Chapter 3

Max

"Max!" I opened my eyes slowly. My hands were clutching my head, it hurt so badly.

"Anything hurt?" Fang asked when my eyes focused in on him. I shook my head and stood slowly.

"Just a bruise," I said, wincing as I touched the tender place on my head where the Eraser had kicked me last. Fang moved my hands and looked for himself. I leaned against him, exhausted. He kissed the top of my head when his inspection was through.

"You scared me," he whispered into my hair. "I thought someone had finally been strong enough to finish you off."

I managed a snort. "Your assumptions that someone like that exists wounds me Fang," I said, poking him in the ribs. He smiled down at me, but from the look in his eyes, I could tell he was still worried about me.

"Don't even start thinking that just because we love each other means that you can suddenly become over-protective," I said firmly. "I'm just as capable of surviving as I was before."

"I know," he said, wrapping his arms around me. "But you were still for so long."

"Just catching up on my beauty rest," I joked. That got a real smile out of Fang.

"You don't need any. You're already too beautiful to comprehend." I looked up into his eyes and saw real love there. Or rather, what I assumed real love was. Fang leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I kissed him hungrily, not wanting this moment to end. This fight had reminded me that there was no promise of time together. Fang returned my urgency. His arms tightened around me, crushing me to his muscled chest.

"Ok, I'm glad I can't see this, but the others will be back, and they can see," Iggy said dryly from where he landed a few feet away. Fang and I broke reluctantly, but his arms didn't budge an inch.

Just as Iggy said, the others drifted down from the sky one by one. Angel gave me one of her heart-stopping smiles when she saw that Fang was holding me closer than the time called for. I smirked at her. Nudge giggled unexpectedly, but I realized then that Angel had projected something into her brain when she looked to Angel and then to where Fang and I were standing.

"Did you see that?" Gazzy asked excitedly! I shook my head, concerned. "I threw a bomb at one Flyboy but like ten exploded from the shards coming off the other one!" I smiled, happy that he was happy. These fights were still hard on him and the others. I was used to them only because I had to be.

"Very nice Gaz," I complimented. He beamed and hopped into the tree.

"Pack up everyone," Fang said, releasing me. He climbed up after Gazzy. "We have to get moving." Sighing, but knowing he was right, I made my way up the tree.

When we were all packed, we hopped off the branches and into the air. I headed North, glad that I knew which way was North, even if I didn't know what was there.

We had only been flying for an hour or so when Angel backpedaled. Yes, she backpedaled in the air. We all stopped and looked back to where Angel hovered. She was staring intently down at the ground.

"What're you looking at?" Gazzy asked.

"We're in Vancouver," Angel said triumphantly. I looked down at the ground. All I could see was buildings, but not what it said on them.

"How can you tell?" I asked her, curious. She shrugged.

"I can see the sign from here. I just had to concentrate." She said that like it was normal.

"Were you concentrating on the sign?" I asked, confused.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I was concentrating on finding a place to eat. I'm hungry," she admitted. I laughed, glad that this wasn't anything huge that I needed to worry about.

"Well, I guess we're in Vancouver then." Denali. "What?" Angel looked at me.

"I didn't say anything," she said, giving me a look. It had been an automatic reaction. I knew it had been the Voice.

Why are we going to Denali? Where is Denali?

Alaska. That was all the response I got from my ever-helpful Voice.

"Denali?" Angel asked, confused. I shrugged.

"Apparently, we're to head to Denali."

We managed to find a map in a secondhand sporting goods store. I learned that it took a long time to get to Denali from Vancouver. Not only were we not in the right part of Canada, Denali isn't even in Canada. It's in Alaska. Not to mention it's in like the middle of Alaska.

"Are we almost there?" Nudge asked yet again. I clenched my teeth. Why Denali? I wondered for the thousandth time.

"No Nudge, not quite. We haven't even reached Alaska yet. Angel?" I looked to my left.

"We just passed British Columbia."

"See Nudge? British Columbia. Not Alaska." I knew I was being a little unfair, snapping at her like that, but I was tired, hungry, and confused. The Voice still hadn't thought it necessary to tell me what was in Denali.

Hours and rest stops later, Angel spotted a sign telling us that Alaska was a few miles up ahead. I took that as a sign to get us back on the ground. The sun was setting, we were freezing, and it was time to get some rest.

We found a store that was willing to sell us warmer clothes. The guy at the counter stared at us. He was probably surprised that these were only the first time we were buying warmer clothes. He was very helpful, overall. Mainly, I think the fact that I had a credit card in my hand.

"So where are we gunna go?" Nudge asked when we were done with our shopping. I shrugged.

"We'll have to find a hotel or something." Fang turned and walked back into the store. When he came back out, he said that there was a motel a few miles from here.

We walked to the motel. Weird, I know, but we had too many bags to carry while flying. Besides, the wind was picking up. We reached the hotel just in time. Right after I closed the door to our motel suite, the snow came down in huge drifts. The wind swirled it around, making it impossible to see more than a few feet in front of your own face.

"That looks bad," Fang commented. I nodded, still staring out the window. He came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Where are we going exactly?" he asked, leaning his chin on my shoulder.

"Denali," I said automatically. He sighed.

"I know that, I meant, where are we going after that?"

"I don't know. You're just as aware as I am that we've never had a real plan before. This is the most warning we've had."

"That's true." Fang pressed his lips lightly to the side of my neck. "Come and get some rest. I know for a fact that you're exhausted. I'm going to go scrounge up some food."

"Fine," I said, turning into him. He gave me a quick hug before heading out the door and into the storm. Sighing, I lay on the bed in the main room.

"Max, can you calm your thoughts?" Angel asked, sounding pained. I looked at her, confused.

"What's wrong sweetie?" I rushed to her side. I felt her forehead. "Angel, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, pushing my hand gently away. "It's just I can sense that you're stressing out, and it's giving me a little bit of a headache."

"Sorry Angel, I'll try," I said, still confused. Since when has Angel been able to sense my thoughts? "Here, why don't you come and lay down with me."

"Ok," she said, sounding happier than she had just seconds ago. I lay on the bed again, pulling back the covers, waiting for Angel to join me. She jumped in beside me, snuggling close.

"Get some rest," I murmured, kissing the top of her head.

"You too," she said, stifling a yawn. I smiled and closed my eyes.

"Iggy, you're in charge," I said sleepily. I heard Iggy laugh maniacally before slipping into a deep sleep.

The wind blew my hair in all directions. A wall of white surrounded me.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the swirling snow. Whoever it was walked gracefully toward me. Her strawberry blonde hair lay perfectly against her head, defying the wind. I saw that her eyes were a golden brown just like the Cullen's eyes were after they hunted. I knew that she was a vampire. She stopped a few feet away and looked into my eyes.

"Welcome to Denali Max," she said, her musical voice sounding happy at the thought of me being in Denali.

"Why am I going to Denali?" I asked the beautiful woman. She laughed, a sound that made the world seem a little brighter.

"To see me of course!" she said as though it were completely obvious. "We'll be waiting for you."

"We?" A group of people stepped forward then, stopping at the woman's side. They were all incredibly beautiful. There was a blonde-haired woman with a rough-and-tough kind of looking guy, and a Hispanic man and woman.

"This is my sister Kate and her mate Garrett, and Carmen and Eleazar. I am Tanya, and we are the Denali coven. We will see you soon Maximum." Her voice faded, as did their images, until all I saw was the white of the snowstorm.