Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (150 page)

Julie peeked out the window. “The
place is swarming with wolves. Maybe he’s right. Let’s stay here a
few hours and see if the pack leaves.”

I helped Jesse to the
recliner.

He glanced up at me and could tell I
was concerned. “It’s our best bet. The wolves will move on
soon.”

Then a
thought occurred to me:
We need to secure
the upstairs and make sure no one is in the house.
We could leave nothing to chance. “Hello?” I
called up the stairs.

The stairs creaked as I walked up
them. My nerves were on edge as we headed down the lonely hallway
amidst the shadows that danced on the wall.

Julie pointed to the first bedroom.
Holding my butcher knife, I flicked on the switch but didn’t see
anyone, much to my delight. As I continued to move carefully
through the bedroom, I suddenly saw a figure. I freaked out and
jumped, startled for a split second, until I realized it was my own
reflection in the dresser mirror. My nerves were so on edge that
every little thing was beyond frightening.

The room was pretty typical, with a
bed, dresser, and other furnishings. We searched for weapons but
couldn’t find any. We checked the next two bedrooms, and they were
also clear.

My labored breathing eased, though my
lungs still burned and my head was pounding like a chorus line of
stiletto-wearing hippos dancing on it.

Julie motioned me in the master
bedroom. “Blue Eyes can rest in there,” she said.

“
Jesse, you should lie
down,” I said when we walked back downstairs to get him. “There’s a
nice bedroom upstairs so you can rest.”

“
I’m fine.”

“
No,” Julie ordered,
“you’re not. You’re gonna go up there and get in bed, and then
we’ll barricade the door and stay in there till
morning.”

His wound started to bleed again, and
I gulped hard. I couldn’t help but notice how pale and weak he
looked. Jesse needed medical help, and I couldn’t get it for him
quick enough.

“
You’re bleeding,” I said,
wondering if he would live to see sunlight again.

Chapter 7

I didn’t know what to do. Jesse was
dying right before my eyes. I knew we needed to get help, but I
didn’t know how to get past the snarling wolves. No one could hear
us now because our cell phones had no signal out in the middle of
nowhere, and there was no landline in the cabin. I touched Jesse’s
arm. “Please lie down.”

“
No. I have to keep you
safe.”

“
You aren’t going to be
able to do that if you die on us,” I said. “You just need a little
rest.”

When he didn’t move, Julie chimed in,
“She’s right, Jesse. We need you to protect us, so how about you
lie down for an hour or two and then you’ll be more up to
protecting us better. In the meantime, we promise not to get
ourselves killed by rabid dogs or gun-wielding strangers.
Deal?”

He smiled and nodded. “Can’t argue
with that,” he said.

I smiled appreciatively at Julie and
her ability to manipulate even the most strong-willed of
people.

Jesse grunted as I helped him into bed
and covered him with a blanket.

Julie found some towels in the
bathroom and applied pressure to his wound. “Never in my wildest
dreams did I think I’d be taking care of a gunshot victim,” she
said.

His eyes fluttered shut, and I gasped.
“He passed out,” I said. “We can’t just sit here and do nothing, no
matter what he said,” I said. “He’s really sick and fading fast. If
we’re going to save him, we’ve gotta take a chance. You stay here.
I’m gonna get us help.”

“
How are you going to get
past the wolves?”

“
I don’t know, but I can’t
just stand here and let him die.”

She took a deep breath. “I
know.”

I felt his forehead and was glad that
his skin was cool and not as sweaty; the fever had subsided. “He
feels better,” I said.

“
He’s breathing better
too,” Julie added. “Maybe we should wait a little
longer.”

I nodded and peeked out the bedroom
window, only to shudder when I saw the wolves still prowling
around. “It’s not like we have much choice.” Feeling defeated, I
sat down on the vinyl chair and propped my feet on the stool. I
watched vigilantly out the window, waiting for the scraggly dogs to
leave.

* * *

A couple of hazy, sleepy, silent hours
later, when the first rays of light shone on my face, I looked out
the window again. “Julie, they’re gone!” I said.

“
I’ll go look out the
front,” she said.

I rushed over to Jesse. “Let me have a
look at your wound,” I said.

He pushed me away. “I said I’m fine.
We don’t have time to waste. Let’s go.”

“
Are you sure you feel all
right? Can you walk?”

“
Yeah, I’ll live to tell
the tale,” he said.

I looked at him doubtfully, then
helped him up so we could make our way down the stairs.

“
It’s all clear,” Julie
happily reported, opening the blockade.

Outside, I stared skeptically at the
deceivingly calm forest around us. As if mocking our trepidation,
the sun was shining brightly, and the birds were chirping happily.
When I looked down, though, I saw pawprints everywhere. It was
still hard to fathom that we’d been shot at, chased, and
practically held prisoner in the cabin by a bunch of
wolves.

Pushing some vegetation aside, I
stepped into the woods. “C’mon, guys!”

As we hiked through the woods,
continuously trying our cell phones, Jesse actually got a signal
for about two minutes and managed to get in touch with one of his
buddies, who offered to pick us up. Just as we reached the road, a
blue car stopped and Jesse introduced us to his friend,
Billy.

“
We’ve gotta get Jesse to
the hospital,” I said. “He’s been shot.”

“
What!? They’re joking,
right?” Billy said to Jesse.

“
No. He really was shot,”
Julie said.

“
Oh,” Billy
said.

I looked at him as if he was one
Prozac away from a straightjacket. “Uh…that’s the best place for
gunshot victims,” I said. “Now please just drive us
there.”

Jesse shot Billy a strange look, and
he nodded. “Okay,” he said, “but I’m dropping you two off
first.”

“
Fine. Then take us to the
police station,” I said.

