HOWL and HUNT the HEIR: HOWL 1-3 (Dark World) Page 5

  She had no idea where he came from, but her little brother almost tackled her to the ground when he flew against her body, wrapping his arms around her. He was shaking harder than a leaf as he was clinging to her, and Liala held him as close as she could. Trying to bring her brother to the car, he refused to move an inch. She didn’t want to speak or whisper, because she was too afraid that wherever these creatures were, they would return, but he didn’t leave her any choice.

  “Benjy, come on,” she breathed out quietly. “You need to get in the car!”

  Her heart had just calmed down, until she realized that the wolves definitely would hear the motor purring loudly, because the Land Rover’s engine had died.

  “We need to go!” She pried Benjy’s arms from her and pulled him along to the door behind the driver’s seat.

  It took way longer than she had hoped for, because her little brother didn’t want to let her go, and his legs obviously refused to work.

  “Benjy, please,” she pushed through her teeth. “Dad’s inside. I found Dad. Get in.”

  That information seemed to wake him from his fear induced paralysis, and as soon as Lia had opened the door he jumped in to stare first at Rick in confusion, until he realized that his father sat slumped in the shotgun seat.

  “Dad?” He asked his voice turning louder and more hysterical as their father didn’t answer. “Daddy?”

  Liala shut the door behind him and quickly moved to the front, getting into the driver’s seat as fast as possible, praying silently that no creature would show up. She tried to push out her worries about the others. Kiana was her cousin and the closest she had to a best friend, but she felt like she didn’t care about Brenna. Both her shock about her indifference and the gnawing worry made her stomach turn, as she pulled the gear into reverse.

  Can I leave them behind?

  Could she leave the guys behind? Why hadn’t she checked on her uncle? What if he was still alive? What if the guys were?

  Liala managed to turn the car around, sending it forward and backward several times while tears gathered in her eyes and bile rose in her throat. It felt like an eternity. Her heart was hammering wildly in her chest and she did her best to prevent her breathing from turning shallow. She had to turn the car because there was no way of getting around the crashed Land Rover, and there was no path further ahead, either. Liala knew that she had to drive the car back to their camp ground in order to find the road they had arrived on. And she was sure that the wolves were waiting for them there, ready to attack again.

  They can’t have just given up.

  Her thoughts and worries made backflips in her head, colliding with each other, and left her mind in a tangled mess. Not being able to unknot them while she was clinging to the steering wheel, trying to drive as fast and as safely as possible. Her brother kept chanting to their father who was still unconscious. Worrying about his state was the very last thing she wanted to do, but hearing Benjy drew her thoughts back to her dad. Luckily, she was able to stop herself from looking over at him. She knew that right now all she could do was drive. Liala tried not to think of the ones she had left behind, of the two that hadn’t been in the car. She had her little brother.

  Have the wolves taken them? Maybe her cousin Jason will jump in front of the Jeep, and I can save at least him.

  It was the few hopeful yet unrealistic thoughts that kept her going; that made her control her breath and keep her eyes open and glued to the path that Kiana’s driving had created. That was until she instinctively checked her right, hoping to find the track back to the main road, and she saw that her dad’s body had slid to the side, threatening to fall against her shoulder.

  “Rick!” She shouted, hoping that he hadn’t passed out either. “Push my dad back up.”

  Just then she realized that her brother had stopped chanting and now squeaked “Dad!” out in a panic.

  Now, Liala couldn’t stop from looking to her dad and the window, unknowingly slowing down the car. She saw that Rick’s hand appeared between the front seats, doing her bidding without saying a word or making a sound. That was the reason why she saw the figure standing in her way a moment too late. Instantly she slammed both feet on the brake, pushing it down until it connected with the floor of the vehicle. All the passengers in the car rocked back and forth until the car came to a full stop.

  Liala was about to give the same force to the throttle. When she realized that the man-sized two-legged wolf was holding her cousin Jason by the neck. He was obviously trying to fight against the grip of the creature whose claws seemed to dig into his throat. He was alive.

  “Oh my God,” she heard Rick gasp from the backseat.

  “Benjy, get down,” Liala ordered without looking back, hearing her brother following her order in an instant.

  He had seen enough already.

  “Lia…” Rick continued, but then stopped abrubtly.

  They were both thinking the same. She was sure of it. The scene was obvious. If they moved, Jason’s neck would be snapped right in front of them; or worse! If they didn’t, they would be attacked, soon.

  He’s giving us a choice.

  The thought shot through Liala’s head like a bullet. She was sure of it. Even with this wolf being alone they had shown enough strength that he easily could have crashed through the windshield and mauled them. The others were probably waiting for his sign to attack.

  He can’t be alone.

  Liala moved slowly, putting the gear in park and reached for the door handle.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Rick whispered loudly.

  “When I get out there, you’re going to crawl into the driver’s seat, slowly,” Liala explained, feeling eerily calm; she knew what she had to do, she had to keep her promise and get her brother and father out of here alive.

