by Kim Faulks
I couldn’t fight her demons. I couldn’t win her war.
Something glistened as that brutal thought settled deep. A tear welled in the corner of the dragon’s eye as I whispered, “Do something…please, just do something.”
There were no words to say. Hopelessness had no name, but it had us—it engulfed us, drowned us. I opened my clenched fist and spread my fingers wide. His body pulsed under my touch. Tiny currents raced, heated my calloused fingers and melted into bone.
His muscles quivered as I moved, sliding my fingers over his body to the dip and groove of his throat. Why had we fought for so long?
I lifted my gaze to that thick tear which trembled, threatening to spill. “I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
The tear plunged over the rim of his eye, gathering speed down his cheek. The massive drop lingered for a second at the edge of his jaw before it fell and in that moment I realized he didn’t just cry for her…he cried for me. All past hurts faded to nothing. There was only love.
“He’s coming. The bad man…the bad man is coming!”
Her panic made me turn. Odessa shot upright, her spine ram-rod stiff. Her eyes were open, staring into nothing, until she turned. Her eyes held the night. Panic sparkled like stars. There was nothing I could do as she screamed. “He’s coming for me! Victor, hurry he’s coming!”
14
Odessa
He’s coming!
The piercing scream faded, and then slipped from my mind. I cracked open my eyes and whimpered. White…everything was so white. The world moved slowly, creeping in one heartbeat at a time. Dust motes danced at the end of my nose. I watched the movement as a room took shape around me.
Something warm trapped my hand. Strands of my hair snagged against the floor as I rolled my head. Victor’s face came into view, eyes closed, lips parted. My fingers twitched with a memory. I wanted to touch his skin, wanted to feel the warmth of his breath.
I dragged my hand from his. The soft comforter bunched under my arm. His body trembled. The sudden drag of air made me flinch. A moan escaped, low and guttural…almost a growl.
I grasped his shirt and crawled my hand over his shoulder, reaching for the base of his throat. His frantic pulse jumped against the tips of my fingers. Racing…racing. Was he asleep…dreaming? I stared at his closed lids, following the twitch of his eyes. Where are you Victor?
My heart thundered and picked up speed. An ache spread like poisoned vines, crushing me. I pressed my palm against my breast. Each boom rocked my body…something hovered at the edge of my mind. A faint scream echoed…the shrill sound pierced my head like a spike.
He’s coming!
I tore my hand from Victor and turned my head toward the door. Images crowded me. The flickering of yellow light behind a filthy window. I heard someone inside. I want my momma. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes. Something wrapped around my neck and tightened. I yanked open my eyes. Dancing dust twirled and twirled.
I’ll be a good soldier.
I’ll be a good soldier…
The soft bedding slipped. My nails bowed, splitting at the edges. The sting was instant, bringing me all the way into the room with blinding clarity. I grazed the floorboards, pulling my body toward the door.
I’ll be a good soldier.
Her cries filled my skull and drilled my brain. Fragments came back to me. The vines…the cobwebs…Zadoc—in a cell, talking.
I’ve got you, he whispered. I’ve got you…the baby?
I kicked against the floor, climbing onto hands and knees as I reached the door. I lifted my hand, fingers strained for the door. I brushed cold steel, the handle rattled under my grip. I shoved my foot against the floor and pulled myself upright. The room spun, the white light was blinding. I clenched the handle and twisted.
The bitter cold punched me in the face. I sucked in a breath and felt the air burn all the way into my lungs.
My knees trembled. I clung to the door. Snow battered my face, stinging my eyes. I stared through the brutal gust of wind as the demon world resurfaced. I felt him under my skin—his fingers crawling across my body. His voice twisted like a screw inside my head.
Have you come back to me, little wolf? I knew you would… I knew you’d find me, and now… I’ve found you.
I caught the blur of dark through the snowed out haze. My chin trembled. My nostrils flared, drawing in the biting cold. I didn’t need to see his face. I felt him in my tainted soul.
