by Erin Kelly
“Better not,” the skinny young man grunted as he heaved up another sack of leaves onto his bony shoulder and went over and covered more of the trap. “Davey will get pissed. He puts his own blood on it too, so unless you want to join his uh, games, as a werewolf too-”
“Shit no! The last thing I want is to be one of his pet wolves,” the muscled man seemed to pale at the words alone, and shook his head. “He’s my brother and he scares me enough as it is. I don’t need his new wolfy voodoo hold over me. I’m fine with things how they is, thank you very much.” He paused then shrugged. “I’ll grab something when we get back. This won’t take long to finish up.”
Geri’s frown only deepened as he exchanged another silent glance with Sophie at this revelation. Sophie’s fists shook as she clenched them. There was no doubt, these men knew where Korban was, and most likely Hati too. If they hurt him, she wasn’t sure she would be able to control herself.
Geri nodded to her suddenly, and there came a quiet rustle of leaves as Valkyrie and Freki emerged behind them. Val motioned for Sophie to follow her, and she felt her heels dig in to the ground at the suggestion. She wanted to follow these men and keep them in her sight until she set eyes on Korban once more. Still, something in those yellow eyes urged her, and she suppressed another growl as she followed Val deeper into the forest again.
Thankfully, they didn’t move too far away, just enough yards away to be away from human earshot. Val turned to her and whispered, “You looked like you were about to lose it out there. I wanted to make sure you were good for this. We need to follow them, but we can’t attack them blind. We need a plan. Are you going to be okay with that, or should we go back to camp now?”
Sophie felt as if Val slapped her, for a moment so insulted she wasn’t sure how to respond. Still, she considered her words, relaxed her hands. She felt wetness in her hands and saw her fingernails that she hadn’t chewed had dug tiny crescents into her palms. She watched them heal and took a shaky breath. “I will be okay,” she said softly, and managed to keep her tone level. “I can’t believe… if what they said is true… there is a werewolf, this Davey they talk about. He is behind all this. And if he hurt Korban, I swear I will make him pay for it.”
“Yes, he will pay, but we have to be extra careful. For Hati and Korban’s sakes,” Val began, and Sophie nodded.
“I know Val, I get it. I won’t do anything reckless. Not after all we have done to find them,” Sophie sighed, and tried to reign in her growing frustration.
“I trust you, Sophie,” Val reassured her softly. “I just needed to hear it myself. Your words to my ears. I know you won’t go back on your word once you’ve given it.” She paused. “I also wanted to check in, make sure you were okay. Especially after hearing what those two morons were going on about out there.”
Sophie smiled sadly and nodded again. “They dropped hints at the other trap that they are looking for a female werewolf. I think they really do have Korban, maybe Hati too. They’re still…” She trailed off for a moment as relief choked her off. “I don’t know what they are doing to them. But we’ll follow them, and find out how to get our guys back safely. We’re so close now. I won’t mess this up, Val.” She met the other werewolf’s golden gaze. “I promise you. We’re getting our boys back. We’re bringing them home.”
Val smiled and her eyes brightened at that. She clapped a hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “That’s what I want to hear. Then there’s only one thing we need to do, once we find out where their base-”
The ATV engines screeched back to life and interrupted Val, who pat Sophie on the shoulder once more. “Let’s follow them; we’ll deal with the rest later. Let’s go get our boys back.”
Sophie nodded, her determination renewed, and they followed the unsuspecting men on their noisy four wheelers as they headed deeper and deeper into the wilderness.
15: cATALYST
They followed the trail of the raucous four wheelers through the forest until they came to a massive clearing that seemed to come out of nowhere. In the heart of the mountains was a large barn next to a rickety, small farm house that didn’t seem to be much larger than the Streamline that they had camped in. A rusty pair of pick-up trucks were parked amongst a small cluster of ATVs in various states of repair, and a trailer with a pair of new snowmobiles parked on it. A small shed was next to the house and seemed to be in better shape than the home alongside it, with a massive padlock on the outside. The barn that towered over the house also seemed in far better condition. It was here she suddenly caught it, faint but familiar and it made her heart flood with hope. Korban’s distinct scent was here!
