AIR Series Box Set

by Amanda Booloodian

  It almost felt like I had been struck again and I stepped away from Vincent. He must have realized why, because he swore under his breath and walked out of sight.

  “It’s out there,” I called after Vincent. Why wouldn’t they listen to me?

  Rider circled around me before leaning down, nose to nose with me. Rider looked into my eyes. “You are you.”

  “No shit,” I spat. My breathing came easier, but the pain wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Why shouldn’t she be herself?” Ethan asked.

  Hearing the irritation in his voice was not helping the situation.

  “She is not always herself,” Rider said as if it being someone different was an everyday occurrence. To me he said, “Take off your shirt.”

  “What?” Ethan hissed.

  I shook my head and closed my eyes. Could this morning get any worse?

  Chapter 7

  “Everyone stop!” I didn’t raise my voice, but the words came out with force. I moved back and leaned against a tree.

  “What-”

  I interrupted Ethan. “No. Stop. Rider, there was a large animal out there. It’s the same one we were tracking.”

  He frowned and shook his head. “I would have-”

  “Well, you didn’t,” I snapped. “His Path is there.”

  “It’s gone now,” Vincent said, stepping back into our campsite. “Whatever it was is gone.”

  I wanted to scream out in frustration, but knew it would do no good.

  “Why don’t you tell us what happened.” Vincent kept his voice calm.

  I rolled my eyes and ignored Rider when he lifted one of my arms to inspect it. “There was a large dog. It looked like a wolf. When I checked its Path, it was the same one we had been following.”

  Rider let go of that arm and pulled the other away from my chest. I winced, but let him hold the arm out for his inspection.

  “Then what happened?” Vincent asked, still in that same calm voice. He had reined in his emotions to the point that his face may as well have been carved in stone.

  “I woke up Rider.” I stopped, not sure how to continue.

  “And?” Ethan asked.

  “I struck her,” Rider said in the same passive ‘it doesn’t matter’ voice.

  That grated on my nerves, but I knew why he sounded that way.

  “What?” Ethan’s fists clenched.

  Vincent closed his eyes.

  “We’re overlooking the fact that there was an animal out there.” I really wanted to derail Ethan from the conversation he was trying to start. “One that was with the hunter.”

  “So we’re supposed to ignore the fact that he hit you?” Ethan was all but trembling from anger.

  I shrugged and instantly regretted it as a sharp jolt of pain went through me. “I woke him up out of a dead sleep. He didn’t even know it was me.”

  Rider nodded, but said nothing. Instead, he pulled me gently away from the tree. After he moved my arm back to where it had started, he circled around me again.

  “That’s what you’re going with?” Ethan’s frustration accented every word.

  “That’s what happened,” I said, trying to keep my own aggravation in check.

  “Rider and I should check the woods,” Vincent said in his monotone voice.

  “Yes,” I responded, feeling some relief. “Go look around. Find whatever animal it was.”

  “Ethan, you’ll look after her?” Vincent waited for a nod from Ethan before turning away.

  After making one more pass around me, Rider followed, going in the direction I had indicated. Watching intently, I didn’t feel better until they had reached the point where I was sure the wolf had been standing.

  “Are you okay?” Ethan asked.

  “Um, I think so.” I tried to stand up straighter, but grimaced. “I will be, anyway. I’m more worried about what was out there.”

  “This wasn’t what I expected,” Ethan said. “I’m not sure what to do here.”

  “About Rider?” I asked. “Nothing.”

  “Has anything like this happened before?” Ethan asked.

  The image of Rider doped up on meth flashed through my head, but I pushed that thought away. “You mean have I ever tried to shake awake a sleeping werewolf?” I grinned, trying to make light of it. “I think that’s a mistake you only make once.”

  “Let sleeping werewolves lie?” Ethan asked.

  “Something like that.” I was relieved he was moving away from anger.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?” Ethan asked.

