THE LAST WEREWOLF

CHAPTER 7 (Avery)

The Ford Bronco had four-wheel-drive, but Avery wouldn't need it today as she came to a stop on the side of the road, high in the forested mountains where the curvy highway wound through the wilderness like a snake. She set the emergency brake in the same location where Dorian had parked his Jeep the previous day.

Her blue jeans slid over the leather seat as she exited the vehicle, her hiking boots grinding in the fine gravel on the shoulder of the road. She had run home and changed out of her skirt and blouse; she needed something a little more worthy of a mountain climb. Even though it was spring, she had chosen a light sweater and a thin jacket for her hike up the dark wooded elevation. She brought a flashlight for the initial push, and she had her pistol shoved down the back of her jeans, ready to whip it out if she ran into that wolf again. Avery didn't like the thought of killing any animal, but she would do what it took to survive.

She pressed the button on her key fob, locking the SUV with a chirp, and on she went, slicing into the tree line without pause, but with a noticeable catch in her breath and a slight increase of her heartbeat.

As Avery cut through the woods, she considered leading the way with the gun, but she didn't think it was wise because she didn't like the possibility of shooting herself if she tripped over a fallen limb or a rock. With that in mind, she did her best to retrace her steps from their previous trek out here, however; she wasn't new to this kind of game. Yesterday, when Dorian was busy taking samples for The Bureau's lab, she had slipped out her phone and dropped a pin, ensuring she could find the location of the hikers' wolf encounter, in case she had to return by herself. Like now.

She concentrated on each step, making sure she took the right path. Occasionally, she pulled out her phone to get back on track, and of course, her boots cracking through the underbrush made her ever aware of the noise her progress made with every footfall.

The darkness of the forest had her full attention, the flashlight beaming this way and that. She remembered this part of her trip yesterday with Dorian, recalling how she felt safer with him around. Not that she couldn't take care of herself. She huffed. To begin with, she worried whether she could trust him enough to venture out alone with him in the woods. Halfway up the mountainside, about this spot where he had suggested she cut off the flashlight, this was where she felt comfortable with him, where they had connected on some level.

That connection felt much deeper last night, especially after dinner.

She imagined him standing next to her, wished he were. Not for protection, but for some other reason, one she didn't want to entertain at the moment. Thinking about him being with her made her feel vulnerable, like she was missing something. His presence. Again, it wasn't for her safety. She told herself she wasn't afraid, although her heart rate had spiked. She decided her accelerated pulse was because of the climb and the higher elevation, but it might be because of her longing for...

No. She didn't need him, want him...

She forged on, her calves and thighs burning as she made the climb. Soon, she entered the area where the trees thinned out somewhat, providing more sunlight from above. A breeze whipped through the pines, cutting into her sweater and racking her with chills. She hugged herself, rubbing her arms, trying to bring warmth to her body. She exhaled a beleaguered breath.

Off to the side, a dead limb snapped.

Avery froze. Reached behind her back and withdrew the Beretta from her jeans. She flicked off the flashlight and stuck its skinny handle down deep in her back pocket. All her senses came together into a tight, spiraling circle around her.

She aimed the gun toward a break in the trees, where the sound came from. "Hello! Is anyone there? I'm armed, and I won't hesitate to shoot."

The forest grew silent, except for a ghostlike breeze higher in the trees.