by Ash Krafton
"Nothing. I—" She pushed her hair back, looking wary. "That was weird. Something just—I don't know—like feathers, all over me. Electric feathers."
I laughed, covering my mouth. "That sounds crazy."
She managed to chuckle. "I guess magic is a little crazy. Anyway." She pointed to the minibar. "What's in there?"
Good to know her hollow legs hadn't suffered the strain of hypolution. Maybe there was hope, after all.
Once full of hot chocolate and pistachios—really, she ate the strangest things—Shiloh wandered into the small library where I'd already sat down to read. She perused the shelves, fingering the knick-knacks and making faces at the photographs. Thus distracted, she didn't notice my assessment of her.
The freckles that she usually kept hidden under cosmetics announced themselves, making her appear so much younger than seventeen. Her complexion was pale and tired; shadows under her eyes from lack of sleep.
I hadn't seen much of her since she'd gotten mad at me for sending Brianda after her. She'd done a good job at not being around. "You want to try going back to bed?"
She shrugged and slipped into the armchair. "I just don't feel like sleeping."
"But you look tired."
She shrugged again. "I am."
The wind howled outside, a wind storm too fierce even for rain. It seemed to be attacking the house, punishing it for being in the way. I pitied Toby, out in the woods on a night like this. Fur or no fur, the weather was brutal.
"I don't like the storm," she admitted. "It sounds awful out there. It's like the wind is screaming."
Setting down the book I'd been reading, I stopped to listen.
"You're right," I said. "That does sound like screaming. Creepy, huh?"
"Yeah." She tucked her feet up and hugged her knees, a quiet ball of exhaustion. So un-kinetic, so unlike the Shiloh I knew.
Lowering my barriers, I sampled a mental current and grew concerned when I detected a distinct taste of muted terror. She really must have been spooked after all, if I could actually feel her. "You want to talk, Shy?"
"Not really," she said. "I just don't feel like being alone."
Outside the wind blew something loose and it thumped distantly. The groundskeeper would be very busy tomorrow.
Grateful for the coziness of the room and the sense of privacy it lent, I thought it might be a good time to talk. I'd seen so little of her since she changed crowds and I felt farther from her than I'd ever felt before. Seeing her huddled in the chair made my heart ache—she looked so fragile, so vulnerable.
The sense of urgency had grown stronger. "There is no reason to be afraid, Shy. We're safe here."
"I know."
I opened up and tried to feel again from her emotions. "Then why do you feel so frightened?"
She wrinkled her nose at me. "I don't."
"Someone is terrified." The wind picked up again, wailing. I tilted my head toward the window, feeling for the thread of power the way I'd often strained to hear a faint sound. It led me out of my seat and I circled the library before heading out into the parlor. The terror was stronger.
In the hallway, it was stronger still. "Shit!"
"What?" she called as she followed me out into the hall.
"That's not the wind!" I thinned my barriers as I raced toward the foyer. I could hear someone banging at the door, screaming. The terror was broadcasting clearly: Dahlia.
I took the stairs two at a time.
"Hang on!" I punched the alarm code and jerked open the deadbolt. The door flew open under the combined force of wind and Dahlia and she lunged inside, still screaming.
Throwing herself against the door, she howled. "Lock it! Lock it!"
"What's wrong?!" I shouted. "Dally! Stop it!"
She sobbed and gasped for breath. Sheer terror made white noise of her power. "Out...there..." she gasped.
"Out there?" I prompted.
"Were!"
"Where?" I repeated. "Oh! Were! Damn it! Toby!"
"Toby?" Shiloh yelled from the top of stairs. "You told me he left!"
"He did! He said he'd stay away for the moon. Damn it!"
Dahlia's shoulders shook, her eyes wide. If she didn't calm down I'd have to tap her. She never let me use my Sophia on her before and I half-worried she'd beat me down when I was done. "Come on, I'll get the fire going in the den."
I led her inside. Dahlia sank onto the couch, holding her cheeks.
"Sorry, Soph." Her voice trembled, but she wasn't scared anymore. "I lost my head. I'd just never—seen—you know. Toby. Like that."
