Finding Our Way (Werewolf Wars) (23 page)

Nora let out a long breath hoping Sarah didn’t do anything rash. She swallowed hard as they started to make their way through the woods. Things were about to get dangerous—maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

***

D
aniel crept through the tall grass, keeping his upper body hunched over. The backpack of supplies he wore weighted him down, keeping his movements from being as fluid as usual. Devon moved along beside him, he nudged Daniel on the shoulder, then ducked down behind a large rock. The alpha pulled out his cell phone and looked down at the map on his touch screen.

“We’re here. Any closer and they’ll spot us, or smell us,” Devon said showing him his phone. “We’ll wait here for the perimeter alarm to go off. Then we’ll find a quiet place by the water to stay. Hopefully, the Luna’s will be distracted enough they won’t notice us and the stream should give us a little more protection against their sense of smell since a lot of wildlife frequent there.”

A loud blare belted out into the air. Devon nodded as he peered around the rock. Daniel followed his gaze, watching the tree line for movement. When there was none, Devon motioned him forward and the two brothers sprinted into the trees.

They darted through the woods pushing themselves faster. The two wolves had to make it onto the property before the alarm was shut off or they would trip it again when they crossed over. If they didn’t then their entire plan would be a failure and Nora, Lark, and Sarah would be in a precarious situation.

Daniel’s heart beat rapidly in his chest as he leapt over a log. Sweat began to bead on his brow as the sharp wail grew closer. They were almost there. He couldn’t fail Nora, he would make it onto the Luna’s property.

A blur of grey and white flew toward them on their right. Devon nodded tearing off in that direction. Daniel balled his fists and then flexed his fingers willing his hands to transition. The bones popped and fur sprouted out.

Devon propelled forward faster and Daniel surged on keeping pace with him. The wolf lunged at them and Devon slid to the right as Daniel ducked to the left. Together, the two brothers spun and sunk their clawed hands into the wolf’s back. The wolf howled. Devon withdrew his nails and sliced them across the wolf’s throat, letting their enemy fall onto the ground. The wolf writhed in the dirt as it drew its last breaths.

“We need to keep moving,” Devon said his golden eyes meeting Daniel’s. The alpha tugged his bag higher up on his shoulder before racing off again.

Daniel took off after him. His bag jumped across his back, the jugs he carried collided with his back with each move he made. Lighter fluid filled the air and he cursed realizing one of his bottles of the flammable liquid was leaking.
Great!
That couldn’t possibly be safe, but then again, nothing about this mission was.

Devon slowed down holding up his paw as a signal.

They stood in a large clearing. A spring was to their right and the only sound he heard was the rustling of running water. The trees towered up into the sky effectively shading the entire area.

Daniel walked toward the water. Several deer tracks were imprinted into the soft mud. Moss and algae filled the air. As he got closer, he noticed a small embankment that would keep them almost entirely out of view from any angle. “We could stay down there,” he suggested. “Until Lark texts.”

Devon sighed, taking one last look around. “How close are we to the house?”

Daniel thought for a moment as he tried to remember the layout of the land. He’d run through these woods on several occasions. He just needed to recall where the water was in correlation to the house. It needed to be an accurate recollection too. Nora’s life could depend on how close he was. Any miscalculation could mean death or something worse for her, Lark, and Sarah. “I’d guess about a half-mile,” he finally answered having thoroughly racked his brain.

“Okay. We’ll stay here,” Devon said taking his bag off and walking to their hideaway. He dug his phone out of his pocket and looked at it. “It will be getting dark soon. Let’s hope Luna’s guys turn in. We’ll use the gasoline to douse the foundation of the housing complex then light it up. We need to take out as many men as we can. The less that can be sent to Abilene, the better.”

Daniel nodded in agreement. They needed to take out the enemy. He sat down on a log next to Devon and adjusted the straps of his backpack, but didn’t take it off, just in case they needed to move at a moment’s notice. He closed his eyes and hoped that Nora was okay—she had to be.

***

N
ora and Lark sank down into the plush, tan leather couch. Nora sat upright, keeping her back perfectly straight. Her fingers curled around the side of the armrest and she swallowed down the lump forming in her throat.

This is so not a good idea.

