"Follow him, of course," Dave said.

  "I don't want to go up there!"

  "Well then put me down so I can crawl," Dave said, "'cause he saved my life; hell he may have saved all our lives." Dave looked around at the others, who were all still looking a bit shell-shocked at all of this.

  "I don't know if Gary is right, or if he's wrong, but what the hell do we have to lose by following him? He hasn't led us wrong yet, has he?"

  "Hunter," Sten called over his radio.

  "What?" Hunter yawned, waking up. "They make it to the next drop already?"

  "No, they've turned off the river, they're heading south."

  "What?" Hunter sat up in his tent. "What happened?"

  "That Gary guy, the one who's been leading them, he went off on the whole group. Apparently he's not only figured out what we're up to, but he thinks they'd all be better off without us, that this whole affair was stupid. That keeping lycans was stupid! Then he just flipped them all off and headed south. And the rest, we'll, they all decided to follow him."

  "Huh." Hunter thought about that a moment. "How far are they from the road?"

  "I figure it'll take them an hour or two to get to it. Then it's fifteen miles to town along the road."

  Hunter nodded to himself. "So they could get there by one, if they try."

  "Yeah, probably."

  "Okay, put up signs at the next food stop pointing towards highway eighty, and blaze a simple trail for the others to follow."

  "It'll take 'em all day to make it to eighty; wouldn't you rather send them to Forrest Hill as well?"

  "Where's the fun in that?" Hunter chuckled. "If they follow the Grads, good for them. If they don't, they get the consolation prize. Besides, having almost three hundred lost wanderers show up in a town that small will lead to questions. Once you're done with that trail, pull out and go home. I think we've held their hands long enough."

  "Okay boss! See you back at the ranch!"

  "Yea! Now I get to go home to Alex!" Demon said, yawning, as he sat up on the other side of the tent. "You don't think Sean'll be upset that we didn't make 'em walk all the way back, do you?"

  "If he is, I'll deal with it," Hunter said. "Let's get a final count on everybody, then call for a pick up. I want to go home and see Silver, too."

  #

  Sean was sitting in his workshop eating dinner. Roxy had woken him early and made it clear she wasn't looking to wait much longer, she wanted some attention from her man, and she wanted it now. Then of course the others had all wanted a go around with him, then Roxy had started all over again.

  By the time Sean got out of the bedroom, it was almost two, and he'd made it clear he didn't want to be disturbed for anything other than dinner, and he'd come out when he was good and ready.

  That was why he was scowling at the door, which someone was knocking on. He had everything ready to go, and without any interruptions he'd finally get this machine finished by sometime tonight. He'd spent the last three hours tweaking the programs in his virtual workbench after doing a test load and seeing how that ran.

  Whoever it was knocked a third time.

  "Alright! Come in already!" Sean growled.

  Oak stepped in the room. "Someone here to see you, Sean."

  "Where's Roxy?" Sean sighed as two strangers followed Oak into the room. The man appeared to be in his fifties, and the woman probably about the same.

  "She figured if she pissed you off tonight, she wouldn't be getting any when you were done." Oak laughed.

  "And the others?"

  "Pretty much the same sentiment." Oak grinned. "Me, I don't care, I got a wife already."

  Sean snorted. "Well, pull up a chair and tell me what you want. As you've no doubt already been told, I'm in the middle of something important."

  "Do you always meet your guests in the nude?" the woman asked.

  Sean shifted into his hybrid lion form. "There, now I'm covered in fur. Not that I suspect you really cared," he said with a smile. "Now, I really don't wish to be rude, but until I finish this," Sean jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the machine, "I don't get to go to bed. So, talk to me," and he went back to shoveling food into his mouth.

  "Rudy must have loved you!" she said and laughed.

  Sean shrugged. "Can't fault a man for trying to look after his people, even if he's obnoxious about it. You are?" Sean asked, pointedly.

  "Oh, I'm Dawn, this is Jonas. I'm in charge of the western Oregon pack, and Jonas runs the Washington pack, as well as the fellowship."

