“Stop stressing,” he crooned in my ear. “Come to bed. You need to sleep.”
I sighed, the air coming out in a mighty gust. “I don’t think I can.”
“You have to, babe. You’ll be no good to us if you’re dead on your feet.”
“You’re right,” I ran my fingers through my hair, tucking it behind my ear, but made no move towards the bed.
“Seriously, Soph. Bed. Now,” Caeden commanded.
“In a minute.”
“Fine,” he growled in my ear, “we’ll do this my way.”
“Wha-” I squealed, as he swept my legs out from under me. He carried me over to the bed and dumped me, unceremoniously, into the middle of it. “Caeden!”
He grinned crookedly down at me. “If I hadn’t taken matters into my own hands, you would have ended up standing there all night.” He bent down over me, hands on either side of my head, and bent so his lips brushed mine when he spoke. “Trust me, looking out the window, isn’t going to solve anything.”
I clasped his cheeks in my hands. “I really don’t think I’ll be able to fall asleep.”
He smirked. Pressing a kiss to my throat that had me arching off the bed, he said, “I can think of plenty of things to do to pass the time and…” he pulled back to look in my eyes. “Burn of some of this energy.”
“Oh, is that right?” I laughed.
“Mhmmm,” he murmured as his fingers brushed up under my shirt and sent shivers all down my body. He pressed a kiss to my ribs before easing my shirt up farther, I sat up a bit and he removed it the rest of the way.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” I smiled at him, tangling my fingers in his silky hair. “Shouldn’t we be doing something, a bit more… productive?”
“This is productive,” he breathed against my lips, his eyes hooded. “Now, please, shut up.”
* * *
The light bled from the sky. Most nights the color seemed to bleed away slowly, but tonight it was on super speed. I watched from the family room window as the sky darkened from lavender, to navy, before finally settling on black. The clear, shiny, stars were the only things that brought any light, and with no moon, it wasn’t much.
“It’s time,” Caeden said, from the doorway.
I turned and met his gaze. Fear coated my stomach like sticky taffy. The time had come. The time to fight. The time to end this, once and for all.
I moved away from the window and glided past him. My feet didn’t seem to touch the ground. I was on autopilot. I was so ready for this to be over but I was scared that things might not go according to plan.
Caeden followed behind me and Nolan was already waiting in the mudroom.
“Let’s do this,” I said with more conviction than I felt.
* * *
Caeden parked the Jeep on a side road. Most of the others had already arrived, their cars lining the narrow road. I saw my mom and dad, standing with Amy. Bentley, Logan, and Bryce were off to the other side. Everyone looked solemn. This wasn’t easy on any of us. We weren’t killers, but we knew Travis had to die.
Jeremy came out of the woods, only in jeans, breathing heavily. “Travis just went into the cave. We’re good to go.”
“Thanks for keeping an eye on things,” Caeden told Jeremy.
“Not a problem,” Jeremy smiled, before going to his wife, Angie. They embraced and then looked towards Bentley. No doubt, imagining what might happen to their son.
Once everyone had arrived, Caeden turned to address the group.
“Grant, Bentley, Sophie, Nolan, Garret, Savannah, Angie, and Logan, you’re going to come from the west of my point. Bryce, Mom, Jeremy, Keith, Christine, Emily, and Maria, you’ll come from the east. Stay back, about a mile or so, until you hear my howl. Get ready.”
I watched as our pack melted into the forest to shuck their clothes and shift.
Caeden squeezed my hand. Through our bond, I could feel the power coursing through him, waiting to be unleashed, but the fear too. The fear wasn’t for him though. It was for every member of our pack, and especially me.
“Don’t worry about me,” I reached up and smoothed his wrinkled brow, as he led me into the dense cover of the forest. “I’m your she-wolf, remember?”
“You’re my wife. It’s my job to worry about you,” he said.
“I can handle myself and you know it,” I smiled reassuringly.
