She couldn’t meet his eyes to tell him she knew he’d no intention of finding her family. First, she’d better get the kiss off her chest. “We mustn’t let last night’s kiss cloud our judgment. I mean, we know it was a mistake.”
He gently pressed soothing fingers on her shoulder. His eyes feral, hungry. Seductive. “It was no mistake.”
She put on her best Dr. Adler analytical face. “It was just a moment brought on by fear and danger. Nothing more.”
He grinned and his blue gold speckled eyes twinkled in mischief. “You are a bad liar.”
“Excuse me?”
Dirk took her head between his large hands and planted a possessive kiss on her lips. He let go, and smiled. “Go on and eat. We’ll leave in ten minutes.”
Dirk betrayed her, yet the wetness between her legs betrayed her better senses. “I’m being practical, not lying.”
But you are
.
He shot her a roguish grin and trailed a finger below her lower visibly pouting lip. “Admit it babe, you’re into me.”
She slapped his finger off. “Wait. What? Who kissed me first and stop calling me babe!”
He scanned her body. “Yep, I’m into you, too.”
“Didn’t you admit it was wrong, you know, the werewolf shouldn’t take human mate thing? After all, aren’t you supposed to marry a werewolf and run a pack or something?”
His face bristled slightly and he stared at her in a daze as if the lengthening silence reminded him of his responsibility. He finally gave her a pained look. “You’re right. We need to cool our feelings.”
“Hey, I don’t mind being just buddies.” Nothing could be further from the truth, but for now all that mattered was finding Josh and Mel. Hell, they were members of her pack, a concept he’d understand. “Once I have Josh and Mel with me, we’ll be a family again.” Dora reached in the bag. “I’ll open a can of kippers.”
He stared at her and then at the can. “Actually, after the zombie party I rewarded myself with fresh elk.”
“Yeah, I know.”
His brow arched. “You heard me?”
Oops. She’d seen him hunting in his mind. “Are you kidding me? I mean come on. A huge elk is not going to die quietly.”
He narrowed his eyes. “This one did.” He met her gaze. “Dora, you’re lying to me, again.” He sniffed. “You feel guilt and anger, why?” He lowered his voice to soften the blow. “Because I can’t take you as a mate?”
“Boy, do you have a bloated male ego. Trust me, I’ve dealt with players.”
He stiffened and held her gaze. “I was a player…not anymore…not...”
He stopped flustered and swore under his breath. “Then what is it?”
She sighed. “Fine. You don’t plan on taking me to the North Bay to find Josh, but directly to Northern California to your pack headquarters.”
His eyes widened. “It’s true, how did you…?” He snapped. “You entered my mind without permission.” He stood and paced. “You broke our trust!”
Oh, shit, he’s pissed. She sputtered. “You’re right. I…I wanted to read how you felt about me.” She was like the suspicious needy girl she hated, the type that read her boyfriend’s e-mails and text messages without permission.
His reddened face matched his hair, made even more scarlet by the morning sun. “How I feel about you is of no consequence! You’re an immune woman and a much-needed doctor. Of course I think it’s best to take you to the safety of our pack sanctuary.”
“Didn’t you say a witch in your pack will cause war with the other Bena…whatever pack?”
He leaned his large frame against a tree and folded his arms over his chest. “Talon will be convinced a medical doctor who happens to be a witch is worth the trouble with the Benandanti. To hell with the treaty. Once he agrees, they won’t dare set foot in his territory.”
She fought back tears. Why couldn’t he just say it was because he wanted her and not because she would be valuable to his pack? “Honestly, the best thing would be for me to seek out other human survivors. It would be better to practice medicine with my kind.”
Hurt flashed in his eyes but his voice hardened. “Who? The road warriors that kill for a tank of gas?”
“My first priority is to find my brother and niece.” She swallowed the last of her breakfast and met his eyes. “Look, I helped you get free of the gleipnir and you saved my life, in fact, on more than one occasion. Thank you. Let’s just call it even and go our separate ways.”
He stomped to where she sat and towered over her. His dominant blue gold speckled feral eyes stung her like bright sunlight. He growled, “No. You’re coming with me.”
She stood with her fists on her hips. “Don’t think you’re going to bully me with your big bad wolf routine.”
