I walked hunched over to the bathroom and searched the cabinet. Nothing.
“Crap, crap, crap.” I needed something before it got any worse. I went back downstairs.
“Tim?” I called.
“Yeah, sweetie?”
“I need to run to the store, can I use the car?”
“Sure but you better make it quick, it’s almost nine and everything closes up.”
“I know. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”
Hitting the grocers at nine in the evening wasn’t what I had envisioned I’d be doing on a Saturday night but this couldn’t wait.
I climbed out of Tim’s car and raced for the door. Small town hours weren’t to be trusted and I was cutting it close. Mr. Knapp was notorious for locking the door early, even when he left the lights on.
Pulling the door open, I smiled at the elderly man as I entered. Smiling couldn’t hurt, since the disgruntled look he wore spoke to just how close I had cut it.
“Hurry up. I ain’t got all night.”
“I just need one thing,” I said, then turned to half-jog down the aisles.
I scanned the shelves quickly and picked up what I needed. I made it back to the till and Mr. Knapp began ringing me through clearly disgruntled.
“Sorry, I know it’s closing time.”
“You the one?” he asked.
“Excuse me?”
“You the new girl in town?”
“Whaaat?” I let the sound drag in confusion. Had I imagined his first question? Was I letting my own imagination run wild with the idea that he might know about me?
“Ain’t you the one always hanging out with Tristan?” He turned his head and spit a stream of gunk from his mouth. Chewing tobacco the smell and color of vomit landed in a garbage pail at the end of the register.
“Oh, um yeah, I am.”
He squinted his eyes, looking at me and just grunted. “Well, I can’t believe no one told you about him. You shoulda stayed away from him. This is just gonna bring -” He glanced behind me out the window and stiffened, cutting off his words. I turned to see what had drawn his attention, but only saw a man in a baseball cap sitting in his car talking on his cell phone.
Mr. Knapp looked back at me, his expression no longer one of curiosity but of fear and anger. “Don’t come back here.”
I backed up a step, incredulous. “Excuse me?”
“You ain’t welcome here. We’ve been doin’ fine, now…” The tingle of the bell above the door left his words hanging.
My muscles tensed as I slowly realized that he knew. He knew who I was and if he knew then others did as well. How long would it be before Kas or Elin came for me?
I left the store, aware of not only Mr. Knapp’s eyes following me but also those of the driver. Eyes darting around the parking lot, I walked back to the car. Rolling my shoulders, I tried to shake off the feeling of being watched.
I had no warning except the darkening shadow falling over me. I twisted my head around. The guy from the car was behind me. I jumped and laughed nervously, stepping back, trying to move closer to my car. He followed. He wasn’t big. I could take him. Yeah, if I weighed about another hundred pounds.
“You’re just a little thing, aren’t you?” he said.
I didn’t know how to respond, I just kept backing up, cursing my stupidity for parking so far away in an empty parking lot. I shot a look at the store windows, but the place was dark. In the seconds since I left the store, Mr. Knapp had fled the scene.
“You sure are quiet. Guess that’s how you got away with it.”
“Got away with what?” What the hell was he talking about?
“Without us noticing you. Without me knowing who you are.” He stepped closer, licking his lower lip.
“I’m no one.”
“God, can you really be that dumb? Hasn’t he told you who you are?” He grabbed my wrist and I yelped in fear, frantically trying to tear my arm from his painful grip.
“Let go of me!” I yelled, struggling against his hold and against the fear and anger building within me. His hat fell off and the light from the street lamp highlighted his red locks. I knew him from my dreams.
“That would be so easy. But I’m not an idiot. I know who you are, what you are. Oh no, I have great plans for you. But that doesn’t mean I can’t have some fun with you first.” He tugged my arm and I fell against him. Dropping my wrist, he grabbed my head and smashed my lips with his.
I pushed on his chest and face, finally resorting to using my nails. Scratching, tearing the skin from his cheeks and neck. He thrust me away and I tumbled to the asphalt, scraping my elbows and palms.
