by Cheree Alsop
“It is,” I replied.
She reached her hand out for me without opening her eyes. I could hear her heartbeat grow slower. “Will you keep me safe while I sleep?”
My throat thickened so that it was hard to speak. “Of course,” I whispered, slipping my hand into hers.
The tension in her fingers eased until it was my hand holding hers up. I set mine on the bar of the bed, suddenly aware of how exhausted I was. I leaned forward and rested my forehead near her pillow. Fray’s scent of black licorice and sage swirled around me in an eddy of promise. I closed my eyes and let it calm my soul.
“I should have guessed I’d find you here.”
It told a great deal about my body that I didn’t even flinch when the voice awoke me.
I tipped my head to see Virgo standing in the doorway. He was dressed in clean clothes and his hair was pulled back into its usual ponytail. He gave me a worried smile.
“Are you alright?”
I sat back. Sometime during the night, my hand had slipped from Fray’s. I regretted the loss of contact, but didn’t feel bold enough to renew the touch with the warlock watching.
“I’m fine,” I told him.
He gave a chuckle. “You’d say that on your deathbed.”
That brought a smile to my lips. “I think I was pretty much there.”
He nodded. “Me, too.” His smile fell when he looked at Fray. “How is she?”
I turned my gaze to her. The dhampir’s lips held a bluish tint. The bag of blood that ran down the tube into her arm was growing low. The label PN for paranormal was impossible to miss.
“Not good,” I told him. “I think she’s in trouble.”
“We’ll find a way to help her,” the warlock reassured me.
“But Clay said there was no cure,” I reminded him.
Virgo shook his head. “Don’t believe anything he said.” His eyes glinted with anger. “He tried to destroy the world. He’d say anything to hurt us.”
I knew the warlock meant specifically him. I lightened my tone and said, “You did a great job back there.”
“Thanks,” he replied. “I surprised myself.”
I nodded. “How’s your mom?”
“Good.” The smile that returned to his face said everything. “Jemmy is on her way to pick her up. You should have heard my sister screaming and crying on the phone. I had to let Mom talk to her in order to convince her I was telling the truth.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame with a look of satisfaction on his face. “Captain Roarsh said he would take her to meet Jemmy in town himself.”
I watched him in surprise. “You’re staying?”
He studied my face. “You’re not?”
I glanced at Fray, then shrugged. “I’m not sure. I made a bargain with the Captain.”
He gave a knowing chuckle. “He told me. He wasn’t happy about it.”
Reassurance filled me. If the Captain wasn’t happy, it was because he knew he had to keep his word. The werewolves were safe and we were free to go if we wanted to.
“You should stay,” Virgo said. He paused, then concluded, “If you want to. You’re good at this demon thing.”
I snorted and shook my head. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
He grinned. “It is. Trust me.”
Fray let out a little moan. The monitor by the bed responded with several quick beeps and then gave a warning siren. I could hear the dhampir’s heartbeat racing.
“Fray, Fray, wake up,” I told her. I touched her shoulder. Her skin beneath the dressing gown was hot enough to shock me. “She’s burning up,” I said to Virgo.
“Dhampirs are supposed to be cold,” the warlock replied worriedly.
Footsteps thundered down the hall. Dr. Fi and Carrigan appeared.
“What are you doing here?” the doctor demanded. “Get out!”
I backed away as the doctor and nurse checked Fray’s vitals.
“She’s in shock. Get me adrenaline,” Dr. Fi ordered.
Carrigan rushed from the room.
“Is she going to be okay?” I blurted, unable to keep it inside.
The doctor looked at me over his shoulder. “I don’t know,” he answered curtly. “You need to get back to your bed and give us space to work. Her condition is serious.”
The cane snagged on the chair leg and I stumbled against the door. Virgo ducked under my arm and helped me back up the hallway.
Carrigan ran past us with supplies on a tray. I wanted to beg her to help Fray, but couldn’t bring myself to speak. I kept feeling the dhampir’s hand in mine and hearing her plead for me to keep her safe while she slept. I didn’t want to leave her there.
“Come on,” Virgo encouraged me. “They’ll do everything they can. You need to rest.”
“I don’t want to,” I replied, sounding like a petulant child.
Virgo threw me a smile. “Well, you don’t always get what you want. If you don’t go back to bed, I’m telling Mom.”
The thought of Rosalinda’s disappointment made me obey. Her comment about her being one of my mothers surfaced in my mind and filled me with warmth. I may not have had a true mother I knew, but Mrs. Stein and Mrs. Willard had certainly taken over the role. The fact that they were both alive and well was enough to make a person feel as though they had a family.
By the time we made it back to my room, my eyes were closing of their own accord.
“Thanks, Virg,” I said sleepily as I leaned onto the bed with care not to jostle my leg.
“You bet,” he replied. He helped ease my leg back onto the mattress.
I had the distinct sensation of someone smoothing the blankets over me. I opened my eyes. “Are you tucking me in?”
“Yes,” he replied simply. “And I can honestly say that this is the first time in my life I have ever tucked in a werewolf.”
My eyes closed again. “I promised Fray I would watch over her.”
