“We are going to die Ross. This is the end.”
Ross swung his feet to the side of the bed and stood up. “Let me talk to them. Let me help. They trust me.” He knew what all of this meant. They came there to get him back, and knowing this, he knew what he had to do. If he could help, he would.
She didn’t agree. She knew better than that. “They didn’t come here to talk. They came here to kill us.” She closed her eyes. Inside she already feared how right she was. In fact, some of her already believed that Brandon was dead. She didn’t know why but she did. When the door opened, she realized how right she was.
Devish opened the door and stepped inside the room. He stood there and took a deep breath. The smell of her scent was so familiar to him that it almost fooled him. It almost smelled like Kalima. “Hello my dear.” He smiled showing her his fangs.
Seeing him, smelling him, feeling him, she knew who it was. “You’re Devish aren’t you?” He looked so young. His black hair looked so neat and fresh. His deep red eyes sparkled on a rather cool, calm face. Seeing everything, he almost didn’t look real. In fact, he almost looked like he was wearing a mask.
His smile widened as he dropped his hands to his sides. “You have heard of me? That is good my dear for I too have heard of you.”
She now felt tears in her eyes. “What did you do to Brandon?” She already knew the truth but felt forced to ask him anyway. In some ways, she hoped that she was wrong, but as said, she knew better than that.
“Ah, the young one downstairs…” He left the doorway and stepped closer to her. Across from him, behind her, a small single sized bed sat along the wall. The human was standing in front of the bed. A long, old looking dresser sat along the wall towards his right. He moved to the dresser and stopped in front of it. “…I am afraid that he did not take my offer my dear.” He bowed his eyes, and when he finished, he looked back up to her. “He chose to die. He chose wrong.”
She could see that he was mocking her. He had it written in his eyes. “You are a bastard.”
Hearing this, he bowed his head again. “I do not wish to harm you my dear. In all truth, I need you by my side. We walkers need to unite in this world of dangers. We need to stand as one.” He lifted his eyes again. “You are singly special. The gift inside you is strong. A black wolf standing beside me will bring all of those against me to come to my side. You can help me and unite the clans.”
Tears ran down her face and fell onto her blouse.
“You can join me.”
She sighed. “I do stand as one.” She lifted her blouse from the top of her jeans and pulled it up and over her head. “I stand with my father.” She tossed it to the floor behind her. “I stand with Brandon.” Inside she looked to the back part of her mind, found her wolf’s eyes, and brought them forward with strength. “If I am going to die, I’ll die standing with my friends.”
He watched her eyes turn to a bright burning yellow and then watched as her pale skin turned to an ashen black. Watching the change, he truly did sigh himself.
The black fur flared out all over her body as her bones cracked and moaned. Her snout formed fast. Her ears pushed up. Her height grew tall and with it, a black wolf now stood strongly in front of him.
Seeing her, he smiled. “You are truly beautiful.”
She roared a deep raspy sound as she charged him.
The heavy thudding of her echoed throughout the room.
She reached him with her mouth opened wide.
He again didn’t flinch as he simply reached out and grabbed her with an open palm to the chest.
Unable to move closer, she decided to swing at his head instead.
Her right arm came down, aiming for the side of his head. With his left hand, he grabbed it fast and firmly held her within his grip.
Again she found herself unable to move. Her arm seemed locked in place and with it, she roared again.
This time he felt it on his face. The heat of it warmed his flesh. “You truly are beautiful my dear. You are strong. You are magnificent, but I can do one better than you.” He smiled.
Instantly he let his body burn. His own skin turned to an ashen dark gray color. His hands cracked as they formed into large and massive claws. Dark gray fur oozed out from every part of his body. His legs cracked as they grew tall, stretching out into large doglike paws. His snout formed last as it protruded out into a very wolf like face. Within a second of a second, a large and dark gray colored wolf now stood there, holding a black wolf that looked exactly like him.
For Ross, still standing by the bed, watching all of this, it was almost seemed too much to watch at once. They look exactly the same. They are the same except for their color. One is black and the other is gray. If he wasn’t there, seeing this, he would have never believed it. It was all too magnificent to be alive.
The dark gray wolf slid his right hand up to the black wolf’s throat.
Again she roared watching him change.
The dark gray wolf lifted the slightly smaller black wolf straight off her pawed feet.
With her now dangling off the floor, he pulled her closer to his teeth.
She struggled some but couldn’t fight his strength. Instead all she could do was dangle off the floor. She knew what was coming next.
With her close enough, he went in for her throat. He bit down, sending his teeth into her tender flesh, just beneath her lower jaw.
The pain ripped through her fast. It engulfed her entire body. She went completely numb quickly.
Feeling her go limp, he removed the bite.
Without another thought, he turned and let go.
She flew towards the wall, crashed through it with a resounding bang, went backwards some, and then went down. With nothing else there but the stairs, she hit it next.
The stairs crashed and shattered as she came down.
She burst through the stairs. She smashed the wood.
She didn’t stop until she smacked into the concrete floor of the basement.
Vincent and the others watched all of this happen from the first floor. They watched as the black wolf crashed through the stairs. They were shocked by their master’s strength.
