Cry Wolf

Chapter 2

As he settled in for his watch, finding a comfortable spot against the stone outcropping that overlooked the moonlit forest valley below, he wondered again, as he had each day since he'd joined the draegans' camp, why he was allowing his judgment to cloud.

Why he was allowing himself to feel anything for these people.

There had been a time when the thought of having physical contact with a human would have disgusted him. He'd been taught the human were the lowest of all creatures in Earth.

Hatred and disgust for them was not only expected, but encouraged throughout the lands.

But after several weeks in their company Sin had yet to be convinced that the humans were the weak and useless being he'd been led to believe.

And every day he found himself lured in more and more by their humanity. They might be weak as one but with numbers they're strong. They're probably useless in Raul's eyes but I can see them as not. And in spite of the fact they'd been hunted and persecuted for a century, they were a surprisingly warm and welcoming people.

Sin knew the stories of old, knew the horrors the human had wreaked on wolfkin lands using their arms and weaponry that change the face of the Earth, yet he struggled to match those tales with the people he'd met these past weeks.

The Great Clan Leader hated the human race. And, granted, the humans had been waging attacks on the werekin's outposts for the past few months. But their reasons for doing so were, in Sin's estimation, not unreasonable.

After a hundred years of the Great Clan Leader's reign, all the people of Old America were weary of his dictatorial control, weary of the starvation and poverty that increased each year.

Virtually all the raids the humans had undertaken these past months had been on Raul's well-guarded grain storehouses and livestock herds. The people needed to eat, and Raul hoarded obscene amounts of food. Even though werewolves can hunt their own.

Although the recent raids and attacks were new, the population's unrest was not.

Sin had been seeing it for years. As captain of the High Guard, it was his job to enforce the laws, to hunt down those who disobeyed. The first few years he'd been a c**k-sure, egotistical young whelp, eager to prove himself to his father and Raul.

He'd earned his nickname, the Reaper mostly because he'd relished the hunt, had perfected the ability to stalk his prey, capture them, and turn them over to his father and Raul for punishment.

As time passed, however, his pleasure in the hunt had waned, eventually fading into nothing more than emotionless rote.

And over the past year or two, each time he'd been charged with arresting a bedraggled, starving man, woman, or child for the crime of stealing, knowing they were going to the dungeon, or worse, it had grown harder to swallow back the bitter taste of pity for their plight and do his duty.

Too many times in the recent past, he'd come away from such situations feeling utter disgust with himself at his part in the travesties of justice.

The reality was that Raul had become ever more greedy and demanding, no longer caring how his actions affected the masses under his rule--if he ever had cared. And while Sin remained loyal to Raul, for some time now he'd begun to question the Clan Leader's methods.

Those who questioned, however, were dealt with severely--as he'd learned many months ago. He'd carry the lash scars on his back for the rest of his life.

Since then, he'd remained silent, keeping his thoughts and concerns buried deep whenever he was around Raul or his father. But for how much longer he could do it, he didn't know.

In truth, he'd delayed contacting Raul with what he'd already discovered about the human rebellion because he needed to convince himself first that Raul's outrage was justified. Sin had come here expecting to find savage killers who were out to kill his kin savagely, and if that had been the case, he would have had no issue with turning the information over to the Great Clan Leader and helping him crush the rebellion.

But now...there seemed no clear black and white. He was drowning in shades of gray. And until he was able to fit more pieces into the puzzle, his conscience wouldn't allow him to take action. He needed to meet their leader. Needed to determine what the his agenda was and how far he was willing to push Raul.

The snap of twigs on the forest floor jerked him out of his musings.

On edge due to the nature of his thoughts, his military instincts took over. He snapped his bow up into position with an arrow already nocked.

"Don't shoot," called a familiar voice. "It's me."

Sin shook his head, but lowered the bow. The voice belonged to one who, against his better judgment, he'd come to enjoy spending time with during the past weeks.

These seemingly incidental encounters had become more and more regular, and he looked forward to them more than he should.

"If you're going to continue to lurk about in the dark and show up like this, you ought to come up with some kind of signal so I know it's you," he said dryly. "Otherwise, one of these nights I might really mistake you for one of the werewolf's henchmen and shoot you."

The shadow in the dark drew closer, began to take form and, as always, Sin found himself acutely aware of the way his senses heightened and his nether regions stirred to attention at the young man's presence.

His name was Rei, another member of the Elites, or so Sin surmised, since he, too, had guard shifts. Rei usually did foot patrols while Sin stood sentry at one of the outer posts that guarded the camp.

"It's good you're so alert. I've never managed to sneak up on you."

The warm resonance of his voice always caused a tremor low in Sin's groin.

"You always make noise," Sin said matter-of-factly. "How could I not know your presence?"

