Finding Our Way (Werewolf Wars) (4 page)

Daniel cleared his throat, his head lolling toward her. Nora averted her gaze, not wanting to be caught ogling him. Shifting her focus to the rearview mirror, she sighed as a car whipped around the corner and quickly approached them. Nora steered the vehicle toward the berm, giving them enough room to pass. The car pulled up behind hers. It was so close; she couldn’t even make out the license plate.

“Just go around,” she grumbled, easing off the gas.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel asked sitting up in his seat.

A crunch sounded and Nora was thrust forward, her seatbelt tightened like a vice around her. Nora screamed as Daniel’s hand shot out, grabbing the wheel to keep them from careening off the side of the road.

“Keep your foot on the gas,” he ordered.

“What?” Nora gasped turning to look out the back window. A shrill shriek pierced the air, and it took her a moment to realize it was coming from her. The bronze vehicle behind them rammed them again. Daniel’s firm grip on the wheel was the only thing keeping the car under control. “They’re going to run us off the road,” Nora squeaked as the car darted to the side and pulled up beside them.

Her hands flew to the wheel, entwining with Daniel’s. His muscles rippled beneath his hold as he fought to keep the car on the road. Nora thrust the pedal all the way down to the floorboard. The driver in the bronze car swerved nailing the side. Her Cavalier's tires screeched as her door crumpled in and the front end shot to the right.

Together, her and Daniel whipped the wheel to the left, but it was too late. The car flew off the road, rolling down a small embankment. The uneven terrain caused the car to tilt as the bumps and divots in the ground jarred them. Her car dipped down into a deep rut on her side, and she was thrown into the window as the car came to an abrupt halt. A pop sounded, and something white puffed out at her. Nora shoved the air bag out of her face. The car was filled with a cloud of smoke, and she coughed as she blinked her eyes.

“Get out,” Daniel instructed, his seat belt already off and door open.

Nora nodded, unbuckling, her hand already on the door latch. Moving the handle, she shoved on the unmoving exit. “It’s not opening,” she sputtered.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she looked out her window. Three men were making their way through the ditch. She swallowed, desperately lifting the latch.

A warm hand wrapped around her middle and tugged her into a firm chest. The other hand reached into her cup holder, grabbing her white iPhone.

“I got you,” Daniels soothing voice answered.

Nora kicked her feet against the floorboards as Daniel helped to guide her from the car. No sooner had he set her on the ground, then he spun her around.

His callused palm tilted her chin, and his intense emerald eyes met hers. “I need you to run into the woods as fast as you can. Don’t look back. Call this number,” he paused, looking toward the approaching men. “Never mind, there isn’t time. Use Directory Assistance to find the number for The Cookie Jar in Abilene, ask for Lark, Emily, or Devon. Go, run, now,” he snapped, placing the phone in her palm. He twirled her around and gave her a hard shove toward the trees.

Nora looked back to protest, but stopped when she saw the three men approaching. Her muscles tensed and feet rooted into the soggy grass. Her fists clenched at her sides as her pulse thrummed in her ears. She should run, but Daniel was injured—because of her, she couldn’t leave him. He’d done nothing but help her, and it wouldn’t be right to leave him.

“Nora go,” Daniel ground out. His brows lifted studying her for a moment before he turned back to the approaching men. “Please, go. Call for help, Nora, that’s our best chance,” he urged.

Nora swallowed the bile rising in her throat. Her gaze drifted to the menacing men approaching. A gasp escaped her lips as she met their golden eyes. Her feet took a step back. Eyes blinking rapidly, she stifled a scream as one of the man’s jawbones elongated, his shoulder widened, and bones shifted unnaturally.

“Oh god,” she whispered, gaze fixated on the scene. She closed her eyes tight, then reopened them. Large canine teeth hung over the man’s lip and his nose had shrunken in.

A lump formed in her throat, making it hard to swallow. She covered her mouth with her palm as two of the men and Daniel came to blows. The third directed his focus on her.

Phone clutched tightly in her hand, she spun on her heel and sprinted into the tree line. Her breath came in tiny pants as she pushed forward over the uneven terrain. Tree limbs whipped against her skin and her feet slid on the slick, muddy terrain.

