The Wolf Inside Me

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

I was jolted awake when the van

pulled onto a gravel road. The jolting had me awake in an instant. Clay was still asleep.

I sat up in the seat, asking David,

"Where are we?" My voice was so much quieter and softer than I remembered it.

David glanced in the rear view mirror.

"A safe house."

I wondered if this house was safer than the last one. Of course it was Sarah who had given us away last time. I would have to ask them what had happened to her.

I briefly closed my eyes again, breathing in Clays scent. The pine needle and mint smell calmed my racing heart, and I quieted down.

My eyes fluttered open and I saw Clay's face again. I glanced around and saw we were at another house, apparently deep in the woods.

I wondered briefly why were weren't at the other house, where we had

lived for awhile.

Then I realized that would be pretty stupid, considering the SCA knew where it was.

Clay carried me to the door, where David offered to take me. Emily followed close behind.

I balked at the thought of leaving Clay's arms, but I didn't have to worry, as Clay shook his head.

"I've got her."

David opened the door, and I noticed the layout of the house. It was exactly the same as the other one, but nothing was wood. Instead of a log cabin, it looked more modern.

"We'll talk tomorrow." I heard David comment. He and Emily stayed downstairs.

Clay carried me up the stairs, and pushed open a door with his elbow.

We were in a room, extremely similar to my last one. But now everything was a shade of blue or tan.

Clay pulled back the comforter, and laid me gently on the bed. I missed the warmth he had shared with me, until he crawled into bed next to me.

I snuggled up against him, shivering.

Clay pulled me even closer, if that was possible.

"What happened Kate? Why are you so skinny? What did They do?"

If I answered his question truthfully, I would have to tell him what They had done. It would be real, and right now I was happy to pretend it wasn't.

"I don't want to talk about it." I whispered.

"That's ok. Whenever your ready."

I never wanted to tell him. Not just about Nathan, because though he would go ballistic, I knew my other secret was worse.

I felt like if I told him, he wouldn't love me anymore. He wouldn't care. And I loved Clay. I couldn't lose him. Not now.

We laid close for awhile, and eventually Clay's deep breathing told me he was asleep. But I couldn't.

Whether it was because I had slept earlier, or because I felt guilty, I didn't know.

But I knew I was going to fix this. I was going to undo what Simon had done.

Moving slowly, I slipped out of Clays arms. I immediately missed the comfort they provided, but knew I had to continue on.

I slipped out of the room, being very quiet. It wasn't hard, even with Clay's werewolf hearing. The weight I had lost made it beyond easy to make no noise.

I walked cautiously down the hall, past David's room, then the one I assumed Emily was staying in.

I stepped lightly down the stairs, skipping the second to last step. It wasn't the same house, but too much was similar to risk the creaky step.

I felt a little light headed, and stopped, bracing myself against the wall.

Once the feeling had passed, I continued to the kitchen. I quickly scanned the area, not finding what I was looking for.

I started going through the drawers, making sure to stay quiet.

The first two yielded nothing, but in the third one I found my target.

A knife.