Garoul: Silver Collar Part 11

"You hairy little s.h.i.+t!" Emily lunged.

Luc barely had time to open her eyes before Emily was upon her. She struggled to get away, not that there was anywhere to go. The RV was cramped enough with only her inside it, never mind a psychopath. To make matters worse, she had trans.m.u.ted back to human form while asleep and was now very vulnerable to attack. She tried to scrabble toward the back of the RV, but Emily grabbed her by the stupid silver collar and nearly garroted her.

"Stop that!" she gasped. "You're choking me."

"Good. You d.a.m.n well deserve it." Emily started to shake the collar until Luc thought her head would drop off. "I should have choked you ages ago when I had the chance," she ranted. "I should have poisoned you like a rat. I should have left you under the mud like the evil slug you are."

Luc twisted around and grabbed. She had to fight back or be beheaded. She wrapped her arms around Emily and pinned her to the floor. "Stop throttling me."

Emily stopped throttling and bit her instead. Luc had to admire her resourcefulness.

"Stop that, too." Luc flinched as her shoulder felt the imprint of Emily's teeth. She seemed so unreasonably angry, and something else. A something Luc couldn't help but respond to. Her skin flushed and her heart rate increased. She liked the bite despite her protestations. It tingled through her; her senses were swamped with the smell of Emily and the heat of her wrath. Luc was used to people being angry with her. She never allowed it to annoy her. She couldn't afford to. But this was different. Emily was a squirming bundle of irritable, pa.s.sionate, righteous anger, and it was hot!

"What's got your craw?" Luc growled, and found she was holding on tighter rather than trying to shrug Emily off.

"Let me go." Emily tried to wriggle free.

"No. You let me go," Luc countered. She liked the situation now that she had Emily under control. She rolled her onto her back and lay on her with her full weight. "You put this stupid collar on me, and you can take it off. I'm going nowhere until you do."

"If you were looking for the key then why did you steal all that other stuff from my house?"

"You'll get it back." Luc knew her answer wasn't satisfactory. To be honest, she wasn't certain why she had this urge to steal from Emily's den. She just knew she did. It excited her. She liked decorating her nest with bits and bobs that belonged to Emily, that smelled of her or reminded Luc of her in some way. Luc knew it was weird and obsessive, but she couldn't help herself. It felt good and she didn't want to think too hard about it. Emily intrigued her. Luc knew she was acting on instinct, but so what? She had always done whatever she wanted to do. She was feral. She answered to no one! If she wanted to steal stuff from Emily's room, then she d.a.m.ned well would.

The bite mark stung. Emily lay looking up at the welt on Luc's skin, somewhat affronted that she had caused it. Luc wriggled her shoulder to stretch out the pain and clicked her teeth. She wanted Emily to bite her some more. She wanted to teach her all about biting. About the patterns teeth could make on a lover's pliant flesh. The crescent moons and rows of tiny bruises, the stars and sickles all raised and lumpy, or maybe soft and swollen, wet with spittle or seeping beads of blood. The pupils of Emily's eyes were eclipsing her flat gray irises, darkening her gaze and pulling Luc into their depths. Her skin was clammy with small beads of sweat glistening on her upper lip. She was upset, but curiously not frightened. Luc could smell that off her. There was confusion, but no fear. A slight tremor ran along the length of her body where it pressed against the weight of Luc's. Emily moistened her lips and Luc felt her own heart lurch in response. It fluttered irregular and weak like a wounded bird. Her chest tightened and then released, and she sucked air forcefully into her deflated lungs. She lowered her head and placed her mouth on Emily's mouth. She would be careful with this seduction because she wanted it so much. She would be gentle.

"f.u.c.k!" she yelped and pulled back. Emily had bitten her again. She touched her bruised bottom lip. Emily bucked her hips, trying to bounce her off while she was distracted by this newest affliction. She managed to pull her arms free and mesh her hands in Luc's long hair, twisting huge hanks of it into her fists.

