SavageLust (18 page)

“Goddamn,” Dan swore. “All right. Do what you have to, but I
want in on everything. I mean every single thing. And some guidelines for how
to protect ourselves.”

Dante glanced over at Ric who was already on the sat phone
to Garth. He knew Craig would be next on the list. And he hoped that Garth
would be able to give the Hammonds the highlights of his own research. Help
convince them this wasn’t something they were all making up.

“For one thing,” Dante answered, “we need to be sure to keep
the media away. You don’t want a three-ring circus in here.”

“What about the local sheriff?” Dan asked. “Should we notify
him?” He raked his fingers through his hair. “What would I even tell him?”

“Let the Rangers handle it,” Dante urged. “You have to
report the death of your hand but stick to the wild animal story. That’s the
one the Rangers fed to the public about the body on Wolf Mountain and I think
we shouldn’t change it.”

Russ Hammond looked at his brother. “We have to tell Mom.
Harley’s death will about kill her. He’s been with us forever. And to tell her
how he died? Shit.”

“I know,” Ron agreed. “I’m still not sure I believe it
myself. Still…”

“Still what?” Dante asked.

“I hate to even say it, but I’ve seen a lot of wild animal
attacks out here. Living on a ranch you have to be prepared for them. But this
isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen.” He stared off toward the horizon,
frowning. “I have to admit, you guys just might be right.”

* * * * *

The beast was tired and sated. This prey had been more
difficult than some of the others because of the proximity of the huge creature
with it. But luckily the creature had been put away where it couldn’t go on the
attack, closed up in the small building. Still, it made screeching and pounding
noises that had almost deterred the devil beast from its goal.

The flesh of the prey was firm and its blood rich, slaking
the thirst that had been growing with intensity. One pounce, one puncture with
its fangs and it scored victory. The red liquid slid into its body in a smooth
stream, easing tension and soothing nerves. Then the final slice to open the
carcass and remove the insides, licking any remaining drops of fluid.

Now it wanted to rest. To hide away somewhere before its
body received the signal to hunt again.

Tiny animals scattered across its path as it made its way
over the terrain but the devil beast ignored them, its hunger dormant for now.
The immediate priority was finding a place to hide and rest. The unfriendly
terrain didn’t offer too many choices. Every time it stopped, sharp pains
streaked through its brain, agony that only movement would ease.

As it moved across the landscape, it was very careful to
avoid the huge brown beasts that seemed to be everywhere. Shifting allowed it
to escape some dangerous possibilities, but if it didn’t rest soon and then
feed again, its shifting abilities would diminish.

The sun was high and burning the beast’s skin by the time it
reached a stopping point, tired from the amount of ground it had covered. But
finally, finally, it came to a rocky hill with scrub growing out of it and
holes carved by time and weather. One of those holes was just the right size
for the devil beast to crawl into and lie down. It was high enough to keep away
the big brown creatures too.

Sleep. That’s what the beast needed. Its hunger sated, it
needed sleep now to replenish its energy before resuming the hunt.

Curling into the fetal position, it clapped its clawed hands
over its eyes and slowly drifted off.

* * * * *

Everyone had missed lunch by the time they all gathered
again at Desolation Ranch, but no one seemed to have much of an appetite. Regan
busied herself with Dakota and Chloe, making sandwiches and snacks, glad to
have something to keep her occupied. Looking at Harley Shaw’s body had brought
back the terror and sick feeling that slammed into her when she saw Reed’s.
Doing something helped her keep those feelings at bay. She wished she had more
of a contribution to make.

“Reed’s research and the notes and books you gave us will be
a big help,” Dante assured her over and over.

“We all feel that way,” Dakota told her when she overheard
Regan’s conversation with Dante. “We just do the best we can and work toward
finding the bastard doing all this.”

