Once they were in the open, he moved to his right. She followed and saw that there was a rough trail through the rocks.
"We should change," he said.
"We won't be able to talk."
"Unfortunately. So tell me where we're going."
"I'll know better when I figure out where we are. You stay here and wait for me."
"I'll stay with you."
Perhaps he could. And perhaps he couldn't. She'd find out in a few minutes.
When he said, "I'll change first, then guard you," she nodded.
She might have said she didn't need guarding, but she knew that was false bravado.
He walked to the front of the outcropping and turned to face her—his gaze seeking hers.
In her experience, changing was a private matter. But it was obvious he planned to do it in front of her—again. Was that the way with his people? The last time he had done it, he had gone from wolf to man. Now she heard him chanting low, unfamiliar words and realized they must be part of his ritual. Not her way of changing, but she hadn't really expected him to be like her.
As she watched, his body began to (low and transmute into its wolf form. It was a strange—and fascinating sight. And somehow it made her feel closer to him because this change from human to animal was something few people understood. When he had completed the transition, the wolf turned so that he could guard her, and watch the water.
She stayed where she was, letting her mind flow into the animal shape that was part of her being.
Not a wolf this time. She had two nonhuman forms she could take. And the other shape that she had been granted by the gods would be more useful now.
Her thoughts helped form her body into a large white bird. And she had the satisfaction of seeing the wolf gape at her. From his expression, she gathered that he had only one form, and she had surprised him by taking this alternate shape.
LOGAN stared in astonishment as Rinna transformed—but not into a wolf. He'd expected to see the white wolf he'd first encountered in the Maryland woods.
Instead she became a large white bird. Some kind of hawk or eagle, he thought, but he wasn't sure.
As she leaped into the air, he realized that he'd seen the bird before. In the badlands, Rinna had gone behind the ruined house, and he'd seen the bird rise into the air. He'd thought she'd startled it. Now he understood the truth.
She rose gracefully as her wings beat the air. After circling him once, she took off toward the mountain of rocks from which the river emerged.
His stomach knotted as he watched her go. She could leave him here, if she wanted. But he hoped she was coming back.
She was a brave warrior, yet so shy and inexperienced as far as man-woman relationships went. He knew she had enjoyed the kiss, but she was afraid of where it would lead. Could he chance to change the equation between them? He ached to do it—if she gave him the chance.
Out of necessity, it seemed she had learned to take care of herself in the wild. He could do that as a wolf. But he hadn't spent much time living rough as a man. Sure, he'd been camping out when they'd first met, but he knew that if he wanted a hot shower, he could always check into a hotel or go home.
But she was the real deal. A woman at home in a primitive setting. And on top of that, she was a magical creature with many talents. Well, not magical. She'd objected to that characterization. So what did she call herself? A witch? A mage? An adept?
As he watched Rinna disappear, he ached to know her. And he wanted answers to all the questions that had piled up in his mind, if she would give them to him.
RINNA flew away from the river. She saw that Logan had been right. They had traveled less than half a mile from the entrance to the cave, and she was tempted to head back that way. But she knew that it wasn't safe. The soldiers must have been briefed about her appearance. And if they were waiting back at her old refuge, they would recognize her bird persona.
She was sure of that much. But she had no idea what orders Falcone had given the troops.
When she'd escaped from him, she'd known that he wanted her alive. But was that still trues? Had his plans changed? Had he come to the conclusion that eliminating her was the better course?
The cave tugged at her. She ached to go back and look for Haig, but that would be a fatal mistake.
At first she'd thought one of the mind vampires had gotten him. Now she was pretty sure Falcone had put him under a compulsion. She shuddered. They had talked about the theory in school. No one she knew had ever attempted it. But it looked like Falcone had gotten desperate enough—and succeeded.
She flew onward, looking at the plain below her and the buildings.
Satisfied that she saw no enemies, she started back. She was almost to the river when she saw a flash of movement from the ground. In the next second, a rain of arrows shot upward, heading straight toward her.
CHAPTER NINE
AGAINST THE DEEP blue of the sky, Logan saw the white bird winging its way to him and felt his spirit leap.
But before she reached the clearing where he waited, arrows shot into the air.
His heart wedged in his windpipe as his gaze locked on the bird. Incredibly, she dodged and wove through the air, avoiding the onslaught of arrows.
From his position above the river, he could see three soldiers crouched behind boulders.
They had each launched an initial arrow. They followed with more shafts.
Three against one. Not good odds, considering that the wolf had been wounded a couple of days earlier, then gotten himself into a nasty fight not far from the cave. But he was already running down the rocky incline with no thought of turning back.
He felt the familiar animal savagery take him. With a snarl the wolf leaped from the rocks, landing on the closest shooter. He went for the man's throat, feeling satisfaction surge through him as he chewed through flesh and bone and tasted warm blood spurting into his mouth.
The archer made a gurgling sound and dropped the arrow he'd been about to mount on the bow string. Next to him, his comrade pulled a knife and rushed the wolf.
For long seconds, the third man was too stunned to move. Snapping out of his trance, he drew a sword and dashed to his comrade's aid.
