by Casey Lane
“No, you’re all wrong,” Quinn said. When they looked at him, he flailed a hand. “She did summon a demon. A demon who’s wandering around Belle Haven?”
“Wouldn’t a demon cause a lot more chaos and bloodshed,” Kai asked.
“What about all the sick people? Even Alex and the coven is sick.”
Rhys shook his head. “That’s because the draugen is feeding off of them. She’s feeding off them and stealing their blood trying to summon an entity that’s already here.”
"Demon’s aren’t known for taking the shape of animals. Not unless they were already shifters when they were turned. That…thing…seemed far more powerful than your average demon. Besides, demons don’t heal, not even in exchange for a blood offering." Quinn asked.
Tristin looked disgruntled. “If it’s not a demon, what is it?”
“I think it’s a god.”
“A god?” Rhys repeated.
“That’s better then, right?” Tristin asked.
Kai flailed his hands at his sister. “How is that better?”
"I’m with Tristin. God trumps demon. Gods aren't necessarily bad. Demons always bad. Demons are big, big bads. Always. " Quinn promised.
Rhys bit his lower lip, looking at Neoma for a while. “So, we think Magna became a draugen when she died and then she used Neoma’s blood to summon a god to heal her. That’s our theory?”
“But she said Dylan tricked her. That my blood was supposed to make her better, but it made her worse. How could my blood make her worse?”
“Maybe elemental blood is like kryptonite to zompires?” Quinn said.
Rhys shrugged. “Maybe Dylan tricked her into drinking it?”
Tristin flopped backward onto her pillows, looking up at each of them. “This is all bonkers. You know that, right?”
Kai ignored Tristin, looking to Rhys. "You know we need to tell Wren and Isa what we know. Sneaking out is one thing, not telling them that there’s a god wandering around the woods is another. They have to know.”
Rhys's gaze lingered on Kai before he nodded. “We'll deal with it tomorrow. Everybody get some sleep.”
“No way am I going back to sleep to get butchered by a zompire,” Tristin said, crossing her arms, a look of defiance on her face.
Rhys looked at Tristin like he just didn’t have it in him to fight. “I’ll stay awake and watch you. If it seems like you guys are having nightmares, I’ll wake you up. You need to rest.” Rhys grabbed his phone, and soon the music of one of his games filled the air before he turned down the sound.
The others settled into their makeshift beds, sleeping close enough to touch. Being sandwiched between Tristin and Kai’s body heat was comforting to her, almost as much as the knowledge that Rhys watched over them. Something occurred to Neoma then. A thought that seemed so true she had to stand up and limp over to Rhys. She grabbed his hand and leaned close. “You’re going to save me, Rhys, and your wolf will be at peace.”
Then she turned and hobbled back to her sleeping bag, smooshing herself between Tristin and Kai once more, leaving the wolf to stare after her in shock.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Isa
Day 5
Isa woke to a shaft of light piercing directly into her brain. She dragged her pillow over her eyes before jolting upright, looking at the clock. Ten-fifteen? She hadn’t slept past seven in the last six years.
Several things occurred to her in rapid succession. She hadn’t slept alone. There was still a dip in the pillow from Wren’s head, and half of her pillows were on the floor. She lifted the sheet covering her, looking down. She was naked. Her shirt was in the doorway between the bedroom and the bathroom, and her underwear was sitting on top of her dresser.
Her night came back to her all at once. She looked at her shoulder. He’d bitten her. That happened. They’d claimed each other. Isa swallowed hard as she remembered the other things they’d done. Repeatedly. Her fingers trailed over her lips, her breath hitching at the memories.
She flopped back down into her pillows, pulling her comforter over her head, wishing the bed would envelop her, so she could just disappear. What the hell had she been thinking? What had he been thinking? She groaned. They weren’t thinking. Their wolves had taken over.
That's what she told herself anyway. They'd let themselves go, and now she and Wren were mated for life. Her stomach dipped and heat pooled low in her belly. He was hers forever.
