Chapter Four
Sienna zipped her hoodie up to her chin and strode out into the darkness. Overhead the stars had dotted the sky and the honks of cabs sounded a long way off through the trees.
She made for her usual alleyway, frustrated when two of the lampposts weren’t lit. Quickening her pace, she glanced around. It was a walk she’d done a hundred times and more, but still the park tunnels freaked her out a little when it was dark. She blamed some horror movie she’d watched years ago.
The scent of mulch hung in the damp air and something above her, a squirrel most likely, shook a branch. Bracing for the tunnel, she considered sprinting through it but resisted. It would be okay. It always had been before.
“Hey you. Stop!” a deep voice and a flash of silver.
Her heart stuttered and adrenaline shot into her system. “What the?” She gasped and clenched her fists.
“I’ve seen you on the TV today, you’re rich, hand it over.”
A tall man wearing a black hoodie pulled up tight so all she could really see was his nose and a dark moustache, emerged from the shadows.
“What? I’m not rich. I’m not on TV.” She took a step backward.
He followed her. “Purse. Now.”
“I don’t have one!”
He spat and stepped closer with a long sharp knife waving in front of him. “Don’t lie, all girls have a purse.”
“I only have a phone.” She reached into her pocket.
“Give it.” He went to snatch it from her.
But at that moment a rush of energy and movement came from behind her. It scooted around her shoulder and in a flash of fur and teeth pummeled into her attacker and knocked him to the floor. The knife skittered out of sight and his shrill scream filled the tunnel.
Sienna gasped and staggered backward until her shoulders hit the brick wall.
What the hell?
A wolf—a direwolf—was standing over the hooded man and snarling into his face, drool dripping from his menacing jaws.
“Argh! Get off me. Get off me!”
The creature lowered its head then snapped its teeth grazing the man’s nose.
“Oh my God.” Sienna pressed her hand to her mouth. How the hell had the direwolf escaped? But … was it even the same one? The tail on the one before her was much lighter, as were the ears. She could see that even through the darkness.
“Help! Help!”
Sienna had no intention of helping the man who had tried to mug her, perhaps even go on to stab her. With her body buzzing with fight-or-flight, she looked to her left. If only there was a cop around. This creature needed containing. It was wild and dangerous as was being proven right now and it could not be left to roam the streets of New York City.
There was a sudden scramble and the direwolf stepped back, seeming to allow the man to wriggle free. He took full advantage, jumped to his feet, and ran at full pelt into the darkness of the tunnel, his footsteps rapidly fading.
“Oh, fuck.” Sienna gulped as the direwolf turned his attention to her. Had she evaded a mugging only to receive a mauling?
It came closer, slowly, its huge teeth on show and its hackles raised. It was staring straight at her with feral hunger in its blue eyes.
Now she knew it was a different direwolf. The markings were quite different and it was paler, white in places. But where the heck had it come from? And why here and now?
She splayed her hands on the damp bricks, she had no weapon and stood no chance of outrunning the creature. Her fate was sealed. She’d be forever known as the zookeeper mauled outside of the zoo.
Then something changed. For a moment she thought it was her vision going fuzzy, but then she realized it was the wolf’s fur. It had turned hazy, fog-like. The animal lifted onto its back legs, human-style, and let out a long groan. Fur turned to skin. A wolf’s snout became a man’s nose and broad bare shoulders and lean hips became clear. The eyes stayed the same. And what was more, she recognized them. She recognized him .
“Tarl?” His name barely came out of her dry mouth. What had she just witnessed? Was this some elaborate joke? A hoax?
“Sienna.” He stepped up to her. He wasn’t wearing a scrap of clothing. “I’m sorry you went through that.”
“Through what?” Her brain was having a hard time keeping up with events.
“That asshole,” he said, jerking his head to the right. “With the knife.”
“He’s gone,” she managed.
“And won’t be back.” He was so close now, and he pressed his hands to the wall either side of her head, hemming her in, looking down at her. “Because he knows I’ll kill him.”
“What … what was that? Who are you … and why … I don’t understand?”
“No one would expect you to.”
“Tarl, I…” Tentatively she pressed her hand to his warm chest. “Did you see the direwolf?”
He chuckled. “Babe, I am the direwolf.”
She gulped. “Yes, I thought so.”
“And I saved you from that thug.”
