by J. C. Diem
“I have half a mind to smack some sense into him,” she muttered.
“Flynn thinks he’ll come around eventually,” I said lamely.
“He’d better. It’s not like either of you actually has a choice about your bond. It isn’t something that can be switched on and off like a lightbulb.”
Things would be so much easier if I could switch off my feelings for Reece. The demise of our rocky relationship would be far easier for him to bear. He wasn’t in love with me and he didn’t really have much to lose. Meanwhile, I felt as if my world was falling apart.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Eight
After we’d eaten lunch the next day, Alicia examined Mark for a final time and deemed him to be well on the road to recovery. “Call me if he has a relapse,” she instructed us when we lined up in the garage to see her off.
Mark huffed out a sigh as we chorused that we would watch over him. He’d stubbornly dressed in a suit rather than remaining in his pajamas. He did look much better, but he was still shaky.
Bending to give Zeus a final pat, the medic climbed into her white van. Flynn hitched a ride with her to the gate to let her out. Someone from the Cleanup Crew had delivered our black van and suitcases a few days ago. They’d presumably paid our hotel bill as well.
Mark had called Ranger Delgado to make sure that he’d fully recovered from his ordeal. Bruce was fine and had taken care of the bodies of the dead human and the succubae. The mission hadn’t gone off without a hitch, but it was over now. It was the first night of the full moon. Once we changed back to our human forms, we could concentrate on discovering the location of the werewolf pack.
Only Mark bothered to eat dinner. Restless and full of nervous energy, the rest of us whiled away the hours until darkness fell. I didn’t like to think of the food that I’d be consuming during the next three nights. While it was tasty to a werewolf, my human side tended to be revolted by the prospect of eating raw meat.
Just in case it rained while I was out in the woods, I packed a change of clothes in a waterproof bag. My wolf knew what was coming. She was eager for the moon to rise so she could be free. I didn’t need to check my watch to know it would be soon. My internal clock was counting down the minutes.
Mark was waiting for me when I opened my bedroom door. His expression was grave and I became alarmed. “What’s wrong?” The others had already left for their enclosures. I didn’t have a lot of time before I had to be safely locked up as well. Without Reece there to help me remember that Mark was a friend, I was afraid that I might eat him.
“What’s going on between you and Reece?” he asked me baldly.
Kala and Flynn were already aware of why he was distancing himself from me, so Mark might as well know, too. “In his perfect world, he was the alpha of a werewolf pack and had a pure born wife and child. Now that he knows what he’s been missing out on, he regrets bonding with me. We’re growing apart and I don’t know how to fix it.”
The last part came out in a rush. Tears pricked my eyes again. I’d been on the verge of crying ever since I’d woken up in the cave.
Checking his watch, he frowned when he realized we’d run out of time. “I was worried it would be something like that. Being so close to a true born pack is reminding him of the life he missed out on.”
We both knew it was a life that wouldn’t have included me. “I’ve got to go,” I said morosely. “Take care of yourself while we’re roaming the woods eating anything that moves. Call Alicia if you feel the slightest bit ill.”
“Yes, Mom,” he mocked me.
I gave him a weak smile before darting off down the hallway. I didn’t bother to descend the stairs and instead jumped over the railing. Landing on my feet, I raced for the door and slapped my hand on the scanner. The journey down the long corridor took only seconds. Then I was outside and was sprinting for my enclosure.
Passing the door that led to Reece’s prison, I glanced at it longingly and continued on to my own gate. He’d made it very clear that he didn’t want me near. I was going to adhere to his wishes no matter how much it hurt me. I had enough pride left not to throw myself at him and beg him to love me. I was young, but I knew that love couldn’t be forced. Either you felt it or you didn’t. Clearly, Reece didn’t, at least not for me.
Opening the gate with seconds to spare before the moon appeared, I dropped my bag to the ground, but I didn’t have time to strip naked. The moon reached the magical zenith that controlled all shifters and I was lost to its power.
Pain erupted from everywhere as my bones broke down and were reshaped. My jeans, t-shirt and underwear were shredded and my shoes burst apart. My muscles tore and lengthened, as did my feet and hands. I screamed in agony as my jaw elongated and fangs erupted from my gums. My spine popped, forcing me to double over. Landing on my hands and knees, my scream turned into a howl as I became a monster.
Shaking off the pain, I sensed my mate nearby and loped over to the fence that stood between us. Standing up to my full height, I stared into his golden eyes. He looked back at me sadly. Why are we not together? My question was puzzled.
At first, he didn’t respond. His mind was closed to me, which added to my confusion. When he finally answered me, I became more baffled. There is something wrong with us.
What do you mean? I couldn’t see any injuries on either of us.
We are dying.
My first instinct was to deny his claim. I felt perfectly healthy, physically. Then he gave me a glimpse into his thoughts and I saw what he meant. Looking inwards, I realized there was a strange darkness inside me.
I didn’t know how it was possible, but it seemed to be linked to the creatures that we called the soulless. There were two types that we’d encountered so far. Zombies were resurrected from their graves with death magic. Vampires never truly died at all. The death magic stole their souls, leaving a husk full of evil behind. Can anything be done to save us? I asked him forlornly.
