there's anything we can do to stop it. About all we're going to be able to manage is clean up and we'll be damned lucky if we can do that without having a horde of humans breathing down our necks if it's as bad as I'm thinking it'll be."
"The council isn't going to be happy with that,” Xavier retorted. “The idea was we were going to come in and clean things up quietly. I sure as hell don't see any way to do that—not with most of the town about to go into transition."
Balin spread his hands. “We're only wolfen, not gods. There are limits even to what we can do."
Dakota frowned thoughtfully. After a moment, he sat forward. “What about the church? Tomorrow's Sunday, right?"
Balin eyed him with interest. “And?"
"I figure most of the community is going to turn out for church. I counted three. If we station ourselves at the churches, we can at least get a head count of those not already infected and it would give us a better idea of what we're dealing with."
"It's an idea,” Balin agreed thoughtfully.
"A good one,” Jared said.
Con shrugged. “We'll still need to figure out how we can protect them from the weres ."
"One thing at the time,” Balin said. “It'll give us something to work with, as Dakota pointed out."
* * * *
Sunlight was spilling through the window when Danika woke. Pulling the cover over her head, she lay still, allowing her mind to come alive slowly. The thoughts that flitted through her mind weren't particularly pleasant, though, and she pushed the cover away and got up a few minutes later. After putting the coffee on, she went into the bathroom to bathe and dress and brush her teeth. She felt marginally better when she emerged, alert enough to make a cup of coffee anyway.
Carrying it out to the porch, she plopped down in one of the chairs, propped her feet on the porch rail, and stared vacantly at the lake, trying not to think about anything.
It worked until the biker gang poured out of the cabin next door, mounted their bikes, and revved the engines. She ignored them, pointedly, narrowing her eyes at the view before her.
It was just a shame they didn't seem to notice.
They put their bikes in gear and roared off, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. Waving her hand in front of her face to dispel the dust, Danika turned to watch them until they were out of sight.
"Good riddance!” she muttered. “Bossy bastards!"
Getting to her feet, she stalked inside and gathered what she thought she might need then headed out of the cabin again, taking the trail she'd discovered a few days earlier. She found herself listening intently for the sound of motorcycles as she strode purposefully along the trail but after a while she managed to dismiss it.
It was an uncomfortably warm day and the bag she was carrying seemed to weigh twice as much as usual. Stopping after a time, she checked her pedometer to see how far she'd come and dragged her bottle of water out to take a few sips.
She'd been studiously avoiding thoughts about the night before, but there was little of interest around her to keep her mind occupied and she found the thoughts creeping in despite her best efforts to keep them at bay. She wasn't certain how she felt about the confrontation beyond being annoyed. She realized she hadn't actually been afraid of them, though, and that surprised her until it occurred to her that they hadn't made her feel threatened. If they had, she would've had enough sense to be scared, especially after the fight she'd witnessed between Con and Balin.
She hadn't wanted to think about that at all but the moment she did, she remembered Con's kiss—vividly. She felt the effects again, too—hot, jittery, breathless.
He could kiss. She had to give him that. She'd never been more thoroughly aroused so quickly in her life.
"The council isn't going to be happy with that,” Xavier retorted. “The idea was we were going to come in and clean things up quietly. I sure as hell don't see any way to do that—not with most of the town about to go into transition."
Balin spread his hands. “We're only wolfen, not gods. There are limits even to what we can do."
Dakota frowned thoughtfully. After a moment, he sat forward. “What about the church? Tomorrow's Sunday, right?"
Balin eyed him with interest. “And?"
"I figure most of the community is going to turn out for church. I counted three. If we station ourselves at the churches, we can at least get a head count of those not already infected and it would give us a better idea of what we're dealing with."
"It's an idea,” Balin agreed thoughtfully.
"A good one,” Jared said.
Con shrugged. “We'll still need to figure out how we can protect them from the weres ."
"One thing at the time,” Balin said. “It'll give us something to work with, as Dakota pointed out."
* * * *
Sunlight was spilling through the window when Danika woke. Pulling the cover over her head, she lay still, allowing her mind to come alive slowly. The thoughts that flitted through her mind weren't particularly pleasant, though, and she pushed the cover away and got up a few minutes later. After putting the coffee on, she went into the bathroom to bathe and dress and brush her teeth. She felt marginally better when she emerged, alert enough to make a cup of coffee anyway.
Carrying it out to the porch, she plopped down in one of the chairs, propped her feet on the porch rail, and stared vacantly at the lake, trying not to think about anything.
It worked until the biker gang poured out of the cabin next door, mounted their bikes, and revved the engines. She ignored them, pointedly, narrowing her eyes at the view before her.
It was just a shame they didn't seem to notice.
They put their bikes in gear and roared off, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. Waving her hand in front of her face to dispel the dust, Danika turned to watch them until they were out of sight.
"Good riddance!” she muttered. “Bossy bastards!"
Getting to her feet, she stalked inside and gathered what she thought she might need then headed out of the cabin again, taking the trail she'd discovered a few days earlier. She found herself listening intently for the sound of motorcycles as she strode purposefully along the trail but after a while she managed to dismiss it.
It was an uncomfortably warm day and the bag she was carrying seemed to weigh twice as much as usual. Stopping after a time, she checked her pedometer to see how far she'd come and dragged her bottle of water out to take a few sips.
She'd been studiously avoiding thoughts about the night before, but there was little of interest around her to keep her mind occupied and she found the thoughts creeping in despite her best efforts to keep them at bay. She wasn't certain how she felt about the confrontation beyond being annoyed. She realized she hadn't actually been afraid of them, though, and that surprised her until it occurred to her that they hadn't made her feel threatened. If they had, she would've had enough sense to be scared, especially after the fight she'd witnessed between Con and Balin.
She hadn't wanted to think about that at all but the moment she did, she remembered Con's kiss—vividly. She felt the effects again, too—hot, jittery, breathless.
He could kiss. She had to give him that. She'd never been more thoroughly aroused so quickly in her life.
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