by Jody Morse
Chapter 21
When Samara woke up later that evening, there were three missed calls and two text messages from Colby. “Oh, shit!” she cursed at herself.
“What’s wrong?” Luke asked, sitting up in bed next to her.
Samara glanced over at him. His brown hair was a ruffled mess, a byproduct of what they had done earlier that day. Just thinking about it made her want to do it all over again. “We slept through hospital visiting hours, so we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to turn Emma’s stepdad.”
“Unless we sneak in,” Luke said slowly.
Samara raised her eyebrows at him. “You think we could do that without getting caught?”
Luke replied, pulling on his clothes. “Yeah, I have an idea. Come on.”
Less than an hour later, Samara found herself pressed against the door to the hospital room that Emma’s stepdad was in, glancing around the corner to make sure that no one was coming. The hallway was empty. Even so, she still felt nervous. She wasn’t so sure that Luke’s plan was going to work.
Chris and Steve were both down the hall keeping all of the on-duty nurses distracted by flirting with them, while Luke and Kyle were pretending that they needed to get information from the main desk that was less than a hundred feet away. Colby was standing guard, ready to let Samara know if he spotted anyone coming while she was in the room.
With her heart thumping against her chest, she slipped inside the room, closing the door behind her. Once she was inside, she glanced around.
Emma’s stepdad was lying in the hospital bed with an oxygen mask on his face and IVs poking through his skin. His skin was paler than usual, and bandages covered much of his body, which was injured from the accident. Samara knew that he was going to be in bad condition, but she hadn’t known that he was going to be almost unrecognizable.
Samara hadn’t told Emma what they were going to do—that they were coming to the hospital without her, or that they were even planning to change her stepfather. She hadn’t wanted Emma to get her hopes up if things didn’t work out . . . and there was that chance that her best friend might decide that she didn’t want them to go through with it, only to regret her decision later on.
Glancing over at the bed next to Emma’s stepdad, Samara breathed a sigh of relief. The only benefit about sneaking into the ICU instead of another hospital room was that Emma’s stepdad’s roommate was also unconscious, so he wouldn’t see what Samara was about to do next.
Standing next to the bed that he was lying in, she willed herself to change into wolf form. The blue smoke circled around her, as she was lowered to the ground until she was on all fours.
Peeking over at the door to make sure that no one had seen, Samara acted quickly. She stood up on her hind legs, putting her front paws on the hospital bed frame. Looking down at his wrist, she sunk her teeth into his hip, ripping through the hospital gown that he was wearing, because it was the first area of skin that she could find that wasn’t covered in bandages and didn’t have IVs shooting through it.
Her mouth filled with his blood, and she found right away that she didn’t mind the savory taste, which reminded her of gravy—in fact, she wanted to devour it, to get to the core of his flesh, and never stop biting. But she knew that she couldn’t allow herself to do that, so she forced herself to let go of him.
Samara, one of the nurses is coming. Hide! Colby’s panicked voice filled her head.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she glanced around the room for a hiding spot. But it was too late. The door was clicking open, and a nurse strolled into the room, checking the patient chart she held in her hands. When the woman looked up, she met Samara’s eyes and her jaw dropped.
The woman backed out of the room and screamed, “Wolf! There’s a wolf on this floor!”
Samara gave Emma’s stepfather one last look, finding that he hadn’t been resurrected from his hospital bed and hadn’t even opened his eyes, and darted across the room to the door and down the hallway. When she got to the end of the floor, she watched the nurses who were walking down the hall turn to look at her, their faces changing to nervous expressions as they quickened their pace, hoping she would let them pass by unharmed.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she found that the door was an automatic door, so she could get outside all on her own, and quickly darted out of it and outside onto the black pavement. She noticed a police car, with its telltale flashing red and blue lights, and siren wailing. Samara stood there frozen, feeling the panic rise in the back of her throat. What to do? Where to go?
Just run, Luke told her. Run as fast as you can until you’re out of sight, and then phase back.
Samara did as he said, feeling as fast as she could from the hospital.
Once she reached some pine trees two blocks away from the hospital, Samara quickly phased back into her human form. Just as soon as she changed, she glanced up to find Chris’s car pulling alongside her. Luke opened a car door and motioned for her to get in.
Breathing a huge sigh of relief that she hadn’t gotten caught, she climbed into the car, and Chris drove away.
“That was a close one,” Steve commented.
“Did you at least get to do it before the nurse came into the room?” Kyle asked.
Samara nodded. “Yeah, I . . . I bit him.” She stared out the window at the old abandoned farmhouse that they were driving past, blinking back the tears. She hadn’t expected to feel this guilty about biting Emma’s stepdad without asking for her permission first. Not that it mattered how she felt about it now. It was already done. Or was it?
Luke reached over and gave her hand a tiny squeeze, and Samara offered him a weak smile.
Colby glanced over at her, and a look of worry filled his own turquoise eyes. He must have noticed her tears. “What’s wrong, Sam?”
She looked down at the ground. “What if that was all for nothing?”
“What do you mean?” Colby asked, his forehead wrinkling in confusion. “As long as you bit him, it was for something.”
