by Alana Melos
“I’m caught,” Rebekah cried. I glanced and saw ice go over her legs, swirling out from the snow. It began to encase her. When I scanned for her telepathically, I saw her thoughts. Visually, she remained hidden from view. Rebekah let go of me as Bluecoat turned and took a single step towards us, planting her foot carefully as she smashed through her teammate’s ice to hit the ground. I pushed off the ground with my teke, but she caught my foot and jerked me down to her.
Turning to look at her thoughts, I concentrated and found they hadn’t replaced the psychic barrier equipment. Laughing, I dove into her head and made her let me go. Once she did, I gathered my mental resources to tell her to sleep… but the command went nowhere. The other telepath interfered, jumping from Bluecoat’s mind to my own. I partitioned my mind so that I could avoid Bluecoat’s grabs and fend off the telepath. I wasn’t as strong this way and while I could stave her off, my dodges grew slower and slower. I lashed out with my sword, trying to drive the big cop back, but she let it bounce off of her armor. Rebekah tried to break the ice with her hands, beating it savagely, but it was too strong and climbed up her body too fast.
Fuck, we were caught. Again.
The trees crashed and I heard a scream. A second later, a large black-furred wolfman burst from the brush, carrying the ice meta whose blue and white uniform was now streaked with red gore. She screamed one more time, then the transformed Mauler sank his teeth into her throat and ripped it out. Blood sprayed over the untouched snow; the dim light made it look black instead of crimson. The other telepath faltered in my head with the death and I went still, letting Bluecoat grab ahold of me as I turned all my mental resources to deal with the other psychic. If she mind controlled Mauler, we’d be done, but I trusted him to get Bluecoat off of my back while I dealt with my enemy.
We locked minds. Her fear stained everything yellow, but she rebounded fast. You can’t win, she told me as I pressed against her mental shields. They bowed under the strength of my blunt attack. I wasn’t trying to be subtle; I was fine with just tying her up until Rebekah could get free and we could all get the hell out of here. There’s more coming.
No there’s not, I retorted, sensing the lie in her mind. I pressed harder and her shield bulged, blowing out of proportion in spots like a malformed balloon. If you flee now, you’ll get to live.
My concentration broke as Bluecoat threw me against a tree… hard. I landed in a heap at the foot of the tree. With effort, I levered myself up with my bare hands in the cold, cold snow. The telepath took the opportunity to strengthen her shield and poked at me from behind them. I was stronger than her. I knew it. It wasn’t just my natural raw skill or the blood augmenting me, though those helped. I just knew I was stronger, and so I was. Many telepaths didn’t get that, that their strength came from confidence, just like doing any other task in life. The ones who did--such as Regulus--were dangerous… and then it came down to talent and skill and whatever other advantages you could get. This girl was new, practically a baby in this job, and this was her first major assignment. I almost felt sorry for her.
Instead of dodging her mental attacks or letting them bounce off my shields, I invited her in my mind. She invaded, not knowing what she was doing exactly. I surrounded her and buffeted her with my arrogance, my smooth confidence knowing that I was going to kill her, if she was lucky. If she wasn’t, I would lock her inside her own head for all time, never to be let out. At the same time I projected, I felt along her shields, searching for the weakness I knew was there. When I slipped in, I stroked the threads of her fear ever so slightly, pulling and tweaking them to my satisfaction. I wasn’t as deft at this as Gerard, but heightening such a prevalent emotion was easy.
In the seconds of our telepathic battle, the Nacht Sirene banged at the ice holding her, chipping away at it as her teeth chattered. Bluecoat went directly for the werewolf and Mauler charged her. They came together in a terrific clash. He bounced off of her, his claws skidding off of her skin and armor. They clawed up her uniform, but didn’t penetrate her invulnerability.
She’s invulnerable, I sent to him, using a fraction of my concentration to create a link between us. Just keep her busy. There’s a telepath here I have to take out first, or she’ll take you over.