The man settled his own bow and quiver upright against the rocks near his seat.

He was dressed similarly to Sin, but his presence was almost feminine and startlingly compelling. He's petite with a slim build. And Sin would've question his credibility if he didn't witness him threw a man twice his size the first time they met.

Sin looked up as Rei glance down, and smiled at him before he took the sit beside him and settle close enough to Sin that he can felt his body heat on this crisp, early fall night. Felt it...and wanted more.

"Oh, but we are. Has it occurred to you that I might doing it on purpose...as a signal, to let you know it's me."

The moonlight was just bright enough Sin could see the man's eyes sparkle with humor. Eyes he knew from seeing them in the daylight were a soft silver-gray in color.

"Mmm. Tell me...how is it your patrol always seems to bring you in this direction when I'm on duty?"

"It's my sector to cover. Besides, I know I can always count on you to have something to quench my thirst."

Sin huffed a soft laugh, tugged a flask free from his belt, and passed it to his companion. "And here I thought you showed up because I was such good company."

Rei uncorked the top, took a swig from the flask, then smiled. "Well, there's that, too."

He passed the flask back and, for just a moment, their fingertips touched. Awareness pulsed through Sin but he fought to ignore it.

For all that he could find no obvious fault with the human race since he'd been here, and despite this unexpected and arousing interest in Rei, his duty, he reminded himself again, was to the Clan Leader, not his own desires. He could get laid back at home if he wanted.

But you don't.

No, damn it all, not recently. There'd been none back at his hometown who'd stirred his l**t for some time now. His body, however, clearly found Rei all-too-fascinating.

"So has it been quiet here tonight?" Rei asked.

"I just came on duty not long ago, but Ian tells me it has been. No more signs of Raul's men who were spotted yesterday evening."

Sin swallowed from the flask, trying not to think about the fact his companion's mouth had just been where his was now, but experiencing a thrum deep in his groin anyway.

They'd shared a drink like this before, and each time he'd had the same reaction--a craving for something beyond just the faint echo of Rei's taste on the neck of the container.

Tonight the yearning was even more powerful than ever, as was his body's response to the young man's close proximity.

What in hell was wrong with him? His attraction to Rei was getting out of hand. This was not a direction he dared go.

He needed a distraction. Something to get his mind off the way his insides were turning to liquid heat--a heat that had little to do with the fruity alcoholic burn of the grape wine he'd just drunk, and everything to do with the way the young man's gaze suddenly seemed focused on his groin.

As if the other man could see, even in the dark, the erection swelling against the leather lacings of Rei's pants.

Sin passed the flask back to him and searched for a quick topic of conversation, something safe that would allow him to get his l**t back under control.

"So," he said, managing to keep his voice calm and not betray his inner turmoil, "I've been in this camp over two weeks. I've yet to meet or even see our leader, Rein."

Rei, about to raise the bottle to his lips again, paused. In the moonlight, Sin saw his dark brows knit together. He lowered the flask and a fleeting smile crossed his face. "You haven't?"

"No. Has he been away?"

Rein stared at him for a moment, coughed lightly, then took a swallow of wine. "He's been out and about. He takes guard shifts just like the rest of the camp."

"Really?" That bit of information surprised Sin. "I figured he was ensconced with his advisors, plotting strategy and planning how to wrest control from the werewolves."

"Ah, you see him as a bureaucrat then?" Rei's voice held a note of humor. "All talk and paperwork and little action himself, while he lets his lieutenants do the dirty work?"

"Isn't that the way of most leaders?"

The husky sound of Rei's chuckle curled around Sin's balls like teasing fingers.

Concentrate. Information on the leader is the priority. Not you getting a hard-on over a human who'd gladly kill you if he knew who you really were.

"I suppose many leaders are like that," Rei was saying. He gave Sin another enigmatic smile. "But not all."

"So...what are you saying? That Rein's just one of the common folk who, instead of leading from afar, actually fights alongside his people? I suppose next you're going to tell me he has no desire for the glory and power that would come to him should he defeat the Great Clan Leader once and for all?"

Another smile lit Rei's face. "I'm just saying that maybe our leader encourages the humans to fight for what they believe in, rather than fight for what he wants them to believe in. There are many types of leaders, my friend, and not all are like Raul. Not all are in it for their own power and glory."

Sin realized in spite of his smile the man was serious. Rei fully believed what he'd just said...that Rein led not out of a desire to be powerful, but only to empower his people.

Sin struggled to wrap his mind around the idea, so different was it from the world of decadent power in which he lived. And yet...the concept appealed to him more than it ought to.

