by Cheree Alsop
“You mean when you find her,” I replied.
He gave me a confused look. “What are you talking about?”
I willed my hands to relax. “You brought us here on false pretenses and we saved the Division and the world from a threat far bigger than you even guessed existed. You messed up and you realized it the night you dragged me from my hospital bed to save the team that you sent in to face something they weren’t prepared for.” I held his gaze with my heated one. “Fray was bitten by the shades because of you. She wouldn’t even be in this situation if you had filled in the Division Crew on what to expect instead of throwing them into the fire.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “And so while Virgo and I go find the cure she needs, you are going to use your resources to track down the Hunters who took her.”
Captain Roarsh watched me as though wondering whether he should use his position to cut me down a notch. I regarded him steadily and refused to back down even an inch. My plans depended on having the Captain at our back. I didn’t know if strong-arming him was the best way to handle the situation, but from what I had seen, the Captain respected strength and grabbed onto weakness like a bulldog. What he didn’t know was that werewolves were far more stubborn.
“How do you expect us to track them when they vanished like ghosts?” the Captain finally asked.
Relief chased the tension from my chest. If he was entertaining my request, he knew I had beaten him.
“I’m sure you have your ways,” I replied. “You found a handful of werewolves in a forest. This can’t be that hard.”
His eyes creased with acknowledgement. He pulled a cellphone from his pocket and tossed it to me.
I caught it out of the air.
“That’s a burner. We’ll call you as soon as we find anything.” He watched me curiously. “Where are you going?”
“I’m not sure yet,” I admitted. “But I have an idea.”
“It better be a good one,” he replied. “There is no cure for a dhampir bitten by a demon as far as we know, and we have a pretty extensive research team, as you are aware. I wish you luck.” He held out a hand.
I was touched and surprised by the gesture. “Thanks, Captain. We’ll do our best.”
“Your werewolf friends are safe,” he told me. “They’re no longer on the watch list and I’ve added them to the protective order. They’ll be out of harm’s way for the rest of their lives if they don’t harm any humans.”
The Captain’s words brought relief in a way I hadn’t realized I needed. I gave him a grateful nod. “I appreciate it.”
“You’ve earned it,” he replied. “Now get out of here before I start to regret letting two of the best soldiers I’ve ever known walk away from the Division.”
At his motion, the helicopter’s blades began to rotate.
Virgo jogged to the chopper. I turned at the last minute and saluted the Captain. It was the first salute I had ever given him. “It’s been an honor, Sir. Thank you for the opportunity.”
He nodded without a word. I ducked as the blades spun faster and climbed onto the waiting helicopter.
“Where to?” the pilot, Swift, asked when I slid the headset over my ears.
“Brickwell,” I replied. “Ever heard of it?”
She nodded. “We have teammates to pick up there. Any idea why?”
I thought of the surveillance team the Captain was pulling back and a smile touched my lips. “I have some idea.”
“Why Brickwell?” Virgo asked when we were in the air.
I glanced at him, aware that the rest of the helicopter crew could hear.
“We’ll make sure your mom got home safely,” I told him. “And we need to check on your bookstore.”
Confusion showed in his eyes when he asked, “Why the bookstore?”
“I just have a gut feeling,” I replied. “I spoke to Borig.”
The warlock’s eyes widened. “When?”
“Last night, just before you woke me up.”
His voice was quiet but urgent when he asked, “Are you sure it wasn’t a dream?”
“Positive. And he had a message for me.”
Virgo sat back. It was clear by his expression that the demon contacting me bothered him. I felt the same way. I turned my face to the window and let the dream sweep over me again. The details were as clear as they had been last night.
I could smell the salty scent of the ocean lapping at my toes.
“It’s not going to be easy.” Aspen and the demon who watched over her said at the same time.
“What’s not going to be easy?” I asked.
“Finding her. You can’t give up.”
“I’d never give up,” I replied. “I love her.”
It was the first time I had admitted it aloud. My chest tightened at the memory.
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.”
Aspen shook her head. They said, “Not it, him. Find Wolfsbane. He’s the only way you will save her.”
It had only taken me a few minutes to place the name Wolfsbane; granted, after my experience with the plant, I had a hard time forgetting it. Virgo had once found a book by an author with that name in his bookstore. He had been convinced at the time that the knowledge the author showed in his fictional books carried enough truth to have been written by a true paranormal expert. Apparently, this expert was who Borig wanted us to find. I could only hope it was that easy.
The intercom buzzed. Swift answered it on a channel we couldn’t hear. Virgo and I waited quietly until Gunnison, the copilot, turned toward us.
“We need to make a stop,” he called out.
“Is everything alright?” Virgo asked.
He nodded. “Should be quick. A couple of soldiers from the Small but Vicious team got separated from their group. They’re holed up not far from here and need a quick pick up.”
Virgo and I mouthed ‘Small but Vicious’ to each other; he grinned at the title. There were so many teams at the Division we hadn’t met them all, but the thought of any of them in trouble after all they sacrificed to protect the world made me anxious for them to be safe.
“Whatever you need to do,” I replied.