“Bitch,” he snarled, raising a hand to touch a jagged cut on his face that was already melding itself together.
“Kas,” Tristan’s voice came from behind me. I turned to see him standing beside his car. His fists were white knuckled and his feet braced apart. He looked pissed. “Get the hell out of here.”
“Tristan-” Kas was backing away, his head tipped down in mock submission.
“Are you fucking deaf?” he roared. I blinked and he was between us, blocking my view of Kas. “If you ever touch, hell if you ever even look at her, you’ll pray to be dead. You’ve been bound, but I could kill you right now. Get the hell out of here.”
Kas ran. He jumped in his car and with tires squealing he left the parking lot. I stayed there on the ground, my legs trembling so hard I knew they wouldn’t hold me. Tristan waited until the brake lights disappeared around the corner before dropping to my side.
He hooked his hands under my arms and lifted me onto his lap, cradling me. His touch instantly soothed the tremors racing through me. I rested my head on his chest and let out a sob.
“It’s alright,” he whispered. He continued to murmur soft words, rocking me until I bordered on sleep. I looked up at him, seeing the tension lingering in his eyes.
“Tristan, what he said...”
“Shhh, Janie. Just focus on feeling me, on feeling safe.”
“It is important. He knows about me.”
“It’s gonna be okay. Ericka told him he couldn’t kill anyone, he knows there’s no way to break that.”
“Why did he run off? If he really wanted to hurt me, why did he run?”
“Because I haven’t been bound by Ericka. When I said I could kill him, he knew I meant it.”
“How did you know where I was?”
“Samara called and said you were upset earlier, so I stopped by and Tim told me you’d gone to the store.”
“I was so scared. At first, I thought he was joking around. Then I saw his hair and I was so scared I couldn’t even think to run.”
“It’s okay,” he soothed, rubbing his hands along my back. “He won’t hurt you again. I promise.”
I wanted to ask him more, but his calming touch mixed with the sudden drop in adrenaline and I slept. I didn’t remember the drive home or even Tristan carrying me up to bed. When I woke the next morning, it was to Justin and Tim eating breakfast, joking about my ability to fall asleep instantly.
Tristan hadn’t told Tim or Justin about the attack and we agreed to keep it a secret. Tim would freak and Justin, well I couldn’t trust him to not go after the guy. As furious and sick as I was at the thought of him getting off free, I knew Justin would be the person hurt. And I wasn’t willing to lose what little family I had.
Chapter 24
Tristan and I walked down the street towards the park, his arm slung over my shoulder, my personal heating blanket. We all knew that she was coming. Only Tim lived in a world of blissful ignorance.
“Why does Elin hate me?” I asked as we crossed the green strip.
“I don’t know.”
“But you have a theory?”
His eyes evaded mine and his arm dropped to let his hand join mine. “My mom says Helena has always been resentful of how Ericka controls the Lycan. She believes that the infection makes us stronger, better. Before she left, she was accused of
infecting an entire family, just north of Durango. They all died.”
I shivered from the cool morning air that replaced his arm and his hand began pulsing with warmth.
“If you’re the cure then you are the exact opposite of what she wants.” His eyes finally met mine and the terror in them banished any heat he was transferring me. “She’ll come for you.”
I thought of my dreams, how she wrapped her hands around my neck. Unconsciously my hand lifted, rubbing my neck in memory of the pain.
“I’ve dreamed of her killing me,” I said softly. “She strangles me.”
His grip tightened. No words could take away the agonizing fear of those dreams and he knew it. We crossed the path into the park and I pulled Tristan towards our swing. I sank into the seat as he stood in front of me, mimicking our first night here. I didn’t push off, just dragged my feet in a figure eight pattern through the hard packed dirt. The grass was worn away, a glimpse of the earth underneath peeking through the green blanket covering the ground.
