by Laura Hysell
“I can’t go any further,” Killian said, stopping the truck. “We can back out and try to find another way through, but the trees are just too tight together.”
“No, this is fine,” Jared responded. “We’re going to have to travel on foot from here on out. We just need to get out of Canada, and as far south as possible before nightfall.”
We climbed out of the truck, taking all the supplies with us. I made sure my gun and knife were both easily accessible on my sides. Killian and Raoul readied guns, and pulled the backpacks on. I took my own backpack and slung it over my shoulders. Mark walked close by my side, once more my silent shadow. His silence worried me, but I had other things on my mind. Bigger things. Vanessa whined and whimpered as Jared helped her out of the truck. I didn’t know what to do for the injured wolf.
Jared lowered Vanessa to the ground, and the other wolves loped out of the woods to surround her, propping her up. “We’ll need to head south as fast as possible. It’ll be a lot harder crossing the border in broad daylight with humans, no offense,” Jared added, looking at Killian and Raoul. “Lucas will scout ahead.”
One of the wolves trotted off into the woods, disappearing quickly beneath the canopy of trees. Jared turned back to Vanessa and picked her up before turning to follow Lucas into the woods. The other wolves ranged out, blending in with the shadows. I shrugged and trailed behind Jared, with the others following close on my heels. Even though it was still early morning, I found myself jumping at shadows.
“What happened?” I asked Jared after we’d walked for half an hour in silence.
He glanced at me, shifted Vanessa in his arms, then looked back ahead as he spoke. “Vampires attacked,” he said simply. “We tried to outrun them, but we were separated. Hugo, Logan and I found ourselves trapped by several vamps when Vanessa and Lucas came back for us. One of them got her pretty bad, but we managed to kill the bastard.”
“What about the rest of the vampires?” Killian asked, moving up beside Jared to look down at the werewolf in his arms. He seemed fearless of the wolves, and almost curious.
“They took off,” Jared said shortly. “We killed two of the six that attacked us. We just weren’t ready.”
“Where?”
“Close,” Jared responded. “Very close to here.”
My heart pounded at his words, and I found myself looking around in fear. Mark moved closer to me, as though sensing my unease. I looked up at him, and found his eyes were still yellow ringed. He didn’t look at me though; his eyes studied the forest watching for trouble. He was too quiet though. Jared slowed down, shifting Vanessa in his arms. The silver wolf whimpered, and I noticed a thin trail of blood running down her leg and dripping on the ground. That wasn’t good.
We continued at a slow but steady pace, stopping rarely and only if needed. The wolves led us to a tall fence; the fence. On one side was Canada, on the other was the good old U S of A. Jared lowered Vanessa to the ground, and she limped through the small opening in the fence he peeled back. I knelt down beside the fence as Jared continued to hold it back. Lying on my back, I scooted through the opening. Killian frowned at the opening, his eyes darting to the top of the fence as though debating the wisdom of using the break instead of climbing over. The barbed wire at the top was likely a deciding factor, because he shook his head and wriggled his way through the fence. Several times he had to stop and shift in order to squeeze through. As soon as he was through, Raoul followed on his heels. Mark went next, and he struggled as much as Killian to fit through the narrow opening. Jared went last, quickly scurrying through the opening.
I felt a sense of relief knowing we were back in America, and there was a distinct bounce to my steps. We stopped shortly after to eat, pulling the heavy canned foods out of the backpack Raoul carried. The wolves hunted on their own while the rest of us ate. We were a quiet group, eating as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Vanessa rested on the ground between Jared and Mark, her silver fur matted with dried blood. As soon as I finished eating, I scooted over to her to examine her wounds. The large gash across her side still oozed blood, and didn’t appear to be healing. She sat up to look at me, but the wound bled faster, and she dropped her head back to the ground. The injury was taking its toll on her.
“Why isn’t she healing?” I asked softly.
Mark was the one who responded, his voice gruff. “Silver,” he said simply.
