Chapter Ten
PENNY’S CAR PULLED UP in the gravel driveway, then she turned off the engine. “I’m going to go inside with you, make sure everything’s safe. As soon as the pack meeting is over, one of the wolves will come out here to watch the cabin,” Penny said. “Then I’ll head home.”
Caitlin tested the doorknob. Still locked. She pulled the spare key from her pocket—Isaac had Penny’s. “It’s safe,” she assured her. “See? Still locked up.”
“Still.” Penny closed the door behind them, and locked it.
She wandered through the small cabin, making sure no one lurked inside.
She looked in the bedroom, in the bathroom, in the kitchen…
but then focused on the counters, on the table.
“Huh. I guess Noah didn’t leave his phone here.
Wonder where he lost it?” A frown knit her brow.
“He can’t find it?”
“He was looking for it right before we left Isaac’s house. Said he’d text me as soon as the meeting was over.”
But then her phone pinged.
“Noah says he’s heading home and to meet him right away.” She waggled her eyebrows. “I assume that means your own guard-wolf will be coming.”
“So, he found his phone?” Caitlin asked.
“Apparently.” She tucked hers into her back pocket and strode from the kitchen. “Let’s finish the inspection. My man wants me.”
She smirked when she saw the unmade, messy bed. Caitlin blushed. Gah, her sister. She shoved her gently in the shoulder.
Penny giggled. “Okay, okay. I’m gonna leave you alone to relax until someone else gets here.”
“That would be nice,” she huffed, but then smiled to let Penny know she was messing with her.
Penny waggled her brows. “Maybe it’ll be Isaac that comes to take the first shift.”
Caitlin felt her cheeks flame. That was exactly what they’d planned.
And that set off more laughter.
Penny looked out the window before unlocking the door and stepping onto the porch.
“I should walk you to the car,” Caitlin said. “Make sure you get there safely.”
“House of Wax!” Penny laughed. “They’d snatch me right as you watch from fifteen feet away.”
“Not funny!”
“Oh, all right, all right. Think about this. You’d walk me to my car to make sure I’m safe, but then I’d have to walk you back to the cabin to make sure you’re safe, then you’d walk me back…
we’d never get anywhere, right? And the first guard will show up here and tell everyone in the pack that we were walking each other back and forth like idiots. ”
Caitlin giggled. “I feel like only Misty would understand this dilemma.”
Penny turned to her and hugged her hard. “I’m so glad you’re here, Caity. I’ve missed you so much.”
Caitlin wrapped her arms around her sister. “Me too.”
“Maybe you can come back for Christmas?”
“I will.” She’d figure out a way, even if she had to take unpaid leave.
“Okay. You stand right here in the doorway so no bad guys get inside. I’ll run to my car and get inside, lock the doors so you know I’m safe. Then I’ll wait for you to lock the door—”
“And I’ll move to the window to watch you pull away.”
They both laughed and hugged each other one more time. “Give me some sugar in case I get beheaded halfway to the car—”
“Penny!”
She laughed in her ear. “If I do, preserve my head in wax and prop me up in the center of the dining table for Christmas dinner.”
“Gross!” Penny pulled away just as Caitlin smacked her butt, then jogged to the car, waving.
“Run!” Caitlin screamed, like something was coming.
Penny screeched, hit the unlock button, and dove into the car, laughing like a maniac. She clicked the doors locked and then pointed at Caitlin.
Laughing just as hard, Caitlin closed the door and locked it, slid the giant sliding deadbolt home, then ran to the window, moving aside the curtain so she could wave. Penny started the car, shined the headlights at her, and pulled away.
Still giggling, Caitlin started to move from the window when movement from the trees across the road caught her eye.
Giant black wolf. Isaac was here. A sense of calm and safety enveloped her as she let the curtain fall. Probably Noah would already be home as soon as Penny got there and tomorrow, they’d be laughing as they told the guys over breakfast how silly they’d been.
She’d wait for him to change into his human form on the porch.
He’d knock, letting her know it was safe before she unlocked the door.
But then again, his wolf was more protective of her now.
He understood that changing her could kill her.
After all, he’d allowed Isaac to mark her and he didn’t jump in to bite her instead.
