Ace

by Kim Faulks

  Alpha stilled, turned and stared at the screen as he listened to Irwin. “Oh he’ll come. Newman’s weak and powerless, and those are two things he won’t do well. He’ll lash out and I want to be right there when he feels the damn need. Yeah… yeah, he’s here. Just a second.” He dragged the phone from his ear and hit the speaker. Irwin’s panicked whispers reverberated through the air.

  “I want you to be careful out there. These guys man…they’re not to be taken lightly. They’re fast, they’re hard…and they’ve got a lot of fucking power in their corner. Kill them, any way you can, but don’t come back here. It’s…not safe. Vampires are attacking, newly turned ones. They’re fucking animals, man.”

  Vampires…Jesus. The six o’clock news came to life. Like rats, swarming towns, cities, descending on the one they hated the most…Eva.

  “This Shadow Government has one helluva hard-on for you, Alpha, and Newman. So they’ll come, and you can bet your ass they’ll come hard.”

  The muscles around Alpha’s throat flexed as he swallowed. It was a good thing no one else saw the kami-fucking-kaze look he gave. “Then let them come,” he growled and glanced at the Tac-fifty by my side, before lifting his gaze to mine. “We’ll be waiting.”

  14

  Ace

  “I’m going to move up the backside of this mountain here,” I pointed to a mark on the Satellite imagery. “It’s gonna take two to three hours, depending on the gradient. The terrain doesn’t look too tough, except for that sheer shale face here. But that’ll give me the concealment, and give you the perfect place to set camp. This bank of trees will be your cover, and the river will lead you out. Just follow that…all the way up and you’ll be fine. Remember, no one knows I’m here, so that’s the only surprise we have.”

  He stared at a spot on the map, but there was no focus. He heard nothing. I straightened, and lowered my voice. “Once you reach basecamp, fire that tracker up. I’ll be right behind you. We’ll get him back, brother. We’ll get him back and there’ll be no exchange of life.”

  He lifted his head to meet my gaze. The empty stare was like I lost Stitch all over again.

  “Promise me,” he whispered and then turned his head to find X moving through the trees in the distance. “Promise me you’ll take care of her if I don’t make this.”

  And that icy touch bloomed inside me, wrapping claws around my heart. “That’s not going to happen—”

  “Promise me,” he snarled, lips curled. Rage sparked like embers in the night. He reached out, gripped my collar, knocking my shoulder. Pain savaged flesh and blood. But it was nothing, nothing compared to the cruel desperation in his eyes. “Promise me. She needs…she fucking needs…” There was a flinch in the darkness. “I want you to move in, and not the half-there fucking shit you do. I want you there, all the fucking time. I want you to be me…you hear me? You hear what I’m saying?”

  Black enveloped, taking me down into a hole I’d never get out of. He wanted me to be him, as though I could shed this skin and step into his flesh and bones.

  If he only knew how many times I’d wished the same.

  When the horrors of the past descended, I stared at Alpha with his square fucking jaw, and his perfect family. I would’ve given anything to be him—even just for a second.

  But not like this. Never like this. I grabbed his collar drawing him in tight. “That’s not going to happen, you hear me? Are you fucking hearing me, Alpha? Cause so help me God, I’ll fucking punch these words into that thick, fucking skull of yours. That isn’t happening.”

  Life flared. Hate and hurt. Still, it was fucking life. And that empty stare faded.

  “So you make this waypoint as fast as you can, and fire that thing up. I’ll be waiting…I’ll be fucking waiting. If the op goes bad, grab Clark and get the Hell out of here. I’ll find you, you hear me? I’ll fucking find you.”

  He gave a slow nod. But at least he was listening. I released his shirt and gripped his shoulder.

  He was the closest thing I’d ever had to family. A brother in khaki. “Remember, this is shifter territory, so be careful.” I dropped my hand and rolled the maps before sliding them into my pack.

  “Watch your back out there,” he growled.

