Flutter (My Blood Approves #3)(16)
Hopefully, Ezra tracked better than I did, because I couldn’t even smell the lycan anymore. They smelled of animals that lived outside, like reindeer but not. There was something edgier about the lycan scent, like livestock and… road kill.
A branch cracked loud enough that even a human could hear, and I whirled towards it. Ezra moved in front of me, his posture defensive.
It had been an hour since we passed the river, so we were well into their territory, and we had yet to see any animals. I inhaled deeply, but I could only smell the cold. Snow. Trees. Dirt. Maybe an owl…
A flap of wings followed by the rustle of branches, and I saw a large owl take flight in front of the moon. Relief washed over me, but Ezra didn’t relax at all. If anything he tensed up more, and then I heard something else too.
The soft crunch of footsteps in the snow, softer than hooves, softer than shoes. Barefoot.
- 7 –
In the moonlight, I saw the lycan. Several yards ahead of us, he walked towards us with his hands held up, the sign of surrender.
It was Leif, the kind one with large brown eyes. He wore the same clothes he did the other day, and they appeared even dirtier. Ezra, on the other hand, looked dapper for a midnight hike. He wore a black cashmere sweater with a thick collar, but in most ways, Ezra appeared to be an entirely different species than Leif.
“I’m alone,” Leif announced as he got closer to us.
Leif stopped a few feet in front of us, but that was still much closer than I’d like. Ezra kept his body partially blocking mine, shielding me.
“I am alone. I know you don’t trust me, but it’s the truth,” Leif said.
He sounded American or maybe Canadian. He pushed a strand of his thick hair off his forehead and chewed his lip. His eyes roamed around us, unsure of where to let them settle, and he glanced up at the moon.
“They’re in Sweden, hunting,” Leif continued, as if we had asked. “Dodge was convinced that we’d scared you away, so they left.”
“But you weren’t?” Ezra asked, and his stance grew more rigid. Leif shrugged in response and lowered his eyes to the ground. “Is that why you stayed behind? To see if we came back?”
“Maybe,” Leif said, then quickly added, “But not like you think.”
“You don’t know what I think,” Ezra said evenly.
Leif shifted and looked at the moon again. Rubbing his arm, he looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.
“You’re after Peter, aren’t you?” Leif asked, and I stiffened. “I’m not out to get him. He killed my brother, but it was self-defense. Krist had a temper and…
“Peter had no business being here,” Leif went on. “He was ‘trying out’ for the pack, but that’s not how it works. Gunnar put him through all these tests, and Krist was one of them. But Peter started winning…” He looked apologetic, his eyes wide and sincere. “It wasn’t fair what they did to him. What they’re still doing to him.”
“Still?” The fear in Ezra’s voice made me wince.
My head swam with images, and Ezra had seen far worse than I had. He knew what true torture could be for a vampire.
“He’s alive. He’s okay.” Leif’s voice cracked on the last word.
“What are they doing? Where is he?” Ezra demanded in a low growl, and Leif shrunk back. Any pretense that Ezra had of submitting to the lycans was over.
I didn’t think scaring Leif worked to our benefit, so I put a hand on Ezra’s arm. Reluctantly, he responded and took a step back. Leif nodded his appreciation and stood up taller.
“I don’t know exactly,” Leif said. “They’ve been hunting him.”
“He’s in Sweden?” I raised an eyebrow.
“No, he’s still here,” Leif shook his head. “The pack is in Sweden.”
“I don’t understand. Why is he still here? If they’re gone, why didn’t he just come home?” I asked, and Leif and Ezra exchanged a look. “What? Why won’t Peter leave?” I looked at Ezra since Leif didn’t answer.
“Us,” Ezra said thickly. “The pack will track him if he leaves and follow him back to us.”
“If they’re so good at tracking, then why haven’t they killed him yet?” I asked, ignoring the implications.
If they could follow him across the Atlantic, then they could find one vampire in their own territory. Why would they leave him alive, especially after all this time?
“They like to play with their food,” Ezra said, and Leif looked at the ground. “They want him to wait in fear, wondering when they’re going to strike, jumping at every noise. Eventually, he’ll either go mad or come home, which is a prize itself.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked as nausea welled up inside me.
“Why don’t you explain it to her?” Ezra growled at Leif.
“It’s not my idea.” Leif looked ashamed. “I’m here, telling you this, at risk to myself.”
“You didn’t do anything to stop it, did you?” Ezra took several steps toward him. This time, Leif didn’t back down. “You wouldn’t have said anything to us if you hadn’t seen us.”