by Martha Woods
“I… T-Thank you sir!”
“Yeah, whatever.” Christian waved him off, turning and walking back towards his office. “If you don’t improve after that then I’ll be speaking to you again. Make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Slamming the door behind him, he marched over to his desk and collapsed into his chair, head in his hands as he groaned to an empty room. Though a few survivors of the hunting group had come back, their numbers were few and far between. All that could be confirmed was that Claire was much more capable than any of them had given her credit for, a mistake that they wouldn’t be making again.
If circumstances permitted it, he would have been on the lead car looking for her, by now he would have captured her or at the very least killed her. The fact that he couldn’t leave was likely the major reason she had gotten away, but even he wasn’t foolhardy enough to think that he was able to go anywhere in his condition. You couldn’t just shrug off losing an eye, no matter how angered you were by it.
So he would have to be content with his current circumstances, yelling at recruits too scared to even hit a target while he tried and failed to wince whenever he looked into a mirror. He had to give her that, she didn’t hold back when her life was in danger. If it had happened to someone else he probably would have been celebrating her, maybe even pardoned her when they got her back. He supposed that would be incredibly insulting for the person she maimed, and given how he felt having to see the results of her work every time he came across something reflective he’d suddenly gained a lot of empathy for people he otherwise never thought of.
“There’s celebrating strength, and then there is just plain insulting those that you work with. I don’t think I’ll be insulting myself or any of my people any time soon.”
Another pain that he only now was fully realizing the extent of was that most of the more competent intelligence gatherers had gone off as part of the hunting party. And given that they were either spread across a road or their brains were decorating a tree somewhere, that left the home base woefully understaffed when it came to actually sorting through the chaff to find the wheat that they so depended on. A well lubricated, highly calibrated weapon was only useful when it was pointed at the right target after all.
And much to his pride, and chagrin, Christian was now the only person competent and intelligent enough to actually take on the job. Which meant that his desk was covered in piles of paper almost as tall as he was, ninety-nine-percent of which were likely useless and would lead to nothing except a dead end and an empty gas tank.
“God, what a thankless job,” He said, “Next person that takes this on I’m going to have to give some benefits too. Maybe their own room at this rate.”
Tossing aside another picture of Laura, he got to work, already determining that at least three pieces of information were clear traps. He felt insulted that someone actually thought it would work, but he supposed that was the point of his job, to make absolutely certain that it wouldn’t. And for better or worse, Christian took his duties seriously, which meant that he was going to sit and determine what was useful and what was not even if it killed him with boredom.
So focused on his work, he didn’t notice the way that the temperature seemingly dropped by twenty degrees, the atmosphere seeming to darken at the same time a guard outside gave a small yelp of surprise. Christian only looked up when four slow, deep knocks were slammed into the door, not even having the chance to ask for an identification before the door swung open on its hinges, tapping lightly against the wall as his intruder walked inside.
“Who the fuck are…” He trailed off, just now noticing the changes that the room was going through with every step they took. He shivered, frost forming on the glass on his desk and his head swimming, forced to place his hand against the wood just to keep from falling to the ground.
“I assume that you’re the one in charge of this… Monkey den.” The intruder, a man with an undeniable and intimidating presence about him, spoke with all the authority of someone who knew they could easily crush whatever obstacle came into their path. Christian found himself hoping that he wasn’t such an object, though with the way his luck had been he wasn’t ruling out the possibility. “I heard that you may be having troubles within your ranks.”
“I don’t know… How you would have heard about that.” Christian rubbed at his temple, feeling like an uncomfortable growth was forming under the skin. “But… Yes. We had someone leave us pretty… Violently last week.”
He didn’t know why he was telling all of this to a complete stranger, but something about him compelled him to tell the truth. That was cause enough for alarm, but the way that his skin kept crawling with every second they spent together was another level entirely.
“It just so happens that my interests and yours may… Intersect, so to speak.” The man walked towards him, extending his hand in expectation. “I’m skilled in the art of solving problems, and you can provide a modicum of support, as… Flawed as your men may be.”
“Yeah, you’re really convincing me right now. Why should I even consider helping you?” Christian shook his head to clear the fog, straightening up to his full height. “You come in here unannounced, you insult my men, and to top it all off you assume that I’m so stupid that I don’t realize what you are?”
“Oh?” The man looked at him with barely registrable interest, eyebrow raising a few millimeters. “And what do you presume that I am?”
“An abomination, something that shouldn’t be. I’ve felt things like you before, and you’re all the same.” He barely restrained himself from spitting on the ground as he snarled, “So I ask again, why should I even think about helping you?”
“Because I have the means to take back the person who betrayed you, who tore the flesh on your face and defaced your command in front of so many. I have the ability to bring her to her knees and have her beg for your forgiveness.” His eyes lit with something that Christian couldn’t recognize, a flash that disappeared so quickly he assumed that he imagined it. “I am familiar with betrayal, and I aim to avenge my own at this time as well.”