The scene at the Hammond ranch had been tense, to say the
least. Ric had called Sam Brody, former member of the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation and their forensics expert, to touch base with the teams in the
field and gather a crew to hustle to the line shack. A second helicopter
arrived, this one carrying Garth and his forensics team. His men tried to claim
ownership of the scene, but Garth tersely explained the Rangers chief had given
them orders to cooperate with Craig’s people. More Night Seekers arrived and
the two groups attacked their chores, working in an atmosphere of tense
cooperation.

More than two hours passed before everyone declared the
scene could be released and the body removed. Dan Hammond, looking thoroughly
shaken, had ridden back to his house to tell his wife and the other hands what
happened. And to be sure everyone was on the alert at all times.

“You can’t be too careful,” Dante told them. “But in our
experience, the creature never returns to the scene of a kill. He’ll have moved
on. Just—stay sharp. And let us know if by some chance the dog shows up again.”

Finally back at Desolation Ranch, Ric and Dante pulled
together everything from the teams that had scouted the two counties. Ric put
an enlarged map of the area up on the screens, dotted with each potential
hunting spot the teams had sent back to Randi. He also sent it in a file to
Craig, who set up a video call.

Regan helped Dakota and Chloe carry the platters and drinks
into the war room and set them on the long table. Everyone was studying the
maps on the wall and checking their own notes on their tablets. One of the
screens had pictures of both Reed and the Hammond ranch hand. Regan had to
force herself to look. Every time she saw Reed’s torn body, she wanted to throw
up. She knew exactly how the Hammonds had felt.

Dante put his arms around her and gave her a hard, quick hug
before walking to the front of the room.

“Okay, everyone. We’ve been in this spot before. Two kills
with a third yet to come. We have to figure out where number three will take
place and it won’t be quite so easy.” He turned to look at the maps. “Thanks to
everyone’s efforts, we’ve narrowed the possible destinations down somewhat but
there are still too many to cover all of them sufficiently.”

“Talking to people likely won’t help, either,” Rebecca said.
“In Montana, we identified an ideal location and tried to warn the person
living there. She blew us off and now she’s dead.”

“People look at us like we’re crazy,” Jonah agreed. “When I
first went back to Maverick County, everyone thought for sure I’d lost my mind.
But when some weird shit went down, they had to listen.”

“They’re still talking about it in Zapata County,” Chloe
added. “Even looking at the bodies didn’t help. And no one seemed to take
Melinda’s disappearance seriously, either. Everyone was convinced she met some
guy and took off. But that’s not her. And she went missing right after a fresh
kill.”

“Okay, okay.” Dante held up his hands. “I agree with
everything everyone is saying. It isn’t just that people don’t believe us. They
don’t
want
to believe us. We have to figure out how to protect them in
spite of themselves. So let’s get back to our notes.” He looked at his watch.
“Craig will be calling in about thirty minutes.”

“Hey, Dante?”

Everyone turned to look at Sophia’s husband, Clint. He had delayed
opening the bar today so he could be available if necessary. Usually he just
sat quietly next to Sophia, in case he was needed.

“Yeah, Clint?”

Clint rose from his seat and walked to the front of the
room, studying the maps on the screens. “All the years I lived in the bayou and
then in the Maine woods, I learned to do a lot of tracking. Sometimes it was to
hunt, sometimes it was for self-preservation.”

“Okay?”

“Animals move in patterns. Whatever it is that attracts them
to any particular area, they’re creatures of habit. They like familiarity. Even
our devil beast, which is why he hunts in a defined area.”

“The problem,” Mark chimed in, “is who or what does the
defining.”

“I know, I know. Just bear with me a minute. Ric, can you
put up maps of the other kill zones too?”

But Dante was the one who answered. “That’s one of the
things I’ve been working on. Comparing the areas one by one. Look for
similarities. But I’m not the tracker in the group. Certainly not like you,
Clint, or some of the others. What’s your point?”

Tension crept through Regan’s body as she watched and
listened. She had a feeling they were on to something but she didn’t know what
just yet. She leaned forward in her seat, her glance shifting between Clint and
the screens.

“Put up all the maps on one screen and I think I can show
you.”

