“What are you talking about?”
“The Werewolves you see before you are my own creation, darling. I made them.”
Chapter Thirty Two
I faltered, all of my concentration on the words he’d spoken. Images of violence against Miles vanished. I struggled to understand what he was saying. “What do you mean ‘made them’?”
“It wasn’t easy, believe me. There were a lot of mistakes before we got it right. It took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, as the saying goes.”
“But that’s not possible,” I said
“Just because something has never been done does not mean it’s impossible.”
“But how?”
“Ironically, Hunter blood was the missing ingredient.” He winked, conspiratorially. “It’s what makes them unstoppable.”
As if in response, someone cried out.
I couldn’t look.
I was too close to Miles, and I knew if I took my eyes off him for one second, he’d have me.
“We will create our own army,” said Miles. “And then no one will be able to stop us. The fact that they will all be dirty bloods, it only makes it more satisfying. They won’t be able to shun us any longer, when we make them all like us.”
His voice had dropped to almost a whisper and his eyes were shining. This was his project; this was what he wanted complete before he came for me. He’d found a way to make more of us – more hybrids. Except these hybrids were destructive and craved violence even more than any other Werewolf I’d seen.
“You want to turn the entire Hunter population into hybrids?” I said.
“Greatness takes vision. Then, I will be in control, with you by my side. You can still choose it, you know. I will still show you mercy.”
I barely heard him. My mind was reeling. He’d changed them. Somehow, he’d found a way and infected them with something. And he’d changed a Hunter into a Werewolf.
I stared at him, shock giving way to anger. “You’re the one who’s been kidnapping all those Hunters. You changed them into this.”
He smiled wide. “Brilliant, isn’t it?”
My answer was to rush him.
He didn’t see it coming and I actually managed to take him down and pin him, my stake poised over his heart.
“You’re faster than I remember,” he said.
He actually looked like he was enjoying it, which made me feel gross, but I didn’t move away. No way was I going to let him up because he was disgusting enough to be getting some weird sexual fulfillment out of this.
I gripped the stake, ready to plunge it into his chest.
A hand closed over my hair and yanked me back, and I was lifted off Miles and dragged backwards. I landed in a heap, with hair in my eyes and stinging pain running the length of my scalp. I was pretty sure my hair was thinner than it had been a moment ago, by whole chunks.
I brushed my hair out of my face and looked up at my attacker. It was definitely a human hand that had grabbed me, so I half expected to see one of the Hunter-Werewolf hybrids back in human form looming over me. Instead, I saw–
“Demi?”
I was too shocked to move out of the way, and her kick landed extra hard in my gut. I hunched over and blinked against the black spots in front of my eyes.
“The one and only, loser,” she said. “And I don’t like you putting your hands on my man.”
“Your man?” That was almost funny but still too disgusting to laugh at. I rolled away from her and managed to get to my feet. “You two are together?”
“Didn’t your friend Cambria tell you?” she snapped.
“Cambria?” I was completely confused.
I glanced over at where Cambria was fighting one of the Werewolves. She shoved it back, and her eyes met mine. Her expression contorted to something unreadable when she saw Demi. Then the wolf was coming at her again, and she looked away.
“I only want to get close enough to kill him, trust me,” I said. “What are even you doing with him? He’s insane.”
Demi rolled her eyes, so they disappeared under her perfectly made up eyelids. Then she glared at me. “He’s not insane. He’s brilliant. All of the great minds are misunderstood.” She glanced back at Miles who had pulled himself to his feet and was brushing himself off, totally immune to Demi’s adoration.
“Darling?” she asked in a silky voice. “Shall I kill her for you?”
“Hmm?” Miles finally looked up and acknowledged her with a dismissive glance. “No, I rather want her alive. I told you, your part is done. I merely needed access to the grounds. You can go now.”
Demi’s expression was one of hurt before it twisted into rage. She turned back to me, her lips twisting into a snarl. “This is all because of you, mutt. Like you’re worth obsessing over. I’m over it.”
