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“He’s breaking off,” Eli hissed, jabbing a finger to point at Leif.
We turned to look. Leif was walking away from the others, trying to get away from a fight that had broken out among three other wolves.
“This is good,” Crew said. “He’s going north, downwind of the others. Come on.”
We scrambled after Crew, who was navigating the rocky outcropping like he’d been born on them. The guy would have made an amazing Tranquility operative. I watched as he eyed Leif through the trees. Crew kept us far enough away that Leif wouldn’t hear or scent us, but close enough to continue tracking him. I had no idea where he was heading, but Wyatt was getting more tense by the moment.
Finally, Wyatt touched Crew’s shoulder. “We need to turn back. We’re getting too close to the volcano.”
I looked up and saw the volcano was indeed looming over us ahead. Leif was heading straight toward it. That’s why Wyatt was so nervous. It was where he’d been taken and almost dragged to some unknown doom.
Before Crew could answer, an undead shriek of rage shattered the silence of the jungle around us. A cold wind blew, and a moment later, a monstrous ghost shimmered into view, rushing straight toward us.
My heart thundered. We had no enchanted weapons, no way of fighting the thing. We had to run. It was the only way.
My mind was already set to grab Wyatt’s hand and drag him to safety when Eli stepped toward the specter, almost as though she were wholly unconcerned. She slipped her fist directly into the thing’s chest.
“Be at rest, brother,” she muttered.
At her words, the ghost burst apart in a haze of mist. A glob of ectoplasm splattered to the forest floor at her feet.
“Holy shit,” Wyatt muttered.
Eli wiped the ectoplasm on her hand against her fatigues. “It should have known better than to approach an angel, fallen or not.”
“We’ve got bigger problems,” Crew hissed, sniffing the air. “Wendigo. Hide. Now.”
I caught the scent as well, and my fear grew. It looked like our quiet walk in the woods had gone to shit.
“Run!” Crew screamed.
Ahead of us, I saw the creature. It had already spotted us, so there was no time to hide. It burst forward with inhuman speed, snarling as it went.
Our group scattered, rushing in all directions. I wanted to stay with Wyatt, but it was better to split up. With more targets to hunt, it might grow confused and give up. I didn’t look behind, didn’t think, just ran as fast and hard as I could. Eventually, I dived behind an outcropping of rocks in a thickly wooded area. I rolled over, hugged my knees to my chest, and waited, listening intently.
Distant screams echoed toward me, all of them from the wendigo or other creatures that had been stirred by its hunt. I tried to calm myself with the fact that I didn’t hear any shouts or screams from my friends. I forced myself to wait.
There was no way of knowing how long I sat there, but I eventually stood and scented the air, trying to catch Wyatt or the others. The scent I found was not the one I’d been looking for, but it was familiar. Leif.
Maybe this operation hadn’t been a complete disaster. If I could find his trail again, we could salvage the rescue mission. Kneeling low, I followed the scent and looked for signs of his passing. Above me, the volcano loomed larger. In my haste to escape the wendigo, I’d rushed right toward it. The mountain cast a shadow over the jungle here. Had it not been so dark, I might have seen what awaited me.
From under a thick tangle of branches, vines, and fronds, a deep, angry growl rattled to life. Freezing where I was, I glanced over and saw the shimmering golden eyes of a wolf emerge from the shadows. Leif.
“Shit!” I whispered.
His growl grew deeper for an instant before he snarled and lunged toward me. He slammed into me, knocking me down. His jaws clamped on my foot and he began to drag me toward the volcano. I thrashed against his grip, but he was too strong, and his teeth were cutting into my skin.
Panic surged, and my inner wolf leaped forward, taking control, again throwing off the years of suppression to save my life. I shifted, and even in my terror, the feeling was pleasant. Like coming home.
Leif released my leg and backed away, hackles raised, mad eyes glaring at me. I stalked toward him, growling and ready to fight. I readied myself to leap upon him, to fight him to the ground, when a sharp, stabbing pain shot through my hindquarters. Snarling in surprise, I turned to see some sort of dart protruding from my flesh. Nausea swept over me, and the world began to spin. I tumbled to my side, already shifting back to my human form.
Whatever drug the dart had contained was now flooding my body. I couldn’t lift my arms or stand. It slowly paralyzed me, taking all movement but my lungs and eyes. First, I feared Leif would shred my body in my weakened state, but he stood twenty paces from me, sitting on his haunches, staring behind me. Only then did I notice the footsteps, crinkling through the leaves and growing ever nearer.
Gods, I’d never been so scared. If I hadn’t been immobile, I’d have been shivering in terror. I lay there motionless as fear tried to take over every other emotion.
A foot stepped over my body, then a fae man stood above me, wearing a dirty lab coat. This had to be Simon, and… I recognized him. His features were familiar, but I couldn’t place from where. He knelt and looked into my face. His eyes were curious at first, then they went bright with recognition. When he spoke, all the memories came crashing down.
“My, my, my. How you have grown. I never thought I’d see you here, my little friend. It seems the fates and gods do have a sense of irony.”
