touched the water. Cormac signaled to Finn that he would handle the kill on this one; that Finn would be back up in case anything unexpected happened. He flattened his ears back to his skull and readied himself for a killing lunge at the thing's throat when the water exploded into motion.
An enormous alligator erupted from its hiding place along the banks and latched onto the hyena’s leg. Cormac cut short his lunge and jumped out of the way, his heart thundering in his chest. The hyena let loose a high-pitched sound of pain and fear, struggling to free itself. Cormac backed up, checking to make sure Finn was doing the same. The alligator began moving back into the water, taking the hyena with it. Then with a quick flip, both gator and hyena disappeared below the black surface as the alligator took its prey down to the bottom for a death roll.
Cormac waited with Finn for a while, the two of them watching to see if there was any sign of the hyena surfacing. There was nothing. Cormac barked softly at Finn, signaling that it was time for them to get back to the others. He turned and let his nose lead him back to Kess and Rafe.
When he returned to the scene of the fight, he found Kess taking care of the remaining carcasses. She and Rafe were dragging the dead animals to the nearest body of water, dumping them into it and leaving them for the denizens of the swamp. The alligators were going to be well fed in the coming days.
Cormac watched as Kess finished with the last animal, careful to stay well out of the way of any surprise alligator jaws that might explode out of the stillness. She had great reflexes, but he was glad to see she was being careful. After what he'd seen with the hyena, he didn't want her taking any chances.
She walked towards him, sleek muscles working beneath the thick, black fur. He marveled at how beautiful she was in her leopard form, and how deadly. Kess brushed against him, as if she was assuring herself that he was still in one piece. Her head butted against his, a sign of affection. He chuffed out a sigh at her, reassuring her he was fine.
Cormac took a moment to find where Rafe was. The hyena sat, watching the glades. There was a tension in his stillness. Cormac couldn't tell if it was nervousness that there were more hyenas out there or something else, something more sinister. He found it very interesting that a group of hyenas just happened to be out in the glades on the same night that they'd all decided to risk a change. It could have been coincidence, but Cormac wasn't inclined to believe in those.
But he had no proof that Rafe had set them up. And Kess was determined to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. He knew he couldn't push much more than he was already doing without risking her withdrawing from him further. Finn was already watching the kid. He'd have to trust that that would be enough.
Kess stepped away from him, flicking her tail in a gesture that Cormac recognized as follow me. He waited for Rafe to pass him, then he and Finn brought up the rear. Wordlessly he told his cousin his suspicions. Then the two wolves turned their considerable attention to the retreating form of the young werehyena.
Cormac didn't intend to give Rafe the opportunity to betray them.
Chapter Ten
Cormac dialed the number for the Lodge on his cell phone. Once the mystery of Sekhmet's death had been resolved, calls to his father had been reduced to every couple of days. With the immediate danger past, twice daily calls seemed like overkill. He and Finn were supposed to taking a vacation of sorts, although whether or not the threat of being hunted and attacked by werehyenas qualified as a vacation was open for debate.
His mother, Emmeline, picked up the phone after three rings. "Hello?"
"Hey Mom," Cormac replied, surprisingly relieved to hear her voice. It was always easier to talk to his mother than his father.
"Hey sweetie. How's Miami?"
"Hot. But good." He left out the encounter
An enormous alligator erupted from its hiding place along the banks and latched onto the hyena’s leg. Cormac cut short his lunge and jumped out of the way, his heart thundering in his chest. The hyena let loose a high-pitched sound of pain and fear, struggling to free itself. Cormac backed up, checking to make sure Finn was doing the same. The alligator began moving back into the water, taking the hyena with it. Then with a quick flip, both gator and hyena disappeared below the black surface as the alligator took its prey down to the bottom for a death roll.
Cormac waited with Finn for a while, the two of them watching to see if there was any sign of the hyena surfacing. There was nothing. Cormac barked softly at Finn, signaling that it was time for them to get back to the others. He turned and let his nose lead him back to Kess and Rafe.
When he returned to the scene of the fight, he found Kess taking care of the remaining carcasses. She and Rafe were dragging the dead animals to the nearest body of water, dumping them into it and leaving them for the denizens of the swamp. The alligators were going to be well fed in the coming days.
Cormac watched as Kess finished with the last animal, careful to stay well out of the way of any surprise alligator jaws that might explode out of the stillness. She had great reflexes, but he was glad to see she was being careful. After what he'd seen with the hyena, he didn't want her taking any chances.
She walked towards him, sleek muscles working beneath the thick, black fur. He marveled at how beautiful she was in her leopard form, and how deadly. Kess brushed against him, as if she was assuring herself that he was still in one piece. Her head butted against his, a sign of affection. He chuffed out a sigh at her, reassuring her he was fine.
Cormac took a moment to find where Rafe was. The hyena sat, watching the glades. There was a tension in his stillness. Cormac couldn't tell if it was nervousness that there were more hyenas out there or something else, something more sinister. He found it very interesting that a group of hyenas just happened to be out in the glades on the same night that they'd all decided to risk a change. It could have been coincidence, but Cormac wasn't inclined to believe in those.
But he had no proof that Rafe had set them up. And Kess was determined to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. He knew he couldn't push much more than he was already doing without risking her withdrawing from him further. Finn was already watching the kid. He'd have to trust that that would be enough.
Kess stepped away from him, flicking her tail in a gesture that Cormac recognized as follow me. He waited for Rafe to pass him, then he and Finn brought up the rear. Wordlessly he told his cousin his suspicions. Then the two wolves turned their considerable attention to the retreating form of the young werehyena.
Cormac didn't intend to give Rafe the opportunity to betray them.
Chapter Ten
Cormac dialed the number for the Lodge on his cell phone. Once the mystery of Sekhmet's death had been resolved, calls to his father had been reduced to every couple of days. With the immediate danger past, twice daily calls seemed like overkill. He and Finn were supposed to taking a vacation of sorts, although whether or not the threat of being hunted and attacked by werehyenas qualified as a vacation was open for debate.
His mother, Emmeline, picked up the phone after three rings. "Hello?"
"Hey Mom," Cormac replied, surprisingly relieved to hear her voice. It was always easier to talk to his mother than his father.
"Hey sweetie. How's Miami?"
"Hot. But good." He left out the encounter
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