Legacy: Alexandra's Legacy Part 14

They walked for about fifteen minutes, when he stopped and crouched beside a birch tree that had fallen in some storm. Using his hand, he scooped away some of the soft ground around the base and partially buried his windbreaker. As he stood, he swiped his dirty hand over the leg of his jeans. Then he had them backtrack for several yards before he led her off in another direction, telling her to make her steps as far apart as possible.

Time moved onward. She wasn't sure how long they'd been walking, but it must have been at least an hour. Joshua was very careful. Every now and then he'd stop and listen. Neither of them spoke, both of them conserving their energy in case they had to run or fight. She ignored the worried glances that Joshua kept giving her and tried to look energetic and alert whenever she felt his eyes on her. But it wasn't easy.

Every ache and pain in her body was making itself known. She felt as if she was one big throbbing ma.s.s. Her face hurt and her head was pounding. The muscles in her legs burned with the unfamiliar exercise and her feet hurt. She imagined she had more than one blister on each foot. Her boots had not been made with this kind of activity in mind, plus they were fairly new and not quite broken in yet. After spending all day yesterday walking, her feet were beginning to complain.

The gun in her hand was beginning to feel as if it weighed a ton and she kept flexing her arm, trying to relieve the strain. She wasn't willing to tuck it away any longer. Their enemies were too close for her to risk it.

All she wanted to do was to lie down in the dirt and sleep. Right now, she could probably sleep standing up. Every now and then her eyes would start to drift shut and she'd have to jerk herself awake. She figured it was her head injury making her tired. She probably had a mild concussion, but there was no time to worry over that minor detail. They had much bigger problems chasing them through the woods.

Joshua held up his hand and she almost plowed into him before she could stop. She curled her fingers into the back of his shirt and held on for a moment, longing to just snuggle against him and rest. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her low, practically shoving her behind the trunk of an oak.

He held up two fingers and pointed off to their right and then one finger and pointed to the left. Gripping her right hand, he pointed her gun with its silver bullets toward the left. Werewolves. She knew then it wasn't the bounty hunters who had found them.

Joshua then pointed two fingers straight ahead and shook his head. So it wasn't just werewolves, but bounty hunters as well. She nodded so he'd know she understood. His dark eyes were fathomless as he leaned forward and dropped a quick, hard kiss on her lips before disappearing into the forest around them. One moment he was there, the next she was alone.

Cold sweat broke out on her body as fear filled her belly. She knew he was going out there to fight them, possibly even to draw them away from her. If she'd have known his intent, she could have stopped him.

No, she honestly told herself. She couldn't have. The look in his eyes had told her that nothing could stop him. Not until all their enemies had been eliminated.

She shivered beneath the leather jacket, suddenly chilled to her bones. Only two days ago, she'd had no idea this world existed. Now she'd been plunged into the middle of a war that had apparently been ongoing for quite some time. Right now, she longed for her old life with its predictable, if slightly boring, routine. She wanted to work alongside her father at the garage and drink in his familiar, comfortable presence. She wanted to curl up in her living room and read a book while she sipped a huge mug of coffee or wander out onto the street and shoot the breeze with Divine.

But that was over. She knew those days would never return. All she had now was the life ahead of her and that included Joshua. She grasped her weapon more firmly and risked a glance around the tree trunk. A rustling sound came from ahead of her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Her arm was steady as she extended it in front of her. Time seemed to slow down as the wait became unending. Her fingers flexed as she heard the faint sound again.

She blinked away the sting from a bead of sweat, not willing to move to wipe her eyes.

It got closer.

And closer.

Her finger caressed the trigger.

A small furry animal burst from beneath a pile of leaves and scurried across the ground in front of her.

Alex sucked in a breath and dropped her chin down to her chest. Her heart was pounding and she had the sudden urge to laugh. She could just imagine how she looked, the fearless hunter facing down a killer squirrel.

Swiping her free hand across her face, she shook herself.

She got no warning at all, but suddenly she knew there was someone, or something behind her. Instinct? Or maybe she felt the subtle shift in the air? Whatever it was, Alex suddenly threw herself to the right as she turned. A huge gray wolf was already airborne as she fell to the ground, raised her arm and fired off several quick shots.

The large animal yelped and jerked in midair before its heavy weight came tumbling down on top of her. All she could see was a huge muzzle with large teeth coming toward her. She fired again, but the wolf kept on coming.

The impact knocked the air out of her lungs. Frantic, she dropped the gun and shoved at the animal's head. It took her a second to realize it wasn't moving. It was dead. She'd killed it. Him. It.

She shook her head and tried to clear her vision. The impact with the wolf hadn't helped her already battered body, but she knew she couldn't stay like this. There were more of them out there and she was vulnerable just lying here.

