Shifting her attention to the maple near the pine, she studied its sweeping branches as they rose higher into the sky. About halfway up, the maple’s branches nearly touched the pine tree. It was not the ideal climbing situation, especially with a broken ankle, but she didn’t have any other choice.
She was grateful for her five-ten height as it made gripping the lower branch of the maple a lot easier, and she pulled herself onto the bottom limb. She held back a scream when the motion jarred her ankle, but she managed to rise and, standing on one leg, stretched above her, pulling herself onto the next branch.
She moved faster than she’d anticipated with her broken ankle, but if having nine siblings taught her one thing, it was how to find a hiding place when she wanted to be alone. A lot of times, that was in the trees.
She loved all her brothers and sisters, but sometimes they got on her every last nerve, just as she knew she got on theirs. It was the job requirement of siblings to irritate each other, and she was a pro.
Pulling herself higher into the tree, she reached the place where the pine and maple met. If she didn’t have a broken ankle, she wouldn’t have a problem crossing between the trees, but running across the branch and jumping into the boughs of the pine was not an option right now.
Instead, she got on her hands and knees and crawled across the maple. The branch thinned and bowed beneath her weight as she moved. Biting her bottom lip, she prayed it didn’t break before she made it to the pine. If she fell now, it would all be over.
Come on. Come on. Almost there. The prickly bark dug into her knees and shins as she edged further and further out. And the maple bowed more and more until a small, ominous crack sounded, and the branch dropped a little.
Her breath hitched as she lunged forward and enclosed her hand around prickly pine needles. She expected the maple branch to give way beneath her, but after that small drop, it held steady.
Gripping the pine branch with both hands, she didn’t give herself time to think about what would happen if the limb broke before she swung out of the maple and into the pine. The pine branch sagged as her legs dangled over open air.
Don’t break. Don’t break, she pleaded as she swung hand over hand into the thicker bowels of the branch. The needles jabbed her, and sap clogged her hand, but the limb didn’t break. When she was close to the trunk of the tree, she wrapped her legs around the branch and pulled herself around to sit on it.
She yearned to curl up against the trunk and huddle there, but she had to go higher. Rising onto her good foot, she stood like a flamingo as she leaned out to grasp the next highest branch. She climbed steadily higher until the thick canopy of needles near the top of the tree surrounded her.
The bark bit into her back when Willow leaned against the tree trunk and closed her eyes. Exhaustion clung to her, and the swelling of her ankle caused it to press against her boot as it throbbed with every beat of her heart.
The one good thing about the icy river was its numbing effect on the break. However, she was still freezing, but that effect had worn off. Her wet clothes cleaved to her, and her drenched, lightweight, puffer jacket provided no warmth. Hopefully, when the sun rose, she would dry out and defrost. Until then, she would remain a shivering, icy mess, but she was an alive mess, and that was what mattered.
Shifting, she managed to undo her belt from her waist. She removed her weapons from it and tucked them into the inner pockets of her jacket before using the belt to tie herself to the tree. As she worked, she discovered her phone was gone, but after her plunge into the river, it would have been useless anyway.
Once she was secured, she drew her good leg up against her chest to try getting some warmth back into her body. It didn’t work.
Her teeth chattered, and shivers racked her. She didn’t bother to examine her broken ankle; it would heal, and removing her boot would only irritate it more. Plus, she couldn’t stand the idea of her bones shifting and grinding while she pulled off her boot.
As the night wore on, the howls echoed through the woods. Resting her cheek on her knee, she tried to ignore her misery as the Savages’ hunting cries grew closer. It was nearing dawn when a group of Savages ran beneath her tree.
Everything within her stilled as their feet thudded across the land, and their laughter resounded in her ears.
Chapter Four
Declan stepped out of the car and tilted his head back to take in the imposing façade of the mansion. Some found it ugly with its high turrets and gargoyles on towering peaks, but it was his home, and after being gone for months, he smiled as he took it in.
When he volunteered to go with Logan to Mexico to work with Alejandro and his group of hunters, he hadn’t expected to be gone for so long—a month, maybe two at most—but they were away far longer than he anticipated.
While there, the two of them helped Alejandra develop a working relationship with the vampires he recruited. Those vamps still weren’t residing in the same compound like the Alliance and hunters did here, but they were working together to combat the growing Savage population in their area.
A growing population that did not bode well for any of them. Things had been quiet since they killed the demon and escaped the bunker in Maine five years ago, but they were starting to ramp up again now, and he didn’t like it.
When they left Mexico, the hunters and vamps still weren’t as close as the Alliance, but Declan felt confident enough in their ability to continue working together to come home. He’d missed his brothers in the Alliance, his family, while he was away, and he was looking forward to seeing them again.
Declan closed the driver’s door and opened the back door to remove his bag before slinging it over his shoulder and shutting that door too. Logan walked around the back of the car to stand beside him.
After Declan turned Logan into a vampire to save his life, he was surprised by how much he wanted him to thrive in this world. In the beginning, he mentored Logan when it came to feeding and controlling his more volatile instincts.
As a turned vamp, Logan didn’t have to deal with the incessant urges male purebreds endured when they stopped aging, but he was a turned hunter, which made his transition and the aftereffects more difficult than normal. He also had to learn to deal with a vampire’s thirst, and that was always a challenge.
“Home sweet ugly home,” Logan muttered, and Declan chuckled.
“Already missing the señoritas?” Declan inquired.
“I do love those señoritas,” Logan said with a sigh.
“Let’s go.”
Declan started for the door, but Saxon sauntered out of it before Declan could take more than a couple of steps forward. Saxon grinned at him, and Declan returned the smile. When the two briefly embraced, they squeezed Saxon’s eight-month-old daughter, Madison, between them.
Madison giggled and tugged at his hair while her arctic blue eyes searched his face. Her sandy blonde hair stood on end, and a small, pink bow was clipped onto some of the strands. Having left shortly before she was born, this was the first time Declan was meeting her in person, but ever the proud father, Saxon sent him pictures every day.
Saxon and Logan briefly embraced before Saxon focused on him again. “How was Mexico?”
“Warm,” Declan told him.
Saxon quirked an eyebrow. “Just warm?”