Emergence

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  Landus scowled as he stared at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I don’t feel it.”

  I chuckled and crooned, “Then you better keep up so you don’t get lost.”

  Taking off at a run, I veered to the left and deeper into the woods, barely paying attention to anything, my focus on that damn gate. I could sense Landus keeping pace behind me by only a couple of feet with Zayne further back.

  The connection was still weak but grew stronger the closer I got. I felt the malice of it before I saw it. Another angry gate. Seemed like a lot of these were forming lately.

  “Nyssa?”

  How something so malicious could stay hidden, I had no clue. But still, whoever made this was the epitome of pissed off. He wanted to hurt people, lash out. If we were going by the attacks on the shifters, he was doing exactly that. The gate had the same exact feeling as the one on vampire land. It had to be the same guy, meaning he was just on the other side. I very much wanted to go through and reintroduce myself to him.

  “—ssa?”

  Then again, if it was the same guy, we needed to get a handle on him and find out what the hell he was up to. From what I learned from him the other day, I thought he just had beef with the vamps. But these attacks on the shifters told me otherwise.

  “Nyssa?” A hand grabbed my shoulder, and my instincts took over, yanking the arm and flipping its owner over my shoulder.

  Zayne landed on the ground, blinking up at me in surprise. I towered over him, my fist raised and ready to attack. Only my good reflexes allowed me to freeze as I realized he wasn’t an enemy.

  “What the fuck?” he growled, taking in deep breaths, his eyes turning nearly black as his coyote rose to the surface.

  Zayne wasn’t beefy like the other shifters, but more toward the leaner side of the spectrum. Still didn’t mean he was incapable. He could use his bare hands to rip someone’s head off if he was motivated to do so. And I had just flipped him over my shoulder, giving him that motivation.

  “Don’t grab me without my permission,” I warned, not caring that I had just hurt his ego.

  I may have been out of the Woodlands for six years but before that, I had spent a very long time surviving in them. I lasted a few lifetimes and had the proof on my body as scars. I didn’t scar easily.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, looking away from me in a submissive way and climbed back to his feet. “You were out of it, and Alpha was trying to get your attention.”

  I turned to Landus. He leaned against a tree, just watching us.

  “What’s up?” I asked him.

  He smirked, his eyes lit with amusement. “I just wanted to know if you were okay. You were looking a little sick.”

  I held back my wince and nodded. “I’m fine. The gate feels like the exact same one I dealt with for the vampires.”

  “Feels?”

  “We have a very angry gate. I can sense that. You can sense it too. And gates have a kind of signature to them. This one matches with the vampire one,” I explained.

  “I think you need to enlighten me about what happened at the other gate.”

  “After we deal with this one. I don’t want to waste any more time,” I said.

  “Where is it?” Zayne asked as he drew a leaf out of his hair. I noticed he was well out of my reach. A safe distance. Or at least he thought it was.

  “Come on.” I turned and ducked under a branch and through a massive bush. I stopped just inches away.

  “I don’t see it,” Landus said.

  I reached out and touched the edges of the gate. The energy burned against my skin, and I snapped my hand back, but it was enough contact to destroy the illusion. A moment later, the air rippled and the gate came into view. It came up to my chest and was about eight feet wide—big enough for a couple of people to duck through it at the same time. The inside of the gate was a rolling mass of dark gray and black, a storm of rage ready to attack anyone brave enough to go through.

  “What the fuck?” Zayne swore, still not believing what his eyes were showing him.

  “They hid the gate well. We must be what, a mile and a half away from your pack house?” I asked.

  Landus nodded.

  “I’m thinking they used this gate for guerilla warfare, and he was doing a damn good job. I wonder if he was intending to do the same with the vamps,” I mused.

  “First, let’s confirm that the same guy who made the other gate made this one before we jump to conclusions,” Landus said.

  “Good idea. Well, we’re in your ballpark now, what do you want to do?”

