“You can. You’re a witch with a familiar.”
Jude pressed his lips together in a tight smile. For tonight he was.
Mack turned his head. “Shit. There are cars coming up the road.”
“What?”
“It’s Saturday night. Kids will be coming up here to drink. I need to scare them off.” Mack pulled off his shirt.
Jude didn’t need to ask what Mack had in mind. He knew. Mack’s clothing fell to the ground, and before Jude heard the cars or saw their headlights there was a bear standing next to him. Better the teens saw the bear and run instead of getting eaten by the aufhocker.
He glanced back at the rubble-filled mine entrance. She’d moved. She was now in front of the rubble. Black against the deepening shadows. Behind her were two more sets of glowing eyes.
The cubs.
He’d watched enough wildlife documentaries to know that when baby big cats were old enough, their mothers taught them to hunt. Mom had decided tonight was the night. Had they gotten a taste for human last night? He suspected that all those missing cattle hearts had been brought back for the cubs to eat.
He tapped Mack on the shoulder. The bear tilted his head and flinched. Jude was sure if Mack were human that he’d have sworn. Jude moved away from the mine entrance and closer to the car, without taking his eyes off the aufhockers. He considered getting into the car, just to be safe. But he needed to be out of the car to activate the magic.
Mack walked down the road to get rid of the teens.
If they came here every Saturday night, then Mommy aufhocker would’ve been expecting dinner to arrive for her cubs. As the cars turned on to the main road through North, Mack stood. The headlights hit him and limned him in their glow. Then he growled loud enough to make the marrow in Jude’s bones melt. The lead car stopped.
Mack moseyed closer as though curious.
Jude kept glancing between Mack and the aufhocker. She had gotten no closer, but the two cubs were scrambling over the rocks. They were still small, literal ankle-biters. Did they already have the power to change size or did that come later?
He looked back at Mack. There were now three cars…would they try to run the bear over? Did anyone have guns? His stomach knotted as Mack moved closer to the cars.
Air brushed past him, then the aufhocker was on him, knocking him to the ground. He couldn’t breathe with its weight on him. He scrunched his shoulders up to protect his neck, but the creature’s jaws didn’t close around his throat. It got off him. He tried to scramble away, but her teeth sunk into his calf. He cried out as she dragged him toward the cubs. Every movement he made tore at his flesh.
He stopped, not to play dead—that would never work—but to make a charge. If Mack had been zapped from contact with him, then so would the aufhocker. It was hard to concentrate through the fear and pain. His heartbeat was erratic. And he was getting far too close to the hungry little cubs. Who no longer looked so little.
Electricity flickered over his skin, but it wasn’t enough. He needed more.
He was in his own net now. The cubs edged forward. Did Mom plan on holding him still so the cubs could practice neck biting? Hell no!
He kicked, catching her in the face, and yanked his leg back, ignoring the tearing through his ankle and the wet heat of his blood on his skin. She lunged, and he threw a protection circle around himself. Jude collapsed onto the ground.
Fuck. Hell. Damn. Mack.
He twisted around to see where Mack was. The bear was chasing the cars as they reversed down the road. At least no one else would get bitten tonight. Blood poured out of his leg. He should’ve asked Mack to buy a first-aid kit. Why hadn’t he thought of that?
Mack smelled the blood before he’d even turned. It wasn’t aufhocker blood that tasted sour and smelled like sulfur—he’d gotten more than a mouthful of that last night. It was human blood.
Jude’s blood.
He raced back to where Jude should’ve been. Instead, Jude was much closer to the mine, and the two cubs circled the prone witch while Mom watched. Mack snarled, and they backed away.
Mom got bigger. He really didn’t want to fight tonight. He stood and growled and tried to be as threatening as possible. The cubs ran behind Mom. Mom didn’t move.
“I’ll drop my circle if you can get me to the truck.”
That wouldn’t do any good. They had to stop the aufhocker from leaving, but he couldn’t tell Jude that, as a bear and as a naked human he didn’t think the aufhocker would be very afraid of him. He shook his head and tried to think.
Jude had various circles and backup plans. All untried on aufhockers, and some of them would fade in sunlight. If they were still alive, they could worry about that in the gray predawn light.
How bad was Jude hurt? Did he need a hospital? Screw the aufhockers and the Coven, there was no glory in dying trying to hang on to magic. As a bear, he walked over to the car and opened the door. The paint near the handle had a few claw scratches, and he added a couple more. With the door shielding him, he shifted and grabbed the gun. He loaded it then pulled himself onto the step, so the cabin and door could offer some protection.
He figured he’d get one shot before the creature was on him.
Mom saw him. Her ears flicked forward, and her posture shifted. Mack swallowed and tried to ignore the rapid beating of his heart. He’d never been prey until meeting aufhockers and he didn’t like the feeling at all. He had no defenses. Even as a bear he had to fight for his life.
He exhaled and
