by Holly Hook
“Go!” I shout.
Remo backs outside and Brett pulls her through the front door while Cayden and I wait. I don't miss the wide terror in Brett's eyes. We follow them outside, leaving the door open. The Savages might be stupid, but they might not miss the fact that someone was just in the house.
Brett drags Karina across the yard so fast she can barely keep up at a full sprint. We bolt into the trees as I search the line for any sign of Wolves. I can't see them yet, but I hear one snapping at another. The two go down, snapping and clawing as flesh rips. My mind goes to that kid who might be fighting among them, who would be fighting among them, just like Wyatt. And it's at my word.
But we can't stop now. Finding the trail, Brett runs ahead with Karina. Remo stops to pick up Leonora and Cayden slips his jacket back on. Darkness swirls at the corners of my vision, stronger than before. Karina, though she runs with Brett, has her gaze turned down to the gravel trail.
She's drawing them here. Her dark spirits are somehow bringing the fight in this direction.
The Savages will still defend her. I know what I have to do, because Brett won't do it.
Running ahead, I raise my fist and aim at the back of Karina's head. I punch at the thick bone at the back of her skull, getting a sick thunk in return. She slumps in Brett's grasp, losing consciousness, and he stops, whirling on me.
“Carry her,” I order. “She's drawing them to us.”
Brett's jaw falls again and he's speechless because he knows what that means.
“Carry her! She'll heal once we're out of here and be fine,” I say. “And she won't feel the bite.”
“Brett?” Karina asks, stunned. She sinks into a crouching position and spits up on the ground.
Still speechless, Brett kneels and picks up the sister who would have killed him. At the same time, another Wolf yelps in the distance, and the fight shifts towards the house instead of us. Already the darkness retreats, leaving me able to breathe, but it doesn't matter. Brett won't take his gaze off the ground as he straightens up with his sister in his arms, a sister who just tried to take his life, and begins to run.
* * * * *
The fight gets farther and farther away as we cross the territory line and pass the giant fallen tree trunk. I leave the Savage stench behind, glad to breathe clean air again, but Brett, still carrying his sister, doesn't say a sarcastic word. He's just suffered a wound no brother should ever have to suffer.
We slow through the neutral territory, and my worry for the Colling Wolves starts to build as we do. I ordered them over there. The kid--
“Brie, you're getting all guilty again.” Cayden leans over to my ear so close his breath warms my cheek.
A tingle sweeps over me. Even still somewhat affected by Brett's ability to drain, he doesn't fail to bring that feeling back.
“I know,” I say.
“The Colling Wolves wanted to fight. Even Don,” Cayden says. “We've always fought the Savages. If we're lucky, they'll take out a bunch of them.”
“But that kid,” I say.
Cayden sighs as we keep walking through the trees. He watches as Remo puts Leonora down so she can walk, too.
“I know. He wanted to fight. Even you couldn't have stopped him. My father couldn't keep Wyatt out of any fights, either. But that Allen kid is strong. If anyone makes it out, it's him.”
Ahead of us, Brett stops. Karina is awake in his arms now, but she squints her eyes in pain and rubs her head with her free hand. She must have an epic headache at the back of her head and maybe I even gave her a concussion, which Mrs. Fogerty at the store always says is more horrible than it sounds. She had one as a kid and it took her months to recover.
Neither of the Hayde siblings speak. It's not every day someone learns their sister who they swore to protect has tried to kill them. For a moment I forget about Aunt May and the Colling Wolves and march up to Karina. Brett won't look at her. He looks ahead like a zombie.
Karina, however, turns her gaze to me. I don't feel the dark spirits swirling around me. Her headache must be ruining her concentration and I'm glad I delivered the blow.
“It's going to take a lifetime to earn your brother's forgiveness,” I tell her. “A lifetime. Do you understand that? You did the most disgusting thing I've ever seen anyone do. You don't deserve Brett or anybody else.”
Karina responds by spitting at me. But she must be dizzy, too, because her spit misses by a foot and sails to the pine needles and dirt.