I looked over at him, but he didn’t elaborate more. Jared made a noise, drawing my eyes. He nodded his head and pointed at his stomach. He had been holding Vanessa close to him, his body acting as a bandage for her wound. Blood covered his abdomen, but there was also an angry red line running across him. I looked back at Vanessa’s wound, and it matched the mark on Jared.
“How is that possible?” I asked, looking back at Vanessa’s injury. I moved my face closer, peeling the fur away carefully. Flashes of metal caught the light, and I squinted, turning my head until I saw the metal again. Tiny pieces of metal were embedded in her skin, keeping the wound open and oozing. “Oh, shit!”
“Silver,” Mark said softly again.
Jared nodded his head and rubbed at the red line across his skin. “He’s right; it’s definitely silver. I don’t know what to do about it. If there was a way to remove it, I would. Maybe if she shifted…” he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders. Jared hadn’t been a wolf long enough to know if that would work.
I carefully moved the fur again and leaned as close to the skin as possible. If I looked closely, I could see the tiny individual pieces. With my fingernails, I reached carefully into the wound and plucked one of the metal pieces out. Vanessa didn’t move or wince, so I hadn’t injured her more by doing so.
Raoul moved around to come up behind me, holding his hand out to me while still keeping his body as far away from the werewolf as possible. I looked at his outstretched hand and smiled, taking the tweezers from his hand. It was slow work, but using the tweezers made it possible to remove the trapped metal from her skin.
Several minutes passed, and I had cleared a small section of her wound. Already, I was noticing her skin healing in that location. I smiled to myself and continued on. After a short time, the wolves returned, pacing around us impatiently. Jared moved closer to me, his mouth next to my ear when he spoke.
“This is taking too long and it’s not safe here,” he said softly. “We need to move on.”
I stopped what I was doing to look at him. Worry lines marred his forehead and he rubbed at the thick facial hair with his hand. “She won’t make it if we don’t get this silver out,” I replied softly, my eyes darting back to Vanessa’s still form. She appeared to be sleeping, but she was breathing rapidly. “How long would it take to get to Jed, and help?”
Jared looked at me, his eyes searching my face for answers. He sighed loudly and said, “Too long. You, Mark, Raoul and Killian should go ahead. Just head southwest until you reach civilization and can get a car. I’ll take over here, and we’ll follow you as soon as we can.”
He reached out, grabbing the tweezers, but I wouldn’t let go. “No,” I replied. “We don’t separate. We stay together.”
“Izzy, damn it, it’s not safe here,” Jared growled, still trying to keep his voice down.
Mark moved up behind me and knelt, putting his hand on my back. He didn’t say anything, but his presence was comforting. I looked back at him, immediately taking note of his very golden eyes. The wolf was in charge. “Mark?” I asked softly.
He moved his body closer to mine, shifting so he was between me and Jared. Then he reached out for our hands, which still both held the tweezers. He plucked the tweezers from us easily, then held them back out to me. “Help her,” he said simply.
I nodded my head and resumed the arduous task of plucking the miniscule pieces of silver from her body. Mark moved, and I thought he was going to leave, but he just changed positions. The heat of his body enveloped me as he wrapped an arm protectively around my shoulders.
We sat there, with me tending to the injured wolf as Mark rubbed his hand across my arm. Jared got up at some point and walked away, but I didn’t look up from my task.
Inch by inch, I slowly removed the silver from the werewolf. It took a couple hours to finally remove all the visible metal. I was sure there were still a few pieces embedded, but Vanessa’s wound had mostly healed. She slept for a while longer before the other wolves woke her with a small grouse. I sat back and watched as she devoured the small bird, smiling in relief.
“We need to leave,” Jared said as he moved to stand beside me.
I nodded and stood up, dusting the dirt from my pants. Mark stood as well and moved up close beside me, his arm wrapped possessively around my waist. Jared’s eyes flicked to Mark’s hand on my waist, then up to my face. He opened his mouth to speak, shook his head, and turned away. My heart ached and I moved to follow him, but Mark pulled me back.
There are vampires nearby, Aidan said suddenly.
