The Explorer slid to a stop, the front end pitching downward on the soft, saturated ground. My heart pounded with fear as tears blurred my vision. My foot seemed to be stuck in place on the brake as I breathed deeply, trying to stop my trembling. I fought to calm my nerves, staring at the windshield wipers moving up and down in unison. The rain thundered against the roof, but I blocked out the noise. All I could think was that the truck had stopped and I was okay. The fact that it hadn’t slammed into a tree was a miracle. The headlights shone into the forest, and a huge tree trunk nearly two feet in diameter rose up just inches away from the front grill of the truck.
I’m alive, for now, I told myself. But I need to get out of here if I want to stay alive. That wolf couldn’t have gotten very far in the last few minutes. I shook my head as the white wolf flashed through my mind. So there were two strange wolves roaming around here, not just one? I couldn’t believe it. Where had they come from and why were they here? Well, one thing’s for sure. I won’t find any answers sitting here all night.
With my foot still firmly planted on the brake, I turned the knob on the dashboard to switch the truck into four-wheel drive. As I shifted into reverse, I held my breath, praying that all four tires working together would be enough to get the truck up the steep embankment to the road. Please work. Please, please, please.
I eased my foot off the brake and touched down on the accelerator. The Explorer rocked backward and, as I felt it start to move, I punched the gas. But as quickly as the truck moved, it stopped, sinking into the soft earth as I revved the engine. The tires spun aimlessly, and I felt them digging deep into the saturated ground until I finally gave up. I shifted my foot from the accelerator to the brake, realizing that it was hopeless. The ground was too soft to get enough traction, even in four-wheel drive. A feeling of dread washed over me. I was stranded on a deserted mountain road in the middle of a dark rainstorm.
An unnerving chill raced down my spine. I glanced at the doors to make sure they were locked as I remembered the person in the woods behind my house. Could that person be near right now, just waiting for the chance to get to me? That’s ridiculous. I’m miles from home right now. How could anyone know where I am? I haven’t seen a single car since I left Littleton, I thought. I’ll just call Noah and he’ll come get me. I’ll be fine. But my thoughts failed to calm the panic that raced through me. I knew better than to rely on a cell phone in these mountains. Coverage was spotty, at best. One minute I could have full service, and the next my call would drop just from going around a tight turn or climbing up a steep hill.
I grabbed my phone as if it was my last hope of surviving this nightmare that was like something out of a horror movie. Only this was real. With a prayer, I swiped the screen to turn it on. The bars in the top corner remained blank. No service.
“Damn!” I swore under my breath as tears welled up in my eyes. I dropped my phone back into the cup holder and leaned my forehead against the top of the steering wheel. Closing my eyes, I listened intently to the humming engine and punishing rain. “I can’t believe this is happening,” I muttered, desperately wondering what options I had at this point other than getting out of the Explorer and walking. As much as I hesitated to step out into the cold, dark rain, it was really my fear of the strange wolf roaming nearby that kept me from running up to the road. After my encounter with the black wolf at the campground, I assumed that this one wouldn’t be receptive to me, either.
But I had to overcome my fear. I knew what I needed to do, whether or not I was comfortable with it. I turned off the windshield wipers and headlights, sending the woods into complete darkness. When I shut off the engine, the rain pelting the truck seemed even louder. With the keys in one hand, I lifted my hood up over my head. Then, as I shuddered with fear, I opened the door. I had to get up to the road right away to flag down the next car, if there was one.
I twisted to the side and slowly lowered my feet out of the truck, clutching the car door for support as I felt the soggy ground sink beneath my sneakers. The incline was soft and slippery, but I managed to shut the door behind me. Then I turned to look up the hill, my eyes slowly adjusting to the dark. Rain pattered against my slicker, blowing in under the hood at an angle. Water rolled down my face, but I ignored it.
Holding my arms out at my sides for balance, I trudged alongside the Explorer, determined to make it up the hill. I had taken two steps away from the SUV when I heard a growl in front of me. I stopped and looked up. Two yellow eyes glared at me from the top of the embankment. The black wolf’s body blended into the shadows behind it.
I stood frozen in place on the muddy slope. As my heart raced, I shivered from both fear and the cold rain. “What do you want from me? You know I won’t hurt you,” I whispered.
As soon as I spoke, the wolf deepened its growl and bared its teeth. Just like I had suspected the last time, it didn’t welcome my attempts to communicate with it. It started heading down the hill, and I instinctively moved backward.
Another growl erupted to my side, and I gasped as I turned in the direction of it. Two more pairs of eyes, one set belonging to the white wolf and the other set belonging to a gray one, were locked in on me. I backed up as the three wolves moved in my direction. I shifted my eyes to each of them, not sure what to do next. I suddenly wished I’d stayed in the truck, but it was too late.