“We’ll protect you, Janie.” His words were genuine and I didn’t doubt that he would try. But the memory of those dreams of him lying dead on the ground while Elin and Kas stood behind me was too powerful to believe it was possible. His hands tightened on the chains and he pulled me closer, needing reassurance from me.
“I know you will,” I said it to pacify him, to soothe his guilty conscience and his fear. I reached behind his head and pulled his lips to mine. The spark that kindled inside drove out the icy panic that threatened to settle in me.
Tristan lifted his head, releasing the swing so I could glide back. I watched his eyes narrow then relax. He turned just as two small wolves entered the park. The smallest was lean and white, similar to Kas. The other was a deeper grey, with streaks of black along its back. The larger grey wolf carried a plastic bag in its mouth. I slid off the swing, watching as the wolf dropped the bag. Tristan seemed unconcerned, so I assumed these wolves were Lycan.
“Who-” My question cut off as both wolves began to contort, their backs arched and their legs lengthened as they sank the ground. Skin stretched, and the hair on their misshaped heads grew and changed color. Fur weaved itself together to texturize as skin. Their faces and bodies continued to distort until they finally shifted into the familiar forms of Samara and Lisa. There was no sound, apart from a faint whimper that escaped Samara as the last bit of coarse grey hair smoothed into her natural blonde color.
Both girls remained on the grass as they opened the bag Samara had been carrying. From it, she pulled two light dresses and handed one to Lisa. Once they were dressed, I stood speechless, staring at them. Tristan had changed in front of me, but I’d been too shocked and scared to really see what happened. My amazement must have been plain on my face because they all laughed at my reaction.
“Shocking isn’t it?” Lisa said, her lips pulled wide and I came out of my daze.
“She probably never thought she’d see Lisa wearing something so normal,” Tristan said with a laugh.
“Oh come on, you know I clean up real good,” Lisa replied, batting her eyelashes. “If only you were into older women.”
“We came for a purpose,” Samara broke in before Lisa could get on a roll. “We need to talk about the plan.”
“What plan?” I asked. The three of them shared a look over my head. “What plan?”
“The plan to keep you safe,” Tristan answered after a long pause. With that, he let go of my hand and took the lead with Samara heading for my house.
Lisa fell into step beside me. I thought about how she’d looked only minutes before.
“What does it feel like?” I asked her.
“The shifting? The pain never really goes away, but I don’t think about it much anymore. At first, I hated it, the ability to be another being. My wolf was very strong when I was younger. Now...it’s still me on the inside.”
“Why did you decide to become Lycan?” I asked, remembering that she’d once been human.
“Sometimes, you think life is giving you a cherry pie and instead it’s a pile of shit.” She was gone before I could apologize. I closed my half-opened mouth and watched as she slowed her walk to a normal pace almost a block ahead of us. Crap. I hadn’t meant to insult her. I ran to catch up to Samara and Tristan.
“Don’t worry,” Samara said around Tristan. “She’s just really touchy about that.”
“Why?”
“The Lycan who infected her manipulated her; made her think that being Lycan was amazing and that once she was changed, they could be together. She didn’t realize that he was using her or that she could have easily died. He was also responsible for infecting the man she later fell in love with.”
“Where is this guy now?” I tried to think of someone who would suit her.
“He has a place just outside of town.” Tristan’s face pinched tight. There was more to it, but he wasn’t going to tell me. A quick glance at Samara told me the same thing with her. If I wanted this answer, I’d have to go to Lisa, but judging from the way she was increasing the physical distance between us, I figured I’d wait until she cooled off.
When we reached the house, Lisa was sitting in one of the wicker chairs, a friendly smile on her face as she talked to Justin. Apparently, all was forgotten.
Tim was gone, another meeting with the park geologist. It was the fourth time in the past month he’d been out with her. Tristan and I settled against the headboard of my bed, while Justin, Samara, and Lisa huddled at my computer desk.
“So?” I asked. “What’s the plan?”
“Ah…the plan.” He shifted so his arm curled around my shoulders. “The Plan is to do nothing.”
