by Liz Bower
"It's so much colder than earlier. Don't you ...?"
Rob glanced at her as she stopped talking. "What is it?"
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
"Did you hear that?"
"What? The dog?"
She turned to look behind her and said, "That didn't sound like a dog. It sounded like a ..."
He followed her gaze as the words died on her lips. Blinking hard several times, he shook his head. "And that looks like ... a wolf?" Because it did, sort of, except it was huge. Are wolves normally that large? He could almost look it in the eye it was so big.
More importantly, did they normally venture into town? Its thick, silvery fur ruffled in the cold breeze that had started to blow, showing the black skin beneath it. Its ears flattened against its head as it raised its muzzle, letting out a howl that sounded like it was in pain. Rob could see its long, white teeth, and he grabbed Jess's arm to pull her behind him.
"What are you doing?" She hissed the words at him, trying to keep her voice low. She pulled on his arm. Then, when she couldn't move him, she whispered in his ear. "You can't fight it. Run!"
He dug in his pocket and pulled out his car keys, pressing them into her hand. "Yes, run, straight to the car. Now. Go!" He almost yelled, shoving her in the direction of the car as the wolf started to stalk towards them. Instead of running, she laughed. He turned to glance her way before turning his attention back to the wolf again. "I would love to know what exactly about this situation you find amusing."
Her fingers wrapped around his as she said, "The fact that you think I would just leave you here. Either we both run, now," she said, squeezing his hand. The wolf was closer, just on the opposite side of the street to them. "Or we both stay and probably get mauled to death, as we have no way to defend ourselves against that."
"I won't run away, Jess, and I won't let it hurt you."
The wolf pawed at the ground. The sound of nails dragging across concrete was loud and raised goosebumps along his arms. It let out another howl and, in what seemed like slow motion to him, leaped in their direction. Not caring what Jess thought, he shoved her out of its path. He would protect her as best he could. Another howl pierced the night, but he realised it came from him and not the wolf that had knocked him flat on his back. Its nails clawed at his clothes, and where they pierced his skin, his flesh began to burn. Its foul breath blew across his face and was almost enough to make him gag. But the smell seemed to clear his mind.
Acting purely on instinct, he reared up, raised his fist and punched it straight in the muzzle. "Fuck!" That thing was rock-hard. He swallowed the pain and hit it again, and again. When he heard Jess's scream, he stopped hitting it and looked around to find her. The wolf lifted its head, snarled and then leaped off him. Its tail whipping past him was the last thing he saw, as darkness descended over him.
***
"What if he doesn't wake up, Matt? Ever? We thought James was dead; he was like this for months. What if Rob is too?" She paced across the living room of her cottage until Matt caught her hands in his. Rob was laid out on the sofa, Matt having carried him there from the car with Emma and Jess's help. Jess had covered him with a blanket, but he was still cold. And so still, like he was already dead. A sob escaped her lips before she covered them with her hands. Matt pulled her into his arms.
"Shh, he'll be okay. He's strong, a fighter."
"He's right," Emma said, as she walked into the room carrying a tray of coffees with a bottle of brandy too. Jess blew out a deep breath and moved back from Matt's hold. Knowing they meant well, she bit back the retort threatening to pour out of her mouth.
They had been through something similar last year when Matt had been attacked, but this didn't look quite the same. Rob didn't have a welt of red skin around his neck or scratches on his chest or back like Matt and James had.
She'd cleaned Rob's wounds when they made it back to her house. Although his skin had been pierced and bleeding, it looked more like a burn now, red and blistered. And yes, while she had been scared out of her mind she might lose James or Matt, this was also different because it was Rob.
The thought of him not making it ... She dragged in a breath and held it until the burn in her lungs was all she could think about because she couldn't think of Rob not making it. When the pressure was too much, she let the breath rush from her mouth. She took several shallow breaths, trying to calm herself, knowing she needed to get her act together. She bent down next to the sofa, resting on her knees. Brushing her hand across his short hair, she pressed the back of it against his cheek. Is he getting warmer?
