"You think the collar is a cure?" Hope asked.

"More like a medical instrument. I won't know until I see what Emily has constructed, and she'll have to show me how she charmed it." Marie turned to Emily. "I'll need your copy of the almanac to compare to mine."

Emily knew this request would come sooner or later. "You'll get that as soon as the collar is off Luc."

"You're bargaining with us?" Jolie sounded shocked.

"You bet I am," Emily said coolly. "I'm handing over a lifetime's work, all my research notes and my almanac, and in return you a.s.sure the safety of my uncle and get Luc off the streets. I think you're doing okay."

"You're giving up a lot to keep your family safe," Hope said. Her eyes met Emily's and they held warmth and knowing. "Family is the most important thing. We understand that here."

"I think we need to break for coffee." Connie stood and moved to the kitchen. Emily was glad to stand and stretch. She had called her uncle and told him she was with friends and would be back late, and was content to know that Marie had Lost Creek under wolven patrol to deter Luc and her house calls.

"Have you seen changes in Luc's behavior over the past few days?" Ren came over and handed her a coffee cup, but instead of moving away, she stood with her. "I'm asking because I know there have been changes in yours." Her dark eyes shone kindly on Emily's fervid blushing. She'd been honest about her irrepressible need to mark the woods behind her house. She'd even admitted to placing her mouth around Luc's throat, much to the Garouls' interest. But she would not, could not, reveal the details of Luc's last visit. Some things were only for herself and Luc to know.

Hope drifted over and joined them. "They're courting, Ren. Remember your own blundering attempts," she joked. Now Ren's cheeks colored and she managed to twitch her lips in a half smile. Ren was so serious and reserved, totally different from her exuberant, larger-than-life sister.

"You have a partner?" Emily asked her.

"Isabelle." And the light in Ren's eyes deepened. "She's in Bella Coola at the moment. My pack is up there. We've been hit hard with this virus, and she's organizing bringing them back here."

"Luc was always going on about Canada. She wanted me to drive her there."

Ren laughed. "Luc, in a car! She can't sit still for a minute. You'd have been demented."

It struck Emily as odd that the joke wasn't about a werewolf in the car but rather Luc and her obsessive behavior. Her family knew the quirkiness of her, the good and the bad, the things Emily, in her own way, was beginning to see, too.

Marie called for Ren, and Hope and Emily stayed where they were, comfortable in their corner.

"How do you feel about the way you've been behaving recently, Emily?" Hope asked the million-dollar question. "It's strange, isn't it?"

Emily was going to deny it. Instead, she said, "Yes. It is strange. Strange and confusing, and I'm not sure what will happen next. Once Luc and I are free from each other, I'll have to walk away. I don't think it will be easy."

Marie called them all back to the table.

"It's never easy," Hope said as they moved away. "Werewolves act on instinct. They have knee-jerk reactions. There is no such thing as emotional finesse. I don't think it will be easy for you to walk away either, but for a different set of reasons. After all, you've crossed a line, Emily. Broken the taboo. You're loving the monster. But what will you do if it loves you back?"

Luc watched the patrol. They were young and inexperienced, slinking about under the careful eye of Claude. He was a wily whiskered old thing, and Luc wouldn't dare an attempt on Emily's house with him there. Besides, the RV had not reappeared and Luc was beginning to get testy. First, Emily disappears, then a new guard dog arrives, and now the whole town was thick with Garouls. She knew Marie was behind it, and she had a d.a.m.ned good idea why. Marie had just upped the stakes. She had lured Emily away to Little Dip.

Luc was frustrated. What could she do? It was much too dangerous for her to go anywhere near the home valley. She retired to her nest to think. Lying on her pallet of twigs and leaves, she gazed up at the starlit sky. Usually, it would thrill her on a clear cloudless night like tonight, but now even that annoyed her. The lack of clouds, the cheerful brilliance of the stars, would supply no cover, and her stupid collar would shine like a beacon.

