by Heather Karn
“Be careful,” I warned Lee after rolling down my window.
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mother. I heard you weren’t coming.”
I fought not to hang my head as I watched Raven meet up with Shannon and Jackson at the front of the truck. His blazing eyes met mine, and I turned away to stare at my brother. I opened my mouth to comment, but Avery tossed a few knives into my lap through the open window.
“Just in case,” he told me with a wink. “Come on, kid, let’s get this over with.”
Lee gave me a brief wave before following the rest of the group toward the building. They were halfway to the building when a howl ripped through the night air followed by dozens of terrified screams. The door to the event center burst open and people ran from the building. Some tripped and were soon trampled by the terrified people behind them.
The team raced toward the building, and I hopped from the truck, but stopped when I remembered my promise to Raven. I wouldn’t, and couldn’t, break that promise and leave the truck after the disaster that happened the last time I’d done so. Instead, I was forced to watch as the team broke through the continuous wave of people racing through the door.
Several more people fell, and soon there was a massive pile of bodies, but that didn’t stop anyone. They began to climb over one another, shoving those below behind as they made their way to safety. It was every man for himself, even if they got someone else killed.
I was seconds away from racing over to start uselessly screaming at them when a second howl tore through the night. This one was different, and off to my left, and the first followed right after from inside the building.
Two. There were two werewolves.
The howl had been too close, much too close, and I watched in horror as civilians raced away from the new threat as it approached, knocking cars out of the way like they were toys. My jaw dropped. I’d never seen anything like this in my life.
No less than ten feet tall, the brute stood on its two hind legs. Every muscle in its body was evident, even through its thick fur. Its head was larger than my torso, and the claws it brandished were at least as long as the length from my wrist to the tip of my middle finger, and thick. The claws gleamed in the moonlight as it raised its head skyward to send another howl into the night.
That broke me from my shock. There was no way my team could get to this werewolf before it started killing people, which meant I was the only person around to stop it. But I couldn’t do that if I was just me. With little choice left, I ripped open my purse and grabbed the first vial of blood and attempted to open it with shaky hands. By the third try, I was able to twist the cap off, and without thinking about what I was drinking, I did as Raven had envisioned for me and threw the vial back like I’d seen people drink shots.
The sweet liquid made its way down my throat and into my belly. Warmth filled my body from the inside out as an indescribable energy lanced through my arteries and veins, spreading throughout my body via my blood. My canines bulged and lengthened until they pressed against my lower lip and a sour flavor filled my mouth. Venom. It had to be my venom.
As I stared out at the crowd, my senses began to change. Color differences became more extreme and brighter, more defined. The tiniest scrape of shoes on the pavement alerted me to movement. The scent of the werewolf’s musk turned my stomach. Even the feel of my leather jacket was more heightened.
Ignoring the rest of the change, I grabbed for the second vial since the thirst I’d sated wasn’t completely quenched. This vial opened in one attempt since I was no longer trembling, and my body already felt stronger. Tipping the second vial back, I swallowed, savoring the flavors playing over my tongue, my thirst finally satisfied.
I didn’t waste any more time, but dug the phone from my pocket and called Raven. He answered on the fourth ring.
“What’s happening out there?” he growled.
I ignored his attitude and focused on the approaching threat. “There’s a second werewolf. It’s in the parking lot and heading toward the citizens. I’m going to attempt to slow him down, but you’ll have to get your butt out here to finish him. I can’t do it alone.”
“No, you’ll sit in that truck!” he bellowed.
“I drank your blood, Raven. I brought two vials with me and I drank it. Now I’m going to distract that wolf so nobody else has to die. Just hurry up and get your butt out here before his furry butt kills me.”
“No, Koda. Stay in that truck.”
“Not when people are going to die. I didn’t sign up to be an Elite to sit around and watch Threats kill innocent civilians.”
“Koda-.”
“I’m doing this whether you like it or not.”