Vincent moved towards what was left of the stairs. He looked down into the newly made hole.
The black wolf was now lying on her side. She was already slowly turning back into her human form.
Devish left the room and jumped through the stairs. He landed into the basement beside her. He then grabbed her and lifted her back up. Without so much of an effort, he tossed her back through the hole.
Vincent watched as the young woman, now fully formed again, flew over his head. He turned and watched her hit the floor near the archway into the living room.
Devish climbed back through the hole, passed his people, and walked back up to the girl.
Sasha landed on her side, rolled over, and found Brandon now lying right beside her. He wasn’t moving. He was even colder than normal. Seeing him, her tears erupted down her face. They mixed in with the blood oozing out from her throat. “Brandon?” She moved a little closer to him and took his right hand into hers. She squeezed but he didn’t squeeze back. “Brandon, I’m so sorry. I should have stayed by your side. I should have stayed with you.” She cried. She smothered her face into his chest.
Devish came up behind her and stopped. He slid back into his human form. He then knelt down behind her. “I am so sorry my dear, but you should have taken my offer. You should have joined me.” He bowed his head.
She lifted hers to him. “You can go back to hell.”
With this, again, he truly did sigh.
31
The room was large, with what looked like a giant crystal chandelier hanging low from a glass ceiling just over a large oval table in the center of the room. Fourteen or so chairs sat around the table with a few of them empty. Fine looking paintings hung on the walls. The floor looked nicely tiled with the finest looking linoleum. Everyone in the room looked like they were
dressed to the hilt. The smell in the room had a mixture of perfumes that made the place reek with flora. To Jimmy, it looked like a scene out of a gangster movie. It felt like one too.
Robert led him towards the table, as four of the people from the hallway followed them into the room. When they reached the table everyone turned and watched them stop. Even some of them stood up. Some even gasped. Only one of them, the one that stood directly across from them at what looked like the head of the table, spoke.
“Well look at what has come to us here tonight.” Dorna Prost couldn’t believe what he saw, and now standing up, he nearly sat back down. “You have some nerve coming here like this wanderer.” A part of him wanted to jump him. Another part wanted to fight. In the end, he just felt shocked, and that made him do nothing at all. “You have nerve showing up like this.”
Robert nodded towards him with a bow. “Dorna, it’s nice to see you again.” He looked at the ones that stood up. Velera the head of the Sarsha Clan was on Dorna’s left. He knew her well, feared her some, but not much. On Dorna’s right stood Huna the head of the Satar Clan. She was another story entirely. He did fear her. She was after all the head of Devish’s old family. She mattered to him because of it, back then, and even more now.
As for Jimmy, he recognized none of them, so he neither feared them or not. He just didn’t give any of them any other thought. Instead he felt content to stand there and listen.
“What do you want wanderer? How dare you come to this group?” Huna also wanted to jump over the table and attack him. After all, who in their position wouldn’t do such a thing if they could? Wanderers were always dangerous. They were strong. They could never be trusted, especially him.
“Huna? How have you been?” Robert nodded to her but kept his eyes on Dorna. None of them matter more than him. He’s the one that needs to be convinced. The others will follow his lead. He is their Chancellor. At least he could only hope so. It has been a long time since he was this close to all of them like this. Time changes much, and for walkers, it changes even more than that. When one has all of the time in the world, as they do, it becomes so much worse.
“Yes. Why are you here wanderer? How dare you come here?” Velera leaned against the table and let her eyes flare with their deep red glare. Seeing him again made her angry. She never trusted him and she never would.
“Velera.” Robert gave her a solid smile.
Only Huna apparently noticed that someone was with him. Smelling a heavy musty odor on him helped her with it. “And who is this?” She looked right to Jimmy.
Jimmy smiled. “Hi everyone.” He even raised his right hand to them with a wave.
Robert bowed his head. “This is a friend of mine.” He took Jimmy’s raised hand and pushed it back to his side. He shook his head as he continued. “He’s here, as am I, at the request of Sharlia of the Sharlia family.” He finished and raised his head again.
Suddenly, every eye turned to Jimmy all at once. Feeling them, he instantly felt crept out some. He felt over exposed.
Hearing this, Dorna actually sat down. He wasn’t surprised. “This figures that she would do such a thing. She can be such an interesting sort sometimes.” He huffed out long and deep. His disgust for her and her beliefs showed.
Robert shrugged. “She understands the reasons for our coming here Dorna. She also knows of the dangers that all of you are in. She found it necessary to call this meeting because of them.”
Now Velera sat back down again too. “What possible thing would you know?” She likewise huffed. Hers was more because of him. She always hated him too.
Robert sighed. “I know that there is a great danger coming to all of you. A great danger has arose that could end the truce between both of our worlds. I have come here to warn you—all of you—that you are all in great danger.” He looked at each of them, and when he finished, he looked back to Dorna and their eyes met. “You are in danger Dorna.”
