by Maddie Foxx
“No, I was just saying.”
“Well, quit talking and start driving up that hill.”
Maxwell made a turn and circled back so he could attempt the running start. He still worried if they’d be able to get up the hill, but the last thing he was going to do was let Melody drive. He had to man up, and it was as good a day as any.
He revved the engine and powered the ATV forward, racing up the hill. As they made it to the top, the front wheels flew up but instead of toppling them over, the machine flew to the top. He braked a bit when they went down the other side, but only briefly.
“Woohoo!” Melody screamed in his ear. “That’s a way to get up the hill. Go, Maxwell!”
Maxwell felt the rush of adrenaline. His heart was sure racing on the way up, but once he cleared the ridge, he felt the best he ever had. He faced his fears and nothing bad happened. Well, with Melody’s prodding. Once he was down the hill, he followed the trail, which led through the broken fence, leaving Silver Creek behind them.
* * *
Tessa stared at Mira. “Who are you, really?”
Mira stiffened. “I don’t know what you mean?”
“You appear at Silver Creek out of nowhere. Where did you come from?”
“I-I…nowhere.”
“Nobody comes from nowhere. Everyone comes from somewhere. I came to Shadow Creek from Wisconsin when my friend Katlyn found a job here.”
Mira stood up. “I-I should just get back to my cabin now. I’m sorry I bothered you.”
Tessa stared Mira down then said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything. I just can’t imagine that you didn’t know you came to a ranch that is owned by werewolves.”
“I’m sorry you think I’m hiding something, but sometimes it’s better to keep some things to yourself. They’re looking for me and when they find me, they’ll do more than just drag me back this time.”
“What are you talking about now? Who is after you?”
“The werewolves. I think you call them full-bloods here.”
“They can only shift on the full moon.”
Mira laughed. “That’s a myth. Perhaps you should talk to your Dr. Evans and I’m sure you’ll find out that’s just not the case.”
“He said if full-bloods mated with half-bloods and created offspring, they’d be capable of being as deadly as full-bloods, but also able to shift at will.”
“Your doctor is hiding something he doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“How do you know all of this, about our doctor or what we call the other kind of werewolves?”
“They know more than you think, and it won’t be long before there will be an all-out war in Creeksboro for dominance.”
“The full-bloods want to take over?”
“Yes, and they’ve already begun. They’re much closer that you think,” Mira warned
Tessa’s heart beat loud as she stared at Mira, the movement beneath her skin, her eyes with a red tint. She was one of them!
“Why Maxwell? What are you planning to do to him?”
“It’s written that a crippled boy will destroy the full-bloods in their native land.”
“Why didn’t you kill Maxwell then?”
“His death isn’t what we want. We want to use him to get the pack and all the other shifters in Creeksboro to surrender it to the full-bloods.”
Tessa’s head was reeling, her fangs growing longer. “What about the humans?”
“They’ll be exterminated like the vermin they are. It’s about time we rule the Earth as it should be, but you can’t win Rome in a day.”
“You sure play the victim role well. So they’re not really after you; you’re here to lead Maxwell into their hands.”
“I wasn’t sure he was the one at first and I had planned to take him back with me, but now it’s too late for that. Everything is as it should be, though. Maxwell’s father is dead and there’s the missing mother. I imagine he even thinks I’m her. It was important to attack somebody who was close to one of the children. Melody’s mother was a chain reaction. I came here to take Maxwell, but Melody’s insistence that they leave in search of the human played right into our hands. The children are headed right to the full-bloods.”
“And where does that leave us then?” Tessa didn’t wait for an answer before she attacked Mira. They rolled on the floor and Tessa breached the tender skin of Mira’s neck. However, before she was able to rip it clean away, Mira began to shake. Her limbs extended, fur came into view, and her head changed to that of a werewolf, one of the biggest Tessa has ever seen. She swiped at Tessa, but she easily ducked, missing her blow. Racing out the back at full-speed, Tessa found herself outside and in full daylight. She knelt and instead of burning like would happen in a vampire movie, she was just fine and under a tree, which canopied overhead. She was concealed from direct sunlight and quite alive.
Before she was able to contemplate the whys or how comes, the werewolf raced toward her with a barrage of teeth and claws. Tessa jumped just as she was almost upon her. Mira ran headlong into the trunk of the tree and whirled, realizing her miss. She snarled something fierce with a deafening howl, which seemed to shake the ground they stood on.
“Bring it on, you ugly beast,” Tessa taunted. She could clearly see the blood at Mira’s neck, dripping from her fur. Tessa knew she had at least hurt her enough to create a sizable injury. She had to find a way to sink her teeth into her once again before she had the chance to finish her off. This wasn’t something Tessa had ever envisioned, fighting for her life. All she could think about was if she didn’t win the battle, she’d never be able to save Maxwell and Melody, and all of Creeksboro, from the full-bloods. She still felt one with the humans and didn’t want anything to happen to any of them. This might just be the first of the battles to come. Everyone in town deserved to live, and the full-bloods would make shifters look no better than barbarians.
