Raven Moon (13 page)

Her arm was not as bothersome. She grabbed her satchel and lumbered toward the bathroom.

Rave relieved herself. At the sink, she turned the faucet. Nothing. She opened the cabinet, smiled and hummed,
Old McDonald’s wife had makeup remover, E-I-E-I-O
. With one hand, she wiped her tearstained face and applied lotion to her dry skin. She raked back her hair and puckered her lips.
With a kiss, kiss, here and a kiss, kiss, there
. It was crazy, but she wanted to look attractive for him, even if he kept her at arm’s length.
Lucky wolf, if it weren’t for my broken arm, I would have seduced you hours ago.

Rave pulled out her compact and makeup kit. Not easy with only one good hand and was grateful for the bathroom mirror. She finished with a touch of reddish purple lipstick and puckered her lips.
Now try to resist my lips, Benandanti werewolf.

A dark thought crossed her mind. Had Maddox left? Did he realize he could not resist her and didn’t want to risk damnation? Her heart sank. Would that be such a bad thing? Rave would be free but how would she get home? Maybe up the road she could find a car with enough fuel to get her to the next station, assuming local fuel stations still had gas. Or should she wait? It would take months to fly and that’s if her bone healed correctly. Impossible without a properly set arm. Crazy as it was, she needed Maddox or at least his truck. Tranquilizing him was still not out of the question. Her adrenalin spiked. Did he look inside her satchel? She donned her boots and double-checked the satchel’s contents. Good. Still there. Why would Maddox go through what he thought were her cosmetics anyway?

Rave stepped out onto the porch and shivered. The ground had a fine layer of ice, not quite snow but she hadn’t expected any from the southern state. His coat lay on the floor, covered with shed white fur. Hmm. When was the last time he had a proper grooming? His shirt lay folded on a chair, but his pants and boots were gone. Maddox was in human form. Yet, he left his sheathed katana on the wicker table. He might leave without his clothes and a tempting forbidden woman but never without his katana. Schooled in ancient weapons as works of arts, the sword was authentic and with a valued history behind it. She felt a pang, wishing she still had her little crossbow pistol. Hell, she’d settle for her Glock.

Rave looked around for Maddox. Nowhere in sight, but the truck sat parked in the driveway. Her heart gladdened. “Later, hater.” She looked through his coat and all around. Duh! Of course, he took the keys with him.

In the distance, she heard a groan. Great, a zombie. Then he uttered something in Latin that sounded more like swearing than prayer. Maybe the groan was because he was cutting wood for another fire. Rave imagined him cutting wood with an ax and watching his rippling muscles with each swing. But such a task would be a piece of cake for a werewolf. The next groan was louder. Shit. Maddox was hurt. What could hurt an alpha? Her pulse raced. The Kindred! Holding her arm, she half-jogged into a wooded area near a babbling creek.

Her eyes widened. Maddox knelt by the creek, his lashed back wet with blood and his head bowed in shame. A bloodied branch rested by his side.

She gasped. “What the fuck?”

He growled. “Leave me alone.”

“The hell I’m going to leave you alone.” She dashed to his side. The Benandanti devout still self-flagellated to get rid of their sinful thoughts, but she had no idea Maddox, a Kindred hunter, would practice such an ancient punishment ritual. It was barbaric. Her shoulders slumped. This was her fault. His wolf had lusted and he’d no choice but to do what he knew; flog his gorgeous muscular back. Fortunately, he was an alpha werewolf, and even now, the lash marks faded. In a few hours, the welts would disappear from existence. For all she knew, he’d whipped himself all night. She waved him to stand and join her back at the house. “Come on. I’ll spread salve on your welts.”

“No.” He winced as he reached in his pocket and grabbed the car keys. He threw them toward her. “Take the truck and leave. Go back to your kind.”

No-brainer. She picked up the keys and squeezed them in her palm. Her chance to escape. Yet, enemy or not, he’d saved her life and he’d gone through a lot of trouble to get her meds. Not to mention, risking his religious neck to help a raven shifter. How could she leave him, like this?
Think, Rave!
If she stayed, it’s not like he was taking her back to his pack for a dinner date. He’d take her to execution in a public ala medieval burn the witch way. Yet, her heart refused to believe Maddox would let her die after he rescued then protected her.

Maddox bowed his head as if in deep penitence. Rave reached to touch him.

