A Curse So Dark

by Heather Davis

  “Dad?” I said and was rewarded with the sound of movement and whining behind the drip-drip of the water. Paws scuffled against dirt and rock. Nails scrabbled for footing in the loose soil.

  “You can do it,” I urged.

  After a moment, a black nose protruded from the opening, followed by huge brown ears. He made slow progress and I prayed the change wouldn’t happen mid-escape. The sunlight was stronger here, on the hill.

  When Dad’s front legs were fully out of the cave, I felt my stomach turn at the sight of the torn flesh and exposed bone. The wound was deep, crusted, and on the verge of infection. I moved aside, coaxing him the rest of the way out. His coat was beautiful, variations of brown and black, and his eyes were luminous, silvery in an otherworldly way.

  “Almost there,” I encouraged, pushing down the queasy feeling.

  When he’d emerged completely, I led him behind a boulder, where he’d have some privacy. Then I extracted Fawn’s clothes from the bottom of the bag. I took off my own sweatpants and sweatshirt, which were slightly larger, and threw them over the rock for my dad. Then I pulled on Fawn’s stuff.

  He let out a tortured whine as the change hit him. I wasn’t at all curious to see his brutal transformation. I knew the horror of it. When the awful crunching and tearing noises ended, I ran to his side. I gasped at the state of his bloodied arm splayed out in front of him.

  I ripped my T-shirt to make a dressing and a makeshift sling for his arm. “That looks pretty bad.”

  “I see you paid attention in your first-aid class,” he rasped, as I helped him pull on the sweatpants. “That was money well spent.”

  I couldn’t smile. Not yet. “I don’t think you’ll fit the shoes I have in here, but you can take these socks,” I said, handing Fawn’s pair to him.

  “The twins,” Dad said weakly as I helped him to a sitting position against a rock and helped him slip on the socks. “Are they safe?”

  “They should be down at the station, hopefully. We had a little trouble last night at their birthday party.”

  A pained look filled his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I’m glad you protected them. I hoped you would.”

  I retrieved a granola bar from the bag and handed it to him. “The cave was smart.”

  He smiled. “Except the part where blood loss and shock causes you to crawl into said cave, and then you’re stuck there,” he said. “Not so smart.”

  “Still, the dripping spring must have dulled the scent for predators,” I replied. “And, you know, you had a water source.”

  “Gotta stay hydrated.” He laughed weakly, then tore into the granola bar.

  It was gone in seconds, so I handed him the other one. “No critters to eat in the cave, I guess.”

  Dad paused in undoing the second wrapper. “I should have told you,” he said, his eyes watering. “I thought I could prevent you from ever having to know. With the stones, the twins would have been safe, just like you. But it turns out you can’t keep the ones you love safe from the realities of life.”

  “No, you can’t hide the truth forever.”

  “It does have a nasty habit of coming to light,” he said, smiling sadly.

  I didn’t like seeing him looking so defeated. Keeping the truth from us had been a choice—not a good one, but I understood why he’d made it. It hadn’t been easy for me to tell the twins the truth. Wanting to protect someone you love—especially from something so unbelievable and horrible—well, I understood my father’s reasons. Sometimes a lie is the only protection you have.

  I was certain that was different from the kind of lying Morgan had done. Lying for convenience, or for manipulation—that was a whole other story.

  “We need to get you down the hill so that arm can get looked at,” I said, when my father finished the second bar and took a drink of water from the bottle I held out.

  He gave me a grateful smile. “You’re one smart girl.”

  I wrapped am arm around his shoulders and helped him to his feet. “If I’d had the courage to shift I would have found you sooner. The wolf knew. Not the girl.”

  “Then you’re one smart wolf.”

  I smiled. “Thanks.”

  ***

  Dad’s feet were sore by the time we neared the bottom of the trail. The socks hadn’t protected them very well. Still, he seemed in good spirits. Daylight kissed the dew on the grass alongside the path, and the beautiful colors of the turning leaves and the deep greens of the evergreens seemed brighter, more vibrant. I was relieved as the sign for the parking lot came into view. I reached into my pocket to see if there was reception on my phone, but no luck. I’d have to wait to call the twins until we were closer to town.

