She glanced back at Kieran to see his heated eyes on her.
“Go!”
She took off for the tree line, zipping around the people in her path. The dozen of those running had barely gone the length of the cabin when clothing started flying. Chloe jumped over a discarded blouse as the woman who had tossed it transformed into a wolf right before her. The sight nearly sent her tumbling to the ground. In a shimmer of light, the woman was replaced by a charcoal gray wolf that streaked past her at double the speed.
All around her the runners were transforming, jetting off into the woods. Kate cast her a happy wave before morphing to a small brown wolf.
Alone, Chloe crashed into the trees and realized that while the rest of the inhabitants of these woods could see in the dark, she was outmatched.
“Think, think, think,” she said. The clock was ticking down. Kieran would be after her soon.
“Light.” Snapping her fingers a small blob of light appeared. It bounced several feet in front of her, chasing back the gloom. Unfortunately for her, it would also be visible from a distance.
“Take me to water,” she whispered to the ball, adding a touch more magic.
The light hesitated for a moment before zipping off to the left. Not wasting any time, Chloe raced after her guide.
Luckily, the forest was clear enough that she didn’t have to battle through thick brush, but still, even pushing herself as fast as she could go, she’d never beat a determined werewolf.
Veering away from the light ball, she shrugged out of her hoodie and hid it under a pile of leaves. Hopefully the scent of it would draw her tracker away from her main path for a few precious minutes.
What she needed was a way of masking her scent, she thought as she ran back on track. Darrel was right about one thing. Her near human body had her at a disadvantage in chase games.
Movement raced by her right side, though a flash of white fur assured her it wasn’t Kieran. That glimpse of another wolf reminded her she was not alone out here—as did the happy yips and growls rising on the air, hinting that several of the couples had already given up the hunt for the white flag.
Not alone out here. A smile curved her lips. Perfect.
Pausing long enough to concentrate, Chloe pressed her palms together as whispered words dripped from her lips. Magic surrounded her, coating her skin in a comforting mist as it twisted under her command. Slowly she drew her hands apart as the shimmering power took solid form.
Opening her eyes she grinned at the two identical versions of herself staring back at her. Though made of magic and not flesh, they would pass as her twins right down to her scent.
“Run,” she commanded them. “Don’t let Kieran catch you.”
Mute, her doubles nodded before dashing off in opposite directions, each with their own blob of light leading her. Let Kieran try to figure out how her scent trail had managed to break into three separate paths.
Triumph surged through her as she pressed onward. She might not be as fast as a wolf, but she was just as canny.
In wolf form, his other half was far stronger than normal. All it wanted to do was run straight after Chloe, to hell with giving her a fair head start.
She’s not like us, Kieran tried to convince his wolf. Give her a chance at least.
He padded through the forest moving with near silence. Large black paws instinctively avoided the twigs that would snap and the leaves that would rustle. After centuries of practice, he could be a deadly hunter when he wanted to be.
Lifting his nose, he inhaled the myriad of scents filling the air. There were those from the woods, those from the pack, and somewhere, one from a witch. As he walked he tried to unravel Chloe’s path. In his wolf form, every sense was heightened. He heard the scratching of a field mouse running for its hole. To him, the woods were not dark but lit with the type of light humans would see at twilight. It allowed him to see the cracked branches caused by someone fleeing. The breaks were too high to be caused by a wolf, which meant they had to have been hit by someone of mortal height.
Padding over to the tree, he inhaled deeply. Lavender and magic. Chloe.
He would have grinned if he could. Every good intention to give her a chance by chasing slowly dissolved. She’d wanted to play a hunting game. Time to learn what it meant to be prey.
His claws dug into the soft earth as he shot forward. Though he was fast in human form, it was no match for his wolf’s strength. Trees flew by as he raced through the underbrush, following Chloe’s unique scent.
The trail led him to a discarded hoodie.
Clever girl. Pride swelled within him. She wouldn’t make it too easy on him. Just like an alpha female—when she was challenged, she played to win.
Too bad I have the advantage. Leaving the hoodie behind, he backtracked until he caught her scent once more. Again he took off, racing after his witch. This time it wasn’t long at all until his keen eyes picked up the soft glow of a light source.