Page 31 of Magic's Dawn

Voices come from up ahead, and I spot movement between the trees.

I peer over my shoulder, past Tris’s lean form. We haven’t come that far into the woods. We’re only a dozen feet or so from the edge, which means that whatever happened took place close to my home.

Nausea rises, spurred on by the stench in the air as we draw closer to the group ahead. It smells sweet and fetid at the same time, like meat spoiled by the sun.

My hand rises to cover my nose, trying to block out the scent, but it slips past my fingers, invading my senses until I taste copper on my tongue.

I force my hand down. If I can handle dead deer left on my porch, then I can handle whatever this is.

We step through the trees to find Deputy Arden, Dr. Lopez, and Haut crouched in a semicircle.

Haut, sensing my approach, rises and turns to face me, his expression stern. “Go back to the house. This isn’t something you should see.”

After coming this far, I can’t turn away. I step closer, peering past Haut’s imposing figure. Bile roils in my stomach when I spot the body of a partially shifted wolfman lying motionless among the trees.

A large chunk is missing from his furry shoulder, as if some great monster bit down on him, and images of the same thing happening to my mom flood my memory.

But Owen said the monster was dead, so this has to be something else.

“What… what happened to him?” I stammer, my voice barely audible.

Haut tries to block my view, his gaze filled with a mixture of concern and protectiveness. “Rowe, please. Go back to the house. We’ll handle this.”

I can’t tear my eyes away from the gruesome sight. “Was it a bear? Can a bear kill a wolf shifter?”

Silence fills the forest.

No, of course not. I’ve seen wolf shifters bounce back from being stabbed and shot. It would take more than a bear to kill this man.

Despite Owen’s reassurances, danger still lurks in Hartford Cove, and the monsters I feared as a child may not be as distant as I’d hoped.

My circuits must break, because I don’t remember bolting, nor the scratch of branches against my face or the pound of my feet on the porch.

The bang of the door slamming shut on the screened-in porch sends me scurrying under the table, where I pull the chairs in so that no one can find me.

It’s a foolish, childish action, and one I can’t stop myself from doing.

Once I’m secured, I huddle in a ball at the center, my legs drawn up under my chin and the sound of my racing heart louder than the distant crash of waves.

God, I wasn’t even brave enough to stay there for Owen and Tris. I just left them in the woods.

The floorboards vibrate beneath me, and I crack my eyes open to see delicate, slipper-covered feet walking toward my hiding place.

“Rowe?” Worry fills Delilah’s voice. “I saw you from the window. Is everything okay?”

My fingers twist in my lap. “I… I can’t.” My voice comes out barely above a whisper. “I’m afraid.”

Delilah crouches to peer at me through the table legs. “Harper told us about the…body. Did you know him?”

I shake my head, though I’m not sure if I did or not. Greyson is the only one who I recognize in wolf form.

She settles a hand on the chair. “Do you mind if I join you?”

In answer, I reach out and push back the chair next to her.

She drops onto her hands and knees to crawl under the table, pulling the chair back into place behind her. “It’s scary to see dead bodies. And it was so near the edge of the forest. It’s okay to be afraid, but you have the best men in town guarding you.”

“I’m afraid of what’s in the woods,” I confess, my voice shaking. “The monster.”

---