Deadlands Hunt (4 page)

"Probably lucky." Bran shivered. He was positive Chase was someone that he never, ever wanted to get on the wrong side of.

"Not so lucky. He made us walk for a week, like this." With a sweep of his hand, Kyle indicated his current form. "My blisters had blisters. Hell, my blisters' blisters had blisters. I'd just gotten new boots."

*

Chase was having trouble getting comfortable enough to invite sleep. The problem wasn't the bed, but Curtis, who lay six feet away, snoring like a drunken mule.

"Curtis." There was no response except another long snore. The Weren snarled instead.

"Huh? Wha..?" Curtis lunged up to gaze around blearily. "What?"

"Roll the hell over, man," Chase commanded. His burly companion thudded back down on the mattress and belched thunderously before hitching over onto his side. Smiling, Chase closed his eyes.

Just a few minutes later, he re-opened them upon hearing stealthy footsteps coming up the stairs.

"Kyle, take your boots off. I don't wanna get a thrashing from Curtis." Bran's whispered plea made the pack leader grin.

"All right, ya big baby." There was rustling and light grunts indicating both were removing their boots. "Happy now?"

"Shhh!"

"Don't you be shushing me!"

"Shhhhhh!" Bran sounded frantic. There was silence for a moment. Chase imagined Kyle giving the younger Weren that scornful up and down look he delivered so well.

"You know, sooner or later, I'll find out what she was doing that made you whimper and whine like a baby."

"Just drop it." Bran's voice held a sullen note.

"Stop shushin' me, and I will," Kyle replied.

"Okay, fine. Can we go to our room now?" The answer was apparently a nod, because two pairs of be-socked feet padded by. A click said they were in their room. Soon there was rustling and then the creaking of bedsprings.

Chase frowned, realizing he probably knew exactly what the Kestran courtesan had done to get that kind of reaction out of his youngest pack member. He remembered doing a little whining and whimpering himself, back when...

Stop. Lock that memory back up.

Unfortunately, the lock wasn't strong enough to keep the memory from insinuating itself into his sleep once Chase dropped off. It brought a whole passel of other ones along for the party, leaving the Weren to toss and turn restlessly, his lips soundlessly forming a name.

Then Curtis flopped over onto his back to begin loudly snoring again.

The first pulled Chase straight out of a rather heated moment in a bathing pool. Eyes popping open, he wasn't sure whether to be grateful or pissed by the interruption. The second snore caused his teeth to grind. The third had him testing the idea of pulling his hair out in frustration.

All of which proved to be rather painful, so he sat up and glared at his roommate. Curtis steadfastly refused to burst into flames. Whipping the covers off, Chase snatched his jeans off the chair he'd hung them over and yanked them on. Gathering his bedding, he left the room. The drawing room lay at the opposite end of the hallway, near the stairs.

He'd sleep in there.

*

There was one velvet covered couch long enough to stretch out on. Promptly doing so, Chase shoved his pillow under his head and shook the quilt out. The only sounds he could hear were the light breathing of two people in the room next door.

Probably two of his new, temporary responsibilities, he decided before dozing off.

A couple of hours before dawn, a noise woke the Weren. It came from near the window. Chase slowly turned his head for a look. The white figure briefly made him wonder why no one had mentioned the inn was haunted. Then a blink resolved it into a long dressing gown. It was Amethyst, her face buried in both hands while her shoulders shook. She was weeping.

Chase was immediately uncomfortable. He was in a bad position if anyone came in, being barely dressed and in the company of a crying human female. If she'd been Weren, he could go hug her. But she wasn't, and the shape shifter wasn't sure how humans dealt with crying women.

Deciding the room was dark enough that she hadn't seen him; Chase turned his head back and closed his eyes. She'd probably return to her room in a few minutes. Clearly she'd wanted some privacy to mourn for her lost sister.

The quiet weeping continued. Chase gritted his teeth, instincts insisting he go comfort the unhappy little female who was all alone in the world. They kept insisting until he silently rose from the couch and padded over.