“Mature,” I say.
“No kidding,” Cayden adds.
But then a round of weakness sweeps over me and the world spins, despite Karina looking back to the sky and taking her focus off me. Brett sighs and I understand. He's sucking the energy out of me again in his despair, unable to help it. Karina is why he's become such a monster.
I can't fix these people. They're both broken, maybe beyond repair.
“Back away from him,” Cayden says.
We're together again and we're not supposed to be, at least around Brett. Cayden grabs my arm and pulls me out of the danger zone. Remo and Leonora look at us with wide eyes. Already I can breathe easier and strength flows back into my limbs, but a sense of despair lingers. What if Brett won't want to help us after this? He no longer has anything to lose.
“I know what I am,” Brett says, staring away from us and into the trees. “And I don't know if I can change that.”
Karina remains silent. I wish she would say something. Anything. But even from twenty feet away, I can feel the wall she's put around herself. Her silence tells me everything I need to know. It's all hopeless.
“Brett, I'm sorry,” I say.
He sighs. “It is what it is. You got my sister out of there and now I need to return my end of the bargain. After you turn her.” Now, instead of concern, there's nothing but revenge in his words.
I didn't want it to be this way. Brett was supposed to warm up but he's still a block of ice.
“I hate you,” Karina says to her brother, still unable to muster the strength to lift her head. “You always wanted to stop me.”
“I'll do it,” Cayden says.
Whether it's an apology to Brett or his way of trying to be the fixer, I can't tell. But with Brett here, I can't risk the darkness taking Cayden back over again. He drops Karina to the snow, not bothering to be gentle, and she seethes in pain as her head hits the ground.
And I'm not going to knock her out. I never thought I'd be angry for Brett's sake, but I am. And Cayden's sake, because he yet again has to commit an act that haunts him.
But the alternative is worse. Cayden once again removes his jacket as we watch. Remo pulls Leonora to his chest, averting her eyes, and I almost do the same. While I've seen Cayden bare and enjoy the experience every time, this is different. Cayden turns away from me and removes his pants, throwing them to the ground, and then his shirt.
And then he shifts, molding into the godlike form of a beautiful black wolf, in just a seconds' time. Cayden gives one angry growl and marches over to Karina, who tries to rise and escape, but it's too late. Her eyes cross. She's still suffering the effects of the concussion and might even have brain damage.
Cayden bites into her shoulder with the crunch of teeth against bone, delivering a wound guaranteed to infect. I turn away as the black wolf growls at Karina one more time and Brett watches, absent.
Chapter Fifteen
Thoughts of Aunt May follow as Brett begins to carry his sister, now unconscious again, over our territory line. He still stays well ahead of us. My stomach turns and I grab onto Cayden, now back in human form. I lean over and dry heave, digging my nails into his flesh.
“Brie. It will probably be okay,” Cayden says.
“You think so?” I straighten up and face him as Everly, Remo, and Leonora stop. Brett continues straight ahead, a good hundred feet in front of us, because that's the distance he's not doing his life-draining magic on us. I almost feel bad that the guy can't help it. He sure can't draw any
life or warmth from his sister or the cult he's called his family for a while. “The Colling Wolves--”
“None of us felt the jolt of a Wolf dying,” Remo says. “Remember when our parents...I don't even want to say it.”
“Your father was the alpha and we all felt that,” I say. “Aunt May is not.”
Cayden takes both my arms and holds me in a warm gaze I'm shocked to see so soon after he's bitten Karina. “She's still a Royal Wolf. If any of the Colling Wolves died, we might not have felt that unless it was maybe Lawrence. I'm sure your aunt would have given off a strong signal to the rest of us.”
“She faced those Hunters by herself!” I'm losing it. Though I'm supposed to be in control, I'm slipping.
Ahead, Brett stops, still holding his sister, but he doesn't approach. It's not that I need him to make me feel any worse. The situation by itself is doing a great job.
