Black Heart: Wild On (25 page)

            "You say that, but being a vampire is much more glamorous and appealing to the masses. In part because you are considered more dangerous."

            "He has a point," Vanessa said. "I mean, who wants their great claim to fame to be the ability to get all hairy? Eww."

            "I love you, too, Vanessa," Piers said.

            "Prove it," Vanessa said. She gave him a come hither look, turned, and sauntered off sexily.

            "Timmy," I snapped. He was watching her walk away with longing eyes. All the men were. I stepped up to him and jabbed my index finger into his chest. Hard. "You are a married man. With a child. What about Charlotte? What about Timothy the Third?"

            "I haven't forgotten them."

            "Do you still love them?"

            "Yes!"

            "Prove it," I said. "Call Charlotte. Tell her what happened to you. Tell her what your plans are for the future. If she's not part of them, then set her free to go make a life for herself."

            "I plan to go back," he said.

            "Back to 'plans' again, are we? Good intentions and plans are worthless. Actions are what people see and feel," I said. "Charlotte sees you are gone. You aren't exactly fighting your way back to her and your family."

            "I don't want to hurt them."

            "You're ripping them to pieces right now! They are soul sick, damn you," I cried. "They asked me to find you. They asked me to
save
you. Your father has put his, and many others', lives on the line to rescue you."

            "He did? How?"

            "He started an anti-vampire coalition to force us into giving you back," Jeff said. "Like we're that easy to intimidate."

            He gave me a look I didn't care for. But he wasn't moving against me at that moment, so he could wait until later. The longer he could wait the better.

            "As you can see, the vampires are not happy with them," I said. "I've had my hands full keeping them out of trouble."

            "If need be, the pack will protect them, too," Piers said, glaring at Jeff.

            "Yes, the pack protects its own," Timmy said. "I am pack, so my family falls under the pack's protection."

            "Well, they've done a piss poor job of it so far," I said. More growls. I looked around at them. "What's this obsession with packs?"

            "There's safety in packs," Piers said. "Pack is family. The pack is everything."

            "Werewolves don't like it when a werewolf stays alone," Dane said. "They are rather anal about ensuring every wolf is in a pack."

            "Lone wolves are dangerous. Young wolves, especially, need to be taught how to be a werewolf," Piers said. "They need structure and guidance."

            "Timmy wouldn't need your pack, you structure and guidance, if you hadn't bitten him," I said.

            "We had no choice," Piers said. "Timmy is alpha."

            The werewolves all nodded, including Timmy. I stared at them, waiting for someone to explain to me what was so important about being alpha. And how they could tell. Apparently, just saying he was "alpha" justified everything.

            "Okay, humor me," I said. I glanced at Dane, who also seemed interested in finding out why. Mercedes was after him, claiming he was alpha. "Why can't you just leave someone you believe to be alpha alone? Why do you have to bite them?"

            The werewolves looked at me like I was stupid. The vampires smiled or chuckled.

            "Alphas were born to be werewolves," Timmy said.

            "To not bite them would be to deny them their God given blessing," Piers said.

            "God given?" I cried. "Are you insane?"

            "Wolves are not damned souls like vampires," Piers said with that superior air again. "We even have our own churches."

            "That's true," Dane said. "I know of two Methodist, a Presbyterian, and a Baptist church in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that are entirely werewolf, with werewolf ministers."

            A horn sounded. Everyone froze. The excitement in the air changed. One moment it was the tension of fight or flight. In an instant it turned to euphoria. I swear, the auras around the werewolves intensified, brightened. Their eyes came alive with something feral and frightening.

            "What the Hell was that?" Dane said.

            "The run has started!" Piers said. "The prey is loose."

            Piers threw his head back and howled. He began to morph as he howled, transforming into a wolfman with astonishing speed. He barely had time to pull off his clothes as he morphed.

            The men and women all around me started morphing and pulling off their clothes at the same time. Most went four-legged right off. The alphas mostly went wolfman, then turned four-legged. Piers was
huge
.

            I swear, Piers doubled his mass when he morphed. As a wolfman his girth doubled and he had to grow at least six inches taller. Then he turned into a wolf in about fifteen seconds. And that wolf was at least twice the size of Piers the man.

            Timmy didn't morph as fast as his pack leader, but he grew another four or five inches taller as a wolfman, and he thickened up impressively. His chest was deep and rippled with muscles. His head went completely wolf first, then the rest of his body.

            Once they were all four-legged, Piers threw his head back and howled. It was a deep, base howl that sent chills up my spine. The other pack members howled in unison, then Piers took off running, leading his pack toward the forest.

            Leaping forward, I grabbed Timmy's tail before he ran off. He turned and bared his teeth, a low growl rolling out.

            "Call your wife! Call your parents," I demanded. "Tomorrow. Because I'll tell them tomorrow night, and I think they'd rather hear it from you."

            He growled again, the fur on his nape rising.

            "Do it!" I cried.

            He nodded and I let go. Timmy raced across the open area quickly, and vanished in the woods. There were only a few werewolves still morphing, and they wouldn't be there much longer. Everywhere you looked were discarded clothes.

            "Wow," Dane said, echoing my thoughts.

            "Aren't you going on the hunt?" Henri said.

            A thrill raced up my spine. The memory of blood came to my mouth. Salivating, I licked my lips and stared at the dark forest surrounding us.

            "Deer?"

            "Wild boar," he said. "Much heartier. Stronger. Meaner. Much more dangerous."

            "Oh?" I said, intrigued.

            "Boar fight back," Rod said, eyes wild with blood lust. The next second a wolf leapt out of Rod's clothes and he raced off into the surrounding woods.

            Oh, that was exciting. The thrill I got from chasing down and killing the elk came back. That kill was shared. Would a prey that fought back, that was dangerous, be more thrilling?