"Hey. I was being nice," Luc complained, trying to wrestle Emily back under control, her seduction plans temporarily aborted.

"A lettuce could kiss harder than you," Emily said, and tugged harder on Luc's hair.

Luc paused, uncertain she had heard right. Emily tightened her hold and dragged her down into a kiss that would wither lettuce on the stalk, that would crystallize ginger and implode chilies and burn sugar and melt Luc Garoul like summer Popsicles.

"Why are you doing this?" Emily broke their contact and left Luc floundering. Her head swam with the intoxication of their kiss. She was stupid on it, so how then was Emily so cool and in control?

"Is this some sort of trick?" Emily continued to demand in a tight, thick voice.

Trick? Luc could barely focus. "I was under the impression you were kissing me," she said. Trick. She began to flare up. How dare this woman accuse her of trickery? Emily had been the one who had trapped and tricked her. She was the one who had chained them both with this d.a.m.ned collar. Luc would be in Canada by now but for Emily's interference. Thievery was one thing, but trickery? This woman had more tricks than Halloween.

"You have some nerve." Luc's thoughts popped into some semblance of order. "The last thing I need is to be hanging around here stealing your panties with those Garoul b.a.s.t.a.r.ds breathing down my neck." She felt Emily's fingers toying with the nape of her neck. "You've been nothing but trouble." Her touch was silky cool and gave Luc a delicious s.h.i.+ver all over her body. "I mean...You're the one who's been manipulating me." Her head dropped to kiss along Emily's jawline. "I mean...I mean, look at what you're doing to me now." She trailed her lips to the well in Emily's throat and rested on the thumping pulse. "You're pitiless. Who needs this?" Her fingers twitched, fighting the urge to dig her nails into Emily's flank and mark her. Her kiss on the fluttering pulse deepened, she became hungrier, more demanding. She laved the pulse point with the flat of her tongue. Below her, Emily s.h.i.+fted and moaned. Her fingers meshed in Luc's hair to ma.s.sage- "Ouch!"

Emily twisted Luc's hair around her fists in great hanks and pulled. She rolled them over in the tight confines of the RV floor until she was on top. She looked very determined, and once again, Luc found herself struggling to keep up with her through a fog of l.u.s.t and little else.

"Are you going to change?" Emily asked.

"Into a werewolf or s.e.xy lingerie?" Luc answered. That got her an extra tug on the hair and she yelped. She liked Emily's b.i.t.c.hiness. It was kind of cute.

"Werewolf. Are you going to change into one and go crazy and bite my head off?"

"No. I'm going to stay right where I am and go crazy." Her hands snaked under Emily's top and found the warm flesh of her belly. Luc was already naked, but she burned to feel Emily's skin next to hers. She began plucking and pulling at Emily's clothes. "Are you going to change and get naked?" she asked.

There was a slight hesitation on Emily's part and Luc saw it. She pulled her to her and kissed her with open-mouthed, smoldering pa.s.sion.

"I want you," she murmured, lest there be any misunderstanding. She tugged harder at Emily's clothes. "I want you right here on this floor." A st.i.tch burst and elastic snapped, and then Emily was helping by shrugging off her top and kicking her legs out of her jeans. Luc clawed the underwear from Emily's hips. She wore no bra. Luc would have bitten it off anyway.

The touch of their skin on each other was electric. They sparked and twitched and moaned, gliding over each other like silk, like static. The RV floor was too small and knees and elbows slammed into cabinets and table legs as they wrestled for s.p.a.ce. Luc smoothed her hands down Emily's back to cup her rump and squeezed. Her mouth found a raspberry red nipple and she drew on it with relish feeling it harden under her tongue, straining for her attentions. Emily moaned and Luc bit gently until she heard a hiss of pleasure. Her forefinger traced the groove of Emily's bottom and she brought her other hand around to play with the soft crease between Emily's belly and groin and down to where the warm swell of her pubis pushed into the palm of her hand. Her fingertips found wetness and heat and a low growl rumbled in Luc's chest. Her skin was burning and her head was heavy with heat. The wolfskin was close to the surface. Her feet were cramped and hot, and the tightness in her face warned her how close she was to changing.