“Make yourselves comfortable. I’m going to go get a few bottles of water for you all. Here is my cell if you want to contact your boyfriend,” Chip said, handing over a long black device to Lark. “I’ll be right back.” He walked out into the hall and the group of men that had greeted them at the front door followed behind him.

Nora shuddered and turned to Lark. Her fingers were already skimming quickly over the touchpad of her own phone. Chip’s phone sat cradled to her as if she were ready to swap them out if needed. Within seconds, the message was typed and she smashed her finger down on the send button. The blonde let out a long breath and tucked her phone into the sleeve of her jacket.

Sarah sat on the armrest next to her sister, crossing her arms over her chest. Her gun rested in her lap, and her hands laid over it, ready to spring into action.

Footsteps padded towards them and all three women’s eyes looked up to the door. A woman—who couldn’t be over thirty—walked into the room. Her mousy brown hair was pulled up into a bun and her eyes stared at them hesitantly. She clutched a few bottles of water against her swollen belly. She stared at them for a moment before moving toward them.

Nora gasped her heart racing as she stared into a pair of familiar brown eyes. This was April’s older sister—she was sure of it.

“Here is some water,” the woman said quietly. She knelt down, her face right in there’s. “It’s not safe here. You should leave. Now!” she whispered so quietly it was barely audible.

Nora’s eyes widened and she gripped the edge of the sofa harder. The woman stood up straight and backed away. Reaching out, Nora grasped the woman’s hand. “Wait!” she hissed. “Are you Emma? April’s sister?”

Tears welled in the woman’s wide eyes and her bottom lip trembled. That was all the confirmation she needed.

“You should leave,” Emma repeated quietly. “You’re not safe here.”

“Wait,” Lark mouthed. “Let us help you.”

Emma drew in a quick breath as she looked at the blonde. “There are too many men here. We’d never all make it.” Her hand rested on her stomach.

“Emma,” Chip’s voice called from the hallway. Emma backed away from them as his boots clunked against the wooden floor. “Everything okay?” he questioned as he came into the room. He placed a possessive hand around her hip, drawing her into him. Emma stiffened and closed her eyes, but quickly relaxed.

Emma smiled. “They were just asking about the baby,” she said smoothly, rubbing her hand over her abdomen.

“Another boy,” Chip exclaimed his hand coming to rest over hers.

“How many do you have?” Nora asked.
We’d never all make it.
Of course, Emma wouldn’t leave her children behind. 

“This will be our third,” Emma said a small smile slipping over her features.

“It’s getting late. Why don’t you head upstairs to tuck Abel and Alexander into bed,” Chip proposed.

“Of course.” Emma nodded. “It was nice to meet you.” She gave Nora one last look before turning and leaving the room.

“Were you able to contact your boyfriend?” Chip asked.

“I sent him a text,” Lark said, handing the phone back. “He hasn’t responded yet, but he probably has it silenced. They were really intent on catching that deer. I’m afraid they may not even know we are missing.”

“Wouldn’t want that deer to get away,” Chip grinned. “You’re more than welcome to stay here until you reach him. The woods can be dangerous at night. There have been a few wolf attacks and one of our hands spotted one near the property just last night. ”

“Thank you, but we wouldn’t want to put you out,” Lark said.

“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” Chip assured waving his hand. “If it were
my
Emma out there I’d want someone to offer her hospitality.”

Cold chills zipped down Nora’s spine at his reference of ‘my Emma’. Did he think he owned her? Probably, she realized. “So, Emma, she’s your wife?” Nora asked, curiously. She knew April would want to know and if they couldn’t rescue Emma, the least she could do is find out more about her sister. Although, she wasn’t entirely sure how much of a help it would be to know. It seemed Emma’s situation was not ideal.

“Yes, we have been married for a few years now,” Chip grinned.

“Hey, Chip,” another man said, poking his head into the room. “I need to speak with you.” He cleared his throat nodding at them. “It can’t wait.”

“Excuse me, I’ll be right back,” Chip said, exiting the room.

Lark slipped her hand inside the sleeve of her jacket and pulled out her white iPhone. She began to type furiously across the screen. Seconds later her phone vibrated and Nora and Sarah both peered over to read it.

