Unleashed (40 page)

It was insane to her that she was in school on this day. She just had to hope that the act of going through her daily routine like everything was normal would help it feel normal,
be
normal. She knew it was crazy, but crazy was the only game in town.

She walked into her history class and froze just inside the door. Cordelia wasn’t there. Someone shoved past her and she forced herself to move, take her seat. She turned and stared at the door.
It’s okay, sometimes I get here before her
, she thought, trying to calm herself. But she could feel the panic winning. She needed Cordelia that day more than ever.
She wouldn’t blow me off now, would she
?

She could hardly stay in her seat. Pulling out her cell phone, she texted her. There was no reply.

The bell rang. No Cordelia.

“Good morning, people,” Mr. Henderson said. “I’m still going over your projects, so don’t ask about your grades.”

She turned around, realizing Cordelia wasn’t coming to class. Beau caught her eye, nodded at her. Her vision telescoped. In extreme close-up, she saw Beau’s jaw and ear—the individual pores and hairs of soft stubble. A wave of panic washed over her.

It’s happening. It’s happening
.

Beau looked at her strangely, as if he thought she was trying to tell him something.

“Mr. Henderson,” she said, turning back around, shooting her hand into the air. “I’m not feeling well. Maybe I should see Mrs. Walker.”

He looked concerned. “Okay, sure.”

She grabbed her bag and ran to the bathroom, where she splashed cold water on her face. Her heart was hammering away in her chest and she felt like her throat was closing. She could barely breathe. And yet she could smell the cleanser that the janitor used on the mirror, the minerals in the water.

I can’t do this. I can’t go through school today, not like this!
She closed her eyes. She didn’t have a car, which meant getting either Trick or her grandfather to take her home. And either way, she’d have questions to answer, and she’d have to come up with some fake illness that would still allow her to leave the house that night.

There was no use denying what was happening. She could feel every square inch of her skin where the air molecules touched it, and it terrified her.

When she had no more tears left, she washed her face. After a moment’s hesitation, she trudged toward the gym, hoping to find a quiet place in the bleachers to sit until class started. There was no way she was going to go see Mrs. Walker. What would she say?
I’m going to turn into a werewolf in a few hours. Do you have a pill for that
?

Halfway to the gym, her phone vibrated. She felt a wave of tremendous relief as she saw Cordelia’s name in the caller ID plate. She accepted the call and, turning toward the wall, whispered fiercely, “Where are you?”

“I’m making sure everything is ready. How are you feeling?”

“It’s happening. I know it. I can feel it. And I’m so scared.”

Cordelia caught her breath. “I’ll help you get through this. I’ll be with you every step of the way, no matter what this is.”

“Okay,” Katelyn said, trying to choke down her fear.

“That’s what friends do. They back you up, no matter what. Right?”

Katelyn was grateful for her words, but something seemed off. Cordelia’s voice was tense. “Is there something wrong?”

“I’m trying to make sure I’m excused from the hunt,” Cordelia said. “That’s why I stayed home. I told my dad I’m sick, but he said he knows I’m afraid to hunt, because of …” Her voice trailed off.

“The Hellhound.” Katelyn paced. She suddenly couldn’t stop moving. If it had been the Hellhound that had bitten Katelyn, what would she become?

“Kat, even if it didn’t attack you, what if it comes for
me
while we’re alone? I’ve crossed all kinds of lines. I’m in the wrong.”

Or me?
Katelyn thought. Her throat went dry, and she found she couldn’t make a sound.
I’m not supposed to have happened. I’m the thing that’s wrong
.

Katelyn licked her lips. “Do you think we should just tell your father?”

“No!” Cordelia shouted into the phone. “No. He’s—he’s so bad today, Kat. He’s just raging. Listen, let me tell you where to meet me. That’ll be less sneaking around—”

“I don’t have my car.” She heard the panic in her own voice.

Cordelia pondered. “Okay. I’ll pick you up after school.” She lowered her voice and added hurriedly, “I have to go.”

She hung up.

The day dragged on until finally it was lunch. Katelyn carried her sandwich and apple into the lunchroom. Immediately, Trick rose from his table of friends and took her hand. She resisted, but he pulled hard, and rather than make a scene, she finally went with him. They left the room and Trick led her to a private corner under the stained-glass window. The saint gazed down at them; beside him, the blue-eyed wolf looked on, too.

“Hey,” Trick said. “So let’s do it.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?” She tried to focus on what he was saying.

“Talk about what happened. You liked it. And then you ran off. And ever since then, you’ve been looking like you’re going to be hung by the neck until dead.”

“Trick,” she began, relieved that that was all he wanted to talk about. How she wished she could tell him what was happening to her. Cordelia had been a werewolf her entire life. How could she possibly understand what Katelyn was about to lose?

“We need to talk,” he said, trying to look in her eyes.

She dropped her gaze to the floor. “I know, just not … now.”

“Listen to me. I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’m here for you.
Katelyn.
”

She believed him. Maybe because when she glanced up, he looked so sincere or maybe because she needed to badly. She didn’t know. But she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and touching his cheek. Something flickered in his eyes and then she leaned forward and kissed him.

She pulled back immediately.

I shouldn’t have done that
.

But then he was pulling her toward him, kissing her. And it felt good and right. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body close to his. It was what she wanted, and she needed him, needed this.

He pulled away, holding her at arm’s length. His skin was flushed.

“You know how much I want you. But not like this. There’s something wrong. And I know you’re not telling me what it is. I care about you too much to let you do something you’re going to regret later. When you’re ready to trust me … when you’re ready to let me help you … then I won’t stop kissing you. Not ever.”

He touched her cheek, looked deeply into her eyes. “Do you understand?” he asked her.

