But what good was that if I didn’t know who the message was from or what they were warning of? Color me suspicious, but I didn’t think it was Stefan or any other human for that matter. Which left a world of supernaturals to pick from.
“Maybe, if we’re lucky, whoever left this message will find Stefan’s gang first, and they’ll kill each other off,” I said.
Oka snorted. “Oh, Pamela, you’re funny. You and I are never lucky.”
“Truer words were never spoken,” I said as I turned to find Richard approaching me again. “Let’s just keep going. There isn’t much to make of it. But be on your guard. Don’t put your weapons away. At least not until we are sure we are past whatever this section is.” Richard nodded, and relayed the instructions to the back of the caravan.
I stood by the cross while the humans, then the shifters filed past it. Murmurs spread throughout the caravan, rippling back, but no one asked me a single thing about it, and I was glad for that. Goddess knew I didn’t have any answers.
But the answer I didn’t want came sooner, rather than later, and as per usual, only left us with a heap of trouble we surely didn’t need.
Fuck my life and the sideways plot twists it liked to take.
Richard’s whistle pierced the air, and the caravan stopped once again, less than a mile from that damn cross. I pushed my way through the caravan once more, trying to get up to him as the humans’ murmurs got louder, and laced with fear.
What I found was not what I would call comforting. Richard had stopped the caravan, the Humvee at the front. The three little kids, Ruby, Lily, and Frost, were in the safety of the armored vehicle, but the glass wasn’t tinted enough. Their faces were pressed against it, seeing the massacre at our feet.
“Get them back!” I snapped at Chris, not caring if I hurt her feelings. She hated me. I wasn’t going to make her hate me any more, and she should have known to not let the littles see what was on the ground.
Massacre, there was no other word for it. A flat-out massacre. Bodies were strewn everywhere, face up, face down, on their sides. They’d been here awhile, though, already starting to decay, their faces getting more and more skeletal looking, bits of flesh were flayed, and the smell . . . I put a hand to my nose and gagged.
Oka leapt up and onto my shoulder. “Try not to get it on your shoes, you’ll stink for weeks.”
I walked deeper into the camp that had been set up. Some of the bodies were curled as if they’d died cowering. Some were splayed out as if smashed by a blow so hard, they’d been sent flying. What in the fucking hell had done this?
Above it all was that there was nothing but bodies. Whoever had done this took everything from them. There wasn’t a single vehicle. No weapons. No supplies. Some of the bodies were even naked. I kept a hand in front of my mouth, holding my cloak there to filter some of the stink.
Nasty. Death and shit and rotting meat was a combination that made me glad my stomach was empty.
“A dead man doesn’t need his shoes anymore, right?” Oka asked.
“No, I suppose he doesn’t.”
“Dead land?” Richard asked quietly, as if talking loudly would disturb the zombies.
I shook my head. “No. No sign of a nest. Or any supernaturals for that matter.”
I searched the area, finding those brands on the trees, but nothing else was out of place. And those markers hadn’t killed us. Yet. So what had killed the people here? Answers. I needed them, and I needed them now.
“Oka, stay with Richard.” He looked at me with a question on his face. “I’m going hunting. Stay here. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Back the caravan up a hundred yards, away from this,” I waved my hand at the bodies.
Richard rubbed his arm, clearly uncomfortable staying in what was essentially a graveyard. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe we should just hurry through.”
“And run into who did this? No. I’ll go first. Oka will call me back if anything happens. I won’t go far. I just want to see if I can find any clues as to who, or what, did this.”
He nodded, and Oka shook her head, her claws digging into my shoulder. “I’m not staying with the humans. I’m not leaving you alone.”
“I’m taking the bike,” I said and looked to her. Her eyes closed, and she swallowed hard.
“I’ll be sure to keep the children safe,” she amended.
“You do that,” I said. I made my way to where Lynx was pushing the bike Mac had left behind.
“Alpha,” he said quietly, his head partially bowed. “Do you want me to come with you?”
