Cold Mercy (Northern Wolves)

by Sadie Hart

  She wiggled her eyebrows. “Guess you better get me those eggs before I’m done with the dogs.”

  Bay scrambled to snatch his clothes off the floor as Eden dressed and headed down the hall. He made to the kitchen only a few seconds behind her. By the time she got back in, her face flushed from the cold, he was scooping the eggs onto their plates. “Couldn’t find the bacon,” he told her, but one look at her and he knew it didn’t matter.

  They left the eggs cooling on the table as she led him back to her room.

  ***

  Darkness filled Zeke’s days, an endless helplessness that he couldn’t break. He was chained, trapped in his own damned mind, unable to do anything but sit there in the dark and think. The demon ruled everything. It chose when this body breathed, where it moved, what it ate. Zeke gave a mental shiver as he tried to block out the images of things the demon had eaten before, the things it craved now.

  Zeke hoped he was long dead before the demon ever caught a child again. No. He hoped he survived to kill this bastard before it ever had a child again. Every day he stretched in his mind, flexing for control, trying to wedge his way out of the darkness and back into possession of his body. A wolf’s body, but something in Zeke’s mind insisted that this body had once been his as a human too.

  It didn’t make sense, but none of this should have even been possible.

  The demon gave an angry grumble, like the warning hiss of a cobra, and Zeke strained to see out of the wolf’s eyes. Most days he could watch through the demon’s eyes, unable to act on anything he saw, but at least he wasn’t completely cut off from the world. Though, even with this little porthole in the darkness, Zeke feared he’d soon go insane.

  Too much solitary, too much horror, too much evil leeching into his soul. A man couldn’t take this for forever. But for now, he held strong, took to watching every move the demon made, doing his best to learn the monster. Because everything in life had a weakness. Why should the creatures of Hell be any different?

  The black wolf stalked through the forest and Zeke felt the muscles in his body bunch and pull with the movement. A flicker of green moved in the white sea of the forest and Zeke wanted to scream. It was a clawing, begging need inside him as delight reared its ugly head in the demon. Elation rolled off it in a sickly sweet tang that burned at Zeke’s soul.

  They’d been hunting for over a week now, trying to find the perfect candidate for Morrigan’s next wolf. A wolf, Zeke had already guessed, that would be like him. A man trapped in the body of a demon. But Bali was being picky, discarding people left and right. Too weak, too unpredictable, too strong to be controlled. He was picking the next member of his pack, but it was more than that, this one was important to Morrigan—more so than any other save Bali himself. And the demon would not choose lightly.

  Not that the time he took was making her happy and that was something Zeke delighted in. She was furious, rampaging each night he came back without a victim. She rent bark from trees and gouged dirt from the ground. Though, when Zeke was honest with himself, it wasn’t just Bali’s slowness that aggravated her.

  It was the missing wolf too.

  One of them had broken free. Hope bloomed inside him every time he dared to think of the wolf Bali could no longer feel. The demon could touch every member of the pack, he was their alpha and he controlled them every bit as much as Morrigan did, but this one, had simply vanished. How? Zeke struggled against the desperation roiling inside him. How had one managed to break free?

  He hadn’t died. To Bali the other wolf was a traitor, he’d left the pack. Which meant there was a way Zeke could too. If he could figure out how to take back control.

  The green figure moved again, drawing Zeke out of his thoughts, and he watched as the Fish and Wildlife Department officer moved amongst the trees. His hair was cropped close to his head, and he was bundled in the thick ranger’s coat. When the man angled his head to look around him, it wasn’t a face Zeke recognized but he’d been new in town when the wolves had taken him. Not even sure he’d intended to stay long at the motel.

  Now he wished he’d never come.

  The wolf hunkered lower in the snow and for the first time in their hunt, Zeke felt the demon set his sights on prey. This one would do. Strong, but not too strong that he wouldn’t be malleable. They wouldn’t make that mistake again. Zeke clung to that thought. Was that how the other wolf had broken free? He’d simply been stronger? Zeke reared up in his mind, battering imaginary fists against a cage he couldn’t see. He strained and struggled, trying to take back his body, but the demon didn’t even flinch.

