Crescent (Tribes, Book 1) [completed]

Chapter 6

Liana glanced at the men on either side of her, larger men than she ever met in her life. Her dad hadn't been short, per se, but he was skinny. These guys were all bulk and muscle and raw power. Power that overflowed the cab of the pickup truck they smushed her in the middle of.

The one driving glanced at her occasionally. She thought he might do that just to make sure she still breathed. Back at the WDA offices, she learned his name was Blade and the other guy, Preston. Going off the official report Rosenthal had babbled off, the wolf that claimed her sent them personally to retrieve her. It was supposed to be some kind of great honor, but she didn't quite grasp the situation enough to be able to tell for sure.

Her eyes flitted to the beige camouflage in front of them, then back behind them. "When they said 'convoy', I didn't exactly expect the whole military escort thing," she mused.

She thought Blade's constant frown might have twitched up into a grotesque smile, but it happened so fast she couldn't be sure.

Preston snorted from beside her and turned his penetrating green gaze down to look her over again. "Until you're safe on the reservation, there's no telling who might be out to nab you or kill you. This is safest."

"I'm not anyone important. Why would they want to kill me?" Liana glanced between the two men again.

Tall, dark, and bossy on her one side didn't say a word. Typical. Preston, on the other hand, had an answer for everything. "I don't think I need to tell you how many anti-wolf extremist groups are out there. You've been claimed by one of the most powerful alphas in the Tribe Crescent. You're both a bargaining chip and a way to hurt him."

"I don't even know him." Liana narrowed her eyes at the all too chatty man. "Besides, it's only a thirty-day trial placement."

That brought Blade's searing gaze down to the side of her face. "Only?"

Liana cowered away from the crazy scary werewolf and pointed desperately out the front window. "Watch the road!"

With what sounded peculiarly like a snarl, Blade dragged his eyes back to the road in front of them.

Preston patted her shoulder awkwardly. "You'll learn. A wolf can't live without his mate and vice versa." He paused, thinking deeply as he studied her, then nodded. "Yeah. You'll learn."

Liana didn't think she liked the way he said that. Like she was some naive child who didn't have a clue what she was getting herself into. Then again, she really didn't know what she was getting herself into. No one explained it overly well, and the werewolves who retrieved her were abnormally vague about everything.

The military truck in front of them pulled to the side of the road to reveal an enormous chain-link fence attached to two brown lookout towers.

Liana leaned forward in her seat to get a better view. Were those men with guns up in the towers? They looked more army than wolf, so she wasn't sure how that security worked. If the army was so good at protecting people, why did the government hire the shifters for their protection?

Blade slowed the truck to allow the men from the front of the convoy to pull the tall, wide gates open before he drove through.

Liana swallowed and sank back against her seat. Trees sat still on either side of the road, inviting someone to jump out and attack. She didn't like the feeling of being watched she suddenly got. Like there was more out there than just little forest creatures. A shiver worked its way down her spine.

A wide turn brought them to the next patch of meandering road. It looked like civilization with a dark twist. Liana wasn't sure what lurked behind each new puzzle.