by Bree Wolf
Suddenly the car stopped and focusing her eyes out the windshield, Quinn saw that they had come to a standstill at the foot of the crescent rock, with a steep trail leading upward just in front of them. Tate was eagerly pacing back and forth between the car and the beginning of the trail, beckoning them to follow. Surprised, Quinn noticed that his body language was as meaningful as though he was speaking to them in words.
As she followed him, Arnaud by her side, her eyes traveled upward, inspecting the trail ahead. Feeling more doubt than confidence, she stopped.
“That’s pretty steep,” Quinn said as Arnaud turned to look at her questioningly. “I’m not a climber. I’ll bet you all I own that I won’t make it to the top. Why don’t I just stay behind? I’ll just slow you down.”
Arnaud seemed to be considering her suggestion for a moment but then shook his head. “No, you need to come.”
“Why? You got the guy with the good nose right over there,” she said, pointing at the wolf looking at her, obviously understanding every word. “It’s not like there is anything I can contribute that neither one of you can.”
“You might be wrong about that,” Arnaud said, taking her arm and pulling her forward. “Now, keep your eyes open and I’ll give you a push whenever you need one.”
Following Tate, who rushed up the trail and soon was out of sight, Quinn said, “Would you care to elaborate?”
“Not right now,” Arnaud said, still holding her by the arm, steering her steps.
Being a cheerleader and used to daily, drill-like exercise – thanks to Coach Grainer, Quinn had always thought that she was in pretty good shape. But climbing up a steep trail in the middle of the night at a pace set by a werewolf, she was forced to reconsider that conclusion. It took maybe a half an hour for her heart rate to be off the charts and her breathing to sound like that of a woman in labor – and that was counting Arnaud’s help.
Walking beside her, he had a hand at the small of her back, pushing her forward. But the more she started to tire, the tighter he held her, almost carrying her then. Occasionally he even just lifted her up, so she wouldn’t have to climb at all. And he did all that without any noticeable effort.
“We should have brought some water,” Arnaud said more to himself than to her.
Water would actually have been a pretty good idea, Quinn thought to herself but instead she said, “I should’ve stayed by the car. That’s what we should’ve done.”
Stopping at the foot of an overhang, about nine feet high, Quinn watched enviously as Tate bounded up the rock in a few swift leaps.
Pointing to the top, Quinn shook her head. “Okay, this is where I draw the line. I’ll kill myself trying to climb that.”
Slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her to him, Arnaud grinned. “Hold on tight,” he said before pushing off and almost flying up into the air. A second later they landed safely on top of the overhang, right by a patiently waiting Tate.
Staggering slightly, Quinn felt all the blood drain from her face. “I don’t ever wanna do that again,” she said, her voice feeble.
Arnaud smiled, a hint of glee back in his eyes. “Not much of an adventurer, are you?”
“Not really.” As she turned to Tate, Quinn thought to detect a slightly amused expression there, too.
Leading them onward, the black wolf moved with precision, only now and then halting to sniff the air, confirming his chosen direction.
“Are you sure this is where Luke is?” Quinn asked, again breathing heavily. “I mean how on earth did Mr. Sanders get up here? Let alone carrying a baby.”
Still pushing her forward, Arnaud said, “There is another way around. It is not as steep and accessible by car.”
Brows knitting together angrily, Quinn stopped, swinging around to look at him. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”
A hand on her shoulder, Arnaud turned her back around toward the trail. “Don’t get all worked up. This way is faster. Even with you slowing us down.”
“Oh, that better be true!” she hissed under her breath.
Reaching another terrace overlooking the town, Quinn for a moment felt awed by the sight of tiny lights glistening in the dark, before she reminded herself why they were there. She took a deep breath and walked on.
Coming around a bent, they found a small window-less cabin by the trail but Tate hastened past it without hesitation.
“You sure he’s not in there?” Quinn asked.
Arnaud nodded. “I’m sure,” he said. “No heart beat.”