And then the full moon crested over the distant mountain rim, hovering over her world of forest and sky, round and wild and totally fantastic. It was a sign! Luna smiled on her, and in an instant, Luc knew what to do. Her mind was spinning with the simplicity of it. She would go to Little Dip. She would sneak and slither and use all her wonderful skills and steal back Emily. It would be easy. The Garouls thought she was skulking around Lost Creek, hence the patrols. She would let them think that. Let them look for her in all the wrong places while she stole back her mate from under their stupid snouts.

Chapter Thirty.

Luna hung low, hugging the mountaintops, urging her on. Luc thundered through the forest, bowling toward Little Dip, gleeful in the knowledge that the Garouls were all over at Lost Creek guarding Norman Johnston's grumpy old a.s.s.

She swung past Big Jack, the boundary tree, and skipped over the roadside ditches onto the lower slopes, all the while moving down into the heart of the valley. She was a blur, she was lightning, she was...lost. Luc stopped under a ba.s.swood for a breather and to take her bearings. The compound was about a mile ahead of her; the Silverthread rumbled to her right. Should she cross it and loop around behind? Now that she was in the depths of the forest, Luc was calmer and was thinking straight. She suspected when the full moon hit her collar, she went a bit moon happy. Best to watch out for that. She needed a proper plan now that she was in the heart of enemy territory.

The moon winked at her through the boughs of the ba.s.swood. Luc leapt to her feet. Planning be d.a.m.ned! She was a creature of the night, a creature of instinct. She was wild; she was nature at its rawest and at its finest! And she was off like a crazed hare, zigging and zagging through the trees at full speed, the powerful muscles of her thighs pumping, the night air running silky fingers through her fur. Hooting at owls, snapping at night moths, and howling with wonder at the glorious full moon.

A sharp rap at the cabin door quieted conversation. Marie opened the door and stepped outside. Emily could hear the mutter of voices and then Marie reappeared.

"She's on her way," she addressed the room. "Claude's sent word that Luc has left Lost Creek and is coming in along the Big Jack trail. He's following her with the others and will try to hem her in."

"Luc's coming here?" Emily was on her feet.

"It's part of the trap," Marie a.s.sured her. "There's no way Luc could sit back knowing you were in Little Dip. She had to follow you here."

"I didn't expect it to be happening so soon." Emily was troubled. Now that the trap was in motion, she felt nervous and out of her depth.

"Nor did we, but I think Luc's calling the shots with this one," Connie said. Around her, the Garouls were beginning to move as if they all knew what they were doing and where they were going.

"What about me?" Emily asked. "What can I do?"

"You need a Garoul with you at all times," Marie said. "We'll drive your RV out to the clearing by the creek. The RV is full of your scent. It will be like a red rag to Luc. We'll be watching and ready to move in as soon as she appears."

"And we need the key." Ren put out her hand. Emily looked at her.

"I don't have the key," she said.

"What?" Marie was stunned.

"I know where it is," Emily hastened to rea.s.sure her. "I couldn't keep it on me in case Luc found it. I couldn't even keep it in the house, as she was pulling everything apart and snooping everywhere. So I attached it to Tadpole's collar."

"Tadpole has the key?" Hope sounded incredulous.

"He gets his big snout in everywhere," Jolie muttered.

"It was the best hiding place I could think of," Emily defended herself. "I didn't know he was your dog or that he would run off to Little Dip. As far as I was concerned, my uncle had as good as adopted him."

"Where is the dog?" Marie asked.

"I'll go get him." Hope moved to the door. "It's on his collar? I noticed that and thought it was an ornament. I took the bell off but left the key on. Lucky, eh?" She turned to Emily. "Why didn't you grab it earlier when you were at my place?"

"Because I hadn't had this conversation with your Alpha yet," Emily said. "And he was glued to Mouse in the other room." It was true. To her, the key was another bargaining tool. She had to be careful when she disclosed its whereabouts, and Luc's premature arrival had not given her time to retrieve it.

