(Sur)real

I reached for the phone, wondering who would message Gabby’s phone when everyone in the group knew Olivia was using it.

The text was from an unknown contact. I opened it, and my gut clenched at the three images she’d received.

One of Olivia and me at the bakery. One of us outside the store where we’d purchased her dress and swim suit. And one of us sitting at this table, taken from just outside the window. I stared out at the people moving along the sidewalk.

Sam, are there any Urbat near us?

None. Gabby’s been keeping an eye on you.

The phone chirped with a new message.

I’m coming for what’s mine. Blake.

I swore under my breath.

Blake sent three pictures of me with Olivia, I sent Sam. His men have to be near us.

“What is it, Jim? What’s wrong?” Olivia asked.

There aren’t any near you. Gabby checked, Sam sent back.

That didn’t make any sense. We hadn’t been at our table long. There still should have been an Urbat nearby.

“How close is Blake?” I asked Olivia.

She turned toward the east as if looking for him.

“Closer than he was, but still hours if not a day away.”

“He sent three pictures of us, and a message. He said he’s coming for what’s his.”

All trace of color left her face.

“No. No,” she whispered slowly. “It’s too soon.” She gripped the table, her panic rising as she turned her head to look around.

“Gabby said there aren’t any Urbat near us.”

She turned and pinned me with her dark gaze.

“They are all around us. Warn the rest.”

Olivia thinks they’re all around us, I sent Sam.

The message had barely formed when Olivia’s head whipped to the side, and her eyes widened slightly. I followed her gaze to see a man shove his way through the restaurant’s door. He reached across his body for something hidden under his shirt. The shape of the object was unmistakable.

Rage clawed at me, and I stood as he began to pull the gun free.

“Die werewolf!” he screamed.

I launched myself over the table, wrapping my arms around Olivia as the idiot fired. The momentum of my collision tipped her back into her chair. Her gasp of pain enraged me further. As did the bite of the bullet into my calf, where my chest had been a moment before.

Twisting mid-air, I tried to position us so I took the brunt of the impact. With a light kiss on her forehead, I left Olivia on the floor and sped toward the gunman before he could fire another shot. The man never saw me coming. Closing one hand around his throat, I ripped the gun from his hand with the other then tossed him into the nearest wall before he could hurt anyone else. He sailed through the air, his scream echoing throughout the bar.

Without slowing, I turned and rushed for Olivia, not forgetting that she’d said they were all around us. She lay where I left her, her eyes open and watching for me. I scooped her into my arms and didn’t slow on my way through the window.

Curled protectively around Olivia, I blocked the shower of glass that fell around us. My feet hit the ground, and I used every ounce of speed to clear the city block within seconds. Any humans who saw us would wonder if they’d imagined our blur.

“Tell the others,” Olivia said against my chest. “Blake’s using his humans.”

I growled at our blindness.

Sam, we were just attacked in the restaurant. Tell Gabby it’s not the Urbat; it’s the humans. Blake’s using them.

Are you all right? he sent back.

Yes. We’re moving to the car now.

We reached Winifred’s vehicle a moment later, and I carefully set Olivia in her seat.

She was shaking and pale. I desperately wanted to stop and make sure she was okay, but there wasn’t time. Sirens already wailed in the not too far off distance. I closed her door and sprinted around the hood.

As soon as I slipped behind the wheel, I started the engine and took off. Traffic honked behind me, but I didn’t slow down. Humans. Blake was using humans. They were everywhere. Crossing sidewalks. Driving cars. There was no easy way to tell whose side they were on. No way to know if they had a connection to Blake.

My claws scratched the steering wheel as I took the first turn.

“Find out from Michelle where we need to go,” Olivia said, her voice strained. She gripped her seat with white knuckles.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“He said he’s coming for what’s his, right? I’m not the only one of us he thinks belongs to him. If he’s attacking here, he’s attacking at the hotel, too. We can’t go back.”

I thought of Michelle and reached out to Sam once more.

Is everything quiet there? Olivia thinks Blake will try for the rest of the girls.

I took a sharp corner, and the tires protested.

Everything’s quiet here, but I’ve warned the others. We’re packing up.

“Slow down. Don’t call attention to us,” Olivia cautioned.

I slowed and took the next turn onto a road that would lead us in the general direction of the hotel.

Ask Michelle where we need to go, I sent Winifred. Olivia wants to know.

She didn’t answer, but that didn’t worry me. It took Michelle and Gabby time to decide the next safe stop. If they were in a hurry to leave, it would take a few minutes.

I hadn’t made it more than two blocks when Sam’s words touched my mind.

Don’t come back to the hotel.

Why, what’s happening? I sent back.

When I didn’t immediately receive an answer, I started to worry.

“I think you’re right. I think Blake’s men are already at the hotel,” I said to Olivia.

GABBY…

Henry laughed and threw another piece of popcorn into his mouth. Beside me, Clay sighed heavily. I kept my eyes on the TV, grateful for our chaperons.

Sam jerked forward, sitting up from his position on the bed.

“Gabby, check Jim and Olivia.”

