Authors: Laurann Dohner
“What was that?” She turned her head to stare at the man behind her. His eyes remained closed but she could feel his chest rise and fall against her spine. She twisted just enough to feel for a pulse at his neck. It was tough to find. He was fading fast, probably dying from blood loss and infection.
“Hey!” She rubbed his cheek. “Look at me.”
He didn’t stir. Lynn looked down at the ground. The coyotes hadn’t returned. That sound had scared the hell out of her and had probably done worse to the pack. She needed to get to Mr. Avery’s cabin and call for help. There wasn’t much to debate. Some of the coyotes had taken off toward the river so going after her things wasn’t an option. She eased his arm from around her waist and gripped a branch above her head. She climbed higher, trying to spot any source of light in the area.
Lynn found what she was looking for. Mr. Avery might be blind, but he kept his porch lights on to keep critters away. She spotted his cabin. It wasn’t as far away as she’d thought it would be. It was possible that she could make it on foot without weapons.
She took her time climbing down, watching and listening for any sign of the coyotes returning. She checked on the man one more time. He was out cold. Two other branches next to the one he sat on would keep him upright if he tilted to the side. It meant he wouldn’t fall.
“No choice,” she muttered. He needed a hospital. He might not survive until morning otherwise. It meant she’d have to run through the dark woods. She stared at his strange light source, wondering what had made that alarm go off. It was tempting to take it with her but it would help her find him once she got a rescue team to Mr. Avery’s cabin.
It wouldn’t be easy to reach the ground. She was barefoot. She got to the lowest branch and then swung out and dropped to the ground in a crouch. Nothing came at her out of the darkness. She straightened and sprinted off toward the cabin. It was tough to see without a flashlight but she was motivated.
She made it a short distance before a howl brought her to a halt. The last thing she needed would be to run into that pack. She looked for trees close to her that were easily climbed but most of the branches were out of her reach. Another howl came from behind her and she knew she was in deep shit. They were hunting her.
She turned, saw movement in the darkness.
“Fuck me,” she hissed and sprinted forward.
A snarl sounded to her left, telling her instantly that it was as bad as she’d feared. They were trying to surround her. Lynn frantically looked up for a low branch to grab while she ran for her life. She saw one ahead and heard something crash through the brush behind her. She jumped, grabbing for the limb.
Harsh bark scratched her palms but she caught the branch, swung and jerked her legs up. Her foot hit the trunk and her heel snagged on something. It hurt but she managed to use that foothold to throw her other leg up, hooking her calf over the branch she gripped. She used all her strength to pull up, her chest slamming against the limb. It made it easier to lift her other leg and hook the branch.
A scream tore from her throat when something brushed against her back. She twisted her head, seeing the shadow of a coyote below her. It jumped and managed to snag part of her jacket in its jaws. Material tore and she was almost ripped off the branch. Lynn screamed again, releasing the branch with one hand to hook her arm over it, then the other, hugging it tightly. Adrenaline and panic were great motivators.
The coyote jumped again but missed her. It was close though. She could hear his ragged breathing. She squeezed her eyes closed and started to pray. There was no way she could switch positions so she was on top of the branch instead of hanging from the bottom of it.
She could hear more coyotes and knew when another one lunged, attempting to tear her from her precarious perch. He missed and hit the ground hard. They were going to tear her out of the tree, rip her to shreds and eat her as though she were a deer carcass. Hot tears filled her eyes.
I’m animal control, damn it.
Control those fuckers.
Her mind drew a blank on how to save herself. She was too afraid to think clearly and growing tired. Her arms and legs burned and ached from gripping the rough bark and holding her body tightly to the branch.
Something hit her back where her jacket had already been torn open. It was wet and cold as it brushed her exposed skin. The animal dropped to the ground, crushing dead leaves under its paws. A whimper pushed past her tightly compressed lips. One good yank and she would be torn down to the ground. She knew they’d be on her in seconds, attacking her en masse.
An ear-splitting roar sounded.
Oh god
,
just what I need. A mountain lion on top of it? Are you kidding me?
At that point, she was pretty sure someone in charge of fate hated her. If there was such a thing as karma, it was about to make a late-night snack out of her one way or another for something bad she’d once done.
The coyotes whined loudly. She heard leaves crunching as if something were running at them, so she turned her head and opened her eyes. The pack fled in the opposite direction. She stared after them, shocked that they were taking off, but then she realized they were running away from the mountain lion.
Bright light had her whipping her head in the other direction and she openly gawked at the four big men who came at her. They were tall, all dressed in black leather. It was their faces that alarmed her the most. They looked a lot like the guy she’d left in the tree. They had those same flatter, wider noses and one of them had his mouth open. She could spot his fangs.
They trudged closer and Lynn hugged the branch tighter. She didn’t feel saved. The leader lifted a hand and they came to a stop about five feet away. One of them held a round disk just like the one she’d seen before. It put off a lot of light. The men were scary—a foursome of terror with their leather clothing and big bodies.
One stepped closer and growled, holding up a small, flat device like the one that had reminded her of a cell phone. It was lit up along the seams, just as the other one had been. He growled again.
A cold, computerized voice followed a heartbeat later.
“Where is Coto, woman?”
Lynn stared at it, then at the guy’s face. He growled a third time. “I am Holion. You are safe, woman.” The box spoke again in a mechanical male voice as he made those inhuman sounds. “We will not harm you, so you may come down. We have chased the local animals away.”
Lynn hesitated and then unwrapped her legs as she eased her hold on the branch. Pain shot up her arms as she dropped ungracefully to the ground. She winced a little as her feet hit hard-packed dirt. She swayed, in shock, staring at the big leather-clad men. She swallowed hard, speechless, unsure what to say. She was afraid, and the urge to flee for her life clawed at her insides, but she didn’t scream or run.
