by Holly Hook
"How far away are they?" Alex asks.
He's blind to the scents. Brave man. "Less than a mile. There are at least a dozen of them," I say.
"Just run," Everly tells him.
I cross the territory border, bolting past the fallen tree and the jagged roots, but we're not safe yet. Not until we reach our own border. The neutral zone is a free-for-all.
Cayden speeds up ahead, rushing to get Callie back to my house. He's already in our area. But Alex stops and digs into his pockets. "Wait!"
"For what?" I ask, stopping. "You'll die out here. I know you're a great Hunter, but—"
He produces a large glass spray bottle, and the pine scent it contains washes over me before he even sprays it on my skin and clothes. The vapor makes me cough and hugs my skin with a hint of slime. He's masking us.
Why didn't he do that to begin with? We're having a talk when we get back.
"Not perfect, but it'll help," Alex says, turning to Everly and Remo and spraying them, too. "It might buy us a few minutes."
"Good idea," Everly says, a rare thing.
We all smell like pine trees. The Noble smell vanishes on us, but it lingers on the wildlife trail we've used. Everyone stares at me, waiting for my decision.
I hear the Savages now, snapping twigs. They're less than a half mile away. At least a dozen Wolf paws hammer the ground. The first growls meet my ears. If I don't make the right decision, Everly and Remo die. And so does Alex.
"I'll divert them. Run!" I say, turning away.
Typical, Romulus whispers with disgust.
And why do you want me? I think.
Remo, Everly, and Alex bolt down the trail while I veer off into tall grass and into trees. Nothing usually walks here. I crash the dead weeds, making sound, masking the escape of my pack mates.
And it works. Far back, the Savage pack diverts from the main trail. Underbrush crunches and parts as they try to circle my location. And they move faster than me, too. I'm in human form. I could shift again, but that means dropping Brett's book. My clothes. And likely taking another curse.
Cayden screams silently in my head. He senses this. In the distance, the quad dies—maybe even at my house—and then starts up again. I know what it means, and run towards the sound, no matter how hopeless it is.
I pump my legs.
The Savages close in by the second. All dozen are on me now. Even as a Wolf, I can't fight them all. But if they kill me, at least Romulus won't steal my form. And since he's stuck to me, he can't order them around.
He can't order them around.
As the thought rolls through my head, I sense his panic.
I might have gained the upper hand.
Stopping, I whirl and face the direction the Savages will emerge. And I wait.
Am I weak now?
He doesn't answer. The invisible force presses down on my chest, as if he's trying to enter my form, but it stops at a paw print instead of turning into a mountain. I can bear it. Balling my fists, I square off with the trees, watching and waiting. Dark shapes move within and approach. Though I've left the dark spirits behind, invisible ants march over my skin. Romulus is trying to decide. Darkness sways and retreats at the corners of my vision as the first Wolves emerge from the trees.
The quad screams again.
I close my eyes for a second, hoping Cayden can see where I am. Or that he can follow the crushed trail in the weeds.
Side by side, the Savages emerge.
The male I killed wasn't the alpha after all...because an even larger Wolf, a steel gray male, stands in the middle and growls as he approaches. The intent in his icy blue eyes is clear. I'm going to die, I have no chance, and he's not going to make it slow. I count eleven other Wolves approaching, none with a shard of mercy. Romulus picks at my skin as the pressure on my chest abates. He's leaving and rejecting his attachment to me now that I stare death in the face. It's just what he did with Mr. Saffron.
The coward.
That's his weakness.
It's too bad I've discovered it too late. The Wolves continue to close the distance, slowing as if to let me wallow in despair.
And now that Romulus is gone, fear explodes.
I'm going to die. Cayden's going to find me and his sun will set again. Permanently.
"I'm sorry," I mouth.
The alpha peels back lips and growls again. I've never seen him before, and I stare into those icy eyes as they suddenly darken. The alpha balks and steps back, drawing confused stares from the other Wolves. Romulus, in desperation, is trying to take his form.
I take the distraction and run into the trees behind me.