Whatever you want, beautiful, he sent, and I felt his grin on my neck, as if he were nuzzling me. He loved battle. He lived for it, and he lived for being the Wolf. Having transformed quickly, literally bursting out of his skin, shreds of his human self still clung to his blood-streaked black fur. I could see bits and pieces fall off as he moved. He clashed with Bluecoat, grabbing and trying to grapple her. Strong as he was, she was stronger. Far, far stronger. She shook off his efforts with a massive shrug and sneered at him before turning her cap around so the brim faced backwards.
“I don’t want to hurt you, dog,” she said. “But I will if you don’t get the fuck out of my way. You’re interfering in police business.” She didn’t know who he was, but that was to be expected. She had warrants for Rebekah and myself. Hell, he might not even be wanted, yet.
He howled a laugh in response and I sensed another presence close by, in the shadows: Adira. Of course Adira was with him. I linked up with her, weakening my attack on the telepath who struggled against her fear. She was almost ready to run… but some bit of steel in her spine made her stay rooted.
Find the telepath and take her out, I told the vampire. She’s got to be nearby, and I’ve got her tied up for the moment, mentally speaking. I sensed Adira’s assent and sighed happily. Work became so much easier when I could communicate silently with my partners.
Unfortunately, the other ‘path was more perceptive than I thought. Bluecoat threw Rory across the clearing and he landed neatly on his feet. He rebounded a second later to attack. While distracted by watching the fight between the two juggernauts, the telepath sensed my intent and followed the link from me to the vampire. Using a trick much like my own, she clouded Adira’s perception, confusing her. I bore down, trying to sever the connection between the white hat and Adira. Fire lanced through my mind. It was like trying to cut my own arm off and I retreated. She had her tricks, tricks I didn’t know, which made her much more dangerous than I thought. Maybe I should take off while I could….
I shook my head, trying to clear it. It wasn’t so much attacking me, as her making herself into a mirror. She drew strength from me as I sapped her will from her, and I retreated, confused as to how to proceed. I strengthened my shields and felt around. Not knowing exactly what I looked for made it more difficult. Seconds ticked by. Where were they? Maybe she was better than me, more clever, more powerful. I longed to take off, to sever the connection and just flee. A whimper escaped my throat.
No. I wouldn’t give up. These feelings wouldn’t stop me. I ran my mental fingers around the inside edge of my shields, trying to ignore the worry and doubt. Wanting to rush, I steeled my will and made myself search thoroughly. When they snagged on something foreign, I grabbed it pulled. Her turn to whimper, I continued to rip the hooks out now that I knew what to look for. With each pull, her emotions became more and more distraught. She retreated to soothe her threads as I tore her loose from my mind and struggled to cast her out. I didn’t want to cut the contact with my allies; this could only take a few moments more, at worst.
The ground groaned and even though all seven of us were involved in our struggles, we stopped and looked around as one. It hadn’t come from any of us. A loud crash resounded through the air. As the burnt leaves mingled with the heavy snowfall to fall upon us, a thick branch shot out of the darkness and pierced Rory’s chest. The wolf grunted as he was lifted off his feet, impaled on the sharpened wood now stained with his blood.
“Rory!” Adira shouted, unmasking as she raced into the clearing. Another branch cloaked with leaves shot out from the woods. It grazed her as she moved to the side, dodging out of the way… and then we saw it. Straight from the nightmares of the men who’d made the Evil Dead movies, a large trunk st
epped into the clearing and hauled itself into view. It had no face, but the wood of the tree stood twisted and warped, forced into a semblance of humankind. I didn’t know how it saw since it had no eyes, but one of its branches shot towards Bluecoat, who caught it. Instead of staying rigid, it wrapped around her arm, crawling up it as vines burst from the wood to ensnare her. She pulled and the tree started to move forward… until it put down deep roots into the earth.
Blood sprayed down and my eyes were ripped from the tree to the werewolf who hung from the branch. His fur rippled as shooter vines snaked out from the branch to crawl under his skin. My connection still strong with him, the other telepath and I cried out together as we felt his pain. He lived, but couldn’t for much longer. The plant forced itself between his skin and muscle, invading every part of him. Rory howled, pain wracking his body.