At his words, I was immediately on high alert. I pulled away from Mark and looked around, my eyes trying to spot any danger. Where?
I can feel them, can’t you?
I closed my eyes, using my new sixth sense to search for vampires. It took me a few moments, but I sensed them. They couldn’t be too close, or I would have noticed them earlier, but they were still too close for comfort. It’s daytime still, I said.
Look at the shadows. The sun has dropped enough for the old ones to move about.
The sun had indeed dropped further in the sky, leaving much of the forest in shadow. There were still several more hours of daylight remaining, but they wouldn’t do much good under the cover of trees. The vampires were moving closer with each passing moment. They knew we were there.
“Jared, where are the wolves?” I asked, looking around suddenly. Vanessa was still lying at my feet, but the other wolves were nowhere to be seen.
“Scouting ahead,” he responded, looking back at me suddenly. “What’s wrong?”
“There are vampires nearby,” I responded, picking up my pack and pulling it across my shoulders. “We need to go now.”
Mark growled in response, and Jared nodded his head. “Grab your shit, but keep your guns out,” Jared said as he moved over to Vanessa. The injured wolf stood up and shook out her fur before walking several steps on her own. Jared nodded and smiled, turning back toward me. “She should be okay on her own now, and I can do more good in wolf form. Stay close to me.”
Jared didn’t give me a chance to respond as he stepped back and stripped the shorts off, tossing them at Raoul who stuffed them in his bag. Fur covered Jared’s body as he began the transformation from man to beast. The growl behind me sent shivers down my spine, and I turned to see Mark shifting as well. His clothes ripped as he quickly turned into a wolf. I didn’t know what to make of his shifting, but I couldn’t do anything about it.
The two humans with me seemed just as alarmed as I was, and they backed away from the werewolves warily. Vanessa nudged me with her nose, trying to get me to follow her. I glanced back at the two wolves, and decided I couldn’t do anything about them anyway.
“Let’s go,” I said to Killian and Raoul, pulling my gun out. The vampires were moving closer, probably drawn to the smell of blood.
Vanessa took my cue and hurried away from us, stopping once to make sure we were following. I jogged after her and could hear the two humans following noisily. After several minutes, the first wolf caught up to us, running along beside me. The second wolf soon followed, loping along easily on my other side. We jogged easily and soon met up with the other wolves. The knife thrummed on my side warningly. Despite the hour and the sunshine peeking through between the trees, the vampires were closing in on us.
Chapter 20
We ran through the forest, pushing to our limits as we raced the sun. We all knew the sun was our biggest ally, and without it we were in trouble. The only way to escape a vampire was to go somewhere they couldn’t, like a house. We were in the middle of nowhere though, with nothing but trees for miles.
The wolves didn’t seem to have a problem running through the uneven forest, but I certainly did. The faster I pushed myself, the more I stumbled on the rough ground. Twice, I had fallen to my knees. Killian ran through the woods like someone born to it, moving easily through the underbrush. Raoul stumbled almost as much as I did though, and he stuck close to my side.
The wolves, of course, showed no sign of fatigue, including the injured Vanessa. I was amazed at my own endurance, but I knew I couldn’t keep it up forever. Eventually, one of us would tire to the point of exhaustion and we’d have to stop. I glanced over at Raoul, where he ran a little behind me with a sweat-drenched shirt. Killian was close beside him, also drenched in sweat, but not panting quite as loudly. I was thankful for the training we had been doing, which kept us in good shape.
The wolves turned suddenly, and we turned with them. They were heading toward the setting sun, but they were slowing their pace. The knife throbbed suddenly, warningly, and I stumbled to the ground once more. My skin tingled as the sensation of vampires grew suddenly stronger. They were almost on us.
Killian stopped to help me to my feet, and I grabbed his hand. “Vampires,” I panted as I regained my footing.
His eyes darted behind me, but the vampires weren’t close enough to see yet. He looked back at me, grabbed my arm, and pushed me back into a run in front of him. We continued on, but we hadn’t gone far when we met the rest of the wolves. They had stopped in a small clearing, where the last rays of sunshine were highlighting the grass. Vanessa stood in the middle, panting loudly as the other wolves spaced out along the edge of the clearing.
