“You’re slowing us down. I don’t have to worry about the supplies anymore. I can carry you on my back.”

She closed her eyes.

“Glenda?”

She opened them and nodded. “Okay. Just tell me one thing.”

“What?”

“You’re going to know it’s me, right? You won’t go all murderish or something, will you?”

“Stop worrying about that. I’m still me in skin or fur. I won’t have much of a voice though. My vocal cords change completely when I do. You’ll need to climb on my back, wrap your arms around my throat, and use your knees to grip my sides. Just don’t wrap your feet around my underside.”

“Why? Will that make it tougher for you to run?”

“I don’t want to be kicked in the balls.”

“That’s…um…fair. Okay.”

“Don’t be afraid of me, and do not scream when you see me. Just get on my back. Can you keep my shorts with you? I’ll need something to wear later.” He felt around, found them, and rung out most of the water. He pressed them into her hand.

She took them and nodded, shoving them between her shirt and her own pants near her hip. “I got it.”

“No hesitation, Glenda. Our lives depend on this. Stay quiet and take my lead. I’ll use my head to indicate if something is wrong or give a low growl. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go.”

“Now?”

“They’re looking for us and the search grid has just been drastically condensed. They probably have radios. I would. We need to get out of here before they cut us off.”

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

He released her head and backed away slightly, clenching his teeth as more rock scraped his skin. He shifted, hating that she’d hear it, but it helped him ease out of the tight spot by transforming his body. He made it outside, sniffed the air as he glanced around, and didn’t see any threat.

He heard her coming and peered at the hole. She kept her head down, her chest close to the ground as she crawled out, probably to avoid the rock from digging into her back. Her head lifted—and pure terror showed as she met his gaze. He turned a little and lowered, watching her.

She only hesitated for a moment, then reached out, her hand shaking as she touched his side. “Shit!”

He used his head to jerk toward his back. He didn’t have time for her to act so human. They needed to move. She got to her knees and gripped his back, rose up, and threw her leg over him. She eased down slowly.

“Fuck,” she whispered. “I’m so going to need therapy.”

He growled a warning and she grew quiet, leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. She locked her fingers together and buried her face in his fur. “You’re so warm.”

He moved slowly, in case she threw herself off him when he rose to all fours and began to walk. She stayed on him and tightened her thighs just the way he’d told her too. He paused, wiggled his hips a little to put her in a more comfortable position, and then sniffed the air, taking in their surroundings. He decided to keep to the thickest parts of the trees and increased his pace. Glenda made a few low moaning noises but she didn’t protest.

He was impressed with her once again. So much for her seeing him shifted and proving they could never be mates. She held on to him tight, as if it was fine with her that she was hugging a shifted VampLycan.

He focused on other things to take his mind off the feel of her as he ran, carefully scanning for any movement. They’d had to abandon their supplies. It meant feeding her would become more difficult. Her stomach wouldn’t tolerate raw meat well. Eventually it would weaken her. Of course, there was a way to obtain more supplies. Those day guards had been carrying packs. They needed human food to survive.

The human guards probably slept at night while the Vamps and soldiers hunted. He could sneak up and steal from them, if he could avoid the night hunters. It would also mean leaving Glenda unprotected for a time.

He’d keep moving until near dark, find them a secure location, and think over his options then. Right now, he needed to get them far from where they were.

Chapter Ten

Glen was riding the biggest dog she’d ever seen. Although to be fair, Veso didn’t resemble some wolf or German shepherd. Any canine would take one look at him in beast form, piss themselves, and run for their lives. She could relate. It had been tempting to back up into that cave to cower when she’d first gotten a look at him with his scary black eyes, the long muzzle, four legs, massive paws with sharp claws, and a tail.

But he kept her really warm. Veso put off a lot of body heat, and his soft fur cushioned her body as he ran. He could probably move a lot faster but he wasn’t. She chalked it up to him worrying she’d fall off, or maybe he felt as exhausted as she did. It was tempting to doze but every time she almost drifted to sleep, he leapt over something, making her cling to him a bit tighter.

They were covering a lot of ground though. He’d been right about that, and her feet weren’t killing her. Riding turned out to be a lot easier than jogging to keep up with him. She wished she weren’t wearing wet clothing. Her skin hurt in places she’d rather not think about from rubbing between his big body and hers. She tried to focus on other things, like imagining taking a warm bath or having an actual cooked meal. Once they reached safety, those things were a possibility.

He finally stopped and she lifted her head, searching for the cause. He lowered his body, turned his head, and bumped her with his muzzle. She stared at his sharp teeth, swallowed hard, and gazed into pure black eyes. The irises and pupils bled into each other. He glanced at the ground and she loosened her hold, climbing off.

She started to straighten but he gripped her wrist with his teeth. She froze, expecting pain. He released her fast and hunched down. She got the hint and sat.

He growled low, shot her some kind of look she couldn’t read, and then took off, leaving her. She stayed still and silent. He might have felt they were in danger or he was looking for a place for them to bed down. She studied the sky, realizing it would be dark soon.

He returned about ten minutes later. He approached her, his focus on her middle.

“What?”

He crouched down, facing her, and began to shift. It amazed and terrified her at the same time as the fur receded to become smooth, golden-colored skin. He kept low when he was done though, hiding his lap. “Shorts.”