by H B Lyne
Everyone gawked at her in stunned silence.
'How dare you!' she yelled. 'How dare you risk the lives of everyone in this pack. You reckless, arrogant son of a bitch. I told you! Stalker warned you! We knew something was wrong and you totally disregarded our concerns. You led them into a trap that very nearly killed you all.'
Stalker had never seen Weaver like this. She swallowed a hard lump in her throat and tried to keep a satisfied smirk from appearing on her face by pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth.
Claws lifted a hand to object, but Weaver's piercing eyes stopped him and he let his hand drop back into his lap.
'We had no choice,' Wind Talker replied. His face was bright red, his eyes narrowed and as hard as steel. 'The police would have been on their way, there were gunshots and the most horrific noises imaginable to humanity. They would have found Limb Chewer and our world would have been exposed.'
'They would have found a load of broken machinery!' Weaver snapped. Her eyes flashed dangerously. 'They would never have made sense of it, yes it would have looked suspicious, especially with the flesh parts, but never in a million years would they have realised that it had been alive, nor would our kind or Hepethia have been exposed. We could have found a way out of there without crossing the veil. You thought you could see everything with your toy around your neck. You thought you were oh so clever. Your cocky attitude nearly got you killed.'
'No,' he shouted, lurching to his feet. He pointed a thick finger at Stalker, but kept his eyes fixed on Weaver. 'She did.'
Weaver blinked hard and looked between him and Stalker. Stalker released a slow breath, suddenly realising she had been holding it.
'It's true,' Eyes said quietly. Weaver glared at him. 'Right before you arrived, Jorogumo agreed to let the rest of us go if one of us stayed as a sacrifice. Stalker nominated Wind Talker.'
Silence filled the air, though Stalker was acutely aware of her own heart thumping wildly.
Light filled the room and Unchained Lightning's voice crackled around them.
'I ate her, no sacrifice necessary now.'
'Well, that's a relief,' Claws whispered, a small smile just about making it onto his pale and sickly face.
'This pack is a joke,' Weaver said. Her voice was low and threatening. 'I won't have any more part in it.'
She swept from the room, crossed the veil into the human world and disappeared. Stalker felt a wrench in her gut. Weaver was gone from her mind, disconnected from her soul. Weaver was no longer a Lightning Lord.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Stalker stared at the empty doorway, suspended in shock. The entire room seemed to be on pause, the tension was palpable.
'Did Weaver just... Did she just leave the pack?' Claws asked, getting shakily to his feet.
'I think so,' Stalker whispered.
'Can she do that?'
Stalker turned to look at Claws, his face was a sickly shade of grey, deep shadows under his bloodshot eyes aged him by a decade.
'Apparently.' Stalker ran after Weaver, Claws limped behind her. They crossed the veil and quickly checked the house, but Weaver was gone. Stalker tore out through the front door and looked both ways along the street. 'There!' She pointed and set off at a sprint towards Weaver's rapidly retreating back, she was almost at the end of the street. 'Wait!' Stalker shouted.
Weaver stopped and turned to look at her, tears streaked down her face. Stalker stopped in front of her and reached out for her shoulder, but Weaver pulled away. She looked over Stalker's shoulder and a look of concern swept the severity from her face. Stalker looked back to see Claws limping down the street, clutching his shoulder.
'What are you doing?' Weaver called. When Claws reached them he was gasping for breath.
'You can't leave,' he panted.
'He's right,' Stalker said, grasping Weaver's arm. 'We can fix this. Come back to the house, we'll talk it over.'
'There's no point. I can't be in a room with him right now, or you for that matter. I'm too angry.'
'Me?' Stalker blurted. 'Why are you angry with me?'
'You were willing to leave him behind. No matter what he's done, no matter how bad of an Alpha he is, we never leave a pack mate behind.'
'Oh really?' Stalker snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. 'Even if they betray the rest of us? And it's perfectly okay to stand back while they walk into a trap?'
'I went for help, in case you didn't notice.'