"I think we should go home now, Matt."
"What? And leave Jess?"
She turned at the sound of her name and saw Matt frown at Emma. Jess caught Emma's gaze as she lifted an eyebrow and hand in question. Jess nodded and turned back to Rob. Yes, they should go; she just wanted to be alone with Rob.
"Yes, Matt, and leave Jess alone. Come on."
Emma squeezed Jess’s shoulder as she followed Matt towards the front door. "You know where we are if you need anything, okay?"
Jess nodded and looked up at Emma. "Thanks. I just ..."
"I know. I'll pop round tomorrow before work. Check on you both."
"Okay." Jess swiped at her cheeks, angry with herself. What was the point in crying? It wouldn't help Rob, would it? Shuffling closer to the sofa, still on her knees, she gently placed a hand on Rob's chest beneath the blanket. She could feel his cool skin; the steady beat of his heart. It reassured her, gave her hope that he might be okay after all. Lowering her head to the sofa, she brushed her lips across his, and then laid her head down, closing her eyes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Rob ached everywhere, but worse, his chest felt like it was on fire. His back protested as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position, and the scent of vanilla filled his nostrils. Slowly, he opened his eyes to the glow of a lamp that revealed he wasn't in his bedroom.
He rolled his head to the side, into a mass of brown hair. "Jess?" Lifting his hand to gather the hair away from his face, he winced as the movement made his chest ache. He dropped his hand back to his side.
Jess shot upright, her hand pressed against his chest. "Rob? Oh, my God, you're alive."
He was normally more alert when he woke up, but did she just say alive? Why wouldn't I be alive? He laughed, but it came out as a cough that made his chest hurt even more.
"Shh, try not to move."
Her hands fluttered across his chest until one landed on his cheek. She pressed her lips against his and sobbed as she pulled back. Not caring how much it hurt that time, he wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her back to his lips. When he released her, tears had started to fill up her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"You don't remember? We were attacked."
Glancing down to where her hand rested just above his stomach, he saw angry, red scratches on his chest. He met her gaze as he looked up. "The wolf. When? How long?"
Jess glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was only three a.m. "Only a few hours ago."
***
Looking back at Rob, she couldn't believe the time. It felt like he'd been out of it for days, but it wasn’t even a day since it happened. He tried to sit up, and she pushed him. With a huff, he slowly lay back down.
"How did we get back here? Did it hurt you? Are you okay?"
The worry of the last few hours finally eased, and she smiled at the concern in his voice. "I'm fine, not a scratch on me. Thanks to you, you stubborn man." Brushing her lips across his forehead, she moved to perch on the sofa beside his legs, and he took her hand in his.
"After you decided to fight the thing single-handedly, I found a loose metal railing. You know, the ones with the spikes on the end. When it landed on you and I heard your scream ..." She shuddered as the image played across her mind. "I hit it with everything I had. Screamed at it, shouted that if it wanted to take you, it would have to take me too."
&nbs
p; She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks and hoped it was too dark in the room for Rob to notice. But he didn't say anything, just smiled at her and tugged on her hand until she lay down on her side next to him. "Matt and Emma came and helped me get you back here. And I should let them know that you're awake. They'll be worried."
As she moved to sit up, Rob pulled her back down, settling her head underneath his chin. "Call them in a minute. Just let me ..."
He laid his cheek on the top of her head, and she heard him inhale slowly. Lying back down, she wrapped an arm around his stomach, happy just to lie there with him, knowing he would be okay.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Jess had managed to get Rob to stay off work, and at her cottage, for three whole days. But by Thursday, he insisted he had to go home, not least for a change of clothes and to go to work. He had promised to take it easy, but she had to admit, he seemed almost—miraculously—back to normal. And while she was making confessions, she would admit to missing him. Which was crazy, since he'd only been gone one night, but she had missed him. Crazy and a whole lot of scary.