I kept my sonar open all the time so I easily answered.

“They’re fine. No Urbat nearby. They’re waiting in the distance, just like before.”

Sam didn’t relax, though. While he silently communicated with someone, most likely Jim, I studied the Urbat. The clustered groups hadn’t moved much. The groups spread around Salt Lake in a half circle to the north. Nothing too close. Heavier groups waited far to the south near the Mexican border, which made sense. They didn’t want us to escape that way. We didn’t want to run, though. We wanted to make the Judgement and end the war that Blake had declared on the werewolves.

While the group to the south didn’t really matter to us. The others did. The larger groups that had lingered far to the east had moved. As I watched, they covered hundreds of miles. How was that possible? I’d never seen any Urbat move that fast before. I opened my mouth to say something when Sam swore.

“Jim and Olivia were just attacked,” Sam said. “It’s the humans. Blake’s using them.”

“Are Jim and Olivia okay?” Henry asked.

“They’re okay. Pack,” he said. “We need to leave as soon as Jim’s back.”

Henry got off his bed and started putting things away, not that we had much out. Clay rolled to his side and eased off the bed. I changed my focus and tried to make sense of the human sparks. There were so many.

I barely paid Clay and Henry any attention as I slowly walked toward my bag. My mind wasn’t on packing but on the human sparks. They moved along the roads, walked short distances before turning around, or stayed in place, all seemingly going about their daily business. However, I frowned as I noticed a different, consistent advancement amidst the otherwise chaotic movement.

A swarm of yellow with green converged on our location from every direction. There had to be hundreds of humans closing in around us.

“Tell Jim not to come back here,” I said quickly. “Humans are on their way here, too.”

I turned to look at Clay. He had an arm over his middle again, probably hurting it just getting out of bed.

“No shifting,” I warned him. “Remember you’re staying unMated until you’re healed, so no setbacks.”

Henry snorted a laugh. I ignored it and focused on Henry.

“There are hundreds, Henry.” Something about my expression sobered him. “They’re not going to show up with empty hands. You know what humans with guns can do.”

The sparks surrounded the hotel.

“I can’t see a way out,” I whispered, the crushing weight of panic tightening in my chest.

A wave of love caressed my mind, and Clay’s hand brushed against mine.

“Henry, Gabby, you two carry the bags. Clay, listen to Gabby. No shifting unless it’s life or death,” Sam said.

He put his hand on the door as the first human entered the building.

MICHELLE…

I turned off the shower, wiped the water from my face, and put a hand over my churning stomach. Something on my plate at breakfast hadn’t agreed with me. I considered asking Jim if he felt okay, but he could eat anything and feel fine.

“You were too fast,” Emmitt said from just outside the curtain.

I pulled the material aside and found him standing there naked. My stomach heaved, and I barely made it to the toilet without slipping and falling.

Emmitt wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me, but that just made the nausea worse.

“Stop. Please.”

The arm disappeared, and I clung to the toilet as I continued to empty my stomach.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” His hand very briefly touched my forehead.

I stood weakly and went to the sink to rinse my mouth out. He watched me the entire time, worry and love touching my mind.

“Breakfast, I think,” I said after spitting out my mouthful of water.

“I’ll have Mom check with the other girls,” he said, wrapping me in a towel. “Let’s dry you off before you get cold.”

The gentle swipe of the towel against my back soothed me. I leaned against his chest and let him do the work.

“Winifred is sending Mom in to take a look at you,” he said after a moment.

I smiled slightly, knowing Charlene probably just wanted to mother me a bit. By Mating Emmitt, I’d gained a full family. A Mom, Dad, and even Grandma. I loved all of them and didn’t mind moments like this when they wanted to take care of me.

A knock sounded at the door. Emmitt grabbed a towel to wrap around his own waist and called out “just a minute” as he helped me from the bathroom to our bed. With a towel securely around my torso and my stomach still trying to talk me back into the bathroom, I willingly laid back.

He strode across the room and pulled open the door. A man stepped forward and hit Emmitt in the face with the butt of his rifle, driving him back a step. I screamed. More men pushed into the room.

Emmitt burst into his fur, snarling and growling. He went after the first man while the second leveled his gun at Emmitt.

“No!” I wailed.

“Stop!”

The shout echoed into the room from the hallway. The men froze, only their panicked eyes moving.

Emmitt snarled and stalked closer. I shook, too afraid to leave my place on the bed.

CHARLENE…

Thomas kept a hand on my shoulder, but I barely felt it as the attackers’ wills became my own. I could feel Blake’s influence. No one here had been coerced or threatened. These were Blake’s men, bought and paid for. They understood what they were doing. They liked it. I read their intentions through their wills. They meant to kill them all. My family. But they would spare the women and take them safely to Blake at the airport.

I boiled with rage. It would be so easy to end them. Such a move would save us from worrying they would ever come back. But I couldn’t. Something bad would happen if I started making those kinds of choices. I knew that in my bones.

Sam called out from down the hall.

“We’re pinned in but okay.”

“Is anyone hurt?” Winifred asked.

