I handed her my pistol and showed her where the safety was. I racked it, sending a bullet into the chamber. I showed her how to release the magazine. She listened intently. Then, I showed her how to use my rifle. This one she was familiar with. Her father had one just like it. She slung it over her chest and wrapped my ammo belt around her waist, adjusting it to fit her.
Then, satisfied that she would be able to help defend herself, I got undressed. I saw the gleam of appreciation in her beautiful purple eyes, but, unfortunately, now was not the time to capitalize on it. The enemy was approaching and approaching fast.
She grabbed my clothes, folded them, and put them in one of the bags as I transformed.
“Wow,” she exclaimed softly. “I’m not sure that I’ll get used to seeing that. It is phenomenal.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“You are truly a beautiful animal, whether you are on two legs or four,” she said, stroking my fur.
“I could get used to that feeling,” I said, thinking of how much I wanted a future with her. Did she want one with me, too?
I shook my head. Now was not the time. The enemy had almost reached our hiding place, and if we didn’t get through this, there would be no future for me to think about.
16
Elise
Iknew something was wrong by the way Jared was acting and how he was moving. At first, I couldn’t hear what he was hearing. And then, I did. It was the slightest creak as a small twig snapped beneath the weight of a man. It was the rustle of a tree when the wind was completely still.
A chill went through me as I realized that they were so close. I imagined that I could actually feel their hot breath on the back of my neck.
My heart was racing uncontrollably, throbbing in my veins and thundering in my head. I was sure that everyone in the entire world heard it. The fear that consumed me made me acutely aware of everything in my surroundings. Each small sound echoed in my head. The slightest breeze made me feel as though someone was right next to me. The silence of the forest, as the insects and birds quit their usual singing, was deafening.
I followed in Jared’s footsteps, exactly. I tried not to get too close to him because I didn’t want to bump into him should he stop suddenly. However, I also didn’t want to get so far away from him that we could be easily split up.
After what seemed like forever, Jared grabbed me and pulled me behind a big clump of bushes and trees. He whispered that he thought he could fight better in his wolf form. He questioned me about whether I knew how to shoot a gun. I told him that I did. Dad had taken me to the range, and I learned to shoot a pistol, a rifle, and a shotgun. Since every brand of firearm was slightly different, he showed me how to use each of his weapons. Once he was satisfied I knew how to handle them, he quickly undressed.
We might have been in dire straits, but I had to admire his incredible body. He winked at me, and then, as I picked up his clothes and put them in the bag, he changed into a beautiful wolf with silvery hair.
His hair looked so silky and soft that I couldn’t stop myself. I reached out to stroke him.
“Baby girl, when we get out of here, you can stroke me all you want to, and I’ll love every minute of it. However, we have some problems that we have to take care of first.”
“Roger that, boss,” I said, and we started to head out.
It seemed that our enemies were no longer trying to be quiet. We could hear them coming in. There were at least a couple of men behind us, and they were gaining ground quickly. There were also people coming in at both sides.
Almost like magic, five men appeared around us. It wouldn’t have done any good to run. They would have shot us. We might get shot, and we might even die, but we were sure as heck not going to go down without a fight.
I stood up straight, next to Jared, who was baring his teeth and growling.
One of the men said in halting English, “Throw down your guns, woman. We will not hurt you.”
“I don’t believe you,” I told him.
“You can’t win this fight,” he said.
“Maybe not. But if I go down, I can take a couple of you with me.”
“You think you can beat us?” he asked. “Just put your weapons down and call off your dog.”
“Not going to happen, and he doesn’t listen very well. He’s a stubborn cur.”
One of the men stepped forward with his arms outreached as though he was going to try to take my guns. I pulled out the pistol and held it as I had been taught, using a shooting stance.
“Just back off. Leave.” I smiled. “You don’t want the shame of being shot by a woman.”