"Question." Emily's cool hands cupped her face and brought her up to meet her gaze, now darker than a winter night. "What happened to your ear?" Now that her hair was pulled back, the crooked ear was exposed.

"My sister bit it," Luc said.

Emily digested this without comment, her gaze flicking over Luc's still face.

"Your eyes are flecked with gold," she murmured, and lowered her mouth to kiss the corner of Luc's lips. "I've never noticed that before." Then her mouth found the softness of Luc's throat. She bared her teeth and grazed the flesh; Luc arched her head and pushed up into Emily's claim. She knew what it was even if Emily was clueless as to her act. The fact that either of them was doing it, was laying claim where there was no history to bind them, no love to hold them, did not make Luc hesitate. Luc offered herself with no thought, just the pure, blind instinct that always drove her. She closed her eyes, and somewhere deep inside, she made her dedication...and heard a joyful, whooping woof.

Oh no. Not him again.

Luc opened her eyes and slid out from under Emily to peep out the back window with its lopsided blind in time to see the stupid ginger mutt scramble up the street hard on the heels of a ramshackle child and hobo woman. Was he chasing them off or following them? Then Emily's crazy old uncle spilled out onto the sidewalk.

"Hey. That's my dog." His shout answered her question. The dog was making a run for it, and who could blame it. The old man turned away from the escapees and began to trundle toward the RV. Luc heaved to her feet, whacking her head on the low ceiling and muttering curses.

"What is it?" Emily was upright, dragging on her clothes.

"Your uncle is on his way over."

"Get the h.e.l.l out of here before he sees you."

"But I'm human." Luc felt hurt, not that she wanted to meet Emily's uncle anyway, grizzled old geezer that he was.

"He doesn't know I'm gay. Get out!" Emily was shoving her out the sliding door. Luckily, it faced the forest and Luc could easily run for cover before the old boy got close enough to see his niece's naked lover making a run for it.

A few yards into the thicket, she paused and looked back to see Emily's anxious face scouring the wood line for her. She was clawing her clothes into place even as her uncle reached the rear of the RV and began slamming on the side for her attention. Emily couldn't see her. She was too far back in the shadows. For a second, Luc relaxed and watched. Her throat was still damp from the touch of Emily's tongue. She placed her fingers on her pulse point where Emily's teeth had been. There would be no mark. Emily didn't know how to bite, but Luc would teach her that. Luc watched the sunlight s.h.i.+ne on Emily's auburn hair as she slouched on the step of the side door and waited for her uncle to find her. That was Emily sitting there. Her Emily. Her mate.

Chapter Twenty-two.

"And then they stole Wilbur and my overalls."

"Your overalls?" Emily said. She was perched on the side step of her RV feeling hot and very, very bothered. Norm was giving her a h.e.l.l of headache with all his nonsense.

"I'm sure they were my overalls. They had a paint splotch on the bib, right here." Uncle Norm tapped his chest.

"Okay." Emily had no idea why she said okay when nothing was okay. The dog was gone. The d.a.m.ned dog had run away. She had a.s.sumed he would be here forever. Norm had bonded with him, for G.o.d's sake! She heaved herself to her feet and walked away from the RV a little unsteadily.

"You sure you're feeling all right, Em?" Norm asked.

"Sure. Sure," she said. He had nearly given her a heart attack banging on the RV like the hordes of Armageddon seconds after Luc had streaked away from it. "It was hot in there." She waved at the RV and kept on walking to the house. She needed to stand under a cold shower, or a fire hose, or something. She had to think.

"It's too hot for cleaning out cars," he said, and fell into step beside her. "What are we gonna do about Wilbur?"

"Did they grab him or did he just follow them?" Emily had a good idea what had happened. Wilbur had found his rightful family.