“No.” The word came from Sam and was echoed by Michelle inside the room.

Taking a deep breath, I focused my will on the humans in the hall.

“Step aside to let them through,” I said.

The humans shuffled their positions just enough so I could see Sam, Gabby, Henry, and Clay.

Sam nodded at me. “We’ll get the cars ready.”

“It looks clear outside the hotel,” Gabby added.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Winifred said. “Charlene, should I get our things?”

“Yes. I have control of them all.”

I focused on the men crowding the doorway of Emmitt’s room.

“Step aside to let us through.”

My son stood in his fur between Michelle and the attackers. When he saw me, he shifted back to his skin. I stayed in the hall, feeling every connection.

“You don’t belong here,” I said. “You don’t hate werewolves. You understand they are being hunted. You want to leave.”

“Not good enough, Mom. After they leave, they call Blake and tell him to go fuck himself. Have each one take a turn so Blake’s getting calls for the next hour.”

I pushed that into their wills as well.

“Done.” The men set their guns in the hall and walked away slowly.

Hurrying into the room, I looked at Emmitt and then Michelle.

“Are you two sure you’re okay?”

Michelle nodded shakily and moved toward Emmitt.

“I might throw up again,” she said.

I reached for her will, not to control, but to touch it to gain a better understanding of how she felt. My reach brushed her will and another. Stunned, I stared at her for a moment.

What is it, Thomas sent me. Your emotions are all over the place.

I mentally shook myself and glanced at him.

She’s pregnant. I don’t think they know. And now isn’t the time to tell them.

Agreed.

“We need to leave,” I said instead, focusing on Michelle. “I’ll help you get dressed.”

ISABELLE…

I smoothed back Bethi’s hair. The weight of her head in my lap brought out motherly type instincts I didn’t think I had.

“You high enough yet?” I asked, pulling just a bit more.

“Not nearly,” she slurred. “We should have brought some beer.”

I grinned down at her.

“Next time, we’ll get you high for fun and bring beer. You can torment Luke with it until you pass out.”

“He won’t care so much once I turn eighteen.”

I doubted her age was the driving factor for his protectiveness. Instead of saying so, I glanced up at Carlos, Luke, and Grey who all waited in the car a healthy distance away. They’d been sitting in the car for hours while Bethi and I talked, not that I’d gotten much out of her other than vivid descriptions of her numerous deaths.

Exhaling slowly, I took in the view. She and I sat on an overlook bench on some random mountain road. The cold air helped keep her awake, and the surrounding vista was as beautiful as it was peaceful. I’d hoped both, along with my gift, would calm her down enough to talk about her dreams. It had, but I still didn’t see an answer in anything she’d shared.

“Is there anything else you can remember about your dreams since Olivia joined us?” I asked.

“Nope.”

A brush of worry touched my mind right before the sudden blast of the horn made me jump. I looked up in time to watch Luke climb out and sprint our way.

“Asshats,” Bethi mumbled, snuggling in.

“We need to go, luv,” he said, scooting Bethi up without acknowledging her choice word.

“Fine. Next time we’re bringing beer, though.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked, standing and jogging with him.

“Jim and Olivia were attacked at a restaurant. Humans. The rest just got attacked at the hotel. Humans again. Charlene stopped them. Gabby said we’re free of humans out here, but there are a group of Urbat heading toward us.”

I stopped jogging.

“How many?” I asked.

“About twenty.” Carlos got out and opened the back door for Luke, who quickly slid in with Bethi.

“I call front,” I said, already sliding into Carlos’s warm seat.

The car dipped as Carlos got in back. Grey had the car in gear as soon as the door closed.

“How close are they?” I asked.

“Close. We’ll be there in two minutes,” Grey said.

“You mean you’re going toward them?”

“Yes. Gabby says the Urbat are closing in around Salt Lake City now. The rest of our group is heading south toward Canyonlands National Park. They’ll make it through without running into any Urbat. We wouldn’t if we tried going back that way. Instead, we’re going over the mountain and punching through the band heading our way. Once through, we’ll go around the long way.”

“Isabelle likes punching,” Bethi said from the back. She leaned forward suddenly and grabbed my hand. Her cold fingers wrapped around mine.

“This is just like the dreams,” Bethi said sleepily. “Holding hands while we die.”

My mouth dropped open. Not once in all her rambling recounting of deaths had she mentioned anyone holding hands. That had to be it. After Charlene’s display of power in New York, I’d asked more questions about our gifts, and Michelle had mentioned something about her powers changing when she touched Charlene.

I looked at Grey, and he winked at me.

“It’s about damn time, Bethi. And, we’re not dying; we’re running.”

“Toward our deaths. Just remember your promise,” she said, her eyes pleading with me.

“I remember,” I said. If things looked bad, I’d promised to steal everything from her, so she died high as a kite. I wouldn’t just ease her passing, though. I’d do that for all of them. And then kill the fuckers who caused me to do it.

“But, there’s only twenty,” I added. “I don’t think we need to worry about anything.”

“I’ve let the others know we have our answer,” Grey said. “And that we’ll meet them in the desert.”