by Stead, Nick
Jaken grinned wider as He peeled the skin from the back of one of His new souls. He could offer a share of them to Dhaer to placate the terror demon when it appeared, but why should He give any of them up for a demon lesser than He? Perhaps He would offer Dhaer a place in their new Hell though. The terror demon had its uses, and it would be wrong of Him to ignore the value Dhaer could still offer as an ally. Together they could do such terrible things.
CHAPTER THIRTY–EIGHT
Journey’s End
I awoke to find I was in full wolf form, my body still surrounded by sea and my head poking through a hole in the ice. My stomach heaved and tried to purge itself of all the saltwater I’d swallowed. I vomited what felt like a third of the Arctic Ocean, coughing and gasping for breath between each retch and feeling like I was drowning all over again. Something held me in place while I struggled for air, a strange kind of rubber ring keeping my head above the surface.
The involuntary transformation after I’d passed out probably saved my life. Any damage to my vital organs seemed to have fixed itself and once the vomiting passed, my breathing settled back into its normal pattern. But I wasn’t out of the danger zone yet.
The cold had now bypassed my lupine body’s natural defences. I was shivering uncontrollably, the blood in my veins turning to ice. All that seawater I’d swallowed had lowered my core temperature and my pelt was no protection from the effect of the cold within. My grasp on reality was still as weak as my flesh. Confusion reigned as I struggled to remember anything beyond the present, any clue as to why I was now floating in the freezing ocean.
There were noises coming from nearby but I struggled to understand what any of them meant. Then a voice sounded below. I didn’t really understand what it was saying either, though I believe it was along the lines of:
“Try taking a deep breath for me now, chummer. I know you probably won’t be happy with this when you regain full use of your faculties, but there’s been gunshots and neither of us are in any position to fight. I’m getting you out of here.”
My breathing was becoming irregular again, growing slow and shallow as vital functions bowed down before the cold taking over my body. Fighting against it was futile. Oblivion took over.
I regained consciousness in another breathing hole. There was a second phase of vomiting, much like the first, though this time I was human. Unfortunately that meant I was now at the full mercy of the Arctic’s wrath, the cold attacking from the outside of my body as well as within.
“Okay, Nick. I’m going to pull you out so when the transformation takes hold again you don’t take in any more water. That should allow your body temperature to go back to normal. I say should because this is you, and you seem to be set on making my life difficult.”
I barely heard him. The cold was even quicker to take me as a full human and I was soon slipping into darkness once more, away from reality and all of its discomforts.
“Hang in there, Nick. Let’s do this the easy way, just this once, okay? For me. Just hang in there a little longer.”
My eyelids locked into place and I fell back into oblivion’s waiting arms.
Fully lupine again, I had the sensation of being dragged across solid ground. My eyes opened to the beauty of the northern lights and the dazzling white of the ice pack, no longer endless but with a definite edge where it was met by the blue of its liquid state.
The cold had ceased its assault on my flesh but my strength had yet to return. My body needed rest and sustenance, neither of which it was likely to get anytime soon. With a jolt, I remembered the enemies on the ice and tried to raise my head, expecting to see a horde of Lauren’s puppets trailing behind.
My skull felt heavier than usual and I couldn’t lift it more than a few inches above the ground, limiting the distance I could see to the horizon. I gave up on sight and tried my other senses, but there wasn’t much to hear or smell, other than Gwyn. His scent was vulpine again and from the feel of things he had one of my back legs in his jaws, pulling me along with a strength I doubted most foxes could have mustered.
I was too exhausted to try and work out where he was taking me or what might have become of our friends. Thanks to Gwyn, it looked like I would have the chance to rest after all. It was a chance only a fool would have wasted.
Water lapped at my weary head, a gentle greeting to bring me back to the waking world. I opened my eyes to find I was in open ocean once again, though rather than an endless expanse of blue like before, this was broken up by large patches of ice floating on its surface. The northern lights had finished the night’s dance, the sky now dark without them. But not for long. Dawn was creeping into the horizon as the sun began its daily ascent. It would be light again soon.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” Gwyn said, from somewhere below. He was of course back in his spirit form, keeping me afloat and still pulling me along. “I’m not going to be able to stay so close to the surface once the sun comes up, not as a spirit anyway. If you climb up onto the ice I’ll toss some meat your way, then it’s up to you whether you want to swim some of the distance to shore on your own. If you’re feeling like a lazy boy then I guess I’ll just have to keep on doing all the work, but you’ll have to wait till the sun goes down to continue on the Knocker Express.”
I growled my agreement and let him pull me to the nearest patch of ice. With his help, I was able to pull myself up, and two dead seals flopped beside me a moment later.
After my body had transformed so many times to combat the effects of drowning and hypothermia, I was ravenous. The seal meat tasted better than it had all journey as I tore into the first of the two carcasses, biting down chunks of blubber in order to reach the tastier treats beneath.