I managed a smile for him. “Thanks, Lynx but—”
“I’ll go with her,” Alex said.
“No,” I shook my head. “I’m fine on my own.”
He shrugged and took the bike from Lynx. “Mac would kill me if I let you go by yourself.”
“Then I’m driving.” I climbed on first, swinging my leg over. We’d be able to cover a lot of ground with it and be back to the caravan before most of them even noticed I was gone. That’s what I kept my focus on, not the man who settled behind me.
I fired up the bike and looked at Richard. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
He nodded at me, and his gaze shifted behind me as I started to take off. A warm body curled around me, tucking close so we both fit on the bike. We nearly tipped all the way over, as the bike popped a wheelie. But Alex reached around me and took control from behind, and gunned the throttle, launching us into the wilderness.
My mind whirled, landing on a singular thought as the scenery whizzed past us on the bike.
This is going to be interesting.
10
Alex
Where there was love, there was hope, and there was enough love in our crazy pack to fill this world with hope.
The words came back to me, echoing in my mind in the years since I’d left Rylee that fateful day. So much had changed. Lark had broken the world, reshaped it into something new in order to save it. And Pammy, no, Pamela. She was like a different person with only glimpses of the girl I’d known. I mean, I’d known she would have grown up, but I’d still seen her as the young Pam I’d fallen in love with.
And yet, as I sat on the back of that bike, her cloak billowing around me, I knew there wasn’t anywhere else I’d rather be but here with her in this moment. I remembered promising Rylee I’d bring her home. But Pam was right. She belonged here with these people. They needed her. And I knew better than to try to separate my girl from one of her missions when her heart was set on it.
The feel of her body against mine reminded me, pleasantly, that she wasn’t a girl anymore. I couldn’t help but catch the smell of her hair as I leaned into her, steering the bike through the rough terrain. It smelled of lavender, even though she probably hadn’t washed it for weeks. It was her magic; it had a smell all its own, even if she didn’t have full use of it.
Suddenly, I realized I felt something I hadn’t since Rylee crushed me in her arms so long ago. A feeling of home, a feeling of being where I was meant to be and on top of it all, I was happy.
So why did it have to be that way? She had a guy? How could that be? She’d moved on. I’d taken too long to find her. I’d taken a year to search only for my sister and I knew that was the reason why I’d missed my window with Pam. She was right to have found someone. She deserved to be happy too.
So I would just have to be happy for her. That’s what you did when you loved someone, right? You made sure they were happy, even if it gutted you.
As we drove, I wondered if maybe I should just go back to Rylee. To my first pack with her and Liam. Surely my place was still with them. I clung a little harder to Pam, the mere thought of leaving her here in the wild was a pain I wasn’t sure I could survive.
And how disappointed would Rylee be when I showed up without Pam? I shook my head. She would understand. Pamela had a responsibility here. And that responsibility wasn’t to me or Rylee.
Maybe I’d brought this on mys
elf. I did show up with Jasmine. Jasmine. I clenched my eyes shut. That was a mistake I should never have touched. A mistake that was literally biting me in the ass. At first, she’d seemed like she was sweet, and needed help.
Falling into her arms hadn’t been something I’d thought about. But it hadn’t taken me long to realize she was not the sweet woman I’d thought.
Slowly, we brought the bike to a stop. We’d gone about five miles from the caravan. Far enough to get some space, and look around, but not too far if something happened and we needed to get back fast.
“Pam. Why’d you have to hit Jasmine?” I asked as I climbed off the bike. That way, she couldn’t look at me, and I didn’t have to look at her.
“If your girlfriend doesn’t want to get bitch slapped, she shouldn’t go around stabbing people in the side, Alex.”
It felt like she’d slapped me, not Jasmine. “What?”
