Page 66 of Fae Devoted
“Johnnie—”
“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself in the middle of ten thousand acres of forest and deserted dunes for a few hours. And contrary to what you and Jacob seem to believe, I’m not stupid.” She caught herself kneading again at the ugly emotion hanging heavy in her chest and dropped her hand to her side. “I’m going for a run.”
If she pushed herself hard enough, maybe she could rid her body of the corrosion of anger and hurt eating at her insides; Dylan’s kitchen didn’t have the equipment or supplies for baking.
“I’ll go with you then. The humans can deal with the cat on their own.”
“I can’t be around you right now, Dylan.” The defeated look on his face made Johnnie feel worse. Even though she’d done nothing wrong, she added, “But I won’t leave the park. I have my gun and will avoid the designated hiking trails.” He knew as well as Jacob did that she was a better shot than either of them.
“I’d feel better if you’d stay inside with the security system activated.”
“And I’d feel better if you agreed to take me to Jac…to Samuel, but it seems neither one of us is going to get their wish anytime soon.” She yanked the hairband from her wrist and gathered her hair in a high ponytail.
“I just want to keep you safe.” He dipped his knees to look into her face.
“I know.” Johnnie’s heart softened despite the ire she still felt for his willful deception. “I’ll be careful.”
A horn honked in the distance. “That’s my ride. One of the park rangers is picking me up.”
“Good luck with the randy tom,” she threw over her shoulder, turning away to unzip her stretchy jacket. Tying the sleeves around her waist exposed the long-waisted sports bra she’d worn with her tight leggings but covered the illegal gun holstered at the small of her back. Shifters didn’t feel the cold as sharply as other races, and she planned on running hard.
“Princess?” he called, then went silent.
She sighed and faced him again.
Dylan held his arm at shoulder-height straight in front of him, fist closed.
“Yes?”
He started walking backward once he had her attention, then opened his hand. His car keys dangled from his fingers. “Just in case you get any ideas while I’m gone.”
“Jackass,” she swore, but her spirit lightened—just a little.
He grinned and tucked them in his jeans. “Be good.”
“Be late.”
A shake of his head, and Dylan was gone.
Johnnie didn’t waste a second, entering the dense woodlands at a ground-eating run. She wouldn’t put it past the protective male to change his mind and decide to follow her.
Although their claws only came out in self-defense or to protect someone they loved, she-wolves were far from helpless. The females of their race were blessed with athletic bodies, preternatural endurance, enhanced senses, and increased strength. They possessed a keen sense of direction and the agility to traverse any terrain—any distance—with a quickness that would stun those who’d never seen them in action.
As promised, Johnnie stayed clear of the park’s well-marked paths, staying west of the popular Nebo trail. The wetter sections of the route and resulting insect population were kept to a minimum by fall’s cooler weather and the area’s recent dry spell. She moved at a pace no human could match, heading steadily north toward Big Stone Bay and Lake Michigan. According to the map, she’d have to cross a few public trails to reach her destination. She couldn’t avoid them all, but she wasn’t worried about tourists, human or nonhuman.
Bypassing the first trail without incident, Johnnie heard male voices and pulled up several feet short of the second. As she waited for the hikers to pass, she crouched on her heels behind a copse of young red pines not too far from the well-worn path. A squirrel scurried on the branches above her, Jays squawking in irritation as he disturbed their roost. She frowned down at the mud on her favorite running shoes, then laid her head against the rough bark, holding in a sigh.
Jacob owes me a new pair of sneakers.
The approaching voices became more than distant murmurs, and Johnnie couldn’t help overhearing their heated discussion.
“You aren’t gonna find it.”
“It’s here somewhere,” a male said, his voice pitched high.
“Somewhere?” His companion laughed. “It’s a fucking forest, Neil. You might as well try to find a penny in the ocean.”
The conversation halted mere yards beyond Johnnie’s hiding place, and she peeked around the tree’s trunk. Her instincts told her the two men facing each other in the middle of the dirt path were human. Both were armed, but that wasn’t unusual. Most of the Untouched took a firearm with them whenever they left the house.
