by Cheree Alsop
The first rush of muddy water surged past, then the branches, small tree trunks, and other debris that had been torn free by the raging water slammed into my body with a force that tore the air from my lungs. I held on and felt for Nora's body. An arm caught around my neck, then she was cradled against my chest, her small weight nothing compared to the force I held back. I pushed slowly to the side, inching slowly backward with the weight of the debris that pounded against us. I turned my back on it to protect Nora and felt the bite of broken branches against my bare skin.
One exceedingly sharp pain tore into my side. I ground my teeth to keep from crying out and reached the edge. The earth gave way when I grabbed onto it with my free hand and we dunked back under the water. I pushed against the bottom of the ravine with my feet and we surged back to the surface. I used the momentum to lever Nora onto the bank above.
I clung to several gnarled roots that had worked their way through the dirt, but I didn't have the energy to pull myself over. The water grabbed at my waist, trying to drag me along with it. I pressed my face against the dirt, relishing in my exhausted delirium the scent of forest loam, the cinnamon-laced touch of the desert sand, and the roughness of the roots under my hands.
Another log hit my body. My grip loosened and I almost let go, then hands wrapped around my wrist and pulled. Nora's strength wasn't enough, but her touch sent a surge of adrenaline through my muscles. I pulled with her, working my bare feet into the scratchy dirt and pushing against the branches and debris that tried to drive me back under. I heaved up with a grunt and used my remaining energy to pull myself higher. I rolled onto the bank with a sigh of relief.
“Do you have a death wish?” she demanded, her face above mine and her chest heaving.
“Do you?” I asked, fighting to catch my breath.
She let out a relieved laugh and collapsed on the ground next to me. “Maybe I do,” she admitted. Sorrow touched her tone. “Maybe watching all of your friends die will do that to you.”
I nodded, staring up at the trees above us. “Maybe so.” I couldn't quite catch my breath. A nagging feeling gnawed at the back of my mind, but I pushed it away and turned my head to face her. “Are you okay?”
She checked herself over, then nodded. “Definitely bruised, but yeah, I think I'm alright. You?”
“I'm fine.”
She pushed gingerly to her feet, then held out her hand. I took it and rose, but a shard of pain laced through my side so sharply it brought me back to my knees.
“Vance?”
I ran a hand along my bare back and felt something protruding from my right side.
“Vance, what's wrong?” Nora asked with fear in her voice. She leaned around me to see, then her hand flew to her mouth.
I put a hand on the ground to keep from falling over. My vision swam and dark spots danced at the edges. I fought to catch my breath, but the branch that had been driven deep by the raging water inhibited each intake of air. I grabbed the wood tightly and pulled.
“I don't think you should do that,” Nora said. Her tiny hand covered mine.
“I can't heal if something's obstructing the wound,” I forced out, breathing through clenched teeth.
“But you could bleed to death before you heal,” she protested.
My vision narrowed to a dim tunnel. I pulled on the branch. For a moment, it wouldn't move, then it slid slowly from the wound with a sound like a boot pulling clear of mud. Blood flowed down my side. I collapsed on the ground.
Nora rolled me over. Her face floated inches above mine, her green eyes bright with concern. “You can’t give up,” she said, her voice strangely muffled in my ears. “Your werewolves won’t be able to find us out here.”
Her logic warred with the overwhelming urge to close my eyes. She must have seen it on my face because her jaw set and determination burned in her gaze. She grabbed my arm and tried to pull me up, a tiny force considering my size, but the look on her face brought me slowly to my feet.
I held my side and felt the blood streaming out thick and hot through the gaping hole. My legs barely held me and I felt weaker than I ever had before. “I can’t,” I said, ashamed at the pathetic strength of my voice.
“You can and you will,” Nora replied stubbornly.
She took a step and I stumbled beside her, then righted myself with a great effort. I gritted my teeth against the pain in my side and closed me eyes. I felt her take another step and willed myself forward beside her.
I don’t know how many paces I took before my strength left completely. I fell against one of the contorted, knobby trees that made up the landscape, but before I could land on the ground, Nora was there. She eased me gently to my knees, her fingers soft and spreading heat wherever she touched me.
“You’ve got to hang in there,” she said; her chiding tone didn’t cover up the concern in her eyes as I lay back in the dirt and felt it cling to the wound.
I took a shallow breath and winced at the resounding pain. “Now’s your chance to escape,” I said in a strangled voice that barely sounded like me.
Her eyes held mine. She mouthed my name over and over, but I couldn't hear her. I closed my eyes. Her fingers slipped into my hand and I tried to hang on, but the darkness swept me away like the torrential river we had survived.
Chapter 7
A sharp throb through my side awoke me. The familiar scent of the small medical room at Two touched my nose with the tang of antiseptic, cotton bandages, Traer's coffee, and the always-present cinnamon earth tones of the red rock walls. I kept my eyes closed. The memory of the river debris barreling down at me replayed again and again in my memory. Nora's hand showed through the rubble and I reached for it.
I opened my eyes and found Traer smiling down at me. “You finally decided to wake up?”
