by Lynn Red
It was kind of amazing to watch Hunter and Damon get ready. They looked like a pair of Rambos, packing up to take on the entire Viet Cong at once. I guess it made sense, being as how none of us really knew what we were up against, but Hunter was for real.
In the end, I counted six big, serious-as-shit knives. Four on his legs, two across his chest, and all of them were big, serrated, mean-looking things. I imagined were shot through with silver, just waiting to tear into werewolf hides.
“Why do you have all those?” Cat asked him, when she finally came out of the room and gave me a sheepish grin. “You look like you’re going into a jungle.”
“Never hurts to be safe,” Hunter said, tying his hair back with a bandana, and strapping a revolver to his hip. “I travel with this stuff, wherever I go. I promise, it isn’t like a special occasion thing. Come to see my best friend and his wife, so I come strapped – nothing like that. I just like to be ready.”
A slow grin crept across his face when he pulled something very long and dangerous-looking out of his duffel bag. It was another bag, inside of which, something clicked.
“Don’t tell me you have a segmented baton or something in there,” Damon said, his voice belying his utter disbelief. “I’m the one who lives here, and all I have is a shotgun, and a pocketknife.”
“That’s not all you have,” I said, grabbing one of his arms.
“Yeah,” he grinned. “I guess not.”
Damon gave a little flex and looked in the mirror, puckering his lips in a seductive sort of pose that made him look like something out of Rocky Horror.
“Uh,” I laughed. “Not that, you big jackass. The chains, out back.”
“Oh,” he said. “Yeah, of course. I knew what you meant.”
When Hunter finally presented the thing from the bag, Damon’s jaw hit the floor. “It is a goddamn ninja sword. You have a ninja sword, Hunter. What in the hell are you going to do with this?”
“Pretty sweet, huh?” Hunter said, clicking the scabbard to the blade and strapping it across his back. “Mind helping me?”
Damon shook with laughter, and then, he just exploded.
“You have a ninja sword!” he said. “Oh, my God, this is the best thing, ever! We’re going to fight some ancient evil and you’re taking a ninja sword.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Hunter said, waving his hand. “You’ll see. It’s strong, it’s silver, and it’ll cut. You’ll be sorry you don’t have a bad-ass ninja sword when it comes down to the line, I bet you anything.”
Damon just shook his head, and both of them started laughing.
I was glad – really glad – they were able to be so light and act like this. I had the feeling that they were both just deflecting their worry about what was to come, and I understood. Damon and Hunter relaxed their anxiety by bashing one another. And, I have to admit, it was pretty damn funny that he, apparently, carried a ninja sword around all the time. Just in case.
“One last thing,” Damon said, as he slid his hands into the thick leather gloves he used when he was riding. “I’m probably gonna deserve this for making fun of your sword, but could you help me with this?”
The thick leather cuff, that protected his forearm from the chain, was hard to wrestle on, but once it was in place, it didn’t move. Hunter did, of course, laugh at him, but helped Damon strap it down. When he was finished, he grabbed Damon’s hand.
“You two mean the world to me,” he said. “No! Three!” he corrected himself, smiling over at Cat. “Anything I can do, I will. Not just for the pack, but for you, personally. I know we can do this. With you and me, together? We can’t go wrong. Any crusted up, old mummy won’t stand a chance.”
Cat came over to my side.
“This is really touching and all, but… What the hell is going on? Why are they dressing up like there’s a zombie apocalypse coming?”
“Oh, God,” I whispered.
My stomach sank like a rock. She had no idea. Of course she didn’t, though – why would Cat have any idea about werewolf magic ancient warriors? I just shook my head.
“It’s… a long story.” I looked down at my feet.
“Try me,” she said. “They seem intent on having a love-in.”
Damon and Hunter embraced in a way that started as a manly, friendly, shake-and-a-hug, but very quickly became intense, and wrought with emotion. Both of them knew, no matter how lightly they were acting, how dangerous things were.