I gripped the door and turned my head to stare over my shoulder. Victor twitched and jerked, thrashing his head from side to side. I couldn’t help him, wherever he was. He was beyond my reach. But I knew who was coming. I knew what he’d do to someone I cared about…someone I loved.
I dragged my foot from the doorway to crest the stairs. The hulking forest waited. There was only one place I could hide—as long as it kept my dragon safe.
The door was soundless as I yanked it closed behind me. I stumbled down the stairs, catching sight of a massive axe embedded in a stump. My body trembled. I could barely walk, let alone swing that big axe. Running was the only weapon I had.
You’ve got me, Odessa…just remember that. You’ve always got me.
I shook the wolf’s growl from my head and lunged for the trees. My boots sank, snow soaked the bottoms of my jeans and trickled into my boots. I lifted my head to the wind and squinted as I rounded the first pine. There were two outlines, fighting the snow, heading for the cabin and my dragon.
I shoved through snow-laden trees, grasping pine needles and branches as I pulled my way forward. The cold ate the tips of my bare fingers, spearing an ache through my bones. Instinct took over. I scanned the tight clusters of trees on one side, and the slight slope on the other.
I turned to glance over my shoulder and stared at the thick tracks in the snow. The embankment was open…too open to survive and I had nothing with me but my bare hands. I veered right, weaving around the clump of trees, driving my feet like pistons through the packed snow for as far as I could, and then stopped. I sucked in the air. My gasps burned like liquid fire as I turned.
Thick footprints carved a track behind me. I wobbled, balancing on one foot, and then stepped into my track. My steps were slower, forcing my boots through the same impressions. Branches whipped my face. I grasped what I could and worked my way backward. My heart thundered. I felt him bearing down on me like a storm. Panic welled in my stomach, knotting my insides. Warm tears ran down my cheeks. A tortured sound slipped from my lips as I wove my way back to the embankment.
Tears blurred my vision. I branched off, running toward the slope until I lost sight of the division, then turned and worked my way back using each tread until I glimpsed the juncture.
I dropped to my knees and scurried toward the towering Conifer. Low-lying branches skimmed the snow—they’d hide me. I closed my eyes, please let them hide me, then forced them open and plowed snow back into my hollow steps.
My world turned neon white. Agony flared, cleaving my head in two. I dropped to the ground and gripped my temples. A vision came to life. Dark eyes, silver hair. A shadow swallowed me. I cowered as his face sharpened—my nightmare in the flesh. A sickening sneer on his lips. He reached for me, sliding the back of his finger across my cheek. You’re mine, Odessa. Never forget that.
I shuddered and tore free from the dream.
My abductor was no longer coming.
He was already here.
The snap of a branch drew my gaze to the left. I scurried, dragging snow over the last print and slid my belly against the cold under the sodden Conifer branch. Icy water trailed down the nape of my neck. My stomach tensed and trembled as the chill settled deep.
The scrape of a foot, dark boots stepped into view, behind him a black cloak skimmed the ground—the demon. Was it the one from the cells, the one who held Zadoc captive?
Thoughts of torture and interrogation filled my head—broken bones, shattered skull. I tore one apart before. I could do it again
.
Not without me you didn’t. The wolf snapped. You need me.
I clawed the snow and whispered. “No, I don’t.”
I could make the bastard talk…force him to tell me how to get Zadoc.
The boots stopped in front of the tree.
A deep chuckle filled the air, sending shivers along my spine.
“Very clever little wolf. Very clever indeed. You go that way, I’ll take this one. My little wolf wants to play hide and seek. What kind of Daddy would I be if I didn’t play along?”
The branch above me trembled. I pinned my lip with my teeth and waited. My heart was thundering, drowning out everything else. I stared at the bottom of his boots as he took a tentative step, and then another. The demon’s cloak brushed the snow as the beast headed left toward the embankment. I waited, following each crunch of snow until the sound faded into nothing.
I crept forward an inch at a time and scanned the trees, waiting for my predator to pounce. Trees swayed under the heady bluster as I stepped out into the open. I scanned the slope, and then dropped my gaze to the snow. There were no prints from the demon, only the soft sweep of its cloak. I raised my head, searching the sweep of the terrain. It wouldn’t take long for the beast to realize what I’d done and double back—just like me.
