Chapter 5

Clementine

Okay, maybe Blackfern Valley was a lot bigger than I thought it was. I swear I was lost. I really had no sense of direction.

Where the hell am I?

I kept walking aimlessly for another twenty minutes. Houses had started to thin out—not that they were very close and abundant to begin with. I could feel the sweat start to pool around the base of my neck and in the canyon of my breasts.

God, this humidity is going to kill me. But I kept walking.

The black tar seal had ended; now, it was mostly dirt and gravel. Okay, I was certain I had gone in the wrong direction.

I turned around and smacked into something.

Ouch, my poor nose! It was getting a hell of a beating today.

I looked up and saw another large body obstructing my view of anything else, then took a step back. “Sorry about that,” I murmured, rubbing my nose.

“You know, glasses are supposed to help you see, yet you’re walking into me.” His voice was smooth, but there was something cold about it. My defensive walls instinctively went up.

“Yeah, well, they don’t work if you creep up on people as they are turning around.”

I looked up and met the icy cold blue eyes that matched the voice so well. My heart flipped. He was beautiful. He had dark hair that sat around his shoulders, tanned skin, and muscles bulging out of his black tank top. His eyes were framed with thick dark lashes, which made his eyes pop. As I checked him out, he was doing the same, but instead of admiring me, he had that all-too-familiar look of disgust on his face.

“Is it her?” a nasal voice asked.

“It has to be,” another said.

I stepped back again and adjusted my glasses.

“Wow, she wears glasses. Like what the actual fuck?”

“And she’s fat.”

I bristled at the last comment, and turned to face the girls who were chatting quietly with each other. I was surprised I’d heard them at all. Both were tall and had an athletic build, so yeah, in comparison to them, I was a little chubby. They had blonde hair that billowed gently behind them in the slight breeze. Their eyes were crystal blue and held utter hatred as they looked at me. What had I ever done to them?

The male of the group I had walked into regained my attention.

“You need to learn your place,” he growled. “And I’m going to have fun teaching you.” My hackles rose at his predatory gaze. There was something off about him.

“Cool, sure, well maybe you can start by teaching me the way out of here. I’m super lost.” Wait. Did I just say that?

His eyebrows rose, and the girls sniggered.

“You sure are,” Barbie One said.

“You know your kind aren’t welcome around here, right?” Barbie Two added.

“My kind? And what does that mean? Someone who hasn’t bleached the brain cells out of their head?” It was like I had no control over my mouth.

“Oh, my God! Lincoln, did you hear what she said to me?”

“Well, I’m assuming he knows how to listen, but that might be a stretch, so who knows.” I shrugged. Holy shit, where the hell is this hostility coming from? I was usually the type that does everything to avoid confrontation.

“Put the stupid bitch in her place, Lincoln. Show her who we really are.”

His eyes raked over Barbie One and flashed her a toothy grin before he looked at me.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“Clementine,” I said with much more confidence than I felt. It was almost as if my name alone would protect me, would instill fear into him. It was a stupid notion. The guy was obviously unhinged. Stop making this worse. Just back up and apologize. Keep your head down and leave.

The look in his eyes was primal, and I instinctively took a step back. “You know, if I squint, you could almost be pretty.” I took another step back as he stalked forward. “Maybe if I take you from behind… That way, I don’t have to look at your ugly face,” he growled. Another step forward. My heart raced, and my entire body tensed.

Surely, he isn’t about to attack me?

“Tell me, Clementine, do you like it rough?”

“Look at her. She’s probably still a virgin.”

My eyes snapped to the Barbie girls for a moment, but they were obviously whispering to each other.

Did I imagine that?

Lincoln took advantage of my split-second distraction and closed the gap between us.

I let out a little shriek as I stumbled backward. “K-keep away from me.” This time my voice held no confidence; it was high-pitched and full of fear. His eyes seemed to flash at the sound of my terror, and his nostrils flared slightly. “Come near me and I will scream.”

He grinned, and his eyes flashed again. “Good, I like it when they scream.”

A loud growl came from nowhere, and a massive wolf jumped out of the treeline. If I was afraid before, I was petrified now. I froze where I stood, my heart hammering in my chest. The wolf was beautiful with thick tawny fur and big brown eyes. He was gorgeous but incredibly terrifying. It was eerily similar to the wolf that had been haunting my dreams.

Shit! Maybe I’m still dreaming?

The wolf bared its teeth, but this time not at me. It bared them at Lincoln, who arched his eyebrows at the wolf, and smirked.

A low guttural noise came from the wolf’s throat, and his ears were flat against his head. The wolf’s brown eyes were unblinking as they stared Lincoln down.

When I could finally move, I took a step back and reversed right into a tree.

Shit!

The girls started backing away, but a masochistic Lincoln stared down the wolf contemptuously.

Oh, this dude is a Grade-A idiot. Does he really think he can take on a wolf?

Something clicked in me, a lesson from long ago. There was never just one wolf. The breed was known to run in packs. Panic set in as I started to look around the treeline, waiting for his mates to come and eat us for lunch. And let’s face it, if the wolves did come out, they would probably go for me first. I was the only one with decent fat stores. I kept an eye on the treeline as the gentle breeze rustled the lower leaves.

The wolf’s loud growl brought me back to the situation unfolding in front of me. His teeth dripped with saliva, and I could see the pink gums above his canines under his furled lip.

Fuck me, those are some big teeth!

One of the girls gently grabbed Lincoln’s arm and tugged him backward. She wasn’t looking at the wolf, and seemed to be naturally submissive. Finally, the guy started moving away. He looked at me with contempt.

“This isn’t over, Clementine.” The wolf snarled loudly at his words, and the guy glared at the animal before he turned and bolted with his girlfriends.

The wolf finally turned and looked at me.

Oh, crap!

It was my turn. Why hadn’t I taken the opportunity to run? He cocked his head like he was examining me before giving a little huff, then darted back into the forest.

Suddenly, I could breathe again. I hadn’t realized I had stopped, but the oxygen burned as it re-entered my heaving lungs. I took a few deep breaths, but my body didn’t calm. Looking around, I realized I was alone again.

With my newfound breath, I did something I really hated doing. I ran, and I ran fast.