Hemlock (29 page)

He reared up and over me, the expression on his face reminding me of the way Alexis had looked that night in the aley—frightened and in way over his head. A shudder racked my body as I tried to get my arms between us.

A huge, black shape hit the Tracker from the side, its momentum carrying both of them away from me.

Trey.

The Tracker tried to raise the Taser, and the black wolf shredded his arm.

Screaming, the Tracker dropped his weapon and stumbled toward the waiting cars.

I ran forward and retrieved the Taser. It was slippery with blood. Fighting the urge to vomit, I used the hem of my T-shirt to clean the heavy, plastic casing.

A growl swept across the yard and I looked up just in time to see Trey rush Derby.

A Tracker fired his Taser, but Trey dodged the twin darts and circled around, approaching from the other side. He feigned lunges as the Trackers tried to close ranks around their leader.

as the Trackers tried to close ranks around their leader.

A look of fear flashed across Derby’s face—there and gone so quickly that I wondered if I had realy seen it. Before I could process it, tires spun on gravel and headlights blinded me. I raised my hand to shield my eyes and watched as Derby and his men—al but Jason—ran for the cars and fled.

Trey watched them run with sharp, predatory eyes, and then rounded on Jason. He bared his teeth as he stalked toward him.

Jason backed away, hands raised. His face, covered in a sheen of sweat, glowed in the light from the fire.

“No!” Kyle’s voice was a cross between a shout and a howl as he fel to his knees and shifted.

The black wolf—Trey, I had to remind myself—snarled at Kyle and then turned its attention back to Jason. It crouched, like it was preparing to spring, and Wolf-Kyle lunged.

The two wolves roled away, jaws snapping, in a blur of color. I watched with my heart in my throat, remembering how the white wolf had nearly beaten Kyle.

But Trey and Kyle seemed more evenly matched. Each time one got the upper hand, the other quickly reclaimed it.

I ran to Jason. “You have to cal 911!” My voice came out a hoarse croak as the smoke from the fire burned my throat and eyes.

Jason just blinked at me. “Kyle’s a werewolf?”

“Yes,” I said, dropping the Taser and shoving my hands into Jason’s jacket pockets. “And he just saved your life.”

My fingers closed on his cel and I dialed 911. “There’s a fire at My fingers closed on his cel and I dialed 911. “There’s a fire at three fifty-eight Hampton Road.” I hung up before the operator could ask any questions.

I saw Jason glance at the Taser and I kicked it as far away as I could. “If you even think about going for that thing, I’l use it on you myself.”

Without giving Jason a chance to respond, I sprinted down the driveway, ignoring the way the muscles knotted in my side as I checked to make sure the Trackers realy had left. I was terrified they had only puled back and would find out Kyle was infected, but there was no sign of them. They had come prepared for one werewolf; Serena must have tipped the scales too far out of Derby’s comfort zone.

When I got back to the yard, Kyle and Trey were stil fighting.

Or, more accurately, Trey was trying to get to Jason while Kyle kept forcing him back.

“Go,” I coughed, inhaling a lungful of smoke. “While Kyle has Trey distracted. Just get in your car and get out of here before one of them actualy hurts the other.”

Jason shook his head. “I’m not leaving you with a bunch of fleabags.”

I started to point out that the werewolves weren’t the ones who had manhandled me, but I caught sight of a black wolf limping around the side of the house. Serena.

She shifted back as I ran to her. She huddled around herself, trying to cover her nudity as she coughed so hard it sounded like she would tear her lungs apart. “Noah’s stil in there,” she gasped.

“I couldn’t find him.”

“I couldn’t find him.”

Trey bolted for the back of the house, Kyle racing just behind.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, praying the words weren’t a lie. “Trey and Kyle wil get him out. Everything wil be okay.” I repeated the words to myself over and over:
Everything will be okay.

We were so close to the house that it felt like my skin was blistering, and it was hard to properly draw breath. Looking up, I saw Jason staring down at us. I swalowed. “Give me your coat.”

Jason hesitated for a moment, conflicting emotions playing across his face in rapid succession; then he shrugged out of his jacket and passed it to me.

I helped Serena get the sleeves over her arms and then helped her stand. She was so tiny compared to Jason that the coat practicaly fel to her knees. We limped away from the house, stopping in the middle of the lawn to turn and watch.

Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay.

Everything will be okay.

Jason stared and Serena gripped my hand. I realized I’d been saying the words out loud, like a Hail Mary.

Serena’s gaze flicked to Jason, just for an instant. “Why are you stil here?” Though she was crying, her voice was as sharp and steady as a blade.

Jason didn’t answer. I glanced at him, but his face didn’t give anything away.

Serena suddenly let out a yelp and ran for the corner of the house a second before Trey appeared with their brother wrapped in his arms.

“He’s okay,” Trey coughed. “Just got a lungful of smoke.”

“He’s okay,” Trey coughed. “Just got a lungful of smoke.”

I waited for Kyle to appear. Any second, he would come around the side of the house. Everything would be okay and Kyle would be fine.

Panic sweled in my chest.

Everything was okay. Everything had to be okay. Any second and it would be okay.

Trey transferred Noah to Serena’s arms even though—at eight

—he was realy too big to carry. “Mac . . .”

Any second Kyle would appear. Because. Everything. Was.

Okay.

Jason reached for me and I shoved him away. I didn’t need him.

Everything was okay.

“Mac . . .” Trey was suddenly in front of me. I hadn’t seen him move.

I shook my head. “Please.”
Please don’t tell me whatever it is
you’re trying to.
The panic in my chest spread through the rest of my body until I could feel it behind my eyes and in my lungs and at my fingertips, dark and toxic and poisoning me from the inside out.

“Part of the ceiling caved in. I couldn’t reach him. Kyle was trapped.”

The panic swalowed me whole.

I ran for the house, making it as far as the burning porch before arms locked around my waist.

“Let me go!” I screamed as Jason dragged me back to the safety of the yard. “Lemmego!” Kyle. I had to get to Kyle. Kyle was inside that building and nothing was ever going to be okay was inside that building and nothing was ever going to be okay again because part of me was burning with him and every breath I hauled into my lungs was fire and ash.

I kicked and pleaded and scratched at Jason’s arms until I drew blood. But he didn’t relax his grip.

I screamed Kyle’s name as part of the roof colapsed, sending sparks into the night sky. One word, over and over until my throat was shredded. And when Serena told Jason to get me to his car, to get me out of there, I fought so hard he barely managed to hold on.

“You don’t understand. He’l make it out. He took on Jimmy and the white wolf. He’s strong. He’l make it out. Please. Just wait. I know he’l make it out. He has to make it out.” I was babbling, the words tripping over each other as they rushed out of my mouth.

“We’ve got to go.” Serena jogged to her car and eased Noah into the backseat, then grabbed clothes for herself and Trey out of the trunk.

Jason murmured meaningless words against my hair, trying to calm me enough to get me to the SUV. Trey came back and held one of my arms, making sure I didn’t bolt for the house again.

“If he’s dead, I’l never forgive you.” I suddenly felt cold and frail and horribly numb.

Jason’s reply was so soft that I almost missed it. “I won’t forgive myself, either.”

I tried to count down the seconds and minutes Kyle had been in the house. I held my breath and counted back and watched the flames, and when a second-floor window exploded, when a dark flames, and when a second-floor window exploded, when a dark shape hurtled to the ground, I wasn’t sure whether or not it was real.

I just stared.

Until Jason and Trey let go of me and raced back across the lawn, and then I ran so fast that my heart threatened to explode out of my chest.

The large, brown wolf shuddered, and the air around it seemed to shimmer as fur flowed back into skin, limbs straightened, and bones shrank until Kyle was lying on the grass, bloody and broken but alive.

I fel at his side as I heard the first sirens—stil so far off—in the distance. My hand hovered over his cheek. I wanted desperately to touch him, but I was scared of hurting him. There had been a sickening thud when he hit the ground, and his skin was covered in cuts and burns that the shift should have healed.

“Kyle?” Drops of water landed on his face, carving tiny rivers in the ash and dirt. For a confused second, I thought it had started to rain, and then I realized I was crying.

Serena knelt next to me and pressed two fingers to Kyle’s neck, checking his pulse. She frowned. “Weak but steady. I don’t know if it’s safe to move him.”

I expected Trey to reply, but it was Jason who spoke. “You can’t leave him here. It won’t take the paramedics long to figure out what he is.”

