COYOTE SAVAGE

Coyote Savage: Hunger Moon

A
Phases
Story

By Kris Norris

Resplendence Publishing, LLC

http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

Resplendence Publishing, LLC

2665 S Atlantic Avenue, #349

Daytona Beach, FL 32176

Coyote Savage: Hunger Moon

Copyright © 2011, Kris Norris

Edited by Christine Allen-Riley and Jason Huffman

Cover art by Les Byerley
www.les3photo8.com

Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-238-9

Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this

copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including

infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable

by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Electronic release: February, 2011

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product

of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,

places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

To the ladies of the Phases books—Cheryl, Mia, Brynn, Abigail and Bron—

thank you for allowing me to be part of this fabulous collection. I’m honored to

be among such fabulously talented authors…I only hope I do you all proud.

To Kyle, Jared and Sydney. Thank you for not complaining about fix-your-own

dinners and late nights while I finished this. You three are my greatest joy and

I’m lucky to have you in my life and supportive of my passion.

To Chris—as always, your wisdom and sense of humor has helped make this

book more than just a story. Raising a toast to my soul sister!

And the dead sheep are for Bron…you know why and I love you for it. You rock!

Chapter One

“Are you completely inept, or are your breasts just blocking your vision?” Darrin Carson

crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at her with a contemptuous grin on his face.

“There are coyote tracks all over the place, not to mention a bloody trail leading into the forest.

That’s more than enough evidence—even for you, Rebecca.”

Sheriff Rebecca Savage glanced down at the paw prints in the snow, clenching her jaw as

she took a deep breath. As much as she wanted to smack the spoiled brat up the side of his head,

losing her cool with the mayor’s son wasn’t going to help her position any. The guy was an ass at

the best of times, and down right nasty when he got worked up, but he’d also crossed a line she

wasn’t going to simply ignore.

Rebecca rose, tugging on her jacket as she met his glare. A hint of smoke clung to his

clothes, and she wished he’d take a step back. “I realize you’re distressed over the loss of two of

your sheep, and I know you’re used to getting your way…but if you ever speak that way to me

again, I’ll make sure those balls you’re so proud of are hanging from my rear-view mirror.”

Darrin glared at her and took a step closer when a hand closed around his shoulder.

Mayor Richard Carson nodded. “Now, now, son. I’m sure the good Sheriff is doing all

she can. There are certain protocols that must be followed before she can issue special

hunting permits.” He gave her a nauseating smile. “Or before she can lay charges against that

mockery of a ranch those Brady boys are running. About time someone closed down that

disease-infested refuge.”

“I know this situation is upsetting, Mayor, but—”

Crunching snow drowned out the rest of her words, and she turned as a red truck rumbled

up the driveway, skidding to a halt in a billow of white powder. Both doors opened in sync as

two men jumped out of the vehicle and stalked up the driveway, their feet barely making a sound

on the soft snow. Though she knew it was far from professional, she couldn’t help but watch the

ease of their movements. The way their long strides ate up the distance or how, even beneath

jackets, their firm bodies bunched the fabric, accentuating the muscular frames she imagined hid

beneath the smooth leather.

A tingle raced down her spine, but she knew it had nothing to do with the cold. The men

stopped at the edge of the scene, hands shoved in their pockets, mouths pulled into tight lines.

Rebecca stepped forward, bracing for the argument about to start. “Caden. Talon. Thanks

for getting here so quickly.” She blocked their way when they tried to move past her. “Easy,

gentlemen. I asked you here so we could dispel any doubt, not so you two could start a family

feud.”

Caden glared at the two men standing behind her, pulling back slightly as he looked

down at her. A tremble of need fluttered through her stomach as she stared into his amber eyes.

She’d never seen eyes quite the color of his and Talon’s. They reminded her of the sky as the sun

rose above the horizon, burning the gray into a brilliant gold.

He reached forward, looking as if he was going to touch her shoulder, before dropping

his hand and sliding his gaze quickly toward his brother. Talon gave her a hint of a smile before

returning his focus to the men standing behind her.

Their expressions hardened again, and Caden motioned toward the men. “We aren’t

planning on starting anything, Sheriff. And I believe they started the feud.”

Rebecca shook her head and turned back to the mayor. “Now that we’re all here, let’s

look at the facts.”

“The facts are simple.” Darrin sneered at Caden and Talon. “One of
their
coyotes killed

our sheep and dragged their carcasses away, just like the bloody cowards they are.”

A low growl drifted on the winter air, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

She glanced at the brothers, positive she saw a flash of red amidst the amber, before the illusion

faded. She furrowed her brow, not sure where the growl had come from, when the mayor stepped

forward, regaining her attention.

“What my son means is…there is more than enough evidence that coyotes are to blame

for the incident.”

