“Be careful, she bites," I tell Ellis.
“I got thick skin,” Ellis says as he walks towards Ava in the car. I watch as he pulls one of those big, friendly smiles that would make a crocodile feel at ease.
He opens the passenger door. “Well, howdy there, young missy. I’m Ellis. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Ava looks at him, immediately at ease with Ellis’s presence. “From him?” Ava glances at me briefly.
“Yip, good fella, you got there, and I should know I’ve met enough bad apples in my time,” Ellis tells Ava.
You see, here’s the thing. The thing about being a shifter, a lot of the time, it’s a battle with yourself. As I watch Ellis with Ava, I see him smile at her, and regardless of how much you trust someone. When they are close to your mate, every inch of your body tenses and the wolf inside you whispers in a language only you understand.
I kick my foot into the dirt and try to suppress a grunt. Ellis turns around because he knows and steps back from Ava just enough to silence the wolf.
“Maybe you can explain to me what is going on?” Ava asks him.
“Well, here’s one thing I do know, and I don’t mean to alarm you any further, miss, but I’ll be honest, and it’s probably best you heed me when I say both of you are in danger, but I’m here to help, and that I promise you I will do that,” Ellis explains to her in his usual way of dressing bad news up well.
“Ellis is an old friend and will help us,” I add.
“Us? But I haven’t done anything wrong. Why should I be on the run?” Ava says.
“No one is saying you have, my dear, but unfortunately, that’s the situation we are in, so it’s best if– at least for now– you accept that fact,” Ellis tells her with a smile.
Ana thinks for a moment. “Fine,” Ava says, folding her arms.
"Good. We don't have much time," Ellis warns, his expression turning serious again. "You both need to leave everything behind. And I mean everything. Car and everything in it."
"Wait, what? My car?" Ava's voice rises in alarm, her eyes widening.
“Yep, only way, completely off-grid. These shady folks have ways of finding people that would make your head spin." His words have an unfortunate truth to them.
“Jesus H. Okay, but you owe me a car,” Ava states, looking at me.
“Deal,” I tell her.
"Good. I have a safe house not too far from here," Ellis explains. "We can get there on foot and figure out the next move from there."
“What about your jeep?” I ask Ellis.
“I’ll hide it up by the old sawmill back there,” Ellis says. “Jump in.”
We get into Ellis’ jeep, and it roars into life as we speed off up the bumpy lane towards the run-down old mill, which appears out of the dark as if from nowhere. The jeep skids to a stop inside a falling-down barn.
Together, the three of us walk away from the jeep, leaving it well hidden behind as we head into the dense forest. It feels good to be in the forest again. I inhale its sharp, icy air deep into my nostrils and note all the little dangers it holds, but none that I can’t handle.
“How far is it?” Ava asks.
“Not far, only ten miles,” Ellis tells her.
“Ten miles?” Ava says.
“It’ll fly by, and if the going gets too tough, I’ll carry you,” I reassure her.
“I got this, don’t you worry about me,” Ava says with a dollop of determination.
We travel deeper, losing even the moonlight now in places as the roof of the forest closes over us. The only sound is our footsteps on the soft moss path we are following. After catching my scent on the wind, all the animals have gone to ground. They know their place as I know mine.
“Who has a place in the middle of nowhere, except gangsters and weirdos?” Ava asks Ellis.
“Used to bring my son up here back in the day. Before things changed, that is, we’d do some fishing, spot us a few bears, have a few beers,” Ellie says, looking straight ahead.
“How old is your son?” Ava asks.
“He’s dead,” I tell Ava.
“Would’ve been thirty-five last fall,” Ellis replies.
“I’m so sorry,” Ava tells Ellis.
“Great kid he was,” Ellis reflects.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?” Ava asks as I shoot her a look, signaling her to leave it be, but it’s too late.
“Shifter took him. Boy didn't stand a chance, silly argument in a bar he had no business getting myself involved in,” Ellis replies.
I’d promised Ellis years ago that if I ever come across that shifter, it’ll be a slow goodbye I’ll deal. Ellis, of course, told me to let it be, but I know deep down he’d be happy to see the fucker ripped apart.
Silence again descends as we continue our journey. I look at Ava, who hasn’t dropped pace once since we started out.
Then, suddenly, she lets out a gasp and stops dead. Her face drains white. Ellis and I turn to look at her.
“Ava?” I ask.
Ava’s voice cracks. “What have I done?’