I ate until I felt some of my strength returning. Then I used some of the fresh energy to take the transformation back to my hybrid form, so I’d be able to do more than just doggy paddle in the water.
“Thanks, Gwyn,” I croaked, though I wasn’t sure if he could hear me. The world had gone quiet and I saw no evidence of anything moving beneath the waves.
I devoured more of the seal meat and viscera until my stomach felt like it would burst. My hunger satisfied, I felt the full force of thirst again. Yet there was no way to satisfy that until we made it back to land. The sensible thing would have been to wait for nightfall and let Gwyn take me there, but something about his ‘lazy boy’ comment felt like a challenge. So I dived back into the water and started swimming.
I don’t think I’d gone far before I was thinking longingly of the thermos flask Zee had been carrying. Dehydration sapped the energy I’d just taken in and my head started to ache. I was forced to keep resting on the ice between each burst of exercise, and my progress was much slower than after we’d been shipwrecked off the coast of Svalbard. But the ice had other uses as well. I was able to make up a little time by jumping from ice patch to ice patch and crossing some of the way on foot.
The moment night fell, I heard Gwyn’s voice again.
“I’m impressed, fluffy. You’ve been quite a productive boy.”
“Need water now.”
“Dive back in then and we’ll go find some fresh water. We’ll discuss my fee for all this later.”
I let him pull me the rest of the way to shore, giving in to my body’s weariness once again and sleeping as best I could. This last part of the journey felt fairly short compared to everything else we’d been through. The next thing I knew, my feet were brushing against solid ground and I was no longer floating with Gwyn’s help, but standing unaided in the shallows.
Rousing myself, I stumbled onto the snowy beach and collapsed just out of reach of the tide. Gwyn seemed to have disappeared again. I guessed he’d gone on ahead to find fresh water for me, and sure enough, he returned with a thermos flask minutes later, filled with the fluid my body demanded.
Clouds hung thick in the sky above us, blocking out most of the natural light. I could only just make out the flask seemingly floating towards me in the
darkness, reaching out for it with a clawed hand. I didn’t bother asking Gwyn where he’d got it from. Now we were on land there were probably more humans around than out on the sea ice, even if their settlements were few and far between. We must have landed near one of those remote human places for him to find another flask so easily.
It took the entire contents of the thermos flask to combat the effects of dehydration I’d been feeling. I downed the water in just a few great gulps, then tossed the flask aside when I was done, confident I’d have no more need of it once we’d moved further inland. “Where are we?”
“Right where you wanted to be.” His voice was full of pride and a sense of achievement, and if he’d been in human form I imagined his chest would have been swelling. “Welcome to Canada.”
“And the others?”
All feelings of triumph drained from his voice. “Captured, I guess.”
“Then what are we doing here?” I growled.
“I knew this would make you cranky. It’s not like I wanted to leave them behind.”
I struggled to keep my anger in check. “You could have gone back for them once you’d got me to safety, back on the ice.”
“If there’d been some way to save all four of you, don’t you think I’d have taken it? I’m a spirit, not a miracle worker. Selina would never have survived being dragged through these cold waters, even with the shapeshift spell, and the vampires were still under Lauren’s control. Bitch at me if you want but it won’t solve anything, so maybe just this once we could skip the fit of rage and move on?”
I couldn’t really argue with that. Everything he said made sense, yet my fury was building and my hold on its chains was slipping. I wasn’t really angry with Gwyn. It was the thought of how time and again we ended up at the mercy of our enemies. After going to such lengths as leaving the country to lose them, they’d still found us, and now my friends had been taken prisoner once more. Would it ever end?
“I am grateful to you for saving me-”
“Again,” Gwyn interjected.
“Again,” I growled in reluctant agreement. “But we can’t just leave Zee and Lady Sarah to their fates as Lauren’s slaves, or fresh guinea pigs for the Slayers’ scientists, or anything else the mercenary or bounty hunter or assassin, or whoever the hell he is might be able to sell them for. They’ll be long gone before I can catch up with them, so I want you to go and find out exactly what happened and whether they took Selina as well. I’ll be fine now I’m back on dry land.”
“You say that, but you’re also on the verge of going on another murderous rampage. I know that look in your eyes, fluffy. Who’s going to look out for you when the killing starts and the Canadian Slayers pick up your trail?”
“I’ll be fine,” I insisted. “The others need you more than I do now.”
“Okay, but we have to be prepared for the possibility that the guy in the helicopter decided to just kill them. If they’re alive and I can free them I will, but I’m making no promises.”
“Do what you can.”
I could just make out something moving back towards the sea, then he was gone. My nose detected the scent of prey on the air and I turned away from the shore. He was right, I did need to kill something. But I had no intention of massacring anymore towns. We’d paid a great deal so I could have a chance at a fresh start. I wasn’t about to waste that by making the same mistakes I’d made time and again on British soil. No, I was going to channel my bloodlust into the hunt for prey animals, then explore these new wilds we’d come to.
