A Taste of Shifter Geekdom: Shifter Romance (Vanguard Elite Book 2) Page 6

  “Nothing.” She shouted. “You have a legal right to leave your property and attend public functions. There’s nothing I can do as long as you don’t break any laws.”

  “You sound frustrated.” He leaned against her car, crossing his ankles. “Anything I can do to help alleviate it?” He waggled his non-existent eyebrows to make sure his suggestion was absolutely clear.

  Her face dropped and she retreated a step as if he’d picked his nose. The corners of her mouth drew down. “I hate you.” She pulled her arm back and swung. The sudden violence caught him off guard and his position off balance as her fist connected with his jaw in a perfect undercut. If he’d been human, he would have been knocked unconscious.

  He rubbed his jaw and levered himself on an elbow. “Nice form.”

  She climbed into her vehicle and pulled away, scattering gravel as she peeled her wheels. They pelted him with sharp precision.

  He wiped his clothes free of debris. She was fun. There was a fine line between love and hate though. He had to make sure she didn’t cross it. He tossed the trash bag over his shoulder and ran through the forest spanning his acres.

  His acres…

  His land. His territory. When had he last thought in those terms? Not since being stolen from his family centuries ago. He stroked a tree trunk. Possessive warmth flowed in his veins. He snorted and shook his head. Next thing he’d be pissing on his land like a fucking wolf.

  The manor came into view and his shifter students were gathering on the front lawn. Some were stretching, others were blowing on their frozen hands, and a few lounged on the front porch. All smelled satiated. He should start cutting rations after he culled the pack. Hunger made wolves lean and mean

  He climbed onto the porch and tossed the bag at the pack’s feet. The contents spilled onto the ground. “Anyone like garlic?” He knew his smile unnerved them. “Some of you will want a cross to pray with after tonight.”

  A collective groan was his answer.

  His smile widened. “I moved Fit to Win to tonight instead of tomorrow.” He ignore their protests. “I even built you a lovely obstacle course. Twenty miles of strength, endurance, and skills tests. Yes!”

  “That’s not fair.” Someone sounding like Yanis shouted from the group.

  “Do you think life is fair?” Pallas shouted, using his task master voice.

  The shifters stood straighter and the night went quiet.

  “If you’re not ready now, than you’ll never be.” He paced the porch, hands behind his back. If they thought he’d been tough before, then they were in for a shock. The coddling of modern wolves were coming to an end. He was just waiting for the snow to fall.

  “You will run the ten mile trail we built.” He paused. “Twice.”

  A few wolves winced.

  “The run ends at the pond where you will swim across to the obstacle course.” He’d spent the last week building the maze. Power tools made things so much easier. They came second on Pallas’ list of things modern humans had created that he appreciated. Right after cars. Computers came dead last.

  “There are no assigned teams.” He raised his voice. “This is where you get to let your inner wolf out.” He paused. “The last ten to cross the finish line will pack their bags tonight. Ian will drive them to Grand Central station in New York City while I contact your packs to finish arranging your return trip from there.”

  Not even the wind dared make a noise. The silence swallowed the hopes and dreams of ten of his wolves. He couldn’t keep the weak. They’d end up dead otherwise. “Shift and meet at the start of the running trail.”

  Chapter Eight

  Darrell hung out with Blain and Ian as Pallas dropped his latest bomb. He glanced at them. “Did he just say shift?”

  Ian scratched his head. “Did he just volunteer me to drive six hours after all this running and shit?”

  Blain stripped. “I wonder who the back-up is if you’re one of the last ten.”

  Clapping Blain on the back. Ian smirked. “Not you.”

  Darrell scanned the crowd. Julia already had undressed to her underwear.

  She met his stare and shook her ass.

  His mouth went dry as his wolf tore free of his control. It wanted to rip out every male’s eyes.

  “Hey man, it’s easier if you take off all your clothes before you start shifting.” Ian looked puzzled.

  “His wolf has been all over the place since he’s been courting Julia,” Blain explained. “I smelled it surface frequently the last few days.”