Arm muscles straining, Alex thrust the animal's head away and then concentrated on moving the heavy body off of her, but it took some doing. This was no regular-sized wolf and it was a deadweight. She half-pushed, half-squirmed out from beneath it, flopping onto the ground beside it to catch her breath.

As she lay there, she silently thanked her father for all the shooting lessons she'd had since she was a kid. She hadn't had to think in order to act, but had done it purely on instinct.

Her limbs were shaky, but she managed to grab her gun and crawl back to the trunk of a tree. Briefly, she rested her forehead against it. Where was Joshua?

A low, menacing growl echoed around her and her fingers closed around the hilt of her weapon. How many bullets were left? She thought she'd fired seven shots-four today and three back at the garage. Had it been more?

Steadying herself against the base of the oak tree, she took several slow, deep breaths to calm her breathing. She didn't hear a sound, but suddenly a man stepped into view about fifteen feet away. Had her shots given away her position to the bounty hunters? Man or werewolf? She didn't know and couldn't take a chance. She fired off a round.

She swore when he ducked out of the way just in time to avoid being hit. Bark exploded from the tree just above her head and she ducked before popping up again to return fire with two quick shots. As she pulled back behind the tree, she admonished herself for wasting her ammunition.

"That's what he's trying to do and you're obviously playing into his hands," she muttered as she shifted to the next tree. The man shot at her again, but this time she didn't return his fire. She'd already wasted three of her precious bullets on him. She needed to make every shot count.

"Come on out," a male voice yelled. "We don't want to hurt you. We only want the wolf."

Yeah right. Like she'd believe that. She crept as quietly as possible through the trees, scooting from one to another. Another shot grazed the tree in front of her and she flinched.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the forest. Alex wanted to cover her ears against the horrid sound, but couldn't move. Then silence. Joshua had found one of the bounty hunters.

Alex swallowed, but it wasn't easy. Her mouth was as dry as sandpaper. Her stomach churned. She took a deep breath and then another. She dropped to her knees and sucked in air just as another shot rang out, shattering the bark just inches from her chest. Splinters of wood flew wildly and she was thankful for the protection of her leather jacket.

Flinging her body to the side, she fired from flat on her stomach, sending three quick shots in the direction of the shooter. She was swearing even as she was dragging her body across the forest floor. They had somehow surrounded her. And just where in the heck was Joshua?

Several more shots were fired in quick succession. One of them plowed into the ground beside her. She felt a sharp sting in her arm. Whether it was a rock from where she'd flung herself to the ground or a shard from the exploding tree trunk she didn't know and she didn't have time to check.

She saw a tiny movement in the trees just a few feet away. Saying a quick prayer, she fired. A man's body jerked into sight and he swung his rifle toward her. She fired over and over, emptying her gun into his body. He toppled backward, his rifle dropping to the ground beside him.

There was no time to breathe as two wolves, both a dark brown, sauntered into view. "s.h.i.t!" She dug her feet into the ground and scuttled backward. They lowered their heads and growled menacingly.

She raised her weapon and pulled the trigger. The metallic click reminded her she was out of ammunition. Dropping the Glock, she grabbed her two boot knives out of their sheaths, flinging them in rapid succession. Both animals were quick, their reflexes astounding as they managed to sidestep the blades at the last possible second. She was well and truly screwed.

Keeping one eye on them as they stalked closer, she groped her hand out, trying to find a stray branch. A rock. Anything she could use to protect herself.

The larger of the two wolves growled menacingly as it slunk forward, saliva dripping from its powerful jaws. It gathered itself to jump. She could see the bunching of the muscles in its hind legs and braced herself for the attack.

The animal sprang, its powerful body practically flying as it launched itself into the air.

It never touched her.

Out of nowhere, a ma.s.sive black wolf plunged into its side, sending the brown wolf hurtling back to the ground.

Alex sank to the ground. Joshua had finally arrived.

Chapter Seventeen.

Joshua didn't think as he launched himself into the air. He didn't have to. Instinct had taken over. He was in the fight of his life. He could allow no one or nothing to harm Alex.

He plunged into his opponent's side, taking him to the ground in a flurry of fur and snapping jaws. Sinking his teeth into the other beast's neck, he held on.

Alex cried out and he swiveled his head toward her in time to see the other wolf lunge at her. He flung his opponent away and leapt at Alex, knocking her out of the way. Taking the full impact of the wolf on himself, he barely avoided being bitten before nimbly gaining his feet.