  “Hold it.” My father paused beside me and I looked up from the tiny screen.

  Ahead in the parking lot, Rick stood by his SUV, rifle aimed in our direction.

  “Hunter,” I whispered.

  “Bowman? I thought he was some kind of government tree scientist,” Dad said under his breath.

  “He probably tells everyone that,” I replied.

  “How did he figure it out?”

  “A trap caught something over at Alpine Lake trail. They tested the blood,” I explained hurriedly.

  Dad winced, cradling his arm. “Yeah, my reflexes aren’t as quick as they used to be.”

  “Stop right there!” Rick yelled. “I’m loaded with silver-tipped bullets.”

  I stiffened. “That part of the werewolf story’s true? That’s the way to kill them—us?”

  “Yep.” Dad stepped in front of me. “Rick, be reasonable. I’m not sure what you think you saw or know. I’m a law enforcement officer who’s been lost in the woods for a week. Lower your weapon.”

  “I know exactly what you are. And shifting scum doesn’t belong in this town, let alone this country,” Rick countered. “Your pup was kind enough to lead me here.”

  “I repeat—I’m an officer of the law. You want to explain that kind of murder?” Dad added, his voice shaking with exhaustion.

  I pushed in front of my dad, taking more steps forward. “He’s right. You’re not going to be able to explain why you shot us.”

  Dad pulled on my hand. “Don’t provoke him,” he whispered.

  “We’ve got to get out of here,” I whispered back and pulled my father back a few steps. There was a boulder to the right, something that would provide at least some cover.

  “Don’t move,” Rick warned.

  “Lily, this is my world now. We need to do what he says.”

  I ignored Dad, inching back toward the giant rock. “How will you explain this to Alex? I’m his only friend!”

  My dad shot me a look that said, Who’s Alex?

  “He already thinks you hate him. Now the feeling’s going to be mutual,” I added.

  That seemed to rattle Rick. He raised his head from the sights of the rifle. “You don’t know anything about my son!”

  “He helped me find my dad. He was working against you. You think he supports this crusade you’re on? He’s on our side!”

  We were almost to the rock, with my distraction playing out as I’d hoped. I glanced at my dad, wondering if he’d be able to make the run for cover. Dad’s eyes were closed in pain. Even if we did make it to the boulder, we had no weapons, nothing to use against Rick if he advanced on us.

  “Let’s be reasonable now,” Dad called out. “There’s no need to resort to cold-blooded murder.”

  “Cleansing the earth of killers like you is a sacred mission, not murder,” Rick yelled back, setting his weapon atop his vehicle, leaning in to use the scope.

  “I beg to differ,” a voice yelled from the other side of the parking lot. Cooper stepped out, rifle aimed at Rick. “And so will the sheriff. She’s on her way.”

  I sucked in a breath. Cooper. He’d sworn to help me. I hadn’t realized how serious he had been.

  “Cooper’s involved?” Dad whispered. “Where’s Ivan?”

  “I told you,
a lot of things happened while you were gone,” I replied.

  Cooper continued his advance on Rick, his rifle ready. “Now the story here is that Lily’s found her father and we’re going to get him to the clinic. So you better lower your weapon before the law arrives. If you open fire on Turner, the sheriff’s not going to believe your crackpot story about werewolves,” he said. “She’s going to see her deputy shot dead in front of two credible witnesses.”

  Cooper’s command of the situation surprised me. He seemed to have snapped into military mode in trying to protect us. I couldn’t believe I’d had that moment of doubt in the woods before the party. Or that he’d ever considered not honoring the commitment made by his ancestors.

  Fury in his eyes, Rick glanced between Cooper and us, and then set his rifle down on the hood of his SUV.

  “That’s what I thought,” Cooper said, keeping his weapon trained on Rick. He motioned me and Dad forward with a jerk of his head.

  The sheriff arrived then, her lights blazing. Her car’s tires ground to a halt in a hail of gravel. We stumbled forward into the parking lot.

