I scanned the woods for movement. “We should go,” I said, taking the keys from Fawn. “Oh, crap. I guess we have to push the truck out.”
“I’m not saying it was driver error,” Fawn said, “but I’m not used to swerving.”
“All the more reason for you to finish an actual driver’s-ed course. Get behind and push. I’ll steer from up here.” I jumped in for a second and put it in neutral. Then, I popped out and reached in through the driver’s side window to steer.
Rose and Fawn pushed, but even the front wheel refused to roll out of the shallow ditch. I rummaged in the back seat of the truck, looking for a piece of rope I could use to steer while I helped them push. Once it was securely tied to the wheel and threaded out the window, and the truck was in neutral, I joined them at the tailgate.
“One, two, three. Go!” I called and we shoved as hard as we could. The truck rocked a little, but didn’t move from its position in the ditch.
“Are you even pushing?” Fawn asked.
“Very funny.” I rested against the tailgate. I still wasn’t feeling normal. My blood wasn’t pounding in my ears anymore, but my heart was pounding and my chest felt like I couldn’t get a full breath. “I’m pushing as hard as I can. Just give me a minute.”
Lights came up behind them as an SUV slowed and then stopped. “Need a hand?” the driver called through the open window.
“Sure,” Fawn said.
I let out a sigh. “Accepting help from a stranger on a deserted road, that’s always a good move.”
The driver shut off his engine. “I’m not exactly a stranger,” the guy said, coming around to the back of the truck.
My heart flipped when I saw it was Morgan, the guy from the coffee shop.
A long navy parka covered his tall frame. His hair looked damp, tucked behind one ear. Even in the low light, his amber eyes reflected moonlight like a shimmering metal pond. I felt my pulse spiral in on itself again. It wasn’t simply he was beautiful to look at, there was something magnetic about him. I swallowed hard, trying to hard to find something intelligent to say.
Morgan smiled, maybe enjoying the surprise of seeing me again, and placed his hands on the tailgate of our truck. “It’s Lily, right?”
“Sorry my sister has no manners. I’m Rose, this is Fawn.” The twins stepped closer to Morgan and Rose grinned at him. “And you are?”
“Morgan McAllister,” he said, giving them a nod. “I met Lily the other day at the coffee shop. Lucky for you ladies, I was out stargazing.”
Fawn frowned at him. “On a rainy night like this?”
“Rain’s intermittent. Never stopped me before. Besides, the best opportunity of the year to see Jupiter is this week.”
I glanced toward his Subaru.
“Telescope in the backseat,” Morgan said, like he could read my mind. “Perfectly on the level, I assure you. Let’s lose this rope. Rose, was it? Why don’t you hop behind the wheel of the truck and steer?”
“Sure,” she said, giving me a wink as she jumped into the cab.
Meanwhile, Fawn took a place on the left side of the truck bed. I took the middle, and Morgan took the right. I could instantly feel the difference with Morgan pushing. The truck seemed lighter, and it was easing forward.
As he stood next to me, I caught the scent of pine trees, musk, a hint of cologne. It was almost intoxicating. I paused in the chore of pushing to take deep breaths, trying to steady myself. Morgan. What are you doing here?
As if he could hear my question, he turned, caught me staring at him and gave me a dazzling smile. The truck lurched forward suddenly, nearly sending me stumbling into the gravel.
Morgan caught me around my waist with strong hands and pulled me back to my feet. “I’ve got you,” he said, his voice low and velvety.
I closed my eyes and stood for a second, getting my bearings and inhaling that delicious scent of him again. I felt the warmth of his breath against my neck. I felt woozy again, that feeling of falling I’d had when we’d met, that loss of gravity. I turned and took a step back, leaving Morgan standing, arms outstretched.
“Thank you,” I said, my cheeks warm.
“Of course.” His hands fell to his sides.
Rose set the emergency brake on the truck and jumped out. Smiling, she and Fawn walked up to us. I swear, Rose almost winked at me. “Thanks very much for your help, Morgan.” She said his name deliberately slowly.
