Page 29

“Thanks.” I smiled. “Luckily, I had an awesome dad, and a big, extended family. Dad was in the military.”

“So he must be proud of you.”

“He was. He passed away last year. He’d be so excited I’m here, a part of Hunter Squad.”

North looked at me, his gaze intense. Then he jerked, his gaze dropping. “Jess, look.”

A perfect monster footprint, embedded in the mud at the water’s edge. It was a match to the one that had taken the boys.

“It came this way.” I scanned the water. The creek was wider and deeper here.

I froze. The woods were eerily quiet. No birds chirping. No chittering of small animals. Not even the buzz of insects. I gripped my carbine harder. “I think?—”

Something burst out of the water and grabbed my ankle. Before I could react, I was yanked off my feet. The carbine flew out of my hands.

“Jess!”

I was dragged down the bank and into the water. It wasn’t too deep, and I tried to grab on to rocks, anything. I kicked back and hit something solid.

Whatever it was, it tried to pull me deeper into the water.

Hell no, asshole.I kicked and thrashed. The monster released its hold on my ankle, and I splashed forward toward the shore.

A carbine fired, and I saw North at the edge of the river shooting at?—

I rolled and gasped for air. My gut locked.

A humanoid monster stood in the center of the creek, waist-deep in the water. It was beyond ugly. It looked like it was madeof wood, with striated, bumpy, brown skin. It had bone-like plates on its face, and its eyes were barely visible, but I saw its mouth. Full of razor-sharp teeth. Instead of hands, it had wicked claws. It was big, well over six feet tall.

North fired again, but the laser seemed to bounce off the hybrid.

“Jess!”

“I’m okay.” I scrambled back to the riverbank.

“It’s a river wraith. We’ve come across them before.” He kept firing, but the monster stepped closer, fighting off the impact of the laser. “The bone plating protects them from carbine fire.”

“How do we kill it?” I crouched, fighting off a huge rush of adrenaline.

“A knife between the plating. Preferably in the middle of the chest.”

Lovely.

Suddenly, the monster lunged for me again. I kicked at it and leaped to the side. I yanked my combat knife off my belt.

It made no sound. No growls or grunts, nothing. It was eerie. I felt it staring at me, fixated on hunting me.

I attacked, slicing my blade across the bone plating. It whirled, moving faster than I guessed it could. A claw scraped the back of my armor.

It dug in and dragged me back toward the water again. I heard North cursing.

Water closed over my head. It was dragging me along through the creek. My head broke the surface and I gasped for air. Then it tossed me, and I landed on the far bank.

I looked up, coughing. North was slicing through the water toward us. The monster was focused on me. I gripped the knife hilt.Come on, asshole. A little closer.

It opened its mouth. Yes, what big teeth you have.

The knife was ready. I saw the spot on its chest with the gap in the armor plating.