Blood Oath (Shifters Unlimited Prequels Book 1) Read online

  Callum stopped the horse, slid down, and reached up to grab her by the waist. Gently he slid her down his body, enjoying the flush in her cheeks and the feel of her softness against his frame. At least until she averted her gaze and brushed her hands on her dungarees.

  “How are we getting on the train? There’s no stop here.” Her mouth twitched, the hint of a smile there. “Or are we taking up living as hobos?”

  He stroked his hand down her arm and twined their fingers. “The Midnight Special only carries freight cars, gold and ore from farther north. But all the conductors have learned to watch out for Miller’s cattle.” He gestured to where several cows lingered precariously close to the rails. “It only takes one to create a problem and mess up schedules. Trains crawl through here. So yes, we’re going to hop onto one of the freight cars.”

  She planted her fists on her hips. “I like excitement, but is this how we’re starting our new life together?”

  “You just prefer creating all the excitement instead of allowing me the reins.” He pulled her tighter against him and nuzzled at her cheek with his nose. When she relented and turned her mouth toward him, his tongue gently traced her lips until she opened for him.

  “You have no idea how much I allow you to lead. But you’re mine.” Eager and passionate, her response sent his pulse racing, triggering a reaction, hardening him in moments. If only he had time to get her ready before getting on that train.

  As if fate was anticipating his dilemma and spiting him, the train’s whistle echoed in the distance. Gillian spun around, her eyes alight with the prospect of fun. Thank the Goddess. She was his match in every way. He adjusted the duffel on his shoulder, and suddenly she frowned.

  “You can’t carry everything, Callum,” she said, full of command and endearing concern.

  “I’ll tell you what. The next time we hop a freight train, you can carry the duffel, and I’ll carry the baby.” He grabbed her hand and jogged down the line as the smoke from the locomotive came into view half a mile away. They could make this. “I’ll let you know as soon as I see an open car. Then you need to speed up.”

  He ran beside her, anticipation vying with anxiety. Gillian might thrive on new adventures, but he didn’t want this to be a time she didn’t succeed.

  “You’re going to strangle yourself with the strap,” she said with a hint of fury in her eyes and her lips pursed as she glared at the duffel.

  “My cat could lift a train car. A baggage strap won’t harm me,” he said with as much haughtiness as he could muster. Placing a hand along her back, he looked over his shoulder and pressed them faster. The locomotive came around the bend, and he counted. They needed to get their timing just right. Even with the train slowing down for Miller’s cattle, there still was a risk. Hopping trains was always a risk.

  She moved beside him, keeping pace. He slid his hand to her side, prepared to grip her waist and boost her up with a moment’s notice.

  “Won’t the engineer think it’s odd to see two people running alongside the train track?” she asked, not even winded.

  “Most of the engineers know me. They might find you running with me a little odd, but they’ve seen me jumping on a train before. There’s not always a passenger train when I need one to get to a station to fill in. Working for the rail line has its perks. No one thinks twice about me hopping a ride. You, well, you’re gorgeous. They’d be crazy to wonder why I’m bringing you.”

  Callum adjusted his duffel bag over his shoulder as he grasped her hand and squeezed a small bit. “You can do this. I’ve seen you jump across the creek farther than the distance this will take. Just grab the handrail alongside the opening, and I’ll make sure you reach the car.”

  “What about you?” she asked, gripping his hand. “You’ll have enough time to get inside, right?”

  “Have I ever let you down?” He grinned. “Trust me. You’ll enjoy this more than riding in a stuffy passenger car with a bunch of overly perfumed humans.”

  “Sounds like you have a little too much experience acting like a renegade without me.” However, she smiled and hitched her pants higher so her feet would be free for the jump.

  The whistle blared again as the engine surged by them. Callum raised a hand as the engineer became visible, the man shaking his head in resignation. Another hoot blasted from the whistle as it went rumbling past. They were good. All he needed was to get them onboard. The train had slowed, as he knew it would upon entering Miller’s territory, but he worried it might be going too fast for Gillian in her human form. Just as he was about to give up hope there would be an open freight car, one came into view. “Ready?”

