Cold Blood

by Heather Hildenbrand

  “Wow, I feel amazing,” he said. He looked at Fee in open awe. “What was in that stuff?”

  “The usual healing ingredients,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “Hawk’s eyes, lizard guts, dragon tongue.” George gaped at her, and she laughed. “I’m kidding. There’s ginseng and some vitamins and herbs. It’s more about the words spoken over the liquid than anything else. It heightens their power over your body.”

  George nodded, pretending to understand everything she’d said, and still looking completely taken with Fee.

  Jack cleared his throat and hobbled closer to her. “Well, I’m tired, and since I’m off Wood Point’s Most Wanted list, maybe we could get a room,” he said, wiggling an eyebrow at Fee.

  She swatted his arm. “All right, Vera said to come see her when we were ready to get some rest. Let’s go old man.” Fee turned to me. “We’ll see you in the morning, Tara. Try to get some rest.” Her eyes flickered to Wes. “All of you.”

  They left and George stood around awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “I’m going to uh, go see if the nurse has anything to eat,” he said, scooting around the curtain and leaving me alone with Wes.

  He sank onto the bed beside me and reached out his hand, letting his finger trail the scratch on my face. When his hand fell away I caught it in my own.

  I felt restless, all of a sudden. I needed to move. “Can we take a walk?” I asked.

  “Now?” He glanced at the window, even though it was too glazed over to tell what time of day it might be. “It’s not even dawn.”

  “I need to stretch my legs.”

  He shrugged. “Why not?”

  He helped me to my feet, and I pulled my boots on. We crept past the nurse’s station without being seen. I was here of my own free will, but I wasn’t sure how pleased she would be to see me leaving with a Werewolf, in the middle of the night.

  We didn’t speak again until we were far away from Griffin Hall, under the cover of thick woods.

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” said Wes, pulling me to a stop under a wide oak whose branches were just beginning to bud. “I was worried.”

  In the filtered moonlight, I could see his expression. Worry lines etched across his forehead and his jaw looked tense. I ran my hand over the roughness of his cheek.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” I said.

  “Where else would I be? I wish I could’ve gotten here sooner.” He frowned; an expression that reminded me of Jack.

  “I’m glad it’s over,” I said. The frown deepened. “What?”

  “When I was being held by security earlier, I heard them talking. They know that Miles found a way to turn those Hunters. They’re forming search parties to hunt them down and kill them.”

  “But… why? They aren’t necessarily evil. Miles was making them work for him, but what if they chose to be good?”

  Wes shook his head. “Sounds like they aren’t going to give them the choice. They don’t like that it was possible in the first place and they’re going to eliminate them before it gets out of control.”

  “But some of them were kids, like us. I saw them.”

  “I know.”

  “I can’t believe this. I thought they were detaining them, trying to capture them, like Victoria’s parents.”

  “Victoria’s parents?” Wes’ brows crinkled in confusion.

  I filled him in on what I’d over heard from Kane. “He was talking about how CHAS was going to have their hands full trying to figure out how to deal with all of it,” I finished.

  “Maybe the order came from CHAS.”

  “You really think CHAS would order its own people killed?” I asked. Even as I said the words, I knew the answer. If it meant stopping a Werewolf, the answer would always be “yes.” Wes didn’t answer and I knew he thought the same thing. “We have to stop it,” I said.

  Wes’ eyebrow shot up. “Right. You and me. No problem. How exactly do you plan on doing that?”

  I sighed. “I don’t know. But we have to try. What if we find them first? If they pledge allegiance to The Cause, doesn’t that make them off limits for CHAS?”

  “Yes…It does.” he said, and I could see the wheels turning. “That could work. But it would mean….”

  “You would have to leave again,” I finished. I leaned back against the tree, my good mood fading.

  “If I want to find them before Kane’s people do, then yes.”

  I sighed. “I should come with you.”