Quinn’s eyes opened wide in shock.
Seeing her line of thought, Arnaud quickly added, “Hey, don’t worry. Tate didn’t smell anything and he’s better than any detection dog you’ve ever met.”
Suddenly an urgent howl reached their ears from further up the trail, and without hesitating, Arnaud picked up Quinn and raced towards it. The distance would have taken Quinn a good ten minutes at full speed but Arnaud covered it in seconds.
They found Tate pacing up and down in front of another small window-less cabin hidden behind a wild-growing hedge of some thorny bush. His ears flickered back and forth between the cabin and the direction of their approach.
“Is he in there?” Quinn asked, as Arnaud put her down. But seeing Tate’s eager jumps, she already knew the answer. “Is he alright?”
Arnaud nodded. “I think so. His heart beats strong.” In the next instant, he kicked in the door, which splintered into a million pieces.
“You sure it’s him?” Quinn asked, trying to peek inside, but all she saw was darkness.
Again he nodded. “It’s too fast to belong to an adult.”
Quinn looked at him. “Then what are you waiting for?” she urged him. But instead of rushing into the cabin, he turned to her, eyes intent.
“I can’t go in there,” he said. “Which is exactly why we brought you.”
Quinn frowned. “What are you talking about? Why not?”
“Without going into detail, let’s just say that supernatural beings like myself and,” he just nodded at Tate, “are unable to enter a human dwelling, a privately owned dwelling that is, without some sort of permission or invitation. The rules are a bit hazy but that’s the gist. And this is where you come in.”
Eyeing the dark insides of the cabin a bit apprehensively, Quinn asked, “Can’t you just break the rules? I promise I won’t tell.”
Arnaud grinned. “Unfortunately, this is not a matter of choice. For us, it’s physically impossible.” Seeing her frown, he added, “It’s like walking against an invisible wall, if you will.” He turned toward the open doorway. “So? Do you want to chat some more or check on the boy?”
Quinn took a deep breath and crossed the threshold of the small cabin, walking into pure darkness. She took three steps before stopping, unable to see even the hand before her eyes. Listening intently, she thought she heard faint sounds coming from her right. When her eyes had adjusted at least a little to their dark surroundings, Quinn carefully walked forward, hands held before her to detect any obstacle.
Her hand touched wall and a second later, she bit her lip when her right knee collided with something wooden on the floor. It had straight, horizontal edges but was lower than a table and from inside a faint whimpering reached her ear. Ignoring the pain, Quinn kneeled down and running her hand over the object before her found a latch. Pulling on it, the lid of the wooden trunk opened and the whimpering grew louder.
“Luke,” she said, carefully reaching inside. When her hands touched the soft curls on his head and brushed over warm tears on his little cheeks, Quinn felt herself relax. Carefully, she picked him up, cuddling him close as much to reassure him as herself. He whimpered quietly but grabbed a fistful of her hair and held on tight. A relieved smile spread over her face as she felt his other little fist curl around one of her fingers.
“Is he alright?” Arnaud asked as she reappeared in the doorframe.
Quinn nodded. “I think so.” Luke’s little head buried again
st her chest, he seemed to breathe more easily. “I think he’s just tired and hungry probably. He needs his mom.”
“Then let’s get back,” Arnaud said, guiding her down the trail they had come.
Tate eagerly rushed ahead, now and again circling back, curiously peering at the child in her arms. Quinn smiled and kneeling down, let Tate take a closer look. As the huge wolf carefully sniffed at the baby’s hair, Luke opened his eyes and eyed him curiously. A moment later he reached out a hand and seemed to want to pet the big dog. Then a big yawn came over him and he curled back up in Quinn’s arms.
Once again Quinn and Arnaud followed after Tate, who now and then seemed to be frustrated with their pace. But since Luke didn’t look to be in any immediate danger, peacefully sleeping against Quinn’s shoulder, Arnaud didn’t rush her.
