Wolves & Monsters

by Dyan Chick

  The demon was like a wall. And we were now stopped against it.

  "Well that worked well. All I did was piss it off," I shouted.

  "He dropped the body," Draven said.

  Giant fists slammed into the hood of the truck, sending the engine to a sputtering halt. Jason is going to kill me.

  In a single leap, the demon was on the hood of the ruined car, roaring at us again into the cracked windshield. Up close, I could tell that every part of it looked like it was dripping. Nothing about it looked solid. It was made of the brown slime it left as a trail.

  If I wasn't so terrified, I'd be totally grossed out. Still gripping the steering wheel too tightly, I took rapid breaths as I tried to think of what to do. We knew the thing didn't like water, but there wasn't a large supply of it around here.

  Draven leaned over and laid on the horn sending a long, loud blaring noise shattering the quiet night.

  The demon punched through the window and grabbed Draven, dragging him out.

  "No!" I screamed and lunged for Draven's leg, managing to get a hold of his ankle.

  The demon kept pulling, and I held on for dear life, not willing to let it take my new friend.

  "Let go, Angie," Draven called. "Find some water."

  "I can't let it take you," I said.

  "You're going to break my fucking leg. Let go," he said.

  I dropped his ankle and quickly freed myself from the seatbelt.

  The monster dragged Draven away, roaring and oozing goo as it went. I wrinkled my nose as I turned to the door, trying to free myself from the truck. The crash had made the door impossible to open.

  I slid over to the passenger door and was able to get myself out but now I couldn't see Draven or the demon.

  The stench of death hung heavy in the air. I quickly ran to the other side of the truck and found the rotting remains of what could only be Magnus's body. Breathing in through my mouth so I didn't have to smell the corpse, I went back to where I'd last seen the demon and found the trail of slime.

  Stomach churning, I followed the trail along the road. I still had no idea how I was going to defeat this thing, but I knew I couldn't let it take Draven. What would it do to a vampire, anyway? It was sent here on a mission and it abandoned the body it came to find in favor of the vampire. I shuddered. I didn't want to consider what might become on Draven if I wasn't fast enough.

  Footsteps sounded nearby. Lots of them. I stopped and turned toward Jason's house and let out a sigh of relief when I saw the group headed my way. I never thought I'd be so relieved to see them all.

  Jason, Cody, Earl, Gage, Miles, and Jane started jogging when they saw me. Jason easily breaking away from the others at a full sprint.

  He caught me in a hug as soon as he reached me, pulling me so close to him that I could hear his racing heart. "Are you alright?"

  "I'm fine," I said, pushing away from his embrace. As much as I wanted to never leave his arms, there was too much at stake right now.

  "The demon went that way. And it has Draven," I said.

  "Draven?" Jane asked. "What about the dead guy?"

  "He dropped the dead guy by Jason's truck." I pointed to the destroyed truck. "I'm not sure why, but he took off with Draven."

  "Probably wanted a snack," Jane said.

  "We have to help him," I said.

  "We can't lose that body," Gage said.

  "You guys keep that body safe," Jason said. "Angie and I are going to finish this demon."

  "How come you get to have all the fun?" Gage asked.

  "Cause I'm the one with the knife," Jason said. "And you need to stay here with the salt."

  "Fine," Gage said.

  "This way." I wasn't waiting anymore. Draven was in danger and I couldn't let him get eaten.

  Jason followed me, back along the trail of slime.

  "What knife?" I asked.

  "Something my dad had. Said it kills demons," he said.

  "That's convenient," I said.

  "You're going to have to help me get close enough so I can stab it," he said.

  "Or you could give me the knife," I said.

  "No way," he said. "I lost you once, I'm not losing you again."

  "Jason, you know we can't be together," I said. "I really am cursed."

  "Do I look like I care?" he asked.

  I shook my head. "I'm not going to argue with you about this right now."

