by Leah Silver
“Who are you?” he said as he helped the serpen up and brushed him off, checking him over for injury. When all seemed fine, he sent him on his way. The bully was knocked out cold, lying in a heap against the far wall, so I decided it was probably safe to answer, since my illusion was ruined.
“My name is Ed. I’m a wizard who was brought here by mistake. I need to get back, so I can stop this.”
“You think you can?”
“Yes. I do. I have a lot of help on the other side.”
His red eyes danced, making me a bit uncomfortable. I didn’t think he’d threaten me, but without being able to read his eyes, how could I know for sure?
“Why would you do that? You’re not a vampire. You’re not among the targets.”
“Yet.”
The word hung in the room, and his shoulders slumped. “This won’t end with the vampires.” He sat back, letting the weight of that realization crush him.
“Who are you, Fury? How did you get here?”
“Like you, I was taken captive. I’m part demon, part Jinn, so they brought me here easily. I lived peacefully on earth. My father, the Jinn, told me how important it was to be a light in the world, not a fire that burns it to the ground. But I’m finding it difficult to do that here.”
I went and crouched in front of him. The bully groaned, so I sent another fireball at him for good measure. “If you can restrain that one, I would. He’ll make life hard for you. Hide him from the warden as long as you can.”
When Fury didn’t respond, I patted his shoulder. “Hey. Don’t give up on me now. This fight is only just beginning. And we’re going to win.”
He looked up at me with such sorrow in his eyes that it nearly doused the flames dancing there. My breath caught in my throat at the sight, and I swallowed past the desire to cry with him, right then and there.
“I promise you, Fury. We will win.”
“Promises don’t go very far here in the void. Unless they’re promises of pain. Those you can count on.”
I thought for a moment. How did I fight such despair? With action. Direction. Fury was a man of work. “Fury, can you do something for me?” He looked at me, but he didn’t nod. “Take care of the serpens. Keep as many of them alive as you can. Make an army of them, and you might be able to help us overthrow this place.”
I saw the slightest waver in his eyes, as if a spark of hope ignited where despair lived only a moment ago.
“Can you help me get back?” Beyond my wildest dreams, he nodded. “If you know how to escape, why haven’t you left? Why have you stayed here?”
“They’d find me for one thing. And I can’t leave the serpens behind. Whoever they get to replace me will just abuse them. I’m the only buffer between…the warden and them.”
“Before I go, what do you know about the voice?”
“The voice?”
I held out a hand to him as I stood and pulled him to his feet. “The one who seems to be in charge,” I filled in.
He blanched, and the flame on his head almost went out. Fear did that—doused a person’s fire for life. “How do you know about him?”
“I met him. Sort of. I didn’t see him. But he spoke to me. Sent me to the mines.”
“You spoke to him and survived?”
“I did.” I paused, waiting for him to respond. When he didn’t, I prodded him. “So, who is he?”
“No one knows. I don’t think even Akrah knows who he is. Or what he is. I’ve been able to piece together that he’s the creator of this. The snakes, the serpens, the guards as we call them—Akrah, and that one over there. The father of the plan to kill the vampires. Everything.”
“Why?”
Fury shrugged. “Why does anyone do anything? He decided they were bad. They were doing harm to him, or the world, or who knows. Something he tells himself that keeps him moving forward through this relentlessly until he wins, or you stop him apparently. Right now, he appears to be winning.”
“Indeed. Not for long, my friend. Not for long.” Side by side, we made our way past where the bully was out. “I’m afraid I can’t dispose of him here beyond the void. I’m sorry. I hope I haven’t made things worse for you.”
He smiled, revealing a set of razor-sharp teeth. I struggled not to grimace at the expression. “Friend. No one has called me that for a very long time. My friend, you have given me hope. And that is never a hardship.”
I stuck out my hand. He took it gladly before leading me toward a freestanding oval of smoke. The vapor swirled around itself, creating a rather mystical feel.
“This is the door the warden spoke of?”
“Yes.”
“I just go through it, and I’ll end up back on the other side of the void?”
“Yes. But take caution. The other side is heavily guarded by a demon not yet caught by the hunter.”
“The hunter? You mean Merry.” He nodded, a serious expression on his face. “She is helping me with this, you know.” His expression changed to surprise, and then a smile bloomed bigger than before.
“You will win.” It was barely a whisper, just like the hope I’d left him with. “Go then, what are you waiting for?” He looked nervously over his shoulder before shoving me through the door.
When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Akrah and another creature just like him coming for Fury. I tried to go back, to stop it, but the pull of my world was unstoppable. Before I was ready, I left the void. Hopefully, it wasn’t for long. There were creatures to save.
Ike
My first mistake: Following Alice down the rabbit hole
We were on the trail of that damned goblin when Daevas popped up and distracted us. The scent was sharp, much like a goblin’s features. It felt like it had hooked my nose, and I was pulling me along. I was anxious to follow it before that stupid demon showed up.
“What do you want, Daevas?” Merry demanded.
“You.” His breath smelled like sulfur, and it worked to cover the scent of the goblin. I needed to move on if we were going to catch up to the slippery little creature.