Isa finally stumbled into the bathroom, eyes widening as she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t let the kids see her like this. Her hair was a tangled mess knotted at the back of her head, her lips swollen and her skin red from where Wren’s stubble had dragged across her body. There were tiny scrapes along her hips and thighs, where Wren’s claws had slipped. Fingerprint bruises marred her wrists and inner thighs.
Isa flipped on the shower and then returned to the mirror, staring at the bite on her shoulder, rubbing the indentations repeatedly. She wanted to be mad. She hadn’t been herself last night, but then, neither had he. He’d told her he loved her. He’d meant it. Oh God, she’d told him she loved him too. She stepped under the blast of hot water, letting it wash away some of the aches of the previous night, trying—and failing—to not think about everything they’d done.
She’d given all of herself to him. They were mated, claimed, bonded for life. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. How could she have been so stupid? Even as she thought the words, she knew she didn’t mean any of it.
She ached to see him again. She wanted his arms around her. The need to hear his voice was almost pathological. Dammit. She needed to see him but was afraid to see him at the same time. A single thought bounced around in her head, a feeling like terror leaching into her bones and making her limbs heavy. What if the Wren she met today was nothing like the one she’d committed herself to yesterday.
She stepped from the shower, wrapping a towel around herself before sitting on the toilet seat to try to work a comb through her hair. She closed her eyes, listening for the sound of the other six heartbeats in the house. She frowned. She could hear them, but just barely. They were outside.
When she finally managed to get the knots from her hair, she dressed, pulling on a pair of worn jeans with holes in the knees and a long sleeved smoky blue shirt that hid her bite and her bruises. There was no hiding what they’d done from Rhys, but, hopefully, she could keep the others at bay for a while. Knowing that her baby brother would know she’d had sex was worse than any walk of shame she could imagine. She just wanted to curl up into a ball and die.
Instead, she made her way downstairs just as a shriek cut through the air. Isa flew out the back door, claws extended and teeth dropping, heart in her throat, scanning for the creature that had caused Tristin’s scream. She stopped short, at the porch edge. Quinn was on his back, glasses skewed. Tristin stood over him, expression smug. Kai and Rhys stood off to the side, watching intently. There was no sign of Neoma, but Isa could hear her heart beating somewhere on the property.
Wren laughed, reaching out a hand to Quinn, pulling him to his feet. “Nicely done, Tristin, but next time, plant your feet, or you’re going to hurt your back. Quinn, kid, you’re thinking too much. There’s a difference between anticipating your opponent’s next move and playing out the whole battle in your head. Don’t let that big brain distract you from what’s right in front of you.”
Quinn nodded begrudgingly, fixing his glasses, his shoulders sagging as he moved to stand next to Kai. “Dude, she kicked your ass,” Kai whispered to Quinn, sounding awed. Wren ruffled Quinn’s hair. “You’ll get there.”
Isa sank onto the porch steps, folding her arms around her knees, simply watching.
“Kai, Rhys, you’re up next,” Wren said.
“This is stupid,” Rhys muttered. “He’s not even a wolf. I’m going to hurt him and then my sister’s gonna kill me. Or maybe that’s your master plan.”
Wren gave Rhys a sharp look. “Listen, your first instinct is
always to let your wolf consume you. You need to learn to control your rage. A controlled wolf is an asset; a rabid wolf is a liability. If you're going to be this pack's left hand, you need to be in charge, not the wolf.” Wren looked to Kai. “And you, you’re too cocky. You have great instincts, but eventually, you’re going to come up against something bigger, stronger, and faster than you and then you’re going to have to outsmart your opponent.”
“I predict this ends badly,” Quinn said to Tristin.
“Yeah, thinking’s not Kai’s thing,” Tristin snarked.
“Control isn’t Rhys’s either,” Quinn reminded her.
Rhys cut his eyes at Tristin and Quinn. Quinn took a step back, but Tristin just raised her brows and flattened her lips into a disapproving line, staring him down. Rhys huffed his annoyance, giving one final withering glance to Wren before stepping forward.
