Pure Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

Rourke’s nose immediately rose in the air. I heard my father yell a command, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

  Suddenly I was falling, the ground beneath me giving way like it wasn’t even there. I glanced up, my face a mask of surprise. Rourke was shouting, furious, but it sounded like he was talking in slow motion. I couldn’t make out any words. My arms cartwheeled as he reached out for me.

  Something clamped onto me from behind and I fell backward like a lead weight.

  Right into her world.

  11

  I landed hard. Onto something soft that uttered a small gasp.

  “Jeez, you weigh a lot,” a familiar voice sputtered. “What, are your bones made of steel?” Marcy shoved me. “Get off me, Hercules. I can’t suck in a single breath.”

  I rolled once and sprang up. “Marcy?” I choked. “What are you doing here?”

  Marcy arched a single eyebrow at me from her position on the ground as she brushed dirt off of her. “Shouldn’t you be asking what we’re doing here?”

  “Well… technically, yes.” I peered around at our familiar surroundings. We were right inside the same ring of dead trees where we stood yesterday, just ten yards to the right. “But I thought the bokor targeted me on purpose. I’m pretty sure she didn’t mean to bring you along too.”

  “Of course she didn’t,” Marcy quipped as she stood. “That’s why I held on so tight, like a baby cheetah clinging to her mother’s back.”

  “Um”—I stifled a laugh—“I’m pretty sure baby cheetahs don’t ride on their moms’ backs, those would be monkeys, and why did you hold on?” I asked suspiciously. “Did you know I was coming here?”

  She placed her hands on her hips, her red curls swaying. “No. Well, I had no idea. When you started flailing like a fish on a line, I sleuthed it out fairly quickly. Then there was the dramatic temperature drop, always a good cue for danger.” She shrugged. “So I latched on. So what?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You’re a terrible liar, you know that? What gives? Spit it out. How did you know to jump on my back?”

  “Fine,” she sighed in exasperation. “You want to know how? I’ve been in contact with Juanita, that’s how. And she told me exactly what I had to do, down to the baby cheetah claw-you-in-the-back technique. She said I had to come here with you, and that I had to hold on tight, so here we are.” She held a hand up. “And before you start blaming me, she said if I didn’t accompany you here, then you would die. How’s that for a good reason?” She crossed her arms and gave me a look.

  My mouth opened and I snapped it shut. It was hard to argue with her when she mentioned death. Finally I decided on “Why didn’t you just tell me? How could you keep that from all of us? That’s something the entire Pack should’ve known and decided on. And exactly how has she been in contact with you anyway?”

  “First, I couldn’t tell you because it was, duh, a secret.” She shook her head at me like I was a clueless baby cheetah. “And second, she only popped back up on my phone last night. She was actually responsible for me finding some of the supplies I needed to brew the spells last night.” Marcy had the decency to look a little sheepish. “And then she gave me some advice on how to make them more potent by using your blood.”

  I glanced around the alternate reality. “You sneaky little witch.”

  “I had no choice,” Marcy hedged. “She told me if I uttered a word to anyone, I wouldn’t be here and you would die. I needed to come with you and we needed the spells. I had to trust her—she’s likely a Hag, for cripessake!”

  I put my hand to my forehead. “James… James is going to kill me.”

  “No, he’s not”—she bit her lip—“well, he better not. This was my decision. He’s not my mother.” She took a step forward and wagged her finger at me. “And you better listen to me when I say this, and listen closely. This is not a game. If we have any chance at all to defeat this bokor and save Naomi and free Danny, we have to work as a team. We’re all we’ve got. You can’t treat me like I’m breakable or hang back to protect me. This is you and me on a mission—Thelma and Louise style. Do you hear me?”

  “I hear you,” I said, “but how do you honestly expect me not to try and protect you? You’re my best friend! And you’ve never been in a real battle before. If something happened to you, James won’t be the only one who would be devastated—it would kill me.”