Then, they’d made love and she could see him, right there on the surface.
It seemed like Isaac and his wolf bonded too.
A giant thud hit the front door, shaking the foundation and making her jump. Shit, maybe Isaac’s wolf wasn’t playing nice today. He’d licked her and seemed fine, but must’ve decided that wasn’t okay. Maybe he needed to be reminded that she was human and fragile.
“Change back!” she screamed at him through the door. Isaac needed to be present.
Instead of changing, the wolf howled. Then hurled himself against the wood again. And this, this was why Isaac installed the sliding bolt. He didn’t trust his animal but something was off. Last night something changed for the three of them.
She moved to the window, looked outside. Across the road, still in the trees, she could make out another lighter wolf, but he just… watched. Who was it? Was he afraid to take on Isaac? Or, like her, was he just waiting for Isaac’s wolf to come to his senses and change?
That must be it.
“Change. Just change,” she mumbled, jumping when he pitched himself again. He could hear her. He could hear through the door, just like when he had super-hearing as a human.
And then it was still.
She looked out the window and couldn’t see the wolf in the trees any longer. Maybe he’d gone back to crew territory? Maybe Isaac was okay now?
She waited a few minutes, but there was silence. He was definitely calmed down now. Maybe even changing, right there on the porch where she couldn’t see. God, she was so untrusting. She’d get used to wolves, this was just so new and sudden.
Slowly, she slid the sliding bolt back. It clicked out of the port with a heavy thud, so loud it echoed through the house.
For a brief moment, she thought of the movie.
The heroines always did something stupid…
like this. But the door was still locked.
She was safe. This was Isaac, even when changed into his animal.
His animal wouldn’t hurt her now, not since they’d made love.
And he was changing back, for her. Right?
What was taking so long? But there, there was a little scuffle on the porch, maybe the sound of dragging feet.
Maybe labored breathing? Did it take a longer time to change to human?
Was he cold, caught between shapes? Need help? What could a puny human do if so?
She could just check to see what was happening.
She waited a bit longer, then curiosity got the better of her. She could unlock the door, open it just enough to look out, but engage the bottom lock. Then she could slam it closed and it would lock automatically, long enough for her to engage the deadbolt above the knob.
She would be safe.
She unlocked the deadbolt and waited, the bottom still locked.
Still nothing. Okay, then. She took a deep breath, twisted the tiny latch counterclockwise and turned the handle enough to disengage it from the door. She released the knob and then slid it back clockwise so it would be locked when she closed the door again.
She opened the door barely enough for half an eyeball to peer through and looked out.
She wasn’t sure what she was expecting… nothing, maybe. An empty porch that would tempt her to walk outside, but she wasn’t stupid enough for that. She’d simply slam the door. But what she was not expecting was to see Isaac’s wolf calmly sitting back on his haunches waiting for her.
He wasn’t crazed. And the last thing either of them needed was to get locked outside, so she slid the bottom lever back counterclockwise.
“Isaac?” she whispered through the open inch.
He was calm so she opened the door a bit wider.
She had a backup plan. She still stood in the doorway, the partially closed door a barrier between her and him.
He wouldn’t know the door was unlocked and if she slammed it between them, the door would at least latch if he pushed against it.
She could quickly lock the bottom, then the deadbolt, and finally the sliding lock.
“Isaac? Why haven’t you changed?”
He was sitting back, still as a statue, afraid to scare her. Maybe he couldn’t change. Maybe he was exhausted from changing to wolf and couldn’t go back to human yet, but couldn’t tell her.
“Isaac?” she whispered.
He snarled, exposing his teeth.
That snarling didn’t seem friendly. Something was wrong. Did his mark wear off? Maybe Rhett’s scent was coming back? But they had sex. Couldn’t his wolf smell himself on her? Wasn’t that how it worked? Or was she being paranoid?
The hair on her arms stood on end, and she realized she’d been holding her breath.
Her lungs felt like they would burst. Heat rushed up the back of her neck, and a trickle of sweat gathered at the edge of her hairline.
Her legs felt so weak from the adrenaline rush, they quivered and threatened to buckle.