Tempest: The Moments In-Between (#1.5)

Chapter Six: Mad Dash

Des Louviere

"Shit..." I whispered, pivoting swiftly and making a run for it.

Hunter was chomping on my heels, quite literally, as I tried to evade him. Before he could wrap his jaw around my shin, I made a sudden left turn towards a narrowing trail in the woods. Momentarily, losing him.

"What's the matter, Des?" The witch's voice seemed to permeate every section of the forest. "Don't want to play with me?"

"Why are you doing this!?" I asked, knowingly risking my safety on the off chance that I might gain some insight. However, the second the last word came out of my mouth, Hunter was flying out from a group of trees and landing on top of me.

The witch chuckled, amused. "My, oh my! That was a close one. Are you sure you can keep up with Hunter? I've heard he's done this before."

I grunted as my body slammed into the rocky trail. His sharp teeth and hot breath were in my face, leaving me no time to focus on my pain. Instead, I used all of my adrenaline and strength to shove Hunter's face out of mine. And for good measure I kicked him hard enough to knock him over.

He growled, shaking his furry head before those neon green eyes refocused on me. I didn't waste a second, though, and kept running. I would be faster in my Rougarou form, but I was smaller in this one, and didn't want to worry about transforming again in case I had to hide.

Besides, I had to worry about how this witch knows about Hunter's and my past. Is she someone we know? Or is she just trying to manipulate us for some strange reason? Does she really want to kill me?

By the time I broke free of the trail, I had popped out into an open space in Shaker Park. The few people around, stared at me peculiarly. "RUN!" I yelled. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

Nobody budged an inch except to raise an eyebrow in my direction. However, it did not take long for that to change. The moment Hunter prowled out of the woods, someone screamed, and the stampede began.

Still, I kept running, thinking that I could lose him the crowd, and hoping that his Rougarou training—specifically, the rule that forbade against exposure in public—would override this witch's mind control.

I was disappointed to find out that it did not.

It took me a moment to realize that Hunter's focus had shifted. He now was cornering some poor wide-eyed man against a tree, and there was no one else around to stop him.

"You didn't think I would make this easy for you, did you, Des?" the witch proclaimed from whatever safe distance she was hiding at.

The man looked pale but was surprisingly brave about being confronted by a Rougarou. And Hunter was no runt.

Still, this witch would risk a civilian for... for what? What is her endgame here?

Before I could stop myself, I temporarily let my anger get the best of me. My fist balled up so tightly my nails were digging into the palms of my hands. Before I could think any better of it, I made a mad dash for Hunter and transformed mid-jump—slamming my head into his stomach and forcing him away from the stranger.

Thankfully, the man's green eyes were sharp. He took off the second Hunter's attention was elsewhere and didn't look back.

Hunter swiped at me, and I managed to dodge before striking his shoulder. He howled, the anger in his eyes evident.

"Come on, Hunter!" I called out to him. "Snap out of it! She is forcing you to be feral!"

His ears pricked up. It was just the slightest twitch, but it gave me hope.

However, that brief moment of recognition withered as Hunter snapped his jaws near my face.

I whipped my head away from him, and before I knew it, we were circling each other. Waiting for the other to strike.

"Do you really want to kill me?" I asked him. "Do you really want me to meet Leonora so soon?"

At our dead friend's name, he hesitated. It's working...I thought to myself. He can fight it. I just need to reach him!

Just as I was to say something else, I suddenly spotted someone approaching from my right.

In an annoyed voice, Petite said, "Des, what kind of trouble are we in now?"

"Tempest," I called, recognizing her superhero counterpart's voice. "You have good timing."