“Between here and California there are millions of walking dead. The Bay Area is lost. Hell, even I can be brought down by a swarm of hundreds of zombies.” He grabbed her arms. “Let me take you to our pack first. We’ll go in as wolves to look for your family. If they’re alive, and that’s a big if, I promise to get them to safety.”
She struggled to get out of his fierce hold. “No, that’ll take more time. We’ll be heading in the same direction anyway.”
Dirk released her. “Not really. They’re near the coast and we’re going inland on service roads.”
She poked him. “Not we. I’m not going anywhere without my niece and brother. Mel is six years old.” Despite her shaky voice, her maternal instinct blazed, grizzly bear mom hot, determined to rescue her niece.
He grabbed her finger which he could break without effort, and certainly force her to go wherever he wanted. He had super human strength and easily killed dozens of zombies and an elk. Superman with a fur coat. What chance did she have of getting away from him? Some witch she was. Too bad the flight-thing had not worked last night. His voice softened. “I won’t let you get killed by zombies or hunted by the Benandanti.”
“Why? Because I helped you escape Mansfield, or because I’m some valuable commodity for your pack?”
He drew her in. “Because I like hanging out with you, Doc.”
She laughed. “Hanging out, swell.” Now he was the one lying. His eyes, his fierce warmth and his protectiveness convinced her, they were more than buddies hanging out, and it was mutual. How was she going to fight that?
He let go of her. “Are you sure they’re still alive? I mean, what does your witchy intuition tell you?”
She sighed. “If only I could communicate with them telepathically like I can with you.” Though he mentioned it might work with other shifters, so far her telepathy had only worked with Dirk. She’d not been able to read the minds of the coyote medicine man or any of the other casino shifters.
“I wish I knew more about your kind. Your witchmacallit.” He furrowed his brow. “Hmm. How about you close your eyes and concentrate. Who exactly is still alive?”
She nodded. Tears squeezed out from her shut lids. “My parents are gone, my colleagues, everyone I knew in Austin.” She opened her eyes. “Yes, Josh, Melanie and their friend Marti are still very much alive.”
He wiped away a tear from her cheek with his thick thumb. “If you’re that convinced, then I’ll take you.”
“What? You’re not going to haul me off to your compound?”
He curled a smile. “Don’t tempt me.”
“You promise?”
“Trust me. I promise, just don’t go entering my mind without my permission.”
“Agreed.”
****
None of the cars in the parking lot had gas so they headed toward a major highway. With so many zombies roaming around, even marauding gangs would not risk grabbing a fueled vehicle. As a werewolf, Dirk could go in and not be bothered. Still, not if his absence placed Dora at risk. They stayed together. He used his keen sense of smell and sharp ears to make sure there were no zombies. Despite his long strides, Dora kept up. The cloud coverage made the summer weather tolerable. They hiked through red rock country along a quiet lake, where scenic homes dotted the landscape.
“Slow down.”
He looked over his shoulder. She stood staring at an isolated beautiful home with a large covered pool and wraparound views. It must have cost millions to build. “If you’re tired, I don’t mind carrying you.”
Carrying you to my den,
said his inner wolf.
“No, that’s not it. I just thought there might still be people inside their homes. Maybe we can check it out.”
“Sorry, babe. I smell zombies.”
“Are you sure? It might just be a residual.”
“Come here and look.” He pointed to a garden with a turned off water fountain. Three bloodied zombies aimlessly paced, occasionally stopping, to sniff the air.
She climbed a boulder and squinted in the direction. “Yikes. I wonder why they’re not in their sunbathing mode?”
“They caught your scent.”
She visibly shuddered. “There might be a car with fuel inside their garage.”
“Good point.” He knelt down to get a better view. “It’s only the three. Climb on my back and stay silent.”
Without arguing, she clung onto his back like a circus monkey on a pony. He held her hands around his neck and ran at werewolf speed then stopped behind the gate of the large estate. The zombies caught her scent and began moaning. One wore overalls, his right arm missing. Their gardener. The other two looked like a married retired couple, both with long white hair. The woman had a gaping hole where her guts hung out. The man had a thick long white beard matching his head, blue jeans and was shirtless with…tattoos. One in particular made his heart race with excitement. “The male zombie has a big fat Harley Davidson tattoo on his arm. Oh babe, must be your witch instincts that brought us here.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Take a look at his right arm.”