Another twinge of guilt hit him in the gut, and he had to ask himself yet again why he was allowing these people to influence his thoughts? Was he inherently weak and easily swayed and for some reason just now discovering that about himself? Or was this some power the humans had...the ability to influence minds and actions?

Did the witches in humans side had the ability to ensorcell those around them?

Of course, that didn't explain why he'd been feeling less than content with his position in life for some time now and had already begun questioning the Clan Leader's decisions even before he met the humans—the scars on his back were a daily reminder of that. What was wrong with him?

"You're deep in thought." Rei studied him with unusual intensity. "I often wonder what goes on in your head. I can't quite figure you out."

Sin's heart faltered. Did Rei suspect he wasn't who he said he was?

"How's that?"

"I'm not sure exactly. You ask a lot of questions. Questions that have real depth. And you often seem surprised by the answers you receive. It feels like there's more to you than what you show on the surface."

Sin shrugged. "I guess I just like to understand the hows and whys of things. And isn't there more to all of us than what's on the surface?"

"Yes, I suppose there is."

"So I'm no different than anyone else." He forced a casual smile onto his face.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Rei's voice dropped to a low pitch and his gaze suddenly seemed to smolder with a decidedly sensual heat. "I find the mystery of you fascinating. You intrigue me, Sin...in more ways than one."

As if the tone of his words themselves, rife with what Sin could only read as s****l suggestion, wasn't enough, when Rei lifted the container to his lips and drank, his eyes never left Sin's and his mouth lingered a bit too long. Like he was savoring Sin's taste on the rim, much as Sin had done earlier.

His groin gave another slow, deep pulse.

Stop this. Don't even go there. Although "there" is exactly where he'd been going for over two weeks. From the moment they'd met, Rei had stirred an instant primal attraction in him. And each time he saw the human, it only grew more powerful, until now the mere sight of him or the sound of his voice or his warm, woodsy scent had Rei hard and aching.

Gods, he was in trouble. This attraction hadn't been part of his agenda and was a complication he couldn't afford.

But the warning in his mind was drowned out by the hot flood of need that surged through him as Rei lifted the flask once again.

Sin followed the line of the man's strong throat down to his chest and, unable to resist, to the tight pull of black leather against the bulge at the human's groin.

He'd admired it many times before, as he had Rei's lean long legs, firm a*s, and the way the fabric of his shirts seems to mold with his lithe body. The young man was all lean muscle, with a graceful athleticism about him.

He gave the impression he would be equally at ease running through the forest for days without rest, or handling a him without breaking a sweat...and what a sight that would be, Sin realized, to see Rei shirtless, watch his lean muscles rippling and flexing.

He wasn't sure how old Rei was, probably in his early twenties. Or probably older, however, his face gave no hint of it.

His dark brown, shoulder-length hair was thick and wavy, and he often wore it drawn back at the nape of his neck with a bit of leather thong.

While Sin had let his own hair grow in since he'd been with the Werewolf Camp, giving himself the gift of that freedom. Even if it's only an illusion.

His mind--and ever-hardening erection--fixated again on the man sitting next to him. What would it feel like to f**k another man? The thought sent a new flash of heat through Sin.

"You're quiet again," Rei said.

Sin realized the silence had dragged out to unnatural proportions while he'd been lost in thoughts of l**t.

"And, again," Rei continued, "I have to wonder what could possibly be going through your head?" But his husky tone said he knew exactly what had been going through Sin's head, and the look on his face indicated he'd been right there with him in the s****l haze.

Tension arced between them, flowing back and forth like a surge of lightning...hot, powerful, and raw in intensity.

There were so many reasons this shouldn't happen. But in spite of his many internal warnings, Sin wanted the human with a desperation so powerful it almost hurt.

Rei leaned closer to him and Sin moved to meet him.

They paused, their mouths so close their breath mingled, warm and spicy from the wine they'd been drinking. Their gazes clashed. All his nerve endings aflame, Sin moved in to press his mouth against the other man's, craving it as he never had any other's.

But before he had a chance to experience it, a faint rumbling sound in the forest caused them both to freeze.

"Did you just hear that, too?" Rei asked, looking at him in surprise.

"I did." Sin as a werewolf had always had better-than-usual hearing for a human.

Both of them turned toward the encroaching forest. Another sound, again faint but enough there was no mistaking something was out there, rustled in the distance.

Their gazes came together in unison.

"Raul's troops."

They grabbed their weapons in a quick motion and rose as if they were one.

"I should give a warning at the camp," Sin said.

"No, let's do some scouting first, see where they're headed before we sound the alarm. They may not even know the camp is here."

Nodding, Sin followed Rei down the boulder-covered slope into the valley below.

Wishing that nothing was out there. Because he's still not ready to end what is this happening to him with Rei. He's still not ready to wake up from his dream filled bliss...

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