propelling a rock clipped my heel as I dove for cover, spinning me in the air. Hitting the ground hard knocked the wind out of me, but I didn ’ t slow down; I couldn ’ t, not if I wanted to make it out of this alive.
The wind bl e w hard, fanning the flames right toward the house at a speed I wasn ’ t sure I could beat. Ripping open the cellar door , I pushed Alex down ahead of me and slammed the door shut, barring it behind us.
“ Damn it all to hell , ” I grumbled under my breath, like it was a normal occurrence for me to be attacked in my own home. Because it wasn ’ t, and the whole thing was freaking the hell out of me . W orse, if I let on how scared I was, I ’ d have Alex spazzing out in a split second. Let me tell you, having a panicked werewolf in a tight confined space is not a good idea, even if you are I mmune.
I flipped on the light switch and the fluorescent bulb buzzed to life. The cellar door would buy us time — if we were lucky, about ten seconds before they blew it off its hinges.
I grabbed a flak jacket ; it was thin, the lightest one on the market , to make it easy for me to hide it under my clothes. It wouldn ’ t stop the spells, but it would help protect my body, which right now needed all the help it could get.
Pulling off my shirt, I slipped into the spelled flak jacket and strapped it on, tightening it so it couldn ’ t be blown off me, then pulled my shirt back over it. Next came the pump action spray gun —yet another of Milly ’ s good idea s . Loading it with salt water from a sealed milk jug in the corner, I once more owed my friend. “ Thank you Milly , ” I said under my breath.
With a shudder, the cellar door blew open. “ Behind me, Alex! ” I shouted.
I grabbed an arm length sword off th e wall and faced the open door with both weapons. Nothing moved . Even the sound of the wind seemed to have died down.
Gliding , as if it were on wheels instead of feet, a cloaked figure moved in front, blocking the light. Alex let out a whimper and scuttled backwards. I kind of wanted to do the same. The person ’ s face was not covered by the cloak, but was instead distorted with some sort of spell, leaving the face a blur , like when you adjust the T.V . rabbit ears, and everything scatters across the screen. Flashes of eyes, mouth and ears whipped around on the face , leaving me unable to give any sort of an impression of whether it was even a man or a woman.
Freaky.
“ You will not come for the girl. She belongs to us. ” The voice was a monotone, giving nothing away.
I leaned forward on one of the swords. “ Well, I can ’ t do that. How do I know you aren ’ t molesting her, or worse, making her into the next Martha Stewart? ”
Silence. “ You are insolent. ”
“ I ’ ve been told that a time or two , ” I said, a distinct throb starting at the base of my neck. “ Tell you what, I won ’ t come for her if I can keep you tied up here in my basement and make use of you as I will. I mean, that ’ s a fair trade — ”’
The door slammed shut and I laugh ed . “ Really? Locking me in my room because I ’ ve been naughty? That ’ s the best you can do? ”
I didn ’ t hear the flames right away, not over my laughing. I shrugged, not worried in the least. There was a second way out leading to the trap door in my kitchen below the table. Trotting down the dirt hallway, I climbe d the four- step ladder, grabbed the handle and twisted hard to the left.
Alex whimpered and I frowned. Twisting it again, I jammed my shoulder against the trap door and pushed again. Nothing.
“ Alex, help me , ” I said, feeling the first stirrings of panic. How had they known the trap door was even there?
The werewolf climbed the ladder beside me, his movements awkward and the space tight. “ Now push, buddy. ”
Together we shoved hard on the door as the room fill ed with smoke. It wouldn ’ t be the flames that killed us. Shit, shit, shit.
Even with both of us
The wind bl e w hard, fanning the flames right toward the house at a speed I wasn ’ t sure I could beat. Ripping open the cellar door , I pushed Alex down ahead of me and slammed the door shut, barring it behind us.
“ Damn it all to hell , ” I grumbled under my breath, like it was a normal occurrence for me to be attacked in my own home. Because it wasn ’ t, and the whole thing was freaking the hell out of me . W orse, if I let on how scared I was, I ’ d have Alex spazzing out in a split second. Let me tell you, having a panicked werewolf in a tight confined space is not a good idea, even if you are I mmune.
I flipped on the light switch and the fluorescent bulb buzzed to life. The cellar door would buy us time — if we were lucky, about ten seconds before they blew it off its hinges.
I grabbed a flak jacket ; it was thin, the lightest one on the market , to make it easy for me to hide it under my clothes. It wouldn ’ t stop the spells, but it would help protect my body, which right now needed all the help it could get.
Pulling off my shirt, I slipped into the spelled flak jacket and strapped it on, tightening it so it couldn ’ t be blown off me, then pulled my shirt back over it. Next came the pump action spray gun —yet another of Milly ’ s good idea s . Loading it with salt water from a sealed milk jug in the corner, I once more owed my friend. “ Thank you Milly , ” I said under my breath.
With a shudder, the cellar door blew open. “ Behind me, Alex! ” I shouted.
I grabbed an arm length sword off th e wall and faced the open door with both weapons. Nothing moved . Even the sound of the wind seemed to have died down.
Gliding , as if it were on wheels instead of feet, a cloaked figure moved in front, blocking the light. Alex let out a whimper and scuttled backwards. I kind of wanted to do the same. The person ’ s face was not covered by the cloak, but was instead distorted with some sort of spell, leaving the face a blur , like when you adjust the T.V . rabbit ears, and everything scatters across the screen. Flashes of eyes, mouth and ears whipped around on the face , leaving me unable to give any sort of an impression of whether it was even a man or a woman.
Freaky.
“ You will not come for the girl. She belongs to us. ” The voice was a monotone, giving nothing away.
I leaned forward on one of the swords. “ Well, I can ’ t do that. How do I know you aren ’ t molesting her, or worse, making her into the next Martha Stewart? ”
Silence. “ You are insolent. ”
“ I ’ ve been told that a time or two , ” I said, a distinct throb starting at the base of my neck. “ Tell you what, I won ’ t come for her if I can keep you tied up here in my basement and make use of you as I will. I mean, that ’ s a fair trade — ”’
The door slammed shut and I laugh ed . “ Really? Locking me in my room because I ’ ve been naughty? That ’ s the best you can do? ”
I didn ’ t hear the flames right away, not over my laughing. I shrugged, not worried in the least. There was a second way out leading to the trap door in my kitchen below the table. Trotting down the dirt hallway, I climbe d the four- step ladder, grabbed the handle and twisted hard to the left.
Alex whimpered and I frowned. Twisting it again, I jammed my shoulder against the trap door and pushed again. Nothing.
“ Alex, help me , ” I said, feeling the first stirrings of panic. How had they known the trap door was even there?
The werewolf climbed the ladder beside me, his movements awkward and the space tight. “ Now push, buddy. ”
Together we shoved hard on the door as the room fill ed with smoke. It wouldn ’ t be the flames that killed us. Shit, shit, shit.
Even with both of us
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