"Get the key and meet us at the creek," Marie ordered Hope out, then turned to the rest of them. "Claude and his pack will cut off Luc on the north side. If we park the RV by the creek, the Silverthread will act as a natural barrier to the southeast. I've put some Weres on the other bank in case Luc tries to cross the river. We'll ambush her as soon as she approaches the RV. She won't be able to resist it, especially as Emily will be there, too."

"Where will I be?" Ren asked.

"And me?" Jolie pushed to the fore.

"Jolie, you stay with Emily," Marie said. "Ren and Connie are with me. I don't want your scent in the mix, Ren. Luc will be leery enough at scenting Jolie. If she smells you, she'll be sure it's a trap."

"She'll recognize my scent from the nest," Jolie said. "I touched her stuff, remember?"

"I know. And now you're with Emily. She'll see you as a love rival and be livid. Hopefully, too livid to pay attention to anything else going on around her," Marie said. "Now out, everybody. Out and change."

The compound was deserted, but the energy in the air around it was electric. Even the trees seemed to crackle. The valley bowl echoed with rambunctious howling, and the Garouls stood for a second, heads c.o.c.ked, listening to the reverberations.

"Sounds like she's on the north side." Ren sounded anxious; her worry for her sister was palpable.

"Having a party," Connie added.

"That's good. That's where we want her. Gives us time to get in place," Marie said, and then began to casually pull off her clothes and drop them on the porch table.

Emily stood on the porch step surrounded by a ma.s.s of writhing flesh and fur. Before her amazed eyes, her companions disrobed and fell to the floor, bones grinding, skin stretching to near tearing point, and muscles and sinew twisting into heinous and unnatural shapes. They rose to their full majesty, four huge werewolves with gleaming coats and snapping jaws and eyes of bright amber. She could not take her eyes off Connie. She knew this woman was not born a Garoul but had come into the clan as a chosen mate. Once, she had been fully human; now, she was wolven. Emily would never have detected this abnormality in Connie, and had she not seen her transform with her own eyes, would not have believed it.

They seemed to converse in their own way and soon split up. Jolie, now a big ebony beast, strode over to the RV and waited for Emily to join her. Rather than get in with her, Jolie was content to run before the weak headlights of the old RV and guide Emily down a rickety old track that led to a bend in the river. Here the Silverthread had been channeled, and a sliver of it poured into a man-made waterhole used for swimming and sport. This must be the creek they talked about. Emily swung her RV into a tight turn and cut the engine. Here is where it happens.

Jolie stood beside the small RV dwarfing it. Unsure what to do next, Emily slid open the side door and perched on the step.

"Guess we wait for the others, huh?" she said.

Jolie raised her muzzle to the trees beyond and Emily took that to mean everyone was in place already.

Emily was nervous now. The night had become cooler and what had once been a clear sky was scudded with rain clouds. She pulled the sleeves of her top down over her cold hands and wrapped her arms around her stomach. She was chilly, but shivered more from emotional discomfort than the temperature drop. The wind had begun to whip up. The treetops shook and shimmied and filled the night with ghostly whispers, breathing words of malice into Emily's tortured thoughts. Traitor. Father. Lover. Gone.

Emily hoped she was doing the right thing by Luc, but there were few other options left, and she trusted the Garouls. It had been a hard and speedy lesson, but there was solidity to them. They were rooted in a code of honor, a way of being that though it was ancient, still strived for harmony and balance with everything around them. Whereas Luc sparked like a firework fuse, she carried that same essence but in an unruly, unschooled way. She was a keen predator with a cold, cunning mind, but she was more wolf than woman. Emily had to agree with Marie. Luc was out of balance.

The distant howling had faded away some time ago, leaving only the whistle of the rising wind and the murmur of the nighttime forest. Minutes dragged by, feeling like hours. Emily's nerves tightened, and beside her, she could feel Jolie, coiled like a spring, cast anxious glances into the shadows.

