The Falcon Ridge Series Book 4: Art of a Girl

(Chapter song ‘Breathe’ by Prodigy)

BASTIAN

“Sam!!”

I ran after her, but lost her in the halls. I checked everywhere. Her office, the ballroom, the main rooms. I even ran upstairs and checked the three floors up there. I practically jump down the steps to the foyer and run to the staff stairs.

As I search for my petrified decorator, a million things ran through my thoughts. Did I really just witness her mutilate herself in front of me? What causes someone to do that? She looked like she was being attacked. Her fear filled the whole gym. And to take off? She seemed more scared for me. I need to find her.

When I approach the stairs, I find her shoes. I pick them up, take the stairs two at a time and rush to her room. As I slow I see blood on the wall and door.

“SAMMY?!!” I try the door and it's locked. I slam my fist on it a few times and try the handle again. “Sammy! Open the door!” I lean my ear to it and I hear her crying. Not just crying but full on sobs. My wolf kicks up and I bang on the door harder. “SAM!!!”

I hear the door unlock and I step back when it quickly opens. Dylan rushes out as Sam wails inside and shuts the door behind. He’s dripping wet, coated in blood and looks fucking freaked as he chest heaves breaths.

“What’s going on in there?! What’s happening?!” I shout the questions as I push on him and he pushes me back.

“She’s fine! She’s…not feeling …well!” He grinds as he tries to move my weight.

“Bullshit! Sammy!!” I throw him to the floor and burst my way into the room.

My wolf goes into a complete frenzy when her cries are heard.

“ALPHA!”

I completely ignore Dylan and whip my head to the bathroom. In a panic, I run to the open door. There’s blood everywhere. I stop my hands on the frame and look to the tub.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

“Holy fuck!!” My eyes widen as I see Sammy in the bottom of the tub with the shower pouring over her. Her skin is red and steaming and I’m horrified to see her claws digging into the skin of her arm.

“SAMANTHA!!”

I slip on the wet floor and fall to my ass on the tile. I crawl to her and try to make sense of what’s going on.

She’s hunched over, rocking and balling as her claws continue to dig. “Go away!!” She yells.

“WHAT’S HAPPENING?!!” I reach for her and a loud, dark growl comes out of her.

“IT’S NOT SAFE!!” She cries out.

I suck in a breath and grab her hand.

She panics and tries to jump away. “LET GO!! LEAVE ME ALONE!! PLEASE!!!”

She’s slipping around the tub, flailing all her limbs as I try to grab her and hold her down.

“STOP! SAM!!” I grab both her wrists and she slides down to her back.

I pin them on her chest and I take the ice cold water all over my back. She’s kicking, fighting and crying to the ceiling.

I put both hands in my one and grab her chin. “SAMANTHA!!” I yell in her face to try and get her attention. I make sure I throw out as much Alpha tone as I can. She’s locked in some sort of fucked up delusion and I need to break her of it.

Her eyes shoot open and I direct her to find mine. “Sammy?”

She stares blankly at me with absolute horror on her face.

Water is pouring off my head as I concentrate on her. I pet the side of her head as she tries to breathe.

“That’s it. That’s it baby doll. You’re OK.” I slightly smile as it begins to look like she’s coming down from whatever the fuck this is.

“B-Bastian?” She squeaks. Her eyes look all round me like she doesn’t know where she is.

“Yeah.” I look her over then I glance at the massive slashes on her arms.

She starts to cry again, but it’s not a scared cry. More like she needs to feel safe. I can do that. I lift her up and hug her head. She feels very cold. I shut the water off and just hold her as she lets her fear out on my arm. Whatever this is it's violent as fuck and I need answers.

When I think she’s stable enough, I put her in a ball and rush into the closet area for towels. I bring them in and set them down.

“Baby doll, I’m lifting you out, ok. We're gonna get you dried up.” I lift her soaked body out of the tub and put her on the floor. She's shivering like mad and I immediately wrap several towels around her head and body. I pull out her injured arm and wrap a towel around it stop the bleeding. Her other hand is back to normal, but covered in skin and blood. I wet a towel and clean off the gore.

“Sammy…talk to me…please.” I whisper as I dry her hair and she stares at the floor.

“It started when she was 8.”

I slow my drying and roll my head to Dylan who’s holding himself as he leaned on the door frame.

I cinch my brows. “She shifted at 8?”

He shakes his head. “No. It showed up when she was 8. My mother saw her in the orphanage and knew she had a problem. My mom meant well when she brought her home, but we didn’t know what we were up against.”

I can see him get visibly upset and I don’t want to upset him more, but I have to know.