Ric worked a keyboard and in a moment, four different maps
appeared in front of them.

“Now do your thing with the dots,” Clint went on. “One for
each of the kills and also for the spots where we killed each beast.”

Regan watched as red dots bloomed.

Clint cocked his head, concentrating. “Okay, guys. Let’s see
how clever you are with your technology.”

His ensuing conversation with Dante and Ric was too low for
the others to hear. Regan strained her ears but all she heard was a low murmur.
Then both Ric and Dante began playing with keyboards, moving things around,
turning maps sideways and upside down, overlapping and sometimes overlaying
them…

When they were finished, Regan just stared, along with
everyone else in the room.

“Damn!” The word exploded from Dante’s mouth. They’d
certainly seen these maps side by side enough. Had they missed the forest while
they were caught up in the trees?

Clint shrugged. “I’m willing to bet that even those of you
who’ve lived out in the wild, like you, Logan, haven’t had the tracking
experience I have. It becomes second nature after a while. No biggie. I’m just
glad I can contribute something.”

They all studied the graphics up on the screen. Tracing
point to point for each incident they’d dealt with, it was obvious the devil
beast followed a specific pattern. Maybe something was programmed into the chip
in its brain, although Regan couldn’t figure why that would be necessary.

What
was
important was the patterns all matched—and
gave them a specific location to focus their attention in Gillespie County.

“We still don’t know why the designated area covered two
counties this time,” Regan mentioned.

“I’ve been going over Reed’s notes,” Dante told her. “The
reason he and Lisa were on Wolf Mountain Trail is because he had the idea the
beast’s handlers wanted to try it out in a more populated area, but one that
was still mostly a natural habitat. That trail gave them what they wanted.”

“So does that mean they plan on unleashing this thing in
more heavily populated areas?” The thought gave her a stomachache.

Dante shrugged. “That’s something we need to discuss. But it’s
definitely possible.” He turned back to the screens. “Meanwhile, we need to draw
a tight circle around this third projected spot and figure out a plan of
attack.”

“We’ve been able to take out the beast before using the
helicopter and a heavy-duty rifle,” Ric added. “The new firepower we’ve got
will stop anything. But we need to narrow the target area.”

“Okay then.” Dante shoved his hands in his pockets. “Here’s
what we need to do. First, print out maps of just the target area. Then,
everyone in the room who’s a shifter? Ric will take you in the bigger helo to a
drop zone, and you all need to scout the area. You can do it better than those
of us who are just plain humans.”

A soft laugh ran through the room at those words.

“I think we can handle that,” Logan said.

“Don’t forget me when you’re counting heads,” Ben told them.

Ben was a shifter too? Regan gave Dante a questioning look.
Would this be a good time to tell them about herself?

He gave her a slight nod but the look on his face also told
her it was completely her decision.

Swallowing hard, she pushed herself to her feet.

“Uh, guys? And gals?” She gave a slight smile. “Or whatever
titles you like…” She twisted her fingers together nervously.

You’re in a friendly environment. Just get it out.

Then Dante smiled at her. “Go ahead, Regan.”

“I, uh, haven’t mentioned this yet. I’m not used to being
able to just put it out there. Plus, you haven’t known me that long.” She blew
out her breath. “My brother and I are also shifters. That is, he
was
but…of course, I still am.”

Chloe spoke first. “No kidding? Great! We need more women in
the pack.” She grinned at Dante. “Nice going, Chicago cop.”

“I had nothing to do with it.” But the smile didn’t leave
his face.

“Anyway,” Regan went on, “I want to be part of the search.”
She gave a nervous laugh. “My brother would have argued with you but I follow
directions well.”

“Excellent.” This from Jonah. “We’ll count on you. Good to
have you join us.”

“Ric and I can work out the details over the next hour or
two,” Dante continued. “Then we can mark some trails. The goal tonight is to
pinpoint the most likely locations for an attack and become familiar with them.
If the beast holds true to form, it will be another two days before it starts
hunting again.”