"Neither have I," I admitted. "Why did he go after you?"
"He didn't, exactly. I just got out of the car and when I walked up to the door, I heard growling. I looked behind me and he was hunching there, at the edge of the porch lights. All I saw were his eyes and teeth and I knew he would hurt me."
"Toby? He wouldn't hurt you." I pressed her shoulder and looked into her eyes, which held violet fire. "Do you understand? Toby wouldn't hurt you. I just suppose when in wolf form, he acts wolfy. But he'd never hurt you. Not any of us."
"Whatever. I'm calling Dad," Shiloh announced from the doorway.
"No, Shy!" I tried to stop her but she sprinted up the stairs. I doubted Rodrian knew how to fight werewolves. Hopefully, he'd stay home. I didn't want either one of them to get hurt.
Outside, the wolf howled, a jagged sound of menace. Dahlia's control slipped and I felt the pulse of worry that flared her sparkling gaze.
"We're safe, Dally. All the doors are locked. He can't get in."
The words had barely left my mouth when the screaming started again.
This time, it was Shiloh.
A matted-looking gray wolf had cornered Shiloh between the office and the hallway to her room. I could see her eyes, huge, white as she clutched her cell phone to her ear, begging her father to save her. The constant stream of her voice sounded like a ribbon of panic unfurling.
The wolf was about as big as a German Shepherd but thicker across the chest. It crouched, hackles up and growling, ready to spring upon Shiloh. And I knew it wasn't garden-variety wolf, either. A shimmer played around it, like a pearlescent aura. I never saw a Were in wolf form before but I knew without doubt this wolf was Were.
"Toby!" I screamed from the middle of the foyer. The wolf started at my voice and spun around, focusing on me through the rungs of the banister. "Dally! Lock those doors!"
Her pale face disappeared as the doors boomed shut and the noise drew the wolf away from Shiloh. Watching it pace a few steps closer to me, I jerked my head toward the office and I yelled. "Go, Shy!"
The wolf snapped angrily when I shouted, and it glared at me, muscles bunched. The shimmer of Were-power moved like a lazy fog over its fur. It didn't so much as growl as rumble, a ragged, mean sound. Rust-colored eyes slitted while they followed me. I carefully felt my way up the steps toward the wolf. All I could do was hope that Toby would recognize me.
So far, it only looked like a wolf that wanted to rip into something. Preferably a soft, meaty something.
Shiloh seemed plastered to the wall, cell phone forgotten. She couldn't tear her eyes from the wolf. Frozen.
"Go, Shy." I tried to keep my voice gentle so as not to rile the wolf further. I stood at eye level with it, where it crouched on the second floor. Only the bars of the railing separated us. I knew better than to think the bars provided any safety. Just because something looked like a cage didn't mean it actually was a cage.
The wolf stalked forward, one menacing step at a time, until I could feel its breath. Saliva dripped from its jaws, gleaming beneath curled lip. Directly behind it, Shiloh inched her way toward the office, her progress excruciatingly slow. I wanted to scream at her to hurry.
I didn't dare scream. I didn't dare breathe.
Instead, I summoned the Sophia and stretched out toward Shiloh. I only got a muffled sense of terror; it was vague and directionless, even with the Sophia trying to draw it in. She was
simply too human to respond. I strained to draw off some of her terror so she could snap out of her stupor, get into the office faster. I didn't know how long I could hold off the wolf.
This was the first time I'd seen Toby in his other form. I'd always expected Toby the wolf to resemble Toby the kid. Maybe the fact that I'd never encountered a werewolf before had something to do with the innocence of the assumption.
Once again, proof on what making assumptions did to you and umption. Thank you, Samuel Jackson.
Whatever had been Toby before the moon came out was swallowed by fur and claw and snarling rage. He once said he'd learned to "keep his brains" while he was in wolf form. Right now, all I could do was pray that it was true, because the situation sure as hell didn't seem very optimistic to me right now.
The only thing I recognized were its eyes—the dark orange canine eyes that Toby had been wearing the last few days as the moon swelled. At least before, his lopsided grin and ruffled spikes had softened the animalistic effect of the eye change.
