Archaic

by Lexy Timms

  “I’m in this to find Kyle’s killer, and at first, that was all, but now, I see that it is bigger than that. We have a responsibility to protect the people in our lives, and we cannot sit back and become the victims, lie down to this control. It doesn’t matter if you are a cat, a human, an opossum, a bear, or a dog, this is your future at stake. We are all creatures of the same planet, and we deserve the right to live without fear of what lurks in the shadows. I am going to Barbados and from there will go to the next place, and the next place, and I’ll keep going until I have tracked these bastards down and cut them at the knees. You can go home. I’m fine with that, but don’t ask me to change my mind.”

  I watch as Clarissa gets down and walks toward the door, her mannerisms tall and proud. She looks like an Alpha. She talks like an Alpha. And the way she stares at me across the room makes me want to take her like an Alpha. I smile and nod my head, pulling my bag over my shoulder and follow after her. I guess I’m in it until the end.

  Chapter 10

  ~ Clarissa

  The flight to Barbados is nice, quiet, and everyone has their minds in the right place. Theo is talking quietly in the back to his spirits while Sebastian chats with Penny kindly for the first time since she has arrived. Toshi is in a playful mood, tossing a small ball around as Hiro sleeps in the seat next to him. We chartered a small private plane to get us to Barbados, not feeling like dealing with the chaos of a commercial flight. It isn’t anything fancy, but it’s just us, and that is safest at this point. The last thing I want is to be attacked, midflight, with a plane full of humans. No one would make it out alive on that one.

  As we slowly begin to descend toward Sir Grantley Adams airport, I can see the beauty of the island even from high up as we are.

  It is a place I will be coming back to for a vacation if I survive all of this. I buckle my belt and brace myself for landing, knowing these small planes can be bumpy. Sebastian looks over at me and smiles sweetly sending a flash of heat to my chest. I look away, not wanting to think about that right now. I have to keep my focus.

  Once we land, we are ushered out the front where we take a cab to the less touristy side of the island. That is where the remaining rainforest grows, untouched by the sugar plantations, still brimming with life. It is hot here, but sunny and beautiful and I

  look over at Theo, smirking at the sweat pouring from his strong brow. He really wants to protect me, willingly coming to these hot locations, that is for sure. He has to be about a million degrees on the inside.

  Penny and I follow along at the back, keeping a lookout for followers and allowing Sebastian to cut us a way through the thickness of the forest. As it was in the last forest, the thick trees and wild vines lay waste at the foot of a large structure, this one not as old as the other, and seemingly more well-kept.

  Sebastian puts his hand up and motions for us to take the edge of the forest, unsure if anyone is still inside the structure. Toshi stands in the back, taking off his clothes and morphing into his cat, this time larger than before, and much fiercer. I have no idea he can pick what size he wants to be. He saunters over next to me and rubs his big furry face against mine before pouncing from the shadows and running into the tunnel in the front.

  My hand runs along the ground below me, and I look down, staring at something furry and fuzzy. It is a tiny little caterpillar, its back looking like a set of eyes. I smile watching it inch along, no worries in the world except what is in front of it. It would be nice to not think about where I have been, only to look forward to where I am going. Then again, without my past on my mind, I would never be able to understand where I am going in life. Unfortunately, my only issues aren’t limited to finding food and shelter. It would be nice if they were.

  I look up at the sound of Toshi’s paws patting across the cement.

  He morphs back into his human and dresses, nodding over at Sebastian.

  “It’s all clear,” he whispers. “But we only missed them by a day or so, so let’s keep our ears perked.”

  “Got it,” I whisper.

  Carefully we make our way through the tunnels, bringing us into an enclosed arena, much like the other, only covered, and with little decay to the building. This place is smaller, only two other rooms, one looking like a bunking area with pads on the floor, and the other a private quarter of some sort. Everything is empty except for a couple trinkets and old weapons on the ground.

  “Gus,” Penny gasps.