Fires set. Get out! –
Devon

“They are gone you need to go now,” Emma said running back into the room.

“Come with us. April’s here,” Nora blurted out.

“April?” Emma’s voice broke. Hope spread across the other woman’s face and she looked to Lark for confirmation.

“Yes, she’s here with us. She couldn’t come to the house because they would have noticed her. Get your boys and we’ll go. I’ll take you to her,” Lark said, rushing to the entryway. “Sarah call Claire to bring the van.”

“We’ll slow you down. You’ll never make it out of here. They’ve already sounded the alarm,” Emma said, darting for the stairs. “Trust me; you don’t want to be captured. I wouldn’t wish this life on my worst enemy.”

“We won’t get caught. We have a group waiting for us and a car. Let us help you,” Nora encouraged. The thought of leaving Emma and her kids here made her nauseous. From the little interactions she’d seen between Emma and Chip, it was obvious the woman was a prisoner here. They needed to at least try to help her.

Emma swallowed staring at them for a long moment. She nodded and flew up the stairs. Lark followed her, taking the stairs two-at-a-time. Nora looked at Sarah who shrugged in response. Together the pair raced up.

“Get up,” Emma hollered, throwing a door open. “We’re running.” She looked up at Lark and Nora as she drew the blankets off a little boy. “Across the way, there are a few girls they just brought in today.” Emma said as she set to work rousing the kids in the room.

“I thought you only had two?” Sarah asked as she stared at the six boys who were sleepily getting out of bed.

“These boys are my charges now. Their mother, Rosita, was killed a few months ago. I will not leave without them too,” Emma said. She turned back to the boys and clapped her hands. “Move. Hurry, my sweets, we don’t have a lot of time,” she instructed before racing across the hall into another bedroom.

Nora scooped one of the younger boys up into her arms, he couldn’t be older than two. She held the trembling boy and hummed softly trying to ease his fears. His body shook and his wide blue eyes stared up at her. “It’s okay,” she assured brushing a hand through his dark hair. “We’re going to take you someplace safe.”

“To mama,” he whispered his bottom lip puckering.

Nora’s heart clenched painfully in her chest. “No, sweetie, but I think she’d be happy knowing you were with us.” She hurried the other boy’s out of the room and followed them out into the hall.

Sarah stood in the center of the hall, a cell phone pressed to her ear. Lark pounded on the doorknob of the door across from the boy’s room, trying desperately to break the lock. She slammed the gun down one last time and the door burst open.

“Lark,” Amelia cried as she rushed out of the room, throwing her arms around the surprised blonde. Lark cradled the younger girl to her and wrapped her arms around the two other girls and boy from the ranch.

“Come on, we have to go,” Lark rushed, pulling away from them she led them to the stairs. 

Emma came out from the other room, two small children in her hands. “Let’s go, before they come back,” she said.

“Claire’s on her way with the van. Will we all fit?” Sarah asked, looking around the hall at the large group. They now had fourteen extra bodies to cram into the van.

“We’ll make it work,” Lark replied, she turned to Amelia. “Amelia, take the boy from Nora so she can use her gun.”

Amelia rushed forward and eased the boy into her arms.

“We’ll lead the way,” Lark instructed, readying her gun. “Let’s go!”

***

D
aniel peered out from the bushes, his eyes intent on the door to the main house. His pulse roared in his ears as knots formed in his stomach.
Come on Nora! Where are you?
His hands shook with worry as he thought of the beautiful woman who had changed his life. Nothing was going to happen to her—he wouldn’t let it. He’d go to hell and back if he had to. There was no way he’d let her become a prisoner here.

Devon paced next to him a low growl vibrating out of his throat. To their right an inferno blazed. Smoke and flames billowed high into the sky. Lighter fluid and charred plastic filled the air. The fire burned so hot, that a fine sheen of perspiration was budding on his brow from their spot five hundred feet away. The stench of the blaze masked their scent and no one had caught onto them yet, thankfully.

“There,” Devon pointed as the front door swung open.

Lark exited first her rifle raised, ready to fire. She was followed by Nora and then Sarah. The trio took in their surroundings before motioning behind them.

“Is that-“ Daniel started craning his neck.