by Ovidia Pike
“That’s why the bodies are going missing. They’re climbing out of their graves,” Gabriel said.
“How is that possible?”
“Maybe it has something to do with the faceless man,” Sophie offered. Selene went still and quiet, pressing her finger to her lips.
“Don’t speak of him,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. “Please.”
“Okay,” I said in frustration. I could tell that Gabriel felt the same way when he tensed under my hands. I was relieved to see that his wounds weren’t as deep as the others had been and that he didn’t require any stitches. When I told him, I heard Sophie sigh in relief.
“I’ll give you some ointment to keep them from getting infected,” I said to him. “But otherwise, you’ll be fine.”
“Thank goodness,” Sophie said.
“So what are we going to do about all of this?” Gabriel inquired aloud as I rubbed ointment on and bandaged his wounds.
“Do you accept an alliance?” Selene asked.
“Yes,” Gabriel said. “But what about the queen?”
“My mother, she’s—she won’t be long. I mean, she’s sick.”
“So you will be queen?” I asked. An uncomfortable look passed over her face.
“Yes,” she said. “I suppose I will.”
“Good,” Gabriel said, standing up and guiding Sophie to the table to get her arm patched. “Now back to the question.”
“What happened when the body...climbed out of the grave?” Selene asked.
“He attacked me,” Jackson said.
“The wound immediately became infected. Jackson almost died,” I said.
“So we can’t risk following another one,” Selene said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“We can—” Gabriel began.
“No,” Sophie said. “The princess is right.”
“Please, call me Selene.”
“Selene is right,” I said. “We need to burn the bodies.”
“Okay,” Gabriel said reluctantly. “How are we going to find out where they’re going?”
“How many of your people know about the dead walking?”
“Just us,” Gabriel said.
“Good. I don’t plan to tell many. I think our best choice is to comb through the park. They can’t—I mean they can hardly be wandering around the city. They’re probably still out here if they’re...alive.”
“How many of us?”
“Do you have anyone else you can trust?”
“Lily,” I said. “Lily and Nathaniel. They’re both strong. They could help.”
“Okay,” Gabriel said. “What about you, Selene?”
“I trust my personal guard to do it. There are twelve of them.”
“Are you sure they’re not part of that group who almost killed us?”
“Positive,” she said without hesitation. “Yes.”
“So we scour the forest.”
“In our respective territories,” Selene said. “And we meet regularly to discuss.”
“Fine,” Gabriel said. “That sounds fine.”
“Okay, so we have a plan,” Selene said with a soft, sad smile, looking worn out.
“You should get some rest before you go back to the caves,” I said to her. She shook her head.
“I’m going back. We—I have a lot to do. Other than looking through the forest, I have to find every last one of those who followed my sister.”
“Thank you,” Gabriel said.
“Of course,” she said, standing up and stretching like a cat. “Thank you for your hospitality, doctor.”
I gave her a small bow as she left the hut. Gabriel turned to look at Jackson then with a frown on his face.
“Explain yourselves. About the baby.”
“Well,” Jackson said. “When a man and a woman love each other very much, they sometimes—”
I laughed, but the look on Gabriel’s face cut Jackson off.
“She’s my natural mate,” Jackson said. “We’ve bonded.”
“That’s obvious,” Gabriel grumbled as he looked between us.
“Lily knows about the baby because...she was going to keep her for me.”
“Why?”
“It’s—”
“Never mind,” Gabriel said, waving dismissively. “I already told the doctor she could stay. Might as well add a baby to the mix.”
“Oh, can I hold her now?” Sophie asked hopefully. I smiled at her.
“Let’s go to Lily’s,” she said.
“Do you want to come, Gabriel?” Sophie asked. For a moment, he paused, then his gaze went hard and sharp.
“No,” he said shortly. “I’m going home.”
“Oh, okay,” Sophie said in surprise at his tone. He left without further word and Jackson gave Sophie a puzzled look.
“I have no idea,” she said with a shrug. “Who knows?”
“Who cares?” Jackson asked. “Let’s go.”
“Yes,” Sophie said eagerly. I followed her out of the hut, taking Jackson’s hand and walking side-by-side with him over to Lily’s. I looked up at his face to see that he was gazing at me, and I tilted my face up to kiss him, feeling his glow throughout my entire body.
“I love you,” I said to him. He smiled at me, kissed me again, and we walked together to see our daughter.
Epilogue: Sam
I put my hat down next to me on the log where I sat, breaking up sticks and adding them to the fire. It had taken me most of the night to get off of the wolf territory that I knew was guarded day and night, and I hadn’t settled down until I was comfortable with lighting a fire. When it had grown high enough, I slipped a sausage onto a stick and started to cook it over the open flame. My body was sore from the hike, and as I ate I tried to relax my shoulders.
I heard a noise then in the forest and jumped to my feet, staring around me in the darkness. I heard another crunch, then another before the sound of growling started up.