  Sean nodded. "Thanks for coming, both of you. Dawn, I'd like you to get together with Chad, my general, so we can start planning what to do about Eugene. Jonas, I'm actually surprised you came. I figured you'd be way too busy, and I'd have to go up there myself."

  "My, aren't we full of ourselves," Dawn said with a smile and a cheerful voice.

  Sean gave his head a slight shake, causing his mane to fluff up slightly, and pointed to himself with his fork, "Lion. We're kinda like that. Plus, like I said before, I need to get that project done tonight."

  "And what is so important that you're willing to be rude to the head of the Pacific Northwest Fellowship?" Jonas asked.

  "See those necklaces and tags sitting on the table behind you?"

  Both of them turned to look.

  "Those are lycan collars and the silver tag, like Oak over there is wearing. Go ahead, help yourself. Take a few to bring home if you want," Sean said and went back to eating.

  Dawn and Jonas each picked up one of the chain collars, Oak showed them how the clasp worked, and they put them on. Sean almost had to laugh when they both immediately shifted into their hybrid forms, then their animal forms, then back to human.

  "Don't forget the tags," Sean said between bites, "that's what protects you from silver."

  Oak showed them how to put the tags on as well. Jonas stiffened for a brief moment, Sean noticed.

  "So, what does what you're working on have to do with these?" Dawn asked, while Jonas was looking thoughtful.

  "For reasons I won't go into, right now I'm the only one making the collars and tags. The device behind me makes tags without me having to be here." Sean said as he finished up his dinner.

  "You're building a device that enchants things without you being here?" Jonas said, looking surprised.

  "Sean's the best enchanter in the world today," Oak said, smiling. "As well as being a lion."

  "What he said." Sean smiled and nodded towards Oak. "How long are the two of you here for? I'd love to talk to you in the morning."

  "What's wrong with talking now?" Jonas said, looking a little offended.

  "I have to get back to work, and you two need to leave and let me do that."

  "You're not the boss of me!" Jonas growled.

  Grumbling, Sean put his hands on the worktable and stood up, bending over to look down at Jonas.

  "Oh yes I am the boss of you. I'm the boss of everybody," Sean growled. "And before you say something stupid, just be thankful my boss isn't here, because patience is not his strong suit."

  "Your boss?" Dawn asked. "And just where would he be?"

  "He's currently spending the year dead for tax purposes," Sean quipped. "But trust me when I tell you, when he says 'jump', we all ask how high.

  "Now, like I said before, I'm sorry to be rude, but I have a lot to do and not a lot of time left tonight to get it done. Please wait outside; Oak or Roxy or somebody will see to all your needs, I'm sure."

  Grumbling, Jonas walked over to the door and left without a second glance.

  "May I?" Dawn asked and motioned to the table with the remaining ten collars and tags on it.

  "Help yourself," Sean said and flagged Oak to come over to him.

  "Yes?" Oak asked as Dawn swept up all of the tags and collars, then stuffing them in her pockets, she went outside as well.

  "Keep an eye on Jonas. If he even talks to himself, I want to know what the conversation was about," Sean whispered in Oak's ear.

  Oak nodded and hurried off after the other two, closing the door behind him.

  With that, Sean turned back to his machine. A couple more test loads, and he'd be ready for the final program. Then after that, he could start on the one for the collars.

  It was after two AM when Sean finally dragged himself to bed, and immediately woke up Roxy. He might be tired, but he'd finished his machine! So he was definitely way too wound up to sleep.

  "Somebody's happy," Roxy purred as Sean's hands stroked and teased her.

  "I finished the machine," Sean said and nibbled on an earlobe. "I even wrote up the instructions for it. Tomorrow I'll teach a couple of people how to use it, and we can start cranking out those tags."

  "Umm, hmmm," Roxy nodded. "Why'd you tell Oak to keep an eye on Jonas?"

  "He had a pellet in him," Sean told her and slowly licked his way down her body, pausing briefly to give each of her nipples a kiss.

  "So?"

  "Somebody owned him once," Sean said, moving slowly down towards her belly button, "and for all I know, they still do."

