Most Eligible Wolf, Julie Steimle [important of reading books .TXT] 📗

“Kurt!” Rick’s heart jumped in hope. “Describe him.”

<< Ooookay. Um… >> They could tell he was gazing at Kurt in that very moment. << About eighteen— >>

<< Nineteen >> Kurt interrupted. Rick recognized his voice. It was deeper, but it was him.

“Put him on,” Rick anxiously said.

<< Ok. >>

Rick could hear the phone pass hands.

<< Hey, Rick, >> Kurt said with hesitant hope. << I… >>

 “Those guys from Wolverton came looking for you,” Rick quickly said. “We don’t have a whole lot of time. Do you need my help?”

The guy heaved breaths of the relief, replying earnestly. << Yes! My mom and all of us— >>

“I know,” Rick said. “Farkas didn’t tell us directly, but my friend Matthew read it from his mind. You need to relocate your mom and rest to a safe place. I can do that.”

<< You have a friend who can read minds? >>

“Yeah,” Rick said, sighing with relief. Hearing Kurt took away much of the stress he had been feeling. “And I already called my dad about it. Just select a place where we can resettle you. We can hide you from the pack.”

Kurt was silent for a minute then said, << How about Colorado? You mentioned once a civilized pack there that you knew. One that you were protecting. >>

Rick drew in a breath. “What about your mom, though? She’s gotta be free from a pack.”

Kurt groaned. << I know, but she suggested it. She said for our safety, we need to be among other wolves. That our pack would have to respect the other pack. And you said, this pack was different. They’re not into moon worship. >>

Frowning, Rick wondered if Kurt was thinking about converting them, as he had not known Kurt to think differently about that than his pack elders.

Kurt added, << Because we know such people would not try to bully Mom into conforming with pack life. They might actually let her be. >>

Which was true.

“Ok…” Rick nodded. “It sounds like your mom thought about this for a while.”

<< Yes. She has. In fact… since she heard about them. You said they were civilized and believe the same as you, that they were cursed. >> Kurt heaved a heavier sight. << And though I don’t like that, it does mean they will respect her better than Dad ever did. They won’t see her as inferior. >>

Also true. The Colorado pack was a collection of werewolves living as cattle ranchers and farmers. They raised their own meat and sold their produce locally. They were also connected to one of the Deacons’ wildlife reserves. The local humans that lived around them did not suspect they were wolves at all, but complained about the ‘wild wolves’ in the reserve, always worried they would kill their cattle, though they never had. It was the perfect cover that not even the SRA knew about. And they did not have to act as a ‘black hole’ for hunters like Wolverton. No one died in Colorado searching for werewolves. SRA hunters just never figured the locals there were ‘wild wolves’.

“I’ll call my dad back,” Rick said. Then a thought occurred to him and he asked, “Where are you, by the way?”

After a beat, Kurt said, << Somewhere in the convention center near the display for essential oils. >>

Rick chuckled. Kurt was smart. The wolves would steer clear of so many pungent smells. But he asked, “Have you seen anyone from Wolverton yet?”

<< A number of times. Your friend, uh, Troy has been very good about keeping an eye out. Did you know his parents were vampires? >>

“Of course. I met him at Gulinger,” chuckling, Rick replied, going back to packing—one-handed this time.

The others who had been listening jumped in and took over the packing. They gathered everything up and gestured for them to go to the door. Rick let them, following, though Randon stayed close to his side just in case he gave in to his addiction and tried to run for Daisy again.

“We’re gonna meet you,” Rick said.

But then he heard a clatter on the other end of the phone. Something banged. Something fell. Something broke. There were screams and shouts and calls for something to be done as a heap of cussing also resonated into the phone. None of it was from Kurt though.

“Hey! Are you ok?” Rick called in.

No answer—though the sounds continued on the other side, getting a little less.

Then came more noise. More clamor. More shouting. This time Rick heard in the phone: << Hold on a second. >> It was Troy.

“We should get out there,” Matt said.

Randon nodded though he hooked his arm in Rick’s. “Ok, one of us should go on ahead.”

“It could be me,” Tom suggested, but he glanced suspiciously at Rick, “But I think I should stay here with our addict until the gang is gone.”

Annoyed, Rick rolled his eyes. But Tom was most likely right. Despite his logical mind telling him to keep with his friends, waves of desire dug into Rick, screaming for him to run as soon as he could to find Daisy. And out of his three friends, only Tom could actually physically overpower him.

“I’ll go.” Randon huffed. He shrank down into the black cat and darted off back toward the convention center.

“Is that actually wise?” Matt asked as he dragged Rick’s suitcase along down the hall, watching Tom wrap an arm around Rick’s shoulders for friendly steering. “I mean how many stray cats run around buildings like this? Someone is going to try to catch him and someone else might call animal control.”

Rick shrugged. “Maybe he will stay under tables so no one can see him.”

They did not rush. And Troy, who had dropped the call, did not call back. At least, not yet. Rick and the rest of them went down to the hotel lobby to arrange for another room. It took a bit of explaining why they had to leave it.

“Pipes burst,” Tom said to the man at the front desk. “There is a toilet stink in there.”

Rick and Matt blinked at him before going along with it.

