Waning Moon

  Chapter 31

  I walked in silence for quite some time, overanalyzing the dream…and Will’s kiss. The softness of his lips and the feel of his hands on my face had my head spinning with a mix of terrible longing and complete confusion over what I knew about him and how I felt.

  Between moments of revelation about the depth of my feelings for the guy I might never see again and the resolve that I must somehow stop my dream from coming to reality, I dodged the few vehicles that passed at breakneck speed along the smooth stretch of highway. When the sound of my heart thundering had given way to the chirp of crickets, I had already covered close to three miles and was finally warming up, despite the frosty air. I chugged water as I stopped to catch my breath. I had to be getting close to town.

  Just ahead was a turnoff that led into a state forest marked with a rusted sign dangling by a single nail. The sign read, STATE PROPERTY: NO TRESSPASSING, NO HUNTING, NO SQUATTING. I laughed at the irony and stopped to pee, leaving the highway and ducking into the shadows of the trees. I was glad for the clear night and the visibility of the road ahead until a cloud passed over and blanketed the night in darkness. Even with my acute vision, I could only sense shadows.

  All I had to do was stay on the road and it would take me straight onto the main street. I planned to hide out in the loft at the stable until the caravan arrived the next day. A noise rustled in the cluster of bushes nearby. I headed toward the direction of the road, anxious to leave the stand of trees behind.

  I missed Will already. Aside from the easy companionship, I missed his sure sense of direction and confidence. I tried to orient myself as another cloud passed over the moon and the night closed in around me once more. The noise came again and a spike of fear ran through me, but I reminded myself that there were all kinds of creatures out at this hour, not all of whom would do me harm. Somehow the reminder didn’t quell my anxiety as a dark spirit surrounded me.

  I stumbled along the edge of the road and had the sense that I wasn’t alone. The sudden sound of footsteps on gravel behind me sent a prickle of electricity to my neck as I broke into a run. I hit the pavement, but before I could bolt into a full-on sprint, two sets of hands grabbed me from behind and tackled me.

  My face slammed onto the ground, my fall broken only by my hands and knees. Shards of pain tore through my body. Still stunned by the attack, I rolled over, but a man ripped my pack from my grasp before I could kick out or defend myself. As the clouds cleared, I saw my assailants. Both young men were scruffy and stank of body odor and grime. The taller one, his face obscured by an old ball cap, rifled through my bag while the other stood over me, his boot crushing against my chest, his long hair stringy and loose around his face.

  “Let’s see what we’ve got here. Ooooh…she’s got food, Eli.”

  “Stop!” I ground out, struggling to fill my lungs.

  “You just stay still and cooperate and maybe we’ll let you live when we’re done with ya’.” Eli pressed his boot down harder, picking at his fingernail with a long bowie knife. “What else has she got, Cade?”

  My heart pounded in my chest and despite the cold air, a sweat broke out on my skin. Then a spike of adrenaline surged through me as the one called Cade pulled the canisters out of the roll of clothing. “What’s this?”

  He began twisting off the top. “It’s medicine for my uncle. You can have anything else you want. Please, don’t open that. You’ll contaminate it!” I cried desperately now, my heart in my throat and my lungs about to burst from lack of oxygen.

  “Well, I’ll tell you what,” Cade said, “why don’t you be a sweetheart and entertain me and my brother for a little while and then maybe we’ll let you be on your way back to that uncle of yours.” He screwed the cap back on and stuffed the canisters back into the bag, tossing it on the ground and turning his full attention to me.

  A sick sensation flooded my veins. I was trapped. There would be no fighting them off—no escape. In theory I knew how to defend myself. Sam had made Zeph and I practice over and over again how to fight or escape in almost any situation, but this was the first time I found myself in real trouble with two assailants standing over me.

  I forced my limbs to go limp and stopped struggling until Eli lifted his boot from my chest. I kept my hands in front of me with my palms out. I tried to sit up, but he pushed me back down and the two of them began circling around me.

  “I want to go first,” Eli said. Before his brother could argue, he added, “You went first last time. It’s my turn.” He handed the knife off to Cade, reached for his belt, and unbuckled it. “Take your clothes off, bitch.”

  My head pounded with pressure. I fought to think. I knew I would never get to my pocket knife. I thought of Will’s whistle and tears came to my eyes at the hopelessness of my situation. Surrounded by trees and darkness, and flat on my back, I felt totally helpless. With the two of them standing over me, I had no choice but to follow their commands if I had any hope of escaping with my life and recovering Sam’s medicine. My hands shook as I fumbled with my zipper. I slipped the jacket off my shoulders and lifted the shirt off over my head, nothing but a bra left to cover me. The cold air bit into my arms.

  “Boots and pants, too,” Cade ordered. He was already lowering his pants and a sense of dread filled me with such terror, I could barely breathe. All I could think was that this was not how I wanted my first time to be. My anger boiled up inside. I didn’t even notice the tears streaming from my eyes until I felt the wetness drip onto my breast. I shivered uncontrollably as fear and the frigid temperatures sank into my bones.

  “Please! Don’t do this,” I choked out. But it was too late. Eli was on his knees and hovering over me, his hands running along my thighs. He pulled at my pants, tearing at the buttons. Instinct took over. I kicked out as hard as I could, catching him in the chest. He tumbled back, but Cade was right there. Before I could react, he pressed the knife to my throat. I sucked in a breath and held it, afraid to move, the

  knife’s edge sharp against my skin. As he reached a hand down my pants, a growl emanated from the trees. Someone stepped out of the shadows.

  “Let her go!”

  Cade froze and turned toward the direction of the voice, but it was too late. Two large blurs of white leapt through the air and tackled the two men to the ground. Eli stumbled and rolled, his pants still around his ankles, his voice a scream that was cut off in a matter of seconds. Cade fought to defend himself from the attack, his arms flailing. The knife fell from his hand as he struggled, until a guttural moan escaped his lips and blood gurgled from a gaping wound in his throat.

  I hadn’t even realized in the chaos that I had pushed myself up against a tree and was gripping the bark so tight my fingers stung. Then Will was at my side in a heartbeat, his arms working to help me with my clothes, his voice soothing.

  “It’s okay, Lily. I’ve got you. I’m here.”

  “Will? What…”

  The sound of growling and snarling subsided and the creatures turned away from the motionless bodies. Two sets of glowing gold eyes peered at me in the dark. As the clouds passed and the moon shown on the scene, my heart slowed and a cry escaped my lips.