  “Go in and introduce ourselves.” He shrugged.

  I couldn’t hold back my grin. “And if we go into a room full of baddies.”

  He returned the grin, his eyes darkening with excitement and barely contained violence. I smirked, loving that he loved the idea of a good old brawl. Nothing like splitting knuckles against someone’s skull or breaking kneecaps. My blood warmed, preparing to welcome the adrenaline rush that was soon to come. The darkness within me whirled with my increasing excitement.

  “Are we going in to kill?” I asked.

  He nodded, his eyes hardening and his voice deepening with anger. “Yes. They put three of my men in critical condition. It’s time to return the favor. Zayne, stay out here. I’ll call for help if we need back up. I already gave everyone our location. Have them wait with you. If we pop into some old lady’s living room, I don’t want to scare her with raving shifters. Won’t be good for business,” Landus said, eyes still on the gate.

  “You have to admit, it would make for great entertainment though.” Unless the old lady had a heart attack.

  Landus didn’t bother commenting on my statement and instead stepped closer to the whirling mass of anger. Humming filled my ears from the energy saturating the air around it.

  “Ever been through one?” I asked.

  He glanced at me, raising his eyebrow as if I just said something ridiculous. Well, excuse me. There were plenty of people who had never gone through a gate. Too risky in their books, even when they knew where it led to. Many of them thought the gate would close on them and leave them stuck in the middle of some hot wasteland. But of course not Landus. Oh no, the big Alpha had done it all.

  “Then see you on the other side,” I grumbled and ducked through.

  The gate felt exactly like the first one. My cells tried to repel each other, the angry energy nipping at my skin. Going through this kind of soul-torturing gate would definitely be a big deterrent against strangers to use. If I didn’t have to, I wouldn’t either. I wasn’t a complete masochist.

  I came out on the other side in a huge empty room. At least no bodies were dangling from the ceiling this time. After shaking off the remnants of the gate, I moved further into the room. A moment later, Landus stepped out, cursing.

  “That isn’t a gate, that’s a damn torture tunnel.”

  I just smirked at him. He glanced around still working on getting himself under control. His nostrils flared as his eyes turned into a dark storm. While clenching his fists at his side, his skin moved as his muscles rolled. His beast wanted to break loose after being put through that kind of pain.

  “Is this the same place from the other gate?” he finally asked, the wildness in his eyes melting away. Damn, I was hoping he’d shift.

  “Nope, different kind of structure. The other place had cement walls, these are wood. Definitely a new location,” I replied, walking around the small room.

  “I don’t sense anyone,” Landus said, taking in deep breaths to taste the air and pick up the scent of whoever might have passed through the room.

  “Let’s just move quietly and slowly. I don’t exactly want to run into an ambush without knowing there is one waiting for me.”

  “So if there was an ambush and you knew about it, you would run into the middle of it.”

  I grinned, flashing him my teeth. “Damn right I would.”

  “Are all hoppers this crazy?
”

  “Only the ones who have been doing this job long enough,” I replied.

  “From what I’ve gathered, you’ve only been on the job five years or so.”

  “I’m an exception. I was already crazy before I became a hopper.”

  “What did you do beforehand?”

  I turned to him. “Are we here to learn about my past or to kick some ass? I was under the impression this was going to be an ass-kicking assignment, not an interview.”

  His lips twitched as he fought a smile. “Fine. Let’s go find some asses to kick.”

  “This is probably the best date ever,” I said as I strolled over to the door, opening it slowly. We were at the end of a long hallway. All the other doors were closed.

  “Is that what this is?” His voice was right next to my ear. I had to hold back my instinct to ram my elbow into his stomach.

  He was okay. He was safe. I could trust him.

  I calmed myself in moments, not letting him know he nearly got his ass whooped for sneaking up on me.

  “What is what?” I whispered.

  “A date.”

  He was so flirting with me. My insides warmed up, going all fuzzy.