“It happened when he was in the shower,” Tom added, thumbing to Rick and his wet head. They were imagining Tom ordering the imps to actually make the pipes burst—or the toilet over flow. It didn’t matter. They needed to explain why the carpet was disgusting and torn up with wolf claws and hair.

“Somebody’s dog had been in there,” Matt chimed in. “We don’t know how it got in but there had to be about two of them.”

Rick closed his eyes, cringing as the people running the hotel main desk were eyeing him critically. It had been a really bad day.

“Dog?” they asked.

“There’s dog hair everywhere,” Matt said.

They frowned deeper at them, sniffing as they smelled dog on Rick. It was actually his damp hair and the lye soap they were smelling.

“And he did not bring one, jeeze!” Matt snapped.

“He doesn’t own a dog,” Tom said.

“Not anymore,” Rick murmured, thinking about his two Dobermans, Freddie and Brando who had been shot by SRA hunters when he was sixteen.

Both Tom and Matt shot him a look. Rick still looked a little dazed—and extremely tired.

“We’ll send the housecleaners up,” the hotel clerk said. “But we don’t have any more—”

“Fine,” Rick said. “I’m checking out. I can’t stand the smell in that room.”

The clerk stared at him. “Our cleaners will eliminate the—”

“No,” Rick said, closing his eyes. He was getting a headache. Then he sneezed.

“Do you have a cold?” Matt asked, actually concerned.

Rick shook his head. But his nose was stuffing up.

Tom also shook his head, turning around with a glare. He hissed, “No. We were followed. Take a gander.”

Matt looked back and saw a bearded guy clad in leather. He groaned. Then he said to Rick, “What is it you are smelling?”

“Aconite,” Rick muttered. “And honey. No one else would get bugged by it.”

The hotel clerk stared more, then looked to the leather clad man. His expression tightened. He leaned nearer over the table. “Are you being stalked?”

Rick opened his mouth to say, but Tom beat him to it, “Always.”

His phone then rang. Rick opened it. “Yes? Troy?”

<< It’s me. >> Troy sounded cheerful. << Where are you? >>

“Hotel lobby. But I wouldn’t come this way. There is a hunter lingering here.”

<< Got it. >> Troy then chuckled. << Kurt and I had to move. We are now at the Go-Green composting booth. We had a weird run-in with some of those Wolverton guys who had spotted Kurt, but then they got tripped up by some amazingly falling merchandise, and they were thrown out for—get this—shoplifting. >>

Rick wondered if they were just thrown out or arrested. He felt kind of sorry for Farkas and the rest. They were only following pack orders. They weren’t evil people after all. They just had a limited mindset which kept them confined to the rules of the pack. The fact was, he pitied them.

<< Tell Tom he is doing a fine job of protecting you. >> Troy then drew in a sigh. << So are you going to meet us somewhere in here, or are we meeting outside for dinner or something? >>

Matt tugged the phone from Rick, urging him to let go. “Where are you?”

<< Hey! Matt! Long time. Uh… We’re at a compost booth with a big sign saying Go-Green. Do you guys want to just leave this convention and meet you outside for lunch, or do you all have to stay there? In which case we need to meet here… >>

The hotel clerk cleared his throat and said, “If you don’t mind getting a downgrade, we have a room available with twin beds that is free.”

“Free as in gratis?” Tom asked, interested.

The clerk shot him a terse look.

“He means available,” Rick said. And he nodded. “I’ll take it.”

“It does not have the same amenities—”

“I just need a bed for one night,” Rick replied, not caring.

The clerk smiled at him, but then quickly hid it. “Ok then. I’ll get you a key made—and if you would trade in your key, everything will be good.”

“Great.”

“We’ll meet you here at the convention,” Matt said, hearing Rick. “Uh, Randon is heading your way right now, so keep an eye out for the cat.”

<< For the cat? >> Troy chuckled.

Matt nodded, noticing the clerk eyeing him. “You know what I mean, him.”

<< Got it. >>

He hung up.

It took only a short time to get the room sorted out. Tom kept a lookout with his arm still wrapped around Rick’s shoulder while Matt helped drag Rick’s bag up to the new room. It was basic hotel room. Definitely not as nice as the business suite Rick had before, but functional.

“Ok…,” Tom said, tucking Rick’s key card into his own pocket. “I’m your bodyguard, Matt’s your interpreter, and we need to go find our cat, our poor wounded friend, and your wolf buddy. Shall we be off?”

Nodding, Rick drew in a breath, still fighting the urge to hunt down Daisy. The marched together back to the conference.

During the journey, Rick called his father to let him know he had made contact with Kurt and they did want to join the pack in Colorado after all.

<< We need to establish a rendezvous point so we can pick the family up and take them there, >> Rick’s father said.

“We’ll get that.” Rick said as they entered the edge of the convention once more. “Anything else we need?”

<< A time of departure. >>

Of course.

The call ended quickly. As they hurried along, Thomas Blaidd came out from nearly nowhere. He looked a little itchy, as if something like honey had been smeared on him and he had just gotten it off.

Rick lurched to a halt. Tom pulled him back farther to keep Thomas away, and Matt stared at him, recognizing someone who was definitely part wolf.

“Wait,” Thomas said, raising his hands. “I come in peace.”

“We don’t care!” Tom snapped back. “You wolves have messed with Rick enough!”

However, Matt