by Kasi Blake
Nick swung a broad sword over his head, full circle. He had to bend backwards slightly so he wouldn’t accidentally cut his own head off. The werewolf pack backed up a few paces. Werewolves were bigger than normal wolves, a lot bigger, with enormous snapping jaws and razor sharp teeth. The first time he’d seen one face to face he had frozen. If not for Van’s quick reflexes, he’d be dead.
He carefully chose where to place his feet because there was an unconscious man lying near them. Although he was sure it was a hunter, he didn’t have a chance to look at the man’s face.
The werewolves howled, snarled, and growled, making as much noise as possible in an effort to intimidate him. They had no idea who they were dealing with. Nick wasn’t afraid of death, and that gave him an edge over hunters and monsters. Fighting without fear was a freeing experience. It enabled him to do things other hunters wouldn’t even consider a viable option.
Werewolves communicated by telepathy. In Nick’s opinion it was the worst thing about them. The pack decided to charge him like angry bulls since he couldn’t kill them all simultaneously. Nick chose his target. He turned his sword to the left and ran it through the werewolf’s hairy body. The monster dropped. It wasn’t dead yet, but it was incapacitated.
Nick stepped on the thing’s back, using it as a furry carpet. He raced towards a tree with an unusually thick trunk. The other werewolves followed. He ran straight up the trunk, three steps, and spun around in the air. His foot connected with a werewolf’s face. It flew backwards. At the same time, his sword sliced through the neck of another. The wolf’s head rolled along the ground.
The pack retreated. They took off through the woods and Nick watched them go as he gasped for breath. On any other day he would chase them down and finish them, but he had an injured hunter to save. He slid his sword into the sheath tied to his waist. Grunting, he lifted the hunter and settled the lean body on his shoulder. Taking it a step at a time, he headed for Van’s castle.
Within the hour the hunter was lying on a rug in front of a roaring fire in Van’s den, his injured leg bandaged. He was still unconscious and was missing a chunk of flesh below his knee, but he was alive. After Nick changed into dry clothes he settled next to the hunter and studied his face. He was sure he didn’t know the man, and yet there was something familiar about him.
Nick read one of Van’s books while waiting for the hunter to wake up or for Van to return, whichever happened first.
Minutes later blue eyes opened a slit to stare up at him. “You saved my life.”
Nick glanced at the injured man over the top of the book. “You were lucky I was there.”
“It wasn’t luck, Nick. It was fate.”
Hearing his name on the stranger’s lips made Nick set his book aside. “How do you know my name?”
The guy laughed and choked at the same time. Face pale, he looked like he could die at any second. Nick considered going after Van rather than wait for him, but he wanted to hear what the injured man had to say first.
“Everyone knows you,” the hunter said. “You’re famous.”
Nick’s jaw tightened. So that was it. The guy knew about the prophecy. He wondered if it was standard practice at Van’s school for hunters-in-training to read about him and the prophecy. “Get some sleep. When Van comes home, he’ll take you to the infirmary.”
He tried to return to his reading.
“It’s me, Nick. Alec. Your brother.”
His world turned upside-down without warning. Of all the people on the planet he could save, it had to be a relative. He shot the hunter a nasty glare. If he’d known the identity of the injured man, he would have left him in the woods to die. He was almost a hundred percent certain.
Nick headed for the door, but Alec’s feeble voice caught him in a snare. “I’ve missed you like you wouldn’t believe.”
There was compassion, a terrible yearning, and a quiet plea in the voice. Alec meant it. He’d missed his banished brother. Too bad Nick couldn’t say the same. Bitterness ate at his core. He hated his entire family with every fiber of his being and if it was possible, he would wipe them off the face of the earth without feeling the slightest remorse.
Alec added, “I can’t even imagine how bad it’s been for you. I want you to know something. I never believed a word of the prophecy. You aren’t a bad person, and you don’t have it in you to destroy the world.”
Nick turned his head, looked directly into his brother’s eyes, and grinned with all the maliciousness taking up residence in his black heart. “Don’t be so sure.”
Alec swallowed hard.
Nick left the room, smile still on his face.