Samara wiped her tears on the sleeve of her hooded sweatshirt. “I mean, when I left, he was still practically a vegetable. He didn’t wake up. What if it didn’t even work?”
Colby laughed, running a hand over his curly blonde hair. “I’m glad that’s all you’re worried about, and not something more serious.”
Samara scoffed. “Umm, I think this is a little serious! It means we might not have saved him, after all. I’m so glad we didn’t tell Emma about it. Now, she can’t be disappointed that it didn’t work.”
“No, it should have worked,” Colby replied. “I did a little research about what happens when people are in comas, and they’re bitten by wolves. There were only ever three cases of this happening. The first two woke up within twenty-four hours, and the third woke up within forty-eight. I’m pretty sure her stepdad won’t wake up right away. Not until tomorrow, at the very least.”
Samara felt the knot of tension that had formed in the pit of her stomach release itself. “Well, that’s good to know. Do you think I should tell her now, then?”
Colby shrugged. “I guess it’s better to be honest with her early on.”
“No, I don’t think you should tell her,” Luke intercepted. “Not yet. I think we should wait to make sure that he does wake up—otherwise, you will get her hopes up. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“I agree,” Steve chimed in from the passenger’s seat. “It’s best to just wait this thing out, for better or worse.”
Samara thought about it. “I guess that’s what I’ll do then. We have other things to worry about right now, anyway. Like all of the initiations that we’ll be doing tonight.”
“Rain said she’ll be there at nine,” Chris said, meeting Samara’s eyes in the rearview mirror.
“Good, I’m excited to meet her,” Samara replied. She left out the part about how she was excited to be getting another member to build up their pack. That would make her sound like she was Jason—just wantin
g to increase their numbers and, ultimately, their power. Speaking of power . . . “We need to stop somewhere guys. I just remembered that there’s something we need to do.”
Chapter 22
The white house at 492 St. Charles Lane was vacant, just as Grandpa Joe had described on the index card that he’d left Samara. What he had forgotten to mention was how huge it was, though. The four-story house, which sat high on a hill, had burgundy shutters, a white picket fence, a four car garage, and a grassy yard that appeared to have been mowed recently (which struck Samara as odd).
“Wow,” she whispered, as they climbed out of the car, when the realization that this was her house, that it belonged to her now, hit her. “This house is gorgeous.”
“It is really nice,” Luke admitted. She glanced over at him. He, too, appeared to be in awe at how impressive the house looked from the outside.
She just stood there, admiring the house, for so long that she had be tugged on the arm by Colby. “Come on, let’s hurry up and get this over with.” He grabbed the shovel that they had bought from Home Depot on the way to the house, as they all headed to the backyard.
As they stepped into the backyard, which was complete with an in-ground swimming pool and a flower garden and was just as stunning as the house itself, Samara couldn’t stop thinking about the news report that they’d heard on the radio on the way over. There had been an announcement about an arctic wolf getting inside the hospital and biting one of the patients, who was now being issued a rabies shot.
The news report also mentioned that there seemed to be a growing wolf problem in the area over the past few months, but that an arctic wolf, which was not indigenous to the area, had never been spotted. The newscaster had analyzed that ‘it’ must have migrated from Canada or may have been someone’s pet that got loose. Or perhaps everyone who had seen it was mistaken and it really wasn’t an arctic wolf at all, but merely just a large white dog that resembled a wolf.
Samara only hoped that Emma wouldn’t hear the news story or that she wouldn’t figure out that Samara was the one who had bitten her stepfather before she got a chance to tell Emma the truth.
“There it is,” Kyle told everyone, pointing to the marble bench, which was diagonal to the rose garden. The crab apple tree, barren of fruit, loomed above it.
Samara grabbed the shovel from Colby and strolled over to the bench. She crouched on the ground and began digging through the cold, hard ground. As she dug up the ground, she wondered what the talisman looked like.
When she hit a cardboard box, she pulled it out of the dirt. Glancing at the ground, she found that it wasn’t alone—there was a second box just underneath it. She dug that one out, too.
She pulled the first box open, careful not to rip the cardboard that held it together. Once she was inside, she pulled out a letter which consisted of her grandfather’s neat handwriting and read it out loud:
“Samara, I have left most of my belongings to you, but I wanted to leave a little something behind for your cousin and for your brother. Both of them are destined to be powerful werewolves, as well—though not quite as powerful as you. Please give Kyle the gold watch that is contained in this box. It tells more than just time.” She pulled out the gold watch, which was encrusted in diamonds, and handed it to Kyle.
“That’s a cryptic message,” Kyle muttered, as he placed the watch around his wrist. “It doesn’t say anything else about what the watch does?”
Samara glanced back down at the letter, and shook her head. She continued reading the letter. “I ask that you please give this pin to Seth. It will help guide him to make the right decisions.” She pulled out a tiny pin, which had a red paw print similar in shape to the ones that the Vyka had as their tattoos, and tucked it in her purse. “I have to give this Seth, guys. My grandfather wanted me to.”
Colby nodded in agreement. “I think you should honor your grandfather’s wishes, Sam. He left this stuff behind for a reason.”
