Scent of Salvation

Chapter Three

Something cold and wet nudged Susan’s face. Grimacing, she shoved it away. A dog must be loose. She blinked, trying to focus on the dark mass inches from her.

Her blood pressure rocketed into the danger zone, and she slapped away the muzzle. She scurried to her feet, then searched her surroundings.

The pale blonde woman who had rescued her nodded. “Are you better?”

Huge werewolves, right out of a horror movie, surrounded them. Bipedal, they stood well over seven feet tall. Fur covered their well-muscled, human-like limbs, and they each bore a wolfish head. They had claws.

And teeth.

Sharp ones.

Susan swallowed and then glanced at the top of the hill where she’d tumbled down head-over-heels. The silver-haired werewolf lay unconscious in his human form not far from where she stood. Ropes bound his wrists and ankles. “He changed shape.”

The blonde approached her with two of the monsters flanking each side as if they were guards. “They can all shift from civil form to feral form.”

“And you?” Susan straightened her jacket and attempted to brush off the dirt. Enough freaking out—she needed to deal. Panic never accomplished anything. She had wanted to explore other dimensions, and here she was. To begin, she needed to collect data. What kind of technology did these creatures have? Maybe she could rebuild DOUG and find a way to open the Gate again. She bit back a scream of frustration. It only had taken her ten years the first time around. Who knows—she could cross over to another dimension where the dinosaurs had evolved to be sentient.

She was so screwed.

Blondie’s eyes narrowed. “I cannot shift. Not yet.”

The midnight black werewolf standing next to the blonde snorted and shook the thick mane of hair hanging around his neck almost as if he was laughing.

She elbowed him hard in the side.

Nice going. Susan had mocked her only ally. Maybe next time she should poke her in the eye first.

Detonating DOUG had bought Susan a one-way ticket on The Twilight Zone express, and she was stuck here.

These creatures spoke English. With a slight accent, but it meant the dimensional fold couldn’t be that far from her Earth. And what was with the werewolf thing? What happened in this planet’s history to make them? And hadn’t Silver Mane said something about vampires?

Most importantly, where were the humans? Her gut dropped like an anchor. He hadn’t known what a human was. None of them seemed to have heard of one.

“My name is Kele.” The blonde offered the inside of her wrist to Susan’s nose.

She stared at it, having a sci-fi movie moment. “I’m Susan.” And returned the gesture.

The blonde sniffed her wrist then pressed hers closer to Susan’s face.

She sniffed it, not really smelling anything special. “Are you like them—a werewolf?” Susan pointed to the other beasts.

“Yes, we’re of the Payami pack. We prefer being called shifters though. Werewolf is more of an ethnic slur.”

“Oh, sorry. I’m not from here.” She tried to smile but her bottom lip kept trembling. It probably looked twisted and dim-witted.

“I’ve noticed.” Kele slipped her petite hand around Susan’s. “The one who chased you is from another pack. You’ll be my guest.”

Glancing at the four beasts accompanying Kele, she didn’t think she had much choice. “Is being a guest a good thing?”

One of Kele’s eyebrows shot up. “Would you rather spend the night in the forest?”

“No, of course not.” She shook her head. Her situation kept getting worse, and she needed to stop the trend. She’d gone from one werewolf to five. “I never met any were—umm—shifters before. I’m still trying to figure out if I’m on the menu.” Could this all be some terrible delusion? A side effect from DOUG exploding? Maybe she was really in some mental institution, drooling on her hospital gown. “What about him?” She pointed at Silver Mane.

“He’s a prisoner. Our alpha will decide Sorin’s fate for trespassing.”

One of the beasts nudged Susan’s shoulder with its muzzle then slid it so his head rubbed against her.

Stiff as a board, she remained planted to the spot. She didn’t know the rights or wrongs of this culture. Her dreams to explore other dimensions seemed naïve now. Or downright stupid. Up to this point everything she’d done led to disaster. It was time to go against sanity. Closing her eyes, she touched the soft fur on its head and stroked gently.

A sharp snarl sounded from behind.

Her eyes popped open and she jumped straight up in the air. Glancing back, she came face-to-face with the midnight black shifter. She’d done something to piss him off.