            "Afraid?" Henri said, and laughed.

            With that Henri morphed into a wolf and raced off after Rod. Jeff wandered off, back towards the bonfire. The few remaining wolves all around us were running away as they completed their transformations. I looked at Dane, unsure what to do.

            "Go," he said. "I see it in your eyes, in your body language. You want to hunt."

            "Yes, God help me, I do," I said, and I morphed into a bat.

            I flew straight up out of my clothes, then morphed again in midair. I hit the ground running, a sleek black wolf with sapphire eyes. I felt tiny compared to the werewolves around me, who all gained at least half again as much mass as their human bodies.

            Just before entering the woods, I glanced back to see Dane bending to gather up my clothes. Pleasure filled me, knowing that Dane cared. He could've just walked away, disgusted with my supernatural urges and needs. Yes, he was too good to me.

            I followed the sounds of pursuit through the dark, winter woods. Wolves were all around me. Most were larger werewolves. The best I could tell, I was better at seeing and otherwise sensing dark, shadow-hidden obstacles.

            Reaching out with my vampiric senses, I tried to find the boar. I found boar. In fact, I found a dozen of the angry little monsters. They were all in full panic, with an undercurrent of rage. Nothing like what I felt with the deer and elk.

            Two groups of three were to either side of me. None of them more than a couple hundred yards away. I could already feel a couple groups of wolves cornering, surrounding individual boars. The whole Run seemed to be coming to a disappointingly quick conclusion.

            Sensing and hearing one such cornering just up ahead, I headed for it. I found the boar cornered, back up against a pile of downed trees and brush. A good dozen slavering wolves surrounded him, stalking back and forth. All were werewolves. One wolf was limping, his left flank and hind leg drenched in blood.

           
Maybe not so fast, after all
, I thought.

            "Sable's over here!" a man shouted behind me.

            When I turned I only saw wolves heading my way. The voice was familiar. One of Jeff's goons. Jerry, if my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. I'd saved his life once.

            Since I had no idea what Jerry, or any of Jeff's thugs, looked like as wolves, I decided to move on. I took off running, heading due north. That placed me at about a forty-five decree angle from the direction the approaching wolves were moving. Only one altered course. I knew what Jerry looked like then.

           
I guess Jeff isn't forgiving and forgetting
, I thought. I reviewed our last couple of encounters, and he didn't come out looking good at all. I probably hurt his vampiric street cred or something.

            Jerry made a series of odd yipping sounds. Not really barks. Others answered him. They were all around me. I counted four distinct wolves. I could hear their heartbeats, just as they could hear mine. It was damn hard to escape a determined vampire, even for another vampire.

            Altering course, I headed away from all others. Then I put all of my supernatural strength and endurance into running. It was fast enough to force them all to alter their course slightly. But no matter how fast I ran, they would catch up to me. Catching me was a whole nother problem for them.

            Jerry was gaining fast. Bigger meant faster in wolf world, I guess. At least in vampire wolf world. He would overtake me long before the others got there.

            Slowing down a tad bit, I started looking around frantically. Jerry growled low in his throat. It was a vicious, happy sound. He nipped at my tail, forcing me to run faster. Spotting what I wanted, I leapt on the dead limb lying on the forest floor.

            "Die," I growled, morphing back to human. I seized the dead branch, spun around as Jerry leaped at my throat and thrust. Jerry grunted as the wood penetrated his chest, driving deep and through his heart. "Go to Hell."

            Morphing back to wolf, I raced off into the night. The other three were still converging on me. If I could've smiled, I would've. It wouldn't be a pleasant smile, either. Now I was pissed. In my book it was official.

            Jeff Howell and his vamp family were rogue.

            I didn't think Jeff would settle for killing just me. No doubt about it, Jeff would kill my family and friends out of pure spite. Timmy and his family weren't safe either.

            My little battle took longer than I thought. In no time the other three vampires converged upon me at a full run. Panic set in for a second, and I ran for all I was worth. I couldn't fight three vampires at once. All three were considerably older than me.

            Two wolves slowly closed on me from either side, as we all turned due east and ran full-out through the night-shrouded forest. I hoped one or more of them would smash headlong into a tree or something, but they had the same abilities that I had, and probably better honed.

           
I really should think my plans through better
, I thought as the panic began to subside.

            Vampires could get tired. There was a time that I didn't believe that. Running full out was tiring. Not exhausting, yet, but I was beginning to feel the strain.

            Soon two wolves were pacing me, just a foot or two to either side, almost running side-by-side. I was head and shoulders ahead of them. The wolf to my left had to be Tanya. She was the smallest of the three remaining wolves. The wolf to my right was probably Francisco. He was the largest and darkest of the three. Sid was a good twenty feet behind us.

           
I can take Tanya out faster.
I threw my feet forward, trying to stop fast. I slid in the dead leaves carpeting the forest floor. At the same time I growled and reached for Tanya's throat with my vicious jaws. But Francisco was not fooled, and his wicked teeth sank into my right shoulder.

            I howled with agony and surprise. Francisco shook his head, ripping skin and flesh. Tanya snapped at my throat, but missed. I tried to twist around, feeling my body starting to tumble, only one foot still on the ground. Then Sid plowed into us, seized my throat, crushed the windpipe and flipped over as he threw me into a thick bush.

            The pain and injuries made me morph back to human as I flew through the air. Hitting the ground, I rolled a few feet and stopped face up. I heard the three undead wolves scrambling around the underbrush to get to me.

            I willed myself straight down into Mother Earth.

            From six feet down, I could hear them above me sniffing around. They knew where I was, so I didn't trick them.

            "Now what?" Tanya said.

            "Damn if I know," Francisco said.

            "I thought she was a fighter," Sid said. "What a coward."