Page 31 of The Dawning
“What is it?” I asked as we huddled between two fat tree trunks.
She tipped her ear slightly toward the ground, holding up her hand, her nostrils flaring.
I squeezed the handle of the gun tightly.
Then her golden-yellow eyes transformed to a luminous amber, and her canines clicked into place. “We have company.”
My banshee was ready. “Can you hear them?” I knew she had impeccable hearing, but the sounds of Mother Nature made it feel like we were sitting next to the speakers in the front row of a concert.
She nodded. “But it’s their scent, too, and the wind is my friend right now. And one of them is breathing quite heavily, almost panting.”
“Shifters?”
“Mostly humans. I don’t know how many, but more than two.”
Well, fuck.We had the weapons and her otherworldly abilities, but even still, we couldn’t take on a group of them.
She slid her hand into the side pouch of the bag strapped across her chest and pulled out two phones. “In case we get separated, take these. With the heavy rain, the sat phone might not work. Coverage can be spotty in storms. My pass code on my cell is 3330. You should have cell service about a half mile from the ranger’s station. Call for help.”
I gritted my teeth, hating that I couldn’t fight like I wanted to. That just pissed me the fuck off. I could shoot a weapon, so that wasn’t a problem. But to physically engage with the enemy wasn’t the smartest move for me. I felt like a damsel in distress—weak and dependent on others. That wasn’t me—but this wasn’t about me.
“You keep the sat phone,” I said. “I’ll take your cell. If anything happens to me, then go for help. You’re faster than me, especially your wolf. Don’t try to save me. I can handle my grandmother.”
I hoped I could. Maybe since I was carrying a Mason, she wouldn’t follow through with her twisted plan of changing me into a bloodsucker—at least not until the babies were born. Then she would not only have me, but she could raise and mold my children to one day lead her army. If she decided on that, then it would buy time for Sam and the SEALs to rescue me. It wasn’t as if I would deliver tomorrow. I knew it was long shot at best, since Harriet didn’t want more bloodsuckers in the world.
“Promise me you’ll go for help. If Intech captures you, you’ll lose yourself to your wolf. Then you won’t be able to save your brother,” I added, knowing Rebekah had a bad feeling that Intech had Tucker. “You can help the SEALs.” I doubted they would bring an entire SEAL team with them. Some had to stay behind to protect the base, especially since Roman was a threat and had been successful in blasting through the gates in his attempts to snatch Abbey.
“I don’t like this,” she said.
Neither did I. “There’s one thing I haven’t told you. I sort of have a magical weapon.” I’d filled her in on a lot of things but not on my banshee scream.
Her amber eyes glowed liked lanterns in the stormy forest as her forehead furrowed.
“I caused the accident I was in with the van. I have a banshee scream that knocks out humans. If I’m successful in using it now, I’ll be right behind you. Sam’s dad said it hurts his ears, so you shouldn’t be close to me.”
She shoved the phones into her bag, then wrapped it around me. “Save your scream. They might not hear anything in this storm. Once I shift, follow me. If I have to take any of them out, keep running. Clear?”
She had a point. The sound of raindrops hitting the forest floor competed with the howling wind, and I was having trouble hearing my own voice.
In a flash, she began to shift. Her chin jutted out as her animal snout came into view, and hair grew from her face before the rest of her body followed suit. Her clothes ripped in the process as more bones cracked and took the shape of a pretty she-wolf.
Eerie to watch but cool at the same time.
Once the animal was standing next to me, she pushed her snout into my arm as if to saybe careful. Then she bounded up the hill. Adjusting the heavy duffel bag over my body, I hurried behind her.
My nerves were singing as I inhaled a huge gulp of mountain air and rain fell into my mouth. Damn fucking weather always seemed to be an omen. We’d fought Roman Brown in a blizzard. Sam had been strung up over a firepit in Montana during a raging thunder-and-lightning storm, I’d been kidnapped by Intech as snow piled up at an abandoned airport, and now the howling wind and torrential rain was about to fuck with me.
When I crested the hill, the wide dirt path gave me a sense of hope. All I could think about wasfollow the yellow brick road. But my excitement died when Rebekah stopped and sniffed. Then she jerked her head to the left, gave me a quick glance as if to say run, then dashed between two trees.
I held the gun with two hands and broke out in a run as I continued searching around me. But the fucking rain was impacting my vision, and something didn’t feel right.
Then a yelp rented the air, and I froze.
“Rebekah!” The sound of my pulse beating in my ears drowned out the peal of thunder as I swallowed a damn elephant. For some reason, my legs wouldn’t move, but that familiar tingling in my belly came out of nowhere. It was as if the babies knew I was desperate for help. I had no time to think, and I couldn’t control the urge to scream if I wanted to. A swirling sensation whooshed from my belly into my throat in less than a second.
Lightning cracked, and thunder roared.
The gun dropped from my hands as I held out my arms, closed my eyes, and welcomed Mother Nature in all her glory. On a deep inhale, I unleashed my weapon that could knock out any human from West Virginia to California. The high-pitched scream echoed, sounding like a sonic boom. Whether or not anyone heard me, I wasn’t sure. When I pushed out the last ounce of breath and energy I had, I opened my eyes and stumbled backward.
