Free The Devil Inside (Wolf Guard Book 1) by Roxanne Lee Page A

puff of air. A little bit of relief from both the human and
the animal. His wide grin appeared next and I leapt at the robe he carried, my
wolf finally anxious to release my body back to me.
    "You
alrigh' there, girlie?"
    The
shift was sort of exhilarating, a seamless transition from one form to another,
a harmony of spirit.
    "Me?
Am I alright? God Sam, I'm sorry, I couldn't stop her. What happened?"
    "Now
dun you worry, figured she took ova'....."He raised a hand and scrubbed at
the back of his neck, a rather suspicious sheepish look if ever I saw one.
".... We should talk a while, on tha porch. Sit, I get sum whisky, think
ya goin' need it."
    I
narrowed my eyes at his retreating back, broad shoulders stiff and
uncomfortable. I sat in one of the rickety old chairs and waited for the
inevitable drop, a sinking feeling filling my gut, the man looked bothered. I
was obviously in trouble.
    I
stared at the surrounding forest, a maze of old, wizened, beaten down hardwood.
Trying to find evidence of hidden wolves between the dancing leaves. The clink
of glasses preceded Sam’s soft footsteps. A burst of light through the crystal
tumblers, pouring gold coloured glitter over the mid morning vista.
    He
sat beside me and handed me a large measure. Things were already looking worse.
He sighed in pleasure as he took a long draught, I sipped at mine saving the
mouthfuls for when I needed it.
    "So,
seems ya goin' back wit' them guards when they leave."
    I
snapped my head to look at him. "What?"
    He
rubbed that neck again and my stomach got lower and lower. "Uh well, good
thing is you dun got no problems wit' tha Alpha no more. Pack won't say much
bout' it now."
    "What,
they called the guards off?"
    I
think I saw him start to sweat. "Well no, no' exactly."
    "Dammit,
Sam what's going on?"
    "Bugga',"
he exclaimed and turned to face me. I cringed at his expression, it was
probably the first time I'd ever seen him without a little smile on his face.
"Captain won' let them say nuthin' no more. He protect wha' his ya
see..."
    No
I didn't see, I didn't see at all. I started breathing harder, my lungs working
to take that precious oxygen inside. "Sam? What are you....shit....what
the hell are you saying?"
    He
blew out his cheeks and put a large hand on my arm. "You his, girlie. And
he ain't leavin' withou' ya."
    I
wasn't aware until that moment that hyperventilating was still possible as a
wolf. I had thought that all human weakness, all inadequacies, all those
emotional problems that manifest so tragically as physical disabilities would
just cease to exist. I was so very wrong.
    I
began to laugh. A rather maniacal, hysterical laugh that produced unwanted
tears falling freely and unobstructed.
    I
sat in a rickety old chair, denying it to my very soul,  falsely accusing my
new found friend of lies and misconceptions. I hoped, more than ever before,
that someone was playing a rather cruel, inappropriate joke.
     Fate
was twisted, I knew that well. She laughed at me regularly, I seemed to be her
favourite game. But this, this was too far.
    "No."
    "Huh?
Watcha mean no?"
    'I
mean no, Sam. I can't do this, he's wrong. He has to be wrong." I
heard a cracking from inside the cabin, the sound of wood breaking under force.
    "Sam...where
is he right now?" I asked quietly, my hysteria grounding to a halt.
    I'm
pretty sure the old man blushed a little. "Uh...he um....he inside."
He immediately took a large swallow of his whiskey.
    "What.
Is. He. Doing. Inside?"I hissed back.
    "Well,
he waitin'. Sent his guards on ahead ta get tha vehicles, figured ya may be a
tad tired afta' all tha runnin'." He glanced to the cabin and lowered his
voice, "We dun got a whole lotta choice righ' now. Tha' man ain't moving.
He been waitin' all mornin', can' even get ta my gun 'cos he in tha damn way
all tha time.'
    I
felt that stirring in my gut again. Yes, she might be tired, but she was no
happier than I right now. Her eyes flared bright inside my head, a glaring
stare of