Unfortunately, the odds were even worse than Logan had thought. Two more men had been crouching out of sight. As they leaped forward, Logan wondered if the target really had been the bird. Maybe they'd worked up a plan to get him to attack.
And he'd done just what they wanted—rushing right into another trap like a wolf bent on self-destruction.
Only he was going to take as many of them with him as he could. One man was on the ground, probably dying from the wound to his neck. But the three additional soldiers moved into position, surrounding Logan. He whirled to snap at the one coming up behind him with a sword, and the guy to his left lashed out, slashing with the knife.
He was barely able to avoid the two blades. Grabbing for the knife hand, he bit down, hearing the satisfying sound of bone crunching.
A sword thrust aimed at his side slid along his flank, cutting into his flesh, but his thick fur prevented major damage.
He saw the soldiers' eyes. Two of them were scared. The other was angry.
At the wolf? Or at the orders he was forced to carry out?
It didn't matter. They would kill him in the end. He charged the soldier with the sword, coming in low, throwing the man off balance. He got in a killing bite as he heard the two men behind him charge.
The next sound he heard was a scream.
Whirling away from the man he had just vanquished, he saw the white wolf come down on a soldier's back, teeth clamped on his neck.
Rinna! She had changed form and come to his aid. But had she ever been in a fight like this?
Logan leaped to defend her, chomping down on the wrist of the man with the knife. He cried out and dropped the weapon.
The soldier who was still standing went for Rinna. Logan whirled toward the man, knocking him off his feet.
The white wolf leaped on the attacker, tearing at the man's scalp with her teeth.
When the guy went still, the white wolf lifted her head and looked around as though stunned that the ground was littered with bodies.
Her gaze met Logan's. He saw her triumph in addition to her shock. And he wondered what she saw on his own face.
He'd hunted and killed plenty of animals, but he'd never killed a man before today. He was sure the soldiers back at the river hadn't survived the fight. Maybe that was even true of the two men who had attacked him after he'd left the cave. But in both cases, it had been their lives or his and Rinna's.
He longed to change to human form, run to her and fold her close. But they had to get out of this area before reinforcements showed up.
He didn't know much about warfare in this world. He wanted to find out if the soldiers had some means of communicating with each other in the field. Would they send reinforcements? What?
Rinna stood stock-still in the middle; of the carnage. Making his way around the bodies on the ground, he came up beside her. When he butted at her with his head she looked like she was coming out of a dream.
He touched her with his muzzle, trotted a few feet away, then shifted his head to the right several times.
She followed slowly at first, but as soon as they were out of the little area where the soldiers had been grouped together, she picked up her pace, then quickly sped past him.
Good. She knew that they had to get the hell out of there.
He followed her through the rocks and out into the open. He wanted to tell her they were too exposed out here. If other men were coming, they'd see the wolves dashing away. They should head for the woods, where there was more cover. But she kept a steady course toward a ruined building.
They stopped in the shadow of a crumpled wall, and she pawed the ground, then blocked his body with hers, and he got the idea that she wanted him to wait.
No way was he going to let her take off on some dangerous mission on her own, so he stayed with her as she dashed into the open again.
She turned and growled at him, but he kept pace with her. When he saw her roll her eyes, he grinned.
There were more destroyed structures ahead, so there was some shelter. But when she came to one of the buildings, she stopped short.
Again, he heard her growl, this time low in her throat.
He followed her gaze and saw a group of men standing about a hundred yards away. They were grouped at the side of a half-standing building. Ten of them were soldiers. But two of them didn't fit the pattern.
One was an old man with white hair and a scraggly purple robe. The other was younger with close-cropped blond hair.
Falcone?
If so, he looked a lot less formidable than Logan had imagined.
Rinna slunk back, her fur bristling. She bared her teeth, then gave Logan a long look.
When she turned and dashed away, he followed. Maybe she couldn't talk, but he got the message.
Sticking around here was dangerous.
She took off across the plain, running fast, making for one refuge, then another. Each time she rested, she stopped and looked back.
They were both breathing hard, and Logan knew he couldn't keep up the pace for long.
Finally, she led him toward a much larger building. To his astonishment, it looked like a cathedral.
A cathedral? That was the last thing he'd expect to find here. But he had given up trying to figure out what to expect in this crazy world.
The closer they got, the more massive it looked. Part of the roof was missing, but the walls were mostly solid. She bypassed the imposing main entrance and led him around the side where a partially intact wall enclosed what had once been a formal garden with flagstone paths and planting beds. Many of the paving stones had been removed and the beds were full of weeds, but he recognized a climbing rosebush. And some straggly thyme and lavender plants.
He watched Rinna trot down one of the uneven paths, thinking that the garden must have once been magnificent. She stopped beside an ancient-looking fountain, then changed from wolf to woman.
He made a similar change, pushing past the ritual of transformation. The shadows were lengthening and the wind was picking up. Maybe that was why this place felt ten degrees colder than the air outside the enclosure.
He saw Rinna shiver. She was a naked woman again, and he couldn't stop himself from taking in the way the cold had contracted her nipples. But he ruthlessly thrust aside the physical, since they had more important things to deal with.