“Why don’t you go ahead?” Arnaud said after Tate once more had circled back for them. “We can find the car on our own.”
For a moment Tate sat back on his hunches and there seemed to be something passing between Arnaud and him that Quinn couldn’t make out, but only a moment later he bounded off into the night.
“You’re sure you’ll find the way back to the car?” Quinn asked after Tate had left. “Because I know I won’t.”
Arnaud snorted. “FYI, I’m not completely untalented.”
Quinn laughed and it felt wonderful, making her realize how tense she had been. Now that Luke was alright, she could finally breathe again.
Suddenly Arnaud drew her close, putting his arms around her.
“What are you doing?” she asked, more than a little confused.
He nodded his head forward. “Remember how we came up there?” Arnaud asked. “And now we have to go down.” Quinn didn’t very much care for the condescending tone in his voice but she remembered their jump up the overhang.
Standing at the edge of a bottomless pit, which was exactly what Quinn’s eyes told her lay ahead, she held on tighter to Luke and let Arnaud pull her even closer. The moment their feet left solid ground, she closed her eyes.
But their fall lasted only a second and then Arnaud carefully put her back on her feet. Looking at Luke’s little face in her arms, his eyes still closed, Quinn smiled. “I wish I could sleep like that.”
Arnaud shrugged. “Well, I guess there’s a reason why people keep saying babies are resilient.”
“I guess there is,” Quinn agreed.
Heading back downhill at a more normal pace, the way took them slightly longer than before. But with the excitement over and her adrenaline levels returning to normal, the left side of Quinn’s body, where Mr. Sanders’ foot had landed, started to hurt again. By the time the car came in sight, she felt Luke’s weight more than before.
Arnaud opened the door for her and she eased herself onto the seat, careful not to wake Luke. Probably for the same reason, Arnaud took a longer but easier to travel route back to his house. All the while Luke slept peacefully, only now and then reaching out a hand as though to grab for something that wasn’t there.
“Do you think Julia is still sleeping?” Quinn asked, picturing her friend waking up in a strange house all by herself, not knowing what had happened, only remembering that her son had been kidnapped by a madman.
“I know she is,” Arnaud said with confidence.
Quinn eyed him curiously, a frown forming on her forehead. “You know, to tell you the truth, I find your talents quite disconcerting.”
Arnaud grinned. “So I gathered.” And when she frowned at him, he added, “Your face is quite easy to read. A piece of advice, don’t ever try your hand at poker.” He laughed about his own joke.
Luke stirred and Quinn rocked him from side to side.
“I’m sorry,” Arnaud whispered.
“You know,” Quinn started, turning her head to look at him. “You seem to be the only one who thinks that.”
“What?” he asked, meeting her eyes.
“That my face is easy to read. Usually people have no idea who I am.” Her voice grew heavier. “Not even my sister can see through it.”
“Well, going through some life-and-death situations together usually makes people get a deeper insight into each other.” There was a meaningful look in his eyes. “So until that happens for you two, why don’t you cut her some slack?” A corner of his mouth turned upward.
Quinn shook her head, a faint smile on her face. “Well, I hope that that will never happen.”
“Really?” Arnaud asked. “You don’t think it will be worth it?”
Meeting his eyes, she asked, “Do you?”
“I think so, yes,” he said.
Turning her head away from him and looking out the side window, Quinn saw the cemetery fly by. Soon after, Arnaud’s house appeared in the dark, tall looming trees surrounding it like a defensive wall.
The moment the car stopped, Luke’s head rocked back and his eyes opened. He looked about himself, but what he saw didn’t seem to be to his liking because his little mouth opened and a dreadful cry came out.
“Shhh,” Quinn tried to sooth him, carrying him inside, heading straight for the sitting room and his mother.
Arnaud kneeled down beside Julia and the moment he touched her hand, her eyelids fluttered and then opened. For a second her face held the same panic as before but then her eyes fell on her baby son, reaching out his little arms to her.
