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  Chapter Five - In The Hands Of Wolves

  Unsure of how long I have floated in my darkened abyss excruciating pain awakens me and I slowly become aware that it is not death holding me and moving me forward. I can feel my eyes fluttering, but I cannot see past the blackness which veils my vision. I am aware of the cool, damp atmosphere surrounding me. The pain in my head has not ceased, but my thoughts become clearer as I realize the impact with the tree blinded me. I can’t help but wonder if this will be permanent. As my thoughts return to my surroundings, I become aware of heat emanating from something furry wrapped around my arms and grasping my legs. My heart races as I realize I am in the arms of the werewolf! Struggling to fall free of its grasp, the pain in my head explodes, my heart races and my neck begins throbbing. I can feel my hot, sticky blood oozing from the gash in my head and from the bite on my neck.

  “Please stop struggling, you’ve lost too much blood already and will only make it that much harder for us to help you.” A calm, quiet, male voice whispers close to my ear, his tone lacks the menace and ferocity of my previous captures.

  Fighting to speak, my voice is barely a whisper. “Who are you?”

  “Please don’t speak until we can take care of the bite, you will use up too much energy and you need as much as you can gather to try and heal. My name is Grant.”

  I struggle again. “Why are you...”

  “Please stop struggling and talking, from the look of the puddle that surrounded you and the bites on your neck, you have already lost too much blood and we have a long way to travel. I mean you no harm and we meant your children no harm. It was a terrible situation. Tyler and Cary thought they were with the others trying to hurt me.”

  “How ...”

  “Please just think your questions and I will be happy to answer them, but please, every time you speak, the muscles in your neck contract and you spurt out more blood. Please stop or we won’t be able to save you.”

  Concentrating on slowing down my heart rate, I feel the escaping blood from my neck and head slow to a trickle and begin to think my questions. “Please tell me, do you know if my children made it, did their father find them?”

  “I was with you children when the others found them. I believe someone brought your husband to them moments later, but your son, Jacob, had already done a fine job in curing Nicholas and dispelling the wolf venom from himself. Your daughter, however, she saved Kayla, but your husband had to work on her, she was not able to dispel the venom fast enough and some of it touched her system.”

  Panic rips through me as I consider that Nicole may be dying. Before I even form the question, Grant is at my ear. “Please relax, your husband was working on her and I could hear him tell the others that she was going to be fine, she only needed to relax and so do you. The more anxious you get, the more your heart pumps and more blood escapes.”

  “Are you sure he said she would be fine? Please I need to know the truth.”

  “I have no reason to lie to you. I know what I heard him say, he even told one of the witches that their spell was unnecessary and that he was confident that she was healing. Before I left, they were moving her and the other children to the cars so that they could find you.”

  “Why did you take me then? Why didn’t you just take me to my family or let them know where I was?”

  “I’m sorry, I couldn’t do that, Marlena had already become you and was moving toward your family with the others. I heard them giving the coordinates to the rest of their family and knew that they were closing in on them. I couldn’t risk taking you to them. Your children were recovering, you are hurt, some of your party was hurt and in my condition, I would have lost the rest of my pack and my family. David and his family are too plentiful and strong. I’m sure that in the confusion and hesitation, your family would have been severely impaired as well. I only hope that they stuck to the plan of letting Marlena join them to learn if you had other children. They wanted to ensure they took all of you out. Otherwise, I hope your family was fast enough to avoid the entourage that was heading their way.”

  As fear grips my heart, I concentrate on shutting down my emotions. I don’t want to bleed to death before I can reach them or channel again and know that they are alright.

  Without realizing, I become conscious of his fur again and an unbidden question comes to mind. “Are you the wolf that I heard with the children?”

  “Yes, I’m the one the others were trying to capture using your children as bate, but I was never going to attack them. I could tell that they were the ones being held in the dungeon. I got a glimpse of them when I was outside the window and caught their scent. I was going after the ones who were with them, but then the situation got out of my control, I was shot and my pack saw that I was going to be attacked again and they began attacking everyone that was close to me in the confusion. I am very sorry that your children got hurt.”

  “How did you know that they were my children?”

  “At first, all I could tell was that they were related to you because of the similar scent that I got around you and them, but then when I lifted you, I could hear you fleeting thoughts about how much you loved them and hoped they would be safe in with their father. Only a mother would think of her children that way as she thought she was dying.”

  I remember what I had heard him say outside of the dungeon window. “I’m sorry about your family, did any of them survive?”

