Dark Heart Wolf - Haley Weir Page 0,24

creatures. Mary Ann was torn between honoring her promise to Sam and fighting beside her friends or turning back to search for him. But the decision was out of her hands. The ground trembled as a thunderous blast came from the train. Iron, fire, and burning wood flew through the air. Mary Ann and the others dodged the debris as it rained down upon the field. The wendigo retreated.

Mary Ann ran for the frozen lake and threw herself at the thin layer of ice that covered the surface. She broke through, hitting the water with a rush of ungodly cold. Frigid water surrounded her, weighing her down as scorching-hot metal followed her down with a quick sizzle before it too was overcome by the cold. Mary Ann attempted to swim to the top, but the pull of the heavier sinking objects began to yank her down to the bottom of the lake.

Hands reached in and pulled her out before it was too late.

Mary Ann gasped and sputtered, vomiting water into the snow as she shivered. The same hands that pulled her from the lake rolled her onto her back. Mary Ann looked up into the glowing red gaze of her mate and wept. Sam curled her against his chest and rocked her soundly. Mary Ann felt herself being lifted from the ground. She wanted to protest when he pulled away, but there was work that needed to be done.

Boone waved everyone over, and the group walked through the remaining compartments of the train. “There’s a passenger car missin’, Sam. You were an outlaw once. Where do you think it is? What happens to a train after it’s been separated from the rest of the—?”

“You were a bounty hunter. You’re well aware of what happened. Ethan must have separated it before the train stopped. He distracted us while the other half was ambushed. There was plenty of time to get it done while the wendigo approached.”

Mary Ann stepped between the brothers. “We need to leave and discuss a new plan before those things come back. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I ain’t ready to fight against another attack like that without some proper weapons.” She knelt down and picked up Beth’s dagger with pale, trembling fingers. Mary Ann held it up for the others to see. “We need to talk to Itsá and Charlotte. They’re the only ones who know what we’re really up against.”

~*~

Silver Fox Ranch

Colorado

“What now?” Beth asked. Mary Ann pulled out the chair beside her friend and sat down, wincing as her body still ached from the cold. She stared around at the others. Blood, dirt, and melting snow clung to each one of them. Mary Ann curled beneath Sam’s jacket, trying to stay warm despite the shivers that coursed through her. Each muscle in her body was tense and painful. When no one answered, Beth continued. “There could be survivors. If anyone made it out of that wreck, it’s only a matter of time before they turn.”

“We can’t just keep hunting the wendigo,” Abigail argued. “The more we kill, the more he makes, and we’re terribly outnumbered. We could go with Sam’s plan and blow up the mines. We know that’s where they’ve been hiding, right?”

Boone shook his head and leaned back in his chair. “If we attack the nest, the Wendigo Spirit will retaliate against the town, and even more innocent folks will get killed. I don’t think it’ll be worth the risk of losin’ one of us down there, either.”

Mary Ann felt Sam’s hand beneath the table. He tangled their fingers together. The heat of his palm settled her nerves.

Wesley scratched his chin and said, “We can’t kill the wendigo without more weapons, and we can’t kill the thing that controls them...but we know that the witches are human. Sam wounded one of them before they retreated.”

“How?” Beth asked. “None of our weapons worked against them.”

Everyone turned to Sam.

He rolled his eyes and sat up straighter. “I used a mirror.”

“A mirror?”

Mary Ann squeezed his hand to give him comfort. His thumb stroked her wrist as he answered. “The one I injured had gotten into the house where the maids stayed. We got into a brawl and a mirror shattered. I used one of the large shards and cut her with it. She could not heal the wound and nearly bled out before the others came,” he explained. “I ain't too sure why it worked, but she was screamin' like a banshee