“We’re good to go now,” Fawn said, taking me by the arm.
Morgan nodded, amusement dancing in his eyes. I still felt strangely embarrassed, having let him help us. Still, it had been lucky he’d been out on the road.
“A pleasure to see you again,” Morgan called out as we got into our truck. I could see him in the side mirror, watching us. Another rush of blood flushed my skin. I concentrated on starting up the truck, getting the heater going.
“What are we waiting for?” Rose whispered beside me.
“Nothing.” I put the truck into gear and Morgan passed us in his SUV, heading down the hill toward town.
“Okay...who was that? Were you, like, trying to meet up with him in the woods?” Fawn asked, nearly bubbling over with delight. “Lily!”
I slanted a glance at her. “No, it wasn’t anything like that.”
“And to think if that black wolf-thing hadn’t darted out in front of us,” Rose said, “we would have missed meeting him!”
“The wolf was gray,” I said.
“What? No, the one we saw was black.”
My stomach plummeted. “I saw a dark gray one in the clearing. I thought it followed you.”
Fawn put a hand on my shoulder. “So you went up to hang out with the local wildlife in the middle of a rainy night. That was your big plan tonight? Not as cool as stargazing with Morgan. Oh, man. I can’t even count the ways he’s so much better than Kyle.”
“Um, yeah!” Rose said, with a little giggle.
“You guys, stop,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road, still trying to breathe normally, trying not think about what I’d seen and experienced. “Kyle’s great.”
“I think we all know that’s not true,” Fawn said. “Even you.”
Rose elbowed her twin. “She’s just kidding, Lily.”
“Right.” I smiled weakly, grateful to have us together. Together, and safe for the moment.
I couldn’t push away what I’d learned in the forest, though. Werewolves. Not only wolves in our blood. Wolves in my dreams. Wolves stalking me in the forest. Wolves darting across the road in front of my sisters. Wolves in town.
Pioneer Falls was in trouble. And so were we.
Chapter Seven
The baying of hound dogs echoed as the canines were loaded back into their handler’s truck. Tired from the morning’s search party, all the volunteers gathered in a parking lot just outside of town. It was a mix of people—some of our friends and neighbors, a few law enforcement officers, some firefighters, and the local search and rescue team. A light mist shimmered around us, emanating from a nearby feeder creek to Pioneer Falls. The sheriff had insisted the search be methodical, starting with the road that led out of town from the Pioneer Inn and up into the forest above it. No luck.
“Thank you all for coming,” the sheriff called through her megaphone. “I know Lily and her sisters appreciate your efforts in the search this morning. I have a few flyers if you’d like to take some with you.”
I walked back to the truck, grateful for all the help searching, but not surprised at the lack of results. It just didn’t feel like Dad had been on this side of the river. We’d been on the other side the night before, when I’d done my pendant test. That’s where I’d found the snare. And that’s where I’d seen the new gray wolf. He’d been in the forest last night on purpose, I was sure. Stalking me, maybe. Or looking for my father, maybe. And who was the black wolf that my sisters had seen on the road? Cooper was right that there was an influx of unusual wolves, and now I knew I couldn’t count on any of them to
be normal forest creatures.
Fawn and Rose leaned against the tailgate, sipping cups of hot cocoa. Maggie had come by earlier to distribute the filled-up Thermoses and to-go cups. I knew she’d have searched with us if she could, but she was manning the shop. Sundays were a little busy, but she had her cousin come in to work, so I had the day off for this.
Beneath her raincoat, Fawn’s black hoodie was pulled up, hiding slept-in braids that had come undone. Her makeup was smeared beneath her eyes as if she hadn’t bothered to wash her face the night before. Rose had taken the time to brush out her hair into a smooth ponytail and had a fleece workout top peeking out of the collar of her raincoat, always prepared for the cold. Both of them were tired, not used to being up so early on a Sunday, or hiking the area so methodically. They were pretty bummed. I think they’d actually expected that we’d find some leads.