She climbed off the bike and faced me, fire in her eyes. But there was no lie there. The truth was so thick on her, I could smell it, something I had trouble discerning with Jasmine. She lifted the edge of her shirt, the bandage patched over the side of her belly tinged with a little pink. “She stuck me and left the knife in for good measure. She’s lucky I didn’t skin her alive.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before this?” I asked. She’d been avoiding me, and I’d been doing the same. Mostly because it was hard to see the way she looked at Mac. She loved him, and he adored her, and it was like a kick to the balls. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Pam. I should’ve known better than to believe her. She . . . knows how to lie.”
Pam snorted. “No shit.” She shook her head as she got off the bike. “Why do you stay with her then?” Her question wasn’t accusatory, though. It was quiet, almost like understanding.
“Marley is why.”
She shook her head. “That makes no sense.”
I sighed. “Two of us watching out for a youngling is better than one. Better odds at keeping Marley alive. See?”
Her face softened. “Of course. A sacrifice for the kid. That I understand.” She looked away, and I wondered if she was talking about those kids in the caravan, or someone else.
“And Marley. She’s a good kid. She didn’t deserve what happened,” I added.
She looked at me, blue eyes shadowed with old pain. God, I wished I could smooth it away from her. “Neither did you, Alex. The only one who deserves what they get is me. I caused this. I made it happen.”
That startled me. “You think I don’t consider myself to blame?”
She smiled, but it was tired and sad. “I called you through the Veil. That was the only way Lark could have broken the world.”
“And I had a choice to come to you or not,” I said. “I will always choose you, Pam. Always.”
Her back was to me and her shoulders hitched. Shit, was she crying?
“Let’s check things out here.” Her voice was steady. “Hopefully, we can find something.”
In other words, that line of discussion was over. My mouth quirked to one side. That much about her hadn’t changed.
We explored the nearby woods in silence for a bit until Pam spoke up. “You know, I really thought Marley was dead based on what her sister had told me. I’m glad you helped her. Her sister would have been so happy to know she was alive. Maybe not a wolf, but alive.” Her dry tone was not lost on me.
But it didn’t match the pain in her eyes which was plain as day. I didn’t like it. I wanted to do something to take it away, to make her smile again. I could be her friend if I couldn’t have her in my arms. “Well, I couldn’t leave her there. You would’ve done the same thing.”
She didn’t say anything, so I pressed her a little more. “What happened to you, Pam? Really?”
She let a bitter laugh out, a sound I didn’t even know she could make. “A lot of things happened, Alex. Losing my abilities was . . . I might as well have had all four limbs cut off. That’s what it feels like. Every day was—is—a new fight for survival. A new darkness I have to stand against. A new low in my heart. Then I found this caravan, and it was like, I found my purpose for still being alive. Whether I wanted it or not.” She chuckled a bit, and I knew there was more to the story than she was giving me.
“And Mac?” I asked, knowing I was venturing into dangerous territory.
“Alex . . .” There was that pain again in her voice. I’d caused it that time. Shitty, shitty, shit, shits. I was an idiot for bringing it up.
“I’m sorry—”
Before I could set it right, a huge creature exploded out of the bushes, snarling and moving so fast, its body was a blur at first.
“Pam!” I yelled her name as I pulled my blades. I’d protect her the best I knew how. I’d gotten pretty good with them over the last three years. The creature slowed as it saw my blades and stance.
And then I really got a look at what it was. Fuck me sideways.
An ogre? I thought they were all dead and gone, minus the babies Rylee was raising. The big grumpy bastard was growling and roaring like he had some claim to the land. He had thick gray skin and two spiked clubs, one in each hand. He’d slowed, but then came at us again, madder than a hornet whose nest had been shaken repeatedly.
And yes, I’d done that once as a boy. It hadn’t ended well for me.
“We don’t want to hurt you . . .” Pam said. Was she was actually trying to talk to the ogre?
Even I knew better than that.
He growled at her and raised his clubs. Like he actually thought he’d get a hit on her. I would’ve laughed at him, but my anger made it come out like a growl instead.
“You’re in my territory,” he snarled.