“Luke!” she called with so much relief in her voice that Quinn felt reminded of her own mother.
Snatching up her son, Julia cradled him in her arms. She instinctively checked him for injuries while a flood of tears streamed down her face and relieved sobs rose from her throat.
“He is fine,” Quinn tried to assure her. Naturally she couldn’t be sure but Luke had shown no signs suggesting that he was anything other than fine. Clinging to his mother, his crying had already stopped and he was now chewing on her hair. It made Quinn smile.
Chapter 19 – A New Taste
To keep up pretenses, it was agreed that they would all spend the night at Arnaud’s and that, just to be on the safe side, Julia would take Luke to see Dr. Barker in the morning. The last thing Quinn felt like thinking about was how to explain all that had happened to … anyone.
Arnaud had made up guestrooms upstairs and so Quinn soon carried armloads of extra sheets and some food and drink to Julia’s room. Although Julia said she wasn’t hungry, Quinn got her to admit that she hadn’t eaten all day. She guessed that as soon as her friend was sure that Luke was indeed fine, she would change her mind and welcome some food.
After feeding her son, Julia put him down in the middle of the huge bed, piling up pillows to the other side of him to make sure he wouldn’t fall out. Then she sat there, unable to tear her eyes away.
“He won’t disappear,” Quinn said, trying to sound lightly. “You’re safe here. I promise.” Remembering how easily Arnaud had dealt with Mr. Sanders, she knew she wasn’t just trying to comfort her friend with uncertain reassurances. And for some reason, Arnaud seemed to be on their side. At least for the moment Quinn didn’t doubt that.
“I believe you,” Julia said, casting a hesitant look at Quinn. “But … what happened … I just …” There she stopped and again glanced at her son.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Quinn asked, unsure how much Julia knew or had figured out herself and even more so with regard to what she should tell her if she asked.
But Julia didn’t ask. A forced smile appeared on her face and she turned to Quinn. “Thank you for bringing him back,” she said, taking her friend’s hand and squeezing it tightly. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” Quinn said, not knowing what else to say. Sensing that Julia needed time above anything else, she rose from the bed. “I’ll just take these downstairs,” she said, grabbing Julia’s grass-stained clothes. People would ask unwanted questions and Arnaud had provided an old shirt of his for the night. “They’ll be as good as new in the morning,” Quinn promised and with a last look at mo
ther and child closed the door, heading to the laundry room downstairs.
For a moment she wondered at what point exactly her life had taken a turn away from reality and into a world swirling with things that just couldn’t be. What puzzled her even more was how she could remain as calm as she did. A part of her waited patiently for her to realize what was going on and to finally freak out.
Passing by the sitting room, Quinn followed the hallway, which ultimately opened into a spacious kitchen and breakfast area. It had ceiling-high windows bathing everything in the light of the waning moon. The dark, heavy curtains all over the house had disappeared and Quinn guessed that Arnaud had finally gotten around to installing UV-resistant windows. But remembering the day of Amanda’s funeral, she couldn’t help but wonder why.
Just off to the side from the breakfast table, a door opened into a small laundry room, containing nothing besides a washing-machine and dryer that looked like they had never been used. A few, mostly empty shelves were attached to the wall above them. There she found detergent and even softener. For someone who had moved in not long ago, Arnaud’s house was surprisingly well supplied. Especially for a vampire.
Pouring detergent into the appropriate compartment, Quinn turned on the washing-machine and closed the lid. But when she reached to put the bottle back on the shelf, an almost blinding pain shot through her left side and she cried out. Breathing heavily, she held on to the machine, trying to steady herself.
“What’s wrong?” came Arnaud’s voice from behind her. As she turned to look at him, she found him standing in the doorframe, a worried frown on his face. “Are you hurt?”
Shaking her head, she said, “It’s nothing. Just a bruise.”
His eyes lingered, searching her face. Then he walked over and without saying another word touched his hand to her left ribs, sending another shockwave of pain through her body.