by C. R. Jane
“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I screamed at the night sky, cursing at it for what felt like the millionth time.
Sighing and deciding I was going to just have to walk off this mountain myself, I set off down the dark road.
Weren’t the stars supposed to be brighter out here? Where was the freaking moon?
I stumbled over a rock and barely caught myself with my hands. Of course, catching myself meant scraping my palms on the coarse asphalt and dropping my flashlight.
“Shit,” I whispered, picking myself up and cradling my hands against me as the pain shot through me.
And there was a wolf howl again.
Perfect.
I’m sure the smell of my bloody palms was going to get me eaten alive.
Wouldn’t that just be the most ironic way to go…ever.
I snorted, hysterical laughter threatening to spew from my mouth. I was definitely losing my mind.
Something shifted across the road just then, and I froze, the threat of laughter abruptly coming to a screeching halt.
I picked up my flashlight and began to jog down the road, despite the fact that I knew you were never supposed to run from a predator.
Where were all the fucking cars?
When nothing attacked me from behind, my confidence grew and I started to run faster, despite the fact that my legs were screaming in protest.
I came to a halt when a road that diverted from the main one I’d been running on appeared in front of me just a ways off. I hesitated and tried to squint farther down the main road. I should just stay on this road, right?
The sound of something running down the main road seemingly straight towards me made the decision for me, and I darted down the roadway and quickly realized that it was going downhill rather than uphill as the highway had headed. That was a good sign I thought.
I sighed again as I slowed down to a quick walk, the effects of the crash and my extremely poor diet over the last few weeks doing me in. If I had to run again because something was after me, I was probably going to have to accept it.
Damn those Cool Ranch Doritos.
The air was freezing here. I had on a stained I Love New Mexico shirt I’d found in one of my convenience store runs. It was pink, so I knew I had to have it. Alistair had hated pink, banned it from my wardrobe in fact…
Was it going to last forever, this way that my heart would squeeze every time I thought of him? How was it possible to hate someone with every fiber of your being but still feel like you couldn’t breathe without them?
I stifled a sob, determined not to cry for him.
“Never again,” I whispered to myself, even as his face appeared in my mind as I remembered the way he’d been looking at me right before he ripped my world into a million pieces that had no hope of ever being put back together.
I was so lost in my four hundred and twentieth pity party that it took me a while to notice the lights beginning to pop up in the distance and the enormous wooden sign with the symbol of what looked like a wolf carved above a scrawled ‘Welcome to Amarok.’
Amarok? What kind of name was that? And why hadn’t I seen this on the map I’d poured over before setting off today?
I pushed myself to go faster, the lights giving me hope, even if I was wary of getting so close to civilization. The places I’d picked had been out in the middle of nowhere. Small inns and motels where drifters and vagabonds passed through, perfect for a girl on the run. Alistair was a big fan of the Four Seasons, so the places I’d picked were, again, perfect for avoiding detection.
Another howl sounded through the night, and I decided that going near people, and hopefully getting help for my car, was a much better outcome than the possibility of getting eaten alive.
I already knew what a wolf’s bite felt like, and it wasn’t an experience I wanted to repeat…
2
Rune
The buildings loomed larger as I got closer, and I wondered again how a town this size hadn’t been on my map. I was pretty sure the map was up to date. A GPS on a phone would obviously have been more useful, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
I tried to look for a building where I could find help, but everything looked shut down for the night. Finally, I spotted a sign advertising a place called The Lair Inn. The walls were made of cobblestone, like something you’d find in a Brother’s Grimm tale. For an inn, it seemed pretty deserted. I couldn’t see anyone else around. Only the splash of water from a river nearby and the rustle of leaves filled the night. For moments, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d stumbled into a ghost town. But ghost towns didn’t have pristine roads and building lights, so I guessed I could strike that possibility off the list, right?
The faint sound of a scream caught on the breeze from the woods behind me. Had I really heard that, or was it an animal cry?
I twisted around, my heart in my throat, and I stared into the unbelievable darkness, seeing nothing. It didn’t stop my imagination from picturing wolves looming in the shadows, about to lunge and kill me. The fact that I was a wolf shifter didn’t stop wild wolves from attacking.
Today had been a terrible day, and I’d had my fair share of crap in my life. I’d come too far though to add death to my list of how much my situation currently sucked.
I whipped back around and sprinted the last few steps towards the inn, the hairs on my nape standing at attention. Panic flared in my chest as I got the distinct feeling that someone was watching me right at that moment. I plunged into the light hanging over the arched, wooden door and turned my back to the building. Part of me half expected something to be right on my heels, but there was nothing there. Just a lawn with wooden benches and tables. Still, my heart beat furiously fast.
Keep your shit together, I ordered myself.
It was bad enough I crashed my car, and now I was stuck in the middle of nowhere. But I couldn’t let panic get the better of me.
Where the heck am I, anyway?
Wherever I’d arrived, I doubted Alistair would track me down right away, and I craved a warm bed desperately. Anything to be away from the dark woods and the feeling of being watched.
