I was standing in the middle of a battle. On one side were animals. I couldn’t make out the shapes, but their shiny eyes were unmistakable. There were hundreds, thousands, of them. Out of the darkness, one stepped forward.
I froze.
Werewolves.
Does this mean we won’t succeed? I thought, panicked. That our plan was a suicide mission, that we would lose the ones we love?
On the other side was a vast group of vampires—creatures with burned faces and some that looked almost human. A shiver ran up my spine.
One who looked like a man, though probably wasn’t, walked closer. Another followed. They both had dark hair and captivating eyes. These two super-handsome humanlike creatures had the visage of siblings with so many similarities in their features.
They walked past me, their tread soft rather than mighty. I ran after them to hear what they would say to the werewolves.
One of the creature-men addressed a werewolf who stood a few paces ahead of the vast horde. The man spoke in Wolvain—or Mahur, as we’d just learned the real name of the werewolf language. I didn’t understand a single word, but his tone was unmistakable. He wasn’t threatening; rather, he was pleading for something. Begging them not to fight?
The wolf remained in a low crouch. All those near him were growling. Their distrust of the man-who-wasn’t-a-man was evident.
He wasn’t a vampire. Vampires were pale and their eyes were red. These two men could pass as humans.
Was he their Alpha?
If so, would this vision reveal why we would fail to capture him?
The gentle creature was patient; he wasn’t here to fight, he was negotiating. His hands were raised in defense, his body language screaming for a treaty, for peace.
But the wolves didn’t want peace. They wanted blood, wanted vengeance. Again, there was no need to understand their words to comprehend their slavering, clawing at the ground, and growling.
I didn’t want to see this battle. I didn’t want to stay here and be part of this.
It hurt whenever I got attacked by a wolf, or died, in my visions, like it was real. As if that pain served as a reminder that I needed to use this ability to change the course of what I’d seen.
I backed away. It was no use listening to their words, so staying would be unhelpful. But maybe I would be allowed to explore before I emerged back into consciousness…
In the corner of my eye, something was running toward me, far in the distance. Fast. A light blur moving closer and closer.
Then chaos: many things happening at once. The wolf attacked the negotiating man, whose companion pushed the wolf away.
The wolf landed gracefully on his feet, snarling and baring his teeth before renewing his attack.
Just when I thought he was about to rip the negotiator apart, the blur jumped in between the wolf and the negotiator. The wolf grabbed the blur, ripping into it. Chunks of flesh flew through the sky until the wolf finally backed away.
I blinked as the scene cleared.
The blur was a wolf.
Another wolf and a vampire ran into the center, though both arrayed multitudes remained in position at each side of the battleground.
The vampire lifted the injured wolf and took off toward the vampire side at lightning speed, so quick I almost missed it.
My human legs couldn’t match the pace, but it didn’t matter anyway. A large, glowing silver orb appeared and covered the gathered vampires.
Sight and sound abandoned me.
I stopped in my tracks and took in the vast structure. It was blinding and emanated a muted hum. I reached out and touched it. It was solid, vibrating against my palm. I quickly pulled my hand away.
What was this?
Improbably, it seemed like a sort of shield—something straight out of superhero graphic novels. Megan and her family had gossiped about vampires with special abilities, but was it possible they were responsible for this grand thing?
The dome disappeared and a man’s agonized scream penetrated the night.
It was the negotiator.
My head snapped toward the sound.
At breakneck speed, one of the manlike creatures shifted into wolf form and howled. One by one, every wolf gathered for battle howled in response.
The sound burrowed into my heart. Sadness gripped me, and tears formed in my eyes.
I didn’t understand. How would a wolf be behind enemy lines?
The negotiator was on his knees, cradling a woman in his arms.
Her injuries were extensive, but that wasn’t why the wolves were howling. The woman was dead. She was the blur—the wolf—who had jumped between the negotiator and the attacking wolf.
I suddenly realized why the man was so tormented. He loved the she-wolf.
A black wolf ran toward the scene and rubbed up against the man, then rubbed herself against one of the vampires.
I frowned. Why would a werewolf show affection to a vampire?
The vampire touched the wolf and she shifted into her human form.
She pulled on the dress the vampire held out and crouched next to the crying man. She tried to soothe him, but he shrugged her off. Again, words were unnecessary to understand—his pain was so immense, nothing could comfort him.
The body he clung to emitted a faint glow. Small, silver, transparent orbs of smoke rose from her, hitting the man with so much force, he let go. The orbs bashed him relentlessly, and he screamed.
Thunder boomed, causing me to leap back in surprise. The skies mimicked the grieving man’s cries.
The earth trembled. Grass, sand, and grit thrummed wildly. Upon closer examination of the man, his face, his body, the rhythm of his shuddering body, it hit me: he was controlling the tremors.
How the hell was he doing it? Fear crept into my soul.
Everyone around him begged him to calm down, based on their supplicating gestures, but his jaw and eyes were set in implacable determination—though it was impossible to divine what he intended.
