Page 31 of Hiding Nessie
The Wulver cocked his head, eyes narrowing. ‘You don’t know me.’
‘I’ve heardofyou,’ Cam replied quickly, not willing to give away the depths of his ignorance. ‘But can you blame me for not recognising someone I’ve never met? I’m sorry about setting you on fire. We thought… Well, we thought you were a werewolf.’
The Wulver snorted, a blatantly derisive sound. ‘You were foolish to think so.’
‘You gave us no reason to trust you,’ Lachlan cut in sharply. ‘Sneaking around in the woods by my home. You could haveknocked,for goodness’ sake.’
The Wulver blinked, apparently lost for words. Lachlan made it sound comically simple, and the way he stood with his arms crossed and chin tipped to the side suggested he really saw no reason why all of this had to be so muchtrouble.
‘I needed to be sure you were not allies to the hunters,’ the Wulver finally said. ‘They are no friends of mine. Nor yours, if you will believe me.’
Cam was ready to explain. ‘I know they’ve got it wrong. I can speak to—’
The Wulver gave a frustrated growl. ‘No. There is no time for this. Walker, there is a traitor near you.’
‘Wha—’ Cam was silenced by another snarl.
‘If you will listen to me at all then you will listen now. Your mother, Amelie, she was close to discovering something. A dark secret within your family. She sought my help. We were close to an answer when the fire consumed her.’ The Wulver lunged forward as if about to grab at Cam’s coat, then thought better of it at the last second. He huffed. ‘I have continued the search, Walker. Her time was cut short so that she would not reveal what she knew. And I have found her killer.’
‘Wait a minute,’ Cam said weakly. He was reeling. He clutched onto Lachlan’s arm as his knees threatened to give way. ‘Mum and Dad died fighting a lindworm. Meredith even… its remains wereright there. I helped her bury the ashes of it. They weren’t killed by… they weren’tmurdered…’
Lachlan looped a secure arm around his waist, helping him find balance again. Cam could hear the fire crackling under his skin, stoked by his agitation. He breathed deeply, slowing down his frantic heartbeat.
‘I am sorry to bring you this news,’ the Wulver said slowly. Despite the underlying growl in his voice, it sounded sincere. ‘But I know she would want me to deliver it to you. You must—’
A scream from the doorway cut him off. Cam and Lachlan spun to see Meredith struggling in the grip of an amorphous, tentacled shape outside.
‘What thefuckis that?’ Cam hissed, springing for the door.
He was blocked by the burly shape of a man in camo gear. Cam recognised him as one of Bryce’s gang, the one he thought was called Logan. Behind him, Meredith was caught up in a mass of roots and vines bursting from the snow, twisting over her body.
‘Don’t fucking move,’ Logan sneered.
Having barely taken stock of the situation, Cam punched him in the face.
As the beefy hunter staggered backwards, Cam shook the pain out of his knuckles and leapt past him. He spotted the younger hunter with auburn hair standing next to Meredith. His glowing rope tattoos shone bright pink in the twilight. He watched Meredith calmly, one hand held out as if controlling the roots that bound her.
‘Cam!’ Meredith shrieked. The sound didn’t echo the way it normally would over the hills. It was muted by the snow, still falling serenely around them.
Before Cam could move again, a gruff female voice pierced the air.
‘We know you have the werewolf in there, witch. Move aside.’
Cam heard a shrill squeak from Lachlan behind him, and half-turned to find himself staring down the end of an armed crossbow. The bolt glinted silver.
The woman holding it was the trio’s leader. Bryce had called her Elsie. Her expression was cool and mean.
Cam’s breathing stuttered. Flames clawed at his ribcage for freedom.
‘It’s not a werewolf,’ he said, standing his ground. ‘He’s—’
‘I don’t give a damn.’ She gestured to Meredith with a toss of her chin. ‘If you don’t hand it over, your friend will be in trouble.’
Cam glimpsed Meredith’s terrified, pleading stare as another tendril wound slowly around her neck.
Try me,snarled the fire, boiling over in his blood. The air around him crackled with heat. He heard Lachlan speaking urgently behind him, but it was like the sound was crossing over a great distance. ‘Cam, calm down. Stay calm. Stay calm.’
Through gritted teeth, Cam said, ‘Where’s Bryce? He won’t like what you’re doing right now. You’ve sure as shit lost your money if you go through with this.’