"Them Garouls grab anything they want." Norm sounded defeated, as if he too knew the answer. The dog belonged in Little Dip not Lost Creek.

"Can't argue with that." Under her s.h.i.+rt, Emily's skin itched all over. Luc's nips and scratches stung, but in a good, secret lover sort of way. Emily felt overheated and depleted, and also irritable. She wanted Luc, here, now. They needed to talk.

"It's so hot, why don't we light up the barbeque tonight and eat on the porch?" She decided to change tack with Norm. He needed to calm down. She had brought total chaos into his life, if he but knew it. "I'll make that potato salad you like."

His eyes lit up. "The one with the onion bits in?"

With one last look at the tree line, Emily gently ushered him toward the house. There was nothing out there. No shadow that looked deeper and more menacing than the rest. No wraith-like sliver of pale flesh vanis.h.i.+ng through the tangle of trees. Luc had gone and left a lit keg of explosive emotion and a million questions behind her.

"Look at all these rib bones." Norm cast a sorrowful eye over his plate. It was piled high with his leftovers. Emily knew what was coming next. "If Wilbur were here, he would have loved these," he said mournfully.

"I think we need to go down to the pound and adopt a dog," she said. It was clear to her that Norm was lonely. Despite all the hangers-on at his coffee counter during the day, it must be depressing once the shop shutters came down and he went home to an empty house. "It's a sin for all those animals to be lined up on death row when all they need is a decent owner to save them. There are some wonderful dogs there. Good guard dogs, too."

Norm looked over. "Guards dogs?"

"Well, you have to admit Wilbur never guarded a d.a.m.n thing." She felt sorry for blaming the dog for the disappearances, but better that than tell her uncle they'd had an intruder. A hairy one. "Look at the stuff that went missing. Bet it's all buried out there somewhere." She nodded over the fence to the forest. It was only half a lie.

"A guard dog would keep an eye on the clothesline," Norm said. He was warming to the idea.

"You only think that woman was wearing your overalls," Emily said. "You didn't even have your gla.s.ses on. I bet the dog pulled the overalls off the line and hid them somewhere." She warmed to her theme, false as it was. "I mean, why would a grown woman steal your messy old paint pants and then wear them into your shop? You must have scared the wits out of her yelling like that."

Norm looked a little shamefaced. "She had my wallet."

"No, you said she threw some dollars on the counter and then you found your wallet, exactly where I told you to look earlier." Emily was pleased at her problem solving. Norm was easy to manage with logic, even if the logic flew in the face of reality. But the less inclined he was to march down to Little Dip with his Winchester to reclaim his dog, pants, wallet, and whatever the h.e.l.l else Luc had pilfered, then the better it was for all of them. As far as Emily was concerned, she was in the middle of a disaster recovery exercise and doing rather well at it.

"Another beer?" Norm asked, indicating his own empty bottle. It was a peace offering that Emily was glad to accept.

"Please," she said and watched him go fetch a few more. She sighed and relaxed back into her rocker, lifting her face to the last rays of the sun. She rocked back and forth enjoying the pearly pink play behind her eyelids and the gentle heat caressing her face. The motion of the chair was soothing, like the sway of a cradle, and she allowed her fatigue to seep through her bones and melt her muscles to honey- Her chair jarred to a shuddering halt. A shadow blocked out the mellow sunglow as her rocker was roughly tipped backward, so far back her feet dangled doll-like off the floor. Emily's eyes flew open. A huge werewolf loomed over her, its menacing frown leered only inches from her face. This was not Luc. She could see the dark brown flecks in its amber eyes, each individual hair bristling from its leathery maw.

This was the Were she had spotted lurking in the dawn mist. Its nostrils quivered as it delicately inhaled her. Her ear, her hairline, and down her neck to her breastbone. The moisture of its breath brushed along her skin. Then it growled, low and cunning, as if it had learned something, and Emily's guts jellified. It released the back of her chair abruptly, and she was flung forward, the runners cras.h.i.+ng down on the wood planking, the soles of her feet slapping on the floor. Emily looked over her shoulder, but the beast was gone. She was alone, shaking with dread. What the h.e.l.l was happening? Werewolves were everywhere. Lost Creek was crawling with the things.

