by E. M. Moore
“Did anyone know you were coming here?” I asked, bending down to look him in the eyes hoping he could see I wasn’t playing around.
“Fuck...You...Morphling,” he gasped out slowly, but I could still see fear in them. I wasn’t proud of what I did next, however that didn’t stop me from wrapping my hand around the hilt of my dagger that already protruded from his stomach and shoving it in further.
“I said, did anyone else know y’all were coming down here?” I asked again, pushing the dagger in a little more with each word hoping it would get the point across.
“No! We scented you in the office when we went to check in here and decided for some fun.” He howled in pain, barely getting the words out before starting to pant.
Riah laid his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I knew what he wanted me to do even without looking up at him. It was what needed to be done.
“I forgive you,” I whispered, hoping neither heard me as I jerked out the dagger from his stomach and stabbed him in the heart.
Not even caring how it would look or what he would think, I grabbed Riah’s hand and jerked him down to me. He didn’t need any prodding. Within seconds, he had both of his thick arms around me, holding me while I sobbed.
“We need to clean ourselves up and hit the road. It's not safe here anymore,” he whispered as if he was afraid I would break down more. Staring into his eyes, I wondered if we would ever not hate each other, and if our kinds being mortal enemies was something we could ever get over.
A knock on the door startled both of us out of the moment. I knew it was the pizza this time because I could smell its delicious aroma through the door. So, I left Riah to it, and headed to the bathroom with my backpack to shower and change clothes.
I avoided the mirror as much as possible, but I knew I would never be able to change into this skin again without thinking of what happened today. Getting undressed, I stepped into the scalding hot water and watched as the water ran red.
What was worse was that some of the things that came off of me fell down in chunks. Washing my hair twice and scrubbing my body with a soapy rag to the point that all my skin was bright red and almost raw, I finally felt clean.
I stepped out, wrapped a towel around me and thought about the skin I would take now. I decided on light brown hair with hazel eyes, pouty lips, and a toned body style. As usual, I felt the tingling that told me it was working.
Moving to my bag, I got out my hair brush, a pair of jeans, and a black wife-beater. Getting dressed, I headed out of the bathroom and stilled at the sight of the carnage in the room. I had been in here when it had happened, but seeing it again was awful.
“You ready to leave?” Riah asked as he stared at me with concern in his eyes. “We’ll take the pizza to go.”
“Yeah I am. I don’t think I could eat in this room if I wanted to,” I replied back, shuddering at the thought. Riah had changed into a tight black shirt that accentuated his muscles and a pair of jeans. When he turned around I got to see what a great ass he had.
I followed him out to the truck and climbed in. My body turned cold as I heard the howl of a wolf that sounded way closer than it should be. Locking eyes with Riah, he put the truck in drive and gassed it. Shooting us out on the highway, I gripped the oh shit handle and hoped we could lose them.
I jerked awake with the remnants of a nightmare I couldn’t remember. Scrubbing the sleep from my eyes, I looked over at Riah, who was still driving.
“Where are we?” I asked on a yawn. I did finally notice it was daylight, which meant he had driven all night.
“We’re about an hour away from North Carolina. So, we’re getting closer, but we’re gonna have to stop for food. Then, you will need to drive the rest of the day so I can get some rest,” he responded, never taking his eyes off the road.
“Sounds like a plan,” I replied. Millie really wasn’t kidding when she said I wasn’t a good driver. I mean I could get us where we needed to go, I just hauled ass to get there.
We pulled over a few minutes later at a McDonald’s. I loved their bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits. Riah was unimpressed, but hungry enough he didn’t care. He scarfed down five sausage biscuits while I stared in shock. He explained that he had to eat more due to his wolfy metabolism.
After buying snacks at the gas station beside the McDonald’s, I climbed my way up into the driver's seat.
“Should I be worried?” Riah asked as he laid the seat all the way back.
“Nope. Just get some rest.” I hoped it came out as confidently as possible. My goal was to get us where we were going in one piece, especially since Millie had called me out earlier.
Chapter Nine
I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel to the song in my head. I’d already gone through all my favorites twice while Riah snored beside me. I’d turn the radio on, but Millie’s truck hadn’t had a radio in years.
I checked the rearview mirror again and pressed down on the gas a little harder. I didn’t see anything, but that didn’t help the nerves raking through my body. I didn’t want something like what happened earlier to happen again.
I shook my head and picked up the dance beat in my mind again. My fingers danced over the steering wheel while I rocked out to the lyrics in my head. When we were together…
The truck lurched to the side. I grabbed onto the steering wheel with both hands trying to hold it steady. I slammed on the brakes and Riah was immediately alert. He sat up in his seat, his hands bringing out a small knife from his pocket. “W-what’s going on?”
I let out a little yelp as the truck jerked onto the side of the road, tiny stones crunching underneath the tires. “I don’t know.”
Riah glared at me as the truck came to an abrupt stop. “Millie wasn’t kidding.”
I dropped my head to the side in an ‘Are you kidding me?’ look. “It wasn’t me, asshole.”