  The forest ranger let out a sigh, stuffed his gloved hands in his pockets, and turned back towards the road. With his back finally to the wolf, Bali moved. Lunging out of the shadows as Zeke screamed in his head, thrashing wildly, but it never even slowed the demon from his attack. He landed easily on the man’s back, great jaws opened wide as the clamped down on the man’s shoulder, hard enough Zeke heard him cry out.

  The man fought as violently on the outside as Zeke did on the inside. He rammed his elbow back into the side of Bali’s head but the wolf merely shook him out like a ragdoll. Zeke lost track of how long he fought, exhaustion filling his spirit until he lay still in his own mind, unable to stop the demon. Instead, he watched as the wolf shook the ranger one last time and then dragged him through the snow.

  They took the same path they always took when returning to Morrigan. The man whimpered a few times, coming awake to try and beat the wolf off of him, but each time he was knocked back into unconsciousness. Just as each time Zeke managed to dredge up the mental energy to fight, he beat uselessly against an invisible wall he couldn’t breach.

  Like the man in Bali’s jaws, he was helpless.

  But unlike the ranger, Zeke knew what lay at the end of the curving path with its large boulders and splintered trees. He knew what stood beyond the screaming howl of ghosts and banshees, of the large trolls that moved in the forest, their sinister grins mocking as Bali dragged the man up further.

  And as the ranger stirred once more Bali dropped him at the feet of a woman dressed in a sheer white gown. She was unperturbed by the cold, her long black hair darker than any night. Her red, red lips had started to drip blood. Zeke watched in horror as the man struggled to his hands and knees, just as Morrigan knelt in front of him.

  Red dripped to the snow between his hands and the ranger titled his head up to look at her. No, no, no, Zeke had begun to scream, but not even the slightest hint of a whimper slid out of his mouth. The wolf’s jaws were clamped shut as Bali watched smugly as Morrigan cupped the man’s face, tilted his head back, and leaned in for a kiss.

  No. Leaned in to feed.

  And Zeke knew as the man stopped flailing, that when he woke, he’d be just like him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Wind whipped through her hair and Eden leaned into it, the dogs running over the trail in front of her, eating up the ground. Their tongues lolled out of the sides of their mouths and their breaths came out in large steaming puffs of air. She could hear the rush of their paws over the snow, beating like a wild drum in her head, right in tune with her heart.

  They’d been on the trail all day doing snow runs for tourists. An old favorite had stopped in and the dogs had gotten to shake off some extra energy, but now, with the last of her appointments finished, she was letting them burn off whatever they had left to spare. They’d been patient these past few weeks. Hunkering down during a blizzard, dealing with wolves stalking their yard from the forest, even suffering through the troll’s visit. They deserved a good run.

  And when they galloped headlong up the trail like this—she felt free. As if the world hadn’t gone all to hell lately. Eden called out, cueing the lead dogs to take the trail curving home again, and held on as they swooshed through the open pass. Wind rushed in her ears and she found herself laughing, smiling. Bay would be done at his shop soon and would be stopping over for dinner and the night. It’d becom
e a ritual of theirs. They each went their separate ways for work each day, but evenings and nights were spent together.

  Tonight, would be a human night, and her heart felt a little lighter at the thought. According to Bay the Fae queen couldn’t call him anymore, or if she could, he couldn’t hear her, so he didn’t need to be a wolf at night. But he chose to still shift regularly, the animal needing out just as much as the man did. It was something Eden understood. She didn’t live with a typical man, didn’t love a typical man. And both man and beast were what made Bay, well, Bay.

  A little thrill danced through her at the thought. Love. It’d taken her a while before she’d been willing to admit that to herself. Her brain not quite willing to accept what her heart had figured out, probably right from the beginning.

  The trees broke around her and her yard appeared, the kennels peppering the open snow, and beyond it, in the drive way sat Kennedy’s truck, the clinic’s logo emblazoned on the side.

