An hour later, he reined the stallion to a halt, giving the big horse a much-needed rest.
Dismounting, Erik patted the weary horse on the neck, then paced back and forth for a few minutes to stretch his legs. Taking shelter under a tree, he braced one shoulder against the trunk and closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by a half dozen men brandishing weapons. They wore the drab clothes of peasants.
“We’re here fer yer money, yer lordship,” said the man standing directly in front of Erik. He wore a ragged cloak, a dingy white shirt, trousers in need of mending, and a black top hat cocked at a rakish angle. It added a rather incongruous note to the rest of his attire.
“And yer horse,” added a tall, skinny lad with a mouthful of rotten teeth. “’Tis as fine a piece of horseflesh as ever I’ve seen.”
Pushing away from the tree, Erik lowered the hood of his cloak. The men gaped at him when they saw the mask.
“Looks like he’s one of us!” exclaimed a short, stocky man wearing a tattered jacket, and a stocking cap.
A few of the men laughed nervously.
“Why the mask?” Rotten Teeth asked.
“That’s my business.”
“I’m afraid not, yer lordship,” Top Hat replied. “Take it off.”
Erik shook his head. “No.” He tensed as the man in front of him cocked his pistol. The other men did likewise.
“Take it off.”
“No.”
“Stubborn, ain’t he?” Stocking Cap said. He drew a knife from inside his shabby jacket and ran his thumb over the blade. “I could maybe persuade him for ya.”
Top Hat nodded. “Have at him, Harry.”
Harry grinned, exposing a row of crooked yellow teeth. Tossing the blade from hand to hand, he swaggered forward.
Erik took a step backward. He should just take the mask off, he thought. No doubt the sight of his face would scare the devil out of them, but he could not bring himself to do it.
“The mask,” Harry said, pointing at it with the tip of his knife. “Take it off and show us what yer hiding.”
Erik reached into his pocket and withdrew his purse. “Take the money.”
“We will,” Top Hat said. “Have no fear of that.”
“All in good time,” Harry said. Grinning, he reached for a corner of the mask.
Rage boiled up inside Erik. It spilled out in a growl as his hands closed around Harry’s throat. Lifting the man off his feet, he hurled him away as if he weighed nothing at all.
Top Hat yelled, “Kill him!” and fired his pistol.
Erik reeled backward, his hand clutching his right shoulder. The other men fired their weapons as well. One ball struck him in the left arm, another struck him low in the left side. With a roar of pain and rage, he lunged forward, but the men scattered like chickens before a fox.
He saw one of the men spring onto Raven’s back. Leaning out of the saddle, the man grabbed Harry’s arm and swung him up behind him in the saddle, and then they were gone.
Soaked to the skin, his wounds bleeding profusely, Erik sank to his knees.
“Kristine.” He murmured her name as darkness descended on him. “Kristine . . .”
He woke slowly, frowning into the darkness, his nostrils filling with a sharp feral odor and the scent of smoke. He started to sit up, only to fall back as pain splintered through his arm, side, and shoulder. A low whine sounded to his right and when he turned his head, he saw a huge gray wolf sitting beside him, pink tongue lolling out of the side of its mouth. Moving just his eyes, Erik glanced to his left. A black wolf sat near his feet; another slept curled up at the side of the black wolf.
“Don’t be afraid.”
He turned toward the voice with a start and saw a woman kneeling beside a small fire near the back of the cave. “Who are you?”
“Who are you?”
“Erik Trevayne.” He struggled to sit up, only then realizing he was naked. He didn’t mind the lack of his clothing, but he felt vulnerable without the mask. “Where are my clothes?”
“The robbers came back after you passed out and took them, but don’t worry.” A smile crept into her voice. “We took them from the robbers.”
He knew without asking that the men who had accosted him were no longer a threat to anyone. “And my horse?”
“He is being well cared for, have no fear.”
“What is this place? Where am I?”
“You’re safe, for now.” She raised a slender hand and made a sweeping motion that encompassed the cavern. “I live here.”
“I’ve told you who I am. Now, who are you?”
“I am called Valaree.”
“And you live in this cave? Why?”
She rose to her feet and walked toward him. She was a tall woman, with waist-length black hair and luminous brown eyes. She wore a loose-fitting white robe that seemed to glow in the dim light of the fire.
“How do you feel, Erik Trevayne?” She peeled back the bandages from his injuries, then bent down and sniffed the wounds. Nodding, she replaced the bandages.
He let out a long sigh. The transformation was spreading. His body was in constant pain as muscle and bone and tissue fought against the Change. But there was no need to tell her that.
“I feel fine, all things considered. Who are you? How did I get here?”
“All in good time, Erik.” She went back to the fire and picked up a bowl and spoon. “You need to eat to replenish your strength.”
She sat beside him and offered him a spoonful of thick, dark broth. He hesitated a moment before swallowing it.
She lifted one brow in wry amusement. “Afraid I’m going to poison you?”
“It doesn’t make much sense for you to save my life only to drag me in here to poison me.” He regarded her curiously for a moment. “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”
“Should I be?”
He lifted a hand to the left side of his face. “Most people would be repelled by this.”
“I am not most people.”
He nodded. There was no doubt of that. He glanced around the cave, at the wolves sitting patiently nearby. He had the peculiar feeling they understood everything that was being said. “Are the wolves your pets?”
“Pets?” She laughed at that, a deep husky sound that reminded him of distant thunder. She stroked the gray wolf’s head. “This is my father. The pretty black one is my mother, and the sleepy one is my sister, Elsbeth.” Valaree cocked her head to one side, her gaze studying him intently. “What happened to you? I’ve never seen anyone trapped in the midst of the Change.”