“I got here on Thursday.”
“That was a week ago,” he mentioned.
“How would you know when I got here?” She asked suddenly scrutinizing his potential involvement.
“I saw you set up camp,” he admitted.
“I remember you,” she said, drifting into thought. Then her car, her job, her parents came to mind in rapid succession. They’d be worried sick by now.
“Gwen, are you alright?”
His voice seemed to be floating at the other end of the long tunnel Gwen had slipped down. Everything seemed to have gone dark, paralyzing her. She felt light headed and her legs had turned to rubber.
“Gwen?”
Without warning an incredible electric energy surged through her, snapping her back into herself, and in an instant she was tearing through the forest, dodging trees, veering this way and that. If her feet touched the ground, she couldn’t feel it, as she whipped through the wilderness with such speed that the terrain seemed to blur all around her.
* * *
Brandon called after her again, but she had completely vanished. Her speed had been otherworldly, but he tore off after her none-the-less. He’d memorized her scent and it hadn’t changed now that she was a vampire. He sprinted, zigzagging and following her smell. Losing her was the last thing he needed. He knew he shouldn’t have taken her out, shouldn’t have explained anything to her, but he hadn’t been able to resist. The way she had given him her undivided attention, they way she had looked at him had sent his mind reeling with desires. He wanted to befriend her, he wanted to do what he could to get close, and he’d been able to draw her in by giving her the explanation she’d so desperately wanted. But this was the very definition of backfiring . And if he didn’t find her and bring her back, he was going to be in deep shit.
Why had she taken off? Where would she be going? And how good was her sense of direction? His mind anxiously raced as he ran then shifted into his wolf form to gain speed and better track her.
Brandon had tracked her all the way to Mount Rainier when human voices emanated from across Hollis Lake, stopping him in his tracks. Flashlight beams swept across the water’s surface, as people called out into the darkness, “Gwe-hen Kell-her! Gwe-hen Kell-her!” over and over like a chant.
The winds changed, giving Brandon the message that Gwen was far west so he started off in that direction leaving the search party behind him.
Seeing with acute vision thanks to his wolf eyes, Brandon spotted Gwen across a clearing. The moonlight overhead was just bright enough to illuminate her blond hair, the one light hue in a sea of darkness. She was perched on Birth tree limb, clinging dearly to its trunk and appearing somewhat shocked to be so high up.
Before Brandon crossed the clearing, he shifted back into his human form so she wouldn't be alarmed then made his way to her.
“I don’t know why I took off like that,” she said with a quivering voice. “I don’t know how I got up here.”
“Can you get yourself down? Or do you need help?” He asked.
“I need help,” she admitted, as her voice cracked with hopelessness. “I’m afraid of heights.”
“You know vampires can fly.”
“Just help me down, Brandon!”
“Ok,” he surrendered, trying to suppress the smirk that was threatening to emerge. He knew if she
“That was a week ago,” he mentioned.
“How would you know when I got here?” She asked suddenly scrutinizing his potential involvement.
“I saw you set up camp,” he admitted.
“I remember you,” she said, drifting into thought. Then her car, her job, her parents came to mind in rapid succession. They’d be worried sick by now.
“Gwen, are you alright?”
His voice seemed to be floating at the other end of the long tunnel Gwen had slipped down. Everything seemed to have gone dark, paralyzing her. She felt light headed and her legs had turned to rubber.
“Gwen?”
Without warning an incredible electric energy surged through her, snapping her back into herself, and in an instant she was tearing through the forest, dodging trees, veering this way and that. If her feet touched the ground, she couldn’t feel it, as she whipped through the wilderness with such speed that the terrain seemed to blur all around her.
* * *
Brandon called after her again, but she had completely vanished. Her speed had been otherworldly, but he tore off after her none-the-less. He’d memorized her scent and it hadn’t changed now that she was a vampire. He sprinted, zigzagging and following her smell. Losing her was the last thing he needed. He knew he shouldn’t have taken her out, shouldn’t have explained anything to her, but he hadn’t been able to resist. The way she had given him her undivided attention, they way she had looked at him had sent his mind reeling with desires. He wanted to befriend her, he wanted to do what he could to get close, and he’d been able to draw her in by giving her the explanation she’d so desperately wanted. But this was the very definition of backfiring . And if he didn’t find her and bring her back, he was going to be in deep shit.
Why had she taken off? Where would she be going? And how good was her sense of direction? His mind anxiously raced as he ran then shifted into his wolf form to gain speed and better track her.
Brandon had tracked her all the way to Mount Rainier when human voices emanated from across Hollis Lake, stopping him in his tracks. Flashlight beams swept across the water’s surface, as people called out into the darkness, “Gwe-hen Kell-her! Gwe-hen Kell-her!” over and over like a chant.
The winds changed, giving Brandon the message that Gwen was far west so he started off in that direction leaving the search party behind him.
Seeing with acute vision thanks to his wolf eyes, Brandon spotted Gwen across a clearing. The moonlight overhead was just bright enough to illuminate her blond hair, the one light hue in a sea of darkness. She was perched on Birth tree limb, clinging dearly to its trunk and appearing somewhat shocked to be so high up.
Before Brandon crossed the clearing, he shifted back into his human form so she wouldn't be alarmed then made his way to her.
“I don’t know why I took off like that,” she said with a quivering voice. “I don’t know how I got up here.”
“Can you get yourself down? Or do you need help?” He asked.
“I need help,” she admitted, as her voice cracked with hopelessness. “I’m afraid of heights.”
“You know vampires can fly.”
“Just help me down, Brandon!”
“Ok,” he surrendered, trying to suppress the smirk that was threatening to emerge. He knew if she
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