  His voice turns extremely sad and quiet. “Yes, my eldest son and two daughters survived, but my other four children and my wife perished. We should have never gotten ourselves caught like that, our job was to monitor, observe and calculate the best way to attack this family. It is all my fault, I should have never put them in such a position. They thought they could control their transformation and they were doing very well, I should have seen that they were not yet ready and that extreme emotions and fear would impair their ability. If only...” His voice breaks as sobs rip from his chest.

  “I am so sorry that you lost your family. Maybe you should put me down if you need to search for your other children to make sure that they escaped.”

  “They are traveling with us.”

  Concentrating on the sounds around me, I can barely hear his footsteps.

  My concentration is interrupted by Grant’s soft voice. “You must be a very powerful witch to repel David. No one has ever been able to make him budge and I have never seen witches who could change into animals before, yet I saw your son go from a mouse to human. I was shocked when this little mouse next to me all of a sudden transformed into a young man trying to goad me to go after him. His transformation caught us all off guard and made my pack nervous and reckless. You have to understand, we just lost some of our family, I was shot and only I knew that your children were being held and were not a part of David’s group.”

  “I just hope that they got out of here. Thank you for staying and letting me know that their father reached them, but I have to ask, why did you stay, if it was dangerous?”

  “I couldn’t just leave them there. We had already lost too many young ones because of this family. I could hear your friends moving through the trees and something inside of me, probably the father in me, needed to know that someone had reached them, that we had not caused their death.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How badly are you hurt? Put me down, I can walk.”

  “You can’t walk, trust me, you would not have enough energy after losing that much blood and I am already healed.”

  I could feel his hot breath upon my ear now. “I have to stop talking now. I can hear them.”

  From his anxious whisper, I know he is not talking about hearing my family, he hears them. “Maybe you should just leave me, I know that I’m slowing you down and they are probably trailing you because they smell my blood.”

  Without another word, he grasps me tighter to his chest as he picks up our pace. Several angry snarls are now surrounding us a
s quickening, heavy footsteps approach us from behind. One of the wolves howls in pain. The others growl fiercely. A thud and the quick crunching of bones makes me jump as Grant picks up the pace. Unable to see, I can’t even help by throwing a repellant spell because all I would probably accomplish is hitting one of the wolves. Trying to force myself to shut down in hopes of slowing the escaping blood, I also try to use the healing spell. I can’t help but wonder if they will still be able to trace even the slightest trickle, considering how old and powerful they must be.

  “Grant you need to put me down, they are following you because they can smell me. You do not need to lose anyone else in your family!” I know what pain the thought of anything happening to my children causes me. I cannot be the reason for this creature to lose any more of his family.

  “Please stop thinking such thoughts, we will be in our territory momentarily, they will not dare to follow us there, we are also plentiful and I do not think that they want a war at this time.”

  Traveling in his arms, I try to channel and connect to the children, but my weakened state makes it impossible. At least I hope that it is my condition and not that the children... I immediately halt that thought as my heart rate spikes.

  “What are you trying to do?” He whispers curiously.

  “I’m trying to feel if my children are alright.”

  “How can you do that?”

  “Sometimes, when I concentrate very hard, I can feel their energy, but I can’t feel it now.”

  “I don’t think that your children are dead. Your spouse spoke confidently that they would be fine and there seemed to be a lot of witches and vampires that belonged with you in the woods as well. I’m sure that they got out. Once you’re stronger, I’m sure that you can sense them again.”

  “How do you know this?” I figure since he is talking again and our pace seems less rushed, we must have crossed some line.

  “We could hear your friends trying to find the children. We can easily smell vampires and I could hear the spells trying to trace your children being cast. I wasn’t too difficult to figure out what was going on. I am surprised that your children were brought there to hunt, they were not part of any family that was on the estate, we never had their scent before and the story is that this family only goes after one household at a time. I don’t understand why they would change their pattern after so many centuries.”

  Despite not knowing him or being able to see him, my instincts tell me he is not bad, nor is he deceptive in nature. “They didn’t capture my children to hunt them; they were under a misapprehension as to my children’s identity. They have never been on this estate before, nor did we even know of this family.”

  He interrupts. “That is not entirely true. Someone knew them, one of my members heard them arguing over this fact.”

  “I’m sorry, I should clarify. My spouse and my children never had any contact with this family, our only knowledge of them is from my brother-in-law who was on this estate centuries ago and had run away. The family blames him for saving a child which they claim was one like you, but she was not and they were seeking revenge against my children because they thought that my children were his.”