  She didn’t bother to answer but doubled her speed and lunged for the long metal bar on the outside of the open freight door. As she lunged, he gave her hips an extra shove to boost her higher. Pounding beside her, he kept pace, making sure she’d grasped the bar.

  Damn, yes.

  Her feet grappled at the edge for a split second, and his heart stopped. Then she swung inside and toppled onto her knees.

  Then the train picked up speed. Hell, they’d already cleared Miller’s lands.

  He ran faster, moving from a brisk jog to an outright sprint, but the railcar was pulling away from him. One side-glance confirmed a second open car behind Gillian’s. Thank the Goddess.

  Pouring on speed, he vaulted up and grasped the door handle. His feet dangled, flailing until he finally gained a hold in the opening of the door. Still catching his breath, he waved his hand at Gillian as she hung half out of her door watching him.

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” he yelled over the clacking of the train wheels. He’d be there as long as he paid more attention than he had getting on his ride.

  With quick surveillance of the woodlands whipping by them, he drew a steady breath, reassured neither humans nor wolf enforcers pursued them. He grabbed the top of the doorway and hoisted himself up, more agile now without dread weighing him down. In a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree flip, he spun feet overhead with his senses attuned to the speed of the train beneath him. He landed on his back on the roof of the car, arms spread and his toes hanging over the edge between his car and the next.

  Close. But he was safe.

  He edged forward, rolled over onto his stomach, and gauged the distance between his car and the one holding Gillian. Braced into the wind skimming the train as it picked up speed, he stood and staggered forward. One running leap and he landed nimbly on the roof of Gillian’s car. Two seconds later, he swung the duffel into the open doorway and then grasped the door rail and flipped inside as well. Gillian rested against one of a dozen crates set against the wall of the car’s interior, her arms crossed over her chest and her head tilted in appraisal.

  “All the time I thought you were a prim and proper businessman, you were playing as a circus performer jumping railcars.”

  He smirked, relieved when her lips twitched with humor, not anger. The train rounded the bend past the lake and slowed a bit. He pretended to lurch forward, grabbing Gillian into his arms and shielding her as he dropped them to the floor against the pillowing of his duffel.

  She nestled against him for several long minutes, her nose tracing designs over his chest, and he bit back longing at the call of his cat. Take her. Claim her. Make her ours.

  An equal and horrific pain shredded inside his chest as his alpha pushed for control. Return or you will watch her suffer before I tear out your heart.

  Callum locked down his expression, barely breathing as he fought against the vile words now spewing in his mind. The fiery burn had sizzled in his blood not long after they’d left Bravo tied to a tree. Aghast at the alpha’s ability to connect to him, Callum held back from the one thing he knew Gillian needed. She deserved more than a quick claiming. The last thing he wanted to do was claim his pregnant mate on the dirty floor of a railroad car. He locked down his desire and focused on his next steps. More important, he couldn’t take the chance of claiming her and having this monster
inside her head as well.

  “Where do we go from here?” Gillian rose up on her elbows, her hands playing across his chest as she stared him in the eye. “You seem to have an answer for everything. All your plans fine-tuned with contingencies and backup plans. And while I appreciate what you’re doing, I’d like to play a part, not just follow orders.”

  The train picked up speed again, a breeze blowing through from one side of the car to the other. He rose, set her aside, and shoved both doors semiclosed, shielding them from several hours of cold night air.

  Her question lingered, but the unspoken one of how they went from years of solitary work apart to a mated team still hung in the air between them. He had no assurances to give her when he sat beside her again.

  “We’re taking this train as far as it goes. Then we’ll pick up the passenger line that will take us to Vancouver.” He slid his feet along the flooring and braced his hands over his raised knees. “How detailed do you want me to get?”

