could she choose in a matter of seconds which items of her life to take with her and which to leave behind?

She stopped, took a deep breath then picked up the duffel and dumped it upside down, shaking the contents onto the bed. She started again: her two favorite pairs of Levi’s, her favorite sweater, socks, underwear, boots, a long-sleeved T-shirt, the book she was reading, her jewelry—not because she owned a lot of nice pieces but because most of what she did own had once belonged to her mother—a spool of yarn, her crochet needles.

“How are we doing?” Jason asked, appearing in the doorway; his eyes, wide with urgency, fell on the half-crocheted scarf in her hand as he shifted back and forth on his heels in his impatience to hurry her.

“Almost done.” She grabbed some shorts and T-shirts and shoved them into the duffel, then ran into the bathroom and seized all her toiletries, sweeping them into a makeup bag, then hurried into the living room. She stood in the middle of the room staring at the brocade sofa, the soft leather wing chair that she loved. The antique sideboard filled with porcelain and crystal, her memories, her family’s heirlooms, whether they were valuable or not, how could she leave them all behind?

Tears welled in her eyes and she collapsed onto the sofa. What was she doing? She dropped her head into her hands and tried to catch her breath and still her racing heart. This was crazy. He was crazy and somehow he’d sucked her into his delusion.

But as she sat there, listening to her heart thud in her chest and trying to get ahold of herself, she heard faint whispers filling the air. Like before, in the apartment, they seemed to be coming from the wall. From the crack. Slowly, she rose off the sofa and walked over to the deep fissure in the wall. The same wall that had been a supporting structure for this house for the past sixty years and suddenly it was broken.

And emitting a foul-smelling gas. She placed her hand over her nose and mouth and leaned in closer. They are doorways leading to a demon dimension. Jason’s words filled her head and quickened her heart. But that was crazy! There was no such thing as a demon dimension. She leaned in closer, listening, and then she heard it again, the whispering that had filled the room with a strange rhythm that was almost a chant. The one word she could grasp clearly.

Abomination.

Chills scurried madly down her arms and across the back of her neck. But it wasn’t just the chills; a strange vibration pulsed deep inside her ears, and the room began to spin. Darkness bloomed on the edge of her vision and her legs turned rubbery. Weakened, she turned and, on her way out of the room, grabbed her grandmother’s afghan and her laptop case. She slung it over her shoulder with the duffel and hurried out the door and onto the porch. She quickly closed and locked the door then turned around and stifled a scream.

Jason stood on the porch’s top step, the tote bag and a bag of Buddy’s dog food under his arm. Buddy stood crouched a foot behind him, his hair bristling as he stared out into the yard. A lone wolf stood not ten feet in front of them, his head bowed, his teeth bared. Buddy whined, pushing himself next to Jason’s powerful legs.

“What does it want?” Shay asked nervously.

“He’s drawn to the smell of the demons.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s in his blood. He knows the smell, he fears it, but he doesn’t understand why. He doesn’t remember.”

She didn’t understand. How could she understand? It was nonsense. “Will it hurt us?”

“I don’t know. He’s confused and afraid.” Jason stepped off the porch, walking slowly toward his truck. The wolf’s eyes tracked him as he proceeded across the yard. Its upper lip lifted, showing a row of sharp teeth as it caught Jason’s scent, then it snarled a warning that sent the hair on her neck standing on end.

Jason slowed, taking a tentative step forward. Then another, his eyes never leaving the wolf’s. He was almost to his driver’s door when another wolf stepped out from behind a large redwood tree.

Shay gasped a breath and held it to keep from calling out a warning. Very slowly and deliberately, Jason closed the distance to his truck and opened the driver’s door. She didn’t let loose the air burning inside her chest until he climbed inside the truck and slammed the door shut.

“Buddy.” Instantly, he was by her side. A low growl rumbled in his throat as another two wolves stepped into the clearing and moved toward them. She leaned down and grabbed ahold of Buddy’s collar. They had to get back in the house. But before she could take a step, Jason’s truck roared to life. He flipped on the headlights and, in the dimming light of dusk, lit up the yard. The wolves turned and faced him, their eyes glowing greenish-gold in the headlight’s reflection.

The truck inched forward, moving close to the porch, one tire riding up the bottom step. Jason pushed open the back door of the crew cab and yelled, “Come on, Buddy!”

In a flash, Buddy yanked out of her grasp and jumped into the backseat of the truck then slid between the bucket seats up front and positioned himself in the passenger’s seat. Amazement surged through her at how easily and quickly Buddy obeyed him, which quickly turned to annoyance. She had no choice now. There was no going back.

“Come on, Shay,” Jason yelled.

Before she could move, another wolf appeared on the porch from the side of the house not ten feet away from her. Without a second thought, she ran and jumped into the backseat of the crew cab, slamming the door shut behind her. Jason made a wide turn and carefully drove down the road as even more wolves stepped out from between the redwoods to watch them pass, their dark eyes following them.