“I’ll do it,” my friend reassured me. “You just get some sleep. Everything will be better when you wake up again.”
“Alright,” I slurred.
Sleep took over with a calming dream of standing at the edge of the ocean watching the water lap at my toes.
“It’s not going to be easy.”
I glanced over to see Aspen, the youngest of the Willard children, standing at my side. Next to her stood the demon, Borig. He towered over her, but there was nothing menacing in his stance. He simply watched the waves with us, his forked tongue testing the air.
“What’s not going to be easy?” I asked.
Both Borig and Aspen spoke as one. “Finding her. You can’t give up.”
“I’d never give up,” I replied. “I love her.”
A storm started over the ocean. The clouds darkened with a ferocity that let me know I was caught in a dream.
Borig nodded and they both said, “It might be enough, but you’ll have to hurry. You have to find Wolfsbane.”
“I’m allergic to it,” I said. “It will kill me.”
Rain swept across the water toward us. The wind rocked me back on my heels, but Aspen and Borig appeared unaffected by it.
Aspen shook her head. They said, “Not it, him. Find Wolfsbane. He’s the only way you will save her.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said.
The clouds lowered, surrounding me and blocking my sight of the little girl and the demon. I raised my voice. “Aspie? Borig? I don’t know what you mean!”
The wind whipped my hair into my eyes. I raised an arm to shield my face from the pelting rain.
“Borig?” I shouted.
Aspen’s soft voice carried to me on the wind. “Wake up, Zev.”
I strained to hear anything else. Her words repeated louder, but they were deeper. “Wake up, Zev. You’ve got to wake up!”
Borig appeared out of the darkness. His red eyes glowed into mine as if he could see my soul. “She’s counting on you. Wake up!”
He raised a massive, clawed hand and shoved it against my chest. The moment he touched me, a huge surge of adrenaline rushed through my body. My eyes flew open and I found myself in my bed in the medical wing of the Division. Daylight streamed through the window; it took a second for my eyes to focus.
Virgo leaned over me, his eyes wide and breath coming in gasps.
“Zev, get up! Fray’s gone!”
The Wolfborne Saga
Book 6- Hunter’s War
By Cheree Alsop
Chapter One
Fray’s eyes flew open. The dhampir’s gaze took on a silver gleam in the glare of the neon lights overhead. The monitor near her bed gave a staccato double-beat; her eyes narrowed. She reached down and slid the IV of paranormal blood from her arm. The bandages from the shade bites stuck to the wounds that refused to heal. The sheen of unfamiliar sweat made her pale skin glisten.
“Who are you?”
Her voice was firm and unafraid. I didn’t know if she was pretending or if she had regained some strength from the blood.
“I told you we would catch up to you someday,” the voice of a man just outside the reach of the camera replied.
Fray’s face paled and she collapsed back against the pillows. Her show of strength was gone; instead, she looked small and frail, her skin nearly as white as the sheets.
“No,” she whispered.
“It’s time,” the voice said.
Electricity crackled and every light turned out, including the monitor.
Another pop sounded and the monitor turned on again. The lights returned, showing an empty bed. The dhampir was gone.
I pushed the button to watch the recording again. It had taken on a repetitive familiarity that calmed my racing thoughts. Someone kidnapped Fray. The dhampir was sick from the demons’ bites, and we didn’t have a cure. She had confessed that she loved me and had asked me to watch over her. I had failed.
“No other cameras picked up signs of unusual activity,” a soldier reported to Captain Roarsh.
I saw the Captain give a frown of frustration out of the corner of my eye. “Keep looking. There has to be something.”
“But Captain,” the man began.
“Keep looking!” the Captain shouted.
“Yes, Sir,” the soldier replied.
He ducked out of the door with two others at his side.
Captain Roarsh shook his head. “I can’t believe the Hunters took her right out from under our noses.”
“We have no evidence to prove it was the Hunters,” Jeffries pointed out.
Captain Roarsh silenced him with a glare. “Who else would be on such familiar terms with a dhampir? She was their target, their only target, and they vanished like ghosts in our own house!”
I rose from the desk. “I’m getting her back.”
“No, you’re not,” the Captain replied.
I held his gaze without bending. “You don’t own me anymore, Captain. I’m free, remember? I did the job you needed. It’s done. Fray may still pay for it with her life; I’m leaving to make sure that doesn’t happen.” My voice lowered to a deadly growl. “Try to stop me.”
I walked out of the room. The sound of Virgo hurrying to catch up met my ears.
“Where do we start?” he asked.
I appreciated the warlock’s quick inclusion of himself in my plans. We had just rescued his mother. I wouldn’t have blamed him one bit if he chose to go home with her and his sister. His willingness to throw in with me was touching.
“Find out what you can about the Hunters from Sutter; Kai mentioned he’s up and researching again. Then meet me in the yard. I’m going to get us a lift.”
“You can’t drive,” Virgo pointed out.
“We’re taking a chopper,” I told him.
Aware of his stare, I turned. “Everyone at the Division owes the Demon Crew their life. It’s time to call in some favors.”