As the wolves stepped closer, their huge paws sinking in the mud, I whipped around and scrambled back to the Explorer. I fumbled with my keys, but my hands shook uncontrollably. As the growling became louder behind me, tears blurred my vision. I spun to face the wolves, pressing my back against the metal door.
“What do you want?” I gasped. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
The three of them suddenly hushed, their upper lips lowering over their fangs. The rain intensified, but all I noticed was that the wolves had turned their attention to the road behind them. A figure appeared at the top of the ditch. A long trench coat reached the stranger’s knees and I made the assumption from the broad shoulders that it was a man. His face was shadowed in the darkness, but I still stared up at him, my jaw dropped open in fright.
“Who are you?” I asked, but he probably couldn’t hear me over the rain as he didn’t say a word.
In a flash, the wolves sprang at me. I leaped away from the truck and took off running into the woods as fast as I could. Holding my hands out in front of me, I dodged the trees as the wolves snarled behind me. They snapped at my heels as I scrambled to get away, my feet sliding on the slippery wet leaves. I wasn’t sure how far I had run before I slammed into a huge tree trunk.
I whirled around, my back to the knotted bark, as the wolves closed in on me. They lingered inches away, their hungry eyes focused on me. I swallowed nervously, my heart pounding. My back pressed against the tree as if I could get farther away from them, but it was hopeless. I was cornered.
‘Please, leave me alone! I don’t know what you want with me, but I’ll do anything if you let me go!’ I begged silently, hoping at least one of the wolves would grant me mercy.
Their growling rumbled again, louder this time, and I heard a rustling in the leaves over the rain. The wolves fell silent at once, and I opened my eyes, curious to know what was happening. They focused on something off to the side, cautiously backing up as if threatened.
Suddenly, a bull moose charged out of the trees, its antlers angled downward at the wolves. They whimpered fearfully as they turned and dispersed into the woods. Then the moose took off up the hill, and I thought I saw the man again for a second before he disappeared.
The moose stopped about twenty feet away from me and raised his head. He snorted noisily, his nostrils ruffling from his breath as he turned to look at me. I watched him as my panic began to subside. As if sensing my helplessness, the moose lumbered down the hill, his hooves sliding in the mud with each step he took. When he reached me, he stopped and stretched his head out to sniff me. His breath whispered across my chin, the soft damp fur on h
is nostrils brushing against me.
I raised a hand to stroke his wet muzzle. “Thank you,” I murmured. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come along when you did.”
He nodded subtly, his soft brown eyes meeting mine. Raindrops glistened between his eyelashes and his fur was soaked.
“Stay with me?” I asked. “I need to get back up to the road.”
As I headed up the embankment in the rain, the moose walked beside me. He towered above me, his antlers spanning nearly four feet across. And yet he stepped carefully, making sure not to brush me with them.
After we passed the Explorer, the incline grew steeper, the footing more slippery. I almost fell about halfway up and reached out, grabbing the moose for balance. He halted until I had steadied myself, and then we climbed to the top together.
We stopped at the edge of the road and I looked in both directions to see only darkness. The moose stood patiently beside me, his presence calming me, making me feel safe. After a few moments of listening to the pitter-patter of rain, headlights shone in the distance. As they came closer, the moose spun around and disappeared into the woods.
My heart lurched as the headlights eased to a stop in front of me, the rain streaking down in their beams. When they shut off, I instantly recognized the black pick-up truck. I looked up at the windshield to see Xander staring at me. He looked puzzled as his forehead furrowed in confusion. I lifted a hand to wave at him as a single tear of relief rolled down my face.
Whatever the wolves and the stranger wanted with me would have to wait for another day. I was safe for now, or so I hoped.
If you enjoyed reading
Shadows at Sunset,
Don’t miss
Silence at Midnight
Book 2 of the Sunset Trilogy
Coming in 2016 from
Tonya Royston and Black Opal Books
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’m not sure where to begin with this, so I will start with you. Yes, you, the reader. Thank you for picking this book out of hundreds of thousands to choose from. My hope that readers just like you would find this story someday motivated me over the last two years to finish it. So thank you for your interest and taking the time to read it. I can’t tell you how much it means to me!
Now for the people I couldn’t have done this without. To my Mom for listening to my ideas day in and day out. Having you as a sounding board was invaluable. Thank you for your support even when all I had to show for this idea were a few handwritten notebooks.
To my husband for sticking by me through thick and thin. This journey has been one filled with ups and downs. I couldn’t have done it without you by my side.
