“What is that stuff?” Herro asked her as Angeline continued to mix in the moisture she squeezed from the cotton ball to the salve for her mother’s injuries.

“It’s helping though don’t you think?” Angeline said as she began to gently rub the salve onto her mother’s neck.

Herro nodded. “Where did you get it?”

“The wolf pack. Killian.”

“The wolf that was here?” Herro asked.

Angeline nodded. “I hope this is enough for her.”

“You can’t get more?”

“No, I can’t get any more. He’s pretty pissed about me not taking responsibility for finding Unis.”

Herro groaned. “Well, then. I guess it’ll have to be enough. You can’t tell anyone you found that woman.”

“I know,” Angeline said her back growing stiff. “You should go. Mom needs to sleep.”

Herro left the room. He was going back to work the night shift. Their mother’s fever was so high when he left for work that he was too worried not to come back and check on her during his lunch break.

Barthos avoided her when Angeline returned and her father sent her straight into her mother’s room to help her with her fever. The fever finally broke around midnight but Angeline was still too worried to try and sleep.

What if her mother’s fever shot back up in the night. Angeline continued rubbing the salve over her mother’s damaged skin. It seemed to be improving the skin, maybe not miraculously so but it was helping with the coloring.

When the salve was gone, Angeline watched her mother sleep. She did her best to stay awake but slowly her eyes got heavier and heavier.

Angeline fell asleep, and when she woke her mother was looking at her. Angeline’s heart was pounding hard and fast. Her mother smoothed her hair away from her face.

“Mom? Did I wake you?”

She shook her head and had that knowing look in her eyes. “I had another dream, Mom. I don’t know what to do. If I go you could be in danger, the whole family could be in danger. If I don’t go, a young woman will die tonight.”

Angeline kept her face straight as she looked at her mother’s disfigured face. “I’ll stay here. I love you, mom. You know that, don’t you?”

Her mother nodded. Then she pointed at Angeline before pointing toward the outer wall.

“Are you telling me to go?”

She nodded and gave Angeline a shooing motion with her hand.

“But, what about-”

“Go,” her mother said in a loving, yet stern voice.

Angeline didn’t hesitate any longer. Her mother rarely spoke anymore, it caused her too much pain. If she was willing to speak to get Angeline to leave then she would do it.

Opening the door, she stepped out into the hallway. Hurrying she went to the front door and found it barred, and padlocked shut. As she turned in a circle she found the windows were the same.

They’ve locked me in?

Angeline opened her own bedroom door. The window was locked there too.

I’ll have to sneak by Barthos and use his window.

The spot on her face ached as if to remind her what her brother was capable of. It didn’t matter. There was a woman who was depending on her. If Angeline’s mother understood how important it was, after all she’d suffered, then Angeline knew she had to do it.

She held her breath as she opened the door to the room her brothers shared.

Herro’s bed was empty and his bed was right by the window that was barred shut as well. Angeline didn’t bother checking for Barthos, she could hear snoring so she knew he had to be in his bed.

Backing into the hallway again Angeline closed her eyes and tried to remember something she was overlooking from the dream that might tell her how she escaped the house.

Black stuff all over my legs and hands. There was black stuff all over me. What black stuff?

Angeline walked to the kitchen finding that the window there was locked as well.

Dammit, come on.

She went to the fireplace and picked up the poker to pry the lock off the door. As soon as she picked up the poked though she noticed the black stuff that marked her hands.

The chimney?

Bending down she looked up into the chimney she thought she just might be able to climb it. That was when she heard someone moving in the house.

Dad? Or Barthos?

Whichever one it was wouldn’t let her leave so she’d have to just go. Angeline crawled into the fireplace. It was still warm from the fire that burned itself out after dinner. Walking her hands up the chimney wall, she was able to stand.

“Angeline, don’t you fucking dare,” Barthos’ voice boomed through the living room.

“Shit.” Angeline jumped putting her feet on the chimney wall and her back against the wall straight across. She started scooting herself up the wall as fast as she could go.

The metal poker scraping against the chimney wall told her Barthos was right behind her. “Angeline, please stop. You can’t do this. Mom, is sick,” he yelled the last bit and Angeline nearly stopped hearing the fear in his voice instead of the hatred.

“She told me to go,” Angeline told him as she reached for the top.

The sharp point sinking into her thigh made Angeline cry out.

“I’ll kill you, Angeline. I swear, I will. I don’t care what mom said, she’s sick.”

The poker hooked her shirt. Angeline got a hold of the top ledge and held on tight as the hard downward pull came. The neck of her shirt was biting into her neck as she held on.

She pressed her knees into the side walls and pulled upward. The ripping sound was combined with Barthos’ howl of rage. Angeline climbed out and onto the roof.

“I’ll be careful,” she called down to Barthos. “Take care of mom.”

He didn’t answer.

Angeline stepped carefully down the incline of the roof until she reached the edge. The wood pile in the back was high enough that Angeline only had to lower her body down to about her elbows before her tiptoes touched the stack of logs.

Carefully she made her way down the pile until she reached the ground.

Angeline runs out into the woods. She lets her feet guide her again. The ground is cold under her feet. Angeline dashes up an incline and then waits. A flashlight runs over the top of the hill and she hears people talking.

“I don’t mind patrolling every night if it means keeping our women safe. You know there’s a shortage of human women left, don’t you?”

“They all want some powerful shifter to take care of them. That’s just disgusting if you ask me.”