Leaves and branches crackled behind her, spurring her to move faster. Her phone vibrated in her hand, April’s melodic ringtone sang out through the woods.

“April,” she gasped into the phone.

“Nora. What’s wrong?”

“They ran us off the road,” she panted, looking over her shoulder. “He’s going to catch me, April,” she shrieked, panicked.

Nora squeezed the phone tighter, using her other hand to shove thick brush out of her way.

“Where are you?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but close to the ranch,” she huffed.

A branch caught her foot, propelling her forward onto her hands and knees. Her phone slipped from her grasp and tumbled out of her reach. Rough hands grabbed the hair at the nape of her neck. Nora flailed wildly as she was wrenched upwards.

An arm slung around her waist, and she was pulled into a firm chest.

“Enough,” a masculine voice ordered.

“Get off me,” she grunted, bucking against him.

Nora whimpered as something sharp dug into her side. “Enough,” he repeated.

Nora held her breath, afraid to move. Her side ached, and warmth slid down her middle. She’d been stabbed, she realized.

“That’s a good girl,” he whispered. “Cooperate or I’ll make it hurt more.”

Nora shivered as his breath tickled her ear. The hairs on her arm rose, and her stomach churned. Her attacker pulled back extracting the object from her side. A sob tore free from her throat and she pitched forward as darkness clouded her vision.

The man wrenched her back, her feet lifted off the ground as he carried her backwards. Nora focused on her breathing, and tried to ignore the throbbing in her side. She needed to find a way to escape.

A snarl sounded behind them, and the man turned dragging her with his movements. They made their way out of the trees. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the three wolves fighting.

A cold chill zipped down her spine as she took in the large brownish-red wolf. It’s muzzle was curled up, exposing large canines. The two wolves lunged at Daniel and they met midair and drug Daniel to the ground. Daniel yelped as he twisted through the mud, fighting to get to his feet.

Please get up!
She thought.

Howls erupted in the distance, and the man behind her stiffened. He growled low in his throat, before spinning her around and throwing her over his shoulder. Nora gasped as the air whooshed out of her lungs. The man took off at a sprint, jarring her injured side against his collarbone with each step.

“Put me down,” Nora screamed, using every ounce of strength she had, she slammed her fists into the small of his back. The man grunted his grasp loosening. Nora pushed herself up, tucked her chin in, and dove down into a somersault. Her back met the soggy ground and she blinked up at the sun.

A black whirl leapt over her, and she rolled to her belly. It was another wolf. Her attacker screamed in agony as he was tackled to the ground by the werewolf. The wolf snapped his long jaw around the man’s throat. Blood spurted out and his shrieks quickly subsided as all the light left his eyes.

Nora slowly pushed herself to her hands and knees. The wolfs golden eyes met hers; it cocked it’s head to the side, then darted away.

D
aniel squirmed on his back as he tried to right himself. With a snarl, he swung his open clawed paw at one of the wolves. Blood poured out of his enemy's muzzle as his nails connected. He twisted his torso, but no sooner had he reached his feet than three other wolves lunged. Instantly recognizing their scent, he joined in as they made quick work of his attackers.

A loud, authoritative, bark sounded behind him and Daniel pulled back. He sat on his haunches as Gene approached in wolf form. Daniel’s eyes strayed from his alphas, his gaze finding Nora as she slowly climbed to her feet. Her hand went to her side, and Daniel gritted his teeth as he saw the crimson soaking through her top. His heart lurched, and he stood on the pads of his feet.

Daniel’s ears twitched as a car approached. All four wolves turned eyes on the road. A familiar Jeep pulled up, and Daniel trotted slowly over to Nora, unable to fight the urge to check on her.

Her face was pale, and her fingers trembled against her middle. Blood seeped through her digits. Nora’s amber eyes met his before turning to the Jeep. Devon and Lark climbed out, followed by a brunette woman who pushed past the pair and toward Nora.

“April,” Nora perked up, smiling.

April threw her arms around Nora, pulling her tight. “Are you okay?” April drew back, her hands going to her abdomen. “She’s hurt,” April called over her shoulder to Devon and Lark.

“I’ll be okay,” Nora assured as Devon and Lark rushed by Daniel to get to her.

Daniel sat on his haunches and watched.

“Let’s get her back to the ranch and we’ll get her cleaned up,” Devon said, after giving her a quick once over.

