“What?” Instantly, Micha’s whole demeanor changed. He sat up straighter, and his eyes took on a sharper gleam. “Kyle, do you know where weare?”
“You think I’m a fucking idiot?”
Obviously, the thick forests and rolling hills that lined the road weren’t this mysterious Black Mountain.
Not even close. As Kyle’s gaze darted to the windows, even Loren could tell that he was uneasy. Micha was downright panicked.
“This isEislanderterritory,” he croaked. His nostrils flared as if the air inside the truck held a repulsive scent.
“The outskirts,” Kyle admitted, wrenching the key from the ignition. “The usual road was blocked, so I thought we could take a shortcut.”
From his defensive demeanor, Eislander territory didn’t seem like an ideal place to be stranded in.
“Call Lukka!” Micha’s voice was an octave higher. “He’ll have to send Greg or Tom to come and—”
“No reception. The truck’s transmission is shot,” Kyle snapped, wrenching open his door. With fluid ease, he jumped down to land ankle-deep in the mud. “It’s not far. One of us will have to head to the Michaelsons’. They could help.”
“I’ll do it.” Micha was out in a flash. Literally. Loren barely saw him lope around the truck; he moved so fast.
“Take this.” Kyle tossed him the cell phone and pointed to a thicket of trees. “Head north. Call Lukka the moment you get to the closest cell tower.”
“Okay!” With that, Micha took off.
“As for you, girl. Get out of the truck.” Kyle’s voice reached her, as authoritative as a whip.
Loren scrambled out—but she had to admit that it wasn’t because of that same instant pull she felt whenever Officer McGoven gave her a direct order. This time, her thoughts controlled the compulsion. If they were in danger, she needed to get her bearings. It helped that she instinctively felt better the moment her boots hit the muddied earth, and the fresh scent of wind filled her nose.
It had stopped raining, though the wind had taken on an icy edge this far north.
“I need to scout around,” Kyle told her. He scanned the surrounding forests, as if at any moment an enemy might spring from the shadows. “You stay here—”
“By myself?” Loren couldn’t help the apprehension in her voice. “I could come with you.”
“No,” Kyle snapped. “You’regoing to stay by the damn truck. I won’t be long.”
Before she could protest, he headed in the direction opposite Micha. And she was shocked to find that he was just as fast. Obviously, wherever they were from, the men knew how to keep fit.
In addition to abandoning people on the side of the road.
She tried to tell herself that he would come back. It was the middle of the night—even if this Eislander place wasn’t friendly, who would notice three people stranded on the road this late?
They would, something told her, without elaborating on just who“they”were.Or what.This is wrong,that same instinct warned.Be ready.
On impulse, she climbed into the truck and pulled open the glove compartment. Her father always kept a knife in his,just in case,though he never explained in case of what.
Kyle didn’t have anything like that in his. All she found was a small flashlight hanging from a keychain.The pale light barely cut through the shadows—not that Loren exactly needed it.
The moonlight piercing the thinning clouds was more than enough to see by, illuminating the road. Even the slight flicker of the branches swaying in the wind held an unusual clarity.
She couldn’t hear anything. But something… Something deep down told her that the apparent calm meant nothing. The silence. The quiet—they were merely on the surface.
Something else stirred underneath, way too careful to make any noise. Hiding. Lurking, watching her through the trees—and it was hungry. Maybe not in the literal sense, but…
She wasn’t quite that surprised when two men appeared in the middle of the road. They were too tall—not Micha or Kyle. They didn’t seem like the type to offer roadside assistance, either.
Careful,that instinctive voice warned.Easy. Watch…
They stood there for a long while, just taking her in. Loren was almost willing to write them off as only two bystanders who’d happened by for a nighttime stroll. Until they moved forward, eerily in sync. Until she saw theireyes, glowing through the shadows.