by Terri Lane
“There's a break in the patrols at dusk and dawn. Their dusk break seems to be longer than the one at dawn. It's most likely they're sparing more fighters to hunt rather than protect their territory here. Damien predicts we have more of a shot to get out alive if we leave now,” he said, all on one breath.
“Everyone is ready?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. We followed Nick into the common area. Everyone was there and waiting.
“Do you all have your earpieces?” I asked the vampires.
“Yes, we're ready,” Damien said.
Kai said, “Good we don't have time to play around. Each wolf find a vampire and vice versa. We leave the cabin heading east until Willard. We meet at the motel no matter how rough we might look.” Kai got everyone into gear. Nick opened the hatch, then one by one we all climbed out. We listened intently for what felt like hours, though it really was only a minute.
“Still no one,” I said. I looked at Kai, who met my gaze.
“Let's go,” he said. Joseph quietly opened the cabin's doors. Then we all quickly slid through the thicket of trees. The wolves shifted, then we silently sprinted into the woods. We separated by two mile intervals, then just kept going west. As usual, I didn't need to look to know that Kai was by my side. I did glance to my right to check on Damien. I wondered why he opted to come with Kai and me. I wanted to think he'd have favored Nick.
“We have to swing wide to Willard once we leave the forest,” I said. Kai glanced at me in acknowledgment and Damien nodded. Since we'd fanned out, our group had taken the widest path heading northwest.
“We're in trouble,” Nia's voice sounded in my ear then. “There are four Hunters on either side of Joe and me,” she said.
“Roland, keep going with Nick. We'll meet Nia,” I said. Both Kai and Damien looked at me and I pointed to our right. We reached Nia and Joseph just as the four Hunters were closing in on them. A Hunter shot at Joseph with a handgun just as Kai plowed him down. I grabbed the Hunter nearest me and threw him to the ground. I didn't waste time knocking him out and couldn't waste energy to kill him.
I glanced around and saw that we were all okay for the moment. “Let's go, keep going!” I shouted. We kept heading towards Willard. I never thought of the small town to be such a heavenly destination. But it would be our only saving grace from the Hunters raining down on us. Our small groups split off yet again and we continued through the trees. They seemed never ending. I knew we only had twenty miles more to go. It wasn't that daunting of a distance for a supernatural.
I checked in with everyone. “Is everyone alright?” I asked. I only got a response from Nia.
“Where's Roland?” I asked. He'd been unresponsive when Nia said she was in trouble.
“He did remember his earpiece, right?” I asked. I glanced at Damien who shrugged.
“We're going to meet with them,” Nia said. I couldn't tell her not to. Roland was her brother and they'd always been as close as twins who shared the same womb.
“Be careful,” I said. Kai huffed and slowed his pace. Damien and I automatically followed suit. I heard the Hunters talking nearby to our left, they hadn't yet picked up on our presence. It appeared to be only two of them. I gestured to the right and we quietly moved away from them as swiftly as we could. It was fully dark then; no doubt all Hunters were on full alert patrolling the woods for our kind.
“We should've reached them by now,” Nia said. Damien looked over at me with wide eyes. “There's no sign of them. We should've reached them by now,” Nia repeated.
“Nia, keep your head. We can't afford to lose it right now,” I urged. I could tell from the note of hysteria in her voice that she would soon.
“I can't go back without Roland,” she said.
“Nia if you go after them, you're on your own,” Damien said. Kai growled and I knew it wasn't in a wolf's nature to abandon a pack mate. Kai switched direction to run and find the others. Damien cursed, we had no choice but to follow.
“Where are you Nia?” I asked. My tone was more of a hiss from annoyance than anything else.
“We're heading south west. I think Joseph picked up on Nick's scent,” she said. I rolled my eyes and continued following Kai. We were going to end up grouped together and that didn't bode well for our odds in the slightest.
