by Cate Dean
Mom and Dad both grinned at me, Mom shaking her head. I returned the grin, then ordered enough food for eight people.
It was nice to be normal, if only for an hour.
Five
After lunch, I convinced Mom to let me go to the haven, and take the leftover Chinese with me. It would be welcomed by the human and mostly human residents. My ulterior motive was to spend some time with Sam, hopefully just the two of us.
I drove to the McGinty house and parked across the street, heading through the front yard, around back to the new haven entrance.
Thanks to Dad’s clever design, it was still hidden by the sewer cover, but a concealed panel with a fingerprint scan opened the cover, revealing a set of stairs. A wider secondary entry was in the works, along with an elevator. Both of them would be accessible from the house.
The stairs worked fine for me, and were a fabulous upgrade from the rusty, slippery ladder. I juggled the huge bag holding the leftover Chinese, and used the railing to guide myself down, since I could barely see over the top of the bag. My entry had been transmitted to the office; Sam waited for me at the bottom of the stairs, laughing as he took the bag from me.
“Chinese. Yum.” He sniffed inside the bag, then wrapped his free arm around my waist and hauled me up for a long, heady kiss. I was grateful for his support when he finally freed my lips. “You already ate.”
Trust his hyper senses to detect that, even after I brushed my teeth. “Mom’s guarding every meal, since there aren’t that many left as a family.”
He kissed my forehead. “We’ll make sure to eat with them as often as possible.”
“Thanks. Just not too often.”
He flashed me his heart melting smile and led me along the main street of the haven. We climbed the steps to the boardwalk, and into the office. It was empty.
“Louise went home early,” Sam said, before I could ask. “It’s been quiet, and she’s been tense lately. The anniversary of her brother’s death is coming up.”
I nodded. Louise’s brother had been killed by a Fenris, and even though she accepted Sam, and tolerated Jake, her vibes could make new arrivals nervous.
“How’s she doing?”
Sam shrugged. “You know Louise. She won’t talk about it. Every time I ask she shoots me a death glare.”
I’d been on the receiving end of those, so I understood. “I have an update on the people who went missing.”
He tensed, and I could feel him pulling away from me. It hurt, every time, but I knew why he did it. He wanted to stand between me and any threat, keep me safe, keep me out of the path of danger. That hasn’t worked so well before now.
After a few deep breaths, he turned to me. “Let’s go inside, and you can tell me. Alex—”
“I know.” I took his free hand. “I love you for wanting to protect me.”
He let out a low growl, one I recognized. It meant that he wanted to take me somewhere dark and quiet and kiss me until we both couldn’t see straight. How I wanted that—wanted more. December 25 couldn’t come fast enough.
We settled in the small back room, and he spread the Chinese out on the round table. I was content to watch him eat, enjoy some quiet time with him.
My phone rang, ending that before I had the chance to sink into it.
Mom’s ID flashed on the screen. “Hi, Mom—”
“Alex.” She sounded wrong. I sat up, meeting Sam’s eyes. “You father went to the store, and he isn’t back yet.”
I swallowed. Dad hated shopping, and took as little time as possible when he was coerced into going. It was like shopping with the Tasmanian Devil. “How long?”
“An hour. I can’t get an answer when I call him.” Tears edged her already shaky voice.
“I’m on my way, Mom.”
“Can you check the parking lot on the way? He went to the Stop and Shop down the street.”
“Sure.” My dread shot higher after hearing that. Five minutes was Dad’s limit at the convenience store/wanna be grocery. “I’ll call you when we get there.”
I ended the call—which took three tries, since my hand was trembling. Sam moved to my side and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
“Talk to me, Alex.”
“Dad’s missing.” I met his worried gaze. “We went to the public garden today, so he could see the damage to the fountain. There was—something there, Sam. Now it has his scent, and knows he’s suspicious. What if—”
“We’ll go find his truck, take it from there. He knows how to protect himself, beautiful. And if something happened, we’ll find him.” Sam tapped his nose. “I have his scent, too.”