“So let’s get something to eat,” Ric added. “Then get down
to the nitty-gritty.”

Dante looked at his watch. Midnight. Everyone had agreed
that doing this as late as possible minimized the probability of danger from
humans, but there were always the unknowns that could jump up and bite you in
the ass.

Standing on the back porch of the ranch house, he studied
the wolves gathered there. A new pack had coalesced from Night Seekers team
members and those they had brought into the fold. They were up to a total of
ten, counting Ben Crater and Regan. It was a good thing Craig had insisted from
the beginning on supplying them with the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter, a welcome
addition to their growing fleet of aircraft. Stripped down, it could carry all
of them in wolf form, plus humans to help manage the situation if they managed
to find the devil beast.

Running in wolf form gave them greater ability to sense
their environment, with a high degree of peripheral vision plus hearing, their
second most acutely developed sense. Moving quietly but swiftly across any
landscape, they were hyperaware of everything around them and able to detect
danger much more rapidly than humans.

But the sense of smell was their greatest asset. That sense
is the wolf’s most highly developed, and would allow them to detect even the
faintest trace of turpentine.

Tonight they were scouting the targets. If the beast
followed its pattern, they had two more nights before it found prey and closed
in for the kill. But they all agreed they needed to see if they could narrow
down the possibilities and focus on fewer spots to protect the people living in
the area.

Each wolf had a medallion containing a GPS locator on a
chain around its neck.

“It’s a precaution,” Dante told them. “No one leaves here
without it. We don’t want to lose track of you and have some rancher getting an
itchy trigger finger because we couldn’t extract you in time.”

Although Ric was also a shifter, he had become their
designated helo pilot so he wouldn’t be running with the pack.

“You know, Chelsea Roland has about fifty hours of
helicopter training,” he told Dante. “When we get this particular beast out of
the way, I’m going to concentrate on getting her licensed so we have a second
pilot available.”

“Good idea. I know you wanted to run tonight and I
appreciate that you’ve continued to put that need on the back burner.”

Ric held out his hands, palms up. “We all do what we need to
for the team.” He chuckled. “I think it’s a little funny that the only two
pilots are both wolves. Maybe I can give
you
some lessons if we ever
have enough time.”

A hint of anticipation wiggled its way through his system.
At one time in his life, Dante had wanted to learn to fly. The opportunity had
never presented itself but maybe that would be another way he could contribute
to the group.

The back door opened and a wolf with a cream-colored pelt
padded softly out to join the others. Regan had chosen to shift in the privacy
of their suite, not wanting to strip naked before people she barely knew. Dante
hated missing it but he had responsibilities to take care of.

“I’ll do it again later, in private, for you,” she promised.

Sophia had stayed with her to hook the GPS locator around
her neck and open doors. Now Regan moved tentatively among the others gathered
there, waiting for their reaction. It was Clint, the ebony-black wolf, slightly
larger than the others, who moved toward her first, rubbing his snout against
hers in a gesture of acceptance. Dante could almost feel the tension ease from
her body.

When she moved close to Dante and pressed against his leg, a
bolt of lust laced with more emotion that he’d felt in forever shot through his
body. Was this what his destiny was now? Had this astonishing woman, half wolf,
been sent to help him get on with his life and open his heart again? He’d seen
firsthand the incredible bonds shared by the shifter and human pairs. He’d had
that with Felicia and never thought to find it again. But now? He hardly dared
to hope it was real, but the connection that had formed so instantly between
them was telling him differently.

He reached a hand down and caressed the top of her head then
softly stroked her snout. She pressed against him harder, as if reinforcing his
thoughts. He prayed silently that she’d be safe tonight.

“Randi will be manning com central again,” he told them.
“Sophia, Rebecca, Dakota and Chelsea will be here as back up if we need them. I’ll
be riding with Ric, using the night-vision binoculars and the handheld GPS to
track you. We’ll drop you off at two locations and extract you from the same
spots.” He studied the group carefully. “Look out for each other. Okay, let’s
load up.”