“Nothing? What do you mean nothing?”
“Well, we’ll make it look like nothing. One of us will be with you everywhere you go.”
“Who exactly is one of us?” I wasn’t sure about this whole others stuff. Knowing Elin had supporters in town left the doors too wide open for someone to be one of them.
“People you know, Lisa, Seth and me mostly. Kyle and Samara. I trust them completely.”
“Who else?”
He hesitated then said, “My parents and Lukas will be helping, too.”
Lukas. There’d been a time when all I’d wanted was for him to be there for me. Now when I just wanted him to go away, he wouldn’t. I swallowed my frustration and nodded.
“How do we do nothing?” Justin asked.
Tristan’s eyes crinkled slightly. “We go to the gym, the library, the diner. Basically, we’re not going to hide. Until Elin comes, Kas can’t do anything.”
“What would happen if he did? If he broke the order from Ericka?”
The three of them exchanged looks, yet no one answered.
“Well?” I asked expectantly.
“We’ve never seen it actually happen, but Dad told me about a man who served on the Northern Council. He was infecting people after Ericka gave an order to stop. When she found out, well...Erick ordered the Lycan in the community to deal with him. He was basically ripped apart in the middle of town.” Tristan’s face paled with the idea.
I shook my head, trying to run through everything I’d learned about the infection, but things still didn’t make complete sense.
“There’s so much anger and jealousy.” Samara glanced up from the computer screen. “Kas and Helena crave the power of the wolf. They search for a way to gain control. They will seek to kill you before your blood can create a cure. Others will seek your blood for the cure.”
I looked over at Tristan. “Why hasn’t anyone stopped her?”
“The older Lycan, like my parents, were infected through the sharing of infected blood from Dr. Markov, and then ones like me and Samara were born infected. Ericka though was born of the direct infection from Dr. Markov and Helena through her. Helena is very strong. Stronger than any other Lycan.” He shook his head. “As awful a person she is, Helena is Ericka’s daughter. If anyone were to harm or kill Helena, they�
�d be facing death, and possibly the extermination of everyone in Ericka’s path.”
The sound of a car outside had Justin moving to the window. “Dad’s home.”
“I’ll be back later, but Kyle will be right outside watching,” Tristan said, brushing a kiss across my hair, before rising and following Lisa and Samara out of the room.
I watched them walk down the street, as if nothing were strange or different about them or the town, as if death weren’t staring into the faces of anyone entering Everod.
A high-pitched whine brought me around. I could see a sleek brown and black wolf sheltered under Justin’s car. Kyle. I smiled tentatively and went back inside.
Chapter 25
Nothing.
Days passed and nothing. We did nothing and nothing happened. For nearly two weeks, Tristan spent every day with me at the house or library. I’d suggested hiking, but he said unless we were closer to his parents’ cabin we weren’t safe. Kas was too familiar with the areas around town.
“Janie!” Tim called from the kitchen. “Tristan is here.”
“Thanks!” I yelled back. Crap. He knew I wasn’t going to be ready. I was never ready in the morning.
I frantically brushed my teeth and tried to pull a brush through my hair simultaneously. The brush got tangled and toothpaste dribbled down my chin. Wiping my face, I finished combing my hair and pulled it back with a band.
“Smile, Sunshine.” Tristan appeared in the doorway and I jumped back in fright, glad I’d taken the time to dress.
“Holy, crap! Don’t ever do that again!” I slapped his arm as he laughed at my reaction.
“Hurry up, we’re late,” he said. I followed him to the bedroom where he picked up my gym bag and then left me to finish.
“Late for what?” I asked when I joined him in the living room.
“I’ve got a match with Seth today.”
I rolled my eyes. I still didn’t get the whole fighting thing and honestly, the sight of Tristan getting pummeled didn’t hold the least bit of appeal for me. But my only other option was to sit at home with Kyle on guard dog duty.
Waken (The Woods of Everod Book 1) Page 20
