The Wolf Came on Christmas (Johanna and Alexander) novel Chapter 64

Chapter 64-1

“Huh? No, well… I mean, yes.” I hurried to say, impatiently. “They’re some friends from Minnesota, but it’s early and they’re still sleeping. I get up with the sun. You know-writer routines and all that. You still haven’t told me what brings you out here. Has something happened?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, we’ve had some strange reports at the office these past few days.”

I tensed. For a moment, I thought my shot or the noises of the morning fight had been heard all the way down to the valley and some neighbor had called the police. On a day this clear, with the mountains so silent, anything seemed possible to me.

“Strange reports?” I asked, uneasy.

“It’s odd. We almost never get news of loose animals this time of year, but it seems there are some scavengers awake. Someone even said they saw a bear,” the sheriff explained, and put his hat back on. “Don’t worry-you’re the neighbor farthest from town and your house still has a postal address in our jurisdiction. I can’t afford to neglect you. Besides, you’re in a very vulnerable area. Would you mind if I set a couple of traps around here? It’s for your safety,

only.”

“Traps? Aren’t the rangers supposed to do that?”

The sheriff was already moving toward the back of his truck, and I followed him. I heard the passenger door open and then close.

“The rangers are on reserve this time of year and they’re short-staffed, but I’ve already contacted them,” he remarked, and stopped while he searched through a bunch of keys for the ones that opened the cargo compartment doors. Without stopping his search through the key ring, he added, “Have you had an accident, Mrs. Grant? You’ve got a broken window upstairs.”

I turned slightly toward the house on instinct, thinking at top speed. Very observant. Very. That was good policing. With all the chaos, the wolves still hadn’t repaired anything.

“My friends have a kid, and he was playing baseball in the room,” I lied, with astonishing ease. “Later I’ll call the hardware store so they can send someone. It’s nothing.”

I don’t know whether I should’ve felt bad for lying to a police officer or not, despite the situation, but-

“Oh, I see,” Luke replied.

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<Chapter 64-1

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I heard Kaylee’s footsteps as she walked around the other side of the truck and appeared next to her husband, hands in the pockets of her black police jacket and the hood pulled up over her head. She smiled when she saw me. He found the key he wanted and put it into the lock.

“Hello, Mrs. Grant,” the woman greeted me.

She was from the South. She had an Alabama accent.

“Hi, good morning. How’s that…?”

I couldn’t finish speaking. I heard a thud come from inside my house and then Alexander’s voice, roaring at the top of his lungs:

“GET AWAY FROM THEM, JOHANNA! THEY’RE CATS!”

Alexander’s shout froze my blood. I tried to run, but I couldn’t.

He, on the other hand, lunged toward me, pistol in hand. Nika came out onto the porch with her rifle, and Richie, Christian, Hans, and Ishida came out too-all of them in human form, but heavily armed. Richie looked frantic. Had he smelled them? The blond woman stepped forward and dropped to one knee in the snow, rifle raised and ready to fire-aimed at me. Everything happened so fast, their faces blurred together for a moment and I was left frozen from the shock. At some point I began to hear, faint and distant, Sasha’s crying from inside the house, and I got very nervous; the air got stuck in my lungs.

The girl’s screams made me react, though far too late:

“JOHANNA, WATCH OUT!”

Alexander shouted again, and at that moment a black glove flashed in front of my eyes. A leather glove, with the fingertips pierced by curved, fine, nacre-colored claws.

The hand seized me by the throat and I felt the cold barrel of a gun against my temple. The arm wrapped around my good shoulder, without stopping the pressure on my throat (maybe so I wouldn’t even think of trying to escape, but how could I?) and crushed me against the sheriff’s chest. I tried to scream. Claws-again claws on me. The voice got trapped in my trachea, along with the air. My heart shot into a gallop and its pounding filled my temples.

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you fell onto my property! What are you talking about, huh?”

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Seriously-what was wrong with him? Behind him, Hans and Christian frowned hard, and Richie looked shocked. Ishida slowly drew his swords without taking his eyes off us. Andre didn’t know who to run to, but he had the good sense not to move from his spot. Nika still

had that sleek rifle trained on us.

“You’ll have time to argue later,” Sheriff McCord said, and barely poked his head over my shoulder. “Right now we’re going to talk. Am I clear?”

I’m sure I saw a wide, pink, wet nose with the corner of my eye, but-

Alexander breathed deeply, uncertain. In the end, he bared his teeth again and barked:

“Give me one reason not to order my sniper to put a bullet between your eyes right now!”

I would’ve liked to know a good reason why Kaylee didn’t shoot him then. I mean, right there- chest exposed-Alexander was the easiest target in the world.

I didn’t have personal proof that Nika could pull off any impossible shot if she set her mind to it, but her leader surely knew exactly what he was saying. Behind me I heard a small laugh, more exasperation than good humor:

“Because I’ve got a whole detachment of armed men under my command and if I happen to disappear-me or my wife-your sad asses are going to regret it,” Luke replied, in a purring tone that was confident but calm. “My subordinates are normal people, and we know normal people don’t like things they can’t explain. So I advise everyone to lower their weapons. Right

now.”

“You’re not earning the right to demand anything,” Alexander replied, diplomatically. “You’ve got a gun to a woman’s head. Why are you doing this? Why are all of you doing this to us? What do you want?”

“I have no intention of hurting anyone. I’m a police officer, and I’m not with anyone but myself, don’t worry. I’m only making sure you’re going to listen to me. Tell your girl to lower the rifle and I swear I only came to talk.”

The man in front of me hesitated again, but growled at length, ferociously, I didn’t blame him; the situation could’ve gone any way. It could’ve ended in a massacre, but Alexander had been right to say one thing: I knew Luke McCord and his wife. I knew their public faces, and we had always gotten along very well. He was county sheriff. How could anyone think he had a double life, like a ruthless killer with retractable claws? I couldn’t reconcile both ideas. Part of me felt they didn’t have bad intentions, even though they’d come to my house under a lie. But who wouldn’t lie to cover themselves? I did it, while I spoke to them. Alexander also gave me a false name the first time we talked.