Before he could answer me, we heard a howl in the distance. It was followed by a dozen more. Our kin were nearby and they’d sensed that we were here. Perhaps, he said thoughtfully. It would require great sacrifice on our part.
I was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that we would both live. Tell me what we must do.
We’ll discuss it when we become human again. Without waiting for my response, he turned and ran off into the trees.
Feeling bereft and confused, I lingered near the deadly barrier that kept me from him, but he didn’t return.
Forced to hunt alone, I descended into a mindless state of feeding on anything that crossed my path. On my last night as a werewolf, I sensed an intruder approaching my jail just as the sun was about to rise. Growling deep in my throat in warning, I approached the fence. This enclosure might only be a temporary hunting ground, but I was prepared to defend it to the death anyway.
On the other side of the barrier, a male werewolf stared back at me. He had closed his mind to me, but he was familiar. I’d smelled his scent before. His eyes were the same golden shade as my mate’s and his fur was the same silver color as well. To our kind, my black fur was an anomaly that was far from normal.
Staring at me intently, he pointed at an object that lay at his feet. The mangled lump of flesh was pale and almost hairless. A sniff told me that it was a dead human. Some part of me knew it was wrong, but I salivated at the thought of biting down on the tender meat.
For you, he whispered into my mind then turned and loped away.
His mind had opened a crack when he’d spoken to me, giving me a glimpse of his thoughts. Disturbed by the sadistic, twisted images that churned inside his head, I now remembered who he was. He was the rogue who my mate and I had sensed at the last full moon. He had a sickness of the mind that could never be cured. I was puzzled that his pack had allowed him to survive for so long. My instinct was to end him so he couldn’t bring human hunters chasing after us.
An instinct that I couldn’t ignore warned me that it was imp
ortant to remain near the body. The sun was almost up now. In moments, I’d revert back to being human again.
Tensing in anticipation of pain, I wasn’t disappointed. The transformation was swift. I fell to my knees as my bones changed shape and my teeth and claws retracted. My spine realigned to its normal position and my jaw shrank. The change exhausted me and I fell unconscious.
I woke minutes later and remembered everything, including the pain. Grimacing at the residual sense of agony, I smelled the body and clambered to my feet. Standing as close to the fence as I dared, I spied the corpse lying in the long grass on the other side. It had been placed directly between two of the crosses. I could only get to within ten feet of it before the pain became excruciating.
The rogue had tried to rape me in human form and now he’d left me a grisly present while he’d been in wolf form. There was something deeply wrong with this guy. I had no idea why he’d targeted me or what I’d done to draw his unwanted attention. Turning to head to the gate, I mused that maybe his fixation could work in our favor.
It was easy to ignore my nakedness with no one around to see me. I trudged through the woods and found my bag near the gate. I dressed and let myself out. Mark had turned off the electricity to our enclosures remotely, saving me the trouble of turning it off with the control panel on my side of the fence. It was a new addition that he must have had installed recently. It would be handy in the event that he was ever injured and couldn’t turn the power off for us.
Kala and Flynn were waiting for me on the path that led to the base. “What kept you?” Kala asked. Her tawny hair was tousled and her shirt was on inside out. We were all in desperate need of a shower.
“The psychopathic rogue werewolf paid me a visit just before dawn,” I explained. “He left me a present.”
Exchanging a disturbed glance, they didn’t ask questions, knowing I’d have to recount my story to Mark. They fell in on either side of me in a protective move that they didn’t even realize they were making. There was no sign of Reece and I sensed that he’d gone on ahead. I wondered if he remembered our discussion while we’d been in werewolf form. His wolf knew that we were dying and it apparently had a solution. I didn’t know what it was, but I doubted I was going to like it.
Zeus came bounding down the path and galloped towards us. He gamboled around us like a puppy, clearly glad to have us back.
“Sheesh,” Flynn said and roughed Zeus’ ears. “Try to have a little dignity, dude.”
“He’s just happy to see us, aren’t you, big guy?” Kala said and gave him a pat. She’d thawed towards him since learning that he’d save our lives. They’d never be the best of friends, but it was nice to see her making an effort to get along with him.
Desperate for coffee, Kala let us in and took the lead down the corridor. Mark looked like his health was fully restored when we filed into the main area. We waved, but headed straight upstairs to freshen up. He had coffee waiting for us in the living room when we returned. We sank down onto the couch gratefully.
“Lexi has some news that you need to hear,” Flynn said.
Reece had beaten us to the living room and was sitting beside our boss. He looked at me with polite, yet distant interest.
“The rogue shifter paid me a visit just before dawn,” I said. “He left a body near the fence.” Mark was disappointed, but unsurprised.
“He’s taunting us,” Reece concluded. “Daring us to try to catch him.”
“I think it might be more than that,” I said. “I think, in his own sick way, that he’s trying to court me.”
Kala stared at me incredulously. “He thinks that trying to rape you will somehow win you over? Yeah, that makes total sense.” Her eye roll was exaggerated and conveyed her sarcasm with eloquence.
Flynn did a double take at that revelation. He was the only one who hadn’t been aware of the assault. “When did that happen?”
