by Kim Faulks
I stumbled closer to the fire and kicked something soft. Her hands and legs wind-milled as she spun and came to a stop beside my foot. A perpetual smile found me, one side faded, but the grin was still there…in my memory at least.
“Abby?”
I crouched and skimmed my fingers along the once blue smock. The orange hue illuminated the grotty fabric and thick, corded strands of red wool hair. I dropped to the ground and knelt beside the worn makeshift doll. Tufts of wool burst from the seam along the side of her face. I speared my fingers into the mess, shoving the cluster inside her head and picked her up.
The doll blurred, melting into the shadows. I sniffed the mess that trickled from my nose and shoved the doll against my face, breathing in the dirt and the grime. “I… I thought…I’d lost you.”
The chains clinked as I slipped my legs out from under my body and sat beside the fire. A bubble of snot grew from my nose, distorting my voice. “I thought I’d lost you, Abby.”
Not lost, just waiting.
Her half-faded mouth never moved…but the sound was real. The sound was really her. “Waiting for me?”
Yes, silly.
I cradled her along my arm, the shackle a hard pillow. One slow rock and everything was right once more. “I missed you.”
I missed you too, Odessa. But you know what you have to do right? You know why you’re here? You want to be with your family…your real family, right?
I stilled the motion and closed my eyes. Inside my mind the shadows became more than wolves, they became monsters. Men with leering smiles and cruel hands. Men who liked little girls like me. A tortured sound slipped out, screeching like a tiny bird had taken flight and had finally gone home.
You know what you have to do.
I shook my head and clutched Abby tight. “I don’t like it… I don’t like it when they make me.”
It’s the only way. Be a big girl now. Show me how big you can be, Odessa. Can you do that? Can you do that for me?
I opened my eyes to stare at the lopsided smirk. “Don’t make me hurt them… I don’t like hurting anyone.”
If you don’t then they’ll take me from you, do you want that? Do you want them to take me away?
“No,” I whispered and pressed Abby to my cheek. Her stuffing bulged and spilled free. “No, I don’t want them to hurt you. But I have to save Victor. He needs me.”
He can’t even reach you. You’ll stay down here where it’s always dark and you’ll belong to me.
“But what if I don’t want to?”
Abby didn’t answer.
I opened my eyes. The bad men were gone and so was Abby. I raised my hand and brushed the tips of my fingers across my face. Something thick fell across my cheek, my nose and my forehead.
“Where am I? What’s happening to me?”
The night looked different now. The flickering light from the fire was gone and so were the stars. In the absence of light, nothing remained.
I stood in nothing.
I breathed in nothing.
With every breath, nothing filled me… And as I waited for hope to come and rescue me, I became…nothing.
Victor
“Damn, what is that stench?” Orlando speared his hand through the thick underbrush and surged forward.
“That stench is the pens,” someone snarled behind me.
I turned catching the dark hue of Rowen’s swollen eye and her protruding lip as she strode past.
She lifted her hand, her fingers danced as she motioned toward the trees. “We’re close, but we should’ve split up like I said. They could be anywhere by now and they could come back at any second without warning. Hell, they might be here, watching us.”
The musky scent of confusion—laced with the silky sweet scent of excitement—permeated the air around her and left a trail in her wake. Excitement? Why would she be excited? I lengthened my stride, matching hers. “Marcus said we stick together, until we know this isn’t a trap.”
Rowen slowed her steps. Her sea green eyes turned cold as she found mine. “Sol doesn’t set traps. He just takes what he wants and leaves the unwanted behind.”
“Just to be sure, we stay together.” Marcus slowed with Abrial in tow and scanned the woods. “Just until we know exactly what we’re dealing with. We don’t need any more fucking surprises. Just look for anything that might help us track these bastards.”
Rowen’s words haunted me as she turned to break through the brush. The sun glinted off something on the ground. I blinked with the glare and lifted my hand to shield my eyes. A shadow moved just behind the gleam, low and careful…wolf. My breath caught.