  Roxy gave a soft moan as Sean finally reached his goal and put his tongue to better uses than just talking. Wrapping her legs around his head, she sank her fingers into his thick mane and held on as Sean rumbled happily. On the next lick with his tongue, he pressed forward and, sliding it between the lips of Roxy's sex, he slowly worked his tongue up inside her.

  He took his time, exploring her, tasting her, enjoying everything that was Roxy, his first love and his first wife, teasing all the secret spots deep inside that he'd learned about as their hybrid bodies worked slowly against each other, rubbing, nibbling, pinching, teasing. He heard her gasp of passion and felt her grip tighten on his ears when she finally orgasmed on his lips and tongue, her body shivering in delight as she purred long and loud.

  Unwrapping her long legs from around his head, Roxy rolled onto all fours, and batted at him with her tail as she smiled back at him over her shoulder.

  "Show me that you love me," Roxy purred, and a moment later Sean was covering her back, moving deep into her heat as he wrapped his arms around her, cupping her breasts with his strong hands as he started off with a slow and easy rhythm. Letting his hands massage Roxy's chest as his body pressed down against her back, the two of them rocking slowly against each other on the bed at first, then finding their rhythm together, they started to move faster and harder, as Roxy softly purred once more and Sean started to pant.

  Moving one hand down over Roxy's belly, Sean used his fingers to tease Roxy's sex as his movements became more urgent, more demanding. He was nearing his own release now as Roxy twisted and shook beneath him, urging her mate on, driving him closer and closer to the edge as his fingers and his shaft brought her once more to completion.

  When Sean finally reached his peak, he slammed in hard, opening his jaws wide, grabbed Roxy's shoulder by the base of her neck, and clung to her tightly as she bucked back against him, her arms collapsing as he drove her head forward and down onto the pillows beneath her.

  It took Sean several minutes to catch his breath, and Roxy slowly unbent and slid forward until she was lying flat on the bed beneath him as they purred happily and cuddled in post-coital bliss.

  Sean was just starting to fall asleep when he felt someone tugging on his tail.

  "Okay, Lion-boy," Daelyn teased, "my turn!"

  Monday Morning Breakdown

  Sean was feeling a lot better after breakfast next day. The first machine was finished, and later on he'd be able to teach others how to make it work.

  "Well, I might as well charge up the machine, play with it a little more, and check the instructions I wrote up last night."

  "I might as well join you," Daelyn said with a smile. "So I can build the next one."

  "More like the next ten," Sean said with a smile as they headed over to his workshop. "I tarballed the finished machine last night. Not counting setting up the batteries, I could enchant one in about an hour."

  "That quickly?"

  "First one is always the hardest," Sean said with a smile. "The emulator I have helps, but it isn't perfect. Well, not yet anyway."

  "Mr. Valens!"

  Sean turned and saw Stewart was waving at him and hurrying over.

  Sean stopped by the door to his shop and waited for him.

  "Guess we'll find out who won the pot!" Daelyn giggled.

  "Mr. Valens," Stewart said, stopping before him.

  "It's Sean, Stewart. Just Sean."

  Stewart looked embarrassed. "Um. Sean. I hate to ask this, but well," Stewart sighed, "I guess there's no easy way to ask this, but could I possibly borrow some money? Gus Hampton wants a hundred grand to become his apprentice, I know you won't teach humans, and I've only got a little bit over forty thou at this point."

  "So, didn't let them bite you?" Sean asked with a grin.

  Stewart shrugged and looked a little guilty. "I don't think I could handle that right now. Everything has been coming at me so fast these last few weeks. I promised the girls I'd let them try to convince me again come the end of the year." Stewart sighed. "Assuming they're still with me."

  "Ah, so what you're really worried about is…" Daelyn chuckled as Sean opened the door to his workshop; he heard a metal 'ping' and, turning, he wrapped his arms around Daelyn as he shifted.

  "Grenade!" Sean yelled as he jumped as hard as he could, while trying to bring up his defensive framework and trigger something, anything, before the explosion went off.