  With a shake of her head, she sighed. “Evidently, you’ve been keeping secrets for a long time, Callum. I’m sure you had good reasons. And as much as I want to say tell me everything, how about you start with telling me what our final destination is?”

  He nodded. Of course, she deserved to know everything. But he’d spent so long scheming on his own so he wouldn’t endanger her, he’d only now realized how much danger she might be in if she didn’t know everything.

  “I have papers and money in a bank box in Vancouver. I’d originally planned for us to board—”

  “Papers?” She nodded, urging him to expound.

  Hell, this was going to be a long night. And not in the way he’d hoped. “I’ve helped people. They’ve done me favors. One in the States created papers made for Callum and Gillian Mann, living in Seattle. But we’ll need to head far south along the West Coast and get as far from Karndottir’s territory as possible.”

  He’d kept his ear to the ground and developed the right connections, even giving back to help those in desperate circumstances. Yet all those wonderful dreams and plans depended on his timeline and days to implement. The alpha’s team’s unexpected arrival and their hot pursuit didn’t allow him leeway. They needed to run and run fast.

  She whistled low through her teeth and glanced away, pressing her lips together. Then she stood, brushed the dust and dirt off her dungarees, and walked to the aisle of crates before running her hand slowly across the top. He suspected she wasn’t paying any attention to the boxes or their contents; however, after several moments, she returned and leaned against the partially closed door. “You helped others do the same thing we are now? I imagine this is all second nature to you.”

  “Yes, I’ve been planning this for…years. But those other people were just test cases, examples and trial runs. You have no idea how much the idea of Karndottir catching us, of him finding you, terrified me.” He stood as well and strode to her, then placed his palms on the door on either side of her head. “Since the moment you turned sixteen, getting us free from this territory has been my sole endeavor.”

  Her bold gaze met his with a hint of dissatisfaction, and he frowned. Whatever reaction he’d expected from her, this wasn’t it.

  “I’m not sixteen anymore. Haven’t been for years.” She ran her fingers down the side of his face. “You don’t have to do anything alone anymore. I don’t expect it or want you to hide things from me. Besides, once we get across the territory divide, there’ll be another alpha. New problems.”

  “We can keep ourselves from getting caught.”

  “Is he worse than Gauthier?”

  “Not from what I’ve heard. But still…” He glanced at her belly. “I don’t want to take the chance.”

  He bent to brush a kiss across her lips, but she ducked under his arms and strode to the opposite side of the car. He couldn’t think of a counterargument and leaned against the wall to wait. The last thing he wanted was her engaging in battle with Karndottir. She’d eventually come to the same conclusion. He hoped.

  She crouched beside a small lidless box set near the door. After a few moments of sorting inside, she lifted a thick bound stack of papers, placed it on the top of a crate behind his duffel, and hopped on the crate to read. The sheets crinkled as she flipped through the large catalog. “I think it’s time I helped.”

  Prepared to join her, he stopped as she held up a hand and flicked her fingers for him to stay where he was. Fine. He’d let this play out and give her the lead. They had nothing but hours between here and Vancouver anyway.

  She thumbed through the pages as her other hand absently reached for her braid and started stroking with an uneasy movement.

  Puzzled, he ignored her request for distance and moved beside her, eyeing the Sears, Roebuck & Company catalog she perused with such vigor. “What’s on your mind, Gillian?”

  She turned the catalog his way and tapped her forefinger on the pictures of women inside. “Do the women in those big cities really look like this? All of them?”

  Not sure why the advertisements there in black-and-white concerned her so much, he ran his gaze over the pictures before he glanced up. “If you mean are their skirts shorter with their ankles showing, then yes. But I’ve purchased several new outfits for you. They’re in my duffel. You’ll blend right in.” Then he realized she was still tugging on her braid.