“Marcus…wait.” I turned finding nothing but the blinding glint in my eyes. I tracked the heavy sound of my brother’s steps as the smell of excrement filled me. I slid my hand to my nose and turned back.
“Jesus,” Isaiah gasped, moving closer. “No…oh, no.”
I blinked through the glare as Isaiah came into view, then broke away. My heart sped, filling my ears with the heavy throb. “Isaiah… Isaiah!”
“I’m fine. I’m over here,” my younger brother snapped.
A long whine echoed, too high to be any of my brothers’. The keening sound was filled with pain. Through the blinding glare, something moved and as I speared my way through the last of the trees, I caught sight of a wolf.
No, not a wolf. A pup.
I dragged in a breath…it was female.
The motley bundle was so small—all skin and bones. Big, dark eyes watched Isaiah approach, until he came too close. The little wolf curled her top lip, baring white needle-like teeth. Isaiah slowed his steps and waved his hand, motioning for me to stay back.
The gravel in his voice softened as he took one slow step. “It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you little buddy.”
“That’s a girl…”
I turned my head toward Abrial as she slowed her steps, edging closer. She held out her hand, never once taking her eye off the tiny wolf as she spoke. “Her mom. She’s waiting for her mom.”
The pup whimpered, standing on all fours, only to sit once more outside the pen. I scanned the mud and the muck, finding the cause of the glare. Stainless steel handcuffs stuck out of the ground. I stepped closer to the railing. The smell of blood and terror lingered, leaving behind a stain that would haunt this place forever.
Her words hit me like a roundhouse kick to the balls. Not just a pup, a girl…waiting for her mom.
Abandoned, a whisper echoed. Forgotten.
“It’s okay sweetheart. You’re safe now. Come on.”
The tremor in Abrial’s voice drew me into the present. She knelt at the edge of the enclosure and waited. Seconds seemed to last for hours as the little wolf stood on trembling legs and took a step before sitting once more. Over and over, she edged closer to Abrial’s outstretched hand, one tiny movement at a time.
Abrial allowed the pup to set the pace. There was no hurry with trust.
I licked my lips and tried to ease the desert in my mouth. “Why has she shifted?”
“She’s terrified,” Abrial snarled, and then softened her tone. “It’s a primal thing—run, hide, bite.” She turned her attention back to the pup. “But no one’s going to hurt you now, you’re safe with me.”
The gold of the pup’s fur sparkled as she moved into the sunlight. She craned her neck, dragging her back legs along the ground, and sniffed Abrial’s fingers.
“Where’s your momma, sweetheart? Where did they take her?” Abrial murmured and slid her finger along the pup’s snout.
“They’re gone. The entire camp’s deserted.” Marcus grunted as he thrashed through the trees behind me. “Fuck!”
The pup whimpered and scurried backward. I spun and snarled, “You’re scaring her.”
“Both of you are scaring her.”
I shifted my focus to Abrial’s piercing green gaze. She held my stare, and then turned to Marcus, keeping her voice calm. “Your anger is stifling…both of you. Get co
ntrol of yourselves. Snapping at each other won’t help us find Zadoc, and it won’t help us heal those left behind.”
A whimper from the pup dragged her focus away. I stared at my brother. He was the leader. The brother I’d looked up to for all these years. Before this, I thought I’d follow him into battle…and I’d follow him into hell.
But he was different…he’d changed.
Or, maybe it was me. Maybe I was the one who’d finally woken up and saw us for what we really were—broken.
For hundreds of centuries we barely raised our voices. Yet here we were, ready to lash out with our words and maim. But it wasn’t anger that filled me, it was hopelessness.
Odessa’s slashed and bloodied face filled my mind, then morphed to Zadoc’s steely gaze. The sharp inhale from my dragon filled my ears. I waited, opening the door inside my mind. Just a trick. That’s all it was, just a trick.
The huff of a breath came again, closer, louder, filling me up with the forceful sound.
My Tormentor.
My dragon took a step into the light. White enamel sparkled as he bared his teeth. Tormentor. His name bounced around my head like a hollow drum. After all these years…all these long years.
