“Doc Mitchell will get you warmed up and notify your parents. I’ve got to go back to the SUV and wait for Darien.”
“But it’s way too cold out here,” Caitlin said. “And you might get lost.”
Anthony frowned at her. “You should come with us and get warm, too. Doc Mitchell will call Darien for you also.”
Lelandi gave them each a hug. “I’ll be fine. Hurry to the house. And, Caitlin, honey, your parents need to talk to Darien.”
She nodded, although she didn’t seem happy. “Keep my gloves, all right?”
“Thanks. I’ll return them first chance I get. Take care. I’ll see you later.”
When they wouldn’t leave her, Lelandi motioned for them to go. “Hurry.”
“If you’re not going to come with us, take Cody’s coat. It’s warmer than yours.”
She looked at Cody and he bowed his head in acknowledgement.
“All right, thanks.” Cody’s white parka would blend in better with the snow and it would be much warmer. Lelandi threw Darien’s jacket on the sled and yanked on Cody’s coat, figuring Darien would be pissed about this, too. If Cody realized he was wearing the pack leader’s leather jacket, he was sure to tell all his friends, and he’d be the hit of the day.
The teens disappeared in the snow in the direction of the house, and Lelandi headed for the freshly plowed road. The wind hadn’t let up any when she saw a sign declaring it was Silver Town and another posting the speed limit.
But it wasn’t long before she sensed the wolf following her, hidden in the woods. Running wasn’t an option. He’d chase her down and kill her. She turned and stood her ground, although she knew she didn’t stand a chance. But there wasn’t anything else she could do. And wolf to wolf was a better end than human to wolf. She yanked off Caitlin’s gloves and shoved them in Cody’s coat pocket.
The wolf’s fur bristled, his ears erect, staring her down, angry. She wished she could smell him, know who he was, before he attacked, before the end. His lips curled back, showcasing his killer canines, and he snarled. She fumbled with the buttons on the coat. He was waiting, allowing her the chance to change, a contest between wolves. Some contest. Bastard.
Suddenly, his tail straightened out, parallel to the ground, signaling danger. She felt the road tremble with an approaching pickup headed toward town, its headlights a warning. Her heart racing, she threw on the gloves and ran, waving at the truck to stop, hoping he’d see her in the white coat in the blinding snow. Despite being thankful her rescue was imminent. If it was one of Darien’s men, she was sunk.
That’s when she heard the wolf growl and knew the bastard risked killing her in front of a witness, closing in on her fast. The pickup sped up and veered off to the side of her, its brakes squealing, the tires spitting snow. She dodged away from the truck and fell into a snow bank.
The wolf yelped and darted out of the truck’s path in the opposite direction.
“Hey, little lady, get in! Hell, that was close. Looks like you had an accident. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
She took a deep breath. Human. She managed a frozen smile and murmured a thanks.
“I’ve never seen a wolf attack a human in these parts. I’ll have to contact the police and let them know. Might be rabid.”
She stared out the window, keeping an eye out for him, wishing she knew who the lupus garou was who had attacked her.
The grizzled old man kept talking, but all she could think of was the teens telling Doc Mitchell she’d been with them, he’d alert Darien, and they’d know her last whereabouts soon. Which meant she hadn’t much time.
Chapter 18
DARIEN PLOWED THROUGH ANOTHER SNOWDRIFT, GLAD Tom’s four-wheel drive monster truck could handle just about any road conditions, but he still wasn’t letting either of his brothers drive, figuring if he had a wreck it would be his fault, no one else to blame.
“We’ve been driving for an hour in this mess and have barely made any headway,” Jake said. “How was Lelandi acting before you came down to talk to us?”
“Pissed off about Ural. She probably headed to the jail to make sure we didn’t kill him.” He could barely see the road, or whether they were driving on it, the shoulder, or in the ditch. The only thing he could make out were the trees on either side of the road. Darien squinted, but it wasn’t helping.
“Wait, Darien! I think I see something,” Tom shouted from the backseat.
“Where?”
“To the right.., looks like the tail end of a green pickup.”
Darien stopped the truck and they got out. “It’s the Woodcroft boys’ truck. I recognize the crunched right side where Cody backed into their mailbox by accident when he was learning to drive last year.” Now, stuck in the ditch, half-burled in snow and ice. He rubbed the snow off the driver’s side window. No sign of anyone. “Call their dad. See if they made it home, Tom.”
Tom pulled out his cell phone while Jake and Darien scouted around the truck for tracks. “If they hiked out of here on fool, the blowing snow covered their tracks already,” Jake said, rubbing his gloved hands together. “Hope they were dressed warm.”
“Hi, Anthony, this is Tom. Are your boys at home?” he yelled into the phone above the blowing wind.
Darien pointed to a couple of trees nearby. “Branches are broken. They walked this way, marking a trail at least. That abandoned cabin is located half a mile west of here. They’d know about it. Maybe they went there seeking shelter.”
Jake made a disgruntled noise. ‘Hell, the whole thing might have blown down in this storm. But it’s worth checking if their dad says they’re not home.”
They looked at Tom, whose face puckered into a frown. “I’ll let Darien know. We found their truck and it looks like we’ve discovered the direction they’re headed.” He paused. “A mile south of Darien’s place and the truck’s stuck in the ditch and buried in snow.” Tom looked at Darien. “Yeah. Lelandi’s still missing. All right. Let you know if we find anyone.” He pocketed his phone. “Anthony, Sr. said they went sledding and were late in arriving home. Peter called him to help in the search for Lelandi, so he’s heading out, but his wife will be home waiting on news of the boys. Not only that, but the sixteen-year-old twin girls that joined our pack were with the boys.”
“Hell,” Darien said. “Grab some flashlights. They might be able to see them. We’ll check that abandoned cabin. Call Uncle Sheridan and tell him we’ve got some missing teens out here now, too. He’ll need to report the girls are with the boys, have abandoned the vehicle, and are on foot somewhere in the woods. And call Bertha Hastings and tell her to start the alert roster calls to account for everyone else.”
With heartfelt thanks, Lelandl climbed out of the Good Samaritan’s truck and headed for the hospital entrance. Glad to have made it, she felt a sliver of relief, knowing she still might get caught before she discovered anything.
What of the receptionist? Lelandi hadn’t thought about how she could get past her if that blasted Angelina was on duty. With trepidation at being discovered, Lelandi opened the hospital door and let in a blast of cold, but the heated air inside welcomed her like a hot blanket.
A woman she didn’t recognize manned the front desk and was talking to a human mother. The woman’s son was coughing nonstop. While the receptionist was busy. Lelandi slinked on past in her wet clothes down the hallway.
The smell of antiseptics brought a flashback of her stay at the hospital. She shivered, not wanting to think about it. Doc was talking to someone in one of the exam rooms and when she passed it, she saw Ritka adding something to a patient’s IV in the next room.