Four – Vail
Snow-heavy branches slapped against my face as I made it to the tree-line. I didn’t turn to see the brothers shift; the sound of their howls was all the confirmation my pounding heart needed. I was back in the woods I loved so much, but now I was prey. And even if I could climb a pine tree with my throbbing shoulder, it wasn’t going to save me from the wolves on my heels.
I ran straight downhill. There was no time for clever tricks or false trails. And where was I going to go if I headed up the mountain? Driftwood’s north cabin was miles away, and I wasn’t sure I’d beat two shifters on a snowmobile, let alone on foot. Throw in my damaged shoulder and I wasn’t just slow prey, I was weak .
Not that I could think about my injury. I needed all of my concentration to avoid toppling into the thick drifts of snow, or being brained by a random branch. My ears were still ringing from the flashbang and with the moon taunting me from behind a layer of cloud, I was running blind. My pursuers could rely on their shifter senses, but at least I knew this patch of mountain better than my own face. I was scratched up, and breathing hard, but every step was familiar. And then my bedroom light was glowing like a beacon in the dark.
They must have given me a head-start. It was all I could think as the sloping roof of our cabin suddenly came into view. The sight of it gave me an extra burst of adrenaline, and I tore through our tree-line with new hope. If I could get inside before they reached me, there were all sorts of goodies I could point at their hairy asses. But the thought had barely registered when a warbling howl split the air. It was so much meatier than a normal wolf, like it had the rage and menace of an ugly man behind it. But that wasn’t what made me freeze in my tracks. It was the echo of an answering cry. And that howl was coming from the shadows in front of me.
The wolf that crouched beside the veggie patch under my window was as big as any I’d ever seen in the wild. Bigger, maybe, than all the shifters in school, with the exception of a few alphas. It was a dark shape against the snow, just the glimmer of pointed teeth showing behind its rippling muzzle.
Until it rose to its full height and began stalking towards me. No urgency, but with an eagerness to each step that made my stomach clench. Like it hoped I might try to run again. So it could either take me down from behind, or herd me right into the jaws of the other wolf.
But I knew my only option was to go forward. To either try for my bedroom window, or circle the house and go through the front. Since I’d come home, I’d started keeping a rifle under my bed and another mounted over the door. Both were in easy reach once I breached the house. If I could just get past the shifter in front of me, I’d have a decent chance…
Before I could decide, the wolf leaped, its massive weight hitting me square in the chest. It drove me flat onto my back, bracing itself above me so it didn’t completely crush my ribs. But my damaged shoulder took the brunt of my fall and black spots burst across my eyes.
Don’t pass out, Vail! You go under now, you don’t know where the hell you’ll wake up…
Its panting breath was a hot spray across my face, but it helped me blink away the fog. Too bad that gave me an up-close look at its massive fangs. They gleamed in the moonlight, and I shrank back into the snow, certain they were going to tear into my throat. Because the look in the shifter’s eyes was all beast. Which meant I was nothing more than a tasty lump of meat.
“Easy, brother,” a male voice said behind me. Shaggy was standing just outside the tree-line, his gaze fixed on the other shifter. “You only want to give her wolf a little nudge. Remember the deal, Kody. She has to be in one piece.”
Whether the wolf heard him or not didn’t matter, because he was suddenly wrenched away by a golden blur. The wolf that tore him off me was so fast, it spun them both into the side of the house. They rolled right under the light of my bedroom window and my heart thumped at that gleaming, pale fur. Until I saw its narrower frame and the reddish undertones along its belly. Not Jasper then, but most likely the wolf I’d been stalking from my tree.
I backpedaled in the snow, coming up hard against the wooden edge of the garden bed. I looked around for the other shifter – Shaggy – but he was watching the fight, and I found I couldn’t look away, either. The two wolves were twisting and snapping, all claws and teeth as they lunged and swiped. There was no way the red-gold wolf could take down the larger shifter. Or so I thought, until it grabbed its rear leg in its teeth and flipped the beast onto its back. Before the shifter – Kody - could get his legs back under him, the golden wolf had wrapped its teeth around his muzzle and chomped down hard.
As blood splattered across the snow, Kody gave a strange, high-pitched squeal. The smaller wolf made a yipping sound and instantly shifted into the blonde girl from Trey’s deck. She was naked except for a furry wolf paw pressed to Kody’s throat. I was as surprised by the gleaming blood claw as the yipping sound rolling out of her human throat.
She’s giggling. A fucked-up kind of giggle that made my hair stand on end, but she was clearly amused by the wolf under her claw.
Shaggy was less so. “Who the fuck are you?”
“My name’s Sin, and I’m the night’s entertainment.” The girl’s giggle had finally settled into a cocky grin, and she looked down at Kody with an arched brow. “Can you make that squealy sound again? My wolf loves a good pork chop.”
Shaggy was lunging at her before his brother could get another whine out. I saw his broad back lurch past, and then I was swinging the end of my pitchfork against the base of his skull. It connected with enough force to make the garden tool vibrate out of my hands, but Shaggy went down like a felled tree. I stared at him in shock, while the blonde shifter dissolved into another wave of giggles. “Foul ball, little wolf! How is he?”
I stooped over the motionless shifter. “I think I knocked him out.”
