The Bargain

Point of no return

DINAH

"Lucien, don't show your teeth in the presence of my mate."

My pursuer doesn't even glance at his friend, hands on the wheels and eyes on the road, but his voice holds a clear warning. Lucien slowly closes his mouth, eyes turning back to their normal shade, still glaring fiercely at Myka. She glares straight back.

"You're lucky that Milo is here," he says and growls at her one last time before turning around. Myka simply bridles at his threat before glaring out the car window without saying a word.

My pursuer sighs. "You two better make a truce. It's a long road to our territory."

My pursuer.. Milo. Maybe I should start calling him Milo.

He's already taken me from my home but we haven't yet introduced ourselves to each other properly. Only that small favct is so wrong, so messed up.

"How long?" I ask in an attempt to divert the situation. Fighting in this car won't lead anywhere.

Once again his golden eyes lock on mine in the mirror. "Five hours. As soon as we reach the Eastern Land it takes two hours to get to our territory."

Eastern Land.

Myka and I exchange another look. I can see a curious glimpse in her dark eyes, but all I can feel is worry. This is the point of no return.

The notorious Eastern Land that belong to Lycans and is off limits for humans. No human is allowed to cross the border by themself and those stupid enough to try end up disappearing only to never be seen again. Most in their right mind wouldn't ever dream to go near it, all those reports of strange sounds and sightings near the border scare most sane people away.

The Eastern Land, untambable, all wild and harsh nature. Sparsley populated with foggy fields and thick forests. Roads through the untamed wilderness but no houses or cities in sight, at least nothing that can be seen from the border. I know because I've seen clips on the news, watched them cover disappearance after disappearance.

If it's unsettling to see it over a screen then it sure is unsettling now, the feeling slowly growing into an ice cold fear slithering along my spine. I might not know what hides in that land but one thing is sure: if you cross the border you don't come back.

Myka falls asleep within minutes, head gently resting against the window. I don't blame her, this day has been exhausted. Traumatic. I want to close my eyes and fall asleep just like her but I can't. The mere thought of getting closer to the Eastern Land - the point of no return - makes me unable to relax.

And then it comes, the dreaded point of no return; the wide road sign with EASTERN LAND all over it. I straighten up in my seat, following the sign with my eyes as we swish past it.

That's it. There's no way back now.

I can feel Milo's eyes on me but I refuse to meet his gaze. Not wanting him to see what I feel, the panic in my veins, the dread washing over me, the silent scream.

"Welcome to the East," he says and I can hear the smile in his voice as he accelerates the car to go faster.

I don't answer.

Green empty fields start stretching out on both sides of the road, a misty fog hovering over them. Thick, towering forests surround the fields, and the further we drive the more the forest seems to grow.

Almost as if it's slowly embracing us... or swallowing us.

Thirty minutes passes before we drive past the first house in the Eastern Land. It's just an empty cabin right in the middle of an empty field. No cars parked outside, no animals, no nothing. For some reason the sight gives me goosebumps. It's eerie.

We drive past maybe eight similar houses, standing all alone in those foggy fields. Some of them look abandoned, others have the lights on and smoke coming out of the chimney. It makes me wonder what type of person lives in the middle of nowhere like that, or what type of creature. But I don't ask, the mere thought makes me shiver and I have a feeling that I'm better off not knowing.

It doesn't take long for Myka to wake up, as if she can feel the change in our environment, our arrival into the Eastern Land. She stares out of the car window wide-eyed just like me, practically glued to the glass.

"This is so fucking weird," she mumbles to herselr as she takes in the landscape around us. "Wait. I swear that I saw something running behind those trees just now."

My heart immediately starts to beat faster.

"What?" I ask as I squint my eyes, trying to see. The sun has just set, leaving everything in a darker bluish light.

We drive into a curvy road where the forest is at the sides of us. No fields anymore; just the forest right outside our windows, pressing in on us, making us feel like we're surrounded by trees.

Just as I'm about to ask Myka to point it out for me I catch a glimpse of something: a big figure running in the woods. It's too far away for me to see any details but I can tell that it's too big to be a wolf and too flexible to be a bear.

"What the hell was that!" I shriek, my breath caught in my throat, my heart galloping out of my chest.

Milo starts to laugh as soon as he sees my face, a wolfish grin over his lips. Lucien chuckles quitely.

"That is looking out for us," he answers. "They're making sure we're good. It can get dangerous around these parts when the sun's set."

"They?"

He meets my eyes in the mirror, giving me a smile with teeth, showing me his sharp canines this time. "Lycans."