My legs were shaking. My nerve lost. Victor filled my mind, smiling, happy—this was the only way back to the Bloodstone pack…for the both of us. I surged forward, punching through the snow, and then yanking my boot free. Fire burned inside me, tearing through my soul. Sweat ran down my brow as I scurried down the soft slope.
The demon waited at the end of the trail, with its head down, staring at the last print in the snow.
Please give me my mommy.
I clenched my fist as the child’s scream surfaced. Fuel filled my belly, narrowing my view. Just you and me now…you evil piece of shit. Rage burned through my veins…all the hurt and the horror had come to this moment. I raised my foot, moving closer before the demon turned. My boot squelched. The sound carried. The beast swiveled.
Evil resounded inside me like the echo in a drum.
The wolf lunged and gnashed at its chains, desperate to be free.
You need me Odessa!
Tears blurred my vision.
Let. Me. Out!
I lunged, releasing a primal scream. The wind slapped the sound from my lips. I moved too slow, stumbling and stuttering as I rounded the beast. I swung my fist, aiming for its middle. Tear…kill. A fetid scent wafted from beneath its cloak as my fist passed through nothing but air.
Skeletal hands burned my skin as the beast gripped my shoulders. I tore one arm free, stumbled backward. Hot shards of pain cut me down the middle.
The demon’s hood slipped. A skinless face stared back at me. Its jaw fell open, exposing long, yellowed teeth. Forgotten memories swallowed me. My boot slipped on the snow, still the beast kept coming, pushing me to the ground.
Past and present collided as I hit the snow. Both demons reached for me, stroking long bony fingers along my head. The pain was sudden, peeling me open, laying my memories bare.
The child in my head screamed. I still felt the binds against my legs, still felt the shackle around my throat. The metal pinched, tightening like a fist. I couldn’t swallow, couldn’t breathe.
I want my momma!
Your momma brought you here. Did you know that little wolf? The silver-haired wolf’s voice filled my head.
I whipped my head to the side. Those fingers, stroked…stroked…bringing terror to the surface.
She gave you to us…but you’re mine little wolf. You belong to me.
Pain flared through my chest. The forgotten words cut like a razor edge.
My shadowed wolf snarled and gnashed the air, hackles stood on end—a warning. Black spots danced in my view as the world spun. Behind the demon a shadow blurred, coming closer…closer. I was caught on those silver streaks, and impaled by his grin.
“There you are my little wolf,” my abductor whispered as he stopped alongside the demon. “Hide and seek is over I take it…so tag, you’re it.”
15
Victor
I came to with a roar. The room spun. My pulse thundered, driving her scream through my head. The bad man is coming!
“Odessa.” The hiss scorched my throat. I swallowed, tasting blood, and shoved my hand along the floor, searching for warmth. The tangled comforter was cold.
Find her, Victor. Find her.
My movements were slow. Thick blankets slipped under my hands. I threw them aside and climbed to my feet. “Odessa?”
The blurred room held no sign of her. I stumbled to the bedroom and reached darkened corners.
A growl echoed inside my head…and the shadowed wolf came to life in a rush. Fear mingled with a sour taste in the back of my throat. Something was wrong. My dragon surfaced, blending with the wolf. I swallowed his power and stumbled for the door. “Where is she, dragon?”
I’m searching! he snapped as I yanked the door open.
Please…don’t hurt me. Her tortured voice filled my head. Please… I’ll be a good soldier…
“Dragon!” I screamed into the wind.
Over there!
I jerked my gaze toward the tree line. The steps were a blur. I grasped the axe, wrenching it from the block as I stumbled. Don’t let me be too late. I thrashed through the snow. My feet turned numb, my boots alien. I slipped and slid, careening through narrow gaps in the trees, cutting seconds where I could.
