Chapter Eleven

 

 

 

After Jerrica and Calan finished eating and packed up the basket, they sat talking in the cave until it was almost dark. She still had a hard time believing that his feelings were as strong for her as the ones she had for him and that they could have a future together.

Jerrica was already set in her mind that she’d allow him to turn her, so she’d be a werewolf and immortal like him. The hard part of it all would be leaving her family behind. For once Calan bit her and they were married, they’d eventually have to leave. There were other settlements that needed help with zombies just as much as hers did. That was what he’d been created to do.

Calan put out the fire. Once the flames were completely extinguished, he shifted to his werewolf form in a bright flash of light. Jerrica climbed onto his back and held on to the basket. Her bow and quiver were slung across hers. He walked out of the cave.

Jerrica looked at the sky through the tops of the trees. It was much darker inside the woods. She was glad Calan had excellent night vision, because hers wouldn’t cut it. If it were left up to her, she’d be lucky to even be able to find her way out of the forest.

Calan unerringly picked his way through the trees then they were at the start of the fields. He walked around one until he reached the grassed area that led to the well-worn path to the gates. He came to a stop about a hundred yards from them. Jerrica slid off his back.

He looked at her. “This is as far as I should go. I don’t want the guards to have a fit if I get too close.”

“I understand. So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll be here. Tell your mom I enjoyed the food, and thank her for me. I’ll try to get some game for her soon. You or your dad will have to bring it to your cabin since I can’t.”

“We’ll figure something out. I’d better go before it gets too late.” Jerrica wrapped her free arm around Calan’s neck and buried her face in his thick fur. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too. I’ll wait until you’re behind the walls before I head back to the cave.”

Jerrica let him go, turned then headed toward the gates. She looked once over her shoulder to see Calan sitting, watching her. She set her gaze forward and stopped when she was close enough to look up at the walls and see the guards on top of them.

“Can you open the gates, please?” she called. When she got no response, she shouted louder, “Hey, can you hear me up there?”

A torch then a face appeared over the top and looked down at her. “We can hear you.”

“Then let me in.”

“We can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“We have orders from John to no longer open the gates once night comes.”

“What? Are you crazy? That’s idiotic. Drew, you know who I am. It’s not as if I’m a stranger. And I’m sure as hell not a zombie, or we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

“I wish I could, Jerrica, but those are John’s orders. He said if any guards disobey him, he’ll throw us out of the settlement as he did the Werewolf Defender. John knew you went somewhere past the field with Calan. He specifically said you wouldn’t be allowed back in until the morning.”

Jerrica panicked a bit at the thought of having to spend the night outside the protection of the walls. She turned to look for Calan and saw he’d left his spot and had almost reached her.

Once he did, he shifted to human form and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side. He whispered, “Calm down. I can hear your heart pounding. You’ll be fine.” He shouted up at Drew. “I heard everything you said to Jerrica. Are you sure you can’t let her in?”

“I’m sorry, Calan. I can’t risk being kicked out. The thought of having to survive out there with the zombies scares the crap out of me. I wouldn’t make it. I know I wouldn’t.”

Drew was Hunter’s age and was a friend of her brother. Jerrica had known about Drew’s fear of leaving the safety of the settlement. That was why he was given the duty of guarding the walls. So it stood to reason John knew about his fear as well and obviously played on it to keep her out.

“I understand. Can you at least do me a favor and send word to Jerrica’s parents so they know what happened here? Also tell them Jerrica will be safe with me. I’ll bring her back in the morning when the others come to work in the fields.”

“I can do that,” Drew said. “I’ll send my younger brother over to their cabin with the message. He’s here right now.” He looked at Jerrica. “I’m so sorry about this. At least you have Calan to protect you.”

“Yeah, I do.”

Calan turned Jerrica around and walked them away. “John has gone too far this time. Something has to be done about him.”

“It’s as if he’s suddenly gone crazy. He’s never thrown his position in the settlement around like this before—or at least not publicly. My dad is now questioning whether some of the families who left here did so because they wanted to or if they were kicked out on the sly.”

“I have to say it was the latter. As for John acting like this now, I think he feels threatened by me being here. I have a higher standing with the settlers than he does, and he knows it.”

“This is going to set my father off again, and my mom will be worried sick.”

“At least they’ll know you’re with me. The not knowing where you are would have made it worse. I won’t be hunting tonight. Let’s get back to the cave. I’ll start another fire and keep it going through the night.” He looked at her. “I guess you get to sleep with me while I’m in my werewolf form.”