“Yeah, well, I still worry.”
“Please don’t. Focus on you,” I pleaded.
“That’s easier said than done. Besides, don’t you think this whole conversation is a moot point when I can feel just how worried you are for me?” He looked down at me.
“I guess you’re right.”
“How about, we both promise to be safe? To not get hurt?” He stopped and took my face in the palms of his hands. His blue eyes were brighter than any sun.
“Caeden, you know that neither of us can make that promise. Whatever happens, happens.”
“I don’t know if I can live with that philosophy,” he swallowed thickly.
I put my hand over his. “For your sanity, you’ll have to.”
He pulled me against his body and his lips found mine. He kissed me like a man deprived of air and I was his only source of oxygen. He kissed me like this would be our last, just like last night, he’d made love to me, as if he’d never touch me again.
He pulled away, breathing heavy, and rested his forehead against mine with his hand cupping my neck. “I love you, Soph. I’ve been in love with you ever since I dropped those stupid cupcakes. I’ve loved you every day since then and I promise that tonight won’t be the last time I tell you.”
I wiped away a tear that had escaped the confines of my eye. “I love you, Caeden. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love a person. You’re my mate.”
He kissed me again, slower and more passionate than the first.
“We have to join the others now,” he whispered, his lips brushing against mine and sending tingles down my spine.
“I know,” I kissed the end of his nose. “Let’s go kick some butt.”
I removed my clothes, and made the effortless transformation from woman to… she-wolf.
I met Caeden’s periwinkle gaze and took off away from him to join my group. I hated leaving him alone. My place was with him. But this was the plan, and I had to stick with it.
I found my group of wolves, plus a tiger, and we ran deeper into the woods. The deeper we went, the slower we got. We had to continuously stop and untangle ourselves from the overgrowth.
Despite our slow goings, we made it to our spot on time.
Even though it was summer, the heat had seeped out of the air, our breaths creating fog. In fact, just like the area near the cave, this place seemed dead, too still. The quiet stillness was completely unnatural.
Everyone seemed to feel the same way, looking around uneasily.
We all stirred restlessly, not saying a thing, while we waited for Caeden’s signal.
When I finally heard his howl, I was the first one to start running. I ran faster than I ever had before. I had to get to Caeden as soon as possible.
Slow down, Sophie! I heard my dad behind me.
You run faster! I snapped.
I heard a whoosh beside me and saw that Nolan had caught up to me. His strong body was able to make leaps and bounds, where I was not. He didn’t try to pass me though.
We made it to the edge of the clearing and I could see Caeden’s gray form on the hill above. Travis emerged from the cave and shook his shaggy white coat. Since, he was a rival wolf, we couldn’t communicate telepathically with him.
Surprising us all, he walked to the middle of the open clearing and sat, turning his head slightly to peer up at Caeden.
If he were in his human form, he’d definitely be smirking.
Nothing happened. He just sat there.
And then we heard the strange growls coming from the cave.
We watched in horror as th
ese things slithered out. They made hissing and growling noises and were completely naked except for fine hairs that seemed to cover their bodies.
They came to a stop behind Travis and then slowly stood.
I had never seen anything like them before. I couldn’t even begin to fathom what they were.
What the hell is that? Bryce exclaimed from somewhere to my left.
Mutants. Caeden breathed from where he was above us. They’re mutants.
twenty-six.
Mutants? I voiced.
Yes. This is what I feared. I was just so sure that it was impossible but leave it to Travis to figure out how to do it. Caeden seethed.
What do we do? I asked, taken aback by the strange creatures.
What we came here to do. To fight and kill. On my count, I want everyone to run as fast as you can, right at them. Ready? Caeden paused. One, two, three!
I ran with all I had in me.
The mutants turned and surrounded Travis, like he was a king they were protecting. There were so many of them. More than I had thought at first. They seemed to be multiplying.