  “Tara –”

  I kicked at a tree root. “I didn’t say I would. I said I should.”

  “School will be out in a few more weeks. You’ll be home for the summer.”

  “You think you’ll be back by then?”

  He cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know. Do you want me to be back by then?”

  “Of course I do.”

  He leaned forward, clearly not satisfied with my simple answer. His eyes were sharp and searching. “Where do we stand?”

  “I know things have been… complicated since I’ve been here. I still care about you, and I still want to be with you, but I need you to be honest with me. And I need you to have confidence that I can handle myself.”

  “And you need me to stay away from you on a full moon?” His expression softened. There was even a hint of humor.

  “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out. Maybe I’ll invest in a lunar calendar or something.”

  We both smiled.

  “I missed you,” he whispered, leaning down until we were nose to nose.

  “I know. I wish you didn’t have to go away again. But you have to. We have to try and help those people.”

  “Miles really left a mess behind.”

  “Do you think Jack will go for it? Tracking them all down, I mean.”

  “I need to talk to him about it, but yeah. Jack would want to help save them. Especially if Fee lets him come, too.”

  “At least you’re being a hybrid will come in handy for once.”

  Wes smiled. “True. I’ll need help, though. I’d probably take Cord with me.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Oh, darn. I’m heartbroken.”

  He laughed. “I’m proud of you for lasting this long.” Then he turned serious. “How is she? Dealing with Miles again had to be rough on her.”

  “You could say that. She seemed pretty shaken up.” I paused, trying to decide how much to tell. But it was Wes, and I could tell him anything. “She kind of freaked out. I mean, I know she was trying to protect me, but I’m not convinced killing him was actually necessary. Alex was right there. And Miles wasn’t trying to kill me. He was–” I stopped. I forgot that I still hadn’t said anything about George.

  “He was what?”

  “I don’t know. He mentioned a name. Astor De’Luca. He said I should contact him about the hybrids. I think he might know a way to help George.”

  “Why does George need help?” Wes’ eyes narrowed, and I could tell he didn’t like where this was going.

  “Miles injected him with something. He said it would make George a Werewolf but it would be a different version. A monster. He said it was because the humans didn’t take to the serum like Hunters did, and if I want to save him, I should give him my blood.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “I think so. He was way too proud of this whole project to lie about the results. He wanted the world to know what he’d created.”

  “Have you told anyone?”

  “No way. The Hunters here would kill him if they knew.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. I explained as much as I could to George, but I’m stuck here. I can’t be there for him when he gets home. What if he–what if he hurts someone?”

  “We can’t exactly lock him up.”

  “And we can’t tell anyone.”

  Wes sighed. “I can have Fee keep an eye on him.”

  “You think she’ll do it?”

  “Yeah, she’ll do it.” He
frowned. “You’re going to have to figure something out when you get back for the summer, though.”

  “I know. I will. You should talk to Cord, make sure she’s okay.”

  “I will.”

  He leaned down, letting his lips brush mine but not applying any real pressure. I felt all of the tension drain away. I brought my arms up and laced my fingers together behind his head.

  He leaned closer and pressed his lips firmly to mine, and for a while, I let myself get lost in kissing him. I let myself forget about all of the stress of the last few weeks; the hybrids, Miles dying, and the violence I’d seen in Cord. I forgot about George and the possibility that he could become a Werewolf. I forgot about the fact that Vera was dying, and having visions of me, and that someday, I’d have to choose between two opposing political futures.

  For a few blissful moments, none of that mattered. Because I had Wes.

  I was so lost in the kiss that I didn’t even notice the goose bumps, or that they weren’t raising out of some physical reaction to Wes’ roaming hands on my body.

  Wes noticed. I felt him stiffen and knew that the feeling was a warning.

  A Werewolf.

  Probably more than one, if my body’s reaction was any indication. Wes turned around, scanning the trees and blocking my body with his.