Stalking around her, the dark beast shoved the one she had petted away from her and knocked him to the ground.

Kele yanked her out of the way then led them through the forest ferns as the dark one leaped with teeth bared and claws exposed to attack.

The other two beasts followed, carrying Sorin between them. They swung their heads back and forth in slow arcs as if scanning the area for potential danger. What would be fool enough to harass them?

Susan glanced over her shoulder. She’d never seen anyone attack another person—beast—whatever before.

The large, black shifter pinned the other to the ground and held it there. His bright blue eyes met hers and sent a cold shiver down her spine.

“Don’t encourage them, Susan.”

She twisted to face her hostess. “I didn’t mean to. Why are they fighting?”

Kele raised a delicate eyebrow again. “Do you have a mate?”

“Mate?”

“A lover? A male?”

“No!” She didn’t have time for men and wasn’t any good around them, especially the really hot ones.

“You’re unclaimed and young—”

“And pretty,” an accompanying guard commented.

Glaring at the beast, Kele continued, “They’re showing off for you. Especially Ahote, the dark one. He plans to court you.”

Susan stopped midstride and was almost trampled by a guard. “What does court mean among your people?” The idea of being given over to a male made her stomach sour. She’d been ready to die to protect DOUG from military abuse. Was she ready to die to avoid her own abuse as well?

“I can smell your fear. It’s thick in the air. You’re going to need to control it if you want to survive.” The petite blonde caressed the closest beast. “None of them would ever take you against your will.”

“We’re not Apisi dogs,” someone mumbled under his breath.

“None of that. Now that the old alpha is dead, the Apisi will change. Sorin has promise.” She pointed to Silver Mane’s unconscious form.

The midnight-black shifter approached the group, not a scratch on him from what Susan could see. “Didn’t look that way to me the way Sorin chased this one down the hill. She could have been hurt.” He placed a huge, clawed hand over his chest. “I’m Ahote.” He nudged her to continue walking. “Our home is close but it’s still dangerous to be in civil form in the forest. Keep moving.”

Had the black beast won the fight? She searched for the beast she initially petted.

He straggled behind, his head hung low. Glancing at her, he shrugged.

Ahote, the winner, dwarfed her with his shadow. Any of these beasts did. Human boyfriends were difficult to deal with. Why would she want a shifter? She didn’t even like body hair. But how did you refuse a guy who could eat you for dinner?

She drew closer to Kele as they reached a path and swallowed with a mouth gone dry. A scientist lost in a primitive world. Maybe she could learn to garden? She snorted, and Ahote’s hungry gaze fell on her. He didn’t look like an herbivore.

A thirty-minute walk later, the ground inclined toward the side of a worn mountain with a cave mouth yawning at the base.

Susan’s heart sank even lower into her gut as they headed straight for the cavity. She’d be living the rest of her life in a cave. Kele’s well-made cloak had given her hope that they had some kind of civilization. The shifters should be beyond the Stone Age. At least, she had hoped they were.

Time should run at the same pace no matter what dimension DOUG bridged. She should be in the same historical period, since time travel was not possible within her theories. The only explanation was that technology hadn’t developed at the same rate as in her dimension.

The group stopped, except Ahote, who approached the mouth of the cave. Two unseen guards appeared from the cliff face above, their gray-brown fur camouflaging them well. Words were exchanged but she couldn’t make out what. Then Ahote signaled for them to continue forward.

On Kele’s heels, Susan did her best not to press against the female. Susan had spent her whole life in cities. Hell, her parents had never even sent her to summer camp. The closest she had to wilderness was the park she crossed on her way to work.

Deeper and deeper, they traveled into the tunnel. Darker and darker, the light faded until she couldn’t see her own hand waving in front of her face. She stopped and reached out. “I can’t see.”

Silence answered her.

She pivoted, her heart aflutter. “Hello?” Her voice hit a high pitch. Shame be damned, her dignity had vanished the second she tumbled down that hill.

Kele cleared her throat. “Your kind can’t see in the dark? Or do you have a—defect?”

Breathing a sigh, she followed Kele’s voice. “Humans need some kind of light to see by.” She came in contact with fur. “Oh, sorry.” She jerked her hands away.