Her mind shot ahead to a dozen mini-scenarios of the two of them together—in school, at his house, at prom. Impossibilities collided with daydreams, ignoring the present. For a moment she felt safe.

Then the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, and the moment ended.

“Trick,” she whispered, “I have to go.”

“You can be late for class,” he insisted. “
Talk
to me.”

“I can’t be late,” she replied as reality came crashing in on her.

She turned and walked away as fast as she could, not daring to look back.

She didn’t know how she made it through the rest of her classes. She didn’t even remember having been in them by the time she headed to the parking lot after the last one.

Cordelia’s truck was idling at the curb; Katelyn walked to it, wanting to collapse with every step she took. The anguish of the past weeks, months, beating down on her.

She climbed in, and as they headed away from the school, Katelyn began to sob hysterically, the fear washing over her anew.

“I know, baby,” Cordelia said. “I’m sorry. So sorry.”

She didn’t know how long they drove; she just sort of came to when Cordelia stopped the car and turned off the engine.

“We’re here,” she said somberly.

They were deep in the forest. At least, Katelyn thought they were.

“My father lost his temper and ordered me
not
to come with the pack tonight,” Cordelia said. “Which works out great for us
now
, but …” Her voice trailed off as she gathered up her hair. “Oh, Kat, he’s so mad at me.” She sounded despondent, and Katelyn became even more afraid.

“I hate how dark it is,” Katelyn said, staring out through the windshield.

“The moon will rise,” Cordelia murmured as she collected a green duffel bag from behind the seat. Then they got out and the smells of the forest assaulted Katelyn. The burgundy-velvet and crimson leaves piled beneath the trees looked so soft and inviting she wanted to lie down in them and go to sleep, waking when the nightmare was over.

She followed Cordelia around a couple of dense thickets of trees and came to a clearing. Sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves. Yellow flowers that looked like lilies and hot pink blossoms grew around the edges; and the grass was still lush and green. Overhead she could see the indigo sky and she marveled at the peace and the silence. She breathed in deeply, wishing she could make it a part of herself.

“Why here?” Katelyn asked.

“It’s far from the pack’s hunting grounds. We never come here, so I figured we would be safe.” She jerked. “Safe from
them
, anyway.”

“Thank you. No matter what happens, thank you.” Katelyn was still terrified, but she was also intensely grateful to have Cordelia with her, looking out for her.

“You’re welcome. Hey, I brought you something to eat,” Cordelia said with a bit of cheer. She pulled some foil-wrapped packages and two bottles of sports water from the duffel bag. “And a blanket. It’s going to get cold.” The blanket was blue-and-white plaid fringed with darker blue.

“I can’t eat anything,” Katelyn said, her stomach churning at the thought.

They watched as the sky darkened, and the air began to chill. Night was coming, and with it the moon.

“Now what?” Katelyn asked.

“Now we strip down to our undies.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Cordelia smiled faintly. “Whatever clothes you’re wearing when it starts,
if
it starts, are going to get shredded. Trust me. I’ve lost more than one pair of awesome jeans just because I cut it too close.”

Reluctantly, Katelyn undressed down to her underwear, feeling terribly cold and exposed. Her teeth chattered together and she hugged herself tight. Cordelia tossed her the blanket to wrap up in, then folded both sets of clothes and put them in the duffel and wrapped herself in a blanket as well.

Call Trick
, Katelyn thought.
Tell him to come get you
.

But she couldn’t. This was not his battle. This had nothing to do with him.

“What now?” Katelyn asked, shivering harder. Part of her couldn’t accept what they were doing, and why. It was like some crazy prank, like being on a silly TV show.

“Now we wait. The sun will set, and the moon will rise. And then we’ll know if it’s going to happen.”

“
How
will I know?” Katelyn said, struggling not to panic.

Cordelia grunted. “If you’re going to become like me, trust me, you’ll know. You’ll think your entire body is on fire. And new werewolves change faster. I can hold my transformation off for a few seconds to verify yours.”

Katelyn felt funny. Her skin tingled, but she couldn’t tell whether it was from the cold or something else. Her nails seemed longer. She thought of the pictures of Cordelia, her father, and her sisters. They didn’t look like monsters. They looked like ordinary wolves.

Katelyn could feel the minutes ticking by.

Cordelia spoke, almost conversationally. “We follow the old Norse ways. We’re the descendants of the Fenris Wolf. But Dom’s pack follows the Beast.” She took a deep breath. “If I ever
did
marry him, I’d have to change my loyalty.”

Katelyn had to force herself to pay attention to her—to hear her over the sudden rush of blood in her own ears.

“Maybe it’s okay,” Cordelia said. Then suddenly her face changed and Katelyn saw panic there.

“Cordelia—” Katelyn blurted as her entire body began to tingle.

“If you’re not going to turn, then maybe you should go.” She averted her eyes. “If you’re not one of us, then … then you shouldn’t see me change.”

“Cordelia—”

“Take my keys to the truck and get the heck out of here.”

“Cordelia!” Katelyn shrieked as she fell to her knees. Pain seared through her, unlike anything she’d ever known.

“Something’s happening!”

17

“N
o,” Cordelia whispered, sounding heartbroken, and the word echoed through Katelyn’s own heart. “I’m so sorry, Kat. I’m sorry.”

Katelyn opened her mouth and no words came. White-hot pain seared through her, tracing every nerve in her body. She screamed in agony, but the cry that came out didn’t sound like her. It was something else, and she could hear it echoing in her head. Over and over. Louder and louder.

She looked at Cordelia, jaw open, eyes wide in horror, and her face seemed to fragment until all Katelyn saw was a blur of color where her friend had been.