“No shit!” She giggled and winked at me again, running her human hand over her fauxhawk. “Could you grab my clothes? They’re on your porch.”
I stared at her, bug-eyed, but my feet instantly obeyed. Maybe this was all I needed to bring my obedient omega side out – a crazy, giggling chick with blood on her teeth. I was shaking my head at the idea as I collected her things, pausing only to grab the shotgun from over the door before heading back. The blonde shifter took her jacket and pulled a pair of silver zip-ties from an inside pocket.
“Shifter proof,” she told me, holding up the cuffs. “The sneaky suckers adapt to the shifter form. Stops them slipping out when they wolf out. ”
I just watched as she trussed up the two guys, who were now both unconscious. I wasn’t sure what she’d done to Kody and she wasn’t gentle as she gave them both a parting kick. At least she wasn’t wearing her steel-toed boots yet. A situation she remedied by pulling her jeans on, commando-style, then hopping from foot to foot as she laced up her boots. She watched me all the while. “I would’ve been here sooner, but I waited to lift their keys. Ran into that boy of yours loading a rifle like he was hunting bear.” She pulled a face. “Had to hit him pretty hard to keep him down, but it gave me a moment to study him.” She slid on her jacket, then scratched her chin. “You know he’s not a wolf, right?”
I shrugged, a little envious of how she could go from blood-splattered naked to effortlessly cool in under a minute. My puffy snow coat was looking the worse for wear after running through the woods, then wrestling with a shifter. “Trey Barakat’s not my boy. And I have no clue what he is.”
She hummed. “Me neither. Which is weird, because I’ve seen some shit.” She suddenly slapped her thighs, making me jump. “Ready to hit the road?”
I looked down at the two naked shifters lying next to my garden bed and nodded. What the hell else was I supposed to do?
“Cool! I’m hungry enough to eat a bear.” She paused and arched a brow at my shotgun. “You want burgers, or...?”
I didn’t let her finish that sentence. “Burgers would be great.”
We hiked to where the shifters had left their off-roader, which was so new and fancy it wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Barakat garage. “All the worst boys have the best toys,” she mused as we climbed in and buckled up. When the engine roared to life, she gave a happy wiggle. “This is my first Hummer. Want to find some tunes?”
I managed to find a song that met her approval just as the seat heaters clicked on. “Ahh, tunes and a rump roast! Delicious.” We were already well on our way down the mountain when she asked, “Where to?”
I glanced at her in surprise. I was grateful she’d helped me get away from the shifters, but I figured she’d want to dump my troublesome ass as soon as possible. “You can just drop me anywhere round here. My guardian has a cabin up north…”
She grunted. “Those dirtbags won’t let up now they have your scent. You need to get some distance between you and this mountain for a while.”
I swallowed hard. The only places I could think of had their own dirtbags-in-residence. And no doubt the welcoming committee would run me off with more than flashbangs and garden tools. “My brother goes to the Agri-Science College near Mount Whitnor. I know it’s a way off…”
“It’s fine. We’ll get burgers first, then stop for gas.” She gave me another of her winks. “Lie back and rest, little wolf. You’ve earned it after taking on a Black Denner with a gardening fork.” She squeezed the wheel and gave a low chuckle. “Best damn thing I’ve seen in months…”
I must have dozed, because I woke as she dropped the nozzle back on the pump and sauntered into the gas station to pay. I tilted my head, watching through lowered lashes as she wandered around the little store, filling her basket with snacks and chatting to the cashier. I didn’t feel hungry, which I thought was strange, until I looked down and saw the crumpled burger bags on the floor. My mouth tasted weird. Not just salt and grease, but a metallic flavor I wanted to wash away. I reached for the soda cup, but missed. I frowned at my hand, which somehow felt disconnected from my arm.
I was thinking about reaching for the soda again, when the driver’s door popped open. The blonde shifter was standing there with a bag of groceries slung over her arm, but she didn’t get in. “Hey, little wolf,” she whispered. “You doing okay?”
I nodded, even though my stomach was starting to churn. “Is your name really Sin?”
A dimple popped in her cheek. “Sure is. Maybe someday I’ll tell you what it’s short for.” I blinked, my eyes sliding off her until I forced them back. The gas station lights lit her fauxhawk up like a jagged halo. She looked like a grungy angel, especially with the crooked smile on her wide mouth. “I’d love to hang out some more, but there’s a guy here who’s going to take you somewhere safe.”
I blinked at her. “What? Who?”
“He’s just a guy with some info I need.” She rubbed a hand over her spiky hair and puffed out a sigh. “That sounds super shady.” She paused, a distant look in her eye. “You know, not every place has to be a clusterfuck for wolves like us. Maybe somewhere, the freaks are the norm, you know?” She reached out and ruffled my hair, the manic gleam resurfacing. “And I’ll come and check on you, okay?”
I just stared at her, and she shuffled back, talking to someone I couldn’t see behind the tinted window. But then hands flashed, a folded piece of paper swapped out for a set of keys. I was still blinking heavily, trying to make sense of what was going on, when Sin the shifter loped off without a backward glance.
I opened my mouth to call out, but the words died on my tongue as my dad swung into the driver’s seat. His gaze went straight to the shotgun propped against my knee, and his smile was sad. “Hey, sweet pea. I hear you’ve had some shifter trouble.”