Back to You (43 page)

Now that our feet are no longer plodding through the mud, the silence is deafening. There isn’t even a bird singing. The rain begins to fall more intensely.

“So how’s it going, Stella?” asks Drake, a huge grin on his face.

“Same as ever, thanks.” I don’t want to do anything behind Vuk’s back, but if this could save his life…

“Well, well,” he replies sarcastically. “A couple of vampires are trying to kill you and that’s all you’ve got to say?”

I just smile and climb onto the leaning tree trunk to try to walk along it, not really taking my lack of tightrope walking skills into consideration.

“Let me give you a hand to jump down,” calls Drake, holding out an arm.

I frown at him; I have to act mistrusting, suspicious of his intentions. Vuk keeps a watchful eye on us. Drake impatiently walks toward me and grabs my knee, making me lose my balance. His other arm catches me before I fall flat on my face.

“Idiot,” I mumble.

Drake laughs, his chest vibrating. It’s not the only thing moving in him and I can feel the rest of his body trembling.

“Calm down, bro,” calls out Vuk.

“I’ll only calm down when you can start to show what you really are, Vuk,” roars Drake challengingly. “The thing that’s a part of you. The thing that makes us a pack, the Wolf family right here in Wolfeboro and all of New Hampshire.” Drake swells with pride. I see him lower his eyes and take an almost imperceptible breath, getting ready to act out his role in the setup.

“What are you talking about, Drake?” asks Vuk incredulously.

His brother just eyes him grimly.

“Are you ok?” I whisper in Drake’s ear.

“Yes, pretty much.” He smiles slyly.

“Maybe we should put this experiment off, try it some other time.”

“Too late now.”

“Well, go easy on me, I’m not feeling great,” I mutter.

Drake seems almost excited by the prospect of what’s about to happen, but I can’t stand the thought of either one of them being at risk. I know I shouldn’t be a part of this. But if Vuk has his heart set on the encounter in the cage against the vampire, this is the only way to make sure he stands a fighting chance.

“What’s going on, Drake,” Vuk asks, the realization that something is amiss dawns on him.

His brother just stares at him, unperturbed.

“I swear, Drake, if she gets just one scratch, you’re mincemeat! And that goes for any one of our cousins that tries to touch her!” His voice rises. His rage is surfacing from deep within, he senses trouble at hand, and his words echo through the forest, as if aimed at anyone else who might be listening.

“Thanks, bro,” smiles Drake. “That’s what I call brotherly love, a real sense of family belonging. You want me to let her go? Then transform and come get her.”

“Keep your cool, Vuk,” I warn, my eyes brimming with tears. “Just do what your brother says.”

“Yeah, sure.” Vuk’s voice oozes resentment, followed by a strangled groan of frustration.

A part of me wants him to transform for all the reasons Drake told me, but another side of me is terrified of seeing him turn once again. The mere thought of it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Drake grips fast to my hips, almost crushing me. The contortion of pain I show makes the blood rush to Vuk’s face. Then, still holding me tight, Drake dashes off into the forest along a different, parallel path. We fade into the trees like ghosts in the night.

“What the hell are you up to, Drake?” calls out Vuk from the other path, keeping us well within his sights. “Just take her home!”

Drake curls his lips into a cruel sneer, but doesn’t reply. He clearly is trying to transmit to Vuk that his intentions are no good. But from this vantage point, I can see he’s racked with anxiety. He keeps running, seemingly faster than light, even more than Vuk managed earlier with me on his shoulders. My heartbeat feels like a machine-gun firing off round after round.

“Wait for me, Drake,” Vuk pleas, terrified that his brother might do me harm. I can barely hear him, the wind rushing past my ears drowning out almost all other sounds.

“That’d be too easy,” grins Drake.

The path leads downhill, then up again. He leaps over rocks and fallen trunks with the agility of an antelope, so fast it seems like we’re in freefall on a rollercoaster. The trees open up to the lake again; a brief race along the shore splashes water through my hair. Then we’re back in the woods again.

Vuk keeps calling out imploringly, thinking his brother is racing ahead. But it’s just the nerves; he’s actually a few paces ahead of us on the other path.

“Don’t be scared,” he calls out to me. “Everything’ll be ok.”

I try to focus on that ‘everything’ll be ok,’ sure that things really will turn out for the best, despite being dazed and confused.