“On the second night after we went in search of the succubae,” I replied. “He didn’t succeed,” I added, much to his relief.
“I call dibs on killing him,” Kala said into the silence.
“You can’t claim this kill,” Flynn argued. “Whoever gets to him first can have that pleasure.”
“We’ll have to find him first,” Mark said. “He’s been very elusive so far, as have the rest of his pack.”
“You haven’t had any luck finding them yet?” Reece asked.
“Not so far, but I suspected that he would eventually pay us a visit.” He stood and gestured for us to follow him to the stairs. “I took some precautions that I thought might come in handy.” His smile was enigmatic and a trifle smug.
We trooped upstairs to the coms room and each took a chair. Mark switched on the computer and the wall monitors lit up. He typed in a few commands and a series of pictures flared to life.
“I arranged for cameras to be installed around the perimeter of our compound after I sent you two to investigate the succubus,” he explained. Several more cameras seemed to be dedicated to watching the roads near the property. They’d filmed all vehicles that had driven by during the past couple of weeks.
We watched the screens intently, looking for anything suspicious. “There,” Flynn said, pointing at a black pickup truck that appeared on one of the screens. The time stamp said that it had first appeared five days ago. It slowed down as it neared our compound. It moved out of sight of the camera and drove past again several hours later. It returned the next night, but was absent for the following three.
“It didn’t show up during the full moon,” Kala noted as the sped up film remained empty of vehicles.
“There it is again,” Flynn said as the black truck appeared once more. He checked his watch then looked back at the screen. “That was filmed only an hour ago. That would be enough time for the rogue to change back to his human form and drive here, if he is holed up somewhere nearby.”
“Let’s see if we can take a closer look,” Mark said. He rewound the image and paused it when the truck was in the frame. He zoomed in until we could see it clearly. The driver’s face was obscured by a dark blue ball cap, but he managed to get a clear shot of the license plate.
Working his magic, he hacked into the DMV and called up the details. The car belonged to a forty-eight year old man by the name of Ned Wilson. His photo was grainy, but he resembled Nina Carter closely enough to be her sibling. Her maiden name had been Wilson, so it seemed we finally had a lead. He searched for more information on Ned, but his records were suspiciously sparse.
Mark searched for the address that was listed on the license. A property that was only a couple of hours away from our compound was displayed. It was one of the places that he’d been keeping tabs on via satellite photos. “Bingo,” he said in satisfaction.
“Let’s go riddle this guy with bullets,” Kala said and rubbed her hands together in anticipation.
“We can’t just go rushing in there without a plan,” I said. It was doubtful that Ned was the person who had attacked me. The werewolf who had left me the grisly present had been young. Flynn’s senses had told him the same thing when we’d investigated the site of the last murder. “There are at least twelve shifters in the pack.”
“How do you know that?” Flynn asked.
“I heard them howling while I was hunting.”
Mark turned to Reece for confirmation and received a nod. Thinking hard, Mark came up with an idea, if not a full blown plan. “We need to see exactly what we’re dealing with before we can proceed. I’m going to have some equipment delivered that should be able to assist us with that.”
Anything that would increase our chances of success would be welcome, but I was forming a plan of my own. The others wouldn’t like it, but I was pretty sure it would work. If no one else could come up with a better idea, I’d put my plan forward for their consideration.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twenty-Nine
We waited for Mark in the living room while he called one of his contac
ts to arrange for his mysterious equipment to be delivered. After a short conversation, he descended to the ground floor. “Let’s go take a look at the body.”
“Do you want to walk or drive?” Reece asked. It was a polite way of asking if Mark was up to the exercise.
Mark wasn’t an overly proud man and he didn’t hesitate to answer. “We’ll drive.” It was a good call. It would have been a long walk and he was still recovering from a week spent in a coma.
We crowded into the SUV and I braced myself for pain when we approached the gate. Reece made sure to stop at a safe distance away. He waited for it to open then sped through quickly. The others knew that I was teetering on the edge of a slippery slope to damnation, but they didn’t realize just how close I was to falling over it.
We drove as close as we could get to the body then went the rest of the way on foot. I followed the others across a grassy field. The corpse had been left between two crosses and I had to stop when the pain became too intense for me to bear. Only now did I realize that the holy symbols hadn’t affected me at all when I’d been in my werewolf form.
Mark took one look at my pale face and didn’t ask me to come any closer. He probably thought the sight of the chewed up remains sickened me. While it wasn’t pretty, seeing dead bodies no longer really affected me. I’d become pragmatic about death since being turned into a shifter. It would catch up to all of us one day and there was nothing we could do to prevent it in the long run.
“Yep, she’s dead,” Kala said with clinical detachment. There was just enough left of the body to determine her gender. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone deader than that before.”
“Are you sure?” Flynn argued. “The Dark Coven looked a lot deader by the time the ghosts were done being vengeful.”
“True. This is the worst death by chewing that I’ve ever seen,” she amended.
Mark used his cell phone to take photos of the corpse then called the Cleanup Crew. “They’ll arrive in two hours,” he advised us when he hung up, forgetting again that we could hear both sides of the conversation just fine.
