“…. and heal.”
And what else would it do?
“… form bonds…”
Luca shook his head.
“… form bonds…”
Nox. He had to find Nox.
But they could have taken him anywhere.
He could already be…
Luca struggled to breathe.
Nox was alive. Luca refused to believe anything else. For the sake of his sanity, he couldn’t.
Luca ran his hands over the bed, the floor, then a chair, searching for his shirt.
A dresser sat near the wall. He opened a drawer and dragged out garments. Sleeves, thick fabric, fleece.
A sweatshirt.
He put it on.
Luca fled the bedroom. Darkness consumed the rest of the motorhome.
Lanterns from the picnic area outside cast green shadows through the RV’s window. Two vehicles down, Isaiah stood in the doorway of another camper.
Luca reached for the doorknob.
The golden wolf watched him from where it stood on the kitchen table. It lowered its head and swiveled its ears.
If it alerted Isaiah, Luca would never get out.
The wolf raised its head in the window's direction.
Tanner was a faded silhouette beyond the curtains. If Luca had gone out, Tanner would have seen him.
The wolf hopped off the table and trotted up the narrow space to the front of the RV. It stopped, turned, and blue stars lit up the depths of its eyes, casting a glow down the length of its muzzle.
The wolf yawned, making no sound. Then it stared at Luca again.
He couldn’t shake the feeling it wanted him to follow.
Its transparent form passed through the console as it jumped onto the passenger seat, even though it was obvious it could have walked right through it.
Luca went to the front of the RV. The passenger side faced the other RVs. Woods shadowed the driver’s side.
The wolf put a front paw on the console.
Luca opened it.
Two sets of car keys.
The wolf bobbed its head like a dog rooting in the dirt.