“Can I use you as a pillow? I have a feeling lying on the hard ground isn’t exactly going to be comfortable.”

Calan kissed Jerrica’s forehead. “Of course you can. We’d better go. I don’t like you being out in the open like this when it’s dark.” He shifted then she climbed onto his back.

After they’d arrived at the cave and Calan had shifted to human form, he made short work of getting the fire going again. He left her for not very long while he collected enough wood to last them through the night. Even though Jerrica knew he wasn’t that far away, her gaze kept straying to the cave’s entrance, afraid to find a zombie standing there, ready to go on the attack. She’d never slept outside the walls before. As far as she knew, none of her family had either.

Calan returned, dumped the wood he carried in a pile near the fire pit, then crossed and sat next to her. He pulled Jerrica against his side, his body heat soaking into her. She felt safe.

“I heard your heart pounding again when I was out there,” Calan said. “You don’t have to be afraid.”

“I can’t help it. I feel better when you’re with me. Unlike you, I’ve never spent the night out in the wild before. And everyone knows zombies tend to travel in the dark more than they do during the day.”

“The undead can’t pick up your scent when I’m a wolf and you’re close to me. We know that. You’re going to wrap yourself up in the blanket that’s inside the basket then I’m going curl around you. The fire will keep the wild animals away from the cave.”

“I guess you’ve thought this all out,” she said with a smile.

“Yes. You mean everything to me, and I’ll look after you.”

“I know you will.”

Once Jerrica grew tired, she took the blanket out of the basket and wrapped herself in it as Calan put more wood on the fire. He shifted and lay close to it. She stretched out on the ground on his side with her head pillowed deeply into his warm fur. Even though she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to get much rest, the sound of his heart beating under her ear lulled her to sleep.

 

Calan lifted his head off his outstretched paws and turned to look at Jerrica. Her eyes were closed, and her breaths had evened out in sleep. He smiled inside. It wasn’t a good situation she’d found herself in, but having her with him wasn’t something he’d regret. And there would come a day when she’d sleep next to him like this every night.

He settled back down and stared at the jumping flames of the fire. Calan hadn’t expected John to pull something like this by not allowing anyone into the settlement once darkness had fallen. And what made it worse was the man had known Jerrica was out beyond the walls with Calan. It was no coincidence John had decided tonight, of all nights, to decree that the gates couldn’t be opened until morning.

As he’d told Jerrica on the way to the cave, John had gone too far. It was time to put the leader of the settlement in his place. Calan had done what John wanted by leaving, and still the man had tried to put Jerrica in danger. He was no longer going to do John’s bidding meekly, especially when John purposely set out to try to hurt his mate.

Tomorrow John was going to find out exactly how forceful Calan could be when he wanted or needed to be. This would be the last night he slept outside the settlement until the day arrived that he’d leave. He no longer trusted John, and didn’t want to have Jerrica subjected to the leader’s whims without being there to protect her against them. Not only did he have to defend the settlers from zombies, but he now had to defend them from the man who was supposed to lead them, as well.

 

* * * *

 

The next morning Jerrica awoke with a stiff back. It was close to dawn, and the sound of birds chirping outside the cave had brought her awake. She sat up and stretched. Calan stirred, then slowly went onto his paws.

“Good morning,” Jerrica said through a yawn.

Calan shifted to his human form. He put his arms over his head and stretched as well. “Good morning. How did you sleep?”

“Not bad, considering my bed was the rocky ground of a cave.”

“At least you managed to get some rest. I’d offer you something to eat, but I don’t have anything right now. Plus, I think it’s best if we get to the fields before the workers show up, just in case John decides to try another stunt like last night. Until I’ve turned you, this is the last night you’ll sleep outside the safety of the walls, and I’ll be sleeping behind them as well.”

Jerrica unwrapped herself from the blanket and stood. “You’re going to force your way into the settlement?”

“If I have to, but I have a feeling it might not be necessary. If John has pissed off enough settlers by barring the gates against you, he’ll have no choice but to back down or face a riot. If your father was willing to talk to others who haven’t been pleased with John before last night, he might have taken it a step further while you were away.”

“That’s a possibility. My dad can be very persuasive when he wants to be. And I’ve lost count how many times people have come to him rather than John with their problems. My father has always been highly looked upon.”

Calan got a thoughtful look on his face. “Then maybe it’s time someone else steps into the leadership role—someone who won’t abuse it as John has. From what I’ve learned about your father from being around your family, I think he’d be perfect for the job.”

“I have no idea if he’d want it. Then there’s John, who I know won’t willingly step down. As he told you, the men of his family have been the leaders since the settlement was first built.”