I realize we are not actually heading anywhere, that we seem to be running round in circles. We’re practically back at the house now; Drake had it all planned out. If the plan works out the way he hoped, the house will be the best place for me to take refuge. I hope!

He suddenly comes to a halt in an open space, with Vuk still quite a distance from us. The stop was so sharp I feel like my brain bounced back and forth inside my head. I look around. The ground is mostly covered with fallen logs and rocks as big as me. Vuk approaches, infuriated.

“Drake, you’d better watch out! This is not funny, especially considering your past record with Stella!”

“Part of me wants to tell you to calm down, Vuk. But that would be contrary to what I really want!” Drake retorts. “To see you turn into a werewolf. What you are. The thing that is a part of you! You’re burning up with the desire to transform, I know it!”

Drake urges him on. He turns to me, his lips pursed in exasperation, moving them in my direction. He looks me pleadingly in the eyes and seems to be trying to transmit the thought that torments him.
This is the only way, this is the only way.
He stops an inch from my mouth.

“Don’t even try, Drake!” roars Vuk, taking steps forward, his whole body quaking.

Drake looks at him, a menacing grin on his face, playing the part to perfection, his eyes flickering to my mouth lustfully then back to Vuk.

Vuk comes closer, almost huddling himself into a ball in an attempt to control the spasms, his eyes never leaving the odd couple standing rooted to the spot before him.

“There’s a good boy, you protect her!” exclaims Drake in satisfaction. As his enthusiasm overflows, I realize that it’s Vuk’s protective instinct that is the key to his transformation. And I’m the keyhole––his core––that combined with the key can open him up to his true nature, without any boundaries, no holds barred. This is hardly surprising, now that I think about it, seeing as he already sees himself as my wolf bodyguard. Another spasm racks his body; the situation looks like it’s reaching boiling point.

A terrifying rumble distracts me from my thoughts. Vuk’s infuriated roar, like a hurricane, makes the trees shudder. He dives forward into the void, shaking violently. Mid-leap, believing me to be in real danger this time, he manages to explode, his clothes seeming to crumble to dust, leaving a trail of dark breadcrumbs on the forest floor, as if to tell me he has passed the point of no return and that I should keep my distance. It’s like seeing my nightmares come up to me to greet me all at once.

My eyes widen in shock as I see the anthromorphic figure approaching, the same one that still torments me in my sleep.

But I’m not alone here. Drake shoves me back roughly toward a path snaking through the trees. I dash onto it and climb up on a rock to get a better view. I don’t think making rapid movements or running is the most sensible decision. Drake’s body starts to quiver before erupting with a bang. He literally explodes out of his skin, the transformation taking a split second.

I’m quaking all over, the blood rushes from my face, I can’t breathe. First Vuk dives into the air and lands, covered in a dark, silvery fur. A second later, he’s standing before a gigantic wolf with a bronze-colored coat, ready to do battle with him. The blink of an eye and I would have missed the whole spectacle.

Vuk’s eyes narrow, fixing on the mountain of fiery red fur standing between him and me. Drake’s mouth opens wide, his pointed teeth glistening. His shredded clothes are still floating back down to the ground like feathers. The brothers’ collective roars drown out all other sounds.

The clash between the werewolf and the wolf is frontal, and the sun reflects off their bright teeth as they aim at the throats of the other. Drake leaps out of the way and, with a boxer’s grace, manages to lead the werewolf out of the small clearing, taking just a few heavy blows from his brother’s paws on the way.

I stand motionless, dumbfounded, watching the surreal scene unveil just a few feet from me. Drake rolls toward me like a missile. He jumps to his feet and furiously backtracks toward Vuk. The two clash headlong in the air, a metallic, thundering sound that makes my eardrums almost burst. They tumble into a tree, breaking it in two. Vuk lands on his feet, his body tensed, at the ready. His brother has recovered his position, as well. I can’t help but be glad to see them both back on their feet, safe and sound. For the moment at least.

My heart skips a beat when Vuk turns his gaze to me and begins to take a few steps in my direction. His eyes are filled with curiosity, as if he were remembering the night of the last full moon.