I jumped at the first one I came into contact with and wrapped my jaws around his neck. With a crunch he fell to the ground.
All around me, I could hear their shrieks. The noise they made was so high-pitched that I kept finding myself flinching.
I turned and saw that one of the mutants had Maria pinned to the ground. He was prying her mouth open with his inhuman hands. In a moment, he would snap her skull.
I jumped on his back and tore into his shoulder and arm. He let her go but then he grabbed me and pulled me in front of his body, holding me in the air. I whimpered as his long fingernails tore into my throat.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe.
I heard a loud, angry, roar and a second later a heavy body slammed into the mutant holding me. He had no choice but to release me. I fell to the ground, gasping for air, and if I’d had my hands I would’ve put them to my tender throat.
I turned to see who my savior was, expecting to see Caeden, but instead I saw a black and orange tiger, tearing into the mutant. Limbs flew through the air and the mutant’s neck fell from its body. Nolan spit out its head and turned to me.
Are you okay? Nolan asked.
I think so. I replied.
Be careful. They’re stronger than they look. He warned before taking off again.
I didn’t have time to compose myself before one of the mutants was heading for me. Up close they looked like hairy zombies. Gray decaying skin, dead eyes, with a lopsided walk, all of their teeth were long and pointed. They were bald with just a few strands of their human hair clinging to their skin. Fine, downy, white hair covered all their bodies. It was light and you could see their gray skin through it. They definitely weren’t the nicest things to look at.
I stayed still, down on the ground, and pretended to be injured as the female mutant stalked towards me.
When she was two feet away from me, I sprung. The force of my impact sent her sprawling to the ground. Wisps of long blond hair clung to her skull. When my eyes met hers, I recognized the girl we’d seen Travis dragging into the cave.
She clutched my fur with her fingers but she didn’t try to push me off. Instead, she pulled me towards her.
“Dooo it,” she said around her spike-like teeth. “Killlll me. I’m beeeeggging you. Please.”
Looking into her light blue eyes, I saw the same fire that I’d seen when Travis had dragged her here. She was a fighter.
“Please,” she said again.
It seemed so wrong to kill her but she was a mutant now. She wanted to die. She didn’t want any part of this. I shouldn’t make her suffer any longer.
She saw the resolve in my eyes and a peaceful look stole over her. “Vaaaank yoooou.”
I closed my eyes and sunk my teeth into her throat. She bucked a bit, that was normal. Even though in her mind, she’d resolved to die, her body was still fighting. I wrenched my teeth away and the process shredded her neck. The blood soaked into the ground as I watched the light and fire fade from her eyes.
I looked around, and didn’t see any unoccupied mutants heading my way. Quickly, I shifted to my human form and closed her eyes before dragging her body away from the gory scene. I felt protective of her, for some reason.
With one last look at the poor girl who had fought Travis, and fought what he’d done to her, I shifted.
I looked around for Travis and didn’t see him but with all the action going on it was impossible to distinguish much of anything.
The fact that I couldn’t find Caeden, though, didn’t set well with me.
My eyes zeroed in on Bentley, pinned to the ground by one mutant and another pulling on his neck. I could see how much he was struggling, so I ran low to the ground, and swiped the legs out from under the mutant that was crushing his neck.
The mutant fell and I tore into its side. Its entrails spilled onto the ground and I spat out the rusty, decaying taste that clung to them.
Bentley finished off the other one. His golden eyes met mine in thanks and then he was gone.
I tore into the nearest mutant, ripping his legs from his torso. Nearby, Nolan roared and a wolf howled. Chaos reigned in the once silent forest, between the mutants and us.
Everything was in complete chaos. Wolves and mutants were everywhere and often there were limbs flying through the air as the mutants were torn apart.
I ran through the fray, tearing into every mutant that cut across my path. I was unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with, I was the she-wolf.
Mutants seemed to pop up everywhere. I lost count after a while because every time I killed one, another appeared.
