Chapter 5

Ava

A howl jerked me awake. I was cold. I wasn't in my room. It was too dark. My bed had been replaced with damp soil and twigs.

I began to panic. "Grandma," I cried out.

"Shh," came a voice.

I shot up and peered around in the dark. I could just about make out the thick trees against the distant moonlight.

How did I get here? I wasn't dreaming. It was all real.

"Please." I sobbed. "Don't hurt me."

"I said quiet," hissed the voice.

It was female. I scrambled to my feet and took off. I wasn't sure where I was going. I just knew I needed to move. Branches clawed at my chemise. My feet scraped on sharp stones.

I fell against a tree and hugged it, waiting for a sound so I could figure out which way I should go next. I needed to find a path that could lead to an open road or a street, anywhere out of the darkness.

"Over here," someone whispered.

"Stop," roared another.

It sounded familiar. Was it the guy from the store? Had he kidnapped me? Why?

No matter how attractive he was, I didn't want to stick around and find out what he had planned. Kidnapping rarely ended well.

I bolted to the left, then right, then fell, hurting my knee. I had no time to check it for wounds. Ignoring the sharp pain, I kept running. The moonlight illuminated the way. There was a cave up ahead. I willed myself to reach it.

But a searing pain shot through my head. I turned and a blur of red eyes and fangs growled.

I blacked out.