Gunnison nodded and Swift adjusted the helicopter’s heading. A few minutes later found us setting down in a meadow surrounded by trees. Swift shut off the engine, then grabbed two guns from the box behind the copilot’s chair. She winked at us. “Don’t worry. These are just precautionary. Hang tight.”
She and Gunnison exited the chopper. Virgo and I waited as the crunch of their footsteps through the fallen leaves disappeared.
A shiver of warning ran up my spine.
“I don’t like this,” I said.
“What’s to like?” Virgo replied. “We’ve just been ditched and somehow I doubt Small but Vicious has to do with Chihuahuas. Can you fly a chopper?”
I chuckled. “No, can you?”
“With magic, maybe,” he mused. “But I doubt they’d appreciate being left behind.” He gave a dramatic sigh. “I suppose we should go after them. I’m not sure how handy you’re going to be with that limp, though.”
I flipped the lid of the box open. “Handy enough,” I replied as I pulled out another set of pistols.
We both checked the clips with a proficiency that spoke of way too much familiarity with such weapons.
“Silver bullets,” Virgo noted.
I could have told him that before even opening the box. The smell stung my nose.
“They’re not fooling around,” I replied. “Let’s go.”
He jumped out of the helicopter and headed across the meadow. I grabbed my cane and followed at a slower pace.
Virgo glanced back at me. “How much help can you be, limpy? Maybe you should wait in the helicopter.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “I have a vague recollection of saving the world in this condition.
”
He chuckled. “Are you going to bring that up every time I point out how lame you are?”
I sighed inwardly at his pun. It was one he had used enough times I could hear it coming before he spoke. “Yes,” I replied firmly.
He grinned. “Just checking.”
We entered the trees and followed the trail Swift and Gunnison had made through the underbrush. It wasn’t hard considering how the smell of gunmetal and jet fuel colored their steps.
“I’d bet tracking would be easier if you were a wolf,” Virgo said. He eyed the small clearing in front of us with uncertainty.
I pointed in the direction the humans had gone. “Three or four more nights and I can phase; at least Dr. Fi hoped so,” I replied.
“I’m sure that’ll be fun,” the warlock said with a tone of doubt.
I ignored him and kept my attention on the trail. It was easier than thinking about how painful the phase was going to be. If Dr. Fi was wrong about the timing or if the bones healed even a little bit off, my leg might shatter again. It was something I didn’t care to focus on.
“Through here,” I told Virgo.
He eyed the small path between the trees with uncertainty.
A strange, reptilian scent laced the foliage. It ran from the ground to well above our heads. I hoped that meant the creatures liked to climb, not that they were eight or so feet tall.
“Be careful,” I said quietly.
“Time for these?” Virgo asked, waving his gun.
I nodded and led the way into the tunnel. I could hear the warlock’s stilted breaths behind me. The fact that he had a gun loaded with silver made my muscles tight. He had shot me once with a tranquilizer dart, and because of him, I had been shot twice with silver bullets by a coven of witches. Though both circumstances were entirely different than the one in which we found ourselves, I couldn’t help the whispers of warning that echoed through my head.
I turned so that I could see him out of the corner of my eye as I walked. It was awkward, especially with the cane, but my instincts demanded no less.
“What are you doing?” Virgo whispered.
“Watching your back,” I replied quietly.
His eyes widened and he glanced over his shoulder. “Thanks, man. I wasn’t thinking about that.”
“No problem,” I replied with a pang of guilt.
He opened his mouth to say something else, but his words were cut off by a high-pitched scream.
I took off at a shambling run.
Chapter Two
A break in the trees showed a cave between two massive boulders. At least a dozen lizard-like creatures surrounded the opening; several pools of blood and carnage were visible at their feet. The creatures had blue scales, massive claws, and bony skulls instead of the normal, smooth head of a reptile. Peering into the cave, I could make out the forms of Swift and Gunnison standing in front of several others. Enough lizard bodies littered the ground that I had to wonder how many bullets they had left.
“What’s the plan?” Virgo whispered.
“We need to draw the lizards away from the cave so they can get the team back to the helicopter. I can smell several different types of blood. A few in the cave are still bleeding.”
Virgo looked pointedly at my leg. “I’m guessing it’s my job to lead the lizards away?”
I smiled grimly. “I’d give it a go, but I think you’ll have more fun.”
He pointed to a tree. “Fine, but you should probably wait up there; that way you can pick off the stragglers.”
I had to admit that it was a good plan. It took a bit of an effort to climb up silently, but Virgo gave me a humiliating boost and I managed to pull myself onto the lower limb he had pointed out.
“Ready?” the warlock whispered.
There was no mistaking the glee in his eyes. Whatever he was about to do, he was already enjoying it. Why did I have the feeling it wasn’t going to turn out the way he expected?
“Ready,” I replied.
He shoved his gun into his waistband and strolled through the trees like coming across a band of lizards hungry for human flesh was natural.
“Hey, Swift,” Virgo called out. “Fancy meeting you in a place like this!”
The head of every lizard swiveled to look at him. Their golden eyes glimmered in anticipation.
