by Amy Richie
“We came back as soon as we realized it had returned for you,” Paris said instead.
“You’re too late.” I nodded towards the wolf and the cave where we had hidden.
“How long did you manage to stay in there?” Before I had time to answer, he disappeared inside the cave.
“It was your knife,” I spoke quietly to Gloria.
She shrugged, the life of one wolf not important to her. “I’m glad it was useful.”
My chin trembled slightly, but I was proud that my eyes stayed dry. “We’re still alive,” I said on a sigh.
Miranda pressed herself into my shoulder. “I don’t see Owen and Addison. Do you think they are back at camp?”
“Did you kill this wolf?” Paris asked loudly. “Who did this?”
“I… I had to,” I stammered. “It would have killed us or…taken us if I hadn’t.”
He stopped just inches from me, his eyebrows furrowed. “You did this?” I nodded. “How?” His brow was still close together, so I couldn’t tell if he was angry or disgusted. Clearly, he wasn’t as indifferent as Gloria.
I held the knife up for his inspection, the shaking almost completely gone. “I had to,” I repeated dejectedly.
“The wolf would have gotten us,” Miranda seconded from behind my shoulder. “We were just going to wait, but…”
“So, you’re saying you killed an adult werewolf by yourself—with your hands.”
“The… The knife… I used the knife.”
“A knife.” He shook his head. “Where did you get that knife?” he asked suddenly.
“Gloria gave it to me.” I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat. “Before you left.”
He laughed abruptly, so loud it made me jump backwards. “I’m impressed,” he grinned. “You don’t look like you have it in you.”
I glanced at Gloria, but her expression wasn’t changed.
I tucked a stray hair behind my ear, warmth spreading out along my neck and face. It was a strange feeling, something I wasn’t used to. Why would what Paris Letrell thought make me so happy?
I bit my lip awkwardly, trying to avoid looking at him too much. My eyes kept returning back to his face, though—drawn to the wonder I saw shining back down at me. I smiled wide when he did.
“Well, isn’t this sweet?” Liza’s voice wiped the smile off my face like a cold splash of water. “She killed a wolf,” she sneered. “Let’s give her a cookie and get out of here.”
I didn’t feel anxious about the wolves now that Paris and Gloria were here. Nothing would happen to us now. Liza was right, though, there was no reason to just stand around as easy targets. I glanced back at Paris and regretted it immediately. His eyes were still shining my way, making my heart flutter all over again.
“What about the others?” Miranda was like a broken record.
“The others are gone, Miranda,” I told her before Liza could be hateful. “There’s nothing we can do for them now.”
“What about the vamps back at camp?”
“Most of them will be alright,” Paris answered. “The wolves didn’t stick around to be sure they were dead. It was obvious what they were after.”
“Mates,” Gloria confirmed what we already knew.
“The vamps will go on and find new pets or seek out revenge against the wolves.”
I could understand their sentiments exactly—at least the revenge part. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of the wolves fall myself. I was surprised at my rare spurt of violent thoughts, but the wolves had tortured us for days now. How many others would they take before they were satisfied? I couldn’t stop myself from hoping the vamps would band together and take the wolves out.
“But Owen and Addison?” I heard Miranda’s plea.
“Let’s go somewhere less open,” Paris suggested with gentle authority.
Gloria stepped in front of me so I could wrap myself onto her back. Melody stepped forward for Miranda and then we were off. No one bothered to move the body of the white wolf form the mouth of the cave.
Just before we dashed away, I got another glimpse of the white fur, ruffled slightly in the breeze. He had once been a man, I thought sadly. Then he became a monster and I shoved a knife into his throat.
I tightened my grip on Gloria—the knife still clutched in my hand.
Chapter 29
We made our way quickly out of the woods. It was nice being back with the sisters; not to worry about what would happen to Miranda. She rode with Paris, her knuckles turning white with the effort to not fall off.