  “Easy,” Eden called out, slowly the dogs as they curved right toward the sloping drive alongside the pole barn. With another cue, they pulled to a stop, panting, but every one of them had their tails wagging.

  Dee looked as white as the ground she walked on and Eden felt her heart lurch. Please don’t let it be anything bad, she thought, but even as the words flickered through her brain she knew only something awful would make her friend look like that. She set the brake and started moving to let the dogs off. “What’s up?”

  “Quinn’s missing. He never came in from work last night, didn’t show up again this morning. They’re thinking a bear but—” Dee broke off on a sob.

  She’d had a crush on Quinn Dawson since they were kids and it had only gotten worse with age. She and Rowan had tried to convince Kennedy to just ask him out but she’d proven to be as shy as he was. Hell, the last time Eden had seen him he’d been helping Rowan’s grandma home after she’d seen Dee’s picture of the winter wolf.

  Before that, he’d been hinting that maybe Eden had lost control of her dogs and knocked her head pretty good on the way down. But he was always a sweetheart and the man was damned good at his job. She doubted a bear would have snuck up on him. One of the wolves, though, that Eden could see. She pressed a hand to her stomach.

  She remembered Bay’s wolf that first day. He’d been faster than any animal she’d ever seen and not only that, but just the sheer size of a wolf that big had been enough to make her slow to react. Shock overtaking panic. It wasn’t even just the winter wolves. He could have had a run in with a troll, a banshee, or any number of vicious things the Fae queen might have unleashed.

  “Do they know where he was supposed to be?”

  “Checking on a supposed bear attack up along the Pass. Somewhere down the river.”

  Everything in Eden went cold. That was near the place Bay had turned her away from when she’d taken him out in the sled for the first time. The place the wolves had surrounded them on the trail. “I’ll call Bay.”

  “They’re organizing a search downtown. Fish and Wildlife and the local PD have already sent people up there to see if they can find his truck. I just thought that you could, you know.” Dee looked at the dogs.

  Eden had the fastest route up to the trail. The main roads wound up the rough cliff sides along the mountain edge. Eden could cut straight through the forest. But she didn’t even know where to start, or where to avoid. “Call Dorie and Ro.”

  “They already know.”

  Eden shook her head. “Tell Dorie it sounds like the place Morrigan has staked out for her territory. Bay told me to keep everyone off the trails up there, so I’ve been looping the ones to the east, all forest work. My clients haven’t been as thrilled, but the last time I tried to head up into the heart of the Pass we had a run in with Morrigan’s pack.”

  Kennedy’s eyes went round and Eden grabbed her by the arms before her friend could lose it to panic. Her heart clenched in sympathy. Eden didn’t even want to think about it being Bay up there, alone and missing. Then again, Bay stood a much better chance than Quinn did.

  “It’ll be okay.” She tightened her grip on Kennedy’s arms. “He’ll be okay. We’ll get him home safely, and then you’re going to grow a pair and ask him out.”

  That made her friend smile, a little weakly, but it was the first glimmer of real hope Eden had seen on her face since she’d arrived. “Totally,” Dee whispered faintly.

  “Then call Dorie. Maybe she has some trick up her sleeves. In the meantime, I’m going to call Bay.”

  Because he could do what they couldn’t. He could shift into an four-hundred pound wolf with a nose that had a chance of tracking Quinn, but more importantly, the size and strength to stay alive if they ran into trouble. Hopefully.

  She left her dogs attached to the sled and dialed Bay’s number, already gazing out in the direction Quinn had last been seen. She knew the route the police would take to get up there. The small dirt parking lot off the side of one of the trails would provide a perfect place to organize a search and there were still a several hours of light left.

  “Hey,” Bay said, his voice light and happy over the phone. The steady whisper of sandpaper over wood filled the background.

  “Quinn Dawson, an old friend of ours from high school and an officer for the Fish and Wildlife Department, went missing yesterday. Up close to where you said Morrigan has been gathering her people. Everyone is going up there to organize a search.” She paused, feeling the rush of panic swirling in her chest, unable to stop the edge of fear from creeping into her voice. She was going up there to help, she just didn’t want to do it alone.

