Moon - New Moon Part 36

Before he was finished, he heard footsteps coming down the hall.

"I don't see anything," a man called out.

It sounded like the homeowner. Didn't he have sense enough to wait for the cops if he thought something was wrong?

The man clattered into the room. He was short and stocky with a fringe of dark hair around his bald head. Logan cowered back like he was only a frightened dog.

"Jesus Christ," the guy exclaimed. "A dog got in here."

Logan fought the urge to attack. He could take this guy so easily. But the man was an innocent bystander who had come home to find a dog in his house. So Logan played the part he'd a.s.signed himself, ducking his head submissively and edging toward the side of the room, hoping he could make a break for it.

"Good doggie," the man said.

The woman rounded the corner. She was taller than her husband, with red hair and a big bust. Both of them looked to be in their mid-fifties. Too bad they'd decided to come home early.

As the lady of the house took in the scene, she gasped. "That's no dog; it's a wolf. Shoot it, Bart. Shoot it."

Logan felt his heart start to pound.

The guy moved toward a drawer in an end table that Logan hadn't searched. When the man drew out a gun, Logan howled, then turned and ran down the hall.

Unfortunately, he'd only run into a trap. The door was closed, and he stopped short. He could turn and attack. Or he could run up the stairs.

He chose to run.

At the top of the stairs he turned right, dashed into a bedroom, and found the window closed. It wasn't the room Rinna had used as her escape route.

Downstairs, he could hear the woman shouting out advice. "Stay away from it. It could be rabid."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Call the police."

He didn't hear the end of the conversation because he was already out of the room and into another. To his vast relief, one of the windows gaped open.

Sticking his head out, he saw that it opened onto the front porch. When he climbed out, he almost lost his footing.

Above him he could see a white bird circling the house.

Rinna. She came down low, then landed a few feet away.

He wanted to shout at her to get away. But he couldn't talk. All he could do was say the words of transformation in his head.

In the distance he heard a siren. The cops were already on their way.

He pushed a curse out of his mind and focused on the chant. He could see flas.h.i.+ng red and blue lights by the time he made it to human form. The pain of changing quickly twice in rapid succession made his head spin, but he knew he didn't have much time.

Rinna hovered around him, her wings frantically beating the air as though she could somehow help him.

With a grimace, he stumbled toward the edge of the roof, then hung by his hands and let himself fall. He hit some bushes, scratching his legs and his a.s.s. Ignoring the sc.r.a.ped skin, he staggered away from the house.

A car door slammed.

"What the h.e.l.l?" somebody shouted.

Either the cops or the homeowner must have seen a naked man das.h.i.+ng for the woods. Maybe they thought the house had been invaded by a druggie and his dog.

Behind him he heard the beating of wings, then a man's voice rang out, his voice sharp and frightened.

"Get the h.e.l.l off me. Get off!"

And Logan knew the bird had attacked.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

LOGAN STOPPED SHORT and started to turn, until the bird came flapping toward him, squawking. Knowing that he was making them both a target, he doubled over, feeling like he had a bull's-eye on his a.s.s as he pounded toward the woods, gritting his teeth as stones dug into his feet.

He chanted as he ran. He'd never changed on the run. And he had never transformed from man to wolf to man and back again so many times in such a short period.

The process was always painful. But tonight his muscles and ligaments screamed in protest. Jaw clenched, he ignored the agony because he knew he couldn't outrun the cops if he remained in human form. And the next time the bird attacked, she could get shot.

Praying that they couldn't see him change in the darkness under the trees, he kept going, hitting the ground on all fours and stumbling before he got his footing again.

Somehow he kept running, and then there was another wolf keeping pace with him, a white wolf.

He stopped, dragging in air, fighting the pain in his side. Rinna came up beside him, nuzzling her muzzle against his face. He turned his head and licked her, wis.h.i.+ng he could talk.

He wanted to tell her how glad he was that she was there, and at the same time, he wanted to scream at her that she'd taken a d.a.m.n stupid chance by flying at the cops.

Probably it was better that he couldn't berate her, because he knew she was defending her mate-even if she didn't understand that yet.

After a few minutes rest he started moving again, not quite so fast, pacing himself. He was d.a.m.n glad he'd looked at the map earlier. When they came out on the road, he turned left, trotting along the shoulder until he came to a cross street.

He recognized the name and turned right, heading for the patch of woods where he'd left his tent.

Once Rinna left his side, and he wondered where she was going. She came back with a rabbit in her mouth, which she dropped at his feet.

He might have been embarra.s.sed to tear the animal apart in front of her. But he needed the nourishment. So he ate what she offered, then cleaned his mouth at a stream.

He had a good sense of direction. He only got turned around a few times.

Rinna stayed beside him, stopping when he had to rest, pressing her flank against his and waiting until he could travel again.

Finally he came out into the small clearing where he'd left the tent. To his vast relief, it was still there. He crawled inside and threw himself on the sleeping bag. When he thought he was strong enough to take the pain, he changed once more, gasping as he resumed his human form. After he could move, he pulled on jeans and a s.h.i.+rt before opening up the sleeping bag so Rinna would have some place to lie, if she dared to rest beside him.

She stuck her head inside the tent, and he saw that she had changed, too.