They weren’t normal guys, that was for sure. The men openly stared at her legs, making her aware of her lack of clothing. She reached down and tugged the jacket lower, holding the seams together so they didn’t glimpse that she only wore panties under it. Holion stepped closer.
“We are looking for Coto. He called and said he was with a woman. You must be her. Where is he?”
He growled as the box translated it into words. It was freaking her out. It reminded her of one of those foreign movies she sometimes watched late at night. His lip movement didn’t match what she was hearing. Only he wasn’t speaking any known language that she was aware of. Her supposed DEA agent had growled too.
He snarled. “Speak now,” the box demanded.
“Um…I left him in a tree where he’d be safe. He’s hurt.”
Something made a crashing noise behind her and she spun, expecting a coyote or a mountain lion to come at her. Instead it was the man she’d left in the tree. He had a name now. Coto.
He stumbled, fisting the handle of a jagged dagger in one hand. He came forward, unsteady on his feet, and growled low. He no longer wore just the Speedos. He’d put on leather pants and his boots.
“You found me,” the box translated.
“Yes, Coto. We got your message and converged together to seek you out.”
“Did you find Vhon?” Coto came closer, his gaze trailing down Lynn’s body, then he looked back at the four men. “Report.”
One of the other men stepped forward. “Not yet. We stopped to seek you out.” He glared at Lynn. “She stated you were injured.”
“Did the woman do that to you?” A longhaired redhead stepped forward and revealed his sharp fangs as he snarled at Lynn.
She actually backed up and bumped into Coto.
He hooked one arm around her waist. “No. It was four creatures that bit into me. I was attacked after picking up Vhon’s trail.” Coto turned his bright-blue gaze back on Lynn. “You left me to get help?”
Lynn still had a hard time speaking so she just gave a curt nod. Coto frowned, maybe not believing her. He looked away to stare at Holion. “We will set up camp.”
“There is an inhabited dwelling close by. It would be safer to travel farther.”
Coto growled. “No. She said he is blind. He won’t see us. It is safe for us to camp here. I need to be treated. We will resume our search at first light. More of the biting creatures are in the area.”
Holion didn’t seem pleased with that order. He glared at Lynn, snarling. “And what of her? She’s a danger.”
“Tell her why we are here.” Coto pointed his dagger at the redhead. “You do it, Gar. Show her the proof. She must think we are strange.”
The redhead reached inside his pocket and withdrew a folded but laminated paper. He had bright green eyes that Lynn couldn’t look away from as he slowly approached her. “We are Leprechauns from Ireland. See? That is why you might think we are different from you. We have traveled here to go camping and find our friend. He is lost in the woods.” He held out the paper.
Lynn had to lock her knees.
Are they kidding? Leprechauns?
Her mind was struggling to make sense of it. She stared at the man and stayed totally mute. One of the guys frowned at her, inching closer to Holion.
“She does not seem convinced.”
“Here.” Gar shoved the paper at her.
Lynn looked down. It was an ad she’d seen posted in town some months before. It was for an Irish pub celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. It had probably been ripped down and the wind had carried it into the woods. A picture of a cartoon character grinned at her from the center of it, stating the leprechauns had come all the way from Ireland. He had long red hair, sported a green outfit, and held a pint of ale.
She lifted her chin, staring at Gar in utter shock.
He touched his red hair. “See? It is a bad image but that is what we are. Some of us have other colors of hair.” He paused. “Ireland is far. We are not wearing our native garments since we are on vacation. That must be the reason for your confusion.”
They think I’m an idiot.
They expect me to believe that bullshit.
Finally, it all sank in.
They’re aliens. They have to be.
It would explain their slightly weird faces, the way they growl-spoke their words, and their translator was something right out of a science fiction movie.
Aliens. Oh god.
“We like beer and bring good luck.” Gar pointed at a few lines at the bottom of the ad. “It states it right here. Leprechauns. Say something, woman.”
She swallowed hard, terrified. They obviously didn’t want her to know the truth. They might kill her if she didn’t play along. “You’re much taller and bigger than I imagined.”
“We are,” Coto said, drawing her attention.
He held her against his body and she was too terrified to move away. “I’ve never met your kind in person before. So you’re here to go camping, huh?”
Coto lowered his chin, gazing at her through thick eyelashes with those utterly beautiful bright blue eyes of his. “Yes, and we lost our friend. He might not be alone. Have you seen others like us?”
There are more of them in the woods? What is this, an alien convention in Hicksville?
She shook her head. “I can honestly say that you are the only ones I’ve seen.”
“We need to deal with this situation.” The blond one finally spoke.
Lynn instantly got his meaning when she caught him glaring at her. He didn’t look happy. Were they going to kill her because she’d seen them?
They are freakin’ aliens.
She was certain about that. It was tempting to make a run for it but they were fit and Coto still held her. They’d run her into the ground in no time, even if she managed to break free of his grip around her waist. She needed to make herself useful long enough to find a way to escape.
“I know these woods really well. You said you’re here to go camping and look for your friend. I could be your tour guide. I’m a great tracker.” She peered up at Coto. “That’s how I found you.”
“Good.” He glanced at the other aliens. “She is under my protection. Set up camp here. We search for Vhon at first light.”
“We don’t need her,” Gar rasped.
“You take orders from me,” Coto snarled. “No one touches the woman.” He pointed the tip of his blade at the redhead. “She helped me when I was injured. We are men with honor. Don’t forget that, despite where we are.”