“What is it, Dylan? What’s happening?” I ask as I hold Sammy in my lap.

“We don’t know. All we know is that it’s dangerous, it’s pissed and it will tear Sammy to pieces to get out.” He pushes off the frame and takes a few steps into the bathroom. “We tried to control it. Then we tried to contain it. When that didn’t work, we took her to a doctor. He put a block in her head that stopped it. At 14, we stopped it. Until now.”

I wipe Sammy’s face as she sits silently resting on my chest.

“Why does it do this?” I ask.

“It wants out.” He answers.

“Ok. It’s her wolf right?” I pull the towels around her tighter to warm her up.

“I don’t know what it is, Bastian. I’ve never seen it.” He shake his head and look to the floor.

“Wait. When was the last time it was out?” I furrow my brow further.

He sits on the toilet lid and leans on his knees. “Sammy has never consciously shifted in her life. We do believe that when she’s sleepwalking, and she wakes miles from home in the middle of nowhere, it shifts her in her sleep. It takes her places, but it can’t hold it. Sammy has never shifted herself because she can’t.”

I turn my head slightly and eye him. “Why can’t she?”

He taps his fingertips together and glances at me. “Because when it’s let out…people die." He almost choked on the word.

“It’s killed.” I say low.

“Two human hikers. They were in the wrong place. Sammy was sleepwalking. When we found her she was naked and standing in the middle of a bloodbath. We got her out of there before police showed up. They just deemed it an animal attack. We were grateful, but that’s when we decided to chain her up. The biggest fucking mistake. When it realized it was trapped, it tore the fuck out of every inch of her. Then it snapped the chains made of fucking silver and went after us. My dad had to shoot her in the head.”

“Jesus.” I felt physically ill at the thought.

His eyes well as he relives this horrific story. All I can do is stare at Sammy while my heart breaks.

“16 hours of surgery and a month of ICU care. It was then, we started our search. We needed someone who could help, but not tell anyone who she was.” He swallows.

“Why? I mean…the Alliance…” I give him a puzzling look.

Sammy’s head shoots up. Her eyes are wide and filled with tears and that panicked look came back. “No… Please… You can’t tell! Bastian, please you can’t tell…. Y-You can’t!” She fists my shirt and starts to shake again. Her voice cracks as she begs me through tears.

“OK! SAMMY!” I grab her and hold her, then look to Dylan.

He sucks in his top lip. “We can’t go to the Alliance, Alpha…because...” He hitches a breath and ticks his head. “Sammy’s human.”

An icy cold shiver runs through me and my jaw drops. I lift Sammy’s head and stare into her eyes.

“They’ll chop her to pieces if we do.”

Sammy eyes well up and she lowers her head. “Please don’t tell.” She whines quietly and I hug her head as I bury my head in her neck.

Everything swirls around my mind like a gruesome nightmare made real. But as I rock her and hold her in my arms on the floor of the bloody wet bathroom, I can only whisper one thing.

“I won’t tell.”

****

After getting her dressed in dry clothes, I had Dylan go get a med kit from the locker room on this floor.

She pretty much passed out once she was warm and comfortable. I gave her a mild sedative so I could put 15 stitches in her arm. Each one pissed me off more. Dylan sat on the bed by her legs and assisted me with patching her up.

“Where'd you learn to do that?” He asks as he hands me more alcohol pads.

I wipe the next cut clean and proceed to stitch her skin closed. “The Unit. When you’re in the field, you learn some things. Things like stitches are good to know so you can keep going.”

“Yeah. That’s where my dad learned it, too.” He hands me more thread. I put it on the needle and proceed to make the next stitch. Sammy is sleeping soundly and I’m so grateful for that.

“Your father’s in the Unit?” I ask.

“Yeah. He’s a Gamma. It’s not a high rank, but he likes it. He works in Comms.” He supplies.

I glance at him and smile. “I’ll have to stop in and say hi. Gauze.” I hold my hand out and proceed to wrap Sammy’s arm up.

“Human…but she has something in her.” I lift a brow to him.

“I don’t know all the details. Sammy won’t tell me, but when she was 5, her parents were attacked by a wolf. She was the only survivor. He tried to grab her, but grabbed her coat instead and bit her shoulder. I didn’t think it was possible, but when she told me and showed me the scar…How?” He questions.

I lay Sammy’s arm on her chest. “I don’t know for sure, but I think I know where to look. I have a suspicion.”

“For what?”

I stand and he follows me as I start to clean up. “A turner.”

He turns his head slightly and questions, “A what?”

“A wolf who can turn. And judging from what I saw tonight…” I look back at Sammy looking beautiful in her white duvet. “He’s a fucked up son of bitch.”