It took all her willpower not to charge toward his scent right then and there. She steadied herself, breathed in that scent she’d longed for since she’d lost him on that full moon night. Not just faded on a borrowed shirt, but a sign that he was recently here. Alive!
Beside her, Freki’s nostrils flared and his eyes widened in surprise. “Hati! I can smell him. He’s been through here recently.” He grinned brightly to Sophie as he whispered, “I smell Korban too. They have to be here!”
She put a finger to her lips and they watched as the two men parked their ATVs alongside the collection of other parked vehicles.
When the skinny man suddenly brandished a rifle from the side of his vehicle they moved back, slowly, careful not to disturb the tall grass around them too much. Sophie’s heart thundered in her ears as she watched the two men head toward the barn and vanish beyond the double doors. Silence fell over the large clearing as the doors closed behind them.
“We need to go after them!” Freki growled, but Sophie shook her head.
“Not yet, we don’t know how many of them are in there, and if they have silver bullets or not,” her own words were short, clipped, and she had to bite back her own growl as she kept her voice low. “We need to have a plan before we go charging in there.”
Val agreed with a nod and a frown. “I don’t like it any more than the rest of you, but we’re not going to jeopardize their lives when we’re this close. Korban and Hati are in there, and we’re getting them out. We’re going home together.” She turned her amber gaze to the small group that gathered there. “So let’s keep watch over them and make a plan that won’t fail.”
~*~
Korban continued to pace and tried to think long after Davey and his commandos had left them alone in the dark again. There had to be a way out of there, a way for him to get free and warn Sophie about Davey. He tried not to panic, to remind himself again that Sophie was smart, and strong, and she could handle herself. But Davey was despicable, cruel and insane. Now that he knew that was something that had been a part of Davey long before he turned himself into a werewolf he didn’t feel much better. His empty stomach rolled at the memories he’d witnessed.
“So that’s who you talked about in your sleep,” Spike said quietly. “You have someone out there in the forest, looking for you.”
“Until Davey gets his grubby little paws on her,” Blaze grunted in a flat tone.
Korban growled. “He won’t. He thinks he can outsmart her, and he’s wrong. If he keeps underestimating her he’ll soon find out exactly what she’s capable of,” he paused, tried not to lose his temper. Right now he had to try to keep calm and not give Davey what he wanted. The moment he lost control Davey would gain the upper hand.
“Maybe she found my brother and my pack,” Hati added softly.
Hope filled Korban once more just in time, as the doors opened and Davey returned, this time with a medical kit in his hands. The hum of electricity filled the air as the fluorescent lights flickered to life above them. “While they set up the traps, I think it’s about time we play another game, one we can’t play when they’re around,” Davey hauled the metal kit over to the center of the room, to the space between where their cages were circled. He set it down and opened it up with a metallic clank. “After all, it’s been a little while since my wolves had a chance to really stretch the
ir legs.”
“You just proved your point that you’re able to control the others, and that they’re faster and stronger together than I am,” Korban growled at him and stopped pacing. “Enough with these games! I don’t know what you really want to accomplish here, Davey, but if it’s a fight you want you already got it! Let me out of this cage and we’ll handle our business like men!”
“But that’s just it, Korban,” Davey rummaged through the kit, a sadistic grin spreading across his face as he pulled out a shiny scalpel, studied it closely for a moment, then set it back down into the box. “We aren’t men.” He began to rummage through the box again. “You and I aren’t all that different, but you’re definitely not what I expected Korban. I saw that. You lost your mother when you were young like I did. Lucky you though, no Daddy or Daddy’s belt in your life. Also lucky to be in the right place, the right time to rescue sweet little Sophie. She’s quite a catch for someone like you. Someone… soft.”