An owl screeched in the woods. Riah immediately held his hand up in front of me. His neck craned from side-to-side as he checked the area we were in. It wasn’t quite evening yet. The sun still shone over the trees making him squint as he looked. “Stay in the truck.”
He got out and I sat back with a sigh. It really hadn’t been my fault. I’d been minding my own business when the truck decided to have a mind of its own. Then again, that’s what always happened to me when I got behind the wheel.
My heart hammered in my chest as I waited for Riah. I turned back, finding him stooped over by the back of the truck. “Anika,” he called. “You can come out.”
I threw the truck door open and stepped onto the pavement. I followed Riah’s line of sight right to a flat back tire. Thank God it wasn’t me this time. “Told you,” I said, not able to let it go. It was nice to be vindicated for once.
“I don’t suppose Millie has a spare…”
“A spare?”
He peeked a me and narrowed his gaze.
I smiled, hoping he’d caught my sarcasm. “Yeah, it’s right next to the radio that hasn’t worked since 1980.”
“Fuck.”
Sounded about right.
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed the screen. “Damnit, no phone service either.”
I pulled my own out of my pocket which now sported a cracked screen from the wolf run-in. I checked my bars and frowned. “Mine too.”
He got up and kicked the tire. It hissed, flattening even more. When he stood, he looked up to the sky. “We’re running out of time, especially if we have to hoof it.”
“Hoof it?”
“Yeah, walk?”
“I’m familiar with the term,” I scowled. I just didn’t realize I’d have to be walking part of this journey.
“Grab your bag,” Riah said. “I smell people. There’s a town nearby.”
He smelled people? That sounded super weird. I shrugged. At least it worked out for us in this instance.
“Lead the way,” I said, peeking my head back into the truck and grabbing my bag.
&nbs
p; “We’ll have to do this quickly,” he said. “Your scent is all over the truck and it will call the wolves. Hopefully we can get to the town in time to get a tow back without them realizing we were here.” He paused and looked up. “We don’t want a repeat of what happened last night.”
No, we surely didn’t.
I pulled my bag up over my shoulders and walked down the road Riah was facing. Lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t realize he wasn’t following me until he called out my name. “Where are you going?”
I spun on my heel and looked behind me. He was still by the truck. “To the town.”
He pointed to the woods. “It’s closer if we go this way.”
“You’re shitting me.”
He shook his head. “I’m not.”
With a groan, I walked back to him and forced a smile on my face. The woods creeped me the fuck out. Hopefully it really wouldn’t take very long to get to this mysterious town he smelled.
How was that even something people said in real life?
I followed him into the tree-ridden forest. The owl called out again and a shiver went up my spine. I stayed close to Riah and he was actually very helpful, helping me step over fallen trees and moving branches out of our way as we made our way through the dense woods. He kept up a good pace. My legs quickly tired out. Hiking wasn’t really my thing.
After a half hour of walking, Riah stopped short. I almost ran into him, but pulled back just in time. However, instead of just stopping, I started to topple over the other way. Riah reached out and quickly snatched up my wrist, righting me in one swift movement.
We both stared down at our joined hands. Where he touched me, my skin burned and the mark on my arm tingled. “We’re almost there,” he said, his voice low. He pointed to an area and even though I followed it, I didn’t know where he was talking about. “There,” he said.
I nodded and he finally let go of my arm. It felt cold with the absence of his touch.
When he turned, I rubbed my head and told myself to knock it off. Riah and I were mates, sure, but we weren’t meant to be. I’d just killed two of his kind. He’d been hunting me for who knew how long.
Within a few more paces, Riah stepped out of the forest. He reached back and grabbed my hand to help me over a small tree. When I finally emerged, the sun was lower in the sky. We came out in the backyard of someone’s house. Riah dropped my hand and went around the side. A woman was on her front porch, smoking a cigarette. He asked her where the nearest garage was and she pointed to our left. He thanked her and we left immediately as she watched us, her gaze narrowing further once she saw me.
Riah checked over his shoulder once we were on the small street. “I don’t think they get many visitors here.”
I looked up and down the street. There were shit-hole houses everywhere. Curtains moved as we walked by, but we never saw another person on the street besides the woman.
We got to the end of the street and Riah stopped to sniff the air. Finally, he pulled me to the right. “This way. I can smell the grease.”
“Do you think we’re in the mountains?” I asked.
“You were the one driving,” he countered.
I didn’t want to admit to him that I’d been too busy rocking out in my head to look at signs. I’d just been driving by my gut. If I felt I should turn off, I did. I really had no idea where we were.
“There,” Riah said, finding the garage at the end of the block. “Stay close to me, but keep quiet.”
I nodded, but then pulled back on his hand. “Do you want me to change?” I asked, raising my eyebrows, so he’d get what I was asking.
He only stared at me.
“You know,” I said, gesturing toward my body. “Different bodies get treated differently. I could probably get us a free tow.”
His eyebrows slammed down over his eyes. “You’re with me now. You don’t have to do anything like that again. Do you understand?”
His words came out sharp, like a whip. My eyes rounded as the words flew. His jaw ticked as we just stared at each other afterward.
