A King's Weakness (Book 1)

Chapter 4

ICY RAIN DRENCHES MY HAIR, slicking it flat down my back. Mist rises in smokey curls where the water hits my skin.

I blink roughly; the rain is making it difficult to see the road. It probably doesn't help that there are no street lights and that trees line both sides of the street, blocking out the moon.

I am completely and utterly lost.

Sighing, I pull the bike off onto the side of the road. I need to get my bearings; it was stupid of me to rush off when we have only just moved into the new house. Grumbling curses that would make my mother roll in her grave, I reach for my phone, pressing the home button. Nothing happens, not even a flicker.

"Oh, you have got to be shitting me," I groan, the swear words increasing in creativity. After pressing every button on the damn thing, I finally accept that the rain has ruined it.

My temper flares again, hot and wild, and I throw the phone as far as I can. The sound of it landing softly somewhere in the grass echoes back to me. My body folds over on the bike, and I rest my head in hands, trying to relax and focus on the not entirely unpleasant sensation of raindrops hitting my skin.

Frustrated tears sting my eyes. Kage is going to be pissed; for as much free rein as he gives me, he hates when he doesn't know where I am.

"Think, Calla, think." Here I am, sitting by myself in the rain on the side of the road in the middle of a forest, all with no phone or map. Kage is really going to hang my ass over the fireplace for this one. I hope the taxidermy will be tasteful.

Something rustles in the bushes a few yards away, and my head snaps up in response, eyes scanning the tree line. I can't see anything because of the rain, but I can feel something out there, watching me. My stomach flip-flops nervously. Unlike the flash of fear I felt back at the bar, a sense of unease slowly creeps over me, tickling my skin with icy cold tendrils.

I'm beginning to regret throwing my phone earlier. My eyes dart from the trees to the grass, searching for a glint of the shiny metal I know has to be somewhere nearby.

A crack sounds from the trees, like a branch snapping. I scramble from the back of the bike, running in the direction where I threw my phone, my heart in my throat.

The curses begin again, more breathily this time. I still can't see much, but I know something is out there, hiding in the shadows. I fall to my knees, running my hands through the grass, praying that somehow I'll find the damn phone. Maybe I just didn't pressed the buttons hard enough, maybe it still works.

A soft footfall sounds from somewhere behind me, and I freeze, straining my ears in an attempt to track where the noise is coming from. Time seems to slow all around me, and the rain falls sluggishly, allowing me to see each individual raindrop as it plummets from the sky.

A familiar sense of warmth builds beneath my heart, right behind my breastbone. My skin tingles with each soft kiss of a raindrop that embraces it. I turn my head slightly, trying again to locate the noise, and come face to face with a pair of intelligent blue eyes.

My breath catches in my throat as I stare at the wolf before me, merely inches from my face. It's massive, with striking grey fur and huge paws. And it is staring right back at me.

The creature's nose twitches like it's smelling me, but it doesn't growl or attempt to move closer. I don't know anything about wild animals—beyond seeing them at the zoo—but I can't imagine that it's a good sign that a giant predator has wandered out of the woods and is now face to face with me.

It probably thinks I'm dinner.

It's definitely time for me to move my ass. I roll sideways off of my knees and onto my feet, crouching down as I shuffle backwards to put more distance between me and the wolf.

A chorus of low growls rises up from somewhere within the trees, and I stare into the inky shadows, searching for the source. More pairs of eyes slowly appear from the darkness, along with several flashes of bright white teeth. The wolf in front of me still hasn't moved, but it snarls at the wolves behind it, diverting its attention from me for a split second.

I bolt.

The bike is only ten feet away, but once I reach it, I'll still have to start the engine and gun it—all before the wolves decide they don't want their dinner running away.

Too late.

Paws tear up the ground behind me, hot air hitting the small of my back. I'm not going to make it to the bike. White hot fear races through my blood, and without thinking, I whirl around, throwing my hands up and clenching my eyes shut.

This is it, this is how I die. I'm never going to see eighteen, never going to graduate from college, never going to get married. I never even knew I wanted those things, but now that they are about to be taken from me, I'm not so sure I don't want them after all.

A scorching force rips through the air all around me, heating up my body like I'm on fire. I gasp and freeze, waiting for a blow that never comes.

After several moments of me waiting for the wolves to pounce, I finally open my eyes. I can't believe what I am seeing. The grey wolf is frozen mid-leap, the rain has stopped falling completely, and several smaller wolves are stuck in the middle of dashing from the cover of the trees.

It's as if time has just...stopped.

I stumble backwards, fighting to make my legs work. My body feels like a massive pool of jello, but I somehow manage to make my limbs move back towards the motorcycle, all the while never taking my eyes off of the giant grey wolf. It had been poised to land on me, but now—standing a safe distance away—I realize that its face isn't frozen in a snarl and its teeth aren't exposed at all, almost like it didn't intend to hurt me.

None of this makes any sense. This is not physically possible, but it is happening. And deep down, a voice whispers what I guess I already knew: it was happening because of me. The overwhelming wave of heat had originated from somewhere within me—I was the source.

The back of my legs hit the bike, and I nearly fall over. To hell with the phone, I'll just drive down any and every street until I find the new house.

The bike roars to life beneath me, and I speed away again, feeling the snap of a rubber band flick against my skin as time resumes its eternal trek.