  “My case in point. I did not come to this place to die.” She jabbed her finger at the ground, surprising me with her vigor. “So let’s clear that up right now. I came to fight against this evil and win. If James has taught me anything, and believe me he’s taught me a lot”—her eyes sparkled—“it’s that you fight for the people you love. Period. I believe in Juanita. And according to her, this is your only shot. Something has gone wrong with your Fated path. But we are fixing it right here or we’re both going to die trying. Together. Do you feel me?”

  “I feel you.” I smiled at my courageous friend. I knew deep down she had to be terrified she was here.

  “Good.” Then she surprised me by pulling me into a bear hug. “Because as scared as I am, I know we can do this. But you have to promise me you won’t waste your time trying to protect me or you’ll be distracted. I can take care of myself.”

  “Baby cheetah style?”

  “BCS. It’s all the rage.”

  I pulled back, admiring my friend, feeling lucky and loved all at once. “Did Juanita tell you what to expect? Did she give you any useful details?”

  Marcy shook her head. “Nope, just that you needed me and where to find the ingredients to the spells. Oh, and she also made me practice some verbal ones. She’s handy, that one.” She patted the side of her hip. “I also brought along the dagger James gave me for the rabid zombie wolves.”

  “Okay.” I blew out a breath, deciding to accept the road we were on. “I guess we’re in agreement to go in and fight. Together.” Rourke, my father, and my brother would all be equally furious with me for not trying to break out and seek backup. But Juanita had given us the way out before, and I had to assume she would try to help us again if things became dire. In a desperate moment, I called out to each of them in my mind, hoping the alternate reality wouldn’t keep out our communication, and at the very least to tell them we were okay.

  No response.

  Marcy held out her hand to me, grinning. “I want you to shake on it, before you get second thoughts and try and toss me out the nearest tree. Juanita said this was the only way we would ever have a chance to defeat the bokor. In fact, she drilled it across my phone with words like ‘ONLY WAY’ and ‘THIS IS IT.’ So swear you’re not going to get rid of me.”

  I shook her hand. “I swear I’ll keep you around. Do you still have your phone on you?”

  “Of course.” She drew it out of her back pocket and handed it to me. Its face was dead white again. “That’s not much help.” As soon as the words left my mouth, the phone started to vibrate in my hand. Then blinking words scrolled across the screen:

  YOU ARE IN DANGER. YOU ARE IN DANGER. YOU ARE IN DANGER.

  “No shit!” I yelled into the air, spinning my head around to find the danger. “We know that. But how do we fight against it?”

  WOLVES. WOLVES. WOLVES.

  As soon as I read the screen, I heard the growls.

  “Marcy, stay still.” I handed the phone back to her and crouched into my fighting stance, scanning the circle. “The wolves want me, not you. Remember that.”

  “I don’t think those mutants are picky. Fresh meat is fresh meat.”

  “The bokor pulled me in, but she wasn’t looking for a twofer. If there are too many, I want you to climb the nearest tree and wait them out.”

  “See, you’re already doing it. Stop,” Marcy muttered. “You promised you weren’t going to protect me. We can handle this. How many do you see?”

  “Four.” I scanned the area to make sure. The wolves were lurking in the shadows directly across from us, only their red eyes visible. �
��We’re going to need to take care of them systematically. If you’re going to fight, pull out your dagger.”

  “It’s already out.” I glanced over to see that she had a firm grip on the handle. The blade was longer than mine, but she needed the extra length because she wasn’t as strong as I was. Score one for James.

  “Once they charge, I’ll hold them down,” I said, “and you stick the knife right behind their eyes. Got it? We work as a team.”

  “How are you going to—”

  One of the wolves broke from the tree line and loped headlong toward us. I leapt into the clearing, morphing instantly into my Lycan form. Right as it closed in. I grabbed on to its neck, careful to stay away from its teeth, and hit the ground, one arm clamped around its middle. It lashed out in a fury, snapping and growling, trying to free itself. It smelled like decay and its organs were mushy and soft under my grasp. Gross.

  Marcy rushed toward us, her knife shaking slightly. “Marcy, do it fast.” I gritted my teeth as the wolf struggled in my arms.