“Well, I’m a bit busy. Perhaps we can meet up another time?”
“Now,” he said.
“Man of few words,” Ed said to Oscar, but he didn’t respond. He kept his eyes trained on the demon, ready to strike, or perhaps to protect Merry.
Merry sighed impatiently. “Daevas, I don’t have time for this. And you know if you put a stake in the ground, I’ll make good on my promise to send you beyond the veil. I told you, no more chances.” She was talking to him like a child facing punishment.
He didn’t seem cowed, and he took a menacing step forward. “You know what?” Ed suggested. “Why don’t you guys go on ahead? I’ll nip this in the bud and catch up.”
Merry looked at Ed like he’d just sprouted a second head, and she didn’t like the look of it. But I was grateful for his suggestion. “Why would we do that?” she asked.
“Because this isn’t worth your time, and I’m here to help,” Ed insisted.
“No. He’ll listen to me. I just need to—” Daevas cut her off with a swoop in our direction. He missed all of us with his wild swing, and I shook my head. This was a waste of time. I leaned over to Oscar.
“I’m losing the trail. We need to get out of here.” He nodded.
“Now, that’s quite enough,” Merry said sternly. The demon reached for her, and Ed doused him with water.
“Really, I’ll take care of this. Go on. I’ll be there in five minutes,” Ed said confidently.
Oscar pulled on Merry’s arm, gently but firm. “Come on, Merry. He’s right. We don’t have time for this.”
She hesitated. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I know. Honest. It’s no big deal. I’ll catch up with you,” Ed said. Without another word, I took off after the scent. We couldn’t lose that goblin. He was connected to the plague. They were using the creatures as messengers between the mysterious super race and what I considered the footmen. The men o
n the front line, those spreading the plague, keeping their secrets and the like.
The scent of this goblin led us right smack into the Old Quarter, and it threatened to be overwhelmed by all the other scents mingling there. Human piss, bakery delicacies, coffee, and that sharp scent that wanted to make my eyes water. That was the one.
I chased it around a corner, straight into a dead-end alley.
“Shit shooters,” Merry said. “Now what?”
“There’s probably a hidden door here somewhere,” Oscar said, feeling around the stones.
Merry shifted her weight, looking behind us constantly. “I’m worried about Ed. It shouldn’t have taken him this long. Daevas isn’t that strong. I think I should go back. You boys keep after the goblin.” She was taking several steps before either of us could react.
“No, I don’t think so. Ed wouldn’t want that. He wanted us to go on,” Oscar said.
“If you’re that worried, I’ll double back while Oscar searches for the door. He’ll probably have to widen it a bit to make room for us.” Damned goblins were so short. If they’d hidden a door in the alley, the Mother knew it would be too small for any of us. “Point is, he’ll be a minute.”
“No, Ike. No more of us will split up,” Merry insisted as she walked back toward the mouth of the alley. She looked both ways, searching the streets for her bearded wizard.
“But you just said,” I started, but Oscar put a hand on my shoulder and shook his head.
I approached her cautiously. I could tell she was upset about losing Ed, but I wasn’t convinced he was lost. “He probably just stopped at the café for a beignet.”
She frowned, her arms crossed over her chest. “If he did, he damned well better have gotten one for all of us.”
“I can find him the fastest. That wizard reeks of oils and incense. I could smell him a mile away. I’ll just run back and grab him, okay?” I phrased it like a question, but I wasn’t really giving her a choice. Just letting her think she had one. Levi may have been the charmer among us, but I was a bit knowledgable about psychology. Just a little.
She frowned, and my confidence in my skills wavered until Oscar came to my rescue.
“Hey, Merry? Can you come help me over here?”
“Go,” I told her. “I’ll be back inside of five minutes.”
“That’s what Ed said.”
“But I won’t stop for a treat.” Levi would’ve winked at her, but that wasn’t my game. I just moved in close to plant a kiss on her forehead. She leaned into me. “Come back to me. And bring that wayward wizard with you.” It wasn’t a plea. It was a command from my pack leader.
“I will. I promise.”
She gazed up at me. I hooked a hair over her ear, just to have an excuse to touch her. She tilted her head. When the side of her face filled my hand, I relished the opportunity to touch her.
“I can’t wait until this is over, love. I can take my time with you, then. Breathing you in. Tasting you. Enjoying every part of you.”
Her eyes sparkled, and I gave myself a point for making her forget her worries if only for a moment. She put a hand on my chest. “Go. Before I change my mind. Five minutes and I’m coming after you.”
It wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. “I know.” I kissed the tip of her nose before taking off running, searching for the scent of the wizard.
Ed and I had never worked together before. But I liked him. He was funny and handy to have around. He looked like an old man, but insisted he wasn’t as ancient as he looked. Side effect of being a wizard, he called it. I supposed it was just his white hair that made him look old. It wasn’t like his back was crooked or his skin wrinkled. His hair was just so startlingly white he stuck out among us.
I circled back around to where we’d parted ways. His scent was all over the area, as were several large puddles of water. Had it rained? There was no sign of him, or the demon for that matter. Where had they gone? The humans in the immediate area were soaked, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.