Someone was coming! Even Emily could make out the shift of movement along the edge of the track. Jolie did not seem worried so Emily a.s.sumed it was one of the hunt party. Sure enough, Hope stepped into the clearing. She had Tadpole's collar in her hand.

"Sorry I'm late," she whispered. "I can't run in the dark. I couldn't get the d.a.m.ned thing off, so I brought the entire collar." She handed it over to Emily then rubbed Jolie on her muzzle. "I better get on back to Marie. Good luck, and don't worry. It will all be fine. You're doing the right thing." She gave Emily a quick hug.

"Thank you," Emily whispered back, needing the rea.s.surance.

Hope headed back to the tree line and was soon swallowed up in the shadows. The waiting game began again. Emily gripped the dog collar, twisting it around in her hands. Barely five minutes had pa.s.sed when there came a woman's scream.

It was Hope!

A stone flew through the air and smashed the RV's windshield. And then all h.e.l.l broke out. Emily ducked the flying gla.s.s and leapt to her feet. Jolie bounded off into the woods in the direction of Hope's scream, roaring in anger and panic. Emily waited a second before chasing after her, thinking it wiser to stay as close to Jolie as possible.

"It was Luc! She jumped out at me." They found Hope several yards into the thicket. Jolie gathered her into her arms, sniffing her tenderly to make sure she was unhurt. "She came up on my blindside. I didn't see her until the last minute and then she just vanished." Hope was part apologizing and part fighting back tears.

Around them, the forest seethed as the Garouls on this side of the riverbank moved in on the fracas.

"I'm all right," Hope rea.s.sured them. She grasped Emily's hand. "Look at you. You're as white as a sheet."

"We thought you'd been hurt-" Emily's sentence was never finished. From the boughs above, Luc reached down yanking her off her feet and up into the tree in a split second. Emily screamed in fright. She was tossed over Luc's wide shoulder and the world spun crazily. Branches, leaves, sky, and then the ground below whirled around her. She saw the shocked gaze of Hope looking up at her; she heard Jolie bellowing, and the distant howls of the other Garouls. Luc had her in the trees, and everyone else was all over the place on the ground, running toward screams, running toward broken RV windows, running in circles. Luc had won. Luc had stolen her, and Emily knew she was lost.

Jolie couldn't believe it. One moment, Emily had been standing right in front of her, the next, she took off skyward like a rocket.

"Go get her." Hope was poking her in the back, herding her toward the tree. Jolie bellowed with anger and annoyance. She hated trees! Now she had to climb another freakin' one because Luc Garoul would not play fair. Jolie was outraged. Nevertheless, she succ.u.mbed to Hope's prodding and began to lurch up the tree trunk, grabbing for handholds and praying the d.a.m.ned tree could take her weight. Luc may be part ape, but she was also a lighter build than Jolie, and when Jolie got her claws on her, there'd be a whole lot less.

Through the branches she could see Emily fighting. Luc had her over her shoulder and that was a mistake. It left Emily's hands and arms free, and she was making good use of them by clinging on to everything within reach and slowing Luc down. Unless Luc wanted to hurt her, there was no way she was going anywhere fast. Luc would learn soon enough that human mates were the most frustrating, obstinate creatures on the planet. They never made things easy.

Jolie's ears twitched as she judged her advantage. If she could just make up these last few yards, she'd be on top of Luc before she knew it. Hopefully, Emily would see her coming and manage not to get in the way.

She was close enough to see Luc snarl in frustration and give Emily a nip on the b.u.t.tock to still her. Big mistake there, buster. Emily yelled in outrage and flew into an even greater fury. She began to pull on Luc's ears, twisting them viciously. Luc howled in protest and almost let Emily go. Emily slipped off Luc's shoulder to the side and tried to lever herself further away using all her body weight. Luc paused to push her back into position, so distracted with her squirming captive she did not see Jolie leap.

