Page 30 of Running with Direwolves
Sienna knotted her fingers together. She’d seen themboth shift now, but would she ever get used to the wonder of it? It really was an incredible thing to witness.
“Come on.” Tarl shoved his clothing into the rucksack. “Hand me your stuff.”
Grady frowned at him. “Can’t be too careful.”
Sienna scanned the area behind them. It was a flat field and in the very distance there were a few roofs, one had smoke trickling from a chimney. “I can’t see anyone.”
“We’re in the clear.” Tarl clenched and unclenched his fists then rolled his neck.
“Yeah, you’re right.” Grady pursed his lips as though still anxious. “We’ve gotta get going.”
“Who should I ride?” Sienna pulled her coat zipper right up to her chin.
“I’ll take you,” Tarl said. “Grady can lead the way, his sense of direction is second to none.”
Grady nodded once then shoved his clothes into the rucksack.
Both men were gloriously naked in the forest, their bodies sleek with the damp air and tiny droplets of sparkle sitting in their body hair.
“Don’t be afraid of us, we’d never hurt you,” Tarl said.
“I’m not.”
“Good.” He stretched up, his limbs thickening and his skin hazing as though she’d squinted her eyes. The next thing she knew he was falling to all fours as a direwolf. His nose had elongated, his ears were pricked up, and his body was covered in thick white fur with brown patches. He stepped up to her and nudged her hand with his wet nose.
“Tarl,” she whispered stroking the patch between his ears. “You’re beautiful.” And she meant it, he was utterly stunning.
He half closed his eyes and tipped his head. A lowmurmur rumbled from his throat.
Grady laughed. “Oh, you just found his sweet spot, we’ll be going nowhere if you keep tickling him there.”
She tickled him some more then stepped to his side.
He dropped a little, bending his front legs, and she scrabbled onto his back and took hold of two big handfuls of fur. He was wide, at least as wide as a horse she’d used to ride when growing up, and she was just as high from the ground.
“You hold on tight, especially if you see anything he has to jump as he’s running.” Grady pointed at her. “Promise.”
“Yes, promise.” She nodded and beat down a wave of anxiety. Her life had gone from crazy busy to just plain crazy. But what choice did she have other than to go with it?
Grady took a deep breath then repeated the same action as Tarl. He rose up onto his toes, stretched, and then fell forward.
This time Sienna tried harder to watch each bit of his body shift, but it was as though he were shrouded in mist as it happened, and it wasn’t until he was a dark direwolf that she could see him clearly again.
He raised his head and let out a long, low howl.
The sound vibrated right into her chest and stirred an emotion she couldn’t name. It was primitive and downright evocative.
And then Grady turned, snapped up the rucksack between his jaws, and took off into the darkness. Tarl followed and she ducked to avoid branches then braced as he jumped a log.
Instantly she loved it. He was easy to ride. She didn’t feel unstable because their bodies moved as one. The wind whipped moisture from her eyes, and she dashed at it when they raced over a clearing. Beneath them twigs cracked and snapped, and the cool air blasted around her ears noisily.
Grady was charging ahead. Hot breath puffed from his mouth and his powerful legs took great strides. Tarl kept up easily, slipping this way and that around tree trunks. Eventually the forest came to an end and a huge expanse of grazing land stretched before them.
A herd of black cattle spotted them and raised their heads. One decided to run away and the others followed until they were over a ridge and out of sight. Tarl and Grady paid them no notice and kept going.
Sienna had no idea when they’d crossed the border, it could have been any number of places, all unmanned, no roads, just wilderness. They hadn’t seen so much as a mounted officer, and it was clear Grady knew how to avoid humans … mostly.
Eventually they came to a halt beside a river. Sienna slid off Tarl and blew into her hands. It was cold. Both Tarl and Grady went to the water and drank deeply.