  With a snarl, Darrell yanked his worn sweater over his head. He tossed his clothes onto a pile Blain and Ian had started. Sneakers, socks, jeans—fur already pricked through his skin as Darrell let his wolf out to compete. The animal was more aggressive than the man. Gram always tried to explain how they were one and the same, but as long as Darrell could remember they never agreed on anything.

  Until Julia.

  She had to undress to shift. His wolf needed to understand this. She didn’t have to shake her tail for every male to admire though, countered his wolf. Darrell rolled his eyes. She’d done it for them—him. So what? Everyone else saw.

  Darrell clapped his hands over his face and accidently scratched his face. Claws had already sprouted from his fingertips. Arguing with his wolf gave him a headache.

  Ian rose to his paws. He barked at Darrell.

  Releasing the last of his control, he finished the shift in a sudden burst. He landed next to Ian. Running twenty miles in wolf form, no problem. Swimming? He could barely make it as a human. If he wanted to stay, he’d have to make good time during the run and the obstacle course. Oh, and also not drown again.

  Ten wolves. That was a quarter of their small pack. He moved through the crowd to Julia’s pale gray wolf. He had to make sure she crossed the finish line with him. Now that he’d found her, nothing was going to take her away.

  She ran her delicate muzzle along his and bumped shoulders. Her smell wove around him like a net. Trapped by her lure, he didn’t want to break free. A future without Julia didn’t exist. Now he had to make sure she agreed.

  As one, the pack moved to the running trail. After two weeks of jogging along this route on the manor grounds, the dirt had become compact, leaving a clear path. Most of the rocks and branches had been removed.

  Ten miles on this track in man form had been challenging. He wouldn’t have been able to do it twice, but as a wolf he could. Darrell clawed the ground. This would be their first time running as a pack. He threw his head back and howled. Others answered his call.

  Excitement crackled in the cold night air, so thick he could taste it.

  Pallas strode among them, his fingers brushed the fur on Darrell’s back as he passed.

  A snarl sounded behind him as two wolves fell to the ground in a tussle.

  Ian jumped the wolves and stopped the fight with a few well-placed swipes.

  Pallas laughed. It sounded merry, not evil like usual. He held up his hands. “All right, pups. Ready?” He waited until all attention was on him. “Set.” He paused long enough that Darrell’s leg muscles quivered with anticipation. “Go!”

  Darrell sprang forward, heart pounding, wind rushing through his fur, the scent of pack surrounded him. His wolf’s stride was long and quick, sprinting pass those in front.

  Shadows were his companions, the north wind his rival. Wait…Darrell struggled for consciousness. They’d left Julia behind. He glanced over his shoulder, tongue lolling from the side of his muzzle. If he’d had enough air in his lungs, he would have howled in triumph.

  Julia ran a few feet behind, keeping pace. The only ones ahead were Clare and Ian, who competed against each other for first place.

  Darrell snorted. Of course, they rivaled.

  The trail was demanding with three major inclines, the last being heart attack hill. The first ten miles flew by them. Lungs burning, throats dry with thirst, but he and Julia kept their position until the second round where Blain nipped
their tails as he passed.

  The blind wolf tore up heart attack hill like a mountain goat.

  Julia growled and leaped to follow his path. They’d climbed this spot as people with hands to grip the holds. Paws tended to slip so she slid, her back paws scrabbling in the dirt.

  Using his head, Darrell braced her behind until she found better footing.

  She yipped and continued climbing with more energy than Darrell thought possible. He glanced over his shoulder.

  Penny wasn’t far behind with three other wolves on her tail.

  With a snarl, he dug deep and followed Julia’s route. They needed to pace themselves. They still had to swim.

  She waited for him at the top and gave a breathless bark. Damn straight, they weren’t coming in last. He wanted them to be in the top ten, not the bottom.

  Others were reaching the bottom of the hill when Darrell joined her at the top. That meant they were slowing. They needed to reach the pond ahead of the bulk of the pack to give Darrell a fighting chance. She didn’t want to do CPR on him again. Too many wolves swimming at once would churn the waters and make it more difficult to navigate. He wasn’t a strong swimmer to begin with. They also didn’t know what Pallas had in store for them at the obstacle course. Knowing the vampire it wouldn’t be fun.