The telepath unwrapped herself from me and I let her. Her partner struggled as the tree crawled up her legs, plants erupting from the snow covered ground to wrap around her legs. She broke them with her bare hands as they sought to burrow into her skin, but thanks to her invulnerability the most they could do was catch her and hold her still. Vines reached for me. I slashed at them, levitating myself out of the way. Ichor sprayed from the cut appendages, spattering onto my high boots and bare thighs. The sap burned me where it landed. I hissed in pain and beat at my legs, trying to wipe it off. Rebekah, with renewed urgency, broke herself free from the ice before the forest noticed her.
Go, came Rory’s weak thought. As he writhed with pain, he concerned himself more with Adira and myself than his own life. He knew he was a goner. No one could take that much damage and live.
I’m not leaving you, I sent back to him, slashing at the vines. I flew towards him, but a different tree moved into my way. I didn’t know why I was so reluctant to leave him. I think it was Adira’s thoughts infecting my own. Her desperation to get to the wolf played merry havoc with my mind, but she couldn’t reach him. We’re not leaving you.
Go Caprice, get Adira out of here, he thought. I felt the branch force itself up into his lungs, into his throat, worming towards his brain. The wolf looked at me. His amber eyes were wide and full of pain, but softened as I locked eyes with him. I felt his smile on my skin, even though it came with the knowledge he was going to die. When he opened his mouth to howl, a branch thrust out. We all can't live forever. Go, go and be fr... he told me again as conscious thought left him. The connection broke without warning, leaving me reeling. His mind was gone… I couldn’t find him. He was dead.
“Mauler!” I screamed. I couldn’t stop screaming. Darkness and fire intermixed in my brain and flashes of my own half-remembered memories mingled with what was happening now. Death was happening. I was dying. I was dying!
Truce? sent the other psychic, not concerned with catching us at all. We all get out, or none of us will.
The cool communication cut through my panic. I put up a telekinetic shield around myself, keeping the trees at bay. They banged at my barrier and I tried to school myself to calm, but the panic kept welling up. What in the hell was wrong with me? Why was I feeling this? It wasn’t mine, even though it came from within. The partition I’d put up in my mind crumbled. Whatever it was doing this to me, causing this damage, was too much stress on my mind. I couldn’t maintain two halves so I let it go. It was too much to feel Adira’s emotions, Rory’s pain, and my own fear.
Truce, I managed to send back. I saw the Nacht Sirene move, but slowly, chilled from her time in the ice. The branches moved fast as lightning, hitting her, and I wanted to focus, wanted to save her. All I could see was death, the skull, fire erupting, and guilt. So much guilt.
Steady yourself, the other psychic sent and a cooling cloth was laid on my brow. The panic subsided, drained away. She was more an empath than a telepath and the mirroring effect was her best attack. However, healing and soothing away crippling emotions was more in her wheelhouse and it was exactly what I needed. As one, we acknowledged there was something seriously wrong with my head, but this was not the time or the place.
The other telepath--whom I knew now as Sarai, appropriately codenamed Mirror--stepped into view and I extended my telekinetic shield around her. The Siren came next. Once the trees were off of them, the two women gathered closer, so I didn’t have to expend so much energy. Bluecoat ripped one of the branches away from her and crushed it in her hand. They swarmed over her, burying her as they tried to take her underground.
“There’s too many, you have to help her,” Mirror said. I glanced at her, my practical side coming out. The urge to stab her or twist her head off struck me hard. But… a deal’s a deal. We’d called a truce and I’d honor it. I sent out telekinetic blades, slashing at the vines and branches which struggled to hold her in place. Once I’d freed one of her arms, she looked at the three of us and curled her lip up. Instead of attacking us, Bluecoat fought her way over to Adira, who strove with all her might to reach Rory. Vines riddled her very pervious skin, piercing her body. Instead of living off of her, they withered and died after staying in the cold, dead body. It didn’t stop the mindless trees from trying. It kept sending more and more, trying to capture or kill her. There were too many of them and she couldn’t get to the werewolf’s limp body.
She wouldn’t stop trying. She would never stop trying.
