Uncontrollable (The Nature of Grace, Book 2) (14 page)

T
he wind outside picks up. “We need to get under some shelter in case the weather gets worse.”

Skyler scoffs, “And how do you suggest I do that?”

“I guess I’ll have to drag your grumpy butt. So you’d better be nice to me.”

Her eyes turn cold. “At least I’m not hitting on someone else’s boyfriend.”

I drape her arm over my shoulder and laugh as I lift her. “I can only assume you’re talking about Wyn. So that’s a joke right?”

“Do you deny it?” she says, sounding a lot like Birdee.

Skyler is not very heavy so I take a few easy steps. “What is this, a court of law? I plead the fifth.”

“Ha! So you admit it.”

I stop and face her, still holding her up. “Let’s get something straight. Wyn’s been my best friend as long as you’ve been dyeing your hair. So let’s not talk about who stole who from who.”

“I think it’s
whom
.”

I reposition my arm around her tiny waist and drag her along the path. “I don’t care who is whom.”

She spouts off in my ear. “You left him. You didn’t want him, and then you got another boyfriend. Wyn was fair game. I didn’t steal anything.” She stumbles, and I prevent her from tumbling into a slushy spot. She grits her teeth and winces.

I shake my head. “You make it sound like Wyn’s prey in some dating challenge. You win, okay? I’m not in the market.”

“Like I trust you.”

“You’d better since I’m taking care of you.” Off to one side, I spot an overhang with a dry spot underneath. “Over here.”

Skyler whimpers as we hobble through the snow and into the enclave. I can’t imagine how much her leg hurts, yet surprisingly she’s not complaining at all. She’s different than when Wyn’s around. With him, she acts weak and needy. With me, she’s cold and stubborn.

Once we get to the overhang, I lower her onto a small boulder and get to work on the dry space. I lay one tarp on the ground and hang one up to keep the wind out. I quickly start collecting branches and logs. Within minutes, I have a fire blazing and a kettle of water on the flames. I sit down and zip up my jacket to keep the chill off my neck.

Skyler shivers. “I’m so cold.”

I take out the hand warmers. “Here. You can use these.”

“Thanks.” She slips them into her dirty mittens, which are now not so fuzzy. Her face is bright red, and her breath seems shallower. Shock and hypothermia do not mix well in this weather.

“Move closer to the fire. You need to keep warm, and you need to stay awake.” She yelps as I help her move a few inches closer to the flames. Tears appear in the corner of her eyes. “Sorry, I know that hurts.”

“No, you’re not.”

I ignore her snide comment, because if I don’t, I’m going to say something nasty. I’m out in the cold wilderness taking care of her. I could have easily left her alone and trekked home to my warm bed. I’d be there within an hour at most. Instead, I’m stuck taking care of someone who can’t stand the sight of me. I stare at the flames flickering against the tarp like it’s some kind of shadow-puppet show.

Skyler’s voice breaks the silence. “You like him, don’t you?”

I sigh. “Do we have to talk about this again?”

“I do, too. You know, he’s all I’ve had since…”

I can only respond with, “I know.”

And I do know. She’s talking about Carl, and neither of us wants to say his name. “Skyler, I’m sorry. About everything. I just wanted my dad back.”

“So you took mine instead.” She focuses on the fire.

“This wasn’t a barter. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen, you know. I had no clue what was going on.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to forgive you.”

“I don’t expect you to.”

I feel dejected and exhausted from trying to make other people happy. I think about Carl and everything he did to my dad. To Mo. To me. Anger festers inside me, and I want to go off on Skyler–and Wyn, for that matter. How could either one of them turn against me and defend a man who betrayed his family and killed animals for money. Someone who was ultimately responsible for killing people, including my Dad, who never did anything to anyone. As far as I’m concerned, even though it’s sad, Carl dying was the only way I could live.

But I hold back. There’s been enough hurt. If I have to take an ego hit to help her feel better, so be it. A howl pierces through the wind, and Skyler’s head snaps up.

