She and Ryder had shared a mutual attraction as strong as the mating bond could get between Lupines. But her father had caught them kissing and punished Ryder severely.
And me…An icy chill raced down her spine.
Ryder had no idea what her father had done. Kara touched her left cheek. If he saw her, his desire would melt like sugar dumped into boiling water. She must find the gold and smuggle it back as quickly as possible.
Shadows danced within the vast tangle of oak and pine trees. The Shadow Forest seemed to whisper and the whispers were dark and cold, like death. But the entrance to the tunnel where Alastair secured the gold was in these woods.
The only other entrance was in the pack lodge.
A rustling sounded in the holly bushes to her left. Kara went still, her Lupine senses searching out the intruder. She smelled evergreen, decaying earth and the freshness of the nearby stream wending through the forest.
And the sharp, bitter scent of sweat, moss and something… nasty and dark.
You can do this. You can do this. Even if there are trolls here, you’re a Lupine with fangs and claws. Kara headed for the secret entrance to the tunnel. The woods seemed sinister and so very old, filled with a dark magick.
Branches and dry leaves crackled beneath her worn leather boots.
A branch cracked to her right.
She set down her pack, every hair on her nape saluting the air.
“I see you, fat girl,” said a high-pitched voice.
A giggle sounded, playful as a child, but lurking beneath was something dark and nasty.
“I smell you, troll.” She held her nose, satisfied to hear an angry hiss of breath.
A rustle of leaves to her right. Kara peered at the undergrowth. Stray sunlight caught a glint of steel in the shadows. The troll stepped forward into the light, a small knife clutched in one hand. Warts dotted his purpled body and his pubic hair was forest green. Shining in greed and spite, the troll’s gaze focused on her rucksack.
Then he looked at her and recoiled, nearly dropping his dagger. “What happened to your face? Did an ogre mistake you for kindling?”
Kara ignored the insult. She’d been mocked by experts. “Let me pass.”
The troll tapped his chin with the blade. “I have seen you before. You are Kara Mitchell, daughter of Alastair. You seek the gold he hid.”
“I came back because I forgot my toothbrush. Now let me pass.”
“Show us the gold and you will live,” the troll hissed.
“Let me pass or you will die.”
He grinned, showing green, pointed teeth. “You’re but an ugly, fat female who can’t even outrun us. You have no power here.”
More rustling from the undergrowth. Armed with stubby, sharp blades, three more trolls surrounded her. They eyed her pack and then her, making the same looks of horrified incredulity.
Kara fought a surge of fresh panic. Four trolls against one Lupine. I’ve come too far to let them win.
Trolls were stupid and blinded by greed. She knelt and unzipped her rucksack, withdrawing the gold key to the vault. “Want this?”
Greed shone in their eyes. “Give us the key,” one demanded.
Kara dropped the key back into her bag and zipped it up. “Come and get it, boys!”
As they rushed her, waddling like chubby puppies, she clasped her heavy rucksack and then swung it around. Who you calling fat now, asswipes?
Whack! The pack brained all four. They fell like bowling pins, surprised looks on their faces.
“Strike,” she murmured. And then she glanced up.
Hellfire and brimstone. Three more trolls emerged from the dark, shadowy trees. Her heart leapt into her throat. Kara dropped her pack and reached for the dagger sheathed at her leather belt.
Trolls were clumsy and slow, and their shorter height placed them at a disadvantage. She could take them.
As the first troll rushed forward, raising his blade to slash at her legs, she kicked him in the stomach, sending him rolling like a green beach ball. Another rushed her from the left, howling, but she sank her dagger deep into his throat.
Kara pivoted on her heels and saw another troll running for her, a knife extended.
She slashed it in the face. The troll howled with pain and retreated.
The trolls she knocked out with her rucksack regained consciousness and slowly staggered to their feet. She was cornered. No way could she take all of them.
Loud growls suddenly filled the air. Kara’s Lupine senses automatically urged her to shift. She dropped the dagger and called upon her magick. Bones and muscles lengthened, and sleek gray fur covered her body.
Nine timber wolves emerged from the shadows. All males, their balls swaying heavily as they advanced, their sharp teeth bared in wolven snarls.
She watched them with great wariness, unsure if these strangers wanted to tear the trolls to pieces.