Page 14 of Heart of a Dire Wolf
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Nic felt like he was riding in a roller skate. He hadn’t been in anything but a big truck or a snowmobile in years. Skyla volunteered to continue driving so he could navigate once they got to St. George, which turned out to be directly on their route. Mauk’s map said they were ninety minutes away.
The closer they got, the less certain he was of what to do. Even if he could find the group home from the mental image he had from the twins, five in the morning would be too early to pound on anyone’s door. The wind had picked up and blew intermittent spatters of rain on the windshield.
At least they had better clothes, coats, and a full tank of gas. Skyla had spent time with a comb and pulled her hair back into a neat, professor-like bun. If he’d been in one of her classes, he’d have probably misbehaved every day just to get her attention. Best of all, she had found a hidden sorcery shop to buy a token that Mauk was able to use to replenish his magic charge.
She hadn’t said anything once they got back on the highway. He didn’t know what her silence meant. He’d been aching for the last decade to find his mate and settle down, but looking back now, he realized he’d done no preparation and had a poor track record with romantic relationships. After a disastrous love affair in his youth, worthy of a B-movie, he’d drifted through a series of casual physical liaisons that slaked his immediate thirst, but never filled his cup. And obviously, he’d listened to too many literary audiobooks with a poetic turn of phrase. He shook his head.
Perhaps, since they were only inches apart, he could sense the mate bond and get an idea of Skyla’s feelings. His true-mated parents could talk to one another through their bond, and he wanted that with Skyla. Wanted to hear her and share her thoughts. He closed his eyes and tried to listen around the static of the car’s magic and the enticing caress of Skyla’s native magic.
Wispy, fluttery strands of gold and gray brushed against his mind. He reached for them, but they evaded his grasp. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting his dozy inner tiger help him relax more with each heartbeat.
He heard a word. He resisted the impulse to strain to hear it, and just let it come.
“Brick.”
His tiger rolled to its haunches.
Pain lanced through the back of his head.“Brick, you’ve been a bad dawg. You need to turn around and come home now.”A pulse of pain rocked him.“I cain’t see nothin’.”
Landry, the auction house guard, was in his head, shouting.“Brick! Wake up!”
He felt Skyla’s hand on his arm. “What’s wrong?”
“Open your eyes, Brick.”Landry’s voice turned more cajoling.“Lookie. I’ve got a nice, juicy steak if you show me where you are.”
Nic scrunched his eyes closed and shook his head violently. His tiger surged forward. His fingers thickened and formed claws, but he fought not to shift in the tiny car.
Mauk’s voice sounded far away. “The next stop is the Moapa Plaza.”
“Shit, I think Brick’s on a bus. That’s how he got so far. Pull up that map.”
Nic slammed his palms over his ears. He needed to get away from the voices, away from the car.
Skyla’s voice sounded worried. “…pulling over…”
He desperately fumbled at the latch for the door and finally caught it with one claw. He shoved the door open and tried to roll out, but the seatbelt held him in. Wind buffeted his ears.
“Brick! Open your eyes!”Landry shouted.
He fought against the sudden compulsion to obey the hated voice in his head. Tires crunched on gravel. He raked his claws across his chest to get the seatbelt. It finally gave way. He launched himself sideways, opening his eyes at the last second to see the dirt and gravel shoulder.
He landed on his hip and rolled down the short embankment, shifting into his enraged tiger, leaving pieces of torn clothing in his wake. He started running away from the road. Rain made the rocks glisten.
“Got him!”Landry sounded triumphant.“Brick, stop right there!”
Lightning bolts of pain discoordinated his legs and made him stumble to a stop. He focused his vision on the dark outline of a scraggly tree and kept walking, dragging each paw in the dirt. A splash of rain soaked his ear.
“Stop, goddammit!”
His body obeyed the command and stilled. Nic narrowed his focus and fought to lift one paw.
“Bad dawg!”
Long seconds of lightning obliterated conscious thought. He tasted blood in his mouth from where he’d bit his tongue. His hind legs buckled and he sat.
“Look all around you.”