  As my words escape, I can’t understand why I am telling him this or actually thinking this, but there is something compelling me to reveal this information to him.

  “This person who ran away, was he a witch like you?”

  “No he was a vampire. Actually, when he came to their estate he was a human, but when he left, he was a vampire.”

  “Would you mind telling me what else you know about this vampire?”

  “I can tell you that his nature is good and helping. He ran from here because he did not know when he became involved with Andrea, what she and her family are capable of. When he learned of what they were, and I don’t mean just vampires, I mean the barbaric, hunting creatures that they are, he ran.”

  “You said that they blamed him for taking someone with him, do you know about the one he took with him?”

  “He told me that it was a young girl, Elizabeth, who was with the family that they were hunting that night. He escaped with her. He said that they kept moving until they reached France and a small estate that was owned by distant relatives. They hid for the rest of the winter in a cabin until Elizabeth began living with a woman they met. He hadn’t returned here until recently and never heard from this family until my children were taken and David contacted Lucas to let him know that they were going to kill my children as revenge for some werewolf plague that Lucas unleashed upon their estate by saving one of you, but Lucas never saved anyone but the little girl.”

  “You’re partially correct.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Your Lucas did save someone that night, but she was not just a girl. She was from a strong family of werewolves.”

  I gasp and feel blood gush from my neck. “Lucas said that she was just a frightened, little girl, he wouldn’t lie about something like that.”

  “Lucas didn’t lie to you.”

  Now I am really confused. “I don’t understand, either he lied and she was a werewolf or he didn’t lie and she was a little girl.”

  “At the time that Lucas rescued her, he was correct; Elizabeth was just a little girl. However, when she reached the age of twenty-one her conversion began and she became a very powerful werewolf because of this family.”

  The more he speaks, the more confused I become. “I don’t understand, how could she be a werewolf and Lucas not know that and how could this family have made her more powerful?”

  “Each natural werewolf is born with the gene to begin the transformation, but it remains dormant until we reach our twenty-first birthday. Thereafter, on the first full moon, our first transformation begins and we are forever frozen at that age. However, whenever one of us dies, his or her powers get transferred to the weakest in the family line. In the case of Elizabeth, her entire family was murdered and she was the only survivor so all of their power transferred to her even though it lay dormant until her first transformation. Since she was too young to ever transform when Lucas rescued her and when he left, he would have never been able to detect what she would become. You can only detect us after the first transformation. It is a good thing that he never bit her because his bite would have killed her within days.”

  “I don’t understand, I thought I heard that a werewolf bite was deadly for a vampire, not the other way around.”

  “It works both ways, I guess it’s natures’ way of keeping the balance among its mythical creatures.” He chuckles slightly.

  “How do you know so much about Elizabeth?”

  “Her story is famous among our kind. She is the descendant of a werewolf which is the ancestor to most of us here. Not to mention a werewolf being rescued by a vampire, in our region they are natural enemies. Although I hear in your country, some have actually learned to work together. Elizabeth is the reason that our kind knows about this family. We have spent centuries trying to destroy them, but we can never seem to cut off the head. Although we have gotten some of their family, they barely leave the estate area and for each one we have managed to get over the years, their sire makes ten more. They are one of the oldest, most powerful vampire families in existence that we are aware and also one of the most barbaric. I have even heard rumors that David, the one who heads the family has been bitten before and was unaffected. Other rumors say that he also has the power of the witches, but I don’t see how that could be possible, we are sure that he is a vampire.”

  “He can be both.”

  Grant stumbles and halts. “That can’t be!”

  “It is possible for a vampire to be both, I know this first hand. If David first embraced the gifts of wizardry and mastered his talents before being transformed into a vampire, he can have the gifts and powers of both realms.”

  “Do you know someone like this and how to stop someone that powerful?”

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; “I do know someone who is both, but he strives to help others and bring those who fight against dark forces together so that they can be stronger, we have never considered trying to stop him.”

  We still aren’t moving. “Are we at our destination?”

  “No, your revelation surprised me and I just got word that some of my pack who fell behind in the escape are on their way with information, they should be here momentarily and then we can get started again.”

  “When we reach there, can you help me contact my family so I can let them know where I am?”

  “I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”

  After several moments, even though no words are spoken, I feel Grant’s muscles tightening and his posture turns rigid, reminding me of when Andrew becomes nervous or tries to control his anger. After what feels like an eternity, we are moving faster than ever before. “What’s wrong?”

  “We need to get back to the others.”

