The Curse of Bliss

Chapter Ten

Amery wanders for what feels like forever. Snow crunches under his feet as he trudges down the familiar path through the forest. There are about two inches, and the snow continues to fall. By the end of the day, there will probably be half a foot. He finds that he can't muster up the excitement he usually feels whenever there is snow. His mind is far too occupied.

He cannot believe he let himself lose control like that with Sebastian. Amery knew how Savannah felt about the alpha. Hell, anyone with eyes would be able to tell. But, he still went after the man.

For once in his life, Amery wanted that closeness with another person. He wanted to be as entwined as two people to be. To be stuck together as they came back down from completion. It's been forever since he has felt that with someone, and Sebastian felt right.

His little sister is gone, lost somewhere in this world where he cannot save her. People are dying gruesome deaths, and he just wants to feel alive.

Sighing, Amery continues his walk. But his thoughts are halted when he hears something. He can't quite place it. The snow has muted most of the sounds of the forest. But the quiet he has become accustomed to is interrupted. Pausing, he strains to hear.

Shuffling...

A crunch of snow coming from in front of him. Amery hadn't been paying too much attention to where he was going, too lost in his thoughts. But as he looks around, he sees that he is not far from his car. The opening where the trail ends is only a few yards in front of him.

The noise is coming from that direction.

It is impossible to be quiet, the snow crunching under his feet with every step he takes. The other noise, though, the one coming from in front of him is louder. Gradually, he makes it to the tree line and peers out.

His car is visible, covered in a few inches of snow.

No.

There are... creatures.

There are no other words for them besides creatures. There are three of them, tall and wide-shouldered. The skin on them is grey, but they are too far away for him to notice anything else. They are surrounding his car, walking around and... and sniffing?

That causes him to pause. He takes a closer look at them, and a realization hits him square in the chest. Those creatures are human. Well, he doesn't know if they are anymore. They are not wearing clothes, and their skin is stretched tight, making their muscles seem even more apparent. But they have a distinct humanoid shape.

Amery tries to breathe as quietly as he can and turns around, looking for his dogs. Violet is busy sniffing a tree but Chaser is right next to him, staring intently at those creatures. His body is tense and a low growl is coming from him.

Amery's mind works quickly. He knows that if those creatures hear them, then they are doomed. He has no idea how fast or strong they are, or how good their senses are. But there is one thing he knows: he does not want to find out.

Leaning carefully down, he rests his hand on Chaser's head and the growling stops as his dog looks up at him. Smoothing his hand down, Amery wraps his fingers around Chaser's collar and begins to slowly drag him back up the path.

Violet notices them coming and saunters over to them, tail wagging. She lets out a bark of excitement as Amery walks quickly down the path. Panic builds inside him. It wasn't a loud bark, but still.

Did those creatures hear?

A growling sound comes from behind them. Amery barely turns to look over his shoulders, but he is too far away to see the car. He doesn't see the creatures, but his question was answered.