Weaver turned and marched away. Stalker clucked her tongue and glanced awkwardly at Claws. He rolled his eyes at her and set off after Weaver.
'Wait!' he called. Stalker followed them, lurking just behind as the other two walked in uncomfortable silence. Dawn was breaking, the sky just beginning to glow pale blue. Caerton was starting to come to life. She heard cars on the nearby main road and the muffled sounds of televisions inside the houses they passed.
'Where will you go?' Claws asked at last.
'I have friends,' Weaver said softly. She wiped the tears from her face and came to a halt. 'What happened today was unacceptable.'
'I know,' Claws replied.
Stalker stood behind them feeling isolated. She chewed the inside of her mouth, and fought back the image of Wind Talker's astonished face when she offered him up to the demon.
'I'll agree to come back and talk things over once the dust settles. And only if that maniac is no longer Alpha.' Weaver lifted her chin defiantly.
Stalker felt relief wash over her. She had thought that Weaver had warmed to Wind Talker as Alpha. To hear her speaking out so defiantly against him gave her hope that they could mend their relationship.
'We'll sort it,' she said, a grin splitting her face. Weaver looked at her and managed a small smile.
'Look, I'm going now, storming out and all that. Call me in a day or so.'
'Okay,' Stalker said, suppressing a grin. Weaver turned and swept away, her long skirt brushing the pavement. Stalker glanced at Claws, he looked like he was about to collapse. She grabbed hold of him and draped his good arm over her shoulder. 'Come on, let's get you back. I hope Eyes and Wind Talker haven't killed each other.'
Claws coughed and slumped heavily against her. They walked slowly back to the house.
Eyes and Wind Talker sat in silence in the living room, resolutely not looking at one another. Eyes jumped to his feet as they entered and helped get Claws into a chair.
'Where is she?' he asked anxiously.
'Gone,' Stalker replied. 'We caught up to her but couldn't convince her to come back. She's too angry to talk.'
Eyes' cheek twitched, fury flashed in his eyes. He wheeled around and marched over to Wind Talker. He grabbed hold of the Alpha's shirt and pulled him to his feet.
'You did this. You shattered our pack.'
Stalker flinched, taken aback by Eyes' anger. Claws put a gentle hand on her arm, holding her back without the need for force or words.
'I... I...' Wind Talker spluttered.
'I admit that I made mistakes as Alpha. Fortune made it look so easy, but it isn't. I appreciate that. But I never led us into such danger, I never disregarded the knowledge, skills or advice of my pack. I would never assume that I knew everything important about a situation, and I would NEVER betray my pack mates.' His volume mounted, his face grew red and Stalker could see the veins throbbing in his temple as he shouted in Wind Talker's face.
Wind Talker roughly knocked Eyes' hand from his clothes and stepped back. He too had turned scarlet, a combination of anger and embarrassment, Stalker supposed. She watched open mouthed, her own pulse racing. She didn't think their little house would remain standing if these two lost control and let their Agrius beasts take advantage of the situation.
'Are you challenging me?' Wind Talker spat.
'I am,' Eyes replied, squaring up to him.
Wind Talker smirked and took another step back, his shoulders instantly relaxing.
'Shall we cross the veil?' he asked. Eyes nodded and the two of them d
isappeared. Stalker grabbed Claws and they crossed after them. Eyes was following Wind Talker through the kitchen and Stalker moved quickly after them, still supporting Claws. 'I'm in no shape for a fight,' Wind Talker stated, as he opened the back door and led them into the garden. His skin was even more grey than Claws', and covered in the same dirty layer of sweat that soaked his clothes. Where Jorogumo had bitten him his clothes were torn and Stalker could see an oozing open wound.
Unchained Lightning was perched on the roof of the house, looking down on them with a glint in his eye. The air was charged with static, and Stalker felt her hair start to lift.
Wind Talker looked up at their allied fae and held his hands out in front of him in supplication. He was shaking slightly. He seemed to be generally faring better than Claws, despite having been rendered unconscious by Jorogumo. But in this moment, he looked on the brink of collapse. It wouldn't be right for Eyes to fight him now, even she could concede that.
