Page 74 of Dark

“—I give zero fucks that you and Emo are together. I already told my aunt that Dark is going to have to start getting someone else to handle their daily pastry order. You can lead him around on a leash and get your name tattooed on his—”

Ellie grimaced. “Um, overshare?"

“—I don’t care anymore. I’m out.”Eyes widening, Murder-by-Frosting whipped around. “Shit. Get down.”

A second later, a knife was scything past my ear. Diving to the left, I collided with Ellie, knocking her free from Lacey’s grip. We collided with a thud, going down hard in the mud, my sister’s screams echoing in my ears as the sound of snarling rose over the rumble of thunder.

“Stay back!” I shouted, limbs shaking from the adrenaline, now seeing the two werewolves snarling and snapping only a few feet away. “Get behind me.”

I felt my skin prickle, my head spinning, the change fighting to take hold. Distantly, I heard Ellie calling me. A scream tore from my throat just as the muddy earth rushed up to meet me. I sucked in a sharp breath, snapping around in time to hear Ellie gasp. The other wolf was white with pale silver eyes. It lunged, Lacey slamming it in the side of the head to keep it back.

Snarling, I moved in from the other side. White Wolf bared her teeth, steam puffing up in the damp night air. I charged, feinting to the left, then snapping for her back leg when she was forced to defend her flank from Lacey on the right. Blood flooded my tongue. She howled, clawing at me. Pain seared up my side.

I released her with a bark of pain. Teeth bared, we circled. Her eyes flicked my way. I was smaller. Clearly she thought I was the easier target. With a growl, she lunged. My sister whimpered as she took me to the ground, the two of us snarling, her teeth nearly closing around my neck. But that was the thing about being small. It equaled light and quick. Slithering out of her grip, I raked my claws over her snout just as Lacey seized her throat, shaking her viciously. Yelping, White Wolf broke free, and ducked low in a submissive posture. When she disappeared off into the raging storm, Lacey didn’t pursue.

When I finally managed to shift back, I was flat on my back in the mud, Lacey Blair looming over me in yoga pants and a Starburst-pink hoodie.

“How stupid are you? Or is it actually your life goal to be drained by one of the undead?”

“Shut. Up.”

“Hayden!” Ellie appeared in my line of vision, dripping herbal-scented rainwater on my cheeks.

“Get back. I could bite you.”

“Like I couldn’t take you.” Lacey waved a dismissive hand. “But if we don’t get moving, the next thing that comes along will probably eat all of us.”

Glowering, I staggered upright.

1) Lacey Blair and I were clearly not going to be besties. 2) I was going to have to find somewhere new to get my chocolate cupcakes. Which sucked. Because she made amazing cupcakes. 3) She’d saved my sister. Which meant there was a pretty good chance she hadn’t been the one stalking me.

My mouth came open. “Look—"

“Save it,” snapped Lacey. “We’ve got bigger problems. Brody’s missing. And Ethan—”

"He’s still alive. I would know if something… if he—” Thunder rumbled in the distance. “We have to find him.”

Lacey slapped the knife into my hand. “I’ll take point. If you shoot me in the back—”

I flipped her off.

“Now that we’re all getting along,” my sister muttered.

Glaring, Lacey shifted into a sleek cinnamon-brown wolf. Ellie and I fell into step as we began to pick our way through the maze. There were entire sections where the corn had been flattened by the wind. The rain began to let up, mist shrouding the ruined field in a dense fog. We cut across the furrows at a slow jog.

“How far do you think you went before finding me?”

“I don’t know, maybe a quarter mile?” Ellie chewed her lip, scanning the ground with her phone. “What’s that?”

I picked up the wooden stake, its end tipped with blood. Lacey circled back. Growled. An image forced itself into my head of a vampire materializing out of nowhere, knife in hand.

“Okay, okay.” Sticking my tongue out at her back, I handed the stake to Ellie.

We emerged into a clearing just as a gust of wind brought the unmistakable scent of more blood.

I gripped Ellie’s arm. “Stay close to me.”

Ethan’s scent lingered faintly in the air, laced with the smell of rain. I started forward, trying to count how many others. Three. Four, maybe—