Christian knew what he was, he had spent his life tearing the grip of the night away from them and terrorizing their ranks. He had come across beings who demanded respect and put them into the ground alongside their comrades, leaving them as a message to the rest of their bloodlines. Yet even as he thought about this, considered pulling his weapon and adding another body to that pile, his mind travelled to thoughts of Claire, her body underneath him writhing in ecstasy and twisting above him in rage, the final image seared into a ruined eye.
As much as Christian liked to consider himself a man of great personal belief, ultimately the chance for vengeance was too tempting even for the most dedicated of men. He walked forward slowly, even as his mind was made up his hand shook, body still torn between shaking his guest’s hand or clutching his weapon.
The man smirked when Christian extended his hand, taking it and shaking it twice before letting it drop between them. “I am glad that we see eye to eye on this, I assure you that you will not regret this partnership.”
“Assuming that you can deliver to me what I desire, then I won’t. I will not betray my morals for a grasp at some straws, if you say that you can grab Claire then you will grab her for me, that comes before anything else.”
He chuckled, “Don’t worry, I take my morals very seriously. And part of that is I never break a promise once I make one. You will have the girl brought to you, of that you have my guarantee.”
“Then we have a deal.” Christian grinned, teeth shining and his eyes twisting in glee. “I can’t wait to see what you can do.”
Chapter 8
“Just because I’m having trouble walking doesn’t mean you can just paw my ass like that,” Claire giggled, shoving lightly at Iggy’s shoulder. “You can at least buy me dinner first, I’m not that easy.”
Iggy rolled his eyes. “I will happily drop you back into that bed, then
you can find your own way up.”
“Oh, play nice.” Skylar smirked next to Liam, the two of them trying to hold in their laughter. “We all know that you two are friends already, no reason to act otherwise.”
The two of them scoffed to themselves, but they pointedly stopped their bickering, instead focusing only on getting Claire on her feet and standing securely. While her legs were shaking at first, three days of nothing but bedrest not preparing her for sudden movement, she was able to stand on her own strength after a few minutes.
Well, it would have been her own strength if Iggy trusted her enough to take his arm out from around her waist.
“You can let go now Iggy.”
“Not happening, I’m not going to let you just fall over and hurt yourself. We’ll be here all week if that happens.”
“I’m not-” Claire cut herself off, groaning at the rest of the group. “Am I going to be treated like this forever?”
“Think about it this way Claire,” Cayden said, wide grin on his face. “At least you have your very own guardian angel now.”
“Yeah, I’m real grateful for that.” Claire started to hobble over to the wall, Iggy following her every step of the way. “If I’m going to be travelling with you guys I’m telling you, eventually you’re going to have to let me be on my own.”
“Well that can wait until we are certain you can walk on your own, and I would prefer if you could run.” Farah crossed her arms, looking her over analytically. “You were very severely injured, that isn’t going to just disappear overnight just because you’re optimistic.”
“Alright, alright… God you’re such a mom.”
“I- Am not!” Farah would look furious if she wasn’t also blushing, Cayden sweeping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her into her chest. “It is my job to worry about all of you, since you insist on diving head first into danger without proper preparations.”
“In my defense, I didn’t even know who you were when I did it.” Claire sighed when she finally fell back against the wall, letting her legs rest for the moment. “Still don’t know why you even brought me back, you didn’t know who I was.”
“You were an enemy of the hunters, that was enough for the moment. Once Cayden vouched for you we had to give you a chance.” Hayley shrugged. “I trust his judgement usually, so does everyone else, but even I wasn’t sure we were doing the right thing. I have to say that I’m glad that I was wrong about that.”
“Yeah, me too. I’m happier now that I’m not rotting out in a forest somewhere. I’ve gotta say that would affect my looks somewhat.” Claire clapped her hands together. “Alright, when do we get going?”
The rest of the group was quiet, not saying anything lest they speak out of turn. Claire looked across at each member, her eyes staying on Skylar until she swallowed and spoke up.
“Are you sure you want to do this Claire?” She stepped forward, putting her hands out to the side in emphasis. “You can still get out of this if you want, go somewhere they can never find you and just… Lay low until this is all over. You can start over.”
“Oh no, uh uh.” Claire narrowed her eyes, her lips forming a thin line. “You are not just going to push me out like that. I’m as invested in this fight as any one of you, and I’m not just going to forget about that because I have a chance at playing bingo in silence for the rest of my life. So don’t pretend that it’s a question of whether I want to come, it’s a matter of whether or not you want to take me at all.”
“Of course we want to take you! You’re one of the best fighters we’ve ever seen, you’re trying to make a change, to fight for what’s right!” Skylar grabbed her hands, being careful not to strain her still healing body. “Why wouldn’t we want to take you?”
