by Aaron Hodges
Below, bright red rocks glowed in the heat of the sun. Spindly scrub clung to the flats of the valley floors, while overhead the white-capped peaks glinted in the noonday sun, so bright Chris had to avert his gaze. The roar of a river echoed from the cliffs, its banks packed to bursting with the summer melt.
Not for the first time, Chris found himself wishing they’d never left this towering mountain range. Here, divided as they’d been, at least the five of them had been free. He could still see Mira’s youthful joy as she had danced through the clouds, diving down to inspect the frozen streams, quiet, but happy. And Richard, as he’d smashed through the ice to catch a trout. Liz, doing her best to forage in the barren country. He could even see Jasmine, always so stoic and withdrawn, smiling at some secret joke Richard had whispered in her ear.
But instead they had left, had returned to civilisation, and died for it.
Or lost themselves.
Tears blurred his vision, but he quickly blinked them away. There was no point dwelling on the past. Ashley had charged him with doing something with his miserable life, and he didn’t intend to disappoint her. Not again.
His eyes scanned the ground below, taking in the folds of the mountain slopes. They were starting to fall away now, as the mountains dropped towards Arizona. The snow-capped peaks were behind him. Below, they had given way to rocky mountain sides that seemed to wind together like some ancient tapestry. Chris squinted, studying the dark shadows cast across the rocky valleys. The scent was strong now. He was almost on them.
Movement shifted in the shadows. Angling his wings, Chris headed towards it.
Chapter 15
Susan lay in the shadows, staring up at the mountain peak stretching up into the sky. Her head rested on Hecate’s shoulder, but her mate was fast asleep, his soft snores whispering through the night, merging with the rumblings of the other Chead. Talisa had brought a hundred of her best warriors with them—a small army that would tear through whatever resistance humanity might offer.
It had taken every inch of Susan’s will to convince Talisa to bring her. Even after Susan’s revelation, the elder Chead had been adamant she remain behind. Her children needed her, Talisa had argued with cold eyes, even as she sought to steal away their father.
But in the end, the prize Susan had promised was too tempting, and Talisa had yielded.
Now though, in the cold, unforgiven mountains, Susan found herself plagued by doubt. Her heart ached, the absence of her children like a physical blow. She had left them in the caverns, in the care of another Chead—one Susan had helped change just a few weeks before. They would be safe with the other new-borns, protected by the maze of tunnels, and the host of Chead who had remained behind.
Still, Susan could not dismiss the uneasiness in her stomach, the fear she had made a terrible mistake. What if the humans came for them, if they unleashed their deadly weapons on the Chead’s hidden tunnels? Her children would be helpless, would die in agony, knowing their mother had abandoned them.
Shivering, Susan rolled on her side and stared at Hecate’s sleeping face. The movement disturbed him, and his eyelids fluttered open, revealing the grey sheen of his eyes.
“My mate,” he breathed, “why do you…not sleep? Night will come…soon.”
Susan nodded, but the sorrow still lodged in her throat, and she struggled to find the words to respond. “I…am…worried,” she murmured, “about our…future.”
A low rumble came from Hecate’s chest as he reached up and stroked her cheek. A shiver ran through Susan as his scent caught in her nostrils. The fiery fingers of desire wrapped around her throat, but for once she fought them back, desperate to cling to the remnants of her sanity.
“No…” she whispered as Hecate’s fingers drifted down her throat.
Her mate’s fingers stilled, lingering on the small of her chest. A frown creased his forehead. “No?” he asked, his voice soft.
Closing her eyes, Susan shook her head, struggling to keep a grip on the train of her thoughts. Hunger slivered through her mind, distracting her, but she forged on.
“Humanity…is cruel...without mercy…what if…they come for them?” she pressed.
Laughter whispered from Hecate’s throat. “Then we shall avenge them…a thousand-fold.” Susan’s eyes snapped open at the power in her mate’s voice. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her on top of him. This time she had no strength to resist. A smile spread across his lips as he looked up at her. “The fire you shall light…will burn them all away.”