Finally, he broke eye contact and continued down the street. He walked gracefully over the cracked sidewalk until we were in front of the garage that looked like it had seen its heyday in the seventies. The garage door was open though, so Riah walked right up, calling out for someone.
The sound of metal clanking rang out and then a loud curse rang through the air.
“Sorry about that, sir,” Riah said. He motioned for me to follow him and I stayed right behind.
A guy in dark blue stained overalls stood up beside a newer model car. He had long, greasy hair and a full beard. “What can I help you with, son?”
Riah hiked his thumb over his shoulder. “We got a flat on the highway back there. We’re hoping for a fix.”
I looked at Riah from the corner of my eye. He conversed with this guy so easily. Friendly, even.
The guy took out a rag that already looked like he’d wiped his hands on it a thousand times and did it again. “I might can help you with that.”
He turned his hand over and a black tattoo caught my eye. A coiled snake around a sword. The head flared out like a bonnet as if it was in mid hiss. Two red eyes stared at me.
Riah continued making plans with the garage owner, but I couldn’t stop staring at the tattoo. Sure, snake tattoos were pretty common, but there was just something about this one.
Riah put his hand on my shoulder, bringing me back to the present. “You okay with that?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “What?”
Riah’s lips thinned. “We’re going to get the truck, but you’re going to have to sit on my lap. He’s only got a two-seater.”
I swallowed. After the kiss we shared, it was probably best if we didn’t tempt fate like that, but what choice did I have. There was no way I was staying here by myself with the wolves on our trail.
I nodded, and the garage owner, Rodney, showed us to his tow truck. It was a busted up, rusty old thing. The engine clanked when he turned the keys in the ignition, but after an initial cough, it roared to life.
Riah placed his hands on my hips and helped me up into the cab. Rodney leered at me, so I avoided his gaze as the wolf pulled himself up and sat, pulling me down on his thighs when he got situated.
No, this wasn’t weird at all.
Riah shut the door and Rodney pulled out of the lot. “So, where you all headed to?”
“Blue Ridge Mountains,” Riah said.
The guy laughed so hard he started choking. “Well, you done found them. But they’re a pretty big piece of land.”
Riah only shrugged, disregarding the guy’s actual question.
I pressed into Riah’s side and then motioned toward Rodney’s tattoo, prominently displayed on his forearm while he drove down the street.
Riah nodded and made small talk with the hick. It wasn’t long before we spotted the truck in the distance.
“Is that her?” Rodney asked.
“Yes, that’s her.”
Rodney maneuvered the tow truck in front of Millie’s. He told us to wait in the car, so we did. As soon as Rodney shut the truck door behind him, Riah whispered, “You think the tattoo means something?”
I nodded.
The truck jostled as Rodney drove Millie’s up onto his truck bed.
“Don’t say anything until he fixes us up.”
The truck door slammed and I jumped.
Riah put his hand around me. “It’ll be okay. This is good, right? He might be able to tell us where we’re going.”
I swallowed the sudden dryness in my throat. It was a good thing, but I wasn’t getting a positive vibe from Rodney.
Footsteps echoed on the road and soon, Rodney was pulling the truck door open again and hopping up into the cab. “All set.” He put the truck in gear and headed for the small town again.
He whistled as he drove, sending shivers up my spine. When we were finally back to the garage, I practically jumpe
d from the truck. I just wanted to get away from him.
I stood off to the side as Riah and him talked. Rodney gestured toward the back of the garage several times while Riah nodded. Then, he turned and walked that way as Riah made his way over to me. “He said he thinks he has a tire that will fit. It’s in the back junkyard.”
A whistle rang through the air. “Good news, boy. Imma need your help.”
“Be right there!”
Riah pulled his shirt off and handed it to me. I was too struck to do anything but take it and stare. His body was built. I’d even had the chance to feel it yesterday.
No. Stop it.
Riah turned with the beginnings of a smirk on his face.
I definitely needed to stop it.
He jogged off and I waited, finding some old tires to sit on while they rolled the tire out from the back and jacked the truck up. I waited with my gut twisting, wondering how we were going to play this. Just come right out and ask him? Pull the dagger out and ask him?
Before I knew it, Riah was signaling me over. I stepped off the tires on shaky legs and made my way over. Taking in a deep breath, I handed Riah his shirt and then put my arm around his waist. Looking up at Rodney, I plastered a smile on my face. “That’s a cool tattoo you got there.”
“Mm-hmm,” Rodney said.
Riah fished out his wallet and handed him a few twenty dollar bills.
“Does it mean anything to ya?”
Rodney bit his lip and looked up at me. “You ask a lot of questions.”
I shrugged as if I was just a young girl with a big mouth. “Just curious.”
Riah pulled me closer, his hip coming in front of mine as if he was shielding me. “We want to know how to get to Serpent’s Hollow. Can you tell us?”
Rodney’s face darkened. He let out a loud whistle, and out of nowhere, dark shadows emerged all around us. They crept closer and closer, circling us in.
“Well, well,” Rodney said. “These two are wanting to know about Serpent’s Hollow. Maybe we should show them?”