The fact that this shouldn’t have been possible, and there were so many of them, scared me.
A mutant started towards me, a grin on its lopsided face, its hands reaching for me.
Bring it, freaky zombie-mutant-thingy.
I snarled, baring my teeth.
It turned its head slightly, stopping. It seemed to be contemplating something but then, with a shake of its head it came at me once more.
I launched myself at its chest, digging my claws into its flesh.
It cried out, a very human sound, and I found myself hesitating.
But then the mutant bit me and all hesitation left me. With one snap of my jaw against the mutant’s neck, it was dead.
I jumped off of the dead mutant and shook my fur, when I saw a mutant escaping into the forest and went after her.
Unlike the blond girl, this one put up a fight. She kept biting me with her razor sharp teeth and wiggling around so that I couldn’t get a hold of her jugular. I pressed all my weight on her chest and heard a few ribs crack. Her face contorted in pain but she kept fighting me. I scratched her with my claws, digging deeply, and she roared. For just a second, she stopped fighting and that’s all it took for me to end her life.
I’m sorry. I thought towards the nameless girl.
A hiss from behind, caused me to turn.
A male mutant looked from the dead girl to me. Pain reflected in his eyes when he looked at her. Veins bulged underneath the surface of his skin. With a high-pitched scream, he charged me. I rolled out of the way, barely. He caught some of my fur in his fingers and it tore free from my skin with a ripping sound. I yelped in pain.
Grinning, with all those pointed teeth showing, he bore down on me. I tried to get away. I kicked and I clawed him. But he was huge. He picked me up by the back of my neck. He lifted me until he could look into my eyes, much the way Travis had held the girl. He tilted his head, considering, and then he threw me.
I slammed into a tree, a good twenty feet away. The snapping I heard wasn’t from the tree. It was the bones in my body breaking, and shattering. I screamed. I didn’t know a wolf could scream but I did. I saw the mutant flinch from the noise I was making and I couldn’t seem to stop. The pain was everywhere. I couldn’t move. He stalked towards me
, a grin of triumph on his decaying face, and I braced myself for death. He started running, and was almost to me when a wall of blonde fur cut him off.
The wolf bit into his leg and tore. The mutant’s leg separated from his body and he slumped to the ground.
He wasn’t dead yet, though. The blonde wolf turned towards me as the mutant reached for the wolf.
Nooooooo! I screamed.
The mutant grabbed the wolf’s neck and twisted.
I won’t forget that sound for the rest of my life. A sound like ripping paper.
The mutant fell backwards, having used the last of its energy, and took one loud gurgling breath, before dying.
I watched in horror as my friend dropped to the ground.
Logan’s pale green, human eyes, met mine. His jaw was slack and his eyes were glazing over. His neck was twisted at an unnatural angle.
No! No! No! I screamed.
I kept hearing Caeden’s words echo throughout my skull. “If we die as a wolf, our bodies always revert back to human form.”
Logan was dead.
The pain in my body was forgotten as I looked at my dead friend. He’d died protecting me. This was my fault.
I lifted my head as much as I could manage and howled in mourning.
* * *
The fight raged around me but I was powerless to do anything. The breaks my body had sustained were going to take days to fully heal. I didn’t even have the strength left to move away from the action.
That meant I ended up staring into Logan’s lifeless green eyes.
I didn’t know Logan as well as I did the others, but he was still my friend. He’d died for me and if the situation were reversed, I would’ve made the same decision. Your pack is more than just being ‘friends’, they’re your family, and you’ll do anything for them.
Flinching from the pain, but beyond caring, I stretched out my paw and placed it gently in his open hand.
I knew his soul was long gone, but I still wanted to offer him as much comfort as I could.
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Different wolves called for me.
I’m fine! I called back.
Caeden is hurt! It was Bryce’s panicked voice.
Fighter (Outsider Series) Page 19
