A Howl In The Night, Lorelei Sutton [best novels for students .txt] 📗

of you then," she mutters sharply, and then flings off her sunglasses. Her eyes are as red as blood.

She races at me, the jacket flying off her arms and head right into Ray's face. I quickly dodge her attack, running to other side of the kitchen. Ray snaps to his feet, looking anxiously at Meryl.

She looks like a rabid dog, full of thirst for blood and fighting. All four werewolves run at her, but she avoids them easily. She is very quick and nimble, racing through their grasp like it is just a game.

Somehow Meryl makes it over to my side, a Swiss Army Knife in her hands. She grabs my arm as quick as lightning, holding it to my throat. "Don't move!" she shrieks, pressing it towards my neck. A single bead of blood forms at the edge of the knife, dripping down it towards my chest.

They freeze, even their heartbeats slowing. Her smile widens to one of madness. "Now, Xavier, I want you to watch me kill her," she says darkly, staring straight at him. My life flashes before my eyes, and I feel even more regretful for trying to end it only a couple of weeks ago. It is such a wonderful gift... one so easy to lose.

A few more agonizing seconds pass, full of pain as she makes an even deeper cut. I look down towards the blood, and then snap my gaze to where it was before. A tear bubbles at the edge of my eye, sliding down my cheek. The other werewolves look just as horror-struck as I feel right now.

Suddenly, there is a blur of movement, and Meryl howls in pain. The knife slips from her hold, clattering on the floor. The werewolves immediately race into action, and within a few minutes she is firmly held by Jake.

Danae stands on the table, holding a dagger dripping with blood that isn't mine. She shoots me a smile as the werewolves force her on that table, nimbly jumping off and taking the knife to the sink.

Shock crosses my face when I realize what she has done. "Danae!" I shout, racing over to her, "you saved my life!"

"Yes," she says plainly, "I couldn't lose the only friend I have." She washes off her knife, then takes a towel and wipes my neck.

"Thank you so much!" I smile, and then hesitantly laugh. I have never felt so... relieved in my whole life. I walk back to the table, and without fear I place my hand on Meryl's head. It is so easy for me to heal a person now, having done it so often.

When the red had finally faded from her eyes, the werewolves still refrain from releasing their hold. Xavier's eyes are bloodshot, full of savagery and anger.

"We have to go," Ray abruptly let go of Meryl, fury in his features, "the Council must have already forced our barriers down if a Shifter managed to make it to our doors. Who knows what will come our way!"

"Yeah, we have to go," Xavier agrees, his silky smooth voice washing over us. "Put her away," he commands. Jake and Yi silently slide off to do his bidding.

"Can Danae come with us?" I ask, a hopeful expression in my features. They both stare at me, confused.

"Why would she want to come?" Ray asks bitingly. Danae appears by my side, smiling. At this distance, I can tell she has aged considerably, a few gray hairs sprouting from her scalp.

"Because I want to have an adventure," she smiles enchantingly, and I see Ray's firm expression soften. Without a word, he turns and walks to the door, vanishing from my gaze. Xavier looks at me for a second, and then follows Ray.

After a couple of minutes, Danae and I meet them at the door. My neck is patched with a band aid, and I am carrying my small pouch. Danae is adorned likewise, but the two werewolves are carrying nothing.

"Let's go," Xavier says softly.

The rain soaks my hair as we race into the darkness.

 

Runaways

 

Our feet pound onto the dirt in perfect unison, each of us in sync with each other. Danae is next to me, having to take two strides for my every one, and Ray is on my other side. I can't even see Xavier past Ray's form, but I can sense his presence. His enchanting smell always tends to weave its way to my nose. It is so strong that it almost makes me fall out of step, invoking sorrow and regret through my blood. I can sense his anger, his frustration pounding against my defenses.

I shake my mind from him, focusing at the scene before us. An endless expanse of trees is ahead, making me wonder when it will end and I will finally get an unobstructed view of the thundering sky again. We are moving considerably slower than usual, since Danae and I are dragging the two werewolves down. I can tell this speed is bothering Ray, a frown gracing his features. He seems to be afraid as well as angry, fright in his expression.

For some reason, I can't bring myself to possess that same emotion. For how am I supposed to be afraid of an invisible attacker that I have never seen before? Every step we take is one step farther away from the enemy, but how do we know the enemy is chasing us in the first place? I know this unseen villain is a threat, and I realize that we must run. However, I do not get the familiar feeling that I am running for my life, that all the stakes rest upon our ability to evade this problem. For some reason, it almost feels like a game.