A large clawed hand took hold of hers and set it back on the soft fur. “Hold onto me and I’ll guide you.” Ahote spoke close to her ear. His deep, seductive voice could melt iron.

She clutched his silken fur and followed his lead. Blinking didn’t make her sight better yet she couldn’t stop. Every time she stumbled, Ahote caught her. “Do you live in the dark?” Her voice sounded frightened even to her own ears.

A large hand snaked around her waist and pulled her close. “No, these tunnels are part of our defense system. From the time we’re pups, the paths are taught to us.”

“So, they’re like a maze?” And something to prevent her from leaving. Guest, my ass.

“Yes, not much farther until we exit.”

She appreciated Ahote’s comforting words but not the hand stroking her hip. Like she didn’t have enough freaking problems. The darkness constricted around her, tightening its hold until she thought she’d snap in two.

A faint light appeared ahead, and the vise of fear around her chest relaxed. She released the breath she’d been holding and shoved Ahote’s hand off her body. By quickening her steps, she crossed the threshold into the open before the dark shifter.

She panted as if she had run a marathon, and sweat trickled along her spine. Her breathing became easier, and what she stared at finally registered in her mind. Touching her fingertips to her lips, Susan gaped around and above her.

A hollowed-out mountain surrounded them. The sun shone through the open top, warming her skin and feeding the lush forest growing inside. Stone stairs were carved into the rock lining the walls. They stretched from terrace to terrace at least four stories high. Cave entrances with doors dotted the wide, wooden balconies, and rope bridges hung across at each level connecting both sides.

They had built their home in an extinct volcano.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Ahote whispered as he passed.

Susan rubbed her eyes. “Amazing.” If amazing described the small city then extraordinary depicted the people. Not a beast among them. Tall and muscular, they milled around the huge ground floor. Children ran and screeched, racing between the adults. Everyone wore bright-colored dresses or dark leather kilts. No one appeared armed or causing harm. Thank goodness.

From what she could tell, a market of sorts was doing business in the distance, and some females strolled by with baskets of grapes in their arms. They smiled at Kele and one waved to the guards behind her.

Susan glanced back and sensed her eyes growing wider.

They’d changed—shifted—to men. Half-naked men. Half-naked, gorgeous men.

She shook her head to make the thought stop skipping. Locked in her lab the past year, trying to get DOUG to work, had placed a kink in her social life. And her sex life. She eyed the men. Not a fuzzy hair on them now.

A blue-eyed guard with black hair past his shoulders caught her attention. He pulled a leather kilt from his backpack and wrapped it slowly around his well-defined abs. Never breaking her eye contact.

She swallowed. Way out of her comfort zone.

One of the other men tossed a shirt at him. “Stop putting on a show. We all know you like her, Ahote.”

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Ahote was out-of-her-league handsome. She didn’t mind gawking at men that attractive but nothing more. Whenever she spoke with ultra-sexy men, her brain unhinged. It was a terrible thing to witness.

While he pulled the off-white, long-sleeved shirt over his head, he sauntered toward her.

She brushed the loose strands of hair from her face and found a dried leaf stuck to her head. What the fuck? Her French twist was a tangle.

“I’ll take you for a tour.” He gave her a lazy smile and she sensed her IQ plummeting.

“Don’t you have chores to do?” Kele, though smaller in stature, managed to look down upon him.

He gave her a pointed look. “You were my chore.”

“Well, Sorin is your present chore. He must be presented to my father when he wakes. I’ll tend his injuries after. Store him somewhere while I speak with Susan. My parents will want to meet her.” Kele eyed her and plucked another leaf from her head. “I should prepare her for the ordeal first.” She lifted Susan’s wrist up to Ahote. “Mark her.”

Susan tried to yank her hand away but the pale female’s strength outmatched hers. What kind of marking were they discussing?

Ahote ducked his head. “Very well.” He bowed and took Susan’s hand, rubbing it against his warm cheek by his ear. “I’ve a good place for shifters like Sorin.”

Kele heaved an impatient sigh, rolling her eyes. “We’ll go to my quarters.” She snatched Susan’s hand from Ahote. “Shoo! You’ve made your mark.” Then she led her away from the grinning male, climbing the stairs to the second level.