Raven growled and his voice darkened. “Do not let that thing bite you, Koda. Don’t you dare let it bite you. I’ll be right there.”
The chill in my trainer’s voice sent a cold tingle down my spine. Yeah, I could distract the beast, but I had to stay unbitten while doing it or I wouldn’t help anyone. I’d likely shift into a werewolf on the spot and kill them all. It would be my luck.
My purse ended up thrown on the truck seat and I reached for the knives, grateful Avery had brought them for me. I missed the knives Raven had given me before my first attack, but there was nothing I could do to have them magically appear in this moment. I’d deal with what I had and learn to carry them with me in the future.
Strapping these knives to my body, I marched in the direction of the werewolf. His back was to me, his sights set on a teenage boy and girl huddled against a cement planter at the edge of the parking lot. They saw the monster coming at them, but both were too scared to move, like a mouse watching the cat approach. Only this was no cat.
“Hey, fur brain!” I yelled over the screams of the people still escaping the event center, only to find another beast outside. “Yeah, I’m talking to you. The one with the tail.”
The werewolf turned around and I got my first true glimpse of him. No wonder the teenagers had been scared stiff. This creature was terrifying. His snarl lifted his lips away from teeth the size of my blades, and there were two neat rows of them waiting to taste my blood. Even his eyes bore into me, a reddish glow at their depths.
This was insane. My brain kept screaming that thought at me over and over as I readied myself, brandishing two knives while I prepared to fight instead of fleeing. Two minutes ago, this wouldn’t have been possible, but now I was ready to end this creature.
It dove at me far faster than even the ghoul had moved, and without the new blood in my veins, the beast would have torn me to shreds. I dove out of its way as claws cut through the air where I’d been standing, and I managed to dig the silver blade of a knife deep into its shoulder.
A cry of pain tore up its throat before I found myself flying through the air to crash against the side of a nearby minivan. The blasted thing had backhanded me in the stomach. I double over, heaving for air, but surprisingly alive after that hit, let alone the sudden stop against the van. More than ever I was thankful for Raven’s blood that coursed through my body.
As if the thought of his blood had called him, Raven leapt from the darkness surrounding us to sink his sword into the werewolf’s knee. He was smart enough to evade the wolf’s attack when it came, ducking out of the way. After retrieving his blade, Raven moved to stand between me and the creature. I wasn’t a fool. I may have felt amazing, but I was still a pathetic fighter.
Cars around us rose into the air to fly at the werewolf’s head. It avoided most of them, but several in a row hit him, knocking him over. Turning around to bellow a roar at Shannon as she approached with two more cars before her, the wolf opened himself up to the silver crossbow bolt that whizzed into his chest with a solid thunk. The werewolf stared down at it before teetering to one side and over correcting to the other before collapsing. That was all that Raven needed. He jumped from the ground and sunk his sword up to the hilt into the wolf’s back and straight through its heart.
The creatu
re spasmed and gave its last breath. I didn’t have time to breath before Raven was at my side, his raging eyes ablaze.
“Did it bite you?”
“No.”
He grabbed my arms, shaking me as he screamed in my face. “What were you thinking, you little idiot? That thing was going to kill you. Don’t you ever do anything like that again.”
The sting of his words barely had time to reach me before I was crushed against Raven’s chest. Tremors raced through his body and warmth filled mine. I’d take his yelling any day. It meant I was still alive.
Chapter 19
Raven held me in his arms for several minutes. It wasn’t a comforting hug. There was no rubbing my back or whispering I was safe and okay. His arms were wrapped around me like a vise, holding me to him with an intensity that screamed that if he let go, I’d drop dead to the ground.
“I’m alive, Raven,” I finally murmured. The words had barely left my mouth before another howl tore through the night before being cut off with a choking sound. That only served to tighten Raven’s hold on me. “If you don’t let go, Captain,” I told him, spitting out his title, “then I’m going to bite you.”
