Page 10 of Heart of a Dire Wolf
Ivy winked at Nic, then disappeared into the tree. The wispy lights sank and faded moments later.
Skyla led him to a white hatchback sedan. Trees darkened the narrow, sloping parking lot, but it paralleled a city road with traffic. She shifted to human, then opened the car door and looked inside for a long moment.
She turned to him where he sat on the pavement. “It’s not big enough for a tiger, so you’ll have to be human, and I have to be human to drive.” She removed the tied bundle of his sweatpants and stolen sandals from around her neck and held it out to him. “I’ve been thinking about where we could go once we hit L.A.” They’d agreed that route would be fastest to get out of California, and that they’d be hard to track in the city’s world-famous traffic.
Nic took long seconds to shift into human. He took his clothes from her, glad she’d thought of vanishing and returning his clothes with hers. He couldn’t help but smile at her. “I know I said it before, but you’re amazing. You smell amazing, too.”
She returned his smile with interest but shook her head. “None of that now, or I’m toast. Your scent is like an arsonist with matches. I might be in wolf heat.” She made an exasperated noise. “Next thing you know, I’ll be howling with sirens and train horns.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and moved back a small step. “I think we need a sanctuary town. We can’t bring our kind of trouble down on some unsuspecting clan or pack. Not even the Shifter Tribunal headquarters could handle a desperate magister and an army of wizards. Like you said, they’ll want all the escapees back, or verifiably dead.”
Nic slipped on his sweatpants to keep himself busy, so he wouldn’t be tempted to touch her. If he did, they’d be lost. Safety first, sex second. “I’ve heard the arctic sanctuary is only accessible by air or magic and is hard to find. Once we got to Canada, I’d have to ask around for directions.”
“There’s supposed to be a sanctuary somewhere on the west coast, but it’s really well hidden, and mostly for water-based species.” Her lips thinned and she looked away. “My family’s meetup plan said to go to the sanctuary in southern Wyoming. It’s a one-day drive if we only stop for gas. It takes us through Utah, too, so you can check on the bobcats.”
He promised himself he’d ask her later why any mention of her family upset her. “That works for me.” He dropped the sandals and stepped into them. “We need food.” He eyed his bare chest and her stained T-shirt and tried not to notice the hardened nipples on her high, firm breasts. “And toiletries and regular clothes, or we’ll be picked up for being rough sleepers, if the police are of a mind to detain us.”
“Yeah, we need money, too, but I can take care of that at the next ATM.” She looked up at the sky, then the open car. “I’ll drive for now, because I know the roads, but if I start weaving because I’m higher than a kite on your sexy scent, you’ll have to take over.”
“I’ll watch out for you.” Was it too soon to tell her he’dalwayswatch out for her?
He walked briskly around to the passenger side and ducked into the compact car. He slid the seat back as far as it would go, but he couldn’t straighten his legs. She got in and fastened her seatbelt.
As she inserted the red-bejeweled key and spoke her name, he noticed the ignition and the console display had red gems that looked like the ones in the auction house’s monitoring room.
“Just what kind of car is this?” He pulled the seatbelt across him as she pulled out onto the down-sloping public road.
“Ivy’s hobby is cars. Okay, sex and cars. This was her first hybrid. Runs gas, electricity, or magic.”
“I didn’t know that was even possible.” He hovered one hand near the console display to get a better sense of the meld of multiple magics and technology. “Do Ivy’s babies live in the redwood trees, too?”
Skyla laughed. “The treesareher babies. She says they’re orphans who need a mother, so she moved in. I helped her create an illusion spell that makes her look human. The Gardens staff think she’s just a really dedicated volunteer.” She stopped at the five-way intersection, then crossed two streets to head west. “A lot cheaper than the dorm where we met.”
They passed a police car coming from the opposite direction.
Skyla swore. “I should have asked about the registration. Do me a favor and look in the glove box and the visor above your head.”
Nic did as she asked and found blank cards. He recognized those. “Four universal documents. Good ones, too, not the cheap kind.”
“Oh, thank the gods. Best magical invention ever.” She glanced at him. “Keep one. You need a passport.”
He looked down at his pocketless sweatpants and made a disgruntled noise. “We need a story.”
She smiled. “That’s easy. You’re my Canadian boyfriend who’s too sexy for his shirt because he’s not used to the heat. I’m a poor grad student from Santa Barbara. I’m showing you the country.” She turned onto a more crowded street. “Money first.”
She pressed the INFO button on the center dashboard console, then touched two of the red gems. Magic flared briefly. The display changed from a complicated flow diagram to an equally complicated street map. She glanced at it several times as she drove.
“Problem?” asked Nic.
“I’ve only been in this car once, and Ivy drove. I don’t know how to get the computer to plot routes.”
He and Skyla both twitched when magic surged and a voice came from the car’s speakers. “May I be of assistance?” The male voice had a distinctly German accent.
She gave Nic a startled glance, then returned her attention to the road. “Yes, please. Can you show us the route to the nearest ATM?” She fluttered her fingers on the steering wheel. “I’m Skyla, by the way, and this is Nic. He’s an authorized driver.” She glanced back to Nic. “Er, you do know how to drive, don’t you?”
Nic nodded reassuringly. It was a fair question. Not all shifters embraced modern conveniences, and his scraggly beard and long hair made him look half feral.
“Greetings, Skyla. Greetings, Nic. I am Mauk.” The spelling of his name appeared as an overlay on the map. It was the most realistic synthetic voice Nic had ever heard. “The nearest ATM is behind you. Would you prefer to continue southward?”