  A second later there was an explosion, and Sean swore as he felt pieces of metal tear into his body, the shock of the explosion flinging him further and making him tumble in the air. He didn't feel his shield react, so none of it was silver, he realized, as he hit the ground on his back, hard.

  "Are you okay?" Sean gasped at Daelyn, who was swearing up a blue streak, as people started to pour out of the buildings and come running.

  "I think I took some shrapnel in the leg," she grumbled. "Holy shit, Sean! Your foot's gone!"

  "So's half my butt I think," Sean growled and looked down at himself as he lay on the ground, panting. Sure enough, his right leg now ended below the knee. It hurt like a bitch, and as he watched, he could actually see it starting to grow back, and he felt his mana levels dropping. Considering how little sleep he'd gotten last night, his energy stores weren't fully recovered from yesterday's work yet, either.

  That was when he heard the screaming.

  "Oh, fuck, Stewart!" Sean said.

  "Stay here!" he told Daelyn and crawled over to where Stewart lay, his body bleeding from a dozen wounds, his left arm shredded, and his left leg completely gone.

  "Damn it!" Sean growled. He cast a healing spell on the broken body below, but it was only buying the kid seconds at best, and he needed a lot more than that if he was going to survive.

  "Bite him!" Sean growled at April.

  "But he said…"

  "Bite. Him!"

  Sean looked around, the door to his workshop was gone, and the building was on fire.

  "I need silver!" he yelled. "Someone get me some! Now!" Reaching down into his tag, he made the change to the code that would feed him the power, then looked at his own mana levels. The grenade must have done more damage than he'd realized, because he was almost at zero.

  "This is gonna hurt," Sean growled and, turning back to Stewart, he pumped the biggest healing spell he could into him, burning almost all of his mana.

  "Silver!" Sean growled.

  Oak thrust a magazine into Sean's hands as he started to go negative. If Sean had thought being shot hurt, this was an entirely new definition of pain. He'd swear he could feel it in his soul!

  Popping a bullet off the top with his thumb, he wrapped his hand around the silver, and as the tag converted it, he sucked the power in, but it wasn't enough. He popped out a second, then a third, and managed to stop the decline when somebody suddenly thrust one of the small bars he kept in the shop at him, the smell of burnt fur making his nose crinkle. Grabbing the bar, he took it all in and forced as much of the power into his body as he could stand, then started to channel another healing spell at the broken body on the ground before him.

  The kid wasn't dead at least, but with the amount of damage he'd taken, Sean wasn't sure he'd live, either. Looking up at April, there was blood on her lips; she'd bitten him, but she was crying as she sat there holding his left hand. The other girl, Rachel he thought her name was, dropped to her knees beside her and also took his arm.

  Sean started to feel warm, then hot, and realized he was still sucking power from the silver bar. Looking down at himself, his leg was still growing back, but now he was going the opposite way, power wise. Dropping the bar, he cast another healing spell on Stewart and one on himself before falling over, spent.

  Turning his head, he could see Daelyn; Roberta was taking care of her, and Peg was helping with the fire, casting water or something on it. Roxy came running up to him then.

  "Sean! Are you alright, Sean?"

  "I, I think so. I went negative there for a moment; I don't think I ever want to do that again! I still feel it."

  "How the hell did that happen?" Roxy growled at him.

  "Trying to save Stewart. Is he still alive?"

  Roxy looked over at Stewart's body, and paled.

  "Roberta! If Daelyn ain't dying you better get over here! Somebody call Philo!"

  "That bad?" Sean swore.

  "He ain't dead yet, but it doesn't look like anything's growing back, either."

  "He only just got bit, I told April to do it." Sean sighed as he lay there, panting and feeling dizzy.

  "I'm gonna carry you inside. It's not safe for you to be out here like this. Cali!"

  "Yes, Rox?"

  "Anyone looks like they're even thinking bad thoughts at Sean, take 'em down!"

  "Sure thing, Rox!"

  Sean grunted as Roxy picked him up and threw him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry, then ran surprisingly fast for the house and took him back to the bedroom, where she dropped him on the bed.

  "Go find Oak. I want to know where Jonas and Dawn are."