Willow (Blood Vine Series) (9 page)




             
A high, clear howl split the night air. I had just stepped out of the shower when I heard it. The sound filled my entire body with a feeling I was not familiar with. A hard knot seemed to have settled in the pit of my stomach. I was shaking so hard I could barely pull on my pajama shorts and top. Something was wrong, I could feel it in the pit of my being.

             
Not bothering with shoes, I stepped outside the cabin door. I listened intently with my human ears, but I couldn’t hear anything except the usual sounds of a forest at night. Crickets chirped, an owl hooted somewhere nearby. A slight breeze had picked up, causing the leaves to flutter against each other. I tried to let the sounds soothe me. Everything had to be ok, otherwise Gage would have come to tell me. Another howl sounded, bringing heat to my spine. The sound was far away, too far for two legs.

             
I dropped to all fours, a growl already forming. “Who is that?” I demanded. I knew they could hear me no matter how far away they were. I felt the excitement in the air, the hunt. A gun fired, followed by a yelp. “Where are you?” I demanded again. I heard them running then, their legs carrying them to me in quick long strides.

             
Waving my head back and forth in an agitated manner, I lunged forward in a burst of speed. I met the pack four miles from the cabin. Gage was first, followed by five others. Five not six. My chest tightened. “Who’s missing?”

             
A dark brown wolf stepped forward and morphed back into Rueben. “It’s Jed. He was shot.”

             
I growled loudly, making the others crouch away. “What happened?”

             
“We were hunting and came upon a man with a gun. He saw us so Jed attacked, but he shot him.” Rueben’s words all rushed together. He morphed back to his wolf form as soon as the last word fell out.

             
“Why the hell would you attack a human?” Rueben dropped to his belly and tried to push his head under my chin. It was the first time any of them had seen me as a wolf. I snapped violently at Rueben and he flinched back with the others. “What were you thinking?” I paced back and forth. “Take me to Jed.”

             
Gage was the first one to bolt through the trees. I followed close at his heels, my heart racing the entire time.

             
Jed, in his human form, was surrounded by people by the time we got to him so we had to stay hidden. “They were wolves,” a man wearing camouflage was saying, “but they weren’t like normal wolves. They were different.”

             
“Did they attack you, son?” a police officer asked Jed. He just groaned in response. The muscles along my neck tensed, he was hurt.

             
“Look at his clothes. It sure looks like he was attacked.”

             
“The only injury I see is where you shot him.”

             
“I scared them away.” The man swallowed nervously and peered out into the darkness.

             
“Gage, you’re the only one who can morph with your clothes intact. You have to go get
him.” I stared into Gage’s wide grey eyes, pleading for him to go rescue Jed. If they took him to the hospital they would see how fast he healed.

             
Before I had time to fully blink, Gage was back on two legs. “You should have hunted with them tonight,” he accused. “Get them out of here.”

             
With a final look at where Jed lay, I led the pack back towards the cabin. I saw a flash of black fur as Gage turned back to his wolf self. What was he doing? My steps faltered when I heard more gunshots and screaming. Tyson whined and pranced backwards. “Come on,” I commanded softly. We stopped at the small stream and lay down to wait for Gage.

             
Gage was right, I should have hunted with the pack. They might seem in control, but they were still very young to this life. It was hard for them to avoid humans, to be able to catch their scent on the air. Guilt gnawed at my insides. This was all my fault. Why didn’t I just hunt with them? Because I didn’t want to morph and then have to morph back with shredded clothes. I was young, too. This just wasn’t fair.

             
My bout of self-pity was interrupted by a rustling in a nearby bush. Rueben was on his feet first, the hair on his neck standing straight out. I stepped in front of him with my head bent low to the ground. I was relieved to see the black form of Gage emerge. In the next instant that relief turned to dread. Jed was not with him.

             
“Where’s Jed?”

             
Gage lifted his head towards the sky and yelped twice. His whole body shook with tension. I took a step forward. Gage let out another yelp and took off through the trees. With only a little hesitation, I ran after him.

             
He led us all back to the cabin. He watched me expectantly, willing me with those grey eyes to morph back to human and go inside to check on Jed. I couldn’t though, not with everyone watching me. I had changed to my wolf self in my night clothes. I’d be lucky if there were even shreds of the thin material left. Jed may need me though. He might have been lying on the couch dying. I took two steps toward the door, whining deep in my throat. “Jed?”

             
One of the boys knelt below me and pushed his head under my chin. He made a forlorn noise. “It’s ok,” I told him gently. I took a deep breath and gathered the heat in my spine. Just as I figured, I had an embarrassing amount of flesh showing. I blushed beet red and wrapped my arm over my chest. “You guys stay out here for a minute,” I called over my shoulder.

             
I intended to go straight to my room to get some clothes on before I saw Jed, or rather before Jed saw me, but the sight of him lying sprawled out and so still on the couch changed my mind. I rushed to his side and fell to my knees. “Jed?” My mouth felt too dry to manage much more than a croak. “Jed? Are you ok?” He moaned softly, which excited me much more than it should have. At least he wasn’t dead. “Hey.” I brushed the hair back from his forehead. There was so much blood on his shirt that I was afraid to touch him anywhere else.