The woman’s death fueled him with hatred, though both instinct and the tenderness with which he had held the woman suggested he was not a man familiar with violence.
His hands lit up with flames as he jumped up from the ground. I retreated as he passed me and approached the werewolves, his face contorted in a menacing grimace.
The vampires shrieked, bellowed their war cries, and followed him.
The man released balls of flame, one whooshing after another, each orange mass slamming into a wolf and engulfing it in unearthly fire.
Terror cascaded through me, watching this, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from it. Some of the werewolves retreated. The ones who stayed didn’t have a chance.
Lightning struck four, five times in quick succession, downing wolf after wolf.
The earth rumbled, and I struggled to keep my balance. Strong gusts of wind swept me off my feet, the bellowing of air muting everything else. I spun in the air, catching snatches of the growing light of fires and sparks of electricity.
The man, the one who had tried to negotiate with the werewolves, controlled the elements.
I gasped as my eyes opened. Back to my reality. I coughed and hacked and pushed myself onto my haunches to allow air into my lungs.
The tent flaps rustled as someone rushed through the small door.
“Dammit, Ru! What’s going on?” My sister kneeled next to me, stroking my back, worry emanating from her in waves.
“I’m okay,” I panted.
“This is not okay. What is happening to you?”
“Nothing, Liz. Leave me alone.” I pushed her away and clambered out of the tent.
My brain was foggy, still stuck in the vision. It had been so clear. As if I were right in the thick of the action.
I stumbled to the closest tree and leaned against it, nostrils flaring as I breathed hard. My father called my name, but I ignored him, shoved away from the tree, and walked off.
That man’s sorrow, his rage… The lightning and the fire and the quaking
earth… It had all felt so real. I could still feel it.
No wonder everyone called Grandma Marie crazy.
I found a heap of stones and sank down to them, resting my head in my hands with a shaky sigh.
At least the vision hadn’t arrived during the hunt.
Footsteps approached from behind.
“I’m okay,” I groaned, sure it was my sister wanting to force me to tell her what was going on.
“I know,” said a male voice.
Collin? What was he doing here?
I pulled my knees to my chest and hugged my legs. “Sorry. Thought you were Liz.”
“She’s worried about you, Ru.”
He knew my name? That was a surprise.
“May I?” He pointed to the rocks beside me.
I nodded. “Liz didn’t follow you?” The words came out with the tang of jealousy—not what I’d intended.
He shook his head. “No, I asked for some privacy. They all want to know if you’re okay.”
“I am, so you can tell them I’m—"
“What did you see?”
My mouth fell open and my eyes went wide with shock. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve seen this behavior before,” he said. “What did you see?”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
He smiled. “You know it’s dangerous if it happens during a hunt. You could die. Others who depend on you could die.”
“I’m fine,” I hissed. I got up and stormed off.
“I’m only trying to help,” he called after me.
“I said I’m fine,” I bit out, not daring to look back.
Shit, how does he know? Where had he seen someone experiencing visions? Was this a common gift among other SHA members? He acted like it wasn’t a big deal… But he didn’t know my family.
No way could I admit I’d seen a vision; and it was out of the question to share the ghastly details. He’d be crushed to learn his plan was doomed and countless people would die in the execution of the plan he had designed himself. I couldn’t bear such bad news, couldn’t make that gorgeous face twist with hopelessness.
Better to deny everything.
My family would lock me up in an institution if word got back to him. That was certain.
But Collin had a point. If this was how my visions would be from now on—vivid, taxing, lengthy—they posed a grave danger to us all.
Five
I sat high in the tree, clutching the device that would control the net. I was the backup—only needed if one of the other members of the net team, like my father, my uncle, or Emily, missed their chance.
The image of the werewolf that had saved the negotiator’s life in my vision flashed through my mind. She had been faster than any wolf I had encountered. If that was their true speed, we didn’t stand a chance.
My sister was bait tonight. The wolf would catch her. There was no way she’d be able to outrun it. She’d die if Collin didn’t know what he was doing.
We’d been waiting for hours.
What if Lizzy was already dead?
It was so quiet. Collin had told us that the wolves had superior hearing, so we couldn’t make a peep.
I had to admit, he wasn’t nearly as annoying as I thought he would be. Even though he know the danger I was in, he kept my secret.
A truck came barreling through the trees at full speed. This wasn’t part of the plan, and it put us all on high alert.
Liz was on the back of the truck, holding a gun. She peered up at me as it whizzed past. Her concerned eyes told me that these wolves were fast.
In our hunts, we had never chased the wolves. We would always wait for them, then fight like hell to kill them.
The tell-tale rattling echoed through the night, and the blur of darkness quickly gained momentum.
The nets would set him off. He would choose a different direction. I had a tranquilizer gun filled with Stra-vain, ready to shoot him and force the transformation. I wasn’t a great shot, but I could handle this.
I prided myself on my excellent sight, but the wolf zoomed in and out of range so quickly, my eyes couldn’t keep up with it. I had to tip my hat to vampire hunters. They had to be fast, like hypersonic fast, because vampires were much speedier than wolves.
