30. Hettie
Chapter 30
Hettie
T he crisp air carries the faint smell of pine and needles. Darkness covers the forest, making visibility difficult but not impossible. It’s quiet, save for Grass’s soft footfalls and woodland creatures scurrying about, trying to find safety for the night.
I pull my red coat tighter around me, reaching down to double-check the ax at my hip is secure and clamp down on the guilt that threatens to take hold of me. Guilt about dragging Tallie into this, even though she was the one to suggest we go, and guilt over going behind Rip’s back.
Getting away from Rip proved to be surprisingly easy. He was summoned to a meeting with members of his patrol, needing to discuss logistics now that a good chunk of their patrol is away.
I had smiled, telling him I just wanted to get some sleep. The worst thing is that Rip believed me. I prayed he didn’t poke around in our bond because then my plan would come undone.
But he didn’t. He trusted me. Gave me a kiss and left.
Now here I am, outside, waiting for Tallie. As guilty as I feel, it’s not enough to make me tuck tail and head back home. I need to do this, even if I can’t quite put into words the reasons why. It simply feels like an inevitability.
The soft crunch of snow has me turning my head to see Tallie approaching. She wears a determined expression as she closes the gap between us. “You ready?” No prelude, just straight to the point.
“As ready as I can be,” I murmur, wanting to get this over with. The faster I get the wolfsbane in my hands, the quicker I can get home and hand off the cure.
“I’m going to travel as a wolf. I’ll be able to hear and see better. I’ll follow your lead, but warn you if something is amiss.” Tallie strips, and I turn my head to give her privacy. The wolves aren’t fazed by nudity, but it’s going to take me more time to warm up to the idea. The sound of broken bones and ripping flesh makes me cringe.
When I turn back around, a large gray wolf stands where Tallie was only moments ago. She’s just as beautiful in this form as she is in her human one. Grass rubs against her flank, wagging his tail excitedly.
At least one of us is excited.
Before I begin our journey, I take a moment to listen to the sounds of the forest. The call for wolfsbane starts again, almost as if it knows I’m ready to find it. It’s a low, gradual sound and pulls me forward. “Let’s go.”
Grass and Tallie fall in line behind me. I’m led by an invisible string, just like the last time. My body is a vessel, and I allow myself to be pulled. The uneven terrain of the forest floor causes me to stumble, and I have to catch myself before I fall on my face. I swear I hear Tallie’s wolf laugh at me.
Unlike the first time, we are pulled deeper into the forest. My hand hovers just above my ax handle. I hope I don’t need it, but I’m not willing to take the chance. It helps me to not feel completely defenseless.
About fifteen minutes into our journey, we come to a drop-off point. I hear running water and make my way to the edge. A steady river flows about six feet below us. Large rocks and fallen tree trunks wedge themselves between the water and the bank. Few things grow on the rocky floor, and I nearly dismiss it.
Except when I try to turn away, the sound grows louder, and I clamp my hands over my ears to drown out the noise. Tallie whimpers, coming to my side and rubbing against me. Except the noise doesn’t stop. It pounds in my head until my vision becomes blurry.
I want it to stop.
My body shakes as I turn back to the river. Finally, mercifully, the noise lowers to a low thrum. “It’s here,” I croak, waiting for my ears to stop ringing and for my eyes to focus. “I’m certain of it. You and Grass stay up, watch our surroundings. I’m going to climb down?—”
Tallie growls. I can’t communicate with her like this, but I know it’s her way of showing her dissatisfaction with my plan.
“I’ll be careful,” I assure. “I’m not completely uncoordinated.” Besides, the pull is too strong to ignore. I’m not sure I could ignore it, even if I tried.
Tallie grunts, and I take it as acquiescence. “I’ll work fast,” I promise and slowly start my descent. It’s not a long climb down, but I’m still careful. Falling six feet wouldn’t cause much pain, but it would hurt my pride.
I let out a triumphant whoop when my feet hit the ground, which is answered by a howl from Grass. The journey back up won’t be much better, but I concentrate my efforts on my task at hand. Finding wolfsbane .
It’s darker here, and I desperately wish I thought to bring something to light my way. If I hadn’t been so worried Rip would find out what I’m doing, I would have thought this plan out better.
I’m careful to keep some distance between myself and the water. Half of the river is frozen, but it’s a light layer. Not enough to hold my weight. I crouch low, trying to get a better view of the floor. Debris and the occasional weed are the only things I see.
“Where is it?” I growl to no one in particular, growing frustrated with my lack of progress. Tallie howls, and it feels a lot like she’s telling me to hurry.
Growing desperate, I move faster, hands out in front of me, searching for the plant. I feel like Velma from one of the old Scooby Doo shows, looking for her glasses.
Focusing on what is directly in front of me, I miss the log peeking out of the water. My right foot snags on the wood, and I go down hard with an oof . Small rocks get stuck in my hands and knees.
“Fuck,” I growl, picking myself up. In a moment of anger, I kick the log, only to have my entire boot go through the wood.
