The Witch of Willow Lake

Nine

My heart pounded against my chest hard enough to hear the beat in my ears. I would have believed it was just a rabbit or another animal; however, Alicia instantly became defensive. Her golden-brown eyes clouded over and turned red, her lips parted with a silent snarl, and the sharp points of her fangs glittered in the slowly dimming light.

"Get behind me and stay still." Alicia hissed in a whisper, "And you need to calm your heartbeat."

I took a breath and tried to do as she requested, doing my best to keep my breath steady and calm the racing beat of my heart, "What is it?"

"The Wolves."

My eyes widened at what she said. Surely it couldn't be; the closest den was still a far way out, at least three miles, "But we're nowhere near their land!"

"Stay close to me. They're a little over a mile northwest; they shouldn't pick up our scent if we remain still and quiet. Guess the alpha is hungry, and they have to look further out."

"Wait, I can-"

"No, Hallie," Alicia interrupted, "don't use any of your powers; it will attract them. Their senses are on the same level as ours, if not a little stronger, especially for magic."

I nodded, realizing it was a dumb idea to use my powers; I knew about wolves, how wolves worked, how they were created, and how sensitive their noses were to the scent of a warlock. We'd be okay. I was a witch, Alicia, a vampire; I knew we could hold our own in a fight.

Wolves rarely ran in numbers larger than six to avoid detection and simply because their sizes made den hunting tricky in large groups. Usually, for hunts, there were four, leaving two behind to protect the den. Although it may be a struggle, we could get out without too much of a battle, even if it was all six.

Seconds passed, slowly and quickly, all at the same time as neither of us dared to move. I didn't know how long we'd have to stay like this, but I knew Alicia was concentrating on listening with her hair tucked behind her ears, eyes fixed on a spot in front, while her breath held.

"Okay, I think they're heading in the opposite direction." Alicia sighed in relief, "We'll give it another minute and start moving gradually. Watch your step, and once we get closer to the border, hop on my back. We'll run full speed to get the heck out of here. Got it?"

"Yeah." I breathed, trying to will myself to stay levelheaded. Although I knew we'd probably be okay, it didn't mean I wasn't anxious. I didn't want a fight with the Wolves, and I didn't want to use my powers.

We weren't too far from the border, roughly one and a half miles away. Once we got a mile away, Alicia could run it with me on her back and get us out of the forest within seconds.

Alicia flicked her head to signal us to move, and we took a few steps with our eyes cast on the floor to make sure we didn't step on anything that would make a noise.

It felt like it took forever to reach the one-mile mark with the slow pace, which Alicia and Emmett had marked on a tree for their nighttime wanders.

"Okay, I think we're good." Alicia turned to me; her golden-brown eyes and fangless teeth returned, looking human once more. "I will run as fast as possible with you on my back. Hold your breath for a few seconds and let it out slowly as I run. The force of the wind against us will be harsh, so keep a tight grip on me."

I nodded as Alicia lowered herself down, making it easier for me to hop on her back.

I tightened my grip on the berries bag I held and placed my hands on her shoulders, bracing myself to jump on.

However, before I could mount Alicia's back securely, a blur of black sped into my vision out of nowhere, quicker than the speed of light, and knocked into us, sending us both flying.