  For the first time, I can hear their quickened footsteps along with several grunts and growls. Although I plead with Grant to tell me what’s wrong, his only response seems evasive. He’s holding something back, but without my sight and without my family, I am in no position to push.

  “We need to get back and meet up with the others. We can arrive much faster, if I only concentrate on running.”

  After running hard for I don’t know how long, he stops and places me upon something soft.

  “Who is she and what happened?” A female voice inquires.

  “She was on the estate looking for her children when David and Marlena attacked her.” He drops his voice to a whisper and I’m surprised I can still hear him. “She is a very powerful witch, she knocked David down and she has information.” His voice returns to normal. “Marlena bit her and now she looks like her and is returning with her family.”

  The woman’s boisterous response makes me jump. “They have never done that before are you telling me that they have transformation powers now! That can’t be! Do you know what that means! How did this happen! Did she change her?”

  “No it wasn’t her; Amelia you are not thinking. Why would she change that monster and send her back with her family?”

  “Maybe she is a plant, maybe they knew she would be rescued and they sent her here to destroy us!”

  “Amelia, she is not here because she is a plant. After she threw David down in an attempt to get away from him and get to her children, he threw her against a tree and then he and Marlena bit her because they have some sort of score to settle against her family. They captured her children, tried to use them as bate to trap us and then tried to kill them because they thought that her children belonged to her brother-in-law. Her brother-in-law is the one who saved Elizabeth.”

  I hear Amelia’s gasp.

  Straightening myself, I interrupt. “Please, can I call my family?”

  Grant softens his voice and is now near me. “I’m sorry, please try not to speak, let us get you bandaged and cleaned up first.”

  I could feel a very warm set of hands on my neck. “You are still bleeding pretty bad when you talk. I’m sorry about Amelia. She is my sister and has always been suspicious about strangers. She is also distraught over what happened.”

  “How does she know?”

  “Some of ours ran ahead to inform the others that we were on our way and what had happened.” A warm cloth is being pressed gently against my neck washing the wound and then my head. “This may sting slightly, but it will help.” I pierce my lips as the solution burns against the open skin before feeling bandages being placed over the areas. His hands are warm but I no longer detect the fur.

  I didn’t realize that I was thinking that until he responded. “I changed back when we entered the house.”

  “You can do that? I thought that you were ruled by the full moon and didn’t change back until the morning. Is it already morning?”

  “No not yet.”

  “Then how can you...I thought that you transforming back required the sunlight.”

  “For most werewolves you are correct, however, last century I came across a witch who was very knowledgeable about our kind and knew of an ancient spell that allows our kind to transform at will. Everyone thought that she was delusional, but there was just something about what she said that made me think that this was possible and if it was, that meant that we would no longer be tied to an involuntary transformation, we would no longer be vulnerable in our human form and only powerful when the full moon was out. I allowed her to try the spell on me. She promised that she would return in a few years and that if the others trusted her then, she would help our pack. She hated the darkness that surrounded this area, she had come across Elizabeth who had told her of the family and this witch too had a score to settle with them. I believe that someone related to her had been touched by their evil doings making her all too happy to see that others who wanted to take them out.” He pauses momentarily and then continues.

  At first, my transformations were not at my will, but had occurred at random. After a while, however, I was able to master the transformations, but I was the only one of my kind who could. I thought that because I mastered her teachings on what to do, I could teach the others, but then realized it was because of the spell and charm that she had provided to me. I thought I would be alone in this and worried that she would not return as promised, but years later, she returned and gave this gift to my entire pack, she returns ever few years to continue to bestow the gift on our children.”

  ”That’s remarkable, but if you don’t mind my asking, how did all of this come about. I understand that you said that her family was also touched by this family, but how did you meet up?”

  “She crossed into our territory one evening during a full moon and I nearly took her out. She had just escaped from them and so their scent was all over her. I thought that she was one of them and was about to attack when she threw herself onto the ground and begged me to listen before I attacked. Leaping at her with my mouth open, something told me not to bite her. It was only about thirty minutes to sunrise so we stayed in the woods and then she showed me that she was not a vampire at all or tied to that family. She also confirmed all of the stories that Elizabeth had told us about this family hunting families and she said that she could teach us how to mask our existence and control our transformations.”

  I could hear someone’s footsteps coming toward us, Amelia spoke. “Now that you are bandaged up, you should really try to eat and drink this, it will help you gain your strength.”

  “Thank you” Fumbling around to feel the items on the tray she placed in my lap, I feel a cup. “If I could, I would really like to call my family right now.”

  “I’m sorry...We have been talking, but I don’t even know your name.”