  “Do you see anything?” I whispered.

  Wes shook his head.

  From somewhere within the trees, a growl went up. Then another. And another. They echoed off each other so it sounded like dozens of voices, or just one. Movement caught my eye. To my left, a wolf appeared, moving slowly like one would with cornered prey. Wes was shaking, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before he shifted. I inched further away, around the side of the tree.

  “Two for the price of one,” the wolf snarled.

  Even in the dim light, I saw that its fur was caked in mud. And its eyes were yellow. Exactly like the Werewolf Alex had killed the day I’d gone to meet Miles.

  “What do you want?” Wes demanded. His voice shook with the control of staying human this long. He shed his jacket and let it fall to the ground beside him.

  “The girl. But we’ll take you, too.”

  The wolf snarled and other voices joined in. One by one, more wolves stepped clear of the trees. My eyes widened as I counted them. There were already eight of them. And more were coming.

  “Tara, stay back. I can’t–I have to change.” Wes struggled to speak.

  “Do it,” I whispered.

  As soon as I’d spoken, his form shimmered and twisted and fabric was torn away as his human form was replaced by that of a massive, russet-colored wolf.

  The moment he changed, the other Werewolf charged. Half a dozen others followed at his heels, and all I could see was fur. I was momentarily forgotten in the chaos, which was fine by me. I dropped to my knees and felt around with my hands, careful to keep my eyes on the battle in front of me. My hands closed on twigs and broken branches, all of them skinny and weak. I tossed them away and crawled further out, still feeling with my hands. My fingers closed around a thicker branch and I almost cried out with relief. I had a weapon. I got to my feet and ran towards the small crowd of Werewolves with the stake raised and ready.

  Fear – for Wes and myself – threatened to paralyze me, but I couldn’t let it. There wasn’t time. I shoved aside all thought and emotion; I let go of anything human that would hold me back and let instinct take over as I charged into the fray.

  Werewolves were thrown aside as I worked my way towards the center. They came back, teeth snapping, when they realized it was me yanking on them. I shoved them away again with my fists and feet, wading further in.

  I had to find Wes.

  Growls echoed around me, but I shut them out. A Werewolf came at me, saliva dripping from its jowls. I waited until it was within arm’s reach and shot out with my stake. I felt it pierce the Were’s flesh and shoved again, until the Werewolf’s eyes bulged and its tongue went slack. It fell to the ground, already being trampled by its pack mates as the next attacker took its place.

  A harsh growl went up, and I turned. I caught sight of Wes, his teeth buried in the neck of the muddy Werewolf. He yanked and pulled on the Werewolf, sending them zigzagging away from the crowd of bodies I was now in the middle of.

  A gray wolf lunged at me from my right, thinking I wasn’t paying attention. I brought my hand up and my head around at the same time and smashed my fist into its nose. Blood poured out of its nostrils and it yelped, falling away and shaking its head. Another Were came at me as the first fell away. Instead of baring its teeth and lunging for my throat, the way most of them did, it fell away at the last moment and slashed my calf with its claws.

  I felt my jeans rip and the sting of breaking skin, and I brought my fist around and smashed it into the Were’s ribs. It fell away and I glanced over at Wes again.

  He and the muddy wolf circled each other. Patches of flesh hung loose around the muddy wolf’s neck and blood dripped from the wounds, leaving thick puddles. It didn’t seem to faze the wolf, though. If anything, it looked more determined. Wes circled around and caught me watching him.

  Our eyes met and held for a split second, and I could see he was as worried for me as I was for him.

  “Tara, look out!” Wes growled a warning but there was no need.

  I felt the Werewolf approaching me from behind and stuck my leg out in a backwards kick like Professor Flaherty had taught us. It went down with a yelp.

  Wes was still watching me and not paying enough attention to the danger in front of him. The muddy wolf took advantage of the moment and made its move. It lunged forward and locked its teeth around Wes’ throat, throwing him to the ground with a jerk.

