The Hunt (The Wilds Book Two)

by Donna Augustine

  I got to my knees and felt a hand cup my elbow as I managed to stand and go to Tiffy, kneeling so I could wrap my arms around her. Hugging her so tightly I was afraid she’d be hurt, but I couldn’t bear to loosen my hold. “Tiffy!”

  “She appeared in the forest at the same time the blast freed you,” Rocky said.

  “Have you been with them this whole time?” I asked her as I leaned back to look at her face, still not believing she’d come back.

  “Yes. They came and got me the first night the Skinners took me.”

  Her little eyes looked skyward, and I heard the same chiming that had called me to this place, and held her to me, afraid to let her go as a golden cloud appeared shimmering above us.

  “It’s okay,” Tiffy said. “They’re only saying goodbye.”

  “They don’t want to take you again?” I asked, wanting them to go away, not trusting they would leave her with us. I could feel Rocky and Dax get into position again—not that it would do us much good, judging by what we’d seen.

  “I felt you pushing at them before and told them I had to go back home. They didn’t want to let me, but I think you scared them when you got really mad,” Tiffy told me as she smoothed back the hair from my face.

  I saw Dax and Rocky both motioning for us to get out of there before they changed their minds. I gathered Tiffy in my arms as I stood and started walking. I was afraid to put her down as both men walked on either side of me back to the Rock.

  We walked back through the gates, and everyone that saw us shared smiles, and a few even cheered when they saw Tiffy with us. Dax and I went straight to Fudge’s, while Rocky made an excuse about going to the town hall. I knew he was still reeling from the realization of what Dax was, and didn’t blame him for wanting a minute alone.

  We walked into the house and Fudge was fidgeting around the kitchen, getting ready to prepare breakfast, probably. She turned to see who had come in and froze.

  “Fudge!” Tiffy pushed out of my arms and ran to her as tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

  I found myself crying as I watched them.

  The door opened behind us and I heard Bookie say, “Is it true? Were you carrying Tiffy back?” Then he saw her for himself in Fudge’s arms.

  Tank came in a minute later and they were passing Tiffy around, taking turns hugging her.

  “What happened back there?” Dax asked as we watched.

  “They were behind the problem with my magic.”

  “It’s fixed now. I can feel it. I felt it last night too, but it’s even stronger now. Did they undo it?”

  “More like they unknowingly helped me see what was wrong.”

  “Is this finished with them and you?”

  “I’m not sure if they have a choice.”

  Chapter 34

  I snuffed out the candles and lay in the bed, staring into the darkness. Tiffy was back. I should be able to sleep tonight, right? Nope.

  I threw some pants and a shirt on and walked out of the house and to the gate. There was a guy sitting guard over the mechanical wheel that would spring me from this place.

  “I need out.”

  “No one’s—”

  “I need out.”

  “I can’t. Orders are—”

  “I don’t care what your orders are. I need out,” I said, stepping a little closer to him, close enough that the memories started rolling in. Oh yeah, I was back in action. If I were to live another million years, I’d never ever wish them away again. “Look, I think you’re probably a real nice guy, but that thing you did when you were thirteen… I’m not holding it against you or anything, but some people might.”

  After the look of shock then fear flashed across his face, he started spinning the wheel fervently. “You’re not gonna repeat that, right?” he asked.

  “No. I’ll never say a word.” And I wouldn’t. I was back to being the secret keeper, and I was liking it.

  I stepped out of the Rock as soon as the door creaked open wide enough for me to squeeze through. I walked aimlessly for a while, following the wall around the Rock’s perimeter until I found a perch part of the way up it that afforded me the most spectacular view of the landscape I’d ever seen. Rocky really needed to work on this wall a bit, though.

  This, the open air around me, the sky full of stars—this was worth fighting for, no matter the cost, even to the death.

  When I heard the footsteps approaching, I ducked low behind some bushes, but then I recognized the sound of them as human.

  They paused before walking the rest of the way to the gate.

  “Are you really one of them?” Rocky asked.

  “Do you really want the details?” Dax responded, and I realized he would tell Rocky the truth if he wanted to know.

  “Maybe not.”

  There was a long pause as the two of them stood together, appearing almost like two men who were feeling each other out for the first time.

  I wasn’t sure who relaxed first, Rocky or Dax.

  “So what’s the deal? You finally stepping up and staking your claim or what?” Rocky asked him.

  Staking his claim? To what? The Rock? What would Dax lay claim on? Dax was a master when it came to secrets. Even better than I was.