She squinted. “I see an eagle and, oh, yeah, like you, he must have been a biker.”
“I bet inside the garage he’s got a bike.” He smiled. “Let’s go.” She took the gun from her holster. “Put that away, I can handle three old zombies. Save your bullets for when we really need them.”
****
Dora avoided looking at the headless bodies of the three zombies Dirk had just put out of their misery. She stole one glance and mouthed an apology before following him inside. She felt like an intruder, invading someone’s home. Family photographs of grandkids and of the many trips the couple took on their Harley Davidson motorcycle plastered the walls. Dirk stared at a picture of two young kids posing by a river and swallowed hard, visibly shaken. She sensed a profound sadness. Did they remind him of his murdered siblings?
Dirk jerked away from the pictures and stalked into the kitchen. “Dora, this way.”
He ran down the steps to the garage. It was dark but he found the latch and opened the door, blasting daylight in. His mood brightened. “Oh, yeah!” A huge polished-into-a-blinding-shine blue chromed motorcycle. The front was for a big man, and the passenger seat looked comfortable with a backrest. The motorcycle was in the center of the garage as if presented in a showroom. He mumbled as if in rapt prayer. “Stage 3 engine, 95.4 horsepower, just the power and speed for a quick getaway.”
She joined him. “Actually, I’ve never ridden a motorcycle.”
He looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Then you’re in for a treat. Mr. Zombie’s bike is even better than mine was.” He slid his hand over the bike as if touching a religious relic. She longed to have him glide his hand along her body the way he had the Harley. Lucky bike!
The werewolf is not available. Focus.
Her brows wrinkled in concern
.
“I don’t know. I think a car would be safer.”
Still giving the bike his full adoration he said, “Trust me, nothing outmaneuvers zombie swarms like a solid bike.”
On one side of the garage, she opened a closet. “Awesome.” Leather apparel, boots and helmets. All sorts of designs that included matching men’s and women’s American flag coats and bright blue ones like the bike’s color. She chose a black helmet that matched her black leather jacket.
Dirk picked up knee-length black boots. “I bet these will fit you. The lady was about your height, that is, when she still had a head on her shoulders.”
“Hmm. My size, but I prefer my athletic shoes.”
“So pack them for walking. Boots will protect your legs better.”
“Oh, all right. Josh is going to get a kick out of my new biker chic look.” She took off her shoes, put on the boots and stood. “Actually, comfortable. Who knew?” She’d always worn athletic shoes to do rounds, afraid that anything with heels would kill her feet.
“You do have the legs for boots,” he quipped.
She picked up a helmet. “This might be your size.”
“I don’t wear helmets.”
“Do you realize what would happen to your skull if you fell at more than fifteen miles an hour?”
“Nice of you to worry, but I have a hard head.”
“You mean you’re hard-headed.”
“Doc, werewolves are not delicate humans.”
“Not all of us, especially witchy types, are so delicate.” She straightened her holster and mounted the bike. “Let’s see how fast this bike goes.”
Chapter 11
Dirk drove the Harley between gaps in the mishmash of vehicles on the highway as she held on. He smiled. She probably had her eyes closed. All that bravado she showed earlier didn’t fool him. He sensed her rapid pulse as he maneuvered around awakened zombies, now all abuzz from the engine’s rumble. Noise alerted them to human prey. Once the zombies caught a whiff of Dora’s scent, they snarled in hungry agitation. Despite the unrelenting desert heat they responded with their shambling gait and outstretched arms. These putrid zombies must have turned while stuck on the road to nowhere. Their skin had nearly peeled off from sun exposure and he wondered if eventually their brains would cook. He drove fast, making it impossible for the zombies to be a threat. He checked his rearview mirror. The swarm slowed, returning to their odd stasis stage.
Hours later, they crossed the abandoned California border station and drove past an overturned eighteen-wheeler that had knocked down the “Welcome to California” sign. Farther ahead, only the charred remains of bodies and burnt cars remained. He’d seen this during the Bane’s early infestation. An attempt to napalm the zombie infested freeways and stop the spread. However, the military’s early measure to wipe out the ghouls met stiff opposition, but by the time further sorties were approved, it was too late. The zombies had won. He slowed the bike to a stop and looked over his shoulder. “Don’t fall asleep on me, Doc.”