I stopped beside the silver werewolf and turned to face the vampires. They were still hidden from sight, but I could feel them coming. The knife tingled on my side, and I debated whether I should hold the gun or the knife. The knife throbbed again, indicating I should obviously take it and drop the gun. I only had a single full clip though, so I figured I’d use the gun first, then switch to the knife. It was, after all, my secret weapon.
Killian stopped beside me, the gun held professionally in his hand. Raoul stood next to him, his face set in grim determination. I took the time to rest, letting my arm fall to my side and dropping the pack I carried to the ground. Raoul and Killian followed suit, kicking our bags out of the way. The vampires would be here soon, but I’d know before they came into sight. I reached out my senses, feeling for the vampires. They came from one direction, steadily moving toward us. My mind reached toward them, touching them briefly.
“Fuck!” I said loudly, and Killian shot me a warning look. I turned to face him, shaking my head. “It’s Henri.”
“Well, damn,” Killian responded earnestly.
I nodded my head, then glanced back at Raoul as a thought entered my mind. Raoul had just been healed by Henri’s blood. I knew too well how potent Henri’s blood was. The wolf form of Mark moved up beside me, and I frowned down at him in worry as well. “Killian, we might have a bigger problem on our hands,” I whispered, moving closer to the fighter.
He shot me a glance and said, “What?”
“Mark and Raoul have both received Henri’s blood. He could control them,” I whispered back.
“What about you? You’ve received more than anyone.”
I shook my head. “Don’t worry about me. I can fight him, but they can’t. And Raoul has a gun,” I added quietly.
Killian looked pointedly at the gun I held in my hand. I wasn’t sure how much I trusted Killian, but I also didn’t want to get him killed. He had taken a chance following me, and I had led him straight into danger. We didn’t have many weapons or ammo, and I could feel more vampires closing in around us. The light in the clearing would keep us safe for only so long, then we’d all be vulnerable.
“Just trust me,” I said simply. He made a noise in his throat, but didn’t comment again.
The wolves had all been facing one direction, but two
of them moved around behind us suddenly, guarding our flank. I knew what they were doing. I could feel the vampires moving around behind us. Killian and Raoul looked at the wolves worriedly, but I nodded in the direction I was facing. The big bad was coming straight at us, and I would meet him head on.
I didn’t have to wait long. Henri strolled through the woods directly toward us, calmly walking as though he had no cares in the world. He moved cautiously though, keeping himself well hidden in the shadows of the trees. The sun was setting quickly, casting a pink hue over the landscape. A normal person would have been marveling at the beauty of the sunset. I wasn’t normal, not anymore, and I was cursing the sunset fervently.
Henri stopped just outside the clearing, his body shadowed by the tall fir trees. A few other vampires moved forward, and I recognized some of them. I hadn’t bothered to learn their names though, and I wasn’t going to start now. The only vampire that truly mattered was the gorgeous golden one in front of me. Henri wore a pair of black slacks and a black shirt, unbuttoned and showing off his chest. He didn’t fit into the landscape, but then again, he never did. Henri was truly in a league of his own.
“Isabella, I must say, I am truly disappointed in you,” Henri said in a softly melodious voice. I rolled my eyes at him dramatically and lifted the gun to point at his chest. He tsked softly and shook his head. “Lower your gun, Isabella. You and I both know you won’t harm me.”
“Wanna bet?” I asked, pulling back the slide and chambering a round. I probably should have done that sooner, but the effect was nicely dramatic. And it pissed Henri off. Maybe not a good idea, but I was tired of tiptoeing around the vampire.
The other vampires crept closer, four in all. I could sense two more vampires coming up behind us. Six vampires, plus Henri. I had six werewolves, two humans, and me. Of course, one werewolf was injured and the other I couldn’t be sure about. Hmm, those weren’t good odds. Henri took a step forward as the sun moved lower in the sky and the shadows grew deeper. Time was running out.