So it is no wonder that I am not putting all of my effort into my actions.

In addition to my laziness, Danae seemed to be breathing heavily as she runs, sweat pouring down her tiny body. To keep up with the werewolves and I, she has to work twice as hard as us. I can easily see that she won't last that much longer. But she is courageously gritting her teeth and continuing without a complaint. I soon realize that she wouldn't speak a word even if she was on the brink of death.

Minutes stretch into hours, the forest ever continuing. I had no idea it was this big–we must be delving deeper into the sea of trees instead of trying to escape them. So many questions brim at the edge of my lips, then retreat as I unsuccessfully try to break the atmosphere of silence surrounding us all. The tension intimidates me. I am afraid that I may upset our steady rhythm if I utter a single word, and Xavier will be even more furious at me than he already is.

Every second becomes identical to the next, nothing changing as time slips on. Rain  continues to pound at us, fiercely beating at our backs and soaking us to the core. The wind's sharp claws further accentuate the bitter cold, gripping us and never letting go. It is a nightmare in itself, even my vision growing hazy in the downpour. If not for my silent companions, I would have given up already, crawling under some random tree and sulking.

I narrowly miss a branch, swerving underneath it with inhuman speed. The sudden movement seems to shock me into reality. I have been in some sort of trance, and this rude awakening also brings about awareness of the pains in my stomach. I glance over at Danae to see that she has almost collapsed, barely pulling herself along. Ray, on the other hand, is barely breaking a sweat, chugging along even quicker than when we started. I assume Xavier is in the same condition.

After a few more minutes, the pains grow past my stomach and envelop my whole being. I cannot take this any longer. I cannot abuse myself to this length just to escape the invisible enemy.

"Stop." My voice is commanding, urgent. I finally pause my feet, and the rest of them come to an abrupt halt as well. Weariness creeps upon me, until I have to hunch over for breath. When I look up, I find Ray, Xavier, and Danae staring at me.

"Danae and I must rest," I say firmly, speaking the words Danae refused to say. She looks at me with unspoken gratitude. Ray's face is emotionless, and Xavier's face is full of fear.

"We can't stop now," Xavier urges, "we must keep going!" His face is devoid of any redness or exertion, only occupied by the rain flooding down it.

"Well, can we at least have a bite to eat? I'm starving!" I beg, looking directly into his eyes. I am not afraid of him, even though he is angry at me. My hunger is changing me from an ashamed girl to a brave, yet desperate one. "It would also be nice to get some more clothes, or to get under some shelter and let them dry. Aren't you guys cold?"

Shivers ripple through me as a strong burst of wind brushes past my wet skin. I am sure the two werewolves can sense my vulnerability, but strangely, I don't care. All that matters to me is to get some food to grace my aching stomach.

"Okay," Xavier immediately melts after my sad display, his expression still hard as a rock but his tone soft and gentle. I just gaze at his perfect form, missing the affection he used to lavish on me, the affection I hated with all my might. I can tell he is weary of this fighting also, but he is also torn by the sight he saw in the garden. How can I express to him that I can't have just anyone?

Not that I'm going to start treating him with love if he accepts my apology. I still refuse to fall into that deathly snare of desire and passion, even though I can't think of any reasons for holding back anymore. My lips beg to be touched by him, my eyes gravitating to him constantly. And his scent...  exudes potently strong pheromones that disarms me completely. My entire body wishes to be embraced by him, to surrender everything. 

"There is a fast food restaurant about a mile from here..." Ray says, checking his phone, "to our right." He slouches against the tree, water running down his form. I almost forgot it was raining.

Lightning lights up the forest, golden whips of energy igniting the air. Thunder soon follows, its wail crackling through the air and hurting my ears.

"Let's go." I look into the sky, marveling at its horrendous temper tantrum. "Ray and Xavier, let us get on your backs so we can go there quickly."

Without a word in complaint, they oblige. Ray gets to me first, smiling brightly. "My lady?" he bows, and I laugh at his weird fake accent. Xavier, slightly dismayed, lets Danae clamor onto his back.

Ray shoots me an encouraging smile, then charges through the forest. It takes a second for my mind to adjust to the speed, but then I am fully alert, looking around. There's a fast food station only a mile away from here? Is it right in the middle of the forest? So far we have