Page 80 of Court of Evil

“I can’t see it well enough.” Tem crouches and eyes me, and I storm away, embarrassed but smiling as the others join in, talking about my ass until my face is bright red.

Once everyone piles into the car, with Tem sitting on Addeus’s knees and Ronan floating in the boot with Jarek, I glance at Fang. “Let’s do this.”

I show them the location, and a portal big enough for the car opens. She drives through with a confident look, and then we are on the other side, the portal closing behind us. We are on a wide road with trees surrounding us on either side.

“Where are we?” she asks.

“Wild country,” I reply. “Be careful. Wolves call this place home, and they won’t be too happy seeing hunters. The hunters are holed up at a local two-storey building, and that’s where Black will be, at HQ. Head that way, but stay off the road at the end. We need to scout it first.”

“Got it.” She blows a bubble with her gum, and we drive for a little while before she pulls off, hiding the truck in the trees.

I grab my bag and glance back. “We are on foot from here. Fang, you’re with me. Ronan, scout ahead. The rest of you will stay here. I’ll call if I need you.”

Tem pouts. “Aww.”

“Just for now,” I promise, “until we know what we are dealing with.” I turn forward, refusing to admit I don’t trust them not to storm in and slaughter everyone. I want to speak to Black first. I want him to see me coming.

Fang and I climb out while Ronan disappears into the forest.

Keeping my eyes peeled and a gun out, I glance at Fang as she moves silently at my side. “Do you want a weapon?”

“Nah, I’m good. I am a weapon.” She winks.

Snorting, I look forward before crouching.

“What is it?” she murmurs, glancing over my shoulder.

“You see that?” I nod at the print. “That’s a wolf paw.”

“Shit, we might be too late,” she says.

“I hope not.” Standing, we tread farther into the forest, but it feels strange.

“There are more tracks—not just wolves, but many others. See that? Something big trampled through here,” I whisper. “It’s . . . weird. This many monsters near hunters?” A bad feeling builds within me.

A few days ago, there was a blood moon, and I swear I woke with something hammering in my chest, and that feeling comes back now, like a call.

Ronan suddenly appears, his eyes wide. “You are going to want to see this,” he says.

I lift my gun, and he shakes his head. “You won’t need it. Let’s head back to the car.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, but he ignores me.

Following Ronan’s advice, we go back to the car. I hate going in uncovered, but he asked me to trust him, so we drive slowly down the road. Every one of us is on edge in case hunters jump out at us, but when we pull into a parking lot before the two-storey building, I get my first glimpse of what he saw, and I understand what he meant.

It’s a battlefield filled with bodies and death. Wild animals eat the corpses, until gravel crunches under our tires and they scatter. The front doors are blown open, and there are bullet holes everywhere.

More shell casings cover every inch of the ground.

Fang stops the car, and we get out. I step over limbs, puddles of blood, and rotting bodies, searching every face for someone Irecognise, but they are all too badly destroyed. I don’t see Black or the others, nor do I see any monsters, only hunters.

“What the fuck happened here?” Jarek asks.

“I don’t know,” I say as I glance at the busted door. Lifting my gun, I head that way, ducking inside in case anyone fires, but no one does.

There’s more blood here, more bodies and bullets too, and I follow them to a door that leads down. I tap my side and gesture for Ronan. He heads down and calls up a moment later.

“All dead here.”

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