No other wolves made an appearance as we ran and I was finally able to breathe easily when the trees thinned out into a small clearing. Surely we would be safe here, without any trees for the wolves to hide in.
A small stream bubbled happily nearby; probably the same one we had rested beside with the sisters. How long ago had that been? It seemed like months had passed; a lifetime even. We should have never stopped at the camp.
I took a shaky breath, trying to keep the emotion off my face. I never had much choice on where we did or didn’t go. I always followed.
I let myself drop to the ground as soon as Gloria stopped. She left me close to the stream and went to join Melody and Liza. Miranda stumbled and dropped to her knees when she let go of Paris. I couldn’t understand her dizziness, didn’t Owen or Addison ever run with her?
Liza’s lip curled up as Miranda tried to regain her balance. Something hot started in my stomach, an intense protectiveness. Liza better not say anything to her or I’d be forced to step in; then I would never hear the end of it.
“Go wash up,” Gloria called softly.
I jerked my head around, instantly letting the lines smooth back out. Without saying anything, I leaned down to dip my hands into the water.
I watched the water run red by my feet. I couldn’t get the look of that wolf out of my head. He was so human—but not human. I had never killed anything before—unless you counted that rabbit when I was 15. I shuddered at the memory.
Liza had made me, said if I didn’t kill the rabbit I wouldn’t eat. It was awful and I never wanted to kill anything ever again. The blood had gotten all over my hands then, too.
I leaned further forward until the water came up to my elbows. The water was cool, making me shiver. I wasn’t sure if it was the water or just the red streaming into the previously clear water.
I swirled my hands in the shallow water to get the red to move away quicker. What had the wolf been like as a man? I sucked in a small breath of air and tried to push the thought away.
Too late, though.
I wasn’t sure exactly how werewolves worked, but I knew that they were men who changed into wolves. I had heard enough stories to know at least that much. As wolves, they were ferocious, cruel beings. What were they like as men, though? How did they treat their mates?
Would his brothers mourn him? I pulled my arms back out of the water, inspecting my skin carefully for any more blood. Blood didn’t normally bother me, but the expression ‘blood on my hands’ suddenly took on a whole new meaning.
I squirmed uncomfortably on the ground. “I had no choice,” I told myself again. Besides, how many people had the white wolf killed?
I sighed deeply, allowing my forehead to scrunch up with my dark thoughts. I did what I had to do. The wolf would have killed us if it could reach us. I could almost feel his massive paws sweeping in the cave where we hid.
The water below me ran clear again, all traces of violence gone. That’s the way it was though. A life could be blinked out, then washed away so quickly. If I wasn’t careful…
I looked behind me where Paris sat with Miranda. He was talking steadily but her lips were clamped tight and she was staring out—away from him. I wanted to go and sit by her, to hear what Paris was saying, but I didn’t move.
The sisters would be watching me still. I chewed nervously at a loose piece of skin on my thumb, then, remembering what had just been on my hands, I let it fall once again to
my lap. We probably wouldn’t stay here for long. Maybe we were waiting for Owen and Addison, then we’d go.
My nose crinkled slightly. Where were those two? Why wouldn’t they have come with the others? No doubt that’s what Paris was telling Miranda. There must have been a good reason for them to be somewhere else.
Miranda turned her head to look at me, her expression oddly blank. Was that shock? Normal humans would probably feel shock over killing a werewolf. Miranda hadn’t actually done any killing, though, but she had seen it. And had been hunted. Her vamps probably kept her safe from that—usually.
Not far from where I still kneeled, the sisters were talking loudly. Melody was watching me, her eyes opened wide and mouth pulled down into a soft frown. Gloria and Liza were the ones arguing—nothing new there.
Even though I couldn’t hear what they were actually saying, I could guess what they were mad about. Despite everything that had just happened, we were still with Paris Letrell. That couldn’t be easy for them.
I ran my fingers along in the stream one last time before standing back up. I dried my hands on my pants, still considering dipping my shoes in the water.