“Mind helping me outside? I gotta wrap a chain around this thing.”
Damon led the way, and Hunter followed him out.
“Uh… well,” I said, turning back to Cat. “It’s… You know about Damon, right? And…”
“Yeah,” Cat said. “The wolf thing. I was there, when my boyfriend turned into one and almost murdered me. I don’t say anything about it, out of preferring for most people not to think I’m bat-shit nuts.”
“Okay,” I laughed nervously. “So, Damon’s a leader of this group, and…”
“I’ve seen Twilight, Lily, and True Blood. I know about werewolf alphas, and all that other stuff. Is there going to be a vampire in bondage gear? What about one with a weird, southern accent, who hates himself for being a vampire? Are all werewolves auto mechanics?”
I opened my eyes wide and felt a giggle work its way through me. Oh, my God, but it felt good to laugh like that.
“Sorry,” I said. “It’s just—”
“I was trying to make you laugh,” she said. “You looked so upset about something, you were going to cry. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Yeah,” I squeaked.
“Tell me what’s up, Lily,” Cat said. “If it has anything to do with Hunter, I need to know. He’s kinda… Well, I really like him. I don’t know if I’ve ever, like… been with an actual, nice guy before. After Devin, I kinda gave up.”
“Devin,” I said, immediately regretting it, the second the word came out of my mouth.
Cat’s face hardened. “What about him? He isn’t back, is he? I’ll whip his ass, myself, I don’t care how big and hairy he is.”
“Something happened. He’s…”
“Dead?” Cat cut me off. “No way. No, he’s not.”
I couldn’t tell if she liked the idea of him being dead, or not.
“No, he’s not dead,” I said.
“Oh, thank God. My therapist told me that the best way to get over what he did, was to face him, and tell him how much he hurt me, and all kinds of therapy shit. I don’t know if I want to go that far, but I didn’t want him to actually die. Well,” she took a breath. “I did, sort of, for a long time want him to die in a fire, I guess.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s not dead, but he’s been through some pretty awful—”
“Well, where is he?” Cat interrupted. “Did he actually just run away, like you told me he did? Just, off to nowhere?”
Before I could answer, or even before I could figure out how I wanted to answer, Damon and Hunter came back inside.
“All right,” Hunter announced. “Ghost Rider with his chain whip things, is ready to go.”
“So is ninja Rambo,” Damon said, slapping Hunter on the side of the head.
Carefully, Damon grabbed a shirt off the floor, and slid it on over the bulky, six-foot chain he had coiled around his wrist.
“Cool,” Cat said. “Let’s go. I’m ready to see whatever the hell is so exciting. I’ve got the day off, anyway, and you promised me a date.” She shot Hunter a look playfully accusatory look. “So, let’s go.”
“Er…” Hunter froze, on his way out the door. “I don’t know if…”
“You think I haven’t seen some shit? I was locked in a basement and scared for my life.” Cat reached out and grabbed Hunter’s hand. “I am completely aware I only met you two days ago… Three now, I guess. But I’m not letting you get away that easily. If you are doing something dangerous, I’m going to help.”
Cat was very obviously not interested in compromise. She dug
her free hand into her hip.
“You don’t have a choice,” she added, like that was necessary.
Hunter looked over at Damon, and then to me, as though one of us had some magical cure. I just shrugged, but Damon got very serious.
“This isn’t a game, Cat,” he said. “I don’t know how much you know about me, but—”
“Plenty,” she said. “But, go on.”
“Right, well, what I mean is, as the leader of this pack, I don’t want you getting hurt. We can’t risk an innocent in the course of pack business. It just…”
“Why not?” she asked. “I was put in danger before, remember?”
Damon narrowed his eyes.
“I know,” he said. His voice was grim. “I wish that never happened – that you were never brought into all this. But, all I can do now is apologize, and promise to keep you safe from now on.”
“I don’t need you to keep me safe,” Cat shot back. “You didn’t exactly keep me safe from Devin last time, did you? I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions, Damon.”