  Meanwhile, Rick retrieved his rifle and climbed into his rig. “This isn’t over,” he called out of the window before tearing off out of the parking lot.

  “You’re not going to stop him?” I protested.

  Dad shook his head, “If we try to charge him with something, we take the chance he’d try to expose us.”

  The sheriff jumped out of her car and ran to meet us. “I can’t believe it! Thank goodness you’re all right, Turner!”

  “I told you he was alive,” I said.

  “You did.” The sheriff put an arm around Dad, helping him toward our truck.

  Cooper cleared his throat. “It’s a good thing Lily kept searching these trails. Excellent instincts.”

  “And you—right place, right time again? That’s twice in one night coming to the rescue,” the sheriff said, nodding at Cooper.

  “Twice?” I said.

  “Cooper showed up at the station right about the time Lewis and Alex were trying to drop your sisters off. Lucky thing too, because two large male wolves were blocking the doorway. I watched the surveillance tape of those critters growling at them. Looked like they were about to crash through the windows of the Jeep.”

  “Oh, no!” I said, glancing over at Cooper.

  “All in a day’s work,” Cooper said, with a little shrug. “Those are the same wolves that’ve been giving me trouble over at the cemetery.”

  “Wait, Sheriff—you weren’t there to let the girls in for safe keeping?” Dad asked.

  “I was out on a call,” the sheriff explained. “Got a lead on a couple local guys breaking into a house on the other side of town. They probably figured everyone’d be at the sweet sixteen party. Your girls are fine. Cooper stayed with them until I showed up. You sure you’re not looking for a job, Coop?”

  “Nah, I’m cool with my gig,” he said, his cheeks pinking up a little bit.

  “Anyone wanna tell me what Rick Bowman was doing up here?”

  George and Cooper shared a look.

  “Um.” I cleared my throat. “He was helping me with the Forest Service road maps. He and his son Alex both were.”

  A frown flitted across the sheriff’s face. “Nice of him to help, but he drove off like a maniac. I can’t say I appreciate his driving or his manners.”

  I smiled tightly. “I know what you mean.”

  “Well, this reunion is nice, but we should get George to a medic. His arm looks pretty bad,” the sheriff said.

  “Good idea,” wheezed Dad.

  Cooper and the sheriff helped him into the passenger side of the truck.

  “Can I give you a lift to your rig, Cooper?” the sheriff asked. “I saw it parked down the road a bit.”

  “Sure. Just give me a minute,” Cooper answered. Nodding, the sheriff headed back toward her vehicle.

  “How did you know we’d be here?” I asked.

  Cooper leaned in the window. “I’d been watching Bowman most of the night, until I split off to follow the girls to the station. I lost track of him after that. Luckily, this morning a friend of yours suggested I head up to Devil’s Nook.”

  “A friend?”

  “Seems to think he was,” Cooper said, arching an eyebrow. “Foreign guy. Smelled like he’d slept in the forest.”

  “Oh,” I said, realizing he meant Morgan. Guilt flared inside me. Morgan wouldn’t have sent help if he’d been with the bad pack. Maybe the truth was complicated with him and I’d been wrong to doubt him after all. “Any news about your dad?”

  “Well, if they caught the local boys who were breaking into houses, that’s a good sign. There’s a chance that’s all it was at Dad’s. Just a burglary.”

  The sheriff honked.

  “You better go. Thanks, you know, for everything.”

  Cooper smiled and patted my shoulder. “I wouldn’t have left you out there on your own. That’s not who I am.”

  I felt tears welling. Cooper waved and jogged over to the squad car. A second later, they pulled away, lights flashing.

  Dad cleared his throat as he got into the passenger side of the truck. “You and Cooper seem pretty close.”

  I shifted into drive. “Yeah. He takes care of the cemetery.”

  George gave me a quizzical look. “That may be, but he’s also the son of the infamous Wolf Man across the river.”

  “I know. Remember I had to figure all this out? Anyway, Cooper thinks something happened to Ivan. Sorry.” I told him about Ivan’s ransacked place, the loose hybrids.