He wanted to know how he'd gotten into this mess in the first place. She'd been evasive with him since the beginning. Now he asked a direct question.
"I take it you turned around because you saw those men."
"Yes."
"Who were the two guys who weren't soldiers?"
"Avery and Brusco. Falcone's men. If they were there, he sent them to close the portal."
He wedged his hands on his hips." You were taking me there. Then you changed directions when you saw them. Were you planning to send me home, then disappear?"
She raised her chin. "Yes."
"Because you couldn't handle getting close to me?"
"Because it's a lot safer for you back in your own world."
"Stop lying to me!"
"I…" She started to answer, then closed her mouth and looked away from him. He wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her. But he stayed where he was. "Just for fun, see if you can give me some straight answers. Why are they after you? Did you steal something? Kill someone?"
"No."
"Then what?"
She sighed. "The man I talked about—Falcone. He wants to take me captive."
He wanted to get more information, but he realized he didn't have the luxury of interrogating her out here. Every minute they spent where someone could spot them increased their chances of being attacked again. But one more question burned inside him. "So… are you still defending Haig? Do you still think he didn't turn us in?"
"He didn't want to!" she answered.
"Then what?"
"Falcone worked a compulsion on him."
"Why now? Why not earlier?"
"Because he needed power for it. Power from the death of an innocent."
Logan sucked in a breath. "Are you saying he killed someone to get the power?"
"Yes! He killed a child. That's illegal. But he did it anyway. So you'd better hope he doesn't catch up with
you
."
"I'll keep that in mind," Logan answered, looking up at the massive building. In a more even tone, he asked, "Why did you come to this place?"
"Because it's forbidden. Falcone thinks I wouldn't dare come here."
"It's cursed or something?"
"It's from the old religion."
"You mean… Christianity."
"Yes."
"What religion do you have now?"
"There are a lot of… sects. Lots of gods. People pray to the ones they believe will help them."
"You spoke of the Great Mother. If you believe in her, do you believe she's the only God?"
"I hope she is."
He wanted more facts. About this whole damn world. But that couldn't be his priority.
He took a step toward the edifice. When she didn't move, he said, "It will be dark soon. We need to find shelter and clothing."
She shuddered. "I don't want to go inside. A wolf can travel at night."
"Yeah, but I've got to rest after that fight."
She grimaced. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking. You've been out of bed less than a day."
"I'm not afraid of a building, especially not when it's a good place to shelter," he said. This time he took the lead, ushering her toward a side door, not allowing her to hang back.
Inside, he looked around and found a table that held several oil lamps, which he recognized because he'd seen them in a museum display. They were shaped a little like gravy boats, with an elongated body and a handle. But instead of a pouring spout, they had a smaller opening where the wick came out. He picked one up and shook it, hearing the oil slosh inside. "Too bad there's nothing to light them with," he said.
Rinna gave him a quick look, then took one of the lamps and held it in front of her. As she stared at the wick, a flame sprang up.
He blinked. "How did you do that?"
"That's one of the talents I discovered in school."
"Did it get you into trouble?"
She made a small sound. "No. I told you, all the children in the school had psychic talents. Actually, that's why we were there—to find out what skills we possessed and develop them to the fullest."
"How old were you when you first changed form?"
"Eight."
He looked at her in surprise. "You didn't have to be… sexually mature to do it?"
"No. Morga was my guide."
"Who was Morga?"
"One of my teachers. She was strict, but she taught me a lot. Without the school I never would have…" She let the sentence trail off.
"Wouldn't what?"
"Wouldn't have found out everything I can do," she answered, but he suspected she had changed what she was going to say. She was telling him more than she had previously, but she was still hiding information from him.
"Can you light another lamp?"
She handed him the one she was holding, then picked up a second vessel and sparked the wick.
Logan held his in front of himself as he walked toward another door and pulled it open.
He was thinking how strange it was to step naked into the sanctuary. In the shadows, he couldn't see much. But he caught the feel of the massive high-ceilinged room. There were no chairs or pews inside, only a great expanse of open floor.
Some light came in through the elongated windows. They had retained much of their stained glass, but the wind whistled through a number of holes in the glass and in the ceiling high above the stone floor.
A whirring sound made Logan's head jerk up. Beside him, Rinna had gone rigid.
He turned and pulled her close, cursing himself for putting her in danger.
Were they under attack again? What?
Then he saw a large flock of pigeons flying upward and out through holes in the high windows.
"Sorry, I'm jumpy," he muttered.
"Both of us," she whispered. "I feel ghosts here."
"You believe in ghosts?"
"Yes. Don't you?"
"I'm not sure."
He draped his arm around her shoulder, feeling her skin quiver. He wanted to turn her toward him, bury his face in her thick hair and breathe in her wonderful scent.
But because he wanted her to feel comfortable with him, he kept his touch light and his gaze on the building. His mother had tried to cultivate his belief in religion. His father had scoffed at what he called superstitions.
Logan had gone with his father's teachings because they seemed to make more sense to his werewolf mind. And since he'd first changed from teenager to wolf, he hadn't been inside a church. But even in its ruined state, the cathedral conveyed a feeling of majesty.