Julie grabbed my arm. “Are you crazy?
I don’t wanna get involved with the police. We’re alive and
breathing, so why bother?”

“
If that guy is out there
and survived the wolf attack, he needs to be stopped.”

Billy arched an eyebrow at me as if I
was the crazy one. “He’s dangerous and probably whacked outta his
mind on drugs and still armed. I wouldn’t suggest you ratting him
out. They’ll let him go with a slap on the wrist, and then he’ll
come after you with a vengeance.”

“
I don’t want to involve
the police,” Julie stated again, more sternly this time.

“
And neither do I,” Jesse
intervened. “I gotta be honest with you, Taylor. Billy’s not takin’
me to the hospital.”

“
But you’ve been shot,
and—”

“
No need for hospitals. My
mom is a doctor.”

“
But—” Julie tried to
argue.

“
It’s just a flesh wound,”
Jesse said. “I’ll be fine.”

“
Jesse,” I said, “please
don’t risk your life like this, especially not just to be a tough
guy and show off.”

“
I’m not showing off. My
mom won’t let anything happen to me. I just need you to do me a big
favor.”

“
I know, I know. Leave the
police out of it,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“
It’s the best thing,
Taylor,” Jesse said.

“
I’m great at keeping
secrets,” Julie said. “If my mom finds out I sneaked out of the
house to go to a college party and almost got myself killed, she’ll
freak, and I’ll be the one needing a doctor—especially if the
police are involved.”

“
I won’t say anything
either,” I said reluctantly.

Jesse’s friend pulled into Julie’s
driveway at eight a.m., and we knew Julie’s mom would be coming
home any minute.

“
Don’t worry about your
truck,” Jesse said. “One of my friends is a mechanic. He can have
it fixed in hours.”

“
My mom will ask about it,”
Julie said. “Do you promise I’ll get it back today?”

“
I promise.”

“
Okay, Jesse. I’ll trust
you on that, but if you don’t get it back before my mom wakes up,
I’ll be grounded for the rest of the summer or, worse, she’ll
sequester my truck keys indefinitely.”

“
I got this,” he
said.

“
Jesse,” I said, “I really
need to know that you’re okay. I won’t stop worrying until I know
your mom has given you the all-clear.”

“
Gimme your number,” he
said. “I’ll call you with the official report.”

We exchanged numbers, putting them in
each other’s phones. As I gazed into his eyes, just about to say
something, his friend cut in.

“
No time for mushy
goodbyes,” Billy said. “I gotta get Jesse home. He’s got an
appointment with Dr. Mom.”

Before I could say another word or
wave goodbye, the blue car backed up and sped down the
street.

As we walked in, I flung my shoes off.
My hands were shaky from my ordeal, and nausea flooded my
stomach.

When I sat down at the kitchen table,
Julie handed me a glass of water. “Are you okay?” she
asked.

“
Yeah. Just a little
freaked.”

“
Better freaked than dead,”
she said. “My head is pounding, but I think we learned a valuable
lesson here.”

“
Oh?”

“
No more parties with
crazy, unstoppable party animals—or wild, furry animals
either.”

“
Yeah. Tell me about it.
And we might want to avoid Barney-colored drinks and Long Island
iced teas too,” I said, looking at her.

She ran a hand through her blonde
hair. “Do you really think they’ll get my truck back in
time?”

“
Jesse promised he would,
and up to now, he’s been a man of his word.”

“
Maybe, but we don’t’ even
really know him.”

“
He said his friend’s a
mechanic. I’m sure it will be fine.”

“
I hope so. If not, I’m
dead meat.”

“
Why was that guy chasing
us anyway?” I asked. “What did you say to him?”

She sipped her water. “Nothing out of
the ordinary…and he seemed nice at the party. He just went all
psycho. Maybe Jesse’s right. Maybe he was high.”

“
If he was high on drugs,
how the heck was he able to find us in the dark woods?” I
asked.

“
I dunno. How’d Jesse find
us, especially when he was shot and bleeding all over the place?”
she retorted.

“
Yeah, you’re right. That
was weird.”

“
I think there’s something
Jesse’s not telling us,” Julie said.

“
Why were you invited to
that party?” I asked.

“
I met Jed in town, and he
was inviting all the pretty girls. He said I could bring anyone I
wanted to bring. But there is something else I’ve been
wondering.”

“
What?”

“
If Jesse’s such a great
guy, why would he hang out with guys like them in the first
place?”

“
I don’t know. And why
won’t he go to the hospital like a normal person?” I asked, trying
to put two and two together. “Anyone else would insist on going to
the ER.”

“
He’s either scared to
death of needles or he’s hiding something,” Julie said, then ripped
the bandage off her neck. “Speaking of hospitals, how does my
battle wound look?”

“
Not bad at all. There are
just a couple deeper spots where the glass must have nailed
you.”

“
I can’t believe my taste
in men,” Julie said. “Out of everyone in the party, I pick the one
that oughtta be locked up.”

“
It’s okay. You didn’t
know.”

“
At least one of us lucked
out.” She smiled. “You got Jesse’s number, right?”

I smiled and held up my phone proudly.
“Yep. Mission accomplished.”

The door creaked open, and Julie’s mom
walked in. “Julie, where’s your truck?” she asked.

“
I parked it in the garage
after Taylor and I washed it.”

“
Honey, it’s gonna get
dirty again around here, no matter what you do. No sense in trying
to keep it spotless,” she said, smiling.

“
I know, but I want it to
look nice for as long as possible.”

“
You girls are up awfully
early,” she said.

“
We pulled an all-nighter,”
I said.

“
Sounds like fun. I
remember having girls’ nights like that. Did you paint your nails
and—”