“I’ll come with you.” Slade reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a holstered gun, which he clipped to the back of his belt.
So, not Slade’s first rodeo. Then again, Noah knew nothing about this man. His rescuer could be an axe murderer. At least axe wounds barely slowed down a shifter unless they were to the head or heart. Better to have someone at his back, though. Noah helped stow the bike in the woods,
Well, damn. Moonlight shone on the Harley, illuminating the gas tank. A pack of wolves, running under the light of the moon.
Beautiful. Prophetic?
Noah led the way through the trees, using Slade’s cellphone for a flashlight, though Noah could see fine in the dark. Better to maintain appearances for the human.
Two sets of tire tracks led to the house, trucks from the looks of the tread. Noah inhaled deeply, trying to avoid looking like a hound sniffing prey. Maybe hunters waited inside. How had they found him? He glanced at Slade’s hard, unreadable mask.
“Thank you for your help. You’ve done enough. I’ll take it from here.” Noah’s hard swallow didn’t dislodge the lump in his throat. For a little while, he pretended he’d found pack, someone to watch his back. Fantasies.
“Are you in trouble?” Slade asked, maintaining eye contact. Something in those dark brown eyes compelled Noah to tell the truth.
Before he could stop himself, he replied, “More than you’ll ever know.”
Slade paused a small eternity before asking, “Because of something you did?”
Anger flooded Noah, coming out in his clipped tones. “Not what I did. What I am.”
“And what are you, exactly?” No accusation hid in Slade’s tones.
Noah studied the pine needles at his feet. “Thank you for your help. Trust me. You don’t want to get involved.”
“Now, how do you know? I’ve been around my share of trouble, even caused my share. I’ll never back away from a fight, as long as they’re the ones in the wrong, not you.”
Those deep brown eyes mesmerized Noah when he looked up. “You’ve done enough.”
Once more, Slade graced him with a smile. “You see, there’s a woman named Judith living in the mountains of North Carolina who’d have my ass if I didn’t help… someone in need.”
Should Noah take the offer? At what cost? He had to leave, leave everything behind, start over somewhere new. Accepting help seemed a safer option than catching a bus. Depending on Slade’s destination. “What are you offering, exactly?”
“Unless I miss my guess, you’re about to walk away empty-handed, not giving a damn where you go, as long as you get away. I’m also guessing you’re not too particular about where. If I rearrange the Durango some, I can make room.”
Noah held Slade’s gaze. “What would you ask in return?”
“For Judith not to box my ears when she next sees me. We can fight if I know what we’re up against. How many are there?”
“I don’t know. Seven, total, the last time I ran into hunters.” The way Paul talked, hunters numbered into the hundreds.
“Hunters?”
“Don’t ask.” No better ideas occurred to Noah. Leave with Slade, take off on his own later. “I have somewhere I need to go first.”
Slade waited by the bike while Noah trudged through the woods to the remains of a neglected house. In the old root cellar, he retrieved his emergency pack. New clothes, new identity, money. Walking away from his last paycheck from Farmer Higgins hurt. He’d live. Hopefully. He’d never dare touch the money Paul left him.
Noah also swung by the old barn for last night’s clothes and his pendant, hanging the woman in the moon around his neck.
Time to say goodbye to another temporary home, hoping to live another day.
Chapter Fourteen
Awerewolf.Anhonest-to-goodnessfucking werewolf softly snored in the passenger seat. A hunted werewolf. Someone, please wake Slade from these weird-assed dreams. Maybe his past drug use finally affected his brain.
He sat in the SUV for a few moments after gassing up, studying the man who’d fallen into his life. Blonde waves, blue eyes, not too tall, slim build, I-work-hard-for-a-living muscles. Gold hair stubbled his chin, a shade darker than the sparse curls Slade had spotted earlier on the guy’s chest.
Too old for twinkhood, younger than Slade.