Amethyst didn't hear him. Humans had limited hearing and she
was
crying. Hoping she wasn't the screaming type, Chase gingerly put an arm around her shoulders.

"Oh!" she gasped, dropping her hands to turn a tear stained face and wide, blue eyes up to him. Chase jerked his arm away. "You startled me."

"Sorry, it's just, Curtis snores when he drinks too much, so I was sleeping here, and then you were... Are you all right?" The question put an end to his nervous babbling.

"I didn't know anyone else was in here," she admitted with a tiny sniffle. "I'm so sorry to have disturbed you."

"Are you all right?" Chase repeated, not sure what else to say.

"I...yes, I'm fine, thank you for inquiring." Her eyes dropped, only to rapidly return to his after taking in his state of undress. "I should, um, return to my room. I'm terribly sorry to have disturbed your slumber."

"Don't worry about it." Chase hesitated then awkwardly patted her shoulder. "Are you sure you're all right?"

White teeth gleamed briefly before sinking into the fullness of her bottom lip. He felt the breath she drew in through the hand resting on her shoulder.

"I know Pearl's likely dead," she answered softly. "I suppose I'm grieving in advance of seeing the evidence with my own eyes. I should hate to, to," she shook her head slightly. "I should return to my room. Good night."

Chase dropped his hand and moved aside to allow her to pass. "Good night, Amethyst."

She paused by the door. "I appreciate your kindness, Chase. Thank you."

Before he could reply, she disappeared from view. Feeling distinctly unsettled, the Weren returned to the couch and stretched back out. Sleep proved difficult to recapture as one little fact clamored for his attention.

She was human, yet Amethyst hadn't flinched away or tried to avoid his clumsy efforts at comfort.

In fact, she'd actually thanked him for trying.

Three

The maid went from door to door, knocking to wake up those inside and producing different reactions to the advent of morning within each room.

"Ooh, my head!" Sally complained, wincing at the sound of her own voice, which seemed to echo in her tenderized mind. "Can you tell me if it's still attached to the rest of me?"

"Yes, dear," Amethyst assured her, smiling briefly while coiling her freshly brushed hair into a neat bun. "A wash up, fresh clothing, and a hot cup of tea will see you right."

The blond risked cracking an eye open to glance at her, only partially reassured by her friend's response. "You look quite smart, Amy."

"Thank you." It was the simple truth. Sally was sometimes vaguely envious of the ease in which her friend could carry off bolder colors that would overpower her own, more pallid beauty.

Today's outfit consisted of a deep copper skirt and rather plain, cream colored, long sleeved blouse. A short waist jacket and a wide brimmed sunhat in the same copper waited patiently, the dark forest green scarf a nice touch as the selection to tie the hat securely in place.

At the moment, Amethyst was showing a rather indecent amount of sheer silk encased lower limbs while pulling on sensibly heeled ankle boots. With a rustle of lace edged petticoat and satin, she smoothed her skirt down. "You'll have to rise to secure that cup of tea."

"Must I?" Sally groaned quietly at the thought.

"You must" was the firm response.

Two doors away, the young gentlemen were blinking at one another across the space of their room. Peter yawned, knuckled the remnants of sleep from his soft brown eyes, and mildly observed, "It's morning."

"Grrrr.” Brian was unimpressed by his companion's powers of observation. Moreover, he'd never exactly been what one could call a morning person. His golden hair spiked in irregular displays all over his head. Peter was tempted to chuckle at the sight. At least until an exploring hand provided the information that his hair wasn't in a much better state.

"We'd better get dressed," he suggested, still in the same mild tone.

"Grrrrrr," Brian grumbled again.

At the other end of the hallway, Curtis awoke to find his pack leader already publicly presentable - at least from the waist down. Chase shrugged into a pale blue, chambray shirt and began buttoning it up.