“Watch it, Clyde. My sister married a shifter. He’s a good guy too. Shifts into a lion, can you imagine what that must be like?”

When they passed, Angeline dashed behind them across the open space back into the cover of the woods. Tonight, her feet were leading her in a straight path toward the mountain, Rizer land.

Don’t be scared just move fast.

More flashlights were shining through the forest up ahead on the right. It was a good effort the people were putting out to catch the murderer but somehow, he’d made it past all of the sentries. Maybe he even pretended to be one.

The snap of twigs under heavy feet somewhere in the distance behind her she assumed belonged to one of the sentries. Angeline knew she’d never get there if she kept turning around and looking behind herself. If someone saw her they would call out.

Pushing herself she kept going. The lights were less and less numerous. Until it was only the moon that peeked through the trees to light the forest.

When she stepped over the tree with the moss growing over it, she knew she was getting close because this was just before the moment she woke up.

Angeline braced herself as she waited for what would come next.

It’s okay. It’s okay. You’re going to find her in time.

The scream she knew was coming still chilled her to the bone and made every hair on her body stand on end. It wasn’t just a scream, it was a plea that was silenced by someone.

Angeline raced in the direction she believed the scream came from. It’d sounded so close but Angeline wasn’t seeing anything in the direction she was running. All she could hear were her own feet crashing through the underbrush.

Then as she stopped to listen she heard heavy feet running toward her from behind. Her heart beat sped up as she turned to look back.

It’s too dark.

Angeline turned back to keep searching and ran right into the chest of a man. His hands clamped around her arms and she screamed.

“Angeline, shut up,” Killian commanded his voice angry and dark but it was his and she knew it wasn’t Killian who was murdering people. “What are you doing out here? You’re nearly on Rizer land again. You’re not welcome here.”

“Sorry,” Angeline panted. “Let me go, I have to find her.”

Killian released her and she nearly fell on her ass. “Find who?”

Angeline’s hands were beginning to shake. She was going to be too late if she didn’t find her soon. “The killer has taken another woman. We’ve got to find her.”

“We?”

“Angeline,” the shout came from behind her and she looked out into the darkness. It was Barthos. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Angeline ran toward his cursing and found him standing in the center of three fallen trees that formed a triangle. Killian growled as soon as he saw Barthos.

Barthos didn’t react to Killian though he was staring at his feet breathing too fast.

No, no.

Angeline climbed over the log into the triangle. A woman’s body was pushed up against the log. Her frozen eyes staring straight at Barthos.

Killian pushed Angeline back and pulled the woman out from beneath the fallen log as more werewolves began to arrive. He pressed on her chest counting as he pushed. Then he leaned forward and breathed into her mouth, plugging her nose.

He leaned forward listening next to her mouth. A roar like something climbing up out of the mouth of hell shook the air all around them. The woman sucked in air, coughed and pushed her hands up and out like she was trying to fight someone who wasn’t there off of her.

“It’s alright,” Killian told her. “You’re safe now.”

“Did you see that?” Angeline asked Barthos. “He just brought her back to life.”

He’s incredible.

Barthos turned around and puked over the log.

She knew she should probably help her brother but she too captivated by Killian. How did he do that? She was gone. Not almost gone or nearly gone but entirely dead.

“Take her and go,” A deep commanding voice clipped. Angeline looked up from Killian to see the pack standing behind Darian and Cara.

Barthos grabbed onto Angeline and pulled her toward the log she’d need to climb to leave. “No not me. The woman.”

“You’re not welcome even this close to my land, Angeline. Get away from here.”

Cara stood by her husband. Her face was held high and she appeared to agree with every word he said. Angeline knew she had no right to be angry with them. They offered her friendship before and she betrayed that friendship.

“I do apologize-”

“Leave,” Darian commanded.

Killian stands, helping the woman to her feet. “Allow me to escort these humans away from our land?”

“Take Ian and Errol,” Darian said. “Let’s go. “The pack shifted and raced off.

“We won’t hurt you,” Ian told the woman and helped her out of the triangle of trees.

Errol approached Angeline but stopped as Killian’s low rumble sounded.

“Let’s drop them at the forest line and then get lost,” Ian said picking the woman up in his arms.”

“I have to carry this guy?” Errol asked in a clear complaint.
I think he can find his own way home.”

Killian pointed toward Freebasin and the other two werewolves took off with the woman and with Barthos. Leaving Angeline with Killian.

“You were stupid to come this close to Rizer land. Especially tonight after what your people did.”

Angeline shrugged, “I’ don’t know what you mean.”

“One of ours was murdered by one of yours. We are not in a charitable mood for you or Freebasin. I’m going to take you to the edge. When I set you down you will not come back. You will stay out of these woods.

“I can’t.”

Killian wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her up and against him. “I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. Stay out of the forest, Angeline. The pack is suspicious of you all. You’ll be killed before you reach the shade of the trees.”

Angeline found herself smiling up at him. “You were amazing with that woman. You saved her.”

“I’m a doctor and scientist. Of course, I saved her.”

“I couldn’t have done it.”

Killian’s mouth lowered toward hers. Angeline lifted her lips waiting for his to meet hers. “Don’t come into these woods, ever, again.” Her feet lifted up off the ground as the trees and forest blurred around her.

The grass under her feet registered before the absence of his warmth pressed against her chest. He was gone. And Angeline was staring into a black forest with no sign that he’d ever been there

“They saved me,” the woman said from beside Barthos.

“He did,” Angeline said.

And he’s going to help me to heal my mom.