The Loyal Alone

Chapter Eleven

"Evening," I hear Ulric call as the truck comes to a stop and the doors open. Hearing Ulric sounds so calm, I risked a glance out the window.

There were three men getting out of the truck, none of them greeted Ulric. None of them looked familiar. I couldn't smell them through the walls and windows, but I'd guessed they werewolves when I heard one of them say, "Where's the girl?"

Ulric was visibly tense, and with that question, I saw Cole's wolfen shape emerge beside Ulric, his dark gold hair bristling, he is low, but he stays where he is.

"You need to leave," Ulric says quietly. "This is private property."

Two of the men who'd gotten out of the truck were now wondering around, sniffing the air, they could smell me. They know I'm here.

"Hand her over," The first one said. He pushed his graying hair back under his cap and tugs at his beard for a moment. "Hand her over, and you won't get hurt." The way he talks is over confident, as if he knew they'd win, like he didn't need to threaten, just that it was easy for him to. His hands fall into his pockets. One of the other two men is looking at the house, and he made eye contact with me. I didn't drop the blind, they knew I was there, seeing me did little to confirm it, they could smell me. The shorter man who'd seen me motions with his head to the others. They are all looking at me now. Two of them start to walk towards the house, the first man stays where he is.

Ulric doesn't move until the two men are past him, as they walk by and have their backs turned to him, he reaches for one and slams him down to the ground, kicking him in the face. Cole lurches at the other and they tumble out of view, and back in. Cole is on top, but only for a moment, the other man is bigger, and stronger, even in human form Ulric yanks the bigger man off of Cole easily, but it was as if the other man let him.

Slowly, the man Ulric kicked gets up. He's cursing, and I see blood. Ulric knows he is there and the four of them square off. Cole stays back and in front of the house.

Two of the men jump at Ulric at the same time. The older man with the beard stays back and I can tell Cole looks trapped between staying in his position or helping Ulric. He lets out low growls and deep whimpers that sounded uncertain and pained. The man with the beard takes off his jacket and drops to all fours in the snow, transforming slowly, letting his fur roll out of his skin, he never breaks eye contact with Cole, he stares and it's unnerving. I see him lurch at Cole and the fighting begins.

I drop the blinds and run towards the front door. My first thought is to jump into the truck and run them over, but then I remember how well that worked when I was with my father. I jog back, grabbing the gun by the door that I saw in the office Cole was staying in. I don't know how to fight, but I know how to use a gun. I hear men screaming, grunting, but it's the wolven sounds that make me shudder, the loud growls and whimpers. As I pick up the shot gun I noticed how light it felt. I open it over the crook of my arm and see that there are no shells.

Three of them, and three of us. But I don't fight, at all, especially not with large men. I go to the desk, if there is a gun in this room, there must be shells. Something, even just rock salt would do. The drawers are empty, only filled with papers, a pen. Nothing.

As I'm searching, I hear the door open and there are large quick steps. And a man whistling, calling to me.

"Little girl," He lilts. "Little girl." I hear him tossing large furniture around at the front of the house, he is in the trailer. There are two doors in between him and I but they are both open. I could hide, but it wouldn't last, the moment he'd walk past the room he'd smell me and know I was there. The biggest thing I have is the bluff of a loaded gun. It may keep him at bay for a few moments. Perhaps I could make it to the door, I didn't want to be trapped in this small room when he found me.