Isa watched, palms sweaty, as Kai and Rhys stepped into the fighting space, circling each other warily. She could smell her brother’s fear and his fatigue; could hear his pulse pounding in his ears. She could see his hesitation. He wasn’t ready for this. He had no control over his wolf, and there was no doubt that Kai was smaller than Rhys, both in height and mass. Her brother was pushing six feet tall, and he was only twelve.
She glanced to Wren. He had to sense her brother’s panic and fear, but he didn’t acknowledge it. He stood back, arms crossed, alert, but calm. She should stop this. Quinn was right; this was going to end badly. Wren couldn’t possibly understand the history between her brother and the reaper. But still, she stayed where she was, something inside telling her to wait and see.
Kai’s heartbeat was hummingbird fast, but he didn’t smell like fear, he smelled like…anticipation. His gaze was calculating; eyes narrowed, tongue darting out to lick his lower lip as he tracked Rhys’s movements. He was completely oblivious to Rhys’s terror, and to the anger boiling just under the surface.
Isa knew Rhys was waiting for Kai to attack first. It was the smart move. Tactical. It’s what she would have done. But Kai had no formal teaching, so he didn’t understand the benefit of waiting for his opponent to strike first. Rhys’s fear and training had, in this one instance, given Kai the advantage. Isa held her breath as Kai charged forward without warning. Rhys froze. Kai went low, hooking an arm around her brother’s lower legs, upending him with little effort, causing Rhys to hit the ground hard. Isa’s blood turned to ice water as Rhys’s fear morphed into blind fury, his wolf overtaking his reason. She jumped to her feet as Rhys flipped Kai, pinning him to the ground, partially shifting faster than she’d ever seen, snarling and snapping razor sharp teeth at Kai’s throat.
Wren’s voice was quiet. “Rhys, get it under control. He’s not your enemy. He’s pack. He’s family. Your wolf doesn’t control you.”
To Kai’s credit, he wasn’t panicking. He loved every minute of this. He was laughing at Rhys, which Isa knew would only infuriate her brother further. He either had no idea how angry Rhys was or didn’t realize just how out of control Rhys was.
Kai wrapped both hands around Rhys’s shoulders shoving hard, locking his elbows, preventing Rhys from breaking through the hold, barring the wolf’s teeth from closing on his throat. It was smart, but it wouldn’t keep her brother at bay for long, he was much stronger and, with Rhys’s body between Kai’s knees, the younger boy had no traction, no leverage. Kai’s arms would get tired eventually, and when they did, Rhys was going to rip his throat out.
She was putting a stop to this. They weren’t old enough for this. Wren caught Isa’s eye and shook his head no. Isa stared at him incredulously. Was he giving her an order? His look softened into something pleading, and Isa rolled her eyes but stopped moving forward.
Wren stepped closer. “Rhys, you can do this. I know you can.”
Her brother snarled, but then she felt him gaining some control. He was still angry, but it wasn’t the blind fury from just moments before. This time when he snapped his teeth at Kai, it was for show. Grandstanding. He wanted to scare the boy.
“Nicely done,” Wren said, before addressing Kai, the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. “Kai, he’s got you pinned, you better get out of there before he hurts you. You wouldn’t have this kind of time with an adult wolf. Think! You can’t beat his strength, so what can you do?”
Kai seemed to think for a minute, then dropped his hold on Rhys’s shoulders without warning. Rhys fell forward, too surprised to catch himself. Kai doubled down on Rhys’s surprise, running his tongue along the boy's cheek. Rhys jerked backward as if burned, giving Kai enough room to plant his feet on Rhys’s hips, pushing himself out from under him, kneeing her brother in the face as he made his escape. Kai was on his feet and backing away before Rhys recovered.
A roar tore from Rhys’s lips but, again, it was just for show. Kai grinned, dancing and making a come-on motion like he was ready for round two. Rhys bared his teeth at Kai, stalking towards him.
Finally, Wren stepped between them. “Kai, nicely done, right up until the point where you decided to antagonize somebody who could rip you to shreds. I think that’s enough for your first day.”
Kai blushed, but nodded, looking to Rhys. “Sorry.”
Her brother grumbled something resembling, “Whatever.” before turning away from Kai.