And with that, she lunged.
Her hands closed around my neck before I could block her. I wasn’t used to fighting other people. Wolves didn’t pose the same threat, what with the lack of opposable thumbs. I struggled with her, and when I couldn’t pry her hands free, I yanked and sent us tumbling. It was enough to loosen her grip but we still rolled and clawed at each other.
She was animalistic in her approach, regardless of her human form; like a feral cat. It was all I could do to keep up with her. She clawed and swiped and I felt the sting of blood being drawn across my cheek. We rolled some more, and I managed to land on top, pinning her. I’d lost my stake at some point in our tussle so I used both hands to put all my weight against her, pinning her at the shoulders and trying to hold her still. She was craning her neck towards my arm and showing her teeth. When I realized what she was trying to do, I swung out and connected with her jaw.
“You’re trying to bite me?” I demanded.
Demi didn’t answer. I’d hit her hard enough to subdue her for the moment. I took advantage of that and picked her head up and slammed it down on the rock floor beneath. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her body went slack. I let go and her head lolled to one side. She was clearly unconscious, but something in me snapped. I needed to fight. It wasn’t enough to silence a stupid high school girl. I needed to rip into something – to flex my muscles and feel nothing but the thrill of winning a battle.
I jumped up and took off across the cavern, towards the fighting still going on. Cambria and Logan stood back to back, dancing around a couple of Werewolves that were slowly closing the distance. Both of them looked exhausted while the Werewolves looked fresh and full of energy. I wasn’t sure how much longer my friends could hold them off.
Beyond them, Cord and Alex were faring a little better. One of the Werewolves, the brown one that Cord had fought with, lay bleeding and still in a heap to one side. The other three were taking turns attacking. All of them moved with a speed that blew my mind, and I was struck at how much faster and stronger these Werewolves were, compared to any other I’d met. We needed backup.
“Logan, call Kane!” I yelled.
“On it,” he yelled back, not taking his eyes off his attacker.
I headed for them, realizing they needed the most help, but Miles’ voice called me back.
“Last chance, Tara. Come with me now or George won’t make it.”
I froze, furious with myself for getting distracted and leaving George alone. I turned and saw that Miles had George in a tight grip, with one arm around his neck, while the other held a syringe filled with some milky fluid, poised at the vein in George’s neck.
“No!” I yelled, running at Miles and barreling into him, knocking us all to the ground.
I rolled to my knees, pushing George aside, and put all my weight into holding Miles still. Miles said something to me, but I couldn’t hear it over the rushing sound in my ears. I pulled back and sank my fist into his cheek, relishing the sound of bone cracking as his head snapped to one side. He didn’t try to talk again, but I kept my fists moving anyway.
“Tara!”
The sound of George’s voice calling my name was w
hat finally got my attention. My hands stilled, and I stared down at the blood that ran from Miles’ nose and mouth before turning to face George. He looked at me with a stricken expression, and I stared back, trying to figure out the reason. He held something up, and my eyes landed on the syringe in his hand.
It was empty.
I slid away from Miles and went to George.
“Did it –? I mean, did he –?” I stopped. I couldn’t say it.
George brought his hand to his neck. I saw a tiny trickle of blood running down into his shirt. The hole was nothing more than a pin prick, but it terrified me more than any other wound I could’ve imagined.
“Yeah, he got me.” George’s words came out a little high pitched; like he wasn’t sure how bad it was.
Behind me, Miles groaned. I hesitated, wanting to help George but unsure how – or if it was already too late.
“What did you do to him?” I hissed, scooting back towards Miles and shaking him. He was somewhere between conscious and not, but he managed to look pleased with himself, even through all the blood on his face.
“I made him more than he was,” Miles whispered.
“That stuff in the needle…that will make him like them?” I nodded toward the Werewolves across the cavern.