I limped to the cafeteria. Using the cane was maddening, but Dr. Fi’s warning that I would be crippled for life if I didn’t give my leg time to heal echoed in my mind. A few more nights in the moonlight would do the job, but I didn’t have time to just sit around waiting for the shattered bones to heal.
The commotion of teams eating, talking, and laughing died down when I entered the mess hall. A man on my left stood and saluted. I recognized him as Ten, the fearless commander from my last mission. His team rose with him, then others when they noticed their comrades. Soon, the entire cafeteria was on its feet saluting.
I didn’t know what to say. Looking into the faces of the men and women I had fought beside to take down the shades, Virgo’s father who commanded them, and stop the demon door from being opened, I felt unworthy of their respect. They were the brave souls who risked their lives every day to protect the world from the paranormal threats most humans didn’t even know existed. I had done so for barely over a week.
The nagging voice in the back of my mind whispered that saving the world from the biggest threat the Division had ever faced had made it a pretty intense week. A wry smile touched my lips.
I saluted the soldiers back.
“At ease,” I told them.
Several chuckles answered as the teams took their seats again. Nobody spoke. The realization that they were waiting for me to do so was a sobering one.
“I stand in awe of the bravery of each and every one of you,” I told them. My voice resonated off the corners. I wasn’t used to addressing a crowd. It amazed me that I could feel more anxious talking to a room of soldiers than facing down a dozen demons. I took a calming breath and continued with, “My time here has been short, but it’s been an honor training and protecting the world beside you.” I looked around the room. “Fray was kidnapped by Hunters and taken from our own medical wing in no shape to fend for herself. I’m going after her, but I need some help.”
“Anything,” Ten called out.
“Name it,” a big man named Jake said.
Nods of agreement seconded their sentiment.
“I need a chopper,” I began.
“Done,” a woman shouted from one of the further tables.
That brought a smile to my face. “Hold on. I’m not done.”
Warm laughter rounded the room.
“You need to know what you’re getting into,” I told them. “I don’t exactly have Captain Roarsh’s approval for this. It’s off the books and may get you kicked out of the Division.”
A man named Watch Dog said, “I need a vacation anyway.”
More laughter followed his words.
I nodded in gratitude at the man I had once had a hand in helping to dye blue. “I appreciate it,” I told him. “We’re getting intel on the Hunters and may need help tracking down the person who can cure the shade bites Fray received during our last mission.” My eyes found the Demon Crew sitting at our usual table near the middle of the room. “I won’t know what help we’ll need until we get to that point, but if you’ll stay on call, you’d have my gratitude.”
Kai and Riot nodded. Tears showed in Serian’s eyes. The seven had very quickly been cut down to three. I hated the thought of them going out to fight demons without the rest of us as backup. I hoped the Captain didn’t resort to recruiting the way he had with Virgo and me.
“For now, we need stealth transportation and possibly a lift after that,” I said. “When we find the cure, I’ll keep in touch.”
“You better,” Ten told me.
The nods and other voices that said more of the same touched me beyond words. I had only been at the Division for a short while, yet the loyalty of the soldiers in front of me went far beyond the walls and missions we had run together.
I cleared my throat past the tightness and said, “I never thought that a pack could be made of more than just werewolves, but I am proud to call you my brothers and sisters, my pack. We’ve bled together, fought together, and saved this world. I am richer for having spent time in your company. Thank you.”
My team applauded and it ble
d through the soldiers until everyone was on their feet shouting and whistling and clapping. I shook my head in awe at the display, and turned away with the knowledge that I was a far better person for having known them all.
Footsteps met me at the door.
“I’ll have your chopper ready in fifteen,” the woman who had originally volunteered said. Her crew nodded from behind her. “It’ll be our honor, Sir.”
“Thank you,” I replied.
She gave a salute and they took off running down the hall. I headed for the Demon Crew’s quarters to find Virgo. I paused in my room and lingered in the doorway.
I had brought nothing to the Division with me, yet the room was one of the things I was most reluctant to leave. The dresser with my size of clothes, the bed with the blankets on the floor because it was too soft, and the towel that still hung by the door to claim the room as my own had made it a sort of sanctuary. I closed the door behind me and hoped that someday I might find another place I could call my own.
I wasn’t surprised to find Captain Roarsh waiting for us in the hangar; in fact, I had been counting on it.
“If you plan to stop us, Captain—” I began.
He held up a hand to cut me off. “First of all, don’t kid yourself into thinking I can’t stop you from using one of the Division’s choppers if I choose. Second of all, I need you to think about what you’re doing.”
“Which is?” I asked.
He glanced at Virgo, then back at me. “Fray was dying when they took her.”
My heart slowed. “What?”
“Demon bites are death to dhampirs. Clay knew that when he used her to slow you down. I don’t know how much longer she has to live.”
“What are you saying?” I demanded. “That we should give up?”
He gave a small shrug. “There might be no Fray left by the time you track the Hunters down.”
My hands balled into fists.
The Captain held up a hand. “Now calm down. I’m just stating the facts. You’re flying off the handle to rescue someone who might not even be alive when you find her.”
