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IT WAS DOUBTFUL THAT the hikers and their friends would return to the woods at night, but I set my phone to alert me when I went to bed. Knowing my luck, animals would wander past the cameras all night long and trigger the alarm constantly. I took a shower before pulling on a pair of boxer shorts and crossing to my bed. Delta sat on the nightstand next to my phone. “Are you missing your house?” I asked. Her whiskers twitched, which I took for a yes.
I didn’t want her to feel exposed and vulnerable, so I hunted around in my closet. I found an old shoebox one of the older generation must have left behind and pulled it out. Grabbing a penknife from my duffle bag, I cut a door into the box and put a pair of clean socks inside it for a bed. “Will this do for a temporary shelter?” I asked and put it on the nightstand.
Delta examined it, then nudged the door open with her nose. She disappeared inside and pushed the door shut with her foot.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I said with a grin. It was ridiculous how adorable the zombies were. The entire team was grateful to Alex for bringing them into our lives. They’d proven to be invaluable so far, to the point where mom had raised mice for the oldies. Uncle Flynn and Aunt Sabine already had mice that Alex had gifted to them.
I had trouble falling asleep when I lay down. I kept seeing the shifter’s face, wondering who she was and how long she’d been living alone. She looked younger than me, but she was definitely an adult. If she really was on the run from someone, I would have to find out who they were and make sure they never bothered her again.
Mine. Ours. Mate, my wolf said sleepily. I heaved a small sigh, then eventually followed him into slumber.
I dreamed I was walking along the trail I’d searched earlier today. It was nighttime and the woods were alive with nocturnal creatures. The ominous presence was absent, but I felt someone watching me.
Turning around, I saw the beautiful shifter standing a hundred yards away. Her expression was wary and she seemed poised to flee. “Hi,” I said, holding my hands up to show her they were empty. “I’m Liam. Who are you?”
“I’m Raina,” she replied. “What are you doing in my woods?”
“I’m looking for a magic user who lives here.” I’d never had such a lucid dream before. It felt far too real.
“Why?” she asked bluntly and with some hostility. She was obviously protective of the being.
“They’re drawing attention to themselves by using a spell to frighten men away,” I explained. “The hikers they chased away a couple of days ago are planning to come back and they’re bringing hunters with them.”
“Let them come,” she said dismissively. “They won’t get far.”
I took a step towards her and she took two quick steps back, so I halted. “Are you hiding from someone, Raina?” I asked.
Her expression turned bleak and she looked away. “Yes.”
“I can make them stay away from you, but you need to tell me their names.” I could use Harlan’s program to find the people she was running from. I would personally make sure she would never have to worry about them finding her.
Her answer wasn’t what I’d expected to hear. “I’m not hiding from anyone in particular.”
“Then who are you trying to avoid?” I asked in confusion.
“Everyone,” she said softly, but I heard her clearly. “There were no people in this area when I first moved here. Now they’re getting closer with each year that passes. They’ve formed paths around my home and it’s getting harder to keep them away.”
She made it sound like she’d lived here for centuries rather than a few years at the most. “Why don’t you like people?” I asked in bafflement. Even lone wolves had to spend time around others of their kind. No one could live alone indefinitely and remain sane.
“Most of them are selfish and evil,” she said with a shudder. “They only care about themselves and they take what they want from anyone who is weaker than they are.”
“Some people are like that, but the rest of us care about others,” I argued.
She gave me a cynical look, then examined me from head to toe. “Why do you seem so familiar, when I’ve never met you before?”
To my horror, I almost told her that my wolf thought we were true mates. She was so skittish that she would probably flee if I’d said that out loud. “I’m not sure,” I hedged, suspecting it was because we were both shifters. We could all sense what we were, even if we didn’t always know what sort of werebeast the other person turned into.
“What are those objects that you placed in the trees?” she asked next.
“They’re cameras. They’ll alert me when they sense movement, so I’ll know when the hikers and their buddies turn up.”
She seemed skeptical, but nodded. “Why would you want to warn the magic user that they’re being hunted?” she queried.
“Part of my job is to investigate strange occurrences,” I explained. “As far as I can tell, the magic user isn’t dangerous to humans. They just seem to want to be left alone. I thought it would be a good idea to warn them, so I don’t have to step in if they harm the humans.”
“None of the humans will be hurt,” she said, lips thinning in veiled anger. “They’ll be frightened away like all the others who’ve trespassed here.”
“If you see the magic user, will you warn them?” I asked.
She looked at me for a few seconds, then nodded. “I’ll give her your message,” she said, then she vanished into the trees.
I tried to follow her, but the trees seemed to move together to bar my way. Delta wasn’t with me, so she couldn’t use the zombie highway to help me follow Raina. Doggedly pushing my way through the foliage, I found a faint path and took it. After a while, it branched into several other paths. I followed Raina’s faint scent deeper into the woods.
I’d been walking for what felt like hours before I saw a tree with a broken branch that I’d seen a couple of times already. “I’m walking in circles,” I muttered and heard a giggle from somewhere nearby. Raina was watching me and laughing as I made no headway into finding her. It didn’t make me angry. It only made me more determined to find her.
Heading for where I’d heard Raina’s laughter, I found the trees were too dense to push through. Magic had to be keeping me out. “It’s just a dream, stupid,” I reminded myself. That realization didn’t make the trees any easier to get through.
I heard a shout in the distance, followed by a gunshot. I took off towards it, wishing Delta was with me, just in case I needed her help. The dream seemed to lurch, then I was suddenly standing in a clearing. Six men armed with rifles were shouting in glee, firing at something. I saw a flash of amber hair and realized they were hunting Raina.
Rage unlike anything I’d ever felt before spiked inside me. Transforming into my wolf like the moon had suddenly become full, I raced towards the hunters. They scattered at my roar, then fired their weapons at me. I snarled at them and crashed through the trees, searching for Raina. Their bullets whizzed past my head almost close enough to hit me.
Hearing a whimper coming from somewhere ahead, I slowed down and followed Raina’s trail. I found her curled up in a tight ball, hiding beneath a fallen tree. I tried to talk, but it came out as barks and growls. Opening her eyes, she stared at me in terror, then screamed shrilly enough to hurt my ears.
Something invisible slammed into me and I was sent flying backwards. I crashed into a tree with enough force to snap me awake.
I sat up with a gasp, reaching behind me to find I was intact. It had felt like I’d broken several ribs. “It was just a dream,” I said shakily and lay back down. Dawn wasn’t far away now, which was a relief. I wasn’t sure I could go back to sleep after having such a vivid nightmare.