“Not smart to get your feet wet,” Melody had advised softly.
“That would be stupid,” Liza had added—not so softly.
I rubbed the side of my shoe on the grass—again. There were still splatters of dark brown though. I grimaced at the sight. Even if I did dunk them in the water, the blood probably wouldn’t come off.
Next town we come to, I thought dismally, I’m getting new shoes. That could be days, though. The woods wouldn’t last forever. Sooner or later, we would make it back to some sort of civilization. I pulled awkwardly on my torn shirt. I was asking for new clothes, too.
Paris had stopped talking and was now just watching me, his mouth pulled down at the corners. He could probably smell werewolf blood all over me. I pulled again at my shirt, trying to make sure no skin was showing. I stopped quickly, though. What did I care what he thought? He had killed before—probably a lot.
“Why aren’t you listening?” Liza snapped her fingers close to my face.
“Huh?” I jerked back to look at the sisters. They had moved, though, and were now right in my face.
“Did you hear what she just said?” She jerked her thumb in the direction of Gloria.
I hadn’t even realized they had approached me, let alone said anything. “I was just… there’s blood on my shoe.”
Liza’s lip curled upwards. “Where?” she snarled.
“There,” I pointed at the offending splotches.
“It’s just a little blood.” Gloria wasn’t condemning, though.
“We’ll get you some new ones,” Melody promised. “As soon as we get out of these damned woods.” She glanced around, inching closer to Gloria as if the wolves were lurking all around, waiting to pounce.
They probably were.
I shuddered and took a step forward. We were all pretty close but I still felt exposed. Maybe it was because Miranda was so far away. She still sat with Paris. He was watching me, but she was lost in her own world. Paris, of course, could hear everything any of us said, so I wasn’t sure why Gloria tried to whisper.
“We have to get out of here,” she growled.
That was a given.
“If we just run straight through,” Liza said, “like we should have in the first place, we’ll be able to make it out of the valley by tomorrow night at the latest.”
“Paris isn’t just going to let us go,” I pointed out. “Unless we’re waiting for him?” Gloria glared at me.
“We’re leaving,” Gloria hissed in a low whisper.
“Now,” Liza added.
“What? Just run?” I started to look at Paris, but Gloria grabbed my arm to stop me.
“He’s distracted.”
“He won’t leave Miranda,” Melody said.
“He can easily bring her with.” What was wrong with them? They didn’t usually act so foolish.
Gloria’s lips thinned to a tight white line. “We’re not staying with him any longer. The Letrells can’t be trusted.”
“We’re not taking orders from Paris any longer,” Liza scowled angrily.
He wasn’t actually giving any orders, I didn’t point out. Since they had found us in the cave, Paris wasn’t saying much. He was mostly sticking close to Miranda. We could at least stay and make sure she got back with Owen and Addison alright. Of course, by then, our opportunity to leave might be gone.
Still, I had brought her this far.
“We can follow the river,” Gloria continued without bothering to look at me anymore.
“Not much of a river,” Liza scoffed.
“It widens out about 80 miles from here. There’s an old bridge that marks the end of the valley. The wolves won’t follow us past that.”
“That’s 80 miles,” Melody’s eyes were huge.
“We won’t be able to stop.” Liza just looked determined.
“That’s the furthest we’ve ran in one go,” Melody argued back.
“We’ve just never tried,” Gloria said calmly, “it doesn’t mean we can’t do it.”
They weren’t watching me, so they didn’t notice my frown until I spoke.
“I don’t want to leave,” I crossed my arms stubbornly.
Gloria closed her eyes and reopened them quickly. “What?”
“We should stay and make sure Miranda is ok.”
“No,” her answer was quick.
Melody patted my arm close to my elbow. “She’s with Paris. She’s fine.”
“She trusts me,” I insisted without looking at Liza.
“Oh please,” she sneered anyways. “I’ve never heard of a human taking another human as a pet.”
