Shadow of the Day (Wolf Moon Sequel)

Chapter 52: Beyond Repair

Lila POV

I didn't wait to see Ivy at school, not when there was no guarantee she would make it, that Devin might be holding her hostage. Wyatt and I updated the others and tried to come up with a plan instead. I was desperate to leave and get Ivy back immediately, but Wyatt had a point that we couldn't just run in blindly or risk getting Ivy hurt or worse.

We drove over to Devin's house, circling around, eyes peeled. It was a secluded wooded area, not quite country but not quite suburbia, but enough space and trees between neighbors for ample privacy. The perfect little hideout.

We didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but the house was definitely in need of TLC. The roof needed to be done, the front porch sagged and the railing posts were warped and rotted. The vinyl sidings were faded and spackled and cracked.

It was a step up from Caleb's cave, but Devin clearly wasn't living in a five star establishment either. Though what did that matter? Privacy was infinitely more important and since he was using Joe's identity, I supposed it meant he was stuck living within Joe's means which wasn't exactly worthy of much. It didn't matter anyway, Devin wouldn't be alive long enough to worry about housing or where he would end up next.

Behind that weathered door with the paint chipping off, was Devin and my sister.

"Are you ready?" Wyatt asked as we looked up at the house in the dark. It was early in the morning, almost five, and the day was still dark. I could not bear to wait one more minute with Ivy stuck in there with Devin.

"Yes."

I felt his hesitation, even as he drove us away from the house. We needed some element of surprise and so trekking on foot was easier than a car. It afforded us the ability to sneak around undetected.

That didn't mean either of us was sure of what to do, what we were getting into. We couldn't reach Natasha, unsurprising given the hour when most of this happened and she had her own life to live. I just couldn't wait for her, not when Wyatt and I already outnumbered Devin who was in a weak human body.

If I had any doubts, or hopes, that Ivy wasn't here they were dashed immediately upon coming up on the house, sneaking through the trees. I could smell her all around, mixed with Joe and Devin's scents, the stink of cigarettes swirling together to make a perfume of my nightmares.

With Wyatt hiding downwind in the trees, lying in wait for when I needed him, I crept around the house, looking for a good entry point. Devin probably assumed we hadn't been able to find his hideout, so unless Dom told him about my little visit, we had the element of surprise. 

The front door was out of the question, it was far too obvious and he wouldn't be stupid enough to leave it unlocked. And I wasn't stupid enough to try it in case he laid a trap or me jiggling the handle alerted him. It was a two story house, tall but relatively narrow, like the whole thing had been squashed together with a child's hands.

The porch was lopsided and boards were uneven, so I was careful to step where I wouldn't trip or catch a loose nail to alert Devin to my presence. Towards the back of the house there was an overhang, shallow but wide enough that I might be able to stand on it to climb in through a window. All the curtains were drawn shut, which didn't give me much to go on and the edge looked quite unstable, but I had to try something.

I tested the back porch railing, giving it a yank and it held well enough. If it collapsed under me, well that was a chance I'd have to take. Everywhere I placed my foot or hand, I tested first before putting my full weight, just to try and salvage any and every bit of quiet I could manage before I finally managed climb up on the steep overhang. It was worse up here, the slope was slippery with patches of ice and missing shingles, but there was a window with frosted glass and a short ruffly curtain. A bathroom window maybe? Hopefully.