The wolves all trotted behind him as he followed Ric to the
hangar that housed the three helicopters. The long cabin door was open and each
of the wolves leaped inside. Dante smiled when he noticed Clint nudging Regan
to a safe position in the open space and Logan moving close to provide
stability if she needed it. Night Seekers watched out for each other.

Ric began his preflight check and Dante climbed into the
copilot seat. He hung the binoculars around his neck and propped the Browning
rifle between his thighs. Preflight finished, Ric took the pilot’s seat and
turned the key. Slipping sideways out of the hangar, he edged the copter
upward, banked, and headed for the first target area.

The sound of the rotors filled the cabin as they slipped
over the landscape. Dante kept the binocs glued to his eyes, sweeping left and
right, looking for any sign of a threat or danger. Their first landing area was
a stretch of ranchland for sale, more than a thousand acres. There was no one
around to see them either land or lift off.

The moment the skids touched the grass, five of the wolves
leaped gracefully from the helo, took a moment to orient themselves and then
were off running. They spread out, each taking a different direction. They had
assigned routes, scoping out the situation with each isolated target. There
were certain things to watch for—trees surrounding the houses that could hide
the beast, lack of activity around the house, opportunity for stealth approach.

They also had to be on the alert for other animal marauders,
ranchers with guns who might spot them even in the dark, and of course, the
devil beast itself. This was a timed exploration. Each medallion also contained
an alarm. In one hour it would go off, signaling them to return to this spot.

Ric lifted off and headed for the second zone, an area much
like this one only rockier and with more hills. Again the wolves took off,
noses lifted to the wind, seeking a scent.

Waiting for the wolves to return was an exercise in discipline
for Dante, who did his best to avoid constantly checking the time. He had to
force himself to concentrate on his job and push all thoughts of Regan to the
back of his mind. As Ric flew a number of different patterns, crisscrossing the
area, Dante constantly scanned the ground for any sign of the devil beast. At
the same time he watched for any type of danger to the wolves. He didn’t know
if it was a good thing or bad that he didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.

Ranches with massive herds of cattle bedding down in fenced
pastures were separated by vast, empty stretches of ground. Rocky hills and
thick stands of trees broke up the landscape. Occasionally he spotted the
wolves as they ran, weaving in and out among trees, clambering over rocky surfaces,
racing across open spaces to investigate each isolated dwelling. Later, when
they had all the results, he and Ric would put everything together and list
locations in order of priority.

With multiple areas as possible target zones, he was glad
the size of the pack had increased.

Exactly one hour after dropping the first group, the alarm
strapped to Dante’s wrist beeped. He saw two of the wolves below stop and
reverse course as the same signal hit them. The shifters were now headed back
to the extraction spots.

When all nine wolves were back in the helo, Ric headed for
Desolation Ranch.

* * * * *

As soon as Ric landed, the wolves took off for their
individual places. They would shift, dress and gather in the war room for a
quick debriefing. Dante followed Regan to their suite and closed the door
behind them, a thrill of anticipation racing through him at what he was about
to see.

If a wolf could be called delicate, that was the word he’d
use to describe Regan, standing there in her rich cream-colored pelt, excitement
almost crackling from her. She padded over to Dante and nudged his hand with
her snout. After he stroked her head, she pushed her nose against his crotch.

He laughed and lifted her head away. “You are a very bad
wolf. You can have that, but not until you change back. And after the damn
meeting.”

The wolf gave a playful nip at his thigh before moving away.
Then she turned and spun in a circle, moving so fast he actually lost sight of
her.

Dante could barely catch his breath throughout the short transformation.
It was the most unbelievable thing he had ever seen. He felt himself caught up
in the mystical aspect of it, drawn to the wolf the same way he was drawn to
Regan in human form. His eyes were riveted to her as the body he’d come to
crave was revealed. When she stood naked before him, it nearly took his breath
away and his cock hardened painfully. Would he ever be able to look at her
without wanting her this way?