“Edwin wouldn't want to kill the only Noble Royal he considers pure,” Everly says. “It's clear he favors your aunt.”
There's Debbie Downer again. “It's that obvious.” I should feel hurt, but relief courses through me, relaxing my muscles.
“Sorry, but he's all into woo-woo tradition,” Everly says.
“He has his reasons.” It hurts for me to say it.
“Don't say that,” Cayden urges. He kisses me on the forehead. “You're not evil and don't let anyone make you feel like that.”
I snort, remembering yesterday and our fight. But Brett helped that along, too. “We still have the problem of meeting the Colling Wolves and avoiding Edwin's assassins.” I blurt it out before I can think which just makes the punch ten times worse.
Brett turns, still holding his sister. He averts his gaze from her bloody shoulder. But Karina is beginning to twitch as if she's just dreaming. I know better.
“I can help you with that,” Brett says. “We may not have anything of Alex's or Edwin's, but we can try to get something of his. A hair would even work. Once we have that I'll be able to zero in on him a lot better.”
Brett wants revenge on Edwin, too. He's the one who crushed his hand, even if Cayden and I suggested it. Maybe after that he'll want revenge on me but we have to go with this right now.
“How do we get something of Edwin's?” Leonora asks, shifting leg to leg.
Brett shouts from his place a hundred feet ahead. “Easy. Steal one of his hairs out of his favorite old dude chair. Or get some blood. Anything.”
“Good luck on that,” I say.
“Edwin will expect that. And he doesn't have much hair,” Leonora says. “He always vacuums the chair after he sits in it, so I doubt we'll get anything useful.”
“Good point,” I say. “Leonora, if you want to step out of this, I get it. I know he's your great uncle--”
But Leonora hardens. “The more I'm around him the more I hate him. And I don't care that I'm related to him.”
Ahead, Karina groans and thrashes in Brett's arms.
He offers no soothing words.
A lot of families might be falling apart today.
“Well, we can try. Even some of the fibers might have traces of his skin on them. But there's always the chance I could get someone else's skin by mistake,” Brett says.
“My parents never use that rocking chair,” Leonora says. “And I don't.”
“Then it's our best bet,” I tell her. “I might be able to smell the difference. The Russell cabin. I'll know ahead of time if anyone's there.”
* * * * *
It's dangerous to go back to the Russell cabin. I know that. But the only saving grace to the plan is that Edwin probably won't expect us to go there unless he expects Brett to side with us. He could predict either one, I guess.
Once we're two miles away, sniffing tells me nothing since I'm sure the Hunters are using that cloaking spray that Alex always carries. Maybe Edwin is, too. He always smells like stale, dried herbs (and Leonora laughed when I told her this.) Neither does my hearing.
“Brie, we might need to get away from each other again,” Cayden says as we find a narrow trail through the woods. “If we have to work with Brett.”
I look ahead. At least Brett is staying well ahead of us, too far away to draw on our lifeforce. But if we're going to work together, keeping that hundred feet between us isn't going to work. Brett continues to carry his sister towards the Russell cabin, his torture site, and he hunches his shoulders even though it's still a couple of miles away.
“Stop,” I order Brett.
He whirls. Karina thrashes in his grasp and bites her lip so hard that blood runs down her chin. It's gross, but after what she did I have no sympathy for her, unlike Alex. Karina has no redeeming qualities.
“Put her down somewhere safe,” I say. “You're going to stay here with her and the rest of us will head to the cabin and see if we can find anything of Edwin's. Leonora's parents might be there and they'll help us if we give them the deal.”
“What about the Colling Wolves?” Everly asks.
Even Cayden looks to me with questioning. I sniff again, trying to find any trace of them in our territory, but nothing. Not yet.
“They'll take longer than we did to get back here,” I say. I hope. Pulling out my phone, I check it for something, anything. None of the Colling Wolves have texted me yet, letting me know the other half of the pack is okay. What if I really did--
“Brie. You're screwing up your face like you're having those thoughts again,” Cayden says.
