“You can’t get in,” I said. “The border keeps outsiders out. You’re not pack. You can’t cross.”
“I can with you,” he said.
“You sure?” I asked.
“You’ll have to hold my hand as we pass through, but your connection will get me in fine.”
I’d never thought about returning here, let alone bringing a visitor so I honestly never asked. It made sense that there was a work around.
We drove in silence for a while and Alec turned from the dirt road onto a narrow, paved road. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the trees around us were bright green and the sky was a brilliant blue. Under different circumstances, this would be a fun way to pass the time. If only we were headed somewhere else. Fuck. Anywhere else would be better.
I watched out the window as Alec took us onto larger roads, and through a few smaller twisty roads. I had no idea where we were going and I stopped trying to pay attention to the route. With my terrible sense of direction, I’d need to take this exact trip several times before it sunk in.
When we stopped, panic gripped me. How could we already be at Wolf Creek’s border?
“You know what to do, right?” Alec asked as he killed the engine.
It seemed impossible now that I was facing it. “What if I really can’t find anything for you?”
“I trust you,” he said. “If there’s nothing there, I’ll still help you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Is this because we had sex?”
“It’s because you’re my friend,” he said.
My breath hitched. An actual friend wasn’t a big deal to most people, but I’d never had anyone who would claim to be my friend. Not one person my entire life. “I’ll do my best.”
He opened his door and took a final deep breath before exiting the car. I walked around to where he was standing at the edge of the road. I could feel something in the air. It was unnatural, like a current. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination or if the air in front of me was shimmering.
“The border,” I said, without thinking.
“That’s it.” He held out his hand. “Should we test this theory out, then?”
I reached for him and he clasped his hand around mine, making me feel small. It was warm and comforting. “You’ll be there when I’m done, waiting for me?”
“I’ll find the barn, and then I’m not going anywhere until you’re with me,” he said.
“Let’s do this.” I took a step forward and he walked with me. My shoes crunched over pinecones and I dodged branches as we went deeper into the woods that surrounded my old home.
A rush of something cold seeped through me, all the way to my bones. It made me gasp, then it was gone as quickly as it came.
“We’re through.” Alec released my hand.
“Can you find your way around or do you get lost at home too?” he asked with a grin.
“Once I see something familiar, I’ll be fine. Right now, I have no idea where we are.”
We continued forward and I caught glimpses of grass through the trees. We were nearing the end of the woods and emerged right into the field by the barn. “Well, well. Looks like step one for you is easy,” I said.
“I take it this is the barn?” Alec asked. “It’s not much. I expected a structure that was still in one piece.”
The barn had never been in great shape, but in the short time I’d been away, it had fallen into more disrepair. The entire roof had collapsed and only two of the four walls were standing. “Something must have happened.”
“Or it was built poorly,” Alec offered.
“Maybe,” I said.
My hands were shaking. I forced myself to calm down. There was nothing to be concerned about. I could get through town like a ghost. Nobody expected I’d return here and nobody was looking for me.