“It won’t affect me,” he growled into my ear.
“But it will get your attention, will it not?”
A tremor passed through him, followed by another until his arms loosened and I realized he was laughing. Not a boisterous laugh, but amused chuckles. His sly grin belied the rage he’d shown me a moment ago, which mentally threw me off balance.
“Yes, it would get my attention. Now,” he sobered in an instant, continuing his emotional ping pong. “let me see your eyes.”
Taking my face in his hands, Raven tilted my head so that we were staring directly into one another’s eyes. Inches separated our faces, and with the new intensity of my senses, I could feel the heat of his breath warming my skin, and it took all I had not to drop my gaze to his mouth. Since he watched my eyes, there would be no hiding the direction of my thoughts. Not that I wanted to kiss him, but a pair of good looking lips were always fun to stare at. But not when that man was my trainer.
“Your eyes are beautiful,” he murmured before cocking a grin at me. “And it’s good to see you didn’t lie to me about drinking my blood.”
“I would not have lied about that,” I told him, crossing my arms over my chest and meeting his gaze.
“I know, but I had my concerns nonetheless.”
“Are my eyes really purple?”
Raven nodded. “They are. I’m sorry to say it, but you’ll find people will treat you differently now. Keep a pair of sunglasses with you or in the truck, just in case you need them. Sometimes it’s better to avoid any confrontations, and your eyes will be far more sensitive to the sun and light now. We may not be vamps, but we share some of their characteristics.”
So, I’d been right. The basement was kept darker for Raven’s convenience. Now it would be for mine as well. But at least we could go out in the sun, unlike our vampire cousins.
“Are you hurt?” Lee yelled, running toward me through the parking lot, interrupting the conversation with Raven. “They said you were going to distract this beast. Are you insane?”
Lee’s arguments died on his lips when I turned to face him. His jaw dropped and the color left his face. A part of me curled up inside and shuddered at the way my brother stared at me. He’d known what I was, but seeing it for the first time was startling. Heck, I hadn’t seen myself yet.
A sudden need to see what I looked like now that my eyes were the wrong color overtook me and I raced to the truck. Lee called out behind me, and his footsteps followed. I didn’t stop until I reached the truck. The truck’s height always gave me problems, but not now. Instead of pulling myself up and dragging my body inside, I hopped up and twisted in, much like Raven did. It was a graceful move, and I almost went into shock that I’d performed it spot on.
“Koda, listen to me, will you?” Lee ordered, coming to stand beside the open door, slightly winded from trying to catch me. “I’m sorry for my reaction. I didn’t know what had happened and it shocked me. It’s no excuse for responding like an idiot.”
While he spoke and explained himself, which I only half listened to, I pulled down the sun visor and flipped open the mirror underneath. In the dim light, and with the cab light shadowing my face, I shouldn’t have been able to see the details of my face that I did. Gathering my courage, I peered into my reflection, focusing on my eyes.
A gasp escaped me, and I subconsciously reached for Lee, who took my hand. It wasn’t just my eye color that had changed. My skin had smoothed out and my complexion was even instead of slightly splotchy. Even my eyelashes appeared a bit longer, accenting my bright eyes. It was either changes to my body or my senses. Right now I wasn’t sure I wanted to waste the time trying to figure it out.
“This is insane,” I whispered to myself, turning to Lee. “I’m sorry, Lee. I ran because I wanted to see what I looked like.”
“I get it. I gotta say, the look is good for you. I mean, the black uniform, leather jacket, dark hair, and then boom! Bright eyes. Yeah, you look tough.”
“Now if only I can be tough.” Sliding from the driver’s seat, I found Raven and Luella walking toward us. A series of sirens was drawing closer, and by the time the pair reached us, the surrounding area was growing packed with police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks.
“It’s getting a bit crowded, don’t you think?” Luella asked us over the blare of the sirens. “Time to head out?”
