by Cheree Alsop
“Can we blow this place up?” I forced out. “I don’t want Colleen to know about it.”
Jet nodded and we left the room without another word. I followed him back to the vehicle feeling heavier with each step. “They suffered,” I finally said in a voice just above a whisper.
He glanced at me. “It’s not your fault.”
I shook my head. “If I hadn’t been drinking and gotten us in that accident in the first place, none of this would have happened.”
Jet’s eyebrows rose. “Then we wouldn’t know about this facility and who knows how many other werewolves and humans would have suffered from Tannin’s experiments.”
I knew he was right, but I couldn’t push away the throb of guilt in my chest.
“You have an obligation to Grace and Colleen. You have to be strong for them.”
I looked up at his tone. “I killed people. They deserve better.”
A wry smile touched the corners of his lips. “I’ve killed more humans and werewolves than I’ll ever be able to reconcile with; my whole life before I met Jaze was killing.”
I studied the ground as the memory of my knife sliding through flesh and the scent of fresh blood rushed through me. “How do you keep going knowing you ended someone’s life?”
He shrugged. “It’s not like we have much of a choice, is it?” At my look, the smile touched his lips again. “You live the best you can in their memory. If they died so you can keep Grace safe and help Colleen cope with being a werewolf, then that’s what had to happen. Honor their deaths by living your life.”
His words rang with the heaviness of personal experience. I took a steadying breath. “I didn’t take you to be a philosopher.”
His eyes tightened slightly at the corners, but whether from humor or bitterness, I wasn't sure. “Don’t get used to it.”
We reached the SUV where Jaze, Mouse, and Brock waited. A group of Hunters and werewolves stood around Jaze as he gave orders. “Gather the hard drives and files. We need to find out who was funding Tannin’s experiments and if there are any other facilities. Sweep the control center, the hospital, and every lab room. I need to know if he ever succeeded in making other clones.” The Hunters jogged toward the labs and Jaze turned back to me. “Roger’s ready to take Colleen to one of the rehab centers. We’re sending all the harder cases there for special attention.”
A fist tightened around my heart, but I went back to Colleen and carried her to Meg and Roger’s SUV. Roger patted me on the back. “You did good here,” he said, a fatherly shine in his eyes. “You’ve saved a lot of people.”
“I hurt a lot, too,” I replied quietly.
He looked at me, his eyes calculating. “You’re a good kid, Kaynan. Don’t let the guilt of the past ruin your future. You’ve been given a fresh start, something most people can only dream of.” He ruffled my hair in a gesture that reminded me of my father and brought a smile to my face. He pulled his hand back and glanced at the blood on it. “You should get that looked at.”
I touched the spot gingerly. “It’s alright. Feels like it’s already healing.”
He nodded. “Good to hear. We’ll leave soon. Why don’t you rest a bit; you look terrible.”
“Thank you,” I said with a tired laugh. I climbed into the SUV where I promptly fell asleep in the front seat. I jerked awake when a loud explosion followed by several rumbles shook the vehicle. I opened my eyes to see the windows burst from the Development Center and flames engulf the interior.
Jaze, Jet, Mouse, and Brock watched the detonation a few feet away. Another explosion sounded and Jet and Mouse exchanged pleased glances. I fought back a smile and closed my eyes again. The hum of tires on the road chased away the nightmares. I eventually fell into a dreamless sleep brought on by sheer exhaustion.
“We’re here,” Roger said quietly.
I awoke to see an unassuming gray brick building with small windows perched on the outskirts of a small town. Seven other vehicles from the Development Center sat outside and I could hear the snarl of wild werewolves from the blanket-wrapped cages that were carried inside. I climbed gingerly out of the SUV and gathered Colleen gently back in my arms. The quiet sound of her breathing reassured me as I followed Meg down a long tiled hallway lined with rooms.
A dull scent of depression tainted the walls beneath the smell of new paint and furniture. “What was this place before you took it over?” I asked.
“A psychiatric center,” Roger answered from behind me. I glanced at him and he gave a wry grin. “I know, but the set up works well and we can keep the occupants in their rooms if necessary.” He gestured to a door on the left hand side. Meg opened it and I carried Colleen in.