“She’s not my pet.”
“Then what’s with the mushiness?”
“I just… I just want to make sure she’s ok,” I stammered.
Liza leaned in close to my face. “She is.”
“Anyways, Lexi,” Gloria cut in before Liza and I could get into it any worse, “what do you think you can do for her that Paris can’t? You’ll just be in the way.”
Paris and Miranda were both watching us now, as if she, too, could hear what the sisters were planning. Gloria was right, though—what did I hope to do for her? Wouldn’t it be better if I was gone so Paris could just focus on helping her?
It didn’t feel like it would be better, though. If felt like I was betraying the only friend I had ever had. We weren’t friends, though, I told myself firmly. I didn’t have friends. I had the sisters and they were all I needed.
I shook my head slowly back and forth. Staying here any longer would just make it harder to leave later. I would feel better if Owen and Addison were here, but Gloria was right—she was safe with Paris. He had promised to take care of her.
“Hey,” I began awkwardly, shoving my hands into my pocket, “can I at least have a minute to say goodbye?”
“Why do you need to say goodbye?” Liza was quick to snap.
“I might never see her again.”
“I should hope not.”
“I just want to say bye.” I turned my eyes back to Gloria.
“You can’t,” she said in a low voice. “You can’t just go over there and tell Paris we’re leaving.”
“I’ll just tell Miranda.”
“He’ll hear you.”
“He hears us now.”
Gloria shifted uncomfortably. “Just go over and… You know, talk… Don’t tell her we’re leaving.”
It was the best I was going to get. I shrugged lightly and started toward Miranda and Paris.
Chapter 30
Miranda’s blank expression didn’t change as I got closer to them. She stared out at nothing. She wasn’t sad or afraid; it was like she wasn’t even there. My steps hesitated slightly. Maybe Liza was right. Maybe it was best to just leave and not worry about goodbye. What good would that do for her now?
I mean, I couldn
’t really say goodbye, but she would know. All she had to do was look at me and she would see. I bit my lip and tried to swallow past the lump that had tried to lodge itself in my throat. Maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about saying anything.
My glance shifted slightly to the man sitting beside my new found friend. Paris sat so still, as if he were made of stone. I saw the small movements of his chest as air filled and emptied from his lungs. He had to know I was standing there, but he didn’t turn to look at me. Why did he look like he had just lost his favorite dog?
I turned once to look back at the sisters, but only Melody was watching me. The other two were kneeling in the grass with their heads bent close together. Melody nodded slightly, not enough to count as a yes, but enough for encouragement. I nodded back and took another step forward. I was close enough now that I could see the wind playing with the strands of Miranda’s hair and blowing them across her bruised cheek.
I grimaced at the sight of the ugly coloring, but I wasn’t surprised she was bruised. I wondered idly how many bruises I had. I ran my tongue lightly over the metal taste of blood on my lip. It had split open sometime during the fight with the wolf, but it was healed now. I barely even felt it. Did Miranda’s face hurt her?
Paris looked up suddenly, his eyes wide and searching. “Lexi?” he murmured, barely moving his lips.
“Hey,” I croaked, and then had to clear my throat and try again. “Paris, I was just coming over to see…” I kicked the ground nervously but only managed to get my shoe even dirtier.
“If Miranda was still ok?” he supplied with a small smile.
“Yeah,” I nodded, watching the dirt clump up around my shoe.
“I’m not sure,” he admitted. He moved his shoulder towards Miranda. She still wasn’t paying attention to us.
“Is it shock?” Worry for her overrode my awkward nerves.
“You guys have been through a nasty ordeal.” He shook his head and peered back out at the trees. “What I don’t get though,” he said quietly, “is why it isn’t affecting you the same way.”
“Well,” I raised both eyebrows to meet my hair line. What was I supposed to tell him? That living with the sisters had made me crazy? That blood no longer bothered me? I was immune to violence now.