“I know, thanks.” His body heat was radiating onto her and his scent filled her lungs. “But you just changed from a direwolf to a human, that’s impossible, I mean, I…”
“You graduated in zoology, yeah, you told me, but they don’t know everything at these fancy colleges.”
“One thing can’t become another. It’s a physical impossibility.”
He raised one eyebrow, the way he had in the bar the night before. “Want me to do it again and show you just how possible it is?”
“Not right now.” Her heart was pounding so hard she feared for its survival if she were subjected to much more. “But you did … you are…?”
“I’m a shifter, yes, a direwolf shifter, just the way Grady in there is.” He nodded in the direction of the zoo. “Which is why we must get him out now.”
“Oh my God.” She cupped his face, feeling his very human bones beneath his flesh. “He’s a … we have a man locked up? His name is Grady?”
“Yes, and he’s a shifter, but he’s also a man, all man in fact. Alpha male.”
“I … I can’t get my head around this.”
“Then let me get dressed and we can figure it out.”
“Figure it out?” Her brain was a mass of emotions and scientific questions.
“Yeah. Hang on.” He disappeared for a second then returned with his battered rucksack.
As he dressed, she tried to catch her breath. The implications of what she knew were far-reaching, frightening, exciting, and gave her a huge ethical dilemma. She held the key that kept an innocent man locked up like an animal.
“Sienna.” Tarl was dressed now and he took her hand. “You know we can’t leave him in there. Caged.”
“Why? I mean, why doesn’t he just change into a human, if he can? Then anyone would release him, Ted on his rounds even.”
“And let the world know shifters exist?” Tarl’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy? Only a few people are privy to that information.”
“And now I’m one of them.”
“Yes.” He steered her out of the tunnel, back in the direction of the zoo. “You’re special, Sienna, I knew that the moment I saw you in The Gin Room. I didn’t know how or why but I knew it.”
“But Tarl, please, I’m figuring this out, please wait.”
“We haven’t time.” He stopped and turned to her, placed his hands on her shoulders. “Grady is on a hunger strike. It’s our final line of defense if caught by humans. We stop eating, die, and the secrets die with us.” He paused and shook his head. “And as a direwolf he has an incredibly fast metabolic rate. A gray wolf could last three weeks without food, but Grady…” He paused and frowned. “Another day at the most.”
“What?” Her heart squeezed. Die. No, they couldn’t let him die.
“So come on,” Tarl said, urging her to walk again. “We don’t have a moment to lose.”
She kept up with him, her mind spinning. “Shifter? You’re shifters? How many more of you are there?”
“All in good time.” He looked left and right as they walked past the unlit lampposts. “I’ll explain everything.”
“I think I understand, it’s how you’ve survived undetected for so long, right? You direwolves. You’ve been hiding in plain sight, walking amongst us.”
He made a small huffing sound. “I knew you’d figure it out, and yes, we only shift, as a rule, when we’re in the wilderness, no chance of discovery, except Grady and I were in Montana, hunting, and this ranger came out of nowhere. He darted Grady and hauled him onto his truck. I couldn’t do a thing as a direwolf or as a man to help him.” He shook his head. “I failed him.”
“I’m sorry, I really am. But you’re here now, so you haven’t failed him at all.” She steeled herself. There was only one thing she could do. Only one action that meant she’d be able to live with herself. She was an animal lover, a believer in freedom, every life mattered. “And you’re about to free him, Tarl, with my help.”
“Sienna.” He stopped and cupped her cheeks. “Are you really going to help us?”
“What kind of human would I be if I didn’t?”
“I don’t know, but right now you are the most beautiful, bravest, kindest human I’ve ever met.” He set his lips on hers. A lovely deep passionate kiss that brought back so many memories of the night before. “But you know this will be career suicide,” he murmured. “I spotted the cameras in there earlier.”
“And I’ll be the last member of staff in the direwolf’s enclosure before he is gone.” Even saying it was hard. Was she really going to knowingly release a wild creature into the city?
It seemed she was.
“They’ll be hunting you as well as him, Sienna, but he can hide in his human form. It will be harder for you.”
“I know.” She nodded, the image of her zoology certificate being ripped up suddenly flashed before her. But that was only a bit of paper and this was real life. This was a chance to truly help an almost extinct species. “How many of you are there?”
“Not many, numbers are dwindling. We need more babies born. Grady would make a great father.”
“Babies? Do you mean wolf pups?”
“No, our children are born as human, they don’t shift until they hit puberty.”