Now, they were wolf's eyes above muzzle and teeth and nothing human remained.
It sounded a low, menacing growl, a constant rumble of sound that went right through me. It didn't know me, didn't care. There was nothing goofy or sweet or laid-back about this wolf. It was Werewolf. It was wild.
I was prey. And I was in deep shit.
Shiloh slid her hand toward the open door and, just as I thought she'd make it into the office, she tripped and hit the floor flat out. The slap of impact made the wolf spin on its haunches and it whirled, snapping and advancing on her.
I sprinted the remaining steps and ran toward my wing, knowing it couldn't resist a chase. "Come on, fur ball! Show me how tough you are!"
My door stood open. If I could make it inside I might get it shut in time. I lunged down the hall. A door slammed behind me. Shiloh made it in to safety.
The movement behind told me I might not be so lucky.
Behind me the wolf pounded nearer, silent. Not even the click of nails on tile. The feet of space separating us dwindled to inches. I wouldn't make it. Hands out, I reached. I prayed—
The wolf yelped, a squeal of pain. I looked over my shoulder. The wolf had stopped halfway down the hall, snapping at the air. Toby once said the air felt "prickly". Would prickly be enough to stop a wolf?
A foot away from the door—almost there—
I landed badly on one foot, twisting my ankle, my full weight behind the impact. Stumbling, I hit my knees and palms first before rolling to a stop on my side.
A new target.
The wolf, seeming to forget its annoyance, narrowed its eyes and sprang.
Growl twisted into a howl of pain when the wards stopped the wolf in mid-air. It looked like the animal had slammed into a glass wall and slid down, hitting the floor heavily on its side.
The wolf scrambled to its feet and ran off, away from me. I emerged once I heard it on the steps, listening to it run down to the foyer and down the hall to the guest suite. A howl from the backyard, followed by another, farther away.
I ran downstairs and yanked the hall door shut and, with relief flooding the remnants of my adrenaline away, I twisted the lock. Sagging against the door, I caught my breath, refusing to think how ugly things could have gotten.
Damn it, Toby. I clenched my teeth and swore a silent oath. How could you be so stupid?
I took a moment to regain my composure before calling the girls.
"All clear." The doors opened, faces peering out in unison. Shiloh flinched when the wolf howled, distantly.
I knew what she was thinking: it would never be distant enough.
I couldn't think of any other way to get into the house, unless Toby was some sort of spider-wolf and had climbed through a bedroom window. We headed to the tri-suites and locked the doors shut behind us.
Finding some bean-and-cheese burritos in the freezer, I unwrapped a few and stuck them in the microwave. Dahlia sat at the snack bar, toying with the sugar bowl, looking very much like she'd lost her best friend. Unfortunately, I wasn't going to be good at consoling now that her sweetie had turned monster on her.
I could commiserate, I supposed, considering my sweetie had his own troubles. But misery doesn't always like company. That was what made my job so damned hard.
Even Shiloh seemed abnormally perceptive of the situation. She leaned against the counter, not looking at either one of us. As soon as the microwave beeped, she pulled out a burrito, wrapped it in a paper towel and bee-lined it to her room.
"Dad's on his way," she said. "Call me when he's done yelling."
My stomach tumbled. Sometimes a hard job was infinitely easier.
When Rodrian showed up, I had to invoke the Sophia to calm him down.
He didn't do a quiet angry like Marek—Rodrian was a yeller and a fist waver. Dahlia crouched against a bean bag chair in the corner and endured his interrogation, only speaking to answer questions and clamming up when he yelled over her. Eventually, I realized that he could probably go all night long and decided it was time to intervene.
Despite my empathic touch, he'd continued to seethe. He made plans to stay the night in the spare bedroom so I went to bed. No point in sticking around when I had work in the morning, especially with the looks he kept shooting at me.
I slept rather soundly considering I'd gotten chased by my first werewolf. Guessed the demonstration of my wards in action did wonders for my peace of mind.
"I'll kill him." Rodrian paced in the den. I watched him over my mug of insta-tea. Bright morning sunshine streamed in through the windows behind him but he seemed immune to the cheer. So much for thinking he'd be calmer after sleeping on it. "Get rid of him or I'll kill him with my bare hands."
