บท 2: Chapter 3
Jonah Grey padded silently through the tall prairie grass, the soft night breeze ruffling the smoky gray fur of his pelt. A variety of scents teased at his nostrils, the aroma of persimmon which grew wild here and the distinctly Texas scent of mesquite, but he'd been following one specific one for some time. He'd been the first up for Night Seekers, first to be assigned a case, and his blood was raging with the need to satisfy his thirst for vengeance.
He could still see the bodies of the two hunters and the deer, the images imprinted on his brain. As if he'd ever forget them. The bodies were one more example of the blood lust of the beast he sought.
The scene had awakened the beast within him, the creature he'd had to forcibly quiet for months. The one that wanted to avenge Jenna's death. Looking at the hunters he'd seen again the terrible image of her bloodless, ravaged, a nightmare that was always with him. It invaded his sleep with horrendous scenes, colored his every waking thought. Even now it was as clear as if he had a photograph in front of him. And as usual, it made him sick to his stomach.
And the same question kept pounding in his brain: why? Why had the devil animal that legend called the Chupacabra chosen sweet, beautiful Jenna as his victim?
The offer to join Night Seekers had been like an answer to his prayers. A chance to hunt the animal with others of his kind, unfettered by the constraints of the law. Not that Jonah disdained the law. As an FBI agent he'd developed a great reputation for upholding the law and catching criminals.
But the Chupacabra knew no law. He killed at will and with no reason. Came and went like a ghost in the night, leaving almost no trace to follow. Almost, but not quite. It would take Night Seekers to bring him down.
This was the first lead that had come to the group since it was formed two months ago. Now they had to follow it up and see what leads, if any, were available.
Jonah had arrived two days ago in human form and checked into one of the few motels he found. There wasn't much to scope out in the area. Maverick County, one of the poorest in the country, had only one city-Eagle Pass- and a lot of wild, untamed land. And the sheriff hadn't been too anxious to discuss the killings or hear anything about "a stupid superstition". And he really had no way, without revealing everything, to tell the sheriff the beast wasn't finished with Maverick County yet. There were still two more victims to come.
Now in his wolf form Jonah was following trails that didn't work for him as a human. Just moments ago he'd leaped the fence around one of the preserves. Now he moved through the plentiful vegetation, rocky outcroppings and copses of trees, seeking, seeking, seeking. This was fertile feeding ground for the Chupacabra. As a human he wouldn't have been able to pick up the scent. As the wolf, he could follow it.
The night was clear. A half moon hung in the sky with a handful of stars sprinkled around it. Jonah continued to pick his way among the brush and trees, following the faint scent. Starting at the spot where the bodies had been found, he trailed through one hunting preserve and into another. Whitetails, disturbed by the strange appearance of a wolf, leaped and raced away at his approach.
The scent carried him to the far boundary of the second preserve and he stopped at the fence. He'd been tracking for more than an hour now, across the two massive preserves, and the trail continued. Beyond the barbed wire fence open land rolled away from him. Small hills that were little more than outcroppings of rock. More oak and pinon trees. Black brush, guayacon, huisache. His super-sharp hearing picked up the scurrying sounds of small animals, scenting the wolf and running from him.
I'm not the danger. I'm not the one you have to fear.
Ric Garza had urged him to be very diligent. "Lots of hunters down that way," he told Jonah. "They'd love to bag a wolf.
"No problem, compadre," Jonah told him. "Been there, done that."
Garza, the former Texas Ranger who was part of Night Seekers, had become the de facto head, although there really wasn't a boss. Unless of course you counted Craig Stafford, the money man. But Garza had the greatest knowledge of Texas and the legend. And had been hunting the devil longer than any of them. At ten years old he'd found his mother's body next to the goat tethered in their yard. It had colored his outlook forever.
Jonah definitely was cautious. He'd parked his SUV in a carefully scouted hiding place not far from the first preserve, stripped and left his clothes inside. A magnetic box clipped a spare key to the underside of the vehicle in a place where he could easily retrieve it. Then, as the wolf, he'd set out, using his keen eyesight to search for hidden enemies, always scenting the wind for humans as well as his prey.