But he would be back soon, and that thought put a smile on her face, as she twisted up her lipstick and swiped it across her lips. At the sound of a knock on the front door, she blotted her lips, grabbed her bag, and ran downstairs.
"Wow, you look nice," Emma said when Jess opened the door to her.
Jess brushed her hands across her waist, smoothing the black dress down her hips. She felt a little self-conscious as she took in Emma's jeans and top. Vicky stood behind her, wearing a frown and an all-black outfit of trousers, top, and cardigan. "Thanks, you too. Come in, I'm almost ready."
Jess led them into the kitchen, where she had left the open wine bottle on the table. Removing the cork stopper, she topped off her glass and offered the bottle to Emma, as she took down two more glasses from the cupboard.
As Emma poured, she said, "Help me convince Vicky that it's a good idea for her to come out with us tonight. She's had a crappy week at work, and I've told her the best way to get over it is to spend Friday night out with the girls. Not sitting at home alone in her PJs.”
Jess's face dropped as Emma finished talking.
"What? Why the face?" Emma asked when Jess glanced over at Vicky, who looked lost in the bottom of her wine glass.
"Erm, it's just ... You never said it was a girls’ night. I sort of invited Rob along."
Vicky groaned at Jess's admission. "That settles it. I'm definitely not going out just to play gooseberry while you lot play footsie."
"You won't be a gooseberry." Emma took a seat next to Vicky. "I'll be there, and I told Matt it was a girls’ night," Emma said, giving Jess a pointed look.
Jess shrugged in response. "No one told me. Come on, let's go, before there are no tables left to sit at."
***
Emma and Vicky slid into one side of a booth while Jess sat on the other. It was the last booth available, and she wondered if there was something going on at the pub. It was much busier than a normal Friday night. The bar was packed, people were pressed against each other, and the normal hum of conversation was more of a buzz.
Vicky slipped off her cardigan as she stood. "I'm just going to the ladies."
Jess watched her leave and asked Emma, "Is she okay?"
"She will be, after a few drinks." Emma glanced around and then carried on. "How's Rob, after the ... you know."
"It's weird, but he seems fine. The marks on his chest have pretty much gone. It's almost like it never even happened."
"Like what never happened?" Rob asked, sliding onto the bench seat next to Jess and brushing his lips against her cheek briefly.
Jess knew she had a sappy grin on her face at the sight of him but couldn’t seem to bring herself to care. It faded slightly as she said, "The attack. It's almost like it never happened."
Rob slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his side. She leaned her head against his shoulder and could see the grin plastered across Emma's face as she looked between the two of them.
"Cheers, mate," Rob said, and Jess glanced up to see Matt and James.
Sitting up straight, she leaned over the table towards Emma. "I thought you said you'd told Matt it was a girls' night?"
"I did."
"Sorry," Rob said. "I didn't realise when we made plans that you meant after you'd seen the girls, so I invited Matt. And James."
Jess dropped a hand to Rob's thigh and squeezed it. "It's okay. I didn't know it was supposed to be a girls’ night either, what with no one saying that it was." She looked pointedly across the table. "Emma."
"We can go, if you want," James said, as Matt slid in next to Emma.
Jess looked from Rob to Emma, but Emma just shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Vicky won't mind really, once she's had a drink and put the week behind her."
"Yeah, not the best week all round, was it, Rob?" James said, taking a seat next to Matt.
"Jess was just saying it's almost like it never happened. The burns, or whatever they were, are almost gone now. After a couple more days, I don't think there will be anything to see at all," Rob replied.
"Good. Glad to hear it. Although, hearing that you were attacked by a wolf got me thinking."
Before Rob could ask James anymore, Jess saw Vicky and elbowed Rob in the side.
