Free Wolf Tales V by Kate Douglas Page A

through his veins.
    Anton! Take care! Poachers. Armed with crossbows .
    He paused, one foot raised, his sensitive nose finding Keisha’s scent, scenting blood along with her unique, feminine fragrance, pinpointing her location. At the same time, he reached out with his thoughts to touch Stefan and Xandi.
    The connection was instantaneous, their response immediate. Satisfied, Anton raced toward his mate. I’m coming. Are you hurt ?
    Just grazed. Stay low. Can you reach Stefan? I can’t find him .
    I’ve already contacted him. He’s on his way. He’ll bring the four-wheeler and he’s armed. Xandi’s called the ranger. Where are the poachers ?
    Near the pond. They’ve built a blind at the far end, above the beaver dam .
    Anton passed the information on to Stefan. Scanned the thick underbrush along the near edge of the pond. Keisha’s scent and the scent of fresh blood were strong, her fear and anger a palpable thing. Where are you ?
    Near the birch stand. Low, in the bramble patch .
    He found her there, curled into a tight ball, her blood dripping steadily into the remnants of one last patch of crusty snow. She’d packed the shallow wound in her shoulder with ice, at least as well as she could in wolven form.
    Anton inspected the wound, licked the matted fur around it, grabbed a mouthful of ice and pushed it tightly against the seeping gash. Thank goodness it didn’t appear life threatening.
    I should kill them. They need to die . His thought ended on a snarl of pure rage.
    No, you should have them arrested. They’re idiots. Let the law deal with them .
    Her calm statement helped slow his racing heart.
    I will, but I don’t have to like it. I’d rather kill them .
    Keisha raised her head and glowered at him. Sighing, Anton nuzzled her once more and waited impatiently for Stefan and the ranger to arrive.
    This made the third set of poachers on their land this season -- all of them hunting wolves.

 
     
     
    Chapter Two
     
    “I don’t like it one bit. What’s a few more days?” Anton practically growled at her. If he’d been in wolf form, Keisha knew his hackles would be up.
    “The difference between doing my job right and not. You of all people should understand that.” Standing face to face with her lover in the large bedroom, Keisha held her ground and glared at Anton. Her shoulder hurt and she had one hell of a headache, but she was not giving in on this.
    “I do. I don’t have to like it, though.” Anton sighed and pulled her gently into his arms.
    She went willingly, her anger evaporating as quickly as his. “You said your meetings in New York will be over by Friday. You can join me this weekend. It’ll give me time to get my work done without a lot of, um, distractions, okay?”
    “But I love distracting you. I’ll worry. It’s dangerous for you. Stefan suspects Burns might be behind the poachers.”
    “Then it’s probably safer in San Francisco than here.” She leaned back from his embrace and smirked. “I’ve never been shot at in San Francisco. Kidnapped, assaulted maybe, but never shot.” Keisha rubbed her bandaged shoulder, then closed the gap between them and brushed her lips over his. “The dedication’s scheduled for the first Sunday in June. With travel, that gives me less than a week… not a lot of time for me to make sure everything is ready. This is important to me, Anton. I have to go. I promise I’ll be careful.”
    “I know.” He leaned close, his lips softly brushing hers.
    She tilted her hips forward, pressing her pubic bone against his growing erection, at the same time sending out a silent call to Xandi and Stefan.
    This would be the last night for all of them to spend together for over a week. If nothing else, she knew sex with her pack mates was a sure cure for the headache that lingered.
    Anton smiled against her mouth. He’d caught her signal to the others. She knew nothing pleased him more than when she initiated a night of pleasure for the four of