  Bay was quiet on the other end of the line and Eden started to tremble. An image of that troll ripping up half the cops in the city kept replaying in her mind. They didn’t stand a chance. No one even knew these types of things existed. They sure as hell wouldn’t know how to fight it. Did bullets even affect trolls?

  Hers hadn’t even slowed the creature down.

  “I’m on my way, don’t leave without me.”

  “Bay—”

  “Please.” The word came out a half growl and she could feel him struggling for control.

  “It might be better if you’re a wolf. You could smell him, track him. Even if we have search dogs up there, if they’re anything like mine, they’re not going to search once they catch wind of that troll.”

  “And how are you going to explain that? No. The wolf will tell me when we’re up there if I need to go back tonight. Alone. And Morrigan won’t do much during the day. I don’t think she can.”

  Her calls for him had always come at night, so Bay believed her power was not only linked to winter, but to nightfall as well. Dorie had agreed. But it didn’t stop the panic clawing through Eden, it wouldn’t help Dee sit through the day. Especially since Rowan’s grandma had been pretty adamant that Morrigan would have magic in the winter regardless of the time of day. She’d be weaker in daylight, but she’d still be strong. And if Quinn had been with her all last night?

  He could be dead.

  A tremor raced through her.

  “Hurry then,” Eden whispered, her gaze turning to her dogs. They’d worked hard today. And while they could make the trek up to the Pass, even carrying both her and Bay, it wouldn’t be fair to them. Not only that, but if the wolves and trolls were all up there, no one would be able to keep her dogs from panicking. “I have to put the dogs up.”

  “Just set me some clothes out. I’ll be there in a few.”

  The phone clicked off but she could imagine Bay shedding human skin for wolf fur and hurtling himself towards the woods. It wouldn’t take him long at all to get to her.

  ***

  Hope had started out strong in the group, but Bay watched as it fizzled and died the longer the search dragged on. Twilight had already begun to pull across the sky, stretching the shadows between the trees. So far, no one had turned the search north and into the more treacherous stretch of Mercy Pass. It had been by luck really, whe
n the sheriff had found Quinn Dawson’s car down by the river eight miles to the south. He looked like he’s slipped in the snow and then just vanished.

  But there was no blood, no tracks. No one knew what to make of it.

  At least no one outside of their little group. Bay’s wolf squirmed under his skin. The animal had been on edge since they’d arrived. The scent of wolf was strong in the forest, so thick it was all he could breathe in. It burned down his throat, cold and frosted, until he thought it was burned into his nose.

  It was drawing close to the cut-off time for the search party and Eden stepped up next to him, her face drawn tight with worry. He’d told her what his wolf had found the moment they’d stepped out of the car and the wind had carried the first scents to him. . He could smell the man, the ripe stench of fear. The wolf he smelled the heaviest by Quinn’s car was one Bay recognized. It smelled like the man he’d thought Morrigan had killed that night, when he’d seen her lips turn bloody, and she’d bent to feed on him like a vampire.

  Apparently, she’d just been expanding her collection.

  Bay shuddered. No doubt she’d wanted Quinn next. Still growing her pack. His shoulder stiffened as the wolf tensed. The animal didn’t like the thought that the enemy was growing in numbers. Their pack was small and weak. The wolf loved Eden and enjoyed the dogs, but he was the only one that could face the danger. It made the wolf edgy, uncertain.

  And now they were tromping through the enemy’s territory.

  “You okay?” Eden asked, glancing up to look him in the eye.

  She knew he’d see more wolf than man staring back out at her. Knew it, because he could feel the need to shift burning under his fingernails. He wanted to rip off his clothes and let his body morph into that of his beast’s. Then at least he could do something if danger came their way. As a man, he doubted the can of bear spray he carried would do any good. And while Eden sported her rifle, Bay wasn’t sure the wolves would care much for a bullet.