'I don't want to fight you,' Eyes said, his voice quiet and sympathetic.
'You don't need to,' Wind Talker replied, pulling himself up to his full height. 'I relinquish my claim on the Alphaship. The position is rightfully yours.'
Stalker and Claws exchanged nervous glances. Eyes blinked in surprise.
'Right,' he said slowly.
'You were making mistakes, you admit as much yourself. I had to do something. I had to shake you up and make you see that. I had to remind you why you were our Alpha in the first place, and point you in the direction of good leadership.'
Stalker slumped, she felt her gut lurch sideways, and leaned heavily on Claws so that they were propping each other up. All of this had been to teach Eyes a lesson. Betraying her, killing Hidden Voice, challenging Eyes, it was all to make Eyes a better Alpha. A spark ignited and pulled her from her stupor. She lurched forward, a snarl rising in her throat.
'You bastard!' she yelled. She strode across the garden, drawing a sword from her back. Eyes caught hold of her and spun her away from Wind Talker. She resisted, pulling hard away from him. The rage was overwhelming and she felt the Agrius roaring to life within her.
'Oh no you don't,' Eyes whispered in her ear. Claws was there in an instant too, stroking her hair.
'Calm down, Stalker.'
She tried to shake them off, but they had a tight hold of her. She caught sight of Wind Talker standing against the garden wall, looking genuinely petrified. That seemed to satisfy part of her and she began to calm down. Claws gently sheathed her sword for her, but Eyes only relaxed his hold on her once she had taken a deep breath.
'I'm all right,' she said, a bite in her voice. 'I'm not going to gut him. Thank you for stopping me.' She glared at Wind Talker, and accepted Claws' arm around her shoulders.
'I accept the role of Alpha of the Lightning Lords,' Eyes said, looking hard at Wind Talker, then up at Unchained Lightning. The fae crackled, nodded his head, then took flight, soaring away into the pale blue sky overhead. 'He always does that,' Eyes mused, watching the fae fly away.
Stalker shrugged off Claws' arm and stomped into the house. She stopped and looked back at the others, every eye was on her.
'I'm glad you're back, Alpha,' she said pointedly to Eyes. 'But order isn't restored until we get Weaver back. I need a day myself to calm down, then I'll talk to Weaver and we'll finish sorting this mess out.'
She turned and left them gawking after her, crossed the veil and set off to find Rhys.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Fights-Eyes-Open
'Right,' Eyes said in a business-like tone, deciding to switch off his frustration with Stalker. She hadn't left the pack, like Weaver had, she'd be back. She just needed to cool off, probably with her human lover. He hoped with all his might that she wasn't walking into a situation like his. 'First things first, we need to get you two back to full strength. I need to know if this poison will work itself out, like the last lot, or if we need to treat it. Wind Talker, that's your area of expertise.'
'Right on it,' Wind Talker said, wiping a shaking hand across his brow.
'For now, both of you get some rest. We'll reconvene in a few hours.'
He marched into the house and went to gather up his things. He had been staying here since walking out on Chloe, but the little house was really too small for all of them, and was beginning to smell terrible. He left the house and went to sit in his car. He needed to decide what he was going to do. He looked longingly at his phone. There were no missed calls or messages. He checked his emails and saw an agenda for a meeting at Free River Tower that afternoon. He hit the “attending” button with a heavy sigh, then started the engine.
He drove to his house first, the work had begun on replacing the windows and cleaning it all up, and it was starting to look normal. It was still early enough that no workmen were there yet. He went inside and leaned heavily on the inside of the front door. Life was never going to go back to how it was before, but he had a small glimmer of hope that whatever new life was taking shape was going to be simpler.
He went slowly to the kitchen and peeked cautiously inside. The blood had been cleaned up, and some of the kitchen units had been replaced. It smelled of fresh paint and sanded wood. The living room was clear of debris, new windows filled the bay, but the furniture was still covered in dust sheets and the new carpet was yet to be laid.