Buddy whined and Shay repositioned herself, squeezing up into the front seat next to him. She put her arm around his trembling body. Though she suspected she was getting more comfort from his soft warm fur than he was getting from her. She laid her cheek against him and tried not to cry. More wolves stepped forward, flanking the road as they drove away from her home.

“Look at them all. In all the years I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen a single wolf. Now they’re everywhere.”

“They’ve come from far away, tracking the scent.”

“What if they get into the house?” She turned around and watched them move toward her home.

“It doesn’t matter. Not anymore.”

Disbelief filled and angered her. “Yes, it does. How can you say that? They’ll ruin everything. That is my home.” As she thought of the damage they could do, to the antique sofa, the leather of the chairs, the wool rugs, she felt her control over her emotions slipping as tears spilled onto her cheeks.

“Did you shut the door?”

“Yes, but what if they break a window? We have to go back. We have to do something, call someone.”

“We can’t, Shay. I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do. No one we can call.”

“Yes, we can! That is my home.”

“No it’s not. Not anymore.”

She glared at him, feeling the hatred burning through her eyes.

“I’m sorry. That came out harsher than I’d intended. You have to trust me, Shay. As hard as it is to accept, life as you know it is over. You have no choice but to move on.”

“That’s not true. We always have choices.”

“But not always good ones. I know it sounds insensitive, but—”

“You’re damn right it does. I will never forgive you for this, for taking me away from my home. For not calling someone, for not helping me save...” And then it broke loose, all the fear and the anger she was trying to keep at bay. It filled her heart and overflowed, expanding into her throat. Gulping, painful sobs wrenched her chest, and tears flooded her eyes, scorching her cheeks.

Embarrassment engulfed her, merging with the fear and anger and the deep sadness. Everyone in her family was dead and everything she had left to remind her of them was still in that house. And yet, she’d chosen to go with him, to turn from her home and get into his truck. Fool.

But what choice had she had? She thought again of the years, the memories with her grandmother. They were all she had left of her family. There was nothing else. No one else. But now the house was riddled with cracks, and foul-smelling odors and...wolves.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window.

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

“You already said that. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t help.”

“It does matter, Shay, because you’re alive. If I hadn’t come today, if I’d waited one more night...”

She turned to him. He was serious. He really believed she’d been in danger. She thought of the voices in her wall, of the feverish eyes of the wolves outside her door, and a shudder tore through her. Was he right? Was she that close to death?

If I’d waited one more night...

Chapter 4

Shay must have fallen asleep. She woke with her head pressed against the glass and Buddy’s big body splayed across her lap. She dug her fingers into his fur, finding comfort in his softness. He was all she had left now. She looked out the windshield at the dark empty highway looming ahead of them.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To the most beautiful spot on earth. You and Buddy will love it.”

Maybe. But they’d loved it where they were. Buddy had tons of empty forest to roam. They were a breath away from the beautiful blue Pacific with its soaring cliffs and giant black rocks. There were people she knew back there, people who knew her. She sighed. Who knew where she was going now? What it would be like. Why hadn’t her parents told her about this place?

Would she ever be able to go back home? She had to. She’d take out a loan, make the repairs on the house, call wildlife control and take back her life. Running off with a stranger was beyond foolish and it wasn’t like her. She was practical. Logical. She didn’t let her emotions rule her actions. She didn’t operate on instinct. She was a planner, so she was making a plan.

Except how could she plan for demons? She shook her head. Crazy. They were just cracks in the wall. Cracks that whisper? The question taunted her.

“Will we get there soon?” she asked, trying to stretch the kinks out of her neck and back. How long had she been sleeping? She looked at the radio’s clock. Almost midnight!

“Not tonight. We will stop at a motel a few miles up the road.”

She nodded, rethinking her plan. Perhaps she wouldn’t have to go all the way to this colony. She was starving, and she had to use the restroom. First thing in the morning, she would call a car-rental place and take back control of her life. She didn’t know who this man was, anything about him or where he was taking her. There was no reason she had to stay with him.

Except he had the tattoo.

But if it was so important that she trust him, go with him, then why hadn’t anyone told her about this colony?

“Great. While I appreciate all you’ve done today to help us, this motel will be the end of the line for me and Buddy.”

Jason turned and looked at her, his face unreadable in the dim light from the dash.

“Just because you have a tattoo that matches my necklace doesn’t mean I’m going to give up my life and run off with you. I know nothing about you. Nothing about where you’re taking me, or why I’m suddenly in so much danger.”

“Fair enough,” he said, his voice tense as he pulled into an old fifties-style motel. “But will you let me tell you more over dinner? Perhaps fill in some of the holes?”

“Those are some pretty big holes to fill,” she muttered. She stared skeptically out of the window at the bright neon vacancy sign. “Blue Moon?”

“It doesn’t look like much but it’s clean and the cheeseburgers are to die for.”