  I nodded, meeting his gaze and answered. “I’ll be too busy watching yours.”

  Heavy boots set the pace. I never once looked back. I couldn’t.

  Couldn’t see my brother and his mate alone. Couldn’t think about the fact that the only thing that stood between these Shadow Government bastards and my brother was me.

  The straps bit into my shoulder as I carved a path through the forest and climbed. I pushed my knees as I headed up…and up, until the ridge towered above and sweat rolled down my back.

  I grabbed my container and took a sip. I had enough rations to last two, maybe three days if I was careful. The two-way cracked in my ear, “Comms check.”

  I touched my earpiece. “Loud and clear.”

  The silence settled around me. Rocks and shale tumbled down the rock face the higher I went. The sun beat down, the tiny sliver of shade now long since past. I grabbed my binoculars and checked the tree line. I was too exposed out here, needed to push higher—I looked up to the sun—and faster.

  The cold would settle fast, especially high up on the ridge. I wanted to be well settled in before the sky darkened. I shoved the scope back onto my belt and kept moving, losing myself in the movement until Alpha’s voice mixed with static, dropping in and out. “Comm—”

  I pressed my mic. “Say again your last…you’re coming through weak and unreadable.”

  The crackle eased. “Comms check.”

  “I got you,” I growled. “Loud and clear.”

  The mountain peak dropped away to the hard line of a ridge that was more shale than trees. I checked the map and grabbed my binoculars. The destination straight ahead, up on the rocky ledge that overlooked what once was a campground.

  The infrared illuminator gauged the distance across the peak. By the time I reached my marker there’d be no less than five hundred meters. Far enough to make any sniper wince. But it was the closest I had, or the ridge cut away, leaving a far wider distance between Alpha and me.

  I kept going, scurrying down the terrain made softer by the thick vein of trees. The ache in my shoulder turned to gnawing hunger, one that radiated down my arm and into my hand. I grabbed the bottle of pills from the side of my pack and flipped open the lid. The round tablets slid into my mouth tasting of powder and dust. I chewed, swallowed and washed it down with a drag of water before I started the last, hard climb.

  The sun was dimming, falling behind the tops of the pines as I reached higher, and the world just dropped away. Up here there was nothing to touch me. Up here there was nothing but the eagles soaring high above and the wind…always the wind.

  I turned my face to the horizon as Alpha’s voice filled my ears. “I’ve reached the destination, powering up the transmitter.”

  “Copy that,” I answered, sucked in a hard breath, and drove my boots into the slope.

  I focused on the marker, watching the jutting edge creep closer one slow step at a time. Rocks were uneven, tumbling, slipping under my feet.

  Sweat slipped into my eyes as I raised the Tac-fifty and stared through the scope.

  The markers were perfect, lined up just as I tracked on the map. I found the campsite, and then X, watching her for a second before I kept going.

  “Red line a go,” Alpha’s voice filled my ears.

  The GPS transmitter was on. Now it was a matter of time.

  I lowered the scope and looked to the sky. They’d come, just the way Irwin said, and they’d come hard.

  Rocks tumbled far below as I followed the point up to the highest peak and stopped. My arms ached, stitches pulled taut as I slipped the pack from my shoulders and crouched at the ledge.

  It’d be at least an hour by chopper. An hour to rest, eat, and make a plan. I grabbed the water bottle from my pa
ck and took a sip. The sheer cliff face towered above and fell away to my right. A perfect concealment for anyone scanning the ridgeline.

  They’d never see me, not until it was too late. I opened my pack, grabbed a bar from my rations, and tore the seam. The forest was quiet, but I knew more than anyone looks were deceiving. Hunters scanned the edges of the river and hunkered in the thick forest that followed the rushing vein all the way through this county and into the next.

  My belly tightened as the bar hit my stomach. I was used to being hungry, used to being hot, and cold. Used to the loneliness…but it didn’t mean I liked it.

