Page 8

Vuk

A n irritated growl rumbles up my throat as I drag my kill deeper into the forest.

Wasted meat.

Not only were the humans ungrateful for my gift, but the male left the deer far too close to their camp when he dragged it away. By the time I came along to rectify his mistake it was already attracting several small predators, including a bear that caught the scent and was coming closer.

Why did I even bother with trying to feed them? Not them. Her— Hana. That’s what the other humans called her.

With a shake of my head, I drop the carcass with a snort. I already ate the soft internal organs, assuming these humans also don’t care for that part of the animal. Stupid creatures. How often have I seen the humans from my home waste the best part of a kill.

The way the curly headed mated female screamed and them looking at what I left them with fear and disgust tells me these humans are no different. The sharp disappointment that Hana shared their reaction…

She is no different I remind myself bitterly as I tear into the now cold meat. None of them can be trusted. I need to focus on using them to get what I want—my freedom.

After I’ve eaten my fill, I leave the rest for the carrion feeders, and stalk back to the human’s campsite.

I’m careful to keep to the shadows, where their weak sight cannot detect me. Except that doesn’t explain why Hana always seems to feel my stare. How her sharp, dark eyes snap to where I’m hiding. How she can tell when I get close.

I followed them through the forest, hoping they might reveal something that would help me escape this place. But they didn’t go anywhere near the barrier.

The humans built up their fire while I was gone, big enough so it casts a wide circle of light around them.

The flames are a good deterrent, but also careless.

There hasn’t been much rain in this forest, and all it would take is an errant ember to ignite it.

I curl up with a disapproving huff outside the clearing where I can keep watch over them.

The human’s moods are subdued as they cook their strange food over the fire—some kind of sausage they eat in rolls—while they speak in hushed tones. Growing drowsy, I rest my chin on my forelegs.

“We’ll leave as soon as the sun is up…” The male’s words catch my attention and my ears snap forward.

Leave?

No! She cannot leave this place.

Lifting my head, I focus on their hushed conversation.

“I still think we should leave now,” the male’s curly headed mate grumbles. “What if leaving dead animals for his victims is some kind of serial killer calling card or something.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Amber.” The male shakes his head. “There are no serial killers out here. We probably scared off a coyote that was only dragging the deer through our camp.”

If I hadn’t been watching Hana, I would have missed the way her eyes rolled. “Must’ve been a big fucking coyote. ”

I have no idea what a coyote is, and I don’t care. My focus is on Hana, or rather the way the fire’s flames flicker across her smooth skin, turning it from brown to molten gold. Several strands of her dark hair have escaped her braid, freeing them to curl softly around her round cheeks.

I have the strangest urge to pinch one of her curls between my fingers. I want to pull it until it’s straight then let it go, so it bounces back into a coil.

I get up and pace. Reminding myself they may be the key to escaping. If they leave, I’ll lose any chance I might have of getting back home.

The humans don’t linger after they finish eating.

The moon isn’t even halfway across the sky before they bank the fire and disappear into their shelter.

Just like the night before, I head out into the forest while they sleep.

Following the barrier, I continue my nightly habit of searching for some kind of clue to tell me why I’m here, or how I can escape.

Something to explain the strange pull inside my chest increasing with each night.

Is it because of the moon? It’s very nearly full, I’d give it another day, two at the most, before it reaches its zenith. Or is it the humans? The strange way I am acting toward the one called Hana especially has me confused.

Humans cannot be trusted. They are a vile species that have earned my hate. And yet today I hunted for one. Left the choicest parts of the meat that I selected for her with care—like I would for a female I was courting.

Shaking those thoughts from my head, I force my way deeper into the forest, away from the human’s camp.

I have no room for sympathetic feelings toward them.

I need to focus on how I can use them to get myself free from this place.

Not wonder what Hana’s pretty hair would feel like pinched between my fingers.

Or how potent her heady scent is at her core. Will she taste as sweet as I imagine ?

I stop with a snort. Where are these thoughts coming from? I’m not even in my true form, but trapped as an animal that isn’t in any way compatible with her.

Dropping my nose to the ground, I mean to find my way back to the den I found the previous night. Instead, I find myself back at the clearings where the humans sleep.

Creeping into their camp, I check where the fire smolders harmlessly within the circle of stones before moving to the shelter. My nose twitches as I breathe in their thick scents. Despite their worry from earlier, the breathing coming from inside is deep and regular with sleep.

I marvel at how they manage to feel safe with such a thin bit of material between us. It would be nothing to puncture it, slit the fabric, and open it up. I would only have to reach inside and pull her out.

Why do I keep thinking such things?

I circle the shelter again and then the camp before finding a spot outside of the clearing where I drop to my belly and curl up to sleep with my nose tucked under my leg.

They think they will try to leave in the morning, but I’ll track them. I must be careful though, if they make it past the runes, I’ll be trapped behind. So, I’ll hunt, making sure they are trapped like I am until I can figure out how to use them to set me free.