She sighed as her stomach rumbled and, with a pat on Buddy’s head, climbed out of the truck. Jason ordered for them while she took Buddy to do his business then put him back in the truck. “We won’t be long,” she promised. “Then you can sleep with me. It’s a pet-friendly motel.”

Buddy barked once, then whined and dropped his head onto his paws. She filled up his bowl, which she’d found shoved into his bag of food, smiled at him and shut the door.

Jason was right. The cheeseburger was better than she’d expected, especially since she didn’t usually eat meat, but suddenly she seemed to be craving it. She scarfed down the burger quicker than she would have imagined possible then picked at her salad.

“I can’t believe how fast I ate that,” she said, a little embarrassed. “I can’t remember the last time I was this hungry.”

He smiled. “I like girls with healthy appetites.”

It was a nice smile, a charming smile. But it wouldn’t work on her. Not anymore. She looked back down at her plate and speared a tomato. “So, what you said earlier...about my dad.”

He looked up, his pale bluish-gray eyes catching hers, and she was almost afraid to continue, to know. “It almost sounded like you knew him.”

“I did know him.”

She stared at him, her salad forgotten. “When? How?”

“The Colony is a small town. Everyone knows everybody. Your dad was... He was the leader of our village. You would be, too—as his daughter it’s your blood right.”

Blood right? What was that supposed to mean? Suspicion wormed its way through her, leaving a trail of unsettling wariness. What kind of town had leaders based on blood rights?

“My dad died ten years ago. And we have never lived anywhere called The Colony.”

“I know. He left shortly before marrying your mother.”

“Okay, well, that had to have been twenty-three years ago. And you can’t be a day over thirty. So how do you remember my dad?”

“He was a great man. He had a way of making an impression.”

She leaned back into the red vinyl seat and stared around the fifties diner, the long row of booths lining the wall of windows, while trying to wrap her mind around this. Something just didn’t sound right. Hell, none of it sounded right.

“Maybe you should tell me why you came for me. The real reason, because obviously you didn’t just happen to bump into me in the grocery store.”

“No, you’re right about that.” He swiped a handful of fries through a mound of ketchup and stuffed them into his mouth.

She waited, watching, her impatience growing by the second.

He swallowed, took a deep sip of his Coke and then smiled, a devastatingly charming smile meant to knock her off her feet. It wasn’t working. Not even a little.

“I came to find you.”

“Yes, I figured. Why?”

“To save you.” He leaned back with a self-satisfied grin, obviously pleased with his accomplishment.

“Thank you,” she gritted through a jaw growing tenser by the second.

“You’re welcome.”

“Why did I need saving?” She gripped the edge of the aluminum table to keep herself from jumping across the smooth surface and throttling him.

He looked around the room at the few other patrons scattered throughout the small diner then leaned in toward her. “It’s the demons. They’re after you.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was sitting in the middle of God knew where with an insane man. How had her life gotten so screwed up? “Fine, I’ll bite. Why? Why do they live in my walls? Why do they want me? And why were there wolves surrounding my house?”

“I told you earlier, the wolves can smell the demons. But not only that—they can smell you.”

Shock intensified her annoyance, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on to her temper.

“It’s not like that,” he said quickly. “It’s because of your transformation. They can smell the change coming. Once you’ve made the transition, once we get you to The Colony, you’ll be safe. From them and from the demons, I promise.”

Anxiety burned in her chest. “What change? What transition?”

He took another long swig of Coke and suddenly she could see it for the diversion technique it was. He didn’t want to tell her. He was stalling! Because it was all lies.

“You have about thirty seconds to explain everything before I walk.” The urge to give him a swift kick under the table was almost overwhelming, and she held on to her leg with both hands cupped around her knee. God, what was happening to her? She was so keyed up, so frustrated and angry, she felt like she could jump right out of her own skin.

He took a deep prolonged breath. “Your father, like all of us at The Colony, was...different.”

“How?”

“Well, for instance, you’ve been seeing colors around people.”

“Yes,” she said, still surprised that he knew that.

“They are people’s auras. By now you should also be hearing the energy coming from their brains.”

The buzzing. “Yes...” But how did he know? “So, it’s not a tumor?” she asked, giving voice to her biggest fear.

“Nope. We all went through it.”

“And the people with the black auras, like that man at the store earlier?”

“He is a lost man, someone who doesn’t know who he is or what he values. He’s weak, and weak humans are easy vessels for demons to catch a ride in. We call them the Abatu.”

“Demons again.”

“Yes. But, one-on-one, you can fight them. Easy. Please tell me your dad at least taught you how to fight.”

“Of course he did,” she snapped, not liking the reference that her dad was some kind of slacker. “So, my dad could see auras, too?”

“Yes. Once. Before he went through the change. And after, I think. Though he never really talked about it much.”

“So, this change, whatever it is, why would that make us targets for demons?” She felt ridiculous even asking the question.

