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“But…you’re ashamed of your name.”
“But others outside my circle don’t know that, and theywon’teverknow it.” There’s an underlying threat in his tone.
“I’m not going to run around telling people you hate your name.”
“I know you won’t.”
I roll my eyes, pushing one of my locs off my forehead. “This world is insanely complicated.”
“You get used to it.”
“I see.” I look him over again. “It seems this world makes people…hard. Are the children even happy here?”
He doesn’t respond, and if I’m not mistaken, he picks up his pace, taking a trail between a line of trees. I stay behind him this time, dropping the questions for now, not only because I know he’s done answering them, but because I’m getting tired. I’ve truly gotten lazy. My word.
I’d do anything to be home in my bed, rolling a joint, getting high, and then curling up in a blanket to take a nap. I suppose if I shut up, we’ll get there sooner, so I pick up my pace, but end up bumping right into Caz’s back.
Gasping, I stumble backwards, but he turns and catches my wrist, preventing the fall. With his other hand, he has a finger pressed to his lips, his eyes wide with warning.
What?I ask, and the thought is loud and clear in my mind, so I know he can hear it.What is it?
Something’s hunting us.
I freeze, staring into his eyes, too afraid to look around. Caz releases my wrist, and I steady myself as he pushes his jacket back and slowly retrieves his gun from the holster. I still remember how pleased he was to see his guns when Alexidumped them outside the border. He’d even checked the bullet chambers, to make sure all the bullets were there.
Caz takes a thorough look around. Raising his gun, he points it past me, and murmurs, “Whatever you do, donotrun.”
I don’t. I stay where I am, trembling as he narrows his eyes.
“Cover your ears.” He says, and I lift my hands, bringing my palms to my ears and squeezing my eyes shut just as Caz pulls the trigger.
Despite my ears being covered, the gunshot makes them ring, and my initial reaction is to duck down.
“Shit.” Caz curses beneath his breath, and he aims the gun forward again, letting off a round of shots. I hear rapid steps, the crunching of gravel, the snapping of sticks and twigs.
A beastly growl erupts in the air and a blur of white dashes past me, tackling Caz to the ground.
Forty-One
WILLOW
My body tremblesas I remain squatting, too afraid to look around me, or even ahead of me, where Caz once stood.
He’s dead.It’s my first thought because I don’t hear his thoughts, and I can’t hear him breathing. Whatever that thing was that was hunting us just killed him, and now I’m on my own and won’t be able to get back to my world. Shit, maybe it’ll kill me next.
No, no, no. He can’t be. He can’t…
I dare myself to look up, and there’s a bushy white tail in my face, streaked with silver. Beneath it are a pair of human legs, clad in black jeans. They’re Caz’s legs, perfectly still, and above him is a wolf. The wolf’s body is white; I can’t see its face, but its shoulders are hunched as it growls down at him.
Willow, be still.I hear Caz’s voice and relief floods me.
Oh, thank God, you’re not dead!
My gun.
He moves his hand to the right, his fingers twitching, and I look in that direction. His gun is near a tree, the silver glistening beneath a streak of sunlight.
I start to move, but Caz’s voice in my head demands me to do so slowly.