  I paused at the side of the road. Our trail stopped right in front of a wooded area surrounded by a barbed wire fence. It wasn't a tall fence, but there was no sign that the monster had broken through.

  I leaned down, and looked at the wire, checking for any signs.

  "It has to be in there," Jason said.

  "Unless it's trying to trick us," I said.

  "So far, it hasn't exactly tried to cover its tracks. It leaves windows and doors open. It also fits through very tiny places."

  "You think it can shape shift?" That's a fucking terrifying thought.

  "Or at least stretch, like a slug," he said.

  My nose wrinkled again as I recalled the blob of goo. "I think you're right. I think it's made of the slimy stuff it leaves behind."

  "Come on, I'll give you a boost." Jason moved to the post and interlocked his fingers for me to step on.

  I climbed on, then stepped onto the post and hopped over into the wooded area. Jason jumped. Just like that. Jumped four feet in the air.

  "Show off," I said with a smile.

  "There are some perks to being a werewolf," he said.

  Flutters rose from the pit of my stomach into my chest. Being alone in the woods with Jason made me feel an awful lot like a teenager around her first crush. He'd always had this effect on me, though. It had to be that mating bond. I frowned, feeling more conflicted than ever. There was no way I'd ever break this bond and I wasn't sure I wanted to. But now I knew I really was cursed. Only this time, I had a lead on the curse. Didn't that mean I could break it?

  Shaking my head, I refocused on the task. Jason sure had a way of distracting me, which wasn't what I needed if I wanted to keep Draven alive.

  "You hear that?" Jason asked.

  I stopped walking and held my breath. There was a muted mumbling sound coming from somewhere ahead. Once again, I was stuck stumbling through darkened woods, trying not to kill myself while I walked over the uneven ground. At this rate, I was going to have to start carrying a package of chemlights with me wherever I went just in case.

  Thankfully, I'd somehow managed to not lose my phone. I clicked on the flashlight and covered it with my hand so only a tiny bit of light shone through. Just enough for me to see where I was walking but hopefully not give away our position.

  As we progressed, the trees thinned and we found ourselves at the outskirts of a small clearing. Several cut tree stumps and a few piles of stacked logs were sure signs that this space had been cleared on purpose. Either someone was building here or the trees were infected with something and cut down.

  It wasn't that unusual to see a space like this in the woods. What was unusual was the vampire tied to one of the taller stumps. He had been gagged and was talking through it as best he could, which explained the noise we heard.

  Nearby, the demon was stoking a small fire.

  "Seriously?" I whispered. "Is he going to cook Draven?"

  "That's disgusting," Jason said.

  "Who does that?" I asked.

  "Oh yeah, I prefer my vampire dinner raw," Jason said.

  I huffed. "That's not what I meant."

  "I know." He smiled at me.

  Part of me wanted to slap the smile off his face and part of me wanted to kiss him. Being around Jason was very confusing.

  "I'm going to go around to the other side," Jason said. "I'll sneak up on him and take him down. With any luck, we'll be out of here before he even notices us."

  It seemed like a solid enough plan. The demon was distracted, occasionally lifting its gelatinous, gooey head toward Draven, then
back to its fire.

  "Be careful," I whispered.

  "You too. Wait here," he said. "For once in your life, let someone else save you."

  I wanted to yell something snarky at him, but then the demon would know where we were and that wasn't good for anybody. Instead, I pursed my lips and held back my retort about damsels in distress. I hated feeling useless. I wanted to help. Especially since I was the one who caused this mess in the first place.

  As soon as Jason disappeared from view, my frustration was replaced by another emotion. Fear. For the first time, I was truly worried that something was going to happen to Jason. It felt like someone huge was sitting on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. The thought of Jason being gone forever, not just in another state, but really gone, was impossible to bear. I couldn't lose him. That was the first time I realized just how connected we were. No matter how much I fought it, he was part of me. If anything happened to him, I might as well cease to exist. I knew I wouldn't be able to live in a world without him.