  No. “Gilly, you don’t need to—”

  Mouth set, she now gingerly fingered her braid, the long strands of midnight black he fantasized about. The hair he’d spread over his bed the last time he’d made love to her. The locks he’d brushed and combed, that smelled of her and glistened in both sunlight and moonlight.

  “If all of them have short hair, I’m going to stand out. Your work in hiding us will be for nothing. We’ll be easy to find.”

  With a determined set to her mouth and a brilliant emerald fire in her eyes he recognized all too well, she stood and gripped her hands in front of her. “I imagine you have a shaving mirror in your duffel. I’d like to borrow it now. Along with your razor and a small towel if you have one.”

  She crouched and removed her satchel from his duffel, then stood aside to allow him access to the other belongings.

  He wanted to refute her logic, but the fact was she was right, and it had his own sense of logic spinning out of control. He scrubbed at the back of his neck and released a muffled curse as he searched for the item she’d requested. When he turned back to her, she was holding a pair of surgical scissors as well, her eyes softer now. “It’ll grow back, Callum.”

  He nodded and set up the mirror on top of one of the crates, wondering if she’d have enough light in here to see what she was doing. The sun was still up, but his mirror was only polished stainless steel. Good enough for his needs, but hardly effective for the exacting work of protecting a woman’s beauty. He turned away, unable to watch, but was unable to drown out the rasp of his razor and caught the flutter of black as her hair hit the floor. Resting one hand on the top rail for the door, he stared out, reminding himself that just because his plans had altered, it didn’t mean they needed to sacrifice more for their future. He would get them free and clear of the alpha. Their life would one day be all he’d hoped.

  “I need your help.” He turned and noticed she’d laid down the shaving mirror and the ends of her hair brushed her collar with the exception of strands in the back. She glanced over her shoulder, dark hair falling about her face, and extended the scissors to him. “If you would follow the line from my cuts on either side. Please.”

  She turned her back to him, waiting without a word. He took the scissors and lifted the soft strands in one hand. Blinking, he wondered how something as innocuous as hair was knocking him off-kilter. He was going to be a father, for Goddess’s sake. He needed to grow some balls. Gritting his teeth, he smoothed the hair between his fingers until he had a clean line. Then he held his breath and snipped the ebony locks.

  His breath ripped from him in a rush as he finis
hed and placed the scissors on the crate. Not looking at her, he bent and gathered the few strands still tied by a green velvet bow he’d once brought her, and carefully he placed them in his handkerchief. It shouldn’t feel like an ending. This adventure could be all the wonder Gillian expected were it not for the tight constriction around his heart. The alpha wanted to end them. Right now, Callum conceded an ending might just begin with forcing his mate to change not just her looks, but her outlook—about him. About them. He could deal with almost anything, but he couldn’t survive her disdain, her disinterest. He slid the white cloth inside his trouser pocket, knowing Gillian watched him.

  “If you’d find me those clothes you purchased,” she said softly.

  After rummaging again through his duffel, he produced one of the bundles of folded tissue and placed it on the crate beside the store catalog. At least this task had been simple because he’d been lucky enough to receive help. One of the men he worked for had a wife who had delighted in selecting clothes for Callum’s bride. She’d been generous with her time and tasteful in her selections. He’d spent hours thinking of his sweetheart wrapped in the fine colors and fabrics, and even more contemplating how he’d remove each and every layer.

  “Now take yourself to the other side of the car and don’t look until I say so.”

  He laughed. “Are you becoming shy with me now?”

  At her raised chin and narrowed eyes, he closed his mouth and withheld a smirk.

  He did as she asked and dragged a crate to where he could sit and look outside as the fields and forest passed by, though the temptation to glance over his shoulder at the soft creamy skin that had filled his dreams beat at him. After several long moments of shuffling behind him and unintelligible murmurs, he heard her sharp intake of breath. Please let this be okay. He loved her in dungarees, but he knew women found joy in fine things. Things he’d never been free to give her at home where someone might see and wonder.

  “You can turn around now.”