Bluecoat grabbed the vampire by the arm and wrenched her backwards. Wood and flesh flew threw through the air as the half alive vines ripped Adira open. Mirror and I agreed where to meet and I lifted the three of us out of the clearing, through the burnt foliage. I flew us back to one of the abandoned buildings away from the forest, but not near the pack’s lair. We landed on the roof and I released my hold on the Siren and Mirror, waiting anxiously for Bluecoat to deliver the vampire.
“Don’t worry,” the telepath said. “She’s coming.”
“I’m not worried!” I snapped, but I was. Even if it was only temporary, I cared about Adira, and I’d shared her pain. I didn’t think it was all her pain either. I couldn’t get Rory’s searing agony out of my head, the last thoughts of his being for us rather than himself… nor his quirky smile and soft accent. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I couldn’t stop myself from hearing his last words. I couldn’t unsee the affection in his eyes.
The building shook as Bluecoat landed, Adira unconscious over her shoulder. She set the vampire down in the snow. Her shredded clothing revealed torn flesh which bled sparsely. “She wouldn’t come,” the cop explained. “I had to knock her out.”
“You better not have hurt her,” I snarled while Rebekah went over to examine Adira. She shrugged as she lifted the vampire up.
“It wouldn’t have happened if you had just come peacefully,” Bluecoat snarled, drawing herself up to her full and impressive height.
Before I could open my mouth, Mirror stepped in between us. “We called a truce,” she said. “And we should report our findings.” She gave me, then Bluecoat, a pointed glance. “It’s too bad the fugitives got away. Like we did. It was a confusing fight. We didn’t see where they went.”
The taller meta ground her teeth, glaring daggers at me. I raised my sword, remembering well that it had cut her. She glanced at it, then to Mirror. “Let’s go. Imperius will want to know about… whatever that was.”
Mirror floated herself in the air while I growled inwardly; she’d made me use my power to get her out! At my mental snarl, she glanced at me, and I looked at her physical body for the first time. Somewhat out of shape, she had a rounded face with soft eyes. Her uniform was mostly blacks and whites in a symmetrical pattern and a mask covered most of her face. Her blond hair ran free, almost as long as mine was.
You need help, she sent to me. Your mind… it’s breaking.
I was already crazy, I replied. Sociopath and all.
Yeah… think about that, she sent. You grieve, you hurt, you fear. You’re not right for you. Trust me on this. Get some help. I got the impression from her a stone cold killer was b
etter than a raving psychotic and then she was gone.
I sighed and sheathed my o-wakizashi. “Let’s get Adira to the pack so they can take care of her.” They would. We’d tell them what happened and they’d take care of it. After she healed, then whatever attacked her would pay. That was the law of their pack.
I sighed. With Gerard missing and me not knowing any other ‘paths, I wondered who would take care of me.
Chapter Ten
Rebekah and I gave Adira to Freyja, who had been the short redhead I’d met briefly before. When we filled her in, she shook her head. “It was a bad idea,” she told us. “But Rory was adamant, and where he went, she followed. Pack rules.”
“I’m sorry,” I said as I brushed a lock of hair back from Adira’s face. “He was a good man.”
“He was a good wolf,” Freyja snarled. “Because of him, you’re our sister. Because of him, I’m not tearing you apart right now.” She gave me a deadly look and I matched it. We stared each other down as we sized each other up. Without blinking or looking away, she continued, “But a sister you are, and here you stand. Just stay out of my sight.”
With that, we exited and stood outside in the falling snow. I was getting damn tired of the snow and used my teke to make an umbrella so it wouldn’t fall on me, at the least. “Where to now?” Rebekah asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Vampire blood or not, I’m getting tired. We should hunker down for the night… wait for contacts to contact me.”
“Will they have any information?” She squinted up at the sky, then looked to me once more. “It seems like a long shot.”
“It is a long shot,” I admitted, digging into my pocket and bringing out my phone. “It’s… oh, what the fuck.” I examined my phone and found the screen smashed. When I tried to power it on, nothing came. “God dammit.”