Abandoned. Forgotten.
His scales shimmered with a shudder, filling my mind with sky blue, and for a second I was blinded by just how beautiful he was.
A rumble rolled through me like the low growl of thunder…a warning. “She’s right. I’m sorry, Marcus.”
Marcus took a step, sweeping the thin branches of the spruce aside. “You want our brother home and our”—he turned to watch Abrial—“friends safe. We all do. So, you’ve got nothing to apologize for.”
A gut-wrenching crack tore through the air. A whimper followed. That tortured little sound dragged me away from my brother. I spun to see the tiny wolf crouch and drive her claws into the ground.
The tiny wolf’s tail curled between her legs. Pointed little ears flattened. Her lips curled, baring a row of puppy teeth and needle-thin canines. Pain flared in those beautiful amber eyes, and then she caught my gaze and blinked. The silver shine glinted for a second before it was gone. The little wolf bowed her head under the strain as she morphed from animal to human.
A low keen slipped free, rising with tempo. She shuddered and shook, tearing claws through the dirt. I forced my stiff fingers to move, working the buttons on my torn, bloodied shirt open. “It’s not clean, but it’ll cover her.”
I gripped the collar and stepped closer. Abrial turned at the movement, stared at the shirt, and then lifted her gaze to my bare chest. “Thank you.”
Coarse brown fur shortened, sliding under pink skin. The pup’s gangly legs lengthened, tucking under her body. Her paws flattened, tiny rough black pads turned into smooth, perfect little feet.
The sickening snap of bone made me wince as her hips tilted. Her spine straightened. The tiny wolf stretched one leg along the ground, and then the other as she moved from four legs to two.
I exhaled and took a step closer. Thin, black claws turned to nails as bones lengthened to fingers to grip Abrial’s shirt.
Her whimpers were nothing more than a hiss.
Abrial clutched the little shifter’s body tight. Long, lithe legs curled as the little wolf buried her head, hiding her face from me. I edged closer and stared at the small swell of her buttocks. My cheeks burned, my chest tightened. I shifted my gaze to the dried pine needles on the ground and shoved the shirt into the air.
The cotton slipped through my fingers. Abrial’s murmurs eased the fist around my heart. “There you go. It’s all right sweetheart. You’re okay now.”
I risked a glance, watching the specks of silver and gold of her fur melt into the dark brown strands of her hair. I’d never seen that. My fingers twitched, desperate to touch.
Her cries slowed to harsh, arid whimpers. Abrial’s hand skirted over the child’s head, smoothing her hair, stroking until her whimpers were nothing more than gasps.
“Can you talk, sweetheart? Can you tell me where they took your momma?”
I caught the tiny shake of her head.
Abrial swung her gaze to me, then to Marcus. “She’s badly dehydrated. She needs water.”
“Shit. I don’t have anything. I don’t think the others…” Marcus said.
I dragged my feet, moving closer. The shifter, curled in Abrial’s lap, yanked her head up. Sparkling amber eyes drowned with fear. She pierced Abrial’s arms with her nails as a whine slipped free.
“I’ll get her water. How about I make it rain?” I whispered and lowered my knees to the ground.
The girl’s eyes widened. Her sob faded to a sudden hitch in her chest.
I turned my palm toward the sky and opened myself up to the elements. Tension built inside me, gathering like the small dark cloud overhead. One wet drop smacked the center of my palm. I heard the child gasp as another hit, then another and another until I couldn’t help but smile.
The ground around us remained cracked and barren, while above the tiny cloud opened up. I curled my palm as the deluge deepened. Water filled the creases of my fingers and then trickled over my wrists.
A squeal of excitement slipped from the child’s lips. As the rain cloud emptied in one thunderous roar, I drove a thunderbolt of power through my palm, freezing the water as it hit, collecting the drops into one long icicle through the air.
“Holy shit.”