His eyebrows raised and his grin widened as he picked up a yellow plastic tube with a bright orange cap on one end and a blue tip on the other. For a moment Korban thought it was a marker, but then he recognized it from when RJ was studying for his first aid course. An EpiPen, which was an adrenaline injection often used to counteract an allergic reaction.
Davey pulled out three more then closed up the box and set the three on top. He got up to his feet and walked over to Spike’s cage. The burly werewolf was trembling as Davey approached, tapped the side of the plastic pen against his palm. “It’s a shame how attached you are to her, Korban, and how attached she is to you. Clearly when I find her, if you’re still around, it’ll be impossible to have her for myself. So I guess that leaves me with no other choice… as fun as it would be to wait and face off with you on a full moon night… I think you’ve outlived your usefulness.”
Korban felt a chill rush through him, and found himself at a loss for words.
“I could just put a silver bullet in you, but that’s not too sporting, and it would be too quick and not so much fun. You deserve at least one final chance to prove yourself, especially since you’re the first one I’ve met with eyes like mine. And really, you’ve entertained me, so at least there’s that,” Davey smiled and pulled his keys from his pocket.
“What… what is it you’re going to do to me?” Korban fumbled, his heart in his throat despite himself. He tried to play it cool, but he’d seen what Davey was capable of doing, and now he was talking so casually about killing him off.
“Well, I can’t control you as easily as the others; otherwise I maybe wouldn’t have to do this. Maybe, but we’ll never know for sure,” Davey opened up Spike’s cage, and beckoned him over with his free hand while he wielded the injection at the ready in his other one. The large werewolf whimpered and reluctantly moved toward him, holding out his shaking arm. “You see, Korban, I can control my wolves, like you saw before, but as men they’re still… able to fight me in some things. As wolves though… well… I have complete control over them. They’re nothing more than big ol’ lap dogs for Davey. But waiting for the full moon, well that’s also not so much fun. So I had to get a little creative, in order to help inspire my boys. That’s where this little baby comes in.” He waved the EpiPen and then pat Spike on the arm. “Observe, and learn.”
Without further warning, Davey snapped the pen into Spike’s arm. The overweight werewolf yelped out and cradled his arm, and began shaking more as the adrenaline was injected into his body. Davey took a step back and opened up the cage. “Please, Davey, no, Davey!” Spike whimpered, but the yellow-eyed werewolf only laughed.
“Here, Spikey… shift. Turn for me.” Davey’s eyes seemed to glow a little at the command, and the larger man whimpered and fell to his knees.
Korban watched in horror as Spike began to shake harder and curled into fetal position on the floor of his cage. He whined, a half-human, half-animal sound and began to writhe on the ground in agony. Spike’s hands frantically clutched at his own chest, his face scarlet as he gasped for air. “Stop it! You’re killing him!”
Korban could hear Spike’s heartbeat, racing even faster than his own. The large man was flopping on the ground like a fish, moaning and whimpering as his skin began to ripple, and bones began to bend and stretch. He hadn’t seen someone transform like this since Sophie had been injected with that dark serum, and he watched in horror as the transformation began to take hold over the massive man.
The wolf wasn’t meant to be summoned without the full moon, and seemed to be fighting against the change. Davey only stepped over Spike’s twitching body and headed over to Blaze’s cage, only pausing to bend down and pick up a second pen on his way over. “It won’t kill Spike, well, it hasn’t so far anyway. On to the second round! Blaze… my lovely Blaze. Wait until you see his wolf. Magnificent. Not as big as our big boy Spike, but it’s hard to beat a man with as much mass as good ol’ Spikey. I actually had to help my brother and Jimmy get him out of the pit, you know.” He used his key on Blaze’s cage then opened the door. “Your turn, Blaze. Come here, now.”
The British werewolf grumbled but obeyed, though his gaze remained focused on the floor. “Arm,” Davey commanded, and Blaze held out his arm. He winced when Davey injected him, and grit his teeth as he sank to his knees and began to transform as well.