  I also knew that I wouldn't be able to leave him. No matter how much I was risking, he was worth the risk.

  Thirty-Two

  Angie

  The demon seemed wholly focused on his fire. It was odd. Why cook your dead food? I shook off my own dark thoughts. Why did I care? It was bad enough he was going to eat Draven. Did it matter what his methods of preparation were?

  Slight movement in the trees behind the monster caught my eye and I looked over just as Jason was creeping out of the wooded area surrounding the clearing.

  I held my breath as he moved closer to the creature. This was it. Our chance to be done with this thing.

  The demon stopped moving, then dropped the stick he'd been using to stoke the fire. His whole head spun around like an owl, the front of his face now at the back. Then, his arms and legs did the same thing, shifting so his hands and feet were now facing Jason without ever turning around.

  He began to grow, stretching taller until he was twice the height he had been. He was now as tall as some of the trees around us.

  Jason lunged at him, the metal of the knife catching the firelight so I could see its gleam. The creature's body stretched to the side, causing Jason to miss. Then, it rounded on him, letting out a horrible shrieking sound.

  I winced, turning away from the sound as it penetrated my brain. It was so loud, I could feel it vibrating inside me. Everything about this creature was awful. It had to be stopped.

  I looked back just in time to see the demon swatting at Jason, flinging brown goo all over the ground as its massive hand cut through the air. Jason was able to jump away in time, but he'd lost the element of surprise. It was going to be near impossible for him to get a shot at the monster.

  I clenched my teeth and balled my hands into fists, preparing myself for what I was about to do. I'd need to be fast to distract the creature without ending up on its menu. I'd kill for some water right now, but that just wasn't in the cards. I'd have to improvise.

  Before I could talk myself out of it, I ran into the clearing. "Hey, shit demon. You looking for me?"

  The dripping, brown goo wobbled as the head swirled around to face me. Then, its hands and feet followed. The creature growled and tensed. It looked like it was ready to charge me.

  "You want the dead mage?" I said. "Then you're going to have to go through me."

  Another shriek.

  I squeezed my hands so hard my fingernails bit into my palms but I didn't back down. I had nothing to fight this thing with but I was willing to try if I had to.

  Suddenly, the shriek turned into a gurgling sound and the monster began to shrink back to its original size. It kept shrinking. And gurgling. Until it was nothing more than a pile of brown goo that really, really looked like something that had been left behind by a real Sasquatch.

  My stomach flipped and my nose scrunched up as I studied the pile of goo, hoping it wasn't going to regenerate.

  The pile bubbled a few times and then the gurgling subsided and the goo was still.

  Jason stood on the other side of the defeated demon, knife in hand, entrails dripping from the blade. In the firelight, I could see his expression clearly. He looked relieved and I didn't blame him.

  I'd come here to ask for help getting rid of a body. I never intended to bring a demon along with me.

  "I'm sorry," I said.

  Jason walked around the puddle and closed the distance between us. He tucked the knife back into his belt and stood in front of me. His eyes searched mine, as if he were looking for answers from me. I wished I had some for him.

  Without a word, Jason grabbed the bottom of my shirt and dragged me closer to him. I didn't resist.

  His arms were around me and his lips were on mine before I had time to process what was happening. His shirt was damp with sweat but I didn't care. I pulled him closer to me, savoring the feel of his body against mine.

  Every inch of my skin felt like it was on fire. This was how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to be together like this. Just the two of us.

  While his lips moved in time with mine, it felt like nothing could touch me. Like there was some way all of this could turn out in our favor. I never wanted this moment to end.

  "Little help here." Draven's voice broke the moment.

  Hesitantly, I pulled away from the kiss and reality struck hard. We were in the middle of the woods. We'd just killed a demon. There was a captive vampire who needed saving and a dead mage still out there. We didn't have time to make out like teenagers.

  Plus, there was that whole curse thing I had to deal with.