I let out a watery laugh, knowing what Sam was trying to do. “Thanks.”
He pulled me to my feet and led the way to the front door. “You can track your dad’s phone, right?”
“Yeah.” I forced myself to calm down, start thinking instead of reacting. I pulled up the app on my phone—it has all of my family and friends, for scenarios just like this. After losing track one time too many, I decided I needed to have a way to keep tabs. I was glad now for my paranoia. His phone was still on, pinging in the parking lot at the Stop and Shop.
I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.
Sam drove his SUV, because I didn’t trust myself behind the wheel. By the time we got to the parking lot of the convenience store, I was shaking.
Dad’s truck was parked on the side of the store, facing the trees behind the building. The driver’s side door was wide open.
I climbed out of the SUV almost before Sam had finished braking, and ran around the back of the truck, terrified of what I might find there. My heart skipped when I saw the empty tarmac. It started pounding again when I spotted Dad’s phone on the ground, next to the front tire.
I stooped to pick it up—and froze when I saw the front panel of his truck.
Claw marks ripped through the metal.
“Sam—”
He pulled me to my feet, his back to the truck. “I can smell it, Alex,” he whispered, more breath than sound. “Hear it. Whatever took your dad just left. I can track it. Alone.”
“No—”
He covered my mouth and put his lips against my ear. “Alone, Alex. And just to its lair. I want you to go home. I’ll call you once I find him, then we’ll gather the troops and go after him.”
Tears stung my eyes. I nodded, and he eased his grip, pressing his keys in my hand before he let me go.
I waited until he disappeared into the trees, then inched along the side of the truck, not wanting my back exposed. I ran to the SUV, ignoring the ache in my left ankle, and quickly adjusted the seat.
It only took a couple minutes to shoot down the street to my house. I parked in the driveway and ran up the porch steps, shouting as I opened the door.
“Mom!”
She ran out of the kitchen, grabbing me by the arms. “Margaret—where—”
“Sam went after him.”
I saw the hope in her eyes fade. God, it hurt. “Is he—”
“There was no blood.” At least, none that I could see. Sam would be able to tell me more once he got back. Part of me hoped for the impossible.
That Dad would be with him.
~ ~ ~
Sam showed up less than an hour later. Alone.
Mom kept up a brave front, and I was proud of her. But I could tell she was about to break, and I didn’t want her to do it in front of a witness. I wasn’t far behind, but I had no issues falling apart in front of Sam.
I led Mom up to their bedroom, waited until she stretched out on the bed and closed her eyes before I left her.
Sam stood at the bottom of the stairs, and I couldn’t get to him fast enough. He caught me and pulled me into his arms, holding me until I could breathe again without gasping.
Once I was calmer, he led me to the sofa. We sat together, and he kept both arms around me. That told me the news wasn’t good.
“I managed to track whatever took your dad. The t
rail ended at a cave under the public garden.”
I closed my eyes. I remembered the cave system, from the time I got lost in there. There was only one opening, but the maze was so extensive someone—or something—could lose themselves in there. It would take an army to find them if they didn’t want to be found.
“Did you—was there—”
“I found blood.” He tightened his grip on me when I started shaking again. “Not enough to tell me that he’s been badly wounded. Enough that he probably struggled, and was punished for it.”
“Oh, God, Sam.”
He kissed the top of my head, tucked me against his chest. “I don’t know what took him, but I think it wanted him alive. It’s just my Fenris instinct, which I’ve been learning to trust, but I have a feeling that if we find him soon, we’ll get him out.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Sam tightened his arms around me. I did my best to shut down my vivid imagination.
We’d find Dad, and bring him home. We had to—I couldn’t think beyond him not coming home, not being a part of my life.