I lifted a hand to rub my eyes; it took more effort than I was used to. “How long was I out?”
“Two days,” he replied, the tightness of his eyes revealing how worried he had been. Footsteps came down the hall. He glanced up, then looked back at me with a strange expression on his face. “Pretend you're still asleep.”
“Why?” I asked, confused.
“Just do it,” he said quietly before turning.
“How is he?” Nora's voice felt like a balm to my soul. She had stayed. She could easily have left me there and returned to her father. The rain would have erased her tracks and scent and she wouldn’t have had to worry about pursuit. Instead, for some reason, she was still here.
“A little better,” Traer replied with a kindness that surprised me.
A soft hand touched my cheek. I almost jerked back in surprise, but caught myself and held still. “His color looks better,” she said softly.
“It does,” Traer agreed.
“Do you think he'll wake up soon?” My heart slowed at the worry in her voice.
“I hope so,” Traer replied. “I've done all I can. It's up to him now.” He turned away and I heard the clink of metal instruments as he straightened them on the counter.
Nora's breath whispered close to my cheek, then her soft lips brushed my skin. “Come back to me,” she said in a voice full of such quiet heartbreak I almost turned my head to kiss her back. She straightened and her footsteps faded from the room.
“It's touching the way she cares about you,” Traer said quietly. I opened my eyes to see him watching me with a carefully emotionless expression.
“You tolerate her now?” I asked guardedly.
He nodded. “When the moon set and we phased back, we found that you both had left Two and figured that Nora had run and you went to bring her back. Brian, Ben, and I went after you, but the rain made tracking difficult. We almost gave up, then Ben saw Nora struggling through a pass.”
His voice took on a peculiar tone. “She pulled you as far as she could and was on the verge of collapse. When we reached her, she told us what had happened and that she feared you were dying, which you were.”
I nodded. I remembered
the feeling of complete blackness, no warmth, no cold, only empty sadness at leaving something I couldn't remember. It was a sensation I never wanted to feel again.
“We patched you up and carried you back. Nora was so exhausted Brian carried her most of the way.”
“Brian?” I didn't hide my shock. He was always the most volatile against Hunters, and he didn’t bother to conceal his disapproval of Nora every time our paths crossed.
Traer smiled. “She tried to refuse his help. I think that's what won him over.”
I laughed, then grabbed my side as pain knifed through it where the branch had been. Something twisted deep inside and nausea rolled through my stomach. Bright spots danced at the edges of my vision.
Traer's eyes darkened with concern and he unwrapped the bandages. I twisted gingerly to see the wound. The skin where it had been was pink with healing and would leave only a round scar the size of a golf ball where the stick had protruded, but he didn't look satisfied. “You were pretty messed up. All I could do was put things as close to right as I could and let your body do the rest.” He hesitated like he didn't want to tell me something, then sighed and gave in. “I spoke to your mom about it.” He rushed forward to fend off my frustration. “Your mother said there are cases where such wounds heal, but not as they should. Only time will tell if you've truly recovered.”
I pushed myself up slowly, ignoring the throb in my side. “Then I guess we'll leave it to chance.” I forced a smile, but Traer didn't return it.
He put a hand on my bruised chest. “You should probably take it easy. Being unconscious for two days doesn't exactly scream optimum health.” He glanced down at the bruises. “Those should have healed by now. Rest is your best bet.”
I gave a true smile at his concern. “Have you ever been able to convince me to listen to reason?”
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “No.”
I stood up from the table, then stumbled when my knees threatened to give out. I caught myself on the edge of the counter and threw him a look I hoped was confident. “I'm famished. What's for dinner?”
He sighed and led the way out of the room. I followed faster than my body wanted to keep up. I would pay for it later, but the wolf side of me refused to show weakness. I didn’t know whether it was survival or stupidity that kept me walking when I wanted more than anything to go to my rooms and sleep, but I forced my feet to keep moving and followed Traer to the kitchen.
A surge of energy ran through my body at the sight of Nora and Seth chopping vegetables on the counter. Thomas, Brian, Drake, and Johnny sat on various surfaces around the kitchen talking and joking around. I leaned against the doorway and watched Nora reach over and adjust Seth's grip on the knife.
“Remember that you're slicing a cucumber, not someone's neck. Hold it softly, like this.”
The other werewolves laughed and Seth turned bright red, but he gave her a grateful smile and proceeded to slice more gently. Johnny glanced over and saw us watching. His eyes widened and he jumped off the counter and cleared his throat. The others noticed and rose, too. Brian nodded at me, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face.
Nora said something to Seth, noticed he wasn't paying attention, then followed his gaze to me. Her eyes widened and the green of them sparkled in the kitchen light before they filled up with tears. “Oh, Vance,” she said. She rushed over and threw her arms around my neck, hugging me so tightly I had to force my fight or flight instinct down so I didn't hurt her. She then stepped back and looked at me, a slight blush to her cheeks as though she realized she had crossed some unspoken line between us. “How do you feel?” she asked, still with an edge of excitement.
“I've been better,” I replied honestly.
Traer lifted an eyebrow, but I ignored him.