"Rode, sit down already."
"Don't tell me to sit down. I've had it, Sophie. First he had his buddies follow Shiloh to scare her, now this. It's stupid, letting him stay here."
"I trust him."
"Really? That's a comfort. I asked you to keep Shiloh here so she'd be safe. This is not safe!"
"Shiloh's fine. He wouldn't have hurt her. Dally said that wolves don't go after DV blood."
"Shiloh isn't DV enough, Sophie. Remember? She's too human. You said so yourself."
Shit. Maybe he's right. "I know how bad it looks but I trust him, Rode."
"Well, I don't."
I angrily snatched at his power, trying to cut through the verbal bullshit and almost choked when I realized what he really felt. "I don't believe it! You're jealous."
"Not jealous. Concerned. What if he tries something when I'm not here?" He lowered his tone. "Just get rid of him. Please. Before someone gets hurt."
The doorknob to the guest suite rattled. I'd forgotten that I latched it the night before. Immediately I walked out to the foyer, intending to unlock it for Toby.
"Don't." Rodrian followed me to the foyer.
I whirled around and pointed at him. "I'm going to talk to him. You stay here."
He began to protest but caught himself, pressing his lips into spiteful lines. "Fine," he said. "Just yell when you're in trouble."
"Thanks for your undying confidence in me."
Toby's voice sounded on the other side of the door.
"I'm coming," I called. Flipping the lock, I cracked the door.
He peered through. "Something wrong, Sophie?"
"Yeah." I looked back at Rodrian, who stood defiantly in the den's doorway, arms crossed in a perfect imitation of his uncompromising brother. "Can we talk in your room?"
"Sure." He retreated down the hall and I left the door wide open. I never kept secrets before and I wouldn't start now. If Rodrian wanted to listen, fine by me. It'd save me the trouble of repeating myself later, anyway.
"You left your outside door open last night," I said.
"Well, yeah. I didn't know what time I'd get back this morning and I didn't want to wake you up."
"Well, it's not like anyone slept much."
He looked cluel
ess. "Why not?"
"Why not? Oh, I don't know. How's about you going after Shiloh last night? That's good for starters."
"Shy—what are you talking about?" Toby sank onto the small loveseat, confusion plain on his face. "I stayed in the woods last night. I told you I wouldn't be here."
"Come off it, Toby. Can't you just admit you were here? I thought you kept sense in wolf form."
"I do," he insisted. "And I wasn't here, I tell you."
"Oh, so what, you want to tell me it was some other wolf in here last night? I know your wolf eyes."
"I got plain old wolf eyes. They're nothing special."
"Toby, please." I lowered my voice to an urgent whisper. "You're in a lot of trouble. Rode wants to break your neck for going after Shiloh. If I don't convince him I can control you, I won't be able to stop him."
"Sophie...did you ever see me shift before?"
"No, but does it matter? A wolf went after Shiloh and Rodrian is gunning for you. Who else could it have been?"
Toby groaned and covered his face with his hands. "I knew it. I told you he'd never stop following me."
"Great!" I yelled. "You're having friends over? Couldn't wait until there wasn't a moon out?"
"It wasn't a friend. It was Tanner. I told you, Sophie."
"Really? You want me to believe that was a ghost?"
"You better, because it was Tanner. Except he's getting powerful. Someone is feeding it power and if it gets any stronger it's going to be real for good. And that would be very bad. For me and for you."
"Yeah, right. Tanner never tried to kill you."
"Well, he knows I took an oath to salvage his wolf. He wouldn't like knowing I tried to ensure his wolf met up with the Great Pack."
I sat down heavily, unable to stand up when my knees went to mush. "What are you saying, Toby? His ghost won't stay a ghost? Can't you get it to leave?"
"Told you. There's only one way."
"Rode will never buy that."
"If he's smart, he will. Tonight, I'm going to prove it wasn't me." Determination made him sound grim. He wasn't serious very often, but when he was, it was like he'd become someone else. "You're gonna watch me change."