“My biggest concern is that Jason will try to hurt Seth if he finds out that you’re speaking to him. There’s also the risk of Jason trying to claim the pin as his own, in hopes that it will make him more powerful,” Luke replied. “If you’re going to do this, you need to be really careful about it. Maybe send it to him in an anonymous package or something, so that he’s the only one who ever finds out about it.”
Samara thought about this option. “That should work. Declan might find out, but I doubt that he would rat Seth out to Jason.” Actually, she knew for a fact that her best friend wouldn’t say anything; he had already betrayed Jason once to protect her.
“You’re really going to help the enemy?” Chris questioned. “I don’t think you should do that. Do you really think he would do that for you if Joe McKinley left all of this to him instead of you?”
“Considering he saved Luke, yes, I think he would do the same for me,” Samara snapped at him. “And to be honest, it’s not really something you should be concerned about. I’m Alpha, not you.” As soon as she said the words, she immediately felt bad. She had never wanted to be the type of pack leader who used her authority to her advantage, but that was just what she was doing.
Chris’ face hardened, and he turned a shade of beet red. “Whatever. Do whatever you want.” She expected him to stomp away from her angrily, but he just stood there staring at the ground, his hands in his pockets.
“What’s in the next box?” Luke asked, and Samara knew that he was just trying to change the subject.
She picked up the box, and immediately, she could tell that it had already been opened. The lid to the box was left ajar; its hinges had been bent as though someone had pried it open.
Once she had the box open, she reached inside. The first thing she pulled out was a tiny gold key. The second thing she found was the letter from her grandfather. She opened it and read: Samara, in this box, I have included the key to the house and the talisman. Take care of it, and wear it at all times. Its powers will help you on your journeys through life.—Grandpa Joe.
Samara tucked the key inside her pocket and felt around inside the bottom of the box. Her hand hit the velvet fabric.
The box was empty.
“The talisman isn’t here,” she whispered, looking up at her pack members, who were all watching her anxiously, waiting to see the legendary talisman. A nauseous feeling formed in the pit of her stomach.
“What do you mean?” Chris asked, the argument he’d had with Samara already forgotten.
She showed him the empty box. “Look, someone was already inside this box.” She held it up for comparison with the second box, which wasn’t damaged on the outside like the first one was. “And it’s empty.”
“Are you saying somebody stole the necklace?” Steve asked, a look of concern in his brown eyes.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Samara dropped the box to the ground and looked inside the hole again. She couldn’t see anything else inside the dark hole. This wasn’t some sort of trick; Grandpa Joe had left his talisman inside the box, and it was gone now.
Luke tapped his chin with his finger. “Let’s go inside and look around.”
Samara raised her eyebrows at him. “We just found out that the talisman is missing, and you want to go inside so we can look at the house? That’s all you can think of at a time like this?”
Luke shook his head. “No, no, no. That’s not what I’m saying at all. What I’m saying is . . .” He lowered his voice. “Maybe there’s some sort of clue or something inside that will help us figure out what happened to the talisman. Maybe it’s in the house somewhere.”
Colby looked up at Samara thoughtfully. “Actually, that doesn’t sound like such an unreasonable idea. Think about it. If you wanted to hide something really powerful, where are you going to put it? Outside in the backyard in the ground where anyone could dig it up, or would you make it look like it was in the ground . . . but actually hide it somewhere else and make them search for it?”
Samara shru
gged. “I guess, but if that’s the case, I really wish that he would have left some sort of clue in one of his letters to help me figure that out. How are we supposed to know what he planned ahead of time?”
“Well, luckily for you, you’re with one of the best scavenger hunt planners in all of Grandview,” Colby replied, grinning proudly.
Kyle shook his head at Colby. Running a hand through his coppery hair, he added, “And he couldn’t leave you a letter about that. If he did, there was that risk that someone might have found it. And if someone would have found it, I can guarantee you that they would have found the talisman by now, too.”
“Well, I really hope you guys are right because if you’re not, someone really does have the talisman right now.” Samara stood up, wiping the dirt off her knees, and strolled over to the back door of the house. Inserting the key inside the lock, she turned the handle and pushed the door open.
“This place probably doesn’t even have electric,” Luke muttered, as he looked for a light switch on the wall. When he turned it on, the lights in the house lit up, revealing the dining room, a spacious room that was painted a soft shade of violet. A long, rectangular vintage-looking dining room table sat in the center of the room, surrounded by cushioned chairs. There was a sparkly, crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
“It’s already furnished?” Samara whispered, surprised by this revelation. She had been expecting the house to be empty or boarded up, even, but since it was furnished . . . maybe there was a chance that the talisman was somewhere inside, after all.
“With nice furniture, too,” Colby said, pointing into the next room. Samara glanced inside; there were three large, expensive-looking upholstered sofas with oak frames, a granite coffee table, and the largest flat screen TV and the most extensive DVD collection that she had ever seen. Apparently whoever had lived here before had more than just vintage tastes.
“It must have all belonged to the woman who used to live in this house,” Samara commented. “Mollie Archer.”