  Ethan looked like he needed to help me in some way. “I could use some water, but we should also pack up so we can get on the move when they get back.”

  While Ethan started to take down the camp, I snatched the bottle of pain pills and took a few before making my own attempts at helping, starting with finding Vincent’s gun.

  The sky was starting to turn light when Rider and Vincent returned.

  “Did you find anything?” I asked.

  Rider started to take down his hammock, so Vincent answered. “We aren’t sure.”

  “How can you not be sure?” I asked.

  “Rider couldn’t smell anything, but there were signs something had been there,” Vincent said.

  “So, there’s something out there that looks like a giant wolf, but doesn’t have a scent?” I asked, trying to ignore the fact that the animal was becoming larger in my memory.

  “We aren’t sure,” Vincent repeated. I saw his eyes dart to Ethan and back. “Everything good?”

  “I think so.” I realized that my answer was as vague as Vincent’s had been. “We need to get moving, though. Do we have a plan for the day?”

  “Get as close as we can, circle around if possible, and close in,” Vincent said.

  Nodding, I handed over his gun. “You’re going to need this.”

  He hesitated, but took it.

  “I think we have everything,” Ethan said.

  Looking around, I saw that Ethan and Rider had packed up and were ready to move. The hateful backpack was waiting for me, but before I had a chance to grab it, Rider picked it up wordlessly and once again took the lead on our hunt.

  With discomfort radiating through my chest, it was such a relief that I didn’t have to wear the thing that I didn’t even argue. Later in the day, I could always pick it up again.

  The pace was quick, but it didn’t feel fast enough. Unfortunately, it was all I could do to keep up, and I could tell that Ethan and Vincent were struggling as well. Complaining wouldn’t help, so I kept it to myself. When Rider stopped a few hours later, I was grateful for the break, but felt bad since I wasn’t carrying anything and was still worn out.

  “I can carry my bag now,” I lied.

  Rider looked around before shaking his head. “I think we should leave the bags here.”

  That perked me up. “How close are we?”

  “We are close enough that I do not think we should make much noise once we leave this location,” Rider said.

  “This is it then,” I said.

  Vincent nodded. “It is. When we get close enough, Rider, you signal us and then circle around to one side, and I’ll go the other direction. Cass and Ethan will give us twenty minutes and then move forward again.”

  “We’d cast a wider net if Ethan and I split up as well,” I said.

  “We don’t have enough weapons to go around,” Vincent said.

  “He doesn’t know that. Besides, I have the Path,” I said.

  He looked like he was thinking it over, but he was almost too animated, which made me wonder if he actually had.

  “No,” he said after giving it some time. “We don’t know what to expect. Three sides will work best.”

  The argument was on the tip of my tongue when Ethan came up beside me and took my hand.

  “I think it’s a good plan,” Ethan said.

  Knowing I was outvoted, and there was no way I was going to win, I agreed. After the bags had
been lifted into the trees we continued as quietly as we could after our quarry. We moved faster without our bags holding us down, but it was still over an hour before Rider stopped us and made a bunch of complicated hand gestures.

  Ethan and Vincent nodded, so I shrugged in way of agreement, and then Ethan and I were alone. I wanted to pace, but the thought of tripping and making a bunch of noise rooted me to the spot. It might have been comforting to be closer to Ethan, but he looked lost in his own little world. His face was the picture of seriousness.

  Time crawled by and I spent it worried the others wouldn’t be in place, or that the hunter would have moved so far ahead that we’d miss him. My stomach tightened like a coiled spring and yet we still stood there waiting.

  When Ethan signaled us to move forward, I wanted to run ahead, but I managed to rein myself in and follow Ethan’s lead. Telling myself that letting Ethan go first had nothing to do with the fact that, in my compulsive worry, I forgot which direction we were going. There are times when I’m really good at lying to myself.

