Page 45

“Okay,” I agree. Releasing a breath, I slowly stand, adjust my backpack, and remove my axe from its harness. Ferris arms himself with his machete and grabs my hand with his other, leading me around the store. Tore should be with Vale looking for tarps and extra blankets, and Dair said he was looking for canned goods, yet we don’t see anyone.

I raise my hand to point at a sign that says “Outdoors” hanging from the ceiling, and my foot accidentally kicks a small metal canister of gas, sending it clanking across the hard floor. Each ting sounds like a death knell, and all we can do is stand in horrified silence until it stops. We take shallow breaths, holding each other tightly, and just when I think we’ve managed to not alert the Biters, a piercing screech slashes through the air like a battle cry.

“Run,” Ferris says.

[ 30 ]

FERRIS

Unnamed City

Isprint as fast as I can while still holding Raine’s hand. Fuck, no wonder this place was boarded up. The people of the city probably thought if they trapped the Biters in, they’d eventually rot into dust, but now we’re trapped in here with a small, starved horde that have found a way to hunt pests from the beams of the metal ceiling.

The bloodcurdling screeches grow louder as they close in on us, and I have to squeeze Raine’s hand in mine to keep my mind from being lost to the last time I ran through towering aisles to escape a hungry horde. Except, this time I’m not alone, and I have everything to fight for.

One of the creatures drops from the ceiling several feet in front of us, falling onto its hands and feet to rush at us like a beast. I release Raine’s hand and position my machete. It tries to grab at me with yellowed claws, and I slice right through its wrist. Without a stumble, the Biter continues forward with its jaw extended, only to be stopped by Raine’s axe blade sinking through its skull, cleaving it in two. Mushy, gelatinous black sludge pours out over the creature’s rotted ear holes and down its shoulders as it falls to the floor.

Raine takes my hand and pulls me along as Biters begin to fall from the ceiling like ticks from trees. “Dair!” she screams. “Vale!” But there’s no answer aside from the monstrous growls surrounding us.

The Biters trap us in a horrifying circle of putrid flesh and glowing eyes. Raine readies her axe, widens her stance, and asks, “Together?”

I nod, staring into her gemstone eyes. “Together.”

A Biter tries to grab me from behind, and I spin away while Raine hacks at its arm. My blade sinks through its humerus like butter, allowing me to immediately swing it back up and around toward its neck. With as much force as possible, I slice cleanly through, and its head falls to the ground with a dull thud. Behind me, Raine is hacking apart Biters with her axe, felling them, then smashing through their skulls with the heavy axe-head. What I would give for a handgun right now, but I can’t risk the time to reach into my backpack to grab mine.

We work as fast and viciously as we can, but I know that Raine isn’t feeling well, and she begins to falter within a few minutes. We’ve managed to kill a total of five Biters, but there are easily ten more circling, taking swipes at us, and otherwise clawing at each other for an opportunity to feast.

I take a deep breath and move closer to Raine, readying to fight until I can’t anymore, prepared to do anything to protect my mate, but then a haunting, bone-chilling howl crackles through the air like a lightning strike, and three massive wolves come crashing into the fight: one black as shadow, one reddish-brown like a fox, and the third, a shifting coat of brown and gray.

The red and black wolves immediately jump into the fray, slaying the Biters lunging at them, while the silvery-brown one prowls toward us, fangs gleaming in a snarl as he deftly kills any Biter that gets in his way. When he’s close enough to touch, Raine whispers, “Dair?” The wolf huffs and uses his nose to nudge us firmly toward the front of the store.

Raine looks behind us and yells, “Vale!” but the silver-brown wolf growls softly and pushes on. When we finally reach the front, the wolf uses its large body to slam into the boarded-up doors, smashing through to let in the gloomy light from outside.

“What about Vale?” Raine says, eyes wide with concern. Before I can answer, the wolf howls loudly into the store, waits for an answering howl, and then pushes us through the opening and into the city. I grab the tent and pack that Dair left at the entrance, and follow his wolf, dragging Raine behind me.

[ 31 ]

DAIR

The Wilds

My wolf guides Raine and Ferris through the edge of the city, back out into the Wilds, and heads due west. Raine cries softly, worried about Vale, but my wolf saw with his own eyes the truth that Tore and Vale will be more than okay left alone. Ferris tries to console our mate, but her mood is subdued, and her energy is flagging.

When she can’t walk any further, we take a break in a tiny cluster of trees in the middle of a barren field, and I shift back to skin. Neither of them even blink at my nudity, either too shell-shocked or unfazed to react. “Are you both okay?” I ask, nostrils flaring wide to scent them over the stench of putrid gore.

“I think so,” Ferris says, looking at Raine.

“I’m exhausted,” she says, “but otherwise, okay. No bites or major injuries.”

“Good.” I look around the empty field, seeing nothing and no one on the horizon, but we can’t camp here; it’s far too exposed. “Raine, can you keep going, or are you done?”

Her shoulders are slumped, eyes drooping with exhaustion. “I’ll try,” she says, but doesn’t sound confident.

“Ferris, inside my pack is a length of rope. I’m going to shift back, and then I need you to tie Raine to my wolf so that she can ride on his back.”

“What?” Raine exclaims. “No way, Dair. I’m far too heavy, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Baby,” I chuckle. “The only thing you need to worry about is resting. I promise my wolf is more than capable of carrying you, okay?”