Korban watched as dark brown and black fur began to sprout from Spike’s body, and Blaze grunted and stifled a moan as his body began to twist and transform. Davey left Blaze’s cage open and he headed over to Hati’s cage. He had to try to stall him, to stop him from doing this. “What will this achieve? Why are you tormenting them like this?”
“I’m freeing them, Korban,” Davey scooped up another adrenaline injection as he explained. “They are my wolves. My pack. When they’re finished transforming they’ll do exactly as I say. You’ll be nothing more than meat to them. But we’ll make it a fair fight. I’ll let you choose as a courtesy. If you want to join them as a wolf, too… or if you think you can handle them as a man.”
The thought of being forced to turn again without the full moon made his already chilled blood run even colder. To be stuck as a wolf, and potentially be more influenced by Davey as a result, brought a whole new set of fears into his mind. If Davey kept him stuck as a wolf, and he was lucky enough to catch Sophie… he didn’t want to think about the possibilities. “I’ll… I’ll stay human.”
“Aww, what a shame,” Davey frowned as he unlocked Hati’s cage and whistled sharply to him. “Over here. Now, Hati.”
Hati hesitated, as long as he could, but when Davey glared at him he stumbled forward towards the door. Spike was panting, fully transformed into the largest werewolf that Korban had ever seen, his markings similar to that of a Rottweiler dog. Across the way from him Blaze finished his transformation, the British werewolf a solid, snowy white color. He stumbled a little from his cage then splayed out on the ground away from his cage on his belly.
“This is only Hati’s second time playing this game, but I’m sure he’ll play it well. Give me your arm.” Davey ordered, and Hati struggled for a moment, but inevitably lifted his arm. “Good boy.”
The doors suddenly opened, which drew everyone’s attention to the entrance. For a moment, Korban hoped the Calvary had arrived. To his growing disappointment, it was only Jimmy and Earl returning. “We got the traps reset, Davey, but we didn’t find the girl.”
Relief lightened the growing anxiety that had begun to take root inside Korban. They didn’t have Sophie. She was safe for now.
“Damn, well, at least I have a little more time to prepare. And dispose of Korban’s body,” Davey licked his lips, which made a fresh wave of nausea turn his stomach.
“Body disposal?” Earl seemed to pale at the words as much as Korban did. “He seems rather alive to me.”
“For the moment,” Davey purred, and then gestured to his wolves on the ground. “Stand guard by the door, sit back and get your camera ready to record this. I’m in co
mplete control here. We’re going to have the standoff of the century. Korban here is going to prove himself, man versus wolf pack. If he can defeat all my wolves… then I think it’s only fair to let him go.”
Now he wanted him to kill the others to earn his freedom, all while he filmed it? He didn’t trust Davey; he’d seen his temper at work. It made his own anger look like embers compared to a flame thrower. He wouldn’t kill the others; he had to come up with a different way to stop them from attacking him. “It’s not too late, we can still talk about this, Davey,” Korban tried, but at that, Davey rolled his eyes and jammed the injection into Hati’s arm.
Unlike Spike and Blaze, though, Hati didn’t remain as quiet as he crumpled to the ground and the transformation began to take hold. As his body began to shake the young man gave a loud, low moan of agony that quickly turned into an even louder, bellowing scream that echoed through the building. The screams only escalated into howls as the transformation began, bones broke and skin shifted, tan fur sprouted free and grew to cover his contorted body.
Davey turned to face Korban, delighted, as Spike padded timidly over to him, and Blaze joined him at his side. Hati, a light tan colored werewolf, still howled and thrashed on the floor, but would soon be by his side as well. Spike and Blaze tilted their heads back and join in Hati’s howling, the trio’s song a haunting sound that echoed through the barn.
Davey gave Korban a victorious grin. “You’re sure you still want to face my pack as a man Korban?”
~*~
“You should go back,” Valkyrie and Odin had been quietly arguing for the last few minutes now, which had halted their plan of attack. Sophie paced anxiously, and Freki had joined her. “We can’t leave the kids defenseless. If something happens to me-”