He dug claws into the ice-hardened dirt and his tone darkened. “Go whore, before I change my mind and bring you back to stand trial.”

Rave jerked back as if being slapped. She snapped, “Whore is it? As I recall from last night’s visit, it was you who was the man whore.”

Maddox roared a howl, fighting the shift, as if he warred with his inner beast. The flicker between man and werewolf spiked her adrenalin.

“Okay time to go.” Rave twisted around and stomped toward the truck. The man had issues. Duh, he’s a self-hating werewolf. And to top it off, a virgin.

A gross stench accosted her nose. She stopped dead in her tracks. “Shit. Company.”

Five zombies stood between her and the truck. Two of them looked like they might have been the couple who owned the farmhouse. Mid-sixties, gray hair, mouth lacking dentures, but retiring as gummy zombies.

It would hurt like hell to shift but she had no choice. There was no other escape. They shambled toward her and before they got too close, she shifted. A raven with a broken wing. Pitiful, but safe from zombies, at least the normal non-ape bitten variety. They barked in confusion and then gathered around the truck and mouthed the windows, licking her residual scent.

Ooh, gross. How am I supposed to drive with goo all over the windows?
Dragging her bad wing, she waddled up the steps to the porch. Rave shifted to human form and hissed to calm her arm’s fierce pain. She took a breath and drew out the katana.
I’ve always wanted to try one.
She parried with her good arm but her practice session was cut short when the zombies got wind of her.

The ghouls shuffled toward her and released stuttering moans. Was her one arm strong enough to place a killing stroke? If not, she could at least slow them down and draw them away from the vehicle. Rave threw her satchel over her shoulder and sashayed around them.

A barefooted man in his early twenties, his clothes in shambles, clawed toward her. She struck but missed taking his head, like she’d seen in all the good zombie movies, and sliced his arm from his shoulders. Filmmakers made it look so easy. Armless-guy continued forward, feeling no pain, but pure simple hunger. “That’ll teach you to bite.” Rave swung again and this time severed his head. She winced as her injured arm jostled.

Rave panted, out of breath as she moved toward the truck but the other zombies blocked her passage. Not again. No way could she sever more heads, not with one arm. She readied to shift when the werewolf struck.

In bipedal horror genre werewolf form, Maddox struck in a fury of slicing claws and mauling fangs. His spiked white fur and pale skin made him look like the abominable-snow monster werewolf. In moments, the zombies were reduced to parts and pieces.

Rave glanced up at the fierce seven-foot tall huffing and puffing big bad werewolf. “I had this covered but thanks, anyway.” She slinked toward the truck. The beast leapt in front of her. His blue eyes smoldered with intensity and he swallowed a wad of saliva. She lifted her chin. “Hey, I thought we had a deal?”

Maddox stepped back and whined like a pet dog that missed its mommy. He grunted as he shifted to human form. The naked brawny man stood, his tone demonic, “I changed my mind. You’re still my prisoner.” He shot her a malevolent grin. “Hand me the keys.”

“And if I don’t?” Hadn’t he learned his lesson? Their physical attraction would eventually combust into flaming raw sex. Knowing him, he’d confess to his Benandanti priest. Rave could only imagine his punishment. Would it be banishment, castration, or a cleansing by death?

Maddox laughed with an edge. “You saw what I did to the zombies.”

Rave smirked. “Go ahead then. Chop me to pieces.” Odd as it was, she felt they had a connection. Raven foresight knew he would never hurt her, let alone kill her.
Being a werewolf, he must feel the connection as well.

He released a long sigh. “Look behind you.”

Oldest trick in the book, but the shuffling steps over the icy leaves and moans convinced Rave to peek over her shoulder. Out of the woods, a swarm of hundreds shambled toward them. Probably the smell of his blood and his pathetic groans had drawn the zombie swarm. “Fine, you drive.” She got into the passenger side and waited while he gathered his clothes. He stared at his katana and wiped it with a cloth as if she had contaminated it. She rolled her eyes.
Sure, take your time
.

Maddox opened her door. Shirt unbuttoned, he looked cover model hot. Men with such ripped abs should be forbidden from wearing shirts. He strapped the seatbelt over her and she winced.

He put his sword on the backseat and then hopped into the driver’s side. “Hang on.” He floored it and reached the road before the swarm got within reach.