“Okay, I get it.” She blew out a breath. His words had sealed the deal in her head. These were people first and foremost and people did not belong in a zoo. “I’ll find somewhere to hide out, lay low, until it blows over. Always fancied Costa Rica to be honest.”
“What? Are you crazy?” He turned to her with wide eyes.
“No, the wildlife is great there and—”
“You’re coming with us.” There was steely determination in his voice.
“With you?”
“Yeah, if you’re on the run because you’ve helped us then you come with us. No one gets left behind. We’ll protect you, provide for you, show you our life away from the city.”
“Go with you?”
“It’s not up for debate.” He released her and turned back to the zoo. “You think Ted will be a problem?”
“No, I can handle him, he trusts me implicitly. As does everyone else in the zoo.”
Once more she used her security pass to gain entry.
Ted looked up, surprise crossing his features. “You’re back?”
“Yeah, I had an idea to shut the grays up. Thought it was worth a try.”
“Anything is worth a try.” He looked at Tarl. “You better sign in again, buddy.”
“Sure thing.” Tarl reached for the pen though his attention was on the grainy black-and-white screens on Ted’s desk.
“Come on,” Sienna said, leading the way.
Soon they were in the canine “staff only” section.
“The grays will stop howling as soon at Grady’s scent is gone,” Tarl said. “He’s encroached on their territory and they’re anxious that he’ll attack and claim it for himself. Even on his own he could take out most of them, even more so because they’re soft captive wolves.”
“So that’s what it is?” She nodded. “I thought so.”
“They’re scared, real scared. The fear has been passed down through generations. Direwolves have been known to eat a gray if hungry enough.” Tarl reached up and knocked a camera to face the wall.
“What are you doing?”
“Let’s just do this quick. We don’t want anything on camera if we can help it.” He rushed up to the direwolf cage. “Grady, come here.”
The direwolf slunk from the shadows looking even thinner than before and his eyes dull.
“I told you to eat!” Tarl said.
The direwolf shook his head and then looked at Sienna.
“She knows everything, and she’s going to get you out,” Tarl said, dropping his rucksack to the ground. “And I have clothes for you, so hurry up and shift and we can get the hell away from here.”
Still the direwolf did nothing.
“Grady, we have to be quick.” Tarl looked at Sienna. “Show him the key.”
Quickly Sienna dug into her pocket. “Here. I can open the cage, but only if you’re human.” Would he shift? Could he shift? Or had Tarl been stringing her along with this crazy story?
But then Grady pushed onto his back legs, and his fur seemed to blur and his limbs lengthened and became flesh colored. The face that emerged was slim and stubbled, his hair jet black.
“Oh, fuck,” she muttered. “He really is a man.”
“Hurry.” Tarl snatched the key from her and unlocked the cage door. He rushed in and scooped Grady close.
Grady clung to Tarl, his eyes closed, his jaw tight. “You came for me.”
“Of course. I would never leave you. I’d die with you rather than leave you.” He pulled back and stared into Grady’s eyes. “I’d never desert you.”
“Clothes.” Sienna dropped to the rucksack and began pulling out jeans, a sweater, and sneakers. “Get dressed.”
Grady was beside her, getting dressed, breathing fast. He was slimmer than Tarl, his muscles less defined, it was clear he’d been starving.
As soon as he was dressed Tarl rushed back the way they’d come, glancing around as he did so. Grady followed, Sienna behind him. She locked her keys away. Her heart was clattering and adrenaline had made her knees a little weak and shaky.
“Wait,” she said as they reached Ted’s office. “I’ll go in first, distract him.”
Tarl nodded. Grady was looking around, his eyes darting this way and that, peering into every shadowy corner.
“Hey, Ted, can you hear that?” She stepped in with her hand cupped around her ear.
“What?” He was tapping the screen of the camera Tarl had moved. “Hear what?”
“I think the grays have stopped?”
“Ah, yes, good, but this camera has stopped too. What the heck?” He poked at a few keys on his pad then frowned at the black screen.
Out of the corner of her eye, Sienna saw Tarl and Grady slipping out of the office. For two big guys they were incredibly stealthy.
“Ah, crap, I’ll have to go and check it.” Ted stood, scraping the legs of his chair. “God knows what’s happened to it, pesky squirrel again probably, they jump on them, see, and move them to face the wall.”
Sienna didn’t hang around. She slipped out of the office and off zoo premises with her entire body buzzing and her mind whirring with the enormity of what she’d just done.