  “No choice.”

  “So it’s like that,” Rocky said, nodding.

  “Yeah. It’s like that.” Dax turned slightly toward my direction, and I tried to pull myself farther back into the shadows, but damn if he didn’t look at me like he knew I was there.

  “I won’t roll over. Not in my DNA,” Rocky said, drawing Dax’s attention back to him.

  “So this isn’t strategic?”

  “What, are you blind?”

  “No. I’m not. I just didn’t know if you saw it too.”

  “How could I not?” Rocky scoffed. “Even the kid gets it.”

  “So it’s like that for you, too?” Dax asked, and I could hear disapproval in his voice.

  “Yeah. It’s like that.” Rocky turned, and they stared at each other, almost like they had in the forest before Dax started losing control to the beast.

  “Let the best man win,” Rocky said, and walked off.

  Dax stayed where he was. “And that’s why you’ve already lost,” he said, but I knew Rocky hadn’t heard him.

  Dax turned and stared at where I was until a few minutes had passed and Rocky was far from earshot.

  “You coming down?”

  Shit. I knew he’d seen me. Damn beast senses. I moved forward on the rocks and turned around to climb down. When I was close enough that he could reach me, he gripped my waist and lifted me the rest of the way.

  “Thanks,” I said, and then brushed my hands off on my thighs. Well, since he already knew I’d been listening, no point left in not asking. “So what are you laying claim to? You aren’t going to try and take over this place, are you? I hate being the last to know things.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll be the first to know when I make.”

  “Well, that’s good, because I thought we’d grown a little—maybe we’d even started becoming friends.”

  “Come on. I’ll walk you back.”

  “You know, I’m glad you were out here. We need to talk about what you said back at the clearing. You didn’t really mean you’d try and stop me from staying, did you?”

  “You want to stay here?” he asked as we got to the gate.

  “I don’t know.” It wasn’t heaven in the form of a beautiful yellow farmhouse surrounded by lots of land and a garden I knew like the back of my hand, but it wasn’t such a bad place. The people here also seemed to be starting to like me a little. That was kind of nice.

  “How can I stop you if you don’t know?” he asked as we approached the gate.

  “That’s not the point.”

  “But your question is irrelevant until you know.”

  “I need to know that you wouldn’t try and impede my actions, is the point.” Why was he being so obtuse? I knew he understood me
.

  “Have I ever impeded your actions?”

  “Can you stop answering all my questions with questions?” I asked, wanting a straight answer out of him. He was all of a sudden feeling very much like the over-scratched mosquito bite again.

  “Can you ask a relevant one?”

  I stopped walking once we were inside the gate. “Are you screwing with me?”

  “Does it feel like I am?”

  I let out a sigh, said, “Good night, Dax,” and walked to the house alone.

  “Good night, Dal,” he called after me.

  * * *

  Tiffy was standing over my bed, smoking sage in hand. I shot up, almost burning myself in the process, but I didn’t mind this time. She could wake me up every night if she wanted—for at least a week or two, anyway.

  “See? It’s much stronger now.” This time, there was no doubt that the smoke was glowing blue. It almost had a light of its own, it was so vibrant.

  “Yes.”

  “Some of them don’t like that, but I told them you were good people.”

  She doused the sage in a glass of water I had by my bed meant for drinking, and crawled into bed with me.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked her as she cuddled up next to me.

  “I’m scared,” she said, trying to squirm impossibly closer.

  “It’s okay, Tiffy. They didn’t hurt you, and you’re back with us now.” I patted her back, using her favorite form of comforting others.

  “No. Not for me. I’m scared for you. The Dark Walkers are coming for you.”

  “I know they want me, but it’s going to be okay.” I never thought I’d be one of those people who lied to kids, but here I was doing it.

  I knew they were coming. What I didn’t know was where I’d have to go to escape them. What was left after the Wilds?

  “They’ll never stop, no matter where you go. That’s what my friends told me.” Tiffy’s voice got smaller the longer she spoke.

  “Why? Did they tell you that?” Last thing I wanted to do was add to her worry, but I couldn’t hide the urgency in my questions.

  “No. Only that you are probably going to die trying to escape them, and if you don’t escape, my friends must find a way to kill you themselves.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” I told Tiffy again, lying through my teeth, because there was nothing further from the truth. I had a bad feeling I was going to really find out exactly what I was made of, and soon.

  Dal’s story continues in book three, coming May 2016.

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