  Darrell butted heads affectionately with her when she gave him an encouraging bark, then led her back into the race.

  Fit to Win. This she could do. She might have curves but she competed with the fittest of the shifters in this camp. Ever since arriving, she’d applied herself full-hearted to every exercise Pallas assigned and more. She’d been worried about not being buff enough, but the camp was filled with pack misfits. That meant most of them were in worse shape. No wonder Pallas wanted to cull the pack.

  The pond came into view. Their breaths misted the air as they hit the beach. Clare and Ian were already on the other side, exiting the water, and Blain was halfway but heading in the wrong direction.

  Julia tilted her head. What was Ian doing? He was barking from the shore in a slow rhythm. It wasn’t a warning or an aggressive noise.

  Blain changed his course toward Ian.

  Darrell splashed into the water. She followed close behind. The cold soaked her fur and weighed her down. Instinct kicked in and she doggy paddled smoothly across the water like a hot knife cutting butter. So much for practicing her sleek freestyle all these nights. Why would Pallas make them train in human form then test them as wolves? And where had Darrell gone? She slowed her paddle and turned. There he was.

  He swam with big clumsy splashes of his front paws. Thump, thump, thump. How had she not heard him? He looked more like a kid splashing for fun than a wolf competing in a race. How long would it take him to cross?

  Pallas hadn’t forbidden them from helping each other.

  She swam to Darrell.

  He barked, swallowed water, and coughed almost going under.

  They weren’t animals when in wolf form. They could reason like normal but communication proved difficult. Some of the more powerful alphas could speak mentally. She and Darrell weren’t among them.

  How could she help him? She lacked hands, and could barely keep herself afloat. She searched the shore for inspiration while keeping abreast with Darrell. She couldn’t help him in this form and shifting in water was a death sentence.

  Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. In the dark the moonlight reflected off a hard surface. It floated on the water, bobbing in their wake. She paddled toward the thing and discovered a floating branch. Biting it, she swam back to Darrell. It helped to keep her a float and should assist them both across the icy water.

  As soon as the branch was in Darrell’s range, he grabbed hold with his mouth and they swam as one, moving much faster.

  Splashes sounded behind them as other wolves jumped in the water but she and Darrell were already hitting the shallows on the other side.

  Paws numb, she stood on the edge of the water panting. Her breath fogged the air.

  Darrell pressed his body along hers before barking at the wolves swimming. She didn’t need words to understand his encouraging tone. She wanted to rest but they still had one third of a race to complete. On shaky legs, she trotted after him, joints stiff with cold. She shook her fur of water and ran.

  Chapter Nine

  An arrow made of what appeared to be crosses pointed Julia and Darrell to an overgrown trail. She paused to sniff the sign. It smelled of Pallas. This had to be the right way. They ran, dripping wet. Mile after mile passed until her fur had dried. Julia’s body ached. The only thing she could focus on was Darrell’s tail. She followed it without thought, deeper into the woods.

  She hadn’t heard another wolf since the pond. Her heart raced. Had they lost their way? She shook her head, clearing the fog of exhaustion. The woods appeared clear of others. She sniffed and the scent of forest filled her nose. Not pack.

  Darrell slowed so their sides touched, ears back and head tilted. He looked at the direction where they had come then to where they were headed. Which way? He seemed to ask.

  One couldn’t shrug as a wolf. She whined and licked his muzzle. She’d follow where he went.

  They needed to complete an obstacle course. It couldn’t be where they just been. That direction led to the manor. She yipped and continued faster along the trail. Maybe, in their exhaustion, they missed a sign? There had to be some kind of marker to tell them where to go. Who knew where the others had gone, but Pallas was a dubious task master and this test had been easy in comparison to their treasure hunt.

  Following her instincts, she prayed she wasn’t leading Darrell astray. If anyone deserved to stay, it was him. He was strong and skilled and loyal and— She stopped, her paws sliding in the loose leaves.