Not waiting another moment, I turned and pushed open the inn’s door. The hinges creaked, announcing my entrance. Not that there was an audience to welcome me. The main bar area stood empty.
No music.
No fire burning.
Just an eerie silence at first.
I took a deep breath, inhaling a strong lemon scent like the entire room had been plunged in Lysol. Not for the first time, I longed for the abilities that should have been mine. I could have scented the whole room, gotten a clear lay of the place. For a wolf, emotions had clear scents. It was just too bad I would never get to experience that firsthand.
Someone cleared their throat just then, and I jumped, realizing I wasn’t alone in the room. I looked over and saw a middle-aged man now standing behind a long wooden counter. We stared at each other, and he cocked his head as he studied me. I saw his nostrils flare a few times, almost like he was trying to smell me.
That was odd.
My thoughts flew in a dozen directions all within the span of a microsecond. Would he hurt me? Even as the thought cycled through my mind, I knew it was crazy. Not every person of the male variety was a psychopath. But I couldn’t help it.
I backed up a few steps, my first instinct to find an escape route, even though I had nowhere to escape to. My skin chilled with the notion I’d just made a terrible mistake coming here.
“Um…I-I better go. Sorry—”
“You look like you could do with a warm drink, maybe something to eat,” the man said, a hint of uncertainty lacing his voice. His gaze skipped over my shoulder to the night outside, as if he feared what lingered in the woods too. His attention swept over my arms, seeing the blushing redness of the burns from the airbags.
I didn’t move at first as the breeze from outside swished through my hair, curling around my body. I shivered with a sudde
n cold.
“You just arrived in town?”
When I looked closer, I saw there was softness in his eyes, similar to how I’d remembered my mother’s looking. That didn’t bode well for my trust issues with this man.
“It’s best not to wander through these woods late at night. It can be a dangerous place.”
He turned to collect a tall glass from the shelves behind him, acting purposely nonchalant, as if he knew how close to the edge I was in completely losing it.
I really didn’t want to go back out there alone. Not when I was sure something had been stalking me.
I would just stay awhile, I decided as I continued to watch him closely for any sudden movement, at least to find out where I was and where to stay for the night.
I shut the door, closing out the breeze, and walked toward the long bar against the back wall, taking in the room. Small round tables and chairs peppered half of it, wine barrels decorated the side wall, and a massive, stone fireplace sitting in shadows adorned the other. A closed door sat to my far left and another behind the bar.
Wooden chandeliers decorated with small carvings of bears and mountain lions flickered overhead. There was a quaintness about the place, and a strangeness at the same time that I couldn’t put my finger on. It was pretty late, so I guessed that explained why there were no guests milling around, but still…it felt strange.
“I got into an accident just off the main road,” I admitted and took a seat on a round stool.
“You walked all the way here in the dark? Are you injured?” he asked, turning toward me and filling my glass with ice.
“Just some water please,” I asked, parched from the long walk. “I think I’m all right, but it was quite a hike.”
Around us, photographs of the beautiful forest landscapes dotted the wooden walls. Realizing I was still holding onto the flashlight, I set it near the stool just as a chilled glass of water landed on the bar in front of me.
“Thank you.” I didn’t wait and drank the whole thing in seconds, the chilled water racing down my throat. Then I looked up at the man. He was older than I’d first assumed, with silvery short hair and piercing dark eyes. His short smile tugged his ears outward slightly and gave him an almost approachable feel. He was on the slim side, and the checkered, short-sleeved top he wore hung loosely on him.
“I’m Jim and I run The Lair with my wife, Carrie. She’s gone to bed early tonight, she takes the morning shift.” From across the bar, he bent forward and rested his elbows on the counter, close enough to see the deep lines at the corners of his eyes, the white strands in his bushy eyebrows, the flicker of friendliness in his gaze that I wasn’t used to seeing.
No one had been friendly to me in a very long time…besides Nelly.
I couldn’t think about her.
“Now, you can take one of the rooms upstairs for the night if you want. We don’t get many tourists in this area, so with the kitchen shut, all I can offer you is a grilled cheese sandwich. So while I make that, how about you tell me where you broke down on the main road so we can get you back on your way tomorrow?”
For a second, I was back behind the steering wheel about to hit the tree.
Bang.
I shuddered in my skin.
I mentally shook away the image and focused on Jim, who pushed open the door behind the bar and entered a small kitchen. He left it open so I had direct line of sight to him, a move I appreciated. A warm bed sounded perfect, but was it safe? Did I have a choice?
You always have a choice. Nelly’s voice echoed in my ears. She was the eldest female in Alistair’s pack, and the only one really to care about me. She’d always impart small words of wisdom when no one was looking our way, including telling me I needed to try and leave Alistair…and then helping me make that happen.
Glancing up at Jim, who was buttering the slices of bread, adding cheese, and placing it onto the grill, I said, “I hit a tree not too far from the turn off coming into this town. But there’s no one outside. At first, I thought I stumbled across an abandoned town.” My attempt to smile came out lopsided from disuse, but thankfully, he wasn’t looking my way.
