Cool. What’re we doing when we get there? Killing a demon?
Yep.
Cool.
They reached a covered bridge and took the pedestrian crossing. Halfway across, Canyon’s truck pulled up beside them, Timber driving, Wulf’s screen pointed at them out the passenger window, showing wolf eyes silhouetted in silver.
“Need a ride?” Timber hollered, stopping the vehicle. The back window rolled down.
Canyon jumped through it into the back seat and stalked to the far door. Sage followed, clearing the window easily, landing on the middle seat and cramming right up next to Canyon. She curled her tail around her paws and panted, pressed into his side.
Timber looked back at them with a grin. “Well, don’t you two look adorable? The fox and the hound.”
Canyon looked down at his mate, and yeah, she looked cute as hell. He nipped lightly on her muzzle making soft growl sounds in the back of his throat. She whined and yipped and chittered, her ears moving constantly.
“Where to?” Timber asked.
Top of Morning Bluff,Sage said.I’ll direct you.
Timber drove across the bridge and picked up speed. “Jaggar called,” he said. “They heard you at VF, and at the station, too. Everyone who can break away is driving up to fight Khain… and Graeme’s coming in wild.”
Canyon chuffed in acknowledgement. Sage pushed in against his flank, staring out the front window, her ears and nose twitching, her body alive and ready to fight. Timber turned onto the main road that wound all the way to the top of the bluff. Sage pressed her paw to the window and rolled it down. They stuck their heads out together, a big black wolf and a small red fox, both with only one thing on their minds.
Kill the demon.
***
Sage pressed against her mate in the back seat of his truck, scenting the air, listening for her fox to tell her where to go, the calling to kill the demon pulsing inside her. She’d always been scared of Khain, except when she’d had her fox with her, then she’d been angry. Now that she had her foxandher mate, she wasincensed.
“This already looks different,” Timber said, indicating the road ahead, which wound up the bluff, with pull-offs and side roads every few hundred feet.
Sage leaned far out the window, her nose twitching, smellingvod, and not the two in the truck with her. The road widened and a metal sign appeared on their right:
THE MORNING WOOD INN
HOME OF THE STATE’S BEST SUNRISE
Est. 1944
WOLVES SHOT ON SIGHT
“Wolves shot on sight?” Timber said, looking back at Sage, a what-the-fuck look on his face.
Sage looked down, her ears drooping.Abigail does not like thevod. She put up the sign. The rest of my family are scared of you.
Canyon growled, his eyes on the sign. They passed a flagpole, and behind it, rows and rows of cabins.
Timber craned his neck to see. “This place is huge. How could she hide this?”
Sage shook her head, then sneezed, her ears flying. The scent of thevodwas stronger here.I smellvod.Other than you two.
It's Mac and Rogue... Wade, maybe,Canyon said, his muzzle stuck out the window.A whole ton of wolven passed through here recently but left already.
The road curved to the left, around the hole, and the scents ofvodfaded. Sage’s fox sat up and indicated interest in a road to their right.
Turn here,Sage said.
Timber turned, heading deeper into thick forest. After a mile, the road ended. Timber slowed but kept going over rocks and grass.