Wren looked at each of them before saying, “Why don’t you guys go inside and clean up? Rhys, hang back a minute.”
Rhys scowled at Wren, but Wren wasn’t intimidated. Once the others were inside, Wren said, “Kai got the drop on you the first time because you were afraid of hurting him. As soon as he bested you, you took the easy way out and let your wolf take over. But you took back the control. That’s a win.”
Rhys scoffed, “Yeah, except he still beat me.”
Wren looked to the house to make sure there was nobody to hear what he said next. “I put you up against Kai for a reason. You obviously have feelings for him, and that’s okay but the more you deny it, the harder your wolf’s going to fight you on it. As long as you ignore how you feel, Kai will always have the advantage.”
Isa’s eyes went wide at Wren’s acknowledgment of Rhys’s feelings for Kai. Her brother’s cheeks went red, and he sucked in deep breaths, blowing them out through his nose like an angry bull. Isa knew how he felt about Kai. She was almost positive everybody did…except maybe Kai. And possibly Rhys himself. It was impossible to ignore.
Rhys was twelve, almost thirteen. His hormones were raging and, Wren was right, Rhys’s wolf did have control most of the time. It made for a lethal combination. Rhys looked like he was moments away from crying or maybe just shifting and bolting for the woods. He was giving off so many emotions—rage, shame, frustration—that it was pulling Isa’s wolf to the surface. He fought Wren’s hold, trying to look anywhere but at him.
Wren wouldn’t let him escape. “Hey, look at me. Nobody’s judging you. Nobody. But the point of these exercises is to make sure that soldiers are ready for anything. You have to know your weaknesses. You have good instincts, but you only have two settings when it comes to Kai, fear, and rage. At some point, Kai is going to face something that wants to hurt him. You need to be able to trust that he can take care of himself and you need to know that you can control your wolf.” Rhys clenched his jaw until Isa was sure his teeth might puncture his bottom lip, but Wren wasn’t letting up. “I had the same problem at your age, only my trigger was my brother, and my weakness was a girl named Jaelle.”
Rhys seemed to relax a bit, his gaze still guarded, when he asked, “How did you learn to control it?”
“I started running. I channeled my wolf’s excess energy into something else. I used music as my tether. When the music stopped, it was time for my wolf to go back in his cage. Over time, it just became second nature. I learned control. My wolf only came when I called it. It just takes time…and discipline. Come for a run with me tonight. We’ll see if it works for you.”
Isa held her breath, waiting for Rhys to tell Wren
to screw off and bolt for the woods. This time when he struggled against Wren’s hold, Wren let him go. “Fine, whatever,” Rhys muttered, practically running towards the house.
She waited until the door closed before she turned on him, eyes bleeding red as she slapped him on the chest with both hands. “Do you have any idea how close Rhys came to ripping Kai’s throat out? Are you insane? They’re babies. Why are you out here inciting violence in my children when they should be at school?”
Wren didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate. “Because they aren’t just your babies, they’re your betas, and they need to be able to fight. Also because there’s a bloodsucking she-demon, vampire-like creature lurking in the woods who prefers to snack on children.”
Isa’s face contorted, her hands going to her hips. “And you think you know what’s best for my betas? I don’t care what this bite says, you’re not the alpha,” she growled.
Wren moved forward, his face inches from hers, growling right back. “The alpha’s job isn’t to train; the alpha’s job is to lead. It’s my job, as your mate, to train the betas. It’s my job to train your brother to be your left hand. They’re already behind on their training. Tristin and Kai have potential, Quinn’s hopeless and your brother…the only person your brother is going to hurt is himself. He’s so trapped in his own damn misery that his wolf’s running unchecked. I’m just trying to help you. Again, that’s my job.”
“I don’t need your help. An alpha doesn’t need help,” she snapped.
He snorted. “Do you even believe the bullshit you're spewing right now? An alpha with no help quickly becomes an omega. The point of a pack is to stand together. You’re still the alpha. You know this.”
She scoffed. “Right, until you take over the Black Thorne pack. You can’t be an alpha to one pack, and a beta to another and your claim supersedes mine because your father has a much larger pack.”