  “Maybe.” When I turned to face him, I was only a breath’s distance away from his face. All it would take was for me to lean in a couple of inches and I would be kissing his cheek. He hadn’t shaved since yesterday, and a nice growth of hair was beginning to cover his jaw, adding to his ruggedness. I shook out of my perverted thoughts and focused on his words. Date. Right. “If it is, you better let me throw the first punch then. It’s what a gentleman would do.”

  “Then by all means. You can start the brawl. But we need to find people to brawl with first.”

  “My pleasure.” I stepped into the hallway and worked my way slowly down the hall, using my senses to find energy behind the closed doors. We got to the end and found stairs that went down.

  “Do you think it leads to a creepy dungeon?” Landus asked.

  “I’ve never seen a real dungeon before. That would make for great ambiance.”

  Landus sniffed the air. “Are you turned on?” he asked me, his eyes big with shock.

  I just shrugged. “What can I say, danger fires me up.”

  “This does it for you?” He was having a really hard time accepting that.

  I turned to him, my expression serious. “We all have our kicks. I’ve lived so long in danger that I’ve learned to embrace it. Now, can we move on?”

  He mumbled something underneath his breath, but I couldn’t make out the words. Ignoring his inquisitive eyes, I took lead. The steps spiraled downwards, keeping the secrets of the floor below us a surprise to the very end. I didn’t even know what to expect. The air was heavy with anticipation. There could be baddies, or we were just in an empty house tucked away somewhere.

  Oh, please let there be baddies.

  “What do you sense?” I asked when we got to the bottom of the stairs.

  “People. Probably about ten or so. Most of them need a bath.” His lip curled up in disgust.

  “Charge in and take them out?”

  “And if that man you mentioned is with them?” he asked.

  “He better be.” I grinned at the thought of going another round with him. “He plays nasty and fights on the same level as me. Not an easy opponent.”

  Landus stayed quiet for a moment, his body pressing against my back, his heat sinking into me, making its way to my core. He felt good there. I allowed myself to briefly think about what it would be like to tumble in the sheets with him, but only for a moment. First, I needed to kick some ass as foreplay.

  “The other shifters are on their way. We should start this party,” Landus whispered into my ear.

  “Aye-aye.”

  We crept forward and went to the left where everyone had congregated.

  I didn’t give them a chance to discover us. I just dove into the room, kicking out and taking a guy down in a matter of moments with a twist of his neck. Landus used nearly the same speed I did, and in a few short seconds, we had four guys down on the ground with eight more to go.

  Landus was right, they all smelled like they hadn’t taken a bath in weeks. The odor tickled my nose, and my face curled up in disgust. If I were a lesser being, they would have decapitated me with smell alone.

  “Twelve, not ten,” I said.

  “I said or so,” Landus responded as everyone got their acts together and reacted to our attack.

  The small, packed room barely gave me room to move, and yet some idiot still managed to wave around a damn staff. I used it against him, shoving him against the wall, and trapping him with the stupid stick. Hearing a shuffle behind me and feeling a breeze against my neck, I put all my weight on the man, kicked back, and hit someone else in the stomach. He let out an oomph noise. Not giving them time to retaliate, I yanked the staff out of the enemy’s hand and whirled. The staff made a buzzing noise as it glided through the air, and with a resounding whack, it connected with the head of the guy I kicked. Chuckling, I jerked the stick backward and let it find a home in the stomach of the one I shoved against the wall.

  With both of them down and my adrenaline high, I used my knee and strength, snapping the staff like a twig, giving me two shorter pieces to cause more chaos. I grinned mercilessly. At this point, my body burned, the heat scorching yet comfortable as I fought. Something deep inside called for blood, and I was all too willing to respond.

  Loud pounding echoed through the building as another large group came in, practically doubling the number of baddies. I flashed them a feral grin, ignoring Landus’s growl. I played with my new weapons to show off briefly, then I danced.