I scanned the parking lot again, hoping I’d somehow missed seeing Kyle’s car. I’d texted him about the search party, but hadn’t had the greatest confidence that he’d turn up. He proved me right by being a no-show. Alex had something else going on that morning, he’d told me. But I knew he’d have come if I’d really begged him, at least.
Fawn crumpled the empty cups and stuffed them in a garbage bag Rose held out. “Can we go soon?” she asked. “I need a nap.”
I answered with a nod as Alicia walked over with her dad and a couple of our friends from school. A couple of them told me not to give up hope. I thanked them all for being there to search.
“Let us know if there’s going to be another search,” Alicia said, giving me a hug. “We’ll be happy to come help look again.”
Fawn went over to say good-bye to Lewis and his mom, who’d been volunteering too. After the Carters left, the rest of the lot starting emptying, revealing a familiar blue Subaru in the far corner of the parking lot. Morgan’s. I was surprised he’d been there, searching with the other volunteers. He climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door. I watched as he pulled out a cell phone to make a call.
“Look, it’s your new friend,” Rose murmured, catching my glance.
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Pretty nice of him to help,” she added.
“Yeah, unexpected.”
He gave a little wave as he drove past us and my heart lifted in my chest. We weren’t any closer to finding Dad, but the willingness of people to help look made me feel a little less alone. And honestly, seeing Morgan again made me remember how good he smelled, how flustered I’d been when we’d talked. There was something magnetic about him, that was for sure. My skin felt a little sweaty, the memory of my awkwardness surfacing in my mind.
“You okay? You look weird,” Fawn said, walking up to me and Rose.
“Just tired like you,” I said, off-handedly. The less I said about Morgan the better. There were more important things to worry about, like finding Dad.
We said our good-byes to the sheriff and climbed into the truck. My sisters and I needed a nap and all of us had homework waiting.
***
“Mmm, pancakes,” Kyle said, coming in through the mudroom a few hours later.
“Hey, where were you this morning?” I tried not to sound angry, but it was pretty lame when your own boyfriend didn’t show up to help search but strangers did.
I added another perfect pancake to the stack on the plate near the stove. It was ridiculously late for breakfast, or even brunch, but I didn’t care. Rose and Fawn were sleeping upstairs, but I hadn’t been able to sleep. It wasn’t just the failed search effort that morning, I was on edge about my discovery the night before. Finding out you were actually a supernatural being wasn’t exactly something that led to peaceful slumber.
“Oh, I guess I was sleeping when you texted,” Kyle replied. “You find any leads?”
“No.” I reluctantly accepted the kiss on the cheek he offered me. “I suppose you want a pancake. I made some extra.”
“Thanks, yeah. I feel awful about yesterday afternoon. I think I caught a cold from being out in the rain so long,” he said, getting some forks and knives from the kitchen drawer.
“I know you were trying to help in your own way.” I brought the pancakes over to the table. I wasn’t super hungry, but I speared a flapjack and slid it onto my plate.
Kyle dug right in. He swallowed a few bites and then said, “I’ve been having a bad week. I’m already really behind in a couple classes and my parents are pissed. So is Coach. I might have really screwed things up. You probably heard he wouldn’t start me Friday night.”
“Yeah...sorry. I know how much football means to you. I didn’t realize it’d gotten so bad.”
“You’ve been really wrapped up in your own stuff,” Kyle said.
I paused, my fork in mid-air. How could he not understand what we were going through? “Wait—you think my dad being missing is ‘stuff’? This is a crisis. Why don’t you understand that? I mean, your girlfriend’s father’s missing and you can’t come help search? There were a ton of people from town who came to help.”
“First of all,” Kyle said, finishing another big bite of pancake. “It didn’t seem like a crisis before. And without any facts to go on, people jump to conclusions. He used to party, the whole town knows that.”
“Do you have to keep bringing that up?” I said, spreading butter on my pancake, so I wouldn’t have to look at Kyle. I reached for the syrup, pouring it in a circular pattern.