Caden and Talon moved as a unified front, matching the mayor’s step and taking two

more. They fisted their hands at their sides, a tremble of what Rebecca guessed was rage rolling

through them.

Talon crossed his arms on his broad chest, looking every inch the hunter in the gathering.

“This isn’t the work of coyotes, and you both know that. You’re simply trying to turn the rest of

the town against us, and our refuge.”

Rebecca stepped between the men again. “Now, Talon, no one is—”

“Still hell-bent on defending those worthless creatures, I see.” The mayor motioned to the

bloody patch of snow. “If your animals are innocent, then perhaps you can explain how their

tracks got all over my property or why I’m missing two sheep!”

She raised her hands, trying to calm the men down, but they didn’t seem to notice she

was there.

“Coyote tracks?” Talon huffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets again. “And to think

you call yourself a hunter—”

“Are you insulting my father?” Darrin scowled and pushed at Talon’s chest, but only

succeeded in knocking himself backwards slightly. “The two of you are no better than those cur

you call pets—”

“Enough!” Rebecca pushed her way forward, shoving Darrin back when he made a move

toward her. She glared at him, one hand palming the hilt of her pistol while the other connected

with his chest. “I said, enough.”

The dark edge to her voice halted the man in his tracks, and his gaze slid to the hand on

her gun before meeting her eyes again. He grumbled something under his breath but took a step

back.

She clenched her jaw, meeting all of the men’s eyes before releasing a long sigh and

shaking her head. “When I said we were going to talk about the facts, gentlemen, I meant that I

was going to tell you what I thought and how I’m going to proceed.” She speared the mayor with

her gaze, waiting until his attention shifted to the snow before continuing. “Better.” She took a

deep breath. “Okay, let’s start with the obvious.” She pointed at the blood splattered across the

crisp snow, noting how bright the dark red patches were back-dropped by the pristine white. “It’s

obvious that something took your sheep.” She held up her hand when both the mayor and Darrin

opened their mouths. “I said I was going to talk.”

They snorted in protest, glaring at the other two men before nodding and turning the

edges of their mouths down into the beginnings of a frown.

“As I was saying, something took your sheep, but quite honestly, this doesn’t look like a

coyote kill to me.”

“What?” Darrin threw up his hands then waved at the snow. “What the hell do you call

all these tracks, not to mention the blood? It has coyote written all over it!”

Rebecca continued, ignoring his outburst. “I agree that it would be easy to mistake this

for the work of a coyote, but if you look a bit deeper—”

“Deeper!” It was the mayor’s turn to look at her as if she’d lost her mind. “This is a

simple case of grab and go by a natural predator, not a murder investigation, Rebecca.”

She hardened her expression. While she didn’t mind people calling her Rebecca, in this

instance, it only served as a reminder that some of the older men still didn’t accept her as their

sheriff.

The mayor matched her grim look for a few moments before begrudgingly nodding.

“Sheriff.”

“Perhaps not, but seeing as you want to escalate this to involve the Bradys’ ranch, it’s

also not as black and white as you imagine. For example, the tracks—”

“Coyote,” said Darrin.

“Possibly.” She knelt beside one in the snow. “But the ones on the packed surface are too

distorted to identify and the ones in the deep stuff are too hidden to make a positive match.” She

glanced up at the men. “These tracks could be anything from a Labrador retriever to a Timber

wolf.”

“Or more likely, a coyote,” finished the mayor.

“Yes, it is possible, but that’s not the only aspect that seems out of line. Take the kill, for

instance…or should I say the lack there of. Why isn’t there a carcass for us to analyze?”

“Because they dragged the poor animal away, where they most likely buried it for later,”

said Darrin.

“They? I only see one set of tracks. Are you suggesting a single coyote came in here,

killed one sheep, took it away and buried it then returned to repeat the process?” She shook her

head before anyone could answer. “One coyote wouldn’t cache food like that. A pack, maybe,

but not a lone male, and it would have to be a male as all of the females are in the midst of

breeding right now. Which brings up another point. Why only a single male?”

“They often hunt alone.” Darrin shrugged it off. “I’ve seen lone coyotes lots of time.”

“In the summer, yeah, but this time of year?” She stood up, still keeping herself between

the two sets of men. “February is a lean month for animals—a time when most of the loners pair

up with either a mate or another small group to increase the chance of a successful kill.” She

nodded where the full moon had just dipped below the horizon. “They don’t call this the hunger

moon for nothing.”

“Alone, not alone, I don’t really care.” The mayor crossed his arms and looked at her.

“All I care about is what you’re going to do about the current situation? I’m down two sheep,

and it’s very likely that the cur that did this will come back for more.”

“I’d like to start by eliminating some venues.” She turned to the brothers. “Caden. Talon.