Damon opened his mouth, but Cat closed it for him by continuing.
“I’m not done yet. Okay?”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen Damon cowed before. Beaten up, sure. But, like, legitimately brow-beaten? It was all I could do to not laugh.
“Oh… okay,” he said.
“You set me up with Hunter, and now you want me to just ignore all that, while he goes off to… whatever it is that you two are going to do? You’re dressed like you’re going to either a war or a gun show. Not a fuckin’ chance. Get me?”
“Cat,” Damon said. “It’s going to be dangerous. I’m not even sure what’s going to happen. We’re going straight into the unknown. At this point, all I’m sure of is there’s incredible danger, and I can’t allow you, an innocent, to be in danger over pack business.”
“All right,” she said. “That’s fine. Are you going to stop me from following you? I mean, you have to drive, right?”
“I…” Damon looked at me, and in response I just shrugged.
Damon’s shoulders slumped.
“Okay, fine. It’s stupid to make this into more than it is. No, I’m not going to stop you, but Cat, listen to me.”
“All ears, big guy,” she said.
“I need you to make sure you stay safe. If anything happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.”
“Me, either,” Hunter added. “I’ll keep her safe. I promise.”
Hunter grabbed Cat’s hand, and when he yanked her to his side, she let out a little squeal. The kiss they shared was so strong, so deep, that it almost made me get a little weak in the knees.
“I promise,” Hunter repeated. “I won’t let anything happen to her, if it’s the last thing I do.”
Damon took a deep breath, and let it out with a sigh.
He shook his head.
“All right, I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I am. But Cat, please stay back from… I don’t even know what I’m telling you to stay away from. Maybe nothing. Come on.”
The two wolf boys jangled with their heavy-hanging weapons and chains, and whatever else they’d tied onto themselves. Cat and I exchanged more than one sidelong glance. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the house, when the others were outside.
“You’re going to see some… some things, I guess, is a good way to put it, that don’t make a damn bit of sense.”
“Not you, too?” she asked. “I can—”
I put my hands up.
“That’s not what I mean. I know you’re tough, and I know you can take care of yourself. All I’m saying is that in this world, things aren’t exactly cut and dry. You’re going to see things that… Ugh, God, I can’t figure out how to tell you this.”
“Just tell me, Lily. I’m a grown up.”
“No,” I said, “you’re right. Okay, here’s the thing. We’re going to a cave. In this cave, is a really old man, who is the pack elder. At present, he’s both dying, and taking care of Devin, who is recovering from an extended case of the crazy.” Just saying that made me choke up a little.
Slowly, Cat started nodding. “Okay and…?”
“And, I might possess Devin. And, there might be a fight between a werewolf mummy, Hunter, and Damon. And someone may turn into a wolf.”
“That’s… Okay, yeah,” Cat said, screwing up her face in thought. “You’re going to…”
“Possess him. Maybe. Not definitely. Depends on whether or not he goes nuts again. But you also can’t say anything to Damon, because he’s couldn’t handle me being in danger.”
Her nodding got slower and slower, until it stopped.
“Look,” she said. “I don’t know what the hell you just said, but I’ll believe you. I got savaged by a werewolf seven months ago… eight? Yeah, almost eight. I kept my mouth shut about that, because I’m not big on being the crazy girl. If you’re worried about me blabbing this stuff to someone, I won’t.”
I shook my head. “No, no. That’s not what I meant, at all. Please, don’t think I’m worried about you selling me out, or something.” I had to laugh a little bit. “No, it’s just… this is going to sound corny, but I really do care about you. These last few months, getting to know you after the whole Devin thing… I mean, we’re not even that close, and I think you’re probably the best friend I’ve got who never turns into a big dog.”
And then, Cat did something I never thought would ever happen to me – not with a friend, anyway. Hell, I never really had many friends, especially not close ones. She grabbed my hand, kissed my cheek, and hugged me.
“Good!” she said. “Then, let’s make a promise between us girls, okay?”
