Page 1 of Crave

PROLOGUE

SUSANNAH

Ten years ago

My breathing sounded too loud in the darkness. I was running as fast as I could in my half form, my eyesight good enough that I didn’t trip and fall over the forest debris, but not as good as it would be if I went full beast. Quinn’s hand was wrapped tightly in mine as I tugged him along, our backpacks slapping against our spines in rhythmic thuds. They were loaded down with everything we’d need. We just had to get to town before anyone worked out we were gone.

Then we could disappear.

“Susannah, we should go back,” Quinn gasped, out of breath. “If your dad finds out he’ll kick your ass. If my dad finds out…” His words trailed off, but the fear in his words hung in the silence.

I stopped, my sneakers catching on a stick. My shoes were too small; I was outgrowing them too quickly for my father to keep up. If he cared to keep up, anyway. I turned, dragging Quinn closer to me. He’d had a growth spurt last year when we’d turned fifteen, leaving me nearly a foot shorter. He loved finally being able to look down at me because I’d had an inch or two in height on him since we were three.

We’d been perfectly on par, until yesterday. Just two Betas; ignored, allowed to run wild in our childhood. Sure, there’d be problems when we turned eighteen because Quinn’s mom was a bitch. But that wasn’t supposed to be a problem for another two years. We had time.

Until we didn’t. Everything had changed. Time had run out.

Not letting go of his hand, I gave him my best bitch stare. It was an art I’d perfected long ago. “I don’t care what your dad will do, Quinn. I can’t—no—Iwon'tlet you go. You’re mine. You’re not his. Not fucking Wilkie’s, no matter what your mom promised that creepy old fuck. And now… after this?” I waved a hand at his body. “You know what Wilkie will do. We can’t let that happen. You don’t want that, and I don’t want that for you. There’s a way; I know there is. We just have to get out of here. Out of Maxton. Out of fucking Montana.”

Turning on my heel, I started to walk toward the lights of the town closest to Maxton, dragging Quinn along behind me. I should’ve known this would happen—the clues were all there. I moved faster until we were running again. There was a bus that passed through at four a.m. and I wanted to be on it. It was a long run from Maxton to town, which was how we liked it. Out of sight was truly out of mind for most humans, and we’d managed to slip under their radar for a long-ass time.

But I knew the end of our anonymity was coming. How could it not when they had computers and video cameras and satellites? No one wanted to hear about that, though. Fuck them. Let them get caught with their pants down. Quinn and me, we’d go out into the world and never come back to this shithole town.

I briefly felt bad leaving Raiden behind, but he’d be okay. He’d presented as an Omega right on schedule, though, without Mom around, Dad was just raising him to be another Alpha replica of himself. That was his default. Train us hard, and we’d be too tired to get into trouble. Didn’t really work for me, but whatever.

Finally, we were in the woods outside of Ol’ Sam’s Bar and Grill, a divey drinking establishment on the outskirts of the nearby town. We shifted back to our human form, and Quinn held me against his chest protectively, as if I didn’t have a gun in my backpack and could shoot a man in the clavicle from twenty feet away. It wasn’t my weapon of choice, but you couldn’t fit a compound bow in your backpack next to your Doc Martens.

Quinn was still looking over his shoulder, like he expected six Legion soldiers to appear behind us at any moment to drag us home. It was possible, I guess.

A guy in a long, black coat stumbled out of the bar. He wasn’t very old—probably the age of my oldest brother, Austin—but this guy was kinda hot with thick, black hair and a scruffy stubble. He lifted his keys and unlocked a truck beside us.

This was our chance, and we had to take it. Dragging Quinn back into the shadows, I watched as the guy fumbled with his keys into the door, then climbed in. Moving quickly, I unlatched the tailgate while the dude was still trying to get his keys into the ignition. Dragging Quinn forward, I pushed him gently into the bed of the pickup, climbing in after him just as the truck lurched forward.

Quinn pulled me fully into the back and curled his body around mine. “What the fuck are we going to do if this guy lives in the woods? Or if he’s some kind of crazy ax murderer?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “We’re Manix. We’re the original crazy ax murderers. But, you know, without the axes. We can take a human if we have to,” I whispered back, ignoring his wide-eyed expression. I picked up his hand and pressed it to my cheek. “It won’t come to that. He might just live on the city limits, then we can get out without leaving a trail for anyone to follow, and get the bus away from here. Maybe we’ll head south. Or go to California. Wouldn’t you like to see the beach?” I knew he would. I knew everything there was to know about Quinn, except the one thing that would fuck up our world forever.

Quinn fell silent but pulled me closer. The guy in the truck cranked up the music and started singing “Y.M.C.A.” by The Village People, complete with hand actions, as the car swerved from side to side on the near-empty early morning roads. Shit, maybe I should’ve chosen a different drunk human.

He didn’t stop or slow heading out of town, but thankfully headed south, away from the mountains and Maxton. We could run to the next town if we had to. Finally, after forty minutes, he slowed the car down. The trees on the long driveway curled toward each other like spindly fingers, creating a natural arch which was probably pretty in the daytime, but was super creepy in the dark.

The driver jammed the brakes too hard, and I barely caught myself before I banged into the cab of the truck. He got out, slamming the door a little hard, whistling as he walked away.Thank fuck.We could climb out here and hopefully start heading toward the next town. I would’ve liked to be further away, but this would have to do.

I’d barely breathed a relieved sigh when the tailgate slammed down and a voice growled, “Who the fuck are you?” The driver appeared like he’d portalled there, and I had my knives out, sending them flying at the guy in the space of a scream. Damn, if my dad heard me scream he’d be way more disappointed in that than me stealing Quinn and running away from home.

Quinn shifted, springing toward the man, but then it all stopped.

My knives. Quinn in mid-air. Me.

Everything stopped.

Except for the guy at the end of the truck. His arms were raised, his hands palm out, and I realized I’d been so fucking dumb. He wasn’t a human. He was a goddamn witch.

“Jesus. You guys are just fucking kids. Do you know how dangerous it is to be out at night? Fuck me.” He waved a hand, and Quinn floated forward. “Shifters?” He shook his head, twirling his finger and making a frozen Quinn spin like he was on a lazy Susan. “No, not a shifter. Well, not one I’ve ever seen.” He looked at Quinn’s scales, his clawed fingers, his ears. “You know what you look like? You look like Manix. I saw them in one of my Beastiology texts. But they went extinct a couple of centuries ago, I believe—better chance you’re unicorn shifters.” He laughed, but then his eyes fell to us. They switched back and forth. “It can’t be, right? You aren’t Manix?”

I didn’t know what the fuck to say to this guy, but it wasn’t going to be confirmation that we were Manix. So I shook my head as much as I could. “Lycanthropes.”

The man made an unconvinced humming noise beneath his breath. “You two should come inside.”

---