To my son, who at the time of publication isn’t old enough to read or understand this, thank you for giving us a five-minute scare when you ran off to the stream behind the horse pasture. Your little adventure inspired the beginning action in this story. But I’m grateful that it didn’t take until midnight to find you.
To my brother for actually getting the tattoo that I created for Xander. Thank you for bringing one of the images in this story to life and for making the design even better in the end. The fact that you made part of my first novel a permanent fixture in your life means the world to me.
To my sister for your amazing photography. Thank you for taking a fantastic picture that I could use for my website and author page in this book. As camera-shy as I am, you made this one little detail far less painful than it could have been.
To Lauren for reading the first few chapters of this story in rough draft. You were truly amazing to encourage me after suffering through the horrors of my rough draft. Thank you for believing in me even when the early stages of my writing needed so much work.
To Macie for being my first fan and for reading everything I sent you. Your excitement and energy helped me keep going. When others lost interest, you were always there to cheer me on.
To the Figment writers I met along the way, thank you for your feedback and encouragement. I truly enjoyed interacting with all of you. There are too many of you to mention by name, but you know who you are. I’m glad I took a chance on posting a few chapters because I learned a lot about my writing from all of your comments.
To my publisher, Black Opal Books, and the editors, Lauri, Faith and Joyce, thank you for taking a chance on my story and helping me through the editing stages. You showed me some of my weaknesses, and I believe I’m a better writer because of it.
To Jenn Gibson for the beautiful cover designs. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. You really captured the essence of this story and I couldn’t be happier with the final covers and bookmarks.
Lastly, to my extended family, coworkers, and friends as well as everyone mentioned above, thank you for putting up with me over the last two years. Thank you for looking at website designs, cover and bookmark artwork, and listening to me ramble on about my writing. I’m sure at times, it seemed endless. But this story would have meant nothing if I had no one to share it with. So thank you for helping me make this dream come true!
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I did a lot of research on the species I used for this story -- the wolf. What I learned struck a chord in my heart. There is still a lot of hatred for this species across our country. Some states allow them to be trapped and hunted for sport. I don’t understand this, and I never will. There are many organizations working hard to make the world a better place for wolves in the wild. I have found several -- Living With Wolves and The Wolf Conservation Center to name a few. These organizations are great resources if you are interested in learning more about wolves and the challenges they are currently facing.
Another part of my research led me to find several sanctuaries around the country that take in wolves and hybrids rescued from captive ownership. These sanctuaries discourage private ownership of these animals. I visited one of them and learned a few things that would definitely make me think twice about trying to own a wolf. For one thing, the sanctuary only allowed volunteers to enter the wolf pens after about one thousand hours of volunteer work. And even then, they didn’t guarantee volunteers the opportunity to step into a pen. Apparently, wolves can put a pretty big bruise on your backside. The guide said that these bruises could take months to heal. He also said guests often asked what he would rather have, a wolf or a wolf-hybrid. His answer was a wolf because the hybrids were more unpredictable. In his words, they could never decide if they wanted to be a wolf or a dog on any given day.
I admit that I know nothing about owning a wolf. The only way I would want to own one would be to keep it the way Laken keeps Dakota - by letting him roam free. And let’s face it-that probably isn’t going to happen. There are also laws regarding ownership of these animals. I don’t know the laws, but I can only imagine that complying with them must be very expensive. So if you love wolves, my advice is to do your research, educate yourself, and maybe even find a nearby sanctuary to support.
In closing, now that my first book has been published, I have a new dream. It’s not just that readers will enjoy this story, but it’s the hope that this story will create awareness for this amazing species. The wolf in this story is truly how I envision a wolf in the wild. Intelligent, loyal, and protective. He captured my imagination, and I hope he captured yours as well!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tonya Royston currently lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, son, two dogs, and two horses. Although she dreamed of writing novels at a young age, she was diverted away from that path years ago and built a successful career as a contracts manager for a defense contractor in the Washington, DC area. She resurrected her dream of writing in 2013 and hasn’t stopped since the first words of The Sunset Trilogy were unleashed. Shadows at Sunset is her first novel.
When she isn’t writing, Tonya spends time with her family. She enjoys skiing, horseback riding, and anything else that involves the outdoors.
More information about Tonya and her upcoming endeavors can be foun
d at www.tonyaroyston.com.
GENRE: PARANORMAL THRILLER/YA/PARANORMAL ROMANCE
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, businesses, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. The publisher does not have any control over or assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their contents.
SHADOWS AT SUNSET ~ Book One of the Sunset Trilogy
Copyright © 2015 by Tonya Royston
Cover Design by Jennifer Gibson
All cover art copyright © 2015
All Rights Reserved
EBOOK ISBN: 978-1-626943-16-2
Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1 Page 28