“Because the dimension where the demons come from, the place where the cracks in your wall lead to, is where our ancestors came from. Long ago. Our ancestors were sent here by the Gauliacho to spread fear through humans, to conquer and destroy them. They took the shapes of animals then transformed into humans, terrorizing the natives.

“Myths and legends were born. But our ancestors liked it here. They liked running free. They even liked the humans. After a while, they didn’t want to go back. In their human forms, they mated, started families, creating lives apart from the Demon dimension they came from. We are their offspring. We are the hated ones, the defiant ones. The abominations.”

Her heart gave a little hiccup as he said the word. This couldn’t be real, couldn’t be true. “I, uh, I’m not sure I’m following. Are you saying we are demons?”

“Not demon, not human, either, but a little of both. Your dad wasn’t human, Shay. Not completely. But your mom was. Once she became pregnant with you, your dad wanted to marry her. In order to do that, he had to leave the protection of The Colony.”

She stared at him wide-eyed and stunned. “Why? I thought he was in charge. Your leader or something.”

“He was. But your mother wasn’t like us, and we couldn’t know if you would go through the change or not. If you’d be more like her than him. Sometimes half-breed offspring do, sometimes they don’t. But either way, humans must never know about us. As each year passes, as populations grow, our secret has become harder to keep. If human offspring were allowed to grow up in The Colony, it would be impossible.

“That’s why it’s imperative that we never mate outside The Colony. Your dad broke that rule. He saw your mom in a bordering town and fell instantly in love. He was lost from that moment forward. I promised him the day he left that if you changed, if you started your transformation, I would find you and I would bring you home safely.”

She leaned back in the booth. “You realize how crazy all this sounds, right?”

“Yes.”

“So according to you, I’m changing into some kind of demon hybrid and soon I will no longer be human?”

He nodded. “That’s about it in a nutshell.”

She slid out of the booth and stood. “Great meeting you, Jason.”

“I understand how this all sounds.”

“Do you?” She leaned in close to him. “And what about you, Jason? Are you some kind of demon? Are you not human, too?”

He placed a room key on the table and slid it toward her. “We’re both tired. Get some rest. We’ll talk more in the morning. You’re in room fifteen. I’ll be right next door if you need me.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, snatching up the key. “I won’t.”

* * *

Shay put on her jammies and climbed into bed as Buddy settled himself onto the floor next to her. “Everything is going to be all right,” she whispered to her dog. But was it? She had no clue what she was going to do. How could she believe a word Jason had said? It was crazy, and yet, somehow everything he’d said fit. He knew what she’d been going through with the colors and the sounds, and he’d said she wasn’t the only one. The burden lifted off her by his words was substantial. She didn’t have a tumor, benign or otherwise. She wasn’t going crazy. She was just going through some kind of change.

But into a demon? How could he expect her to believe that? She switched off the light and touched the necklace around her neck. If any of this was true, why hadn’t her father told her? Why hadn’t her mother? Both had died when she was so young. First her father from a freak accident in which he’d fallen off the cliffs into the Pacific, and then her mother, killed by a drunk driver. Maybe they meant to tell her, but never got the chance. Maybe there was nothing to tell because it was all crazy.

She had no idea how much time had passed when she woke to darkness. She was dripping with sweat and wrapped in a wet sheet. Pain sliced across her middle. She groaned, bending over, cradling her stomach as images of the forest flashed through her mind. She could smell the damp earth, thick and musky in her nose, could feel the power in her legs stretching out beneath her, carrying her fast through the night as she chased after the acrid scent of fear from a scurrying rabbit.

She screamed as another sharp pain sliced through her insides. The images came quicker, the outlines of the ferns and the Douglas firs were easy to distinguish by the light of the moon. Even though it was dark, details were so much easier to see as her vision sharpened into focus.

Her breathing, rough and ragged, scraped across the inside of her throat. She moaned, curling up into a ball, bunching the damp sheets in her sweaty palms. The door connecting her room with the one next door burst open. On the outskirts of her peripheral vision she saw Jason hurry toward her. The bed sagged as he sat next to her.

“Here, eat this,” he said, thrusting a large piece of jerky into her hand. “It’s venison.”

“I can’t.” She pushed it away as pain seared her insides. “I feel like I’m being ripped in two.”

“I know, I went through it, too. We all did. I just thought we’d have more time before you would. You need the protein. Eat it,” he demanded.

“No!” Her mouth was dry and filled with grit, there was no way she’d be able to swallow it. And even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to keep it down.

“Sorry.” He pushed the meat into her mouth. The woodsy flavor exploded across her tongue. She barely had it chewed before she was swallowing and greedily reaching for more.

He placed another piece between her lips. “No more salads for you. Not for a while.”

“I love salads,” she said weakly then cried out again as another surge swept through her. Her body temperature spiked, and she hung weakly on to Jason’s arm, riding the wave of torment.

“Your body is changing. You need to give it extra fuel. Only protein from now on.”

“Okay,” she whispered, knowing she’d promise anything if he could only make the pain stop.