  I eased my pack higher on the rock and dragged the camouflage cover free. The underside glinted. Foil on the bottom, the top a pale brown that blended into the rocks around me. I skimmed my hand along a line, brushing the small rocks aside for perfect prone position and hunkered down.

  Trees filled my view through the scope. I scanned the markers, north and south as the sun lost its bite. Hard edges gouged skin against bone. I shifted, finding no relief and waited…

  Waited for them to come.

  Waited to unleash Hellfire.

  Waited to protect my brother any way I could.

  15

  Ghost

  Black birds haunted me, filling my dreams, making me whimper. They chased me until…boom…boom…boom…filled my head, and the screams of my father followed.

  A whimper slipped free. I curled tighter, drawing my knees close. Soft light filtered through the window. The moon pulsed with soft sobs. I felt the call under flesh and bone to something far deeper. Sleep, Spirit urged. Sleep and heal.

  My eyes closed, still the birds came, filling me with the deafening roar.

  Run little Ghost, RUN!

  The scream wrenched me to the surface. I blinked as lights flooded the room, and then faded.

  But birds stayed with the whoop…whoop…whoop of their wings. I scurried to my hands, moving to the window as the bird moved on, falling behind.

  I’m coming for you…

  Human pushed to the front of my mind.

  I’m coming for you…and there’s nowhere you can hide.

  I grasped the totem around my neck as the floors shuddered. Bright lights streamed through the window, and then disappeared. I crawled on hands and knees to the darkened corner.

  They were coming, coming with their guns. They were coming with their boom…boom…boom.

  Until the sound faded away. They were here…they were here.

  An ache flared through my gums, and the sweet taste of blood filled my mouth. Don’t make me hurt you…don’t make me kill.

  Because I would. I’d kill…to survive.

  It’s okay, Human whispered. He’s gone. But it wasn’t the cruel one…the one who hurt me with claws. This human wanted to help. This human wanted to save.

  The memory of his blood mingled with the taste of my own. Too much blood. Human was leaking too much blood. I lifted my head to stare through the window to the faint sound of the bird. Was that him coming back?

  I stilled with the thought. The totem slipped through my fingers to smack against my throat. Heart sped, like a hunter…like a kill.

  I wanted to see him…see the blood that leaked from his body—see the life in his eyes. I swallowed and crawled forward, pushing up to hands and knees. I would see him. I would touch him.

  The faint sound of the bird pulled me forward. I moved from one room to another stilling at the pail to fill my soft flask. Hunt, Spirit urged. It’s what we do. I opened the door and looked up into the night.

  Lights flashed in the distance and the whoop…whoop…whoop of wings called. I stepped out into the night and slipped through the trees. Instinct led me. This was familiar. This was home. My steps left no sound. My scent carried downwind, leaving others to know who made this place home.

  I lifted my head, catching the sweet scent of night. No wolves…not yet. An owl called out, dragging my gaze high to catch the shadow cut across the sky above.

  Black birds called out, lights flashed rising up into the sky. I turned my head, catching the owl. Black bird hunted, black bird killed. Hurry, I urged. Human is coming. I pushed on, lengthening my stride as I cut through the forest until the sound of wings grew louder…and the sickening scent of Human filtered through.

  Careful, Spirit whispered. I slowed my step and grasped a pine as I passed. Lights splashed the ground. Human came, climbing from the belly of the bird. Skins of black left them to fade into the darkness. I moved closer, keeping downwind, and watched the bird.

  Human knelt, scanned…and pushed forward, leaving more of his kind to follow. I took a step, drawn by the thunder in my chest—drawn by the need to understand, until the scent of something else stilled me.

  Spoiled. Sick… I winced and stepped backwards into the shadows. Not Human… My lip curled, and a growl slipped free. Not Human…not beast. The thing that had scurried from the bird, stilled raised his head and scented the air.

  Another followed, and another. They moved like shifters. One turned to stare at me. I cowered, pressing my spine against the trunk. He stilled for a second before turning his head toward the others. Human climbed out of the bird behind him. Punched his shoulder, moving the not Human, not beast ahead. They followed the others, leaving the bird to flap wings and lift from the ground.