More tundra stretched ahead of me. Another impressive mountain range towered above it, and on those slopes were a type of sheep.
I bounded across the frozen ground, once more relying on speed rather than stealth. The sheep sensed me coming and started to bolt, but I was too fast, running down the largest animal in the group with ease. He fell to my jaws in a hot crimson wave, as flesh ripped between my fangs and bone snapped. Three good legs kicked uselessly in a vain attempt to rise back up and resume his flight, but I’d already moved from the leg I’d injured to his belly, tearing it open and feasting on the visceral delights to be had within.
Still his heart continued to pump as I ate my way up to it. Only when my muzzle closed around the meaty organ did it beat its last, though it continued to ooze blood as I chewed it down. The animal’s fight to keep his hold on life was lost.
I raised my gore-stained muzzle to howl in triumph at my latest kill. And a pack of true wolves howled back.
Ears pricking with excitement, I howled again. I might not have quite reached the right area to settle in, and this might not be the new family I’d come to find. But there were wolves here. Now it was just a question of finding a suitable pack, with a territory untouched by man.
Again my natural cousins answered. My heart beat faster and I felt a rare sense of joy as I let the transformation take me back to my full wolf form. Then I started to run.
The journey had been long and challenging, and three of my friends had potentially paid with their lives. But in the end I’d made it. I was home.
EPILOGUE
The time has come to break off yet again. I know there is much you must still be burning to find out, but this part has been the longest so far, and I am in need of food and rest now more than ever.
I emerge from the cave and step out into the pale light of the waning moon. The urge to howl takes me again but I fight it. This is not Canada and there would only be the baying of dogs to answer if I did. The baying of dogs, and the guns of their masters.
We have done well to last two whole days in this place. Can we manage a second night here, without being disturbed? Only if I keep to reason. It will not do to give in to whimsical fancies, not here. I suppose that goes for hunting as well.
Much as I would prefer more human prey, I listen to caution for once and begin to stalk a herd of deer. Maybe it is too little too late after feeding on humans for three nights running, but so far fortune seems to be on our side. I don’t sense a return of the Slayers.
I’m about to pounce on a large stag when the wind changes direction. The animals come to a stop, their eyes wide with alarm as they breathe in my scent. I freeze with them. For mine is not the only dread scent on the air.
The deer bolt but I don’t give chase. Even your spirit seems tense, as though you’ve forgotten you’re beyond harm from those on the earthly plane. But I cannot blame you after the horrors we have shared in the telling of my story. I opened your eyes to the truth of all that lurks in the shadows and I gave you reason to fear us. Vampires wield such power compared to werewolves. We would do well to avoid crossing paths with this one, if we can.
I slink away, back to the cave, and settle down to rest. My stomach growls a complaint but tonight I will go hungry. Soon we will continue with the next part of my tale, once the danger has passed and I have had chance to feed. Until then we will lay low and hope we go undiscovered. Soon we will continue, my friend. Soon.
Dear Readers
Thanks for reading Damned. I really hope you enjoyed this long awaited fourth instalment and will check out book 5 when it comes out, Halloween 2021. The series has been a real labour of love over the seventeen years it’s taken to get to these latest releases, and is the result of hundreds of long hours spent at my desk. If I could ask a few moments of your time in return, please would you write me a review?
It doesn’t have to be detailed. In fact, you don’t even have to write anything if you don’t want to – even a star rating is a big help! But reviews are really important for bringing new readers to the series, and bringing me a step closer to my dream of quitting my day job and becoming a full time author.
I’m always grateful to my readers who take the time to do this for me, and I do read each and every one of them. A good review always makes my day, and a critical review can provide the feedback I need to keep on improving and growing as a writer.
So if you wouldn’t mind heading over to Amazon, all you
need to do is click:
Amazon.com/orders for US
OR
Amazon.co.uk/orders for UK
Then click ‘write a product review’ next to your Hybrid order.
If you’re on Goodreads and wouldn’t mind going to https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14138888.Nick_Stead and clicking the star rating on the right hand side, and then if you want to write a review to go with your rating it will invite you to do just that.
Thanks again!
About the Author
A lifelong fan of supernatural horror and fantasy, Nick spends his days prowling the darker side of fiction, often to the scream of heavy metal guitars and the purrs of his feline companions.
Fate set him on the path of the writer at the tender age of 15. The journey has been much longer and harder than his teenage self ever anticipated, but 17 years later he is still forging ahead.
Nick is best known for his Hybrid series. He has also had short stories published in various anthologies, and will soon be releasing his first non-Hybrid novel based on the true story of the Pendle witches.
For more information about Nick, Hybrid, and other works visit: www.nick-stead.co.uk. Don’t forget to sign up to his newsletter to keep up to date with upcoming releases and signing events, and receive a free short story, exclusive to the mailing list.