I saw the pilot’s eyes widen from my vantage point.
“Virgo, run!” Swift shouted.
The knee-high lizards darted through the grass toward him.
“Planning on it,” the warlock replied in a voice that hitched at the end. He turned on his heels and took off back the way he had come. When he reached my tree, he veered toward the north. I lost sight of him through the bushes.
The lizards followed his trail like a pack of hounds. Huffs and grunts of excitement escaped from them as they ran after him on deadly, glittering claws.
One paused beneath the tree where I hid. Its tongue lashed out to taste the cane where I had propped it. The creature lifted its head. Opalescent eyelids slid across its eyes. When they pulled back, it was looking right at me.
The lizard’s long snout opened. Instead of a normal mouth, the jaws hinged so that its head was split nearly in half. I found myself looking into a gaping maw big enough to swallow half of me in one gulp. The rows upon rows of serrated teeth echoed the sentiment. Its tongue waggled in the air as it tasted the breeze.
I was grateful for the height of the branch until I remembered that the scent of the lizards along the trail had reached far above my head. They were climbers.
The creature shut its mouth and sunk its front claws into the tree. The needle-sharp talons dug deep into the bark. With a surprising show of agility, the lizard then shoved with both its back and front legs, landing a few feet from me on the same branch.
“Nope,” I said.
I shot it square in the head. To my dismay, the bullet ricocheted off the creature’s skull and out into the forest without damaging it in the least. Its tongue snaked out as if taunting me. Its golden eyes locked on my leg in anticipation.
From my angle laid back along the branch, I had no shot of its body. A single, terrifying thought struck me. If it bit my good leg, that many teeth could sever it entirely. One glance at the dismembered limbs in the clearing verified that fact.
I gritted my teeth and forced my damaged one to lift. Dr. Fi’s warning repeated in the back of my mind.
“Zev, we should have kept you in a chemically induced coma. You’ll probably lose that leg.”
“Better one than two,” I said through gritted teeth.
I shoved it into the lizard’s mouth before it could clamp down on my good leg. A gasp of pain escaped me when the teeth pierced into my skin, but the brace provided some protection.
I dragged the leg toward me. The creature’s teeth snagged and it was jerked forward. I slid the gun alongside the brace and into the lizard’s open mouth. When I squeezed the trigger this time, there was no ricochet. The lizard’s body jerked, its mouth opened, and it fell from the tree into the grass below.
A quick search around showed that the rest of them had followed Virgo. I hoped the warlock had some sort of plan.
I used the branch to lower myself to the ground and grabbed up my cane. Keeping an eye on the trees behind me, I limped toward the cave.
“It’s all clear,” I called out. “Better head to the chopper.”
“Thank goodness,” Swift replied.
She came out of the cave assisting another woman whose leg had been shredded the way mine could have been. Someone had put a tourniquet above her thigh to slow the bleeding.
“They don’t have a lot of time,” Swift said. “We can radio for another lift when we reach the helicopter.”
“We’ll wait for them. You get the rest of these guys to help,” I told her.
Gunnison ducked from the cave with two others. They both had several wounds wrapped in rough bandages, but nothing like the first woman.
I could te
ll by the smell that there was no one else left in the cave. A quick check revealed two backpacks. I grabbed them and slung them over one shoulder, then limped after the group.
I reached the helicopter just as the wounded were safely buckled in. I set the backpacks next to one of the men.
“Thanks a ton,” he said. His companion had her head against his shoulder. Her eyes were closed. “Janie will be happy you saved her research.”
“Glad we could do something,” I told him.
He tipped his head toward the clearing. “You chased them away and saved all of our lives. Research is nothing on top of that.”
“Research is everything,” Janie mumbled.
A smile crossed the man’s face. “Leave it to you to say that.”
Footsteps sounded behind me. I turned to see Virgo enter the clearing and walked to meet him.
“What did you do with the creatures?” I asked.
“I’d prefer not to talk about it,” he replied.
I could feel the surprise on my face; Virgo always wanted to talk about everything. That was one of the first things that had unsettled me around him. The discomfort on his face let me know that whatever he did, he wasn’t thrilled about it.
“Fair enough,” I replied. I stepped back from the chopper as the blades came to life. “We’re catching the next ride. This one’s heading back to the Division with the injured.”
The helicopter lifted off. We raised our arms to shield our faces from the debris that swirled as they cleared the trees. The chaos in the clearing calmed when the helicopter flew out of sight.
“Great,” Virgo said, looking around. “Forests are my natural habitat.”
I chuckled. “They’re mine.”
The warlock shot me a wide-eyed look. “Are you going to run off with a wolf pack?”
I lifted my cane meaningfully. “Not anytime soon.”
He let out a sigh of relief that wasn’t fake. “That’s good. I don’t need more wolves in my life.”
“I’ll take that to mean that I’ve filled your quota for the time being.”
“Overflowed it,” the warlock replied. “More than overflowed it, to be exact.” He shot me an accusing look that was softened by his chuckle. “My life turned a backflip when you stepped into the bookstore.”
