Page 34 of Fire Dancer
And boy, did I explore. From the coast of her lips to the bays of her cheekbones and the home port of her mouth.
Pippa tugged me closer and kissed harder. Harder…
Then,Caw! Caw!That damn raven flew by again.
Pippa opened her eyes and pulled back slowly.
My lips puckered up as she did, stretching the kiss. Then I was blinking too, though my arms didn’t release their grip.
“That’s some vortex,” I murmured.
Pippa nodded, and her eyes glowed like a shifter’s.
“You know how it is,” she breathed. “They tend to come and go.”
My vote was forcome, and I leaned forward, eager for more.
But a loud hum sounded over the landscape, and I couldn’t help but look up.
Pippa did the same, shielding the sun with her hand.
We watched as a helicopter chop-chop-chopped its way over from the airport, heading our way. About to slice through our shadows, in fact. A growl built in my throat.
But, no. Seconds later, its course became clear — it was heading slightly north of us, to a lumpy structure as high in elevation as our spot and a good mile away.
I cocked my head. “What’s that?”
Pippa shrugged. “La Puebla.”
As I studied the spaceship-style structure, a bad feeling set into my gut.
“La what?” I attempted a measured, not-at-all-loaded tone.
“La Puebla. Kind of a commune slash art studio built by hippies in the sixties.”
“Commune, huh?”
Even from this distance, I could make out a security checkpoint bristling with cameras and antennas. Here and there, the sun glinted off a tall steel fence — the kind that guaranteed the owner had something to hide.
“It was neglected for years, until someone tried converting it into an exclusive resort,” Pippa went on. “From what I know, that fell through, but someone recently bought it to use as some kind of a private club.”
“How do you get there?”
“You mean, if your helicopter is in the shop? You drive up Old River Road, then branch off.” She traced a line over the mountain. “Not that they let just anyone in. My friend Ryder was on the landscaping crew, and he said they got frisked every time they entered the grounds.”
At some point, I would have to drive over for a closer look. But not with the Jeep, and not in this body. No search warrant either.
My inner wolf grinned, showing its teeth.
I ran my tongue over them, though I kept the beast locked away — for now. I couldn’t rush in there without a plan. And certainly not with Pippa at my side.
Out of nowhere, all my old fantasies reared up. The ones where Pippa could turn into a wolf like me and trot along at my side just for the joy of it.
Sedona would be perfect for that. All those mesas, mountains, and open miles of land. Warm days, cooler nights. Perfect for a couple of wolves out for an innocent romp.
The helicopter grew closer and louder, drowning out my fantasy. I watched it swoop toward the compound, then descend and disappear behind the buildings.
“La Puebla, huh?” I murmured.