Christopher, good to see you guys again. What’s up?” He had to grin at Ralph’s intense glaring eyes that peered out between his graying bushy beard and wild eyebrows. Mike stood nearly a foot shorter than the others, stalky and muscular, but with a youthful face. Christopher ‘s thin form fidgeted as they faced off, clearly nervous with the confrontation.
“You know what’s up. You still have the girl at your cabin, don’t you?” Bradly accused.
“And that’s where she’s going to stay,” Matt insisted. “I don’t think we need any more trouble than we have already.”
“You’re going to get us all killed!” Mike yelled. “Matt, what are you thinking?”
“Right now,” Matt mused, “I’m thinking that if anyone tries to hurt that girl or take her away, there’s going to be blood spilt.”
“And since when do we resort to guns?” Bradly asked, pointing to the rifle. “And more to the point, where did you get it?”
Matt gave them an evil half-grin. “I took it from a poacher who doesn’t need it anymore. You like it? And yes, we are resorting to guns, ever since my home was threatened unnecessarily by four shifters at one time. I think it just evens out the odds, don’t you?”
“Fine,” Bradly huffed. “But none of this had better put the clan at risk, or it’s your ass on the line, got it?”
“There’s no way she is going to cause trouble,” Matt growled. “She doesn’t know about shifters, and she doesn’t even know where the clan is. How can she possibly do any harm?”
“And don’t you even consider taking her to camp with you,” Mike snorted. “Or it’s her neck.”
Matt nodded curtly. “That’s a deal.”
***
When Matt returned to the cabin, Tawny eyed him, tensely studying his stern face. He sneered at no one in particular and set the rifle in a corner. He stopped, looked her over from head to toe, and smiled.
“What’s with the gun?” Tawny asked, squinting. “Are you planning to hunt with it?”
Matt grunted, looking over at the rifle. “I don’t have any bullets. I’m just using it to scare off the pests, that’s all.”
Tawny threw herself into Matt’s arms, holding him tight for several long minutes before she drew back to look into his eyes. He smiled warmly, then stripped the clothes from her body piece by piece. As they fell to the bed, naked, his large, muscular body enveloping hers in sweaty passion, the world fell away — all except the bullet wound, which Tawny eyed in horror.
Chapter 11
“I’m telling you, we need a search party,” Kyle moaned as he sat at the bar, drink in hand. “And I’m going to need another drink. I’ve lost the rifle my buddy Chad loaned me. The others who were camping with us are exhausted from the search, and just waiting here in town for Tawny’s parents to arrive. God damn, I need some help out there.”
The old man sitting next to him laughed unabashedly, his long, thin beard wafting in the scoffs. “Have you seen our ranger station here, boy? It’s like Mayberry, only without the dignity. You’d do better hiring the Three Stooges to find your girl.”
Kyle shook his head. “I know. They’ve already been told she’s missing, and what little they’ve done has been worthless. But I know where she is now. I’ve found her, she just needs to be rescued.”
“You said she was kidnapped by a mountain man?” the old man probed. “Holy hell, that must be horrible. But, yeah, ol’ Deputy Dog at the rangers could probably wander out there and pick her up for you without too much hassle, s’long as he’s back in time for dinner.”
Kyle groaned and bent over the bar, gripping the cold glass of whiskey tight in his fingers. “There’s more,” he muttered.
“More mountain men?”
Kyle shook his head. “No. The mountain man — he’s not just a man. He turned into this bizarre animal, I swear to
“You know what’s up. You still have the girl at your cabin, don’t you?” Bradly accused.
“And that’s where she’s going to stay,” Matt insisted. “I don’t think we need any more trouble than we have already.”
“You’re going to get us all killed!” Mike yelled. “Matt, what are you thinking?”
“Right now,” Matt mused, “I’m thinking that if anyone tries to hurt that girl or take her away, there’s going to be blood spilt.”
“And since when do we resort to guns?” Bradly asked, pointing to the rifle. “And more to the point, where did you get it?”
Matt gave them an evil half-grin. “I took it from a poacher who doesn’t need it anymore. You like it? And yes, we are resorting to guns, ever since my home was threatened unnecessarily by four shifters at one time. I think it just evens out the odds, don’t you?”
“Fine,” Bradly huffed. “But none of this had better put the clan at risk, or it’s your ass on the line, got it?”
“There’s no way she is going to cause trouble,” Matt growled. “She doesn’t know about shifters, and she doesn’t even know where the clan is. How can she possibly do any harm?”
“And don’t you even consider taking her to camp with you,” Mike snorted. “Or it’s her neck.”
Matt nodded curtly. “That’s a deal.”
***
When Matt returned to the cabin, Tawny eyed him, tensely studying his stern face. He sneered at no one in particular and set the rifle in a corner. He stopped, looked her over from head to toe, and smiled.
“What’s with the gun?” Tawny asked, squinting. “Are you planning to hunt with it?”
Matt grunted, looking over at the rifle. “I don’t have any bullets. I’m just using it to scare off the pests, that’s all.”
Tawny threw herself into Matt’s arms, holding him tight for several long minutes before she drew back to look into his eyes. He smiled warmly, then stripped the clothes from her body piece by piece. As they fell to the bed, naked, his large, muscular body enveloping hers in sweaty passion, the world fell away — all except the bullet wound, which Tawny eyed in horror.
Chapter 11
“I’m telling you, we need a search party,” Kyle moaned as he sat at the bar, drink in hand. “And I’m going to need another drink. I’ve lost the rifle my buddy Chad loaned me. The others who were camping with us are exhausted from the search, and just waiting here in town for Tawny’s parents to arrive. God damn, I need some help out there.”
The old man sitting next to him laughed unabashedly, his long, thin beard wafting in the scoffs. “Have you seen our ranger station here, boy? It’s like Mayberry, only without the dignity. You’d do better hiring the Three Stooges to find your girl.”
Kyle shook his head. “I know. They’ve already been told she’s missing, and what little they’ve done has been worthless. But I know where she is now. I’ve found her, she just needs to be rescued.”
“You said she was kidnapped by a mountain man?” the old man probed. “Holy hell, that must be horrible. But, yeah, ol’ Deputy Dog at the rangers could probably wander out there and pick her up for you without too much hassle, s’long as he’s back in time for dinner.”
Kyle groaned and bent over the bar, gripping the cold glass of whiskey tight in his fingers. “There’s more,” he muttered.
“More mountain men?”
Kyle shook his head. “No. The mountain man — he’s not just a man. He turned into this bizarre animal, I swear to
Similar Books
