“Okay, but keep it down. It’s late, and our neighbors are probably sleeping.” I dragged myself out of bed, knowing there wasn’t much chance of me getting back to sleep anytime soon, anyway.
I glanced at the clock to see that it was only a little after eleven, surprising because I rarely went to bed before midnight. Since I was up, my body probably wouldn’t let me get back to sleep until well after three in the morning.
“Here you go,” I told Henry as I held the back door open for him to go to the bathroom in the small backyard. He hesitated, staring out into the blackness of the night.
“Go ahead.” I stepped onto the back porch and ran my hands up and down my arms while looking up at the dark sky. The moon was exceptionally bright that night, even though it wasn’t a full moon.
Within seconds of opening the door, that unsettled feeling returned in the pit of my stomach. Henry’s growl caught my attention.
“What is it?” He kept his attention on something over the fence, growling low. I crouched down beside him. “What’s wrong?”
Right then, Henry stood even straighter, his body statuesque, looking out into the wooded area beyond our fenced-in backyard. He let out a bark and then a deep growl.
“Henry, shshsh.” I placed my hand on his back to calm him. Some of our neighbors were already suspicious of Henry’s sheer size and that he didn’t immediately take well to new people. The last thing I needed was for them to start complaining about his barking in the dead of night.
He kept growling. I traced his line of sight. “It’s probably just a deer or something.”
That time he growled and bared his teeth, something he rarely ever did. The only other time I ever saw him take such a threatening stance was when we were out for a walk, a neighbor’s aggressive rottweiler got loose and threatened us. We narrowly avoided getting into a fight with the dog before the neighbor ran out of her door, calling him back.
I squinted to find what had Henry so rattled, and that was when two pairs of glowing eyes glared at me.
I screamed and stumbled backward, tripping over my own feet. “Come on.” I tugged Henry’s collar, forcing him to bring his butt back into the house with me.
My entire body trembled with fear. When I looked back, those four eyes continued to watch, unnerving me. I couldn’t pinpoint what type of animals they were.
Even with the door closed and locked behind me, I still didn’t feel safe.
I pressed my face against the door’s window, opening the blind to see them still there. Whatever they were, I got the impression they were watching me. Like in thoseAnimal Planetdocumentaries where they describe animals that stalk their prey.
A heartbeat later, a howl sounded. It took seconds for me to place the sound. “Are those wolves?”
Henry growled but then whimpered as he stood beside me. Fear racketed through my body. My legs wobbled, and I could feel Henry’s body tremble beside me, though he stood as if on guard.
I couldn’t shake the anxiousness that coursed through me. With measured steps, I backed away from the door, watching it as if at any moment it would burst open.
More howling sounded, and my heartbeat almost came through my shirt. It sounded like they were coming from different angles around the house. Were they stalking me? Did wolves do that sort of thing? Maybe they were after Henry for some reason.
“What’s happening?” I looked around my kitchen, feeling ridiculous but unable to tamp down on the fear.
Call me if you need anything.
Without thinking clearly, I raced back into my bedroom and picked up my cell phone. My fingers shook, but I managed to bring up my contacts list and press the button to dial Chael’s number.
“Reese?” He answered on the second ring. “What’s the matter?”
“I, um.” I gathered my thoughts. “There are wolves… I think or something.”
“Are you home?” His voice held urgency.
“Yes.”
“I’m on my way. Seal all of the doors and don’t let anyone or anything in the house until I get there.” There was so much authority in his voice. I didn’t even question why he didn’t hesitate to come to my home.
I paced in front of my front door as I waited for him, Henry right by my side. Every few minutes, he continued to growl and stare toward the kitchen where the back door was.
“I should call him back and tell him not to come.” Just as I said that, I stopped in my tracks. “Wait, how does he even know where I live?”
CHAPTER6