“Sure,” I said, with a shrug.
Damon honked the horn and yelled for us. Cat rolled her eyes.
“Here’s the promise. Whatever happens, we keep them safe. They both think they’re the big bad boys, with all the weapons, and they’re gonna go fight for their girls and keep us safe, right?”
A smile crept across my face. I already knew what she was going to say, but I wanted to hear her say it, so I kept my mouth shut, and absent-mindedly tugged at my fang pendant.
“Let’s let them think that’s what’s happening. While they’re doing the big macho rah-rah fight bullshit, we make sure nothing bad happens. As much as we can, anyway.”
Her voice was tight and pained. She was fighting with something inside herself.
“Let’s just make sure we all come home, okay?” she asked.
“Is this about Devin?” I asked, just coming right out with it. “You’re scared of seeing him?”
“I don’t know,” Cat said. “I think maybe I am, but maybe I’m just… Maybe, I’m more scared of how much I still hate him, and not being able to open my heart, and…”
I grabbed her face between my hands, the way Damon had done to me so many times, over the last few months.
“Then, I’m going to make you a promise. Okay?”
She nodded, her eyes misting over.
“Okay, I promise that I’m going to keep you safe. Anything happens – anything at all – that you don’t like, or if you get scared, or if you get worried, I’ll stop whatever it is. Okay? And before you ask, yes, I can do that. I know I can do it with Devin, because I’ve done it before.”
It was a little bit of a lie, but not a complete one.
“You mean that?” Cat asked. “You really have that kind of control over him?”
I nodded.
The damn horn blasted again.
“Come on!” Damon shouted, loud enough to wake the neighbors, even though the closest house was a quarter mile away.
“You ready for this?” I asked Cat, as I led her out the door as I locked it behind me.
“I guess,” she said. “But… Ready for what?”
I cracked a grin.
“I don’t have any idea. But somehow,” I said, “I think we’re gonna be okay.”
“Yeah,” she said. “
We’ve got each other. We’ll be fine.”
Looking at the rising sun, I had to smile.
I glanced over at Damon, with his gorgeous tattoos, and at Hunter, waiting in the back seat for Cat. I thought about Poko, and my grandpa, and everyone else – even Wilton, the old Shaman from Scagg’s Valley. We really were all in it, together.
And no matter what, that’s how it was.
It wasn’t just me, or just Damon. It was everyone I’d met, everyone I’d come to care about.
And somehow, we were all heading for the same breaking point. All of us were shooting toward the same singularity, without any idea what we’d find.
Somehow, I thought, she was right – we both were right.
But then, the rising sun suddenly went dark, and my head started to throb.
It was Poko, trying to warn me, trying to tell me, that we needed to hurry. I clutched the sides of my head, my brief respite of happiness over.
“Hurry,” I said, buckling up. “Blight is coming, and he’s not gonna wait.”
Damon pumped the old Suburban’s gas, and the engine roared to life.
“Hold on,” he said, grabbing my hand. “One thing Blight doesn’t know.”
“What’s that?” I asked him, absolutely sure no one in the backseat had any clue what we were talking about.
“We’re coming, too.” Damon looked at me, then into the rearview mirror. “He won’t win, not without the fight of his life.”
-18-
“What is that?” Cat said from the back seat, as we crested the last little hill on the way to Poko’s cave. “And why is it so dark?”
Damon and I exchanged a short glance, neither of us really wanting to admit reality, but both knowing it was upon us. To the east, way off on the horizon, a dust cloud rose. When Damon saw it, he clenched the steering wheel.
“Where are you going?” I asked him. “Poko’s cave is—”
“I know,” he said softly, through gritted teeth. “We can’t let them find him. If Poko is endangered, he’ll…” Damon shook his head. “Can’t let that happen. Not now. Have to head them off.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Hunter said, leaning forward and grabbing Damon’s shoulder. “We got a bunch of people here who I want to keep safe, and we don’t even have our… uh… backup,” he said.
