Free Darkest Powers Bonus Pack 2 by Kelley Armstrong Page A

to duck low-hanging branches. The gap between us closed with each stride.
    When I heard the undergrowth crackle ahead, I thought it was a deer. There were some out here and they’d race off in a panic when they smelled me coming. So I ignored the sound . . . until a dark shape leapt between me and Carter.
    It was a wolf. A grizzled black wolf. Huge—at least as big as me.
    Carter’s grandfather.
    I skidded to a stop. I’d faced adult werewolves before. Two of them. Neither had been anywhere near this one’s size, and I’d still been outclassed. Dad said that werewolves protect themselves by gaining a reputation that warns off others. They gain that reputation through fighting. That means even the smallest adult werewolf was more than a match for me. So when I saw Carter’s grandfather, I had the sense to turn in my tracks. But as soon as I veered to race back the other way, I found my path blocked by another werewolf, one nearly as big as Carter’s grandfather.
    I dove into the bushes. As I plowed through them, I could hear the two wolves flanking me, angling in to cut me off. I hunkered down, eyes slitted, ears back, protecting myself against the branches and brambles. I kept going, ignoring the crashing of the wolves on either side of me until the sounds of one faded. Still running, I swiveled my ears to be sure. The wolf on my left—Carter’s grandfather—was gone. He must have fallen back, too old to keep up, leaving me to the younger one. If I could just find a clearer path . . .
    Slightly to my left the undergrowth cleared up enough for me to get ahead. I just needed to steer that way—
    A black shape shot from the trees in front of me. Carter’s grandfather. I tried to stop, but he was too close and as I skidded, he pounced. He hit me hard, knocking my legs from under me as I went down. I tried to scramble up, but his jaws clamped on the back of my neck. He pinned me as the other wolf ran over.
    A moment later, I heard a voice.
    “I thought they said you were smart .”
    Carter. I tried to twist to see him, but his grandfather kept my head pinned to the ground. I felt a prick in the back of my neck. A rush of cold. I blinked. Blinked again, as the forest seemed to wobble. Then it went dark.

Eight
     
    I woke up feeling groggy and coughing.
    “There’s soda there,” said a voice. “Coke and 7-UP. I wasn’t sure which one you liked.”
    I followed the voice to a man. He was older than Dad, with some gray in a mane of dark hair that fell to his shoulders. I’d seen his face before and I blinked again, trying to clear my fuzzy brain, but the answer wouldn’t come.
    I turned my gaze to the pop bottles. I imagined taking a gulp and made a face. The syrupy drink wasn’t going to clear my throat or my head.
    “I sent Nate out for burgers,” the man said. “Do you like burgers?”
    I looked around. I was in a bedroom with no windows. The only exit was a door—behind the man. I sized him up. He looked bigger than me and something about his smell told my foggy brain I shouldn’t even try getting by him.
    Damn it, I knew this man. I knew why I was here. Think, think . . .
    “You like chicken instead? Or tacos?” he said. “I can call Nate, tell him to grab some fried chicken or tacos.”
    “I’m not hungry.”
    “Sure you are.”
    The man laughed, but it was a weird laugh, kind of nervous. I pulled the covers back. As I sat up, I stared down at myself. I was wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt, but they weren’t mine. They didn’t smell like mine. They smelled like . . . What did they smell like?
    The man pushed the pop bottles at me. “Go on. Have some. They haven’t been opened.”
    Why would he say that?
    I looked around the windowless room again. I opened my mouth. My lips stuck together, gummy, and my mouth felt like I’d eaten cotton.
    “Do you have water?” I asked.
    He looked confused.
    “Never mind. I’m not thirs . . .”
    I didn’t finish the word, just left it hanging there as