*
We ended up severely backtracking. Our group had met Nia and Joseph. Joseph and Kai led us towards Nick and when we were close enough I picked up on Roland's scent as well. Nia was silent as we came to a stop. Their scents were so strong they should've been standing right next to us. Yet the forest floor was empty of any bodies and I couldn't hear any sort of activity.
“Where are they?” I murmured. At the sound of Nia's shriek, we all jumped. My murderous gaze shot to hers. “Do you want to get us all killed? I hissed. She didn't even hear me; she was looking up. I glanced up at the trees, then saw it. Nick and Roland's bodies were hanging from the same thick branch.
“We have to go,” I said while moving away. Damien took my hand, tugging me back. “Kai,” I called. He was staring up silently with Joseph. Their eyes were dark and even I could feel the pain of loss that permeated their chests. “Nia, Joseph, let's go,” I hissed. It was all a trap and we were stupid enough to have walked right into it.
“Let them come, I want to bleed whoever did this dry,” Nia said. Her eyes glowed bright with vengeance. Joseph backed up her words with an ominous growl.
“You won't get out of this alive,” I said. Nia simply jumped into the tree where they hung and went about cutting them down. As soon as their bodies hit the ground, I heard guns being handled nearby behind us. “Spread out!” I shouted. We all scrambled, Damien protected my body with his own as we took cover behind a thick fir. Bullets flew past us like deadly rain. The sound of Nia and the wolves fighting melded with the chorus of guns firing. I glanced at Damien and he gave me a sad smile.
“I'll have your back until the end Sophie,” he said. I kissed him lightly on the lips before we exploded into action. We left the cover of the tree to get our hands on the nearest Hunter. I spotted one who was about to shoot Kai in the thigh unawares. Kai was busy tearing apart another Hunter. I sprinted over and tore the gun out of the Hunter's hands. Then I used it to shoot down several more. I couldn't count how many there were. I didn't want to think about our odds. I went from fallen Hunter to fallen Hunter using their guns to mow down their incoming attackers. They seemed to be as numerous as the trees. The longer we stayed in the same spot, the more the Hunters would pour in and surround us.
“We need to move!” I shouted. Nia was still on her feet, as was Damien. Kai was fine, but Joseph was limping. Our group started to make a slow march west. We weren't giving up. As we moved we constantly had to watch our backs as the Hunters emerged. Damien, Kai, and I surrounded Nia and Joseph since they were at the disadvantage mentally and physically. Nia was more likely to run directly towards an armed Hunter and explode out of pure rage rather than use her fighting skill tactfully.
Thankfully Damien had opted for my strategy and picked up a couple dead Hunters' guns. We shot any attacker who approached on sight.
“These bullets are going to run out,” Damien said.
“We'll increase our chances the further we get to the edge of the forest,” I told him. Oddly enough, we didn't encounter another Hunter outside of where Nick and Roland had been hung.
“It's too quiet,” Nia whispered. Our group wasn't the fastest target as we made our way towards the town.
“They could be trying to cut us off…” I mumbled. I glanced down at the guns suspiciously. “Do you think they have trackers on these?” I asked. Damien grabbed the rifle from my hand and threw it, along with his guns, far away from us.
“We need to head south,” I said, “to throw them off.” We continued to make a zigzag towards the town. When the trees began to thin and hiking trails came into view, I couldn't have been more relieved.
“Only five miles until Willard,”
I said. Of course, I gave into relief too soon. Regardless of the hiking trails, Hunters came roaring up in small off road vehicles. The kind forest rangers use. There were four vehicles full of at least four Hunters each. The skirted from the trails and plowed towards us. We were forced back, deeper into the cover of trees.
“We have to attack these from above,” I said in a low voice. Kai gave a low growl and Joseph huffed. They'd be extremely vulnerable. But we had a better chance if at least us three vampires could land in those vehicles and wreak havoc. “We'll be quick. Seek cover as soon as we disappear,” I said. Kai's gaze swung over to me for a moment. He huffed, the sound was an acquiescence. Immediately after that Damien, Nia, and I jumped into the trees. The wolves darted behind thick trunks and the Hunters stopped their drive forward. We used the moment of confusion to jump to trees that hovered directly over their vehicles.
