“Yeah, I wasn’t really paying much attention to smells in my dad’s plane when we boarded it. All of us had been in it at one time or another. His scent around the plane wouldn’t have made me suspicious.” She sighed. “You’re a former cop. What should we do?”
“I was going to say we could pack up the raft and the canoe and head for the bay, where surely someone will be arriving to pick up or drop someone off sooner or later.”
“The storm is stationary and no one’s going to be paddling in this, unless they’re nuts. And no planes will be dropping anyone off or picking anyone up either,” Amelia added. “Have you paddled through this area before?”
“A few times with David and Owen, two of my partners. We didn’t have the brick-and-mortar office going yet, and we came out here once we had more control over our shifting. We could have gone during the new moon, but we still wanted to run as wolves at night once we set up camp.”
“Did you ever run into any other wolves?”
“Yeah, a lone gray wolf, but he saw the three of us and took off. Now it makes me wonder if it was Heaton and not just a wild wolf. We saw him on an island while we were paddling, so we didn’t stop to check it out, to learn his scent and see if he smelled human too. What about you? Do you ever come out here?”
“No, except to drop off paddlers. I always wanted to, but with running a business, I couldn’t go with my family. Someone has to keep up with scheduling and taking flights out. I’m not a lone wolf, so I didn’t have any interest in coming out here on my own. It would be more fun to paddle with someone.”
“Like me?”
She smiled at him. “Well, despite the harrowing situation we were in getting here, yeah. You seem good at this survival stuff.”
“Eagle Scout. My dad had been one too.”
“But usually wolves don’t join human… Oh, you were human.”
“Right.”
The rain was still coming down, but lighter now.
“On another subject, while I was trying to grab the paddle and Winston’s food container, I was thinking about a canoe trip I made a couple of years ago with the guys, and how an obnoxious dog barked for hours one night. We were camped two miles away. With our wolf hearing, we could easily hear what was happening because water carries sound much farther.”
“No worries there,” Amelia said. “Winston’s very quiet.”
“He is, but it made me think that if we were about a mile away from someone else on another island, if we shouted for help, they could hear us even if they’re strictly humans. They might have a sat phone we could use.”
“Or just a mobile phone like mine that won’t work.” She brought out her phone and checked for a signal anyway. “Nothing. At least it’s working.”
“That’s good. When the storm quits by tomorrow morning or so, that would be a great idea. If we howled, that would really carry.”
“But that could keep everyone away.” She poured herself another cup of coffee.
“Unless people thought they might be able to see the wolves up close and paddle this way.”
“True. With cell phones or cameras in hand. If we saw a paddler, we could hide, shift, and come out, wave our hands, and call out.”
“Naked?” It was one thing to shift and be nude in front of other shifters. Sometimes, it was just inevitable, like being here with each other. In front of humans, there was a whole different set of moral codes.
She blushed a little. “Well, okay, one of us could be human and dressed.”
The wind began to pick up, and the lightning and thunder were right overhead. The rain came down in a torrent.
“I need to secure the food before it attracts wild animals.” Gavin had considered doing it before the storm started up again, but it had looked so dark that he knew the rain would come down any moment.
“Not until the storm stops. It’s too dangerous. Then I’ll help you.”
“All right.”
Amelia pulled off her wet boots and set them near the fire and then slipped off her socks and laid them out with their other wet clothes. “What do you want to do now?”
“Take a nap. And then when the weather breaks, I want to explore the island after we secure the food. I need to see if anyone else is staying here.”
“Are you going as a wolf?”
“Yes. I can cover a lot more ground and do so much more quietly.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“It would be best if someone stays with Winston to make sure he stays put. If we tie him up, he could be in trouble if a wolf or bear came along.”
“Agreed.” But Amelia sounded like she wished she could go with him.
He wished she could too, but if he found what he was looking for, he’d race back to their camp, and they could return as humans.
They lay down on the sleeping bag, and she rested against him. Even though he closed his eyes, he couldn’t stop thinking about how much she looked like the woman he had seen in Seattle. Where had he seen her before? If he could think of the location, he would remember.
Order Terry Spear’s next book
in the White Wolf series
Flight of the White Wolf
On sale March 2018
Acknowledgments
Thanks so much to Donna Fournier for all the time she takes to brainstorm with me before, during, and after the process of writing the book—as always. And to Dottie Jones and Donna Fournier who were invaluable in critiquing. Thanks to Deb Werksmen and the cover artists who do an amazing job. And to my fans who remind me which characters I need to add to my next books!
About the Author
Bestselling and award-winning author Terry Spear has written over sixty paranormal romance novels and four medieval Highland historical romances. Her first werewolf romance, Heart of the Wolf, was named a 2008 Publishers Weekly’s Best Book of the Year, and her subsequent titles have garnered high praise and hit the USA Today bestseller list. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry lives in Spring, Texas, where she is working on her next werewolf romance, continuing with her Highland medieval romances, and having fun with her young adult novels. When she’s not writing, she’s photographing everything that catches her eye, making teddy bears, loving on her first grandchild, and playing with her Havanese puppies. For more information, please visit terryspear.com, or follow her on Twitter, @TerrySpear. She is also on Facebook at facebook.com/terry.spear. And on Wordpress at Terry Spear’s Shifters: https://terryspear.wordpress.com.
HEART OF THE WOLF
10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
The book that introduced readers to Terry Spear’s ever-expanding world of sexy shapeshifters with heart
First published by Sourcebooks in 2008, Heart of the Wolf launched the immensely popular series of werewolf romance based on extensive research of how wolves live and behave in the wild, creating a fascinating world of nature and fantasy.
As a companion to Bella and Devlyn’s story, this edition includes an exclusive, brand-new novella that brings the story of the lupus garou family full circle.
“The chemistry crackles off the page.”
—Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
“A sizzling good time…Spear’s writing is pure entertainment.”
—Long and Short Reviews
“Enchanting romance with a unique twist…writing so superior that it felt real to me.”
—The Romance Studio
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sourcebooks.com
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Terry Spear, Dreaming of a White Wolf Christmas
(Series: Heart of the Wolf # 23)
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