After a few minutes he eased away, cradling my cheek. “I have to go to the haven, get help. Whatever took him is big, and we’ll need some serious back up.” He kissed me, gentle, comforting, and the tears I’d managed to hold back filled my eyes. “Hey—we’ll find him.” He kissed me again, wiping at the tears that slid down my cheeks. “I love you, Alex. I’ll be back for you. I promise—I won’t go after him without you.”
I walked him to the door, wanting to hang on to him, keep him here longer. But I knew the more time he spent here, the longer Dad would be a captive of whatever took him. So I let him go, watched him jog to his SUV and take off. Once his tail lights disappeared around the corner, I closed the door and headed up to my room.
I wanted to be ready when he came back for me.
Red blinked at me when I walked in my room. The search program—I’d completely forgotten about it. The blinking told me that Red had found something.
I sat at my desk and woke up the screen, opening the search results. The first image froze my hand on the mouse.
Claw marks, identical to the ones I’d seen.
I swallowed, opening the website link below the image. The heading stopped my heart.
Evidence of Wendigo Found in South Arizona
A video link was under the headline, and I took a few deep breaths before I clicked on it.
The figure was blurred, like it moved too fast to be clearly captured. It was also huge, and stopped long enough for me to see the long, curved claws on the end of one hand. What looked like it had been a human hand, once upon a time.
“Oh, God.” I watched the snippet again, my dread building.
My hands shook as I pulled my haven guide out, fumbling on the pages. I finally found the description, forced to decipher it under the red marker Sam’s dad used to cross out the entry.
The Wendigo is a legendary creature – once a man, forced by circumstance to become a monster. He hibernates for decades at a time, surfacing only to replenish his food supply before he disappears again. His primary food source is human, since he became the monster by eating the flesh of man. Those unfortunate enough to be dragged into his lair will be kept alive until it is their turn to be devoured. This creature has been banned from every haven, and has a kill on sight order. You can’t reason with it—the Wendigo no longer has human emotions. He can only be tracked by the claw marks he leaves to define his territory, because he has superhuman abilities, and moves faster than even the fastest monster. Only fire can kill him, if it is even possible to get close enough. Do not approach, and if you know someone who has been taken, then pray for their quick death. It is all you can do for them.
I let the small guide slip out of my numb fingers.
Dad had been taken by the one monster that even the Devil would hesitate to go after.
I covered my face with both hands, let the fear I’d been holding back flood me. Let myself cry for him.
I hadn’t felt this helpless for a long time.
The realization that I wouldn’t be able to help him sank in, and I started to sob, covering my mouth to keep Mom from hearing me.
“Alex?” Misty’s quiet voice filtered through my grief. Her arms wrapped around me from behind, her voice gentle as she soothed me. “It’s going to be okay. Let it out, that’s it. I’ve never seen her like this before.”
I realized there was someone else with her, but I couldn’t control the tears, or the need to curl up in a ball and hide from the truth.
Warm, strong hands closed over my shoulders. I recognized Zach’s touch, felt his healing work through my hysteria.
“Can you look at me, Alex?” His deep voice pulled me in, and I started to calm. “There’s my fearless monster hunter.” He gently brushed damp hair off my cheeks, wiping at my tears. “As long as your dad is alive, there’s a chance. Sam called me,” he said, when I looked at him. “I’m going to do my best to find him.”
I blinked, hearing him use the F word. He smiled at me, and Misty appeared next to him, one arm still around my shoulders.
“He learned how to control the whole finding thing. If anyone can track your dad through a maze of caves, it’s my fallen angel.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. My throat was raw, and my voice sounded awful. But hope started pushing back the despair.
“Water,” Misty said. She grabbed the bottle off my bedside table. “You have to be dehydrated.”
I took the bottle and drank, slowly at first, then greedily as my throat begged for more.
“Thanks.” I looked at Zach, then at Misty, my eyes tearing up again. “Thank you both.”
