Page 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

I jerked away from the window, my breath lodged in my throat. There had been no mistaking the word, even though I desperately wanted to deny it.

I walked backward, fumbling my phone as I picked it up off the coffee table. My fingers tapped the numbers for emergency, but when I clicked to call, nothing happened.

“No fucking service again?” I threw my phone onto the couch and returned to the window. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing, could I?

A man was holding up his hands defensively as someone approached him slowly. As far as I could tell, they weren’t holding a weapon, but he called out for help again, even more desperate than the first time.

“Shit,” I said, searching the yard for wolves as far as I could tell there wasn’t anything out there.

I opened the door and cautiously stepped out onto the patio. I looked carefully into the trees around my yard, checking for any sign of wolves or shadows moving between the trees. The night was still, almost unnaturally so. There was no howling or rustling bushes or anything to suggest supernatural creatures were nearby.

“Hey! If you’re out here, I think someone needs your help across the street,” I whispered into the shadows.

No response.

I didn’t want to think about why they weren’t there and the possibility that Ryder was in serious trouble. It had to be something else. But why would he leave me unguarded after everything we’d talked about?

Taking a deep breath, I stepped off the porch. The cool night air prickled my skin as I stepped down on the grass, peering through the darkness toward the house.

Ryder would never forgive me if I left after his warning. He’d nearly blown a gasket when I’d gone out with Courtney during the day, but it wasn’t like I could just stand here and do nothing either.

My gaze darted left and right, scanning for any movement… any signs of danger or help from the wolves. The quiet pressed in around me, making every step sound thunderous.

Where were my guards… and where was Ryder?

I raced across the street, cautiously making my way closer to the house. All the lights were still on, but there was no shouting, just an eerie quiet that made me question whether or not I’d heard or seen anything at all.

I’d never met the man who lived there, nor had I even seen him, but that didn’t mean I could just pretend I hadn’t heard anything. If something happened and I didn’t do anything, I couldn’t live with myself. It wasn’t the same as being in the city and looking the other way from gang violence or drug deals… this was someone’s life in danger. Or at least that was the way it had sounded.

I approached the house, my steps slow and silent as I climbed up the porch steps to the door. My eyes darted to the window, but I couldn’t see anything except for part of the living room and a dining room table further back.

My knuckles hesitated just inches from the wood. If everything was fine, I could just say I was stopping by to introduce myself… in the middle of the night. Sigh. Not very believable. Before I could talk myself out of it, I knocked firmly.

Moments passed, and I knocked again. “Hello? Everything okay in there?”

I was about to knock again when I heard footsteps approaching. The door swung open, revealing a young woman, maybe early twenties, with auburn hair flowing down both shoulders. She wore black jeans and a black sweater, looking perfectly stunning and put-together for midnight.

“Can I help you?” she asked, her voice pleasant even though there was a stranger at her door in the middle of the night.

“Oh,” I said before clearing my throat and pasting on a smile. “I’m Everly from across the street. I was told a man lived here, and I know this is totally weird, but I thought I heard something and just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

Her expression didn’t change. “Oh gosh, I am so sorry about that. My dad and I were watching a movie. I can’t believe it was loud enough for you to hear it across the street.” She rolled her eyes and glanced over her shoulder. “My father is a bit hard of hearing. I’m really sorry we disturbed you at this hour.”

I hesitated, looking past her into the house. The entryway opened into a short hallway, so I couldn’t see into the living room. What I could see was filled with boxes and stacks of books — an organized mess.

“I’m Francis,” she said, extending her hand and flashing me a cool smile. “My father is… have you lived across the street long?”

“No,” I said, taking her hand.

She shook slowly, her skin cool against mine. “I don’t come around much, but I thought an old man lived in that house?”

“Yeah, I’m the new owner,” I said, taking a step back. “I’m really sorry I bothered you.”

As she pulled her hand back, I noticed a splatter of blood on the back of her hand. I swallowed hard as my pulse quickened. Something was definitely wrong.

My eyes darted to her face, and I knew immediately she knew I’d seen something. Her smile was frozen on her face.

“Well, goodnight,” I said, taking another step back.

I didn’t make it more than half a step before she grabbed me with shocking speed. Francis yanked me inside the house, shoving me forward as she slammed the door shut behind me. I tripped over my feet and fell hard onto the wooden floor.

“No one ever minds their own fucking business anymore,” she said, licking the blood off her hand.

I scrambled backward, stopping when I spotted the old man sprawled on the floor in front of the TV. His throat was torn open, blood pooled around him, and his eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling.

“Oh my God!” I screamed, trying to get to my feet. I slipped on a splotch of blood, but managed to regain my footing.