A hush had fallen over the kitchen. Nora seemed unaware of it. “I'm so glad you're awake.”
I glanced at the others and they all turned away and pretended to be occupied with other activities. Brian picked up the knife Nora left and chopped with surprising enthusiasm. Seth proceeded more carefully, though not with the same grace he had used under Nora's supervision. Johnny and Drake appeared suddenly interested in something in a bowl by the sink.
I gritted my teeth against a smile at their obvious diversions, but the look on Nora's face sent my heart plummeting. “What?”
“You stood on the edge of a cliff to save me from a flash flood. Who does that?”
I shrugged. “Werewolves?” I said as more of a question than an answer.
Brian shook his head from across the room. “I wouldn't.”
We both looked at him and he sputtered, “I mean, I would for you now, but not for some stranger.” At my look, his eyes widened. “I'm afraid of heights.”
“I am a stranger,” Nora pointed out, her eyes on mine.
“Not really,” I replied. My heart did a strange flip at the way her gaze lightened.
“Well, I did shoot you,” she replied, a teasing tone to her voice.
I nodded. “There's that.”
Traer gave me an accusing look but didn't interrupt. Seth gave an audible gasp, then pretended like he cut himself with his knife. I couldn't take the searching look in Nora’s eyes and changed the subject. “So what are you doing here?”
She looked like she wanted to argue and I realized she took the words wrong. I indicated the kitchen and another faint blush stole across her cheeks. She smiled with embarrassment. “Seth brought me some food yesterday and I could barely choke it down. I promised to teach them how to make a few more edible dishes.”
Seth spoke quickly, “She made shrimp cabbage wraps and lemon meringue pie for lunch. It was excellent.”
The others nodded and my nose identified the slight hint of lemon peel and cocktail sauce lingering on the dishes in the sink. “And now?”
“We're working on chicken cordon bleu with a side salad,” Johnny said proudly.
I lifted my eyebrows at Nora and she shrugged. “I don't know how you have all survived this long.”
“Lots of t.v. dinners,” Brian put in helpfully.
I crossed to a stool on the other side of the counter and eased myself onto it gingerly. It hurt to sit up straight, but I didn't let it show. The others watched me until the silence became awkward. “Well, let's see if you can teach these animals how to cook,” I prompted.
“With pleasure.” Nora threw me a smile at the challenge and went back to the others.
Traer took a seat next to me and watched the cooking proceed. It felt strange to have a girl at Two. One of the rules my mother strictly enforced was that no girls were allowed on the premises. It felt like a boys only clubhouse, and many of the werewolves had girlfriends in the surrounding cities that they visited on occasion. Nora’s presence softened the edges of Two, bringing warmth to the red rock walls and laughter to the hollow corridors.
I watched her fingers deftly knead the chicken in a batter of breadcrumbs and butter and wondered when the last time was that I watched a woman cook. Her hands paused and I looked up straight into her eyes. Her brows creased slightly, causing a tiny furrow to form between them. A touch of red stole across her cheeks, making her green irises stand out even more. I looked away and couldn’t explain how just meeting her gaze made my heart race. Traer caught my look and lifted an eyebrow. I rose and pretended like my side didn’t throb like a pit of burning fire.
“Where are you going?” Traer asked.
“Can’t put off the inevitable much longer,” I answered.
“Calling your mother?” he guessed with a sympathetic grimace.
Similar expressions crossed the other werewolves’ faces when I nodded.
“Good luck,” Brian said after me. “We’ll be here not getting our ear chewed off.”
I fought down a growl and left the room.
***
“So not only did you not kill her, you risked your life to save her and almost died because of it?” Mom's voice was two octaves higher than normal.
I set the phone on the opposite side of the couch from me, but distance did nothing to improve the high pitch. “I should kill her myself and save you the trouble,” she threatened. “What on earth are you thinking?”
“That I'm tired of people running to my mother and tattling,” I said dryly.
“That you're keeping her around because she's pretty?” Mom shot back. “Ben told me, so don't you dare deny it.” Her tone begged me to try.
“She's beautiful,” I agreed, even though in my mind the word didn't come close to describing her eyes, or the way her face softened when she helped the others, or the soft blush that stole across her cheeks whenever I caught her watching me, which unsettled me as often as her.
“So you admit that you're keeping her for her looks,” Mom said with a triumphant note.
“I admit that she's beautiful,” I replied. “But her beauty has nothing to do with why she's here.”
“Then why is she there?” Mom demanded. Her tone indicated I had pushed her to the last edge of her patience, a line I was finding easier to reach lately.
“I'll let you know when I figure it out,” I replied, exasperated. I ran a finger over the calluses on my right hand and leaned my head against the back of the couch. “In the meantime, thanks for your concern about my health. Your motherly interest is touching.”
“It would be more worthwhile if I had a son who acted according to his lineage,” she snapped back.
We both fell silent and I could almost feel her regret through the phone. I couldn't decide if it was remorse over her words or for a son who brought her so much disappointment. When several minutes passed without her saying anything, I finally hung up.
Chapter 8