Her eyes dropped to the bulge at his crotch and she grinned.

He chuckled. “Yes, you do that to me. All the time.” He
scanned her face. “Were you okay tonight? Did it feel right to you?”

“
Ohmigod
, yes! I can’t begin to tell you how
exhilarating it was to run with a pack again.” Regan’s eyes sparkled as she
lifted her arms and did a little dance in place.

“Come here,” he ordered.

When she was standing next to him, he wrapped his arms
around her naked body and pressed her close. “I’m so glad for you.”

“You aren’t, you know…turned off by any of this?”

He laughed. “I’ve had some time to get used to it with the
others, although there’s certainly a difference in our relationships. But no.
Not at all, surprisingly. Excited though.” He took a little bite of her lower
lip. “Aroused even.”

She licked his mouth. “Me too. Who knew when you walked into
The Black Wolf, how much would come out of that meeting, or out of this
tragedy?”

“I’m glad that you have friends to run with now. I’m sure it
was hard for you and Reed.”

“You have no idea. It’s not exactly as if you can ring your
neighbor’s doorbell and ask if anyone inside is a shifter. Reed and I had to be
very careful. Lots of times when we couldn’t suppress the urge any longer, we’d
drive to some isolated spot just to have a few hours of freedom.”

He brushed his fingers against her cheek. “It makes me happy
that out of tragedy, you can find some kind of happiness.”

Her expression turned serious. “Not just with them, Dante.
But with you too. Right?”

He saw anxiety flash in her eyes. He would never forget
Felicia, but Regan had opened a door for him he’d thought closed forever and he
planned to keep walking through it.

“Yes, my little wolf. With me too. In fact, I would like
nothing better than to bury myself in you right now. But damn. Business first,
I guess.”

Regan rubbed her naked body against his fully clothed one
and boldly cupped his throbbing cock. “I’ll hold you to it later.” Then she
pushed away. “But yeah, I’d better get some clothes on before someone decides
to come looking for us.”

Minutes later, when Dante took his place at the front of the
room with Ric, he could actually feel the energy crackling in the air. It
sizzled from each of the shifters so intensely it was almost visible. And he
saw the same charge of excitement in their eyes that he’d seen in Regan’s. It
shocked him to realize he even felt a touch of envy.

Ric nudged him. “Let’s get to it before their energy level
drops and they all start crashing.”

“On it.”

Once again, Ric put the map up on the screen, the one
diagramming the courses they’d plotted. Each person fed him information on the
sites they’d scouted and Ric marked them—blue dots for the less likely, green
for the hot spots. When they were finished, they had narrowed twelve sites down
to four. Much more manageable.

“Okay,” Dante told them, “listen up. We go again tomorrow night.
This time we’ll concentrate just on the green areas. Ric and I will be in the
chopper again, taking a wide look at everything, and I’ll have both rifles with
me, just in case.” His eyes scanned the room. “Ben, with the number of target
sites reduced, I think it would be good for you to ride in the chopper. As we
get closer to the beast’s hunting night, I want as much firepower available as
possible.”

Ben nodded. “Not a problem. I can handle either of those
rifles.”

“I figured there’s not much an ex-Marine can’t handle. And
one more thing,” Dante said, addressing the group. “Tomorrow I’d like to check
out the hot spots in daylight. I know everyone needs sleep after tonight. If we
wait until past noon to head out, we’ll be doing this in the heat of the day.
Still, it gives us the chance to get some photos and more knowledge of the
landscape.”

“Won’t we have trouble wandering around on other people’s
properties?” Chelsea asked.

“We’ll keep to the roads,” Dante assured her. And at least
we can get a bird’s-eye view. Ric and I will do a daylight tour in the helo.”
He looked around. “Any more questions? No? Okay then. Thanks for tonight. Get
some rest. We’ll need it. According to the timetable, we have twenty-four to
thirty-six hours max before this thing feeds again.”

* * * * *

Back in their suite, Dante carefully locked the door and
turned to Regan.