  I spun, ducking and dodging their attacks, using the sticks as an extension of myself. My hair whipped around my face as I found a beat from within me and kept to it with the speed and ruthlessness that usually had people running the other way. A smile found a home on my face. Slade said it was creepy that I smiled when I was in the middle of a good fight. It was the only time I felt alive and strong. I was a survivor, and I proved it every time I stepped into a fight and came out a winner. I played for keeps, meaning every fight was to the death. This was no different as my senses heightened. I knew Landus was fighting just as hard. I could feel his movements rippling through the air.

  Out of curiosity, I wanted to stop just so I could watch him. I could feel how kickass he was, but couldn’t really see, not with all the bodies around us. Our backup should have been here at any moment but I wasn’t going to rely on them, so I kept fighting with everything I had.

  Someone managed to body slam me on the floor. My breath was knocked out of me. Gasping, I rolled away before a huge boot was introduced to my face. I swept out my leg, taking two people down, and then rolled up to my feet, ready to meet my next opponent. Already my breathing was under control.

  Of course, my next opponent had to be the meanest and baddest of them all—Mr. Big Baddie. Before I could follow how it happened, he had me slammed hard against the wall, an elbow digging into my neck, blocking my airway. Pain snapped up my spine. I tried to grunt, but he tightened his hold on me. His cronies formed a half circle around him to keep Landus busy and unable to reach me.

  It was just him and me.

  Chapter Ten

  I remember spotting a man encased in shadows. His eyes roamed over my small body with a dangerous gleam. I remember a whisper in my head telling me to run. To never stop. I ran. He stalked.

  —Nyssa’s Journal

  “Little Hopper, good to see you again, I think,” a deep, confident voice said into my ear. His breath smelled of peppermint with something richer underneath.

  I blinked past the pain and into dark eyes filled with shadows of rage. Those shadows probably would have been worse if he wasn’t finding me so entertaining right now.

  “Mr. Baddie, what can I do for you?” I smiled, flashing him my teeth.

  “More like what can I do for you?” He returned the ve
ry same smile. He slowly looked over my body. “I see my little present didn’t take.”

  My eyes narrowed.

  Present? What present?

  “What are you going on about?”

  His smirk was as cold as his eyes. “What are you doing here, and why are you picking on my men? We don’t have anyone for you to pick up this time.”

  Someone screamed in pure agony, and in another moment it was abruptly cut off. Neither of us bothered looking. I could feel Landus as he got closer.

  “Because they picked on my friends,” I replied.

  He glanced over to Landus, whose eyes were a deadly focus on me as he nearly twisted the head off of some poor flunky. In that moment, I realized how deadly Landus’s beast was. Whatever it was, it was more primal and instinctive than anything I’d ever met.

  Another man attacked him, but Landus never looked away as he killed him.

  Where were they all coming from? We only sensed the men in this room when we decided to wage a war against them. If we had known there were even more, we might have called in some backup before we made our move.

  “Ah, so he went crying to you for help.”

  “Something like that.” I kicked out, connecting with his thigh, but he only tightened his grip on me. He leaned in, sniffing along my neck, up to my ear, and then across my cheek until he hovered over my lips.

  “What are you?” he asked, interest sparking in his eyes. He didn’t seem to care that Landus was ripping body parts off people behind him to get to us.

  “I already told you before, I’m a hopper.”

  “I’m not talking about your profession.”

  I shrugged. “Too bad. That’s the only answer you’re getting from me.”

  He smirked. “Tell me, Nyssa, where did you come from?”

  “How do you know my name?”

  “I’m not without connections, Little Hopper.” He tightened his hold around my neck as his anger peeked out. I could barely breathe now, but I refused to let him know that. “Someone interrupts my plans, I’m going to find out who. Wasn’t even hard, either. You’re well known around Teragona. Showed up about six years ago and made a pretty big name for yourself. But before that, where were you?”