He'd gone about another mile when he saw it. Cresting a small rocky hill, he saw a narrow stream gurgling below and a shallow layer of rocks leading up to a cabin sitting at the end of a scrabbly dirt road. Ranchers would call it a line shack. Just a square block sitting out here in the middle of godawful noplace. A narrow porch ran along the front of the cabin and light shone through one window.
Who the hell would live way out here if they didn't have to?
But at least they weren't totally cut off from civilization. A small pickup truck sat beneath a lean-to next to a generator, and a satellite dish on the roof was silhouetted against the night sky. Whoever it was still communicated with the rest of the world.
Jonah sat back on his haunches and sniffed the air. The scent of the Chupacabra had been fading and now it had all but disappeared. There wasn't even a faint sound in the air except the distant wail of coyotes. Where had the animal gone to? Surely not in the cabin. Nothing the team had learned indicated it either had human qualities or lived with a human. Of course, anything was possible.
As he watched, the door to the cabin opened and a woman stepped out onto the porch. Behind her the low light in the room outlined her figure. His wolf eyesight noted she was of medium height, with long hair that hung down her back and the hint of curves in the jeans and t-shirt she wore. Jonah licked his lips, salivating as he tried to imagine her naked.
Cool it, you asshole. You're here on business, not to ease the ache in your balls.
Then he noticed the shotgun cradled in her arms. All right, then. No fooling around here. Had she heard something? Not him. He was moving so silently he barely heard himself. The Chupacabra? If he was there he was masking his scent really well. He lowered himself to the ground, invisible in the short undergrowth surrounding him, rested his head on his paws and watched.
The woman walked back and forth from one end of the porch to the other, peering out into the darkness. Finally she turned and went back into the house.
Jonah waited until he was pretty sure she had settled down to whatever she'd been doing, then moved noiselessly along the ground until he was four or five feet from the building. She had not drawn the blinds, no doubt thinking there was no one out here who could invade her privacy.
Using every bit of stealth he could command, Jonah worked his way close to the cabin and rose to peer in the side window. If there was an animal of any kind in there he didn't see it. Just one large room with a worn but polished wooden floor, hand-braided rugs and comfortable furniture. The woman sat in the one armchair, staring at the door, shotgun still cradled in her arms.
He could see her more clearly now. Her hair was a rich brown with reddish highlights that glinted in the light from the lamp beside her chair, tumbling down her back in thick waves. In profile he could see the classic line of her face and the way the soft fabric of her t-shirt draped over lush, full breasts. Jonah wished he could see her eyes. Were they brown or some unique color brunettes often had?
She sat rigidly in the chair, gaze fixed on the spot where he figured the front door would be. He was sure she couldn't hear him. Was it other animals she was listening for? Or a human predators.
What the hell was she doing way out here by herself? He wondered if there was a husband or a lover or anyone who lived here with her. Who just happened to be away at the moment?
Jonah backed away from the cabin and lowered himself to the ground beneath two huge, ancient oak trees. From his vantage point he could see both the cabin and the surrounding area. His ears were alert to pick up any sound unusual to the night. He lay there for a long time, watchful, waiting. He knew he should scout the area but he couldn't tear himself away from the sight of the woman,
Finally she rose from the chair, obviously satisfied that whatever had alerted her before was a mistake on her part. Setting the shotgun on the table, she began to remove her clothes. Getting ready for bed, Jonah assumed. What else did she do out here with no television and no evident companionship?
As each piece of clothing peeled away from her skin Jonah felt his wolf's cock hardening and the blood in his veins running hot. When she unhooked her bra and her breasts swung free he was jolted with an urge to run his tongue over the newly exposed creamy skin, especially those wonderfully rounded breasts with their rosy-tipped nipples. He could imagine the feel of them in his mouth, the scrape of his teeth against their pebbled surface, the cry of hunger he would draw from her.