She bobbed and weaved with each of my movements, and when I darted toward the back of the house, she moved with inhuman speed, blocking my path. Francis clicked her tongue as she rubbed her hands together.

“Help!” I shouted, hoping someone — anyone — might hear. “Help me!”

“Who would come for you?” Francis said with a chilling laugh. “No more neighbors left to get in the way.”

She stalked toward me as I backed away, looking frantically for anything I could use as a weapon. My back hit a wall, and panic surged through me.

“Please,” I gasped. “Whatever you want?—”

“What I want,” she said, looking at her fingernails, “is to finish my dinner in peace.” She grinned as she looked me up and down. “I’m actually stuffed full, but maybe I have room for dessert. It’s not often I treat myself to something as delicious as you.”

She lunged at me. I ducked and rolled, but she caught my ankle and dragged me across the floor. I kicked and screamed, my nails breaking as I clawed at the hardwood. She flipped me onto my back and straddled me, pinning my arms with her knees.

“You’re not a wolf, but you smell like a wolf,” she whispered, leaning close to my face. “Have you been playing with the puppies? They don’t like it when their toys get broken. I’m going to be in even more trouble than I already am!”

She threw her head back and laughed.

“Get off me!” I thrashed beneath her, but she was impossibly strong. I glanced over at the man on the floor, but there was no doubt in my mind here wasn’t going to be saving me. “Why? What on earth did he do to you?”

“My father?” she asked, her face wrinkling. “I wouldn’t be like this if it hadn’t been for him.”

“Was he?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. That old fart was afraid of his shadow. He sold me, and I’m just getting my revenge.”

A crash of breaking glass cut through the room. A massive black shape hurtled through the window with an explosion of glass and splintered wood. Another followed immediately after — two enormous wolves landing with efficient precision.

Francis’s head whipped toward them, her grip on me loosening as her teeth grew into wild fangs. I twisted hard, freeing one arm and swinging wildly, connecting with her jaw. She snarled, but didn’t budge.

As she lowered her mouth toward my throat, the wolves charged in a chorus of growls. Francis sprang off me, flying up toward the ceiling… almost hovering there before slowly landing on her feet in a crouched position.

I sat up and crawled away, gasping for breath as I hid behind a recliner. Two of the wolves lunged toward Francis at the same time, but both missed as she quickly darted away.

The wolves launched a coordinated assault, with one soaring through the air while the other charged at ground level. The one with black fur crept behind her, sinking its sharp claw into Francis’ spine.

Francis howled as teeth sank into her flesh — first the black wolf, then the gray wolf. As she dropped to her knees, she grabbed the smallest wolf with both hands, hurling it against a wall with a sickening thud.

The black one moved to her throat and tore at the flesh, ripping her apart piece by piece. I crawled backward toward the door, unable to tear my eyes away from the horrific scene. Blood sprayed across the walls as the wolves tore into Francis. Her inhuman screams gradually weakened until they stopped altogether.

I burst through the front door, stumbling down the porch steps in my desperation to escape the carnage behind me. The cool night air hit my face as I ran, my lungs burning and my legs threatening to buckle beneath me. Blood — or whatever the hell it was that came out of her — was spattered across my shirt, cold and sticky like syrup on my skin.

“Oh God, oh God,” I gasped, sprinting across the street toward my house. I just needed to get there, lock the door, and figure out what the hell had just happened.

I hadn’t made it halfway across the street when a massive black shape darted in front of me, cutting off my path. The black wolf from inside the house stood before me, its amber eyes glowing in the darkness, muscles rippling beneath its midnight fur. It was even bigger up close, the size of a small bear, with paws that could crush my skull in one swipe.

I skidded to a halt, nearly falling backward as I tried to change direction. My heart hammered against my ribcage as the wolf circled around me, blocking my escape route.

“Please,” I begged, backing away slowly with my hands held up. “Please, just leave me alone. I’m not like her. I don’t know who she was. I won’t tell anyone, I swear.”

The wolf continued to stare at me, its amber eyes never blinking. A cracking noise popped from the creature’s spine, as a wave of convulsions moved through the wolf. Its massive body twisted and contorted in ways that didn’t seem possible.

Bones cracked and shifted beneath the skin… the sound making my stomach churn. The fur began to recede, muscle and sinew reshaping themselves within seconds.

I couldn’t look away, couldn’t run, couldn’t scream — just stood there paralyzed as the wolf’s muzzle shortened, its limbs elongated, and its body transformed before my eyes. The sickening sounds of reconstruction were all I could hear until it stopped.

Silence.

A naked Kellan cocked his head. “Looks like I saved your life.”