  “Us women weren’t attacked or hurt and now they are nowhere to be seen,” she explained. “They are after Kiana, Brenna and me, isn’t this obvious? They killed or hurt all the men. Maybe he wants me in exchange for Jason, for letting you go. If anything happens to me you get my brother and dad out of here. Promise me.”

  I can’t believe I am doing this.

  Liala knew that something would happen and Rick had to bring her family to safety. All she did hope for was that she could save Jason, but there was no guarantee. It could be a trap.

  “Promise me!” She insisted as Rick didn’t answer.

  Suddenly he leaned forward, grabbed her by the neck and crushed his lips to hers, taking her utterly by surprise. Ironically, it was just what she needed, because she could feel the rush of adrenaline wash over her body.

  “I promise,” Rick said hoarsely and looked into her eyes with a look that begged her to be safe, and to return.

  He let go of her just as quickly as he had blindsided her just seconds before. Liala looked at him, still a bit startled, but grateful that he didn’t ask or tell her to change her mind. She nodded briefly, pressing her lips into a thin line and she turned around, opening the door slowly.

  There was no turning back now, although in her mind two voices where screaming at each other.

  I must be suicidal. Why am I doing this? I don’t even like him that much, or know him. Dad and Benjy are safe; I just should have run that monster over and got them out of here.

  But Liala knew that she would never be able to live with herself if she abandoned someone, even if there was just a tiny fraction of a chance that she could save him. If she could take his place and live, how could she go on knowing that he didn’t survive. Was there even a choice?

  Slowly, she closed the door of the car and turned towards the large wolf-like man, who was still holding Jason like a struggling, yet helpless puppet. He was nothing but prey to this creature. In a slow movement, she lifted her hands defensively.

  “Don’t hurt him, please,” she tried to say calmly.

  Liala waited for the reaction of the beast, but it just stared at her, doing at least what she was hoping for: giving
her its full attention so that Rick could crawl into the driver’s seat and get ready to leave.

  “It’s me you want, right?” She asked and made one careful step forward. “Just let him go; let them go and I will go with you. I promise.”

  She continued to walk towards them slowly, silently praying that the creature would understand her words and accept her terms. There was no chance for her to concentrate on the wolf-man when Jason was continuing to struggle and looking at her in panic. She was sure that if he just calmed down, it would work.

  “Jason, stop struggling!” She cussed, but addressing him was a mistake.

  “Lia are you insane?!” He screamed at her, trying to fight against the grip with even more force, hitting with his arms and kicking with his legs hoping to free himself.

  “Jason…!” Liala started to argue but with one loud, smacking pop the world stood still and everything went dead silent.

  She watched her cousin’s body fall limp, just like a puppet whose strings had been cut with one cruel swipe of a blade. The hot rush of adrenaline that Rick’s kiss had given her was replaced by the icy touch of death, as if the reaper’s coat itself had brushed her skin as he had passed her by to collect Jason’s soul. Liala couldn’t stop staring into the lifeless eyes of her cousin, still showing the shock of awareness in his moment of death.

  With one heavy step the creature in front of her ripped her from her paralysis, making her turn around halfway, and while she moved she could see another approaching, one that looked as if it had been severely hurt. A decision had to be made, quickly.

  “Go!” She yelled at Rick who looked at her in shock, even though it was her scream that brought him back to reality.

  Liala waved at him, telling him to flee, hoping that he would do as she asked. After he blinked once, Rick finally moved, probably reaching for the gear shift, as she could hear steps approaching from behind her.

  She closed her eyes and turned back around, opening them again while letting out a deep breath. The wolf man towered at least two feet over her: Clenching her hands into fists and staying where she was, pretending to be calm and calculating, while her heart was beating rapidly.

  Be rational.

  Rick turned the car around and stopped. Was he really waiting for her to jump into the car? Even if she would be able to do that, they wouldn’t be able to escape; because the creature in front of her would stop her, and it would take just the time the other wolf would need to get to them. Quickly she turned her head around and yelled at Rick, who stared at her in disbelief: “Go!”

  When she turned back around, thankfully, the werewolf in front of her wasn’t carrying her dead cousin anymore as she took a moment to look at him. Liala stepped into his way as he attempted to pass her by in order to get the car. Realizing what she was trying to do, despite being so obviously inferior in size, speed and strength, his animal-ish face showed genuine surprise. The second time he seemed to only fake trying to walk past her, maybe just to check if this little thing in front of him was in fact standing up to him. At least that was what Liala believed she was able to read from the creature’s expression. And she kept her glare glued to his, just to be sure, he wasn’t trying it again.

  As Liala heard weary heavy steps approaching her from the side, she didn’t need to turn around to know that it was the other one. She continued staring at the one who stood in front of her, remembering that looking straight into the eyes of a wolf meant challenging them. Another thing her mother told her when they had been camping here. That’s what she remembered all of the sudden.

  Did mum and I see wolves while camping here?

  This applied to wolves, and although these creatures resembled those canines a lot, there were some features that just didn’t fit. They were walking on their hind legs. In order to be able to do that their spine had to be atypical. For a wolf, it wasn’t possible to stand up straight like that. And then there were their distorted fore legs that rather appeared like hairy human arms with clawed hands. And then there were those eyes.