“Now,” I said. Damien, Nia, and I dropped down into the beds of the trucks. I was surrounded by three Hunters and took a stab to the side. I yanked the knife from the Hunter's grip then shoved it into his eye. The other two tried to grab me, but I moved too quickly. I grabbed a handgun from one of their belt holster, shot one and then the other. There were two more Hunters in the front of the truck. They'd both leaned out of the windows to shoot at me. I took a bullet in the arm. Quickly I shot the driver. Then dodged another shot before taking out the other Hunter. I quickly pulled the driver out onto the ground and used the truck to ram a few Hunters closing in on Kai and Joseph. I quickly lost control of the speeding truck though, and rammed right into a tree. My head hit the wheel and I was actually dazed for a moment.
I staggered out of the truck and was soon aware of a gun pressed to my temple. To my left I heard a sound like a branch snapping and a wolf's yelp. Dread spread through my chest, I didn't have to look to know it was Kai who'd gotten hurt. I acted before the Hunter had worked up the nerve to pull the trigger. I yanked the gun from his grasp, then hit him in the temple with it. He went down and I hit him again until there was a dent in his skull. I turned around with the gun just in time to shoot the Hunter closing in on Kai.
“Run Sophie!” Damien shouted at me from one of the trucks. He'd managed to take down all the Hunters in the one he landed on. Nia was struggling with hers. It didn't seem like she'd make it. I couldn't even see where Joseph was.
“Kai, come on!” I yelled. We both ran as fast as we could towards Damien's truck. But then two more trucks came roaring up behind us from the trails. I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see one hunter take aim. He stood in the bed of the truck like a sniper, then took his shot.
“Sophia!” Damien shouted just as fire speared through my calf. I hit the ground hard, face first. The pain that clawed through my leg was sharp and relentless. Kai’s howl sounded distant in my ears. My vision hazed and tunneled until unconsciousness took me.
THE END OF BOOK 1
Book 2: Prevailing Love
I woke with a slow and vague sense of urgency. But soon, I opened my eyes and the world came back into stark relief. Trees and the early morning sky sped over me. I realized I was in the bed of a truck.
“She’s awake,” said Damien’s voice. Though, something was off about the way he sounded. I attempted to sit up, but he pressed my shoulder down to keep me still.
“What’s wrong Damien?” I asked. He was clutching his side and attempting to wrap something around my leg with one hand. “Damien,” I said as sharply as I could. I felt weak. It was hard to move, as though I weighed a thousand pounds.
“We got out,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Who, we?” I asked.
“Just us three; you, me, and Kai,” he said.
“You were hit?” I said. I glanced at his side, and saw he was slowly bleeding out in front of me. It looked bad. I forced myself to sit up. My leg was in a tourniquet; otherwise I was fine. It was he who was dying. I found it hard to breathe as I tried to help staunch the blood flow. “You got this far Damien,” I murmured.
“I have lived a good life Sophia. I’ve had more honor in serving you as coven leader than I have serving anyone else. Knowing that you’ll live…makes this easier,” he said. His voice was barely above a whisper.
“Damien, we’re getting away. You can’t let go now. I can heal you,” I tell him.
“No, I cannot drink from you,” said Damien. “You’re injured. Your life is more important,” he said.
“It’s not, Damien. Besides, I need someone to come back with me. I can’t return to the coven alone,” I told him, desperation creeping into my voice.
“Sophia, it’s done,” he said it with a soft smile. I held his hand and watched the light slowly fade from his eyes. I closed his lids and took off my jacket to cover his face.
“Kai…Kai,” I called, my voice hoarse.
“We’re almost through Willard. We can’t stop here. The Hunters know this was our goal,” he called through the window.