  I whip around to see Penny leaning over and picking up a letter off the ground, holding it to her chest, and she instantly starts weeping. I don’t understand what is happening. She looks over at me with tears streaming down her face.

  “This was a letter I sent him in training,” she gasps. “He was here.”

  My heart instantly breaks for her, and I take a step forward, ready to comfort her. Before I can, though, Sebastian walks over, and I watch as Penny throws herself into his arms. Immediately I turn away, feeling a twinge of jealousy in my throat. I hate that I feel that way, that I can’t just let it go. This is the way all of them felt when I was trying to decide who I wanted, who I was even. It isn’t fair of me to ask more from any of them, especially Sebastian who had gone against his instincts, pulled away and then sat quietly by, yearning for me as his mate.

  I turn to my left, noticing an indentation in the wall with a large round circle next to it. Something is etched into the stone, something that as I draw closer looks more and more familiar. I stop in front of it and run my hand down the stone, realizing that it is the same symbol found at Kyle’s body. I look to my right, but no one else is there so I press the stone button, pushing it inward. As the wall begins to shake, I step back, watching the dust fly up. What I thought was an indentation is a door, which slides open to reveal a dark room inside.

  Carefully I step forward, feeling the wall for any kind of lighting source. My hand runs over a small round switch that I turn, stopping as a loud motor whirls in front of me. The lights flicker above my head, and I realize that what is in front of me is a generator pumping energy into a secret office.

  I gasp, walking into the room looking around at the books stacked on the shelves. They must have had to leave in a hurry, surrendering the contents of the room. I walk over to a large desk, mostly empty, with three maps set across the top. On these maps there are three separate places circled, Norway, Thailand, and Hawaii. I pick up the maps and examine them further, noticing that there is a bullseye on each one. These places had to be of significance, whether they were training facilities or the location of someone or something important.

  “ There’s a secret passage on the Northwest corner of the building. Look for the light. Bring everyone. I’ve found something,” I communicate with Sebastian.

  “ On our way ,” he replies.

  I look up at the walls, staring at pictures of Japan, old Japanese proverbs scrolled across the bottom. They are all in Japanese, and I can’t make them out, but from the pictures, I assume they have to do with battle. I walk over and touch one of the woven cloths on the wall. It is so beautiful, so meticulous, and I wonder who took the time to create it. The tapestry is certainly not from this time period, and probably not meant for this evil version of the Elite.

  “They are ceremonial robes, pieces of them,” Toshi says entering the room with the others. “They are probably part of the ones taken when the original Elite murdered the dynasty humans.”

  I pull my hand away quickly, now noticing the red stains on the edges of the cloth. Evil or not, the men of the dynasty were murdered by these ninjas, and I’m not sure whether my allegiance should be to the humans or the Primal. Both had done me wrong in life, both had changed me, but where I fell on the spectrum was somewhere off the charts. I turn and set the maps down, telling myself it isn’t time for a philosophical conversation.

  “I found these,” I say, laying them down on the desk. “They look to be important. Thailand, Hawaii, and Norway are all circled. I think this is the ne
xt clue to where we need to be.”

  I look up at Hiro who bows his head in agreeance. I don’t need confirmation, but he is the closest to these men that it gets. He knows how they work, how they train, how their minds are sewn.

  This venture may take us all over the globe, but eventually, it will lead us to the place we need to be.

  “I think we need to go to all three,” Toshi says. “But time is limited.”

  “You’re right,” I agree, grabbing the marker from the desk and writing names on the top of each map. “We need to split up, search for answers, and then meet back up at home. Theo and I will take this one. Penny and Sebastian you’ll take this. And Toshi and Hiro, you take this territory.”

  I hand the maps to each of the guys, waiting for their responses.

  They all stay silent but look up at me and nod. Penny peeks over Sebastian’s arm and nods over at me with a serious face. This was the break we needed, three separate places to find information, three locations that might clue us in on who is behind these Elite Fighters. Every step I take I get closer to finding Kyle’s killer.