  We started up a hill, which caused even more uncertainty. Even I knew that being downhill from someone shooting at you was an extreme disadvantage. There was no sign of our hunter, though. Ethan held up his hand near the top of the hill, stopping me. He inched himself forward while I stewed in my frustration below the crest of the rise. After surveying the area, Ethan motioned me forward again.

  “Put your hands up!” I heard Vincent’s yell, but it seemed far away and he wasn’t in sight.

  Ethan lunged forward and I was fast on his heels. We stopped before a drop-off. Below, Vincent approached a man sitting on the ground with his hands up. Vincent’s gun was trained on the stranger and I saw Rider approaching from the opposite side.

  The man didn’t move. I could hear him talking, but I wasn’t close enough to hear to what he was saying. There was no resistance when Rider stood him up and wrapped zip strips around his wrists.

  “Huh,” Ethan said, holstering his weapon. “That was simple enough.” He pulled me into a kiss, which I wasn’t expecting, but was pleasantly surprised to receive. “Let’s get down there.”

  We had to walk a short way to find an incline that would allow us to get down the hill without falling. When we caught up with them, the man was still sitting on the ground, hands bound behind his back, and Vincent stood over him.

  “This is an awful lot of trouble to go to for one camper.” He smiled as though there was a joke that no one else got.

  “This,” Vincent said, “is Peter.”

  “How do you do, Miss,” Peter said.

  Besides his hands bound behind his back, he looked like any other person enjoying their day. A little dirty, maybe, but I didn’t even want to think about how grimy I felt.

  “Where’s Rider?” I asked.

  “He went on ahead to make sure everything is okay,” Vincent said. “And Peter was getting ready to tell us what he’s doing out here.”

  “Was I?” Peter asked.

  “You were.” Vincent’s voice was calm and his face remained as impassive as ever, but I could tell this guy was already frustrating him.

  “Darling,” Peter turned to me, “why is a lovely woman like you out here with these men?”

  Feeling creeped out, my nose curled up involuntarily.

  “If you’re in some kind of trouble,” Peter continued, “just say the word and I’ll do what I can do to help you.”

  “Cass, why don’t you go catch up to Rider,” Vincent said. “Ethan and I will wait here with Peter.”

  The lines of tension on Vincent’s face were clear to me, and I hesitated.

  “Ah, Cass. It’s nice to put a name to that pretty face of yours,” Peter said.

  Ew.

  “You can find Rider without any trouble, right?” Vincent didn’t take his eyes off Peter when he spoke to me.

  “Yeah. I’ll catch up to him.” Turning away, I pulled up the Path and searched for the direction Rider had headed. I had to force myself to walk slowly because Peter made my skin crawl and there was no way I was going to let him know that I was rattled. For once, I was more than happy to take Vincent’s suggestion without argument.

  “You be careful out there, Cass,” Peter called. “You never know what monsters are lurking in the woods.”

  “Enough,” Vincent said.

  Pretending not to hear them was the only good response, so I didn’t look back. Hearing the man call me Cass really got under my skin, and it was clearly aggravating Vincent. When I was certain I was out of view, I hurried forward. Rider was following the same trail Harry had taken, and they both had a head start on me. Putting ground between Peter and me was a happy bonus.

  A breeze stirred the trees, birds chirped, and small animals moved around unseen on the forest floor. Those sounds together started to make me feel better. Sure, I was miles from civilization, but it was peaceful here.

  Leaves crunched underfoot and I started to trudge up a hill. Twice, I saw and heard the quick movements of something small in the undergrowth, but each time, I missed what had made the noise.

  Maybe after spending so much time together out here, Rider would start to talk to me again. It wasn’t like he had ignored me on the trip. There had been no casual conversation, but we had to start somewhere, right?

  By the time I reached the top of the hill, I was winded and my chest ached with each expansion of my lungs. The landscape flattened out on top of the hill until it began to slope down towards a grass and wildflower-filled meadow. This made it easier to catch my breath.

