Animals ✔

Chapter 6

Tiberius seems speechless, staring at me like I've lost my mind. "What the hell are you talking about?"

I just shake my head. "It's better you don't know." Whatever he seems to think now, he won't want to help me when he finds out. He'll be just like them.

"Tell me what's going on and I can help you, Clara. But you need to tell me first."

I sigh. "Well I can't. And the sooner I leave, the safer all of us will be."

A mean growl rumbles in his chest, "You want to leave? How do you expect to be able to protect yourself? You aren't going anywhere. Not anymore."

"Oh, because that's your decision, is it?" I snap.

I don't flinch when the growl bursts past his lips, crossing my arms and doing my best to hold his stare. He reaches out and latches on to my bicep with an iron grip. "It is now."

You have got to be kidding me. "Let go." I keep my voice firm, digging my heels into the ground and tugging against his grip. "Look," I try again, "I wouldn't even be in this mess if it weren't for you. I come to this stupid fecking town and what happens? They start killing girls. They haven't been this close to me in four years. So you are going to let go of my arm and I am going to leave and we are never going to see each other again."

I stop to catch my breath and feel my entire body heat up in anger. The rational part of my brain recognizes that these things don't really have anything to do with Tiberius, but the other, much larger, part wants to set him on fire. I've had enough of his macho, 'you're incapable of protecting yourself' act. A girl can only take so much.

But, much like before, my hands don't glow red with heat and I don't manage to make him spontaneously combust either. Jerk.

Tiberius doesn't say anything to me, but his grip tightens and he continues to drag me through the woods. I want to scream, to flail my arms and legs, to free myself from his grasp and run as far from here as I can, but instead I stumble along beside him, exhausted and hoping I haven't made him change his mind about killing me.

Instead of escape, I focus on Laurel, on the way her lifeless brown eyes stared into my own, open wide with fear; on the slash marks through her chest and the bloody remains of her neck. Tears well up in my eyes and for the life of me, I can't blink them away. This is my fault. I brought those monsters here.

I try to keep myself from thinking about it too much; I'm not prepared to deal with that kind of pain again. Distracting myself, I look down at Tiberius's hand; the skin of my arm has turned white around his fingertips. It doesn't really hurt, but I definitely won't be able to get out of his grip until he allows it.

When we arrive at the rustic cabin Tiberius had dragged me to when we first met, the first thing I notice is the large grey wolf sitting stoically next to the porch. He looks to nod at Tiberius, ignoring me completely.

I snort loudly, and, doing my best to keep my voice from shaking, I try to force a laugh. "Really? This is what my life is going to be from now on? Trapped in your stupid cabin because I won't obey your every word? You're the most ridiculous creature I've ever met." I try to seem blasé, but my voice cracks a bit on the word 'trapped.'

A feeling of overwhelming claustrophobia closes in on me and my throat constricts with anxiety. I don't have time for this, and frankly, I don't think Tiberius does either. Does he want another one of his friends to die?

"This is for your protection." He doesn't look at me as he throws the door open and tugs me inside. It isn't until he's shut and locked the door that he deigns to look back at me.