Page 9 of Triumph of the Wolf
“They’re on the move.” Duncan cocked his head. “Chasing something?”
I couldn’t yet detect anyone with a magical aura, so I couldn’t tell.
“I can’t sense whatever they’re after,” Duncan mused, continuing up the road, “so I guess it’s not anything or anyone paranormal.”
“I’ve not seen a lot of magical elk or deer in these woods.”
“Just the critters with glowing eyes near that cave?”
“Well, yes.Youhad glowing eyes briefly after drinking from the pool there.”
“There was natural power in the place. It’s no wonder your mother was drawn to live near it.”
I sensed what he’d detected and didn’t answer as I contemplated it. As he’d promised, therewerea number of werewolves. My family members. And they were on the move.
Was that Jasmine among them? And Emilio? Oddly, they were running beside or maybe evenonthe road in their wolf forms. Before long, they would reach us.
“A deer wouldn’t run down the road to escape predators.” I supposed it was possible,but they always seemed to shoot off into the depths of the forest when being chased.
The roar of an engine reached our ears before any wolves. An SUV and a truck came into view, barreling down the gravel road toward us, the vehicles bumping through ruts and potholes without slowing.
Duncan veered to one side, inasmuch as he could. The road lacked a shoulder unless one wanted to park on a log.
Even seeing us, the drivers didn’t slow down, and the reason soon came into view. As I’d sensed, numerous wolves ran behind the vehicles, some surging forward to nip at the tires and fenders. One young male leaped and landed in the bed of the truck. Another tore off a tailpipe and held it triumphantly in the air, prancing like a proud stallion rather than a wolf. Was that Emilio?
Duncan stopped his van, and we stared as the strange caravan roared past us, the white-knuckled drivers not glancing in our direction. I recognized the SUV, a sign forLogan’s Real Estateon the side.
That was the guy who’d put a neighboring lot up for sale, wasn’t it? Or maybe he’d been the one who’d visited Mom and asked her aboutherlot supposedly being for sale. The last I’d heard, Jasmine’s mother had gotten to the bottom of that, and it wasn’t listed on the market anymore.
A wolf in the rear of the pack, with a saucy tilt to her tail, glanced at us as she passed. Jasmine. She swished her tail, either in a greeting or because she was having a good time, then continued after the others.
“Those are your family members, aren’t they?” Duncan sounded amused as he watched the scene receding in his side mirror.
“Yes. That’s what passes for fun up here.”
“Chasing off real estate agents?”
I shrugged, not knowingwhathad prompted the attack, and hoped someone wasn’t pestering Mom about selling herproperty again. Could those vultures have gotten the word that she had a terminal illness? And they were circling, thinking they would get their hands on her land afterward?
“Fat chance. Mom has numerous children and all sorts of other kin.”
Duncan looked at me.
“Just musing.” I waved.
He pointed in the direction the car chase had gone. “Do you want to go after them? In case they need help?”
“In case my family needs help? Or the real estate agents do?”
“From the way things were going, it appeared more likely the real estate agents would need it.”
“That’s what I think, but I’m not terribly inclined to help them.” I pointed up the road. “Mom and Lorenzo can fill us in.”
I didn’t think this was what Mom had wanted to see me about, but I didn’t know. Maybe real estate agents had been up here all week, and this was the culmination of some harassment.
“During one of our previous visits, you said there’s nothing back here that anyone—anyhuman—would necessarily value, right?” Duncan looked over at me. “There are old mines but no valuable ore was found in the area?”
“As far as I know, yes. It’s just woods.”