Something light and oily covered Susan’s wrist. She showed it to Kele. “What is this?”

“Ahote’s mark.”

“I assumed that much, but how does it work?” The scientist in her still existed. Fear hadn’t chased her curiosity away.

“You carry his scent. It tells other shifters he’s willing to fight for you.”

The blood drained from her head, pooling in her heavy feet. “I don’t belong to him now, do I?”

“Dark Moon, of course not.” She laughed. “That would make it too easy for the males to claim a mate. Could you imagine?”

Susan could only stare. Not really.

Sighing, Kele took Susan’s marked hand. “It only tells other males that he’s interested in you. If you want to be approached by others, then just wash it off. I thought it safer for you to bear some sort of mark for the time being.”

“I don’t want any males. How do I announce that?”

“Then keep it on. Ahote is dominant enough in the pack that most won’t challenge him.”

“What do I do about him?”

Kele gave her a sly look. “You don’t want him?”

“It’s not that. He’s very nice looking but—but we’re not even the same species.”

Her smile grew wider. “Trust me. I’ve know Ahote all my life. That won’t matter. If you want my advice, make him work for it if you’re interested in a lover. If you want more, go looking for someone else. He’s too full of himself.” They climbed two more sets of stairs to the top level. “We need to tend to more important matters than your love life. My parents will find out about yours and Sorin’s presence very soon. It’s in your best interest to be frank with me. Tell me about the blue light, and we’ll present your story in the best manner.”

Kele crossed a hanging bridge that swayed.

Susan took a couple of steps then clung to the rope. The ground appeared much farther away from above than it had from below. Inching one step at a time, she kept her gaze straight ahead. Sweat trickled down her back in a steady stream until her shirt clung to her skin. She hummed the circus tune as a distraction until she crossed the length.

Kele tapped her foot as she waited by the entrance to a cave at the far end of the terrace.

Susan hurried to catch up. Glancing inside the room, she found some civilization but not the kind she’d hoped for. The chamber was carved in pale stone with elaborate pictures covering the walls done in bright-colored paints. Most depicted hunting scenes.

Once inside, Kele closed the door and lit a few candles, then settled on the large cushions lying in a pile by the farthest wall.

Dark dread, which had been clinging to Susan since her arrival to this world, lightened a little. Books—wonderful, leather-bound books—filled a shelf. Susan’s fingers twitched to flip through the pages. “Is this your room?”

“Yes. I study and mix medicines in here.”

“So you’re the healer?”

“Yes. My parents thought it wise if took up a trade since…” Her solemn eyes darted away. “I can’t shift.” She patted the fur next to her.

Susan straightened her dirt-smudged lab coat before accepting Kele’s invitation to sit. “Is that common?”

“No, but I didn’t bring you here to discuss my problems.” She leaned in closer and trapped Susan’s gaze. “Did the Goddess send you?” She tapped her nose. “Don’t bother lying. We can smell it.”

A blush warmed Susan’s cheeks. She’d lied to Sorin at the Temple. He’d probably known. Why should she care? He scared the bejesus out of her. “The truth will be difficult for you to handle. Hell, it’s difficult for me to handle.”

Something hard bit into Sorin’s wrists. His hands were so numb he couldn’t sense them moving when he attempted to make a fist. Metal rattled as he jerked his arm. He hung from chains.

He listened to the many voices surrounding him. They echoed slightly as if he dangled within a great cavern. Laughter flitted over the noise. He must be displayed in the pack gathering room.

Forcing his limbs to go limp, he tried not to attract attention. The Payami had taken him prisoner and would try to ransom him, but his pack had nothing.

Painful cramps seized his shoulders but he ignored them, pushing the discomfort back in his mind where he shoved all his past abuse. Only the dead felt no pain. As long as he endured this glorious sensation he was alive. His useless father had taught him this.

He cracked his eyelids open and checked out his surroundings. Many members of the pack lounged in the room playing games, conversing and drinking. Thick carpets lined the cave floor and plush, colorful pillows supported the shifters in comfort. Sorin had never seen such luxury. The excess burned his senses.