“It's that obvious.” I face him.
“Yes. That obvious. And I can feel that shadow growing in you when you do that. If you're thinking about your aunt, know she's capable of dealing with things herself. You don't give her enough credit.”
I'm glad he's here to stop me from jumping on that dark spiral at least when we're not near Brett. “You and me should go ahead to the cabin and leave Brett here with the others. Everly and Remo will stay just in case Karina wakes up or tries something.”
I know Brett can hear me but he doesn't protest. Instead, he puts his sister down underneath a pine tree, where she lies on a bed of brown, dry pine needles. Karina rolls over in pain while Brett turns away, sits, and stares into the trees. Even though I'm too far from him to feel the effects, I can almost feel the storm raging inside of him.
“Come on,” I say. “We can't linger if we're going to do this.” I know if I stand here worrying about the others, we're doomed, in more ways than one.
* * * * *
The Russell cabin is quiet when we get there. Cayden and I have left Brett behind with the others watching over him (from a distance) and gone ahead to the cabin. Despite the meditation session earlier that day, the place is empty and dead, and I don't even smell Leonora's parents inside. But that doesn't mean anything.
“It's too quiet,” I say from our hiding spot just off the yard. I inch closer to Cayden, who once again gives off warmth and energy. Just being away from Brett is making a huge difference.
“I don't like it either.”
We look at each other, wondering what the heck to do. None of the birds are even chirping in the trees, or around the greenhouse, which is so usual around here that the absence of it puts me on edge. The circle of logs, which we stand behind, stand empty and the fire pit still gives off traces of smoke. Beyond it, the cabin lies low in the trees like it's hiding. A tiny bit of smoke rises from the chimney. I can still pick up traces of the people who sat here earlier today. Noah. Olivia. And of course, Cayden.
“I don't think we should stay here,” I say.
“Where else can we go?” Cayden wraps his arm around me and pulls me to his body. “None of us can go back home and if we leave now, we'll have no real way to fight Edwin.”
He wants to go in there. I can't believe it. Well, yes I can. This is Cayden and he'll do anything to keep me out of danger. But just silence and the faint sound of dying embers floats out of the house. I don't know what the deal is in there.
But I know what I need to do and it's to
give Cayden his purpose back. It will help us both survive what's to come when we work beside Brett, who won't get better any time soon.
“Cayden, maybe you should go in first?” I ask, forcing the words out.
“I will,” he says, stepping forward. “Brie, stand back, and if something gets me, you need to run. You need to get out and get everyone out of town.”
“That's asking too much.” We're stalling, staring each other in the eye.
“Okay. Maybe it is. I'll let you know if it's safe to come in.” He steps ahead, crosses the circle as quickly as he can, and moves around the cabin.
One hair. That's all we need. But a sense of panic sweeps over me so fast I move before it fully hits me. I'm letting my mate walk into a dangerous situation while I'm just standing here. It's my job to protect Cayden. If I don't and something happens--
I can't see him now. He enters the house, pulling the front door open with grace.
Immediately, before the door even has the chance to shut behind him, feet shuffle inside the cabin and Cayden grunts. Someone throws a punch and Cayden curses.
“Who's with you?”
“I'm alone,” Cayden says. “What are you doing back here? The punishment is death.”
“Your alpha isn't here.”
I freeze at the back of the cabin. Two figures draw closer to Cayden inside, but these aren't human footsteps. These are graceful steps that even I can barely hear, and all at once I get what's happening.
It's not just the Hunters working with Edwin. He's somehow brought in Lawrence and his traitor grandmother, Abigail, and stationed them here to deal with us.
Chapter Sixteen
As I stand there, frozen for a moment, my blood begins to boil.
Lawrence and Abigail were banished. We chased them out of the pack. But Edwin brought them back. Maybe they all knew each other to begin with. The Noble Order has split in two.
They'll kill Cayden. Why not? Lawrence and Abigail are no longer part of the pack.
