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Gag me.
We found a small cave, just big enough for two or three people to sleep in. While Ryder and I grabbed firewood, Freya shooed the spiders and snakes out of it. She was like a warped Disney princess—always talking to animals or wreaking havoc on those who wronged her.
The other wolves kept watch. If they weren’t so huge, I would’ve forgotten they were there. Every step was silent and stealthy. I wandered farther from camp and enjoyed the silence. I was more than ready for a good night’s sleep, even if my bed was a rock.
“Ah-choo!”
I dropped the firewood in my hands and searched for the source of the sneeze.
“Freya?” I called. In the distance, she thanked the creatures of the woods for lending us their home. It wouldn’t have been her who sneezed anyway. I doubted witches had allergies.
“Who’s there?” I asked.
Only silence answered.
Something moved in the thick brush, and my heart rate skyrocketed. Twigs snapped under racing footsteps. I chased the sound deeper into the woods. My legs shook from exhaustion, but whoever I followed tripped with a gasp. I was ready to pounce. I shoved a low-hanging tree limb out of the way, then skidded to a stop.
“Walker!”
Impossible.
My sister had fallen over a thick tree root. Her puffy pink coat was covered in dirt and grass stains. Her stringy hair was littered with leaves, and her green eyes were wide.
“Cadence.” I practically growled. “What are you doing here?”
My mind raced with what all she could’ve witnessed—the dark witches’ violent ways and the violence that met them in return. My brush with death. And, to top it all off, werewolves had arrived. I wasn’t sure if I was angrier or more relieved to see her.
“I followed you.”
No dip, Sherlock.
“All the way across two mountains?” I reached out a hand to help her up. Her fingers were cold in my grasp. “Why? I told you it wasn’t safe!”
She tried and failed to wipe the dirt off her face. Dark circles hung under her eyes.
“Your story didn’t add up,” she said. “I had to know what you were up to. Why didn’t you tell me she was a witch? It makes much better sense than you gallivanting off with a lady-friend.”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter. Even covered in mud, my sister could give me crap.
“Remind me to stop buying you so many books,” I said. “I’m only making your burns stronger.”
Cadence giggled, but her expression grew serious. “I didn’t follow you just because I was curious…I got scared.”
“What do you mean?” I asked and threw my arm around her.
“Something,” she said, “was watching me.”
I fought a shiver. Cadence had probably just gotten scared without me. Since mom died, I’d never left her for longer than a few hours. Still, her words unsettled me.
“Walker,” Cadence asked quietly. “Are you okay?” She pointed to my leg.
“Yeah, Cady,” I assured her. “Clearly, Freya healed me just fine—I was able to keep up with you, wasn’t I?”
Her face lit with a mischievous smile.
Together, we grabbed some more firewood and headed for the others. The cave was cleared out. Wolves milled around our impromptu campsite, except for Ryder. He remained in his human form, glued to Freya’s side right outside the cave.
Freya’s jaw dropped at the sight of my sister.