I flinched and shifted my focus toward the child’s excitement. Abrial stared at the icicle in my grasp, and then licked her lips. Her green eyes sparkled as they found mine, but there was no excitement in her eyes…there was only fear. “Less dangerous, huh? Tell me Victor, if you can do that to ease a child’s thirst, what could you do if someone really pissed you off?”
The smile on my lips lingered for a second, until Odessa’s bloodied face filled my mind. “I don’t know. But I have a feeling before this is through I’ll find out.”
I yanked open my fingers, shattering the ice from its hold on my skin. The towering ice wobbled as I handed it to the little shifter. The child opened and closed her hands, grabbing at the air as the long shard glinted in the sun. “Now, don’t lick it until the ice starts to melt. I don’t want you sticking your tongue to the side, okay?”
The white icicle turned clear and slowly wept. She attacked the ice with greedy slurps. But the magic for me was now lost, hidden underneath the tsunami of pain of how this little one had suffered. I shoved my palm against the ground and stood. “That should entertain her for a while at least.”
Tiny slurps stayed with me as I skirted the two wolves. I strode alongside the putrid pens and headed for the small wooden cabin. Two broken chairs lay discarded on the verandah. A memory crept toward me, slowly at first.
I’d visited this place once while walking.
A young couple lived here. Newlyweds. Although, looking at the faded fabric and the worn knotted wood on the chairs, this was some time ago. I searched the mountain for a break in the trees. From up there, these humans had looked happy and content—so where were they now?
I stepped onto the verandah and shoved the wooden door. The hinges groaned in protest as the sun spilled across the dusty floor, casting shadows aside. I took a step and felt the chill. There was no heart, no soul—no life here. There were only four wooden walls and a hole bigger than they could contain. I shuffled backward, retracing my steps. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to be anywhere that felt like I did inside.
I walked along the verandah and stepped off the side. Deserted was how this place felt, deserted and damaged. The open stall doors invited me to take a step inside. I forced my feet to move, tracking the sharp scent of fear and blood.
I gripped cold metal handles as the salty odor grew stronger. Faint traces of perfume—sweet, spicy…and not wolf.
Women and children are being sold to demons for sport, and now humans to vampires for blood farms. The Guardians used to protect the weak. You used to be terrif
ying, something to be feared—even in name alone. You used to be the mighty Bloodletter. Tell me Marcus, what happened?
The old woman’s words hit me like a slap. Humans sold to vampires…my stomach tightened with the thought. A human woman had been here. But why now? Why after all this time?
I left the choking stench of human blood behind and walked over to where Bastian and Michael waited beside the barn. The demon’s blade left a lasting mark on my skin; the edges ached. Michael took one look at the slice on my chest and winced.
“We’ll find something, Victor.” Bastian neared, reaching out to squeeze my arm. “We’ll keep looking until we do. Zadoc’s a tough bastard, he’ll be okay.”
I stared at the ground and nodded. I couldn’t look at them, couldn’t see the fear in their eyes. I turned my head at the sound of Abrial’s voice. She stood, clutching the little wolf against her leg. “They won’t hurt him. They need him.”
Bastian’s hand fell away. “Need him? Why would they need Zadoc?”
I turned my head to meet his gaze. “Why would they need to take any of us? It’s obvious isn’t it? Our brother for the two wolves.”
His amber eyes widened. One slow shake of his head softened my heart. My poor Piscean brother, always ready to find the silver lining, until there wasn’t one.
I watched the sparkle in his eyes dull as he shut down. I stilled the tremor in my belly. “I won’t let that happen—not to you, or to Marcus. You believe me, right?”
Silence answered.
“I’ve never let you down, have I? Any of you?”
The small, pitiful smile almost looked real as Bastian shook his head. “No, you haven’t.”
My words tasted like ashes. “So I’m not about to start now.”
A hard wind shook the pines, drawing my focus to the grass. A small track divided the center, parting the whip grass. I gave my brothers one last look. “I’ll figure something out. There has to be something here to tell us where they’re headed. We’ll find it.”
I left my brothers there, drawn by a whisper on the wind.
A whisper of two words.