A moan built in Susan’s throat as Hecate’s fingers danced along her back. She found herself nodding to his words, her worries assuaged, her path determined. Feeling him beneath her, fire filled her chest, and leaning down she pressed her lips hard against his. She moaned as the taste of him washed away the last of her fear.
Suddenly Hecate stiffened beneath her. His hands gripped her hard by the arms and tossed her to the side. She gasped as the cold mountain stones cut at her. Gaping, she watched as Hecate clambered to his feet.
“What are you doing?” she hissed, her lust turning to rage.
Her mate only shook his head. His eyes looked out over the other Chead, to where the mouth of the canyon opened out. There, the light of day shone brightly on the hillside, still exposed to the afternoon sun.
“We have…a visitor,” Hecate said finally.
At that he set off through the sleeping Chead, his bare feet making a noise on the sharp stones. Susan stared after him, anger churning in her chest. Without waiting for an invitation, she rose and followed him.
It only took them a few minutes to traverse the sleeping Chead. Their hundred bodies dotted the ground between the towering cliffs, tucked into crevices and between boulders, wherever they could avoid the howling mountain winds. In the shadows of the cliffs, they were all but invisible.
Susan’s heart raced as they made their way out into the sunlight. What did Hecate mean by a visitor? The Chead had hidden their tracks well, only traversing the wide Californian plains by night, hiding during the day, ensuring the humans remained unaware of their passage. Yet now Hecate was saying someone had found them, had managed to slip through their scouts and come within metres of their nest.
On the gravel slope, Hecate lifted his head and stared up at the mountains. Susan stood behind him, her eyes following his gaze. The sky was empty, but Hecate clearly knew someone was coming. Yet he did not seem concerned—in fact, there was the slightest of smiles on his face. Gritting her teeth, Susan settled in beside him.
They did not have to wait long.
Within a few minutes, a dark spec appeared in the sky. Susan held her breath as she watched it grow, waiting for the roar of an engine. She glanced at Hecate, expecting him to act, but still he did not move.
Slowly the speck grew larger, and Susan realised the visitor was not one of humanity’s planes, but a person.
Together they watched as the strange boy with tawny brown wings drifted down towards them. Finally, he settled on the slope below. As he landed, the stones gave way beneath his boots, and the boy almost crashed face first into the ground.
Hecate snorted as the boy’s curses echoed up to them. Stepping forward, he barked a greeting. “Welcome, cousin,” he laughed. “I thought…you were dead.”
Scowling, the boy folded his wings behind his back and straightened. A tingle of recognition shot through Susan as his hazel eyes met hers. They shared a glance, but after a moment he turned his gaze back to Hecate. Frowning, Susan tried to place him. The memories rose like shadows from her mind, blurry and indistinct. After a few moments she shook her head and dismissed them.
“No thanks to you,” the boy said, scowling. “And you’re no relative of mine, Hecate.”
Her mate grinned. “My apologies…Chris, yes?” he trailed off, and then shrugged. “We did not mean…to lead the humans…to you. They proved…persistent. Have you finally come…to join us?”
“No, I’ve come to stop you,” Chris s
hot back.
Hecate chuckled at that. The sound echoed off the surrounding cliffs as he stepped towards the boy and spread his arms. “You think…you stand a chance?”
The boy bared his teeth, his wings lifting slightly from his back. Susan eyed him, lips pursed, but did not move. This was Hecate’s fight to enjoy; her mate had no need of her help.
The boy twisted so he was standing side on to Hecate, fists outstretched. “Why don’t we find out?” he growled. “I’ve been dying for a rematch.”
“Gladly,” Hecate sneered.
Her mate charged forward, his powerful legs sending up a shower of stones behind him. The boy Chris had only a split-second to react before Hecate was on him. Her mate’s meaty fist swung at his face, and she grinned as the blow sent the boy staggering sideways.
But unlike so many humans before him, the boy did not go down. Instead his feet shifted deftly in the loose gravel, steadying him. Straightening, he turned back towards Hecate, only to catch a foot square in his face. This time the impact flung Chris backwards across the rocky ground. He bounced several times before a boulder brought him to a sudden stop. Blood trickled down his chin as he staggered to his feet.
