Page 14 of Quest of the Wolf

Looking in the direction I was growling, Rue asked, “Do you want me to make a formula so you can locatethemtoo?” She withdrew a napkin from a pocket and dabbed the corner of a dented fender, hair and blood darkening it, not yet washed away by the drizzle. “This is fresher than the ashes. Yes, indeed.” She patted me on the back again but paused, looking up at the sound of a car driving in.

I noticed it but also spotted another human in the area, a woman with an electronic device. She was on the far side of the parking lot, many vehicles in between obscuring my view, so I hadn’t noticed her before. She was pointing her device in our direction.

“You may wish to disappear into the woods and hope she didn’t get a good photograph or video.” Rue stepped away, lowering her hand. “I believe from what I have heard that the tenants do not know of your alter ego.”

I was already backing away. My wolf instincts cared nothing about humans and their electronic devices, but I remembered that it would matter to me in my other form. Trouble might yet come of this night.

6

In the woodsnear the apartment complex, I waited between two trees for the wolf magic to fade. The battle with the humans had been unsatisfactory, and I longed to go off and hunt, but what if I needed to again defend my territory?

That thought kept me in place, though I would have struggled if I’d caught the scents of more than sleeping squirrels and smog as human vehicles passed on the other side of the woods.

As I sat on my haunches, a sense of loneliness crept over me. The last time I’d taken my wolf form, I hadn’t been by myself. Duncan, the male I had almost made my mate, had been there. In the ancient form of the bipedfuris, he’d fought with me, helping me battle my enemies. He’d been a good companion, and I missed him.

Sometime after Rue left the van and returned to her apartment, my magic faded. Soon, I crouched naked among the damp fir needles, the chilly air much more noticeable against my bare skin, especially with droplets of rainwater dripping from the branches above.

With my arms wrapped around my torso, I headed for the backof the complex, hoping to avoid notice. A few cars had rolled into the lot, tenants returning home late, but the girl who’d been taking photos or recording the fight had disappeared. In my lupine form, I hadn’t recognized her, but, as I considered the memory through the fuzzy thoughts of the wolf, I believed it had been one of the ghost hunters. At least I hadn’tkilledany of the intruders this time.

A distant phone call, the ringtone familiar, made me groan and remember that I’d had the wherewithal to cast aside some of my belongings before changing. That was good, but now I needed to retrieve them from the puddle-filled sidewalk next to the cars.

“A task for after you’re dressed,” I told myself, continuing toward my apartment. But the rings continued, and I paused.

What if it was Jasmine? With urgent news about Duncan?

I peered toward the lot, didn’t see anyone around the cars or on the walkways, and darted that way. The grass cold and damp under my bare feet, I hoped I could grab the items and escape before anyone saw me.

Italmostworked. After I snatched up my jacket and phone, only glancing to see that Jasmine had indeed been the one to call, I ran down one of the covered walkways toward my unit—until a man came around the corner ahead of me.

Even before he issued a high-pitched yelp of alarm, I knew he wasn’t one of the motorcycle thugs—or a physical threat of any kind. He carried a laptop bag and a Pop Tart. It was my fifty-something divorced tenant who’d once proudly shown me his Darth Vader toaster. Was that a faint Sith-Lord helmet imprint on the back of his Pop Tart? Probably.

“Ms. Valens.” He clutched his laptop bag to his chest, like I might be a mugger.

No, just a damp werewolf in naked human form…

“Yes. Sorry to startle you. I’m…”

He glanced down but jerked his gaze back up again, up andthen some. Instead of locking his eyes onto my face, he studied the ceiling of the covered walkway.

“…practicing for the Polar Bear Plunge,” I finished. “It’s only a couple of weeks away.”

“You… went swimming?” He didn’t look down again to consider how damp I might be. “Without, uhm, a towel?”

“You need to harden yourself for the coldness of jumping into Lake Washington in January,” I said, glad he hadn’t askedwhereI’d found a place to swim this time of year. The pond by the convenience store where Duncan had magnet fished came to mind, and I felt the same twinge of loneliness I’d experienced in my wolf form.

Not the time, I thought firmly.

“I’m progressing well and looking forward to the event.” I scooted around my tenant. “I do believe I’ve earned a shower though. Excuse me.”

“Are there any tickets left?”

“I think it’s free to anyone who registers.”

He looked at my backside as I strode away, but when he noticed me glancing over my shoulder, he jerked his gaze to the ceiling again.

“Thanks!” He walked away with his face tilted up as he waved awkwardly.

When I’d fixed his faucet, he’d given me a big tip and also tried to offer me Pop Tarts. Or had it been Darth Vader toast? I couldn’t remember, but as I ducked into my apartment, I worried he would be at Matthews Beach on Polar Bear Plunge Day, looking for me.

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