Dorna saw the determination in his eyes, he couldn’t have missed it, but at the same time, he didn’t believe what he heard. After all they were walkers. They had strength that no one could ever challenge—not even by Rochie. “What possible danger could we have coming?” He looked around the table as he asked the question, and finished it with his eyes back onto Rochie. “What could possibly happen that would defy the truce?”
Robert understood his doubt. As far as he could tell, it was time to tell them what that something was. “Devish has returned.” He took a deep breath. “He will come to all of you soon. If he does, he will do it for only one thing. He will come to destroy the families. He will come to destroy all of you.”
An audible gasp echoed around the table.
Jimmy listened to it bounce off the walls. They truly feared what they heard. They truly fear Devish.
When the gasp subsided Dorna stood up again. “Impossible. Devish has been locked away for thousands of years now. He could never be released.” He leaned against the table, almost having to use it to keep himself standing. “That could never happen.”
Robert stepped closer to the table and stopped only inches from it. “It has happened. He has come back.” He turned and looked behind him to Jimmy. “And now he has Rana back as well.” He looked back to the table.
Jimmy bowed his head. Hearing about her as someone else always bothered him. In some ways, he didn’t believe it, but mostly, he did. He understood it and left it at that.
Again the entire room gasped. Dorna did more than the others. “How could this have happened Rochie? Were you not the one who was supposed to prevent this? Were you not the keeper of the truce?” He now needed the table more than ever for support. If what he heard was right, and right now he still wasn’t sure if he did or didn’t, he did fear it. In fact, he wanted the truce. It made life easier to live it. It made it more comfortable too, and if Devish had returned than the peace of that life would never be the same again. He knew Devish. He understood what he stood for, and if he was back again, he would change everything forever. Devish would never let go of his desire to have the old ways back again. If he believed it that is. He still wasn’t sure of this yet. He had to understand more first.
Robert shook his head and shrugged forcefully. “I was not aware of his escape from his tomb until recently. For this I am sorry.” He bowed his head and looked up again. “He has escaped and if we don’t band together and stop him now, he will only get stronger. Every moment we stand apart—every moment that we don’t come together, he will grow powerful again. In this, I have no doubt.”
Velera slammed her hand to the table. Everyone jumped because of it. “This is all a lie. Devish has not returned. He is not walking with us again. Do you all not see this? Rochie is trying to accomplish something with telling us this madness.” She looked at all of them and when she finished, she turned back to Rochie. “What is in this for you Rochie? What do you wish to gain from this lie?”
Robert huffed out one giant exhale of air. “I’m not here for anything more than what we have facing us now. If Devish has his way again, if he does what he tried to do all of those many years ago, then none of us will survive this.” He left the table, moved back to Jimmy, and stood right next to him. “Humans are not the weak animals they once were. They are stronger now than they have ever been before. With their weapons, they can devastate this world, and all of us right along with it. Just imagine the pain that they can do when they learn of all of you. They will not stop until they destroy all of you.”
Dorna left the head of the table and walked towards his left, and Rochie’s right. “Humans have always lived by our sides Rochie. They have worked with us for thousands of years. We gave them everything that they now have.” He stopped and looked back to Velera. “However, Lady Velera does have a point Rochie, even though she has not stated it clearly to you.” He looked back to Rochie. “Why now? Why has he done all of this now? If what you say is true, then why start this all again now?”
Robert knew the answer to the quest
ion, and now, it was time to tell them everything about that too. “The answer to this is simple, and yet terrifying to all of you—to all of us.” He looked at Jimmy and smiled. “Kalima has also returned.” He looked back to the table.
Again the entire room gasped.
Jimmy felt all of them instantly tighten up. Some of them more so than the others, and he didn’t know what that meant. A few of them acted calmly. Several more seemed nervous, while others were almost anxious. Feeling all of them, he had an idea as to why that was. Some of them wanted Devish to return. Some of them longed for those days again, and just hearing that it was happening again, excited them. They hoped it was right. It all made sense. When all of them heard his name again, that Kalima was back, those same people chimed in with the rest of them with fear. They were afraid of him. They were afraid of what it meant to all of their lives. I scare them more than Devish does. If that’s true then God help us all.
Silence now broke out in the room. It even made the air turn cold. It felt dire, almost dark.
A woman’s voice coming from behind Robert and Jimmy made everyone turn to her all at the same time. “Rochie is right Dorna.” Sharlia walked up behind them, passed them, and made her to the table. “Rochie is right about Kalima.” She looked back at Jimmy and smiled to him with a nod. “Kalima has returned to all of us.”
“Kalima?” Dorna walked back to the head of the table and stared down at his chair. “Kalima has returned?”
To Jimmy, he still sounded doubtful, but now he truly felt afraid. What in the hell did you do to them my dear friend? What did I do to them?
“He has. I saw him.” Sharlia stood fast.
Dorna thought about everything that he just heard when suddenly an idea came to him. With this thought, he looked back to Rochie and more importantly to the man standing next to him. Suddenly, smelling the must rolling off him, everything made sense. “You are Kalima?” He looked to Sharlia and back to the young man again. Looking closely at him, he realized that he looked just like him. “You are the black wolf?”
A Werewolf's Saga Books 4, 5, & 6 (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets Book 2) Page 37