“Had enough?” Hecate asked lightly.
Chris didn’t answer. Spreading his wings, he leapt into the air. Hecate crouched down as the boy’s shadow raced across the slope towards them. Eyes narrowed, he watched the tawny wings fold, sending Chris into a dive. At the last second, Hecate hurled himself to the side.
The boy cursed, but his wings were already shifting, redirecting his course. Hecate had no time to recover before Chris’s boot struck him hard in the chest. This time it was Susan’s mate who was sent hurtling backwards. But Hecate twisted as he fell, landing easily on his feet. A savage growl rumbled from his throat as he straightened. Rubbing his chest, he glared across at Chris.
Rage lit in Susan’s stomach, sensing her mates pain. She glared at the boy as he settled to the ground, though she did not move. This was still Hecate’s battle—she would not intervene unless he asked. No matter how much she wanted to tear those hideous wings from the boy’s back.
Raising a hand in front of his face, Chris beckoned Hecate forward. “Come on, show me what you’ve got, Chead.”
A sharp hiss came from Hecate, but this time he did not rush the stranger. The two began to circle one another, their grey and hazel eyes unblinking, never leaving their opponent for even a second.
Finally, Chris broke the stalemate. Lurching forward, his fist flashed for Hecate’s face. Grinning, Hecate reached out to catch him, but at the last second Chris dropped his shoulder. Instead of a fist, the boy’s body slammed into Hecate’s chest, sending him stumbling back. Using his momentum, Chris spun, and his wing snapped out to catch Hecate clean in the face. The force of the blow whipped her mate’s head back with a sickening thud. Tumbling backwards, Hecate lost his footing and slipped—just in time to avoid a second blow from Chris’s boot.
On the ground, Hecate rolled away as the winged boy gave chase. Gravel rattled away down the slope as Chris leapt. His fist caught Hecate again as Susan’s mate regained his feet. Groaning, Hecate staggered back, and managed to catch a wild kick from the rampaging boy. Hecate’s fingers dug in, locking Chris’s leg in his iron grip.
Hecate grinned as he looked at his helpless opponent. Chris smiled back. Leaping off his other leg, his wings beat down. Mid-air, his body twisted, his free foot whirling around to catch Hecate square in the side of the head. Susan’s mate staggered sideways, his feet suddenly unsteady as his eyes rolled in his head.
Chris landed lightly on the ground, his broad wings beating slightly, keeping him upright. Folding his arms, he shook his head. “Not so fun when it’s a fair fight, is it?” he laughed.
Shaking his head, Hecate straightened, and Susan caught the steely glint in his eyes. She smiled to herself. Her mate was beyond reason now, caught in the red-hot insanity of the Chead rage. The imposter didn’t stand a chance.
Roaring, Hecate dropped his shoulder and charged. Chris fell into a crouch, wings outstretched, fists raised to guard his face. Even so, the furiosity of Hecate’s attack caught him off-guard. Chris gasped as the Chead batted away his feeble blows and grasped him by the waist. A sharp cry echoed off the mountains as Hecate lifted the stranger high above his head, preparing to slam him into the ground.
As Hecate tensed, Chris’s tawny wings beat down, sending dust swirling across the mountainside. The power of his wings yanked them both off their feet for half an instant, giving Chris the chance to twist around and slam his fist into Hecate’s face.
Losing his grip, Hecate fell. His hands whipped out, grasping at Chris’s wing, and the boy shrieked as a handful of feathers tore free. The great wings beat down again, but off-balance now, they sent Chris spinning sideways. Before he could recover, Chris slammed into the loose gravel.
Straightening, Hecate stalked after the fallen boy. Chris cursed and rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding being stomped into the side of the mountain. Coming to his feet, the boy’s eyes narrowed as Hecate charged after him.
Smiling, Susan watched on from the slope above them, the blood thumping hard in her skull. She could almost taste her mate’s triumph now, almost see the boy’s face as his life trickled away, as he died alone in these merciless mountains. Breathing in, she savoured the tang of blood in the air. Lust rose in her throat as she watched her mate beat away the foolish boy’s defences.