  I glanced to the night. Owl was gone. Owl was safe—for now.

  Leave, Spirit growled. Run…hide.

  My foot skimmed the ground, finding thick roots as I moved away. Bright lights flooded the forest. I cowered, shielding my eyes as the glare hurt, and then the bird left, carving through the night, leaving me frozen.

  Sick still lingered, marking the air—warning me to run, death had come…death more dangerous than the wolves—death more vicious than the hunger and the ice.

  Death that would take all. Heat raced through my chest like I swallowed the sun. My forest…my home. Human came once before, and Human took everything from me…my father…my mother…the memories of others…others like me.

  Human came to take again. Take my forest. Take my home.

  Sun burned in my chest, leaking out to tremble the air. I took a step, and then another, following the fetid stench. Human wouldn’t take from me…Sick wouldn’t take from me—not again…

  16

  Ace

  I shifted my hips against the rock, and moved my scope as a wolf crept in from the north, stilled, and then slunk away.

  The third one I found, or the third one that found us. Each one was getting bolder, moving closer, before it turned and made for the rest of the pack. I stared through the trees and found nothing. But they were in there somewhere…opportunistic hunters.

  And there were two opportunities right down there.

  “Checking in,” Alpha murmured in my ear. “You catch that wolf?”

  I touched my earpiece. “Yeah, him and the two others.”

  “There were others?”

  I smothered the smirk. “And that’s why I’m the sniper and you’re just a pretty face.”

  The low chuckle echoed through, before the connection ended, and silence fell between us.

  I wanted to say more, wanted to give comfort. But the words stuck in my throat, and a damn two-way wasn’t how I wanted it to go down.

  I felt the seconds…like a slow pulse. Every slow throb was a second longer they had his dad—a second longer these bastards were coming up with their own special kind of Hell.

  One that made even a Marine weak.

  “You think he’s still alive?” Alpha growled in my ear.

  I closed my eyes, willing away the words. When they refused to leave, I exhaled and pressed my mic. “I don’t know. All we can do is fight like he is, either way it’s not him they’re after. It’s you. Right now you’re alive, and I plan on keeping it that way.”

  An owl called out in the distance. The sound so lonely it was as though we were all that remained of this world, and for a second that didn’t see
m so bad. No more hate, no more pain—no more broken promises and broken bones. No more system. Just the air and the sky and the beasts.

  A shadow moved at my right. Thermal picked up the movement before it was gone. I checked the shadows, finding nothing, until something surged forward, then stilled behind the base of a tree.

  Silver eyes glinted for a second before they were gone. And this time, it was no damn wolf.

  More moved around him, crouching low to make the next cover. I caught semi-automatics through the infrared, but three of them carried no weapons…I swallowed hard—the sight unnerved me more than if they did.

  I pressed the mic, whisper barely audible. “To your left. You’re about to be contacted.”

  The low growl echoed in the background as Alpha whispered. “Understood.”

  They moved in like a fog, low, hunkering, spreading out on all sides. I set my sights on the closest, waiting for a break in the trees. Waiting for him to raise his weapon…and the bastard did.

  Time slowed down. I was nothing but survival—nothing but rage.

  Fire burned inside, taking me further from a man, until I was a fleck on the wind.

  Until I soared with one perfect breath.

  In…and then out.

  I squeezed the trigger. The stock kicked like a goddamn mule, punching my shoulder as the shot rang out. Three seconds later the bastard went down, and there was no moving, not for him—ever again.

  Sparks lit up the night. Muzzle flashes burned, bringing war to us. I gripped the bolt, shoved up and back, expelling the cartridge, then settled for the next as the sound of their shots reached me.

  The enemy divided. Six one way, four another. I gripped the stock, took aim, and fired. Dust kicked up and then settled, the target still stood. Shit. I shoved upwards, ejected the cartridge, and took aim once more.