  “Well, this place is pretty much combed through,” Toshi says. “I say we head out, grab some food from the mainland area and charter our flights.”

  “Sounds good,” Theo bellows.

  “I am only okay with splitting up because I know that Theo would lose a big bear limb to keep you safe,” Sebastian says nodding at Theo.

  “And because I am so much fun to travel with,” Penny smiles, her eyes still red from crying.

  “Alright guys, let’s head out,” I reply.

  Everyone files out of the room, and as I step toward the doorway, I look over at Toshi who is staring at the books on the wall. He looks sad and interested at the same time. I walk up and put my hand on his shoulder.

  “These are relics, long lost, so important to Primal history,” he says. “I hate to leave them here.”

  “We will come back for them,” I reply with a smile. “I promise.

  They will be locked away in this vault.”

  He smiles and looks at me, turning and pulling me into an embrace. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes for a moment, thankful that I have him still around. I missed him when I was away, and that feeling alone I knew was dangerous.

  “Be careful,” he whispers. “I lost you once, and I won’t lose you again.”

  “You be careful too,” I reply, squeezing him tighter. “In the end we will all be safer without these people out there. You, me, everyone. I hope you understand this is no longer just about Kyle. This is about you, and Theo, and Sebastian, and Penny, and even Hiro. About your survival, your ability to find what you are looking for without fear of reprisal. These animals they aren’t like you, and they need to be stopped.”

  “I understand,” he says pulling back, his eyes bright green. “And I will stand by you until every last one of them has met his doom.”

  Chapter 11

  ~ Theo

  “H ow’s your family?” I ask, looking over at Clarissa in the seat next to me.

  “They’re doing okay,” she says. “They really didn’t know how to handle everything when Kyle died, it happened in their home. The place looked like a murder scene. When the police were done, their friends came over and tore up the carpet, got rid of anything with stains, and redid the whole room.”

  “That was nice of them.” I smile. “And how about you? How are you doing?”

  “I don’t know.” She sighs. “I think this mission of finding the killers is giving me something, you know? Putting life back into me. But for a while there, I didn’t think I was going to face the world ever again. I thought I was done.”

  “Getting yourself killed won’t bring life into anything, you know that, right?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

  She looks at me for a moment before the pilot comes on overhead, letting us know that our flight will be landing in ten minutes. I look down at my big hands, wishing I had brought it up sooner.

  But everything about the situation, her next to me again, the way she holds my hand during takeoff, the smell of her skin, makes me focus on enjoying the moment. The moment is lost, and I am okay with that for now. We are landing in Norway and will have plenty of time to catch up on everything.

  As the plane lands, I look out over the multi-faceted landscape of Norway. There is snow, but since it is spring, there is also lush greenery in between. It is gorgeous, just like I imagined it would be. I wish I were here to enjoy it with Clarissa on vacation, but we are here on a mission. My eyes move to Clarissa who is staring out the window, her eyes wide, her mouth slightly open. I want to kiss her lips, to touch her again like on the boat that night, but I know it’s not possible.

  The plane swoops lower, and the wheels touch down, jolting the plane slightly, and pulling us both from our daydreams. The plane moves slowly down the runway and pulls into the hangar bay where we collect our luggage and exit the plane. Clarissa is quiet, and her demeanor changes from awestruck to curious as we walk inside and receive the keys to our rental SUV. I climb into the driver’s seat as she looks down at the map, this time to a very specific location. It is an address out in the country, about fifteen minutes from where we are. I nod and put the truck in drive, pulling out onto the scenic roads leading through the Norwegian countryside.

  As we approach the house, my bear senses begin to tense, and I can tell there is a Primal close by. I pull to the side of the road, and we both get out, walking a bit and peering at the house up on the hill. It is secluded, but there are no gates or cameras, only the house.