“No one else made it?” I asked. The silence emanating through the window was my answer. I opened the back window as far as it could go.
Kai saw what I was doing and said, “No Sophia, you’ll hurt yourself even more.”
I ignored him and gingerly slid into the cab with him. Once I was on the seat, I took a moment and closed my eyes. I was still dizzy from my injuries, as well as the motion of the truck.
“Sophia,” Kai said, gently shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes and turned a weary gaze on him. He looked battle-ragged. His hair hung into his face, his shoulders were tense, and he had bloody scratches and dirt all over his arms.
“I failed…” I mumbled.
“We both did. We…we underestimated the Hunters’ organization and dedication. There’s no systematic taking back of the forest for us. An all-out war has to happen there. That, or our kind moves further north. I heard Canada isn’t that bad,” he said.
“For wolves. Vampires will have to move back to Europe and the covens there are old and snobbish. Who knows how they’d handle American emigrants,” I said.
“How about you and me just let go of the responsibilities of running a pack and coven. How about we go north together?” he asked. I looked at him with wide eyes. I couldn’t add much conviction to my incredulity. Because the thought of moving on towards peace, after everything we’d been through the past few days, was really enticing.
Kai added, “Think about it Sophia…we could be together. We could play at normal lives, then when we get bored pick up and move. No one to worry about but ourselves.”
“I can hardly imagine a life without…the responsibility of a coven,” I said. “Can you imagine a life without a pack?” I asked.
“My pack…they’ll carry on. My father has other sons who will jump at the chance to become alpha—”
“What?” I asked, not following.
“Just as you guys have one big coven with smaller ones under it, we have one big pack in Seattle and smaller, more manageable groups within it. My father is Head Alpha. I’m supposed to take his place once he stops shifting for good,” he said.
“And you’d leave that?” I asked.
“If it meant peace,” he said, glancing at me.
“Maybe we’re in shock,” I said quietly.
“Maybe…” he mumbled. “How’s the leg?” he asked.
“It stopped bleeding. But I’m not sure if I should be concerned about that at all,” I said.
“We can pull off, you take from my vein,” he said.
“No, no…just drive, get us to Portland,” I told him.
“But Sophia, you look like snow,” he said. Oddly enough, his words caused a rising of hysteria in me. I chuckled, then the laughter simply kept bubbling out, I closed my eyes to surrender to it. Kai glanced at me in concern, until he started to laugh as well. It felt as if we laughed for ten minutes. By the time I opened my eyes, we were pulled off to the side of the road.
“Kai, keep driving,” I told him. We weren’t out of the woods yet.
“How do you feel?” I asked him. My voice was stronger, and I felt comforting warmth in my chest. But my limbs still felt too limp and heavy.
“Good. You sound better,” he said. All I did was nod as I watched him put the truck in gear and continue towards Portland.
“Where are we going first?” I asked.
“To your coven,” he said. “You need help bringing Damien in.” I didn’t argue with him. Instead I tilted my head back against the headrest and closed my eyes.
An hour later, Kai woke me. “Hey Sophia…I need directions,” he said. I glanced around and found that we were finally in the city. I guided him to our house in Portland, in Northwest District on the border of Forest Park.
“I always thought this was maybe…some historic park building,” Kai said. He pulled around to the back of the red brick mansion. It was fashioned in the nineteenth century after the posh castles of Ireland.
“Technically…it is,” I said. He pulled into the service lot well hidden within a yard of trees. I gave him the gate code to get into it. As soon as we were closed in the lot, three vampires emerged from the entrance.
Alexis, descendant of an ancient elder and daughter of a council member, led the small group. Alexis was basically my heir to the Portland Coven. She was flanked by Wallace and Alpheus, they had their hands ready on hidden weapons.
“Sophia, what happened?” said Alexis. “We hadn’t heard from your party for days.”
“Help me out?” I asked them. Wallace opened the door and wrapped his arm around my waist. Kai’s growl was unmistakable.