  She lunged forward, plunging the blade into the wolf’s head, quick as lightning. The wolf instantly went limp in my arms and I glanced up, smiling. Marcy appeared a little wild-eyed, but she took hold of the wolf by the scruff and tossed the mangy thing to the side as I stood.

  “That was impressive—” I turned. “Look out!”

  Two wolves barreled toward us at the same time, sprinting into the clearing. I rushed forward to intercept them, springing out to kick one in the flank, sending it flying as I took the other one behind the ears, tearing it off the ground and tossing it out of the circle. The wolf sailed far into the trees, crashing through them as it landed. Neither would die, but I hoped this would buy us time, and only one would recover at a time.

  “Jeez, I’m amending the name Hercules, and from now on I’m going to refer to you as Wonder Wolf.” Marcy whistled. “You moved so fast I could barely make out your form. That wolf flew clear across the clearing into the trees over there.” She gestured right as the thing sprang back into view. “Dang, they don’t stay down long, do they?”

  “Marcy, I may be strong, but I can’t be in two places at once.” I turned as the other one rose. At least now they were coming at us from different directions. I moved toward the wolf closest to us, the one I’d kicked, as both he and his buddy closed in. They bared their yellow, decaying teeth and snarled.

  “Don’t worry.” Marcy placed a hand out in front of her and started chanting right as the wolf began to run. “I’ve got this one.”

  “Okay.” I turned as the wolf in front of me sprang. In one motion, I unsheathed the knife strapped to my arm and angled my body to the side, striking the wolf through the brain as it leapt past me in midair. It collapsed to the ground and I moved back to help Marcy, only to see that the other wolf was already down in front of her and she was pulling the knife out of its head with a satisfied grunt.

  It was hard not to be impressed.

  There was one wolf left.

  This one had watched all the action from the sidelines, just behind the tree line. It had huge patches of fur missing and seemed older. Its eyes were cloudy and somewhat vacant, but its pupils were alert, which made sense if the bokor was controlling them like zombie wolves. “I see you,” I called to the wolf. “You’re not fooling us, sorceress. I know this wolf is your puppet.” I waved my hand in the air. “And I know you can see me. I want you to know, we’re coming for you. You’re not going to succeed in hurting my friends. And once I find you, it’s not going to be pretty.”

  In response, the wolf turned its muzzle up at me in a gruesome smile. If that dirty thing could talk, it would tell me good luck and have fun trying. Either that or it would tell me to fuck off.

  The mangy beast glanced behind him, back over the trees. “What? Aren’t you going to attack us now?” I asked. “Afraid we can kill you just like the others?”

  It snapped its maw at us, yellow slime running between its jaws, and then it abruptly turned tail and ran, disappearing into the cypress trees.

  “Well, that worked well,” Marcy commented. “Now what? Do we follow it?”

  “Yes.” I sighed. “We follow it. I don’t have a better plan, but we’ll have to be watchful. She’s expecting us.”

  As we began to track the wolf, Marcy’s back pocket vibrated. She drew her phone out and held it in front of her.

  The screen held two words.

  MOVE CAREFULLY.

  12

  “It would be nice if Juanita would explain what’s going on in more than two or three words. An actual phone call would be nice,” I grumbled as we climbed across dead, broken tree roots, trying not to stumble. “Have you ever tried to call her?”

  “And how exactly would I call her?” Marcy asked, tripping behind me but catching herself before she tumbled through the roots. “I don’t exactly have a coverage plan that includes friend-to-friend calling with ancient supernaturals. Plus, I’d need her number and she killed my phone. The only thing this phone is good for anymore is her ticker tape messages. She doesn’t leave any traces behind. Nada.”

  I stopped for a moment to assess the area. “I feel like we’re going around in circles. It all looks the same. How do the zombie wolves run through this stuff?” The cypress trees were tangly and hard to maneuver around. “It wouldn’t be easy on four legs.”

  “Maybe we missed a path?” Marcy said. “I’m thinking there must be a trail of some kind and she’s not letting us see it.”