  When I’d finished, Dad leaned his head on the rolled-up passenger window. “That was no random break-in,” he said, closing his eyes. “Ivan North was my only true friend and Protector. Our life in town is under attack. Hiding this secret from you was probably in vain. I hate to say this, but we may never be safe again.”

  Silence fell between us as Devil’s Nook disappeared in the rearview mirror.

  ***

  I helped Dad up the steps of our house. It’d been a quick trip to the clinic to take care of his arm with some stitches, a tetanus shot, and a proper dressing. The sheriff had assured us she’d take a statement from Dad later. She had more pressing things to take care of, including a search party for Ivan North gathering later that morning.

  Before we’d even reached the door, the twins joined us on the porch, hugging him and crying.

  “Hey now,” Dad said. “It’s like you girls missed me or something.”

  “You know we did. Don’t joke!” Rose took him by the arm and led him into the house.

  Fawn, a coat over her purple party dress, took a seat on the porch swing. “What a disaster,” she said, shaking her head.

  I lowered myself onto the seat next to her. “Could have been worse,” I said, with a little smile. “We could have all spent a night in the woods.”

  Fawn reached out and wiped a smudge of dirt from my face. “What happened to me at the party was awful.”

  “I liked your speech, though.”

  Fawn punched me in the arm. “Not helpful,” she said, showing a half-smile before her expression turned darker. “I mean, the wolf thing. You tried to warn us. You knew what would happen. Man, I was so dumb to focus on that party.”

  “Don’t say that,” I replied, my heart melting a little. “You were excited about your birthday and worried about Dad. I couldn’t change your mind. No one could. You’ve always been stubborn—that’s just you.”

  “But if you hadn’t saved me, then I would have had a full-on freakout in front of everyone.” She paused, studying me. “You gave me your necklace and it stopped.”

  “Yeah.”

  “So, um, did that happen to you last night? The sickness.”

  “We’re werewolves,” I said. “We can stop calling it a sickness now.”

  Fawn moved a hand to the lupine stone pendant around her neck. “You want this back?”

  “No. You need it right no
w. I’ll deal.”

  “Wait—I forgot to tell you,” Fawn said, her gaze fixed on mine. “There’s a rumor around town that Kyle and another dude were caught breaking into a house last night. The sheriff didn’t tell you?”

  “It was Kyle?”

  “Sounds like he’d been gambling, betting on pro sports games. He owed somebody a lot of money,” Fawn explained.

  “No wonder he was acting so weird.”

  “He was always kind of a jerk. To be honest, I never thought he was good enough for you,” Fawn said, patting me on the back.

  “Well, I see his faults a lot more clearly now,” I said. “Funny that you never know a person until you see him at his worst. Or until you’re at your worst.”

  “Yup.” Fawn stood up. “Well, we better get inside and change. You’ve gotta be freezing. And you could use a shower. Seriously.”

  I grinned and got up from the bench. It was true, I stunk like dirt and forest, and animal sweat. Not a good combo.

  “I’m sorry about everything,” Fawn said, putting her arm around me. “You saved us.”

  I’d never been so glad to be home. At home with my family and my boring life. Though I knew it would never be the same again.

  ***

  Later that afternoon, I joined my father at the kitchen table. Fawn and Rose were sleeping off the crazy night. Those two have always been good at naps.

  “Questions?” Dad said, sipping a cup of coffee.

  “Too many. You know the sheriff thinks you have an alcohol or drug problem.”

  “Good,” he said. “Let her think that.”

  I gaped at him. “You always acted so offended when people brought up your past.”

  “Touring with the bands in my younger years was real, but I’ve never been a big partier.” He winked at me. “That reputation has helped me out of a few jams at work over the years. Hunt gone wrong. Waking up in a strange place because I forgot where I left my stash. Running all night takes it out of you. You do almost feel like you’re hung over. Not that you should know what that feels like.”

  “No comment,” I said, shaking my head. “So what do we do now—wait for sundown and then go out? I don’t know anything official about being what we are.” I shuffled a deck of cards and started dealing gin rummy.