“John won’t have any choice in the matter if enough settlers rise against him. He’ll be outnumbered. If he isn’t put in his place, he’ll soon turn into a dictator. In the early days of the zombies, when the living created new settlements, a few bad types—who were scum before the world collapsed—tried to form their own little dictatorships with those wanting shelter placed under their rule. They never lasted very long. The zombies were a bigger threat, and the people soon knocked the dictators off their pedestals—usually, with them being banished from their own settlement.”

“Well, we’ll see happens when we reach the fields.”

Jerrica packed the blanket away, picked up the basket and shouldered her quiver and bow. Same as the night before, she rode on Calan’s back while he was in wolf form. The sun was just cresting the horizon as they worked their way through the forest toward the fields. It was going to be another scorcher of a day. Already it was hot and a bit humid. She hoped it rained soon. They needed it.

As they came out of the trees at the fields, Jerrica saw that she and Calan were the first ones there. “Let’s wait closer to the gates,” she said.

“I’d already planned on doing that,” he replied.

Calan came to a stop about fifty feet away from the entrance to the settlement. Jerrica looked up and saw the guards who’d taken over the day shift duty peering down at them. She slid off Calan’s back as the gates opened. As soon as they were wide enough, her mother came running through them toward her. Once she reached Jerrica, she wrapped her in a hug.

“I’m so glad to see you’re safe,” her mom said. “You have no idea how worried I was, even though I knew you wouldn’t come to harm while you were with Calan.”

Jerrica returned the embrace, then stepped out of her mother’s arms. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s just inside the gates. He’s waiting for John to show up. After Drew’s brother came to the cabin with the message about what had happened to you, your father went to John’s place. He refused to see your dad and had his wife to tell him he’d come speak with him this morning before the workers went out into the fields. Out of all the years I’ve been married to your father, I’ve never seen him in such a rage before. It was probably for the best that John didn’t talk to him last night. At least he’s calmed down a bit.”

Jerrica looked at Calan, who nodded his lupine head. Silently, all three of them walked toward the gates. Just as they reached them, John arrived. His face darkened as his gaze landed on Calan.

John walked right by Jerrica’s father and came to block their way. “He’s not permitted inside the settlement.”

Jerrica stood her ground and put her hand on Calan’s furred neck. “Where I go, he goes.”

“Then you’ll remain outside the walls with him.”

“Like hell she will,” her father said angrily as he stomped toward John. “You still have to answer why you locked Jerrica out of the settlement last night, when you knew damn well she was out there with Calan.”

“Not that I have to justify any decisions I make to you, but I’ve decreed that the gates will no longer be opened for any reason once darkness falls until the following dawn. It’s for the protection of us all.”

“Bull crap. It’s to make sure Calan doesn’t get let in. He’s the only one who’d been leaving in the evening to hunt zombies to return late at night, which he was doing to keep us all safe, I might add.”

By now a large crowd had gathered around her father and John, who still blocked Calan from entering the settlement. Jerrica looked at all the faces around them and couldn’t help noticing that anger was on most of them and directed at John, who seemed oblivious to it.

“The Werewolf Defender is more of a danger than a protector,” John shot back at her father, his voice raised.

“Once again, bull crap. Everyone here knows Calan wouldn’t do anything to harm any of us, and you know it. You used your daughter as an excuse to get rid of him because you don’t like how others look up to him. I think you abuse your status as leader, as well.”

John’s face turned glacial. “Do you have any proof of this abuse you accuse me of?”

“Other than throwing my daughter’s boyfriend out of the settlement and barring the gates against Jerrica so she had to spend the night outside the safety of the walls, no. I do recall other certain events that I question—one of them being the Flynn family. When they left the settlement for good five years ago, everyone was told they’d made the decision themselves to go. I found it odd then, and I still do. Neil had come to me several times with concerns he had regarding his land. That was around the time you gave the section of the unclaimed property next to Neil’s to your son. He’d clear trees that didn’t belong to him and said he’d made a mistake. I told Neil if it kept happening, to tell you.”

“Which he never did.”

“That’s a lie. The day before Neil supposedly packed up his family and left in the middle of the night, he’d told me he was sure your son was encroaching on his lands, and he planned to go to you later and complain. Now the Flynn family is gone, and your son has conveniently taken over Neil’s land, since it supposedly had been abandoned. I think Neil and his family were banished from the settlement, all because your son got greedy.”

“That doesn’t prove anything.” John turned his back on Jerrica’s father and set his attention on Calan once more. “You will leave.”