Upstairs everything looked perfectly normal. He went to his and Chloe's bedroom and picked out a clean suit. He filled a bag with other clothes. Images of the attack on his family kept trying to intrude, but he forced them out of his mind, and left the house as quickly as possible. He knew he would never be able to live there again, and doubted his family would either.
With a shaking breath, he set off for his mother's house. He parked outside and approached the front door with caution. He had no expectations of being well received, or of reconciliation with Chloe, but he couldn't leave things the way they were. It had been three nights since he had left, with no contact whatsoever from any of his family. He had to know if they were all okay.
He put his key in the lock, half expecting the locks to have been changed. But it turned and the door opened easily. The house was still and silent. He closed the door behind him and walked quietly through the rooms on the ground floor. When he reached the kitchen he found a note pinned to the fridge door with one of Amy's colourful magnets.
Martin,
I assume you will find this eventually. Amy and I have gone to stay with my parents in London. I went back to the house on Sunday, I see the work is coming along, but we can't go back there. I'll be sending for more of our things in due course, once we get settled.
Your mum has decided to stay with her brother in Canada for a while. She's not coping well at all. Please contact her, she says you have his address and phone number. She says you can house sit if you need to, she wants to make sure her house is secure.
Please don't try to contact me. We'll sort out something with regards to you seeing Amy, of course, but only if you can reassure me of her safety.
I'll be in touch once the dust settles.
Chloe
'Right,' Eyes said quietly to himself. For a moment it seemed the world had stopped spinning. Time itself was suspended. He heard his own heartbeat drowning out all other sound, and the saliva dried instantly from his mouth. 'Well yes, it's probably for the best. They're all safely out of Caerton, The Witches can't touch them, or me now.'
He shook his head, suddenly aware that he was talking to himself. He made his way upstairs to the room he had been staying in, and collapsed on the bed.
When he woke, the early afternoon sun was struggling to break through the grey clouds. He'd slept longer than he intended, and rushed to shower and dress for the meeting.
Free River Tower was bustling with activity when he arrived. Theodore was in an agitated state, issuing orders in a loud voice, and clearly alarming the human workers scurrying around him.
'Martin,' he called out as soon as he laid eyes on
the new arrival. Eyes nodded in greeting and moved into the meeting room. People were dashing to and fro, stacks of papers littered the huge conference table. The meeting was mostly attended by legal types, staff of Harris Intermediaries, but two men from the council sat along from where Theodore stood, both looking petrified. Eyes recognised one of the men from previous meetings, the other looked like a junior assistant, and sat scribbling notes. 'Take a seat,' Theodore ordered. His normally genial tone was absent.
'Apologies for being late,' Eyes muttered, keeping his eyes down as he took a seat next to the note-taking youngster. 'I had other business.'
'Of course, of course,' Theodore replied distractedly.
The meeting proceeded with Theodore generally arguing with people about how quickly work on the underground railway could be completed. Eyes had always thought of Theodore as someone with it all together. Seeing him this flustered was equal parts disappointment and relief. It was reassuring that even a powerful elder had bad days and didn't always get his own way, it put Eyes' own struggles into perspective. But at the same time, he had aspired to be like Theodore. It was unsettling to know that even after decades of power and influence he might still have trouble controlling his plans.
The scribbler persisted throughout the meeting, noting every task issued, every deadline. Eyes concealed a smile, amused at the young man's eagerness. As the meeting drew to a close, Eyes helped him gather his notes and gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
'Thanks,' the young man said, shovelling the papers into his briefcase. He stood up and smoothed down his suit, and Eyes caught a glimpse of his security identity badge, clipped to his jacket. A jolt of recognition ran up his spine and he drew a sudden breath.
'No problem, Ben, is it?' Eyes said, indicating the badge.
'That's right,' the young man said with a nervous smile. 'First meeting here.'
'I could tell,' Eyes smiled. 'It isn't always like this. Hopefully those notes will be useful.'
'Yeah,' Ben replied. His superior was engaged with Theodore, and Eyes watched carefully over Ben's shoulder.