“Not these bastards again,” I said, reaching for the stick I had sharpened into points on either side as the rotting wolves emerged from the darkness. I looked around to see that there were six of them and let out a sharp sigh as they all jumped at once. I caught one by impaling it through its gaping mouth, and used my foot to kick it away before jabbing the point of the stick into the top of another’s skull. I felt one grab at my ankle and kicked at it, then stomped on its head even as I swung the stick at another wolf, knocking it to the side. It leapt at me again but I caught it with the end of the stick, impaling it through the belly and tossing it aside before stabbing it again in the brain. I put my hands on my knees to catch my breath, and was caught off guard by a wolf jumping onto my back. I could feel its breath on the back of my neck when suddenly it was yanked off of me and tossed aside. I flipped around to see a tall woman standing above me, and immediately handed her the stick so that she could crush the last wolf’s skull.
When she was finished, she reached to help me stand. I climbed to my feet.
“Thanks,” I said to her, catching my breath. The moonlight lit up her features, highlighting the red in her auburn hair, which was tied up in a tight bun on her head, a few tendrils curling around her face from sweat. She was taller than most women, shorter than me by only a few inches. Her body was slim and lean, and the look in her eyes was completely unreadable.
“No problem,” she said, turning her head slightly. I could finally see the color of her eyes in the fire, the color of amber, almost orange in hue.
“Who are you?” I asked her. “Where did you come from?”
“I was...on a walk,” she said, and her voice sounded like she was begrudgingly giving me the information, as vague as it was.
“You’re from the wolf village,” I said. “I’ve seen you in the forest. You’re a fighter?”
“I am,” she said, chin tilting up proudly. “Yes.”
“You’re good,” I said to her, remembering how smoothly she had moved through her routine.
“You were watching me?
” she asked. “From the woods? Who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”
“I’m not from here,” I said. “But yes, I was in the woods. I saw you training.”
“Does the Alpha know you’re lurking in his woods?”
“No,” I admitted. “And I’d rather it stayed that way, if you don’t mind.”
“You’d better not let him find out,” she said. “He’s a hateful, angry man.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. She watched me for a moment then paused, just staring. She had a feline look to her face, big eyes, a kitten curve to her lips.
“I’m leaving now,” she said after a moment.
“Take this,” I said, offering her my stick. She shook her head.
“I don’t need it,” she said, and took off through the trees without another word.
THE END
PREVIEW: Falling for the Wolf
Crystal Lake Forest Wolf Shifter Series Book 4
[Preview] Chapter 1: Camilla
I gritted my teeth in irritation as I stood at the front of the group, watching the ten guards in front of me sloppily going through the movements I had taught them and had been teaching them for weeks. It was only my second round of trainees but so far, they were no better than the first; I scanned over them with my eyes to see messy kicks and weak-wristed punches, and nearly threw my own spear down in frustration. As I looked, I caught a glimpse of someone standing in the trees at the back of the group. My eyes met his and I realized it was the same man I’d met in the forest, the one I’d saved from the predators who would have devoured him.
I watched as the man gave me a small wave and a soft half-smile. He was clothed in black and wearing a black cowboy hat, which he tipped at me before he gestured to the group and gave me a thumbs down. I almost laughed at that, pulling my eyes away from him to the group.
“You’re all dismissed,” I said in a stony voice. “Get out of here.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said one of the guards, and they dispersed quickly, eager to get out of my commanding presence. As soon as they were gone, the man approached me, taking off his hat to reveal a mess of dusty blond hair. His blue eyes were crinkled at the corners, a smile on his lips. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbow to reveal tattoos covering his sculpted arms, which I forced my eyes away from so that I could talk to him instead of studying the intricate artwork on his skin.
“I thought I told you that you should get out of here,” I said as he approached me, crossing my arms over my chest. He was taller than me by a few inches, which was rare for human men given that I was only a couple of inches short of being six feet tall myself. His shoulders were broad enough to encompass me in his arms, something that flickered into my head involuntarily, a thought I pushed away.
“I have unfinished business in these woods, ma’am,” he said.
“Shouldn’t you be going about your business instead of watching me?” I asked him, trying to feel more annoyed than I really was. In reality, the feeling of his gaze was warm and comfortable, just like the kind smile on his face.
“I—you’re very good at what you do,” he said. “It’s fascinating to watch. I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable, I didn’t...think about that.”
“It’s fine,” I said to him, breath catching in my throat when he caught my eye, finally holding it for a moment that seemed to linger.
“What is your name?” he asked.
“Camilla,” I said.
“Beautiful, Camilla. My name is Sam.”
“What is your unfinished business, exactly? If the Alpha catches you out here—”
“He won’t. I’m sneaky,” he said. I laughed.
“Not sneaky enough. I caught you watching me.”
“I made myself obvious,” he said with a grin. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“Why?”
“You live in the village, right?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I mean—temporarily. I go back and forth between the village and the city.”
“Why the city?” he asked.
“That’s where I’m from. I’m only here for training purposes. I was assigned to the village to help train the guards.”
“Have you met everyone who lives there?”
“Yes, I have for the most part. I guarded the human doctor when we first arrived.”
“The human doctor? So you’re a shifter?”