“What was that?”

I poke at the burning embers. “A bear?”

She frowns. “Very funny. That was a wolf.”

“They say there are a few up here,” I mutter sarcastically.

Wincing, she scoots her back against the rock. “Yeah, but with us. Now.”

I pull up my hood and lie back against a log. “They hunt at night, so usually you start to hear them around dusk.”

“Thought they didn’t like to be seen?” Her eyes shift wildly around the small space. “Will they hunt
us
?”

I smile under my hood. I might not be able to get mad at her about Carl or attack her about her relationship with Wyn, but I can torture her with wolf trivia. “They eat meat. They’re not picky.”

As if on cue, another wolf howls. This one sounds a bit closer.

She gasps. “What do we do?”

The tension of the day seeps from my bones. “I’d stay quiet if I were you.”

Skyler whimpers a little. “I thought Wyn would be back by now. What’s taking him so long?”

I sit up and check my watch in the dim light. To be honest, I was expecting Wyn to be back by now, too. I had no intentions of staying out here all night. Especially with Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. If I’d known it was going to take him this long, I’d have gone instead. I picture Wyn stumbling through snowdrifts in his fancy shoes, possibly lost. I rub my temples. I assumed he’d be able to walk the couple of miles on his own, but maybe I was wrong to send him.

I pull out the radio and speak into it. “Wyn? Anyone out there?”

Once again, nothing but static, which doesn’t surprise me. We’re in a valley, the weather isn’t great, and he’s probably out of range by now. I should have made him take the radio. That way if he got lost, he would’ve had more of a chance to call someone.

“Something wrong?” Skyler says.

I try not to let on that I’m a tad worried. “Nah. Wyn’s not the greatest hiker. What would take me two hours takes him too long. The weather isn’t great. Maybe he got out, and they decided to wait until morning.”

Skyler starts to rock. “Oh my God. You mean we have to stay out here all night? In the dark? With hungry wolves?” Her voice starts to tremble.

I stop playing games and sit next to her. “We’ll be fine. Trust me. They know where we are.”

I try to comfort her more. Maybe now I’m trying to ease my own rattling nerves as well. I never expected to be out here at night either. Al pops into my head. Suddenly every crack and scuttle has me jumping like a flea.

I try to ease my own mind. “It’s just a matter of time before they find us, and we’ll be slurping Birdee’s potato soup before you know it.”

“I hate potatoes.”

“Trust me, after being out here too long, you’ll love anything they stick in front of you.” I drop my head back and stare at the gray sky. As clouds pass over, every now and then the sun peeks through and reassures me I’m not alone.

Another howl breaks the silence, and Skyler scoots closer to me. She whispers as low as she can in her high voice. “What about the wolves?”

I keep my voice down. “Porter said there’s never been an attack on humans.”

Just as the words leave my lips. A growl sounds off on the other side of the tarp blocking our view. My heart soars into my throat. I know right away it’s a wolf, and that he’s closer than I want him to be.

Funny. We’ve spent a couple of days trying to spot these wolves, and they show up
now
? How rude.

Skyler’s eyes are as wide as an owl's. I put a finger to my lips so she doesn’t say anything. Picking up a large stick, I motion to her head. She immediately rips off the fabric and hands me the bloody bandana. I slowly wrap it around my stick and plunge the end into the fire.

As the torch blazes, I pull back the tarp, keeping it in front of me as a flimsy barrier. At first, I see nothing but a black canvas. Once my eyes adjust, I spot something a few yards away, hidden in the trees. A pair of glowing eyes.

Holding the torch, I pick up a rock and launch it, taking the animal by surprise. The wolf darts away and crashes through the piles of brittle branches scattered along the snowy ground. I scan the woods, swinging my torch from left to right. Wolves never travel alone, so there’s bound to be others out there. Waiting.