Next came the jeans, pushed down with a little shimmy movement that any stripper would sell her soul to copy but with this woman was completely natural. He'd expected serviceable cotton undies from a woman in a place like this, but no. His heart picked up the tempo of its beat when his eyes fastened on the tiny scrap of pink that barely covered her public curls.
She had well-rounded thighs and shapely calves, visible as she lifted each leg to free them from the denim fabric.
Take off the thong! Take off the thong!
In his head Jonah heard his human voice screaming it.
Instead she picked up the neatly folded pile of clothes and disappeared to the right of the window.
Damn!
His sex drive had been dormant since he'd discovered Jenna's horribly mutilated body late at night when he'd returned from a stakeout. Pulling into the driveway of their house just outside of town, his headlights had picked up what looked at first like a pile of discarded clothing lying beneath a tree. Slamming the truck door, he'd approached it cautiously, wondering if someone had approached their rural house. Wondering if his lover was safe inside the house which was gloomily dark at that hour of the morning.
But as soon as he'd come within inches, he hadn't needed a flashlight to tell him what he was looking at. The noise he made was worse than the most mournful howl of any wolf. He'd managed to call his boss but that was all. When the team arrived he'd been sitting on the ground holding Jenna's bloodless body in his arms, trying to cover the deep tooth marks in her neck with one of his hands.
Since that time there hadn't been anything that made his cock flex and his balls ache, his nose twitch as he sought the musk of a female. He'd accepted the fact that sex might never be a part of his life again, despite the hunger and lust that were so rampant in each shapeshifter. He would never mate, just be the last of his line.
But now, like a thunderbolt from the sky, the sight of this nearly naked woman had stirred his loins in a way he'd been sure he'd never feel again.
He tamped down his disappointment that she had disappeared from his view and stayed gone for several minutes. Then, suddenly, she was back, completely nude, a towel wrapped around her head, another one in her hands that she was using to dry her body. Jonah crept closer, moving silently on his belly as if he were stalking dangerous prey.
He had just reached the window and rose to a standing position when she lifted a leg to the chair in front of her and moved the towel over her calf and ankle. Jonah was afraid he would swallow his tongue as the lamplight caught the drops of water on the reddish brown curls covering her cunt. He wished he was closer so he could see more of her exposed slit. Could run his tongue over it and lap at her juices.
When she lowered the leg to the floor he wanted to howl with disappointment.
She moved away from the window again and when she reappeared she was wearing a long nightshirt and vigorously drying her hair. Okay! At least she was covered up again. But then she sat down and began brushing the long strands of her hair in a sexy, sinuous movement, made all the more so because it was completely artless. Unselfconscious. Jonah almost felt like a voyeur watching her.
Almost but not quite.
At last she turned out the light, plunging the cabin into darkness. The light from the half-moon reflected off the glass of the window, making it impossible to see inside. Jonah waited for a long minute before moving. Then he crept very quietly around the cabin, using the wild brush to conceal himself. He still sensed the presence of evil in the area, but it could have been a residual scent, the devil animal long gone.
He counted off an hour in his head before starting the slow, stealthy trek up the rocky outcropping. His senses of smell and sound were finely tuned to catch any anomaly, anything out of place. Anything trying to creep up on him. When he reached the top he lay low on his belly, watching the house for a long minute or two before loping down the other side.
He raced back to where he'd left his SUV, using every bit of cover along the way, ignoring the frightened leaping of the whitetail deer as he invaded their area. Shielded by trees, he shifted back to human form, fetched the hidden key from beneath his truck and hastily donned his clothes.
The scent of the Chupacabra was still strong in the air but the animal seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Just as it had done after every other kill. But Jonah was determined it wouldn't happen this time. Tomorrow he'd find out more about the woman and return in human form to scout the area.
As he climbed into his truck again, a sense of evil skittered over his spine. He was out there. The devil. The spawn of evil. And Jonah would find him and capture him. Then destroy him.
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