             
“Hey.” He opened his eyes and coughed weakly.

             
“Oh Jed, you’re alive!” I flung my arms across his chest.

             
“Ow.” He winced away from my onslaught.

             
I pulled back, immediately contrite. “Sorry.”

             
“It’s ok,” he grinned, “I heal quickly.”

             
“I’m really sorry Jed.”

             
“I’m fine. It’s just a little gunshot wound. You didn’t really hurt me,” he tried to sit up but I pushed him back down.

             
“I don’t mean for pouncing on you,” I glanced down at his chest, which was almost as bare as mine. “I mean I’m sorry for not going hunting with you guys. I should have been there, then maybe you wouldn’t have … ”

             
“Nah, it’s better you weren’t there. Then you might have been the one shot. That would have been way worse.” He grimaced, but I wasn’t sure it was from the thought of me being shot or from the pain.

             
“We would have never run into hunters,” I denied. A tear snaked its way down my face.

             
“Hey.” He wiped the tear away, looking horrified by my female emotions. I chuckled lightly at his expression. “But I do have some really bad news.” Jed did such a sincere sad face that I instantly fell for it.

             
“What?”

             
“I was attacked by a werewolf. I think it killed me.”

             
“That is bad,” I mimicked his sad tone.

             
“Tragic even.”

             
“Huh.”

             
“They might even put on an assembly for me at school.”

             
“You think so?”

             
“Yeah.”

             
“I’ll have to find a new boyfriend.” His eyes narrowed. “It’ll be really hard on me.”

             
“Maybe if you wear that outfit to school,” his eyes trailed purposefully down to my chest, “maybe it won’t be so hard.”

             
“Jed!” I flung my arm protectively over my chest, embarrassed beyond belief but relieved that he was okay. I smacked his arm before sprinting the short distance to my room. I heard the front door open as I slammed my bedroom door.

             
“Hey, man, glad you’re not dead,” Rodney’s voice was entirely too loud for our small cabin. I smiled and shook my head.

             
Outside my window the black wolf sat staring at me with his accusing grey eyes. “Yeah I know,” I whispered, “I messed up.” I snapped the curtains shut.

Chapter Nine

The In Crowd

             
“Carlie’s hair smells like strawberries,” I told Rueben the next morning. His angular frame was leaning against the locker next to mine.

             
“I know,” he grinned, “she uses some pink crap on it.”

             
Carlie had hugged me so many times that morning that I had lost count, and it was only third period. “It’s nice.”

             
“Maybe you should use it.”

             
“Are you saying my hair stinks?” I slammed my locker and punched it like Jed had showed me. It latched shut.

             
“Most girls can’t punch that hard,” he commented absently. He fell into step beside me. “And no, I don’t think your hair stinks.”

             
I smiled wide, but then remembered I was supposed to be grieving Jed’s death. “Jed will be happy to know how much he is missed here.”

             
“Hey,” Colby came up behind us.

             
“Hey Colby.”

             
“Guess Jed was right.”

             
“About what?”

             
“Assembly today after seventh.”

             
I groaned inwardly. Now I’d have to endure that many more hugs. “I’m going to skip it. I’m suddenly not feeling well. Overcome by grief, you know.”

             
Colby jabbed my back playfully. “No way. You’re going to be there.”

             
I jumped away from him, nearly colliding with Steven. “You should be more upset,” he said in his calm voice. Steven always managed to sound bored with life. His pale brown eyes stared intently at me through his coke bottle glasses.

             
“I am upset.” I lowered my voice to a near whisper. “This is so ridiculous.”

             
“We should just move,” Rueben suggested again. They had tried to talk me into it last night but I had refused. This would be a good lesson for the boys on staying invisible. When I caught the eyes of a grief stricken Carlie down the hall I had to wonder if maybe moving was the best option.

             
“Incoming,” I muttered under my breath. Steven quickly faded into the shadows and Colby fell back into a different crowd. Only Rueben and I were standing there when Carlie reached us.

             
“Oh, Willow,” she moaned, throwing her arms around my neck. “You must be so heartbroken.”

             
The scent of strawberries invaded my nostrils. “I am.” I tried to sound convincing.

             
She pulled herself away from me. “Will you still be able to do try-outs next week?”

             
“What?”

             
“I’m sure Coach Clinger would understand if you’re not up to it for a few days.”

             
“Oh yeah, I’ll have to … ”

             
“Carlie!” Aubrey and Lindsey, Carlie’s two right hands, came rushing towards us. Lindsey’s straight blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and her hazel eyes were widened. “Did you hear about the assembly today?”

             
“What assembly?”

             
“After seventh,” Rueben answered smoothly. “I’m sure it’s for Jed.” He hung his head low. I couldn’t say anything with my tongue pressed into my cheek.

             
“Oh, poor Rueben,” Aubrey cooed. Her bronze colored skin always looked like she had just gotten out of the shower and her thick black hair was also pulled into a ponytail.

             
“It’s so tragic,” Carlie’s bright green eyes were filled with an emotion I couldn’t place. Like she was scared but also strangely excited.