Just when I’m about to lower my guard, something moves off to my left. I swing the torch toward the shadow. A large wolf slowly appears from the darkness with its teeth showing. I can only assume it’s the alpha male, though I’m not sure why it’s acting so bold. I guess we’re a threat to his pack somehow. Red wolves aren’t normally very aggressive unless a litter or den is in danger.

The wolf takes another step forward. I hold the flames out in front of me and wave them in the air while keeping my eye on the trees, looking for more. I can hear Skyler whimpering behind me, which is not helping at all. You can’t appear to be prey to any wild animal. They only back off if they think you’re a huge threat, not when they know you are a weak meal.

I stand completely still, staring into the wolf’s eyes. If I move, he’ll charge. Besides the makeshift torch, all I have to defend myself is the knife Tommy gave me. And that’s strapped to my hip. I stay behind the tarp for protection in case he attacks.

My hands shake as the wolf takes another step. Skyler shifts behind me and groans again like a wounded animal. The wolf snaps his head in her direction and sniffs the air. I bet he can smell the blood from her leg. Maybe that’s what drew him out.

I rattle the tarp to get his attention. He jumps as if startled and then crouches like a tiger, hunching over with his teeth showing. The glow from the fire catches the light of his eyes, making him appear slightly possessed. I focus on breathing steady. He takes another step forward, and I get ready to throw the torch, hoping I can grab my knife in time.

Just then, a gunshot goes off in the air. I jump and spin around as the wolf darts off into the woods. The sound of gunfire triggers a slew of flashbacks to that day in the camp. My whole body freezes and chills race along my spine. I press my back against the mountainside and draw my knife, not knowing what to do. I put my finger to my lips.

A beam of light sweeps the ground and someone calls out. “Grace? You out here?”

I exhale as the adrenaline pumps through me. “Agent Sweeney! Over here!”

Skyler laughs and cries at the same time. “They’re here. Oh, thank God.”

Agent Sweeney appears from out of the thick woods, resting a large gun on his shoulder. He points the barrel at the tarp. “Love what you’ve done with the place.”

“What took you so long?”

He walks over to Skyler and inspects her leg. She winces at his touch. “Got yourself a mighty nice break there.”

She reaches up and hugs his neck. “You came. Thank God. Where’s Wyn?”

Agent Sweeney unpacks a few medical supplies from his bag and begins making Skyler a proper splint.

“We found him about a mile off course. He told us what happened. He’s back at the office waiting on you guys to make it back safely.” Agent Sweeney grips Skyler’s shoulder. “You’ll be just fine. We have a chopper waiting for you on the ridge.” He pulls out a foldable nylon stretcher. “Grace and I can carry you there. It’s not too far.”

Skyler hops over to a long stick and picks it up. Leaning on it, she eyes me. “No, thanks. I’ll walk.”

I frown. Some thanks. Then my spirit sags. To some people, no matter what I do, I will never be able to make up for what I’ve done.

“Tough girl.”

I almost laugh, but hold it in.
Yeah, as tough as snails
.

Agent Sweeney hands Skyler a couple pills and some water. “Take these. They should help you feel better until you get to the hospital.”

She focuses on me and for the first time looks worn and sad. “That’s okay. I’m used to the pain by now.”

Survival Skill #12

In a snowy whiteout, try not to move; windblown snow can fill in contours, obscure cairns, and conceal drop-offs.

T
he next morning, as soon as Wyn walks into Agent Sweeney’s office, I race over to him. “Are you okay? I was worried about you.”

He laughs. “Me? I was worried about
you
guys. Didn’t think they would get to you in time.”

“It was cold, but we were fine.”

“I wasn’t talking about the cold.” He smirks. “Afraid you and Skyler would kill each other if you had to stay the night. Glad to see you made it.”

“Ha. I would’ve won that fight, trust me. Skipper never let Barbie win a round.”

Agent Sweeney calls out from the corner. “Yeah. Grace could scare off the wolves and the cold. Can you believe it?”

Wyn stops joking and gives me a quick hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. We should have stuck to the path.”