“Is it okay if I go for a run?” I asked.
Nico only hesitated for a moment. “Uh… yeah, sure. Can you make sure to stay far enough away from the fences? Best to keep out of sight of anyone who might be spying on us.”
“Of course. I was going to head out to the creek.”
“Okay. If I’m still asleep when you get back, just wake me up. Otherwise, I’ll never get to sleep tonight.”
“Sounds good. See you in a little while. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
I stepped out onto the front porch and looked out over the pack lands. I hoped Nico’s plan worked. If we were only half successful, Viola and her organization would be infuriated. Even more so than before. Taking their money was the best shot we had, but if we didn’t do it exactly right, then we might be setting ourselves up for even worse retribution.
The neighborhood was strangely quiet as I headed off toward the woods. Everyone had been spending more time indoors lately. We were as safe as we could be here, but it wasn’t perfect. Everyone in the pack knew we were walking on a razor’s edge. No one wanted to be out where they might be vulnerable, even inside our lands. It was one of the unspoken changes that had taken place since we got back, and I hated it. I missed the vibrancy that used to be here. Children running and playing, men out washing their cars and trucks, and women tending small herb or vegetable gardens in their backyards. Now? Complete and utter silence.
I shifted twenty feet from the woods and sprinted into the forest. Pine trees flashed past in a gray blur. All I could hear was the hiss of my paws across the ground and the steady pant of my breath rushing in and out of my lungs. I’d been worried that I might have a hard time clearing my mind, but thankfully within minutes, I had calmed down. My human worries receded to the background as my wolf-self enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells of nature. I chased a few squirrels and even stalked a groundhog for a few minutes for fun. I didn’t eat him since I wasn’t hungry. Hopefully, he appreciated my kindness.
After almost an hour of romping through the undergrowth and foliage, I went to my spot at the creek. I shifted back to my human form and sat on the big flat rock I liked to rest on. My breathing slowed as I tried to relax and empty my mind. I remembered the meditation exercises Nico had taught me and tried some breathing exercises—anything to get my mind off what was happening.
My eyes were closed, and I was doing my best to clear my thoughts, but something was wrong. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it wasn’t right. I opened an eye and glanced around, thinking maybe someone had come to find me. There was nobody there, though. I opened my other eye and checkedeverywhere. I didn’t see anyone, but I couldn’t get over feeling like I was being watched. I even looked up at the sky to make sure a drone or something wasn’t flying overhead. Nothing. With everything else going on, the last thing I needed was to feel like I was being spied on.
The forest went still a moment later, which never happened. A sudden chill crept up my arms. Fear, bitter and pungent, filled me. I wasn’t alone. I sensed it. Keeping my face expressionless, I glanced around again. Still no sign of anyone. The only living creature anywhere was a big black crow sitting on a tree limb twenty or thirty yards away. Other than that, there was no sign of anyone or anything.
Deciding that a nice relaxing hour by the creek wasn’t in the cards, I stood to head home. The constant feeling of eyes boring into me never faded. I walked slowly, trying to strain my ears to pick up the rustle of footsteps. Again, nothing. The sensation of being watched was almost unbearable. My instincts told me to run, to shift and sprint out of the woods as fast as possible. My curiosity overrode that directive.
I spun to look behind me again, thinking I might catch sight of whomever it was. The only thing nearby was that same crow sitting on its branch. I almost turned around but froze instead. I’d left the creek some two hundred yards behind, and that bird had been pretty close. If it was here, it had to have followed me.
I sighed and curled my lip in disgust at myself. “The bird is not following you, Maddy,” I muttered under my breath.
Still, the way it was sitting there like a black omen made me change direction, cutting hard to the right to leave the creature behind. My paranoia, however, wasn’t easily vanquished. A moment later, I heard the rustle of feathers and the creak of a tree branch. I turned to see that the bird had flown a few yards and was now sitting there, staring at me again. Was this what I’d been sensing? Some dumb bird watching me, hoping I’d throwout a handful of breadcrumbs? Christ, I was being an idiot if that were the case.
The bird seemed to almost hear my thoughts, and its eyes locked on to mine. Its black orbs were so dark it was like staring into two pits of shining black oil. There was an understanding in those eyes, an intelligence that made no sense. This was the thing that had been watching me, but it didn’t feel like any ordinary bird. Something was wrong here. I sent a mental message to Nico the way I’d done before.
I turned away, tearing my eyes off the bird as I did. I walked toward the edge of the field, trying to ignore the way my skin crawled. Every few seconds, I heard that familiar whisper of feathers moving. The damn thing was still following me. I refused to look back. Up ahead, the edge of the woods was visible, and I could see, in the distance, Nico sprinting toward me. I picked up my pace and exited the forest. I took a deep breath and enjoyed being out in the open. The woods had been almost suffocating.
Nico ran toward me and took me by the shoulders. “Are you okay? I… I felt your message. What the hell happened?”
I gestured behind me. “I think a crow was following me.”
Nico stared at me for several seconds, his face an emotionless mask. Finally, he frowned. “What?”
“The bird. Is it still back there?”
Nico glanced at the forest over my shoulder and nodded. “There’s a bird there, yeah, but?—”
“It’s watching us, and it followed me all the way from the creek.”
Nico’s face broke into a hesitant smile. “Maddy, I’m not sure what happened out there, but I don’t think that bird is gonna hurt us.”
He didn’t believe me. Damn it to hell—he thought I was going crazy. My face burned with anger. “Nico,” I hissed. “It’s true.That damn thing is watching me. I looked right into its eyes. I think… I think it’s a shifter.”
Nico’s smile died on his lips, and he stiffened. He glanced behind me again to look at the bird, then shook his head. “Maddy, I don’t sense any other shifters except you and me.”
“Damn it, Nico. That thing is not normal. It’s not a normal bird. There’s something else going on.”
Nico’s face softened, and he ran a finger gently across my cheek gently. “I think you need to go up and rest.”
I pushed his hand away, seriously pissed off now. “Stop patronizing me, Nico. I’m serious.” I turned around and pointed at the bird again. “Does that look normal? The way it’s sitting there watching us?”
