My Last Breath (Book one of The Portal Series)

A Tormented Game of Hide And Seek: Part One. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The creatures out the window don't leave, along with all of our agonizing worries. My palms sweat profusely the more I sit watching out the window with only one eye. There's no way they can see us, but it doesn't prove they can't hear or smell us. The sound of their howls grow louder as if they are tormenting us from outside before they break in; to physically torture us.

Everyone in the room is either tensely pacing, taping, picking at their clothes, letting short breaths halt oxygen flow; and all the same ignoring the fact that these werewolves could eat us tonight. We have to do something before it's too late but we're just sitting here, as if we're playing a hide and seek game.

I feel like right as my mind is panicking about what we need to do, Koda stops pacing and intensely runs his hand through his long dark hair, "They're not gonna eat us!" His raised voice makes me flinch, "You know why? Because they didn't eat anyone else they took from here."

Lynn shushes him but he only continues, "I do not doubt in my mind that they were sent by the Hunters. Because how else would they get here otherwise?"

Koda mutters under his breath, "I know the Hunters sent them."

Suddenly it dawns on me, "I think I need to expose myself to them..."

Everyone instantly starts arguing with me and I can't get a coherent conversation with a single one of them.

"It's the only way to find everyone else, let them bring us to our family."

Jane buts in louder than the rest of the group, "Our best option is to let one of us get taken by these wolves..." They all stop talking to listen. "...And the rest of us go following them to wherever they took our family. Then we can sneak in and take everyone back."

Koda stands, "Ellie, there's no possible way we can do that with you, even if you wanted." There's a waver in his voice, "It's a trap."

Of course, it is, but maybe I need to sacrifice myself a little to save others.

Estelle huffs, "We already walked into a trap by coming here in the first place."

Jane stands from her seat, "I have a plan, just let me take care of this myself. This is what we're going to do right now, go looking for books on werewolves."

Koda begins, "Jane-"

"No, Koda. We've got to look through these books."

His tense stance makes me understand he is thinking about a situation, but the rest of us nod in agreement; picking ourselves off from the mental chains that heald us down and now scattering ourselves across the small library to search its shelves and cupboards. Koda sulks behind slowly, standing last and keeping his eye on his sister. He must be expecting something more from her, I know it.

Personally the most shocking aspect of all this right now, to me, is how the three Elyrians know nothing about werewolves. Animals from their world! They only claim that wolves are not from their continent, making the horror set in my head way quicker.

A noticeable frown comes across Koda's face as he refuses to let his eyes away from Jane for more than a minute. Beside me, Luke stops him, grabbing his shoulder whispering in his ear, "What's going on with you?"

Koda replies back so no one else can hear, intending only a personal statement between him and Luke, "She has a plan, but I don't want her to do it."

Luke nods over to Jane, "You know she's gonna do it anyway."

With his hooded eyelids Koda blinks down to the floor, "I know. But it's not the best decision for this family."

With that, their secret discussion is over and I'm questioning what could be going on in everyone's heads. It wasn't too long after midnight before our arrival, so now we have been at the estate for over an hour; so now it's already been about fifteen excruciatingly silent minutes in the library.