He gave her another piece of jerky. She chewed it more slowly this time, the gamey flavor satisfying her in a way she’d never imagined. She wanted more. And she wanted it now. She chewed and chewed, trying to concentrate on the fulfilling taste even as the pain swept over her, stealing her thoughts. Tears coursed down her cheeks, but she didn’t care. This pain was sharper than when she’d broken her arm and deeper than anything she’d ever felt.

She cried out again as another wave swept through her, doubling her over until she just wanted to die, to close her eyes and drop off the deep end of oblivion. She felt herself being moved, being gathered up and pulled into Jason’s embrace. He was lying behind her, holding her nestled against him as he murmured in her ear and continued to put small pieces of the meat into her mouth.

She tried to concentrate on the feel of him behind her. With the strength of his arms wrapped around her, his infinite heat seemed to melt her limbs into mush. His smell, woodsy and earthy, of pine and forest, reached inside her and she breathed deep, breathed it so far into her that she wasn’t sure where she stopped and he began.

She touched the crystals on his wrist, fingering the smooth stones and rough twine. Dragging her fingers down to his strong warrior hands, trying to focus on the feel of them, their strength and their gentleness.

“I can help you if you’ll let me,” he whispered.

“Yes,” she cried, as another wave of intense heat stole over her, bringing with it the racking nausea.

He stood and slipped out of his jeans and pulled off his T-shirt. She wanted to protest, to demand to know what he was doing, but instead she curled up and closed her eyes as she willed the pain to stop. And then he was pulling off her pajama pants, pulling her shirt up over her head.

“No,” she protested, trying to cover her exposed breasts.

He slipped into the bed next to her and pulled her up against his hot skin. At first she tried to pull away from him. To put some distance between them, but then his hands began to move, soothing and caressing her skin. Moving up her body, and with each sure stroke, the pain and the tension began to ease. Warmth seeped into her clenched and strained muscles, appeasing the tension, until she began to relax and a new tension lit her nerve endings.

She felt each gentle touch so deeply it was almost as if she could feel the ridges of his fingerprints being imprinted on her skin. Nerve endings fired and tingled, leaving longing in their wake. His bare feet cupped hers, the backs of her legs pressed tight against the front of his, her backside nestled deeply in his center, his warmth melding with her as his hand moved up and around her hips.

His lips moved across the sensitive lobes and the outer shell of her ear as he murmured to her that everything would be all right. The pain wouldn’t last. And he was right, it was finally ebbing. But a new kind of pain was starting, an exquisite burn of longing and need, and she pushed herself even closer to him as his fingers moved down her arms to her middle, caressing, loving. She moved her hand up behind her to his neck, drawing her fingers across his skin to cup his head and draw his lips down to hers.

And then she was pressing her mouth to his, her stomach tightening, her breasts drawing in, her nipples hardening. Her lips moved over his as his tongue filled her mouth. She took his hand and placed it over her breasts and he rubbed and tweaked and massaged until she thought she would burst with need. She shifted, turning until she was facing him, her hands cupping his face as his kiss sent her soaring.

He moved his hand behind her back, holding her close, and then finished the kiss. He pulled away from her and a small moan of protest left her lips. She tried to pull him back, but he moved farther and farther away, until he was off the bed and pulling the sheets up over her, covering her nakedness. “What is happening? Where are you going?” she asked.

“You are changing. But don’t worry, the worst of it is over.”

If it was over, then what was he doing over there and not back in the bed with her? “I am not a demon,” she insisted.

“I know,” he said, his words breaking over her, the deep timbre of his voice skittering across already frayed nerves.

“Nor will I ever be,” she clarified, in case that was the reason he was pulling away from her. Because there had to be a reason. Didn’t there?

“I know,” he repeated.

“But you said—” she cried out as another twinge grasped hold and twisted, ripping and pulling her insides. Not again!

“The demon dimension was where we came from originally, but that’s not why the Gauliacho are after us and that’s not what we are now.”

He gave her another piece of jerky. She ate that, too, and then another until at last she felt the wrenching pain subside. She pushed herself up against the headboard. “But what does that mean? And why don’t you come back to bed?” she asked when at last she caught her breath. Her body temperature dropped and her breathing returned to normal.

“It means you are changing, leaving your humanity behind and becoming like us.”

“Like you? What are you?” She looked up at him with blurred vision. “What am I changing into?” She had to know, all this pain, this suffering—if she wasn’t dying, then it had to be for something.

He brushed the hair back from her face, and for a second she wondered if he would climb back into bed with her. His pale eyes locked onto hers. Eyes that looked so familiar, that almost looked like...

“A wolf.”

Chapter 5

A wolf? She took several deep breaths, trying to still the panic in her mind. “How can you possibly expect me to believe that?”

“Because you already know it’s true. The buzzing you’ve been hearing, the colors you’ve been seeing. You dream of the forest, of running free. You know it deep inside. It’s who you are. Who you’ve always been.”

“It’s not possible,” she whispered, even as his words resonated deep within her.