Blood was streaming down both of their faces now, and half a dozen cuts marked their flesh. But Chris was slowing, his strength worn down by the fight, even as Hecate seemed to find a fresh store of energy. The Chead rage was unquenchable, unstoppable. The pathetic creature would not prevail.
As Susan watched, the two closed on each other again. Sensing his opponent’s weakness, Hecate launched a flurry of blows that sent Chris staggering back, the boy’s reflexes barely able to keep stock of the Chead’s fury. Dark bruises marked his arms and the fabric of his shirt was in pieces. It would not be long now.
Then, as Hecate lifted his fist for another blow, the boy’s foot slipped on the loose stones. He staggered sideways, struggling to straighten, but Hecate was on him before he could recover. Clenching his fists together, Hecate brought them down at the boy’s head.
Except Chris was no longer there. Spinning on his heel, he dodged Hecate’s double-handed blow. Allowing his momentum to carry him past, they boy was suddenly behind the rampaging Chead. Before Hecate could react, the boy’s arm was around his throat, hauling him back off balance, tightening until the veins on Chris’s neck were standing up from the effort.
Choking, Hecate struggled to break the boy’s hold. But his phenomenal strength was rendered useless with his centre of mass pulled backwards over empty air. His hands slapped at Chris’s arms, his iron fingers digging into flesh, but the boy did not flinch. Teeth bared, he held on for dear life.
On the slope above, Susan shook herself free of her shock. Fists clenched, she started forward, the flickering of the Chead rage beginning in her stomach. The familiar red haze settled over her vision as she closed on the boy’s back. His wings were outstretched, his feathers gleaming in the noonday sun. She would tear them out one by one, for what he had done to her mate.
But before she could reach him, a sharp crack came from the air overhead, and a black-winged girl fell from the sky to land between them.
Chapter 16
For three days, Liz had tracked Chris across the Californian plains, winging her way from abandoned farmhouse to rundown shack to open pasture. His distant scent drew her on, close, yet always just out of reach. However fast she flew, somehow he managed to remain one step ahead of her.
Only when she followed him into the mountains did Liz sense she was closing on him. Unfortunately, another scent was also growing, a sickly sweetness that tainted the crisp mountain air and set her stomach on edge.
The Chead.
Now, as she stood between the creature
and Chris, she wondered what insanity had brought him here. Why had he come all this way to confront the Chead? What had he hoped to achieve out here, all by himself? She could smell the sweetness billowing out from the dark canyon above—the stench of a hundred Chead, all gathered in one place.
On the slope above Liz, the female Chead had frozen, but now her lips drew back in a snarl and she started forward again.
“Enough!” a gruff voice came from behind Liz.
Risking a glance back, she realised her appearance had given the other Chead a chance to break free of Chris’s hold. Liz blinked as she saw his face—she recognised him. It was the same creature they’d fought in the facility, who had escaped into the mountains and saved them from the soldiers.
The one who had led the government to her childhood home.
She watched as Hecate took a step back from Chris, his grey eyes gleaming in the dying sunlight. His gaze flickered up past Liz, to where the other Chead lurked. “Enough, Susan,” he repeated.
Stones rattled as Susan came to a stop. A low growl came from the girl’s throat. Looking up, Liz saw the hunger lurking behind the Chead’s grey eyes, the desire to tear her limb from limb. A long minute stretched out before the girl gave a curt nod and crossed her arms.
Smirking, Liz turned her back and started down the slope towards Chris and Hecate. They watched her come, Chris with wide eyes, Hecate wearing a slightly bemused grin. Both were looking worse for wear. The fight had left their clothes in tatters, and dark bruises were swelling on their arms and faces. Approaching them, all Liz could do was shake her head. It seemed boys, whatever their species, would be boys.
Hecate’s grey eyes looked her up and down as she reached him, and his grin spread. He opened his mouth to speak, but Liz was faster still. Stepping in close, her knee flashed up into his crotch, and the youthful Chead crumpled to the ground with a pained squeak.
“That’s for my house,” Liz snapped.