Nora took a few steps forward, before her knees gave out and she pitched forward. Daniel rushed forward—not that he could’ve helped in his current form anyway. Thankfully, Lark and April caught her before she collapsed all the way. The two women wrapped their arms around Nora and carried her over to the car. Devon ran ahead of them and opened the back door. He then pulled something from the trunk before returning to them.

Daniel met his brother’s eyes for a brief moment as he set a plastic sack filled with clothes on the ground. “Are you all right?” Devon asked with a glare. Daniel bowed his head, his injuries hurt, but he’d had worse. He’d survive. “Good! See if you can do something with her car. We don’t want to draw any attention to ourselves with the authorities by leaving it here,” he ordered. Devon nodded at Gene and the other alpha trotted to the Jeep and hopped into the back.

Daniel’s lips quivered pulling up at the sides as his brother turned and walked to the Jeep. His heart clenched and he wanted to hop into the back of the vehicle too. Nora was okay—she had to be. He knew he shouldn’t be concerned over her well-being, but he couldn’t help it.

***

N
ora opened her eyes, blinking them rapidly against the harsh white light above her. The surface beneath her was cool and there was a steady beep somewhere behind her. Wiggling, she attempted to sit up.

“It’s okay,” a soft feminine voice said as gentle hands met her shoulders. “You’re safe.” A blonde head appeared above her and blue eyes stared down at her. “I’m Lark. We met very briefly earlier out in the field. Remember?”

“Yeah,” Nora whispered, hoarsely.

“You passed out. You’re back at the ranch. This is Devon.” Lark moved back and Nora lifted her head to see the sandy-haired man who worked over her stomach. “He’s a doctor here. You had a couple lacerations. He’s just putting some stitches in you.”

“What happened to Daniel? Is he okay?” Nora asked lifting a hand to her throbbing head.

“He was going to see if he could get your car back to the ranch,” Lark replied.

“He should be here too.” Nora found a strand of hair and wound it around her finger.

Lark focused her gaze on Devon, who shrugged.

“He said he was fine.”

“I hit him with my car,” Nora blurted. Devon halted his movements, his hazel eyes met hers. “The other night he ran into the road. I hit him, and then there was the fight. He’s been up all night. The altercation with those other wolves looked really intense,” Nora rambled.

“I’m sure he’s okay,” Lark said in a soothing voice after a long moment. “One of the benefits to being a wolf is the quick healing. They heal at least three-to-four times as fast as me and you.”

Nora nodded, grimacing a little as she felt a pinch in her belly.

“I’ll be finished in a minute,” Devon commented. “You lost a little bit of blood and have had a few good hits to the head. I’d like to keep a close eye on you, especially since you were out for some time. Chances are you should be fine. You seem alert now, but if anything changes, you feel disoriented, or nauseous let someone know.”

“I will,” Nora sighed, ready to be done; doctors and hospitals weren’t exactly her thing. “Where’s April?” Nora asked.

“Out in the hall. There isn’t much room in here. You can see her as soon as we are done and we’ll get you in a room,” Lark assured.

Nora closed her eyes, allowing the cool metal to soothe her. After a long moment, she peered up at the ceiling. Her heart accelerated and she bit her lip. “Did anyone get my purse out of my car?”

“I’m not sure,” Lark said.

“I need it. My medicine is in there.”

“I’ll make sure they know to bring it,” Lark said, taking a step back, she pulled out her phone.

“Are you going to need prescription medication called in while you are here?” Devon asked as he set his tools on the table. “You can sit up if you want to. Just do it very slowly, you could experience some mild dizziness at first.”

Nora cringed as she lifted up onto her elbows. Her stomach muscles pulled at the tiny strings holding her injuries together. “I just saw my doctor and have refills for a while. It shouldn’t be a problem to transfer them over to a pharmacy nearby. I won’t need to do that for another few weeks. How long am I staying here exactly?”

“You are free to leave whenever you wish, Nora. You’re not a prisoner here. However, given the situation and everything that is going on, I don’t think it would be safe,” Devon offered, looking to Lark.

The blonde smiled at her. “April wanted to explain everything to you in detail. She’s waiting outside, and she’ll take you up to one of the guest rooms as soon as we finish up in here.”