“Because with me around you have even more of a target painted on your backs. Because I took the eye out of his head and gained his eternal wrath, and Christian isn’t going to stop until either I’m dead or he is.” Claire pulled out of her grip, turning her head away from her. “That’s why you wouldn’t want me around, because I’d put you in danger that you can’t even imagine.”
“We’re not exactly going into this with the aim of making friends with him,” Michael said, “Of course we’re going to be stepping on his toes and gaining his anger. My whole goal is to piss him off as much as possible before we kill him, I think that would be a good form of justice.”
“He’s right.” Skylar nodded. “It doesn’t matter if you think that you’d be putting us in danger, you’re one of us now. So trust me, we absolutely want you to come with us, we just wanted to give you the choice.”
“Are you sure?” Claire didn’t want to get her hopes up too much, but what she was hearing sounded too good to be true after the series of betrayals she had suffered recently. When Skylar nodded however, she couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across her face.
“We’re not going to be intimidated by him, you’re with us. For now and forever.” Skylar opened her arms, Iggy letting go of Claire’s waist so she could step into the embrace.
“You know, for someone who killed my sister we’re getting along a lot better than I thought we would.” Claire stepped back, looking at her with a smirk. “I guess the strangest of friends really do make the strongest huh?”
“Not going to deny it’s… Strange how cavalier you are about that. Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Oh pssh, I dealt with any pain related to her when I was on the run with a hole in my stomach. In fact, to prove that I’m over it and to lighten the mood, I’m going to give you something very special.” She hobbled over to the chair, shoving off Iggy’s arm when he tried to grab hold of her. “I know exactly where Christian is, because I came from there. I can lead you directly there, and I can tell you exactly where to get in that won’t raise any alarms. They won’t even know you’re there until you want them to.”
“And that will really work?” Cassandra looked skeptical. “I thought that his men were highly trained and vigilant, won’t they see this coming from a mile away?”
“Well yeah, you’d think so.” Claire shrugged. “But we killed most of the smart ones in the forest, and any ones that are left are still hobbling their way to hospitals and safe houses. His security is well and truly shot right now, this is the perfect time to strike.”
“And if he has moved on because he knows what you know?” Liam asked, “What then?”
“Well then I lead you to whatever safe house he has gone to. I know every place he has to run, and he has neither the time nor the resources to set up any additional locations.” She grinned. “In short? He’s fucked, and just right for the picking.”
Cayden nodded, agreeing with the plan. “If it sounds simple,” He said to the group, “That’s because it is. He’s trapped, he has nowhere and no one to go to, likely he knows that any other groups of hunters are likely to shoot him on sight purely out of principle. But that’s also what makes him dangerous, he is cornered and more than aware of that, there is no telling what he’ll do to try and protect himself, so everyone needs to look out for that.”
“What he did to all of you…” Claire looked down, not able to meet Skylar’s gaze. “I’ve learned that as horrible as that was, that was routine. Imagine what he will do if he gets truly desperate.”
They nodded, fully appreciating the gravity of the situation and taking a second to themselves. Their revenge was within their grasp, all they had to do was reach out and take it. But they had to be careful not to let it slip through their fingers, or to take their fingers from them outright.
“Alright,” Liam said, nodding to everyone in attendance. “We have a plan, and we have a location. Is everyone ready to make it a reality?”
They all nodded without hesitation, standing and making their way out of the room towards the cars.
They had no idea just what was waiting for them only hours away.
* * *
“Alright look just… How long are we going to play this game?�
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Claire leaned closer, almost brushing Iggy’s cheek before he moved away, her mouth cracking into a crooked grin. “I spy with my little eye… Something beginning with V.”
“Oh, for fuck… Is it me? Is it a vampire?”
“Oh wow! You are good at this!” She titled her head back, cackling at the top of her lungs, Skylar and Leila fighting not to join her.
Iggy looked at them desperately. “Can one of you please help me? Why can’t you entertain her?”
“Because we all agreed, you included, that you would be the one to take care of her.” Leila raised her eyebrow at him, carefully maintaining a neutral expression. “You’re not going to go back on your word, are you?”
“Alright fine, yeah I won’t go back on it,” He muttered to himself, “Just stop giving me that look, it’s scary.”
“That is pretty unfair mom.” Skylar nudged her with her elbow, shaking her head. “Maybe you should be playing nice.
“Oh please, you haven’t seen me play mean.”
Liam rolled his eyes, keeping his gaze on the road as the car sped steadily along. “I think that everyone needs to calm down a little, otherwise we’re not going to have any energy to fight Christian at all. I’m not going to lose this fight because people insisted on playing I-spy.”
“Oh, come on Liam…” Skylar batted her eyelashes at him, his knuckles squeezing white around the steering wheel. “Are you sure that you don’t need to relax a little?”
“I can’t with all these people in the car, otherwise I’d be plenty relaxed by now, trust me.”
