The drive back to the cabin took longer than usual. My thoughts scattered until the truck glided to a halt on some of the steep mountain roads. By the time I made it home, my nerves were completely shot. I sat in the truck and rested my forehead on the steering wheel.
Everything got twisted around until up felt like down, left felt like right, and nothing made sense. I didn’t know whether I should side with Dragomir or with Archer. Dragomir wasn’t as harmless as I wanted to believe. Dragomir almost killed Archer and his entire team, all because of me.
And yet Archer might have planned to kill me all along. At least Dragomir was upfront about the danger he posed. Even if he lied about where he found Jamie’s things.
So long story short, they both deceived me and I shouldn’t trust either of them.
I dragged myself out of the truck. The sun had just passed its apex, though it felt like I’d aged a week in just an hour. I needed to get inside, shower, throw Hopper an apple or two, and get to the hospital to see Archer. Once I made sure he was okay, I’d hunt down Dragomir and have a word with him.
I took three steps toward the cabin when something disturbed the gravel behind me. I went still.
Or maybe Dragomir wanted to have a word with me first.
I looked back and saw nothing except shadows. My heart pounded in a surge of adrenaline as I reined in the urge to bolt. It was probably just Hopper playing games. He’d gotten quite fond of climbing onto the cabinets and dropping down on me as I walked by.
The gravel crunched again from different locations. My eyes closed and my head tilted back as I struggled to keep from crying in frustration. I couldn’t take any more. I really couldn’t. I needed just a few hours of normal before I faced Archer and demanded he answer my questions. My numb fingers fumbled the mace out of its little holster as I faced what threatened me.
Four enormous wolves stared at me, heads low, and began growling when they saw my eyes. I held my breath. Wolves. Much larger than anything that belonged in nature. Intelligent eyes followed me as I took one measured step back at a time. Nice and easy. Slow and steady. Never show fear and never give them something to chase.
They didn’t look like werewolves, just really giant normal wolves. I frowned. Was that some other form? Or did I just have the worst luck in the history of the world? Not only werewolves trying to kill me, but every other kind of wolf, too. Maybe a prehistoric dire wolf waited to spring at me from under the bed. Extinct Tasmanian wolf? Sure, hiding under the porch to bite my ankles.
I yanked my attention back to the problem at hand before I spiraled into absurdity.
The wolves stepped forward as I retreated. I couldn’t even swallow. My vision narrowed down to a soda straw, focusing only on the wolves and nothing else around me. It didn’t matter what kind of wolves they were, biting hurt no matter what did it.
Ten feet away from the porch. Maybe eight. I couldn’t make it if I ran. Not when I had to unlock the door. The wolves would catch me in just a couple of steps.
My feet tangled and I landed hard on my ass in the gravel.
The wolves charged, all four of them. Gravel flew and scattered under their giant paws, some of it pinging off my truck. I scrambled back. The mace didn’t cooperate, hissing and spluttering but not actually deterring them.
Teeth clicked shut on the hem of my jeans, yanking me forward, and another wolf landed hard on my chest. I smashed the useless mace in one’s chest and screamed for help.
I gouged at their eyes, pulled a tail, kicked out. None of it worked. Nothing deterred them. Teeth seized my arm and yanked, drawing blood and ripping flesh. I gasped for breath, desperate. I didn’t want to die alone in the yard. I didn’t want to die in the teeth of wolves or monsters. Not like that, with so much left undone.
Pain overwhelmed me and some of the fight faded from my limbs as a fifth wolf appeared.
Well, fuck. Like four wasn’t enough.
But the other wolves paused and turned as one to look back at the newcomer. It remained where it was, gold eyes flashing like high beams. My fingers slid in the bloody gravel and torn-up dead grass as I scrabbled backwards to get to the porch while they were distracted.
Something growled. I looked over to the tree line, searching for the biggest wolf as the four around me snarled and retreated. I froze and stared, blinking tears from my eyes.
Everything else disappeared. Pain faded. Time stopped.
The world froze.
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair.
Ten years I’d hoped. Ten years I’d searched. And finally. Finally.
Jamie stepped out of the undergrowth like a ghost. Jamie. Jamie.