Moon - New Moon Part 17

He walked to the front of the outcropping and turned to face her-his gaze seeking hers.

In her experience, changing was a private matter. But it was obvious he planned to do it in front of her-again. Was that the way with his people? The last time he had done it, he had gone from wolf to man. Now she heard him chanting low, unfamiliar words and realized they must be part of his ritual. Not her way of changing, but she hadn't really expected him to be like her.

As she watched, his body began to (low and trans.m.u.te into its wolf form. It was a strange-and fascinating sight. And somehow it made her feel closer to him because this change from human to animal was something few people understood. When he had completed the transition, the wolf turned so that he could guard her, and watch the water.

She stayed where she was, letting her mind flow into the animal shape that was part of her being.

Not a wolf this time. She had two nonhuman forms she could take. And the other shape that she had been granted by the G.o.ds would be more useful now.

Her thoughts helped form her body into a large white bird. And she had the satisfaction of seeing the wolf gape at her. From his expression, she gathered that he had only one form, and she had surprised him by taking this alternate shape.

LOGAN stared in astonishment as Rinna transformed-but not into a wolf. He'd expected to see the white wolf he'd first encountered in the Maryland woods.

Instead she became a large white bird. Some kind of hawk or eagle, he thought, but he wasn't sure.

As she leaped into the air, he realized that he'd seen the bird before. In the badlands, Rinna had gone behind the ruined house, and he'd seen the bird rise into the air. He'd thought she'd startled it. Now he understood the truth.

She rose gracefully as her wings beat the air. After circling him once, she took off toward the mountain of rocks from which the river emerged.

His stomach knotted as he watched her go. She could leave him here, if she wanted. But he hoped she was coming back.

She was a brave warrior, yet so shy and inexperienced as far as man-woman relations.h.i.+ps went. He knew she had enjoyed the kiss, but she was afraid of where it would lead. Could he chance to change the equation between them? He ached to do it-if she gave him the chance.

Out of necessity, it seemed she had learned to take care of herself in the wild. He could do that as a wolf. But he hadn't spent much time living rough as a man. Sure, he'd been camping out when they'd first met, but he knew that if he wanted a hot shower, he could always check into a hotel or go home.

But she was the real deal. A woman at home in a primitive setting. And on top of that, she was a magical creature with many talents. Well, not magical. She'd objected to that characterization. So what did she call herself? A witch? A mage? An adept?

As he watched Rinna disappear, he ached to know her. And he wanted answers to all the questions that had piled up in his mind, if she would give them to him.

RINNA flew away from the river. She saw that Logan had been right. They had traveled less than half a mile from the entrance to the cave, and she was tempted to head back that way. But she knew that it wasn't safe. The soldiers must have been briefed about her appearance. And if they were waiting back at her old refuge, they would recognize her bird persona.

She was sure of that much. But she had no idea what orders Falcone had given the troops.

When she'd escaped from him, she'd known that he wanted her alive. But was that still trues? Had his plans changed? Had he come to the conclusion that eliminating her was the better course?

The cave tugged at her. She ached to go back and look for Haig, but that would be a fatal mistake.

At first she'd thought one of the mind vampires had gotten him. Now she was pretty sure Falcone had put him under a compulsion. She shuddered. They had talked about the theory in school. No one she knew had ever attempted it. But it looked like Falcone had gotten desperate enough-and succeeded.

She flew onward, looking at the plain below her and the buildings.

Satisfied that she saw no enemies, she started back. She was almost to the river when she saw a flash of movement from the ground. In the next second, a rain of arrows shot upward, heading straight toward her.

CHAPTER NINE.

AGAINST THE DEEP blue of the sky, Logan saw the white bird winging its way to him and felt his spirit leap.

But before she reached the clearing where he waited, arrows shot into the air.

His heart wedged in his windpipe as his gaze locked on the bird. Incredibly, she dodged and wove through the air, avoiding the onslaught of arrows.

From his position above the river, he could see three soldiers crouched behind boulders.

They had each launched an initial arrow. They followed with more shafts.

Three against one. Not good odds, considering that the wolf had been wounded a couple of days earlier, then gotten himself into a nasty fight not far from the cave. But he was already running down the rocky incline with no thought of turning back.

He felt the familiar animal savagery take him. With a snarl the wolf leaped from the rocks, landing on the closest shooter. He went for the man's throat, feeling satisfaction surge through him as he chewed through flesh and bone and tasted warm blood spurting into his mouth.

The archer made a gurgling sound and dropped the arrow he'd been about to mount on the bow string. Next to him, his comrade pulled a knife and rushed the wolf.

For long seconds, the third man was too stunned to move. Snapping out of his trance, he drew a sword and dashed to his comrade's aid.

Unfortunately, the odds were even worse than Logan had thought. Two more men had been crouching out of sight. As they leaped forward, Logan wondered if the target really had been the bird. Maybe they'd worked up a plan to get him to attack.

And he'd done just what they wanted-rus.h.i.+ng right into another trap like a wolf bent on self-destruction.

Only he was going to take as many of them with him as he could. One man was on the ground, probably dying from the wound to his neck. But the three additional soldiers moved into position, surrounding Logan. He whirled to snap at the one coming up behind him with a sword, and the guy to his left lashed out, slas.h.i.+ng with the knife.

He was barely able to avoid the two blades. Grabbing for the knife hand, he bit down, hearing the satisfying sound of bone crunching.

A sword thrust aimed at his side slid along his flank, cutting into his flesh, but his thick fur prevented major damage.

He saw the soldiers' eyes. Two of them were scared. The other was angry.

At the wolf? Or at the orders he was forced to carry out?

It didn't matter. They would kill him in the end. He charged the soldier with the sword, coming in low, throwing the man off balance. He got in a killing bite as he heard the two men behind him charge.

The next sound he heard was a scream.

Whirling away from the man he had just vanquished, he saw the white wolf come down on a soldier's back, teeth clamped on his neck.

Rinna! She had changed form and come to his aid. But had she ever been in a fight like this?

Logan leaped to defend her, chomping down on the wrist of the man with the knife. He cried out and dropped the weapon.

The soldier who was still standing went for Rinna. Logan whirled toward the man, knocking him off his feet.

The white wolf leaped on the attacker, tearing at the man's scalp with her teeth.

When the guy went still, the white wolf lifted her head and looked around as though stunned that the ground was littered with bodies.

Her gaze met Logan's. He saw her triumph in addition to her shock. And he wondered what she saw on his own face.

He'd hunted and killed plenty of animals, but he'd never killed a man before today. He was sure the soldiers back at the river hadn't survived the fight. Maybe that was even true of the two men who had attacked him after he'd left the cave. But in both cases, it had been their lives or his and Rinna's.