  “I’m Mia St. Cloud.”

  “Mia, I don’t know how to tell you this, but I don’t think that you should try to call your family right now.”

  “Please, I need to tell them where I am and make sure my children are alright. I don’t understand, why won’t you let me call them?”

  In his silence, all I can hear is the pounding of my palpitating heart. Something happened that he learned about when we traveled back, that is why he was in such a hurry.”

  “I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’m just going to say it. Your family made it back to the vehicles, but they were attacked when leaving.”

  Panic overtakes me, I have to know. “Are they dead?”

  “No, but some of them were captured. The others heard the vampires talking about how your son and husband were curing the children. When David heard, he knew the value of this type of power and despite Marlena being there to take them out, he ordered another attack. He got instructions to Marlena to go and find out as much about the powers of your family before taking them out. In the fight, they grabbed your son, but missed your husband. David wanted to spare them long enough to discover the source of such power.”
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  “Andrew would not have left without Jacob, they must still be on the grounds looking for him.”

  “They are not. When David only managed to get Jacob, he sent another in his place like they sent Marlena in yours so your family left the grounds believing that they had Jacob. Like you, he was replaced. They also have my son and daughter who I thought were killed and three others from your group, a man and two women.”

  “How could this happen? How could they replace my son?”

  “I told you that this is a very powerful and old family, the stories about David and his powers are obviously true. They must have returned to the area where your children were and overheard the same information that I had heard. David would never let that type of power slip through his fingers. Although his desire for revenge is strong, his quest for unlimited power is relentless. They are probably trying to assess your family’s powers now and try to ascertain how many more family members were not with you on the land so that they can report back to David and see if he still wants them all destroyed or if he wants to put a new plan in place to capture them and harvest their powers first.”

  “Please, I have to get in touch with my husband and tell him what has happened, if my son has been bitten, he needs help! Please, I know that he will come for me and rescue my son and your children as well; we have nothing against your kind. Please, I need to speak with him!”

  “Mia, we need to be careful, obviously David does not want your son dead; he wants to know how to secure your son’s power. As to calling your family, we may put them and the ones they captured in more danger by trying to get in touch with them. David and his kind would have killed my children instantly, but they must know that we have you and being unsure as to whether you are dead or alive, they are keeping my children to ensure that you do not interfere with whatever plans they have. If I allow you to get in contact with your family, they will have no reason to keep my family alive. Do the others they captured have powers that David might want or are they just bargaining chips to control your son?”

  Unsure of what I should tell him and knowing the extreme stress because of the loss of his wife and other children, I hesitate. I need to treat him now as if I am dealing with a hostage type situation. In this type of situation, I know that people can be driven to extremes. I have to protect Jacob and the others. Although I don’t believe Grant is bad, I don’t know enough about this situation and those surrounding me to make good decisions.”

  “Grant, I don’t know why they grabbed the others or even who they grabbed. In fact, it makes no sense for him to grab them unless he replaced them too. My thoughts drift wondering if they are part of the St. Cloud family and if the others would return for them if David hasn’t replaced them. Even if Jacob was replaced, could he replace more? Forcing myself from my introspection, I return to the situation at hand. Despite Grant telling me it would be dangerous to call my family, is he keeping me from doing this because they have a plan, a plan which could endanger Jacob and the others, I need Grant to stop and think about what his next move may be. “I understand that this is very stressful for you, I’m glad that your children are alive, but please you cannot do anything rash or unthinking. I know that you do not know me or my son, but really we have been fighting against dark forces ever since entering this realm and I beg you not to do anything that would put anyone in danger. I know first-hand how when someone is being held, they can be used as a bargaining chip to get their loved ones to do the capture’s bidding, but it never works out. They never give you what they promise, please you need to believe me, that is how I lost my sister and her husband.” The stress of this situation and past events crash over me like a rolling surf and I can’t stop the tears streaming down my face as fear grips my heart at the thought of Grant being manipulated into a situation that could hurt our families, the way Nicholas had been manipulated all those years ago.

  His resigned response is a mere murmur. “I know how evil this family can be and how barbaric they are. I saw how they ripped one of my children apart in front of my wife before killing her. They have no conscious and their barbaric nature makes them the most dangerous enemies that we have ever come across. They have gotten away with their actions for far too long. I need to talk to the others, eat and I will return shortly.”

  Forgetting the tray is on my lap, I sit up straighter causing the tray to tip over. Grant sits beside me. “What happened?”

  “I forgot about the tray. I’m sorry.”