  “I say we go knock on the door,” she says with a sly smile.

  “I agree,” I reply. “Worse comes to worse, we’ll run back out.”

  “Or fight to the death,” she calls out laughing.

  I smile, my nerves not as straight and narrow as hers. She pulls on her coat and shoves her hands in her pockets, walking close to me. I want to think it’s because she wants to be that close, but I have a feeling it is more for my ever-radiating heat than anything else. Either way, I enjoy the stroll down the country road, but when I step foot on the drive to the house, immediately I tense. I stop for a moment, taking in a deep breath, sifting through the smells.

  “A cat lives here,” I point out. “We need to be careful.”

  Clarissa nods, and we continue up to the house, stopping at the door and staring over at each other. She nods, and I reach up, pounding hard on the door. I can hear footsteps quickly approaching, and as the door swings open, a dark-haired, middle-

  aged man with piercing green eyes looks out at us. At first, he has a smile on his face, wiping his hand on his towel, but as he glances back and forth between us, that smile fades. Immediately he turns, trying to slam the door, but I catch it and race after him. I run down the hall and through the swinging door into the kitchen, stopping and looking around. Clarissa runs in after me and stares for a second, looking at me strangely.

  “Watch out,” she shouts, forcing me to turn and look behind me.

  As I do, I find a frying pan swinging toward my head, the man perching on a hanging rack over the kitchen island. I duck, throwing the man slightly off balance, but like a cat, he lands on his feet. His fangs begin to protrude, a loud roar echoing from his belly. He swipes a hand and hits me with his claws in the face, tearing my cheek open. Clarissa growls behind me, and I look back at her, seeing the rage almost steaming off her body.

  She is breathing heavily, her hands clutching into fists, her eyes searing toward the cat.

  Carefully she steps forward, flexing the muscles in her arms, and I notice fur beginning to sprout from her forearms. She shows her teeth which are no longer perfect and straight but instead are sharply pointed fangs, stretching throughout her mouth. The cat watches her with curiosity, almost as if he knows her, but doesn’t know what she is capable of. Slowly her hands begin to shift, claws stretching from her fingertips as she crouches, stalking her prey.

  I step bac
k, unsure of what to do, unsure if she knows who she is anymore. The cat looks at me and jumps to the side, but I grab his foot and watch as he tumbles to the ground, rolling across the hard tile floors. Instantly, Clarissa is in the air, a deep hiss moving from her lips, pouncing high and striking down hard on the cat. He screeches and hisses until his voice is no longer Primal, but a cry for help in human form.

  “Please,” he says putting up his hands. “I don’t know anything.

  Please don’t hurt me.”

  “The cowardly cat,” I chuckle, walking over and putting my hand on top of Clarissa’s head.

  She jerks her head up, breathing heavily, staring into my eyes.

  Slowly she creeps back, letting me grab the cat by the neck and pull him to his feet. I look into his eyes, seeing the anger behind the fear. He knows who we are. He knew that eventually, we would turn up on his doorstep, yet he didn’t take many precautions.

  “Tell me what you know about the Elite,” I bellow.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” he spats. “I hate bears, so big, so strong, and so stupid.”

  I smile, not taking the bait. It is obvious whatever fear he had in his heart at the beginning, is quickly dissipating. I reach over and grab a paper lying on the counter. It has the insignia, the one from the crime scene, etched in the corner. I hold it up to his face.

  “You do know something,” I say. “Tell me, and I may spare your life, don’t, and you will be nothing more than a dead cat.”

  His stare is intense, but I stand my ground, staring right back, turning toward Clarissa who is back to normal again, looking slightly peaked. The sound of laughter fills my ears, and I turn back to the cat, staring at him even harder.

  “What is so funny?” I say, my jaw clenching as I restrain myself from killing him immediately. “You think the loss of your life is funny?”

  “No,” he wheezes. “The fact that you think a pack of ragtag degenerates and their half-Primal whore can shut down the Elites.