  They weren’t yellow or icy blue, like wolf eyes. The one in front of her had raven black fur and his eyes were green, beautifully green, rather like a gem, other than green like the forest...

  They look like they are from a horror movie. Like werewolves.

  A low growl from the other werewolf made her instinctively flinch and turn to take a step back. He wasn’t as hurt as she had assumed, because his fur was reddish-brown, almost like the fur of a fox. The sound, however, wasn’t addressed at her, because he only then lowered the gaze of his honey-brown eyes to her when she turned to look at him. It was then when she realized that she should be scared out of her mind and not looking them over as if she was in control of this situation, because she wasn’t.

  I must be in shock.

  That was the only explanation that made sense to her. It didn’t change anything about it. More important to Liala was that the two of them weren’t chasing the car that took her father and brother to safety.

  But where is the third wolf? Is he guarding Kiana and Brenna?

  She looked back at the black one in front of her. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t tried to get past her once again, all he did was stare at her in curiosity. At least that was what she thought, because he tilted his head to the side a little.

  What now? She wondered.

  Liala didn’t get the chance to find out, because all of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain at the left side of her head and the world went dark.

  4 – Sacrifice

  Liala was woken up by the warm light shining on her face, and that confused her. The light shouldn’t be that bright in the tent, unless someone had forgotten to close it.

  Is it morning already?

  As she began to stretch out her numb limbs, she noticed that she wasn’t lying in her sleeping bag. Her body was framed by two others; one to her right and one to her left, with each one of them confining her arms and pinning her down.

  This is odd.

  Forcefully she tried to open her heavy eyelids and her eyes instantly burned. But her headache was worse. She felt dizzy. She wasn’t sure if they had gotten into the booze last night, but her head sure felt like she was hungover. She had to have had a bad night because she wasn’t lying, she was sitting, with her back leaning against something hard. Another odd thing was: that her hangover was one-sided, only the left half of her face hurt. Trying to rub the ache and sleep from them, Liala fought against the weight against her body and managed to free her arms.

  Liala blinked wildly, trying to pry her eyelids open to realize that it wasn’t the sun warming her face. It was a large campfire, larger than the one that they had made.

  Did I pass out from the booze?

  She looked left and right to see Kiana and Brenna were framing her, shaking like leaves, pressed up against her, eyes ripped open wide in terror. Liala frowned.

  It was a dream nothing more. It can’t be real.

  They weren’t attacked by werewolves. No one had been hurt. No one had been killed. Her cousin’s neck hadn’t been snapped right in front of her, and she hadn’t sent Rick off to save her brother and father. This couldn’t be real. Yet, she had just woken up leaning against a large tree, wearing her pajamas, her feet smudged with mud and something she didn’t want to think about. And both Kiana and Brenna were terrified.

  Did it all really happen?

  Suddenly Brenna whimpered and Kiana tensed next to her, gripping her upper arm. Something was happening that she didn’t notice, or was it because she still felt dizzy.

  Why does my head hurt?

  As she saw the large, black furred werewolf step in front of the fire, she remembered. She was looking at him and then everything went dark. The other wolf must have punched her unconscious or something.

  According to the way the black wolf turned around, Liala figured that there were more standing on the other side of the fire, probably being certain that their prisoners wouldn’t flee, despite them not being bound
in any way. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see beyond the fire. Liala instantly froze when she counted four: Four creatures that she couldn’t tell any difference from the werewolves, which were looking at each other, heads moving.

  Are they talking to each other?

  She couldn't find out. The fire was hurting her eyes.

  “We need to escape,” she whispered carefully and both young women stared at her as if she had two heads.

  They didn’t say anything but their looks spoke more than volumes. There was no way they were attempting to flee. Not with those monsters watching them. And Liala knew that they probably didn’t have any chance of escaping. And yet, she couldn’t bury all her hope. It just wasn’t her nature. She always had to move on and work through whatever life had thrown at her. They just had to stay alive until help would arrive.

  Suddenly, there was movement on the other side of the campfire. The wolves walked around it, and the closer they came, the more painful Kiana’s grip on my arm became.

  The preceding wolf was one she hadn’t seen before. His fur was a neatly groomed silver-grey with darker and lighter spots. He wasn’t as tall as the black one or as bulky as the reddish brown one, but there was something about this wolf that oozed something like regal dignity.

  Is he the Alfa? He must be.

  Maybe his fur once had been black and the grey had come with age? Quickly she captured her trailing off mind to focus on who was standing in front of her; especially because he was looking straight at her.

  Had they told him what she had done?

  To Liala’s surprise and shock the wolf-man suddenly went down on all fours and stalked closer, looking at her. But there was more happening than just digging his clawed hands into the dirt. He was changing right in front of her, becoming more wolf-like with snapping and crunching noises that made her stomach churn and her cousin and Brenna tremble. Eventually, he changed into a real large dire wolf, almost as big as a foal, yet strangely beautiful.