I walked up close to a group huddled against a building. “Freak rainstorms. Those don’t usually happen until the summer. Not sure what that was about,” the man said as he shook out his jacket.
Since Daevas tended to run hot, I was betting Ed used water to try to cool him off. But then what happened? Where had they gone? It was clear the humans hadn’t seen much of anything. Demons weren’t always visible, and Ed probably disguised their fight well.
I circled the street a few times, but his scent never left the area.
“By the moon,” I mumbled. I stood in the street contemplating my next move. Merry would not be happy when she returned.
Before I could turn around, I felt a woman behind me. But it wasn’t Merry. This woman was muskier smelling. A wolf, like me. Trouble with a capital T.
“What you are doing wandering around alone, gorgeous?” she asked. She trailed a finger from one of my shoulders to the other before circling around in front of me.
“I’m not alone. My pack is off that way. I circled back, searching for a stray.”
“I didn’t have knowledge of another pack in the area.” She folded her arms over her ample chest, raising a well-groomed eyebrow.
“Well, we’re not staying. We’re on council business.”
“Council business. You don’t say? You must be important stuff.” Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief as she said it. I didn’t want any part of it.
“If you’ll excuse me.”
“No, I don’t think I will. We haven’t had someone like you in our neck of the woods for quite some time. Why don’t you stay a while? Sample some of the local fare.”
I resisted the urge to growl. “I am mated. But thank you for the offer.”
She regarded me curiously, as if surprised by my admission. “Oh, really? You don’t smell like you are.” She drew closer, scenting me, and I shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t generally acceptable to attack a female, but she was pushing me.
“No. All I smell on you is vampire. One of the council members?”
“No. That’s my mate.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’ve defiled yourself. This cannot be tolerated.” In less than a second, a group of wolves surrounded me. Mostly female, but one or two males. Betas. They hung back, letting the women do their dirty work.
Perfect. Just perfect.
“Listen, ladies. I don’t give a troll’s ass what you think about me and my romantic choices. Bottom line—not interested. Thanks for the offer. Have a nice day.” I pushed past her, but the others closed the circle they’d formed.
“I think you’d better come with us. You’ve violated the wolf code.”
Great. Extremists.
“Code?” I asked, not really wanting the answer.
“Have you been so long without a pack you’ve forgotten the code?”
“No, you nosey little—” I cut myself off. No need to provoke her or be outright rude. A gentlemanly approach was always better. No matter how ignorant or undeserving the adversary. I cleared my throat. “No. My old pack didn’t have a code. And neither does my new one.”
“You left your pack to be with a vampire.” It was a statement, dripping with disgust.
“Not exactly. I left my pack after I lost a battle over a mate. I joined the council then, and I met my mate there. Not that it’s any of your business.” Why was I telling her my life story, anyway? Mostly because I thought it would give me a more peaceful way out. Any minute, Merry was going to burst around that corner, and this pack would be laid to waste by her.
“She’s going to be coming around that corner soon, so I’d suggest you guys shove off.”
“That’s cute. He doesn’t want to be seen with his own kind in front of his new mate.”
“No.” I struggled to control my anger, taking another deep breath. “I don’t want you all to die when she sees you threatening me.”
The alpha bristled. “A vampire could never kill all of us.”
“This one could. She’s known as the demon hunter. Wolves are nothing to her. She’d cut each one of you down before you could even shift. And she’d do it without a thought for your children if she felt you were threatening me.”
“You’re a beta. Need a woman to look after you, do you? I like that kind of man.” I could recognize an insult just as easily as the next person, but I refused to get into a battle of wits with her, so I said nothing.
“Well, if your little Bella is coming, we’d better get old Jacob off the street, huh?” The circle closed tighter around me.
“The humans are watching us,” I cautioned.
“Then you’d better come quietly.”
Risk assessment. That was what I needed. A quick count told me there were five females, counting the alpha, and two males. Seven on one. I’d fought against worse, but not in front of humans. It would be bloody. Dangerous. Some of them might get hurt. I couldn’t allow that. I’d let them take me to their den. After, I’d shake them and get back to Merry. Help her find Ed.
Ed. When I got my hands on him, I’d give him a piece of my mind. I never would’ve run into this entitled little wolf if it wasn’t for him.
“Fine. Take me where you will.”
Her eyes glittered when I said it, and I regretted it immediately. “Oh. I will.”
That damned white rabbit and his trap doors
I followed them to a nearby historic building. Merry would be pissed I’d wandered off, but it was for her own good. No scenes. No bloodshed in public. I’d handle this and get back to them. Simple as that.
They ushered me straight to the back of the building. I wasn’t dumb enough to think their den was so close to the humans. This was a ruse to get me turned around. But that was a waste of time. Any werewolf worth his salt could find his way blindfolded. That was the beauty of having a hypersensitive nose.
As predicted, they left the building through the back door before heading onto the street. It felt like a gang in an old movie the way they were strutting around like they owned the place. They’d probably break out into a song from West Side Story before long.