"Here ya go." Norm waved a sweating bottle of beer under her nose. She hadn't even heard him return. She took the bottle, thankful for the coolness and solidity of it in her hand. It grounded her a little.

"Maybe we can go have a look in the pound tomorrow?" he said, and sat in the rocker beside her and took a sip of beer. She copied him, letting the cold liquid trickle down her tight, dried out throat.

"Yeah, let's do that," she said, her voice rasping as she struggled with her panic. All the time, her gaze flickered from the porch to the yard to the forest and back, never once finding a trace of her visitor.

"It was like a great garage sale in the sky," Jolie said, waving her hands at the surrounding trees for emphasis.

"With lots of neat stuff," Mouse added. "I got this T-s.h.i.+rt and some gla.s.ses." She was wearing the gla.s.ses, which made her eyes huge and owl-like. Jolie swiped them from her nose.

"I told you not to wear those. You'll damage your eyes."

"A nest?" Marie frowned. Beside her, Connie looked bemused. Jolie had found them in the central compound and made a beeline for them. She had to spill her news before she burst with it. As usual, Mouse was at her heels b.u.t.ting in all over. The cub had no respect.

"It's been years since I saw a nest. We don't bother with them here." Marie smiled at some private memory then shook it away to fix her errant pack members with a stern gaze. "Hope has been looking for you two."

Jolie s.h.i.+fted under her scrutiny, and Mouse edged in behind her, far more sensitive to Marie's mood than she'd ever been to Jolie's.

"We were going there next," Jolie said glumly. She did not expect a warm welcome. Marie looked satisfied with this.

"So Luc has styled an initiation tree and is sleeping in it?" she said.

Mouse nodded mutely, her gaze prodding Jolie into being spokesperson. Jolie was highly suspicious of this. It was not like Mouse to voluntarily step out of the limelight, and Jolie had the distinct feeling she was skating toward thin ice, with a helpful push.

"Well, yes." Jolie cleared her throat. "It was dripping with clothes and jewelry and stuff."

"And these things were hanging from it." It was a statement not a question. Marie indicated their patched up, barefoot ensemble. "So you removed items from the tree." Again, it was not a question, but Jolie felt obliged to answer.

"The cub was tuckered out so we went back to human form. It was freezing. I thought it was the best to get dressed," she said. Every word she said made sense, yet an unshakeable feeling of foreboding descended on her. Marie looked troubled.

"The tree is an ancient courts.h.i.+p ritual. To remove an item from it is to contest the declared union," Marie said, frowning.

Jolie looked at Mouse, aghast. Why had she not warned her? Mouse just shrugged. It was obviously news to her, too.

"I didn't want to, Aunt Marie. She made me dress like this," Mouse declared. Jolie was outraged.

"Well, I never told you to take those gla.s.ses. You stole those all on your own!" she said.

"But I need gla.s.ses for reading." Mouse put on her best wheedling voice.

"You only read comics." Jolie was furious. Once again, she was in trouble and Mouse was at the epicenter of it. "And even then you move your lips."

"I do not!"

"If it isn't Huckleberry Finn and the littlest hobo!" Hope's voice cut through their bickering.

"Hope." Jolie was delighted to see her mate, and at the same time full of trepidation.

"h.e.l.lo, Auntie Hope," Mouse trilled happily, totally unconcerned.

Oh, so it's Auntie Hope is it? And I'm just plain old Jolie? I see how it is. Jolie's mood darkened. "I can explain," she said and pointed at Mouse. "She-"

"Oh, you'll explain all right," Hope interrupted her. "Explain, repent, and compensate. And the first thing I want to know is exactly who is this woman you want to fight Luc for. I don't see you as the harem type." She folded her arms and tapped her foot.