“It is. You’ve already gone through the first modification. Things are going to be different for you now. Your sight, your hearing, your senses. After this last adaptation, you will be stronger. And when you’re in wolf form, you’ll heal quicker.”

“Wolf form? Like a werewolf?” She thought of the horror movies she used to watch as a teen where the actors’ faces stretched into grotesque misshapen monsters, their jaws and noses elongating into a wickedly sharp tooth-filled snout. And they sprouted hair. Everywhere.

She shivered.

Buddy whined, placing his head on the side of the bed. Jason smiled and patted Buddy, comforting him. “No, not a werewolf. More like a shape-shifter. We can change form at will, anytime. We are not ruled by the light of a full moon and we do not crave human flesh.”

“Great. That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” Not. “This is really too much to believe.” She tried to sit up and pull away from him, but a wave of dizziness broke over her.

She fell back into the pillow and willed sleep to return. She didn’t want to hear any more, didn’t want to think or feel.

He touched her head again, brushing his fingers across her hair in a soothing caress. “I would love to let you sleep the day away, but I can’t. After this latest change, your wolf scent is even stronger. The sun is almost up. We have to keep moving.”

“Why?” she asked, her voice treacherously close to a whine.

“The demons. Or have you forgotten them?”

No. She hadn’t. She just didn’t want to believe him. No matter what he said. No matter what kind of wicked food poisoning she’d had. The next thing she knew, his arms were under her and he was picking her up, lifting her up off the bed.

“Hey,” she cried in protest as he carried her into the bathroom and set her down on the toilet then turned on the water in the shower. She drew her knees to her, covering herself the best she could.

“Get in and take a hot shower. You’ll feel better. Don’t take too long, though. Here are my keys.” He pulled his key ring out of his pocket and laid it on the counter. “When you’re done, put Buddy and your stuff back in the truck. I’m going to take a quick shower myself, then head over to the diner to order us breakfast. We have a long day ahead of us.”

“How do you know I won’t take your truck and drive myself back home?”

He stopped on his way out the door and turned back to her. “Because I trust you. And deep down, you know you can trust me. You know I’m right.”

“Fine,” she grumbled as steam began to fill the room. “But don’t be surprised if I don’t eat. My stomach is still topsy-turvy.”

“I’m not worried.” His smile was annoyingly confident as he turned and walked out.

“Whatever,” she grumbled as she heard the adjoining door close.

Apparently no more kisses for her. Or anything else. She sighed and stripped out of her underwear then stepped under the hot spray, and melted as the pulsating water massaged her muscles. A wolf. Ridiculous. All she needed was a hot shower and she’d be fine. Obviously, something she ate hadn’t agreed with her, that’s all.

As she stood under the hot water, her stomach growled as she thought of a thick slab of ham covered with over-medium eggs, and topped with a side of bacon and sausages. The little link kind. It had been years since she’d had sausages. How could she be thinking of food now, after all she’d been through? But she was. As impossible as it was for her to believe, she was starving.

In no time at all, she was out of the shower, dried off and combing her long dark hair when she noticed her arms did look different. She held them out and stared at them. They were suddenly well-defined. Muscular.

You will be stronger.

She looked away, brushed her teeth then put on a quick dab of lip-gloss and mascara. She wasn’t changing. She just didn’t feel good. She walked out of the bathroom, staying clear of the mirror as she dressed and repacked her duffel, then she and Buddy left the room for the parking lot.

“Here you go, Buddy,” she said after he did his business. She poured some of his dog food into his bowl, put some water in a stray coffee cup rolling around in the back and placed it on the floor. “Everything is going to be just fine,” she lied as she locked him in the truck and walked toward the restaurant.

The sky was beginning to show the first reddish-gold streaks of dawn across the horizon when she walked into the diner. She was surprised to find it already half-full with other patrons. She glanced through the long row of windows into the parking lot and saw several large diesel trucks. That made sense, especially if the diner’s breakfasts were as good as their burgers.

The smell of coffee was strong and inviting as she dropped into the booth across from Jason.

“You’re looking much better,” he said with a wide boyish smile. She couldn’t help remembering his arms wrapped tight around her, as he’d helped her through an agonizing night. The way his hands felt on her skin, heating her blood and everything else. Annoyance surged through her at the thought.

“I assumed you were hungry, so I ordered you the special.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off the soft red hue surrounding the man sitting directly behind him. The colors around all the patrons were much more muted than they had been yesterday, but even better than the muted colors was the fact that she didn’t have to put in her earbuds. The buzzing sounds coming from them were so soft she barely noticed them. She could still feel the person’s intentions, but the sound wasn’t nearly as annoying or debilitating.

In fact, she almost felt normal.

She certainly felt better than she had in... Well, she didn’t know how long.

“Good morning, hun.” A rotund waitress with shockingly bright red hair placed a large steaming plate of food in front of her. “Coffee?”