  Rider was on the other side of the clearing, walking with a very short, very skinny, and yes, a very furry person. It was hard to say how short at this distance, but Rider towered over the person that I assumed was Harry. Smiling, I drove away the flowing river of the Path.

  Chapter 8

  “You found him,” I said as I started down the hill.

  I didn’t call out because I didn’t have to. Even from this distance, Rider heard me. Apparently, Harry heard me as well, because he stopped dead in the field and then crouched down. Slowing my pace, I watched as Harry appeared to blur and then disappear completely. Even though I had no idea what happened, I knew that I was the cause, so I stopped moving. Rider knelt down on the ground and it looked like he was speaking to the invisible Harry. Since I didn’t have super hearing I didn’t know what he said, but he did gesture in my direction.

  Trying to appear as harmless as possible, I gave a little wave and then froze. Rider and Harry weren’t alone in the meadow. The large wolf was frozen in the grass, looking ready to pounce.

  “Rider.” I tried to keep my voice calm and not startle the animal, in case it heard me as well. “Hide Harry.”

  He looked up at me, confused.

  “Don’t argue, don’t run, but hide him, preferably off the ground. The wolf is back.”

  Rider glanced around, but I knew from his crouched position that he wouldn’t see the wolf. Even standing it was probably far enough away to hide in the grass.

  Now, what do I do?

  Rider stood and walked back into the woods. There was a small flurry of moving grass that must have been Harry. I watched the movement carefully, trying to catch a glimpse of Harry. When I looked back to the wolf, it was gone.

  Stupid rookie mistake. Not seeing the animal anywhere, I bolted down the hill. There was no way to tell if Rider had moved quickly once out of sight, and I had no way of knowing if they were followed.

  “I lost sight of it,” I yelled.

  Tall prairie grass beat at me as I ran. Tiny seeds and dust flew into the air. My chest screamed with each breath, and burrs clutched at my clothes. The grass grew shorter as I approached the trees where Rider had disappeared.

  Moving into the shade of the trees, I heard a high-pitched squeal.

  My heart leapt into my throat and my mind instinctively jumped into the Path. There was no damming the flow. The full weight and power crashed over me. Ahead, Rider kneeled o
ver something on the ground. I assumed it was Harry, but there was no time to look.

  “Where is it?” I yelled.

  “I did not see.” There was panic in his voice, which was never good.

  My feet pounded into the ground in an attempt to close the distance between my friend and me.

  Yards away, I saw the shape dart through the trees, running straight at Rider. Slamming power into the Path, I lashed out at the creature. It was crude and blunt, but I forced a wall of the Path firm and slammed it straight into the wolf, knocking it to the side.

  The animal got to its feet as I reached my partner. Rider’s hand was wrapped tightly around Harry’s arm, which was bleeding profusely.

  The wolf was gone again when I looked back up.

  “How bad is it?” I asked, trying to spot any movement in the forest.

  “It is bad,” Rider said. “There was no smell until it struck.”

  “Are you injured?” I asked, realizing my voice was louder than necessary, but I couldn’t seem to modulate it between gasping breaths.

  “I am not,” Rider said.

  That was something working for us. Glimpsing movement at the edge of my vision, I tried to knock the creature off course again, but it was a waste of energy. The wolf was gone before I made contact.

  “Take off your belt and tie it tightly around his arm above the wound.” I turned in circles while giving instructions. “But don’t let go until it’s tight. That will slow the bleeding.”

  The Path stormed around me, but even with all that power, I was having trouble tracking my quarry. Its Path lightened to almost nothing and then burst back to life somewhere unexpected.

  “I’ve got it,” Rider said.

  “Good. Grab Harry, we’re getting out of here,” I said.

  Rider picked the small man up, but I didn’t take my eyes off the woods.

  “Walk in front of me, but slowly. I am having a hard time following this thing,” I said. It was an understatement. Even worse, my weariness was making itself known.

  A growl to the left had me whipping around to shield us on that side, but once again, there was nothing there. I dropped our buffer before I used any more energy on it.