Heartsong (Green Creek 3)

“What do you think you could do to me?” Ezra asked. “Don’t you see how easy this was for me? No matter where you go, no matter what you do, I will find you, Gordo. And I will take everything until you return what belongs to me.”

“We never took anything from you,” Gordo snapped. “And even if we had, do you really think we’d just let this go? After everything you’ve done?”

Ezra looked saddened, shaking his head slowly. “A demonstration, perhaps. Would you hear me, dear? Robbie, would you hear me?”

“Yes,” I whispered. Always.

Gordo’s eyes widened. “Trigger. It’s a goddamn trigger—”

“Kill them,” Ezra said. “Kill them all.”

I would do what he asked.

They were the enemy. The witch would be the first to die.

Except I didn’t reach him.

I leapt for the witch, claws extended.

A gray and black wolf came between us.

It whimpered as my claws sunk into its hair. Into its skin.

Blood spilled over my hands.

“No!” Gordo cried.

The gray and black wolf fell to the ground, my claws still inside it.

It looked up at me with orange eyes.

I stared down at it.

A tatter of clothing hung on its chest.

I watched as wolf blood spilled over the patch with my name on it.

I slowly pulled my claws out.

The wolf whimpered.

I stood as blood dripped from my fingers.

The black Alpha tilted his head back and howled. It rolled through the destruction around us, echoing into the forest.

For a moment nothing happened.

“Yes,” Ezra said mockingly, “because your wolfsong will do you any good so far from home—”

There came an answering howl.

And then another.

And another.

And another, until the forest was alive with wolves. Flashes of violet lights began to fill the forest. Wolves stood on the remains of the bridge overhead, peering down at us, their eyes glowing.

Violet.