“Yes, please.” Shay’s eyes widened as she took in the mound of food on the plate. “There is no way I’m ever going to be able to eat all this.”

“Thanks, Marge,” Jason said, offering her a smile as she filled Shay’s coffee cup then refilled his.

She paused for a moment, basking in his attention, a pleased smile stretching her painted lips. “Anytime, hun,” she said, then took her coffeepot to the next table.

Shay would have to remember that smile of his and make sure she didn’t swoon over it. Irritated, she shoved a piece of ham into her mouth.

“Are you feeling better?” Jason asked.

“Yes, thank you,” Shay said politely over the mouth-watering ham. When had ham ever tasted this good? Much better than the spinach-and-cream-cheese omelets she usually ate. And sausages. There were sausages, too, buried under the thick slab of ham, and strips of bacon. She smiled. Heaven. She was in heaven.

“I don’t know why I’m so hungry,” she said as she scooped scrambled eggs into her mouth. “I can’t believe I can even eat after everything I went through last night.”

“Your body needs the protein.”

As she ate, she glanced out the window, surprised by how much clearer her vision was, especially in the dim light of dawn. She was seeing color slightly differently. Yet, somehow, she was able to see better, farther. And she could hear and smell really well, too. The rich scent of sizzling pork was making her ravenous.

She dug into her food, not stopping until the waitress was back refilling her mug with coffee.

“My goodness. Well, he did say you were hungry.”

Shay glanced down at her plate and felt the heat of embarrassment rise in her cheeks. Her plate was half-empty. How had she eaten all that food, that quickly? “Please give my compliments to the chef,” she said. The cook behind the counter turned and waved.

“Joe says thanks,” Marge said, and laughed.

Shay took a sip of coffee and looked up at Jason, her eyes meeting his over the rim of her cup. Was it really possible? Could she really be changing? Transforming? Into a wolf?

“Okay, tell me more,” she said, suddenly wanting to hear it all, even if she didn’t believe. Even if she refused to believe.

“What do you want to know?” he asked, hesitation strong in his voice.

“Tell me about my dad. Did you really know him?”

“Yes. He was a good friend of mine.”

“How is that possible? You were a kid.”

“Because once you go through the change, you age differently.”

“How do you mean?”

He leaned toward her, dropping his voice. “You age very slowly.”

She stared at him, amazed by the implication of his words. “How slowly?” she whispered. “How old are you?”

“Eighty-five.”

“Get out.” She stared at him, at the plumpness of youth beneath his cheeks and eyes, the even tones and smooth skin. “Eighty-five? No way.”

“It’s true. Our life expectancy is somewhere around four hundred.”

“Seriously?” She downed another sausage as she tried to absorb what he’d told her. Four hundred.

“I’m not sure I would want to live that long,” she said honestly. She was only twenty-three and life had already been...hard.

“Shay, you’re not alone,” he said, seemingly reading her mind. “You have family waiting for you back at The Colony.”

She looked up at him, her eyes widening, her heart afraid to beat. No, she was alone. She’d lost everyone, one after another until there was no one left. Just her and Buddy, in their little house in the woods.

“Your family is anxious to meet you. Grandparents. A cousin.”

Shay shook her head, her breakfast forgotten, her mouth dry. “My dad said he didn’t have anyone.” The words came out a hoarse whisper.

“I suppose to him he didn’t. He had to leave them behind and never look back. But they are still there, waiting for you. You even have a house—your dad’s old house. It’s a great place right on the lake. Your dad loved to sit in an old chair out on the end of his dock and fish. You and Buddy will love it there.”

Tears watered Shay’s eyes. She blinked. “I...I thought I—” A lump caught in her throat.

“I know I’ve given you a lot to absorb, but if you believe nothing else, please believe that you have family anxious to meet you, and they’ve been waiting to do so for a very long time. Will you come with me to The Colony?”

“Are you actually asking?” She couldn’t help the smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

He nodded and leaned back in the booth, amusement dancing in his eyes and suddenly he looked as handsome to her as he had that first moment she’d laid eyes on him. “I’m asking.”

She thought of her father’s parents and knew she had to meet them. She had to see for herself. “Yes, I’d like to come. I’d like to see this place where my dad once lived, I’d like to meet my family. But I’m not promising I’ll stay.”

“Sounds like a deal to me.”

She turned her attention back to her plate, but no longer felt the need to devour what was left. Instead she picked at her food while discreetly watching him. She didn’t know if it was because of the way he’d held her through her pain, or the way he just seemed to know what she needed, but she was beginning to see him differently than she had before. More as a friend than someone who was dismantling her life.

Who was she kidding? Last night she’d wanted him to be much more than a friend. His sure touch, his warm hands had stroked away her pain and made her want so much more than just comfort. He looked up from his breakfast, his bluish-gray eyes locking on to hers and holding steady. Heat suffused her cheeks and she dropped her gaze back to her plate.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked with a strange hitch to his voice. She looked up at him and couldn’t help wondering if he knew what she’d been thinking. “There’s a whole community waiting for your arrival.”