Jerrica shook her head. “No, he’s not. Calan stays.”

“Then you know what the consequences are. You remain outside the gates indefinitely, and I’ll personally throw you out.”

It all seemed to happen at once. John went to grab Jerrica by the arm. Her father yelled John’s name and made a lunge for him, but Calan was quicker. He let loose with a loud wolf’s growl and launched himself at the settlement’s leader with enough force to knock the man down. John landed flat on his back with Calan’s teeth loosely holding him by the throat. John’s face went completely white.

Jerrica’s father squatted next to John. “I think you pushed Calan too far this time when you dared to make a move against Jerrica. You will step down as leader of the settlement.”

“I will not,” John said in strangled tone. His eyes turned to the four men who were his friends and always did his bidding. “Get him off me. Then take the girl past the walls.”

As the four went to do as John commanded, Calan said telepathically, “You come any closer and I’ll tear his throat out.”

From the gasps of surprise from the crowd and the shocked looks on her dad’s, John’s and his four friends’ faces, Jerrica realized they all must have heard Calan as well.

“Did you just say that to everyone here inside their minds?” she asked Calan.

“Yes. I didn’t know if I could, but in this case, it’s not the time for me to hide this ability.”

“I have to agree with that.”

“Did you already know Calan could communicate like that while in wolf form?” her dad asked.

She smiled. “Yes. It was our little secret. Calan didn’t like people to know he could do it.”

“Now that I have everyone’s attention, this is how things are going to work,” Calan continued. “No one will bar Jerrica from the safety of the settlement ever again. And I’ll be allowed to come and go as I please. As you’ve heard, John is no longer fit to be leader. It is time for him to step down. What you saw here today will only get worse if he’s not stripped of his power. I’ve seen it happen in other settlements. I suggest you pick someone right now to replace John.”

Austin’s father stepped forward. “I nominate Geoff Barnes. He’s always been someone we’ve all turned to when in need, and he’s always done what he can to help out.”

“I nominate him as well,” Austin said from where he stood beside his father.

Jerrica’s dad straightened as one person after another nominated him as the settlement’s new leader. Jerrica couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She looked at her mom and saw that she smiled as well. She and her mother had said for the last couple of years that her father would be perfect for the job, not that they’d ever thought there would be a chance of him becoming leader.

“It sounds as if you have a new leader,” Calan said.

“You can’t do this,” John shouted, fury lacing his words.

Calan remained standing over John and placed a paw on the center of his chest before he released his throat, then looked down at him. “Yes, they can, and they have. The father of my mate is leader now. I suggest you move aside.” He bent his lupine head until his nose touched John’s. “Just count yourself lucky that I’m only letting you go with a warning. Come near Jerrica or anyone in her family again, and you’ll have to answer to me. And I won’t be in my human form.”

After Calan stepped away, allowing John to get up, the man scrambled to his feet. He scowled at everyone before he walked away. His four ‘friends’ made no attempt to follow him.

Her dad turned to Mathias, who stood in the front of the crowd. “Is it necessary for the workers to go out into the field today? I know the orchard will be fine for one day without being tended. I think it’d be best if everyone stays inside the walls and has a break.”

Mathias nodded and smiled. “The field can wait until tomorrow. There’s nothing pressing that needs doing out there.”

“Good. Then my first act as leader is all workers can have today off.”

More than one teenager let out loud whoops. After that, the crowd slowly dispersed. Some of the settlers stopped to talk to her father before they left for their homes, reassuring him that they’d back him as leader.

Once Jerrica, her parents and Calan were left alone, her dad came up and hugged her. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. The only thing that kept me from wanting to throw John over the walls last night was knowing you were with Calan—and your mother, of course. If you’d been stuck out there all alone, nothing would have stopped me from getting those gates open.”

“I know,” Jerrica said.

Her dad released her and looked at Calan. “I have to thank you for keeping my daughter safe. I really have to ask, though, why you called Jerrica your mate.”

Jerrica answered before Calan could. “Let’s go home. Calan and I will explain it there. It’s not something that needs to be discussed in public.” She glanced behind her father. Austin stood a little distance away, watching them. He more than likely hadn’t missed Calan calling her his mate either.

“And I’m sure the two of you haven’t eaten anything for breakfast yet,” her mom said as she took the basket Jerrica held.

Calan shifted to his human form and held Jerrica’s hand as they followed her parents away from the gates. She felt Austin’s gaze on her, but she didn’t look back at him. He’d either accept what she was to Calan or he wouldn’t. That was just the way things were going to be.