The room had been transformed into a normal bedroom. The concrete walls and floor had been covered in wallpaper and soft carpet that sunk under my feet. A four-poster bed sat in one corner with thick yellow blankets on top and a multitude of colored pillows crowding the headboard. A reading desk, complete with a lamp and a collection of books, stood across from the bed and a small television on a wooden stand occupied a third corner. The air smelled of lavender and lemon, clean and crisp without the underlying scents of the hallway.
“This isn’t bad,” I admitted. Meg smiled at Roger as I settled Colleen gently on the bed. She looked out of place in the cozy façade, a cream and black wolf sleeping on a bed that looked restful enough for a dozen tired girls.
“We’ll leave you to say goodbye,” Roger said. The emotions his words stirred must have shown on my face because he gave an understanding smile. “Goodbye just for a short while. You need to rest, and we’ll take good care of her here. You can come back whenever you’d like.”
Meg nodded. “We chose the closest rehabilitation center to Jaze’s house with that in mind.”
“I appreciate it,” I replied quietly, touched.
They continued down the hall, leaving the door open a slight crack so I could go when I was ready. I studied the room and tried to tell myself it wasn’t good enough for my sister, but after everything we had been through, I would live in a box with her on the streets if it meant she was alive and safe.
My heart slowed and I rested my head next to hers, watching her breathe and trying to convince myself that the wolf beside me was my sister, that she was truly alive. I put a hand on her soft fur and said a quiet prayer of gratitude that we had been given a second chance. She was safe, we were together again, and things could start over the way they should be. “I’ll watch over you now. No one will hurt you, I promise.” I swallowed the lump in my throat and put my forehead against hers. “You’re safe, Cole. Sleep. Everything will be alright.”
***
“Kaynan?”
I couldn’t remember where I was and opened my eyes to find that I was still inside Jaze’s SUV, but everyone else was gone. A tap sounded on the window again and I looked over into Grace’s beautiful, moon-washed face. She smiled as though she knew I was awake.
I opened the door and she stepped around it into my arms. “I’m so glad you’re back,” she said.
“Me, too.” A knot tightened in my throat and I didn’t know how to tell her what we had found at the labs, or that I had killed people, or about Colleen. I thought of the bodies in rows in the clone room, dozens of faces identical to mine.
“It’s okay,” Grace whispered. “Jet told me. I’m proud of you.”
“You are?”
She nodded against my chest. “You did what you had to, and you came back to me like you promised.”
I swallowed and tried to put my thoughts into words. “Grace, you make me a better person. I’m someone else when I’m around you, someone completely different than I was before the accident.”
“Is that a good thing?” she asked, her voice soft.
I nodded and my chin rubbed against the top of her head. My eyes burned and I closed them. “You’ve made me a better person just from being near you. You give me purpose and direction that I’ve never had before.” I sighed,
knowing I was messing it up completely. “You’ve changed me.”
Her hand rested softly against my chest. “You’ve changed me, too,” she said quietly.
Surprised, I barely dared to breathe. “How?”
I could hear the smile in her voice when she answered, “You gave me someone to love, someone I trust with all of my heart, someone I want to spend every moment with. I would gladly trade my sight for you.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I bent down and kissed her, closing my eyes as I tasted her lips and felt her breath against mine. One of her hands reached up to tangle in my hair and the other traced softly down my neck. My skin trembled under her touch and I felt complete and happy, content and finally whole for the first time in my life.
“You don’t have to be blind anymore,” I whispered against her lips. I let her go and phased into my wolf form. There was no other way to say it; it felt good to be a wolf. Grace set a gentle hand on my back and I showed her the world. A smile spread across her face and filled me with warmth. We set out into the moonlit night.
About the Author
Cheree Alsop is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and two amazing twin sons who fill every day with light and laughter. She married her best friend, Michael, who changes lives each day in his Chiropractic clinic. Cheree is currently working as a free-lance writer and mother. She enjoys reading, riding her Ninja motorcycle on warm nights, and rocking her twins while planning her next book. She is also an aspiring drummer and bass player for her husband’s garage band.
Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great adventures, and never stop dreaming.
Please check out Cheree’s other books at www.chereealsop.com