Positioning himself in front of Alex, he faced off against his two opponents. The first one was slowly staggering back to its feet, bloodl.u.s.t in its eyes. The second was pacing to the side, trying to go around him. He backed up, all the while keeping his gaze on the other two wolves. He herded Alex back toward the base of a large oak tree. He'd left his clothing behind it when he'd shifted. If he could get her back there she would be able to find his hunting knife. He didn't know how much ammunition was left in the handgun, but it wouldn't be much help against werewolves. The silver-coated knife would be much more effective in slowing them down.

He bared his teeth, emitting a low, powerful growl as his opponents shifted closer. Both bounty hunters were dead. He'd killed one and Alex had shot the other. He'd smelled the other carca.s.s and knew she'd also managed to kill a werewolf. Most women would be cowering or screaming. His woman looked p.i.s.sed off as she continued to scout around for a weapon.

He'd killed two more werewolves in the woods, ones he hadn't recognized. He'd also taken a few hits. These wolves, unlike the ones from the city, were seasoned warriors and no easy target. They'd gotten in their share of blows and he was bleeding from several different places along his sides. His shoulder was also bleeding again from the crossbow arrow. Because it had been silver-tipped, the wound would take longer to heal. Thankfully, the damage to the bone itself had fused and healed during his transformation to his wolf form.

The two wolves before him were gathering themselves to attack. He could sense the antic.i.p.ation in the air, along with the stench of blood, fear and excitement. These wolves didn't want to mate with Alex. They wanted to kill her. That's why they had joined forces with the bounty hunters. These wolves were obviously part of the extreme packs who didn't want to water down the blood of the species with half-breeds.

Well, too bad for them. They weren't getting anywhere near Alex.

He'd managed to push her back to the base of the tree. Hopefully, she'd find his belongings. Not that it truly mattered. He planned on protecting her. But he knew she'd feel more secure if she had a weapon.

He could hear her deep breathing. Smell the stink of fear and blood that mingled with her sweat. He longed to coddle her, to take her away from all this death. He wanted to strip her naked and bathe away the stench that now coated them both. His body responded immediately to thoughts of her naked. His muscles flexed, rippling beneath his fur coat.

He was truly losing his focus if all he could think about was Alex being naked when he was faced with two vicious opponents. Shutting off his thoughts, he turned all his attention to the beasts in front of him.

Deciding the best defense was offense, he launched himself without warning. He landed on top of the larger of the two and sank his fangs deep, drawing blood, tearing flesh. He immediately leapt off the wolf's back, kicking it backward in the process, as he jumped at the other one, bringing it down as it moved toward Alex.

In a blur of motion, he jumped from one opponent to the other, always inflicting some damage. He knew he couldn't kill either of them like this. That wasn't his goal. He planned to weaken them first and then move in for the final strike.

The smaller of the two brown wolves cut away suddenly, racing toward the safety of the woods. Joshua growled in fury. He knew he couldn't allow the wolf to escape and bring back reinforcements, but he didn't really have any choice. There was no way he could leave Alex unprotected.

Channeling his rage, he jumped at the remaining large wolf. They rolled to the ground, churning up the dirt as they growled and snapped and clawed at one another. Joshua knew his opponent was weak from the prolonged battle. He heaved himself on top of the wolf, clamping down hard on his neck.

This time he didn't let go. Bones crunched beneath his powerful jaws.

A few minutes later, he dropped the deadweight, flinging it away in disgust. He stood there, lungs heaving, as blood dripped down his flanks.

Alex faced him bravely, hunting knife in hand. He'd known that she'd find it. Her face was stark white, but her hand was steady. As he trotted toward her, she began to tremble. "Oh, G.o.d," she muttered as she sank to the ground, dropped the knife and buried her face in her hands.

Worried, he hurried up to her and licked the side of her face. They didn't have time to waste. He had no way of knowing how close reinforcements were. There could be dozens more hunters and werewolves searching for them.

He wanted to change back into his human form, but he knew he couldn't expend that much energy. Not until they were safe. He was more powerful in his animal form, his senses keener and sharper. And at the moment, that was more important than appearing human for her. Alex had to accept him for what he was.

Opening his muzzle, he carefully took one of her hands into his mouth and tugged gently. She raised her head, swiping at the sweat on her brow and the tears that clouded her eyes.

He tugged again.

"What?"

He backed up, pulling at her.

"All right. All right," she groused. "Hold your horses." She clambered to her feet and picked up his hunting knife.

He dropped her hand and padded to the side of the tree and pawed at his clothing.

"I suppose you want me to take that."

He nodded and she groaned. "I'm talking to a wolf. Do you have any idea how weird this is for me?" She didn't wait for an answer, but kept on muttering to herself as she grabbed the handgun, checked the safety and stuffed it in the waistband of her jeans. She jammed the hunting knife back in its sheath and shoved it in her coat pocket before gathering up his clothing and boots.