"Up and at'em. We've got a busy day ahead of us," he ordered in a pleasant voice.

"Right. Oh, ugh. Did you piss in my mouth last night?” Curtis grimaced at the offending taste thickly coating tongue, teeth, and other soft tissues. Rolling out of bed, he headed for the ewer of water.

"No, but I'll start doing it if that'll solve the snoring problem," Chase warned, a faint grin curving the left corner of his mouth. "In fact I'll give it a try next time, to find out."

Having swallowed two gulps of water, Curtis shrugged. "Not much of a threat, Chase. Your piss would have to taste better than morning after beer."

Next door, Kyle quietly snickered, overhearing the exchange. Opening his eyes, he regarded the still sleeping Bran. He discovered something mildly offensive about the peaceful expression the younger Weren wore. Kyle rose to creep over to the waiting ewer. Carrying it to the side of Bran's bed, he carefully directed a thin stream of water to douse the sleeping face.

A sputtering eruption of Bran, bedclothes and water made him laugh. "Time to rise and shine," he informed the younger shape shifter, who scowled.

"I'll rise," Bran grumbled, swiping water from his thick eyelashes, "but I flat refuse to shine."

*

Surprisingly, the two ladies were the first to invade the common room in search of breakfast. The maid was pleased to serve them tea while the cook finished preparing the meal; a few sips of the restorative liquid revived Sally enough to recall her friend's words in the drawing room the night before.

"We're really travelling with the Weren as escorts?" At Amethyst's confirming nod, she asked, "Are you certain that's wise, Amy?"

"The wisest choice of the two we have."

"Oh. Well, I'll try not to behave like a silly fool," Sally promised with a doubtful expression. A quick, affectionate squeeze about her shoulders was the reply.

Boots thudded on the stairs and both women looked to find the four Weren on their way down. For a few seconds, Amethyst's heart quailed at the sight of them, as they were rather large and deadly looking. They were a matched set, each with pale gold eyes and inky black hair topping an impressive height. Rallying, she greeted them. "Good morning, Chase, Curtis. Would you join us for breakfast?"

Kyle and Bran exchanged a surprised look. Curtis responded cheerfully before Chase was able to. "Good morning, Amethyst. We'd be pleased to."

In short order, the Weren were lined up across from the two women and the innkeeper dragged from the kitchen by the astonished maid to witness the turn of events.

"This is my dearest friend, Sally Helmsley," Amethyst introduced the frozen blond. "This is Chase, Curtis and I'm afraid I've yet to be introduced to you two gentlemen."

"Kyle and Bran," Chase remedied, nodding at each in turn.

"Helloooo," Kyle crooned, eyes gleaming with interest. "We seem to have missed something last night."

"We'll be escorting Amethyst and her party into the Deadlands tomorrow," Chase informed them. "To search for her missing sister."

Both Werens gaped, first at each other, then at the red head before turning their shock towards their pack leader. Kyle, of course, recovered first. "Can't take human women in there. Hell, Chase, I wouldn't take Sissy in there, and she's thrashed me more'n once."

Sally unfroze enough to whimper faintly and turn widened blue eyes in silent appeal on her friend. Amethyst felt immediate suspicion. Had Chase prompted them on how to react, hoping to discourage her? It wouldn't work.

"No offense intended towards your, mm, sister?" she queried, drawing Kyle's attention back. He nodded, mouth a grim line. "Ah, yes. But we are well-armed and rather good shots."

The arrival of Peter and Brian, the latter scowling in a ferocious manner at the scene they found, prevented any more conversation for the moment.

*

Peter grinned cheerfully at the ladies before nodding pleasantly to the Weren. He climbed a notch in Amethyst's estimation when he paused by Sally's shoulder and leaned across the table to offer his hand to Curtis. "Hallo there. I'm Peter Morey."

"Curtis." The shape shifter decided the gangly city kid might be all right as they shook. Peter worked his way down the table while Brian fumed at the ridiculousness of his companion's behavior.