“Territory? This land belongs to you? Are you the one chasing all the game off?” Pammy asked. I noticed that her hands were clenched tightly at her sides like she was holding back. But holding back what?
I turned my attention fully to the ogre and watched him closely. He held the clubs up, like he might take a swing at us, but his grip was loose. His heart wasn’t in it. Or maybe he’d run out of food too and was weak.
“Pam, come on. You can’t convince these big dumb bastards of anything,” I said, trying to get her to back off, give me some space so I could get rid of him.
But she wouldn’t.
He rolled his head from side to side. “Not me chasing game. I’m not in the habit of chasing things, see. I wait for them to come to me. Like you two. Ringing my dinner bell like you did.”
In an instant, his stance changed, and he cocked both wrists, changing his hold on his weapons. This was going sideways like shit on ice. Slippery as hell, let me tell you.
Pam had some tricks of her own up her sleeve, and whipped out two crescent-shaped blades as she took a defensive stance of her own. “Fine. Try it and see what happens, you dumb fuck.”
Damn it, her language had gotten bad.
But I kind of liked it. I couldn’t help grinning at the thought of her potty mouth. And kissing it hard.
The ogre saw my grin and roared as he swung at me. “You laughing at me, puny?”
His one big movement gave me plenty of time to duck out of the way. But the follow-through headed right for my girl.
“Pam!”
“On it,” she said as she ducked out of the way, then came through with a swing of her own blades. One weapon sliced the end of the club closest to her clean off. Those blades of hers were like mine then, edged with some sort of spell to cut like a mother fucker. Good for us, very bad for Mr. Ugly there.
The spiked end fell to the ground between them and she eyed him. “You done being a jackass?”
Nope, he wasn’t, and obviously didn’t realize just what he faced. Because instead of throwing up his hands and walking away like he should’ve, like I would’ve if I was up against her, he screamed low and loud, like some kind of ogre temper tantrum. I almost thought he’d stomp his feet for good measure.
He swung his other club the opposite direction, bringing it around
to Pam’s side first, and she ducked, easily missing it. “Alex, look alive,” she shouted. But I saw it coming.
I ran at him, and tucked my blades away, knowing I wouldn’t need them for this fool. I ducked low, and hit him hard, square in the middle of his belly as his club sailed over my head. Some of the spikes grazed my back, stinging like a venomous cacti I’d encountered early on in our journey.
That was going to leave marks.
“Alex,” Pam screamed. She seemed worried, but I had this. I’d taken ogres down before with Rylee. You just had to get them around the neck, cut off the blood supply to their tiny brains and they went right down.
He was solid though and didn’t waver as much as I thought he would when I body slammed him.
I caught a glimpse of movement as Pam charged in while the ogre pinwheeled madly, arms swinging wide now that I had him around the middle. I just had to adjust my grip and drive a foot behind one of his tree trunk legs and he’d be on the ground.
“Come on, you stinky fucker,” I growled as I wrestled to get my leg into position.
Pam beat me to it. She slid into the ogre and kicked her foot around, sweeping his legs out from under him. That move I knew she’d learned straight from Rylee and it gave me just enough leverage to switch my grip as he fell, rolling him so I was on his back. I wrapped one arm around his neck and pulled with my other hand in a sleeper hold that should have him out in no time.
That bastard was heavy, though. And squirmy. He wiggled and gasped as I bore down, putting everything I had into the hold.
There was a split second where he went still. “Nighty night,” I said and then he slumped forward, putting his neck even harder into my arm. As he went limp, I let him drop the rest of the way. He hit the ground with a heavy thud.
I was breathing hard and sweat slid down my face. I turned to look at Pam. She stared at me a moment and I looked down at my shirt. “What?”
“Just . . . it’s strange to see you fight. Like that. On two legs, no stumbling, not afraid.” She shook her head.
I wiped the front of my pants off, for lack of something to do with my hands. I didn’t know what to say to that. Did it bother her that I was no longer bound into a broken body?
Caravan Witch (Questing Witch Book 2) Page 12
