Moon - New Moon Part 9

He got to his feet slowly, partly because he wasn't sure of the leg and partly because he didn't want to look like he was on the attack.

"How long have I been out of it?"

"Two days."

He grimaced. It seemed more like a few hours, but he accepted the a.s.sertion that a lot of time had pa.s.sed.

"I don't suppose there's anything I can wear besides this blanket?" he asked.

"She left clothes in the bathroom. She said she thought they'd fit."

"You're Haig, right?"

"Yes."

Haig got up, and Logan tensed as the man approached him. But he only lifted a hurricane lamp out of a wall holder and offered it to Logan.

Light in hand, he headed for the enclosure at the side of the cave, still moving slowly. But he was delighted to find that the leg supported his weight with no problem.

After closing the door behind him, he used the toilet. A basin of water sat on a table. On the wall above it was a broken piece of a mirror. Clothing lay folded on a wooden stool.

He stripped off the blanket and hung it over the freestanding rack along the wall.

Once he was naked, he looked down into the small river that ran along one side of the room. It might be a way out-if he wanted to leave. Quickly he washed with soap and cold water, wishing he had something warmer.

When he looked at his face in the mirror, he grimaced. His left cheek was abraded. Deep circles shadowed his eyes, and beard stubble darkened his cheeks. Looking around for a razor, he found one-an old-fashioned straight blade like you only saw in cowboy movies. Could he shave with it and not cut his throat? And in cold water to boot.

THE white wolf stopped silently behind a tree. In the clearing ahead, she could see a rabbit munching on greenery. The animal would make a good dinner for Haig, Logan and herself. They needed food, and she focused on the small animal that didn't know it was being stalked.

As she hunted, her mind was still working on what had happened between herself and Logan. The intimacy in the cave made her nervous. But the worst part was the dream.

She had imagined herself in his arms, and she had the feeling that it had been no ordinary dream. It had felt so real, and she had awakened hot and needy.

That was more frightening than the simple physical part of the encounter. He had aroused her.

She didn't want to desire him-or anyone else. If she hadn't brought him through the portal, she could have walked away from him. But he was in her cave. And she had made him her responsibility.

So now she was plowing herself into catching dinner and trying to wipe away the tingling sensations that a.s.saulted her body.

She sprang from behind the tree, leaped across the clearing and grabbed the rabbit by the back. She broke its neck, putting it quickly out of its fear and misery, because she understood what it was like to be caught and helpless.

As soon as she had made the kill, she picked up the animal in her teeth and started back to the cave. Falcone would have men out looking for her, and she'd better pay attention to her surroundings.

Because her wolf senses were sharper than her human senses, she stayed in animal form, scanning her surroundings carefully.

When she got close to the cave, she changed back into a woman, then washed her mouth in a stream and put on the clothing she'd discarded behind a rock.

She dragged in a deep breath and let it out before marching toward the entrance. Maybe Logan was still asleep, and she could avoid him for a few more hours.

WHILE he washed, Logan tried to figure out where he was. Not just in a cave. In a world that wasn't much like home.

What had happened to create the destruction he'd seen as they'd crossed the plain?

Rinna had said something about a war. What war? When? How?

Could there have been a disaster in some isolated part of the United States that created primitive conditions?

That might be pretty difficult to hide m today's media age where reporters jumped with both feet on every c.h.i.n.k in the government's armor.

But maybe the government could pull it off. How? With a force field? He'd never heard of anything like that in real life, but it could be some kind of scientific test.

Maybe they were running an experiment to see what happened to people in here. Yeah, right!

He hated to think that was the case. But if it was true, how had Rinna gotten out? And not just her. Let's not forget about the guys who were chasing her. She'd talked about some kind of portal. From where to where?

He started letting his imagination run wild to the science fiction and fantasy novels he'd read when he was in his teens. The fantasies had included mythical creatures, like werewolves. And it had rea.s.sured him to know that writers had imagined men like him, even if the werewolves weren't necessarily the good guys.

So was this like a fantasy? Or was it more like science fiction? Had he gone back in time? Forward in time to some era where people were living after a disaster had wiped out most of the population? That might account for the ruined buildings he'd seen, and maybe Rinna and Haig had taken refuge in this cave.

He didn't like that explanation. And what were his chances of getting back from the past-or the future?

He took comfort in the knowledge that Rinna had moved through some kind of portal to his patch of Maryland woods. Then she'd brought him back here.

As he thought about her vaguely Scandinavian accent, another idea struck him, and he stopped in mid-stroke of his soapy hand across his chest.

What if this were a parallel universe? A few months ago he would have dismissed that notion out of hand. Then his brother Lance had asked him to help drive the monster Boralas back where he came from. After that, he'd done some reading about string theory-the new physics that postulated universes parallel to ours.

So was he now in another universe-a universe that was Boralas's home base? Was he going to step out of the cave and meet something like the monster?

He hadn't seen any enemies besides the storm troopers and the old man. But he'd better be prepared for anything.

He shuddered and began to wash more quickly, thinking he'd feel less vulnerable when he got some clothes on.

After drying off with a rough towel, he decided to let the beard go, then pulled on a navy blue T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that looked like they had come from his world. No underwear, but he did find a pair of gray socks. The running shoes were a size too big, but he figured that was better than too small.

When he came out of the bathroom, the cave doorway was open again and he felt every muscle in his body tense. Maybe this was his best chance to get away.

CHAPTER SIX.

AND MAYBE HE was dashing headlong into disaster. Logan hesitated a split second, then decided to stay where he was.

He was glad he'd remained in the cave when Rinna stepped inside. She was dressed in a rough tunic, leggings, and leather boots. And her magnificent dark hair was hidden under a leather cap.

In one hand, she held a limp, furry body. A rabbit, which she handed to the old man.

"Dinner."

Her gaze shot to the pallet, then to him, and he saw her shoulders go rigid. As he took a step toward her, she took a quick step back.