“You’re awake.” A dark-haired male stepped into his sight with a tankard of ale in one hand and a pretty omega female in the other. He whispered in her ear.

She gave him a shy smile. Her gaze trailed over Sorin’s nude form in an appreciative way, and then she hurried away.

Such female interest would have given Sorin some pleasure in time long past, but he bore too much responsibility now to allow even that little bit of enjoyment.

The dark shifter watched the pretty omega wiggle through the crowded room before returning his attention to Sorin. “I was wondering how much beauty sleep you were going to need. With that scar, I would have guessed more. I almost had that nice little female convinced to follow me into the back of the cave. It’s dark and private there.” He winked.

Sorin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Muscle spasms ripped through his arms and they trembled. “Get on with it, pup. What are your alpha’s demands of my pack?”

“Pup? Is that the best you have?” The male bowed. “I’m known as Ahote.” He rose. “And I don’t know the answer to that question. You’ll have to ask him.”

The trembling eased in Sorin’s mucsles as his blocked the pain and allowed it to pass beyond his awareness. “Then let’s be done with it. I don’t care for your name or any other introductions you might have.” He had to return to his pack. His absence wouldn’t usually alarm them since alphas led the hunts but they needed him. Now.

He was not his father and would never abandon them. Peder would return with the flowers at least. Working his tongue around his dry mouth for moisture, Sorin broke eye contact with Ahote and scanned the room. “Where is she?”

“Who?”

He kicked out toward the overconfident idiot and jerked against the chains. “You know exactly who I’m asking about. What did you do to the hu-man female?” If they harmed her, he didn’t care how powerful this pack was—he’d find a way to tear them down. She belonged to him, straight from the Goddess.

A huge grin spread across Ahote’s smug face. “You like her? Too bad—she bears my mark now.”

Snarling, Sorin yanked at his restraints until something tore in his shoulder. He sucked in a sharp breath and relaxed the tense muscles in his upper body. He was playing right into this pup’s hands. He had to act smarter. So what if she bore his mark? It couldn’t be a permanent thing. They’d only met today. It could be washed off. She’d been sent to save him—his people.

He cleared his throat. “I want to see her.” Make sure she wasn’t being misused. As a stranger to this land she wouldn’t understand shifter culture. The dominance games his people played confused those of other races. He’d witnessed how she arrived at the Temple. No one here had. They’d never understand how special she was.

“You’re not in any position to make demands, Sorin.” A familiar voice spoke to his left.

Sorin swung his head to glare at Inali, the Payami’s alpha. “Let me go. I only crossed to claim what was mine. Your hunters had no right to take her.”

“An unmarked female on my land? Sounds like she belongs to me now. You have no defense for breaking our laws.” Inali’s blue eyes bore into his. He’d been alpha for a long time and had known Sorin’s father at his worst. There was no love lost between their packs.

If only the other alphas would give Sorin a chance to prove himself, they’d see his pack had changed.

Sorin swallowed a growl and offered Inali his most reasonable expression. Dealing with his father had taught him how to control his temper. Arguing with Inali would only bring violence and waste more time. “Very well, believe what you like. What do you want for my freedom and hers?”

“Nothing.” Inali shrugged. “Your pack has nothing, and I haven’t met this female, who fell out of a blue light, to pass judgment. The idea of feeding another useless mouth doesn’t appeal to me though.” The Payami alpha turned his back on him.

If Sorin weren’t chained, Inali wouldn’t ever have let his defenses down in front of him. “The Goddess might have sent her and—”

“The Goddess abandoned us long ago when the vampires took over our people and our lands. If she did send this creature, then it’s best we just send her right back.”

“If you don’t believe then just let us go.”

“I plan to eventually, Sorin. But first I need to make an example of you. Maybe in a few days…” He glanced over his shoulder. “I have some females and males who wouldn’t mind taking some entertainment from you first. I believe your father was fond of such activities.”

Sorin watched Ahote stiffen at the mention of the crimes his father had committed. “I’d apologize for my father’s actions if I knew it would ease anyone’s pain but I know first hand that words do little to heal.” Even though his feet couldn’t touch the ground well, he tried to straighten with some dignity. “I am not my father. Nor will I ever be.”