“So much for being the victim,” I said, looking around for my next target.
I had a plethora of choices. Further along the platform, two wolves were pinned down by a group of six vampires. I rushed to help them, the berotta fire burning from the steel. So far, I was mesmerized by how easily this thing cut. It used to be that I’d have to put some effort into my swing, but now that it sliced through everything like it was made of paper, all I really had to worry about was swinging it fast enough, before more wolves died. That was why, without any hesitation, I darted into the unfolding anarchy and began swinging like a madman who’d come unhinged.
My sword passed right through one neck and became lodged inside another. One werewolf sprang free, got up, and began attacking the creatures behind me. Meanwhile, I kicked the vampire off my sword and watched it fall into the sewage water, cracking its skull on a pipe before it splashed into the water. One wolf still remained by my feet, blood spurting from its neck as it tried to become human again. Only it lacked the strength.
“Take my hand,” I told him.
The werewolf hesitated. It was then that I identified him as the gatekeeper of the sewage plant. No wonder he had trust issues – not only had I attacked him before, but now he thought that I’d brought the vampires here… and he was right.
“Come on,” I yelled.
This time the guy reached out, wrapping his hairy fingers around my wrist. I pulled him up fast, slinging him over my shoulder as more creatures from the underworld fought for their lives around me. I ran right through the middle of them, hacking away at the monsters that stayed in my path. When I reached the corridor, I set him down safely and made sure that he was okay. Judging by the blood spilling from his arm, he wasn’t.
“Hang in there,” I said, ripping open his half-torn shirt and wrapping it around his arm to form a tourniquet. I tied it tight, cutting off the blood flow to stop him from bleeding to death. Then, I felt his hand on my shoulder.
“Go,” he said, wheezing.
I looked back at the fight, where Lena smashed through hordes of vampires, while her minions fought with everything they had just to stay alive. I turned back to the wounded. “You’re sure?”
The man-wolf nodded.
“Hang tight,” I said, and then rushed back into the open area, leaving him behind. As much as I wanted to stay and make sure everyone was all right, I had a whole other bunch of werewolves to save, and that started with Lena, who had suddenly become outnumbered as she faced a large group of monsters that surrounded her.
There was no time to mess around.
I dove into the crowd, leaping onto the back of one of the vampires before turning and bringing the blade down on its neck. The head came off without blood, dropping straight to the ground before it turned to white ash. Seconds later, so did the body. I flipped around to see Lena’s wolf hand in front of me. I took it and she swung me around in a wide arc, almost ripping off my arm as I outstretched the other with the sword in hand. Bodies came apart like I was whacking weeds away. When Lena dropped me, I rolled to recover my balance, and looked out at the flurry of burning ash in front of us. Behind them, some of the vampires were beginning to retreat, while others stayed to fight.
But their numbers were too thin. By now there were enough werewolves – and few enough vampires – for the war to tip to our advantage. The beasts tore them apart easily, with strength, numbers and rage on their side, making for an easy victory. As I turned toward Lena, whose body was now returning to that of a woman, I traipsed across the room and picked up her fallen robe, before returning and placing it over her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she said coldly, with tears glistening in her eyes.
“No problem.”
Lena sighed and angrily flung her hands at the platforms, where heaps of werewolf corpses lay sprawled out, blood still spurting from their wounds. Some were moving slightly, still only at the doors of death and begging for mercy. Long dead were the lycan warriors – now they were little more than hurt, frightened people who only wanted to survive.
Those who were still in one piece, however, didn’t express any gratitude. They huddled together, circling me with pure hatred setting a fire in their eyes. Some of them turned, while others only had their claws on show. One even spat at me, a thick glob of phlegm narrowly missing my boot. All I could do was show them that I didn’t mean them any harm, by putting away my sword and praying that they didn’t tear me apart.
“They think I did this,” I said to Lena.
She nodded. “Stay behind me.”
“And avoid what I deserve? Not a chance.” I raised my hands in the air, and then stepped forward into the crowd of furious werewolves, ready to accept my fate. I’d brought the vampires here, whether I’d planned to or not. In retrospect, I should have learned why they’d previously declined my entry – it prevented mistakes like this. I’d been tested and I’d failed, bringing nothing but death to the werewolves and their alpha. It wasn’t much, but if it was any comfort to me at all, I wouldn’t have to live with this guilt for too long.
Vengeance brewed in their fiery eyes, and those eyes were fixed on me.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I felt like a mouse caught in the middle of a snake pit. All those hungry eyes devoured me, and I stood alone. Well, maybe not completely alone – Lena didn’t hesitate to stand between the wolves and me, demanding that her minions back off.
“It wasn’t his intention to bring them here,” she said, pointing a firm finger in the faces of those who dared to snarl at her. “It could have happened to any one of us, and I like to think that there are more important things to consider than who to blame.”
An old man – his chin sagging but otherwise in good shape – stepped out from the group of haters, like the spokesman in a horde of villagers. I was just waiting to see burning torches and some pitchforks. “The man’s a Cardkeeper, for crying out loud. What did you expect to happen when you let him in here?”