Luc took the full force square on her back. The thump knocked the air out of her and Emily jarred free. Jolie grabbed her by the arm and shoved her toward the lower branches and safety as she and Luc began to kick out at each other. Luc roared at the loss of her mate and swung a vicious roundhouse at Jolie that caught her on the left temple. Her vision blurred in that eye and Luc delivered another series of blows to her blindside, sensing the weakness.

Luc was smaller, but she was fast. Jolie lashed out with her left claw. She was hanging on to the tree like grim death with her right. Several swipes missed Luc completely, and Jolie was becoming desperate Luc would slip away from her. Below, she could hear Marie and Ren arriving and hoped they could get up here quick. She was unsure how long she could stand and swap blows. Luc was merciless on attacking her left side and her kidney was already hurting.

To handicap her more, she was wobbling all over the place, her head swimming from the blow and from an all-invasive rush of vertigo she could not ignore. If Luc decided to turn tail and run, Jolie knew she couldn't go after her. She gave up on punching back and let loose with a swift kick to Luc's knee. It was a good strategy; it took the leg out from under Luc. She lost her footing and fell face-first onto the bough she was perched on. Jolie heard the crack of her face hitting the wood and without hesitation stomped hard on Luc's shoulder, rolling her out of the tree.

The pain shooting through Luc's face was all-encompa.s.sing. Time became disjointed and she wondered if she'd pa.s.sed out for a second. And then another vicious kick had her crashing through the tree boughs to the ground below. Everything was cedar scented. She had splintered half the tree to pieces in her fall and the sharp scent exploded into the night air. Several Garouls surrounded her and moved as if to help. She struggled to her feet, roaring, slashing wildly at the air, spittle foaming on her muzzle. They pulled back and gave her room to vent.

Behind them, she saw Marie watching her with calm, calculating eyes, beside her stood Emily, and Luc faltered. Her gaze flickered from one to the other. She had lost Emily. What would Marie do next, have her killed? Surely she would not kill Emily for knowing their secret?

"Luc, n.o.body wants to hurt you." Emily took a hesitant step forward. Luc snorted. It wasn't Emily's snout that had just been stomped on, or Emily's ears that had been practically ripped off her head.

"Sweetheart," Emily continued to entreaty, and Luc's sore ears twitched at the unaccustomed endearment. Luc heard her heart thump. Her muscles ached so much they felt as if they were sliding off her bones. Her hearing was fuzzy, her sight blurred. She was exhausted. The madness of the past few hours had spun out. Her moon G.o.ddess had abandoned her under a dark and cloud filled sky without even a star to guide her. Luc's ear's drooped. She had lost her mate. Life could not get any worse.

"Mom!" Mouse appeared at the edge of the crowd, pushing her way through, the stupid dog at her feet. Luc whined in despair.

"Taddy wanted to see why Aunt Hope wanted his collar," Mouse explained her misdemeanor to anyone who would listen. She looked at Luc with such pride and delight that Luc was certain she heard her own heart break. It cracked like an egg. A huge splintering sound...followed by a bellow? Luc looked up in time to see Jolie Garoul fall on her.

And then there was nothing but Emily, her sweet, warm scent suffusing everything. Her cool hands soothing her. It had to be a dream. But it wasn't, and then her muscles began to cramp and reshape, and her skin bubbled and boiled over her useless, broken, human bones.

Luc could hear Marie talking, though the pain in her head made her sound tinny and toy-like. "...too weak to stay in wolven form. Turning back to human is her body's way of conserving energy." And her fur retreated, leaving her naked and shivering with cold and p.r.i.c.kled by the forest floor.

"But she'll be okay?" Emily asked. Luc's eyes opened on hearing her voice. She was crouching next to her, gazing at her anxiously, stroking her bruised and swollen hand.

"Look, she's conscious already," Marie said. "Werewolves are strong, Emily."

"Luc?" Emily leaned in close to her. "Luc, there's something I have to do. Stay still a moment, sweetheart, please?" She picked up a dog collar and Luc stiffened.

"I'm NOT wearing that."