  Wooden walls blocked their path. They looked like obstacles horses jumped over but they stood ten feet high. Brush and rocks and had been used to keep them from crawling under. Other forest trails seemed to converge to this point as well. Had the vampire separated the pack on purpose to see who would quit and head back?

  Technically they could run around the jumps, but Ian had warned them that Pallas could watch them using the eyes of forest creatures. Not to mention the vampire was keen on setting booby traps. She’d rather jump walls than step in a bear trap. With a sigh that came all the way from the tip of her tail, she ran and jumped. She caught the edge with her front claws and used her back legs as leverage. Fuck she was tired.

  On the other side, the ground was littered with shiny metal objects. Before she could warn Darrell, he flew over the wall and landed in the middle of the objects. He yelped and rolled onto his side away from the stuff.

  Julia braced her back legs on the top of the wall and sprung over Darrell. She landed clear and unharmed. She hurried to Darrell’s side as he shook his paws furiously. She checked his pads.

  Tacks.

  The vampire had sprinkled tacks all over the ground.

  Darrell shook them all free. Blood trickled from the small wounds, but they’d heal fast. This time Darrell took the next wall with more caution. At the top, he paused and leaped like Julia had done on the first one. From the top of this wall, Julia counted five more to go. The surprise waiting on the other side was bear traps.

  Pallas was an asshole with a capital A.

  Darrell was nowhere in sight. Had he left her? At night? Alone in the woods? Being a wolf didn’t mean she felt comfortable in the wild. What if a real bear showed up? Or a squirrel?

  She had to wolf up. She came to this camp to escape but she realized that being a warrior would be cool. Warriors were brave. Not chicken shit.

  She jumped and picked up speed, muscles primed with a sudden jolt of adrenaline. She leaped over the second and the third walls. Pausing on top to avoid the traps below. Still no sign of Darrell. She jumped over the last barrier. The top plank of the wall purposely sank under her weight and sent her tumbling over the other side. She hit a pit of mud, all le
gs splayed out in a canine belly flop. The air left her lungs in a single whoosh and she guppy breathed while sinking deeper into the muck.

  Darrell stood on the edge of the pit shaking off the thick mud. He raced back into the muck and pulled her out by the scruff.

  She lay on her side panting. That hurt more than she’d like to admit.

  He gagged, shaking his head as if to clear it. She spotted his tongue covered in mud from grabbing her. There was much to be said about a man who would take a mouthful of putrid mud for a woman. She rose to her feet licked the tip of his nose, ears, and forehead. Caked in mud, she must be quite a sight but the look in Darrell’s eyes made her feel like a princess. Once they completed this task, she’d corner her beast and show him exactly how grateful she was of his help. Damn Pallas and his stupid rules.

  Bumping shoulders, Darrell brought her attention to a cave. Pallas had placed a sign over the mouth that read Fun House.

  Somebody tumbled over the wall, landing in the mud. Blain in wolf form gazed blankly at them. Penny followed over the top almost landing on the other wolf. They both crawled out of the pit and joined them by the cave. As a group, they moved into the darkness. No moon to light their way.

  Julia pressed her body against Darrell’s. The walls and ceiling didn’t give them much room to maneuver. Stale air filled their lungs the deeper they moved inside. She could faintly smell Clare and Ian but the stench of mud made it difficult to follow. At least the press of bodies helped warm her body.

  Soon her vision adjusted enough to make out a fork. It was too dark to see if Pallas had left them a sign. Blain pushed between her and Darrel to take the lead. He went right. Not long after they came across another tunnel.

  A maze.

  Her shoulders sagged and she hung her head. This night would never end. If they got lost, would Pallas mount a rescue? Some part of her doubted it. Tongue lolling long enough she could taste dirt, she recalled her fiancé’s cruel face. He would be her future if she failed here. She could endure anything to escape a loveless mating. Wolves weren’t meant to be underground. A small whine escaped her muzzle. She wanted the moon and the wind. The human part of her soothed the wolf. Just a test. They were strong. If they failed, they proved her pack was right and she was good for nothing else than breeding rights. Picking up her head, she bumped Blain to make a choice. They couldn’t stand here all night. Who knew where the other shifters were? Pallas was full of surprises tonight.