  We’d followed the wolf out of the clearing and into the trees. I knew the actual acreage the bokor inhabited couldn’t possibly be that big. I couldn’t track any scent, because everything smelled like decay, death, and rot. “My guess is she’s either blocking the way to her lair or this realm extends wider than we think.”

  “Wait a second.” Marcy held up her hand. “My backside is ringing again.” She reached around and plucked out her phone.

  I leaned over to read it with her.

  SOUTH.

  I sighed. “Seriously? That’s it?” I called into the trees. “I have no idea where south is. We can’t even see the sun from here.” I glanced at the sky to get a sense of our location, but only a sliver of light filtered through the thick overcast.

  “Hey, look.” Marcy pointed. “She’s giving us helpful hints.” A tree began to glow off to our left. It was a soft yellow light, radiating outward like someone had turned a nightlight on inside the trunk. “She’s a tricky one, you gotta hand it to her.”

  “Tricky, and much too secretive for her own good.” I moved toward the glowing tree, and right as we reached it, another tree in the distance blinked on.

  As we picked our way through, Marcy shook her head. “I wish I knew more about this kind of magic. Being able to create an alternate reality is heavy-duty. It’s extremely old magic. This bokor must worship lots of loa to gather that much strength.”

  Right as Marcy uttered the word loa, something swished by my face. I batted the air. “We’ve got company.”

  There was a short pause, and then a soft voice purred next to my ear. We’ve been waiting a long time for you… female wolf…

  I glanced back at Marcy, my eyebrow arched. “You heard that, right?” I asked.

  “Heard what?”

  “The hot gusty cloud of air that just said, ‘We’ve been waiting a long time for you, female wolf’?”

  “Nope,” she said. “But all my hairs are on end again. See?” She held up her arm. “I can sense a presence, but that’s it. I guess those words are only for your ears.”

  “But Naomi heard them before. I don’t get it.” I pondered that as another gust blew by me. If I had to guess, it felt like this thing was trying to push me back the way we’d come. “I think the spirit, or whatever, is pissed Juanita is leading us in the right direction. I think it wants me to go back. Something tells me we’re jumping the bokor’s timetable. Maybe she’s not ready for us?” I angled my head up at the treetops. “Is this an inopportune
time for you, sorceress?” I called. Hot wind assaulted my body and I stumbled backward, tripping on low-lying branches. “I guess I’m right.”

  Marcy was propped against a tree. “If this bokor is indeed trying to steal Naomi’s power and stuff it into a fetish, she’d need to perform some kind of ceremony to do it. That’s a huge magic transfer. It can’t be rushed. If changing Danny into one of her zombie wolves is on the agenda as well, who knows how long that will take? But my guess is she has to prepare some kind of mumbo-jumbo potion first. So maybe you’re right. We are interrupting her and she’s not happy.”

  I shuddered, and my arms prickled as thoughts of harm coming to Danny or Naomi washed over me. “I guess that means we double our pace and hurry. Juanita wants us to get there or she wouldn’t be leading the way. Let’s go.”

  We maneuvered through the trees as fast as we could manage. We made it about fifty yards when something slammed into me from the side. I was caught completely off guard, and grabbed on to a root to steady myself.

  At least I thought it was a root.

  When it moved with me, and I fell to the ground, I knew something was wrong.

  Marcy shrieked, “It’s unraveling quickly! Let go before it wraps its slithery, awful body around you!”

  The thing hissed, its forked tongue inches from my face. I was on my back, but thankfully I had a tight grip on it behind the neck. Its red eyes pulsed, but there was also something else there. “Marcy, I bet we can kill these zombie snakes just like the wolves. Get your knife out!”

  She was beside me in an instant, her hand steadily gripping her new best friend. “That thing reeks of magic. It might not work.”

  The bottom of the python’s massive body slithered around my legs. It was getting ready to strangle the life out of me. “Marcy, use one of your spells at the same time you stab it. It can’t hurt.” The muscles in the snake’s body were heavy and rigid, like they’d been reinforced with steel. And Marcy was right—there was powerful magic attached to it.