****

Maddox gripped the steering wheel and stole a glance at her. Silence had made the trip awkward. Fortunately, she’d dosed off for the last hundred miles. What happened last night shamed Maddox to the core. His wolf fought to make Rave his mate, and he’d almost given in to its banal desire. He was doomed. No more denying it. His wolf knew from the moment he scented her at the last consortium meeting that she was his mate. Last night he’d no choice but to shift to his natural wolf. As a wolf, his compulsion wasn’t as strong since shifters never mated in their animal forms, unless they were the same species.

Unfortunately, his dreams had spiked his desire. Maddox dreamt of her writhing naked body beneath his, her arm healed and wrapped around his head like a wing, calling his name. Bathing in her rich fragrance of spring and sky. The taste of her tender flesh as he bit deep into her nape. Their lovemaking cast a shadow on the moon, and at his climax, he howled in victory. Roused by her whimpering, he’d woken with a fierce erection.

Even in human form, it took every inch of will power against his wolf to leave her before he marked her. He’d whipped the beast devil back and won. Now here she tested his faith and control. Why would God tempt him to take a forbidden woman as his mate? Why such a brutal test of his faith? Or did Satan know deep inside he was a non-believer or worse, a pagan, like his real parents? Ravenna did nothing to hide her perfect tits and arse.

Whom was he fooling? It was not entirely her fault. His pagan wolf caused the attraction, too. Maddox suppressed a growl. Why had he not let her drive off? He could have found another car and left her to journey alone.

Not with zombies, tankers and yes, his kind roaming the country. Above everything else, he had to protect her. Maddox pulled over at an abandoned truck stop to gas up and gather food for the road.

Rave woke and arched her brows. Although, he’d ignored her, keeping his eyes on the road with his fierce scowl, she’d probably thought it best to pretend sleep. “Where are we?”

“We’re heading north.”

“Are you still following Jaeger’s scent?”

“It’s almost gone, but I’m honed in on the scent of his chimpanzombie cargo.”

“Shit, imagine if he released the chimpanzombies where pockets of human survivors reside. Before you know it, the entire area would be infested with hooting leaping human ape bitten zombies. The only reason it hadn’t happened in San Antonio was because there were too few humans to infect.”

“I’m sure Jaeger will not release them around humans. He intends to use the ape zombies against my pack and eventually others. It’s imperative I kill the chimpanzombies before they escape his control.” Such a prospect was just as important as killing Jaeger. That and finding a safe place for Rave. Perhaps with friendly survivors. But could he walk away from her? How long could he go on pretending she was his prisoner and he wasn’t hers?

Rave mumbled. “Unless, there were chimp-bitten humans that escaped everyone’s radar.”

Maddox wrinkled his brow. “These new zombies might blend in with a zombie swarm and survivors wouldn’t have a clue about the creature’s greater speed and strength.”

“At least getting rid of Jaeger’s apes is a good start. I can position myself on a tree and shoot them.” She pretended to hold a gun with her left hand. “Being ambidextrous helps.”

He gave her a pointed stare. “I hate to break this to you, but we are not partners. Remember, you’re my prisoner.”

Rave rolled her eyes and puckered her lips, which annoyed him, because her gesture aroused his lustful wolf. “You’re wasting my skills.” She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

How could she think they were partners? She couldn’t fly and then who would protect her if Jaeger shot him with silver bullets? Maddox snapped. “Stay put!” He got out and slammed the door.

After getting gas and filling a box with food and drinks, he returned to the truck. Rave stood by the front of the hood with her compact, preening her luscious hair in place. Maddox clenched his jaw. What about ‘stay put’ did she not understand? He reached in the grocer’s box and handed her some breakfast bars. He kept his tone gruff. “Here.”

“Thanks, but where’s my pop?”

He scoffed. “I suppose you want a soda shaken for your amusement?”

“Or stirred is fine.”

“Humph. I found water and these cans of coffee.”

She grabbed the can of espresso. “Yes!” She batted her lashes and smiled. “Can you open it?”

“Ambidextrous, huh?” Maddox carefully opened one for her and then one for himself. He ate three bags of beef jerky, but longed for fresh meat. The noon sun felt good and he stretched in front of the truck. “I’ll go relive myself and I advise you do to the same.” He pointed to the women’s bathroom.