A headlight peeks through the underbrush.
"Cayden!"
He jumps another fallen log, holding onto the quad like a pro. I trust him. The quad's body bounces with the impact, but Cayden looks like a dark angel sitting on top of it.
"Get on!"
I race to him and leap onto the back, which still smells of Callie's blood. But I don't care. Wrapping my arms around Cayden, I hold on as he turns the quad, throwing mud into the face of a Savage Wolf. The light brown Wolf lifts her paw to her face to clear the mud, and we leave her in our wake as Cayden speeds away.
"Hold on!" he shouts.
I can't ask about Callie now. As we ride, I feel the pressure of Romulus gone. He's left. I was about to die and he left. The victory makes me want to laugh. Trees zip past and Cayden's warmth soothes me. Everything's going to be fine. He can fight his curse—somewhat—and I can get the Savage King to leave me alone.
"We're awesome!" I shout.
"Just enjoy the ride back," Cayden shouts.
"But Everly and Remo!" I shout.
"I saw them. They're almost back in our territory. I think you saved their lives, Brie." Despite the fact that he's driving and without a helmet, he faces me and dodges another tree. Cayden can navigate by the feel of the air. I know, because I can feel the difference of the wind blowing off the trees ahead.
"What? You're not mad that I did that?" I ask.
Cayden weaves around another tree. We quiver as the quad pumps out fumes, throwing them at the few Savages who dare to chase us. I look back at them, to see the alpha giving chase, but by the second we put distance between us and him. Darkness still dances in the alpha's eyes, trying to settle. Romulus is trying and failing. No ritual's helping him here. With luck, we'll leave him disembodied.
Cayden raises a hand and flips him off.
The Wolf stops and growls while the others mill around in confused circles, not sure what to do. What the heck. I flip him off too.
Chapter Fifteen
"What do you have under your shirt?" Cayden asks as we break into our territory. "Everly texted me earlier. She told me you and the Hunters were spying on the cult to come up with a way to attack them later. And that you had a Hunter who might work against you if he knows your heritage." He continues to drive, and we cross our border. It smells of our pack, and with a sniff I realize Abigail has added her scent to it. Active woman.
"A present," I say, lowering my voice as I speak into Cayden's ear.
"What happened?" He looks at me with disbelief, pupils wide. Like he can't believe something would give us a break. "And why did you go with those Hunters by yourself?"
"Everly and Remo were with me." Even though I'm alpha, I'm still floored by Cayden's dedication. The thought fills me with warmth. "And get us back to my house, and I'll show you your present."
Cayden finds a wider trail, one with quad tracks already on it from others, and turns down a narrow one towards my house. Then he goes completely off-road and we bounce up and down. My heart races with the thrill. Holding onto Cayden without the threat of Romulus or his curse feels good. We haven't relaxed together or had any real fun for a while. Not since that wonderful night after the Russells fought the cult.
Things should always be this way.
And maybe, now that we've both discovered ways to fight back against our inner demons,
our dream can come true.
Cayden drives us into the field behind my house, and I smell Aunt May and Abigail. Then I see them over the weeds. Abigail circles the back of the house while Aunt May waits at the back door, arms crossed in a clear sign she's worried about me. I know what's happened. Aunt May forgot about Abigail and rushed here when she heard about my adventure.
But I'll forgive her. Abigail's proven herself.
I wave as Cayden zooms into the backyard and finishes our crazy ride with a half-donut. We stop near the swing I haven't used all winter. And I don't care if the others are watching. I kiss Cayden right on the lips.
"That was the most amazing quad driving I've ever seen," I say.
Cayden leans back, all cool. The sun comes out again and brings out the highlights of his hair. I spot every shade of red in them. "It was nothing."
"Yeah, right."
"Well, actually, it was almost nothing, because the gas tank was on fumes when we got into the yard," Cayden says, tapping the gauge. Then his phone buzzes. "Oh. Must be Everly and Remo." He looks at a text and nods. "They're all okay and are walking back now. The Savages have stopped chasing them."
"Why are you in such a good mood?" I ask.