Vicky slid into the booth next to Rob. "Oddest girls' night I've been on," she said, reaching across the table to get her drink from in front of Matt. "Did I hear you mention wolves?"
James's eyebrows rose at the question, and Jess dropped her head to Rob's chest. James was a terrible liar. Unless he thought Vicky knew the truth. Did she know the truth? Her gaze flew to Emma.
"Erm, yeah, Matt's been looking into the history of wolves and dogs," Emma said. "He was just telling James, his brother. James, this is Vicky, a friend from my school days."
***
"Wow, another Altenbury. Can't seem to turn around without running into one."
"Hey," Jess said.
Vicky waved a hand at her. "You don't count, just like Matt doesn't." Jess looked like she wasn't sure if she should be insulted or not, but before she could work it out, Matt did.
"Hey," he butted in. "What do you mean, I don't count?"
Vicky laughed. "You know what I mean. You're always saying you're not really an Altenbury, and Jess is the same. You're both just—" she gave a shrug "—you."
"I don't see why being an Altenbury should be used as an insult against our family."
Vicky glanced at James from the corner of her eye as he spoke. Even she could admit he was attractive. The similarity between Matt and James was there, but James was a little rougher around the edges. His jaw line was sharper and covered in a days' worth of scruff, which she didn't think was for show, if his bushy eyebrows were anything to go by. He clearly didn't spend his time primping in front of a mirror, but it worked for her. His nose was a little crooked too, like he knew how to fight, and she liked that too. Unlike Matt though, James had brilliant blue eyes, so blue they looked fake, or like an iceberg on a sunny day reflecting the sea. With a shake of her head, she looked straight at him. Iceberg? Where the hell did that thought come from? I need to stop borrowing Emma's romance books.
"Because you sum up everything that gives the Altenburys a bad name. You, and that family of yours swan around this village like they own the place. They don't care who, or what gets in their way. As long as they get their way." She leaned back against the booth cushion and watched his eyebrows rise.
"I don't know where you get that idea from. Our family has been good for this village. It has provided jobs for the locals and always tried to keep traditions going. We care about the village and the people who live here."
Vicky laughed at that, loudly. Dear God, did he truly believe the tripe he was spouting? She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "That's the problem with the Altenbury name. You believe it still means something around here. It's like you're still
living in the 1920s and the Altenburys are the Lords of the manor, starring in their own version of Downton Abbey. That they can still rule people's lives. You've got your head stuck so far up your own arse you can't see things from anybody else's point of view." Drawing in a breath after her rant, she stood, glaring down at him. "I need another drink. I'll be at the bar."
As she turned away from James, a man blocked her from leaving the booth. "Excuse me."
"Sure. I was just on my way to the bar too."
Glancing back at everyone sitting in the booth, she turned back to the man and said, "Lead the way, lead the way."
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
James stared after Vicky, his mouth open in shock. He'd never heard anyone speak about his family that way before. His gaze dropped to her arse but, as fine as it was, it didn't excuse the abuse she'd just thrown at him, simply because his surname was Altenbury. Matt's opinion on being an Altenbury was well known, but even he didn't resent the family name as much as Vicky seemed to.
James knew his parents had some old-fashioned ideas, and even some strange ways of trying to achieve them, but underneath they were good people. Yes, perhaps Vicky was right that they thought they were living in a different era but did that make them bad people? He wondered what exactly his parents might have done to make Vicky believe those things as he rose to go after her.
"Does Vicky know John?" Jess asked Emma, and her words made James pause.
Following Jess's gaze, he sat back down, watching as John slipped an arm around her waist, and Vicky didn't try to stop him.
Matt snorted at Jess's question. "It's John. Everyone who comes in this pub knows John, even if it's only for one visit."
James glared at Matt and began to wish he'd never come out like he had originally planned. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, thoughts of being at home seemed appealing right then. He could be sitting in front of the fire, lost in a book, lost in another place and time. But he was here, so he took a long sip of his pint.