“You’re in Amarok, dear. A place where anyone is welcome and your business is your own. Most folk keep to themselves, and like I said, the woods at night are not safe.” He stepped out of the kitchen and set the plate with the grilled cheese sandwich in front of me, then went back to wiping the glasses on the sink behind him.
I collected the sandwich and bit into it, melting into my seat at how hungry I’d been, his words running through my mind. A town where people minded their own business? The idea intrigued me. With it came a calmness I hadn’t felt in weeks…months…years.
But I’d also learned the hard way that nothing was ever as it first appeared.
It wasn’t long before I finished my meal and Jim showed me upstairs to my bedroom. He was a man of few words, and once he shut the door, I locked myself inside.
A bed with a floral blanket, dresser, table, and chairs by the window. It was simple. A far cry from the lavish sheets I’d slept on at Alistair’s.
It was perfect.
I hurried across the room and drew the white curtains closed. My bag with clothes remained in the car, but for now, I wanted to dive into bed and forget the day.
Stripping down to my underwear, I switched off the main lights and climbed under the cold blankets. I curled in on myself and shut my eyes, pushing all my thoughts aside…everything but the heavy burden of loneliness remained. I nestled deeper into the pillow, breathing in the fresh clean smell with a calming hint of lavender.
Warm tears trickled down my cheeks, and I wiped them with my blanket, wondering how long before the ache in my chest for Alistair eased.
How long did it take to forget a fated mate? My heart pounded in my chest as I rolled over in bed.
I hated myself for feeling anything but hate for him.
I hated how much my body craved him.
I hated that it took me so long to finally escape him.
I hated myself.
Breathing heavily, I tucked myself tighter into a ball, unable to shake the feeling once again that I was indeed cursed.
I had to go somewhere. Now. Urgency pushed me to get moving. The only problem was that I couldn’t remember where I was supposed to go. I’d forgotten.
Lofty pines surrounded me, thick with branches, the scent crisp on the air, while clouds gathered overhead, darkening the shadows. I rubbed the chill out of my arms, staring in every direction for anything familiar.
A sudden, piercing howl rang through the woods.
I twisted around on the spot fast, foliage cracking underfoot, the world seeming to darken so fast.
Where did I have to go? Remember, remember, remember.
The howl came again, and I flinched in my skin at the sharpness of the call.
Wolves.
A sudden glint of yellow flashed between two trees in the distance, like a reflection, except they were eyes.
Wolf eyes.
Fear tore through my chest.
I recoiled, stepping backward, never taking my gaze off the predator.
He watched me…waited. That’s what they did before they attacked.
Just like Alistair. He had tested me, left the door open to our home, given me chances to escape. I only made that mistake once…that was all I needed to learn—he watched me. Broken ribs and a fractured hip were my lesson.
When the ear-piercing howl came again, my heart raced, and out of the shadows, a wolf the color of the blackest night lunged at me, teeth bared, death in his eyes.
I gasped and sat up in bed, covered in sweat, hair stuck to the sides of my face. My heart pounded in my chest. I gripped the blanket, drawing in rapid, shallow breaths, trying to recover from the nightmare. I glanced quickly around the room to make sure I was alone.
I’d been on the run for weeks and never had a dream about Alistair until now. I just prayed it wasn’t a premonition about this
town.
Taking my time to let myself calm down, I finally shoved my legs out from under the blanket and got to my feet. Faint light glowed around the edges of the curtain, and I hurried across the room to where I could peer out from it.
Morning light drenched the woods in the distance, and down below lay the most glorious river, glinting beneath the sun like a chest of jewels. Across the bank, a green meadow spread outward, dotted in white flowers, along with at least a dozen cabin-like homes. Farther down the river, I spotted a bridge, made for cars to pass, and suddenly, the ghost town I’d stumbled into last night had been transformed into a picturesque scene so pretty, I couldn’t have made it up. Perfect for anyone looking to get away. Maybe this was where all those earlier cars that had honked at me last night were rushing to.
Not that I could see any cars from up here.
No sounds came from outside my room either. It was strange how quiet this town appeared.
The fleeting thought came and went as I remembered I had a car to collect. I was already dreading seeing how badly it was damaged. I grabbed my clothes from the floor and headed into the shower.
Had luck actually been on my side for once in finding this place? I didn’t want to push it.
I closed my eyes beneath the hot spray of water, starting to feel semi normal. Which was saying a lot, considering I’ve been on the road and spent many nights sleeping in my car. This was a luxury. I used the time to scrub my body with the little hotel soap and then lathered my hair with the hotel shampoo. It was apple-scented, and I smiled, almost forgetting how good a hot shower could feel.
Once I dried and pulled on my old clothes, I ran my fingers through my hair to chase away the tangles. I even used the small tube of toothpaste and the toothbrush supplied.
By the time I stepped out of my room, I felt brand new…if you didn’t count the day old worn clothes I was wearing that were covered with dirt, sweat, and a little bit of blood from last night’s adventure.
I headed downstairs where the hum of voices suddenly reached me, and instantly, my initial reaction was to pause, to back away. My body protested, and I retreated back up the steps.
