Xavier’s face softens. “Look, Cross is ruthless. He’ll kill to defend the people he loves, without hesitation. But he also has this maddening sense of right and wrong. Honor in war. If he believes the Uprising can’t be trusted, then I would trust his gut.”
“The problem is, the Primes in the city can’t be trusted, either.”
“Then I suppose it’s a question of the lesser of two evils.” Xavier grins at me. “Which side is less evil?”
“Fucked if I know.” I tip my head up at the sky. “Should head back before the sun sets—”
I’m cut off by a high-pitched scream that shatters the tranquility of the forest.
Chapter 23
The scream slices through the air again, this time even closer. Raw and ringing with terror.
Xavier is already charging forward. “Over here.”
I hurry after him, my boots quick on the path, already swinging the strap of my rifle toward me and raising the weapon.
The trees thin out and we break through the clearing, the same one where I found Poppy picking flowers, when I wanted to form a connection and then Fiona ushered her away. The teen and I have barely spoken since. She keeps her head down at base and doesn’t look at me when she passes me in the dining hall.
We stumble upon a terrifying scene: Poppy, backed up against a boulder, arms out, palms flat as she tries to ward off the enormous animal in front of her.
Either I’m hallucinating, or that’s a ridgehowler.
I’ve only ever seen one of them in my life. Ridgehowlers are enormous wolves that live high in the mountains, rarely venturing to lower altitudes unless their food runs out. They never hunt alone, though. Only when they’re starving and desperate.
This one is mangy and gray. Female, from the looks of it. Thefemales are always bigger. A low growl vibrates in her throat as she circles the frightened teenager.
“Take the shot,” Xavier orders.
I don’t hesitate. I line the ridgehowler in my crosshairs, aiming for a headshot, but at the very last second, the animal circles again and my bullet connects with the shoulder. A high-pitched howl echoes through the air, that haunting wail that gave the ridgehowler its name. But this howl is laced with pain. Yelping, the wolf staggers backward for a second, front paws buckling from the impact of the bullet, but although blood stains her fur, my miss only makes her angrier. The ridgehowler whirls toward her prey again.
Poppy screams, but Xavier has already reached her. He throws himself between the girl and the wolf just as it’s about to lunge at her. The ridgehowler pounces on Xavier instead, jaws snapping. Her teeth sink into his forearm, but Xavier is strong. He slams his boot into the wolf’s chest, trying to kick her off. I glimpse the flash of pain in Xavier’s dark eyes as the ridgehowler violently jerks her head, and as a result, Xavier’s arm.
“Darlington,” he shouts.
Pulse racing, I raise the rifle again. I see the blood dripping down his arm, the sharp teeth in his flesh. This time I opt for the bigger target. The chest. It takes three bullets before the ridgehowler finally releases Xavier.
As the wolf collapses on the grass, I run forward. I see the animal’s body crumple, still twitching a little before finally going still. Its fur is soaked in blood. So is Xavier’s arm.
Poppy crouches against the boulder, her face pale. She’s frozen, as if she’s paralyzed from fear.
I shove the rifle to my side and rush to Xavier’s side. “You okay?”
He manages a half-hearted smile. “I’m good.”
“Your arm is not good,” I disagree, queasy at the sight of it.
I shrug out of the long-sleeved shirt I’m wearing over my tank top and quickly wrap it around his arm to create a makeshift bandage. I pull it tight to stop the bleeding, triggering a pained curse from Xavier.
“We need to get you to Medical.”
“It’s fine,” he insists in that typical soldier way, brushing off any accusation that he might, indeed,notbe fine.
I step toward Poppy and hold out my hand. “It’s okay. The ridgehowler’s dead. You’re safe.”
Her mouth opens, then closes, as if she’s too shaken to speak. Finally, she takes my hand, allowing me to help her up to her feet.
Her worried gaze shifts to Xavier. “Your arm…” Her voice trembles.