This is karma. Fucking karma for lying to my damn mate and going on this fruitless quest.
Disappointment settles in, knowing I will go home empty-handed. Knowing the wolves I could have saved will grow sicker. Angry tears blur my vision as I turn to climb back up.
In the midst of turning around, something catches my attention. A flash of purple and green stands out in an otherwise colorless area. I take a tentative step forward, noticing that, when I kicked the log, I moved it back a few inches, uncovering something growing underneath .
Wolfsbane.
Not as much as last time, but still enough. “Tallie, it’s here!”
She doesn’t respond, but I hear Grass. He’s barking, but it takes me a moment to realize his barks aren’t playful or happy. “Grass?” I call, but his barking only grows more incessant.
And then I hear it. Growls. And not from Grass.
Heart racing, I grab up the wolfsbane, shoving everything I can into my pocket. “Tallie!” I scream for her again, but she doesn’t make herself known. What the fuck is going on?
I climb back up the steep hill on all fours, moving as fast as I can. Growls and what sounds like bodies colliding filter down to me, and my stomach drops. When I finally reach the top, my body freezes at the scene before me.
A gray wolf is locked in combat with an unfamiliar brown wolf. A rogue—it has to be. Grass bites at the heel of the brown wolf, trying his best to keep him away from Tallie. One rough push from the brown wolf’s hind legs sends Grass flying back. He lands in a heap on the ground, whimpering.
Someone screams. It might be me.
But it’s the wrong thing to do. Tallie loses her focus, snapping her attention in my direction. The brief distraction is all the brown wolf needs to make his next move. He lunges, his canines sinking deep into Tallie’s neck.
Tallie growls, tries to break free, but the brown wolf’s hold is too strong. I watch, almost as if I’m watching the scene play out in slow motion. He clamps down hard on Tallie and then tosses her to the side as if she weighs nothing at all. The sickening sound of her body hitting the tree sends me into a full-blown panic .
“Tallie!” I scream again, this time getting the attention of the brown wolf.
He stares at me, tilting his head to the side, studying me. I fumble to get the ax at my side, trying to remember the training Rip made me do. I charge at him. Desperation, fear, and anger mix like a deadly cocktail.
The brown wolf narrowly dodges my ax as it sticks in the ground where he was only moments ago. I struggle to free it, and that’s when I hear the mocking male laughter.
“You must be Red,” the strange voice says.
I dislodge my ax and stare down a massive man. Not Michael, but not any less frightening.
This man stands at least six feet tall. His mop of brown hair is buzzed short. He has a large hook nose and soulless eyes. He’s naked, of course, exposing every tight muscle of his body.
I raise my ax again, but the man tsks. “You really don’t want to do that, Red. Michael won’t be happy.”
“Fuck Michael,” I spit. I charge at him again, putting all of my strength behind it.
Once again, he dodges it, but not before I nick his arm. A steady stream of blood flows freely.
“You little bitch!” he snarls and comes after me.
I hold the ax tighter, just as he gets his hand on it. “It’s only going to get worse the longer you stay away from Michael,” he hisses, finally grabbing my wrist and twisting to get me to loosen my hold.
“No!” I scream, but the man pries the ax from my hands and throws it to the side. I move to run after it, but his hold on me tightens.
“Let me go!” I kick out, trying to hit any part of his body I can reach. I’m no fighter, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to simply lie down and take it.
The strange man wrestles me to the ground. I thrash, screaming. My leg finally connects with the sensitive part of him because he grunts in pain but doesn’t let me go. Bastard.
“I don’t know why the fuck Michael wants you alive. Killing you would be so much easier,” he says just as my elbow connects with his jaw. His head snaps back, and he curses.
My victory is short-lived, however, because he yanks my arms above my head, pinning me in place. I try not to think about his naked body straddling me or the fact that Tallie and Grass haven’t gotten up.
They are okay. They have to be okay.
“Things are about to get a whole lot worse, Red, if you keep Michael waiting. Want your little pack to suffer? Because they will. The attacks will only grow more frequent, and it’s only a matter of time before the Nephilim become impatient enough to intervene.”
My mind spins with the details he’s freely divulging. “If Michael wants me, then why did he send a dumbass in his place?”
I shouldn’t be antagonizing the man on top of me, but I’m trying to buy time. Time for…I don’t know exactly. For Tallie to get better? For someone—anyone—to find us?
The man growls, narrowing his eyes. He is hatred personified, clearly not used to being spoken to this way.
“I gave you Michael’s warning. Come to him or let your pack suffer. My agreement with him is finished.” He licks his lips, looking down at my body. A predator playing with his prey. “I’m certain he’ll forgive me if you come to him with a few marks and bruises.”
The evil gleam in his eyes shoots cold fear through my body. I have no time to move. No time to call for help or fight him off.
The man on top of me shifts, and the brown wolf from before stands in his place.
His snarl shows off a row of sharp teeth. Before I even have a chance to scream, the brown wolf lunges for my throat.
I’m going to die here, and Rip will never know.