Miles shook his head. “Not quite. I told you, the humans didn’t take to it.” Miles broke off and spat blood out of his mouth.
“What’s going to happen to him?” I demanded.
“He’s going to become more than human but less than Werewolf.” Miles grinned and a tiny laugh escaped him.
I stared at Miles, trying to make sense of what he was saying, but he was being cryptic – as usual. All I knew was that this was bad. George was going to change into some sort of Werewolf, and if Miles was right, it wouldn’t be a good kind of change.
Vaguely, I became aware of the shouts of others. Kane must’ve arrived. I assumed he’d brought a good number of Hunters with him, based on the shrieks and howls of the remaining Werewolves. Still, I continued to stare down at Miles in a silent panic.
I felt a hand close around mine. I jerked, but it was only George. He’d scooted closer, and I knew he’d heard what Miles said, but he didn’t ask questions; just quietly held my hand and sat.
Across the cavern, the fighting was breaking up. The Werewolves were finally down, thanks to Kane and his reinforcements. They weren’t all dead but they were subdued – our side had clearly won – finally. Cord and Alex were backing off, their help no longer needed. I knew they’d head this way any second, and then my chance to figure out how to fix this would be gone.
“They’ll never let him survive it anyway,” Miles said.
He was looking across the cavern, but I knew who he meant. He was right. None of the Hunters would allow this once they found out. A human, being changed into a Werewolf? Hybrids were bad enough, as far as they were concerned. This would be something else, totally.
I squeezed my eyes shut and resisted the urge to take Miles by the throat and apply pressure. He was done, anyway. Without Demi or his hybrid entourage – not to mention a broken nose and possibly jaw – he wasn’t getting away.
I could see Cord and Alex walking this way; Cord’s eyes blazed with unrestrained fury.
I turned back to Miles. “How long does he have?” I hissed.
“Another moon, maybe two,” said Miles.
“How do I fix it?”
“There is no cure, if that’s what you mean. But if you want to make him whole, give him Hunter blood. Maybe it’ll be enough to retain his humanity.”
I didn’t answer. Alex and Cord were too close. Alex crouched down across from Miles and stared at me.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I nodded.
“What about him?” Alex gestured to George, and I made a snap decision.
“He’s fine,” I said. “Miles, not so much.”
Alex turned his attention to Miles’ bloody face and grunted. I felt relieved to have the focus off George. I didn’t want to lie to Alex, but I couldn’t take the chance of the wrong Hunters finding out. It would only put George in more danger. I squeezed George’s hand, hoping he caught my meaning and kept his mouth shut. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him slide the syringe into his pocket, and I knew he’d understood.
“What should we do with him?” I asked, gesturing to Miles.
He was sitting now, but had otherwise made no move to get up. Cord stood a few feet away, and if looks could kill, Miles would be nothing but ashes. Alex glanced toward Kane and considered it.
“Kane’s still rounding things up over there,” said Alex. He looked down at Miles. “Get up.”
Miles didn’t move or give any indication that he’d heard Alex. Cord stepped forward and sank her foot into Miles’ rib cage. Miles came to life, then, turning toward Cord and snarling. She pulled her boot back, prepared to lodge another kick, but Miles rolled out of reach, and got to his feet, looking a lot more okay than he had seconds ago. He glared at Cord for a split second and then, without warning, launched himself at me.
I wasn’t ready for it, and we both went flying. I landed with a thud that stole my breath, and for a second, all I could do was gag and gasp for air. Miles had his arms around me, holding me still, and he leaned down until his lips were almost touching my ear. When he spoke, hot breath blew across my cheek. I recoiled, but Miles held firm.
“My mission cannot die. Astor De’Luca has the answers. Find him,” he whispered.
Then his body jerked violently against me and everything went slack. His hands lost their hold; his eyes glazed over. His head slumped against my shoulder and he became deadweight. Hands came down and yanked his body off mine, and I stared up into Cord’s burning eyes. She was panting and staring at Miles with the most twisted expression I’d ever seen.