He gives me a broody look for effect. "Is that better? You don't like seeing me happy?"
"Of course I like seeing you happy."
Cayden looks at the sky while Aunt May walks over. "I am now. Trust me, it was harder than anything I've ever done to leave you in the Savage territory. But after I dropped Callie off here and rushed back to you, I felt better. Like everything would be okay. I don't know why."
Then I lean close to him and give him a teasing smile and whisper in his ear, "I got rid of someone."
His jaw falls open in shock. "You what?"
"Brie?" Aunt May stares at me, also open-mouthed. Behind her, Abigail stops pacing and watches me. It's as if I've jarred her out of her thoughts.
I can't divulge too much with Abigail there. So I speak to Aunt May more than Cayden. He'll have to wait for the full story. "The Savages were chasing me, and we left them in the dust. It was awesome. Those Savages are cowards and that's their weakness." I emphasize that last word. Abigail might have proven herself, but I still don't know how quiet she can stay.
Abigail nods.
Cayden gets off the quad and grabs my arms. "We can talk about it later."
I wish I could spill the whole story. Are we almost at the end of this?
"Callie's inside," Aunt May says in a low, serious voice.
I know she doesn't mean to, but she snaps me back to the ugly reality we're facing. I nod to Cayden. During the ride, I forgot all about her. Another wave of guilt sweeps over me, but with a headshake from Cayden, it flees into the background. Romulus might be gone now, but there's no guarantee he won't come back.
"Then we have to see her injury," I order, sweeping into the house.
I'm in control. Alex is gone and I'm sure he'll stay that way for a while. Could he really turn on Callie if she's infected?
His pained words come back.
Yes.
He might have turned on someone before.
Cayden frowns at me as he joins me in my kitchen. I smell Callie, and she's lying on the couch. The spicy scent of inflammation follows. I'm not close enough to detect any trace of a Savage.
"You'll be able to tell if she's in trouble," Cayden whispers in my ear.
I eye him. Guilt's my downfall and Cayden's, too. Our gazes meet. "If she's infected, then I can't...then I can't do what we need to do." My heart races as I interlock my fingers with Cayden's. Just feeling like crap for hurting or driving Callie away might bring Romulus back. It's possible my reprieve is just temporary.
And Callie.
She just wants to help to Noble Order. We get along. She's distant, but I already feel that she's family. A piece to a giant puzzle I never thought I'd have.
But Cayden's right. I'm the one who went crazy on Matthew when he was just infected, and without even knowing it. But there's one problem now.
"I want to attack the infected less than ever," I say. "Since I went super Noble, I didn't even want to kill Matthew when he surrendered himself to us."
"That's because he might have had the answer to my curse and you wanted to help me," Cayden says. Then he eyes the bulge still under my shirt. "Did you nab one of the cult's spellbooks?"
I turn the corner of my mouth up into a grin. "Maybe. But you might have to work for it." I manage to get a smile out of Cayden, but we're stalling. Once we know if Callie's infected, we'll have to figure out what to do before Alex figures it out.
A tornado of what ifs fill me, and the only thing that will calm it down is facing it.
So hand in hand with Cayden, I march into the living room.
Callie sits on the couch, stretched out, with one leg off the couch and the other on. She's stripped down to her underwear, and balks when Cayden steps into the room.
"Sorry," Cayden says, covering his blush with his free hand. I let him go so he can stand in the kitchen.
"Just a sec," I say, fishing out the leather book. I slap it on the kitchen counter to distract Cayden for now. "Have fun." Then I return to Callie.
Abigail enters the house. "What do you want me to do?" she asks.
"If you can go upstairs and watch out for Alex or anyone else, that would be great," I say. I'll never feel right ordering around people older than me.
Abigail nods and walks up the stairs. "I will."
"Look out the back window," I say. While tending to Callie, I'll be distracted.
"You smell like pine needles," Callie says. "You know, that spray is expensive, believe it or not. Alex says he doesn't like to use it on Wolves." Her effort to make normal conversation doesn't smell the fact that she still carries a bit of the Savage stench.