The crowd yelled their agreement.
“Watch your tongue, Joseph, or I’ll have it cut from your mouth.” Lena pushed him back and then violently spun to look the others in the eye, one by one, each man more intimidated than the last. “We are on good terms with the Cardkeepers of R’hen, and I would like to keep it that way. Might I remind you that this time tomorrow you could all be free men? The very man you condemn with your blame is the one who will deliver us from our curse, and into the hands of a fair society.”
It’s not so fair, I thought, but knew it would be suicide to say aloud. Instead I stood in silence, watching the crowd lose their confidence and slowly break apart, until only one man remained standing, his hands balled into fists.
“If he fails, it’s on your head,” said the man, before storming off.
Lena’s shoulders rose and fell as she breathed heavily. When she turned to face me, sadness laced her eyes accompanied by a kind of apologetic remorse. “Come, Jack. Let’s go somewhere a little quieter.”
I followed her through the plant, those spite-fueled stares pelting me with ire once more. I guessed I kind of deserved it – although I’d hung around to help fight off the vampires, it wasn’t unreasonable to conclude that it was my fault they were here in the first place. It took some work to convince myself that it was only a theory, and that I couldn’t let the guilt bog me down. I had other things to occupy my thoughts.
When we returned to Lena’s bedroom, I stayed on my feet and paced the room, while Lena took to the bed again. The sexy mood she had been in was now absent, and her hair was matted with sweat from her recent transformation. Her skin glistened like rocks under the sun as she laid back and glared up at the ceiling.
“I don’t know what to do,” I confessed.
“With what?”
“I was kind of counting on getting some help from your wolves.”
Lena sighed. “I know I was toying with you, but I really was willing to help you. Now, I don’t think they would listen to me.�
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“You could try asking them?”
“Come on, Jack. You saw the way they grouped together back there. They were on the verge of betraying my command just to get to you. Do you really imagine that they would rush to your side in a fight?”
Perhaps she was right. The only wolf I’d personally helped was the gatekeeper, but somehow, I doubted that even he would want to assist me. Even if he recovered from his brutal wounding and lived to see another day.
“Then we’re screwed.”
Lena sat up. “Excuse me?”
“I can’t defeat The Ancient. It’s far too strong. The vampires don’t want anything to do with it, and the werewolves are obviously not on my side. Could it be that I’ve just fucked up everything that Keira did? Is it possible that I just killed the one good relationship that R’hen had with the supernatural? I just… argh!” I kicked the dresser, momentarily forgetting my own strength and feeling like a fool as it collapsed in a broken, wooden heap. “Sorry…”
Lena exhaled heavily and shuffled to the end of the bed, where she sat with her hands on her bare knees, gazing lovingly up at me. “Jack, it’s not your fault that this happened. Even if it was you they followed – which we can’t be sure of – how were you to know?”
“For one, I could have been more careful.”
“Vampires live in the shadows. You know this.”
I sighed. “I guess.”
“Good. Now please, come and sit down. You’re making me nervous.”
“I’m nervous already.”
“Then there’s no need for us both to feel that way. Come – I won’t bite.”
Something about that stopped me in my tracks. Could it be that she… No, no, that was a bad idea. I studied Lena’s expression, watching her eyes narrow as she tried to decipher my reaction to her words. Finally, she gave up.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I was just thinking that… what if you did?”
“What if I did what, Jack?”
I moved to the bed, dropping beside her and placing my hands on her naked shoulders. I could barely believe what I was about to suggest, but it wasn’t the worst idea I’d ever had. At least I didn’t think so. “I mean, what if you did bite? With the strength of a werewolf and the Sword of Lucada, The Ancient would have a damn hard time surviving my assault.”
Lena shook her head. “That’s insanity. You know the vampires won’t–”
“They’ll understand, Lena. Edgar George will, anyway.”
“And the Elders of R’hen? Will they be so forgiving?”
“Who cares? I’d be doing it for them. If they punish me for becoming something stronger for the greater good, then let them.” I shuffled across the bed, lowering my hands but fixing my trusting gaze on her eyes. “It’s the only way, and I think you know it.”
Now Lena stood, raking her fingers through her damp hair as she crossed the room. She stopped at a mirror that hung on the wall, examined her appearance, and then her reflection watched me from within. “If I do this, you’re going to have to know the downside.”
I listened intently. “Go on.”
“The curse of the moon may offer strength, speed and agility. You will be able to transform certain areas of your body – or all, if you like – but it comes at a price. The price I speak of is what we call The Hunger. Need I elaborate?”
“Not really, but please do.”
Lena turned. “Once a month, your primal instincts will take over, forcing you to hunt down humans to harvest their organs and flesh. There will be a few early warning signs; dizziness, anxiousness, undying hunger, during which you must do whatever it takes to lock yourself away – not only for the safety of mankind, but to keep yourself discreet, hidden. Years ago, there was an incident where one man could not make it into his cage on time. Unable to control his own body, he terrorized Chicago, tearing through the street and murdering loads of innocent people.”