  “Didn’t you see it? Did the tea burn you?.”

  “No, I can’t see. I didn’t get burned.”

  “If you’re blind, why did they leave you alone in the woods?”

  “I wasn’t blind before I hit the tree.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

  “I’m sorry for the mess.” I feel around trying to clean up the spill.”

  “It’s nothing, I’ll have Amelia come and stay with you while I’m gone, but please do not try to contact anyone or leave. I won’t be gone long. I know that you’re anxious about the situation too and don’t know me or my family, but like you, we also have been fighting the darkness and I will not be manipulated by them. I am only going to talk to our elders, nothing more. If you promise that you won’t do anything foolish while I’m gone, I promise the same.”

  Amelia removes the items from my lap. “Who are you really and why did you come here? You may have fooled my brother, but you will not fool me. They have never kept prisoners before, nor have they ever transformed into someone else. My brother may be right and you may be a powerful witch, but you must be working for them, there is no way that David would have the ability to transform into other people and not use it. I won’t let you destroy what is left of our family or our pack. I bet that you are even feigning your blindness to get my brother’s sympathy. What happened, did the wolves get too close to you so you feigned being a victim. Did you change Marlena to look as if she was going with whomever my brother saw on the land so that he would think you were some helpless victim in need of his help before you try to take us out one by one, the way you took out Elizabeth’s family, brutally and slow. I’m sure that they have already killed my niece and nephew now that the message of their capture was delivered, but let me assure you that you will not take another life, not here, not now, not ever!”

  The unmistakable determination in her voice alerts me that she has a plan which will not be good for me. “Amelia, I’m sure that you can tell, I am not a vampire, nor am I part of that family. I swear I am not feigning anything. I came here because my father was being honored for saving the life of a dignitary’s son, maybe you saw it in the paper, his name is Dr. Angelis. After the ceremony, my family and I were going to assist in setting up the records for the new terminal unit that was established in town, it is being run by Dr. Jamison. A picture of Dr. Jamison, my husband, Andrew, and my brother-in-law, Lucas Masters, was in the paper the other day. If you don’t believe me, you can see for yourself, download a copy of the paper from a day or two ago.” Although we’re quite a few miles from the hospital, I’m sure that the local paper probably carried some word of it. Trying to keep my voice as sincere and quiet as possible despite my oncoming fear that her silence is evidence of her resolve to do something which may put me at a further disadvantage than I am now, I continue trying to reason with her. “Amelia, I don’t know why this David has never used his transformation powers before, but I assure you that I don’t know how to transform people and I would never help anyone who kidnapped my children, under a mistaken impression or not. My children are the most important people in my life. All I want to do is make sure they are alright and if my son, Jacob, is being held prisoner, all I want to do is get him home!”

  Grabbing my wrists, she jerks me off the bed. “Now I know you’re lying, my brother saw your son transform from a mouse to himself. You know exactly how to transform. Move now!” She shouts, pushing me forward. Stumbling, she jerks me to my feet and pushes m
e through the doorway. I can feel the fresh air.

  “Amelia, please I’m telling you the truth, I don’t know how to transform. In fact, my son only learned how to change himself today so that he could escape and it wasn’t even from me. I am not in league with this family and I do not want to harm yours.”

  Pushing me over some upraised metal, she hoists my legs up and crams me into a small, cold, steely space. A lid slams shut just above my head. My heart palpitates wildly. I have been shoved into the trunk of a car and she is starting the engine! Screaming, while kicking my feet against the top of the trunk, I need for someone to hear me in hopes they will stop her and get Grant. If I had only kept my telephone, I could call for help. The car’s engine roars, pushing past capacity, thrashing over bumps, swerving erratically, we must be traveling over grass and tree roots. As my head thrashes against the unyielding surface, I can feel the gash open again and am unaware of how long we travel or whether I have lost consciousness. The car jerks to a halt, slamming my body up against the metal side, and I can feel more skin ripping open at the wound. A cool rush of air pulls me from my haze as Amelia grabs my shoulders hoisting me out of the trunk without any effort at all.

  “You are back where you belong and I’m sure that your group is waiting for you. Deliver this message from me, I didn’t kill or harm you so they have no reason to come on our land, if they do, we’ll be ready for them!” Raising me higher, she slams my body toward the ground.

  Unbearable pain radiates through my body, I struggle to voice my plea. “Amelia, please, I am not with them and I can’t see anything, all I want to do is get back to ...”

  Slamming the car door, she reeves the engine and the car quickly retreats from me.