“No,” I said quickly, cursing myself inwardly for letting the word slip out. “I’m not.”
“Okay,” he said. “Well, my brother lived in the village for the past several years. Left home to come here. I haven’t heard from him in months, so I’m here looking for him. I know that the Alpha does not allow outsiders in the village, especially not men.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“My brother told me. He said I couldn’t come to visit for that reason.”
“I see,” I said. “So he’s missing?”
“Yes, he is,” Sam said. “And I aim to find him. I need to find out what happened to him.”
“The villagers are dying,” I said. “You do know that?”
“Yes, I know. And it’s possible he was one of them. I just...don’t want to give up hope. I’m not leaving here until I find out what happened. I’ve been looking at those...things in the woods. The zombies. I haven’t found him yet.”
“So why did you want to talk to me?” I asked him.
“I was wondering if you knew anything about him, maybe recognize him,” he said, reaching into the pack slung over his shoulder and pulling out a tattered photograph of him alongside another man, their arms around each other’s shoulders. I studied the other man in the photograph, but he was only vaguely familiar, nothing special in a sea of shifter faces I had gone through when we’d first arrived.
“I don’t know anything about him,” I said, handing the photo back. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I figured,” he said, slipping it back into his pack. He looked at me again with sparkling eyes, not looking put off in the slightest.
“Have you talked to anyone else from the village?”
“Nope, only you,” he said. “You’re the only one I haven’t been scared to approach.”
I snorted.
“You’re not afraid of what I can do?” I asked. “You’ve seen me fight.”
“I’m no stranger to combat,” he said. “I think I could take you.”
I stared at him for a moment before he winked at me, something that sent a flutter through my stomach.
“Kiddin’. You could kick my ass. I know that about myself.”
“I could,” I agreed, though I didn’t doubt that he was trained. He chuckled.
“I—” he began but paused when a voice came through the trees. I glimpsed over my shoulder to see Gabriel Alarick coming from the shadows, and I was about to tell Sam to get going when I turned and realized he had already left. I turned back to Gabriel then and gave him a bow as I approached, keeping my face blank so that he wouldn’t see the grimace I had reserved for him.
“Hello, sir,” I said in greeting.
“Hello,” he replied, approaching me, assessing me with his dark, piercing stare.
“I was just curious how this bunch that you’re training is coming along,” he said. “I was hoping to see them in action.”
“I dismissed them early. Their performances are abysmal,” I said. He gave me an irritated look.
“Is it not your job to change that?” he asked coldly. I took a deep breath to steady my anger, the disgust I felt just looking into the wolf man’s eyes.
“I’m doing my best, sir,” I said, forcing out the last word despite how much it pained me.
“Do better,” he said with a dismissive wave. “There’s no reason for you to be here if you can’t train my people.”
“Your people are weak and stupid,” I spat. He lifted an eyebrow.
“Are they?” he asked.
“Yes, they are,” I said. “It’s not my
fault they can’t be trained.”
He paused for a moment, then took a step toward me. I looked up into his eyes as he gave me a cool look.
“Do better,” he said again, then turned and walked away. I gripped my spear tight in my hand, wanting to throw it at him, to impale him through the back. Instead, I turned away, trying to calm down before I went back to the village.
[Preview] Chapter 2: Sam
I stripped out of my clothes and shifted after it’d grown dark, knowing that my smoky grey coat would keep me hidden in the shadows of the village, which wasn’t well-lit at night despite how heavily guarded it was. I had been watching the patterns of the guards for weeks and knew how they patrolled—I waited for the right time, just after midnight, before passing through the line of the woods and into the village. I stayed in the shadows and away from the dim lamps that lit the streets, putting my nose to the ground. I started to sniff around, desperately hoping to catch my brother’s scent, though I hadn’t even caught a whiff of it the last time I’d been here, when I’d saved a man from dying from one of the rotting wolves’ bites.
I heard voices and darted between two huts, waiting for the women to pass. I kept an eye out in case I saw Camilla—I couldn’t help it. I had been making excuses to go and watch her since the first time I saw her out in the woods. She was beautiful and strong, tall and lean with powerful arms and a carved stomach, long, slender legs and a heart-shaped face. Her mouth was small but full, usually pursed in displeasure as she watched her trainees fuck up over and over again. I smiled to myself thinking about her hard expression, how it had faltered somewhat when I’d caught her gaze, her eyes such a strange brown that they almost appeared orange in the right light.
The voices passed and I shook myself out of my daydream, starting again. I sniffed around the huts until my whole body perked up, catching a faint hint of my brother’s scent. I followed it quickly, desperately hoping that it wouldn’t drop away, and I was glad when it brought me to the door of one of the huts. I looked around me before shifting into human form and trying the handle, relieved to find that it was unlocked. I opened it carefully, peering inside, straining for any hint that someone was there. I heard nothing and there were no lights on, so I decided to go in, carefully shutting the door behind me. I started to search the place, only to find that it was completely empty, that everything had been cleared out. It raised more questions than it answered, and after I’d searched every corner, I left, feeling filled with frustration.