  “No!” I yelled, running towards them.

  Wes struggled against the wolf’s hold but he wasn’t getting up, and he hadn’t pulled free. Out of the numbness inside me, anger boiled to the surface.

  My body shook as I ran. I was too hot.

  Boiling lava seared my veins.

  It felt like I was burning alive, from the inside out.

  I didn’t bother with the deep breaths or anything else to try and calm down. None of that mattered. Neither did the anger, or whatever waited for me on the other side of it. All that mattered was Wes.

  I reached the muddy wolf and extended my hands, grabbing fistfuls of fur. I yanked him back with a strength that should’ve surprised me. But I was too far gone on the anger to feel anything but satisfaction as I felt his jaw loosen and break free of its hold on Wes. I lifted the muddy wolf off the ground and tossed it aside like it weighed nothing.

  I bent over Wes. “Are you okay?” My voice sounded foreign to my own ears.

  Wes – still a wolf – blinked up at me. Bloody holes marred the fur on his neck where teeth had penetrated. I tried not to look at them, but my eyes kept getting pulled back.

  “I’m fine,” he said, finally.

  I nodded. My entire body felt like it was being pulled in different directions. I wanted to stay, to make sure Wes really was okay. But another part of me – a much bigger part – needed to finish the fight.

  “I’ll be back. Don’t move.” I rose and turned back to the remaining Werewolves. Wes didn’t argue, which let me know how hurt he was.

  The heat in my body rose another level.

  I looked at the muddy wolf, lying in a heap on the ground, and something inside me snapped.

  What happened after was a blur. Time unaccounted for. Like the day on the rooftop, when I’d spaced out.

  Only this time, when the haze cleared, I stood amidst bodies. A couple of them were human but most were Werewolves.

  And all of them were dead.

  I blinked, somehow thinking if I did it enough, the bodies would disappear and I’d be back in the clinic with Wes.

  “Tara?”

  I whirled at the sound of my name.

  On edge. Ready for another fight.

  For a second, I didn’t even recogniz
e the voice. And then it was like reality clicked back into place.

  “Wes,” I said. I let relief wash over me that he was okay. And then I realized he was still a wolf. “Are you okay?” I took a step toward him.

  He cocked his head to the side. “I’m fine. I’ll heal faster this way. Plus… no clothes.”

  I nodded, sure I should be feeling something more than I was right now.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Of course. I didn’t get bit. You did.”

  “Right, but you…” He seemed at a loss. He was still looking at me that way, his head cocked to one side, like he couldn’t figure me out.

  “What?”

  “You killed them all,” he said. “How did you do that? I’ve never seen…” He didn’t seem to know how to explain.

  I tried to remember but came up blank. I shrugged. “I was protecting you. You were hurt.”

  “Tara.” He took a step toward me. “You killed them all. Even the ones who tried to leave. You chased them down and killed them. Then you came back and killed the injured ones. The ones who couldn’t get up or fight any more.”

  I stared at him, trying to remember something, anything, of what he was saying.

  “I don’t remember that,” I said. My voice sounded small. I looked around at all of the bodies.

  “And you smell.” He took another step towards me. “The whole time you were fighting, you smelled… different.” He was close enough to touch now, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I knew what he was going to say.

  “What did I smell like?” I whispered.

  His caramel eyes met mine. I could see my reflection in them. “Like a wolf.”

  *

  Here’s a sneak peek at

  Across the Galaxy

  A YA Fantasy

  By

  Heather Hildenbrand

  CHAPTER 1: RACE

  I shifted in my saddle, and leaned down to whisper to my horse, Nightingale. “This is no problem for you, girl. You’re much faster than he is.” She snorted back at me and stomped a foot. I patted her dark mane and looked over at my friend, Kate, who sat astride Archer, a brown Quarter horse. “The rocks are the finish line, as usual,” I said.