"I need to find my Glock and my knives." She started to go around him, but he moved in front of her, blocking her path. There was no time. The wolf that had escaped was moving fast. There was no way of knowing how close the other members of his group were. There would be more of them. Of that, Joshua had no doubt. They had to move. Now.

"I guess that's a no."

Bitterness filled him. He wished they were mated. If they had completed the mating ritual, if he had claimed her for his own as his wolf was demanding, she'd have been able to hear his thoughts and to communicate with him mentally. That would have been a huge advantage when he'd been fighting the others. He'd have known what was happening to her at all times. When the shots had rung out, his heart had almost stopped. It was only when he'd heard the return fire that he'd managed to start breathing again.

Sometimes honor was a b.i.t.c.h.

They'd talk about this later. The important thing now was that they needed a safe place to hole up for the night. Their enemies were still searching for them, the sun was sinking and total darkness wasn't too far away.

Alex was holding his clothing in her arms, her body swaying with fatigue. He hated the fact she couldn't rest, but since there was nothing he could do about it now, he put it out of his mind as he nudged her body and then padded into the woods. He paused and glanced over his shoulder. Alex was staring at him.

"We're just going to leave them, I guess." She stared down at the carca.s.ses that were flung carelessly across the dirt. She sighed and swallowed hard. He stood motionless, watching her gather her strength once again. Pride filled him when she shook herself, tilted her chin upward and stalked toward him. She never looked back as he led her deeper into the forest.

There was a cave not too far from here that would afford them some safety. Joshua recognized the area. He'd scouted this land when he'd been little more than a boy. Now, he was glad he had. Being familiar with it would give them an edge. And right now they could use any advantage they could get.

Alex stumbled behind the gigantic black wolf. Joshua! It was amazing to her, yet all too real that this magnificent predator was the same man who'd brought her a T-shirt because she needed clean clothing and who'd stopped and bought her a coffee earlier today for no other reason than because he'd known she'd wanted one.

She'd seen more blood and death this afternoon than she had in her entire lifetime. And she'd kill again if she had to. Staring down at her hands, she was unable to believe that they weren't coated in blood. Sure, they were stained from where she'd bandaged Joshua's injury, and from where she'd struggled to shove the dead werewolf off her, but that was it.

Somehow, she felt as if there should be more. She knew she'd done what she'd had to do to protect herself and Joshua, but still, it wasn't easy.

The new life that had been thrust upon her was certainly more violent than the one she had left behind, and that was saying something considering where she'd grown up.

Swiping the back of her hand over her forehead, she then wiped it over the leg of her jeans. She was exhausted. Her legs and feet had long pa.s.sed the burning-muscle stage and were almost completely numb. Her arm ached from carrying Joshua's clothing. It wasn't a large bundle, but it seemed as if she'd been lugging it around forever.

Realistically, she knew it had probably only been for two hours, maybe less, but it was hard going. There were no trails and she was constantly having to scramble over fallen trees and push her way through thick brush. She almost resented how easily Joshua maneuvered through the woods in his wolf form. She wondered what it must feel like to be that strong and agile. She guessed she'd eventually find out.

If she lived long enough.

She bit her lip to keep from asking to stop. There was no way she'd give in to weakness. Besides which, she knew they couldn't stop. One of the wolves had gotten away and that could only mean one thing. There would be even more enemies on their trail.

When Joshua finally stopped at the base of a rather large hill, she almost cried with relief. Then she almost cried in agony when he started up the steep incline. She sucked in a deep breath and stared at the rocky hill. She could do this. There was no other choice.

Sighing, she put one foot in front of the other, being very careful where she placed her boot. As tired as she was, it wouldn't take much for her to lose her focus and stumble. She couldn't afford a sprained ankle or something worse at this point.

She concentrated on her breathing, which was becoming more labored with each step. Her sweat-stained clothes were sticking to her and she felt curiously detached from her body. One step. Then another. There was nothing else she had to think about. Nothing else she had to do. She trusted Joshua to stay alert.

She stumbled when she reached the top. Flinging out her hand, she managed to keep from ending up facedown in the dirt, but it was close. Her hand skidded out from beneath her and Joshua's clothing went flying. She rested there on her hands and knees, her head bent as she sucked some air into her starving lungs. It hadn't been a long climb, but it had taken what little energy she'd had in reserve.

Warm fur brushed against her cheek and she managed to raise her head. She found herself peering into concerned brown eyes. "I'm okay." Lifting one of her hands out of the dirt, she stroked it over his side. She frowned when her fingers encountered something wet and sticky. Drawing back her hand, she stared down, horrified by the blood that dripped from the tips of her fingers. "You're hurt!"