Monsters Beyond the Gate

Chapter Thirteen: Real Connections

A rumbling laugh sounded directly behind me. I gasped, turning on my heel to see who'd uttered it, but saw only empty space. I flipped back around to face the gray wolf, but he and the bundle had disappeared, seemingly into thin air.

I swear the darkness grew thicker around me. My hands trembled as I clung to my silver dagger like it was a lifeline.

Tessa was right, I was stupid for constantly running straight into dangerous situations without even considering what the outcome would be. Had I seriously thought I'd be able to take on a gray wolf all alone? I wanted to kick myself. I'd ruined everything.

It didn't matter though. I'd made my mistakes and dwelling on them wouldn't fix anything. So instead of doing that, I observed my surroundings. There was no one in sight and the night had grown impossibly cold for it being summer time. I looked up to try and see the moon, but it was covered by thick gray clouds.

*SPLAT*

A fat raindrop hit me right between the eyes. Followed by another, then another. It began to down pour. The wind picked up, howling though the trees around me and in the distance a clap of thunder shook the sky.

"I can smell you," a voice echoed in the wind.

The sound took me by surprise. I stumbled back, nearly tripping over a fallen limb while frantically waving my dagger in front of me.

"Whose there?" I yelled to be heard over the thunder. Lightening flashed.

At some point during my grand chase, my hair had fallen out of it's pony tail. The rain soaked it so it fell limply around my head.

I shook from head to toe. Fear crept along my bones and the cold rain only made it worse.

Lightening flashed again, illuminating the forest, only this time I saw him.

He stood a few feet ahead of me. I stumbled backward and that time actually did fall into the dirt that the rain had transformed into slippery mud.

More lightning. The man suddenly appeared closer, standing right over me. He smiled but it didn't look like a friendly gesture on his face. It was more like a barring of teeth.

His hair was black. Blacker than the night around us, while his skin was so pale that he'd make Wynter Adams look tan if he stood next to her. The most extraordinary thing about him was his eyes. The iris's shifted color from light shades to dark. His pupils were huge and in them were little silver flecks that reminded me of the night stars. He was tall, shirtless, muscular, and although so pale he nearly glowed, he gave off a feeling of darkness that made me want to run from him. I couldn't move though. Fear had paralyzed ever muscle in my body.

He knelt down beside me, obviously not bothered that his pants were getting all muddy.

"Here, let's get you out of the rain before you catch your death." He offered me his hand.

I blinked at him. The rain was falling so heavily that it was hard to see anything but his color shifting eyes.

"Who—who are you?" I think I already knew the answer, but I asked to stall for more time. I held out the hope that Levi, Thor, or Tessa would find me.

"My name is Erebus. I am the leader of the Northern Pack, but now is really not the time for formalities. Let's get going, shall we?"

My whole body felt numb, but I tightened my fingers around my dagger, thankful I still had it in my hand.

Erebus' eyes flashed down to it and he clucked his tongue. "I wouldn't if I were you, my Dear," he said as if he could read my mind.

I lashed out with the knife anyways, but he vanished before I even finished my swing.