“Go!” I snap at the others.
“No!” Jarek snarls.
“If we stay together, there’s less chance of us all escaping.”
“Stop arguing,” Jarek snarls. “We’re not leaving you.”
I huff, but I’ve wasted enough time trying to convince him. I throw myself down an alley with them right on my heels.
A deep lowing of the Path’s hunting horn erupts from deep in the city, answered by others from further away. They’ve chased me with those horns half a dozen times. The trick is staying calm even when your whole body is flooded with panic.
There is something primitive about the horns. Similar to the drums they use.
They will come later, I’m sure.
Perhaps I do know more about their tactics than I assumed.
Mordecai grabs my arm, swinging me into a thin strip between two brick buildings. I’d missed it, but I don’t slow down; I speed up, sending myself like a bullet through space. I explode onto a street in time to see the Ravage Wolf leaping for my face.
I throw myself sideways, letting out a grunting shriek. Ava is not as lucky. The wolf snags her around the middle, shakes his head violently as I roll away. I hear the snap of her back and watch as she goes completely limp. Her life gone so quickly in one crunch of jaws.
Legion explodes out of the gap and attacks the wolf, spinning and kicking. It struggles backwards, yelping, and drops her to the ground, ignoring her now she’s no longer prey.
He snarls in warning, but Legion is as agile as a dancer, and his deadly moves drive the confused wolf back, step by step.
“Jarek!” I shout. “Now!”
Jarek and Mordecai come racing out. The red-haired alpha drops beside Ava and puts fingers to her neck. He stands up and rushes towards me. Ava remains where she fell.
“Legion, you can’t win. Leave it!” I shout.
He snarls, his face distorted with rage. He doesn’t slow down his spinning attacks. The wolf is getting over its moment of being stunned, though, and attacks back, snapping its teeth dangerously close to Legion’s face. Black fur flies around as powerful lunges send it leaping at Legion
I look around and spot a small brown paper nest.
“Sorry,” I murmur.
I rush in and slam into the wolf. It barely notices me. That’s okay. I dart back, pulling Legion with me. Is that a silver collar in its fur? Why would a wolf like this have a collar on? Before I can think more on it, my plan explodes. The wasps swarm the wolf, a furious buzzing, angry cloud intent on destroying what they think killed their nest. The tiny insects glitter like rubies, but their sting can last for days.
He snarls, growls, and snaps his teeth. They aren’t hurting him, but they are distracting him long enough that we can get away.
“Move!” I shout at the alphas who are staring at the wolf.
We haven’t got long, but it’s enough. We climb into the stone building and hide in the back room. There’s a window to get out and two doors that lead deeper into the construction.
“What the fuck was that thing?” Legion asks.
“The Ravage Wolf, or so everyone keeps telling me,” I murmur, trying to catch my breath.
“Yes, but whatisit?” Legion asks.
“Another beast that was transformed by the virus and has lived here ever since?” I say, but I’m losing interest in this conversation. I reach into my pocket and pull out the letters from my mother. My breathing slows to normal as I rub my thumb over the worn paper.
“What’s that?” Legion asks quietly, sensing my change of mood.
“My mother was here,” I say with no emotion.
Jarek’s hand closes around mine, and this time, instead of being shocked or startled like I would have been a few months ago, I lean into the warmth, needing it. Is this how quickly people become accustomed to touch, to others in their space?Friendship is pain, don’t forget that, Kaida.
