“Ellie, don’t go near them!” Jem warned as he slid out of the back seat after her. “They look dangerous!”

“I won’t!” she yelled, but she jogged a few more feet before stopping.

Some of the wolves stopped, apprehensively looking our way, but the rest kept on running.

“Stay back!” I told Jem and Sumi, since I was probably the strongest one, and I didn’t want the wolves getting spooked. They were close enough and big enough that they could do real damage if they decided to attack.

Eliana stayed still, her hair shimmering golden brown in the evening sun, and a cool breeze blew through the nearby evergreens and over the river, ruffling the wolves’ fur. One giant canine looked like it was holding Eliana’s gaze with his golden amber eyes.

I walked slowly behind her and grabbed her arm. “Eliana, come on.”

“They won’t hurt me,” she said, and didn’t budge.

“You don’t know that.”

“I do,” she insisted, then looked up at me. “Be still, Ulla. Enjoy the moment.”

I sighed and didn’t let go of her arm, but I also didn’t throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to the Jeep. Compromise.

The wolf kept looking at her, until another wolf howled somewhere in the distance. Then he cocked his ear and took off with the rest of his pack.

“Thank you,” Eliana said quietly as she watched the retreating canines. “I know we’re in a hurry, so thank you for letting me have this moment. They were stunning creatures, and I want to see as much of this world as possible while I can.”

“Well, I’m glad you got to enjoy this,” I said, softening. Another five minutes wouldn’t destroy our timetable. “But you can’t scream and jump out of a vehicle. You have to ask and wait for me to pull over.”

“I understand,” she said with a wistful smile. “I knew this would be special, though.” Suddenly, she whirled around and hugged me. “I’m so happy that you’re here. I always wanted a sister.”

“You have a twin sister,” I reminded her.

“That doesn’t count. She’s not like you.” She released me and frowned. “She can’t love.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She shrugged. “She didn’t love me.”

“Has the danger passed?” Sumi asked as she walked up behind us.

I nodded and glanced back at her, her lovely long coils of hair hanging past her shoulders. Her loose tank top and tight leather pants made her look like a boho rock star, like an olive-skinned Janis Joplin.

“The wolves are gone.” I pointed to the trees they’d disappeared in, about a hundred meters away.

“They didn’t seem so dangerous,” Jem said as he joined us. “Our kuguars are twice that big back home.”

“Were you hoping to end the day with a mauling?” Sumi asked him wryly.