  "How'd you get the gag off?" Jason asked.

  I elbowed him in the side then jogged over to Draven. "Sorry. We sort of got caught up in the moment."

  "I get it, but I'm losing feeling my feet," Draven said.

  "You can feel your feet?" Jason asked.

  Draven glared at him.

  I quickly untied the vampire. "I'm glad you didn't get eaten."

  "Me too. That thing was disgusting. It's not how I imagined I'd go at all." Draven brushed off his clothes. "So what are we going to do about your dead mage?"

  I looked at Jason. "I don't need to cause any more trouble here. I can find somewhere else to dispose of it."

  "Can't you just burn it like a normal heathen?" Draven asked.

  "She burns it, they'll be able to track his death right to her," Jason said. "Only way to keep her from being linked to the death is to keep the body buried somewhere until it decomposes naturally. Well, I suppose it could be eaten, but I doubt we'll find takers for that."

  "Now that we know the guy was cursed for sure, that's not happening," Draven said. "Even our new aswang friend can't help us with this one."

  "Maybe she can," I said. "If we buried the body at the cemetery, would the other bodies help hide the scent?"

  "Could be," Jason said. "You think they might be willing to help us?"

  "It's worth checking," I said. "Maybe they can point us in the direction of some of the fresher real estate."

  "This has to be the most morbid few days of my life," Jason said.

  "I'll talk to her," Draven said.

  "Thank you," I said.

  "In the meantime, we better get that body somewhere." Jason glanced at me. "Do you think my truck is still functioning?"

  "I am so sorry about that."

  "That was my fault," Draven said. "I told her to hit the thing."

  Jason shook his head. "I'm really going to need the full moon after tonight."

  The three of us made our way back through the woods to Main Street. The others had dragged the body into the bed of the truck and managed to find some tarps to cover it with. I didn't ask where they came from. I was just glad I didn't have to stare at the rotting flesh of my one night stand again.

  Gage was leaning against the hood of the truck. "She's going to need a lot of work, but she's still running."

  "Well, that's some good news at least," Jason said.
>
  "I can help," I said. "Or buy you a new one."

  "Does that mean you're staying?" Gage asked.

  I looked over at Jason. I waited to see if he showed any signs of objecting to my being here. His expression was impassive.

  "For now." I covered a yawn.

  "Why don't you let me take care of the mage," Draven said.

  "You sure?" I asked.

  "Jason, take your girl home. Get her cleaned up. I can handle the dead guy," Draven said.

  Jason looked skeptical.

  "I'll go with him," Gage said. "Make sure it gets done."

  "You don't need to do that," I said.

  "Angie, let people help you," Draven said. "Besides, it's probably better if you don't know where the body is. Just in case."

  "Go," Jason said. "And thank you."

  Draven's eyes widened. "Wow. A thank you from the pack master himself, never thought I'd see that coming."

  "Don't make me take it back," Jason said.

  "Alright, alright," Draven said as he walked to the truck. "Get some rest, you two love birds."

  I bit down on my lip at that. Love birds. I'd told Draven the cliff notes version of what the skin walker had told me about my ancestry. He knew I couldn't actually do anything physical with Jason.

  A strong arm wrapped around me. "Come on, you can stay at my place."

  "At your dad's house?" I asked.

  "Don't worry, I'll take the couch. I'm a gentleman like that," he said.

  "Jason, you know we can't do anything, right?" I asked.

  "Yeah, I know. But tomorrow, I'd like to start figuring out a way around that."

  “I’m in if you are,” I said.

  Jason pulled me close to him so our bodies were pressed together. “I’m never letting you go again.”

  He leaned down and I lifted my chin anticipating the feel of his lips against mine. The kiss was everything I ever wanted and never knew I needed. His lips moved with mine as if they were made for kissing me.

  I wasn’t sure how to break the curse or what was in store for the two of us, but I knew Jason was worth whatever fight I had ahead.