1. One

one

My foot caught on a root and my ankle bent to the left. I went down hard, too fast to bring my hands up and break my fall. The dirt was cool on my cheek and I thought for a minute I might just stay there. I could hear them behind me, stomping through the woods, their dogs barking. I pushed to my knees, ignored the stabs of pain in my hands, and crawled forward. I knew they would catch me, but I couldn"t stop fighting.

A sob tore from my throat and I swallowed its friends.

I needed to keep moving. My ankle dragged behind me, the pain of it lost among many others.

They"d said if I reached the wire, I"d be free. I didn"t really believe it, but I held on to what little hope there was. The ground gave way beneath me and I fell. I should have screamed as I rolled down a steep embankment, but my voice refused. I let the darkness take me, my eyes closing as I spun.

Branches tore at my hair and the thin shirt they'd given me. I gathered new scrapes and bruises from rocks and roots. I came to a sudden stop when my stomach hit a tree, my body folding around it. The trunk was warm and soft...

And it moved.

I struggled to open my eyes. I wanted to see what I rested against, but my eyelids were so heavy. I'd stopped running and without the momentum I'd stalled. My muscles no longer wanted to work.

Warm, strong arms slipped under me and lifted. My head lolled, my neck refusing to work. The arm shifted under my shoulders and cradled my head. I couldn't work out what took over for my neck. Too big to be a hand, too wide to be an elbow.

The dogs barked and I whimpered.

A growl unlike any I'd ever heard bloomed at my side.

I should be afraid.

The thought wandered through my brain like a wraith. Fleeting and without substance. It wasn't fear the vibration made me feel—it was safety. Somehow, I knew the growl wasn't meant for me.

I felt air rushing over the bare skin of my legs and arms. I didn't care where the thing took me, as long as it was away from the dogs. Away from the men that stalked me through the trees. Away from the evil that waited for me when I was caught.

The air changed and grew colder. The sweat on my heated skin cooled and I shivered. The arms tightened around me. I still didn't know where we were. My eyes refused to open. From the sound, we were in an enclosed space. Maybe a house?

Outside it was sweltering. Even in the middle of the night, it was hot.

I wished I could shut my brain off. Give myself to the darkness and pass out. I didn't care what happened to me now. It couldn't be worse than what they'd done to me.

We dropped suddenly, my stomach flying into my throat. I squeaked and managed to get an eye open. Dark. Nothing but unrelenting black.

After we landed with barely a jolt, a voice said, "Shh, little one. You're safe now."

A voice so deep I felt it in my bones. Male, but I didn't cringe. I believed him.

He carried me for what seemed like miles, twisting and turning. I'd open my eyes every so often, but unable to see even the smallest detail I gave up.

I heard the trickle of water, and swallowed. My throat was so dry it hurt. I wanted to ask him to stop, to let me drink, but I couldn't form the words. I peeled my tongue from the roof of my mouth and opened my lips with a sigh.

"That water isn't good. Just a little further."

Was he reading my mind? Did I care?

I heard the air shift again, soft sounds echoing around a large chamber. I cracked an eye open and blinked against the light. My vision cleared and I stared in shock. Five creatures…beasts…monsters…stared back. They were arranged around a thick, raw edged table covered in papers and open laptops.

They were massive. Easily standing seven feet tall with heads like wolves. Their ears pointed and the crown of their heads sprouted curling horns that swept up and back. Long arms ended in gigantic hands, the fingers tipped with two-inch claws. Wide chests narrowed to waists that split into muscled thighs. They stood on paws with claws longer than the ones on their fingers.

They were covered in fur everywhere except their bellies. The smooth skin there showed off muscles so defined they put bodybuilders to shame. Their eyes seemed to glow gold, red, or blue. Their fur ranged in color from darkest black to light gray and most had their heads tilted. Strange white markings were on each of their right wrists.

As one, their snouts lifted to look at the one carrying me. The one centered on the far side of the table broke the silence.

"Drym?"

Seeing them was confusing. They resembled wild beasts more than anything human, and what little adrenaline I had left should have pumped through my veins, urging me to run. Instead, I felt calmer and safer cradled in the arms of this creature than I had in a long time.

"I found her. She's…mine?"

"Right, I can see that. I'm not asking you to give her up, just on how you came by her. Will she be missed?"

The one carrying me shifted from one foot to the other. "I don't know."

The other sighed and pinched his snout between his eyes. It was such a human thing to do, to pinch the nose in thought.

"Does she speak?"

"She is able, but I believe she has been running for some time. She needs water, food and rest."

One of the others moved then, one with blue eyes, and stalked toward me with the grace of a cat. The arms around me squeezed and they moved back a step. I grunted as the air was crushed out of my lungs and immediately they released.

The blue-eyed one stopped several feet away. "She is injured, Drym. I only seek to render aid."

"Don't touch."

The snarl stunned me. These were obviously his friends or family. Why was he so protective of me? Was I like a treat he didn't want to share? Was he going to eat me?

My heartbeat sped, thumping against my chest. The crack and crunch of bones sounded in my mind and my panic spiraled out of control.

Finally, the darkness closed in and sucked me under.