Trey stared at Jason for a moment and then nodded.

I gently touched Kyle’s hair; it was the only part of him I was certain I couldn’t hurt. “It’s going to be okay,” I murmured.

certain I couldn’t hurt. “It’s going to be okay,” I murmured.

“You’re going to be fine.”

He let out a soft groan, almost like he had heard me, but he didn’t stir.

Trey looked at me. “Do you have his car keys?”

I nodded and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. The Honda’s keys were stil in the ignition.

“You and I wil take Kyle’s car. Ree wil folow with Noah.”

“My car has more room in the backseat,” said Jason.

Trey snorted. “You’re not coming with us.”

“He’s my best friend!”

“We’re going to take him someplace safe.” Trey’s voice came out with the edge of a snarl. “Safe means the Trackers can’t know about it. Last I checked, you were a Tracker.”

Jason didn’t deny it, and my stomach twisted. He turned to me.

“Mac?”

I stared at the tattoo on his neck. “No.” My voice was cold and final. “You aren’t coming with us.”

His eyes flashed and he took a step back, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe I’d sided with Trey against him.

I turned away. Kyle was broken and bleeding, and right now that was the only thing I cared about. I didn’t have room in my heart or head for Jason.

Trey and Serena crouched down to lift Kyle. His eyes sprang open, wide with pain, and he screamed—a jagged howl that sounded like it was being ripped from deep inside his chest.

I squeezed my eyes shut against the sound, just for a second, I squeezed my eyes shut against the sound, just for a second, and then ran ahead of Trey and Serena to open the back door of the Honda. As carefuly as possible, they maneuvered Kyle into the backseat.

“Mac?” His voice was a barely audible rasp.

“I’m here,” I said, pushing past Serena.

His eyes fluttered open and found mine. For a split second, relief flooded his face. Then a spasm of pain racked his body and he passed out.

The someplace safe turned out to be a house near Breyer’s Lake

—about a twenty-minute drive from town. At least it would normaly have been a twenty-minute drive. Twice, Trey had gotten worried we were being folowed and the route he’d taken had been so tangled that we had driven for almost an hour.

As desperate as I had been to get help for Kyle, I hadn’t argued for speed. We couldn’t afford to take chances.

The house was owned by a paramedic. And a werewolf. Serena and Trey trusted him—and I trusted Serena and Trey—but that didn’t mean I felt safe. I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel safe again.

At least I was wearing a clean T-shirt—one that wasn’t covered in Tracker blood. Serena had fished it out of their trunk. It was like a discount clothing bin in there. I guess werewolves went through clothes pretty quickly.

I puled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs. It was drafty in the upstairs halway. And dark. The only light came from underneath a closed door across the hal.

I heard footsteps on the stairs, and then Serena’s socks came I heard footsteps on the stairs, and then Serena’s socks came into view.

I glanced up. “How’s Noah?”

“Okay, I think . . . al things considered. He’s sleeping on Henry’s couch.” Serena crossed her arms and shivered. “Trey made him hide upstairs when he saw the Trackers pul up, so Noah didn’t see most of what happened in the yard.”

She studied my face and frowned worriedly. “Can I get you anything?”

I shook my head.

Serena lowered herself to the floor next to me. “Henry is realy good at what he does. He’l know what to do for Kyle.”

“What if—” I clamped my mouth shut and breathed shalowly through my nose. I couldn’t make myself finish the sentence. Kyle hadn’t stirred on the drive over or as he was carried into the house.

“Kyle’s strong and he’s stubborn. He’l be okay.”

“Maybe.” The word came out a choked whisper.

Serena stood and walked to the end of the hal. She was back a minute later with a box of tissues.

“Werewolves can take a lot of damage,” she said as I blew my nose. “Trey was shot by a group of hunters last year. He almost gave Dad a heart attack, but he puled through.”

I swalowed. “Your dad knows?”

Serena nodded and sat back down. “We were pretty young when we were attacked. Trey was twelve and I was eleven. It was kind of hard to hide.”

“What happened?”

She didn’t say anything, and I immediately felt bad for asking. It She didn’t say anything, and I immediately felt bad for asking. It wasn’t realy the same thing, but I wouldn’t be comfortable if people asked me to tel them what had happened with Jimmy in the aley.