Page 7 of Fangs
Behind him, Lee dropped his pack and dug through it to pull out a battered tin. He opened it, took out a tube of ointment, and handed it to Wolf.
“Hold still, Ember. You just about put a branch through your cheek,” Wolf said.
I looked warily at the tube in his hands, but it appeared to be some sort of sealing astringent. He reached out, much slower this time, gripped my chin in one hand, and dabbed at the wound with a handkerchief with his other. His hands were gentle as he applied the ointment, and that small detail almost brought all the emotion back up my throat. I dug my fingernails into my palms hard enough to hurt and stared at the trees. I had to remember this person wasn’t the brother who had brought me dandelions and taught me how to fight. This person was a stranger who hated me.
I just didn’t understand why he was bothering to patch me up before he killed me.
“We better get movin’ if we’re gonna get there before nightfall,” Wolf added as he screwed the lid back on.
I couldn’t tell if he was talking to me or the others. I wanted to ask where “there” was, but I kept my mouth shut. Lee put the kit away, and my gaze locked on Wolf as he pulled out a knife.
“Turn around, I’m gonna cut the tie,” Wolf ordered.
I did as he said, trying to ignore how turning my back to him made fear prickle my skin. Tuck and Sable stood a few feet behind me, watching, and I dropped my eyes. Wolf cut the tie, spun me around, and then gripped my wrist, examining the red welts already forming on my skin. He pulled my jacket sleeves down and re-bound my wrists over top of the fabric, keeping the plastic ties off my skin. When he lifted me back onto the horse, my head was spinning for more than one reason, but at least I could cling to the saddle horn now.
I did not understand what Wolf was doing. Maybe he was playing mind games? Juck did shit like that all the time.
Pa’s words just kept echoing in my head.“Run, girl. ‘Fore Wolf tears you apart like a lil rabbit.”
2
The second time I fell asleep, someone behind me called my brother’s name in a sharp voice. Wolf caught my arm just as I started tilting, preventing me from falling off the horse again. They stood there arguing in low tones as I tried to stay awake.
“Either you do it, or one of us will,” Sable said loud enough for me to make out.
Wolf growled something I couldn’t hear, then stomped over to the side of the horse. My heart lurched as he reached up, but he just swung onto the horse behind me. I stiffened, and he felt just as stiff as he wrapped an arm around my waist and took the reins. He didn’t say a word to me, simply urging the horse to continue following Sable.
I wondered if he was as tall as Pa now. He’d been close when I was ten, but eighteen-year-old Wolf had been all skinny arms and legs. He was still on the slender side but broader and more muscled. He sure seemed taller than I remembered.
I tried to stay alert but started drifting off again as the adrenaline faded. I kept jerking awake, startling Wolf and the horse. It reminded me of riding with Trey while we were on the run, but Trey didn’t swear under his breath each time like my brother did. Eventually, I passed out because next thing I knew, I opened my eyes to see the sun had disappeared behind the mountains. The woods were so dark, but there was a warm glow of light ahead. I squinted at it, and as we neared, I realized it was a cabin.
When we finally stepped out of the trees and into a small clearing, I could barely see any details of the dark wooden building. It was small, and the windows were covered in what looked like oiled paper, revealing only the shadows moving around inside. The smell of woodsmoke filled the air. Where the fuck were we?
Wolf dismounted and then pulled me off, too. My legs shook when he set me on the ground, and he had to half carry me into the cabin. I was too tired to keep my teeth from chattering now. Our boots thudded across a small wooden porch, and we stepped inside.
The heat washed over me, and I almost whimpered in relief. Wolf brought me in front of the fireplace and growled at me to sit, so I did. I huddled as close to the fire as I could, adrenaline making me more alert again. My gaze darted around the room. There was a woman and a red-haired, freckled man in the same faded green and brown uniforms as the rest. They both stood in the middle of the room, studying me with arms crossed.
“Thisis her? I thought she’d be, you know,bigger.” The red-haired man smirked. His hair was cut short, and he had a neatly trimmed short beard the same red as his hair.
“Kai,” Wolf grumbled.
“Whose blood is that?” the woman asked, looking at Wolf.
“Not hers,” he grunted, stripping off his pack and jacket. He glanced up at me, eyes hard. “Guessing she was torturing someone. That’s your job, isn’t it, Ember?”
The shame paralyzed me. I couldn’t help glancing at Lee, knowing exactly where Wolf had receivedthatintel. Lee stared back at me, a challenging look on his face as he shrugged off his pack. I dropped my eyes and shifted closer to the fire.
“Wow, she’s as talkative as you,” Kai said.
“Shut up, Kai,” Wolf said, but he didn’t seem angry.
I heard him approach me, and every muscle in my body tensed. He crouched before me and grabbed my bound wrists, making me flinch. A knife glinted in the firelight, but he simply cut the zip tie off again.Whywas he drawing this out? It reminded me far too much of sitting in the dark cell under the watchtower, panicking about how Madame would punish me. When the plastic tie fell off, he sheathed his knife and took my wrists one at a time, pushing up my sleeves like he was making sure the ties hadn’t added more welts.
“Take off your jacket,” he ordered.
I clumsily obeyed, wishing he would back up and give me more space. He took my jacket from me but frowned at the sight of my bloody shirt.
“Your clothes are filthy,” Wolf muttered, then louder, he said, “Scar, you think you got anythin’ that might fit her?”