Mira sidestepped on her way over to Tessa. She managed to swing at Tessa and connect with her jaw. She went down with Mira on top of her, nails raking down Tessa’s arms. She left her neck too open for Tessa, though, and she wrapped her arms around Mira and sunk her teeth into her. That time she didn’t simply bite her; instead, she drank a portion of her blood. Mira’s werewolf eyes widened and the redness within them faded. She rolled off Tessa and panted heavily for a few minutes before the light left her eyes and she was quite dead.
Tessa fell to the ground. She had barely hurt Mira and yet she was dead? She didn’t understand it, but she’d certainly ask the only person she could. She walked back inside, dragging Mira’s prone body behind her. She dropped her in the center of the floor, and Tessa, on a whim, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with a hoodie. She pulled up the hood and found a pair of sunglasses. She stared at her hands for a moment, but slipped them inside her pockets after she had put on a baseball cap.
There was nothing sane about going out in the light of day, but she recalled that Paige had done it before, so why couldn’t she? Of course, Paige had also told her that she used a big floppy hat, but after careful inspection of the weather outside, she realized it was overcast. She didn’t plan to go far, just to the main house to alert Palina about what she had learned.
She slowly moved out the door with her head down to conceal her face. It was one of the biggest tests of her life. Would daylight kill her, or would she be able to venture out in it? She sprinted toward the main house at a much faster pace than she ever had been able to do. She felt pumped and the blood raced in her veins, her heart soaring.
The closer she drew to the main house the more energized she felt. She didn’t seem like the same Tessa she’d been earlier. It had to have been the blood she drank. How did she manage to drop that huge full-blood with minimal effort and only a few bites to her neck?
She hammered on the door of the main house and a surprised Palina ushered her inside.
“Since when can you go out during the day? Isn’t that against the vampire code?”
; “It’s lucky for you that I’m able to. Maxwell is in trouble, so is Melody and that’s not all.” Tessa then told her how Maxwell had found an injured woman and was helping her, that she was really a full-blood and came there to take him back to the others. “I think she only told us where the children went to get Raphael off the ranch and away from his pack. She claimed that Maxwell would one day destroy the full-bloods in their homeland, if you can believe that.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. Maxwell will eventually create peace among all the werewolves. That goes against what some of the full-bloods might want. He must be a real threat to them if they were trying to capture him. I never heard the part that he’d ever destroy them. It sounds like the full-bloods have gone out of their way to paint a completely different picture.”
“The children are headed to danger, but I need to speak to Dr. Evans pronto.”
“Raphael and Seth will find the children. Find the good doctor and ask him what you will. You can catch up with them later.”
“Good. The doctor knows more than he’s saying, and I have to find out what it is before it’s too late. But what about the pack? Will they be safe with the full-bloods lurking so close?”
“What about town, will you be speaking to the sheriff? What you have learned from Mira will be of interest to them. We must protect our humans.”
Tessa frowned. That was more than she had expected to do. She really didn’t want to delay looking for Maxwell and Melody. She just had to hope that Raphael and Seth would find them before they got into any real trouble. But she had to remember they were shifters and weren’t helpless. Of course, full-bloods were quite strong and vicious, but their bigger size might make it possible for the children to hide where they couldn’t get to them. Also, Melody being a red-tailed hawk shifter would be able to flee and report back about Maxwell’s location. Yes, she had to think that otherwise she’d go straightaway to find them. She knew Raphael would find them before it was too late.
“How will I get into town? I see the children must have taken the ATV.”
“Only one of them, but I’m not sure where the other one might be. There’s a Jeep in the garage. I’ll call one of the men to bring it around for you to use. Please, do what you can to save Maxwell. He’s important to the future of all of us.”
* * *
Maxwell crossed the road going to the north. “Get off the main road,” Melody said. “We’ll be spotted for sure.”
“You want me to go through the woods?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? That doesn’t sound safe. From all the talk of full-bloods of late, what if we run into one?”
“They can only shift on the full moon, which is past, Maxwell. Hurry up before a car passes and tells your uncle or my dad.”
He revved the engine and made his way on to the trail, which led through the woods and between two ranches. He was very carefully as wildlife was plentiful in the area and he didn’t want to risk hitting a deer. Then more than ever Maxwell wished he had told his uncle where Melody had wanted to go. He couldn’t help feeling nervous that they might find trouble around the next bend. Maxwell relaxed when it was clear sailing for the ATV as it flew down the trail.
“Make the turn on Mill Creek Road,” Melody demanded.
They cleared the tree line and roared up the road. When they were about to pass a convenience-type store, Melody told him to pull in. He skidded to a stop, scattering dust and debris, hopping off and following Melody inside. When the bell over the door rang, a man came out of the back.
“Hello there, children,” he greeted them.
Melody made a face at him, no doubt about the ‘children’ reference. Melody didn’t see herself that way at all and that was right to a point. Shifters weren’t like other children; many could be quite deadly if they chose to be. Luckily for the moment, neither of them had to go into self-defense mode.
Maxwell watched Melody who pulled out two sodas and brought them to the counter. The man rang them up and Melody handed the man the money. She then asked, “Is it true Jason Traxler has a cabin near here?”