I looked at Miles, a sinking feeling in my stomach. He was on his side and his expression was blank. A heavy stake protruded from his back, right behind his heart. Steady streams of blood were already coating his shirt.
“Cord?”
She didn’t respond to my voice.
Then Alex and George were there, both looking a little shocked, and I let them help me up. We all stared down at Miles.
“Everybody okay?”
The sound of Kane’s voice brought us all back. He frowned at Miles’ body and then looked back and forth between our faces. Logan came up behind him, looking concerned and exhausted. Cambria followed but her expression was something different. She was wide eyed and transfixed on Miles’ ashen face.
“We’re fine,” Alex answered.
“What happened?” Kane asked.
I glanced over at Cord and saw the look of open hate she wore as she stared down at Miles’ body.
“He attacked Tara,” Alex said. “Cord stopped him.” I didn’t miss the confusion in his tone, as if he was trying to understand what had happened.
Either Kane didn’t notice or didn’t care. He glanced at Cord, who was still as a statue, and nodded once. “A clean kill. That’s my girl,” he said. Then he turned on his heel and began shouting out orders to the Hunters that scurried over the room.
Cambria inched closer. She was still staring down at Miles and shaking her head side to side in some pattern of shock.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I don’t believe it. I mean, I knew it the moment I saw him. But…” She looked over to where Demi was being roused awake. “He played me, but her… he was honest with her and she was okay with that.”
“What are you talking about? You knew Miles?”
Cambria met my eyes and blinked. “That,” she said, pointing a finger at Miles’ body, “is Phillipe. My ex.”
I looked back and forth between her and Miles while that sunk in. Then I looked back at Demi, all of it finally clicking into place.
Demi was standing, with help. She had a Hunter clinging to each elbow, helping her make her way towards the trail that would lead her out of the cave and
back to school. Our eyes met across the room, and I held her gaze, hoping she could read exactly what I thought of her in my expression. She didn’t even blink at my hostility. Just before she turned the corner and disappeared, she winked.
Chapter Thirty Three
The dim lighting didn’t help the pressure behind my eyes. It felt like the culmination of an entire semester of stress; a heavy ball of pain had finally burst inside my skull and I couldn’t get past the pounding. I was in the infirmary, halfway between awake and pretending to be asleep, thankful it was three in the morning. If anyone had spoken to me then, I would’ve ripped their head off to stop the blaring noise before it reached my eardrum.
In the bed next to me, behind the half closed hospital-issued curtain, George slept. They’d kept him here for observation not because they knew about the injection, but because he was a human; a weakling who would probably collapse into shock the moment the drama dissipated.
I’d stayed because I was a nervous wreck that any moment, George was going to morph into a flesh-eating monster like Miles had said. If it came to that, I’d make sure my flesh was first, and pray Miles wasn’t lying when he said Hunter blood would be the cure. But so far, George was himself. He was soaking in all the attention, too. Between Cambria, Cord, and my mother–who’d arrived after dinner, along with Grandma–George was getting the royal treatment.
I was okay with it. It kept my mother occupied and the room too crowded for her to really let loose on me.
So far.
I had no doubt it was coming.
Voices drifted back from the office and the door was wrenched opened, the rusty hinges amplifying the pounding in my skull. I cringed against the pain in my head caused by the bass in the speaker’s voice and tried to pry my eyes open to identify the footsteps that approached. I managed to squint out into the darkened room but it did little good. The curtain that surrounded my bed was pulled shut enough that I couldn’t see around it.
The voices came closer.
“Put them here,” said the man whose voice echoed in my skull like a drum beat. Through the migraine, I recognized him. It was Kane. “And cover them up.” There was a pause while he waited for someone to obey him and then he said, “No, all the way over their heads. We don’t want anyone to recognize them. Or see the restraints.”
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