“Yes,” Raven all but screamed. I understood his need to leave. My ears were thumping and I was going deaf from all of the racket.
“Don’t we have to help with the civilians and the werewolf bodies?” Lee asked, but Raven opened the back door of the truck and motioned him inside.
“Jonas’s team has it covered. We’re going home.”
Avery joined us a minute later, and Shannon and Jackson hopped in the Suburban with Luella. We pulled away, and the farther we drove, the less intense the sirens became until I was able to sag against the seat and relax. Raven chuckled. At least someone knew how I was feeling.
“So, now we have two official vamlures on the team, huh?” Avery laughed. “That basement is going to become awfully dark again.”
I had to agree with him. After five minutes on the road, I was forced to close my eyes against the oncoming car headlights. Each one pierced into my vision, leaving dark spots behind as the car passed and made my eyes water. Thank goodness the sounds outside the truck were dampened by the glass and metal surrounding us. When I thought of leaving the confines of the vehicle, I wanted to cry.
Raven reached across the center console and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I forgot how overbearing and over stimulating it can be after your first blood. Your body will adjust. It’s gone through a large change, and it’ll take time, but you’ll get through it.”
“Tell that to my throbbing skull. I think my head’s about to explode.”
“A good night’s sleep and a trip to the mall should cure that,” Raven replied, and I dropped my hand from covering my eyes.
“The mall?” Had I heard him right?
My trainer nodded. “Yes, the mall. I’m giving you tomorrow off from training and Luella has asked if you can join her and Shannon for a trip to the mall. Apparently they feel you’re in need of some girl time. Something about too much testosterone and not enough estrogen in your life.” He shrugged. “So, you’ll be going to the mall. If anything, it’ll be a crash course in helping you adapt to your body’s changes. And you can pick out a few pairs of sunglasses while you’re at it. Oh, and you might want to buy a formal dress. The Elite Ball is coming up in a few weeks, and you’ll need to dress up for that. We all do unfortunately.”
The idea of dressing up in a gorgeous gown sent waves of excitement coursing through me, pushing the headache aside. In the next instant, I tried picturing Raven in a tux. The image that came to mind was far mo
re attractive than I cared to admit, even to myself. Casting a sidelong glance at Raven, I eyed him through my improved vision.
His leather jacket hid most of his muscles, but the strong curve of his jaw was more pronounced, and even his skin tone was more attractive. Shaking myself, I tried to focus my brain on something other than attractive skin. That was weird. And I shouldn’t have been having those thoughts about my trainer.
“Everything okay up there?” Avery snickered at me. “I’d expect that sort of reaction from Jackson in canine form.”
“I’m fine,” I groaned. “Just trying to comprehend everything. And I can’t wait to go dress shopping.”
Lee leaned forward so his head was almost between the front seats. “Do we have to bring dates to this Ball?”
“You can if you’d like,” Raven called over his shoulder. “It’s up to you. Avery and I usually go stag. Jackson always asks Shannon to go with him, and Luella brings whoever she’s currently into. Last year it was some otter shifter I think.”
Avery snorted. “Nah, you’re thinking of the guy before her date. Last year it was that egotistical warlock who decided to challenge you to arm wrestling.”
“What?” A grin crossed my lips as I pictured the sight. “What happened?”
“Raven broke the guys arm,” Avery hooted. “Luella wouldn’t speak to Raven for over a week, at least not until she dumped the guy. Then Raven became a saint for his good judgment.”
“That naiad needs better taste in men,” Raven grumbled, pulling into our driveway. “Koda, maybe tomorrow you can explain that to her.”
There wasn’t even time for me to respond before Lee snorted. “Koda’s never had a boyfriend in her life, and honestly, I’m not too sure about her judgment in men. Luella may like just about any male there is, but Koda is way too picky. I swear she has a list, and if they don’t meet all of her criteria, she doesn’t even consider them.”
