flashlight,” I said.
“We’re almost there. I see a light.”
I followed his gaze to see several bluish lights twinkling through the trees.
I checked the GPS. “Either Charles got the coordinates wrong or that’s another cabin. According to this, we have almost a quarter mile to go that way.” I pointed.
“We’ll check it out.”
To head toward the lights, we had to leave the path. As we drew closer, the lights dimmed, but I could still see them, blue spots against the darkness just ahead.
We stepped from the trees.
“Huh,” Clay said.
We stood at the edge of a clearing with no cabin… and no lights.
“Ghost lights? We should have brought Jaime.”
I meant it lightly, but my voice wavered. As I looked around, every hair on my body rose.
“Do you feel that?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Something’s out there. Wolves?”
“Maybe.”
It wasn’t wolves. We both knew it. Both felt it. Clay’s taut face turned my way, gaze scanning the trees.
“You sense trouble?” he asked.
“I don’t think so.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Let’s find that trail again.”
UNNATURAL
The moon appeared then, lighting our way back to the trail. Even through the trees, it cast enough of a glow for us to follow. The wolf tracks continued as we drew closer to our destination. When I caught another whiff of scent, I stopped.
“Werewolf. Probably Dennis.”
“Is he out here?”
I shook my head. “It’s a trail.”
Clay inhaled. “I’m not getting it.”
I resumed walking. “It’s faint. But a trail means he’s been here recently. And that looks like a cabin just ahead.”
Clay squinted at the black shape through the trees. “No lights on.”
“Out here, off the grid, you don’t use any more than you need to.”
The moon against the snow lit the clearing to twilight. We looked across the yard.
“Shit, is that…?” Clay blinked, as if seeing things. He wasn’t. The snow was crisscrossed with wolf tracks. Not a square foot in the clearing had been left untouched.
I walked a few feet, then bent. “Definitely wolf.”
“That’s…”
“Weird.”
He gave a distracted nod, but we both knew that wasn’t the right word. Looking out at that paw-print-covered snow, so close to a werewolf’s cabin, the word that came to mind was wrong . More than weird. Downright unnatural.
If new wolves had entered the region and decided to challenge an occupying werewolf, they’d slink around his cabin for a closer look. The Alpha might mark it to make a statement. But here I saw paw prints of every size, right down to yearlings.
“Maybe it’s sled dogs,” I said.
Clay looked over.
“Dennis could have a neighbor with a team. He comes over, ties them up while he has a few drinks and they get bored, pace around.”
“You smell dogs, darling?”
No. I smelled wolf.
I climbed onto the front deck. I walked to the window to peek in, but the drapes were drawn. More prints dotted the sill, as if the wolves had been doing the same thing I was.
The hair on my scalp prickled. I tugged my hat down, then rubbed my icy earlobes. As I turned, I caught a scent that made my breath catch. When I inhaled deeper, though, I couldn’t find it again.
I glanced at Clay, crouched by the door, his fingers running down the lower panel, fingertips tracing rough grooves in the wood.
Claw marks. The deep scratches were ridged with splinters. Fresh claw marks.
Clay straightened and banged on the door. “Dennis? It’s Clay.” He paused, then added, “Clayton Danvers.”
The cabin stayed silent. I moved to the window again, looking for any sign of light around the drawn drapes. There was none.
“Dennis?” Clay called. “Jeremy sent me to check on you.”
He pounded harder now. The wood buckled under his fist, the door parting from
“We’re almost there. I see a light.”
I followed his gaze to see several bluish lights twinkling through the trees.
I checked the GPS. “Either Charles got the coordinates wrong or that’s another cabin. According to this, we have almost a quarter mile to go that way.” I pointed.
“We’ll check it out.”
To head toward the lights, we had to leave the path. As we drew closer, the lights dimmed, but I could still see them, blue spots against the darkness just ahead.
We stepped from the trees.
“Huh,” Clay said.
We stood at the edge of a clearing with no cabin… and no lights.
“Ghost lights? We should have brought Jaime.”
I meant it lightly, but my voice wavered. As I looked around, every hair on my body rose.
“Do you feel that?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Something’s out there. Wolves?”
“Maybe.”
It wasn’t wolves. We both knew it. Both felt it. Clay’s taut face turned my way, gaze scanning the trees.
“You sense trouble?” he asked.
“I don’t think so.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Let’s find that trail again.”
UNNATURAL
The moon appeared then, lighting our way back to the trail. Even through the trees, it cast enough of a glow for us to follow. The wolf tracks continued as we drew closer to our destination. When I caught another whiff of scent, I stopped.
“Werewolf. Probably Dennis.”
“Is he out here?”
I shook my head. “It’s a trail.”
Clay inhaled. “I’m not getting it.”
I resumed walking. “It’s faint. But a trail means he’s been here recently. And that looks like a cabin just ahead.”
Clay squinted at the black shape through the trees. “No lights on.”
“Out here, off the grid, you don’t use any more than you need to.”
The moon against the snow lit the clearing to twilight. We looked across the yard.
“Shit, is that…?” Clay blinked, as if seeing things. He wasn’t. The snow was crisscrossed with wolf tracks. Not a square foot in the clearing had been left untouched.
I walked a few feet, then bent. “Definitely wolf.”
“That’s…”
“Weird.”
He gave a distracted nod, but we both knew that wasn’t the right word. Looking out at that paw-print-covered snow, so close to a werewolf’s cabin, the word that came to mind was wrong . More than weird. Downright unnatural.
If new wolves had entered the region and decided to challenge an occupying werewolf, they’d slink around his cabin for a closer look. The Alpha might mark it to make a statement. But here I saw paw prints of every size, right down to yearlings.
“Maybe it’s sled dogs,” I said.
Clay looked over.
“Dennis could have a neighbor with a team. He comes over, ties them up while he has a few drinks and they get bored, pace around.”
“You smell dogs, darling?”
No. I smelled wolf.
I climbed onto the front deck. I walked to the window to peek in, but the drapes were drawn. More prints dotted the sill, as if the wolves had been doing the same thing I was.
The hair on my scalp prickled. I tugged my hat down, then rubbed my icy earlobes. As I turned, I caught a scent that made my breath catch. When I inhaled deeper, though, I couldn’t find it again.
I glanced at Clay, crouched by the door, his fingers running down the lower panel, fingertips tracing rough grooves in the wood.
Claw marks. The deep scratches were ridged with splinters. Fresh claw marks.
Clay straightened and banged on the door. “Dennis? It’s Clay.” He paused, then added, “Clayton Danvers.”
The cabin stayed silent. I moved to the window again, looking for any sign of light around the drawn drapes. There was none.
“Dennis?” Clay called. “Jeremy sent me to check on you.”
He pounded harder now. The wood buckled under his fist, the door parting from
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