“You’re the second person in some days who has asked about that, but I’m not sure why you’d be doing so. It’s not safe for two children to be roaming around, especially with shifters lurking around. I know the government tells us not to worry, that they mean us no harm, but how would I know for sure?”
“You don’t say,” Melody said. “Shifters aren’t my worry, really. I’ve never met one, in the woods or not, that ever bothered us. I can’t say the same thing for humans.”
The man gulped. “I see. Well, Jason isn’t the kind of man anyone should go near, especially little people such as yourselves.”
“Actually, I like Jason,” Melody began. “He dates my mother and told me to come out to the cabin so I could go fishing.”
The man’s bushy brow rose. “I see. Well, in that case, if you go down the road a spell…” He gave them the directions and Maxwell and Melody were back on the road after they put the sodas with their belongings. Melody wouldn’t even let him take more than one drink, claiming they’d need it for the remainder of their trip since she wasn’t certain how long it would take.
Maxwell turned where the old boarded-up store was that had been there decaying since before he was born. He went down the trail for a time until a large tree was blocking their path, then cut the engine. “Looks like we’ll have to go on foot from here.”
Melody glanced around. “Isn’t there a way around it?”
“Not that I can see. Let’s get moving before I change my mind about going to that cabin and confronting Jason.”
Melody, the headstrong one, climbed over the log first and Maxwell tried his best to get over it, too, but his leg held him back. He didn’t want to show weakness so he didn’t tell her to wait up. When he finally landed on the opposite side, Melody was nowhere to be found!
CHAPTER FOUR
Tessa drove into Creeksboro. It was early afternoon and she spotted a floppy hat in the window of a store. That’s exactly what I need! She parallel-parked in front of the shop and with head down, she walked inside. A portly woman of sixty waved at her and met her carrying a bolt of fabric.
“Well, Tessa, I hadn’t expected you here until much later. Paige was supposed to pick up the clothing she ordered for you.”
Tessa cocked a brow. “What?”
“Oh, she must not have told you. It’s not every day we get clothing like that ordered.” She made a motion with her fingers over her lips. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.” She stared outside. “How were you able to come here today? It’s not all that cloudy anymore.”
“I’m not sure what you mean. Paige never told me about any clothing she’d ordered for me.”
“It’s your standard long-sleeved shirt, pants, and gloves. All in black, of course, Paige prefers white, you know, but I can already see the black works with your complexion and mood.” She laughed. “It’s hard to know these days with vampires; they all have their own style. Why don’t you go into the dressing room and try your new clothes on.”
Tessa was shocked enough when she had said all vampires have their own style. How many were there near the area? She was led into the dressing room and handed a hanger with all the clothing she had mentioned. When Tessa took it out, it didn’t feel like any fabric she had ever known before. It was stitched tightly and was soft on the inside, but much coarser on the outside. Once she thought about it, Paige did have clothing she wore, which looked very similar. She’d certainly have to ask Paige about it and would be stopping by after she had finished in town.
She admired herself in the mirror. The outfit was a good fit, but she didn’t have any problems with her other clothing and being out during the day. She’d certainly wear it all the same; there was no sense in taking unnecessary risks. For all she knew, her ability to be out in daylight might be short-lived.
“So, about other vampires. Are there more in Creeksboro other than Pai
ge and me?”
The sales lady squared her shoulders. “You see, that’s the thing. My business thrives because of my privacy policy. I can’t say yes or no, and I’d rather not discuss this further.”
“Okay, I suppose I’ll just need my floppy hat and I’ll go. I need to finish my business in town right away.”
The black hat was handed to Tessa and she grimaced. It looked like what somebody from ‘Gone with the Wind’ might have worn. “This won’t do at all. How about a cowboy hat?”
The clerk laughed. “I was just kidding, but the look on your face was priceless.”
Tess just shook her head at the lady. “And what is your name, ma’am?”
“Joy, and my mother always told me it was my job to bring joy to the world. I hope you weren’t bothered by my little joke. I’d hate to offend a woman of your…stature.”
Tessa smiled. “Thanks, I needed something to smile about today. If only that could be the way of the day.”
Tessa carried out a large bag with the clothing, the ones she had worn into the store and the ordered outfits. Paige had gotten two sets. She wasn’t sure what Paige was about, but she’d certainly find out later.
She crossed the street, which was very quiet for early afternoon, but how would she really know how it was to go out during the day in Creeksboro? Even that one time with Katlyn it had been after dinner, not anywhere near day.
Dr. Evans was coming out the door of his office when Tessa raced over there. “Hello there, doctor. I was hoping to have a word with you.”
His eyes widened, then took in Tessa’s apparel.
“I’m heading over to the cafe if you’d care to join me for lunch.”
Drat. She really needed to speak to him privately, but decided she’d not turn down any opportunity to talk with the doctor. “Sounds great to me.”
Dr. Evans took Tessa’s arm and they strode across the street. Dust struck Tessa’s arms and she winced for a minute.
“I think we might just get a thunderstorm soon,” Dr. Evans said. “The wind has picked up since this morning and look at those dark clouds on the horizon.”
