Vampire in the Woods (Merlin's Hoods Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

on her feet, and moving toward the weapons closet. “Girls, your weapons. Quickly. If these animals are what I think they are, we will not have much time to prepare.”
    She did not add what she suspected: Werewolves had found them. And had very nearly taken them by surprise.

7
    A ngeline tore through the forest , her feet moving nearly as quickly as her mind as she sprinted past the trees and through the underbrush, heading for the spot the boys had told her about. A mysterious body in the wood, and animals at it. Once the boys had settled down, they’d been able to tell her that the animals were, in fact, wolves rather than the strange, mysterious beings they’d originally spoken of.
    “Came after us when we got too close to their meal, Madam. I took a swing and hit one, and then we turned and ran. But they were after us, I’m sure of it,” Louis had told her.
    Wolves, she thought. Surely they were just wolves. But as Red Hood, she didn’t have the luxury of taking it casually. A dead body always meant trouble in these woods, and wolves … well, they came in different forms, didn’t they? Common gray wolves would have scattered at the sight of humans. Werewolves in wolf form, on the other hand, would have seen fresh prey. And if they were here, they were far too close to her house. Far too close to her daughters, who could not yet defend themselves against such supernatural creatures.
    She increased her speed at the thought, praying that she wouldn’t be too late, and the trees flew by her in a blur as she ducked and dodged their branches, knowing in advance where they would be. The hood had ever been her friend and ally in a time like this, notifying her of what was ahead, telling her when she had an obstacle in her path. It would also allow her to sense when a dangerous supernatural creature was around, and feed its strength into her.
    So why wasn’t it telling her anything now?
    A branch snapped across her face, startling her, and she cried out in pain and surprise. The hood, however, was silent. As if it were listening for something. Or had already heard something it didn’t like.
    Suddenly she came upon a larger cleaning than the others, and slid to a stumbling halt. On the other side of the clearing lay a bundle of rags, tossed and turned, covered in blood. Angeline crept closer, her nose wrinkling at the smell of fresh blood and wolf flesh. Common wolf flesh though, she realized; this was not the reek of a werewolf. It lacked the musty note that indicated true trouble.
    At that, her heart relaxed for a beat.
    “Not werewolves after all,” she breathed. The tension in her shoulders melted for the first time in the last hour, and she forced herself to draw another breath. “Not werewolves at all. Just hungry wolves, at their meal. And boys who drew too close before they realized what they were about.”
    Then she drew close enough to the body to see who it was.
    “Rowan,” she gasped, falling to her knees. The local tavern keeper, who was in the habit of coming to her house for spices and vegetables that could only be found in the forest. He’d been in love with Adela’s special mix of stew spices, and had paid good money for it.
    And beyond that, he’d been a friend.
    She slid forward on her knees, getting closer to what was left of him, and took stock of the situation. His body had been mauled by the wolves, true enough, but the boys must have appeared on the scene before they could do too much damage, for he was still mostly whole. His arms and legs were intact, and she saw that he’d gone down fighting, his dagger in his hands. The blade had done him little good, however, for it looked as though he’d been taken down before he could use it.
    She glanced up to his face and neck, wondering what it was that had attacked him—and gasped. His neck had several fang marks in it, on both sides.
    “Vampires,” she mouthed, hardly daring to put voice to the word. She hadn’t seen them in these woods