“What do you want me to say? Let me know what would make you feel better,” Kyle pleaded.
“Anything but rumors. I know what people in town think of us. They’re wrong and you should know that.”
“You have to admit, though—with his past and then all the recent break-ins, it looks kind of bad.”
“Break-ins?” I said. “Nobody said anything about those being Dad’s fault.”
Kyle shrugged. “I heard the sheriff’s concerned about the increase, didn’t you? Never mind. It’s probably unrelated.” He helped himself to another pancake and doused it with syrup.
I set down my fork. “So now you’re calling my dad a criminal? He’s an upstanding member of the community. I doubt the sheriff thinks my dad has anything to do with the lowlifes who are breaking into people’s houses.”
“I’m just telling you what people around town are saying,” Kyle said, lifting a bite of pancake to his mouth. “I want you to have all the facts. Be prepared in case there’s bad news.”
I felt the blood rise to my cheeks. “And how does bad news fit in with our plan to start our lives in the city? Do you realize if we don’t find my dad, I’m staying here with my sisters permanently?”
Kyle paused, another bite on his fork. “Nah,” he said, with a smile. “You won’t do that. You’d die cooped up here in Pioneer Falls. A place like this? It’s not big enough for a girl like you.”
My fingers dug into the seat of the chair. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “A girl like me...?”
“Someone who needs opportunity.”
“There’s some opportunity here,” I replied, raising my chin. “Maybe I can get a degree online. Or maybe I could help revive the Pioneer Weekly newspaper or something.”
Kyle stabbed at another bite of pancake. “This is a dead-end town. For both of us. And being chained to your sisters is not a future to look forward to.”
“What?” I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. Kyle had no idea of how vulnerable my family was now, or how staying close to my sisters was the only way we were all going to survive.
“Look. I’m only saying what everyone else is thinking but don’t have the balls to say.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s a great public service you’re providing.”
Kyle shrugged. “You’re welcome,” he said, around a mouthful of pancake.
I was relieved to get up from the table to answer a knocking at the back door. “Hi, it’s not exactly a good time.”
“But I’ve got news,” Alex said, pushing the doo
r open wider. “You’re gonna want to hear it this.” He followed me into the kitchen. “The girls around?”
“Oh, it’s you,” Kyle said, turning from putting his plate in the sink. “Great.”
“Alex. My name is Alex.”
Kyle straddled a chair and said, “What are you doing here?”
I resisted the urge to kick him out, just for being rude. “Pancake?” I asked, stirring the batter that was left. “It’s what’s for lunch.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Alex leaned against the kitchen sink, trying to look casual, but seeming very nervous.
“Berries?”
“Sure,” Alex replied.
I poured a circle of batter into the hot skillet, and then sprinkled a spoonful of blueberries on top.
Kyle frowned, looking from Alex to me. “This guy. He’s everywhere I turn. What’s the deal?” He got up from the table. “Is he the reason nothing I say is right?”
“Relax, I’m a friend. My dad’s an ecologist for the forest,” Alex said. “We know the roads pretty well.”
“Watch this, okay?” I handed the pancake turner to Alex, and then led Kyle to the mudroom. “As you said, there’s a lot of stuff going on for me right now. Like my dad is missing. Alex is actually helping. Way more than you, in fact. Trust me.”
“That’s the thing, I don’t trust you.”
“Well, that’s awesome. Thanks.” I felt something shift between us. Maybe my sisters were right about Kyle. He used to be pretty great, but through this ordeal he’d hardly helped at all and instead made me feel worse. Wasn’t he supposed to support me when times were bad? Help me look. Help me do something. All the things I’d liked about him, all of his positivity and charm, had drained away somewhere along the way, leaving someone who couldn’t be there when I needed him the most.
“Lily, you’re overreacting.”
“I think you should just go.”
Kyle grabbed his rain jacket from the hook near the door. “If that’s what you want.”
“I don’t know what I want. But I don’t need this right now. Not from you.”
A Curse So Dark Page 10
