The first wolf paced the other way and took a position at her back. Surrounded, she moved into the middle of the pit but again recognized the futility of any attempt to win if they decided to take her.
“Get out of here!” She held her knife up in what she hoped the animals would take as a threatening gesture. “Go on. Get! I’ll cut you if you try to hurt me.”
Were they grinning at her? She squinted, trying to see better even though a full moon spread its glow over the land.
Almost as if in challenge to her threat, the first wolf hunched down, then leapt across the hole to land next to his pack mate. She yelped, then hated herself for letting him scare her. Wasn’t it a good sign that he hadn’t jumped into the pit?
Her breathing hurt her throat as she dragged in air. She’d run across wild animals before and had either scared them off or gotten away from them. But this was different. She was vulnerable and caught in a trap with nowhere to run.
Still, she was surprised when the black wolf leapt into the hole and landed a few short feet away. Startled, she moved backward and stumbled over her backpack. She scrambled to her feet, taking her pack with her to hold in front of her.
For the first time ever, she wished she had a gun. But she’d never been able to stand the idea of shooting an animal.
The black wolf tilted his head at her as Scrunch had done. In fact, there were many similarities between Scrunch and the wolves. Almost bone-thin to the point of emaciation, Scrunch had resembled a wolf, albeit with a more human-like face. She shook her head, surprised that she could think of the strange creature while an attack was imminent. She prepared herself for the pain that would come with the first bite.
“Stay back.” Yeah, uh-huh. Like he’ll do what I tell him to do.
Instead, he lowered his head and inched forward. She clutched her pack to her chest and held out her knife. The wolf shook his head. Was he answering her threat?
When he sat down on his haunches, she was left speechless. In a matter of seconds, he’d transformed from a wild beast to a friendly animal. She lowered her hand, but she still clutched the knife.
They stayed that way for several minutes, eyeing one another, sizing each other up. The black wolf watched her as the two other wolves moved around the hole. But she didn’t sense any danger from them. Instead, they seemed as curious as she was.
“So we’re okay? You’re not going to eat me?”
He pulled back his lips. Damn it all. It’s not my imagination. He’s smiling at me.
She dropped her backpack and slid to the ground beside it. “I don’t know if I believe this, but I’m going to take full advantage of it anyway.”
Daring to put her knife on the ground, she pulled the flaps open and pulled out her camera. “At least if I’m going to end up as your dinner, there’ll be photographic evidence.” She lifted the camera and adjusted the settings. “Smile, big wolfie.”
She almost forgot to push the button when he did just that. Biting her lower lip, she clicked off more photos. With each successive picture, he shortened the distance between them. She fought against the fear stiffening her spine, determined to not let him stop her. Before long, he was less than a foot from her.
The growl rumbling out of his throat threw her off her game. Dragging in a long breath, she lowered the camera and found herself staring into the amber eyes of the wolf.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered.
* * * *
Pete Deacon couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Her eyes were big ovals that were locked onto his, in a face so sweet the sight of it would make the angels in heaven jealous. A sprinkling of freckles raced over the bridge of her nose, but that didn’t lessen the sultriness of her pouty lips. Her long, black hair, as dark as his fur, hung in ringlets around her face, over her chest, and disappeared down her back. She was tanned by days spent in the sun and her lean body showed that she was in shape, yet curvaceous.
Her eyes were what lit his soul on fire. He could see fear in them, but beyond that, he saw courage and intelligence. She’d managed to stay calm after he’d jumped into the pit. Even now, when she should’ve been frightened out of her wits, she was composed enough that her hands didn’t shake. Hopefully, that meant she wouldn’t grab her knife and try to stab him.
A growl from his brother, Blue, interrupted his thoughts, but he didn’t take his gaze from hers. Raine, his other brother, would be as anxious as Blue for him to get out of the hole and move into the forest where they could talk. But he wanted to linger not only to memorize every inch of her face, but to draw in her intoxicating scent. The aroma was a heady mix of the woods, sweat, and her own unusual, flowery scent. He could’ve stayed there forever and lived off her fragrance.