"Callie, where did you get hurt?" It's obviously on the right leg, the one facing the back of the couch and out of sight. "We need to see. And we have the Russells." My mind turns to Remo and his hope to become human again. If he still has it, I don't know. But talking to Leonora about a cure is better than nothing, right?
Then Callie frowns. "I don't know about this. It's a scratch, but the Guidebook left to me by my father says there's a ten percent chance..." she lets that last word hang.
"Of infection?" I ask.
Callie nods. Her chin quivers. Normally a tough woman, she's about to lose it. Infection means the end of her dreams.
The boards creak above as Abigail takes her position in my bedroom window. I don't care that she's up there. I know myself and my tendency to lose focus on my surroundings. "Can I see? Trust me, when you're a Wolf, you don't care about nudity anymore. Well, nudity from your own kind."
Callie tenses and grabs the arm of the couch. Great job, Brie.
"A scratch doesn't sound bad," Cayden says from the kitchen. He flips through pages.
"I hope not," Callie says. "The Guidebook is old." She lowers her voice and turns on the couch. "Did your mother have one?"
"She had a hundred-year-old book about wolf men," I whisper, because Abigail is upstairs. "I still have it. Upstairs. My grandpa wrote her a letter about me and wanted me trained as a Hunter. My life could have gone way differently."
"That's not the Guidebook, then."
I hold a finger up to hush her. "I'd like to see what you guys do. Well, that doesn't look too bad." I eye the long scratch near the top of Callie's thigh, close to her hip. About six inches long, the scratch is already scabbing and has only gone through the first layers of her skin. Redness surrounds the scratch as Callie's body tries to fight any germs. The faint stench of Savage rises from it, along with the spiciness of inflammation. Her body's trying to keep the infection out. "I smell Savage but it's from contact only." Callie herself won't smell different until right before she turns but I can't bear to tell her that. "Let's clean this and figure out a way to hide it from Alex. I can tell he'll flip if he sees this."
"It's th
at obvious." Callie bites her lip.
"Yeah. That obvious. He had to deal with someone infected before, didn't he?"
"It's just a rumor because he doesn't talk about it much, but my father always told me Alex had to fight their own cousin who got infected and went Savage. It's a real threat to us Hunters. His cousin got bit and turned, and then Uncle Alex had to kill him. He never got over it and...and I really hope it's just a rumor." Callie twists around me and reaches for the tissue box.
"You're probably okay," I say. "It's a scratch, not a bite, and not even all the bites got infected. The deep ones are worse. I'd give your chances of being okay ninety-five percent."
Aunt May hovers over me. I'm glad she's there. "Listen to Brie."
I wish I could give Callie hundred percent odds. She blows her nose, and I read worry for her husband all over her face. I imagine myself in that position and I rise. "I have makeup. Lots of makeup. Victorian stuff, too, because I'm in a lot of plays. We can cover up that scab in no time." I eye Aunt May and listen to the surroundings. Footsteps approach in the distance, and I put my full focus on the woods far behind my house. Three pairs, two quiet and one loud and human. Alex is approaching with Everly and Remo.
"I think someone's coming," Abigail says from upstairs. "They'll be here in maybe five minutes."
"Grab some hydrogen peroxide," I bark to Aunt May, bolting up the stairs. Abigail emerges from my room and waits in the doorway. "Go down and stall Alex. Remo and Everly might not know to keep them away."
With a nod, Abigail marches down the steps.
Opening my drawers, I seize every bottle of makeup I've got, some of it left over from costume rehearsals, and run downstairs as Callie seethes. Aunt May's already applying the stinging substance to her scratch. I eye the backyard. They haven't broken into the field yet.
"Me next," I say, drawing a brush.
Cayden stays in the kitchen as I work, applying blush over the scratch and caking it on. But my motor skills beat what they've always been, and I work faster than the makeup artists in our plays. The scratch is still obvious to me, but Alex might not see it when he checks.
Callie faces me with tears in her eyes. She feels stupid. I'm not sure how I know that.