“Hey.” Misty tightened her arm around me. “That’s what friends do. Sometimes you’re a slow learner, Alex.”
“Yeah.” I’d spent far more years without friends I could count on than with them. Sometimes I forgot. I scrubbed at my face. “Sam will be back soon. Please don’t tell him—”
“You cried all over us like a baby?” Misty winked at me. “No worries.” She stood, taking Zach with her. “We’ll wait for you downstairs.”
I watched them walk out of my room, holding hands. They were so happy, and so good for each other.
I was one lucky person to count them as friends.
Six
Sam took us to the head of the trail in the trees behind the Stop and Shop. We had more than one forest in Emmettsville; this particular one cut through several neighborhoods, connecting to the trees leading into the public garden. Jake, Candace, and Detective Sampson had met us here. I have to be honest—being surrounded by three Fenris made me feel safer. Part of me was glad that Candace’s experiments hadn’t made them completely human yet.
Zach stepped to me, and took my hands. The gold light that always highlighted him was vibrating, and I knew what he wanted from me. It was still hard; even though he told me it doesn’t really hurt him anymore to find, I can’t wipe away the memories of when I did ask him.
Misty stood next to him. “It’s okay, Alex. I won’t threaten you this time.”
I managed a smile, remembering. It faded, and I looked in Zach’s dark blue eyes, my heart pounding. Dad’s life, and the lives of three other people, rested with him and his unique gift.
“Zach.” I stalled, and he squeezed my hand.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. Ask me.”
I took a deep, shaky breath, bracing myself. “I need you to find my dad.”
He tensed, but the pain I’d seen before didn’t happen this time. Instead, he became incredibly focused, the gold around him almost blinding. I knew I was the only one here who could see it, since it was only visible to people he had healed.
“This way,” he said.
He kept his grip on my right hand and pulled me into the trees, moving at a fast pace. I heard the others behind me, felt Sam before I saw him on my left. His grey-blue eyes flashed, the muscles in his jaw twitching. He and Zach had an uneasy
truce, and I knew he’d never understand the bond we shared. Right now, I didn’t have the time to smooth things between them.
We walked for endless minutes, my ankle complaining at the cold and the rough terrain. Zach halted, so fast I ran into him. He steadied me, then looked at Sam when he spoke.
“He’s in the cave, and so is what took him.”
I swallowed. “Is he—”
“Alive, Alex. He’s alive—and so are the other three I can sense in there.”
“Thanks,” Sam said, tugging at me until Zach let go of my hand. “We’ll take it from here.”
Zach crossed his arms. “I can lead you right to them, Fenris, if you can get past that giant ego and let me.”
Sam growled. “Don’t call me that, fallen.”
“Enough.” Misty stepped between them, anger flashing in her eyes. An angry Misty is a sight. “This isn’t a competition, Sam. We all know you tracked him here, and with time, you could track him through the caves. We don’t have that time. Zach can take us straight to them, then you can play hero.” She turned around and laid her hand on Zach’s shoulder. “Take us to Alex’s dad.”
Sam didn’t say a word—he knew better, when Misty’s temper was up—but he stepped in front of me, grabbed my hand, and followed Zach and Misty into the cave.
~ ~ ~
We made our way through the labyrinth of rough, dripping caves. Without Zach leading us, we never would have found anyone, never mind our way back out. We didn’t dare use flashlights, or any sort of light to pinpoint us, so I had to trust that Sam could see well enough, with his enhanced sight. All I could see was darkness.
Zach stopped in a narrow passage. There was a flickering light source ahead of us, and it outlined his face as he leaned down to whisper to me. “They’re just ahead. The monster isn’t with them, but he’s in the caves. I can feel him.”
“Him?”
“He was a man, once. Yes, I know what he is, Alex. I have since you asked me to find your dad. The Wendigo won’t be happy to find us stealing his food store.”
I squeezed his hand. “I know how to stop him.”
