“So, it has nothing to do with him?”
I knew he meant Ethan.
“It has everything to do with me. Just me. I will never be with anyone. Ever. I kill people, Carlos. Slowly. I leave behind burnt-out shells of who they used to be. Ethan understands that. He jokes, and I know he would be there waiting for me if things ever changed; but he knows that, to keep him safe, I have to keep my distance.”
“I’m not like Ethan.”
“No. You’re not. You’re scarier. The control you have over your emotions is incredible. But, you’re a volcano. When your emotions finally erupt, you will leave devastation behind. If I’m around you when that happens, I can’t imagine how it would feel under my skin.”
I sighed and rolled my shoulders.
“Now, are you going to help me purge or not?”
He nodded and got back into a ready stance.
* * * *
“Isabelle, get up and get dressed.” Grey’s loud, firm voice startled me awake. I sat up as a light turned on.
Grey was out of bed, grabbing my bag. Carlos was reaching out to shake Ethan. Grey tossed the bag to me. His urgency seeped into me.
I quickly got out of bed.
“E, get your lazy ass out of bed. Now.”
Ethan sat up and looked around at us.
“What is it?”
“Gabby said we need to leave immediately,” Grey said. “A group of ten are netting this way. We have five minutes to be a mile from here.”
Crap. I shouldered my bag and slipped on my shoes. I had a tank top on and leggings. Good enough.
Ethan bounded out of bed, grabbed his shoes and bag, and went to the door. As soon as he opened it, I heard movement in the hallway.
“Hurry,” Winifred said.
I hustled to the door with Grey close behind me. The others were already speed walking the hall, heading toward the lobby. I kept pace with Ethan. The glass door showed the lit parking lot. The sun wasn’t even close to rising.
Ahead, I saw Clay walking near Gabby. She was speaking softly.
Ethan went straight for the car and slid into the backseat. I got in and closed my door a second before Grey and Carlos closed theirs. Ours was the second engine to roar to life. We were in the middle of the procession out of there.
“Talk, Grey. I want to know what’s happening.”
“There are more now. They’re closing in fast. Gabby says they aren’t veering at all, almost as if they know right where we are.”
We sped through the streets. The city wasn’t overly large, and it didn’t take long to reach its outskirts.
“They’ve made city limits and have split up. Five in each group. They’ll find our trail.”
The vehicle in front of us accelerated suddenly. Carlos pressed the gas to keep up.
“Buckle up, Isabelle,” he said, glancing in the mirror.
I hadn’t realized I’d skipped that part. I clicked the belt and reached out for Ethan’s hand. His strong fingers wrapped around mine.
“We’ll put as much distance between them as we can. It should be fine,” Grey said. He faced forward, watching the road, so I wasn’t sure who he was reassuring.
For the next two minutes, only the sound of the wheels devouring the blacktop kept us company. I wasn’t sure if it was because Grey had no update or because he focused on something we couldn’t hear.
His uneasiness worried me, though.
“Grey?”
“They have our trail. The net’s closing.” The quiet way he spoke sent a spike of fear through my chest. Ethan’s reassuring fingers squeezed mine lightly.
“How many?”
“At least sixty, more closing in behind them.”
My pulse spiked. Sixty? I looked around. Fields and trees and a few houses.
“Stop the car by the next field,” Grey said.
“There’s no way to avoid them?”
“None.”
I turned to look at Ethan. He met my gaze steadily. He’d already closed himself off.
“Keep that wall up,” I said, squeezing his hand. He nodded.
“Grey, warn the rest. They need to close themselves off from me as best they can or stay away from me.” My insides quivered with what I knew I would need to do, what I didn’t want to do. But I needed to protect everyone. I needed to protect Ethan.
“Done.”
The vehicles pulled over and doors opened. I wanted to tell Ethan to stay in the car, but given our last experience with Urbat, a car wasn’t any safer than out in the open. We moved into the field. Emmitt, Clay, and Thomas pushed their women into the middle of our loose circle. Winifred stayed near them. Bethi came to stand beside me after handing something to Ethan. She oozed fear.
“Take a hit,” she said.
I pulled her fear away from her like the thick, unwanted skin it was. It filled me with energy. She pulled out a wicked knife from her jacket and held it with ease.
“Have you used that before?”
“Yeah. You taught me how in another life.”
“Good.”
After that, no one spoke. We waited in silence under the stars.
Nine
The thunder of feet hitting the ground reached us first, then the Urbat came out of the darkness like a swarm of locusts. My pulse leapt at the sight of so many creatures devouring the distance between us. They sprinted on all fours, and their teeth glinted in the moonlight as their challenging snarls filled the air. I shivered, rolled my shoulders, and stepped a few feet ahead of the group. I needed room.
I glanced over my shoulder, a look that took less than a moment, but the details seared into my memory.
Luke and Bethi stood together, just slightly back to back. Clay crouched in front of Gabby. She had a hand on his back as if restraining him. Emmitt and Jim had Michelle pinned between them, her pale, frightened face seeming to glow in the moonlight.
Thomas was pushing Charlene closer to Michelle, so he could box the women in with his sons. Sam, Grey, and Winifred encircled them with Sam near Gabby and Clay. Ethan stood directly behind me, the knife he clutched in his hand very similar to Bethi’s. His gaze focused on the oncoming horde. My breath hitched in concern for him, and I shifted my gaze to Carlos, who stood a step away from Ethan and me.
Where Ethan looked nervous, Carlos appeared calm. A mountain, unyielding against the approaching storm. His gaze met mine. Maybe it was his stoic presence or maybe I caught something more in that brief connection, but whatever I saw firmed my resolve.
I turned back to face the approaching mass. One hundred yards away, two branches split off the main group to surround us.
“Give me your fear,” I shouted. It didn’t matter if it came from my companions or the beasts.
As soon as the dogs were within range, I pulled hard. A few staggered. My skin tightened and energy heated my blood. I bent my knees slightly and brought up my fists.
Then the beasts crashed upon our group like a wave upon a shore.
The men shouted. My sisters screamed in fear.
Kicking out, I caught one of the creatures in the face. Teeth and blood flew. I inhaled his fury, grabbed his head, and twisted. I didn’t break his neck, but I did turn him. Bethi dove forward and used her knife to finish him. Luke moved with her, shielding her from another attack. She immediately withdrew her knife and spun to help him. I dropped the wolf and swung out at the next beast.
The brutes pushed against us, a wall of furred bodies bent on our destruction. I kicked and hit and pulled in emotion until I felt bloated with it. When one beast fell, another took its place.
Someone screamed again. Gabby. I risked a look.