“Jesus.”
“It was lucky the government are such secretive creeps. They tranqued him, locked him away, and none of us ever heard from him again.” Lena lowered her head as the memories crept back in, bringing moisture to her eyes. “You see, there is nothing we can do but lock ourselves away and let the storm pass. If you think you can handle that…”
“I can.”
“But there’s more.” Lena met my gaze. “You may not survive the bite. Not everybody does. If the curse rejects you, you will be nothing more than a corpse lying on a bed in a sewage plant, and the war between the werewolves and vampires will go on forever. The Elders of R’hen will assume what had happened, find a new Cardkeeper and leave you to rot. I’m neither for or against this, but I want to make you aware of the truth so you can make an informed decision.”
Wow. A few minutes ago I would have done anything to end this war, but she’d just raised the stakes. Terror sliced through my weakened body, but the fact remained that I had no other choice than to take the risk and accept the outcome. “I have to.”
Lena hesitated, nodded, then wiped her eyes with her sleeves and opened up a drawer. From there she took a vial of clear liquid and returned to the bed, sitting beside me. “First, you must drink this. It will cause the infection from my bite to enter your bloodstream, rather than killing you on the spot.”
My fear caused reluctance, which slowed me down considerably when reaching out to take the vial. I popped off the cap and sniffed it. It didn’t smell of anything. “Here goes nothing.” I downed it in one gulp, dropping the vial onto the ground as soon as my head became a little fuzzy. I wrapped my hand around the bedpost, steadying myself as Lena’s face came into view, her fangs exposed and ready to pierce my skin.
Those deep, perfect, captivating eyes were the last things I saw before I closed my own, giving in to the chemical that coursed through my veins. The next thing I knew, those long, white fangs, punctured my neck and my body went totally limp as I entered a dark nowhere, where my fate would be decided.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I slipped in and out of sleep for days, my blood burning like fire. Hallucinations of wolves and flies and raw meat danced around my vision, making me vomit. Most times I barely made it onto my side to save myself from choking to death. I thought of The Ancient, my heart going into overdrive as it beat so hard that it nearly burst from my chest. I worried that the beast had recovered, moved on to terrorize some other town, and the odds of stopping it looked bleak. Each time I gave thought to going after it, the sickness took over, condemning me back to another painful night’s sleep. The process was torture, and all for a curse that may not accept me.
It felt as though a week had passed before the sweats seemed to die down. Lena hovered at my bed for god knew how long, a hardback book spread across her lap as she kept watch over me. When I could finally summon the energy necessary to talk to her, I did so with the driest mouth I could ever have imagined. It felt like I had swallowed something sharp.
“Water…”
Lena dropped the book to the floor with a bang and reached over to a jug. She spilled the contents into an empty glass and handed it to me, while adjusting my pillows to help me sit up. “Drink it slowly, or you’ll choke.”
The water was as cold as ice, sliding down my throat like a spike. I didn’t care – my mouth was so dry that there wasn’t much I wouldn’t consider drinking at this point. When I’d emptied the glass, my weak arm dropped to the bed, the glass rolling off it and smashing on the floor. “How long was…” I held my ribs, feeling around for a wound that wasn’t there, no matter how much it felt like it was. “How long was I out?”
“Six days. I wasn’t sure that you would make it.”
I tried to smile, but my mouth was weak, too. “I did, though.”
“You did,” Lena said, nodding.
“But how do I… turn?”
“Perhaps you should look at your legs.”
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I looked down, but what I saw only made me feel sick. My
legs had extended and grown thick, black fur. My knees were on backward, and although I tried to kick them, they didn’t move.
“You’ll get used to it,” Lena said. “But for now, you must rest some more.”
“But The Ancient–”
“Would kill you if you confronted it like this.”
I tried to move again, barely able to sit up and having to drag my legs across the bed sheets. Who was I kidding? Lena was right – I was going nowhere. “Will you help me? I-I know that you did this for me, but if you could fight by my side…”
Lena shook her head and stood up. “I’ve done all that I can do for you. I intend to nurse you back to health and then send you on your way.” She made her way toward the doorway, raised the curtain and craned her neck. “After that, you’re on your own.”
You’re telling me.
I fell back onto my pillow, where I quickly fell back into a deep sleep and the horrific images filled my mind once again. This time I saw only The Ancient, standing before me at double its previous size. Even in my deepest nightmares I knew I had very little chance of defeating it. But now that the werewolf gene coursed through me, at least I had what I needed to give it a valiant effort. All I wanted now was a clean bill of health. Then, and only then, could I embark on my suicide mission.
I could barely wait.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The vampires stopped me at the front door of Dante’s Nightclub, grouping together in a pack and grabbing my shoulders like I was nothing more than an irate drunkard. All the while, the same figure of speech ran repeatedly through my mind: ‘Safety in numbers.’
As more vampires gathered around the street to witness the commotion, I refused to put up a struggle. Now that I was part werewolf, I had no doubt that they could smell both lycan and magic on me. If I were them, I would be frightened, too.
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