She nodded, not trusting her voice to speak. She finished the last of her coffee as he rose to pay the bill. A pickup truck had pulled into the parking lot and parked next to Jason’s. Buddy was standing up in the front seat, barking at the two men who hopped out of the cab and were walking toward them. She didn’t need to see the cloud of darkness swirling around them to know they weren’t here for the food.

They were here for her.

She could sense it from the energy flowing from their minds, see it in the dark auras swirling around their heads. She looked at Jason standing in line at the cash register and then at Buddy going crazy, barking madly in the front seat of the truck.

She hurried toward Jason but just as she reached him, just as she turned to point out the window, another truck pulled into the lot with another two men, the same thought patterns issuing from inside them.

“Jason!” she hissed under her breath, and grabbed his arm.

He followed her gaze out the window, taking in the situation, then threw the check and a twenty on the counter. “Keep the change, Marge.”

He turned her away from the front door, from the door closest to the truck, and with a hand on her back quickly led her toward the rear of the diner, toward the open-air walkway that led back to the motel. Away from the parking lot. Away from the truck.

“What are we going to do?”

“Make a run for it.” He grabbed her hand, hurrying her forward toward the outside door. They reached it just as all four men walked into the diner.

“Now!” Jason said, and they bolted outside, running toward the truck. And they almost made it, would have made it, if one of the men in the diner hadn’t chosen that moment to glance back out the window.

The next thing she knew, he was bursting out the diner’s door, running toward them. They kicked into high gear, running faster than Shay ever thought she could and still the man reached the truck before they did.

“What is he, a track star?” she cried as Jason sprang into action, running at the man, bracing his hands on the hood of the truck and swinging both legs around and planting them square in the man’s middle.

The man buckled over with a loud whoosh.

“Get in the truck,” Jason yelled.

Shay ran past him and jerked on the door. It was locked.

“Dammit!” She fumbled in her jacket for the keys. Found them and pulled them out. She quickly hit the unlock button and pulled open the door then tried to climb up into the cab, but Buddy was moving back and forth across the front seats, barking ferociously.

“Move over, Buddy!” She pushed him back then slammed the door shut as he tried to plow across her lap. The other three men, seeing what was happening, were running toward them.

“Hurry Jason!”

Jason punched his assailant once more, sending the man soaring, then turned, rushing toward her, but before he could reach the driver’s door, another man, a giant red-haired beast, grabbed him by the arm, swung him around and punched him straight in the face.

Jason hit the ground. Hard. The giant turned toward her, his hard green eyes narrowing as he spotted her in the truck. Quickly, she hit the lock button, locking all the doors.

He pulled on the handle anyway, jerking it up and down.

Another man appeared at the passenger’s door, rattling it as he, too, tried to get in. Buddy was going nuts, barking and jumping at the window. And then the third and fourth men appeared.

She was surrounded.

“Jason!” she screamed, but she couldn’t see him. Where was he?

Buddy sprayed spittle all over the driver’s-side window, and jumping against it so hard, she was certain he was going to break the glass. What was she going to do? She couldn’t just sit there. Surely Marge would see what was happening and call the police?

Wouldn’t she?

“Jason!” Shay had to get out of there. She stood in her seat, trying to see beyond the front of the hood, but the men were surrounding the truck now, pushing against the doors and windows, rocking the vehicle back and forth. They were going to tip her over!

Shay blared on the horn, hoping someone would come running. Would help. “Jason!” she screamed again. Then she remembered the keys. She still had them. She pushed Buddy out of the way, stuck the keys in the ignition and turned them. The truck roared to life. She popped it into Reverse, quickly glanced behind her and then pushed down on the accelerator. The truck flew backward, tires squealing, smoke rising.

And still the men kept coming.

She saw Jason lying on the ground, his head torqued at an odd angle across the cement parking spot, blood dripping down his face. “Please let him be okay,” she whispered. He had to be okay. Marge and a few truckers ran out the front of the diner. They would help him. They had to.

The men ran after her. Pushing her foot against the gas pedal, she floored it, pulling out of the motel parking lot and careening back onto the highway. She looked behind her to see if the men would follow her or if they’d turn back to Jason.

And if they did? Would the others help him? Could they? Before she could give it much thought, she saw them running toward their vehicles. They weren’t after Jason; they were after her.

She drove down the highway faster than she ever had before then quickly pulled off at the next exit and skirted behind a gas station facing the highway where she waited for the two trucks to pass her. She didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes the two trucks sped by, barreling down the highway.

Immediately, she gunned it, turning around and driving back to the diner, hoping the men wouldn’t figure out what she’d done for at least another ten minutes. By then, she would have Jason and they would be gone.

If he was okay.

She pulled back into the parking lot, tires squealing, the truck pitching dangerously. But she didn’t care. Quickly, she scanned the parking lot, but she didn’t see Jason anywhere. Panic crawled up her throat.

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