Page 14 of Shifter Mate Magic
“Yeah, and they’ve probably guessed we’re going to Kotoyeesinay.” He punched the accelerator. “Our best hope is to get there first.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her lean forward toward the side mirror again. “The motorcycles just passed that big RV. One of them turned back to follow it.”
“Maybe they don’t know what vehicle they’re looking for, so they have to check the drivers.” He took the next turn faster than he should have, but he felt the pressure of their pursuit.
“Could also be a coincidence. We still don’t know how they’re tracking us.” She blew out a loud breath. “I wish I was better at magic. Princess lends me her strength, but that doesn’t help me think of better ways to use it.”
“Princess?” He understood even as he said it. “Your daughter.”
“Didn’t think she’d appreciate being called Junior any longer.” Her voice held a note of sadness in the humor.
He wished he could spare a hand to touch her, comfort her. Soon, he promised his whining bear. “We’ll ask her when she’s old enough,” he said firmly.
She was silent a long moment. “You really are a wonderful man.” Her voice had the watery quality that meant her tears were flowing again.
He forced himself to pay attention to his driving. “Can your magic mirror see how many motorcycles we’re dealing with? We know there are more than just the three men you saw before, right?”
“Yes, they’d have a lot more riders, to make that clump on the threat map. And no, I can’t see them. The mirror is a fixed view.” She sniffled as she grabbed the pen off his clipboard and tore a page off his notepad. “But I have an idea.”
He concentrated on the road. He’d thought they were headed toward a summit, but it turned out to be the foothill to a much larger mountain. Its familiar look cheered him, because he’d been worried they’d somehow taken a wrong turn and were going the long way around.
The sustained flare of her magic caressed him like she’d stuck her hand down his pants. No one else’s magic had that effect on him. Apparently being around his mate returned him to the days of being a constantly horny shifter teenager.
“Okay, if this worked right, we have thirteen motorcycles after us. Two are really close, and one is heading back to the rest. The big clump is riding two-up.”
A clear view of a long stretch of empty curved road had him accelerating and crossing into the opposite lane to hug the mountainside. A small sign said two miles to Kotoyeesinay.
“There they are.” Jackie was turned, looking out the side window. “That’s what, a mile back?”
“About.” He couldn’t go any faster or they’d miss the turnoff. He couldn’t remember if it was left or right.
“One of them pointed toward us. They’re speeding up.”
Another curve meant he had to get back in his lane. He took a deep breath to release tension, but it didn’t help. The red on the threat map glowed like a raging wildfire.
“Coyote One and Two are gaining.” After a moment, she added, “Shit, the mirror just showed me Roehm’s spike-grill Charger.”
He suppressed a growl. “Do they have any long-range weapons? Guns? Grenade launchers?”
“They mostly sold handguns and rifles. I don’t know what a grenade launcher looks like. The coyotes aren’t wearing holsters or anything.”
Finally, he saw the turnoff sign he’d been looking for. “Left turn coming up fast. Hang on to anything that might go flying.”
He couldn’t spare her a glance because it took all his concentration not to tilt sideways as he slowed to take the turn. Big-engine tractor trucks depended on rear weight to keep them from being unstable land rockets on ten tires.
The road turned out to be wider than he’d imagined, and well paved. It also appeared to be headed around the mountain and down. He couldn’t remember how far it was to town. He sped up as much as he dared and watched for road hazards and traffic.
“Coyote One missed the turn, but Coyote Two didn’t. He’s on our tail.” She leaned toward the side mirror. “I think he’s got a CB radio, because he’s talking into a microphone.”
Trevor tilted his chin toward his unit on the console. “Use that and see if you can find what band he’s using. Try nineteen first.”
After some fumbling, she found the volume and channel dials. They both jumped at the sudden burst of static, then a man’s loud voice.
“...almost caught up. He’s got a female with him.”
“Right behind you,” came another man’s voice. “Get in front…”
A third, female voice interrupted. “Don’t be stupid. Pull off where you are. We’ll catch up.”