I gripped the axe, letting the dragon lead me. Footsteps in the snow slowed my steps, one set small—Odessa—and another larger. I dropped to my knees; there was something else. I probed the sweep of snow beside the heavy tread. Something else was here…
Demon, Victor. Can’t you smell it?
I lunged to my feet. Demon. I couldn’t smell anything…couldn’t feel anything, but her pain.
I want my momma.
That tiny voice carved deeper than any blade could. I surged forward, forcing my slow movements faster. I’ll find her dead…my steps stilled with the thought. Momentum took me, tumbling, crashing into the ground.
I hit hard, slamming my face into the snow. I breathed in the ice, letting it numb my mind. Water filled me, spewing, gurgling, rushing at the edges of who I was. Splitting my sides and leaking from my senses. Pain ripped along my back, carving and searing my skin like lightning.
A scream tore free, burning me from the inside. I drove my fingers into the ice and shoved. Thunder boomed overhead. I shuddered with the sound, dragging the axe as I crawled to my knees.
Red blended with white beneath me. The snow drank greedily, turning pure snow crimson. Bloody trails ran like rivulets down my arms, and then darkened as I lifted. I gulped the air and forced a whimper. “Dragon?”
Agony drove a pick into my spine, bowing, bending, swallowing the pathetic cry resurrecting a distant memory. My dragon filled me with the power of the ocean and the bite of ice, burning me from my core. My face turned numb as I thrashed against the ground. A frigid touch trailed along my cheek and blew softly in my eyes.
I blinked, tears spilled, until with a crunch my spine snapped.
And something tore free.
I clawed finding a hold in the frozen ground and reached behind. Thick muscle swelled and pulsed along my flank, taking on a life of its own. I brushed hard bone and trailed the length to the wicked tip as the talon between my spine lengthened.
“Dragon!”
I dragged my hand to my face and stared at the inky mess on the tips of my fingers.
Black tendrils seeped into the red as pink flesh darkened to the blue of my dragon—and then turned to black.
What’s happening to me?
We are no longer man and dragon, Victor. We’re now part shadowed wolf. A crack of thunder roared overhead. The power raced through my veins, urging me to get up, get moving…find her. “Find her.”
The dragon’s words mingled with mine as I gripped t
he handle and rose to my feet.
I stumbled under the weight of my wings like a newborn. Slow steps gained momentum. My tattered shirt slapped my sides. I snatched the edges and yanked, casting it to the ground. Pink flesh gave way to purple, and then sharpened to blue.
Scales carved from skin. My dragon came to life…until somehow blue became black. I stared at the darker scales. A memory resurfaced. My dragon—broken, damaged, bleeding black blood—bleeding the shadowed wolf’s blood.
If he bled her blood…then, so had I.
Hurry, Victor.
The wolf snarled inside my head and blue slowly bled into night. The icy snow ate the tips of my toes as I lunged. My claws punctured through the top, shredding my boots. I stepped from the ruptured shoe, leaving clothing in my wake.
Two different sets of prints speared off in opposite directions. One side, two distinct sets, the other was a quagmire of muddied ice. She tried to lead them away…tried to throw them off her track…and failed.
Talons scratched the insides of my wrist as I gripped the axe and charged. Each step was slower. My bones snapped. My body bowed. My thoughts mingled with his, until we were one, moving with one purpose—to save my wolf.
Darkened shapes moved through the snow-blind haze. My body trembled. I speared my wings into the frigid air as the figure took shape.
A demon stood over the curled figure on the ground. The tiny form thrashed. I caught her blonde hair and that was enough. Something moved to the side as I dragged my arm backward. I dragged air into my lungs, scenting…a wolf. He turned at the last moment. I whipped my arm through the air and released. The axe turned end over end as the wolf’s eyes widened.
He grasped the demon and stumbled. The black cloak fluttered from his fingers as the axe hit the demon in the center and embedded deep. I shifted my gaze toward her and stared at the blood. Her eyes were closed, her clothing torn. Her pale skin almost melted into the backdrop. Blue veins ran in lines over her exposed breasts. I caught the tremble of her stomach and rage burned in place of my blood.