Squinting my eyes, I lifted the gun, trying to predict where it would go next.
I aimed at the opposite side and pulled the trigger.
A split second later, a ruckus exploded. Something hit the turf and the sound of the first net swirled into the night, followed by another.
Realizing it was trapped, a furious growl ripped from the beast as more darts fired. The growl turned into a scream as the wolf shifted into his human form.
The scream died abruptly when the man passed out.
Within seconds, a truck pulled up next to the net and we dropped from our respective trees.
Greg was the first person at the net, his gun clutched in his hand.
He pulled the net off as a group of men jumped out of the truck, then loaded the body onto the back. With equal speed, the men got back in and drove off.
“Who shot that first shot?” Greg sounded pissed off.
I kept my mouth shut as I approached my father.
“I’m only asking one more time. Who shot the first shot?”
I could hear my heart stammering in my chest.
“I did,” Emily confessed.
Greg whirled to face her.
Stunned, I did too, but she didn’t meet my gaze. Why was she doing this?
His lips curved. “That was one hell of a shot. How’d you pull it off?”
“Luck,” she muttered. She didn’t share his enthusiasm.
Another truck pulled in and my sister hopped off.
Collin opened his door and got out while Greg continued to question Emily.
Collin’s eyes found mine and I quickly looked away.
Collin walked over to Greg and Emily, Liz hot on his heels.
“You didn’t tell us they were that fast. Close range, in battle, it’s a different story, but like that, being chased? The bait will never be able to outrun them. You’re putting their lives at risk!” Emily yelled the moment she caught sight of Collin.
“Which is why Collin picked her up with the truck,” Greg placated before Collin could say a word.
“You’re out of your mind. Someone could’ve died tonight!”
“No one did,” Greg said as he looked at each of us in turn. “We need to find the Alpha. Soon. I hope luck is on your side with the next hunt, Emily,” he said as he walked to Collin’s truck.
Collin gave Liz a hug and whispered to her. I could tell he was pleased with her.
Liz beamed after him as he walked back to his truck and drove off.
“Emily,” a man with a thick Scottish accent said. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember his name. “It was a good night.”
“Yeah, but someone will die if Lady Luck decides to turn her back on us.” She stomped off in the direction of her tent.
Everyone dispersed and I made my way toward Liz and the tents. My sister was still hyped up on adrenaline, regaling the others with what a rush it had been.
I quickened my stride, tears blurring my vision. I crashed into her and wrapped my arms around her neck, squeezing her so tight I was sure I’d cut off her airway.
“Hey, hey. I’m okay. Collin was right there when it started speeding up.” She stroked my back. “That was one hell of a shot, Ru,” she whispered in my ear.
“You knew it was me?”
“I’m not stupid. It’s simple geometry. From the angle of Emily’s tree and where he fell, there was no way she could’ve made that shot. Why the heck didn’t you want to say it was you?”
“Because Emily is right. Pure luck.”
Liz pulled out of my grip and shook her head. “You’re wrong. You’re made for this.” She brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and squeezed my shoulder before she turned to leave as our father arri
ved.
“You okay?” he asked her
Liz nodded as she passed him.
I was certain he hadn’t heard our conversation, but looked at me with a strange expression.
“Ru, you know if there is anything you want to tell me—”
“Dad, it was just a headache. Last night, with all the worry and stress…” I smiled. “I’m fine, really.”
“Okay.” He nodded, pulling me under his arm for a side hug.
He brushed a kiss on my head, his lips lingering a moment. “You did great tonight, kiddo. Next time don’t be scared to take credit.” He walked over to his tent to start breaking it down.
I groaned. “Does everyone know?”
He chuckled at me in answer.
Grumbling, I turned to pack up.
If these hunters were so advanced, why hadn’t Greg picked up that Emily had been lying?
I couldn’t help but feel that there was something off with this group. They didn’t hunt like other hunters, and they had a shocking number of surviving members. Something didn’t add up.
Were they all still alive because close combat was minimized, or was it something else?
Only time would tell. The truth always had a way of coming out, and I knew my father was inspecting them with a hawk’s eye.
Over the next few weeks, Collin visited Liz regularly. Liz was lovely and they made a great couple, but it bothered me that he spent so much time around our house, because there was always an awkward glance between us.
He wasn’t going to drop the issue of my visions. I was certain he’d be asking me about my sixth sense again soon, and I was curious to know where he had seen it before. I was afraid his upbringing meant it was a wolf thing. What did the future hold for me if it was?
I was already in bed when the engine of his truck announced Collin’s late departure. I could only imagine that my sister was floating on cloud nine right about now.
The next morning in the kitchen, Liz whistled a silly tune until she caught my father’s eye.
Her cheeks flushed, but she grinned and rolled her eyes. “What? I like him.”
“Hell is gonna freeze over,” Theo teased.
“Oh, shut up.” She laughed as she slapped him with the cloth she was holding.
I helped her with the eggs for breakfast while she prepared a quiche for lunch and popped it in the oven.
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