Drake leaps onto him, to stop him from reaching me, making him Vuk’s target. He’s forced to beat a retreat. The wolf staggers back, Vuk landing blows on him step after step, his face paralyzed with fear. He attempts to raise a paw to defend himself.

“Stop,” I yell with as much force as I can muster. “That’s enough!”

The sound of my feeble cry through the trees distracts both of them. I don’t move but to cover my mouth with my hand, an instinctive move when in the presence of a mythical werewolf and a dangerous wild animal.

Drake takes advantage of the moment’s pause by sinking his teeth into Vuk’s shoulder before moving toward the forest with a backward somersault. The werewolf’s piercing howl of pain fills the clearing, but he still seems to have the advantage. He’s bigger than his brother and seems stronger. He shoves his shoulders into the red wolf, forcing him to back away between two blocks of rock and weave through the trees.

Their growls and gnashing teeth, like the metal clamps of a snare snapping, are terrifying. Suddenly Vuk throws Drake against a thick, moss-covered tree trunk before turning and making his way toward me. The wolf snaps out of his slump and rolls toward the trees.

The rain is in my eyes, but I can still see his vaguely distorted figure as if he was unable to fully straighten himself. He keeps his chestnut eyes firmly fixed on me. I suddenly hear a sound, surprisingly nearby. I turn and my eyes fall on Vuk’s golden yellow eyes. Too bewildered to react, I tumble off the rock clumsily in time to see Drake launch himself like a rocket ship against Vuk. The sound of their bodies meeting is simultaneous to my crash to the cold, wet ground.

I manage to break my fall with my hands, but I still find myself with a cheek pressed against the slimy, icy cold rock. I begin to shake. I suddenly realize how cold it is and how inert and defenseless I am out here.

An instant later I hear another sound, like an animal sniffing. I lift my head; it’s Drake. He’s huge this close up. I curl into a protective ball, not quite sure whether or not to be afraid. I try to get up, but can’t seem to let go of my knees, clutched tightly to my chest.

The wolf looks at me and emits a whine before pointing his nose at the forest, on the alert. I turn and see Vuk a few yards away trapped under a tree trunk, which has fallen onto two other trees, making a natural bridge. His eyes are attentively watching my every move, but I dare not look at him. In my mind’s eye, I see him again as the carefree kid, not this gigantic beast staring at me. His ears bent backwards, Drake whines again, but it sounds almost like a warning. Vuk manages to free himself from the wooden trap; he starts to get up off the ground. Drake pounces agilely over, blocking his back with one of his paws. It seems that experience has won over Vuk’s speed and strength, but the strangled sound that comes out of his mouth seems like a laugh. The same sneer that has plagued my dreams is plastered on his wild-eyed face. Without batting an eyelid, he tosses the wolf toward a mass of rocks sprouting from the forest floor like mushrooms. He slinks confidently toward him. Drake hits a tree before crashing into the rocks; the only sign of the impact a slight limp as he wanders around in a circle. A low growl comes from deep within his chest as he leaps toward me, his thick, tawny fur standing on end. He prowls back and forth in front of me, keeping the werewolf from reaching me and trying to communicate something––but I don’t know what. Can’t he write it on the ground using his paw or something like that? How can I understand what he’s trying to tell me?

Then with another howl, he dives between Vuk’s legs, bringing my friend crashing to the ground. He heads off toward another side of the clearing and, with a knowing glance my way, slinks along a forest path. I think he’s telling me to follow him. Either he stops trying to confuse me even more or I’ll throw a pinecone at his furry head!

Another whimper as he points his nose in the direction of the house. Now I get it! He wants to me to take refuge in the house and get out of the darkening woods. But I’ve always heard that it’s best to stand stock still when you have an enraged beast in front of you. However, I take the wolf’s advice. I guess nobody could know less than me right now.

I take giant strides through the narrow path that cuts through part of the opening and continues through the woods. A couple of seconds later it’s not the pelting rain that convinces me to run, but Vuk who is watching me with that same dark look I saw that night in the factory. But no, there’s something different about it, it seems somehow cautious, perhaps more aware.

I keep tumbling on through the thick vegetation. His limp now consigned to history, Drake gives me a little leeway by diving onto the werewolf’s thigh, quick as an arrow. I hear the sound of a rock breaking in two again, mixed in with their growls and roars. I don’t stop to listen; I race off as fast as my legs will carry me.